When the last holiday well-wishers said their final goodbyes, the barkeeper closed the door behind them with a grimace. In the years since the final battle at Hogwarts, it seemed the Hog's Head was constantly full of Hogwarts students past and present. And, quite frankly, the old man wasn't quite sure how he felt about that.
Oh, it was all fine and well for them to come in and pay for a drink or two, but he didn't really enjoy the reminiscences he overheard or the gratitude he felt from so many of them. No, Aberforth Dumbledore was too well used to having things quiet, and he didn't really appreciate how things had changed.
The brightly lit tree in the corner of the grubby bar was yet another change, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it either. It had shown up that first Christmas after the final battle, though no one evet took credit. (Some said George Weasley magicked it in, and others claimed it was brought in by Harry Potter himself.) Little additions were made to it every year, and it had become yet another post-war holiday tradition.
Among its branches was now a tiny bludger that would occasionally emit puffs of smoke or bawdy comments at passersby, a shaggy black dog that enjoyed hiding amongst the fairy lights, a muggle camera that often clicked with a bright flash, and a doe and stag that never seemed to be too far from one another. There was even a bubblegum pink Christmas ball that tended to bump into all the other ornaments on a regular basis…though it always calmed down when it was near the quiet brown wolf.
Aberforth ignored the tree, as he often tried to do, but on this Christmas Eve he saw a small package left below its branches. With a sigh, he wondered who had left their present behind. It took a moment for him to realize it was his own name scribbled on the tag. After a few minutes of hesitation, he opened the box and lifted a new ornament out of layers of tissue.
He didn't notice the shy smile of the girl in the painting over the mantle as he debated with himself what he should do with the fragile thing, nor did he notice how that smile broadened as he gently placed the ornament on the tree.
Shaking his head, Aberforth decided he'd had enough Christmas cheer…and memories…for one night. He headed towards his room, but as he reached the foot of the stairs, he turned for one last look at the tree. Even in the darkness, one tiny decoration shone brightly and caught his eye…a phoenix.