Chapter Twenty Seven
"Oh, Harry I've missed you so much!" Danica cried, falling into his arms the second he walked through the door of Grimmauld Place.
"Danica, you saw me yesterday!" Harry laughed, hugging her tightly.
He was so pleased to be home, it seemed like he'd been away forever. He could smell a fresh treacle tart baking in the kitchen, Kreacher was standing in the dining room doorway, beaming at Harry and flapping his ears.
Nikka came over, once Harry had managed to peel Danica off him, and gave him a hug as well.
"You went to see him?" she said, leading Harry through to the dining room.
Harry flopped down in his seat and nodded, "Yeah. He looked rather peaceful, I guess. Sounds silly but I somehow expected there to be a difference, but he hadn't changed. I don't suppose there has been any news on him waking up?"
Nikka shook her head sadly, taking a deep breath, "No… not change there either."
Harry forced a smile and nodded, "Yeah… yeah well… I mean, he's not gotten worse…"
Nikka smiled, "Harry, that was the worst pep talk ever!"
Harry grinned, "Yeah didn't go as well as I was hoping, must admit. Added to homework list, work on pep talks."
"What didn't go as well as you'd hoped?" Lily asked, walking in with the steaming hot dish of risotto, placing it in the centre of the table.
"Dinner!" Kreacher called out.
Severus wondered in from the library, his nose deep in a book.
"No books at the table, Dad." Danica said with a snigger.
Severus glared playfully at her and put his book dramatically on the sideboard, "Is that better, young lady?"
"Yes." Danica smirked, "Well done."
"Enough with the cheek you." Lily laughed, pointing the serving spoon at her.
Harry allowed his mother to fill his bowl with the hot rice and tucked in.
Two portions of risotto and two and a half of treacle tart and cream later, Harry tucked himself into his bed, feeling happy and sleepy. Everything seemed so safe, so right in that moment. He could hear the gentle noise of his parents talking about a book or meeting or something downstairs.
Kreacher had taken himself to his room soon after dinner, laughing manically to himself to work on Christmas presents for them all.
Harry felt a wave of sadness wash over him, tears rolling down his cheeks to hit the fresh pillow case. This is what his life should be, it wasn't fair.
This is what everyone's life should be, he thought. Merope and young Tom Riddle wandered into his mind, did they every have this feeling? Even just once? The feeling of love and being safe, no… no, Harry was sure that they never had this feeling.
He was also sure that Merope thought she had, one of the many evenings and long nights she spent snuggled in Tom Riddle senior's arms as her past made it impossible for her to sleep. It was a safeness that would have been shattered the second her left her and their baby to his happy life before he'd even known she existed.
He allowed his tears to flow freely, knowing it would be pointless to try and stop them. Tears for himself, for not knowing when he'd feel this safe again. He cried for the memories that Dumbledore has shown him, and how he knew he would always feel sorry for Voldemort and his mother, he cried as he also knew that wasn't the lesson Dumbledore thought he should of learnt.
He cried for how painfully unfair all this was, for everyone involved.
When he was all cried out, a strange calm filling his mind. Harry reached out and turned over his pillow so his cheek could rest on the dry side and fell into a deep sleep.
Christmas morning was always filled with laughter in Grimmauld place. Harry couldn't remember a single Christmas that love, light and family hadn't filled the old walls and made it impossible to be sad, although his mother assured him there had been one or two, even then she was smiling now as she said it.
Danica raced into Harry's room early the morning of the 25th and jumped on his bed, snuggling with him under the blanket.
"Have you got a bruise on your head?" Harry asked, struggling to get his glasses on with Danica's arms firmly in the way.
Danica laughed and tried to look insulted, "Yes! Kreacher has locked his door!"
Harry laughed, "You know he's working on an 'extra special Christmas present'." he said, using the house elves very specific words.
"But I always go wake him up!" Danica protested.
Harry shrugged awkwardly, "Well if you want to be a grown up, no more jumping on people to wake them up. It's in the rule book."
Danica looked horrified for a second, "Well then, being a grown up is stupid!" she gave Harry and evil smile, "Are you a grown up?"
Harry laughed and shook his head, "Never!"
"Well then, fancy going and jumping on mum and dad?" Danica grinned.
Harry grinned back "You're on!"
Lily and Severus had just woken up when the door creaked open and the two children had launched themselves onto the bed.
Thankfully Harry had aimed for an empty patch so that no one got hurt, he was a little big to be jumping directly onto people any more. Severus pulled Harry into a hug, helping his snuggle under the duvet between his parents, Danica sprawled on his lap.
"Will you stop wriggling!" Severus laughed, tickling his daughter, "Harry is sitting all nicely."
Harry allowed himself to smile, snuggled safely next to Lily and Severus, even if the bed was very full with all four of them.
Kreacher had already been cooking by the time they reached the dinning room and a large pan of porridge was sitting waiting for them next to a large pot of fresh coffee.
"Thanks Kreacher." Harry grinned, filling his bowl and offering the sugar to the house elf.
Presents were exchanged, Harry adding to his large collection of books and games before best clothes were put on.
A small pile of presents were kept under the tree, all baring Sirius's name. They had all gotten him something, never letting go to the idea that maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't have missed a happy Christmas with them.
Tonks and Remus arrived just after breakfast, also adding presents to the pile for Sirius. Harry was afraid that it would upset Nikka but if anything it seemed to have cheered her up and she sat sipping her port, smiling at them all.
"Come on Kreacher, everyone is here now." Lily smiled, "What is this big present?"
Kreacher looked sad for a moment, his ears drooping slightly, "I was hopings that…"
"I know." Nikka nodded, giving him a sad smile, "We all were. But, Sirius wouldn't want us to be sad, he would be most cross if he thought we were all miserable and it could be blamed on him."
Kreacher chuckled, "This is truth." he waved them to follow him to the disused library.
It wasn't really disused in the fact it was still filled with books, all four walls apart from the door, covered from floor to celling. But it was the less read books, some that hadn't been touched since Lily and Harry had moved in. It was old and smelt always musty, with poor lighting and no where to sit.
Kreacher made sure everyone was in before clicking his fingers at the light, making it several times brighter so that they could all see properly.
He looked nervous, pulling at his fingers and looking from face to face. Harry had no idea why, nothing seemed to have changed in the room, not that Harry had been in there more than once or twice.
"I needs to move the books but don'ts paincs, they is just in my room…. OK?" Kreacher asked.
Lily nodded, "Ok."
Kreacher closed his eyes and took a deep breath before clicking his fingers and the large book case along the wall vanished, leaving the old Black family Tapestry.
Harry had only seen it once before, when he was very little. It had always upset Sirius, his face burned off the bottom by his own mother when he'd left the family.
They couldn't take it off the wall, it had to sit on a wall in the house and the magic was too strong even for Kreacher to break, so they had moved it into the smallest room it would fit in and covered it with a book case and then thought very little of it since.
"Oh Kreacher…" Lily smiled, wiping her eyes.
It was beautiful. Every broken thread repaired, every faded patch lovingly restored to bright and rich colours.
The biggest difference however was there were no more burnt patches, they had been rewoven to show Sirius and Andromada and every other unwanted family members' face once again. He had also painstakingly added Lily and Severus's family line, he'd even taken the time to include James.
Harry ran his fingers over his own slightly moving face, the tapestry ages with people, only once they had passed showing them how they would like to be remembered.
This was hundreds, if not thousands of hours of work and Harry strongly suspected that he had been working on it since last Christmas.
"You included me…" Nikka smiled, trying to wipe away the tears in her eyes before Kreacher saw.
"You is family Missy Nikka." Kreacher said simply, "Why wouldn't yous be there?"
"He never… he never said yes…" Nikka whispered.
Kreacher shrugged, "But he will."
Lily wrapped her arm around Nikka's shoulders, "It's best not to argue with him, you won't win. Besides, you look good there."
Nikka smiled, "Thank you."
"It's truly amazing." Tonks nodded.
If you had asked her if she cared, never having been added to the tapestry she would have laughed at you. But seeing her face there, it really did mean a lot.
"I can't believe how much things have changed." Tonks said quietly, "Mum is still half sure that she, that I'm, a total outcast because she married a muggleborn, but there we are."
"It doesn't always take a lot for people to change." Lily said with a smile, "Just the right push."
"Yous all likes it then?" Kreacher checked hopefully.
"We love it!" Danica grinned, "I look so grown up!" she said bending down so that they could all see her face next to the tapestry.
"We should move it back to the dinning room." Severus suggested.
Lily nodded, "Yes. Definitely. If you can?"
Kreacher nodded and clicked his fingers, the tapestry vanished from the little room and with another click of his fingers the large book shelf was back in place.
Harry couldn't stop looking at it as they sat down for dinner, it sat so perfectly over the sideboard, the colours bouncing off the fabric.
"We're due at the hospital in two hours." Lily informed them, "Should give us plenty of time for dinner and we can have pudding when we get back."
"I wills stay here." Kreacher told them, "If thats is OK?"
"Don't you want to come and see Sirius?" Danica asked, wide eyed.
Kreacher looked down at the table, "Mistress went intos that places and never comes out… master Sirius has to come out…"
"We completely understand Kreacher, of course you may stay here." Lily smiled, "And we wont say another word about it, will we?" she said, looking pointedly at Danica.
Danica put her hands up in surrender and pulled a silly face.
"We have something to tell you all." Tonks said slowly, looking at Nikka.
Nikka smiled and nodded to her friend. Harry looked, confused, between the two of them.
Remus stood up and raised his glass, looking rather nervous, "As many of you know… Tonks and I have become very close over the last few years…"
"You do seem very good friends." Danica nodded.
Remus grinned at her, "Exactly, and after a slight freak out on my part and a few stern words from Lily, and surprisingly few threats of physical violence considering what a twat I was being…"
"What's a 'twat'?" Danica asked in a loud whisper.
"It's a very naughty word that uncle Remus should not be using in front of little ears and you are not to repeat." Lily told her, trying not to laugh, "It means a ladies' private parts."
Danica giggled into her napkin.
Remus was trying not to laugh, "Anyway… what I wanted to tell you all is, Tonks and I are engaged."
It took Harry a few moments for the information to make its from he'd ears to his brain, "This is amazing!"
"Well I think so." Remus grinned, "I had a worry or two, mostly about my… well, my condition, but Tonks doesn't mind and, well, I am a very lucky man."
He sat back down and kissed Tonks deeply, to which Danica rolled her eyes and flopped her head down on the table.
"I expect to be a bridesmaid." Nikka grinned, taking a sip of her drink.
"Oh of course!" Tonks laughed, "I'm seeing lots of ruffles and bows, on the back and on the arms! Maybe even around the bottom… and of course it has to be baby pink!"
"Do you want to make it to your wedding alive?" Nikka asked sweetly, fluttering her eye lashes.
"Can I be a bridesmaid as well?" Danica asked.
"Of course!" Tonks beamed, with a little laugh reaching over and kissing her cheek, "But for now can we eat? I've been looking forward to Kreacher's cooking!"
Lily grinned and lit the candles, standing over them as the light flickered and danced around the room.
"As we wait, surrounded by family in this world and the next, by friends who will always stand by us and those who are yet to come, we give thanks to the warmth from the rising sun. The darkness will pass, as all things must. Giving rise to new life and new birth. As the days from now grow longer we set out minds to the coming year, and all that it may bring."
Harry closed his eyes, feeling the light gently pushing it's way through. He needed to hold onto this thought, the knowledge that however dark the night, the light will always rise again.