AN: The chapter is arriving a few days early and will be the last one for this year. But don't worry—the next chapter will be up in the first week of January. In the meantime, I promise to share a sneak peek on my Tumblr page by next Monday, just in time for Christmas!

A big thank you goes to KSummer, GryffindorHealer, and dumnonian for their much appreciated help.

New Year's Eve came with sunshine and biting cold. To Harry's disappointment, most of the snow from Christmas had melted, and the freezing cold had turned the Quidditch pitch into a bumpy, icy landscape. At least it wasn't muddy.

That morning, they'd had one last duelling lesson with Tonks and Charlie to close the year. Like the last few days, they had mainly practiced stunning, disarming and protective spells. Harry, Ron, and Emily had quickly taken to the spells and manoeuvres, showing good reflexes and precision. Ginny, though, had dazzled them all ever since their first lesson with her skilful wand work, blocking and countering with an ease that made even Tonks raise an eyebrow. Harry noticed the proud but mischievous glint in her eye and remembered that she'd once mentioned she'd been getting lessons from Bill for ages.

By late afternoon, the Weasleys arrived at the Potters'. Charlie had called Ron and Harry over, and together, they'd hauled a large stack of firewood to a spot on the edge of the Quidditch pitch, which offered a great view of Godric's Hollow. They built the bonfire there, planning to watch the town's fireworks display from that perfect vantage point at midnight.

After a small supper of sandwiches, they followed Emily's suggestion to play Pin the Tail on the Donkey and had a great time until nearly two hours before midnight. Then, they made their way to the lookout, carrying picnic baskets filled with drinks and snacks. Harry's mother and Mrs Weasley conjured chairs and cast warming charms over the area, while the girls set out the drinks, glasses and mugs on a small table. Meanwhile, Harry and Ron helped Charlie light the bonfire, watching as the flames crackled to life and cast a warm, flickering glow over their gathering.

Enjoying the view of the brightly lit Godric's Hollow, where the first fireworks were set off, Harry accepted the butterbeer Ron offered him. Clinking bottles with his friend, they looked into each other's eyes, grinning.

"Cheers, Ron."

"Cheers, Harry."

Harry took a big swig from his bottle and glanced around. His mother, along with Mrs Weasley, Charlie, and Tonks, was sitting in the chairs, warming their hands on their mugs of mulled wine, while his sister stood nearby with Ginny, drinking what Harry assumed was hot tea. Once they had finished their butterbeer, they quickly switched to mulled wine at Ron's suggestion, as their mothers seemed a little distracted tonight, maybe even a tad tipsy, and weren't paying much attention.

Harry couldn't help it, but his gaze kept wandering over to the girls, who'd apparently also switched to mulled wine quite unobtrusively. Watching Ginny chatting so animatedly with his sister dampened his mood for a moment. He'd avoided Ron's sister since that stupid incident on Boxing Day, simply because he didn't know how to treat her. He'd tried his best, but as always, it had ended in disaster.

"Harry, are you even listening?" asked Ron, waving his hand in front of Harry's eyes.

Torn from his thoughts, Harry looked up. "Of course. What's up?"

"It's about to start," Ron said, grinning and pointing to Charlie, who was setting up the Muggle fireworks he and Tonks had gotten from somewhere.

A glance at his watch told Harry that it was indeed almost midnight.

"I'll get us some more mulled wine," said Ron and trotted over to the drinks table where champagne glasses were already being prepared for midnight.

"Hi, Harry."

Startled out of his musings, Harry turned around only to stare at Ginny, gobsmacked. "Hi," he answered cautiously, a crooked smile on his lips.

"I... erm," she started and sighed, giving Harry an uncertain look. "I want to apologize. About Christmas."

"Oh," Harry replied, surprised. "You don't have to apologize. It was my fault."

"Hogwash," Ginny responded, eyeing Harry irritated. "Ron bumped into you, and you didn't see me. I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"But I ruined your dress," Harry said, confused. "You had every right to yell at me. Your mother said you wore that dress especially for Christmas."

Ginny chuckled, shaking her head. "Not especially for Christmas, rather for..." She paused briefly. "It wasn't a good idea anyway."

"You looked really amazing in that dress," Harry blurted out, feeling a blush spread across his face, much to his discomfort.

"Thank you, Harry," she replied sheepishly, giving him a hard-to-read look.

A lump formed in Harry's throat, and he couldn't hide a smile as he felt his cheeks heat up even more. But not from the bonfire. Taking a step closer, he heard Ginny's breath hitch as he stood so close to her, looking into her chocolate-brown eyes. Reaching out, he tucked a strand of hair that had come loose in the wind behind her ear. "You always look great no matter what you're wearing," he heard himself saying.

Harry couldn't believe his own ears. Had the mulled wine made him brave? His heart pounded loudly in his chest as he met Ginny's wide-open eyes, which felt like magnets, drawing him in. He leaned forward a little and could almost feel her lips on his when Emily's distant voice sounded, "Ginny, Harry, come on. Mum has already poured the champagne. It's almost midnight."

Brought back to reality, Harry took a step back. Still a little befuddled, his gaze followed Ginny's, who was giving his sister a disgruntled look.

At this moment, Charlie set off the fireworks.

"I think she's right," Harry murmured. Giving Ginny an apologetic smile, he walked over to join the others. When he noticed that Ginny wasn't following him, he turned around briefly, throwing her a questioning look.

"I'm coming," Ginny called and hurried after him to toast the New Year with their families.

Harry accepted the champagne Ron handed him, saying, "It's a bit too sparkly for me, actually." He shrugged and grinned. "But once a year, it's okay."

Emily looked a little disgruntled that she and Ginny only got half a glass of champagne but refrained from complaining after Ginny nudged her, shaking her head conspiratorially.

Everyone raised their glasses, and Tonks's "Happy New Year, everyone!" was answered with a chorus of "Happy New Year!"

Harry took a sip and grinned at Ron. "Happy New Year, mate."

"You too," Ron replied. With a broad smile, he hugged Harry and patted him on the back with his free hand.

After wishing Tonks, Charlie and Mrs Weasley a Happy New Year, Harry made his way to his mother. "Happy New Year, Mum," he said, pulling her in a hug.

"Happy New Year, Harry," she replied warmly, giving him a broad smile and a kiss on the cheek.

Noticing his sister and Ginny approaching, Harry felt his cheeks flush, a little self-conscious about the affectionate gesture in front of the girls. He caught Ginny's eye as she gave him a slightly nervous smile. "Happy New Year, Ginny," he muttered, clinking his glass with hers.

"Happy New Year to you, too," Ginny replied softly.

Before Harry could say anything, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. He tensed for a moment, then relaxed, breathing in the soft scent of her hair. The warmth of her embrace was comforting, though all too soon, she pulled away, giving him a quick smile before turning to his mother.

"Happy New Year, brother," Emily called beside him.

"Happy New Year to you too, Emm," Harry replied, pulling her into a hug. She gave him a sly, knowing grin and whispered, "And a bit more luck in love this year."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, confused.

Emily just smirked, stepping over to join Ginny as they turned their attention to the fireworks sparkling over Godric's Hollow.

Ron stepped toward him and nodded toward the town, from where the sound of firecrackers wafted over and dozens, maybe even hundreds of rockets soared into the sky, bursting into spectacular showers of golden sparks. "Charlie's fireworks were brilliant, but the view of the town from up here is really something."

Harry chuckled as the eruptions of a particularly high and colourful barrage of rockets were followed by a chorus of "oohs" and "ahs."

"Just wait until you see my counterattack, dear brother of mine," Charlie called and rushed off to set off a second round of fireworks that he'd obviously kept in reserve.

Emily and Ginny took advantage of the distraction and grabbed the rest of the mulled wine, which they shared with Harry and Ron, each getting half a mug.

Harry was in high spirits when the spectacle slowly drew to a close after half an hour, and he was sure that it was not just the mulled wine that had contributed to his good mood.

Mrs Weasley called them together to carry the empty picnic baskets back to the house, while Charlie and Tonks volunteered to look after the fire.

"They just want to smooch," someone said, chuckling. Harry thought he'd recognized his sister's voice since the girls walked ahead of them back to the house, gossiping.

**HG**

January flew by. The new year had brought a few changes, the most exciting being that they now had classes with Ron and Ginny, with Harry's mother and Mrs Weasley taking turns teaching. Even the breaks between classes, which Harry had usually spent lounging around in his room, were now something to look forward to. Life had become more fun, especially with the duelling lessons they now had every Saturday.

It was a cold Monday afternoon in late January when Harry followed Ron, Ginny and Emily back into the house. They'd just had their final Apparition lesson with Tonks before their exams, and Harry was not only freezing, he was also starving. Fortunately, Pinkie was already setting the table for his mother's birthday celebrations. The thought of warm tea and birthday cake immediately lifted Harry's spirits. "Let's sit here until the tea is ready," he suggested, pointing to the seating area with a sofa and two cosy armchairs.

"How old is your mum?" Ginny asked Emily as she skimmed the table of birthday presents. "I wished her a happy birthday, but I forgot to ask."

"Thirty-six," Harry replied for his sister, who nodded in confirmation.

"Then she's ten years younger than our mum," Ron muttered, astonished.

"Bill is the oldest of us, and he's ten years older than me, so it fits," Ginny explained with a grin.

"If you look at it that way," Ron admitted, shrugging.

Harry noticed Pinkie looking thoughtfully at the table, as if checking that everything was in order. "Can I help you, Pinkie? Is something missing?" he called to the house elf.

Shaking her head, Pinkie gave him a smile. "Thank you, Master Harry, but Mistress Lily and I are quite capable, we are. And Pinkie is always pleased to help. Mistress Lily makes sure Pinkie doesn't have to work too much, yes she does."

"That's right, Pinkie. You're part of the family, not an employee," Lily confirmed as she walked in, a birthday cake floating in front of her. She turned to the young people and asked, "You've been taking lessons together for four weeks now. How do you like it? But be honest. There's no need to sugar coat it just because it's my birthday."

"It's more fun with four of us than just with Ron," replied Ginny.

"Hey," complained Ron, but Ginny brushed it off, "Admit it. It must be boring for you too, seeing only me and Mum all week."

Slightly amused, Harry watched the sibling quarrel between Ron and Ginny. Somehow, it seemed very familiar. He also argued a lot with his sister, usually about trivial things. But he had to agree with Ginny. Their lives had become much more exciting since they started having classes together. Two days a week at the Burrow, and two days at the Potters'. They hung out together almost all week now. Harry had even helped the Weasleys at the weekly farmers' market in Ottery which meant they always had Wednesdays off school - a day Harry had grown to enjoy.

He couldn't help but smile when his gaze fell on Ginny. Their relationship had changed noticeably since New Year's Eve. It was still a little awkward, but they often talked and laughed together now. Harry wasn't sure whether he was relieved or disappointed, but the almost kiss on New Year's Eve had never been brought up again, even though Harry couldn't stop thinking about it, especially when Ginny teased him about something.

"It will probably get even better when the new students arrive," said Emily. "When will that be?"

"After Easter, as far as I know," her mother replied. "Ask Dora. She's supposed to deliver the invitations to the parents. There's a meeting in February where interested students and their families will come to get to know each other."

"That sounds great. I can't wait," Harry said and glanced over at Ginny, who was giving him one of the unreadable looks that always confused him a little. When she noticed his gaze, she gave him a smile, which Harry returned.

The fireplace lit up and Mrs Weasley stepped out of the flames, a basket of strawberries and other delicacies on her arm. "Ah, Lily," she called and embraced Harry's mother. "Happy birthday, my dear." She handed over a bouquet of flowers and looked around. "I thought Charlie was already here. He practically lives with you already."

"He lives with Dora." Lily corrected her with a grin. "He came home from work half an hour ago and wanted to take a quick shower."

"And Dora rushed up to her apartment after our Apparition lesson, so it might be a while before they show up," Emily said, rolling her eyes.

"I heard that. Stop spreading rumours, Emm," Tonks' voice rang out as she entered the living room, closely followed by Charlie. With a smug smile, she added, "Unless you want me to tease you mercilessly if you ever get lucky enough to find a boyfriend."

Emile blushed a little, obviously feeling caught red-handed.

Ginny pricked up her ears. "So my brother finally asked you out?"

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have let him move in with me," Tonks replied, rolling her eyes. "Molly would think I'm a scarlet woman."

Mrs Weasley grinned. "Charlie is old enough to know what he's doing." With a more serious expression, she said, "But please no grandchildren until he's at least proposed."

Charlie just rolled his eyes as if to say, 'Women!' while Tonks exclaimed indignantly, "Molly! We've only been dating for a few weeks."

"I'm just saying," Mrs Weasley deadpanned and went into the kitchen to bring the basket of strawberries to Pinkie.

Several cakes floated into the living room, followed by Pinkie, who gently lowered them onto the table.

"Let's get started," Lily called. "Everyone sit down at the table. Pinkie, can you please get the strawberries and the clotted cream while I pour the tea?"

"Sure, mistress," the house elf called happily and stormed back into the kitchen.

Harry took a seat next to Ron, opposite Emily and Ginny. He looked around and gave Ginny a questioning look. "Bill isn't coming today?"

Ginny grinned knowingly. "Urgent business trip to France."

"Don't think I don't know," Mrs Weasley said. "I already told Bill I want to meet this mysterious young woman. This secrecy has been going on for months." She snorted. "I can't imagine she's so ugly that he's hiding her from us."

Ginny gave Emily a meaningful look and then glanced back at Harry, rolling her eyes.

"Enjoy the cake!" Harry's mother called.

Following Ron's example, Harry took a large piece of the chocolate cake and began to dig in to appease his growling stomach. After a few minutes of relative silence, interrupted only by the occasional clatter of cups and cake forks, Harry cleared his throat and glanced over at Tonks. "Dora, do you know when we'll meet the new students?"

"Dumbledore hopes classes can start after Easter," Tonks replied, taking a sip of her tea. "So far, I've sent invitations to five potential students, and Dumbledore has already spoken to a couple of parents. A few more are still to come, though."

"Let's hope there aren't any former Death Eaters among them," Mrs Weasley said, her brow furrowed with concern.

"We're doing background checks, of course," Tonks pointed out. "But there are also Muggle-borns among them, who probably haven't learned any magic yet."

Lily raised her eyebrow. "I hadn't thought of that, but we shouldn't... it was a boy, right? We shouldn't turn him away, either. He'll need extra lessons, though." She tilted her head pensively. "We'll have to think of something."

"Albus wants to meet with you, too," said Tonks.

"All of us?" Harry asked, aghast. He liked the older man, but visiting him was usually a bit of a bore.

"Well. Just Lily and Molly," Tonks clarified.

"Did he say what it was about?" Harry's mother asked, pushing another piece of cake onto her fork.

"It's about meeting the new students and the classrooms."

Lily gave Mrs Weasley a questioning look. "When would you be free, Molly?"

"Not before Thursday. Wednesday is market day, and there's still a lot to do."

"Market day only lasts until noon, right?" Tonks interjected. "We have the Apparition exams with Dumbledore on Wednesday afternoon. He wants to supervise the exams personally."

"Mum, I can take the exam too, right? You promised me," Emily called and added with puppy eyes, "Pleeease!"

"Actually, you're still too young."

"Mum!" Emily whined.

Her mother hesitated, slightly annoyed, but then nodded. "I'll be there and watch your exam. We'll talk again after that."

"What about you, Molly? Can you be there on Wednesday evening? You could talk to Albus right after the exams," Tonks suggested.

Mrs Weasley hesitated for a moment, thinking it over, then nodded. "I need to tidy up first. All those boxes from the market stall and whatnot. But I'll come as soon as I'm done."

It didn't take long for Mrs Weasley to excuse herself. "Thank you for the invitation, Lily, it's been lovely, but I've got a lot to do, and Wednesday is market day."

"Can I stay a little longer, Mum?" asked Ginny. "I still need to talk to Emily about..."

"Ginny wanted to help me practice this Vanishing Spell," Emily jumped in quickly. "She's so good at it, and I'm still struggling."

"Alright, but don't stay too long," Mrs Weasley said with a smile.

"Mum, can I stay too?" asked Ron, shooting a hopeful glance at Harry.

Mrs Weasley shook her head. "Sorry, Ron. You've got greenhouse duty today. The plants need watering, and we've got to check what's ready to harvest. I can't do that on my own."

Ron pulled a face but stood up and patted Harry on the shoulder. "See you tomorrow, mate. Thanks for having me, Mrs Potter."

Harry watched as Ginny took the opportunity to disappear upstairs with Emily, likely to her room.

With a sigh, he grabbed the dishes and carried them to the kitchen. As he dropped the cutlery into the sink, Lily gave him a curious look. "What's wrong with you? You've been a bit...distracted lately?"

"I, what?" Harry looked startled. "What makes you think that?"

With a knowing smile, she replied, "You can't seem to take your eyes off Ginny." She grinned. "And she can't seem to take her eyes off you either."

"Mum!" Harry protested. "There's nothing going on. It's just..." He trailed off, unsure of how to finish his sentence. Truth be told, he didn't even know what to think.

Relieved when the questioning stopped, Harry watched as his mum waved her wand at the dishes, making them clean themselves. Harry glanced through the door, watching Pinkie tidy up the living room. He debated escaping to his room, but his mother sat back down at the table, her expression softening.

"If you need advice, you can always talk to me."

Harry glanced out the window, unsure if he was ready for that conversation now. But after a long silence, he sighed and gave in. "I just don't get it. It's so…confusing." He ran a hand through his messy hair, glancing at his mum, who gave him an encouraging nod.

"Until recently, I was so sure Ginny didn't like me. She either avoided me or gave me those cold looks. Now she's suddenly being…nice."

Lily chuckled. "I know the feeling. I was your age once, too. At Hogwarts, it was pretty common to date someone at a certain age. Every few weeks was Hogsmeade weekend, and that was quite a highlight if you wanted to take your girlfriend out."

Harry groaned inwardly, fearing his mum was about to share stories from her school days.

"And there was this boy who always got on my nerves," she continued, her voice taking on a nostalgic tone.

"And what did you do?" Harry asked, curious despite himself.

"We bickered a lot, almost our entire time at school, and in the end, I married him."

Harry's eyes widened. "Mum, that's not helpful."

She laughed softly. "I'm not saying you should marry her. But what's wrong with having a girlfriend? It's obvious you like her."

Frustrated, Harry ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, maybe…, but... but does she like me?"

His mother's smile was gentle, but there was amusement in her eyes. "There's one way to find out. Ask her."

Harry stared at her in disbelief. Was she kidding? "You can't be serious. I can't just... No. That's not going to work"

"You'll figure it out." She ruffled his already unruly hair before standing up. "I'll go help Pinkie."

**HG**

In the meantime, some 100 km west of the Burrow.

Dobby cautiously opened the door to his young master's room a crack, and peered inside. The young master was bent over a small black book, eagerly writing in it. Dobby recognized the book. It was the diary that the youngest Malfoy had been carrying around with him lately, whose dark magic was slowly consuming the boy.

What should Dobby do? Several times, he'd tried to make Master Lucius aware of it, but the man refused to talk to a house-elf other than to give him orders.

Hesitantly, Dobby took a step into the room, barely able to breathe. The young master immediately glanced up, staring at Dobby with distant eyes. "Sod off, you worm," he snarled in an odd deep voice. "I forbade you to enter my room." Suddenly, the boy had his wand in his hand, aiming it at Dobby. Quickly, Dobby jumped back through the door, pulling it shut behind him when a curse hit the door. Splinters soared through the air, leaving a hole the size of Dobby's fist.

Over the years, Dobby had gotten used to this treatment. He touched the door with his finger and murmured a house-elf spell to repair the damage. Maybe he should try to talk to Master Lucius about his son again. But Master Lucius rarely spoke to his son. And Mistress Narcissa was not allowed to do anything without her husband's permission.

Worried, Dobby strolled to the drawing room where he'd last seen Master Lucius, waiting for a guest to come through the floo. As Dobby stepped into the hallway, he froze. Master Lucius walked down the hall accompanied by this creepy woman who'd been visiting a lot lately. Her green tweed dress with a pink fluffy cardigan on top was so tasteless that it perfectly fit her broad, flabby face and short neck.

"I hope you bring good news, Dolores," Master Lucius said with an icy smile as he looked up and spotted Dobby.

"Master Lucius," Dobby began, trembling slightly, expecting severe punishment at any moment for approaching his master unbidden.

"Get out of my way," his master growled and kicked Dobby in the chest so hard that he flew backwards several feet and momentarily lost his bearings. When he sat up, still slightly dizzy, he was alone.