Danny paced the living room floor. "He's late!" he exclaimed, glaring furiously at the fireplace.
Jazz looked up from her book on the couch. "Danny, it's a school. They're handling a massive group of disorganized children. You can't expect them to be prompt." Danny grumbled incoherently while shifting his gaze between the clock on the mantle and the crimson flames below it.
Raised voices came from the kitchen, drawing glares from both Danny and Jazz.
"They couldn't even hold off their argument until after Harry arrived," Danny glowered.
"It's the only way they know how to deal with each other during this time of year," Jazz reasoned wearily.
A shout and an angry clang of pots resounded in the room. Danny furrowed his brow. "Science always has to come first for Mom. Before anything like fun and cheer," he grumbled, causing Jazz to look at him in surprise.
"Well, Dad should just let it go since Mom is so adamantly against it. He's also bringing just as much science in the argument as Mom is," she argued with a scowl.
Danny glared at his sister and opened his mouth to retort, but a cheerful voice cut him off. "Don't tell me you two have begun arguing about Santa, too." The pair turned toward the fireplace and watched as Harry climbed out of emerald flames with a smile on his face.
"Harry!" they both exclaimed, all contempt forgotten. Danny reached him first and jumped on Harry with a big hug. "I've missed you, brother," he said earnestly. Jazz quickly joined the hug.
"We've all missed you," she added, smiling. They stayed like that for a moment until Jazz finally pulled away and turned toward the kitchen. "I'll tell Mom and Dad you're home."
"Don't bother, nothing will pull them from their bickering," Danny grumbled, hopping off Harry. Jazz ignored him and moved into the kitchen.
Danny looked back at Harry, affronted. "And we are not turning into Mom and Dad. I'd rather die than turn into them."
Harry saw his parents coming in behind Danny. Before his brother could take notice, he smirked and goaded, "Then tell me, what do you think? Is Santa real or not?"
"Ugh, neither!" Danny exclaimed, waving his hands in the air.
"How is that even possible?" Maddie asked scathingly, folding her arms.
"Dann-o, how can you say that?" Jack sounded crushed. Danny cringed and shot Harry an accusatory look. Harry's grin widened.
"Pay back little brother, sweet, satisfying pay back."
With a loud groan Danny turned to his parents. "I don't know! He's both not real and real! Dead and alive! Magic and science! You pick, I don't care!" he said exasperatedly.
This caused Maddie to scoff. "That's ridiculous, Danny. You're beginning to sound like your father," she chided. Jack looked at his wife stubbornly.
"Santa is not ridiculous; he's real!" he declared.
"That is scientifically impossible, Jack; you sound like a fool!" she shouted back.
"And we've just discovered that scientific impossibilities happen all the time! Just look at how Harry got home!" he yelled back.
The shouting continued. Jazz, Danny, and Harry each gave the other a silent nod and tiptoed away from the arguing couple. Taking refuge in Harry and Danny's room, they relaxed.
"Gee thanks, Harry. Stir the pot, why don't you," Danny snarked sarcastically.
"Hey, you're the one who sent me rabid hotdogs for Thanksgiving. Thank you for that by the way - Ron opened them and they rampaged the Great Hall." Danny started chuckling.
Jazz gave Danny a mortified look. "You didn't!" she scolded, causing Danny to cackle harder in response.
Harry frowned at his brother. "It's not funny, you git! They attacked everyone from my house! Spells didn't really work on them and when one kid tried to explode it, the hotdog ended up octuplicating itself." Harry grimaced. "It was so embarrassing. Dumbledore had to put a stop to the madness. Lifted them all in the air and cast a vanishing spell on them." He shot Danny a wary look. "By the way, you're on his radar now, little brother, you have been warned."
Danny ceased his chuckles. "What's he gonna do to me when he's all the way in the UK? I'm not his student. I'm untouchable," he boasted, puffing out his chest.
"Famous last words," Jazz murmured, causing Harry to laugh. She looked at him curiously. "So tell us everything about school. What are your classes like?"
"Weird. They're really different from Casper. For one thing there's no technology, so we learn things mostly from our lessons, textbooks, and experience. We're supposed to use quills and parchment at school instead of paper and pencils. It took me a while to get used to it; it's very inconvenient."
"What would happen if you brought a pencil and used that instead?" Danny asked, flopping onto his bed.
"I don't know, but I don't think the teachers would like it. It's not traditional," Harry said uncertainly.
"That's a shame. What are Ron and Hermione like?" Danny asked.
Harry grinned. "They're great. Ron is hilariously blunt with everything and everyone. It tends to get him in a lot of trouble, but I can always expect an honest answer from him. Hermione reminds me a lot of you, Jazz. She's smart beyond her years and doesn't mind rubbing it in, too," he smirked at his sister.
"I do not," Jazz huffed indignantly. Harry's grin widened but decided to save the sibling antagonizing for later. He turned to Danny.
"So when do I get to meet Sam and Tucker?" he asked excitedly.
Danny's expression deflated. "Never," he grumbled. "Sam's travelling to Paris with her family, and Tucker's visiting his grandparents in Indiana. They'll be gone all break."
"Bummer, mate," Harry sympathized, causing Danny and Jazz to snicker.
"You sound posh, brother," Danny chortled between laughs in a faux British accent.
Harry smiled and shrugged. "That's what happens when you live in another country. You pick up their lingo pretty quick. But don't worry dude," he continued with a surfer accent, causing Jazz and Danny to laugh. "I still got my roots."
"More like you're going back to your roots seeing as you were born in England," Jazz commented lightly.
"True, but it still feels more like home here." He glanced at Jazz. "But I did follow your advice. I'm making a home at Hogwarts too."
Jazz smiled proudly at her brother, then said smugly, "That's my star patient. Speaking of, when would you like to have your mid-year session?" Harry groaned and Danny shot up indignantly.
"Star patient?! Star Patient?! What about me?! You force me to talk to you every week!" he said irritably.
"Harry doesn't bury his emotions in sarcasm and poorly phrased puns," Jazz replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Yeah, Danny, your puns are awful," Harry chuckled.
"You mean awesome," Danny grumbled.
Their conversation was interrupted by a loud shout from the living room.
"So when did the fighting start this year?" Harry asked his siblings. They sighed in frustration.
"The moment we finished our Chinese take-out on Thanksgiving. Couldn't wait for us to even digest or settle in for a movie," Jazz scoffed, shaking her head.
Harry sighed. "I had hoped they would set aside their differences because I was coming home, but it looks like they're too set in their ways."
The shouting below got louder.
Danny huffed. "Let's get out of here. I know a good place where we can go get some lunch." Glancing at Harry, he grinned. "Nothing better for your return home than a good old-fashioned, all-American burger."
"I haven't had a burger in ages!" Harry mused, his mouth watering at the thought.
Harry's heart sank when the arguing continued in full force. He really did think they would stop arguing when he came home so that they all could enjoy Harry's visit together as a family. Especially when they couldn't stay together long because Jack and Maddie were leaving to ask for more funding. It's almost as if they didn't care that I came home at all! Harry's expression became downcast.
Danny frowned at Harry's sullen expression. "Grab your jacket, Jazz, let's go," he stated firmly. He knew at some point during Harry's visit home that Harry would feel neglected by his parents. He just didn't expect it to happen so quickly. Every year the 'Santa Debacle' took over all other priorities. One year, they forgot to buy presents for their children because they were too engrossed in their argument. Danny had no expectations that this year would be any different despite Harry's return. Because of this, he and Jazz had been preparing for damage control for Harry since Thanksgiving.
Jazz looked at Danny and nodded curtly. She left the room, and Harry quickly changed into muggle clothing.
Meeting in the hallway, the three snuck down the stairs and hurried out the door. Once they stepped on the snowy sidewalk, their moods lightened.
"Prepare yourself, Harry, you're about to have the greatest burger of your entire existence," Danny exclaimed with grandeur.
"The greatest burger of my existence is supposedly at a place called the Nasty Burger?" Harry questioned skeptically. Danny slid the burger toward Harry and gave a knowing smirk. Harry took a bite.
"I stand corrected."
The week at Fentonworks flew by quickly. When Christmas came, Harry was surprised by the plethora of gifts under the tree. His parents even had a gift for him. He opened it up and revealed a sleek ectogun. "In case those ghosts at Hogwarts start getting unruly," Jack beamed.
Harry pulled out his gifts for Danny and Jazz and gave them to his siblings. Danny ripped opened a big box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans and Jazz opened Hermione's copy of Modern Magical History. Hermione had read it enough times that she didn't need it anymore and had given it to Harry since he was mentioned in it.
Jazz and Danny grinned at each other and gave Harry a joint present, which was an old fashioned polaroid camera. "I asked Tucker about a way to use a camera without technology and he came up with this idea," Danny commented.
Jazz smiled at Harry. "It's mechanical and there is no technology involved so it should work at Hogwarts. Once you stick the film in there, you shouldn't open the compartment again until it's empty, otherwise the film will get ruined. When you come home for the summer, you can show us what you love about Hogwarts."
Harry was touched by their gift, and he felt like he finally had something to save his memories with. He frowned at his siblings with concern. "How did you find the money to buy this?" he asked. Jazz and Danny were too young to work, and had given up asking their parents for money. Any change they were able to scrounge up, they used on necessities, like last minute dinners. There was no way they could afford this.
"Sam's grandmother had some friends that needed some help in their gardens. I mostly listened to them chat about the 'good ole days' and the latest gossip about who's cheating at bingo and who's newly single. I didn't realize at the time the implications of that last part..." Danny explained with a grimace.
"And I've been tutoring for a small profit," she told him. Looking at Harry's concern she added, "It was no trouble, Harry. Danny and I wanted to get you something nice for your first Christmas home." Danny nodded in agreement.
"Thank you." Harry smiled. "I'll be sure to take pictures, not just for myself, but so that I can show you my friends and Hogwarts."
"Who wants to see Hog Hearts?" Danny mocked, jokingly. Harry lightly punched his little brother. He didn't want to leave for school, after having spent so little time with his family.
In addition, Harry received some candy from Hermione, a flute from Hagrid, an emerald sweater from the Weasleys, and a mysterious cloak from an unknown gifter. They didn't realize the cloak had special properties until the children went upstairs to avoid yet another fight from the Fenton parental unit.
At first they were confused by it. Jazz thought the cloak was used to keep the wearer warm in extreme temperatures. "Kind of like a space blanket," she reasoned. She put it on to demonstrate and instantly became invisible. Danny shouted in shock at the sudden loss of his sister and Harry gaped at the apparently magical cloak. Hearing the boy's reaction, Jazz looked down and gasped. She quickly took the cloak off and stared at it in amazement.
Upon Jazz's reappearance, Danny pointed at her and openly sputtered. Harry shook his head and beamed. "Brilliant!" he exclaimed.
"We will never speak of this to Mom and Dad," Jazz declared seriously. "They'll assume it's some ghost artifact and destroy it."
Harry nodded. "Note to self, keep awesome cool magic objects to myself."
Danny got over his shock and frowned at Harry. "And us!" he cried indignantly.
Harry grinned and added, "Note to self, keep awesome cool magic objects to myself, Danny, and Jazz."
Danny nodded his approval.
Though Harry's return did not stem the infamous Jack and Maddie Santa argument, the children made the most of Harry's time with them. This meant spending most of their time out of the house. They spent their days having snowball fights, building snowmen and women, stargazing, and ice skating in the park. Danny made sure that Harry was up to date on the current DOOM patch, and Jazz finally had her mid-year therapy session with Harry. They discussed his relationships with his friends, teachers, and rivals. A big portion of their session was used to discuss Professor Snape's hatred for Harry, and different strategies Harry could take to try to help that relationship.
"I did nothing to the guy and he hates my guts!" Harry exclaimed. "I swear he'd take off house points just for breathing in his presence if he had the chance." He noticed Jazz giving him a calculating look. "How would my therapist handle this?" he asked sarcastically.
Jazz smiled kindly. "You can only control your actions, Harry. You can't change the way he treats you, but you can change how you react to his unfairness. You said you tend to have a short fuse when a Snape situation arises? Well, in the heat of the moment, it's easy to say something you'll later regret. It would help to take a moment to calm yourself before taking action. If you remain level-headed, not only are you viewed in a mature light, but you'll also find a solution a lot quicker."
"If he starts something, I'm not just going to let him get away with it," Harry argued.
"Antagonizing him will only make things worse. You need to calm yourself down. Try using the deep breathing exercise I taught you last year." Seeing Harry's confused face she added, "You know, after you tackled Josh in the mud pit behind the school when he dumped glue on Marcy's hair."
Harry smirked at the memory. Sweet justice.
Though he would never admit it, he was grateful that Jazz took the time to talk to him. He used to hate talking to her about his issues, especially since they went to the same school and had the same classmates. It embarrassed him to talk about his problems at school then the next day have Jazz sit next to him with knowledge of his problems in class. She never acted on what Harry told her, but it made him feel uncomfortable all the same.
He didn't often agree with Jazz's advice - she could be too pacifistic sometimes, but he found that having an outsider's perspective was helpful.
When he started talking about Malfoy, she listened and nodded with a slight frown.
"What happened to Malfoy after he threw Neville's Remembrall and you talked to Professor McGonagall about joining the quidditch team?" she asked.
"Nothing! It was like no one even cared his was flying or harassing other students!"
"Hmm… Well it's lucky that neither of you got in trouble, seeing as you both broke the rules," Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Jazz quickly continued. "Regardless of your intentions, you have to admit you were breaking school rules." Seeing Harry grumble into his arms lying on the desk, Jazz smiled, "Though helping out a friend is a good reason to break the rules."
Turning a bit red, Harry mumbled, "Still doesn't help me deal with Malfoy."
"It sounds like Malfoy comes from a privileged background. His family might have some high expectations that he must accomplish. Seeing someone who doesn't have to live like that and is well liked by student body might cause him to be jealous." She gave Harry a serious look. "Or the pressures and duties of a high-class family might be too much for him and he's lashing out in the only way that he knows how. It could be a cry for help." Her gaze softened. "The point I'm trying to make is that you don't know where people are coming from and understanding them a bit better, might enlighten you on why they are acting so hostile."
Harry grimaced. "The last thing I want to do is be buddy-buddy with Malfoy to learn about his home environment."
"There are some people who are just born to push our buttons I suppose," Jazz mused.
"Ugh, at least my button pusher doesn't shove me in toilets," Harry commented.
Refusing to believe that Malfoy was anything but a snobby prat, Harry decided he had enough counseling. He stood up and and gave Jazz a smile. "Before I forget, Neville let me borrow his remembrall for the holidays. Wait here and I'll grab it and Danny."
He skirted out the room before Jazz could protest. "Wait, Harry!" she called after him, "I'm not done with our session!"
Harry had been sharing bits and pieces of Hogwarts each day. Whether it was sharing how he, Hermione, and Ron defeated a troll or just sharing some candy, Jazz and Danny both enjoyed learning more about the wizarding world and were glad that their brother was adjusting well.
Harry quickly returned holding a transparent sphere and his brother in tow. All therapy discussion points were forgotten as Jazz was distracted by the sudden appearance of a red fog in the sphere when Danny held it. He frowned petulantly, causing the older siblings to laugh. Harry took the orb and patted the boy pityingly. When Jazz held the orb it retained its crystal clear interior. "Typical," Danny grumbled.
Winter Break ended all too quickly for the Fenton children. They gave their teary goodbyes and Harry promised to take many pictures and to come home as soon as he could. With one last look at his family, he entered the fireplace and returned to Hogwarts a week before everyone else. The good news was that Ron would be with him and he couldn't wait to show him what he deemed as 'the disappearing cloak.'
A/N - Thanks for your comments Nightshade! Your enthusiasm brings me joy!