The Christmas holidays crept closer and seasonal excitement was at such a high at Hogwarts that some teachers even cut back on the work, which was, to most, a relief; Rose was one of the few not pleased.
Albus and his cousins were all going home for Christmas; they had signed up as soon as Professor McGonagall had mentioned it. Albus was looking forward to seeing his parents and Lily again after so many weeks away…..and he loved Christmas at the Burrow with his grandparents.
Hagrid was possibly the only teacher who had not adapted to the lively spirit of his students. The first-years were now studying the mating rituals of yetis, made all the more difficult by Yoop and Yowl’s intense dislike of each other.
Scorpius was, to Albus’s surprise, staying for Christmas. He didn’t seem to be homesick at all, as he had been when the term began.
They held two more DA meetings before the Christmas holidays, though both were short and rather uneventful (the Full Body-Bind was proving extremely tricky, even with Rose’s help).
At the last meeting they had agreed that they would begin asking other students to join the DA. Albus wasn’t sure this was the right thing to do, but Rose overruled him.
“The whole point of the DA, Al,” she said, “is to train ourselves to be ready for anything and to learn Defense Against The Dark Arts properly. If it’s just us, we may as well not do it.”
Albus dropped the subject, though he was still unsure. The DA was private and bringing more students into the fold would spoil that.
Three days before the Christmas holidays began, Albus received a letter from his father at breakfast.
Dear Albus, it read.
I hope you’re still having a good time at school. We can’t wait to see you and James. We’ll be at Platform 9¾ to pick you up on December 23rd!
Love, Dad
Albus’s anticipation grew. He hadn’t seen his family for a very long time, it seemed, and Christmas was his favorite time of year”though he was not partial to the sweaters that his grandmother gave him every year.
The Weasleys were also eager to get home, especially Rose, who wrote to her little brother Hugo as often as she could. The two of them were particularly close.
When the great day arrived, Albus packed up a large knapsack of clothes and various odds and ends (including the presents that he had ordered for his mother, father and sister) and headed down to the common room.
Rose was sitting on her favorite couch with a similar knapsack, her feet tapping with impatience. She was the only one of Albus’s cousins in the common room.
“Are you going to the Burrow on Christmas Day?” she asked Albus.
“I think so,” he said. “By the way…..what do you want for Christmas, I haven’t gotten you anything yet?” (This was a lie. He’d ordered her a large spellbook several weeks ago).
She waved her hand dismissively. “I don’t need anything special. Maybe a scarf or something.”
“Alright, a scarf,” said Albus, feeling rather pleased that he had already bought her such a good present.
Scorpius was sitting in a large armchair, scribbling away on a piece of parchment. Albus wondered again why he was staying behind. He had met Draco and Astoria Malfoy several times before and they seemed fairly agreeable.
James came running down the stairs. Unsurprisingly, he’d packed nothing.
“Hey,” he said, flopping down next to Rose. “When’s the train leave?”
Albus looked at his watch. “Ten-thirty,” he said. “It’s seven-thirty now.”
“Great,” said James. “I can’t wait to be home. For a few days, at least.”
Albus nodded. He had made up his mind to tell his father about the men in the Forbidden Forest and his suspicions. He might even mention the Flamel book, though he knew that he was reading into things too much.
It took a long time for all the Gryffindors who were going home for Christmas to assemble, have breakfast and then line up in the Great Hall. Albus was starting to think he would have gotten home faster by walking.
When everyone was lined up, only a scant few remained at the breakfast tables and Scorpius was the only first-year Gryffindor. He looked a little dejected.
“I hope you have a good Christmas, Scorpius,” said Albus as he walked past him.
Scorpius actually smiled. “Thanks. You too.”
The first-years got to ride in the horseless carriages for the first time on their way to Hogsmeade Station; Albus was one of the few who knew the carriages were really pulled by thestrals.
The Hogwarts Express was waiting on the platform, steam rising from it in spirals. Albus saw for the first time just how vibrantly red it was.
There was a good deal of jostling as the excited students boarded the train and Albus was separated from his cousins during the kerfuffle. He and James eventually sat in a compartment in the back with a pair of third-year boys that played on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
The older boys soon began to talk strategy for the upcoming game (which was a hotly contested Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match) and Albus was left to flip through the single book he had brought.
Albus nearly fell asleep, lulled by the continuous motion of the train and the dull book, which was an ancient treatise that he had to read for History of Magic.
The trolley witch came around about an hour into the journey and Albus bought two plump little Cauldron Cakes. James preferred Licorice Wands.
It was quite late by the time Albus felt the train begin to slow. He looked eagerly out of the window and saw the crowded Platform 9¾. He couldn’t pick out his family amongst the crowd.
Everyone began filing off the train and Albus caught a glimpse of Rose, Fred, Dominique and Molly in the sea of Hogwarts students. He waved to them, but was soon swept in a different direction.
Once he and James got out onto the Platform, Albus saw his family standing in a little group and his heart swelled with affection for all three.
His father looked a lot like his old pictures: handsome with untidy dark hair and round glasses. His mother was a beauty, her long red hair hanging down to the middle of her back and Lily closely resembled her mother in miniature.
Albus and James ran to the little group, bumping into several equally excited students on the way.
Lily was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet and ran to throw her arms around Albus’s midriff.
“Hey Lily,” he said.
“Hi Al! Hi James!” she said, her freckled face aglow with excitement.
Lily released Albus and moved onto James while Albus hugged his mother and father.
Everyone began talking at once and it was some time before Lily stopped asking incessant questions about Hogwarts, the teachers and the lessons.
The Potters made their way through the crowd, waving to the various knots of Weasleys scattered here and there, but not stopping. They would see them all on Christmas Day.
Albus and Harry passed through the barrier first, followed closely by James, Lily and Ginny. The crowd of Muggles was so huge that no one noticed the addition of five new members.
“So how’s Neville?” Ginny asked of Albus as they forced their way through the crowd.
“He’s fine; he said to say hello,” said Albus.
The parking lot was cold and dingy, the snow heaped in high, dirty piles. Christmas lights twinkled from the nearby shops and “Deck the Halls” was blaring from the King’s Cross speakers.
The real world felt strangely unreal after such a long time spent at Hogwarts. Albus found it bizarre just to see walls that weren’t made of stone.
Questions were still coming fast and furious from Lily as they found the Potter family car, an unobtrusive brown sedan that was large enough inside to fit at least twenty people.
“Are the professors nice? Is Professor McGonagall really mean in class? Have you learned to levitate anything yet?” asked Lily as the boys clambered into the car and buckled themselves in.
“Lily, hon, they haven’t even answered your first ten questions,” said Ginny as Harry started up the engine.
Albus answered Lily’s questions one-by-one as the car wound its way through London. He was feeling very contented. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, the day after was Christmas Day. The mystery in the Forbidden Forest was the farthest thing from his mind.
The Potters lived quite a way from the main city and it was nearly half-an-hour later that Albus saw the street sign for Inglewood Way.
Inglewood Way was a quiet little Muggle neighborhood with square white houses and neat lawns. None of their neighbors were wizards and this had caused some trouble when James was two and had started making fireworks shoot out of his window.
The Potters’ house was nondescript except for the color, which was a deep red. Twinkling Christmas lights had been strung along the gutter. Albus felt a little jolt go up his spine when he saw it.
“We’re home,” said Ginny.
Harry pulled the car into the driveway and James tripped over Albus in his eagerness to get out of it.
They had been there only a few months ago, but it now looked simultaneously familiar and alien to Albus. He had spent nearly his entire life in this house and it made him feel a little sad that Hogwarts was really his home now.
“I helped Daddy put up the lights!” said Lily, grabbing Albus’s hand and leading him over to them. “And we’re getting the tree tomorrow!”
“You two can help Lily get the boxes of decorations out of the basement,” said Ginny. She was beaming at her sons as though she couldn’t take her eyes off them.
“And no levitating them,” said Harry, who was unlocking the door. “I don’t want your sister flattened.”
The inside of the house was simply, but tastefully, decorated. There was a large messy foyer, then the kitchen and dining room. All the bedrooms were on the second story.
It was a very odd experience for Albus to see all of his surroundings again after so long. He’d almost forgotten that all this still existed while he was away at school.
Lily demanded that the boys sit down in the living room immediately and tell them everything about Hogwarts they could think of. They complied and most of the evening was spent with tales of teachers, lessons and various random facts from both generations.
“And guess what?” said James. “We started the DA again.”
Ginny and Harry exchanged quick looks. “What do you mean?” asked Harry. “You’re using the Room of Requirement?”
James launched into a detailed account of the DA, what the Room of Requirement looked like, what they were learning. Albus added an anecdote here and there, but mostly watched his parents’ reaction.
His mother looked both amused and concerned, while his father was smiling widely. They were both especially fascinated when they heard what the Room had done with the plaques.
When James was finished, Ginny said: “I think it’s great that you guys are doing this, but you have to be careful. Those spells and jinxes are very difficult and very dangerous. I hope you’re all aware””
“I think it’s a good idea,” said Harry. “We’re getting lazy.”
James, Albus and Lily all frowned, confused.
“I mean the country in general,” said Harry. “It’s been so long since we’ve been in any danger that people like Tweak are letting Defense lessons slide with an idiot like Dawlish teaching.”
Albus and James grinned at each other. “Do you know Dawlish?” asked Albus.
“Oh yeah,” said Harry. “He was an Auror when I was in school. Always followed Fudge and then Thicknesse. Claimed he didn’t know Voldemort was really running the show and managed to avoid time in Azkaban. Tweak got him the Defense job right afterwards.”
“I’m sure that he’s not a very good teacher,” said Ginny. “But that doesn’t mean that you lot should””
“If they’re being cautious and not trying anything too advanced, I don’t see anything wrong with it,” said Harry.
“I suppose not,” said Ginny with a sigh. “But no Stunning or serious jinxes, understand?”
Albus and James both hastily agreed that no Stunning or jinxes were to be attempted.
“What are we doing tomorrow?” asked Lily suddenly. She had been silent during the conversation about the DA, a sure sign that she was bored.
“Well, we’ll decorate the tree and bake cookies during the day,” said Ginny. “But there’s a party at the Ministry that we have to go to that evening.”
There was a general groan.
“I’m sorry,” said Harry, “but I’m head of the Auror office and I kind of need to be there.”
“There’ll be plenty of time for everything else,” said Ginny. “And it’ll probably be fun.”
Albus did enjoy going to the Ministry, which lessened the burden slightly. He supposed that the party would only last a couple of hours anyway.
Dinner was a large pot roast, which was a particular favorite of both James and Albus. Lily’s questioning continued through dinner and Albus found himself racking his brains for information on the ghosts, Hagrid’s cabin and the thestral-driven carriages all evening.
Sleepiness descended on Albus quickly and heavily. He had barely enough strength to finish his pudding before staggering up to his old room.
Tired as he was, he was once again struck by the odd sense of déjà vu. This wonderful place had been his home, but he knew that it wasn’t anymore. Not quite. Maybe that was how James felt, how his mother and father felt. He’d have to ask them.
Waking up the next morning in that strange but familiar bed was very disorienting; for a moment Albus thought he was back in the Gryffindor common room.
He shook this feeling and checked the clock on his wall. He was surprised to find that he had slept till nine.
The day was spent in blissful anticipation of Christmas Day. Harry, Albus, James and Lily went out to get the tree from a Muggle selling them by the side of the road (a minor crisis ensued when they realized that they had brought no Muggle money; luckily Harry was able to Transfigure the Galleons into pounds).
When they got home, the three children began lugging the enormous old boxes of decorations up from the basement and James did indeed attempt a Hover Charm and the ensuing chaos broke several ornaments that had to be magically repaired.
Several hours were spent decorating the tree and there was a small dispute over the position of a large and rather garish bird ornament which sang a repetitive tune (a particular favorite of Lily’s, though not of anyone else’s).
They all enjoyed cookies and milk after the tree was done and then proceeded outdoors to have a snowball fight with the thin layer of sticky snow.
Ginny was ready with towels when Albus, James and Lily trooped in from the snowball fight; all were dirty, red-faced and panting.
“You can all wash up and get ready for the party now,” she said, thrusting a fluffy towel into each pair of wet hands. “James, put on your good robes, the ones without the Potion stain.
Albus dried himself off, washed his face and changed into a clean set of school robes. He wondered idly if there would at least be any good food at the party.
He went downstairs and found James wrangling with his mother over the cleanliness of his clothes. Lily was sitting primly on her father’s knee; she and her mother were wearing identical red dresses.
When everyone had been deemed presentable, Harry said: “Do you want me to take two, Ginny?”
“Sure,” she said. “Just make sure they arrive in one piece.”
Harry lightly held Albus’s and James’s upper arms. Albus prepared himself for the unpleasant feeling of Apparition.
It was just as bad as he remembered. There was nothing solid but his father’s arm, his stomach was roiling and the breath was being squeezed out of his body”
They landed on solid ground. Albus took a deep, grateful breath and looked around him.
They were standing in a grimy, empty bathroom which served as the official Ministry entrance. James was doubled over, gasping. Apparently the Apparition was even harder on him then it was on Albus.
Harry patted his son on the back. “You two remember what to do?” he said.
“Yep,” said Albus. He walked into a stall and climbed into the toilet. He was unsurprised to find his shoes and legs dry; he had done this many times before.
He pulled the chain and felt a pleasant whoosh. The next moment he was standing in one of the huge Ministry fireplaces.
The Atrium never ceased to impress him with its size and grandness. In the very center of the enormous room was a huge blue obelisk of marble; inscribed upon it were quotes from famous witches and wizards.
An ancient-looking security wizard was sitting at a desk in front of the fireplaces. Several other vacated desks suggested to Albus that there more during the day shift.
Harry appeared in the fireplace next to Albus’s. “Evening Eric,” he said, getting out. “We’re here for the Christmas party on Level Two.”
“Wonderful, Mr. Potter,” grunted Eric.
James appeared, quickly followed by Ginny and Lily. All five of them set off to the lifts.
The Atrium was absolutely deserted but for the Potters and Eric. Albus got a pleasant little shiver up his spine. There was something both exciting and eerie about being in the Ministry after hours.
They all crammed into the lift and descended to Level Two. As they got closer, Albus could faintly hear soft music and the babble of conversation.
The doors of the lift swept open, revealing the long, purple-carpeted hallway. All the many, many doors were closed but one: the Auror Office.
“What time is it?” asked Lily.
Harry looked at his watch. “Five-thirty. Don’t worry, there’ll be plenty of time to hang our stockings when we get home.”
The Potters turned into the open doorway of the Auror Office.
The Office, Albus knew, was usually a large room filled with individual cubicles. Tonight, the cubicles were all gone, leaving a huge space filled with little round tables and chairs.
Up front there were long tables with bowls of snacks, platters of cakes and piles of sandwiches. “Holy Night” was playing on an old-fashioned radio mounted on one of the food tables.
About fifty Aurors were mingling, some standing and chatting in small groups, others sitting at the round tables with food. Wizards outnumbered witches four to one, Albus noticed. The rate of physical disability was also high; Albus noticed several wooden legs and false eyes as soon as he entered the room.
“Hey guys!” said a tall, red-haired man with a paper cup of punch in one hand.
“Uncle Ron!” yelled Lily. Ron swept her up into a hug.
“Hi Lil! Merry Christmas,” said Ron.
Hermione, Rose and Hugo followed behind him. Albus realized how odd it was to see Rose outside of Hogwarts.
Once everyone had hugged everyone else (which took some time considering the number of people in both families), the Potters got some food and sat at a table with the Weasleys.
“Piker’s here stuffing his face as usual,” said Ron in an undertone. His gaze was pointed in the direction of a chubby man who was roaring with laughter at a joke that a stringy witch had just made.
Harry, Ginny and Hermione laughed and the adults began a covert conversation about some of the other partygoers while Lily began to question Rose about Hogwarts.
“So what do you think you’re getting for Christmas, Hugo?” James asked of his younger cousin.
Hugo, a solemn, thoughtful boy said: “Oh, I asked for Livsey’s Theory of Magical Equilibriums, but Mum says it’s really rare and Santa might have trouble finding it at Flourish and Blotts.”
“You can’t have three brilliant ones in the family,” said James with a grin. “It’s just not fair.”
Rose was expounding upon Professor McGonagall’s teaching style. Lily was a rapt audience.
“Everyone says she’s mean, but I think you just have to be extra careful in her class. She’s given me Es lots of times. Even Al got an A for that Cross-Species S””
“Only because you helped me study,” said Albus.
“I didn’t help that much!” said Rose. The smile on her face proved exactly the opposite.
“Yeah, well, McGonagall’s given me one A in two years,” grumbled James. “It’s not like I’m really bad at””
In that split second the world changed. An enormous explosion rent the air. Wood and debris flew everywhere and the air was thick with dust.
There were screams on all sides. Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione all leaped to their feet, drawing their wands.
The wall of the Auror Office had been blown away. About fifteen people were standing in the hallway, wands pointed at the congregation of Aurors.
Albus knew that they were Inferi the instant he saw them. There was no mistaking the waxy skin, torn clothes and vacant expressions. These were not people, but puppets.
There was a terrific flash of light and suddenly spells were flying everywhere. Albus grabbed Rose by the shoulder and pulled her down to the floor.
“Get under the table!” yelled Ginny. She shot a Full Body-Bind at the approaching Inferi.
Albus obeyed. He dragged the quivering Rose under the little round table. James followed him with Hugo and Rose.
There was a horrible, piercing scream and Albus knew that someone was in great pain. He had never been so terrified in his life, but his mind was surprisingly clear.
“Help me push this over!” he yelled to James.
James understood. The two brother knocked over the table, sending cutlery flying.
On its side, the table made a shield from the jets of red and green light that were flying around the room. Albus, Rose, Lily, James and Hugo huddled against it, their view of the battle obstructed.
“Stupefy!” someone shouted. Albus instinctively ducked his head to avoid the Stunner.
And then something very heavy struck the tabletop and all five children went flying, propelled by the force of some unknown spell.
Albus crashed into another table and it collapsed around him. He fought his way out of the tangle of splintered wood and tablecloth.
The Auror Office had become a battleground. The combatants were all moving so fast and shouting spells so loudly that Albus could discern very little of what was going on.
He heard a moan and saw that Hugo was lying on the ground a few feet away, his round glasses shattered. Albus hurried over and dragged his cousin under another table.
Where were Rose, Lily and James? Where were his mother and father, his aunt and uncle? Albus couldn’t tell who was who and his horror and fear was just another organ rather than a feeling.
Something stumbled towards him and he saw that it was an Inferius.
The creature’s face was blank and pale, the eyes unseeing. It was wearing dirty black robes and it was missing an arm. A wand was grasped in the remaining hand.
Albus jammed his hand into his pocket and grabbed his wand. He pulled it out and yelled the first thing that came into his head: “Flipendo!”
To his enormous surprise, the Inferius was thrown head over heels into a wall. It lay on the floor for a moment and then began to get up with the steadfast determination of a creature that feels no pain and therefore has nothing to fear.
Spells, jinxes and hexes all presented themselves to Albus’s mind, but he couldn’t quite grab hold of any of them. He knew he had to keep that horrible creature from getting up because if it did, it would kill him”
“Petrificus Totalus!” yelled Albus.
The Inferius stiffened and fell to the floor, immobilized.
There was another explosion and Albus threw himself to the ground. More wood and table legs sailed over him, colliding with the farthest wall.
He picked himself up off the floor just as a last piece of debris came flying through the air. It was a big round tabletop and it connected neatly with Albus’s upper left arm.
Pure, molten pain surged through Albus and he screamed at the top of his lungs. He still held his wand in his right hand but it was trembling and useless.
James appeared out of nowhere and pulled Albus forward. “Come on!” he yelled.
The pain was making Albus’s head swim; the sounds of the fight and the fiery jets of light were becoming dim”
James flung open the door of an office and pushed Albus into it. He ran in himself and slammed the door shut.
It was a big office, probably belonging to one of the Aurors. Rose was crouched on the floor, holding Hugo, who appeared to be unconscious. Lily was cowering behind the cherry wood desk, panting.
“What happened to Hugo?” gasped Albus.
“He got hit by a Stunning Spell!” yelled Rose, her voice uncharacteristically high. “He’ll be all right, won’t he?”
“Yeah, he’ll be fine,” said Albus. The world was spinning a little and he knew that he was close to blacking out with pain and terror.
The door blew open and off its hinges. James, who had been standing in front of it, was knocked down.
A ragged female Inferius raced into the office. It raised its wand and pointed it at Rose. Lily screamed.
Albus jumped and tackled the horribly cold creature. The pain in his arm intensified and he heard an ominous cracking noise.
The Inferius elbowed him hard in the stomach and Albus fell off of it, gasping for air.
“P-Petrificus Totalus!” yelled Rose.
Albus heard a thump and knew that the creature had been hit, but the pain in his arm was all he could focus on and he took great breaths of air that did not help him and he felt himself slide into shadow.