An unexpected gift
No one really explained to me what had happened and why people behaved in such a way. As I was still recovering in the hospital, I couldn’t even really ask someone. People’s behavior changed too. The sweet nurse that took care of me what’s now afraid of me and her voice shook every time she spoke to me. She also tried to leave the room as fast as she could. Professor McGonagall still stayed as sweet as she always was. But every time I asked her a question she smiled sadly and gave me the same answer over and over again. « It’s not the right time, and I am not the right person. »
The only person that answered my questions a bit was Tonks. She also managed to sneak in some pictures of my father and one of my mother too. But she could give me no information about him. « My mother doesn't want to talk about her side of the family. » Yet she was able to provide me some books in which they explained some family history.
In those books I learned about all the war crimes my family had committed. I gasped in disgust and shock when I found out my family values. I was so upset that they had to remove all books. I was kept in my room on calming draught. I tried to talk with Professor McGonagall but she seemed to have shut down entirely. Each time I asked her a question she smiled sadly and shook her head. One day she came in looking extremely upset.
« Are you alright, Professor? » I asked
She gave me yet again a small smile.
« Why won’t you talk to me anymore? Does it have anything to do with my heritage? Do you think I am evil? »
She swallowed and looked pale.
« I am sorry I made you feel that way, Ophelia. But there are some issues at school and I have no idea how to solve them. »
« Isn’t that the headmaster’s task? »
« It is. But he is currently obsessing over some prophecy instead of running a school. »
I looked uneasy.
« Tell me my dear, do you know what day it is today? »
« Not at all. »
«It’s Christmas. »
I looked at her confused.
« Christmas? What is that? »
« Oh, maybe you are more familiar with the name Yule? »
I shook my head again as I witnessed pure shock on the professor’s face.
« You don’t know what Christmas is? »
« No. »
« It’s a holiday where muggles celebrate the birth of Christ. We, magical people celebrate the fact that days are going to be longer, that the sun is coming back again. It’s a holiday where we spend time as a family, exchange gifts and eat a lot. Since I don’t have a family, and neither do you. I thought I’d come and spend Christmas in your company. And also maybe because I had a fight with the bitchy flamingo in the staffroom. »
« It’s very kind of you. »
Professor McGonagall smiled as she took her purse.
« I brought you some presents. »
« I get presents!? » I screamed in disbelief.
I quickly wiped away my happy tears. Professor McGonagall pulled a present out of her bag, and there was just no way that present would have fit in there. « I got this purse as a gift last year. An old school friend made it for me. Ah, dear Mary, she’s a good friend of mine. »
She ran her hand over the dark red purse with gold ornaments.
« This present is from Ms. Weasley. She knits sweaters for every student at Hogwarts that doesn’t get presents for Christmas. She uses fine magic that picks out the colors for her. »
I took the poorly wrapped gift. The paper was silver and it had a blue ribbon. I admired the paper for a while and stocked it. The sweather inside was soft. I opened it and I gasped in awe as I discovered a forest green sweather with a silver « O » on it. I cuddled it. It was so soft and comfortable. I struggled a bit to put it on but I managed in the end. It kept warm as well. I was crying with joy.
« This is so lovely. Do you have something so I can thank her? »
« I do. Here you go. » She said as she handed me a muggle pen and some paper.
Dear Ms. Weasley,
Thank you very much for this lovely sweather. It is so comfortable and soft. I love it so much.
Kind regards,
Ophelia Black
(PS: It feels weird to sign this with my new name :)
« I secretly enjoy writing with muggle stuff. » Professor McGonagall told me.
« I can imagine why. » I said
« That brings me to my Christmas present. I got it on the way here, your other present will arrive later. »
To that she gave me loads of muggle writing supplies. I loved them.
« Well, I was not going to say that I am trying to guess your house but I am. So I got you loads of 10 cent pens that you can sell to purebloods. You seem like the kind to do that. You can even sell them for a galion. » She explained to me as I gasped at the 20 packs of 100 pens.
She’d also given me some fancy muggle pens for me and some notebooks where she’d written my classes, a few of them were empty.
« I didn’t know what classes you’d want to take. » She confessed, looking a bit embarrassed.
« It’s alright. »
At that moment a pink haired Tonks with a Christmas sweater burst through the door with a loud bang.