Christmas Cheer: Love, Luna

Christmas Cheer: Love, Luna

Luna watched in fascination as she slid the ruby red ribbon across the blade of the scissors; her face broke out into a wide smile as the ribbon became a long column-like curl. This was, without a doubt, Luna's favorite part of wrapping presents. She loved curling ribbons so much, in fact, that even after she had made enough to move than cover all of her presents, she would curl several more to tie into her hair. It had been so long that she had done anything really creative with her hair, and she could not think of any better way to style it while she went out delivering her Christmas gifts.

"Hmm..." Luna tilted her head to the side as she glanced in the mirror. "I wonder if I used too much silver...."

But instead of taking any of that extra silver out of her already tangled hair, she chose, instead, to just add more of every other color.

"Much better!" Luna said to herself, extracting her wand from behind her ear.

Finished with the mirror, Luna spun around to look upon the mounds of presents she had spent the better the morning slaving over, which were, surprisingly, topped with more ribbons than Luna was. She felt quite confident that if anyone were to get such a finely-wrapped present, they would surely be overcome with feelings of holiday joy that would carry over all the way till June...which was exactly what Luna intended.

Extracting her wand from behind her ear, Luna swished and flicked it over the massive pile of Christmas presents.

"Wingardium leviosa!" she chanted loudly, smiling in triumph as all the presents floated into the air before lifting her wand once again. "Sequas pone!"

It was with that second spell that the floating presents formed a neat, single-file line behind Luna. One quick test lap around the dormitory proved the charm to be successful, with the presents all following directly behind Luna as though they were part of a parade. It was all so joyous that Luna couldn't help taking a few more practice parade laps around the room before finally deciding she was ready to leave, then hopping down the tower steps with the line of presents bobbing up and down behind her.

Once out of the tower, Luna made her merry way down the corridor, humming Christmas carols to herself while all her presents floated behind her. A great deal of people stopped to stare at her as she walked by, which really was no different from any other day, but only one person actually tried to talk to her: a girl with bright red hair and too many freckles to count.

Almost in nervous manner, she rushed up beside Luna, twittering her fingers in front of her. "H-hello, Luna."

Luna snapped her head to the right, Christmas ribbons flying out in front of her eyes. "Oh, hello!" she exclaimed. "You're Ginny Weasley, aren't you? We have Potions together!"

"Yes, that's right." The girl looked over her shoulder with an expression of nervous dread that seemed completely wrong for what she was seeing, at least in Luna's mind. "Luna, what's going on with this...floating present parade behind you?"

"Well, I'm off to deliver Christmas presents today," Luna told her. "All my studying is done, so today seemed like the perfect day to deliver them. I even dressed up for the occasion. Do you like it?" Luna stopped to spin around so Ginny could get the full effect.

"Very...Christmas-y," Ginny replied, keeping one eye on the present parade behind her.

"Don't worry, though," Luna assured her. "I'll get a present for you too, now. I'll make sure you get it before we have to go home for the holidays."

"No, really, that's alright, Luna," Ginny tried to reassure her in turn. "You must have a lot of very good friends judging from how many presents you have to hand out already--"

Luna interrupted by shaking her head vigorously. "Oh, no. These presents aren't for my friends."

A funny expression took over Ginny's face; Luna could not help but laugh at it. It had to be just about the funniest expression she had ever seen out of all of the people who had ever made faces at the things she had ever said.

"What?" Ginny exclaimed, almost sounding like a duck. "Then...who would you handing out presents to, if not to your friends?"

Luna smiled broadly. This time, she did understand the confusion Ginny must have felt. Even she knew that a plan such as the one she had hatched needed to be explained in order to be appreciated.

"Well, the idea came to me the other day--rather suddenly, actually. I was very upset because Professor Snape told me in class that he might as well bottle my common sense and sell if off as potion ingredients since I clearly wasn't using it...you remember. It was after I tried to dunk my head in my Shrinking Solution to try and make my hair shorter."

"I remember, Luna. I was there. We take Potions together." Ginny reminded her. "You had to hold that empty cauldron under your head until Professor Snape could find the antidote so you didn't drip any of it on anyone else."

"Anyway, when I got back to the Ravenclaw common room, I sat down next to this sixth-year girl. She wasn't doing anything, just sitting with this sixth-year boy, and I asked her how Professor Snape could be so mean. And do you know what she told me?

Ginny seemed almost afraid to ask. "What?"

"She said, 'Well, Luna, sometimes when people are grumpy and mean, it's really because they're very sad.'"

Ginny appeared to be confused. "Why would Snape be sad?"

"That's what I asked her, and she told me, 'Well, Luna, sometimes people are sad because they're alone and have no one who cares about them. I mean, have you ever seen Snape being friendly with anyone? And with Christmas coming up and everyone being so happy, I bet that just makes him even sadder and meaner.'"

"Uh...huh...." Ginny nodded very slowly.

"And that's when I came up with my plan. Nothing makes people happier than getting presents, especially Christmas presents, right? And so that's exactly what I'm going to do! Even the sixth-year boy said it was a good idea!"

Ginny's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

"Well, an actual quote would be, 'If it will make you leave, then yes, that's exactly what you should do,' but he still said it would be a good idea all the same, and so that is exactly what I am doing here today. If the joyous spirit of gift-giving that comes along with the Christmas season cannot make Professor Snape happy, nothing will!"

But instead of appearing as excited as Luna felt she should be, Ginny's fingers went to her lips, and she began to nibble on her nails. "Um, Luna," she said nervously, "I'm not sure that is very smart. Snape--"

"Oh, I've already thought of that," Luna interrupted. "There are a great deal of sad and unhappy people in this school then, if what that older girl said is true. And can you imagine how much more unhappy they would be if Snape got a Christmas present and they didn't? So I've made a list of all the unhappy people here at Hogwarts, and I'm going to give Christmas presents to every single one of them."

"Uh...just who exactly is on this Christmas list of yours?"

Luna's eyes drifted upward as she went over her mental list. "Well, there's Filch, of course. I don't think I've seen him smile once since I've started school here. Then there's Professor Binns, Winky the kitchen elf, that one girl in the portrait who always seems to be crying...oh, and there's Pansy Parkinson. I can't tell if she's upset, though, or if that's just how her face looks. And then there's Moaning Myrtle..."

There were a few more people on Luna's Christmas Cheer List, and Ginny Weasley was completely absorbed by the Luna's words, so much so that poor Ginny was caught completely off guard when she realized the two of them had made it to the dungeon level of the castle and were now standing just outside Professor Snape's classroom. The moment she did realize this, though, it took less than a second for her to start backing away. Now it was Luna's turn to be confused. Why would Ginny have followed her all this way if she was just going to leave before the excitement began?

"Wait a minute," Luna said, stopping her. "Aren't you going to come in with me? Don't you want to see the look on Professor Snape's face when he gets his Christmas present?"

"No..." Ginny said, backing away slowly, as though she were trying to back away from a dangerous animal instead of one of her schoolteachers. "No, that's alright. You'll just have to tell me about it later...alright?"

Luna shrugged her shoulders. "Alright then. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck," Ginny wished her, already making her way up the stairs, moving faster and faster with every step. "Lots, and lots, and lots of luck!"

By the time Ginny was finished speaking, she was making a full-fledged sprint up the staircase. She's going to hurt herself if she isn't careful, Luna found herself thinking.

Luna knocked before actually entering the classroom, of course. Professor Snape had been very clear on several occasions before just how rude it was to burst into someone's workspace without gaining proper permission. He had even gone far enough to assign Luna the task of copying this rule two hundred times to make sure she remembered it very well. Luna had never been aware of the existence of this rule before the incident, however. Her father had always done his work outside in the open air, so of course Luna wasn't aware of this rule.

After a third attempt at knocking, Luna held her ear to the door. She could hear the sound of a quill scratching at parchment, and classes were over for the day, so Professor Snape had to be in there doing some sort of work. He could probably hear Luna knocking, but he probably just didn't want to have his work pace interrupted. Professor Snape did that sometimes.

Deciding that this was a special enough case, Luna bust through the classroom door--which the professor had not even warded shut--causing the man to nearly jump out of his skin, send parchments rustling and a well of ink falling over the side of the desk.

"Hello, Professor Snape! Happy, Happy Christmas!"

Professor Snape looked up at Luna with a venomous glare. "Miss Lovegood, do remember the discussion we had about knocking?"

"Yes, Professor Snape," Luna answered, nodding her head vigorously. "But I did knock, many times, and you never answered. And if you'll forgive me, this really is something of great importance."

And with that, Luna plucked the first present out of her floating parade and placed it in front of the bewildered Potions Master.

Professor Snape stared down at the brightly-wrapped package, looking about as close to bewildered as Luna imagined the man could possibly be. "What is this?"

"A present," Luna answered, holding her hands behind her back, "for you, for Christmas."

Professor Snape eyed the parcel suspiciously. "I see."

For a long time, nothing was said between the teacher and the student. Eventually, though, Luna grew tired of the silence and chose to end it herself. "Aren't you doing to open it?"

Professor Snape began straighten the upset parchments. "It's not Christmas, is it, Miss Lovegood?"

"But I won't be at your house on Christmas morning, and I want to see if you like it." Luna leaned in closer, bringing her voice to a whisper. "Don't worry. If anyone asks, I won't tell that you opened it early."

The professor looked back up to glare at Luna, extracting his wand to wordlessly clean up the spilled ink. "Very clever, Miss Lovegood. I have played this game before, you know. I open the present, and the moment I do, the scarf inside snaps out and wraps itself around my head until I can't see and I can't breathe."

But Luna just shook her head. "I didn't get you a scarf, sir."

Luna couldn't help but giggle a little. No matter how many times Professor Snape tried to guess, Luna was confident that he would never find out what was waiting inside the box on his desk.

But Professor Snape kept trying. "It is possibly some agent that will combust as soon as it is exposed to fresh oxygen, then."

Still, Luna shook her head, the grin on her face growing ever-wider.

"It will explode, then."

"Puffskiens don't explode!" Luna burst out. "Not unless they've begun crossbreeding with Blibbering humdingers; it's a side effect from their incompatible genes."

As soon as Luna realized what she had done, she covered her hands over her mouth, overcome with shame and dread. "Oh no! Now I've ruined the surprise of it all! How could I have been so stupid?"

However, this statement was what it finally took for Snape's curiosity to get the best of him, and he began tearing at the wrapping paper. Luna was thankful for the Oxygen Refreshing Charm cast on the box, because if there had been holes carved in it, he would have known what it was the moment Luna had placed the box on his desk.

Turning the unwrapped box upside down, Snape's eyes went wide when the tiny, custard-colored ball fell out. Luna felt extremely thankful for the fact that Orla Quirke's Puffskein had given birth to a very large litter just last month; she had been willing to hand out babies to just about anyone who wanted one. Luna had contemplated giving baby Puffskeins to all the people on her list, but later came to the conclusion of 'what fun would that be?' Besides, since Snape's name was the first one on the list, he should be the one to get the most...interesting gift.

"I hope you still like it, even if it isn't a surprise anymore."

The face of the usually dour-looking man now held an expression of curious observation, allowing the humming furball to roll from side to side on the surface of his hand. "Well, this could actually prove to be quite useful." Professor Snape let the creature drop to the surface of the desk, only to have it bounce back into the palm of his hand. "Puffskein spleens make for highly potent additives in Blood Replenishing Potions."

Luna's eyes went wide. "Um...well, most people I know keep them as pets, but then again, it is your Christmas gift."

The Potions Master's words had frightened Luna at first, but she should have known better; Professor Snape wouldn't kill the little Puffskein just to use its organs. Luna could see this easily from the frustrated and aggravated look on her teacher's face.

Professor Snape tried once again to rationalize his student's actions. "Ravenclaw will be getting no house points for this."

Luna blinked. "Okay."

"I also will not be excusing you from the homework I assigned over the Christmas holidays."

"That's alright."

"I will not be raising your final Potions grade, Miss Lovegood."

Luna just shrugged. "I know."

From the pregnant pause following Luna's last answer, it seemed that Snape had run out of possible ulterior motives. "Then why did you do this?"

"Because it's Christmas, and everyone should be happy on Christmas!" Luna had rehearsed this answer many times before. "And if getting presents can make people happy, then I am more than willing to give them."

Professor Snape's eyes went so wide that they were almost as round as Luna's were. Luna could tell the man wanted to say something: something clever, something biting. But long moments went by and the man still did not say a word.

Finally, however, the silent spell was brought to an end by a very quiet, very low, "Thank you, Miss Lovegood."

Luna cocked her head to the side to get a better look at her teacher. She was quite certain that she had never seen this current expression on her teacher's face before. His features held not a hint of rigidity, guardedness, or anger. In fact, they appeared almost soft-looking. She even thought she saw the slightest trace of a smile beginning to appear on the man's lips.

"And besides, if a person is mean, cruel, and grumpy for the rest of the year, we should at least make an effort to make these people happy on Christmas, right? And that's exactly what I intend to do!"

It was after these words that Professor Snape's expression went back to what Luna considered 'normal.' "Thank you, Miss Lovegood," he said once again. For some reason, it didn't sound quite as genuine this time.

Actually, Luna was somewhat relieved to see her teacher's expression go back to normal. It just seemed wrong to think of Professor Snape in any other way than how she had always known him.

With that, Luna turned on her heels and made her way for the door. "Well, I'm off to give gifts to more miserable people!"

Professor Snape stuffed the tiny Puffskein back into his box before picking up his quill once again. "Good-bye, Miss Lovegood."

Luna turned to look over her shoulder before leaving the classroom. "And Merlin bless us, everyone!"