Harry Potter and the Adventure He Affectionately Calls Life

Harry frowned.

"Well, liberation means freedom. What are you freeing them from?" Tomás wanted to know.

"The pressures of everyday life," Harry responded immediately. Then he hesitated. "And I'm sort of freeing myself."

"Oh?" Tomás looked interested.

"Yeah. I mean, I have all these titles, but I haven't done anything. I want to be free of all of that. The club is my own project. Here at Hogwarts, I'm the Gryffindor Seeker. And don't get me wrong, I love Quidditch. But if McGonagall hadn't seen me catch Neville's Remembrall in our first year, I never would have been on the team. And 'The Boy Who Lived'? Please. I didn't mean to do whatever I didIt just... happened... Am I glad that his power was gone? Absolutely. And at the close of every year, I know I'll have to face some challenge. It's kind of a routine."

"What do you mean?"

Harry chuckled bitterly. "Harry Potter defeats Voldemort and saves the word," he said.

Tomás rolled his eyes. "My dear boy, you give yourself too much credit. Was it not your precious Ron and Mione that got you there in your first year? And you had help from the phoenix in your second year. And we all know you cheated during the Triwizard Tournament. More than once, actually... and I must say you had quite a bit of help in the Department in June, wouldn't you agree?"

"But-"

"Are you supporting him, Mr. Crivellare?" Harry asked, staring at him in shock.

"Of course not," he responded smoothly. "I was merely making conversation. Good day, Harry."

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Harry woke up on Christmas morning and looked over at the tree. There were a few presents underneath it, presents from him and Ron to each other, and him and Ron to the girls, who would be coming later.

"Happy Christmas, , stretching lazily. "Are the girls here yet?"

Harry was about to tell him no when there was a knock at the door. "Yeah." He got up and opened it to find himself staring at a huge shopping bag.

"A little help here," the bag said in Lana's voice.

Harry took the bag from her and placed its contents under the tree. "Happy Christmas, Lana," he said to her softly.

"Merry Christmas, Harry. I love you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled against his lips as he kissed her.

Ginny looked from Harry and Lana to Ron and Hermione. "Ahem. Some of us would like to go back to sleep. Can we open the presents already?"

Hermione jumped off of Ron's lap. "I love you, Ron, but I'm with Gin. Let's open!"

Harry sat down next to Ron and pulled Lana next to him. She leaned his head on her shoulder and he rested his head on hers, inhaling the scent of wildflowers from her hair.

"Ginny," Harry said. "Why don't you do the honors."

Ginny blinked, obviously surprised. "I... um... okay." She picked up the first package on top of the massive pile. "To Hermione from me."

Hermione opened the card and read it. "Thanks, Gin," she said with a genuine smile. A peice of paper fell from the card. "This certificate is good for five galleons worth of merchandise at Florrish and Blotts,"y! Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Ginny mumbled, embarrassed. She picked up the next present and handed it out.

There were some great presents under the tree. Harry gotten a pair of new grips for Quidditch from Ron, the usual batch of sweets from Hermione, and a hunter green sports jacket from Lana. It matched his eyes perfectly. "I know what I'm wearing opening night," he said, kissing her in thanks. Harry had given some great gifts as well. To Ginny, he had given a new quill and a special ink that wrote in every color of the rainbow. He had gotten Hermione a blank book that was enchanted to never run out of pages. (Harry was going to get one for Ginny instead of the quill and ink set, but was afraid it would remind her of Tom Riddle and the diary). He had gotten Ron a broom polishing kit, and he had gotten Lana a watch. The card on it was simple: A watch to let you know that I will love you until the end of time.

"To Hermione," Ginny read. "With love from Ron and Lana."

Hermione frowned in confusion, reaching for the package. She unwrapped it carefully and revealed a jewelry box. She drew in her breath as she opened it. "Ron and Lana Weasley, you both have some explaining to do." She held up a tiara, engraved with ivy patterns and tiny diamonds and sapphires glittering in the morning sunlight. "It's beautiful."

Lana beamed, but shrugged as if Hermione's reaction was no big deal. "We... um... hoped you would wear it opening night."

Harry grinned. "It'll match, 'Mione. It'll match perfectly."

"Thank you so much," Hermione said in a whisper. "It's beautiful." She hugged Lana, then hugged Ron. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Merry Christmas, everyone," Lana said, stretching in Harry's arms.

"Well," Ron said, gathering all the ripped paper into a pile. "There's a few more." He reached under his bed and pulled out a huge box. "Presents from home," he explained, opening it and peering inside. "Most are the same size. I bet they're all sweaters."

"Good," Harry said. "They're so comfortable and warm."

Ron grumbled. The first box he picked up happened to be his. He opened it and held up a sweater and a package of fudge. "I was right. Sweaters." Ron continued to grumble over how he hated marroon, but handed out the rest of the packages. Harry and Ginny had been recieving the sweaters already, but this was a first for Hermione and Lana. Hermione's was a very flattering shade of gray, and Lana's was a shade of blue that matched her eyes in the same way Harry's jacket matched his: perfectly.

"There's two more in here," Ron said. "And no one left to receive a sweater." He reached in. "To Lana, from George and Fred."

Lana frowned. "What do they want with me now?" she sighed, extending her arms to take a box that contained a half a dozen cans of InstaChange.

Ron's jaw dropped in jealousy. "They NEVER let me have InstaChange for free. NEVER." As Ron continued to rant and rave, he didn't notice the look of sadness on Lana's eyes. Harry supportively put his arm around her waist.

"Hey. Don't worry about it. I'll take care of everything."

"There's one more in there, Ron," Hermione told him, also oblivious to Lana's sudden sadness.

"Another sweater," Ron said. He looked at the tag. "To Draco." Everyone looked at Ginny. "Gin? Why does Malfoy recieve a sweater?"

"I..." Ginny looked down at her slippers. "I never told mom what happened. I just stopped mentioning him."

"Gin-" Ron sighed.

"'Gin' nothing!" she snapped. "Ron, my older brother cannot be there to protect me from everything! Mom's not going to be a grandmother before Percy, Bill, and Charlie are married. Everything's fine. Really." She collected her presents. "Thanks for the gifts, guys," she said. "Ron, I know you love me, but sometimes I wish you'd lay off a bit." She walked out, and Ron ran after her.

"Well..." Harry said, trying to break the awkward silence between the three of them.

"I think I'll just go wait for Ron somewhere else." She gathered her gifts. "Happy Christmas, Harry and Lana."

"Happy Christmas, 'Mione," he said before she left.

"Did I say Merry Christmas?" Lana asked, a sly grin on her face.

"I must have missed it," Harry responded, grinning back.

"Merry Christmas, Harry Potter. I love you."

"Happy Christmas, Lana Weasley. I love you, too." He kissed her softly, she returning his kiss with an equal tenderne for a minute and stared lovingly into her eyes. Then he smiled and leaned forward again. Lana expect him to kiss her, and closed her eyes according, but Harry had other plans. He gently blew the hair away from her face. She smiled at this, keeping her eyes closed as she drifted off into thought. "What are you thinking of?" Harry whispered warmly in her ear as he whisked her off her feet and kicked the door closed.

"You," she whispered back. "And how lucky I am that I have you." She laced her hands in his. "And how badly it will hurt if you ever leave."
Harry chuckled, squeezing her arm. "I'm not going anywhere," he told her. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

At this, she opened her eyes, still in his arms. She was apparently trying to think of something to say, but couldn't do so. "Well," she said. "That's good. Because right here, right now, this is how I always want to be."

"Like I said. I'm not going anywhere. And, from the looks of things, neither are you."

"I promise I'm not going anywhere," he told her gently, kissing her forehead. "And I promise that you're not going anywhere for a while."

Lana looked at him, then grinned. "Did I wish you Merry Christmas yet?"

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For someone who nearly gave herself a heart attack every time a Professor announced a surprise quiz, Hermione was oddly calm in the few hours before the club was to open. She sat herself down in her dressing room and ran a brush through her hair over and over until it was soft and shiny. She looked at a magazine clipping of a witch with a very fancy hairdo and wondered how to do it on her hair. Hermione reached for the hairspray and bobby pins, then placed them back down. She pulled out her wand pointed it at hertly pulled into a fancy ponytail with curls. Another spell later, her face was made up. Hermione didn't want to look like a diva. She didn't want layers upon layers of make up. Nor did she want to go out on that stage plain, either. Now that that was taken care of, she had her dress and shoes to put on. The dress was Hermione's favorite. It was absolutely gorgeous. It was a strange combination of blue and gray with tiny sequins sewed in so that she shimmered in the spotlight. Hermione thought it reminded her of the dress that Cinderella wore in the cartoon classic. She slipped into heels and returned to her vanity table, picking up the tiara Ron and Lana had given her with great care. She smiled at the twinkling gems and placed it on her head, securing it with a bobby pin or two. Opening night, she thought to herself in marvel. Wow. Poor Harry must be a nervous wreck.

As if he had read her thoughts, he knocked on the door. "'Mione? May I come in?"

"Sure, Harry," she said. "I'm just putting on the finishing touches."

Harry opened the door as Hermione fastened the necklace she had received for her birthday on her neck. "Wow, 'Mione! You look great!" mal (Web)" align="left" style="margin: 1.74mm 0.00mm 1.74mm 0.00mm; padding: 0.00mm 0.00mm 0.00mm 0.00mm; ">

Hermione blushed. "Thanks, Harry."

"So how are you?"

"Not as nervous as I thought I would be," she said honestly.

"Well, that's good, since I'm nervous enough for the two of us!"

Hermione laughed. "Don't be."

"I shouldn't be," Harry admitted. "But I am. Here it is, after months of plans and rehearsals and sleepless nights. Opening night of my club."

"And you're ready for this, Harry," she said supportively, hugging him close so that their foreheads touched. "I won't let you down."

"I know, 'Mione. I know." He kissed her forehead. "You'll be great. You'll bring us in galleons galore."

Hermione blushed. "Let's just get through tonight first."

"Right." Harry cleared his throat. "Ron, Lana, and Ginny should be here in a few minutes. I told Ginny to bring an escort, but I'm not sure if that worked out... And I guess you're on in an hour."

"I'll be ready." Hermione took off her shoes and wandered onto the stage, the floor cold beneath her stockinged feet. The lights were all off, the chairs were all empty. Then theeasleys.

Lana screamed when she saw her. "Look at you, Hermione! You look SO beautiful!"

"Thanks, Lana," Hermione said, grinning.

"Where's my girlfriend?" Ron asked, trying to break into the girl hug. He stared at her in shock. "Hermione, I cannot even put into words how amazing you look tonight." He presented her with a single red rose and kissed her. "I love you so much."

"Hey," came Draco's familiar drawl. "For a mudblood, you look halfway decent."

Hermione looked up at Draco, knowing full well that that was the Slytherin translation for "you look nice." "Thanks, Draco," she said.