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Merula sat down on the edge of the stone fountain in the courtyard with a huff, the cold winter air turning her breath to a thin cloud of steam. Christmastime was a lonely holiday for her, though that had stopped coming as a surprise. Ismelda seemed to be allergic to holiday cheer, and had barricaded herself in her and Merula’s dormitory, and Barnaby had already been snatched up by Juniper Arbre and her friends. Looking around the courtyard, she noticed that the cold night had emptied the area, and the night sky above her was starting to dot itself with stars. Quietly, she drew her wand from her robes, and, looking up at the night sky, muttered the incantation that her mother taught her what felt like centuries ago. A small ball of white light shot into the air from the tip of her wand as she raised it to the sky, bursting into silvery crystals that hung in the sky above her. From the glittering dust above her, cold flakes of snow began to drift down, melting into her robes and biting at her nose and ears. Merula looked up at the snowfall, and as she tried to pick out the snow from the growing network of stars above her, she caught her mind beginning to drift elsewhere.
Another Christmas, ages ago, but still very familiar, as Merula saw in her mind’s eye herself, much younger, but still very isolated. The young Merula sat alone at the far end of the Slytherin table, the already-large table seemingly spanning on forever. Across from her lay the Ravenclaw table, which, bitterly contrasting the Slytherin table, had a large cluster of people near its center, dressed in all different colors of school robes. The present Merula watched as a young Ravenclaw girl near the center of the commotion stood up from the active conversation, and walked up to where the young Merula was sitting, a thin, brightly wrapped gift in her hand. The young Juniper Arbre sat down across from the young Merula, setting the gift on the table, and pushing it towards her. Merula could hear the conversation in her head, replaying Juniper’s words as Merula spoke hers.
“What’s this supposed to be, Arbre?”
“A gift. It’s Christmas, isn’t it?”
“Of course it’s a gift, I meant, what are you trying to pull here?”
“I heard what happened. I know it’s not much, but even if we hate each other, you deserve a happy Christmas just like anyone else.”
“Do you really expect me to believe that? What are you playing at, Arbre?”
“I believe it’s customary to open the gift before you ask what it is.”
“Shut up.”
Despite her frustration, the young Merula tore away the wrapping, immediately recognizing the songbook inside, and the present Merula mocked a small gasp of surprise.
“How did you…”
“Peeves helped. He’s got an oddly good taste in gifts.”
“How’d you convince Peeves to help you?”
“I think he’s got a bit of a soft spot for you, if I’m honest.”
“I… You… Thank you, Arbre. Happy Christmas.”
“Happy Christmas, Merula. Perhaps, someday, I’ll get to hear you sing.”
“Not on your life, Arbre.”
“Worth a try, I suppose.”
Merula never planned to tell that story, but if she did, she would say that it was the day she decided Juniper might be worth her respect, but she knew that would be a lie. That was the night she realized she was completely in love with her, and the present Merula thought about the Christmases that followed. Each year, Juniper presented her with another songbook, each one with new songs, and each time with the same request, “Perhaps this is the year I’ll get to hear you sing.”
She’d never gotten her wish, and though at first it was spite that drove Merula’s denial of her request, as the years went by, and she and Juniper were forced to work closer and closer together, she realized that she was scared. She was terrified that Juniper would hear her voice, and be disappointed, or angry, and that thought forced her to keep her mouth shut. Merula hadn’t been putting the gifts to waste, though, she had just only ever sung to herself, in empty corridors as she strode through them, in the common rooms when she thought she was alone, and out on the grounds, far out of earshot of the castle.
“I was thinking this night needed some snow as well,” Juniper’s voice cut through Merula’s memories, causing the Slytherin girl to flinch, which she quickly tried to shake off, greeting her visitor with, “Hello, Arbre”.
“Why are you hiding out here?” Juniper asked, walking over to the side of the fountain, “We missed you back in the Great Hall.”
“I didn’t know I was expected somewhere…” Merula grumbled, and Juniper crossed her arms, and Merula noticed the familiar shape of the gift in her hand as Juniper muttered, “I swear I told Ismelda to tell you that we were expecting you…”
“...I told Ismelda.” Juniper sighed, and Merula nodded, “Yeah, I think she’s still about as hot on you as your friends are on me”.
“Well, my friends are just going to have to get used to you,” Juniper said as she sat down on the fountain next to Merula, “Regardless, I came to give you this. To be honest, I was thinking of getting you another gift, but-”.
“Why do you keep doing this?” Merula asked, cutting off Juniper’s question, who answered, “Well, I figured you would get bored if you had the same songs each year, and at this point, it’s basically tradition”.
“Not just the books…” Merula gestured to Juniper’s entire person, “Why do any of this every year, it’s not like you’re hurting for people to celebrate Christmas with…”
“I told you,” Juniper placed the book in Merula’s lap, “Nobody should have to celebrate Christmas alone”. Merula sighed, “So you’ve felt bad for me all these years…”.
“Oh for fuck’s-” Juniper pinched the bridge of her nose before reaching over to Merula with both hands, putting one on her shoulder, and one on her leg, “That’s not why, no matter how many times you say it. You’re special to me, Merula.”.
“But why?” Merula stared down at the cobblestone floor of the courtyard as the snow drifted down, the words starting to choke her up as she spoke them, “You’ve got so many people that could’ve been better...”.
“Do I?” Juniper asked, “If I did, it would probably be wise to choose the most caring, skilled, and driven witch I knew to give my affections to, though…”. Juniper shifted slightly closer, “...It’s not like Ravenclaws are known for their wisdom.”.
“But I’m not, really,” Merula answered, “I’ve been so nasty to you and your friends, I’ve hurt you in duels and gotten you hurt when we work together…”.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Juniper interjected, wrapping her arms around Merula, pulling her head up to Merula’s shoulder, “No more talking from you for right now, just sit here in the snow with me.”.
Merula fell silent, and the bits of her skin that felt Juniper’s arms seemed to spark with static electricity as Juniper started to run one of her hands through her hair. Merula’s ear tickled as she heard Juniper’s quiet voice whispering, “...your crafty little smile when you duel, the way you play with your hair while you study…”
“What are you up to, Arbre?” Merula asked, and Juniper smiled, not moving her head, “Now that I’ve got you here, I’m going to list off every reason I love you until I’ve convinced you that there’s nobody I’d rather be with.”
“I could just stand up,” Merula mentioned, but as soon as she said it, she knew that wasn’t an option, and Juniper’s whispers started again.
“You keep me motivated to improve as a duelist and a Curse-Breaker, you always smell like bergamot oranges, and what few smiles you give make me want to lock my lips onto them and never let go.”.
Merula looked back up at the stars, picking out the brightest among them, and silently saying a prayer to it.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve her, but please, I can’t lose her now. I wish that this could last forever.”.
“And, even though I’ve never heard it,” Juniper continued, “I love your singing voice, whatever it might be.”. Merula paused for a moment, looking down at the wrapped songbook in her lap, and quietly saying, “I don’t think so…”.
“Merula.” Juniper put her hands on Merula’s cheeks, pulling the girl into a kiss, before continuing, “I don’t ask because I want to hear a good voice. I ask because I want to hear yours.”. Her face definitely turning a deep, burning red, Merula turned away from Juniper, and she opened the brightly-wrapped gift, before slowly leaning back, eventually resting her head on the Ravenclaw girl’s legs.
“Found somewhere to rest?” Juniper smiled, and Merula desperately tried to avoid Juniper’s eyes as she muttered, “-Was going to lie down anyway, you’re just in the way…”. Juniper leaned down to kiss Merula again, and as she pulled away, Merula looked up at the starry sky above the courtyard, the moonlight covering the stones in a light blue glow. She noticed that the cold winter air had stopped biting at her, and a warm feeling had begun to expand out from her chest, and Juniper’s hand running through her hair had started to send a tingling sensation down her spine. Slowly, Merula pulled open the book to the first song, and, almost out of her control, her voice started to escape past her lips.
“When you wish upon a star…” Juniper smiled, looking down at the book, and then back at Merula as she sang again, slightly louder, “Makes no difference who you are…”. Merula’s mind started to wander again as she sang, does a star really not care who you are when you make your wish? Even if you were someone like her?
“Anything your heart desires, will come to you…” Anything? Merula wondered if it counted if your wish was to keep what little you had. She had what her heart desired, what she needed was to know it would stay.
“Like a bolt out of the blue…” Juniper’s voice slowly crept in under Merula’s, the quiet harmony floating above the courtyard. “Fate steps in, and sees you through…”.
Would fate guide them the whole way? Would it protect them from everything? Merula ran her hand along Juniper’s torso, tracing a circle around a place where she knew there was a long scar, a remnant of a battle with a frozen knight, a mark from an attack meant for Merula herself, but received by Juniper after the latter forced the other out of the way.
“When you wish upon a star…” Juniper’s voice weaved itself into Merula’s, and the sound, like silvery silk, slowly washed out the worrisome thoughts clouding Merula’s head, and she looked up at the stars, past the face of the girl she loved. Maybe things would be okay, and if they weren’t, then they’d take them on, no matter what.
“Your dreams come true…”