Harry crashed into the kitchen, having run full speed towards his breakfast.
"Happy Christmas, mama!"
"Good morning, Harry," she said, leaning over to fix the chair he'd knocked over on his mad scramble in.
"Are you ready to go to the Weasleys?" Harry asked, bouncing up and down with excitement.
She sighed. "Harry, you're still in your pajamas. It's six in the morning."
"Oh," he frowned. "What should we do until then?"
Alabasandria rather wanted to hide in her room and not speak to anyone.
"We could research how we're going to get into Azkaban?"
"That's boring," Harry complained. "Will you read to me?" She rolled her eyes.
"Beedle the Bard?"
"Please!" He ran off to find it before she could protest.
...
Ron greeted his friend with a smile - a very brief smile because once he got a good look at Harry he had to pause. And frown. Harry looked…
Well Harry looked exactly like how he figured the scared first years who all thought he was the Heir of Slytherin imagined him as. Eyes faintly glowing despite the bright sunshine. His usually bronze skin was stained sallow. Standing next to him felt more frosty than the winter weather outside despite Harry having just popped out of the fireplace.
"Oi," he whispered. "Alright, mate? You look like shit to be honest."
"Thanks, Ron," Harry grumbled at him. They were interrupted as Mrs. Weasley pulled him into a tight hug which Harry reciprocated for a moment before squirming. They watched in horror as she fearlessly pulled Harry's mum into one as well, greeting the terrifying woman with a warm smile and an offer of tea. Ms Adams looked rather shocked at her behavior but followed after the Weasley clan as they swarmed into the kitchen for snacks.
"You don't have to lie," Ron whispered lower, gripping Harry's arm to keep him from following. "What's up? I'm not going to pry, and I'm not going to judge. But you look half-dead, Harry. Literally." Harry bit his lower lip, thinking.
"I don't mean to worry you guys," he said finally. "And I'm fine, really. It's just a side effect of the winter solstice. It's a very powerful time for our uh, you know, Potions stuff, the magic and all that. I was working on your Christmas present, and now I've got some excess magic to work out."
"Oh, I didn't know you were Pagan." That explained a lot. Yule was a very powerful time for those of a darker inclination. And Harry was literally glowing with Dark magic. "You said you weren't done with it yet? It's not a girly present like Luna's is it?" He showed off his own charm bracelet, the beads a bright red and orange.
"No," Harry laughed, "But it is jewelry, sorry mate. Protective amulet, in case the Heir of Slytherin attacks any of you. I'm almost done with them. They should be ready by the first day of term, but mama is helping me with the spellwork."
"That's a good idea, thanks Harry," Ron said. "Especially for the girls. I know Hermione's been really worried since Malfoy keeps making those snide comments about muggleborns." He didn't want to ask about the specifics of how these amulets functioned. He trusted that they would work, with his mama helping and the stench of death wafting off of them, but he really, really, did not want to ask. Better make sure Hermione didn't hear about the details, he sighed.
Fred and George came over to greet Harry, complaining about the two hiding in the corner. They pulled Harry into the kitchen and Ron followed slowly watching everyone's reactions. Fred and George seemed unaffected by Harry's aura as they began to discuss pranks to pull on Snape, but they also knew Harry better than his other siblings and might have grown accustomed to his Weirdness. He watched Charlie and Bill shiver as mum introduced them to Ms Adams. Percy greeted Harry before slinking back into his book, but that could just be Percy being Percy rather than him feeling off about the boy. Ron's dad - the most outgoing and friendly person he knew besides Luna - however, seemed very uncomfortable around the pair. His eyes furrowed and darted between them. Ron slid over to his side, picking up a plate of food as an excuse to talk to him.
"Are you ok, dad?"
Mr. Weasley looked startled as he focused on his youngest son.
"Yes, Ron. Don't worry. I'm just realizing I've never met Harry's mother before now. She's not what I expected." Ron suppressed a grin.
"You mean they're both bloody freaky, yeah?"
"Ronald!" Arthur said, although by his tone, Ron knew he agreed.
"But it's true. Especially his mum. Makes me feel like I'm a rat being chased by an owl or something. Small and scared. Harry makes most people feel like that too."
"Is that why your sister refused to come home for the holidays? For a little girl with a crush, she sure hasn't written a word about Harry since she started Hogwarts."
"He hasn't done anything to her," Ron defended instantly. "I don't think they do it on purpose. I would think Harry's mum would know how to turn it off if she could. But yeah, I dunno about Ginny, but she avoids him like the plague. But everyone does that."
"It doesn't bother you?" his father asked.
"Nah," he shrugged. "You get used to it. At least, that's Hermione's current theory. Something about our magical cores adjusting, I dunno. I just know that Harry's a good bloke. He gives off this terrifying image but really he's a kid who really loves animals and Quidditch. If everyone else is too scared to see the real Harry, then that's their problem. I've barely spoken to his mum, but he talks about her a lot and I reckon any lady who reads her kid bedtime stories and lets him eat ice cream for dinner isn't a bad person either."
His dad looked down at him, his face calculating before he split into a wide grin.
"That's a very mature opinion, Ron. You're a great friend, I'm proud of you." Ron's ears burned red at the praise.
.....
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