Change of fate chapter 11:

Nicholas and Christmas (Lol)

By: kiki56

It was a week after the game when Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Emily were walking in the courtyard before spotting Hagrid and joined him. "Ello kids, what can I do for you?" he asked, and Emily looked up at him. "Hagrid did you see what happened at the quidditch game? Hermione thinks that Professor Snape put a curse on Harry's broom. That's why it started freaking out." Emily said and Hagrid looked at her funny.

"Nonsense, why would Snape put a curse on Harry's broom?" He asked.

Harry shrugged as they walked and asked, "Who knows, why was he trying to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween?"

Hagrid turned to them suspiciously, "Who told you about Fluffy?" he asked, and Emily smiled. "that's an amazing name!" she giggled, and Harry rolled his eyes before shaking his head. "Fluffy?" Ron asked surprised. "That thing has a name?" Hermione asked just as surprised as Ron. "Well of course he has a name, he's mine. I bought him off of an Irish feller I met down at the pub last year. Then I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the…." he stopped mid-sentence and looked at the kids.

Harry and Emily looked up at him expectantly. "Yes?" they both asked at the same time. "Shouldn't have said that. No more questions do not ask any more questions. That's Top secret that is." Hagrid said as the kids chased after him while he hurried away.

"But Hagrid, whatever Fluffy's guarding, Snape's trying to steal it." Harry said and Hagrid stopped walking. "Codswallop, Professor Snape is a Hogwarts teacher" he started, and Hermione interjected. "Hogwarts teacher or not, I know a spell when I see one. I've read all about them you've got to have eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking."

"Exactly" Harry said agreeing with her. Emily stood there and listened to the group grill poor Hagrid.

Hagrid sighed before answering "Now you listen to me, all four of you (Emily looks at him confused) You're meddling in things that ought not to be meddled in. It is dangerous. What that dog is guarding is strictly between Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel."

The four of them looked at each other confused before looking back at him. "Who's Nicholas Flamel?" Emily asked and Hagrid looked shocked and walked away mumbling. "I should not have said that I should not have said that."

Harry, Ron, and Emily all looked at Hermione before Harry asked her, "Who's Nicholas Flamel?" and Hermione shook her head. "I don't know" and they continued on their way to class.

That night

Emily was sitting in the common area of the Gryffindor tower brushing her hair when Harry walked in carrying his books. "Hey, what'ya doing?" he asked, and she looked up from brushing her long blond hair. "Just thinking." She said and proceeded to braid it.

The pair of them sat in silence for a little while until Emily's bracelet started blinking. "Mom's calling" she said and pushed the stone on the bracelet. A holographic projection of Bloom showed up and smiled at the two of them. She wore a red pants suit and black heels with her flaming red hair loose. "Hi mom, how's it going at home?" Emily asked and Harry sat next to her on the couch.

"It is going just fine. How's school going there? Are you staying out of trouble?" she asked, and they giggled.

"Yes, aunt Bloom, we are. Actually, I won our first quidditch match of the year last week." Harry said and Bloom smiled. "Yes, I saw the video that Emily sent. I am very proud of you Harry." Bloom said and started playing with her hair.

"Mom, are you okay?" Emily asked noticing her mom's nervous habit.

"So, I know you were expecting to come home for Christmas this year, but I don't think we can do that. Your father and I need to host a conference and we will not be able to have you there. So, I will send you all your presents to the school, but I really wish we could have our family Christmas. I know you will have a wonderful holiday with your friends. I'm sure Hogwarts is beautiful during the winter." Bloom said and Emily groaned.

"Mom, I thought you were going to teach me how to do that hair changing spell?" Emily asked and Bloom smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry honey. Maybe when you come home for spring break, I must run but I love you both, please be good and do not get into to trouble. Your father and I will be sending you letters and gifts over the next few days so please make sure you get them. I will chat with you guys later. Got to run! Love you!"

The hologram shut off and Emily sighed before sagging against the back of the couch. "Ugh, there goes shopping with Hilda and Jamie. I was going to go to Solaria and go Christmas shopping for mom and dad." Emily pouted as she leaned back on the couch and continued to brush her hair. "Well think of it this way, at least we'll be able to have Christmas here. I can't wait to see what the castle looks like in the snow." Harry said and Emily giggled at her cousin. "Me either, I bet it's a winter wonderland" Emily said fondly and a little while after they went up to their rooms to sleep for the night.

A few months later

Emily is waking up to get ready for her first class of the day and hears excited voices from the girls in the dorm. "What's going on?" Emily asked yawning and pushing her hair away from her face. "It's snowing Emily! Come look!" Hermione said dressed in her robes already. Emily looked at them a moment and noticed she was wearing a red and gold scarf with red gloves and a heavier cloak. "Are those new robes?" Emily asked climbing out of her silk sheets and down comforter. "Yes, they changed out our robes last night by magic. It happens when the seasons change. Come see" she exclaimed and dragged Emily to the window to see a blanket of snow on the ground. "Wow, it's so pretty" Emily mused, and Hermione agreed. "Come on, you should get ready for class" Hermione said as she was walking to the stairs. Emily turned to look out the window and saw Hagrid was dragging a giant tree into the castle. "That must be the Christmas tree that goes in the Great Hall" Elizabeth said before she turned to get ready for her day.

Once she was dressed in her new robes, she made sure she was wearing her bracelet and headed down the spiral staircase and into the common room where Harry was waiting for her.

Common Room

"Good morning, Harry, did you see the snow!" she said excitedly as they stood with the other students. "Yes, I did, today is the last day before winter break. Aunt Bloom said our presents would arrive before Christmas. Is she sending an owl all the way from home?" Harry asked quietly and Emily shook her head. "No, she will probably send it to one of the teachers then they will deliver them to our tree here in the common area. Come on, Professor McGonagall will not be happy if we are late…. again." Emily said and they headed out.

After Classes

The students headed out of the last class of the day and rushed to the common rooms to pack for their trips home for Christmas. Emily and Harry met Ron in the great hall where Professor Flitwick was levitating Christmas ornaments on to the tree. Emily was watching Ron and Harry play chess when Hermione walked up with a trunk behind her on wheels. "Hey Hermione, that was fast" Emily said as she set down her pencil next to her sketch book. "Yes. You are not going home for Christmas?" Hermione asked and Harry looked at her nervously. "No, mom and dad will be on a business trip, so they are sending our presents here." Emily said and Harry went back to his game. "Knight to E5" Harry said, and his knight moved all on its own. Ron looked smug from his spot across the table and said, "Queen to E5" and his red queen moved to the spot that Harry just moved his piece to, and the queen stood from her chair only to hit the knight with said chair. "That's totally barbaric" said Hermione a little shocked at the violent nature of the game. "That's wizard's chess, I see you've packed." Ron replied. "I see you haven't" Hermione retorted. "Change of plans. My parents went to Romania to visit my brother Charlie. He's studying dragons there." Ron said as he folded his arms on the table. "Good you can help Harry and Emily. They are going to the library for information on Nicholas Flamel" Hermione said, and Ron looked at the pair incredulously. "We've looked a hundred times." Hermione leaned in closer to the trio and whispered. "Not in the restricted section…. Happy Christmas" she said and walked away.

"I think we've had a bad influence on her." Ron said and Harry looked at Emily with an eyebrow raised. She saw the look and stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to her sketch book.

A couple of days later

Harry was asleep in his bed with the snow falling outside the window and Hedwig perched on a chair until he heard Ron yelling up the stairs. "Harry, wake up! Come on, Harry wake up!" he called, and Harry sat up in bed before pulling on his glasses. He pulls back his covers and rushes out of the bedroom and out to the balcony. He looked at the tree and it had a mountain of presents in different colored wrapping and bows. Emily was sitting on the couch next to Ron and smiled up at her cousin. "Happy Christmas Harry" Ron said, "Happy Christmas Ron, what are you wearing?" he asked confused as he looked at a red knitted sweater with a big "R" on it, "Oh, mum made it (with a look of remorse), it looks like you have one too" Ron said, and Harry smiled before rushing down the stairs.

Harry got to his cousin and gave her a hug before she pushed him off and sat next to the tree. "Alright, I was told for you to open this one first. Mom said" Emily said, and she handed him a present that was soft and squishy like there were clothes in it. "Your aunt must have spent a fortune on you two" Ron said as he snacked on candy. "She always does. She's a fashion designer so she can afford it." Emily said, obviously lying, but she really can't tell him that her mother is a queen from another planet, he would think she was mental. Harry took the package and sat in the tall back chair before taking out the note.

"Your father left this in my possession before he died, it was time it was returned to you, use it well." Harry looked at Ron and Emily, but Ron just shrugged his shoulders confused. Harry set the note aside and pulled open the package to reveal a lot of fabric. He pulled the fabric free of the wrapping and held it up. "What is it?" Ron asked, "Some kind of cloak" Harry responded holding it up to look at it. "Well let's see then, put it on" Ron said, and Harry swung the cloak around his shoulders and his body disappeared. All that was left was a floating head. "Whoa!" "My body's gone" Harry exclaimed looking down at himself. "I know what that is! That's an invisibility cloak!" "I'm invisible?" Harry asked as he turned around while looking down at himself. "They're really rare. I wonder who gave it to you?" Ron asked looking at the note. "It definitely was not my mother. That is not her handwriting" Emily said looking at the note over Ron's shoulder. "She's right, there was no name, it just said "use it well" rather strange" Harry said before taking the cloak off and setting it on the chair. The cousins sat around the tree and opened the presents one by one until they got to a stack for Ron. "Mom sent you presents Ron" Emily said tossing him a large red and green wrapped box. "Me? How did she know I was even here?" he asked as he sat on the floor with them.

"My mother knows everything. She has ways of knowing things before we even tell her. It's really rather annoying" Emily said and unwrapped a new set of quills and parchment paper. "Wow, she sent us a lot of school supplies. Did she think we wouldn't have enough?" Emily asked and enclosed in her package was a note. "These are for writing your stories, so you are not using your school supplies. Also, there is a leather notebook where you can journal your adventures at school. Love, Mom" "See, she knows everything!" Emily complained and Harry chuckled before getting to his own stack of books and notebooks for the same purpose. "She must think we use our school supplies for anything other than schoolwork." Harry commented as he pulled out more paper and quill ink from a box. They kept opening presents and Ron ended up with a mountain of candy and a miniature house that looked exactly like his. "That's wicked!" Ron exclaimed and turned the figurine around in his hands. "That's really cool." Harry said looking at the model. "Is that your house Ron? It's really tall" Emily said looking closer at it. "Yeah, I have a lot of siblings and each time we needed another room dad built another level. It may look strange, but it is rather solid. I can't wait for you guys to see it one day" Ron said setting the house down and digging into his pile of candy.

Harry picked up his new sweater from Mrs. Weasley and slipped it over his head before they all started cleaning up the wrapping paper and started to enjoy their presents.

A/n

Okay, I know it's been an awfully long time since I updated, and I am so sorry. I love all the wonderful words of encouragement from my fans, and I am working on getting these chapters out faster. Bear with me guys, I am coming back around to what I used to do but it's still slow going.

Thanks for always being loyal fans,

Kiki56