Best Christmas Ever
A/N: The holidays keep inspiring me. Here's a sequel to 'Out of the Clear Blue Sky'.
"Hurry up, Minerva, we're going to be late," Albus Dumbledore urged his wife.
Minerva Dumbledore's voice was calm and patient. "She won't care if we're on time or not, Albus. She just wants us to be there for her."
He smiled as she appeared, wearing red robes with green holly leaves embroidered along the hem, neckline, and edges of the sleeves. "You are beautiful, my dear."
She blushed, half her hair up in a bun on top of her head and the rest falling down her back. "Thank you, Albus."
"You're welcome, my dear." He leaned down to kiss her cheek. When he'd straightened up, she stood on tiptoe to kiss him. After a few intense and delicious moments, she pulled back. "Have I told you how much I love you lately?"
"Yes, but I'll never tire of hearing it," she replied, looking up at him from beneath her long dark lashes.
"I love you with everything in my heart, Minerva Dumbledore."
"I love you with every fiber of my being, Albus Dumbledore."
It was a long time before they left.
* * *
"Mom, Dad!" Tracey hugged her mother and stepfather warmly. "Where are Lynda and Jeff?"
"Outside, playing the snow," Ryan Andrews informed his stepdaughter with an indulgent smile. "Where's Jessica?"
"Cruising around the living room," Tracey replied as Ryan followed Sandra into the house. As she turned to go outside, the two in question walked up, covered with snow and breathing hard. "Hi, Lynda, Jeff."
Sixteen-year-old Lynda hugged her half-sister warmly. "Hi, Trace. Where's my niece?"
"In the living room." Lynda disappeared in that direction.
Fourteen-year-old Jeff, just beginning to notice girls, hugged his much- older half-sister awkwardly. "Hi, Tracey."
She smiled as he followed his sister. She was just about to close the door when she spotted two people coming up the front walk. "Mother! Father!"
"Hello, Tracey." Her father smiled as he enveloped her in a warm hug. "Sorry we're late."
"Not late at all, Father," she told him as he released her. "Hi, Mother."
"Hello, Tracey," her stepmother's voice was tinged with warmth few heard these days as Albus headed into the depths of the house. "Your father got a little...distracted."
Tracey grinned as she closed the door behind the older woman. "Dressed like that, I don't blame him."
Minerva blushed at her stepdaughter's comment. "That was part of the reason I chose it."
"And you look wonderful." The two began walking towards the living room.
"Min! Glad you could make it," Xiomara Snape greeted her friend with a hug. "Am I imagining things, or is there another family wandering around this house?"
Tracey grinned. "Nope, not imagining things, 'Mara. My mother is here, with her husband, Ryan. Lynda and Jeffrey Andrews are their kids."
"I thought your mom was dead?" Xiomara frowned, puzzled.
"Not quite, Sis," Griffith replied, coming up beside his wife. "It's a long story, but suffice it to say that there was magic at work in Tracey's life before she was born."
A grin appeared on the lithe witch's face. "Aside from the magic that created her?"
"'Mara!" Minerva looked scandalized.
Severus Snape joined them. "What have you been saying, Xio, to scandalize Minerva now?"
"Nothing, Sev," Xiomara answered innocently.
"Why don't we go into the living room so we can talk a little before dinner?" Tracey suggested.
Xiomara headed off. "Excellent idea!" Severus trailed after her, a bemused look on his face.
"You did that deliberately," Griffith murmured in his wife's ear as Minerva followed the other two.
Tracey smiled. "Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't. Shall we join them?"
"We have one thing to do, first," he replied, wrapping his arms around her waist.
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, what would that be?"
"This." He turned her head and planted a warm kiss on her mouth.
* * *
"Hi, Uncle!" Lynda greeted her sister's father with a smile.
"Hello, Lynda," Albus smiled at the teen. "How are your studies going?"
She shrugged. "They're interesting. I hadn't realized how much learning went into magic."
Albus nodded and smiled as Minerva sat down beside him on the couch. "Yes, Tracey had much the same reaction when she started learning magic."
Lynda's happy smile turned pensive as the 12-month-old baby in her lap crawled into Albus' lap. "Sometimes it's hard to believe that the Harry Potter world really exists, that I'm really attending Hogwarts."
"That's understandable," Albus answered, absently bouncing his granddaughter on his knee. "When Ms. Rowling was given permission to publish the books in the Muggle world, we didn't expect such a response."
Lynda grinned as Jeff sprawled on the floor at her feet. "Hey, Bro, what do you think of life at Hogwarts?"
"I love Quidditch," he announced baldly. Lynda began to giggle uncontrollably. "What's so funny?"
"You are," she answered between giggles. "You still love your sports."
"Of course!" Jeffrey sounded surprised. "Which professional team do you support, Uncle Albus?"
"Honestly, Jeff, I thought you'd read Quidditch Through The Ages?" Lynda shook her head at her brother, hazel eyes exasperated.
Jeffrey frowned. "Of course I did. What's that got to do with it?"
"In the version published in the Muggle world, Uncle Albus wished Puddlemere United a good season," Lynda explained patiently as Jessica motored over to Minerva.
"Oh." Jeffrey looked at Albus. "_Do_ you support Puddlemere United, Uncle?"
"Yes, Jeff," Albus nodded. "I do."
Jeffrey looked at Minerva. "What about you, Aunt Minerva?"
"Montrose Magpies," Minerva answered calmly as she bounced Jessica on her knee.
"The Harpies will beat them this year, though!" Xiomara announced as she joined them.
Jeffrey grinned up at the flight instructor. "Hi, Aunt 'Mara."
"Hello, Jeff," Xiomara flopped onto the floor at Minerva's feet. "What'd you think of your first term at Hogwarts?"
"I liked it." Jeffrey grinned, sitting up and leaning back against the couch between Albus and Lynda's legs. "Especially the Quidditch."
Lynda started giggling again, Albus chuckled, and Minerva smiled and shook her head. Xiomara looked confused. "I missed something here." That only increased the mirth.
* * *
Tracey stood in the living room doorway, watching the people gathered in the living room. Her father and stepmother were sitting on one couch with Lynda, Jeffrey and Xiomara at their feet and Jessica in Xiomara's lap. Alastor and Poppy Moody occupied the other couch, Neville Longbottom, their adopted son, sitting beside Alastor with his wife, Luna Lovegood, perched on the arm of the couch beside him. Stewart and Sylvia Pomfrey were seated on the floor at their feet, laughing at something they'd said. Ryan sat in one of the armchairs; Sandra perched in his lap, and Severus in the other chair, talking with them. She sighed happily, and then jumped when an arm stole around her waist. "You, my darling wife, just happen to be under some mistletoe."
She turned to look up above her head. "Hmm, so I am. Well, can't break tradition now, can I?"
"No, you can't." He smiled as she stood on tiptoe to kiss him.
The kiss didn't end until they realized their guests were cheering and applauding them. Grinning a little sheepishly, Tracey held up her hands for quiet. "Thank you, but I have an announcement to make." Everyone perked up. "In just seven months, Griffith and I will be welcoming two more members to our family." The minute the news registered, the expectant parents were rewarded with more applause.
Griffith held up his hands for quiet this time. "Also, dinner is ready." As their guests made their way into the dining room, they congratulated their hosts. When the last of their guests had gone by, they hung back for a private word. "Lovely idea you had, to announce your pregnancy tonight."
"Of course, I'm the one who came up with it." She winked, grinning.
"I love you, you know." His eyes were intense.
"I know," she replied, just as serious. "I love you, too."
"Bro! Let her come up for air!" Xiomara's voice interrupted their kiss.
"You have very bad timing, Sis," Griffith told his sister as his wife muffled her giggles in his shoulder.
Xiomara smirked. "My work here is done."
Griffith and Tracey watched her head to the dining room. "I suppose we'd better join them. We'll continue this after our guests have gone home."
Hand in hand, they walked to the dining room to join their guests for a warm and wonderful Christmas dinner.
***Finite***
A/N: The holidays keep inspiring me. Here's a sequel to 'Out of the Clear Blue Sky'.
"Hurry up, Minerva, we're going to be late," Albus Dumbledore urged his wife.
Minerva Dumbledore's voice was calm and patient. "She won't care if we're on time or not, Albus. She just wants us to be there for her."
He smiled as she appeared, wearing red robes with green holly leaves embroidered along the hem, neckline, and edges of the sleeves. "You are beautiful, my dear."
She blushed, half her hair up in a bun on top of her head and the rest falling down her back. "Thank you, Albus."
"You're welcome, my dear." He leaned down to kiss her cheek. When he'd straightened up, she stood on tiptoe to kiss him. After a few intense and delicious moments, she pulled back. "Have I told you how much I love you lately?"
"Yes, but I'll never tire of hearing it," she replied, looking up at him from beneath her long dark lashes.
"I love you with everything in my heart, Minerva Dumbledore."
"I love you with every fiber of my being, Albus Dumbledore."
It was a long time before they left.
* * *
"Mom, Dad!" Tracey hugged her mother and stepfather warmly. "Where are Lynda and Jeff?"
"Outside, playing the snow," Ryan Andrews informed his stepdaughter with an indulgent smile. "Where's Jessica?"
"Cruising around the living room," Tracey replied as Ryan followed Sandra into the house. As she turned to go outside, the two in question walked up, covered with snow and breathing hard. "Hi, Lynda, Jeff."
Sixteen-year-old Lynda hugged her half-sister warmly. "Hi, Trace. Where's my niece?"
"In the living room." Lynda disappeared in that direction.
Fourteen-year-old Jeff, just beginning to notice girls, hugged his much- older half-sister awkwardly. "Hi, Tracey."
She smiled as he followed his sister. She was just about to close the door when she spotted two people coming up the front walk. "Mother! Father!"
"Hello, Tracey." Her father smiled as he enveloped her in a warm hug. "Sorry we're late."
"Not late at all, Father," she told him as he released her. "Hi, Mother."
"Hello, Tracey," her stepmother's voice was tinged with warmth few heard these days as Albus headed into the depths of the house. "Your father got a little...distracted."
Tracey grinned as she closed the door behind the older woman. "Dressed like that, I don't blame him."
Minerva blushed at her stepdaughter's comment. "That was part of the reason I chose it."
"And you look wonderful." The two began walking towards the living room.
"Min! Glad you could make it," Xiomara Snape greeted her friend with a hug. "Am I imagining things, or is there another family wandering around this house?"
Tracey grinned. "Nope, not imagining things, 'Mara. My mother is here, with her husband, Ryan. Lynda and Jeffrey Andrews are their kids."
"I thought your mom was dead?" Xiomara frowned, puzzled.
"Not quite, Sis," Griffith replied, coming up beside his wife. "It's a long story, but suffice it to say that there was magic at work in Tracey's life before she was born."
A grin appeared on the lithe witch's face. "Aside from the magic that created her?"
"'Mara!" Minerva looked scandalized.
Severus Snape joined them. "What have you been saying, Xio, to scandalize Minerva now?"
"Nothing, Sev," Xiomara answered innocently.
"Why don't we go into the living room so we can talk a little before dinner?" Tracey suggested.
Xiomara headed off. "Excellent idea!" Severus trailed after her, a bemused look on his face.
"You did that deliberately," Griffith murmured in his wife's ear as Minerva followed the other two.
Tracey smiled. "Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't. Shall we join them?"
"We have one thing to do, first," he replied, wrapping his arms around her waist.
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, what would that be?"
"This." He turned her head and planted a warm kiss on her mouth.
* * *
"Hi, Uncle!" Lynda greeted her sister's father with a smile.
"Hello, Lynda," Albus smiled at the teen. "How are your studies going?"
She shrugged. "They're interesting. I hadn't realized how much learning went into magic."
Albus nodded and smiled as Minerva sat down beside him on the couch. "Yes, Tracey had much the same reaction when she started learning magic."
Lynda's happy smile turned pensive as the 12-month-old baby in her lap crawled into Albus' lap. "Sometimes it's hard to believe that the Harry Potter world really exists, that I'm really attending Hogwarts."
"That's understandable," Albus answered, absently bouncing his granddaughter on his knee. "When Ms. Rowling was given permission to publish the books in the Muggle world, we didn't expect such a response."
Lynda grinned as Jeff sprawled on the floor at her feet. "Hey, Bro, what do you think of life at Hogwarts?"
"I love Quidditch," he announced baldly. Lynda began to giggle uncontrollably. "What's so funny?"
"You are," she answered between giggles. "You still love your sports."
"Of course!" Jeffrey sounded surprised. "Which professional team do you support, Uncle Albus?"
"Honestly, Jeff, I thought you'd read Quidditch Through The Ages?" Lynda shook her head at her brother, hazel eyes exasperated.
Jeffrey frowned. "Of course I did. What's that got to do with it?"
"In the version published in the Muggle world, Uncle Albus wished Puddlemere United a good season," Lynda explained patiently as Jessica motored over to Minerva.
"Oh." Jeffrey looked at Albus. "_Do_ you support Puddlemere United, Uncle?"
"Yes, Jeff," Albus nodded. "I do."
Jeffrey looked at Minerva. "What about you, Aunt Minerva?"
"Montrose Magpies," Minerva answered calmly as she bounced Jessica on her knee.
"The Harpies will beat them this year, though!" Xiomara announced as she joined them.
Jeffrey grinned up at the flight instructor. "Hi, Aunt 'Mara."
"Hello, Jeff," Xiomara flopped onto the floor at Minerva's feet. "What'd you think of your first term at Hogwarts?"
"I liked it." Jeffrey grinned, sitting up and leaning back against the couch between Albus and Lynda's legs. "Especially the Quidditch."
Lynda started giggling again, Albus chuckled, and Minerva smiled and shook her head. Xiomara looked confused. "I missed something here." That only increased the mirth.
* * *
Tracey stood in the living room doorway, watching the people gathered in the living room. Her father and stepmother were sitting on one couch with Lynda, Jeffrey and Xiomara at their feet and Jessica in Xiomara's lap. Alastor and Poppy Moody occupied the other couch, Neville Longbottom, their adopted son, sitting beside Alastor with his wife, Luna Lovegood, perched on the arm of the couch beside him. Stewart and Sylvia Pomfrey were seated on the floor at their feet, laughing at something they'd said. Ryan sat in one of the armchairs; Sandra perched in his lap, and Severus in the other chair, talking with them. She sighed happily, and then jumped when an arm stole around her waist. "You, my darling wife, just happen to be under some mistletoe."
She turned to look up above her head. "Hmm, so I am. Well, can't break tradition now, can I?"
"No, you can't." He smiled as she stood on tiptoe to kiss him.
The kiss didn't end until they realized their guests were cheering and applauding them. Grinning a little sheepishly, Tracey held up her hands for quiet. "Thank you, but I have an announcement to make." Everyone perked up. "In just seven months, Griffith and I will be welcoming two more members to our family." The minute the news registered, the expectant parents were rewarded with more applause.
Griffith held up his hands for quiet this time. "Also, dinner is ready." As their guests made their way into the dining room, they congratulated their hosts. When the last of their guests had gone by, they hung back for a private word. "Lovely idea you had, to announce your pregnancy tonight."
"Of course, I'm the one who came up with it." She winked, grinning.
"I love you, you know." His eyes were intense.
"I know," she replied, just as serious. "I love you, too."
"Bro! Let her come up for air!" Xiomara's voice interrupted their kiss.
"You have very bad timing, Sis," Griffith told his sister as his wife muffled her giggles in his shoulder.
Xiomara smirked. "My work here is done."
Griffith and Tracey watched her head to the dining room. "I suppose we'd better join them. We'll continue this after our guests have gone home."
Hand in hand, they walked to the dining room to join their guests for a warm and wonderful Christmas dinner.
***Finite***