Holiday with the Hartfords
The last half of November was oddly quiet, especially after the hot mess the first half had been. Harry felt like he was walking on eggshells, waiting for the other shoe to drop, and feeling like a paranoid fool when it never did.
His friends seemed to be feeling it too, because Blaise and Theo never left his side, and Draco always seemed to be ready to shove people out of the way as they walked through the halls, despite being so much smaller than everyone else.
If he thought about it enough, he knew their reactions made sense. He had nearly been murdered at a school sports game. If one of them had been in his situation, he would have been neurotically overprotective as well.
The only thing worse than his friend's protectiveness, were the letters he had received from his parents, all of them filled with worry, fear, and a mild hint of murderous intent towards whoever had hexed the bludger in the first place.
If Hogwarts wasn’t unplottable to muggles, he was fairly certain Fiona and Gid would have found a way to get into the school themselves, ready to go full Sweeney Todd on the culprit and turn him into a pie.
That morning, in particular, he had received another letter from his mum, this one filled with just as much worry as the others.
-
Haz,
Christmas break is coming up soon! Which means you get to come home! Yay!
Your dad and I will be at King’s Cross Station ready to take you home at 7:30 PM, and we’ll hustle our butts home because for my own sanity, I need you safely in the house and under my supervision as long as you’re there, especially after you almost got decapitated at a freaking sports game! What the hell!
Let us know if we’re going to have any guests for the holidays! You know your friends are always welcome in our home. Juliana will be stopping by on the 24th with Blaise to drop off a few gifts, and we have some for them as well, so you’ll see him that day, but still. Your other friends should come by if they can.
Madam Bones said that they’re still trying to figure out who enchanted that stupid bludger, but I think she might be lying, because she knows I might actually kill whoever enchanted it.
She’s not wrong. Gid already said he’ll hide the body.
You should probably burn this letter after you read it.
Love you, baby!!!
Love,
Mum
-
“Mum still wants to kill whoever sent that bludger.” He said between mouthfuls of his sausage sandwich.
“You mean your mum wants to kill Quirrell?” Blaise asked with a hum, flipping the page of the book he was reading and raising a brow. “Because I’m fairly certain it was Quirrell.”
“Tell her to leave him at least a little bit alive for us too.” Draco huffed. “Filthy bastard. I can’t believe he would try to kill you.”
“We don’t know for sure if it was Quirrell. Stop planning our professor’s murder.”
“It was Quirrell.” The two of them said in unison, causing Harry to groan.
“Just because he makes my scar go nuts, doesn’t mean he’s actively gunning for my head on a pike. That just means he makes my scar go nuts” He protested, his gaze flicking over to Theo, who was staring at the eagle owl in front of him with a look of mild hatred, even as Mephistopheles was hooting softly at him, attempting to draw his attention to receive the boy’s usual chin scritches. “...Theo?”
His friend didn’t respond, robotically removing the letter from the owl’s leg and shooing it away without offering it a piece of food, something unusual for the boy. He opened the letter, reading the loopy handwriting, his face twisting up into a sneer before he tossed the letter to the side.
“Father is out of the country until February.” Theo huffed. “So I’ll be staying here for the break.”
Blaise looked stricken at that. “Are you serious? He’s just, abandoning you here for the holidays?”
“I’m not surprised. He’s done this every year since my mother passed.”
“That’s utterly ridiculous!” Draco snapped. “You’re his son. He should be with you during this time of year! Especially during this time of year!”
“It’s fine.” Theo grit out. “It’s better than being in the manor alone. I’ll be fine here.”
Harry frowned, before a sudden thought came to him, and he reached over and grabbed his friend’s shoulder, his eyes widening for emphasis as they made eye contact.
“...You’re not spending the holidays here at Hogwarts.” He said simply. “You’re getting on the train, and you’re celebrating Christmas with me and my family.”
All three of his friends looked at him oddly at that, their eyes wide and curious.
“Would… Your parents even be alright with that, Harry?” Blaise asked.
“Yeah. Mum even asked this morning if any of you were going to come by. She won’t mind Theo staying with us the whole break.”
“No, Harry, I can’t impose like that-” Theo tried to protest.
“It’s not imposing if I offered it.”
“It’s your time with your family, I shouldn’t-”
“We’ll just have slightly bigger family time.”
“Harry-”
“Theo.” He insisted. “Either you agree and this is a much easier conversation, or I stun you, shove you in my trunk in the big, empty compartment, and I kidnap you for the break. The choice is yours.”
Draco let out a nervous laugh, looking between them for a moment. “You wouldn’t… Actually do that to him, would you?”
“I would.” Harry nodded firmly. “So. Christmas with my family?”
His friend blinked a few times, before a soft, startled laugh escaped him.
“...Okay, yeah.” Theo nodded, a smile spreading across his face. “Christmas with the Hartfords. I gotta admit… I’m excited to meet your parents.”
Harry beamed, pulling Theo into a hug and squeezing him a bit before he pulled away, quickly writing out a letter to send to his parents before tying it to Meph’s leg and giving him a piece of bacon for the road, unable to stop his excited bouncing at the realization that he was going to have a friend over for Christmas.
This was going to be incredible.
-
Mum, Dad,
Theo’s dad is leaving the country for a few months, and he was gonna be stranded at the school for the holidays. As such, he’s now coming to our house, because I’m not letting him stay here for Christmas.
Hope that’s okay!
Love,
Haz
P.S. Theo loves your Devonshire Splits, Mum
—
Theo’s nervousness was almost palpable as they sat in their compartment at the back of the Hogwarts Express. His leg wouldn’t stop bouncing, he wouldn’t stop biting the skin around his nails, and he stared out the window for almost the whole ride, like he was afraid to make eye contact.
It was worrying Harry, but he knew that the stress his friend felt would fade once he actually got to his house. It was just the fear that Harry’s parents wouldn’t like him, or that they wouldn’t actually want him to stay for the entirety of break.
Both himself and Blaise had tried to convince him that no, his parents were lovely, and they would be overjoyed to have Theo, but it still hadn’t sunk in for him yet.
“You’re sure they said it was okay?” Theo asked softly, looking at Harry as the train slowed to a stop.
“Yes, Theo. My parents said it was okay.” He reassured him gently, standing up and bracing himself against the wall as they fully stopped. He grabbed his bag off his seat, reaching in to double check that both his and Theo’s trunks were still safely inside- shrunken down by a very helpful seventh year for ease of transport.
“But what if they take it back?”
“They won’t.”
“But what if they do?” He asked, standing up and looking at him with wide eyes.
“Theo.” Harry chuckled a bit. “Mum and Dad are really excited that you’re going to come and stay for the break. They wouldn’t have agreed to it if they didn’t want you to stay the entire time.”
Draco gently knocked Theo’s shoulder with his own. “Exactly. They’re Harry’s parents. You really think he would be as nice as he is if his parents weren’t?”
That seemed to ease his friend’s worries, even just a little bit.
“Yeah, okay.” Theo nodded. “Let’s go, then.”
Harry beamed, grabbing Theo’s hand and leading him out of the compartment and into the crowded walkway, slowly making their way to the exit and stepping out as soon as they were close to the door. He felt Theo’s hand grip his harder, and he looked back to see Blaise and Draco jumping out as well, their own shrunken trunks in their pockets as they made their way over to their parents. Contessa Zabini looked up at Harry after she wrapped Blaise in a hug, offering him a smile and a wave, while Draco was gingerly hugged by two people as pale blonde as he was.
“Lord and Lady Malfoy.” Theo supplied quietly.
“Oh, okay.” He nodded a bit, studying Draco’s parents for a moment. He was about to open his mouth to say something more, but he shook his head, deciding to keep that thought to himself as he pulled his friend towards the platform exit.
Once they passed through the hidden doorway, they were back on the muggle side of the station, and Harry immediately began looking around for the familiar, giant form of his dad.
He didn’t have to look for very long, because before he knew it, he could see a large, mittened hand waving them down, and his parent’s smiling faces.
“Harry! Theo!” Fiona called, waving her arms wildly to flag them down.
“Hi Mum! Hi Dad!” Harry shouted back, tightening his grip on Theo and pulling him forward as he rushed to them, their arms wide open before they closed around both boys, wrapping them in a tight hug.
“Oh thank god.” Gid murmured, kissing the top of Harry’s head. “I’m so glad you’re alright, Haz. You scared the hell out of me.”
“Sorry, Dad…” He murmured from where his face was smushed up against his mum’s bosom, clutching onto him like he was going to disappear.
After a moment, they pulled away, and Theo had a bright red blush on his cheeks as he stared at Harry’s parents. They quickly regained their composure, and Gid smiled at him, offering his hand.
“It’s great to meet you, Theo.” He said softly. “I’m Gideon, Harry’s dad. You can just call me Gid.”
“Nice to meet you as well, Mr. Hart- Uhm, Gid.” Theo quickly corrected as he shook the man’s hand, before turning to Fiona, who just pulled him into a tight hug, much to his obvious surprise.
“Just call me Fiona, sweetheart.” She laughed a bit, pulling away just enough to rest her hands on his shoulders. “Thank you for helping to take care of our Harry. We’re so happy to have you with us.”
He smiled sheepishly at that, looking away as he ran a hand through his hair, and Harry just beamed.
He knew this was how it was going to go.
“Okay, now that introductions are out of the way…” Fiona smiled, standing up the rest of the way. “We should go home so we aren’t stuck in the cold. Your dad’s been shivering for the last twenty minutes.”
“My love, it is freezing out here.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“You’re barking mad if you think this isn’t that bad.” Gid said accusingly, but his face was split into such a wide grin it was obvious he was joking.
Harry rolled his eyes affectionately, looking around for a moment before he stood on his toes, tapping his dad on the nose and smiling as he felt a wave of warm magic wash over the man, blocking out the cold. Gid paused, his eyebrow raised, as he looked at his son.
“I learned a warming charm from Blaise. Took some time to get it right, but I think I nailed it.” He smiled. “I practiced on Theo, mostly.”
“He did.” Theo laughed a bit, which earned smiles from both of his parents.
“Oh that’s perfect!” Fiona laughed, before she grabbed Harry’s hand. “Okay, let’s get you guys home. It’s past dinner, so we may just have to stop and grab takeaway on the way home-”
She led them out of the station and into the parking lot, continuing to talk about what she and his Gid had gotten up to since he’d been at school, and some of the things they had planned for the holiday break. Harry looked back at Theo, who was walking alongside Gid with a wide smile on his face, and he couldn’t help but beam right back.
This was going to be an amazing holiday.
—
“So how does a coffee machine work?” Theo asked Harry quietly as he stared at the large machines that filled the counter behind the register in amazement. Most muggle things fascinated the boy in a way that Harry thought was utterly adorable, and he spent almost half an hour the night before asking his mum and dad about electricity, the television, and the microwave.
By the end of it, he didn’t quite understand electricity, but he knew it was like controlled lightning, and was even more amazed at the fact that ‘muggles harnessed lightning’ than anything else.
“Basically, you take whatever kind of coffee grounds you’re using, like regular grounds or espresso grounds, and you put them in the designated machine.” He explained, pulling Theo over to the espresso machine and starting to fill the portafilter with the grounds. “Then, you press whichever button you need, make sure there’s water in the reservoir, and it brews the coffee for you.”
He continued the demonstration, slotting the filter into the machine and twisting it into place before he pressed the button to start brewing, a small giggle escaping him as he watched Theo, who was watching the machine so intently he thought the thing might explode just from eye contact, slowly smile as the coffee began to pour down into the cup below.
“Incredible… And it’s far faster than doing it any other way?”
“Pretty much. Mum can make a bunch of cups all at once with these.”
“Amazing. Ma’am, this is all amazing!” Theo called into the back, causing Fiona to pop her head out with a smile.
“Aww, thank you, Theo!” She laughed. “Don’t drink too much coffee, you two, it’ll make you sick!”
“We won’t!” Harry called, gently grabbing the hot cup once it had stopped brewing, flinching a bit when the steam fogged up his glasses. He wiped it away, before he looked at his friend. “Wanna try a sip?”
Theo nodded, taking the cup from him and blowing on the boiling hot espresso for a moment before he took a small sip, his face immediately twisting into an expression of disgust as he handed the cup back to Harry.
“Merlin- it’s disgusting!”
“Harry, did you just give Theo straight espresso?” Gid asked as he walked out of the back room, wrapping his scarf around his neck.
“No.” Harry shook his head, while Theo nodded with a betrayed look on his face.
“He absolutely did.”
“I’m not shocked. I did that to him once. It’s a right of passage.” His dad sighed affectionately, ruffling both boys’ hair, much to both of their protests. “Alright, you two be good. I have a few appointments to get done today, but I should be home by five. Help Mum out if she needs, and for the love of god, don’t let her climb any ladders.”
“Why can’t she go on any ladders?” Theo asked.
“Because… It’s a secret.”
Harry’s eyes narrowed at that, and Gid suddenly averted his gaze. The man had never been good at keeping secrets. Or lying.
“Alright, well.” He cleared his throat, smiling at the boys. “I’ll see you tonight. I already gave Mum a kiss, so don’t worry, but I love you guys.”
“Love you, Dad.” Harry sighed, looking at him pointedly. Gid, however, zipped his lips and smiled at them, before he headed out the front door.
“Uh… Love you too, Mr. Hartford?” Theo offered in confusion, the sentence causing Gid’s grin to become even wider, giving both boys a thumbs up through the front windows before he disappeared from view.
Both boys burst into giggles at the sight, before the sound of scraping metal across the floor hit their ears, and they looked at each other with wide eyes.
“...No ladders!” They shouted in unison, running into the back room as Fiona let out a groan.
“Dammit! Now he has you two doing it too!”
—
Harry’s hands clutched onto Theo’s tightly as he slowly stepped out onto the ice, his feet almost sliding out from underneath him the second they made contact, the only thing keeping him from completely biting it being Theo’s tight grip on his hands, and the sudden yank from behind him as Fiona grabbed hold of his hoodie.
“Thanks, Mum!” He laughed nervously, looking back at her before he turned back to Theo, who had a small smile on his lips.
“You’re alright, Harry… Don’t look at your feet. Just look at me, okay?” He said softly, his own stance steady and sure as Harry did everything he could to just stay upright. Slowly, ever so slowly, they began to move, Theo skating backwards as he slowly pulled him along.
“How are you so good at this..?” Harry half-hissed as his feet almost slid out from underneath him again.
“My mother taught me when I was little.”
“Wait, really?”
“Yeah.” Theo nodded a bit, a small smile pulling at his lips. “She was amazing at it. She taught me to skate the same way I’m teaching you.”
“That’s… Really cool, actually.”
“It is, isn’t it?”
Harry chuckled, moving his feet a little bit more as they continued to skate. He was slowly feeling more and more confident as they kept going, slowly going in loops around the outside of the rink. He still fell more than a few times, but the sharp pains that came with hitting the ice barely registered against the laughter that erupted out of both boys whenever it happened.
Every time they looped around, Fiona and Gid would cheer them on, the two of them sitting on a bench outside of the rink due to the former’s nausea, although Harry was fairly certain that his mum just didn’t want to ice skate, but still wanted to come and be with her family.
Besides the encouragement from them, however, it was like everything else disappeared entirely, the two of them existing in their own little world as they looped the rink until their ankles and backs hurt from falling, and even then, nothing could pull the smiles off of their faces as they walked back to the car, promises of hot cocoa in the imminent future.
Likely the very minute they got home.
—
Christmas Eve is quieter than the rest of the break had been, what with Harry and Theo acting like the excited eleven year olds that they are. They’d gone ice skating, helped Fiona run The Crow’s Nest, watched a million movies on the telly, and had been spending the last two days baking different cookies and making an utter mess of the kitchen.
That day, though, Blaise and Contessa Zabini had come to visit, the two of them slipping up into the house quietly and greeting the Hartfords and Theo with bright smiles and presents for the following day. Blaise pulled Harry and Theo into a tight hug, which they both returned, and the Contessa went to sit in the dining room to catch up.
The three of them decided to head up into Harry’s room, where they sat on the trundle bed that Theo had made himself comfortable on for his stay, and ate some of the gingerbread cookies they had made earlier that day.
“How’s your break been so far?” Blaise asked as he settled down on the bed, pulling part of the blanket over his lap and biting the head off of one of the gingerbread men.
“Amazing.” Harry smiled.
“Incredible. Blaise, you wouldn’t believe the things muggles can do with electricity!”
“What’s… Electricity?”
“Controlled lightning. It’s what makes the lights turn on in muggle houses. And the televisions. And the coffee makers.”
“Theo drank more coffee than anyone should have in the last week.”
“I can tell.”
All three of them chuckled at that, Theo leaning his back up against Harry’s bed, letting his eyes fall closed. He was wearing one of the latter’s short sleeved t-shirts, which exposed the winding curse scar on his arm. He still hadn’t confessed the truth of what happened to Harry, but that was also because he refused to push his friend into talking about something that was obviously… What was the word that Gid had used to describe it?
Traumatic?
That sounded about right.
“...It’s like a breath of fresh air, Blaise.” Theo said softly, looking at his friends with a smile. “I haven’t been this happy during the holidays in years.”
“And just think,” Harry chuckled, letting himself flop back, his head landing in the red haired boy’s lap. “You still have two weeks with us.”
“I know. It almost doesn’t feel real.”
Blaise watched the two of them with a soft smile, rolling his eyes affectionately. “You two are so… Touchy. I’m jealous.”
“Join the cuddles, Zabini.” Harry said, slapping around on the bed to reach for their other friend, instead managing to slap his hand straight into the gingerbread men, covering it in icing and crumbs. “...Eugh.”
That sent them all into a fit of giggles again, which made Blaise move the plate out of the way and lay on his back, his head resting next to Harry’s side and his feet propped up on the wall.
“Is Draco having a good holiday, you think?” Theo asked with a soft hum.
“I’m sure he is. He’s in France, I believe.” Blaise nodded a bit.
“I wish he could stop by like you’re doing. It’d be nice to not have to send him his gift via owl. Him and Neville both.” Harry groaned. “I know it’s because Nev’s Gran prefers to spend the holidays at home, but he shouldn’t be locked up in the house all the time.”
“That’s rich coming from you.” Theo teased. “What was it your dad said to me? That I’m the first friend you’ve ever invited over?”
“That doesn’t count! I chose not to hang out with other kids until I met you guys, Neville is being isolated by forces outside of his control. There is a difference.”
“Still.”
Harry closed his eyes, a soft chuckle escaping him as he shook his head. “Speaking of their gifts… I’m glad I sent those yesterday, if Draco really is in France. That’s a long flight for an owl.”
Blaise hummed in acknowledgement, closing his eyes.
“Hey, Harry?”
“Hm?”
“Is your mum pregnant?” He asked, completely missing the way Harry’s eyes shot open in shock.
“...What makes you ask that?”
“Because my Mum has spent the last four days worrying about muggle baby things, and she has never worried about something like that before. I know she isn’t pregnant, because she doesn’t want any more kids, and you’re the only person I can think of whose family would actually benefit from baby things, if that’s the case.”
Harry sat up, looking between his two friends in shock, before making direct eye contact with Theo. “That… Would explain-”
“The ladders-”
“Why she hasn’t been drinking coffee-”
“And why she didn’t come ice skating with us-”
“And her nausea.” They both said at the same time.
“...Holy shit.” Theo whispered.
“My mum’s pregnant.” Harry whispered back, which was when Blaise sat up, a sheepish smile spread across his face.
“And I just… Totally spoiled a Christmas surprise. Whoops.”