chapter 20:Christmas
Harry walked into the dining room where he had placed two of the boxes that he had purchased from The Hog's Head (the rest remaining in the kitchen). Although he was still too young for alcoholic drinks (despite being emancipated), Aberforth Dumbledore had let him purchase several meals in cardboard boxes that were charmed to hold their contents in stasis for up to four days, keeping them piping hot or freezing cold (for the ice-cream) ready for when they were opened, thus breaking the enchantment.
Opening the box marked "Christmas Breakfast", Harry licked his lips as the smell of the cooked breakfast (with black pudding, beans, bacon, sausages, two different sorts of egg, toast and several small pots of condiments) filled the room. Quickly removing the various dishes, he dashed to the kitchen and rummaged around in the cutlery drawer before returning with a knife and fork.
"Merry Christmas to me." He smiled as he speared the first sausage, then he froze as a ball of flame formed above the table, one that resolved into a red-and-gold bird holding a package.
"What the…?"
The bird chirped at him as it circled around him, then it dropped the package on the table before vanishing in another ball of fire.
Harry stared at the now-empty space for a long moment, then he shook his head.
"What? Was? That?"
No answer came to his question and he looked at the parcel sitting almost innocently at the other end of the table. For a moment, he considered opening it straight away, but the scent of his breakfast changed his mind.
He would open it with the other presents he had received.
The first presents he had received as far as he could remember.
Truly, it was indeed a magical Christmas.
.
"Happy Christmas!" Joan and Ronald chorused as Hermione entered the living room.
"Christmas hug!" Hermione declared as she wrapped her arms around her parents and for a long moment, the three of them simply enjoyed each other's presence, then Hermione looked round and frowned.
"The pile's bigger."
"Owls dropped off two parcels last night." Ronald explained with a smile. "You'd already gone to bed, so we peeked at the labels."
"Harry and Neville?" Hermione asked and her parents nodded.
Hermione looked at the two parcels, one wrapped in blue-and-silver paper while the other had christmas trees on it that were flexing and moving in an unseen breeze.
"You know," Ronald said teasingly, "If we didn't know you so well, we'd be suspicious. I mean, presents from two different boys?"
"Da-aaad!"
For a moment, Hermione simply glared at her parents, then her eyes widened.
"Mum, Dad, I think I'd better open their presents before the others get here…"
At her parents quizzical looks, Hermione explained. "If the gifts are magical, how could we explain it? Or the paper, for that matter? Especially with the need to keep magic secret…"
"She has a point." Joan admitted, then she grinned. "And I really want to see what a magical Christmas present is like."
Hermione smiled as picked up the first present, flipping over the tag to see who had sent the one in the Ravenclaw colors.
.
"Neville."
"Grandmother."
"A pair of packages have arrived for you." Augusta Longbottom stated before taking a sip of her morning tea. "They're over there, I've already checked them for hexes."
"Thank you, Grandmother." Neville sighed as he looked at the labels. As he expected, one was from Harry and the second from Hermione, both with tags indicating where they had been sent from. Hermione's bore the mark of the Diagon Alley Owl Office while Harry's was marked with the Hogsmeade Branch's symbol.
Glancing at his Grandmother, who was busying herself reading a letter from one of her many political allies (several of whom she disliked immensely and only put up with because their aims and hers weren't opposed to each other), he reached out and picked up the first package.
.
"That was delicious." Harry sighed as he leaned back in his chair, rubbing his now-filled stomach. "Well, I guess I'd better start dealing with the gifts."
Getting up, he picked up the odd present before walking into the room used for mail. Drifts of letters covered the floor while each corner held a pile of presents and he sighed as he looked at them
"From no presents at all to far too many." He groaned as he picked up several letters and looked at the writing on them.
"Urgh. fans. All I wanted was a nice, quiet, comfortable life… ah well. Where did I put the notebook and pen? I'm going to need more paper for the thank-you letters…"
.
"Wow." Neville breathed as he leafed through the encyclopedia of plants that Harry had sent him. "Amazing."
"What is?" Augusta asked, rising from her seat and walking over. Neville angled the book so that she could see it and her eyebrows rose at the sight of the color illustrations set into the columns of text. "When you go back to Hogwarts, that book will have to remain here. It's far too valuable to be risked at school."
"Really?" Neville chuckled. "I've seen books similar to this in Harry's library and they're not nearly as valuable as you think."
Augusta's eyebrows shot up as Neville flicked through the pages. "But it must have cost at least fifty Galleons. Why, color illustrations like those must have taken days to draw…"
"Muggles print books in batches of several thousand at a time, including pictures. They even publish books that are almost nothing but pictures." Neville explained. "Hermione and I had a discussion about it, apparently Muggle printing companies have high-speed presses almost as large as the Daily Prophet building!"
Madam Longbottom performed a rather credible impression of a goldfish as she tried to fit her Grandson's claims into her worldview.
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"This is the Herbs of the Ancient Potioneers!" Hermione squealed as she hugged the book that she had received from Neville to her chest. "I've read about it, but I didn't think I'd own one!"
Finally calming down, she turned and opened up the shrinkable three-compartment-chest that Harry had sent her. Turning the key from the Wardrobe setting, through the Cupboard option and to the Bookcase setting, she stepped back as the bookcases rose and unfolded.
"You know," Ronald said mock-thoughtfully, "You might want to move all your books onto those shelves. It'll free up more space in your room."
Hermione closed the Bookcase, then opened it to reveal a second set of shelving in a slightly darker wood.
"Yes…" She said slowly, her eyes taking in the empty shelves. "Yes, I think I will… after Perdita's gone."
At her parent's quizzical looks, she sighed and explained.
"What do you think she'd say if they saw my room devoid of books?"
"Good point." Joan allowed.
.
Harry scribbled another name on the list he was making, then turned to the final mystery package with a sigh of relief. Picking it up, he found a label attached.
Your father left this in my possession before he died.
It is time it was returned to you.
Use it well.
A Very Merry Christmas to you.
"Huh,wonder what it is." Harry mused as he opened the package, causing something silvery-grey to land in his lap. Opening it up, he looked at it.
"A cloak? I wonder what's so special about it?"
There was no answer, so Harry folded it up and placed it on the table to examine later.
For now he had thank-you letters to write…
.
Draco Malfoy looked at the presents spread out on his bed. True, the Acromantula Silk robes would help him show others his true place near the apex of the social hierarchy, but some of the other gifts from his parents… worried him.
His father had sent him a book on the political maneuverings of Salazar Slytherin prior to the establishment of Hogwarts, maneuverings that laid the foundation for the school even before the first stone was laid, although Draco had already read his family's copy of the Chronicles of Salazar Slytherin, so there wouldn't be that much for him to learn from this new book, no matter who this author T.M. Riddle was. After all, Riddle was not a Pureblood name, so the Author was obviously inferior to him. A second book was beside it and Draco would have sneered at it had he not been instructed via letter to read it thoroughly from cover to cover.
Although what a muggle called Sun Tzu (even for Muggles, that was quite a bizarre name) could hope to teach him he couldn't imagine.
Draco mentally shrugged and picked up the book. His father had relented somewhat (probably due to his mother's pleas) and he would be returning to Malfoy Mansion for the New Year celebrations. It was quite likely that his father would decide to quiz him on the second book and should he fail to show that he had at last read it…
Draco shuddered as he contemplated the likely outcomes, then he opened the book and began to read.
.
.
The scent of burned paper still hung in the air as Harry finished sealing the final letter. Beside him, the metal waste-bin held a large amount of ash and parchment fragments, the remains of over a score of letters that had fallen victim to the sheer speed of his writing and ignited from the friction of his fountain pens (of which seven had also overheated and been thrown away due to their deformed nibs).
"Okay." He sighed as he added the letter to his pile, then shoveled them all carefully into a large bag. "If I remember rightly, the Post Office will still be open, as will Gringotts, so make a withdrawal, then post a lot of letters."
His gaze paused at the sight of a small stack of papers that he had piled up in the corner.
"…and apologetic refusals for the engagement offers." He added with a scowl. "Why would they even think I'd want to get married yet? I'm only eleven, darn it!"
Hoisting the bag over his shoulder, Harry walked out of his study and towards the Reception Room and the Floo within it.
He had a large number of letters to post.
A flutter of wings caught his attention and he smiled as Grace landed on one of the many perches he had placed around the mansion. Putting the bag down, he pulled out a pair of letters.
"Excellent timing, Grace." He smiled and the owl seemed to perk up. "I have a pair of special letters I was worrying about since I can't trust the Post Office owls with them. Can I impose on you to take them for me?"
Grace straightened up and barked imperiously before sticking out one leg.
"I knew I could count on you." Harry said, carefully attaching the letters to Grace's leg. "The first is to Neville, the second to Hermione, but you may need to wait to see if she wants to send a letter back with you."
Grace nodded, then launched in a flurry of snowy wings.
"Okay, now for the rest." Harry sighed as he picked up the bag once more.
.
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"Narcissa, my beloved…" Lucius Malfoy looked up from the letter he was reading. "Why do you have a thank-you letter from the Boy-who-lived?"
"Political expediency, my dear." Narcissa replied as she concentrated on writing a letter in her finest calligraphy. "I sent him a gift voucher and a note stating that I was in no way involved in any scheme against him."
Lucius raised an eyebrow at his wife. "And how is that politically expedient?"
"Because it means that I can pass messages from you to him and vice-versa if required, my love." Narcissa said. "It always helps to have ways of communicating even with your enemies."
"Very true, my beloved." Lucius agreed, returning the letter to where it had been lying on her desk. "Once again you prove how fortunate I was that you agreed to become my wife."
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"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
The Weasley males jammed their fingers in their ears as the youngest Weasley ran around the house, holding a letter to her chest as Molly Weasley smiled.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"It's only a thank-you letter! Why is she making such a fuss?" Ron half-shouted as his sister raced past him.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"We're not sure"/"but we think"/"our over-excited sister"/"will be aiming"/"for Ravenclaw"/"when she goes"/"to Hogwarts"/"next year." The twins laughed as Ginny made her dozenth lap around the room, then Molly snagged her.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEE-huh?"
"Come on, Ginny." She grinned. "Let's allow the others to talk."
As the two females exited the room, Arthur Weasley used his wand to end the silencing charm he had deployed to protect his hearing.