ghost stories - h. potter

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

The house was beautiful, backing onto a forest reserve that was under the protection of the Ministry of Magic, due to the amount of magical wildlife that lived in the said forest. They had hippogriffs constantly visiting their back porch in the hopes of getting treats from either of the Potters. The odd dragon family would sometimes show itself, along with some of the thestrals that inhabited the forest. The top of their roof was, what could be called, a nursery for passing owls, complete with bird-baths and feeders for the hungry, flying animals as they went on their way. The house itself was rather average-sized and full of homey clutter that gave Belle and Harry a sense of home whenever they entered it. Paintings and photographs of their friends and family covered the walls, along with red tapestries and blue curtains. There was definitely no colour theme to the house as Belle and Harry had decided on making it as true to themselves and as comfy as possible, rather than focusing on aesthetics. They had a very homey fireplace in the middle of their living room, surrounded by plush red sofas that were covered in bronze and gold blankets and throws. Magazines and old newspapers displaying Harry's achievements were stacked on the overflowing bookshelf. Belle had spent the majority of her free time at Hogwarts looking for old issues, though whether it was to purposely tease him or just to show off that her husband was an absolute maniac who somehow hadn't died during his eight years of schooling, Harry didn't know.

Despite there being very little room in their cozy house for a large Christmas tree and many decorations, Harry had wanted to go all out on their first, proper Christmas together in their own home so he had decided to make it his mission to make their house as Christmassy as possible. He had wanted a real pine tree that year and had dragged Belle through the forest in the hopes of finding the perfect tree. They were both shivering from cold, their hands completely numb by the time they had finished their hunt but Harry had finally managed to find his dream Christmas tree to decorate with his wife for their first Christmas in their new house. (Don't worry, Belle made sure to replant the Christmas tree after Harry had cut it down and planted a couple of extras for the environment!)

They had spent the entirety of the day decorating the tree together, listening to music and putting up the lights and decorations around the house, just the way Harry had wanted it. When the evening had hit and Harry finally had to get started on his Auror paperwork, he sat at the kitchen bench, his work spread out all around him while his wife spent her time baking treacle tart and Christmas treats in the kitchen. (Harry helped, of course. Belle had named him the official spoon-licker and batter-stealer.)

After a light lunch, making sure all the animals were fed and spending the morning cuddled up on the sofa with mugs of hot cocoa and marshmallows in their hands after having realised it was too cold to spend the morning outside, the couple packed up all of their presents and headed for the Burrow where the rest of their friends and family were waiting.

They were greeted the moment they appeared outside the burrow, Belle's bag full to the brim with presents for the Weasleys, her Mum and sister and little Teddy Lupin, who was now six.

"The Potters are here!" The pair heard Mrs Weasley call from inside before the door burst open, revealing the woman herself.

"Hi Mrs Weasley," Harry greeted as she enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug.

"Happy Christmas, Harry! Happy Christmas, Belle." Belle was next and she didn't hesitate to hug the Weasley woman back.

"Happy Christmas, Mrs Weasley. Is there anything I can help with?" The woman ushered the pair inside and Mrs Weasley smiled warmly at her as she directed them into the living room. The room was full of people and smelled like a mixture of turkey, treacle, and something deliciously sweet.

"No, no! I've got everything under control - go say hello to everyone." With a smile and a nod, Belle turned towards her friends and family. She greeted her mother first, who had arrived not long before she did. Charlie and Clarice, who had arrived from Romania a few months ago were the next to greet Belle. The pair had only been pulled away from their work due to the fact that Clarice was heavily pregnant and was only weeks away from giving birth to their very first child. Arthur, Ron, Hermione, Bill, Fleur, their child, Victoire, Percy and his girlfriend Penelope were the next to greet the couple. Making their way outside, Belle and Harry bid George and Angelina a 'Merry Christmas' before they turned towards Teddy Lupin who was playing with the couple's eldest son, Fred.