Chapter Twelve – A Crowded Christmas
'Hurry up!'
'Just one moment.'
'I wanna go to Quality Quidditch Supplies, just pick one.'
'James, stop rushing your brother. You decided to come with us instead of going to Gringotts, so you need to behave,' said Ginny.
'S'not my fault dad wanted to go to the most boring place on earth…' replied James.
'Albus, which one do you like?' asked their mother.
Albus couldn't decide yet. He was standing in front of the bat cage at the Magical Menagerie. Even though owls had been in fashion for decades, Albus had preferred to ask for a pet bat as his Christmas gift. Owls were noisy and left feathers and droppings everywhere, and besides, bats were much cuter in his opinion.
'I think I'll take this one,' he said and pointed at a handsome Golden-Crowned Flying Fox Bat. It looked at him with large, glassy eyes. This one was perfect.
'You sure about that? You sure you want a bat?' asked Ginny.
'Yes,' he answered confidently.
'Always have to be special, don't you?' teased his brother. 'Everyone's in Gryffindor; you end up in Slytherin. Everyone gets an owl; you want a bat – '
'Shut up.'
'Stop it James,' interjected their mum, before James could respond. 'Alright, I'll get the lady.'
Ginny went and got the kind-looking witch that was working the till. Once she had finished helping another patron with a sick bullfrog, she came over to the large bat cage.
'Fancy a bat, eh? These are very popular in South America and the Malay Archipelago, not so much in Europe though… Shame really, they're quite good at delivering mail, s'pecially at night,' said the witch.
'Gonçalo Flores has one,' said Albus. His favourite Brazilian Quidditch player had a famous pet bat named Ronaldo.
'Er… right you are,' replied the till witch. 'This one will be twenty Galleons and three Sickles.'
Several moments later, the three of them were walking out of the Magical Menagerie with Albus holding his new pet bat.
'What are you going to call him Al?' asked Ginny.
'I don't know yet. I'll think about it today,' answered Albus.
They proceeded over to Quality Quidditch Supplies across the street where James was gawking at all the new brooms and the original Quaffles and Snitches which were signed by famous players. One of the Quaffles proudly bore the signature of Albus' mum – a fact that she had cared to mention every time they set foot in Quality Quidditch Supplies.
Though Albus had been used to the murmurs and pointed fingers that followed him almost everywhere he went with his parents, he did notice they had a tendency to intensify whenever they were present at a particular location that correlated to his parents' brand of fame. For his mum it was any place related to Quidditch, for his dad it was, well, anywhere with a lot of wizards and witches really.
They spent another half hour in the Quidditch shop before Albus' father joined them with Lily.
'Did you like Gringotts Lil? Asked Ginny.
'It was cool,' replied Albus' little sister. 'I liked all the tunnels and vaults, and the Goblins are so weird looking – '
'Shhh Lil, don't say that, that's rude,' muttered Harry. He was looking around a bit nervously now. 'Got your Christmas present Al?'
'Yep.' Albus lifted the large cage in which his new bat was sleeping upside-down.
'Cute bat. Are we all ready to pick out gifts for Bill, Fleur, and the kids then?'
Since the extended Weasley family had grown to such massive proportions in recent years, Albus' Aunt Hermione had devised a plan for Christmas gift-giving so as to not strain anyone during the holidays. Each core family would pull a note out of a hat – dubbed the Exhorting Hat by Fred and James – with a different core family to which they will solely give gifts. The only exception was their grandmother Molly, who insisted on knitting everyone their own Weasley Christmas jumper. This year Harry and Ginny had pulled Bill and Fleur out of the hat, so they had to buy gifts for them along with Victoire, Dominique, and Louis.
'What about my Christmas present dad?' queried James cheekily while eyeing the nearby Nimbus 3003.
'You? I've already got your present,' replied his dad with a smile and a wink and Ginny.
James looked at him suspiciously before dropping the subject. 'Where are we going next then?'
'Shall we go to Flourish and Blotts first?' asked Harry. 'I figure we could pick up some good book for Dominique.'
'Sure,' replied Ginny. 'Alright then boys, let's go.'
The family continued to walk throughout Diagon Alley on their annual pre-Christmas shopping trip; stopping at the well-known bookstore to pick up an interesting looking book for Albus' cousin Dominique (Enchantments of the Oriental Occult by Taistealaí Swift), before hopping over to Madam Malkin's to buy a nice set of dress robes for Victoire. They also purchased a brand-new set of fancy Spell-Checking Quills for Louis – the youngest of the three was due to begin his first year at Hogwarts the following year. After that, they headed over to TerrorTours where Harry and Ginny bought Bill and Fleur a luxurious, all-expenses-paid, three-week-long trip to India.
'It's their twentieth anniversary after all,' exclaimed Ginny. 'We can splurge a little on a big gift.'
'They do like their holidays…' sighed Harry.
They ended their day at the cobblestoned shopping district with a warm glass of butterbeer – hot chocolate in the case of Albus and Lily – at the Leaky Cauldron. As the five of them sat down at one of the corner tables of the inn, Albus' eyes wandered off to the entrance.
The bell dinged as the door opened and two tall blond figures walked in. Albus recognised his best mate from school immediately – the tall, balding man next to him must be his father then, Draco Malfoy. Albus' own father never spoke much about him despite them having gone to Hogwarts together. Regardless, it was quite a well-known fact that the two, though cordial these days, did not get along during their time at Hogwarts. Scorpius' dad was a notorious ex-Death Eater and though he, along with his family, did abandon Voldemort's cause before his downfall, the Malfoys were now shunned in almost all wizarding circles. They were still quite wealthy enough to subsist off their fortunes and properties for the rest of their lives of course, but they nevertheless lived a very private and secluded life.
'Hey Scorpius!' called Albus, waving his hand at his friend. His father choked a little on his butterbeer before giving Albus a reprehensive look. It was too late; Scorpius had spotted his friend from across the pub and was now leading his – very apprehensive looking – father by the hand over to the Potters' table.
'Hi Albus, James, Mr and Mrs Potter,' said Scorpius politely as they reached Albus' booth.
'Potter,' Scorpius' father greeted quietly.
'Hi Malfoy, how are you doing?' replied Harry stiffly.
'Alright,' replied Draco equally tonelessly.
'How's… how's your wife – er – doing?' started Ginny awkwardly.
'Astoria is still quite ill I'm afraid.'
'Sorry to hear that…' said Harry.
'We're going to get me a Nuntillud for Christmas!' blurted Scorpius suddenly. 'You know that thing that's like sending a letter but faster. At that new place: Magicae Modern that opened across from Fortescue's.'
'Oh yeah, that's cool,' replied Albus. 'Hey Scorpius, look what I got for Christmas.' He lifted the cage that rested at his feet so that Scorpius could see the snoozing bat inside it. Their parents, now awkwardly silent, watched the two boys' conversation unfolding.
'Oooh that's sick mate!' exclaimed Scorpius. 'What're you gonna call – '
'Scorpius,' his father cut him off gently, 'I'd like to be home in time for supper. We must hurry now, if you could say goodbye to your little friend.'
'Okay… Bye Al, see you at school!' called Scorpius as his father led him off.
Harry appeared to be waiting a little to make sure the Malfoys were out of earshot before turning to his son: 'Did you have to call them over Al?'
'Oh, leave him alone,' intercepted Ginny, 'That's his friend, he's allowed to talk to him if he wants.'
'Sure, he's allowed, but I would rather not make clumsy small-talk with his dad is all…'
'Hey dad,' said Lily softly after a moment of silence, 'why couldn't we go to that Nuntillud shop?'
James snorted loudly. 'Dad's a bit embarrassed to go there Lil.'
'What? Why?'
'Because that Erasmese guy – or whatever his name is – who runs that joint wiped the floor with him in front of half the Ministry!'
'He didn't wipe the floor with me. It was a friendly duel and he got lucky,' corrected Harry.
Ginny was smiling now too. 'He's a really good sport about it actually.'
'Which makes dad even more pissed at him,' laughed James.
'Language James.' Their father was now a bit red in the face.
'How did he beat you dad?' inquired Albus.
'He used high trickery and deception.'
'He switched his wand for a twig and your dad didn't notice,' explained Ginny.
Albus, James, and Lily burst into laughter.
'Yeah, yeah, okay, come on, it's getting late. Papa Malfoy's right it's almost dinner time.'
Albus was woken up on the morning of the 24th by a thin ray of sunshine that shot from between the thick curtains in his bedroom. Erebus, his new bat, was already back from his nightly escapades. He got up and watched Erebus sleeping in his cage on one of his closets in the darkest corner of his bedroom.
Albus' room was a handsome one. It had light grey walls and a dark wooden floor. Albus' large bed stood amply in the middle of the room, across from a beautiful black hearth. Next to the window stood Albus' desk which was covered with school supplies and unopened books. Though not as big and wide as James' room, it was still quite large and Albus had no issues fitting a big bat cage in with his other possessions.
His bedroom used to belong to Regulus Black. Regulus was the younger brother of Albus' father's godfather, Sirius. Albus had heard that Regulus had been the first to realise Voldemort's 'great secret' – as his father had called it – and thus he had been one of the 'few brave and good' Slytherins. Or so everyone used to say, before Albus himself got sorted into the house. Now everyone around him kept bringing up how Slytherin was 'actually okay to be in' and how 'it shows that the lad has a good head for politics!'
Bunch of hypocrites…
Nevertheless, Albus now found the previous owner of his bedroom – and indeed the previous owners of their entire house – a whole lot more interesting than he had used to. When he got back home a couple of weeks ago, he had decided to occupy himself by exploring the history of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. He spent some time up in the attic where his parents had stored all the relics that used to belong to the Blacks.
Albus had found all kinds of rubbish up there. Things such as old jewellery, ancient books about family lines and blood purity, a folded tapestry that displayed the black family line with certain members – no doubt ones considered blood traitors – blasted off. He even found a surprisingly loud portrait of an old woman which screamed on and on about 'vermin and blood traitors and broods of filth!' Her loud screeches had eventually summoned his father from downstairs to shut her up.
Albus had since promised his dad not to wander about in the attic anymore – fearing that he might stumble upon some cursed object by mistake. Ever since then he had occupied himself by feeding and petting Erebus along with helping his mother decorate the house for Christmas.
The entire extended Weasley family was coming over for Christmas Eve that night, along with Teddy Lupin and his grandmother Andromeda. Hagrid had been invited as well, but he'd claimed he preferred to stay at Hogwarts for the holiday. Weirdly enough, Albus had overheard his parents one night saying that, according to Professor McGonagall, Hagrid had left the school a week prior.
Albus got up from his bed with a stretch and a yawn. He glanced at Erebus snoozing in his cage again before exiting his room and walking over to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Ten minutes later he was sat at the kitchen table eating his favourite brand of cereal – Flavius' Flavourful Fascinations – colourful, sugary breakfast cereals which came in various forms of magical creatures that changed colours progressively as you ate. His mother did not approve of him eating too much of these, but Albus knew that Kreacher always complied to go and get him some for his breakfast.
He glanced at the clock on the wall to his right, 10:30. Albus' grandmother Molly would be coming soon. She was to cook Christmas dinner for everyone tonight. Kreacher had graciously (after numerous protests) accepted an evening off to allow Molly free reign in the kitchen – also, so he could enjoy some time off on Christmas Eve.
'Good morning – oh REALLY! You're eating this rubbish again?' his mother called at him as she entered the room.
'Sorry! I didn't want to bother Kreacher too much on his – '
'Hogwash – '
'Oh, let him have it just today, won't you?' said Molly from behind Ginny. His grandmother was always much more lenient with him than his parents. 'Care to help me in the kitchen today Al? I could use some help with the potatoes.'
'Sure Nan, but I can't use magic outside of school…' replied Albus.
'I'm sure it'll be fine dear; you're surrounded by magic here the Ministry won't be able to tell.'
Ginny gave her mother a disapproving look before saying: 'Fine. Just be careful alright? Merlin's knickers, you would've never let me use magic at home when I was his age…'
'I guess I've grown soft in my old age,' replied Molly with a smile.
'Hey Ginny darling do you need some help with your plumbing? Your toilet's being awfully slow about its business!' came Grandpa Arthur's voice from above.
'I see dad's back to picking apart my house again…' sighed Ginny as she left the room with her wand out. 'Leave it alone, will you?'
The rest of Albus' day was spent learning to peel potatoes with a flick of his wand (some of them burst into flames) and how to make plates wash themselves (he broke ten plates which were quickly mended by his Nan). By the time everybody had arrived for dinner however, Albus had pretty much mastered the art of handless dishwashing.
The already large table, as well as the large kitchen, both had to be magically extended for the massive
Weasley family to fit in. No less than 27 people came over for Christmas. The cramped kitchen was full of the smells of Nana Weasley's fine cooking: turkey, Yorkshire Pudding, and roasted potatoes and vegetables.
Albus was sitting between James and Rose, listening to the adults talk about politics while sipping on his pumpkin juice. He felt slightly light-headed due to the heat and the stuffy atmosphere.
'I'm telling you, if Zabini doesn't stop saying my wife is "of a more mundane background" he might one day find some of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes' love potions infused with some troll's essence in his morning cuppa,' said Uncle Ron.
'That would be breaking so many laws and regulations…' responded Aunt Hermione.
'And extremely funny,' replied Ron. 'Tell me you wouldn't love to see that knob full-on making out with a mountain troll in the middle of the Atrium.'
'Oh shush,' his wife said scoldingly, though she couldn't help but grin a little.
To Albus' relief, when dinner ended everybody decided to climb upstairs to the drawing room for tea (or something stronger). The large Christmas Tree that Albus had helped his mother decorate a week ago was standing proudly in the middle of the room. Shiny ornaments and Golden Snitches floated about and a particularly ugly Garden Gnome, stunned, posed, painted gold, and dressed in a tutu (a family tradition) was displayed at the very top of the tree.
Once everybody sat down on the sofas and chairs which were scattered around the tree, and after Harry had bewitched a bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhisky, some eggnog, and a pitcher of pumpkin juice to go around and fill everyone's cups, the opening of the presents commenced. Albus was glad to find out that this year his Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione were chosen as their gift givers. They were always the best ones. Albus held his present in his hands. It was a large package that rattled slightly.
'Well? Open it!' said his uncle.
Albus unwrapped his present to find a handsome marble Wizard's Chess set and, to his surprise, another smaller package underneath it. He glanced at his uncle who gave him an encouraging smile. Albus unwrapped the second package to discover a small silvery metal tablet with a piece of blank parchment imbedded into one of its sides.
'Got you all Nuntilluds too,' explained Ron proudly. 'Now you can write to your mum and dad in seconds and, if any of your mates have one as well, you can write to them too!'
Albus glanced over to his sister and brother who were both holding their own shiny new devices along with James' broom polishing kit and Lily's living-talking dollhouse.
'Thanks Uncle Ron!' called Albus.
'Don't mention it! T'was free anyhow, I'm one of the company's sponsors you see.'
'Yeah, just be careful about what you write in it alright?' Interjected his father, Harry. 'You never know who's listening in on your conversations…'
'Rubbish, they'll be fine…'
His uncle and father sprung into a debate about the safety of Nuntilluds. Albus wasn't listening anymore, however. He ran over to the desk by the window and grabbed a quill from one of the drawers. He dipped the quill in an ink bottle and wrote down 'Scorpius Malfoy' at the top of the parchment before writing 'Hey Scorpius, are you there? ' right underneath.
Before long, Albus' Nuntillud vibrated, lit up, and the familiar neat handwriting of his best mate from school showed up below his: 'Merlin's naval! Al, you got one too?'
'That's brilliant! I love it!' he called at his uncle who beamed at him. 'Oh, and the chess set of course…'
Albus quickly sunk into a full conversation with his friend. Only stopping to see which gift his cousin Rose got (a book titled Prefects Who Gained Power from their Uncle Percy – 'for future reference!'), and to receive his newly knit Christmas jumper from his grandmother (emerald green with silver snake-like letters spelling his name).
'Yeah Christmas here is kind of dull and depressing…' wrote Scorpius. 'My grandad is of course appalled that I'm friends with YOU. I always hated the way he treats me, says I'm too soft and weak, he doesn't like my mum either, I can tell…'
'How's your mum doing anyhow?' replied Albus.
'She's still ill… it's that stupid curse, I wish I had my old mum back. She's so weak and tired all the time…'
Albus had no idea how to respond. He hated the thought of his best friend and his poor mother suffering like that. Having to tolerate the presence and comments of his bigoted grandfather and the horrible blood curse that afflicted his mother's family. Scorpius had confided in Albus about a month back that his mother had been very ill. It was that that assured Albus of the bond the two had shared, that private and delicate moment.
Albus wished he could have his friend over for Christmas, wished he could somehow ease his pain and boredom. Somehow, he doubted his father would be too pleased taking in a Malfoy…
'James, can you come with me for a second?' said Harry once everybody had finished with their presents.
'What for?' said James who had been midway of pulling on his own purple jumper jesting loudly with their cousin Fred.
'You'll see…' replied their dad with a meaningful look at their mum.
James got up from the floor and followed his father out of the room. Fred – now looking more and more like a lost puppy without his favourite partner in crime – turned to Albus for entertainment. 'Who're you writing to there?' he asked as he tried grabbing Albus' Nuntillud.
'Nobody,' retorted Albus pulling his device away.
'He's talking to his friend Scorpius Malfoy, Fred,' explained Rose from Albus' other side. 'How's his mum doing? With that blood curse and all?'
'How in Merlin's nightgown do you know about that?'
'She knows everything that's going on that one,' interjected Ron from behind them, 'gets it from her mum bless her…'
'I know because their branch of the Greengrass family is known for their blood malediction that runs in the family,' clarified Rose. 'I figured since you've been looking sad lately…'
'Er – yes she's not doing too well… There's no cure apparently.'
'Shame…' sighed Uncle Ron. 'I never liked her husband, but Astoria seems nice enough… And her son is a good kid too right Rosie? Shame old Lucious couldn't catch a blood curse or something – '
'RON!' shrieked Aunt Hermione disapprovingly.
'What he's an awful old senile f – '
'Shhh hey Harry's thingy – er – Nuntillud, it's doing something, vibrating and flashing lights,' said Ginny. 'He forgot it here – typical…' She pulled the noisy device out from one of the couch's cushions.
'That's just what it does when you get a message,' said Ron.
'Oh… Al could you go get your dad real quick?' asked his mum. 'He's in his study with James.'
Albus got up and left the room. He climbed the silent stairs up to the third floor. His father's handsome study was on the far end of the hall. Albus walked to the ornate dark door and knocked on it once. He heard a chair creak before the door opened and his father's head popped from behind the black door.
'Yes?' asked Harry.
'Your Nuntillud's going off, you forgot it downstairs. Mum wanted me to come get you,' replied Albus.
'Oh – er – yeah sure I'll be right down. James,' he now turned to his other son who was sitting at the chair in front of their father's desk, 'I'll be back in a minute. Wait here and don't touch anything!'
They both headed back down to the drawing room where the rest of the family was sitting. As he walked through the door Harry turned to Ginny.
'Who's it from?' he asked.
'It's from your lot at Malmire, they say all is well and that there's nothing new to report. They also say "Merry Christmas,"' replied his wife.
'Alright good,' said Harry. 'Tell them Happy Christmas from me. I'm going back upstairs for you-know-what. Be back in a jiffy.'
As his father closed the door and darted back upstairs, Albus heard his mother mutter: 'Strange, I don't think I've seen this handwriting before on his other messages…'
