The rest of Christmas Day passed quietly.
Arcturus had several matters requiring his attention and informed us that he would only be free again in the evening for Christmas dinner. Neither Blake nor I minded. After spending months buried in studies, club activities, enchantment research, and family affairs, having an entire day free felt strangely refreshing.
Rather than remain inside Grimmauld Place, we decided to spend the day exploring London.
The city was transformed by Christmas.
Decorations hung from shop windows. Strings of lights illuminated streets and alleyways alike, while crowds moved between markets carrying gifts, food, and far more packages than seemed practical. Children raced through the streets dragging exhausted parents behind them, while street performers entertained anyone willing to stop and watch.
For once, neither Blake nor I discussed enchantments, politics, or future business plans.
Instead, we simply enjoyed the day.
We wandered through markets, sampled food from various vendors, and occasionally stopped to watch performers who had gathered larger crowds than some Ministry officials could ever hope to command.
At some point during our travels, our route brought us near the orphanage.
Neither of us spoke immediately.
The building looked exactly as I remembered.
Small.
Old.
Worn by time and limited funding.
For several moments, we simply stood across the street watching it.
The sight stirred complicated emotions.
The orphanage wasn't home.
It never had been.
Yet it was where this life had begun.
Where Blake and I had first met.
Where we had spent years before magic entered our lives and changed everything.
"Do you want to go in?" Blake asked quietly.
I considered it.
Then shook my head.
"No."
She seemed to understand immediately.
Neither of us belonged there anymore.
That didn't mean we had forgotten it.
A short while later, several large deliveries arrived at the orphanage. Hot meals, desserts, snacks, and enough food to ensure every child and staff member could enjoy a proper Christmas feast.
The staff looked bewildered.
The children looked delighted.
Neither Blake nor I waited to see more.
Some things were better done anonymously.
By the time we returned to Grimmauld Place, evening had already settled across London.
The manor felt warm and welcoming as we stepped through the front door. Christmas decorations filled the halls, while the smell of food drifting from the dining room promised an excellent dinner.
Arcturus was already waiting.
The meal itself was simple compared to the grand celebrations held by many noble families, but neither Blake nor I found ourselves wishing for anything more. Good food, good company, and a peaceful evening proved far more enjoyable than political conversations and formal gatherings.
As the evening progressed, stories were exchanged, gifts were discussed once again, and even Arcturus appeared more relaxed than usual.
Eventually, the conversation faded and the day drew to a close.
As I sat beside the fireplace watching the flames dance across the logs, I found myself reflecting on everything that had happened during the past year.
A new life.
Magic.
Hogwarts.
Friends.
Family.
For the first time since my reincarnation, Christmas no longer felt like something I was observing from the outside.
It felt like something I was part of.
And with that thought, our first magical Christmas came to an end.
The next day offered none of the ease and freedom of Christmas.
The moment I woke up, my thoughts returned to the meeting scheduled for later that morning.
Ted Tonks.
On the surface, the meeting was simple. I needed legal advice regarding family properties, outstanding debts, rental disputes, and several matters related to the restoration of House Salvius' holdings. Griphorn could handle the financial side of things, but there were limits to what even Gringotts could accomplish.
For those matters, I needed a lawyer.
That wasn't what concerned me.
What concerned me was Blake.
I hadn't told her the full reason I wanted her to come.
Nor had I told Arcturus where we were going.
For the last several days, I had gone back and forth on the matter.
Andromeda Tonks.
An exiled member of the Black family.
The daughter who had chosen love over blood purity.
The sister whose very name many traditional Blacks preferred not to mention.
If Arcturus learned where we were headed, the conversation that followed would almost certainly be unpleasant.
Yet the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that this meeting needed to happen.
Blake deserved the chance.
More than anyone, I understood what it meant to grow up without family.
To wonder what it would be like to belong somewhere.
To have relatives who cared.
For me, those possibilities no longer existed.
My past family belonged to another world.
My future lay elsewhere.
Blake's situation was different.
Bellatrix was obviously out of the question.
Even if she weren't imprisoned in Azkaban, she represented the exact opposite of the warmth and stability Blake needed.
Narcissa was family, but her affection came with expectations, traditions, and the weight of pureblood society. There was genuine kindness there, but it was not the kind of relationship Blake was searching for.
Sirius remained locked away in Azkaban.
Which left only one possibility.
Andromeda.
Everything I knew about her suggested a kind and reasonable woman. More importantly, she had chosen family over ideology once before.
If anyone could provide Blake with the sort of connection she quietly longed for, it would be her.
That decision made, I kept my intentions to myself.
After breakfast, I simply informed Blake that I needed to meet someone regarding family business and asked if she wanted to come along.
She agreed immediately.
Now, as we traveled through London, I was beginning to understand why keeping secrets from Blake was difficult.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only answer you're getting."
Blake narrowed her eyes.
Five minutes later she tried again.
"Are we meeting someone important?"
"Possibly."
"Alastair."
"Blake."
She sighed dramatically.
I ignored her.
The journey continued in much the same fashion.
By the time we reached our destination, she had exhausted at least seven different approaches to extracting information from me.
None had succeeded.
We eventually stopped in front of a modest but well-maintained house situated in a quiet neighborhood.
It was a far cry from the grand estates favored by most pureblood families.
Yet there was something welcoming about it.
Something lived-in.
Normal.
Blake looked from the house to me.
Then back to the house.
"Why are we here?"
Instead of answering, I walked up the path.
For perhaps the first time all morning, Blake fell completely silent.
I climbed the steps and raised my hand.
Then I knocked.
The sound echoed softly through the house.
A few moments later, footsteps approached from within.
The door began to open.
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