This chapter is dedicated to Aleydis, for helping me with the name of
Daphne's kitten. Even though she hasn't actually read this story. Anyway.
I'm so proud, I have mapped out this entire story (all 28 chapters!) and it should hopefully be finished by mid-July, because that's when I go on holiday and I won't have access to a computer for 6 weeks! Aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
Chapter 16- Christmas
Christmas Eve passed uneventfully, and before they knew it, everyone was waking up on Christmas morning. Harry felt strange waking up without a pile of presents at the foot of his bed waiting for him, and Ron also voiced this opinion. Christmas morning was the one time of the year Ron would willingly get out of bed before half seven, which was the time the alarm clock at Hogwarts went off. In fact, he usually woke up about six on Christmas morning, because, (as he told Harry) Ginny used to run in and wake him up, and then they would terrorise everyone else in the house until they could open their presents. Harry and Ron got dressed and took all their presents downstairs. They were the first ones down there, although they could hear movement upstairs. After placing their gifts under the tree, they went back up to their room and picked up the kitten and all the things that went with it. The kitten, which Ron had nicknamed 'Blondie', was sleeping soundly in one corner of its box. Ron carried it downstairs, with Harry carrying the basket and other things. They had wrapped up the box with the kitten in it, so apart from the holes in the side it looked like a normal present. When they got down to the Living room again, Daphne and Hermione were also there, looking through the different presents under the tree. Hermione and Daphne grinned when they staggered in with the presents. "Merry Christmas!" They said simultaneously. Ron and Harry put down the presents on the sofa and collapsed down next to them. It hadn't been easy, carrying them down three flights of steps. "Merry Christmas." They said to the girls. "Wow. Who are they for?" Daphne asked, eyeing the large boxes in surprise. Hermione grinned again. "You." She said happily. Daphne gaped at her. "Me? Really?" She asked in surprise. Harry and Ron nodded, and Hermione smiled cheerfully. "Yep. They're from the three of us." She said as her parents and Luke came in to rounds of more "Merry Christmas!" shouts. Once they were all settled down, everyone tried to decide where to start opening presents. But as everyone could see that Daphne was dying to know what Harry, Ron and Hermione had got her, they let her open hers first. Ron placed the kitten box on the floor next to her. "Knock yourself out." He said, sitting back and yawning. Daphne eagerly ripped the paper off of the lid. That done, she carefully took the lid off. She gasped loudly. "Oh my God!" She cried. Just as she had done a few days before, 'Blondie' stuck her head over the top of the box and peered up at Daphne, who was almost crying. For all her tough exterior, Daphne really was a big softy. She bent down and gently picked up the kitten. "Oh, it's so cute! Oh- oh! Thank you!" She said, looking up at her cousin and Ron and Harry. Daphne scratched the kitten's head, making her close her eyes and purr quietly. She grinned. "Does it have a name?" She asked Hermione. Ron answered for her. "Blondie." He said.
Daphne looked scandalised. "You can't call it that! That's a horrible name for a kitten!" She exclaimed. Ron shrugged. "Why? She's blond." He said carelessly. Daphne frowned and Harry spoke up. "I've got an idea. How about Cowidgeon? Then you could call her Cow." He said with a grin. He and Ron burst out laughing at the look of horror on Daphne's face. Hermione smiled and turned to Daphne. "How about Annor?" She asked, reaching out to stroke Cowidgeon-Blondie. Daphne smiled. "That's a good idea actually. It suits her." She said, looking down at the kitten. Harry frowned. "Annor? Where'd you get that?" He asked curiously. Hermione smiled. "It's Sandrin for 'Sunshine'." She said. "The language of the Elves in the Lord of the Rings." She added, seeing the look of confusion on her friends' faces. Ron and Harry were still pretty confused, but decided against pursuing the subject any further. After the unwrapping of Annor, who was enjoying all the attention she was getting, unceremonious present unwrapping followed. Everyone opened all his or her presents within about fifteen minutes, and soon there was paper everywhere. Harry got a miniature Quidditch field model from Hermione, and a book written by a former England Quidditch captain who had been Gryffindor Seeker/Captain when at Hogwarts from Ron, "something to aim for." He told him jokingly. Harry also got a box of chocolate frogs from Daphne, and mince pies and a Weasley jumper from Mrs Weasley, (this year a red one with a golden snitch on it that was charmed to fly around on the jumper). Hermione not only got her necklace from Harry and Ron, but also a charm bracelet from Daphne, her own batch of mince pies and a Weasley jumper from Mrs Weasley, (her one was navy blue with silver thread at the cuffs and collar), and lots of presents from her parents, mainly clothes. Ron got a Chudley Cannons Fan club magazine subscription from Harry, a book by a Quidditch player condemning football called 'The sport of Idiots' from Hermione, chocolate frogs from Daphne, and numerous presents and clothes from his parents, mainly maroon. Ron didn't complain- he had lost the heart for it after almost sixteen years. Once all the presents were finally opened, everyone sat back and relaxed. They were interrupted, however, by a loud tapping at the window. It was Hedwig, who was struggling to stay still in the air while carrying a large box tied to her leg. Harry jumped up and opened the window for his pet owl, which had been sent off to Hogwarts the day before with presents for Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore, Hagrid, and Ron's present for Ginny. Hedwig flew in and Harry immediately untied the box so that she could have a rest. She gave a hoot of thanks and settled down on the mantelpiece. Harry opened the box with interest, to find a fair amount of wrapped presents, and some letters. There were two presents each for Ron and Hermione, which he threw over to them. Then there were two more presents for him, and two letters as well. He opened the letters first, and read them out. "Dear Harry, Ron and Hermione, Ha, ha, very funny. Remus loved his joke book, by the way, but I've now been subjected to Doctor Doctor monster jokes for the past hour. You will pay when you get back to school- I've been practising how to make a cupful of water disappear using just a piece of paper, and I've managed to drench Remus so don't think you're safe. Remus wants to write something now, so Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!" Harry paused and looked up at everyone, who was listening with interest. The handwriting had changed. "Hi you three! Merry Christmas! Thanks for our presents, we hope you like yours. Harry, we might as well tell you now, that yours is a photo. Sorry to spoil the surprise. Anyway, I found it when I was sorting through some of my things, and I remembered your Dad telling me about it ages ago. I think it will make you laugh. The story behind it is that the August after your first birthday the Ministry had a summer picnic to try and raise spirits. Obviously it was held in secret. Your Mum and Dad took you along. Anyway, the other kid in the photo stole one of your toys and you started crying. The kid was about four months older than you, the big bully. He got a bit worried when you started crying though, so your Mum tried to calm you both down, and your Dad took a picture. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas! Remus and Sirius." Harry put down the letter and looked up at his friends, who were watching him expectantly. Harry shrugged at them and picked up the present that had 'To Harry, from R and S' on it. It was obviously a frame. Harry unwrapped it eagerly and looked at it with interest. It was daylight in the picture, outside somewhere in a field. There were lots of people walking around in the background, whom were all smiling tiredly. At the front of the picture, on a bench, sat his Mum, Lily Potter, with Harry on her lap. Harry was crying bitterly, his face bright red and screwed up tightly. As Harry watched, his younger photographic self drew in a deep breath and let out a fresh howl of dismay. Harry thought he looked like a squashed tomato, and was about to share this opinion with his friends when his eyes fell on the boy sitting next to his mother on the bench. He looked a few months older than Harry, and very discomforted. He was shifting in his seat uneasily and watching Harry cry. Lily had her other arm around him and was smiling down at them both. Harry stared at the boy in disbelief. It was Ron. Harry burst out laughing. He couldn't help it. He tried to stop, but he couldn't. Not when he saw what Ron had stolen from him. A furry purple spider. Harry held out the picture helplessly to Ron, who was watching him laugh bemusedly. Ron took the picture from Harry, and looked down at it. The first thing he saw was baby Harry, crying with all his might. Then he saw the other toddler on the bench and his mouth dropped open in surprise. He looked over at Harry, who was still laughing but had calmed down a bit. But when Ron looked at him he just started laughing again. Ron started laughing as well, and Hermione snatched the picture off of him. She stared at it. "You didn't tell me you had met before!" She accused. Ron and Harry shrugged. "We didn't know." They said simultaneously, starting to laugh again. Hermione grinned. "Well, you weren't scared of spiders then, were you Ron?" She said with a wink, making Harry laugh even harder. "What?" Ron said, snatching the picture back. His eyes widened when he saw the toy he had nicked and he laughed again. "I guess not." He said with a shrug. Daphne grinned. "You're scared of spiders?" She said with a giggle. Ron glared at her but didn't answer. Daphne giggled again. "Well, you should face your fear." She said with a decisive nod. Harry, Ron and Hermione snorted. "I think he's already done that." Harry said, with a knowing look in Ron's direction. Daphne frowned. "What do you mean?" She asked. Ron grimaced. "I'd rather not talk about it actually." He said testily. Harry and Hermione were already ripping the paper off of their other presents, and so Ron joined in as well. From Hagrid, the three of them received home-made rock cakes and treacle fudge, (which they hastily put to one side), and Ron also got a new quill and an unbreakable inkpot from Remus and Sirius, while Hermione received a new quill and a pad full of parchments that adjusted themselves to be as long as what you wrote on them was. This was a good thing for Hermione, whose homework was always at least three feet longer than everyone else's. When they had finished unwrapping the presents, Harry suddenly remembered he had another letter to open. He picked it up and read it out loud. "Dear Mr Potter. Merry Christmas! Your gift was very unexpected, but very much appreciated. I am surprised you remembered. Please give my warmest regards to Mr Weasley and both the Miss Grangers. Enjoy the rest of your holidays. Albus Dumbledore. P.S. I have secretly added ten points to Gryffindor, as a Christmas present to you all. You are now ahead of Ravenclaw by three points. Merry Christmas." Harry grinned as Ron, Hermione and Daphne started laughing again.
~*~
A few hours later the five Grangers and two guests sat in the living Room playing Charades while they waited for Joanne's mother to arrive. Hermione had already told Harry and Ron that Mrs Phillips knew about Hogwarts because she had happened to be in the room when Hermione had first received her Hogwarts letter. According to Hermione, her Grandmother was thrilled that Hermione was a witch, and took particular interest in everything she could tell her about Hogwarts. As soon as she had heard that Harry and Ron were coming to stay, she had insisted on visiting so that she could meet them both. Hermione said it was because she had told her Grandmother so much about them, but Daphne told them what she called the 'real' reason for her wanting to meet them: "She wants to assess you both." She told them with a wink. "She gave Viktor a run for his money, I can tell you. She didn't like him, you could tell. It was because he was always so polite to her; she hates it when people act false. She was still nice to him though. Anyway, it'll seem like she's just being friendly, but really she'll be checking to see if you're good enough to be socialising with her only grandchild, and probably whether either of you could be possible future in- laws. But don't worry," she said, holding up her hands as Harry and Ron started to interrupt her. "It's only because she thinks that Hermione's in danger going to a mixed school- before Hogwarts she was all set to go to a girl's convent school in North London. Anyway- act natural and you'll be fine. She's actually really nice." And with that, Daphne flounced away, leaving Harry and Ron feeling like they were about to go on trial for crimes they hadn't committed. Ben was in the middle of trying to act out the play 'Much Ado About Nothing', with which he wasn't having much luck, when the doorbell rang. Hermione grinned and ran to open it; everyone else could hear what was going on in the doorway. "Hermione! How's my princess?" An elderly voice said. They heard Hermione giggling. "I'm great." She replied. They heard the sounds of a coat being removed. "So, where are they?" Mrs Phillips' voice demanded. Hermione replied: "Who?" "Who? Who? Harry and Ron of course. That's why I'm here after all." Her Grandmother said. "In the Living Room." Answered Hermione. "O.K. then. Let me get this straight though- Harry's got black hair and glasses and Ron's tall with red hair? Am I right?" Mrs Phillips said. "Yep. You got it." Hermione replied. At this point, Mrs Phillips appeared at the door. She was very short and plump with silvery hair and a stern but kind face. She looked old, but had the same sort of young energy that Dumbledore always seemed to possess. She walked in the room and smiled at Harry, who was sitting opposite the door and in her line of sight. "Hi there. You must be Ron." She said cheerfully. Harry didn't know whether it was a joke or not, but realised it was when Daphne clapped her hand to her mouth to stop herself from laughing. Mrs Phillips suddenly grinned. "I'm just joking. Nice to meet you Harry. Well, stand up, let me get a look at you." She ordered. Harry stood up. He was only about a centimetre taller than her. She smiled again. "Just my height. Perfect. Don't grow anymore." She said with a wink. Harry grinned as she turned to Ron. "Hello Ron. Well, stand up as well then." Ron glanced at Harry and stood up as well. He towered over Mrs Phillips, and she blinked. "Sit down again. It hurts my neck just looking at you." She said sternly. Ron sat down quickly, though he couldn't help smiling. Mrs Phillips frowned at them both. "Do you two talk?" She asked. Daphne spoke up from the other side of the room. "They do, but they don't know how to respond when an old woman comes in and starts giving them orders." She said calmly. Harry and Ron gaped at her. Mrs Phillips placed her hands on her hips and glared at Daphne. "Who're calling old?" She demanded. Daphne glared back at her. "You." She said coolly. Mrs Phillips suddenly smiled. "Good to see you Daphne. How've you been?" She asked kindly. Daphne smiled. "Great. I've just got back from my first term at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You may have heard of it." She said with a shrug. Harry and Ron watched as Hermione's Grandmother's face went from a look of cheerfulness to look of absolute shock. She obviously hadn't been expecting a thing like that. She looked round at Hermione, who nodded and laughed. She turned back to Daphne with a grin on her face. "Well, what house are you in?" she demanded, sitting down on the sofa next to Ron. Daphne grinned as well. "Gryffindor." She said. Mrs Phillips' face fell. "That's a shame. All the worst people are in that one." She said seriously. Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry and Ron. "Ignore her. She thinks she's funny." She told them. Mrs Phillips frowned at Hermione. "Who's she? The cat's mother?" She said sternly. Hermione shrugged and sat down again as her mother decided to speak up. "Hello Mother." Joanne said sarcastically. Mrs Phillips waved her hand vaguely in Joanne's direction. "Hello Joanne. So." She said, turning to Ron. "I want to hear everything about growing up as a Wizard." Ron raised his eyebrows. "Um." He said stupidly. Mrs Phillips rolled her eyes. "Alright. I'll ask questions, you answer. When did you first do magic?" Ron smiled. "When I was a few months old. I turned my brother's glass of milk into blue slime when he wouldn't let me have any." He said. Mrs Phillips grinned. "Oh, so you do talk. Which brother?" She asked. Ron grinned as well. "Percy." He said. Mrs Phillips nodded and turned to Harry. "What about you?" She asked. Harry thought back. Of course, he had never really thought about it, but he supposed it was when. "Well." He said slowly. "I don't know if it was the first time, but from what I can remember it was when I turned a tennis ball Dudley was playing with into a hedgehog. I was five." He answered, with a shrug. Ron started laughing at this, and Harry and Hermione did as well. Mrs Phillips smiled. "So what do you think of Muggles Ron?" She asked suddenly. Ron stared at her for a moment- wondering how to answer a question like that. Then he smiled. "Well, I think we should kill the whole lot of them personally." He said casually. Harry nodded in agreement. "Hear, hear!" He said with a grin. Hermione and Daphne started to laugh as Mrs Phillips glared at them both. "Well. I'm going to the toilet. Excuse me." She said, standing up abruptly and walking out of the room. Ron and Harry would have felt worried, but Hermione and Daphne were still laughing. When Mrs Phillips had closed the door behind her, Joanne and Ben suddenly broke into a small round of applause, catching Harry and Ron off-guard. Joanne grinned. "Well done you two. You're doing well." She said, looking impressed. Ben nodded. "Yep. Very well done." He said. Ron and Harry looked over at Hermione for an explanation. She grinned as well. "She's always really falsely nice to the people she doesn't like, but as you can see there was none of that, and that means she likes you." She said. Harry frowned. "Why is she nice to the people she doesn't like?" He asked in confusion. Ron looked just as baffled. Hermione shrugged. "So that they *think* she likes them. It's very simple really." She said airily. "And the people she isn't bothered about she just ignores mainly." Ben said from the other side of the room, grinning. "I fall into that category." He added with an unconcerned shrug. "Me too." Luke said quietly. Ben nodded. "Yeah. She just ignores us." He said. Ron and Harry nodded slowly, though they were still a little confused. They didn't have time to ponder for too long though, because at that moment Mrs Phillips walked back in with a grin on her face. "Did I give you all enough time to discuss me, or would you like me to go and re-wash my hands?" She asked offhandedly. Ron and Harry started laughing at this candid question, and she also joined in- with a tinkling laugh that sounded like a chicken being tickled. Mrs Phillips sat back down next to Ron and rubbed her hands together. "So Joanne, when will dinner be?" She asked her daughter. Joanne folded her arms. "Oh, so you do know I'm in the room, do you?" She asked stiffly. You could tell by her slight smile that she wasn't really angry though. Mrs Phillips frowned. "Of course I know you're here. Do you think I'm going senile in my old age or something?" She said threateningly. Joanne rolled her eyes. "That happened in middle age, mother dearest. And dinner will be ready in half an hour." She stood up and headed for the kitchen door. "Try not to terrorise our guests too much while I get it ready." She said, ruffling her mother's hair as she walked past her. Mrs Phillips batted her hand away. "Don't patronise me girl!" She called out after Joanne as she disappeared through the door. "I can remember when you had nappy rash!" She added viciously. Joanne reappeared in the doorway and blew her mother a kiss. Mrs Phillips narrowed her eyes dangerously as her daughter disappeared again. Mrs Phillips spent the next five minutes firing questions at Hermione about her schoolwork. It was obvious she was interested in all kinds of magic and, judging by what she asked, mainly the History. Hermione answered every question, mentioning things that Harry and Ron were positive they had never learnt in the classroom. Big surprise there. After a while Mrs Phillips started asking Ron more questions about growing up in the Wizarding world- from his family to his education. She seemed particularly interested in the Burrow. At one point, Ron called her Mrs Phillips and she rolled her eyes. "Call me Gammy, everyone does. Anyway, how many gnomes are there in your garden then?" She asked. Ron thought about it- he'd never been asked that before. In the end he answered "Between thirty and fifty. Though once we counted a hundred on one de-gnoming session. Why?" He asked, his curiosity about her curiosity getting the better of him. Gammy grinned. (A/N- Isn't Gammy sooooooooo much better than Mrs Phillips?) "Well, Hermione likes your house so much, I wanted to know why." She said, nodding towards her Granddaughter, who was steadily turning a nice shade of magenta. Ron looked over at Hermione. "You do? Why?" He asked curiously. Hermione shot an icy look at her Grandmother, who was obviously thoroughly enjoying her embarrassment. "Well, I'm not sure exactly." She said quietly. Ron frowned. "I hate my house." He said, sounding surprise that other people didn't. Hermione and Harry were genuinely shocked by his declaration. "Your house is brilliant." Harry said earnestly. Ron looked over at Harry. "Why?" He asked, completely at sea. Harry looked over at Hermione for help. "Well, it's because, I think it's mainly because of the.no, it's the.I don't know why, but it just is." He stammered hopelessly. Ron nodded. "Right, well that it explains it." He said sarcastically. Hermione shrugged. "He's right. But there's something about your house that just makes you feel at home straight away." She said. Ron shrugged again, his ears slightly pink from what Harry assumed was pride. He was spared further awkwardness by a sharp tapping sound on the window. It was Hedwig- whom Harry had sent off earlier with another package. Harry once again jumped up and opened the window for his owl, who swooped in and dropped a package at his feet, landing on the mantelpiece. Gammy gasped. "What a beautiful owl!" She said in wonder. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Gammy, you've seen Hedwig before." She said. Gammy shrugged. "She's still a beautiful owl though." She said fondly. Hedwig ruffled her feathers proudly, making Harry laugh. "You're spoiling her." He said, picking up the package she had delivered. It had a letter sellotaped to it. Harry sat back down to open the package, which was wrapped in brightly coloured Christmas paper. He ripped off the paper and started to laugh. He held up the present for his friends to see. It was a party pack of Mars bars. Harry grinned. "They're my favourite Muggle sweet. I haven't had one in about six years." He said. "Funny, 'coz I bought Dudley a pack of Fizzing Whizzbees and Drooble's gum." He added, peeling the letter off of the paper. He shook it open and read it:
Merry Christmas Harry Thanks for the sweets- and for telling me the Fizzing Whizzbees make you float- mum and dad will never forgive me, I ate one in the kitchen! I'm still floating as I write this in fact, so thanks a heap. (In case you can't tell, I'm being sarcastic). Anyway, I finally made it on to the football team, I'm a striker, and I've already scored ten goals this term. Congratulations on being made Quidditch captain and beating Slytherin, and tell Ron well done for only letting in one goal. Have a great New Year and say hi to everyone else for me. Dudley
Ron grinned as Harry finished reading the letter out. "Can I try one of those things? I've never had a Muggle sweet." He asked Harry. Harry nodded and opened the bag, offering them round to everyone. Ron tried the chocolate and looked truly surprised when he found that he liked them. Gammy was also looking very surprised. "Since when do you and Dudley send each other presents?" She asked curiously. Harry assumed that Hermione had told her Grandmother about the Dursleys, and so said nothing about it. He shrugged. "We patched things up this summer- he's alright really." He said. "Ron and Hermione met him at Diagon Alley." He added, nodding at his friends. Gammy turned to Hermione in surprise. "And why wasn't I told?" She demanded. Hermione grinned. "You didn't ask." She said offhandedly. Gammy let out a small 'humph!' as Joanne came back into the living room. "Dinner is served." She announced in a posh serving voice that made Daphne giggle. And so everyone went in to the dining room and ate lunch, still answering to questions fired in every direction by Gammy.
~*~
"Well, she's gone." Hermione said, collapsing onto the sofa next to Daphne. Harry grinned. "You sound relieved." He said. Hermione shrugged. "I love Gammy, but she does get a little, how do I put this, -tiring." She said, closing her eyes. Joanne and Ben were sitting in the back garden, where they had an electric heater, and Luke had gone to a friend's house for a Christmas party. It was only eight in the evening, but everyone was pretty wiped. However, unable to even concede the thought of going to bed so early, they turned on the TV and got out the Granger's chess set, Harry and Hermione both hoping that the lifelessness of the pieces would throw Ron off and help them to win. Daphne had never seen a game of chess played by Ron, or played with him, and so didn't know why the two of them were watching him so closely as he picked up the white queen. "So how are you meant to move them?" He asked dubiously. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, you usually pick them up and place them on another square." She told him slowly. Ron put the piece back down and rubbed his hands together. "OK, I'm in. but I do have my chess set upstairs, can't we just-" "No." Harry and Hermione said together, making Ron sit down opposite Harry. Hermione wasn't very good at chess, and so had no problem letting Harry play first. Daphne looked on with very little interest. Harry was white, so he moved first. Ron was playing properly up until his third go, when he began to say "Bishop to D-" realised what he was doing, and moved the piece himself. Harry was on his tenth go and getting confident, because Ron was staring at the board with a baffled look on his face. He and Hermione had been right- it was throwing him. Harry moved his tower three spaces to the left. Ron looked up at Harry with a frown on his face, and then down at the board. He moved his queen diagonally two spaces ad sighed. "Checkmate." He said, his baffled look being replaced by his usual superior chess-grin. Harry stared at the board, and then gawped at Ron. He had been bluffing! Why the cheating little. Hermione threw her hands up in the air. "That's it! I give up!" She said hopelessly. Ron sat back in his chair and smiled. "Sorry." He said, not sounding sorry at all. Daphne was even more confused now. "What's the big deal?" She asked. Harry began to put the pieces away. "In five years, Ron has beaten me and Herm at every game of chess we've ever played." He told her. Ron grinned. "Do you know how many times I've beaten you now Harry?" He asked. Harry glared at him. "Do you?" He asked. Ron nodded. "Seven hundred and one times." He said carelessly. Harry gawped at him again. "You kept count?" He said incredulously. Ron shrugged. "That's not the point." He said, holding out his hand. "The point is you owe me a galleon." He said. Harry frowned, and then his face cleared as he remembered. "I completely forgot about that bet." He said. Hermione laughed. "I remember that! You said the first one to five hundred, didn't you?" She asked Ron, who nodded. "Yeah, but I decided to let him off. But as I'm now over seven hundred, I think it's only fair if he coughs up." He said, grinning at Harry, who was glaring at him again.
Will Harry ever beat Ron? (Probably not.) Please r/r.
I'm so proud, I have mapped out this entire story (all 28 chapters!) and it should hopefully be finished by mid-July, because that's when I go on holiday and I won't have access to a computer for 6 weeks! Aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
Chapter 16- Christmas
Christmas Eve passed uneventfully, and before they knew it, everyone was waking up on Christmas morning. Harry felt strange waking up without a pile of presents at the foot of his bed waiting for him, and Ron also voiced this opinion. Christmas morning was the one time of the year Ron would willingly get out of bed before half seven, which was the time the alarm clock at Hogwarts went off. In fact, he usually woke up about six on Christmas morning, because, (as he told Harry) Ginny used to run in and wake him up, and then they would terrorise everyone else in the house until they could open their presents. Harry and Ron got dressed and took all their presents downstairs. They were the first ones down there, although they could hear movement upstairs. After placing their gifts under the tree, they went back up to their room and picked up the kitten and all the things that went with it. The kitten, which Ron had nicknamed 'Blondie', was sleeping soundly in one corner of its box. Ron carried it downstairs, with Harry carrying the basket and other things. They had wrapped up the box with the kitten in it, so apart from the holes in the side it looked like a normal present. When they got down to the Living room again, Daphne and Hermione were also there, looking through the different presents under the tree. Hermione and Daphne grinned when they staggered in with the presents. "Merry Christmas!" They said simultaneously. Ron and Harry put down the presents on the sofa and collapsed down next to them. It hadn't been easy, carrying them down three flights of steps. "Merry Christmas." They said to the girls. "Wow. Who are they for?" Daphne asked, eyeing the large boxes in surprise. Hermione grinned again. "You." She said happily. Daphne gaped at her. "Me? Really?" She asked in surprise. Harry and Ron nodded, and Hermione smiled cheerfully. "Yep. They're from the three of us." She said as her parents and Luke came in to rounds of more "Merry Christmas!" shouts. Once they were all settled down, everyone tried to decide where to start opening presents. But as everyone could see that Daphne was dying to know what Harry, Ron and Hermione had got her, they let her open hers first. Ron placed the kitten box on the floor next to her. "Knock yourself out." He said, sitting back and yawning. Daphne eagerly ripped the paper off of the lid. That done, she carefully took the lid off. She gasped loudly. "Oh my God!" She cried. Just as she had done a few days before, 'Blondie' stuck her head over the top of the box and peered up at Daphne, who was almost crying. For all her tough exterior, Daphne really was a big softy. She bent down and gently picked up the kitten. "Oh, it's so cute! Oh- oh! Thank you!" She said, looking up at her cousin and Ron and Harry. Daphne scratched the kitten's head, making her close her eyes and purr quietly. She grinned. "Does it have a name?" She asked Hermione. Ron answered for her. "Blondie." He said.
Daphne looked scandalised. "You can't call it that! That's a horrible name for a kitten!" She exclaimed. Ron shrugged. "Why? She's blond." He said carelessly. Daphne frowned and Harry spoke up. "I've got an idea. How about Cowidgeon? Then you could call her Cow." He said with a grin. He and Ron burst out laughing at the look of horror on Daphne's face. Hermione smiled and turned to Daphne. "How about Annor?" She asked, reaching out to stroke Cowidgeon-Blondie. Daphne smiled. "That's a good idea actually. It suits her." She said, looking down at the kitten. Harry frowned. "Annor? Where'd you get that?" He asked curiously. Hermione smiled. "It's Sandrin for 'Sunshine'." She said. "The language of the Elves in the Lord of the Rings." She added, seeing the look of confusion on her friends' faces. Ron and Harry were still pretty confused, but decided against pursuing the subject any further. After the unwrapping of Annor, who was enjoying all the attention she was getting, unceremonious present unwrapping followed. Everyone opened all his or her presents within about fifteen minutes, and soon there was paper everywhere. Harry got a miniature Quidditch field model from Hermione, and a book written by a former England Quidditch captain who had been Gryffindor Seeker/Captain when at Hogwarts from Ron, "something to aim for." He told him jokingly. Harry also got a box of chocolate frogs from Daphne, and mince pies and a Weasley jumper from Mrs Weasley, (this year a red one with a golden snitch on it that was charmed to fly around on the jumper). Hermione not only got her necklace from Harry and Ron, but also a charm bracelet from Daphne, her own batch of mince pies and a Weasley jumper from Mrs Weasley, (her one was navy blue with silver thread at the cuffs and collar), and lots of presents from her parents, mainly clothes. Ron got a Chudley Cannons Fan club magazine subscription from Harry, a book by a Quidditch player condemning football called 'The sport of Idiots' from Hermione, chocolate frogs from Daphne, and numerous presents and clothes from his parents, mainly maroon. Ron didn't complain- he had lost the heart for it after almost sixteen years. Once all the presents were finally opened, everyone sat back and relaxed. They were interrupted, however, by a loud tapping at the window. It was Hedwig, who was struggling to stay still in the air while carrying a large box tied to her leg. Harry jumped up and opened the window for his pet owl, which had been sent off to Hogwarts the day before with presents for Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore, Hagrid, and Ron's present for Ginny. Hedwig flew in and Harry immediately untied the box so that she could have a rest. She gave a hoot of thanks and settled down on the mantelpiece. Harry opened the box with interest, to find a fair amount of wrapped presents, and some letters. There were two presents each for Ron and Hermione, which he threw over to them. Then there were two more presents for him, and two letters as well. He opened the letters first, and read them out. "Dear Harry, Ron and Hermione, Ha, ha, very funny. Remus loved his joke book, by the way, but I've now been subjected to Doctor Doctor monster jokes for the past hour. You will pay when you get back to school- I've been practising how to make a cupful of water disappear using just a piece of paper, and I've managed to drench Remus so don't think you're safe. Remus wants to write something now, so Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!" Harry paused and looked up at everyone, who was listening with interest. The handwriting had changed. "Hi you three! Merry Christmas! Thanks for our presents, we hope you like yours. Harry, we might as well tell you now, that yours is a photo. Sorry to spoil the surprise. Anyway, I found it when I was sorting through some of my things, and I remembered your Dad telling me about it ages ago. I think it will make you laugh. The story behind it is that the August after your first birthday the Ministry had a summer picnic to try and raise spirits. Obviously it was held in secret. Your Mum and Dad took you along. Anyway, the other kid in the photo stole one of your toys and you started crying. The kid was about four months older than you, the big bully. He got a bit worried when you started crying though, so your Mum tried to calm you both down, and your Dad took a picture. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas! Remus and Sirius." Harry put down the letter and looked up at his friends, who were watching him expectantly. Harry shrugged at them and picked up the present that had 'To Harry, from R and S' on it. It was obviously a frame. Harry unwrapped it eagerly and looked at it with interest. It was daylight in the picture, outside somewhere in a field. There were lots of people walking around in the background, whom were all smiling tiredly. At the front of the picture, on a bench, sat his Mum, Lily Potter, with Harry on her lap. Harry was crying bitterly, his face bright red and screwed up tightly. As Harry watched, his younger photographic self drew in a deep breath and let out a fresh howl of dismay. Harry thought he looked like a squashed tomato, and was about to share this opinion with his friends when his eyes fell on the boy sitting next to his mother on the bench. He looked a few months older than Harry, and very discomforted. He was shifting in his seat uneasily and watching Harry cry. Lily had her other arm around him and was smiling down at them both. Harry stared at the boy in disbelief. It was Ron. Harry burst out laughing. He couldn't help it. He tried to stop, but he couldn't. Not when he saw what Ron had stolen from him. A furry purple spider. Harry held out the picture helplessly to Ron, who was watching him laugh bemusedly. Ron took the picture from Harry, and looked down at it. The first thing he saw was baby Harry, crying with all his might. Then he saw the other toddler on the bench and his mouth dropped open in surprise. He looked over at Harry, who was still laughing but had calmed down a bit. But when Ron looked at him he just started laughing again. Ron started laughing as well, and Hermione snatched the picture off of him. She stared at it. "You didn't tell me you had met before!" She accused. Ron and Harry shrugged. "We didn't know." They said simultaneously, starting to laugh again. Hermione grinned. "Well, you weren't scared of spiders then, were you Ron?" She said with a wink, making Harry laugh even harder. "What?" Ron said, snatching the picture back. His eyes widened when he saw the toy he had nicked and he laughed again. "I guess not." He said with a shrug. Daphne grinned. "You're scared of spiders?" She said with a giggle. Ron glared at her but didn't answer. Daphne giggled again. "Well, you should face your fear." She said with a decisive nod. Harry, Ron and Hermione snorted. "I think he's already done that." Harry said, with a knowing look in Ron's direction. Daphne frowned. "What do you mean?" She asked. Ron grimaced. "I'd rather not talk about it actually." He said testily. Harry and Hermione were already ripping the paper off of their other presents, and so Ron joined in as well. From Hagrid, the three of them received home-made rock cakes and treacle fudge, (which they hastily put to one side), and Ron also got a new quill and an unbreakable inkpot from Remus and Sirius, while Hermione received a new quill and a pad full of parchments that adjusted themselves to be as long as what you wrote on them was. This was a good thing for Hermione, whose homework was always at least three feet longer than everyone else's. When they had finished unwrapping the presents, Harry suddenly remembered he had another letter to open. He picked it up and read it out loud. "Dear Mr Potter. Merry Christmas! Your gift was very unexpected, but very much appreciated. I am surprised you remembered. Please give my warmest regards to Mr Weasley and both the Miss Grangers. Enjoy the rest of your holidays. Albus Dumbledore. P.S. I have secretly added ten points to Gryffindor, as a Christmas present to you all. You are now ahead of Ravenclaw by three points. Merry Christmas." Harry grinned as Ron, Hermione and Daphne started laughing again.
~*~
A few hours later the five Grangers and two guests sat in the living Room playing Charades while they waited for Joanne's mother to arrive. Hermione had already told Harry and Ron that Mrs Phillips knew about Hogwarts because she had happened to be in the room when Hermione had first received her Hogwarts letter. According to Hermione, her Grandmother was thrilled that Hermione was a witch, and took particular interest in everything she could tell her about Hogwarts. As soon as she had heard that Harry and Ron were coming to stay, she had insisted on visiting so that she could meet them both. Hermione said it was because she had told her Grandmother so much about them, but Daphne told them what she called the 'real' reason for her wanting to meet them: "She wants to assess you both." She told them with a wink. "She gave Viktor a run for his money, I can tell you. She didn't like him, you could tell. It was because he was always so polite to her; she hates it when people act false. She was still nice to him though. Anyway, it'll seem like she's just being friendly, but really she'll be checking to see if you're good enough to be socialising with her only grandchild, and probably whether either of you could be possible future in- laws. But don't worry," she said, holding up her hands as Harry and Ron started to interrupt her. "It's only because she thinks that Hermione's in danger going to a mixed school- before Hogwarts she was all set to go to a girl's convent school in North London. Anyway- act natural and you'll be fine. She's actually really nice." And with that, Daphne flounced away, leaving Harry and Ron feeling like they were about to go on trial for crimes they hadn't committed. Ben was in the middle of trying to act out the play 'Much Ado About Nothing', with which he wasn't having much luck, when the doorbell rang. Hermione grinned and ran to open it; everyone else could hear what was going on in the doorway. "Hermione! How's my princess?" An elderly voice said. They heard Hermione giggling. "I'm great." She replied. They heard the sounds of a coat being removed. "So, where are they?" Mrs Phillips' voice demanded. Hermione replied: "Who?" "Who? Who? Harry and Ron of course. That's why I'm here after all." Her Grandmother said. "In the Living Room." Answered Hermione. "O.K. then. Let me get this straight though- Harry's got black hair and glasses and Ron's tall with red hair? Am I right?" Mrs Phillips said. "Yep. You got it." Hermione replied. At this point, Mrs Phillips appeared at the door. She was very short and plump with silvery hair and a stern but kind face. She looked old, but had the same sort of young energy that Dumbledore always seemed to possess. She walked in the room and smiled at Harry, who was sitting opposite the door and in her line of sight. "Hi there. You must be Ron." She said cheerfully. Harry didn't know whether it was a joke or not, but realised it was when Daphne clapped her hand to her mouth to stop herself from laughing. Mrs Phillips suddenly grinned. "I'm just joking. Nice to meet you Harry. Well, stand up, let me get a look at you." She ordered. Harry stood up. He was only about a centimetre taller than her. She smiled again. "Just my height. Perfect. Don't grow anymore." She said with a wink. Harry grinned as she turned to Ron. "Hello Ron. Well, stand up as well then." Ron glanced at Harry and stood up as well. He towered over Mrs Phillips, and she blinked. "Sit down again. It hurts my neck just looking at you." She said sternly. Ron sat down quickly, though he couldn't help smiling. Mrs Phillips frowned at them both. "Do you two talk?" She asked. Daphne spoke up from the other side of the room. "They do, but they don't know how to respond when an old woman comes in and starts giving them orders." She said calmly. Harry and Ron gaped at her. Mrs Phillips placed her hands on her hips and glared at Daphne. "Who're calling old?" She demanded. Daphne glared back at her. "You." She said coolly. Mrs Phillips suddenly smiled. "Good to see you Daphne. How've you been?" She asked kindly. Daphne smiled. "Great. I've just got back from my first term at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You may have heard of it." She said with a shrug. Harry and Ron watched as Hermione's Grandmother's face went from a look of cheerfulness to look of absolute shock. She obviously hadn't been expecting a thing like that. She looked round at Hermione, who nodded and laughed. She turned back to Daphne with a grin on her face. "Well, what house are you in?" she demanded, sitting down on the sofa next to Ron. Daphne grinned as well. "Gryffindor." She said. Mrs Phillips' face fell. "That's a shame. All the worst people are in that one." She said seriously. Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry and Ron. "Ignore her. She thinks she's funny." She told them. Mrs Phillips frowned at Hermione. "Who's she? The cat's mother?" She said sternly. Hermione shrugged and sat down again as her mother decided to speak up. "Hello Mother." Joanne said sarcastically. Mrs Phillips waved her hand vaguely in Joanne's direction. "Hello Joanne. So." She said, turning to Ron. "I want to hear everything about growing up as a Wizard." Ron raised his eyebrows. "Um." He said stupidly. Mrs Phillips rolled her eyes. "Alright. I'll ask questions, you answer. When did you first do magic?" Ron smiled. "When I was a few months old. I turned my brother's glass of milk into blue slime when he wouldn't let me have any." He said. Mrs Phillips grinned. "Oh, so you do talk. Which brother?" She asked. Ron grinned as well. "Percy." He said. Mrs Phillips nodded and turned to Harry. "What about you?" She asked. Harry thought back. Of course, he had never really thought about it, but he supposed it was when. "Well." He said slowly. "I don't know if it was the first time, but from what I can remember it was when I turned a tennis ball Dudley was playing with into a hedgehog. I was five." He answered, with a shrug. Ron started laughing at this, and Harry and Hermione did as well. Mrs Phillips smiled. "So what do you think of Muggles Ron?" She asked suddenly. Ron stared at her for a moment- wondering how to answer a question like that. Then he smiled. "Well, I think we should kill the whole lot of them personally." He said casually. Harry nodded in agreement. "Hear, hear!" He said with a grin. Hermione and Daphne started to laugh as Mrs Phillips glared at them both. "Well. I'm going to the toilet. Excuse me." She said, standing up abruptly and walking out of the room. Ron and Harry would have felt worried, but Hermione and Daphne were still laughing. When Mrs Phillips had closed the door behind her, Joanne and Ben suddenly broke into a small round of applause, catching Harry and Ron off-guard. Joanne grinned. "Well done you two. You're doing well." She said, looking impressed. Ben nodded. "Yep. Very well done." He said. Ron and Harry looked over at Hermione for an explanation. She grinned as well. "She's always really falsely nice to the people she doesn't like, but as you can see there was none of that, and that means she likes you." She said. Harry frowned. "Why is she nice to the people she doesn't like?" He asked in confusion. Ron looked just as baffled. Hermione shrugged. "So that they *think* she likes them. It's very simple really." She said airily. "And the people she isn't bothered about she just ignores mainly." Ben said from the other side of the room, grinning. "I fall into that category." He added with an unconcerned shrug. "Me too." Luke said quietly. Ben nodded. "Yeah. She just ignores us." He said. Ron and Harry nodded slowly, though they were still a little confused. They didn't have time to ponder for too long though, because at that moment Mrs Phillips walked back in with a grin on her face. "Did I give you all enough time to discuss me, or would you like me to go and re-wash my hands?" She asked offhandedly. Ron and Harry started laughing at this candid question, and she also joined in- with a tinkling laugh that sounded like a chicken being tickled. Mrs Phillips sat back down next to Ron and rubbed her hands together. "So Joanne, when will dinner be?" She asked her daughter. Joanne folded her arms. "Oh, so you do know I'm in the room, do you?" She asked stiffly. You could tell by her slight smile that she wasn't really angry though. Mrs Phillips frowned. "Of course I know you're here. Do you think I'm going senile in my old age or something?" She said threateningly. Joanne rolled her eyes. "That happened in middle age, mother dearest. And dinner will be ready in half an hour." She stood up and headed for the kitchen door. "Try not to terrorise our guests too much while I get it ready." She said, ruffling her mother's hair as she walked past her. Mrs Phillips batted her hand away. "Don't patronise me girl!" She called out after Joanne as she disappeared through the door. "I can remember when you had nappy rash!" She added viciously. Joanne reappeared in the doorway and blew her mother a kiss. Mrs Phillips narrowed her eyes dangerously as her daughter disappeared again. Mrs Phillips spent the next five minutes firing questions at Hermione about her schoolwork. It was obvious she was interested in all kinds of magic and, judging by what she asked, mainly the History. Hermione answered every question, mentioning things that Harry and Ron were positive they had never learnt in the classroom. Big surprise there. After a while Mrs Phillips started asking Ron more questions about growing up in the Wizarding world- from his family to his education. She seemed particularly interested in the Burrow. At one point, Ron called her Mrs Phillips and she rolled her eyes. "Call me Gammy, everyone does. Anyway, how many gnomes are there in your garden then?" She asked. Ron thought about it- he'd never been asked that before. In the end he answered "Between thirty and fifty. Though once we counted a hundred on one de-gnoming session. Why?" He asked, his curiosity about her curiosity getting the better of him. Gammy grinned. (A/N- Isn't Gammy sooooooooo much better than Mrs Phillips?) "Well, Hermione likes your house so much, I wanted to know why." She said, nodding towards her Granddaughter, who was steadily turning a nice shade of magenta. Ron looked over at Hermione. "You do? Why?" He asked curiously. Hermione shot an icy look at her Grandmother, who was obviously thoroughly enjoying her embarrassment. "Well, I'm not sure exactly." She said quietly. Ron frowned. "I hate my house." He said, sounding surprise that other people didn't. Hermione and Harry were genuinely shocked by his declaration. "Your house is brilliant." Harry said earnestly. Ron looked over at Harry. "Why?" He asked, completely at sea. Harry looked over at Hermione for help. "Well, it's because, I think it's mainly because of the.no, it's the.I don't know why, but it just is." He stammered hopelessly. Ron nodded. "Right, well that it explains it." He said sarcastically. Hermione shrugged. "He's right. But there's something about your house that just makes you feel at home straight away." She said. Ron shrugged again, his ears slightly pink from what Harry assumed was pride. He was spared further awkwardness by a sharp tapping sound on the window. It was Hedwig- whom Harry had sent off earlier with another package. Harry once again jumped up and opened the window for his owl, who swooped in and dropped a package at his feet, landing on the mantelpiece. Gammy gasped. "What a beautiful owl!" She said in wonder. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Gammy, you've seen Hedwig before." She said. Gammy shrugged. "She's still a beautiful owl though." She said fondly. Hedwig ruffled her feathers proudly, making Harry laugh. "You're spoiling her." He said, picking up the package she had delivered. It had a letter sellotaped to it. Harry sat back down to open the package, which was wrapped in brightly coloured Christmas paper. He ripped off the paper and started to laugh. He held up the present for his friends to see. It was a party pack of Mars bars. Harry grinned. "They're my favourite Muggle sweet. I haven't had one in about six years." He said. "Funny, 'coz I bought Dudley a pack of Fizzing Whizzbees and Drooble's gum." He added, peeling the letter off of the paper. He shook it open and read it:
Merry Christmas Harry Thanks for the sweets- and for telling me the Fizzing Whizzbees make you float- mum and dad will never forgive me, I ate one in the kitchen! I'm still floating as I write this in fact, so thanks a heap. (In case you can't tell, I'm being sarcastic). Anyway, I finally made it on to the football team, I'm a striker, and I've already scored ten goals this term. Congratulations on being made Quidditch captain and beating Slytherin, and tell Ron well done for only letting in one goal. Have a great New Year and say hi to everyone else for me. Dudley
Ron grinned as Harry finished reading the letter out. "Can I try one of those things? I've never had a Muggle sweet." He asked Harry. Harry nodded and opened the bag, offering them round to everyone. Ron tried the chocolate and looked truly surprised when he found that he liked them. Gammy was also looking very surprised. "Since when do you and Dudley send each other presents?" She asked curiously. Harry assumed that Hermione had told her Grandmother about the Dursleys, and so said nothing about it. He shrugged. "We patched things up this summer- he's alright really." He said. "Ron and Hermione met him at Diagon Alley." He added, nodding at his friends. Gammy turned to Hermione in surprise. "And why wasn't I told?" She demanded. Hermione grinned. "You didn't ask." She said offhandedly. Gammy let out a small 'humph!' as Joanne came back into the living room. "Dinner is served." She announced in a posh serving voice that made Daphne giggle. And so everyone went in to the dining room and ate lunch, still answering to questions fired in every direction by Gammy.
~*~
"Well, she's gone." Hermione said, collapsing onto the sofa next to Daphne. Harry grinned. "You sound relieved." He said. Hermione shrugged. "I love Gammy, but she does get a little, how do I put this, -tiring." She said, closing her eyes. Joanne and Ben were sitting in the back garden, where they had an electric heater, and Luke had gone to a friend's house for a Christmas party. It was only eight in the evening, but everyone was pretty wiped. However, unable to even concede the thought of going to bed so early, they turned on the TV and got out the Granger's chess set, Harry and Hermione both hoping that the lifelessness of the pieces would throw Ron off and help them to win. Daphne had never seen a game of chess played by Ron, or played with him, and so didn't know why the two of them were watching him so closely as he picked up the white queen. "So how are you meant to move them?" He asked dubiously. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, you usually pick them up and place them on another square." She told him slowly. Ron put the piece back down and rubbed his hands together. "OK, I'm in. but I do have my chess set upstairs, can't we just-" "No." Harry and Hermione said together, making Ron sit down opposite Harry. Hermione wasn't very good at chess, and so had no problem letting Harry play first. Daphne looked on with very little interest. Harry was white, so he moved first. Ron was playing properly up until his third go, when he began to say "Bishop to D-" realised what he was doing, and moved the piece himself. Harry was on his tenth go and getting confident, because Ron was staring at the board with a baffled look on his face. He and Hermione had been right- it was throwing him. Harry moved his tower three spaces to the left. Ron looked up at Harry with a frown on his face, and then down at the board. He moved his queen diagonally two spaces ad sighed. "Checkmate." He said, his baffled look being replaced by his usual superior chess-grin. Harry stared at the board, and then gawped at Ron. He had been bluffing! Why the cheating little. Hermione threw her hands up in the air. "That's it! I give up!" She said hopelessly. Ron sat back in his chair and smiled. "Sorry." He said, not sounding sorry at all. Daphne was even more confused now. "What's the big deal?" She asked. Harry began to put the pieces away. "In five years, Ron has beaten me and Herm at every game of chess we've ever played." He told her. Ron grinned. "Do you know how many times I've beaten you now Harry?" He asked. Harry glared at him. "Do you?" He asked. Ron nodded. "Seven hundred and one times." He said carelessly. Harry gawped at him again. "You kept count?" He said incredulously. Ron shrugged. "That's not the point." He said, holding out his hand. "The point is you owe me a galleon." He said. Harry frowned, and then his face cleared as he remembered. "I completely forgot about that bet." He said. Hermione laughed. "I remember that! You said the first one to five hundred, didn't you?" She asked Ron, who nodded. "Yeah, but I decided to let him off. But as I'm now over seven hundred, I think it's only fair if he coughs up." He said, grinning at Harry, who was glaring at him again.
Will Harry ever beat Ron? (Probably not.) Please r/r.