Hey guys! Thank you SOOOO much for being so patient, I promise to get the next chapter out sooner than this was. I made this chapter extra long to make it up to you, thanks for reading! – PinkRoseKoolKat
Raising Harry: Chapter 26
The day had finally arrived: It was time to Harry to go home and see his mum! He had been looking forward to this day for ages, and the fact that this year he would be spending his holiday with his new friends was even more exciting. He had just finished packing his trunk when Ron entered the dormitory and asked Harry "Alright there, Harry? Ready to go?"
Harry answered "Yeah! You?
Ron replied "Yeah! -Just need to get my trunk." As he walked over to his bed and pulled his trunk off of it, he dragged it down the steps to the Common Room. Harry then did the same after shutting his trunk and grabbing Hedwig's cage. When they entered the room, they saw Mary quietly reading on the crimson sofa, her trunk sitting next to her.
Harry grinned as he asked aloud "We're all set, then?"
Mary looked up from her book and nodded with a smile, and Ron grinned widely as he too nodded. Harry then said "Right then, off we go! Let the holidays begin!" They all cheered and made ready to leave.
Back at McGonagall Mansion...
Katrina had just added some finishing touches to the guest rooms for Ron, Mary and Arin. She couldn't stop smiling all morning, because not only would she have her son home again, but he also had new friends to share the holidays with. She too would get to have her own friend over for the holidays, though Arin had sent her an owl the other day saying that she'd arrive later than the latter, for she was behind on some work and grading and needed to catch up before the long break, but nonetheless she would be there! Katrina had prepared clean towels, sheets, and other necessities for each room. She even added a Christmas tree in each room to give them all a little surprise to find when they got settled in! She hadn't put the big Christmas tree up in the living room just yet, because she and Harry did it together every year and she didn't want him to miss out. Once she finished, she began cooking a hearty vegetable soup for dinner that night. As she was chopping some vegetables, she heard McGonagall come in and call out "Hello!"
Katrina replied "Professor!" as she put down the knife and ran to hug her. McGonagall said as she chuckled "It's good to see you too, my dear!"
Katrina grinned "Oh I've missed you and Harry so much! Is he on the train now?"
McGonagall nodded and replied "He should be at Kings Cross in an hour, as well as Ms. Black and Mr. Weasley."
Katrina nodded, and as went back to the kitchen, McGonagall followed. Katrina's black cat was laying on the table as McGonagall sat down and pet him. Katrina smiled as she asked "Would you like some tea, Professor?"
McGonagall said "Goodness child! After all this time you're still referring to me as Professor and not Minerva? You have every right to address me as my friends and colleagues do. I believe you earned that right the moment we took in Harry."
Katrina blushed of embarrassment as she answered "I guess I just felt it was sort of, well, improper not referring to you as I always have. But I would be honored to call you by your name, Prof- er, Minerva."
McGonagall smiled, and said "But to answer your question, yes; a cup of tea would be lovely."
Katrina returned the smile as she put the kettle on and added "And you know you have every right to call me Katrina rather than Ms. Belmont, right?"
McGonagall chuckled and said "I suppose it's a habit of mine to refer to you as I do all my students, current as well as former. But of course, Katrina."
Katrina grinned as she returned to cooking, though this time she was baking Harry's favorite Christmas biscuits.
Once she finished about forty minutes later, she took off her pale pink apron and grinned as she thought to herself "I'd say it's about time to pick up the kids!"
She told McGonagall as she slipped her black leather jacket on "Well, I'm off to pick up the kids! I'll be back soon!"
McGonagall finished her tea and said as she turned a page in the Daily Prophet "Be safe, dear! I'm sure Kings Cross is packed with Muggles!"
Katrina smiled as she said "I did always love the holiday bustle!" as she chuckled to herself and apparated to the Kings Cross entrance.
At Kings Cross…
Harry, Ron, and Mary all got off the train, trunks and pets in tow. As they dragged their trunks to a clearing, they searched the massive crowd for Katrina.
Katrina was just making her way through the massive crowds of people, looking for the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. As she pushed and dodged through Muggles, she miss-stepped and found herself falling to the floor after a large man with a peculiar mustache bumped into her quite rudely.
He grumbled to himself "Young people today, never looking where they're going…"
She sighed as she got up "Excuse me, I'm in a rush to pick up my son."
He gave a "hmph", while his pencil-thin, long-necked wife looked down at her as if she had just smelled something foul. Katrina gave him a look as she picked herself up and walked away, muttering to herself sarcastically "Well aren't you Mr. and Mrs. Friendly, and thanks for helping me up too!"
She sighed, and turned as she watched them walk away talking, probably about her and her "carelessness" when it was HIM who bumped into her. She noticed that his wife had her boney arm wrapped around a boy that looked about Harry's age. They almost looked like characters out of a cartoon, and she snorted to herself as she thought "What an odd-looking lot, and they've got no sense of humor for people who look very comical!"
She then remembered "Right, Harry and his friends are probably wondering where in Merlin's name I am!" so she rushed to the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. As she ran through, a memory from her past washed over her.
A flashback to the beginning of her last year at Hogwarts…
"ARIN WE'RE GOING TO MISS THE TRAIN, COME ON!" Seventeen-year old Katrina Belmont shouted to her best friend, who had spent the past week with her before their school year began.
Arin shouted back "OKAY OKAY SHEESH, CALM DOWN FOR MERLIN'S SAKE WE'RE ABOUT TO RUN THROUGH THE BARRIER!"
Katrina grinned as she dragged her trunk with one hand and her carrier for her owl in the other, and rushed through to Platform 9 and 3/4. Arin was right behind her, also juggling her trunk and carrier. Katrina stopped for a minute, and said "This is it: Our last year, Arin. Can you believe it?"
Arin said with a sigh "No, it feels like just yesterday we were two little girls-oh wait, we still are!"
They both laughed, and Katrina said "Well, we're at least a little bit taller than we were when we started!"
The two giggled, but then the train suddenly sounded its horn, and as the sound pierced the air, Katrina was so startled she nearly fell over as she said "oH MERLIN WE NEED TO GET OUR ARSES ON TO THE TRAIN!"
Arin and Katrina rushed to the door and thankfully were able to quickly make it on before the train parted a minute later. Once they settled into a compartment, they looked at each other and began to laugh. This was going to be a good year, they could feel it, even with the war going on.
Back to where we were…
She snapped out of the memory, and about two minutes later, she spotted Harry, Ron and Mary all huddled behind a barrier with their trunks and pets, searching the endless crowd for her. She waved frantically with the biggest grin on her face, and Harry spotted her and waved back just as excitedly.
She once again dipped and dodged her way through the crowd and then when she reached the kids, Harry excitedly "Hi, mum!"
Katrina grinned as she hugged him tightly and said "Oh Harry! I missed you so much!"
Harry hugged her back and said "Not as much as I missed you!"
Katrina smiled with a few tears in her eyes as she and Harry separated, and she said "Oh, Mary! Ron!" before running over and giving them both hugs too.
Ron said "Good to see you, Mrs…Ms…um?"
Katrina laughed, and Ron's ears turned bright pink. She said "You can call me Kat, Ron. My last name is Belmont, but my friends call me Kat. So, if my friends can say it, then I think Harry's can too; any friend of his is a friend of mine!"
Ron grinned and said "Okay, well then good to see you, Kat!"
Katrina laughed, and Mary smiled, asking "It really is great to see you! How have you been?"
Katrina smiled and said "I've been alright, much happier now that you all are here with me! Shall we head back to the house?"
They all nodded, and Katrina said "Right then, lets shrink all your luggage so it can fit into your pocket while we apparate back, minus the pets of course, hang on tight to their cages!"
She cast the shrinking spell on each of their trunks, and they each pocketed their now tiny and much lighter luggage, and Katrina said "Good, that's done then! Now I want all of you to link arms with each other, so you can hold your pets with one hand, but yet still be able to hang tightly to each other, okay?" They all nodded and did as she asked. She held Harry's and Mary's arms, forming a small circle of them as they then apparated back to the house.
A few moments later…
As they entered the house, Ron and Mary were in awe; they had never seen such an elegant home! Katrina smiled and said "I know, it is remarkable isn't it? I hadn't been in a house as beautiful as this before Harry came into my life."
Harry grinned and said "Come on! I'll show you my room!" Mary and Ron followed with grins on their faces, just as excited as he was.
Katrina smiled as she followed them, her black cat right behind her.
She picked him up and held him as he purred. She said softly "It's good to have him home, isn't it, Nox?" He meowed, and she carried him in her arms as she walked upstairs to Harry's room.
Katrina stood in the doorway as Harry talked excitedly to his friends. After a few minutes, her cat jumped out of her arms and she asked "Ron, Mary? Are you ready to see your rooms for the next two weeks?"
They both nodded excitedly, and Katrina smiled as she led them out of the room. She then said "Ron, your room is right next to Harry's. Go ahead inside and I'll be there to unshrink your trunk in a moment, okay?"
Ron nodded and as he opened the door, he exclaimed "Bloody Hell! This is MY room?"
Katrina giggled as she said "Yes!"
Ron shouted "Wicked!"
She laughed, as did Mary. She then turned to Mary as she led her to the room next to Ron's. She turned to Mary and said quietly "Listen, sweetie; I know things haven't been easy for you at home, and I have a feeling that you aren't treated as well as you should be, am I right when I say this?"
Mary hesitated, but nodded slowly and softly, staring at the floor sadly.
Katrina bent down, and gently put her hand on the girl's shoulder. She said "It's alright, dear. It's nothing to be ashamed of. I had a friend when I was your age who had a very similar living situation. But you know what? He had a place he could go to whenever things got too much at home. And from now on, you have one too. This room is a place that you're always welcome to come to when you need it. Okay?"
Mary's eyes widened, and she nodded, her blue eyes beginning to fill with tears. Katrina smiled and hugged the girl before she let go and said "Go ahead in, hon."
Mary opened the door slowly, and what she saw made the tears trail down her pale face. It was a beautiful, pale yellow that made it feel like a room filled with sunshine. There was a bed with a pale blue shaded quilt, but had a beautiful gold sun in the middle as the design that seemed to sparkle and shine (made from an enchantment Katrina used). There was a bookcase filled with Muggle books that she thought Mary might like to read, a desk, and a large armoire, all of which were white, including the bed frame. There was a small bathroom connected to the room as well! The ceiling had little stars that seemed to glisten slightly, as though it was a real sky up above! In the middle of the room, there was a tall tree decorated with colored lights, gold tinsel, and white, gold, and pale blue ornaments to match the room, and a shimmering gold star at the very top. The room was so warm and inviting, Mary couldn't believe that this was for her!
Katrina smiled as she asked "Do you like it?"
Mary turned around, tears now flowing down her cheeks as she ran to Katrina and hugged her as she said "I love it, is this really for me?"
Katrina's own eyes had tears in them as she said "Yes, sweetie. It really is. You deserve it."
Mary smiled as she wiped her tears on the sleeves of her worn-looking jacket.
Katrina made a mental note to find out her clothes size for later. She then said "Well, let's go ahead and unshrink your luggage, yes?"
Mary nodded, and pulled the tiny trunk out of her pocket and put it on the floor.
Katrina non-verbally cast the unshrinking spell, and said "Alright dear, I should go help Ron with his trunk as well. Take your time and unpack, shower if you'd like. Dinner should be ready in an hour, okay?"
Mary said "Okay. Kat?"
Katrina asked "Hmm?"
Mary said "Thank you."
Katrina smiled "Of course. You deserve to be taken care of, you know. Don't let anyone tell you different."
Mary smiled, and Katrina closed the door almost all the way but left it open a bit in case Mary feared that she would lock the door. She remembered that Sirius too had that fear of being locked in due to how he was raised. She hoped she could take away at least a little of that anxiety for Mary as well.
She knocked on the door before entering Ron's room.
Ron answered "Yeah?" as she walked in, and she saw him laying on the bed looking up at the ceiling that was enchanted to look like a starry night sky, just as Mary's did.
She said "Hello Ron! You like your room, I take it?"
Ron said with a grin "It's brilliant, thank you!"
She looked around once again, noticing the navy-blue shade of the walls, and the dark wood furniture, including a bookcase with some books about Quidditch, desk, a chest of drawers, and the bed frame. His bed had a crimson and gold striped quilt, with an enchanted Gryffindor crest on it. This room also had it's own small bathroom like the other rooms. The Christmas tree in Ron's room was similar to Mary's in the sense that it coordinated with his room: It had white lights, silver tinsel, and red, gold, and navy-blue ornaments with a large silver star atop the tree. She replied "You're very welcome, Ron. Ready for me to unshrink your trunk now?" He nodded and pulled it out of his pocket and put it on the floor.
She cast the unshrinking charm nonverbally once again, and he asked "Um, are you sure I can have this room? I don't mind sharing with Harry if someone else needs a room.."
Katrina looked surprised, and she sat on the bed next to Ron "Why, hon? Do you not like your room?"
Ron's eyes widened as he said "It's amazing, but I feel, well…weird having a whole room to myself, I guess."
His ears turned pink, and Katrina smiled and said "I know things work a little differently at your house, and you have to share a lot with your brothers and sister. Your mum and I keep in touch quite a bit. But listen, this is a room that you can have all to yourself whenever you want or need it, okay? If you don't like it or if it feels too uncomfortable, you don't have to use it, and it's there for whenever you're ready."
Ron nodded, and she smiled at him as she patted his hand and said "And now, I will leave you to unpack your things. Dinner will be ready in an hour, okay?"
He smiled and said "Alright, thanks."
She smiled back and said "Of course."
She closed the door quietly, and then went to Harry's door and knocked.
Harry said "Come in!"
She opened the door, and said "Hey, sweetie. You like the changes I made in your room too?"
Harry grinned and said "They're brilliant, Mum! Thanks!"
She made his quilt similar to Ron's, but it was just crimson with the Hogwarts crest that seemed to be animated. Harry's tree in his room was tall, had colored lights with gold and red tinsel, and gold and red ornaments to match the colors in the room. She sat down on the bed next to Harry, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.
Katrina said "Your friends seem to be settling into their rooms nicely, and see? You thought you wouldn't make any friends this year!"
Harry said "I know I know, Mum. Thanks for everything."
He hugged her, and she hugged him back with a smile. "You're very welcome, I'm happy to. I've missed you! Have things been going okay at school? Hagrid doing alright too?"
Harry nodded as he let go of her and said "Yeah things are going great, and we see Hagrid every week for tea, sometimes Ms. Mystic joins too. She said that you and her used to do the same thing!"
She smiled and nodded, saying "We did! Your mum used to join us, and oh it was always so nice. He always enjoyed the company, and sometimes your father, Sirius and Remus joined too."
She suddenly had another flashback memory to one of the many visits to Hagrid's for tea…
October 14th, 1975
Katrina, Arin and Lily had been laughing together talking about their Potions class on their way to Hagrid's hut.
Arin said "Oh you should have seen Malfoy's face in class today when his potion backfired and his face turned bright orange! The look he gave Sirius was deadly, but no one could take him seriously because he looked as bright as a carrot! Even that freakishly long blonde hair of his was tinged bright orange!"
They all laughed and Katrina said quietly "It's kind of funny that happened to Malfoy today, because just yesterday he called me a…you know… after Transfiguration when I walked past him and his friends."
Lily said as she linked arms with Katrina "Well, the prat deserved it. I hope you don't take what he says to heart, Kat. He's just one of those stuck-up Purebloods who thinks he's better than everyone else. Severus is no better, and he's a half-blood."
Arin nodded, and said "Yeah, and next time I see either of them, I'm hexing them, and neither of you are going to stop me!"
They all giggled together, and Katrina knocked on Hagrid's door as soon as they reached it.
Hagrid opened the door, and said "Well, 'ello there! Nice te see ye all, com' on in!"
They all grinned and said "Hullo Hagrid!"as they entered his hut.
Back to where we were…
"Mum? You okay?" Harry asked.
Katrina asked "Hm? Oh, yes. Just thinking about one of those visits actually. Sorry dear, sometimes I get carried away with my memories. Well, I'd best get back to finishing up dinner. Would you hand me your trunk, dear? I'll go ahead and unshrink it for you so you can unpack your things before dinner."
Harry handed Katrina the tiny trunk, and Katrina cast the spell after setting it on the floor.
"Thanks, Mum!" Harry said with a smile, and Katrina replied "Of course, dear. I'll see you in about an hour then, yes?"
Harry nodded as he began to unpack his things. Katrina smiled as she left the room, closing the door behind her.
About an hour later, Katrina had the table set with bowls of vegetable stew, a basket of dinner rolls, and a lovely large salad. The kids all ate happily, and Katrina made sure that they all got at least a second helping of the stew and plenty of rolls. After dinner, she asked "So, before dessert, how would you all like to help me decorate the tree in the living room?"
They all looked to her excitedly, and said "Yes!" as they practically ran to the other room. Katrina laughed, and she followed them.
Mary asked her before they began "Kat? Is there…um..well, a wrong way to decorate the tree? I've never done it before, and-"
Katrina smiled "No, hon. No matter how a tree is decorated, as long as it has lights, tinsel, plenty of ornaments, and the angel on the top, it will be beautiful. Just follow our lead, and you'll catch on."
Mary nodded with a smile, and soon they all began stringing the lights around the rather large tree. Next, they strung silver and gold tinsel all around the tree. When it came time to hang the ornaments, McGonagall came in and asked "Mind if I join?"
Ron and Mary looked surprised, but Harry chimed in "Auntie! Of course, we missed you at dinner!"
Ron asked aloud "AUNTIE? What-"
McGonagall smiled, and replied "I'm sorry I missed it, Professor Dumbledore invited me to have dinner with him before we all went our separate ways for the holidays. Now, we may want to explain to young Mr. Weasley and Ms. Black as to why I'm here."
Katrina laughed as she said "Okay you two, here's another thing that you cannot tell anyone: McGonagall is the reason why I got the chance to help raise Harry. She took him in, and due to her teaching duties at Hogwarts, she needed someone to look after him during the day, so she recruited me."
Ron said "Whoa…"
Mary added "Well, this is…um"
McGonagall said "I know it's a lot to take in, but just think of me as a friend of the family. I'm not going to judge you based on your actions here, we are in a home and not at Hogwarts."
Ron and Mary nodded, and Harry asked "Well, shall we continue decorating, then?" as he handed a small box of ornaments to McGonagall.
Katrina grinned as she said "Definitely!" and began handing Ron and Mary each a small box of ornaments. They all decorated the tree, talking and laughing while doing so, and having a wonderful time. Each of them looked forward to Christmas Eve the next day…