Percy's Point of View

Christmas preparation here was crazy. Spirits were high, cookies were baked and snowballs were bewitched. Despite all this cool stuff, they didn't have air conditioning here.

It's hard to focus with ADHD, but it's not possible when ice is slowly forming in your lungs. Instead of concentrating, I warded off any jerks that wanted to hassle Harry. It was mostly Malfoy, but every now and then some snide Slytherin will come and make a stupid comment about Harry.

I felt bad that Harry's family were rotten enough to not want him around for such important holiday, but I was happy he could spend it on such an awesome place like this with Ron. I was going home for the holiday to spend it with my mother.

I felt a giddiness every time I thought about how we would get to decorate a tree, cookies and our apartment. It would be a great Christmas without Gabe. We were finally let out of class and I couldn't be happier to get out of potions.

As we made our way out, a giant Christmas tree in our way. We could tell their was a person pulling it due to the feet poking out from underneath. It was Hagrid taking the tree to the Great Hall.

"Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked looking through the branches.

"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron."

"Would you mind moving out of the way?" Came a certain jerks annoying voice from behind us.

"Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose --- that hit of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to."

I watched Ron dive at Malfoy just as Snape arrived.

"WEASLEY!"

"He was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge hairy face out from behind the tree. "Malfoy was insultin' his family."

I glared at Malfoy, trying to burn a hole in his head and he glared right back with as much intensity. Eventually we were made to scatter. Malfoy walked off with his 'friends' and we were left to stew.

We came inside the Great Hall and did it look great. I looked around at all the holly, mistletoe, candles, trees and ornaments placed around the room.

"How many days you got left until her holidays?" Hagrid inquired.

"Just one," said Hermione. "And that reminds me ---- Harry, Ron, Percy, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."

"I actually can't." I muttered. "I've got to get started on my packing. I'll see you guys later though."

I walked away and waved goodbye to them. I doubted I was ever going to see them again. I hadn't really cleaned my side of the dorm and I had to pack it all up for my trip back home.

~Time Skip~

I got off the plane happy that someone up in Olympus reminded Zeus not to strike me out of the sky. Cate was busy at the time so we couldn't apparate thankfully.

I made it to the terminal and saw my mother wearing a blue Christmas sweater and holding a sign that said 'Blue cookies or bust'. I laughed at my mother's silliness and ran up to her to give her a hug. She was sure surprised to be nearly tackled by a boy with an owl.

"Percy!" My mom exclaimed while hugging me. "You've grown."

"It's only been a few months." Even to mex that sounded very unassuring. It had been quite a while since I'd been with her.

"I know." She said grinning. "Let's get home and get ready."

We walked outside and got into a cab, owl and all. After twenty minutes or so, we arrived to our apartment and got straight to work on decorating the place in blue lights, wreaths and tinsel.

We set up the tree in the corner of the living room by the TV and wrapped it in anything blue that we could find. My mom laughed as I joked about and told her stories about Hogwarts.

Soon enough, I fell asleep wrapped in ribbon after eating a good amount of freshly baked cookies and hot chocolate.

I'm morning we went out to shop for presents for each other and my friends. We arrived at a nice little candy shop and I bought Harry, Ron, Hermione, George, Fred and Hagrid gifts for each of them.

I sent Blu with all my gifts. I sent Harry a box of Christmas peeps, Ron a case of Root Beer, Hermione a book on the history of candy, Hagrid a fruitcake and finally for George and Fred a tin of blue cookies that my mom and I had baked together. Blue ended up having to take two trips

On Christmas day, we prepared a Christmas dinner with roasted ham, mashed potatoes and buttery rolls. After that was said and eaten, we unwrapped the pile of gifts that had shown up.

I got presents from my mom, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, the twins and a final mystery one. My mother got presents from her co-workers, myself and also a mystery gift.

We opened the presents that were from each other first. I had bought my mom a beautiful painting of the ocean from a kid at Hogwarts that painted moving pictures in his spare time. She gave me photo album filled with pictures of us and each other. It was a beautiful baby blue and I felt pure joy when I saw the pictures of us from ages ago.

I unwrapped the package of chocolate frogs Harry sent me, the cake Hagrid sent, the box of chocolates from Hermione, the blue sweater with a giant P on it that Ron and his mom gave to me, some prank products the twins were working on and I was finally left with the mystery present.

My mother had also unwrapped the rest of her presents and had opened the mystery present. It was a golden shell that hung on a silver chain. She looked at it wistfully and I knew who the present was from. I opened my own gift from the mystery man who was no longer a mystery man.

Inside was a cheap looking ball-point pen, but their was a note next to it.

'Looks can be deceiving. Uncap it and see it's secret.'

I did what the note said and uncapped it.