DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark
Harry's First Christmas
By Cathy N/ Dopeydora
Author: Cathy N/Dopeydora
Rating; G- Suitable for all
Summary; Harry sees his First Christmas
Spoiler Alert; This will tell you who died in 'OoP'! You have been warned.
Grimmauld Place, Christmas Eve
It was six months since his Godfather Sirius Black had been killed, and Harry sat alone in his room, starring at the Pensieve, which Sirius had left for him. Its silvery contents rippling slightly as Harry tried to decide whether to experience Sirius's memories.
Professor Dumbledore had called him into his office on the last morning of term, before the Christmas holidays and had given him a parcel and letter.
''Sirius asked me to give this to you,'' Dumbledore began kindly. ''I know that it has been a hard few months for you, but I feel that you are now emotionally stronger and ready for this." Dumbledore added indicating to the parcel.
''Do you know what is in it Sir?'' asked Harry quietly, his voice trembled slightly.
''I believe it contains some his memories of your Mother and Father, and of you as infant,'' replied Dumbledore softly. "His letter should explain everything.''
Harry left the office and went to pack; he could not bring himself to open either the letter or the parcel yet.
Now that he was back at Grimmauld Place and was alone, he read the letter.
My Dearest Harry,
If you are reading this then it means that I am no longer with you. This thought makes me very sad, as you have already experienced too much loss and sorrow in your life. The parcel contains a Pensieve in which I have placed my own memories of James and Lily, and of you as a baby. Although, I can only show you a small piece of what your family life was like you, will be able to see the love that your parents and others had for you.
The letter then went on to explain that Sirius had left Harry several other personal items, which were in Gringotts Bank as well as some money. The letter then went onto to finish.
You are a Great Wizard Harry. Never give up!
Stay true to yourself, and to your friends.
Your Loving Godfather
Sirius Black.
Harry set the letter aside, took a deep steadying breath, and looked into the Pensieve his nose just touching the swirling surface.
The bedroom gave a lurch, and Harry suddenly found himself outside a cottage in the snow. He looked around and gasped, at the sight of a much younger Sirius Black getting off a huge but sleek motor bike, its chrome shining in the morning sunlight. Sirius was wearing a black leather jacket and trousers, and as he removed his helmet, his shoulder length black hair fell down.
Humming 'I wish you a Merry Christmas' to himself, Sirius knocked on the front door. He then took a rucksack off his back and muttered ''Engorgio'', the rucksack grew about four times its size.
The door was opened, not by his Mum or Dad as Harry had expected, but by a young Remus Lupin, who shook Sirius's hand and said, "Happy Christmas Sirius come in.''
''Happy Christmas Remus.'' replied Sirius, as he walked into the living room.
Even now, Harry saw that Lupin's brown hair had started to grey, and he looked like he needed a good sleep. Harry had never really considered how Lupin had coped with being a Werewolf for all those years.
Harry looked around the room, trying to take in every detail; he had no memory of this home. It was a mixture of both Muggle and Wizarding worlds; a roaring fireplace with moving photos on the mantelpiece, a desk in front of the window cluttered with papers and miscellaneous items. There was a magnificent Christmas tree on the right of the fireplace, which was decorated with never melting icicles, candles, ribbons and a variety of ornaments. 'It makes the Dursley's tree look pitiful,' thought Harry with a smile.
Sirius put down the rucksack by one of the several large comfortable chairs and looked around. As if he knew what Sirius was thinking Lupin said, ''Lily is in the kitchen, and James is upstairs changing Harry."
Just then, a door opened from the kitchen and in walked…his Mum wearing an apron over a skirt and blouse. Harry felt himself tremble as he held himself back, he so wanted to run and fling his arms around her; but he knew that he could not. Tears started to well up in his eyes; Harry mentally shook himself - he was not going to cry!
Sirius and Lily spoke at the same time. ''Merry Christmas." They embraced each other before Sirius sniffed the air and said, "Mmmm something smells delicious, any going spare?" He made to move round her to get to the kitchen.
Lily blocked him smiling, "No picking Sirius! It won't be long." Sirius put on a forlorn face.
Remus laughed saying, "Don't you know he's a growing lad Lily? If he does not eat every five minutes he thinks that he will fade away."
Lily smiled at them both. ''Don't worry there will be plenty."
Then a movement on the stairs caught Harry's eye, he saw his Dad coming down stairs carrying a baby Harry in his arms. Looking at his Dad, he could now understand why everyone said how alike they were, it was like looking in a mirror, they had the same black unruly hair and glasses.
"Ah, here is my Godson,'' said Sirius, taking baby Harry from James and kissing him. ''Happy Christmas Harry,'' said Sirius. Baby Harry looked at Sirius and smiled, a big open-mouthed smile showing off a tooth. ''Oh, he has a tooth,'' exclaimed Sirius excitedly.
"Yes it's his first one,'' said James proudly. ''We noticed that it was through this morning."
Suddenly Harry felt disorientated as the room dissolved for a moment, and then came back into focus. Harry realised that it was a little while later, they were still in the living room but everyone was sitting down, and there was a huge pile of open and unopened presents on the floor. Lily had changed, and she wore a slim fitting black dress and her hair fell loosely over her shoulders. She was sitting on a sofa next to James who was wearing jeans and a 'Chudley Cannon Top', he had baby Harry on his lap.
Lupin was relaxing in a chair, and Sirius was playing Father Christmas handing out the presents. Lily undid a gift from Sirius to James and herself, it was two silver goblets with their names engraved on to them.
''They are beautiful, Sirius. Thank you,'' said Lily admiring them.
The next gift was for Lily and James again, but this one was from Lupin. Lily carefully took off the wrapping paper and took out a picture of a sunset sky and written on it was
Lily James
The flower, One who supplants,
Innocence, Adventurer,
Purity and Beauty, Creative and Optimistic
The vessel of Love, Devoted and Loyal.
She passed it over to James to look at and said ''Thank you Remus, it's very unusual."
James put it up onto the mantelpiece next to a photo of them on their wedding day.
Sirius picked up another gift from Lupin, but this time it was for baby Harry, and they all laughed when Lily had unwrapped and discovered what it was. It was a large red and green friendly looking Welsh Dragon; which baby Harry could sit on, or he could push along when he was able to walk.
''If you press it on the ear it will roar and snort smoke,'' laughed Lupin.
James held baby Harry on the dragon's back and pressed its ear, the dragon let out a rather friendly sounding roar, and smoke came out of its nose.
''Harry is going to love playing with this,'' smiled James.
Harry noticed that Baby Harry was trying to eat some wrapping paper that he had managed to get hold of.
''This one is for Harry," Sirius said, handing a present to James to unwrap.
James showed the present to baby Harry and tried to get him to tear off the wrapping paper, as it opened James exclaimed ''Oh Lily Look at this, it's lovely." He held out a Christmas Bauble that had been enchanted with moving Father Christmases having a snowball fight and it had inscribed on it 'To Harry, My Godson on his First Christmas Love Sirius'.
Harry watched with a lump in his throat, as his Mum got up and hung it on the tree. ''Thank you Sirius,'' she said softly. ''What a beautiful ornament, we can have this on our Christmas tree every year."
The next present James opened, was also for Harry from Sirius, it was a baby sized Chudley Cannons outfit, ''I had it made especially from Quality Quidditch Supplies in Diagon Alley,'' explained Sirius. ''They enchanted this for me too,'' he handed James a round present. James laughed when he got it open, it was a Fluttering Golden Snitch, but it was the size of a tennis ball instead of a walnut.
''It has been charmed not to fly off or to go too high. The salesperson said that it would encourage Harry to crawl and eventually walk,'' Sirius explained.
Sirius looked over at baby Harry with a proud look on his face and said, ''One day, he will play Quidditch for Gryffindor, mark my words."
Lily laughed, ''Give him a chance Sirius! He is only six months old!"
Once again, the room started to dissolve and this time when everything came back into focus, Harry saw that they were now in the dinning room. The table was beautifully set, and his Dad was carving a huge turkey. There were mountains of roast potatoes, carrots, sprouts, parsnips, and mini sausages with bacon wrapped round, Yorkshire puddings, gravy and much more.
Before they started to eat Lupin stood up with his wine glass held high and said, ''I propose a toast to the chef." They looked at Lily and raised their glasses, ''To the chef,'' they all repeated.
''To absent friends, and to peace,'' added Lupin, who looked sad for a moment. However, he smiled as Lily placed her hand on his and gently squeezed it.
Again they raised the glasses and said, ''To absent friends and to Peace."
As they all started to tuck into what did look like a magnificent meal. Lupin, who was sitting next to baby Harry asked, ''What's young Harry having?'' He was looking at a bowl, which contained what looked like green gloop.
Lily laughed and said, ''Oh he is having a bit of everything, it is just mashed down. Believe me it tastes lovely and Harry will love it." Lupin dipped his little finger into the mashed down dinner and tasted it.
Smiling at baby Harry, he said, ''Yummy!"
Baby Harry gurgled back at him.
''Harry, the doors locked, Harry!''
Harry looked around the room. He thought he had heard someone calling him, but no one in the Pensieve could see or interact with him, they were just memories.
Then he heard it again. ''Harry, Harry!"
This time he recognised the voice; it was Ron. ''Harry let me in you've locked the door."
Harry sighed, he did not want to leave the memories just yet, but closed his eyes and focused leaving the Pensieve, when he opened them he back in his room, the Pensieve swirling on his lap. He got up slowly and said, ''Alright, hang on, I am coming."
He put the Pensieve on his chest of drawers and opened the door to a rather worried looking Ron.
''You ok?'' said Ron. "Only its teatime and Mum thought that you might be hungry as you did not eat lunch."
''I'm fine,'' said Harry. But he did not look fine at all. ''Give me a couple of minutes and I'll be down."
''Are you sure you're alright, I mean if you want to talk or anything?" offered Ron, who looked rather awkward. He then added, ''I know my Mum would not mind." Ron paused for a moment, and he went down stairs.
Harry carefully put the Pensieve back into the box, and hid it in the bottom of his wardrobe, he did not want to share what Sirius had left him, with the others, not yet anyway. As Harry walked down stairs, he felt a little sad, but happy too, he had just seen his First Christmas, and spent time with his Mum and Dad, even if they were only memories, and there were still more memories for him to see.
The end or is it?