Veiled Hearts ~ HP Fanfiction (Harry Potter X OC)

Chapter 46: Christmas at Grimmauld Place

The air was thick with anticipation as the morning descended upon Grimmauld Place, the ancient townhouse nestled amidst the dreary streets of London.

Inside the imposing walls of Number 12, the mood was no less subdued as compared to the muggle kids playing outside in the snow.

Celestia could remember the place from when she attended the funeral of Walburga Black and could only imagine the wrath of Sirius's mother, would have unleashed on young Sirius Black if she had been alive because Sirius Black had made significant changes to the house, from removing the family portraits to destroying the heirlooms to completely demolishing his mother's bedroom for accompanying a hippogriff although Celestia didn't mind as Sirius was the nicest cousin she had the pleasure of having conversation with.

The grand entrance hall echoed with the sound of footsteps, the only sign of life in the desolate mansion.

The furnishings were faded and worn, relics of a bygone era that whispered tales of glory and tragedy. Dust coated every surface, clinging to the faded wallpaper and threadbare carpets with stubborn tenacity. The air was heavy with the scent of neglect, a bitter reminder of the secrets that lay buried within the walls.

Despite the gloom that hung over Grimmauld Place like a shroud, there was a sense of anticipation in the air.

The scent of fresh food, mingling with the earthy aroma of mulled wine that simmered on the stove.

Celestia had spent morning with Harry and Sirius. In the afternoon, she noticed Harry seemed to be avoiding everyone in the house. She wanted to question him but thought better of it. Later, in the afternoon, Harry lay in her lap while they both sat on the window ledge, Harry absentmindedly started recalling the events of the previous day and explaining his worries and fears.

Celestia stroking his hair absentmindedly, said, "Babe, if you are turning evil, then i'am Grindelwald's ex-wife"

"Who's Grindelwald? The dark wizard whom Dumbledore defeated?" Harry questioned, his eyes were focused on the muggle kids playing street through the window.

Celestia hummed, "Well in my opinion, Grindelwald was stronger then our current Dark Lord"

"But didn't he-?"

"Yeh yeh I know what you're going to say" Celestia said, rolling her eyes "pansy says the same, 'our dark lord has done more dark, terrible terrifying magic no wizard or witch has ever done! " Celestia said, mimicking Pansy's shrill voice, and continued "but, he was 'The Grindelwald', he could do Dark magic but choose not to and still took over all the Europe, by the way, to this day he is sane, imprisoned but sane and still possesses a nose"

Harry laughed, rolling over to face Celestia. She looked down as Harry lay comfortably on her lap, staring up at her lovingly. She couldn't help but wonder why Harry hadn't tried gazing at her breasts or attempted to touch them. Was that a Gryffindor thing? As Celestia recalled, Slytherin boys are often obsessed with women's breasts. She had assumed it was just a general boy thing but now wondered if it depended on personalities. Although it did disappoint her.

"You think Voldemort is insane?" Harry asked, amused.

"Who in their right mind would do such things? He's obviously insane," Celestia said, mentally chiding herself for imagining Harry sucking on her breast. "Anyway, my point is, you are not evil. You lashed out at the headmaster because normal people have temper tantrums. You had just witnessed a nasty... bloody vision of an attempted murder and wanted an explanation which wasn't given to you, hence the temper, sorry to break it to you, but you are perfectly normal. What's not normal is that my father once fried our old house-elf's ears in boiling oil because he broke a teacup, and yet all the ministers and aristocrats call him normal so give yourself a break, will you?"