Riddle and the Ancient Contract

Chapter 49: Happy Yule

Hari woke the children up with the loud chiming of jingle bells and snow falling down on them. "Up! Up! It's Yule! Presents under the tree and the yule log burning bright! Hot apple cider and hot cocoa!"

The children scrambled from their beds and raced after her being careful not to crowd the pregnant witch on the stairs. They definitely didn't want to cause her to fall. On the ground floor she shooed them ahead of her as she snuggled up to her waiting husband.

"Happy Yule, Tom." She murmured.

He kissed her hungrily. "Happy Yule, Hari. We should join them as I'm sure they are impatiently waiting for us."

They joined the children in the sitting room. Hari grinned at the excited faces of the children gathered around the present laden tree waiting impatiently for permission to tear into the gaily wrapped gifts.

"Mason, why don't you and Celia start handing out the presents?" Hari said as she let Tom settle her onto the sofa beside him. Samira slid into the room and slithered up onto the back of the sofa draping over Tom and Hari's shoulders.

The two kids quickly dropped to their knees on each side of the tree and began reading name tags. Mason picked up a small golden box. "Leonard," he read and handed the box to the small Gryffindor.

"Nathan," Celia handed a purple wrapped box to the Ravenclaw.

Tom slid an arm around his wife and snuggled her close to his side as the children waited for the gifts to be divided out before ripping into them.

Tom was surprised when Mason called out his name and hesitantly held out a present wrapped in blue paper with silver ornaments on it. "Thank you, Mason," he murmured taking it from the boy. He looked down and saw that the tag stated it was from the four children together. He glanced up at them in shock.

Mason shifted nervously. "We wanted to thank you, sir." He flushed and looked at the floor. "For making things better."

Tom blinked and cleared the sudden tightness in his throat away. No one ever thanked him and certainly not for making things better. He was used to being reviled. "You are all very welcome," he murmured. "And thank you for the gift."

It was silent a moment then Celia called out the next name and the gift dispersal continued. It didn't take long for the space under the tree was empty and then with a grin at each other the children began opening their small pile of gifts.

They each got a new outfit and a pair of boots from Hari and Tom as well as one other small gift. Leonard got a practice snitch. Celia a sketch pad and a set of charcoals and colored pencils. Mason a flute that made him gasp and smile happily. Nathan was surprised not to get a book as most got Ravenclaws books, but instead he received a set of colorfully swirled gobstones. Cassandra was delighted to find a baby krup in stasis. She spent the next fifteen minutes cooing over the affectionate little pup.

Hari nudged Tom. "Open your gifts."

He looked at the small pile that had shocked him. He opened the children's gift first and was pleasantly surprised to find it was a finely tooled leather desk pad in Slytherin green along with a self-inking quill. He looked up to find the children watching him nervously. "Thank you all very much. This is a very thoughtful gift."

They all grinned happily before turning back to their pile that now included opened gifts from friends that was mostly candy from Honeydukes and small things like pots of ink or new quills or broom wax.

Hari opened her gift from Tom to find it was a charm bracelet. Dangling from the platinum links was a tiny scroll, a coiled serpent, a black dog, a wolf, a bat and a tiny crib. She blinked back tears of happiness at the symbols of those that meant the most to her. She snickered as she fingered the tiny bat. Severus would scowl mightily when he saw it she was sure of it.