A/N: 29 out of 30! Next one is going to be the big finish! I hope you've enjoyed it so far!

"Hiya, Harry!"

Harry was in a daze… Professor Snape had just given him two house points for playing nice with a couple of Slytherin students. It was a pittance, yes, but it was likely two more points than Snape had awarded to anyone else in Gryffindor this term, so Harry took the points gratefully and left it at that.

"Earth to Harry…"

Harry shook his head vigorously, then turned around to see the source of the friendly soprano greeting. No sooner than he turned his whole body around, a pretty blonde girl bundled up in an overcoat and black and gold wool cap crashed into him, nearly causing him to tumble to the ground.

"Oh, hiya Lilah," Harry managed to blurt out. "I'm sorry, I wasn't ignoring you on purpose… it's just that something rather unexpected happened a couple of minutes ago, and I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it."

Lilah's eyebrows furrowed slightly, her lips curved in a slight frown. "Oh?"

Harry's cheeks turned pink, and his head tilted somewhat downward in slight embarrassment. "Well, Professor Snape just gave Gryffindor two house points because he saw me give Daphne and Tracey their Christmas gifts. I'm glad to have gotten them, don't get me wrong, it's just that it's so…"

Lilah's gorgeous grey eyes sparkled. "Out of his character. I know, Harry." She giggled.

Harry smiled at his friend. "I got you a Christmas gift too, but as I fully expect to see you at least once during the break, I thought I'd save it until we meet again." His cheeks flushed again, and he lowered his voice. "Unless, uh… you want it now, of course."

Lilah shook her head gently. "It's fine, Harry. I can wait." She returned the smile. "So, I take it we're still waiting on our favorite chestnut-haired bookworm?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure what's taking her so long," replied Harry. "She's usually up bright and early."

Just as Harry finished his sentence, a loud plop hit the floor. Hermione had finally joined her friends, and she looked slightly out of breath. "I'm so, so sorry, you two…"

Harry smiled at Hermione, and gave her a big hug. "Hi, Hermione… you look erm, lovely," he said. "I like what you did with your hair… is that what took you so long?" Her normally bushy hair was neatly put up in a halo braid – not a single hair out of place.

Hermione's cheeks turned rosy pink. "Well, it's been months since I last saw my parents, so I figured I'd put forth a bit more effort into my appearance today. I do hope I look all right."

"Hiya, Hermione. You look wonderful," Lilah said, as the two girls embraced each other. "Beautification charm?"

Hermione smiled and shook her head 'no'. "Not exactly… I still haven't perfected those charms quite yet… I asked Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil to help me earlier this morning – they were all too eager to lend a hand." She giggled softly.

"Well, if there's anyone in Gryffindor that would know a thing or two about hair styling, it would be them," Harry said in agreement. "They did a good job. Very flattering look for you."

"If you want a bite to eat, you'd better do so quickly," Lilah gently admonished Hermione. "You look beautiful, but your parents probably would be just as happy to see your usual bushy head of hair. We'll need to head to Hogsmeade in just a bit."

Hermione took a seat at the Gryffindor table and had a quick bowl of oatmeal and a few berries, and downed a glass of pumpkin juice. Harry and Lilah looked at each other with expressions of mild shock, as Hermione rarely ate her meals this quickly – she was usually a dainty eater. Her cheeks then puffed slightly as she put her coat sleeve over her mouth, then her whole face turned bright pink.

Lilah arched an eyebrow. "Did you just… burp, Hermione?"

"Please don't tell anyone," squeaked Hermione in a very tiny voice.

Harry smiled. "Don't worry, it's our little secret." He then pointed at the heavy-looking bag next to Hermione. "So… is that some… erm, light reading material for the holiday break?"

"Quite possibly," replied Hermione with a snicker. "And what's it to you, Harry? It's not like you know a book if one flew off the shelf and whacked you across the forehead!" Harry cocked his head and gave her the most deadpan expression he could muster.

"I'm not that bad of a student, you know. I may be an Average Joe compared to you and Lilah, but I'm far from illiterate," he retorted with a hint of indignance.

Hermione shook her head, and smiled sweetly at Harry. "Would you relax, Harry?" she said in a soft voice. "You took that a bit too personally there." She grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, and looked into his eyes. "You're a more than capable wizard, Harry Potter." She giggled. "But that doesn't mean that we can't give you a little light-hearted teasing every now and then."

A few minutes later, the three friends made their way to Hogsmeade Station. It was definitely cold that morning – the flakes were still falling, and the air was chilly and damp – without any wind whipping in their faces, the winter air simply hung over them, making their very bones feel cold and wet. Lilah and Harry wore winter caps, while Hermione donned a pair of earmuffs to protect her perfectly-styled hair.

They rode special carriages from the castle to Hogsmeade Station – it would have been a long, tedious trek on foot. Harry and Hermione were especially grateful as Harry had to tote Hedwig, and Hermione had a bag full of books – probably a mixture of academic texts and mystery novels, Harry surmised. The carriage ride back to the train station was considerably quicker than the way they took to the castle just before the Start of Term feast.

When the three friends exited the carriage, they saw the unmistakable figure of Hagrid – the jolly part-giant with a mop of dark hair and equally dark and scruffy beard. The three children ran up to give Hagrid a hug – who was easily large enough to embrace them all at once – and wish him a happy Christmas.

"Oh, bless it, yer three," Hagrid exclaimed. "I can't believe it's time for all yer youngins to head back ter yer folks for the holiday break." His dark eyes twinkled. "And I have a li'l summat fer each of yer," he added with a schoolboy grin.

He handed Harry a small, long box in plain red wrapping paper. Harry opened it up, and found a hand-carved wooden flute.

"Made it meself," Hagrid said with a note of pride in my voice. He wagged a thick index finger. "As my boss likes ter say, 'use it well'."

Harry smiled at Hagrid. "It's lovely, Hagrid. Thank you. And Happy Christmas."

Hagrid then handed Hermione a package that looked like it might have almost too big for the poor girl to handle. It was about two feet long, nearly as wide, and several inches deep. Like Harry's package, it was also covered with simple red wrapping paper.

Hermione's skinny arms held the package – but barely. "Miss Hermione? Would yer like me ter hold it while yer open it?" offered Hagrid in a friendly tone.

"Yes please," replied Hermione gratefully. She couldn't help but wonder what was in there – a huge bar of solid gold, perhaps? It sure felt like it to her. She let Hagrid take hold of the package, while she carefully undid the wrapping paper and opened the box. Inside was a very large hardcover book – a Muggle biography on the ancient English alchemist, Roger Bacon.

"I thought yer would find this book quite interesting," chuckled Hagrid. "Yer see, Mister Bacon was a pretty big influence on yer old friend N.F.," he added with a wink. "I'm sure yeh'll find his story quite fascinating."

Hermione gasped as she realized whom Hagrid was referring to. "Thank you, Hagrid. This is perfect." She gave Hagrid a hug in appreciation.

Finally, Hagrid pulled out one more package – it was a bit smaller-looking than Hermione's package, and didn't look nearly as heavy, but still had the same general shape. He grinned as he handed it to Lilah, who fortunately didn't need any assistance with opening it.

"A puzzle and riddle book!" she squeaked. "This'll keep me on my toes during the break for sure. Thank you so much, Hagrid… it's wonderful."

"I kind of figured it would," replied Hagrid. "Yer a sharp one too, Miss Lilah. Yer and Miss Hermione are two of the brightest witches I've had the pleasure of knowing… and I've met quite a few in my time!" Lilah embrace Hagrid warmly.

Harry smiled at Hagrid. "Oh, that reminds us… we have a little something for you as well, Hagrid. I know it's not much, but you've looked out for us all term… we just wanted to show our appreciation. You're a true friend." Harry opened his trunk, and produced a plain brown box, then handed it to Hagrid.

"What's this, I wonder?" Hagrid said as he opened the box. He pulled out a pretty Christmas wreath made of spruce – it had a pretty red bow on it, and even some cones attached to it. "Aww, bless yer," he murmured, sniffling so slightly. "I'll hang it proudly on my front door! And I'm proud to have all three of yer as my friends. C'mere!" He gave the three children one more hug – it was gentle by his standards, but still a hearty one by theirs. "Happy Christmas! Be safe, all of yer!"

"Happy Christmas, Hagrid!" the three children replied.

Hagrid waved his hands, trying to get the children to wait up before they boarded the train. "Oh, if yer would like, I'll make sure yer bags and such are stowed all nice and safe – I know they're a lot ter handle."

"That would be brilliant. Thank you, Hagrid," Harry replied gratefully. He turned to Hedwig. "You be brave for me, okay? Mister Hagrid will make sure you're taken care of… we'll see you in a few hours." Hedwig made a hooting sound which Harry took as an affirmative response.

Hermione seemed to be unwilling to part with her new book, so Harry smiled at her and offered to carry the heavy tome. She smiled sweetly at her friend and gratefully let him take the book off her hands until they settled in. However, he was starting to develop second thoughts about taking it once he found out first-hand just how heavy the book was.

They clambered up the stairs to board the train, and then headed for the sections designated for first-year students. To their relief, they had found an empty compartment and settled in there. Harry had placed the book on Roger Bacon on the seat next to Hermione – his aching arms have had enough – he couldn't lug that thing another step.

It wasn't quite as crowded as the train ride from Kings Cross Station to the castle on the first of September, but the majority of the students were aboard. Only a relative handful of students remained at the castle, like those delightful ginger-haired Weasley brothers. Arthur and Molly were off to Romania to see Charlie this year, hence their reasoning for staying behind.

Ron seemed to be quite pleased with the gift Harry picked out for him, but Harry couldn't help but wonder what Ron meant when he should be expecting something from the family when he got back to the castle. A Weasley Family Tradition? Sounds homemade, Harry thought. But most likely, something very brilliant. Harry knew that the Weasleys weren't a very rich family, but they were rich in things besides money. He visualized what their quaint little home looked like, with all sorts of quaint magical knick-knacks and decorations that would be rare in both the Muggle and magical worlds alike.

A short while later, the train lurched forward, and made the several-hour journey from the Scottish highlands back to Kings Cross Station in London. Both Lilah and Hermione busied themselves with the gifts that Hagrid gave them, and Harry prepared himself for a bit of a nap, though he had quite a few thoughts running through his head before he could drift off.

He had not slept well the previous night, but he had good reason – he was beyond excited to have a home to look forward to, even if it was just for a couple of weeks. He had never formally met them yet, but he knew that Hermione's parents were far kinder than his aunt and uncle. Harry would have been fine with them simply treating him as guest, but Hermione said that they'd actually treat him like family. Either way, he was giddy. He hadn't been treated like either before. And having a playmate that actually likes him was an added bonus.

He also thought about Lilah's family – they would also be his family starting next summer. The Dursleys are nothing but a bad dream, as far as he's concerned. He didn't hate his aunt, uncle, and cousin – after all, he told his head of house that he wished no ill-will toward them – but he had no desire to go back, and now that he signed all the legal documents, all that's left was for Muggle Britain to process the documents to make it nice and official.

He had played out a few scenarios with the Dursleys in his head – if he were to have any parting words for his 'relatives', he would simply say "I forgive you." They'd then ask him what there would be to forgive, while he would respond simply with a "I think you know", and then he'd turn and walk away, to leave them to their own devices. He wasn't interested in retribution or justice, but he would have liked for them to know that they've done wrong by him, and that he could still take the high road at the end of the day and forgive them their sins. He shrugged to himself – maybe it's possible that one of them might feel a bit of remorse. Maybe not Aunt Petunia or Uncle Vernon, as they did seem to be awfully set in their ways, but perhaps there was still a shred of hope for Dudley – he's young, spoiled, and arrogant, sure. But maybe he'll grow up and be a better person – one that doesn't think that people like Harry are a waste of space. He couldn't in all good consciousness close the door on Dudley… just in case he does find his inner decency one day.

Harry did eventually drift off, and was out for probably a good hour and a half before Lilah shook him awake. Harry's eyelids fluttered for a moment, then he slid his glasses from the top of his forehead down to his nose.

"Harry," Lilah said softly. "The treat vendor's here… would you like anything?"

"Hmm," thought Harry. "Maybe some pumpkin pasties, some chocolate frogs, and a pumpkin juice. Would you or Hermione like anything?"

"Maybe a pumpkin juice and a pumpkin pasty," Lilah replied. She tapped Hermione on the knee, who was still completely immersed in her book. "You want anything?"

"Oh," Hermione replied, slightly shocked. "Erm… I suppose a pumpkin juice and a pumpkin pasty as well… I don't want to overindulge."

Harry handed the trolley vendor a handful of sickles, who then gave the children their respective snacks and drinks. "Here you are, dears. Happy Christmas!"

"Thank you," replied Harry.

"Happy Christmas!" replied Lilah and Hermione.

The children munched on their sweets – and to Lilah's relief, Harry was far less voracious than the last time he was on the train. He was still thin, but he was definitely healthier-looking than he was three months ago, at least. She was very happy to see him look more like a normal child… and another thing that made her happy, was that Harry was catching up to her, height-wise. He was now as tall as Hermione, and now only about two inches shorter than Lilah instead of a full three. Three meals a day and a solid amount of fresh air made a world of difference, she thought.

They played a few rounds of Egyptian Rat Screw using Lilah's enchanted card deck to kill the time, and they just sat and chit-chatted. Although they had phone calls and at least one get-together to look forward to, it was going to be quite a change being separated for most of the break since they had gotten used to seeing each other every day. Harry hated it for Lilah because she was going to be by herself, but she assured Harry that she'll be all right – she had friends and family from back home as well, so she wouldn't be by herself the entire time.

It was rather hard to tell the time of day because it was overcast all day long, but the sky did start to darken a bit after several hours, indicating that evening was approaching, and that they weren't too terribly far from London. A couple of hours later, the train began to slow down as it approached Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station. The train eventually came to a complete halt, and after a couple of minutes, the children were instructed to disembark the train.

Harry, Lilah, and Hermione stayed behind to wait for one of the crew members to help them with their luggage plus Hedwig, as Hagrid had stowed them away before the train took off. After several minutes, a crew member started grabbing their belongings, and offered to put them in a large push cart to make it easier for them to manage. The cart was just large enough to hold all three of the childrens' belongings, and they pushed the cart through the barrier to re-enter the Muggle side of Kings Cross Station.