The Holidays Part I

            Harry and Ron awoke early the next morning with their bags all packed and ready to go to the Order.  Ron left Harry to go say goodbye to Hannah and Harry went and met up with Hermione and Ginny who seemed happy to be going.

            "Got any new boyfriends Ginny?"  Harry wondered.

            "Er… no, not at the moment.  I've got my eyes peeled though."  Ginny said as her eyes searched the common room.

            "Harry, why don't you go see Jenna?"  Hermione suggested.

            "She hates me."  Harry told her.

            "She doesn't hate you!"  Hermione cut in.

            "Oh yea, well in Defense Against the Dark Arts she wouldn't talk to me, let alone look at me!  I don't care anymore."  Harry said.

            "Of course you do!  Or else you wouldn't be noticing or even talking about this.  Harry you have to talk with her.  She's just confused at the moment and doesn't know how to treat you.  She wants to be with you, but there seems to be something blocking her from it."  Hermione explained.

            "Yeah, that book Ron suggested you write about crazy things girls do, you should really write it."  Harry smiled.

            "Harry come on, girls are very easy to please.  All you do is compliment how they look, or how funny or nice they are, and boom, you're in!  Guys are the hard ones to figure out.  I mean how do you want us to act?  Quiet?  Loud?  Girly?  Forward? Talkative?  Sporty?  Or is it all about the looks?" Ginny wondered.

            "Er… I dunno, I don't really think about that stuff.  I just want someone to relate to."  Harry said.

            "Wow what great help you are."  Ginny said sarcastically.

            "Hey guys."  Ron came through the portrait hole looking very pleased with himself.  "I got Hannah a necklace, Fred told me that's what to get a girl, jewelry, and she loved it!"

            "When did you get one?"  Harry wondered.

            "Well Fred and George picked it out and sent it to me by owl."  He told Harry.

            "Oh, what did she get you?"  Harry wondered.

            "Twenty Chocolate Frogs."  Ron smiled broadened.

            "You're giving me one of those you know?"  Harry chuckled.

            "HA!  Right, well, er… should we head over to Dumbledore's office?"  Ron wondered.

            "Yea, I don't want to go on that Knight bus again."  Ginny said clutching her stomach at the thought of the craziness and speed the bus went at.

            They all got their bags and dragged them down a couple floors to Dumbledore's office.  When they made their way into it, Professor McGonagall and Moody were both waiting there already.

            "Decided we'd come with you."  Minerva said to answer their question.

            "Everyone take hold of this black book.  It should be ready to send you in about two minutes time."  Dumbledore said emerging from behind his desk.  "Harry I'll be over every other day to work on Occlumency with you."  Dumbledore added.

            "Alright."  Harry said frustrated as he reached his hand out for the book as he kept the other hand on is bag and Hedwig's cage.

            Within two minutes they were no longer at the school, but now were at the Order.  The normal crew, and Fred and George greeted them.  Lupin came to Harry first.

            "Hey Harry."

            "Hey Lupin.  I brought the mirror."  Harry said in a low voice as Lupin's smile lit up even more. 

            "Great.  Hey Ron, Hermione, Ginny."  Lupin now turned to the others.

            "Harry our business is going so great!"  Fred came over to him.

            "Yeah, we even hung a plague above our cash register wall dedicating the store to you."  George added.

            "Wow, you guys really shouldn't have."  Harry felt like he might have been blushing.

            "Harry dear.  How are you?"  Mrs. Weasly now came over and gave him a hug.

            "Alright."  Harry told her.

            "Well I'm making a big dinner for tonight, so everyone go on and settle in.  Dinner should be done in about a half hour."  Mrs. Weasly told everyone.

            "I'll meet you guys up there."  Fred and George smiled as they both disapparated away.

            "Those boys.  All they ever do is apparate around now.  They just love to parade around their powers."  Mrs. Weasly sighed as she made her way to the kitchen.

            "Lets go upstairs."  Hermione suggested as she started to drag her heavy bags.

            "Let me help."  Tonks put in as she said a spell so everyone's bags felt as light as a feather.

            "Thanks!"  Hermione said, as she had no problem carrying her bags anymore.  Hermione and Ginny stopped at the first floor and Harry and Ron continued up to the second floor where they found Fred and George jumping on their beds.

            "Wow the business didn't mature you at all did it?"  Ron said flatly.

            "Good to see you too little bro."  George said as he came and patted Ron on the back.  Harry threw his trunk over in the corner by the empty portrait.  

            "Going to unload that?"  Fred wondered as he extracted his wand.

            "Er… maybe later."  Harry said not wanting to see what kind of magic that Fred was going to use. 

            "Alright then."  Fred now but his wand back into his dragon skinned coat.

            "Nice jacket."  Ron said examining both Fred and George's.

            "Glad you like them."  George said winking over to Harry, which probably indicated that's what they got Ron for Christmas.  "Dad's going to bring home a tree after work today.  We'll probably decorate it tomorrow."

            "Cool."  Harry smiled.  Then a knock came from their door.

            "Er… can I talk to Harry for a minute?" Lupin asked as he entered their room.

            "Sure!"  Fred said enthusiastically and George followed.  Ron shrugged at them and went out the door.    

            "AND NO EXTENDABLE EARS!"  Lupin shouted after them as he shut the door, and put a charm on it anyway.

            "Er…" Harry looked confused.

            "Sorry Harry, to take you away from your friends like that—"

            "Oh no that's fine.  I was just wondering why—"

            "Well… I've been constantly thinking about that mirror you said you had, and… well I was just…" Lupin seemed embarrassed to ask Harry to talk to Sirius through it for him.

            "Oh well I have it with me.  You want to talk to him, well through me I mean."  Harry asked.

            "Yea, yea I would."  Lupin said now anxiously.  Harry smiled and went over to his bag and extracted his two-way mirror.  He held it up to his face and said,  "Sirius Black."  Sirius appeared in the mirror with a huge grin on his face.  "Hey Sirius."

            "Hello Harry.  Hey Moony."  Sirius said.

            "Sirius says hi."  Harry transferred the message.

            "He—He's really, really there?"  Lupin's voice was cracking a bit.

            "Yea."  Harry told him.

            "Harry, tell Remus that I'm fine and he's     doing a great job on protecting you, especially now."  Sirius said.  Harry transferred the message again.

            "Tell Sirius that the creature for weaknesses is in the midst of being found."  Lupin said.

            "What's that?"  Harry wondered.

            "He'll understand."  Lupin said.

            "But I don't," Harry said now becoming curious.

            "Please Harry."  Lupin insisted.  Harry grudgingly gave Sirius the message.

            "But it was just a plan when I was alive…  It must have happened over the summer…  Oh we were too involved in the prophecy, we should have been looking out for this too…" Sirius thought. 

            "Sirius wonders if the "thing" was created over the summer."  Harry said to Lupin.

            "Yes, about a month and a half after…he passed."  Lupin said.  "It's wondering in the grounds we wish not."

Harry, being very confused now just said anything that Sirius or Lupin was talking about.  Harry felt like the third wheel to some plan involving the Order and Voldemort.

"He took over one?  Does it still have a present mind?"  Sirius wondered.  Harry transferred the message to Lupin.

"We think so, we haven't been able to investigate it too far yet."  Lupin said.  After Harry told Sirius that Harry came out angrily.

"What's going on?  If I'm supposed to be being protected how can I protect myself if I don't even know what I'm fighting against?  And you two are the ones I trust to tell me this kind of thing."  Harry went on.

"Harry, you know we'd tell you if we could."  Sirius went on.

"Harry, me and Sirius and the Order still need to find out more about it before we go and tell you anything."  Lupin told Harry.

"But you can at least tell me what you know now!"  Harry said.

            "Harry we can't, just wish Sirius a merry Christmas for me, Harry.  We've spent too much time in here as it is I believe."   Lupin said now looking at his watch.

            "Sirius, Lupin and I have to go, but he wishes you a merry Christmas, and I'll probably talk to you before then so, I'll see you later."  Harry said as Sirius waved and then disappeared from the mirror view.  Harry put it back into his bag and looked up at Lupin.

            "Are you going to tell me what that was about?"  Harry wondered.

            "Don't think I can."  Lupin said.  "Come on, Molly's feast is probably done." 

            Harry felt like he was shoved away, once again from the truth as Lupin took the charm off the door and he and Harry headed down to the kitchen.  The feast was already being served and Ron was digging in to some turkey and mashed potatoes while Hermione put away her knitting and took some cranberry sauce.

            "Man mum, have I missed your cooking!"  Ron said as he shoveled everything on his plate into his mouth and went for seconds.  Harry sat across from him and started helping himself to some turkey.

            "Harry we made a new product!"  George smiled.

            "Really what is it?"  Harry wondered.

            "Well you know how you continually talk to people you don't know—" Fred started.

            "—And how you wish you could just make them shutup—" George continued as he made his hands into strangling an invisible person's neck.

            "—Well we've made a "treat" which you pop into their disgusting open mouth—"

            "—So that their voice disappears for three hours—"

            "—Although we are trying to make it more like three days—"

            "—But this is what we have so far—"

            "—So if you want someone like—"

            "—MALFOY—"

            "—To just shut his face—"

            "—Then all you have to do—"

            "—Is shove this in his mouth!"

            "Brilliant huh?"  George smiled.

            "Well we thought so."  Fred agreed.

            "That's awesome!  When can I get them?" Harry wanted one as fast as he could.

            "Well we haven't made the counter chew yet so we shouldn't be selling them to anyone…" George said.

            "But since you are the one that got us this business in the first place…"

            "And since it does wear off in three hours..."

            "Shouldn't be too much of a harm!"  Fred smiled.

            "Absolutely not!  I won't allow it!"  Hermione cut in.

            "Aww come on Hermione.  Just picture it; potions class and Malfoy can't even talk to Snape!  And if he has a smart remark to make to us he can't!  AND SNAPE!  That would be so awesome if we could get one in his mouth…" Harry trailed off into thought. 

            "Now that's what I call thinking like a Weasly!  Not including Percy of course."  George added.

            "How big are they?"   Harry wondered.

            "Like the size of a half of a kernel of popcorn, so you can even put it on their food and they'll never know why they lost their voice!"  Fred smiled.

            "Harry!  You can't possibly do this!  Especially to Snape!  Do you know how much trouble you'd get in?"  Hermione lectured once again.

            "O flighten uf."  Ron said through a mouthful of food.

            "Ron!  Don't talk with your mouth full!  Where are your manners?"  Mrs. Weasly yelled as she sat down next to Ron.

            "Surry mum."  Ron looked back down at his plate.

            "I raised you boys better than to do that!  I hope you don't do anything of the sort at school."  Mrs. Weasly continued.

            "Don't worry mum, I haven't seen him do anything… yet."  Ginny smiled.

            Ron gave her a squinted eyed shake of the head look as he went back down to his food.  Harry looked up at Fred and George and then smiled back down at his own plate.  After about ten minutes, everyone was starting to clear off their plates and help Mrs. Weasly clean up. 

            "Desert will be served in an hour, your father will be home around seven tonight with the tree."  Mrs. Weasly informed them all.

            Harry, Ron and Hermione all ran out of the kitchen and made into the den where they plopped themselves on the couch.

            "At least we don't have to do any cleaning this year.  Boy that was bloody hell."  Ron said as he stretched out his body.

            "Oh and you'd just rather have the house elf do it!"  Hermione grunted and shook her head to the other side.  "Which reminds me, where's Penelope?"

            "Oh she's at Hogwarts, till Christmas."  Harry told her.

            "Oh I can't wait to give her this cute stuffed animal I made."  Hermione said with delight.

            "I thought you only made hats and blankets."  Ron stared up at her.

            "Oh, well, I learned how to make other things, and I was able to make Penelope a cute bunny for Christmas."  Hermione gleamed.

            "Oh great, I'm her master and I didn't get her anything… mind making something for her for me?"  Harry wondered.

            "And oh, I'll just be the only one who doesn't give her something?"  Ron cut in.

            "Harry, you should take time with your house elf, she seems very sensitive and gentle.  Of course I'll make something for her for you.  What do you wish to give her?"  Hermione asked.

            "Er… I don't know use your imagination."  Harry said.

            "And NO clothes Hermione."  Ron shook his hand at her.           

            "Well obviously not."  Hermione said rather annoyed that she would ever do such a thing to Harry's house elf, but then she sat back and Harry could see her face blush a little.

            "Hermione, you need to lighten up a bit."  Ron said as he realized it was the worst thing he could ever say at that moment for Hermione jumped up from the couch and gave Ron a dirty look as she stormed up the stairs.

            "Real smooth." Harry joked.

            "Oh shutup Harry."  Ron said.

            "Got your chocolate frogs on you?"  Harry wondered.

            "But of course."  Ron smiled as he took out a couple from his pocket and gave Harry one.

            "How are you and Hannah anyway?"  Harry wondered as Hermione popped back into his mind.

            "Oh it's great… she's great, but now, it seems like everything's getting old."  Ron admitted.

            "Old?"  Harry wondered thinking how nothing between him and Jenna would have ever gotten old.

            "Yeah, I mean I don't know if I like her anymore."  Ron said.

            "But you've only been going out for… how long?"  Harry wondered.

            "Too long."  Ron replied.

            "But you just spent money on her and gave her a necklace!"  Harry remembered only a couple hours ago.

            "Fred and George bought her a necklace," Ron corrected, "and they've got loads of money now, so I don't supposed a necklace really did much harm."

            "Still, Ron you don't just give someone something as nice as that and then just say, oh I'm done with you, and leave them!"  Harry put in.

            "Yea well, I like someone else now anyway."  Ron said.

            "What?  Who!"  Harry was now anxious.

            "No one."  Ron replied.

            "Oh come on Ron, how old are we?" 

            "You're going to laugh."  Ron said.

            "As long as it's not your sister I won't laugh."  Harry joked.

            "That's disgusting!  And NO it's not Ginny, gross…." Ron cringed.

            "Well then why don't you just tell me?"  Harry asked.

            "Er… well…" Ron leaned in closer, "but you can't act weird like you know anything, or anything."

            "Alright."  Harry said now knowing the name he was about to hear.

            "Her-Hermione."  Ron said softly as he turned bright red and looked over at the fireplace.

            "Ha!"  Harry said, as he couldn't help but smile.

            "See!  You're laughing!"  Ron pointed out.

            "Me? No I'm not… well, yes I am, but at least I don't look like a tomato right now!" Harry said.

            "Shutup!" Ron said as he looked down at the floor.

            "Well when are you going to break up with Hannah, I mean, you, and Hermione, spending two weeks in a house together… ey… ey…" Harry nodded.

            "Your dirty Harry!"  Ron said as he and Harry both laughed.

            "What's so funny?"  Ginny wondered as she walked through the den.

            "Your face."  Ron replied as he and Harry continued to laugh.  Ginny gave them a dirty look and walked up the stairs.

            Mr. Weasly came home with the tree as everyone was eating desert.  He came into the kitchen raging about his day as he took a piece of mince pie and joined his kids at the table.        

            "And now we have someone else involved in trying to make muggles miserable!  Today there was a dishwasher raid, in about thirty homes!  People complaining about their dishwasher eating their plates and spitting out pieces at them!  As if I don't have anything else to be doing with my time.   Although it was quite fun to see the inside of actual muggle homes.  They all had about the same sort of things in it, but were all designed differently.  Some had their bedrooms downstairs, DOWNSTAIRS!  Who ever heard of such a thing?"  Mr. Weasly told them all as he took a forkful of pie into his mouth.

            "Then what did they have upstairs?"  Ginny wondered.

            "Their kitchen, terevision, compunair… you know, the normal stuff that is usually downstairs."  Mr. Weasly told them.       
            Neither Harry nor Hermione corrected Mr. Weasly in saying television, and computer; they both thought it was rather funny that he would mess up things like those.

            "Well everyone get a good night sleep tonight, tomorrow we are decorating the house for Christmas."  Mrs. Weasly said as she collected empty plates.

            "Mum I wanted more!"  Ron said as he reached for his plate that his mum took from him.

            "Ron if you eat too much junk before you go to bed, it will give you nightmares."  Mrs. Weasly said as she took the plates to the sink.  Ron looked mad as if how could someone take food away from him!

            Ron got up and Harry and Hermione followed as they went to their rooms for bed.

            "Night Hermione."  Ron said as they dropped Hermione off at her floor.

            "Night guys."  She replied.

            As Harry and Ron were making their way to their bedroom Ron smiled and said, "Mum doesn't know about my chocolate frogs though!"

Authors note: see this chapter is really long so I've decided to update it in parts.  REVIEW AND ENJOY!