(A/N Ok, I think everyone knows the drill by now. I say Harry and crew don't belong to me, blah, blah, blah. With that out of the way, I'll get this chapter on the road and start the next one. ^^ (Drive safely and try not to hit anything....... I mean anyone ^^;)
Harry Potter and the Staff of Time
Chapter 15
Christmas Tidings and Spiders
The next morning Savana lingered at the table with her coffee cup cradled in both hands and inhaled the beverage's aroma deeply. She smiled dreamily and took a sip of the brew. Then she returned to drinking in the coffee's aroma.
"Savana, you look like you're ready to build an alter around that cup of coffee and worship it." Gavin greeted his daughter as he entered the dinning room.
"Mmmm...maybe I should. This is the best coffee I've tasted in months! I feel like I've died and gone to heaven!" Savana said with a happy, lopsided grin.
"I will never understand why you can't just drink tea." Christina added her opinion. "When in Rome..."
Harry laughed inwardly. He had already experienced this particular scenario numerous times during the past few months.
"Aunt Christina, picture yourself trapped in Poedunk, South Dakota. There are no specialty shops. The only grocer in town thinks that Lipton Tea is haute cusine...you are now entering...don, don, don...my twilight zone!" Savana said melodramatically.
"All right...stop, already...I get your point!" Christina dissolved into laughter.
"What are you doing this morning?" Fiona asked.
"Harry and I thought we'd tour the grounds." Savana said and examined her, now empty, coffee cup. She sighed and set the cup down. "Well, Harry, shall we?..."
"Don't forget, we're going shopping after lunch." Fiona called after them as they exited the room.
Harry and Savana walked out the back door and into what was obviously a formal garden, even though it was covered with a thick blanket of snow.
"This garden must be absolutely increadible during the warmer seasons." Harry said in awe.
"There's supposed to be a labyrinth somewhere on the grounds too." Savana informed him. "I haven't seen it yet, but we weren't here very long before Alex and I left for Hogwarts. So, there's alot here that I haven't explored."
Harry looked back at the mannor house. It was impressive. He guessed the main portion of the house had been built during the late 14th century. It was of stone and masonry construction with a slate roof and four stories high. The main portion was flanked by two matching, two story wings. They appeared to have been added at a later date, late 15th century, perhaps. Well established vines covered most of the building and would soften its appearence once spring arrived but, for now, only the bare, woody stems gave away their existance.
Harry followed Savana along a cleared path through the garden, then slogged through the knee deep snow beside her as they wandered toward some nearby ruins. The ruins were partially covered by snow, but it was still possible to see the skeletal structure of an old house which had met with some sort of catastrophic disaster.
"What happened here?" Harry inquired as he took in the utter destruction around him. "It looks like this house was blown-up."
"This is where dad, mom and Alex lived before Voldemort got to it, and almost to them." Savana replied gravely.
Harry's face darkened, "I'm sorry." He said.
Don't be...after all, you didn't have anything to do with it...besides, that all happened before I was born." Savana hastened to reply.
Harry kicked absently at a piece of the scorched rubble. Then he reached down and picked it up. He studied the blackend piece of rock and morter closely.
Suddenly Harry's eyes glazed over. He turned pale and began to sweat profusely, despite the cold. After a few minutes Harry dropped the piece of rubble as though it were suddenly on fire.
"Harry, are you..." Savana began to say, but Harry interrupted her.
"Yes, it was another vision." Harry replied. "And it was extremely violent as well as frightening."
"I saw Voldemort and a group of Death Eaters surrounding an old, three story, Tudor type house. The house appeared to be empty, the occupants were probably asleep since it was dark out and there was no one else around. Then, Voldemort and the Death Eaters pointed their wands at the house and cast some sort of spell. The house was surrounded by a green light, then it burst into flames and exploded."
Harry was violently shaking and bathed in a cold sweat when he finished telling Savana of his vision. Then he asked her, "Did your parents ever tell you why Voldemort attacked your family?"
Savana shook her head, "No. Alex and I just assumed Voldemort tried to kill the family because we were allied with Professor Dumbledore."
"That doesn't explain everything." Harry said through chattering teeth. "Why hasn't he attacked your aunt? She's been living in England since the first attack."
"I don't know the answer to that question. We'll need to ask someone about it when we get back inside, which we had better do immediately. You don't look very well." Savana replied.
They quickly retraced their steps back toward the mannor house so they could eat lunch, then go shopping with Savana's family.
...`~*~`...
Dinner that evening was a riotous affair.
Sirius had arrived that afternoon and was delighted to discover that Harry was also spending the holiday with the Walkers.
The conversation during, and after dinner, revolved around Hagwart's and the experiences they had all had there.
Harry, Alex and Savana discovered that their parents, as well as several of the other adults they knew, had been quite fond of playing pranks during their years at Hogwart's. The majority of their pranks had been relatively harmless; such as the time they had enchanted 20 owls to fly one-by-one through The History of Magic class chanting, "Wake Up! Wake Up! Isn't he boring?!"
Professor Binns had not appreciated the prank, but the students (and some of the staff) had gotten quite a chuckle from it.
Then, when they were about 15 years old, they had collectively used a levitation spell on a rowboat which was occupied by Severus Snape and a girl whom he was courting. (They never had discovered her identity.) The rowboat, and its occupants, had come to rest in the upper branches of a large, old oak tree near the lake.
They had made themselves scarce as soon as the boat had settled in the tree, so they didn't know how Severus and his date had extricated themselves from the situation. They had come back down after lights out, however, and returned the rowboat to its proper location. They didn't want to upset Professor Dumbledore. He didn't mind pranks, as long as the perpetrators didn't harm anyone, or anything, and everything was returned to the way it had been before the prank was played.
The group of merry mischief makers had discovered this due to their first prank, which had near disasterous results. The group had collected 10 garden gnomes and released them into the Herbology Laboratory. The results had nearly destroyed the place! The gnomes had immediately made themselves at home and had invited their friends and families to come and join them. A short time later, the Herbology Laboratory was in ruins and overrun with gnomes.
It had taken the combined strength of the staff and the upper classmen to remove the nasty, little creatures. The pranksters had recieved a month of detention, most of which was spent cleaning and re-establishing the Herbology Laboratory.
"...so don't get any brilliant ideas about following in our footsteps..." Sirius warned after seeing the sly looks exchanged by Savana and Harry. "...Professor Dumbledore is wise to our ways and will surely catch you."
Alex, for his part, was quietly amused to discover that his seemingly straight-laced parents had actually been normal kids.
It was rather late by the time they decided to call it a night.
It wasn't visions of sugar plums which danced in Harry, Savana and Alex's dreams that night, but instead, levitating rowboats and rampaging garden gnomes.
...`~*~`...
Christmas morning dawned bright and sunny.
Harry tumbled out of bed and rushed to answer the pounding on his door.
"Merry Christmas! Come on sleepyhead!" Savana laughed as he opened the door. "Let's go down and eat breakfast. When we've finished, we get to open presents!"
"Happy Christmas!" Harry greeted Savana. Then he grabbed his robe and followed her down the hallway.
Harry was suprised when breakfast that morning turned out to be a hurried affair with little of the conversation and comraderie which he had already become accustomed to in this house.
As soon as they had finished eating, the entire group of family and guests, retired to a nearby, cozy, sitting room where a fire burned cheerfully in the hearth.
The house elves had been busy on Christmas Eve day, decorating the house for the holidays and this room was no exception. The doorways and fireplace were framed with fresh pine garlands which sparkeled with pixie dust and bathed the room with a light pine scent. Seven multi-colored, hand crocheted stockings hung from the mantle. They were stuffed with all manner of edible treats and Harry's mouth began to water just looking at them. A small, beautifully decorated Christmas tree graced the corner near the fireplace. The candles at the end of each bough were lit with a spell that caused them to give off shimmering, multi-colored light. A large pile of gayley wrapped packages was stacked beneath the tree.
Everyone, except Christina who took up a post by the stockings, found a place to sit. Once they were settled Christina proceedeed to hand out the stockings, then the packages. There was plenty for everyone and they quickly busied themselves with tearing off the wrappings and discovering what gifts lay within.
Harry watched with amusement as Alex withdrew a smaller, bulging stocking from the on which Christina had handed him.
"Hey, Orion, Merry Christmas." Alex said quietly.
A pink pair of rat's paws and a sooty nose and whiskers appeared over the top edge of Alex's robe pocket. They were soon followed by Orion's head and upper body as the curious rodent emerged and looked around.
Fiona had relented on her 'No Rats Rule' for this particular occaision, so she was not upset by Orion's appearence at the family gathering. She even wished Alex's pet a warm, "Happy Christmas" when Orion scampered excitedly onto Alex's lap and began to pull his treats out of his little stocking. Orion examined each one before going on to the next. Eventually Orion settled upon a large nut, which he then carried off to Alex's pocket to enjoy in peace.
Harry recieved the usual assorted treats and gifts from his friends. (Of course, the Dursleys hadn't even sent a note.) Mrs. Weasley had knit him another sweater and Sirius had given him an unusual checkers set. The pieces were small red and black cups instead of the discs typically used to play the game.
"What are these used for?" Harry asked as he examined one of the tiny cups.
"You fill each one with butterbeer, then when you jump a piece, you drink the butterbeer from it."1 Sirius explained.
"I have a feeling this is not a game to indulge in when one has a full stomach." Gavin laughed as he looked over the strange game pieces.
Harry picked up his last remaining package and searched it but, found no indication as to whom it was from. He tore off the wrappings then opened the box. Inside was a golden mesh belt with a cresent moon buckle and an exquisite set of dress robes.
"Wow! I wonder who these are from?" Harry breathed as he pulled the robes from the box so he could examine them more closely.
"I suspected you might need a set of dress robes for our holiday parties. They're formal and I doubt Savana thought to warn you when she invited you here." Fiona said softly.
Fiona had guessed correctly, Savana hadn't thought to warn Harry about the formal attire. Savana made a face at her mother, but Harry didn't notice.
"Thankyou, these are wicked." Harry said.
The robes were a rich shade of maroon, made from a material which looked and felt like silk. (Which, in fact, it was.) The high collar opened in the front of the neck and was trimmed with gold braid. A small emerald stud adorned either side of the collar. The long, flowing sleeves were tastefully edged with gold glitter. The accompanying belt could be worn with the robes, for a different effect.
A little while later they all went upstairs to dress and to decide what to do before the party that evening. Harry and Savana intended to do some more exploring.
...`~*~`...
Harry gazed in awe at the ballroom as he entered that evening. Pine wreaths and garlands, festooned with balls of holly and red, velvet ribbons, decorated the walls. At one end of the room stood an enormous fir tree, decorated with a variety of ornaments, lights, ... and, strangely, some jeweled spiders and glittering spider webs?! Harry approached the tree so he could more closely examine what he suspected was either a figment of his imagination, or a very strange American custom.
Harry stared closely at a few of the metalic, jewel encrusted spiders as they worked their way around the tree's branches. Two of the spiders were spinning webs of glittering, gossimer strands. They actually made beautiful, and unusual, Christmas tree decorations.
"I see you like our Christmas spiders."2 Fiona spoke-up from beside Harry.
"Oh, is that what they're called?" Harry felt clueless and it showed in his voice. "Are they an American custom?"
"No, actually the legend is German, I believe." Fiona gently plucked one of the tiny creatures from the tree and studied it as it crawled along her hand. "Would you like to hear the story?"
Harry nodded and watched as Fiona placed the spider back on the tree where she had taken it from.
"Late one Christmas Eve, a house spider came out of her hiding place and saw a wonderous sight. The family of the house had just put up and decorated their Christmas tree. The spider crawled all over the tree, admiring it. When Santa Claus arrived the tree was covered with spider webs as a result of the spider's explorations. Santa knew the family would be very upset to find their beautiful Christmas tree covered with spider webs the next morning, however, he was also touched by the spider's desire to experience and be part of such beauty. So, Santa gave a gift to both the spider and the family. He turned the web into threads of silver and gold. Ever since that night, there have been Christmas Spiders and our family has kept them on the
the tree for generations." Fiona concluded.
"I love that story!" Savana said from behind them. "But you never tell it anymore."
"I should think that by this time, you would be able to tell the story yourself." Gavin teased as he approached the group. "Fiona, I need you to come and greet our guests with Christina and me. They're arriving now."
"Oh, certainly...please, excuse me." Fiona said. Then she joined Gavin and walked back to the ballroom entrance with him.
Harry couldn't help but to notice how different Savana looked from her usual, casual self. Tonight, her appearence was absolutely regal. Her hair was styled in a French role. She had a couple of diamond and saphire dragonfly pins in it and some type of crystals sprinkled over it. The overall effect made her appear as though she had walked through a light sprinkling of snow. She wore dangling diamond and saphire earrings and a matching necklace. Her dress robe was made of saphire blue velvet and trimmed in white satin...
Then, Harry's attention was diverted by a familiar voice which stood out from the rest of the growing crowd.
"Professor Lupin?!" Harry breathed as he turned toward the voice. Harry saw Remus Lupin standing with Alex and Sirius. He began to walk toward them and Savana followed along.
"Harry Potter! Sirius told me you were visiting here!" Remus greeted him. "And this must be Savana Walker." Remus extended his hand to her.
"Let me guess, Alex has told you all about me." Savana said wryly as she shook Remus's hand. "I'll bet it was quite entertaining." She concluded and arched an eyebrow in her brother's direction.
Remus laughed and shook his head 'no.' "Actually, it was your aunt and parents. How do you like attending Hogwarts?"
Savana smiled and the conversation turned to Hogwarts.
The party began to break up around 11:00 P.M. and by midnight everyone was gone, except the family and their houseguests.
Alex, Savana and Harry decided it was time for bed and started up the stairs while the adults decided to retire to the sitting room for a night cap.
Harry was almost to his room before he remembered that he wanted to thank the Walkers for everything they had done for him. Harry had never experienced a real family Christmas celebration before and this experience had been wonderful so far. The family's warm acceptance really meant something to him. Harry turned around and began to walk back down toward the room the adults were in.
Harry gazed at the portraits while he walked past them. Most of them were either sleeping or away at parties of their own. Harry decided he must be overly tired when he thought he saw Orion sitting on the shoulder of a Walker relative from the Victorian era. He shook his head to clear it and walked on.
Harry slowed as he approached the door to the sitting room. He couldn't help but to overhear the conversation of the adults within. They were having an argument of some sort.
He stood outside the door, unsure of whether he should go in or not.
"...the Staff of Time is still hidden in the labyrinth. I really think we should tell them about it, before they go back to school." Fiona's soft voice carried in the otherwise silent house.
"I'd rather wait until they're older." Said Gavin. "Knowlege of the Staff of Time is a very heavy responsibility. I'd prefer to spare them from that for a little while, at the very least."
"Our parents didn't tell us about the staff until I had graduated from Hogwarts..." Christina began to say.
Remus quietly interrupted her, though. "The reason your parents told you then was because Voldemort had begun to rise to power and they were afraid of what he might do..."
"Well, they were certainly correct, in that respect." Sirius added darkly. "I know you haven't asked for my opion, but I'm going to give it to you anyway...Voldemort destroyed your house, killed your parents and almost killed all of you trying to get that bloody staff 17 years ago. He only wanted the staff to add to his power in those days. Now, Voldemort wants the staff so that he can go back in time and make sure he kills Harry, as well as for its power. That's a terrifying concept."
Harry felt a chill go through him to the bone when he heard that.
"Merlin made sure that the staff was well protected before he disappeared." Fiona said.
"But, we all know that with enough research and the right genetic traits, the protection is useless. And Voldemort is a descendant of Morgana Le Fey..."
Harry quietly turned and began to make his way back to his room. He felt sick inside and wished he hadn't evesdropped, even though he hadn't meant to do so. He had unwittingly gained access to some terrible knowlege and he was unsure of what to do with it. The question of whether or not to tell Savana and Alex what he had learned tonight burned within Harry as he lay in bed a short time later.
Harry finally fell into an uneasy sleep after contemplating the situation for a long time.
He dreamed he was in a cave and the Staff of Time was in an alcove before him, but it was enclosed in a transparent, crystaline case that resembled a stalactite. He knew that he had to get the staff or something terrible would happen, so he reached out a hand and placed it on the case containing the Staff of Time. The case felt colder than ice where Harry's hand touched it. It was burning him, but he was unable to remove his hand. The extreme cold flowed from the case, through Harry's hand and throughout his body. It was killing him!
1. This particular checkers game is based upon a perverted form of the game which the characters
Hawkeye and Trapper invented in the T.V. series: M.A.S.H.
2. The origin of the Christmas Spider legend is unclear. However, it is commonly believed to be
German.
