"I'm so glad to see you, pup," Sirius said to Harry. The man looked healthy, his hair gleamed in the light, and his eyes seemed to be less sunken in his face. Sirius pulled Harry close and put his arms around him.
"It feels so good to have you in my arms again, Harry. With everything that happened, I was so worried." Sirius looked straight at Harry, but his eyes were kind and grateful.
"Glad to see you too, Sirius. I can barely remember the past few weeks, my sole focus was on this vacation. I was counting down the days." Harry felt a flush appear on his cheeks. He hadn't intended to reveal so much, but at the spur of the moment he opened his mouth he couldn't stop the flow of words. He cared so much about this man, his father in spirit and blood.
Sirius held Harry at a distance with both hands on his shoulders. He studied Harry. "Are you really okay, Harry? Are you feeling good enough to spend Yule, or Christmas, with the Weasleys in attendance? I told Albus I'd rather spend the days alone with you. With only Remus as an exception. But you know how the man is. He twisted my words and reminded me of my promise I made in June when I told the Order to use Grimmauld Place."
Sirius ran a hand over his face in agitation and closed his eyes for a moment. Harry could see the stress slide down his godfather's face. Sirius opened his eyes and Harry held his breath for a moment at the look in his eyes. His eyes were dark with restrained anger that lived dormant in the shadows of his being. There was a sense of protection, of an ardent desire to protect. But not only Sirus's face was stiff, no, but his body also trembled with restrained rage. For the first time, Harry could see what the man was capable of. Azkaban's harsh lines were visible but gave the man a kind of dark force. It took Harry's breath and he waited anxiously to see what the man would bring.
"When I heard how you were treated. How Ron attacked you.... How Hermione ostracised you. I would have sent everyone out of my home. Without Remus- without Remus, I would have turned my back on the Order. You will notice that the relationship has cooled somewhat. The Weasleys have promised to behave. I believe Arthur had a conversation with Ron. You can expect an apology." Sirius hesitated for a moment and continued, "Give me one word Harry, one word that they don't treat you right and they're gone. I promise that at the honor of the House of Black."
"Thank you, Siri. Thank you for being there for me." Harry sighed.
"No problem pup. I had the same room prepared for you. Molly was still trying to convince me that it would be better if you had to sleep in Ron's room. That then your friendship would be restored. I don't have to tell you that I asked her if she's in her right mind. Kreacher has prepared your room, you will not be disturbed." Sirius said firmly.
"Go upstairs quickly and get into bed. We will have to go out tomorrow. We go to a nearby forest to cut a tree. In two days it will be Yule and we will have to give our offerings to Lady Magic. If she accepts our offerings, our Yule Log will burn well into January."
***
Harry woke to the sound of soft footsteps. He turned and looked where the sound was coming from. Kreacher stood by the window of his room. The old house-elf was busy decorating the space. Upon seeing the ornaments, Harry was besieged with the fresh scents it brought with it. Harry smelled the earthy and fresh scents of fir branches that festively adorned his room. Dark red ribbons were neatly tied around the branches. There seemed to be fresh snow on the branches, glittering in the morning light. Harry saw Kreacher clapping his hands gently. A moment later, red berries appeared around holly branches that wrapped themselves around the fir branches. They were works of art in themselves, and Harry just kept looking at the magic around him. A feeling of gratitude and warmth shot through Harry.
He cleared his throat gently and said to the elf, "Thank you for the beautiful decorations, Kreacher. A good Yuletide for you."
The old house-elf turned and bowed to the young wizard. "Young Dark Master is too good for Kreacher. Happy Yuletide to you too. I took the liberty of preparing an outfit for the Young Master. The vest was traditionally worn by Lord Black when cutting down the Yule Log. The vest will warm you up during the trip in the forest." With a snap of his fingers, the house elf disappeared and Harry was alone again.
He threw his legs over the side of the bed and headed for the adjacent bathroom. After freshening up, Harry walked over to the clothes that Kreacher had laid out for him. The clothes were made of soft and warm material. The pants were a dark gray color, and were paired with a simple white shirt. The vest was more like a blazer, made of a tweed fabric. The pattern was of blue and light gray yarn, which contrasted well with the brown fabric. The outfit was complimented with rustic cognac-brown boots that Harry wore over his pants. He looked like a young gentleman ready to hunt game. When he saw himself in the mirror, he couldn't help but be proud of his reflection. He looked neat.
Breakfast was uneventful. The Weasleys were uncharacteristically calm and quiet. There was no teasing at Harry. They didn't seem to know how to act. Harry thought that was fine. Ron hadn't apologized yet and secretly Harry demanded more satisfaction than that. He also wanted an apology from the twins, Ginny and Hermione. He wanted recognition from this group of people that he had been mistreated. The awkward silence now raging at the table would not be broken by Harry, not to them.
"Shall we leave in a minute, Sirius?" Harry casually asked his godfather. His godfather looked very well cared for that day too. His outfit was very similar to Harry's, although his vest was a solid dark blue color.
"We are still waiting for Remus, he should be here at any moment. He's taking some safety precautions." Sirius said with a wink.
"Some people don't think it's a good idea to go into the woods at a time like this." Mrs. Weasley said suddenly in a soft, judgmental tone.
"Then it is a good thing that some people are guests in my house. And that these guests have nothing to say because of this." Sirius said in a conversational tone.
Harry could see that his godfather had a lot of fun playing with Mrs. Weasley. While women still predominated this summer, that was no longer the case. Sirius was Lord and master and behaved accordingly. He made it clear that the Weasley family could only be present by his grace. As a gesture of good faith towards the Order. Harry looked proudly at his godfather. The man began to blossom and Harry was happy to witness it.
The dining room door opened and Remus entered. Harry forgot everyone present and jumped up to give the werewolf a hug. The spicy musk scent of Remus penetrated Harry's nose and immediately felt at home.
"Cub," said Remus in Harry's hair.
Harry looked at Remus and saw that the werewolf's eyes had a golden glow. A sign that the werewolf was close to the surface. Harry took Remus's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
"Glad to see you, Remus," Harry said with a smile.
"Cub, I swear you've grown again. And your hair! Pad! Have you seen his hair? It's so... wild and yet- elegant. You look like a young gentleman." Remus said in a proud fatherly tone.
Sirius put an arm around Remus and looked proudly at Harry. "Yes Moony, our puppy has grown and matured. Completely without our help. Before you know it, he will spread his wings and face the world on his own" Theatrically he wiped away an imaginary tear and let out a loud wail.
Remus and Sirius looked at each other with a humorous look and began to laugh. A group-hug arose. Remus was the first to recover and took out three necklaces from his pocket. Amulets hung from the necklaces. On the amulets were signs drawn, but Harry didn't recognize the drawings.
"What is this, Remus?" Harry asked curiously.
"These are glamour amulets. Created by the Goblins, they work as strong as a blood glamour. The wearer of these necklaces will change beyond recognition. This is an extra safety precaution I took for our foray into the woods. Many traditional wizarding families will go out today to get a Yule Log. We wear these necklaces to avoid recognition." Remus said in his quiet professor's voice.
Remus handed out the necklaces and put one around his neck himself. Harry had to do his best to keep his expression neutral. Magic kept surprising him. Remus suddenly had red hair, with a big curl in it. If anyone had introduced him as a cousin of the Weasleys, Harry would have believed them. The professor had also become a bit smaller and stockier.
Sirius got a short haircut and platinum blonde hair. His eyes were sky blue and he had shortened a little. He looked like a Malfoy in Harry's opinion.
Sirius laughed at Harry's expression. "Pup, these amulets reach for connections within a family tree. Remus apparently has a dominant red gene in his family. It actually fits well with his sweet character." Sirius said affectionately.
Harry looked at his old professor and his godfather. How .. How could he have been so inattentive! Sure, he was sometimes slow at certain innuendos, but how could he have missed this. His honorary godfather and his godfather formed a teasing family together. Still impressed by this revelation, he put on his own necklace.
He didn't feel any different. But judging from the faces of Remus and Sirius, the change was very evident.
"You look like my father," Sirius said in a whisper.
Remus conjured a mirror and handed it to Harry. Harry looked older, about five years older than he was now. He had a trimmed mustache with a soul patch running from the lips to his goatee. Harry remembered from one of Petunia's talk shows that they called this a Van Dyke beard. It mainly reminded Harry of the smooth appearance of an overly rich count or something like that. He looked like a man of old money.
"In any case, I no longer resemble myself. Even my scar is gone." Harry said with a grin. His voice had grown heavier and darker too, and certainly no longer resembled his teenage voice.
"Good, it is time to leave," Sirius said, clapping his hands. He walked out the back door. In the back of the small garden, there was a place where they could use machines.
"Remus, you know where to?" Sirius said casually.
"Yes, see you there." and Remus disappeared. Sirius grabbed Harry by the arm and disapparated with a soft pop.
***
"It's still awful," Harry said, hands on his knees.
"Oh come on! It is not too bad. Look around you. A beautiful forest, with wet, rich soil, ready for us to explore." Sirius said with a grin.
"You have not explained to me how this works. We might as well grab the next tree and take it home?" Harry asked no one in particular. He looked back and forth at Remus and Sirius.
"I think Paddy can explain that better than I can. He grew up doing the right rites, unlike me." Remus said with a shrug.
Sirius raised his eyebrow at the nickname, Paddy. "Paddy? Really? Couldn't you think of anything better than that?"
Remus smiled at Sirius on the shoulders and said, "You'll get used to it soon enough."
Harry cleared his throat impatiently. "Paddy? What should we collect?"
Sirius recovered and started in earnest: "We need the twigs of a Hazel. These are part of the ritual we need during the Yule celebration. They will form the "hlautteinar", the sacrifice that the twigs form. These must come from a Hazel because this tree represents knowledge, wisdom, and intuition. We hope to receive this blessing with this offering."
Sirius continued up the swampy forest path. The forest was quiet, there were no Muggles around; it was too wet for a normal hiker to want to enter the forest.
"This Yule we are looking for an Elderberry tree, a sambucus nigra. You can use many other trees for your Yule Log, but this tree seemed appropriate to me for now. Tradition has it that underground creatures live under this tree who lives forever. This sacred tree represents a renewed cycle and resurrection. I'm mainly looking at you now, pup. Me and Wolfgang-" he chuckled at his invented German name for Remus. "We have seen you change this summer. We want this change to be blessed by Lady Magic and the gods."
Harry was impressed with what his godfather was willing to give him. Sirius had carefully considered which offering to use for the Yule ritual. Harry was moved by his father's gesture.
"But Paddy, I thought an elderberry was more of a berry bush," Harry said, thinking of the elderberry bush he'd seen in the Privet Drive.
"They can grow as high as a house, it differs per species," Sirius said quietly.
The three walked deeper into the forest. Harry saw deciduous trees around him in particular, he saw oak, ash, and birch. He wondered in silence if they could find an Elderberry tree and a Hazel in a wild forest. He decided not to voice his concerns and to rely on the experience Sirius had.
"Jaimy?" Remus looked questioningly at Harry. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure Wolfgang," said Harry, completely in his role.
"May I ask you what the Durslings have done to you in all those years? You wrote in your letters that they were cursed and that they were slowly dying. I- we would like to help you." Remus's voice was soft and uncertain.
"They never loved me. I always had to work for my own keep. I started cooking and cleaning at a young age. I didn't like the chores, but I did them. I didn't know any better. It wasn't until I went to talk back at them and rebelled against injustices, that they started assaulting me. It started with not being allowed to eat for longer periods of time. Sometimes I hadn't eaten for so long that it hurt to eat a piece of bread. My stomach was no longer used to it. When they thought I was getting off too easily, it became corporal punishment. Vernon used his hands, feet, and sometimes his belt." Harry felt tears well up in his gray eyes. He sniffed and felt as he was pulled into an embrace.
"That's enough pup," Sirius said to Harry. "You don't have to relive it all. They are not here and will never come to you again."
"I'm sorry to have to ask you," Remus said softly. "I have read a lot about your mark, and I think we can say with certainty that everything they did to you, they received it themselves. Your uncle has since passed away and he died of toxicity in his blood. His organs stopped working. By not being able to take in food at once, several organs could no longer function properly. This increases the toxic values in the blood. Ultimately, a body just stops."
Remus looked at Harry and continued, "On the other hand, you are healthier than ever. You are taller and heavier since this summer. I also noticed that you have regular glasses in your glasses, you no longer need them. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad this curse is working in your favor, but I do think we should learn more from your mark."
Harry nodded in agreement and said, "That's exactly why I will meet with Corvus"
Harry was interrupted by Sirius's loud snort. The man in question seemed unhappy at the mention of the name.
"Corvus wrote to me that he had found another book about the mark. The book went deeper into the proportions and control of the tattoo. I think it's smart to listen to him."
"Jaimy, we'll talk about your courtship troubles later. I said you could visit the man, and I will not go back to that. But it's something else to like it, pup."
Harry nodded and smiled uncertainly at Sirius, unsure how to respond.
After a while, the trio came to an opening in the forest. "Like magic," Harry thought to himself. The opening seemed almost fenced off. A perfect circle had formed around two trees. A Hazel and an Elderberry. Harry smiled at his fathers. If this wasn't a sign from the gods, then he didn't know it either.
The three went to work diligently. First, Remus showed the correct way to cut branches from the Hazeltree. This was a precise job, with a wrong cut the effect was lost. Harry quickly noticed how it worked and cut several branches himself. Sirius tied the branches together with a coarse piece of string. He looked at Harry and said, "You can carry this back to the edge of the forest. We must make a sacrifice, and by not diminishing it or lightening the burden with magic, we are making this sacrifice. Hard work pays off."
After this, the three went to work to cut down the Elderberry tree. The tree was not too big, but it had a thick, healthy trunk. Harry heard Sirius muttering something in an old, forgotten language. After this, he took the ax that he was carrying and cut it down on the tree. Sirius and Remus alternated this tough job so that no one had to do too much work. Soon the tree fell over and Sirius removed the branches and Remus set to work removing the bark from the tree.
After two hours of toil, they were finally done. Remus and Sirius dragged the trunk across the ground to the edge of the forest. Harry carried the branches on his shoulders. The work was harder than Harry expected; he couldn't imagine Draco and Lucius doing all this work. In his experience, Yule was much harder work than the luxurious celebration he had in mind.
Sirius seemed to be guessing his thoughts when he said, "If you look to the right now, you can see the Malfoys walking."
Harry was startled from his thoughts and indeed saw Draco walking with his father. In addition to them, he also recognized Lord Parkinson, who apparently helped with their venture. Harry looked questioningly at Sirius.
"You can walk over to them, Harry, but stay in sight. They will want to make their first sacrifice themselves, so keep it short. Me and Wolfgang will take a break." Sirius said with a wink.
Harry showed a dazzling smile. The fact that his godfather encouraged his friendship with Draco warmed his heart. He felt accepted.
He jogged toward Draco's company. They were a lot further away from Harry by now and it took him a while to catch up. Suddenly he was overcome with inhibition, he didn't look like himself. He thought of the nickname still used for Draco. It was the name he first used to ridicule him, it was now a kind of fraternal teasing.
"Hey, Ferret!" Harry said with a laugh.
Draco turned to Harry and studied him. There was no recognition in his look and for a moment Harry panicked. What if he was seen as a threat?
"You look prettier than usual Scarface. I would say: do nothing more." Draco said in a cool voice. Suddenly a smile broke through his face and he gave Harry a manly pat on the back.
"Are you here to get a Yule Log?" Draco looked around and saw two men ahead. He didn't recognize these, but he could guess who they were.
Harry waved to Sirius and Remus who were watching. "Yes, we already have the trunk and the branches for the sacrifice. You were right as always, this was quite an experience. I look forward to Yule evening."
"I'm glad you have such a positive experience so far, Harry," Draco said softly.
Harry saw the older men's eyes begin to glow. Recognition shone through on Lucius's face, and Harry was not surprised by the man's polite greeting.
"Heir Potter, I didn't recognize you. I am delighted to find you here, in the forest of our ancestors. It is good to see that the youth still understand the importance of our traditions." said Lucius in a reverent voice.
"I personally see it as a blessing from Lady Magic that we can meet each other like this. I've heard a lot from both my daughter and my friends about you, Mr. Potter. I am pleased to see that they have assessed you correctly. I wish you a good Yule, Mr. Potter. For you and your companions." Lord Parkinson said, nodding his head.
"Thank you, Lord Parkinson. I am also happy that I was able to meet friends on this beautiful day." Harry said with a smile.
"A good Yule celebration to all of you," Harry said bowing, before walking back to Remus and Sirius.
***
Once home at Grimmauld Place, Harry was overcome with fatigue. The walk in the woods, not to mention carrying the wood, had tired his muscles. Sirius seemed to have received even more energy from the venture and had announced with a laugh that he and Remus were going to prepare the Log for tomorrow's ritual. Harry was sent upstairs. He could freshen up and sleep before dinner. Harry grasped this possibility of retreat and hurried to his bedroom.
He lay down on his bed and closed his eyes. He felt completely satisfied. He had had a good conversation with his fathers and felt supported. For a moment he returns to Sirius's reaction to his courtship with Rabastan. They still had to talk about that, he thought with a sigh.
Thinking about Rabastan, Harry took the pictures he had gotten from Pansy. Soon, Harry placed Rabastan in the foreground in every photo. The male figure seemed shy in the background in each photo. The boy looked almost quizzically in two photos at his older brother Rodolphus, who apparently had a leading role in their relationship as brothers. Harry noticed, however, that when you put Rabastan aside in the photo, the boy was more self-assured. Looked into the camera almost flirtatiously.
Harry could hardly imagine how amazing wizard pictures were. The repetitive movements captured the atmosphere of that moment so well that it was almost tangible to the viewer. Harry could put the stern, yet teasing tone of Rabastan's letters on the boy who now stood in the foreground.
Harry looked carefully at the pictures and tried to age them by 15 years. Rabastan, fifteen years senior from the boy in the picture, had, of course, a few wrinkles. Harry didn't expect anything else, after fourteen years of Azkaban. It occurred to him that the hair might be a little longer, but still masculine. The beard would be less groomed, but this would only make it more dangerous. Perhaps more attractive. Harry thought with a blush of the countless tattoos that had been drawn into Sirius's skin. Would these Runes also adorn Rabastan's body?
Harry felt his own body react. A pleasant contraction in his abdomen was palpable. There was also tension running through his legs as if they were agitated by his thoughts of Rabastan.
He looked into Rabastan's eyes, those dark eyes that promised him so much. Dark promises for a rendezvous in unknown places, which only promised passion. In his mind, he heard a dark variation on Corvus's voice whispering all sorts of secrets to him. Secrets that only existed between lovers. And those lips, those dark red, full lips that could cause so much passion.
Harry let out a sigh. He moistened his lips and let them part slightly. He craved for something. Something unknown and unattainable. He wanted that promise he seemed to read in Rabastan's eyes. For a moment something stirred, and he looked down. There was an unpleasant tightness in his pants. Harry unbuttoned a few buttons and put his hand in his pants, trying to lay his sex in a better angle.
A knock on the door, followed by the opening of the door, pulled him out of his pleasant imagination. He quickly shifted his position and pulled his right knee up so that his "condition" would not be visible to the visitor. He put the photos away under his pillow at the last moment. One look at Sirius's face told him the movement had not gone unnoticed.
"I hope I'm not interrupting something important," Sirius said in a teasing voice. The dark man winked at Harry and sat down on the bed towards him.
"What were you doing, pup?" Sirius asked in a normal voice.
"N-nothing. I was relaxing." Harry stuttered. In thought, he detested his own awkwardness.
"Relaxing ... right ... Only that doesn't look so relaxed, pup," Sirius said with a smile. His godfather tilted his head towards the tent in his pants and laughed unashamedly.
"Ahhh, the whims of the youth. To be so hormonal that many a thought results in an erection." Sirius said with a grin.
"Siri !!" Harry exclaimed in embarrassment. A blush crept down from his cheeks. He looked uncomfortably at his godfather, who seemed to be having the time of his life.
"Harry, it's only natural. You are now fifteen, it only makes sense that you are going to discover your sexuality. I remember it well myself. I had bought Muggle magazines, and they did the most wonderful things for me. At the age of fifteen, at Hogwarts, I had a relationship with a beautiful girl who could do the most acrobatic arts with her tongue. Not only that- "
"LA LA LA!" Harry sang out loud, fingers in his ears. The conversation now took on big, uncomfortable shapes. The only positive thing about this conversation was that his "problem" had been solved. His pants were again wonderfully roomy around his waist.
"Ohhh Pup, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Really, you don't have anything I haven't seen before. What were you actually looking at?" Sirius said, laughing, reaching for the photos hidden under Harry's pillow. Harry was late to respond and could only watch Sirius's face change.
"This is- these are pictures of... him. Well .. He was always a handsome boy .." Sirius himself looked somewhat embarrassed. The older man hardly dared to look at Harry and looked back and forth uncomfortably. When his godfather lingered where Harry previously had a prominent problem, Sirius turned red.
Harry burst out laughing. He didn't care if the laugh sounded a little hysterical.
"You should have seen your face! That was hilarious. That was truly the best gift you could have given me! That face of yours!" And Harry let out another roar of laughter.
Soon Sirius managed to recover and laughed too. He looked at his godson and said with a grin, "Maybe I should get over it. I don't see that relationship happening anytime soon, with him in prison, but you could have chosen worse. In my school days, Rabastan was always polite and very passionate. I can get used to it, eventually."
With those words, Sirius got up and walked to the door. "Food will be ready in half an hour. See you, puppy."
***
Time passed quickly at Grimmauld Place. The Weasleys were busy bringing the house into the Christmas spirit. A large Christmas tree was erected and mistletoes were hung in prominent places. Harry avoided these decorations like the plague, Ginny didn't seem to have given him up as future boyfriend material and tried to get Harry to kiss.
The twins had cornered Harry in the morning. In the end, this turned out to be for a positive reason: Fred and George apologized. They indicated that they had done too little to help Harry. That they were ashamed of their lack of brotherly love. Because they assured Harry that he was still their little brother no matter what would happen to Ron.
That night there was a big party. It was Christmas Eve and also the night of the Yule ritual. The Weasleys would not participate in the ritual but were happy to have a feast as one family. Mrs. Weasley had done her best, including for Sirius, Remus, and Harry. For them, she had made a traditional deer stew, which was traditionally eaten at a Yule celebration. Harry enjoyed the tender game in the stew. He thanks Mrs. Weasley at great length for her delicious food.
For dessert, Kreacher had made an elaborate Treacle Tart. The house-elf declared that the little master of the house deserved this. Harry couldn't be grateful enough to the elf, the dessert was deliciously sweet.
After the banquet, the group disintegrated. The Weasleys started telling tall stories in the living room. Sirius took Harry and Remus into a classic sitting room. Harry had only seen this room once in the summer but now looked at the room properly. The room had wood paneling in a rich cognac color. Above the paneling, the wall was dark red, like a fine red wine. The furniture was also in a bright cognac color and looked wonderfully comfortable.
"My family, when we were in a small setting, always celebrated Yule in this room. This used to be my father's sitting room. He'd rather sit here than in his study. This is one of the few rooms in this house where I have nothing but good memories." Sirius said in an emotional voice.
"Harry, I am happy to share this with you. I'm proud that I can celebrate Yule with my loved ones. I want to say this before we begin the ritual. The magic can get pretty intense. Remus, I am happy that we are reunited and are spending so much time together. You make me a happy man." Remus blushed at Sirius's sweet words and showed a beautiful smile. Sirius bent over the man and gave him a short but tender kiss on the lips. Harry smiled at the sight of this caress.
"And Harry, I couldn't have wished for a better son. I think we still have a long way to go, but this doesn't have to be a tough one. I hope you will find happiness. And I want to promise you one thing, me and Remus will follow you. Wherever your path takes you, we will follow you. Even if you want to become a consort of Lestrange." Sirius said, the last sentence teasingly.
"Harry ... Remus. I want to invite you to open the Yuletide with me."
Sirius walked to a table where there was a large glass cup. This glass cup seemed to be filled with blood, making Harry uncomfortable. But on the other hand, there was a morbid fascination with how the blood would be processed in the ritual.
Sirius, however, did not take the global with the blood but took two of the three mugs of ale. He handed Remus and Harry a tankard and grabbed one himself.
"The first toast, before the start of Yuletide, is like a song of praise to the gods. May she lead us to better times."
Sirius took a sip first, Harry and Remus followed. The ale was bitterly sweet and was a taste Harry was not yet familiar with. Sirius put down his mug and began an incantation. It sounded like a hymn from many hundreds of years ago. Remus followed in the chant, adding a higher note to the incantation. Harry listened and felt the magic swell. Words seemed to form naturally in his mouth, and after a while three voices sounded, carrying the magic across the room in harmony. After the singing, Sirius took the glass goblet and raised it in front of the fire in the hearth.
"May Jólnir caress and accept our sacrifices. We offer ourselves for this night as your beings. Let the hlaut flow and our sacrifices benefit. We are here to honor the magic on this long night in December. We choose this Yuletide for a Log of the Elder tree, may it usher in a new beginning for my son, Harry. May he find happiness on his new path. And may I also ask for a blessing for me and Remus, that we may also find prosperity in this renewed circle. Bless it be."
He picked up the cut branches, which were tied together like thin twigs. It looked like the ends of broomsticks, Harry thought.
"Take a hlautteinar , Harry, and follow my lead," Sirius said in a solemn tone.
Sirius took the twigs and dipped them in the blood. "Horse blood," Remus whispered in Harry's ear. Sirius sprinkled the block of wood with the blood. "Let the wisdom of the Hazeltree overflow with the workings of our Yule Log. As you burn this wood, let the magic swell and bless us with our resolutions."
After this Sirius dipped again in the glass cup and smeared it once on his face.
"Bless it be," he said in a reverent voice.
Remus followed Sirius's lead. He repeated the words of honor and also wiped a bloody hlautteinar across his face. Harry knew it was now his turn and imitated the actions as precisely as possible. He thought the blood would feel cold on his face, but it felt warm and pleasant.
"Harry, come stand this side of the block with me. We put it in the fireplace. And this log should burn well into January. The longer it burns, the better our offering has been received." Sirius said in a calm voice.
To the right of the log were Sirius and Harry, to the left was Remus. Together they lifted it up in the large hearth. The log was much larger than a normal hearth log. The fire did not start to flare up any further. It wasn't until the hlautteinar was tossed one by one that Harry felt the magic swell again. Suddenly the fire lit up and huge sparks flew from it. The sparks were of different colors and presented an amazing spectacle.
"I've never seen anything so beautiful," said Harry in a voice laced with awe.
As the sparks began to fade, the magic began to swell once more. It reminded Harry of the first time he touched his wand. The magic felt like it was his own. The magic was potent and powerful, dark and light at the same time. Now that Harry could experience that spectacle, he realized there was no difference between Dark and Light Magic. It all occurred in the essence of all witches and wizards. It was all-natural.
The magic provided a pleasant intoxication. Sirius began to dance strangely to music that suddenly began to play. Remus drank another toast to Lady Magic. And Harry was in the middle, enjoying all the experiences. And as the evening progressed, and the ale flowed freely, Harry eventually found himself in the middle of the room with his fathers. And they danced together until the morning light crept in.