The art of crafting and giving pv Rose finished

It was the most wonderful time of the year.

Most everyone was able to agree on at least that. Green and red were in the decorations everywhere, all over the castle, which made Rose happier than she could imagine. It was chilly outside. No, it wasn't just chilly- it was absolutely freezing outside. That's just how it was at Hogwarts- absolutely freezing during the winter months. Even though it made it so Rose couldn't stay out on the beautiful, peaceful Hogwarts grounds for extended periods of time like she normally did, which Rose saw as a bad thing, it brought snow to the school and snow was a good thing. Snowball fights, and curling up by the fire, and catching snowflakes on your tongue. And sweaters. Yes, freezing weather was also sweater weather, especially for our friend Rose Moon, who was the biggest fan of sweaters that she had met so far. Every month she could, for as long as possible, she wore sweaters.

It was snowing outside right as Rose was walking to the library, little dainty white flecks floating down to contribute to the already growing coat of snow that would cover Hogwarts for a few months. Of course, she was wearing a thick sweater and tight, comfortable jeans. She was meeting one of her very close friends in Hogwarts' place of knowledge and quiet, and they both were going to work on their Secret Santa projects. The librarian had set it up, and Rose really did admire her. Robyn Finley kept the library in tip-top condition all the time and didn't snap too bad at anyone who was too loud in the library- she was actually a really really nice librarian and Rose felt lucky to have her in particular at the Hogwarts staff. The other residents at Hogwarts didn't give her enough credit, really. That's what Rose thought, at least. She was sure that others agreed with her, but it hadn't come up in her conversations yet, so she didn't actually know yet.

Anyway, everyone who had signed up for the Secret Santa had gotten an owl telling them who their Secret Santa was and they were supposed to make a handmade gift for them, which was a perfect way to get everyone into the Christmas spirit of giving. Plus, it gave Rose something to do with her free time as well as with her hands. Even though she had gotten back in touch with her mother, her mother would probably get confused on the sizes that she would need for the pattern she found and really wanted to do, so she had owled her great-aunt Margerie instead, who had sent her the perfect size in yarn.

Rose already had already started on her present- she was making a little green dragon for her Secret Santa- it had taken her a long time for her to even decide what she was going to make. She had changed her plan several times, eventually abandoning each idea. At first, she was going to make a hat. Like a simple beanie, but she had deemed that not good enough as well as very complicated, and she wasn't able to find a pattern that she liked, and it was way too easy for it to be too big or too small on the person receiving Rose's present. And then she had considered the idea that she was going to make a little snake, but she couldn't find a good pattern for that, either. Once she found the adorable and easy little crochet pattern for her to make an adorable light green dragon, she jumped at the chance and had chosen that as her definite project. By now, she had fully committed to the idea and had definitely gone with that plan . She had already gotten all the supplies, and started it a little. It was too late to turn back now. Well, that wasn't exactly true period she still had time to change her plan if she wanted to... But she didn't want to.

Sometimes Rose felt like she had to make something really good, because she didn't want to let them down. Several times she had caught herself thinking about that poor person that she had gotten, how unlucky they were and that they deserved a better present than she could ever make. It was a known fact in her head by now. But the dragon was good enough for her- it was the best thing she could find for the Secret Santa.

She had only just barely started on her project. She hadn't done way too much on the project, she had just done some of the crochet work. All she had to do today was finish up the crochet, sew up and stuff the green dragon, and sew on all the little extra parts like his horns, his eyes, and his tummy.

She had brought a bag full of her supplies to finish it to the library. In there there was everything she would need to finish the little dragon- the lime yarn, the extra parts, some thread and some stuffing for sewing him up, and some scissors. With crochet, you never know when you'll need scissors.

Henry Knight was also doing the Secret Santa, so they had decided to finish theirs up together in the library. She came into the library, looking around for her close friend in Slytherin house. As she scanned the room, she spotted him near the back, in the sun of one of the windows. He was hard at work at the table, working on some kind of... box? His abandoned attempt at a bracelet sat limp nearby. Rose made her way over there, using measured steps so she wouldn't trip or disturbe his work. "Hey, Henry. How are you?" Rose sat across from her friend, putting her bag up on the table and starting to unpack the pale green yarn on the hook. "I'm making... or trying to make, really, a crochet dragon. He's gonna be so adorable once he's done." She peered over at his project, not sure what he was attempting to get at with the box and the ribbon. Maybe she was just not looking close enough. "So what are you planning on making?"

The voice of a familiar voice rang in Henry's ears as he looked up to find Rose Moon sitting at the chair opposite of him and laying out her own materials. Henry laid down his paintbrush as he saw two side and a half was done so he could use a small timely break as he replied to Ross, " hey Rose, I'm fine I guess. How are you?" Henry watched as she took out yarn which was yellow and green from her bag as he wondered if she was going to sew or crochet something which was correct as Henry listened to Rose explanation on what she was making or creating for her person that they were all sent out a owl with the name of who they will be giving their gift to.

Henry tried to imagine her finally result and still thought a dragon would be really cool as he spoke " that's a bloody brilliant idea Rose and a dragon sounds really cool as well. Dragons are actually one of my favorite creatures, maybe I could tell you about them as we work?" Henry then wished that he didn't say anything since she probably wouldn't want to hear him babble on about dragon facts so he quickly changed the topic " so uh are you going home for the holidays Rose?" Unsure what else to say, Henry was about to go back to working when he heard her question.

Henry looked at his box and with rather a smile said " I found this wooden box abandoned so I decided to paint it in a design and try a ribbon on so they could hold stuff but I'm also putting some candy in it to for them as well," Henry smiled at Rose before picking up his paint brush and putting the last touches of the black which was marjorty of the box. He then would start in the colors as he took slow and careful stokes so each line was perfect and there wasn't a color out of place.

Luckily Henry didn't need to paint color all over the box, just the lid and a side which he decided to start with the side as he carefully painted the edge before moving toward the side each stroke of his brush was going ever so slow as he painted a color selection then dried off the brush with a near by tissue and painted another selection, thus repeated of steps would last for a while until he was done with painting the colors on the box.

Rose smiled warmly. "I'm great, actually," she replied. Actually, she was doing really well. She had gotten back into touch with her mother as well as her sister, Jessica. Everything was just going well. And she was all too full of Christmas cheer around this time of year anyway.

Rose blushed at him complimenting her, biting her lip bashfully. He really did do that a lot, and it boosted up her confidence. Maybe it really was a good idea. "Thank you, that's sweet of you. Though I'm sure whatever I get will be so much better than what I give... my Secret Santa." In that sentence, she had to stop herself so she didn't mention who she had gotten as her Secret Santa- that would ruin the entire surprise that it was supposed to be for everyone at the end. She was sure who she had gotten would be satisfied with her adorable little dragon- who wouldn't?

Rose's eyes lit up as he offered to tell her about dragons. "Sure! What's your favorite dragon?" Rose slipped the pattern out of her bag and sliding it over in front of him, the one with the picture of the crochet dragon on the front. "Do any of the real dragons look like this guy?" Rose remembered Aldor had talked about his favorite dragon, the... Antipodiatrist Opaleye? Anti...pedestrian? Rose couldn't remember. But it had Opaleye in it and it was blue- Aldor had dressed up as it for Halloween when they went together. Magical creatures had fascinated both Henry and Rose, so they were eager to hear what he had learned about them. Why couldn't they be third years already and take the Care of Magical Creatures class? That was really the downside of not being older.

"Yeah, I am. What about you?" she asked him back. Heck yeah she was going back home for the holidays- she was going to see her aunts and uncles and Drew and Jess again. And her mother. And maybe her mother would explain a little more why she had been so busy that year. But most of all, she would be able to do things with Eyre the entire time since he was staying over the whole break. Well, except for when he went to go see his father- his real father. And hopefully his good father. "Do you have any plans over the holidays?"

"Oh, that's actually a wonderful idea- very practical," Rose said, taking hold of the crochet hook and continuing her work, using the continuous motion to start work on the head of the dragon.

Henry smiled at her remark, he was happy that she was doing great especially since after that one potions class where the two were partners and both having rather a bad day but unlikely and somehow they helped each other which Henry thought was where the two became rather close friends well maybe also when they served detention for something that neither did with five others as well.

Henry listened to her before looking down at his own box and worrying that what he would give would he terrible and the person he had would hate it as his breathing quicken and anxiety rose, Henry ran a hand through his hair to clam himself before fiddling with the ribbon he was going to use on the box to hide his anxiety as he spoke " I'm sure you gift for your person will be amazing Rose and the idea sounds bloody amazing to, if you need some help sewing then I could help you," Henry smiled at her before going back to painting the side of the box with color.

Hearing her question, Henry would set down his paint brush and look at Rose with a smile before saying " I think all dragons are fascinating really from their different genes and behaviors. Even their habits and growth but if I had to pick one then I would say the swedish short snout because their one of the smallest dragons yet also the quickest and really agile not to mention their flames burn so hot that it appears blue. What about you, what's your favorite dragon Rose," hearing her ask question he looked down on the picture before saying " its definitely more adorable than average dragons but I think it closely resembles the Welsh green dragon which is the most docile dragon."

Henry smiled at her as their conversation move toward the holiday and plans allowing Henry to finish painting the rainbow on the side if the box and stay on the top as he spoke " not really, just visiting my best friend's family on Christmas really," now wrong he would be as Henry then asked her " do you have any plans Rose for the holiday?"

Hearing her comment about the box, Henry looked up as he spoke " thanks I only met the person once or twice before but don't know a lot of them besides from a few things so I think they might like this."

"Thank you," Rose smiled. Though she was sure that she could sew it up herself. Henry just liked offering to be helpful all the time, and though her pride had stopped her from accepting most of his offers so far, maybe one day she would take him up on it. Rose liked doing things herself and felt really bad when other people spent time or- Merlin forbid- money on her, even if it was something she really did need help with, she was always determined to do it herself or not have it done at all. It would be really hard for her to turn to someone for help, even if it was offered. It would be even harder to ask for help. One day she would really need help and be forced to either get it or she would learn her lesson the hard way.

Henry seemed a little self-conscious about his idea, about his gift, more like, which Rose found ridiculous since it was a great idea, way better than her stuffed animal idea. He had clearly put more thought into it than Rose had, and Rose admired that. She thought his idea was really cool. "I think the candy in the box is an even better idea, no matter what kind of person they are, they can use it for storage and stuff. Whoever you got is lucky. You're doing a good job painting it, too. If I did that, then my hand would shake way too much," she laughed- it was true. If she even attempted the and then added brightly, "Plus, what kind of person doesn't like candy?"

Henry started talking about dragons, and Rose listened intently. It had been a while since she had read a book on dragons. She made a mental note to pick one up soon. "The Swedish Short-Snout," she said after a moment of thought. She wasn't too well-versed in dragons, but a while ago, when she had read a book on dragons, she knew a little bit about them, she had seen a picture of a baby Swedish Short-Snout and it was definitely her favorite because of how adorable it had been. Rose nodded at his comment on the little dragon. She was surprised she hadn't named it yet, but it was bound to happen- it was Rose, after all. She named almost all of her stuffed animals and pretty much everything, to be fair. Maybe she would name it in her mind, but she wouldn't tell anyone.

"...Logan?" she said, mostly to clarify because she wasn't exactly sure who he meant by "best friend." It could be someone else, but Rose was almost sure that it was the Hufflepuff who had absolutely kicked her butt in dueling. "Oh, I'm going to America to visit my extended family, and... uh, Eyre is staying over for the break since he's not on the best terms with his family," she said. She was trying not to enclose too much since she knew Eyre didn't want everyone knowing about his... situation.

Noticing the abandoned attempt at a bracelet and "So did you try to make something else before?

_{permission given to godmode Rose Moon by @Rose Moon}

Henry looked up and nodded toward her before their conversation fall rather silent as Henry concentrated on the box for his secret Santa whom he knew a bit but not that well. As he finished up the painting on the sides, Henry moved to the top when he bit his bottom lip as he took slow and detailed strokes on the box to ensure each color didn't mix and the painting would be perfect at at least good enough to give as a gift. When he finished with the painting, Henry placed down the paintbrush and pushed the box a bit forward to let the paint dry as he decided to watch Rose sew her own gift before hearing her speak about the box gift idea.

"Thanks, I hope they like it and your dragon is a brilliant idea to. So painting isn't your strong suit, you have so many other talents Rose," Henry spoke toward her with a smile before he broke out into a little laughter ad he replied " I'm not the biggest fan of candy actually," laughing a bit before pushing a few strands of hair back and resting his arms on the table as he waited for the box to dry.

"You favorite is the swedish short snout to? Mind if I ask why? I like them because their one of the smallest but also one of the most powerful and agile dragons that is what there, they give off a false impression actually and their flames are so hot that they appear blue... uh sorry-" Henry spewed out when he heard that they had the same favorite dragon. He was a geek and a bit of a dork so there were times that he got carried away with a subject and could go long about it for hours and still be as fascinated as ever by that one subject.

Hearing her question about who, Henry nodded a bit as he spoke " yeah Logan, are families are meeting up for Christmas dinner besides from that I'm not doing anything really," how wrong the twelve year old was at the time. For he couldn't even imagine that in January before they would go back, Henry would he at Rose's house learning of their parents engagement. However more of that later for now Henry sat unaware of his future as he nodded toward his friend with a smile before speaking " that cool Rose how you get to see you family over the break and at least Eyre knows he has a family with you right?"

As time went on, he saw Rose mentioned the finished bracelet so Henry picked it up to show her before speaking " I didn't know what to make so I thought of a bracelet but it seemed to small so instead I started on the box idea. I made them before and all," he then pulled up his left sleeve of hid jacket to show off a friendship bracelet before continuing " I made Logan and myself matching ones for our friendship. I can make us some if you like Rose?"

After a while, Henry saw that the box dried itself so Henry tied the ribbon around it and pulled the bag of jelly beans that he had into it before getting up and putting it with the other gifts for the secret santa errand. Henry would then walked back to their table and clean up his mess before sitting opposite of Rose and waiting for to finish her own gift however when she would finish, Henry would help her clean up her own mess before asking " I was going to head to the great hall for some coco if you want to join me Rose?"

The twelve year old would wait for her answer before leaving toward the great hall with hopefully Rose Moon where he would head toward the great hall with her to get some hot chocolate, chatting all the way.

Henry has left the thread

Rose nodded, "No, please don't apologize," she said, laughing a little bit. "Most of the same reasons. I'm not entirely informed on dragons, so I don't know too many, but I do know about the Swedish Short-Snout, along with only a few others. It has always just stood out in my mind for some reason. Like, how it's more peaceful than some of the other dragons, and like, it's really pretty with the silvery-blue hue of its scales and stuff, and... i don't know, it's very elegant and super cool with the blue fire and all. And..." Rose blushed. It was kind of pathetic, what she was going to say next. "I saw a picture of a Swedish Short Snout and the little guy was absolutely adorable, so maybe I have just a hint of bias."

"That's cool Rose how you get to see your family over the break and at least Eyre knows he has a family with you right?"

Rose nodded and said her next words a little quietly. "Yeah. Yeah, he always has a family with me."

"Oh that's sweet of you," Rose commented. "Yeah, thanks, I would love that. My big sister used to be super obsessed with those. She would wear like ten at a time, each one meaning something. Though I think she may have lost track a couple of times." Rose laughed at the thought.

Both second years would finish their projects as they talked. As Henry left his project to dry, Rose would finish up the crochet and start sewing her little guy together. Finally, as she added the stuffing, white fluff, he started to take shape. She would add on his eyes, and his belly, and his horns and little webbed things that looked like ears. Maybe it wasn't an exact replica of a real dragon, or the Welsh Green Henry had suggested he resembled, but he was still absolutely adorable.

"Yeah, yeah, would love that. Let's go," Rose replied, gathering her things and putting the little dragon delicately in her bag. Maybe her Secret Santa wasn't so unlucky after all?