It took a few minutes for Summer to realise the date the next morning- the twenty-fifth. She had been so caught up in the whirlwind of the Yule Ball, that she had forgotten that it shared a day with Christmas. Excitedly, Summer sat up and stretched, pulling on some fluffy socks as she peeked at the end of the bed, which had presents piled high enough to be seen from her position.

When she finished, she placed her presents together neatly on her comforter. Her parents had just sent a sack of galleons, Kalen had sent a book of defensive spells, and a navy velvet robe, with her initials, embroidered in silver on the back. A box of Bertie Botts every flavour beans, and some chocolate frogs were in the mix too, although she could hardly stomach the idea of having sugar for breakfast just then.

Hayden's gift confused her a little, it was a bracelet, with many small butterfly charms, however, they opened up and revealed empty spaces. She guessed that you were supposed to put pictures in it- she decided she would find some later, and would have to shrink them. Finally, a pair of handmade mittens from Mrs Weasley lay in front of her. They were black, with an 'S' on each one. Summer picked them up and put them on, as she left the room, and skipped her way down the stairs to the Common room.

"Hey, guys! Merry Christmas!" Summer engulfed the twins in a hug. "Oh, and thanks for the headbands George, they'll match all my outfits." George nodded a 'you're welcome' back to her, but she had to admit, it was a little disappointing to not receive anything from Fred, she thought he would at least have given her a card. Nevertheless, she didn't want to judge the situation- she preferred giving anyway, already feeling as though she had more than enough things.

She handed them each a box, which they took, turning it around in their hands.
"Well go on, open it," Summer sighed, and they almost simultaneously snapped the velvet lids open. She watched as their eyes lit up in unexpected delight at the sight before them.

Fred took him out first, holding it up to the light to reveal a gold ring. Imprinted on the front were the letters F.W. George had the same, only with his initials.

"Now we'll never get our names confused again!" George laughed, as he slid it on his finger. Fred had finished staring in awe, and did the same.
"I've never had anything this nice Sum, thank you, really," Fred pulled the girl in for a tight hug, and when he pulled away, continued to examine his new gift.

Summer was relieved they were both happy with their presents, and smiled as she looked around the festive common room. She hadn't realised it when she first returned, but they had decorated the school head to toe with Christmas items. Stockings were hung above the fireplace, which was crackling and emitting a warm glow, and garlands of alternating berries and tiny gingerbread men adorned the windows. It all looked as though a lot of care had been put into it, and she made a mental note to thank any elves she saw in the future.

"Yeah, they've outdone themselves this year," Fred noticed her observations.
"Obviously they're just trying to show off to the other schools though," George added.
"No harm in that," Summer replied, still admiring the details of the scene before her.

George nodded in a rushed sort of way and nudged Fred violently, who quickly seemed to realise something, and began to rummage around in his pockets. Did he have a present for her after all?
"I almost forgot!" Fred pulled out a small box, similar to the one his ring had come in, and a small card attached to it.

"Don't open the card now," However subtle the side glance towards his brother was, she still understood, and started with the box. Embedded inside the silky interior, was a gold necklace, with a charm of a tiny lion on its hind legs. The lion itself was incredibly intricate, the finishing touch being the ruby jewel that took the place of the eye.

Summer opened her mouth to speak, but the only noise she made was a weird stuttering sound. She had been used to meaningless gifts over the years, simply the most expensive product in the store, rather than have any thought put into it.

"I didn't know if you'd like it or not, so I wanted to give it to you in person. I know your family are Slytherins, but I wanted to get you something to make you feel more part of this house, I guess... Does that make sense? I-"

"Fred... Please shut up, I love it."  As special as she felt in this moment, guilt couldn't help but creep in and overshadow it. She knew the Weasleys didn't have much money, and that Fred, who was probably wearing his older brothers' hand-me-down robes right now, definitely was down a lot of galleons because of this necklace- especially since he had also lost most of his savings to Bagman.

Coming out of her thoughts, she saw Fred give a long sigh of relief.
"Phew, do you want me to put it on for you?" Summer nodded, all while debating whether to say something about her previous worries to him. He took the necklace from its bed, and Summer held up her hair out of the way, as he clasped the chain around her nape. She could feel his hot breath against the back of her neck, and felt tiny goosebumps behind to prickle the surface. But the moment was soon over, as he finished, and moved back around to be in front of her again.

"Really, Fred, I love it. I think it's maybe the best gift I've ever gotten," she admired it in her small hand mirror, and noticed her cheeks reddening to the colour of the ruby on her chest. Her eyes averted to just over the top of her mirror, to see that Fred also seemed to be reacting this way, standing nervously but still with a smile across his face.

"Shall we?" George seemed to notice the positive tension and gestured towards the portrait hole. Summer and Fred both mumbled something quickly before starting after him.

❀❀❀

Christmas Dinner, or rather, lunch, was thoroughly enjoyable, and Summer even got Fred to try Bouillabaisse- which he and George had initially pulled a face at. After which, she had found Hayden, who she thanked and also at the same time discovered that one of the charms had been filled with a picture already. It was one Kalen had taken of her and Hayden at the beach in the South of France. They were both laughing as Hayden was in the middle of carrying her off towards the ocean. A tear splashed onto the arm as she watched the memory projected above the charm, and her brother placed an arm around her shoulders.

"It's okay, we're going to make even more happy memories to put in here," she nodded, and he rubbed her back quickly before waving to a friend and dashing off.