Author's Notes: I wanted to explore Harry's home-life with Sirius a little
in the upcoming chapters, I actually wanted to explore pretty much
everybody's day-to-day life a little. Hermione will have a larger role and
come to relate to Mira as a kind of "Adoptive Auntie". I gave the
Malfoy's plot a rest. Too many other holiday-related themes I wanted to
explore, there will be just that hint of underlying peril. As the danger
increases, Harry's role will increase as well. Sirius is going to make
mischief in the next chapter, and I really want to play around with that
character too. Professor Snape reaches a turning point in his life, he
will always remain "in character" for the most part, but he is ready to
spread his wings a little. Ron is going to have some regrets. They're not
going to push him farther into darkness, not now at least, probably not
ever in this story.
Thanks again to those who read and review.
Disclaimers: Nothing recognizable from the books and movies belongs to me.
Chapter 42: Settling in for the Holidays
Harry found a table inside the café. The outdoor seating area was deserted, and would remain that way throughout the remainder of the season. He ordered a cup of cocoa, and watched the people bustling by outside the window. He recognized a handful of students who lived close enough to Hogsmeade that their families simply met them at the station. Others were in town to do holiday shopping and would be bringing their children home with them when they were done. Harry was quite pleased that he would have regular access to Hogsmeade between school terms. Sirius was currently renting a cabin just outside the village, living off of his modest settlement for wrongful imprisonment, which was awarded him by the Ministry when he was cleared of all charges.
Many people still believed Sirius had something to do with the incident, and held a strong prejudice against him, even though the court had overturned his conviction. He had not yet taken a job, but was considering a lower level position within the Ministry of Magic. Arthur Weasley had pulled some strings to get the offer for him. It wasn't necessarily what he wanted to do with his life, but it was steady work. And he needed to think about his godson, and the young man's need for a steady and reliable authority figure in his life. The job was safe, albeit a little boring, and would pay more than enough to support himself and Harry in modest comfort. Arthur had told him to think on it, and give him an answer after Christmas. Sirius knew the answer already; he would be accepting the offer.
Harry looked up at the clock on the wall, fished some coins out of his pouch, laid them next to his empty cup, and headed back down the street to the station. He retrieved his trunk and other belongings from the office. No sooner had sat on a bench, when he saw Sirius walk onto the platform. He greeted Harry with a bear hug, and motioned for him to follow. Sirius had hired a small carriage to take them home. He strapped Harry's trunk to the luggage rack, and helped Harry situate Hedwig's cage on the floor between the benches. Sirius removed his wand, tapped the wall of the carriage and said: "Millwright's Cabin!"
The horseless carriage started to roll forward, and once out of the town proper, it pulled off the main road and proceeded down a narrow country lane. The two didn't speak much on the short ride. Harry watched the countryside go past outside the window. Every minute or so, they passed a wizarding home, tucked away in the countryside. This entire area surrounding the school and Hogsmeade was inhabited strictly by wizarding folk. To muggles not in touch with the wizarding world the entire area seemed to be barren, swampy, and overpoweringly creepy. The carriage passed over a small bridge, and came to rest in front of a little cabin situated next to an old dilapidated mill, complete with ancient water wheel.
"Welcome home Harry!"
Beaming, Harry bounced out of the carriage, while Sirius dropped a handful of coins in the fare-box. As soon as the trunk was unloaded, the carriage turned and headed back towards the village. Sirius levitated the trunk and directed it into the cabin, setting it to rest just inside the doorway of Harry's little room. Harry opened Hedwig's cage, to let her stretch her wings before coming inside. He deposited the cage on top of his trunk, and left it for later. He joined Sirius in the main room, where there was a small Christmas tree standing undecorated in the corner.
"I've never really had a Christmas tree Harry. I thought we could decorate it together."
"That would be brilliant, Sirius. I've never gotten to decorate a Christmas tree before. Aunt Petunia never would let me near her precious commemorative ornaments."
"Well, then Harry, we'll have a tree the likes of which even that horse faced old cow has never seen!"
Harry laughed, and sat down at one of the chairs at the little dining table, to look through a small stack of holiday greeting cards. The cabin was cozy, but small, and sparsely furnished. The main room had a large stonework fireplace for floo travel and warmth. On one wall was a kitchen area, which consisted of a small cast iron cook stove, a little pantry cabinet and cupboard, and a small sink basin and spigot. In the middle of the room sat a good-sized dining table and four chairs. On another wall was a small bookcase with a Wizarding Wireless device on top, flanked by two moth-eaten but comfortable upholstered chairs. Behind the main room were two small bedrooms, and a door leading to small bathroom. It was a wood beam building with a thatched roof. In days gone bye, the millwright and his family lived there. Sirius had chosen it because it was inexpensive, close to Hogwarts, and a little bit removed from the hustle and bustle of the village. Harry could practice flying without fear of being spotted by muggles, and there was the creek and surrounding countryside to explore.
Hermione was very frosty to Ron on the train ride back to London. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, told him she would owl him soon, and hurried to find her parents at the platform. She had made up her mind about the tutoring session as soon as the professor had asked. It would be a good thing to put on her application to Wizarding University. And, Mirabelle had seemed friendly to her that day in the shop. After she got home and unpacked her trunk, she took a moment to write the professor a note, accepting the tutoring assignment. Hermione rolled the scroll up, and set it aside, to be sent out the next day.
With all the students who were leaving away on their holidays, Professor Snape left his chambers to visit the headmaster. He found Dumbledore in his office, sorting through an enormous stack of gifts and Christmas cards. Snape told the old wizard about his idea of having Hermione Granger tutor Mira in basic wizarding skills. Dumbledore seemed to think it was a splendid idea.
"I don't think you could have chosen a better person for the job, Severus. They will be very good for each other. Mirabelle needs a patient tutor who shares her muggle world mindset, and Hermione needs an understanding ear to discuss things that young women generally don't want to discuss with their mothers or peers."
Snape started to leave, and stopped just inside the door.
"Oh, one more thing headmaster. I'll be in Diagon Alley for part of the day tomorrow. There's an important errand I need to run."
"I see. Might I inquire as to the purpose of your trip?"
"You might. But the answer is personal. There is something I wish to retrieve from my vault at Gringott's Bank. I shall be leaving at ten and will be back on the school grounds by two."
"Very well. My intention was not to pry, I was merely curious. Take all the time you need. You really have no obligations with the school until the Twelfth Night ball. Except the nights that it's your turn to patrol the corridors that is."
The professor nodded curtly at the headmaster and returned to his chambers. He dashed off a quick note to Mira, letting her know that he had possibly found a tutor for her, and that he would be running an errand in Diagon Alley the next morning. If she could get away from the shop, he would love to meet her for lunch in the Leaky Cauldron, at noon. She needn't reply to the message, if he didn't see her by a quarter after noon, then he would assume she couldn't get away from the shop and he would stop in on his way back to the school. Snape summoned a house elf, and handed over the scroll to be taken to the owlery and dispatched immediately.
He decided to dive right in with a project he had been looking forward to all term. There was a particularly noxious distillation of marsh willow pods that he wanted to add to his personal supply stores. A very powerful irritant, marsh willow pod distillate was used as the magical form of pepper gas. It wouldn't be a bad idea to keep a cask of it around in case his gut feeling was correct. But, it was not something that should be brewed around the students. Even the vapors emitted during the distillation process could be quite sickening to somebody with a lesser tolerance. Having spent so many years in such close proximity to potions fumes, and being exposed to multitudes of potion mishaps, the professor had developed an incredible tolerance to noxious fumes and vapors. Some of the other professors joked that he rarely came up out of the dungeons because he quite simply could no longer breathe clean fresh air. Dumbledore was the only other faculty member who regularly visited him in the potions wing of the dungeons. And even he, at times, exhibited discomfort.
Ron and Ginny arrived back at the Burrow, and got situated in their rooms. Percy had taken an apartment above a shop in Diagon Alley, as he was frequently "on call" with his job at the Ministry. Fred and George still lived at home, but were spending most of their time on the joke and novelty business they had started the summer before their final year at Hogwarts. In Percy's old room, they had a small office; and they kept a small warehouse of items as well as a product development workshop in the large shed by the garden. They had used the attic for storage until a batch of exploding fake coins went off unexpectedly and frightened their mother out of her wits. After that incident, NO joke items were allowed in the house.
As soon as her trunk was unpacked, Ginny went to Ron's room to confront him about the gift he bought Hermione.
"Ron, everybody's talking about those hair combs. Did you really spend all your money from your job on them?"
"What if I did, Ginny? Or are you just jealous because nobody gave you any special gifts at the feast?"
"Well, I just thought you should know, people are saying some unkind things about Hermione. About how that's not a gift that a boyfriend gives to a girlfriend unless they're really serious. As in physically serious Ron. Now, I know Hermione well enough to know that it's not true, but they're talking anyway."
"So, let them talk. They're just jealous, that's all. Everybody knows Hermione's a good girl. I wouldn't fancy her if she weren't. You know how some muggle girls are, but Hermione's not like that at all."
"Okay Ron. Sorry I brought it up. I just thought you'd want to know that people were talking about her and that gift; and some of the things they said were very mean."
"Chin up Ginny. I didn't spend all my money on those combs. In fact, I had enough left over to get something for all of you. So, just put it out of your mind, and please don't tell Mum, you know how she is about spending money instead of saving it for a rainy day."
Ron tousled Ginny's hair and gave her a push out of his room. He shut the door, and sat back on his bed, thinking about what he had done. He knew it was wrong to steal the potion ingredients, but it was only a little bit, and just how much trouble could it have caused? And besides, Snape deserved it for being such a smarmy prick to all the Gryffindors. He shrugged it off, and went up to Fred and George's office, to see how their business was coming and to try and beg samples of new items they'd been working on while he was away at school.
The Hogwarts School owl arrived at the tailor shop and rested on Swiftfeather's perch as Mira untied the message from its leg. She sent her helper, Maddie, to fetch some water for it from the back room. The owl took a drink of water, gave an appreciative hoot, and flew right back out the window. Mira recognized the seal, and opened it immediately. She asked Maddie if she could handle the shop on her own for a few hours, as she had a lunch date the next day. Maddie said "no problem", and Mira stashed the scroll in her robe pocket. She hadn't been into Diagon Alley in quite a while. It'd be nice to get out of Hogsmeade for a few hours.
In the Millwright's cabin, Harry and Sirius shared a simple pot of stew for supper, and sat and listened to the Wizarding Wireless for a little while before bed. Sirius told Harry to get on to sleep, as they would be taking a trip to Diagon Alley the next day to buy Christmas decorations for the tree as well as a box of cards. Sirius hadn't expected to be receiving any, and he was unprepared to reciprocate.
Back at Hogwarts, the professor dimmed the fire under his distilling flasks, and cast a protective charm around the whole apparatus. If something happened overnight, and there was an accident, the fumes and debris would be contained to a small area. He sat in front of the fireplace in his chambers and contemplated his trip to Diagon Alley the next morning. When he felt his eyelids grow heavy, he pulled himself from his chair and went to bed.
Thanks again to those who read and review.
Disclaimers: Nothing recognizable from the books and movies belongs to me.
Chapter 42: Settling in for the Holidays
Harry found a table inside the café. The outdoor seating area was deserted, and would remain that way throughout the remainder of the season. He ordered a cup of cocoa, and watched the people bustling by outside the window. He recognized a handful of students who lived close enough to Hogsmeade that their families simply met them at the station. Others were in town to do holiday shopping and would be bringing their children home with them when they were done. Harry was quite pleased that he would have regular access to Hogsmeade between school terms. Sirius was currently renting a cabin just outside the village, living off of his modest settlement for wrongful imprisonment, which was awarded him by the Ministry when he was cleared of all charges.
Many people still believed Sirius had something to do with the incident, and held a strong prejudice against him, even though the court had overturned his conviction. He had not yet taken a job, but was considering a lower level position within the Ministry of Magic. Arthur Weasley had pulled some strings to get the offer for him. It wasn't necessarily what he wanted to do with his life, but it was steady work. And he needed to think about his godson, and the young man's need for a steady and reliable authority figure in his life. The job was safe, albeit a little boring, and would pay more than enough to support himself and Harry in modest comfort. Arthur had told him to think on it, and give him an answer after Christmas. Sirius knew the answer already; he would be accepting the offer.
Harry looked up at the clock on the wall, fished some coins out of his pouch, laid them next to his empty cup, and headed back down the street to the station. He retrieved his trunk and other belongings from the office. No sooner had sat on a bench, when he saw Sirius walk onto the platform. He greeted Harry with a bear hug, and motioned for him to follow. Sirius had hired a small carriage to take them home. He strapped Harry's trunk to the luggage rack, and helped Harry situate Hedwig's cage on the floor between the benches. Sirius removed his wand, tapped the wall of the carriage and said: "Millwright's Cabin!"
The horseless carriage started to roll forward, and once out of the town proper, it pulled off the main road and proceeded down a narrow country lane. The two didn't speak much on the short ride. Harry watched the countryside go past outside the window. Every minute or so, they passed a wizarding home, tucked away in the countryside. This entire area surrounding the school and Hogsmeade was inhabited strictly by wizarding folk. To muggles not in touch with the wizarding world the entire area seemed to be barren, swampy, and overpoweringly creepy. The carriage passed over a small bridge, and came to rest in front of a little cabin situated next to an old dilapidated mill, complete with ancient water wheel.
"Welcome home Harry!"
Beaming, Harry bounced out of the carriage, while Sirius dropped a handful of coins in the fare-box. As soon as the trunk was unloaded, the carriage turned and headed back towards the village. Sirius levitated the trunk and directed it into the cabin, setting it to rest just inside the doorway of Harry's little room. Harry opened Hedwig's cage, to let her stretch her wings before coming inside. He deposited the cage on top of his trunk, and left it for later. He joined Sirius in the main room, where there was a small Christmas tree standing undecorated in the corner.
"I've never really had a Christmas tree Harry. I thought we could decorate it together."
"That would be brilliant, Sirius. I've never gotten to decorate a Christmas tree before. Aunt Petunia never would let me near her precious commemorative ornaments."
"Well, then Harry, we'll have a tree the likes of which even that horse faced old cow has never seen!"
Harry laughed, and sat down at one of the chairs at the little dining table, to look through a small stack of holiday greeting cards. The cabin was cozy, but small, and sparsely furnished. The main room had a large stonework fireplace for floo travel and warmth. On one wall was a kitchen area, which consisted of a small cast iron cook stove, a little pantry cabinet and cupboard, and a small sink basin and spigot. In the middle of the room sat a good-sized dining table and four chairs. On another wall was a small bookcase with a Wizarding Wireless device on top, flanked by two moth-eaten but comfortable upholstered chairs. Behind the main room were two small bedrooms, and a door leading to small bathroom. It was a wood beam building with a thatched roof. In days gone bye, the millwright and his family lived there. Sirius had chosen it because it was inexpensive, close to Hogwarts, and a little bit removed from the hustle and bustle of the village. Harry could practice flying without fear of being spotted by muggles, and there was the creek and surrounding countryside to explore.
Hermione was very frosty to Ron on the train ride back to London. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, told him she would owl him soon, and hurried to find her parents at the platform. She had made up her mind about the tutoring session as soon as the professor had asked. It would be a good thing to put on her application to Wizarding University. And, Mirabelle had seemed friendly to her that day in the shop. After she got home and unpacked her trunk, she took a moment to write the professor a note, accepting the tutoring assignment. Hermione rolled the scroll up, and set it aside, to be sent out the next day.
With all the students who were leaving away on their holidays, Professor Snape left his chambers to visit the headmaster. He found Dumbledore in his office, sorting through an enormous stack of gifts and Christmas cards. Snape told the old wizard about his idea of having Hermione Granger tutor Mira in basic wizarding skills. Dumbledore seemed to think it was a splendid idea.
"I don't think you could have chosen a better person for the job, Severus. They will be very good for each other. Mirabelle needs a patient tutor who shares her muggle world mindset, and Hermione needs an understanding ear to discuss things that young women generally don't want to discuss with their mothers or peers."
Snape started to leave, and stopped just inside the door.
"Oh, one more thing headmaster. I'll be in Diagon Alley for part of the day tomorrow. There's an important errand I need to run."
"I see. Might I inquire as to the purpose of your trip?"
"You might. But the answer is personal. There is something I wish to retrieve from my vault at Gringott's Bank. I shall be leaving at ten and will be back on the school grounds by two."
"Very well. My intention was not to pry, I was merely curious. Take all the time you need. You really have no obligations with the school until the Twelfth Night ball. Except the nights that it's your turn to patrol the corridors that is."
The professor nodded curtly at the headmaster and returned to his chambers. He dashed off a quick note to Mira, letting her know that he had possibly found a tutor for her, and that he would be running an errand in Diagon Alley the next morning. If she could get away from the shop, he would love to meet her for lunch in the Leaky Cauldron, at noon. She needn't reply to the message, if he didn't see her by a quarter after noon, then he would assume she couldn't get away from the shop and he would stop in on his way back to the school. Snape summoned a house elf, and handed over the scroll to be taken to the owlery and dispatched immediately.
He decided to dive right in with a project he had been looking forward to all term. There was a particularly noxious distillation of marsh willow pods that he wanted to add to his personal supply stores. A very powerful irritant, marsh willow pod distillate was used as the magical form of pepper gas. It wouldn't be a bad idea to keep a cask of it around in case his gut feeling was correct. But, it was not something that should be brewed around the students. Even the vapors emitted during the distillation process could be quite sickening to somebody with a lesser tolerance. Having spent so many years in such close proximity to potions fumes, and being exposed to multitudes of potion mishaps, the professor had developed an incredible tolerance to noxious fumes and vapors. Some of the other professors joked that he rarely came up out of the dungeons because he quite simply could no longer breathe clean fresh air. Dumbledore was the only other faculty member who regularly visited him in the potions wing of the dungeons. And even he, at times, exhibited discomfort.
Ron and Ginny arrived back at the Burrow, and got situated in their rooms. Percy had taken an apartment above a shop in Diagon Alley, as he was frequently "on call" with his job at the Ministry. Fred and George still lived at home, but were spending most of their time on the joke and novelty business they had started the summer before their final year at Hogwarts. In Percy's old room, they had a small office; and they kept a small warehouse of items as well as a product development workshop in the large shed by the garden. They had used the attic for storage until a batch of exploding fake coins went off unexpectedly and frightened their mother out of her wits. After that incident, NO joke items were allowed in the house.
As soon as her trunk was unpacked, Ginny went to Ron's room to confront him about the gift he bought Hermione.
"Ron, everybody's talking about those hair combs. Did you really spend all your money from your job on them?"
"What if I did, Ginny? Or are you just jealous because nobody gave you any special gifts at the feast?"
"Well, I just thought you should know, people are saying some unkind things about Hermione. About how that's not a gift that a boyfriend gives to a girlfriend unless they're really serious. As in physically serious Ron. Now, I know Hermione well enough to know that it's not true, but they're talking anyway."
"So, let them talk. They're just jealous, that's all. Everybody knows Hermione's a good girl. I wouldn't fancy her if she weren't. You know how some muggle girls are, but Hermione's not like that at all."
"Okay Ron. Sorry I brought it up. I just thought you'd want to know that people were talking about her and that gift; and some of the things they said were very mean."
"Chin up Ginny. I didn't spend all my money on those combs. In fact, I had enough left over to get something for all of you. So, just put it out of your mind, and please don't tell Mum, you know how she is about spending money instead of saving it for a rainy day."
Ron tousled Ginny's hair and gave her a push out of his room. He shut the door, and sat back on his bed, thinking about what he had done. He knew it was wrong to steal the potion ingredients, but it was only a little bit, and just how much trouble could it have caused? And besides, Snape deserved it for being such a smarmy prick to all the Gryffindors. He shrugged it off, and went up to Fred and George's office, to see how their business was coming and to try and beg samples of new items they'd been working on while he was away at school.
The Hogwarts School owl arrived at the tailor shop and rested on Swiftfeather's perch as Mira untied the message from its leg. She sent her helper, Maddie, to fetch some water for it from the back room. The owl took a drink of water, gave an appreciative hoot, and flew right back out the window. Mira recognized the seal, and opened it immediately. She asked Maddie if she could handle the shop on her own for a few hours, as she had a lunch date the next day. Maddie said "no problem", and Mira stashed the scroll in her robe pocket. She hadn't been into Diagon Alley in quite a while. It'd be nice to get out of Hogsmeade for a few hours.
In the Millwright's cabin, Harry and Sirius shared a simple pot of stew for supper, and sat and listened to the Wizarding Wireless for a little while before bed. Sirius told Harry to get on to sleep, as they would be taking a trip to Diagon Alley the next day to buy Christmas decorations for the tree as well as a box of cards. Sirius hadn't expected to be receiving any, and he was unprepared to reciprocate.
Back at Hogwarts, the professor dimmed the fire under his distilling flasks, and cast a protective charm around the whole apparatus. If something happened overnight, and there was an accident, the fumes and debris would be contained to a small area. He sat in front of the fireplace in his chambers and contemplated his trip to Diagon Alley the next morning. When he felt his eyelids grow heavy, he pulled himself from his chair and went to bed.