A/N: Well, here it is, another installment! Many, many thanks to everyone who reviewed!
Jedi Buttercup: I'm glad you thought the fruitcake thing was funny! Hmm, that might make an interesting one-shot fic... Snape gets a fruitcake from Mrs. Weasley.
Danea: Thank you so much for your review! Your comments were insightful and very helpful to me. After reading your review I went back to the beginning of the story and read it through to the end (not every word, but pretty much all of it). I can see things that I might want to change. I've learned that when you write a story in installments, there are going to be things that eventually you wish you had done differently, but you've already "published" them. Except for the parts that I've already written but haven't come to chronologically yet, there's a lot in the middle to fill in, detail-wise. Dickens published his novels in weekly installments, but he must have had them finished before he did so.
ootp-rules: I'm so pleased that you're continuing to read the story, and also that you liked Sirius' remark about coming home. I agree – Harry needs to experience the kind of family life that he's never had before. A lot of people write stories with "suffering Harry" in them, but I just can't bring myself to be so dark, and especially not at Christmas.
Molly Morrison: Prepare for more Christmasy fluff in this chapter! Although I don't consider myself a "fluff" writer...
Wytil: Yeah... you've got to stop somewhere. It's hard to divide the chapters sometimes.
Kaye: More about the chocolates in the next chapter. Dun dun dun... maybe. ;-)
Wolfia: Snape will come back in soon!
anynonymouse: Thank you so much! I needed to hear that – that's exactly what I've been trying to do.
kira lingh: I'm really glad you're enjoying the story! As far as other stories go... I haven't been keeping up well with ff.net lately. Writing my own story has taken up a lot of my time, and I'm always afraid that reading other big, long stories will affect mine. I'll try and get more recommendations for you, but until then – I have really enjoyed Harry Potter and the Legilimens Curse by PepperImp2003, and Betrayed by kateydidnt.
Whew! With that all being said, here's the next chapter. It's "happier" than most of the others, but then again, it is Christmastime, and I'm in a festive mood.
Chapter 22: A Christmas to Remember
Harry was surprised to find how much like home Alverbrooke really was beginning to seem. Coming back to it felt a good deal like coming back to Hogwarts, but it had one attraction that the school did not: there were no enemies to be found at Alverbrooke. It was odd not to have Ron and Hermione around, but Sirius and Lupin made up for their absence. When Harry moved his things back into the green room he'd used over the summer, he almost felt as if he had never left.
The house-elves had decked the house out in holiday fashion, and the decorations were more traditional than those at Hogwarts. There were garlands wrapped around the banisters, fresh wreaths on the walls, and a live Christmas tree in the downstairs sitting room. Of course, there were some magical touches as well. Delicate snowflakes fell from the ceiling of the breakfast room and vanished before they could touch Bellaton's head, and there were tiny, twinkling lights on the tree that moved around; a closer look showed them to be what looked like silver fireflies.
Sirius got the chance to play mother hen fairly early in the holiday. He and Lupin had heard about what had happened to Snape, of course, and they demanded a full report from Harry. At first Sirius was angry that Harry had taken it upon himself to learn such a dangerous spell, but once Harry explained how he had learned it, Sirius relented. He and Lupin were both very impressed by Harry's success, but Harry could tell that his godfather was uneasy about his newfound knowledge.
"Perhaps we should have given you some body armor instead of a talisman," Sirius joked.
"Well, Christmas is coming up," said Lupin. "But I don't think we have any chainmail lying around."
They fell to discussing the skills that Harry could have inherited from Voldemort and Professor Thornby. When the subject of Singers came up, Sirius scowled.
"No offense to Ardoc or Celeste, but I hope she didn't pass that on," he said. "It'll just be that many more people who want you dead, and we're having enough trouble as it is."
"Don't you think it would be useful if I knew how to do it?" asked Harry.
"Don't you think you've got enough on your plate right now?" Sirius fired back. "Besides, that's why Ardoc and Celeste are at Hogwarts – so they can deal with enemy Singers."
"She said the talent would show up sooner or later if I'd gotten it," said Harry.
"Well, you may find out before school starts again, judging by the way they're carrying on," said Lupin.
Bellaton and Professor Thornby had begun singing again almost from the moment they reentered the house. They spent hours each day in the music room, singing scales and doing exercises. They claimed that after months of disuse, their voices needed to be toned up again. "Imagine if you hadn't been able to talk for weeks," said Professor Thornby. "Think how odd your voice would sound when you started up again."
After a few days Harry got used to the constant snippets of song that drifted through the house. They were all simple tunes with none of the multiple voices that he knew they could do, so Harry took notice on the first day that they began to do something more. He was sitting in the music room listening to them practice, hoping that maybe he might feel something that would tell him whether or not he was a Singer, too. It started out as just another Christmas carol – something they'd been singing dozens of every day.
"Hark! How the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say throw cares away…"
And then they started to divide their voices, slowly adding more to the mix.
"Christmas is here, bringing good cheer, to young and old, meek and the bold…"
Still more joined in. It was bizarre to see only two mouths moving while it sounded as if a small choir were standing in the room.
"Ding, dong, ding dong, that is their song, with joyful ring all caroling…"
The small choir became a full choir.
"One seems to hear words of good cheer from ev'rywhere filling the air!"
Harry sat entranced while the sound got bigger and bigger. He felt like the music had gotten inside him somehow. As they went on, he thought he could understand why Singers were still feared as they were. There was something apocalyptic in the carol's minor key, and the power of the music was overwhelming. Ordinary wizards must have felt that there was little they could do against such a wall of sound.
The carol reached its ringing conclusion. When the professors stopped singing the room felt strangely empty.
Applause sounded from the doorway; Harry looked up to see Sirius, Lupin, and Dumbledore standing there.
"Well done indeed," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling behind his glasses. "That always was my favorite carol."
"If we'd known you were coming, we would have waited," said Bellaton.
Professor Thornby sat down on a piano bench and rested her head in her hand.
"Are you all right?" said Lupin.
"Just tired, thank you," she said wearily. "After so long, splitting my voice really takes it out of me."
"I didn't know that song was magical," said Harry.
"It's not," said Bellaton. "We can divide our voices for whatever song we wish. Better to practice on something harmless before you try a spell. We wouldn't want to set the house on fire." He winked at them all.
"No, we would not want that," said Dumbledore. He clasped his hands behind his back and strode into the room. "I would not have a place to retreat to without Alverbrooke."
"What's happened?" said Lupin.
"Do I wear my heart on my sleeve?" asked Dumbledore with a slight smile. "I believe I am about to lose my seat on the Wizengamot."
"What?" Sirius exclaimed. "Why?"
"Cornelius Fudge wishes to pass a few laws that I feel are either unjust or unnecessary," said Dumbledore. "Many of the other members agree with him, and without me on the court, he thinks the opposition will fall away."
"Wait a minute," said Harry. "The Wizengamot passes laws?"
"No," said Dumbledore. "The Assembly is a panel of thirty witches and wizards who write and pass new laws. The Minister of Magic sometimes suggests decrees and acts, but they must be reviewed and ratified by the Assembly."
"Thirty witches and wizards?" said Harry incredulously. "Parliament has hundreds of members, and you've got thirty in one house?"
"The system is archaic," said Dumbledore. "I have long felt that a larger Assembly modeled after the Muggle government would be a vast improvement, but Cornelius opposes the idea."
"And well he might," said Bellaton darkly. "He owns more than half the members of the Assembly."
"There is no proof of that," said Dumbledore, "but yes, it does appear that he has bought many of them."
"So Fudge is in control of everything?" said Harry.
"Everything but the Wizengamot," said Dumbledore. "It can oppose the Assembly on the issue of new law. Several members have recently reversed their positions on the proposed laws, men and women with good heads on their shoulders, but with families as well. I have seen fear in their eyes; someone has been threatening them. Once I am removed as head of the Wizengamot, the court will fall completely under Cornelius' sway."
Dumbledore sat down in a chair with a sigh. He looked very tired, but his sharp blue eyes showed no hint of despair. Professor Thornby waved her wand and a steaming cup of tea materialized on the piano. Dumbledore who accepted it from her with thanks, and she gave his shoulder an affectionate pat.
"Is there anything you can do?" said Lupin.
"No," said Dumbledore, taking a sip of the tea. "We must simply wait and take what comes. But even if I am removed from the government, I am not without resources."
"But aren't you afraid that Fudge will try and take you away from Hogwarts?" said Harry.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "He will have a hard time doing that. I was appointed Headmaster for life – or until I choose to end my term. I will not choose to end it anytime soon. No, I will yet be a thorn in his foot." He took another sip of his tea. "Oh, I thought you would like to know that Professor Snape is recovering nicely."
"He's awake, then?" said Bellaton.
"Awake and snarling," chuckled Dumbledore. "I overheard him threatening to hex Madam Pomfrey if she refused to release him. Of course, she threatened to keep him drugged until the start of term if he tried."
"Sounds like the old bat's almost back to normal," said Sirius.
"Old enmities certainly die hard," Dumbledore said lightly.
"Or not at all," growled Sirius.
"Perhaps it is just as well he refused my invitation to come here for Christmas, then," said Dumbledore. He held up a hand to forestall Sirius, who had opened his mouth indignantly. "You are going to have to learn to work together sometime." He pulled his pocketwatch from his robes and consulted the face. "Dear me, I must be going."
"But you only just got here," said Professor Thornby.
"I have some calls to make," said Dumbledore. "I must try and delay my removal from the Wizengamot for as long as possible. I will come again as soon as I can."
Dumbledore did come and go many times over the next few days. He never brought up the subject of Fudge or the Wizengamot, and neither did the others. "Believe me, when Dumbledore is no longer Chief Warlock, the entire wizarding world will know courtesy of the Daily Prophet, and so will we," said Professor Thornby when Harry asked her about it.
Harry was spending a lot more time with his guardian than he had in the past. Even though they had spent time together over the summer, she had mostly left Harry alone so he could be with Sirius and Lupin, and at school it was not wise to appear too friendly. As a result Harry had always thought her a bit cool and standoffish, but the more he got to know her, the more he realized that it was just the way things had to be around everyone else. "There's no one here I have to pretend for," she said to Harry.
One afternoon, Professor Thornby recruited Harry to help her make Christmas cookies. "I know the house-elves can do it, but I rather enjoy baking," she said. And so Harry found himself in the kitchen, mixing up bowls of flour, sugar, and egg. He found the whole process to be great fun; Aunt Petunia had never let him help when he was little, and Dudley had always gotten to lick the spoons. Harry and Professor Thornby made gingerbread, raspberry bars, macaroons, and snickerdoodles. The good smells attracted Sirius, Lupin, and Bellaton, all of whom were glad to steal a few of the treats. Only Lupin stayed behind to help clean up some of the floury mess - Sirius and Bellaton bolted as soon as work was mentioned.
While the three of them were piping icing onto the gingerbread men, Professor Thornby suggested an experiment. "I'm going to Sing something, and I want you to pay attention to how you feel," she said to Harry. "If you've gained the ability, you should feel a sort of resonance within yourself as I go on."
"What are you going to do?" asked Lupin. "Make the broom sweep the floor?"
"I don't know any cleaning Songs," she said, smiling. "I'll just make that gingerbread man dance." She pointed to a small tray of finished cookies. "Ready?"
Harry nodded, and she began. It was a cheerful little Song, simple and quick in tempo. The gingerbread man stood up and began to dance a little jig on the tray. Professor Thornby doubled her voice, and another stood up. The two cookies joined hands and twirled, then did a do-si-do. A few more divisions, and before long all the gingerbread men on the tray were up and dancing. It was so funny that Harry and Lupin were soon chuckling like mad. When the cookies all paired up and began to waltz, it became too much even for Professor Thornby, who burst out laughing in the middle of her song. The cookies all leapt from the counter and onto the floor where they began to run about every which way. For a few minutes it was madness in the kitchen while the three of them tried to round up the gingerbread men. They didn't seem to want to stop moving, so in the end they were stuffed into an empty sugar bag until the enchantment wore off.
"Odd things can happen if Songs are interrupted," panted Professor Thornby. "I probably shouldn't have made so many of them dance. It was too funny, I just couldn't help myself." She glanced over to the sugar sack, which was being poked and prodded from the inside, and grinned. "So! Did you feel anything?"
"I don't think so," he said. "Maybe I missed it."
"Well, I didn't feel anything either," she said. "I was paying attention, so if you had the ability, I should have noticed a resonance from you. Still, it doesn't mean that the talent won't ever show up. It could be latent within you for now. We can try again later, perhaps at the end of the school year."
**********
On Christmas morning Harry awoke to the sight of Sirius standing over him, holding his cloak and striped Gryffindor scarf. "It's snowing like crazy," he said. "Come on, up and at 'em! Ardoc and Remus are downstairs waiting. Remus will go back to sleep if you take too long."
"It's barely light out!" Harry mumbled.
"Yes, well, if we want to get a snowball fight in before presents, we'd better get a move on."
Harry dressed and followed his godfather down the stairs and into the hall. Just as Sirius had said, Bellaton and Lupin were both there waiting, but Lupin was asleep on the stairs with his head against the railing.
"Wake up, Moony!" said Sirius. Lupin groggily rose and followed them out the front door.
"Didn't Professor Thornby want to come?" asked Harry.
"Ah, no," said Bellaton. "She reached for her wand when I shook her awake. I left her room right quick."
They teamed up, with Harry and Sirius against Lupin and Bellaton. Each team took fifteen minutes to build a fort. "And no singing!" Sirius shouted after Bellaton, who responded by tossing a snowball their way. With four wizards on the scene, there were soon two very impressive forts standing fifty yards apart, each two stories tall. The object of the game was apparently to see who could destroy each other's fort first. Sirius attacked while Harry defended. They did well, with Harry deflecting Thawing Charms and Sirius attempting to knock down their opponents' walls with speeding balls of ice. In the end Lupin and Bellaton won when they teamed up and attacked with everything they could throw; it was too much for Harry to handle and their fort came tumbling down. They reentered the house with mud, ice, and snow in their hair to find Professor Thornby sitting calmly by the tree, a cup of tea in one hand.
"Celeste, you missed a good fight," said Bellaton.
"From the looks of things, I'm glad I stayed in bed," she replied, shaking her head at them all.
Once they had all dried off, they opened presents and ate breakfast. Harry was thrilled with the set of Quidditch balls Sirius and Lupin gave him, complete with a winged golden Snitch. There was a package from Mrs. Weasley containing mince pies and the usual jumper with the letter "H" knitted into the front, and Dobby had owled him a pair of socks that were covered in little Christmas trees. "Dobby made them himself," read the note that accompanied the package.
Perhaps the oddest gift came from the professors, which turned out to be a long dagger in a worked leather scabbard. "It's a standard Auror's tool," Bellaton explained. "That's silver inlaid in the steel there, see it? That will make a werewolf think twice about attacking, and the blade is long enough to pierce a vampire's heart. No offense meant," he said apologetically to Lupin, who was eyeing the knife warily.
"None taken," said Lupin. "Just don't leave it lying around." He swallowed uncomfortably. Harry carefully wrapped the sheathed knife in his scarf and Lupin seemed to breathe a little easier.
Harry had his own set of presents, and they seemed to go over well. He gave Sirius a book on disguises and Lupin a bag of powdered chinaberries. "Hermione did some research," he explained. "She says you might be able to sweeten your potion without ruining it."
Lupin took the bag with an expression of wonder on his face. "I'll try it next full moon," he said. "Please tell her thank you from me."
"You can tell her yourself," said Professor Thornby. "An owl came while you were all outside. Ron and Hermione have been given permission to have a brief visit. They're coming this evening with Albus and Minerva."
"Capital!" said Bellaton. "We'll have ourselves a merry little Christmas party."
Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Ron, and Hermione all arrived together that night, stepping out of the fireplace one at a time. Ron and Hermione greeted Sirius and Lupin, the latter of which thanked Hermione for the chinaberries.
"Oh, it was nothing, really," she said, blushing. "I stumbled across it when reading up on the history of Polyjuice Potion. I, erm, have heard it tastes quite foul, and in the book there was mention of using chinaberry to mask the taste. After that, it was easy to find what I was looking for. Four or five books more, and I had it."
"Ah," said Lupin, looking a bit dazed.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione retreated to a corner of the room while the adults began to converse. "Guess what I got for Christmas!" Ron said excitedly as soon as they were alone.
"Um, I dunno… new dress robes?" said Harry.
"A Zephyr Twenty-One!" Ron crowed. "My very own broomstick! It's not a patch on your Firebolt, of course, but it's not bad – better than a Comet. I can't wait until we play Hufflepuff – just let them try and get past me! I'll be a human wall!"
"Cool!" said Harry. "How'd the twins take it?"
"Oh, fine," said Ron. "They got their Comets years ago when they made the team. It's been nice to be home," he sighed. "Everyone's at the Burrow for the holidays except for Percy. Mum's learning to cope, but she still hopes he'll come round."
"Don't you all want that?" said Hermione.
"Yeah, of course we do," said Ron. "I mean, if he doesn't... Fred and George are right skeeved at him, but he's still our brother."
"So what fish story did you have to feed them to get over here?" asked Harry.
"Mum and dad told everyone that I'm off at Hermione's with you for a few days, but I'm not sure they're buying it. Fred and George don't believe that the Dursleys would have let you go. Anyway, we're going to have to get our stories straight before we go back to school, that's for sure."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't keep to themselves for long. The house-elves had prepared a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, and they stuffed themselves silly with ham, seasoned potatoes, and fruit. The gingerbread cookies made an appearance at dessert along with three different kinds of pie. There was far too much food for nine people, but they did their best to make a dent in it. They spent the rest of the evening drinking eggnog and wassail while Bellaton led them in one carol after another and snow drifted gently past the windows. At first Harry and his friends felt a bit odd with the Headmaster and their Head of House there, but they were both so unreserved that the feeling melted away. Professor McGonagall began to get a bit giggly as the night wore on, having had more than one glass of wassail. Harry tried to fix the image of her in his head, knowing that he'd probably never see its like again.
Later in the evening, Harry, Ron, and Hermione gave each other their Christmas gifts. Ron pulled out his first – a fancy barrette for Hermione and a Wizard Chess set for Harry. Harry gave Hermione the quill-and-ink set, and she gave him a book on the art of the quarterstaff.
"Hey, that's a book I actually wouldn't mind having," said Ron, peering at the cover.
"Well, I might have got you that, but Harry and I bought your present together," said Hermione.
"It's upstairs in my room," said Harry. "Come on, let's go get it before we get roped into singing 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'."
They headed off toward the staircase, passing through several rooms on the way. Harry headed for the solarium, fully intending to take a shortcut through it, but when he rounded the corner he stopped so suddenly that Hermione collided with his back. "What –" she began, but hushed when Harry put a finger to his lips and pointed. Standing in the far corner were Lupin and Professor Thornby. Harry, Ron, and Hermione backed up until they were hidden from view by a screen of hanging orchids.
"What's this?" said Professor Thornby, taking a large, flat box from Lupin's hand.
"Your Christmas present," he said. "I didn't want to give it to you in front of Sirius, he'd think it was too… extravagant."
"Extravagant?" She flipped up the lid of the box and gasped. "Oh, my…"
"They were my mother's," Lupin said quickly. "I want you to have them."
"Your mother's?" she said faintly. "Remus, to put that on top of what they're worth already… these are priceless. I couldn't possibly –"
"Please," he interrupted. "Please, I – I really want you to have them. I had a mother who loved me, and that's more than a lot of people can say. I don't need to keep her jewelry. I'd look silly wearing them anyway."
"Yes," she said with a soft laugh. "You would."
"You've done more for me than you know," said Lupin, looking down at his hands. "What with how you're looking after Harry and all – I did it once, but I can't anymore. Besides… they'd look good on you."
Professor Thornby smiled down at the box. "I don't have anything nearly as grand for you," she said quietly.
"Yes, you do," said Lupin. He was still studying his hands. "You've always been very kind to me. I don't have many friends, so it means a lot."
Professor Thornby carefully closed the box. "I don't know what to say," she said. "Thank you. It's a beautiful gift."
"You won't say anything to Sirius?"
"Of course not."
There was a long pause. Lupin seemed to be struggling with himself. "Listen, I've been meaning to ask you… that is, I was wondering if you might…"
A slow grin crept over Harry's face. Next to him, Hermione put a hand to her mouth to cover her smile, and Ron's mouth fell open.
"Do you always give women jewels before you ask them out?" Professor Thornby teased gently.
"I don't have much practice at this," Lupin stammered.
"I'd love to," she said.
"You would?" he said, looking up at her in surprise. "Why?"
"Because I like you," she said softly.
Lupin's expression was so hopeful that it was almost painful to see. They both leaned forward slightly, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione backed away as quietly as they could. Some moments were too private to watch. They tiptoed out of the solarium to the main hallway where they all exhaled together.
"Wow," said Ron. "Way to go, Remus!"
"That was so romantic!" sighed Hermione.
"I didn't know you went in for all that mushy stuff," said Ron.
Hermione smiled at him. "You don't know anything about women, do you?"
"I do have a sister," Ron retorted.
"And five brothers," said Hermione. "I wonder if they're as blind as you are? Remus stared at Professor Thornby all summer, and he couldn't keep his eyes off her tonight."
"Well, what do you think?" Ron asked Harry.
"I think it's great," Harry said enthusiastically. "He's been alone for most of his life, hasn't he?"
They reached Harry's door. "Okay, close your eyes," said Hermione.
"Why?" said Ron.
"We couldn't wrap it," Harry explained.
"Couldn't wrap it? Sounds interesting," Ron said devilishly, but he shut his eyes when Hermione opened the door. Harry retrieved the covered cage, and Hermione put Ron's hand on the handle. "Okay – take a look," Harry said.
Ron opened his eyes and gasped. He pulled off the cover and found two golden eyes staring back at him. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out.
Hermione clapped her hands. "Oh, I knew you'd like it!" she said.
"Merry Christmas, mate," said Harry.
Ron found his voice at last. "Thank you!" he said. He opened the cage door, and the proud falcon shuffled out onto his arm. "Is it a he or a she?"
"It's a he," said Hermione, her eyes shining.
"Then I think I'll name him Orpheus," said Ron. With a contented smile on his face, he raised his free hand to stroke the bird's back. "Remus gets a date, McGonagall gets tipsy, I get a new broomstick, and a falcon from my two best mates. This is definitely a day I'll remember for the rest of my life."