Friday was over and Lorelei Wong had settled by a corner table in Alomocha, hiding from the snow falling outside. It was cold outside (especially cold to be London, she had been told) and she was happy to warm up with the steaming mushroom soup in front of her.

The last couple of months had been a whirlwind of gigantic amounts of paperwork and a myriad of new faces, but Lorelei still felt that she had settled in quite well in her new home across the Atlantic. She still hadn’t gotten the full hang of all the subtle differences in the culture, but Britain was growing on her. The American wizarding government had even given her a flat close to Victoria, which had been connected to the Floo network and set up with protective charms. Yes, Lorelei was settling in quite well.

But now Christmas was approaching, and Lorelei found herself feeling somewhat homesick. December in London wasn’t really the same as December in Boston, and the food managed (to Lorelei’s big surprise) to get even fatter as it drew closer to Christmas. Her family wasn’t big on celebrating Christmas, but her father had still always made a roasted duck each year.

She took a spoonful of the soup and looked out over the crowds of witches and wizards filling Alomocha. Many were weighing under bags of what could be nothing else than Christmas gifts, and Celestina Warbeck’s voice was ringing through the room. It was cosy, but so unlike Boston. With a small sigh, she turned her attention back towards the Griffin Gazette in front of her - catching up on the recent happenings of America’s wizarding world.