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"I CAN'T DO THIS."

Albany stepped back, slouching against the wall of the classroom with a heavy sigh. She felt exhausted, physically and mentally. She hadn't expected learning old magic to he easy, but Merlin's (lack of a) beard, was it draining. She'd spent the best of the last two days holed up in a spare classroom she'd found not far from the common room, and had been using various transfigured objects to practice reversing spells. She hadn't been completely unsuccessful; just today, she'd managed to turn a quill back into a sheet of paper for the first time without any damage to the paper. Her current challenge was larger and more difficult — turning a cauldron back into a mouse — and she hadn't had any luck with it. It had been tricky enough transfiguring the mouse with her normal magic, nevermind changing it back wandlessly and wordlessly.

"It's alright," Merlin assured her, unfolding his arms as he approached her with a light smile. "You've made good progress today. I never expected you to get it straight away."

"The Yule Ball is tomorrow," Albany lamented, letting her shoulders slouch hopelessly. "I can't even change the mouse back, how am I supposed to reverse this big huge spell that George is under?" She made a dramatic gesture with her arms before letting them drop with a sigh.

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "You don't necessarily need to fix it before then," he informed her. "I don't think George is being harmed by the spell. Even though you do need to lift it, don't stress yourself with an impossible time limit."

Albany frowned, dropping her gaze. "I know, it's just..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "Nevermind. I guess you're right, I'll never have this down by tomorrow."

"Don't beat yourself up over it," Merlin said with a gentle smile. "You're doing well so far. Keep practicing, and you'll get it in no time."

"How'd you learn all this stuff?" Albany asked him, slightly frustrated at how long it was taking her.

Merlin shrugged. "It came as naturally to me as modern magic came to you," he explained. "I was born with it. And so were you, but given the few centuries that have passed since, it's going to be a little more difficult to tap into for you."

"A little more difficult," Albany scoffed, rolling her eyes. Merlin smiled in amusement at her, and she sighed, unable to stay mad forever. "This poor mouse is going to be stuck as a cauldron for a while. I hope his family didn't want to celebrate Christmas with him — oh, Merlin's hairy armpit, it's Christmas Eve!"

Her eyes widened with the sudden realisation, while Merlin's narrowed, not entirely impressed with the remark.

"My armpits are not that hairy—"

"I haven't bought presents!" Albany cried, and stared at Merlin helplessly. "I haven't bought a dress — the ball is tomorrow, what am I doing?!"

She'd known all of this, obviously. It was impossibly difficult to forget about how close the ball was drawing, and with it came one of the biggest holidays of the year — but none of it had properly registered with her until just then. Her mind had been so occupied with more urgent concerns that she'd brushed over everything else she needed to address.

And there was quite a lot she needed to address.

"Albany," Merlin said, smiling fondly at the girl as he took in her panicked expression, "take a break from practicing. If you need to go buy gifts for your friends, do it."

Albany bit her cheek, eyebrows furrowed together worriedly as she glanced to him. "But — what about — it's gonna take forever if I don't—"

"Albany," Merlin repeated, his soft smile almost amused. "It's okay. You've pretty much lived in here the past few days, take a breather until the ball. Your friends probably miss you."

Albany cast her gaze downwards, feeling a little guilty; after all her promises she'd made to herself to make things up to Fred and Carly and spend more time with them, she'd proceeded to lock herself away and barely greet them at meals. It had been for a good cause, sure, but she hadn't been talking to them as much as she should have, especially given everything that was happening.

"Okay," she agreed reluctantly, meeting the wizard's gaze with a tentative smile. "I do feel kind of bad for the mouse, though."

Merlin smiled broadly at her, shaking his head. "You could just use your usual magic to transfigure him back?" he suggested, amused.

Albany managed a light chuckle. "Right. I forgot that was an option."

Despite everything, Albany couldn't help the lift in her spirits as she made her way to the Great Hall. Christmas had always been one of her favourite times of the year, the atmosphere so lighthearted and jolly. She and Faith always went to Hogsmeade to buy each other gifts, and spent Christmas Eve in The Three Broomsticks with a pint of butterbeer. This year, things were clearly going to be different; she wasn't sure if Faith had yet been released from the Hospital Wing, but regardless, she had a whole new gang of friends to drag along to Hogsmeade, and many more presents to buy.

Hogwarts never let her down on really bringing life to the Christmas spirit. This year, they'd gone over the top with decorations, most likely in attempt to impress the two guest schools. Huge, misting magical icicles hung from the staircases, charmed to never melt, and the suits of armour in the corridors sang Christmas carols as students passed by. They didn't know the lyrics that well, but were trying their best, and Albany found their half-mumbled made-up versions much more entertaining anyway.

Thankfully, she didn't have to round up everyone before setting off; each of her friends were already gathered at the end of the Gryffindor table, chatting amiably amongst each other. George glanced up first, noticing the girl's arrival to the Great Hall, and gave her a broad smile and a wave.

Albany bit her cheek, waving back as she approached. It was a little disconcerting how like himself George behaved, until the ball or the incident was mentioned to him — it was too easy to forget that he wasn't himself. She wasn't sure how to act around him anymore.

"Allie!" Fred greeted her brightly, vigorously waving her over. "Good to see you."

"Yeah, you've been scarce recently," George remarked with a good-natured grin.

Albany shot Fred a knowing look, hoping it excused her recent absences. "I've been busy," she explained simply.

Fred nodded subtly in understanding. He still looked much more tired than usual, though his hair had been brushed through, and appeared cleaner. She smiled at him in return.

"Hello, Albany," Carly also greeted the girl, a broad and enthusiastic grin on her face. "Merry Christmas Eve!"

"Merry Christmas Eve," Albany returned cheerfully, and greeted Lee, Angelina and Alicia, too, as they each gave their respective hellos. "Anyone up for a Hogsmeade trip?"

"Hogsmeade?" Alicia echoed, glancing out the doors. The weather was, admittedly, not the most welcoming; a light layer of snow was slowly building into a heavier one outside, and the chilly northern winds were sharp. "On a day like today, hon?"

Albany nodded enthusiastically, smiling broadly. "Christmas shopping!"

Carly's eyes shone at the very mention, and she bounced on the spot excitedly, corkscrew curls jumping around her face. "Yes! Christmas shopping!"

Fred shrugged, a grin growing on his lips. "I guess I could pick up a few more things," he admitted, glancing to Angelina.

The broad-shouldered girl raised an eyebrow at her Yule Ball date, though relented with a sigh. "Alright, I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

"I still have to buy my dress for the ball, actually," Albany added, glancing warily to George, who didn't react in any way to the statement. He seemed rather blank, actually. She frowned.

Alicia, on the contrary, seemed suddenly far more interested in accompanying the group. "Well, you didn't mention dress shopping!" she exclaimed, eyes gleaming.

"Hogsmeade awaits!" Lee announced loudly, raising a fist in the air, and a bout of laughter followed. "C'mon folks, let's get this show on the road!"

If Hogwarts castle was embracing the Christmas spirit, Hogsmeade was doing so tenfold. The little village was covered generously in thick snow, and colourful lights were strung up between the buildings, blinking bright. A huge tree was standing in the village square, decorated impressively with huge ornaments; giant red and gold baubles, fluttering silver snowflakes, and magical bushy squirrels that bounced around the branches. Professor Flitwick's school choir were singing carols on the main path, their frogs croaking along in hand.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" George asked Albany, as the large group of friends made their way through the village, chattering cheerily.

Albany bit her cheek and nodded, trying to wish away the blush from her cheeks as their hands brushed. "Yeah," she mumbled nervously, not sure whether to entertain the boy with conversation or not. The sooner everything gets back to normal, the better. "It's magical."

Alicia had spotted the dress shop a few buildings up the way and turned excitedly around to Albany, clapping her hands together. "Gladrags is right up ahead, let's go!" she chimed, linking arms with Carly and Angelina to drag them along too — though neither of the girls appeared as though they were going to complain about this, both smiling eagerly.

"Oi, are we not invited?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow and folding his arms in mock offense.

Alicia stuck her tongue out at him. "Dress shopping is a girls' activity," she argued. "You're not allowed to see until the ball."

"They'll be in there for hours, knowing them," Lee added, nudging Fred with a grin. "C'mon, let's go to Zonko's."

Albany didn't particularly want to spend hours in a dress shop, as she had numerous other stops to make in the village, but didn't argue as Alicia grabbed a hold of her wrist, pulling her along. She waved a rushed goodbye to the boys before the group went their separate ways.

Gladrags didn't purely sell ball gowns, though one would certainly think that was the case if their first ever visit was the day before the Yule Ball. They had numerous lengthy clothes racks on the ground floor, each one packed with all kinds of dresses — they had every colour and shape and material you could dream of. Alicia looked as though she was in heaven, though the rest of the girls weren't any less impressed.

Merlin, I really will be in here for hours, Albany thought in amusement.

She wasn't the only one who hadn't brought dress robes with her that year; the shop was busy with other equally excited girls, and there must have been men's clothing upstairs, as she spotted several boys heading up and down with suits and ties. It took a while to get a hold of a changing room, though the long wait gave the girls even more time to pick out a massive pile of dresses to try on.

Albany felt dizzy from the amount of twirling she'd been doing, though couldn't keep the smile from her face. It was surprisingly enjoyable, despite the dread of dancing she still felt. She quickly fell into a fast-paced routine with the girls. She would change out of the previous dress and into the next one, come out, give a twirl, make a judgement as Angelina and Carly gave their input, and then head back into the changing room and start again. In the meantime, Alicia was bringing more and more dresses over, and squealed excitedly any time she returned in time to see Albany in another dress.

"Oh, hon, that one is stunning!" she exclaimed, nearly dropping the dresses she had in her arms as she hurried over. "It suits you so well!"

Albany grinned, swishing around the heavy fabric in her hands. She had on a bottle-green gown with a slit up the side, and a v-neck cut. The longer she admired herself in the mirror, the more it was growing on her, she thought with a bright smile.

"Definitely my favourite on you so far," Angelina agreed with a nod of approval. "It fits your figure lovely."

"The green is beautiful!" Carly cheered, clapping her hands as she nearly bounced out of her seat. "And it's so silky, je l'adore!"

"Wow, Bronwen, you clean up nicely," an unfamiliar voice remarked, and Albany glanced up with a falling expression. She did recognise the boy's face, as he descended the staircase, staring at her in a manner she wasn't entirely comfortable with; Charles Machin, a Slytherin in her year.

"Thanks," she mumbled, cheeriness fading fast as he approached, hands in his pockets.

Angelina and Alicia were shooting the brunet boy warning daggers, but he promptly ignored them, and winked lazily at Albany. "Heard you're still lacking a date for tomorrow night?"

"No," Albany shut him down hastily, frowning.

Charles blinked. "No, as in you're not lacking a date, or no as in—"

"No, you can't take me to the ball," Albany clarified with a sigh. "If that's what you're asking."

Charles' lips pressed firmly together. "Graham warned me you'd be like this," he remarked casually, and Albany grimaced. He looked apologetic. "I thought he was messing, but guess not. I do hope you find someone, though."

Albany was a little surprised by this. "Thanks," she murmured, and Charles shrugged.

"See ya," he said, and left the shop.

Albany sighed, shoulders sagging as she watched him go. "Maybe I should have just said yes," she groaned, falling back into a chair opposite Angelina and Carly. "I desperately need a date."

Angelina smiled sympathetically at her. "You've still got time," she assured her. "You'll find someone."

Carly nodded. "I do not have anyone to bring either," she admitted, and suddenly Albany was staring at her as if seeing the girl for the first time. Of course — why hadn't she thought of it earlier?

"Carly," she said slowly, a smile returning to her lips, "you aren't planning on asking anyone, are you? Or holding out for someone in particular?"

Carly's grin began to grow, and Albany had a feeling the girl knew where she was going with this. "No, I am not," she responded casually, tucking a curl behind her ear.

Albany grinned at her, cheeks warming a little. "I hope you wouldn't be opposed to opening the dance with the champions, then?"

Carly's eyes shone behind her glasses. "I love dancing," she replied eagerly.

Albany beamed at her, and then got to her feet, extending a hand to the girl. "Well then, would you, Carly Dubois, like to accompany me, Albany Bronwen, to the Yule Ball tomorrow night?"

"I would love to," Carly replied happily, standing to take her friend's hand with a bright smile.

Alicia cheered, dropping her armful of dresses to clasp her hands together with glee. "Oh, I'm so happy for you two! Now we all have dates!"

"I think I'll take this dress," Albany added, grinning at the tanned girl. "So we can put away the other five hundred you picked out."

Alicia giggled sheepishly as she took in the massive pile of dresses outside Albany's changing room. "Alright, hon. Oh, some of them were so lovely, though, I wish I hadn't brought my old dress robes from home...."

"Best get changed then, Albany," Angelina suggested, smiling from her chair. "We still have Christmas shopping to do after all, and we'd better keep an eye on the boys. No doubt they're out causing trouble."

Albany smiled fondly, mind drifting to George on instinct. The Yule Ball was quite possibly going to be a nightmare, and while she wished she could have spent it with the charming redhead, at least she would be dancing with a friend after all. I have all morning tomorrow to practice my magic, she reminded herself, determination surging. I'm going to help him.

As she returned to her casual wear and exited the changing room, dress in hand, she was pleasantly surprised to spot none other than the Boy Who Lived himself and his redheaded friend descending the staircase from the upper levels. Harry noticed her staring and gave a small smile and a wave, which Albany cheerfully returned, jogging over to him.

"Last minute shopping?" she assumed, raising an eyebrow at the pair, who were leaving the shop empty-handed.

"Well, Ron was hoping to find some... more modern dress robes," Harry explained, a hint of amusement to his tone. "But everything they have is quite pricey, and he won't let me buy it for him."

Ron shrugged his shoulders a little awkwardly, not entirely comfortable with discussing his financial difficulties. He glanced curiously at Albany instead. "Hey, you're going to the ball with George, yeah?"

Albany bit her cheek, laughing a little nervously. "Um, not really," she replied, and Ron seemed genuinely surprised. "But I do finally have a date."

Harry groaned at the mention of it. "Lucky," he sighed, glancing to Ron. "Neither of us have managed to bag anyone, and it's not looking good."

Albany raised an eyebrow at the two, smiling. "Why not just go with each other?" she suggested, all too content to share the advice that had just saved her from the same situation. "As friends, of course. It doesn't have to be an actual date."

The two younger boys stared at each other, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Didn't think of that," Ron mumbled, scratching the back of his head. "Reckon Harry's a rotten dancer though."

Harry elbowed the redhead between the ribs, trying to hide his smirk. "Well you're no Michael Jackson either," he retorted, and was met with a baffled expression and muttered questioning on who exactly Michael Jackson was.

"Albany, buy your dress and let's go!" Angelina called, and Albany glanced over her shoulder to see the taller girl attempting to pull Alicia from another clothes rail of ball gowns. "Oh, heya Harry."

"Hey Angelina," Harry greeted his Quidditch teammate with a nod. He turned back to Albany, grinning. "Well, see you tomorrow night, I guess. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Albany responded cheerfully, and waved both the boys goodbye before rejoining the girls for the rest of their shopping trip.

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❃ a/n:

ngl it feels so weird to be writing christmas chapters in the middle of summer but i'm always ready to show a little christmas spirit :)

it was nice to have a light-hearted chapter after all the stressful ones though! and i literally can't believe it's taken nearly 10 chapters since first mentioning the yule ball for the yule ball to actually happen lmaooo we love a slow paced book

hope you're all staying safe, enjoying the book, and having a good day ♡

- A x