Under the Mistletoe
The Burrow was a buzz of activity on Christmas day. That morning, they would spend time as a family, deciding to save opening presents until later when the guests arrive. That night, Harry, Sirius, Remus, and Tonks would all join them for Christmas dinner and then they would all open their presents.
Everyone ate and had plenty to eat. Molly was a wonderful cook and everyone loved her cooking, especially her family. So it was no surprise that the younger boys overstuffed themselves. While the men went out to the shed and the women were in the kitchen cleaning up, George, Fred, Ron, and Harry all could be found in the sitting room, spread on in the chairs or on the couch.
"Oh, I ate too much," Ron moaned on one end of the couch.
"I feel like I'm going to burst!" George exclaimed from the recliner on the other side of the couch.
"Ron, between you and, Harry, you've practically cleaned up the….." Fred began but Harry had cut him off.
"I feel like I'm going to throw up, so do us all a favor and not mention food right now," Harry pleaded from the other side of the couch.
Molly Weasley had outdone herself. She made a feast fit for a king to eat for days. Ginny helped her by fixing the desserts. She made a variety of sweets: Apple pie, pumpkin pastries, cookies, scones, and Harry's favorite….. Treacle Tart.
To Harry's chagrin, Ginny gave him a big piece of the sweet dessert. Just looking at the piece of his favorite dessert, made his stomach rumble. He barely managed to hold back the feeling of expelling his stomach contents onto the Weasley's kitchen floor. After giving his stomach some time to digest, he dived into the dessert.
Ginny waltzed into the sitting room, plopping down on the couch in between Harry and Ron. When she sat down heavily on the couch, she was met with groans from the two teenage boys.
"Gin, did you have to do that?" Harry moaned, absent-mindedly rubbing his overfull stomach. Ginny muttered an apology to her brother and turned her full attention to her boyfriend.
"Come here sweetie," Ginny cooed. Harry slowly leaned over, laying his head on Ginny's shoulder.
Ginny reached around Harry and started soothingly rubbing his stomach. She noticed, even though the thick sweater he had on, his normally flat stomach was bloated and distended.
She gently lowered him to lay his head in her lap and she snaked her hand under his sweater, first unbuckling his belt and unbuttoning his jeans to allow his overfull stomach to have more room to expand. She moved her hand up and started to rub his stomach.
"You're an angel Gin. Thanks," Harry mumbled, feeling his stomach start to relax under Ginny's massage, her soft hands caressing his overfull belly.
Harry was almost asleep when he felt himself get hit with a pillow.
"What?" Harry asked whoever hit him with a pillow.
"It's present time Harry!" came George's voice.
Harry tried to get up but found himself not able to without help. He looked at Ron.
"Oi Ron! Get over here." Ron walked over to his best friend and helped him up off the couch and his sister's lap.
"Hermione must have gotten us a book on NEWT's like she did on our birthdays before our fifth year" Ron muttered to Harry as they eyed the packages that were from Hermione with Ron and Harry's name on them.
"Where is Hermione again?" Harry asked his redheaded best friend. Ron and Hermione began dating during last summer and kept it a secret. Harry had found them snogging when he came out of the bathroom. Ginny had discovered them snogging out behind the shed. Needless to say, they announced their relationship at dinner at night.
"She's with her parents tonight and tomorrow I'm going to her house and formally meet her parents. We're going to see a play called A Christmas Carol and go out to dinner."
"Have fun with that," Harry laughed. Hermione has talked about taking Ron with her to the theater with her parents. Harry wished he could be a fly on the wall, watching Ron's reaction. Harry had taken Ron to the movies last summer and needless to say, Ron was wide-eyed and excited all at the same time.
Fred handed out the presents from Molly and Ginny handed out the other presents under the tree.
Once the presents were handed out, everyone tore into their pile of presents.
"Thanks, Mum, it's perfect," Ginny said when she opened her Christmas jumper. It was an emerald green with purple flowered embellishments on the sleeves and collar. She reached for the box with Harry's name on it and opened it. Her jaw slacked.
"Harry James Potter!"
"What did I do?" Harry squeaked, prompting laughter from Sirius, Ron, Fred, and George.
"You saw me look at this when we went to Hogsmeade and you brought them didn't you?" Ginny asked, holding up the red dragon hide jacket.
Harry mutely nodded and slowly backed away from her, but before he could, she tackled him.
"I love it, thank you, sweetie," Ginny said and kissed his cheek. She went back to her presents and found another package from Harry. She looked at him and he mouthed "just open it".
She opened the package and then the box and found the most beautiful pair of earrings she ever saw.
"Oh, they're beautiful."
Harry smiled as she put them on. They were silver teardrop earrings with green emeralds.
"They were my mother's. I found them in the family vault and with them came a letter from Dad. He'd gotten them for Mum for their first Christmas as a couple. Dad said he picked them because the emeralds matched her eyes. He ended the letter by telling me to give to the girl I love for our first Christmas," he explained.
Ginny wiped the tears from her eyes after Harry finished the story, she leaned over and kissed him.
"They remind me of you, thank you. I love them."
A groan was heard from Harry's right. The couple turned their attention to Ron. "We were right mate. Hermione got us books for NEWTs."
"I told you," Harry said.
Ron picked up his package with his Christmas jumper. Of course, it was maroon.
Harry unwrapped his Christmas jumper and was surprised to find that it was navy blue.
"This is nice, thanks, Mrs. Weasley."
Molly looked at Harry, sternly. "Harry dear, call me Molly. We've known you since you were eleven and it's high time you started calling us Molly and Arthur."
Harry turned to Sirius and Remus, asking, "I'm not going to get whacked in the head for that will I?"
Sirius and Remus shook their heads with a chuckle. Ginny handed Harry one of her presents. He tore off the paper and found a scarf, a handmade one at that.
"Did you make this?" Harry asked. Ginny nodded. "Like it?" she asked.
Harry cupped the back of her head with his hand, forgetting Sirius, Remus and her parents were watching and kissed her. "I love it," he muttered against her lips.
"Good, because it would go with this." Ginny handed Harry another package this one the same size as the one that Ginny's dragon hide jacket came in.
Harry unwrapped the package and opened the box and laughed.
"So you got me a dragon hide jacket as well". The only difference between the one Ginny got was it was red and Harry's was black.
"Ginny, let me get a picture with you and Harry in your new jackets."
Slipping on the jackets and Ginny moved over to be closer to Harry, Molly smiled as she snapped the picture.
"Hold it, I want to get a picture as well" Sirius stated, holding up his camera.
Just as Sirius pressed the button, Ginny turned her head and kissed Harry's cheeks, holding it until the camera flashed, signaling the picture was taken.
"Thanks for my presents Harry," she said as they walked to the doorway leading to the kitchen get something to drink.
"Thanks for mine, Gin. I'll wear the scarf on the next Hogsmeade weekend with my new jacket."
They stood there for a minute before they heard "Uh oh".
The young couple turned to Fred and George. "What?" Ginny exclaimed.
"Look up," George told them.
Harry and Ginny looked up and saw…. "Mistletoe," they said in unison.
"The last time I was under the mistletoe was a wet experience," Harry muttered and looked down at Ginny.
"I know for a fact that, you are a good kisser Harry," she smiled up at her boyfriend.
Slowly, they moved closer to each other and finally, their lips touched. The mistletoe was located in an area of the kitchen where they couldn't see seen unless someone walked all the way into the kitchen. They were hidden by the pantry and kitchen cupboard.
Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry's neck, while his arms went around her waist.
They eventually broke apart, panting for breath. They smiled at each other and then kissed again, this time deepening the kiss with their tongues.
When they broke apart the second time, Ginny said in a breathless whisper, "I love you."
Harry leaned his forehead against hers and whispered, "I love you too."
Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry's waist, leaning her head against his shoulder.
"Merry Christmas, Harry," she looked up at him and into those emerald green eyes that made her melt, just looking at them.
Harry pressed a kiss to the top of her hair, inhaling the scent of her hair.
"Merry Christmas, Ginny," he said as he pressed his cheek against her head.
They stood there, enjoying the quietness of the kitchen, which still smelled of Christmas dinner, and treats. Harry could still smell the Treacle Tart.
"Ron and Hermione will be gone to Muggle London, so it would be you and me, tomorrow night when my parents come over for the Order meeting."
"Maybe we could play a game in my room or watch TV in the den or something," Harry told her.
"I thought I wasn't allowed in your room?" Ginny reminded him. That was the first rule that Sirius placed when Harry moved in, 'No girls in your bedroom.' The unsaid word was with the door closed.
"If we keep the door open, you could."
They went back into the sitting room where all eyes went to them. They looked around, puzzled as to why would their family be looking at them like that.
"You know, that picture should go in a frame," Sirius said to Molly and Remus.
"What picture?" Harry and Ginny asked in unison.
"The picture of you two lovebirds under the mistletoe," Sirius answered, causing the young couple to blush. Apparently, Sirius had snuck in and silently snapped a few pictures of Harry and Ginny under the mistletoe.
"Just like James and Lily," Remus murmured as he looked at the picture.
Harry and Ginny made their way to the loveseat near the fireplace. They sat down side by side and Harry leaned his head on her shoulder, feeling content.
"Is your stomach okay?" Ginny asked.
Harry thought for a moment. His stomach still hurt, but it wasn't as bad as it was. He was dreading flooing home. Any other time, flooing would make his stomach flip-flop. But when he would feel sick to his stomach or nauseous, he would have to fight a battle with his stomach to not throw up.
"It's a little better," he answered. He looked up into Ginny's concerned face, her brown eyes showing nothing but love.
"I'll be okay," Harry told her. He felt her press a kiss to his forehead.
They sat there enjoying the fire until Sirius told Harry it was time to go home. Harry reached over and kissed Ginny goodbye and good night.
Harry smiled as he thought of how his life had changed since that day in June. He moved in with Sirius and Remus, a little bit before that day he started dating Ginny, he could imagine how much better his life could get. He had a family and a girlfriend who loved him.
He learned just how loved he was when he fell sick with a stomach bug the next day and Sirius, Remus, and Ginny all took care of him. He felt loved, cared for, and that was something he never felt before.
He had always dreamed of kissing Ginny under the mistletoe and now, that dream had come true.