Harry Potter and the Book of Shadows

The Secret Ingredient

Charlie arrived the next day and once again Number Twelve was filled with holiday cheer and laughter. Mrs. Weasley spent the entire day making an enormous feast worthy of Hogwarts, shooing away anyone attempting to sneak a taste. As dinnertime neared, Mrs. Weasley allowed Harry, Ron, and Ginny to help her set the table and tend to last minute preparations. By the time Mr. Weasley arrived later that night with a rather frazzled Tonks in tow, everyone in the house had been driven half-mad by the enticing savory smells emanating from the kitchen. Looking quite exhausted and rather as if she'd been wearing the same set of robes for the past few days, Tonks plopped gratefully into a chair.

"Hullo," she said tiredly, reaching for one of slices of bread Harry had cut. "House looks a treat."

"Thanks," Harry and Ginny said in unison.

Ron looked up from where he was refilling the salt and pepper shakers. "Busy at the Ministry?"

Tonks snorted. "Yeah, busy doing a load of," she caught Mrs. Weasley's eye, "rubbish. Can't tell you anything. Not that it would matter," she added before anyone could ask.

"Did you hear anything about those storms?" Harry asked.

"You mean the one over in the U.S.?" Tonks shrugged. "I agree with Remus, I think it's dementors, but no one is saying anything, not even to us." Tonks frowned, looking very concerned. "This isn't good. I have a bad feeling everything's about to-"

"Dinner's ready!" Mrs. Weasley broke in, setting down a large roast turkey in the middle of the table.

She called the others and a stampede of footsteps clambered down the stairs. Dinner remained a festive affair, with Mrs. Weasley strictly forbidding any serious or upsetting news to mar the conversation. Charlie regaled them all with tales of his studies of dragons in Romania. Dessert had everyone laughing when Pest mistook Ginny's sly hand feeding under the tablecloth as permission to jump onto the table in front of her and stick his paws into her custard, thus claiming it for his own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The atmosphere at Number Twelve remained fairly relaxed until the morning of Christmas Eve. With Charlie staying with the twins and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley remaining for the most part, at the Burrow, breakfast was just Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lupin. To Harry's surprise, Lupin had asked him if it was all right if they had a small Order get-together for Christmas Eve the day before. With great enthusiasm, Harry agreed, secretly flattered Lupin had asked him first. In the few days they had been there, the house was really starting to feel like his.

"Do we need to do anything for the dinner tonight?" Ginny asked as she brushed toast crumbs off the table.

"Your mum'll be over to help with food later, but other than that, I don't think so." Lupin looked around the kitchen. "Maybe give everything a bit of a dusting."

Ron snorted and looked at the boiler room door. "Yeah, Kreacher's not much use."

"At least he's staying out of the way," Ginny said reasonably.

Lupin turned to Harry. "Have you thought any more about what you're going to do with him?"

Frowning at his plate, Harry shrugged. "I don't know. He finds so many ways to twist things to his own use, I hate to give him orders. Keeping him there seems to be okay for now."

Everyone had taken turns checking on the house-elf and each been met with nothing more than a hateful glare for their efforts. Still, Kreacher remained clean, fed, and relatively comfortable, so until Harry or someone else could come up with a better arrangement, he remained confined to the boiler room.

"Do you think he gets bored in there?" Ginny wondered aloud. In a moment of pity, she had brought him several books in a variety of genres from mystery novels to illustrated gardening guides, though no one was sure he could even read.

"Hardly matters," Ron said dismissively.

Lupin got up and began to clear the dishes, murmuring something about trying to tune the piano.

Having overheard, Harry asked, "Where's there a piano?"

"Hmm?" Lupin turned. "Oh. It's in the drawing room. You didn't notice it when you decorated the tree? When Seph was here at the end of the summer, we went through the attic to try to find some furniture we could use. She brought the piano down." Harry's heart skipped at mention of the attic, but Lupin gave no indication he knew Harry had been poking around. "There is some furniture up there, but, well, you'll have a look at it sometime, I'm sure. We didn't think it'd be to your taste."

Ron and Ginny looked to Harry hopefully, and he knew they were curious to see what was left in the attic. Suddenly worried it would be obvious he'd been looking through things already, Harry didn't acknowledge their expectant looks. Maybe after he'd gone through a box or two that had actually belonged to Sirius, he'd bring the others with him. For now, he still wanted to do it alone.

"I suppose we'd better start with the cleaning, then," Harry said as he got up.

The trio spent the rest of the morning dusting, polishing, and rearranging the Christmas decorations. Ginny spent almost an hour reattaching the berries and retying the garland that Pest had been playing with around the banister. Lupin had allowed them to use magic to clean, assuring them the Ministry wouldn't know underage magic was in use and telling them there was no point in wasting their time doing it without. Ron had thanked Lupin enthusiastically, later murmuring how he wished his mother was as lenient. While Ron begged his sister not to, Harry was glad when Ginny found an old player that would work with her albums and they listened to Katrina Wylde's Christmas album as they cleaned.

As dinnertime drew closer, the trio waited in the second floor sitting room expectantly. Mrs. Weasley had recruited Lupin to help with preparations, but for some inexplicable reason, allowed Harry and the others to retreat upstairs. Each held a book, though no one was particularly interested in what they were holding, nor did anyone make a convincing show of trying to read.

Finally giving up and tossing her book aside, Ginny asked, "So who's coming, anyway?"

Abandoning his as well, Harry replied, "Same people as last year, I think. Tonks, Moody, Hagrid, your family, maybe Kingsley and Mundungus."

Ron considered. "I don't know about him. Mum never fancied him much and with-" Stopping himself, Ron looked uncomfortably at Harry.

Harry tried not to let the sadness that Sirius was not going to be a part of the Christmas celebrations this year show. "You're right. I don't know if he'll be here this time."

"I wonder if Persephone will come," Ginny mused.

"Probably," Ron replied. "She and Lupin seem to be pretty good friends."

Their conversation halted when a distinct knocking sounded at the front door. Before they were even out of their chairs, they heard Lupin greeting the Weasley twins and Charlie. The trio clambered down the stairs and heard the distinctive crack that heralded more arrivals. Right behind Charlie, Bill and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley bustled in the door and out of the cold. The entry hall was instantly full of holiday greetings and Weasleys and so Harry, Ron, and Ginny waited on the stairs until everyone moved toward the stairs down to the kitchen.

As the crowd filtered through the narrow doorway, Harry caught a bit of what Charlie was saying to Lupin. "...know if Dumbledore is coming? I have some disturbing..."

But Mrs. Weasley rapped her son smartly on the arm before he could finish. "None of that tonight. Serious or not, it can wait until the meeting."

Harry remembered Charlie had tried to bring up something Order-related the other night and had been silenced then as well.

Stopping as if she'd suddenly remembered something, Mrs. Weasley turned to where Harry, Ron, and Ginny were bringing up the rear. "Almost forgot." She pulled a letter out of a pocket of her skirt. "Hermione sent this to the house. We sent back an owl telling her we'd go and get her tomorrow, after she's had a chance for a nice Christmas morning with her parents."

Ron snatched the letter and quickly unfolded it. Sheepishly looking up after hastily scanning Hermione's note, Ron allowed Harry and Ginny to read it over his shoulder. Heartened by the fact Hermione seemed to be doing well and would be back with them the next day, they followed everyone down to the kitchens.

Once the crowd was settled around the table, Mrs. Weasley enlisted Harry and the others to start bringing dishes steaming with savory smells to the table. Carefully arranging a sample of each dish on a plate, Harry saw Mrs. Weasley open the boiler door and lay the food on the floor, near where Kreacher was confined. Just as she rejoined everyone at the table, another knock sounded at the front door. Lupin went up the stars and quickly returned, followed by Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley. If the kitchen had seemed crowded before, it was nothing to the crush it had become. No one seemed to mind as chairs were shifted about. Harry felt his mood lift as he watched everyone gathered, smiling and talking with one another. Number Twelve was truly starting to feel like home.

Seating herself next to Lupin, Tonks asked, "Is this everyone, then?"

Lupin looked around the table. "For dinner, I think. Some of the others said they'd stop by later."

Judging by the frown that flitted across her face, Harry guessed who Tonks figured was among those 'others'. Dinner passed with much laughter and amusing anecdotes, the tone remaining light. It was about halfway through when Harry realized he hadn't heard anything about the other Weasley brother, Percy. By his conspicuous absence, Harry guessed he and his family were still at odds. But after the night at the Ministry, Percy had to admit he'd been wrong, hadn't he? Fudge might be covering up, but Harry knew from snippets he'd heard from the others there were few in the higher ranks of the Ministry that didn't know some version of the truth. Surely working as Fudge's assistant, Percy must know what was really going on. Though he wondered if any of Ron's family had spoken with him recently, Harry wisely didn't bring the subject of Percy up. As the meal went on, Mrs. Weasley only had to shoot a few looks when topics threatened to stray into less convivial territory. By the time the dishes were cleared and tea offered, several people stood, including Kingsley and Moody.

"Lovely dinner, Molly," Moody said. "Always nice to have a home-cooked meal."

"Yes, thank you for having us." Harry was surprised to find Kingsley was addressing him.

"Not staying, are you?" Mr. Weasley asked. "I think Minerva and a few others said they were going to stop by and have a game or two."

Moody's scarred face managed a rueful smile. "Thanks, but I'm in no state to swim with those kappas. Maybe another time."

Curious, Harry asked, "Game? What kind of game?" If he had to name Hogwarts professors amenable to playing games, McGonagall would have been at the bottom of the list.

Frowning, Mrs. Weasley began, "Oh, I don't think you ought to-"

Mr. Weasley broke in, "Just a little friendly poker game. From what I hear, it's a tradition up at the school between some of the professors."

"Friendly?" George exclaimed. "I've seen Blast-Ended Skrewts less vicious than the way they play."

Fred shook his head at his siblings and Harry. "You lot had best avoid it all together. Trust us."

Chuckling, Kingsley and Moody made their farewells and headed up the stairs. Much to Ron's surprise, the twins stood up next. "We'll be off then, too."

Mr. Weasley looked up in surprise. "Well, I never thought I'd see the day either of you would turn down a chance to win some galleons."

Fred smiled jovially. "Different when you're the one earning it, eh?"

Mr. Weasley laughed while his wife merely looked torn between exasperation and approval.

"We've got a few holiday things left to attend to, so we'll see you tomorrow," George added.

"Leaving it to the last minute again, I see," Mrs. Weasley chided with a smile.

Fred winked at his older brothers. "Something like that. Coming?"

Again, to everyone's surprise, Bill and Charlie stood as well. Mrs. Weasley eyed her sons with suspicion. "What are you up to?"

"Don't worry, mum," Bill said, kissing her cheek. "Me and Charlie'll keep them in line."

Narrowing her eyes, Mrs. Weasley humphed. "Trouble times four is more like it."

Tonks sat up straighter, a look of determination settling on her face. "I'm playing."

"Are you sure-" Lupin stopped himself.

A sharp rapping at the front door gave Lupin the chance to duck away from Tonk's indignant glare. Mrs. Weasley debated whether to stay and keep and eye on her remaining underage children and Harry or head back to the Burrow when voices on the stairs down to the kitchen interrupted her.

"Where's Seph?" Lupin asked.

"She said she had something to finish but would be joining us shortly."

Harry, Ron, and Ginny, exchanged horrified glances when they recognized Snape's voice. Whatever thoughts they had of staying to either attempt to play or merely watch fled as Lupin, Hagrid, McGonagall, and Snape entered the kitchen. Avoiding looking at anyone, the trio rose, mumbling their goodnights. Just as Lupin had sat back down, another knock sounded. With an exasperated smile, Lupin got up again and went back up the stairs. Harry and the others attempted to make their escape without drawing Snape's attention.

Luckily, the twins had taken a moment to talk to Hagrid, by their furtive glances at their mother, Harry guessed about something not quite on the up-and-up. Shooting her elder sons a significant look, Bill and Charlie cleared their throats and led their younger siblings away. With a stern admonishment, Mrs. Weasley bid them goodnight. Grinning, the boys turned to the stairs only to find it blocked by Lupin and Persephone. There was a second where no one moved, quickly followed by hasty hellos and goodbyes as everyone shifted around to let each other pass.

With a grin, Persephone tossed something at Snape. Even as they took his distraction as an opportunity to move toward the stairs, Harry couldn't hide his surprise as Snape deftly caught it and held up the small cobalt-blue bottle. "What's this?"

"The last one." Still grinning like mad, Persephone opened a cabinet and staring taking out glasses. "I finished before Christmas!"

"You just finished cleaning the store room?" Ginny asked, incredulous. Having stopped at the bottom of the stairs, she blocked Harry and Ron's escape.

"Yep." Shaking her head and giving Snape a significant look she said, "If you'd seen it when I started, you'd be amazed I got it done this fast without magic."

Tonks snorted derisively. "Really, it must have been quite a challenge, cleaning up old potions in your overabundance of spare time. Meanwhile, the rest of us have been working longs hours doing actual work." Harry thought if Tonks caught sight of the look Snape was giving her, she would have quit while she was ahead. Disdainfully eyeing Persephone's back, she went on, "Still, I would have welcomed the change of pace to something so much less taxing than what the Ministry has us doing-"

Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat loudly as a reminder to leave business talk out of the night's conversation. Since Persephone had turned back to the cabinets as she answered Ginny, Harry couldn't see her expression.

However, her voice was perfectly pleasant when she turned to eye Tonks, a crystal goblet held loosely in one hand. "Would you like a glass for your wine," catching the warning look Lupin sent her, Persephone shifted her gaze and smirked at Snape, "Severus?"

Snape smirked back at her while Lupin sighed and Tonks glowered. Mr. Weasley covered his snort of laughter with a cough when Mrs. Weasley glared at him disapprovingly. When Lupin frowned at Persephone, she merely lifted a shoulder and assumed an innocent look.

As everyone settled around the table, glasses were filled and a deck of cards and a case of brightly colored chips conjured. Seeing their chance, the trio hurriedly made their way out of the kitchen.

After about an hour of Exploding Snap, Mrs. Weasley came up to check on them. After she left, Harry considered reading more on binding spells, but readily changed his mind when Ron and Ginny suggested another game. Another hour passed before they heard the muffled sound of voices in the entry. When the noise moved toward the drawing room at the back of the house instead of the front door, the trio peeked down the stairwell to see what was going on.

When Hagrid caught sight of them, he waved, "All right, you lot?" Turning to the crowd that had once again gathered in the foyer, he and McGonagall claimed their cloaks from the coat tree. "Well, it's been great, but it's time ter be off." Hagrid nodded at Lupin, then up the stairs at Harry. "Happy Christmas."

The trio made their way down, though had to make their goodbyes from the stairwell, as there was no room in the entry. Snape was still there, leaving Harry hoping he was leaving with McGonagall and Hagrid.

At the front of the crowd, Lupin turned to Persephone and said, "About the piano?"

"I would have tuned it when I brought it down," Tonks muttered, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

Making her way to the drawing room doorway, Persephone said, "I did tune it when I brought it down. Sometimes instruments need to acclimate for a bit and then be tuned again."

Her tone held no condescension, though Tonks still glowered at her. The trio followed the small crowd into the drawing room. Persephone sat on the small cushioned bench and tested a few keys. The first produced a slightly off-key note, while the next attempts produced only dull thuds and an odd, almost growling noise.

"Huh," she said as she tried again. "That's odd."

The small group watched in mild curiosity as she stood up and looked under the lid. Ron mumbled something about another boggart, but craned his neck to see better anyway.

Chuckling to herself as she reached inside, she said, "Well, that explains a lot." Everyone laughed as she withdrew a rather disgruntled-looking Pest. "I don't even want to know how you got in there."

The half-grown kitten haughtily claimed a spot on the Victorian settee while Persephone made minor adjustments to the inside of the piano. After a few minutes, she played a few chords and a short bit of melody. "There you go, good as new."

Lupin smiled and suggested, "How about a song?"

Standing quickly, Persephone took a step away from the piano. "Oh, no. We should be going."

Harry saw her gaze flick to the doorway and realized Snape was still there. Wondering why he hadn't left with the others, Harry unobtrusively took a step backwards and slightly behind Ron. Mrs. Weasley smiled at Persephone in encouragement and Ginny nodded. Persephone sat with a resigned sigh.

"Play us something, Seph," Lupin cajoled.

A devilish smile crossed her lips and she played a series of chords, obviously the opening to a song.

Lupin covered her hands with a long-suffering look. "Not that one."

Smirking, Persephone said, "You're no fun. What, then?"

"A Christmas carol, for Christmas Eve," Lupin suggested.

She picked out a few notes as everyone looked at one another. Looking up expectantly, she asked, "Well? Which one? There are plenty to choose from." When no one immediately named a song, she looked to Ginny. "You pick, Ginny. What's your favorite Christmas carol?"

Almost instantly, Ginny replied, "A place called home. It's a Katrina Wylde-" As soon as she had said it, Persephone missed a key.

Ginny stopped, flushing bright red, casting Harry and Ron a guilty look. Harry wanted to tell her not to make a fuss over it, since they weren't supposed to know she knew Katrina, but couldn't with everyone watching.

"If you don't know it, that's okay. I can pick something else-" Ginny covered quickly.

Looking down at the keys, Persephone said, "No, it's all right. I know that one." She played a few chords, then shifted her hands, muttering softly, "I always hated it in that key."

Having listened to Ginny's album earlier that day, Harry was familiar with the popular carol. However, Katrina's version was faster and more upbeat tempo than how Persephone began. The room quieted as she began to sing.

As she sang the lyrics in the slower, gentler version, Harry felt the meaning behind the words more clearly. While Katrina's version left the listener with a sort of understanding that she had found her home, Persephone's singing left him feeling as though she was still searching. He wondered how the same exact song could be conveyed so differently.

There's a place called home,

where a light's been left on

and a heart is waiting for my return.

There's a place called home

and it's where I belong.

I know someday a heart will come

to lead me home.

When she finished, Persephone stared at the keys. Before anyone could say anything, she stood suddenly. "I have to go."

Before anyone could say anything, she was out the front door. Harry stared at the drawing room doorway, wondering if anyone else had caught the look on Persephone's face when she'd first arrived that night. He hadn't thought much of it until then, but suddenly recognized it for what it was. He'd seen it almost every day for eleven years in the small, cracked mirror in the tiny cupboard under the stairs. Having gone through her things, Harry thought he might have some idea of what she was feeling.

An uncomfortable silence fell as everyone avoided each other's eyes. Finally, Snape turned toward the front door with a vague farewell. Lupin caught up to him as he reached the front door and they exchanged a few words, though too quietly for Harry to hear. Once Snape was gone, Tonks said her goodnights and Happy Christmases to everyone and also left. With only the Weasleys remaining, Harry accepted Mr. Weasley's handshake and Mrs. Weasley's hug, along with their promises to see them the following day. With everyone gone, Lupin suggested Harry and the others head to bed, to which they all readily agreed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He caught up to her easily, though Persephone had a good head start and rather a long stride for her height. As he walked beside her, he sagely said nothing, although she did not seem irritated at his company. Once they were inside the castle, he merely inclined his head, turning toward the dungeon staircase.

Just as Persephone reached the bottom of the main stairs, she turned. "Severus, wait..."

He turned, his expression blank. She held his gaze for a long moment then hesitantly, took a breath.

Letting it out, she turned her gaze away, closing her eyes as she started up the stairs. "Never mind," she said softly.

He watched for a moment then, without a word, walked down the dungeon stairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lying back after bidding Ginny and Ron goodnight in the hallway, Harry tried to forget the odder parts of the evening. After some focused effort, he fell asleep remembering the laughter and cheer that had filled the kitchen of Number Twelve.

Christmas morning dawned clear and crisp. Confused, Harry blinked blearily a few times at the bright sunlight, then realized he had forgotten to close the drapes before crawling under the covers. Noting the small pile of presents at the foot of his bed, he grinned and sat up. Not wanting to open them by himself, he piled them onto the throw blanket that covered the armchair in the corner of the room and headed to Ron's bedroom.

He found Ron still asleep, Pest once again curled up in the middle of his back. Gently picking up the sleepy kitten, Harry ignored the mewl-turned-yawn and placed him at the bottom of the bed, near Ron's feet. Stretching, Pest yawned again and hopped down to the floor, presumably to find a less turbulent place to sleep.

Poking Ron sharply in the arm, Harry whispered loudly, "Wake up!"

"Whazat?" Ron mumbled, pulling the covers higher. "Just a few more minutes, Mum."

"I'm not your mum," Harry said, laughing. "Wake up. It's Christmas."

One bleary blue eye opened and focused on Harry. "You know what the best Christmas present would be? Five more minutes of sleep."

Harry glanced at Ron's pile of gifts and raised his eyebrows. "Somehow I doubt that."

Sleepily, Ron looked toward the foot of his bed. He sat up in surprise when he caught sight of the gift that had caught Harry's attention. The long, thin package suggested only a very limited number of items. Harry sincerely hoped it wasn't a prank by the twins.

Unfolding his makeshift blanket carrier, Harry picked up the present on top, watching Ron out of the corner of his eye. When Ron picked up a gaily wrapped gift that looked suspiciously like a book, Harry pointed to the largest package and asked, "Well, aren't you going to open it?"

Ron eyed the brightly wrapped present for a long moment. "I thought I'd wait until last."

Shrugging, Harry turned to his first gift, realizing it too, felt suspiciously book-like. Ripping the paper off, he found it was in fact, a book. Sorting through the discarded paper, he saw it wasn't from Hermione as he had expected, but from Tonks and Lupin. Reading the title out loud, Harry said, "The Best Test Preparation for the AIEE."

"Aieee?" Ron pronounced it as a sort of wailing sound. "What's that?"

Holding up the book, Harry said, "Auror Institute Entrance Exam." Flipping though the pages, Harry saw Tonks had gone through and had added helpful hints and notes in places. "This is great! What'd you get?"

Looking down at the rather thinner book in his hand, Ron opened to the first page, "This one's from Persephone." He laughed. "Unusual Uses for Common Potions. She wrote a note in it to not let Fred or George get a hand on it. Like they need the help."

Sorting though his gifts, Harry saw she had also gotten him a gift. Unwrapping it, he laughed and held it up for Ron to see. "Volume two."

Having found the package from Tonks and Lupin, Ron said delightedly, "One Hundred and One Practice Exams for the AIEE. Guess we can study together."

Glancing over his remaining gifts, Ron declared that seemed to be the last book-shaped object. Harry saw he had one more, the handwriting of the giver belonging to Hermione. Wondering why Ron didn't also have a book from her, he opened it to see she had gotten him Light in the Darkness, an Auror's Story.

"Wow!" Ron exclaimed.

Harry looked up to see Ron holding up a new set of quidditch arm guards in the Gryffindor colors. "Who gave you those?"

Looking stunned, Ron replied, "Hermione. I was expecting a book."

Not able to suppress his smile, Harry held up the small, thick volume in his hand. "I got one."

Frowning, Ron asked, "I wonder why she didn't get me something like that."

"She probably figured you could borrow it from me if you wanted to and you'd rather have quidditch stuff," Harry said reasonably.

Happily trying on the guards, Ron said, "Yeah, you're probably right. This is way better than a homework planner."

They both unwrapped new sweaters knitted by Mrs. Weasley, Ron's once again a deep shade of maroon. Harry's gift also contained several mince pies and a tin of fudge. Harry unwrapped Ginny's gift just as Ron unwrapped the Keeper shirt Harry had bought him. They had a good laugh when they realized that since Ginny had gotten Harry the Seeker shirt, they all matched. The next oddly shaped, lumpy gift had Harry staring at it quizzically for a moment before he realized it was a wooly hat, presumably made by Dobby. Ignoring Ron's snickers, Harry laid it on top of his pile. After thanking Ron for the large assortment of Sugar Quills and licorice wands, Harry opened Hagrid's present. Ever wary of his well-intentioned but usually dangerous gifts, Harry was surprised to see the small box only held a new Hippogriff feather quill and an assortment of magical inks. Even Ron seemed surprised at the innocuousness of the gift.

"How much you want to bet one of those inks eats through normal paper or something?" Ron asked.

Snickering, Harry shook his head. "I bet it makes the doodles come alive."

Ron's eyes flicked toward the long package. It was the only one left. Harry held his breath, hoping it was what it looked like and not just a cruel joke by the twins. After a few slow, hesitant rips, Harry couldn't stand it anymore. "Just open it already!"

In a flurry of paper, Ron revealed a long brown box. Without any further prompting, he pulled off the top and his jaw dropped. He stared wordlessly into the box.

"Well? Which one is it?" Harry demanded to know. Judging by Ron's expression, it was obviously the broom the box shape had indicated, but Harry didn't know which model it was. Ron hesitantly reached into the box, still gaping. Slowly, he withdrew a brand-new, mint condition Firebolt.

Harry stared. "Who bought you that?"

Ron pulled his gaze away from the broom long enough to find the bit of wrapping paper that said who it was from. His expression went from awe to utter confusion in the blink of an eye.

"Was it Fred and George?" Harry asked.

Shaking his head, Ron was about to answer when a voice asked softly from the doorway, "Do you like it?"

Harry turned to see Ginny standing just outside, watching her brother with a hesitant but satisfied smile.

"How...how did you..." Ron stuttered. "I mean...how?"

Ginny grinned. "Well, I-"

Suddenly, Ron's eyes narrowed. "This doesn't have anything to do with Malfoy, does it?"

The look on Ginny's face said it all. "WHAT?"

Wincing, Harry interrupted, "Don't fight, come on, it's Christmas."

"How did you afford this?" Ron asked. "Did Fred and George give you money?"

Shooting her brother a look, Ginny replied, "If you'd shut up for ten seconds, I'd tell you."

Torn between joy and suspicion, Ron obligingly stopped talking.

"You remember how I helped Persephone with Free, right?" The boys nodded. "And then with Medusa? Well, Persephone decided that since I'd done so much work, I deserved to be paid. I got just over two galleons an hour for an hour and a half a day for almost three months, so it really added up."

"You should have saved, it Ginny," Ron said, though he was once again gazing lovingly at his new broom.

Watching her brother, Ginny shrugged. "I saved a little bit." She didn't want to say it out loud, but seeing her brother's face light up was worth far more than the galleons to her.

Suddenly Ron jumped up and grabbed his sister in a huge hug. "You are the best sister ever!"

They heard a barely audible knock at the front door. Ron opened his bedroom door wider just in time to hear Lupin say, "Hermione! Welcome back!" then greet the Weasleys. Shunting Ginny to one side, Ron was out the door in a flash. Having stood up when they heard the knock, Harry managed to steady her.

Looking back at him, Ginny rolled her eyes. "So much for best sister ever."

Harry laughed as they made their way downstairs. Hermione smiled up at them as they descended as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley greeting them with cheerful Happy Christmases. Though Hermione had already had breakfast (raising an eyebrow at the fact Ron and Harry had only just gotten up) Mrs. Weasley set to putting together a morning feast for the rest of the assemblage.

Noticing the curly ribbon sticking out of her pocket as she removed her jacket, Ron asked, "Who's that for?"

Looking a bit as if she'd been caught doing something wrong, Hermione took out the small gift. "It's, um, for Kreacher."

Ron's dubious look wasn't the only one. "What is it?"

Harry had to applaud the fact Ron had at least not come right out and asked if it was clothing. Obviously uncomfortable at the scrutiny, Hermione held the gift in front of her like a shield. "It's a tea towel." Before anyone could comment, she rushed on, "I know we can't give him clothes," she speared Ron with a look, "not that I would, but I thought he might like something new to wear."

"That's very kind of you, Hermione," Lupin said.

When Mrs. Weasley had made the first batch of eggs and bacon, Hermione arranged a little plate and set both it and the gift just inside the boiler room door. Harry caught Kreacher's suspicious beady gaze as Hermione closed the door again. Just before the door shut completely, Harry saw Kreacher snatch up the gift and hold it close to his chest protectively, as if he feared she might take it back.

Harry's observations were interrupted by the boisterous arrival of Bill, Charlie, and the twins. Bill and Charlie greeted everyone and happily accepted cups of tea from their father. Though Mrs. Weasley had just settled at the table to sip her tea, she stood when Fred and George sat, eying the empty plates on the table hungrily.

She moved toward the stove. "Have you eaten?"

Fred and George looked up and said, in unison, "No."

Mrs. Weasley gathered ingredients even as she gave her sons a knowing look. They grinned cheekily in response. Once they too, had plowed through breakfast, Fred gave George a nudge.

Clearing his throat, George announced, "Now that we're all fed-"

"Sounds like a Dumbledore Welcoming Feast speech," Ron whispered. Ginny and Harry snickered.

"A-hem," George said meaningfully.

"Hem, hem," Ginny imitated Professor Umbridge perfectly. Harry and Ron burst into laughter, joined quickly by Fred and Hermione. Lupin hid his smile behind his teacup while Mrs. Weasley just shook her head.

"Stop that!" George said mock-seriously. "If I may continue..."

Everyone made a show of sitting up straight and looking serious and proper. Harry could see Ginny biting her lip to keep from dissolving into giggles again. He felt a sharp pain in his shin when she misaimed her kick at Ron who was crossing his eyes at her. Hermione tried to shoot them all a disapproving glare, but failed miserably.

"All right, then." George gave them all a stern look uncannily like the one Mrs. Weasley so often aimed at him and his brother. "Fred and I would like to present, to our dear, beloved-"

"Esteemed!" Fred interjected.

George nodded. "Highly esteemed mother and father, our Christmas gift to you."

With a flourish, he produced a scroll of parchment which Mrs. Weasley took with raised eyebrows. Leaning over her shoulder, Mr. Weasley read it along with her. Harry exchanged a look with Ron and Ginny, but they merely shrugged. After a scanning a few lines, Mrs. Weasley's hand went to her mouth and here eyes glistened with tears. Mr. Weasley merely looked stunned.

"Well, share it with the rest of us, would you!" Ron demanded. He looked pointedly at Bill and Charlie, who only grinned.

"Is this real?" Mrs. Weasley managed.

George put a hand to his chest and feigned a faint. "You wound us, mother!"

"Of course, it's real!" Fred exclaimed.

Mrs. Weasley grabbed the closest twin in a fierce hug. "Oh! We're so proud!"

Leaping up, Ron reached for the parchment. "That's it! What does it say?" Scanning it quickly, Ron exclaimed disbelievingly, "St. Mungo's? They're paying you for this?"

When he didn't immediately clarify, Ginny exhaled sharply and snatched the paper. "Give me that!"

Holding it so Harry and Hermione could see as well, they saw it was a letter from St. Mungo's Hospital outlining a contract to buy a large order of Fred and George's Skiving Snackboxes.

"As first aid kit?" Hermione said incredulously. "That's..." she paused a moment. "That's actually a brilliant idea. Who came up with this?"

The twins looked to Charlie who replied, "Well Fred and George had sent some as a gag. I had the Snackbox with me when we were out tracking a Longhorn and one our guys was attacked by a bowtruckle-"

"Uncommon for that part of Europe, aren't they?" Hermione interjected.

Charlie shrugged. "It's not where they're most commonly found, but it's not that rare to see them about. Anyway, Ethan had gotten too close to its tree, I suppose, and it attacked. We managed to get it off and back in the branches without doing too much damage to it, but the little bugger got in a couple of solid hits first. I used the antidote part of the Nosebleed Nougat to stop the bleeding."

"After we got Charlie's letter, George and I realized we might be able to market some parts of the Snackboxes as medical aids," Fred said proudly. "Bill helped a bit with the contracts and things. We're using the profits to fund some things we've got in development."

"Like what?" Mr. Weasley asked, curiously.

The twins exchanged a look and shrugged in unison. "Well, you remember those Headless Hats?" Fred looked to Harry and the others, who nodded. "Well, we're trying to make the charm extend further."

"As in, over a whole cloak," George added.

"But that's..." Hermione started.

"Very difficult," the twins finished in unison.

George said, "We tried soaking it in an invisible ink-derived potion first."

"But you saw how unstable that potion was," Fred said, grinning at Ginny.

Remembering Malfoy fleeing the Great Hall covered by nothing more than a handful of napkins, Harry and Ron snickered. Unaware of what was so amusing, Lupin raised his eyebrows in silent question.

Ignoring him, Fred went on, "So we've gone back to trying slightly modified forms of the same invisibility charm on different kinds of cloth and hides. Thanks for the Christmas gift, by the way, Ginny."

Ginny smiled and Harry made a mental note to ask her what she'd given them.

George's exuberance faded a touch. "We've made progress, but it's been slow going." He brightened. "But with the money from St. Mungo's, we can get a hold of some rarer hides and things we've been wanting to try out.

Narrowing her eyes in warning, Mrs. Weasley admonished, "As long as you're not doing anything shady..."

"Of course not!" the twins exclaimed. Harry however, caught the grin that flashed between them.

Smiling, Harry stood and started clearing dishes. So as not to make her other children feel left out of the gift-giving praise, Mrs. Weasley turned to her daughter. "Thank you for the certificate, Ginny. I'm looking forward to using it."

Ginny smiled shyly when Mrs. Weasley told them Ginny had gotten her a gift card to a pricey salon. "Though you should have saved it, dear. Especially after Ron's present..."

Rolling her eyes, Ginny repeated quietly, "I saved a bit."

"Why? What'd you get ickle Ronnykins?" George asked.

Ignoring his brother's annoying nickname, Ron smiled smugly. "A Firebolt."

Leaning back on two legs of his chair, Fred laughed along with his brother, until he realized Ron was still smiling and their mother looked both bemused and resigned. Fred's chair slammed back on all four feet. "You're serious?"

Nodding, Ron turned to his sister. "Thanks, Gin. You're the best!"

After further exclamations of surprise and Ginny explaining how she had earned the money once again, Mrs. Weasley deftly ended the talk over Ron's new broom.

Turning to Ron, Mrs. Weasley said, "Wherever did you find that bath soap? I thought they stopped making that scent years ago!" She looked lovingly at her husband. "Why, I remember on our first date-"

Holding up his hands, George cut her off, "Mum, please. We don't want to know."

Hermione had turned to Ron as well, "I wanted to ask as well. How did you find something that was so..." she trailed off, searching for the word, "perfect? I would never have guessed someone would market a scent that...unusual. Really, Ron, it smells divine."

Blushing at the praise, Ron exchanged a glance with Harry. "We, uh, made it. In potions tutoring."

Ginny hesitantly looked to Harry. "Yeah, I wanted to tell you how much I really like it. The bottle is pretty, too."

"If you like the smell, then you should ask Hermione what shampoo she uses, it smells just like it," Ron added.

Hermione's forehead winkled. "No it doesn't. It smells like new parchment and freshly mown grass and, well," She stopped uncertainly when Mrs. Weasley frowned, "other things, too. I wondered how you knew I liked all of that."

There was an uncomfortable, slightly confused silence in the room. Mrs. Weasley looked to her daughter. "Well, what did it smell like to you, Ginny?"

"I, um...fresh hay and that lemony scent kind of like Mum's cleaning polish and some other stuff," she mumbled quickly, looking embarrassed.

"Well, Ron and I used a little bit of different ingredients," Harry said uncertainly.

"But I gave Mum and Hermione the same one," Ron said, confused. "Why would theirs smell different?"

"Do you have any here?" Lupin spoke up. Harry thought he looked a bit concerned.

Ginny dashed up the stairs, obviously grateful for the excuse to leave. When she returned and handed Lupin the sea-green bottle traced with silver, he uncorked it and sniffed. Surprise crossed his features and he asked distractedly, "What did you say, lemon and something?"

Without waiting for a reply, Lupin placed the stopper back in the bottle and shook himself a bit. "You made this in potions?"

"In tutoring," Harry clarified. "But Persephone put the same scent in all of our potions."

A mix of understanding and something Harry couldn't quite place crossed Lupin's features. Taking the small box of floo powder, Lupin tossed it in the flames. Concerned glances flew around the room since they were only supposed to use the Floo Network for emergencies. What had Persephone added?

Kneeling down, Lupin partially blocked Harry's view so he was surprised when Lupin held Ginny's bottle though the flames and said, "Severus, what does this smell like to you?"

Harry caught Ron's horrified look. Shifting slightly, he saw Snape take the bottle and uncork it. Carefully smelling, he opened his mouth and quickly shut it. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, he said, "Amortentia."

Hermione gasped, as did Mrs. Weasley. Taking the bottle back, Lupin asked, "Do you know where Seph is?"

Snape didn't answer, but as Lupin seemed to be waiting, Harry assumed he had gone to fetch her. He, Ron, and Ginny looked to Hermione inquiringly. Hermione glanced at Mrs. Weasley as though asking permission, then said, "Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in the world."

The kitchen went silent. Ron went scarlet.

Ginny voiced the question they were all wondering, "Why would Persephone put that in your bath soap?"

Lupin muttered, "We're about to find out."

Persephone's face appeared in the fire and smiled at them. "Merry Christmas." Harry didn't know if Snape had told her what was going on, but assumed he hadn't when she asked, "Did you want something?"

Lupin looked at her sternly and held out Ginny's bottle again. "What scent did you use for this potions lesson?"

Persephone froze, then quickly recovered. "Just something to make it smell nice."

Lupin took on the tone Mrs. Weasley used to keep her children in line. "You used amortentia, didn't you?"

Persephone glanced behind her and Harry saw her throw a pleading look at Snape who merely raised an eyebrow. Realizing she'd been caught, she rushed to defend herself. "I only used two drops per student, which is really only one per bottle-"

"More than enough," Lupin interrupted her, giving her a stern look.

"Now that's not fair," Persephone insisted. "For one, it's not charmed toward anyone in particular, so there's no infatuation response. You only smell the things that most appeal to you, which leaves you feeling of relaxed and content. Besides, amortentia won't absorb through the skin so it shouldn't have any romantic effect whatsoever." Again she looked to Snape for support and he grudgingly inclined his head in agreement.

"So, as long as they're not eating it-" Suddenly, she cast a worried look past Lupin to Harry and the others. "You're not eating it, are you?" As the thought had never occurred to them Harry and Ron shook their heads, as did the girls. Persephone flashed Lupin a relived, confident smile. "See? No problem!"

"You know it's against Hogwarts rules to use-"

Persephone interrupted with a smile, "Against the rules for students to use it as a love potion."

"Don't bend the rules to your own interpretation," Lupin warned.

Persephone grinned as she backed out of the fire. "You're one to talk."

Just before the fire flashed back to its normal color, something flew out of it and hit Lupin in the forehead. As he picked it up off the stone floor, Harry could see it was a half-eaten and slightly broken candy cane. Looking around at everyone, Lupin cleared his throat. "Well, then. I guess that answers that question."

"Is it all right to use?" Ginny asked.

Ron and Harry exchanged a look, having already tried it out. Lupin sighed and handed Ginny back the bottle. "I suppose it should be."

The most exciting parts of the morning over, everyone headed upstairs to the drawing room to admire the tree, play games, and relax. Bill picked out a bawdy tune on the piano before Mrs. Weasley insisted Charlie take over and play something 'appropriate' for the day. After a few carols, everyone settled into conversations and card games.

Their reprieve from helping Mrs. Weasley seemed to be at an end when she ushered Ron, Ginny, Harry, and Hermione into the kitchen to help with making dinner. No one minded as the joy of the holiday seemed to permeate every corner of Number Twelve. Occasionally, Harry would look up, expecting Sirius to walk through the door and felt the usual painful twinge that he would not. But seeing his friends laughing and joking kept him from giving in to his more melancholy thoughts. When dessert was over and everyone sat around the table, half-asleep, satisfied and stuffed, those not staying for the night reluctantly got up and made their farewells.

Once he was settled alone in his room, Harry found that while he had had a wonderful day and was feeling rather content, sleep eluded him. Staring at the ceiling, he wondered why his mind wouldn't allow him to drift off. Thinking perhaps it was due to the part of him that still missed Sirius terribly, Harry once again got out of bed, took the candelabra from his dresser, and headed up to the attic.