Thoughtful Gifts and Family Ties

Daniel tried to glare at his laughing wife and daughter and failed miserably as they lost themselves to hysterics. "I shouted in startled alarm, thank you very much."

Leena whistled softly as she looked at the sewing kit. "My, this is some lovely magic work. It holds more than it looks."

"Harry said it'll protect the things inside and it'll be light to carry," Lavender smiled.

"That's a very thoughtful gift," Leena smiled. "That kind of enchantment work isn't simple and can be costly."

"Sounds useful. Think I can get a bag for my tools like that?" Daniel asked.

"Well at least I know you'll like your Christmas present," Leena sighed with mock disappointment. "Way to go, ruining your own gift like that." She smiled when he kissed her cheek.

"Well be sure to thank Mister Potter for the lovely gift," Daniel said. He felt Leena stiffen slightly against him and he gave her a curious look.

Lavender snorted. "He's my age Daddy, only the professors call him Mister Potter."

"My apologies, Miss Brown," he said and he laughed at her rolling eyes and heavy sigh.

"I'll write him a letter later. I'm going to go show Marigold and Clover my new kit." Lavender hugged and kissed them and ran off.

"Is everything okay?" Daniel asked Leena quietly.

"Mister Potter? Her friend is Harry Potter?" Leena asked just as quietly.

"I knew she never wrote his last name in her letters and I didn't forget it," he muttered. "That's what she said. Why? Is he a bad person?"

"No, not at all. He's the Boy-Who-Lived," Leena said softly. "I didn't think that he'd be at Hogwarts too now."

"Why's he called that?" Daniel asked.

Leena hesitated. "Well, remember I told you that there were some troubles in the Wizarding World years back? Well, he basically was the one that put a stop to it."

"Wait, if he's the same age as Lavender, how did he put a stop to it years ago?" Daniel frowned slightly.

"No one really knows," Leena said. "All we know is that one day the dark times just stopped and he was responsible. He then disappeared from the public eye and while people were thankful, they never really found out what happened to him and how things ended. I think people were told he was somewhere safe and that was it."

"Somewhere safe? I don't like the sound of that."

Leena looked sad. "His parents died. They were killed."

"Oh. Damn." Daniel rubbed his neck. "That must have been hard, growing up without his parents like that. He must have turned out okay if Lavender says he's nice." He wrapped his arms around Leena and rubbed her back as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I know you don't like thinking about those times either."

"They were bad," Leena sighed. She dabbed at her eyes. "I'm thankful I made it through and found you though."

"And I'm thankful you came into my life and into Lavender's." He kissed her. He released a breath. "Do we need to worry about Lavender and this Harry?"

"I don't think so. From what I know, his parents were good people and like you said, if Lavender says he is nice, then we shouldn't have to worry. He clearly thinks highly of her to get her a gift like that." She smiled. "She's a good person, like her father."

"Thank goodness," he said and grinned at Leena's laugh.

"I can't remember the last time you willingly read a book like that," Padma teased.

Parvati grinned. "Me neither honestly. But this is so interesting!"

Padma leaned over and lifted the cover to read the title. " Where Astrology and Astronomy Converge: Muggle and Magical Interpretations and Explorations . That is a perfect subject for you."

"Right? Normally you're the one that gets a book as a present," Parvati said. "What did Harry get you?"

Padma proudly showed her gift. "It is a wax tablet, like the ones the ancient Romans used! This one is enchanted so the wax won't melt and can clean itself with a built-in charm. You can only write on the wax with this stylus and the coverings are extra durable."

"That's neat! Really handy when you need to scribble something when you don't have ink or quill."

"We were talking about how inconvenient it was sometimes. He was always used to having a pen or pencil with paper in the kitchen. Quill and parchment is more finicky."

"Yeah they are. Harry got us something different that we each like and didn't get us the same thing but in a different color like most people do."

Padma nodded as she sat down beside Parvati. "He's very nice and thoughtful. I'm glad you convinced me to help with making curry and joining Household Charms."

"I'm glad he became friends with Lavender so I could, and then you," Parvati said. She took a closer look at the tablet. "Are you writing some recipes down to take back with us?"

"Grandmum actually told me these. She's happy that we can eat proper food while away and has promised to send us spices when we ask."

"Really? That's surprising."

Padma nodded before starting to giggle. "Cousin Sita got really upset. She said Grandmum didn't do it for her boyfriend and it wasn't fair."

"Well that's because he kept confusing our curry with Thai curry, complaining that our curry wasn't sweet like he was used to." Parvati snickered. "I thought Sita was going to die from embarrassment."

"After he died from Grandmum Cursing him," Padma laughed.

.....

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