A/N: Happy New Year! I hope 2007 brings you joy!

As always, thank you for reading and reviewing.

I don't own the Potter universe or Gone with the Wind.

The Saddest Christmas

Christmas Eve

"Pass the potatoes, please."

Laura did as she was asked, glaring at her mother as she handed the serving bowl across the table. Dana hid the pain that stabbed through her with the look from her daughter, and gave her a smile.

"Thank you, darling."

Laura remained silent, cutting into her meat with far more force than was necessary.

Dana looked helplessly at her mother. Mrs. Morgan nodded slightly, and took a sip of her wine.

"Tell me about school, Laura," she said as she set the glass back on the table.

"What is there to tell?" Laura asked. "I go to class everyday. I talk to my friends." She raised her eyes to look at her mother. "I do not have a boyfriend."

"Laura," Dana began.

Mrs. Morgan waved her silent. "What are Carine and Adèle doing for the holidays?"

Laura launched into descriptions of trips to the coast and the mountains, which passed the time until the meal ended. As soon as the last plate was clean, Laura jumped up from her seat.

"May I be excused?" she asked.

"Yes, I'll clean up," Dana said.

Laura rushed from the room, and Dana looked at her mother.

"I don't know what to do with her," she said. "She won't talk to me, she'll barely even look at me." Tears filled her eyes. "Laura and I have always been so close, Mum. I can't bear to have our relationship like this on Christmas."

"I'll talk to her," Mrs. Morgan said. "I can't make any promises, but I'll talk to her."

"Thanks," Dana said.

Mrs. Morgan patted Dana's cheek, then went in search of her granddaughter.

She found her in her room, curled up on her window seat, staring out into the night. Mrs. Morgan looked at her for a moment, then entered the room.

"Go away," Laura said. "I don't want to talk."

"I think you need to talk."

Laura jumped and turned at the sound of her grandmother's voice. "I'm sorry, Grandma. I thought you were Mum."

"I don't think that makes it any better to use that tone. That's certainly no way to talk to your mother," Mrs. Morgan said. She sat down on Laura's bed and looked at her intently. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"Everything," Laura sighed dramatically. "I don't have a boyfriend anymore, Mum is mad at me and I'm trapped here until next year."

Mrs. Morgan smiled in spite of herself. "Next year is a week away, darling."

"That's hardly the point."

She looked at Laura for a moment as though trying to see into her soul. "Can you tell me why you think your mother is mad at you?"

"I don't know. She just is."

"Well, let's try for an easier question, then. Why did you break up with Pierre?"

Laura shrugged.

"Oh, no. You're going to have to do better than that."

"I was bored with him," Laura admitted. "I didn't want to date him anymore. Just holding his hand made my skin crawl."

"Certainly good reasons for breaking up with him," Mrs. Morgan said. "Laura, I know that I'm very old and feeble – "

"You're not old or feeble, Grandma," Laura said with a smile.

Mrs. Morgan smiled. "Thank you, dear." She paused, then continued. "You know, I was married once. And, before that, I had several boyfriends. But, I spent a good deal of time without dating anyone, too. And, I can tell you from my own experience that it's far better to be on your own than to be with someone you don't like."

"I know, Grandma. That's why I broke up with him."

"Sweetheart, if you're happier without him, then you have no reason to be miserable."

Laura looked at her with tragic eyes. "But I am miserable."

"Because of Pierre?"

"I suppose."

"Is there another reason?"

Laura paused for a moment, then decided to speak. "I hate that Mum's so happy that I've broken up with him."

"I don't think that she's happy –"

"Yes, she is!" Laura interrupted. "She never liked him, she never wanted me dating him – of course she's happy that I'm not with him anymore!"

"No mother likes to see her daughter suffer, Laura."

Laura turned away to look out the window again. "I really don't feel like talking, Grandma."

"All right," Mrs. Morgan said, getting up from the bed. She started to leave the room, but paused in the doorway. "I love you, Laura."

Laura turned to give her a half-hearted smile. "I love you, too."

Dana was sitting in the kitchen when her mother reached the first floor. She looked up at her nervously.

"How did it go?"

"Not well," Mrs. Morgan sighed. "Maybe – maybe you should have her talk to Tonks."

"Not on Christmas Eve," Dana said. "Perhaps after Christmas."

Mrs. Morgan nodded. "Right now, I think she might be the only one who can get through to Laura."

"So then he said, 'that's why I got the new car!'"

Laughter erupted at the end of the story. Tonks joined in, even though she had only heard half of it. Her uncle Tim always told amusing stories; she was sure that it had been funny even without knowing the content.

Christmas Eve with the Tonks family was always a production. Tonks's father came from a large Muggle family who delighted in celebrating the holiday. Tonks had always loved going to her grandparents' house on Christmas Eve. Her childhood memories were full of events just like the one. But, somehow, she couldn't muster her usual enthusiasm.

"Are you all right?"

Tonks turned as her cousin Ella sat down next to her. She gave her a smile. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know," Ella said, looking at her closely. "You just seem a little off, I suppose."

"I'm fine," Tonks repeated.

Ella nodded and settled back against the sofa. She turned to face Tonks, her expression gentle. "It's a boy, isn't it?"

Tonks wanted desperately to deny it, but knew that she couldn't. For one thing, Ella knew her better than most people, and would see through her lies in an instant. For another, she could feel her face turning red at the question.

"Of course, it is," Ella said with a knowing nod as she watched the emotions play across Tonks's face. "What happened, Dora?"

"It's a long story," Tonks sighed. "Suffice it to say that we're not spending Christmas together."

"Yes, I can see that," Ella smiled. "And, I have to say, I'm rather glad. It would be terrible to have you bring a boyfriend to Grandma's when I'm still single."

Tonks laughed. "We have to present a united front, is that it?"

"You know it. We always have."

Tonks smiled warmly. She and Ella had always done everything together for the simple reason that they had been born only three months apart. Now, as adults, they didn't get to see each other very often; even so, they remained close.

"Things never work out the way we want them to, do they?" Tonks sighed.

"Sometimes, it's better that way," Ella said slowly. "Think of how different your life would be if you had married that boy you fell in love with when we were seven. What was his name? Tommy?"

Tonks burst into genuine laughter at that, thinking of the "wedding" they had staged as children. "I had forgotten that! You know, I've heard that he's in medical school now."

"Ah, well, life is full of missed opportunities," Ella giggled.

"Yeah, that's true," Tonks said, her earlier melancholy creeping back over her.

"Hey," Ella said, realizing what was happening in her cousin's mind, "stop it. It's Christmas, Dora. You aren't allowed to be sad on Christmas."

"Can't I be just a little sad?" she asked with a hint of a smile.

"No," Ella said firmly. She sighed, resigned to asking about "the boy." She was sure that talking about it would make Tonks feel better. "What's his name?"

Tonks felt the heat rising to her cheeks again. "Remus," she said quietly.

"Remus," Ella repeated. "And I suppose he's quite handsome."

"Of course," Tonks smiled, knowing that her cousin was trying to make her feel better.

"And clever."

"Quite. He was a professor for awhile."

"Oo, and educated, too," Ella smiled. "And he's funny?"

"More witty, really."

"Even better." Ella cuddled back against the couch. "He sounds lovely."

"He is," Tonks said warmly.

Ella's expression darkened. "Well, he's a rat bastard if he's broken your heart like this."

"He's not, El," Tonks sighed. "That's half the problem. I can't hate him, because he's such a bloody good person."

"He can't be that good of a person if he's hurt you like this," Ella said quietly. "He doesn't deserve your time, and he certainly doesn't deserve to be allowed to ruin your Christmas. So, we're not going to let him."

"What?"

Ella jumped out of her seat, and grabbed Tonks's hands, pulling her to her feet. "Come on, Dora, we're going to dance!"

"I don't want to dance!"

"Yes, you do!" Ella laughed. She turned up the Christmas music that was playing and began dancing around the crowded living room.

Tonks laughed at her antics. "Ella, you're being ridiculous!"

"You're the one who's making me dance alone!"

Three other cousins jumped up to join Ella. Ella reached out to grab one of Tonks's hands again, while another cousin, Kelly, grabbed the other.

"You have no choice," Ella laughed. "Come on, Dora, stop acting like an old woman."

Faced with such accusations, Tonks found that she had no choice but to join in their dance. Her cousins cheered as she began dancing with them, and several other family members joined them.

Laughing breathlessly, Tonks was sure that Ella had provided her with the perfect quick fix for her sadness. But, what would happen when the party had ended and she had returned to her still, quiet flat?

Remus's head was spinning as he watched the younger Weasleys, Harry and Hermione trooping up the stairs to bed. Even though he considered the highlight of the day Fred greeting him by his first name, thereby opening the doors for the others to call him something other than "Professor Lupin," it had been completely driven out of his mind by his conversation with Harry.

"You don't think there's something to what Harry said, do you? About Draco Malfoy?" he asked Arthur.

"I don't know, Remus," Arthur said slowly. "Like I said, I've searched Malfoy Manor. There's nothing there that could be considered illegal." He looked thoughtful. "What about this bit about Snape?"

"I stand by what I said to Harry," Remus said. "I trust Dumbledore, so I must also extend my trust to Snape." He smiled sadly. "I know very well what Sirius and James would think about that, but there it is."

"They trusted Dumbledore, too," Arthur reminded him quietly.

"Yes, they did," Remus mused. "But, there was far more bitterness between them and Snape than between Snape and I. I suppose you could say they had more reason to distrust him."

"Do you really believe that?"

Remus smiled. "No. The real difference is that James died at the age of twenty-two with a rather adolescent view of the world still working its way out of his mind." He looked into the fire for a moment. "And, Sirius's life ended that night, too."

"Remus, you aren't allowed to look so sad on Christmas Eve," Molly said as she came back into the room. "Whatever Arthur's been telling you, just forget about it."

Remus smiled. "I'm sorry, Molly. I didn't mean to bring your party down with my personal problems."

"Don't worry about it," she said warmly. She smiled as she sat down with the two men. "I think that Harry was quite pleased to see you."

"I'm glad to be able to spend some time with him," Remus said. "He's … I wish you had known James and Lily, Molly. He's so much like them that it frightens me."

"I wish he had known them," Molly said softly.

"No more than I do," Remus said. "They were truly good people."

"They must have been, to have a son like him." Molly bit her lip. "They'd be so scared for him, though. I wonder what they would say if they knew …"

"They would tell him to fight," Remus said, feeling a surge of renewed desire to fight alongside him. "They would tell him not to give in, not to give up. They would tell him to be brave, to be strong." He sighed. "I wish he had them here to do that for him."

"He has you, Remus," Molly said urgently. "He has all of us, but, most importantly, he has you. You were their best friend. That must mean something to him."

"It does," Arthur offered. "He trusts you, Remus, which is not something he does easily."

"He trusts you, too," Remus said. "You've been a real family for him ever since he started at Hogwarts, and I know – I know that James and Lily would be thankful for that."

Molly wiped at her eyes and smiled, clearly ready to change the subject. "What are your ladies doing tonight?"

Remus smiled. "Dana and Laura are probably fighting over everything in their lives, with Dana's mother acting as a referee."

"Are they not getting along?" Molly asked sympathetically.

"Not exactly," Remus said. "You know how teenagers can be."

"Mine were never really all that bad, thank goodness," Molly said. "The twins were a handful, of course, but they never acted out for the sake of fighting."

"Laura just broke up with her boyfriend, so she's rather miserable," Remus said. "Unfortunately, Dana was never a fan of Pierre, so …"

"So she thinks that Dana is glad that she's upset," Molly said, understanding dawning. "Oh, dear."

Arthur chuckled. "Makes me glad we only had one girl."

Molly shook her head. "And Olivia?"

"She's headed to her parents' for the holidays," Remus said.

"That will be nice for her."

Remus smiled. "I hope so."

"Aunt Olivia!"

Olivia grinned as she stepped out of the grate in her parents' living room. As much as she had been dreading facing her parents and her brother, she had been looking forward to seeing her nieces.

"Hi, Kristen!"

She couldn't help but laugh as her twenty-two-year-old niece flung herself forward into Olivia's open arms. She hugged her tightly, then pulled back to look at her.

"Where's Megan?"

Kristen rolled her eyes. "She's off with her boyfriend. She'll be here for dinner tomorrow, but she's spending tonight with Dylan's family."

Olivia raised her eyebrows. "It sounds like they're getting pretty serious."

"They are," Kristen sighed.

"You don't seem very happy about it."

She laughed. "I'm the older sister. I'm supposed to get married first."

"Don't begrudge your sister her happiness. If she waits for you to get married first, she'll be waiting forever." Caroline smiled. "Hi, Olivia!"

"Caroline!" Olivia exclaimed as her sister-in-law hugged her. "It's so good to see you!"

"You, too," Caroline smiled.

"You're so mean, Mum," Kristen said with a somewhat-forced smile.

Caroline rolled her eyes, then smiled at Olivia. "Krisie is following in her Auntie's footsteps."

"How so?" Olivia asked.

"Our newest Auror is married to her career."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Olivia said, putting her arm around Kristen. "My career and I have been very happy together."

"So there," Kristen said, laughing at her mother.

Caroline smiled tolerantly. "Have you seen John and your parents yet?"

"No, I just got here," Olivia replied.

"Well, everyone is in the kitchen," Caroline said.

"Come and say hi," Kristen urged.

Olivia smiled as best she could, bracing herself for what faced her in the next room. "Lead on."

"Look who's here!" Caroline exclaimed as they entered the kitchen.

"Hi, Livie!" John greeted her, hugging her close. "How are you?"

"Fine," she said.

Her parents came forward, both folding her into their arms.

"We've missed you, darling," Mrs. Alexander said. "You haven't been home in ages."

"John works me too hard," she smiled.

"We're facing a very real threat," John said seriously. "We need every available person working to his or her full potential."

It's a shame you don't know how to make that happen, Olivia thought. She smiled and said aloud, "We all do the best we can."

"How are things going at Hogwarts?" John asked.

"Pretty well," Olivia said.

John nodded. "I'm thinking of having Krisie join you there."

Kristen made a face. "I like where I am, Dad."

"Where are you now?" Olivia asked.

"Muggle London," she said. "Unlike some people in the department, I have the ability to make myself look enough like a Muggle to fit in. Apparently, that's not good enough for Dad."

"I think we're pretty well set at Hogwarts," Olivia said. "You'd have to talk to Tonks, of course, to know for sure."

"I don't know," John said. "After that incident with Katie Bell …"

"An accident," Olivia said. "It was tragic, of course, but everything is under control."

John shook his head slowly. "I'm thinking of changing the way things are running at the school."

"Why would you do that?" Olivia asked, panic filling her. The last thing Tonks needed was to have her mission taken from her.

"If Tonks can't run this mission the right way …"

"She's running it very well," Olivia said angrily. "I don't think anyone could do better."

"Liv –"

"Let's have dinner," Mrs. Alexander said quickly. "John, can you carry the ham into the dining room for me?"

"Of course," John said, taking the platter from his mother.

"Here, dear," Mrs. Alexander said, giving Olivia a bowl of vegetables.

"So, I'm surprised to see you here on your own," Mr. Alexander said, walking into the dining room with Olivia.

"You thought I was bringing someone?" she asked. "I thought that I had told Mum that Remus wouldn't be with me."

"I had just thought … Liv, it's been awhile. You're finally free of him – free to move on."

Olivia put the vegetables down on the table with far more force than was necessary. She glared at her father for a moment, then took her seat next to Caroline.

"Are you all right?" Caroline asked.

"Fine," Olivia said, gritting her teeth.

"You don't look fine," Caroline replied.

Olivia gave her a sarcastic smile. "Everything is going exactly as I had expected. Why wouldn't I be fine?"

Christmas Day

Laura had always loved Christmas. There was something so magical about the holiday and the love and happiness that it represented.

This year, she hated it.

She hated the cards from her friends. She hated the gifts from her godparents.

But, most of all, she hated the fact that she had to spend the day with her mother.

Dana tried desperately to bring her around from the very beginning. She started the day by making Laura's favorite breakfast, complete with an excellent recreation of the pastries she had adored as a little girl in France.

"Isn't this lovely?" Mrs. Morgan smiled as they sat down to breakfast. "Laura, you must try these pastries! They taste just like the ones you always liked so much in France."

"They're good," Laura said.

Those were the only two words she spoke until dinner that evening. By that time, Dana, furious that Laura would act this way on Christmas, was ready to shake the girl. Mrs. Morgan, who had spent the day trying to draw Laura out, finally had given up. She was setting the table with the good china while Laura helped her mother in the kitchen.

"Would you like to choose a platter for the turkey?" Dana asked.

Laura shrugged.

The small gesture ignited a fire in Dana, who slammed her open palm down on the counter.

"That is enough!" she yelled. "I understand that you've broken up with your boyfriend and that you're upset about it, but that is no reason to ruin Christmas!"

Laura's mouth fell open in shock. "Mum!"

"You are not the center of the universe, Laura, and the entire world does not have to cater its moods around yours! Perhaps I doted on you too much, and perhaps I'm partly to blame for the monster you've been since you got home, but you need to take some responsibility for your own actions.

"Life gives us all different circumstances, Laura. We don't control what happens to us, but we control our reactions to what happens. And, right now, you are acting like a toddler who didn't get the toy she wanted for Christmas."

"You have no idea how I feel!" Laura yelled.

"That is completely untrue!" Dana cried. "The entire world knows how you feel, Laura, because you've made it painfully obvious!" She stepped closer. "I'm upset that you're hurting, but you need to stop acting as though you are the only one who's ever been hurt. You need to realize that there are problems greater than yours. And, most of all, you need to realize that it is Christmas. This is a time of togetherness and family and love – and you need to get yourself into the spirit to celebrate those things right now."

Dana grabbed a platter of rolls and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Laura alone with her jumbled thoughts. Her mother looked at her with raised eyebrows as she entered the dining room.

"That sounded tense," she said.

Dana put the platter on the table and shook her head. "I can't believe my child is so spoiled and pampered that she would ruin Christmas for all of us with her emotions."

"I think you're being a bit unfair."

Dana shook her head. "I know what she is, Mum, and I don't have anyone but myself to blame for it. I spoiled her all her life, and now she feels that she has the right to dictate the emotional climate of the entire family."

"Dana, stop," Mrs. Morgan said. "You're being ridiculous. She's just being an emotional teenager. You were like that yourself at her age."

"I don't think I was quite this bad."

Mrs. Morgan smiled. "Not during the holidays, dear."

Dana sighed. "She'll get over it, right?"

"Eventually."

The door between the kitchen and dining room swung open, and Laura stepped out, carrying a bowl of mashed potatoes.

"Where do these go?" she asked meekly.

Dana and her mother exchanged a look.

"I'll take them, dear," Mrs. Morgan said, taking the bowl from her.

Laura drew a deep breath. "You're right, Mum," she said without making eye contact. "I want us to have a nice Christmas."

Dana released the breath she had been holding, and crossed to hug her daughter. "We will, darling."

Laura closed her eyes as she hugged her mother back, but she couldn't ease the tension from her body. She wished that everything could be fixed so easily.

"Tomorrow is another day."

Tonks let the tears fall freely down her cheeks as the music swelled over the scene of Scarlett standing alone, overlooking Tara. She had seen Gone with the Wind at least a dozen times, but had never cried quite this much at the end before.

"Oh, please. You are not watching that movie all alone on Christmas."

Tonks's heart leapt to her throat as she leapt to her feet. She spun around to see Kingsley standing behind her.

"King!" she yelled. "What are you doing here? How did you get in?"

"You gave me your password," he shrugged. He stepped around to sit down with her on the couch. "Now, tell me why exactly you are home alone on Christmas, making yourself cry with classic movies."

"I like this movie," she said defensively.

"Most people do," he replied. "But that doesn't answer my question. It doesn't even come close to answering it."

"Why are you here?" she asked with a resigned sigh.

"A little bird told me that you might be alone today, wallowing in your misery."

"And does this little bird have a name?"

"Maybe," he smiled. "Molly Weasley told me that you had refused an invitation to Christmas dinner. That's unheard of, Tonks. It's like refusing an audience with the Pope."

"I couldn't go over there, King. Not once she said …"

"Remus is there, isn't he?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

"Tonks, you know that I love you," Kingsley said. "You're one of the brightest people I know, and normally I support your decisions. But, this time, I think you're being ridiculous."

"I'm being ridiculous?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes!" he exclaimed. "Tonks, you've got it in your head that Remus is going to magically transform into this knight who will come charging over here to rescue you from the dragon of your own self-pity."

"What's so wrong about that?" she asked defensively. "What's wrong with wanting him to make this right?"

"Darling, he doesn't know how you feel. How can you expect him to do what you want if he doesn't know what that is?"

"He knows very well how I feel," she said stubbornly. "He's known all along that I fancy him." She felt the heat rising to her cheeks as she realized how much like a teenager she sounded. "I know that he cares about me, too, King. I just don't understand why he won't let us be together."

Kingsley sighed. "Sweetheart, he's told you time and again where he stands on this. And, until now, I think that I've been very supportive of your decision to try your best to win him, despite his protests. But, Tonks, maybe …"

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe it's time for you to fully appreciate his point of view. Maybe it's time for you to believe him."

"What exactly are you trying to say, King?"

"Tonks, I'm saying that maybe it's time for you to move on."

She looked away from him and stared blankly at the television screen. She stared it without blinking for so long that he started to get nervous.

"Tonks?" he asked gently.

She turned to look at him, her eyes full of tears. "Do you think I want it to be this way?" she asked in a hoarse whisper. "Do you think that I want to be miserable? Do you think that I want – that I want …?"

"Tonks, that's not what I meant."

"I hate this, King," she said. "I hate every last minute of it. I wish with all my heart that I could stop caring. I wish that I could be like Olivia, who wants nothing more than friendship from him, who doesn't have a problem not hearing from him for months while he's with the werewolves. But I can't. I can't make myself stop caring." A tear came loose and slid down her cheek. "I can't make myself fall out of love with him."

Kingsley sighed, and pulled her into a comforting embrace. "He doesn't deserve you, you know."

She smiled against his shoulder. "Stop trying to be an older brother."

"You need one," he replied, pulling back to look at her. "Who's going to make sure you're okay if I don't?"

"I'll be fine on my own, King."

"'Fine' does not include sobbing over a movie on Christmas," he argued. "Come on. We're going out."

"Out? Out where?"

"Out for a walk. The fresh air will do you good. Then, we're going to come back and have hot chocolate and ice cream."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" she giggled.

Kingsley smiled at the smile on her face. "Absolutely. Now, go get your coat."

Tonks smiled wider as she jumped up from the couch. "Thanks, King. You truly are always here when I need you."

He smiled back. "That's what brothers are for."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Remus asked in a low voice, watching Harry lead Rufus Scrimgeour out of the house.

"We don't exactly have much choice, do we?" Arthur replied, his own expression just as worried as Remus's. "He's the Minister, Remus. Nothing will happen to Harry. He can't let it. Can you even imagine …?"

"I know, I know," Remus said. "It just seems …"

"I know."

Remus looked away from the empty doorway to see Molly hugging Percy. Percy was facing the table; his expression of distaste for the emotional scene was all too obvious. Ginny and the twins stared at Percy with unveiled contempt.

"How can he treat Mum like that?" George whispered.

"On Christmas, no less," Fred added. "I can't believe we ever looked up to him."

"Did we? Any of us?" Ginny asked.

Bill looked at them with concern. "Don't," he cautioned in a low voice.

"Don't what?" Ginny asked innocently.

"Don't do anything that will ruin this for Mum," Bill warned. "Because if you do …"

"Percy, please, sit down," Molly said, wiping her teary eyes. "Have some turkey."

"No, that's fine, Mother," Percy said stiffly.

"Don't be silly," she said. "I know how you love Christmas dinner – we have plenty of food –"

"Are you sure about that?" Percy asked with a bit of a sneer, looking around the table. "It would appear that you already have more than your fair share of guests."

Horror filled their faces at the words and all that they implied. No one could believe that Percy would speak to his mother like that. Ginny glanced at Bill, whose face was turning a deep shade of red. She looked back at the twins, who were shoving their spoons around on their plates. Realizing what they were doing, she mimicked them.

"You know, Perce, I seem to remember your favorite food," George said, lifting his spoon off his plate. "Do you remember it, Fred?"

"I sure do," Fred said, lifting his own spoon. "Mashed parsnips."

As if it were their cue, the twins and Ginny all pulled their spoons back and flung their contents at their older brother. Percy tried to duck, but he wasn't quick enough; he took the parsnips full on in the face.

The door flung open just as Percy, sputtering, tried to clean off his glasses. Remus looked around to see Harry, his face rather flushed, standing in the doorway. Percy glanced at him for a minute, and, if possible, his face turned even redder. Without saying a word to anyone, he marched out of the house.

"What just happened?" Molly bellowed. "Who did that? How could you do that to your brother?"

"He deserved it, Mum!" Fred exclaimed.

"Didn't you hear what he said about – about – " George was beyond words over the entire incident.

"I did it, Mum," Ginny said. "Don't blame Fred and George."

"Hey, now!" Fred exclaimed. "I don't want to miss out on my credit for that!"

"Neither do I!" George said indignantly. "We were all involved, and that's the truth!"

Molly looked around at all of them, and promptly burst into tears. She ran from the room, leaving them all feeling rather awkward and ashamed.

"Molly, please," Arthur said, getting up from his seat. He looked at his children with a weary expression. "Was that really necessary?"

"Yes," Fred, George and Ginny said as one.

Sighing, Arthur followed his wife out of the room.

"I told you not to ruin this for Mum," Bill said.

"We didn't," Fred said stubbornly. "Percy did that all on his own. He never needs our help to ruin anything for Mum."

"Don't you get it?" Bill asked. "It always means more to Mum when Percy's here. She wants it to be like we were when we were little kids, with everyone here and happy for Christmas. You messing with Percy just drives him away."

"Good," Ron said, speaking for the first time since Percy's unexpected arrival. "We don't need him."

Bill sighed. "But, Mum does. Can't you see that?"

"Why can't she have Charlie instead?" Ginny asked.

"Charlie hasn't written her off," Bill explained. "It's not nearly as exciting to think of him coming home for Christmas. She knows that he'd be here if he could. Percy, on the other hand …"

"Is a git," George said. "I, for one, am through worrying about him." He picked up a plate of rolls. "Did everyone get one of these? Our own Ginny made them."

Everyone relaxed as the rolls went out the table. They were talking quietly when Arthur and Molly, whose eyes were still rather red, made their way back into the room.

"Look at all of you with food still on the table," she said with a slight smile. "Here, let me get those plates out of the way and get you all some dessert."

"I'll help you," Remus said, standing to follow her from the dining room to the kitchen.

Molly smiled at him as the door shut behind them. "I don't really need the help, Remus. Go enjoy the day."

He smiled gently. "Are you all right, Molly?"

"Of course," she said with a falsely bright smile.

"Molly," he said gently.

Her smile faltered. "I won't let this ruin our Christmas," she said. "The children, you, Harry … this is Fleur's first Christmas with our family. We all deserve more than – than food fights and insults."

"You're a strong woman, Molly," Remus said, squeezing her shoulder.

She smiled again. "Of course, Remus. I was a Gryffindor."

"Aunt Olivia!"

Olivia smiled and opened her arms to receive her younger niece. Megan laughed as she clung to Olivia, kissing her cheek.

"I've missed you!" she exclaimed. "I'm going to tell Dad that he's not allowed to make you work so much anymore."

Olivia laughed. "He couldn't make me work any less. You know how I can be."

"True," Megan smiled. She reached back to take the hand of the tall young man behind her, pulling him forward. "Aunt Olivia, this is Dylan. Dylan, this is my aunt, Olivia Alexander."

"Hi, Miss Alexander." Clearly unbelievably nervous, Dylan extended a hand for Olivia to shake.

Olivia smiled as she shook his hand. "Please, call me Olivia."

He smiled back, slowly relaxing. "All right."

"Come on, you have to meet my grandparents," Megan said, pulling Dylan down the hall.

Kristen appeared beside Olivia. "What do you think of Dylan?"

"He seems a bit nervous. Is he always like that?"

She shook her head. "I think he's just scared to meet the family. It must be tough to date a girl whose father, aunt and sister are all Aurors."

"And whose grandparents can be rather terrifying," Olivia added, thinking of the first time she had introduced Sirius to her parents. She felt as if a knife twisted within her as she remembered his first awful Christmas with her family. If it hadn't been for John and Caroline, she was sure that it would have been a truly horrific holiday.

"Are you okay, Aunt Olivia?"

"I'm fine," she smiled. "Kristen, you're nice to Dylan, aren't you?"

"I try to be," Kristen shrugged.

"Kris …"

"I'm nice, Aunt Liv," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Good. He needs to have someone support him while he's here – someone other than just Megan."

"Krisie? Grandma wants you to set the table."

"Coming, Mum!"

"I'll help," Olivia volunteered.

"Thanks," Kristen smiled.

Olivia smiled back, thinking that she would far rather help her niece with the table than be trapped in the kitchen with her mother.

Dinner began calmly. Everyone was very polite, trying to make a good impression on Megan's boyfriend. He gradually lost his nerves over the course of the meal, and moved from answering the questions posed to him to asking some of his own. Olivia found herself thinking that this young man would be a welcome addition to their family; judging by the way Megan looked at him, she thought so, as well.

"Are you working, Dylan?" she asked.

"Actually, I'm studying to be a Healer," he replied.

"One of my best friends is a Healer," Olivia said. "She works at St. Mungo's."

"I'd love to do that," he said. "My father wants me to go into research, but I'd really rather work with the patients."

"Understandable," Olivia said. "Is that where you and Megan met, then? Healer training?"

Megan nodded with a wide smile. "We had lunch together on the first day of training, and that was that."

"Training can be difficult," Olivia said. "I'm glad the two of you have found a support system in one another."

"You trained as an Auror, right?" Dylan asked.

"That's right," Olivia smiled.

"And you work the Ministry?"

"Yes. I started here, then moved to France to work for the British Auror division there for a time, then came back."

"She couldn't stay away," John laughed.

"That's right," Dylan said, his eyes swinging to John then back to Olivia. "Your brother is your Head! Is that strange?"

"Not really," Olivia replied. Except the part about knowing that everyone thinks he's incompetent. "I don't really see much of him, as I'm stationed at Hogwarts."

"Is that a plea to change your assignment?" John laughed.

"Certainly not! I love where I am."

"Still," he said, turning serious, "we may need to reevaluate that situation."

"What is there to reevaluate?" Olivia asked, instantly annoyed.

"We've been over this, Liv," John said. "A girl nearly died! Don't you think that merits some sort of evaluation?"

"It was an accident," Olivia said, her voice rising. "An isolated case. Tonks is doing a great job! You don't need to worry about us."

"I think that I do," John said, his own volume climbing. "I know that you and Tonks are friends, Liv, but you can't cover for her if she's not up to doing her job."

"She's very up to doing her job!" Olivia knew that she was yelling, but she couldn't back down – not now. He was attacking her ability to do her job, and, even worse, he was attacking Tonks – Sirius's cousin.

"Liv, think!" John yelled. "Anyone can see just by looking at her that she's overwhelmed! Maybe it's time to break up the team and reassign the Hogwarts mission!"

"You're a fool if you think that's the right thing to do!" Olivia yelled. She laughed cruelly. "Then again, this all makes perfect sense. Based on how you're running this department, I'd say that you are a fool."

"What?" John sputtered.

"John, you have made a complete mess of this department! You're splitting up teams on a whim, reassigning people who don't need to be reassigned, disregarding what anyone else in the department says … in short, you've created a mess for yourself. And, the worst part is, I don't think you have any idea of how to begin sorting it out."

John's face was bright red. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't I?" Olivia laughed. "I talk to my colleagues, John, and I know how they feel. The sad truth is that you don't even realize how much you've hurt the department."

John looked at her in shock, unable to even formulate a response.

Olivia threw her napkin down on the table and stood to her feet. "I'm sorry to ruin dinner, Mum. I just had to get that off my chest."

With that, she Disapparated, leaving her stunned family behind.