Chapter 13: Mistletoe and Wine
"Alright guys, that's enough for tonight!" Harry cried, calling the last DA meeting of the term to a close. The last few meetings had gone incredibly well; most of the students had pretty much mastered the use of Protego, Expelliarmus and Stupefy, and he had moved them all on to a few more minor defensive spells. He had held out thus far, but had made the decision to show them something fun as a reward.
The various groups mingled back together, chattering in excitement. There were scattered spots of spell-light as some of them showed off, drawing giggles and cheers from their friends. Harry beamed down at them and clasped his hands behind his back.
"First of all – come on guys, settle down – first of all, I'd like to congratulate all of you. You've worked incredibly hard the last few weeks, and you've all improved a lot. You should all be proud."
He paused briefly as there was a burst of applause from the gathered students. They had earned it, after all. As it died down, he continued.
"Obviously, there isn't going to be a meeting the next few weeks, but I'll see you all here next term. Same time, same place. And I hope you have a very merry and peaceful Christmas, and a happy New Year!"
"And to you, Harry!" a girl he didn't recognise shouted. She immediately turned scarlet, and vanished into a group of her giggling friends.
"Well, thank you very much," he said with a grin, "but there is just one last thing before you go. I know you've all been wanting something fun for a while, and as it's nearly Christmas, I thought – "
"We want to see you duel!" someone else yelled. Harry blinked, but before he could speak the cry was taken up around the room.
"Well, it wasn't quite what I had in mind…" he hedged, but it seemed they had their hearts set on a duel.
"Go on, Harry, give us a show," said Ginny from the front of the stage, a teasing grin on her lips. Harry scowled at her, but it was too late. Ron had taken his cue from his sister.
"Aw, he's just shy." He winked at Harry, and cupped his hands to his mouth. "He's just got a bit of stage fright, ladies and gentlemen! I'm sure if you ask him politely he'll man up though!"
"I'm going to kill you," Harry mouthed at his best friend, who simply shrugged and began to lead the chant.
"Duel! Duel! Duel!"
Harry looked helplessly around the room, and then shrugged in resignation. "Alright then. Draco! Get up here."
The blond Slytherin arched an eyebrow in elegant surprise, but sauntered up onto the stage next to Harry. "Why me?" he murmured.
"You're always bragging that you could kick my arse given the chance," Harry told him. "Here's your opportunity."
"Oh joy," the other boy deadpanned. He strolled down the stage and turned to face Harry, saluting him as he moved into en guarde. Harry turned to face him, and mirrored his actions. He waited for Draco to make the first move, considering his strategy. Wandless magic was out; he wanted to keep that particular trick private for now. The various moves he'd learnt from Dumbledore? Tempting, but as Ginny had said, this was a show. Draco was a decent duellist, but if Harry unleashed Dumbledore's spells on him then the duel would be over before it had begun, really.
Before he had time to reach a decision, Draco slashed his wand down, sending a spark of hazy light shooting towards him. With a flick of his wrist, Harry slapped it aside to burst against the wall. The spell left an impact mark, smoking slightly. Draco was clearly determined to win, and Harry made his strategy decision.
Ducking under another spell, Harry twirled his wand, clearly incanting his own spell for the benefit of the audience: "Aqua Eructo!" Water fountained from the tip of his wand, spraying over the stage and Draco. Draco, who had immediately raised a fairly impressive shield, blinked in surprise. The spell hadn't done anything. Harry grinned at him, and whipped his wand around. The water on the stage leapt up, spiralling into a column that stretched to the enchanted ceiling. As it towered above them, it began to tilt over, falling towards Draco. He called out a couple of spells, designed to cut and sever, but they just went straight through the water tower. It cascaded over him, enveloping him in a sphere of water.
Draco slashed his wand around, his spells hindered by his need to keep his mouth tightly closed. Harry kept the sphere going as long as he could, but he was hardly an expert at the spell, and it was a strain. Eventually, it became too much effort to keep it up in the face of Draco's attacks, and the water spilled down over his friend.
The other boy snarled, shaking the water from him as best he could, and he sent a blast of liquid ice streaming across the stage.
Harry simply smirked, and with a mental push at the core of it, wrenched control of it away from Draco, catching it on his own wand. As Draco stared in bewildered shock, Harry flicked the stream like a whip, and it shaped itself into freezing coils that lashed out at the Slytherin. They ensnared him, trapping his arms, and Harry pulled on the coils. Draco was yanked off the floor, spinning in mid air as he tumbled towards Harry. As he reached the zenith of his arc, Harry vanished the coils, and Draco plummeted to the stage. He made a decent stab of slowing his fall with his wand, but he hit the ground with a thud. He looked up blearily, and Harry hit him in the face with a Disarming Charm. He snatched Draco's wand from the air, and turned to face the massed students, bowing with a flourish of both wands.
The crowd went wild.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Harry looked at the door with distaste. He was slowly learning to hate it.
He knew that hating an inanimate object was a little irrational, but he had been dreaming of it for months now without change. It had intimidated him for a long time, but even the most bizarre and creepy things lost their mystique after a while. Familiarity had bred contempt. He had experimented with flaring his magic around it, performing spells even, and the whispering never failed to turn angry, albeit in an unintelligible fashion, but nothing happened. Ever.
Mustering all his resolve, he took a step back from the door, and readied his wand. Pushing all his irritation into his magic, he cast his spell.
"Reducto!"
There was a dull boom, and smoke billowed from the impact point. With a flick of his wand, Harry banished it, and examined the door. It was unmarked. Swearing under his breath, he retreated further down the corridor. "Confringo!" The more powerful spell should have reduced the stone to mere rubble; the actual result was no different to that of the basic Blasting Jinx he had just used. The door didn't even shake. Harry's eyes narrowed.
"Ardesco! Confringo! Depulso! Bombardia! Deprimo! For God's sake, just fucking open!"
None of his spells had any effect, and Harry threw his wand to the floor in a petulant rage. Spreading his hands wide, he pushed at the door, forcing his magic at it as best he could without a wand. With a start, he realised that he couldn't feel a 'core' within the door. It was the first time he had been able to say that since the graveyard. Wondering whether it was something special about the door, or whether it was due to being in a dream, he rested his hand against the cool stone. It felt no different to any other stone.
He sighed. How was he supposed to do anything with it? Finally succumbing to his frustration, he bent to take up his wand again, and turned his back on the door. He marched down the corridor, and didn't look back.
Harry woke up with a jolt, and fumbled for his glasses. Looking around the room, he gulped. His room had been a tip when he went to bed, he would have been the first to admit it. Now though, the room looked as if Aunt Petunia had been round it in one of her fanatical cleaning sessions. Clothes had been hung up, books replaced in their rightful positions, chairs tucked in…most un-nerving though were the dirty sheets that had been piled in one corner, waiting to be washed in the morning. His magic had snatched them up and twisted them into animal like shapes.
Harry shuddered, and climbed out of bed. Whatever he had done while asleep, he had done it well; he could not untie the sheets. In the end, he settled for shoving them into an un-used drawer, before heading back to bed.
He was going to find out the secret of that door if it killed him.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
"Harry! Time to get up, sleepyhead! There's post for you."
Harry mumbled incomprehensibly and rolled over in bed, burying his head back into the pillow. Cracking open one eye, he looked at the clock by his bed. Nine in the morning, in the holidays. That was just unreasonable, whoever was writing to him.
Actually, who was writing to him? He had heard from Ron just the other day, and Hermione tended to use the phone during the holidays. Ginny wasn't much of a letter writer, and Draco still hadn't forgiven him for the public humiliation at the Duelling Association. The only other people who wrote to him were in the house at the moment.
His eyes snapped open. Not quite the only people. Fighting his way out of the tangled sheets – not through magic, but simply ordinary restlessness – he pulled his dressing gown on and stumbled downstairs, still half asleep. Dudley was sitting at the kitchen table, munching happily at a bacon sandwich while Vernon read the paper. Petunia was frying some more, and she smiled at him as he took his seat.
"Morning, dear. The bacon will be ready in a minute." She tossed the letter over to him. "Remus and Peter are just getting dressed, they'll only be a few minutes."
Harry looked out through the kitchen door at the understairs cupboard, and grinned. Just when he thought he'd seen everything magic had to offer, it did something else. With no spare bedroom, the Dursleys' tended not to entertain. On this occasion though, they had invited the two Marauders over for Christmas, and instead of getting Harry to move into Dudley's room, the two wizards had simply transfigured the cupboard. It now contained two four-poster beds, a walk in dressing room, and an en-suite bathroom. Petunia had been delighted with the magic, and eagerly asked them if they could do some renovation around the house; she had been most disappointed to find that such magic would not last long.
Still grinning, Harry tore open the envelope, and a thick piece of parchment fell out. He had been right; he recognised Parvati's distinctive handwriting.
Dear Harry,
How are you? I'm sorry it's been so long since I've written, but I've been so busy. School here seems very different to Hogwarts – I swear we've got twice as much work, at least! The teachers are nice though.
It seems very strange not to be at Hogwarts in the lead up to Christmas. I'm used to all that snow, but it's so much warmer here, even in winter. We haven't had any snow yet, and Padma's really annoyed that she hasn't been able to throw a snowball at me!
What have you been up to? You don't really make the papers here, although people have still heard of you. I'm assuming you're still in school? I hope so, but I know you: you were probably desperate to get out there and help, right? Hermione and the others had better have talked some sense into you! Mum and dad won't tell Padma and I much about what's going on, but that just makes it worse. We know that if things were going well then they wouldn't be so secretive. Is it true that Azkaban was destroyed? I can't quite believe that, I must admit.
Give Lavender a hug from me next time you see her, will you? I miss her terribly.
Speaking of missing people…it's funny. Do you remember the last time we saw each other, in Diagon Alley? I said that maybe the war would be over by Christmas, and that we'd be coming back to England. I guess it's a good job they don't offer Divination as a subject here! But…I'm starting to like it here. It's peaceful, which makes a nice change. And a boy asked me out. Harry, I know you probably don't want to know about it, but I don't think it's fair not to tell you. He's nice. Kind of cute. We're just going to go for a drink. I'm sorry, I really am. I hope you don't hate me too much. Of course, maybe I'm being silly and you don't mind. I hope so. If not…it's Christmas! Go and snog someone under the mistletoe!
I hope you're alright, I really do. Take care. Give my love to everyone. Hope to hear from you soon,
Yours,
Parvati x
Harry stared at the parchment for a while after finishing it. Did he mind that she was considering dating again? He really wasn't sure; in all honesty, he had barely had time to think about Parvati in recent weeks, swamped with school work, the DA, and his own personal training, whether on his own or more sporadically with Dumbledore. The excitement that he had felt on realising the letter was probably from her was more the novelty of it than anything else. He was a little hurt that she'd chosen Christmas Eve to tell him, although she presumably couldn't be sure when her letter would arrive precisely – maybe he was being too harsh with her on that score.
"Harry?"
Dragging himself back to reality, he realised that his aunt was standing over him with a large bacon sandwich on a plate. He smiled at her and took it, chewing thoughtfully. She looked at him, puzzled, but didn't say anything, turning to her own breakfast.
"You alright?" Dudley muttered, leaning across.
"Letter from Parvati," Harry said with a shrug. "She's apologising, says she's going on a date with someone."
"Bummer," Dudley commented sympathetically. "How you feeling?"
"Dunno, really," Harry said. "Hadn't given her much thought for a while, if I'm honest. I'm a little disappointed, I guess."
"Probably for the best in the long run. Long distance is no way to run a relationship, mate."
"And you're the expert are you?" Harry said sarcastically.
"Hey, Sheila Jefferson was practically throwing herself at me at the disco the other week!" Dudley said defensively.
Harry opened his mouth to respond derisively, but paused. From what he remembered of Sheila, having her throw herself at you wasn't a good thing, but it suddenly occurred to him that, wrapped up in the magical world as he was, he hadn't seen her in nearly three years. She only lived two streets away – they'd never been close, but they had played together every once in a while. Dudley nodded, apparently reading her thoughts.
"Yeah, been a while since you've seen her, right? She's grown up a bit, lot less spoilt now. She's a nice girl." He blushed, ever so slightly. "I was thinking of asking her out actually, since we're on the subject."
Harry smiled. His cousin had never been terribly comfortable socially, away from his close friends and family. It was good to see him developing a little confidence. "Go for it. You'd be good together, if she has grown up."
"Cheers, bro," Dudley said with a pleased smile.
"Bro?"
"What, it's cool!" Dudley protested.
"Uh-huh." Harry stretched it out, emphasising his disbelief. "Whatever you say, Dud…"
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
As they arrived at the Burrow on Boxing Day, Harry watched in amusement as his family's jaws fell open. They had never experienced a real magical Christmas before, although the Marauders had always tried to do something spectacular to the Christmas tree. Of course, it helped that Ottery St. Catchpole was covered in a thick blanket of snow, giving the entire village an otherworldly, appropriately magical feel. Obviously, the exterior of the ramshackle house was little changed. Even on the outskirts of the village, too much extravagance would have attracted unwanted comment.
The interior though, was another matter. As far as Harry could tell, the Burrow had always defied the laws of physics. This was even more true today; the Christmas tree had to be at least ten feet tall, and at one point appeared to bend around the rafters to fit in. It positively glowed with baubles and shining streams of light that looked at first glance like tinsel, but closer scrutiny revealed the truth: they were ropes of frozen flame. Dudley walked over, mouth agape, and gingerly reached out to touch one of the strings.
"Will it burn me?" he asked.
"I doubt it, but be careful," Harry told him. Dudley tapped it, and laughed.
"It's freezing. But they're still flickering! How did they do that?"
"Magic," Harry said with a grin. His cousin scowled at him, and he stuck his tongue out playfully. "Never ask a wizard a straight question, Dud."
"Just some basic charm work," came a voice from the doorway. Harry turned to see Bill Weasley standing there, arms folded over his muscular chest and a broad grin on his face. "Did them myself when I got back. Hey, Harry," he finished with a nod of acknowledgement.
"Hey, Bill, long time no see. When did you get back?"
"Last week, I came home to help the Order. I'm working on the desk at Gringott's now." He grimaced as he spoke. Harry understood; Bill was quite definitely someone who preferred a more exciting, adventurous life than he would have working at the bank.
"Enjoy it," he said wryly. "This is my family – Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley. This is Bill Weasley. He's been working in Egypt."
"Cool!" Dudley exclaimed, and Bill chuckled.
"It has its moment, I'll admit." He walked over and shook them all by the hand. "Pleasure to meet you, welcome to the Burrow. I'm sorry, I forget – have you been here before? I know Harry has, of course."
"Not for a while, no," Vernon responded warmly. "And never at a time like this! It all looks beautiful, may I say."
"Say that to my mum and she'll love you forever," Bill said with a wink. "Come on, let me take your bags, I'll show you where you're staying. Harry, you're in Ron's room, alright?"
"Yeah, just about used to the snoring now." Harry grinned as Bill drew his wand theatrically, and swept the bags into the air. The Dursleys laughed, thrilled to see magic so casually used, and followed Bill and the bags towards the twisting stairs. There was a sprig of mistletoe hanging in the doorway, and Vernon paused to give Petunia a kiss, drawing a giggle from her – and faux-disgusted groans from Harry and Dudley.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Several hours later, and even Vernon and Ron's monstrous appetites had been sated. For a while, Harry hadn't been sure that they weren't having a secret contest to see who could get through the most roast pork – not that he could blame them. He would quite happily have devoured an entire pig himself, if Mrs Weasley had been cooking it. Conversation had dried up during the meal, for obvious reasons. None of the Weasleys', at least, would dare talk when eating while Mrs Weasley was around. The party had retired to the lounge.
Harry leant back in his chair, watching Vernon cheerfully talk Arthur Weasley through the intricacies of the London Underground, while Dudley was clapping wildly at the magical display going on around the twins. Aunt Petunia was beginning to snore discreetly, her head nodding.
"So, Harry, I hear this Duelling club you've started is going well," Mrs Weasley said, smiling at him fondly.
Harry nodded. "Yeah, seems to be. Everyone's enjoying it, certainly, and they all seem like they're learning a lot. Well, not Ron and Ginny of course, but they're hopeless cases."
"Oi!" Ginny exclaimed, feebly tossing a rolled up napkin at him. Harry batted it away with a grin.
"No, I'm joking. They're doing very well really. Even if Ginny did try and hex me in the back the other week."
"Ginny Weasley!"
"What? He deserved it, didn't you?" Ginny claimed, looking at Harry for support.
"I guess so, yeah. Of course, I'm just saying that because I'm too stuffed to argue."
"Oh yeah, right." Ginny snorted. "What's the matter, Potter, can't stand being shown up by a girl?"
"I'll let you know when you actually show me up, alright?"
Ginny stuck her tongue out at him, and he whipped the napkin back at her, bouncing off her nose. She looked shocked, and Ron laughed.
"Alright, that's enough you two," Mrs Weasley cut in, although she was hiding a smile herself. "Ginny, go and get the cake will you?"
"Good God, mum, more food?" Ginny groaned, rubbing her stomach.
"Well if you don't want it, I'll eat it," Ron chipped in.
"Hey, I didn't say that!" Ginny protested. Pushing herself to her feet, she disappeared into the kitchen. Harry sat back, tapping his feet to the music on the wireless. Celestina Warbeck wasn't exactly cool, but her music had a good beat.
"Harry, you couldn't nip upstairs and grab my pipe, could you?" In the other corner, Arthur had just succeeded in persuading Vernon to try some wizard's tobacco. "It's in my coat."
"Sure. Don't eat my slice of cake!"
"Oh, I wouldn't dare…"
Harry meandered through the door just as Ginny returned with a vast cake on a glass platter. They almost knocked each other to the floor, but stayed on their feet to scrabble to save the platter. She smiled at him in thanks, and then they both looked round in confusion as loud whoops came from behind them. Fred and George were applauding, with large, evil grins on their faces.
"What's up with them?" Harry asked her in bewilderment. Ginny groaned.
"Up there."
Harry followed her gaze, then mimicked her groan. He had forgotten the mistletoe. He shook his head. "It's just a plant. Back in a minute."
"Harry Potter!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed, her voice scandalised. "Mistletoe is an incredibly important symbol, magically speaking. I would have thought you would treat it with a little more respect than that!"
"Seriously?" Harry whispered to Ginny. She shrugged.
"What do I know about tradition?"
"About as much as me…oh, what the hell." He leant down and gave her a quick peck on the forehead. To his surprise, Mrs Weasley began to giggle.
"Merlin, I can't believe you fell for that, Harry," Bill spoke up, shaking his head in amusement.
"What? You mean…I hate you all," Harry responded grumpily as the penny dropped. He couldn't believe that Mrs Weasley had joined in the joke, although she hadn't been shy about refilling her wine.
"Yes, because it's so awful kissing my cheek," Ginny remarked drily. Harry looked back at her, flustered.
"Wait, that wasn't…I'm just going to shut up now."
"Aw, you're so cute when you're embarrassed." Then she put the platter down and threw her arms around him to plant a sloppy kiss on his cheek.
Harry felt himself flush bright red, and began to stammer incoherently Ginny giggled, and sauntered off with the cake. Harry looked after her, and saw Dudley tucking his camera away. His cousin winked, and Harry glowered.
"Like I said: I hate you all."
He walked out of the room, still glowing with embarrassment. At least he'd be able to tell Parvati that he'd followed her advice.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
A/N: And so ends the token fluff chapter for the story. I basically just wanted to experiment with a purely character based chapter (and ended up writing a duel anyway...oh well). I hope it doesn't fail too dramatically!