Christmas Morning

Recovering from surprise first, Ron smiled broadly and waved her inside. He made a comment about the weather, took her coat and before she could streak away wished her a merry Christmas. She nodded stiffly and then turned, fighting a rising feeling in her throat. Watching her back enter the living room, he held her coat in his hands for a moment, lost in thought. He hung her coat up by the door and noticed that her aroma had changed. Avoiding seeing her again, he went to help in the kitchen, which for him, was a desperate measure.

Immeasurable joy flooded through her as she embraced her old friends again. All nervousness vanished as she was poked mock-angrily by an alarmingly grown-up Ginny and grinned at by that bespeckled hero; the banter flowed easily and her insides ballooned pleasantly.

Despite being sat next to…him, at dinner, suspecting this to be the work of Ginny, Hermione managed to ignore him quite well. She was just happy to drink in the familiar atmosphere and swim in nostalgia. Ron, on the other hand, was trying not to analyse his feelings whilst the embodiment of his confusion sat next to him, but he was finding it difficult. Mrs Weasley pulled him from his concentration.

"Ron dear, is Melissa still coming tomorrow?" Hermione didn't look up from her plate but strained her ears. He replied casually, so she couldn't be sure who this Melissa woman was. Mrs Weasley helped her out. "Oh that's good, I do like Melissa; she's a lovely girl. Always so chirpy and eager to help." She added as a calculated after-thought. "Pretty too." Hermione looked up despite herself and saw Ron completely ignore this comment. She wandered, as she turned to discuss the new Prime Minister with Percy, what this meant.

"Is Walter still coming?" Ginny asked during a brief lull in conversation. Hermione nodded and looked over to a listening Ms Weasley a little nervously.

"If that's alright?" Her second mother smiled warmly.

"Any friend of yours is a friend of ours." Ron had heard of this 'friend' from Harry but hadn't thought about it much, as he had been successfully keeping himself distracted. Now he felt a twinge in his stomach and looked down at his almost empty plate, it was a rare occasion that he didn't have the desire to finish it.

After dinner, Hermione skilfully dodged all of Ginny's questions concerning her feelings about the latter's brother by either ignoring them or frowning mock-angrily. Eventually, after at least a good ten minutes, her red-haired friend threw up her hands and vowed silence, which made Hermione as relieved as she looked. Everyone said good night, thoughts on the big day and the returned friend padded upstairs to Ginny's old room – Ginny and Harry going for their apartment for the night.

She thought briefly of the little piece of parchment enclosed in two envelopes in her suitcase. Having completely ignored it whilst unpacking, her thoughts wondered over to it now she had encountered the sender. He hadn't mentioned it. Tiredness creeping up, she yawned and thought that there was plenty of time before she left, she turned away from the suitcase and went to sleep.

Morning came without warning, happy chaos with it. The joy of seeing so many people opening presents haphazardly coursed through her. Wrapping flying everywhere and laughter everywhere and people chatting and cooing at their presents. The embarrassment she expected when her strange guest arrived was diminished by the lightness of her belly, also she didn't notice the reaction Harry, Ginny and Fred had to her beau. It wasn't that he was unpleasant, Ginny reflected, or even that he was in a way replacing her brother; it was thathe was just too Percy. She looked across the room at her elder brother and his instant new friend, noting their laughs had aligned already; she wrinkled her nose and looked away, shivering.

Having instantly recognised the stranger without the need of introductions – purely by his smart appearance and confident behaviour – Ron was very surprised when the stranger in question began talking to him.

"I must say I adore your home," Hermione's boyfriend almost cooed at the red haired man. Ron thanked him cautiously, not sure if this was meant sincerely. However, from his further comments and how the conversation leaned towards the Ministry and did not even mention their one thing in common, Ron eventually concluded that the man didn't know who he was. Uncertain whether to attribute this to the similarity to his brothers or the lack of knowledge of Hermione's romantic past, the confused tried not to think about it as the boyfriend moved over to Percy. Walter thought for a moment that the brother he had just spoken to was acting a tad awkwardly but then Percy cracked a joke and he laughed loudly enough to dispel the feeling.

She was chatting to Fleur when the doorbell rang again. She didn't stop talking, although curious as to whom the newcomer could be, Fleur didn't seem to have noticed. Hermione had her back to the living room door, so it was Fleur who saw the new arrival first, she looked up and smiled, saying to Hermione.

"Have you met Melissa?" Not making the connection immediately, Hermione turned and saw a homely, pretty and rotund woman wrapped in a heavy coat and thick knit scarf. The woman greeted the others and as Ron took her coat, Hermione realised that Melissa was actually a lot thinner than she first appeared, and her rotund figure came from being pregnant. She was unprepared for their first introduction so remembered little of what either of them said, however, later on as Melissa had come up to talk to her about being abroad, she concluded that she must have managed not to offend or alienate her through her pause.

Their conversation on Hermione's move didn't last too long however, as Melissa and Ron's mutual affection was obvious to Hermione. Although she had no issue with the woman as a person – yet – she wasn't sure of her own feelings to get too pally with her. Up until lunch, no matter whom she talked to or whatever subject she talked about, she observed unwillingly but closely any joke the pair shared, any tactile behaviour or even any smile at each other. At one point Ron put his hand to his girlfriend's stomach to feel the baby kicking and Hermione felt deeply confused and offended that no one had thought to mention to her that Ron was soon to be a father.

Strange bubbles squirming and bursting in her stomach, she hung around with Walter and Percy, supporting Walter on every point, trying to get him to notice her as much as possible. He smiled at her when she spoke and squeezed her shoulder every so often, but as she tried to monitor other people's reactions without looking, it didn't feel like it was enough.

Finally, it was time for dinner.