Christmas time in London among wizards.

HANNAH V

She woke up on a vision of sunlight filtering through the curtains of her bedroom. For a moment, she remained still, then she yawned and stretched herself. She turned to lie on her right side. She moaned, then slowly sat in her bed, and landed her feet on the cushioned floor of her bedroom.

The floor was warm under her feet. She closed her eyes, and released all her muscles to let herself fall back on her bed. She bounced a little when her back came into contact with the mattress, and couldn't retain a giggle. It was the day after Christmas, and she felt good. She felt very good.

Christmas had put aside all her worries. She didn't have to think about her classes at Hogwarts, and she didn't have to think about Peter Pettigrew either or what happened on the train. No, yesterday's evening had been all about celebrating Christmas in family. The whole family had gathered into one single place, and they all enjoyed the holiday together. Most people were probably still in bed, deep into sleep, recovering from yesterday's festivities. Hannah knew for a certainty that her parents were among these people. She saw them overindulge in mead and beer of all kinds during the evening and late in the night. Hannah wasn't allowed to drink, and she didn't drink in secret either. As a result, she was waking up before her parents this time.

In truth, the festivities of yesterday reinvigorated her. She felt filled with energy. The bad news, the disturbing events of the last few days, had disappeared for the space of a single evening. Hannah felt as if she was ready to bite into life this morning. It was a good thing since Ernie was coming to visit. Stirring her shoulders one last time, she sat up straight, put back her feet on the floor, and stood up. She then went to her wardrobe and pulled out some clothes for today. Since she would go out today, she put on some Muggle clothes, well adapted for winter, so they would be able to walk in the streets of London.

Hannah went to take her breakfast. She ate some cereals and filled a huge glass of chocolate milk. The good thing about the period around Christmas was that she could eat much better things for breakfast. She then went to check on her parents. It was eight o'clock in the morning, and they were still sleeping. Hannah expected they would be sleeping for quite a long time.

She went to the living room and carefully opened the radio, but placed headphones on her head to not wake up her parents. She first listened to Witching Hour on the Wizarding Wireless Network, but turned to Muggle stations after a half-hour. Just like on the wizard stations, they were playing Christmas songs. Hannah set herself comfortably in the armchair, listening to the likes of Let It Snow, Jingle bells Jingle bells Jingle all the way, Angels We Have Heard on High, and the unavoidable Happy Xmas from John Lennon.

It felt good to just sit down and relax, listening to music, doing nothing. Hannah closed her eyes as the melodies and voices filled her ears and trickled down into her mind, keeping her away from the worries that plagued her entourage since their journey home on the Hogwarts Express. She let the lyrics carry her away to a quiet, safe world.

She almost didn't see time pass. When she looked at her watch, it was 9:45. Ernie would arrive in fifteen minutes. She removed the headphones from her head, turned off the radio, and went to see her parents. They were still sleeping. Well, they knew she was going out today anyway. They would know where she was. Putting on a heavy coat to face the cold winter outside, she left their apartment and headed towards another one in the building.

Hannah was a little apprehensive of knocking on the door. The last time she did, she ended up being asked a question she felt quite uncomfortable answering, especially to the woman who asked her.

Luckily enough for Hannah, Harry was just getting outside when she approached the apartment where he lived with his mother.

"I'll be back for lunch," he promised to someone inside, then he closed the door.

He then saw Hannah heading in his direction, and smiled.

"Hi, Hannah."

"Hi, Harry."

His smile was wide, that of someone who was excited. She was glad to see him like that. She supposed he had a very good Christmas just like she did. It was a good thing, considering that Pettigrew attacked him only a few days ago.

"Your mother didn't change her mind? You're free to get out?" she asked him.

"Yes. But she doesn't want me to be alone at any moment."

He said those words on a clearly exaggerated tone. Hannah shrugged her shoulders. "Alright. I won't let you out of my sight," she said with a smile, to cheer him up. That brought a little laugh from Harry.

"Okay. Where's Ernie?" he asked.

"Maybe down in the hall. Let's go."

They proceeded to move down the corridor. Hannah and Ernie had agreed to meet during the holidays before they left Hogwarts. Ernie had once lived in this tower. That was why Hannah knew him before they got into Hogwarts. His family moved out to a house somewhere in the north of England not long before Harry and his mother moved in. She invited him to come with them on Christmas' Eve, when she went to visit him.

"By the way, don't be surprised if someone seems to be following us," Harry told her as they went down the stairs.

"Why?" she asked, worried for a moment that Peter Pettigrew might be after her because she was with Harry.

"Someone from the Ministry, maybe," he said, exasperated and discouraged again.

Hannah, to the opposite, felt relieved. She might be bothered by being followed by someone, but at least it would be someone to ensure their safety. Harry told her he despised all those safety measures around him, judging them quite useless. Hannah understood to a certain extent, since as safety measures, the Dementors proved more threat than help, like she discussed it with Harry yesterday. Still, considering Pettigrew attacked him on the train, she thought it wasn't a bad thing that people where there to watch over Harry, especially when she was around. Hannah didn't want to be a target of Pettigrew either. It was already traumatizing to know that this man was aboard the train while she was there. Maybe she walked past him at some moment.

She tried to put aside all these negative thoughts. It was the day after Christmas. They should enjoy it. She was about to ask Harry about how his Christmas went, but they arrived in the hall at this moment, and Ernie was already there, waiting for them.

"Hey, Hannah, Harry! Happy to see you two," he said.

"Hi, Ernie," Harry replied.

"So, Hannah, going to that candy story we liked?"

"We still like it," Hannah said. "It's fine for you, Harry?"

"Of course," he replied. They walked towards the door when Harry stopped them. "Wait. Susan is not coming with us?"

Hannah's mood turned sadder for a moment. "No, she can't. I tried to convince her parents yesterday, but they will not let her out of their apartments. Because… of what happened on the train." And she had hoped they could avoid the subject.

"Why don't they let her out? It's me that Pettigrew attacked, not her, and even my mother allows me out now."

"Her parents are too worried. They didn't want to hear anything."

Harry shook his head. Hannah wished Susan's had relented. They really tried, both she and Susan, to convince them to let her go out, if only for an hour, but they wouldn't let anything change their mind.

Hannah, Harry and Ernie went out. The outside was very cold, but for now no snow was falling. There was a lot of wind though, but luckily, the wind was hitting them in their back the way they walked.

Hannah thought about how Susan was yesterday. She had gone to see her friend in her apartment in the morning. Susan was very happy to see her, and they discussed for two hours, but Hannah had to go eventually. Susan seemed quite happy, considering the restrictions her parents imposed on her. When the two girls failed to talk her parents into letting her go outside, and Hannah apologized for not succeeding right before she left, Susan had shrugged her shoulders with a sorry smile on her face.

"We tried. But there's no way to make my parents change their mind."

Hannah tried to set these memories aside. She would go to see Susan later today. As they walked on the icy pavements, she turned to her friend in the same house.

"So, how was Christmas for you, Ernie?" Hannah asked him.

"Quite good. I got to see my uncles and my aunts. Two of my cousins didn't stop asking me questions about Hogwarts. They're coming to the school next year."

"Really?" Hannah asked, excited to know more.

"Yes. They bombarded me with questions. I tried to make them understand that it was a school, not a summer camp, but even when I told them about Snape, Peeves and the huge quantities of work we have, and how serious it is to succeed at our exams, they only got more excited, and spoke about it as if it was an amusement park."

"Sometimes, it can be," Hannah observed. "I mean, you remember when we first came to Hogwarts? The train with a red locomotive? The crossing of the lake? The Sorting Hat? The feast on our first evening? All the stairs and door that change their positions? The ghosts? Even Peeves, when we think about it? We have more than our share of amusements."

"If we can call what Peeves is doing an amusement," Ernie said, not sounding very convinced.

"When he does it to Malfoy, it is," Harry stated. On that, all of them agreed, even if Ernie showed more reserve in expressing his approval.

"What about you, Hannah? How was Christmas in your family?" Ernie asked.

"Oh, it was fantastic."

Hannah treated them with an extensive account of the festivities in her family, including how some people, including her own parents, did quite funny things under the influence of alcohol. She was still detailing the party when they arrived at the candy store. In fact, they called it a candy store, but it was more like a café that sold candies and all kinds of sweets. She and Ernie had gone there a lot of times during their childhood, and although it couldn't compete with Honeydukes, it was a perfect place to come around Christmas. A Santa Claus distributed candy canes at the entrance, and they all bought multiple pastries to share that they brought to a table in the corner of the shop.

"What about you, Harry? How was your Christmas?" Ernie asked him.

"Nice," Harry replied, but with a wide smile on the face. "It was quiet. Only me, my mother, my godfather, and… Well, Professor Lupin was there too."

Ernie nodded. "He's a friend of your mother, if I recall?"

"Yes, he is. But he left early this morning. He said he had work to do."

"It's true that he must be quite busy, with all the times he got ill. That must not help him."

"Do you know why he's been ill, Harry?" Hannah asked him.

"No. I have no idea," he replied.

"But… is it normal? I mean, I've never seen a teacher miss so many days. Even when I stayed for dinner at your home, he didn't look well. He was pale. You really don't know what he might have?"

"No," Harry said, shrugging. "To my knowledge, he's never been ill before. I just hope he gets better."

"He certainly will. We have Madam Pomfrey. She can cure any disease or injury," Ernie said with assurance.

"It's true," Hannah supported. "I mean, she could even heal Harry after he fell from dozens of meters."

Ernie glared at her at this moment. Hannah realized she might have said something wrong. She looked to Harry, but he didn't look upset. "Yes, I'm sure she can help him," Harry simply stated.

"By the way, Harry, did you get a new broomstick? I mean, to replace the one you…"

This time, she decided to say no more. But Harry didn't seem angry at her. He only shrugged and shook his head. "No. Not yet. My mother… She says she didn't have time to buy one yet. She's very busy right now." She got a fleeting impression that Harry smiled for a second, but she ignored it. He probably grimaced instead. It had to be a product of her imagination.

"Oh, yes. It's true. She's still training to become an Auror?"

"Yes."

"Not to mention what happened on the train. I mean, you must not have your mind set on buying a broom after that."

It was Hannah's turn to glare at Ernie for his words. She didn't want to bring back this subject on the table, not today, and especially not with Harry present. After all, when they thought about it, it was he who was attacked, and no one else. However, Ernie didn't seem to have noticed her expression as he resumed speaking.

"Harry, by the way, I want you to know that we will be behind you when you play against Ravenclaw. I must say, I'm glad that our house won, but it wasn't really a fair victory, I mean, with the Dementors and everything…"

"Yes, thank you, Ernie," Harry said. He seemed more bothered now.

"Well, all to say, I hope you're going to win against them. Our house will have to play against Davies and his team at the end of the year, anyway, so it will be good for us if you beat them." He brought his cup of hot chocolate to his lips, then lowered, a disappointed look on his face. "I'm going to get some more. Do you want another one?"

"Me, yes," Hannah said. Ernie stood up and went to the counter. While he was away, Hannah reported all her attention on Harry.

"Ernie is sincere. We really hope that you're going to win against Ravenclaw," she said, hoping to lift Harry's spirits up. "And that you'll crush Slytherin too. Malfoy is really a horrible person. What he did to Cho during the last game…"

She would rather not continue. She looked away with an expression of disgust on her face. Malfoy and his friends had intentionally hurt Cho during the game.

"You know Cho?" Harry asked her.

"A little," Hannah answered. "Well, we only talked a few times, but I have some friends in Ravenclaw, and they just happen to be her friends as well. She's a nice girl."

"Oh."

Harry took a sip of hot chocolate. "You don't know her, Harry?" she asked, curious.

"No," he said after putting down his cup. He coughed. He probably drank too much in a single gulp. "I… I never talked to her. I just saw her play during games."

Hannah frowned. "Strange. I would have thought that all Quidditch players knew each other. I mean, she's been Seeker for as long as you've been."

"I know, but we never played together. Well, against each other, I mean."

It was true, indeed. "If you want, I can introduce you to her."

"Oh… no, thanks," he replied, taking another sip of chocolate.

"She's very kind, you know. And she's not a Slytherin. I know you're playing against her team, but that doesn't mean you can't get along. Cedric is friends with Roger Davies, and he gets along with many other Ravenclaws and Gryffindors too."

"No, that's alright, Hannah. I'm going to meet her when we face each other on the pitch in March, anyway."

Hannah shrugged. "Okay. By the way, how are Ron and Hermione? Did you have news from them?"

"Yes. They both sent me a present for Christmas. We also write each other. Hermione is spending the holidays at the Burrow with Ron's family."

"Really?"

That surprised Hannah. In fact, when she had gone to see Harry at his apartment, she almost expected to find Hermione there as well. Ron too, but especially Hermione. Parvati could put Hannah with whoever she wanted on her famous pairing board, but she knew better than everybody that Harry and Hermione would one day be together. She even made a bet with Parvati about it, a few days before the holidays began. Hannah wagered ten Galleons that Harry and Hermione would be dating by the end of next year. Parvati had accepted the bet, at the condition that Hannah also bet that Harry would not only be dating Hermione by the end of their fourth year, but also that it had to happen before the last term of that fourth year would end, that Hermione would be Harry's first girlfriend, that Harry would be Hermione's first boyfriend, and that they had to be seen kissing in public. Hannah had no problem with these conditions, and she witnessed Parvati get more surprised at every turn when she accepted each condition one after the other.

"Yes," Harry confirmed. "My mother and I will go spend the New Year there as well."

"Oh."

Well, there was her confirmation. Harry wouldn't spend the Christmas holidays without seeing Hermione. She hid a smile in her cup while she took a small sip, right when Ernie came back to their table.

"I spent too much time away from the Muggle world," he said as he sat down. "I just heard people talking about a movie, and I had no idea at all what it was about. I must not have seen one for years. When was the last time you went to see one?" Ernie asked both of them.

"Last summer," they both replied, creating an echo with their two voices.

"The last I saw…" Ernie resumed. "Heavens, it's really been years. What did they call it? The movie… It's like a drawing…"

"A cartoon," Harry completed.

Ernie snapped his fingers. "That's it. A movie about a cat living in the streets, with a dog as a friend, and a lot of songs…"

Hannah remembered that movie. She had loved it. Oliver & Company. It had its advantages to have a Muggle-born mother. She was exposed to beauties of both the magical and Muggle world thanks to this.

"Does the…" again, Ernie seemed to be searching for his words. "I'm not sure. They called it the… the childler list, or something like that. They were talking about that movie in front of the counter."

Hannah opened her eyes big. "The Schindler's List?"

"Yes." Ernie snapped his fingers again. "You know the movie? You saw it?"

"No. In fact, I'm not sure my mother would allow me to watch it, considering…"

"Considering what?"

Hannah would rather not talk about it. She knew the name of that movie, but only because it was the same as a book her mother owned that Hannah read without her consent when she was eight. This was definitely not the kind of reading for a child this age, and her mother had been horrified when one day Hannah asked her questions about the Holocaust.

"I went to see Hocus Pocus this summer," Harry said all of a sudden, which immediately grabbed Ernie's attention, to Hannah's relief.

"What's this?"

"The kind of movie where Muggles try to imagine what magic is."

They spent the next fifteen minutes discussing this movie that was released in summer. Hannah happily joined the conversation, leaving dark topics behind for another day. Ernie was dumbfounded, and sometimes even laughed out loud as Harry and Hannah, who also saw the movie during summer, explained to him what happened in the story, especially when a witch used a vacuum cleaner to fly because there was no broom left.

They returned to the tower in time for lunch. Harry had to go back home, so they went separate ways when he arrived in front of the door of his apartment. Hannah and Ernie wished him a good day, then they made it for Hannah's apartment, where she found her parents who had just woken up.

Hannah had a very good idea at this moment. Agreeing with her, Ernie followed her after her parents accepted as well. A few minutes later, they knocked at the door of Susan's apartment. Her parents let them in, after they threw several spells which Hannah guessed were to verify who she and Ernie were. At least, she didn't have to tell Susan's father who his daughter should date. Though she would rather have answered this question about Susan than about Harry… but maybe not in Ernie's presence. He would have been the one feeling the most uncomfortable if he had to tell Susan's father who he thought his daughter should date. The thought of it made Hannah laugh as they were finally allowed inside the apartment.

"What's so funny?" Ernie asked, under the suspicious eyes of Susan's father.

"Nothing," she replied as she tried to suppress the smile on her face.

They found Susan in her bedroom, reading a small book while sitting on her bed. Hannah read the word Kamouraska on the cover page before Susan laid it down.

"Hi, Ernie. Hi, Hannah."

"Hi, Susan. How are you doing?" Ernie asked as he sat down in a chair while Hannah took place on Susan's bed next to her.

"I'm fine. Aside from the fact that my parents keep me locked as if I was an owl in its cage." She shrugged, as if this was no big deal.

"They will really still not let you out," Hannah asked, knowing the answer in advance.

"No. And they won't leave the apartment either. It's all the three of us, and only us. My aunt has come to spend Christmas with us, but she couldn't stay for long. Even on Christmas, she's working."

Hannah felt pity for her friend. However, she didn't want Ernie to go on a serious topic that would make them all sad, so she spoke before he could.

"What did you receive for Christmas?"

"This, to begin." She pointed the book she was reading when they arrived. "Hermione sent it to me. I don't know how she did, but she managed to find a copy."

They went on to discuss the various presents they each received for Christmas. At some point, Ernie left to use the washroom. It was then that Hannah jumped to whisper Susan the present she received from an uncle, and that she didn't tell anybody so far. Even her parents didn't know she had it.

"He gave me a bottle of Amortentia," she said excitingly to her friend.

Susan's face dropped. "What?"

"Yes. He gave it to me in secret during the party. He said…"

"Hannah, it's the most powerful love potion in the world."

"Yes, that's what he said," Hannah said, still excited. Susan didn't seem to have realized yet what Hannah received, for she kept looking at her with big eyes, her mouth wide open.

"Hannah, don't tell me you plan to use it?"

Hannah's smile died instantly. "Of course not!" How could Susan think something like this? Who did she think she was? "Come on. Use a love potion? I would never do that, Susan."

The only reason why she was excited was because someone actually gave her this potion. It was some kind of a thrill to know that you had in your possession the most powerful love potion available on the market. But Hannah would never use it… unless she wanted to play a nasty trick to someone. She wouldn't mind slipping a drop in Malfoy's cup to turn him madly in love with someone like, say, Hermione. It would be uproarious to see that spoiled boy who believed he was superior because of his pure blood, running after a Muggle-born he openly despised. The only things that would keep Hannah from doing so were that she would never do such a thing to Hermione, and she would risk getting caught for breaking the rules.

"So, you threw it away?" Susan asked, looking relieved.

"No. That's a gift. That uncle… he likes to make jokes. There's nothing serious about it. I'm just going to keep it, and never use it."

Susan had an uncertain expression on her face. However, Ernie came back at this moment, and they went on to discuss their plans for the New Year. They left a few hours later, Hannah bringing Ernie to dine with her parents. Again, Susan's parents refused to let her leave their apartment when Hannah offered them to bring their daughter to dine at her own apartment. There were really stubborn people in the world. Like Hannah, they should at least have allowed themselves to forget about their worries for a single day, if not for a few days.

A small interlude before we go back to Hogwarts, as dust settles over the events in the train.

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Next chapter: Ginny