“Hey, darling.” Edward sat down next to Renee and put his arm around her shoulders. Renee rolled her eyes and passed the list. He signed his name and added in an undertone, “I wrote to my mum, she says that you can come over for Easter, since we’re staying for Christmas, if you want to.”
Renee smiled. “Thanks, I might take you up on that.” She was surprised at how quickly he communicated with his mum; it had only been last night that he asked her to the ball.
“So, what’s your plan for today?” Liza asked Renee as Renee shrugged out from under Edward’s arm.
“I don’t know, what were you gonna do?” Renee turned to Liza.
“Well, Scorpius and I…” Liza began.
“Say no more.” Renee winked. “I’ll find something else.”
Edward stood up and took her hand, kissing it. “Would you fancy taking a walk with me, m’lady? The air is crisp and clear, I think you’ll find it to your liking.”
Renee raised an eyebrow, but decided to play along.
Standing up, she curtsied and exaggerated the slight accent she had picked up in her four months in Britain so far. “Thank you, kind sir. I would be glad to.”
He offered her his arm, and she took it as they walked out of the Great Hall.
Once they made it to the Entrance Hall, they both burst out laughing. As Renee slipped her arm out of his, a look came across his face, but she couldn’t tell what it was before it vanished.
“So,” he began, looking around, “where do you want to go?”
Renee shrugged. “I don’t care, really. Where did you plan on going?”
Edward just shrugged as well. “I didn’t plan. How about we just take a walk around the grounds?”
“Sounds good to me.” Renee started to put on her cloak. Edward helped her before sliding his on as well.
Once outside, Renee gasped at the glory of the Hogwarts grounds under the white blanket they were coated in. Apparently, it had snowed overnight so all traces of their battle the previous day had disappeared. Edward smiled at her amazement as he led the way down the steps and to the lawn.
“Um, so,” Renee began, “this whole ball thing…” She hesitated, unsure of how to continue.
Edward looked at her. “Yes, there is a Yule Ball. Yes, I asked you last night. No, it wasn’t just the most amazing dream you’ve ever had. It was real, don’t worry.” He smirked.
Renee swatted his arm but couldn’t hide her smile. “No, I mean,” her face grew somber, “it won’t affect us, will it? I mean if it… doesn’t go well, we’ll still be friends, right?”
Edward’s face had gotten serious as well, but it soon returned to his playful smile. “Of course not. You don’t think that I would let a silly little ball get between us, do you?”
Renee smiled and shook her head. As they rounded the far edge of the lake, Renee tried unsuccessfully to stifle another gasp. The castle looked so picturesque with the snow that she couldn’t help but be amazed. She could see that Edward was about to comment, so she hurriedly changed the subject. “How many people do you think are still asleep?”
Edward smiled at her question and her rather transparent attempt at shifting his attention. “Well, at least Scorpius and Al. If we didn’t have morning classes, I don’t think either of them would wake up until lunch.”
They walked in silence for a little while. By the time they had made a full circuit of the lake, they saw where their original footprints started and continued on in them.
“What’s your family like?” Renee asked after a while. “If I’m going to come over, I’d like to know what to expect.”
Edward snorted. “I don’t even know what to expect. My mum, aunts and most cousins will be nice, but I can’t guarantee anything about my dad, uncles, brothers and the rest of the cousins. Don’t worry,” he rushed on at Renee’s skeptical look, “they’re all great. They just like to joke around.”
Renee grinned. She could totally relate.
Edward looked sideways at Renee, and she knew what was coming. Renee had avoided talking about her family in the beginning of the year, as it would make her feel homesick and unwanted.
“What about your family?” Edward eyed her face skeptically.
Renee figured that now was as good a time as any. “Well, my family is full of jokers, like yours. We live all over the country, and my mom and dad like taking road trips to visit them.” She rolled her eyes. “So many hours in a Muggle car made me wish that I could come of age at age five.”
Edward smiled. “Where’d you go to school?” Now that she was opening up, Renee could see the questions burning in Edward’s eyes.
“I went to M-Pac. That’s Magic Pacific. In America, wizarding schools are determined by the region where you live. There’s M-Mid, Magic Midwest, M-South, M-North, and then M-Hawaii and M-Alaska. They were like the houses here, except we travelled to play Quidditch and everything. We were the champions last year.” Renee smiled at the memory.
“Why’d you come here?”
“My parents wanted me to get to see another culture before I was of age and on my own. They were debating whether to send me here or Beauxbatons.” Renee smirked. “I think the fact that I speak no French at all might have pushed them in favor of Hogwarts.”
The sun was high in the sky, and they had beaten a path through the snow before Renee realised how late it had gotten. “Merlin! What time is it?”
Edward looked at his watch and did a double take. “One o’clock? Where did all the time go?” He then smiled, a playful gleam coming to his eyes. “How fast can you run in the snow?”
Renee paused, raised an eyebrow, and then took off running to the castle.
Edward yelled from behind her, “Hey! That’s cheating!”
Renee just giggled as she flew up the steps and halted to wait for Edward.
She didn’t have to wait long. Before she could turn around, her sudden stop made Edward go flying into her, knocking both of them down into the snow.
Laughing, Edward helped Renee up. Again, while looking up into his face, she noticed how beautiful his eyes were. However, their moment was broken when students walking across the Entrance Hall reminded them that they needed to get up to Gryffindor Tower.
When they got there, they found that only Albus had stayed, and that was because he was asleep in an armchair.
Renee went up to her dormitory to get clean, dry, comfy clothes on. When she got back down, Edward had woken up Albus, and the two were playing a game of chess. Renee settled down in an armchair to read.
Edward’s loud swear brought Renee back from her book.
“That’s ten games in a row! How the bloody hell are you doing that?” he complained to Albus.
Albus merely smiled. “A champion never reveals his secrets.”
Edward grumbled something about Weasley relatives and chess while resetting the board.
“Al!” A redheaded sixth year came down the steps. “Mum wants to know if you’ve found a date to the ball. Have you?”
Albus flushed and muttered something unintelligible, so the redhead pressed, “Did you?”
“Yes, alright, Lily?” Albus sounded exasperated. He flushed and looked down; his face suggesting that all he wanted was for everyone to just drop the subject, so Lily complied.
Dinner that night was a rather laid-back affair. Afterwards, Renee walked in on almost all of the younger Gryffindor girls complaining amongst themselves that they hadn’t gotten a date. Whenever a boy would walk in, their heads would perk up, only to be disappointed when it was a younger boy.
Renee settled down at a table to do some homework and enjoy the show. When Albus made it through the throng, he joined her.
Around nine-thirty, most of them resigned to the fact that they wouldn’t get dates and, dejected, filtered up the stairs to pack.
As it got closer to ten o’clock, Al glanced at his watch about every three seconds or so.
“Got a hot date?” Renee joked, smiling.
Al looked up from his watch sharply. “How did you know?”
“Whoa,” Renee backpedaled. “I was just joking with you. I noticed you counting the passing seconds.”
Albus grinned shamefacedly. “Sorry. It’s just that Rebecca and I were planning on going for a walk tonight.”
“Wait, Rebecca Gorge, the Ravenclaw? Rebecca Gorge, the daughter of the Minister of Magic?” Renee’s eyes widened.
Albus flushed and looked down. “Yeah, that’s her. And that’s why we’re trying to keep it more of a secret.” He glanced up at her, his eyes pleading.
“Don’t worry, Al,” Renee assured him. “Your secret is safe with me.”
Al smiled in thanks, before looking at his watch. “Merlin’s pants! I’ve got to go!”
“Have fun.” Renee winked at him.
The next day, Renee slept in and missed breakfast, but so had Liza, Rose and Allyson. Jessica had always been an early morning person, much to Renee’s confusion. How could someone be so awake so bloody early in the morning?
When Renee finally decided to greet the world, she didn’t get very far. Making it only as far as the common room, she curled up in an armchair with her favorite book.
It was here that Edward found her after lunch had already started.
Renee was so engrossed in her book that she didn’t notice Edward come up behind her, so when he kissed her head she jumped.
Edward laughed. “So this is where you’ve been. Were you gonna come get any lunch?”
When Renee just shrugged and returned to her book, Edward walked around the chair and picked her up. Renee screamed and was only barely able to keep a hold of her book.
“Put me down!” she demanded. Edward ignored her and walked on to the stairs to the dormitories.
“You can’t get up the girls’ staircase,” Renee warned him. She didn’t fancy getting dropped and sliding back down.
“Then it’s a good thing we’re not headed to the girls’ dormitory then, isn’t it?” Edward smirked. Renee smacked his arm, unable to ignore how muscular it was, and tried to get down, but he was too strong.
Once in the seventh year boys’ dorm, Edward set Renee down and walked over to his trunk.
“What are you doing?” Renee inquired, glancing around the room. Boys were much messier than girls, there were clothes and books and Merlin-knows-what strewn all about the floor.
“Well, it seems that you aren’t taking your own health seriously, so I’m getting some clothes for you to borrow so we can go get you some food.” Edward emerged from his trunk with a simple shirt and a pair of sweatpants.
“Thank you,” Renee shot at him, snatching the clothes he offered with a sarcastic face.
“You’re welcome,” he retorted. Grinning at her, he left the room and shut the door.
Rolling her eyes, Renee changed. She had heard of the band on the shirt, ‘Three Wizards and a Muggle.’ They played both wizarding music and Muggle music. Renee would never tell Edward, but his clothes were actually quite comfortable and smelled good.
Gathering what dignity she had left, Renee strode out of the dorm right past Edward.
Renee made to go towards her dorm to drop off her clothes and book, but Edward grabbed the back of her shirt and dragged her back.
“Nice try.” He continued pulling her towards the portrait hole. “Didn’t you hear me say that I would get you some food? We’re going to eat.”
“But my clothes,” Renee complained, trying to pull away.
Edward waved at them with his wand, and they disappeared from Renee’s hands.
“Where’d you send them?” Renee demanded, still being pulled along by the back of her shirt.
“Don’t worry, they’re in my room,” Edward assured her.
Once they got through the portrait hole, Edward swung Renee around in front of him, catching her before she fell.
Renee stood up straight, crossing her arms and looking up into his face. “You know that by the time we down there, lunch will be over.”
Edward merely smiled down at her. “The kitchens never close,” he said in a rather ominous tone, thoroughly confusing Renee.
Renee had been correct. The Great Hall wasn’t serving food anymore, but that didn’t stop Edward. Grabbing Renee by the arm, he pulled her along another corridor.
“Where are we going?” Renee inquired curiously, just in time for them to stop in front of a painting of a bowl of fruit.
“I don’t want fruit today, thank you for the offer.” One could practically hear the sarcasm hitting the floor as it dripped from Renee’s voice.
Edward gave her a ‘shut up and watch me work’ look while reaching up to tickle a pear.
Renee felt her eyes widen slightly as the pear turned into a doorknob, and Edward swung the painting forward.
Immediately after stepping inside, Renee found herself being surrounded by eager house-elves.
“Hello, Mr. Edward! Does Mr. Edward care for one of the pies he is always wanting?”
Edward, already a tall person, positively towered over the elves. “Yes, please. Thank you, Dolly.”
Another elf came up to Renee and bowed. “Hello, Miss. Maxis is here to help you. What is your name?”
“Um, I’m Renee,” she answered, unsure of how to address the elf.
“Hello, Miss Renee. What is it you are coming to us for?”
“Well, I missed lunch…” Renee started, but was cut off by the flurry of activity around her. Elves were ushering her to a table where Edward was watching in amusement. Other elves were offering her butterbeer, water, almost any drink she could think of.
Sitting down, she took the water and tray of food that was set on her lap. Curiously enough, there was a white rose in a small vase of water on the tray as well. White roses were Renee’s favorite flower, how could they have known that?
“What are you gawking at the flower for?” Edward noticed her looking at the rose.
“I love white roses,” Renee told him, picking it up. “I’m just happy to see one; I almost never do, especially in winter.”
Renee put the rose in her hair”an elf had cut the thorns off”and began to eat. The food was Renee’s favorite sandwich and soup. How much did the elves know about her?
Renee and Edward sat in the kitchens and talked until dinnertime.
Tonight’s dinner was a more extravagant affair; it was Christmas Eve, after all.
The Great Hall had been decorated during the day to prepare for the ball, and now it was a winter wonderland. As Renee walked in, she felt rather underdressed, glancing down at her shirt and sweatpants, and she noticed others with the same reaction.
Once everyone was seated, Professor Andrews stood up.
“Happy Christmas Eve, Hogwarts! As so many of you have stayed, we have left the tables as they were, but do not feel the need to sit according to Houses. Move around, mingle, perhaps find a last minute date. Bon appétit!”
As he sat down, food appeared on the tables. Jason made his way over to sit next to Rose when Renee saw Rebecca Gorge walking over.
“Hi, I’m Rebecca Gorge. Do you mind if I sit here?” she introduced herself timidly to the group, standing behind Renee and Albus.
Renee shoved Edward over to make room for Rebecca next to Albus. “Here you go. I’m Renee.”
Rebecca smiled as she sat down. “Hi, Renee.”
“What was that for?” Edward gave Renee a martyred look while rubbing his arm.
Renee gave him an exasperated look. “Oh, please. I barely hit you!”
Edward grinned and sat up straight, getting ready to eat. “I love the sympathy coming from you. I feel much better now, thanks.”
Renee smiled angelically before starting on her meal.
Edward and Renee were the first to finish their dinners, so they walked back to Gryffindor Tower together.
“Are you excited for tomorrow?” he asked her, smiling.
Renee thought about it for a moment. Yes, she was excited, but she wasn’t sure just how excited. “I guess,” was her brilliant answer. “How about you?”
He looked straight forward and didn’t answer for a moment either. “Yeah, I’m excited.” His expression was guarded; Renee looked into his face curiously.
He turned and smiled, but before he could say anything, another voice called, “Renee! Hold on, wait for me!”
Renee turned around and saw David Taylor running to catch up with them. Renee scowled; David Taylor was the one that wouldn’t leave her alone in the beginning of the year.
Ignoring Edward, David addressed Renee. “Hey, you know the Yule Ball is tomorrow.” Without waiting for a response, he continued, “And I figured that you would want a date, so here I am.”
“What makes you think I haven’t found a date already?” Renee worked on controlling her temper “ David had an ego the size of a full-grown dragon and Renee couldn’t stand him.
However, he must have missed the flare of her eyes and her menacing tone, because he continued on, “Well, I know that you’re the new girl, and I didn’t think that you’d get asked, so I’m taking pity on you and asking you to be my date.”
It was a good thing that Edward was so strong, as his arms were the only thing that held Renee back when she lashed out at David.
“Get the bloody hell out of our faces,” Edward snarled at David, turning his back and dragging Renee through the portrait hole.
Once Edward released Renee, she stood in the middle of the room to control her trembling fists so that she wouldn’t break anything in her dorm.
When she had tried to hit David, some of her hair had fallen out of the messy ponytail she had pulled it back into. Edward caught some of the flyaway strands and tucked them behind her ears, rubbing her arms and unclenching her fists. Renee found that his presence and how he rubbed her back helped her calm down quicker than normal.
“Better?” he inquired after a minute.
“I think so,” Renee replied hesitantly.
Edward laughed. “I’ll go get your book and pajamas from my room.”
As he disappeared up the stairs, Renee thought about the day to come. She hoped that Edward was right, that it would be great.
“Here you go.” Edward appeared, holding Renee’s things.
“Thanks.” Renee tried to put as much meaning as possible into that one word.
Edward seemed to get it. “No problem. Sleep well.” He leaned over and swiftly kissed her forehead before disappearing again.
Renee stood there for a moment, dazed, before the sounds of activity could be heard coming this way. Quickly and quietly, she made her escape to her room where she put the rose on her headboard and read for the rest of the night.
“Happy Christmas!” Jessica’s cheer woke up Renee and Allyson. Liza was already tearing into her presents and Rose was admiring a necklace.
Renee looked at the stack of parcels on her bed. The one on top had her mom’s handwriting on it, so she opened that one first.
Renee,
Merry Christmas! We miss you and hope that you’re having a good time.
Love,
Mom and Dad
As she untied the string, a box of cookies and a new book were revealed. Squealing in delight, Renee picked up the book. It was the sequel to the one that she had now, and there was an inscription inside.
Renee,
Now you don’t have to wait to get home when you finish the first one.
-Mom
The note on the cookies proclaimed them to be from Grandma with love. Renee opened them and popped one into her mouth, reaching for the next gift. She unwrapped candy, baked goods and notes from all of her friends.
Finally, there were only two gifts left. The larger one’s card read that it was from Liza, so Renee picked it up first.
Inside was a Quaffle. The stamp on it said “Property of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”
“Thanks, Liza,” Renee called across the room. “You got me a… stolen Quaffle?”
Heaving an exaggerated sigh, Liza explained. “That’s not just any Quaffle, Renee. That’s the Quaffle you scored your first goal at Hogwarts with. And it’s not stolen,” she scoffed.
Renee’s smile was huge. “Wow, thanks, Liza!”
This left only one present. There was no card on the outside, so Renee tore into the paper.
Renee gasped softly. The most beautiful necklace Renee had ever seen fell out onto her palm. It was a simple silver chain with a blue crystalline heart hanging from it. Renee held it up to the light and admired how it sparkled in the sunlight.
“Wow, Renee, that’s beautiful,” Rose admired. “Who gave it to you?”
“I’m not sure, hang on.” The card had dropped to the floor so Renee had to stoop quickly to pick it up.
Renee,
Happy Christmas!
I hope that tonight will be to your liking, my lady.
-Edward
Renee rolled her eyes. “It’s from Edward,” she answered Rose.
As they walked out of the portrait hole for breakfast, five boys awaited them. Scorpius held out his hand to Liza, Jason was there for Rose, and Jessica and Allyson’s dates were each there as well. Edward stood at the end of the line, beaming. The necklace that Renee had gotten him, a ruby gemstone on a black cord, was around his neck.
“Good morning, m’lady,” he greeted her, extending his arm. “Would you like to get some breakfast?”
Renee smiled and took his arm. “Thank you for the necklace.”
Edward inclined his head. “And thank you as well.”
The Great Hall was rather empty when they got down; most people had either slept in and were now opening presents or were getting ready for tonight.
The girls ate quickly before hurrying back up to Gryffindor Tower to prepare for the night that lay ahead.