The Music Still Plays On

Chapter 8: And how rich or poor, it's a very small sphere

Rosie's POV

Christmas was here once again. I awoke to a partially filled dormitory, as Isabella and Marie Kirke had both gone home for the holidays. For me, Nellie, and Tatiana Thomas, though, presents were piled high at the foot of our beds. Nellie seemed the most surprised out of all of us.

"Oh my God! I never expected to get presents at all this year! Who are all of these from?" Nellie exclaimed. Nellie didn't know that I had told Mum all about her plight in a recent letter. Even though I told her that she didn't have to, Mum said that she was sending Nellie a few presents for Christmas.

"Rosie, tell your Mum I say thanks! This is amazing!" I smiled, knowing that Nellie, too, was as happy as I was today. I got out of bed and started to unwrap my presents. First was the obligatory Weasley sweater that my grandmother made for everyone in the family. Mine was hot pink. Even though I protested every year that the color of my sweater clashed with my bright red hair, my sweater was still the same color. While I'm glad that my grandmother takes the effort to knit all of those sweaters every year, I really only wear mine on Christmas, so it's probably a waste of time anyway. In addition to several other gifts from various family members, there was also a note from my parents.

Rosie darling,

Happy Christmas! We hope everything is going well for you and that you enjoy your presents. A word concerning your friend Eleanor- we've talked to McGonagall and you can let her know that, if she wishes, she's welcome to stay with us over the summer. She'd have to room with you, but I don't think you'll mind. Of course, if her mother gets some sense knocked into her, then that won't have to happen, but tell her that she's welcome to stay with us just in case. We miss you and hope you enjoy all of your presents!

Lots of love,

Mum and Dad

I immediately ran to tell Nellie the good news, but it seemed that she had gotten a similar letter amidst her packages as well, as tears were beginning to well up in her eyes once again.

"Thank you...so much! I can't thank your family enough, Rosie- I'm going to have to send them a letter or something. This is the best Christmas present, right here," she said, gesturing to the letter. I was so glad that Nellie's situation had been worked out that I had forgotten to open up my last present. In addition to the sweater and several other gifts, there was one rather large present that had been partially shoved under my bed. I tore apart the wrapping and was surprised to see a rather old wizard chess set. A note from my father was stuck to the top of the box.

Rosie-

This set was given to me by my grandfather, so handle it with care. It gave me endless amounts of enjoyment when I was in school- hope it does the same for you.

Happy Christmas,

Dad

Even though the set was several years old and the pieces didn't move like they used to, I was overjoyed with this present and couldn't wait to show it to my cousins and Hugo, who would definitely want to start playing as soon as possible. Nellie and Tatiana seemed happy with their gifts, too. Tatiana had received five new glitter exploding necklaces (they now came in sets, due to the fact that they, erm, exploded.) Nellie got a new, leather-bound diary- I don't know how Mum knew that Nellie loved to write. Delighted, I brought my new gifts down to the common room to show everyone else. James, Al, Hugo, and Lily were already there, wearing their sweaters. Immediately, James and Al pounced upon the wizard chess set, wanting to start a game right then and there. I pleaded with them not to be so rough with the pieces.

"Guys, Dad said that I had to handle the set with care!"

"Aw, Rosie, don't be such a worrywart. We're treating it fine," James said as several pieces spilled onto the floor of the common room, shouting in protest. I was about to tell them to be more careful when Liam Finnegan popped out from behind a chair, surprising me.

"Happy Christmas, Rosie!" he exclaimed nervously, holding out a small wrapped package. "I got you a present."

"Oh, you didn't have to do that!" I said as I unwrapped the present- a bag of every flavor beans.

"You don't like it?" Liam said, terrified.

"No, I do. It's fine, Liam," I said. Liam gave me a slight smile before disappearing once again. What a weird kid. I looked around the common room for something to do. James and Al were playing wizard chess, with Hugo looking on. Nellie was curled up in a chair, already starting to write in her diary. Tatiana was showing Lily her new necklaces. As for me, I ended up deciding on sitting by the fire, enjoying seeing everyone so happy at Christmastime.

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Scorpius' POV

I awoke on Christmas morning to find a huge pile of presents under the towering Christmas tree at the ski chalet, most of them with my name on their tags. Tamika, Blaine, and Blair got presents, too, but I think I probably made out the best. In addition to a brand-new edition of The Beater's Bible, I also received a new broomstick- the Lightning Strike. Dad was able to pick up one of them before they were available in stores, so I was pretty sure that I would be the only one on the Quidditch team with one of them. I was extremely surprised, since I had just gotten a new broomstick last year.

"But there wasn't anything wrong with my old broomstick!" I protested.

"Are you saying that you don't want a limited edition Lightning Strike broom? I had to personally contact the manufacturer to get it by Christmas, you know!" Dad threatened.

"No, I love it! Thank you so much!"

"That's better," Dad said, satisfied. I then went to sit down in one of the comfortable chairs by the picture window, where Tamika, Blaine, and Blair were comparing their gifts. Tamika was especially excited with her new winter coat, made of white rabbit fur. Blaine and Blair had already eaten half of the enormous box of chocolates that they received.

"So, Scorpius, how do you like my new coat? Doesn't it look absolutely stunning on me?" Tamika asked. Personally, I thought she looked like a giant marshmallow, but I wasn't about to say that, knowing her temper.

"You look great!" I lied.

"I knew you would say that," she replied, sipping from her mug of peppermint hot chocolate. "It's probably my favorite Christmas present."

"That hot chocolate looks good," I said.

"Why don't you get some yourself? Ampy!" she shouted, snapping her fingers as one of our house-elves (or, in this case, "chalet-elves", I guess) came running to her service. "Get Scorpius a mug of peppermint hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. AND MAKE IT SNAPPY!" Terrified, Ampy ran full speed through the kitchen doors, returning moments later with the hot chocolate. I had to admit, it was very good.

"Are we going skiing again today?" I asked. After spending a full day on the slopes yesterday, I was eager to get back to the fun. Plus, I wanted to try out the new skis that I got for Christmas.

"Nah," Blaine said, stuffed. "Me and Blair want to finish our candy."

"Fine. Scorpius and I'll go then," Tamika said. "Hey, Scorpius, how's about you and me ski down Lover's Point after we finish this hot chocolate?" I wanted to go skiing, but not with Tamika, and certainly not down Lover's Point, which was a double black diamond run. Maybe lovers are supposed to be good skiers? I didn't know why Tamika wanted to go skiing with me anyway- she was terrible at it. I had to agree, though, or else she'd throw a huge temper tantrum.

"Yeah, I'll go with you," I said, dreading when we'd be out on the slopes alone.

"Yay! Oh Scorpius, I knew you'd say yes!" Tamika shrieked. As she ran to get her ski gear, I walked as slowly as possible to grab my skis. On my way, I was stopped by my father, who had a serious expression on his face.

"Your mother and I would like to talk to you in private, Scorpius. Follow me," he ordered. I had no idea what this was about. Had my father found out what Blaine, Blair, and I had done to those first-year Hufflepuffs? Did he know what me and Rosie were up to? In the lounge, my mother was waiting, her expression as grim as my father's.

"Scorpius, Angelica ran away last week," my father said. I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that the news wasn't about Rosie.

"It's about time," I muttered under my breath.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" my father shouted.

"Nothing, Dad. How did you know she was gone?" I asked.

"Well, we didn't hear her wretched cat anymore, and she took some of our gold. You're the only one that talks to her- do you know where she is?" he asked. Angelica is my sister. She's five years older than me, and from as early as I could remember, she had been my best friend. Mum and Dad absolutely adored her, always buying her the finest dresses and jewelry. To them, she was the perfect child. True, she had shown little aptitude towards magic, but my parents just figured that she was a late bloomer- until I, at the age of four, was already making plates of food that I didn't want to eat fall on top of my sister's head without moving a muscle. After that, they started to worry. When Angelica failed to receive a letter from Hogwarts when she turned eleven, their suspicions were confirmed. Angelica was a squib.

As one may imagine, my parents were outraged. They wrote to Hogwarts, insisting that the school must have made a mistake, but they knew the truth. Angelica was also very upset- she had always dreamed of going to Hogwarts and getting sorted into Slytherin like her parents. My parents were planning on kicking her out of our house, but I insisted on still being able to play with my sister. After many arguments, it was agreed upon that Angelica could stay, but she would be confined to her room and no one was to know of her existence apart from the family. You see, after my parents found out that Angelica was a squib, they told everyone else that she was dead- fell down a well, I think they said.

I still talked to Angelica after all this. Being young and immature, I initially didn't understand what all the fuss was about- she was still my sister, after all. Even after my parents horribly mistreated her and she took to talking to her pet cat, Miss Abby, I still would go up to her room to talk to her. When I left for Hogwarts, Angelica cried. I couldn't bear to imagine what had happened to her since then, with no advocate in the house. Even though she promised to write to me, I had received no letters since I left. Dad's announcement gave me hope that she had escaped to a better life.

"Well? Have you heard from her or not?" Dad asked again.

"No," I answered. Dad looked furious.

"Liar. I know she's told you of her plans- I can see it on your face. Well, if you won't talk, maybe this Veritaserum will do the trick," he said, pulling a vial out of his pocket. This infuriated my mother.

"Draco! He's only a boy! Where did you get hold of such a thing?"

"Your father happens to have some connections to the ministry, Scorpius. I can use this whenever I want, and when my son isn't telling the truth, I need to find out what he knows!" he shouted.

"Dad! Please, I haven't heard anything from her, I swear!" I pleaded. The look in my eyes- I was almost in tears- must have convinced him.

"Fine. But if I find out anything otherwise, there will be serious consequences. Understand?"

"Yes, father." Satisfied, my parents left the room.

I was telling the truth when I said I hadn't heard anything from Angelica. The week I returned to Hogwarts, however, a letter from "Ericka Senters" was waiting for me. Not recognizing the name, I opened the envelope cautiously.

Scorpius-

This is Angelica. Please don't show this letter to Mum and Dad. I just wanted to let you know how I'm doing. As Mum and Dad have probably already told you, I ran away earlier this week. I was fed up with living in that hellhole. And yes, I did take some money with me- I wasn't about to starve. Me and Miss Abby are currently living in a flat in Hogsmeade. I was able to get a job at one of the shops there- most of the people here are more accepting of me than Mum and Dad ever were. I'd certainly love to see you again so we can talk more, but it's too dangerous right now. You can write a letter back to me, but be sure to use my new name.

Love,

Ericka