Surprise Santa

They weren't expecting Santa, but he did visit after all!

Words: 1359
For "Short Shots: Official WDC Contest" 

"Harry, sometimes you're impossible," Hermione snapped.

"Hermione, stop!" interrupted Ginny. "You know you'd have done the same in Harry's place."

"That's not true, I would've - well -" Hermione subsided, and then grinned sheepishly.

"That's settled, then," said Ron, finishing his mug of butterbeer and standing up. "Are we going by thestral, or broomstick, or what?"

"A combination," said Harry, taking charge. "I'll be on my broom, Ginny'll be on hers, Luna and Hermione together on a thestral, and you decide ..."

"I've decided. I'm taking Dad's flying car. It has become really tame since it returned to us from the forest."

"Right then. Each of us carries something ... we can fit a lot in the car ... Hermione, do you have the Polyjuice Potion?"

"Yes, right here."

They went out to the backyard of the Burrow and loaded the packages. Most of them fit in the car, but some were on the brooms and thestral as well. Then they mounted their various 'steeds' and rose into the air.

The thestral knew the way, and the others followed. They passed the wizarding village, the hill and then flew over Muggle territory. The mountains came into view.

"It's beautiful," Hermione gasped, gazing at the Muggle village lying under her.

The village was in deep twilight, with lights shining from every house. Each of them paused a moment, suspended in mid-air, to marvel at the scene. Then the thestral zeroed in on one dwelling where the lights shone brightest.

Soon, all five of them were dismounting in the tiny front garden. Grasping hands, they went to the front door, and Harry knocked.

The door flew open.

"I knew it was you!" Savita shouted. "I thought I saw the reflection of a blue car hovering a moment ago - I was watching the window! I put the extra lights on ages ago. Mom and Dad got quite suspicious, but I just told them it looked pretty!"

The eight year old was jumping for joy in her pink pajamas. She flung her arms around each of them in turn, and then looked around.

"But where are the presents?" she asked.

"Don't worry, they're here," Hermione assured her. "We left them outside - we thought you'd want to get going at once."

"I do, I do. But I have to be polite and offer you hot chocolate before ..."

"Don't worry about politeness and things," Luna whispered. "We have work to do. Are your parents asleep now?"

"Yes."

"Then we must go before they wake, and we have an hour ..."

Hermione was taking the potion out of her beaded bag. She gave the flask to Luna to hold, and rummaged about for six goblets, which she held out to each one in turn. Then, she took one long white hair from her pocket.

"It's from his beard," she said. "Rudolph managed to get it and sent it to Crookshanks."

The hair went in to the flask and the potion turned a lovely green-red colour, shimmering like a decorated Christmas tree.

"Now this'll transform us with robes and all ..." Hermione said, as she poured a bit into each goblet. "One - two - three - drink!"

A few seconds later, six Santa Clauses stood in the light that still streamed from the window.

"It works! It really works!" Savita gasped, looking at herself in the window. She felt her beard and touched her red hat.

"Now hurry," Hermione said. "We have one hour. Savita, where is the list?"

"Oh, I'll just get it," the child said, running inside and returning in a moment. She closed the front door.

A quick consultation followed. Savita Claus and Ron Claus would go in the car with the most number of gifts. The houses they had to visit were quickly identified. The others would carry as many gifts as they could and visit accordingly.

Soon, they were in the air again. Savita leaned so far out to look at her house and her friends' houses gleaming in the twilight that Ron had to take one hand off the steering wheel to hold her. Admonishing her that she'd fall didn't work, the child was so excited to see her village from on high.

They came to the first house they had to go to. Ron landed neatly on the roof and handed five gifts to Savita, for the five siblings who lived there.

"You have the chimney magic, it comes with the potion," he told her.

"Yes, I can feel it," she boomed back in Santa's deep voice.

In a trice, she was whooshing down the chimney, clutching the gifts.

Now Muggle children are not usually supposed to see Santa Claus as he leaves them their gifts at night, but Savita was actually quite happy to hear squeals of joy as she descended. These kids were her best friends, from five-year-old Keerthana to twelve-year-old Hemlata, and seeing the surprise and delight on their faces was very precious to her.

"Ho ho ho! I hear all of you have been good this year, so I have brought you gifts!"

"But we thought you weren't coming this year," Hemlata said. "Our parents said that since the crops failed, Santa wouldn't be able to visit ... even if we'd been good ..."

"Yeah, all the kids in the village were called to the school for a meeting and it was agreed that the only thing we'd do was to have lights - no presents."

"Well now Santa couldn't have that happen," Savita Claus replied. "So here I am and here are your gifts ..."

Savita didn't wait for them to open the gifts, or to partake of the milk and cookies they offered to bring her. She was worried about two things - that she would run out of time, or (worse still) she'd get so emotional she'd cry and perhaps give the secret away by telling them it was her.

She whooshed up the chimney to where Ron was waiting.

They went to house after house - and everywhere, the children were awake and the adults were asleep. Again and again, Savita got to see the sheer delight on the faces of her playmates and their brothers, sisters and cousins. Over and over, she repeated the magic words - "Santa couldn't let that happen, here are your gifts" when they remarked that there weren't to be any gifts that year.

She had whooshed up the last chimney on her list when Ron said, "That was just in time. It's fifty-nine minutes and your white hair is turning into black plaits as we speak."

By the time they landed back in Savita's front garden to find the others already there, everyone had turned back to themselves again. There was a big group hug and a lot of cheering.

"We'll wake Mom and Dad," Savita whispered.

"No you won't," said a voice as jolly as Santa's.

Six pairs of eyes looked to the sky to see Albus Dumbledore speeding toward them on a Firebolt.

As soon as he dismounted, Savita sprang into hs arms.

"You planned all this with Harry! I know you did!" she squealed. "I wrote in my letter to Harry that he should take your help!"

"I did indeed. I've cast a sleepy spell on the adults and a waking spell on the children, just for this hour. I'll now let the kids have some rest, they'll be done with the first thrill of opening their gifts. And now that the good kids have got their wish, I think the good adults should, too."

He waved his wand in a complicated motion, first a slow zig-zag then a rapid figure-of-eight. There was an odd sound. Savita hadn't heard anything like it in her life before. It was like the patter of rain, but somehow, as though the drops were moving upward instead of falling down.

"What is it?" she gasped, her eyes wide.

"The crops growing," Dumbledore replied, smiling. "All the fields will yield their grain, all the orchards will yield their fruit ... your willage will prosper, Savita dear, because everyone has been good and didn't deserve disappointment."

"You're the biggest Santa of all, Headmaster!" Savita yelled, and there was a loud chorus of "HO HO HO HO!"