After Harry made his suggestion, Sirius Black cheerfully raised his arm, beckoning to his godson's two best friends.
"Hermione, Ron!" he called.
The two hurried over, and Sirius extended an invitation. "Harry just told me he'd love for you both to join us at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place for Christmas—how does that sound?"
"Spend Christmas with you lot?" Ron lowered his arm, his face lighting up with surprise. "Of course, that's brilliant! Mum and Dad are off to Romania to visit Charlie, so we'd just be stuck at school for the holidays."
At that, Ron turned to Harry. "You know, Harry, it's like our first-year Christmas all over again."
"Clearly," Hermione said, smiling. "Your parents really love you all."
"Oh, absolutely," Ron grinned. "If we ever graduate and end up halfway across the world like Charlie or Bill, Mum and Dad will have their hands full. But for now, we see them so often they don't have time to miss us—though come summer, we're bound to be their biggest headache."
"No way," Sirius said, disbelieving. "I know Molly and Arthur—they'd never think of you as a burden."
"Oh, you've clearly never been to our house during the holidays," Ron said, planting his hands on his hips and launching into an impression of his mother. "'Ronald Weasley! How many times have I told you? Get up on time in the morning! No lounging in bed! And you two—Fred, George! If you could just give me a moment's peace, I wouldn't have to yell like this every day…'"
He spun around, his expression shifting in an instant, his voice softening. "'Oh, Ginny darling, come down for breakfast. By the way, I haven't congratulated you on getting into Hogwarts yet!'"
"I'd bet anything, mate," Harry said, giving Ron a thumbs-up. "You're definitely Molly's son!"
Sirius roared with laughter, clutching his thigh and slapping the wall for support.
"Alright, alright," he said, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes and clapping Ron on the shoulder. "It's settled then—you're coming to Grimmauld Place for Christmas. What about you, Hermione? Are you in?"
"Of course," Hermione replied with a smile, accepting Sirius's invitation. "I don't have any plans for Christmas. My dad's taking Mum to Sèvres for a trip—he mentioned something about buying property in a city called Shanghai."
"Why buy houses there?" Ron asked, intrigued.
"Dad says the economy there is booming, and property values are bound to skyrocket," Hermione explained. "The family made a tidy profit during the pound crisis a couple of years ago, so we've got some spare cash. Mum didn't object."
"Fair enough," Ron nodded, trusting Mr. Granger's financial acumen. For the Weasleys, the man was practically a financial wizard.
With Sirius's invitation accepted, Harry, Ron, and Hermione skipped signing the stay-at-school forms Professor McGonagall had brought them.
But…
The most pressing matter for Harry was inviting Veratia, Cassandra, and Poppy to join them at Sirius's for Christmas.
Poppy was easy enough, but Veratia and Cassandra… well, that was another story.
He started with Poppy.
When Harry extended the invitation, Poppy agreed without a moment's hesitation.
"Yay!" Poppy exclaimed, bouncing up and down with excitement.
Harry's eyes glazed over slightly. Why did a ghost's bouncing make everything jiggle so dramatically?
Merlin's beard, I'm just a kid—why am I seeing this?
Unbeknownst to him, Poppy's proportions would've fit right in with a certain game from the future called Azur Lane—no shame there at all.
Cassandra, on the other hand… well, she was a different matter.
"Hey, what're you thinking about?" Poppy teased, playfully draping herself over Harry's back.
Thankfully, in her ghostly form, he felt nothing but a faint, chilly sensation.
"Nothing," Harry said quickly. "Just thinking we need to get you revived as soon as possible."
After leaving Poppy, Harry made a beeline for the Slytherin common room.
"Crabbe, Goyle," Harry called out, spotting the two as they returned from the Great Hall. "Can you grab Draco for me?"
"Sure thing," the two stocky Slytherins replied, heading into the common room to fetch Draco.
Draco emerged, looking puzzled.
What's this about? Harry never comes looking for me without a reason.
"Go get Cassandra for me," Harry said, clapping Draco on the shoulder. "I need to talk to her about something."
He added, "It's important."
Draco blinked. "So you dragged me out here just for that?"
He was a bit exasperated. If you wanted my great-aunt, why not have Crabbe and Goyle fetch Miss Farley to pass the message? Why drag me into this?
But then Draco reconsidered. This could be a good opportunity. He flashed Harry an OK sign.
"Don't worry, I've got this."
Draco disappeared back into the Slytherin common room, and moments later, Cassandra strode out.
"Well, well," Cassandra said, her tone exaggerated as she spotted Harry. "I never thought I'd see the day when Potter has time to come looking for me. I figured you'd be off canoodling with that Austrian girlfriend of yours. So, what's up?"
"I want to invite you to spend Christmas with me," Harry said quickly. "How about it, Cassandra? Come to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place… oh, that's Sirius's place."
At Harry's invitation, Cassandra's usual haughty demeanor softened.
How many years had it been?
Since she'd known Harry, he'd never once invited her anywhere—let alone to spend Christmas together.
Wizards didn't traditionally celebrate Christmas, but over the years, they'd picked up Muggle habits. For them, it was more about family togetherness.
The one time Cassandra had resolved to invite Harry for Christmas, it was their fifth year—and he'd gone off with Veratia instead.
"Is this your invitation?" Cassandra asked, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Let me guess—you've already invited that Austrian girlfriend of yours, haven't you?"
She put extra emphasis on "girlfriend," especially the "girl" part.
"Not yet," Harry said honestly. "I came to you first."
Cassandra raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. Me first?
This guy…
Did the sun rise in the west today?
She glanced down at her magical wristwatch.
"You in a rush?" Harry asked, concerned.
"Oh, just checking if today's April Fool's," Cassandra said airily, lowering her wrist. "It's not, but I was planning to spend Christmas catching up with my dad and brother."
"That's a shame," Harry said, shrugging with a hint of disappointment.
No one could fault Cassandra for wanting to spend time with her family—Harry certainly had no right to.
But just as he thought the invitation was a lost cause, Cassandra spoke up. "Still, when my little sidekick invites me to spend Christmas with him, how could I say no? Fine, I'm in. Just don't give me that sad puppy look like you've been denied a toy broomstick."
Harry smacked his lips. That was the Cassandra he knew.
It wouldn't feel right without her taking a jab or two.
"But you've been slacking, Potter," Cassandra said, her tone turning serious. "If you want me to spend Christmas with you, you've got to agree to something."
"Name it. I'll do anything," Harry said, nodding.
"Really?" Cassandra's lips curved into a sly smile.
"Absolutely," Harry confirmed.
"Fine. You're practicing charms with me when we're back from the holidays," Cassandra said. "You know how tense things are right now. If it was just that Voldemort bloke, we wouldn't need to worry, but you know what we're really up against."
"I know," Harry said, nodding solemnly. "I'm in."
"Good to see your brain hasn't been completely filled with pink love bubbles, Potter," Cassandra said, her lips twitching. "And one more thing—your Austrian girlfriend's ambitions aren't exactly small. If you don't want her knocking you to your knees and dragging you off to be her little house-husband, I'd suggest mastering those charms."
"What is this nonsense?" Harry said, his face darkening with exasperation. "Can't you think of something normal for once?"
"Oh? Like what?" Cassandra asked, intrigued.
"Nothing specific," Harry muttered, exasperated. "Can't you just stop badmouthing Veratia behind her back?"
"What, feeling protective?" Cassandra said, covering her mouth in mock surprise.
"Not exactly," Harry replied. "Alright, then we'll head out with Sirius for the holidays."
Harry hadn't expected inviting Cassandra to go so smoothly. He'd braced himself for a long negotiation, but she'd agreed with surprising ease.
Now…
Next up was Veratia.
Back in his dorm, Harry pulled out his crystal ball.
He made sure no one was around—crystal balls were still rare, and he didn't want anyone spotting it.
He slipped into his small trunk, which housed a magically expanded three-room flat, complete with a simulated sun shining outside the window.
As he held the crystal ball, Harry silently thought of Veratia's name.
A moment later, an image of Veratia's avatar flickered to life—a phoenix named Fiona, poised with wings spread as if ready to soar.
Soon, the crystal ball connected.
Harry's face flushed bright red.
"Y-you're…?" he stammered, but he forced himself to look straight ahead.
After all, the crystal ball was a private line between just the two of them. If Veratia was fine taking a call like this while bathing, she clearly didn't mind him getting an eyeful.
And if she didn't mind, Harry figured he didn't need to play shy.
Missing this would leave him regretting it for months.
"I'm taking a bath," Veratia said lightly. "Looks like you picked a bad time to call."
She noticed his beet-red face—bright enough to stand in for a Muggle traffic light.
Adorable, she thought, smiling to herself.
"I'll hang up then," Harry said, clearing his throat and reaching for the crystal ball.
"No need," Veratia said with a soft laugh. "So, what's on your mind? I've got some time."
Harry cleared his throat again. "It's not a big deal, really. I just wanted to ask if you're free for Christmas. If you are, would you like to come spend it with me at my godfather's place?"
"Your godfather, Mr. Black, right?" Veratia asked, feigning ignorance.
"Yeah, I've also invited Ron and the others," Harry said, trailing off, unsure how to continue.
Veratia could read him like an open book, even through the crystal ball.
"You invited Cassandra too, didn't you?" she said, her smile tinged with amusement. "Harry, Harry, I underestimated you…"
"It's just that Cassandra's all alone, no family around," Harry said, scrambling to explain. "So I thought she could join us for Christmas. It's more fun with everyone together, right?"
"Everyone?" Veratia nearly laughed.
Harry, you absolute prat. One Cassandra wasn't enough, so you threw in Poppy too?
Since when did you turn into such a greedy little git?
Her expression turned dangerous. "I don't want to hear about any other strange women in your 'big family,' Harry."
"No way!" Harry said, waving his hands frantically. "What do you take me for?"
Veratia sighed dramatically.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked, concerned.
"Nothing," Veratia said, her eyes sweeping over him. "I just wish you were here right now. We could… bathe together. You could even scrub my back…"
--
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