Disclaimer: I own nothing and am making no profit
Acknowledgments: Rpeh for the Beta Work
Gala
It no longer surprised Harry Potter that he woke up before his alarm. He wasn't sure when that started to happen. But at some point, it had. At first, he had no real interest in being awake before he needed to be awake, and he'd bury himself in cinnamon and leave it at that. But eventually he realized that when he was up, he was up. And that it was time to start the day.
He slipped from the bed and moved as silently as he could manage into the bathroom. The hot shower invigorated him as it did every morning. Still, he didn't linger in it for too long. Even though he was in no hurry, he still would rather feel as if he wasn't wasting the day.
Harry walked downstairs and into the kitchen, not bothering with any of the lights as he knew the way. He started a pot of coffee with a flick of his wand and made some toast as he looked out the window. There wasn't much to see in the dark hours of the morning. And the forest looming behind the house didn't help any either.
He filled a thermos with the fresh coffee and made his way to the front door. Carl the crup slept on a couch in the sitting room near the entryway. He lifted his head as Harry approached but didn't move to get off the couch. Harry tossed his last bite of toast at the dog. He fumbled the catch but recovered quickly before looking up for more.
Harry opened the front door and gestured for Carl to go outside. The crup, however, curled back into a ball on the couch and went back to sleep. Harry couldn't help but chuckle softly to himself, trying not to think about how gray the animal looked in the face. He grabbed his coat from the nearby closet and walked outside.
It was unseasonably warm that morning. Even without the sun beating down as of yet. A light dusting of snow covered the front yard, but the path up to the door was clear. Harry took it down toward the stone wall that surrounded the home.
He was about three steps away when a neigh interrupted his thoughts. He looked to his left, peering out toward the forest. It didn't surprise him when a large black horse trotted through the trees. It stopped a few paces away and locked eyes with him.
"You know Katie would kill us both if she found out, Harpina," Harry said. The Kelpie snorted and kept her gaze leveled on him. Harry chuckled and with a wave of his wand saddled the creature. He climbed onto her back and peered around.
"Well the mokes are the only thing due today, so how about a lap around the park?" Harry said as he took a sip of his coffee. The kelpie responded by jumping over the stone wall and galloping down the path. Even with Harpina moving as swiftly as she could it still took a few minutes for them to enter the conservatory proper.
The sunrise in the park was always one of his favorite times. He let Harpina charge through the park without spurring her in any direction as his gaze wandered over the facilities. He didn't see any of the other staff, but he knew that only a handful of them liked to start as early as he did. Of course, that didn't include holidays.
Still, since that often got him milking the mooncalves he wasn't complaining. Most of the animals were still sleeping when Harpina galloped by the exhibits. A few were pacing around, looking for their morning meal. But most were hidden away.
The Kelpie ignored his original comment of one loop and continued past where she should have turned back to his home. Harry thought of stopping her, but with Penelope gone he doubted she was getting enough exercise, and he was enjoying the brisk morning air.
It wasn't until the third loop, when she started to slow her pace as the sun started to peek above the horizon, that Harry figured he should start being productive. He spurred her to the moke enclosure and dismounted. She followed him to the entrance, huffing at him as he entered.
It had been a few days since he'd gathered the moke skin. In the summer that would have meant a rather long day cleaning up the mess. But given the winter months the creatures seemed rather interested in keeping their skin right where it was. Some of them had shed a few layers, but there wasn't much more than a half hour of work to be had sorting through it all.
After that it only took a few more minutes to check on the health of all the mokes and then a few more to disperse the food for them. It took the creatures a few minutes to decide that eating seemed to be a better idea than huddling together for warmth, so he also spent a few minutes adjusting the hating charms on their enclosure.
He was rather surprised when Harpina was waiting for him outside. The Kelpie must have been bored with her day-to-day to wait around to play at being a mount. He finished his coffee and then mounted the kelpie once more.
"Take me home," he said. She whinnied and started cantering off. It only took Harry a few moments to realize the error in his words. But he got the bubblehead charm off before she dunked him fully into a nearby lake.
It only took about twenty seconds through the underwater passage before Harpina emerged from a stream that should have been too small and too shallow for both her and Harry to arise from. But the Kelpie had no issue. Harry dried himself with a wave of his wand, finding it hard to be angry at the creature for very long. It trotted passed the aviary, weaving expertly through the trees until Harry could see the rear façade of his home.
He'd built it with his own hands. Well, his own magic at any rate. Sure, he'd done some of the work with his actual hands. But Hagrid did most of the manual labor, when it was required. And sure, quite a few other people assisted here or there. They'd often offered to do the work for him. But Harry wanted to do it all himself.
It took him the better part of a year, commuting to the Lake District from London almost daily. But he'd finished around the same time Katie finished her final year of Hogwarts. It was an odd year for him. Part of him wanted to go back to Hogwarts purely to be with her. And he did spend some time there on the weekends. But, as he thought, he hadn't been able to spend much time in a classroom.
He gave her the house as a graduation gift. He hadn't known he was going to do it until they'd come home from the ceremony. At that point, it made such perfect sense. And it was just a plus that she wanted him there with her.
But they didn't stay for very long. They'd both wanted to travel, so they left England. At first just to see the sights and what else was out there. But that changed. Hagrid put them in contact with people he knew were working with creatures in the field and they traveled from place to place, learning about the local magical wildlife and often helping with research and learning whatever they could.
It was three years of that. And it was bliss. Every two or three months they found themselves somewhere new, learning something more as they worked. It was, Harry thought, perfect.
He proposed to her in Egypt. They were working on a Scamander funded research site working with griffins when he'd asked one night. Part of him wished there'd have been a more romantic way to do it. And there probably was. But he'd been lost in the moment.
They'd volunteered to pack up the camp to avoid a storm set to bring them back to civilization for a few days. They could have maintained the camp with magic, but the expedition leader decided they needed to resupply.
Harry could see the clouds billowing toward them on the horizon, the lightning flashing around the pyramids. And in that moment he'd dropped to one knee and asked her. She'd squealed and pulled him to his feet and kissed him, whispering one word frantically against his lips. When they made it back to town and met up with the rest of the expedition the night quickly turned into a celebration.
Part of him wished that he'd have given it a bit more thought, made more of an effort to make the moment romantic. But seeing her there, the sand billowing around her as they worked to secure the camp, made everything feel right. Like he wanted every single moment of the rest of his life to be spent with her.
They wed three months later in Athens. It wasn't a very large affair. They'd spent so much time in the field that planning hadn't seemed like something to focus on. When they'd returned to Greece and started thinking about the specifics it on it became clear, rather quickly, that neither of them was that interested in a large wedding. And that they both wanted to have it done.
So, she invited Leanne to Athens, and he invited Hagrid. A few more of their mutual friends merited invites, like the youngest Scamander who'd been on the Egyptian expedition with them, Penelope, Neville, Luna and they had a small ceremony outside before a party at Katie's grandparents' home.
The next morning Penelope asked them for help after their honeymoon. Things at the conservatory weren't in very good shape at the moment, she'd admitted, and she could use the extra hands. They'd agreed with little discussion. Deep down they both knew it had always been their goal anyway. Two weeks later they returned to England from Santorini and settled into the routine of working.
Now, Harry was in charge. Katie hadn't minded. She liked being involved, and working with the creatures, but the behind the scenes work of it all irritated her. She had little interest in invoicing and payroll and negotiating prices on feed or dealing with the ministry in relation to contracts and grants.
But Harry had no real qualms with any of it. He enjoyed it, for the most part. Some of the duties irritated him, but he'd negotiated better deals with quite a few of their general contracts, including a massive new deal involving the mokes for the ministry. They'd tried to strong arm him into a worse deal, but it only took a glare from him and the threat of leaving for them to cave.
There was a benefit, Harry learned rather quickly, to being Harry Potter. It only took the briefest of mentions of his displeasure in the media and the ministry gave him what he wanted. He tried not to abuse it too much, but it did make life a great deal easier when working with bureaucrats.
He brought himself back to reality as he slid off Harpina. He summoned an apple from the house and gave it to the Kelpie. She took it from his palm and ate it as he vanished the saddle from her back. After she finished she walked back to the stream as Harry reentered his house.
The home was still dark. A flick of his wand turned on the Christmas lights decorating the home. They provided enough atmospheric lighting for Harry as he walked up the stairs and down the hall toward the master bedroom.
Katie wasn't in bed. He peered around for a moment before he heard an all-too familiar gagging sound from the bathroom. He moved over toward the door and waited for it to stop before knocking softly. There wasn't a response past another labored cough so he opened the door and slipped in.
He smelled the potion immediately, a sort of acrid, cilantro scent he'd grown to despise. The goblet on the counter only had about a third left. Katie herself was kneeling in front of the toilet, a soft white robe wrapped around her. Her eyes were closed as she leaned to the side. She turned to look at him and opened her mouth to speak, but instead gagged once and quickly faced the toilet. Harry moved behind her instantly, holding her hair out of the way as she continued to gag.
After a few moments she stopped. Harry conjured a hair tie and gently pulled her hair back into a ponytail. He didn't speak and she leaned back against him as he finished with her hair and summoned a bottle of water. He opened it and offered it to her. She took a sip before placing it down on the ground next to them.
"Thanks," she rasped.
"You're welcome," Harry said. He leaned down and pressed his face into her hair. She exhaled and leaned back against him.
"You checked on the mokes already this morning I take it?" she said.
"Yeah," Harry said. "Couldn't get back to sleep figured I may as well get it done. Nothing unusual."
"Good," Katie said.
"Mmhmm," Harry grunted. He remained silent for a moment after, knowing his next sentence would spur an argument but also knowing it needed to be said. "Katie, I really don't…"
"Don't say it," Katie said. While he'd expected argument, he hadn't expected her to sound so defeated. He tightened his arms around her on instinct, as if trying to tell her he would protect her from anything that could possibly hurt her. Even though he knew full well that he wasn't capable of that.
"You should eat," he said. She groaned in disgust as she relaxed against him. But they'd both been in the room when the healer gave the instructions. And she knew well enough that arguing with him would merely prove his point.
"Do you mind throwing something together?" Katie asked.
"Of course not," Harry said. He kissed the top of her head and let his arms slip off her. "I'll go and get started."
"Thank you," she said. Harry nodded and left the bathroom and moved back downstairs. Carl lifted his head as he came down the stairs and this time decided that it was worth following Harry into the kitchen.
He made a rather simple breakfast of eggs and toast, giving a few small pieces of bread to the crup as he made breakfast. Katie joined him a few minutes later, still wearing the bathrobe as she sat down at the counter. Harry served both of them and they ate quietly. Once they were finished he cleaned the dishes with a flick of his wand as she went to get dressed. Harry walked to the floo in the living room after he'd finished cleaning up and took it to town.
There wasn't much action on the morning hours of Christmas Eve. One couple waved at him as he walked down the street, exchanging the briefest of holiday pleasantries. But they were the only other people out at that point.
He walked over three streets before stopping and knocking on one of the doors. The sign indicated the florist was closed, but after only about fifteen seconds the door opened and a middle-aged woman greeted him with a bright smile.
Harry had picked up the same order for the last few years. She chatted happily with him as she put the finishing touches on the three bouquets before Harry paid for them and shrunk them for transportation. He thanked her for making an exception for him once again. She rolled her eyes at him and said it was no problem. He wished her a merry Christmas and shrunk the flowers before returning to his home.
Katie was waiting for him in the kitchen, sipping coffee at the dining bar. She'd dressed, in a flannel button up and jeans. She slid off one of the stools when he entered.
"Shall we?" she asked.
"Of course," Harry nodded. He took her hand as he approached and they walked outside into the cool morning. It was the first time their holiday routine didn't include stopping for Penelope, but her mother was sick and she'd chosen to spend the holiday in Greece.
They walked through the park, hand-in-hand. They stopped every few minutes to peer into one of the enclosures to watch the creatures. They'd promised, years ago, that they'd spend at least one day a year in the park acting like guests rather than owners. And that day often coincided with the Christmas holiday.
It was nice, at least in Harry's opinion, to see the park as visitors would. It was a different perspective that he thought helped in the long run. And, if he was honest, he enjoyed spending time where he wasn't thinking of every detail of the creatures or enclosures or general maintenance due.
It also fit in with his reflective nature during the holidays. He wondered if he was merely a sentimental fool, but something about the end of the year always caused him to think of his past. And that always brought one event into focus for him.
The end of the war had been shockingly mundane. He wasn't sure what he'd expected. Something closer to the fight with Nagini. But, in the end, it hadn't been. He didn't know why. If he was honest, he didn't care why.
It was like he'd become a different person after that fight. Most spells became easier. Everything seemed to come quicker to him. And he'd felt far more energetic than he could remember. It was like a monumental weight had been lifted from his back.
After a few days, visions of the cup and the diadem floated around his mind, as if something blocking their location had been removed. They'd struggled with how they could possibly retrieve the cup from Gringotts. In the end, he'd walked in and asked for it. He'd only had to obliterate a quarter of the bank before the Goblins granted his request. They still didn't tolerate his presence in the building, but thankfully, Leanne's accounting services were quite handy. And, in a pinch, Katie could still talk to them. Even if she never let him hear the end of it when she had to.
At the time he hadn't known that there were no living Lestranges, and that after Sirius had named him heir he was the closest living relative to the family. The Goblins hadn't had much cause to refuse his request. But it wasn't in their nature to make it easier for him.
All that remained after that was to get the Diadem. They'd apparated to Hogsmeade and walked to Hogwarts. The goons left at the school, the Carrows, tried to fight him. After he'd killed the first the second fled. Harry went for the Diadem as Katie worked with McGonagall to defend the school.
By the time the Death Eaters arrived they were well outnumbered. Harry remembered expecting far more combatants on the field than showed up. And Voldemort was a shell of himself. The final duel only took a few minutes. In the end, he figured having most of your soul destroyed must have vastly weakened the Dark Lord. Either way, the man was dead. And Harry was free.
He hadn't enjoyed the party afterwards. Too many people who hadn't been there for him approached him to gush about how they'd always believed in him. Toward the end of it, Ron and Hermione walked up to him. They both had sheepish smiles and Ron opened his mouth.
He must have wanted to apologize. Harry knew that just by looking at them. He shook his head though, indicating that there was no reason for such words. Relief washed over their faces. Hermione moved to hug him but he slipped away from her and took out her beaded bag.
He tossed it to Ron and thanked them for letting him use it and the tent, before telling them that everything left in it was theirs. Then he left. Both of them were too stunned to even comment.
But the party was excessive. Both he and Katie were uninterested in it. They wanted to be together in a world where they weren't running or fighting for their lives. And they wanted to catch up on what they'd missed.
Unfortunately that was when they'd gotten the worst news Harry could remember receiving in his life.
The two of them continued through the park until they came across a small path nearly hidden between two exhibits. It wasn't closed to the public, but it was a path that Harry knew the public very rarely took.
In the spring and summer it was covered in wonderful shade from beautiful trees. And in the fall the colors changing made it one of the more gorgeous walks at the park. It led into a very well manicured garden.
Behind that, however, there were a couple of monuments guarding a small graveyard. There had been some debate as to if it was entirely proper. But Harry didn't care. He, Katie, and Penelope had agreed upon it. And that was the final word.
In the summer months, a large circular flowerbed greeted the visitors. But there was nothing sprouting from the soil that winter. Paved paths led further into the secluded area. One path moved off to the side into the corner of the area. if one chose to follow that path they would find a large obsidian slab tucked back into the trees. The inscription on it was simple, it merely read, "They died on this ground fighting for tyranny and inequality," and beneath it were the names of thirty-five branded Death Eaters, whose corpses were found on the grounds on Christmas morning eight years earlier.
What Harry hadn't realized until after the war was that his and Katie's fight with Nagini wasn't the only engagement that occurred on that Christmas Eve. Voldemort and his followers had finally decided to see if the Bells knew where Katie, and by extension Harry, was. What they hadn't counted on was the park fighting back.
When they'd blown open the door to the Bell's house, Harpina had been the first to respond. The Kelpie was protective and wary of strangers near her waters and had stalked the group through the park. An attack on her family resulted in every Kelpie in the sanctuary charging the Death Eaters. The five wizards who'd started the mission called for help and more and more of their number rushed in.
Thomas Bell rallied the sanctuary to him. Salamanders joined Kelpies and the violence spread through the entire park. Still, the Death Eaters, after they'd had the numbers, were able to cut through most of the Kelpie herd and kill all but one of the Salamanders. But then they'd made a crucial mistake.
They'd stumbled blindly into Nashwa's enclosure and woken her up. It only took the Sphinx moments to eviscerate the Death Eaters in her space, and to determine what was going on. She'd rushed to Thomas Bell's side and they'd fought on.
Harry and Katie continued up the paved path. Ignoring the memorial to the death eaters and instead peering up at the second monument in garden. It was a seven foot tall bronze sculpture of the Sphinx. Harry stared up at it for a few moments, remembering her smile and how excited she'd been to see him again after the tournament. She'd died fighting for his family. And she'd taken a score of his enemies with her.
Further back, the final memorial consisted of a headstone and a statue. Thomas Bell's gravestone called him the founder of the park and a lover of all creatures. Penelope had written it herself, citing she wanted people to focus on what he accomplished, and now how it ended.
Above the grave was a marble statue of the man. His stone visage was locked in a smile, ashwinders coiled around his feet, a moke rested on his shoulder, and a snidget hovered around his head. Harry squeezed Katie's hand as they looked up at the statue. She sniffled once and he slid an arm around her. His free hand brought out the flowers.
He placed one of the bouquets at the base of Nashwa's statue. Katie slipped from him to place the second at her father's grave. She whispered something at the gravestone, a tear appearing in her eye as Harry watched.
He'd often wondered what the man had thought as the creatures came to his defense and paid for it with their lives. As the inscription said, he'd loved the animals. And Harry couldn't imagine watching so many of them die. But really, he'd known how the man must have felt, his final action solidified that completely.
After the fight, after they'd sent for help but before it could arrive, as Penelope was trying to keep him alive. Harry had seen the memory. He'd begged her, whispered repeatedly to her, to save the child. He'd was sorry, and he loved her. But please save the baby.
Harry heard the soft pattering of feet behind him and couldn't help but smile.
And Penelope had obliged him. She'd shifted her attention to the Sphinx and she'd delivered the creature's daughter as her husband passed from the world.
"Good morning, Sanura," Harry said. The young sphinx walked up to their side. Katie patted the creature on the head and Harry heard the soft rumbling of a purr.
"Merry Christmas Eve!" the creature said. She was perhaps four feet tall with coppery fur and a youthful expression. Like her mother, she claimed to enjoy the English winters. But she also decided a year ago to stay full time at the conservatory, forgoing returning to Egypt in the summers.
Harry stared up at the man who would have been his father-in-law. He wondered if the irony of it ever occurred to Lord Voldemort. The Dark Lord was so ashamed to have a common muggle name that he'd gone to great lengths to quash any rumor of it. Lord Voldemort couldn't bare the shame of being called Tom. Hell, even Harry had used it as a taunt.
And yes, the greatest single defeat his Death Eaters suffered came at the hands of a Thomas. A man who'd wanted nothing more than to be a good husband, a good father, and a good naturalist. A man who could appreciate the simple things in his life. A man who could love and protect any creature he thought needed it. A man who'd given his life so that one more creature could enter the world.
There was something beautiful about it, Harry thought. Although he was positive Lord Voldemort wouldn't have understood the simple magic of it.
The three of them stared at the statues for a few moments before Harry took out the third bouquet of flowers. It was already smaller than the first two, and became even more so when he split it in half. He led Katie to two small, almost invisible headstones in the back corner.
The only thing on either of the grave markers was a single date. Harry put his bouquet down before one of them and Katie the other. Her sniffling had turned into full tears by that point and Harry did all he could. He hugged her and whispered he loved her.
They stayed in the graveyard for about a half hour. Sanura pounced around her mother's memorial as Harry held Katie and tears fell. Eventually she spun around in his arms, her eyes finally dry, and spoke.
"We still need to prepare for the party," she said.
"We do," Harry agreed. Most of the decorations went up at the start of December, but for their Christmas Party there were a few touches they liked to add.
"Can I come?" Sanura asked excitedly as she pranced around them. Harry and Katie exchanged a glance and started to walk away from the memorial before Harry spoke.
"You're always welcome to help with the decorations," he said. The Sphinx pouted immediately.
"No! To the party!" she squealed.
"Oh," Harry said, raising his brows and spinning around to look at the sphinx as he walked backward into the park.
"Please?" she asked, prancing closer to Harry.
"Maybe," Harry said.
"Is that a good idea?" Katie asked. She slipped her hand from his as she spun around as well. She retook his hand as she walked with him.
"Please?" Sanura asked again. She stopped prancing around them and instead padded right behind them.
"You have to promise me two things," Harry said, giving the sphinx a stern look.
"Anything," Sanura said.
"You have to help us with the decorations," Harry said.
"That's easy," Sanura responded with a smug satisfaction. "I like doing that. It's like a game!"
"And you have to behave," Harry said, his tone suddenly sharp as he spoke. Katie squeezed his hand and when he peered over at her she was biting her bottom lip and seemed to be making an effort not to look at him.
"I always behave," Sanura pouted.
"You nearly pounced on Secretary Nott two years ago," Katie said.
"He insulted my mother!" Sanura exclaimed. "And I know you don't like him!"
"Attacking ministry officials, no matter how stupid or snide they are, is not behaving," Harry said.
"What was I supposed to do? His father might have been the one who…" Sanura let her words trail off. Harry could feel the vehemence in her.
"Come and get one of us," Katie said. "Nott wasn't invited. And I'm sure he regrets trying to throw his weight around."
"What did you do?" Sanura asked.
"All sorts of politicking," Harry said. He knew the sphinx well enough to know she would have very little interest in the ins-and-outs of backroom deals. Although it hadn't been that backroom. He'd been furious when he'd learned Nott had shown up two years ago at the Christmas Party.
Harry had made it quite clear no one who's family name was etched on the obsidian slab in the memorial was welcome at his parties. It wasn't strictly true. Tracey Davis and Pansy Parkinson had both approached him at separate times, asking about the memorial to their parents. He wasn't friendly with either of them, but they'd been repentant. Tracey likely would have been at the party that evening but given it was only a month since the birth of her first child, Harry doubted she'd show.
But no one else from any family on the memorial had approached him. And, as far as Harry was concerned, they would never be invited to the park. For anything.
Nott had taken it upon himself to represent the Department of Games and Sports without an invitation. And he'd made a disparaging comment about the beasts allowed to wander around and why would anyone put up a memorial to a disgusting cat?
Harry had frozen Sanura mid pounce and then spent a good chunk of the evening in her sanctuary with her as she calmed down. By the time he'd made it back to the party, Hagrid and Neville had convinced Nott to leave. Harry wasn't completely sure how they'd done it, but he figured the black eye and sling the man had at the ministry meeting two days later had something to do with it.
Either way, when other ministry officials tried to talk him into forgiving Theodore, to burying the hatchet as it were, Harry had simply nodded and agreed. Except, he'd said, he'd never sell another skin or egg to the ministry.
They'd laughed at him. Until he'd pointed out that he could get better prices from the French, the Germans, or even the Americans on all of the same products. Which gave them some pause until they countered with all sorts of export regulations. Harry had shrugged and played his ace.
He'd inherited quite the fortune. Enough, he'd calculated, to run the conservatory for at least three centuries, even adjusting for inflation. The silence in the room amused him. He had no idea, really, if it was true. But it didn't matter.
He'd taken their threat and countered it. They could shut him down, they could regulate away his ticket sales, but they couldn't take his land or his animals. And he could survive without them.
In the end, Theodore Nott lost his job, and the Ministry treated him with caution and respect from there on out. Harry knew there was some grumbling about it but it didn't matter to him. He had no intention of making such threats ever again. And, he added, no intent in making it in the first place. It had been one of their own who'd tried to gloat over him that spurred him into action. And they were living with the consequences.
"That sounds boring," Sanura said.
"It was," Harry agreed.
"And that was two years ago," Sanura frowned. "I'm much more mature now!"
"Last year you nearly mauled a little boy," Harry said, remembering that incident as well. Thankfully she'd stopped before she'd gotten her claws into him, and instead just tackled him and, after much scolding form Harry, ran off.
"He pulled my tail!" Sanura yelled, defending her actions. "He deserved it!"
"That may be," Harry said. "But attacking my guests reflects poorly on me."
"But he pulled my tail!" Sanura said again, swishing her tail as if for emphasis.
"And I'm sure that was very mean of him. But if you can't promise me to not harm people at the party, then I think you'll spend it in your sanctuary," Harry said.
"Will you at least bring me some of those shrimp you always have?" Sanura frowned.
"Food is for guests," Harry said.
"Fine," she frowned. "I promise I'll behave."
"I've heard that before," Harry said. Sanura made a face at him. Harry raised her brows at her and stared. After about thirty seconds she sighed and hunched her shoulders.
"I really promise. I won't do anything mean or violent and I'll be a perfect guest," Sanura said.
"Well that's a problem," Harry said.
"Why now?" Sanura frowned, stomping her front paws in annoyance.
"Because this is your home as well, you're a host, not a guest," Katie said.
"Really?" Sanura giggled.
"Really," Katie said.
"And we expect you to be a gracious and kind host," Harry said. "Even if that means I have to keep an eye on you all night."
"Yes!" Sanura squealed and pounced. Her paws wrapped around Harry's neck as he caught her. He'd barely had the time to take his hand form Katie's and catch her. But he managed, even if he staggered backwards.
"Hey now," he laughed. "Careful!"
"Thank you," she said, burying her face into his neck. Katie reached out and patted her on the back twice, suppressing a smile as she did so.
"You're welcome," Harry said, shifting his grip so prevent dropping her. "Remember though, you promised to behave."
"I'll remember," she said, raising her face to look up at him. "But I have one question."
"Yes, that includes if they pull your tail," Harry said. Sanura glared at him but shook her head.
"No not that," she said.
"What then?" Harry asked.
"Do I still get shrimp?" Sanura asked.
"Of course," Katie laughed. "Why wouldn't you?"
"Well you said food was for guests. And the host isn't really a guest," Sanura said.
"Hosts can eat too," Katie said.
"Oh good," Sanura said as Harry placed her on the ground.
"But we need to finish setting up first," Harry said. They were almost to the center of the park, a large open area that served as a hub for everything.
"Let's get that done then!" Sanura exclaimed. She pounced off in front of them, hopping around the center area. Harry took Katie's hand again and they both spent a moment simply watching the excited sphinx as she pranced around.
"Do you want to do the venue or the tables and chairs?" Katie asked, peering around the atrium of the conservatory.
"Venue," Harry said as he pulled out his wand. Katie made a face at him and started repeatedly conjuring. Harry watched as the black wooden chairs sprang into existence and once he thought he had a good idea of the theme she was going for he waved his wand across the entire atrium.
At first, pine trees sprouted from the path leading down to it. They grew to about twenty feet before lights and garlands sprouted out from the branches. Each ended capped with a bright glowing star. The trees formed a path into the atrium and then lined around it.
Once that was finished, he conjured floating candles and dispersed them around the entire area. While he thought the lit trees might provide enough light he wasn't willing to chance it. He could always vanish the candles if it got too bright.
After that he cleared out an area in the corner and made space for the band to set up. And then he smoothed a portion of the nearby flooring to be a dance floor. Once that was done he moved to the opposite corner and set up an area for the catering. A glance at his watch indicated they'd be arriving shortly.
He turned his attention to the center of the atrium and started on an ice sculpture. He focused on kelpies this time, three of them rearing around each other. When he'd finished with that, he conjured miniatures of it and placed them on the tables Katie had finished conjuring.
Almost on queue he heard the popping of apparition behind him. He turned to see six elves standing there. Five of them quickly moved toward the corner he'd created for the food and the sixth beamed at him.
"Mister Harry Potter sir!" Dobby yelled. "Dobby thanks you for hiring us once again!"
"No problem Dobby, you guys do great work," Harry smiled. After the war and McGonagall's retirement, the ministry had found it rather odd to have an elf on the payroll of the institution and had terminated his employment.
But Dobby had taken it in stride. After all, he'd exclaimed, free people got fired. It was one of their perks. Harry hadn't had the heart to argue with him. As it turned out, the elf had saved almost all of his earnings in the kitchens and decided to give catering a go. He'd convinced a handful of other elves in his time at Hogwarts to give freedom a shot and they followed him into his new venture. Harry had been one of the first wizards to hire him, for the yearly Bell Christmas party as it happened, and the elf had performed admirably. So admirably in fact that hiring him for a party quickly became vogue.
"Harry Potter is too kind!" Dobby yelled. "Dobby will make this the best bash yet!"
"Going to be pretty hard to top last year," Harry said, he still has rather fond memories of the raspberry filled chocolate animals that had joined in the party just in time for dessert.
"Dobby has plans," Dobby smiled. "But we must prepare! You and Miss Katie should go. We will finish setting up!"
"I'm almost done," Harry said, but Dobby started shoving him away. At least until the Sphinx landed feet away from him. Dobby jumped back in alarm.
"Do you have any shrimp ready?" Sanura asked.
"The food is not ready until the party starts!" Dobby exclaimed. Sanura pouted.
"Please?" she begged.
"Sanura," Harry scolded. "What did I say about behaving?"
"That was only for at the party! We're not at the party yet!" Sanura argued.
"She has a point," Katie laughed. "But we should leave Dobby alone now and freshen up. Even Sanura could use a bath before the party."
"Do I have to?" Sanura pouted.
"Yes," Katie said. "But you can come with us and use our tub and as many of the bubbles as you like."
"Oh bubbles!" Sanura giggled. She pounced over Dobby and started toward their home. Harry and Katie followed after her, their hands joining once more.
Once they'd arrived back at home it only took about fifteen minutes to get Sanura into the tub in one of the guest baths and to convince her to yell when she was bored and not to pad through the rest of the house covered in bubbles. Harry doubted she'd listen.
He peeled his shirt off as he stepped into his and Katie's bedroom. He tossed it into the hamper on the floor of the closet. He turned toward the master bath and saw Katie standing in the doorway. She'd changed back into her fluffy robe and nothing else. And she'd left it undone as she leaned against the door. When Harry saw her his first instinct was to move toward her. She stepped further into the bathroom and he followed.
The lingering scent of the potion gave him pause as he entered the bathroom once more. But she'd kissed him and begged him to try again. And deep down Harry knew he couldn't resist.
Later, after he'd finished dressing in the most stylish black dress robes he had, he waited for the girls in the kitchen. Bounding footsteps down the stairs alerted him to when they'd finished getting ready.
Sanura pranced into the kitchen, a navy-blue bow in her hair and her fur otherwise brushed to perfection. She pranced around, doing her best to not knock over anything with her swinging tail as Harry paid her glowing compliments.
Katie followed moments later. She also wore black, this time a little black dress with speckles of silver on it that blinked like stars as she moved. She had diamonds dangling from her ears, her diamond on her left hand, and the silver charm bracelet on her right wrist. She'd left her hair down, falling in gentle curls down her back.
"You look lovely," Harry said. She stepped up to him and kissed him.
"Thanks. I feel lovely," Katie said. She twirled for him before he reached out and hugged her. It was a chilly evening but a warming charm took care of that, at least until they made it back to the venue.
Dobby had set up warming charms on the area so Harry deactivated his own as he entered. The elf had gone all out on the decorations. He'd added even more trees and lights than Harry had, along with more lighting around the atrium. And he'd even set up an area in the corner with all sorts of games for the children, including artificial kelpies for them to climb on and slide off the back of, and one very put-out looking elf making sure no harm came to any of them.
"Harry!" Hagrid boomed as the Potters entered the atrium. Harry smiled to himself. It wasn't like the gamekeeper to be anything other than early. Sanura pranced forward and hopped around the giant.
"Hi Hagrid!" she giggled
"Hello little lady," Hagrid gave the sphinx a warm smile.
"Hey Hagrid. How's the castle?" Harry asked.
"As lively as ever," Hagrid said as more guests started to approach from the gift shop that housed the floo.
"Nothing you can't handle though, I hope," Harry said.
"Course not," Hagrid responded. "No one seems to get into as much trouble as you used to."
"I assume that's a good thing," Harry said. He heard someone yell for him and turned toward the direction of the new arrivals.
"I should let you greet your guests," Hagrid said. "I'll take first crack at the food."
"Oh! Can I come?" Sanura asked, sliding next to Hagrid.
"Course," The giant said, reaching down to ruffle her hair. She slipped away from his hand, sliding around to his other side, as she followed him toward where two elves were arranging food on platters.
Harry watched the two of them for a moment before greeting Dean Thomas. And then a brief exchange with Susan Bones about how things were going with the Comet Broom Company. After he found himself insisting to Dennis Creevey that the photos he'd allowed the man to get of the Snidgets were not really a big deal at all. And then it was on to other ministry officials, business acquaintances, employees, donors and everything in between.
For every person that approached him, another approached Katie and they found themselves in what felt like a never-ending stream of admirers, associates or spouses, doing everything they could to be charming through it all.
At some point he'd managed to grab a glass of wine from an elf wandering through the party. Just in time for the head of Games and Sports to once again apologize for Theodore Nott all while attempting to convince him that he should allow a couple of Snidgets to be sacrificed for occasional league match for the nostalgia of it all.
Katie saved him from Azkaban when she claimed that one of the songs that started to play was one of her favorites and she had to dance to it. They only spent a few minutes dancing before it was back to it once more.
Harry did his best to pay attention to everything going on at the party. Most notably, where Sanura was and if she was near anyone that she was likely to snap at. He was only a little surprised that she kept her promise and was clearly on her best behavior. Although, given how close she was staying to Hagrid, and how large the plate of food he was carrying, gave him a pretty good idea of why she was behaving.
After it seemed like he'd talked to far more people that could possibly be at the party it was time to give a holiday speech. It never changed much. He rambled on, thanking people for coming, and for continuing to support his sanctuary. He talked briefly of what happened at the end of the war and how he'd earned his freedom. But he always asked for a moment to reflect on those who'd sacrificed so much for the war, including the founder of the conservatory.
And then he ended it with a few words about the holiday, wishing everyone well and thanking them again for joining him on that evening. The speech always ended with applause that he wasn't fully sure he'd earned. But he raised his drink to them anyway, before rejoining Katie in the crowd of people.
She was busy talking with Healer Patel of St. Mungo's. Harry overheard the words surrogate and granddaughter as he approached and had a good enough idea of what they must have been talking about.
He nodded at Healer Patel as he approached. The woman was now the number two of the hospital in general and liked to keep in touch. In return Harry made sure her orders for the hospital were always fulfilled first, regardless of general demand elsewhere. The woman smiled at him as he slid an arm around Katie's shoulder, said something about going to chat with one of her colleagues.
"Great speech," Katie said, leaning against him. They swayed slightly to the music, despite not being on the dance floor.
"I think I gave the exact same one last year," Harry said.
"Either way, it was a great speech," Katie said.
"Thanks," Harry said. He closed his eyes and kissed the top of her head, enjoying holding her in his arms and the fact that his responsibilities for the evening were concluded.
"Did you know Hermione is here with a Ballycastle Bat?" Katie asked.
"When did that happen?" Harry asked.
"Presumably sometime in the last year and a half," Katie responded dryly. Hermione worked in the Department of Magical Transportation and was part of the blanket invitation Harry extended to most of the ministry. She hadn't attended in a few years. In fact, he hadn't seen much of her in years. She'd tried to apologize after the battle and, honestly, Harry hadn't wanted to hear it. And after that he and Katie had left. She'd tried to approach him a couple of times but the timing had never worked out well and he'd blown her off.
It ate at him, a bit. But nothing with Hermione and Ron ever felt right. And he was so busy running the conservatory that it was always so easy to make excuses for anything else.
"Cheeky," Harry responded while doing his best to not roll his eyes at her. She shifted both of them around until Harry saw Hermione.
His first thought was that she'd lost weight and that she looked healthier than she had a few years ago during her relationship with Ron. She was smiling as she twirled around with a taller man, keeping up with an up-tempo dance with a smile on her face. But, as the song ended, they made eye contact. There was a pause before she slipped away from the man and started walking toward them.
"Hello Harry," she said as she walked up to him. She paused for a moment before adding. "Hello Katie."
"Hello Hermione," Katie responded.
"Hi," Harry added.
"You…uhm…you…I…" Hermione started.
"You throw a splendid party," the man she'd been dancing with said as he walked up behind her. He reached out for her hand and took it, giving it a reassuring squeeze in a gesture that felt very familiar to Harry.
"Thank you," Harry said, then in an attempt at ice-breaking added, "You hit a mean Bludger."
The man thanked him as well and gave him a grin but the conversation stopped then. They were quiet for a few moments then, staring at each other. The man with Hermione was tall and rather handsome. His expression seemed frozen in a half smile as his eyes glanced around the party. There was a sort of easy air around him. He was the one that eventually broke the silence.
"You should just say it, babe. Or we'll be here all night. And there quite a few other things I'd like to do with you tonight." He spoke casually, only glancing at Hermione briefly. She flushed crimson and looked ready to yell but Katie giggled, which earned her a glare and Hermione seemed cowed for a moment.
"What's up?" Harry asked.
"I just….Well I never got the apologize to either of you and I don't like the fact that you hate—" she started.
"Hermione," Harry sighed.
"Don't interrupt," she snapped. Harry chuckled as she continued. "I hate that you hate me. And…I mean I won't try to defend myself. I can't defend myself. I abandoned you. I'm so sorry Harry. And Katie. I understand that it's something you will never be able to forgive or forget. But, well, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. There isn't a single day where I don't wish I had stayed with you. Thank you for everything you did, everything you struggled for, so that we could be here now," Hermione said it all in one breath. Whatever she expected as a response, well, she didn't get it.
Instead Harry shook his head slowly. The memory of his anger, his fear, his despair when he'd heard her the tent filled his head. But then Katie squeezed his hand and he remembered that he wasn't a seventeen-year-old idiot attempting an impossible task in the middle of nowhere anymore.
No, now he was twenty-six. He was a husband and part owner of the largest magical animal sanctuary in England. And he was a hero. He didn't like to play that card, but he knew it was the truth. A lot of his emotions about that Christmas had faded in the near decade since. What had been a triumph had turned to sorrow upon learning the full cost of that evening.
When words finally came to him, they weren't what he expected, but, somehow, he knew they were the only words he'd be able to say in that situation.
"I forgive you, Hermione," he said, chuckling at the absurdity of it all. Before he'd even finished her name her arms were around his neck and her body pressed to his. She sobbed against his chest as she held him tightly. He hugged her for a moment, before passing her off to her boyfriend. When she emerged a few moments later her makeup was stained and her hair had somehow become even frizzier.
"Ow," he teased after a moment. "You've been working out."
"He makes me run with him," Hermione scoffed, but her expression quickly turned playful and Harry suspected that it hadn't been her boyfriends idea.
"You look great," he said.
"Thanks," Hermione responded as she let her arms slide off of him. She took a deep breath before continuing. "When I heard you were married and….that Ron and I didn't even warrant an invitation…I…I…." Hermione sniffled as she tried to compose herself.
"It was just a small family thing," Katie said before Harry could comment. She took out her wand and conjured a compact before offering both items to Hermione. The younger witch took them and took a moment to fix her hair and face.
"Tell me about it?" she asked as she handed Katie her wand back.
"Of course. But I'm more interested in this," Harry said, gesturing to Hermione and her boyfriend. "How about we grab a drink and you tell me how this happened?"
"I'm game," the man said. He gestured to one of the waiter elves and moments later they each had a glass of wine as the conversation started in earnest.
The foursome talked for hours. Harry started with questions on how things ended with Ron. Hermione blushed and didn't look at him as she talked about it, instead focusing entirely on her wine. But when they moved on to more current events she perked right back up. Harry asked a few questions about how she'd met her boyfriend, learning that it had been mostly at ministry events.
He'd overheard that she'd given Draco Malfoy the black eye he'd sported at the end of his fifth year at Hogwarts. And he wanted to know the story about that. They'd spent the evening talking, and somehow that had led to dinner a few nights later and then more.
She quickly grew bored of talking about herself though, and turned the questions back on Katie. The wedding quickly became the main talking point. Katie gushed about it, down to the most minute of details, while Hermione commented where appropriate, and asked questions of Harry where appropriate. At some point magical photos were summoned and the gushing continued.
At various points guests would approach the group. Mostly thanked Harry for the invite and excused themselves for the evening, but the occasional one or two asked for an autograph or a picture. A surprising amount of them asked Hermione's boyfriend rather than Harry. Which, if he was honest, amused him rather a lot.
The man took it all in stride. And really, that endeared him to Harry. The man was rather mellow, rather calming, and surprisingly insightful. He was easy to be around, and easy to talk to when the girls were otherwise distracted. Even if their conversation turned to the most basic of topics such as the wine they were drinking. And he even seemed rather intrigued as he talked with Harry about the sanctuary and expressed that he'd always wanted to see the Snidget exhibit but had never made it on a day when it was open.
Somehow that led to an open invitation to see the sanctuary. Which led into talk about Quidditch. Which led into more drinking and the insistence that Harry should come up to Ballycastle for training one day to see what real Quidditch looks like.
But eventually Hermione yawned and decided it was time for them to return home. She gave the excuse that they had a busy day the next day with his family in the morning and hers in the afternoon.
They agreed to do something as a group in a couple of weeks. Katie promised to reach out to Hermione and arrange it. And honestly, Harry found himself rather looking forward to it as they left the party.
Harry looked around and noticed most of the attendees had left. And the elves were working on getting the rest of them to leave. He was in the middle of wishing some of the other guests well when Hagrid approached him from behind.
He turned to see the giant a few steps from him, cradling a sleeping Sanura in his arms. He couldn't help but chuckle.
"Did she behave?" Harry asked.
"Like a Princess," Hagrid said.
"That could go either way," Harry said. "I'm not going to have any surprise visits from solicitors in the next few days? Or the ministry telling me I can't have her loose around non-sub-humans?"
"Shouldn't," Hagrid said. "She's a good girl. Where should I take her?"
"You should head home," Harry said. "I'll take her."
"Alright then," Hagrid said as he handed the Sphinx to Harry. "You mind if I take a barrel of that mead with me?"
"Go right ahead," Harry said. "If Dobby throws a fit tell him I said to bill me."
"Thanks for coming, Hagrid," Katie said as she slipped next to Harry. Hagrid beamed at her and nodded.
"Thanks for the invite," Hagrid responded with a nod of his head. And then, with a promise to return in a few days to help with the salamanders, he was off, leaving very few people at the gala.
"I think," Harry started with a yawn as he shifted his grip on Sanura, "That Dobby can handle it from here."
"We should at least thank him and wish him a happy Holiday," Katie said. Harry nodded and they did just that, spending five minutes chatting with the over-excited elf before Harry used Sanura as an excuse to cut the conversation short. But they did invite him for tea whatever day was convenient for him next week. Dobby just about fainted as he accepted.
After they walked back home. They could have apparated but walking felt nice. They walked past Sanura's sanctuary. Harry paused for a moment and looked at Katie. She rolled her eyes at him but nodded and instead they continued on, enjoying the dark walk through the park back to their house. Katie opened the door for him and he slipped through with Sanura. Carl growled from the couch, his eyes focusing on the sleeping sphinx until Katie distracted him with treats and took him outside.
Harry carried Sanura up to one of the guest bedrooms. He magicked back the covers as he entered the room. He set her down on the bed what felt like moments before his arms were to give up on him. He cursed himself for not levitating her back, or leaving her in her enclosure, but he hadn't noticed her weight on the walk. He moved a pillow underneath her head and pulled the blankets up over her.
She cocooned herself into the blankets almost immediately, curling into a ball and purring as soon as they were around her. Harry smiled at the sight before leaning over and kissing her on the head once. He whispered good night against her hair and turned to leave the room.
Katie smiled at him from the doorway. Her eyes looked rather wet but he chose not to comment. Instead he took her hand and led her back to her bedroom. It only took them a couple of minutes to change into their pajamas and get into bed. They kissed as Katie cuddled against him but as his hand slid down her leg she shook her head.
"Tired," she whispered against his lips. "And besides, we're probably going to wake up in bed with a sphinx."
"I hope not," Harry chuckled. But he wouldn't put it past the creature. His arm wrapped protectively around Katie.
"You spoil her too much," Katie teased. Harry knew it was true and shrugged, having no real defense for it.
"I guess," he said. "How was Healer Patel?" She was silent for a few moments, knowing full well what he was asking.
"Fine," she said. "You'll be pleased to know she agrees with you about the potion."
"Katie," Harry sighed. But she shook her head against him and he let the argument die in his throat.
"I know," she said. "She wants me to come in next week for a few more tests. For, well, the last option."
"I see," Harry responded. He was quiet for a moment, knowing exactly what option she was referring to, and that it had been, by far, Katie's least favorite idea.
"We agreed on Wednesday morning. She might do an extraction to see what they can do magically," Katie said.
"Do you want me to come with?" he asked.
"No, that's alright. I'll be fine," Katie said. Harry nodded and was silent for a moment. He heard her breathing slow before he was able to fully compose his words in his mind.
"I can only speak for myself," he started. She made a sort of 'mmm' noise against him to indicate she was listening. "But my life is perfect. And if this is what it is. I can't imagine being happier. Don't feel like….you have to do all of this. It feels like too much."
"I want to, Harry," she said. "If this doesn't work. Well, then we'll cross that bridge. But I'm not doing it because I feel obligated. I'm doing it because I want to."
"Okay," Harry said. "I just. I felt like I needed to say that."
"I know," she said. "I love that earnestness about you."
"Well at least sometimes," he smirked.
"At least sometimes," she agreed. She paused for a moment before whispering. "Merry Christmas."
"You too," he smiled. "One of my best ones yet."
"You say that every year," she teased. Even though her eyes were closed he could still picture them rolling in her head.
"Well, you keep making it true," Harry teased.
"What can I say?" Katie asked, sleepily. "It's a gift."
"Yes. You are quite amazing," Harry said. He felt his eyes growing heavier so he tightened his arm around her. He pressed his face into her hair, letting the warm cinnamon scent of it fill his senses.
"I love you," she mumbled as she drifted off. He responded, his lips barely moving against her hair, as he thought of his time with her. Never would he have imagined running a zoo and a farm would be his calling. But he loved the work, he loved the animals, and he owed it all to her and her family. They'd accepted him one Christmas without hesitation. They'd shown him the value in their work. And he'd found the place he belonged. And the person he belonged with.
His words were simple when they came, and yet they carried more meaning and truth than anything else he'd spoken in his life.
"I love you too."