AN: Christmas is just around the corner, and as luck would have it, I've got the Christmassy chapters ready for you right now. What perfect timing!
My thanks go to KSummer, GryffindorHealer, and dumnonian for their highly appreciated help.
A glance through his bedroom window dampened Harry's mood as he got up the next morning. It was no longer raining or snowing, but the night's downpour had left the Quidditch pitch too wet to walk on. Pondering what they could do when Ron came to visit him in the afternoon, an idea suddenly struck him. Instead of hanging around the house all afternoon, they could head to Godric's Hollow and wander around a bit.
Excited about his idea, he went downstairs to the kitchen to see what his mother thought. He'd been in town before, sometimes alone, sometimes with his sister, but his mum insisted that he'd always let her know when he left the property.
"I want to get Ginny something for Christmas," Emily said as Harry walked through the door and found her sitting at the kitchen table, baking biscuits with their mother.
Harry raised his eyebrows. Christmas presents? He froze. He didn't have a present for Ron. What if Ron would give him something and he didn't have anything for his friend in return? Bugger! He would have to talk to Ron about it. A glance at his watch told him it would still be a while before his friend would arrive. Time to think about what he could give him.
"That's a good idea, Emm. What were you thinking of?" their mother asked, snapping Harry out of his thoughts.
"Nothing big," Emily replied, cutting out the next row of biscuits. "Ginny likes marzipan, but I want to give her a leather bracelet I made myself. I need strips of leather to make it, though. Could you bring some for me when you go shopping? I can go to Godric's Hollow myself if you don't have time."
"We can go together if you don't mind," Harry offered. "How about Monday afternoon? We don't have classes the week before Christmas, do we, Mum?"
"Monday's fine with me," Emily replied. "We can't go today anyway. I want to go over to Ginny's later."
"Isn't she with her brother?" Harry asked, astonished.
"Nope," Emily said, giggling. "Bill has another visitor, his girlfriend. Oops." Putting her hand over her mouth, she looked guilty at Harry. "But don't tell Ron about her. No one knows about his girlfriend yet, that is, no one but Ginny and me."
"How come you know about her?" asked Harry.
Emily giggled again. "Ginny found out." With a serious look, she said, "But keep it to yourself. I don't want to interfere in family matters."
"For all I care," Harry replied. "I don't actually know Ron's brother. I saw him for the first time when we went to Diagon Alley yesterday."
Scratching his head, Harry glanced hesitantly at his mother. "Mum? I want to go into town with Ron when he comes over later. I hope you don't mind. It's too muddy to go outside, and I don't feel like sitting in the house all day."
Biting her lower lip, his mum gave him an indecisive look. "Fine with me. But behave yourself and keep your wands hidden."
Harry looked at her with wide eyes. "Why?"
"I don't think anyone oversees the Statute of Secrecy anymore, but I don't want you to attract attention."
"But there are also other wizards and witches living in Godric's Hollow," Harry replied, irritated.
"Another reason to be careful," his mum replied. "Most people in Godric's Hollow think we're Muggles, and I want it to stay that way."
"But someone must have noticed that you visit Dumbledore regularly. They certainly won't think you're a Muggle," Harry replied sceptically.
"Very few wizards know that Dumbledore is still alive, and even less know he lives here in Godric's Hollow. His house has a protective charm. Only those who really want to visit Dumbledore can pass. Everyone else turns around and leaves as soon as they reach the entrance."
"Weird," Harry murmured. "Are you going to teach us such stuff someday?"
His mum gave him a pensive look and then smiled. "Maybe. When we open the new school. But let's see who else we can hire as teacher who knows more about such things than I do."
"But Dad knew about it, didn't he, Mum?"
His mother starred at him and said in a low voice, "Yes. He did. As did Sirius and Remus."
**HG**
A few hours later, when Harry and Ron stepped out into the cold and followed the street down into the centre of Godric's Hollow, the sky had cleared a bit, and the winter sun was shining, which wasn't warming but good for the mood.
"Dora said there's a small Christmas market in town with a few stands where you get mulled wine. What do you think? Do you want to taste some?" asked Harry.
"Sure, of course," replied Ron, grinning. "At the market in Ottery, we have one, too. The other day, when it was so cold, Mum even bought us a glass. At first, it tasted a bit odd, but it warmed me up nicely."
"Unfortunately, I don't often go to town," Harry admitted. "Until two or three years ago, we weren't even allowed to leave our property alone. When we were finally allowed to go out, Emily was still younger and would rather stay at home than come with me. But it's also no fun to walk around the town alone. That's why we mostly ended up on the Quidditch pitch. At least Dora went with me every now and then in the beginning. Emily is coming too now, and on Sundays we occasionally go out for an ice cream sundae with Mum, but only in the summer."
"We're in Ottery every Wednesday because that's market day, no matter if it's summer or winter. After all, we have to make money. Every once in a while, I help an elderly lady to carry her groceries home and make some extra money." Ron grinned. "Let's just have a nice day today."
They turned into a narrow alley that led to the shopping street. Harry paused to admire the Christmas decorations in the windows and the coloured strings of lights stretched across the street. In the middle of the town square, a decorated Christmas tree with what appeared to be hundreds of candles stood right next to the obelisk covered with the names of the fallen, the town's landmark.
"Looks great," Harry said, letting his gaze wander indecisively over the crowded street, not sure where to go first. More than a dozen stalls were lined up in two long rows. Some of them sold Christmas decorations and gifts like hand-knitted socks and scarves. Others, surrounded by a larger crowd, offered hot drinks and a variety of snacks. Warmly wrapped up, most of the visitors were holding a steaming mug in their hands. Their conversations were drowned out by the music coming from a carousel nearby where children happily rode the painted ponies around.
"D'you want to look around a bit first or try the mulled wine?" Harry asked.
"Mulled wine sounds good," Ron replied. "Let's warm up before we take a walk around. Wait, I'll go and get us the first round."
Holding their mugs with both hands, they stood in front of a shop window and cautiously blew into the hot steam that rose from their drinks, nearly clouding their senses. Harry took a sip and coughed. "Merlin. Is that hot and... Oh, and it's pretty strong."
"Is it your first?" asked Ron, grinning.
"Yeah," Harry admitted. "I've nicked some of my mum's rum and poured it in my tea. That was good too, but this stuff is - wow."
"It's too sweet for my taste, but it helps in the cold," Ron replied.
Harry nodded and took another sip, skimming over the window displays. "I still need to buy Christmas presents. Did you buy anything yet?"
"Yeah. I already have something for my mum. But when I go to Ottery on Wednesday, I still have to buy the rest." Ron shrugged. "We're not giving each other anything overly big. So it's not a big deal. Some chocolate or something original if you find something."
Harry nodded. "It's the same with us. A little something for my sister and Dora. For Mum, I usually buy something together with Emily. More expensive chocolates or something, you know."
"Our mother always gives us sweaters she knits herself." Ron snorted. "They're really great in winter but don't fit any more next year. That's why we're always getting new ones at Christmas."
"This year, I have new friends I need a gift for," Harry said warily.
"Hey, mate," Ron grinned. "Don't worry. I already have a present for you. So you better have something for me, too."
"I haven't got anything yet," Harry admitted, suddenly noticing his ears and cheeks get warmer, probably from the hot drink. "We're doing our Christmas shopping together on Monday, Emm and I." He drank the last sip. "Should I get us another round right now, or..."
"Let's have a look around first," Ron replied. "We can have another drink or two later."
They window shopped for a while, browsing the stalls selling handmade Christmas decorations for potential gift ideas, and ended up buying a bag of toasted almonds, which they shared. Mugs of mulled wine in hand, they eventually ended up in front of a shop that sold tobacco and magazines, looking at the covers of music and sports magazines when Harry's eye fell on a magazine with a beautiful, scantily clad redhead on the front page. Immediately, he remembered the moment in Ginny's room a few weeks ago. His ears and cheeks grew warm. This time certainly not only from the hot mulled wine. Good thing he'd never told Ron about bursting into his younger sister's room unintentionally. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched his friend, obviously staring at a similar magazine with a pretty brunette on the cover.
"Did you ever have a girlfriend?" Harry asked, eyeing his friend with interest. "Or do you have one?"
"Nope," Ron shook his head. With a chuckle, he added, "I kissed a girl once, or rather she kissed me." He snorted. "I'd seen her at the market a couple of times, and once when I was alone in Ottery, she suddenly stood in front of me. We talked for a while, and when she left, she kissed me." He sighed. "She never spoke again to me. Sometimes she waves at me from afar when she sees me at the market, but that's it. Who knows, maybe it was just a dare. How about you?"
"Nope." Harry shrugged and snorted. "Where am I supposed to meet someone?" He scowled. "Now that Emily occasionally goes to London with your sister, she might have a boyfriend before I ever get the chance to meet a girl." He hesitated and threw Ron a quick glance. "Does your sister have a boyfriend?"
Ron raised an eyebrow and grinned at him, a little too amused for Harry's liking. "Are you interested?"
"What?" Harry gave his friend an irritated look. "No. How do you get the idea?"
Ron chuckled. "Because you asked about her. But to answer your question, as far as I know, she's available."
Harry waved him off. "I'm sorry I asked. It doesn't matter. She doesn't like me anyway. Come on, let's have another mulled wine."
**HG**
"Thanks for coming with me," Emily called to her brother before hurrying up the stairs to take the bag of presents to her room.
"Don't mention it. Your advice helped me a lot," she heard her brother's reply and smiled to herself, remembering how they'd looked for gifts together but then shopped separately, carefully hiding everything they bought from each other. Satisfied that she was finally done with her Christmas shopping, she put her bag in the farthest corner of her wardrobe and went back downstairs.
She took a pinch of glittering powder from the jar on the fireplace, turned briefly towards the kitchen and called, "Mum, I'm heading over to Ginny's. Just for half an hour or so."
"But remember, dinner is at six o'clock."
"I know, Mum," Emily replied, tossing the powder into the flames. When the fire flared emerald green, she stepped into the fire and cried, "The Burrow!"
A few seconds later, she was thrown out of the flames, stumbled a bit and looked around. There was nobody in the living room. "Ginny, are you there?"
"Hello, Emily. Nice to see you. Ginny is in the greenhouses watering plants." Mrs Weasley glanced through the kitchen door, smiling. "You're welcome to wait for her. Would you like some tea and some biscuits?"
"No thanks, Mrs Weasley," Emily replied quickly. "I don't have much time, have to be back at six for dinner." She sighed and briefly considered to go back home when she had an idea. "I can help her with the watering."
"As you wish," Mrs Weasley replied. "If you have your wand with you, Ginny can show you the spells. They're not that difficult."
"Thank you, Mrs Weasley," Emily called happily, hurrying through the kitchen to the back door. Stepping out into the night, she spotted the lights of the greenhouses in the distance. Determined not to be intimidated by the darkness, she drew her wand and muttered, "Lumos!" A smile spread across her face as her new wand responded, casting a clear, bright light that illuminated the path ahead. She recognized the footpath on the other side of the garden and walked toward it. It had been light the last time she'd been here, but she felt a little spooky in the dark now. With quick steps, she hurried towards the greenhouse where the light shone through the ajar door.
She pushed the door open and beamed at her friend, who was directing a hose pipe through the rows of plants, wand out. "Hiya, Ginny. How are you?"
"Fine. Nice to see you. What brings you here at this hour?" her friend replied with a broad grin.
"Do I need a reason?" Emily asked, taking off her hat because it was quite warm. "I had a great day and just wanted to see you."
"Ah, I remember. You went shopping, did you? Hold on a minute." Ginny turned to the hose and murmured, "Prohibere!" The water stopped, and Ginny directed the hose to the other end of the greenhouse.
"If you show me how to do it, I can help you," Emily offered.
Ginny laughed. "Maybe another time. It's not hard work, and I'm almost done. Just the last row." The hose lowered to the first tomato plant in the line, and Ginny murmured, "Fluat aqua!" Water shot out of the hose pipe, which slowly started moving from one plant to the next.
Ginny turned back to Emily, smiling. "Nice to know someone misses me."
"What can I say? Your company is definitely better than sitting around alone all night reading some shallow romance novels I nicked from my mum."
"I could lend you something more exciting," Ginny offered with a suggestive grin.
"No, thank you." Emily waved her off.
"It's probably too spicy for you anyway," Ginny teased.
Far from being affronted, Emily gave her friend an appraising glance. "If you really have stuff that hot, where did you get it from?"
"Bought it for cheap at a second-hand bookstore while visiting Bill," Ginny said and turned back to her work. "Prohibere!" The water stopped, and with a flick of her wand, Ginny made the hose coil up.
"Now what? Are you interested?" Ginny asked again, waggling her eyebrows.
"Is it really as hot as you're saying?" Emily asked, eyeing her friend closely, slowly getting curious.
Shrugging, Ginny admitted evasively, "They do some remarkable things in these novels. When I read the first scene, my mouth dropped open in amazement." She giggled. "And the cover pictures with the lovers are pretty hot too."
"Okaaay," Emily said, really interested now. "Then I'd like to try one."
"I knew it," Ginny replied enthusiastically, as if she'd just won a round of Exploding Snap. "But don't let my mum see it, or she'll give me the Talk again. Come on, let's go to my room. We can chat a little there. How long can you stay?"
"Half an hour," Emily replied, waiting for Ginny to close the door. "You forgot to turn off the light."
"The lights go out on their own around 8 o'clock," Ginny explained. "In winter, there isn't enough daylight for the plants. It's getting dark too early."
"Good to know," Emily said, following her friend down the path that led back to the house when she suddenly remembered something she wanted to ask. "Erm, Ginny?"
"Yeah. That's me", replied her friend, throwing her a brief grin.
"Did your brother already teach you how to Apparate?"
Halting briefly, Ginny flashed her a surprised look, apparently caught off guard. "How do you know?" she asked cautiously and continued walking.
"I didn't know, but I had that feeling during Apparition lesson," Emily admitted.
Giving her a contemplative look, Ginny took a deep breath. "Yeah. Bill taught me how to Apparate over the summer. He said that there might be a time when it would be important to get away quickly. But don't tell anyone, especially not my mum."
"Of course not! I would never..." Emily put out indignantly. "But it will come out soon, won't it? Or do you want to pretend in class? I can't imagine you holding back." She chuckled. "Especially you."
Ginny shrugged, obviously not really upset that one of her secrets had gotten out. "I don't know yet. Let's cross the bridge when we get there."
As they stepped into the kitchen through the back door, Mrs Weasley was bustling around, preparing dinner. "Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes," she announced. "Emily, dear, would you like to stay? There's enough food for all."
"I'm sorry, Mrs Weasley. I'm afraid I can't. Mum is expecting me home for dinner."
"We're up in my room, Mum," Ginny said. Giving Emily a meaningful look, she nodded her head toward the stairs and walked ahead.
"Sorry about the mess," Ginny said as they stepped through the door.
Emily pushed the covers aside and sat on the bed. "It usually looks the same in my room," Emily admitted, waving her hand. "I only tidy up on Fridays and when I'm expecting guests, and that can only be you." Spotting a wrapped box on the desk, she asked, surprised, "Oh. You've already wrapped Christmas presents?"
"It's just Bill's gift," Ginny replied, grimacing. "I wanted to go shopping with him, but he didn't have time yet. I hope he gets in touch soon. If I can't go to London tomorrow or the day after, I have to settle for shopping in Ottery. But they don't have that many shops there, so I'm not sure I'll get what I want."
"I went to Godric's Hollow with Harry today," Emily said. "There aren't that many shops either, but we managed."
Ginny raised an eyebrow. "You go Christmas shopping with your brother?"
"Don't you ever go shopping with Ron on market days?" Emily asked.
"Yeah, sometimes. But never for Christmas gifts."
Glancing at her friend, Emily bit her lower lip, debating whether to intervene or not. "Are you planning to get Harry a present, too?" she finally asked.
Ginny looked at her in surprise. "Should I?"
Emily sighed and began hesitantly. "I'm not sure. I know he has a gift for Ron. But he acted so secretive that I've got the feeling he had a gift for you, too."
"Why should he do that?" Ginny asked incredulously. "Does he even know I exist?"
Emily snorted, shaking her head, slightly annoyed. "You two and your ignoring games. I don't want to get involved. I just thought I'd warn you. I'm pretty sure Harry got something for you. Do whatever you want with that info. I just didn't want you to be caught off guard."
Ginny took a deep breath and sighed. "What do you think I should do?"
"Just have something small for him, just in case. You don't have to give it to him unless he has something for you," Emily suggested. "It doesn't have to be anything big. I think I know what he got you, but I don't want to tell you either. That wouldn't be right."
Ginny rubbed the bridge of her nose and dropped on the bed beside Emily. "Thanks for the heads-up."
"So, were you going to show me those scandalous romance novels, or was that just a tease?" Emily grinned, trying to cheer her friend up."