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Posted July 5, 2012.

17: CHRISTMAS

The National Wizards' Standard the following morning was more than an eye full. The top half of the front page was taken up by an enormous picture of the disgraced former headmaster, as he was led from the Ministry in irons, escorted by a contingent of sour-faced Aurors. The aged man looked every bit his one hundred and fifty plus, seemingly deflated and defeated from the affair. DUMBLEDORE: DARK LORD IN WAITING? The headline above it exclaimed, and in smaller type: Sins revisited: Riddle and Potter shared similar childhoods; Dumbledore responsible

Jason sucked in a breath, and blew it out. It was done. Sandra had confirmed late the previous evening, the old man had been delivered to Azkaban just after dinner. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was always concerned about something happening that would somehow prevent justice from being paid out. Namely, a miraculous escape on the part of the aged former wizard. Now, unless he was broken out of the Wizarding prison, he would live the rest of his days there.

"You're looking better," said Bill. It was the usual breakfast fare, with the eldest of the Weasley children stopping in to check before he went off to Gringotts.

"Feeling better. The unexpected third side of the war has been neutralized," answered Jason, with a shrug. "The Ministry's a non-factor, and honestly, I'm still seriously considering sending a short missive to Tom, telling him to have at it. I won't stand in his way. I'm already considering a list of people I'd want to protect and so on, but Wizarding Britain as a whole? I'm just about done."

Bill simply gave a nod. He'd heard this before, after all. It was looking more and more like Jason was going to follow through with it. And to be perfectly honest, maybe that's exactly what they needed back home. "Where's Mace?"

"Still upstairs. Capa brought home some weird problem from his class, think they worked through the night. I keep forgetting he's just as much a scientist as Capa is, right?" Jason shook his head, but grinned. "I think they would've both gone into Ravenclaw."

"Capa, yeah, absolutely," Bill agreed, "But your partner? Pretty brave, might make a strong argument for Gryffindor."

"True. No, I still think he would've made Ravenclaw. Merlin, he's already picking up stuff I wasn't learning until third year."

"Remember though, he's getting one-on-one teaching. Am I right?"

"Fair enough." Jason glanced back at the paper. "Either way, I'm hoping we can move on with things now. I need to figure out what I want to do, that kind of thing."

"I think you'd make a fair teacher. You did teach nearly thirty students during your fifth year."

"Point taken. Still..."

"Not that you really need to worry about that sort of thing anyway. You'll find your calling."

Jason only gave a nod, shuffling the offensive paper aside, and turning his attention back to his breakfast. "Fair enough." He thought for a moment. "Seriously though. I want you guys to think about moving over here permanently. I'd like to have some friendly neighbours, y'know?"

"And it would be a lot safer, I agree. Mum and dad are already quite tempted to come here and spend Christmas... that's if you'll have us."

"Of course!" Jason's features momentarily darkened. "There'll be a few restrictions though."

"And I can guess what—or who, more like it. No worries, mum and dad aren't happy with Ginny or Percy right now as it is."

"Good, good. It'll be my first Christmas as a truly free man, so it'll be a real treat to have my true allies and friends around me."

"Couldn't agree more, Jason... couldn't agree more." Bill snagged a sausage off the platter at the centre of the table. "Either way, I gotta run... an eight-thirty appointment this morning and well... bank business and all."

"Right." Jason grinned. If it required Bill's attention, it was likely dangerous. "Have a great day."

Jason leaned back in his chair, staring at the spot Bill had vanished from. Perhaps it was time to start thinking about that list. Who would he try and pry away from England? The Ministry six? Absolutely. The former D.A.? Perhaps. Some of them had still gave some rather scathing testimony during his farce of a trial four years prior. He couldn't see Dumbledore coercing all of them to turn against him, right? No, some of them had done so willingly.

Equally, he thought about what he might say to Voldemort. Could they come to some sort of agreement? Or was it just a pipe dream? After all, the man had murdered his parents. Neville's parents had been tortured to insanity on his orders. Countless others had been seriously injured or killed because of the Dark Lord. Could he honestly look those people the ones left behind in the eye, without feeling guilt?

His parents' words to him after the warding ritual came back to him instantly, specifically the words of his mother: "We know the direction you're thinking of heading, and just know, even here in the afterlife, we support what you decide to do... all of us..." That was the answer he needed. His parents would not be disappointed should he deal himself out of the war. He still hesitated, though. There was still a small piece of him not completely convinced of the sanity of such a decision. Until he was completely sure, he would not actually move.

Early hours, Christmas Day, 2000

It had been late before the household actually settled down, considering it was Christmas. Now, with dawn still several hours away, Mace found himself awakened by his partner smothering him in soft kisses.

"Um... Jason? 's too early," he muttered.

"Happy Christmas!" Jason exclaimed in response.

"O-kay then." Still, Mace had to smile, seeing Jason's enthusiasm, and the pair embraced tightly.

"If I didn't get another thing this year, I'd still be happy, 'cause I got you."

"Yeah and you know that's a load of B.S., all the gifts under the tree."

"They're not all for me though." Jason flopped back on his back, but turned to face his mate. "Can't wait for you to see what I got you."

"That's great. But really-" The door burst open, and Ron rushed into the room, only to stop dead, realizing the occupants were already awake. "Err... happy Christmas?" He looked rather sheepish.

"Happy Christmas, Ron. Now if you could let us get up and get dressed..."

"Um... right. Sorry." Jason's first friend made a hasty retreat, closing the door behind him.

It was still nearly a half-hour before the pair of them made their way downstairs. For them, getting ready involved more than just putting on clothes, after all, and it was a good thing the pair of them knew of a few cleaning charms... we'll leave it at that.

Breakfast was actually rather light—Jason had to virtually beg Kreacher not to go overboard with the preparations, pressing him to instead concentrate on dinner, since they would have a houseful for most of the day. So, breakfast fare that morning consisted of mostly cereal and toast, with coffee and juice. With Mace and Capa around, coffee had become a morning requirement. Jason couldn't stand the taste of it, preferring to stick with tea.

As they ate, others started filtering down from the extra rooms, or through the floo. Mr. And Mrs. Weasley arrived part way through, and Jason found himself snared in one of Molly's famous bone-crunching hugs. Bill had followed soon after, along with his wife, Fleur, and their one-and-a-half year old daughter, Victoire(1). Soon after that, Capa also made an appearance—he had been staying since the start of the Christmas holidays, much like Ron and Hermione.

In fact, there had been a lot of visitors since the winter holidays began on the 22nd. The Minister for Magic herself had paid them a visit, to Jason's surprise. Even more surprising, was learning she was a Muggleborn—something that would happen in England when hell froze over, he snorted in his head. The head of DMLE had also visited several times, although that was likely for a good reason: the Ministry did have a contingent of Aurors watching his property. And speaking of those, the group were also typical visitors during the day, usually during the change-over between shifts. That was another reason there was usually a fresh pot of coffee on the go. Jason had told them to 'help themselves'.

Sandra and Ty, naturally, called on the house quite frequently, since the legal proceedings were far from over. But that was all on hold at this point, as the group felt it best to just relax and put everything off until the beginning of the new year.

Back to the present, breakfast at last finished, and the now assembled group moved into the large front room, where the tree had been set up a few days before. Jason had originally just wanted a small tree, but the Weasleys wouldn't have any of it. If they were spending part of Christmas with their honorary eighth child, it had to be done right. So, the tree was enormous, the ornament on its top just about touching the ceiling. It was decorated with a mix of Muggle and magical ornaments—both Mace and Capa were amazed at the display when it was finished, although neither of them celebrated Christmas in itself. All the same, they appreciated it for what it was. Christmas or not, it was a time to be spent with close friends and family.

Everyone finally took their seats, while Mr. Weasley was already kneeling in front of the tree, pulling out a series of packages. Jason could already guess what they were, and to no surprise, Capa opened his to reveal a home-knit sweater. It was a grey-blue shade, with a black 'C' on its front.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."

"Oh, you're welcome, dear."

Mace's sweater was a maroon colour, with a gold 'M' on its front. He put it on at once, and thanked the Weasley matriarch with a soft smile.

"And thanks for mine," said Jason, pulling his on. It was identical to ones he received in the past, although this time, rather than an 'H', it was a 'J' on the front of it. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Ron opening his, and although he tried to look happy to get it, he was struggling.

Victoire, although still a little young to fully understand what was going on, still looked more than entertained at all the commotion around her. The Weasleys had of course bought her what looked like a boat-load of gifts, most of them being cute little outfits—Jason had to grin to himself, realizing he'd done practically the same thing. At the going rate, the little girl would want for nothing.

"All right. My turn then," said Jason, directing his wand at the pile of gifts. With a few simple movements, the items were all heading toward their intended. A particularly long box landed in Mace's lap. The guy arched an eyebrow, as he pulled the wrapping off of it, revealing a brand new Firebolt.

"A... Jesus Christ..."

"Like it?"

"Jason. I... wow."

"Since you already know how to fly... and although I don't mind sharing, thought it was fitting for you to have your own. Happy Christmas."

"Thank you." He leaned down, and kissed Jason on the forehead.

"Jason... this... this is too much," said Mrs. Weasley, staring at the single document she'd pulled out of an envelope.

"Nonsense. I want all of you to go somewhere nice, and forget about all the dragon shit going on for a while. As it stands, we'll be doing the same."

"I... well..."

"Thank you, Jason," Mr. Weasley finished, "I think we could all use a vacation all considering. I'll have to let my colleague in the department know, but it won't be much of an issue."

"You're welcome. You guys are my family... been my family practically, y'know. Just thought it would be nice to give back, do something nice for you and so on."

The floo firing interrupted further thoughts on the matter.

"Is there anyone there?" The accent was thick... Russian, Mace instantly thought.

"Viktor?" said Fleur, getting up. Jason had already crossed the room.

"If I might come through?"

"I'll have to get permission from the Ministry first," Jason answered, "Just... hang on a 'sec." He turned to Bill. "Send for Auror Morgan. I think he's at the front gate."

"I'll be right back." Bill popped away.

"You have Aurors vatching your property?" Viktor arched an eyebrow.

"Considering what happened in November, yeah," Jason answered. He smiled, though, and said, "Happy Christmas."

"And Happy Christmas to you. It has been too long."

Two pops announced the arrival of Bill and a crimson-cloaked Auror.

"Mr. Krum. An honour," said Morgan, seeing the burly face in the flames. "Jason. If you feel he is safe, by all means allow him through. I'll send word to Samantha we've got an extra guest here."

Jason gave a nod, quickly modified the access list, then said, "Come on through."

Viktor's head vanished from the fire, and only a second later, the flames roared a brilliant green, and a stocky wizard with broad shoulders stepped out of them. He had nearly black hair shorter than Mace, a straight nose, and sported a few days' growth on his face(2). He wore a dark brown sweater and black pants, and a heavy red cloak with a fur collar was slung over his shoulder.

"Merlin. What has you calling at our grate this morning?"

"It vos a surprise," Viktor answered, giving a nod toward Fleur.

"Well then. Come on in! Auror Morgan, you too—I insist!" Jason prodded, indicating extra spaces. "Kreacher?"

Pop. "Yes Master Jason?"

"If you would take Viktor's cloak for him."

"Of course." Kreacher bowed low, and Viktor let him take his cloak to hang up by the back door. Even that early in the day, the house already smelt wonderful from the cooking.

"I still have to floo call the Ministry and let them know we have an extra international visitor here," said Morgan.

"Right. Of course."

"Your security here... is tight, no?"

"Very much so," answered Jason, "Both here on the property, and just... everywhere, really. The Ministry here nearly went spare when... well, after what happened in November." He smiled. "Enough of that. Glad you came. Had I known you were coming, I would have got something. People keeping secrets and all..."

"Jason, it's all good, we can deal," said Mace.

"Err... right. Um... Viktor. My, my partner, Mace. Mace. A friend and former Tri-wizard Champion, Viktor Krum," Jason introduced. The pair shook hands, seemingly appraising each other a moment.

"Jason's told me a little about that tournament," said Mace, as they took seats again. He frowned. "How come you didn't ask Dumbledore about that while he was under Veritaserum?"

"It wasn't really relevant. And honestly, once he lost his magic... I had to be careful what sort of questions I asked him. Y'know, I think it was actually Dumbledore who put my name into the Goblet of Fire."

"How about we leave all those dark topics for another day, Har—Jason," Mrs. Weasley suggested. Jason was only happy to oblige.

"Then maybe we should go next," said George, getting up. "It's more of an announcement than anything."

"We're closing our shop in Diagon Alley," Fred continued, "And opening up a new shop in Simcoe Crossing in Toronto."

"Mum and dad think it might be safer if we moved here."

"Indeed, brother."

"That's brilliant," said Jason, "If you guys need a place—"

"We've already made the arrangements," answered George, "We'll be moving in a few days. Dobby's been rather helpful the past while."

"Is that so?" Jason only smirked, knowing how that would work.

It was then Auror Morgan pulled his head back out of the fire. "You're welcome to stay as long as you wish, Mr. Krum."

"Vell, thank you." Viktor inclined his head.

"It's a good thing the head of magical Culture is away, he'd insist on a visit I think," answered Morgan, as he conjured up his own seat.

"Why's that?" Mace dared ask.

"Right. Forgot," said Jason, "Viktor is-"

"Only the best seeker in the world!" Ron exclaimed, before biting the head off another chocolate frog he'd gotten.

"Quidditch," Mace remembered.

"You have not heard of Quidditch then," Viktor assumed.

"Oh, they've told me about it, but I've not actually seen it yet."

"We'll go when the weather's nicer," Jason promised, "Unless Ron might let us come see a match at Upper Canada Academy."

"Jason, you don't have to ask! Of course you'd be allowed," said Ron, a little shocked. "Bloody hell you're one of the most famous wizards in the world whether you like it or not!"

"Yeah, I know... just don't like to flaunt it, right?"

"All right, all right. My turn," said Mace, drawing everyone's attention back to the reason they were there. "Didn't have a lot of money, but... hope you like it." He reached out and pulled a medium-sized box from under the tree, and put it in front of Jason.

Jason pulled the wrapping off, and opened the box. He was momentarily confused at what was inside. It looked like leather... a pair of boots, and a vest. Both items were quite nice, very soft to the touch, having a very dark brown, almost black colour. He pulled both items out of the box, and quickly took off the shoes he was wearing to try on the boots. They were very nice.

"That is... dragon hide," Viktor noticed. Jason arched an eyebrow. The items were incredibly expensive then.

"Mace... how? This stuff would've cost a fortune."

"Bill helped me pick it out. Didn't really know what else, but... you like it?"

"Yeah, of course! It's brilliant... but it was expensive."

"Jason. I love you. It's all you need to know."

"I love you too." A tight embrace followed.

Lunch proved to be a noisy affair, as a few others dropped by to offer well-wishes and so on, resulting in the table needing to be expanded, along with the room. Given how far along Jason had come in his studies over the past few months, along with his additional power thanks to the syphoning of some of Dumbledore's power, he had no trouble pulling off the job. The dining room, which could normally seat eight comfortably, could now seat double the number.

Dinner, though, was the crowning achievement. Kreacher had been busy all day, virtually barring everyone from the kitchen. Jason had to smirk, thinking about the little surprise he had for the old house elf. He was a stark opposite to the nasty, vile thing he'd met five years prior now. He was beyond just a servant, he was a member of the family... exactly as it should be.

The table was piled high to overflowing with two turkeys, two hams, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, vegetables, and other typical fare for such a feast. There was chilled wine, beer, several kinds of juice, and butterbeer set in several chests of ice at opposite corners of the room. All in all, it looked marvellous—and it was.

As the meal was winding down, the noise level rising slightly, Jason smirked and cleared his throat.

"Right. So, uh... my first Christmas as an adult in my own home... being the host rather than the guest. Spent among friends and allies. It's been a dark few years for me, right? I know there's still a lot ahead of me, but... I think things can only get better from here. So..." He stood up, and held up his half-filled glass of wine. "A toast. To a brighter future."

"A brighter future," Mr. Weasley agreed, raising his glass.

"A brighter future," came the rest, as glasses were raised and clinked together.

"Now. I have one more gift to give out. Kreacher?"

Rather than popping in, the elf pattered in from the kitchen, a dish towel in his hands. "Yes, Master Jason?"

"I have something for you, since this is Christmas. But before I give it to you, I need you to understand that this is not a dismissal. You're not being sacked, understand?"

"Master Jason?"

"I think this will suit you much better than that tea towel you're wearing," said Jason, with a smile, as he pulled a small package out of his pocket, and tapped it with his wand, restoring it to its original size. He then passed it to the elder house elf, who opened it, and looked at it, confused.

"Master is giving me clothes?" he croaked out.

"No. This, is instead meant to be your uniform, rather than the tea towel you have about your waist."

"Master is... kind."

"I try to be. You've been right helpful these past few months, and then some. Kreacher, you're a member of the family more than you are a servant. This is one of the ways I can show you that. Understand?"

"Th-thank you, Master."

"You're welcome. And... good job on dinner. It was excellent," Jason beamed. Kreacher bowed low, careful not to upset the box he had, and disappeared with a not-so-noisy pop.

"Oh, Jason... that was beautiful," Hermione praised, her eyes glistening with tears.

"I've had that planned for about a month now," Jason answered, taking a seat. "Had to be careful though... last thing I wanted was him thinking he was being given clothes."

Viktor seemed to think on what he'd just seen a moment, then said, "You are a strange vizard, Jason Black."

"I guess I am. Rather be strange than to be feared though. When I first met Kreacher, he was a nightmare, simply because Sirius was terrible toward him. I treated him with respect, and I earned his respect back. I dunno where it came from, but somewhere along the line, someone got it in their head it was acceptable to be cruel to house elves. They're right smart, clever, sentient beings. He might be my property, but it doesn't give me the right to mistreat him."

"S.P.E.W. All over again," Ron muttered. That earned him a scowl and a swat from his wife.

"No. I don't want to free them... I think they'd go mental without having something to do. But still, house elves are sentient creatures with feelings. They can be scared, upset, angry, just like we can. I rest my case." That earned a warm smile from Hermione.

That night, it was a busy house, as most of the guests were invited to stay the night. The dining room was converted into a rough dormitory of sorts, with beds being transfigured out of chairs. The Aurors, of course, returned to their posts shortly after dinner, but it still remained a rather full house, with all of the Weasleys staying over, as was Viktor.

"A good Christmas then?" Mace asked, as they climbed into bed for the night.

"Best ever, I think. Having everyone here, especially you... just that alone, y'know?"

"I get it. Today was a bit nuts, but I was glad you enjoyed it. Not much for having a bunch of people around."

"I noticed that. Why not?"

"Dunno... just... before I met you anyway... I liked my own company, if that makes any sense."

"Yeah, I guess. You're a bit shy."

"Well... no, not like that. I just do better on my own—you being an exception now."

"Ah. Okay, now I understand. Maybe that's why you and Capa butted heads a lot."

Mace gave a nod as they settled close to one another. "Among other things. That, along with being stuck in a closed environment for eighteen months. I think had it been any other way... we probably wouldn't have met, and I might have Capa instead."

Jason only shook his head. The pair of them could have very well ended up together. He'd certainly seen the sidelong glances Capa sometimes cast toward Mace. It was harmless, since Capa knew where things stood. And, as it was, the young scientist was currently seeing a guy from a different department at the university. He would find someone one day. Jason once again whispered a silent thank you to whatever deity it was who dropped the strange hourglass into his lap. Without it, he would likely be still locked up in Azkaban. No, the strange hourglass had made all the difference in the world, and it was perhaps the best Christmas gift he could have got. It was those thoughts which took him off to the bliss of sleep, secure in the arms of his muscular partner.

AUTHOR NOTES: Up next... New Year's celebrations go awry...

This chapter felt like pulling teeth. Yes, Jason had a lot of people over for Christmas, but this was his first as an adult, his first in his own home & so on, so it was only natural he would want some of his closest friends nearby—along with a few unexpected, but equal friends, right?

Viktor is most certainly a friend and an ally of Jason's, nothing more. All the same, he is most certainly a capable wizard—he was a Tri-wizard champion, after all. We'll be seeing him for a while here.

(1) According to the HP Lexicon, Victoire was born about a year after the battle of Hogwarts, so that would make her roughly a year and a half here (December of 2000). Not crazy about Bill/Fleur, but easier just to stay with canon rather than invent someone.

(2) Going with the movie-verse here. I thought Stan Ianevski played the role of Viktor perfectly, so we'll stay with that, right?