A/N
Ok - This may be my last post in this fic for a few weeks - I'd really hoped to get a few of my fics finished before I went on holiday, but I'm off to the sunshine for two weeks. I'll be back home the last week of May, and I'll try and update as soon as possible, but until then - here's a happy Christmas chapter completely out of season…
Chapter Ten
Harry had a somewhat bizarre lunch in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place with Remus and Dumbledore, the three of them calmly discussing possible Death Eater strategies as they ate a meal packed by Dobby before they'd left Hogwarts. Harry and Remus happily spent the rest of the afternoon working their way through a list of household chores, as Remus told Harry stories of the Marauders days at Hogwarts, and Harry let Remus in on more of the details of his own adventures with Harry and Hermione.
At four they were out in the garden, wrapped up against the cold, laughing and not so much de-gnoming the garden, as throwing gnomes at each other like little children and having great fun in the process. Remus had just managed a direct hit on Harry's back and Harry's return offensive was to run over and leap on Remus' back, knocking them both to the ground laughing. They both picked themselves up rapidly however as they heard a subtle cough from the doorway to the kitchen. Harry and Remus spun around laughing at each other and saw Hermione standing in the doorway, her parents behind her, all looking highly amused.
"Tonks we found them! Working hard as you predicted." Hermione yelled behind her, just before Harry bounded over to her and picked her up, making her squeal as he spun her around.
"What are you doing here?" He asked as he put down his laughing best friend.
"We're here for Christmas. Do you like your surprise?" She asked with a grin. Harry grinned back at her, and turning around saw Remus and Tonks kissing each other in the kitchen.
"I love the surprise. And I think Remus might appreciate it too." He laughed.
"Good to see you Mr. Granger, Mrs. Granger." Harry said shaking their hands, and leading them back into the kitchen past a now blushing Tonks and Remus.
^You're really here for all of Christmas?^ Harry asked Hermione silently.
She turned and smiled at him.
^Yes. I owled my parent's and asked if they'd be ok with this, and of course Tonks wasn't going to complain!^ She replied. Harry put an arm around Hermione's shoulders and hugged her to his side as they walked through the house to the front hall where the Granger's luggage was sitting.
"Harry, why don't you take the luggage upstairs and Hermione can show her parent's around the place." Remus suggested. Harry nodded with a smile.
"Oh, and Hermione, Third room on the left on the top floor is where all the more offensive Black possessions are being stored, so you might want to avoid that one." Remus said with a wink. Hermione nodded her understanding and led her parent's up the stairs showing them around as Harry gathered up the bags and followed the Granger family. He made a second trip to collect Hermione's trunk before releasing Crookshanks from his cage and letting him out into the garden where he immediately shot after a few dazed gnomes still remaining from Harry and Remus' gnome fight.
Harry followed the sound of voices to find Tonks and Remus manoeuvring a very large Christmas tree through the front door of the house as the Granger's came back down the stairs. Hermione clapped her hands and Harry laughed at her excitement, she turned at the sound and smiled at him, her entire face lit up with childlike excitement over the tree, her eyes sparkling happily. Harry felt his breath catch as he looked at her; while she turned and hugged her Dad while Mrs. Granger observed them all with an amused smile, closing the front door behind Tonks, Remus and the tree.
As the tree was slotted into place in the large comfy living room Hermione grabbed Harry's hand.
"Come on! We have to get the decorations!" She said happily. Harry grinned at her as he was dragged up the stairs as Hermione threw open her trunk and returned a large battered cardboard box to its original size. As they returned laughing to the living room, Hermione watched Harry's nervousness grow and she was puzzled.
^What's wrong?^ She asked him as Remus disobeyed Hermione's instructions not to use magic while untangling the lights for the tree.
^You don't like decorating the Christmas tree?^ She asked him in a teasing tone. She froze as she took in his expression.
^Oh Harry.^ She said, resting a hand gently on his arm.
^You never decorated a tree?^ Harry shook his head. She wrapped an arm around his waist and hugged him.
^Well, you're going to love it.^ She told him with a smile, reaching down and handing him a pile of decorations.
"Right, choose a section of the tree and just put things wherever you want to. The beauty of a Christmas tree is that the messier the better. Perfectly decorated trees are too artificial - and there's no fun in that." She told him with a smile. Harry watched everyone else placing decorations on the tree with hapless abandon and loosened up a bit, just putting them wherever he thought they should go. After a few moments he felt a tap on his shoulder. Harry turned to see Remus holding out a very dusty box to him.
"I'd forgotten all about these." Remus admitted.
"But, maybe you'd like to put them on the tree…they were your parents - though Sirius and I had our own decorations mixed in…Lily let us help decorate the tree as we always had Christmas together." Remus said with a sad smile.
Harry looked down at the box, neatly labelled in a swirling script, which he guessed, was his Mother's.
"Thanks Remus." Harry said quietly, taking the box, and lifting the box gently, as if unsure of what he would find. Remus took a step back to give Harry some space, but Harry looked up as if asking him to stay.
"So what are the stories behind all these decorations then?" Harry asked with a half smile as he peered at the eclectic assortment of ornaments. Remus grinned.
"Ah, well, some were obviously bought…but one year Lily was feeling rather nostalgic for the Muggle way of children making homemade decorations so she was sitting with a table full of glue, glitter, and all sorts of craft supplies when we came in from a friendly Quidditch game to find her covered in the stuff. It didn't take much to get us all joining in, and somehow it became a little tradition. It wasn't Christmas at Godric's Hollow until we'd made poorly constructed decorations, got glue in Lily's hair, had a glitter fight and been banished to the garden." Remus looked lost in memories and Tonks smiled at him. Harry looked up to see that the others had stopped decorating the tree to hear Remus' story.
"Lets see these decorations then." Hermione said eagerly. Harry began pulling items from the box and laughed as glitter began flying everywhere. The next hour was spent happily hearing stories not just of his parents and the Marauders at Christmas, but from Tonks, and the Granger's of their own Christmas traditions, and favourite memories of the holiday. Harry couldn't remember ever enjoying such a simple activity as hanging paper decorations as much in his life. He was chatting with Mr. Granger (who'd insisted Harry call him Robert) about Hermione's sixth Christmas when she'd snuck downstairs and unwrapped her presents before they were awake, when Hermione snuck out of the room behind Remus.
"Remus, will you help me with something?" She asked in a whisper as they stood in the hallway.
"Sure, anything for my favourite Head Girl." Remus said with a grin.
"Harry's never had a proper traditional Christmas, our fifth year came close but he was worried all through it. I just thought maybe we could go all out with silly childrens activities, and sledging, and stupid things…so he knows how everyone else felt at Christmas as a child. He told me in there that this is the first time he's ever decorated a tree! I bet he's never even seen the old Muggle Christmas movies, and from what you've said of Lily, I think she'd be horrified that her son had never seen `White Christmas'." Hermione said softly.
Remus looked at Hermione warmly, and hugged her, his eyes a little tearful.
"That was her favourite movie…not just of Christmas movies, but of all movies…it's uncanny that you would sense that…she would have just adored you…and I think this is the nicest Christmas present we could ever give Harry." Remus said.
"I'll get us some supplies, and soon we'll be making gingerbread in the kitchen." Remus said, pausing with an afterthought.
"But please don't let Tonks measure out any ingredients. As much as I love her, she gets a little carried away." He grinned. Hermione nodded and beaming she headed back into the living room where she paused to take in the scene before her, her parents laughing together as they told Harry a story, Tonks standing next to Harry giggling, her hair now festively red and green. It looked like a picture perfect family Christmas, and smiling she looked back at Remus over her shoulder who then whispered.
"I'll just run upstairs and dig out the camera." Having known immediately that was what she was thinking.