Outside of the meeting which revealed Harry's former status as a Horcrux, November had passed entirely without incident, something which surprised and delighted Harry to no end. Weekly meetings discussing Harry's progress with his specialized training, which was going exceptionally well, were the norm, and while they had continued to search Hogwarts for the Diadem, they had had no luck as of yet.
Harry wasn't surprised in that regard, Hogwarts was massive, and the insights he had gained about Tom Riddle over the course of his life had shown that while Tom didn't have the same love and friendship that Harry enjoyed in his Hogwarts career, he did possess the same drive to learn and improve himself that Harry had. Tom had seven years at Hogwarts to learn everything he could about the castle, and while Harry had divided his time between learning and forming friendships and relationships, it seems that Tom Riddle never had. Tom could simply know more about the castle than Harry even had time left to learn, and even if he could know as much, there were always things that Harry simply wouldn't be capable of doing.
That was where the Sphinx Club came in, and gave Harry his edge over Tom Riddle. Tom was a loner, friendless and loveless, partially by choice, partially by circumstances of his birth. Harry was neither. Harry was surrounded by those who loved him, and was more than capable of using those connections to his advantage. On learning that they needed to search the school for the Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, the Sphinx Club immediately launched themselves into the challenge. Fleur took it upon herself to coordinate the teams, since she had the least familiarity with the castle itself, and felt she wouldn't have much use in actually searching.
So far, the group had done a pretty thorough scouring of the Chamber of Secrets, which did turn up a number of secret rooms, but had failed to produce the Diadem. Parvati and Lavender had managed to sweet talk Fred and George into revealing all the secret passages they knew about, which was a nearly unfathomable number, and they had been checking through them one by one in an attempt to find some that Tom Riddle may have used as hidey-holes. No luck had been found yet, although Daphne had been delighted to find one of them led to some kind of hidden potion laboratory, which she had claimed as her own.
Those investigations had taken them through December as well, and therefore, kept them busy right up to Winter break. Harry had initially been torn, feeling an obligation to use the time without classes to be able to better canvas the castle for more information regarding the Diadem. On his first mentioning of that though, he was immediately told that was not an option. He WAS going to spend Christmas with his family. ESPECIALLY since it was going to be his first Christmas with Padma as his fiancee. Harry didn't argue that point. He did want to spend time with his family, and especially with the girls he loved.
With that, Harry found himself leaning back in one of the armchairs in the sitting room of Grimmauld Place, glancing out the window as small flakes of snow began to stick against the glass, enjoying a moment with his family. Christmas was upon them, and Andromeda had done everything she could to fit the normally dreary Grimmauld Place with warm and festive decorations. Tinsel lined the dark walls, with small magical motes of light flickering along their length, a magical recreation of muggle christmas lights. A large fir tree sat in the corner, decked in baubles and candles that made the scene look straight out of a Christmas card. Even the furniture had been magically recoloured and altered, the chair Harry occupied was normally a dark thing, comfortable and high quality, but not exactly invoking cheerful imagery. For the holiday season, it had been transfigured to be evergreen, with golden trim that made it fit in with the bright decor that much more. Harry imagined Andromeda had gone so hard in making the dreary house feel more homey during Christmas to make up for the fact that this would be the first Christmas she'd had since Nymphadora was born outside of their townhouse in Oxfordshire. This was set to be a Christmas without many of the things they normally did as a family. There could be no sleigh riding, no singing of Christmas songs while Ted played the piano in the family room, and no walking into the muggle section to look over the Christmas lights and decorations. With Harry's life on the line, they simply couldn't really go out in public like that, which put a damper on Andy's spirits.
To that end, she had doubled down on the things they COULD do in their new home. With the family expanded, the yearly Tonks gingerbread house had been expanded as well. The small one-story construction they had done when it was just Andy, Ted, Nymphadora, Harry, and Charlie was replaced with a massive three story construction, and new members were added to the family. Alongside the five that had existed before, Hermione, Luna, Padma, Susan, Daphne, and Fleur had all baked and decorated their own gingerbread representations, and Andy had also gone through the effort of making ones for Sirius and Remus. The enchanted gingerbread people danced about on the kitchen table, enjoying themselves for their brief lives as animated cookies.
Harry glanced about the room, enjoying the refreshing Christmas music that was playing over the Wizarding Wireless, a rendition of Old King Wenceslas coming down the airwaves as he smiled at his family. Charlie and Nymphadora were glaring down at a wizard's chess board, each one trying their best to outmaneuver their opponent. Harry knew that while Ron was supposedly a kind of Wizard chess prodigy, it was Charlie who had taught the boy what he knew, and Nymphadora was learning first hand how good at the game the Weasley boy was. Andy and Ted were similarly relaxing on a nearby loveseat, watching over their expanded family with a loving gaze. Harry imagined that it probably meant much more to them than most would expect. Andy had been cast out of her own family for falling in love with Ted, and Ted himself had lost his family to Death Eaters during the first war, punishment for stealing away a lady of house Black. For all intents and purposes, the people sitting in this room were all the family that Ted and Andy had left, barring perhaps Andy's sister Narcissa.
Luna was off to the side, having what appeared to be a very in-depth conversation with Crookshanks about something. Harry wasn't entirely sure what it was about, but he had heard her scold the half-kneazle for batting at one of the baubles on the tree. They appear to have otherwise made up though, as they were batting a small catnip filled ball back and forth.
Hermione was leading a small book club, as she read through A Christmas Carol alongside Daphne, Susan, Padma, and Fleur. The other girls had grown up entirely in the wizarding world, and hadn't experienced the story before, which Hermione took as a grave tragedy. Harry briefly wondered if she was going to attempt to get the other girls to write her a report on the book, but thought that was too far even for Hermione.
Sirius and Remus finally made their way into the living area, broad smiles on their faces as the two men carried large burlap sacks over their shoulders, setting them down beside the tree before pointing their wands into the fireplace, summoning showers of gold and silver sparkles as they made the flames alternate between glowing red and green. "Happy Christmas!" The pair bellowed, red blushes on their cheeks that implied they'd dipped into the adult eggnog a touch early this year. They were having a good time, and while Harry and company were underage, they weren't children, so perhaps some light intoxication wasn't a terrible thing.
"Happy Christmas, Sirius, Remus." Harry said, nodding to the pair of them as he stood up and gave them each a hug. "Finally find the gifts we sent you after an hour ago?" Harry asked, rolling his eyes. In an attempt to not have the family room completely overloaded with gifts throughout the entirety of the season, they had all been stored in a closet on the third floor of the house to then be brought down on the day of. Sirius and Remus had been sent up after them, but seem to have gotten distracted.
"Well pup, we HAD gone up to get them… Then I remembered that wonderful bottle of Leaky Cauldron Eggnog I had stored away, so we had a brief drink." Sirius started, his words slurring as his cheeks glowed a bright red.
"And then another." Remus added, hiccuping a little.
"And then another!" Sirius added again, wrapping his arm around Remus's shoulder and letting out a deep belly laugh. "But we're here now! And we have the gifts! So all is well!"
"Good then you won't mind divvying them out since you're in such a good mood." Andy said, looking over the intoxicated pair with an annoyed, but still loving expression.
"We shall serve our penance!" Sirius belted with a Shakespearean seriousness that faltered immediately as he began giggling to himself after a hiccup.
The animagus and werewolf duo managed to divvy up the gifts, although there was much stumbling and laughing, as well as a brief interlude where Sirius packed every single present in front of his chair, claiming that all the presents were for him. Sure enough though, everyone eventually had their gifts stacked in front of them, small piles neatly arranged.
Harry leaned back in his chair, smiling broadly as he watched the girls open their gifts, a warm swell in his chest at what was happening. This was his family, the people he loved more than anyone else in the world, all in one place, enjoying this time together. This was what he fought for, to have more Christmases like this. To share this with his family, to eventually be able to pass it on to children of his own.
Harry's mind wandered to that alternate future, sitting in a large family room in a manor house, watching as a little boy with bright red hair and his green eyes opened a broomstick. He shot Harry a smile, a tooth missing as he rushed forward and hugged him, thanking his father. He rushed to his mother, Susan and hugged her too, before showing the broom to his brothers and sisters. They all had different hair colors, blacks and blondes and browns, and some shared his eyes, while others didn't. Each one took after a different mother. A little girl who had Luna's slight build. Another boy who seemed to have inherited Hermione's wild hair. A beautiful blonde girl who carried Fleur's Veela blood. A darker skinned brown-eyed boy who couldn't belong to anyone but Padma, and a boy who looked far too much like him who had to be Daphne's.
Harry was pulled out of his fantasy as Padma forced a gift into his hands, begging him to open it. Harry smiled and complied, unwrapping the golden paper and opening the box. Inside was a small locket, emblazoned with the image of a Sphinx on the front, with six gemstones appearing at the tips of its wings. "What would this be then?" Harry asked, his thumb drifting over the top of the image.
"Well… we wanted to give you something special from all of us… that represented all of us." Susan said, as she took a seat next to him. "The Sphinx is your patronus, but it's also the Sphinx Club that brought us together. It's what made us, us." She reached out a finger and pointed at each gemstone in turn. "That's a citrine, and it's meant to represent me. Aside from the yellow being my favorite color, it also represents positivity. How even in my darkest hour, you managed to keep me going. You became the bright spot in my life, so I wanted to be the bright spot in yours."
Daphne stepped up next, pointing to the next gemstone, which was a brilliant green. "That's an emerald, and it's mine. Outside of being a Slytherin, one of my fondest memories of us together was at my debut, where I wore a dress of this color, and it reminds me of your eyes." She said, snuggling in close to him. "Emeralds also mean growth, such as how you helped me grow. You never really got a lot of it, but I wasn't always the friendliest person growing up. You brought something out of me that I didn't know I needed. If it hadn't been for you, I probably wouldn't have had any friends but Tracy, and now I have so many, including the love of my life. You helped me grow, as a person, as a student, and as a lover, and I hope I've helped you grow just the same."
Padma took Daphne's place pointing to a fiery-red gem. "That's a ruby, which represents me. Rubies in my culture are often called the 'King of Gems' and represent both strength and love. I love you more than anything, Harry, and you give me strength in hard times, just as I hope I can give to you."
Hermione swapped with Susan, pointing out a blue gemstone. "That is a sapphire, the one I chose to represent me. Sapphire is my birthstone, since I was born in September, and also represents wisdom and loyalty. I'm not as good as the other girls when it comes to the more emotional aspects of our relationship. I love you dearly, but sometimes get caught up in my own head trying to show it. Let this remind you that I'm behind you always, and that you can always pick my brain for whatever you need."
Luna swapped with Padma as she pointed to a slightly cloudy gemstone that produced a rainbow of colors. "That's an opal, they represent creativity. You always tell me how much you love how my mind always seems to think outside of the box, and I thought that would represent that perfectly. It also looks a bit like my hair, I think." Luna said, as she leaned up and kissed his cheek. "I love you Harry. More than you could ever know."
Fleur came up last and swapped with Hermione, pointing to the last gemstone, a brilliant purple one. "That is an amethyst, which represents truth. My truth, the truth I know in my heart, my soul, and deep within my magic, which is that I love you, Harry." Fleur said, her tone sweet and filled with a deep emotion. While Fleur's accent had receded due to her extended period of speaking only English surrounded by only english speakers, it began to peak through once more as her emotions took over. "You are my destined one 'Arry. And I would not leave you for anything."
Harry couldn't help but let the tears roll down his face as he listened to the girls explain their gift. He was overcome by emotion, a profound love seeping deep into every pore of his body. He loved them all so much, and he'd do anything for them.
Fleur gripped his hand, helping his fingers press a small button on the side, which opened the locket. On one side was a magical photo of them from this summer, cuddled together on the couch as they read over a book, Harry lightly twirling his fingers in Padma's hair as they all shared the space. Scenes began to swap through the portrait, as new images were shown. An image of him and Daphne at her debut. Him and Susan just before the World Cup. He and Padma playing their flute and sitar together. He and Luna dancing at the Yule Ball. He and Hermione cuddling as they read a book together, and the most recent one, which was himself and Fleur barely a week ago, napping together on the couch in one of the studies, his arms wrapped around her as she used his chest as a pillow. On the opposite side was an inscription which read: "To remind you that you carry our love, Always." Which then had each of the girl's names written in their handwriting.
"I suppose it's time I gave you all your presents then." Harry said, trying to pull himself together as they looked at him with some confusion.
"You already got us something though, Harry." Daphne said with confusion as they each looked over to their gift piles. They had indeed all gotten something from Harry already.
"I know, but… there was one more thing I wanted to give you all." Harry said as he stood up, turning around when he was in front of all six of them, before kneeling down on one knee. "I know that you all said that you didn't want me to do this out of obligation, and I want you to know that this isn't. I love each of you more than anything, and I want to prove it. So, I ask, Hermione, Susan, Daphne, Luna, Fleur, and Padma, I ask you again. Will you marry me?" Harry asked, as he pulled out five ring boxes from a previously disguised pouch on his back.
The girls eyes widened, tears filling their eyes as broad smiles appeared on their faces.
"Well, I already said yes, but I'm more than happy to say it again." Padma said, as she leaned down and kissed Harry, twirling the Black family engagement ring on her finger.
"Oui, mon chéri." Fleur said, taking the ring that had her name on it, and holding it in her hands. "I 'ave been ready for you to ask this for so long." She added, her accent back in full force as she couldn't control it with the happiness coursing through her.
"Of course Harry." Luna said as she took her own ring. "It's so silly you would even ask, as though you didn't already know the answer." She gave him a light bop on the head with the ring box.
"Hard to say no with a build-up like that." Daphne said, grabbing her ring as she stepped behind him. "I'll be sure to reward you properly later." She promised, a glint in her eyes.
"The answer's been yes since you saved me from the Basilisk, Harry." Susan said as she took her ring, clutching the box tightly to her chest.
Hermione stood last, the ring box sitting in front of her. She sat awestruck, unable to move, before a small "Yes." escaped her lips. She took the ring box from him, cradling it like the most delicate flower she could imagine. "Yes, I'll marry you Harry. Of course I will." With that, the floodgates were let open, and she tackled Harry to the ground, peppering his face with kisses as she let loose all of her love onto him. Padma and Daphne, never ones to be outdone, joined her in pinning him down. Susan and Fleur shared a look before joining in as well, and Luna let out a laugh as she jumped into the fray, everyone in the home watching as Harry faced the consequences of his actions.
After a few moments, Harry managed to extricate himself from the pile, taking the time to properly place the rings on the girls' fingers, which earned him at least one extra kiss each.
"Well, six engagements in a single day. Surely that's some kind of record, isn't it?" Ted asked with a chuckle, Andy and Sirius joining him.
"Five, Padma already had hers from this summer." Nymphadora pointed out, before Charlie cleared his throat.
"About that…" He started, before getting down on one knee. "I think six is right. So, what do you say Nym? Want to be Mrs. Weasley?"
"No." She said flatly, looking down at him. "You can be Mr. Tonks, though." She said with a tongue sticking out as she knelt down and kissed him.
"I can live with that." Charlie said with a broad smile on his face as he slid the ring onto her finger, everyone in the house cheering.
With his arms wrapped around Susan and Daphne as Hermione and Fleur went to congratulate Tonks on her engagement, Harry couldn't help but smile. He never knew what tomorrow would ring, but he knew something that that eleven year old boy under the stairs never knew. No matter what tomorrow brought, he wouldn't be facing it alone.