Disclaimer; I own neither anything recognisable from the Harry Potter series, nor do I own The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore. Of course, neither do I own the coca-cola company, nor the rights to songs by The Corrs... you get my drift.
Summary: Harry Potter knew something was going to go wrong when, as a punishment, Snape made him test an uncompleted ageing potion. Something always goes wrong. And he was right.
Genre; Humour
Rating; K
A/N; Ta da! Another chapter in less than a month. -takes a bow- I've been working on this all month and I even have started the next chapter! I feel so proud of myself, I'm hoping to update the next chapter even sooner. Hermione gave me some problems in this chapter, she couldn't quite work out what she wanted to think, but I got her in the end. Hopefully this chapter is enjoyable for you all to read as it was for me to write! Enjoy!
Chapter Eighteen; Christmas Time is Here
The end of a small pink tongue poked out the side of a mouth as its owner lay on his stomach, carefully writing. This perhaps may not have been so unusual had it not been the sixteen-turned-four-year-old Harry Potter lying in the wet cold snow, using his finger to draw a slightly wiggly line while Ron Weasley sat beside him and watched.
"H!" Harry finally proclaimed loudly and proudly, finished the letter.
Ron looked from his straight letter "H" to the slanted, crooked one that Harry had drawn and grinned. It had annoyed him when Hermione had taken him aside and told him that he would teach Harry at least how to write his name since he wouldn't be attending a pre-school, no buts about it.
"I will be teaching him most else," she had declared. "And this is something I think that you should do."
Of course, Hermione hadn't realised the slightly unorthodox method Ron had employed to teach the young boy. As far as the red-head was concerned, they got to go outside and Harry was learning at the same time.
"Okay, Harry, here's the next letter," Ron said, drawing an "a" swiftly next to his "H".
Harry looked doubtfully at the new letter. This one looked much harder than the first one, but he was determined to try.
Sticking his tongue out again, he painstakingly drew the circle the "a" required. No, wait, that didn't look right. It was connected. He titled his head and looked at it before swiping it away.
Ron almost groaned. It seemed Hermione had been teaching Harry her ways, either that or Harry was just picking up on them himself.
"Doesn't need to be perfect," he encouraged.
Finally Harry had a satisfactory (to him) letter "a" and he was very proud of it. He didn't know what he was supposed to be spelling, but it had to be good if Ron was teaching it to him.
"Now two of these," said Ron, adding two "r"s, which Harry dutifully copied with a little difficulty. "And, last one, a "y"."
It was a funny looking letter, with a tail on the end, but Harry still copied it and, when he was done, he sat back to observe his work. An "H", an "a", two "r"s and a "y". What was that supposed to make?
Ron surveyed the two words. His was much neater than Harry's, but the little boy had done well. He grinned and tapped the snow beneath Harry's name.
"This is your name, Harry!" he grinned.
Harry looked at the word with new eyes, filled with awe. He had written his name? Jubilation filled him and he beamed widely.
"That's my name!" he said excitedly.
Ron laughed and they continued writing the word "Harry" over and over again. Now that Harry had discovered how to write his name, he was very proud and excited about it.
After awhile Harry rolled over and lay on his back, looking up at the sky with a grin. Ron laughed and looked down at him.
"When does Santa come?" Harry asked Ron.
"On Christmas Eve, late at night when everyone is asleep," Ron said.
"What does he look like?" Harry asked with a small frown, evidently thinking.
"Well, people say he's fat and jolly," Ron laughed. "And he wears a red suit and hat. He has a long white beard and a sack full of presents that he gives to all the good children."
"So how does he know where everyone is?" Harry asked, his brow furrowed at the thought that once man could visit every child in one night.
"Magic!" Ron said mysteriously, fighting his twitching lips. "He makes sure everyone is asleep first and then he delivers his presents. No one is sure exactly how."
"We have to be asleep?" Harry asked, dismayed. "But I want to talk to him!"
Ron looked at the little boy in consternation. Talk to the mythological Santa Claus? If Harry tried to follow through with that, he was in for a bit of a disappointment.
"Santa doesn't talk to the little children, or even the adults," Ron explained in hopes of dissuading Harry from this idea.
"Well, he can't be jolly if he doesn't like kids," Harry said with what Ron would called a "Hermione frown".
"He… just likes secrets," Ron said, though the excuse, even to his own ears, sounded rather pathetic, and Harry's frown became more pronounced.
"I want to talk to him," he said firmly.
The red-head looked at him helplessly. No matter what age he was, Harry was a stubborn person and once he had set his mind on something nothing short of a hoard of elephants could pull him away.
"Look, why don't we go talk to Hermione," Ron offered. "She can tell you more about Santa."
Hermione was, of course, understandably shocked when Harry told her what he wanted to do, and she exchanged an uneasy glance with Ron.
"Harry," she said gently. "You can't just go and talk to Santa. See… he casts a magic spell over everyone on Christmas Eve night that makes everyone go to sleep. Though some say he also makes a potion…"
Ron's eyes briefly lit up at that as he suddenly had an idea. A sleeping potion! Now why hadn't he thought of that? But as he saw the hardened look on Harry's face, he knew the little boy was going to be aware of such tricks.
"Then I won't take a potion," he said, frowning heavily. "I'm going to see Santa."
He saw so firm in this decision that nothing Ron or Hermione said could dissuade him that it wouldn't be a good idea; Harry was bound and determined to see Santa.
"Well, why don't you go upstairs and think of what questions you would like to ask Santa," Hermione suggested finally when it became clear that, somehow, their older and wiser arguments were losing. "I think Neville is up there, so he can help you."
Harry cheered up immediately and he hugged Hermione thankfully before dashing up the stairs. Ron groaned and fell onto the couch.
"Now what are we going to do?" he asked.
Hermione leveled a severe glare, which Ron noted vaguely Harry was also picking up on, at him and leaned back in her chair.
"We need to make sure Harry has no doubts about Santa's existence," she said firmly. "Every child has the right to believe in him."
"So?" Ron asked. "Why don't we just put a sleeping potion in his pumpkin juice and pretend it was the spell?"
"That might work," Hermione said. "But Harry probably won't drink anything Christmas Eve, he's going to suspect Santa put a potion in his drink. So, we need to find another way." Suddenly she got an idea. "And I know how we can get him to meet Santa."
"How?" Ron asked with a frown.
Hermione just grinned.
HPHGRWHPHGRW
Harry was babbling excitedly to Neville as he bounced on his bed, and the other boy smiled indulgently at him, clearly pleased to see the little boy so happy. Harry could hardly believe that he was going to see Santa!
"…And then I'm going to thank him," he informed Neville, giving an extra high bounce. "And then I'm going to give him his milk and cookies and then…"
"Santa doesn't come to bad boys!"
Harry was so surprised at the sudden voice that he slipped as he landed on the bed and he fell over the side with a thump. Concerned, Neville hurried over to see if he was okay only to see the boy looking troubled.
Did Santa only go to the good little boys and girls? What was it Ron had said again? …A sack full of presents that he gives to all the good children.
Was he, Harry, good enough to get a visit from Santa?
"Harry, are you okay?" Neville asked, lifting him to his feet and then back onto the bed. "That was a pretty bad fall."
"I'm okay," Harry said, biting his lip.
"But…?" Neville prompted.
"Do you think Santa will come to me?" Harry blurted out.
To his surprise, Neville laughed and ruffled his hair.
"Harry, you've been a very good little boy," he said in amusement. "There is no way Santa won't come to you."
Harry relaxed and smiled at Neville, who he didn't know very well. In fact, he didn't know most of the students at Hogwarts very well except for Hermione, Ron and Ginny.
"Want to come and get milk and cookies with me?" he asked shyly.
"Christmas Eve isn't for another two days," Neville pointed out.
Harry actually pouted at that… he just wanted Christmas Eve to come quickly! Neville resisted the urge to laugh, knowing that laughing at him would just make Harry upset. But he just looked so cute with that expression!
"Can we go on Christmas Eve, then?" he asked.
"Of course," said Neville warmly.
HPHGRWHPHGRW
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the House not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; the stockings were hung on the fireplace with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. The children were all nestled snug in their beds…
Well, all except for one.
Little four-year-old Harry Potter huddled beneath his covers, it was true, but his eyes were opened wide and his eyes were on the clock opposite his bed, watching as the time slowly ticked towards midnight.
He was tired, of course, but he was not going to let that stop him from seeing Santa tonight, just as he hadn't drunk his pumpkin juice that night so he wouldn't fall asleep. The milk and cookies he and Neville had gotten that evening were waiting downstairs and Santa would be here soon…
Finally he could wait no longer and he leapt out of bed, having at least the good sense to put on his dressing gown and slippers. Ron's curtains were tightly closed and Harry crept by them, his mind not even noticing the lack of snoring from the red-head's bed.
Ron was currently hiding downstairs with Hermione, who was suppressing giggles as she took another photo of him. Ron just scowled at her, though she couldn't see it through the thick, white, fake beard he was wearing.
"I can't believe you made me do this," he groaned.
"I can't even tell it's you," Hermione assured him, her eyes glittering. "Wait 'til I show these to Harry, though."
If Harry could see his carer just then, he would not even realise it was Ron. For him, Ron was tall, skinny and red-haired and he certainly did not wear a red suit and hat which Ron's costume demanded, along with pillows packed nicely in the stomach and the beard, which was incredibly itchy.
"I feel ridiculous," he grumbled.
"Cheer up and just remember we're doing this for Harry," Hermione snickered; she was going to love telling Harry about this when he was older. "I'm sure he'll be down soon."
Sure enough soon they heard Harry's small pattering footsteps on the stairs leading from the boys' dormitories and not long after that his form showed up and sat down in the nearest armchair.
"He obviously didn't take the sleeping potion," Hermione said quietly; half of her had hoped that he would take it so that there wasn't a chance Harry would discover them, but the rest of her was pleased.
Ron made to get up but Hermione pulled him down again quickly.
"Not yet," Hermione hissed. "Harry knows Santa Claus doesn't come until midnight."
For both parties the minutes until midnight seemed to take forever to tick away. Ron itched his beard again and sighed inaudibly; Harry and Hermione would never let him live this down.
Suddenly a deep sounding gong rang out once and the realise that it was midnight. But Ron didn't immediately jump out, for he and Hermione were looking at each other in confusion. The sound of the clock sounded very close, but they had no clock that rang out like that.
It gonged again and it occurred to Ron that he needed to get up and see the eager Harry who was scanning the common room. But before he could do so, Hermione clutched his arm.
Swirling, glittering particles were swirling in the air all around them and the very word magic seemed to whisper to them. Even Harry was still in awe, for he had never seen anything like it.
"Did you do that, Hermione?" Ron asked nervously.
Wordlessly Hermione shook her head. She didn't know why, but she continued to prevent Ron from standing, though he had not made another move to. Something was telling her that something miraculous was about to happen, something wonderful…
Slowly the particles retreated and started centring on a place just before the fireplace, forming a vague shape of a large person before it started solidifying. It started from the toes, showing them two big black boots before working its way up the red-clad legs and jacket covered chest and spreading down to the white gloved hands. And finally a merry, red-faced face with a long white beard and a red hat formed and a big man was standing where previously there had been no one, beaming down on Harry.
Hermione dropped her camera in shock, part of her thankful that the floor was carpeted so the thump wasn't noticeable. Ron had taken of his hat and beard and was gazing at the man in shock.
Santa? Hermione thought dumbly.
From her earliest days Hermione had believed in Santa Claus and had been crushed when she had discovered he wasn't real. But… if he wasn't real, then who was standing in the Gryffindor common room?
"Santa!" Harry cried excitedly, looking like he wanted to leap to his feet, but wasn't overly sure of the idea of doing so.
Santa chuckled deeply.
"Hello, young Harry," he said, his voice deep and smooth. "You are much smaller than when I saw you last year."
"Granpa says it was an accident," Harry said solemnly, looking up at him.
"So it was," said the large man with another smile. "But I think it was just the accident you needed."
He leant down and seemed to rummage around in the brown sack that Ron and Hermione finally noticed was sitting at his feet. In triumph he pulled out a small gift wrapped in bright blue paper and handed it to an ecstatic Harry.
"Thank you!" Harry gasped, awed.
Santa laughed again.
"You are truly one of a kind, Harry," he said warmly. "You are special, never doubt that."
"Will I see you again?" Harry asked innocently.
"Most likely not," Santa said, leaning down to give the boy a hug. "But never forget this night, and make sure your friends know of it too."
Harry gazed up at him for a moment before giving him a stern nod. Santa smiled and stepped back, carefully placing two more presents under the Christmas tree. Harry hesitated and then placed his next to them, waved to Santa and disappeared back upstairs. Santa just smiled and in a blink, he was gone.
The clock chimed for a third time.
Ron and Hermione looked at each other and then raced to the window, throwing it open as the clock chimed for the fourth time. They could hear the faint jingling of bells as what was unmistakeably a sleigh led by the reindeer experts had proved could exist leapt off the roof and flew away. They swore they heard him chuckle as words reached them;
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"
HPHGRWHPHGRW
When Ron, dragged by an eager Harry who was babbling about meeting Santa Claus last night, and Hermione arrived downstairs the next morning they were unsure whether or not to believe what they had seen was just a dream. Under the tree were just the presents they had bought for Harry and each other, and Hermione's camera had been sitting beside her bed when she was sure she had left it downstairs in her shock.
"Did… did it actually happen?" Hermione asked, not sure what to think.
"I dunno," Ron said, shaking his head.
Harry seemed perfectly fine with the fact that Santa's presents were not in their view. Instead he eagerly opened the games (from Ron) and the books (from Hermione) as well as the traditional sweater from Mrs Weasley and some sweets and more books from Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall.
Deciding just to forget about it, his two guardians opened their presents too, pulling on their sweaters and exclaimed over the gifts they had all gotten. When they were done and they were all put to the side, Hermione stretched.
"Well, I need to get dressed…" she began, but was stopped as she saw Harry's face light up before he wriggled underneath the tree.
Frowning she tried to see what he was getting, but couldn't. She hoped he didn't upset the tree though; traditionally at Hogwarts presents were left at the foot of the bed, but Ron and Hermione had decided to give Harry a more traditional Christmas, thus the reason they were all downstairs in their pyjamas.
"Harry?" she asked.
It wasn't long before Harry slid out, being careful not to knock the tree down. Ron and Hermione's mouths dropped open as they saw him pulling along three presents, one of which was small, rectangular shaped, and wrapped in bright blue…
"Santa's presents!" Harry cried happily, taking the bow and then looking at the other two curiously. "Won, 'Mione, they're for you!"
"Us?" Hermione asked, taken-aback.
She exchanged a nervous look with Ron. Apparently last night had not been a dream after all, though she was still hesitant to believe what she saw. Carefully she took her box shaped present as Harry started opening his.
"Look!" Harry said, pulling out a leather-bound book that Hermione was sure was charmed to never be lacking in free pages. To her surprise a muggle fountain pen also fell out of the package.
Harry opened the cover eagerly and frowned at the note that was written on the first page. He held it out to Hermione.
"What does this say 'Mione?" he asked.
"Let's see," said Hermione, scanning the note. "Dear Harry, never let go of your dreams and always believe in yourself. Love, Santa."
"Wow," Harry breathed, awed, as he took the book back and held it reverently in his hands.
Beside her Ron had opened his present and was laughing as he found a red jacket inside with Santa written in white over the right breast pocket. Chuckling, Hermione opened her gift and lifted the lid off her box. Inside was a magnificent camera, much better than the old one that was nearing its use-by date up in her room. A piece of parchment was sitting on top of it.
Dear Hermione,
Try not to drop this one.
Love,
Santa
Hermione's mouth fell open and she swallowed. Either she was going made, or last night truly happened. Ron, seeing the note, started laughing again and patted her on the shoulder.
"Just accept and believe, Hermione," he chuckled. "I don't think there's anything else we can do."
Hermione looked at him and then at Harry and smiled. Accept and believe… yes, she could do that. She leant down and pulled Harry into a tight hug with a laugh.
And, in her heart, a little girl rejoiced.
Next; Chapter Nineteen; Fair and Foul - What's a boy to do when there's no one around after the new year? Find someone to play with, of course! When Harry sets out on a well-intending mission to find "Granpa" he gets a bit more than he bargained for.
A/N; Yes, people, the other Houses are finally going to come into play after so many promises! -winks- I personally think I give which House away in the chapter title, but who can guess? Ten points to the House you want if you get it! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed Harry's very special Christmas. The idea for writing in the snow came from The Midnight Poster -laughs- I don't live in a country that snows in Christmas so I wouldn't have thought of it without the prompt. Thanks!
Also, while I remember, I had a concern that Harry, as a four-year-old, was being too open especially after his other life with the Dursleys. I do understand how this comes about, 'cause I probably would have thought the same... but have you noticed how I've started to close him down a bit? He's started to become more shy and quieter? As he's getting older he's remembering more, and they'll have a lot of problems particularly at the next age when he'd been with the Dursleys by then for five/five and a half years when a lot of damage could be done -grins- which is going to be the next thing they have to help him overcome HINTHINT. In response to him being more open - he's a little kid who had never been shown kindness only to get it with all those people at Hogwarts and he started to open up more in response. Hope that answers an queries!
House Points;
-laughs- This is a relatively new idea that I picked up from some other stories that I liked, and I hope to get more of my readers to participate the more questions I ask -groans- which means I have to actually think of questions every chapter...
Gryffindor;
Slytherin; 10
Hufflepuff; 10
Ravenclaw; 20
Thanks also to deitarion/Ssokolow and sqwii - who forgot to leave a House! -grins-
Reviews;
Thanks so much to-
The Midnight Poster, Freja Lercke-Falkenborg, deitarion/Ssokolow, kahpfan, HaruJam, Kioko Kajuji, Sakurabound, sqwii, Anna Black, Jensindenial3516, whitelonewolf, ladywatertiger, snapes wife to be, Truth seer