Burning the Midnight Oil

I must admit, I definitely have a talent for desserts! And now that the day was fast approaching when the family would be arriving, I'd have to add holiday decorating to my list of talents, and I'd have to master it quickly if I had any hope of making our home presentable!

February Fortescue
Writer, Slytherin

“Come on, Charis, just a little more. You can do this.” I was doing my best to motivate myself. I had been burning the midnight oil every night for the past week. Everything had to be perfect for the holiday celebrations! My father's aunt and uncle would be arriving, and we hadn't gotten to see them since last year. My housekeeper, Polly, was getting older, had become ill and was currently bedridden, and I had depended on her since childhood. Suddenly I was expected to cook, clean, and decorate for the holidays. I had purchased a spell book during my last trip to Diagon Alley, and while the book had some really nice housecleaning tips, I had a really difficult time motivating myself, and I'd been procrastinating. I'd also located some really basic cook books, and had almost gotten the hang of that, at least. I must admit, I definitely have a talent for desserts! And now that the day was fast approaching when the family would be arriving, I'd have to add holiday decorating to my list of talents, and I'd have to master it quickly if I had any hope of making our home presentable! Oh, how I wanted to sleep!

After my pep talk, I turned my attention to adding candles to the tree. Dang! What's the spell? I'm so tired, I can't even think straight! Is it mobiliarbus? Mobilicandle-us? Levicandle-us? Locomotorcandle? Oh, forget it! “Accio candles!!!” I carried the candles over to the the tree and attached them by hand. And then I realized I'd need a ladder, just to reach the taller parts of the tree. We didn't own a ladder. No wizarding family owns a ladder!

I heard laughter coming from the doorway. My husband had been watching me, and seemed to think this was all so amusing! “It will all be fine, Charis! It's after midnight. Tomorrow, just owl your sister. Doesn't Maris actually enjoy cooking and decorating? Cygnus and Dorea are her family, too. You don't have to do all of this on your own, you know. Besides, maybe we should accept the fact that Polly is getting old and may not be around much longer.”

I glared at my husband. I hated the thought of losing Polly. That wonderful lady had practically raised me, and had been my best friend until I met my husband. By accepting help from my sister, I'd be admitting that she may not recover from her illness. I knew my husband was right, though. After checking on Polly, I agreed to owl Maris in the morning.