Chaya swept through the common room into her dormitory at a near-jog. She dumped her book-bag on her bed and glanced out the window. The sun was only halfway down. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She still had a few minutes.

She wasn't worried about getting the candles lit before Shabbat started at sunset - she wasn't shomer shabbos[1] at home, let alone at Hogwarts, where it would be near impossible - but if she got the timing just right, she'd be lighting her menorah at the same time her parents lit theirs at home in London.[2]

She got a gleaming silver menorah, a box of Hanukkah candles, and a matchbox from the trunk at the end of her bed and returned to the common room.

Like most Jewish rituals, menorah lighting was meant to be a communal event, and if the closest she could get was lighting by herself surrounded by gentiles, it would have to do.

She set up the menorah on one of the tables, first placing the shamash in its place and then one candle in the right-end branch, and watched the window, waiting for the moment just before the sun sunk beneath horizon.

1.	someone who is shomer shabbos observes all of the laws of Shabbat
2.	I'm not sure, given time zones, if this is actually true, but it's reasonable that an eleven year old would assume so either way

Annette observed curiously as Chaya Weismann set up her menorah and placed a candle in the first holder. Nette rose from her chair and stood by the girl whom she shared a dorm with. "Hannukah, right?" Anni had never been a very religious girl, and she was fascinated by the courage her room mate showed in lighting her menorah in the middle of the common room. Nette would see necklaces with crosses of gold strung on necklaces or silver stars of David hanging from necks, and of course the Christmas trees in the great hall were a sight to see, but this was different.

"Is there a story behind it? The Holiday, I mean?"

Angie headed down the stairs to the common room in her footie pajamas. She was an odd sight in the common room, a fifteen year old in footie pajamas that made her look like a penguin. She sniffled, as she was still recovering from a nasty combination of a head cold and the flu.

The nurse had dismissed her early this morning with an order to rest a lot and get lots of fluids into her. For some reason, Angie hadn't been reacting well to the drought made for the flu and common colds. It ended up worsening the sickness, and landing her an extra two days in the hospital hut. Not. Fun.

Now, the Puffle was investigating the almost-dark common room, as it was practically sunset. She smiled at the two first years sitting by the silver menorah, " 'Ello little firsties." She greeted, her voice betraying the fact that she was obviously congested. "How goes the holiday celebration?" She asked, plopping down near the two girls.

Angie, a practicing Christian herself, wasn't well educated in other holiday traditions, but she was completely open-minded to just about everything. She loved it when others celebrated their holiday's. This time of year was so joyous for basically everyone! So much cheer and smiling people!

Nancy floated about the castle, one of her favorite things to do during the holidays, she could see everything that was going on, the trees being put up all over the castle, the snow dusting the grounds and all her Puffles were snug as little bugs inside. She came down through the ceiling of the Hufflepuff common room and saw a sweet gathering of Huffly-Puffles around a silver menorah. "Hello girls, what is this I see? A little Chanukah celebration?"

Nancy was a faithful Christian, she had been from the time she was a wee lass. She had died with her golden cross around her neck. She played with it as Chaya lit the first candle. "Ooh, I just love the holidays, don't you?"

Chaya nodded at Annette's question.

"Yes, there's a story," she told her. "Actually, there's sort of two stories. There's the larger, historical narrative, Judah the Maccabee and the rebellion against the Greeks, and there's the bit about the miracle of the oil." She thought back to her classes at Akiva, trying to remember everything.

"If you give me a moment to finish lighting the candles, we can all sit down and I'll explain as much as I remember," she added, nodding to include the other two girls who had joined them.

She lit the shamash with a match, unsure whether it would be proper to use her wand for this, and then lit the candle for the first night, singing the first blessing quietly. She sang the second blessing, and finished with the Shehecheyanu.

"I don't remember all of the details, but the Chanukah story is about a Jewish rebellion against Greek rule," she began to explain, leading the other girls over to the sofas.