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Attention: Secret Santas Needed!
(Open to all students)
Feeling a little festive? Enjoy buying presents for other people? Would you like to bring some unexpected joy to a person’s life this holiday season? Then consider participating in the Hogwarts’ Secret Santa Christmas Program. Simply fill out one of the below questionnaires and return by Wednesday, November 30th, to Professor Flitwick. Names will be randomly chosen on Friday, December 2nd. Please stop by the Charms classroom any time during Breakfast, Lunch, or Supper to receive yours.
Gifts will be distributed the week of December 12th-16th. Generally, smaller gifts are given Monday through Thursday, with the “big” gift given Friday.
For more information, please speak to Professor Flitwick.
November 24, 1977
Evelyn’s hand hesitated over the questionnaire. Was she actually considering doing it? Being a Secret Santa?
She had never done anything like it before. Never participated much in any gift-giving at all in fact. She’d never had the money to. Never had anyone much to give anything to either. At least, not any more she didn’t. The older she became her parents could care less about something so unnecessary as that. And her friends…
The witch closed her eyes; she didn’t have any friends. Not any real ones.
Her hand dropped uselessly to her side. What was she thinking?! Her participate in a gift-giving program?! No one would want any gifts from her. No one could possibly want to buy any gifts for her.
Her, the social pariah.
Yes, what was she thinking? She spun to leave, her mind already starting to turn toward the Transfiguration assignment due the next day.
And yet…
And yet, she paused, hesitating once again. Why couldn’t she participate? It was open to all students after all, and that meant even her.
Even her. Evelyn Snape.
Before she lost all nerve, the witch grabbed one of the questionnaires and fled to the safety of her dorm room.
“Secret Santa?” Sirius read the memo on the Gryffindor common room bulletin board. “What kind of baby thing is this?”
James peered over his friend’s shoulder to see what he was talking about, his curiosity instantly piqued by the words Secret and Santa. Unlike his fellow Marauder, he did not find everything on brightly colored paper and with flashing decorations too childish for his perusal.
“A Secret Santa, Pads,” Remus said, almost exasperatedly, “is a gift exchange program where you buy presents for someone without them knowing who it’s from.”
“Why?”
“Why?” Remus blinked. “Because it’s fun! Because it’s in the spirt of the holiday!”
Sirius flicked his head. “Sounds stupid. If I buy a gift for someone, I want them to know it’s from me.”
“Agreed,” Peter nodded. “And I don’t want to spend money on someone I don’t know.”
Sirius slapped Peter on his back good-naturedly. “Excellent point, Wormtail. Excellent point.”
The shortest member of their group beamed, glad to be complimented.
Remus rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m going to do it,” he declared, and he reached up and pulled a questionnaire paper down for himself. “You two are boring old Scrooges. James?”
James’ attention by this point in the conversation had drifted further into the common room; more specifically, to a certain corner where a pretty redhead was excitedly filling out a paper with her friends. A paper, the wizard guessed, that was identical to the one his werewolf friend was holding in his hands.
“Yeah,” he replied, decision instantly made. “Yeah, I’m in.”
And maybe he could be lucky enough to draw Lily Evans’ name.