After they had all finished the magnificent feast, Harry, Ron and Hermione disappeared up to their common room, muttering something about a broomstick, and Lilleth, left on her own, decided to explore the castle a bit, and maybe meet some of the portraits. She had been surprised to find that they moved and talked, but aside from Evanora, she hadn't found one she liked enough to have a conversation with.

Mourka joined her on her exploration, prowling at the corners of the walls and floors to try and find his own snack.

Eva was missing from her portrait, presumably spending it in her sister portrait at her family home, so Lilleth walked past and went up to the fourth floor, where she rarely spent much time.

There were a few interesting portraits, but mostly it was filled with men with long beards in dark robes, or women in large dresses who talked amongst themselves. It didn't seem like there was anyone interesting to meet or talk to, they all seemed rather wrapped up in themselves. The most exciting portrait was a group of men who had clearly all come from other places in the castle, all drunk and telling rather rude jokes. Lilleth stopped to listen to them for a few minutes and giggled at their jokes, until they stopped and looked at her.

"Shoo!" one of them said rudely. "Such jokes are not for such young ears."

Another one burped, and they all roared with laughter. Lilleth rolled her eyes and walked past. Mourka stared at them for a few seconds, and then followed her with his tail held high.

Near the stairs to the fifth floor, Lilleth finally found a gorgeous portrait of a young woman. She stood in a plain frame, nothing in the background of her painting, and nothing ornate on her frame, but she wasn't like the other paintings of ladies around the castle. She was young, barely an adult, and rather than wearing a puffy, elaborate ball gown, she wore a simple black dress with a thin skirt down to just past her knees, and long sleeves to her wrist. Her hair wasn't in an elaborate style, but instead, in a tight bun at the back of her head, neatly twisted and pinned. And on her feet, she was wearing the one thing Lilleth had ever wanted.

A pair of ballet shoes. Black satin, and shining slightly in the light of the hallway, with laces that wove around her calves and tied together in an intricate bow like a gift. The gift of a lifetime. Lilleth could scarcely tear her eyes away as she stared longingly at the gorgeous dancer.

The young ballerina didn't react to Lilleth standing there, unlike the other portraits in the castle. It was as if there wasn't a world outside of her dance, the only thing that mattered was within the walls of the simple frame. The borders of her world were clear and inescapable, yet enthralling and so far away that they were immaterial.

She brushed her leg up behind her and rose onto the tip of her toes, her arms sweeping around delicately in a position Lilleth recognised from her books as an arabesque.

Lilleth moved her fingers to mimic the ballerina's, twisting one finger in and extending the rest outwards, and slowly pushed herself up onto her toes. She lifted her left leg behind her, not as high as the woman in the portrait, and raised her arms as well. Her core and legs tightened to hold her there, and she watched for a few seconds until the woman lowered her leg again and swept it up again two point in front of her. Lilleth copied.

The world seemed to fall away around her. A spotlight shone in her eyes, placing her on the stage, as she carefully followed the dancing painting, in the cold stone hallway of the castle. Her legs weren't as steady. Her jumps weren't as high. Her arms were as elegant. But her heart beat stronger than it had ever beat before, taking the place of music sounding in the corridor. She thought through every move as she went through, naming everything from what she could remember in her books.

She came to do a pirouette, just like the painting. She hesitated briefly, then bit her lip determinedly, pushed off on her back foot and spun herself on the floor. But she pushed too hard, unbalancing her, and she toppled to the ground, using her hands to stop the fall.

"Ow." she muttered, quickly pushing herself back up.

The magic was gone. She was back in the castle, dull and lifeless, nothing left. She looked up at the painting and jumped slightly.

The woman was gone. Her painting had been replaced with an old lady in a large wig, her dress so large that it expanded past the borders of the frame; a far cry from the dainty elegance of the dancer.

"Well what on earth are you staring at?" snapped the woman, raising a dark glass bottle to her lips. "Don't you know a lady when you see one?"

"Oh – uh – sorry." Lilleth mumbled hastily, and she stumbled away down the hall.

Away from the drunk lady, she paused and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. Had she dreamt all that? Was she that desperate for someone to dance with that she made up an entire portrait? What if it had just been the old lady watching her the whole time? The portraits were terrible for gossip in the castle, Lilleth knew that if she had made it all up, it would spread like wildfire. She'd never be able to step in front of a painting again.

"Exciting day?"

A voice appeared next to her and she jumped and stood up straight to face Professor Lupin. She forced a smile on her face.

"Just – seeing how long it would take to run down the corridor." she lied; she felt her cheeks go hot with the lie. "Mourka beat me." Mourka rubbed happily up against her leg.

"Be careful you don't trip." he advised, smiling.

She nodded, and quickly walked around him and down the corridor again, towards the stairs.

"Merry Christmas!" she shouted as she went, breaking into a run.

Left behind in the hallway, Professor Lupin chuckled and rolled his eyes, and then made his way back off to his own office.

Lilleth flew down the stairs two at a time until she reached the basement, and then headed straight for the kitchens, tickling the pear and jumping down the stone steps to where the house elves were busily preparing dinner.

"Merry Christmas!" she burst out, panting for breath.

"Merry Christmas, Miss Lilleth!" they chorused back in their squeaky voices.

"Miss Lilleth, it is pleasures to see you again Miss!" exclaimed Bibsy and Keely, the two households who had given Lilleth food before.

"What can Keely do for Miss?" asked Keely excitedly.

Lilleth grinned. "Could I please have some of the Christmas food? My friends and I fancy a picnic in the snow."