Chapter Six - It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
On December first, Harry received a package with the Owl Post from Griphook, and the owl waited as Harry opened the envelope. There was a small stack of parchment, and on the first page there was a note which Harry read over quickly.
Dear Mr. Potter,
Please review the attached financial statement for your accounts. All six of your account managers have verified the accuracy of the report. When you have finished, please sign and return the six incentive payout authorization letters that have been included in this package, as per your instructions, and return them to me using this owl.
With respect,
Griphook, Molly Weasley, Fleur Weasley
Harry looked at the next page, and after a minute of reading it, started to chuckle and smile. He quickly signed the six letters that approved the transfer of about one million galleons to the accounts of each of his managers. He put them into the provided envelope, and attached it to the waiting owl. The owl flew off right away, heading back to Gringotts. Ginny leaned over when he was finished to ask why he looked so especially pleased about today's mail, which she'd assumed was just another of the many posts he got from her mother or from Fleur.
"What are you laughing about?" He handed her the papers, which she read over quickly, her eyes widening as she read the details of what her Mum, sister-in-law, and the other Account Managers had accomplished over the past six months and change.
"And they each get one percent of that?" she whispered. Harry nodded, smiling even more, and she hugged him.
"I knew it'd work," he told her, "and after they get those transfers, they'll work even harder at it, now that they know just how much it pays off." He was very pleased with the whole situation.
"But this is so much more than Mum and Dad, or Bill and Fleur could have ever hoped for," Ginny answered. She was so proud of everything he was doing for her family, but this was just beyond anything she could have ever dreamed or hoped for.
"Ginny, look at how much money they were able to make me. It's costing me six percent of money I wouldn't have at all without their hard work, and great ideas. If they keep on like this, I may have to bump that percentage up." Harry folded the papers up, and put them in his robe pocket, and they finished breakfast before it was time to get to their classes.
It had been announced that this year, there would be a Yule Ball held on the last night of school before the Christmas break. In that first week of December, with the Ball fast approaching, Harry put the plans he'd been making for his friends into effect. On the Friday before their next Hogsmeade day, He invited Ginny, Hermione, Luna, Lavender, Parvati, and Padma to meet him in an empty classroom.
When they all arrived after dinner, he asked them to all go with him to Hogsmeade in the morning. They had to make sure that nobody else came with them, or knew about it. The girls all wanted to know why, but Harry just gave them a mysterious smile, and told them to trust him. After Harry had left, Hermione and the other girls talked Ginny into trying to get Harry to tell her what was going on later, but while they both had a lot of fun while she tried, he would not tell her anything.
They still had no idea what was going on in the morning when Harry took the six young Witches in tow, and they headed in to Hogsmeade together. He led them to Gladrags, and they all entered the shop, the girls looking around and wondering what Harry was up to. A woman with a strong French accent met them at the door.
"Monsieur Potter! Welcome to our shop. It is such an honour to finally meet you in person."
"Thank-you," Harry replied with a bright smile. "These are the friends that will be needing the services we discussed. I haven't told them why they're here yet." His green eyes sparkled as he glanced at Ginny and the other girls before turning back to the other Witch. "I'll leave them in your capable hands, madame," he added before leaving without explaining to the girls why they were there.
When he left the shop, and the now very curious group of young women, he went to meet up with the other guys who were in on the plan at the Three Broomsticks. Ron saw him first, and waved him over to the table they were sitting at.
"Were they surprised?" he asked.
"I imagine they are by now," Harry answered with a big smile. "I left before they were told what was happening."
Seamus laughed. "We should've made sure to get pictures," he suggested, and the rest of the guys laughed too.
"Trust me guys," Harry told them, "we're the ones that get to enjoy this the most when we get to have the girls on our arms at the Yule Ball." Neville and Ron both nodded agreement, remembering the day out on Ginny's birthday.
"Now, let's get down to business while the girls are occupied," he continued. "We've all asked our respective dates, and they each said yes?" Everyone nodded.
"Good. Are the flowers on order, and they will co-ordinate with the dress shop to match colours?" he asked, and Neville nodded.
"Check," he confirmed.
"Intimate candlelight dinner for twelve courtesy our friendly neighbourhood House Elves and the Room of Requirements?" Harry asked Seamus and Dean.
"Double-Check," Seamus answered, and Dean nodded.
"Decorations?"
"I picked them up this morning, and we'll take care of the decorating the day of the Ball," Ernie told him, and Harry nodded.
"And finally, to top the night off," Harry said, and looked at Ron, who nodded, "we have managed to hire the Weird Sisters to be the band for the Ball again." The rest of the guys were impressed. It had been a big deal when the band had played the year of the Tri-Wizard tournament.
"Hey, it's our last year at Hogwarts," he told the other guys. "I want it to be the best one we've had." Nobody bothered to remind Harry that it wouldn't be hard to do, considering they'd be comparing it to all the other years in which so many bad things had happened to them.
When Harry left Gladrags, the six girls had watched him go, and then turned back to their hostess. "Ladies, if you will come with me, please," she said, and led them into another room where she seated them in six comfortable chairs. She stood in front of them and smiled.
"Ladies, I have the honour and pleasure to introduce to you this year's Parisian line of Ball gowns. Each one that you will be shown is an original, created by our most famous designers. Monsieur Potter has instructed us to assist you each to choose from these original gowns, and provide any accessories necessary to complete the outfits." The girls were speechless. They looked at each other, and then Ginny finally spoke first.
"Is this just absolutely brilliant, or what?" she asked her friends, who all laughed.
When they were ready, their hostess summoned the models to begin showing the girls the wide variety of gowns. They were all exquisite, and the girls took their time choosing the gown that would be perfect for each of them. When they had all picked out gowns, they each had to endure a lengthy fitting session. Finally shoes and handbags were matched for each gown, and by the time they were done, they had to hurry to get back to school on time.
It was six tired girls that arrived back at the Gryffindor Common Room that afternoon. Ginny had volunteered to thank Harry for all of them, and the other girls had laughingly accepted her unselfish offer. Harry was sitting by the fire, reading from a textbook. Ginny walked over, pulled the textbook from his hands, and sat on his lap. She didn't even notice Ron in the other chair as she put her arms around Harry, and gave him a rather long, serious sort of kiss.
"Oi, Ginny. Not right here in front of me!" Ron complained. Ginny looked around at Ron and waved Hermione over to distract him.
"Now, where was I?" she purred as she turned back to Harry.
"Erm, I don't know, but wherever you were, I was happy to be there with you," he assured her, smiling and putting his arms around her waist. "I take it you liked the surprise?"
"We all did," she said with a nod. "I was elected to be the thank-you committee. What's so funny about that?" Ginny asked in mock anger when Harry laughed. He smiled at her, his eyes full of mirth.
"I was just thinking that it was a good thing you were elected. If it'd been Hermione, and she'd thanked me like that, Ron would be putting a beating on me by now."
Ginny hit him lightly on the arm, but couldn't help laughing with him. She kissed him again, and then they sat and talked about her day until it was time to head down to the Great Hall for dinner.
The day of the Yule Ball arrived. In the morning, Harry gave Ginny a present, with instructions not to open it until she started getting ready for the Ball. That afternoon, when the girls were in their dormitory and nearly ready, Ginny sat on her bed, unwrapping the present. There was a folded parchment on top of a velvet-covered box. She unfolded the parchment and read the little note.
Dear Ginny,
I wanted you to have something special to wear with your new gown tonight. The necklace that's in this box was my mother's favourite. I know that she'd want the girl I love to have it.
Harry
There were tears in her eyes as she opened the box to find a sparkling diamond solitaire pendant hanging from a long gold chain. When she gasped, Hermione came over and sat beside her. She looked into the box too, and her eyes widened.
"That's so beautiful!" she breathed, and Ginny nodded.
"It was his Mum's favourite," she said tearfully, and Hermione gave her a hug.
"Want me to help you put it on?" she asked, and Ginny could only nod. Hermione took the necklace from the box, and while Ginny held her hair up, Hermione fastened it around her neck. Stepping back, Hermione looked at Ginny.
"It's perfect," she declared, and the other Gryffindor girls gathered around, echoing Hermione's comment before their Head Girl took charge. "Come on now," she told the other girls. "We've got to get your face fixed up again, Ginny, and it's almost time to go meet up with the boys." They all laughed, and then got back to getting ready.
When the girls arrived in the Common Room, Harry, Ron, and Dean were waiting for them. Collecting Ginny, Hermione, and Lavender, they advised Parvati that her escort was waiting for them in the hallway. They went out the portrait hole together, and met up with Ernie. He smiled and held out an arm to Parvati, and the four couples headed out, with Ron and Hermione in the lead.
"Ron, we're going the wrong way," Hermione told him. "The Great Hall is that way." He smiled and squeezed her hand.
"We've made other arrangements for your dining pleasure this evening my lady," he said with an extravagant bow.
They all laughed, and made their way to the seventh floor, where they met Neville, Luna, Seamus, and Padma, who had already arrived. The boys led their dates through the door that Seamus had already called, and they entered a room that looked like a glass atrium at sunset, overlooking a calm, crystal clear bay.
There was a single round table near the windows, and the young men escorted the girls to their seats. Ron was to be the master of ceremony for the dinner, and once the girls were seated, the boys remained standing while he addressed their dates.
"Thank-you for accepting our humble requests to allow us the privilege of being your dates this evening," he told the girls, who all giggled, since this was so not like the Ron they all knew and loved. Despite their reaction, he continued on, trying to act very formal and serious.
"To begin your evening, you will see in front of you a corsage that was created to match your evening's attire." The girls smiled, looking suitably impressed, and they each put their flowers on. The boys had prudently chosen wrist corsages, knowing that none of them had a hope of pinning one on a gown without drawing blood, and botching the whole thing. Ron then picked up a glass filled with a bubbling champagne.
"Gentlemen - and ladies, if you would please join me in a toast." They each lifted their glasses from the table. "We are indeed fortunate men to be able to escort the six most beautiful ladies in the school to the Ball this evening. May this be the most special of nights for each of them!"
"Here, Here!" the other guys replied, as they all sipped from their glasses. Ron set his glass down before going on.
"Please sit down now," he invited the other guys. "Dinner is served."
On cue, as the boys sat, a small group of House Elves, led by Kreacher, carried plates to the table with the first course of their meals. Seamus and Dean had worked with the elves to make sure they had created a menu for each girl that contained their own personal favourite foods. Hermione was giving Ron her 'I can't believe you did this' look. Ron was smiling at her, pleased, as he usually was, when he could surprise her. Harry finally got a moment to talk quietly with Ginny.
"You look absolutely amazing tonight," he told her. "I hope you like the necklace. It looks great on you." She smiled and squeezed his hand tightly.
"I love the necklace, the dress, and everything. And I really love you for doing all of this for me."
"This was a team effort," Harry said with a soft laugh. "And we think you girls are worth it."
During their dinner, there was lots of laughter as they enjoyed each other's company, along with quiet moments when one or more of the couples would be talking only with each other. When they were finished eating, and it was time to go down to the Ball, Harry stood and bowed to Kreacher and the other elves.
"Thank-you for such a wonderful dinner," he told them. "Everything was perfect, and we all appreciate you helping to make this such a special night for all of us." Kreacher bowed to Harry.
"Thank-you, Master. We are proud to serve you and your friends."
When the six couples entered the Great Hall, they smiled as they heard some 'oohs' and 'ahs' nearby. More than a few girls were heard muttering jealously, and Harry and the other guys were getting a few nasty looks from other young Wizards who knew the bar had now been set impossibly high. They mingled with the other students, and waited until Professor McGonagall called for everyone's attention.
"Welcome to the Yule Ball!" she told her students, then went over the few rules they had for the dance before introducing their musical guests. "I hope you are all ready to dance, because Hogwarts is proud to welcome - The Weird Sisters!" All of the students went wild, cheering loudly and talking excitedly. Ginny threw her arms around Harry and hugged him tightly.
"You did this, didn't you?" she asked, and he smiled and hugged her back.
"I can neither confirm or deny the accusation on the grounds that any answer could incriminate me," he answered, and then laughed when she hugged him again.
They danced the night away, stopping only for short breaks to have drinks or other treats. When the Ball was over, Neville and Seamus escorted their dates to the Ravenclaw House entrance, while the other four couples walked back to Gryffindor Tower. Parvati stayed in the hallway to say a private goodnight to Ernie, while the others went into the Common Room. Hermione took Ron by the hand and led him into the Head Girl's office for a little one on one counselling. Harry and Ginny sat on a sofa by one of the fires, and Dean and Lavender were already on one of the other sofas across the room, oblivious to everyone else. Harry held Ginny in his arms, just enjoying the feel of her close against him.
"I guess we should go get some sleep," she whispered. "We'll be heading home in the morning – make that in a few hours." She looked up into his eyes, and he leaned down to share a tender, soft kiss with her.
"Thank-you, Harry," she breathed. "I've had the most amazing time tonight. Everything was just wonderful." He hugged her close.
"You're welcome, Ginny," he assured her. "I've had a really great time tonight too." She kissed him again, and then got up.
"I'll see you in the morning. Have a good sleep." Harry got up and walked her to the entrance to the girl's dorm, where they shared another long hug and kiss.
"You have a good sleep too. I love you, Ginny."
She smiled and hugged him again. "I love you too, Harry. Goodnight."
Harry lay awake in his bed. As the other guys trickled in, there was a little joking, especially about Ron getting called into the Head Girl's office.
"Well," Ron said, "if I could get away with it, I'd be giving ten points to each of us for exceptional teamwork and organization. Everything worked out perfectly tonight." They all laughed, then sat around and talked for a while longer until one by one they drifted off to sleep.
The next morning after breakfast, Ron, Ginny, and Harry left for the Burrow. Hermione was headed home, but would spend Christmas day with them. There were long good-byes, and it was late in the morning when they finally arrived at the Burrow. When they went inside, the place was quiet. They were all so used to Mrs. Weasley's big welcome whenever they'd come home from school, that it felt very strange. On the kitchen table they saw a note.
Welcome home, kids!
Put your things away in your rooms. Your father and I will meet you for lunch at the Leaky Cauldron at noon. See you then.
Love, Mum.
They looked at each other, smiling. "Well, I guess we better get moving," Ginny told the boys. "We're a bit late getting back, so we don't have much time." They all took their trunks upstairs, got settled in, and then met downstairs again.
When they arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, they found a table and ordered themselves drinks. They were still a little bit early, so they talked quietly while waiting for their parents. Mr. Weasley got there next, having come from the Ministry of Magic, and they all exchanged hugs in greeting. They chatted about school and work while they waited for the others to arrive.
Harry happened to be looking at the door that led to Diagon Alley when Mrs. Weasley walked in with Bill and Fleur. His mouth dropped open in amazement. From the exclamations he heard beside him a moment later, Ron and Ginny had noticed her too.
"Blimey!" Ron said in astonishment. "That cannot be MY Mum!" Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Fleur all laughed, and Ginny got up, ran over, and gave her mother a warm hug.
"You look amazing, Mum!" she said excitedly, and Mrs. Weasley smiled and hugged Ginny back.
"You'll have to give Fleur the credit. I just followed her around and did what I was told." Fleur smiled at Molly fondly. They'd come a long way in the past couple of years, and she'd grown very fond of her mother-in-law.
"She just needed a nudge 'ere and there," Fleur told Ginny and the boys. "'Zee jewel was already there, waiting to shine."
Mrs. Weasley was dressed in a new, very fashionable robe. Her hair was styled differently, and she wore makeup. There were some very nice pieces of jewellery that finished the whole package. She looked years younger now, and very happy. Harry and Ron got up, and there was more hugging and handshaking, before everyone sat down at the table. They ordered their meals, and had more drinks delivered while they waited for their food.
"So, how's business?" Harry asked with a big grin on his face. Fleur nodded to Mrs. Weasley to answer for them.
"It's wonderful, dear," she told him with a smile. "Who would've thought that a group of Goblins and a couple of Witches would make such a great team?" Harry just smiled, and didn't bother to mention that he, actually, had thought exactly that.
"'Zat incentive was so generous 'arry," Fleur added. "Eet eez way too much." Harry waved that off dismissively.
"We all read those records. All that money wasn't really doing anything for years, even though the Goblins had thought so. If it wasn't for all of you – especially both of you, there would have hardly been any profit at all. I was actually thinking that one percent isn't enough." Bill laughed at that.
"I saw the Chairman a while after Griphook had received your authorizations for those bonuses, Harry. I think he's thinking about giving himself a demotion to account manager." Harry laughed too.
"How's Percy doing?" Ginny asked. "Couldn't he come today?"
"He was going to be here for lunch, but he and Kingsley got stuck handling some crisis or another," Mr. Weasley told her. "You know how it goes with politics." Ginny nodded. "He's been going out with Penelope Clearwater again. Seems that she's forgiven him for being such a git the past few years," he added, then feigned surprise. "Oh, did I say that last part out loud?" he asked, but he was smirking, and his insincerity was obvious. Everyone laughed.
During lunch they talked about what would be happening over the holidays. Mrs. Weasley was having a dinner this Sunday night for the family. Bill and Fleur were going to be in France with her parents and her sister, Gabrielle, over Christmas this year. Charlie was going to be home from Romania for Christmas. George and Percy would spend Christmas Day with them, but otherwise were busy with work. Andromeda Tonks and Teddy would be coming for dinner at the Burrow on Christmas Eve. Hermione and Ron would spend Christmas Eve with her parents, and then come over to the Burrow on Christmas morning. The only real plans that Harry, Ron, and Ginny had for the holidays was a shopping day with Hermione on Saturday.
After lunch, Fleur announced that she was taking the afternoon off to go shopping with her favourite, and only, sister-in-law. Ginny, never one to turn down shopping, was happily led away. The others headed back to work, leaving Ron and Harry on their own. They wandered around Diagon Alley for a while, stopping in to see George first, and take a look around his shop. With Hogwarts out for the break, they were busy, and George wasn't able to spare much time for them.
"Have you decided what you're getting Hermione for Christmas yet?" Harry asked Ron.
"I've picked up a couple of books, but that's about it so far," he admitted. "Why? Got any suggestions? I'm not very good at this picking out presents for girls thing." Harry laughed.
"I was thinking we could head to that Muggle Mall we went to a lot during the summer, and pick out some jewellery for the girls," he suggested, and Ron thought that was a great idea.
They left George's store, headed back to the Leaky Cauldron, and went out into Muggle London. Harry picked out earrings that would match the necklace he'd given Ginny the day before, and Ron picked out a delicate diamond and ruby bracelet for Hermione. When they were walking back to Diagon Alley, Ron suddenly stopped.
"Hang on there, mate!" he exclaimed. "Wasn't buying jewellery covered in chapter four of that book I gave you last year?" Harry chuckled as he nodded, and started walking again. "I can't believe you're using that book on my sister!" Ron continued. He suddenly looked a little sick. "I can't believe I gave that book to my sister's boyfriend!" Harry couldn't stop laughing, and Ron looked like he was getting worked up like he did sometimes.
"Don't worry, Ron," Harry told him. "I have only the best intentions for Ginny." Ron gave himself a shake.
"Yeah, I know. Sorry about that. I just went temporarily mental for a minute there," he said, laughing too.
They apparated back to the Burrow and had the place to themselves until Ginny returned with Mrs. Weasley, arms loaded down with bags from her afternoon shopping trip. When Mr. Weasley got home, there was a quiet dinner, at least by Burrows standards. Afterwards, Mr. Weasley informed them that he and Mrs. Weasley were going out - Friday night was now apparently date night, and Mrs. Weasley left the kitchen to go get ready.
"Say what?" Ron exclaimed in disbelief. "You're taking Mum on a date?" Ginny laughed at Ron.
"I think it's brilliant, Ron," she told him. Turning to her Dad, she added - "I'm glad you two can finally do stuff like that again."
"What d'ya mean, again?" Ron spluttered, and she rolled her eyes at him.
"Ron, I know this may come as a shock to you, but I can pretty much guarantee that our parents were doing a lot more than snogging on at least six occasions that I can prove, one time where there was a two for one result, and I'm guessing more than a few other occasions that I can't." Harry and Mr. Weasley laughed, while Ron was coughing and choking.
"Ginny, that's our parents you're talking about!" he finally managed to say, but she just laughed too.
"We're all adults now, Ron. If mum and dad have a little romance happening with us all back at school, I think it's fantastic, and I'm really happy for them." She went over and gave her Dad a warm hug.
Mr. Weasley grinned at Harry over her shoulder. Ron had settled down, but still looked like he'd been hit over the head with a hippogriff at the thought of his parents snogging... or worse. Mr. Weasley left to get ready then too. When they both came into the kitchen, Mrs. Weasley looked great in a stylish Muggle evening dress, and Mr. Weasley was dapper in Muggle dress pants, shirt, tie, and jacket. Harry whistled and smiled, while Ginny gave her Mum a hug.
"Now, I want you two kids to be careful, have fun, and be home before morning," she told her parents. Everyone laughed except for Ron.
"We can stay out 'til dawn?" Mrs. Weasley asked with a twinkle in her eyes. "I would've expected no later than eleven." Ginny laughed.
"Thought about saying something like that, but then I realized that Harry and I might want to be out later than that sometime, so I better not give you anything to use against me later," she answered, and they both laughed. Mr. Weasley smiled at his two favourite girl's banter.
"We had better get going Molly, or we'll be late for the show," he said, and Mrs. Weasley nodded.
"Your father got tickets to Celestina's Christmas show tonight," she told them excitedly. She gave Ginny another hug, and waved to the boys as they left.
Ron and Harry played Wizard's Chess for a while, and Ginny was content to snuggle beside Harry, reading a book. As always, Ron easily beat Harry three times. They talked about the shopping trip planned for the next day, and discussed gift ideas for everyone on their lists. It was heading towards ten o'clock when Ron decided that three was a crowd, and made some excuse about working on his broom to leave Harry and Ginny alone, heading off to his room. Ginny snuggled in closer to Harry, smiling up at him.
"He's not as dense as he looks sometimes," she said, and Harry leaned down to kiss her.
"It was about time," he whispered as their lips met. "I've been waiting all day for that," he added after that first kiss, and Ginny smiled at him encouragingly.
"Well then, you should definitely do some catching up," she told him. Harry laughed, and did just that.
The next morning, Hermione met them at the Burrow for breakfast, and they headed to London for a day of shopping. They decided to split up in the morning. The girls were to pick out presents for Mrs. Weasley, Professor Tonks, Fleur, and for three girlfriends of the bachelor brothers. George hadn't told anyone yet, but the grapevine was hinting that they should expect Cho's best friend Marietta Edgecomb to be with George for Christmas. The boys were to shop for Mr. Weasley, Teddy, and all of the brothers.
When they met for lunch, the girls had managed to buy for everyone on their list. Harry and Ron hadn't done quite so well. They'd only finished about half of their list, having stopped to play with all the cool toys when shopping for Teddy. When they finished lunch, the girls took them in tow, and helped them finish everything up, including the shopping for friends they were supposed to do that afternoon, both in Muggle London, and at Diagon Alley. They were all exhausted by the end of the day, and Hermione headed home when the others apparated back to the Burrow once they were done.
On Sunday morning, they all pitched in to help Mrs. Weasley clean the place and make dinner. Charlie arrived just before lunch. He introduced everyone to his girlfriend Nathalie Roshkny. She was a pretty brunette who had an easy smile. Charlie told them that she worked at the reserve as a Healer, and they had been dating for about six months now. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny took a liking to her right away, and Nathalie was quickly pulled into the kitchen for some girl talk, while the guys headed into the sitting room to have a drink and talk dragons, Quidditch, and politics.
In the afternoon, Hermione, then Fleur and Bill arrived. Percy and Penelope would be coming just before dinner, and George wouldn't be able to come over until after the store closed for the day. Harry and Ginny were in the sitting room when Mrs. Weasley came in and asked them to come with her into the kitchen. When they arrived there, Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Fleur were waiting, dressed in their travel cloaks. Mrs. Weasley looked at Harry with a smile.
"We have a Christmas present for you Harry, and we want to give it to you while Bill and Fleur are here," she told him. Mr. Weasley handed Harry his cloak, and helped Ginny on with hers. They headed outside, and Mr. Weasley took Harry's arm, while Mrs. Weasley took Ginny's.
"Where are we going?" Harry asked.
"You'll see," Fleur answered, and her bright smile was the last thing Harry saw as everything went black.
When they arrived, Harry was disoriented for a moment. They were standing in front of a pretty cottage surrounded by neat hedges, all lightly covered in snow. There was smoke drifting from a chimney, and candlelight flickered in the windows invitingly. Harry's eyes filled with tears.
The last time he had been here, nearly a year ago, the cottage had been a broken, overgrown ruin - a cold monument to the worst day of his life. Now it beckoned him with feelings of 'home'. He pulled Mrs. Weasley, then Fleur into long hugs. He let the tears fall freely, and didn't even try to put into words what this gift meant to him. Once he got a little control back, he also hugged Bill and Mr. Weasley before they all went inside to look around. Kreacher was there to welcome them, and had a tray of hot drinks for them.
"Welcome home, Master," Kreacher said, bowing. Harry bowed in return.
"Thank-you, Kreacher." Harry was still unable to say much as the emotions he was feeling from being in this house were close to overwhelming him.
The inside of the house was beautifully decorated, and there was comfortable looking furniture. Harry noticed some pictures on the walls and on some of the tables, and walked over to look. When he realized what the pictures were, he turned to face Ginny. He had been unconsciously holding her hand the whole time, and she had been walking with him. His eyes were full of tears again, and he smiled at her.
"You were in on this!" he exclaimed, and she nodded. There were tears in her eyes now too. "These are the pictures from that casket in the vault." She smiled, wiping some tears from her face, and gave him a hug.
"Yeah, and you have no idea how hard it was to keep it a secret from you, either," she told him. Mrs. Weasley spoke next.
"You're going to be done school soon, and we knew you were going to need your own place by then," she said. "Fleur and I thought you'd like this place the best of all your houses." She looked around. "Kreacher did most of the repairs and fixing up the yard, although Bill and some of the Goblins helped fix some of the worst damage. Fleur and I decorated and furnished the house." Looking a little nervous, she asked - "Do you like it?" Harry went over and hugged her again.
"I love it," he assured her in a near-whisper. "There's nothing I'll ever be able to do to show you all just how much this means to me. It's perfect. Thank-you."
Mrs. Weasley wiped the tears from her eyes, and Harry saw Bill embrace Fleur as she cried into his shoulder. They sat on the sofas and chairs, and Kreacher served the drinks.
"Kreacher," Harry said, "you've done a great job here. I am honoured to have you as my House Elf." Kreacher beamed at him.
"Kreacher is honoured to serve Harry Potter," the diminutive elf told Harry happily.
When they finished their drinks, Mrs. Weasley suggested that Harry and Ginny explore the house, and the rest of them would head back to the Burrow. There were more hugs, and then the young couple was left alone. Ginny took Harry's hand, and they walked into a gleaming kitchen. There was a beautiful wood table, and everything looked shiny and new. There were cupboards and closets to explore, and a small library-office on the main floor. Upstairs they found two washrooms and six bedrooms. The room on the back right of the cottage was set up for a nursery. They saw a note on the crib, in Mrs. Weasley's handwriting.
'I decorated this room expecting grandchildren. Not in the immediate future, though, so behave.'
Ginny and Harry both laughed. They checked out the other rooms. There were four guest bedrooms, and then what was obviously the room they'd decorated for Harry. There was a large four-poster bed, with matching dressers and tables. A small sitting area was placed in the corner with windows looking over the back and side yards. Harry sat on the side of the bed, too overwhelmed at everything they had done for him.
"You deserve all of it, Harry," Ginny told him softly. She sat beside him and put her arm around him.
"It's more than I could have ever hoped for," he said, looking into her eyes. "This will be our house, you know." He smiled at her startled look.
"I hadn't even thought about that," she whispered. Harry laughed quietly, and putting his arm around her, leaned her back until they were lying side-by-side on the bed.
"Neither had I," he admitted, "but now that I think about it, I guess that also means this will be our bed." He smiled at her, and she smiled back at him. "I think it'd be nice to find out what it'll be like kissing you on it." She put her arms around his neck.
"Well, then I guess we outta find out - just to be sure it will work out alright," she told him before she pulled him close and kissed him. After what ended up being a fairly long kiss, they agreed that the bed, and everything else, would be just right. Laughing, they headed back downstairs. Harry thanked Kreacher again, and they left for the Burrow.
"What took you so long?" Ron asked them when they got inside.
"Oh, we just took our time looking around the place," Ginny answered. With a impish grin, she added - "And then there was all that hugging and kissing too." Harry laughed as Ron groaned.
"Don't look like that, Ron," Harry said. "There were only a couple of hugs," he added, paused for effect, "and one really brilliant kiss." He laughing again when Ron gave him a dirty look, and everyone else laughed with him while Ginny put an arm around him and squeezed affectionately. Hermione walked over and gave Harry and Ginny hugs.
"You guys will have to take Ron and I over to show us the cottage," she told them. "I hear it's a bit changed since the last time I was there." Harry smiled and nodded.
"It is, and we can pop over anytime you'd like," he offered.
They spent the rest of the afternoon catching up with each other, and getting to know Nathalie. Harry liked that she treated him the same as everyone else right from the moment they'd met. He also had a lot of fun watching her play Ron to a draw at Wizard's Chess. Harry thought Ron looked happy to finally have someone who was as good a player as he was to compete against.
"Nathalie, if you run now, I'll hold him back," Harry told her, "or I can't be held responsible for the hours you'll be stuck at the chessboard with him." She smiled at Harry.
"I don't mind. I'll try to let him win once or twice, just so he doesn't get bored." When she saw the look on Ron's face, she patted his arm. "I'm just teasing, Ron. I'm as glad as you are to have someone else who can really play the game to compete against. It's not much fun when you know you're going to win every game."
When Percy and Penelope arrived, they had enough time for introductions, and then Mrs. Weasley called everyone for dinner. The meal was a boisterous affair, with everyone talking loudly and having a great time. Nathalie was sitting beside Harry, a bemused look on her face as she was watching the display.
"You get used to it after a few years," Harry told her, leaning in close so she could hear him over the din, "but there's nothing better than being part of a big family like this."
"You should've seen Harry the first Christmas he spent here with us," Ginny added with a laugh, having overheard his comment. "Half the time he looked like someone had stupefied him." The two girls laughed as Harry blushed.
Ron, sitting next to Hermione, regaled everyone with a play by play of Gryffindor's trouncing of Slytherin at Quidditch. Charlie told everyone about what was going on at the Dragon Reserve, and Percy and Mr. Weasley brought everyone up to speed on what they had each been working on at the Ministry of Magic. Penelope and Nathalie were encouraged to talk about their families and jobs, and Hermione and Ginny did the school report while Harry mostly stayed quiet and enjoyed the meal.
When dinner was winding down, they were all stuffed, and agreed to have dessert later, after George arrived. Harry and Ginny shooed everyone but Ron and Hermione into the sitting room, and the four of them handled the cleanup duties. Ron grumbled until Ginny suggested he could try doing it like in the old days when they weren't allowed to use magic, and he promptly shut up and got to work.
They were just finishing up when George arrived with Marietta, and another round of hugs and introductions ensued before Mrs. Weasley took them in tow, and sat them down for a late dinner. When they rejoined everyone in the sitting room, and everyone was settled, Bill and Fleur passed around the presents they'd gotten everyone, while they were handed presents from everyone else. Ginny and Harry were sitting in a chair, his arms around her, as she opened her present. She squealed in delight as she pulled a sleek, black dress out of the box, and jumped up to go hug Fleur.
"Thank-you, Fleur. I love it!" she said happily. Fleur looked over to Harry and smiled.
"We did your present earlier, but I think that Ginny's will be as much a present for you as eet is for her," she told him. They all laughed as Harry blushed. Penelope and Nathalie were both surprised to be included in the gift giving, and loved the bottles of French perfume that Fleur had picked out for them.
"Zee English just do not know 'ow to make perfume," she explained.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were given season's tickets to the Magick Theatre, and Ron was happy, as always, with Chudley Cannons gear. Charlie, Percy, and George each received bottles of firewhiskey, and George promptly opened his and started passing glasses around.
Bill and Fleur had also been opening presents. There was an amusing gift from George - a book for Fleur on house training husbands, a set of Romanian crystal goblets from Charlie and Nathalie, a vase with evergrow flowers from Percy, and a set of travel bags from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley that Hermione had helped them put undetectable expansions in.
Ginny and Hermione suggested that Bill and Fleur wait until they got home to open the present from the four of them. They assured them they'd like the presents, but with a pointed look at the boys, told them that maybe not everyone needed to see what the presents were. Harry and Ron were both blushing while everyone else laughed. The girls apparently had forgotten to let them in on this ahead of time.
With the gift exchange out of the way, Mrs. Weasley had everyone head out to the kitchen for dessert. Since many of them had to work in the morning, and it was getting late, they started a long round of goodbye hugs and kisses. Charlie and Nathalie headed out with Bill and Fleur, and would be staying at their house while they were back home. Percy and Penelope went back to London along with George and Marietta. Ron was going to be spending a couple of days at Hermione's home, and they left together once he'd packed his bag, leaving Harry and Ginny alone with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Ginny gave her Mum a hug.
"You guys head off to bed," she told her parents. "Harry and I will tidy up here." Mrs. Weasley kissed her, hugged Harry, and then she and Mr. Weasley went off to bed. When the clean-up was finished, Harry and Ginny snuggled on a sofa in the sitting room for a little while.
"This was just another great day," Harry said quietly.
"Mmm-hmm," Ginny agreed sleepily. Harry held her gently, listening as her breathing evened out and she fell asleep in his arms. He picked her up without waking her, and carried her upstairs and put her into bed, tucking the covers up around her shoulders.
"My Hero," she whispered, only half waking up. Harry kissed her softly.
"You're the one saving me," he whispered back, and leaving, he closed her door quietly behind him. He went to his room, got ready for bed, and was soon asleep too.
The next day, Harry and Ginny had agreed to meet Charlie and Nathalie for lunch and an afternoon stroll around Diagon Alley to check out the stores and sights. Meeting at the Leaky Cauldron, Ginny suggested they go into Muggle London for lunch. When they returned and went into Diagon Alley, they made George's store their first stop.
The storefront displays were at their flashy best. With only four shopping days until Christmas, the store was busy with people looking for that perfect gag gift for that special someone. Charlie had told Nathalie about his brother's business, but she was amazed by the wide assortment of products in the store, and especially impressed that George and Fred had invented so many of them.
She hadn't met Arnold the previous day, and when she saw the pygmy puffs, fell in love with them, immediately picking one out. George had hired some Hogwarts students to help out over the holiday, and was able to take a break and visit with them for a few minutes.
"How's the Hogsmeade store doing?" Harry asked him, and George laughed.
"It's doing great!" he said happily. "Lee and Cho have the place way ahead of what we expected sales to be for our first year."
Harry smiled. "I'll bet someday you guys will be the Wal-Mart of joke shops," he said, and the others looked puzzled.
"Why would I want to be like a place that sells walls?" George asked, "and why would anyone need a mart to buy walls from?" Harry laughed, and told them a little about the Muggle retail giant.
"Well," George said, "in that case, yeah, that's what we'll be someday."
"Talk to Fleur in the new year," Harry suggested. "I think we'd be interested investors when you're ready to do that." Ginny laughed.
"Enough business, already," she told them. "We're supposed to be having fun this week."
They left the store, and wandered through the other shops. Ginny picked up the Christmas edition of Teen Witch magazine at Flourish and Blotts. They stopped at the Apothecary and picked up the supplies they needed to have for Potions classes, and inks from Scribbulus' for when they returned to Hogwarts. Nathalie picked out a couple of novels at WhizzHard books. They went in for drinks and a snack at the Leaky Cauldron, and then headed back to the Burrow.
Ginny and Harry had been elected cooks for the evening, and so they started cooking as soon as they got back home. Charlie and Nathalie went off to play a game of Wizard's Chess in the sitting room. With Ron away, it was just the six of them for dinner when Mr. and Mrs. Weasley got home. Since Harry and Ginny cooked, Mrs. Weasley and Nathalie offered to do clean-up. Ginny was leafing through her magazine, cuddled against Harry, an he listened contentedly to Mr. Weasley and Charlie as they talked together, all of them having settled down with after dinner drinks. When Mrs. Weasley and Nathalie came in, Charlie poured them drinks, and they joined in the conversation. Mr. Weasley looked over at Harry and Ginny and got their attention.
"What have you two got planned for the rest of the week?" he asked them, and Ginny answered.
"Harry and I are going to spend the day with Neville and Luna tomorrow. Wednesday we have a study day booked with Ron and Hermione, and Thursday we're going to work around here to get things ready for Christmas."
Mrs. Weasley asked Charlie what they were going to do, and he told them they had plans to visit Hogsmeade and Hogwarts to show Nathalie around, and they were also going to do the sightseeing tour of London. Charlie and Nathalie headed for Bill & Fleur's place a couple of hours after dinner, Mr. & Mrs. Weasley headed for bed shortly after that, and it wasn't too much later that Harry found himself again carrying a sleeping Ginny to bed. As he again tucked her in and kissed her goodnight, he spoke softly to her as he brushed a hand through her lustrous, soft hair.
"I could get used to doing this every night," he told her, then turned and walked quietly toward the door. Ginny watched him leave and close the door through nearly closed eyelids, and smiled.
"I could get used to letting you," She whispered to herself, and then drifted back off to sleep.
Harry was up early the next morning, cooking breakfast for everyone. He thought about what a difference it was doing the work for people he loved, instead of when he was with the Dursleys. He realized that they hadn't even crossed his mind in months. He wasn't at all interested in seeing them ever again, but he decided he should at least make sure they were doing alright after everything they'd been through.
When Mrs. Weasley came into the kitchen, he had breakfast waiting for her. She hugged him, and sat down to eat. Mr. Weasley and Ginny joined her shortly after, and they all sat down to enjoy the meal. Before she left, Harry asked Mrs. Weasley to look in on the Dursleys for him and make sure they were alright. She agreed, and headed off to work. Mr. Weasley left shortly after, and Ginny and Harry cleaned up from breakfast before going upstairs to get ready to go see Luna and Neville.
They were meeting their friends at Luna's place, and when they were ready, apparated over. Neville hadn't arrived when Luna invited them in, so while they waited, they sat in the kitchen with Luna's father. Harry had only seen him in passing since that unfortunate day when he had tried to turn Harry, Ron, and Hermione in to the Death Eaters. Mr. Lovegood seemed very uncomfortable around Harry, and he whispered to Ginny that he needed her to get Luna out of the room for a few minutes so he could talk to him. Ginny got Luna to take her up to her room for some girl talk, leaving Harry alone with Luna's Dad. Harry waited until he was sure the girls were out of hearing before saying anything else.
"Mr. Lovegood?" Harry said, waiting until he was sure he had the other man's attention. "I want you to know that none of us are, or ever were angry with you about what happened here with the Death Eaters." Harry waited, but Mr. Lovegood didn't say anything. "We let those Death Eaters see us before we dissapparated, so they'd know you'd told them the truth and wouldn't kill you or Luna." Mr. Lovegood put his head in his hands.
"I'm glad to know I have a friend who's father loves her so much that he'd do anything to save her," Harry continued, then paused for a moment. "Please don't let this bother you anymore. We won, and you and Luna are both fine. That's what really matters." Xenophilius finally looked up at Harry, and seeing the sincerity in those startling emerald eyes, he smiled at him for the first time.
"Thank-you Harry," he said. "Having those animals take my little girl was the worst thing that had ever happened to me. If you and your friends hadn't saved her, I don't know what I would have done without her." Just then Luna ran into the room and hugged her Dad.
"You never told me, Daddy," she said tearfully. Ginny came walking in, holding an extendable ear in one hand. She smiled a little guiltily at Harry.
"What can I say, it's in the blood," she told him, and Harry took her hand and smiled back at her. Mr. Lovegood put his arms around his daughter.
"I should have, but I was so ashamed of what I would have done to Harry and your other friends, I just couldn't bring myself to admitting it to you," he told Luna, who looked directly into his eyes, and put a soft hand to his cheek.
"If you had, I could've told you that they would have understood," she told him. "They love me too." Her Dad smiled.
"I know they do, and you've got a really great set of friends, honey."
Neville's knock on the door smoothed the awkwardness of the moment, and the four friends were soon catching up with what they'd each been doing since leaving school, and what their plans were for the rest of the holidays. Harry and Ginny took their friends to see the cottage in Godric's Hollow, and then they went to Hogsmeade for lunch at the Three Broomsticks. Before heading back to Luna's, they bought some sweets at Honeydukes. They spent the afternoon listening to Christmas music, and just enjoying each other's company until it was time for Harry and Ginny to head back to the Burrow.
They were the last ones to arrive home. Ron and Hermione were there, as were Charlie and Nathalie. Mrs. Weasley was working in the kitchen, and Ginny went to help her. Mr. Weasley had gone out to take care of the chickens, although Harry suspected that he might be working on a certain motorcycle instead. When everyone was seated for dinner, Charlie looked over at Ron, a mischievous smile on his face.
"Hey Ron, Bill and Fleur asked us to tell you they really liked the Christmas present you got them." Ron turned a dark shade of red, and Hermione and Ginny laughed.
Charlie and Nathalie took turns telling everyone about their day out sightseeing, and Hermione and Ron talked about what they'd been doing over the last couple of days. Hermione was going to be staying overnight so they could start studying early. Charlie and Nathalie headed out shortly after they all finished eating, making an early night of it after their long day touring around. Harry drafted Ron for cleanup duty, so Mr. and Mrs. Weasley went into the sitting room with the girls.
"You think you can earn House points out of all this work, mate?" Ron muttered, and Harry laughed.
"Of course not," he answered, "I'm just happy to be able to help, and it's really not all that hard."
Ron snorted. "If you want to help so bloody much, help me get out of helping so much," he suggested.
When they finished the cleanup, Harry and Ron joined the others in the sitting room. They talked for a while before Mr. and Mrs. Weasley bade them goodnight and went upstairs to bed. They both had long workdays tomorrow before beginning their Christmas holiday, and wanted to get a good night's sleep. Ron and Hermione looked like they wanted a little alone time, so Harry and Ginny made excuses to head to bed, leaving their friends to entertain themselves. When they got to Ginny's door she smiled at him.
"If I was sure Hermione would keep Ron busy long enough, I'd have you come and tuck me in again, but I guess I'll have to settle for this." With that she put her arms around his neck, and kissed him senseless before leaving him standing in the hallway, dazed. It took him a full minute to remember his name, how to walk, and where his room was.
Ron and Harry had promised Hermione three full study days over the holidays. They spent the first study day working on Charms and Transfiguration. They made and ate lunch at the Burrow, and continued studying until it was time to make dinner, and time for Hermione to head home. When Mr. and Mrs. Weasley got back from work, Mrs. Weasley looked around at the dinner in progress and smiled happily.
"I'm going to miss all this being taken care of for me when you all head back to school," she told them, and Ginny laughed.
"When there's just the two of you to cook for, I'm sure it's a lot easier for you to keep up with everything," she suggested.
They had dinner ready by the time Charlie and Nathalie arrived, and they all sat down to eat. Harry and Ginny took cleanup so that the others could watch Ron and Nathalie battle to a win apiece and another draw at Wizard's Chess. Harry was glad to have someone there to save him from the regular drubbings he usually took from Ron at the game.
Since these games were a lot longer because of how evenly they were matched, after the three games, it was time for Charlie and Nathalie to head back to Bill and Fleur's place for the night. They had a shopping day planned for the morning, and wanted to get up early and hopefully beat the crowds. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley also called it a night after Charlie and Nathalie left. Ron sat staring at the chessboard for a while longer, apparently trying to plan his strategy for the next match with Nathalie, and then he left for bed too.
Harry and Ginny talked quietly together for a while, but as the fire and candlelight lulled them, they were content just to be snuggled close together on the sofa. Harry pulled her closer, and kissed her softly. He wasn't sure if it was a minute or an hour later when she smiled up at him.
"We better head to bed before I decide to stay here and let you kiss me like that all night," she told him.
"Is that an option?" Harry asked, and Ginny kissed him again.
"It's a really great thought, but no, it's not an option," she answered. Harry got up and helped Ginny stand, and they walked to her bedroom door together. Harry put his arms around her waist, and looked into her eyes.
"In case I didn't tell you enough today," he said, "I love you." Ginny smiled and held him tight.
"There's no such thing as telling a girl you love her too often, and I love you, Harry." They kissed again, and then headed to their beds to get some sleep.
Christmas eve day, Harry and Ginny helped Mr. and Mrs. Weasley clean and cook. Ginny was in charge of cleaning and decorating the sitting room. Harry took the upstairs, and Mr. Weasley had the outdoor chores. Ron was put to de-gnoming the yard before he left before lunchtime to spend the rest of the day at Hermione's house. Everything except the cooking was finished by early afternoon.
Harry, Ginny, and her parents were sitting around the kitchen table when Charlie and Nathalie came over. They told the others about their shopping day, and how crazy the stores had been. The rest of the afternoon was spent in relaxed, pleasant conversation, while Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Harry continued to work on dinner preparation. Mrs. Tonks and Teddy got to the Burrow shortly before dinner. It was quite a while before Harry was able to get Teddy away from the girls, who all fussed over the cute little tyke.
When they sat down for dinner, Harry finally got to hold Teddy as they took turns entertaining and feeding him so others could eat. Andromeda told them that she and Teddy would be spending Christmas Day at Hogwarts with the students who had stayed for the holidays so that a few of the other Professors could leave to visit family for the day. Harry remembered staying at the school for the holidays, and even though Christmas at the Burrow was loads better, the professors had still worked hard to make it pretty good for anyone who couldn't go home for the holidays.
After dinner was over, Charlie and Nathalie offered to help Mrs. Weasley with cleanup so that Harry and Ginny could spend time with Mrs. Tonks and Teddy. Whenever Harry was with Teddy, he felt a little like he was getting to look at the world as if everything was brand new. Teddy would giggle happily at the tiniest discovery, and Harry would suddenly see what a miracle things he took for granted every day really were.
He and Ginny sat with Teddy on one of the sofas, and entertained him with everything from coloured ribbon to chess pieces. Teddy was trying to eat one of them when Nathalie came in to the sitting room.
"I see you have a budding chess master," she said with a laugh. "I hope he doesn't want to practice tonight. I was hoping that with Ron away I could have a break for a night." The others laughed too.
When everyone was comfortable, and Mr. Weasley had passed out drinks, Ginny went to get the presents they had picked out for Mrs. Tonks and Teddy. Harry sat with Teddy on the floor, helping him unwrap his presents. There was a little toy wizard on a broom, a cute stuffed, soft hippogriff, and a brightly coloured ball. There were several other toys, and the girls had picked out a few outfits for him.
They were all enjoying watching Teddy as he would hold his new toys for a moment, then discard them and play with the bright, shiny wrapping paper, ribbons, and bows. Mrs. Tonks opened up her presents to find a 'World's Greatest Grandma' mug, and a ring the girls had picked out set with her family's birthstones. She smiled, and hugged Ginny and Harry.
"Thank-you. It's beautiful," she told them, admiring the sparkling ring, and wiping away a couple of tears. She pulled a package out of her pocket, and handed it to Harry. "This is from Teddy and I," she told him. Harry, with Teddy's help, unwrapped the gift, and Harry opened the box. Harry started to laugh as he pulled out a neon purple Seeker's glove. Mrs. Tonks laughed along with everyone else.
"I'll have you know that Teddy picked that out for you himself," she explained, and Harry gave Teddy a hug as the boy was trying to now shove the glove in his mouth.
They visited for a while longer, until Teddy, now cradled in Nathalie's arms, drifted off to sleep, and Andromeda took him and headed back to Hogwarts for the night. Charlie and Nathalie followed shortly after, promising to come for breakfast in the morning. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley headed off to bed after their guests had gone, leaving Harry and Ginny alone in the sitting room again. They happily snuggled together for a while, both of them tired and sleepy. Ginny put her arms around Harry, and watched the firelight dance in his beautiful emerald eyes.
"Take me upstairs and put me to bed, handsome," she whispered. "It's been a long day, and I'm all tired out." He smiled, and gently picked her up.
"Your tiniest wish, my lady, is my command," he assured her, and Ginny smiled up at him, a mischievous gleam in her bright brown eyes.
"Really?" she purred. "In that case, I'll have to start coming up with more interesting wishes than just getting tucked in at night." Harry laughed, carried her to her room, and kissed her goodnight.
Christmas morning, Harry was first to the kitchen, and got the breakfast cooking started. There was going to be a gang here in time for breakfast, and there was a lot to do. Mrs. Weasley was up next, and gave Harry a hug.
"Merry Christmas, Harry" she said.
"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Weasley," he answered. She looked at him for a minute, smiling happily.
"Don't you think that it's time to drop the Mr. and Mrs. around us?" she asked him. "Molly and Arthur, or," she hesitated, "Mum and Dad would be fine with us. You're like one of our own sons anyway, and with you and Ginny, it's only a matter of time before you really will be one of our kids." Harry smiled too, and gave her another hug.
"I think I'd like Mum and Dad the best," he told her, and then laughed. "Now let's get to work, Mum. We have a lot of mouths to feed this morning, and a lot to get done before we can do that." When Mr. Weasley and Ginny came into the kitchen, Harry grinned at them.
"Morning, Ginny," he said happily. "Good morning, Dad," he added, and the word 'dad' felt both a little strange, and a lot special to him as he tried it out for the first time. "Merry Christmas!" Mr. Weasley looked surprised, and gave Harry a big hug.
"Merry Christmas, son," he answered. Ginny was a little teary-eyed as she hugged Harry and wished him a Merry Christmas too. She and her father sat at the table.
"There's coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and juice ready for you," Mrs. Weasley told them. "Help yourselves. We'll start breakfast when everyone gets here."
Ron and Hermione were there first; followed by George and Marietta, and Percy and Penelope. Mrs. Weasley was thinking about starting without Charlie and Nathalie, who were running late, when they finally came in. Harry, being more observant than usual for some reason, noticed the sparkle coming from Nathalie's hand, and then caught a matching gleam in her eyes.
"Looks like at least some of us are having a very Merry Christmas," he commented to her in welcome. "Congratulations." Nathalie blushed as everyone began to catch on to what Harry had meant. Charlie couldn't stop smiling. There were tears, hugs, and kisses before everyone sat down to have breakfast, and Nathalie was prodded to tell the girls every detail of Charlie's proposal.
"Well," she started, "When we got back to Bill and Fleur's house last night, Charlie started the fire, and lit candles." She smiled at him. "He had wine ready, and poured glasses for us. We sat on the sofa, enjoying the time alone together." She paused to have some food, and then continued. "Then Charlie took my hands in his, and asked me if I'd like to open one of my Christmas presents early." She laughed. "Like any girl would ever say no to that." Charlie squeezed her hand, smiling.
"He handed me the small present. I unwrapped it, and as I went to open the box, he got down on his knees beside me." Harry listened to the sniffles from the girls, and put his arm around Ginny. "Then he said - 'Nathalie, since the first time I met you, you've had my heart. You're brilliant and beautiful, but mostly you're one of the kindest people I know'." Nathalie's eyes sparkled as she told the story. "'If you'll agree to marry me, I promise to love you all of our lives, and cherish every day with you.'" She leaned against Charlie, kissing his cheek.
"When I was finished being a puddle of goo, I handed him the ring, and told him I loved him, and would absolutely marry him," she said, finishing up the story as she fingered her new ring with her other hand. Blushing, she added - "And I think the rest of the night is on a need to know basis, and none of you need to know."
The news of the engagement had started the day off perfectly, and everyone enjoyed the morning meal and just being together with their loved ones. After the clean-up duties were done, they spent the rest of the morning opening presents. The gifts from George got the most laughs and they all enjoyed the way he poked fun at the recipients of his special presents. Mrs. Weasley had somehow managed to still find time to make jumpers for everyone. Percy had chosen practical gifts, and Charlie had brought souvenirs from Romania for everyone.
Since Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had bought presents for everyone as a group, they were careful to hand their gifts out in a certain order. Mr. Weasley opened his present first. When he saw the book about airplanes, he looked up at Harry with a huge smile on his face.
"I remembered hearing you tell Mum your fondest wish a couple of years ago, Dad," Harry told him. "That book will tell you all about how everything about how airplanes work." Mr. Weasley opened the book and pulled out an envelope that the kids had put inside.
"What's this?" he asked, opening the envelope. Inside were two round trip tickets to New York City, on the Concorde, for the next week. He got up and gave the four kids hugs, as excited as any of them had ever seen him. They had Mrs. Weasley open her present next. There was a beautiful evening gown that Hermione and Ginny had picked out for her.
"This is beautiful, girls" she told them, "but where would I ever be able to wear something like this?" she asked.
"Well, Mum," Ginny said with a bright smile, "we thought maybe it'd look nice on you when Dad takes to see this popular Muggle musical called 'Cats' while you guys are in New York next week." Ginny handed her the tickets to the show, and her mother hugged her.
"We've also made arrangements for your hotel, have dinner reservations set up, and a special type of Muggle car called a limousine for your transportation while you're there," Hermione added, and Mrs. Weasley smiled and hugged her too.
"Thank-you. This will be amazing. Arthur and I haven't gone away on our own since before Bill was born." They all joined in when she laughed.
The four friends had gotten Percy a monogrammed briefcase with a gold quill and a never spill inkbottle set. George laughed when he opened his present - a Muggle shirt that said 'Being boss means never having to say you're sorry'. Ginny had Transfigured the picture on the shirt into a cartoonish version of George.
"This is brilliant," he told them. "Thanks!"
They had also gotten George four tickets to a dinner-comedy show in London. Charlie's present from them was a table clock that they had found in London. When the hour struck, a dragon and knight came out, and the dragon was chopped in pieces, one stroke of the knight's sword for every hour. Hermione and Ginny had picked out lovely jewelled necklaces for Nathalie, Penelope, and Marietta. They then broke up into smaller groups as they exchanged presents with each other for a little while.
Harry handed Ron an envelope, smiling in anticipation of his friend's reaction to what was inside. Ron opened it up. There were two tickets to the British and Irish League Championship final in June. Ron looked astounded.
"But you can't get tickets for this yet!" he said. "They won't even know who'll be in the finals for months yet!" Harry smiled.
"It doesn't always suck to be famous," he said with a laugh. Ron slapped him on the shoulder.
"Good one, mate. This is really brilliant. Thanks." Harry handed Ginny another envelope.
"I didn't want you to go alone," he added, looking back at Ron, "so I expect this morning that everyone else on both our House and practice teams are opening these same envelopes." He smiled at Ginny. "I'm kinda hoping you'll take me as your date," he said, "but in case you have other plans, I did pick up two last tickets, and could take Luna, if you were maybe thinking about taking Neville instead." Ginny laughed.
"I think you better just give them those tickets, and stick with me," she told him, and Harry hugged her, laughing too.
Ron and Harry exchanged glances, and then handed their girlfriends the presents they'd picked up for them at the jewellery store in London. Hermione and Ginny loved the bracelet and earrings, and they each had hugs and kisses for their respective boyfriends. The girls had decided to get the boys a joint present - a new Quidditch set to replace the old, used set they had always used at the Burrow.
When the exchange of gifts was finished, Harry asked Ron, Hermione, and Ginny to go with him to the cottage at Godric's Hollow. They let the others know where they were going, and headed out. When they arrived, Harry and Ginny gave Ron and Hermione the tour of the house, and then they sat down on the sofas and Harry served them drinks.
"Ginny and I have two presents for you Hermione," Harry began. He called Kreacher, who arrived within seconds.
"Merry Christmas, master!" Kreacher said, bowing.
"Merry Christmas, Kreacher," Harry told him, bowing too. Looking at Hermione for a moment, he then knelt in front of Kreacher. "Kreacher, I've been doing a little research to learn about House Elves. For some reason that I haven't been able to uncover, most House Elves aren't happy unless they are enslaved by a Wizard family." Hermione frowned as he said that.
"If I gave you clothes to free you right now, you'd feel insulted and shamed, correct?" Kreacher only nodded mutely, the fear clear in his large eyes. "But," Harry added, "there are no other restrictions on gifts I can give you, right?" Kreacher nodded again, unsure of what his often-strange master was doing. Harry took a breath, and then continued.
"Then I have several presents for you, Kreacher." He pulled out a large bag. "This bag contains ten thousand galleons. From now on, you will be receiving regular gifts of 1,000 galleons a month." Kreacher started to shake. "Your next gift is one day off every week for as long as you serve me." Hermione was smiling now. "And lastly," Harry continued, "I hope that someday you'll want your freedom, since I consider you a part of my family, and not a slave. When you are ready, tell me, and I will grant your freedom, and you would then be welcomed to work with me instead of for me." Hermione was crying now, and Kreacher could only stare at Harry for a moment.
"Harry Potter is a great master," he finally said. "Kreacher is honoured to serve the houses of Potter and Black.
"I'm the one that is honoured Kreacher, to have such a great house elf and friend," Harry told him. Kreacher took his bag of gold, and left, probably for his hiding spot at Grimmauld place. When he was gone, Hermione gave Harry a big hug.
"That was an amazing thing you did," she told him, and Harry laughed.
"Well, I'd rather not have a slave at all, but he's come so far, I thought this would at least be a start, and that he will get money and time off." He said with a smile. "And now for present number two." He handed her a key.
"What's this for?" she asked.
"It's a key to a Gringott's vault that I had set up especially for you. When Mum and Fleur had finished reviewing all of the assets, there were somewhere in excess of eleven thousand books, apparently many of them originals or first editions." Hermione stared at him. "I had all of the books put into this one vault. Every book has been stored by topic, alphabetically, with several cross-indices. I thought you would like to have full access to this new library. Feel free to copy any books. If you want specific ones to keep, leave a copy behind." Hermione hugged him again.
"Thanks a lot, mate," Ron said. "With that many books, I'll be lucky if I ever see her again!" They all laughed, and got ready to head back to the Burrow, a fun afternoon still ahead, and a really great Christmas dinner to look forward to having with their family.