A Cord of Three Strands

A Cord of Three Strands

By Cindale

Chapter 13

"Happy Christmas"

"Oh the happiest Christmas

Is a homecoming Christmas

With the snow fluttering down 'til the world seems new

Bright candles burning

Old friends returning

The wishes of children coming true

And the happiest wishes are just old fashioned wishes

May your days be merry, your sorrows be small

May the ones you love be near you

That's the happiest Christmas of all"

"The Happiest Christmas" by Myles Rudge and Ted Dicks

(on Michael W. Smith's "Christmastime" CD)

*************************************************************

Harry watched with amusement as Hermione showed her parents around the Gryffindor common room and Ron trailed behind them looking uncomfortable. Earlier, Harry had asked Ron why he was so nervous; he had met Hermione's parents before, after all.

"That was before I was her boyfriend," he explained in an intense voice. "What if they don't like me? What if they don't think I'm good enough for her?"

Harry had tried to reassure him, but was bewildered by Ron's attitude and wondered why he was taking this so seriously.

It had been Dumbledore's idea for the Weasleys and Grangers to spend Christmas at Hogwarts. It was difficult to bring Muggles to the castle, since they couldn't see it, but the headmaster felt the risk of transporting Hermione was nearly as great as the threat to Harry. Of course, the destruction of the Burrow over the summer had proven that Ron would always be a target.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had arrived earlier that day, and Mrs. Weasley had wasted no time in decorating the common room. However, when she went to the kitchens to speak to the house-elves, Ginny had quietly incinerated all the mistletoe adorning the room. Harry watched her curiously, wondering if she was upset that her new boyfriend couldn't join them for Christmas, but not really wanting to ask. He didn't know why she was so worried about mistletoe; almost everyone she might be "forced" to kiss was family.

The thought of kissing naturally caused Harry's mind to wander to Luna. He wondered, as he had many times since the Christmas Celebration, whether he would be allowed to kiss her when she returned from the holidays. Even though he had been a bit frightened by his body's reaction to her, he couldn't deny that he had enjoyed it very much. He had thought about sending her an owl, but couldn't think what to say, having never corresponded with her before.

Harry was jerked back to the present by a cry from Ron and couldn't help laughing at the sight of him on his back at the bottom of the stairs leading to the girl's dormitory. "Didn't you learn your lesson last year?" Harry managed to choke out.

"But Mr. Granger ..." Ron sputtered. "He's ... he's a bloke." Mr. Granger had successfully followed his wife and daughter halfway up the stairs; only the bottom half of the staircase had flattened into a ramp, apparently knocking Ron to the ground.

The Grangers had stopped and turned confused faces toward Ron. Hermione, obviously struggling not to laugh, explained to her parents about the trick stairs as Ron struggled to his feet. "But I don't know why the stairs are letting you up, Dad," she finished.

"Maybe they read intention," said Ginny in a falsely helpful tone, laying aside the book she had been reading. "I'm sure Mr. Granger's intentions toward Hermione are honourable."

Harry stifled a laugh as Ron glared murderously at Ginny, but he did feel a bit sorry for his furiously blushing friend; Ginny's comment certainly wasn't making Ron feel more at ease around the Grangers.

"Actually, it's probably age," said Hermione, smirking at Ginny. She caught Ron's eye before continuing upstairs and gave him an encouraging smile. "We'll be right back, Ron."

As soon as the Grangers were out of earshot, Ron turned back to Ginny and growled, "I hope you enjoy your last meal tonight."

"You wouldn't kill your baby sister on Christmas Eve, would you?" Ginny asked in a sickly sweet voice, batting her eyelashes.

The imminent row was disrupted when the portrait swung open and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came through, followed closely by Bill and Charlie. Ginny gave a squeal at the sight of her two oldest brothers, and Ron seemed to forget his anger as he rushed to the door. Harry leaned back in his chair and watched the ensuing reunion with a smile. Once they had greeted their siblings, Bill and Charlie hurried over to Harry and each shook his hand warmly.

Dinner in the Great Hall that night was a grand affair. Everyone, including faculty, sat together at one of the long house tables. A few other students had stayed at Hogwarts for the holidays, but Mrs. Weasley simply adopted them as her own children for the evening. She was definitely the mother hen of the group, making sure everyone from the Hufflepuff first year to Dumbledore himself had enough to eat.

The Grangers seemed bewildered by all the magic around them, but by the time pudding was served (and they had consumed a quantity of wine) they had relaxed considerably. Harry thought Ron looked like he could use some wine; Fred and George teased him mercilessly about Hermione all through dinner, and Ron kept glancing nervously at Mr. Granger as if afraid he would overhear.

Harry's attention was diverted to a quiet argument between Mrs. Weasley and Snape. "Just stop by Gryffindor Tower for a few minutes for some tea tomorrow," Mrs. Weasley pleaded. "No one should spend Christmas alone."

Snape looked as if he was struggling to bite back a sarcastic retort, and Harry looked down at his pudding to hide his smirk. "I assure you, Molly, your pity is unwarranted," Snape said in a tone that was actually civil. "I have matters to attend to tomorrow."

"Not all day," Mrs. Weasley protested. "And it's not pity, it's ..." Harry looked up as Molly waved her fork in a circle, seemingly searching for the right word, "... it's hospitality and friendship."

Snape's expression made it clear he didn't believe it was anything of the sort, but he gave a small sigh and said, "If I have time in between my ... obligations ... I will look in on you."

Mrs. Weasley nodded once and turned her attention to Charlie, clucking at him about the new scar on his left hand. Harry watched Snape roll his eyes as soon as Mrs. Weasley looked away. He was sure that Snape had only agreed to come to Gryffindor Tower so the motherly woman would stop insisting; he certainly did not expect to see Snape in their common room the next day.

**********************************

"Wake up Fred!" Ron yelled in his brother's face, while Harry shook George's shoulder. The twins, who had indulged heavily in the wine the night before, gave identical groans and pulled the covers over their heads.

"Having trouble?" Bill asked Ron and Harry, walking out of the bathroom fully dressed. He gestured to Charlie, who was pulling on his boots, and walked over to Fred's bed, brandishing his wand. Charlie hurried over to George's bed, pulling out his own wand. "On three," Bill murmured. "One - two - three!"

Bill and Charlie flicked their wands, and the blankets disappeared from the beds. Fred scrambled blindly for the covers while George just moaned and covered his head with his arms.

"Come on, you two!" said Charlie. "I want to open presents." Fred told Charlie to do something that Harry was fairly sure was impossible, and Harry was amused at Charlie's indignant expression.

"I can't wait until I'm old enough to drink too much wine," Ron said in a falsely cheerful voice. "It looks like so much fun." He ducked effortlessly as George threw a pillow at him.

Harry and the five Weasleys finally made it down to the common room. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were sitting on a sofa by the fireplace, watching in awe as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley levitated brightly-coloured packages into piles. Ginny squealed with delight like a small child when Mr. Weasley guided a heap of packages to the ground between her and Hermione. Harry found the pile of presents marked with his name and sat on the floor next to it, feeling the familiar thrill of anticipation in his stomach as he eyed his stack. However, only part of his excitement was directed toward the presents. Harry caught Ron's eye and grinned. Then he turned slightly to keep an eye on the twins while trying not to look like he was watching them.

Once everyone was seated, Harry picked up the present on the top of his pile, pretending to examine it, but actually watching Fred closely. A shout diverted his attention to George, who was lying halfway on his stomach on the floor, a present just out of his reach. He lunged for the gift and cursed when it scuttled further away from his hand.

"George!" exclaimed Molly. "Watch your language!"

"This present, Mum - what did you do ..." George trailed off as his twin began having problems with one of his own presents. "Something's up," he concluded. He glared at the errant box across the floor and grabbed another one, but it flew out of his hands. The next one he tried to touch also scooted across the floor as if repelled.

"Who did this?" Fred demanded, looking at the laughing faces around the room.

"Clever charm, that," Ron choked out.

"How do you know it's a charm?" George asked suspiciously.

"I just assumed," Ron said with a shrug, trying and failing miserably to look innocent.

"Hmmm..." said Fred, glaring at Ron.

He turned his angry face toward Ginny, who was laughing harder than anyone. "Don't look at me," she gasped. "I wouldn't know a charm like that." She laughed a little more and then struggled to regain her breath. "Funny, though - wish I'd thought of it."

Ginny finally regained her composure and grabbed a present from her pile, and it promptly flew out of her hands and across the room. "Mum!" she screamed as she tried to pick up two more gifts. "What did you do? Take off the charm!"

"Not so funny now, is it?" Fred asked bitterly. "Dad! Take off this hex, will you?"

"Can't," Mr. Weasley said between chuckles. "Don't know the counter jinx. Good joke, though."

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley scolded.

"Oi - you two," said George, pointing to Harry and Ron. "You're not having any trouble unwrapping presents. You did it. Take it off!"

Harry shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "Bill and Charlie aren't having any trouble, either - how do you know they didn't do it?"

"I think Hermione did it," Ginny said, eyeing her friend menacingly. "She's definitely smart enough to."

"And we're not?" asked Charlie.

"No," said Ginny without a hint of apology. "Take off the charm, Hermione."

"But that would mean admitting I did it, which I will never do!" said Hermione, obviously struggling to maintain a scandalized expression.

In the end, Fred and George opened each other's presents while Mr. Weasley took pity on Ginny. To the victims' great relief, the charm was automatically deactivated once the gift was unwrapped.

All in all, Harry was very pleased with their retaliation for the Halloween prank. He and Ron had come up with the idea during a late night brainstorming session, and Hermione had researched and cast the charm. Harry had insisted that Ginny be included since he suspected she had been responsible for the design of his costume.

While everyone else admired each other's gifts and compared Weasley jumpers, Harry gazed sadly at the small pile of presents left under the tree. Christmas Eve had been the Full Moon, and Remus was undoubtedly recuperating in his room. Harry silently resolved to go and visit him after the evening meal.

Remus's lonely presents reminded Harry of the gift that had been returned to the Weasleys the previous year. It almost seemed odd that no one had mentioned Percy, but Harry supposed the Weasleys' wounds were still too raw. He could understand that; he wasn't sure how he would react if someone mentioned Sirius.

After the traditional Christmas Dinner in the Great Hall, complete with wizard's crackers, they had an all-out snowball war on the front lawn. Hermione refused to participate at first, but Ron pummelled her with snow until she was angry enough to retaliate. Hermione had the last laugh, however, when Ginny showed her how to charm snowballs so that they followed the intended target like Nifflers after gold.

When everyone, including the spectators, was completely soaked and shivering, they staggered up the stairs to the seventh floor, drying their clothes with charms as they climbed. No one had the energy to do anything besides flop in front of the fire in the common room and munch on the sandwiches and biscuits that had appeared in their absence.

Once Harry had eaten his fill and recovered a bit of vigour, he stole away from the group and snuck upstairs to get Remus's present. He thought no one noticed him slipping through the portrait hole, but before he reached the bottom of the first flight of stairs, someone called out to him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Harry froze and turned to face Mrs. Weasley. He sighed; he was tired of people trying to protect him.

"To visit Remus," he said, holding up the present as evidence.

Mrs. Weasley visibly relaxed and said, "Of course. But let me walk you there - I don't feel comfortable with you walking around the castle alone at night when it's so empty."

Harry shrugged and waited for her to catch up to him. As they continued on together, Mrs. Weasley talked so quietly Harry had to strain to hear. "Your safety is the most important thing in this war, Harry. Please don't forget that - especially now that we know..." She trailed off, gesturing with her hand.

"I don't think I'm in any danger from the spy," Harry whispered, struggling not to feel annoyed. "I got the impression that Voldemort wants to kill me himself. The spy seems to be trying to take down the wards, so I doubt he would risk revealing himself by hurting me." At least that's what he had told himself countless times since the Order meeting.

Mrs. Weasley stopped suddenly and whirled to face him, startling him into stopping. "You can't have that attitude! You're not invincible, Harry!"

Harry glared at Mrs. Weasley for a moment and then continued quickly on his way, afraid he would say something he would regret. He had been having such a pleasant Christmas; he had almost been able to forget that he wasn't a normal teenager and he resented the reminder. Harry heard her calling his name behind him; he stopped and turned reluctantly to face her.

Her expression was almost frightening; he had never seen her so livid. "Now you listen to me!" she said in a quiet but intense voice, puffing a bit from hurrying to catch up. "You will keep yourself safe, and you will let us help you! I'm not going to lose another son to that bastard!"

Harry's anger disappeared as a memory of Mrs. Weasley weeping beside his dead body at Grimmauld Place flashed through his mind. "Sorry," he mumbled, looking at the ground and feeling a little ashamed of himself. "It's just ... I just ... I just w-want to be n-normal," he sputtered lamely.

He chanced a look at Mrs. Weasley and his breath caught when he saw the tears streaming down her face. "Oh, Harry," she said as if her heart was breaking, and she pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. "You're right, it's so unfair," she murmured near his ear as she held him.

Harry sighed, realizing that she understood as much as anyone else possibly could. He wanted nothing more than to pour his anger, frustration, and fear onto this woman's shoulder, but he just couldn't show weakness, not even to her. So he settled for relaxing into the motherly comfort her embrace conveyed and emptying his mind to control his emotions.

She finally released him. "You'll be okay, Harry," she whispered as she wiped her face. "We all will." It was inadequate reassurance, but Harry nodded and swallowed. Mrs. Weasley blew her nose loudly into her handkerchief, pocketed it, and gestured with her hand, saying, "Let's go see how Remus is doing."

As they walked, Mrs. Weasley asked him questions about his classes and marks as if they were the biggest concerns in his life. He relaxed into the conversation, and was actually beginning to enjoy it until she asked, "Is there a special girl in your life?"

Harry tried unsuccessfully to will the blush away. Mrs. Weasley took pity on him and said, "Okay - not the best question from a grown-up. But let me ask you this: what do you think of Ron and Hermione dating? I know they're your best friends - I thought it might be a little ... awkward for you."

"No - I think it's great," Harry said sincerely. "It's actually a relief that Ron finally told her how he felt." Mrs. Weasley gave him a calculating look. Harry connected the question about Ron and Hermione with the question about his own love life and realized she was concerned that he might feel left out. "It's not been awkward - I think they'll always be my best friends. They don't ever make me feel left out or anything. Of course, they have plenty of time to be alone when I'm in extra lessons and stuff." He smirked at Mrs. Weasley, and then remembered he was talking to Ron's mother. "W-well ... I-I mean ... I'm sure they don't really do ... anything ... where they need to ... be alone..." Mrs. Weasley raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything, much to Harry's relief.

They reached Remus's door, and Mrs. Weasley knocked. "Just a minute, Molly," came a faint voice from inside. Harry heard slow, uneven footfalls, as if Remus were limping across the room. His tired face broke into a huge grin when he opened the door. "Harry! I didn't know you were here! The charm only reveals the person knocking."

"How are you, Remus?" Mrs. Weasley asked in a concerned voice.

"Not bad," Remus answered. "Severus has been experimenting with the Wolfsbane Potion, and this is the easiest transformation I've had in a long while. In fact," he said, gesturing for them to enter, "I was just thinking of going to see you, Harry. I've got a gift for you."

"Me too," said Harry, showing Remus the present he was carrying.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone, then," Molly said, looking between them with a pleased grin. "Remus, do you want me to bring you a sandwich later?"

Molly finally left after assurances that the house-elves had taken good care of Remus at dinnertime and that he would feel up to walking Harry back to Gryffindor Tower. Remus turned away from the door and said, "I'm glad you came. I really wanted to give you your present privately."

"Here, open mine first," said Harry, trying not to betray nervousness in his voice.

Remus took the gift and carefully pulled the paper off. "Oh, Harry," he gasped as a small, framed portrait of James, Lily, Sirius and Remus was revealed.

"I-it's from a wedding picture," Harry explained. "But the artist said it wouldn't move or speak since he painted it from a photograph and not the real people."

"I love it!" Remus exclaimed. He put the painting down carefully and put his arms around Harry, who stiffened automatically since Remus had never hugged him before. Just as Harry was beginning to relax into the fatherly embrace, Remus released him and said, "Thank you, Harry!"

Remus suddenly seemed to have more energy; he waved his wand at the painting and it flew to the wall. He regarded it with a calculating expression, shook his head, and levitated it to the opposite wall. Then he cocked his head to one side, adjusted the angle slightly, and murmured, "Perfect," as he turned to beam at Harry. "It's perfect," he repeated.

"I'm glad you like it," Harry said, smiling back.

"I do." His expression became a little nervous, and he said, "Let me get mine," as he turned to the bookcase. He pulled out a neatly wrapped package Harry was sure was a book. Harry tried to open the package as carefully as Remus had obviously wrapped it, but he couldn't help a few small rips. He gradually revealed a plain, leather-bound book with the letters R J L emblazoned in gold on the spine. After shooting Remus a questioning glance, he opened the book and read:

"1 September 1971 - Well, I've done it! I'm actually on the Hogwarts Express headed to Hogwarts! I still can't believe I get to go! I couldn't wait to put on my school robes, and I can't wait to get there! Mum packed me a sandwich, but I don't feel like eating..."

Harry continued to read about the writer's hopes of having friends, his dreams of being a full-fledged wizard, and his fears that his secret would be discovered. He gave a little chuckle when he read that Remus had expected to be sorted into Hufflepuff.

A quiet cough jerked him back to the present, and he looked at Remus with wonder. " Your journal?" he asked incredulously.

"A copy," said Remus, trepidation still evident in his eyes. "My years at Hogwarts. Complete, except for ... well ... I edited out ... er ... some of the more ... er ... private stuff. But nothing about your father - everything concerning James is there." Harry stared at him in disbelief; he couldn't believe his guardian would trust him with something so personal.

"It's been bothering me that you got such a bad impression of your father last year," Remus continued. "I wanted you to get the full picture of the sort of person he was. He certainly wasn't perfect - in fact, he could be quite a tosser sometimes. But he was everything you'd want in a friend - fiercely loyal - helpful - he'd do anything for me ..." His voice grew hoarse on the last few words and he cleared his throat. "Anyway, I just wanted you to read this - I thought you might like learning more about your father - and Sirius."

"I-I d-don't know what to say, Remus," Harry stammered. "Y-you - you'd really let me read this?"

Remus smiled, the anxiety fading from his face. "I want you to."

"T-thank you," Harry whispered, deeply touched.

Remus nodded and started looking uneasy again. "There's something else I want to show you." He looked as if he was going to say something else, but changed his mind and turned abruptly to pull something out of a cupboard. "It also bothered me that you thought your mother hated your father," Remus said as he carefully placed Dumbledore's Pensieve upon a small table. "Your parents adored each other, Harry. Granted, Lily was less than impressed with your dad at first. James was a right prat around girls when he was younger, and most of them adored him, but Lily just thought he was obnoxious. Actually, that's probably why James was attracted to her. In seventh year James calmed down a bit, and Lily finally gave him a chance. She loved him once she got to know him, Harry. Don't ever doubt that."

Harry thought about that. It reminded him a little of how he and Ron had disliked Hermione until they had seen another side of her on that fateful Halloween night. He nodded at Remus without speaking.

"I'd like to share one of my favourite memories with you, Harry. Is that okay?" He indicated the Pensieve.

"What is it?" said Harry, curious.

"Your first Christmas," Remus answered with a nervous grin. "Sirius and I spent the day at your parents' house."

Harry started feeling anxious himself; he wasn't sure he wanted to see his parents again since the first time had been so unpleasant. But Remus seemed to think this would be a more positive experience, and it was obviously important to him.

"You don't have to - it's okay," Remus said, and Harry thought he was trying not to look disappointed.

"No - I want to," Harry said quickly. "Let's do it." He stepped toward the Pensieve to show he was willing. Remus flashed him a brilliant smile and grasped his arm, and as one they leaned over it.

Harry and Remus stood on a front porch behind a much younger Remus and Sirius. It was odd to see two Remus's, but not as odd as seeing himself in his previous Pensieve experience. Sirius muttered something under his breath and barely waited for the door to open before bounding into the house. Young Remus followed more slowly behind him, with Harry and his guardian slipping in quickly before the door snapped shut.

Harry looked in amazement at the scene before him. A man who was unmistakably his father was sitting on the sofa, engrossed in Muggle television. An infant with messy black hair was lying on a blanket on the floor in front of him, flailing his arms and legs enthusiastically and cooing happily at a mirror sitting in front of his face.

"What's my godson doing on the floor?" Sirius bellowed, slapping James on the back of the head. "It's a crime he's not being held!"

"He's happy - leave him alone," James said without taking his eyes off the television. Sirius picked up the infant, who protested briefly at being deprived of his entertainment.

"Come on," Sirius said in a sing-song voice, tickling the baby under his chin. "Uncle Sirius is much more interesting than your own face, surely!"

The first thing Harry noticed about the baby was the absence of the scar; it was a bit of a jolt to be reminded that he hadn't always had it. Once he was able to drag his eyes away from his baby self, Harry gazed with wonder at the love in his godfather's eyes. Then James distracted him by standing up, turning off the television, and yelling, "Lily, the hooligans are here!"

"Well, throw them out!" she commanded as she emerged from a doorway that Harry presumed led to the kitchen. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his mother's mischievous smile. Lily Potter was dressed in a festive red and green jumper and black slacks that billowed at the ankles when she walked. Her long auburn hair was caught at the nape of her neck with a simple silver clip. She walked over to Sirius and chided him good naturedly for spoiling the baby. As Harry watched her gaze at his baby self, he thought that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

James walked over to Lily and put an arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him, said, "Dinner's almost ready," and kissed him on the lips. Harry marvelled as his parents gazed into each other's eyes, their love for each other obvious in their expressions.

Harry swiped at a couple of tears that escaped his eyes and immediately felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked at Remus and was a little surprised at the tears flowing freely down his face. He had never seen his guardian break down, not even at Sirius's memorial service. In an effort to keep his composure, Harry shifted his attention to his surroundings.

It was interesting to see the house he had once lived in. It seemed spacious, but not pretentious. The room was decorated in subtle earth tones with red accents. Harry's eyes were drawn to the huge Christmas tree in the corner surrounded by brightly coloured packages. It looked as if the ceiling had been magically raised to accommodate it.

The evidence of magic combined with the Muggle technology was intriguing. There was a television, but Harry could see no electrical outlets. He supposed it was run by magic. In the corner beside the console was a large box full of toys, presumably his. The mantle over the fireplace was crowded with pictures, mostly of his baby self, but there were a few others.

Harry pointed to a photograph of an older couple and asked, "Are these my grandparents?"

Remus walked over to join him near the fireplace and sighed. "Yes, that's James's parents." His tears had dried, but he looked close to weeping again when he said, "They were killed about a year before you were born. Diagon Alley - Death Eater attack. James was always adamant about fighting Voldemort, but after that he was obsessed." Remus shifted his gaze to the photograph, his eyes becoming a little happier. Harry waited for him to go on, eager to hear more about his family. "James and Lily weren't expecting to become such young parents, but it was really good for them. James's obsession calmed considerably when he found out Lily was pregnant, and your birth helped him come to terms with his parents' death."

"How can you say it was good for them?" Harry asked before he could stop himself. "I got them killed!"

Remus gazed at him for a moment with many emotions swirling in his eyes. "Look at them, Harry. They're so happy. Most people would give anything to have that level of happiness in their lives, even briefly. I know that if they could speak to us, they would say it was worth it. Especially if they could see the young man you've grown into."

Harry managed to nod, mainly to satisfy Remus since he wasn't sure he would ever believe that. He took a few deep breaths to gain control of his emotions, gazed at his parents for moment, and finally said, "I think I'm ready to go now." He was grateful that his guardian seemed to understand what he was feeling. Remus grabbed his elbow and gave Sirius one last look as they were propelled upward.

"Thanks, Remus," Harry said, looking intently at the floor. "I-I think ... I-I m-might like to ... see more ... sometime ..."

"Any time you want," said Remus. He glanced at a clock on his desk and said, "It's getting late - I'd better get you back to Gryffindor Tower."

"It's okay - I can go up on my own," Harry protested.

"I'd better walk you - I'm too afraid of Molly," Remus said with a grin. "Besides, I'd like to see the others anyway." He grabbed a small pile of presents from a shelf and said, "Let's go."

Harry took the presents from Remus so it would be easier for Remus to manage with his cane. "Are you sure you can make it up these stairs?" Harry asked as they approached the long climb.

"The healing potion Severus gave me is accelerating my recovery. I'll be fine."

The Weasleys all seemed very pleased to see Remus when they arrived in the common room, and he was quickly introduced to the Grangers. As he was handing out presents, the ground shook slightly and soot poured out of the fireplace onto the carpet.

"What was that?" Harry asked as everyone around him regained their balance and expressed similar confusion.

"Look!" screamed Ginny, pointing to the window. They all rushed to the window and much jostling ensued as everyone tried to get a look at the three large, flickering lights in Hogsmeade.

"Fires. Death Eater attack," said Mr. Weasley. "I'd better go see what's going on." He hurried to the portrait hole, but stepped back in surprise as it opened before he could touch it. Snape climbed through and swept the room with his black, glittering eyes.

"The Headmaster would like to see you, Arthur, Molly," he wrinkled his nose as if hating what he had to say next, "and your sons who are of age." His gaze fell on Remus. "Lupin, you'd better come too, if you feel up to it."

"I'm fine," Remus said defiantly.

"Mr. and Mrs. Granger, would you please ensure that the children stay in the tower?" Snape asked, looking at them rather disdainfully. The Grangers both nodded, apparently frightened.

"What happened?" asked Hermione, shooting worried glances at her parents.

"That will be for the adults to determine, Miss Granger," Snape said with a quelling look.

Mr. Granger stepped forward. "Mr..."

"Professor Snape," Snape provided.

"Professor Snape," Mr. Granger began again, "my wife and I have had some medical training. We can't perform magic, but we might be able to help if there have been injuries."

Snape's expression grew even more disdainful, but he shrugged and said, "Do as you wish." He looked meaningfully at the students. "If any of you leave this tower, I guarantee the Gryffindor hourglass will be immediately emptied."

Harry stepped forward. "I'm going."

"Fifty points fr..."

"Shut up, Severus," Remus interrupted. He gave Harry a long look and finally said, "You need to stay here for now - I'll fill you in later."

Just as Harry opened his mouth to protest, the portrait hole opened again, this time admitting Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore. "What happened?" Remus and Mrs. Weasley asked at the same time.

Dumbledore looked so old and tired that Harry marvelled that he had made it all the way up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower. "It appears the Death Eaters have managed to shut down the floo system throughout most of Britain. Communication and travel are not possible through the network. My early intelligence indicates that everyone in transit at the time of the attack was killed."