Here we go, Chapter 1 of 2 for Christmas. Thanks as usual to Lady Starlight for her work on this fic.
Chapter 29: An Introspective Yule
****************************Godric's Hollow*********************
December 24, 1997.
2:00 pm
Hermione looked up as Jane entered the study and sat down, looking at her daughter across a low table filled with various books, and stacks of notes. Crookshanks leapt onto the table from his post next to Hermione and walked over to easy reach of Jane, butting his head against her hand until she started to scratch his ears. "Where's Harry, dear," Jane inquired, with a soft, half-smile, "I didn't think that you two were out of touching distance for more time than it took to go to the loo...and I'm not too sure about that," she added in a undertone that Hermione pretended she didn't hear.
Hermione smiled slightly and glanced back down at the notes she was working on, "I think he's wrapping my present, I'm pretending that I believed him when he said he was going flying."
"They always think that they're fooling us," Jane replied, smiling. "Hermione...about Harry-"
Hermione's head snapped up, her bottom lip fluttered for a second, "Mum, you and Dad aren't mad at us are you, I don't want you to be mad, but I love him Mum, and we don't know, if-"
Jane shook her head and reached out to touch her daughter on the hand, "No, honey, we love Harry. Your dad always wanted a son," she shared softly, her eyes twinkling slightly. "He's good for you, we can tell," Jane said softly. "We were always afraid, when you were younger that you'd never really have friends, then you went to Hogwarts-and putting aside the occasional letter detailing your near death," Jane smiled softly, "your dad and I were ecstatic. You had friends and a boy that you were stupid for..."
"Mum," Hermione objected.
"That's not a bad thing, honey," Jane reassured her quickly, "I'd do anything for your father, no matter what it was."
"I'm scared, mummy," Hermione whispered, she swallowed heavily as her eyes looked suddenly haunted. She took a breath, swallowing emotions, I'm fine Harry, just a flashback, she replied to an urgent thought. She closed her eyes as a mental hug caressed her mind, before taking another breath and opening her eyes to find her mother's blue ones looking to hers. "It's not a fairy tale mum, honestly, I always knew it wasn't, I mean, if it were Harry'd challenge Riddle and end it, and everyone would live happily ever after. The Death Eaters wouldn't go after the hero's family and his friends' families. They would stand and fight, meet on some grand plain and not strike from the shadows against children like the bloody, f... cowards they are."
"Is that why you are working, even now on Christmas Eve, Hermione?" Jane muttered looking down at the notes that Hermione had scattered about the table. A large book was open to a page on Canopic Jars, while another, smaller handwritten one was discussing the similarities between certain Tibetan reincarnation beliefs and the usages of Familiar soul binding practices of ancient Romanian Dragon tamers.
"We don't have a choice, mum," Hermione whispered, looking around the dark, paneled study, "we can't hide, not for long. It's been tried before. But I'm not going to let the same thing happen again, not if I can help it."
'*********************************************************************
December 24, 1997.
8:30 pm
Hermione had been scandalized that Harry had never seen Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in all its puppet glory so they had to watch it when it came on. Sitting there, with her family, he could not help but be amazed at the aplomb that Roger and Jane had shown on learning that their little girl was not just engaged to be married but actually was so; despite how accepting Hermione's parents had been the last time that Harry had seen them in person, the night before school had started, and despite Roger's secret blessing. Of course, he thought lightly, it could be Jane's hormones, he added as he caught the outline of his mother-in-law's very slightly distended belly in the light from the fireplace, Christmas tree and television.
Harry James... Hermione reached back and lightly clonked him on the back of the head as her parents looked over and laughed.
Well it could be, Harry defended himself, as he tightened his arms around her and sighed softly as she pushed back against him. Hermione pulled up the bright, and warm, patchwork quilt that covered them as they lay together on the couch and stretched a bit, further tangling her bare feet with his under the covers. Your feet are cold.
Well warm them up, husband, I married you for some reason... Hermione giggled as Harry muttered thoughts having to do with "powerful bloody wizard...saves world every year...warms feet..." She closed her eyes and leaned back as she felt his feet rubbing hers, You keep that up, we'll have to go upstairs and I'll end up like mum...
Would that be so bad? Harry asked seriously, as he caught the flames reflected from the firelight and the white glimmers from the fairy lights on the enchanted tree in her eyes as she leaned her head back to meet his gaze.
No...no, it wouldn't...> Hermione replied with a slightly wondrous feel to her thoughts as she suddenly watched ghosts of tiny replicas of themselves running down the stairs and diving under the tree. She bit her lip as she felt Harry's fingers slip under the hem of her jumper to rest lightly on her belly. I want that too Harry. God I want that soo much. In the dimness of the room, Hermione felt tears try to escape her eyes, as they knew that they, amongst almost everyone else, could not chance that right now. It was neither school nor the fact that their marriage was still a secret known by a bare handful of people, or even their still young ages, not that all of those weren't a factor. Until Voldemort was defeated, any child would have the substantial risk of not having parents when it was all over, and neither of them could stomach that possibility.
You'll have that, Hermione, Harry whispered back as she rolled on her side between his legs and his hand came up to rub her hair, you'll have that...you'll get to curse me in the delivery room and tell me that you'll never let me touch you again, and scream at me for letting our five-year-old play with daddy's broom, and get really mad when I teach them all the tricks to annoy Filch...
Promise? > She asked nervously, knowing full well that he could do no such thing. He nodded, and she gave him a small grin, before settling back down against him.
Jane and Roger shared a glance, as they looked over at the pair. "What are you two talking about?" Hermione shrugged and laughed at something she saw on the telle.
"Stuff, mum," Hermione replied laughing slightly. She glanced back at Harry, "Stuff," she repeated in a whisper.
***********************Ottery St. Catchpole**************************
A bright moon reflected off an almost undisturbed blanket of snow, as a pair of hooded figures walked hand-in-hand down a brightly lit path in the middle of the woods surrounding the house. Ron glanced down at Luna as she looked up at him, her bright eyes framed by a white halo of fur. She looked down at her white-gloved fingers in his black-gloved ones and smiled as she leaned against him, trusting him to hold her up.
They walked together, for a bit longer, until they reached a small clearing. A small brook bubbled slightly through snow-encrusted rocks, the water silver in the moonlight. Ron waved his wand over a large bolder set to one side of the clearing, cleaning it of snow. He sat down, and cast a silent warming charm before Luna sat down with him, more or less on his knee, and leaned back against him as his arms wrapped around her.
"Thank you Luna," Ron said out of the blue several minutes later. She nodded, but did not speak, letting him talk, letting him say what he needed to say. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here tonight." She looked down and played with his fingers where they were clasped together against her, right below her belly button.
"It's just that I don't know what happened...just all of a sudden, I can't hardly ignore it, when Mum goes on her, 'oh I'm sure Ginny would love that tree', or 'this is Ginny's favorite dish' rant and then looks over at me like its my fault her damn daughter listened to her going on about the 'Great Harry Potter' and tried to land him like he was some great prize at a competition and didn't think of what else might come about from it." Ron shook his head and let out a long breath through his nose noisily. "And Mum is being so bloody fucking...petty about it. Almost all the family has already argued with her about it...that's why Bill and Fleur, are 'spending their first Christmas together'. Fleur tried to talk to her about it the other morning, but mum still won't hear the truth, that Ginny was the one who started it. That she was the one that, if it had been anyone else who had done that to Hermione, Harry would have killed them out of hand and not thought a thing about it. I think Fred and George just showed up to eat; they've already left after all. I guess they'll be back in the morning."
Luna raised his joined hands to her lips and kissed his palm silently, still without saying a word. She blinked a couple of times and wormed her way back into his grasp. "I am amazed that she's not tried to blame Percy or Charlie on them, or Hermione specifically. Or maybe she realizes that she better not cross that line, or I'll never come back. You know that there's no presents to them this year...Mum's even already had the bloody jumpers made for months now. That'll probably hurt them more than anything else, not the lack of the presents itself, Merlin knows that either of them, hell I can now, buy whatever they need, but it was always the thought for them that meant a damn thing." Luna nodded knowingly.
"I don't know what we'd done if you weren't with us this year Luna...what I would have done." Ron let one of his hands drop to his pocket before they clasped together again on her stomach. "And I don't really want to find out about what I would do in the future without you with me." Without looking down, Ron produced a silver ring set with a moderately sized square sapphire surrounded by a pair of triangular diamonds, he silently peeled the glove off her left hand, and slipped the ring on her left ring finger. "Marry me?" he asked as Rowena's ring resized itself to fit her.
"Alright, Ronnie." Luna bent her head back until she could meet his eyes with hers, "I will."
*********************Pendle Hill, Lancashire**********************
Neville Longbottom looked slightly stunned as he passed a plate of potatoes to one of four women that he was sharing a meal with on Christmas Eve. Over the years, Neville had developed a reputation for being confused, stunned, confounded or just plain bewildered; even though those days were gone for the most part, tonight it would be expected of most anyone. Yesterday, Neville had shown up in the company of both Patils and Lavender on the doorstep of the Longbottom's Pendle Hill home, a sprawling multiple-winged, multi-storied, old manor home. A large, sprawling garden decorated the manicured grounds to the rear, its design showing off Neville's horticultural talents. To his immense surprise, Gran had just smiled and ushered them in, and directed their House-Elf, Simmy, to prepare rooms for the girls, which the elf had grinned and immediately did. Neither the elf, nor the girls or Neville had mentioned that two of the girls had spent the night in his room. There were things that Gran did not need to know.
Neville had not hidden his relationship with the girls, in fact he had pulled Gran into a private parlor as soon as Simmy was ready to lead the girls up to their rooms, and explained that he was in a relationship with both Parvati and Lavender, and if she did not accept it, then they would leave. Gran had surprised him, the stern, taskmistress with almost Victorian values that had ruled his life since the night that his parents had been driven into insanity, had thrown her arms around him and cried. Which had scared Neville more than anything, truth be told.
Neville's original plan had been to bring Parvati and Lavender with him to the Longbottom home, and to basically confront Gran with the reality. That had changed three days before they were to leave Hogwarts, when Parvati had found him, crying. She was holding her sister's hand, who had looked at him guiltily, as Parvati explained to her boyfriend that their parents had given them an ultimatum to come home or else. They had chosen the "or else", of course. Their parents, whom had both attended Beauxbatons before their jobs had given them reason to move to England, had not understood their daughters desperate pleas to understand that they had to do this, that they had made promises and there were people, loved ones, counting on them. Their argument when the girls had met them in Hogsmeade at their urging, had managed to push past Rosmerta's almost constant stupor these days to get them kicked out of the Three Broomsticks.
Padma gave him a small smile in thanks as she took a serving from the tray and sat the plate in front of her. Neville nodded and turned back to look at Gran Longbottom who was deep in conversation with Parvati about her NEWT studies. Her black eyes caught Neville's for an instant before she smiled at Gran and continued with her explanation of the current Defense curriculum and how much better it was this year under Lupin than it had been at any time since the last time the lycan was teaching at Hogwarts.
Lavender looked across the table and gave him a tiny grin before she leaned over to Padma and continued to eat her dinner, cutting into her turkey and bringing a bite up to her mouth, her eyes twinkling as she slowly took it off her fork as Neville watched every move. Neville started as he felt her foot rub along his leg under the table, and glanced up to see the blonde waggle her eyebrows, before looking back down at her plate. Neville sighed. "Neville, dear."
"Yes, Gran," Neville replied instantly, tearing away his eyes from Lavender. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Parvati trying not to laugh.
"Neville can you see to our guests?" She rose from the table, and Neville and the girls rose automatically as well. "I wish to retire for the evening. I fear that I have over exerted myself. Simmy?" A small, House Elf with bright, blue eyes and a crooked nose appeared at her feet with a soft pop and looked up at her. "Please prepare my bath, Simmy, and my bed, I'm sure Neville can see to the needs of the ladies if you wish to go visiting after you see to me." The elf grinned up at her and vanished. Gran nodded and headed to the back of the house, towards the wing opposite of the one that Neville had his bedroom in, the same one that his parents had occupied when they still lived here...and the one where they had been tortured.
All four of them watched as the door closed behind the elderly witch and a sudden, shocked silence hung in the air like a thick fog. After a good minute Padma looked at the other three, and sighed. "Fine," she watched the other three, fighting not to laugh the whole while, "I'm going to go grab my mirror and see if Seamus is free to talk, he should be bored by now at Dean's." She left with a small smile dancing in dark eyes.
**************************Dover, England****************************
An old, abandoned, Muggle cottage sat on the white chalk cliffs looking out onto the Channel, its faded and peeling paint and cracked and dirty windows testament to its not having been occupied since World War Two. Muggles avoided the house, as persistent rumors of it being haunted by its former occupant, a widowed wife of a British aviator of the Battle of Britain who had jumped from these very cliffs on learning of her lover's death were true after all. A ghostly, spectral spirit did pass through every so often, not speaking and seeming to look for something or someone.
It did so now, and nodded as the small, red-headed woman sitting up in the magically repaired bed, her knees drawn up and a tattered quilt that she had found in the house wrapped around her naked shoulders, waved to her with a half-full flask of Ogden's reserve. The girl ran her fingers through her hair as she looked out the window at the sleet falling over the choppy, grey waters of the channel.
She handed the bottle to a blond, vaguely aristocratic young man, perhaps only a year or so older than she. He took a pull on the bottle and set it on a rickety table next to the bed, where a single candle glowed, providing all the illumination in the room, save a sullenly glowing pile of coals in the corner hearth. "This is stupid, Red," he commented, as he looked around the room, at the scattered clothing, a pair of small packs, and two pairs of boots, sitting together near the door, both with socks already in them. He reached over, and pulled a cigarette from a half crumpled pack on the table and lit one with his wand, before replacing it back under his pillow.
"These can kill you," Ginny commented as she took the smoke from his lips and took a toke, before handing it back. "Not that we are going to live much longer anyway," she shrugged and noticed as Draco's eyes wandered down as the quilt slipped from her shoulders. She pulled it back up, "Is that all you think about?"
"Basically," Draco agreed snidely, she looked down to watch as his free hand slipped over to rest on her upper thigh, and started to massage the skin it found there. She closed her eyes as her breath hitched. "It must be in your blood, Weaselette, how else do you explain your...family?"
"Boredom?" she shrugged and motioned for the bottle. Draco passed it to her, and watched as she took a drink. "What do you want to do then? Stay here and fuck until either the Order or the Death Eaters find and take us?" She stole his cigarette again, and the pungent odor of a Wizarding cigarette filled the room as she blew out a smoke ring. "I might live if the Order finds us, even though I'm a 'traitor' for attacking Granger. Harry'll want your arse though if he ever catches you. You are probably dead. On the other hand," she frowned slightly, thinking of the consequences and not caring much any longer, "If your daddy or his master catch us, you'll probably be tortured and I'll get the same treatment as any other 'blood-traitor witch'."
Draco did not look terribly concerned as he continued to pat her leg, "Actually, Red." Ginny glared at him as he continued to use call her by her hated nickname. "I probably would be rewarded if I took you to the Dark Lord...the Chosen One," he spat, "probably would come after you, you'd be excellent bait in Voldemort's eyes."
"I doubt Harry'd give me the time of day," Ginny growled, "I seriously doubt that he'd come after me, even if brilliant, perfect Hermione would let him." She walked over to the window, not caring that his eyes were on her, not any more, and leaned against the cold glass. "At least not for anything other than to toss me in the Dungeons." Draco gave her an odd look, almost as if he were remembering a half-lost memory and shook his head.
"I'm weary of talking about Potty and his Mudblood, luv," Draco drawled, "come back to bed." He took a drink and flicked the remaining butt of his extinguished cigarette into the far corner of the room.
"Why Draco," Ginny sighed jadedly, as she turned back to him, "are you going to take me home, Introduce me to your family," a sarcastic smile twisted her lips, "make me the next Lady Malfoy?"
"I was just planning on shagging you," Draco snapped heatedly, as he jumped from the bed and stomped over to the window. "Is that what you want," his hand snapped out and grabbed her shoulder, "to be a miserable plaything for the next Malfoy...I can arrange it. Do you want that?" His voice held an odd edge as he pushed her back, pinning her back against the cold glass. "Do you want a Dark Mark right here," his hand fell to her wrist and snapped it back, holding it next to her ear. Be just like my mother...she didn't want it, not really, but after father and her sister took it..." his voice muttered in her ear as he held her back against the glass with his entire body, and she shivered, and not from the cold.
Ginny was absolutely silent as she looked up at him other than the rapid pants of her breathing. Draco snarled something under his breath and her arm drop before kissing her almost savagely. He turned his back on her, paced back over to the bed and dropped on it, the aged mattress squeaking under his weight as he bent down to retrieve a pair of jeans from the ground next to the bed and pulled them on. He slipped on his abandoned jumper and summoned his boots from the corner with a flick of his wand as Ginny watched him, finally after several minutes; she spoke. "Where are you going?" she asked softly.
Draco glanced up at her from the bed and frowned slightly, "I have to go report to Snape, or the Death Eaters really will think I've turned. Not all of us have the luxury of running."
"It's Christmas Eve, Draco."
Draco closed his eyes as he turned from her for a moment, to toss a coat on, "I know, Red," he muttered softly, and gave her a small, melancholy smile, "it is...go home Ginny...please."
"I can't, Draco, not yet. Spinner's End, right?" Ginny muttered softly as she pulled a long sweatshirt from his pack, a dark green one that fell to her knees, with a large silver serpent on the back, and pulled it over her head. He shook his head as he picked up his bag and shrunk it to fit in his pocket.
"Yeah, if you still want to go through with it," Draco agreed, "Snape might be the only thing that can buy our freedoms." He gave her a jaunty wave and vanished with an odd ripping sound. Ginny watched the space where he had been for the span of three heartbeats before she returned to bed and dropped on it, in the spot where Draco had been.
******************************Hogwarts*****************************
11:55 pm
A single set of tracks marked the fresh snow leading down to a small cemetery set near the lake. A stark white tomb shone in the moonlight, with a crust of undisturbed snow on and around it, save for one set of absolutely huge footprints. Minerva paused on her errand as she saw the evidence of Hagrid's visit, frowned and continued on. She stopped as she reached the tomb, and reached into her tartan-trimmed, black robes and pulled a small, brown paper sack with the emblem of Honeydukes on it out, along with a colorful pair of socks, with tiny animated Lions on them. Brushing a patch clean of snow on the top of the shoulder high tomb, she placed the bag in the newly cleared spot, set the socks on top of it, and stepped back.
"I'm sorry Albus," she whispered in a choked, tearful burr. The elderly witch looked pale in the silver light reflecting off the snow, several trees, barren of leaves sat around the tomb, like sentinels, defending the resting spot of one of their own. "I tried," she continued, "but it's hard, my old friend. I wish you had told me last year, had told me what was happening instead of going off on your fool quest with just Harry and yourself...I wish you would have told me. I wish I wasn't so blind to what was going on in my own house...One of my own, our own caused your death, more than anything. They're like my own grandchildren Albus-the ones I never got to have, you know why."
McGonagall sighed and looked down at her hands, "I shouldn't have reopened the school, Albus, no matter what your portrait, or that letter you left said...They've already attacked Hogsmeade, and someone got to Scrimgeour at his party, last night. He's in St. Mungo's, now, but they think they got him there in time, they had to regenerate almost all of his organs and flush his blood, twice so far, but it seems that whatever he was drinking partially counteracted the effects. I haven't told Harry or his retinue yet, but Slughorn was called in on it, it was the same as...you stupidly drunk."
She paused, looking out over the lake, where parts of it, were starting to freeze. Shivering slightly, she cast a Heating Charm and nodded as she warmed a bit. "You'd be proud of Harry, Albus, he and all of them. Harry and Hermione have already faced Tom, and fought him to a standstill. All of the kids, even the bloody Hufflepuffs are acting like heroes," her voice broke, "and so many of them aren't going to make it. Harry will be a great wizard Albus, someday, maybe even another Godric or Merlin, but he's still so young. And Hermione, she's the only one who can stand with him, but I'm so afraid that it's not going to be enough. He's coming, Albus, he's fought Harry directly now, for the first time since the Tri-Wizard without you there, and he knows that he can't wait. He still doesn't know what they are up to, but it's only a matter of time. And I don't know if they can find them before he attacks."
She stopped and watched as several of the school owls winged by in formation, as if they were saluting the fallen Headmaster. A wolf howled in the night, but she only frowned slightly, before her voice came again, "I wish you were here, Albus, that damn portrait is a pale imitation. We'll try to hold them when the time comes, we'll try to give Harry the time he needs, but I don't know if we can." McGonagall looked back up at the scant lights of the castle, the one in her office far up on the side of the Headmaster's tower, a couple of lights on in Gryffindor tower, and one window lit in Ravenclaw. "Happy Christmas, Albus," she said softly, and headed back towards the castle, retracing her steps in the snow.
Behind her, unnoticed by any save the wind, a flicker of fire appeared and vanished on the top of the tomb, leaving behind in the place of the bag of lemon drops and the pair of socks, a single, long golden feather, which blew away in the wind.
*******************************Godric's Hollow***************************
"Harry," Hermione said, turning over in bed and sitting up. She reached back, and tugged on her loose ponytail for a moment, before getting up and walking across the room to her dresser. She shivered a bit as her bare feet touched the hardwood; "Remus gave me something to give to you for Christmas." She looked back to see Harry holding a book on his lap, and grinned slightly, as he did not quite seem to be paying attention to her words as she bent down to get something out of the bottom drawer. "Honey...it says 'Gryffindor' on the seat of my sweats, just in case you need your prescription checked."
"Funny, Mione," Harry replied grinning, then gave her an exaggerated sad look, Hermione laughed as she ran over and jumped back on the bed, kissing him before she held out her hands. A small, glowing bottle and a tiny pensive sat in her hands. She set it down on the covers next to Harry, and flicked her fingers, watching the engraved bowl expand as they watched. "What," Harry asked as she held up the tiny bottle that most assuredly held a memory, "is that?"
"Remus said that you should see this..." Hermione held her lip in her bottom teeth for a moment, "I thought that you'd like to see it, privately, it's a real memory of your mum and dad...how they really were in school, not what Snape, remembered," she started to get up off the bed, and handed him the stoppered bottle. She stopped as his arm reached out and pulled her back down to the bed. Harry flipped the book in his lap off into an armchair near the fireplace and pulled Hermione down to sit between his legs, with her back to his chest.
"No, Hermione," Harry said, as he kissed her neck and placed the pensive in her lap, "come with me." He handed her the bottle back and smiled at her as she leaned back to give him a quick peck. Hermione unstoppered the bottle and poured the contents in to the bowl, watching as the thick, silver fluid swirled around with a life of its own. She let the empty bottle drop to the comforter, and intertwined the fingers of her left hand with Harry's where they rested together on her belly and slowly reached towards the shimmering surface of the memory. Her finger touched the surface, breaking it slightly...
A rapid rush of color and sound enveloped them as they felt themselves being pulled forward, faster and faster until they vanished into the memory, leaving behind an empty room, save for a old, ornate bowl carved with runes and filled with a shimmering, blue light.
Harry looked around as he and Hermione felt themselves standing together in familiar surroundings. The Great Hall of twenty years ago was decorated for Christmas, with enchanted snow falling from the ceiling, piles of presents were stacked in the corners, and the traditional twelve trees were resplendent with garland and twinkling Fairy lights. A somewhat younger Hagrid was staggering past looking a bit worse for wear in the company of an excited, almost chattering Professor Flitwick. Both of them looked as if they had been hitting the Christmas mead already. Harry took Hermione's hand and they followed, and as Harry heard Flitwick's greeting, he thought his heart stopped for an instant.
"Evans, Potter," Flitwick laughed, "I know you two have a suite of your own," the diminutive Professor looked around and added softly, "Minerva is around here somewhere."
"Oh, that won't be an issue, Professor," an amused baritone replied from just around the corner, "I'll just apply the old Potter charm, and she'll be putty in my hands."
"Like you did to me?" another, softer voice replied with an undertone of laughter. Harry came around the corner, and stopped as he found Lily and James, curled together in one of the small alcoves that Hogwarts had an inordinate number of. He felt Hermione's fingers tighten on his as he looked on the 'live' images of his parents at the age he and Hermione were now. From the jeans and jumpers the two had on, mostly, they were definitely during the holiday break or a weekend, though both had on their heads badges. Harry stopped for a moment to look them over, as every picture he had seen of them was after they had left school, save Snape's memory of course.
Lily's hair was long, but not quite as long as Ginny's, or even Hermione's when it was wet, and not quite as bright a fiery red, with just a hint of curl starting to work its way in. Her emerald eyes, Harry's own, were grinning up at James, as he wrapped his arms around her more firmly, and propped his head on top of hers. James' hair was Harry's of course, just as wild, if not more so, but the eyes behind the black frames were hazel. A tiny glint of metals and stones hanging around Lily's neck caught Harry's eye, and he led Hermione closer, to look.
Harry glanced back at Hermione; then down at her left hand, as they both recognized the same ring that had adorned Hermione's finger since September. Lily reached up and tucked the ring on a gold chain back under her jumper. "I wish you'd just wear it, Lils, I know that you don't want to cause any rumors," James muttered softly, "but it makes me afraid that you..."
Lily rolled her eyes, and pushed James back into the alcove throwing her arms around his neck and snogging him until they pulled back, with James blinking stupidly and looking around the area as if he had forgotten his name, let alone his earlier concern. Hermione giggled, as Harry let loose a small shudder at watching his parents make out. He was beginning to wonder if this were Remus' dream at all when, Remus appeared from out of nowhere, or rather from behind another suit of armor with a small, brunette witch looking at him, dazedly. "Bye, Remus," she said dreamily, and walked off, waving. Lily giggled slightly as Remus looked back and them and shrugged.
"Come on out Padfoot, he's gone," James yelled, and all three of them laughed as a petite blonde, with startling violet eyes staggered out of another alcove, fixing her skirt and blouse as she went. "Bye, Cordy," James muttered, and smirked as Sirius appeared, looking totally unflappable. Sirius bent down and gave the girl a long, deep kiss, as if showing off for the others before she staggered away, looking dazed. Lily rolled her eyes and crossed to the pair, leaving James standing leaning up against a gold suit of armor.
Lily reached up, grabbed both Remus and Sirius by the ears and tugged them towards the Great Hall, "Come on you two, I'm hungry, and I still want to get in some studying tonight," she grunted as she pulled against the resistance of both men, who towered over her by at least a head, "Sirius, you can...see her later."
"But LIIILLLY," Sirius grunted, "you can study anytime," he glanced at James, who was whistling and pretending not to pay attention, "ohh, I get it...studying, back at your private table, all the way back in the stacks, just you and Prongs, eh?"
My table? Hermione asked, in a mixture of emotions. Harry shrugged, and pulled them back out of the way as his mother took a step backwards, and BANG, a huge, shaggy black dog stood where Sirius had been.
"Infestious," Lily incanted, and James and Remus laughed as Padfoot sat back on his haunches and scratched his side furiously, all the while letting out soft whines. Lily let him scratch for a moment longer, before flicking her wand again, vanishing the fleas, and scratching Sirius behind the ears, "you know I love you Padfoot," she whispered in his ear. A huge dog grin erupted in his face as he jumped up, placed both paws on her shoulders and licked her face, "EWW," Lily cried, "Sirius slobber."
The dog's great head looked back and forth, verifying they were alone, and SHIFTED, standing and flowing back into the tall, handsome form of Sirius. "Ya know you love me Lily," Sirius proclaimed, as he bounded forward and placed his arm around Lily. She grabbed his hand and twisted, spinning out from under and pinning his arm back for an instant, before she crossed back to James and leaned back against him, unconsciously snuggling back in his arms as she glared at Sirius.
"I...suppose," she agreed after a moment, she bounced her wand against the palm of her other hand for a minute, "if I didn't, you'd probably be a tad less popular with the members of my gender," she jabbed her wand at him, causing him to flinch and her to giggle before she vanished it up the sleeve of her jumper. He just rolled his eyes as she turned on her heel and led them into the Great Hall. The four of them crossed into the Great Hall, and stopped, looking around as the normal four large house tables and the Head table had been reduced to one smaller one set for around twenty. The four of them entered and sat, with Sirius and Lupin digging in immediately, and James right after.
"Shame Peter couldn't stay with us this Christmas," Lupin proclaimed after a moment, he looked around at the almost empty hall, with only a couple of other students still here, "Think of what we could get into, I hear Slughorn got in a new batch of Doxie Venom, we could..."
James' eyes lit as he leaned forward, "We could rig little droppers over all of the seventh year Slytherins' beds..."
"No," Lily said flatly.
"But, Lilllyyyy", three voices whined as one.
"No," she replied and holding up a breadstick as if it were a wand, pointed at each of them in turn, starting with Sirius, and ending with James, "we are going to have a nice, peaceful Christmas, no worrying about what the...group, is up to--" she paused and looked around to see if anyone had heard her, "no pranking...well maybe a little," she allowed and all three boys grinned, "but only with what you already have. Slughorn already thinks I nicked the Boomslang skin last month."
"Yes, dear," all three of them replied exasperatedly.
She rolled her eyes, and took a drink of her pumpkin juice, before jabbing her thumb over her shoulder at James, "He gets to call me dear, you two," waving at Sirius and Lupin, "can call me Miss Evans."
"Yes, Mrs. Potter," Padfoot and Moony said as one, and ducked as several rolls lifted from the table and shot past their heads. Sirius got up quickly and retreated from the hall at a run, as four large turkeys rose from their plates and began to march at him. The turkeys followed at a trot.
Lily smiled slightly as she slipped her wand back in her sleeve, and raised an eyebrow at Lupin, he held his hands up at chest level in surrender; she nodded and turned to James. "Why'd you do that?" James muttered as she slipped her arms around his neck, and looked up at him.
"Because," she shrugged as she leaned in, and muttered against his ear, "Sirius is distracting when I do this, and Merlin knows, that distraction is bad," her eyes slipped closed as she tilted her head slightly brushed her lips across his.
"What about Remus?" James asked, whispering against her lips.
"He's smarter than Padfoot, he knows better," Lily replied grinning, and groaned as James returned the smile and dropped his lips to hers.
A whirl of color and sound swirled though the memory, and Harry and Hermione felt themselves behind pulled backwards to land back on their bed in Godric's Hollow. The pensive rocked for several instants info Hermione's lap before she held the bottle up above the glowing liquid, and watched as it flowed back into the bottle, and stoppered itself. Hermione carefully set the bottle and pensive down on the floor next to their bed before she half-turned to tuck her head into Harry's chest and closed her eyes as he leaned back against the headboard. Neither of them said a word as she felt his fingers start to run through her hair.
There we go, Next Chapter more Christmas, more Ron and Luna, he he...and Hermione's parents learn a bit
more of the consequences that Harry pays for his destiny.