Just a little Christmas special – features canon!Harry and a little xover with CCS at the ending :)
Happy holidays everyone!
The Crow
(Christmas Special)
The castle was glowing as light reflected on the little, thin motes of snow slowly falling from the sky. The clouds were thin enough to allow for the sun radiance to spread to the world below, and that radiance was bathing the day in an ethereal light.
"I dunno about you, but I'm starved" A red haired boy said, peeking from a window from the tallest tower in the castle as his two friends ran after him.
"Slow down Ron! The food won't go anywhere for a while yet!" The one who spoke was a girl with wild, curly hair that tended to go everywhere accordingly to her moods. "Harry and I are not in a hurry"
"I'm kind of hungry too Hermione" Harry nodded guiltily. The evils of teenage boys' stomach. He was a little scrawny, with hair wilder than Hermione piled on his head like a slumbering porcupine.
"See?" Ron crowed victoriously, forgoing staring out the windows to press his pace down the great hall. "Harry agrees, come on! I bet Seamus ate everything already"
"Ugh! Boys…" Hermione grumbled under her breath, but she was a fit witch – what with Hogwart's disproportionate size and having to run if she didn't want to arrive late in class. "Wait for me, won't you!?"
Suffice to say they arrived at the great hall in no time at all.
Instead of the four tables spread around the large room, there was only one right in the middle. The enchantment on the roof that showed the sky outside was positively glorious that morning, with the usual floating candles decorated with gold and red bows and fake snow falling everywhere.
"Oh no… look who's already there" Ron, the ever bumbling one pointed out rather rudely at a specific teacher – who, as he said, was already sat down at the table sipping tea with a hand and reading a booklet with the other.
"I don't understand why you dislike Professor Reed so much" The female third of their group glared at her red haired friend. "He's been nothing but helpful this year, and honestly one of the best DADA teachers we've had since Remus"
"Anything is better than Lockhart" Ron retorted, gaining a muffled agreement from Harry, who chose that moment to yawn.
"I like professor Reed" Harry confessed, eyeing Ron nervously. The red head had the tendency to blow things out of proportions – like Hermione, but they'd never say that to her face –and Harry didn't want to start again on this particular argument that's been around since the start of the semester.
Ron snorted petulantly. He had a right to be weary. Their track record was abysmal when the topic breached DADA professorship.
"You wait and see" He said with promising eyes "He's gonna be out to kill you by new year"
"Don't jinx it!" Harry hurried to say "I don't want any more trouble, least of all after…"
"We know Harry, we all don't" Hermione patted his back empathically, commiserating. "But we have to look forward our last year of Education, remember we still have yet to complete our NEWTs"
"How about we forget about it and go eat?" Ron proposed, seeing his friend and girlfriend's darkening moods made him feel guilty for being a paranoid prick. Only it isn't paranoia if they are out to get you, is it?
Moving inconspicuously to the main table and picking seats – not as far from professor Reed as Ron would like, but politely close to professor McGonnagal who was already staring sternly in their direction for dawdling in the corridor – the trio began piling breakfast on their plate, joining the conversation.
"Good morning professors" Hermione greeted, sending a smile at the teachers who chose to remain in Hogwarts to help rebuild the castle. It's been a year since the battle where Voldemort fell, and though many chose not to return there were enough people to still hold the school open. "Happy Christmas"
"Good morning, miss Granger" Echoed a few professors.
Harry looked up from his plate to see who else was present.
"Hey Ginny!" He waved at his not-girlfriend, who waved enthusiastically back. "Luna" The blonde hummed in her absent minded way.
The conversations did dissolve into greetings, but soon picked up again between the seniors. The topics varying amongst each groups though it was plain obvious to see how they all avoided Harry's victory against Voldemort.
Professor Reed exchanged words with professor Vector, before looking at Harry with a far too benign smile.
"You know Mr. Potter, you remind me of my wife" He said innocently – ignoring how comparing an eighteen years old young man to his wife of all things could be wrongly constructed. "She's a little busy right now, but promised she'd come later"
"Oh…" Harry coughed awkwardly, not used to being compared to someone's wife. By now Ginny was trying to hold back giggles and Ron was glaring daggers at Professor Reed's forehead. "Is she…um… working?"
"No" The Professor smiled like a Cheshire "She's keeping an eye on some of our venues. It is not precisely work, but she's too hard headed sometimes to just delegate and take a vacation" He spoke with so much adoration in his voice that it was impossible to hold it against him the little slight against his wife.
Like Harry? Was the unanimous thought.
The glint in Ginny's eyes became positively unholy.
Hermione noticed and tried to do damage control.
"The text you suggested on protection rituals was really interesting Professor" She commented before Ginny – or Ron – cold open their mouth. Septima Vector, who may or may not nurture a slight crush on Professor Reed looked better now, having turned a sickly shade of green when Mrs. Reed was brought up.
"I knew you would appreciate it" The blue eyed DADA teacher said with a knowing grin.
"Indeed, Miss Granger is the brightest witch we ever had the pleasure of teaching" Professor McGonnagal winked playfully at said witch. Hermione nodded back. Job done.
"Well…" Ginny smirked at Harry, not having grasped – or ignored completely – the nuances of Minerva and Hermione "I'm still curious about Mrs. Reed, professor. I never pictured you as the domestic type" She spoke sassily, confidence pouring out her every pore. If she's read professor Reed right, he enjoyed a good prank – the laugh lines around his eyes attested to that.
"Many don't" Professor Reed answered lightly, trading knowing looks with Ginny.
"Miss Weasley! That is not something proper to ask your professor!" The headmistress admonished the red haired girl.
"I am not offended Minerva. It is, after all, the holidays" Professor Reed pointed out, fishing Ginny out of trouble. "And I don't mind the young ones' curiosity. It fills my heart with joy to know they care enough to be curious"
"Still, no need to humor the unruly ones" Professor Vector said between clenched teeth.
"Now I want to know too" Ron added around a mouthful of bacon.
And Harry, who didn't even know where the topic of professor Reed's wife came from, decided to focus on his breakfast and steadily ignore Ginny's pointed looks. His not-girlfriend had a mean streak a mile wide it seemed.
A mean streak she shared with Professor Reed.
"Alright then, I see no harm in talking about my lovely Violet" His tone was so sickeningly besotted that everyone possessing double X chromosomes melted into piles of enchanted goo. Professor Reed is handsome and charming even though he looked in his mid thirties; he just had that mysterious and alluring aura around him.
Septima Vector winced, drawing away from the table with a hasty push and scampering to her feet – after adjusting her robes, of course.
"I am done… sorry about the early retreat, I still have some graphs to grade for the holidays and I wanted to be done before lunch!" The dark haired woman babbled, running away in the direction of her office while throwing looks at Reed over her shoulders.
"My, my. That girl has it bad" Professor Slughorn laughed out loud, taking a sip out of his throughoutly spiked tea – his cheeks were suspiciously rosy despite the early hour and relatively cozy inside temperature. "You know Mr. Reed, you do remind me quite a lot of myself when I was younger"
"I bet" Ron mumbled to Harry and Hermione under his breath. The three shared a secret giggle behind their forks.
"Oh no! Professor Reed is older than he looks" Luna, in all her wisdom, was completely ignored. She inwardly debated the pro and cons of talking her mind at this time, seeing Professor Reed smile predatorily in her direction. "See how the nargles ignore him completely?"
"Don't start Luna. It's too early to deal with your stories" Hermione grumbled irritated. Never seeing eye to eye with Luna Lovegood.
"It's not my fault you are shortsighted Hermione" The dirty blonde haired girl sniped back, sniffing in derision. Hermione fumed, but calmed down when Ron spread a hand behind her back to embrace his girlfriend.
"Calm down Hermione, you know how Luna is" Harry placated too.
Ginny cleared her throat and caught the laughing professor Reed's eyes again.
"Sir?" she prompted innocently.
"Right" He smiled back at the red head. "My dear wife is compassionate, caring, trustful, reliable, sensitive, adventurous, stubborn, kind, tolerant, courageous…"
A few minutes later and everyone was deeply regretting Ginny's interest, even her.
"… organized, determinate, loyal, talented, sincere, hardworking, beautiful, charming, elegant…"
"What kind of lies are you spreading about me, dear?" They were all so absorbed into trying to tone out Professor Reed's really long list of adjectives that no one even heard the great hall's door open – and its hinges were getting on the years and always made an insufferable amount of noise.
Well…
"Mum?" Harry gaped, staring at what could only be a clone of his mother. Dark reddish brown hair fell in a curly mess over a white, delicate shoulder.
She's wearing a red tank top and ripped jeans, and didn't look a day over twenty five. Lively green eyes, a shade exactly like Harry's, was staring laughingly at them as she approached.
"Lily, is that you?" Professor McGonnagal asked, mouth tight. Practically all professors were gaping. Save for Professor Reed, who was looking at the Lily-clone with unmerited innocence.
"Harry I'm sorry, but that can't be your mum" Hermione nudged her messy haired friend with a shoulder, trying to break him out of his confusion.
"I'd wish that wasn't my mum" Ron whispered lewdly to Harry, so Hermione wouldn't hear. She did and sent a stinging hex that nailed Ron's legs under the table.
"Yeah… that can't me my mum… but who is she?" Harry agreed, lowering his eyes in a downcast gloom – the beginning stages of a brood that would last the whole day.
"My wife" Professor Reed chirruped cheerfully. "Violet, my dear, meet some of my colleagues and students" he positively chirped. Now even Ginny looked like she wanted to hit him.
As headmistress, professor McGonnagal had a duty to perform, so she cleared her throat and composed herself.
"Mrs. Reed, it is good to have you in our school for today" The older looking woman greeted with politeness. "Will you join us for breakfast?"
"Oh yes! I'm starved!" The youthful young woman who resembled Lily way too much to be good, nodded enthusiastically, eyes shining just like Harry's when he was in a good humor. "I've been busy this whole morning, you see? Had no time to grab a bite till now"
"I told you they'd be fine for the holidays" Professor Reed tried to start nagging, but stopped at the very pointed look sent to him by his wife. "Dear" He finished with a strained smile.
"How did you meet Professor Reed?" Ginny asked the green eyed woman version of Harry.
"Oh! I fell into his arms!" Mrs. Reed beamed, after which she filled her mouth with toast and was too busy to say anything more.
"I used to hold a course on magic to those who didn't attain enough means to come to Hogwarts" Professor Reed told them "My dear wife just surged into my life like lightning and I couldn't let her go" His smile was congenial and cheerful, filled with love for his wife who was beaming at him from behind the rest of her toast.
Harry, who was also in the process of biting a toast paused, stared at Mrs. Reed and flushed deep red. Luna waved at him, looking serious.
"Mrs. Reed might be another version of you" She whispered urgently "You two share exactly the same amount of nargles and you both could do without wrackspurks for a while"
Ron heard Luna and couldn't help the milk filled snort from leaving his nose. While Hermione napped at the milk that spilled on his shirt with an irritated vehemence, the red haired boy was busy cackling.
"Children! Behave!" Minerva McGonnagal snapped irritably. "We have a guest today so be on your best behavior"
"Mate, we're too old to be scolded like that" Harry grumbled to Ron, who stopped laughing to nod to Harry.
"You two been married long?" Ginny asked before Harry and Ron could get scolded again.
The married pair traded secret looks. An absolutely outrageous aura of amusement wafting off of them.
"You could say that" Mrs. Reed grinned.
"It feels like a hundred and forty years, sometimes" Professor Reed added, looking playful.
"Well, this has been very delightful, but I too have duties I must attend to" the headmistress left the table with a last look in Mrs. Reed's direction.
"Why don't you show Mrs. Reed around the castle?" Professor Slughorn suggested with a way too suggestive eyebrow up. He too was ready to retire to his quarters. He had a long list of friends he'd be visiting for the day.
"Excellent idea!" Mrs. Reed cheered with a happy grin – to say that it looked like Harry's would be redundant by now "Its' been ages since I've been to Hog- a castle"
"Sweetheart" Professor Reed started up the table, waiting until his wife packed away a glass of pumpkin juice before offering an arm. "Would you allow this one to escort you through this castle?"
"Why my handsome gentleman, I would" The green eyed woman simpered back, falling back into that playful manner with her husband showed great familiarity.
Ginny sighed.
Hermione tried to hide a smile.
Harry and Ron just looked worried. The older married pair was giving their girlfriend/not-girlfriend ideas and it wasn't good.
It was only when the Reed couple left the table that the trio plus Ginny really put their heads together to gossi – I mean, trade vital information. They completely ignored the professor's exasperated looks.
…
"Are you done playing professor with my younger self?" Violet asked, lifting an eyebrow. Her husband tried to look innocent.
"Why dear, it's not really a younger you" He pointed out.
"Gender doesn't matter" The witch pointed out dryly. "It is still me"
"It isn't" Clow insisted, grabbing his wife by her waist just as they passed through an alcove. "Harry Potter isn't my soul mate"
Violet just hummed under her breath.
"I know… different world and all" Then she cackled uproariously. "I can't believe your counterpart is little Ginny Weasley!"
Just like it happened that Violet Potter' soul mate was Clow Reed, this Harry Potter' soul mate was Ginny Weasley. Different Universes counterparts and all.
"Why Mrs. Reed, I am trying to seduce you into an alcove and you stand there laughing at my poor counterpart' situation" the sorcerer brooded, pulling her against his chest so he could drape over her shoulder and rest his chin over her head.
"Ginny Weasley!" Violet giggled some more, then squeaked when her husband got more handsy. She didn't really want to slap his hand away from her chest though, it was doing wonderful things to her blood flow. "Oh fine! I'll stop!"
"Figured you would given the right incentives" He agreed empathically, lips descending to the pale column of her neck so he could lick at that tender spot behind her ear.
"What?" She asked breathlessly. "Ohhh, don't stop that"
"Never thought of it"
After the alcove, the couple did manage to get into his room. No one saw them for the rest of the day.
…
"Where did Rido-sensei go?" Sakura asked curiously.
"Didn't she say she'd go visit her husband back in England?" Tomoyo remembered.
"Ehhh?! Rido-sensei is married?!"
"That woman is suspicious… I don't know why you have to be close to her" Kero grumbled under his breath.
"She's our English teacher, and she's very smart" The raven haired girl said to her cousin's familiar. "I only heard good things from mom"
"Dad's also pretty fond of her!" Sakura exclaimed defensively. "He said she was his teacher during college"
"And how" Kero started with a twitch "Is it possible for your parents to be so well acquaintanced with her if she looks so young?"
"Oh…"
"Gotta keep an eye on her" the stuffed lion lectured. "That Rido woman and the Hiragizawa boy"
"Oh Kero, now you're just being paranoid!" Sakura pointed out with a laugh.
"Well, they are suspicious"
"Eat your pudding Kero-chan" Tomoyo handed the familiar the delicacy she mentioned, and all was forgotten for that afternoon.
XxxxXxxxX
TBC~