Story Title: Dreams, Drinks & Traditions
Part 1/1
Disclaimer: Alas, if I owned them Christmas shopping would have been a heck of a lot easier! But, I don't ...and no infringement is intended by this. Just trying to spread a little holiday cheer!
Harry Potter sighed as he started at the beautifully decorated Christmas tree, the bright shimmering lights casting a soft glow over the room and illuminating his face, and thought about how happy he was.
He had a beautiful house, a great job, tons of friends. And he had her, of course. He had her, his wife. The most beautiful woman on the planet, and the sweetest, most loyal and understanding friend he'd ever had.
He wouldn't have survived this long without her, he was sure of that. It was she who held him when he woke up from horrible nightmares, thinking about what could have been. It was she who stood besides him in the final battle, never letting go of his hand. And it was she who led him away after the final victory, to make happy memories for both, or so she said.
And now, she was giving him a child. The news had brought him more happiness than he ever thought he could feel. A baby, a little boy, their little boy.
He hadn't wanted to know if it was a boy or a girl, but she had pointed out all the practical purposes of knowing and, as always, she had gotten her wish. She could have asked him for the moon and he would have found a way to get it for her.
He loved her that much.
And the amazing thing was: She loved him back. He could see it in her eyes, in her smile, in the way she behaved.
She was in love with him
Christmas gifts? He didn't need Christmas gifts. He had all he wanted.
A pair of arms circled his neck, interrupting his thoughts and a beloved voice asked with amusement, "Did you find what you were looking for, Harry?"
Harry thought she was talking about his life, but then he remembered the reason why he had left the comfort of her arms and smiled. He was contemplating his chances of catching her off-guard with a kiss, when something strange happened.
He woke up.
He blinked slowly once, and then did it again. Had it all been a dream?
He could remember it better than any other dream he'd ever had. He could almost feel the emotions of his dream-self and the warm, fuzzy feeling of happiness had not left him.
He rested his head on the pillow once again, trying to treasure every part of the dream. He had been married and happy. And his wife was having a baby.
The thought made a bright smile appear on his face, and he tried to concentrate on the woman he had been married to. Who was she?
He couldn't remember.
Everything else about the dream he could clearly remember, from the soft lights of the Christmas tree to the feeling of happiness unlike any other he'd ever experienced. But he couldn't remember her.
He could even remember the feelings she evoked in him, the all-consuming love, the fierce protectiveness, the complete trust.
Who was she?
He remembered thinking about her as a friend first, someone who had stood besides him as he battled Voldemort, lending him her strength and helping him gather the courage to do what needed to be done.
A female friend? That only left him with one choice: Hermione.
He grimaced at the thought. He had no romantic feelings for Hermione at all. He thought of all those Witch Weekly articles that claimed men were always the last ones to know when they were in love and he searched deep within his heart for the love he should feel for Hermione.
He was relieved not to find it.
Not that he didn't love her, he did. He just loved her in a completely platonic, brother-ish kind of way. Besides, she and Ron had a "thing" going, and he would never get between them. Never.
Not that he wanted to.
He rolled over and hid his face on the pillow, trying to make sense of it all, but he couldn't. With a loud sigh he sat down on his bed, completely sure that he wouldn't be getting any more sleep tonight.
"If I'm going to sit all night thinking about this, I should probably go to the Common Room. There'll be no one there at this hour." he whispered to himself, as he stood up and headed towards the door.
Harry knew something was wrong as soon as he entered the Common Room but he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. A burning fire, lots of empty armchairs, Ginny sitting in a sofa with a bottle in her hands, a …
He did a double take. Was that Ginny sitting in a sofa with a bottle in her hands? That was definitively out of the ordinary. Smiling, he took extra care in not making any sound as he positioned himself behind her and whispered as close to her as he dared to get. "Ginny, are you all right?"
She looked up at him. "Harry, what are you doing here?"
"You didn't answer my question," he said with a smile.
"Neither did you," she answered back, while she patted the spot besides her for Harry to sit on, apparently too sleepy or too drunk to remember she was supposed to act shy around him.
He complied, and sat besides her, staring at her face, illuminated by the fire. She was deadly pale and she had red, puffy eyes, but to Harry she had never looked more beautiful.
"Are you okay?" he asked again, his hand grazing her shoulder.
She turned around and smiled at him "Okay? Yes, I am. It's just that… Christmas time always puts me in a sentimental mood. It just makes me feel so …well, unimportant."
She stopped talking and gazed at the fire as he struggled to find something to say to her. Before he could form a coherent sentence she started talking again.
"Did you know my father has 7 brothers?" he shook his head, but he didn't think she was looking at him. She continued.
"I hate family reunions, you know. I'm never Ginny to them. I'm always Arthur's youngest," she emitted a sound that sounded like something between a chuckle and a sob "I'm not sure they even know my name."
She stopped gazing at the fire and looked at him, brown eyes peering into his soul. "I just wish I were the most important person in someone's life."
She stared at him for a while and then a pink blush started creeping upon her cheeks and she turned around so he couldn't see her.
"How selfish of me, right?" she asked, staring into the fire once more.
Harry's answer surprised them both.
"No. I don't think that's selfish at all. In fact …well, I'd go as far as saying that I kind of know how you feel."
Brown eyes met green ones, encouraging, offering support.
"All my life I've wished for that same thing. To be the single most important person in someone's life," he smiled and looked at the floor, a little embarrassed by his admission. "I've wished for many other things too, family, traditions …"
"Traditions?" she asked, and their eyes met once again.
"Yes, rituals, traditions … you know. Those things you do every year with someone. Traditions of some sort."
She looked at him with understanding, and suddenly she smiled, a big smile that lit up her entire face.
"Let's do something," she suggested "Let's start our very own holiday tradition. Right here, in front of the fire, with this." She smiled as she held up the bottle.
"Eggnog?" he asked with a smile.
"Not even close," she responded with a laugh. "Apple Cider."
"Apple Cider?" he asked, smiling once again, because her smile was warming and contagious "Where did you get it?"
"You think you are the only one who knows how to get into the kitchens?" she asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
He shook his head and accepted the glass from her.
"We only have one glass," she said apologetically.
"Part of the tradition." he said, smiling.
"What shall we toast to?" she asked
"To new traditions?" he suggested.
"To new traditions." She said with a grin and she took a sip from the glass before handing the glass to him and he smiled at her before taking a sip as well.
"I hate to sound cliché, but this could be the beginning of a beautiful
friendship." she said and laughed and he joined in, laughing with her, enjoying her company.
Hours later, he looked up into her smiling face and he thought he saw reflected the image of a pregnant woman and a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, the one from his dream.
The End
Merry Christmas!
A/N: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away I wrote this as a challenge, and dedicated it to an entire site and all the people that frequented it. The year 2001 seems a long way off now, and though the site doesn't exist anymore, it did leave me a lasting present: my friends. I believe I don't have to mention names, for they know who they are. So, this little piece is for all of you. May we have many more years to share together!