Harry Potter meets a Dickens Christmas
~~ooOOoo~~
A/N: Thanks to my wonderful Beta, LtsHrIt4ThBoyz.
Thanks to Alix33 for her input as well.
A/N: Some Caveats and requests. This is not a story for Ginny and Ron fans. So sorry. If you are going to write 'this doesn't make sense' why are you still reading? The exit is clearly marked.
This is a Christmas story set in a fantasy world of magic and mayhem. No one is forcing you to read and flame reviews will be used to light the New Year's fireworks.
That said, to my friends MelJ, Csheila, Alix33, and many, many others, Merry Christmas. May God Bless us one and all.
~~ooOOoo~~
Harry was rushing, hands full of wrapped Christmas presents for his best friends, to get back home when he saw him. It couldn't be! Colin!
No, that particular boy was dead. Shutting his eyes to the pain of the past, he looked again. It wasn't Colin, but a young homeless wizard, dressed in rags, had a little cup, begging for money and was holding a shivering child in his arms. He certainly carried a strong resemblance to the lost youth.
What happened to this young man's life where he lost his wand? Harry didn't know that he had a touch of mage-sight now that Voldymonkey no longer lived rent-free in his brow and hadn't for the last eighteen months since the war. Only a few more months, only until May first, and he would be free himself.
Free to marry the witch he loved, free to live his life as he wished. But one thing for certain was this; he might yet be a slave but he was going to help these two people.
Right now.
~~ooOOoo~~
Some would call her cute, but the redheaded witch was one on a mission. She'd gotten caught just the one time with infatuation potions and Harry had tried to break the Ministry-forced betrothal contract right then.
It spelled out, in strong language, there was to be no forced relations on either side. But once consummated, the betrothal was then legal marriage: was considered 'bonded' and there was no way out. The couple were given two years to accomplish this or the contract was annulled.
If Lucius Malfoy hadn't been on the judgment panel, the witch might have already lost her chance with Harry. She only had a few more months to secure her position as lady of the house and she had been working very hard, earning both gold and societal approval for her good works.
She was using some of those funds to decorate their home. Harry had worked hard to bring Grimmauld Place from dark and dreary to the bright home of the new Leader of the Light.
The white, sparkling ornaments, the tiny fairy lights around the windows and mirrors seemed to reflect that light.
Ginny herself cast the only shadow in the room.
Hearing the door, she ran to greet her would-be husband. Until he held her, took her to his rooms of his own free will, would she then truly be Mrs Potter.
She wasn't expecting company; and certainly not of street people! They were dirty and smelled and the mess they tramped in from the walk! Horrible.
Trying to paste a smile that didn't want to stay in place, Ginny greeted Harry as warmly as she could, "I wanted to surprise you with the front room. Please say you are escorting these people somewhere?"
A long time ago, he might have been cowed by the look of disapproval; the frown of disdain towards their guests. But he had had a rough go of life and wasn't having it. "Winky? Can you please come here?"
Ginny huffed in disgust. She never said please when calling the house-elves. Of course, they barely listened for her.
Harry deliberately turned his back to the mini-shrew and spoke to the visitors, "We have several empty rooms here. Please, be welcome. Winky? This little witch is cold and likely hungry. I'm sure we have a few things that she could have. Same with this young man."
Harry and Hermione had started a Muggleborn Help project called Hope after the war. He was surprised that Ron jumped in, insisting that he would take over Hermione's part and that she needed to be a stay-at-home witch. The smartest witch of their age and she was tied to that…lump? Harry had quickly agreed. Hermione was recruited for a better, harder project but she had still helped there at the beginning.
Ginny too had agreed to help and wanted to name the mission in honor of Colin Creevy. Had they been friends? If only he hadn't died, maybe she wouldn't have requested Harry for her spouse.
The reports about Mission Hope were good and gold was being made. He'd get these two fed and warm and then take them over and get them registered there.
Everyone deserved a second chance who had been victimized by the people who had been given too many.
Overhearing his plans, Ginny tried to sweeten, "Harry, it's not necessary to take them yourself. I'll do it. Let me finish up here."
Harry could see through her. There was a 'surprise' brewing for him there. Everyday was a different excuse for him not to check on things. How had he not noticed that he hadn't been to the Potter place in almost a year? Very strange. It was past time.
If he spoiled a surprise planned by his would-be wife, too bad. He had people to help and talk to. Right now.
But first, a stop in the attic for the wand case.
~~ooOOoo~~
The remnants of their meal was picked up by efficient elves. The host had wanted to give them a chance to eat and relax before talking about solutions.
Harry knocked at the open door to the suite Winky had chosen. "This looks cozy. Come, tell me about yourself and your…daughter? This young lady."
The young sandy haired man smiled shyly, "Ahm Reggie Creevy. This is my cousin, Maggie. We've been at the Malfoy workhouse until two weeks ago."
"Assigned there, after the war?" Harry asked gently.
Reggie nodded, "But the lusty braggart, Malignius or whatever couldn't leave Maggie alone! I know she looks older but she's only twelve. He said it's the age of consent for witches, which I looked up. How gross is that! He was right but she wasn't saying yes."
Harry turned haunted eyes towards the girl, "I can only guess he said something like 'consent or starve'. But why didn't you come to me? We've been building a whole community, partly in Colin's honor. You have to be related."
Maggie nodded, "He's my brother, but I don't…I don't think he'd like that you used his name like that. Is this some kind of sick prank? Get us here, warm and fed for the first time in forever and then sell us into worse slavery?"
Harry shook his head, "I don't understand. The Potter lands were practically the only Potter legacy I had left after the war. Everything else was gone. But I couldn't stand how muggleborns were still being treated. So I came up with little cottages, little businesses, all to help everyone!"
Reggie snorted, "Yeah. And dedicated it to Colin. We know. At least Malfoys are honest in their intentions. They waited for a full two days after Maggie's twelfth birthday to accost her."
"Wait, if you're twelve, why aren't you at Hogwarts?" Harry would get back to the snide comments about his project in a minute.
"Do you think I'd be at Malfoy's or even homeless if I could afford a wand for myself much less Maggie? Oh sure, there's scholarships and helps for supplies but wands are specifically excluded."
"I didn't know that. I'll bring it up at the next 'Mot meeting. In the meantime, please. Try one of these, but for all of the hostility, I'm going to swear on my magic that I'm just trying to help you. I'm not here to take advantage of either of you. Can you please not use a family wand to kill me, alright?"
Reggie narrowed his eyes, "Fine. I swear on my magic as well."
Harry opened the chest he brought in with him and allowed both witch and wizard to find very good matches. His sparks were blue and silver. The lithe Maggie's were pure Gryffindor red and gold. The young lord brushed tears feeling Colin's approval for this gift.
"Do you know how much these are worth to us?" Reggie breathed. "Are they really ours to keep? Or do we have to work them off?"
"No, they are yours to keep. Everyone at Potter House gets a matched wand first off…"
Maggie snorted, "I think someone has been feeding you big fibs."
Reggie could only nod. "Seriously, Mr Potter. We went to the Malfoys as the least evil of our options. Now, with a wand I can use? Oh, Maggie! We can live in the normal world, hiding from these evil people." Reggie declared.
Harry was hurt and confused. They seemed sincere; this wasn't a prank. Their condition was all too frequent a sight. How many times had he taken people directly to the intake? He had trusted friends working there!
"Mr and Miss Creevy? Something is very wrong. Here's an emergency portkey that will take you to Hogsmeade if you say 'Three Broomsticks'. I don't have much coin left after shopping, so here's what's left. That's at least a month's worth of lodging and food if you don't want to stay at Hope.
"Will you please come with me?" Harry's eyes were full of concern for them and his lands.
Reggie looked at the Man-who-Won. He seemed sincere enough and the younger Malfoy, Draconus was always harping on this man's 'goodness'. He looked down at his young cousin and nodded to Potter.
The green-eyed wizard tapped his chin, "I think we need to make a little trip. Follow me. I don't want to let Ginny know I'm leaving."
~~ooOOoo~~
In the meantime, the would-be lady of the house had heard elves preparing dinner in the kitchen. They had brought her tea first with her favorites before serving the visitors. Harry's portion was untouched but she refused to allow him to eat with people like that! Worse than servants.
At least he was still home.
She had floo'd Ron earlier but he was all smiles. So what if another couple of mudbloods were coming? Harry had brought new people in all the time but the door was specifically warded to not allow him further into the complex.
She kept a harpy-eye on the large floo and continued decorating while listening to the holiday music on the wireless.
~~ooOOoo~~
Harry floo'd not into reception, but to his own neglected office. There was a rune on his desk and he called for a helper.
Marietta Edgecomb was not expected. Did she work here now?
"Mr Potter! You didn't come through the main floo! We're not expecting you. You can't be here…"
She had started to draw her wand, not expecting the newcomers to have them. But Reggie never had a chance to disarm the witch.
Having Harry rush to her to punch her in the nose not only disrupted her spell, she couldn't enunciate it right and had never had been able to cast silently. Besides that, her wand went flying. Maggie caught it by jumping.
"Seeker reflexes. Colin was good too." Harry gave her a brief, tight smile.
Someone working here had been about to stun him? He went back to the floo and called for some of his very, very secret security. People he knew he could trust.
"Harry? Are you sure?" Hermione asked. She was an unspeakable, a very secret one.
"Ginny was acting very strangely tonight, not wanting me to come here." Harry shared.
Hermione nodded, taking out the Veritaserum. While their friends secured Marietta in the visitor's chair, Hermione's grin grew wicked, "There always were some lingering questions I wanted to ask about the DA. Now I can."
Harry was not at all happy with any of the answers here. How did his dream of helping people turn into a nightmare of a nineteenth century workhouse?
Well, nothing for it but ti take control.
"Ready?" Harry turned to his war-forged friends.
Neville, Luna, Hermione, George, Alicia, Katie, and Anglelina stood proudly for a moment, wands out, and saluted him.
He turned to Reggie and Maggie, "Stay here. If we're not back in fifteen minutes or a huge fight breaks out, call the aurors. I'll ward this door."
Reggie nodded and Maggie's eyes grew bright. This was more like it! She knew the boy that Colin bragged about couldn't be all bad. He just couldn't.
Harry had no idea the power he projected. This was the hero they all needed.
~~ooOOoo~~
The fight wasn't much of a fight at all. None of the workers had matched wands and even though they were told to help their 'masters', they really didn't want to. Most just sat down on the floor, flinging their wands away.
If one could call a pine towel with some kind of creature-hair a 'wand'. What in the world?
The Creevy's were invited to witness the interrogations after the conflict was over.
Ron turned out to be the ultimate ringleader. After a good shin-kicking from Maggie, the youngest Weasley wizard was questioned with truth serum.
Both he and Ginny had come up with this plan since Harry had lost all of his gold in the war and Hermione only had muggle money and not much of that. They had both planned to profit from the would-be couple and connived to keep them apart and skim a good deal of the profit generated by Hope in order to prove to their respective spouses they were the best for them.
Really? They thought that being wealthy was going to overcome Harry and Hermione's dream of being married to the person they loved?
At least Hermione wouldn't have to worry about potions, charms, or other plots anymore as Azkaban had no visitors allowed and that was where both siblings were headed.
The team called in aurors, questioned people working there, and started to put things right of what this place should have been from the beginning.
~~ooOOoo~~
Harry had to fight in court, of course, on slavery charges. But it was the new management put in just the year before by Ron, Ginny and Marietta that were the true enslavers.
Reggie and Maggie Creevy were allowed to stay at Grimmauld until Hope was finally cleansed of all dark runes, controls and potions.
Mr Creevy then gladly took his management oath and was put to work helping others make a decent wage and live in a decent home. Maggie was even able to start Hogwarts with her Black wand which had at one time belonged to Regulus Black (Kreacher had followed his master's orders to see it safely home.)
Because Kreacher would come and check on her in Gryffindor, there were rumors she was really a pureblood in disguise and wasn't treated as badly as some of the muggleborn.
Fighting the prejudice in their society was going to be a work in progress for a time.
~~ooOOoo~~
There was an emergency Wizengamot meeting where the marriage law was utterly revoked to the applause and cheers of those in the gallery. But that's not all Harry was fighting for.
WWN was there, recording Harry's speech. "We have only won a battle at Hogwarts. The true war, the blood war was not yet done; not yet won. Until every magical, regardless of parentage, could own their own business, be treated with respect in every public place, only then would the war be won."
Harry outed Tom Riddle as a 'mere' half-blood of muggle and squib parents, but he still was powerful. He used the blood prejudice to attain his ends.
"Mission Hope, dedicated to Colin Creevy, was nearly lost forever as part of the pureblood plan to take and take and take from muggleborns. I swear it stops now.
"We have the chance, today, to fill this once empty chamber. I say, enough. The Ministry is low on man-power and yet will not hire muggleborns except for the lowliest of jobs.
"Fill these seats with the best people! Don't look at their parentage, but at what they can do!"
There was a standing ovation. Lucius Malfoy, who had been fined much for his participation with the dark lord's adventures had never faced true justice paled at the next suggestion.
"Many of this latest dark lord's minions were slapped on the wrist as this body has many, many relatives and no one wanted to look into darker deeds. Dumbledore himself pleaded for second chances for those who went astray.
"I say those second or third or seventy-seventh chances need to show some true remorse, true repentance at more than just being caught, before being forgiven next time."
Aurors flooded the chamber. Lucius was arrested, under protest, and brought down to have a trial right then and there. It was shown he'd a record of abusing the workers in his place, only allowing them poorly matched wands for their work, which wasn't good for the people using them, and using coercion on young people of both sexes for his pleasure.
When he was convicted, the Wizengamot as a group, gulped. Hermione Granger, Order of Merlin Holder, was finally granted her seat that had been unfairly withheld. Arthur Weasley was allowed to take over Ron's seat.
The thirty or so empty seats who seemed to mock the old establishment. Perhaps it was time to allow some changes. That had been the reason for the marriage law in the first place.
Minister Shacklebolt called Harry and Hermione forward and whispered to them. All of their friends were there. Winky was summoned with Hermione's dress.
The two got married right then and there with both Neville and Luna as attendants and the entire Wizarding World listening in on sweet and solemn vows as they pledged their troth to one another; in this world and the next.
There were cheers, tears, and more than a few bets being paid for just when the happy couple was going to tie the knot.
For some reason, Luna seemed to be the recipient of more than a few of those bets. Her husband, Neville, just shook his head. It was her idea to marry a week after his seventeenth birthday and they both had avoided the entire mess that swept the country.
~~ooOOoo~~
Winky and Kreacher had done a wonderful job back at Grimmauld.
The room had been quickly redecorated as the true lady of the house wanted. Friends were coming in and out to enjoy the open-house celebration of Harry and Hermione's impromptu wedding and to share out Yule presents.
"How did we not see what was happening to our project, Hermione?" Harry asked between this group leaving and before the next arrived.
"I'll have to analyze the results some more, but one of those curses was a 'tomorrow curse'. As in, you'll go to the office there tomorrow. Nothing urgent is happening today.
"I only avoided it because Ron wanted me away from the mission. If I had fought him, I too would have been cursed. As it was, I wasn't allowed past intake after he took my position."
Harry nodded. "Do you think Draco will clean up his father's place?"
"I don't think he has a choice after what came out. I do think we need to look for promising apprentices in wandcrafting for poor Mr Ollivander." Hermione suggested.
The smile on Harry's face implied he knew something she didn't. Hermione demanded, "Give!"
"Garrick's son Gerrard was smuggled to America after his father's kidnap. He's been making wands for the underground, and now for just general use, ever since. He had a generous fund to start. How glad I am that Ginny didn't destroy those wands I bought, just diverted them to storage." Harry shook his head. He still couldn't believe her and Ron's actions.
"You mean, Garrick Ollivander's son is…"
"Alive and well. He wanted to wait a few years before returning. Hence why I was surprised about the poor wands. I had commissioned them myself but wanted to preserve his safety and secrecy so hadn't told anyone." Harry shared. The warning chime rang out and the next group was there.
Outside, it started to snow. Harry let the staff know this would be the last group of friends in for the night. Neville and Luna just wanted to share a few gifts and wish the newly married couple much happiness.
It was early but he had plans to get snuggled in close with his bride.
Christmas was rung in with bells, toasts with mulled wine, and Hope for a happier and brighter future for them all.
Harry didn't know how to outlaw prejudice, but that's what this world needed. And more love, more kindness, more charity. Those couldn't be legislated but the Potter's mission of Hope was a good start.
Merry Christmas to all; may Love, Peace and Hope be yours. Now and always.
~~ooOOoo~~
Copyright: The original books are all owned by JK Rowling and her associates. This piece is the intellectual property of the writer VashonBeader and her beta LtsHrIt4ThBoyz and is not to be used (or sold) elsewhere under any other name.