Harry and the Pirates, Chapter 11
Christmas Surprises
by Technomad
At last, it came time for the Christmas holidays. Harry and Dudley packed up; they'd been told that Petunia would be meeting them down in London. They grinned at each other gleefully.
"Two weeks free! No more school, no more books…" sang Harry
Dudley chimed in: "No more teachers' dirty looks!"
They piled into the carriages, with Ron, Hermione and several of their other Housemates, eagerly chattering about what they wanted to do over the hols.
"I want to sleep on in!" said Ron, an esctatic look on his face. "And then pile into some of Mum's home cooking!"
"Isn't the food at Hogwarts good?" Hermione asked, concern on her face. "Is there something missing there?"
"No, but it isn't home cooking! And I'll get to see my little sister, Ginny! She's the only one of us left at home, and she says she's lonesome in the letters she writes!"
"And how often do you write her back?" asked Daphne Greengrass, a knowing look on her face. "I had three older brothers, and when they were off at Hogwarts, they forgot I existed!"
"Not as often as I should have," Ron replied, looking shamefaced. "However, when I do write, it makes up for a lot of lost time! You should have seen the letter I got after the Troll Incident! 'Oh Merlin, how did you do all that? Harry Potter must be a genius to come up with all those ideas! I can't wait to meet him!'" His voice had gone high-pitched, in an apparent imitation of Ginny.
"I didn't come up with that all by myself," Harry said, as everybody turned to look at him. "If anything, Percy deserves a lot of credit! He was the one who knew how to get us all thinking! I think he should be a teacher when he leaves Hogwarts!"
"Good luck persuading him, mate," Ron drawled. "He's got his heart set on the Ministry. He's wanted that all his life."
"Well, I'll have a talk with him." Hermione set her jaw firmly. "He shouldn't waste that teaching talent playing bureaucrat." The boys looked at each other. Silently, they agreed that Percy was in for a surprise.
On the Express, heading south, the four friends had a compartment to themselves. Draco Malfoy and his friends were aboard, but the blond was still severely chastened by the Palanquin Incident, and didn't seem inclined to make a pest of himself. Hermione grinned. "Operation Comeuppance was a complete success!"
When the Express pulled into London, the magical kids mostly had their families waiting for them on the platform. Ron was instantly claimed by a motherly-looking woman with slightly faded red hair, who clucked over how much he'd grown. "Ronald Weasley, I have to say I don't approve of you helping to dose your brothers with laxatives, but since then, Professor McGonagall says that they're much more devoted to their studies, and better-behaved!"
"Glad to hear it, Mum," Ron answered. He gestured to his friends. "Mum, I'd like you to meet Hermione Granger, Dudley Dursley, and Harry Potter." At the last name in particular, his mother's eyes went very wide.
"Oh, my dear! I'm so glad to meet you! Dears, I'd like you to meet my family! Bill, here," indicating a tall, handsome redhead with long hair pulled back in a ponytail, "is my oldest boy. He works for Gringott's Bank, as a cursebreaker. Charlie," pointing to a shorter, stockier redhead, "works as a Dragon Keeper in Romania. And this," pulling a blushing red-headed girl out from behind her, "is our only daughter, Ginny. She'll be at Hogwarts next year!"
"Pleased to meet you all!" Harry shook all their hands, noting with amusement that Ginny blushed bright scarlet and wouldn't meet his eye. "And don't take all that 'Boy Who Lived' rubbish too seriously! Honestly, people, sometimes I think someone stole my name and put it on the hero of a rubbishy series of children's stories!"
"Let's go find Mum!" Dudley's suggestion sounded excellent to Harry, and the Muggle-raised trio headed for the exit to the Muggle station. They weren't the only ones; a flock of Hogwarts students, all of them in Muggle clothes, were headed that way. The Weasleys apparently had a different way to get home; they weren't following, Harry noticed.
On the far side of the barrier, it was the same sort of happy mob scene it had been on the platforms. Harry and Dudley looked around, and Dudley's eyes lit up. "There's Mum! MUM! We're here!" A few seconds later, they were both being squeezed simultaneously by a laughing, weeping Petunia Dursley.
"Oh, it's so good to see my boys again! I've heard such good things about you at school, and I'm so proud of you! We'll have a wonderful time here in London over the holidays!" Petunia paused for a second. "Even this horrible climate can't make me less happy that I've got you back, at least for a little while!"
"It's good to see you, too, Mum!" Dudley hugged his mother back, and then stood aside so that Harry could have a go. Harry had no memories of his mother, but Aunt Petunia was a more than adequate substitute.
Petunia's eyes twinkled. "You do remember, I said I'd share the news about you with Balalaika?"
"Yes, you did. What does she have to say about how we did, our first term?"
A familiar voice with a tinge of Russian accent came from behind them, "She is very pleased with you. You are a credit to her teachings!" and both boys spun around to find themselves facing Balalaika herself. She was wearing her Russian Army greatcoat, but unlike tropical Roanapur, she had it buttoned up. Balalaika smiled warmly at both of the boys, and Harry felt himself blushing bright red.
"Balalaika! Oh, this is a wonderful Christmas surprise! We never thought to see you here!" Balalaika grinned mischeviously, looking much younger than she was for a moment.
"Did you two think I could not travel? Hotel Moscow can do without me for a few days; Roanapur's quiet, and the good Sergeant Boris knows how to reach me if a crisis erupts. I haven't been to London in a long time, and after Christmas itself, I have shopping to do. You do know that Russian Christmas is January 8, don't you?"
Just about then, Hermione Granger came up, with two adults in tow who were unmistakably her parents. "Mum, Dad, I want you to meet Harry Potter and Dudley Dursley. Harry, Dudley, this is my Mum and Dad."
Harry and Dudley found their hands being shaken by a large man who looked more than a little like their friend. "Pleased to meet both of you boys! I'm Dan Granger. My wife-" pointing to a woman with brown curly hair who was hugging Hermione as though to make up for months of lost time-"and partner in our dental practice."
"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Granger, sir," Harry answered, as Dudley nodded agreement. "I'd like to introduce you to my aunt. Aunt Petunia, this is our friend Hermione's father, Mr. Granger."
"A pleasure, Dr. Granger," smiled Petunia. "I'm Dudley's mother, and I've raised Harry from the time he was just a little fellow. He and Dudley grew up as brothers. We live in Thailand, but since they were born here in England, they both got Hogwarts letters, like my sister, Harry's late mother, did." A shadow passed over her face for a second. "I didn't get one."
"Nobody knows why some children in non-magical families are born with magic, Mrs. Dursley," Dr. Granger said sympathetically. "It was a big surprise to us, that our Hermione was magical, but it did explain a lot about her. And she has such good things to say about your boys, and this other boy, Ron! They look out for each other like…like siblings!"
Hermione dragged her mother over to join the conversation. "Mrs. Granger? I'd like you to meet my mum," said Dudley, as the two ladies shook hands and smiled at each other.
Balalaika was standing off a little ways, smiling at all this interaction. When they got a little respite, Harry and Dudley led Hermione over to her. "Balalaika, we'd like you to meet our friend Hermione Granger. Hermione, this is our employer from Roanapur, Balalaika."
Hermione stared up, slightly awestruck at the beautiful, scarred Russian woman, as Balalaika warmly shook her hand. "A pleasure to meet you at long last, Miss Granger," Balalaika purred. "The boys have written about you, at length, and I have wanted to make your acquaintance."
Reminded that Balalaika was there, Petunia blushed and hurriedly introduced the Granger parents to her. "Now that we all know each other, may I suggest we repair somewhere for dinner? I have reservations for a private room at one of the nicer restaurants, and can take it off my taxes as a business expense!" With that, Balalaika took command, and everybody trooped out of the station, chattering together like old friends.
Over a lavish dinner, the conversation flowed freely. The subject of the Grangers' upcoming summer visit to Thailand came up quickly. "Our daughter says she'd like to pay a visit to your boys at Roanapur, while we attend that dental conference in Bangkok," said Dan Granger, sipping appreciatively at a fine wine recommended by Balalaika. "Would that be all right, Mrs. Dursley?"
Petunia and Balalaika exchanged glances. "Well…Roanapur can be rather dangerous. If she came, she'd have to promise faithfully to stay with Harry and Dudley and do as she was told at all times, without question," Petunia finally said, after receiving some sort of signal from Balalaika.
"I approve strongly of what I see in your daughter," Balalaika said. "She reminds me of a girl I knew once…gentle, intelligent, strong-willed and thirsty for knowledge. I would like to have the opportunity to make her acquaintance at greater length than these holidays will allow. I have no objection, if Mrs. Dursley is willing to take her in."
"Excellent! Then just let me know when, and I'll be able to pop on over to Bangkok to pick her up. It'll be wonderful to have her as our guest!" On that note, the dinner broke up, and Harry and Dudley were collected by their adults for the whirl of a London Christmas.
END Chapter 11
