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Professor Flitwick’s annual Ornament Making session was always a big hit at Hogwarts. Reminders went up in the Common Rooms a week before the event, and on the last night before break students would gather in the Great Hall to craft holiday decorations. What had started in the Ravenclaw Common Room as a simple lesson in how to charm mundane Christmas items to increase the holiday cheer had grown through the years into a final Christmas bash. Nearly every Ravenclaw would show up, and many from other houses had also taken up the tradition. A few years it had even lasted until the sun had come up, but that had mostly been put to an end after the year Professor McGonagall had been woken up at 4 a.m. to a rogue firework.
As for Filius himself, he probably looked forward to the gathering each year even more than they did. Being able to spend time with his students outside of a classroom created some remarkable memories, and it never ceased to amaze him at the sheer ingenuity each person brought to the table. While many people would consider him to be teaching the students, it was often the students that taught him the most. Every person had their own ways to celebrate the holidays, and it could be seen in the objects they created.
This year proved no different. A particularly rowdy batch of Gryffindors had expressed interest in coming and, despite what most people would probably guess of him, he always loved when the events got a little out of hand. After all, it was Christmas, and they were all still kids, what was wrong with giving them a few more childhood memories.
As soon as the Great Hall had cleared of the last few stragglers finishing their evening meals, Filius stepped down from the high table and pulled out his wand. He could see an already growing gathering of students waiting just outside the doors across from him as he waved the long, house tables out of the way to make room for crafting.
At that moment, there was no more holding the students back. Many had brought their own items to charm, as well as some extras for those that didn’t know of the tradition before deciding to come. A pair of red headed twins in knitted sweaters sporting an “F” and a “G” respectively carried a large trunk between them before setting it down in front of the professor.
“Ah, excellent!” exclaimed the professor. “Thank you for agreeing to carry up my supplies for me.”
“No trouble at all. We always have a wicked time here,” Fred declared.
“Except for that firework a couple of years back. No idea what happened there.”
“Of course not. It would be terrible for anyone that might end up getting caught for that.”
He sounded stern, but there was also a knowing twinkle in his eyes as he spoke.
More and more students filed in, some bringing their own chairs and others conjuring large pillows and bean bags to sit on. Once the hall looked nearly full, Filius summoned the chair he normally sat on from the high table at set it neatly in the center of the room. Climbing on top, he addressed the room.
“Alright students. I know some of you are old hats at this by now, but please bear with me while I go over the basics for everyone else. Now then, the first thing you need is an item to enchant. Does anyone not have something to work on?”
He paused as a few scattered students raised their hands before he continued.
“Ah, well, yes, in that case I do always keep a few baubles you can choose from in this chest here. Come on up, don’t be shy – that’s it. Now, the next think you will need is an effect you would like to see happen. This step is usually the hardest. I’ve had many students come in with beautiful looking pieces and have no ideas as to what they could do with it. Some ideas come easy – like a snowflake ornament causing it to frost up that section of the tree any time it is spun. Others are more difficult. It is all up to you. Lastly, you will need to find a charm to achieve this effect. I’ve had more than one student create their own charm for this, but most use the many spells I have collected for this over the years. Those of you that have done this before now know many of these and because of that I ask that you help where you can. Now, is everybody ready?”
A loud roar erupted from around him.
“Then let us begin!”
Filius climbed down from the chair and headed over to the Weasley twins.
“Good, good, all the books are here,” he announced happily.
“Professor – we’ve been wondering,” began Fred. “What are those books for? We’ve seen you drag them here every year we’ve done this, yet you barely looked at them.”
Chuckling, the small professor replied. “Those, my dear boys, are my special records of every ornament ever charmed in one of these classes, as well as what spells were done to them. I usually need to double-check on a few spells each year, and occasionally I have had to use a particularly unique spell that I either didn’t create or hadn’t used in some time.”
“So these books – they are full of records?” George asked as he lifted a green tome from the chest.
“Memories, technically,” he clarified. “So many memories.”
“Professor Flitwick,” approached a first year dressed in blue. “I need some help.”
“Yes, Miss Patil, what is it?”
“I need some help with figuring out a charm. My sister and I are looking for something that can make a mirrored ornament that we can talk to each other from our different houses.”
“Hmm, sounds less like a Christmas thing and more like an everyday thing. You know this is supposed to be for Christmas ornaments, right.”
“Yes, sir, but we always have had Christmas together. This last month has been so hard because of it and I don’t want to go through that next year.”
A soft smile grazed his face. “I understand. I think there was another time I was asked something similar.”
He began to dig through the books in the trunk. “Ah, yes. Christmas 1971 – exactly 20 years ago. A pair of Gryffindors heading home over the holidays to vastly different situations. One to a loving family and the other – well, he was going to need to some support to get through. I believe they used them more for mischievous purposes afterwards.” he admitted with a twinkle in his eye. “Let me just check on the details from then.”
Filius opened the book and slid his finger down the list. “Yes, here we go. I was right – James Potter and Sirius Black – two-way mirror charm. This will only take a moment.”
He laid the book flat before stepping onto it. He could hear Padme gasp as he disappeared into it, similar to a Pensieve, but with a few noticeable exceptions he had put in place to help analyze things as needed. As always, he landed just beside where he set his chair each year. It was from that spot he cast a charm to immortalize the party for later reference and where he triggered the memory for 1971.
If he had to be honest, that particular year was one of the hardest ones for him to visit, something he was particularly reminded of as a young Lily Potter ran through where he was standing with an ornament in hand towards a young Severus Snape – the later of which appeared to be reluctantly present. Deciding he could spend a bit more time before returning to the present, he decided to linger a bit to savor a fleeting moment with someone he missed dearly.
“Please Severus? At least stay a bit longer. I made you something.”
The Slytherin’s face cheered up a bit – much further than Filius had ever remembered it doing so.
“You did? Really?”
“Yes, see? It’s not much, just a little round ornament I made, but I painted a snake on it that moves around when you hold it – the happier you are, the faster it moves. Here, try it.”
Almost instantly, the little snake playfully slithered around the sphere. A laugh escaped young Severus’s mouth as he held it up to examine.
“Thank you, Lily. I guess I can stay a bit longer – but just to return the favor, okay?”
Lily smiled, the same beaming smile Filius had missed seeing the past 10 years since her death. He decided he had lingered here long enough and moved through the students looking for the troublemaking Gryffindors.
It didn’t take long. Potter and Black had always seemed to have a crowd around them, and that night had been no different. Little Peter Pettigrew stared at them in awe as he struggled to make anything happen on the ornament he had been holding. Young Remus Lupin seemed happy just to be near his new friends – he had wolf-head ornament it appeared he was trying to get to howl on command – and then there was James Potter and Sirius Black.
“No, we need to cast it on the handle, that way it can activate while hold it,” insisted Potter.
“You don’t cast a spell where you hold it,” countered Black before dropping his voice a bit. “There are artifacts in our house that would kill you – or worse – if the affect was where the user held it. And besides,” he added, his voice louder again, “it’s a mirror you wanker, you cast it on the glass itself.”
“Gentlemen, please,” interrupted their professor.
Filius watched his younger self intervene between the two passionate students.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear all of you earlier comment, Mister Black. As for your quarrel, most mirrors require a spell cast on the mirror part itself if you are using that part. Do you know what spell you wish to place upon it yet?”
“Well, it’s for two mirrors you see – Sirius probably isn’t going to be going home to a friendly environment and we figured if we enchanted a pair of mirrors, I could keep in touch with him easier than by owl.”
“I see. And may I presume that this is the ONLY reason the two of you wish to create such items?”
“That and it’s wicked cool-” began Sirius before getting cut off.
“Yes, professor,” James insisted, staring at his friend, “we have no other ideas on how else we might use it.”
“Yet,” barked Sirius under his breath.
“What was that Mister Black?”
“Nothing, sir, just something in my throat.”
“Indeed. Well, to achieve the primary goal of your mirrors, I would suggest this.”
Filius listened intently to his younger self’s suggestion as to better relay on to Miss Patil, then spent one more moment soaking up the nostalgic scene around him before returning to his present.
“I have the charm I used for you, Miss Patil. If I may see your ornaments-”
A moment later, it was done.
“Thank you, Professor. Are – are you crying.”
“It’s nothing my dear, just memories. Happy memories turned bittersweet, and I doubt they shall be the last. Now don’t worry about me. You should go show your ornaments to your sister. I have to-”
An explosion cut him off as students cleared a path between him and Mister Finnegan.
“-return to my duties as professor. If you would excuse me.”
Filius headed off into the direction of the smoke, having a feeling that this year’s youngest students might become just as special as the one 20 years prior.