This year would be a quiet Christmas, as half the Weasley family decided to spend their holiday in Romania with Uncle Charlie. So, the only ones at the Burrow this year would be Grandma and Grandpa Weasley, Albus's family, Rose's family, and Holly's family, who would be arriving Christmas afternoon. Albus was actually glad this year's Christmas would be more peaceful than usual. The past couple of weeks had been nothing but stressful.
With the amount of Quidditch practices/matches, friend drama, and studying for exams, Albus was surprised he managed to sleep every night.
Christmas break was exactly what he needed right now. In fact, Albus spent the days leading up to Christmas either sleeping or writing letters back and forth to Holly. The two had been talking nonstop ever since the incident with Scorpius and Rose.
The group of four had drifted paths since then. Albus and Holly stuck together, of course, while Scorpius and Rose went their separate ways. The ex-couple tended to avoid Albus and Holly as much as possible, in fear that they'd run into each other. From Albus's perspective, it was extremely sad to watch his two best friends' lives spiral downhill after their breakup. Since the two had always been around each other, it was unnatural to see them apart.
Scorpius and Albus only occasionally talked now, which was nothing like before. It was like Albus had lost his best friend. Now he just had Holly.
Part of Albus hoped things would go back to normal once they all went back to Hogwarts after Christmas break, but he also knew that wasn't going to happen. Scorpius and Rose's breakup left permanent damage. And that damage wasn't going to be repaired any time soon.
Holly always assured him to be patient with the situation, so Albus forced himself to do just that for the time being.
It was finally Christmas Day, which meant that Holly and her parents would be arriving at the Burrow sometime before supper time. Albus had been exchanging letters with her through owl for the majority of the day. He wished wizards were allowed to 'text message' each other, which according to Holly, who takes Muggle Studies, was incredibly faster. Thank goodness owls were so patient.
While he waited for Holly's owl to return with her reply, Albus decided to write to Scorpius and wish him a Happy Christmas, also sending his gift for him as well. Scorpius had told him before the break that he wouldn't be joining the Weasley's for Christmas this year, which is understandable. Not wanting to sound sappy and lame, Albus quickly scribbled a friendly message on a single piece of parchment and tied it to the small package of foreign wizard candies he got him, sending it off with Rose and Hugo's owl Pigwidgeon II. Hopefully that would brighten his depressed friend's spirits.
Shortly after Pigwidgeon II flew away, Holly's owl Beyonce (which Albus recently found out was named after a famous Muggle singer) flew into the window, chirping happily whilst ruffling her feathers. Beyonce was almost as cheerful as Holly.
Holly's reply was short this time, to Albus's disappointment.
Sorry to cut our conversation short, but I have to help my mum finish wrapping presents and make a pudding for this evening! See you tonight, love ;)
- Holly Augusta Longbottom xox
Albus couldn't help but laugh at her curly handwriting, which was almost too eccentric to read. And her signature was, for some reason, never the same each time. It was just one of her many quirks that Albus loved.
Still chuckling to himself, he decided to leave the comfort of his guest bedroom and socialize with his family for once. He rarely did this since the Burrow was always crowded. As he left his room, he stopped in his tracks when he noticed his Aunt Hermione standing outside of Rose's guest bedroom door, holding a plate of food. Albus accidentally let out a sigh, announcing his presence. This was the third time today that Albus had seen Aunt Hermione trying to get Rose to eat, or better yet, come out of her room.
Everyone in the house had attempted to get Rose to come out of her room, but of course with no luck. The breakup had profoundly affected her, far worse than Scorpius, from what Albus has observed. She barely spoke to anyone anymore, ate like she used to, or went a day without crying. It truly pained him seeing his cousin so miserable.
"She'll come through eventually," Albus assured his aunt, giving her a sympathetic smile. He didn't know what else to say, knowing it must be much worse for Aunt Hermione seeing her daughter like this.
She sighed, offering a weary smile back. "I know...I've just never seen her this upset before. It worries me."
"You and me both," replied Albus, nodding solemnly.
Sighing again, Aunt Hermione set down the plate of food on the floor, clearly in defeat from trying to get through to Rose. "I think lunch is almost ready, by the way. Your father said something about an important announcement he has for everyone too."
Albus instantly perked up with curiosity as he followed Aunt Hermione towards the stairs to go down to the kitchen. Before heading down, he walked back to Rose's door and knocked three times, muttering, "Rose, please eat."
He didn't hear any rustling on the other side of the door, so he decided to walk away and try again later. By some miracle, Albus heard the door open as he was trudging down the stairs, causing him to smile with hope.
* * *
"So, I have some news that I think you all might like to hear," Albus's father announced, smiling slightly.
"Darling, you've been hiding it from me all day. What is it?" Albus's mother said impatiently, simultaneously feeding baby Ariana mashed potatoes.
Albus's knee was bouncing with anticipation. What was his father's big news?
His father smiled at his anxious wife as he said extra slowly, just for her sake, "Well...."
"Harry Potter, I swear-"
"Just spill it, Harry, before Ginny jinxes you!" Uncle Ron joked, causing everyone to laugh.
"Alright," Albus's father said, his tone now serious. "As you all know, the Ministry has been on a wild goose chase recently for a new Minister of Magic. And you also probably heard the rumor that I'm in the running for the position. Well...that rumor actually happens to be true. And I'm considering taking the job."
Everyone at the table inwardly gasped; Grandma Weasley even dropped her fork. Albus didn't know what to think. Sure, it was an honor for his father, but it was also a risky choice. There were quite a few dangers to becoming the Minister of Magic. Albus's father would be a walking target to Death Eaters.
"You're kidding, Harry! That's incredible!" Uncle Ron told him, reaching over and clapping him on the shoulder.
"I'm so proud of you, darling," Albus's mother whispered to her husband, kissing his cheek. Even baby Ariana was clapping her hands and giggling.
"We're gonna be rich and famous!" Lily exclaimed, earning chuckles from everyone except her mother, who glared at her.
"Lily, you're already famous because of your parents," Hugo told her.
Lily merely shrugged the idea off with her hand. "He'll be even more famous when he becomes Minister." She said this with a mouthful of food.
"Ever so ladylike, Lily," Albus remarked, resulting in his sister flicking a pea at his nose.
"Kids," their mother warned, making them immediately stop.
"So, Harry, are you for sure going to take the job?" asked Grandpa Weasley.
Albus's father thought for a moment, clearly indecisive about the idea. "To be honest, I'm not sure. I mean, I'm perfectly happy with my Auror job with Ron and how convenient it is for my family. Being the Minister of Magic might be too overwhelming, you know?"
Albus decided then that he didn't want his father to take the job. It was much too dangerous, and he really didn't want to always be worrying about something happening to him all the time. Albus already had enough to worry about.
"Then maybe you shouldn't take the job," Albus blurted out, not meaning to voice his thought aloud. He turned red under his family's curious gazes.
"You don't want me to become Minister, Al?" his father questioned him.
"Not really," Albus muttered, staring down at his plate awkwardly. "C-can we discuss it later? In private?"
His father nodded, and thankfully no one said anything else about it during the rest of lunch. Albus sighed in relief when James changed the conversation.
"Mum, Dad, can I work with Uncle George at his shop?"
His parents nearly choked on their food. Ever since James graduated Hogwarts, he'd been living with them, showing no sign of wanting to move out or work anywhere. So this was a very sudden request coming from him.
Finally, their mother groaned and replied, "I don't know, James...Are you actually ready to start working? At a real job?"
"Mum, I'm almost 19," James countered. "I think I'm ready to take on some responsibility, you know?"
"He's got a point," added their father.
Everyone at the table watched the conversation between the parents and their first-born son like a tennis match. Albus realized he'd be in the same place as James in only two years. The thought of graduating and going out in the real world terrified him.
"I don't think you're ready, James," their mother decided stubbornly.
"Mum!" James complained in a whiny voice, making Albus, Lily, and Hugo all snort.
"Ginny, I know it's hard letting your children go. Trust me, I've done it seven times," Grandma Weasley said to her daughter, smiling warmly.
After a while, Albus's mother threw up her hands and said, "Fine. We'll talk to Uncle George about it when he comes over for New Years. He probably needs help around the shop anyway."
James smirked in satisfaction. Albus still had a hard time believing his brother was almost an adult now.
After lunch, the small bunch of family members either went outside to play in the snow or played old Muggle board games that Grandpa Weasley had stored in the attic. Albus tried getting Rose to come out of her room again, but with no success. At least she had taken the plate of food her mother had brought up for her.
A few hours later, the Longbottom's arrived, to Albus's excitement. Holly looked absolutely stunning in her 'H' Weasley jumper that she'd gotten for Christmas two years ago. Up until supper time, she and Albus sat in his guest bedroom watching old Christmas films on Grandpa Weasley's old television, much like they'd done two Christmases ago.
About halfway through an animated film called Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas, Holly whispered to Albus, "Do you want to open the Christmas present I got you?"
Albus chuckled. "I'm scared."
Holly giggled and lightly slapped his shoulder. "Shut up! You'll love what I got you this year."
In all honesty, Albus adored Holly's gifts every year. They were always Muggle items that were completely unexpected and interesting, which made them that much more special to him. Some of his favorite gifts she'd gotten him over the years were a strange contraption called a Chinese finger trap, a box of a Muggle candy called Skittles, and a Muggle novel called Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, which ended up being his favorite book. Holly also usually gives him a charm to keep away the Nargles, which Albus always keeps. He still has no idea how Holly gets all that Muggle stuff, which adds to the mystery.
"Alright, hand it over," Albus said, smiling. He also grabbed the gift he got for Holly, which would probably be nothing compared to what she got him. Albus always got her a book of some kind or a journal. This year he changed it up.
Holly reached in her bag of presents she brought and pulled out a small present wrapped in flowery wrapping paper. She handed it to him with a huge grin on her face, which equally concerned and excited him. What in the world could this gift be?
Ripping the wrapping paper off the small present, Albus examined the small contraption that lay inside of a box. It was an old Muggle pocket watch. This was the most normal gift Holly had ever gotten Albus, so he didn't really know what to say. He sat and stared at the beautiful Muggle object in awe.
"Do you like it? Oh, me and my mum visited this Muggle antique shop in London and we came across it and I thought of you!" Holly said in one breath, obviously very excited by the item.
"Wow, it's...different from any other gift you've gotten me," said Albus, still admiring the watch.
Holly then leaned in closer and whispered, "Open it. You'll see the best part."
Albus did as she said, and his mouth slightly fell open. On the inside cover of the watch were two moving pictures; one of Holly and Albus when they were eleven, and one of the couple at their age now. It was a startling transformation to look at, and reminded Albus of how quickly time goes by. He'd always remember every moment of his first day of Hogwarts; especially the one where he met Holly.
"It's..." Albus was speechless. "Thank you."
Holly smiled sweetly at him. "You're welcome, Albus."
The two got lost in each other eye's for a moment, then Albus realized he still needed to give Holly her gift. He reached behind him and handed her the small box, which he didn't bother to wrap. "Happy Christmas, Holly."
Holly's eyes lit up as she took the small black box from his hands and slowly removed the lid, gasping at the necklace that lay inside. The silver pendent attached to the chain was in the shape of a daisy, Holly's current favorite flower. The pendent was even scented like a real daisy. The gift wasn't much, but when Albus saw it at a shop in Diagon Alley, he knew his girlfriend would love it.
"It's not much, but..."
Albus was interrupted by Holly muttering, "Hush," and pressing her lips to his. There was a surprising amount of force in the kiss, but Albus wasn't complaining. He took it that Holly must really like the necklace.
She broke the kiss briefly and whispered, "I love it," and immediately returned to kissing him.
The couple ended up making out for the majority of afternoon before going back downstairs for dinner. They each visibly had puffy lips and flushed faces, which James gladly pointed out to them in private.
After dinner and more exchanging of gifts, Albus and Holly retreated back upstairs to his room and continued watching Muggle Christmas movies until their parents called curfew. When the time came, Albus almost convinced Holly to sneak back into his room with him.
"What if our parents caught us?" Holly scolded him, laughing as Albus pressed kisses all over her face.
Albus groaned and grumbled, "Come on, don't be a buzzkill like Rose."
The two became silent when he mentioned Rose. She was still a sensitive topic.
"Has she come out of her room all day?" Holly whispered.
Albus shook his head, then replied, "You should go sleep in there with her tonight. She could use some company."
Holly nodded, grabbing her bag. Before she left, Albus gave her a chaste kiss on the lips and handed her his present for Rose. "Make sure and give this to her."
"I will," said Holly, smiling, kissing him goodnight one last time before leaving for Rose's room.
Later in the night, Pigwidgeon II flew through the window clumsily and dropped a letter onto the floor. Albus opened it up and read the bottom of the letter first, his eyes widening. He didn't expect Scorpius to reply.
His eyes skimmed the short letter, his heart aching as he read the last sentence.
Dear Al,
Happy Christmas and thank you for the present. I'll give you yours and Holly's on the train back to Hogwarts. Tell everyone I said hello and Happy Christmas as well.
P.S. You can decide whether to do this or not, but tell Rose that I miss and love her.
- Scorpius
~ ~ ~
Wow, that was a long chapter. I probably gave you major Halbus (Holly and Albus) feels ;)
Anyways, so I want to thank those of you who commented such nice things on my last chapter regarding my author's note. Those comments made my week and some literally made me cry. Thank you so freaking much for all of your support and kind words :')
Alright, you know the drill. Vote, comment, and please share! Thank you so much for reading! See ya! *infinite kissy faces*