A/N: hey everyone sorry for the long(ish)break. I've been busy ontop of writing and finally after close to a year i have finally found a beta reader!
They're name is Jae and has been a very big help so far. So if my loyal readers could leave a review welcoming Jae as well as letting us know what you think of the story. I'm sure they'll appreciate It, i know i do.
Review responses
Llpi: nope! But funny you should bring that up now
Jestrbob: yea I try my best and my readers are really nice about correcting me.
Three loud gongs rang out through the empty manor. And a young 12-year-old boy ran to get to the front door. He knew that if he didn't hurry, then one of his house elves would open the door, whether he ordered them not to or not, which he hadn't; he merely asked them to let him open his own door for visitors. He got to the large, rich oak front doors just in time to give Toppy, who had been reaching for the handle, a playful glare.
"I've got it, Toppy. I told you I want to welcome them!"
"And I've told you it would not be appropriate for young master to be opening doors for himself." Harry simply stuck his tongue out at the elf.
Two more gong sounds rang out, and Harry opened the doors wide with a flick of his wand, revealing the Granger family. Daniel and Emma Granger and his best friend, Hermione Granger, were all dressed up for the cold weather. The adult Grangers wore the best Muggle cold-weather gear, and Hermione wore an example of one of Madam Malkin's best winter cloaks, most likely chock-full of anti-weather and heating charms. The three Grangers were beaming at him.
"Hello, Harry, long time no see!" said Emma Granger, stepping into the house and wrapping him in her version of a Hermione hug.
"Yes, it's great to see you again, Harry, thanks for inviting us to stay for the holidays," said Daniel Granger, shaking Harry's hand.
It seemed Hermione couldn't restrain herself a single second longer and hugged Harry with a rib-cracking grip.
"I can't wait to spend Christmas here; the decorations look fantastic! Did you help with them, or is this what the elves always do?"
Harry surprised Hermione by hugging her back, which he hadn't done many times before.
"It's traditional stuff mostly, but I did have them change a few things around. And I brought in a lot more evergreens. There are a lot of fairies living on the property, and I invited all of them to come in and make themselves at home for the season. So if you see a bush glowing and singing, that's why."
"Fairies?" asked the Granger parents. "Like real, actual fairies?"
"Oh yes, they're amazing, charming creatures. They just moved in a few days ago; a few of their elders turned up after that blizzard. Wizards invite them inside during the holidays; it's kind of a mutual benefit. They get to keep warm, and wizards get pretty lights to look at. Most wizarding families leave out gifts of oats, nuts, and honey, which the fairies eat. There's a book out in the library you can read to learn more," Harry explained as he guided them to the main sitting room.
"Oh, there are a few now." Harry pointed to a five-foot-tall evergreen that a few sprites had just flown from, decorating the air around them as the fairies circled the Grangers in welcome. The fairies danced around them, giving off sharp reds, soft blues, warm yellows and oranges, even a few shades of green. One fairy was purple, a very rare color among them, Harry had noticed.
"Oooooh, they're so gorgeous! I never would have thought fairies were real." Emma was practically swooning. "Are they like Tinkerbell? Like tiny people?"
"No, Mother," said Hermione. "They are distant cousins to bowtruckles, which look like sticks. So maybe they look like leaves? I've never seen one up close, and Fantastic Beasts doesn't have their section illustrated." She went on to explain further.
"It depends, actually. They do indeed look a bit like people, but the men wear armor-like clothes made from insect parts, and the women dress in leaves or tiny, woven grass dresses. It's all very graceful. They do still look like plant people, though; they don't have the bark-like skin that Bowtruckles have," said Harry.
"But if they are such common decorations, why have you never seen them up close?" asked Emma, still staring around the room as the fairies circled them, giggling and obviously having fun.
"At Hogwarts, they keep away from students."
"From magicals in general, really. They'll get close to the person who invites them into their house or whatever dwelling they're seeking entrance to, but they'll keep a safe distance from anyone else," said Harry.
"Then why are they so close now?" asked Daniel in turn.
"Probably because you're muggles. You're not capable of using magic to capture them. So you're not threatening." Harry explained but shrugged his shoulders to show his uncertainty.
As they continued their short journey through the halls of Harry's manor, they talked of the Grangers' Christmas traditions. And if Harry needed to go out and get his Christmas shopping done. He didn't. He'd had Ted and Andromeda accompany him at different times to assist him in buying things, having no idea what gifts to give adults he was only just coming to know at any level. But he settled with:
A case of Andromeda's favorite wine. (Bought by Ted but paid for by Harry.)
A brand-new deluxe eagle feather quill and stationary set for Ted.
A bottle of magical perfume (picked out by Andromeda) for Emma.
A crystal tumbler and whiskey stones that had been enchanted to be forever cold for Daniel.
And for Hermione, a luxury glass quill pen with a variety of ink colors in different specially enchanted bottles that when you tap the quill to a certain bottle, the quill writes in that color ink. As well as a full pint of ink refills for each color. And three books on runes, basic arithmancy, and goblin culture. (He bought himself one as well.)
Not that he told any of the Grangers what he had gotten them; that would, after all, ruin the surprise. As the group of new arrivals entered the large sitting room, they were greeted loudly by Harry's other house guests, the Tonks family. Harry was ecstatic to have such a large group over for the holidays. It brought a whole new energy into the manor. Everything from the house-elves to the very wards of the house seemed excited to have so many happy people in the manor again after so long.
Andromeda had been planning for months to revitalize the traditional Potter New Year Ball. She told the group that preparations were nearly complete and that, of course, everyone, even Muggle parents, were invited to join the festivities. Invitations had go47ne out to all the houses and a select list of Harry's classmates and, of course, notable citizens of magical Britain and even beyond. The Potters had a large winery in France after all, and she had been very diligent in getting it back up into operations. Given all he had to look forward to, Harry allowed himself to forget the troubles from Hogwarts. There wasn't anything he could do at the moment about any of it, so there was not a lot of point in worrying about it.
Harry and Hermione were demonstrating the rowdy and rousing game of Exploding Snap to the Granger parents while Tonks, currently bedecked in green and red extraordinarily gaudy hair and matching irises, gave funny commentary about either child's strategies.
"Inviting you lot to stay for the holidays was one of the best ideas I've ever had," said Harry proudly.
"What about the Weasleys, Harry? Didn't you invite them?" asked Hermione timidly.
"Err, yeah, I did, but Mrs. Weasley wants everyone at the Burrow for some reason. I told her I have more than enough rooms for everyone. Maybe they'll come for New Year's. Toppy and Tuppy are so excited they've been clearing out the kitchen to make extra space for all the cooking they'll be doing," said Harry with a sad smile at first, but he got progressively chirpier as he explained.
"Aunt Andy? What is the RSVP list up to now?" asked Harry after a regal-looking eagle owl soared through the enchanted window.
"Just over 130. My sister and her husband, Lord Malfoy, just sent theirs in." The older witch said, gesturing to the owl with the letter she held in her hand. "I must say I am nervous. It has been nearly 22 years since I last saw my 'dear' sister, not since I was cast from the Black family for marrying Teddy."
"Awesome!" grinned Harry.
"Oooh, a formal ball! Why didn't you tell me, Harry? I am invited, aren't I?" asked Hermione, very excited.
"Of course you're invited! I was waiting for dinner to invite you as a Christmas surprise," said Harry plaintively, causing all four females in the room to facepalm at his obtuseness.
"Merlin, forgive him, he's only a boy!" called out Dora, leaping in front of Hermione, landing on her knees, and holding her hands together as if in prayer, effectively splitting the tension and the anger of the Granger woman in half.
"Harryyyyyy! Don't you know anything? We need more time to prepare for a ball than two weeks," said Hermione with the air of someone explaining to a precocious two-year-old that two plus two equals four.
"I figured you know, with magic," Harry said, kicking the floor in chagrin.
"He's right," said Andy. "We will go to Twilfit and Tatting's tomorrow morning."
"But I'm a Muggle-born, and my mother is a Muggle. There's no way the proprietors will let us even enter the door."
"Prior to two weeks ago, that may have been the case, but you now stand in the room with the majority shareholder of that business. And it is Potter family policy that there is no segregation or prejudicial practices in any business we hold a stake in," explained Andromeda, who took in the bewildered looks staring back at her. "What? I was tasked to rebuild the Potter wealth after nearly half a century of stagnation and decay. I have been busy."
"Thank you, Andromeda. Your letters haven't been nearly detailed enough, but thank you so much for what you've done," said Harry, causing his steward to beam at him.
"However, I fear I must undo some of your work. I am gifting all the ladies here, including yourself, a full outfit, dress shoes, and jewelry to prepare for this ball." Every single girl and woman around him swooned. He found it odd that Hermione did as well, as she normally didn't fall prey to such silliness. Harry assumed that every girl was entitled to be girly at some point, even his bookish best friend.
"So, Harry?" asked Hermione. "Have you heard from the Weasleys?"
"Yeah, Ron wrote back this morning and said that the whole family is staying at the Burrow for Christmas, but that they would attend the New Year's ball if they could get dress robes for everyone, which shouldn't be a problem. As such, I sent the entire family on a trip to Madam Malkin's for dress robes as long as the total budget doesn't go over 1,500 galleons, which Andy said would be more than enough for decent dress robes for seven or even eight people."
"Harry, you're incredibly generous, but aren't you afraid you'll run out of money for your schooling?" asked Emma, her voice filled with concern.
"Not really." Harry shrugged. "I could spend a thousand galleons a day for fifty years and still not run out of money."
Dinner that night was filled with stories and laughter, the two kids catching everyone up on their year so far at Hogwarts. The parts that hadn't made it into the papers. Like how Lockhart seemed to be a total fraud. Or their very interesting American History of Magic teacher, who had an eclectic collection of euphemisms and sayings and the most absurd accent they had ever heard. Andromeda told how her work at restoring the Potter vineyards in Italy and France was going. Hours of fun conversation spread through group dinners across the next week; even the three Potter elves came and told tales of Christmases past. The events often left more than one watery eye in the room.
The dinner to celebrate Christmas Eve came and went, and Harry bid everyone goodnight and began the long and lonely march up to the master suite. Only it wasn't so lonely tonight. He was accompanied by a group of fairies who laughed and trilled around him as he walked, causing him to laugh at their exuberance.
When Harry woke up on the second Christmas morning he had ever looked forward to in his life, he woke up to nothing. There were no presents at the end of his mattress nor on the foot of his bed. Upon leaving his bedroom, he finally found them sitting around a small, personal Christmas tree in the Lord's sitting room. Sitting down in front of the sizable pile of presents, Harry started unwrapping them slowly, savoring every crisply folded line of wrapping paper.
Harry had received 12 gifts and 16 cards.
The cards were from: Neville, Ron, the twins, "the Weasleys," "the Greengrass family," Daphne Greengrass, "the Longbottoms," "the Grangers," "the Tonkses," "Tonks (Dora)" (which enclosed an IOU: "Sorry, little bro, couldn't think of a good gift."), "the Malfoy family" (Narcissa Malfoy wrote a note that claimed she would be holding Lord Malfoy's usual gift of "Ole Ogden's Fire Whiskey" until he was of a better age to receive it), Hermione (who wrote that she was ecstatic about his reaction to her gift and couldn't wait till he saw what is was ), Gringotts Bank, Bloodrock (his account manager), and Hagrid.
The final card was less of a card and more of a letter written on a card.
It was written in a very untidy hand.
"Dear Lord Potter,
How strange it is to address a letter like that to you, even after all these years. All this time.
I'm going to try my best here. It's been years since I've written anything, let alone held a quill.
First, I need to thank you. It was your testimony that finally led to my release from Azkaban, which is a wizarding prison, in case you don't know. They tell me you were brought up by your mother's sister. I met her years ago, and I heard she didn't tell you anything about all this. It must have been a shock.
I'm sorry, I am so sorry I wasn't there to protect you from them. I— (here there is a large and illegible area where the author of this letter scratched something out.)
I'm sorry, I'm going to have to continue writing on this card. I just messed up with my quill, and the Healers won't give me another, as I'm still on watch.
I was in Azkaban for over a decade. It does horrible things to a person, so I'm currently in a secure wing in St. Mungo's, receiving inpatient treatment. I'll be here for a while yet. Maybe we'll get to meet before you head back to school in the fall.
(Continued onto the second page of the card.)
I'm sorry, my brain is all jumbled. That's part of the reason I was sent here after my release.
My name is Sirius Black. If you remember your parents' will, I am your godfather. I had to bribe the nurses here with good behavior to be able to write this card to you. They still don't trust me with sharp things.
I wanted to write and finally, after 11 years, wish you a happy Christmas. I hope you enjoy my gift. It's twelve years of birthdays and Christmas gifts all at once.
With my unending love,
Sirius A. Black"
The letter was jumbled and scrambled, with many words crossed out. He obviously hadn't been allowed a wand yet and couldn't erase the mistakes. After reading the card again a few more times to make sure he understood it, Harry moved on to his presents.
Harry got the full Encyclopedia Britannica from the Grangers, with a note (no office, magical or not, is complete without this set) and a full set of top-of-the-line at-home dental care products.
From Ron, he got a box of Honeydukes sweets, a sweet shop in the village near Hogwarts that Harry hadn't visited yet.
From Andromeda and Ted Tonks, he received a new pair of dragon hide boots and gloves.
From Daphne, he received a bottle of French cologne that smelled like cedarwood. (It was very pleasant.)
From the twins, he received an unlabeled potion with a note ("Drink me") and one free prank on a target of his choosing.
From Hermione, he received a ticket to the London Coliseum to see "The Nutcracker" play, as well as a pillow that was enchanted to always be very warm for Smara, and an enchanted tie clip, pin, and cufflinks enchanted to keep wrinkles, stains, and mud/dust out of his clothes throughout the day, with a note: "A lord must look his best at all times, and you always rumple your clothes throughout the day at school."
And finally, the long, square package tagged from Padfoot, aka Sirius Black. A note lay on it: "I had to get my account manager to send you this with this note. You can consider it an apology for missing your life. I hope to see you soon.
Sirius Black."
After unwrapping the long, square package, it was revealed to be a long, highly polished mahogany box decorated with gold inlay and plaques. Even the locks and latches were gold. Written across the center of the lid was "Firebolt." Harry fell over. This wasn't just any broom. It was a racing broom—not just any racing broom, but the best model broom in the world, and it hadn't even been released to the public yet! Harry opened it up but couldn't see the broom. Four things were sitting on top of the satin cushion covering the broom:
A letter of authenticity (model number 007)
A booklet detailing and summarizing the broom, signed by the designer of the Firebolt and Hasan Mostafa, the international chairman of the Quidditch League
Two seats in the Minister's Box at the next Quidditch World Championship game, coming up the summer after next
Lifetime warranty and free professional maintenance once a year for life.
And a letter from the unnamed "Black account manager."
"Lord Black hired me to see this broom delivered to you, Lord Potter. Once the makers realized who you were, they included the box as well as a few additional gifts.
Happy Christmas."
That fit pretty well with what he had come to expect from goblins—short and to the point.
Harry stood frozen, shocked. He had no idea how to react. He had just received what was shaping up to be the best broom in the world from his godfather, whom he had never met, and a collection of gifts any Quidditch fan would kill for. But at a glance to the box containing his tie clip and the two tickets to the ballet, he knew immediately what gift meant more to him, and it wasn't the broom, nice as it was. So, taking a look at all his gifts, he got dressed in his best suit and matching robes, fussing around so that his new tie clip, breast pin, and cufflinks were on straight. Harry was amazed as they changed slightly to match the bottle-green robes he was wearing better. After dressing, he grabbed the tickets and the giant box containing his new Firebolt and climbed down the long stairwell to the formal sitting room where most of his guests had already congregated.
"Sorry!" he called out. "I couldn't sort out what to wear, and unwrapping my gifts took a lot longer this year."
"It's quite alright, Lord Potter, there is no rush on Christmas morning. Now, we have been exchanging tales of our gifts, but I don't think any of us has anything like what is in that box," Andromeda said in a playfully formal voice while indicating the Firebolt box.
"Oh, right!" Harry said, strolling forward and placing the box on the coffee table. "First of all, um, where's Hermione? I need to thank her."
"Oh, don't worry, dear, she'll be down later. Christmas Day is one of the few days a year that girl allows herself to sleep in. Woke up at three in the afternoon last year."
"Oh, well then. Toppy? Could you please put these back in my room? In the drawer of my writing desk, please."
The elf popped in, listened to Harry's instructions, and then popped away, wearing his brand-new Potter uniform, which looked very much like Muggle coveralls with the Potter family crest on the back. Apparently, Andy had Toppy sew them together so that it couldn't be construed as gifting the elves clothes.
"And this box is a gift from my godfather, Sirius Black."
At this, Andromeda sucked in her breath. "He's out?! That rotten mongrel is out of Azkaban, and he hasn't written to me or—" Andromeda yelled before getting cut off by Harry.
"Aunt Andy!" He waited until he was sure that she was listening to him. Judging by her face, he had better explain quickly why he had shouted. He pulled the letter/card from Sirius out of his pocket and handed it to her. "He said that they're not letting him write to anyone, that he had to bribe his way into sending me a Christmas card. Apparently, the long stay at Azkaban left his mind barely functioning and his body so weak it would probably go into shock if they just left him on his own, and he'd probably be dead within the day."
Andromeda read the rambling card silently for a minute before she tucked it into her robe, nodding. "Right, I'll focus on this newest problem later. Right now, why don't you show us what my dear cousin got you?" she said, gesturing to the box.
And Harry did. He showed the finely polished box and, after opening it, he showed the certificate of authenticity, the signed booklet, and the two tickets. "I don't know who I'd bring along, though. Hermione hates Quidditch. Wouldn't hurt to ask her, though. I guess it will be a great way for her to see other magical cultures." All the adults nodded at that. And then Harry moved on to the actual Firebolt itself, showing off its 007 model number.
"I don't know if they expect me to ride this or hang it up. It seems too rare to treat like an everyday broom."
And then Ted spoke up. "Son, I think the maker of that broom would be far more insulted for that broom to be put on a shelf than flown by someone who would care for it like it's supposed to be. Also, take that broom out of the box. I bet they put something in here that will answer your question far better than any assurance we can give." And so Harry did, lifting the broom out of the velvet cushion. Ted lifted the cushion.
"Aha! See." When he lifted the form-fitted cushion, there was revealed a 100-piece professional broom servicing kit, with five compasses that can be linked to certain locations so that they always point to it.
"Wow!" said Harry. "That's amazing! I can't wait to try this stuff out."
"So, Harry!" called Tonks, shooing away the broom. "What were those things you sent away?"
"Oh! Umm, they were tickets to go see The Nutcracker in London," Harry said, unsure of where Tonks was going with this.
"Sooo, a girl got you tickets to the theater, huh? And who are you going to take?" teased Tonks, much to the amusement of all the adults around.
"Well, as they were a gift from Hermione, I thought I'd offer to take her. Why?"
"And what are her intentions with my little brother?" Tonks asked this just as Hermione entered the room, blushing scarlet.
"How did you know I was there?" demanded Hermione.
And Tonks' ears grew to an extraordinary size. "I'm a metamorph! I can hear an ant's fart if I wanted to, which I have several times. It's like a teeny tiny pop, it's so funny!" Tonks said, laughing at the recollection.
"Hilarious," Hermione said in a deadpan voice. "If you must know, my 'intentions' are to go to the theater and have a wonderful time with my best friend." Hermione said, using her hands to make air quotes when she was mocking Tonks.
"Ha! I like this one, Harry. You can keep her," smiled Tonks.
"I'm not keeping anybody, you pixie-haired pillock," said Harry. "Hermione, thanks for the tickets. They, the tie clip, and stuff, were my favorite gift by far."
"Oh, thank you, Harry. I'm glad you liked them. I liked my gifts as well. They were very thoughtful." She then spent a good while explaining the intricacies of the enchanted quill he had gotten her and how she was looking forward to learning more about goblin culture, a subject they both felt should be in the Hogwarts curriculum.
Throughout the day, the group stayed together, enjoying their time together, talking about playing with or using their new gifts. Even the Weasleys sent a "yowler" (like a howler, but for loud, friendly messages that explode in a burst of confetti instead of fire) thanking him for his gifts and the opportunity to buy some decent robes from Madam Malkin's, something Ginny was especially looking forward to. Harry had even tricked Tonks into drinking the potion that the twins had sent him. It turned her into a rather nice looking rainbow colored newt for an hour before she turned back to her self and chased Harry around the whole manor for an hour and a half.
It was at dinner that Harry found himself sitting in his rightful place at the head of the table, Smara wrapped around his shoulders having returned home via Snape 3 days ago, watching as everyone had separate conversations. The older Tonks and the Granger parents were talking about various aspects of their businesses, and Hermione and Tonks were debating the use of some haircare potion or other. Smara spent the evening catching bits of food out of the air causing their guests to laugh a few times as she had to grow occasionally to catch a far off throw forcing Harry to be pinned by the increased weight of his serpent companion.
Harry found himself separate from all conversations at one moment during dinner, but he still felt like he was a part of all of them. Harry stood suddenly, drawing everyone's attention, and he cleared his throat to begin speaking.
"I just wanted to thank you all for coming here, for agreeing to spend your holiday with me in this house instead of following your usual traditions. This has been not only my first holiday in this manor, in my new home, it has been my first holiday where I was actually able to celebrate with family. As you know, my early childhood was not happy, and I was lucky to get a cheese sandwich while I watched my aunt and uncle gorge themselves on my cooking. But now I get to enjoy the sight of my family feasting and enjoying themselves with me, not in spite of me. I thank each and every one of you; this has been the best Christmas of my life. And here's to many, many more." Harry raised his glass as they all did in return, and everyone in the manor cheered for the wonderful night, the wonderful meal, and the wonderful company.
And the night wore on.