Faery Heroes

Chapter 41: Not So Silent Night

"You're trouble enough when you're sober, Sirius," Harry laughed with a roll of his eyes as he stood from his chair. "You'll have to excuse me if I refuse to take responsibility for whatever mess you get yourself into when you're drunk."

"Most kids your age would love to be allowed to get drunk with their godfather's permission," Tonks lamented, pulling out a trio of shot glasses from the cabinet. "Somehow, Sirius, this is your fault."

The Animagus simply huffed good-naturedly at the pair and pulled the bottle of firewhiskey closer to himself. "Just for that, you don't get any, either."

"Shut up and pour the damn drinks," Moody growled.

Taking that as his cue to go, Harry gave the three an exaggerated bow and left the room. He appreciated the offer, but there was no way he was going to let himself be caught in that situation. Joining Sirius for what the old dog said used to be a Marauder Christmas tradition would have been fun, and Tonks was definitely treating him with more equality than she had in the previous timeline or even that summer, but Moody was a deal-breaker. Much as he liked the paranoid semi-retiree, there was no way he was going to be even slightly inebriated in front of the man. Moody was just too clever.

Mione remarked more than once that I have looser lips than I ought when I'm too deep in my cups, he recalled as he walked up the stairs to the third floor, and giving Mad-Eye hints that I'm not exactly who I claim to be would be very, very bad. The neutralizing potions are good, but they don't last forever. All they would need to do if they believe I'm an impostor is wait it out and force-feed me Veritaserum. Our secrets need to stay secret to everyone but the three of us.

He shrugged his concerns away for the moment and pushed open his door. Immediately upon seeing what was inside, he turned around and glanced back at the stairwell to make sure he was on the right floor. Unfortunately, he was. "Ginny, would you like to explain to me exactly what you're doing in my bedroom?"

The redhead smiled faintly. "I… I was waiting for you."

"I can see that," he allowed suspiciously, "but why were you waiting for me?"

"Er… Well… That is…" She took a deep breath and pointed to the gold ribbon she had tied into a bow around her throat, her blush rising past her cheeks to turn the tips of her ears the same shade of red as her hair. "I have a present to give you. Are… Don't you want to unwrap it?"

Closing his eyes wearily, he let out a deep sigh. Was it too late to go back down and join in on the drinking? "Ginny, I really don't have the patience to deal with this right now. I just want to go to bed."

"Okay," she said, not getting up from where she was sitting on the side of said bed.

"…That was a nice way of saying 'get out'."

She stood this time, but rather than walk out the door as he was hoping – but not expecting – she would, she crept a few steps closer to him. "Harry, I know you don't mean to, but you're… you're hurting me, hurting me so much. Every time I see you laughing with Luna or cuddling on the couch with Hermione, it feels like my heart is being torn out of my chest. I… I love you, and—"

"No, you don't." The girl blinked in shock at his statement. "You don't love me. You don't even know me. I understand that you have a crush—"