Chapter 68
Time seemed to pass at a miraculously fast, yet simultaneously slow, pace as the holidays approached. Christmas, while not always the biggest 'to-do' in Harry's life, had always been his favorite holiday.
Valentine's Day, he had never had a sweetheart to celebrate with. Easter was never a big deal for him, and had never been celebrated heavily at the Dursley's, and after a while, the holiday was tainted as it meant a return to his aunt and uncle's. Fourth of July was non-existent in Little Whinging, as it was an American holiday, but he supposed that he would grow to love it. It was Steve's birthday, after all, and he loved celebrating birthdays.
Halloween was fun, but had a negative connotation attached to it, with it being the anniversary of his parents' death. He figured he would grow to enjoy Thanksgiving, but he had found himself a bit miserable after eating so much food while trying to keep up with the team.
Christmas, however, was a time that he loved. Everyone had always seemed happier at the holiday's, and it gave him a chance to explore Hogwarts and enjoy the small feast that the house elves had always made. Giving gifts had always been quite enjoyable for him as well, and while he enjoyed receiving them, he had always felt a bit guilty when someone would spend their hard-earned money on him.
Now, he found himself at the happiest he had ever been. He, Peter, and Pepper were doing some holiday baking as the rest of the team (minus Bruce, who was with Caroline again) sat in the kitchen and kept them entertained. Christmas music played softly in the background, and Harry felt nothing but love surrounding him.
A tap on the door to the balcony sounded, and Harry glanced up with a beaming grin to see Hedwig waiting to be let in. Over the past several months, Harry had decided that it was kinder to allow her free roam over the city (which allowed for gourmet dining on rats), than it was to keep her locked in her cage in the penthouse.
Clint, at seeing the snowy owl, hurried excitedly over to the door and let her in. The archer extended his arm to her as a perch, and she carefully shook snow off of her before settling on to Clint's sleeve.
"Were you getting too cold out there, girl?" Clint cooed at the bird.
"Clint, she's a snowy owl," Natasha rolled her eyes. "They're used to the cold."
Clint shot her a dirty look as he began petting the owl's face with the knuckle of his finger, smiling when she affectionately nipped him.
Harry fixed a bowl of water and pulled some leftover turkey out of the fridge, bringing it over to where she was.
"Hiya Hedwig," he smiled, offering her the food and water. His eyes found their way down to an envelope tied carefully around her leg. "Did you bring me a letter?"
He gave her some rewarding pets and untied the letter. He couldn't help but laugh as Lucy peered up at him curiously, nose sniffing the air wildly as she tried to determine whether or not to allow the owl into the penthouse.
Clint beamed as Harry's two animals were around him, and he lowered Hedwig a bit to introduce the dog to the bird.
"I still have a hard time imagining you serving in the military," Tony narrowed his eyes at Clint who was now speaking in a baby voice to both animals.
Steve and Bucky, who were sitting beside one another and looking at a wedding magazine chuckled, the thought of one of the guys from the Howling Commandos doing the same as Clint being too funny to ignore.
"Who's the letter from?" Peter questioned, adding an egg into a mixing bowl. "Surely she didn't fly all the way to England and back, right?"
"I don't know. It wouldn't be the first time, I suppose. Don't know how she knew where I was in the first place, or how she survived the flight," Harry frowned. He glanced at the letter, noting that the handwriting didn't belong to Ron nor Hermione.
Tearing into the envelope, his heart began to pound anxiously. He wasn't entirely sure what to expect, or who the letter would be from. What if it was someone from the Ministry? What if his emancipation hadn't gone through, or they required him to come back to Hogwarts? Or worse, what if it was a murder trial, or something regarding the battle at the Ministry? What if-
"Harry," Peter spoke in a quiet voice, appearing at his side. "Breathe."
Peter placed his hands over Harry's smaller ones, making Harry realize how badly he was shaking.
"Would you like me to open it?" Peter offered, and Harry shook his head.
"It's alright," he took a deep breath. Surely, McGonagall would have apparated immediately if she knew of any sort of trouble coming his way.
Slowly, his finger found the lip of the envelope and tore it open. The letter inside was written on parchment, indicating that it was written by another wizard and was either formal, or written by someone old fashioned.
He unfolded the paper and his eyes scanned the tidy scrawl that covered the page. As he read, a smile began to grow across his face.
"Harry,
I hope it's not too weird that I write to you, after all of these years. I have never quite had the reasoning to, until now, but I suppose I could have reached out sooner. I'm currently visiting New York, staying with my friend Jacob, and he tells me that the two of you have quite a bit in common. Though he says that your pastries rival his grandmothers recipe, so I am going to have to stop in and try them sometime, because I did not believe such a thing to exist. I am writing to wish you and your family a happy holidays, and to say that if you have a block of time between now and the fourth of January, I would love to meet you.
Sincerely,
Newt Scamander
(P.S- BEAUTIFUL owl, by the way! I have made sure she's been warm and fed over the past several days. I am finding that New York winters rival those of England!)"
"Who's it from?" Tony questioned, his own anxiety at the unknown letter dissipating as Harry's smile grew wider and wider.
"One of Jacob's friends, Newt. He's from the wizarding world, too, and wrote one of my favorite textbooks," Harry responded with a smile. "He wants to meet me."
Tony was wary, but watching Harry carefully fold up the letter and place in back into the envelope with extreme caution, he realized how excited his son really was.
"Did he say when he wanted to meet you?" Pepper asked, speaking up for the first time since Hedwig had arrived. Her hands were coated with dough, and there was a streak of flour on her face, but she looked the most relaxed that she had been since the trial.
"He's staying with Jacob until January 4th, and said any time between now and then. I might try to meet with him tomorrow, since Christmas Eve is in four days, and I want to make sure I'm spending as much time as possible with all of you," Harry beamed. He was excited to spend all of his time with family, as it had never been a possibility before.
"If you'd like, Buck and I can take you. We've got a few last minute errands to run tomorrow, and it would be along the way," Steve offered, and Bucky nodded encouragingly.
Harry turned to Tony and Pepper, a look of pleading on his face. With that face, Tony knew that no matter what came out of his kid's mouth in that moment, the answer would be yes.
"Can I? I won't be gone for too long, and I trust both of them. What do you think?" Harry looked uncertain of himself, afraid of overstepping and upsetting his parents.
Pepper glanced towards Tony, who gave a small nod, and she smiled. "Oh alright, but only if you take him some of this food. We've got so much!"
"Thank you mum!" Harry raced around the counter and threw his arms around her. With his face buried in her shoulder, he missed the beaming look on her face.
Harry withdrew from the hug, practically bouncing with excitement.
"I'm going to go write a response letter- are you two okay with recipes while I'm gone?" Harry looked from Peter and his mom to the mess of baking pans and mixing bowls spread out on the counter.
"I think we can manage to follow a recipe alright," Pepper chuckled, ruffling his hand and dusting his raven hair with flour. Quickly, he rubbed it to get the flour out, playfully swatting her hand away as he laughed.
Tony smiled, and Natasha let out a small snort of amusement.
"What?" Tony raised his eyebrows at her.
"You've got a little bit of drool," she teased, pointing to her own face and then at his.
"Oh shut it," he angled a playful kick in her direction under the table.
"Go write your letter," Pepper shooed Harry away as they finished with their bantering. Harry's face lit up as he raced off towards his bedroom.
This was shaping up to be the best Christmas ever.