Now and Forever

Chapter 21: Upcoming Holidays

A/N: Ahh it's been forever, but I'm back!

About five days later, Lupin and Tonks wrote to him and Hermione and told them to come to the Burrow that evening after dinner. They knew immediately it would be to see their new son. So around seven o'clock that night, they apparated to the Burrow to meet with everyone. Ron was the one to let them in this time and kept them in the kitchen to have alone time to talk.

"What's been new with you?" Hermione asked Ron, "Seeing Luna still?"

"Yes, we still go out once a week and she comes over for dinner another night out of the week," Ron replied.

"Ever think of getting serious with her?" he asked him, "Just out of curiosity."

"Maybe someday, but for now we're fine with things are going."

"What time is the duo supposed to be here?" He asked.

"Soon I reckon. They probably won't stay out too late with Teddy."

"They won't. It's common sense that baby's wake up multiple times within the night and have different sleeping schedules," Hermione told them.

"How is that common sense to us?" Ron asked.

"I just know Ronald! I am a girl after all and we have maternal instincts. It's a natural thing," Hermione replied.

"Alright, Alright, I get it!" Ron said letting that conversation reluctantly die off.

"Let's go in and see the rest," he suggested leading them through the kitchen doors.

"Hello Harry and Hermione," the Twins called to them from the couch.

"Hey you two," Mrs. Weasley said too and came over to give them usual hug. They all sat talking around in the living room for a while until the back door clicked. Moments later the duo walked into the room and everyone called different greetings followed by words of "Aw!" Tonks was holding a bundled up Teddy in her arms and along with Lupin, she was truly smiling. "Oh, isn't he just adorable!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed getting up to hug them both, "Looks just like the two of you."

"Very sweet of you Molly, but he definitely has more of Tonks' looks," Lupin replied.

"Already can tell he'll be part metamorphagus if anything," Tonks added in and choosing a seat in the open arm chair, "His hair changes practically every five minutes," She added laughing a bit. Hermione and Ginny were the first to get up and go over to see Teddy, while talking excitedly with Tonks. The three hadn't seen much of each other in almost a month. Lupin began to talk with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and then joined him over on the couch.

"How've things been going with Teddy?" he asked.

"Pretty well I'd say. A little tiring at times, but we've made it through almost a week which must be a good sign," Lupin replied chuckling a bit, "He looks a tad like me I suppose facial wise, but like Tonks said, he's all hers for the eyes and hair." Looking over to the mob of girls, Teddy's hair was a shade of blue and green mixed right now and was rather squirmy.

"He isn't affected by you being a werewolf at all?" he asked him.

"No he isn't thankfully. We called out a Healer to the house to confirm it," he replied.

"Oh won't you two shut it for a moment, Harry, and come meet your godson," Tonks basically commanded him smiling. He felt a little awkward, but Lupin nodded and nudged him a little to get up. Tonks got out of the chair and handed him Teddy gently so he could then sit down.

"You're the godfather Harry?" Ron asked

. "Yeah..." he replied sitting down slowly, "Surprised?"

"Not really, but I think that's great." He smiled down at Teddy and let him play with his fingers.

"He does have Tonks' looks, but he does look like you too Lupin, I can see it in the face," he told them both. Teddy squirmed another minute or so in his arms and then began to calm down and let him be. After another few minutes, he handed Teddy to Hermione to hold and went to fetch some fire whisky out of the cupboard. Mr. Weasley got glasses and poured some for everyone to have and toasted, "To Teddy!" They only stayed for just over another hour because they knew they would be up early.

"Sorry if I won't be around much, but I'm sure you and Hermione might like it," Lupin said just as they were leaving.

"It's fine, you have your own family now to take care of," he said, "But I know that doesn't mean you won't be looking out for Hermione and I."

"I'll be sure to write," Lupin replied smiling and hugging him.

Tonks came over and hugged him too and told him, "I think you'll be a great godfather Harry. After all, you had a good one while it lasted."

"Thanks, I know you mean it," he replied and hugged her again. He and Hermione decided to call an early night and head home too then. Otherwise they were going to get roped into staying the night. Back at the house, Hermione called her parents to check in while he flipped through The Daily Prophet. He thought about how happy Lupin finally looked and how he really did look younger. Even Tonks was cheerier than usual. There was hardly anything on the TV so he made his way up the stairs and tore down the bed in their room to wait for Hermione to come upstairs. When she did, she walked over and climbed across the bed to her spot on the right.

"Harry, can I ask you a question?" Hermione asked. "

Of course, anything," he told her.

"Do you ever think of us...having kids?" she asked unsurely.

He looked to her and nodded, "I...of course I do. I mean looking at Lupin and Tonks today, I think it's something that I'll want...I mean that is if you do anyway. Why do you ask?"

"It is something I want. I know it is. I've been thinking about it especially since our wedding day; that was the day I really knew I'd be with you forever. And you're right about tonight and about how the feeling changed when I held Teddy. I just wanted to know how you felt with all of this."

"Hermione, now isn't the time to start having kids of our own. I mean there are so many things going on with work, and I wouldn't want anything happening just because we liked how it felt around Teddy."

"I guess you're right...it just makes me wonder you know? I think if we feel the same way months or so down the road from now, we should see."

He scooted next to her smiling and nodded, "That's fine with me." He kissed her and stroked her wavy brown hair, smiling still.

"Harry! Harry look outside!" Hermione called him into their living room.

"What is it?" he asked walking up besides her.

"Look Harry, it's the first snow of the year," she told him happily. He smiled and kissed her cheek nodding.

"That it is," he said back. It was indeed the first snowfall, a late one with that. It was now the third week of December with Christmas looming upon all of them. Just today he and Hermione had went out and bought a variety of outside lights to hang on their roof and trees, and even a few things for inside. After dinner they were heading out to pick up a Christmas tree. They were both getting into all the bustle of things with it being their first Christmas together and all.

"When is dinner going to be ready, do we have time for a short walk?" Hermione asked him.

"I think it's about done actually. We could go after though and then head to pick up a tree?" He suggested to her.

Hermione smiled and nodded, "That sounds like a plan to me." He led them into the kitchen where he'd been making them some ravioli and scooped out a bowl for each. The last month of work they began taking extra days off, just because they would work double shifts and hardly get to spend more then an evening with each other. Now that Ernie was found along with Phil, nothing really was happening except restoring their memories and jotting down information. As for Lupin and Tonks, they would see each other every two weeks if they were lucky. It was understandable though; they both had someone other than he or Hermione or the Weasley's to look after and care for. That didn't stop them from writing often though. He and Hermione finished their ravioli and cleaned the dishes with flicks of their wands.

"Can we go now please?" Hermione asked smiling to him.

"I guess..." he sighed and whined jokingly. She smiled back and scurried up the stairs to scrounge some winter gear together. He went over to the closet and slipped on a jacket, some gloves and a Gryffindor colored scarf. Moments later Hermione returned wearing a black pea coat, a light blue hat, a pair of gloves to match and white and light blue scarf. "Ready to go?" he asked her. She nodded and took his hand nearly pulling him out the door. They set off down the little street their house was on with the snow still lightly falling. The only light was the glow from the Christmas lights on people's houses and the half way full moon. Hermione leaned her head on his shoulder and clung to his arm as they walked around. He smiled down and kissed her sweetly on the forehead.

"I love the first snowfall. Half the time when we were at Hogwarts we'd always miss it being in class and all, and even so it's not like I ever had anyone to take a walk with me," Hermione told him. "

Well I just so happen to like it too and we can be walking buddies now right?" he asked her.

"We better be," she said back to him. "

Have you or anyone talked to McGonagall lately?" he questioned, "Just wondering how she's been doing."

Hermione shook her head, "No I haven't. Last I knew she told the Weasley's she was doing just fine for the time being."

"She is strong...never underestimated that power," he said laughing a bit.

"That she is," Hermione nodded in agreement and smiling. They continued walking down the little street occupied with even spaced amounts of houses. Hermione hit a patch of ice and slipped down onto the road, making an unpleasant face.

"Are you alright?" he asked looking down to her, "Twist your ankle?"

"Just a little I think...I'll be alright though," she replied looking down to her right ankle with a pouty face. He held out his hands to help her up, and Hermione seized the opportunity to pull him down into the patch of snow too.

"Oh, so now it's a game?" he asked smirking.

"Maybe...maybe not," she said to him simply. Scrounging up a mini snowball, he threw it at her and she screamed and then laughed. "Oh, it's on!" she said firmly now. Hermione bundled up a few snowballs too and threw them at him, hitting him in the arm and leg. As they laughed and screamed, still throwing a few at each other, they were pretty much rolling around in the snow. "Harry stop!" Hermione called laughing, "I'm really wet!" Finally he stood up and held out his hands again.

"Truce?" he asked her pulling away his hands, "And no pulling me down again?"

She nodded and replied, "Truce," and took his hands to stand up.

"You sure your ankle's alright?"

"It's just a little twist, it's fine," she told him, "Let's go get the tree now." He smiled and took her hand as they looked around to see if anyone was around, and they then apparated to the nearest place that sold trees. There was row after row of trees from three feet tall to nine feet tall. "How tall is the ceiling in our house?" Hermione asked disappearing around a row.

"I think about eight and a half feet," he said trying to catch up with her, "So that means we'll probably want just over an eight foot tree," he suggested. She nodded but he could tell she was too busy pondering on which tree was the perfect one. He had never picked out his own Christmas tree before and the last time Hermione had, she was ten years old. He began browsing through too and came upon one that didn't look too bad. How did he know which was a good and which was a bad tree? "What about this tree?" he asked Hermione.

Hermione stopped and stared at her then shook her head, "It's okay...but see how the pines are all over the ground? That means that the tree is too dry and won't last as long."

"Good to know," he said looking around some more. There was a family there with their two little kids looking ages four and eight. He smiled as the youngest little girl was tugging at her dad's pant leg and pointing to a medium size tree.

"Hey Harry, look over here!" Hermione called him over. He weaved between two trees and found her in front of a tree that was indeed around eight feet tall. "So...what'd you think?" she asked, "About the tree I mean."

"If you like it, I like it. Looks good to me, I don't know much about picking out certain trees," He said smiling.

"This tree it is then," she said and went to get someone who worked there to help them with it. After paying, they took the tree towards the back entry and both held onto it as they apparated back inside their house. They got a thing of water to keep it moisturized and he then lay across the floor. "Too tired to do anymore?" Hermione asked looking down over him smiling.

"A tad...more like covered in pine needles from my hair to my socks," he told her sitting up.

"We can some decorate tomorrow if you want, I don't mind. I don't have to be in to work until late afternoon anyway."

"Let me go shake myself clean and I'll be back," he said going outside, stripping from his coat, gloves and scarf, and began shaking pine needles off of him, which fell like leaves from a tree. Minutes later, Hermione was opening up a couple boxes of lights when he entered into the house again. "Alright, I'm ready to help," he said coming over and taking a string, "We can give it a shot the muggle way I guess," he added on jokingly.

"It won't kill us," Hermione continued after and began wrapping around a strand of lights. He joined and then used his wand to reach the very top of the tree. Just as they began putting garland on, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," he told Hermione and walked towards the door. Opening it stood Ron with a plate in his hand. "Hey mate, come in," he said stepping out of the way, "Long time no see."

"It's nice to see ya Harry. Thought I'd drop by since I wasn't too busy tonight," said Ron taking off his jacket and shoes, "See the snow out there? Looks like a white Christmas after all."

"We went out for a bit and got our tree. What's in your hand?" he asked referring to the plate.

"Oh this? Mum made some Christmas cookies and sent me over with a batch. Pretty tasty I must say. She still believes you two are underfed and need to be fattend up, nothing new there."

"Come on in the living room, you can put the cookies on the coffee table for now." They walked in and Hermione turned to see who he brought back with him.

"Oh hello Ron, all is well I take it? Hermione greeted. "

Everything's fine," Ron replied looking around, "See you guys have been decorating quite a bit. Nice tree."

"Thanks, everything all decorated at your house too?" Hermione asked hanging up the final strand of garland.

"Just about, Mum started the first of December." Hermione took a break from decorating and joined them on the couch to eat some of the cookies Ron had set on the table. They talked about work, Fred and George's joke shop and even Lupin, Tonks, and Teddy a bit.

"Did I tell you about Bill and Fleur?" Ron asked.

"No you didn't, what about them?" Hermione asked.

"Well they came over for dinner earlier this week and announced that they're expecting now," Ron replied. Hermione smiled and gasped a little but luckily didn't squeal because it would've been directly in his ear.

"That's so great for them! We have parchment right Harry? We have to write to them later," Hermione said.

"Yeah, there's some up in the drawer," He replied.

"My god, mum practically tackled the two to the ground. I guess since it'll be her first grandchild." He looked out the window and noticed it had begun to snow lightly again.

"So your mum is hosting Christmas this year right?" he spoke up.

"Oh yeah, she told me to invite you two for Christmas Eve and to spend the night. All you'll have to bring is some sort of dessert," Ron said.

"Any specific time yet?" Hermione asked.

"Around five thirty or six I guess."

"Alright, we'll be there," he told him, "Who else is coming?"

"Lupin and Tonks for the evening portion, then they said they'd be back for leftovers at lunch. Then of course Bill and Fleur, Charlie, Luna and a couple others I guess." After talking a while more and eating, Ron decided to head back home.

"Talk to ya soon?" he asked.

"You know it," Ron said. They waved good-bye and Ron left out through the front door. The rest of the night was spent hanging around in the living room, working on the tree, and then they wrote a conjoined letter to Bill and Fleur.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I'll try to post again by the end of the week