Two Houses (HarryxDraco)

Chapter 32

The drive back from London was uneventful. Harry had drawn the short straw and had to sit in the back of the car, squashed between Ginny and Ron, who continued to spar over who would be taking the Rolls Royce out for a spin when they got home. Hermione, enjoying the legroom in the front passenger seat, chatted to Mr Weasley as the little Lada zoomed through the English countryside. It was a picturesque view of rolling hills blanketed in white snow under a cerulean blue sky. It reminded Harry of the old-fashioned Christmas cards that the Dursleys used to sit on their mantelpiece. Mr Weasley spent most of the journey telling his passengers about all of the modifications he had planned for his new automotive project.

"The invisibility and flying system were a little temperamental in the Ford Anglia," he conceded. "But I think I've ironed out the kinks this time. I'm also working on making it aquatic! No more taking the ferry over the Channel to France, we'll be driving over there for our holidays in future!"

When they finally pulled up to The Burrow, Harry couldn't help but grin at the sight of it. Aside from Hogwarts, it was the only place that had ever truly felt like home, and he was glad to be back, even if it was only for a few days. Smoke drifted lazily out of the Weasley home's many chimneys, and a humongous Christmas tree, almost half as tall as the house, sat pride of place in the centre of the garden. It was covered in a mish-mash of decorations, shiny baubles and strings of flickering lights differing in colour and size. The tree sagged to the left under its own weight and perched perilously at the very top was a large, golden star. As they exited the car and waded through the ankle-deep snow towards the kitchen door, he noticed that Asha and Crookshanks were running circles around the tree, chasing an angry-looking gnome as they did so. Well, no need to ask whether his furry companion had missed him—she seemed to have settled in at The Burrow just fine without him.

Before they reached the back door, Harry spotted several familiar redheads through the casement window, sitting around the kitchen table. As Mr Weasley pushed the door open, the sound of several people talking and laughing over one another poured out into the garden.

"Morning, Weasleys!" he cried over the noise. "I come bearing gifts!"

"Harry, dear!" Mrs Weasley tossed her dishcloth onto the countertop and hurried over to Harry, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. "It's so good to see you!"

"Oh yes, never mind me," said Ron sarcastically, ambling into the kitchen with Ginny and Hermione. "I'm only your youngest son who you haven't seen for three months."

Mrs Weasley released Harry and grabbed Ron. "Oh, behave yourself! You saw me a couple of days ago! How are you, love?"

"I'm great, thanks," Ron returned his mother's embrace and kissed her on the cheek. "Can I smell roast chicken?"

"Always thinking of your stomach," Mrs Weasley chastised fondly. "Come on, you lot. Grab a seat and I'll get you all fed."

The next few minutes were a wonderful manic blur as Bill and Fleur, Charlie and his boyfriend, Gheorghe, Percy and George greeted the group with hugs and kisses. Harry found himself ushered into a chair at the kitchen table with a warm mug of mulled wine thrust into his hand and a plate of Mrs Weasley's delicious home cooking slid under his nose. He couldn't catch what anyone was saying, but he was content to sit back and bask in the warmth of the cramped little kitchen and love from his adopted family. He glanced up at the Weasley clock and felt contentment wash over him as he saw the hand with his face on it pointing towards 'Home'.

Once Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny had their fill of food and drink, Mrs Weasley set everyone tasks in order to ready the house for Christmas. Ginny and Ron protested that they wanted to take a look at the new car first, but she informed them that they could only do so after they had de-gnomed the garden. While Bill and Fleur started hanging Christmas decorations in the living room, Gheorghe and Charlie were sent out to the shed to chop and gather firewood. Percy was instructed to carry his siblings' trunks to their respective bedrooms, while Hermione and Mr Weasley started peeling the potatoes for dinner. Harry volunteered to wash the dishes and watched from the kitchen window as Ginny and Ron bickered with each other as they hurled the garden gnomes over the hedge and out of sight. He hoped that they wouldn't be like this for the entirety of the Christmas break, but they were both as stubborn as the gnomes they were currently evicting that would definitely be back in a few days, so he didn't hold out much hope of that happening.