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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN. HOLIDAY CHEER

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Evangeline was sat in an empty cabin on the train, waiting for her sister to arrive. She was wringing her hands together, her thoughts all over the place. Arthur Weasley, Ron's father, had been attacked at the Ministry. Somehow Harry had witnessed the attack in a dream. The Weasley children had gone home early to be with him, Harry going as well.

She felt an unusual sense of worry for the man. She didn't know him but he was the father of her friends and from what Ron had told her, a good man. She just hoped that he was okay. Vivian and Cleo entered the cabin, placing their things away and taking seats. Hermione came in later with Neville in tow.

The two sat down and a few minutes later, the train was in motion. Vivian had decided to take a nap, the first semester having taken a toll on the older girl, who had been taking multiple N.E.W.T. level classes. The cabin remained silent for a little while longer before Hermione broke it. "Mr. Weasley is going to be okay," she said. Evangeline looked at her as she continued. "I'm going to visit the Weasleys this holiday. See how he's doing."

Evangeline found herself nodding. Cleo smiled, "Send him my regards." Hermione nodded her head before looking to Evangeline. "I'll write to you, let you know how he's doing," she said. She knew that her friend had been worrying and wanted to ease those worries. Evangeline smiled, "Okay. Tell him that I wish him a quick recovery." Hermione nodded again, "I'll make sure Ron writes you too. And Harry. Just to see how your holiday is going and what not."

Evangeline nodded, remaining silent. The rest of the train ride was silent and Evangeline became immersed in her thoughts.

••••

The Caspian Manor truly was a sight. Christmas decorations were strung up all over the place, something that was uncommon. There would usually only be a few wreaths in certain places and a Christmas tree. However this year, Matilda Luther decided to go all out. The last time that Evangeline saw her house look this way was the last Christmas that she spent with her parents.

Both Caspian girls as well as the Luther children were surprised by the extravagant decorations. While the twins had questioned their parents about it, Evangeline and Vivian went to their respective rooms after greeting their aunt and uncle. Evangeline dropped her bags on the ground and walked to her bed, flopping faced down onto it.

She stayed there for a while, too exhausted to move before finally getting up and going to sit at her desk. As day quickly turned to night, Evangeline found herself scribbling in her small notebook, still trying to jog her memory. She was still drawing a blank, nothing significant coming to mind. A bang on the window made Evangeline jump.

She whipped around and stood, cautiously making her way over to the window. She peered out of the window, the moon gleaming down on her. Evangeline pushed the window open and stuck her head outside. She was quick to pull her head back inside, dodging out of the way as a Great Grey Owl flew straight at her. The owl flew into her room, slamming against the wall next to the door.

Evangeline rushed over to it, checking to make sure that it was okay before pulling the envelope from its talons. The bird looked at her expectantly. "Give me a minute," she said, quickly exiting her room and going to get a treat for the owl. She returned to her room, feeding the owl the treat and watching as it flew out of her open window. She watched it go before standing up fully, a tight grip on the envelope and walking over to her bed.

She sat down, ripping open the envelope before pulling out the letter inside of it.

Dear Evangeline,

Hermione told me to write to you, give you a peace of mind or something. She was going to do it but thought that it would be better coming from me. I just wanted you to know that my dad is going to be ok. He's in pretty bad shape right now but the doctors say that he should be home by Christmas. I don't really know though. Thanks for your concern and for wishing him well. My dad really appreciated it and so do I. He was a little confused and surprised when I told him what Hermione told me about what you said. He didn't know that I was friends with you. Anyway, I hope you got home ok and that you have a Happy Christmas. Write me back if you're feeling up to it. I really hope that you have a great holiday. How are things over there by the way? Have fun with the ice skating thing with your sister. Try not to fall on your face. See you next term.

-Ron Weasley

Evangeline smiled as she read over the letter. Ron's awkwardness was easily detectable in the words he had written. She read over the letter one more time and rolled her eyes, her smile widening a fraction. She placed the letter in the drawer of her nightstand and stood from her bed and walked back over to her desk, pulling out a piece of parchment paper, a quill, and some ink.

She got ready to write back when the door to her room slammed open. Evangeline jumped, her head quickly turning over to the door. Her aunt Matilda was stood there, an eyebrow raised in question. "What are you doing up here? What's with all the noise?" She questioned. Evangeline was quickly getting over the fact that the woman was in her room for the first time in years and looked down, trying to think of a lie.

"Oh, uh, I just accidentally dropped some things. Sorry for the noise," she said. Matilda sighed and rolled her eyes. "Just be more careful next time, all right? If you break something, I'm not paying to have it fixed," she said. Evangeline nodded her head. Matilda looked around the room, her eyes landing on a framed photo of Evangeline's parents on the girl's nightstand.

The woman walked over to the nightstand, reaching out to touch the photo before realizing what she was doing. She let her hand drop back to her side and turned back to face Evangeline. "What are you doing?" She asked, pointing at the girl. She walked back to where Evangeline sat. "I was just going to write a letter," she answered. "A letter to whom?" Matilda questioned. "My roommate, Cleo. I forgot to remind her about us studying together after the break. For the O.W.L.s. I wanted her to be sure to get the proper, uh, study materials," she answered.

The lie rolled easily off her tongue and Evangeline could see Matilda nodding. A wicked smirk made its way onto the woman's lips. "Don't tell me you have friends now. What happened to being a sad little girl who wants to be left alone?" The woman said, letting out a laugh. Evangeline's jaw locked and her eyes narrowed at the woman. Matilda Luther noticed this and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, don't get your knickers in a twist. I'm only joking," she said, tapping Evangeline on the nose, an annoying action that always made Evangeline want to scream. But, she bit her tongue. Matilda glanced around the room one more time before walking to the door. "Go to bed," she said. Evangeline opened her mouth to protest but the woman quickly silenced her. "I do not wish to repeat myself. You can write your letter in the morning. Now, off to bed," she said, exiting the room and leaving the door wide open.

Evangeline stood from the desk and closed the door, making sure not to slam it and get into trouble. She changed into her pajamas and walked over to the light switch. She looked at the discarded parchment paper, quill, and ink on her desk and sighed. She turned off the light before crawling into bed. She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep. She couldn't so she got out of bed and made her way back to her desk.

She lit her lantern and opened up the pot of ink. She picked up the discarded quill, dipping it into the ink before pressing it onto the parchment.

Dear Ronald,

Thank you for writing me. I'm really glad that your dad is ok. I hope he does make it home for Christmas but if not, it'll still be ok. Things here are the same as they always are. Cold, empty, horrible. My aunt and uncle had the house decorated for Christmas, which is weird. There's usually only a few decorations but this year's different. I'm not sure why. Anyway, I hope you have lots of fun with your family and have a great Christmas. I want to hear all about it when we get back to school so that I can feel better about my horrible Christmas. Tell Ginny I said hello and tell George and Fred not to do anything too crazy. See you next term.

-Evie Caspian

Evangeline read over the letter before nodding in satisfaction. She folded the letter and placed it in an envelope. After writing, 'To Ronald Weasley', on the front of the envelope, she quietly opened her door. She peered down the hallway before tiptoeing to the room where they kept their pets. She quickly made her way to one of the owls and fed him a treat. "Give this to Ronald Weasley," she whispered. The owl took the envelope in its beak and Evangeline opened the window, watching as it flew into the night.

She then walked back to her room and closed the door behind her. She turned blew out lantern on her desk and climbed back into bed. After a while, she fell asleep.

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