Santa Paws
by Teddylonglong
Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1.
In case you have not read yesterday's chapter yet, please go back and read chapter 31 first :)
Santa Paws dashed into Harry's room and summoned the Elder Wand from one of the drawers, knowing that Harry had decided to not use it under any circumstances.
'This will do,' he thought, as he stared at the wand, sensing that it was extremely powerful. 'Harry won't need it anyway, as he has me,' he decided and continued to stare at the wand. He let his magic flow into it to heat it up with love, happiness and joy at the fact that it was Christmas day, his favourite time of the year. When he was done, he brought the item to Santa, who promised to send another sleigh to Malfoy Manor during the next hour.
HP
Huddled in a comfortable seat, which his elf had made for him in the dungeons, trying to not let the frustration at his situation overwhelm him, Tom suddenly saw a Christmas stocking hanging on a shelf in his favourite dungeon room.
He somehow felt reminded of his childhood in the orphanage. The words 'No, you don't get a stocking, because you're not a good boy,' echoed in his mind even after so many years.
'That stocking was not here before, and no one but me is here, so it must be mine,' he thought, feeling a never-experienced happiness at the realisation. 'I got my own stocking for the first time in my life,' he thought over and over, looking at the stocking in amazement.
'Perhaps it's because I don't have magic anymore?' he wondered, as he stepped nearer and closely inspected the object of his attention from the outside. Something was inside that looked like the a well-known and at the same time extremely powerful wand.
'Could that really be the Elder wand?' he wondered in disbelief. 'Maybe it's there to help me get my magic back,' he thought, as he hesitantly reached for the stick to pull it out of the stocking. 'Oh well, if that doesn't work, I still have my Horcruxes, so I could simply get myself killed by Dumbledore and Potter and begin anew,' he thought without a clue that his Horcruxes did not exist anymore.
Barely able to believe his luck, Tom eagerly took the Elder Wand out of the stocking, holding it with both hands closely to his face to examine it. 'It definitely is the real Elder Wand,' he realised, only to notice a strange feeling at his hands. It took him a moment to realise that, beginning with his hands touching the stick, his whole body was beginning to melt.
"Oh no, I thought that for once I'd receive a Christmas present," he thought aloud in disappointment, before his mind finally comprehended what was happening, causing him to utter one last heart-breaking scream.
HP
"What was that sound?" Draco asked, giving his mother a horrified look.
"That came from the dungeons," Narcissa replied, wearily, looking up from the book which she had received from Minerva for Christmas. "Draco, please be so good and call the Aurors and have them search our dungeons. Who knows what your father left there. I've never done as much as enter the dungeons after his death," she added as an afterthought, knowing that her late husband had stored many dark artefacts in their house, which she was afraid to come close to let alone check them out.
She inwardly sighed in relief, when Draco returned from the fireplace, informing her that the Aurors were on their way.
HP
"Santa Paws, you did it," Harry cheered, observing the scene of Voldemort's demise on the screen in absolute relief.
"Congratulations, Santa Paws, you efficiently saw to the defeat of the evil wizard," Amelia spoke up. "You're going to be even more of a hero in the magical world now than you already are."
Santa Paws replied by putting his front paws onto her lap and gently licking her face, before he lowered his head, sniffing her stomach with apparent pleasure.
"Oh, Amelia, Sirius, did you need to tell us something?" Pomona spoke up, causing everyone to stare at Amelia in expectation.
"Ah, Santa Paws, you little rascal," Sirius blurted out in clear annoyance. "We were going to tell everyone on New Year's Day."
Everyone congratulated the happy couple, when Amelia admitted to be in her fourth week pregnant. "The healer only told us yesterday," she added, smiling.
'If the baby will be born after the first of September, maybe he or she will be in the same Hogwarts year as our firstborn,' Luna suddenly thought to him, causing Harry to almost choke on his tea.
He remained pensive for a moment, pondering the situation. 'Now with Voldemort dead and our NEWTs finished, there is no reason why we could not officially marry and have children if that's what she wants,' he decided. He wondered for a moment, where and when he should ask her, before he resolved that there was no better time than the current and no better place than together with their extended family.
'Santa Paws, can you fetch me the rings from my room?' he thought to his familiar, who cast him an appreciative look and dashed away.
When the puppy returned carrying a small box between his teeth, he gratefully took it from him and addressed his girlfriend.
"Luna, will you marry me?"
Luna cast him a broad smile, before she replied, pleasantly, "But we already are married, Harry. Magic recognises us as the Lord and Lady Potter."
"Yes, thanks to Hogwarts' meddling, but I meant if you wish to officially marry me. Do you really wish to become my wife in any other way apart from magic, too?" Harry re-worded his question.
"I'd love to," Luna replied, looking very happy.
They decided to have a wedding party on the Hogwarts school grounds on the first day of the Easter holidays.
"That gives the students the opportunity to attend our wedding if they wish to remain at Hogwarts for the day," Luna stated, pleasantly.
Harry let out a small snort. "Why would they?" he asked. "Usually, they can't wait to get home. Oh well, apart from those in the orphanage that is," he added, pensively.
"Harry," Hermione groaned in apparent annoyance.
"All the female students are going to want to watch your wedding," Daphne added, rolling her eyes at him.
"Well, then they're welcome to attend," Harry retorted, smirking.
=Are you going to get married in your canine forms?= Santa Paws enquired, causing everyone who was a dog Animagus and could understand him to laugh.
"We'll see," Harry replied, shaking his head at his familiar's cheekiness.
HP
On a Saturday morning in April, just a week before his and Luna's official wedding, Amelia suddenly floo-called Harry and asked him to visit her in the ministry for a few minutes.
'I wonder what's wrong. I only saw her last night,' Harry thought, however, immediately complied without questioning his godfather's wife.
"I just have to show you something," Amelia informed him, when she led him and Santa Paws into the atrium of the ministry.
"Wow," Harry blurted out with a combination of amazement and disbelief upon seeing a life size statue of Santa Paws standing in the middle of the atrium. An inscription on the base said, 'The Ministry of Magic thanks Santa Paws – receiver of the Order of Merlin third class and familiar of Harry Potter, recipient of the Order of Merlin first class – for his defeat of the evil wizard Lord Voldemort and for saving many people's lives.'
Harry read the text aloud for Santa Paws to hear, and the canine happily jumped at Amelia to lick her face in gratitude.
"Be careful that you don't hurt the baby," Harry lightly admonished the canine, who quickly licked his hand.
=I am careful, and I'm looking forward to having a new puppy on the North Pole,= Santa Paws replied, cheekily.
"I considered awarding him the Order of Merlin first class," Amelia explained, "however, after discussing the matter with Sirius, we decided on this solution."
"This is much better," Harry agreed, smiling.
"Sirius first suggested assigning him a seat on the Wizengamot," Amelia added, rolling her eyes at the thought of her husband's ideas.
"Now that would have been something." Harry grinned, as he gently caressed Santa Paws' ears. "Anyway, thank you so much for doing this for Santa Paws. We both appreciate it very much."
HP
On the following day, Harry received an owl from Rita Skeeter, who sent him an article about Santa Paws' statue asking if it was all right to post it.
"I'm surprised that she even asks, considering that it doesn't concern Hogwarts, "Harry said to Luna, who was sitting next to him at the high table.
"She certainly knows that he's your familiar," Luna replied, smirking. "She'd be stupid not to ask you. Shall I take a look at it later on?"
"Yes please," Harry agreed, knowing that Luna was very good at correcting articles.
HP
Harry's and Luna's wedding day was a bright, sunny and above all relatively warm day in spring. Draco as his best man and Sirius as his godfather accompanied Harry from the founders' quarters out onto the grounds, where the whole school was gathered to attend the ceremony.
To his surprise, Santa's favourite sleigh was parked right in front of the entrance doors, causing him to wonder if it was invisible to those who did not know about his relationship to Santa. While he did not see Santa, he noticed that dozens of puppies were running around.
'Did Dad bring all the puppies from the North Pole?' he thought to his familiar, only to notice that the canine was already engrossed in one of his favourite mock fights with his siblings.
It felt like hours, before Claire and Pomona finally accompanied Luna outside, and Harry stared at the bride in amazement. She was wearing a white wedding dress with small, white Santa puppies stitched onto it and was smiling happily. The sight was simply breath taking.
'That's my Luna,' Harry thought, feeling extremely happy.
Like in a trance, he took a few steps in her direction, however, before he could even reach her, a crowd of guests stormed up at her to congratulate her.
'Her robes will be grey after enduring all these hugs from everyone,' he thought and was just about to feel annoyed, when Draco brought Luna to him.
"Now walk up to where Santa is waiting. Slowly," he instructed them, grinning.
Harry carefully took Luna's hand, and all of a sudden, a group of students, of whom Harry assumed were participants of Miranda's Music class, began to play the wedding march. A group of puppies as well as other dogs, whom he recognised as their friends, walked ahead of them in the rhythm of the music, guiding them to the front. Reaching the spot where Santa was standing, the canines stepped aside, leaving Luna and Harry alone with his father.
During his father's speech, Harry could not help staring at Luna. 'She's so beautiful,' he thought, completely contented with himself and his bride. He was so absorbed in positive thoughts that he did not even notice that the puppies were sitting in a circle around them. He barely even heard his father's words. Only when Luna suddenly said "Yes" in a clear and firm voice, he looked up, giving his own response to Santa a moment later.
'I can't wait to be alone with Luna,' Harry thought, while they exchanged their rings. 'She is just wonderful.'
When Santa told him that he was now allowed to kiss his wife, Harry gently covered her lips with his own, thinking that it felt better than ever before. 'It's strange,' he thought, when he released her. 'I've been together with her for years, but somehow it feels even better today. It shouldn't feel any different, considering that we've already been married by magic for years.'
He only took his eyes from his wife, when Santa Paws was standing in front of them. The canine stared at Luna for a moment, before she and one of his siblings, whom he recognised as Santa Moon, began to glow golden.
=This is Santa Moon, and I have just bonded her to you to become your familiar,= Santa Paws informed Luna.
Luna immediately transformed into her first Animagus form and gently addressed her familiar.
=Hello Santa Moon, thank you so much for agreeing to become my familiar. I am very happy to have you.=
=Congratulations, Luna and Santa Moon,= Harry added, who had swiftly transformed after his wife.
=It was a beautiful wedding, and you're going to be very happy. Santa Paws and I are looking forward to having some younger siblings,= Santa Moon replied and gently liked their faces, before Santa Paws pulled the three of them into a quick mock fight.
=Harry, do you wish to have a party with everyone?= Luna suddenly asked, when the four canines let go of each other to rest for a moment.
=No,= Harry replied, firmly. =I only want you. Shall we just leave for our honeymoon?=
=Yes, let's do that,= Luna agreed. =I can't wait to spend the whole two weeks of holidays on the North Pole.=
With that, the four canines activated their Portkeys and were gone.
HP
Much later the same day, when the happy couple was taking dinner in the screen room together with everyone else, Harry received a Howler.
'Oh no, don't tell me Mrs. Weasley sent me one for not inviting her precious Ronald to our wedding,' Harry thought in annoyance, when a male voice began to scream.
"Lord and Lady Potter…"
"How dare you leave for your honeymoon…"
"… without waiting for our fireworks…"
"… which we solely invented for you."
"We can't have such behaviour now…"
"… so we've given the remainings to Santa…"
"… to fire them up for you on the North Pole…"
"… to enjoy."
"That was Fred and George," Harry blurted out in surprise, giving his father a questioning look.
"As soon as we're finished with dinner, we'll go outside," Santa replied, grinning.
"I watched them," Merlin spoke up from his portrait, "and they were beautiful. The puppies will enjoy them, too."
"Aren't fireworks much too loud for dogs?" Amelia enquired, giving Merlin a sharp look.
"Not these," Merlin assured her. "They seem to be charmed to be silent. I could only see them but not hear anything but a small plop, when they activated."
After dinner, everyone headed out onto the grounds, where Santa Paws and Santa Moon joined them with their siblings in tow.
Harry stood there, hands joined with Luna, and stared up into the sky, where the fireworks in the form of white puppies played out.
"Beautiful," Luna whispered.
"Just like you, my wonderful wife," Harry replied and, without waiting for the fireworks to end, pulled her back inside.
First thing the following morning, Harry and Luna wrote a Howler back at Fred and George Weasley to profusely thank them for the fantastic firework display and at the same time place an order for some more boxes of them.
HP
Apart from the fact that Harry and Luna now shared a room and a bed – on the North Pole as well as in the founders' quarters at Hogwarts – and had two familiars instead of one, not much changed.
It was at the beginning of May that Santa Moon told them, =I can't wait to have a new sibling for Christmas.=
=Me too,= Santa Paws agreed, pleasantly, only to add, =And I wish to become a father by Christmas, too.=
tbc...
Thank you for the very few but kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Any ideas or opinions are welcome.
Next chapter: "Lily Paws and Santa Lily".