Disclaimer: I own neither the world nor characters created by J.K. Rowling, but I'll be forever grateful to her for writing them. I make no money off of this.

A/N: I actually wrote this last year, in German. I finally decided to post it and thought I might as well translate the little ficlet into English. Enjoy! ^^

Merry Christmas!

by Dime

Harry raised his wand. „Crucio!"

The three Muggles thrashed and screamed under the Dark Wizard's curse.

Harry allowed himself a thin-lipped smirk and gently petted his familiar's smooth scales. The snake acknowledged his efforts with a cold hiss.

:Shall we end this game, my beauty? Do you believe the message has sunk in yet?:

The snake answered by slowly moving around his neck and laying her head comfortably on his shoulder. The long, twisted curves of her body lay like a stola around her master's thin frame.

:Let's see whether we can't give someone a very special Christmas gift...:

Harry smiled coldly. The snake was the only living being he trusted completely. Humans were a plague, and those in front of him, just now, more so than any others.

With a less than tender nudge of his boot, he turned the fat Muggle around so that he came to rest on his back underneath the Chrismas tree. Harry's snake-like red eyes met the watery piggy eyes of his victim and he suddenly had the strong urge to rid himself of his dinner. These Muggles were so impure, so awfully disgusting...

But he would put an end to them. Just one obstacle now lay in his way and kept him from accomplishing all he ever wanted. Only the memory of one family... How they would pay for opposing him. All who dared to oppose him would suffer his wrath!

Cold fury burned behind his eyes as he once more pointed his wand at the Muggle family.

„Avada Kedavra."

---

Harry jerked awake and sat ramrod-straight in his bed. His blanked slipped off and with a bang he fell through his curtains and onto the cold dormitory floor.

„What's wrong, mate?", Ron mumbled sleepily.

„The Dursleys- dead-", Harry stuttered. „I - Avada..."

„They are fine, Harry", Ron soothed his friend. He slowly came awake and realized that Harry must be having yet another nightmare from the previous year. „He can no longer hurt your relatives. They are all safe. Voldemort is dead."

Ron no longer feared the Dark Lord's name, for Harry had killed 'You-Know-Who' once and for all at the end of the previous school year. It had not been easy, though. Often, Harry would wake up from nightmares nowadays, with a sweaty brow and slightly crazy look in his eyes. Night after night, he relived all the horrors of the war, both real and imagined.

Or at least that's what Ron suspected. Harry never spoke of his dreams.

This time, as well, Harry merely stared at Ron wordlessly, his face frozen into an expressionless mask, not giving away any of the thoughts frantically running through his tortured mind. Ron thought he saw the tiniest trace of disappointment in his friend's eyes, though.

Well, no surprise there: Who wouldn't be disappointed to start Christmas morning with waking from a nightmare? The fates must truly hate Harry.

Harry groggily made his way past his pile of presents and vanished into the bathroom. He pulled the door shut behind him.

He looked at his face in the mirror, appreciating the total lack of expression.

The Death Eaters had never found his relatives' house. He had never awoken from a vision in which the Dark Lord tortured and killed the Dursleys.

No matter how much Harry might have longed for it.

---

The next night, Ron watched with concern as Harry once again twisted and turned in his restless sleep.

Harry pointed his wand at Vernon Dursley. „Avada Kedavra!"

An evil, thin smile twisted his pale lips.

„Merry Christmas, Harry Potter!"

-The End-

A/N: Review, please? - Dime