gift
Halfway through November brings the first Quidditch match, Slytherin V Ravenclaw.
Arabella stands bundled up fighting off the chilly fall breeze with her Slytherin scarf and big long coat. Her mum was right, Scotland is cold.
Winter starts cheering loudly in Arabella’s ear and Regulus leans forward excitedly as the two teams enter the pitch. Arabella knows about quidditch of course, she’s actually quite into it. She used to have family quidditch games with her parents during the late evening after school and long summer days.
“GO SLYTHERIN!” Arabella jumps up and down cheering loudly. It’s nice, finally knowing just as much about the wizarding world as the others.
Her eyes follow the quaffle watching the two keeps make some incredible saves. The Ravenclaw keeper is much better but Slytherin has way better chasers, Arabella observes.
Narcissa Black is the Slytherin keeper and she hovers above the pitch anxiously, eyes peeled for the snitch.
The crowd erupts in cheers and boos as Ravenclaw scores another goal against the sloppy Slytherin keeper. Arabella groans and covers her eyes.
Reglus grabs Arabella’s hand in anticipation as one of the Slytherin chasers throw the quaffle towards the goal and it looks like it’s going in until… until the Ravenclaw keeper makes an amazing dive and catches the quaffle before tossing it to one of his chasers, she shoots from at least fifty feet away and the Slytherin keeper misses another easy one.
“That’s another goal for Ravenclaw making the score 80-30, step it up Slytherin!” The crowd of green and silver boos at the blonde announcer. Suddenly Narcissa goes into a dive, “oh! Has she seen something? Slytherin seeker, Black, seems to be chasing something… seems like Ravenclaw hasn’t caught on!” The Ravenclaw seeker is looking around frantically, he flies forward in an attempt to catch up to Narcissa but it's too late.
Narcissa comes up out of a dive holding the little golden ball above her head as the crowd erupts into cheers.
“Yes! Go Cissy!” Regulus grins.
Their little group of Slytherins make their way through the crowds pushing their way from the rowdy older kids and ducking under cheering people.
“There will be a huge party tonight!” Winter beams, “I wonder if they’ll let us in…”
Regulus snorts, “doubtful we’re only first years.”
Otto puffs out his chest, Arabella thinks he looks a bit ridiculous, “we can pass off as older.”
This causes the girls to erupt in giggles. “Ya right,” Lucy snorts sarcastically, “maybe Barty but definitely not you.” Barty looks startled and they all start laughing.
“Oh, she’s just teasing,” Penelope gasps between laughter. Barty scowls at Lucy who shrugs in response.
The dorm is already buzzing when the group walks in. Music is blaring from a record in the middle of the room, lights are charmed to flash between bright colors, large Slytherin banners hang up across the room, older kids have drinks in their hands and some people have already changed into party dresses and fancier clothes. The quidditch team is surrounded by people patting them on the back and handing them drinks.
Arabella thinks it’s all a bit loud, overwhelming. She doesn’t think she’s ever seen quite so many people in one room but she looks over and see’s Winter, Otto, and Lucy all grinning and taking in the music. Regulus looks just as overwhelmed as her and takes a step closer to her.
A tall girl wearing a skin-tight black dress, hair plaited down her back and holding a bottle of something stumbles towards the first years.
“Nuh uh uh,” she scolds, “no first or second or third years allowed, up to your dorms.”
Otto groans, “what, why?”
She puts her hands on her hips and looms over him, “because I said so and I’m a prefect, now scram.” Arabella looks up at her and can’t help but admire her, what must it be like to have that much confidence. Arabella could never wear that kind of dress! She’d be far too self-conscious.
Grumbling about the injustice, Otto leads the boys up the stairs to their dormitory and Arabella follows the girls into theirs. As soon as they cross the line into the stairwell it goes quiet. She guesses they cast a silencing charm or something.
The girls settle in their dorm, Lucy and Penelope sit on Lucy’s bed and Winter lays with her head in Arabella’s lap on the leather couch.
“We could play exploding snap?” Penelope suggests earning her a nod from the three other girls.
Penelope beats Winter four times before Arabella settles on the floor to play her. Winter and Lucy sit in anticipation, Penelope has destroyed both of them easily but she seems to have met her match with Arabella.
Exploding snap is Arabella’s specialty. She played through long weekdays with her mother and over dinners and summer nights.
“Yes!” Winter screams as Arabella finally beats Penelope.
Penelope groans and leans back so that she’s lying on the floor, “ugh my reign of queen is over!”
“You're so dramatic,” Arabella giggles, “Lucy, play me next?”
Lucy looks at Arabella in horror, “oh no, you’ll destroy me! Gobstones?” The girls all nod and Lucy pulls a shiny gobstone set out of her trunk.
Arabella is terrible at gobstones.
The girls giggle as the little light from their window fades and it gets later. All four girls eventually crawl into Arabella’s bed.
“Let’s play truth or dare,” Winter whispers.
Lucy nods excitedly, “truth or dare Penelope?” Penelope glares at Lucy but eventually chooses truth. “Who’s the cutest, Alastair or Otto?”
Penelope doesn’t hesitate, “Alastair.”
“What!” Arabella gasps, “no way, definitely Otto.”
Winter smirks in response, “none of the above, Regulus.” All the girls laugh at this but Winter just looks at them seriously, “c’mon guys have you seen him? And have you seen his brother?” The girls continue giggling.
It feels nice. Talking like this, with friends. Arabella thinks she could get used to it, talking and laughing into the late hours of night playing round after round of truth or dare and gobstones.
***
December brings chilly winds and Arabella’s first snow. Where Arabella grew up there aren’t seasons, summer 24/7. She’s seen snow on trips or in pictures but that doesn’t compare to winter at Hogwarts.
The grounds are coated in a magical white powder and the halls are decorated with tinsel, wreaths, and Christmas lights.
The day before Christmas break Winter drags them all outside for a snowball fight. Arabella is bundled up from head to two, mittens, hat hood, snow pants, the whole nine yards. They divide teams up boys v girls, it’s clear that Winter is getting very competitive about this.
“Alright team,” Winter whispers from behind a wall they’ve built out of snow, “this isn’t a joke. We will win. I want Lucy and Penelope to stay here and Arabella and I will take sides.”
Arabella nods, deciding to humor Winter even though it doesn seem a bit funny to be so competitive. She forms a few snowballs and carries them as she creeps along towards where the boys are building their base. She ducks behind a snow pile and throws a perfectly formed snowball at the back of Alistair's head. He whips around and spots her, she ducks away giggling as his snowball. He throws a few more at her, one hitting her shoulder.
She grabs her wand and whispers, “leviosa.” The snowballs fly at the boys hitting Regulus, Otto, Barty, and Alastair all in the back of the head.
“Hey!” Alastair laughs, “no magic in snow ball fights.” Arabella shrugs and directs her wand so more snowballs hit Alastair, he yelps and covers his head with his hands, “helppp!”
Otto points at him chuckling, “c’mon mate!”
Alastair runs over to Otto breathlessly and Arabella giggles, “sorry Alastair.”
He smirks, “all's fair in love and war.” Arabella feels something cold go down her neck and shivers, she turns around to see Regulus smirking with a handful of snow.
“Oops,” he laughs. Arabella grabs a handful of snow and tackles him, they both fall to the ground laughing. “Cold! Cold! Arabella, cold!”
***
Arabella takes off her damp clothes and hangs them on her bed frame. “If only we knew drying charms,” she grumbles.
Winter shivers, “I’ll ask Lucius, these won’t dry by the train tomorrow otherwise!” The other girls nod and the four of them go downstairs and take seats in front of the fire.
The boys come down shortly after and Regulus sits next to Arabella.
“Here,” he whispers. He slips something into her book bag and she looks at him in confusion. “It was really good, I- I read it twice that's why it took me so long to get it back to you.” Arabella peeks inside her bag to see the red cover of Wuthering Heights.
“Oh,” she grins, “I’m glad you liked it! You can keep it longer if you’d like.”
He shakes his head, “wouldn’t want mum to see it and it’d get ruined in the dorm.” Arabella nods and Regulus continues, “thanks though, and I er… there’s a present in it for you.”
Arabella looks at him, startled, “oh Regulus… you didn’t have to get me anything! I didn't think to-“
He cuts her off, “I didn’t expect you to, really. It’s just something small I thought about while reading it… you may- you may be a little mad at me.”
She looks at him curiously, “I’m sure I’ll love it, thank you Reg.”
He grins at her. What she doesn’t realize is that she’s the best Christmas gift he’s ever gotten. Her friendship, her modern perspectives, simply her. You see Regulus has never had anyone like her. He’s grown up with one friend, Sirius, and lately he hasn’t seemed as great.
She doesn’t care about blood-statuses and fancy dinners. She just likes him for him and she doesn’t care whether or not he can play piano properly or if he misspeaks at evening tea. She gives him stories to read and teaches him about muggle things, she is unlike any creature he’s ever met.
“Merry Christmas Bell,” he whispers. She blushes and reaches over to hug him.