Chapter 38
Departure for the Holidays
On the morning of the day they had to leave, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Lavender sat together in the common room eating breakfast there rather than in the Great Hall. Their things were packed and sitting by the portrait hole, and it was nice just to sit alone together rather than just in a big group.
"So what is everyone's plans for the holidays?" asked Lavender, taking a bite of some gingerbread.
"Not sure," replied Ron. "What about you?"
"I'll be visiting family as usual. And as usual, my Aunt will show Jessica off for having been accepted to Hogwarts."
Hermione giggled before turning to Harry. "Are you nervous about going to live with Sirius this Christmas?" she asked, noticng how quiet he seemed.
Harry shrugged. "I wouldn't exactly say I was nervous since I've lived with him before and am familiar with the apartment and all. It will just be strange to be home again."
Hermione nodded. "Home and healthy," she added softly.
"Knock on wood," Ron sniggered, knocking on the top of Lavender's head. She squealed and smacked him on the arm.
"Shut UP, Ron!" she cried, before letting him embrace her.
Hermione glanced at her watch, frowning. "It's 9:30, you guys. We ought to bring our things to the Great Hall like Professor McGonagall told us."
"Yeah," sighed Ron, before standing and helping Lavender to her feet.
"You're not taking Crookshanks home with you this time?" Harry asked, noticing that the cat's cage was missing from Hermione's things. She shook her head.
"He'll be all right here." She replied, smiling at Harry.
"You didn't want to bother me with him, is that it?" Harry asked. He had really enjoyed the results of Madame Pomfrey's twenty-four-hour allergy antedote, because Hermione could let her cat into the common room and he wouldn't start sneezing. Hermione did not reply verbally, but she laced her fingers through his and shrugged. He kissed her before grabbing hold of his trunk and Hedwig's cage.
The group made their way to the Great Hall, which was crowded with students again. Jessica and Erin caught sight of them and hurried over, looking very cheerful.
"I am SO glad I get to go home for a bit!" Erin cried. "It will be nice to sleep in my own bed for a couple of weeks."
"Yes," Jess sighed dreamily. "And we're having a family get-together this year again, right Lavender?"
"I would assume so," Lavender replied with a smile.
"What time are we leaving again?" asked Erin, checking her watch.
"Ten o'clock," Hermione answered. "The train leaves from Kings Cross at eleven o'clock."
"That's in fifteen minutes," said Lavender. "Come on, let's put our stuff over there." She pointed to the enormous group of luggage by the door of the Great Hall.
At ten o'clock, Professor McGonagall announced that the carriages were ready and that everyone should hurry outside. Harry felt his heart pounding as he followed his friends into the snow. He had never gone away from Hogwarts during the holidays, and it felt very strange to be doing so.
"See you!" Jessica and Erin called, going into one carriage while Hermione, Ron, Harry and Lavender piled into another. They reached the Hogwarts Express by ten-thirty, and sure enough boarded the train exactly at eleven.
The ride from Hogsmeade to King's Cross was not a very lively one. No one really spoke at all, and the only sound that could be heard was the train's whistle every now and again.
"It came upon a midnight clear, that glorious song of old," Ron started singing quietly as he watched the scenery fly past out the window. "From angels bending near the Earth to touch their harps of gold.."
Hermione, who had been leaning against Harry's shoulder, lifted her head and smiled at him. "Peace on Earth and good will to men, from heaven's all gracious King.."
"The world in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing," Ron finished the verse. "I was getting a LITTLE tired of the silence in here. I mean, it is nearly Christmas and look at how depressed we all are! It's as though we're leaving for the summer holidays!"
Lavender laughed. "So you just HAD to impress us with your singing then?" she teased. He scowled.
"Look!" Hermione cried, leaning over Harry to point out the window. Harry turned and sure enough, King's Cross Station was slowly coming into view. "Harry-you DID remember to wrap Sirius's present, didn't you?" she asked hopefully.
"Of course," Harry replied. "Erin wrapped it for me."
Lavender snorted. "For once their mischief turns out to be useful."
Hermione shrugged.
Finally the train pulled into the station, and Harry turned away from the window, his eyes wide. "Is Sirius meeting you in the Muggle section? Do you have to walk through the barrier to get to him?" Hermione asked. "I wasn't sure."
Harry shrugged. "If he's not right outside the doors then he's probably waiting on the other side since his apartment is in Muggle London."
"It's stopping!" cried Lavender, and she could hear the conductor shouting "King's Cross!"
It was a scramble to get out of the car, and Harry nearly tripped over Ron on the way out. They stepped onto the platform, and Harry frantically looked from one side of the platform to the other. No sign of Sirius yet. "There's a dog!" Hermione told Harry, pointing towards the barrier. Sure enough, a large black dog sat waiting patiently, it's large pink tongue hanging out.
"Why doesn't he just wait in his human form?" Harry sniggered, grabbing his things and hurrying over to the animal. He knelt down in front of the dog and started petting it. "Hullo, Sirius." He laughed.
"Hullo, Hary."
"AGH!" Ron whirled around to see Sirius standing behind him. Harry blinked once and then turned to the dog, who was sniffing his hand.
"I thought he was you!" Harry cried, pointing at the dog.
Sirius sniggered. "I could see the resemblance, but no." he bent down beside Harry and scratched the black dog behind the ears. "Handsome fellow, though." Then the two of them stood and Sirius gave Harry a proper hug, and also gave one to Hermione, Ron and Lavender.
"Do you have everything, Harry?" he asked.
"Uh huh. Could you take Hedwig's cage? It's a lot to carry," Harry told Sirius with a smile.
"Sure."
"Well....have a good Christmas, you two," said Hermione. "I have to go and meet my parents on the other side." She gave Harry a big hug and a kiss before turning to disappear through the barrier. When Ron and Lavender were gone, Sirius led Harry through the barrier into Muggle London.
It felt so strange to be away from Hogwarts, that Harry had a bit of trouble taking everything in at once. He and Sirius boarded a trolly and took that to the apartment building, which was how Harry remembered it: made of stone and covered in parts with ivy.
"Do you have everything, Harry?" Sirius asked as he helped his godson drag the large trunk onto the sidewalk. The driver of the trolly was giving them strange looks when Hedwig hooted softly and ruffled her feathers a bit after Harry passed her to Sirius before getting out.
"Yeah." Harry promised, and then they climbed up the stone steps and through the front door of the apartment building. Sirius had an apartment on the top floor, and when they entered it, Harry smiled: he was home.
"Look familiar?" Sirius asked hopefully, noticing the excited expression on Harry's face. The apartment had been set up for the Christmas holiday: a medium-sized tree sat by the fireplace, and beneath the tree were quite a few decently-wrapped gifts. Sirius also had tinsel surrounding the trim of the apartment and multi-colored lights.
"Yes. And it looks great! I really like what you did with the decorations. Can I let Hedwig out?"
"Sure."
Harry unlocked Hedwig's cage and watched as she flew into the air, perching on top of the Christmas tree, blinking her great yellow eyes down at him. "Make yourself righ at home, why don't you?" Harry teased as she nestled her head underneath her wing. She did not budge, and Harry decided it was no use trying to get her down from the tree by force.
"She's all right up there," Sirius promised, ruffling Harry's hair.
"I hate it when people do that," Harry snarled, trying to fix it. "Lavender nearly bit Ron's hand when he did that to her. Not a bad idea to think about." Harry sniggered.
Sirius shrugged. "So....do you want to sit back and relax for now or would you like to put your things away? You'll be able to refresh your trunk supplies before you go back to Hogwarts."
Harry glanced down the hallway that lead to his bedroom. He'd spent quite a bit of time in there over the summer, and not always just because he wanted to. For some reason it did not look all that appealing at the moment-very dimly lit.
"I think I'll relax for a bit now and I'll unpack later." Harry replied, falling back on the living room couch. Sirius soon joined him and the two of them just sat gazing ahead at the fire cackling in the fireplace.
"So I completely dusted the apartment for you," Sirius added. "hopefully that'll help."
Harry grinned. "You didn't take my suggestion and put steal windows in my bedroom, did you?" he teased. "To keep the smog out?"
Sirius rolled his eyes. "No, I didn't."
"I'm only joking, Sirius. You don't have to go to that extreme." He smiled.
"Well..." Sirius sighed. "I never know what I should have done differently. After you were sick this summer, I technically thought about doing that, trying to keep out anything that could be a problem."
"You could do it magically," Harry suggested, "if you were thinking about it. I'm sure Professor Dumbledore could have helped you come up with something."
Sirius shrugged. "Maybe."
"But you really don't have to worry, because I'm fine now, and I have a way to control the symptoms if they get out of control." Harry promised.
Sirius nodded. "You're right, Harry. I don't know why I still worry."
"It comes along with your job description as godfather," Harry chuckled. "You're technically a substitute parent for me at this point."
Sirius smiled. "Yeah, that is probably why I panic over the tiniest things."
Harry turned to look at Hedwig, who still had her beak nestled in her wing. He was so happy to feel as though he belonged somewhere at last.
On the morning of the day they had to leave, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Lavender sat together in the common room eating breakfast there rather than in the Great Hall. Their things were packed and sitting by the portrait hole, and it was nice just to sit alone together rather than just in a big group.
"So what is everyone's plans for the holidays?" asked Lavender, taking a bite of some gingerbread.
"Not sure," replied Ron. "What about you?"
"I'll be visiting family as usual. And as usual, my Aunt will show Jessica off for having been accepted to Hogwarts."
Hermione giggled before turning to Harry. "Are you nervous about going to live with Sirius this Christmas?" she asked, noticng how quiet he seemed.
Harry shrugged. "I wouldn't exactly say I was nervous since I've lived with him before and am familiar with the apartment and all. It will just be strange to be home again."
Hermione nodded. "Home and healthy," she added softly.
"Knock on wood," Ron sniggered, knocking on the top of Lavender's head. She squealed and smacked him on the arm.
"Shut UP, Ron!" she cried, before letting him embrace her.
Hermione glanced at her watch, frowning. "It's 9:30, you guys. We ought to bring our things to the Great Hall like Professor McGonagall told us."
"Yeah," sighed Ron, before standing and helping Lavender to her feet.
"You're not taking Crookshanks home with you this time?" Harry asked, noticing that the cat's cage was missing from Hermione's things. She shook her head.
"He'll be all right here." She replied, smiling at Harry.
"You didn't want to bother me with him, is that it?" Harry asked. He had really enjoyed the results of Madame Pomfrey's twenty-four-hour allergy antedote, because Hermione could let her cat into the common room and he wouldn't start sneezing. Hermione did not reply verbally, but she laced her fingers through his and shrugged. He kissed her before grabbing hold of his trunk and Hedwig's cage.
The group made their way to the Great Hall, which was crowded with students again. Jessica and Erin caught sight of them and hurried over, looking very cheerful.
"I am SO glad I get to go home for a bit!" Erin cried. "It will be nice to sleep in my own bed for a couple of weeks."
"Yes," Jess sighed dreamily. "And we're having a family get-together this year again, right Lavender?"
"I would assume so," Lavender replied with a smile.
"What time are we leaving again?" asked Erin, checking her watch.
"Ten o'clock," Hermione answered. "The train leaves from Kings Cross at eleven o'clock."
"That's in fifteen minutes," said Lavender. "Come on, let's put our stuff over there." She pointed to the enormous group of luggage by the door of the Great Hall.
At ten o'clock, Professor McGonagall announced that the carriages were ready and that everyone should hurry outside. Harry felt his heart pounding as he followed his friends into the snow. He had never gone away from Hogwarts during the holidays, and it felt very strange to be doing so.
"See you!" Jessica and Erin called, going into one carriage while Hermione, Ron, Harry and Lavender piled into another. They reached the Hogwarts Express by ten-thirty, and sure enough boarded the train exactly at eleven.
The ride from Hogsmeade to King's Cross was not a very lively one. No one really spoke at all, and the only sound that could be heard was the train's whistle every now and again.
"It came upon a midnight clear, that glorious song of old," Ron started singing quietly as he watched the scenery fly past out the window. "From angels bending near the Earth to touch their harps of gold.."
Hermione, who had been leaning against Harry's shoulder, lifted her head and smiled at him. "Peace on Earth and good will to men, from heaven's all gracious King.."
"The world in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing," Ron finished the verse. "I was getting a LITTLE tired of the silence in here. I mean, it is nearly Christmas and look at how depressed we all are! It's as though we're leaving for the summer holidays!"
Lavender laughed. "So you just HAD to impress us with your singing then?" she teased. He scowled.
"Look!" Hermione cried, leaning over Harry to point out the window. Harry turned and sure enough, King's Cross Station was slowly coming into view. "Harry-you DID remember to wrap Sirius's present, didn't you?" she asked hopefully.
"Of course," Harry replied. "Erin wrapped it for me."
Lavender snorted. "For once their mischief turns out to be useful."
Hermione shrugged.
Finally the train pulled into the station, and Harry turned away from the window, his eyes wide. "Is Sirius meeting you in the Muggle section? Do you have to walk through the barrier to get to him?" Hermione asked. "I wasn't sure."
Harry shrugged. "If he's not right outside the doors then he's probably waiting on the other side since his apartment is in Muggle London."
"It's stopping!" cried Lavender, and she could hear the conductor shouting "King's Cross!"
It was a scramble to get out of the car, and Harry nearly tripped over Ron on the way out. They stepped onto the platform, and Harry frantically looked from one side of the platform to the other. No sign of Sirius yet. "There's a dog!" Hermione told Harry, pointing towards the barrier. Sure enough, a large black dog sat waiting patiently, it's large pink tongue hanging out.
"Why doesn't he just wait in his human form?" Harry sniggered, grabbing his things and hurrying over to the animal. He knelt down in front of the dog and started petting it. "Hullo, Sirius." He laughed.
"Hullo, Hary."
"AGH!" Ron whirled around to see Sirius standing behind him. Harry blinked once and then turned to the dog, who was sniffing his hand.
"I thought he was you!" Harry cried, pointing at the dog.
Sirius sniggered. "I could see the resemblance, but no." he bent down beside Harry and scratched the black dog behind the ears. "Handsome fellow, though." Then the two of them stood and Sirius gave Harry a proper hug, and also gave one to Hermione, Ron and Lavender.
"Do you have everything, Harry?" he asked.
"Uh huh. Could you take Hedwig's cage? It's a lot to carry," Harry told Sirius with a smile.
"Sure."
"Well....have a good Christmas, you two," said Hermione. "I have to go and meet my parents on the other side." She gave Harry a big hug and a kiss before turning to disappear through the barrier. When Ron and Lavender were gone, Sirius led Harry through the barrier into Muggle London.
It felt so strange to be away from Hogwarts, that Harry had a bit of trouble taking everything in at once. He and Sirius boarded a trolly and took that to the apartment building, which was how Harry remembered it: made of stone and covered in parts with ivy.
"Do you have everything, Harry?" Sirius asked as he helped his godson drag the large trunk onto the sidewalk. The driver of the trolly was giving them strange looks when Hedwig hooted softly and ruffled her feathers a bit after Harry passed her to Sirius before getting out.
"Yeah." Harry promised, and then they climbed up the stone steps and through the front door of the apartment building. Sirius had an apartment on the top floor, and when they entered it, Harry smiled: he was home.
"Look familiar?" Sirius asked hopefully, noticing the excited expression on Harry's face. The apartment had been set up for the Christmas holiday: a medium-sized tree sat by the fireplace, and beneath the tree were quite a few decently-wrapped gifts. Sirius also had tinsel surrounding the trim of the apartment and multi-colored lights.
"Yes. And it looks great! I really like what you did with the decorations. Can I let Hedwig out?"
"Sure."
Harry unlocked Hedwig's cage and watched as she flew into the air, perching on top of the Christmas tree, blinking her great yellow eyes down at him. "Make yourself righ at home, why don't you?" Harry teased as she nestled her head underneath her wing. She did not budge, and Harry decided it was no use trying to get her down from the tree by force.
"She's all right up there," Sirius promised, ruffling Harry's hair.
"I hate it when people do that," Harry snarled, trying to fix it. "Lavender nearly bit Ron's hand when he did that to her. Not a bad idea to think about." Harry sniggered.
Sirius shrugged. "So....do you want to sit back and relax for now or would you like to put your things away? You'll be able to refresh your trunk supplies before you go back to Hogwarts."
Harry glanced down the hallway that lead to his bedroom. He'd spent quite a bit of time in there over the summer, and not always just because he wanted to. For some reason it did not look all that appealing at the moment-very dimly lit.
"I think I'll relax for a bit now and I'll unpack later." Harry replied, falling back on the living room couch. Sirius soon joined him and the two of them just sat gazing ahead at the fire cackling in the fireplace.
"So I completely dusted the apartment for you," Sirius added. "hopefully that'll help."
Harry grinned. "You didn't take my suggestion and put steal windows in my bedroom, did you?" he teased. "To keep the smog out?"
Sirius rolled his eyes. "No, I didn't."
"I'm only joking, Sirius. You don't have to go to that extreme." He smiled.
"Well..." Sirius sighed. "I never know what I should have done differently. After you were sick this summer, I technically thought about doing that, trying to keep out anything that could be a problem."
"You could do it magically," Harry suggested, "if you were thinking about it. I'm sure Professor Dumbledore could have helped you come up with something."
Sirius shrugged. "Maybe."
"But you really don't have to worry, because I'm fine now, and I have a way to control the symptoms if they get out of control." Harry promised.
Sirius nodded. "You're right, Harry. I don't know why I still worry."
"It comes along with your job description as godfather," Harry chuckled. "You're technically a substitute parent for me at this point."
Sirius smiled. "Yeah, that is probably why I panic over the tiniest things."
Harry turned to look at Hedwig, who still had her beak nestled in her wing. He was so happy to feel as though he belonged somewhere at last.