Chapter 40:

Sirius' mood was infectious. He was so delighted to have visitors and to have a full house again that he was no longer the sullen host he had been over the summer. He worked tirelessly in the run-up to Christmas Day, cleaning and decorating with their help, so that by the time they all went to bed on Christmas Eve the house was barely recognisable. The tarnished chandeliers were no longer hung with cobwebs but with garlands of holly and gold and silver streamers; magical snow glittered in heaps over the threadbare carpets; a great Christmas tree, obtained by Mundungus and decorated with live fairies, blocked Sirius's family tree from view; and even the stuffed elf heads on the hall wall wore Father Christmas hats and beards.

As usual in Hogwarts, Alicia woke on Christmas morning to find the stack of presents at the foot of her bed.

She moved to find the swishy parcel from Mr and Mrs Weasley which she knew held her hand knitted sweater and pulled it on.

Hermione had given her a planner for their exams in which she'd already began to write in. Ron had gotten her some chocolate frogs, probably wanting to collect the cards himself. Sirius and Lupin had collaborated and given her some books on charms, spells and defensive techniques. One book was a guide to being the best teacher. She knew immediately they were aimed at the D.A. meeting and had a feeling Harry would have something similar.

Hagrid had send her some treacle which Alicia had a feeling would glue her teeth together. Tonks had given her an imitation of a quaffle and Alicia placed it on her bedside table happily. And then there was a bundle of socks from Dobby. Alicia chuckled at the elf's thoughtfulness as she remembered that socks were Dobby's favourite thing.

She had finished with her gifts upon realising that Fred and George had neglected to get her anything. She was unsurprised but this as they never really did, until there was a crack and Fred appeared on her bed.

"Wearing yours already?" he asked nodding to her sweater.

"Well she does put a little extra care into mine." Alicia grinned "And they're so warm." she grinned

"Kinda boring getting one every year." he believed

"Only cause you've had it happen every year since you were how old? To me it's a gift from a family member and considering I didn't have one for eleven years that's important to me." she shrugged

"I guess." he shrugged "By the way thanks for the magical properties book."

"Well I had to think of something. I thought of giving you some gallons at one point but it's not as thoughtful." she confessed "George like his? I figured some cures for all the crap you two pull would be helpful too."

"Well he made a comment about how you clearly think we're incapable of knowing what's dangerous but," Fred smirked

"Coming from the two who couldn't ride brooms cause of boils." Alicia rolled her eyes. Fred chuckled before he handed her a parcel. Alicia was surprised, she'd never gotten a gift from the twins before.

"Thanks. You know you could have put it with all the others." she believed. Fred simply shrugged but watched her as she removed the wrapper. Inside was a box and when Alicia opened it she found a thick chained bracelet. It looked large enough to have charms hang off it. Alicia looked at it surprised.

"I hope you didn't spend too much of that prize money Harry gave you…" she said looking slightly worried

"On you? Never." Fred responded and Alicia rolled her eyes before she unclasped the bracelet and dropped it over her wrist. She held her arm out and Fred clasped it together.

Alicia shook her wrist and the chain slid around it as she grinned. Fred smirked at her before she leaned forwards to give him a hug.

"It's gorgeous. Thanks." she assured. There was a crack and the two turned to George who grinned at them.

"Merry Christmas." he said

"Merry Christmas George." Alicia smirked as he looked shmuck.

"So she like it?" George asked Fred, who rolled his eyes.

"Speaking of which, where's yours?" she asked, her hand out and George's grin dropped causing Fred to laugh.

"Well it was a joint thing." he decided

"Oh yeah?" she asked "I didn't see you here to present it to me."

"Well Fred wanted to do it."

"Yeah sure." Alicia said sharing a grin with Fred.

"By the way I suggest we don't go down stairs for a bit." George said changing the subject

"Why not?" the two chorused

"Percy sent his jumper back." George admitted "She's crying again. Left Lupin to cheer her up."

"That's a bit harsh…" Alicia mumbled, though she wasn't surprised. Percy said he wanted nothing to do with them after all.

"Come on, let's go see the others." Alicia grabbed her dressing gown before Fred took her hand and they appeared down into the two boys room. Fred and Alicia landed on Harry's bed and George on Ron's.

"Good morning. Merry Christmas." Alicia grinned

"Merry Christmas," said George. "Don't go downstairs for a bit."

"Why not?" said Ron.

"Mum's apparently crying again," said Fred heavily. "Percy sent back his Christmas jumper."

"Without a note," added George. "Hasn't asked how Dad is or visited him or anything… tried to comfort her," Fred moved around the bed to look at the paper Harry was holding in his hand. "Told her Percy's nothing more than a humongous pile of rat droppings, didn't work," said George, helping himself to a Chocolate Frog. "So Lupin took over. Best let him cheer her up before we go down for breakfast, I reckon."

"What's that supposed to be anyway?" asked Fred, squinting and Alicia crawled around to have a look. It looked a bit like a portrait of something. "Looks like a gibbon with two black eyes."

"It's Harry!" said George, pointing at the back of the picture. "Says so on the back!"

"Good likeness," said Fred, grinning. Harry threw his new homework diary at him and Alicia found herself back in her room, after going through the suffocating feeling of apparition as Fred avoided the book and dragged her with him.

Alicia got dressed and moved down the stairs to Hermione and Ginny's room to wish them Merry Christmas as many others within the house could be heard doing the same.

"Merry Christmas." they both chorused back as Alicia sat on Hermione's bed.

"Good haul?" Alicia wondered

"Very. Thanks for the wool and book." Hermione grinned

"Well, clearly you're not going to stop knitting so," Alicia mumbled and Ginny giggled.

"And you and Harry are genius'!" She picked up the book New Theory of Numerology in which she and Harry had bought her.

"Well." Alicia said modestly, flicking her hair for effect and the two laughed.

"Hey who gave you that?" Ginny pointed at her bracelet on her wrist.

"Fred did." the girls looked at her surprised

"Fred and George have good taste." Hermione muttered as Alicia rose her wrist so she could see.

"Actually it's just from Fred." Alicia confessed. The two shared a look before they grinned.

"Well," Ginny said before looking down and picking up the parcel Alicia had gotten her, "Thank you Alicia,"

"Any time Ginny." Alicia grinned.

The two girls dressed before the three of them moved off towards the kitchen, meeting Harry and Ron as they did.

"Thanks for the book, Harry!" she said happily. "I've been wanting that New Theory of Numerology for ages! And that perfume is really unusual, Ron."

"No problem," said Ron. "Who's that for anyway?" he added, nodding at the neatly wrapped present she was carrying.

"Kreacher," said Hermione brightly. Alicia sighed but felt that maybe Kreacher would appreciate a gift, at least if he didn't know who it was from.

"It had better not be clothes!" said Ron warningly. "You know what Sirius said, Kreacher knows too much, we can't set him free!"

"It isn't clothes," said Hermione, "although if I had my way I'd certainly give him something to wear other than that filthy old rag. No, it's a patchwork quilt, I thought it would brighten up his bedroom."

"What bedroom?" said Harry, dropping his voice to a whisper as they were passing the portrait of Sirius's mother.

"Well, Sirius says it's not so much a bedroom, more a kind of — den," said Hermione. "Apparently he sleeps under the boiler in that cupboard off the kitchen."

Mrs. Weasley was the only person in the basement when they arrived there. She was standing at the stove and sounded as though she had a bad head cold when she wished them Merry Christmas, and they all averted their eyes.

"So, this is Kreacher's bedroom?" said Ron, strolling over to a dingy door in the corner opposite the pantry which Harry had never seen open.

"Yes," said Hermione, now sounding a little nervous. "Er… I think we'd better knock…"

Ron rapped the door with his knuckles but there was no reply.

"He must be sneaking around upstairs," he said, and without further ado pulled open the door. "Urgh."

Most of the cupboard was taken up with a very large and old-fashioned boiler, but in the foot's space underneath the pipes Kreacher had made himself something that looked like a nest. A jumble of assorted rags and smelly old blankets were piled on the floor and the small dent in the middle of it showed where Kreacher curled up to sleep every night. Here and there among the material were stale bread crusts and mouldy old bits of cheese. In a far corner glinted small objects and coins that Kreacher must have saved, magpielike, from Sirius's purge of the house, and he had also managed to retrieve the silver-framed family photographs that Sirius had thrown away over the summer. Their glass might be shattered, but still the little black-and-white people inside them peered haughtily up at them, including the dark, heavy-lidded woman whose trial Alicia and Harry had witnessed in Dumbledore's Pensieve: Bellatrix Lestrange. By the looks of it, hers was Kreacher's favourite photograph; he had placed it to the fore of all the others and had mended the glass clumsily with Spellotape.

"I think I'll just leave his present here," said Hermione, laying the package neatly in the middle of the depression in the rags and blankets and closing the door quietly. "He'll find it later, that'll be fine…"

"Come to think of it," said Sirius, emerging from the pantry carrying a large turkey as they closed the cupboard door, "has anyone actually seen Kreacher lately?"

"I haven't seen him since the night we came back here," said Harry. "You were ordering him out of the kitchen."

"Yeah…" said Sirius, frowning. "You know, I think that's the last time I saw him, too… He must be hiding upstairs somewhere…"

"He couldn't have left, could he?" said Harry. "I mean, when you said 'out,' maybe he thought you meant, get out of the house?"

"No, no, house-elves can't leave unless they're given clothes, they're tied to their family's house," said Sirius.

"That doesn't mean they're confined to the house though…" Alicia mumbled as she looked around.
"Yeah, they can leave the house if they really want to," Harry agreed. "Dobby did, he left the Malfoys' to give me warnings two years ago. He had to punish himself afterward, but he still managed it."

Sirius looked slightly disconcerted for a moment.

"Although you are the primary Black heir, there are others…" Alicia thought, the others looking at her as she spoke. "Doesn't mean he isn't off with another Black Member…"

"There are hardly any to worry about." Sirius said sounding like he was trying to convince himself. "I'll look for him later, I expect I'll find him upstairs crying his eyes out over my mother's old bloomers or something… Of course, he might have crawled into the airing cupboard and died… But I mustn't get my hopes up…"

Fred, George, and Ron laughed; Hermione, however, looked reproachful.

"As long as that's all it is." Alicia hoped.

Once they had had their Christmas lunch, the Weasleys and Alicia, Harry and Hermione were planning to pay Mr. Weasley another visit, escorted by Mad-Eye and Lupin. Mundungus turned up in time for Christmas pudding and trifle, having managed to "borrow" a car for the occasion, as the Underground did not run on Christmas Day. The car, which was very unlikely taken with the knowledge or consent of its owner, had had a similar Enlarging Spell put upon it as the Weasleys' old Ford Anglia; although normally proportioned outside, ten people with Mundungus driving were able to fit into it quite comfortably. Mrs. Weasley hesitated at the point of getting inside; her disapproval of Mundungus seemed to be battling with her dislike of traveling without magic; finally the cold outside and her children's pleading triumphed, and she settled herself into the backseat between Fred and Bill with good grace.

The journey to St. Mungo's was quite quick, as there was very little traffic on the roads. A small trickle of witches and wizards were creeping furtively up the otherwise deserted street to visit the hospital. They all got out of the car, and Mundungus drove off around the corner to wait for them; they strolled casually toward the window where the dummy in green nylon stood, then, one by one, stepped through the glass.

The reception area looked pleasantly festive: The crystal orbs that illuminated St. Mungo's had been turned to red and gold so that they became gigantic, glowing Christmas baubles; holly hung around every doorway, and shining white Christmas trees covered in magical snow and icicles glittered in every corner, each topped with a gleaming gold star. It was less crowded than the last time they had been there, although halfway across the room Harry was shunted aside by a witch with a walnut jammed up her left nostril.

"Family argument, eh?" smirked the blonde witch behind the desk. "You're the third I've seen today… Spell Damage, fourth floor…"

They found Mr. Weasley propped up in bed with the remains of his turkey dinner on a tray in his lap and a rather sheepish expression on his face.

"Everything all right, Arthur?" asked Mrs. Weasley, after they had all greeted Mr. Weasley and handed over their presents.

"Fine, fine," said Mr. Weasley, a little too heartily. "You — er — haven't seen Healer Smethwyck, have you?"

"No," said Mrs. Weasley suspiciously, "why?"

"Nothing, nothing," said Mr. Weasley airily, starting to unwrap his pile of gifts. "Well, everyone had a good day? What did you all get for Christmas? Oh, Harry — this is absolutely wonderful —"

For he had just opened Harry's gift of fuse-wire and screwdrivers. Mrs. Weasley did not seem entirely satisfied with Mr. Weasley's answer. As her husband leaned over to shake Harry's hand, she peered at the bandaging under his nightshirt.

"Arthur," she said, with a snap in her voice like a mousetrap, "you've had your bandages changed. Why have you had your bandages changed a day early, Arthur? They told me they wouldn't need doing until tomorrow."

"What?" said Mr. Weasley, looking rather frightened and pulling the bed covers higher up his chest. "No, no — it's nothing — it's — I —"

He seemed to deflate under Mrs. Weasley's piercing gaze.

"Well — now don't get upset, Molly, but Augustus Pye had an idea… He's the Trainee Healer, you know, lovely young chap and very interested in… um… complementary medicine… I mean, some of these old Muggle remedies… well, they're called stitches, Molly, and they work very well on — on Muggle wounds —"

Mrs. Weasley let out an ominous noise somewhere between a shriek and a snarl. Lupin strolled away from the bed and over to the werewolf, who had no visitors and was looking rather wistfully at the crowd around Mr. Weasley; Bill muttered something about getting himself a cup of tea and Fred and George leapt up to accompany him, grinning.

"Do you mean to tell me," said Mrs. Weasley, her voice growing louder with every word and apparently unaware that her fellow visitors were scurrying for cover, "that you have been messing about with Muggle remedies?"

"Not messing about, Molly, dear," said Mr. Weasley imploringly. "It was just — just something Pye and I thought we'd try — only, most unfortunately — well, with these particular kinds of wounds — it doesn't seem to work as well as we'd hoped —"

"Meaning?"

"Well… well, I don't know whether you know what — what stitches are?"

"It sounds as though you've been trying to sew your skin back together," said Mrs. Weasley with a snort of mirthless laughter, "but even you, Arthur, wouldn't be that stupid —"

"I fancy a cup of tea too," said Harry, jumping to his feet.

"Good idea." Alicia agreed.

Hermione, Ron, and Ginny almost sprinted to the door with them. As it swung closed behind them, they heard Mrs. Weasley shriek, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THAT'S THE GENERAL IDEA?"

"Typical Dad," said Ginny, shaking her head as they set off up the corridor. "Stitches… I ask you…"

"Well, you know, they do work well on non-magical wounds," said Hermione fairly. "I suppose something in that snake's venom dissolves them or something…"

"You'd hope they'd be getting the venom out of his system by now." Alicia thought and Hermione nodded.