A/N: This is author's note is actually a short response to one of my loyal readers, Mr. T; As to your inquiry about Harry and Gia's relationship, note Pansy's comment about them dating in the previous chapter, and how Gia responds. As for Viktor, he knew that Gia would reject his offer, but he still held a tad bit of hope. He couldn't simply give up without trying, regardless of Harry and Gia's obvious relationship. Also, trust me when I say that their relationship will reach a higher point in later chapters that I've already written out. I hope this helps a bit.
~Belle P
A/N 2: It's two o'clock in the morning where I am. I'm currently on Christmas break, and I'm bored. I'm also writing Chapter Thirty-Three, which is the last chapter before the Third Task. I decided to post a few chapters for those of you who can't sleep, like me. Enjoy!
Previous Chapter:
Though Hermione and Luna appeared ok with that, the boys didn't, but they were, of course, ignored. Dinner went normal, and I grinned at noticing that my party was still very much the talk of the school. For the first time in years, I couldn't wait for my birthday to come around.
Chapter Twenty-One
The last week before break was rather loud and boisterous as it progressed. And though some teachers, like Flitwick, allowed us to relax, others (McGonagall, Moody, and Snape) did no such thing, and kept us working to the last second. That week was also filled with me taking various people in our group (the trio, Luna, Neville, Ginny, and even Terry) off grounds to do bits of Christmas shopping. We'd disappear during breaks and free periods, and would turn up in time for class and meals. To my utter delight, I got everyone accounted for in the way of Christmas gifts, and all of their gifts were already wrapped and hidden in my trunk. It seemed that, thanks to me, everyone else got their Christmas shopping finished as well.
It was after lessons had ended on the last day of term, and Hermione, Luna, the boys and I were hanging out in our common room in East Tower, when my eyes widened in horror. "Dammit! Ron, please tell me you already wrote your family telling them the plan?" I asked desperately.
Ron's face flushed and he scratched the back of his head. I groaned. "I'm sorry Gia, I thought you would've done that already." He apologized.
I stood up and waved his apology away. "We have a week before Christmas, but everyone's supposed to be at my house in two days!" My mind raced with ideas and I finally came up with a plan. "Alright, Ron, I'm taking you and your siblings home today. It's your job to get your family ready to go in the next two days. Hermione, I'm taking you home so that you can help your parents pack and stuff. Luna, the same with you and your dad; Harry and I will go on ahead to my home to get everything ready, and in two days we'll be coming around to each of your houses to get you." I said.
"But we haven't even packed yet!" Hermione pointed out.
Suddenly feeling a bit of panic, I sighed as Harry immediately began to rub soothing circles into my palms. "Gia, love, you're brilliant and we'll get everything done in time. Please, just relax and we'll get through this." He said.
Taking a calming breath, I blew it out and smiled slightly. "Thanks, and you're right." I waved my wand and the doors to everyone's rooms flew open and their trunks flew out and landed in front of each respective person. We watched as clothes, items, and other things flew and fit themselves neatly into each trunk, closed, and locked itself. "Great, you're all packed, are you ready to go?" I said, smirking.
"What about Ginny and the twins?" Ron asked. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"She's been packed for the past three days, and she threatened the twins into packing." I teased, causing the boy to flush.
Shrinking their trunks, we all left East Tower and headed to Gryffindor Tower. We entered the empty common room, and saw Ginny and the twins waiting by the fire, their trunks all shrunken and ready. Chatting amicably, we headed down to the entrance hall, down the sloping grounds and out of the gates where I conjured a rope. "Ginny, since I think you're the smartest of these idiots," I said, laughing at the twins' and Ron's expressions, "I want you to focus on just outside the Burrow while I make this."
Ginny nodded and held onto the rope. "Portus." I said. It glowed blue. "That should be good, alright you lot, grab on and don't let go." I instructed. Once everyone was ready, I activated the portkey and we were whisked away.
My first sight of the Burrow immediately made me fall in love with it. Yes, I was used to and loved the extravagant lifestyle I lived, but there was something innately homey about the lopsided house that was undoubtedly held together by magic. The Weasley children led Harry, Hermione, Luna, and I up to the house and inside.
"Mum, Dad, we're home!" Ginny called.
Immediately, a short, plump red-haired woman bustled into the room and began to fuss over her children. I smiled and ignored the clench in my chest. She practically radiated motherly love. I felt Harry's hand find mine and knew he felt the same. "Mum, Mum," Ron groaned as his mother enveloped him in a tight hug, though we could all see the warm smile on his face.
"You're father's still at work, but oh dear Ronald, you've grown so much in just a few months!" she gushed. We giggled, and inevitably drew Mrs. Weasleys attention.
She quickly pulled Harry and Hermione into hugs as well, fussing over them and making them blush, and then she looked at me with a warm smile that melted my entire body. "Oh! You must be Gia; my you are a beautiful young lady. Come here, dear!" she urged. And suddenly, I found myself swept up in motherly love, and I soaked up as much as I could.
When we broke apart, I felt warm and welcome. "My children have been writing me all term, telling me so many great things about you, dear." Mrs. Weasley said. "Oh, where are my manners? Please, sit, I can whip up a meal."
I smiled. "Normally, I would love to Mrs. Weasley, and I appreciate the offer, but we came to drop off Ron, Ginny, and the twins. I also meant to send a letter weeks ago," I grimaced, "but I've invited your entire family to my house for Christmas."
Mrs. Weasley's face brightened and she nodded. "Yes, Ginny wrote to me about that! That's such a kind offer Gia, are you sure there's enough room?"
I waved my hand. "Of course; Luna and her dad, along with Hermione and her parents, and Harry will all be there too. It'll be my first real family Christmas." That prompted Mrs. Weasley to pull me into another hug and bemoan the tragedies of kids like Harry and me, who needed love and family.
"Thanks Mrs. Weasley. Harry and I will be back on Sunday to get you all, so please be packed and ready by then." I said, standing up. After a few more exchanged words and hugs with the Weasleys, before Harry, Hermione and I walked Luna across Ottery St. Catchpole to her home.
"Mrs. Weasley seems so…motherly and caring." I said softly.
The other three smiled at me and nodded. "Yeah, she's always been like that to anyone she meets." Hermione said.
"She's a wonderful woman," Luna piped up, "She took real good care of Daddy and I after Mum died, making sure we ate and such."
Harry simply smiled softly and nodded. Within ten minutes, we arrived at the Rookery, Luna's home, which I found was aptly named, as it looked scarily similar to the chess piece. We went through a much quieter, yet just as interesting meeting with Xenophilius Lovegood, and he also agreed to join us for the hols.
Finally, I redirected the portkey to Hermione's home in the muggle world, and it turns out that she lived amongst, not the wealthiest people, but definitely the higher ups, what with her parents being successful dentists. Upon entering the large yet cozy house, Hermione led us into the living room.
"Mum! Dad!" Hermione exclaimed happily.
Her parents immediately stood up from their seats and pulled their daughter and only child into a loving embrace. "Hermione dear," her mother said, "we've missed you so much!"
"She's right squirt, and you've grown so much, and as beautiful as ever!" said her dad, sounding rather amusingly like Mrs. Weasley.
"Mum, Dad, these are my friends, Harry Potter and Gia Grey." Hermione said, introducing us.
"Welcome to our home, Harry, Gia. My name is Jane, and this is my husband, Dan." Jane said. We shook hands and sat down in the living room, relaxing for a minute. I quickly studied Mr. and Mrs. Granger, and saw that Hermione was a perfect blend of them both. She had her mother's figure and classical features, yet her father's hair and warm brown eyes. They were obviously a rather close-knit and loving family, and I felt content knowing my best friends came from happy homes.
"Hermione has told us so much about you both, though perhaps more about Harry, seeing as she knew him longer." Jane said, starting the conversation.
"Yes ma'am, I've only just started at Hogwarts this year." I said. "But the main reason we're here is to invite you all to join us for Christmas at my house."
Jane and Dan smiled softly. "Yes, Hermione told us about your…arrangements. It's very nice dear, and we're excited."
I smiled mysteriously. "Do you, by any chance, know how to ski or snowboard?" I asked. Their eyes lit up.
"Oh yes, we've been many times on vacations to the Alps and such!" Dan said excitedly.
"That's great; make sure you pack your gear and such. I can guarantee that you'll have a grand time. It's been a pleasure meeting you both, but I'm afraid that Harry and I have to go get the house ready. We'll be back on Sunday to get you, though." I said, standing up. We said our goodbyes, and Harry and I finally arrived at my home.
I looked at Harry's stunned face, and burst into giggles. "This is your house?" he asked incredulously.
I snorted. "Hardly," I said, "this is just where I vacation in the winter."
Harry stared from me to the house in stunned amazement. The house itself was actually not a house at all; it was practically its own snow resort. And actually, it use to be public snow resort until my family bought it, warded it up completely, and renovated it as a vacation home. There was one huge building that made three sides of a square, with wooden wraparound porches, dozens of tall glass windows and patios, and different wings. It was in an enormous clearing in a large forest nestled in the Alps. It was all completely blanketed in a deep layer of fresh snow, and judging from the sky, it would snow again that night.
Having appeared on a stone path that led to the front courtyard, we walked up the porch and into the front hall. We were immediately bathed in cozy warmth from one of the many fireplaces, and as we hung our cloaks on the coat rack, I called out, "Prim! Winky!"
Instantly, the two house-elves appeared, curtsied, and beamed up at me. I smiled at seeing how obviously happy Winky was working under Prim, and we greeted them. "The place looks great you two, would you mind starting dinner while I give Harry the tour? After dinner, we'll be decorating, if you two would like to help?"
"Of course, Mistress Gia!" both elves squeaked before popping away.
"Are you over your stunned silence yet, Harry?" I teased, looking over at him. He just smiled and gave me a quick kiss. We automatically linked hands as I began to lead Harry through the house.
"The bottom floor has the foyer we just arrived in, the kitchens, the main living room, the formal dining room, the informal dining room, and the outside patio." I said, showing Harry each room as I named it. There was mostly wood and brick around, with loads of granite surfaces, large fireplaces, cozy furniture, and open rooms with large windows.
"And this, is a room specifically built for Christmas." I said, taking Harry to the very center of the bottom floor. There was a ballroom sized room, with a high-domed ceiling, and large windows that looked out to the forest. There were plenty of comfy couches and chairs for many people, and in the center, was a huge empty space.
"It's where we spent Christmas," I said softly, gazing into the room, "back when I still had my parents. The tree goes in the empty space there, and we'd sit around it, opening presents."
Harry said nothing, but I could tell that he appreciated what it represented. I took him down a back hallway behind the informal dining room, and led him up the flight of stairs.
"The next floor is more for inside entertainment," I said, taking Harry to the East Wing. "This floor has a fully equipped muggle entertainment room with video games, a huge plasma screen TV, and the room off to the side there is a rather large home theater." To my amusement, Harry seemed more excited about the cinema-style snack bar completely filled with muggle and wizarding snacks and treats. That floor was also completely filled with large, wide comfy couches, chairs, beanbags, and all sorts of places to recline and relax while doing some sort of activity.
"On the other side of this floor," I said, leading Harry back into the West Wing "is the magical training room and this version of the family library."
"This version?" Harry asked. I nodded.
"We have a library at each property, they're mostly the same except for the main library back where I live year around, it's the biggest." I explained. Harry grinned.
"Good luck trying to drag Hermione out of here." He joked.
I groaned. "Dammit."
Leading Harry up the stairs again to the third floor, I led him through many hallways and various lounging and living rooms. "This floor is completely filled with top of the line guestrooms. This whole place is made for comfort and relaxation, which is why it has like, a million living rooms." I said, shaking my head with a grin. "Obviously, I don't have guests so it'll be fun to put these rooms to good use, and there's more than enough room when I have my party here in two weeks."
Finally, I took Harry up to the top floor, my floor. "This floor has the master suite, which is mine, and then it has a suite almost identical to it, but slightly smaller. It has yet another huge living room, and you can see, another plasma screen TV. It should be interesting to have a bunch of purebloods around all of this muggle technology." I wondered.
Harry snorted. "Just wait until your birthday party, when people like Malfoy will be here." We stared at other and burst into laughter so hard, we felt it ache in our guts. When we stopped, I took Harry through my suite and out onto a long, wide patio filled with padded, lawn chairs, each in pairs, with one on either side of a small table that held a large umbrella.
"And this," I said grandly, "is my favorite place in the entire house. Even though each floor has a patio like this, though theirs lead out from the living room, this one has the best view. The view is also amazing from the pitch."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Pitch?"
I nodded. "There's a quidditch pitch just beyond those trees." I said, pointing. "Do you see the break there?" Harry nodded. "That's it."
But the patio did have the best view, and I smiled wistfully as Harry and leaned on the wooden banister that wrapped around the entire patio. We had a wide, completely unobstructed view of now only the huge forest, but especially the huge mountains, all covered in pure white snow.
Harry sighed. "This is beautiful Gia," he said softly, "and bound to be the best Christmas ever." I smiled and leaned my head on his shoulder.
"I hope so."
We stood like that, simply gazing serenely out at the mountains and forest, until Prim popped in to tell us that dinner was ready. I guided Harry back down to the bottom floor, and into the large kitchen. We sat at the granite-topped island in the middle, and smiled as Winky served us both huge bowls of steaming beef stew along with buttered bread rolls that set our mouths watering. We thanked them and began to eat.
"This place is so… peaceful." Harry said. "It has its own magic about it and it's so cozy, even with its grandeur."
I nodded with a smile. "Of course, you'll have to get use to the grandeur, Harry." I said.
He laughed. "Yeah, I suppose so."
After dinner, Harry and I spent hours going around the outside and inside of the entire property, with the help of Winky and Prim, using magic to decorate. Luckily, we finished the outside before it got too dark, and continued inside until we had finished around eleven that night. When it had gotten truly dark, I activated the wards officially, and they went up full force. Prim and Winky had made sure every door and window was locked and secured, and had covered all of them with tasteful black curtains.
Too tired to do anything else besides take a quick, hot shower, Harry and I climbed into bed, and were immediately asleep.
The next morning, I awoke slowly and blinked around, wondering why I wasn't in East Tower. As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I immediately recognized my vacation room and a large smile bloomed on my face. Sitting up, I stretched and looked down at Harry's face. He had just opened his large green eyes, and he smiled up at me.
"Good morning love," he murmured. I leaned down and gave him a quick kiss.
"Morning, come on, get up!" I yelped and laughed as Harry groaned and grabbed me around my waist, pulling me back down onto the bed. He rolled us over until he was practically lying on top of me, but he was careful not to put all of his weight on me. "Harry!" I whined, laughing.
"No," he groaned, "I don't want to get up yet, Gia. We're on holiday!"
My eyes sparkled as I gazed up at him, and he leaned down, pulling me into a kiss. Pulling back, I smirked. "If you don't get up you won't be getting another kiss until term starts back up."
Harry's eyes narrowed challengingly. "You wouldn't do that to me, would you?"
I snorted. "You want to bet your lips on that?"
We glared mockingly at each other, before Harry groaned dramatically and rolled off of me, and onto his feet. I stood up and showed Harry to my walk-in closet where our things were already hung up and put away. "Do you have one of these at every property?" Harry asked as we dressed for the day.
I laughed. "Of course."
That day, Harry and I wore black jeans, crew neck sweaters and boots. After we ate breakfast in the kitchens, I dragged Harry outside. "We don't even have coats on!" he protested.
I looked at him funny. "Are you cold, Harry?"
He waved his arms experimentally, and I laughed outright at that. "No," he said slowly, wonder coloring his voice.
I nodded. "The property has warming charms built into the wards; that's why I told everyone that they could dress cold or warm for my party. But once we step out of the wards, we'd be bloody freezing. Luckily, the forest is in the wards." I said.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "The forest?"
"Yepp, we need a Christmas tree, don't we?" I stated as if it should've been obvious.
Harry shrugged. "The Dursleys always got those little silver, plastic trees."
I wrinkled my nose. "How…tacky…" I muttered, before shaking my head firmly. "But we're going to celebrate Christmas the right way, and that means picking out a very real tree from this forest."
"How are we going to get it down?" Harry asked.
"We've got wands don't we?" I said.
"We…" he looked at me, "well I am not allowed to do magic outside of school."
I grinned and tapped his nose. "It's all in the wards. Anyone can do magic here, as long as it's not purposefully harmful to the residents."
Harry rolled his eyes. "You could've told me that before I left my wand in the house." He groaned.
I lazily flicked my wand, and a second later, Harry's wand came zooming through the air and I plucked it out of the air, handing it to Harry. "There you go, darling." He gently, playfully shoved my shoulder.
"Shut up," he muttered as we entered the forest. I stuck my tongue out at him.
Throughout the forest, a path had been made and we followed that, examining the huge pines and firs, all dusted in snow. The path had been covered in snow, but I knew this forest as well as I knew myself, and I guided Harry around, stepping off the path several times.
"And that," I said, pointing to a tree marked with a bright red ribbon tied around one of its branches, "is where I pretended I was a ninja, and climbed to the top, and promptly fell off and broke my leg."
Harry raised his eyebrows at me. "How did you get back to the house?"
I shrugged. "That's the mystery, right? I passed out, and when I woke up, I was on the porch. I never found out, to this day, how that happened. No one else should've been able to get through the wards, so I chalked it up to accidental magic, but I never knew for sure." I said, gazing at the tree distantly.
Harry grinned softly. "Maybe you have a guardian angel out here, somewhere." He said.
I smiled at him. "Maybe,"
We wandered around the forest, until I eventually led us to the side of one of the mountains. There was a huge waterfall that crashed down into a lake, which wound all throughout the mountains. We had found one of the smaller, yet still large, clearings in the forest, and stared at the frozen waterfall.
"It's so interesting, how it's like…frozen in action like that." Harry said.
I nodded. "I know what you mean. At certain parts of the year, though still cold, it gets warm enough that it melts and it's a real waterfall, not just this frozen glacier." I sighed as another memory popped up. "I almost drowned here once," I started.
Harry's eyes widened. "What? How?"
I walked up to the edge of the large pool of water, and stared down at its frozen surface…but I knew better now. "I was young, perhaps eight or nine, and I thought it'd be fun to walk on the ice. I was stupid, didn't see that it wasn't completely frozen, and I fell through. I was trapped…"
Harry came up behind me, and wrapped his arms around my waist. I leaned my head back on his chest. "It's almost the same as what happened in the forest. I passed out, I was drowning, I was freezing, and someone or something saved me. But it was different this time," I said, drawing on the memory, "I was awake enough at one point to see her slip back into the water."
"Her?" I couldn't see his face, but I could hear the surprise in his voice.
"Yeah, I only saw her tail though, and I was young, so I thought she was a mermaid. But as I got older, I did research and I figured that she was a water nymph." I said.
"I thought those were just myths." Harry said.
"I thought so too, until one saved my life. I'd read that they like music, and so every Christmas since I could do controlled magic, I'd bring a harp out here and charm it to play for a few days. Whenever I come back for it, they're always gone, so I figure they take them." I explained.
"You think there's more than one?"
I shrugged. "Sure. Why would she live here alone? I figured that if a water nymph lived here, why not a wood nymph? Maybe that's…"
"What brought you back to the house, when you broke your leg?" Harry supplied. I nodded. "Well, there's no reason we shouldn't continue your tradition. How about we come out here on Christmas Eve and do it?"
I smiled up at Harry. "That'd be nice."
I was happy with my decision to share a bit of my childhood with Harry, and as we started to leave the clearing, I swore I heard faint laughter, though it was quickly lost in the wind.
We wandered back through the forest, and finally, on the way back to the house, we found the perfect tree. It was a dark green spruce tree, at least twenty feet tall, and would fit perfectly in the Christmas Room, as I called it. I used a spell to steady it and keep it upright, as Harry and I used cutting charms to cut it down. Once we had cut through the trunk, we both used overpowered levitating charms to bring it to the courtyard in front of the house. From there, I called Winky and Prim.
"Yes, Mistress Gia?" They asked in unison, smiling happily.
"Can you two take this to the Christmas Room, and set it up in its usual place? You two can help Harry and me decorate it when you're done." I said.
Clearly ecstatic, the two elves popped away, taking the huge tree with it, and Harry and I linked hands as we wandered lazily up the wide, wooden front steps, onto the porch, and into the house. We arrived in the Christmas Room as Prim and Winky were steadying it magically into the floor. Once that was done, I summoned over a dozen boxes filled with ornaments, all of which floated lazily from a large closet in the corner of the room.
"Aww, what's this?" Harry cooed teasingly.
I looked over my shoulder and groaned.
Harry had found the box with ornaments my parents had used when I was little. Going over to him, I gently took the little gingerbread man-shaped picture frame from Harry, and gazed down at the picture. Thanks to preservation charms, it was still clear and hadn't faded. It was a picture of me, back when I was five years old. My hair was still bright red, my eyes still amber, and I was smiling largely at the camera. I smiled softly. I had lost one of my front teeth back then, and had insisted that the tooth fairy bring me extra candy on Christmas.
My smile turned sad as I saw my mother in the background, laughing at whatever my father was doing to make me smile for the picture. "That's me, obviously," I said to Harry. "I was five. And that's my mom."
"She's beautiful," Harry murmured, pulling me down into his lap, and tucking my head into his neck.
"Yeah, she was, wasn't she?"
My mother truly was a ray of sunshine; we were almost twins. We had the same bright red hair, the same features, but while her eyes were hazel, I got my amber eyes from my father, who had black hair. My mother had the most wonderfully musical laugh, my father's had been deep and warm. I sighed and pulled the box towards Harry and I. We were sitting on the floor, leaning against one of the couches.
Suddenly, we found ourselves going through the box, pulling out dozens of old pictures, mostly of me, a lot of them containing my parents, and to my delight, a bunch of them contained a younger Prim. I told Harry the stories behind most of the pictures, remembering each one, and treasuring them all.
"I haven't seen these in years…" I said softly, putting the last picture back in the box.
"Then, I think we should put them on the tree." Harry suggested. "Everyone else will have their families here, so it's only right that you have yours here, in some way, as well."
I smiled and kissed Harry. "By that same token, I say we make new ornament frames and put pictures of your parents on the tree too. We don't have to take them out of your album, but we could make copies so the originals don't get ruined somehow."
Harry smiled sadly. "I'd like that, and I think they would too."
And so, for the next few hours, we decorated the tree with dozens and dozens of ornaments, tinsel, lights, garlands, and charmed icicles, mixing in my pictures along with Harry's. He'd dug out pictures of himself as a baby, with his parents, Remus, and Sirius. We used levitating charms to get to the higher parts of the tree, wherever Harry and I couldn't reach.
When we'd finished decorating, I went over to an open window, and sent out a golden flare into the air. "What was that for?" Harry asked. I smiled mysteriously at him.
A minute later, a stream of tiny, sparkling fairies flew into through the window and began zooming around the room before settling on the tree, twinkling all the while. "Wizarding tradition," I said to Harry. "The flare was a signal to the fairies in the forest. They love being admired on a Christmas, so they don't mind being put on display."
"They're beautiful," Harry said, peering at the little fairies. The little flirts giggled and batted their tiny eyelashes at Harry, who blushed and stepped back, causing me to laugh outright at him.
"Winky," I said, smiling, "As the newest member of our little family, I say you put the star on top of the tree."
Immediately, her large round eyes filled with tears. "Mistress Gia would like Winky to do the honors?" She asked, her voice full of wonder and amazement.
"Of course," I said.
Winky squealed happily, and gently lifted the huge, ancient glass seven-pointed star out of its velvet lined box and popped to the top of the tree. "That star has been in my family for centuries," I said to Harry. We watched as Winky, very carefully, settled it at the top of the tree, and secured it with a bit of magic. When she came back down to the floor, I waved my wand and the tree lit up, and the fairies began to fly up and down the tree, creating their own little routines and patterns.
"I swear they spend all year coming up with a pattern to do." I laughed, leaning back against Harry's chest again as he held me. "It truly feels like Christmas."
"Yes, it does. Christmas at Hogwarts is great, but this is much more…family-like." Harry said. I nodded, before smiling excited and clapping my hands.
"Now, it's time for one of the best parts!" I exclaimed. Harry amusedly raised an eyebrow. "We have to put our gifts under the tree, of course!"
Laughing, Harry and I ran up to our room, grabbed our trunks, and ran back down to the Christmas Room. Enlarging them, we both dumped out huge piles of gifts, all beautifully wrapped in colorful and bright wrapping paper. We smiled at each other knowingly. "Prim and Winky?" we asked, nodding at each other before laughing.
"They really did a great job wrapping these." I said, placing my pile under the tree.
"Yeah, and they were smart to give them mysterious boxes so you can't tell what's inside." Harry agreed as we he placed his own around mine. Stepping back, we smiled at the representation of our first family Christmas since we were little kids. "Get use to this Harry," I said contently, "this is us, every year."
Harry kissed my head. "I can get use to this, Gia, especially the us part."