"Yur a wizard Harry"

"Are you Sirius?"

Hermione sat on one end of the wooden table, her parents on the other side. Pictures on their frames lined the shelves. A stack of the Quibbler that was hidden in the cupboard was exposed, one newspaper hanging out of it with Kingsley Shaklebolt's picture, the caption below proclaiming him to be the new Minister Of Magic. They ate silently, Hermione chewing a biscuit. Garland hid the trimmings on the wall, and mistletoe hung on the light in the living room. It was Christmas Eve. The only noise that was in the house was the music singing 'Joy To The World' honestly, Hermione couldn't be less. However, to avoid any awkward conversations, she asked them "How is life?" her father only and stared and said coldly, "I was fired earlier today." Hermione almost screeched "What?! Why?" That went south quickly. "Says I'm too old, ought to be retired..." Wendall muttered. Hermione had suddenly sparked an idea "I could convert a Galleon to Muggle money! That's 20,000 dollars at least!" Wendall immediately perked up, but Monica shook her head "We don't want you to be wasting your funds on us when you could be using it to get a house and, and, have a life! Besides, your dad already signed up for early retirement." She calmed down and nodded. Wendall seemed a little bummed though. "Well, is there anything I could do to help you guys?" Hermione asked quietly. Monica shook her head and said, "How's life?" Hermione set down her fork "Lots of paperwork at the Ministry, people are trying to make their own brooms, and most of them are bewitching them wrong. We're trying to pass a law that says that people must have a broomaker's permit to invent their own broom. It's causing quite an uproar though." They nodded, and they ate in silence.

Garland hung on the walls of the Burrow, shaking a little, making jingling noises. Cardboard angels that Ginny had made flew around the room squealing with their trumpets, welcoming the trio back to the Burrow. They got hugs from Ginny, George, who had waltzed in the door two weeks prior, proclaiming he was sick of his attic, and both Molly and Arthur, and Crookshanks darted between Hermione's legs. When done hugging, Hermione picked him up. "Crookshanks! Where did you find him? He never made it off the Hogwarts Express!" The orange furball purred in Hermione's arms, and George replied "We found him outside Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, just staring at the Extendable Ears in the window a week ago." Hermione laughed "Well, he always has a taste in those I guess!" She scratched Crookshank's ears and he purred. She set him back on the floor, and he meowed and walked away, intent on the wiggling garland. "Your room's up the stairs and to the left." Hermione plodded upstairs to unpack. When Harry started to go up to Ron's old room, he felt Ginny"s presence behind him, and when he got in, Ginny surprised him with a kiss on the cheek, which got his attention. He looked at her and smiled "How are you Ginny?" she brushed her hand on his chin "Harry, you need to shave," she ruffled his hair, making it stick up a little "and a haircut."

"Several people had told me that this week. I'm planning on scoring a barber reference from my boss."

"Yeah, there seems to be mostly Muggle barbers these days."

"You didn't answer my question."

"I am well."

They stood in silence, in remembrance of Fred's disappearance. Harry dug in his suitcase, his entire arm going in the slim thing, which he had enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm. He pulls out a sweatshirt and realized he was still in his Ministry uniform, "I need to get changed." she left, shutting the door behind her. Meanwhile, Ron was getting caught in a discussion with George as they went upstairs to his room. "Can I get a spot at Wizard Wheezes?" he asked him, he opened the door, and, "Ron! Shut the door!" he frantically shut the door. "Oh, I forgot I put a boggart in there," George said with a grin. "Shut up," he replied and went up to help Hermione unpack. Her room was empty, except for her suitcase, and her wand neatly beside it on the quilt "Hermione?"

"Down here!"

Ron opened the suitcase, and Hermione was half-absorbed into the luggage that lay there. She was holding Crookshanks. "He fell in. Couldn't leave him behind, could I? Help me out." He lifted her out, Crookshanks hanging on to her shoe. "Thanks." Ron noticed Hermione's arm was a bit more irritated than normal as if there ever will be normal for Ron.

The trio walked down Diagon Alley, pursuing a list of groceries for Mrs. Weasley. "Knawing Potatoes! Get your knawing potatoes here!" cried a vendor from the other side of the road. Another shouted "Anti-Hex Hat! Defend yourself from Death Eaters!" Harry went to grab the potatoes. Suddenly the crowd started to part for a slick-haired blonde they were all familiar with, and Ron suddenly realized that Hermione might not be as lucky this time, they had gone to Ministry to find out that Lucius's wand was the same core, but it was unlikely the same occurrence would be with Draco. Ron listed ways in his head, dueling, Obiviating, Stunning... Harry noticed Draco too, Draco was by the Knawing Potato stand now, and suddenly the wheel popped off the stand toppling over on the crowd, and startling Draco. Everybody had dodged the falling stand, and the trio seized the opportunity to getaway. They had to go to Knockturn Alley anyway for some Inferi flesh, and Harry shivered at the thought of him and Dumbledore fighting them off. The soulless, skinny creatures still haunted Harry's mind sometimes. "Ow." they turned to him. "Scar?" Ron asked Harry nodded. Hermione bit her lip in thought.