Harry Potter and the Deathday Curse
Chapter 18 Christmas presents, good and bad
A.N. Homework bites. I hope you like this chapter. Sorry it took so long to get up. After you finish, please review!!!!
J Malena J
After Harry and Hermione had exchanged some Galleons for Muggle money, they walked out into the crowded Muggle mall. Hermione dragged Harry into a jewelry shop to look at necklaces.
"Well, this necklace would bring out her eyes," Hermione was saying, "But this one has her birthstone… hmmm… I don't know which would be better. Harry, what do you think?"
Harry hadn't been paying much attention to Hermione, instead he was examining a display of gold necklaces. He asked the clerk to show him one that was in the shape of a heart, and in the middle was a pendant with a dark blue and dark green stone.
Hermione came over and looked over his shoulder.
"That's pretty, I think that she'll like that." So Harry purchased the necklace. After that, Hermione needed help with a present for Ron. Harry told her to by anything that had to do with the Chudley Cannons, and Ron would like it. They went back to Diagon Alley and to Quality Quidditch Supplies. They had a large display of Chudley Cannons stuff that was for sale at incredibly cheap prices, (A.N. For anyone who has read Quidditch Through the Ages, you might know why) Hermione ended up purchasing an autographed Quidditch card, with all of the names of the Chudley Cannons on it.
"Where have you been, you've been ages," Ron said, when Hermione and Harry returned to Diagon Alley and met up with him in the Leaky Cauldron.
"We had to do some shopping in the muggle world," Hermione said, sitting down and putting her bags down.
"What did you get?" Ron asked, peering into a shopping bag, which Hermione snatched away.
"None of your business," Hermione said.
The four of them had a very enjoyable afternoon. First they went in search of presents for the rest of the Weasleys, Hagrid, and (in Harry's case) for Sirius, Remus, and James. Harry, Ron and Hermione finally found a Dark Detector for James, a stone that glowed green whenever a person's worst enemy or enemies was near. The rest of the afternoon was spent walking down the cobbled stones of Diagon Alley.
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They returned to the Burrow later that evening. They enjoyed a very good dinner of roast chicken and mashed potatoes before having a mug of hot cocoa and going to bed.
"Oh no," Hermione gasped the next day, while she looked out of the window. It was snowing ferociously. "My parents will never be able to find the Burrow in this mess." Right after she had finished saying that, the phone, that had never rang in the house before and had been just sitting there for the last couple of years, rang. Mr. Weasley picked it up and, nervously, said, "Hello. Oh, hello Mrs. Granger, yes, Hermione's right here. One moment." He handed the phone to Hermione.
"Hello Mom," Hermione said, "Oh, you can't pick me up today…"
"We can drop her off at your house on Christmas," Mr. Weasley yelled in the background.
"Did you hear him? Okay. So I'll see you on Christmas. Love you too. Bye." She hung up the phone.
"So it'll be a slight delay, but at least I'll get to see you guys open the presents I got you."
Harry awoke on Christmas morning to Fred and George hitting him roughly with pillows.
"Wake up Harry," Fred said. "We have to go to Diagon Alley."
"What? Why?" Harry said, feeling around for his glasses and pulling them on.
"We have to go to the store. To show Mom and Dad, we have to go show them our store."
"Besides, we have to open in twenty minutes." George said. "But we're only working part of the day."
"C'mon, get up!"
Harry fought with his blankets that were entangled in his legs, and then he got dressed and went downstairs.
All of the Weasleys except for Ginny and Hermione were downstairs eating breakfast.
"Where's G-G-Ginny and Hermione," Harry said, yawning.
"Doing each other's hair," Ron said. "They won't come down until it's perfect." Harry sat down between Ron and started to put pancakes on his plate. Before he had even lifted his fork to his mouth Fred came running in and said, "Come on! We have to go now!" Mrs. Weasley looked curiously at him, and said, "Surely we can eat a little longer."
"Nope, can't." Fred said, twiddling his wand and starting a fire in the grate. "Come on, Diagon Alley."
Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, Fred, George and Percy (who had reluctantly come home from work) all sped off to Diagon Alley.
"Fred, what is it that you are doing?" Mrs. Weasley said as Fred tied a blindfold around her eyes. George was tying one around Mr. Weasley's.
"It's a surprise, from George and I," Fred said, making sure that she couldn't see anything. They walked for a little while, Mr and Mrs. Weasley occasionally stumbling into things.
For the first time, Harry saw what Fred and George had done with the 1,000 galleons. The shop was magnificent! On the outside it had a sign that said, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. It was trimmed in gold paint. Inside the shop it was filled with all kinds of jokes and pranks.
Fred and George stood Mr. and Mrs. Weasley outside in front of the store and took of their blindfolds.
Mrs. Weasley had a shocked impression on her face at first, but then her eyes filled with tears of happiness and she started bawling into Mr. Weasley's cloak.
"It's the best present I've ever gotten," She sobbed. "Oh boys!" The hugged both of them tightly around the neck and continued to bawl.
George managed to get out of her tight hold and led them all into the shop. They spent the next few minutes delighting themselves with the jokes, Mrs. Weasley saying, "And to think that I confiscated these when you were younger." Then her eyes would start to water again…
They left after the store had opened, and even though it was Christmas day about 20 or so people came to the store. They all returned home, except for Fred and George, and started to open up the rest of their presents. At around noon Bill and Charlie apparated and spent the day with them.
From Hermione, Harry got a book called Famous Seekers of the 20th Century, she had added a page in the end, in which she had added a short biography about Harry himself and it included a picture cut out from a magazine. Ron gave Harry a bunch of Chocolate Frogs. An owl had arrived from Hagrid arrived with presents. Ron, Harry and Hermione all got tins of treacle fudge from him, along with his infamous lemon meringue pie.
Ginny started squealing with delight when she opened the present from Harry. She hugged him tightly around the neck, kissed him on the cheek, and then started squealing again.
"I think she likes it," Hermione whispered to Harry. Like, was an understatement, for the next few hours Ginny refused to take the necklace off, and every time Harry walked into the room she gave him a great big hug.
Ginny got Harry a book. However, it wasn't an ordinary book. Whenever you opened it you could see what the person of your choice was doing (with the obvious exception of going to the bathroom, etc…)
At around three in the afternoon, when the Weasley's were still opening presents and getting ready to eat lunch, there was a knock at the door. Mrs. Weasley answered it.
"Oh! Hello. Sure he's here. Harry!" Harry got up off of a chair and walked to the door and saw James standing there.
"Hello Harry, merry Christmas." James said, smiling. "I got you something." James handed a present that was flat and thin. Harry tore off the paper and stared at the present.
It was his birth certificate. Across the top were the words Harold James Potter Jr.
"My name is Harold," Harry said, starting to laugh.
"Yep," James said.
"I'm a 'Jr.' Does that mean that your name is-"
"Don't even dare calling me that," James said in mock anger. "I get enough about my name from Sirius and Remus. It's James, or dad. Whichever."
Harry was still laughing.
"I still don't know what your mother was thinking, naming you that. I think it was the medication," James said thoughtfully. "Well, I have to go."
"Oh, would you like something for your journey," Mrs. Weasley said, jumping to her feet. "A sandwich?"
"No, that's okay Molly," James said, smiling. "I'll just be Apparating to Remus's."
"I owled you your presents," Harry said. "You might not have got them yet."
"Right. See you Jr."
"Don't call me that! It's Harry."
"Whatever Jr."
"James!" With a small pop! James disappeared.
Harry didn't want the day to end. Eventually a limousine drove up in front of the house. It was time for Hermione to go to her house. Most of the Weasley's and Harry piled into the car and they drove off to Hermione's house.
"This is my street," Hermione said, pointing to a long line of houses ahead. They turned onto the street and everyone gasped.
Every single house on the street was smoldering slightly, a few of them were on fire. Every house was dark and vacant looking. And every house had a Dark Mark hovering over it.
A.N. That's all for now!!!!! Please review!!!!!!!!!
J Malena J
