A Turn of Events

Chapter 6- Christmas at The Burrow

"She's got to be joking..."

Harry woke with a start to find a bulging stocking lying over the end of his bed. He put on his glasses and looked around; Ron seemed to be sitting upright in bed and examining what appeared to be a thick gold chain.

"What's that?" asked Harry.

"It's from Lavender," said Ron, sounding revolted. "She can't honestly think I'd wear..."

Harry leaned closer to take a better look and let out a shout of laughter. Dangling from the chain in large gold letters were the words: 𝓜𝔂 𝓢𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽

"Nice," he said. "Classy. You should definitely wear that in front of Fred and George."

"If you tell them," said Ron, shoving the necklace out of sight under his pillow, "I — I — I'll —"

"Stutter at me?" Harry said grinning.

Ron, being too upset at the time to rudely reply back to his best friend, instead said, "How could she think I'd like something like that, though?"

"Well, think back," said Harry. "Have you ever let it slip that you'd like to go out in public with the words 'My Sweetheart' round your neck?"

"Well... we don't really talk much," said Ron. "It's mainly..."

"Snogging," said Harry.

"Well, yeah," said Ron. He hesitated a moment, then said,"Hey, you wouldn't happen to know, who Hermione took to Slughorn's party, now would you?" Ron asked.

"Oh. Well, actually," Harry looked up at his best friend, almost guiltily, and said "I went with her. As friends." Harry tried to shrug it off but couldn't help the feeling that he was lying, which in turn he obviously wasn't. They had gone as friends and that was all.

Ron didn't answer to that. For a minute, Harry thought he'd upset him. Then he continued to delve deeper into his stocking merrily and Harry left it, for the time being.

— — —
Harry sat in the living room of the Burrow, finishing off his eggnog and feeling slightly more cheerful than he had been in a while. He had talked to Lupin recently, putting his spirits higher than usual. Things seemed to be moving on surely at the Burrow. No mishaps yet. Of course, Hermione and Ron hadn't said but two words to each other. Harry found he wasn't really surprised. He could say, though, that he was tired. He was tired of his best friends acting as though even looking at each other were a physical feat. Speaking of his best friends, they were nowhere to be found at the moment.

After dinner, when everyone else was somewhere in the house, getting up to their own things, Mr. Weasley and Harry were sitting in the living room. The room was warm accompanied by a feeling that was utterly Christmas. The fire was going and on the table in front of where Harry sat on the couch were platefuls of sweet holiday treats. He was nibbling on a treacle tart at the moment, looking thoughtfully into the fire. He should go find Hermione. That's what his better self said, but the other part of him said that was a terrible idea. The things he'd been feeling for his female best friend were anything short of platonic. Harry knew he'd been partly ignoring his best friend since they got to the Burrow and he should go talk to her. She did look pretty down.

Someone shuffling behind him brought Harry out of his thoughts. Ron grunted and sat down in an armchair by the fire. Hermione came to sit stiffly next to Harry. She held a glass full of eggnog in her left hand and her arm brushed his whenever she brought it to her lips. Harry's stomach fluttered. On the other hand, Ron was indifferent to the feel of Christmas in the room, looking rather bored as he grabbed for a pumpkin pastie.

Hermione fondled the glass in her hands, looking uncomfortable. She eyed Ron, her eyes skipping over Harry. Harry frowned, looking between his two best friends. Ron didn't seem to notice the gazes his best friends had fixed upon him as he continued to scarf down more pasties. Harry wondered if Hermione had been completely honest when she told him her feelings for Ron were dissipating as he saw the way she looked at him now. She sighed softly and looked down into her half filled cup before looking up again, and giving Ron a disapproving look as he stuffed yet another pastie into his mouth.

Hermione raised her glass to her lips again as Harry gazed at her. The firelight danced in her eyes, making the golden in them stand out. Harry chuckled lightly when the glass came away from her lips. "What?" Hermione asked, looking at his light expression strangely.

Harry grabbed a cloth from the table, handing it to his best friend, still smiling. "Ron, it seems our dear friend here cannot consume a beverage without it ending up on her face."

Hermione blushed, taking the cloth and hurriedly wiping the sweet beverage from her lip. "This always happens." Hermione muttered.

The trio sat in silence for awhile and Harry considered turning in for a moment. He hoped Ron would give in first. Hermione's head turned sharply as they heard the front door opening and a loud shriek followed. Harry, alarmed, stood first.

They all rushed outside, a feeling of warmth getting closer as they approached. Mr. Weasley, Ginny, Tonks, Remus, and Mrs. Weasley were already outside, all eyes set on the disaster in front of them...

The Burrow surrounded in hot, blazing, earthy fire...

Mrs. Weasley's shrieks were like piercing knifes in Harry's ears. But there was another sound in Harry's ears:

"I killed Sirius Black. I killed Sirius Black. You're coming to get me!" There was a maniacal evil laugh.

Wand out, Harry dashed into the open yard. "Aguamenti!" The fire fizzled down just enough for Harry to jump through, after his antagonist.

Harry ran through the overgrown fields, the psychotic laughter in his ears never ending.

He'd lost her. Harry looked around anxiously with his wand pointing towards whatever lurks in the shadows. There was a sudden and very loud pop behind him. He turned to find Fenrir Greyback clutching Hermione 'round the neck. She was whimpering as his dirty sharp nails dug into her skin. Harry stupefied the werewolf just as he was revealing his large teeth, preparing to harm yet another prey.

Hermione almost fell face forward into the pond and Harry caught her just in time. Mr.Weasley appeared next to them in an instant, Tonks and Lupin following. "Get back to the house! Now!" It was the first time Harry heard Mr.Weasley yell, but nonetheless he followed his directions, grabbing Hermione by the hand and running all the way back to the Burrow.

Mrs.Weasley's screams were increasingly louder now as the Burrow could no longer withstand the heat and it all came crumbling down.