Harry Potter and all characters, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling, not me.
The Time Meddlers
Chapter Eleven - Christmas with the Grangers
Harry smiled to himself as he did something he hadn't done in the original timeline during first year. In fact, the only time he'd ever done this was during his sixth year. He boarded the Hogwarts Express to leave the castle for the Christmas holidays. During fifth year, he'd ridden a portkey to Grimmauld Place, but that just wasn't the same.
He actually had planned on staying at the castle until a few days before McGonagall was to collect the names of those staying for the holidays.
Harry was adding more scrambled eggs to his plate at breakfast when Hedwig arrived in the Great Hall and flew directly to Hermione. He glanced up and saw her untying a note from his owl's leg. "Is that from your parents?" he asked.
"Yes. Thanks again for letting me borrow Hedwig."
"It's no problem. I'm sure she enjoys the exercise," he replied while his girlfriend gave a piece of bacon to Hedwig. "Besides, I don't have anyone to write out there."
She quickly opened the letter and looked it over, letting out a small squeak as she grinned broadly.
"What is it?" he asked, smiling at her obvious glee.
"I asked, and they said YES!" Hedwig flew off her shoulder and onto Harry's, apparently scared by this display of emotion. He began absentmindedly petting her.
Harry was confused. As much as he tried, he couldn't imagine what she was talking about. "Asked what?"
"If you could spend Christmas with us," she said happily. "They said yes!"
He was genuinely surprised. "Y-you asked them…"
"You didn't think I'd let you spend Christmas all alone here, did you?"
"I, I just didn't think…"
Under the table, she took his hand in hers and lowered her voice. "Harry, you know I wouldn't want you to be alone. Don't you want to spend Christmas with me?"
"Of course," he replied.
"Good. Then I'll send them a note to expect you." She then whispered in his ear, "It'll be our first Christmas as a couple."
He smirked and whispered back, "Yet, not a couple."
It was a few days later that McGonagall, knowing about his situation at home, asked him if he was staying for the holidays. She seemed absolutely delighted that he had someplace to spend Christmas.
Neville, Harry and Hermione boarded the train and quickly found a compartment and settled in. Hermione quickly pulled out her wand and pointed it at the doorway, which glowed for a second while Harry was asking Neville about a plant to distract him. What she'd done is put what she called a `Slytherin ward' on the door, but didn't want Neville to know she could do spells of the level that she'd done - especially since she'd done it silently. Once the spell was cast, Hermione joined the conversation.
"So, you're saying that Devil's Snare can be useful in certain circumstances?" she asked him.
"Absolutely," said Neville. "It can help defend a house, keeping out undesirables like…" At that moment, the door opened, revealing Crabbe, Goyle, and of course their leader, "Malfoy."
"Longbottom, how can a pureblood like you stand sitting in the same compartment as that mudblood?" he sneered as he stepped inside. "It's bad enough with Potter being a half…What's happening?" The three Slytherins' skin started to turn green while their hair turned silver. At the same time, they began to develop a terrible odor, but fortunately, the wards pushed them all out the door forcefully, before closing it.
All three Gryffindors began laughing their heads off, and Harry could hear some laughter coming from outside the door as well. Obviously, the three stooges had been spotted.
"What did you do to them?" asked Neville, once he'd regained enough composure to ask the question.
"Just brought out their Slytherin side a bit," said Hermione.
"Yeah, but what kind of spell does that?"
"It was in a book I picked up last summer," lied Harry. "I couldn't do it, but Hermione managed it somehow. She's really brilliant."
"I guess she's not at the top of our class for nothing," said Neville, accepting the story.
"But don't tell anyone about it," charged Harry. "We don't want to get in trouble."
"No problem, mate."
--HP--
"Hello, Hermione!" said Mrs. Granger happily as she pulled her daughter into her arms. "I missed you!" Harry stood in the background watching this reunion.
"I missed you, too, mum," the girl muttered, holding her mother tightly. Hermione did her best to hold back the tears as she embraced the woman who'd been murdered about a year before she and Harry went back in time. "I love you," she added in a whisper.
"I love you, too, Hermione," the woman replied.
"Don't I get a hug?" came a man's voice from beside them.
"Of course, daddy," Hermione replied, letting go of her mother to embrace her father, who'd suffered the same fate as his wife in the previous timeline. Harry was able to see a lone tear making its way down his girlfriend's cheek.
He grinned broadly as thought, `This is why we went back in time.'
"Hello, Harry," said Mrs. Granger, pulling him out of his thoughts, as she held out her hand to shake his. "You've been in every letter Hermione has sent us. Thanks for being such a good friend to her."
"It's been my privilege," he replied with a grin. "Thanks for inviting me over for Christmas."
"Thank you for letting Hermione use your gorgeous owl to write us."
"Hedwig likes the exercise." He turned to the cage he was holding. "Don't you, girl." She hooted affirmatively, causing Mrs. Granger to chuckle a bit.
"You are an intelligent girl, aren't you?" Hedwig nodded in agreement.
"Good to see you again, Harry," said Mr. Granger, before shaking his hand. "We'd better get going."
--HP--
Before long, Harry and Hermione were sitting in the back of a silver BMW, with the adult Grangers in the front. "So, Hermione," said her father, "You haven't written much about the new Potions teacher. The one who replaced that git…What's his name? Snake?"
"I believe it was Snape," corrected Mrs. Granger.
"Yeah," grumbled Harry. "That's his name."
"I understand he was especially cruel to you, Harry."
"Yes, sir."
"I'm just glad you were able to get rid of him," said Mrs. Granger.
"Me, too," said Hermione. "How are things going at the practice?"
Mr. and Mrs. Granger exchanged a quick look that didn't go unnoticed by the kids. "It's been busy."
"Are you still having problems with Mr. Thorn?"
"Not anymore. He dropped the case. How do you know about that?" asked her father.
Hermione looked nervous, suddenly, and Harry realized that his girlfriend was using information her parents hadn't given her yet. "Er," she eloquently stated, "You mentioned him in a letter."
"I don't remember writing about him," said Mrs. Granger, who always penned the letters, although her dad signed them, too, and added comments. "You've never shown any interest in the business before, so I don't know why I'd have mentioned it."
"You must have, dear," said Hermione's dad. "How else would she know about that lawsuit?"
"I guess so," she conceded, but looked like she wasn't sure.
Hermione would later tell Harry that while she'd read books on dentistry, she'd never shown interest in her parents' actual practice before first year, but that over that Christmas break, her parents had mentioned that man had tried to sue them because a tooth her father had worked on was broken later that day when he got into a fight.
--HP--
Harry exited the car and gazed at the house before him while he realized he'd never been to Hermione's home before. It was slightly smaller than the Dursley house, but, at least to Harry, it looked much more inviting. The lawn was covered in snow, so Harry couldn't tell if they kept a garden or not. The light blue paneling on the house appeared to be only a year or two old.
"Well," said Mr. Granger. "Here it is. Home, sweet home." He opened the boot of the BMW and grabbed his daughter's trunk. Harry then took his own. He'd elected to not keep it in his watch/trunk to avoid uncomfortable questions - at least at the train station. He knew he'd have to answer some questions when he and Hermione set up the cabinet in her room, but at least there wouldn't be any students around listening. However, he didn't have much in his regular school trunk, so it was pretty light. He had no problems carrying it into the house, nor following Hermione to the guest room with it.
The room was about the size of Dudley's second bedroom, but had a nice bed in it. It had tan carpet and white walls, as well as an old dresser. There was also a large bookcase filled with books, which made Harry raise an eyebrow.
Hermione looked a bit embarrassed. "Well, you see, there's just not enough space in my bedroom to keep all my books, so I use…"
"The whole house," he completed with a smirk.
She grinned and stuck her tongue out at him. "Not quite."
"Aren't you gonna show me your room?" he asked. "I believe your mum told you to show me around the house."
"Already trying to get in my bedroom?" she asked in mock-irritation.
"I just want to see your wall-to-wall bookshelves."
"Ha-ha," she replied with a smirk.
"Maybe the cabinet will have to go in here due to the lack of space."
"That's actually not a bad idea," she commented.
"Oh?" he asked.
"Could you imagine my father's reaction if he ever found out what that cabinet can do if it were in my bedroom?"
A look of fear came across Harry's face. "Good point."
"I think my parents should know what it is, anyway," she stated.
"What?" he asked, surprised.
"If not, then how will we be able to explain my disappearances or your sudden appearances when we use them?" She then smirked. "Besides, you can't use magic here, so how are you going to get the cabinet out of your trunk without dad's help?"
--HP--
A few minutes later, Hermione, with Harry behind her, opened the door to her bedroom. "Well, here it…oh my." She slammed the door as her face turned bright red.
Harry was amused with her embarrassed reaction. "What's wrong? Is it a mess?"
"Not hardly," she replied. "It's just I…forgot."
"Forgot what?"
She took a deep breath. "I, er, redecorated my room after second year."
He looked a bit confused. "So, you don't like how it's decorated now?" She nodded. "That's no problem," he said while grabbing the handle. "I'm sure the walls are covered with books any…." He clamped his mouth shut to stop him from laughing at his girlfriend. To say the room was girlish would be the understatement of the century. The walls were a bright shade of pink with purple hearts in a random pattern. Hermione's dresser was a light shade of purple, and her bed had sheets that matched the walls. The white carpet was alright, though.
But that wasn't what embarrassed Hermione. Hanging on one wall were framed report cards. Another had several rows of framed test papers. Everything he saw was straight A's. Right below the test papers were pink bookcases next to each other, filling up that whole wall. All of those bookcases were full.
"I'm going to redecorate now," she declared from behind Harry, absentminded pulling out her wand.
"No," he said. "You'll get caught doing underage magic. We'll need to do it the muggle way."
"Fine. I'll ask my parents to pick up some paint and paintbrushes for us."
--HP--
"So, Harry," said Mrs. Granger, "Do you want to call your aunt and uncle and tell them you made it here alright?" It was the middle of dinner and she thought she was just making conversation. Harry dropped his fork and Hermione looked at her boyfriend with a concerned expression.
"No," he replied. "That won't be necessary."
"But you've just been for a long train ride and are with people they've never met. Surely they'll want to know you're fine. Also, they haven't heard your voice for months."
"They don't want to hear my voice," Harry said shakily. "And they don't want me to call them."
Mr. Granger's eyes narrowed slightly and Harry gulped. "They do know you're here, don't they? You haven't run away, have you?"
"No, sir," said Harry. "I haven't run away, but they don't know or care where I am."
The adult Grangers glanced at each other for a moment before he spoke. "We'll have to see about that."
"But, daddy," started Hermione, starting to panic. "You can't send him…"
"Honey," he interrupted. "I'm not sending him back, but I am calling his family." Harry tensed even more. "If his staying here is fine with them, then he'll stay. Otherwise…" He let the sentence hang before turning to the Boy-Who-Lived. "Harry, what's your phone number?"
--HP--
The young couple was in the living room waiting while Mr. and Mrs. Granger were making the phone call in another room.
"What do you think the Dursleys will do?" asked Hermione.
"Try to talk your parents into letting me spend the summer here, too," he replied neutrally.
"If you're so sure of that, then why are you still nervous?"
He sighed. He could never hide his mood from her. "It's just that they might want me brought to them just to make me miserable."
"I doubt they'd do that," she replied, "not after you removed Dudley's tail."
"I don't know. I'm just hoping that they realize that my not being with them is what they really want."
At that moment, the adults entered the room looking angry. "Harry, you can spend the holiday here," said Hermione's father. "And may I say I have never spoken with such an irritating man before."
"You were right about them not caring," said Hermione's mum sadly. She now looked sympathetic instead of angry as she put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Your uncle got mad when we suggested he speak to you on the phone."
"I'm sorry that you had to speak with him, Mrs. Granger."
"Marissa, Harry, call me Marissa."
"And you can call me Adam."
"Thank you, sir, I mean, Adam."
"So, what do you want to do tonight?" Adam Granger asked.
"Actually," said Hermione, "There's something we'd like your help with."
"Oh," Marissa asked, "What's that?"
"You know how muggle magicians sometimes perform a magical vanishing cabinet trick?"
"Yes."
Harry said, "Well, in our world, there really is such a thing as a vanishing cabinet."
Both adults' eyes bulged out. "Really? That's fascinating."
"They work in pairs," added Hermione, "With one cabinet leading to the other."
"Hm," said Adam. "While that's interesting, I still don't see what the favor is."
"I own a pair," said Harry, "and…er…would like to keep one here."
Both adults were silent for a few seconds. Marissa finally asked, "Where? Where do you have them?"
"Right here," Harry said with a grin, pointing at his watch.
The two adults watched in amazement as he removed his watch, set it on the floor and expanded it. As he was leading them down the ladder, he said, "This is where I spent my last month with the Dursleys after locking my door."
"It's an entire apartment," added Hermione. Her parents were speechless as they were given a brief tour.
"And these," said Harry proudly, "are the cabinets." He walked into one and out the other.
"Wow," said both adults.
"I wonder if they work for muggles?" commented Hermione.
"Why don't we find out?" said Adam before entering one. After about ten seconds, he exited the other. "I guess they do." He took a deep breath. "That leaves us with the question of whether I should allow one of these to be put in our home."
"Daddy, I'm sure you can see the advantages in it. We could visit you during the school year."
"I thought that castle was supposed to be secure so that no one could get in or out undetected."
Harry and Hermione exchanged grim expressions for a moment as they remembered how Malfoy had used these cabinets, once upon a never. "These do go past Hogwarts' wards," admitted Harry.
"But they're very rare," added Hermione.
"How did Harry get them?" asked Marissa.
"I bought them at a…wizard pawn shop. They were the only ones there and are considered antiques."
"They must have been expensive," commented Adam.
"They were," admitted Harry. "I inherited a decent amount of money from my parents that I didn't learn about until I got my Hogwarts letter. Aside from these and my special trunk, I've been pretty frugal."
"Where do you plan to keep the cabinet if we agree?" asked Marissa.
"In the spare room," answered Hermione.
"Let's get back up to the house," said Adam.
"Sure," said Harry. "By the way, when magic is performed inside the trunk, our Ministry can't detect it, so this could be a place to practice magic. I did last summer."
Marissa smiled. "Maybe later you two could give us a show of what you've learned."
They exited the trunk and Hermione's parents went into another room to discuss it.
"What if when they're older, they use that trunk to…you know?" asked Adam.
"They'd be able to do that at Hogwarts, anyway, and at least with one cabinet in here, we could burst in on them at any time."
"I suppose," he said, "it would be good for Hermione to be able to practice her magic during the holidays." He sighed, "Besides, I never liked the idea of not being able to see what I was paying for my daughter to learn until she turns seventeen." He paused. "I swear, the way she's been acting today, I'd think she already was that old. Have you noticed the change?"
Marissa nodded. "Yes, I guess going off into a whole new world by yourself will do that."
"I suppose," he grumbled. "But she even wants to redecorate her room."
"She just wants to show she's not a little girl anymore."
"Maybe," he grumbled. "So, we're agreed about putting a cabinet here, then?"
"Yes," she said, grinning. "I think it'll be fun to have it here."
"Yeah," he agreed with a grin, "but if I catch him trying to sneak into Hermione's room, wizard or not, I'll…"
"They're still young for that."
"But they'll grow up fast. I still can't believe Hermione's twelve. I remember driving her home from the hospital like it was yesterday. We'll blink our eyes again and she'll be eighteen."
"Maybe I should talk to Hermione about boys before she goes back to school," commented Marissa. "Anyway, let's get that cabinet in Harry's room."
--HP--
At the same time that a vanishing cabinet was being moved from Harry's trunk to the Grangers' spare room, Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his office staring at a cloak he'd once borrowed from the late James Potter. This was the first time he'd looked at the cloak in a decade. He'd been truly surprised all those years ago to find this particular cloak in James' possession, and he imagined that it was in Harry Potter's great-grandfather's possession at the time he and Grindelwald were seeking it out.
Albus knew by rights that the cloak belonged to Harry, but at the same time, he felt the boy would probably use it to run away from the Dursleys, and then he'd never be found if he were careful. The only magical objects Dumbledore knew of that would allow someone to see through this cloak were his glasses and Alastor's wonderful eye. He had personally charmed both of those devices with his own wand that he'd won from Grindelwald, all those years ago. The Ministry aurors used a cheap imitation of Dumbledore's glasses that could see through most invisibility cloaks - but not this one.
Also, the headmaster simply didn't trust Harry. He'd already caused enough damage by sending all those memories to Rita Skeeter. Who knows what he'd do at Hogwarts if he could become invisible? He'd already shown that if he can't get his way, he'll have revenge, even if he had to use his celebrity status to do so, bashing the reputations of both himself and Severus in the process. The boy had no respect for authority. He'd probably use the cloak to discredit other teachers he doesn't like or to steal exam answer keys.
He picked up the folded cloak and placed it back in its drawer, placing appropriate security charms. He'd return it when the boy turned seventeen. It was already in his will that Harry should receive that cloak if he (Albus) died before then. What Harry didn't know wouldn't hurt him, and Dumbledore was positive that Remus didn't know he had the cloak. The werewolf most likely assumed it was destroyed when Voldemort killed James and Lily.
--HP--
Just before he went to bed, Harry was headed to the bathroom with his toothbrush and toothpaste. Even though he technically could brush his teeth in his trunk, he figured that it would be impolite to do so. He did that at the Dursleys because he wanted no part of them but didn't want to give that impression to the Grangers.
As he approached the lavatory, the door swung open, revealing Hermione's father. "Hi, Harry. I hope I didn't keep you waiting."
"No," he answered. "I was just on my way to brush my teeth." He held up his toothbrush as he spoke.
Dr. Granger's eyes narrowed at the dental instrument that had obviously seen better days. "That toothbrush needs to be replaced. How long have you had it?"
"Er," he said, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed. "As long as I can remember."
"Don't you get a new one at your dentist's office?"
Now Harry's ears turned pink. He looked down at the floor as his feet started to shuffle. "You see, I haven't…I've never…"
It didn't take his doctorate to figure out what Harry was trying to say, especially after his earlier phone conversation with Vernon Dursley. "The Dursleys never took you to a dentist." It was a statement, not a question, but Harry nodded ashamedly.
"We'll fix that tomorrow. I can fit you in at ten for the works - x-rays and cleaning. Then, if I find any cavities I can take care of them before you go back to school."
Although Harry contemplated the idea of being at the mercy of his girlfriend's father in a dentist chair (despite the fact Adam didn't know he was Hermione's boyfriend), he shrugged his shoulders, deciding that he could probably benefit from dental services. "Sure. I can get the money at Gringotts if…"
"No. This one's on the house," said Marissa from behind Harry. She'd obviously been listening to the conversation.
"You don't have to," he started to object.
"We insist," said Adam. "But for tonight, I do believe we may have a new toothbrush lying around somewhere." He walked back into the bathroom and opened the cabinet, revealing a stack of new toothbrushes. "I don't suppose you've ever flossed, either?"
"Flossed?" Harry didn't even know what that meant.
Adam sighed. "I suppose you can wait one more night for that. I'll make sure to teach you how to floss tomorrow at your appointment."
Harry took the new toothbrush and did what he'd intended, and then went to bed. That's when the nervousness set in. He knew Dudley always complained about the dentist, but realized that Dudley wasn't your average kid, so his complaints might not be valid. He started whispering to himself.
"I've faced Death Eaters. I've faced Voldemort. I've even injected myself with poison to come back
in time. I can face a dentist."
--HP--
The next morning found a very tired, yet tense, Harry sitting next to Hermione in a waiting room.
"Calm down, Harry. Dad's not going to hurt you."
"Not if I sneak out," he replied with a smirk.
"Very funny," she said before he stuck his tongue out at her.
It was about fifteen minutes later that Harry was led into the exam room by the hygienist.
"Well, young man, I understand that this is your first dental cleaning."
"Yes, ma'am," Harry said as he climbed into the odd chair.
The next forty-five minutes were very unpleasant. In between taking a fluoride treatment that was not really the flavor he'd requested - just a poor imitation - and having his teeth scraped by that pick, he discovered that his gums were very ticklish. Yet, at the same time, his gums, as well as the rest of his mouth, were in pain, especially as his teeth were being flossed. He couldn't imagine how Dr. Granger expected him to start doing that to himself every day.
After the cleaning, his mouth was x-rayed from every imaginable angle. While he waited for the results, he wondered which was worse - a dental appointment or Voldemort's cruciatus curse. He had just concluded that it depended on how long one was held under the spell when the door opened again.
"So, Harry," said Adam Granger, "That wasn't so bad, was it?" The boy remained silent. "I suppose it wasn't very pleasant. There's a reason for that. I'm afraid your teeth are in bad shape."
"How bad?" Harry asked.
"Well, you have six cavities that I'll fill before you go back to school."
"Joy," said Harry sarcastically.
"You've also got gingivitis."
"That's some kind of problem with my gums, right?"
"Yes. You also have several loose teeth, as well as a few missing ones." His expression turned to one of concern. "Did the Dursleys do that to you? Did they hit you in the mouth?"
"Dudley did," admitted Harry as he looked down. "Whenever I couldn't dodge."
"And the Dursleys did nothing about it?"
"I was punished for hurting Dudley's hand with my teeth the day I lost one of them."
Mr. Granger looked very upset. He took two deep breaths before speaking again. "What I'd usually recommend is braces, but they'll need adjustments, where you have to come back here. The problem is your school…"
"Can't I just use the cabinet to sneak into your house and go to this office from there?" Harry asked.
The dentist looked like he could hit himself. "Of course! We can make Saturday appointments." More quietly he mumbled, "I could do the same with Hermione." Looking back at his patient, he said, "Marissa is the orthodontist. She'll have to handle the braces. The problem is who will pay for them." He sighed. "As much as we'd like to pay for everything, braces are more expensive than…"
"I've got money at Gringotts," said Harry. "It shouldn't be a problem."
They spent the next few minutes discussing the price. Harry commented that it should just cover a trip to Flourish and Blotts for Hermione, but Adam retorted that they didn't charge that much for braces.
--HP--
Hermione wasn't entirely thrilled when she found out that she could now get braces, but Harry reminded her that they'd be able to disillusion them anyway so nobody would see them. They decided not to mention the Time-Turners to her parents, just assuring them that they wouldn't be missed for a few hours on a Saturday. The truth is that they wouldn't be missing from Hogwarts at all when they would use the cabinets.
After leaving the office (which was only a mile from the Grangers' house) on foot, the kids stopped by a nearby store to get paint and supplies for redecorating Hermione's room. Her parents had given her some money for that. The couple had their hands full as they walked out of the store and around it, until they were out of sight. Harry then took off his watch, and they loaded their supplies into it. Walking a mile was much easier without being loaded down with cans of paint.
Harry and Hermione spent the next few days wearing old clothes as they painted her room. The walls were painted light blue, and her parents got her new sheets to match. All her report cards and tests were put into a box and stored in the attic. The bookcases were painted a light shade of brown. Hermione embarrassed Harry by hanging a picture of him on her wall, along with a picture of her parents.
However, on Christmas Eve, Harry dressed in a suit he'd bought along with his other clothes the previous summer. He'd apparently grown a bit since then, but was able to magically adjust its size while inside his trunk, safe from the Ministry's monitoring of magic. The adult Grangers had been very impressed the day before by a demonstration of some first-year spells inside that trunk.
The reason Harry, as well as the Grangers, was dressed up was because they were going to church. The Boy-Who-Lived personally had never been inside a place of worship before in his life, although the Dursleys attended on Christmas Eve as well as Easter every year. When he was little, he'd asked why he couldn't go and was told that the roof would cave in if a freak like him walked inside, before being locked in his cupboard.
Now, he understood what Aunt Petunia had meant. She had mistaken muggles who try to be witches and wizards through rituals considered evil by the church with people like himself who are simply born with magic in their blood. As he understood it, although he was no expert by any means, what those muggles would do could easily be considered worship of something besides the Christian God, and some of them even did harmful things to others.
His magic, on the other hand, had absolutely nothing to do with faith, worship or religion. It was just a natural talent, no different from being good at spelling, except that it was a lot rarer and required a special school to learn about. He also knew that no ritual, potion or spell could make a muggle magical, just as no ritual, potion or spell could take someone's magic from them. Otherwise the purebloods would've been taking magic from muggle-borns and giving it to squibs for the past thousand years.
Overall, he found his first church experience fairly interesting, although he didn't completely understand some of what was being talked about. He did understand the concepts of loving your neighbor as yourself and doing unto others what you want them to do unto you, which the preacher said was a large part of true Christianity. With that in mind, Harry immediately decided something he'd long suspected but didn't know enough to prove - the Dursleys weren't really Christians. He, himself, didn't know what he believed in besides the concept of right and wrong. The other part of Christianity the preacher had talked about was something Harry didn't understand - a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
--HP--
The next day, Harry celebrated his first Christmas away from the Dursleys for the second time. It began with a loud knock on his door.
"Harry, wake up!" Hermione's voice came through the door. "Happy Christmas!"
Shaking himself awake, he called out, "Happy Christmas, Hermione. Give me a minute."
"Just one minute, and you'd better be out by then."
After wiping the sleep out of his eyes, putting on his glasses and yawning, he got himself out of bed and pulled a t-shirt on (he was already wearing a pair of jogging pants) and opened the door. "Good morning, love," he whispered to his secret girlfriend before following her to the living room, where four stacks of presents were under the tree.
"Happy Christmas, Harry!" said both Adam and Marissa Granger.
He smiled at them both and replied, "Happy Christmas."
"Let's get these presents open so we can eat breakfast," said Hermione's dad. "Sweetheart," he continued, indicating his daughter, "Why don't you pass out the gifts?"
"Alright."
She began passing the gifts out to the other three before opening anything of her own, until her mum said, "Honey, why don't you open that package?" She pointed at a rather large package, which turned out to be an encyclopedia set. Hermione's face lit up with joy upon seeing that.
"We figured that Harry wouldn't mind storing that in his portable apartment," commented her father while Harry nodded his head, obviously delighted in seeing his girlfriend so happy. "We would've gotten them for you during the summer but knew they wouldn't fit in your school trunk, but now…" He trailed off, not wasting his breath explaining how much room she had access to because of Harry. She quickly hugged both her parents.
Although Harry had insisted that his dental checkup was enough of a gift, the Grangers given him a year's subscription to `The Amazing Spider-Man' comic, along with the current issue. He happily began flipping through it, saying, "Dudley would always tear his comics up when he got done with them so I couldn't even think of borrowing them."
Harry gave Hermione a collection of different colored inks, along with some fancy new quills, while Hermione got him a book on prank-spells. They'd agreed to not give each other any romantic gifts to avoid suspicion until they started officially dating in third year.
It was about that time that there was a loud POP in the living room, and a crying female house elf appeared holding two small wrapped packages.
"Master Harry is giving Winky a Christmas present!" she exclaimed while sobbing. "Winky is knowing Harry Potter is being a great wizard, but never has anyone been giving Winky a present!"
"Happy Christmas, Winky," replied Harry.
The crying elf then turned to Hermione. "And Harry Potter's Grangy is also giving Winky a present. She is being a great witch."
"It, it was nothing," said Hermione. "Happy Christmas."
"Aren't you going to open them," asked Harry while the adult Grangers watched in silence.
"Oh, Yes, Winky is being opening them!" She then tore into the package from Harry like a toddler and gasped when she saw what it was. She began another round of bawling as she held the gold necklace in her hands. "This is being too beautiful for Winky."
"It suits you," said Harry. "Why don't you put it on?"
"Let me help you," said Hermione when she noticed the elf's trembling hands. Once it was on, she told Winky it looked very pretty on her. When she looked like she was about to start crying, Hermione said, "Now, open mine."
When that package was torn open, it revealed a magical sewing kit, along with an instruction manual and supplies. Hermione said, "Since we can't give you clothes, I thought I'd give you the means to make your own."
Winky began bawling yet again. "Winky is a bad elf! Winky isn't getting presents for Harry Potter and his Grangy!"
"That's alright, Winky," assured Harry. "You didn't know we were giving you presents."
"You didn't expect to celebrate Christmas with us, so you didn't think you'd need presents," added Hermione.
"You're not a bad elf. You're a good one," said Harry, "and we hope you have a very happy Christmas."
Winky cried more, and after thanking both of them yet again, she popped away with her gifts.
"That was unusual," said Hermione's father, once the elf was gone.
"Could you tell us what that was?" added her mother. Harry and Hermione briefly explained house-elves and said that Harry had recently hired Winky. After that, they resumed opening their presents.
Harry noted regretfully that he did not receive a Weasley sweater for Christmas, although this year he got something from the Grangers instead. Both he and Hermione exchanged a look when he got through all his presents and did not receive his father's invisibility cloak.
--HP--
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