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Merry Christmas Up and Down the Castle
By Jim McGuffin

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Category: Hogwarts Discovery Challenge (2005-6)
Characters:None
Genres: General
Warnings: None
Story is Complete
Rating: PG-13
Reviews: 13
Summary: Bored a few days before Christmas, Harry and his friends decided to play a game of hide-and-seek. But they make several discoveries on the way.
Hitcount: Story Total: 4122







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Disclaimer: Rowling, not me.

A/N: This is my first ever post-HBP fic.

It was the 23rd of December, almost Christmas Day, supposedly the happiest day of the year. But to Harry Potter and his friends, it certainly didn’t feel like Christmas. This was mainly due to the goblins who worked at Gringotts. They were currently on strike for higher pay and improved working conditions, and they were threatening to join Lord Voldemort if their demands weren’t met. The bank closure had resulted in a total shutdown of the wizarding economy, and as a result no one had been able to buy any Christmas presents at all. So Christmas now felt like just another day on the calendar.

Harry had returned to Hogwarts for his final year. Headmistress McGonagall had set up the seventh-year schedules so that all of his classes would meet Monday through Wednesday, so that he could spend the rest of the time hunting for Horcruxes. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger often took turns accompanying him on these trips, but sometimes he would go alone. So far he’d found only one Horcrux, namely the Cup of Hufflepuff, which he immediately destroyed. He hadn’t been sure whether to destroy it or find a way to keep the cup intact while removing Voldemort’s soul, so it was easier just to destroy it.

“This is the worst Christmas ever,” Ron commented aloud. “There’s no presents and nothing to do --”

“You’re the Captain this year, Ron, so why not practice Quidditch,” Harry suggested, “especially since Gryffindor lost its first match?” For Harry had quit the team in order to search for the Horcruxes.

But then Ron pulled open the curtains. “It’s cold and snowy outside,” he pointed out, “so we can’t practice Quidditch at all. I’m bored.”

“I have an idea,” Dean Thomas announced. “We always played Hide-and-Seek during bad weather.”

“Hide-and-Seek?” asked Neville Longbottom, perplexed.

“It’s a Muggle game,” Dean, a half-blood and thus familiar with both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds, began to explain. “One person is It, and It counts to a hundred, then while the others run away to an inconspicuous place -- that’s the hiding part. When It is finished counting, he goes to look everywhere for all the other players -- that’s the seeking part. The game usually becomes boring after a while, but it might be fun in a castle as huge as this one.”

“We might as well play Hide-and-Seek,” said Seamus Finnegan. “It’s not as if there’s anything else to do.”

“I don’t know,” said Harry hesitantly. “I used to play Hide-and-Seek at the Dursleys, and my cousin Dudley would always be It. I’d come up with the perfect hiding place, but Dudley wouldn’t even try to find me. I’d be stuck there for hours while Dudley would just start playing video games or go out with his friends. I hated Hide-and-Seek.”

“How about if you be It, Harry,” Dean proposed. “Then you don’t have to worry about that.”

Harry reluctantly agreed. And so the five boys dressed themselves quickly, walked downstairs to the common room, and climbed through the portrait hole.

“The Fat Lady will be Home,” said Dean enthusiastically. “That means It must try to find the others before they run back here, to Home, again. OK, Harry, close your eyes and start counting.”

So Harry began to count as he heard the footsteps of his roommates scampering away. When he finished, he called out, “Ready or not, here I come!” But he didn’t go to look for anyone. Instead, he returned back to his dormitory, opened his trunk, and pulled out the Marauder’s Map.

“I solemnly swear I’m up to no good,” he said, and the map of Hogwarts appeared on the parchment as it usually did. Since Harry still wasn’t sure whether he actually wanted to play, he decided he might as well finish the game quickly, and the best way to do so would be to use the map to find the others.

Harry scanned the map and saw that Seamus was hiding in the Owlery, which was not that far from Gryffindor Tower at all. He left the tower again and headed for the Owlery, where he found Seamus.

“That was sure fast,” Seamus yelled so loudly that many of the owls scattered. This gave him the break he needed to race past Harry and make it back to the Fat Lady.

“Home and free!” Seamus called out. “But I can’t believe you were able to find me so quickly.”

“Yeah,” Harry grinned. He didn’t care if everyone made it back Home quickly. He would just locate the others and the game would soon be over, for he’d rather be focusing on how to find the next Horcrux. He had been a Seeker on the Quidditch pitch and now he was a seeker in the castle, but this seeking was much easier. He looked at the map once again and saw that Neville hadn’t found a real hiding place yet, but was just walking in circles near Ravenclaw Tower. So Harry headed in that direction quickly.

“Oh no,” said Neville, and Harry tagged him easily. Suddenly, the portal to Ravenclaw Tower opened.

“Hello, Harry and Neville,” Luna Lovegood greeted them. “It looks like you are playing a sort of game.”

“Yes,” Neville replied, “we are playing Hide-and-Seek.”

“Can I play Hide-and-Seek too?” Luna asked.

“I’m sorry,” Harry told her, “but this game has already started.”

“No problem,” Luna smiled slightly, “I’ll just play the next round.”

“OK then,” said Neville, although Harry was hoping that they would be done playing after one round. He sneaked another look at the map and saw that Dean Thomas was hiding up in the Astronomy Tower, and so he headed in that direction in order to find the next hider.

Once Harry spotted Dean on the spiral staircase, he chased his quarry farther and farther upstairs. Soon, he caught up with Dean and tagged him easily.

“Okay, you caught me,” Dean threw up his hands. “Do you think we are at the highest point?”

“Yes,” Harry replied, “this is the highest tower of Hogwarts.” He had known this, of course, because it was from here a mere six months earlier that their Headmaster Albus Dumbledore had fallen to his death.

“Oh well,” said Harry half-heartedly. All he wanted to do was find Ron and end the game. He looked back at the map, but failed to see Ron, and realized that the last hider wasn’t on the seventh floor. Harry waited as the map switched to the sixth floor and then the fifth floor. “Ah, Ron’s in the prefects’ bathroom.”

“Huh?” asked Dean. “How do you know he’s in there? And what’s that parchment you’re looking at?”

Harry looked up in horror and saw that Dean, Neville, Seamus, and even Luna were all standing in front of the Fat Lady, waiting for Harry to find Ron so that the next round would begin. Of course he didn’t want anyone to know about the Marauder’s Map.

“Mischief Managed, Mischief Managed!” Harry whispered quickly, and the markings on the parchment vanished before Dean or anyone else could see that it was a map.

Harry sighed with relief, until he suddenly remembered that he wasn’t a prefect and therefore couldn’t enter the washroom. Of course, he’d been allowed to enter it since Captains had prefects’ privilege, but he was no longer Captain. Certainly the password had been changed by now.

Fortunately, at that moment the portrait hole swung open, and out stepped Hermione and Ginny.

“Why are all of you out here?” Ginny asked. “Shouldn’t you be at breakfast?”

“Hermione, thank Merlin you’re here,” said Harry, ignoring Ginny. Ever since they’d broken up six months earlier, he had avoided her at all costs. I thought I was in love with her, Harry thought to himself, but now being with her was too dangerous with Voldemort still at large. “What’s the password to the prefects’ bathroom?”

“Harry, you know I can’t tell you that,” Hermione reminded him. “You’re not a prefect or Captain.”

“It’s an emergency,” Harry urged her. “You see, Ron’s in there and --”

“Ron?” asked Hermione incredulously. “How do you know that? Did he tell you he was going there?”

“Well,” Harry hesitated, “it’s kind of a long story.”

“Then start at the beginning.”

“OK, then. You see, all of us had nothing else to do, so we --”

“Nothing else to do?” Hermione repeated. “How about your holiday homework? You probably have loads.”

Harry ignored her. “So we decided to play a game of Hide-and-Seek --”

“Hide-and-Seek?” Hermione interrupted again, her eyes lighting up. “I’ve never played Hide-and-Seek before, since I’m an only child. Why didn’t you invite me to play?”

“Could you let me finish? Now anyway, so I’m It, and Ron’s hiding in the prefects’ bathroom, and --”

“But if you’re It, then how do you know where --” Then Hermione spotted the piece of parchment Harry was holding. “Don’t tell me you’re playing Hide-and-Seek with the Marauder’s Map!”

“Aha,” Dean called out triumphantly, “that map you used back at the D.A. meetings! Just as I suspected!”

“No wonder Ron hid in the prefects’ bathroom,” Hermione continued. “He probably knew that you’d use the map, so he hid in the only place he knows you can’t go.”

So Hermione headed downstairs for the fifth floor, with Ginny, Luna and the Gryffindor boys following. When she arrived, she called out the password, “Frankincense,” and the door opened to reveal Ron.

“Do you mind?” asked Ron indignantly, his face above the bubble-filled water. “Can’t a bloke take a bath without you coming in? And besides, Harry, you don’t even know the password, so how did you --” He suddenly blushed. “Hermione?”

“Ron?” Hermione tried to stifle a giggle.

Harry reached over toward the edge of the water to tag Ron. “OK, I’ve found and tagged you. The game is over now.”

“I want to play another round,” Luna reminded him.

“At least let me dress myself,” Ron insisted. “And no peeking!”

The other students turned around, although Harry thought he saw Hermione trying to sneak a peek.

“Now we can play another round of Hide-and-Seek,” Ron declared once he was back in his robes.

“I can play this round, can’t I?” asked Hermione.

“If she can do it, I certainly can!” Luna added.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” asked Harry.

“Well, since no one invited me to play the first round,” Hermione pointed out, “I say we continue playing.”

Harry, seeing that he was hopelessly outnumbered, gave up. “Let’s play another round then,” he sighed.

“Now then,” said Dean, “Neville’s It, since he was the first to be tagged last round. Since we’re all here on the fifth floor, the new Home will be the statue of Boris the Bewildered. So let’s play now.”

Neville began to count, and all of the students scattered throughout the castle. Harry instinctively wanted to follow Ginny, but then he stopped himself. I’m over her now, he reminded himself, and supposed to be avoiding her at all costs. Trying to think of the perfect hiding place, he started to take out the Marauder’s Map.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” Hermione hissed at him.

“It’s not fair if you keep using the map,” Ron pointed out.

“OK, I won’t use it,” Harry conceded as he put the map away.

“Well,” Hermione whispered so that Neville couldn’t hear, “I will keep an eye on you, Harry, to make sure you don’t cheat again.”

“Let’s go,” Ron called out. “I think I know of a place.”

So Harry and Hermione followed Ron downstairs to the third floor. Soon they found themselves in the trophy room, surrounded by awards, cups, plates, and shields of all shapes and sizes.

“Wow,” said Ron, “it’s been ages since I was here last.”

“You’ve been here before?” asked Hermione curiously.

“Yeah,” Ron muttered, “for detention. Hey, that wasn’t here the first time I looked!” He was pointing to two large trophies.

“Of course,” said Hermione, smiling. “They’re the trophies you and Harry earned back in your second year, Special Awards for Services to the School, remember? And look,” she added, pointing at another trophy, “here’s a Special Award for for Kingsley Shacklebolt of Gryffindor, February 1973. I wonder what he did to earn it.”

Harry looked at the other Special Awards earned over the years and centuries. There were had been only four of them earned during the twentieth century.

“Hey, look,” Harry gazed at another silver plate. “Here’s a list of all the Head Boys and Girls.”

“Let me see,” Hermione pushed him gently out of the way. She beamed as she saw her own and Ron’s name listed at the bottom for the current year. Harry recognized a few of the other names on the list, including Bill and Percy Weasley, James Potter, and Lily Evans, as well as Tom Riddle. “Hold on,” she added as she looked up the list, “there are some years in the early nineteenth century missing. For some reason there’s no Head Boy or Girl listed there.”

“Are you sure?” asked Ron.

“I’m sure. Just look!” Harry and Ron saw she was right in that no Head Boy or Girl was listed during the decade of the 1830’s. “Were there no Head Boys or Girls during those years?”

“I can answer that,” came a strange, monotone voice out of nowhere.

“Who said that?” asked Harry, drawing his wand. After being in so many dangerous situations both at Hogwarts and on the Horcrux hunt, he was constantly vigilant and always had his wand at the ready in any suspicious situation.

“The sound came from over there,” said Hermione, pointing towards the Armory.

But when they arrived, they saw no one. “All I see are some suits of armor.”

“How dare you call me a suit of armor?” the voice spoke again. All three of them looked up to see what appeared to be one of the suits talking to them.

“If you’re not a suit of armor,” asked Harry hesitantly, his wand pointing straight in front of him, “then what are you?”

“I am a Transfiguration experiment gone wrong. I am a wizard by the name of Jebediah Weber.”

“But why would anyone want to turn himself into metal?” asked Hermione, completely perplexed.

“It’s a long story,” the iron wizard explained. “You see, back in 1830 I was a student here at Hogwarts. But one day, when I happened to be walking past the Armory, the school was attacked by a pair of giants -- for you see, this was back in the days before giants were banished from Britain. Everyone at the school was in a panic, for there was no way to escape. Now I wanted to Disapparate away, but I couldn’t, because one can’t Apparate at Hogwarts. So I did the only thing I could think of at the time, and that was Transfigure myself into solid metal, something that was less likely to be smashed by giant feet or clubs. The idea came to me from seeing all these suits of armor around me.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier just to put on the suit of armor?” asked Ron.

“No, it wouldn’t,” Weber continued. “It takes several minutes to put on an entire suit of armor but only a second to perform a Transfiguration on oneself. I turned out to be the only survivor of the giants’ attack, but the Transfiguration turned out to be a huge disaster. No one could figure out how to transform me back, and I was so heavy that I couldn’t move. I was basically an iron statue that could talk but not walk, not even after the school was rebuilt ten years later. Professor Marchbanks, who oversaw the reconstruction of Hogwarts and became Headmistress, transported me here to the newly rebuilt Armory, and here I have stayed ever since.”

“But this story makes no sense,” Hermione pointed out. “If the castle was rebuilt over 150 years ago, why is there no mention of it in Hogwarts: A History?”

“I wouldn’t know,” the metal statue replied, “but I’d suspect that it had something to do with the huge Ministry cover-up that occurred right after the attack. No one at the Ministry wanted to admit that the school couldn’t even withstand a giant attack, and so, once most of the wizards alive at the time passed away, the history books were rewritten.”

Hermione wanted to continue this discussion, but then suddenly Peeves appeared.

“If it isn’t Potty-Wotty-Wotter and his Potty-Wotty friends!” the poltergeist teased them.

“Let’s leave,” Ron suggested, “before Peeves starts throwing objects at us.”

So Harry, Ron, and Hermione left the Armory. Hermione scratched her head.

“So if what this -- whatever that thing was -- is correct, this castle that we’re standing in now is not the same one the Founders built a millennium ago. In other words, this castle isn’t nearly as old as we think it is.”

“I knew it all along,” Ron insisted.

“Oh, really,” asked Hermione.

“Of course. You see, Dad told me all about modern plumbing. He became interested in plumbing ever since wizards kept making the Regurgitating Toilets. He told me that modern plumbing only appeared in the nineteenth century.”

“Ah, I understand now,” Hermione’s face lit up. “Since Hogwarts has modern plumbing it means that it couldn’t have been built a thousand years ago.”

“And that’s how I knew that the school must be much younger,” Ron finished.

“In other words, the Chamber of Secrets, since it is so far underground, is the only structure that can be linked back to the original Founders.”

“That’s right,” Harry realized, “otherwise Slytherin’s monster wouldn’t have been around to capture --” He suddenly stopped. Even saying Ginny’s name was painful, a memory of the normal life he couldn’t have.

“Who cares how old the school is?” Harry changed the subject abruptly. “Let’s go back to finding a hiding place before Neville spots us.”

So Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked down a rather dark corridor. This place looks strangely familiar, he thought to himself, though I don’t remember why.

“I definitely believe we’re not supposed to be here,” said Hermione suddenly.

“Why not?” asked Ron.

“Because this is the Forbidden Corridor,” Hermione reminded him, “and so it’s forbidden. Dumbledore told us this back in our first year, remember?”

“That was because of the Stone, remember?” Ron pointed out.

“Hold on,” said Harry thoughtfully, “Dumbledore never told us we could come here now that the Stone has been destroyed.” I want to keep every promise I made the late Headmaster, he told himself. “Why don’t we find a place to hide on the first floor instead? There are many empty classrooms down there.”

“Good idea,” Ron agreed.

And so Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed down towards the first floor. They decided to hide in the first classroom they could find, but when they entered it, it was too dark for anyone to see anything.

“Lumos,” Ron muttered, but nothing happened. He repeated the incantation again, but to no avail. “Hmmm, I can’t make my wand light up. Why won’t my magic work here?”

“Because we’re in the Muggle Studies room,” Hermione replied. “In order for non-magical items function properly down here, this room has been set up to reject all kinds of magic.” She then flicked a switch near the door, and some electric lights turned on.

“Wow!” Ron stared around the room in amazement at the assortment of electronic gadgets that filled the entire classroom. “I bet Dad would love it here in this room!”

“And listen to this!” Hermione walked over towards a Muggle wireless and turned it on. Soon they could hear a voice start to sing.

Winter snow is falling down
Children laughing all around
Lights are turning on
Like a fairy tale come true
Sitting by the fire we made
You’re the answer when I prayed
I would find someone
And baby I found you
All I want is to hold you forever
All I need is you more every day
You saved my heart
From being broken apart
You gave your love away
And I’m thankful every day
For the gift
Watching as you softly sleep
What I’d give if I could keep
Just this moment
If only time stood still
But the colors fade away
And the years will make us grey
But baby in my eyes
You’ll still be beautiful
All I want is to hold you forever
All I need is you more every day
You saved my heart
From being broken apart
You gave your love away
I can’t find the words to say
That I’m thankful everyday
For the gift


(A/N: This song is Jim Brickman’s “The Gift.” It was chosen because it was first released in 1997, the year in which this fic takes place.)

Hermione dimmed the lights, and she and Hermione began to dance to the romantic Christmas music. “I love hide-and-seek,” Ron commented aloud. “The best part is waiting to be found while you dance with your girlfriend in an empty classroom -- with loads of snogging, of course!”

“We can’t snog right now,” Hermione interrupted before Ron could reach her lips.

“Why not?” Ron asked.

“Because Harry’s standing right over there,” she laughed, “and I don’t think he wants to watch us snog.”

“Harry,” said Ron, annoyed, “would you mind going away?”

“Uh, okay,” Harry sighed. He knew when he was not wanted, being relegated to the third wheel of the new Ron and Hermione relationship. He guessed he had to find his own hiding place now, since he didn’t have a partner with whom he could dance or snog. He found himself wishing that Ginny were there -- until he smacked himself on the forehead. Why am I thinking about Ginny so much now anyway, he wondered to himself, especially now that I’m over her?

After he left the Muggle Studies classroom, he took out the Marauder’s Map and decide to check out the status of the game. Dean and Seamus had apparently been found, since both of them were standing at the statue of Boris the Bewildered. Neville was on the staircase heading downward from the fourth to the second floor, and so Harry decided that he’d better find a hiding place soon since Neville, who was still It, would soon be only one floor above him.

Then he spotted Ginny on the map, and saw that she was downstairs. No, I must not go down there, he urged himself, but apparently, his feet had a mind of their own, since he couldn’t stop himself from walking towards the marble stairs that led to the ground floor. Once he was downstairs, he saw unexpectedly, and for the second time that day, Luna, who wasn’t hiding at all, but rather appeared to be hanging something.

“Hey, Luna,” Harry greeted her. “Is this your hiding place?”

“No,” she replied, “I’m not playing hide-and-seek anymore.”

“Then what are you doing?” Harry asked, confused by her sudden reluctance to play the game after her eagerness to play earlier.

“I’m hanging up the mistletoe,” she told him. “Special nargle-free mistletoe, of course.” Harry couldn’t help but chuckle at her last comment.

“Oh,” she added, “and I’m also giving out Christmas gifts.”

“What gifts?” Harry asked, even more bewildered than before.

“Oh,” Luna explained, “just some gifts I made out of old things that were just lying around. Here you go,” she said as she handed Harry a rather odd-looking object. “Merry Christmas!”

“Uh, thanks,” said Harry hesitantly, “but what is it?”

“It’s a Sneakowhistle,” she replied. “I combined a Sneakoscope with a dog whistle to make a creation that lets you see when danger’s coming and makes an alarm that calls for help.”

“Okay,” Harry muttered doubtfully. Knowing Luna, the object would probably perform neither task, but still, it was the thought that counted. What else could she have given, Harry reminded himself, since the banks are closed and no one can buy anything?

“If you’re looking for Ginny,” Luna interrupted his thoughts, “she went into that room over there.” She was pointing over towards Room Eleven. What gives her the idea that I’m looking for Ginny? “And when you see her, give her these. I made them out of an old tattered dress of mine.” She handed Harry a pair of red socks.

“Hmmm,” Harry mumbled to himself.

“And now I must deliver the rest of these gifts and finish hanging up the mistletoe. Bye Harry!” And with that, Luna headed up the marble staircase.

Harry looked back at Luna, then up ahead towards Room Eleven. Well, I guess I have to look for Ginny now, since I have to give her Luna’s gift. When he arrived, he opened the door, to find, much to his surprise, a starry nighttime sky and a forest background. Then he suddenly remembered that Firenze was now the Divination teacher, and had charmed the room to resemble his former home. He’d nearly forgotten this since it’d been ages since he had a Divination class.

Suddenly, he heard a girl’s voice call out in the distance. Ginny? He wondered where she was, for she had to be in the classroom, yet he couldn’t see her. He decided to give Luna’s invention a try, for it was better than just standing around doing nothing. He looked through the Luna’s Sneakowhistle and saw that Ginny was deep in the forest, surrounded by a group of unfriendly centaurs. She was firing off curses at the centaurs, but was hopelessly outnumbered.

A million thoughts raced through Harry’s mind. How can an entire forest fit inside Room Eleven? How do I reach Ginny, anyway? I think I need staff help. Yes, one of the teachers must know what to do.

So he left Room Eleven and headed for the staff room, but to his dismay, it was empty. Then he noticed Filch’s office, and even though he knew Filch was a Squib, he thought that perhaps being the caretaker, Filch knew how the various rooms worked. Harry entered the office and saw that it was almost empty, but there were several crumpled sheets of parchment lying around, and hoping that maybe, just maybe, written on one of them was the secret of Room Eleven.

“Dear Irma,” Harry read, but this line was crossed out. “To the lovely Miss Pince,” was the second line, also crossed out. “To the most beautiful woman in all of Hogwarts,” read the following line, marked in the same way as the first two.

A love letter? Harry gasped. Filch was in love with Madam Pince? He and many other students had long suspected this, but now had proof that it was true. But he didn’t care about this at the moment, because Ginny was still in danger in Room Eleven.

He returned to the Divination classroom and stared hopelessly at the indoor forest. There just had to be a way to find Ginny. He decided to try Luna’s invention once more and blew on the whistle part. A load of this would do. The only dog that could help me is Sirius and he isn’t coming.

But much to Harry’s pleasant surprise, Luna’s invention actually worked, for suddenly, Firenze appeared in the room.

“Where is the human?” the centaur asked impatiently.

“Somewhere in the forest,” Harry replied.

Firenze then sped off into the forest at a rapid pace. A few minutes later he returned with Ginny, who, much to his relief, had not been harmed by any of the centaurs’ arrows.

“Go near the doorway,” he commanded both students, and after they had done so, Firenze waved his hand, and the forest vanished to become a regular classroom once again.

“It is not proper for you humans to play games in this classroom. I suggest that you stop.” And with those words, Firenze disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

“Hello, Harry,” said Ginny coolly. “I think Firenze is right. We should stop playing hide-and-seek.” Harry said nothing, for he had nothing to say to her.

“Oh well,” she continued, “I was on my way downstairs to deliver a Christmas present anyway.”

“A Christmas present?” Harry repeated as he started to follow her. “But who’s it for?”

“Someone in Hufflepuff,” Ginny replied simply. “It’s some sweets, that’s all.”

“But how could you have bought sweets anyway?” he asked. “It’s not as if we can go to Hogsmeade.”

“I bought them back in late July, before the Gringotts strike. I’d bought them for a special occassion, well, never mind --” Ginny trailed off.

“Who did you say they were for, again?”

“I told you, someone in Hufflepuff,” she repeated exasperatedly. She suddenly changed the subject. “And speaking of that House, I’ve heard you found the Hufflepuff Horcrux.” For Ron and Hermione had decided to tell Ginny all about the Horcruxes.

“Yes,” Harry replied, “we found her old cup.”

“I’ve heard about Hufflepuff’s cup,” said Ginny. “Zack’s told me all it.”

“Zack?” asked Harry, confused yet again.

“Zacharias Smith.”

Smith. Smith knows about the cup. That name sounds familiar. Harry thought furiously, until he finally remembered where he had heard the name.

“Hepzibah Smith,” he said aloud. “The cup used to belong to Hepzibah Smith.”

“Of course,” Ginny smiled. “Zack told me about how Hufflepuff had given the cup to her oldest son, and he’d passed it to his oldest son, and so on. But then one of the descendants, Jebediah Weber, died childless in an accident at Hogwarts. So the cup was passed to his younger sister Hepzibah, who married into the Smith family and was Zack’s great-great-grandmother. But no one has seen that cup in years. Now that you found it and de-Horcruxed it, Zack’s family would appreciate it if you returned it to them.”

Oh no, Harry thought to himself, for he had simply destroyed the cup. He hadn’t known that Hepzibah had any remaining descendants to whom he could give the cup, otherwise he would’ve gone through the trouble of de-Horcruxing it after all.

But then Harry suddenly realized something. “You sure seem to know so much about Zacharias Smith.”

“Well,” Ginny was blushing, “back in early October Zack sort of, um, asked me out, and now he’s my, um, well, boyfriend.”

“What?” Harry yelled at her angrily. “But how could you be seeing each other? You and Smith spent all of last year hexing each other!”

“So did Ron and Hermione,” Ginny pointed out, referring to all the times they kept cursing each other with canaries and other birds, “and you see what’s happened to them! And besides, why do you care all of a sudden, anyway? It’s not as if you care about me anymore!”

Harry knew that she had a point there. Why do I care about whom Ginny sees anyway? He had broken up with her for her own good, so that he could search for Horcruxes without having to worry about Voldemort wanting to attack her.

But then came another voice inside him. Of course I want to be with Ginny still. That’s why that Smith bloke must be hexed all the way to the moon! And he recognized this voice as that of the green-eyed monster that lived inside him, the one that had tormented him all the previous year until he and Ginny had finally become a couple.

“Of, of course I care about you, Ginny,” Harry stammered.

“Oh sure,” Ginny remarked incredulously. “If you care about me, then name one thing you’ve done for me.”

“I,” he paused, “I saved you from the Chamber of Secrets.”

“That was years ago! What have you done for me lately?”

“Well, I saved you from those centaurs in Room Eleven.”

“Oh really?” asked Ginny. “I could’ve sworn it was Firenze who did most of the rescuing.”

“And I’m saving you from Lord Voldemort right now. That’s why I br --” Harry stopped himself.

“Broke up with me, yeah,” Ginny finished for him. “You can be so clueless sometimes.”

“What do you mean, clueless?”

“Exactly what I meant. Just answer me this simple question and I’ll leave you alone. Exactly how am I any safer with us not being together?”

“Uh --” That’s a very good question. He realized that neither Ginny nor any of the other students were any less in danger. After all, they’d been forbidden to leave the castle, with many of them staying for the holidays, because of the elevated threat level. “You’re not any safer.”

“Took you long enough to realize that,” Ginny smiled. A little too long, Harry knew, because she’s now with someone else.

“I understand that now,” Harry replied somberly.

Without his even realizing it, the two of them were now standing at the Hufflepuff Common Room. The door opened, and Zacharias Smith appeared. “You’re just in time, Gin.” Then the Hufflepuff looked at Harry, and added, “No one’s allowed unless they’re either a Hufflepuff or dating one.”

“Sorry,” Ginny mouthed to Harry as the portal shut behind her and Zacharias Smith.

Harry sighed, then started to remember about the hide-and-seek game again. He was surprised that Neville hadn’t found him by now. He took out the Marauder’s Map once more. The dots labeled Dean and Seamus were still next to Boris the Bewildered and the dots labeled Ron and Hermione were still on top of each other in the Muggle Studies classroom, but much to his horror, Neville wasn’t on the map at all. Then he remembered that the last time he’d seen him on the map was on the staircase -- where that trick step he always forgets to jump is! He’s probably stuck there again!

So Harry raced upstairs to the trick step, but he wasn’t there. Of course he isn’t here, he suddenly realized, otherwise he’d still be on the map. So he walked upstairs toward the fifth floor and Boris the Bewildered. Not only were Dean and Seamus there, but so was Luna, still hanging up all the mistletoe.

“You made it back to Home safely!” Dean congratulated him.

“Neville’s missing,” Harry informed him. “He’s not on the map. We must organize a search party.”

“What is it with you and that map?” Dean said, upset once again over Harry’s reliance on the map.

“Where’s Ron and Hermione?” asked Seamus.

“Snogging,” Harry replied.

“Where’s Ginny?” asked Luna.

“Snogging,” Harry repeated bitterly. “But follow me, all of you. Ron and Hermione are on the first floor, and from there we can organize the search parties.”

So the four of them headed downstairs and reached the door to the Muggle Studies classroom. As soon as Harry opened it, Ron, who appeared to have Hermione in a compromising position, blurted out, “Okay, Neville, you caught -- Harry? I thought I told you to stay away! And where’s Neville?”

“Gone,” Harry told him. “We must divide into pairs and each pair will search part of the castle.”

“I’ll take the basement!” Ron called out.

“Is that because you actually think Neville’s in the cellars,” asked Hermione, stifling a giggle, “or is it because you’re hungry and the kitchens are down there?”

“Um, both?” Ron pleaded.

“Well, then, I’ll go with Ron,” Harry declared, although in reality he was using it as an excuse to return downstairs to the floor where Ginny was. “Hermione and Luna, you go upstairs, while Dean and Seamus can stay on this floor.”

And so they all headed for their respective floors to search. It was ironic that instead of Neville, who was still It, looking for everyone else, they were all looking for Neville. Harry and Ron arrived in the cellars and, sure enough, Ron walked towards the kitchens.

“Bring me some grub,” Ron ordered the first house-elf he could find.

“Harry Potter!” called out Harry’s favorite house-elf, Dobby. “Harry Potter has come to wish Dobby a Merry Christmas!”

“Dobby,” Harry interrogated the elf, “have you seen my friend Neville?”

“Yes, oh, yes, Dobby has indeed seen Harry Potter’s friend with the long bottom. And Dobby will be glad to show Harry Potter where his friend is.”

So Dobby led Harry to the back of the kitchens, where the ovens the house-elves used were situated. There was a small door leading to a passageway. This corridor isn’t on the map, he realized. He opened the door, and sure enough, Neville was lying on the stone floor, as if someone had Stupefied him.

“Finite Incantatem,” Harry pointed his wand at Neville, who stood up. “What happened?” Harry asked him.

“Zacharias,” Neville spoke weakly. At that moment, the door on the other side of the corridor opened, and sure enough, Zacharias Smith appeared.

“This corridor actually leads to the Hufflepuff Common Room!” Harry said aloud.

“You’ve discovered the Hufflepuff secret,” said Zacharias Smith darkly. “I must Stupefy you now.” He started to raise his wand.

“Expelliarmus!” Harry called out, and Zacharias Smith’s wand landed in his hand. “And so I use the spell you thought was beneath you back in the D.A. against you!”

“Leave Harry and Neville alone!” Ginny called out, and she used her famous Bat-Bogey Hex against her unarmed opponent. “Let’s go now.”

And so the three Gryffindors used the newly discovered corridor to head back to the kitchens.

“Harry,” asked Neville, “have you made it back to Boris the Bewildered yet?”

“I have, but Ron hasn’t,” Harry laughed quietly. “He’s sitting in the kitchens stuffing his face. You should be able to tag him easily!”

Neville heeded Harry’s advice, and sure enough, he tagged Ron. “No fair!” Ron called out. “You can’t tag me, Neville. I called a time-out!”

“There aren’t time-outs in hide-and-seek,” said Neville. “At least, I don’t think there are.” And so he and Ron continued to argue over the rules of the game, with which neither pureblood was exactly familiar.

Harry and Ginny left the kitchens. As they headed back upstairs, Ginny immediately began to complain about Zacharias Smith.

“He’s boring,” she told Harry. “All he ever does is talk about himself and how he’s the Heir of Hufflepuff, and when he’s tired of talking, he only wants to snog. And he didn’t even notice that I’d brought him sweets at all!” She showed him the unopened box of sweets.

“I think I know how to put that box to good use,” Harry had an idea.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” asked Ginny seductively.

“Let’s give it to Filch,” said Harry as the smile on her face disappeared. “He has a crush on Madam Pince, and he doesn’t know what to give her for Christmas. He can give her this box of sweets.”

So Harry and Ginny returned to Filch’s office on the ground floor. This time, Filch and Mrs. Norris were actually inside.

“What are you doing here in my office?” asked Filch angrily. “Leave me alone!”

“I know you want to give Madam Pince a Christmas gift,” Harry pointed out.

“How -- how did you know that?”

“And we have the perfect gift for her,” Ginny intoned as she gave him the box of sweets.

“But -- but --” The caretaker looked at the box, then at the two students, then back at the box. “Are you sure she’ll like it?”

“Positive,” Harry insisted.

“Well, I’ll give this to her, but if she hates it, I’ll give you two a detention for disturbing me. Come on, you’d better follow me.”

So leaving Mrs. Norris behind, Harry, Ginny, and Filch headed upstairs to the fourth-floor library. When they arrived, Filch entered, followed by the two students. The caretaker presented Madam Pince the box.

“Chocolate in the library?” Madam Pince asked angrily. “You know that’s not --” Then her expression suddenly softened. “For me?”

The caretaker nodded. “For you, my sweet.”

“No one’s given me chocolate before!” The librarian was actually smiling. “I love chocolate, but everyone assumes that I hate it just because I don’t like it in the library!”

Filch gave Harry and Ginny the thumbs-up sign as he opened the box of chocolates. The two students sat down at one of the study tables.

“Who’d knew that she actually loves chocolate?” asked Ginny. “Should we tell everyone else about Madam Pince’s sweet tooth?”

“No,” Harry grinned, “that will be a secret between you and me.”

“Well,” Ginny took out another box from under her robes, “it turns out that I have a second box. Should we eat it together, the two of us?”

“Good idea,” Harry agreed, and Ginny opened the other box of chocolates.

“Excuse me,” Madam Pince called out, “but unless you plan on giving me that chocolate, I suggest that you eat it outside.”

“Same old Madam Pince,” Ginny giggled, and so she and Harry stepped outside into the corridor in order to enjoy their chocolate.

“Hey, look up there,” said Harry. Ginny looked up and saw that mistletoe had been placed above the door.

“You know what this means, don’t you?” she asked.

“Yes. It means we should be glad that Luna removed all the nargles.”
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