Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Father Christmas or any of the other characters I just borrowed them for a little while. Even Voldemort Can't Stop the Christmas Spirit
1: Christmas Eve Visits
Harry Potter was having a snowball fight with Ron and Ginny Weasley and some of their Gryffindor friends in the morning of Christmas eve. He decided that just for Christmas he would forget all about the prophecy and the fact that one day he would have to kill or be killed by Voldemort, for once he just wanted to enjoy being free and happy. Splat! a snowball thrown by Ginny hit him between the eyes. He laughed and wiped away the wet snow and chased after her.
"I'll get you for that!" he cried.
In his office Albus Dumbledore stood at his window and watched the snowball fight with a quiet smile. It was nice to see Harry having fun. Turning to his desk he picked up a piece of parchment and quill and wrote a quick message which he sent off with his Phoenix.
"Harry i wonder if you would come to my office. There is something I always do on Christmas eve and I would like you to come with me if you would. Please bring your invisibility cloak with you. AD"
Harry was surprised by the message he received but he shrugged and hurried inside. Couldn't Dumbledore let him enjoy his Christmas in peace, he wondered. There was always something to remind him about the war and spoil his mood. He went up to his room and collected the cloak before going to the second floor and giving the password "candy canes" to the gargoyle.
Dumbledore was wearing red and white clothes and he was standing near the fireplace when Harry arrived.
"Ahh here you are my boy, and you have your cloak I see, very good. Shall we go?"
"Where are we going Sir?"
"To Grimmauld place first to meet the others who are coming with us," Dumbledore said and stepped into the green flames.
Sirius was waiting for them in the kitchen of his old home. Harry hugged him, remembering how he had almost lost his Godfather at the Ministry a few months ago. If Dumbledore hadn't acted so quickly and performed some complicated charm Sirius would have gone through the veil and Harry would have lost the closest thing to a family he had ever known. Both of them had realised how lucky they were to still be together. Sirius was much happier now he was a free man, the minister had pardoned him and he had been busy with work for the Order. He felt useful again and his mood was improved as a result. Harry hadn't seen him since the start of school so he was very happy to see him now.
"Harry!" called Remus Lupin as he came in. They smiled at each other. It was good to see him too, Harry thought.
"I think we are all ready," said Dumbledore, "Harry if you will put on your cloak we will be going, you will need to hold my arm because you are not yet able to apparate alone.'
Harry didn't like apparating much, he had tried it once before with Dumbledore when they had left the Dursleys that summer. He held on tightly to the Headmaster and closed his eyes. When he opened them they were standing at a street corner.
"there's an orphanage for Squib children down here," sirius told him, "One christmas me and your dad came with Dumbledore, it was great fun."
"Yes you were as mischevious as ever," Dumbledore remarked, "It's time to transform now Sirius if you would," So Harry walked down the street with his Headmaster and his former professor and a black dog by his side.
The children were very happy to see Dumbledore and they loved Padfoot, all of them wanted to pat him and a little girl asked if she could keep him. Dumbledore handed out presents and sang Christmas carols with the children. He had a fine voice and seemed to really enjoy singing. Harry and Lupin passed out sweets and Christmas cake and talked to the children. After two hours of fun Dumbledore said it was time to leave. A lot of the younger children hugged him and even Harry got his fair share of hugs before he was free to follow the others out the door. When they were outside he put the invisibility cloak back on and followed the others down the street.
Their next stop was Saint Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
"Some people unfortunately have no visitors at christmas time, so I make a point of visiting each one. Everyone deserves to have someone to share the Christmas spirit with."
As they walked down the street to the entrance Harry noticed how quiet things were. All the Muggle shops were decorated for Christmas but there were hardly any people about. The few people that he did see were hurrying to finish their shoppoing in the quickest possible time. It was a bitterly cold day but surely that wasn't the only reason why there were so few people on the streets.
At Saint Mungo's they visited all the people bringing presents and singing Christmas songs and spending a few minutes talking to each one. There were some who were too sick to talk so they sat by them talking to them for a few minutes. Harry was surprised to see how much improvement Lockheart had made. He was sitting at a table signing photos with his old fancy script and talking about some of the great things he had done.
"Ahh Harry how are you doing at school? I'm sure your Defence professor isn't teaching you as much as I did when I was there, eh?"
"Professor Snape is teaching Defence Against the Dark arts this year," Harry told him.
"ahh Severus, an excellent Potions master but I'm sure his Defence lessons aren't as interesting as mine,"
"Well they are different,' Harry replied. He was greatful when Dumbledore made their excuses and left Lockheart to his autographing.
Neville's parents were lying in their beds mumbling to themselves. Harry remembered Mrs Longbottom from last year when he had seen her giving a gum wrapper to Neville, one of the saddest things he had ever seen.
When they left the hospital they took a portkey to their next destination. Harry had never seen this place before, it was a large manor house surrounded by gardens.
"Where is this, Sir?" he asked Dumbledore.
"This is a retirement home for aged wizzards Harry," the Headmaster told him. "These people don't have families to take care of them and so the Wizarding Community sponsors this home for them." Harry thought how sad it must be for people who had lived long and useful lives to be packed away to this place with nobody to care for them but healers and volunteers. It wasn't the same as having family to spend Christmas with.
The people in the home were happy to see them, they all made a fuss of the boy who lived and for once harry didn't mind the fuss that was made of him. They handed out presents and talked to the people for a while before Dumbledore said it was time to return to Hogwarts. They apparated back to Grimmauld place where Harry said goodbye to Sirius and Lupin before flooing back to Dumbledore's office.