Draco, Seamus, Harry and Ron were standing in the kitchen, wine
glasses in hand, making Christmas dinner. They moved through the kitchen,
tasting, stirring and making a mess. At around noon Parvati came over.
"I thought you were going to Padma's for Christmas." Harry said, sampling a rum ball.
"I was going to," Parvati said, taking his wine glass from his hand and sipping from it. "But she didn't need me there, so I thought I would come over here and see what kind of mess you boys were making."
"We're not making a mess." Ron said with dignity. "We are making a dinner."
"A culinary delight."
"A meal fit for a king."
"I hope the king doesn't mind a dry turkey." Parvati said, lifting the lid of the roaster. "You have to baste it."
"Baste it? With what?" Draco said, lifting the lid and peering at the turkey.
"Wine." Seamus said, pouring his wine into the roaster.
"Nuh-uh." Harry said. "Red wine. Not white." He took his glass back from Parvati and poured it into the roaster.
"Ugh." Parvati moaned.
"What's the matter love? Need a drink? Port? Or sherry? You like sherry." He said, not waiting for her to answer.
Parvati took the drink and went out into the front room where the children were sitting. "You guys are going to have one slice of that turkey and be blind drunk."
"You're talking about the turkey?" Lily said. "Just wait until you taste the gingerbread."
"Brandybread is more like it."
"Or the rumballs. Grandma had one and got so tipsy she had to go home and rest."
"No." Will said from his spot on the floor. "No, it's the baby potatoes you have to worry about. They leave the skins on and boil them in red wine vinagrette."
"They're actually quite good."
Parvati rolled her eyes and tossed back her sherry.
"Need another?" Lily asked, grinning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~`
Despite the high alcoholic content, Christmas dinner was possibly the best Lily had ever tasted. And it was the best she had ever experienced. Everyone sat around the table, there was never a moment of complete silence as everyone gossiped and laughed. They sang and talked, and Lily remembered Christmases past, when it had been just her and her father, sitting across from each other at their small kitchen table, making forced conversation and chewing their food slowly so they could have an excuse to be silent. She thought of the Christmas before, the first time Kris had really kissed her. The last time he would really kiss her. But as she looked around the table, Will next to her, kissing her whenever no one was watching, and Seamus om her other side, talking in a loud, boistrous voice, teasing Parvati.
They left the table and the adults went out to the sitting room, talking about their childhoods, remenesing about their glory days. Lily and the other children went into her bedroom.
"Remember the dueling club in second year?" Draco asked.
"I don't want to remember second year at all."
"Aw, is poor Harry in denial that he was once unpopular?"
"Shut up Finnigan."
"Do you guys remember the Quidditch Cup when we were sixteen?" Ron asked.
"Like I remember my name." Harry said.
"I think that was the turning point in everything."
"When we stopped being children." Parvati said.
"I caught the Snitch after an hour." Harry said slowly, recalling the game. "And theminute it was in my hand, I knew there was something wrong. Something horribly wrong, but I didn't realise what it was at first, until I looked down. I was in the same cemetery I had been transported to in fourth year. But this time I had no advantages at all."
"You almost died." Parvati said quietly. "I remember that. You didn't open your eyes for six weeks. You couldn't open them, they were so swollen."
"Everyone thought you had been beaten up by a bunch of Muggles, you were so bruised and scratched." Draco said. "Only Ron knew otherwise."
"No body believed me at first, when I said that the portkey had transported me to that cemetery. And they didn't believe that the bruises and scratches were from the Crutiatus curse."
"I knocked Snape out," Ron said fondly. "When he said you did it to yourself. I knocked him out."
"Remember Christmas in fifth year?"
"When Colin Creevy got picked up by that owl and dropped from the astronomy tower?"
"Yeah, that Christmas."
"Funniest thing I ever saw in my life."
"No, the funniest thing was watching you and Ron running across the old pitch with that chesterfield over your head and that fat little Hufflepuff following behind you." Parvati said.
"That couch paid for this."
"Paid for what?" Parvati asked.
"This ring. Parvati, will you marry me?"
"Oh my god! Harry, are you serious?"
"Absolutely."
"Oh Harry! Of course I will! Oh my god!" Parvati tossed her arms around him and the other adults roared so loudly that the children came running out to see what the fuss was.
"Wassamatter?"
"Harry just asked Parvati to marry him." Ron said.
"What!?"
Harry smiled. "Do you need a big wedding?"
"No." Parvati was shaking. "No, just a few friends."
"Well why don't we do it now?"
"What!?"
"Draco can legally marry us. All we need are a few witnesses."
Parvat put her hands over her face and spread her fingers. "Really?"
"Really."
"Well let's go."
"I thought you were going to Padma's for Christmas." Harry said, sampling a rum ball.
"I was going to," Parvati said, taking his wine glass from his hand and sipping from it. "But she didn't need me there, so I thought I would come over here and see what kind of mess you boys were making."
"We're not making a mess." Ron said with dignity. "We are making a dinner."
"A culinary delight."
"A meal fit for a king."
"I hope the king doesn't mind a dry turkey." Parvati said, lifting the lid of the roaster. "You have to baste it."
"Baste it? With what?" Draco said, lifting the lid and peering at the turkey.
"Wine." Seamus said, pouring his wine into the roaster.
"Nuh-uh." Harry said. "Red wine. Not white." He took his glass back from Parvati and poured it into the roaster.
"Ugh." Parvati moaned.
"What's the matter love? Need a drink? Port? Or sherry? You like sherry." He said, not waiting for her to answer.
Parvati took the drink and went out into the front room where the children were sitting. "You guys are going to have one slice of that turkey and be blind drunk."
"You're talking about the turkey?" Lily said. "Just wait until you taste the gingerbread."
"Brandybread is more like it."
"Or the rumballs. Grandma had one and got so tipsy she had to go home and rest."
"No." Will said from his spot on the floor. "No, it's the baby potatoes you have to worry about. They leave the skins on and boil them in red wine vinagrette."
"They're actually quite good."
Parvati rolled her eyes and tossed back her sherry.
"Need another?" Lily asked, grinning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~`
Despite the high alcoholic content, Christmas dinner was possibly the best Lily had ever tasted. And it was the best she had ever experienced. Everyone sat around the table, there was never a moment of complete silence as everyone gossiped and laughed. They sang and talked, and Lily remembered Christmases past, when it had been just her and her father, sitting across from each other at their small kitchen table, making forced conversation and chewing their food slowly so they could have an excuse to be silent. She thought of the Christmas before, the first time Kris had really kissed her. The last time he would really kiss her. But as she looked around the table, Will next to her, kissing her whenever no one was watching, and Seamus om her other side, talking in a loud, boistrous voice, teasing Parvati.
They left the table and the adults went out to the sitting room, talking about their childhoods, remenesing about their glory days. Lily and the other children went into her bedroom.
"Remember the dueling club in second year?" Draco asked.
"I don't want to remember second year at all."
"Aw, is poor Harry in denial that he was once unpopular?"
"Shut up Finnigan."
"Do you guys remember the Quidditch Cup when we were sixteen?" Ron asked.
"Like I remember my name." Harry said.
"I think that was the turning point in everything."
"When we stopped being children." Parvati said.
"I caught the Snitch after an hour." Harry said slowly, recalling the game. "And theminute it was in my hand, I knew there was something wrong. Something horribly wrong, but I didn't realise what it was at first, until I looked down. I was in the same cemetery I had been transported to in fourth year. But this time I had no advantages at all."
"You almost died." Parvati said quietly. "I remember that. You didn't open your eyes for six weeks. You couldn't open them, they were so swollen."
"Everyone thought you had been beaten up by a bunch of Muggles, you were so bruised and scratched." Draco said. "Only Ron knew otherwise."
"No body believed me at first, when I said that the portkey had transported me to that cemetery. And they didn't believe that the bruises and scratches were from the Crutiatus curse."
"I knocked Snape out," Ron said fondly. "When he said you did it to yourself. I knocked him out."
"Remember Christmas in fifth year?"
"When Colin Creevy got picked up by that owl and dropped from the astronomy tower?"
"Yeah, that Christmas."
"Funniest thing I ever saw in my life."
"No, the funniest thing was watching you and Ron running across the old pitch with that chesterfield over your head and that fat little Hufflepuff following behind you." Parvati said.
"That couch paid for this."
"Paid for what?" Parvati asked.
"This ring. Parvati, will you marry me?"
"Oh my god! Harry, are you serious?"
"Absolutely."
"Oh Harry! Of course I will! Oh my god!" Parvati tossed her arms around him and the other adults roared so loudly that the children came running out to see what the fuss was.
"Wassamatter?"
"Harry just asked Parvati to marry him." Ron said.
"What!?"
Harry smiled. "Do you need a big wedding?"
"No." Parvati was shaking. "No, just a few friends."
"Well why don't we do it now?"
"What!?"
"Draco can legally marry us. All we need are a few witnesses."
Parvat put her hands over her face and spread her fingers. "Really?"
"Really."
"Well let's go."