December, 1991 Hogwarts Castle
The Christmas season had arrived at Hogwarts. Snow had covered the outside of Hogwarts, the lake had frozen over, and students were excited to return home to see their families. Everyone was eager to head home. Not only to see their families, but because the school itself felt like an icy igloo. Students were eager to return to their warm loving homes. Harry, in particular, was extremely happy to be able to see his parents and uncles.
However, there were some who just wanted to make everyone feel miserable. Draco Malfoy was in the worst mood and wanted everyone else to suffer with him. Ever since Harry's triumph over the Slytherin Quidditch team, Malfoy had become increasingly antagonistic towards Harry and his friends. The Slytherin had been trying desperately to smear Harry's name by teasing and taunting him with insults about his family and friends. Harry ignored him for the most part and was pleased anytime Draco fired off one of his insults when a teacher, particularly Professor Snape or McGonagall, was in ear shot.
Each time this happened, Malfoy would get points deducted and day's worth of detentions. With as many times as it occurred, the boy ended up with week long detentions. The loss of points for the Slytherin house had practically made Draco a social pariah in the Slytherin House due to losing them nearly eighty points all on his own within the few weeks between the game and the first week of December. Every first year of Slytherin House avoided him like a plague, while the upper classmen of his house would scold him every chance they got.
This caused the boy to take out his anger on those around him. He wasn't used to being ostracized; people usually followed his every whim. So he would lash out at other first years, and his newest target was Ron Weasley. Harry assumed Draco saw Ron as an easy target and since anytime he targeted Harry he got in trouble, Malfoy chose to switch his taunting to someone less popular. This plan, however, backfired when the day before Christmas break had begun. Malfoy had subjected Ron to some more teasing, this time prodding the fact that Ron was staying behind over the holiday then once again insulting Ron's family. This angered the youngest Weasley, who tackled the blond to the ground.
The two boys ended up wrestling together in the middle of the entrance hall. Blows were traded by both boys before the Slytherin Prefect and Percy, the Gryffindor Prefect, pulled the two boys apart. The two boys resisted continuing to try and attack each other. Unfortunately for both of them, Professor Snape had come up from the dungeons right as the boys had been pulled off each other. They were each given detention for a month that would begin after the holidays, they were to be confined in their common room until the start of the holidays, and each had thirty points taken from their houses.
Harry and his friends had been coming down the stairs and witnessed the altercation. He understood Ron's anger. Malfoy had been trying to get a reaction out of Harry for weeks, but after the scene that occurred before the quidditch game, Harry made a conscious effort to ignore the boy. Ron, however, had a short temper probably from growing up with multiple siblings. Harry couldn't help but feel sorry for Ron in this instance, but chose to stay out of it.
The group of friends entered the Great Hall for their lunch. The Hall had been extravagantly decorated with holly and mistletoe hanging from the walls and twelve towering Christmas trees all around the room. The group looked around in awe at seeing the extravagant decorations before heading to the table to get some food. The group was enjoying a quiet conversation when someone appeared behind Harry.
Harry turned and saw Albus Dumbledore standing behind him. "Hello Headmaster," Harry said. "May I help you, sir?"
"Oh, not at all my boy," the man said and looked down at Harry through his half moon spectacles. "Just thought I'd inquire about your holiday plans."
"Oh, I'll be going home to see my parents, sir," Harry said as he put on a kind smile.
"Really?" Dumbledore said. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay at Hogwarts?" The man looked Harry directly in the eye as he said this.
Suddenly Harry felt something trying to break through his own mental defenses. Harry immediately understood. Dumbledore was attempting to try and force Harry to choose to stay at the castle. Harry immediately closed his mind to outside interference while looking up at the Headmaster. "Yes, sir. I'm sure I will be going home to see my family," he said, his smile not changing.
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "I see. Well, that is a shame. Have a pleasant holiday." With that, Dumbledore turned and headed to the High Table.
Dumbledore frowned as he walked toward the High table. The boy has mental protections, he thought. Did someone do that for him or was he taught to do it? Either way, this won't do at all. How can I properly influence the boy if I can't subtly push him in the right direction? He thought these things as he passed Minerva, who was sitting at her usual spot at the teachers table.
Minerva had watched the encounter closely. She noticed Harry had made a strange face for a moment and was certain Dumbledore had attempted to compel Harry to do something. Dumbledore's frown indicated he failed in his attempt. Her eyes narrowed. She'd be sure to inform James and Lily of this when she visited them over the holidays. That bastard, she thought, but kept her composure.
Harry was now extremely wary of Dumbledore. He had thought his father was exaggerating when he said Dumbledore was a 'manipulative bastard' but it appears his father was right.
"Harry, are you okay?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, just surprised is all," Harry said, an unreadable look on his face.
"Surprised?" Neville asked. "About what?"
"Well, about how the headmaster of our school actually tried to force his way into my mind," Harry said flatly.
"What?!" his three friends exclaimed together, accidently calling attention to themselves.
"Shhhh," Harry said. "Keep your voices down, guys. Geeze."
"So," Daphne quieted her voice. "He actually tried to compel you?" she whispered.
"Yes. He wanted me to stay here over the holidays for some reason," Harry said, trying to figure out why.
"Harry, be sure to tell your parents as soon as you get home," Hermione said, nagging him.
"I will, I promise. But now, let's talk about Flamel. Any luck yet?" Harry asked his friends, but each of them shook their heads. "Hmmm, maybe I should ask my parents about him."
"That's a good idea," Neville said. "Daph, you and I should ask our parents. One of our parents has to know something," he said to Daphne.
"Good idea." She grinned in response. "Daddy is bound to know something."
"Man, I can't wait to see what Mum has planned for Christmas this year. She always does something cool." Harry smiled, excited again to return home.
Ministry of Magic- London- Minister's Office
James Potter had been working hard these last few months to ensure he would be able to spend time with his family during Christmas. It was his first holiday as the new Minister for Magic, and the previous minister…well, she was kind of an idiot. The paperwork had been backed up for nearly 6 months, as if she had been purposely trying to make the new minister's job harder. James however, being as capable as he was, fixed the mess in just a couple months. He had been spending the rest of that time enforcing new policies.
First, he submitted a new budget plan that provided the Department of Magical Law Enforcement with a sizable budget increase. This would provide them with the means to train more Aurors and to do proper and thorough training. Next, with the help of Amelia, he had the DMLE open multiple discrete investigations on a Death Eater that escaped conviction. Any discovered within the Ministry were discretely removed from any position of power and placed in a grunt work position where they could be easily monitored and given minimal information.
This took a whole six months to complete; he had been working on this plan even before Harry went off to school. It was finally yielding good results. He let out a sigh of relief and sat back in his chair. I'm looking forward to the holidays, he thought as he rested his eyes a bit. As he sat there for a moment, he suddenly felt a strange warmth on his hand. His eyes shot open and he looked down, seeing the crest on the Potter family ring was glowing a faint crimson.
"Iolanthe…you've woken back up, I see," James said, smirking. "Looks like we'll spend Christmas at Potter Manor."
December 19th,1991 Platform 9 London 6:30PM
Harry and his friends had a quiet ride back from Hogwarts. Each of them had received letters that morning from their parents. Hermione's had come from Lily, telling them to prepare for a great surprise. When the train pulled in, the children prepared to get off. They saw their parents waiting for them on the platform in a small group.
Once the train stopped, the four friends, and Susan who had joined them for the ride back, excitedly hopped off the train and ran into their families embrace. Harry was greeted by Lily and Sirius, who both hugged him tightly. He pulled out of the hug. "Where's Dad?" Harry asked them.
"Your father is preparing a surprise for you," Sirius said as he rubbed the boy's head, messing up his hair, "I heard you made seeker and you throttled the Slytherin team at your first match. Good work, Prongslet."
Harry chuckled. "Yeah, it was pretty cool. I accidentally ended up broom surfing."
"Broom what?" Sirius asked.
"Wait... surfing?" Lily asked, then looked down at her son. "Harry James Potter, don't tell me you stood on your broom and flew around," She said menacingly.
"I didn't mean to, mum. It just kinda happened, I swear," Harry said, holding up his hands in surrender.
"You better be more careful on that broom of yours, boy, or I'll have Minnie remove you from the team." She glared down at him.
"Yes, ma'am. I promise," Harry said, hugging his mother's waist.
The group of parents and children gathered together. "Well, then. Shall we go everyone? James is waiting for us," Sirius said as he led the group off the platform and to a secluded spot in King's Cross Station. "Alright, everyone. We're going to do a little side along apparition. So kids, grab an adult. Emma, Dan, you will have to hang on to one of us too."
With that said, Harry took his mother's hand. Sirius took Emma Granger's, Neville had taken his father's hand, Alice had taken Dan's hand, Daphne was holding one of her father's hands while Hermione had the other, and Susan, of course, was holding her aunt's hand.
"Okay. Fair warning kids, and Emma and Dan. This might make you a little nauseous," Lily said. "But whatever you do, DO NOT let go of the one transporting you, understand?" The kids and Grangers nodded.
"Alright, everyone, let's go," Sirius said and with a pop, he and Emma vanished. The children were shocked as one by one the others around them began to disappear with the adults they had paired with.
Harry had felt as if he had been squeezed inside a tight tube. Fortunately, the sensation didn't last long and soon he could feel the cold wind blowing against his face. "Harry, open your eyes, sweetie," Lily told him. He did as he was told and looked around. They were standing in front of what looked like an abandoned castle.
"Lily, darling," Emma said, looking around. "Not to be a downer, but why are we here? There is nothing but an abandoned castle here."
Emma saw Lily and Sirius smirk before she walked forward. "Iolanthe I have arrived with my son and ten guests. All are permitted to enter."
Emma, Dan, and all the children looked confused, wondering who she was talking to when suddenly a spectral woman appeared, floating in front of Lily. "I understand, Lady Potter. Everyone may enter," the specter said before vanishing.
"A…a ghost?" Dan said, sounding a little bit frightened.
"Harry, follow me," Lily said as she walked forward, holding Harry's hand.
Before the others' eyes, Lily and Harry vanished, causing the Grangers to gasp. Sirius smirked. "Dan, take your wife and daughter and just walk forward. Nothing bad will happen, you'll see."
"You better be right." He picked up his daughter and took his wife's hand and started forward as instructed. The Grangers felt as if they had passed through warm water, however they weren't wet. They then looked forward to see the once abandoned castle was now in pristine condition. Beautifully trimmed hedges were along the pathway ahead of them. At the end of the path, one could see a larger fountain. The Grangers looked around in awe. "Lily, where are we?" Daniel asked as he set Hermione down.
She turned to them and smiled. "Welcome, my friends, to Potter Manor," she said. "Where you'll be staying this Holiday." When she said that, each of the Granger's jaws dropped.
Up next: The gang is taken to Potter Manor for the Holidays. James makes a request of the Greengrass'