Chapter 57 - Christmas Eve (1/2)
Christmas Eve, Prince Manor is filled with Dawn scurrying around preparing fat, roast turkeys, honey ham, platters of roasted potatoes with mashed potato and gravy, seasoned fried vegetables, tureens of buttered peas, cranberry sauce, Christmas cake, and much, much more. The Prince family members tactfully kept to their own areas and out of Dawn's way as she rushed through the house to take care of every single last detail.
During the holiday break, Rowan and Severus had mostly been spending their time in Reginald's study or playing outside in the snow. After lunch, Reginald had handed the twins a small pack of what appeared to be party favors. ”Make sure to open them outside,” Reginald sternly warned.
With interest, Rowan and Severus obeyed and went outside onto the porch, very warmly dressed. ”So, are they like the ones, we use to get?” Severus drily remarked.
”No, I think these are literally enchanted to go off, so don't aim them at me,” Rowan sternly warned.
Severus warily points one way from Rowan as the party favor goes off with a cannon-like bang as a slew of blue smoke emerges and surrounds them. Slightly coughing through watery eyes, Rowan and Severus see a poor toad appear in the snow that is frozen stiff in a matter of seconds, a flower bonnet, and a pink magical girl wand.
Rowan instantly grabs the pink magical girl wand and snaps in half. Severus eyes Rowan and says, ”Okay,” but doesn't question Rowan's strange, and very hasty reaction.
”So, onto the next one?” Severus owlishly said.
Rowan sighs at the look of childhood curiosity on Severus's face and hands Severus the rest. ”Knock yourself out,” Rowan drily remarked.
Severus carefully pulls his scarf up to cover his nose and aims the party favor away, before tightly shutting his eyes shut. After a few seconds, Severus opens his eyes to see a genuine pirate hat, a stack of magical poker cards, and a fluffy round thing.
”What is that?” Severus said as he pointed at the fluffy round thing.
”I think it's a puffskein,” Rowan replied as she happily claimed the pirate hat and poker cards for herself.
”It's sort of cute, I guess,” Severus reluctantly admitted as seeing the puffskein blink adorably at him with its round eyes.
”Maybe, but that does not change the fact that we'll be using them in potions class one of these days,” Rowan flatly commented.
”Oh,” Severus said a bit disgruntled and shooed the puffskein away with his hands. The puffskein happily bounds away and soon disappears into the snowdrifts.
A bit more excited, Severus continues popping the rest of the fantastic party favors and claiming most of the items for himself as Rowan had only claimed one other item for herself, a wizard chess set for herself. With glee, Severus took the rest of the items which included a book on fun potions, a pack of non-explodable, luminous balloons, a nose-biting teacup, and a pumpkin face box.
Cold, wet, and shivering after an impromptu snowball fight, Rowan and Severus trudge upstairs for a warm bath to get ready for the Christmas Gala. After drying her hair, Rowan put on a nice white long sleeve dress shirt, a silk navy-blue sweater, dark silk pants with black socks and dress shoes. She carefully brushes her somewhat unruly long hair and neatly pulls it back into a high ponytail.
Satisfied at her neat appearance, Rowan nods at her mirror reflection that impishly winks back, before walking over to Severus's bedroom directly across from hers. She paused in the doorway as she sees Severus torn between wearing an emerald silk sweater or a navy-blue sweater. ”We'll be matching if you wear the navy-blue sweater,” Rowan commented from the doorway.
Severus glances up from the doorway and curls his lips at seeing that Rowan is already wearing a navy-blue sweater. In reply, Severus instantly grabs the emerald sweater off the bed and carefully pulls it on.
Rowan faintly smiles as she sees Severus carefully combing his hair. ”It was sad to think that this is the nicest Christmas of their lives,” Rowan privately mused to herself. Shaking her head of such gloomy thoughts, she walks over to Severus's bed and sits down on it.
”How do I look?” Severus asked as he anxiously smoothed his hair and sweater.
”Hideous beyond belief,” Rowan replied with a straight face.
Severus glared at Rowan and huffily turns away as he stares at himself in the mirror. ”It's not like there are going to be any other kids other than us,” Rowan yawned.
”I know, but I still want to look presentable,” Severus explained.