May NOT be posted anywhere, but linking is perfectly OK. Although Mrs Rowling own the fandom, I own this story.

A Peaceful Christmas

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, all places and characters, the names et cetera belong to Mrs J.K Rowling, her publishers (there are so much of them, so, well …), and Warner Brothers™. All rights reserved. This is not meant as theft or insult – I wrote it for fun. I own the story.

Additional Disclaimer: The very last part belongs to Mrs Rowling as well, as they were originally written in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Rating: PG (K+) for language that might be considered unsuitable for small children. It is rated PG for security, as I am unsure.

SPOILER – HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWSSPOILER! This story does contain spoilers for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. You are probably aware of what you are doing as this post is password protected. If you have not read the book yet but still asked for the password, or if you got the password from someone other than I, I cannot help you otherwise than ask you to leave asap! DO NOT ENTER UNLESS YOU HAVE NOT READ HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS YET!

A Peaceful Christmas

'James – Albus Severus – please!' DON'T!

'Sorry, mum!' said James and Albus as their father knelt before the shattered peaces of glass on the floor in front of the shattered pieces of glass. The inhabitants of the pictures within the frames threw insulted looks at Albus and James as they hit the ground. Harry picked up the one featuring his parents and Sirius at their wedding. The three people in the photo were smiling. They were all dead.

The bride and bridegroom were James and Lily Potter, Harry's parents. They had been brutally killed on Harry's second Hallowe'en. The darkest and most feared wizard of their time, often still referred as 'You-Know-Who' or 'He Who Must Not Be Named', had done it, and Harry had made him disappear as his mother, by dying for him, had given him a very powerful blood protection. Their best man, Sirius Black, Harry's godfather, had been killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, his cousin and, according to herself: Voldemort's most devoted Death Eater.

Beside that photo was another one, featuring two men, one tall with long, white hair and beard, with half-moon shaped glasses and twinkling eyes. He was wearing midnight blue robes and black, high heeled boots. The other was wearing black robes. His hair and eyes was the same colour as his robes, and he was a bit shorter than the other one. This person did not smile.

'I'm named after these two,' said Albus Severus.

'Yes, Al, you are,' his father replied. 'Those two were the last two Headmasters at Hogwarts before professor McGonagall and –'

'– the previous one, Severus Snape, was the bravest person you ever knew, and that's why I'm named after him. Yeah, I know. Though, Uncle Ron said he was a real arse, especially towards you, him, Aunt Hermione and Neville, as Hermione was good at potions whilst the others weren't.'

'Well,' Harry began, 'he was quite evil when we started Hogwarts … And meaner he got when we grew older … But then when we began searching for the Horcruxes, and near the last battle, he saved loads of people's lives.'

'He did?' James sounded shocked by these news, as though he had ever expected Harry's and Ron's least favourite teacher in their youth saving his most hated students' lives in the end.

'Yes, he did. Will you and Al please calm down and stop trying to tear the house apart?' It had been quite unusual, just having Lily at home and therefore not have to worry about having their properties destroyed, and not having to watch out for a rope across the door frames for almost five months in a row. That was, though, not good for Harry, Ginny and Lily, as they got into many traps when the boys came home for Christmas holiday.

'Severus was friends with my mother from childhood to their fourth year at Hogwarts. They split up because Severus began calling people "Mudbloods".'

'But what's wrong with that?' Lily interjected. 'Aunt Hermione calls herself Mudblood, doesn't she?'

'"Mudblood" is a very offensive word,' said James unexpectedly. 'Some of the Slytherins still calls people "Mudbloods" sometimes.'

'And that doesn't surprise me at all,' said Harry. 'Slytherin was famous for this. You know, Voldemort himself was in Slytherin house, and even though he was raised in a Muggle orphanage himself, and his father was a Muggle. I think he probably got those views when he was eleven and began at Hogwarts School. It is said that the old Sorting Hat screamt out "Slytherin" as fast as it touched his head. He was Slytherin's last ancestor, and he opened the Chamber of Secrets in 1942 and 1992. But that tale is too interesting and scary for being told on Christmas Day – and it is very long so you need more time for it.'

'But the fact he was in Slytherin was why I didn't want to end up there,' said Albus thoughtfully.

'And you ended up in Gryffindor! So why are you wailing about going into Slytherin now?' asked Harry.

Albus had been talking about his fear of being in Slytherin ever since he learned what Hogwarts was, and Harry quite understood him as he had told him the Hat considered putting him in that House – but he persuaded it to place him somewhere else. But Harry felt it was a bit much being nattering about it even after being Sorted into Gryffindor in the first place.

'All right,' said Harry's wife, Ginny, who had just entered the living room. 'You ought to get out in the kitchen within minutes.' James, take on the sweater your sweater your grandmother sent to you. Take it on!'

When James reluctantly obeyed his mother, Harry said, 'Your grandmother surely knitted one of these for all her children and their families. Do you realise that is twenty-two sweaters with Ted, Luna, Dean, Whackspurtentia and your grandfather included? If I know Molly right, she's been knitting those sweaters since September …'

'Are you two coming here or not?' screamed Ginny from the kitchen. Winking at James, Harry went out to his wife, his soon at his heels. As he opened the kitchen door fully, he found that Ginny was the only one in the room. 'Al and Lily have already taken the Floo to mum and dad's,' she said, as a reply to Harry's confused look. 'So, James, if you'd go into the flames, I will follow. Your father will Apparate as he likes that loads more than the Floo. I'll –'

'Can't I go with dad, mum, please, I want to try how Apparition feels, please, I don't want to take the Floo, please, please, PLEASE!'

'QUIET!' When his mother screamed, James immediately got quiet. He reminded Harry of Kreacher when Harry first screamt an order to him – 'shut up!' – when the elf screamt 'WON'T, WON'T, WON'T!' that summer night sixteen years ago. James crumpled so it looked like his mother was taller than him. (Which she was not.) 'James Sirius Potter, do not scream. Get into the fire, now!'

'But, Ginny, he can go by me. Side-Along-Apparition,' he added as he saw her confused face. 'I'll take him with me.'

Ginny was quiet, and frowned, her arms folded over her chest, obviously considering the matter closely. She looked very much like her mother when she did this, considering whether she approved to something or not. 'OK, then,' she finally decided. 'You can go with your father. I'll go by the Floo, though. See you in a bit then!' Harry watched her as she stepped into the fire. She waved, said, 'The Burrow!' clearly, and dropped the floo powder. The flames grew emerald green; the next second, she was gone.

When the flames had taken her completely, Harry turned around to his own son, saying, 'So, James. Just relax now.' He seized his son's elbow and spun around, his mind fixed upon the Burrow. They landed in the garden, outside the kitchen entrance. They crossed the garden and went past a couple of chickens.

As they entered the kitchen, Molly happily greeted them. 'Merry Christmas, and welcome, James and Harry, dears,' she said. Harry hugged his mother-in-law, and when she released him, she went for her grandson instead.

Albus Severus became visible in the door, grinning. Harry went over to him. 'Where are the others?' he asked, as they were the only ones in the kitchen.

'Oh,' said Molly, 'we invited Mr and Mrs Delacour and Gabrielle, their daughter, so it's a bit difficult to eat in here. We're eating in the living room instead. Do you realise we are twenty-five people today?' And with that, she shooed Harry out of her way, and into the living room, where a big, long table had been placed under garlands of holly.

'Hi, Harry,' said Arthur, Ginny's father. 'What do you think of that candle stick?' He gestured towards the window where an electric candle stick had been placed. Harry wondered what Molly thought of this. 'It goes on batteries,' Arthur continued, 'so I won't need a cable or snitch crop!' As Harry began to answer, however, his best friends and brother-and-sister-in-law entered the sitting room with their children. Arthur hurried to say hello to Ron and Hermione and Teddy seemed very hurried to greet Victorie.

Hi, mate,' said Ron, smiling at Harry, his arm around Hermione … Victorie had inherited both her parents' hairs; hers was red, long and very bushy. After saying hello to Ted, she said hello to Harry as well.

Harry noticed that Mrs Weasley had placed a big, square picture of Remus and Tonks by the long, wooden table. They were both beaming and winking at him. According to Dumbledore's portrait in McGonagall's study at Hogwarts, they were both pleased by how he acted as godfather.

Teddy had a painting of them which he had got from Ted Tonks, his grandfather, and Andromeda, in his bedroom. Harry knew he spoke to it every night, and he had done so while he was staying at them sometimes and Harry had past the guest room. He had also brought it to Hogwarts during school years. After sitting his N.E.W.Ts, he moved home to his grandparents' home sad they had moved to France.

Percy had surprised them all by turning up with his wife, Penelope, which Harry recognized as a Hogwarts Prefect which had been attacked by the basilisk at the same time as Hermione during Harry's second year, and their son. Harry guessed he was around twelve, but he was not entirely sure of the boy's age. Harry supposed Molly would tell them when she arrived why the remaining food.

Mr Weasley had summoned three more chairs to the table by the arrival of Percy and his family. He had greeted Percy with a happy but confused look on his face. Percy had never really made up with his family despite confessing he was wrong. Arthur was now chatting with his 'new' daughter-in-law, who, as Hermione, was Muggle Born. She looked quite confused, which made Harry sure Percy had not told her about his father's obsession with Muggles.

At the other side of the four people were Bill and Fleur with Harriet. Bill and Fleur had named their daughter after him – but George was her godfather. He and Charlie was laughing together, both childless. Charlie said that his life was too full of dragons and he did not have room for a wife and children, and George had plenty to do with his – or, his and Fred's, as he usually said – joke shop. Even without Fred, he still called it Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes and not Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes in singular.

And from the kitchen, Luna now emerged with Dean and their ten-year-old daughter Whackspurtentia, named after the Whackpurts to keep them away. Harry did not understand the logic behind this, but was too used to Luna's opinions to ask. He knew very well that Luna had taken over her father's odd opinions since they had completed their educations, and she did it notoriously. She was stranger now, as adult. Dean usually smiled as apologize when his wife began talking about these odd things.

'When you christen your child from the masculine or feminine form of a creature's name, there's much less chance that you will get attacked by one. The same goes if you have a medallion with hair, nail or claw from a creature around your neck, you won't probably get attacked either. Neither I nor Dean needs one, though, as we have Whackspurtentia around ...'

Molly saved the situation for them all by declaring that she was about to put out the last of the food, and she needed some help. Harry went out to help her as Christmas food for twenty-eight people would take some time to get out, even with magic. And fair enough, she was a bout to do as Harry had suspected – tried to jinx plenty of food into the air at once.

'Oh, hello, Harry,' she said as he entered the kitchen. She had her wand raised high over her head. 'Would you mind to help me to get this food out there?'

'No, that's why I came,' replied Harry. He lifted his wand as well, and muttered at the same time as Molly, 'Wingardium Leviosa!' The food lifted up in the air and made its way out to the sitting room as Harry and Molly jinxed it there.

'This is Percy's son Rufus, he is thirteen,' said Mrs Weasley as they sat down. 'And this is Penelope, Percy's fiancée.'

After everyone had enjoyed Molly's superb cooking and praised it highly, it was time for the Christmas gift exchange. They had decided not to change gifts at the morning, but to change it when everyone was there, in the evening. Teddy had changed with his grandmother at the morning, though. Luna had come up with this idea in the first place. Her father had been killed by the Death Eaters when they had come to fetch Harry the night they had learnt about the Deathly Hallows from him soon nineteen years ago. She still ran the Quibbler with herself as editor, though.

When she had been in Sweden with her father two years before his death, she had learnt that Swedish people usually had Father Christmas delivering the presents in person on the night or late afternoon of Christmas Eve. So the were about to have a Father Christmas. Teddy was 'going to buy some chocolate', but he would get a long white beard and hair and dress in Father Christmas clothes.

So to the children's – and the adults' as well – big pleasure, Father Christmas came.

'How, how – are there any nice children?' Father Teddy Christmas was talking in a deep, amused voice. It had been easiest to take him as he could change his looks easily as a Metamorphmagus. He was dressed in red pants and shirt with a big, red, pointed woollen hat with white lines and top.

'Here, here!' Lily, Albus, Hugo and Whackspurtentia jumped up and down with joy, eagerness and curiosity. The Father Christmas chuckled.

'Very well,' he said, ad knelt before the Christmas Tree. He took up the first parcel. It was a big one, and it looked heavy. It looked suspiciously much like a book. 'Merry Christmas Rose, from Mum and Dad.' Rose dashed forwards to the Father Christmas, hugged him, and ripped open the wrapping paper to reveal —

'— Hogwarts – A History! Precisely what I wanted! Thanks Mum and Dad!'

'Actually, it was your father who came up with the idea in the first place, which surprised me very much, but I agreed totally when he thought you'd like to have it,' Hermione smiled.

Rose began to examine the book closely, with a big smile on her face. She reminded Harry of the young Hermione, whilst reading that book. 'You're in here!'

'Who?' asked Fleur curiously, with a slightly confused look on her face.

'Dad and Uncle Harry!' she said breathlessly. 'In a list of Awards for Special Services for the School! Back in 1993! Blimey, you were only in the second year …'

'Yeah, we discovered Voldemort opening the Chamber of Secrets. It's probably all in there.' Hermione nodded. 'It's a thrilling story, although not suitable for Christmas,' he added, as the children and some of the adults leaned closer, hoping to hear the story. The others had already heard – and some had seen – Ginny had really seen – that story with their own eyes.

Further and further it went. After a while, Father Christmas decided he ought to go back to Sweden. Harry and Ginny got a 'children-free week end' from Teddy, as he had his Auror training during the weeks. They already decided to take it on twenty-fifth to twenty-sixth May, as it was the anniversary of their first kiss after the Quidditch final in Harry's sixth year.

Albus Severus and James flung themselves around Harry's neck when he and Ginny gave them their special Christmas present – The Marauder's Map – but told them they had to share it with Lily once she arrived at school. He had given it to Teddy before – but never revealed it for the children. And there was no need for him to share it, as none of them were at school at the time.

The night was finished by the traditional eggnog and Celestina Warbeck.

'Oh, come and stir my cauldron,
And if you do it right
I'll boil you up some hot, strong love
to keep you warm tonight.'

Author's Notes: The inspiration to this one came from nowhere – although I enjoyed writing it. I should do more Christmas stories. English is my second language and not beta read, so sorry for eventual spelling mistakes.