It was the day before Christmas Eve and instead of spending the day with his husband and two kids, Harry was seated on the small, rickety bed of some dingy motel halfway across the world. He’d been on an Auror mission for the past two weeks, but was now finally off of work and he couldn’t even get home. He didn’t have access to a floo as he was in a muggle neighborhood in a small American town, the portkey office was completely booked up, and apparition was out of the question- seeing as he didn’t particularly care to splinch himself. So he sat on the bed in that wretched motel, his mobile phone sitting just a few feet away from him.
He had promised Draco that he would be home for Christmas, but looks like he wouldn’t be able to. It broke his heart, he’d never been away from his family on a holiday before. Harry let out a sigh, he knew he should quit his job as an Auror and find a less stressful job that allowed him to spend more time with his family, but was just never able to find the right time to tell the Head Auror that he was resigning.
Harry shook his head to clear his thoughts, now was not the time to be thinking about that. Right now Harry needed to call Draco and tell him the bad news. He glanced over at the phone that sat on the bed beside him and picked it up, putting it in his pocket. He left his small motel room and went out into the parking lot, standing a few feet away from a couple that were packing their truck up. Harry took out the mobile phone and dialed Draco’s number, putting the phone up to his ear.
“Hello?” came Draco's voice through the phone.
“Um, hey,” greeted Harry awkwardly, staring at the ground.
“Harry? Is everything alright?” asked Draco, “Are you okay?”
Smiling slightly at his husband’s worrying Harry replied, “I’m fine, everything’s fine. I just, um, have some bad news.” he said lamely.
"Bad news?" Draco asked apprehensively, "Harry, are you sure everything's alright?"
"Yes. No. Maybe?" sighed Harry in defeat and frustration, "I don't know if I'll be able to make it home for Christmas."
"What do you mean you don't know if you'll be able to make it home for Christmas?!" cried Draco, "You promised us you would make it home!"
Harry huffed and replied, "I know I did Draco, but what do you want me to do about it? The DMLE's not providing anything, and I'm pretty sure everything is booked anyway," he said in frustration, "I can go to the airport if you'd like and see if they have anything available last minute, but I have no idea how'll get there."
"Are they really not providing anything for you?"
"No," sighed Harry, "they're not providing anyone with anything. I think they're all shut down for the holidays, spending time with their families. Which is bloody stupid if you ask me! Don't they think I want to spend Christmas with my family?"
"Have you tried pulling the Saviour card?" asked Draco frantically, sounding on the verge of tears.
Harry snorted, "I tried pulling every card I could! I told them I needed to get home to you and the kids, told them about James' separation anxiety, and obviously told them I'm the Saviour, Boy Who Lived, Chosen One, whatever the hell they're calling me nowadays," said Harry irritably.
"And still nothing," Draco stated rather than asked, the reality of the situation setting in.
"Zilch,"
"There really is no hope then," his husband said in defeat, "you're really not coming home for Christmas?"
“I didn’t say that, Draco,” Harry said sternly, “I said I could go to the airport and see if they have any flights. I’m just not sure how I’ll get there.”
Just then Harry noticed that the muggle couple that had just been loading up their truck had stopped and were kind of eyeing him oddly. They would exchange a glance with each other, look at Harry, and then go back to pretending to pack their truck up.
“I’m sure you’ll come up with something,” said Draco, “and even if you don’t I’ll at least know you tried. I love you, hopefully see you soon.”
“I love you too,”
Harry then hung up his phone and put it back in his pocket, he was going to go back into his motel room when he heard a voice call out behind him, “Hey!”
He stopped and turned around, seeing the couple that had been packing their truck staring at him. “Yes?” he asked.
“I heard you were looking for a way to get to the airport? Something about wanting to see your wife and kids for Christmas?” said the man.
“Well, my husband and kids, but yes!”
“We’re more than willing to give you a ride there, if that’s what you need.” replied the woman sweetly, “We wouldn’t want your husband and kids to be alone on Christmas.”
Harry blinked in astonishment, these people were offering him a ride to the airport? He was well aware that this could be some sort of trick to try and kill him, his years of Auror training told him that, but after searching the couple's faces, he decided that they looked trustworthy. “You’d really do that for me?” he asked.
“Of course, dearie,” replied the woman.
“Oh, um, great,” stuttered out Harry, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, “Let me just grab a couple things from my room.”
“We’ll be by the truck when you’re out,” said the man, pointing to the truck.
Nodding, Harry ran off in the direction of his motel room. Upon entering the room Harry just grabbed the few things he had scattering around the place, before heading back outside to the truck. He approached the truck and the man took ih stuff, putting it near theirs. They then all climbed in, the man at the driver’s seat, the woman next to him, and Harry at the end. It was a bit of a tight fit, all of them in that small single row seat, but they made it work. They then set off on their journey to the airport.
“So dearie,” started the woman, “what’s your name?”
“Harry,” he replied, “and you are?”
“The name’s Bill,” replied the man, “this here is my wife, Rose.” He gestured to the woman before continuing, “We’re going to visit our daughter and her family for Christmas. What brings you out here?”
“Oh, well, I was out here for work, but my assignment was completed yesterday. And unfortunately my work isn’t providing any sort of transport back home.”
“We heard you talking about that,” said Rose, “said something about someone named James having separation anxiety? Something about pulling the Saviour card too?”
Harry flushed slightly in embarrassment, realizing that he could have accidentally revealed some information he wasn’t supposed to. “James is my son,” explained Harry, “his mother and I split when he was pretty young, and unfortunately a few years later she passed away from cancer.”
“I’m sorry, dearie,” Rose said softly.
Shrugging, Harry continued on, “It was a while ago. But ever since he’s had bad separation anxiety, especially when it comes to me, my husband, Draco and our daughter, Lyra. As for the Saviour thing,” said Harry with a grimace, “I’m kind of famous where I’m from, and have a million different things people call me. The Saviour, The Boy Who Lived, The Chosen One. I thought that I could get some help getting home if I reminded them of that fact, but it seems the novelty of having the Harry Potter work with you has worn off.”
The three of them continued to talk about less heavy topics the rest of the ride, but eventually they ended up at the nearest airport. Harry immediately hopped out the car and grabbed his stuff, he thanked Bill and Rose for their generosity before running into the airport.
He immediately found his way to a desk and asked the employee if there were any flights going to anywhere in the UK. The employee said that there was one leaving for London later that day, and that he could book a seat on that flight. Harry booked the flight without hesitation and spent the rest of the day hanging around the airport, until it was finally time for his flight to board.
He boarded the flight and ended up seated next to a screaming baby, but he didn’t care, he was going home to his husband and kids. It was a very long flight, and it left him utterly exhausted, but he’d made it to England. From the airport he made his way to Diagon Alley, and from there he apparated to his house. Harry wasn’t sure what time it was, but all he knew was that he was home. He rang the doorbell and waited patiently for someone to answer the door.
Draco opened the door and immediately lit up, and pulled Harry into a hug. He was crying a bit, but neither one minded all that much. “I thought we’d have to spend Christmas without you,” he said, “how’d you get here?”
“It’s a crazy story,” replied Harry with a watery smile before pulling his husband back into a hug.