Chapter 16: An Eventful Christmas
"That curse must end!" Sirius Black commented while grading essays handed in by seventh-year students. "The lack of a constant teacher for the Defense position is harming the students' learning by what I see."
"You might try to defy the curse by becoming a regular teacher, Sirius." Professor McGonagall replied. She had seen enough incompetent Defense teachers to the point she lost practically every objections she ever had to a Marauder holding that position and she had yet to see Gilderoy Lockhart applying.
"Minnie, I might be a brave Gryffindor but I'm not stupid." Sirius replied and ignored McGonagall snorting at his claim that he's not stupid. "I'm filling in for whenever the titular Defense Professor isn't available but that's it. I'd not even do this much if I didn't need the job to be near my godson until I rescue him from Snivellus."
"Mr. Black, Severus Snape is doing a decent job raising Harry Potter." Professor McGonagall sternly stated. "Are you certain Mr. Potter needs rescuing?"
"Minnie, Snivellus is the slimiest snake I ever had the displeasure of meeting." Sirius pleaded. "He must have some sort of ulterior motive to keep Prongslet with him."
"Grow up, Sirius." She ordered. "And don't call me 'Minnie'."
"Make a pig fly without magic, Minnie." Sirius replied. "Hopefully, Prongslet and I will get to know each other better this Christmas."
"Do you think Harry Potter will spend Christmas at Hogwarts?" McGonagall asked.
"While having a Snivelly-free Christmas should be enough reason for it, there's also the fact Frank and Alice invited me to spend Christmas with them." Sirius explained. "Harry and Snivellus will be there and I'll be showing Prongslet I am the best Godfather."
Minerva McGonagall wasn't a seer but it didn't keep her from believing things wouldn't end well for Sirius.
A few days later, all students leaving the castle for the holidays already had their baggage ready for the trip. "Too bad not everyone has people waiting for them." Malfoy said to mock the Weasleys since their parents were going to Romania to visit Charlie.
"Some people do like spending Christmas at Hogwarts, Malfoy." Sirius replied. "You shouldn't insult them for that."
"Yes, Sir." Malfoy fearfully said, having already realized the magical words 'when my father hears about this' wouldn't work on Sirius.
The Weasley twins then approached Sirius. "Professor Padfoot, will you stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays?"
"Unfortunately not, kids." Sirius cheerfully answered. "A friend of mine invited me and I've already accepted the invitation."
"Is this friend Moony?" Fred and George eagerly asked.
"No, I haven't heard from him ever since Crouch sent me to Azkaban." Sirius sadly answered.
"Any ideas on how to make Professor McGonagall really furious?" The twins asked.
"Just call her…" Sirius started answering until she interrupted him.
"Don't you dare, Sirius Orion Black." She demanded while glaring at him. At that point, he was more afraid of her than he's ever been of any Death Eaters he fought during his time as an Auror.
"Okay, Minn… Minerva." Sirius gave in.
Time skip – Christmas Eve
Harry Potter and Severus Snape arrived at the Longbottoms' home. "Welcome, Harry. Welcome, Severus." Frank Longbottom greeted his guests. "Happy Christmas."
"Happy Christmas, Frank." Severus replied and then made a neutral face. "Is he already here?"
"Not yet, Severus." Frank answered.
"Good." Severus commented. "Hopefully he decided not to come."
"Come on, Severus." Alice pleaded. "Sirius' not that bad."
"At least he's a fairly competent teacher." Harry commented and Neville nodded.
"The Defense standards must have lowered after I graduated." Snape nastily stated.
"Sirius Black might have been immature as a child but he must know his Defense." Augusta Longbottom commented. "He got Auror training from Mad-Eye Moody."
"True that." Severus reluctantly grumbled. He and Harry then placed gifts on a table with other gifts.
A few minutes later, the wards warned the Longbottoms that someone else had arrived. Frank answered the door and found Sirius Black. "How do I know it's really you?"
"Back when we started Auror training, practically everyone looked at me with mistrust because of my family." Sirius replied.
"Lucky guess." Frank commented.
"When you and Alice announced your engagement, I asked what she saw on you with me available." Sirius added.
"That's really you." Frank replied with a frown.
"Black." Severus mumbled.
"Surprised to see me, Snivellus?" Sirius maliciously asked.
"Not exactly." Severus replied with a rare and small smile. "Frank told us you were coming.
Sirius looked at Frank for confirmation and was shocked that his old friend did warn Severus. "Why did you do it, Frank? Snivellus could've decided to keep Harry from coming so I'd lose this chance to show Prongslet he's not trustworthy. Come on, Prongslet. Say something."
"Outside that chance meeting with Professor McGonagall, Harry's not used to interacting with Professors outside Hogwarts, Black." Severus replied.
"Don't think of me as a Professor, Prongslet." Sirius asked. "Think of me as a real Godfather." He then noticed Harry frowning at him. "Or at least a best friend of your Dad. I know things about him I doubt Snivellus or even Frank ever knew."
"Like the years it took Dad to grow up and finally get Mum to like him?" Harry asked.
Sirius frowned at Severus like he hated that the latter would've told that part. "Actually, I meant about our best pranks, Prongslet." He explained. "I can tell you the best stuff to pull on the greasy git."
"I know all your tricks, Black." Severus replied.
"All we already pulled back then, Snivellus." Sirius retorted. "And even those are perfect to use on those slimy snakes currently attending Hogwarts. Lucius' offspring has all of his biases but lacks the Slytherin subtlety."
"Considering his mother's family…" Severus teased Sirius.
"Enough about that, Snivelly." Sirius replied and then offered Harry a package. "Happy Christmas, Prongslet."
Harry then placed his gift on the table. "We only open after dinner."
Dinner went as well as expected when Sirius Black and Severus Snape attended a same event. "Does it please you to keep looking at me?" Severus asked. "You're looking at me more than you ever looked at girls back when we were students."
Sirius frowned. "How else can I believe you won't poison the food, Snivellus?"
"You did get Auror training from Moody." Severus commented.
After dinner and dessert, they opened their gifts. "Open mine, Prongslet!" Sirius asked. "Open mine!"
Harry opened and found a flying broom. His reaction wasn't what Sirius expected. "Come on, Harry. How can you not like it? You're James Potter's son, for Merlin's sake." Sirius then glared at Severus like it's the potioneer's fault Harry isn't interested on the gift.
"Professor Black, I won't be allowed to take it with me to Hogwarts until the next term." Harry explained.
"Exceptions can be opened, Prongslet." Sirius argued. "That's a perk of having a real Godfather among the teaching staff."
Whatever Harry would say in reply was interrupted by the sound of an owl pecking a window. Frank opened it and saw the owl had a package for Harry. Because there's no sender's name, Frank checked it for any nasty spells before deeming it safe. Inside the package there was an Invisibility Cloak and a letter. The letter was anonymous and stated the cloak belonged to Harry's father, who left it with the sender for safekeeping. The sender also told Harry to use it well. Assuming it came from Sirius, Harry looked at the Dog Animagus, who denied being the one. "I recognize it as being James' Invisibility Cloak but I had no clue to what happened to it after he and Lily went into hiding." Sirius explained. "I do, however, recognize Dumbledore's handwriting."
"Yes, I recognize it as well." Frank commented.
"Me too." Alice added.
"Wait a minute." Severus asked. "This cloak looks too good to be something old enough to have belonged to James Potter."
"True that." Augusta added. "It'd have to be the Cloak of Invisibility from the Tale of the Three Brothers."
Figuring out who among them would know, Severus looked at Sirius, whose facial expression confirmed the elder Longbottom's theory. "So Harry now does have a Deathly Hallow. I thought they weren't real."
"I used to think the same but now we're proven wrong." Augusta commented. "But how did James Potter come to own one?"
"Well, it was supposed to be a secret but, now that everyone here knows Harry has it, remember how most people who already believed in the Hallows believed the three brothers were Antioch, Cadmus and Ignotus Peverell?" Sirius asked and everyone nodded. "Ignotus' granddaughter Iolanthe Peverell married Hardwin Potter and they eventually passed the cloak to their eldest child. The tradition has been kept alive until now and I count on all of you to keep the secret. Even you, Snape."
"If it was supposed to be a secret, how did you know, Black?" Snape asked.
"James trusted me that much." Sirius smugly explained. "Anticipating he and Lily wouldn't live to tell Harry themselves about the family secret and not suspecting I'd be imprisoned without a trial, he decided it'd be necessary. He was still reluctant about that, though."
"We'd better really keep it a secret." Augusta suggested. "What if one of Grindelwald's followers knows the symbol's true meaning?"
"What?" The others asked in confusion.
"The continent is full of people who don't know the Deathly Hallows' symbol for what it represents." She explained. "When Gellert Grindelwald wore that symbol to show he believes in the Deathly Hallows, the continentals associated it to his Dark philosophy."
"Why would Dark Wizards care that much about the cloak?" Sirius asked. "Aside from lasting more than the average Invisibility Cloak, it doesn't have anything special."
"Black, do you even remember what the tale says about what happens if someone gets all three Hallows?" Snape asked in exasperation.
"He or she will become the… Master of Death." Sirius said in horror. "But where would anyone look for the other two? The Resurrection Stone is likely the stone in the ring stolen from Cadmus' descendant Morfin Gaunt and the latest thing anyone heard of the Elder Wand was Gregorovich claiming to have found it and we have no clue to who stole what he passed as that wand."
"Grindelwald was young and still not infamous enough for easy recognition back then, if I remember." Augusta stated, scaring the others.
"Mother, are you saying Headmaster Dumbledore is the current master of the Elder Wand?" Frank asked her.
"Assuming Grindelwald ever held the title in the first place." Augusta commented. "For all I know, the Elder Wand already had a master who died undefeated before he was even born."
"Can we get back to gift opening now?" Harry asked, not wanting to discuss the Deathly Hallows any longer.
"Oh, please please please please!" Sirius added, showing once again he's the most childish one at the Christmas party.
End chapter.