December 25, 1996 - Part 1

Christmas morning. Harry woke with the sun and an empty bed. He couldn't say he wasn't disappointed that Fleur was home with her family instead of sleeping beside him. The few nights that she had slept over, waking up the next morning, had become one of his favourite things. On the plus side, Fleur and her family would be coming to White Oak Manor for lunch. They would stay for a few hours, and then Harry was hoping to spend the evening with his stunning girlfriend. But first, he had to get through his family breakfast.

Sirius had explained to Harry that for his comfort – his being Harry – that everyone was coming to White Oak Manor to celebrate the holiday. That meant not only Remus, but Lily, James and Harvey would be there for breakfast and for presents. Harry still hadn't understood how everyone coming to their home was supposed to make Harry comfortable; he would have preferred that everyone stay in their own place, and he just spent the day with Fleur. But you did certain things for family…like having to face them all at once.

With everything happening at Hogwarts, Harry had allowed himself to ignore the family issues he was still facing. Issues that he knew he was keeping in because the ground they were all walking on was already precarious. His father telling him his plans for a group chat with James and Lily had startled his balance act enough that now Harry found himself wanting to revert to his previous method of dealing. Which really wasn't too much different from what he was already doing – keeping his true thoughts and feelings in.

By the time Harry made it downstairs that morning, he had dressed comfortably in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt; his whole family was waiting for him. Harry actually froze in the dining room doorway when he took in the sight of two people he never expected. His grandparents.

Walburga and Orion Black were sitting at the dining table. Orion was sitting at one end of the table, facing Sirius, who sat at the other. Walburga sat to Orion's left, beside her sat Harvey – who looked a little unnerved – and beside him was an empty seat for Harry. Across from them was Lily, James and Remus, all of who seemed uncomfortable.

It all made sense now that his usual Christmas Eve tradition, where he spent the day with his grandparents, hadn't gone ahead. His grandmother had cancelled, not giving a real reason, but the situation before him explained it all.

"Merry Christmas, Harry," shouted Harvey. His sudden shout startled Walburga, who frowned at him before shaking her head and muttering to herself.

Harry forced a smile for his younger brother. "Merry Christmas, everyone," he said. He stepped forward and greeted his grandfather first, shaking his hand before moving around to kiss his grandmother on the cheek.

Walburga smiled and said, "Harrison, Merry Christmas. How are you, my boy?"

"I'm well, thank you, Grandmother." Harry pulled out his chair and took a seat between Harvey and Sirius. "I am a little surprised at your presence this morning." He glanced at his father, who looked annoyed.

"Yes," said Sirius, "it was a very sudden surprise."

Walburga shrugged. "I realised that there was no need for me to wait to see my son and grandson until after Christmas. I should see them today like every other grandparent. Would you have preferred an owl before we came?"

"Yes!" said Sirius.

Walburga huffed.

Orion reached over and patted his wife's hand. "Alright, enough. Let's just enjoy the holiday. Sirius, where is the food?"

As he spoke, the table filled with breakfast. A mix of sweet and savoury, Harry skipped the food and grabbed the coffee sitting in front of him.

"Lillian?" said Walburga.

Lily jumped slightly at being addressed. "Oh, it's just Lily, Mrs Black."

Walburga ignored her and said, "Lillian, when is your child due?"

"Soon," said Lily. She smiled and rubbed her hand over her swollen stomach. James reached across and placed his hand on top of hers. "She should be here next month."

Orion smiled. "How wonderful. Harrison, Harvey, are you excited for your new sibling?"

Harvey sat forward to look past Walburga. "Yeah. It's going to be so cool. I won't be the baby anymore, and I'll have to be like Harry."

Harry felt a genuine smile pull at her cheeks. He wished he could feel as excited as Harvey about the baby. Instead, all he felt was a twisting sensation in his stomach that whatever happened after she was born wouldn't be good.

"Harrison?" Orion prodded.

Harry nodded at his grandfather. "Yes, Grandfather. It will be great to meet her." His voice was strained as he tried to ignore the sensation in his stomach.

The meal continued with talk about everything other than the awkward tension floating around. Everyone, except Harvey, knew that Walburga hadn't been exactly pleased with Sirius when he had knocked up a girl outside of wedlock, and to make it worse, she had been a muggleborn. Harry had heard the argument between his grandmother and father many times growing up, but there had been a reason that his mother had never interacted with them before. There was also the awkward topic of Sirius and Remus' relationship. That was something that Harry knew for certain that Sirius hadn't told his parents; otherwise, they wouldn't be sitting at a table with them both.

Harry glanced at his father and noticed that he was stiff in his chair. Just to the side of the table, Harry could see Remus had his hand on Sirius's leg and was squeezing it slightly. Harry glanced at his Godfather, who looked uncomfortable but more worried.

When everyone finished eating, Harvey lept from the table and rushed out of the room, yelling about presents. He didn't see the look of distaste that Walburga sent after him as she sipped her tea.

"Would you mind giving us a few minutes alone with our son and grandson?" asked Walburga. She kept her eyes down on her plate, not even looking at Lily, James and Remus, all of who were still sitting at the table.

Sirius dropped his head into his hands. Remus was the first to stand; he squeezed Sirius' shoulder before nudging James to get up. They waited for Lily to rise, her needing some assistance to get on her feet before they walked out, the door to the dining room closing behind them.

"Don't think I don't know what your doing," snapped Sirius. He stood from the table and threw his napkin down on his seat.

"And what, praytell am I doing?" asked Walburga.

"You and your screwed up beliefs are trying to put the final nail in the relationships between Harry and me and his mother."

Walburga snorted. "I don't need to do that. You all aren't comfortable with each other without my help."

"Walburga—" tried Orion.

"What? You saw them all," she snapped.

Sirius huffed. "That had nothing to do with any of us; it was you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

"I thought you were all welcoming. Shouldn't I be able to spend Christmas Day with my son and grandson?"

"Yes, of course, you can. But not when you are doing with the intent to cause trouble."

"I think you both need to calm down," said Orion.

"I am perfectly calm. It's our son who is losing his mind over nothing."

"Walburga, enough. Just tell them what you wanted to say and be done with your game. I would like to enjoy this Christmas, at least some part of it."

Walburga sighed and put down her tea. She straightened the napkin on her lap and then said, "It appears that I am dying."

"What?" Sirius' mouth fell open.

Walburga explained, "For the last few months, I have been feeling under the weather. I went and saw someone, and they told me that I have a growth in my brain."

"What does that mean?" asked Harry.

"The witch gave me the muggle term for it, but I can't recall it. She told me that the growth will continue to grow and put pressure on important parts of my brain. There is no exact time frame, but eventually, it will become too big and start to cut off blood circulation, and other brain functions will stop."

Harry looked at his father and watched the furious anger disappear. The relationship between mother and son was always a troubling one, especially it seemed in their family. Sirius and Walburga had never gotten along, but they still loved one another in their own way. Hearing that his grandmother was going to die hadn't been what he had expected when he sat down for breakfast, but it made Harry want to find his own mother and hug her.

Sirius moved around the table and knelt down beside his mother. Walburga looked at her son and smacked her lips. "Don't you get all teary eyes about me. I'll be fine."

Sirius swallowed and pulled his mother into a hug. Walburga was tense in her son's embrace for a moment before she placed her hands around him and returned it.

Harry watched as his father hugged his grandmother. He couldn't decide if their relationship was better or worse than the one he shared with his own mother. Lily had made a lot of mistakes, she claimed to be trying her best, but Harry still felt like something wasn't connecting between them. Something made Harry feel like he couldn't open up to her, that he couldn't trust her.

After a few moments, the four of them moved to the main living space, where a large Christmas tree had been placed and decorated. Presents were overflowing from beneath the tree, and Harvey was sitting down beside it, bouncing with excitement. Harry crossed the room and joined Harvey on the floor, leaning against the couch next to Remus.

Sirius moved over to the three and started to hand out presents, Harvey getting the first one. They went around, everyone being surprised and happy with their gifts. Harry found himself with more books, a new and very flashy quill set, potion ingredients and tools, an English Quidditch team jersey with his own name on the back and a few other bits and pieces. Near the end, once every other present had been opened, Harvey lept up and took the last present from Sirius. Harry watched his brother curiously as Harvey walked over and held it out to him.

"Merry Christmas," said Harvey.

Harry smiled. "Thanks." Taking the square box, he tore off the paper and looked inside the box. Inside was a picture of Harry and Harvey. It had been taken over the summer when the two of them had gone to a quidditch match with Ron. Fleur had tagged along for the day, knowing how little Harry could stand Ron. She had to be the one who had taken the photo because neither of them was looking at the camera, and she was nowhere to be seen. Harry had his hand over Harvey's shoulders, and they were facing the pitch; Harry was pointing out a player to Harvey, who cheered as they flew past.

"I thought, since you like me now, you might want to remember how much fun we had on that day."

Harry let out a small laugh as Harvey mentioned their still relatively new bond. It had been a fun day, even with Ron eating too much sugar and vomiting before they had been picked up. "I love it," he said, "thanks."

Harvey shrugged and smiled. "You're welcome."

Looking back down at the picture, Harry felt the twisting sensation in his gut settle. Maybe things would be fine; he just needed to have a little faith in himself…and his family.


The rest of the morning was rather normal. The tension from breakfast still lingered; the Potter's not sure how to deal with Walburga, but Sirius had relaxed, and that seemed to let everyone else do the same. The mess of presents was cleared away, and Harry led Harvey outside to enjoy some sun while the adults remained indoors. They raced around on their brooms, threw a quaffle back and forth until Harry checked the time and realised Fleur would arrive with her family shortly.

Harry found himself doing a quick check in a mirror, trying to flatten his hair that had been messed up by the wind. Harvey noticed his brother's pruning and started to tease him about Fleur. Harry chased Harvey through the foyer. Harvey laughed as he ducked into the living room where Lilly and Remus were sitting and hid between the two adults. Harry shook his head and called Harvey a cheater before heading back towards the fireplace that was connected to the floo network.

Sirius joined Harry and waited a few minutes before the flames burst to life and Fleur stepped through. Harry smiled widely and swept Fleur up into a kiss, his hands wrapping around her waist as he lifted her feet off the ground and twirled her around in the air. Fleur giggled and wrapped her arms around Harry's neck, twisting her fingers in his hair. Their kiss continued; neither of the two teens noticed when Fleur's parents and sister stepped through. But Gabrielle interrupted by clearing her throat.

Fleur broke the kiss and shook her head at Gabrielle. "He is my boyfriend," she said.

Gabrielle shrugged. "And he is my friend. Don't be a hog."

Harry laughed. "Ladies, there is plenty of me to go around."

Fleur raised her eyebrow. "There better not be plenty going around."

Sirius was the one who laughed. "My dear, I don't think Harry has even noticed another girl since he met you."

Fleur's cheeks turned pink, but she smiled widely and pressed another quick kiss to Harry's mouth.

Harry stood with Fleur in his arms, chatting briefly with her parents, before he took his chance to drag her away. They could spend plenty of time with their families later, but he wanted a few minutes alone. Harry led Fleur up to his room; the two of them stopped every few steps to kiss one another. When they made it to Harry's room, Harry scooped Fleur up and dropped her onto his bed, making her laugh.

They hadn't spoken since she had left his house after his disagreement with Sirius. Harry wanted to apologise, but that also meant saying he was wrong, and he wasn't ready for that yet. He was just happy that Fleur didn't seem to want to discuss it when she grabbed his hands and pulled him down onto the bed on top of her.

Fleur giggled into Harry's mouth as she kissed him, her body arching up to press against his. Harry let his hands wander, enjoying the feel of her bare legs.

"Have I told you I love it when you wear a dress?" he asked.

Fleur smiled. "You have mentioned it."

"Cause I really do." Harry's hand squeezes her thigh.

"I enjoy the benefits too." Fleur's hand cupped his cheek, and she kissed his nose. "But, our families are downstairs."

Harry frowned. "So?"

"So, I'm not having sex with you when either of our parents or siblings could just walk in."

Harry pouted.

Fleur giggled and kissed his pout. "Maybe later."

Harry nodded slowly, still pouting, but he was still happy she was with him.

They shared a few more kisses, only stopping when Harry knew it was getting heated. So he got off the bed and walked over to his desk, where he pulled out Fleur's Christmas present. Fleur smiled when she saw the box.

"For me?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "Not only are we celebrating Christmas, but today is one year since I met you." He sat back down on the bed, pulling Fleur to sit up.

Fleur leant into his side and took the present, grinning widely as she untied the ribbon and looked inside. Her grin turned into a touched smile. Inside the box was a white gold chain with a simple diamond hanging as a pendant. It was simple but beautiful.

"It's amazing." Fleur cupped the back of Harry's head and kissed him deeply. "Thank you."

Harry smiled and pulled the necklace from the box before putting it around her neck. He kissed the arch of her throat and said, "I love you."

"I love you too."

They shifted on Harry's bed and sat against the headboard. Fleur curled up against Harry's side and was partially in his lap as Harry ran his fingers through her hair. They fell into a few minutes of silence as Fleur enjoyed Harry's warmth and stared at her necklace. But she looked up at him with a question filled gaze, and Harry knew what was coming.

Fleur asked, "How was this morning?"

Harry said, "It was good."

"And your mum, how is she?"

Harry nodded. "Very pregnant, but good. My baby sister is healthy."

"Well, that's wonderful."

"Yeah."

"And how about you?"

"What about me?"

"We haven't talked in a while about how you feel about having another sibling."

"Nothing's changed."

"Are you sure?"

Harry shrugged.

"I take that as a no." Fleur took Harry's hand and held it to her chest. She stroked her thumb across his knuckles. "Talk to me."

Harry frowned, not wanting to open the can of his emotions but knew Fleur wouldn't let it go. He said, "I don't know how I feel. At first, I thought that we'd all end up right back to where we started. But it seems that Dad and James have somehow mended their fences with the baby on the way, Harvey is overjoyed, and Mum seems to think everything is fine."

"But you don't?"

"No. I think the baby will arrive; they will all be so focused on the baby and I—" Harry stopped himself, and he leaned his head back. He didn't want to say it. Even in his mind, he sounded pathetic.

"Harry?" Fleur squeezed his hand. She never judged him, no matter what. Fleur had helped him stand at his lowest moment.

Harry said, "I will be forgotten about."

Fleur sat up and shook her head. She turned into Harry's embrace and knelt facing him. "No one could forget about you." She cupped his cheeks. "Your family loves you. A new baby isn't going to mean they love you any less."

"But why wouldn't they? Another baby, another one for Mum to look at and see her perfect family with James. They will have their little boy and their little girl; there will be no need for me." Harry dropped his head. "I sound like a fucking child."

Fleur frowned. "No, not a child. You are entitled to your feelings, and regardless of your age, you are allowed to feel however you feel." Pushing back Harry's hair from his face, Fleur pressed a kiss to his head. "I know it's hard for you to trust your mum, but you can trust me. Lily won't forget about you, and neither will Harvey."

Harry took in Fleur's words and wanted them to be true. He leaned forward and pressed his face into her neck while wrapping his arms around her. He had no idea what he would do without her or where he would be now if they had never met.


Downstairs in the living room, Sirius has joined Lilly on the couch. James was occupied with Harvey and Gabrielle, who had decided hike and seek was a good way to trick James so they could steal some chocolate from the kitchen. Remus was sitting with Sirius' parents and the Delacour's talking.

Sirius sighed, and Lilly looked at him, concerned.

"Why the long face?" she asked.

Sirius flashed a familiar smirk at her and said, "I thought my face was handsome, not long."

Lilly chuckled. "That too. What's on your mind?"

"There's always a lot going on up here." He tapped his finger to his forehead.

"Sirius."

"Lilly."

Lilly asked, "I thought things were good. I mean, Harry is doing well, isn't he?"

Sirius nodded. "I think so. At least, he seems to be more open, but we got into an argument the other day, and it made me realise that he is still keeping things in."

"What did you argue about?" she asked.

"Well, I told you I've been talking with Annabel Winters."

"Yes, she was the psychologist Harry saw last year."

"Yes. And we have discussed our past, and she thinks it would be healthy for everyone if you, me and James sit down and really discuss what happened."

"I see." Lilly looked down at the drink she was holding.

Sirius said, "I think that one of our issues is that I've never really apologised to James. I mean, I said I was sorry, but it fell on deaf ears, and now that he seems willing to talk, I think I should finally explain what happened."

Lilly said, "I told him what happened."

Sirius clenched his hands together. "From your point of view, not mine."

"What more is there to say? We were both upset; we got drunk and had sex."

"Yes, but I wasn't just upset. My mindset back in school was all fucked up. I had my mother in one ear, James in another, Remus and you. Then Peter—" Sirius' voice cracked. "Regulas, as well."

"I don't know if it will make things easier, but if you want to sit down with James, then I think we should do it."

Sirius sighed, relieved somewhat that Lilly would do it with him.

"Why did Harry get upset about you wanting to talk to James?" asked Lilly.

"He thinks that it will have the opposite effect. The somewhat weird peace we have all worked out could crumble."

Lilly nodded, her brow clenched as she took Harry's concerns in. "He has a point. We broke James' trust; we betrayed him. I would say what we did was worse than Peter."

Sirius' hands clenched. "Is it, though? I mean he—"

"Let's not think about Peter. This isn't about him." Lilly grabbed Sirius' hand and squeezed. "For today, let's enjoy being together."

Sirius nodded and pressed a kiss to Lilly's hand. He was glad they had managed to make it through everything so far. He hoped no matter what happened next, that would continue.

James came back into the living room with Gabrielle and Harvey, both of them looking a little annoyed. James patted them both on the back and walked over to sit beside Lilly. He placed his hand on her back and asked, "Everything alright?"

Sirius said, "Of course, just talking about the kids."


Harry and Fleur rejoined their families when it is time for lunch. They walk downstairs, no evidence of their talk or their kisses to be seen. As they reached the dining room, Harry realised he had to introduce Fleur to his grandparents. Pausing, Fleur noticed his hesitation.

She asked, "What is it?"

Harry cleared his throat. "My grandparents are here."

Fleur's eyes widened, but she didn't seem too worried. "Oh, okay."

"You remember what I told you about them," he said.

Fleur sighed. "It will be fine."

"Harrison!" Walburga called.

Harry gripped Fleur's hand and turned to his grandmother. "Grandmother."

"Who is the beautiful young woman that you have been hiding?" asked Walburga.

"Grandmother, this is my girlfriend, Fleur Delacour."

Fleur smiled warmly. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Black."

Walburga smiled as she took Fleur in. "You as well, Miss Delacour. You are quite the vision."

Fleur took the compliment gracefully. "That is kind of you to say."

"The kindest thing she has ever said to anyone," said Sirius from his seat.

Walburga frowned at her son. "Oh, shush. Harrison, you better hold tight to this one. She might realise she could do better."

Harry smiled as Fleur giggled.

Fleur said, "I think I've done very well." She pressed a kiss to his cheek.

They take their seats at the table as the food is served, and Harry finds lunch much more enjoyable than breakfast. Allard Delacour carried the conversation with Orion and Walburga, Sirius piping up as well as Remus. Harry open directly responded when the adults brought him in and kept to a second conversation with Fleur.

The hour they spent around the table moved quickly, and when they were dismissed, the children left the room as the adults remained. Harry gladly led Fleur along with Gabrielle and Harvey down to the library, where Fleur's projector was still set up. They grabbed the pillows and blankets and made themselves comfortable while Harry put on a film Gabrielle had bought along. It was a muggle Christmas film, something called 'Home Alone'.