Small smile. "Let me know if you want any help, alright?"

"Okay."

"I'll see you later, then, Miss Potter."

"See you, Professor."

Ellie's off to deposit her gifts in her trunk before heading to create store wrapping paper.

It's Anathema's turn the next day - she leaves fairly early, too, and returns later than Ellie had (very clearly hiding something). Once she finishes definitely hiding stuff in her trunk, she comes to flop in the common room, looking pensive.

Ellie politely makes no attempt to see what Anathema brings back.

Very kind of her.

"...Professor Reynolds is nice," Anathema says, after a few moments. "You were right."

"She is, and I often am."

Giggle. "The rightest."

Hee.

Grin.

"I'm actually really looking forward to Christmas now..."

"It should be fun."

"Yeah."

Once Ellie has the presents wrapped, she takes the box containing the stuffed tiger and seeks out the house elves.

They're easiest to find in the kitchen, that being where the ones who've specialized in cooking fairly consistently have someone or another hanging out nearby. 

The kitchen is a lot less busy during winter break, though, but there's still two house elves in it, one perched on a counter and reading a book, another apparently cataloging ingredients. They look up when Ellie enters, and the reading one says, "Hello! Can I be helping you?"

"Hello. I was wondering if you could see this delivered to the rooms of Professor Reynolds early in the morning of the twenty-fifth."

"Of course," she says, cheerfully. "Is it being a present?"

"Yes, it is."

"Then I'll see it be delivered very secretly, so it'll be a surprise."

"Thank you."

"You're being welcome, miss student!" She hops down to take the gift from Ellie.

She hands it over and returns to the dorm.

Christmas morning arrives cold and clear, a layer of frost over the windows and crusting the snow that fell earlier in the month. The school isn't doing anything today - the Yule feast and bonfire was a few days before on the winter solstice. Still, there's a small pile of presents at the floor at the foot of her bed when she gets up. 

Anathema is already up, reading in her bed and sneaking frequent glances at her own small pile. 

"G'morning," she yawns.

"Good morning!!!" she chirps. "I put my presents on your pile already..."