Author: tanaxanth
Story: Holiday Surprise
Rating: Everyone
Setting: Pre-DH
Status: Completed
Reviews: 17
Words: 658
I wish I owned HP etc, JKR does. This was just written for fun.
December 19, 9:30 p.m.
Harry looked over the letter to Father Christmas and smiled, remembering what little Lily asked him.
“Daddy, why don’t you write Father Christmas a letter?” she asked, looking at him with an innocent expression only a five-year-old can manage.
“Well,” Harry began, “I have never written to him, so I am not exactly sure what I would say.”
Placing her hands on her hips, in a way far too similar to her mother, she simply said, “You tell him what you want for Christmas, Daddy.” She shook her head, as though not believing her father could forget something that simple.
Laughing and grabbing a piece of parchment and a quill, Harry began his letter to Father Christmas.
Dear Sir,
My daughter Lily wanted me to write to you, and as I begin writing this I still am not sure what to say.
Sighing, he paused a moment and looked at his beautiful girl, who was yawning as she sat on the couch.
“I believe it is time for someone to go to bed,” he said quietly. Lifting her up gently, Harry carried her to her bedroom where he tucked her in for the night.
Returning to the fire, Harry looked at the partially written letter to Father Christmas and was about to toss it into the fire, when he got a pensive look on his face.
“I suppose I should finish, Lily will probably ask what wrote to him for,” he mused.
Dear Sir,
My daughter Lily wanted me to write to you, and as I begin writing this I still am not sure what to say.
So I will simply ask a question, how do you get to every house in the world in one single night?
Harry Potter
Rolling both his and Lily’s letters together and addressing them, Harry set them on the desk to put out in the morning.
**
An hour later, after Harry went to bed, Lily came down to inspect what her father wrote.
“Well, it looks like he wrote a letter, but why didn’t he send them out?” She softly called out for Hedwig and smiled at seeing the snowy white owl fly down next to her.
“Hedwig, I need for you to take these letters to Father Christmas. Can you do that for me?” Lily asked.
Hedwig cocked her head a moment and nodded at the child. Taking the letters, she flew off into the night.
Lily smiled and went back to bed.
****
December 24, 10 p.m.
Harry walked into the den, and stood looking at the Christmas tree. Ginny was already in bed, waiting for the early wake-up call from Lily in the morning.
Just as he was turning to go join her, Harry saw a flash of light near the fireplace.
“Stup…” Harry paused before stunning the intruder and stood in shock. “It can’t be… I didn’t think you were real.”
“Of course I’m real, Harry, who else would Hedwig have delivered yours and your lovely daughter’s letters to?” the man answered.
“But… but Hedwig didn’t deliver any letters,” Harry attempted to reason.
A pair of eyes sparkled back at him. This guy could give Dumbledore a run for his money, Harry thought.
Taking out a wand, Father Christmas began placing packages in the stockings and around the tree.
“Now then…” he paused and looked at the still gobsmacked Harry Potter, “I believe you had a question for me,” he asked with a smirk.
Harry looked at him and then the tree and then back to him, only managing to nod his head yes.
Laughing merrily, he looked at Harry and simply said, “It’s magic, Harry.”
A flash of light and he was gone. Harry shook his head and looked again at everything that had been placed out and smiled softly and whispered, “Yes, it is. Happy Christmas.”