Title: Pie & Prejudice
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Harry/Hermione
"Blocks of ice cream in every flavour you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, jelly, rice pudding…"
It was Harry's favorite time of year. The temperature dipped below freezing so hoodies and sweatpants were an everyday must; the snow blanketed the Earth in a fresh, white powder nearly every day; and his favorite reason, he always woke up to a new scent every morning, depending what mood his wife was in.
Last week, cinnamon drifted throughout the house when she was in a mood for cinnamon rolls; the other morning was a chocolate aroma invading his room that turned out to be her famous homemade brownies.
Every night he gave Hermione a chaste kiss before bringing her body to his to fall asleep for the night. He always dozed off with a smile on his face this time of year. He loved the woman in his arms, the scenery outside, and the treats that always woke him the following morning.
"Hermione, I'm going to be the size of Umbridge if you keep making desserts every day!" He gestured to the assortment in front of them: blocks of ice cream in every flavour you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, jelly, and rice pudding covered the kitchen table they were sitting at.
"Oh, honestly Harry! Christmas only comes around once a year! Besides, I know you love all my desserts!" She said with a stern expression.
"I never said I didn't! However, unless you're planning to hold a feast in the Great Hall sometime soon, we don't need this many of everything!" He said exasperated.
"Fine, fine, I won't go overboard on how much I make next time… In the mean time, how about we invite Ron and Luna over for some dessert?" She finished hesistantly, unsure if this was the right way to proceed.
She took his beaming face as a good sign before he said, "Best idea you've had in a while. Ron himself could probably knock out half of this if he really tried. I'll give them a ring."
He headed off toward the phone before she said, "But first…"
He stopped abruptly before turning back to face her again. But now she had a pie tin in her hand.
"Maybe we should have a slice before they come over?"
He eyed the metallic tray before saying, "Yeah, good idea, what kind is it again?"
"Pumpkin, of course! Wouldn't be Christmas without it, would it?" Her words hung in the air.
He flashed back to their first Christmas alone back in the tent and how Hermione had nicked a fresh pumpkin pie from a store window thanks to the invisibility cloak Harry insisted she take. They sat inside that night, enjoying the sweetness of the pie and the warmth of their wine and conversation. A few glasses of wine and a couple inappropriate whipped cream comments later and they would no longer be virgins. To this day, they never had Christmas without one; regardless of all the comments like 'It's not Halloween!' or 'Apple Pie's down that aisle!'
"No, I suppose it wouldn't." He graciously accepted the plate with a slice on it.
"D'you want any whipped cream?" She asked, shaking the can in front of him.
"Oh, you know I always want whipped cream!" He quickly winked at her before she rolled her eyes and completely covered his sliver in the topping.
