Posted December 11, 2014.

SUMMARY: Christmas is celebrated at Black Island; Rasalas, Brady, Ryan, and Aaron then attend the New Years Eve celebration in Niagara Falls, with a most bizarre turn of events...

114. Christmas, 2005
December, 2005 – January, 2006

"Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas."

- Dale Evans

December 25

Rasalas couldn't remember anything about his experiences of past Christmases. Ron had certainly filled him in on his stays back at Hogwarts, and the funny and amazing gifts he'd received in the past, but still... he couldn't remember anything first-hand. So, like so many other experiences of late, he treated it like a first, to enjoy the moment for what it was. It was the best he could do.

When he woke up, then, he found a pile of packages set at the foot of his bed. He pulled on a tee shirt, and snatched his wand up off the end table. He flicked it at the lamps, the gesture alone bringing them flaring to life, casting a soft light in the room. Now able to properly see, he turned his attention to the gifts.

The first one, turned out to be a home-knit jumper from Mrs. Weasley. It was emerald green, with a silver 'R' on the front. Rasalas put it on at once.

The next package was rather small, and when he opened it, there was a note, along with a chain with a strange amulet attached to it. 'Rasalas,' the note read, 'This is called a time-turner. Each turn of the hourglass will turn back time by one hour. Speak to me in private before using it, since there are a few other very important points that you must understand, since meddling with time can have grave consequences. And I must stress, don't tell many people you have it. It was very difficult to procure.'

Rasalas pulled the amulet and chain out of the box, and looked at it a little more closely. It was comprised of a small hoop. Inside it, was a second, smaller hoop, and inside of it, was what looked like a tiny hour glass. The entire setting appeared to be made of gold, save for the tiny hour glass and the sand inside it. A time-turner... so... time travel? But why would Sirius give it to him, if it were dangerous?

No matter, he put it around his neck. He had to smirk. What would Brady think, seeing the new piece of jewelry?

The next box was slightly heavy, and so he opened it carefully. The card indicated it was from Kate. 'To help you remember, but also organize your thoughts. Merry Christmas', the card read. A small, covered clay bowl rested inside, and Rasalas knew immediately what it was: a pensieve. Indeed, a very useful gift!

From Ryan and Aaron, he received a gift certificate for a clothing store he'd never heard of in Toronto, and the promise to take him shopping in the new year. Rasalas looked forward to it, since he didn't have all that much in terms of clothing. In the months at the Sawyers, it was one thing he'd somewhat neglected.

There were two more boxes remaining. One of them was heavy, and the card indicated it was from Phil and Casey. Inside, he found a notebook computer, much like Ryan's. A note on the top warned him: 'do not try and turn it on until we return to the house. And we will have one more gift for you at that time.'

The last box had a little weight to it as well, and just the handwriting on the card told him who it was from. Rasalas opened the box to find a leather vest identical to the one Brady owned, along with a pair of dark leather boots.

Now, he was torn. To put on his jacket, he would have to pull off the jumper Mrs. Weasley had given him. Nah. He liked the jumper, so it stayed on. He slid the vest on over top of it. The boots... they would likely look a little goofy with him wearing shorts, so he would have to try them later. For now... time to see if anyone else in the house was up.

Pulling the door open, his nose was nearly overwhelmed by the smell of breakfast. So, definitely not the first person up, and the sounds coming from the dining room gave further evidence to the fact.

Stepping into the dining room, Rasalas was nearly bowled over by a blur of brown hair.

"Happy Christmas!"

"Air... Hermione..."

They separated, but Rasalas grinned. "Happy Christmas."

He only had a chance to get another breath, before again being almost tackled, this time by a lanky ginger.

"Thanks for the broom!" said Ryan, as they separated, "I could kiss you."

Rasalas smirked. "Please do."

Ryan smirked right back, but planted a kiss on Rasalas' forehead. "Aaron m-might get jealous."

"Damn straight. Merry Christmas, Ras."

"And Merry Christmas to you."

Rasalas took a seat at the table, and began fixing himself a plate, only then noticing that none of the Gibsons had come down yet. It seemed like the rest of the adults were missing as well, though voices wafting from another room gave clue as to where they might be.

"Where's Brady?"

"Upstairs with his mum, I think, along with his brother. Mrs. Weasley did send up breakfast with Kreacher."

Rasalas frowned. "That probably went over well."

"Harry!"

"Our good friend..."

"Thanks a ton for the... investment! It's brilliant."

Rasalas craned his neck to see two identical faces peering down at him.

"Yeah, right brilliant o' brother of mine. We'll be able to get things moving months ahead of time."

"I know I gave you guys the money from the stupid tournament last spring... but since my estate's worth infinitely more, it was the right thing to do. The wizarding world needs to laugh now and then," said Rasalas. "Just promise me you won't spend it foolishly."

It was then Hermione noticed the gold chain and the hour glass dangling around Rasalas' neck.

"Harry, where did you get that?"

"Sirius gave it to me. You... you know what it is then."

"Of course! Harry, you don't—oh, of course you don't," said Hermione, catching her mistake. "But has anyone explained it to you... what it can do... the dangers of it?"

"Sirius wants to have a word with me about it, yeah. But when did we use one?"

"In third-year. We rescued Sirius, and saved Buckbeak—he's a Hippogriff."

"Sirius did mention something about a Hippogriff making a nest in his mother's bedroom back in the townhouse. Something about it being poetic. But either way... I guess I now understand why he might have given this to me."

"So what is it?" George questioned.

"We can't tell you," said Hermione, "It's something that's heavily regulated by the ministry. And Harry, I mean it. Don't use it until you speak with Sirius. And what ever you do, don't wear it out in public... at least not in any magical place. There are many people who will know exactly what it is... and will do just about anything to get their hands on it—that from Professor McGonagall."

She thought for a a moment, then said, "Thanks for the gift certificate. Though I'll probably have to use the owl order. Making a trip to Diagon Alley might not be possible right now."

"Well it doesn't have an expiry date. Forgive me for it not being all that personal, all I could remember, is that you love to read, so it's the best I could do."

"Harry! Don't worry about it," Hermione scolded him, "It's lovely."

"Tell me what you get with it, and we'll call it even."

"Thanks for the Bertie Botts Beans and the broom servicing kit," said Ron, "Mum wants to confiscate my Zonko's gift certificate though."

"Just warn her that if she does, I'll take you to Zonko's in person. They do have a store in Toronto. I think it might be bigger than the one in... Hogsmeade, is it?"

Ron grinned and nodded, then noticed Rasalas' sweater.

"Oh. Mum knitted you another Weasley jumper."

"Yeah. It's wicked."

Ron looked puzzled. "You like it?"

"Why wouldn't I? To receive a gift from someone, no matter how much or little it's worth... it means the world to me. I mean this..." Rasalas gestured to the time-turner, "Is worth no more to me than the sweater. I'm equally touched by the gesture."

It was then Mrs. Weasley framed the door.

"Come on into the great room so we can clean up the dining room," she said.

The great room was at the back of the manor, directly behind the main foyer. It too, was two storeys high, with a massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Large windows and a set of double doors let plenty of sunlight in. One wall featured a great fireplace, though the fire was rather small—and practically unnecessary, if only to provide atmosphere. After all, December in the tropics felt the same as July. In one corner rested a black baby-grand piano, and a few instrument cases were neatly stacked behind it.

The room was decorated for the season, including an enormous Christmas tree. The rest of the household had already gathered, and were talking amongst themselves.

"Seems I joined the wrong party," Rasalas joked, parking himself in one of the chairs.

"Not really," said Sirius, "You were just late. Shame on you for sleeping in on Christmas."

Rasalas shrugged. "Blame my absent memory, Padfoot. But Happy Christmas everyone. Thank you for the wonderful presents. As I have already said to Ron, I treasure each and every one of them. This is my first Christmas as far as memory goes."

"Yes, and we will need to have a chat about your... new piece of jewelry," said Sirius.

"Mum made you a jumper again?" asked Ginny. She had stayed relatively close to her father since they'd arrived at the manor.

"Yes, and I like it very much," Rasalas grinned, "Your mum's awesome."

"Mum does see you as an eighth child, Rasalas," said Bill, "I think mum would have made that permanent if she could have."

He indicated a parcel under the tree.

"That's for you. I meant to give it to Sirius last night so you'd have it with the rest, but..."

"Oh. Thank you."

Rasalas picked up the parcel, and pulled the wrapping off. It was a moderate-sized tome, titled 'The warder's guide to wards and spatial protection'.

"I thought you might find that interesting. Happy Christmas."

It was then that Brady entered the room, with Corey and their mother following.

"Merry Christmas, y'all."

"Likewise," said Rasalas, "Did... did you guys have any problems with Kreacher?"

"No. He was good, acted the perfect butler."

"Good. Good. Err... thank you for the vest and the boots... I haven't tried the boots yet."

"Come and sit... egg nog if you like," said Sirius, "Molly and Casey will be in shortly—though Kreacher is more than capable of handling the clean-up." The last bit was mostly said to himself.

"Mr. Black," said Betty, "I believe I haven't been that nice of a guest. Thank you for bringin' us here."

"I'm not offended, Mrs. Gibson. We all understand this may be difficult for you, dealing with strangers, not to mention our world as a whole. If you need anything, just let us know," said Sirius.

"The one thing I have to say is thank you, Mr. Black, for lookin' out for my boys."

"Family is everything, Mrs. Gibson, especially now," said Mr. Weasley, "Rasalas here might as well be an eighth son to us, and it's only because of him that I'm still alive."

"As it is because of Brady that I'm still alive," said Rasalas, "I owe him a debt I can never repay. So needless to say, I'll do just about anything to protect him—including protecting his family."

It was then that both Casey and Molly stepped into the room, with Molly floating a large platter with a tea service in front of her. Sirius drew his wand and floated the other service to a separate table, making room.

"There's coffee too, for those who don't like tea," said Casey, "Cookies and pastries if you like."

More than a few hands reached out for the sweets.

"Now. Mrs. Gibson, would you like to help us with Christmas Dinner?"

"I would love to."

"We would like for Kreacher to be elsewhere today, so an extra hand in the kitchen is welcome. Serving you breakfast this morning was his only duty," said Casey. "Sirius felt it was a necessary evil, forcing him to serve people he believes are beneath him."

"Seriously. He was on his best behaviour?"

"Didn't say a word. Kept givin' us death glares though," said Corey.

"We could ban him from doing that too," said Rasalas.

"Haven't you done enough to him already?" said Hermione, irritated. That was one issue she would never be okay with, no matter how much they discussed the matter.

Rasalas let out a sigh. "Let's just leave it be."

"Yes, indeed, such matters can be looked after some other day."

"Yeah, back to the presents," said George, indicating yet another parcel under the tree.

"Mum don't look," said Fred, while Rasalas was again kneeling at the tree, opening yet another parcel.

"We've been inventing like mad, these are some of our first products."

"We have an owl-order catalogue for now," said George.

"What are they?" asked Ryan.

"Mostly prank products."

"Oh not that nonsense again!" Molly lamented, "I've already burned enough of that rubbish as it is!"

"I think it's brilliant," said Rasalas. Seeing one labelled 'Canary Cream', he got a flash-memory of exactly what it did.

He smirked. "Brady. Here, try this."

Seeing the smirking twins, Brady was apprehensive, but... challenge accepted. "This kills me I'm comin' back from the dead an' kickin' your asses."

"Oh no, nothing fatal here," Fred promised, still smirking.

Brady shrugged, then bit into the offered confection. It was actually quite good. "So what's it do?"

"You'll see," George promised. Molly continued to give her twin sons death glares.

"You boys are going into business?" Phil questioned.

"Yes sir," said Fred, "Rasalas was brilliant helping us get started."

"You have yourself an attorney?"

"A what?"

"He means a solicitor. And it's a good idea. Next time I see Kate, I'll ask if her firm can represent them."

"Now look, I won't have—"

There came a distraction in the form of Brady turning into a giant canary.

"Good grief!" Casey exclaimed, shocked.

"Fred and George Weasley!" Molly shrieked.

Corey, meanwhile, was doubled over in his seat, howling with laughter. It took him more than a few seconds to recompose himself, before he managed to say, "Well... 'least now he can really sing like a bird..."

"He'll probably get you back for that," Rasalas smirked.

Within a minute, Brady began to 'moult' his feathers, and soon after, reverted back to normal. He simply shook his head. "Damn."

"That's wild," said Aaron, "You guys really made all this stuff?"

"Neville ate one of those last year," Ron remembered.

"Yeah, huge hit at the party we had after the first task of the tournament. So we're still looking for a storefront. Hopefully in Diagon Alley, but we might buy out Zonko's in Hogsmeade," said George.

"So people can turn into animals 'an shit," Corey guessed.

"Well, Professor McGonagall can turn into a cat," said Hermione, "It's called an Animagus form. Not everyone can do it though."

"Rasalas' father could turn into a stag, and as for me," said Sirius, and right before their eyes, he became an enormous black dog.

"Padfoot," Rasalas whispered, once again assaulted by a flash-memory.

"You remember him," Ryan guessed.

"Yeah. One of the very few clear memories I have of my old life. I was really little though. I kept calling him 'pafoo'. I guess I wasn't able to properly pronounce my D's or my T's yet."

"That's awesome," said Corey.

Padfoot wagged his tail a few times, then shifted back.

"As Hermione points out, it's a very rare ability. And I'd ask everyone here to keep my form quiet. I could get into trouble since I'm not registered with the ministry."

"But people can be turned into animals," said Ron, "Harry won't remember, but last fall, a teacher turned Draco Malfoy into a ferret. Too bad it wasn't permanent. Little menace was made a Prefect this year, and he's been recruited into Umbridge's inquisitional squad. They all but rule the school."

"Let's just leave that rubbish," said Rasalas, "Today's not the day."

"Well... uh, question, 'bout the pouch 'ya gave me," said Brady, "How much can it carry?"

"I don't know," Rasalas answered, "I know it can hold a lot. And you know to be careful who sees you putting stuff in it—I mean, if the stuff you're putting in it wouldn't fit spatial reasoning—don't do it in front of people who don't know about magic."

"Yeah, I get it."

"Oh. A Gringotts pouch," said Bill, recognizing it immediately, "That's really valuable."

"I ordered it back when Brady was still having trouble with his records and his finances. And there's one more thing. Gringotts is willing to handle his finances, just to prevent such meddling from happening again."

"'an my cards'll all still work?"

"You'll be issued new cards," said Sirius, "With the advantage that they'll work in the magical world. As it stands, magical stores won't accept Muggle coin or plastic. Most shops in England, still deal only in wizarding coin, being so backwards compared with the rest of the world."

"Thank you. Uh... next question. When we goin' flyin'?"

"After lunch," Rasalas smirked, "Since two of you now have new toys. It might be cool to organize a pick-up Quidditch match... if more brooms can be located."

"I think we might have a few in the cellar, but I don't know of their condition," said Sirius, "The house really hasn't been used in perhaps a century, save for my brief visit last year."

That afternoon passed in a blur of broom races, seeker duels, and a game of pick-up Quidditch (since there weren't enough players for two teams). Rasalas proved that, even though he'd forgotten his past life, he still reigned supreme as champion seeker. Brady proved to be the fastest flier, but when it came to finesse and fine control, Rasalas still won it hands down. They at last called it a day when the sun had long sank behind the trees, and it became difficult to see in the twilight.

Dinner proved to be a spectacular event, given there were three mothers present. The cooking and baking had gone on all day pretty much, with the entire manor being filled with mouth-watering smells. Then, with everyone stuffed to nearly bursting, they again moved to the great room, while Sirius and Bill helped Molly with the clean up.

The rest of the evening passed by in a blur of drink, more food, and music. Rasalas was surprised to learn that Phil was a scratch fiddle player. Couple that with Brady's singing and playing, and a few other voices joining in, it was an amazing cap to an otherwise amazing day. It was certainly a day to remember, and perhaps one hard to outdo. It was likely Brady and his family wouldn't be with them next year, nor the Weasleys for that matter. Once in a lifetime, as Rasalas saw it.

December 31

There had been debate about what to do for the New Year's Eve celebrations. Both Ryan and Aaron had already planned to spend the evening in Niagara Falls at Queen Victoria Park—there was a large, free celebration there with fireworks at midnight.

Ron and the rest of the kids at the manor also wanted to attend, but Molly all but forbid them from attending, save for Fred and George, who were of age. Though she discouraged it, she could not outright forbid them.

Once again, Rasalas was torn. He wanted to go with his new friends to Niagara Falls, but he also didn't want to let down his old friends. It was made even more difficult, when Brady decided to go as well.

Ron had put him at ease. "Go. It'll still be wicked here. Maybe I might get a kiss from Hermione..."

"Dream on, lover boy," Rasalas teased.

It had taken only a few hours to organize the outing, with Auror Jackson arranging not only the security detail, but the accommodation. Both Rasalas and Brady wondered how they'd managed to pull that off, considering it was more than likely the rooms had been sold out months in advance.

The evening entertainment, meanwhile, proved to be somewhat of an annoyance to Rasalas. It ran something along the line of the kind of music Ryan listened to, but no—at least Ryan's stuff had a soul to it. It was more flash than meaningful lyrics, and quite frankly, Rasalas was nearly ready to just drag everyone back to the manor.

When midnight finally arrived cuing the pyrotechnics, Rasalas couldn't be more thankful. Unfortunately, Ryan was not in the mood to return to the hotel after the fireworks display, and instead dragged them into the casino. Brief embarrassment ensued, when they were all asked for I.D., before being allowed in. Ryan smirked after, whispering something about a Confundus charm on Aaron's I.D.

Knowing that Rasalas had not seen a casino before, Brady showed him the various tables and machines, letting him try everything at least once. It also went without saying, he ended up giving out dozens of autographs and ended up in perhaps twice as many pictures, as he was most certainly recognized.

As it grew really late (or perhaps really early), Brady let the others know he was returning to his hotel room. He had a group of young ladies on his arm, and Rasalas had to roll his eyes, knowing what his friend actually had in mind. He'd not been in the company of the opposite sex, likely for several months. 'Good on him,' Rasalas thought, simply. Though... five of them... wow.

It was even later before everyone else returned to the hotel room. Ryan had the hot streak of the night, winning nearly nine-hundred dollars at the slots. Everyone else ended up losing a bit of coin. Rasalas really didn't care a whole lot, it had been a wicked start to the new year... far better than the noise he'd been subjected to hours before... and by no means was he thinking of the fireworks.

Then secure in his room, he began to get undressed, still buzzing from the combination of the atmosphere and the alcohol. It had been a good night... wait. Was that... Rasalas had to smirk. Brady's room was directly beside his, and it sounded like he was being very-well entertained. More moans. Oh yes, very well entertained—

"JESUS FUCK!"

UP NEXT: Rasalas and his friends deal with a near-disaster, requiring the services of a mind-healer. A warning, there is mature subject matter.