Thanks for all the comments & votes, I'm glad people like this story so far I almost didn't even post it. This chapter will be a little different than my others, this will be the last part of the Christmas break chapter. Decided to venture off from the Wizarding World in this chapter! x

Chapter Six: Part Two: A Muggle Adventure

London was a beautiful city from what I could remember. Since I grew up in Ireland and spent most of my time at Hogwarts, I've only visited London a few times. I arrived through the Leaky Cauldron and had no idea where to start. I've never seen London at Christmas time, but it was absolutely breathtaking. There was snow falling all around me and lights were shining on all of the trees. When I got into the busier section of the city, muggles were rushing around everywhere. People were eating in packed restaurants with their families. Others were rushing around and carrying last minute gifts. Lights sparkled around me on all the trees. It was even more beautiful than I remembered.

My stomach growled at the smell of all the food around me. I had no idea how muggle money worked. I knew a few things about muggles from what I had picked up over the years, but it was never an interest of mine to learn more about their currency. Now I couldn't wait to go back to Hogwarts and research more about their lifestyles after seeing this. I converted my last bit of sickles into muggle cash before heading to the city, so I that I had some muggle currency with me at least. 

I didn't really want to spend it. I honestly wanted to keep it and just continue admiring it. Their money was so strange. Most of it was flat first of all and had colorful faces on it along with many other symbols. The faces didn't even move. I suppose I could always get more and have Hermione explain to me what it all meant. I looked around and the sun was setting. I decided it was time for me to get something to eat, even if I was alone. After walking around I went to a place that reminded me of the Hogs Head because it wasn't as crowded as the rest. 

When I entered I noticed a few people sitting alone so I suppose I would blend in. At least it was set up nicely with lights and other holiday decorations. I took a seat over in the corner at one of the booths. "I'll be with you in a minute," one of the waitresses called. I nodded and looked around. After a minute or two the middle aged waitress came over to me. "What can I get you?" Their menu was very limited but I wasn't very picky at the moment.

"I'll just have a water and a bowl of split pea soup please," I said to her. She nodded and walked away. "Oh, excuse me," I called and she turned around. I showed her my muggle money. "This will be enough right?" I asked. She looked at me with a very puzzled expression. I expected that to happen. I just had to make sure it was enough, so I wouldn't cause any trouble when the check came.

"Um yes," she said looking at me strangely for not knowing how money worked. "That will cover it." I thanked her and she walked off. Not long after she came back with my water. "It's Christmas Eve, what are you doing here all alone? Why aren't your parents with you?" 

"They're working late," I lied. Wow, I think I have come up with a completely different story for everyone asking me about it. It was becoming very easy. She looked at me with sympathy.

"Oh I'm sorry dear," she said. Not long after she came back with a bowl of soup and a turkey sandwhich. "On the house," she added with a smile. After thanking her I ate my food while taking my time and looked out the window at everyone walking around. It was beautiful outside. When I was done she brought over cookies and told me they were handing them out to all the guest since it was Christmas Eve.  I thanked the kind waitress and ventured back out into London after leaving a tip of who knows how much.

There was so much going on at once, it was such a busy city. From a far I spotted a massive Christmas tree decked out in lights and what not. It was as large as the building next to it. I had to get a better look. When I arrived there I realized there was an ice skating rink. I used to love ice skating. I leant up against the rink and looked around. "Are you here alone too?" a tiny voice said. I looked around and then noticed a little girl standing on the other side of the rink.

She look far too young to be alone. I'm sure I was questionable being only fourteen, but this little girl couldn't have been older than seven or eight. Her light brown curls hung from underneath her hat and she looked up at me with big light eyes. Her clothes looked very old and worn. "I'm alone," I answered her. "You're alone?" I added shocked.

"There you are Ruby!" an older girl said skating over along with an older boy. "You gave me a bloody heart attack, you're going to get us in trouble. Please stop venturing off!" The older girl hugged the little one tightly. Her black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, she couldn't have been any older than me.

"Sorry about her," the boy said turning to me.

"She's fine," I said smiling. "She asked if I was alone too. I got nervous she was here all on her own." The boy and girl shared a look.

"Well I just meant without your family," the little girl added. 

"Then yes I'm alone."

"Really, are you in a foster home as well?" the dark hair girl asked. I shook my head, I was just going to go with my parents 'working' story and added that they were on a business trip because of my Irish accent. When I told them, they all seemed to understand. "So you're spending Christmas Eve completely alone?" she asked and I nodded. "You're welcome to skate with us if you'd like."

Muggle's were so much kinder than Colm put them out to be. I ended up staying and skating with them, it turned out to be really fun. The girls name was Sophie and the boy was Lewis. I hadn't skated since my first year, so I was rough but after a while I got the hang of it. After our legs got tired, we took a break and got hot chocolate. I walked around with them for a while longer. We passed by a large open area and Lewis started throwing snowballs at us. It turned into a full blown snowball fight like students had at Hogwarts. The sky was pitch black which only made the lights shine brighter. I had no idea what time it was. "I should get going," I told them. 

"We should probably get going too," Lewis agreed. "I honestly have no idea what time it is." He laughed and shook his head. "We'll probably still be home before our foster parents." Their foster parents were working, like they assumed mine to be.

"It was nice meeting you," Sophie said giving me a quick hug. "If you're ever back in London we should all hang out again." Lewis agreed with her and gave me a hug goodbye as well. I leant down to hug Ruby goodbye, she was too adorable. Lewis gave me a strange number on a piece of paper and told me that was their home phone number and to call if I came back to London. I didn't know what to do with it, but I smiled and put it in my purse. I would have to ask Hermione.

"Happy Christmas!" I called to all of them as we parted ways. This Christmas Eve turned out better than I imagined, I was actually happy I came home from break. I would have been sitting in my dorm all break. This was much more fun. When I got back to the Leaky Cauldron it was almost completely empty. It hit me then how tired I was. I went straight to the Floo network.

As my feet landed in the fireplace of Colm's manor, I couldn't wait to get to my bed and go right to sleep. Today was exhausting. When I looked up from the floor...I realized I might have stayed out later than I thought. "Where the hell were you?" Colm snapped loudly standing up from the couch.

"What time is it?" I asked shocked. I would have bet anything I would have beat them back here.

"Two in the damn morning," he yelled once more. There have been plenty of times where Colm returned from the bar at four or five in the morning. Why couldn't today be one of those days. "Now answer me, where did you go?" Mason and Nicolai were watching interested. Zara was passed out on the couch.

"You're sister is sneakier than you thought, huh?" Nicolai added in the back but Colm ignored him. I was so sick of Colm thinking he could boss me around, when he acted like I wasn't even there half the time.

"What does it even matter to you? You're never here anyway," I snapped and his face darkened even more. I passed him but he grabbed my arm and swung me around.

"I told you to stay here in the house!" he yelled at me.

"You're not my father," I screamed back pulling my arm sharply away from him. Nicolai and Mason then backed out of the room slowly. Colm glared at me but didn't say anything. "You don't know what I'm doing when I'm at school. You can't tell me what to do here." Before he could respond I turned and quickly rushed out of the room. When I got to my room I locked the door and tossed my bag onto the desk, completely ready for bed.

I slept in later than usual that day, probably because I went to bed later than usual. I wasn't in any rush to wake up. When I did, I spotted a nice breakfast waiting for me on my desk. The house elves must have heard my fight with Colm and assumed I wouldn't be coming down for breakfast. They're smarter than people think. Along with my breakfast I noticed I had a few more letters waiting for me and I pulled them inside. They were responses from Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Luna. I read each of them.

Sorry for disappearing really. It's been very busy, as you heard from Ron. Hope you're having a nice Holiday with your Aunt. See you back at Hogwarts, Harry.

Harry had a lot on his mind lately, it was obvious. Plus he had been going through a lot with Umbridge and everyone not believing him. Ron also must have told them that I said I was spending Christmas with my Aunt. I guess I would have to continue saying that if anyone asked. I opened Hermione's letter next and it covered the entire parchment. It was nice to read. She even said in the letter she couldn't put much down on paper about what was going on with them, but would explain back at Hogwarts. Ginny's wrote how Ron told her that he sent me the treats and how her mum made the best. I couldn't wait to eat them, they would be gone by the end of the night. Luna wrote me a nice letter and wrote about how her father and her were searching for some rare snow creature this break.

After eating my breakfast, this time it was snowflake waffles, I decided to fill my trunk with everything I wanted to bring back to Hogwarts. I put in everything I bought yesterday and took out all of the books I had read before break. I went to put them back in my closet when I noticed I had another box of old books in there as well. There were about ten books in there that I haven't read since the move, so I suppose it could be interesting to read them again. I shoved them all into my trunk and zipped it up. 

Eventually I had to leave my room. I was extrememly thirsty. I walked downstairs and had to pass through the sitting room to get into the kitchen. As I did they were all lounging around on the couch and looked up at me. "She's out of her cave," Mason commented.

"We thought you may have snuck off somewhere," Nicolai said, sharing a smirk with Mason.

"You're hilarious," Colm added while rolling his eyes. 

"What are your Christmas plans?" Mason called as I walked into the kitchen to get myself a drink. "Are you heading off to Russia or perhaps South Africa?" I heard him and Nicolai snicker, even Zara looked amused when I re-entered the room.

"Well it's not like I would tell you. Then it wouldn't be considered sneaking off," I said smartly walking back up the stairs. 

Really I had no plans. Yesterday was my day of action, today was going to be much more relaxed. Since it was no longer snowing I went down by the sea for most of the day. It was such a beautiful view. Christmas day passed by quickly. I brought down Ron's treats to the sea. Ginny was right, they were the best.

The week passed by and Christmas Eve still had been the best day of the week. It was harder to sneak off without anyone seeing me. Colm was around a lot more and if he wasn't, Zara was here somewhere. I thought everyday was going to be the same until the Friday night before I left for break. As I was laying up in my bed, I heard...was that music? It sounded like there was more people than usual too. How long had that been going on for?

When I walked downstairs there was actually a lot more people than I imagined. Was Colm having a party? "What's going on?" I said when I spotted Zara. She looked completely trashed, she could barely stand in her heels. 

"M-mason's party," she said while slurring her words and quickly passing me. I wonder if Colm knew what he signed up for when he allowed Nicolai and Mason to move in. People were everywhere and more were coming through the Floo network. I was so confused. Zara walked over and wrapped her hands around Colm's neck, leaning in to kiss him. I didn't want to see that so I turned to look back at all the madness.

As I pushed through the crowds everyone was either drunk or getting there. "Welcome to the party!" Mason called to me sounding way to excited to see me. I  simply smiled and pushed my way to the fridge. I poured myself a glass of water and took a large sip, almost choking in the process because it was not what I expected. That was not water, it was vodka. I looked at the bottle, it said water? Mason burst out laughing. "That's not water!" He laughed. "I did a spell to make it not water." Mason looked very proud of himself.

Rolling my eyes I put down my glass and walked away. There was no way I was going to join in on a party like this. I went back into the sitting room and went to head back up to the stairs when someone grabbed my arm. "Hi gorgeous," Nicolai said in a slur. "I see you came down to the party."

"No, I was just leaving the party," I said trying to pull my arm away but his grip was tight. 

"No don't leave I've been waiting for you to come down." Clearly he was beyond drunk and didn't know what he was talking about. He stood up and grabbed my other arm. "Come with me," he said pulling me around the corner and into the next hall.

"No Nicolai let go," I argued trying to pull away but he didn't loosen his grip. "Nicolai-" Right as he let go of my wrist he grabbed me by my waist pulling my closer and then he kissed me. I pulled back. "Get off me," I yelled. He didn't listen, he still had a good grip on my waist and put one of his arms behind my head, kissing me again but only this time stronger. I was moving around and stomped hard on his foot.

"Shit," he shouted but didn't let go. "You little-"

"What's going on?" a stern voice came from around the corner. I looked up to see Colm standing there looking both pissed and confused. Nicolai immediately dropped his hands from my waist. I didn't realize it until then by my eyes were burning with tears. 

"Just tell your bloody friends to leave me alone!" I shouted while sharply turning on my heel and rushing up to my room. I felt tears rushing down my face as I entered my room and slammed the door behind me, locking it. I didn't know if I was crying because I was scared or angry. I couldn't even defend myself. The no magic rule should really be reconsidered. I fell down onto my bed and looked out at the sea. A few minutes later there was a knock on my door.

I didn't want to answer it, it could be anyone. This house was full of people I didn't know. "Open up," Colm's voice said. I didn't move. I didn't want to talk to him. "Caoimhe open up." This was his fault, he didn't have to let his friends move in and throw parties. I was horrified for the summer to come. "Alohamora," I heard and it was followed by a click. "I can legally do magic now, you know?" he said while leaning up against the door. I turned my head away from him.

Sometimes I was so used to not being able to use magic outside of school, I forgot he was old enough. "What do you want?" I said not turning to face him. 

"I'm...I'm sorry," he muttered. Did Colm just say those words? I had never heard him appologize to anyone before. "Nicolai's a git, I kicked him out. Mason's leaving soon too." 

"Finally," I added in a low tone.

"I didn't realize it was going to get that out of hand," Colm pointed out. "If I did I wouldn't have let them have their party." How could I believe him? He's never shown any sign of caring before. Then again, nothing like that had ever happen. Who knew what Nicolai was thinking. Thank Merlin Colm showed up. 

"It's fine," I said in a monotonous tone, not knowing what else to say. It didn't feel fine, but there was nothing I could do about it now. At least it ended while it did.

"Alright," Colm said a bit awkwardly. He wasn't used to talking to me since he was usually yelling, I'm sure appologizing was even more awkward for him. "Everyone's leaving right now, they'll all be gone in the morning." I nodded from my bed while looking out at the window.

I didn't hear Colm leaving which surprised me. Then again he should for guilty, considering this was all his fault for allowing his damn friends to throw a party. At least he showed up when he did, that I had to be thankful for. "You've been asking a lot of questions," Colm muttered after a while. "About our father." Suddenly I was intriguied in what he had to say. "I can't say much, but he's alive. He didn't leave us."

"Yes he did," I said back. That's what mother had told me. He left Colm and I with her and just disappeared on night.

"No," Colm simply stated. "He didn't. Not everything you were told is true." I heard him turn and leave my room. What did he mean by that?