Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Merry Christmas From the Family
"I wish you were here."
It was two days before Christmas and just slightly over a week since Harry and Hermione broke up. The cheerful and festive look of Grimmauld Place was brought down by the dreary, and at times hostile, atmosphere the two human inhabitants had created. Though they weren't actively ignoring each other anymore they didn't talk much either. Whenever they did speak to each other it usually quickly descended into an argument, causing Crookshanks to go into hiding until long after the yelling had stopped and Dobby and Kreacher to busy themselves with cleaning the house, at times even going so far as to make a mess just so they actually had something to clean.
The hostility was taking its toll on the teens' friends as well. Everyone knew that they wanted to get back together but their egos and stubbornness were keeping them apart. It nearly drove Ron crazy every time he saw Harry look at Hermione with longing when the raven-haired teen thought no one would notice. Ginny went through a similar experience whenever Hermione spoke of Harry with thinly veiled love. Even McGonagall and Mad-Eye seemed somewhat distraught at the turn of events.
They had hoped that either Harry or Hermione would make the necessary first step before Christmas but, as it was already early evening of December twenty-third, they were losing hope that would happen. None of them wanted to spend Christmas with a Harry and Hermione that didn't speak to each other so they decided it was time for them to intervene. Ron, Tonks, and Ginny stepped out of the fireplace just as the two had finished their dinner, or Harry had anyway as indicated by the dishes he was currently washing. Without saying anything Tonks went to fetch Hermione, making sure that the younger Witch left her wand behind. As soon as they walked back in the kitchen Ron Disarmed Harry and Summoned his wand while Ginny magically locked the door.
"Sit," Ron ordered before either of his friends could question them. "It's time for this shit between you two to stop. You want to get back together, we know it, you know it, so why the hell are you being so damn stubborn about it? Harry I know she hurt you when she broke up with you because she was basically trying to take the easy way out, but is it really worth being like this? She might have hurt you but doing that caused her to realize how much you mean to her."
"It shouldn't have taken something like that to make her realize that," Harry said. Hermione opened her mouth to defend herself but Ginny held up her hand to silence her friend.
"No it shouldn't have," the youngest Weasley acknowledged, "but the important thing is that she did realize it and that she realized it now instead of when it was too late. Hermione is a very logical person, you know that Harry, and it takes her longer to accept things like this than someone who listens to their intuition as much as you do. And it's good that she doesn't go with her instincts as much as you because you balance each other out. You can't fault her for being logical and thinking about things, even if she does think too much sometimes. Now Hermione I know you're upset that Harry didn't tell you about the Snatchers at your family's house but you have to realize that he did what he thought was best. He knew that you assume the worst and worry yourself over nothing."
"He still should've told me." Before Harry could utter a single word in retaliation Ron cut him off.
"Don't say anything Harry. You're right Hermione he should've told you but the fact that he didn't, the fact that he cares so much about you even when you two are at odds with each other, should tell you how much you mean to him. Even with everything that's happened lately he still thought about you first, even if it was an odd way to show it. The point is that he made sure to let you know that your family is safe without giving you unnecessary reason to worry. Do you really think he would've taken the time to do that if he didn't care about you?"
"It's obvious that, despite the hurt and anger you may feel, you still love each other very much and want to be together." Tonks spoke for the first time since coming in. "You have to realize that every relationship goes through things like this. Running away because it's suddenly hard or not what you were expecting isn't the answer and neither is trying to hurt the other person to even things out so to speak. When two people really care about each other they don't break up just because they have a fight." Those last two sentences resonated with Harry and Hermione more than anything else that had been said so far and they both realized how immature they had been. They looked at each other and simultaneously rose from their chairs, joining hands as they did. With a quick word of thanks to them, Harry grabbed his wand from Ron, unlocked the door, and nearly dragged an eager Hermione behind him.
The three looked at each other in confusion until they heard a door slam shut on what sounded like the second floor and the unmistakable sounds of Hermione's moans. Their looks of confusion immediately turned to that of embarrassed understanding and they started wracking their brains for something, anything, to talk about. Before they could even say one word the sound of an almighty crash reached their ears. Ron was the first one to realize that it was probably a piece of the furniture.
"If they don't break everything in that room, I'll buy you both a butterbeer," Tonks said with a touch of humor.
"I guess that was really all they needed," Ginny began, "someone to just sit them down and work things out for them. They didn't want to see the other's point of view. I knew Harry would be stubborn about it but I never expected Hermione to act like that too."
"Being with Harry has really changed her," Ron responded. "Some of it's been for the worse but mostly he's changed her for the better. If nothing else she's a lot calmer now, for the most part at least." The end of Ron's statement was punctuated by the sound of something else breaking. "Er, maybe it's best if we let ourselves out. I don't think they're going to be coming back out here anytime soon." The two Witches agreed with him and they disappeared into the fireplace one by one.
Harry was lying in bed on his side with his right arm supporting Hermione's head and his left arm around her. Their left hands were entwined and both were panting heavily. Strewn around them was broken furniture of every kind, with only the bed and, miraculously, the nightstand still intact. They weren't sure what time it was, or how long they had been in the bedroom, but they knew that their lovemaking had so far lasted for several hours. Though they had built up a great deal of endurance since Harry's birthday even they had their limits and, as much as they would have loved to continue, they knew that they would have to rest soon. Their bodies just didn't have the energy to keep going for much longer.
At the time that didn't matter too much to them. The important thing was that they had made up and were emotionally back to the point where they could have sex. It wasn't until this moment that they both realized how much they missed physical intimacy with each other. For them it wasn't just about sex anymore. Yes the sex was still amazing and they both loved it, there was no denying that, but it had gone beyond that. Their intimacy was more than merely physical now and the emotion they felt every time they made love was more than anyone else could ever do. They both knew that they were stuck with each other for life since no one else could fill the void their absence would create. Not that either of them minded that fact.
Truthfully though this was just a bandage over the wound that had been created. They both knew that in order to fully heal and close the injury they would have to have a long discussion and lay some important things to rest, not least of which were the subjects of their arguments. It would be difficult, they were well aware of that fact, but they understood that this was something that had to be done to ensure that nothing like this happened again. That was one thing that they were both grateful about: now the relationship had matured and they were taking it more seriously. Before the breakup they both assumed that they were almost invincible and that nothing could ever tear them apart. Now they knew that there was no such thing as a perfect relationship and that a good relationship was based on how you settled your disagreements, not that you didn't have any in the first place.
"You know," Harry began, as he studied his and Hermione's joined hands, "the breakup was terrible but I'm not sorry it happened. I am sorry I hurt you but I feel like the breakup served a purpose. It might have been extreme but we learned from it."
"You're right," Hermione agreed. "It helped strengthen our relationship and we really grew up because of it. We've both always been mature for our age of course but the relationship wasn't and it's suffered because of that. We're really lucky actually. I've heard that when people break up and get back together the fire they had before usually isn't as intense but it burns much longer." Harry let out a mirthful laugh before responding.
"I think we've got the intensity covered, if these last several hours have been any indication. Do you have any idea how long we've been in here by the way?"
"Not really. It looks like it's eleven o'clock now so more than three hours. And I don't know about you but I'm getting really tired." Hermione's exhaustion was beginning to manifest itself as she started slurring her words. "My mind wants to stay awake but my body won't let me. Maybe we can finish this up tomorrow?" Harry nodded his agreement and the two reunited lovers drifted off to sleep before any of them could say another word.
They both woke up at eight the next morning and, after another few rounds of sex, finally got out of the bed for the first time in over twelve hours. They cooked breakfast together, which they hadn't done it nearly a month, and sat at the table casually talking as they ate. It wasn't until that moment that they both fully realized how much they had missed each other over the past week. Even something as simple as eating together was much better when they were with someone than when they were alone. One thing they were both aware of though, even as they ate, was that they couldn't spend all their time together. This was proven when, after they finished eating, Hermione went to finish up the homework she had left while Harry went back upstairs to fix the broken furniture before watching the television. Oddly enough he had already finished his homework a few days into the break. Around one o'clock, they heard the fireplace roar and Ron's voice announcing his and Luna's presence.
"Ah, good, you two are finished making up," the redhead said when the two came into the kitchen. He sat down at the table with Luna taking the seat beside him while Harry and Hermione sat opposite him.
"Yes, we've made up, for the time being at least," Hermione responded with a grin. "And we really wanna thank you for your help Ron. And Ginny and Dora as well, but neither of them are here right now."
"Well you can always thank them tomorrow. You're still having Christmas here right?" Harry nodded.
"Of course. It's the first Christmas we're celebrating as a couple and we want all our friends to show up, so that includes you Luna. We'll be disappointed if you aren't here." Luna smiled at Harry's words.
"Daddy and I are going to have our Christmas tomorrow morning and then I'll be here in the afternoon. Oh I hope he can find me a horn." Before Hermione could ask what Luna was talking about Ron gave her a look that clearly said not to ask. The sight made Harry laugh, which he tried to pass off as a violent cough. It seemed that, despite the affection they felt for each other, Ron still couldn't take too much of listening to Luna's imaginary creatures. It was understandable of course; while it was nice that Luna had an imagination and was strong-willed enough to hold onto her beliefs it could get tiring to listen to them all the time. Nevertheless they all loved Luna, Ron more than the other two obviously, and were more than happy to listen to her and even indulge in her fantasies at times.
"I'm glad you two got back together," Luna continued, clearly not noticing the exchange. "I thought you might be suffering from nargles in the mistletoe at first. It was odd to see you two break up like that." Harry and Hermione looked at each other, neither completely sure if the last two sentences were supposed to comforting.
"Er, thanks Luna, I think," Harry responded. "We're glad to be back together too. No offense you two but is there a reason you're over here? We weren't expecting anyone to come over and we really don't have much to offer other than the usual butterbeer."
"That's fine with me." The words had barely left Ron's mouth before he had risen from his chair and walked over to the refrigerator. He pulled out two butterbeers and walked back to the table, handing one to Luna as he sat back down. He took a long drink from the beverage before answering them. "No, we really don't have a reason for coming over. I wanted to know how things went last night, though I had a pretty good idea already, and Luna wanted to come with me. I thought that maybe we could just spend time together today since it's really the first day we've had to hang out since school let out. Well it's the first time all three of us have been able to hang out without you two being upset with each other."
"Ronald you just had lunch ten minutes ago," Luna suddenly chastised him as he drained the last of his butterbeer. "Harry and Hermione were nice enough to give you their drinks and you've already finished it."
"What? I was thirsty." Luna looked at Harry and Hermione and gave them an apologetic look. They waved off the apology, both having gotten used to Ron's behavior long ago. Harry got the redhead another butterbeer, also taking the opportunity to grab one for himself and Hermione, and the four of them followed up on Ron's idea, spending the rest of the day together as nothing more than teenagers.
Hermione woke the next morning with a very pleasant sensation: Harry's morning erection pressing into her bum. As much as she wanted to do something about it the fact that it was Christmas morning overpowered that urge and she carefully slipped out from beneath the covers. She looked out the window and was overjoyed to see that there was nearly a foot of snow on the ground and more continued to fall. Despite the fact that she was eighteen years old, Hermione had the same excitement on Christmas that she had had since she was a little girl. There was just something about this day that brought out the child in her. She stood at the window admiring the snow as she satisfyingly stretched her naked form.
Behind her, she could hear Harry shuffling around on the bed and waking up when he realized that she wasn't in there with him. His head quickly turned as he looked for her, spotting her from her position at the window. He quietly crept up behind her and wrapped his arms around her midriff. His erection pressed into her again and Hermione couldn't help but giggle, knowing that he couldn't control his body at this early in the morning. She was thankful that he obviously wasn't interested in sex right now and that his holding her was simply an act of endearment.
"Happy Christmas Hermione," the young Wizard softly said as he watched the snow with her.
"Happy Christmas Harry." Hermione smile as she thought about how close to perfect this scene was. The only wish she had was that they were wearing clothes instead of standing in the buff but that was a minor detail that she had no problem overlooking for the moment. The two of them stood at the window for several minutes just watching the snow until Harry's stomach growled loudly, announcing that it was demanding to be fed. "I guess we'll have to watch the snow some other time," the brunette Witch sighed. The words had barely left her mouth when her own stomach added its growling noises to Harry's.
The two teens reluctantly turned away from the window and dressed themselves before going down to the kitchen. What they saw upon entering the room made their mouths drop in shock. Sitting on the table was what could only be described as a small feast. Kreacher and Dobby stood at the head of the table, both looking pleased with themselves. It was obvious that this was their present to their masters or at least one present anyway.
"Dobby, Kreacher, you two did all this?" Harry asked in astonishment as he and Hermione sat down.
"Yes Master Harry," Kreacher responded. "Wes worked for two hours to give yous a nice Christmas feast." Harry looked at Hermione with his mouth slightly open. He knew that Kreacher had become quite fond of them over the past month and a half but he never dreamed the elf would like them enough to do something like this. On the other hand he wouldn't have been surprised if Dobby announced that he had worked on the meal throughout the night without sleep.
"Well we appreciate this but we can't eat it all ourselves," Hermione told the two house elves. "We want you two to join us. You're family too." A look of shock and fear appeared on both Kreacher and Dobby's faces. They had never been asked to join their family to eat before and they were understandably nervous about it, wondering if it was a trick. Eventually their minds returned to functioning normally and they realized that Harry and Hermione would never do anything to trick them like this. The two teens were the best masters any elf could ever hope for.
Once breakfast was over Harry and Hermione went into the living room to open their presents. For the most part their gifts were nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary. Harry received a rather large dagger from Shadow for "emergencies," as the letter with it said, and oddly enough the book that Rita Skeeter had written about Dumbledore from the disgraced writer herself. The note with it said that Skeeter sent the book to Harry as an apology for her article in August that proclaimed him dead, though the raven-haired teen had an idea that she was hoping for his assistance with something. The most unusual present Harry received was a set of keys from Hermione.
"Er, sweetheart, while I do appreciate everything you give me what the hell is this?" Hermione gave her boyfriend a rather cryptic smile.
"You'll have to go outside and see Harry. I'm pretty sure you'll like it." With a look of wonderment, Harry rose to his feet and went outside to find out what the brunette Witch was talking about. He didn't have to look too hard to find what the keys belonged to: there on the street was the very same flying motorcycle that once belonged to Sirius. Harry didn't have any words to describe how he was feeling as Hermione walked up behind him. "I summoned Sirius and talked to him about where the bike was and how to get it here. It turns out that Hagrid had it and he was more than happy to give it up for you. He felt that it was rightfully yours and he knew you'd like it."
Harry turned around and pulled Hermione into a very passionate kiss. It was below freezing outside and they were both shivering from the cold but neither of them cared at the moment. Harry wanted to show Hermione how thankful he was and Hermione wanted to let him. When she felt that she couldn't stand the cold anymore though she knew she had no choice but to end the kiss.
"Harry, babe, while I do love you kissing me, I think it'll be best if we go back in and finish opening the presents. It's getting too cold to be out here right now." Harry nodded and grabbed her hand, leading her back inside. Hermione only had two presents left and she chose to open Harry's first. Inside was a wand holster like Harry's and a pair of earrings that matched the necklace he gave her back in November after their first Quidditch match. "You've come a long way from giving me books I see, but that might be because you're running out of books to get me. I think giving me the Kama Sutra for my birthday might have proven that, though I'm sure that was a present for both of us."
Harry didn't bother with saying anything as he gave his girlfriend a cheeky grin. Hermione smiled and rolled her eyes as she picked up her last present. This one had no tag on it saying who it was from and the brunette was understandably somewhat hesitant about opening it. She needed have worried though: inside the box was a beautiful bracelet and a framed picture of her family in the States. A tear fell on the glass as she lightly ran her hand over it.
"I wish you were here," she said so softly that Harry almost didn't hear her. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close to him. She leaned into him as she continued to admire the picture.
"Don't worry," Harry told her. "As soon as we defeat Voldemort we'll bring them back over here so you can be together again. I know it kills you that they're not over here sharing Christmas with us but I promise that they'll be here next year." Hermione just nodded against his shoulder and the two sat like that for several minutes.
The rest of the morning went by rather slowly for the two teens. They spent the time preparing for the party that seemed like it would never come. Finally, around noon, the Weasleys showed up quickly followed by Neville. In the next hour Remus, Sophia, and Tonks joined them and Luna arrived about one-thirty. For the rest of the afternoon other members of the Order popped in and out as the party at Grimmauld Place picked up. Gifts were exchanged between each other; games were played; Firewhiskey, butterbeer, and food were regularly consumed; and drunken songs were sang towards the end of the night.
As the day began to wind down and people started to leave, some having to be helped to the fireplace, Harry and Hermione couldn't help but evaluate their first Christmas party. All in all, they were quite pleased with it. Yes they might have supplied too much alcohol but that was a minor detail that could be overlooked for the time being. They were both happy that their first Christmas party went off without any trouble and people genuinely seemed to have a good time. Of course it helped that everyone who was there already knew each other and were at least on good terms with each other. It also turned out to be a good thing that most people had no desire to stay very late. By nine o'clock everyone had left and Harry and Hermione were cleaning up with Kreacher and Dobby.
"Why don't we leave these dishes for tomorrow and finish making up?" Hermione suggested, dumping the rest of the dirty dishes in the sink. The words had barely left her mouth when Harry pulled her into a passionate kiss and tried to simultaneously lead her to the bedroom. He wasn't as successful as he had hoped to be and had to break the kiss to keep from falling over, much to Hermione's amusement and chagrin. He practically raced up the stairs with his girlfriend's hand in his, forcing her to almost run to keep up with him though she admittedly wasn't complaining. Once inside the room they wasted no time in picking up where they left off the other day and were soon naked in bed again, Harry making Hermione scream with pleasure. Two hours later they lay breathless on the mattress, their legs still entwined. Hermione looked at her boyfriend with nothing but love in her eyes, happy that she could give him a present like this despite all they had been through in the past week.
"I love you Harry," the brunette told her other half as she started to drift off to sleep. "Happy Christmas."
"Happy Christmas Hermione," Harry responded, giving her a light but loving kiss. "I love you too." The last words he spoke before falling into the land of dreams were, "This is the best Christmas I've had yet."