Chapter 15
Harry, the (red-nosed) reindeer
The next few weeks until Christmas were spent in the fervour of buying presents and owling friends. Daniel was pretty excited to spend the first Christmas in the new house that he hadn't even seen yet, given that first years weren't allowed to make trips to Hogsmeade and he and his friends couldn't use the secret passage to the village anymore, because on the 10th November Ginny had re-opened Honeydukes, and she would have surely noticed her own son stealing out of the cellar…
Up till now, Dan had always been looking forward to the holidays because of the presents he got, but not this year. This year should be special - new house, guests and everything… yes, the Potters were to have guests for Christmas - Hagrid, his wife Olympe and their daughter Titania were coming for a visit from France.
Daniel's cousin Yvette badly needed to talk to someone who spoke French for a change and hoped she'd have an opportunity to meet Titania - she wanted to discuss the new Parisian mode with her. Yvette had visited France on several occasions with her mother Fleur, and in Great Britain, she always kept complaining about the lack of refinement of the people's manner and fashion-sense. Daniel, of course, didn't want to have discussions about France with Titania, especially because the girl was already twice as tall as he was, although she was one year younger.
Viviane and Valentine were about to spend the holidays at Hogsmeade, given that their parents lived there, and Daniel was downright annoyed by the fact that his parents had invited Ron, Hermione and their kids over for celebrating. Dan somehow didn't feel like having the twins over on Christmas day. The only thing that gave him a bit of satisfaction was that the twins weren't happy about this, either. They had allegedly complained to Hermione and tried to persuade her not to celebrate Christmas together with the Potters, but the Potter and Weasley parents seemed to have decided to make their children reconcile and couldn't be dissuaded about having a 'big, happy Christmas get-together'. Daniel seriously doubted that Christmas would be so happy with his enemies so near, but what could he do? He wished he were an advanced Imaginer - then he might have stood a chance to imagine spending the holidays far away from Viv and Val. But he was just a fledgling one, at the very beginning of his training. Not that he wasn't learning fast - still, he wished he were able to learn faster.
Well, at least Kevin and ickle Lance weren't about to pay the Potters a Christmas visit with their parents - that was something to feel a little bit happy about.
Gilda Lockhart was to spend the holidays with her grandfather in Egypt and was constantly talking about camels she'd ride and palm trees she'd climb. 'Just make sure that you don't fall off… I won't be around to save you again,' Dan had told her once.
As for Norbert… he seemed to be destined to stay at Hogwarts as the only Slytherin. His parents were away on some mission and there was no way he'd agree to stay at Draco's house. "I'll be fine in here, don't worry about me," he told his friends. "Really. Ivo and I'll be having fun," he patted the back of his raven with a feeble smile.
"I just cannot let you stay here alone," Dan shook his head. "I'll ask dad to let you come and stay in our house."
Norbert looked up, surprised. "You'd ask your father? Oh, Dan… how generous of you," he really seemed to be touched. "But that's not a good idea. Your dad doesn't like me. No, don't try to persuade me that he likes me, because I know that he doesn't. How could he? I'm a Malfoy, after all… I cannot even blame him, knowing how much he hates my brother."
"Hey," Dan grinned. "I'll tell him how much you too hate your brother, and then he'll realise that the both of you have something in common, and will start to like you!"
"Do you think it could work?" Norbert gave him a despondent look.
"It has to," Dan grinned. "Or I'll threaten him to tell mum that he still has something for this Cho…"
"You'd even blackmail him for me? You're a true friend… and a true Slytherin," young Malfoy smirked.
"Of course he wouldn't!" Gilda scowled at the boys. "You wouldn't blackmail your own father, would you, Daniel?"
"If I had to…" Dan grinned, but seeing the shock on her face, he had to laugh. "Just kidding."
As December came, the long and warm autumn suddenly ended and one night winter sneaked onto the Hogwarts grounds, covering them with a thick white layer of snow, filling everyone with Christmas spirits. Aberforth Dumbledore had built a little, warm house for Angel, the baby unicorn. Mr. Bradley had a lot to do, because the students kept entering the castle with feet wet with snow. Strangely, you couldn't hear him complaining like Filch had done all the time. He only seemed to worry about the Chemistry lessons he was giving Snape and the Potions lessons he was getting in return. And of course he was also worried about Snape's health, because Severus didn't manage to heal as quickly as Madame Pomfrey had expected. He was paler than usual. While Bert was worried about Severus' health, Daniel started to worry about Snape's sanity (or lack thereof), because one day before Christmas, the Potions Master had appeared for his last-of-term class with his hair washed.
All the Gryffindor and Slytherin students had gasped when they had caught the first glimpse of him and hadn't even paid attention to his lecture during the class - they had had to discuss the sensational event.
"What got into him?" Norbert leaned to his friends.
Gilda didn't reply, just gaped at Severus and accidentally spilled a bowl of slugs into her Super-Soft-Sock-Washing Solution.
"I fear he's gone mad…" Dan whispered. "Or…"
There was a knock on the door and the caretaker entered. "Good morning, Professor. May I borrow 'My true love - Potions'?"
"Certainly," Severus nodded and Dan didn't know whether he had seen it right, but Snape's usual pallor seemed to have been replaced by a slight pinkish hue… but maybe he had just imagined it. Imagined - but not that way, of course…
Bert Bradley snatched up the aforementioned book from Snape's desk and headed for the door, but before he exited, he suddenly turned around. "Professor… what happened to your hair?"
"Um… well, you know…" Snape seemed to be even more embarrassed.
"I like it," Bert smiled.
"It's just for Christmas…!" Snape called after him, but he had already left. "What are you staring at like that?" he barked at the students. "Haven't you seen a man with a new hair-do?"
"We have… just not you," Kevin Weasley said. Daniel burst into laughter, and for a second the two boys' eyes met, but Kevin looked away immediately.
"As if it was a new hair-do…" Lavinia Flint whispered to Norbert. "He just washed it, nothing else."
"For him it must count as new," Iago Rosier added with a snigger. "I just wonder what made him wash his hair?"
"Dunno," Dan shrugged, although he felt that he actually knew the truth… It wasn't about Christmas. And the correct question wasn't 'what made him wash his hair?', but rather 'who made him wash his hair?'. And Dan also knew the answer: a certain caretaker.
Oh my. Poor Snape.
No.
Poor Mr. Bradley.
24th December
One day to go till Christmas. Since it was Saturday, the Hogwarts Express had taken most students back to King's Cross the previous afternoon. Only six students stayed at school, and Norbert Devilsmoor-Malfoy wasn't among them.
Sitting in front of the living room fireplace, staring into the flames dancing in it, Harry still couldn't believe that he had consented to have a Malfoy over for the holidays. About two weeks ago, his son had come to him with an extremely suffering expression and told him how terribly sorry he felt for poor Norbert who would have to stay at the castle, totally alone of all Slytherins if they didn't take him in for Christmas and New Year. On Harry's question why Norbert wasn't spending the holidays with his brother, Dan described the horrible relationship between the Malfoy brothers, and that was what had finally persuaded Harry to say that he'd at least consider the topic. What else would irritate Draco Malfoy more than having to meet his oh-so-hated little brother every single day for a week? Harry had to admit that the idea was rather alluring…
Naturally, he had wanted to discuss the topic with Ginny as well before making a decision, but she hadn't been that hard to convince. Her hormones had made her very sensitive and her heart had begun to ache for that poor boy that'd have to spend the holidays at Hogwarts alone… she hadn't even seemed to care that it was a Malfoy. 'It's just a little boy, who, for the time being, is just like an orphan… the poor thing.' she had said, sniffing. 'Let him come here, everyone needs a bit of caring and love, even a Malfoy… and he can't be that bad if my baby Daniel has closed him into his heart…'
Harry had felt like reminding Ginny that Daniel was no baby at all - on the contrary, he could produce babies if he wanted, but Harry seriously hoped that Daniel didn't want to. On the other hand, he had to admit that Norbert wasn't a naughty boy at all. He never annoyed his teachers at classes and always got good marks. Plus, Daniel really liked him, more than he had ever liked any of his cousins. It was possible that for Daniel Norbert meant the same as Ron meant for Harry, and that was something that Harry had to accept and respect.
He got shaken out of his reveries by little Lea storming into the room with the triplets in tow. "Daddy!" she yelled enthusiastically. "The snow is so wonderful outside!"
"And…? Go and build a snowman," Harry replied.
"We have already built four," Richie replied. "And you know exactly that it wasn't what Lea meant."
"Of course I know… how could I not know?" Harry rolled his eyes. "All right, coming… have you prepared the sleigh?"
"Everything's prepared, dad, all's waiting for you!" Rose replied willingly.
Harry followed his children out into the back garden.
"Where are they going?" Norbert turned to Daniel, stopping their snowball-fight for a second. "Oh, just the usual," Lily replied and, using Norbert's momentary relapse of attention, hit him on the neck with a huge ball of snow. Norbert dusted off his winter cloak, laughing, and Lily had to admit that the boy wasn't that horrible at all.
"Um… what do you mean by 'the usual'?" he asked.
"Come with me and see for yourself," Mrs. Potter exited the house in a blue coat and fluffy earmuffs. "Come and join, all of you!"
Norbert shrugged, having no idea what was going on, and followed the others into the back garden, only to see Draco using a saw-charm on a huge pine-tree in the neighbouring garden.
"Hullo, brother," he greeted the blonde wizard, who was so occupied with trying to sever the tree from its roots, that he didn't notice them at first.
"Norbert?" Draco knitted his eyebrows and stopped his work, although the charm had almost cut through the trunk. "What are you doing here?"
"For the time being, I'm shouting 'timber!'" Norbert said and pointed at something behind his brother's back.
Draco turned around to see that the pine had begun to fall, and quickly jumped aside. The tree fell onto the snow with a loud thud and broke several bars of the fence between the two gardens.
"Put my fence right at once, Malfoy!" came Harry's voice from the neighbourhood.
"Or else you'll report me to the Magical Law Enforcement with the charge of trying to dement the snow in your garden by using a pine-tree?" Draco mocked, but flicked his wand and said 'Reparo' as well, then turned to Norbert again. "So, what are you doing here?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Potter were kind enough to have me for the holidays, because they knew that otherwise I would have had to stay at Hogwarts. They took pity on me, you know."
"No one is entitled to take pity on a Malfoy!" Draco grunted. "You will never learn the sixty-six sacred rules of the Malfoy family, will you? This is number 13."
"Not much of a chance that I'll spend my time swotting stupid rules," Norbert grinned. "Well, I've gotta go now. Have a very merry Christmas, Draco… as merry as it could be for someone who's celebrating it alone. Oh, and don't expect any presents from me."
"Don't expect presents from me, either," Draco replied, then lifting the pine with a levitating charm, disappeared into his house.
Norbert joined the Potter family in the back garden to see them surrounding a sleigh with a friendly reindeer standing in front of it.
"Where's your dad?" Norbert asked Daniel, who gave him a grin.
"He's here."
"Where?"
All the other Potter children and Ginny were giggling, and little Lea kept pointing at the reindeer.
"Is that…? WOW. An animagus," young Malfoy said admiringly and stepped closer to the animal. "He even has a lightning-shaped tuft of hair… how cool."
"Get in, all of you," Ginny pointed at the sled. It was a sled considerably smaller than Aberforth's, but with a nice expanding charm, you could make it cosy for eight people.
"Is he… going to pull us?" Norbert gaped as he took place in the sled between Dan and Lily.
"Just watch this!" Ginny jerked the reins and the sleigh took off.
Little Lea squealed with delight, and the triplets waved at the dumbfounded people on the Hogsmeade streets.
"I thought only Aberforth Dumbledore owned a sleigh here," said vicar John Diggle to McGonagall, who was walking with Julie. "And who's this charming little lady, eh?"
"She is Julie, my husband's great-granddaughter," Minerva said. "We are buying last-minute presents for her parents. Come, dear, we've got a lot to purchase for your mummy and daddy… and I haven't got anything for Aby yet… you can help me choose something."
"All right, granny," the little girl smiled.
"Granny? You have just called me granny?" Minerva gasped.
The little girl cringed. "Don't… don't you like it? Because if you don't, then I'd just call you Professor McGonagall or Minerva…"
"Oh…" Minerva shook her head. "I do like it, dear. You have no idea how much I wanted to hear someone call me mummy… and if I couldn't get that, at least I have someone calling me granny."
"Good," Julie grinned. "Will we also go on grandpa's sleigh to my parents tonight?"
"Of course we will," McGonagall nodded. She had never loved those rough sleigh-rides she had to endure on Aberforth's side - she thought that Harry-the-reindeer must be much more easy to control than her husband's eight 'devils'.
Julie guided her 'granny' into a shop to buy some presents for her parents and school friends.
"Oh, how cute!" Minerva pointed at two small porcelain yeti-figures embracing - a male and a female (the latter had a tiny pink ribbon in its fur). Since the Durmstrang adventure, she had grown to like these animals.
"Oh, they're really cute!" the little girl said. "I'm going to buy them for my best friend, Nellie Oleson, she loves yetis! Her favourite book is Year with a Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart!"
Minerva did not suspect how touched she and Aberforth would be next morning, finding two pieces of porcelain yetis in their Christmas packages.
Meanwhile, the Potter-sled swooped out of the village and made a circle over the Forbidden Forest.
"Look, those are centaurs over there!" Rose pointed at three dots among the trees. It wasn't hard to see into the forest at winter when the trees had no foliage. "And those are… yuck, spiders!"
Ginny felt disgusted at the sight of a bunch of acromantulas, and even the sleigh buckled for a second, indicating that Harry didn't like them at all - not even in his reindeer form.
"Werewolves, mummy, werewolves!" squeaked little Lea excitedly.
"Those are not werewolves, just plain wolves, sweetie. Werewolves only appear when it's full moon," Ginny said. Her escape from those wolves in her sixth school year still vividly lived in her memories. "But it's still better to not go any closer… they are hungry. Once, they almost had me for dinner."
"Really?" Robert gaped. "Wow, mum, tell us about it!"
"Later," their mother smiled and directed Harry back towards the village. "We have to hurry back home, because Hagrid and his family will be arriving in an hour."
As they left the area of the forest, Ginny made Harry touch down on the ground, pulling the sled in the snow - he must have been tired out by flying so long.
As the sled arrived at the Potters' garden, two figures cuddling on the porch jumped.
"Ah, those two again…" Richard grimaced. "They've become totally inseparable lately."
"Two elves in love?" Norbert raised an eyebrow, seeing the blushing little figures.
"Yeah, the female is our servant Dinky," Ginny started, "and the male is…"
"Dobby, I know him," Norbert nodded. "We met him in the school. Hey, Dobby, the 500 days aren't over yet, eh?"
"No, master Devilsmoor-Malfoy," the elf said, looking rather embarrassed. "Dobby is going now. Happy Christmas to Harry Potter and his family!" with that, he disapparated.
"I bet those two didn't wait for the 500 days to end," Dan whispered into his friend's ear, who nodded his agreement.
Before lunch, the family plus Norbert started to decorate the Christmas tree, using clabbert bladders as little red lamps. Ginny performed a charm that she had learned from Aaron eleven years earlier - a charm that enabled her to use snow in various ways, e.g. turn snow-crystals into sparkling orbs that were resistant to melting. This way, she conjured a series of orbs and snowflake-shaped ornaments onto the Christmas tree, making it look as though a hundred little fairies had been sitting on its branches in their glittering, white-silver dresses. It was simply breathtaking.
Hagrid and his family arrived at half past eleven. After a lot of hugging, back-slapping and 'how great ter see yeh's, Ginny showed the guests to their rooms - Hagrid and Olympe got one room for themselves, but 'little' Titania had to bunk with Lily. And Lily wasn't too happy about the arrangement, believing the other girl to be someone like annoying cousin Yvette.
"Yeh see, I'm so 'appy ter be 'ere," Titania began with a lovely mixture of Scottish and French accent, "Ghreat Britain is such a charmin' country, and me dad grew up 'ere, so I just gotta love it!" She dropped herself on the bed adjacent to Lily's - making the bed creak plaintively under her weight (she must have weighed at least a hundred kilos already, though she was quite slim. She also looked at least four years older than her real age - maybe giants and half-giants were early-bloomers…)
"Uh, I'm happy that you like it here, Tita," Lily said. "Do you play Quidditch?"
"Qhidditch? O' course! Love zat game! But I love 'anging aroun' wiz 'andsome whizards even more."
I wonder what guys would like to hang around with her. Lily thought. She'd break their bones in a friendly embrace… "And… do you have a boyfriend?"
"Yes, o' chourse I 'ave," Miss Hagrid replied, as though it had been natural. "'Is name is Francois, and 'e's also 'alf-giant like meself. And yeh? Do yeh 'ave a boyfriend?"
Lily shook her head, blushing.
"But yeh'd like ter 'ave one, eh?" Titiana asked with a grin. "Yeh 'ave a candidate alrheady?"
Lily nodded again, blushing even more. "But he doesn't even notice me, only when he needs help with his homework… he loves my cousin, Yvette."
"Yvette Wheasley? Ah, yes, I know 'er, met 'er once in Paris… a borin' chick, I tell yeh. Can't think o' anythin' else but clothes an' make-ups. I fer one don't like people like 'er."
Lily started to like this girl - she didn't like Yvette! Lily didn't like Yvette either. Yvette had stolen Christopher Wood from her and she was so extremely pretty that it made Lily nauseous… And Yvette was a woman already, while Lily still hadn't started her period yet. This wasn't fair, she kept telling herself. Just not fair!
"I guess we'll be excellent friends, Tita," she gave Hagrid's daughter a grin.
"O' course…" Titania grinned back. "And perhaps I can give yeh some tips ter get yer man…" she added with a wink.
"Rose, come and take the cutlery!" Ginny called from the kitchen. "Robert, you take the glasses! Richard… um, better if you don't take anything…" she knew her son's tendency for breaking things. Although anything could have been repaired by a swish of her wand, she decided she wouldn't spoil Christmas Eve by shouting Reparo after Reparo.
"Why can't Dinky take all these things?" Rose pouted, grabbing a bunch of forks and knives.
"Because she's not feeling well," Ginny replied. "I have sent her into bed and cooked myself. Come on, Harry, Dan, you take the crockery. Norbert, would you please bring the drinks? Pour a bit of pumpkin juice into the kids' glasses and some champagne into the adults', will you?" All the glasses on the table bore the names of the family-members and guests.
"And me?" little Lea tugged at her mother's sleeve. "I also want to take something!"
"You are too small, dear. Go and talk to Hagrid."
"But muuuuum…" Lea's eyes filled with tears. "I'm not too small… I can do it. Let meeee!"
Children, Ginny thought and handed her youngest daughter the saltshaker that Lea carried so proudly into the dining room as if it were the crown jewels.
"So ickle Dinky's not feeling well?" Norbert smirked at his friend. "Wonder why?"
Dan burst into laughter and headed for the door, balancing a heap of plates.
Lunch was spent in a wonderful mood - everyone was chatting and laughing. Harry thought that he didn't remember when he had felt so happy and carefree for the last time. Once in a while, he cast surreptitious glances at Norbert, but the boy seemed not to notice - he was whispering with Daniel all the time. Why did I think wrong of this boy? Harry questioned himself with a pang of remorse. It seems that not all Malfoys are bastards.
"So, Hogwarts is exactly a thousand years old this year?" asked Hagrid. "What a shame that I'm goin' ter miss all the fun!"
"You have missed the Halloween party, but you can still come to see the tournament," said Lily, turning a bit pink. "I'll go for the title of Queen of Beauty and Love."
"You? Beauty?" Richard snorted.
"And Love?" Rose sneered. "That Christopher Wood doesn't even know that you exist!"
"But he will!" Lily replied sternly and Titania grinned at her from the other end of the table. The French girl had given her some tips how to get closer to Chris. With a bit of luck, she would succeed.
"An' yeh, Daniel?" Hagrid turned to the boy. "Are yeh also enterin'?"
"I might," Dan nodded.
"What? You said you weren't interested in all this madness," Norbert reminded him.
"I have changed my mind," Dan shrugged, receiving a knowing glance from his father. Harry totally understood the situation: Daniel, who had earlier thought that he wasn't talented enough to enter the tournament, now believed that he might stand a chance, given that he had turned out to be an Imaginer. Harry felt like telling his son that entering the tournament under these circumstances might be a bit unfair towards the other contestants… on the other hand, Daniel had never had an opportunity to feel successful and satisfied with himself before. Why deny him the chance now? Anyway, it was by far not sure that he'd be an advanced-enough Imaginer by the beginning of May, so he might not have such advantages at all.
Little Lea fell asleep over dessert and Harry decided to take her upstairs and put her into bed for a nice afternoon nap.
"Hey, I'll come with yeh!" said Hagrid. "I'll be back soon, Olympe, sweetheart."
"Oh, just go, mon chere," Olympe smiled, "I know zat men need a bit o' time to zemselves… just like we women do, right, Ginny?"
"Yes," Ginny nodded with a faint smile. She wasn't feeling too well. "Children, you may go and play or watch the T.V."
"A cute baby girl yeh have there, Harry," Rubeus said as they tucked Lea in.
"Oh, yes… she's my little princess," Harry bent down and kissed his sleeping daughter on the forehead.
"All of yer children are nice, but that Norbert…" Hagrid scratched his head, looking for the appropriate words. "He's got a cool first name, really, but… a Malfoy, isn' he?"
"Yes, he is. And?" Harry tried to look as nonchalant as possible.
"What 'an', Harry?" Hagrid looked scandalised. "A Malfoy is a Malfoy!"
"Norbert is not like the other Malfoys. You don't even know him. He's a nice boy. My son's best friend…"
The half-giant gave him an incredulous look. "Yeh don' sound too believable, yeh know that? Yer saying these things, yet not believing them yerself. Yeh don' like this boy."
"I… I don't know what I feel, Hagrid," Harry shook his head. "It's so confusing. When I first met him, he somehow gave me the creeps… Then I got to know that he was a Malfoy and I understood why he had given me the creeps: the inherited Malfoy 'charm' worked on me. Then Daniel told me that he had befriended this boy and I didn't like the idea at all… but his previous friends, the Weasley children, had fallen out with Dan and he had no one else but this Norbert… and Norbert did help him. Stood by him and supported him. As a father, I should feel happy that my son has such an excellent friend."
"Yet yeh don' feel happy," Rubeus perceived.
"No," Harry admitted. "Whenever I look at Norbert, I feel something… strange. Something cold and warm at once. Something in him repulses me, and attracts me all the same. I simply don't know what. The repulsion part must be the fact that he's a Malfoy, but the attraction part is something I can't explain. It's not just that he's my son's best friend. Something else, deep in me, is telling me that the boy is special…"
"Special… in a good or a bad sense?"
"I don't know," Harry shook his head. "And I feel rather silly about it, Hagrid… especially because he's a nice boy, not at all like his brother had been back at Hogwarts… Norbert thanked Ginny and me three times for inviting him for the holidays… he's so polite, and… I was pleasantly surprised that a Malfoy could be like this."
"Norbert, Daniel!" Titania beckoned to the two boys from a half-ajar door.
"What?" Dan asked, a bit annoyed that he had to stop watching The Weakest Link.
"Come!" Titania waved.
The two boys stood up from the cushioned armchairs, leaving the triplets behind, and entered the pantry where the half-giantess and Lily were waiting for them.
"What do you want? That Muggle program was so interesting!" Norbert drawled. "I wanna go back and watch it. I particularly liked the commentator, that Robinson chick. If she were magic, she'd make a perfect Slytherin."
"Yeh'll 'ave plenty 'o opportunity ter watch zat silly TV show!" said the French girl. "Now yeh 'ave ter help Lily."
"Lily? Now? Why? How?"
Lily blushed. "Maybe we should wait a bit with this, Tita. Let the boys watch the show."
"No way," Titania shook her head, giving the boys a glance that sent them the silent promise of getting punched if they refused to comply. "Yeh two are needed now."
"For what?" Dan frowned.
"I 'ave decided ter teach Lily 'ow ter get a boy," said the French girl. "Tomorrow muzzer and I are leaving for ze Cot d'Azure ter visit my uncle Gerard, so I 'ave ter teach Lily now. And yeh two will 'elp."
"Help? With what?" Norbert frowned.
"Lily 'as ter learn 'ow ter kiss," said Titania.
"To what?" gasped Dan and Norbert.
"Now, now, don't pretend zat yeh don't know 'ow ter do zat…" Titania grinned at Daniel. "Lily told me why yeh 'ad got detention from yer father."
"And?" Daniel growled, blushing.
"Yeh will help me ter present the subject."
"To what?" Dan blinked.
"To kiss her, mate," Norbert said with a grimace.
"No way!" protested Daniel. "You are a foot taller than me and…" he couldn't finish the sentence, because the half-giantess had flung her arms around him and stuck her lips to his. "Uhhhh…" he tried to break free, but the girl's vice-like grip held him in place. His first thought was that this was the most horrible experience of his life, but deep down he couldn't have found it so bad, because he was frightened to realise that all his blood had rushed into one single member of his body…
When the girl finally let him go, he stumbled backwards, gasping for breath.
"Yeh see, Lily, zat's 'ow it's done," declared Titania proudly.
"And do all boys, ehm…" Lily pointed at her brother, turning crimson.
"Not necessairily," the French girl shook her head. "But if zey are mathure enough… atta boy, Daniel!" she slapped him on the back, almost making him fall.
Daniel shot her an angry glance and stormed into the adjacent bathroom.
"We're not allowed to do magic outside Hogwarts, you know. He can't just say Deminuo," Norbert winked at Lily, who had no idea what the boy meant.
"An' now, yer turn, Lily," Titania said. "An' zat's where yeh come in, Norhbert."
"Me?"
"Yeah. Yeh've got ter be Lily's study partner."
"Study partner? A bit rich to call it a study partner," Norbert crossed his arms.
"Don't yeh want ter 'elp 'er?" Titania pointed at the blushing Lily.
For a second Norbert's eyes flashed in a peculiar way. "All right… I mean it's all right for me, if it's all right for Lily as well."
"Guess so," the redheaded girl shrugged and turned an even darker shade of crimson.
"Zen, what are yeh waiting for?" asked Titi. "Kiss ze girl!"
Norbert slowly walked up to Lily and gently cupped her chin to make her look up at him. Although she was two years older than him, he was at least four inches taller. For a moment he seemed to hesitate, but as she nodded her consent, he tilted his head and inched closer and closer until their lips met in a soft kiss. It did not last longer than three seconds. After they parted, their eyes locked and Lily felt like drowning in those infinite grey pools. "Wow," she whispered so quietly that no one besides Norbert could hear her. Norbert's reply was wordless: he reached out and pulled her to himself and kissed her once more, this time longer and firmer. Lily felt as though time stood still, she wanted to melt into his arms and let him hold her forever…
"Hey, what are you two doing?"
Lily and Norbert jumped, releasing each other, to see Daniel stupidly gawping at them from the bathroom-door, not even noticing that his jeans were just partly zipped.
"We just…" both Lily and Norbert started to explain at once.
"Norhbert was just kind enough ter assist Lily in learhning 'ow ter kiss," Titania replied instead of them. "Now Lily will be able ter use 'er newly acquired knowledge on Christopher Wood."
"Um… yeah," Lily nodded, not daring to meet young Malfoy's eyes.
"So… it was just studying, right? Because to me it seemed to be more," Daniel said, waiting for reassurance from his friend as well.
"Of course it was just studying, Dan," Norbert said, as the triplets' voice outside shouted: 'You're the Weakest Link, goodbye!'
Lily gulped, feeling that she was the weakest link - her legs felt too weak to support her weight and her whole body was shaking. She stormed past Titania and Norbert, out of the pantry.
"Don't you think that Lily was unusually silent over dinner?" Harry turned to his wife as they closed the bedroom-door behind themselves.
"I don't know. I wasn't really paying attention, I suppose," she replied in a weak voice.
"What happened, Gin? You look so pale," Harry caressed her cheek. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, just a bit tired," she whispered. "Maybe I also got the flu that Dinky is suffering from."
"She has the flu?"
"Very likely," Ginny nodded, stepping to the window. It had started to snow densely, as though a pillow had been torn in heaven and its little feathers were now pouring down onto the ground. "She has been so feeble all day, she even complained about headaches and sickness… so I sent her to bed before lunch. I hope she's feeling better now."
"I also hope so," Harry replied, "but I hope that you won't get ill, too, Love. Lie down, I'll bring you something to drink, okay?"
"That would be nice, thanks," she gave him a small smile and disappeared under the covers.
After having watered her, Harry joined her in the bed, but couldn't fall asleep for a long time. His conversation with Hagrid kept coming into his mind, then Lily's strange behaviour made him worried, and of course Ginny's weakness, too.
After a while, he managed to sink into a troubled sleep that didn't give him real rest. Around half past seven, he woke up to feel just as tired as he had been when going to bed. He reached out to gather his wife into his arms, but she wasn't there.
"Gin?" he squinted, groped for his glasses and padded out into the bathroom. Although the sun hadn't risen yet, the first light of dawn filtered through the window, illuminating the room just enough for Harry to see Ginny's slightly hunched figure standing in the middle.
"Gin?" he called out to her. "What…?"
Her body seemed to tremble, and - though Harry could not see her face in the darkness -, he was sure that she wasn't quivering with cold…
In the next instant, the sun appeared on the horizon, sending its first rays into the house and engulfing Ginny's body in its brightness.
Harry froze at the sight: his wife was holding the hem of her flower-patterned nightgown, her face turned slightly downwards as she stared at a trickle of blood coursing down her legs and joining the pool that had already gathered around her slippers.
"Ginny…"
She slowly lifted her head to look into his eyes and he saw that her face was soaked with tears. "Harry…" she croaked, "Harry… I have… I have… lost the baby."
With two long steps, he crossed the space between the two of them and closed her trembling body into a firm embrace. She felt so small and thin in his arms, so fragile… he feared he'd break her if he hugged her tighter… so he just held her, gently and comfortingly, letting her rest her head on his shoulder and wet his T-shirt with the stream of her tears. She grasped the back of his shirt and just sobbed and sobbed. He carefully stroked her hair while a single tear found its way down his cheek. It had been his child as well… His heart wrenched at the loss as five or six voices began to sing outside, making the street ring with Christmas carols.
Author's note: here was originally the song 'Joy to the world' that got deleted. You can read the full version in my yahoo group.