CHAPTER TWO - CHRISTMAS
Rating, disclaimers, summary and characters all in chapter One.
Nat returns home for the holidays.
In what seemed like no time at all it was three days before Christmas and Harry and Ron were at King's Cross awaiting the arrival of the Hogwarts Express.
Ron checked his watch for the umpteenth time in five minutes.
" It's late. " he muttered. " I hope nothing..."
" Shhh. " said Harry. " Here she comes. "
Nat appeared through the barrier at a run, abandoned her trolley and threw herself straight into Harry's waiting arms. He hugged his daughter tightly before relinquishing her to Ron.
" Oh, it's so good to see you both. " she exclaimed, her dark eyes alight with pleasure. " I missed you so much. "
" So did we, darling. " said Harry. He couldn't stop grinning.
" Yeah. " aid Ron as he released her, recaptured her trolley and stared pushing it towards the exit. " It wasn't half quiet. "
Harry laughed at the expression on Nat's face.
" Where's Circe? " he asked, pointing to the empty cage.
" She's delivering a letter. Well, more of a plea, really. For Deborah's Christmas present. "
Her parents looked intrigued but she refused to elaborate, swiftly changing the subject and chattering happily about Hogwarts all the way home.
Finally, all talked out and full to bursting with her welcome-home dinner; Nat settled into bed, her arms clamped firmly round Eric. Within seconds she was fast asleep.
In the living room Ron slid his arm around Harry's shoulders.
" It's great to have her back. " he murmured, brushing his lips against Harry's ear.
" She's grown again. We won't be able to keep up shortly. Mmmm. That feels nice. " Harry whispered as Ron's mouth descended to the soft skin of his neck.
" Time to practice our Silencing Charms again. " muttered Ron. " Let's go to bed. "
Next morning Nat awoke early and lay there savouring the privacy. She loved Hogwarts but sharing a dormitory with Deborah and the others was something she thought she'd never get used to, however friendly they were.
She passed her parents' bedroom on the way to the shower and giggled when the doorknob frowned at her. They'd studied Silencing Charms with Professor Flitwick, but he'd never mentioned using them on a bedroom.
Harry barely had time to gulp down the proffered cup of tea before he had to leave for the Ministry which left Nat and Ron with barely a pair of eyes open between them.
" So what're your new friends like? " asked Ron as he reached for another slice of toast.
" Brilliant. Especially Oscar. "
" Who's Oscar? " asked Ron, bewildered.
" Oh, Pa! I've told you about him loads of times. Oscar Williamson? "
" Oh yeah. " Ron's expression cleared. " The Muggle boy. "
Nat frowned as if trying to find the proper way to phrase what she wanted to say.
" He's my friend because he's one of the steadiest people I know. //Nothing// puts him in a flap. And he's so clever, it's scary. And he doesn't treat me like I'm some kind of royalty."
" Royalty? What do you mean? "
" Pa, //everyone// at Hogwarts knows about me, how I'm the daughter of Harry Potter who helped defeat the Dark Lord and Ron Weasley, Chief Auror. Not to mention the fact that Grandpa's the Minister For Magic and that Viktor played Quidditch for his country. "
Her black eyes flashed dangerously.
" Everyone expects me to be some kind of genius and when I'm not, they hate me for it. Oscar doesn't, and neither does Deborah. He doesn't care who my parents are; he likes me for me. "
Ron sighed.
" You're lucky. Your Dad went through exactly the same when he was at school. He often said he didn't know how he would have coped without his friends. "
" You and my mum? "
" Precisely. Now..."
They were interrupted by the arrival of Circe who had a long tubular package gripped in her talons.
" At last! " exclaimed Nat as the owl dropped her post and took off to perch beside Hedwig. They greeted each other with soft hoots of delight.
" What's that? " asked Ron curiously.
" Deborah's Christmas present. " replied Nat cryptically as she unwrapped and unrolled the parcel.
It contained a large poster of Oliver Wood. He was dressed in his Puddlemere United robes with the crossed golden bulrushes on the front. He had his broomstick over his left shoulder and carried the Quaffle in the crook of his right arm. As Ron watched, the picture Oliver winked at him. The corner of the poster was inscribed;
// To Deborah, with love and best wishes. Oliver Wood. //
" I sent it to him and begged him to sign it for her. " Nat explained. " She's got the biggest crush on him ever. "
Ron tried desperately not to laugh, but was unsuccessful.
" Have you told her? "
Nat couldn't stop grinning either.
" No, she'd be devastated if I told her about him and Uncle Percy. Oh, there's a note. "
She unfolded the fragment of parchment that had been enclosed with the poster.
//Dear Natasha,
Hope this will do and that it makes your friend happy. Have a very Merry Christmas and give my love to your parents.
Regards
Oliver//
" That's nice. " said Ron approvingly. " Such a decent bloke. He's wasted on my idiot brother. Ow! "
" Don't say things like that about Uncle Percy! " howled Nat, moving in for another playful punch.
" Okay, okay. " said Ron, raising his hands in mock surrender. " I give in. Now that you've sorted Deborah out, why don't we go and do the rest of our Christmas shopping today? I've got to pick up something for your Dad in Diagon Alley anyway. "
Nat beamed with pleasure.
" Yeah, I'd like that. " She looked sadly at the pile of washing-up. " We'd better sort that out first. "
Ron grinned. " Go and get your coat, I'll see to the dishes. "
When Nat returned the kitchen was spotless and Ron was looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
" All set? Then let's go. "
They arrived in Diagon Alley which was thronged with witches and wizards, all doing their last-minute shopping.
" It's like a zoo in here. " grumbled Ron. " There won't be anything left if we don't get a move on. "
They progressed from shop to shop, the pile of parcels in Ron's arms grew bigger and bigger as their moneybags got lighter.
They emerged from the sweet shop even more heavily laden.
" Do you think you could've found a bigger box of Chocolate Frogs? " asked Ron sarcastically.
" They're for Oscar. He loves them, and Bertie Bott's Beans. He's never had wizard sweets before and now there's no holding him back. "
" Sounds like me when I was his age. " said Ron wistfully. " I always had a sweet tooth. "
" You still have. " chuckled Nat, trying unsuccessfully to hide the huge box of Benedicks So-sweet-they-need-a-cavity-warning Praline and Truffle Luxury assortment, which were a particular favourite of Ron's, under her coat.
" Are we about done? " asked Ron. His back was beginning to ache. Nat checked her list and nodded.
" Thank goodness for that. Come on, sweetheart. Let your old Pa buy you lunch somewhere nice and then we can get out of this madhouse. "
They ate at a very select restaurant called The Warlock's Head where the owner greeted Ron with something approaching awe before returning to Stoat's End Lane.
As they went through the front door tired out and still giggling over what Ron had bought Harry for Christmas, they found the man in question sitting in the living room waiting for them.
" Hi you two. Have you had a good time? "
Nat laughed, her hair all windblown and her cheeks pink with the cold.
" The best. Just you //wait// till Christmas morning! "
Harry raised an eyebrow at Ron. " Have you been taking her into places of ill-repute, Weasley? "
" Absolutely. Her uncles Fred and George would disown me if I didn't. "
And with that, Harry had to be content.
It snowed on Christmas Eve and turned Stoat's End Lane into something off a Christmas card by Christmas morning.
Waiting for her in the living room were Deborah's owl and a strange owl she'd never seen before. She relieved them of their post before she even thought about opening her presents. The strange letter was from Oscar, thanking her for the parcel of sweets and telling her how much he was looking forward to getting back to school. She grinned widely at that. In contrast, Deborah's letter was very long and composed of two words repeated over and over again.
//Thank you//.
Her grandparents visited for Christmas dinner, as they nearly always did and Grandpa got well smashed on her Pa's secret eggnog recipe. Again. Grandma swelled like a bullfrog and was //still// complaining as they prepared to use the living room fire.
" A //fine// example to set your granddaughter, Arthur Weasley! You would think the Minister for Magic would know better but oh no...."
" I'm abserliely fine. " said Grandpa with the dignity of the truly drunk. " Donfussso, Molly." Then he hiccuped and fell face-first into the fire.
Nat managed to keep a straight face until her grandparents had gone and then laughed till the tears ran down her face.
" Wasn't that..." She stopped, feeling a blush stealing into her cheeks. Grandpa obviously wasn't the only one who had overdone the Christmas cheer. Her parents were kissing under the mistletoe.
" Gross," muttered Nat. " I'm going to bed. "
TBC.
Rating, disclaimers, summary and characters all in chapter One.
Nat returns home for the holidays.
In what seemed like no time at all it was three days before Christmas and Harry and Ron were at King's Cross awaiting the arrival of the Hogwarts Express.
Ron checked his watch for the umpteenth time in five minutes.
" It's late. " he muttered. " I hope nothing..."
" Shhh. " said Harry. " Here she comes. "
Nat appeared through the barrier at a run, abandoned her trolley and threw herself straight into Harry's waiting arms. He hugged his daughter tightly before relinquishing her to Ron.
" Oh, it's so good to see you both. " she exclaimed, her dark eyes alight with pleasure. " I missed you so much. "
" So did we, darling. " said Harry. He couldn't stop grinning.
" Yeah. " aid Ron as he released her, recaptured her trolley and stared pushing it towards the exit. " It wasn't half quiet. "
Harry laughed at the expression on Nat's face.
" Where's Circe? " he asked, pointing to the empty cage.
" She's delivering a letter. Well, more of a plea, really. For Deborah's Christmas present. "
Her parents looked intrigued but she refused to elaborate, swiftly changing the subject and chattering happily about Hogwarts all the way home.
Finally, all talked out and full to bursting with her welcome-home dinner; Nat settled into bed, her arms clamped firmly round Eric. Within seconds she was fast asleep.
In the living room Ron slid his arm around Harry's shoulders.
" It's great to have her back. " he murmured, brushing his lips against Harry's ear.
" She's grown again. We won't be able to keep up shortly. Mmmm. That feels nice. " Harry whispered as Ron's mouth descended to the soft skin of his neck.
" Time to practice our Silencing Charms again. " muttered Ron. " Let's go to bed. "
Next morning Nat awoke early and lay there savouring the privacy. She loved Hogwarts but sharing a dormitory with Deborah and the others was something she thought she'd never get used to, however friendly they were.
She passed her parents' bedroom on the way to the shower and giggled when the doorknob frowned at her. They'd studied Silencing Charms with Professor Flitwick, but he'd never mentioned using them on a bedroom.
Harry barely had time to gulp down the proffered cup of tea before he had to leave for the Ministry which left Nat and Ron with barely a pair of eyes open between them.
" So what're your new friends like? " asked Ron as he reached for another slice of toast.
" Brilliant. Especially Oscar. "
" Who's Oscar? " asked Ron, bewildered.
" Oh, Pa! I've told you about him loads of times. Oscar Williamson? "
" Oh yeah. " Ron's expression cleared. " The Muggle boy. "
Nat frowned as if trying to find the proper way to phrase what she wanted to say.
" He's my friend because he's one of the steadiest people I know. //Nothing// puts him in a flap. And he's so clever, it's scary. And he doesn't treat me like I'm some kind of royalty."
" Royalty? What do you mean? "
" Pa, //everyone// at Hogwarts knows about me, how I'm the daughter of Harry Potter who helped defeat the Dark Lord and Ron Weasley, Chief Auror. Not to mention the fact that Grandpa's the Minister For Magic and that Viktor played Quidditch for his country. "
Her black eyes flashed dangerously.
" Everyone expects me to be some kind of genius and when I'm not, they hate me for it. Oscar doesn't, and neither does Deborah. He doesn't care who my parents are; he likes me for me. "
Ron sighed.
" You're lucky. Your Dad went through exactly the same when he was at school. He often said he didn't know how he would have coped without his friends. "
" You and my mum? "
" Precisely. Now..."
They were interrupted by the arrival of Circe who had a long tubular package gripped in her talons.
" At last! " exclaimed Nat as the owl dropped her post and took off to perch beside Hedwig. They greeted each other with soft hoots of delight.
" What's that? " asked Ron curiously.
" Deborah's Christmas present. " replied Nat cryptically as she unwrapped and unrolled the parcel.
It contained a large poster of Oliver Wood. He was dressed in his Puddlemere United robes with the crossed golden bulrushes on the front. He had his broomstick over his left shoulder and carried the Quaffle in the crook of his right arm. As Ron watched, the picture Oliver winked at him. The corner of the poster was inscribed;
// To Deborah, with love and best wishes. Oliver Wood. //
" I sent it to him and begged him to sign it for her. " Nat explained. " She's got the biggest crush on him ever. "
Ron tried desperately not to laugh, but was unsuccessful.
" Have you told her? "
Nat couldn't stop grinning either.
" No, she'd be devastated if I told her about him and Uncle Percy. Oh, there's a note. "
She unfolded the fragment of parchment that had been enclosed with the poster.
//Dear Natasha,
Hope this will do and that it makes your friend happy. Have a very Merry Christmas and give my love to your parents.
Regards
Oliver//
" That's nice. " said Ron approvingly. " Such a decent bloke. He's wasted on my idiot brother. Ow! "
" Don't say things like that about Uncle Percy! " howled Nat, moving in for another playful punch.
" Okay, okay. " said Ron, raising his hands in mock surrender. " I give in. Now that you've sorted Deborah out, why don't we go and do the rest of our Christmas shopping today? I've got to pick up something for your Dad in Diagon Alley anyway. "
Nat beamed with pleasure.
" Yeah, I'd like that. " She looked sadly at the pile of washing-up. " We'd better sort that out first. "
Ron grinned. " Go and get your coat, I'll see to the dishes. "
When Nat returned the kitchen was spotless and Ron was looking thoroughly pleased with himself.
" All set? Then let's go. "
They arrived in Diagon Alley which was thronged with witches and wizards, all doing their last-minute shopping.
" It's like a zoo in here. " grumbled Ron. " There won't be anything left if we don't get a move on. "
They progressed from shop to shop, the pile of parcels in Ron's arms grew bigger and bigger as their moneybags got lighter.
They emerged from the sweet shop even more heavily laden.
" Do you think you could've found a bigger box of Chocolate Frogs? " asked Ron sarcastically.
" They're for Oscar. He loves them, and Bertie Bott's Beans. He's never had wizard sweets before and now there's no holding him back. "
" Sounds like me when I was his age. " said Ron wistfully. " I always had a sweet tooth. "
" You still have. " chuckled Nat, trying unsuccessfully to hide the huge box of Benedicks So-sweet-they-need-a-cavity-warning Praline and Truffle Luxury assortment, which were a particular favourite of Ron's, under her coat.
" Are we about done? " asked Ron. His back was beginning to ache. Nat checked her list and nodded.
" Thank goodness for that. Come on, sweetheart. Let your old Pa buy you lunch somewhere nice and then we can get out of this madhouse. "
They ate at a very select restaurant called The Warlock's Head where the owner greeted Ron with something approaching awe before returning to Stoat's End Lane.
As they went through the front door tired out and still giggling over what Ron had bought Harry for Christmas, they found the man in question sitting in the living room waiting for them.
" Hi you two. Have you had a good time? "
Nat laughed, her hair all windblown and her cheeks pink with the cold.
" The best. Just you //wait// till Christmas morning! "
Harry raised an eyebrow at Ron. " Have you been taking her into places of ill-repute, Weasley? "
" Absolutely. Her uncles Fred and George would disown me if I didn't. "
And with that, Harry had to be content.
It snowed on Christmas Eve and turned Stoat's End Lane into something off a Christmas card by Christmas morning.
Waiting for her in the living room were Deborah's owl and a strange owl she'd never seen before. She relieved them of their post before she even thought about opening her presents. The strange letter was from Oscar, thanking her for the parcel of sweets and telling her how much he was looking forward to getting back to school. She grinned widely at that. In contrast, Deborah's letter was very long and composed of two words repeated over and over again.
//Thank you//.
Her grandparents visited for Christmas dinner, as they nearly always did and Grandpa got well smashed on her Pa's secret eggnog recipe. Again. Grandma swelled like a bullfrog and was //still// complaining as they prepared to use the living room fire.
" A //fine// example to set your granddaughter, Arthur Weasley! You would think the Minister for Magic would know better but oh no...."
" I'm abserliely fine. " said Grandpa with the dignity of the truly drunk. " Donfussso, Molly." Then he hiccuped and fell face-first into the fire.
Nat managed to keep a straight face until her grandparents had gone and then laughed till the tears ran down her face.
" Wasn't that..." She stopped, feeling a blush stealing into her cheeks. Grandpa obviously wasn't the only one who had overdone the Christmas cheer. Her parents were kissing under the mistletoe.
" Gross," muttered Nat. " I'm going to bed. "
TBC.