Blue Christmas
Dear Hermione,
Harry's making me write this so that you know we're safe and that we won't be home for Christmas. You know I love you but I'm bad at remembering to do things like this so even though you're probably missing him too be thankful he's here to remind me to do stuff like this. I hope the end of term went well.
I hope you're enjoying winter break. I really do miss you.
Love, Ron (and Harry)
Hermione stared at the letter; she must have read it a dozen times by now but she kept roaming her eyes over it, catching key words: safe, love you, won't be home for Christmas. Hermione knew that their mission might keep them out during the Holidays but she had really hoped they'd be back for Christmas. Christmas last year had been a disaster as well and Hermione was looking forward to trimming trees, hanging lights, singing carols and snuggling by a fire. She was tempted to go to the Burrow and see Ginny (who must be missing Harry as much as she was missing Ron) but she didn't want to intrude.
Hermione felt her cell phone buzzing in her pocket and she pulled it out hastily. Her parents had insisted she get a cell phone so they could call her; they still felt odd using owls. Hermione warned that electronics and magic didn't get along but she eventually conceded.
"Hi Mum." She said without looking at the caller ID. Only her parents knew her number.
"Hello princess. Are you and Ron going to make it for Christmas dinner?"
"It'll just be me mum. Ron and Harry've got work and they can't get away." Hermione could hear the sadness in her voice and tried to mask it quickly. "But I can't wait to come!" that was better, "I'll be over first thing in the morning."
"Would you like to come tonight dear?" her mother asked, latching onto her daughter's sadness.
Hermione considered it but as she looked around at the apartment she shared with her two favorite boys she couldn't quite get up the motivation to leave it, even if it did feel lonely and empty without their hyper energies.
"I think I'll just turn in early and I'll come over first thing in the morning." Hermione said, already reconsidering.
"Okay sweetheart. But I hate to think of you spending Christmas Eve alone."
"I'll be okay mum." Hermione vowed.
"Okay. Good night sweetheart."
"Night mum. I love you."
"Love you."
Hermione hung up and put her phone on the table. She read the letter from Ron once more before retreating from the window seat and heading up to her room.
()()()
Hermione woke up on Christmas morning feeling lonelier than she had when she went to bed. It had snowed overnight, a magical Christmas dusting. She took her shower, dressed in her Muggle Christmas clothes, put the gifts for her parents in her extended handbag and cast one look around the empty room before disapparating.
She had a bit of a walk before she reached her parents' house; they didn't live very close to a magical community and there was no place nearby that was a safe apparating point. She didn't mind the walk even if it was cold in the snow. She tried to distract herself with the snow and the buildings and the feeling of Christmas time; but her two best friends were off doing who-knows-what that didn't concern her because she'd opted to go to school for a real seventh year while they'd chosen to go straight to the Ministry.
She always felt strange going home, even though she'd lived in the same house all her life, it somehow felt foreign to her. Maybe it was because she was a witch and she felt she didn't belong in the Muggle world. Or maybe she had simply outgrown her childhood and was ready to press forward. Either way, she entered her childhood home now with a sadness that she couldn't shake.
"Hermione!" Her father crushed her in a hug as she entered the house. "Happy Christmas angel."
"Happy Christmas dad!" she allowed the scent of her father to wash over her, old spice and Novocain.
"Hermione!" Her mother swept her up next and she could smell all of the delish holiday foods she was baking as though her mother carried them with her.
"Mum!"
Hermione had been thrilled when experts from the Obliviators office had been able to modify her parent's memories so she could have them back. She was heartbroken she'd have to live the rest of her life not existing to her flesh and blood but the magic could be reversed if the spell wasn't strong and an expert was doing the reversing.
"We're so sorry to hear that Ron couldn't join us." Richard Granger said with a disappointed to tone.
"I am too." Hermione admitted. "But they're very important." She reasoned.
"Of course they are." Her mother, Gail Granger, agreed. "It's just a tragedy that they're so needed they can't even get Christmas off."
Hermione nodded in agreement and sighed heavily. She missed them. They'd already been gone a month and were allowed limited contact and for whatever reason were not allowed back even for the briefest of visits.
"Have you eaten breakfast? Come, let me make you something."
"We've just bought this new sugar free powdered sugar for pancakes and waffles. It tastes just like real sugar but won't rot your teeth." Richard said enthusiastically.
Hermione smiled at her parents and allowed herself to be fed and loved and tried desperately not to think about Ron or Harry and how miserable they must be this Christmas.
()()()
"You know mate, I'm starting to think Christmas is kind of a bogus holiday." Ron said as he blew into his hands to keep warm.
"Oh yea? Why's that?" Harry asked, doing a little jig in place to keep his blood flowing.
"Because, this year is the first time I've had a girlfriend I actually like on Christmas, and she's home alone while I'm out here freezing my balls off for no reason. Not to mention last year which we won't talk about."
"You mean you sleeping alone in a pub while Hermione and I were getting blown up in Godric's Hollow?"
"I said we didn't need to talk about it." Ron said sheepishly.
Harry smirked a bit and clapped his hand on his best friends shoulder, "At least we've got each other mate."
"Care to keep me warm Harry?" Ron attempted to hug Harry, flinging his body weight on him dramatically.
Harry shoved Ron away with a laugh. "You can keep yourself warm."
Ron started mimicking Harry's up and down bouncing as the breeze picked up.
"I miss her." Ron said, staring out at the woods.
"Me too. I hope Gin got my letter. I told her not to write back but I was kind of hoping she would anyway."
"She probably hasn't finished reading the letter yet. You wrote her a bloody novel."
Harry blushed a bit but his cheeks were already rosy from the cold and Ron probably didn't notice. "Better than the sentence you wrote Hermione. After I reminded you."
Ron punched Harry in the shoulder. "So I'm not good at being sickeningly sweet."
"Eh, she loves you anyway."
Ron smiled at that, his own blush creeping on his face.
"What's that?" Harry asked, suddenly on alert as he pointed up at the sky.
Ron squinted against the sun and saw a large shape heading right for them. "Some kind of something flying."
"Some kind of something flying?" Harry rolled his eyes. "I think it's a bird."
"An owl?"
A large tawny owl descended, hovering in front of Harry with a letter in its beak. Harry took the letter and the owl scurried off. Harry recognized the tidy cursive letters.
"It's from Ginny." He said, unable to contain his happiness.
"Ugh, please don't tell me how much she loves you and misses you and wants your babies."
Harry smacked Ron in the stomach. "Shut up. We're not like that." But he was blushing because he was sure that she'd probably been just as gushy as he had in her letter.
Dear Harry,
I miss you. I'm glad to hear you're safe but miserable that we are celebrating another Christmas apart. At least this time we can communicate. I know you told me not to answer your letter, but I just had to tell you that I love you and missed you back. I hope I don't get you in trouble or anything. I hope you make it back before I go back to school, otherwise I won't see you until June and I just don't know if I can handle another year without you.
All my love,
Ginny (ps. Hello Ron. Happy Christmas and I love you as well.)
"She says here she loves you Ron." Harry said, his heart warming at the letter from his girlfriend.
Ron peaked over Harry's shoulder, "One whole sentence."
Harry ignored the comment and read the letter once more before tucking it away in his robes.
"You know, I always figured being an Auror was mostly paperwork and being mad as a hater. I never really considered long cold stakeouts as part of the description."
"Well, we're still junior Auror's so we get to do all the crappy work like this." Harry reasoned.
"But in the middle of the woods? What dark wizard is planning an attic in here?" Ron asked.
Harry shook his head; he didn't really know why they were here either.
Another hour or two passed in which Ron and Harry played a game where they would start with the letter A and go through the alphabet until Z while naming various things they could find around the forest. So far they hadn't made it past J.
"I'm telling you I see a Jack-a-lope!" Ron said.
"Those aren't real." Harry said, squinting into the trees all the same.
"Right there. Just give me the point. You're up with K." Ron said defiantly.
"Killer." Harry said.
"Killer?"
"Yea, 'cause I'm going to kill you for making up animals." Harry joked.
"You're ridiculous."
They abandoned the game for another bout of silence and jumping up and down for warmth. "Come on let's go in the tent for a bit. It's way too cold out here." Ron said.
"You go. Kingsley said someone has to be outside to look for changes on the horizon." Harry said.
Ron looked at the tent where he knew a fire could be built discretely. "I'm fine." He said, standing strong beside his best friend.
Harry smiled. "I can try that warming charm Hermione taught us last year." Harry said, suddenly remembering the simple spell.
"Just don't catch me on fire like last time." Ron said, closing his eyes and bracing himself.
Harry scoffed. "That was over a year ago." Harry pointed his wand and cast the charm.
Ron's muscles relaxed and he felt pleasantly warm. "Thanks mate. You're next." Ron repeated the action and Harry smiled, "Thanks."
Considerably happier with their body temperatures they resumed their look out. It was mid-afternoon when a second shape interrupted their minds wandering. It was another owl.
"Feel like we're in Kings Cross. All this commotion." Ron said as the owl dropped the letter in the snow, not even stopping as it delivered and flew off.
Ron picked up the letter, hoping it was from Hermione but he saw the unfamiliar writing and opened it without deciphering who it was from. His eyes scanned the letter and he perked up. "We can go!" he shouted.
"What?" Harry read over Ron's shoulder.
Harry, Ron,
You've both passed. Congratulations. This has been a test in your ability to follow orders and execute a mission. As an Auror there are often times when you will be called away on Holidays or for great amounts of time. It is important that you are dedicated to the cause before you can advance to the next level of Auror training. You both have displayed an extraordinary ability to surveillance a situation and have proven a strong amount of dedication. Well done. Happy Holidays. You may go now.
Sincerely,
Kingsley Shacklebolt Minster of Magic and Hugh Joesph's Head Auror.
"I can't believe this was all a test!" Harry shouted indignantly as they ran to the tent to pack up.
"It was pretty rotten to make us miss most of Christmas." Ron said as he stuffed things in his rucksack, thanks to Hermione's extension charm there was a lot more in the bag than should be allowed.
Harry was busily stacking his own similarly enchanted backpack. "I'm going to head over to the Burrow and surprise Ginny. You headed to the Grangers?"
Ron was nodding, "Yup. I can't wait to see the look on Hermione's face. We'll probably come 'round Mum's after dinner tonight."
They stuffed the tent in Harry's bag and looked around their perfectly cleared camp site. They were quite proficient at hurriedly abandoning a place at any given moment. Harry turned to Ron and hugged him, "Happy Christmas Ron."
"Happy Christmas Harry." Ron squeezed back and then they smiled at each other, ready to see another face besides each other's.
"Tell Hermione I said hi."
"Send love to my family."
"You know it."
They each disapparated, headed for their own Christmas destinations.
()()()
Ron looked up at the house he'd been to a few times over the summer and knew his girlfriend was just inside. He practically barged through the door in his haste to knock. He bounced up and down eagerly; he knew Hermione's face would light up, her expressive brown eyes filling with emotion as she flung herself around him. He knocked again, a bit louder.
The door opened and Mrs. Granger's eyes lit up like her daughters. "Ronald!" she said, ushering him inside. "We didn't think you'd make it!"
Ron beamed at her. "Yea, I didn't either." He said as she hugged him.
"Who's at the door mum?" Hermione came into the hall and spotted the tall red head. "Ronald!" she exclaimed.
"Hermione." He breathed her name as though she couldn't possibly be within his grasp at last.
As predicted she raced toward him, throwing her arms around his neck. He lifted her off the ground, kissing her even though both of her parents were watching. "I missed you." he breathed.
"I missed you most." She put her hands against his face, forcing their eyes to make contact. "I love you."
"I love you." he hugged her again, not willing to part with her yet.
Gail and Richard had retreated to the kitchen to give them a moment of privacy. Ron kissed Hermione again and slipped his hand in hers as he relieved himself of his bag. "We were just about to sit down to dinner." Hermione said.
"I'm starving." He said, rubbing his stomach. Hermione smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek.
"Dinner." Gail called.
"Coming Mum."
"Happy Christmas Hermione."
"Happy Christmas Ron."
()()()()
Harry looked at the familiar Weasley home; his second home apart only from Hogwarts and now the flat he shared with Ron and Hermione. He knew that inside was his family; Mrs. Weasley was surely bustling about the kitchen, probably scolding George for sneaking a bite, Arthur was probably staying out of his wife's way, chatting to Bill or Charlie. Maybe Percy had even joined them this year. And Ginny; he smiled as he thought about her in the kitchen helping her mother or setting the table, or maybe playing a game with one of her brothers.
Unable to contain his excitement any longer he practically ran up to the house. He debated knocking for half a second or just going inside when Charlie appeared beside him carrying a fist full of carrots from the garden.
"Harry!" he exclaimed. "Didn't think we'd be seeing you."
"Hi Charlie. Yea, long story." Harry said, excited to see the eldest Weasley.
"Come on in then." Charlie beamed, opening the door. "Look what I found." He announced to the room as Harry appeared in the door frame.
"Harry!" seven voices chorused. Harry took in the faces of Molly, Arthur, Percy, Bill, Fleur, George, and Ginny.
"Hi." He said lamely, his heart exploding at the site of the people he loved. If only Ron and Hermione were here too.
He allowed himself to be hugged and slapped on the back and muddled through the throng of red hair and loving limbs. He ended up in front of Ginny and took her in his arms, closing his eyes as he reveled in the feeling of being back with her.
"I missed you." he whispered.
The other Weasley's scattered as quickly as they had appeared and he and Ginny were standing in semi privacy in the hall. Ginny kissed him quickly on the lips; they would have time for privacy and a proper reunion later.
"I'm so glad you're home." She said, lacing her fingers through his.
"Me too."
"Who's hungry?" Mrs. Weasley called and there was an uproar of footsteps as the Weasley boys and Fleur ran for the kitchen, talking over each other and laughing.
"Come on." Ginny tugged him lightly by the hand and they settled down at the table getting lost in the conversations.
The plates were being cleared and everyone was retiring to the living room to listen to Celestial Warbeck sing while drinking hot cocoa. Percy and Bill were engaged in a serious game of chess, George was showing Charlie a new product him and Lee had come up with, and Arthur was snuggling with Molly while Fleur and Ginny discussed Quidditch (which Fleur wasn't a huge fan of but was trying).
There was a strong gust of wind that blew the front door open and the sound of stomping feet. The family and Harry looked over to see Ron and Hermione in the doorway. "It's bloody cold out." Ron said, shaking snow from his hair.
"Happy Christmas." Hermione said with a smile at the assembled party.
"Hermione!" Harry got up from his spot by the fire and threw his arms around his best friend.
"Happy Christmas Harry!" Hermione hugged him back just as forcefully.
They separated and Harry looked at Ron as though he hadn't seen him in months. "Ron!"
Ron smirked and hit him playfully and the three went back into the living room. Conversations started again, catching up and holiday cheer. It wasn't such a blue Christmas after all.
()()()
AN: On the count of three everyone say cheesy… xD
Whatever holiday you celebrate this season I hope you have a lovely holiday season and enjoy the time for love and family. Peace be with ye!