After putting the finishing touches on her own gift wrapped present, a rectangular shaped box decorated in neatly in wrapping paper with an intricate bow on top, Ingrid Luck placed it next to the Hufflepuff Christmas tree ready for when the person whose name resided on the tag arrived.

When the initial idea had come to her as a sort of throwaway comment in a conversation between herself and Kinsay, she hadn’t actually realised how much hard work it was going to be to organise the whole thing and then bring it all together. Organising was hard work and she’d certainly think twice before doing it again but for now, with a relieved smile on her face as she stood and looked around the room in all its splendour, she was happy. Maybe next year, she'd pass the mantle on to a younger student as this was her final year. There was to be no more Christmases at Hogwarts for her.

This was a fun event. So, of course, Ash was stressed about it. She'd struggled with wrapping her gift(it was wrapped in a pretty blue paper, but the actual wrapping was... substandard and involved copious amounts of tape). She hoped the recipient would like it though, and she set it down with the tag clearly visible. Then she went to go stand by Ingrid, a ball of nervous energy. She tried to stare at the food table and not at the present that she'd 'wrapped'(she was somehow convinced it had obviously come from her and that the person would know and it wouldn't be fun and secret). "I... I like what you've done with the place. It's lovely, really."

To say that Olive Gracae-Ryans was excited about this event would be an understatement. She was very, VERY excited about it. It was her first Christmas at Hogwarts and her first ever Secret Santa! Technically, it was the day before the holidays began and she was going home for Christmas but, as far as she was concerned, this was her Christmas at Hogwarts.

She'd needed to ask an older student where to find the Room of Requirement because she hadn't actually been to it before, but here she was, standing right outside the door, which had appeared just as she approached. Olive adjusted her skirt, triple checked that she had her presents, and pushed open the door.

The little first year Hufflepuff was immediately struck by the beautiful sight before her eyes. Christmas trees and falling snow, sparkling lights and all the edible treats she could ever want. Were those tears in her eyes? Yes, yes they were. "Wow!" She said aloud, looking around for the host of this wonderful event. "Ingrid! This is amazing!" She exclaimed, beaming up at the seventh year. "Should I keep hold of the present or put it somewhere?" She nodded at the oddly-shaped gift under her arm.

When Evan had expressed interest to Ingrid in participating in the Secret Santa, he'd done so because a fellow house mate was putting on the event and he was not at all considering what a poor gift giver he was. And for someone he barely knew, actually only knew in name only which had been heard a lot, this had been a very difficult task for him. With a little help, he'd finally settled on a gift and carefully placed it in a bag with a copious amount of tissue paper and a label with the name properly displayed.

Ev entered the Room of Requirement with the bag held in his hands. This had only been the second time he'd been in this room, but he was not struck by how vastly different it looked from the last time he'd entered. This was a piece of magic of Hogwarts he had been incredibly neglecting, though this was really the first year he was open to a room that felt like it was pure magic in itself. Taking a glance around, he took note of the trees decorated per house, and headed over towards the Hufflepuff one to set down the gift.

Straightening after he'd done so, he scanned the room again and spotted Ash, and perhaps a first year offering greetings to Ingrid. He considered going their direction, but he also imagined their hostess was about to have a lot to do, so he opted to hang back and not get in her way. Instead, he settled on a smile and a thumbs up her direction. His way of trying to communicate that so far, it seemed she had put on what was to be a very successful event. Ash and the first year received smiles of greeting as well, before he made his way towards the fireplace and settled into a chair near it.

-❆❆❆-

Since having received his Secret Santa name, Pabu had been quite busy. He knew next to nothing about his name, so he'd spent a good deal of his time shadowing after trying to gain some insight on what he could give us a gift. Running out of time, he'd eventually settled on something that he hoped would be too terrible. And if it was, he was hoping the small bouquet of flowers covering the top of the bag would make up for how terrible the rest of it could potentially be.

Heading into the Room, he announced himself rather boisterously with a loud "Happy Christmas, everyone!". He didn't take much time to survey the room initially, having spotted a quiet Ravenclaw enter before him and find the spot to put his gift. Pabu decided to follow suit, walking along after him and coming to the tree with yellow on it. That... didn't seem right, so he stepped back and looked at the others, before redirecting towards one that was more red and gold. This seemed much more Gryffindor. The fourth year set down his gift, before then making a beeline towards food. So far, the people here all seemed to be older or... much younger. Which made him wonder if he should have convinced his brother or one of the triplets to participate as well.

Ah, c'est la vie. He'd manage to have fun anyways. Even if it was mainly just by eating. "This foods really good!" He announced, to no one in particular.

Aria was HERE and ready for all the celebrations!

Most importantly, she had her gift ready. It was neatly wrapped and ready to be handed over but she was going to continue keeping the content of the wrapping paper… under wraps. Practically bouncing her way into the Room, Ms. McLeod was immediately dazzled by the set up. It was all enough to take her breath away! Fortunately, after a couple of seconds, she remembered to breathe. It was just about that time that she spotted Ingrid. “I one hundred percent agree with Olive!’’ she remarked. “Ugh! I could just camp out in here for days!’’ Aria vaguely waved her hand about as an indication - the one which held her present though her sharp gaze was fixed on the Christmas trees. Ah yes, she did adore richly decorated Christmas Trees!


* * * * * * * * * * *
“Hey, everyone!’’

A beaming Hufflepuff waved at everyone gathered so far. Or he thought he waved to everyone because WOW! Look at this place! It was quite the sight and Jude was in love with it all. He made a mental note to offer Ingrid some words of praise when she was less busy. Uh huh. That’s what he was thinking right now as he turned a full three sixty degree, taking in all the decorations.

Oh look!

A bestie!

Without a second thought, the sixth year bustled across the Room in Evan’s direction, reindeer printed gift bag swinging in his left hand. “Ev! Hi!” He reached out to ruffle Evan’s hair briefly as he passed. Jude crashed into a chair opposite. “Christmas will definitely always be my favourite holiday!” he continued randomly. The music, the lights, the food, the decorations… everything!

Freddie couldn't resist a party, especially knowing some of his friends would be here! The box in his arm was looking freshly wrapped, and not from a last-minute decision, nope, nope. Now he just had to set the gift down with the other presents piled.

But first, "Hey Aria! What a view, right?" His smile beaming down at his cousin, well, one of them. "Is Caes still stuck at home cleaning up after that bet you made?" Usually they were attached or extremely busy with something extravagant.

Then he was also scanning the room to see if anyone he recognized was here yet.

Thank heavens that it didn’t take long for people to start arriving or she’d have gone through all of the trouble for nothing! With a wide smile and the music playing in the background, Ingrid greeted the first arrival with a welcoming smile. “Ash! Merry Christmas! Thank you! I can’t take all of the credit though. The house elves have really been a godsend,” with a relived look across her face now. It made it so much easier that she wasn’t the only one there now and that the first person to arrive was in fact her dorm mate! Noticing Ash’s eyes drifting towards the food, she smiled before saying “Why don’t you go and help yourself? There’ll be enough here for everyone. Besides, if they wanted to eat, they should have arrived first?” a small tinkling laugh now slipping out. Obviously, Ash wouldn’t be able to eat all of the food mainly because of how much there was but she was welcome to try.

With her laugh still tinkling, Ingrid turned to see the door open again for the second time as another person arrived although this one was a lot younger (Olive). Seeing the magical look in her eyes as she took in the room and what it truly meant to experience a Hogwarts Christmas almost made it worthwhile to throw the party. Her first Christmas at Hogwarts almost felt like a life time ago but she still remembered the snow cascading down in the Great Hall and the Christmas trees decked out so festively that it practically filled you with Christmas spirit. In part, that’s what she’d been aiming for. A room so festive it couldn’t help but make you feel warm and festive in side no matter how you’re spending your Christmas. It was her present to Hogwarts. “Welcome to the room of requirement Olive. I’m so glad you could make it!” she replied, her eyes questioning if she had indeed been that small as a first year or if it was just Olive. “I’ve put mine under the tree but feel free to keep hold of it if you wish?” She hadn’t really specified any rules or guidance as she’d figured that secret Santa was a pretty straight forward concept. Maybe she’d over estimated everyone’s intelligence. “The person I bought my present for is actually in Hufflepuff too, actually. That’s why I put my present underneath the Hufflepuff tree. You can do the same if you want or keep it on you.”

Now the people were arriving thick and fast, almost too quickly for the seventh year to keep track. Why she felt like some kind of host was beyond her. It was only her idea after all. Did she have to host it as well? She almost felt as though there were some kind of spotlight on her and it was rather warm and uncomfortable. Adjusting her festive green dress, she gazed over at Evan first and flashed him a smile and a quick wave before turning towards the next arrival. “Merry Christmas!” she called back at Pablo, although what he said after that was news to her. “Help yourself to some food everyone!” she called out to the room in general. Better to start while it was fresh after all.

No sooner was she smiling over at Pablo was she then pulled in another direction by the sound of someone else complementing the room decoration. “Thanks Aria, it really does feel so festive in here, doesn’t it? Did any of you have trouble finding a gift at all?” she asked those around her (Ash, Olive and Aria). “I know I struggled a little although I guess that’s the fun of it.” Meeting new people and trying to buy for someone you don’t really know was honestly such a challenge for her, especially as she was a perfectionist but she’d managed…somehow! Just one look at the room would tell you there wasn’t a piece of tinsel out of place mainly because there wasn’t a piece of tinsel in sight.

She did briefly note the incoming of Freddie too, offering him a smile as a welcome as he turned towards Aria.

"Of course. The house elves are amazing. Together you made your idea look perfect." Ash smiled. "I did have trouble finding something for someone I barely know... but I think I got something they'll like." She hoped.

"I might do your food suggestion... I haven't eaten in a bit." She pulled a marble out of her pocket, which was vibrating slightly. "Oh gosh... I should eat now." She excused herself from Ingrid, Olive, and Aria, and walked over and grabbed a few of her favorite foods + a drink. Thanks, house elves... thanks, Ingrid. Then she wandered over to where Jude and Evan were seated and chose a nearby chair to eat. She didn't mean to always be clinging to them. It was just that she felt safe around them, and didn't know where else to go.

Maybe it was just because it was her last term at Hogwarts. The idea of staying at the castle over the holidays certainly was, along with just not feeling like going home without her brother. Wyn was staying, so Cailyn was going to as well. It was just bittersweet knowing it was going to be her last holiday season at Hogwarts, even if she knew she’d miss the holiday at home with family too. She’d been all for Ingrid’s idea, as well. Anything that was festive and got people into the holiday spirit.

Even so, it was a surprise to see just how decked out the Room of Requirement was. Granted, she was well aware of how useful the room was in providing whatever was needed, but she still sensed it wasn’t just the room’s magic in play, whether or not she particularly felt like the hostess thought of her as a friend. It wasn’t because she wasn’t open to the idea at all.

“It looks beautiful in here, Ingrid”, she complimented the brunette as she arrived and went over to set her gift under the Gryffindor tree. It was a guess that that was the reason for the house trees, and it took all her self-control not to check under the Hufflepuff tree. Just out of curiosity, but even so, she headed over to the refreshments just in case she got too tempted, sending a wave over in Evan’s and Jude’s direction.

-----

Rosa loved the Christmas season, and she knew it was going to be even more exciting given the fact she had her younger cousin bouncing around the castle experiencing her very first Hogwarts Christmas. Her brother was around as well, but she wasn’t certain who all had chosen to participate in this little party. Odds were Anna had, which was honestly enough of a reason for the blonde Ravenclaw to accept Ingrid’s invitation to join.

Wrapped gift in hand, she had made her way over to the Room of Requirement at the appropriate time. Maybe a little bit early, but again, there was the matter of making sure her cousin made it. The Room could be overwhelming at the best of times, but even she was dazzled by the sight of the interior as she had entered.

“Wow”, she uttered softly, even as she ventured further inside.

As she walked through the doors, she couldn't help but pause and glance up at the falling snow. Even though she had seen it multiple times, its beauty still took her breath away. "Beautiful, isn't it?" she asked the girl (Rosa) who had just entered before her. Then she turned her gaze to the gathering crowd in front of her. She saw a lot of people that she knew here. First order of business was to drop the neatly wrapped present with the others (in the process of wrapping, she had two failed attempts but if anyone asked her - she did this on her first try ). Lisa checked the name one more time before smiling. She really hoped that she had gotten this present right.... Fingers crossed, yeah?

"Happy Christmas!" she greeted the group with a wave before approaching Ingrid first to thank her for organizing the event. "Ingrid! This looks amazing. Thanks for putting this together again," beamed Lisa as she approached the older Ravenclaw. It'd be weird without Ingrid at Hogwarts next year. She was someone who was always a constant calming presence around the Common Room. Actually it would be weird with many of the seventh years gone... She didn't really want to admit that Evan graduating was starting to make her feel all blue. She smiled at Olive, Aria, and Freddie. And, of course, Pablo was here. He seemed much bigger than what she remembered. She had seen him in passing but the last time they had really spoken was at the First Year party she crashed as a second year. No longer was she upset with him about the whole 'girlfriend' comment that he had uttered which drove her mind crazy. She joined Freddie and Aria. "Hi Aria and Freddie." Big grin. "Happy Christmas. I wonder what songs we'll get to here tonight... Do you have a favourite Christmas song?"

Speaking of brothers, her eyes flicked across the room to Evan, Jude, Cailyn, and Ash. She offered them a smile and a wave. She'd go over to talk to them soon after she spoke with Freddie and Aria and then after she grabbed some food.

The Gryffindor that had come in after him received a look in response to the rather loud declaration, before Evan went back to staring at the flames. If he looked at all melancholic, it wasn't intentional as he was rather just enjoying looking into the flames. He was only distracted from watching them dance, by the interruption of ruffled hair and he looked up as Jude passed, resisting the urge to correct immediately. Evan smiled at his friend, tilting a head at his declaration. "What is it that you love about it?" The Ravenclaw did not particularly have a favorite holiday. They were all fine, he supposed, but there wasn't one that made him particularly overjoyed. If he had to choose one, it would have been Chuseok, but it had been years since he'd had a chance to celebrate given it usually fell in the first weeks back at school.

Besides, he loved it because of Halmeoni's cooking. He couldn't get that here.

Not many of the other entrances were noted, though he did happen to turn at the moment Cailyn and then his sister made their appearances, both which Evan waved back at and then caught sight of Ash sitting close by but not quite joining them. He shot a smile her way, before tilting with his head in an indication she should come closer and join their conversation. "How did gift shopping go for you both? I certainly had difficulty." There had been someone he could have asked for help, but that would have spoiled the mystery of it all and he was trying to play by the rules.

-❆❆❆-

Well... coordinating with one of his people would have probably been a good idea, especially considering the more people entered the... more people he realized he did not know. Which normally wouldn't have been THAT big of an issue, except... majority of these people felt a good few years older, which he supposed he should have expected, and he was feeling the smallest bit out of his element.

Or a lot.

He DID notice Lisa Nam enter, and he was VERY tempted to try to rile her up again merely because that certainly held fond memories from his previous Hogwarts years, but there was a lot of people around her. And he was pretty certain her brother was here and messing with someone within earshot of a sibling was never high on his list of things. So instead, he focused on someone else who didn't seem to have come with anyone and figured best to start there.

A plate HEAPED with food, he skirted around Lisa in order to make his way towards the blonde who'd come in around the same time - Rosa. "How strange of a stranger did you get a name for?" And in case she didn't speak Pabu -- Did she know who she'd purchased for?

Anna had JUST the right dress for the occasion and did not even think twice about slipping it on as she got ready for her FIRST Hogwarts party. She probably should have looped arms with one of her dormmate royals to and come with them...but she had still needed to add a couple of last minute touches to her handmade gift and find juuuuuuuuuuuuust the right headband to pair with her poinsettia dress. And by a couple last minute touches...Anna Walles meant a dozen inflatable balloons of red, green, white, and gold balloons. Three each. And not exactly...orb in shape. They were kind of lopsided and bumping...but that was what you got when you were still learning magic and hyper focusing on a branch of it that one was not exactly your cup of tea yet. Needed a couple more sugar cubes first and THEN it would be!

It was hard planning for this sort of thing when you were only a first year and barely any allowance money to buy anything for...not to mention limited options for buying things. Thankfully this Hufflepuff was a pack badger with some well-intended hording tendencies AND had really really lucked out with her Secret Santa and knew precisely what to do. The balloon bouquet were all attached to a little white bag she had decorated with pressed rose petals she had received from an older Ravenclaw girl who could just SNEEZE and suddenly flower crowns were there (and it had been a red rose flower crown Anna had received) and the first year skipped confidently and with a little hover to each skip thanks to the amount of magical LIFT she has injected into each balloon. Despite having been lost for the past 15 minutes...she felt like she had become familiar enough with this part of the castle now that she could find the Room of Requirement again. Maybe. Maybe she should have come with Rosa...but she was working on being SUBTLE about THINGS. At least for another few minutes.

"Olive Branch!" she squeaked upon spotting her dormmate and waved both her arms eagerly in the air back and forth...only to lose her hold on the bag in her excitement and up...up...up...up...UP went the little bag until it bumped against the ceiling and then just...hung there. "...oooooooopsies."

This had seemed like a fun idea when she had put her name down, but as soon as she had taken the chosen name out of the bunch, Remy felt nothing but regret. Getting gifts for people was hard enough as it is, let alone someone she didn’t know all that well. Anywho, she couldn’t back out and leave someone gift-less, so here she was, the box wrapped very neatly underneath her arm, trying to conceal the reindeer wrapping paper to further hide that the gift was from her.

Secret Santa remained a secret throughout, right?

Remy was overwhelmed by a growing number of students already here, although she had distracted herself by the wonderful festive decorations before tagging behind Lisa. She smiled and wiggled her fingers into a wave. “Hey, Lees.” Two that were due another catch up

She also offered Ingrid the same smile and finger wiggle!wave, since this was all her doing and she had certainly done a fantastic job.

Karleigh was running a little late. It took her just a bit longer than she expected to make sure the wrapping and bow on her present was just right and maybe she underestimated how much time it would take her to get to the Room of Requirement. It was only just down the hall from her after all, but once she started out of her common room, she was already later than what she wanted to be. And once she got there, the room was already full of people. So maybe she was just fashionably late.

"Hi, everyone! Happy Christmas," she greeted the room at large as she walked through. She already spotted Jude and Cailyn, then greeted the hostess, Ingrid. "Everything is decorated so lovely. Thank you for having this." Her yearmate seemed a little busy talking to everyone, so she didn't want to hold her up for too long.

She did have this present though.. was she she supposed to put it somewhere? Or hold onto it? Karleigh could see that there were some under the trees but some people were holding onto theirs, so.. she opted to hold onto hers for now. She just hoped that the person it was intended for liked it, especially as she didn't know her really at all.

Rajesh had to admit that shortly after he had signed up to participate in the castle’s Secret Santa since he was staying at Hogwarts, he had wondered why. Especially when he had picked his name to get a gift for and gone all awkward turtle in trying to think of a present for that someone. He had a hard enough time picking gifts for his family and friends, a complete stranger was a whole new obstacle. And then he might have to face the girl when she received it. To say he was nervous about it would be an understatement but there was no turning back now.

The carefully wrapped gift in hand, the sixth year made his way to the Room of Requirement. A room that always proved to be a surprise to see what you would find on the other side and it was no different this time around. Though he supposed their host and the house elves likely had had a hand in the actual decorations. And the music that slipped through as he entered the welcoming gathering. As for the occupants already in the room, there were faces he could recognize and a few that he didn’t which could or include his gift’s recipient as they were dressed more for the holiday than by houses. He himself had settled for a deep evergreen sweater and dark pants.

“Happy Christmas…” he greeted simply as he debated his next move. Like depositing his gift somewhere so he wasn’t weirdly hanging onto it the whole time.

He wasn't sure why he had agreed to this in the first place...but he had. It was hard enough getting a suitable gift for someone you were already acquainted with, a little more difficult when they had graced your inner circle because there was the pressure of expectation not to disappoint, but putting something together for someone you may have only exchanged half a dozen glances with over the years or maybe been on the same side of a group project or two without any real connection formed was...well...it was a galleon flip how he felt about it on any given day. On the one hand, there were no expectations and therefore the umbrella of 'anything goes' could be applied. He felt no real inclination to go out of his way to find something, nor did he see a need in spending any of his hard earned coin on someone he barely knew. The flip side of that was...he couldn't exactly let it be known that he carried such sentiments and if he were the recipient of something really lame and thoughtless because Atlas' own Secret Santa did not know him (which, chances were, was the case) he would feel disappointed and slighted.

So he did the only logical thing he could thing of: he put something together that he would be pleased to receive.

Sure, it was not the most thought provoking of gifts but it wasn't something cheap and useless either. He had dipped into his own private stock to help bulk things up a bit and the result was a rather hefty and lumpy looking wrapped dome with entirely too much tape attaching it to a tin bucket that he had found in the greenhouses and polished up using his tool kit. At least the wrapping paper, robots in red and green ugly Christmas sweaters with Santa hats and some random silver snowflakes, reflected a certain festiveness regardless of his lack of holiday cheer.

He spotted more than a few familiar faces, but he was a Gryffindor on a mission and apparently going to just blow through whatever party protocol he had missed the memo on in favor of unburdening his hands and arms from the bucket clutched to his chest. Spotting the Ravenclaw in question, Atlas beelined his way over and cleared his throat. "Hey...uh...Rajesh?" he greeted while doing his best to keep his feet planted and not roll back on to his heels. He really wanted to adjust his backwards baseball cap...or tug on his black jumper...but his hands were full. "This is...well...this is for you. Uh...Happy Christmas."

Desiree was a bit… meh about this Secret Santa thing. Normally she would jump at the chance to attend a party, but it was hard to feel excited with the fear that she could turn into an ugly wombat at any moment always in the back of her mind. She was mostly here because her dad convinced her to come. He said it would be an opportunity to do something nice for someone, and she couldn’t pass that up. The random animal transformations may have robbed her of her beauty, but they couldn’t take away her kindness.

Her usual party attire of frilly Disney princess-inspired dresses had been traded for something still in keeping with the Disney theme that reflected her recently acquired beastly nature: a simple white ruffled blouse, black skirt with gold trim, and blue and gold jacket. Her dark hair was tied in a ponytail with a red rose hairclip. She had a matching rose pin at the top row of ruffles on her shirt and roses on the toes of her shoes too. Even the gift in her hand was coordinated, wrapped in blue and gold paper with a red silk rose on top.

“Hi, everybody!” she greeted, a little more shyly than normal, as she walked into the Room of Requirement. She waved to Jude, Evan, and Lisa as she wandered farther in. Her blue eyes scanned the room, taking in all the Christmas trees and decorations. Wow, Ingrid had done a great job with the decor! Speaking of whom, she spotted the hostess in the crowd and beelined that direction. “Hi, Ingrid. Thanks for inviting me,” she said with a slight smile. Her expression changed, and her voice dropped as she added, “I promise I’ll leave if I start to turn into a… you know.”

There would be no wombat guest appearances to ruin the party, she’d make sure! Maybe the Room’s magic could counter Peeve’s and help her with that… she hoped!

“It really does, Ingrid! It feels as warm and cozy as it does at my home.” The Slytherin was thinking of her dads now. “Nope! No trouble at all. I actually know my person a bit so shopping was easy. And I had a TON of fun doing it too! I’m sure your person will love what you got them though!’’ It’s the effort that counted in her opinion. Okay so… that’s how it was working then? Aria’s present was for a Ravenclw so she moved forward to stick her wrapped present neatly under the said tree.

Ah, Cousin Freddie! Aria had been wondering if he would have been a part of this holly, jolly little get together. “Hey, Freddie! RIGHT?? I don’t think I could have done a better job.” And she was rather creative. “I don’t think Caes’ll finish for another few months, even with the use of magic,’’ Aria replied with a tiny snigger. She eyed his present, tempted to ask who he had been assigned to getting it for. But that would spoil the fun, right? “Shall we check out the snacks? I’m feeling peckish for cookies.” But then... cookies could wait for a bit, yes? There was a beam for Lisa. “Hi, Lisa! Happy Christmas to you as well! Hmmm… let’s see. I rather adore a few of the Muggle classics like ‘Silent Night’, then of course we have ‘The Most Magical Yule Ball of All’ on the Wizarding side.” Aria didn’t have the best of singing voices but that didn’t mean singing couldn’t be enjoyed! “What about you? Surely there are a few you like to belt out?”

* * * * * * * * * * *
Jude decided that the whole messy hair look suited Evan and was one hundred percent surprised that the Ravenclaw had not fixed it up neatly again. The hair coupled with the head tilt… well, Jude could stare all day at his friend but that would make everything so weird and probably awkward so he busied himself with the question. “Everything! Especially the lights and the decorations! Then there’s the caroling too.” As a big fan of singing, how could he not enjoy that? “Of course there’s the food, and the presents, being off from school…” The Hufflepuff grinned sheepishly. “See? Everything!” Spying Ash, Jude broke into another smile. “Hey, Ash! You alright?” He didn’t mind that she was often in his and Evan’s company often. Not one bit; in fact, he hoped she’d move closer to them. He also hoped Evan would stop tilting his head like that because this Hufflepuff was sort of finding it difficult to focus. “Um… yes.” Who was his present for again?! It took him a second to recall. “I don’t know him well so it took me a while to figure out what I wanted to get him. What about you, Ev?”

Looking around again, he was in time to catch Cailyn’s wave and he returned it enthusiastically with one of his own. The sixth year could not believe that it was his fellow Hufflepuff’s final year; she would be missed. Then there was Lisa and Desiree! Both girls got an equally happy wave; at least neither were graduating soon. Also, there was Karleigh! “Happy Christmas to you as well!’’ Jude called to her.

Evan waved back at Desiree noticing her entrance as well, before attention turned back to the small group around the fire now, not at all noticing Jude's preoccupation. "The lights are usually very pretty." He didn't love all the decorations though. A school full of teenagers and there always seemed to be a few who were far too eager to hang mistletoe. He was just glad whoever used to enchant mistletoe to follow students around seemed to either have graduated or grown bored of the prank. "I don't usually go out caroling. Will you do that at home over the break?" He'd probably just stick to hanging out at home and drinking copious amounts of eggnog and apple cider.

His gift? Evan's brow furrowed a bit before he nodded his head. "It's a name I certainly hear a lot but I've never talked to him. Gift hunting was definitely difficult." Did that give away who he'd had to buy for? Potentially but he wasn't too worried about Jude knowing. "How did everyone else fare?"

-❆❆❆-
Well, he had been intent on attempting to socialize, but seeing one of his house mates entering and just... ridding himself of the burden of his gift to the reciepent had the young fourth year FAR too excited. They could DO that!?

With a grin, the lion bounded back towards the Gryffindor tree, grabbing the one he'd brought with the flowers peaking out over the top, before straightening himself and trying to walk confidently over to the seventh year, Karleigh, whom it had been intended for. From his stalking observations, it seemed she'd been found of dance, so he'd gone for a simple pair of wool leg warmers. Wasn't that a thing dancers used? If not, there was a small selection of chocolate confections as well and... hopefully she didn't have an allergy to anything like that. Or the flowers. "Uh... Happy Christmas!"

Rajesh bent down to drop his gift off under the Hufflepuff-decorated tree, its badger recipient’s name clearly labeled on it (Olive Gracae-Ryans) when a throat was cleared behind him, catching his attention before his name cemented that it was him being looked for. He turned and straightened to be greeted by Atlas…his apparent not-so-Secret Santa. “Um…thanks,” he remarked, accepting the handle of the bucket he was handed with a wrapped portion stuck inside. He almost hesitated expecting some water issues like he had the first time he had gripped a bucket this turn, but so far so good.

“Happy Christmas to you too.”

Were they supposed to be handing presents to each other? Or opening them here and now? His gaze passing to both Ingrid who had planned this all and Olive his Secret Santa as he bit the inside of his cheek in contemplation.

Essentially, the whole point of this party was to reveal just who and who as a Secret Santa...so he might stubbornly argue that he was simply moving ahead of the curve. Moving with efficiency was something Atlas had found comfort in it as a result of his rigid focus with OWL studies last term. In any event, the Gryffindor could see no point in beating around the flutterby bush and he was not a big fan of building anticipation.

"Yeah, thanks," he replied with a tightlipped smile that was more out of politeness rather than feeling the holiday spirit himself. "Uh...no nut allergies or anything...do you?" Something he ought to have done research on himself prior to this moment, but here they were. His reason for asking would be revealed as soon as the Ravenclaw pulled off the wrapping paper flap. The contents of the bucket were remarkably bright in color and chances were that there would be quite the pungent aroma of SWEET released, for Atlas had essentially packed a whole Honeydukes and Sugarplums within - and he was VERY good at packing things and utilizing space. Perhaps a bit too much so since Rajesh was likely to pull the entire mass of sweets out while trying to take once piece out.