Echoes of Time (Harry Potter)

December 23, 1943

Friday Morning

His time with the Goldhorns had finally reached an end only an hour ago. He'd said his goodbyes to the various members of their family who he'd met, the elder ones included despite his not being able to speak with them on any number of topics that they'd likely have insight on - the longest goodbyes he'd given were obviously with the main family, Althaia included, and they'd taken quite a bit of time.

Sarah had looked especially sad, the girl taking a hug from him after every few feet; Sana had mouthed to him that Sarah hates goodbyes but even the older girl looked a bit sad to see him go so early. It was only then that he realised he'd forgotten to prank her and Katie too, as unimportant as it was, he couldn't help but feel a bit put out with the lack of getting the two mischievous girls back. What was worse though, was the lack of anything overly important having been discussed with Sarah's brother and mother.

Harry had really thought they'd go over at least one topic or offer something similar as to the Carrows, but they hadn't. Instead, they'd rangled him into discretion as well as defending the remaining Goldhorns in Hogwarts at the same time requesting his assistance with an upcoming bill; one he figured he'd support for the sake of saving lives of fellow British wizards since he knew Dumbledore would eventually beat the Dark Lord.

Regardless, Harry had bid his final goodbyes (for the tenth time or so) at the Floo with the main branch of the Goldhorns watching as well as Althaia - the latter girl had made him promise that he'd write to her and when he mentioned the distance, her response was so simple he felt stupid for missing it.

'Floo', she had said, letting him come to his own conclusion, which he did when only a few seconds had passed.

She'd Floo to her family with the letter meant for him, then, one of the Goldhorn owls would seek him out instead of flying from Greece proper.

Sarah obviously made him promise to write her too despite the week or so of break remaining until they'd see each other in Hogwarts again, though her doing so was more than likely for inclusion rather than any yearning to speak with him. They'd spent the most time together in private, in public and in travel through the various parts of her home.

"Master Peverell sir," Zabbey's voice roused Harry from his position of laying face down on his bed, deep in thought.

"Yeah?" Harry's muffled voice responded, the boy pulling back to spit out a few pieces of fuzz from his sheets.

"A letter, sir, from the Professor Slughorn," Zabbey held out the sealed object, bouncing on his feet as he looked at an entirely too confused Harry.

"How did he send a letter to me?" Harry thought he couldn't receive them due to the wards or some other form of magic; the home was supposed to be the epitome of private.

Zabbey's ears lowered at the same time the small elf's movements became more erratic.

"Zabbey still has permission to answer the man when called, so Zabbey answered and the man had this letter for Master Peverell sir. He said it was from the Master's Witch, that she wanted him to read it as soon as it was received and for the response to be sent with great speed, sir."

Elaine, Harry thought to himself in exasperation, Haven't we already talked about our visit? Merlin, she's mental.

"Thank you Zabbey… could you have something sent up from the kitchens too? I don't care what it is, really, the food from the Goldhorns this evening wasn't all that appetising."

"Right away, Master Peverell sir!" Zabbey looked happy to be of service and zapped away almost immediately, his previous sadness or worry completely vanished.

"Wicked," Harry said aloud to himself before tearing into the letter - after checking there was nothing weird on it with the spell Yaxley had taught him.

Truthfully, Harry was wondering if the thing worked at all considering the lack of results. Maybe Yaxley had played a prank on him in tandem with Aster or Reinhard. Then again, with how erratic the boy was, it was possible no such spell existed in the first place and Harry was simply as crazy as Yaxley had seemed.

No, Harry's mind said almost as soon as the prior thought was finished.

Yaxley had his wits about him when they'd talked the last few times, he'd only seemed spooked and tired, there wasn't any insanity that Harry had seen.

Whatever Yaxley's issues were, Harry assumed the lack of anything having shown up thus far was for the better, that it meant he hadn't made any enemies or overly friendly allies in his time around thus far. It'd been helpful with Walburga's book at least, Harry knew there was something on it just as well as he knew Slytherin's journal had seemed safe - those were two problems he still needed to resolve, or in the latter's case, finish his read through before he unknowingly signed his life away in the man's weird dungeon study.

Merlin, Harry cursed himself with an abrupt shake of the head. He was getting distracted even while he held Elaine's open letter, something that he knew the sooner he read, despite the potential to cause stress that it had, the better.

' My beloved,

Since the time of our last correspondence, I have decided I would very much like to spend Christmas day with you, or the evening thereof into the early morning of the following day. Your inability to pick a date for our time together is no small factor, though I admit the romance of a Christmas rendevous together is entirely too tasteful to pass on.

Additionally, I would like to build your anticipation for the gift I've procured for you, so allow me to do so with the following sentence.

Your gift will be to you what you are to me, an extension of my very being that without, I am incomplete on the most base of levels.

If that doesn't excite you, please remember that I'm your girlfriend, and as such, you're privy to snogging as well as other activities when we're together.

Yours Eternally,

Elaine'

Harry had started rubbing at his temples halfway through her letter, and even then, it hadn't been enough to ease the tension building.

Did he truly mean that much to her, or was that sentence another one of her weirdly worded phrases; Elaine did that often, embellishing or otherwise making something sound like so much more than it was. Her final sentence was more in step with the girl he'd gotten to know after the formalities had been pushed aside too - her feelings, for lack of a better word, were well known to him by now, as was the way she'd act on them when they'd been alone.

He could still feel her presence on his lap in that backroom at Professor Slughorn's party, worse yet, he could picture her enticing figure and heaving chest when he'd flipped her onto her back to stop her rough affection; that'd been his mistake considering it'd only made her more aggressive in her pursuit.

Another pop like the one Zabbey had made when he'd gone alerted Harry that the elf had returned, and when he looked up, his eyes widened until they were as large as a house-elf's… not really, but he figured it had to have been close if there'd been a witness.

Harry had asked for something from the kitchens to tide him over until the morning, but Zabbey seemed to have misinterpreted his request, as the elf had two trays filled to the brim with various courses. Soups, steaks, ribs, pasta; everything Harry could want for a main or side had been stacked like a Tetris game on the metallic trays from the Peverell kitchens.

Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing though, after all, he did deserve a reward for handling everything with the Carrows and Goldhorns so well, didn't he? And maybe, that reward could be in the form of an all he could eat buffet of comfort foods… Elaine's reply could wait - he'd be productive as he ate though, even if he couldn't write he could still read.

Harry looked towards his dresser where he'd left a few books the night before he'd visited the Goldhorns.

Perfect.

Nearly an hour and a half later with most of the food eaten as well as a great amount of progress in the mostly useless spellbook from his 'ancestors', Harry was finally ready to write his reply to Elaine, even if there wasn't really anything he could say that'd dissuade the girl from her sudden idea of making him visit on Christmas proper. While he was at it, he may as well do the invitations for his mates to visit too, as his plan of having an elf watch each of them wouldn't be all that hard to initiate.

That was if they'd get out of his line of sight to start with, for Harry very much planned on keeping his guests in the parlour room after a brief tour of his ancient-looking manor - it wasn't that he didn't trust them, not since he'd spoken with the three of them, it was more for his own sake in case they were questioned by Elaine.

After all, it'd been Aster that'd once remarked; 'there's no lying to Elaine'.

If that were true, which it seemed to be considering her ability to read people, it was better to give her nothing too incriminating or insightful about his home… Maybe ensuring the library had some sort of illusion on it would be good, just in case; that or he had the rest of his elves milling about in it once the three guests of his turned up.

Harry frowned and made a sour face all too suddenly while doing his thinking.

Did he leave Sarah out of it despite the girl being his most helpful friend thus far? It felt wrong, and yet, her family weren't exactly the angels he'd thought them to be. None of them was, he knew that, but her's seemed almost too anti-Muggle.

Then again, maybe they didn't feel the need to cover it up as his housemates had in his presence or as the Carrow family had when he'd visited - it may also be that the Carrows' natural quiet demeanours aided them in avoiding their prejudices coming out; it was hard to read into somebody's words if they didn't speak, wasn't it?

He'd invite Sarah, he finally decided in his mind.

Corene wouldn't be rude to the Goldhorn girl, he knew that considering the type of person she was, and moreover, neither of the two Slytherin boys were all that bad either. Aster and Reinhard were just pranksters like the Weasley twins had been, albeit ones that were more immature at times… then again, there were also times where those two could be so serious it startled Harry after having known them for so long.

He shook his head and finally put thoughts to ink as he wrote his brief reply to Elaine.

' Elaine,

I'll agree with seeing you on Christmas day, it'll be wonderful I'm sure. As for your words about the gift you've got for me, consider my anticipation peaked. Truly, you succeeded in making me incredibly interested in it, though your words about my meaning to you weren't lost either.

I only hope you'll like the gift I've got you as much as I'm sure I'll like the one you went through the trouble of getting for me.

As always, I look forward to seeing you.

Love,

Harry'

Harry felt… strange, sick maybe, though not really when he signed the letter with the word love considering who it was meant for.

It was then that he decided to sleep - Elaine would have her response through Professor Slughorn, as for the others, they could surely wait until tomorrow. Corene was flexible enough that she wouldn't mind, Aster and Reinhard had said something similar; nobody wanted to miss visiting House Peverell's home.

December 25, 1943

Saturday Morning

Today was the day he'd be spending with Elaine, and throughout all of yesterday, he'd been planning on ways to make said meeting safe.

What he'd come up with was trying to control the flow of the conversation whilst staying on the highest level of alertness he could that wouldn't draw undue attention from the girl. Normally, he realised how hard that'd be, but there was a difference from 'usual' times.

There wouldn't be anybody else near them - it'd only be the two of them, alone, in her home. That meant there was nobody she'd need to act for, and as he'd seen when he'd been alone with her in that back room, she was very aggressive with affection while not caring if he'd ask her any number of questions so long as he returned her desires.

He wasn't foolish enough to think she'd not ask him more about his family either, but he'd glanced through every book on House Peverell's history yesterday; his mind still felt a bit dull due to the repetitive tales and the amount of reading he'd done, but it'd been for the best considering the information he'd learned. Especially the story that'd been mentioned so often, though, he couldn't help but feel more information regarding it was locked away in that book somewhere on the Peverells' property, the one that not one of the elves could locate.

Three brothers, three items, all of which were gifted by a higher power… Harry of the past would have argued that story until he was blue in the face, but now, considering his circumstances, he very much believed the story. All three items were considered extremely powerful too, though the information on them had been scratched out so badly that Harry could barely make out one word in ten; essentially, it was indecipherable.

But he knew the essence of the story that was so often brought up by those who first met him, as well as many more that weren't.

Harry sincerely hoped the three items were waiting for him alongside the tucked-away book that likely contained all the information he could want, not only in regards to them but to his house as a whole.

"Zabbey," - A pop signified the elf's presence - "I'll be leaving for the day shortly, as soon as I arrive at my destination, I'll secure your permission for entry on the grounds of bringing a special gift; you'll find it in my closet, marked with a tag that reads 'For Elaine'. Should I call you, it is of the utmost importance you answer without a second of hesitation… Do you understand?"

Harry's backup plan would be an asset that was entirely too often overlooked by his fellow magicals; house-elves.

Zabbey nodded his head, the elf's ears flapping from his enthusiasm.

"Yes Master Peverell sir!"

Harry affectionately patted Zabbey's head before stepping back to straighten up the clothes he'd put on for his visitation; he'd dressed up in a wizard-style suit with white trim and his family's crest pridefully placed above his heart.

Satisfied that there weren't any wrinkles in his outfit and everything was set, Harry made his way to the Floo, gathered his courage, then said aloud the address he'd been given.

Upon his relatively graceful exit from the Floo, he immediately took notice of his surroundings with one hand held an inch from his wand in case any form of reaction was needed.

Elaine's parlour room was the epitome of wealth, albeit in a minimalistic way based on the room not being an outrageously exaggerated size as the Carrows or Goldhorns had been. She had three couches that looked incredibly comfortable at first glance with throw pillows and blankets placed on them, two chairs of equal quality, rustic stands and coffee tables with cut stones as their tops, there were even a few busts and non-animated portraits hung around the room with similarly rustic borders or stands to match the general decor.

The only notable thing about the room as a whole was the lack of Elaine, as he would have figured she'd be on him as soon as he stepped through.

Harry's hand, the one near his wand, flexed at the realisation the girl was nowhere to be seen.

Where was she? Why wasn't she jumping on him without the chance for any form of reaction? He couldn't hear any signs of life, not even the creaking of a settling house or the like, why was that?

He slowly, carefully, stepped forward in the direction of the closest door, his hand now holding his wand rather than being content with the closeness it'd had. Already on his back foot from being in a new environment, he needed the security that only holding his means of defence could provide.

Upon reaching the door, Harry extended one finger to touch the handle in case it acted in a similar way to the one in Slytherin's study, and when it didn't, he grasped it fully. He took two deep breaths, readying himself for anything, then, he cracked open the door to peek through it.

"There you are!" Elaine's voice greeted him in sync with numerous other sounds, "I knew you'd not be late, though I'll express my surprise that it took you so long to exit the room - did you go through the other doors first?"

Harry slid his wand back into place before fully opening the door to make his entrance into the main sitting room with a kitchen attached to it. As soon as he did so, he took in what Elaine was wearing as well as what she was doing now that he could fully see her without the door acting as such a large hindrance.

"You're cooking?" He asked.

Elaine had an apron on top of casual clothing, in addition to the peculiar sight was another, her hair. So long as he'd known her, it'd be flowing down her back in a way that made focusing difficult, but now, it was held up in a neat ponytail as she worked on mixing whatever it was in the bowl before her.

"Ah, yes, I find house-elves and servants can never meet the rather high expectations I have - my apologies too, I had a busy night and as such, couldn't get ahead on the baking of our dinner's desserts." - Elaine stepped back from her baking, and, with a flick of her hand, had the whisk going as she moved towards him - "You could lick the bowl if you'd like, though you'll have to pay."

"Pay?" Harry asked, his eyebrows raised in wonder as he took in a completely different girl than the one he was used to.

Elaine nodded, bringing up one sugar covered hand to tap at her bottom lip.

"Mhm."

Harry looked around the room with a quick cursory glance, he took in numerous objects that were of no importance as well as the methodically kept kitchen that showed barely any signs of usage despite his seeing multiple dishes in the oven. There was one thing he noticed that needed a second glance to confirm.

There, on the far side of the kitchen aisle, a few yards away was Elaine's wand.

"Looking for something, Harry?" Elaine asked, the distance between them being less than a foot now.

He had been, but she didn't need to know that - he couldn't risk lying to her though, so he asked a question that'd hopefully distract her… worst case, he could pull her in for a kiss since that seemed like something she wanted, and if it were, she'd get it before the night was out anyhow.

"Why did you bother putting on an apron if you could do everything with magic?"

Elaine cocked her head, a snort making its way from her in a fashion he'd rarely heard before.

"That's the first thing you'll ask your girlfriend after not seeing her for nearly two weeks? Why Harry, you'll hurt a girl's feelings acting like that… especially after she'd dressed so cutely for you." - Elaine twirled, putting on the one facade she couldn't pull off; innocent - "To answer your question, I enjoy the physical stimulation that dirtying one's hands can provide. It somehow tastes better knowing the work put into it too, though I suppose that feeling can be applied to far more than cooking."

Harry saw the way she brazenly looked him up and down with her last sentence, only this time, he didn't flush red. He'd finally grown accustomed to her blatant advances and flirting, especially since he'd tricked himself into dating her.

"It can," He agreed. "What were your plans for the evening too - I know you well enough that you'll have planned everything out in advance."

Elaine turned her back on him and closed the distance to that of a few inches, her lower body brushing his.

"Be a dear and untie the apron for me?" She batted her eyelashes at him as she looked over her shoulder.

He rolled his eyes, but got to work on undoing the three tight loops she'd tied; Elaine answered him as he did so.

"We'll be having all three meals here as we spend quality couple's time together - gifts will be exchanged in the evening over wine, any serious conversations will be held until the final hour of our being together, though I'd be willing to extend that should the night be spent in more pleasurable ways."

Ah, that was her plan then. She'd try and seduce him to some degree as the evening progressed… Maybe tonight was the first time Yaxley's spell would come in handy, for Harry certainly wouldn't be eating anything she made without first testing it. Still, that wasn't as planned as he'd have thought considering Elaine's love of making incredibly in-depth lesson plans when they studied.

There was the chance that the holidays made her more relaxed, then again, it was just as likely that she wasn't telling him the full truth.

He'd have to see as the evening went on.

Breakfast with Elaine had gone by without any issues, few innuendos and only half a dozen signs of affections; those being hand-brushing, kisses or the type she'd 'tripped' into his lap despite being one of the most sure-footed people he knew.

Really, the entire thing felt far too domestic considering who she was but he couldn't help but find a bit of joy in it. Her cooking was relatively good, her demeanour softer than usual and her smiles far more prevalent than usual.

Something was distinctly off with her, and he knew it wouldn't last, she wouldn't be half as feared as she was if it did.

"Did you enjoy my cooking, Harry? I'll confess it's something that doesn't come naturally to me like magic does, despite the time I've spent trying it - even now, old as I am, I can't remember the recipes without error of anything I cook."

Those were the first words out of Elaine's mouth once they'd seated themselves in the sitting room, and if he didn't know any better, she was self-conscious about it. Her wringing her hands together with the constant glances towards the kitchen only served to add to it, but he knew better… It was Elaine! She was the most confident person he knew! No inability to cook perfectly would make her act with worry.

"It was very good, truly. I doubt many other witches or wizards could do half as good a job as you did," Harry said, more out of an ingrained sense of manners and a hint of not wanting to get on Elaine's bad side considering where he currently was. Maybe there was a sprinkling of truth in his words, her food hadn't been terrible, it just hadn't been exceptional either.

"I'd hope not, far too many of them are completely reliant on servants, it's dreadful. Could you imagine being so dependent on those below you that you've not got the knowledge to do their tasks should they cease to work for you? There's a reason I'd rather do everything myself, or, I suppose, have somebody I know is without any form of incompetence such as yourself do so under my supervision," - Elaine slid closer to him on the couch - "Tell me, Harry, what're your plans after Hogwarts? Don't say you've not got a clue as you'd done before, you're not new enough to the world anymore for me to believe that - you've already got an understanding of my ambitions and I'd like the same courtesy."

Merlin, she was already trying to get insight into his mind this early on Christmas day… just what had he done to deserve this?

"Truthfully, I'd not put all that much thought into it," Harry answered, adding more when the disapproval from Elaine was mixed with a hint of annoyance. "I suppose, if you really need to push me for an answer, the Aurors… unless I'd need to take up the Wizengamot seat instead of any relatives."

"Wizengamot members are respectable, you'd be able to assist in the betterment of the wizarding world rather than hunt down those who might've had a small infraction without the means to pay it off," Elaine's remark joined with the height of which she'd raised her nose at his first career choice told him all he needed to know about in regards to her thoughts on Aurors.

Unfortunate that, even if they were still dating and she hadn't gone completely bonkers by the time they were both out of Hogwarts, he'd not be listening to her just because she had a preference for him.

"I've heard a fair bit about the Wizengamot since coming out of hiding, is it true they seldom pass any laws other than ones that enforce the status quo?" Harry's question was more of a means to avoid a potential argument about his career choice, though there was genuine curiosity within it too.

"I suppose you could look at it that way to a certain point, but that'd be neglecting the recent laws passed in preventing half-breed marriages to Purebloods considering the former is becoming overly prominent in society - there's also the Muggleborn act, giving those witches and wizards more rights in hopes of unifying all magicals together. Progress has been made, but only by way of regression in other areas… on average it takes a year or three for something new to pass," Elaine's face betrayed nothing as to how she felt in regards to any of what she'd said, the only time her expression changed was in her final remark about the length of time it took for laws to pass, when she'd laughed at it.

Harry wasn't sure if that laugh was at Wizengamot taking so long, the stupidity of the process or something else. He wasn't sure he liked her ability to stay neutral on such a tough subject either, though it wasn't maddening as Sarah's family had been considering he'd come to expect as much from Elaine in the first place.

Elaine didn't wait for Harry's response before she took her next action; lightly pushing him down on the long, wide couch until he were fully prone and watching her as she moved closer to him. His right hand had been hovering close by his wand the entire time, and with hers still on the table in the kitchen, he was confident he could take her if need be.

That wasn't needed, as it turned out, for all she'd done once she had him laying down was to join him - her body fully extended until her head rested on his chest, she'd pulled his arms around her back too, while hers rested on his chest near her face.

"Ahh, how I've missed the closeness I'd had with you in Hogwarts," Elaine said with a sigh as Harry quite literally felt the tension ease from her body as it rested on his. "This feels indescribably wonderful, almost as if I'm whole for the first time in my very existence. If this is unpleasant for you, it needn't last too long, only enough for my mind to cease the constant racing it's so often done since our break started… is that fine with you, Harry?"

He supposed it was, as the feeling of her body pressing down against his was a feeling that had him nearly joining her contented sighs with his own. Obviously, there was still that sense of inner turmoil he had when around the future Dark Lady, but seeing her like this made him wonder if that really was her future - he'd been told how unstable Voldemort had been, how bloodthirsty and utterly ruthless the man had become, yet, he'd seen very little of that in Elaine.

Sure, she had a temper that he'd seldom seen, the only notable examples being her snapping at Daphne when he threatened their lessons together or the cursing of Malfoy's arm when he'd failed her. Elaine had to have framed Hagrid and been responsible for Myrtle's death too, but even then he wasn't sure exactly how it'd gone down… if only he knew more about the Dark Lord, if the man had held political ambitions or been seen happily prancing about with a love interest.

"I'll assume no answer is one of affirmation," Elaine said, pressing a soft kiss to the pulse of his neck. "My thanks, Harry, for allowing me a few minutes of clear-mindedness."

He nodded, though he wasn't sure if it registered to the girl.

A few minutes later, when he lightly shook her while she continued laying on his chest, he discovered she'd fallen asleep at some point. Briefly, he debated waking the girl up or stealthily moving her off from him, but arguments won out against both of those ideas. He knew waking a sleeping witch, especially one as powerful as her, was a bad idea - the second option of moving her was sure to end in just as bad a failure too, considering the girl had always been incredibly aware of everything.

Harry found solace in simply waiting, letting the hours tick by as he examined in greater detail the room at large, and eventually, the peaceful visage of Elaine as her breath tickled his chin. She truly was breathtaking, and after his recent strides of friendship with the Carrows as well as the Goldhorns, the possibility of building his own block until hers either relied on his or was in competition with it had gotten stronger; maybe once it was strong enough and his allies were set in steel, he'd be able to keep her as peaceful as she looked now without the risk of war.

"You let me sleep until the evening," Elaine's voice accused him suddenly.

"How do you know it's the evening?" Harry hadn't seen her wandlessly cast a Tempus, and he knew for certain that there wasn't a clock in her ho-

Elaine reached up with one hand after a small bout of chuckles went through her, using that hand to turn his head towards the window to his right. It took a few seconds for her message to register, but once it had, he'd felt incredibly thick; outside of the window, he couldn't see a thing, it was too dark.

"I'll forgive you for letting so much of our allotted time waste away… if you meet my one condition."

Harry knew where she was going, but for the sake of avoiding agreeing with her taking over the wizarding world instead of a token of affection, he asked what it was she wanted from him.

Her response was one finger tapping her bottom lip while her eyes held his locked in a gaze that conveyed exactly why she wanted it - there was a measure of affection that he could make out on her face, but more than that, he could see the lust she was feeling. Elaine's shimmying around while she still was atop him mixed with the constant wetting of her lips and the blushing of her features told him she wanted more than a light kiss.

She had earned it too, at least in his opinion; there'd been nothing in the food (he'd checked) nor had she tried stunning him upon arrival, she hadn't even had her wand on her person the entire time! Whether she was overly confident, that skilled or that sure he wouldn't hurt her, he didn't know, all he knew for certain was she'd acted in a way that'd kept him feeling incredibly safe throughout the entire day.

"Come get it then," Harry said, his voice sounding slightly deeper to his own ears.

He couldn't think about the why of that for very long though, as Elaine had practically growled in sync with her launching at him - there was nothing soft about their snogging either, the biting, tongue wrestling and general grinding removed any signs of this being generally affectionate.

It'd also further wasted another fifteen minutes of their remaining time together, though he knew Elaine wouldn't be complaining about it this time, as she'd gotten another of the things she'd wanted from him during the visit; of that, he was certain

When she finally pulled away, slid across his body and stood up, with him joining her seconds later, she sighed while stretching in a way that reminded him of a cat.

"That was exactly what I'd found myself needing after the most relaxing sleep atop your chest," - Elaine gripped his hand and pulled him in the direction of the kitchen, her face slowly returning to her generally pleasant smile she had while in his presence - "You know, I've got a few theories regarding why you're so… it's hard to put into words, I suppose I'll settle with why you're so mine. Frontrunner among them is we were meant to be, the others require too many loops being jumped through, though, one can never rule out anything with magic involved."

"I'd be interested to hear them," Harry started, feigning interest in the topic before diverting it all together, "Another time. Christmas with you takes precedence over discussing our relationship, especially after you'd put in so much work making the meal - there's no forgetting the opening of our presents for one another either, I can't wait to see the look on your face when you see what I've gotten for you."

"Is it a marriage ring? I suppose it'd be a bit early, but when you know, you know," Elaine finished with a faraway look in her eye as well as the most convincing sigh he'd heard - her abrupt fit of laughter caught him completely off guard, as did her follow up words when she'd glanced to see the horror on his face. "Don't worry, I'll not rush you into marriage until we're both done at Hogwarts - it wouldn't do having kids before we've even finished our schooling… still, your face was so wonderfully terrified of the idea that I couldn't let the joke stew."

Harry thanked Merlin that she'd been kidding and let his head hit the table as he fell into a seat for all of three seconds before remembering where he was.

Elaine didn't let him get up from the seat, going so far as to push him back down in it as she went towards the fridge to pull out the food she'd prepared while addressing him.

"I've already set the table and everything is easily heated with a simple charm - we'll have our romantic Christmas dinner, then we'll open our gifts before ending our night with a small discussion," Elaine deposited the dishes on the counter, throwing a wink over her as she spoke again. "Don't worry like you just did, it's nothing too serious, trust me, Harry ."