Chapter 43: Surprise

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Orli lingered in her dormitory until nearly noon before finally finishing her reply to Mrs. Weasley.

She quickly tidied herself up, wrapped herself in the enormous new scarf, and headed to the Great Hall for the Christmas lunch. A large group of Weasleys and Harry were already waiting for her in the common room, all dressed uniformly in their lettered jumpers, displaying "P," "F," "G," "R," and Harry's "H."

## Orli: "Oh my goodness. Thank Merlin none of your initials overlap."

Slightly startled by their uniformity, Orli turned her scarf to show them her "O."

## George: "Well, congratulations, you're now officially half a Weasley."

George teased her. But he soon fell silent, interrupted by a bout of hiccups, while Fred, who had been hiccupping nonstop, could only offer an exasperated grin.

The two nearly identical faces stared at Orli with wry smiles, making her burst into laughter.

## Ron: "Why do you get a scarf, and I always get an ugly jumper every year?!"

Ron protested, clearly feeling it was unfair.

## Ron: "Next year, I'm going to tell Mum I want a scarf too!"

Their playful banter continued all the way to the Great Hall. The Hall was stunningly decorated, with holly branches and mistletoe flowers adorning the walls, and twelve towering Christmas trees, some glistening with icicles, others glowing with hundreds of lit candles.

A sumptuous Christmas feast was spread across the four house tables, surrounded by magical crackers stacked several feet high. These crackers weren't ordinary party poppers or firecrackers; pulling them apart resulted in a loud bang, a puff of blue smoke, and the appearance of some bizarre items.

Orli casually pulled two crackers, producing a feather-shaped candy cane and an outrageously ugly flower-adorned bonnet, both of which she discarded without a second thought.

The Weasleys and Harry soon stuffed themselves full, and all the remaining Gryffindors staying at Hogwarts trooped out to the grounds for a snowball fight. After an afternoon of wild fun, with their clothes soaked through with snow, they returned to the tower together, huddling by the fire in the common room.

As night fell, after turkey sandwiches, jam puddings, and Christmas cake, Orli, her belly round and full, curled up in an armchair, dozing off. Harry and Ron were deep in a discussion about Quidditch, while Percy, whose prefect badge had been snatched, was chasing the twins around the room.

This was the happiest Christmas Orli had ever experienced, she thought as she watched them.

All day long, she had deliberately avoided thinking about the Christmas gift for Snape, trying not to feel awkward about it. The strategy worked well, as by the time she lay down in bed, she had completely forgotten about it.

But just then, her dormitory window was tapped with a "thud thud."

Rubbing her eyes, Orli walked to the window. As soon as she opened a crack, a furry black shadow zipped in, sending a flurry of snowflakes onto Orli's face.

Shivering from the snow and cold wind, she quickly shut the window. Turning around, she saw a tawny owl perched on her bed frame.

It was a slightly plump tawny owl, the most common breed sold at Eeylops Owl Emporium in Diagon Alley. Orli reached out, and it obediently hopped onto her arm. Oddly enough, it wasn't carrying any parcels.

## Orli: "Are you here for me? Where's the package?"

Orli stared at the owl, and it stared back. It soon let out a couple of soft hoots and lifted one of its claws, where Orli noticed a small piece of paper tied.

The note contained just one word: "Gift."

It was signed "S.S."

She actually received a return gift from Snape?!

Well, Orli thought, it was clearly a last-minute purchase, but it still completely caught her off guard.

## Orli: "What should I call you?"

She reached out to stroke the owl's soft feathers and, with a mischievous smile, named it "Dryncorpse" after its tawny color. Then, smiling, she returned to bed. She decided to let Dryncorpse stay in the dormitory for the night and take it to the owlery to find Hedwig tomorrow.

This Christmas couldn't have been more perfect, she thought drowsily before drifting off to sleep.