A/N - Well, everyone, the first to last of the ending. I hope you like this update. I know that it is a bit short but the next chapter shall be the last. I would like to take this time to thank everyone who has reviewed this story and I want to encourage that we all keep in mind the important thing about Christmas, the love of our family and friends, the fact that we are blessed and that our circumstances could be much worse.
We must also remember the birth of Jesus Christ, our way, our path and our light.
O come all ye faithful.
ta,
Professor Know It All
__
I'll Be Home for Christmas
Chapter 5 – Arrival
---
Ave Maria
Gratia plena
Maria, gratia plena
Maria, gratia plena
Ave, ave dominus
Dominus tecum
Benedicta tu in mulieribus
Et benedictus
Et benedictus fructus ventris
Ventris tuae, Jesus.
Ave Maria, gratia plena
Maria, gratia plena
Maria, gratia plena
Ave, ave dominus
Dominus tecum
___
Remus parked their car in the parking lot of Kings Crossing. A group of carolers were standing in front with a bucket that people put lose change in. Sirius searched his pockets; "I know I have it," he muttered.
"Have what?" Remus enquired.
"Lose change, I found some that the muggles left at the cottage before we moved in," Sirius grinned when he found it. It wasn't much by Muggle standards, but Sirius thought he had found a treasure trove, and to Remus, that was all that mattered.
"Let's go find out puppy," Remus shook his head. Both men wore heavy red jackets with gold winter hats and their Hogwarts scarves. Remus had found the old things almost eaten away by moths, but a bit of magic went far in this case. Sirius dropped the coins into the bucket as they walked by.
"I cannot wait to see Harry," Remus sighed.
"Have you missed our little one?" Sirius grinned.
"Yes, more than you know," Remus shook his head.
"Yeah, me too," Sirius patted his friends shoulder as they mad their way to deck
9 ¼. They passed through the invisible wall to find themselves with other receiving parents. The crowd was rather small and so they were able to spot Harry. He was wearing a heavy black coat with his house crest on the right breast pocket. He also wore his Gryffindor scarf. He waved when he saw his parental units.
"Dad! Uncle Remus, I was almost worried that you had forgotten," Harry said as he hugged the two men.
"We would never forget you, Harry," Remus said softly.
"How could we, there is absolutely no way we could," Sirius grinned.
"Let's go home, there is a lot to do for tomorrow," Remus said, "We have a gingerbread house to decorate and stockings to hang," he said.
"Stockings…?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, has no one ever told you about Santa Clause?" Remus asked.
"Er – no," Harry felt his face go red.
"Well then, there is no time like the present," Sirius laughed.
--
Come they told me
Pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see
Pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring
Pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the kIng
Pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum
So to honor Him
Pa rum pum pum pum
When we come
Little baby
--
Harry left his trunk in his bed room; unpacked. He would have a week with his Dad and Uncle before he had to go back to school and worry about the last task. He had dis-guarded his winter wear and now joined Remus at the kitchen table. The royal icing was just about ready and Sirius was strewing about loads of candy.
"Why are we doing this again?" Harry asked.
"It's a tradition in my family," Remus explained, "We did it every Christmas on Christmas Eve, which is today," Remus smiled.
"Oh," Harry muttered.
"Okay, it's easy," Sirius laughed, "All you do is take the icing to the house and decorate it however you want. Just let your imagination go wild," Sirius instructed.
"Okay, I think I can do that," Harry grinned.
Remus handed Harry and Sirius a bowl of icing and a knife. For most of the afternoon the three ate, iced and decorated. They talked about everything from Hagrid showing Harry the dragons to the fact that Snape was headmaster.
"It's just weird," Harry muttered.
"Who'd they get to take over potions?" Remus asked.
"Slughorn," Harry replied.
"Wow, I never thought they'd bring back that bag of bones," Sirius muttered. A lolly-pop hit him in the side of the head.
"Don't say that!" Remus glared.
"What? It's true!"
"Anyway," Harry interjected before a fight could break out, "what do you think of my Marsh-mort?" Harry held up a marshmallow that he had stylized after Voldemort, well, how he figured Voldemort looked like. It held a broom in on pretzel arm.
"It's very interesting," Remus said.
"Yeah," Harry shrugged his shoulders.
Out side it had begun to snow and the wind blew hard against the house; "Looks like we're going to have a white Christmas," Sirius said. Remus smiled.
"Ding Dong! merrily on high
In heav'n the bells are ringing
Ding, dong! verily the sky
Is riv'n with angel singing
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis Remus sand in the nice tenor he had always had. Sirius and Harry joined in soon after, neither have good singing voices, but nonetheless, singing carols wasn't about how well you did it, it was about just doing it.
E'en so here below, below
Let steeple bells be swungen
And i-o, i-o, i-o
By priest and people be sungen
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis.."
"Pray ye dutifully prime
Your matin chime, ye ringers
May ye beautifully rime
Your evetime song, ye singers
Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis…!"
__
The mantle above the fire was decorated with holly and the stockings. A plate of cookies and some butterbeer had been set out for Santa Clause. Harry still wasn't sure why one did this, but apparently it was another tradition that he could hardly remember. At Hogwarts no one really bothered with this.
Sirius came from the kitchen with a tray of hot chocolate and pumpkin pasties.
"Ah, this has been the best Christmas so far," Sirius said as he sat down on the couch next to Harry. "I used to imagine what Christmas would be while stuck in Azkaban," Sirius said softly.
"Is it better?" Harry asked.
"Much more better," Sirius reassured.
"Good," Harry smiled, "I remember my first Christmas at Hogwarts. I got my Invisibility Cloak and Mrs. Weasley made me a jumper,"
"I think you like her jumpers," Remus winked at Harry, making the boy laugh a little.
"Yeah, that was my first real Christmas," Harry replied, "But this one beats all besides that one when you adopted me," Harry grinned and hugged Sirius.
"I quite agree on that one," Sirius kissed Harry's forehead.
They sat before the fire for many minutes, just thinking about the past year and what a new one might bring. Remus prayed for peace, he wasn't one for violence, Sirius prayed that Harry and Remus would stay safe and Harry, well he prayed that he would never forget this night, now any other that followed which involved the two men who had taken him in when no one else wanted him.
__
Go, tell it on the mountain,
over the hills and everywhere.
Go, tell it on the mountain
that Jesus Christ is born.
While Shepard's kept their watching
o'er silent flocks by night,
beyond, throughout the heavens
There shone a holy light.
Go, tell it on the mountain,
over the hills and everywhere.
Go, tell it on the mountain
that Jesus Christ is born.
The Shepard's feared and trembled
when lo, above the earth
rang out the angel chorus
that hailed our Savior's birth!