Christmas at Grimmauld place were the best Christmas Erin ever experienced.

She shared room with Ginny and Hermione. The three of them spent night talking about everything that came into their minds and then laughing so loudly so they had to cover their mouths so they wouldn't wake the whole house up.

George and Fred even tried to convince her to try their new products. One of them was Fainting Fancy and Erin almost ate it as it was accidentally among some Christmas sweets.

Erin often watched Harry and Ron playing magical chess. Even after watching them so many times, she only knew the word 'pawn'.

Nymphadora Tonks stopped by a few times. Erin fell in love with her bubbly personality immediately.

Remus Lupin gave everyone every day a dose of chocolate. It seemed that chocolate would solve every problem in the world especially when Erin had the time of the month.

Sirius taught Erin a Christmas song on a piano. The girl got frustrated every time something went wrong but at the end, she managed it.

Now, Erin, Hermione, and Ginny could be found in the kitchen. It was currently quarter past six in the morning and the girls were doing pancakes for everyone.

They seemed to be all asleep although Erin was sure the twins would wake up any second.

And she was right. Suddenly, there was a hand on her shoulder, making her turn around, holding a ladle.

"George," Erin groaned. "I almost killed you."

"With a ladle, Erin?"

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever." Her eyes then landed on Ginny and Hermione, who were asleep in the kitchen chairs. She shook with them both. "Girls, you are supposed to be helping me."

"We went to sleep at one o'clock in the morning and you woke us at five!" Hermione complained in her morning voice.

"I need to get my beauty sleep," said Ginny.

"Come on! Get up!"

Ginny held up a middle finger.

It was only forty-five minutes later when Sirius, Molly and Arthur came downstairs. They immediately praised Erin for the nice smell around the whole house.

Fred and George ate a bit too much pancakes. Erin even told them not to eat that much because they will get sick but they just could not resist.

Last that were to wake up were Ron and Harry. The Weasley boy even said he woke up because of the smell.

After everyone finished eating, Erin offered to wash the dishes but she was stopped by Sirius and Molly who told her that she had done enough for today.

***

Remus, Hermione and Erin decided to visit a nearby bookstore after lunch.

They asked everyone else if they wanted to go with them but nobody was so excited about books as the man and the girls.

The white cover outside was covering all the pavements, roads, cars, buildings. It was simply perfect, because that is what white represents.

The walk to the bookstore was awkward. Remus desperately wanted to start a conversation and he tried to thought of what could possibly a thirty-five year old man and two teenage girls be talking about.

So he asked the worst thing possible.

He asked if they are excited to school.

He was answered by Erin's "Don't remind me." and Hermione's silence.

After ten more minutes, they finally arrived. The building looked like a kingdom of books and Erin wondered how come she had never been there before.

Remus — to Erin surprise — went straight for romance books while Hermione went to the poetry section and Erin wandered around.

There were mostly books that Erin had already read, had home, or she didn't like the title or the cover.

Maybe Erin should stop judging books by their covers.

She grabbed the book that appealed the most to her.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

Remus — again, much to Erin's surprise — reached for Jane Austen.

"I have that one," Erin pointed at Pride and Prejudice. "You can borrow it if you want. But a little warning, I write in it, so ignore those notes please. . . It's not my fault I'm in love with Elizabeth Bennet!"

Remus smiled. "Thank you, Erin, but it's all right. I prefer to have my own books. I'm afraid something happens and I'll ruin someone's book. . . "

After that, Erin moved to poetry section to see if Hermione found anything she liked.

"What you got there?" Erin asked when she spotted Hermione with a book in her hands.

“As sometimes at sunset the rosyfingered moon surpasses all the stars," the Gryffindor read. "And her light stretches over salt sea equally and flowerdeep fields. And the beautiful dew is poured out and roses bloom and frail

chervil and flowering sweetclover."

"Sappho," Erin breathed out and Hermione shot her a confused look. "She was a poet born on the island of Lesbos in Greece. That's where we get the words lesbian and sapphic from."

"Wow, I had no idea. . . " Hermione glanced back at the book. "Oh there's another one; As soon as I glance at you at moment, I can't say a thing. And my tongue stiffens into silence—"

Erin takes two steps forward. "Thin flames under my skin prickle and spark, a rush of blood blooms in my ears, and then my eyes go dark," she finished in a whisper.

Hermione could feel her breath caught in her throat as Erin's eyes flicked to her lips and then back to her eyes. Erin moved her hand on the side of Hermione's face and got closer, their noses were now touching.

Now it was Hermione that moved her head forward by a centimeter, the girls were sharing same air, their lips slighly touching.

"Erin, Hermione, you done?"

Erin's head quickly whipped around. "Uh, yeah." She was so dissapointed that she and Hermione managed to choose moments when they're interrupted.

The girls fastly walked past Remus to pay for their books. The man watched them walking away, eyes wide.

He hit his head with a book and repeated in his mind, "Idiot, idiot, idiot!"

***

The walk back to Grimmauld place was even more awkward.

Remus was walking behind Erin and Hermione, watching as they hands once in a while brushed against each other and when they looked at the other, they quickly glanced somewhere else.

Remus wasn't stupid, he knew what was going on. After all, all of his friends fell in love with each other and the man was himself in love. He felt as If he was watching a movie he had seen before. A Marlene and Dorcas movie and he hoped this one would have a different ending.

***

Erin got a letter from Daphne in the evening.

ERIN FREAKING MCKINNON,

I am back from a successful date.

Theodore took me to a park. It all looked so magical as everything was covered in snow, it was simply like in a fairytale.

He bought me a hot chocolate and we just walked around, so simple but so fun.

And well, at the end, he gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and LIPS. ERIN, I HAD MY FIRST KISS, CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?

We didn't have the talk if we're together or not but that's okay, I don't wanna take things too quickly.

Anyway, tell me how are you enjoying Christmas. Is everyone nice to you? Did you also wake up someone at five o'clock in the morning so they have to help you with PANCAKES? Hope not, poor people.

However, I hope that you're having a good time with everyone. Can't wait to see you.

Your one and only platonic soulmate,

Daphne.

Daphne,

I'm so happy you enjoyed your date with Theo and I can't wait you'll tell me more about it.

I am having a really good time here, everyone is so nice.

And yes, I woke up Ginny and Hermione but they end up falling asleep in the kitchen anyway so it does NOT COUNT!

There's something I would like to talk to you about. . . I'm so confused about it all and I just need to tell you or my head's gonna explode. However, it's weird to explain it over letter, it'll be easier to do it when we'll see each other.

I can't wait to see you :)

Your one and only partner in crime,

Erin.

***

It was thirtieth of December. Erin's sixteenth birthday.

Not that anyone knew about it, she didn't tell Hermione and the others weren't that close to her to know.

That was until breakfast. Everyone was sitting around the kitchen table, eating toasts and drinking pumpkin juice when Sirius loudly asked,

"Erin, isn't today your birthday?"

Erin blinked in surprise. "How did you—"

"Well, exactly sixteen years ago, your dear aunt Marlene dragged us all into hospital so we could welcome you into world," Sirius explained.

Before Erin could say anything else, everyone was wishing her happy birthday.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Hermione asked after everyone sat back down. "I would've buy you something!"

"I don't want anything, just you being here is enough," Erin said before her eyes widening. "Uh, I mean you and everyone being here is enough. . ."

"Let me bake you something, please!" Hermione pleaded.

And so later that day, a pleasant smell filled the house. With a big smile on her face, Erin walked downstairs and saw Hermione in the kitchen, humming a song.

"It smells amazing, Mione," Erin praised and moaned at the smell. "I can't wait to taste it, what are you making anyway?"

"Banana Bars with chocolate chips," Hermione answered with a bright smile.

"Oh and when you say banana bars, I guess there are bananas with it, huh?"

"Well, yeah, of course."

"Um, I'm allergic to bananas. . . "

Hermione's smile fell. "Tell me you're joking!"

Erin's sudden burst of laughter was an answer.