Harmony for the Holidays
She looked at the dusty red and green boxes before her with a sad smile; one of the boxes was covered in more dust than the others, seven years worth of dust to
be exact. She opened the first box slowly, pulling out the contents with soft
touch not wanting to damage the tissue wrapped objects. Taking the edge of the
tissue paper she rolled the glass snowflake on to the couch.
She looked up at her lit Christmas tree with a sigh. *first muggle Christmas in
seven years* she thought as the first notes of A White Christmas started playing
on the radio after the ads for toys and cars ended.
She continued to unwrap ornaments, making a few piles on the couch, while the
radio played old Christmas favorites. After about half an hour she heard the
front door open.
She stood and with a flourish, she drew her wand, inching out of her living
room, she saw her parents entering the house. They were dusted with snow and
carrying groceries in their arms.
"Oh let me help!" she said, raising her wand "Wingardium Leviosa," she pointed her
wand at the bags and they flew up into the air and she directed them to the
kitchen counter where she placed them down.
"Hermione, you didn't have to do that your mother and I had it." her father
scolded her as if she were a child
"Dan, she was just trying to help, there's no need to get mad."
"Well I don't like when you do magic in the house, after your memory
modification on your mother and I."
"I explained why I did that. It was to save your lives, from Voldemort and the
second wizarding war, they tore apart the house looking for me, they would have
killed you or tortured you to find out where I was." Hermione explained for the
millionth time "I said I'm sorry and I'll never do anything like that again, it
was just to protect you."
"I understand, Sweetie." her mother patted her shoulder
"I understand you wanted to protect us, but you didn't have to take our memories
away."
"Dad, in retrospect, that would have been a great solution, but I just wanted you
and mom to be blissfully happy and to not worry about me at all. If you were in
my position you would have done the same thing." she continued to argue
"Dan, Hermione, its Christmas time, let's decorate the tree and continue this
after the holidays."
"Ok." Dan said and followed his wife into the living room, leaving Hermione in
the kitchen. With a few waves of her wand, the groceries were put away and three mugs
of hot chocolate were made and poured.
Hermione walked into the living room with the mugs of hot cocoa. She handed one
to her mum, one to her dad, and the last one she placed on the coffee table.
They spent the next hour decorating the tree but they were cut short when
Hermione heard a pop and a sharp knock at the door.
"I'll get it." she said pulling her wand out and heading to the door. "Who's
there?"
"It's me, let me in." she heard Harry's voice
"Oh, come in." she said pulling the door open. "We were decorating the tree.
What brings you here?"
"Out shopping for Christmas presents and I decided to bring a bit of holiday
cheer over." he held up a six-pack of butter-beer
"Hermione, who's at the door?" her mother called into the hall
"It's Harry, mum." she said "Sorry, about that."
"No problem." he said as they walked further into the house.
"Wouldn't Ginny be annoyed that you were over here bringing holiday cheer?"
"No, I don't think she would be. She's been busy giving holiday joy to Dean and
probably a whole bunch of blokes."
"WHAT!"
"I caught her with Dean the other day at my flat."
"What did you do?"
"We broke up, she was cheating on me." he shrugged. "She was only with me for my
celebrity status." he laughed
She took the 6 pack from him and opened two bottles, one for herself, the other
for him. "Come in the living room, we were doing the tree, non-magic style."
"Ok" he said and followed her into the living room.
"Mum, Dad, this is my friend Harry from school. He was in the neighborhood so he
came by to bring some butter-beer over." she introduced him and soon her family
was drinking the butter-beer and decorating the tree.
They spent another hour putting ornaments on the tree, Harry and Hermione
sharing stories from Hogwarts' Christmases. By the end of the night, the tree
had a snow charm cast upon it, where it would snow above the tree then disappear
before it touched the floor, and Harry was invited to dinner on Christmas and
Christmas eve at the Granger's house. When he left that night, Hermione gave him
a kiss on the cheek and promised that they would go Christmas shopping together
tomorrow.
Hermione closed the door after he left with a smile on her face "The two of you
seem like more than friends." her mother said with years of experience behind
her words.
"No, mum, we really are just friends."
"That's what I said about your father. It's not a coincidence that he broke up
with his girlfriend so soon after you broke up with Ron."
"Ok." she rolled her eyes "I'm going to bed."
Hermione woke early to her alarm clock buzzing and 6 inches of snow on her
window ledge. She hit the off button on the clock and stood up to get dressed.
She grabbed her favorite dark blue jeans, her green cashmere sweater, and her
old school shoes, throwing her clothes on she fixed the frizz in her hair with a
charm.
An hour later, she was at the entrance to the mall waiting for Harry to get
there. Just as she sat down on a bench, Harry walked up holding two cups of tea.
"Hey Hermione!" he called as he walked over to her.
"Harry!" she stood up and he handed her a tea.
"Honey and lemon." he said
"How'd you know?" Hermione asked as they walked into the mall
He just gave her a look that said it all.
"Thanks." she said as they walked to their first store, a candle shop.
Four hours and a few hundred pounds later they both had all of their shopping
done except for their gifts for each other. Passing a store called Hot Topic,
Hermione saw the perfect gift for Harry but she didn't want him to be around
when she bought it. "Hey Harry I'm getting hungry, can you grab a table at
Outback and I'll be right there?"
"Yeah no problem."
She rushed into the store and found his size in the funny shirt that she HAD to
get him. Waited in line, paid, and walked to the restaurant with a smile on her
face.
Reaching the restaurant, she walked up to the hostess "Hi I'm here to meet-"
"Oh your husband is right over-"
"He's not my husband, he's not even my boyfriend, we're just friends." Hermione
explained
"Oh I'm sorry. Well he's over there." the hostess pointed at the back of Harry's
head
"Thank you." Hermione said and rushed over to where Harry sat
"So you made it?"
"Yeah." Hermione said sitting down, "Did you tell the hostess that I'm your
wife?"
"Merlin's beard, where did you get an idea like that?"
"She told me that my 'husband' was waiting for me." she air quoted the word
Husband, "Why do people keep assuming that we're a couple?"
"No idea." Harry said "Oh by the way I ordered you a raspberry iced tea."
"Thanks, that's my favorite." Hermione said figuring he knew that already
"I know." he smiled
Christmas eve caught up with Harry and Hermione quickly. Hermione was rushing
around her house getting appetizers and deserts ready, when the doorbell rang.
She wiped her hands on her Christmas apron and rushed to her front door a smile
plastered on her face. Opening the door, she was delighted to see Harry standing
there, a shopping bag in his hands.
"Happy Christmas, Harry!" she took the bag from him
"Happy Christmas, Hermione. Just be careful with the bag." he said and walked
inside the house.
"Ok" Hermione said, turning around to lead Harry to the living room
"You've got a little something on your jeans, looks like flour." Harry said
following her.
"Can you get it for me, I know I'll just make it worse?" she knew exactly where
the flour was: her rear.
"er... Sure." he quickly wiped the flour off her butt, as her mother came
into the living room.
"This isn't what it looks like, I had flour on my butt, and Harry was getting it
off for me."
"Ok." her mother left the living room
Through the whole next hour more people arrived and Harry was trying to help in
the kitchen, which made Mrs. Granger shoo him out of the kitchen.
Hermione, after cooking and changing her pants, introduced Harry to her family
before they all went to the table to have dinner. After dinner Harry pulled a
box of honeydukes chocolate out of his shopping bag along with a bottle of
firewhiskey.
"I wanted to bring something over." he said when Hermione questioned him
"You didn't have to." she said as her eleven-year-old cousin, Randa, ran into
the hallway, where Harry and Hermione were standing.
"Randa what are you doing?"
Randa's answer came when she held missile toe over Harry and Hermione's heads.
"Its missile toe, you have to kiss!"
"Fine." Hermione said and kissed Harry on the cheek and he did the same. Turning
to Randa, Hermione said, "Happy now?"
Randa ran away, giggling, into the living room where the whole family was
standing, watching them.
"Harry brought some desert for us; I'll put it on the table." Hermione said and
went into the kitchen, Harry following her. "Well that was embarrassing."
"Does your family think that we are a couple?"
"I think so, but I introduced you as a friend. Oh well, they're nuts anyway."
she arranged the chocolates onto a platter
"Let me help. I'll carry something to the table." he insisted
"Take your chocolate and the firewhiskey." she said grabbing a platter of
bisects and a treacle tart.
"Ok." he said and she motioned for them to go to the table.
"Desserts on the table!" Hermione called, which made the family slowly gather
around.
Everyone that was of age had a shot of the firewhiskey and everyone ate the
chocolate and bisects, which drove many people to ask where Harry got the drink
and chocolates.
With a quick glance at Hermione, he said, "A friend gave me the whiskey and I got
the chocolate at a small sweet shop."
After the family had left, Hermione flopped onto couch with Harry and the half
drunken bottle of firewhiskey. Harry's eyes drooped closed behind his glasses as
Mr. and Mrs. Granger walked in the room.
"Would you like to stay the night, Harry? I could make up the couch for you."
Mrs. Granger smiled seeing how tired he was.
"I'd like that, thank you." Harry said. "Oh let me give you your gifts!" he
stood up, went into the hallway, and brought his shopping bag over.
As he did that Hermione got up and grabbed a wrapped box from under the tree.
Harry came back and started pulling objects out that we're much too large to fit
in the bag without a charm. Hermione shook her head at him, "Stole that idea
from me, huh?"
He just smiled as he handed her mother her gift, a blouse and matching scarf.
Next, he handed her father his gift, a hat and scarf set. Then he handed Hermione
her gift, it was the biggest one from the magic bag.
"Harry what did you-"
"Just open it." he nudged her
She slid the red and gold paper off of the sharp corners and gasped when she saw
the best gift ever.
"It's a bo-"
"I know what it is!" she scolded him, it was her magically expandable bookshelf
that gave the person that is looking for a book the correct one when they say
the name or the subject. "Oh Harry, I love it!" she said throwing her arms
around him
"Your welcome." he said as she handed him his gift
"Its not as good as your gift, but it's perfect for you." she said
"I'm sure I'll love it." her said and tore the paper off the box. He opened
the box and took out his gift a black t-shirt that had the words 'scars are just
a tattoo with a cool story attached' in bold white letters. Harry started
laughing, "I love it!" he hugged her and gave her a kiss on the lips
"Harry!" she pushed him back
"I'm sorry!" he gasped
"Come on Dan, let's go to bed, and leave the kids alone." Mrs. Granger said and
they left the living room
"Hermione I'm so sorry it was the mo-"
Hermione leaned over and kissed him back. "I felt like doing that when you gave
me my gift, too." she said
Harry sat there shocked. "So what do we do about us?"
"Well we could be a couple or stay friends, it's really our choice." she said
His answer was to lean over and kiss her again.
"So should I take that as you want to be a couple?"
"Should I continue to say yes to you?"
"If you must." she said with a smile as he kissed her again.
THE END
Happy Holidays!