Happy Holidays!

A few things:

1) I haven't watched a single episode of SGU so none of the information that appeared in that show will be used in my fic. I apologize to fans of SGU but I don't know anything about the show to incorporate the information creditably.

2) When Harry first thought of the Gateships for defending Earth, he had no idea what space battles are like and believed the Goa'uld would pose no problems when facing Alteran weapons, however limited their quantity. However, after having participated in battles against the Replicators, Harry now knows he needs more - which is why he's building his own warships. Harry also seeks additional assistance in this chapter to defend Earth - although you'll just have to read more to figure out the details ;)

3) Harry doesn't know that the majority of the Wraith are hibernating - the last bit of information he has about them (besides from the humans in Pegasus) is that the Pegasus Galaxy was virtually taken over by the Wraith. Considering that, dragging Atlantis up to the surface and trying to fly it home would be suicide. You could argue that once they engage the Stardrive they would be in the clear, but Harry doesn't know that the Wraith's hyperdrives still have limited capabilities, and to Harry, it's not improbable that the Wraith are still patrolling Lantea, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

4) The way I look at it, the Repository and mental interfaces have nothing to do with a person's memories. The Repository essentially "downloads" information into a person's head, but until they are assimilated (like with Harry), they're not really "stored" in a person's hippocampus in any lasting detail. Same with mental interfaces, which act more like projection or telepathy. So no, I don't see Alterans having messed around with people's memories, especially when it would be considered a huge violation or of no particular use.

5) Regarding the radiation issue of the invisibility device: Arthur's Mantle was something Merlin created as an Ascended Being to hide his work from the Others. That is technology that is beyond Harry. Harry only knows what was in the Repository Merlin left him, which does not contain information that could lead to compromising Merlin's work against the Ori which he left behind for the non-wizards (remember, he was wary of magic users and their prejudices against Muggles). As for the cloaking technology of the ships, that's different from personal cloaking devices - although the former's essentially what Harry built, but for his personal use.

6) Regarding energy and the Replicators: I should have chosen a different word to explain what I meant. Yes, bullets have kinetic energy, and the Asgard later invented weapons that used sheer kinetic force to fight the Replicators, both of which were effective against them. What I meant by energy was more like the blast from the Jaffa Staff weapon, the Stunning Spell or the Reductor Curse - they would simply be absorbed by the Replicators. If you transport the Replicators into the sun or even perhaps cast Fiendfyre it might affect them, but a "normal" spell would not - although yes, if you cast a spell at a different object and then threw that object at the Replicators, it would work against them since in that case the Replicators aren't the focus of the energy of the spell.

Phew! Thanks for all your reviews! Hope you enjoy this one!

Chapter Seven

Harry was just about to press the last symbol on the clavis and open the wormhole to Othala when his worries got the better of him. Despite how capable the MP were at flying the Gateships and how they could contact him if anything were to happen to Earth – and the SGC would be able to handle anything minor – Harry didn't feel right just leaving them without any form of protection. He had done it before, of course, but this time seemed oddly final, despite knowing he'd come back, if only to replenish his supplies.

But there wasn't anything he could do; the only race of people more technologically advanced than the Goa'uld were the Nox, and they were staunch pacifists, not even raising a hand to defend themselves against attacks. Though they had the means to do so, they would not patrol the Milky Way and protect Earth and planets like it from the Goa'uld.

Harry sighed. Perhaps he could speak with Thor-

"Of course!" Harry suddenly exclaimed, smacking himself on the head.

Harry summoned the copies of SG-1's mission reports that he had gotten all those months ago, and hurriedly dug through them. Harry distinctly remembered reading about a race of technologically advanced humans. He had thought about contacting them before, to maybe ask for their assistance, but their reactions to SG-1 and his own ambivalent feelings at the time about involving aliens had put a stop to such plans.

"Aha!"

It was just as Harry had remembered – they were very advanced, considering they had mastered phase shifting and even built a Stargate, although that was with the help of the Nox. And while they were clearly reluctant to share their technology with the "primitive" humans of Earth, that wasn't what Harry was asking for, and considering that the actions of SG-1 had saved their planet, they owed Earth one. Harry thought it very possible that they would help protect other human worlds from the Goa'uld (or at least Earth), until Harry had the Hedwig ready.

Of course, it didn't go quite like how Harry had thought it would.

**************** BREAK *****************

Harry looked around Tollana once he came through the Gate. The buildings looked more similar to the Muggle ones on Earth than the ones on Asgard or Atlantis, as they preferred more aesthetic and sleek appearances. That wasn't to say the Tollans didn't, of course, just that Harry could tell that despite their claims of superior technology, they were nothing to the Four Great Races.

There were plenty of Tollans walking around, but all in grays and blacks. Harry had never felt more out of place in his white and gold robe.

"Who are you and what is your business here?" a man asked sharply, his weapon (or so Harry assumed, although it didn't look like any kind of a gun he'd seen) aimed at him.

"My name is Henrici, the leader of the Magus Praesidium, friend and ally of the Asgard and the humans of Earth. I am here to request a meeting with the Tollan Curia."

The man exchanged a look with his partner before nodding and heading towards one of the buildings. The other man remained behind, his weapon out but not pointed at Harry.

Harry didn't have to wait long before the security guard was returning. "I am sorry, but the meeting will not be possible today. If you are amenable, High Chancellor Travell has requested your presence tomorrow."

Harry faintly smiled. "Of course."

"Do you require lodging?" he asked.

Harry was surprised, but pleasantly so. "Thank you, but no." He had a wizard's tent with him that would more than suit for the evening. Harry dialled one of the planets under Asgard protection so that he could let them know of the change in plans.

The people of the planet K'Tau were welcoming – well, mostly, anyway. Malchus's cry of, "You must leave at once!" was an annoyance, but ignored easily enough.

"Brother Malchus," Elrad attempted, trying to calm him, "Henrici is a friend of Freyr!"

Before they could degenerate into an argument, Harry requested to speak to Freyr, which was met with eagerness and anticipation by Elrad and suspicion by Malchus.

"I will lead you to the Hall of Wisdom. Come," Elrad bid, and Malchus followed closely behind, clearly unwilling to leave Harry to cause "mischief".

They entered a temple and stood in front of an obelisk.

"Bow your head and prepare to meet Our Lord," Malchus ordered.

Harry raised his brow in clear defiance as Elrad began to pray. "Lord Freyr, Lord of the Aesir, God of K'Tau, grant us an audience that we may share your wisdom."

Elrad pressed a jewelled stone set in the obelisk, whisking the three of them away to a cave deep underground.

Lights turned on and a human Viking hologram appeared. "I am Freyr. For what reason have you come before me?"

Harry turned to the two men. "May I speak with Freyr alone?"

"Oh of course!" Elrad readily agreed, but Malchus stayed stubbornly in place. "Absolutely not!" he spat.

Harry narrowed his eyes at Malchus. "What, you think Freyr, the God of K'Tau, could be harmed by me? Do you think that he will allow harm to befall his temple?"

As Elrad backtracked, asking to excuse Brother Malchus, Malchus frowned. "Unless Lord Freyr commands otherwise, I will not leave you alone to cause mischief!"

Harry sighed and rolled his eyes. He turned back to face the holographic recording, but focused instead on the controls behind the hologram. He used his powers to shut it down. Of course, when the lights went out, Malchus began to yell again, and Harry, frustrated with the annoying man, cast Silencio on him before casting Lumos. As Elrad looked on in awe, Harry said out loud, "Freyr, it's Harry, I'm with the people of K'Tau. Do you have a minute?"

It took a few seconds, but rather than Freyr, the exact replica of the hologram appeared, although Harry knew it was broadcasting live.

"We were not expecting you to contact us from K'Tau," Freyr-as-Viking intoned.

"Yes I know. I had to contact you though and other than returning to Earth, this was the fastest way."

Freyr-as-Viking stared at a delighted and awed Elrad and mute Malchus. "I need to speak with Harry alone."

"Of course, my Lord Freyr," Elrad said, bowing deeply, as the two were engulfed in a bright light and disappeared.

The moment they were alone, Freyr reappeared as himself. "Will you not be coming to Othala?"

"No, I will be. I'm just experiencing a slight delay. Do you know of the Tollans?"

"Yes."

"I am going to ask them to assist us in our fight against the Goa'uld since I will not be here to help protect the humans of Earth."

Freyr frowned. "The Tau'ri are under Asgard protection."

"I know, but from everything I've read, the Goa'uld are wily, and if they obliquely attack Earth, you cannot interfere. But the Tollans can."

Freyr shrugged. Harry bit back a smile at such a human gesture from the prim and proper Asgard. "When can we expect you?"

"Tomorrow, hopefully."

"I will see you then."

Harry nodded goodbye before he too returned to the temple. When he exited the doors, he found Malchus still mute and Elrad spreading the word of Harry's great powers and praising to everyone within hearing what a blessing Harry's appearance among them was. The fear on Malchus's face was both satisfying and terrible, and feeling guilty, Harry hurriedly cancelled his spell. Malchus cleared his throat and bowed respectfully towards Harry before hurrying away.

Despite his intentions of pitching his tent and eating one of his pre-made meals, Elrad begged him to join them. He offered Harry a room – "It is simple and modest, but clean!" – and Harry found himself agreeing to take it, not wanting to insult the kind village elder.

Dinner was delightful, even though everyone kept staring at him. Harry had told them that he wasn't one of the Asgard, but they still asked for his blessings, which Harry felt odd about giving. He wasn't a god, and although the Asgard themselves weren't gods, they at least protected the people of K'Tau. At the same time, Harry felt like he couldn't not give his blessings, not wanting them to feel insulted or hurt that they didn't warrant one. To make up for it, Harry healed few of the sicker people, causing them to pray and thank Freyr and Harry – which further embarrassed Harry and made him feel even more awkward.

As Harry was preparing for bed, he reflected that the people of K'Tau were simple yet content with their lot, much like the Athosians, and so eager and generous in wanting to help others. Harry found himself becoming really fond of these "backwards" people.

**************** BREAK *****************

When Harry returned to Tollana the next day, it was with hope that he would be able to meet with the High Chancellor and the Curia. He had no wish to jump through more hoops, as time was something of an issue.

At his arrival, one of the men stepped forward. "Welcome to Tollana. My name is Narim."

Harry's eyebrow rose in surprise. "You are Narim?"

He looked puzzled. "You know of me?"

"I have met SG-1," Harry explained. "I helped rescue them from the Replicators. And Major Carter and I worked together not too long ago."

Narim smiled at the mention of Major Carter. "Any friend of Samantha's is a friend of mine."

As they made their way to the meeting with the Curia, Narim asked, "Where is Magus Praesidium?"

"We are from the planet Lantea in the Pegasus Galaxy."

Narim was surprised. "That is quite a distance away."

Harry nodded. "We wished to help protect the world of our ancestors," was all Harry said.

They soon entered a building, the interior of which reminded Harry a little bit of Atlantis, although Harry didn't get the same feeling of "home". Still, Harry thought he wouldn't mind spending some time among the Tollans.

"You will be scanned, and any weapons you carry will be disabled, although you may still continue to carry them if you wish."

Harry rather doubted the Tollans would be able to disable his wand, since it wasn't anything technological, and DOBBY was strictly defensive, even if they could somehow affect it.

Narim looked pleased with Harry's nonchalance, believing him to be carrying no weapons. The scan bore him right, although in actuality he wasn't. Of course, Harry wasn't about to enlighten him.

The room Harry was led into was large and clearly held the Tollan Curia, if the respect Narim showed them was any indication. It was brightly lit and modern, and behind a long, curved white table sat distinguished looking men and women.

"You must be Henrici of Magus Praesidium. Welcome. I am High Chancellor Travell."

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, High Chancellor."

"What is your interest in Tollana? Our technology?"

Harry looked at the rude man and wondered if this was Omoc. He was proven correct when Travell graciously introduced him a moment later.

Harry bit back some choice words and said as civilly as possible, "Not as such, no. I am here to request your assistance against the Goa'uld while my people and I are assisting the Asgard."

Omoc looked at him sceptically. "What could you possibly assist the Asgard with?" he asked rather derisively.

Harry stared at him incredulously. "Excuse me?"

Travell intervened. "Counsellor Omoc is just surprised at your youth. Clearly you are remarkable, to be a leader among your people at such a young age."

Fortunately, before Omoc could say anything else to dispute Travell's claims, another Counsellor spoke up. "What assistance would you want us to lend?"

Harry frowned, but gamely replied, "Earth is under the protection of the Asgard, but as you yourself have recently experienced, the Goa'uld are a treacherous race. I came to ask that you actively join in the fight against the Goa'uld, or if not, to protect Earth, at least until I and my people return."

"You ask for much," Travell stated.

"Am I not correct in saying that you owe the people of Earth for your continued survival?"

Travell gave a nod of her head. "That is true, and we are very grateful. However, we are not a warring people."

"I understand that High Chancellor, but surely you know that the Goa'uld, knowing the threat you pose to them, will not rest until each and every one of your people are killed. Is it not better to strike while you still have the advantage?" argued Harry.

Omoc scoffed. "Our defensive technology is far more advanced than that of the Goa'uld."

"Perhaps so, but for how long? The Goa'uld are scavengers; they will eventually discover technology that is beyond your race."

Travell frowned. "That is impossible. Our ion cannons are extensive. It would take but one of these devices to protect this planet from a Goa'uld mothership – as we have previously proved – and we have many more than that. Our technology is superior in every way to theirs. This will remain true no matter what race the Goa'uld steal from."

Harry was dumbfounded. "The Tollans, while impressively advanced technologically, are not the biggest kids in the playground. You must push back the Goa'uld as much as possible, before they come back with the means to defeat you."

When no one on the Curia looked even remotely concerned, Harry couldn't help but gape at them in disbelief. "But didn't the encounter with the Goa'uld show you that while you may have impressive defenses, they are not impossible to get around? That you are not invulnerable? For Merlin's sake, your entire planet was only saved through the actions of a Jaffa and Lya of the Nox!"

"Yes, and we have taken steps to make sure such an event cannot happen again," Travell confidently declared.

Harry looked to the other members of the Curia, but they were looking at Harry like he was a misbehaving child, or as though he'd gone mad.

Harry sighed. "Will you at least consider defending Earth?"

Travell would only say, "As I have said, we are not a warring people. But if the humans of Earth ever need our help, we will do what we can."

And Harry had to be satisfied with that. He shook his head. He should never have underestimated the ego and selfishness of people.

"I only hope you don't come to regret your decisions," Harry said in parting, as Narim entered the Curia's chamber to escort him back to the Stargate.

**************** BREAK *****************

After that frustrating – and fruitless – waste of time, Harry returned to Othala and sought to forget about it all by devoting all of his time and efforts into finishing the Hedwig. He had in fact intended to finish the Hedwig before returning to Earth, but he soon found himself growing weary and needing a break. If he was honest with himself, however, the reason Harry had returned home so quickly was because he was worried – not only for the state of the galaxy, but that he and his friends would grow too far apart. As great as the Asgard were – they were even learning to have a bit of a sense of humour, even Freyr, surprisingly enough – they weren't his friends, those who had grown up with him and had shared hair-raising, life-threatening adventures with him. Harry didn't want to lose his friends, the people who most understood him. Thankfully, his concerns were for naught. His friends were just as interested in what he was doing as he was in theirs, and maybe that would change in the future, but for now, he was enjoying being back on Earth among those who knew him best.

Harry made the rounds, visiting his godson – who was growing so fast – and his friends, sharing stories and just having a great time. Harry was regaled with stories of the hullabaloo his resignation had caused, and the weekly "Where in the World is Harry Potter?" column in the Daily Prophet. Harry thought it was hilarious, and made them tell him the best ones.

"There was one where they swore you were organizing a tournament to see if you can fly to the top of Mount Everest!" Neville eagerly said. "Hundreds of people showed up to watch or compete!"

Harry grinned. "That sounds cool, actually. Did anyone try it?"

"A couple of people, but a broom can only go so high," Hermione replied, shaking her head.

"And last week, they said you were spotted "cavorting" with a dozen Veela on some Australian beach – should've seen mum's reaction to that one!" George gleefully told him.

"Yeah, she went completely spare. Screeched about how you had time for such nonsense but not to even send her an owl; dad had to remind her that the Daily Prophet couldn't be trusted, and that even if it was true, you were young and entitled to a little bit of fun," said Ron, laughing.

George shuddered. "Be warned though, you'd better go see her soon. If she finds out you were here but didn't even say a word..."

Harry nodded. He hadn't visited the Burrow in ages, mostly because it felt awkward being there when he was no longer dating Ginny. The Weasleys had always been kind and treated Harry like one of their own, but he'd be lying if he said their break-up didn't change things, especially with Mrs. Weasley, who had never quite given up hope that he and Ginny would start things up again. When they didn't, even after Ginny had graduated from Hogwarts, she had been bitterly disappointed. Whenever she saw Harry – which wasn't often, what with him traveling to other galaxies – she would hint about Ginny and try and force them to meet up, which made their awkward attempts at friendship more difficult. Still, George was right; Mrs. Weasley had always treated him like he was one of her own, and he didn't want to hurt her by disappearing again without a word.

"I'll drop by to see her," he promised the Weasleys. "So tell me, what else did I miss?"

Harry was told of Teddy's ever-growing mischief ("How he'd gotten his hands on that wand I have no idea, but Andromeda couldn't get those dandelions to come out of that poor boy's ears for hours!"), Ron's decision to quit the Aurors and join George at his jokeshop ("The best decision I ever made, mate! Er, besides asking Hermione to be my girlfriend, of course!"), Luna's plans to become a wizarding naturalist ("I think it's perfect for her, frankly; all it is, is traveling around the world "searching" for strange, nonexistent creatures." "Hermione!"), and George's indecision over whether to ask Angelina to go out with him ("He thinks it's too soon, but I said it was bollocks, that he was just being a bloody coward-" "Ronald, language!").

Later that day, as promised, Harry dropped by the Burrow. He was surprised to see nearly every Weasley (except for Bill and Fleur and their daughter, Victoire, of course), and hoped that the presence of Charlie and Percy might help lessen the sheer number of questions that were likely to come his way.

"HARRY!" Mrs. Weasley cried out excitedly and engulfed him in a hug. "Come in, come in, dear! It's cold out, you'll catch a chill!"

Harry smiled. "I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, but obligingly entered the Burrow. Harry was enjoying the cold, actually, since it was something he hadn't experienced while on Othala. The Asgard had more frail bodies, and because they went without clothes, they manipulated Othala so that the planet was always at a comfortable temperature. Harry had missed snow, and while it wasn't snowing just yet, Harry hoped he would be able to see some nice snowfall before he went back to the Ida Galaxy.

Snow wasn't the only thing he'd missed, however. As great as his quarters on Othala and the Hedwig were, there was nothing quite like being in an actual house, especially a house built with magic. And while he had Number 12 Grimmauld Place, the cozy atmosphere of the Burrow was far superior; even with much of the dark and gloom no longer present, Harry didn't think he'd ever be able to really call Grimmauld Place home. As Harry breathed in the delicious scent of Mrs. Weasley's cooking and the noise of a family who loved each other, he couldn't believe he managed to stay away from the Burrow for so long.

Harry happily greeted everyone, and Harry's awkward hello to Ginny wasn't even that bad; they were even able to chat a little, before Mrs. Weasley started with her questions.

"Really, Ron," Molly said with exasperation when her youngest son attempted to change the topic once again, "We're just worried! You wouldn't tell us anything useful, and the Prophet was next to useless!" Mrs. Weasley's lips thinned at the mention of the paper. "Harry was just gone – like he wasn't even on this planet!"

Ron thankfully didn't give anything away, his face focused on the teapot as he reached to refill his cup of tea. George nonchalantly took a bite of his biscuit. Harry held a cup to his lips to stop any noise from escaping.

Mrs. Weasley turned to face Harry and continued. "Harry dear, I thought you wanted to be an Auror? And where did you disappear to for so long?"

"I liked being an Auror, but things are peaceful now and, well, paperwork has never been my thing," Harry confessed.

Grins and snorts were exchanged. "You and me both, mate!" Ron chimed in heartily. "Why else do you think I up and quit and joined George?"

Harry continued before Mrs. Weasley could berate Ron. "Besides, I've become more of a distraction for everyone, especially once I got back from my vacation. You remember, Mr. Weasley, Percy, what a ruckus I caused when I came into the Ministry building! Anyway, it doesn't mean I won't ever return – as I've said, if ever the wizarding world needs me, I'll be here."

"So where did you go?" Ginny asked next. "Ron and Hermione have been kind of tight-lipped about the whole thing."

Here Harry had to fudge the truth a little. "Nowhere really exciting – I've mostly been at home or out in the Muggle world."

"Did you go anywhere interesting?" Mr. Weasley eagerly asked.

"Some," Harry admitted. "I've gone to America. It's pretty amazing how far the Muggles have advanced, technology-wise," he added, knowing that would easily distract Mr. Weasley.

Arthur's eyes, as predicted, lit up. "Really?"

Harry nodded. "They have these small, portable music players with headphones, which go over your ears so that no one else will be bothered. It plays their choice of songs, and you can repeat or skip them to hear something else. And there are these things called mobile phones; they allow people to talk to each other instantaneously wherever they are, no matter the distance."

"Fascinating," Mr. Weasley breathed.

"I was actually talking to Hermione about it the other day," Harry said, and reminded himself to speak to Hermione, "About whether it would be possible to create magical versions of them. A portable Floo or Wireless that could play your favourite music whenever and wherever you wanted it to."

Mr. Weasley was fascinated, and Percy too. The possibilities were very interesting, to say the least. The three of them debated whether it would be easier to simply enchant the Muggle devices or if a wizarding version of them could be created, and if so, what spells would be needed. George and Ginny even joined in, although the former was by far more knowledgeable.

Mrs. Weasley looked upon them fondly before chiding them. "Your teas are getting cold!"

Once they all settled back down, she turned to Harry again. "So where else did you go, Harry dear?"

"I've visited some remote villages where they don't have magic or technology, actually. The people there live simply, eating what they can harvest or hunt. It's incredibly peaceful."

"Peaceful? Boring, more like," Ron snorted.

Harry smiled ruefully in agreement. "It was nice for a while, but yeah, I don't think I could live that way for very long."

"It'd be good for training though, I bet," Ginny said, before explaining when Harry looked at her quizzically. "I'm trying out for the Holyhead Harpies reserve team as a Chaser."

"Wow, that's great!" Harry said enthusiastically. "But why not the Seeker position?"

Ginny shook her head with a laugh. "Come on, Harry, I'm good but not that good. If anyone should be playing Seeker for a professional Quidditch team, it's you."

Charlie chimed in. "Ginny's right, Harry. Now that you aren't an Auror, maybe you should give being a Quidditch player a go! You're more than good enough!" He still remembered the exceptional flying Harry had done during the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament.

Percy added, "And the Falcons are looking for a Seeker, I've read."

Ron nearly dropped his teacup in shock. "The Falcons? The Falcons? If Harry's joining a professional Quidditch team, he's going to join the Cannons! Screw the Falcons!"

"Ronald Bilius Weasley!" Mrs. Weasley scolded.

Harry shook his head. "I don't think so."

"But why not? You love flying and Quidditch!" Ginny said in surprise.

Harry again shook his head. "The last thing I want is more attention and publicity."

George decided to give Harry a little break. "Ain't that the truth. Remember that rumour couple of weeks back that said Harry was showing up at Gringotts? Diagon Alley was utter chaos. Good for business though," he added as an afterthought.

"So Charlie," Harry said before Mrs. Weasley could ask him anything else, "Are you seeing anybody?"

That did the trick. To Molly Weasley's consternation, her second oldest son was a perennial bachelor. She had hoped seeing his older brother settled down and with a beautiful child would light the fire under Charlie, but unfortunately for her, it wasn't to be.

Charlie jokingly scowled at Harry, before shaking his head. "Nah, already have my hands full dealing with temperamental creatures, Harry," he said with a wink and a laugh. "But George here, heard you've ditched our bachelor club to date Angelina! At least I still have you, eh Percy?"

As Percy blushed, the living room turned silent before Charlie chortled. "Oh ho, what's this?"

Mrs. Weasley stared at her staid son. "Percy, you never told me you were seeing somebody."

"Now Molly," Mr. Weasley broke in, "A young man is not going to confess to his mother if he has a girlfriend."

"So, who is it?" Ron asked when the silence grew too long.

They all stared at Percy in curiosity. "Her name is Audrey, Audrey Cornfoot," Percy eventually confessed. "She just started working at the Ministry, in the Department of Magical Transportation."

"And how long have you been seeing her?" Molly carefully asked.

"Not very long," Percy mumbled in reply.

Mrs. Weasley was about to further question her son when Ginny interrupted her. "Come on, mum, let's leave Percy alone. If he wants to tell us, he will."

Molly cleared her throat. "Ginny's right. No teasing your brother," she warned her sons.

"By the way, Harry dear," she said, turning to him, "Ron's told me how you're letting him and Hermione live in your house as an early Christmas gift to them. It really is nice of you, though it's a bit much, isn't it?"

Harry shrugged. "It's a large house and I'm hardly ever there. But that isn't actually their gift – I have something else for them, I just can't wrap it."

Eyebrows were raised. "Gift that can't be wrapped?"

Harry was cajoled, but he refused to say. Eventually they took to guessing, but Harry kept saying, "Nope, that's not it." The guesses soon turned outlandish, naturally.

"A dragon!" Charlie called out.

"A phoenix?" Molly tried.

"Ooh, how cool would that be?" Ginny exclaimed.

"Nah, it'd be a snake, like a basilisk!" George said enthusiastically.

"But Harry's no longer a Parselmouth," Ron pointed out, looking rather queasy.

"A nundu then!"

"How would he sneak that into the country?" Percy tried to reason. "At least we know the dragon, phoenix and basilisk are possible."

"Man, did we have weird lives," Ron marvelled.

"Could be Fluffy," George suggested.

"What's Fluffy?" Ginny had a curious expression on her face.

"A three-headed dog that Hagrid had raised," Harry explained. "I wonder what happened to him."

"Probably still in the Forbidden Forest." Ron shuddered.

The others shared looks but decided to let that go. "How about a unicorn?" Mrs. Weasley guessed.

"Nope, sorry."

"Mother," Percy began, "Unicorns do not like males-"

Ron groaned. "Shut up, Percy, you're sucking the fun out of the whole thing!" He turned to Harry. "What about a hippogriff?"

"A hippogriff?" Ginny shook her head at her brother. "That's ridiculous, Ron."

"What, and you can do better?"

Ginny paused. "A motorbike?"

"Ooh," came from Arthur and George. "Well?"

Harry shook his head. "Nope."

"Is it living?" Percy tried.

"Not going to answer," Harry sing-songed.

Groans and boos met him, and Ginny threw a throw pillow. Harry laughed and retaliated, and soon the Burrow was a mess of pillow throwing and shrieks of laughter.

As he later said goodbye to the Weasleys and then to the MP after a lovely "picnic dinner" at the hangar, he thought he truly had the best of both worlds.