And so the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry soldiered on in to December. Blasts of ice-cold air blazed through the castle unperturbed by the warm fires that were lit to ward them off. Gloves were now a compulsory item of clothing for Potions lessons, the dungeons were so cold that Harry was beginning to get a fair idea of what it was like to live in an igloo. Nearly a foot of snow coated the vast castle grounds and Hagrid could be found digging a path from his cabin to the castle each morning so that students could attend his lessons, but as the month wore on, the freezing snowstorms set in, which put paid to outdoor lessons and Quidditch practices.
The run up to Christmas was much more pleasant this year, the school wasn’t dogged by the atmosphere of terror and death that had seared it’s way through the student body last year. In fact, the festive season brought very little Death Eater activity. There was the mention of the odd death in the Daily Prophet but nine times out of ten nobody had any ever heard of the deceased. The Ministry was quick to put this down to their effective campaign for vigilance in the magical community but no matter how much Harry liked Amelia Bones, he didn’t not believe that the Ministry’s ‘How to…’ leaflets were helpful at all and very much doubted they had contributed to the fall in deaths. Unfortunately, he felt that there was a much more perverse reason for it. Voldemort was up to something once again; he could feel it prickling away under his scar.
Although people all around the castle were breathing slightly easier, Harry and Ginny were not. The situation between Ron and Hermione persisted, with neither of them making any effort to reconcile things. Ron had gradually come back out of his shell and was beginning to act more like his old self, although this was a bit difficult because his old self had spent a majority of his time bickering with Hermione, and in her absence he found himself extremely bored. To compensate he started hanging out with Dean and Seamus more, Harry was actually beginning to wonder if the three of them were joined at the hip. Thankfully, Ron had assured him that the only reason he was spending time with Dean and Seamus was so that Harry didn’t feel forced to choose between his two best friends. Harry had considered this and found it to be an altogether mature way to approach things; he just couldn’t understand why Ron didn’t apply this newfound maturity to repairing his relationship with his girlfriend.
Hermione’s reaction was completely the opposite from Ron’s; she was steadily becoming more of a recluse. She spent all her time either in lessons or in the library. She would leave the dormitory at eight in the morning to catch a quick breakfast before going to lessons and then at lunch she would disappear off to the library before going back to lessons. At dinnertime she would gulp down food as though it was going out of fashion before heading to the library again and she only returned to the tower at eleven o’clock after she had done her rounds, she would barely stop to say hello before shooting off to bed. Nothing Harry or Ginny said to her made any difference, and her behaviour was truly starting to worry them. For a moment they considered talking to Ellie, or even McGonagall, about it but they knew that bringing up the Malfoy incident all over again would only serve to make Hermione angry and encourage her to push them further away.
The only good thing that arose out of the developments, and it was not something that Harry relished, was that he and Ginny were able to spend plenty of time together. They had given up uncomfortable broom cupboards in favour of the much more comfortable Room of Requirement, which always decorated itself in a very romantic fashion for their arrival.
The room was almost empty with the exception of a chaise lounge that was the size of a small double bed and dozens of candles. Harry often left the room feeling very weak and lethargic. The ambience that was created by the bed like sofa, the sweet smelling candles, the roaring fire, the beautiful Ginny and the burning desire between them, was almost too much for him. It took every ounce of self-control that he had to try and keep his body in check, but he had a strong feeling that he was fighting a losing battle. Ginny just found this funny, he wondered how funny she would find it if one of her brothers happened to hear about what they’d been getting up to and took it upon themselves to murder Harry.
This thought was hammered home to him when Ellie once again caught them scurrying back to the tower after hours. Harry thanked his lucky stars that Charlie didn’t appear to be with her this time. “May I ask a very personal question?” she had enquired of them as she deposited them at the fat lady’s portrait once again. Both students had nodded hesitantly. “Are you two insatiable?” Harry had replied with a startled expression that left his bottom jaw hanging somewhere around his waist and Ginny had blasted an embarrassed snort through the air. “You need to calm down, people will talk!” Ellie grinned at them as she left. Harry prayed to every god that he could think of to try and ensure that Ellie didn’t share her findings with Charlie. It would be only too easy for either Charlie or Ron to kill him in his sleep.
As the third week of December reached its end, Harry made his final trip of the year to the headmaster’s office. His polite knocking was answered with a jovial “Do come in,” from Professor Dumbledore. The old man was sat at his desk wearing robes that were vibrant purple in colour, the cuffs of which were trimmed with tinsel, as was his matching hat. “How are you today, Harry?” he inquired.
“Same as always,” he replied.
“Not too bogged down with homework I hope?” Dumbledore smiled.
“I’ll admit that it’s more than usual but everyone seems to be managing.” Harry shrugged.
“And how are Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger?” he asked more seriously.
“Ron’s all right, I think, it can be hard to tell with him sometimes but we’re quite worried about Hermione, she hardly talks to Ginny or I at all anymore and she spends all her time in the library,” Harry said sadly.
“While that is very distressing for you, her constant return to the library is nothing to worry about. For you the cocoon of safety lies on the Quidditch pitch, for Hermione, it is to be found in the library amongst the endless supply of knowledge. I myself have been known to disappear for days amongst the dusty volumes in my private collection. There is something very comforting about books. Some provide you with facts, and facts are free of the deep, suffocating well that is human emotion. While others provide tales you can lose yourself in, tales in which everything turns out all right in the end. There is much solace hidden within the pages of a book.”
“I suppose you’re right, if she stops going to the library we’ll start to panic,” Harry said with a dry smile.
“That would be advisable. Legilimens!’” Dumbledore began his attack in the blink of an eye and in an equally short space of time Harry had retreated to the white room that offered him protection from assaults on his mind. “Very good, Harry, that was exceptionally quick, however, you did allow me to see one image.”
“What?”
“It appeared to be Potter Hall.” The headmaster was giving him a peculiar look. “Is there something you wish to discuss with me?” he asked knowingly.
“Well, now that you mention it, there is yes,” Harry said thoughtfully.
“By all means continue,” Dumbledore prompted.
“I’ve been thinking about moving into Potter Hall.”
“That is only natural; after all it had been your family’s home for many years. If you do wish to occupy the Hall it can be arranged, the charms that exist around Grimmauld Place are also in use there, it would require a little extra enforcement but that is easily arranged. I could have it completed in time for the holidays if that is what you wish?”
“I just think that it would be nice to go and live there, like you said, it is my home. Do you think that the Weasley’s would come with me?” Harry asked. He couldn’t imagine being anywhere without his family.
“I would imagine that they would be only too delighted to join you. Shall I make the necessary arrangements?” Dumbledore asked once again.
“Yes, please do!” Harry confirmed excitedly. Part of him couldn’t believe that he was finally going to go home.
When he got back to the Tower, he went up to his dormitory to get a letter he had written to Remus, but his letter wasn’t the only thing he got. He also received a shock, a rather nasty shock at that.
Ron was sprawled on top of his bed with Lavender Brown next to him and they were engaged in a very intense snogging session. “Hem-hem,” Harry coughed. Ron jumped so suddenly that he fell right off the bed.
“Harry, mate, how did your meeting with Dumbledore go?” Ron asked one of the pillars of his bed.
“It went fine, how’s your afternoon been?” he asked nonchalantly.
“Um…yeah…good…” Ron mumbled to the fold in his tied back curtains.
“Right, well I’ve got a letter to send. I’ll talk to you later,” Harry said coldly. It was clear that Ron had heard the message loud and clear because his whole face flushed and he looked down at the floor.
“Okay, Harry, see you later,” Ron told Harry’s retreating back. On his way back out through the common room he managed to grab a hold of Ginny.
“We need to talk, right now,” he said firmly.
“Is everything all right, Harry?” Ginny was puzzled by his behaviour.
“Not here, come up to the Owlery with me,” Harry whispered as quietly as he could, he didn’t want to draw the attention of Hermione who was hidden behind a pile of books only a few feet away. Ginny nodded and immediately followed after him, not a word passed between them until they were alone in the Owlery together. “I just found Ron swapping saliva with Lavender Brown!” Harry hissed.
“He was WHAT?” Ginny raged.
“He was up in the boy’s dormitory all over her,” Harry continued.
“I’ll kill him, how dare he? And with someone in Hermione’s dormitory?” Ginny was striding menacingly from one side of the room to the other.
“He’s finally lost it, he’s barking! What the hell does he see in Lavender?” he asked bemused. So Lavender was pretty, that was all there was to her, Hermione was so much more rounded as a person. He never thought he would see the day that Ron would stoop so low as to snog someone because they were good looking.
“Maybe he’s just trying to get back at her,” Ginny suggested.
“I don’t care if that’s what he’s doing! This has gone far enough; I’m going to bang his head off a brick wall until he sees that Hermione is the only one for him!” Harry declared.
“I don’t think that’ll achieve much,” she reasoned.
“No, but at least it’ll make me feel better!”
Harry and Ron avoided each other for a majority of the week after. While Harry was more the brooding type, Ginny preferred to vent her anger and she certainly vented it on Ron. She had given him an earful so vehement that it rivaled any her mother had ever given out. After that Ron had lost the rag with Harry for telling Ginny about the Lavender debacle in the first place. They agreed to disagree on their opinions of the situation and decided to stay away from each other for a little while. It was during this period of estrangement that Harry got the first proper opportunity to talk to Hermione in over a month. “How is everything for you, Hermione?” he asked brightly.
“Fine thank you, Harry,” she replied shortly.
“Did Ginny tell you the good news?”
“What good news?” she asked with blatant disinterest.
“Professor Dumbledore is allowing us all to move into Potter Hall over Christmas! I can’t wait for you to see the library, you’re going to love it!” he told her enthusiastically.
“I’m sure I will but I won’t be spending Christmas with you this year,” she said quietly to the textbook that was inches from her nose.
“Why not?” he demanded, he realized as an after thought that he was being very harsh with her and attempted to right this by softening his expression.
“Because I’ve already told my mum and dad that I’m going home.”
“Well, you can just tell them that they’re coming to stay with us!” Harry pushed.
“No, we’re going to have a nice family Christmas,” she said firmly.
“Hermione, we…” Here he waggled his finger between the two of them. “Are family too you know,” he said.
“Not anymore, Harry, everything is different now.” She looked up at him with eyes that were so sad that he wanted to sprint up the stairs to where Ron was undoubtedly giving Lavender mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and strangle him.
“Things will never be different between us, Hermione, you’re like a sister to me and it’s always going to be that way,” he assured her.
“That’s very sweet of you, but I’m still not coming.”
“At least promise me you’ll be on your guard?”
“Of course I will. Nothing is going to happen to me, Harry, I’ll be fine.” She smiled at him warmly and he felt all the better for it.
Hermione spent the whole of the train journey home in the prefect’s carriage while Ron disappeared off with Dean and Seamus, this left Harry and Ginny to settle in to a compartment peacefully with Neville and Susan. “Um…I wanted to talk to you both if that’s all right?” Neville asked during a game of Gobstones.
“What’s the matter, Nev?” Harry asked with concern, Neville was a rather funny colour.
“I don’t want to tell tales or anything, and I don’t want to be some kind of gossip…” he explained hurriedly.
“We know you’re not a gossip, Neville, or a tale teller,” Ginny smiled comfortingly at him, Neville was one of the most loyal people she knew and most certainly not the type to spread gossip.
“Well, it’s just… I walked in on Ron the other day…” the youngest Longbottom began.
“You and everybody else,” Harry cut in.
“…he was kind of engrossed in Padma Patil…” he whispered sensitively.
“WHAT?” Harry’s voice blasted through the compartment and several second years that were walking past stared into the space with fright. Harry gave them an apologetic look before turning back to Neville. “You’re sure that it wasn’t Lavender?”
“I know I can be a bit slow on the uptake, Harry, but even I can spot the difference between Lavender and Padma,” he replied sarcastically. While one part of Harry was cursing Ron the other was looking at Neville with a newfound respect, a couple of years ago Neville wouldn’t have had the nerve to be sarcastic to anyone.
“‘Course you can. It’s just, I walked in on him with Lavender last week,” he explained.
“That’s not all, apparently he was spotted coming out of a broom cupboard on the sixth floor with Megan Jones at the weekend,” Susan added.
“We’re just a bit worried, he seems to be…getting about a bit these days,” Neville continued treading extremely carefully.
“He certainly does,” Ginny said furiously. “I can’t believe he’s doing this, it’s all just to punish Hermione!”
“Then why is it that Hermione is the only one who doesn’t know?” Harry asked. Ginny faltered and considered this for a moment.
“I…I don’t know…” she admitted.
“I think I’m going to have to talk to him again,” Harry conceded.
“Talk to whom, Potter? Your imaginary friend?” Draco laughed manically from the sliding door of the compartment.
“Yeah, anybody but you, sod off, Malfoy, there are no desks to hide behind in here,” Harry seethed derisively. Crabbe twitched in a suspicious manner that suggested he was just waiting for permission to rip Harry’s head off.
“Don’t worry, I won’t be around here much longer, I can’t stand the stench of Longbottom.” He indicated Neville who had just been covered in the disgusting liquid emitted from one of Harry’s Gobstones. “I just wanted to give you a little tip,” he said in a falsely sincere voice.
“I somehow don’t think that Harry needs any tips from you,” Ginny argued.
“Shut it, Weasel, or you’ll regret it!” Malfoy spat at her.
“Why’s that?” Harry had had just about enough of this and had risen from his seat. Ginny rose with him simultaneously.
“Unless you’d like to be on the receiving end of one of my hexes you should take that back. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten the effects of the last one,” she smiled. As did Neville, he remembered only too well the memory of Malfoy writhing on the ground in Professor Umbridge’s office while his own flying bogies attacked him. Draco coloured slightly but didn’t apologize; he did stick out a hand to hold Goyle back though.
“Keep this up and you won’t get to hear what I’ve got to say,” the irritation was now evident in Draco’s voice.
“We never want to hear what you’ve got to say,” Harry reminded him.
“You will this time,” Malfoy assured him. The Slytherin leaned in close to Harry as he whispered, “I wouldn’t leave the Mudblood wench alone for too long, you never know what might happen,” Draco leered maliciously.
“You better stay away from her!” Harry replied with an equally dangerous tone.
“It’s not me you’ll have to worry about this time, I’ve had enough of her to last me a lifetime,” Malfoy smirked before moving on to terrorize some other students. Harry didn’t hesitate in grabbing his pendant and calling for Ellie.
“What’s the matter?” the young professor asked when she materialized out of thin air a heartbeat later.
“Draco just threatened Hermione,” Harry informed her urgently.
“Threatened how?” Ellie asked, there was that fierce fire of anger burning in the back of her eyes again; Harry knew she would give anything to be alone with Malfoy in a dark room for five minutes. Between the four of them they managed to explain to Ellie exactly what Malfoy had said and implied; she then disappeared as quickly as she had arrived. They didn’t see her again until they were getting off the train at King’s Cross, when Harry gave her a questioning look she just smiled at him, he took that to mean that Hermione was safe and he wasn’t to worry. Sure enough when he got to the other side of the platform’s barrier he saw Hermione strolling away with her parents, she looked over her shoulder and, quite bizarrely, gave Harry a quick wink.
“Remus?” Harry suddenly turned to his former guardian.
“Yes, Harry?”
“I thought the new house was in Scotland?” It had dawned on Harry that they had just left the highlands to return to London when in fact their destination was back in the north.
“It is, but we’ve got some things to get from Headquarters first and then we’ll floo to the Hall,” Remus said.
The family piled out of the station and into the Ministry cars that were waiting, they drove back to the usual spot that was several streets away from Grimmauld Place and walked the rest of the distance. In the kitchen of number 12 there was a huge pile of luggage standing by the fire. “Molly wasn’t sure what we would need,” Remus whispered in Harry’s ear with a smile.
“It’s a good job that Potter Hall is big,” Harry whispered back with a chuckle.
“Harry, could I talk to you for a minute?” Molly asked him. She pulled him back to the far end of the kitchen, away from the crowd that was gathered around the fire. “I just wanted to say thank you for having us over to stay, it’s a lovely gesture,” she said. Harry could see her eyes sparkling with emotion, he sincerely hoped she wasn’t about to cry; poor Molly had shed too many tears in recent months.
“I’ve told you before; my home is your home.”
“Yes, well, on that note I’d like to make a request of you…”
“Anything. Whatever you want is yours, Mrs. Weasley,” Harry replied without hesitation.
“That’s it right there, Harry, I won’t have anymore of this ‘Mrs.Weasley’ business. From now on you’re to call me Molly, or if you’d prefer you can call me Mum, but if you’re not comfortable with that I’ll understand…” she said.
“That’s not a problem, Mum,” Harry grinned. Molly pursed her lips as her eyes welled. “We’d best get a move on, eh? Otherwise we won’t have time to sort ourselves out before Christmas day,” he quickly changed the subject to avoid another outpouring from the dear woman.
“Quite right.” Molly gave herself an encouraging sniff and started to order everyone around. Before long they were all standing in the lobby of Potter Hall wondering where to start.
A/N: The next chapter is...Presents!