How did I get roped into this? Harry found himself thinking as he stood awkwardly, leaning against the wall just outside the Gryffindor Common Room. He banged his head slightly against the wall behind him with a premonition of certain disaster. Shutting his eyes and sighing deeply, he listened to the shuffling of feet and rising voices approaching from the room behind him while adding to the soft babel with the occasional thump of his head against the wall.
"Are you trying to give yourself a concussion?" Ginny smirked, poking her head out from the crack beneath the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Maybe," Harry replied, dragging out the first syllable.
"Come on," she said with clear exasperation. "It won't be so bad."
"Speak for yourself." Harry allowed himself a hefty eye roll as he pushed himself off of the wall.
"Well don't you look handsome," Ginny said, tilting her head to look at him appraisingly.
Harry looked down at himself automatically. He wore a black bowtie over a crisp white shirt, black slacks, and a black robe with silver trim. Naturally, his hair was as unkempt as ever which somehow matched his lopsided grin.
"Thanks," Harry replied as she shoved the portrait open and stepped out. Harry's breath caught in his throat and his eyebrows shot up. Luckily, he just barely managed to keep his mouth from gaping open.
Ginny wore a knee length dress in a shimmering gray. Layers of tulle cascaded around her legs while silver, white, and black lace flowers adorned her chest, arranging themselves into a delicate halter top. Her long red hair was wrapped into an elegant twist with a few strands curled to frame her face.
"Wow," Harry said. Suddenly, he felt very shabby in comparison and wished he had at least attempted to flatten his hair. "You look… stunning."
"Thanks, Harry," she said, clasping her hands in front of her and swinging slightly from side to side, setting her skirt cascading around her legs in a mesmerizing pattern. "Hermione should be out any minute now and then we can go."
Sure enough, right after she spoke, the portrait hole opened once more and Hermione emerged, slightly breathless.
"Okay, I'm ready," she announced as the Fat Lady swung closed behind her. She wore a pale blue dress with straps that criss-crossed in the back. Her hair was smooth and shiny (clearly with the help from liberal amounts of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion) and hung loosely around her shoulders with a simple clip holding back the front. She clutched her familiar beaded bag in one hand and started forward.
Harry nodded at the bag as she approached and asked with a sly smile, "Are you planning on making a quick get-a-way?"
"What? Oh, no," she answered distractedly. "It's just the only purse I have and there is nowhere to keep a wand in these dresses!"
"Well, you look nice," Harry responded and they fell into step beside each other. Their heels clacked loudly against the stone floor and after descending a flight of stairs, more students could be seen loitering about in their finery as they waited for friends.
"Do you know anyone else who was invited?" Harry asked curiously.
"Luna's coming," Ginny answered with a grin and noticing Harry's failed attempt to contain his surprise, she added, "She did get an Order of Merlin which automatically puts anyone on Slughorn's list."
Harry nodded and the trio continued on their way down the corridor towards Slughorn's office that he was sure was magically expanded and decorated lavishly. And he was not wrong. They stepped through the door and were attacked by vivid colors and holiday music. Emerald green velvet curtains were festooned across the walls with bright yellow lights strung in front of them. Festive wreaths were hung at the crook of each bend in the curtains and each table had a pile of delicate glass ornaments in its center, surrounded by various snacks and delicacies. Witches and wizards already filled the room and younger students, acting as caterers, flitted through the crowd carrying trays of drinks on silver platters.
"Well… here we are," Ginny said with a slight grimace. The three Gryffindors looked around the room hesitantly, taking in the scene, before moving to the side so as not to block the door.
"Oh!" Ginny jumped slightly as she caught sight of someone. "There's Wanda Morgans from the Holyhead Harpies! Come say hi with me!" She grabbed onto Harry's hand, sending tingles up his arm, and dragged him towards the table in a corner with Hermione trailing behind them.
"Mr. Potter!" A crystal clear voice said, cutting through the chatter easily. Ginny stopped in her tracks and Harry looked around hurriedly to find the source. A skinny black wizard waved him over and Harry quickly turned to Ginny and said, "I'll catch up with you in a minute. I should go say 'hello' to Hawksworth over there." Ginny nodded and walked lightly away, quickly catching Wanda's eye and the scout manager grabbed an extra glass from a passing caterer and held it out to Ginny.
"That's Hawksworth?" Hermione squealed. "Head of Magical Law Enforcement?"
"Yeah," Harry shrugged. "I met him at the Malfoys' hearing."
"Come introduce me," Hermione demanded, grabbing onto his hand and practically dragging him in their direction. With a roll of his eyes and a self-admonition, he plastered what he hoped was a warm and genuine smile onto his face as they approached the table.
"Hello, Mr. Hawksworth," Harry said, stepping forward with an extended hand. "Nice to see you again."
"You as well! And in a much happier setting," Hawkworth replied, joyfully taking his hand. When he wasn't in the courtroom, he seemed like a much more affable figure.
Harry went to reply, but with a not-so-subtle nudge in the ribs from Hermione, Harry changed his mind and decided to get straight to the introduction. "Mr. Hawksworth, this is Hermione Granger, a very talented and close friend of mine," Harry said and he held his hand out to gesture towards her at his side.
"Pleasure to meet you," Hermione said instantly, already holding out her hand.
"Hermione Granger!" He replied, shaking her hand eagerly. "'Very talented' indeed! Of course I've heard all about you."
Hermione blushed profusely, but seemed to take her fame in stride. "I'm sure it's all an exaggeration," she said diffidently. Again, Harry repressed an eye roll as Hermione's voice echoed in his head, continuously telling him to stop being so modest when it came to accepting what he's accomplished. But wisely, he chose to say nothing.
"Not according to that Daily Prophet article last summer. I heard that came straight from Harry's mouth," Hawksworth said with a good-natured grin and twinkling eyes.
"Oh… yes, well…," Hermione squirmed.
"She's just being modest," Harry interrupted for her. "I would have died at least seven times by now if it weren't for her." He felt another sharp jab in his ribs and he looked at Hermione angrily.
"What?" he hissed at her, rubbing the forming bruise. But Hermione didn't acknowledge him and was already engaging Hawksworth in another conversation.
"I heard about your newest proposition to get the magical community on better terms with goblins and I must say that I'm really pleased someone is finally doing something to help other magical creatures!" Hermione said passionately.
Hawksworth nodded somberly. "Ah, yes. Sadly, not all of the other witches and wizards don't agree so it will take some time to get anything substantial agreed upon."
Harry scooped up a glass of red punch from a fourth year student he recognized and nodded at her before sipping from the rim and casting his gaze around the room. He found Ginny in an animated conversation with Wanda and two other witches around a table, all laughing about something clearly hilarious. He had to grin at how easily she seemed to fit in, then Harry continued to look around the room in a slow circle, but instantly regretted that choice as he made eye contact with Slughorn.
"Harry!" he called in a booming voice, his arms spreading out to his sides to reveal his light green vest stretched across his large gut. Heads turned in Slughorn's direction and then turned to Harry as they followed his gaze, turning Harry's cheeks bright red. Harry took a hesitant step backwards and bumped into the table. By the time he looked up again, Slughorn was already halfway across the room. "I'm so glad you came! I have some wonderful people for you to meet," Slughorn said, barely diminishing his volume even as he strode towards him.
"You don't mind if I steal him away, do you Miss Granger?" He asked, already with his pudgy hand pressed firmly against Harry's back. Without waiting for her answer and before Harry could cast a pleading glance in her direction, Slughorn whisked him away. He led him around the space cleared out as a dance floor, keeping up a constant narration of who was who and why they were ostensibly important until they arrived at a table surrounded by a mass of amicably chatting strangers.
"Hello, hello everyone," Slughorn said to announce their arrival. "May I introduce my prized pupil, Harry Potter?" He lifted his chin in a haughty expression and watched with satisfaction as all of the guests were suitably impressed.
"Mr. Potter!" one witch gasped, setting her drink down to shake his hand. "What a pleasure! An absolute pleasure!"
"I'm Jane," another said, stepping in between them. "I'm a publisher and if you're interested in an autobiography, I think that-"
"Oh, no thank you," Harry said hurriedly, holding up his hands to deflect their propositions.
"Well then, just an interview perhaps? I could surely get it into a rather popular magazine of ours," she pressed.
"No thank you. I'm not interested in any of that," Harry said loudly.
"Well if you ever change your mind," the first witch said, holding out a business card.
"I won't," Harry insisted firmly. "I'm going to go…," he searched the room for something else to do, "go grab some food." Before Slughorn could drag him anywhere else, Harry sped walked away from their cluster, ignoring their disappointed protests, and selected something at random from a table filled with snacks.
Munching numbly on a mini quiche, he made his way to the side wall and leaned against the velvet curtain, careful to stay in the shadows.
I should not have come, he thought to himself darkly. He scowled at nothing in particular other than his current situation and shoved the rest of the quiche in his mouth before scanning the room to ensure Slughorn didn't happen to see where he went.
"Harry?" He flinched in surprise and turned abruptly towards the voice to find himself staring at Luna. She wore the same ruffley yellow dress from Bill and Fleur's wedding and carried the latest copy of the Quibbler magazine in her hand.
"Hey Luna," he said with clear relief. "Why do you have that?" he asked with a vague motion at her magazine.
"This may come as a surprise to you but I get rather bored of parties quite quickly, so I figured I should have something to keep myself busy until it got late enough to politely leave," she answered, not bothering to glance down at her hands and choosing instead to continue looking at him with her big, round, blue eyes.
"I wish I thought of that," Harry answered dolefully.
"Yes, you do seem to be having a rather dreadful time."
Harry couldn't think of anything to say to that, so he remained silent and went back to watching the mingling witches and wizards.
"Would you rather be here or at the bottom of the Black Lake surrounded by an aggressive group of plimpies?" Luna deadpanned.
Harry looked at her and her completely serious face and couldn't help himself but snort loudly. She raised her eyebrows quizzically. "Bottom of the lake, no question," he answered.
"Really?" Luna said and nodded her head thoughtfully. "I think I'd prefer to stay here because I'm not a fantastic swimmer myself."
"No?" Harry asked with a wide grin.
"No. I can awkwardly paddle, but nothing else really."
Suddenly, Harry had the image of Luna doggy-paddling across a lake in his mind and he let out another quiet chuckle.
"How about…," Luna started slowly, clearly deep in thought. "Would you rather be bitten by a hundred gnomes or go talk to whomever Slughorn is going to drag you to?"
"Harry!" Slughorn boomed again, walking quickly up to them.
"Damn," Harry muttered, making Luna giggle beside him.
"You ran away so quickly! Come, my boy, there are still so many people for you to meet!" Slughorn grabbed Harry firmly by the crook of his arm and marched him away to another table without a hope for another somewhat-polite escape.
"Hello, my friends!" he said to the table at large. "I'd like to introduce you to the Chosen One himself." Harry sighed and decided he might as well start counting like Ginny had suggested. "He was a student of mine two years ago. Very talented, of course. Always had a knack for potions so there was hardly anything left for me to teach him!" Slughorn added with a modicum of modesty.
Harry made a forced garrulous conversation with the witches and wizards around the table for a few minutes and he patted down his bangs helplessly to try and stop one wizard in particular from blatantly staring at his forehead. Then Slughorn grabbed onto his arm again and said cheerfully "Well, we must be going. Got a few other friends to say hello to!" before the process began again.
He lost track of how many names were thrown at him, how many offers to boost his publicity were made, how many times Slughorn called him an obsequious nickname, or how many times he tried to take credit for something Harry did. At one point, when Slughorn attempted to suggest that he played a key role in Harry's success in the Triwizard Tournament, Harry found it prudent to point out that he hadn't even met Professor Slughorn yet at that point. Coincidentally, Slughorn then remembered someone else Harry simply must meet and he was whisked away from the table before they could even start to look suspicious of his claims.
"Here we are," Slughorn said, a large hand laying across Harry's shoulders as he guided him towards yet another table. "Now I know you know Bill here...," he started impressively, as if leading up to a big surprise. Bill raised an eyebrow in greeting before smothering his chuckles into his glass. "But this is the Minister of-"
"Kingsley!" Harry interrupted with relief. Kingsley turned from his other conversation, saw Slughorn with his arm wrapped around Harry, and quickly realized what was happening.
"Hello, Harry!" he greeted warmly.
"Ah… you two already know each other, then?" Slughorn said as his shoulders slumped and his grin faded.
"Yes. I've known Harry here for… what, four years now?" Kingsley asked.
"Something like that," Harry shrugged, stepping forward towards their table and out from under Slughorn's arm.
"We met when I came to help bring Harry to Order Headquarters," Kingsley apprised Slughorn.
"Ah, yes… the Order of the Phoenix, of course," Slughorn said distractedly. "Well, if you two already know each other, let me introduce you to another dear friend of mine-"
"Actually," Bill interrupted. "I had a question for you Harry, while you're here… er… do you mind, Professor? It's a personal matter." Bill shrugged to finish off his near perfect performance of being apologetics.
"Oh! Of course, of course," Slughorn responded with a wave of his hand although he clearly had no prior intentions of leaving. Nonetheless, he sulked away to find another victim.
"Merlin's beard, that man can talk!" Harry groaned the moment he was out of earshot. "Thanks for saving me, Bill."
"Of course," he grinned. "You're clearly his most prized possession."
"He certainly thinks so. By the way he talks about me, you'd think he was the one who discovered all the horcruxes and just told me where to find them."
"He was like that when I was in school too," Kingsley added, leaning his elbows against the table and swirling his glass around. "But, he did help get me into the auror training program, so I can't complain"
"So that's why you agreed to come?" Bill asked.
"Yes. Horace was kind enough to remind me that I owed him that much at least," he said dryly.
Bill nodded at his explanation and let his hand hover over a plate of food in the center of the table before picking the largest cookie from the plate and biting into it.
"Hi sis," he said through a full mouth.
"Hey Bill!" she smiled and came to stand between him and Harry.
"Who was that you were talking to?" her brother asked.
"Wanda Morgans, from the Holyhead Harpies," she replied happily.
"Oh! That's the woman that saw you play?"
"Yup! Slughorn was very disappointed that he couldn't introduce me to her or two of their players that came."
"Well, you just missed it. He tried to introduce Harry to Kingsley," Bill said, motioning with his head towards the Minister.
"You're kidding?" Ginny scoffed. Bill shook his head.
"How many times has he taken credit for something so far?" she asked, turning to Harry.
"I've lost count," he replied with an irrepressible grin.
"Well that defeats our whole bet then, doesn' it?" she asked in a faux accusatory tone.
"We never actually bet anything or took guesses," Harry pointed out.
Ginny shrugged, then stuck her hand into the air to catch the wandering Hermione's attention and she hurried over. "And who were you talking to?" she asked, eyebrows raised.
"The Head of Magical Law Enforcement!" Hermione said with considerable excitement. She dropped her bag onto the table in front of her and grabbed the nearest drink from the table.
"Hey, that's mi-" Harry started, but let his protests rest when she took a sip anyways.
"And I think it went really well!" she continued, as if without interruption. "We talked about his newest proposition about goblins and then I brought up house elves and S.P.E.W. which he was really interested in."
"He was?" Harry asked incredulously before he could stop himself. "Sorry," he mumbled under her withering glare.
"Yes. He was," she said with dignity and flicked her hair over her shoulder. "And he offered to put me in contact with the Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and promised to put in a good word."
"I'd be happy to put in a good word for you too, Hermione," Kingsley added kindly. "Not that you'd need it though."
"Thank you, but that's the thing. I don't want to just use connections to get a step up. It should come from me," said Hermione. She then took a deep breath and beamed at them giddily.
"Well… didn't you use Harry's connection to Hawksworth to get you that contact?" Ginny asked with an eyebrow raised.
Hermione stared at her and her smile slipped slightly. "I suppose," she conceded slowly. "But it wasn't just Harry telling him to put in a good word for me. It was me talking to him and sharing ideas that did him over." Her smile returned as she effectively convinced herself.
"Behind you," Bill muttered over the rim of his glass as he took a sip. Harry instantly spun around to see Slughorn approaching their table again.
"How lovely! Miss Granger, I haven't been able to say hello to you yet this evening," Slughorn said, his typical beaming smile spread across his face.
"Hello Professor," she said politely, turning towards him.
"Well, don't you look absolutely spiffing!" He gushed and held out his hands towards her, which she ignored. Ginny snorted into her drink and was suddenly overcome with a loud fit of coughing, which then sent Bill spiraling into his own chuckles.
"I saw you already met my old friend, Hugh Hawksworth."
"Yes. Harry was kind enough to introduce me," Hermione responded, her hands carefully clasped in front of her.
"Did he now?" Slughorn said, inclining his head towards Harry. "I suppose it's only natural for him to already know so many influential people. Speaking of which, I do have a few more people I'd love you to meet, my boy." Slughorn reached out to swing an arm around his shoulders, but Ginny intercepted and grabbed his hand.
"Actually Professor, Harry just promised me a dance. Excuse us," Ginny said quickly. She set down her drink and pulled Harry away towards the dance floor where a few couples were already swaying slowly to the music.
"Are they dating again?" Slughorn asked, peering at the path they had cut through the crowd.
"Not yet," Hermione replied with her own grin. Slughorn was clearly satisfied with her answer and left to approach a neighboring table, nodding to himself. But, Bill was not so easily persuaded.
"Not yet?" he repeated, his smile suddenly replaced by a look of sheer concentration.
"It's only a matter of time, in my opinion," Hermions shrugged.
"Hmm…," Bill said darkly.
"Come now, Bill!" Kingsley said cheerfully, slapping him on the shoulder. "She could do a lot worse. In fact, she can't do much better."
"Still…," he said uncertainly, not quite able to douse the protective instinct that had flared up so suddenly.
Harry felt his face turning a fierce red at the thought of revealing his own sorry excuse of dancing to Ginny. But Ginny's hand remained firm in his and tugged him inexorably towards the floor with only a few polite 'excuse me's needed to get past.
"Thanks for finding an excuse for me," Harry said as they made it to the cleared space in the middle of the overly large office.
"My pleasure. I've been meaning to find an excuse to dance with you anyways," she said, her head tilted to the side slightly. Harry looked at her, slightly startled by her frankness, and not surprised in the slightest when he saw no tinge of embarrassment or hint of regret.
"I can't imagine why. I'm a terrible dancer," Harry replied without thinking. Then he suddenly wished he thought to say something flattering back, but Ginny didn't seem to mind.
"So am I." A mischievous grin spread across her face, setting her eyes twinkling. She stepped towards Harry, placing her hand on his shoulder and feeling Harry's reach to the small of her back. Then, rather than swaying slowly from side to side like the scarce other couples braving the dance floor, she rocked violently, dipping left and right so that she and Harry became a living teeter-totter. Harry laughed loudly at her antics, startling those nearby, and quickly joined in and they made a crazed circle while rocking aggressively back and forth.
The other dancers slowly backed away from them for fear of being hit in the crossfire of their dancing, only adding to Harry and Ginny's motivation. As the song waned and came to an end, their laughter died down with it.
"Well, I think I found someone who's as terrible as me," Harry said as the next song queued up.
"I prefer the term creative," Ginny corrected him with a grin. Harry looked over her shoulder and saw Hermione, Bill, and Kinglsey all staring at them shamelessly. Hermione wiggled her eyebrows at him and made an impatient gesture, practically screaming at him to get on with it.
Regretting his choice of looking up, Harry quickly averted his gaze back towards the beautiful redhead in front of him. He pulled her closer and she didn't resist. Instead, she smiled warmly at him and slid both of her hands up to rest over his shoulders. In turn, Harry wrapped both hands around her waist and they began to sway placidly like the rest of the dancers.
"This is okay too," Ginny shrugged.
"Yeah?" Harry asked. He gazed down at her through his glasses and couldn't help a smirk from forming. "I think it's kinda nice."
"Oh, you flatter me so," Ginny said, thick with sarcasm. Yet she couldn't help a grin from sliding onto her face.
Harry gathered his courage and with a deep breath, added, "Anywhere with you is amazing, though."
That got her attention and her eyebrows sprang up.
"Too cheesy?" Harry asked, his lopsided grin returning.
"A bit," Ginny admitted, a blush coloring her freckled cheeks. Yet her legs suddenly felt on the verge of giving out and she was sure her heart skipped at least three beats.
Harry took a second deep breath to settle his own nerves. Then, taking her faint blush as a positive, he decided it was best to just rip off the bandage. "What I'm trying to say is, would you like to go on a date with me?" he asked with a feigned confidence that he did not feel.
Now her legs were certainly going to give out from under her. She stared at Harry, sure that he could hear her heart pounding against her chest. Ginny flicked her head to get a stray strand of hair out of her face while desperately attempting to memorize this moment before she finally opened her mouth and hoped that something coherent would tumble out of her lips. Meanwhile, Harry was watching her anxiously, queasily waiting for an answer.
"I would love to," she whispered. Harry's face wrought with tension suddenly broke out into sheer elation and he pulled her closer, breathing in her flowery perfume. They swayed peacefully together, moving in a circle, both revelling in each other's company and feeling like the luckiest person in the world.
Ginny laid her head against Harry's shoulder and opened her eyes to see Hermione and Bill staring straight at her. Bill's eyes were narrowed slightly but Hermione was biting her lip attempting to analyze how things were going from afar. Ginny smiled at her and nodded imperceptibly, and as a natural corollary, Hermione clapped her hands together and jumped up and down with an elated smile.
Ginny shook her head, stifling a giggle and causing Harry to look down at her in bewilderment.
"Hermione's watching us," Ginny explained.
"Oh, yeah. She's been watching us for a bit now," Harry added. They both simultaneously turned towards their table making Hermione draw herself up slightly. But, taking the hint, she diverted her attention to Bill.
The newly reformed couple spent the rest of the evening in each other's company and once the party drew to a close, they wandered through the deserted halls of Hogwarts long after curfew, hand in hand. Just after midnight, they found themselves outside the Gryffindor Common Room and they turned towards each other, neither wanting to say goodbye just yet.
"Well that party was considerably more fun than I thought it would be," Harry mused.
"Agreed," Ginny said, matching his giddy smile.
"I'll see you in two days?" Tomorrow morning, the students were taking the Hogwarts Express back to London and then on Sunday, he, Ron, and George were going to the Burrow for the afternoon.
"See you in two days," she confirmed with a nod. Harry nodded too and neither said a word.
"Well… I better go. Otherwise Hermione might die from anticipation." She pursed her lips and Harry nodded again.
"True. She's coming to the Burrow for Christmas, right?"
Ginny nodded in reply, then pulled him in close for a hug and after holding on for a few seconds longer than probably conventional, she pulled back and stood before the Fat Lady.
"Bye," she whispered, her heart still full and her cheeks hurting from being stretched into a smile for so long.
"For two days," Harry amended with a smile.
Christmas Morning
Light streamed in through the curtains as they were pulled apart simultaneously, instantly sending the room's occupant groaning.
"Wass goin' on?" Ron slurred groggily, using a hand to cover his adjusting eyes from the light.
"Happy Christmas, Mr. Weezey," Kreacher croaked from beside the window. "Master Harry told me to wake you all up, bright and early, so that you wouldn't be late today."
Ron groaned again and fell back against his pillows. "Okay, okay…," he said, with no intention of following through on Kreacher's passive demands. He shut his eyes and instantly, his breathing slowed into a peaceful rhythm and sleep began to take him over again.
Then a pillow smacked his face.
"Ow!" said Ron indignantly. He glowered down over the edge of the bed where Kreacher stood with a grim smile. "What was that for!?"
"Master Harry told me to make sure you were on your feet before I left the room," Kreacher admitted.
"And he told you to hit me with a pillow?"
Kreacher shook his head, then replied enigmatically with: "He never told me not to."
Ron muttered a series of words that he would never dare utter under his mother's roof, but begrudgingly rose to his feet. "There. Happy now?"
Kreacher gave a slight stiff bow then shuffled out of the room, still wearing his sardonic grin and dragging the pillow while he headed to George's bedroom. Despite his grumbling and complaining, Ron was well and truly awake. Still sighing at the indignity of it all, he pulled on a collared shirt, brushed his hair until it lay flat, and slowly made his way down the flight of stairs where he saw George making his way down as well.
"Did Kreacher hit you with a pillow too?" George asked, his eyes narrowed.
"Yeah," Ron nodded.
"Little git," George added conversationally. Yet, his annoyance seemed to have cleared once he discovered his brother had suffered the same fate. "Happy Christmas!" He said with a forced smile.
"Happy Christmas, George," Ron parroted. Ron slung an arm around his shoulders and the pair made their way into the drawing room where Harry sat reading the newspaper over a cup of tea.
"Happy Christmas!" Harry called instantly, folding the paper and lying it on the table. He stood to reveal a pale button down shirt over his typical jeans and messy hair.
"Would have been happier if you let us sleep in," Ron grumbled darkly.
"Mrs. Weasley wants us all at the Burrow for brunch, so we can't be late," Harry said, draining the last few mouthfuls of tea.
"You mean we can't be late because Ginny is waiting," George said with a roll of his eyes. Like all new couples, the two of them hated spending any extended period of time away from the other and if they were in the same building, they were joined at the hip.
"That too," Harry capitulated without a trace of guilt.
"And Hermione's waiting for you," George added, turning his accusing finger to Ron.
"Well, not waiting per say. She'll probably get there later than us 'cause she's driving with her parents."
George nodded darkly, seeming to do some mental mathematics as he realized how many people there would be busy with their significant others. But clearly, Ron and Harry weren't deterred by this figure and Harry ushered them out the door.
"Bye Kreacher! Happy Christmas!" Harry called idly over his shoulder, leading the way to the front door. Once the three of them stood on the doorstep together, they counted to three then twisted into the claustrophobic darkness that pressed familiarly, yet nauseously, against them.
They appeared on the lane outside the Burrow, now covered in a layer of ice and frigid puddles. The edges of the small road were clearly defined by inches of soft snow laying over the ground as a blanket with another clear path shoveled away leading towards the door. Wordlessly, the three wizards walked up the path with Ron in the lead and before they were even halfway to the house, the front door flew open.
"Happy Christmas!" Mrs. Weasley shouted, silhouetted from the doorway with her arms spread out wide. "Come in, come in! Get out of the cold," she ushered impatiently, motioning towards the house as if it would speed them up.
"Happy Christmas, Mum," Ron said and gave her a quick embrace and a kiss on the top of her head. George repeated the gesture and slipped in next with Harry close behind. The Burrow's sitting room was transformed from its usual self to a festive cozy room with garlands decking the walls and signs declaring holiday messages. A tall tree grazed the ceiling in the corner with colorful ornaments hanging from its boughs and twinkling lights peeking from between its needles. The room was also very clearly magically expanded because there was much more footroom than either of them remembered.
"Take off your coats," Mrs. Weasley ordered as she ushered them in. They complied and hung their thick jackets over chairs and on a hook before following her into the warm room.
"Good morning, boys!" Mr. Weasley called from the kitchen, flashing a smile. "And here I was thinking you'd be the last to show!" He motioned vaguely around the empty room, indicating that they were quite the opposite.
"Harry here made sure of that," George answered dourly. "He had Kreacher whack us with pillows."
Harry grinned brazenly with a modicum of pride and stepped into the kitchen. "Anything I can do to help?" he asked, looking around curiously.
"No, no. You got them here on time which is hard enough in itself," Mrs. Weasley replied cheekily, shaking her head. "Besides, everything is already ready. We're just waiting for everyone else to come." No sooner had she said that when a knock announced someone else's arrival and the door squeaked open to reveal Fleur, Bill, Charlie, and Percy, all cheerfully chorusing their "Happy Christmases" to the home.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley hurried to them and embraced each. Soon, the Burrow was filled with chatter and light laughter, punctuated with Mrs. Wealsey's sharp call up the stairs of "Ginerva Weasley! Get down here! Everyone else is already here!" which was followed by "I'm coming!" and, Harry and Ron were sure, a series of choice curses muttered much less audibly. But sure enough, Ginny soon emerged and bounded down the steps, still putting in place the backing of an earring.
"Happy Christmas, darling," her Mom said sweetly, all evidence of prior annoyance forgotten. Ginny then turned to Harry and leaned in quickly on her tip-toes and brushed her lips lightly against his before whispering "Happy Christmas" with a coy smile and hurrying off to greet the rest of her brothers.
Andromeda was the next to arrive, carrying a bundle of blankets that Harry immediately assumed to be his godson. Harry rushed to the door as she entered and shut the door closed behind her, blocking out the icy gales.
"Thank you, Harry," she said wistfully. Her nose was tinged pink in the cold and she wore a scarf bundled to her chin. "Would you take him for me?" she asked, sure that his sudden enthusiasm was not for her anyways.
Harry agreed readily and scooped Teddy from her arms, holding him carefully, just as she had taught him. He was wide awake, with big amber eyes staring up at him and a thumb shoved in his mouth. Beside him, Dromeda was peeling off her layers of clothing and draping them over a surface nearest her and calling warm welcomes to those who greeted her before being hurried away into the sitting room where Mrs. Weasley shoved a steaming mug of tea into her frozen hands.
Ron turned away from the picture of Harry cradling Teddy close to his arms perched on the arm of the chair that Ginny was occupying and refocused his attention on Bill and George who were standing before him. But their conversation washed over him without a single word being processed. Instead, his ears were pricked forward and straining to catch any sounds from outside rather than the crackling fire and lingering laughter. His eyes darted sideways frequently towards the window beside the door where the curtains were pulled apart to give him a clear view of the icy road outside.
Finally, he saw the front of a dark car pull up slowly, careful not to slip on the sludge, and a mix of water and snow came shooting out from behind the churning wheels. Without excusing himself from the conversation, he dashed towards the front door leaving George and Bill to exchange amused glances with each other.
Ron flung the door open just as the Grangers emerged from their car and he hurried down the path, not bothering to pull on a coat. Mrs. Granger stepped out of the driver's side and was standing at the trunk, gathering a few bags in her arms.
"Let me help with that," Ron said instantly. He reached into the trunk to grab the last shopping bag filled with gifts.
"Thank you, Ron. Happy christmas," Juliet said with a smile. With her arms full, she leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before starting up the pathway towards the Burrow.
Mr. Granger came next and slammed the trunk shut before shaking Ron's hand eagerly and added "Happy christmas, Ron. Good to see you again!" He then followed his wife up the path, leaving Ron with Hermione who stood bundled against the snow against the side of the car.
"Happy christmas," she whispered lightly. Her cheeks were flush with pink and her nose was a bright red from the cold. She threw her arms around Ron and pressed her lips into his.
"Happy christmas," he responded before pulling her in for another kiss. Then with a quick glance up at the house, he said in a hopeful voice, "You and your parents do seem to be on better terms."
Hermione nodded and her smile widened. "Yes, even Mom has come around."
"I knew she would eventually," Ron said warmly, slipping his free arms around her shoulders. "Did you have a good Christmas Eve?" They began to slowly walk up the path towards the front door that was cracked open just so.
"It was lovely. Just like our holidays before Hogwarts with the cheesy movies and the board games," Hermione grinned. They entered the warmth of the sitting room once more to find Curtis already engaged in a discussion with Arthur and Percy and Juliet bent over Harry as he introduced her to Teddy.
Mrs. Weasley shuffled towards them through the various pairs of feet, calling the classic festive greeting, and pulled Hermione into a tight hug. She held her at arm's length and patted her cheek warmly before turning in front of them to address the larger group.
"Everyone's here! Let's go eat!" She ushered the group closest to her towards the table (that was also magically expanded for the day) leaving Ron and Hermione to amble along in her wake after she peeled off her outer layer. They found a spot towards one end of the table with Harry and Ginny sitting across from them and Mrs. Granger sitting on Harry's other side. She was quite apprehensive from being surrounded by all the magic and Harry seemed the most normal to her, but he certainly didn't mind.
The noise didn't die down even as everyone sat. Hermione was talking across the table to Ginny, Ron was turned to Charlie on his side, Harry was passing Teddy over his head to Dromeda, Curtis was listening avidly as Percy and Bill argued over a new Ministry regulation, Fleur introduced herself to Juliet, and Mrs. Weasley stood by her chair trying to get everyone's attention. Eventually, she gave up and sunk into her seat. But, her disappointed grimace was replaced with a cheerful smile after a consoling pat from her husband. She waved her wand and the covers over the food disappeared and the extended family dug into the delicious meal.
When Ron had finished a second helping of his food and patted his stomach appreciatively, he leaned back in his seat and gazed around at his family. The majority of their silverware lay on the plates and the table and all suffered from the uncomfortable feeling that their belts were slightly too tight. Then Mr. Weasley pushed his seat back so that the scraping against the wood interrupted their conversation and their heads swivelled towards the end of the table. He clanked a fork against his glass of pumpkin juice, though it was largely unnecessary.
He cleared his throat. "Hello… everyone," he said with a slightly awkward smile. "Molly and I just want to thank you all for coming today," Molly gazed up at him affectionately and patted his hand.
"We are so glad to have a… well, a normal holiday this year. I know that we all wish more could join us this year, but we… we…," he raised a hand to the bridge of his nose, "sorry." Ron hung his head low and he knew the rest of the family followed suit as their thoughts were cast outwards. To Fred. To Remus. To Tonks.
Arthur ran a hand over Molly's shoulder and she covered his hand with her own and pressed her lips together. He took a shuddering breath and opened his eyes once he regathered his strength. Then he continued:
"Last Christmas… we didn't have Ron, Harry, or Hermione with us because they were off on their dangerous mission," Ginny squeezed Harry's hand under the table, but Ron hung his head as his cheeks burned red as he remembered where he actually was last Christmas: Shell Cottage. "And Bill and Fleur were staying at their own home."
"Our world was quite a different place a year ago," he continued, looking at each guest in turn. "But we're here now. And we're together. And that's all that matters." He gave a resolute nod to confirm his thoughts. "So let's raise a glass," they all lifted their glasses towards the center of the table, "to each other."
"To each other!" came the resounding chorus back and the glasses clinked together. Chairs were pushed back and dishes were piled. Some brave guests entered the kitchen and attempted to help clean up but were quickly shooed away by the hosts. And in the commotion, Ron slid unobtrusively towards the staircase and walked lightly up the steps, careful to place his feet on the outside edge to avoid any squeaking wood.
Once he was past the first floor, he bounded up to the next few flights and flung the door to his childhood bedroom open. He shut it loudly behind him and slammed his back against the frame, taking deep steadying breaths.
He felt his chest constrict and his legs shake slightly under the strain of his weight. Giving in to the pressure, he sank to the floor and let his legs sprawl out in front of him and his head fell back against the wood.
"Just breath," he whispered to himself. But his carefully controlled breathing could not contain the rising panic that was bubbling inside. The feeling of enfeebling regret that hung on his shoulders, weighing down his every move. The burdening guilt that brought back the after-effects of that blasted locket they had all worn. And the exhaustion from being strong for others, acting unaffected by his own pain, as if it could make up for all of his past mistakes.
But nothing could, he thought. He abandoned them and Dumbledore knew he would. Why else would he give him that deluminator?
His lip curled in distaste and he pulled his head forward just to have it bang back against the wood. At least the dull ache that formed would be a welcome distraction from the all-encompassing turmoil that engulfed him.
Footsteps bounded up the stairs and he held his breath, hoping not to awaken the other person's senses. Yet, some part of him was begging for them to notice he was here.
"Ron?" Harry's familiar voice called as he bounded up the last few steps. "Are you in here?"
Ron sighed and responded helplessly, "Yeah. I'm fine." He added the last phrase hurriedly on instinct. He heard a pause of shoes on the other side of the door.
"Okaaay…," came Harry's drawn out reply. He was clearly slightly confused as to why he had clarified that he was fine when he initially wasn't worried about that. Now, all of a sudden, he was. "Hermione, he's up here!" Another pair of footsteps bounded up the stairs to stop outside his door.
"Can we come in Ron?" Hermione's light voice asked through the wood. Ron pushed himself to the side so that his back was against the wall and then reached up to the door handle and allowed the door to pop open. Harry pushed it in the rest of the way and his gaze went straight to the bed, but after finding it empty, he found Ron sitting directly to his right.
Harry blinked once, then sagged to the floor in front of his friend and crossed his legs. Hermione shut the door quietly behind him and followed suit. Ron eyed them both warily, unsure of what to say when they asked the inevitable.
"What's up?" Harry asked with his head tilted to the side, skipping through the usual pretense that everything was fine.
Ron glanced between his two friends' faces, both wrought with worry, and shut his eyes in anguish. "I just… it's… I… ARGHH!" Hermione leaned back slightly at his sudden frustrated outburst. "I can't… it's hard to explain," Ron finished weakly.
"Can you try to?" Hermione asked quietly, her eyebrows furrowed in a picture of loving concern.
Ron slowly let out a deep pent up breath. "I know I've said this before and I know I'll say it again, but I'm sorry." Hermione and Harry exchanged a bewildered glance before turning their full attention back to Ron, urging him to explain.
"For…?" Harry asked open-ended.
"For abandoning you! I just… left!" He held out his hands in exasperation.
"But you came back," Harry amended firmly.
"I was terrible to both of you! I fought and complained and bickered nonstop!"
"We weren't any better!" Hermione protested. "We just kept having the same conversation over and over again!"
"But I shouldn't have left!" Ron said angrily.
"No. You shouldn't have," Harry interrupted. Ron looked up, suddenly quieted by his agreement. "But we forgive you and it all worked out in the end," he said simply.
"We all make mistakes," Hermione added placatingly.
"I left you to deal with Bathilda turning into Nagini though! You said you barely made it out alive! If I was there I could've-" Ron protested again. Harry's chest twinged uncomfortably and he heard the familiar scream echoing in his head. But he pushed it aside, content to focus on Ron and ignore the tempting pull to lose himself in his memories. He satisfied the urge by rubbing the two dots on his forearm marking the spot that the snake had pierced him.
"Don't get tied down in the 'ifs,' Ron," Hermione advised firmly. "It's no good and won't get us anywhere."
"I know, I know," he said, waving her concerns aside and clearly not planning on taking her advice to heart.
"Ron…," Hermione started again, she tilted his chin up to look at her. "We all have regrets and guilt. That's just a part of this. And it's awful. But, just know that you aren't alone. Okay?"
Ron gave a wan smile and nodded once. Hermione moved her hand to his cheek and smiled back. Once Harry had successfully pushed away the dull screaming in his head so that it was all but a faint background noise, he rejoined the conversation just as Ron gave one last feeble attempt to render himself guilty.
"But Dumbledore left me the deluminator. He knew that I'd leave you guys! He knew that I'd abandon you!"
"I've been thinking about that actually," Harry interrupted calmly. "And I don't think he knew. I think he knew that we would get separated at some point, one way or another. But, I doubt he knew it would be you that got separated."
Ron looked at him curiously with a vestige of hope in his eyes.
"Think about it. He gave me the snitch because of the flesh memory, so it just made logical sense to give it to me. But he wanted us to have the book so that we could learn about the Deathly Hallows and he wanted us to have the Deluminator so that we could find each other again if we got separated."
"But-"
"Hear me out, Ron," Harry commanded, silencing his interruption. "He gave Hermione the book because let's face it, everyone knows she loves to read, so it would be less suspicious for him to give her the book. So then he gave you the Deluminator because it would be less suspicious if he spread out the gifts and you were just the logical choice."
"You know… that does fit," Hermione said pensively after a moment of silence while they contemplated his words.
"Always the tone of surprise," Harry grinned back. Ron desperately wanted to believe what Harry said as true, but a nagging doubt continued to creep its way in.
"But if-"
"Look, Ron," Hermione said, silencing him once again. "Does it matter if he thought you would leave or not? What matters is that you came back. You saved Harry when he foolishly jumped into a freezing lake," she shot a dark look at Harry and he couldn't help but grin at his own stupidity, "and you got the sword and destroyed the horcrux. If you really want to get tied down by the 'ifs,' then let's say what if you had stayed. You would have been inside the tent with me sleeping and no one would have been there to stop the Chosen One from drowning in the middle of a forest."
Harry turned his attention back to Ron and saw that the fight was finally drained from him and Hermione's argument may have won him over.
"Thanks 'Mione," he said sheepishly.
"Of course," she replied business-like, clasping her hands in front of her.
"Sorry about-"
"Ron!" Harry and Hermione said together.
"Do we have to go through this again?" Harry added, his eyebrows raised.
"Wait! Wait!" Ron said with a laugh, holding his hands out palm forward to stem their flow of demurs. "I was going to say sorry about keeping you up here on Christmas!"
"Don't apologize for that!" Hermione said indignantly. "We have to be here for each other. We have to let each other into our own worlds and share our problems. After all, we're the only three people that can really understand what we went through all of last year."
"True," Ron capitulated.
"Besides," Harry added, gazing wistfully around the room. "It's nice to be back in here with just the three of us. It's like old times."
"Yeah…," Ron said with an indulgent grin. "Remember that time Fred and George came in to scare you awake and you fell straight off the bed?"
"Or when you thought you could get your pajamas on faster if you jumped into them and you just toppled over," Harry shot back.
"Hey! I was twelve! And that was at Hogwarts!" Ron said defensively.
"Oh yeah… Now I remember Seamus being there to witness that historic moment too," Harry admitted with a smile.
About twenty minutes later, the shrill voice of Mrs. Weasley shot up the staircase towards them. "Will you three get down here! This is supposed to be a day with family!"
"Guess we should head back down," Hermione surmised with a guilt smile and rose to her feet, straightening her top as she went. Ron and Harry stood and followed her out the door and back into the relative chaos called a family Christmas.
When they arrived back in the enlarged sitting room, they found everyone situated happily in a rough semicircle around the tree where the gifts were tucked under its boughs. Since all the seats were taken, the trio contented themselves sitting on the floor to one side. Mrs. Weasley passed out her presents first, each one wrapped loosely to hide its contents which everyone could guess.
Sure enough, they each had a new handmade jumper for the year and they all held them out to admire the different colors and images. Then Mr. Weasley urged them to open their second gifts and everyone looked quite surprised that they had another gift to open from Arthur and Molly.
Tentatively, they caught the other boxes that were thrown across the room and opened them. Harry watched Ron open his to discover a large bar of his favorite flavor of Honeydukes chocolate. No longer anxious about what was in his box, Harry tore his open, missing the small exchange that passed between Mr. and Mrs. Weasley as he nudged her with his elbow and both turned to watch him.
"What flavor did you get?" Ron asked eagerly, peering over Harry's shoulder.
Harry just shook his head and stared into the small box held in his hands. Numbed into silence, he looked up and found Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's gaze. They smiled at him and nodded. He pulled out the delicate trinket from the box that he had instantly recognized as an arm to Mrs. Weasley's famous family clock, but at the tip was an image of himself smiling happily through the photo.
Ron and Hermione both saw what was in the box, so it was no surprise to them when Harry raced across the room and threw his arms around them both.
"Thank you," he whispered, fighting back the tears that had sprung into his eyes. Molly rubbed his back affectionately, fighting her own battle against the tears welling in her own eyes. When he pulled away, Mr. Weasley patted his shoulder ponderously and gave him a warm smile that crinkled his eyes.
"You know, I've had it for a few years now actually," Mrs. Weasley said, ignoring the undivided attention that everyone was giving them now. Undivided other than the Grangers, because Juliet and Curtis were leaning over towards her daughter to listen to her explanation of what he was holding.
Harry looked at Mrs. Weasley curiously, still holding the metal arm carefully in one hand.
"We've had it since you were about fifteen, I think. Yes, fifteen because Molly ended up taking it back down after we moved back here from Grimmauld Place when you went back to Hogwarts," Arthur said, nodding to himself confirming the fact.
"Why'd you take it off?" Harry asked, uncomfortably aware of the silence filling the room.
"Well... ," Mrs. Weasley started to answer but shifted awkwardly in her seat. "Your hand was constantly stuck at 'mortal peril' and at first I thought it was broken, but then with you-know-who back... "
"Let's just say it made us more worried than we were without it," Mr. Weasley finished smoothly with a grim smile.
Harry squirmed slightly and looked down at the picture. "Right," responded Harry, suddenly wishing he had never asked. With the Grangers realizing what it was, they too fell silent, leaving the home in limbo.
It was George who finally broke the tense quiet. "Well, let's see if the countless Death Eaters who want his blood are enough to set it off!"
Harry turned slowly towards the redhead and cast a withering gaze upon him. "Thanks, George," he said evenly.
"Nooo problem," he replied with two cheesy thumbs up. Yet, his interruption did the trick and light chuckles erupted across the room, breaking through the domineering tension.
"Allow me," Mr. Weasley said and Harry passed him the clock arm. Arthur smoothly made his way to the clock balancing against the wall on a table and with a quick few spells, stuck the magic arm to the center of the clock.
They collectively sucked in a breath and waited as it spun around energetically. Then, it settled itself next to the rest of the Weasley children, parents, and Fleur pointing to 'home.' George, Charlie, and Ginny started clapping and cheering loudly, and with a few laughs, the rest of the group followed.
The rest of the day was filled with games, talking, and more eating. Harry carried Teddy around adoringly, regretting the moments when another asked to hold him. He and Ginny purposefully got caught under the mistletoe as frequently as they could. Ron and Hermione cuddled together on the couch, catching up with those nearest them. And there was a silent agreement to ensure that someone was always talking with George so that he could ignore the pang in his chest that they knew no one could fill.
Through it all, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stood side by side with their arms wrapped around each other as they happily watched their growing family.
I hope you all enjoyed this extra long and festive chapter! And yes, Hinny finally happened! Little spoiler; the next chapter will have some Draco in it.
I would love some ideas for what the main four get up to in March/April or if there are specific characters for me to write from their perspective.
Thanks for reading!