The Next Dance

THE NEXT DANCE

BY AERIE22

CHAPTER 16

THE CHRISTMAS EXPRESS

* * *

Sirius was awakened from an uneasy sleep by someone prodding his shoulder.

"Mr. Black? The patient is awake and can see you, if you'd like," the young nurse said quietly. "You said for me to tell you as soon as we allowed visitors.

Sirius blinked several times as he surveyed his surroundings. He had slept for the better part of the morning in a lumpy chair in a waiting room on the emergency floor of St. Mungo's. He was stiff and still tired, but that didn't matter. Moony was awake!

He ran down the corridor and burst into the ward, looking back and forth among the curtained-off beds until he saw the one with a small symbol of a crescent moon, the little-known medical symbol indicating the patient was a werewolf. He strode over and, after taking a deep breath, parted the curtain.

He was struck by the form in front of him. He had always chuckled over the irony of the physical contrasts between himself and his best friend. He was the dog animagus, while Remus was the werewolf.

Yet, as he looked at his friend, he saw a head that, if anything, was leonine, with a shaggy mane of brown hair showing hints of red, now beginning to gray, swept back from a broad, regal forehead, and warm brown, somewhat skeptical eyes which, at the moment, were closed. The werewolf as lion.

Sirius knew that he, not Remus, had often been described as 'wolfish,' with a narrow, angular face, a broad, almost predatory smile, and sly, but still wary, dark blue eyes, with a shock of dark brown hair falling insolently over his forehead. The dog as wolf.

Remus was looking older than his 36 years as he nestled back in his pile of pillows on the hospital bed, his eyes closed in weary rest.

"Remus?" Sirius said quietly.

Remus opened his eyes and gave his friend a tired smile. "Padfoot? Still in one piece, I see."

Sirius sat down beside the bed and grabbed Lupin's arm. "I'm...I'm sorry," he said, hanging his head.

Remus looked over at his friend with a groggy, puzzled expression. "What? Sorry for what?"

Sirius raised red-rimmed eyes to his best friend. "I'm sorry for getting you involved in it. For almost getting you killed." Sirius lowered his head. "I don't know what I would have done if I lost you..."

Lupin's eyes were now gaining more focus, and he began to frown. "I still don't know what you're talking about."

Sirius took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for getting you involved in all that Knockturn Alley crap. For being so stupid..."

Sirius suddenly felt Remus grab his arm. "Why should you be sorry? We're at war. People get hurt in war. People get killed. You know that as well as I do. And there's nothing we can do about it except continue fighting," he said in a hoarse voice.

Sirius looked into his friend's eyes. "But...it was all a big adventure to me. Just a big game. Playing the spy..."

Remus sunk his head back into his pillows and gave a shallow but audible sigh. "You know that's not true, you dumb mutt," he said with a croaking chuckle.

Sirius shook his head sadly. "No, it is," he said in a mournful voice. "I thought we could grab off a Death Eater like we were intercepting a quaffle in Quidditch."

Remus sighed. "Padfoot, I told you. We're fighting a war. But does that mean we should all just wander around with long faces, awaiting our fates like pawns in one big, solemn wizarding chess match? We need to be bold and daring. And that's what you were." The werewolf paused to take a couple deep breaths, causing him to wince.

Sirius shook his head. "A big game," he said with a scowl. "What was it that Prongs' mum used to tell us. 'It's always a game until somebody gets hurt.' She was right."

Remus closed his eyes. "Oh, please. Don't tell me Padfoot has grown up into a Ravenclaw. Some stuffy grownup. I finally get the chance after all these years to hang out you again, with someone who knows how to have some fun, and you turn middle-aged on me. Sirius Black has turned into my Aunt Matilda."

Sirius frowned. "No, listen, Remus. I'm serious..." Then he stopped, realizing what he had just said.

Lupin suddenly started chuckling. "Damn you, Padfoot. I'm not supposed to laugh," he said with a grimace, then a smile, holding his injured left side.

Sirius fought a grin. "I'm...I'm sorry..."

Remus, still chuckling softly, made a face at his friend. "Listen, enough of this morose blather. I'm the patient here. You're the one supposed to be providing me with entertainment to cheer me up. So let's get on with the show," he said with a grin.

"Oh, shut up, Moony," he said with a small smile.

A sparkle was now evident in Lupin's eyes. "That's more like it."

Sirius shook his head with a smile. "Well, I'm sorry I didn't bring a bag of tricks. It's going to be tough keeping a sour old fart like you happy twenty-four hours a day."

Remus paused, his smile softening. "Twenty-four hours a day of you is more entertainment than I can take. And anyway, don't you have a Godson to instruct in the fine art of seduction and a few hearts to break down in Portsmouth?"

Sirius frowned. "No. I'm staying here with you until you get out. Then I'll have to go down to adjust the whips and chains for the next full moon," he said with a half smile.

Remus returned his friend's frown. "The hell you will. You're going to the Patils as scheduled. I'm sure they let you out for a visit or two, but you're going. They'll probably be relieved to be rid of you for a couple hours a day," he said with a quiet chuckle.

Sirius lowered his head. "I can't leave my best friend's side," he said quietly.

Remus looked at his friend carefully. "You are going to Portsmouth to have some fun and to flirt with that woman you've been complaining about endlessly for the past month."

Sirius continued to frown. "I can't run out on you."

Remus grabbed his friend's arm. "Sirius, I'm relying on you to have some more adventures so you can have something interesting to talk about when you visit me."

Sirius sighed. "I don't think I'm up for any more adventures."

"No," Remus said firmly.

Sirius looked up with tilted head. "'No,' what?"

"No, you are not giving up."

Sirius shrugged. "I'm not giving up. I just thought...well, it's time to rethink...to grow up a little."

Remus leaned back on his pillows, shaking his head sadly. "Don't do that to me," he said in a barely audible voice.

Sirius gave Lupin a puzzled look. "Do what?"

Remus sighed. "Remember when we met? Remember how I was?"

Sirius shrugged.

Remus closed his eyes. "I was bitter. Alone. Isolated. It was James who taught me that there were people out there who made life worth living."

Sirius chuckled. "You were a broody little git."

Remus gave Sirius a sidelong glance. "Yeah, Prongs taught me that life was worth living. But you taught me that life was an adventure. You showed me how to have fun. And you showed me that rules were merely advisory in nature and only important if you got caught."

Sirius chuckled.

"Now, you're the one suddenly turning into an old fart. I've just got you back into the world, and you're telling me that the adventure is over already? I'm not going to let that happen. You are going to Portsmouth and have some fun. Then you are going to come back and tell me about it. And maybe, while you're away, I can plan some new adventures for us. I was always the planner, anyway."

Sirius snorted. "I seem to recall some of your elegant little schemes blew up in our faces," he said with a smile.

Remus chuckled. "But we sure had fun, didn't we?"

Suddenly, a rather large mediwitch appeared. "Time's up, Mr. Black," she said in a voice that brooked no argument.

Sirius frowned, then turned back to Remus with a smile.

"So you go have some fun while I try to plan out how we can transfigure Snape's robe into a leather bustier," Remus said with a laugh.

Sirius chuckled. "Didn't we try that in sixth year?"

Remus laughed. "Go have fun."

* * *

Harry was in a panic as he sat across from the Headmaster.

Professor Dumbledore gave him a soft smile. "This is splendid news, indeed."

Harry stared. "But what did he mean, 'the Black fiasco'? Is that Sirius? Is he all right?"

Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "There was an incident at Knockturn Alley. Your Godfather helped trap some Death Eaters and succeeded beyond our hopes. There were injuries, but none life-threatening. One poor soul, a mere pawn in Voldemort's game, was lost, unfortunately. However, you need not concern yourself."

Harry gave an anxious frown. "But is Sirius all right?"

Dumbledore smiled benignly, the familiar twinkle returning to his eyes. "Yes, Harry. He will be with you on Christmas, as planned, in fine fettle no doubt."

Harry frowned. "So my dream was good news?"

Dumbledore nodded. "It appears that our immediate fears for your safety during the holiday have been allayed. And we now have a lead on Voldemort's next move." Then the aged Headmaster leaned back, giving Harry a speculative look. "Tell me, did you sense that he knew you were there in his mind?"

Harry frowned in concentration. "I don't think so. He seemed too preoccupied. At first, he seemed furious. Then he seemed ... I'm not sure. Like he was taunting Lucius Malfoy when he mentioned Azkaban."

"Most curious..." Dumbledore murmured as he gazed off into space. Turning back to Harry, his features became serious. "Harry, your connection to Voldemort has been very fruitful. However, there are potential dangers there, as well. I would like you to come see me after the holidays. There may be a way to maximize your talent and minimize the danger."

* * *

"Harry, did you hear what I said? She kissed me."

Harry blinked and turned his attention back to Ron. "You kissed her?"

"No. She kissed me," Ron said with a broad grin.

Harry shook his head briefly to dispel the concerns he still had after coming back from the Headmaster's office. "That's great Ron," he said with limited enthusiasm.

Ron was busy grabbing clothes off his dresser and off the floor to dump into his trunk. "I sort of asked her to go up to the Astronomy Tower, but she didn't want to do that," he said absently as he sniffed one of his everyday robes and, shrugging, balled it up and tossed it into the trunk. "I thought maybe ... well I didn't know what to do. Then she grabbed me and hugged me right there in the common room, then kissed me," he said as he paused dreamily from his packing.

Harry chuckled at his friend's expression. He shook his head and opened the second segment of his multi-compartment trunk. He reached into the top drawer of his dresser and took a handful of dress shirts and tee-shirts and placed them into his trunk. Then he looked up at Ron, who was still wondering how to stuff more into his own trunk. "What about Ginny? Did she and Dean have a good time?" Harry asked.

Ron looked up and frowned with a shrug. "I don't know. Dean was already up here asleep when I got back. I saw him this morning and he said he had fun. Not too much fun, I hope," he said with a grin.

Harry rolled his eyes and continued to pack.

* * *

Dearest Draco,

Let me tell you how sorry we all are that you will not be joining us for the holidays. I sent several notes to your Headmaster and your Head of House that you would be perfectly safe here, but there seems to be some fears for your safety, either from vindictive Ministry forces or persons once associated with your father.

Your father always was a mischievous, strong-willed person. I must tell you about how he would hex my hair into lurid colors when we were children whenever our families got together. But I do not believe all the terrible things people are saying about him. And I know, deep in my heart, that he loves you and hopes for the day to tell you so in person.

Until that day comes, please know that we love you too, and there always will be a place for you with us. Since we can't share your Christmas with you, we have tried to bring a little Christmas to you. Please open the big package immediately. The rest you can save for Christmas Eve to open, if you can wait that long.

With hopes that you have a very Happy Christmas,

Aunt Carmina and Uncle Bill

Draco checked the time and knew all his house-mates were now gone on the Hogwarts Express. He sighed and tore open the large box that had been delivered by a very big eagle owl. There was a fairly large present on top wrapped in paper decorated with little house elves in red and green pillow cases all singing 'Open Me First, Open Me First.' Draco gave a wry smirk, pulled the green and silver bow and stood back.

The wrapping paper fell away and a Christmas tree popped out of the box. Draco watched as it grew in size before his eyes, fully decorated with ornaments, dancing fairies and sugar quills, until it was nearly four feet high.

As he lifted up the tree, he saw underneath a little wooden box. He placed the tree on his dresser next to his bed and picked up the box. He opened it carefully and realized it was a music box. He saw there were eight buttons on the wand pad and a little note indicating what tune went with which button. He pressed his wand to the first button and a tinkling rendition of Silent Night filled the empty room.

Draco Malfoy wanted to sneer. He wanted to smirk at the saccharine sentimentality of it all. He wanted to aim his wand at the whole display and turn it all into cinders.

But he couldn't. All he could do was feel the lump in his throat as he slowly reached into Aunt Carmina's and Uncle Bill's package and slowly arranged nine small, carefully wrapped gifts under the tree.

* * *

Dear Aunt Carmina and Uncle Bill,

Thank you for the gifts. And thank you for thinking of me.

Your Nephew,

Draco

* * *

The idea of Christmas gave Harry a warm feeling, but he didn't have a great store of happy memories about the season. His first memory of Christmas was trying to play with the Christmas wrappings from Dudley's presents, only to be swatted by his aunt for making a mess. He had enjoyed sharing Christmas with Ron in his first year, but had never truly experienced a happy family Christmas, and was unsure what to expect, even though such a family scene during this happiest of seasons was what he yearned for the most.

So it was with excitement, but not a little trepidation, that he boarded the Hogwarts Express with Parvati to travel first to London, then by floo network to the rolling hills of the South Down in Hampshire to Amritsar--the Patil Estate. Sharing Christmas with not one, but two families--first the Patils, then his foster parents--would be wonderful.

But what would the Patils think of him? They were polite when he met them in the hospital wing after his and Parvati's encounter with Voldemort, although Hanuman the wannabe Sikh was notably standoffish, while Shanmukha had been friendly, almost like a big brother. And what would happen if they ever found out how serious he and Parvati had become in such a short time. He gave an involuntary shiver.

And what about Tony and Mae? What would they think about Parvati? Truth be told, he had never seen her among strangers. She generally was gregarious and made friends much more easily than he did. But she did have a temper and could be moody. What would his foster parents think of her and how would she react? He sighed and followed Parvati onto the Hogwarts Express.

Parvati led Harry and Padma, thankfully without Terry Boot, who was being picked up at Hogsmeade by his parents, down the corridor to an empty compartment. Soon, they were joined by Ron and Hermione, and by Lavender, who was glancing around frantically. "Have you seen Seamus? Where is he? I told him to get here early." She flopped down with a pout.

Harry smiled as Parvati and Padma started talking excitedly about home. He leaned against the window, only to be jolted when Dean jumped up from the platform and slapped the outside of the glass next to his face. Seamus, with his partner in crime, laughed and scurried to board the train.

Seamus and Dean's entry into the compartment caused everyone to push together to make room. The compartment was designed to fit six adults comfortably. But eight nearly grown teenagers was a tight fit. Harry smiled as Ron and Hermione, who looked exhausted, squeezed together.

The train was barely moving when Hermione began to drop off to sleep. Harry gave Ron a quizzical look.

"She's upset about her grades," he whispered. "She said she was up all night worried about Potions, Astronomy and Arithmancy."

Harry shook his head with an indulgent smile.

Parvati leaned over to Harry. "She had some trouble back after we got together," she whispered. "A couple bad weeks of quizzes."

Harry looked at Parvati and blinked in surprise.

Parvati simply shrugged.

Harry sat back and noticed that Ron had gingerly put his arm around Hermione's shoulder to let her nap against him more comfortably.

Ron looked up and gave Harry a crooked, uncertain smile. "Too bad you couldn't come to the Burrow for Christmas this year. My family would have loved to have you there," he said.

Harry gave Ron a resigned smile. "Well, I'd love to spend some time with your mum and dad and the gang. But duty calls," he said, as he gave a sidelong glance toward Parvati, who pinched him in return. He laughed.

Suddenly Seamus looked up. "Hey, Harry. When you go out snogging, make sure you have the right sister," he said with a smile. Lavender gave Seamus a playful kick and Padma threw the parchment she'd been reading at him.

"I'm so sick of twin jokes," Padma said with resignation.

Harry looked over Parvati's head at Padma. "Is it true that you're adopted, Padma? That's what Parvati says."

Padma broke out in giggles. "No. Parvati's the one who's adopted. We Patils have been Ravenclaws for generations. Parvati is the first Gryffindor in the family in, what is it, 45 years?"

Parvati chuckled. "I think it's 42 years. It's nice to be the first Patil in 42 years to be worthy enough to be considered a Gryffindor."

Padma made a rude noise.

Harry looked over to Padma again. "Is that right? You're a Ravenclaw family?"

Padma nodded. "Mostly. There've been a few Hufflepuffs. We don't talk about them. And a small handful of Gryffindors. But no Slytherins since the early-1800s."

Harry smiled and nodded. "And what about you, Brownie?"

Lavender glared at Harry. "Will you stop calling me that," she growled as Seamus and Dean collapsed in laughter. Lavender turned to Seamus. "And don't you start." Even Ron and the Patil twins were chuckling softly.

Harry smiled. "Okay, no more Brownie...for now. So what about the Brown clan? Any particular house?"

Lavender gave Harry and arched eyebrow. "Well, we've had our share of Slytherins down the years. Mostly from the Northern branch of the family though, like Violet. But I guess we've mostly been Hufflepuffs or Gryffindors, at least from my end of the family."

"So you weren't surprised to be selected for Gryffindor?"

Lavender shrugged. "I don't know. My family thought I'd end up in Hufflepuff. But I wasn't too surprised. I knew I wouldn't end up in Slytherin and doubted I'd be put in Ravenclaw. So it was one or the other, and I ended up in Gryffindor. My only regret is that the boys in Hufflepuff are cuter," she said with a smirk in Seamus's direction.

Seamus started to respond but decided that discretion was the better part of valor and snapped his mouth shut.

Harry turned to Seamus. "What about you, mate?"

Seamus smiled. "Well, my mum was Gryffindor, and so was her folks. My da's a different story. He went to what he calls the St. Honorius School for the Criminally Insane--in other words, he was taught by the Jesuits at a Muggle school."

"I can only imagine what it's like to grow up in a half-Muggle, half-wizarding house," Padma said.

Seamus shrugged. "It was a little weird. My mum kept her powers a secret to my da's Muggle friends. But we mostly operated in the wizarding world. Since we were out on the farm away from the town, it wasn't too hard. And I learned early to keep my ears open and my mouth shut," he said, chuckling.

"And he's managed to forget all that learning once he got to Hogwarts," Lavender said with a smirk.

Seamus shook his head sadly. "Witches. Can't live with 'em. Can't burn 'em at the stake."

The boys in the compartment cracked up. The girls, except Hermione who was still asleep against Ron's chest, glared.

Harry, still chuckling, turned to Dean. "You've got to have the weirdest situation of all of us," he said with a smile.

Dean nodded knowingly. "That's for sure."

Padma perked up. "Yes, Dean. I've heard you were raised in a different wizarding world. What was it like?"

Dean smiled and shook his head. "You don't know the half of it. My dad is a Muggle, although he claims to have witches in his family back in the Caribbean. But my mum is a full-blown bruja."

Padma leaned forward. "We learned about other wizarding disciplines in school when we were young, but I've never met anyone from that kind of world. Tell me about it."

Dean shrugged. "Well, my dad is from Trinidad and my mum is from Venezuela. She's a witch. But back there, there was no wizarding schools. So you apprenticed to an older bruja. So my mum's teacher--her grandma--trained as well as she could. But it was all word of mouth. She never had textbooks or formal schooling. She's got strong powers but there are huge gaps in her training. When my parents got here just before I was born, they opened up a botanica to serve the Muggle world."

"What's a botanica?" Ron asked.

Harry gave Ron a look. Hadn't he been listening to Dean all these years?

Dean smiled mildly. "It's a herbal shop. Sort of like a Muggle version of a potions shop. Wannabe witches and wizards and health nuts, along with a lot of the Caribbean and South American community, come in for folk remedies. My parents were lucky that they opened when they did. They were just getting established when the New Age trend took off in London. So the shop was an overwhelming success. They now have three shops in London and hope someday to open a potions shop in Diagon Alley."

Harry smiled. "But..." he prompted.

Dean laughed. "The problem is that my parents are considered part of the wizarding world by the Muggles but are thought of as Muggles in the wizarding world."

Padma looked puzzled. "But I thought your mum was a witch?"

Dean shook his head. "She's not had any formal training. She's got no certifications. Heck, she wasn't even aware of the scope of the wizarding world until some obliviators from the department of accidental magic showed up shortly after my parents arrived in the country. She hexed them good before they realized they were dealing with a real witch, not some Muggle with latent powers. She and my dad were introduced to the wizarding world and have no trouble operating in our world. But she's never been accepted as a full-blown witch in our world because there are so many gaps in her knowledge. That's why she devours all my school books as soon as we buy them. Especially my Potions and Herbology texts. By the time I get to school each year, my brand new school books look like they are third- or fourth-hand, she goes through them so thoroughly," he said with a sad laugh.

Harry shook his head. "There should be schools for adult witches and wizards who want to improve their knowledge or skills. They have them in the Muggle world."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, but they probably wouldn't be fully accepted. They'd end up being called Squibb Colleges, if I know the wizarding world."

Padma frowned and made a face. "That's not fair. It must be tough for your mum, and you."

Dean shrugged. "Always a stranger in a strange land. A foreigner in the country where I was born. Black in a white Muggle world. Black in an even whiter wizarding world. A wizard living in the Muggle world. A Mudblood in the wizarding world. And, worst of all, a football fan in a Quidditch world," he said with a snort, bringing a guffaw from Seamus.

Parvati smiled. "Well, we wogs have just got to stick together now, won't we."

Dean began to chuckle.

The compartment became quiet after that. Parvati talked quietly with her sister for a few minutes before leaning back against Harry to take a nap.

Harry awoke about an hour later, stiff from sitting awkwardly against the cold window. He gently eased Parvati down on the bench and got up to stretch his legs. He had to high step over Dean's long legs, which were stretched out across the gap between the benches, and made his way out to the corridor. He looked up and down the corridor and suddenly realized that, for the first time, he wouldn't have to worry about a confrontation with Malfoy on the train. Draco, having no real place to go, was staying at Hogwarts for the holidays, and Crabbe and Goyle had been withdrawn from the school.

Harry stretched a couple times and made his way up the corridor, glancing at the various compartments until he came across one with some of his firsties. He knocked and let himself in. Violet Brown was asleep across Pat McGrady's lap. McGrady himself was asleep, his hand resting on Violet's head. Harry had to laugh. Those two were constantly fighting, but always together. 'Ah,' he thought with an inward smile. 'True love never runs smooth, even among eleven year olds.'

However, Sam and Cassie were awake, chatting excitedly about meeting their respective parents, the two major troublemakers, Maura Duffy and Willie Peters were huddled over a puzzle book, and Genie Beauvoir and Tom Richardson, the Beaver and the Toad were sitting quietly next to the window. Harry was surprised to see they were holding hands.

"Harry!" Cassie squealed. "Happy Christmas!"

Harry gave a quiet smile, marveling that the few months in Hogwarts had transformed Cassandra from a pretty, seemingly remote young daughter of a theatrical family into a bubbly, friendly young girl. And it had changed Young Samantha from a frightened, uncertain young Muggle girl into a confident young witch and one of the leaders among the first years. "What happened? Did you loose the Midwitch Cuckoos," he said with a laugh.

Sam smiled up at Harry. "No. They decided there wasn't enough room and found a couple Slytherin first years and a couple Hufflepuffs who were all Quidditch fans and decided to spend the trip arguing over teams," she said with a quiet laugh.

Harry smiled at them all. "So everyone have big plans for the holiday?"

Sam nodded her head vigorously. "I'm going home. I can't wait for see my folks and Mickey, my brother, to show them all the stuff I've learned."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Be careful. Remember, you're not supposed to use magic outside of school."

"Oh, it's all right. Professor McGonagall showed me a charm I can use to shield any basic magic I try. She said that wizarding families always use it so that their children can practice their studies around the house."

Harry's eyes widened. "That's nice. Too bad she never told me about this charm," he said in an annoyed voice.

Sam looked down, embarrassed. "Well...she said she only gives the charm to students who's Muggle parents agree to allow magic around the house. Maybe your family didn't want you to use magic," she said quietly.

Harry nodded. 'No kidding,' he thought.

He turned to Cassie. "And what about you?"

Cassie looked up and smiled. "I'm staying with my mum and dad until the day after Christmas. Then they have to go on the road. So I'll spend the rest of the holidays with Sam and her family," she said, her eyes wide with excitement. "I've never spent more than a day or two in the Muggle world, and never on my own. I can't wait."

Harry turned to Willie and Maura. "What about you two?"

Maura took a deep breath. "Should we tell him?"

Willie gave her a sly smile and nodded.

Maura leaned forward. "We're going to rob Gringotts and then run off and get married," she said in a conspiratorial tone.

Harry burst out laughing. "Have you two been talking to Fred and George?"

Maura and Willie started giggling. "How'd you guess," Maura said with a fake pout.

Harry chuckled. "It sounds like their bad influence. They know that if you did that, I'd have to take 20 points--each--from Gryffindor."

Willie was laughing now. "Well, we figured it was too boring to say we were just going home to spend the holidays with our families, so we asked them what we should say. And they told us to say that."

Harry looked at the mischievous duo fondly. "Look, be grateful to have families to go home to. I wish I had a mum and dad who loved me to go home to."

Maura nodded solemnly, then heard Cassie sniffle behind him.

He turned a placed his hand on Cassie's shoulder. "Don't worry. I have a nice foster family to go home to now."

Cassie looked up at Harry, blinking away tears. "I thought you were going to Parvati's house."

"I am. But she and I are also going to spend a few days at my home, as well," he said, suddenly savoring the notion of having a warm, caring home to go back to.

Cassie looked up at Harry with anxious eyes. "Does that mean you're going to marry Parvati?"

Harry began laughing. "Not until we manage to rob Gringotts, first," he said with a smile, and Sam, Willie and Maura started to laugh. Even the Beaver and the Toad chuckled, waking up Pat.

"Oi, Harry," Pat said in a sleepy voice as he absently stroked Violet's hair.

Harry smiled at Pat. "Petting your girlfriend, Pat?"

Pat suddenly blushed and pulled his hand away. Violet stirred but did not wake up.

Harry continued to smile. "Don't let me tease you, Pat. If you want to stroke her hair, go ahead, as long as she doesn't mind."

Pat smiled sheepishly. "She does have soft hair. And clean. It smells nice, too. After working with me da's sheep, I like clean soft hair."

"Going home?"

Pat nodded. "It'a be nice, I think," he said, nodding again.

"And you two? You're not planning to run off and get married, are you?" Harry said with a smile, noticing they were no longer holding hands.

The couple blushed. "Nooo..." Tom said.

Genie smiled shyly. "I'm going to see my folks. It's the slow season and we all get together for the holidays. All my aunts and uncles and cousins. We all get together at the main inn in Brighton. Everyone takes turns playing guests and hosts. It's lots of fun."

"And you, Tom?" Harry said.

The Toad frowned. "Well, I'll spend Christmas with my mum, then New Years with my dad."

Harry suddenly frowned. "They're not together?"

Tom shook his head. "They've been living apart since I was seven. I miss my Dad being around all the time. But my parents get along okay, I guess. But I wish my dad would move back with us."

Harry gave Tom a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, Tom. I didn't know."

He shrugged.

"At least they are still around and both love you. You have that," Harry said quietly.

Tom nodded and gave Harry a grateful smile.

"Well, I just came by to wish everyone a Happy Christmas. Pat, tell Violet I wish her a Happy Christmas when she wakes up," he said with a smile as he noticed Pat was stroking her hair again. "And tell Steve and Mike the same if you see them."

The group wished Harry happy holidays and he left, smiling.

* * *

After making the rounds on the train, Harry returned to his compartment. Parvati was awake, but now Padma was asleep, lying across her sister's lap. "Oh, drat," Harry whispered to Parvati as he took his seat. "I wanted your lap for myself." He made a show of looking to the other end of the bench. "Oh, well, maybe I can sprawl across Lavender's lap."

Parvati reached over and pinched him. "You do and you'll have to deal with Seamus...but only if there's anything left of you after I get through with you."

Seamus, who was half asleep, opened one eye. "Go ahead, Harry. You can have her," he said with a chuckle.

"Oh, shut up you bloody Irishman," Lavender said softly and shifted to get into a more comfortable position.

Harry smiled. Across from him, Hermione was still asleep across Ron's chest. Ron, for his part, had his head thrown back against the top of the bench and had his mouth open. "We're lucky Ron doesn't have room to lie down. His snoring would rattle the windows."

Parvati chuckled. "Well, they're a matched pair. Hermione tends to be a heavy breather when she's asleep."

Harry gave a soft laugh.

"Where did you wander off to?" Parvati asked.

Harry shrugged. "Just a quick Christmas snog with Professor Trelawney. I didn't realize she was on the train until I passed her in the corridor."

Parvati nodded. "She's got a gentleman friend in Diagon Alley. That's why we could sneak up and use her quarters last month. I told you that," she whispered.

Harry began giggling. "So that's where all her 'Embrace your aura with a lover's touch' comes from," he said with a smirk.

Parvati elbowed him. "Be nice. There's nothing wrong with her having a lover. She lost her husband when she was still young and now she's found someone who makes her feel young again. Why not let her enjoy herself every couple weeks or so."

Harry nodded. He never thought of his professors as having a personal life. That's why Professor McGonagall's reminiscences of her prime when back in the hospital wing surprised and shocked him so. He smiled to think Trelawney running into the arms of her lover. Maybe she was human after all. A lousy teacher, but human.

Harry suddenly frowned in thought. "Did you notice anything odd about the firsties? Like they were pairing off?"

Parvati blinked. "So?"

Harry frowned. "We never did that. Not that young."

Lavender gave a sleepy grunt. "That's because they're watching you two," she said quietly.

Harry blinked. "What?"

Lavender sighed. "They see you two as a couple who like each other and don't care who knows and figure it's okay for them to be boy-girl friends. And maybe, when they start looking at each other as boyfriends and girlfriends, the boys won't be the kind of trolls you bunch are," she said with a smirk.

Harry ignored Lavender's jibe and shook his head in confusion. "We never acted like that," he said in confusion.

Lavender chuckled. "That's because they have you as a role-model. Who did you have? Percy Weasley."

* * *

Harry awoke to find his arms around Parvati who, still asleep, was leaning against him with an arm around his waist. He realized that the train was slowing and gently woke up Parvati and Padma, who still was sprawled across Parvati's lap.

"We're almost there, ladies," he said quietly.

The twins woke almost immediately. Padma reached over and woke Lavender, who in turn, prodded Seamus sharply in the thigh. He woke with a yelp of surprise, waking the rest of the compartment.

Suddenly, the girls all brought out mirrors to make sure their faces were straight. Parvati and Lavender brought out small makeup kits and Padma borrowed a little powder from Parvati. Hermione looked in her mirror and shrugged until Parvati tossed her makeup kit over. Hermione gave her a small smile of thanks and did a quick touch-up of her own.

Seamus began to pout. "What about me? Is my face on right?" he said in a falsetto. "How about my eyes? Any red?" He quickly pinched his cheeks. "Is this okay, or should I powder up?'

"Oh, shut up, you prat," Lavender said with a smile. "You couldn't fix that face with a roller and ten glamour charms."

Dean laughed and grabbed Seamus. "You look mahhhh-velous, dahhhling."

Seamus sniffed. "I'm glad someone around here has some taste."

Lavender guffawed. "Yeah, me. And from going out with you, everyone knows it's all bad taste."

The whole compartment was still rocking with laughter when the train rolled to a stop.

Harry and Parvati were quite unprepared for their reception when they got off the train together. Suddenly, parents waiting for their children began to approach them to shake their hands and thank them for defeating the Dark Lord. Even Padma got her share of compliments, being mistaken for her twin.

Harry shook his head sadly that there were so many in the wizarding world that had bought into the Ministry's line that Voldemort was dead.

It was with great relief that Harry saw Arthur and Molly Weasley, beaming at him. "Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," he said, giving them both a hug. "It's great to see a familiar face."

Molly grabbed Harry again and holding him at arm's length, looked him up and down. "You look wonderful. So grown up. Thank heavens you don't have You-Know-Who to worry about now. Or those horrible Muggle relatives. No wonder you look so well." She pulled him into another fierce hug when she saw her crowd of redheads led by Ron approaching. "Ron! Ginny! Fred! George! Over here!" she yelled over the crowd. "Oh, and Hermione! Over here, over here!"

Harry managed to disentangle himself from Molly and Arthur after promising to come for a visit during the summer. He frowned at Mrs. Weasley's cavalier dismissal of Voldemort's continuing threat, but shrugged it off. He located Parvati, reveling in the attention the parents of her friends and school mates were giving her and, with a quick nod to Padma, the two finally managed to pull Parvati out through the invisible barrier to the Muggle part of the station.

Once through the barrier with their luggage trolleys, Harry, Parvati and Padma looked around for any signs of the Patil family. Harry suddenly felt a chill as he noticed a rough-looking young man in jeans, work boots and a fleece lined jacket eyeing him. He slowly and unobtrusively angled his trolley between the young tough and the girls. Suddenly the young man walked up to Harry.

"You Potter?" he said in a rough voice.

Harry nodded, balancing on the balls of his feet, ready for almost anything.

But the young man's face split into a warm smile. He held out a rough-hewn hand. "Mickey Bauman. Samantha's brother."

Harry let out a whoop and grasped Mickey's hand. "Oh, it's great to meet you," he said, laughing. "Parvati, Padma. This is Sam's brother, Mickey."

Parvati ran up and gave the startled Mickey a hug. "Oh, Sam talks about you all the time."

Mickey, who himself was still a teenager, blushed at the embrace of the pretty young stranger.

Harry laughed. "Mickey. This is my girlfriend Parvati. And her sister Padma."

Mickey seemed to be at a loss for words. "You...both of you...You're, like, witches?"

Parvati burst into laughter. "Of course, silly. We don't get awarded those ugly warts on our noses until after we graduate," she said, giggling furiously.

"MICKEY!!!"

Sam came running and jumped into her big brother's arms.

Harry smiled at the happy reunion. Then he noticed Cassie rolling her trolley rapidly behind, flushed and out of breath.

Mickey finally released his sister, who promptly pulled Cassie to introduce her to her big brother. "Mickey, this is my best friend Cassie Young. She's coming to stay with us next week. Don't worry, you won't have to pick her up. How's dad and mum?"

Mickey was smiling at all the attention. "Fine, fine." Then he looked up at Harry. "Thanks, man. Thanks for keeping an eye on my little Sam."

Harry smiled warmly. "No problem. She's a wonderful young lady."

"MUMMY? DADDY?" Cassie squeaked.

Harry turned around and did a double take. Standing, or rather seeming to be posing, were two of the most striking people, wearing the most anachronistic outfits, he'd ever seen. Wolfram Young was wearing a billowing black cape with a scarlet satin lining flashing in the winter breeze. Underneath, he was wearing a cutaway tuxedo with tails. And he was wearing a broad brimmed fedora at a rakish angle. Caitlin Young was wearing a long flowing gray cloak with a mink collar covering a long scarlet silk gown. She was wearing a pearl gray felt slouch cap with a scarlet band and a long pheasant feather and was holding a cigarette holder at least a foot long. They looked like something out of a Beardsley print of the 1920s.

"Cassandra, baby," Caitlin intoned in a deep smoky voice that belied the excitement in her eyes, as she leaned forward, her arms outstretched.

Cassie ran into her arms, weeping in happiness. "I thought you would send a driver. I'm so glad you're here. You can meet my friends."

Harry watched the scene. For all their seeming posing, the Youngs seemed genuinely excited to see their daughter. Wolfram looked over at Harry and the rest with a toothy smile that, at first, gave Harry an unhappy feeling that he was seeing Gilderoy Lockhart again. But just as suddenly, Wolfram's smile toned down and took on a new warmth. "I say. Harry Potter, is it not? And his young love, Parvati? Uh, which is which?" he asked, realizing he was facing twins.

Harry laughed. "I'm Harry."

Wolfram suddenly threw his head back in genuine laughter. "Okay, you got me," he said, his eyes shining brightly as he strode forward to shake Harry's hand. "Thank you for keeping an eye on our precious one." Then he turned and kissed Padma's hand, who blushed and muttered "I'm the sister," and then he turned to kiss Parvati's hand.

Then he turned to Sam, who was watching Wolfram with wide-eyed amazement. "You must be Samantha."

Sam nodded shyly. Wolfram leaned forward and gave her a hug. "Thank you for being Cassandra's friend. She was so frightened when she first came here that we were worried. But once she owled us about you, we knew she was in good hands.

Suddenly, Caitlin swept forward to hug Harry. "You are my hero, you know," she whispered in his ear.

Harry blushed furiously. "I didn't...but Voldemort...Parvati..."

But Caitlin put a gloved finger to his lips. "No. Not for that. For being a big brother to our Cassandra...our Cassie. We've tried to be there for her, but we haven't always succeeded. But you are there for her. And we can't thank you enough for that," she said with grateful eyes.

She turned to Parvati and Padma. "Ahhh...the beautiful twins. Cassie has told us about you. Which one of you is Parvati?"

Parvati stepped forward uncertainly.

Caitlin gave her a quick but strong hug. "Cassie has owled us about how you and your friend Lavender have taken her and Samantha under your wing. Thank you for that. She needed someone like you and I am eternally grateful for all you've done and all you've meant to her."

After a few more minutes of chatting, Harry and the twins finally tore themselves away and headed toward the main meeting area of the station.

Padma looked around impatiently. "Hanuman," she said flatly.

Parvati nodded.

Harry looked up in puzzlement. "What about Hanuman?"

"He's always late," Padma said. "He and Shane--Shanmukha--were supposed to be here waiting for us. That means we'll have to wait at least another fifteen minutes, maybe a hour."

"Shane?" he asked.

Parvati nodded. "Shane is Shanmukha's nickname. Daddy's annoyed. He keeps telling everyone that shortening your Indian name is disrespectful to the god or goddess you're named after. But Shane pointed out that we've been Church of England for about 200 years. So we can get away with calling Ganapathi Gani and Shanmukha Shane. I guess there's no nickname for Hari. That should be fun with you around. We're going to have to be very careful about pronouncing your names. I'd hate to call you into a cozy corner and have him show up."

Padma started giggling. "You take Hari, I'll take Harry."

Harry blushed as Parvati gave her sister a playful swat.

Suddenly the girls turned. Harry followed their glance and saw a dark-haired man in sunglasses and a long black leather coat, his arms crossed and his face glowering, staring generally in their direction.

"SHANE!!!" the girls cried as they scurried to hug their brother.

He embraced the twins warmly and looked up to nod at Harry with a smile. "Harry," he said in a one-word greeting. The smile faded as he turned to look over his shoulder. He looked down at his sisters. "The Monkey Man...at it again," he said in exasperation.

"It's not my fault," said a young man in a dark suit and a camel hair top coat. "Blame Percy Weasley. Mr. Ministry Assistant insisted that Fudge needed that blasted report on French trade relations immediately. The French delegation isn't due until early March! Who works until the last minute before Christmas leave?"

Harry blinked several times. He had met the entire Patil family in the hospital wing and the Hanuman he remembered was wearing a turban and a jeweled curved dagger. This person had short, sandy blonde hair and a military cut mustache.

"Hanuman?" Harry asked tentatively.

The man turned to Harry. "Harry Potter, we meet again," he said coolly. "Savior of the wizarding world and despoiler of my sister."

Parvati's eyes flared and she suddenly wheeled and punched him in the stomach. Hanuman doubled over and fell to his knees. "Listen, Monkey. One more word and I'll get that phony knife you used to carry around and put it to work," she growled.

Shane shook his head. "No more Muggle movies for him. Now he thinks he's Moses. 'Let My Sister Go'!" he said with a smirk. "Come on Harry. You take one arm, I'll take the other. If anyone asks, tell them he's been drinking."

Harry gingerly grabbed Hanuman's arm as the girls maneuvered the three trolleys out to the parking area.

Harry was surprised to find Shane lead them to a large sport utility vehicle. Harry and the girls loaded their trunks in the boot as Shane manhandled Hanuman into the front seat.

Shane then walked back and pulled Harry to the side. "Listen, Harry. Don't worry about the Monkey Man up there. We all understand you and Parvati are a couple. Just try to be discrete when you get to Amritsar. Our dad is a little conflicted about Parvati fooling around. Hell, he'd be conflicted about Lakshmi fooling around and she's going to be twenty-six next month. So if you two want to play around, don't let dad or Moses up there catch you. Okay?"

Harry was blushing and gabbling in a panic. Did everyone know he and Parvati had slept together?

Shane started to laugh. "Don't worry. We hid Monkey's knife," he said, giving Harry a playful slap on the back.

Harry slipped into the back seat of the SUV and Parvati slid in beside him. "Hey Harry! Wanna snog!" she said in a loud voice.

Harry looked at her in a wild-eyed panic and Padma burst into laughter.

"Aww, shut up," the Monkey Man said weakly from the front seat.

* * *

Harry had finally calmed down enough for Parvati to explain that Hanuman was named after the mischievous Hindu monkey god, hence the nickname 'Monkey.' He settled down and began to relax a little as Parvati leaned against him in the back seat. They'd only been riding for about twenty minutes and were still in central London when Shane made a quick turn off the street and down a dark alley.

Harry suddenly sat up in a renewed panic. Shane was an Auror and Hanuman was a Ministry official. Were they taking him into this dark alley to kill him for sleeping with their sister?

His panic increased when Shane failed to slow down as he approached the back wall of the alley. Suddenly, everything went black.

And just as suddenly, the lights were back on. "Where are we?" he said weakly.

Shane pulled the SUV up next to another in an underground parking area. Harry looked around and suddenly saw the huge old Daimler limousine that Cyrus Thomas had picked him up in at the end of last summer. "I rode in that limousine this summer," he muttered.

Shane chuckled. "Just something left over from Pretium Jones, who was Minister of Magic in the 1960s. He had a thing for Muggle luxuries," he observed.

Shane shut off the engine and turned back to Harry. "We're in the basement of an Auror substation. You didn't think I was going to drive you all the way to Portsmouth, did you?"

Harry looked around the basement again. There were several more Muggle vehicles, along with what looked like a couple horse-drawn wagons, lockers and a room walled off with a wire mesh grid. "I guess not. I didn't know what to think."

"Let's go," Shane said, waving his wand to summon a cart for their luggage.

The group walked through a wide door and into a room with the largest fireplace Harry had ever seen.

"It's an emergency floo network entrance," Shane said. "We can move in large numbers quickly to some one hundred eighty locations in Britain through here. Or we can go singly in large numbers," he said, pointing to ten normal sized fireplaces on the far wall.

Harry nodded, understanding.

Shane turned to Harry. "Now Harry, remember. We are going to the 'Patil Estate Amritsar.' That will get you to our farm. Not the 'Patil Home' or the 'Patil Farm.' Now say it after me. 'Patil Estate Amritsar'."

"'Patil Estate Amritsar'," he said firmly and clearly.

Shane gave a quick nod, then turned around. "Where's Monkey?"

Padma rolled her eyes and Parvati shook her head, motioning back toward the SUV.

Shane's eyes got wide in annoyance. "Dammit, Monkey! You've already made us late! Let's go!" he shouted.

"I told you, it's that damn Percy Weasley's fault!" came the shouted reply as Monkey emerged from behind the Muggle vehicle, dragging a trunk.

"You're the one who's always late, but it never seems to be your fault!" Shane shouted in reply.

"Oh, shut up!" Hanuman yelled.

"NO, YOU SHUT UP!!!"

"NO, YOU SHUT UP!!!"

"NO, YOU SHUT UP!!!"

Harry watched goggle-eyed as the two Patil brothers, an Auror and a Ministry official, continued screaming at each other like a couple eight-year-olds.

Suddenly, he was shoved toward the big fireplace. "Remember, Patil Estate Amritsar," Parvati whispered in an exasperated voice.

A handful of floo powder seemed to be tossed from nowhere and the flames turned green. A hand firmly pushed him into the fire and he muttered "Patil Estate Amritsar."

Harry felt the familiar tug behind his navel, and he was off, seeing dozens, even hundreds of hearths pass quickly as he hurdled through the floo network. Finally, he landed with a thud.

As Harry picked himself up, he heard shouting.

"You've already wasted 3,500 Galleons on this India business!" Harry heard a man shout. "Now Ireland!?!"

"Great-great-great-grandmother was an O'Brien!!! That makes me part Irish!" came the retort.

"You couldn't be a broom-polisher on the Irish national team!!!"

"I have the right to find it out myself!!!"

"And waste the rest of your trust fund on another round of lawsuits for a tryout!?! WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO GET A JOB, GANI?!?"

"AND WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO GET A LIFE, HARI!?!"

"OH, SHUT UP!"

"NO, YOU SHUT UP!!!"

"NO, YOU SHUT UP!!!"

Harry blinked as the shouting suddenly stopped when they noticed the fireplace flare a bright green as he began to emerge. He stepped out of the fireplace to see a tall, dark-haired young man, who he recognized as an angry Hari Patil, and a fit-looking younger man with sandy blond hair, who, but for the blondish hair, might have been--no it was--a furious Ganapathi Patil, with an annoyed middle-aged woman, Parvati's mum, Lilac Patil, standing between them and a trim but exasperated middle-aged man, Parvati's dad, Sanjit Patil, sitting behind them with his hands over his ears. They all suddenly looked up at him.

The woman's angry look instantly turned warm as she smiled at him. "Harry Potter! Welcome to Amritsar!"

* * *

"Patil Estate Amritsar."

Sirius was frowning as he felt the sudden tug in the pit of his stomach that his Godson described as being pulled inward through the navel. Sirius, on the other hand, thought it felt like being on a Muggle roller coaster.

Suddenly, he was there. He took a deep breath and stepped out of fireplace.

And Lakshmi Patil was there, holding out her hand to greet him. "Welcome to Amritsar," she said warmly with a glint of humor in her eyes. "We needed someone to liven this place up."

* * *