Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas
The snow looked almost blue from the glow of the moon that sat atop the Owlery like a cottony bonnet. It was the picturesque vision of Hogwarts in the days before holiday vacation. Jandy Giblin hummed quietly to herself as she sat on the straw-covered floor with her legs crossed, gently scratching behind the ear of a young barn owl with her left, ivory hand as her other mended the splint on the cooing owl’s wing. She gently waved her wavy, blonde hair out of her face. The sound of whisking wings fluttered overhead.
“There,” Jandy said in her beautiful, quiet manner. “That feels better, now doesn’t it?” The young owl twittered and pressed his snitch-sized head against Jandy’s wrist gratefully before hopping towards his mother. Jandy smiled.
She spent a lot of time in the owl tower tending to the peculiar, charming creatures. Hagrid always told her she had a gift with owls. Where they were normally skittish towards people, Jandy’s caring nature drew them towards her. Any time one of the owls needed help, they’d wait for her. Jandy loved it, they kept her from feeling bad about her shyness. It was easy to disappear in the Owlery for a few hours when she felt a bit over her head.
It wasn’t like Jandy didn’t have any friends. She got along well with just about all of her fellow Hufflepuffs, and she had Hagrid and Hermione and Luna, too. And then, of course, there was Cedric Diggory.
Jandy hadn’t quite figured out Cedric yet. He was such a confident person- tall and handsome and popular among everyone. Yet, for some reason, he seemed to pine for Jandy’s affection. “Just like the owls,” Luna would observe. Jandy tried to think nothing of it. Being around people always made Jandy nervous, but there was something different about the racing in her heart and the buzzing in her brain when Cedric smiled her way.
Jandy got lost in her thoughts of Cedric for some time, letting them cloud her mind as the owls swooped in and out the grand window. The warmth of her breath turned to steam in the winter air. Almost as if on cue, the sound of footsteps on the stairs rustled up into the tower. Cedric appeared in the cool light.
“I thought I’d find you here.” He whispered as he leaned his black and gold robes against the doorframe. Jandy didn’t quite bring her soft, chalky gray eyes to meet his. She dug in her pocket and pulled out some small berries.
“Everyone thinks owls just want mice but that’s a common misconception,” she stated as she dropped a few of the little round red fruits in the nest of a snowy owl family. “They actually really enjoy cranberries and boysenberries and others of the sort. The sweetness is a treat for them.” The largest owl clicked her beak and happily gobbled up the berry while Jandy watched softly.
“Jandy-”
“They also enjoy pretzel sticks, funny enough. I found that one out by accident, I had some in my pocket and one of them just nipped them right out from under my nose. It was rather amusing, actually...”
“Jandy,” he interrupted tenderly again. “What’s wrong? Its the start of the Holidays, why aren’t you at the feast?”
Jandy’s vision filled with tears. She slowly reached in the pocket of her robes and pulled out a piece of parchment, handing it to Cedric, who read it carefully aloud.
“...Our lovely daughter, we’re so sorry to have to tell you this, but we just can’t afford to bring you home to Wales for Christmas this year. It won’t be the same without you, we miss you dearly, but there’s nothing more we can do. Please try to enjoy yourself at school, and we will be waiting for you with open arms come the end of term. With love, Mum and Dad... Oh Jandy, I’m so sorry...” Cedric folded the parchment back up and approached the gently crying Jandy.
“I miss them,” she sniffed into his strong chest.
“I know,” he whispered, pushing her hair behind her ear and brushing away a rolling tear with his thumb. “It’s ok... I’m going to be here over vacation too. We can spend it together.”
“Really? I’d like that, Cedric.”
“Me too.” He smiled. “Who knows, maybe we’ll be able to make something beautiful of this Hogwarts Christmas.”
Just as Jandy was about to ask what he meant, the gleeful hoot of a owl interrupted from over head. The pair looked up simultaneously to see the snowy owl from the berry nest soaring around with a little twig in her beak.
“Is that...?” Jandy started.
“I think so.” Cedric answered. “Mistletoe.”
Blinking away the last of her tears, Jandy let Cedric place his pillowy lips against hers. The warmth of the moment glowed in the air.
“Merry Christmas, Cedric.” She whispered after the kiss.
“Merry Christmas.”
“There,” Jandy said in her beautiful, quiet manner. “That feels better, now doesn’t it?” The young owl twittered and pressed his snitch-sized head against Jandy’s wrist gratefully before hopping towards his mother. Jandy smiled.
She spent a lot of time in the owl tower tending to the peculiar, charming creatures. Hagrid always told her she had a gift with owls. Where they were normally skittish towards people, Jandy’s caring nature drew them towards her. Any time one of the owls needed help, they’d wait for her. Jandy loved it, they kept her from feeling bad about her shyness. It was easy to disappear in the Owlery for a few hours when she felt a bit over her head.
It wasn’t like Jandy didn’t have any friends. She got along well with just about all of her fellow Hufflepuffs, and she had Hagrid and Hermione and Luna, too. And then, of course, there was Cedric Diggory.
Jandy hadn’t quite figured out Cedric yet. He was such a confident person- tall and handsome and popular among everyone. Yet, for some reason, he seemed to pine for Jandy’s affection. “Just like the owls,” Luna would observe. Jandy tried to think nothing of it. Being around people always made Jandy nervous, but there was something different about the racing in her heart and the buzzing in her brain when Cedric smiled her way.
Jandy got lost in her thoughts of Cedric for some time, letting them cloud her mind as the owls swooped in and out the grand window. The warmth of her breath turned to steam in the winter air. Almost as if on cue, the sound of footsteps on the stairs rustled up into the tower. Cedric appeared in the cool light.
“I thought I’d find you here.” He whispered as he leaned his black and gold robes against the doorframe. Jandy didn’t quite bring her soft, chalky gray eyes to meet his. She dug in her pocket and pulled out some small berries.
“Everyone thinks owls just want mice but that’s a common misconception,” she stated as she dropped a few of the little round red fruits in the nest of a snowy owl family. “They actually really enjoy cranberries and boysenberries and others of the sort. The sweetness is a treat for them.” The largest owl clicked her beak and happily gobbled up the berry while Jandy watched softly.
“Jandy-”
“They also enjoy pretzel sticks, funny enough. I found that one out by accident, I had some in my pocket and one of them just nipped them right out from under my nose. It was rather amusing, actually...”
“Jandy,” he interrupted tenderly again. “What’s wrong? Its the start of the Holidays, why aren’t you at the feast?”
Jandy’s vision filled with tears. She slowly reached in the pocket of her robes and pulled out a piece of parchment, handing it to Cedric, who read it carefully aloud.
“...Our lovely daughter, we’re so sorry to have to tell you this, but we just can’t afford to bring you home to Wales for Christmas this year. It won’t be the same without you, we miss you dearly, but there’s nothing more we can do. Please try to enjoy yourself at school, and we will be waiting for you with open arms come the end of term. With love, Mum and Dad... Oh Jandy, I’m so sorry...” Cedric folded the parchment back up and approached the gently crying Jandy.
“I miss them,” she sniffed into his strong chest.
“I know,” he whispered, pushing her hair behind her ear and brushing away a rolling tear with his thumb. “It’s ok... I’m going to be here over vacation too. We can spend it together.”
“Really? I’d like that, Cedric.”
“Me too.” He smiled. “Who knows, maybe we’ll be able to make something beautiful of this Hogwarts Christmas.”
Just as Jandy was about to ask what he meant, the gleeful hoot of a owl interrupted from over head. The pair looked up simultaneously to see the snowy owl from the berry nest soaring around with a little twig in her beak.
“Is that...?” Jandy started.
“I think so.” Cedric answered. “Mistletoe.”
Blinking away the last of her tears, Jandy let Cedric place his pillowy lips against hers. The warmth of the moment glowed in the air.
“Merry Christmas, Cedric.” She whispered after the kiss.
“Merry Christmas.”