It's always so easy to forget about magic when Lily comes home. At least, it's easy to pretend she does.

Lily's quite proficient at hiding her hurts.

Astoria Greengrass, in eight easy steps.

If this were a detective story, Ginny would write it up with the title "The Adventure of the Quidditch Player". Harry says that's a stupidly generic title for a detective story.

Gawain Robards takes a trip to Godric's Hollow, because unlike poor old Rufus he is not the sort to leave a live dragon out of his calculations. He might, however, be the sort to tickle a sleeping one.

Vic Weasley's always liked to triumph; by name and by nature, says her maman and smiles.

"Every Auror in the Office will hate you for it, I know that, but I want you three to lead and organise the raids. In particular I want you three to organise the raid on Malfoy Manor."

Wherein Harry is patient, Ginny is fierce, Luna is firm, Hermione is shell-shocked, Neville is sarcastic and Ron is awesome.

Full Christmas schedule at our place this year: Christmas Eve at Aunt Andromeda's, Christmas Day at the Burrow presents, presents everywhere , Boxing Day snugly home in Godric's Hollow, dressed in our best and waiting for Cousin Dudley to arrive.

Ron and Hermione get married. Harry takes it fairly well, except for the part where they make him organise the wedding.

or: two engagments, both alike in dignity. Being the account of one ring meant to bind them that never quite manages it.

James was watching the candle-light glint on Lily's hair at the Halloween feast when Sirius and Remus did one of their silent-look things behind his back and Peter said, "So we think you'd better tell her, really."

or, Teddy Lupin gets tied to a tree again and is sort of glad he doesn't have Harry's problems. Even though he kind of does.

"Potter, I don't think you've met my sister Petunia."

"So I'll drop by Saturday sometime and pick you up," shouted James across the station. Lily blew him a kiss, laughing.

"Gran's died," says Petunia. Can't even manage a hello Lily, how are you?

The snow begins, perfectly, wonderfully, magically, on Christmas Eve.

The first thing Luke Dursley did when he got his Hogwarts letter was dance a triumphant war dance around the sitting room.

The only redeeming feature the evening could be said to have was that it was not actually Christmas.

Dark Magic objects recovered from a cellar in Winchester; it shouldn't be so difficult to determine whether this case is serious or a lark or a kind of reopening-closed-files thing like those Muggle telly programmes that Dudley used to watch.