Harry Potter and the Wrath of the Fallen

Chapter 23: Christmas at the Burrow

Christmas Day dawned with little fanfare in the Burrow. The traditional celebrations were being postponed until the evening, when Ron and Hermione were due to return from Spain. Most of the remaining Weasley sons were taking advantage of this situation, using it to visit their partner's families for the morning, before they were due to return to the Burrow following lunch. 

Charlie didn't have a partner, unless you counted dragons, which Charlie did; so he was spending his morning tending to the blind dragon which had been released from Gringotts, as well as checking on the progress being made on establishing a new dragon colony far to the north.

This left a subdued atmosphere hanging over the Burrow, as Harry and Ginny enjoyed a peaceful morning with Molly and Arthur. Molly in particular, had been very relaxed. For the first time in many years, she only had to prepare one meal for her family on Christmas day, and it had turned out to be a pleasant relief for her, instead of the disappointment she had feared she would feel at not having her family with her all day.

After a slow start to the day, finished off with a nice breakfast, Harry and Ginny had taken Arthur and Molly to the site on which they planned to build their house, which only had stakes in the ground marking the structures size at this point.

Molly had been delighted to find that it was only a five minute walk from the Burrow, and had remarked, much to Harry and Ginny's discomfort, that it would be wonderful when they gave her some grandchildren as they would be so close by.

While they were in no rush, Arthur had taken the opportunity to walk around the site. Once he had finished pacing around the stakes, he had looked up and stared at Harry and Ginny with a quizzical look on his face. He caught Harry's eye and waved for him to join him. Harry walked over and stood next to Arthur, as they both tried to imagine the completed structure standing before them.

"Harry, maybe I'm imagining things, but the size of the staked out area seems to be a lot larger than the size of the house in the plans you showed us. Am I missing something?" asked Arthur curiously.

Harry smiled to himself. Arthur had already noticed the discrepancy between the plans and the reality of the site.

"Let's just say the house will have the potential to be much bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside," said Harry.

"How much bigger?"

"Big enough to accommodate a large family the size of, say, the Weasleys, if we had to."

Arthur chuckled softly. "Can I see the plans for the full house?"

Harry grinned. "As soon as they're ready, I'll have Kreacher bring them over," said Harry. "Don't tell Molly or the others yet though, Ginny wants to surprise them when it's finished."

Arthur quickly agreed not to reveal the true nature of the house, as he looked across the site and watched Molly and his daughter having an animated discussion as they peered out across the fields.

Harry and Arthur made their way back to Ginny and Molly, before they all headed back to the Burrow. Harry and Ginny had gone inside while Arthur and Molly continued down to the local village. They were going to visit Fred's grave and Harry and Ginny had decided not to join them, as they thought Arthur and Molly would like to spend some private time with Fred today.

                                                               *

 

Draco Malfoy could see the excitement that had gripped his father. His father's Ministry contact had confirmed the whereabouts of Harry Potter, so the final piece was now in place. All that was left for Lucius to do now was to decide on the best time to launch his attack.

"Father," began Draco, "when do you think we should attack?"

Lucius regarded his son for a moment before answering. "Why do you need to know, Draco?"

Draco held out his empty hands. "Because I need to acquire a new wand before I can help in the attack."

Lucius huffed as he dismissed Draco's concern with a wave of his hand. "We do not have any means of procuring a new wand for you, Draco," pointed out Lucius, as if speaking to a child. "You will have to take one from the first of our enemies that falls."

Draco nodded, while the inner turmoil he felt threatened to spill from him and reveal the treachery he was considering. It was apparent now that his father wished to attack Harry Potter while he was at the Weasley's home.

While Draco had often wished ill against the Weasleys and Harry, he didn't relish the idea of trying to attack them on their own territory. If he was honest with himself, he no longer bore any animosity towards any of his old enemies. They had fought and won their victory, and nothing he or his father did now would change the outcome of the war.

Draco had grown tired of this self imposed exile, and now wanted only to taste the peace which everyone else seemed to be enjoying. He had lost friends and his innocence to the war, and he could see no reason why anyone else should have to suffer now. The very idea of attacking others turned his stomach, leaving him feeling a chill that would not leave his body.

So now he found himself trying to devise a method of alerting Harry Potter that an attack was imminent. He had hoped his father would permit him to venture outside in search of a new wand, allowing him a chance to raise the alarm before anything happened, but his father's plan for securing a new wand spelt an end to that idea.

"Perhaps I could attain any other supplies we may need to launch a successful attack," mused Draco.

"Don't be foolish, Draco. Even if we needed anything more, you are far too recognisable to risk exposing you to the public. I suggest you learn some patience. It will all be over in a matter of days."

Only days, thought a very worried Draco Malfoy. He didn't have much time if he wanted to try and put a stop to this madness.

Draco considered his options as he tried to get comfortable on the floor. He could run from this group and go to the Ministry, but he dismissed this idea as he wasn't sure anyone at the Ministry would believe his warning. He didn't blame them really; he had not exactly proven to be trust worthy to anyone.

His second option was to stay with this group and hope an opportunity presented itself for him to warn Harry Potter. For some reason, Draco thought the only person who might believe him was Harry Potter, but he had no idea how he could get close enough to contact Harry without facing a very real chance of being killed for his trouble.

Draco's final option was to run and hide. This option held little appeal for him, as it meant he would have to live in one dirty hole after another until he was eventually captured. He was under no illusion about his chances of indefinitely evading the Aurors; he would be captured one day and Azkaban awaited him.

The day wore on slowly for Draco as he contemplated his options. He never realised it was Christmas day as he wrestled with his conscience and his courage.

Finally, Draco made his decision, and he felt his resolve harden like never before. This was a decision he would be able to live with regardless of the outcome.

                                                               *

 

An eruption of emerald green flames in the fireplace next to the kitchen announced the arrival of the first of the guests at the Burrow.

As Harry sat in the living room with Ginny, he heard the commotion as Molly greeted the first arrivals. Ginny got up and made her way to the kitchen, Harry following in her wake. When they walked into the kitchen they found that Bill and Fleur had been the first to arrive.

Harry shook Bill's hand before giving Fleur a kiss on the cheek. Harry's mind swam as he was almost overcome by Fleur's staggering beauty, leaving him red faced as he stepped back from her, trying to put as much distance as he could between himself and Fleur.

Harry was baffled by his own reaction to Fleur. He thought he had got past the involuntary swooning, but something about the effect of Fleur's part Veela origins seemed to be affecting him more than was usual today. Harry just hoped Ginny didn't notice.

Luckily for Harry, Ginny hadn't noticed his reaction because she too was captivated by the radiant beauty of Fleur. Ginny stood back and shook her head, trying to clear the fuzziness away that had suddenly overcome her thoughts. As she stepped back, she noticed the way Fleur's hands were positioned, gently cradling her tummy.

Realisation dawned for Ginny and sanity returned to her world. She bounced across the room, a beaming smile on her face as she threw her arms around Bill.

"Congratulations, Bill," said Ginny, before breaking apart from her brother and embracing Fleur. "Oh, Fleur, I'm so happy for you," gushed Ginny.

 Harry was left feeling mildly embarrassed by Ginny's display. He glanced at Molly and was startled to find she too was smiling, tears flowing down her face as she put an arm around her son. Harry gazed at Bill, only to find he was grinning broadly as his face turned red.

As the puzzlement swept through Harry, Molly finally came to his rescue as she spoke to Fleur.

"So, dear, when are you due?" asked Molly, the excitement in her eyes clear to see.

When Fleur smiled, Harry felt his knees go weak, but at last he finally understood what was going on.

"We think eet will be in ze middle of May," said Fleur, her own excitement bubbling to the surface.

"That soon," exclaimed a startled Molly.

Bill could sense the danger in the air. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner, Mum, but we had a few problems and we weren't sure what the outcome was going to be." Bill put an arm around his wife. "Fleur's morning sickness was becoming progressively worse and we were worried that something might be wrong. The Healers have assured us though, that all is well, and Fleur is feeling much better now."

Molly regarded her son with a stern expression for a moment, before her face softened as she made her way to embrace Fleur. Molly kissed Fleur on both cheeks before she broke away.

"Come and sit down, dear, you shouldn't try to overdo it," warned Molly as she led an unresisting Fleur to the table.

Bill looked at Harry and Ginny and rolled his eyes. Harry and Ginny tried to suppress their laughter as they realised Bill and Fleur may have had more than one reason for not informing Molly sooner of the baby that was on the way.

                                                               *

 

As the light began to leave the sky and the stars came out, the Burrow was almost bursting at the seams as most of the Weasley family and their partner's carried on rowdy conversations while they waited for the last two people to arrive.

As they all waited for Ron and Hermione to make an appearance, Harry had flittered amongst the rest of the Weasleys, catching up on bits and pieces of news and gossip. Molly kept casting furtive glances at the fire place, as she was becoming concerned regarding the whereabouts of Ron and Hermione. She had checked her clock and seen that Ron was travelling, but she didn't think it was going to take so long for them to arrive.

Bill had sat at the table as his brother's and their partner's had come to congratulate him and Fleur as word of their good news had spread, which gave Charlie good cause to rather vigorously commence toasting the news of the expectant arrival.

Others were watching warily as Percy and George had brought a large box of new products for everyone to try out. Unfortunately, these products turned out to be prototypes of the new range of children's toys which George and Percy were branching out into, and as such were not entirely reliable when it came to producing the advertised results.

Harry had kept his distance from the products after seeing what was supposed to be a magic carpet for three to six year olds throw itself over Arthur, its tassels making a near successful attempt to steal Arthur's wallet as he spluttered and staggered around the living room.

Verity and Percy's girlfriend, Audrey, had both admonished George and Percy as the two Weasleys wrestled the magic carpet back into its box. Arthur had roared with laughter as his sons apologised for the incident, conceding their new children's line of products still needed some fine tuning.

Meanwhile, Ginny was doing her best to keep her mother calm as they waited for Ron and Hermione. Just as Molly was on the verge of panicking, Ron's hand on the clock shifted position to 'home'. Molly had turned expectantly to the fireplace, but nothing had happened. The whole house had quietened as they started to wonder what was going on.

Arthur heard the sound coming from outside first. He jumped to his feet and made his way to the front door. Once Arthur opened the door they could all here the unmistakable sound of a struggling car motor making its way up the path towards the Burrow. Harry had shared a puzzled look with Ginny before they had followed Arthur outside, along with the rest of the family.

The entire group stood in the front yard, transfixed as they watched the old car come to a stop in front of them, its dim headlights barely managing to illuminate the grass directly in front of the car. Harry peered at the car, with a vague feeling that he had seen it before.

The doors of the car creaked open, pieces of its once white paint flaking off, and Ron and Hermione emerged from the vehicle, wide grins on their faces.

"Evening, Weasleys," said Ron as he bounded over to his family and began the long process of greeting everyone.

Once Ron and Hermione had finished greeting the family, they all started to move towards the car to get a closer look. All, that is, except Molly.

"Ronald Weasley, what is the meaning of this?"

Ron sighed. "It's just what it looks like, Mum. It's a car. A Ford Anglia to be precise."

"I know what it is, Ron," said Molly sternly. "What I want to know is why you are driving around in it?"

Ron grinned. "It's a Christmas present," he explained.

Molly looked surprised by that. "Christmas present? But who gave it to you?"

Ron laughed while Hermione started to make an obvious effort to distance herself from her boyfriend.

"It's not for me, Mum, it's from me."

Ron held up the keys in his hand. "Dad," he called.

Arthur pulled his head out of the car window and looked at his son. "Yes, Ron."

"Catch."

The keys soared through the air and into the suddenly outstretched hand of Arthur Weasley. He looked from the keys in the palm of his hand back to his grinning son.

"Merry Christmas, Dad."

Arthur looked stunned for a moment, until a huge smile broke out across his face and he started to bounce up and down on the spot, finally throwing the car door open and diving in head first.

Ron turned back to face his mother. He visibly paled as he saw the expression on her face.

"Sorry, Mum," said Ron weakly, "but I owed him one."

Molly glared at her youngest son for a minute before she sighed and shrugged her shoulders. Why fight a battle you can't win, she thought to herself. She knew that if Ron hadn't bought her husband a car, it was only a matter of time before Arthur came home with one anyway.

"Oh, Ron," said Molly, as a small smile appeared on her face. "Why couldn't you have bought him a nice new car instead of this old thing?"

A mixture of relief and guilt crossed Ron's face as Hermione rejoined him. The couple glanced at each other before they both burst out laughing. Ron was still chuckling when he started to speak again.

"Hermione said the same thing," Ron explained for his mother's benefit. "Merry Christmas, Mum, it's great to be home."

                                                               *

 

Following the lengthy exchanging of gifts between so many people, the group was now sitting or standing around the table, all wearing their new Mrs Weasley knitted jumpers. Apparently all the money in the world didn't change some traditions, and Harry found he was touched by the notion that Molly still felt compelled to put a little something of herself into her gifts. However, there was no gift that had drawn attention like the little creature now sitting amongst them at the kitchen table.

Kreacher hummed happily to himself as he swung his little legs over the edge of the chair he was sitting in. His head barely came above the table, leaving only his eyes and ears visible while his hands appeared every so often to scoop up another piece of food with the spoon and fork he was wielding.

Harry looked around at the others. He could tell they were all trying not to stare at the house-elf as they ate their dinner, but they couldn't seem to help taking frequent glances in his direction. Molly in particular, seemed to be unable to stop looking at Kreacher as she unconsciously bit her finger nails. If Kreacher noticed, he didn't seem to mind.

"How's the food, Kreacher?" asked Harry.

Kreacher turned his head towards Harry and beamed at him. "Delicious, Master. Kreacher must pass on his compliments to Madam Weasley."

Harry looked at Molly and saw the smile on her face. The slightly tense atmosphere lightened instantly and the noise level rose with it as other conversations were started and the clinking of cutlery on plates increased in tempo.

As dinner moved onto dessert, the entire group had watched in fascination as Kreacher ate ice-cream, his little body shivering each time he put a spoonful in his mouth. Finally Harry could no longer contain his curiosity.

"Are you alright, Kreacher?"

Kreacher looked at Harry and grinned. "Oh, yes, Master. Kreacher has never been eating ice-cream before. It is making Kreacher cold, Master."

Harry was suddenly alarmed. "You don't have to eat anything you don't want to, Kreacher. Do you understand?"

"Of course, Master, but Kreacher wants to finish his ice-cream."

In the corner of the kitchen, Charlie chuckled. He produced a glass and added a small measure of Firewhiskey to it. He stepped across the kitchen and placed the glass in front of Kreacher.

"Here you go, my little friend. This will warm you up if you get too cold."

"Thank you, Master Weasley," replied Kreacher.

Before Harry even had a chance to stop him, Kreacher had grabbed the glass with both of his long fingered hands, and emptied the contents in one gulp. Harry waited nervously for Kreacher to react in some way.

The house-elf's eyes started to water before a hiccup escaped him. Kreacher covered his mouth with his hand before another hiccup escaped him. He started to giggle as the group surrounding him all shared bemused looks. His giggling continued, punctuated by the occasional hiccup, for a couple of minutes. By the time the house-elf was able to pull himself together, the rest of the group was struggling not to break out into their own fits of laughter.

Kreacher held out his glass to Charlie. "Kreacher would be grateful if he could try that one more time."

"Of course, Kreacher," said Charlie amiably, as he poured another small drink for Kreacher.

Charlie kept pouring drinks as other glasses were thrust out towards him. Once all the glasses had been filled, Charlie held his glass aloft.

"To Kreacher, Merry Christmas my friend."

"To Kreacher," chorused the rest of the group, before downing their drinks.

Kreacher looked to Harry, a baffled expression on his old wrinkled face.

"They're toasting you, Kreacher. It's a sign of respect," explained Harry for the elf's benefit.

Kreacher looked at the floor in embarrassment for a moment, before he lifted his head and gulped down his drink in one go again. Another little giggling fit overcame Kreacher, and this time he was joined by several of the Weasleys.

As the meal finally ended, Kreacher had hopped down from his chair and begun to move plates from the table to the kitchen bench, ready for washing.

"Kreacher, dear," said Molly, "you don't have to clean up. I'll take care of that for you."

Kreacher gave Molly a small bow. "Thank you, Madam Weasley, but I must insist that I perform the task. You have already cooked the meal; it is only right that I should clean up."

Molly was left a little dumbstruck by this. She wasn't quite sure how to deal with a house-elf, but her uncertainty was short lived as the sound of several chairs scraping across the floor drew her attention. Molly looked at the table and was startled to see a collection of sheepish looking Weasley men, and Harry, had all stood and were now starting to clear the table.

"Why don't you go and enjoy your radio program, Molly," suggested Arthur. "We'll take care of the mess for you."

Molly smiled as she made her way across the kitchen, thinking to herself that she could get used to this sort of behaviour. As she reached the fireplace she turned back and addressed Kreacher.

"Kreacher, you are most welcome at our table whenever you would like to join us."

Again Kreacher gave Molly a bow.

As Molly and Fleur retreated into the living room, the rest of the group made short work of cleaning up before moving into the living room themselves to enjoy the final hour or two of their long day.

The night drew to a close with people heading off in all directions, and Kreacher returning to Grimmauld Place, the occasional hiccup still emitting from him.

Harry and Ginny made their way up to their bedroom, Ron and Hermione following them up the stairs. As they all stopped to say goodnight to each other, Ginny had demanded that the next morning Hermione and Ron had to tell her all about what they had done during their holiday in Spain. A very weary Hermione had agreed before dragging Ron further up the stairs, while Harry and Ginny entered their room.

As the couple changed for bed, Harry found he was feeling very pleased with how the evening had gone. He had been worried that Kreacher may have felt out of place, or his presence would unnerve some of the Weasleys too much. Instead, it had been a great success and Harry was glad for it. He and Ginny would now be able to include Kreacher in many more family activities in the future.

"Kreacher seemed to have a nice time tonight," said Harry.

Ginny grinned as she thought about the little house-elf. "I know, I thought Hermione was going to burst into tears as she watched him. You did a very nice thing for Kreacher, Harry."

Harry returned Ginny's grin. "Remind me to thank Molly for agreeing to have him over."

Ginny had finished changing and stepped over to Harry, putting her arms around his neck and kissing him softly.

"Take me to bed, my sweet Harry."

Harry felt his heart race as he moved over to the bed with Ginny and lifted the covers for her. Ginny slid into bed, followed by Harry moments later as he dimmed the lamp and sealed the room.

Despite their intentions of enjoying some intimate time together, the length of the day started to overcome them. Harry and Ginny were both asleep within minutes.

                                                               *

 

The next morning found Harry and Ginny lying in bed together, both feeling a little embarrassed at having fallen asleep last night, despite their other intentions. They were both relieved to learn that they had both fallen asleep, leaving the couple laughing together before they decided to make up for their lost opportunity.

When Harry and Ginny eventually reached the kitchen, they had been delighted to find Andromeda and Teddy sitting at the table with Molly and Arthur. There was no sign of Ron and Hermione, so Harry guessed that they were enjoying catching up on their sleep following their holiday.

"Hello Dromeda, how are you?" asked Harry, as he pulled a chair out for Ginny before sitting down at the table.

Andromeda smiled at Harry and Ginny. "I'm very well, thank you. We thought we would just drop over to wish you all a Merry Christmas."

Teddy started to struggle in Andromeda's arms as he reached for Harry and Ginny, his hair turning black as his brow furrowed in concentration.

Harry laughed as Teddy was released onto the table top by Andromeda, and started crawling across to Harry. Harry scooped the baby up in his arms as he stood from the table. He raised Teddy over his head and Teddy began to giggle and burble, holding his little podgy arms out as if he was flying.

Harry had considered buying Teddy a toy broom for Christmas, much like the one he had been given by Sirius when he was only one year old, but Ginny had persuaded him that it may not have been the best idea he had ever had. Teddy was still too young to go flying, but Harry consoled himself that there was always next year.

Harry lowered Teddy back down, and the large baby fastened his grip around Harry's neck. Harry was amazed by the strength as he struggled to shift Teddy into a more comfortable position.

"Strong little man, aren't you, Teddy," rasped Harry, his throat slowly being constricted by Teddy.

Ginny had laughed at Harry's discomfort before she stood to help him. She prised Teddy's arms from around Harry's neck and lifted the baby up in the air, producing another series of giggles from Teddy. She rested Teddy on her hip as she watched his hair now turn red.

"Come on, Teddy, let's go and look at Dad's new car," Ginny suggested, as she made her way towards the front door, Harry laughing as he followed close behind; Molly, Arthur, and Andromeda watching them go before they exchanged delighted looks with each other.

Outside, the air was cold and the ground was wet as the sun peeked through the clouds above. Teddy had initially been reluctant to get into the car, but after Harry had accidentally bumped the horn, Teddy had found a new favourite toy.

As Teddy leaned repeatedly on the horn, the small sad honks from the car sent Ginny and Harry into hysterics, until the a very bleary eyed Ron and Hermione appeared in the doorway of the Burrow, both glaring as they located the source of the sound which had woken them.

Harry and Ginny had both stopped laughing as Ron and Hermione switched their glare from the car to Harry and Teddy, who was now standing on Harry's knees while holding the steering wheel. While Harry couldn't lip read, he thought he could see Ron using a few of the more colourful swear words as he shut the Burrow door.

Ginny turned and grinned at Harry, reducing them both into fits of laughter again as Teddy resumed honking the horn.

Eventually, Harry and Ginny had made their way back inside with Teddy, handing him back to Andromeda. Harry dashed up the stairs and disappeared into his room for a moment, before he returned to the kitchen.

"Dromeda," said Harry as rejoined the table, "I need to give you this."

Harry handed over a small brass key to Andromeda. Andromeda took the key and examined it before she returned her gaze to Harry and smiled.

"I appreciate the offer, Harry, but I don't need any money."

Harry nodded his understanding. "I know you don't need it. I'm not in a position to be able to help raise Teddy at the moment, but this is something I can do. That key is for a vault in Teddy's name, and it contains enough gold to cover his upbringing and education."

Andromeda's eyes widened at that. "Oh, that's far too much, Harry. You mustn't feel that you have to pay for Teddy; and you need to make sure you have enough money to start the next phase of your own life."

Harry smiled briefly. "Sirius left me the Black vault, advising me to use the money wisely."

Realisation dawned for Andromeda and she smiled broadly. "Well... in that case, Teddy and I are delighted to accept your offer. It's about time somebody used the Black fortune for a worthwhile purpose."

Harry breathed out in relief. He wondered why everyone had so much trouble accepting money, even when they obviously could use it. That was one thing Harry could never relate to, having been well off since he was eleven years old.

Meanwhile, Molly had started cooking breakfast, and the sound of Ron's stomach rumbling was clearly audible throughout the kitchen. Ginny asked Hermione about their trip to Spain while they waited for breakfast.

Double helpings of everything were enjoyed by everyone, particularly Ron, before Andromeda and Teddy had departed, promising to visit again soon. Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione had continued their conversation about their holidays so far, as Molly fussed over Ron, making sure he had plenty to eat before she offered to wash his clothes for him.

A baffled Ron had turned to face Harry and Ginny as Molly ascended the stairs in search of his dirty clothes.

"What's gotten in to Mum?" he asked in between mouthfuls of scrambled egg.

Harry and Ginny shared a look. Harry thought Molly was now focussing extra attention on Ron as he would soon be Molly's last child still living under this roof. He noticed Ginny had raised an eyebrow as they looked at each other. Harry guessed her thoughts were similar if not the same.

"Who can say, mate," said Harry evasively. "Before I forget though, Max and Mary have been released from St Mungo's and Molly has invited them to dinner tomorrow night, along with their parents."

Harry was pleased to see his quick change in subject had the desired effect of diverting attention from any discussion that may remind Ron and Hermione there was still a secret they didn't know yet.

"That will be wonderful," said Hermione with a cheerful smile, before her face fell. "We did feel terribly guilty leaving so soon after everything happened. I wished I could have visited them in hospital."

"Don't worry about it, Hermione," said Harry reassuringly. "There was nothing you could have done if you had been here, except sit around with us and wait. I would have gone on a holiday too if I'd been smart enough."

The kitchen fell silent for a second as the King's Cross attack reared up again in their minds. Harry was surprised to find all the initial desire that he had to talk about the attack with Ron and Hermione had left him, and nobody else seemed inclined to discuss it at the moment. Harry shook his head to clear it.

"Hey, Ron, what sort of brooms do you have here?" asked Harry, a thought occurring to him.

Ron shrugged as he thought for a moment. "There is a couple of old Cleansweeps in Dad's shed, and I've got a broom in my room upstairs. Why do you ask?"

Harry grinned. "I thought we could let the kids have a fly while they're here. I don't think they're parents have ever seen them fly."

Ron and Ginny now grinned as well, while Hermione merely looked resigned to the inevitable. To this day, she still did not understand her friend's obsession with flying, but she did concede that she was obsessed with books while none of them were. Perhaps it was just a different kind of obsession.

                                                               *

 

Max and Mary Dearborn were almost shaking with excitement. They were standing in their family home as they watched Arthur and Harry brushing the ash off their clothes following their arrival in the fireplace. The children's parents were clutching each other in shock following the fiery arrival of the two wizards.

"Sorry about that," said Arthur genially as he used his wand to quickly clean the ash off the deep shagpile carpet in the Dearborn's living room.

"Please, think nothing of it," said Mrs Dearborn shakily, trying to get her heart rate back under control.

Harry looked down at his students. "Hi kids, you did warn your parents about how we would arrive, didn't you?"

Max and Mary nodded in unison. "Yes, Harry," said Max.

Mr Dearborn stepped forward and held his hand out to Harry. "They warned us, Mr Potter, but it may have lost something in the telling," said Mr Dearborn with an anxious grin. "It was just a little more spectacular than I had expected."

Arthur chuckled to himself. "Well then, if we're all ready, it's almost time to go."

A look of fear passed across the faces of Mr and Mrs Dearborn. "How are we getting there?" asked a nervous Mr Dearborn.

"Ah, we will be travelling by car today," explained Arthur. "The Ministry has provided a car and driver to us for the duration of your visit"

"The Ministry," exclaimed Mr Dearborn. "You mean the Ministry of Magic?"

"Of course. It's the least we could do to show our gratitude for your children's actions at King's Cross," said Arthur.

Mr and Mrs Dearborn suddenly beamed with pride as they looked at their children.

The honk of a horn from outside announced that the Ministry car was ready and waiting for them. Arthur ushered everyone out of the house and down the path to the waiting car. Harry noticed that the Dearborn's front garden was well maintained, but not to the fanatical degree of his uncle's yard.

A large black sedan sat at the curb, the driver standing at the rear door ready to open it for his passengers. Max and Mary ran excitedly down the path to the car. As the door was opened they dove in, Harry and Arthur following behind them. Mr and Mrs Dearborn looked doubtfully at the car, as they tried to figure out how they were all going to fit in the back seat.

Arthur stuck his head back out of the car. "Don't worry, there's plenty of room."

Mr and Mrs Dearborn stepped into the car, neither of them able to prevent their jaws hanging open as they saw the back seat stretching further than the outside of the car could possibly contain. As they took a seat Harry heard Mr Dearborn murmuring something about magic under his breath as he shared a look of amazement with his wife.

"How do you do this?" asked Mr Dearborn.

"Well, sir," began Harry, "they use something called an Undetectable Extension Charm. It allows an object to hold much more than its appearance would suggest. Very handy charm that one," concluded Harry with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll bet," agreed Mr Dearborn. "Now, Harry, I think we can dispense with the 'sir' reference. Call me Lawrence."

"Certainly, Lawrence," replied Harry. "How has the rest of your holiday been?"

"Actually, it has been a little difficult this year," said Lawrence Dearborn. "The children have a number of cousins they love to visit, but because of the secrecy surrounding their magical abilities, Max and Mary were unable to tell them much about school. They were able to tell their cousins how much they liked school, just not what subjects they were studying."

Harry was startled to realise he had never considered what the muggle relatives of witches and wizards could be told about the magical world. The Dursleys knew about him, of course, but he wondered if they would have been informed of his abilities if he had been raised by his parents instead of his aunt and uncle. Harry grunted as he thought he would probably never have met the Dursleys if his own parents had still been alive.

The remainder of the journey to the Burrow passed quickly, with Lawrence Dearborn and his wife, Judith, not noticing just how far they travelled in a little under an hour.

As the car pulled up the path to the Burrow, the four Dearborns all looked wide eyed at the house before them. Lawrence recovered the power of speech first.

"Good lord, how does it stay standing?" he asked, to no-one in particular.

Arthur grinned as the car door opened. "Magic, my good man, magic."

Harry was also grinning as he looked at the Burrow and saw the front door open, Hermione and Ginny running out into the yard to greet them, as Ron sauntered slowly behind them, a bemused smile on his face.

Max and Mary dove out of the car and ran to meet Hermione and Ginny, excited hugs being shared all round. Harry couldn't help but notice the bewildered looks on the faces of Lawrence and Judith Dearborn as they remained in the back of the car, so he thought he should probably explain.

"That's Hermione Granger," Harry informed the Dearborns. "She teaches the kids History of Magic, and of course, you've met Ginny before. The tall red haired one behind them is Ron Weasley, one of Ginny's older brothers."

Judith Dearborn turned to look at Harry, incredulity in her eyes. "Is this the Ron and Hermione that Max and Mary tell us about? The ones who won the war with you"

Harry nodded. "Yep, but we did have a lot of help along the way. Don't let your children tell you it was just us."

"But you're all so young."

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I know, but we didn't really have a choice. We just did what we had to do."

Judith Dearborn felt numb as she nodded at Harry. "Remarkable," she muttered to herself.

With that, they all got out of the car and introductions were made as Molly joined them in the front yard. A quick tour of the Burrow was undertaken, and Harry had felt elation as he watched the reactions of the Dearborns. This was their first visit to a magical house, and they displayed the same wonder that Harry remembered feeling when he had arrived here for the first time all those years ago.

Following the tour, Harry had asked the kids if they would like to show their parents how well they could fly. The sudden light in their eyes was all the answer Harry needed as he led everyone out into the back garden.

Max and Mary took one of the Weasley's old brooms each, while Harry, Ginny, and Ron all mounted their own brooms.

"Kids, before you take off, remember this is not Hogwarts. You need to make sure you're not seen, so keep it under the tree level, okay."

Harry received two nods as an answer.

"Okay, off you go then."

The five of them all took off into the afternoon light, leaving a fascinated and amazed Lawrence and Judith Dearborn behind. The group had sped around as they chased each other, the pace quickening once Max and Mary had become familiar with the brooms they were riding. After half an hour, Harry called for everyone to land. Max and Mary took the opportunity to swoop their father before they landed back in the garden, just in time for dinner.

 As the group sat at the table, waiting for dinner to be served, a large tawny owl arrived on the window sill beside Molly. Molly had taken the envelopes from the owl and inspected them for a moment.

"It's your results," said Molly, as she handed an envelope each to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.

Max and Mary had just started to bemoan the fact they would have to wait until they got home to get their results, when another owl landed at the window. Molly read the names on the envelopes the second owl had delivered, before she turned around and beamed at the children. She held an envelope in each hand as she stepped to the table and placed them in front of Max and Mary.

"It would seem that somebody at Hogwarts already knows where you two are," said Molly, without any surprise in her voice.

While Max and Mary opened their letters, Harry looked at Ginny and waited for her to give him some kind of sign as to her Herbology result. When she finally looked up, she was smiling happily. She passed the letter to Harry who read the word 'outstanding' before he pulled Ginny into an embrace as he congratulated her.

Across the table, Hermione and Ron had swapped their letters. Ron gave a small smile as he saw the expected group of 'outstanding' results, but Hermione was unable to hide her surprise as she read Ron's result for Transfiguration.

"This is amazing, Ron," said an almost breathless Hermione. "An 'outstanding' is really hard to get in that subject."

Ron blushed as he feigned indignation. "A bit surprised are you, 'Mione?"

Hermione didn't bother to deny it. "Well, yes, I am. You must have really improved this year. It's brilliant," said a beaming Hermione.

Before Ron could respond, he suddenly found his mother's arms around his shoulders as she bent down to hug him.

"Oh, Ron, that's wonderful," said Molly before she released him and went to see Ginny's results.

After receiving a hug from her mother, Ginny turned to watch Max and Mary as they read their results with their parents. The kitchen became very quiet as Harry and Hermione also waited to see what sort of reaction was going to be forthcoming, both knowing the Dearborns were looking at some very high marks in every subject.

Max and Mary wordlessly exchanged letters as their parents looked at each other, their shock evident on their faces.

"Harry, this is their result for what was supposed to be an entire year of school, isn't it?" asked Judith Dearborn.

"Indeed it is," said Harry. "I think they did rather well, all things considered."

"You know their results?" asked Judith.

"Of course. I'm one of their teachers."

"Oh, sorry Harry. I forgot for a moment," said a slightly embarrassed Judith Dearborn.

By now Max and Mary had read each other's results and had started jumping up and down excitedly, singing "We passed, we passed, we passed" over and over again.

Lawrence Dearborn rounded the table and shook Harry's hand, before moving on to shake Ginny's and Hermione's hands, a huge smile on his face. He kept moving round the table until he reached his children again and swept them up into his arms.

Dinner passed amid an excited babbling, as Lawrence and Judith repeatedly expressed their admiration of the children's results and the teachers who had helped them attain those results. Eventually, Lawrence Dearborn asked how Harry and the others had come to be teachers when they were still so young and still studying themselves.

Harry wasn't sure how he was going to answer that question. 'I formed a rebel army to overthrow the Ministry', didn't seem to be the best way to put it to the parents of his students.

"Actually," said Hermione, interrupting Harry's thoughts, "it was my fault. During our fifth year, I convinced Harry to train us in Defence Against the Dark Arts after Voldemort returned and the war had restarted. The Ministry had decided that we didn't need to learn the practical skills required to defend ourselves, but Harry was already really good at defence, so we organised to give lessons to a group of students who also wanted to be ready to fight when the war reached us."

Lawrence and Judith Dearborn looked appalled at the idea of children preparing for war.

"Was this war the reason for the attack at the train station?" asked Lawrence Dearborn, glancing at his children with concern in his eyes.

"Sort of," said Hermione. "The leader of the Death Eaters has already been killed, and most of his followers are dead or in the wizard prison, but some escaped and are looking to avenge their losses. Four of them decided to attack the Hogwarts Express, but none of them escaped, so we're one step closer to real peace."

"Are there many more of these people out there?" asked Lawrence.

Hermione nodded slowly. "I'm afraid so. There are always those who are drawn to the dark arts. The magical community is no different from the muggle world; it's just that there isn't so many of us. But people still aspire to power they don't rightfully deserve, so we must always be ready to defend the world we have built."

Hermione indicated towards Harry, Ginny, and Ron. "That's why these three will be joining the Aurors once they finish school next year. They will become dark wizard catchers, keeping the rest of us as safe as possible."

Harry, Ginny, and Ron all blushed as Hermione spoke of their future careers as is if they were somehow defending the world.

Lawrence Dearborn looked astounded. "It's just unbelievable that the rest of the world knows nothing about any of this."

"It's best that it remains that way," said Harry. "The world would fear us if they knew what we were really capable of, and we would be hunted down and destroyed because of that fear."

Ron grunted as he listened from the other side of the table. "And yet the world doesn't know just how close it came to being ruled by Voldemort. He didn't realise that when he killed Harry he had sealed his own fate."

Lawrence blinked hard at that. He looked at Harry intently. "Our children told us that you let this man kill you, Harry, but I must admit I was sceptical." He turned to his children. "I'm sorry, kids, I shouldn't have doubted you."

Harry shrugged. "Don't worry about it, Lawrence. It's a lot to try and accept, especially if you didn't see any of the war. You have to remember that it was not a conventional war like the ones the muggles fight. This war was fought in secret, and prophecy and destiny played a hand in everything. We lost so many good people before I learnt what the prophecy surrounding me and Voldemort truly meant; that we both had to die."

Silence fell in the kitchen as sadness filled Harry. Ginny put her arm around him, and her contact brought him back to the moment.

Molly coughed as she placed a tray containing hot mugs of tea onto the table. "I think that's enough talk of war while the little ones are here," said Molly softly.

A sudden sense of shame passed through Harry. He looked at Max and Mary, trying to determine if they had become upset by the turn the conversation had taken. Harry didn't think they looked upset, but they were no longer smiling.

"Sorry, Molly," said Harry.

Harry quickly brought the conversation around to what Max and Mary would be learning when school resumed, and he smiled as he saw the excitement return to their faces.

As they finished their tea the night came to end, with the Ministry car returning to take the Dearborns home, accompanied once again by Arthur and Harry.

                                                               *

 

Less than a hundred miles from the Burrow, war was the only topic of conversation. Lucius Malfoy was ready to make his move, and he now set about planning his attack down to the last detail.

As his companions crowded around the small dining table in the house they were staying in, Lucius allocated tasks to each man, making sure they understood exactly what their job was.

This was a high risk attack, but one that would bring significant results if successful. They could wipe out the three teenage heroes of the war, along with the Deputy Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Department, all in one strike.

Draco stood by his father, feeling the nausea pass through him in waves as he realised his father was actually going to go ahead with his plan. His father had been full of so many boasts over the previous year that had failed to materialise, that Draco had subconsciously hoped this plan would eventually be forgotten; realised for the folly it was.

As Draco listened to the rest of the plan, he realised his father had not allocated him a job to do.

"Father, where should I be during the attack?"

Lucius studied the hand drawn diagram showing the layout of the Burrow property, which had been provided by his Ministry contact. After a moment's thought he pointed to the rear of the house.

"You stay with Monk," said Lucius, indicating to a bald headed man standing at the table. "Take a wand when you get a chance, then make sure nobody gets passed you."

"Yes, Father."

Lucius sneered at his son. "Don't fail me, Draco. There will be no Snape to save you this time."

Draco glared at Lucius. "Yes, Father," he replied coldly.