The Big Dipper

Christmas

Christmas was Ursula's favorite time of the year. She loved the decorations and the festivities and of course the presents. She loved the way Malfoy Manor looked covered in snow, the way everything sparkled and looked peaceful. She loved being home, getting to see her aunt and uncle and especially Draco.

In the days leading up to Christmas Ursula spent lots of time in her room, wrapping gifts for her family and owling them to her friends. A new pair of skates and a Muggle camera for Lilian. A pair of skates and a bottle of bubbles that changed color for Blossom. A magical planner and a box of chocolate frogs for Ivy. Each one she gave to Agatha, ensuring her owl was kept busy over the holidays. Three days before Christmas, Andromeda took Ursula and Nymphadora ice skating in town, giving Ursula a chance to pass along her presents for them.

Malfoy Manor looked spectacular, as Dobby and Weesy had done a wonderful job stringing up lights and hanging holly, ivy, and mistletoe around the manor. An enormous tree decorated with twinkling lights and colorful baubles stood proudly in the hall, but it was the tree in the sitting room that was the prettiest. It was covered in lights and tinsel and baubles and ornaments of all different shapes and sizes and it looked terrific. Ursula and Draco had spent nearly two hours decorating this one themselves, and had enjoyed every minute of it.

By Christmas Eve, Ursula had a large stack of gifts in the corner of her room, all for different family members. She carried down her gifts for the Malfoys, her grandfather Cygnus, and her great-great aunt Cassiopeia and set them beneath the tree. At the end of her bed she tied her stocking, velvet red and white with her name written in gold, so it could be filled with toys and sweets.

"Ursula! Draco! It's time for the party!"

Every year, one of the affluent pureblood families would host a ball on Christmas Eve. This year it was hosted by the Rowle family at their manor in Somerset. Ursula was good friends with Hadrian — she had little choice, their families pushed for them to get to know each other — but she didn't know their younger son, Caspian as well. He was a year younger than Draco.

Ursula's dress was gold, her skirt patterned with snowflakes. She had spent several minutes in front of her mirror admiring her dress and twirling around to see the way the skirt flared out. With it she wore her mother's pearl necklace, which made Narcissa smile sadly when she saw it.

Ursula took Lucius's arm and he Apparated them all to Rowle Manor, a stately mansion with long hedges dusted with a thin layer of snow. Light spilled from the entryway, and a house elf waited on either side of the grand front doors to collect gifts from the guests. It was customary for the hosts to give gifts to their guests and each family in attendance to bring a gift in exchange for the hosts. Draco stood on his tiptoes to place their box on top of a teetering pile.

Rowle Manor was even more extravagantly decorated than Malfoy Manor, with an enormous Christmas tree greeting guests in the front hall, tall enough to rise above the edges of the second floor balcony. Wreaths were connected by long strings of red baubles and live fairies twinkled among the branches of the tree.

"Candy cane, Ursula?"

"Hadrian!"

Ursula turned around and hugged her friend, who was nearly a head taller than her. Hadrian beamed at her, offering her a candy cane tied with a red bow which she accepted.

"How's Durmstrang? It must be very cold in the winter," said Ursula.

"It's tough, but I'm enjoying it," replied Hadrian. "I was sorted into Volkovio at the end of last year, so a lot of my classes are physical."

Unlike at Hogwarts, Durmstrang students were sorted at the end of first year based on their performance in classes, and of the four houses Volkovio had the meanest reputation and was known for turning out students who were cunning and elitist, built for battle, and often more interested in the dark arts than they should be.