Chapter 11

J.K Rowling owns the Wizarding World and it's previous inhabitiants! I added a few, though :)

Chapter 11

 

Albus shook me awake.  I didn’t remember falling asleep, I was so excited.  I had been studying Harry Potter’s past since that first day, and he’d become my hero.  Now here I was, meeting that hero and… Well… Kissing his son.  I sent a letter to my mom about everything that’d happened, and wished her a merry Christmas.  This would be the first one I spent away from them.  And perhaps not the last.

I opened my eyes to see his brilliant green eyes, and for a second I wondered if he was Harry.  There was a sparkle in those eyes of his, and I smiled.

“Good morning.”  He said.  “Happy Christmas.”  He gave me a kiss, square on the mouth.  I was shocked awake.

“Happy Christmas.”  I mumbled, not sure what else to say.

He led me down the hall in my pajamas.  Luckily I’d slept like a rock, so my hair looked decent enough.  Everyone was already sitting there, pajamas on, smelling like early morning people often do, but somehow cleaner.  The kids were all sitting around the tree, eyeing the presents lustfully.  I noticed that Teddy and Victoire were gone, and I could only wonder what they were up to.

“Happy Christmas, everyone!”  Mrs. Weasley sang as she walked in.  She was wearing a bright red Santa had and a big smile.  Mr. Weasley had a hat to match.

“Happy Christmas, kids.”  He said.  Al and I took a spot by his family, and I was sitting right next to Hagrid.

“Happy Christmas.”  I whispered to my mentor.

“Happy Christmas, Sophie.  I got yer something special.”  He winked.

“You shouldn’t have.  Your gift is probably on your doorstep… I sent it by owl.”  I pulled a face.

“I already got it.”  Hagrid winked.  “How did ye know I was looking fer one of those?”

“What did you get him?”  Al asked.

“She got me a blast-ended skrewt skin!  I kid you not!”  Hagrid thumped me on the back and I just laughed.

“My mother actually picked it up.  She said she wasn’t sure what it was so she got it for me and I thought you’d know what to do with it.”  I explained.

“That’s crazy, it had ter be expensive.”

“Not really.”  I lied.  My attention turned to Mrs. Weasley, who was handing everyone in the room an identically wrapped and similar-sized gift.  Even I got one.

“Bloody hell.”  Ron said.

“Ronald!”  Hermionie scolded with a smile, “not around the kids!”

“Mum, you’ve been busy!” He held up his own wrapped package.

“I’m retired and at home all the time, I had a whole year.  All right, everyone can open it now!”  She clasped her hands together with that lovely smile she always wore.  I opened my own to find a lovely dark purple sweater with an S knitted into it.

“Oh!”  I exclaimed, slipping it over my head.  It was just a little too big, just the way I like my sweaters.  I pulled my hair out and admired the neckline, which came into a gentle V.

“Do you like it, dear?  Yours was the last one I made.”  She walked my way.  “Tsk, it’s a little too big.  I can fix that for you-“

“Oh no, I like big sweaters.”  I smiled.  “It’s splendid.  Thank you.”  I smiled.  She surprised me with a hug.  I returned it, warmly.  She was the ideal grandmother figure, warm and smiley, with more energy than she knew what to do with.  I had fallen in love with her in our time at The Burrow.

Al had slipped his sweater on as well.  The neckline was circular, and it fit him just right, hugging close to his beautiful arms.  It had a big A on the front, and it was blue.  Lilly’s sweater had an L and it was bright pink.  She sat with the other kids as they opened their many gifts.  Hagrid brought out his bag and handed myself, Albus, James, George, Harry, Ron, Hermionie, Lilly, Hugo, Rose and Scorpius each a little, ill-wrapped package.

“Mrs. Weasley, I think I’ve already given you your gift, haven’t I?” He asked.

“Oh yes,” she replied.  “It’s on the counter.”  She gestured to the large wine bottle covered with little spots of tape.

“Go ahead then you all.”  Hagrid sat back down.  I opened my package with some amount of difficulty.

“Oh, Hagrid.”  I said, shaking my head.  “You shouldn’t have.”

“Well I knew you’d been wantin’ it, so I got it for ye.  Can ye blame me?”

“What is it?”  Al asked, looking at the silver object in my hand.  I ran it between my fingers with a smile.

“It’s a Hippogriff whistle.”  I said, quietly.

“But tha’s not all!”  Hagrid said, holding out his hand.  I handed the little object to him.  “If ye turn the bottom here like this, you can whistle up Unicorns, Thestrals, or even dogs and cats.”

“How did you know?”  I asked, taking it back.

“I saw ye readin about it.  Ye were practically droolin.  Then you saw one when we went do Diagon Alley to get a few Unicorn hairs, ye remember?  Ye saw one in Wizeacres and I just sorta picked it up.”

“Is that why you sent me across the alley to get the toad?  What did you do with that toad?”

“Gave it to a firs’ year.  And yes, that’s why.”

“You’re hilarious, Hagrid.”  I shook my head.  “These are so expensive.”

“Ye think I don’t know how much a blast-ended skewt skin costs?”  He winked.  “Why don’t ye open up yers, Al?”

Al managed to rip the wrapper off of his own gift, which ended up being nothing short of his very own “book of excuses.”

“What’s this?”

“Found it in Flourish and Blotts, ye use em a lot so I thought I’d get ye one.  Ye seem to be runnin’ out of ideas why you can’t participate in my class.”  He leaned back with his hands over his large stomach.  “That ought ter give ye some pretty good ideas.”

“I can’t, I’ve contracted the bubonic plague.”  He read aloud.  “I like that one.”  We laughed.

George handed out his gifts next, and each of us received a little trinket from his shop.  Mine was an assortment of fake mice that would run around and provide an excellent distraction.   Al got a ‘get out of class’ pack.  I didn’t notice many of the other ones, but I did see that Fleur received a love potion, to which she laughed her musical laugh.

Christmas dinner was nothing short of amazing.  I had thought last night’s dinner would be un-beatable.  But challenge accepted, Mrs. Weasley surprised us all.  We ate to our fill, everyone wearing their own different colored sweater with their initials on it.  For herself and Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley had knitted ‘mum’ and ‘dad’ instead of initials.  I smiled when I saw her wearing it.  As soon as we’d finally finished dinner and desert, we were all stuffed and sleepy, so most of us retreated to bed.  I stayed up in the living room, listening to Harry tell Auror stories until almost everyone but Albus, Ron, Hermionie and I were left.  Even Hagrid had disappeared.

“So, what say we try out that whistle, eh?”  Harry said, giving the lump in my pocket a look.  I had kept it on me all day, it’s true, I’d wanted that whistle.

“I’d love to, but I don’t think there’s many Hippogriffs or Unicorns out here.”  I responded, shyly.

“You never know.”  Hermionie smiled.

“All right.”  I pulled out the whistle.  “But we better go outside first.”

 

The whistle was intricately designed, with three different rotating parts on the bottom to change the sound that came out.  They each had sets of images surrounding them.  I didn’t need the manual to know which combination would call a Hippogriff for me.  I turned the bottom one until it clicked three times, and the top two once.  The whistle itself was barely the size of my hand and not very wide.  I raised the cold metal to my lips and blew.  The sound it made wasn’t capable of being heard by human ears.  I wondered how such a proud creature as a Hippogriff would come to the sound of a whistle.  I lowered the whistle and slid it into my pocket.  A minute passed and nothing had happened.

“I-“

“Shh,” Harry said.  “It takes a while for Hippogriffs to fly all the way over here.”  Sure enough, I gave it another minute and a black figure appeared in the sky.  I smiled.  When it landed, I shooed everyone back.  I immediately recognized him as the Hippogriff from the first task.  I bowed slightly and he bowed back.  I moved as slow as I could to reach him and hug his neck.

“Hello again.”  I said, softly.  “I missed you.”  He nudged me with his beak.  I stepped back and he leaned down so I could ride him.  “Can my friend come with us?”  In response the Hippogriff, which I had come to think of as my hippogriff, leaned down in the grass again.

“Anyone want to ride with us?”  I asked.  No one stepped forward right away, and my heart sank.

“I would.”  Harry Potter said, after a moment.  “It’s been a while since I’ve ridden a Hippogriff.”

“Come on, then.”  I smiled as Harry Potter boarded my Hippogriff.  He took off, then, his powerful feet bounding off the ground.  We soared into the night, climbing high into the clouds.  We flew so high up my ears popped and we emerged above the layer of clouds.  Above them, I could see the moon, big and bright off to my right.

“So does this fella have a name?”  Harry asked, his voice barely needing to be raised.

“Not yet.”  I smiled, hugging the Hippogriff’s neck.  “But I think I’ll give him one.  Would you like that, big guy?”  I asked the beast.  As if to reply, he did a full out flip in the air.  I clung to his neck and felt Harry grab on to my waist to keep himself from falling.  I laughed.

“Sorry about that.  Guess he wants one.”  We landed shortly thereafter and everyone applauded.  I petted the Hippogriff on the head and started to walk away, but he followed me.

“Oh, come on.”  I said, to him.  “I suppose you came a long way, though, didn’t you… Are you hungry?”  His ears pricked up.  I looked to Harry.  “Got anything a Hippogriff will eat?”

 

Sneaking around with Harry, Ron, Hermionie and Albus was probably the most fun I’ve ever had.  They did have reputations as troublemakers back at Hogwarts, but this fact was often overlooked.  They were good at sneaking around, even in their 40’s.  We snuck my Hippogriff into the house and sat him down in the kitchen.  They warmed up leftovers for him to try and I stroked his beak and neck to keep him quiet.  He ate all the ham and roast beef we had just as fast as Harry and Ron could dish it out.  Hermionie dished out random side dishes like corn, beans, and mashed potatoes.  My Hippogriff wasn’t much for mashed potatoes, but he hungrily ate up the corn and green beans.  Al came over with cheese, which the Hippogriff rejected loudly.

“Shh shh!”  I coaxed, petting him.  “You don’t have to eat it.  Shh.”  Al recovered by handing him a large bowlful of applesauce.  He ate it and nudged Al’s face for more.  Al looked terrified.  He handed me the jar and I spooned it into his mouth until it was gone, but he still wanted more.  We couldn’t find any more, so I handed him an apple, but he didn’t want it.  I promised to find him some more just as soon as I could, and we snuck him back outside, though he wasn’t as quiet the second time around.  He was upset that I’d run out of applesauce.

“Applesauce.”  I said quietly.  His ears pricked up.  “That’s your new name, okay?”  The Hippogriff snorted and I laughed.  “Hey Al, want to go for a ride before I sent him home?”

Al looked scared, but he nodded.  Applesauce bent down so we could get on and we took off.  Al’s arms wrapped around me and he clung to me like I was a tree in the middle of a hurricane.  At first it was cute, but then my sides started to hurt.

“Are you afraid of heights?”  I asked.

“No, just things with claws.”  He hung on resiliently.

“Applesauce, slow down.”  I said, softly.  Applesauce obliged.  We had reached a large lake at that point, and I let go of the Hippogriff to move Al’s hands.  He loosened his grip, but he didn’t let go.

“Don’t be afraid.”  I said, softly.  “Applesauce saved us.  He saved me, at least.  We have to trust him.  He’s a good boy… Aren’t you, Apples?”  The hippogriff snorted again.  I took that as a yes.  Al’s hands loosened a little more and he looked around.  I took them in mine and held them out as far as they would go.  “We’re flying!”  I yelled.  Al laughed and grabbed me around the middle again, but this time, his grip was free of fear.

We touched down at The Burrow to find Hagrid standing with Harry, Ron, and Hermionie.  I helped Al down off of Applesauce and sent him inside.  I gave the big beast another hug and told him to “Go home.”  He took off flying in response, doing a circle around us and making a loud cry in farewell before he left.  I watched him fly off into the distance until he became a speck, indiscernible from the stars and the velvet sky.

“Yer so friendly with the beasts,” Hagrid sighed.  “Yer gonna get hurt.”

“No, no.  Applesauce is my friend.  He showed up at the first task and saved my life.”  I crossed my arms.  “And he came when I called him.”  I added, softly.

“Applesauce?”  Hagrid laughed, loudly.  “That’s the worst bloody name I’ve ever heard.  Sophie, you should know what a Hippogriff is!  They’re terrifyin’ creatures!  Not house pets!”

“Yes I know.”  I said, irritated.  “But he likes applesauce.  And he likes his name.”  I lifted my chin defiantly.

“Gryffindor through and through,” Harry laughed.  “It’s cold out here, let’s get inside.”  Harry said, his breath rising in the crisp air.  No one objected.

Before I could slip into bed, though, Al took me down the hall to an empty room and kissed me.  “What was that for?”  I asked, my heart racing.

“For showing me how not to be afraid.”  I was leaning against a wall, my hands spread on the cool surface.  He leaned in again, and kissed me, longer this time.  We were close… So very, very close.  “And that…” He whispered, “Was for everything else.”

We kissed a couple more times and slowly got closer and closer.  He stopped, his arm above my head, looking down slightly into my eyes.  We stood there, having a conversation with just our eyes.  There was a noise somewhere down the hall and he looked.

“Well, I guess this is goodnight, then.”  Al said, looking sad.

“Goodnight, Albus.”  I kissed him again, my heart racing.

I fell asleep that night at 1 again, feeling happier, perhaps, than I ever have.

Author's Note

Eeew kissing, haha
Let me know how my 'romance' writing is. I'm open to criticism! Thanks and have a blessed day, you beautiful creature!!