12 inches of parchment.
That's all he was given.
12 inches of parchment, on which he was expected to write all that he wanted to say to his family. How was he supposed to fit all that he wanted to say onto 12 inches of parchment?
He wanted to tell them that he loved them. Hw wanted to tell them that he missed them, and he wanted to tell them about all the adventures he had been on while he had been away. But most of all, he wanted to tell them how much he wished he could be home, in front of the fireplace, curled up in a blanket with James, Al and Lily all snuggled up against his as they listened to the carollers walk up and down the streets outside and sipped Molly's famous eggnog.
As he stared down at the parchment, quill hovering in the air above, Harry Potter longed for his family. It was christmas, and he was stuck in Alaska, chasing some rouge wizards and witches through the mountains. Apparently they had committed some offence against the ministry and then ran. Harry hadn't even been told what offence they had committed, just that he and his partner were to chase them and take them down for their crimes. So here he was, stuck in a shallow cave in the middle of a mild snowstorm freezing his toes off.
Harry looked over to the other side of the small cave where Ron sat, huddled under his blanket, which was much too small for his tall, lanky body. Ron seemed to be having the same problem as Harry; his quill hovered as he fought to find the right words to say.
Sensing Harry's eyes on him, Ron looked up. His face was drawn and white, small patches of red on his cheeks and nose showing where his body was trying to fight the cold.
Neither friend spoke. Words were not needed as they looked into each others' eyes and saw that they were sharing the same pain. Ron had Hermione at home, with Rose and the newly born Hugo. Harry had Ginny, James, Albus and little Lily. It was both Lily and Hugo's first christmas, and both men were missing it.
Harry placed his piece of parchment to the side and got up to stock the small fire they had created. Ron watched him as he pulled out his wand and the flame flared up. Harry pulled his bottomless bag towards him and pulled out his tin of beef jerky and crackers.
And then something snapped.
One minute Harry was pulling out his crackers, the next he had fallen to the floor and was sobbing into his hands.
Ron immediately jumped up and joined Harry by the fireplace, rubbing a comforting hand over his back,
"Hey, hey, Harry. It's okay, it's alright. You'll see them again and you'll get to celebrate christmas with them, just a little later than expected, alright?"
Harry leaned into Ron's embrace. He felt ridiculous. He was a grown man and he was crying because he didn't get to celebrate christmas. He felt so pathetic, but he just couldn't stop sobbing,
"It's not okay Ron! I'm meant to be at home and you are too! It's Lily and Hugo's first christmas and we are out here sitting in the snow while Hermione and Ginny are left to have to watch the kids by themselves! I bought James one of those toy brooms that he loves and now I don't even get to see his face as he opens it! I-I-I just miss them all so-o-o much!" Harry heaved in deep breaths as he leaned even further into Ron's hug. He could feel Ron swallow before he replied thickly,
"I know mate, I know. You don't think I wish I was with my six week old son? I miss them just as much as you do. I don't want to be trapped out here in the cold. Especially when I heard mum say she was going to make plum pudding for the christmas gathering," Harry laughed wetly at that comment; trust Ron to always think of his stomach, "but mate, we need to think about the positives at the moment-"
Harry gave him an incredulous look as he cut his best friend off, "What positives?"
"Well, for starters, I'm here," Harry snorted. Ron gave him an exaggerated hurt look before continuing, "We also have blankets and food and shelter, not much of any of those things, but still a little," Ron looked around for a minute then turned back to Harry, "And that's about it."
Harry snorted again, "Wow, thank you Ronald for that in depth analysis of our stock, it was so reassuring, I'm feeling much better now,"
Ron rolled his eyes, "Look mate, it may be christmas eve and we may be out in the middle of no where, but we need to keep our hopes up and fight on, okay? We'll catch these guys in no time, I mean you're the Boy Who Lived! They'll take one look at you and run away screaming like little girls!"
Harry looked at Ron, "You do realise that the whole point of us being out here in the snow is to stop them from running, don't you?'
Ron scratched his head, "Oh yeah, well then maybe you should wear a mask, like one of those full face masks muggles use; belarva? becalava?"
"Balaclava?"
Ron nodded, "Yeah one of those!"
Harry rolled his eyes, "Okay Ron, sure thing,"
As the storm continued to get heavier, the two best friends huddled closer together and wrapped the blankets around themselves. Although they were in the middle of nowhere, miles from their families and loving homes, they tried not to give up hope, it was christmas eve after all, and no one should be giving up on a day of such wonder and spirit. So as the clouds grew darker and the night colder the two friends slowly started to fall asleep, but before they did, words of faith were whispered,
"Merry christmas Ron,"
"Merry christmas Harry"
And with that the two friends fell asleep in each others' arms, the 12 inches of parchment left on the cool stone; forgotten and hidden in the shadows of their small sanctuary.