A/N: Thanks again SO much to all my reviewers!!! = )  Here's the next chapter :-D 

Oh, and if I was misunderstood, Snape doesn't have the son!! Harry THINKS that Calista does… but what Harry thinks is not always right is it?  And I wouldn't exactly trust Mrs. Black, would you?  Poor naïve little sixth years…. *sigh* Lol.

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Chapter 54:

            The following week passed by quickly enough, as the inhabitants of Grimmauld Place brought it to life with festive decorations.  Harry hadn't realized that Kreacher was still there until they found him in the attic while searching for more Baubles to hang on the Christmas tree.  The elf simply hissed at Harry and hurried off.  When Harry asked Tonks why Kreacher was still there, later on that day, she said with disgust that she was the new Mistress, and that Dumbledore still forbade her to give him clothes.  Hermione tutted sadly behind Harry. 

            Ron rolled his eyes playfully. 

            Later on that day, they had gotten into the spirit and sung carols.  Harry, at that time, missed Sirius with such an impulsive ferocity that he had to excuse himself from the table. 

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            On Christmas Eve, Harry was awoken to Fred and George Apparating into the room. 

            "MORNING!" yelled Fred, grinning, jumping on Harry's bed.  Next to him, George was jumping across from Ron's to Draco's beds, blowing a loud whistle. 

            "GET UP!  GET UP!  WAKE UP!"  Harry bolted up from the loud noise and covered his ears, throwing Fred and George a particularly nasty look.  Draco jumped up, looking around sleepily. 

            "Where's the fire?" he mumbled.  George rolled his eyes.

            "It's Christmas Eve!" he shouted.  Ron kicked his brother in the shins.

            "No one cares about Christmas Eve…"

            "Well you will in a minute!" said George, rubbing his leg angrily. 

            "Why?" asked Harry, reaching for his glasses. 

            "Because," grinned Fred, "Did you know how good Evelyn was at Charms?"

            "What's that got to do with anything?" asked Draco angrily, burying his face into his pillow.

            "Wanna have a snowball fight?" asked George wickedly.

            "We can't," moaned Ron, still half asleep.  "Hermione will tell McGonagall…." He murmured, rolling over again.  Fred rolled his eyes. 

            "I know we can't leave the house," he said casually.

            "But what's that to stop us?" asked George, grinning. 

            "Come on to the basement, and wear something warm…. There's an indoor blizzard!"

            "Mum just about had a fit, but Dad's off today and wants her to just let us have some fun…"

            "And Mundungus accidentally got frostbite…. We didn't realize he was the pile of rags in the corner when Evelyn created the blizzard," said Fred apologetically. 

            "And we then remembered our amazing portable places…"

            "And unleashed the blizzard…."

            "So it's really great down there; come on…. Everyone else is awake!"

            They left the room, and Ron turned over again.  Harry exchanged looks with Draco, shrugged, and rolled out of bed.  "That sounds fun," he said unenthusiastically, pulling on a sweater and some jeans.  Draco then did the same and the two walked tiredly down several flights of stairs. 

            When they finally reached the basement, a chilly gust of wind hit Harry in the face.  He shivered and walked on, and opened the door to where the indoor Quidditch game had been held. 

            It was amazing.  The floor was covered, at least a foot high, with white snow, which was still falling heavily from the clouds Evelyn's wand was trained on.  "Hi, Harry!" shouted Ginny, waving, from across the room.  She was wearing jeans, a pink sweater, and a multi-colored scarf.  Harry never had thought that hot pink looked too good on redheads, but Ginny pulled it off.  Her long curly hair was in pigtails, and she was wearing a cute little snow hat. 

            Suddenly, Harry was hit by a snowball.  He spun around, to see Katie Bell giggling.  The game- was on.  After almost an hour, people had begun to trudge upstairs, numb with cold, for Mrs. Weasley's hot chocolate.  Hermione left shortly after Harry came down, promising to wake Ron and come right back, though Harry didn't see her again until mid-afternoon. 

            Soon, Harry and Ginny were the only ones left.  She pulled him onto a snow bank, laughing.

            "That was fun," said Ginny happily.  "I love the snow…"

            "Pity you get completely pulverized in snow ball fights," teased Harry. 

            "I SO beat you, you little good-for-nothing boy who lived," said Ginny indignantly.  After a moment, she spoke again.  "Well, maybe you did beat me, by a little," she said, grinning demonically, "But there's one thing I can beat you at…"

            "And what would that be?" asked Harry, pulling Ginny closer, and leaning in.  She pressed his lips against his, and the two fell into the snow. 

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            An hour later, Harry and Ginny were making their way upstairs, as Lenore and Draco were making their way to the snow room, holding hands.  "Where have you two been all morning?" asked Lenore, in an accusatory voice.  Ginny grinned angelically.

            "In the snow… and where, might I inquire, are you two going?"  Lenore blushed.

            "To the snow…."  Ginny chuckled.      

            "Have fun.  Have you seen Ron or Hermione lately?"  

            Lenore and Draco exchanged laughing glances.  "Well," said Lenore quietly, "Hermione went in to… wake him up…"

            "Haven't seen either of them since," said Draco, shrugging.  Harry nodded. 

            "Right, then…. I'll be avoiding that room."  Harry and Ginny then finished running up the stairs.  When they arrived on the landing, there was a bit of a scuffle going on.

            "GET THE BLOODY THING OUT OF THE HOUSE!" screeched Mrs. Weasley at the top of her lungs.  Harry and Ginny closed the door, standing in the stairway, so that they could listen, undetected.  

            "But, Mum!" shouted Charlie.  "That's unfair!  It's only a baby, and it'll only be for a few days at the most-"

            "Molly, let th' boy keep the dragon," came the slurred voice of Mundungus Fletcher.  "'ey, Charlie…. You wouldn' mind if I was teh' take a claw, would you?  Very hard teh' come across, see, an'-"

            "NO!  I WILL NOT HAVE THIS PLACE BECOME AN ANIMAL SHELTER!  FIRST THE HIPPOGRIFF, THEN THE GRIFFIN, AND MERLIN KNOWS WHERE THE CHIMERA IS- NO DRAGON BABY!  NO!  ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

            "Aww, come on, Mrs. Weasley!" said Tonks pleadingly.  "It's kind of cute, look at!  Oh, dear….. ahhhhh!  Water!  Water!"  There were some muffled footsteps and the unmistakable sound of a cup of water being thrown at somebody.  "Thanks, Evelyn… owe you one…"

            "Righ' then, Charlie, eight Galleons, but no 'igher…."

            "WE'RE NOT KEEPING THE DRAGON!"

            "Mum…. As a favor to Hagrid!  Please!"

            "All right then!  ALL RIGHT!  FINE!  BURN THE HOUSE DOWN!  Take it away!  Bring it into the snowy room…"

            "Mum, it would get hypothermia; we need to keep it in the kitchen-"

            There was the distinguished noise of somebody storming into the kitchen.  Harry and Ginny exchanged bewildered looks, and Harry creaked open the door.  

            "Wotcher, Harry," said Tonks brightly, smiling.  "… Ginny."

            "Hi," the two said in unison.  "What was that all about?" asked Harry.  Tonks gave a shallow laugh.

            "It's complicated, Harry."

            "What's so complicated about a dragon in the house?" asked Ginny, giving the little thing a frightened look.  It actually looked a bit like Norbert had looked, before he was sent away to Charlie.  Charlie smiled and picked up the cage, following Mrs. Weasley's path.  Mundungus followed him.

            "Seven Galleons…."

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            That evening, dinner was pretty much the same as it had been the night before, only more hectic.  The Dursleys had to join them again, due to Mrs. Weasley's insistence, but this time they were placed in between Snape and George.  Dudley would've eaten a Canary Cream, if Hermione hadn't stopped it at the last second, and Uncle Vernon and Snape had a conversation about how much they loathed all Potters.  Nice, thought Harry, clearing his throat loudly.  Both Evelyn and Lupin also looked ready to pounce, and Mrs. Weasley's eyes were flashing dangerously.  

            After dinner was over, Harry found himself sitting in the snow room again.  About half a foot of snow was somehow gone, and instead of a raging blizzard, there was more like a light, feathery snowfall.  Lenore had come to the snow room as well, and they talked for several minutes about their day, until suddenly the door opened and Aunt Petunia walked in.

            "Oh, sorry," she said, startled.  "Didn't realize you'd be in here…"

            "Oh, it's okay," said Lenore brightly.  "Come sit down, really…."  Suddenly, Aunt Petunia shot Harry a disturbed look.  

            "Who are you?" she asked of Lenore.

            "I'm Lenore Felkes," she said kindly.  

            "She looks like…. Her…" said Aunt Petunia in a strangled voice.

            "Who's 'her'?" asked Lenore curiously.  

            "My Mother," said Harry, shooting his Aunt a rather nasty look.  "Why won't you say her name?  Lily.  Lily.  Li-ly."

            "Sorry," whispered Aunt Petunia sadly.  "I broke my promise to her.  Why do you look so much like her, Lenore?"

            "What promise?" asked Harry quickly, but Lenore spoke.

            "I'm only telling you this because I know I can trust you.  You mustn't ever tell anybody.  But am I right, that one of your parents came from America?"  Aunt Petunia nodded slowly.  

            "Well, her sister was my grandmother.  I'm something like a long-lost second cousin."  Aunt Petunia's eyes widened.  She then stood up, as if startled.

            "You have her eyes," she whispered, before fleeing from the room.  

            "That was odd," said Harry, frowning.  Lenore nodded.  

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            Harry awoke on Christmas morning to Ron throwing a pillow at him.  "OY!  Harry!  It's Christmas!"  Harry sat up, yawning widely.  It was six in the morning, and still dark out.  Harry rolled his eyes and reached for his glasses.  He was surprised to see all of the presents on the end of his bed.  He began opening.  From Ron he received several big slabs of Honeydukes Chocolate.  From Hermione, he received a book, titled Hogwarts, A History.  There was a note attatched.

            Happy Christmas, Harry!  I thought it was about time you read Hogwarts, A History, as it's very interesting, and maybe you'd know some of the things you and Ron are constantly asking.  

Love from,

Hermione

            Harry rolled his eyes and continued.  From Charlie, there was a flying model of the Hungarian Horntail.  Tonks gave him a Wireless Wizarding World radio.  From Fred and George, there was a gift certificate to their store.  Bill and Fleur gave Harry a book on defensive spells.  Lupin gave him a chain with an emerald and ruby entwined together on the end.  The wearer would be blocked by the first Unforgivable Curse thrown at him after he put it on, but it only worked once, and it was very powerful.  Evelyn had given Harry another scrapbook, but mostly of his mother in Hogwarts.  Calista had given him a Foe glass, of all things, which, in truth, spooked Harry out quite a bit.  He put it into the bottom of the trunk.  From Lenore, there was a candle with sleeping fumes, for if he ever needed his enemy to fall asleep, and from Draco, there was a Laughter Potion, which would make the person who took it laugh uncontrollably for exactly an hour.  Ginny had given Harry some new Quidditch gloves and a Seeker's Guidebook, and lastly, Moody had given him his own Goblet, which had an anti-poison charm on it. 

            That day was the most fun Harry had had in a while, After a big dinner, everybody talked and hung out in the Great Room, upstairs.  There was mistletoe hanging in several places, and Harry and Ginny were caught under it more than once.  Finally, Fleur and Bill stood up, holding hands, and asked for everyone's attention.

            "We have an announcement to make, even though most of you have probably figured it out already," said Bill, grinning.

            "We're going to 'ave a baby," said Fleur, glowing with happiness.  Harry looked at Ron, shocked.  He nudged Ginny beside him. 

            "Did you know that?" he asked, in awe.  Ginny just giggled and asked him to dance.

A/N: Another pretty long chapter :-D Review!!!!