Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

Chapter 23: An Unforgettable Christmas

After three courses of Mrs. Weasley's excellent cooking, Harry dragged himself into the living room where a makeshift Christmas tree had been erected. The tree was much too big for the Weasley's small house and Harry smiled as he saw the way the ceiling slanted to make room for the tree. The Burrow was a unique house that fit the Weasleys in every way.

"Did you want any dessert Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked from the kitchen.

Harry groaned in response and threw himself down on the couch, holding his stomach.

Ginny tutted softly and sat down on the couch next to Harry. Ginny pulled Harry's head into her lap and began to absent-mindedly play with his hair.

"I told you not to have that last dish Harry. Now look and see what you have done. We'll have to wait another hour for you to be able to move again before we can open presents."

Fred and George looked horrified at the thought of waiting another hour to open gifts. As soon as the look had come, it had gone and was replaced by identical evil grins.

"Another hour! We can't wait that long! What do you think George? Should we try it on him?"

"Might as well, I think we got all of the bugs worked out with that last experiment."

Harry looked back and forth at the twins in alarm. George put a hand on Harry's shoulder and replied easily.

"Harry old chap, do we have something for you. It's something new we've been working on."

"Stomach Shrinking Sweets Tarts," Fred replied happily.

"Stomach Shrinking Sweets Tarts? Not sure I like the sound of this," Harry replied uneasily.

"Nothing to worry about Harry, we perfected them just last week. They're really just a modification of our favorite Muggle candy. They work great; no one ever suspects a thing. If you eat one right before breakfast, you won't be able to eat a bite for the rest of the day."

"And if you've already eaten? What happens then?"

Fred and George looked at one another. "Well, we're not exactly sure. It might make you feel a lot better you know," Fred said hesitantly.

"And the alternative?"

"Well, there's nowhere for the food to go but up," George replied cheerily.

"Either way, you'll be ready for presents," Fred said with a smile.

George eagerly pulled out a small candy wrapped in blue and held it out to Harry.

Harry grimaced and pushed George's hand away from him. "No thanks guys, I think I'll be okay—feeling much better now of course."

As if trying to prove his point, Harry jumped up and started doing pushups in the middle of the living room.

"Old bloke's too smart George. No one has been stupid enough to test these things for us."

"Where are first years when you need them?" George said with a smile.

"You know—I'm really glad—I wasn't ever—stupid enough—to try anything—you guys—gave me—my first year," Harry said in between pushups.

"Ah Harry, forgotten already have we?"

"You don't remember that awful rash you got right before Easter holidays?" George asked evilly.

Harry's mouth dropped open and he quickly jumped up off the ground. "You mean that was you guys? I had to put up with that thing for a bloody month! The damn thing wouldn't go away and it made Quidditch near unbearable."

"You didn't ever wonder where you got that from Harry?" Fred asked innocently.

"I thought I got it from Ron, he got it just a few days before I…that was you too wasn't it?"

"That's right Harry, Ron wasn't contagious at all. Let's just say that you two didn't pay too much attention to what you ate during breakfast."

Ginny was overcome by a fit of giggles as Harry let out a loud groan. Harry looked up from where he was standing and let a smile cross his face.

"And just what are you laughing at missy? I seem to recall someone complaining about a terrible rash the summer before your first year."

A look of shock settled on Ginny's face that was quickly replaced by a scowl as she looked crossly at Fred and George. Ginny rose from the couch and advanced menacingly towards the twins. Harry laughed and sat back down on the couch, ready to watch the fireworks.

Harry's laugh seemed to bring Ginny back to her senses. Ginny looked back at Harry's smiling face and felt her knees go weak. Harry followed up the smile with a pleading look while patting the couch where she had been sitting.

"Why does he have to look so cute when he begs? He knows that can get whatever he wants. And I was looking forward to yelling at those two gits."

"Bloody gits," Ginny said simply as she turned around and settled herself next to Harry again.

Fred and George's jaws dropped as they watched Ginny's happy expression as Harry wrapped his arms around her. Harry looked surprised too, yet was extremely gratified that he had Ginny in his arms once again.

"Nice to see that you've got a leash on her Harry," George said smiling.

"We've been trying to find a way to do that for years," Fred said with a smirk.

"Don't push it," Ginny growled from the couch.

Fred and George's smiles widened, but they thankfully remained silent. Ginny shut her eyes relishing the feeling of Harry's strong arms holding her tight. When she was with Harry, nothing else ever seemed to matter and Ginny loved moments like this when she could forget about school, the war, and the rest of the world. It was just her and Harry.

"Is it time for presents then?" a very old and amused voice asked.

Just her, Harry, and Dumbledore.

Harry tensed up and Ginny's eyes flew open as they realized the intimate position they were in. Ginny tried to jump up and remove herself from Harry when Dumbledore's gentle but firm hand landed on her shoulder.

"Don't get up just for an old man Ginny," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. "You looked quite comfortable as you were."

Ginny uncertainly sat back down and looked hesitantly at Dumbledore. As she was about to get up and move for fear of offending her Headmaster in any way, a pair of arms seized her around the waist and pulled her tight. Ginny felt a soft tingle on the back of her neck and nearly lost it as Harry kept lightly kissing her all across her shoulders.

"Harry!" Ginny whispered, trying not to make a scene. Ginny made a discreet gesture to where Dumbledore was sitting quietly. Ginny knew that Dumbledore wasn't blatantly staring at them, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he was still watching them.

"Oh, don't worry about that old man. He doesn't concern himself with the activities of us 'youngsters.'"

Dumbledore let out an amused chuckle and turned to Fred and George, giving Harry and Ginny the privacy they wanted. Harry gave Ginny a quick kiss and a smile.

"And that's just a down payment. You'll get the rest later on."

"I'll be looking forward to collecting then, Mr. Potter," Ginny said with a smile as she comfortably arranged herself on Harry's lap. Harry gave her shoulder another kiss, before wrapping his arms around her stomach, sighing contentedly.

Not too long afterwards, the rest of the Weasley family entered the living room. Mrs. Weasley looked delighted to see Harry and Ginny so happy together, but Bill's reaction was far less enthusiastic.

Bill's eyes widened in shock and Harry tensed up, waiting for the inevitable explosion. He didn't have to wait long.

"Alright Ginny, I'm not going to argue with the fact that Harry is an excellent choice for a boyfriend, but this is going too far. I mean you're practically…"

Bill left off, leaving everyone's imaginations to answer the unfinished statement. Charlie started to scowl while Fred and George got identical grins on their faces. Mr. Weasley paled a bit and even Mrs. Weasley looked suspiciously at Harry and Ginny. The only people who seemed unperturbed by Bill's statement were Hermione, Remus, and Albus. Hermione and Remus knew the truth of course, and Harry seriously doubted whether Albus ever didn't know everything that was going on.

Ginny flushed a deep red and, as she responded, her voice was a deep grumble that seemed to challenge Bill to even think about getting in a fight with her. "We're practically what Bill Weasley? What exactly are you implying that I am? Are you suggesting that I am some sort of scarlet woman? Because if you are I would certainly like to set the record straight."

Bill seemed to pale under Ginny's cold stare and found it difficult to look her in the eyes as he responded. "You know I don't think that Gin. I trust you completely. It's him that I don't trust," Bill said pointing a accusatory finger at Harry.

The whole room seemed to explode with the heavy barrage of comments flowing in from all directions.

"Harry? I can't believe that you'd think…"

"Bill Weasley! Why can't you just accept the fact…"

"Bill, calm down and think this over rationally…"

"What the bloody hell are you thinking mate?"

It was Harry's voice that broke through the chaos ensuing from Bill's comment.

"Bill, is that what you truly think of me? Do you honestly believe that I can't control myself? That I bring out the worst in Ginny?"

Harry voice echoed through the room, much colder and darker than anyone had ever heard it. Everyone suddenly realized how much Harry had changed since Ron's death and began to understand the actual stress Harry was under. Since Harry had told them about the prophecy, everyone had felt sorry for the young man and thought they understood how great his burden was, but they couldn't even fathom half of it. They couldn't see how you wondered if each day would be your last; how each death that occurred since Harry had first learned about the prophecy was his fault for not acting sooner; they couldn't see the constant struggle that Harry was going through. Harry wanted so much to just isolate himself from everyone else; he was tired of having people die because of him and wanted to protect those who he loved the most. Harry had been so close to leaving many times before, but only one thing had kept him from leaving; the same reason that was keeping him from leaving tonight.

"Ginny means more to me than you could ever know. She has been the one thing that has been constant in my life and has been what kept me alive for the past two years. Would you really take away the one thing that will affect the outcome of this war? Do you really want to allow Voldemort to win this war without a struggle? Because if you do; I can leave right now."

Harry's eyes blazed and fury was etched on every line of Harry's face. If Bill had looked pale underneath Ginny's gaze, he looked downright petrified now. Bill finally began to understand the pressure Harry was under.

"It's amazing that he hasn't cracked already. I would have given up hope a long time ago, and I'm sure I barely understand an inkling of what Harry is actually feeling. Here Harry is trying to enjoy Christmas, one of the few times he actually gets to relax, like any regular person would want to. Who am I to try and take this away from him? I owe him so much already and I'm the one being selfish here. What kind of person am I?"

Bill opened his mouth to apologize when Harry suddenly spoke up.

"Bill, I'm sorry. That was completely uncalled for. I had no reason to get as angry as I did. I hope you can forgive me for my outburst."

Bill felt his jaw drop and he stared at Harry in awe.

"How can he…He has no need to…I was the one who started all of this. It was me that wronged him and here he is asking for forgiveness for an outburst that was well warranted. Damn this kid is amazing. I can't believe he's so bloody unselfish and I was trying to take away the one thing in life that he actually asked for. This is unbelievable. Everyone says that the world we live in is a dark one; a world where no one really cares about anyone else anymore. Looking at our world today, I can actually see where they're coming from. Very few people give a damn about anyone else anymore. But it's people like Harry that help me see the truth. There are selfless, sacrificing people in this world; people who give up the things they want most in life to secure the happiness of others. And it's people like me that try and take away the little happiness that these people have in their lives. Damn I feel like an idiot."

"Harry…" Bill began, searching for the words to convey how sorry he really was.

"Bill, wait…I have something I need to say."

Harry took a deep breath and let his gaze travel across the people scattered across the room. The lines on Harry's face softened and Harry spoke again softly. "I love you all. You have been the family that I never had, and have brought me closer to understanding what it is like to have a family that loves you than I ever even dreamed of. I won't say that I don't miss my Mum and Dad, or Sirius and Hagrid, but I couldn't have asked for a more loving family than what you have provided for me. That's why I wanted to leave so much; to protect you all. Ron and Sirius have already died to protect me and I don't want someone else to have to make that same sacrifice. My decision to leave would be foolhardy of course, and would most likely result in my death, but at least I know that my family would be safe."

Harry turned and looked directly at Bill before continuing. "Bill, I can understand your anger and your worry, but I am hurt by your lack of trust. I think of you as an older brother, a brother that I have grown up with ever since I was born, and I thought that you knew me better than what you are implying. If I deserve your trust at all, I need to know. I need your help in defeating Voldemort, I can't do it alone."

Harry let his gaze settle on each member of his family. "I need all of your help and support. You know the burden I carry and I need help carrying it. It's becoming too much for me alone and I can feel it tearing me apart as I struggle under its weight. Alone, I can accomplish nothing, but with my family at my side, I stand a chance at defeating Voldemort."

Harry stopped and looked down at his feet. He wasn't used to pouring out his heart and found it more than a little embarrassing to be voicing what he had just told them. Silence reigned throughout the room and Harry wondered if he had done something wrong.

"Hell, I knew I shouldn't have told them. Harry you idiot, look at what you've done."

Harry looked up and was about to apologize when he saw the looks on everyone's faces.

Fred and George were remarkably quiet and each had looks of disbelief and respect on their faces. Bill and Charlie were both staring at their feet, embarrassed that they had ever even doubted Harry in the first place. Ginny, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley were all wiping away the tears that were streaming down their faces, and Mr. Weasley looked as if he might break down and cry too. Remus let loose a quiet sniffle and dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief.

Harry's gaze traveled to Dumbledore and he watched as the old man gingerly wiped away the single tear that was running down his cheek. Dumbledore's eyes sparkled with an intensity that Harry had never seen before and how proud Albus was of Harry seemed to pour from every pore of the old man's body. Harry gave Albus a smile that showed how much he appreciated everything Albus had done for him before turning back to Bill.

"Bill, I didn't mean to make you feel bad or anything. Sorry if I…"

Ginny cupped a hand over Harry's mouth and George cried out loud, "Stop apologizing for being such a perfect person you bloody git!"

The tension in the room suddenly disappeared as everyone laughed. Once the room quieted down a bit, Bill spoke seriously, "No apology needed Harry. Sorry it took me so long to realize how much you have already done for us and this war isn't even close to over yet. I think I speak for all of us in saying that you have our full support in all that you do and that we love you just as much as you love us."

Harry looked around the room and saw everyone nodding in agreement to Bill's statement. Tears now glistened in Harry's own eyes and he felt Ginny take his hand.

"Thanks guys, you really don't know what that means to me. I…I…"

Harry gave up trying to find the words and simply smiled. After a few moments Fred suddenly cried out.

"Alright Harry enough stalling. It's time for presents!"

The entire room burst into laughter and Ginny and Hermione got up to sort out all of the gifts.

"This is great Harry!"

Harry smiled as he looked over to where Hermione was holding the book he had gotten her.

"Death Eaters and Dementors: A Guide to Defending Yourself in the Darkest of Times," Hermione read out loud. "This is going to be great," Hermione repeated as if the first time wasn't enough. "There are loads of new spells for me to learn in here."

Hermione eagerly opened the book and started reading, her eyes rapidly flying across the pages. Harry bit back a laugh and shook his head in disbelief before a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind.

Harry smiled as he heard Mrs. Weasley's kind voice, thanking him for the pie and recipe books.

"You shouldn't have Harry, there was no need."

Harry grinned, "I take it you like them then."

Mrs. Wesley gave him a motherly smile and was about to respond when a loud cry of ecstasy came from the corner of the room.

Harry looked to where Mr. Weasley was sitting and saw the man jumping up and down in excitement while looking at the book Harry had got him.

"Oh good lord, the things that Muggles come up with. It's amazing that they can get something that big off of the ground. What's it called? An areoplane? I'll have to speak with Perkins about this."

"Oh good god, look at the man," Mrs. Weasley said shaking her head. "He's going to be collecting fire hydrants and televisions next."

"Sorry about that Mrs. Weasley," Harry said with a sheepish smile.

"Oh don't worry about that Harry. Arthur's happy and that's what matters to me. I think you can see from his reaction that he enjoys his gift very much, though I doubt he'll remember to thank you properly until tomorrow at the earliest."

Remus called out Harry's name and Harry turned to see him modeling his new robes.

"What do you think Harry? Are all of the witches just going to go wild when they see me?" Remus said with a smile.

"Remus they're after you already, you just refuse to see the truth."

"Ah, ignorance is bliss Harry. Ignorance is bliss."

Harry laughed and allowed Remus to pull him into a tight hug.

Dumbledore gave a large and hearty laugh as he opened Harry's gift. Inside the large box were hundreds of socks that were all sorted according to color and pattern. Harry walked over to where the headmaster was sitting and gave him a smile.

"I seem to recall you mentioning the need for socks my first year."

Dumbledore grinned, "Yes Harry, you can never have too many socks."

Dumbledore wrapped his arms around Harry and pulled the young man tightly to him. Harry truly was an amazing young man and Dumbledore hoped that Harry would still be the same man he had been when this terrible war finally ended.

Albus reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin package. "I don't believe you've gotten your gift from me yet."

Harry gingerly took the package and tore the paper off. The package seemed to glow and Harry slowly opened the box. A bright light flew out of the package but soon disappeared. Harry looked into the box and saw two beautiful wands sitting inside.

"Ten and a quarter inches made of willow and a mahogany eleven inches long," Albus said plainly.

Harry stared at the wands and hesitantly reached for the mahogany wand. "Is this…are these…"

"Yes Harry," Dumbledore replied. "These were James and Lily's wands before Voldemort killed them. I have kept them safe all of these years, and now I give them to you."

Harry's hand closed around the mahogany wand and he felt a jolt of electricity fly up his arm.

"I can't say I've ever heard of that happening with a wand before."

Harry tried picking up his mother's wand and found that the same thing happened.

"I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm sure that Albus is trying to tell me something."

Harry was sorely tempted to simply ask Albus what the secret was, but quelled the thought, knowing that Albus would never simply tell Harry the answer. Answers were meant to be discovered, and no good has ever come of someone telling you the answer to a secret.

Dumbledore's smile widened as he realized Harry had once again learned another lesson from him. Albus wanted very much to tell Harry the significance of the wands, and knew that the fate of the world might rest within that knowledge, but knew that it was a secret Harry would have to discover on his own.

"Happy Christmas Harry."

"Happy Christmas Albus."

Suddenly another cry of ecstasy erupted, this time from the other end of the room.

"Wicked! Thanks Harry," Fred and George cried out as they opened their gift. The two troublemakers sorted through the items Harry had been able to procure for their "less than perfect" activities. With each new item, one of the twins would let out a gasp and would whisper excitedly to the other. Harry had no doubt that a new wave of black market jokes was already on its way to Hogwarts.

"Oh wow, that's really rare! How did you manage to get a hold of one of these Harry?"

Harry smiled as George held up a small vial that had a puddle of green at the bottom. The Bundimun had been pretty difficult to find, but Harry had spared no expense on this Christmas. Ron's death had shown Harry that you never knew when the last time you would see someone again, and Harry had wanted this Christmas to be memorable.

"Around," Harry said while shrugging his shoulders. "The vial has an Imperturbable charm on the inside to keep the secretions from dissolving the vial. Make sure you keep it in there or your joke store will be out of business really fast."

Fred and George gave Harry identical grins and thrust a small box out to him.

"Here's yours Harry. We couldn't trust putting it under the tree; it's much too confidential."

Harry grinned and quickly tore the paper off of the package. Inside was a small box, a box that resembled the jewelry boxes Harry had seen in Joselynn's. Harry opened it up to see a small, plain ring inside.

"I hope this isn't an engagement ring guys, because I can assure you that I'm already taken."

Fred and George smiled and Fred quickly replied, "No, no Harry; no worries there. I have Angelina and George has…well, that's classified information right now, but I can assure you that it isn't you."

George grinned, "That's damn right Potter. Get your head out of the clouds. No, this is something much more important than you believe it to be. A new invention Fred and I have just perfected."

Harry looked at the ring warily and replied uneasily, "I'm not sure I want to use any of your inventions. The last time that happened…"

Harry left off and the twins cackled gleefully.

"Ah yes, that was a great one; but no worries here Harry. Fred, if you would do the honors."

Fred pulled a single hair from his head and put it next to the ring while pulling out his wand.

"Bindus."

"We made the spell easy to remember. You shouldn't have any trouble with it."

Fred held the ring out to Harry and smiled. "Well, put it on then. Let's see how it worked."

Harry slowly slid the ring on his finger and waited for some explosion to happen. When nothing did, Harry looked around trying to figure out what went wrong.

At the same time, Mrs. Weasley cried out while Fred and George whooped in happiness.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

Harry suddenly clutched his throat as he heard a voice that was not his own emerge from his mouth. Harry quickly tried to place whose voice he had spoken in.

"I always knew that I was a handsome bloke," Fred said while holding out a mirror he had conjured. Harry looked in the mirror and saw a young man with brilliant red hair looking back at him.

"I'm—I'm you…But how?"

"Our newest invention Harry. Now that we know it works, we'll start making more for the rest of the Order."

"That's quite some accomplishment Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said at a rare loss for words.

"Yes, quite. I can't wait to see what we can do with these things," Remus said excitedly.

"Well, we did have a little help—" George began.

A loud humph echoed from the back of the room and Fred cleared his throat.

"Okay, a lot of help. Hermione can be pretty helpful when she wants to."

Dumbledore looked at Hermione questioningly. "How exactly does it work Miss Granger?"

"Well, Fred and George had already worked out most of the image changing charm by themselves. I just tied up the loose ends on that one. It's comprised of many different spells that work together to kind of 'overwrite' what other people see. Rather than trying to layer the hundreds of spells that would be needed to seamlessly alter your actual appearance, the ring itself actually affects everyone else, rather than the wearer. The ring alters what everyone else sees while also functioning as a voice modifier that is coded to the DNA that is in the genetic material that is binded to the ring. It can be hair, skin, fingernail, whatever—every cell in your body has the information needed to replicate the voice. Altering the voice was what I worked on the most. The ring basically functions like Polyjuice, only it modifies your voice, has an unlimited duration, and does everything without the painful transformation."

Remus winced, "Yes, I can see the advantages of that."

Dumbledore smiled sympathetically and patted Remus on the shoulder before turning back to Hermione. "Are there any limitations to the ring?"

Hermione smiled, "I'm glad you asked that. The range of the ring is around ten meters in all directions. We tried pushing the range back further, but after ten meters it gets pretty unstable. We decided it was safer for someone to recognize you at a distance, but be unable to find you when they were up close, rather than have the charm only work halfway and face the possibility of someone figuring out what was happening."

Dumbledore nodded, "Still, it is an amazing accomplishment for someone so young. Congratulations to you Miss Granger and you two as well," Dumbledore said while nodding at Fred and George.

Harry smiled let out a gleeful cackle. "Now I can go streaking through the streets of London as Fred Weasley!"

Everyone laughed and George replied, "The problem is Harry, is that anyone who actually knew Fred wouldn't find it all that strange."

Harry laughed loudly and realized that the ring was still working. "Uh guys? Exactly how am I supposed to change back to normal?"

"Easy," Fred said with a grin. "Releashious."

Harry watched as a small red hair slowly floated to the ground. Harry felt Ginny's hand slide into his own and he turned around to give her a smile.

"Much better, I was beginning to get worried that I might be dating my brother for the rest of my life," Ginny said with a lopsided grin.

"That might get a bit strange. And besides, I wouldn't be able to get my gift from you if I were Fred."

Ginny smiled and checked no make sure no one was watching before giving him a quick kiss.

"Speaking of gifts, I haven't seen you open yours yet Miss Weasley."

"Nor do I see you with your gift Mr. Potter."

"Shall we rectify the situation?"

"Let's," Ginny said with a smile.

Harry motioned for Ginny to open her gift first. Ginny eagerly tore into the package and pulled a small box from all of the wrapping paper. Ginny slowly opened the lid of the box and let out a gasp.

"Harry…Oh Harry…it's…it's…"

"Great? Amazing? Given by an unbelievably attractive young man who is our world's last hope?"

Ginny smiled, "Yes to all three. Oh Harry, it's perfect."

"I'll make sure to let my dad know next time I see him," Harry said with a smile.

Ginny looked at him quizzically and Harry explained how he had come across the necklace.

"Oh Harry, that's amazing. What are the odds that…"

"I know, I know…fate has a strange way of popping up when we least expect it."

"I must say that your father had excellent taste."

"A taste that I seem to have inherited when it comes to red-haired women," Harry said with a smile.

"Well, this red-haired woman is quite pleased with her gift and can't wait to start paying you back for it."

"I'm looking forward to it, though I must tell you that I charge interest," Harry said with a smile.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Harry started to pick up his gift but let out a small grunt as he realized how heavy it was.

"Good lord, what the bloody hell is this thing?"

"Well open it up and find out for crying out loud," Ginny said in a mock annoyed tone.

Harry tore the paper off the box and opened it up to find a large, leather-bound book. Harry was about to protest being given a book when he saw the title of the book.

Memoirs of Harry Potter

Harry looked up at Ginny in surprise and she motioned for him to continue.

Harry opened the book to the first page and saw a huge photo of him holding up a captured snitch. The picture had obviously been developed magically as the Harry in the photograph was grinning sheepishly and waving to the crowd above him. Judging from how young he looked, Harry suspected it was from his first year, possibly his first match even.

Harry read the caption underneath the picture.

"November 1991, First match against Slytherin 170-60. Hogwarts' youngest Quidditch player in a century. Spectacularly caught the snitch by swallowing it and spitting it back up."

Harry chuckled quietly, remembering his first capture perfectly. Though he hadn't meant to, it had gotten the job done.

Harry turned his attention to the left side of the page and saw a handwritten paragraph.

Harry,

You've been an amazing friend who has always stuck by me no matter how slow or useless I thought I was. Thank you for your friendship and the lessons you have taught me all throughout school. Also, thanks for creating the D.A. and helping me find my confidence in magic. The only reason I am preparing to be a teacher at Hogwarts is because of your guidance and support. Good luck in all you do in life. I know that you are worried about the final confrontation that must occur, but I know that you will defeat Voldemort. You are the better man and I have no doubt that you will emerge victorious. Remember to owl me every now and again, and I look forward to seeing you at Hogwarts some time.

Neville Longbottom

Harry stared at the book in amazement as he shuffled through the pages. There were pictures on every page, along with a short message from someone whose life Harry had made a difference in.

"They just keep going…" Harry said in amazement.

"Three hundred and seventeen of them," Ginny said with a smile.

"317? That's more students than Hogwarts has in it right now!"

Ginny's smile widened as she grinned proudly at him. "Nearly every student at Hogwarts wanted to sign it. I think you'll see that even quite a few of the Slytherins also wanted to leave a message. The hardest part was getting a hold of everyone who had already graduated from Hogwarts."

Harry just shook his head in disbelief as he went through page after page of memories.

"But…why did they all sign?"

Ginny put a hand on Harry's leg as she replied lightly. "Because of my special 'connection' with you, many people were wondering if they could do anything to help you. You'd be surprised how many people actually know what all you have done for them and they wanted some way to give back to you. I suggested this and everyone turned in old pictures and a small passage about what you mean to them. I just used an ink transposing charm to move the ink over to the book. You'll see that some of those people who signed it aren't actually alive anymore, but these are things that they actually wrote."

Ginny suddenly looked down at her feet and spoke quietly. "Sorry that I couldn't get you something big and expensive like you got me. It's just…"

Harry cut her off with a kiss. After they broke apart, Harry gave Ginny the biggest smile that Ginny had seen on him in a long while.

"Ginny, it's great. I can't believe that all of these people…I couldn't have asked for a better gift. Thank you so much for helping me see how much of a difference I have made in other people's lives."

Ginny smiled and planted a quick kiss on Harry's lips. "Good, we couldn't have Harry Potter thinking that he was just some ordinary guy. That might go to his head."

"Ah yes, you know me and my over inflated ego."

Ginny smiled before whispering quietly in Harry's ear. "As for the second part of my Christmas gift to you, I can't give it to you now. We need to find somewhere much more private before you get that."

"Sounds great to me…fancy a walk Miss Weasley?"

"I'd like nothing better Mr. Potter. Shall we?"

Ginny and Harry bid the rest of the group farewell and bundled up before walking outside into the beautiful winter wonderland. Harry took Ginny's hand in his own and the two began walking up the snow-covered path. Harry took one look at Ginny's happy expression and realized that he couldn't control the smile that was plastered to his own face if he had wanted to. This was a Christmas that he would always remember.

Author's Note: Well there it is, this Christmas finale and one of the longest chapters in the story yet. Hopefully they'll continue to get longer as I finish each one. Also a big thanks to all my readers for breaking the 2000 hit marker. I never thought I would get even half as many hits before the story was even over. Thanks again for reading.