December Prompt #3: Santa
"Hermione, get dressed! Quickly!" Ginny shrieked, running into the room she and Hermione were sharing at the Burrow.
Startled, Hermione cried out and dropped her bowl on her open book, splattering the chocolate pudding on the pages. "Oh, Merlin, no! No, no, no, no! My book!" She sobbed, holding up the book with trembling hands.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Hermione," Ginny said with a groan. She pulled out her wand and cast a Scorgify on the book; unfortunately, the spell only ruined the book even more.
Hermione yanked the book from Ginny's hands and did cry at the now-smudged words. "It's completely ruined… My poor book..."
"I'll buy you another one," Ginny promised, grabbing Hermione's book and tossing it over her shoulder at the bed. She yanked Hermione up by her arms and squealed, "You have to get dressed in a sexy yet casual outfit right now!"
"What? Why?"
Ginny shook her head. "No time to explain! The boys will be here in half an hour! Move it!" And with that, she shoved Hermione towards the cupboard. "Grab whatever is most sexy but casual!"
"I don't have any sexy, casual things, Gin. Those two words shouldn't be describing the same thing."
"Fuck! I'll loan you something then," Ginny said quickly, hurrying over to her side and almost ripping the door off its hinges in her attempt to get to her clothes. She threw shirts and dresses and shorts over her shoulder, leaning farther and farther into the cupboard until only her legs were visible to Hermione.
Finally, Ginny came out of the closet. She held a low-cut ruby-red Christmas sweater in her hand along with a pair of tight jeans. She raised to her eye level and then nodded. "Put this on. Quick!"
Hermione groaned but did as Ginny had ordered. When she returned from the bathroom, she whined, "Ginny, your jeans are too tight."
"Your arse looks great in those! It makes me want to squeeze it," Ginny said instantly, reaching over and squeezing it just to prove her point.
Hermione's face reddened and she began tugging the sweater down, but Ginny stopped her and adjusted the neckline to reveal just a hint of cleavage. Ginny then began fluffing Hermione's hair. She dragged her towards the dressing table and applied a quick coat of lip gloss on Hermione's lips. She smacked Hermione's cheeks a bit just to bring out the natural redness, which made Hermione cry out in protest, but Ginny refused to stop until she was happy with the result.
"Okay, you look perfect!" Just then, there was a loud commotion downstairs, and a wicked smile appeared on Ginny's lips. "And we're just in time!"
"Time for what?"
"Let's go!" Ginny grabbed Hermione's arm and dragged her down the stairs.
The moment they reached the bottom of the stairs, Hermione understood what was going on, and she was secretly grateful that Ginny had made her change into something better than her ratty sweatpants and t-shirt.
Wearing a Santa suit (fortunately, without the beard), Viktor Krum stood in the doorway, a huge red bag slung over his shoulder. The rest of the Weasleys surrounded him from all sides, and the sound of excited chatter and laughter reverberated through the Burrow as everyone swarmed him with questions and comments.
Hermione couldn't look away from that Santa suit. The white fur-trimmed red jacket framed his strong physique, and the red trousers hugged his legs, emphasizing his muscular thighs. A matching red hat was flung haphazardly over his shoulder, only making Viktor look even more dashing than usual. Hermione wanted to sit on his lap and—
"Krum! You're here!" Ginny yelled as she ran up to give Viktor a hug. Hermione was filled with an intense urge to rip Ginny's hair out—even though she knew Ginny wasn't interested in Viktor and was perfectly happy with Luna.
As if sensing her burning jealousy, Ginny looked over her shoulder and waved Hermione over from where she stood on the bottom stair. "Hey, Hermione, look who's here!"
Hermione's breath hitched when Viktor grinned and looked up towards her. Their eyes met, and Hermione was suddenly reminded of her large crush on her former date to the Yule Ball.
Back then, Viktor had been a broad-shouldered boy who walked around, self-conscious about his body and gait, but now, there was no hint of that insecure boy in those masculine features. Hermione's heart pounded against her ribs when her eyes trailed up from his muscular thighs to his bulging biceps and thick shoulders. Her jaw fell a little when she noticed a hint of a tattoo peeking out from the side of his neck, and then... she noticed his beard and her mouth instantly watered.
Hermione had never thought she would be attracted to men with beards, but damn, Viktor's beard was the stuff of wet dreams and romance novels. His stubble was long and almost a full beard; Hermione had the wildest urge to run her fingers through the curls and lick her way down his throat. She had to hold back from outright whimpering when Viktor licked his lips and smirked at her heated glances.
"Hermione," Viktor breathed out, pronouncing her name perfectly, and Hermione's legs actually trembled at the sound of her name being spoken so breathlessly by this gorgeous, gorgeous hunk of man.
"Viktor," she whispered, her eyes trained on his mouth. Oh, how she wanted that mouth on her body! She could easily imagine being pushed up against the wall as that sinful mouth moved over hers while his hands gripped her waist so hard it bruised. She could imagine the way his thigh would slide between hers and—
"Come on, Viktor, let's go play a game of Quidditch," someone yelled, breaking Hermione's daydream, and the moment was gone.
"Let me just drop this off first," Viktor said, gesturing to the big bag on his shoulder. He stepped away from the stairs—from Hermione—and moved towards the living room.
Hermione openly ogled his arse in those tight red trousers that hugged him so perfectly, her brain short-circuiting at the sight, and Ginny smacked her head hard enough for Hermione to stumble into the bannister. Ginny laughed and said cheekily, "Stop eye-fucking him, Hermione. We're in public…"
"But, Ginny…" Even to her own ears, Hermione's voice sounded breathless, wanton, so she tried to clear her throat and tried again. "But, Ginny…"
"This is hilarious," Ginny said, clutching onto her belly and laughing heartily. "You two can't stop staring at each other. I really should have seen this coming—wait, I did."
"You invited him, didn't you, you little menace?" Hermione demanded, trying not to run into the living room and fling herself at Viktor.
"Guilty as charged," Ginny said, not at all apologetic. "After the match against Bulgaria, Viktor and I were at the pub with the rest of our teams, and he said that he wasn't doing anything on Christmas, so I invited him over. Isn't that just fantastic?"
"Why is he dressed as Santa?" Hermione almost whimpered as she thought of the figure-hugging red suit and those black dragonhide boots that hugged his calves just so—
"I'm going to deliver presents to children at St Mungo's. Ginny asked," Viktor said, suddenly appearing near them.
Hermione almost screamed at his sudden appearance, but then, she realised what he had just said. Her mouth went dry and her ovaries exploded at the thought of Viktor handing out presents to little children, and she choked out, "You are?"
Viktor nodded, a small smile playing on those delicious lips of his. "I think they should be happy around this time of year, yes?"
Hermione's brain was blank as she shakily nodded, unable to say a word.
Viktor suddenly leaned towards her, and the scent of cloves wafted off him when he said, "Would you like to come with me? I am sure the children would like to see the Hermione Granger as a special Christmas gift."
"O-okay," Hermione stammered out weakly. No way was she missing out on the chance to see Viktor interact with children at a hospital, especially dressed like Santa. She cleared her throat and said, "That would be nice."
"Wonderful!" Viktor smiled, and Hermione almost swooned at how bright and heartwarming it was. There was no way she could spend the rest of the day without begging him to just take her.
Harry walked up to them and said, "But before you two can go to St Mungo's, we were thinking we could have a round of Quidditch. What do you say?"
Viktor tapped his chin and thought for a moment before nodding. "I will join in if Hermione cheers me on."
"That will never—" Harry started to say, but Hermione surprised them all—including herself.
"Of course, I will," she said, ignoring Ginny's amused look. She did her best not to imagine herself wearing a little cheerleader costume that barely covered her bottom and Viktor throwing her onto a couch, pushing her thighs apart, and nestling himself in between her legs. She did her best not to imagine how perfectly he would fit there, but of course, she failed.
"You will?" Harry asked, sounding like a dying kitten. "But you hate Qui—"
"Yes, she will," Ginny said, elbowing Harry in the ribs in an obvious attempt to silence him. She grinned and said teasingly, "And besides, I know for a fact that Hermione wants to learn how to play Quidditch, too."
"What?" Harry and Hermione cried out in unison. Hermione had no idea what Ginny was up to, but with that grin it couldn't be anything good.
"You do?" Viktor asked, leaning into her and almost pushing her up against the staircase.
Unable to think properly, Hermione stumbled and Viktor caught her by her waist. The scent of broom polish, cloves, and sweaters enveloped her from all sides, and for the first time ever, Hermione's mind was completely silent.
His hands were on her waist too. The warmth of his hands radiated through her sweater, and Hermione's heart almost gave out on her. It was the reason why she blurted out, "I wouldn't mind learning from you."
Viktor's eyes twinkled like the bloody stars, and Hermione closed her eyes against the image, not being able to handle it. When Viktor's warm breath washed over her face, her eyes fluttered open and her breath hitched when she realised how close he was to her.
His lips were right there… She only had to move a few centimetres and she would be able to taste that goddamn sweet-looking mouth of his. She swallowed, and his deep, warm eyes flickered to her throat.
Hermione wanted to both run away screaming in terror at her intense reaction and lean in to close the distance between them. She could practically taste him on her tongue; she imagined he would taste both sweet and sultry—if anything could taste sultry, it would be Viktor.
That thought immediately led her to wonder what else he might taste like. She let out a quiet whimper at the image of her on her knees practically worshipping him.
Viktor's lips turned up in a slow and oh-so-fucking-charming smile. "I'd love to teach you, Hermione."
Teach me what? Hermione's one-track mind was still focused on imagining her tongue lavishing proper attention to his abs and slowly moving down his body.
"I'll teach you how to fly, lyubima," Viktor murmured, his eyes trained on her mouth—or was she just imagining it?
"Wow," Harry said, breaking whatever the hell was going on between Hermione and Viktor. "I can't believe you'll teach Mione to fly—it's like when Muggles say 'when pigs fly,' but for us, we say 'when Hermione flies.' It's just so funny."
Hermione scowled and turned away from Viktor. She thought she heard him inhale sharply, but it was probably just her vivid imagination. She ignored it and leaned over to poke Harry's chest. "Don't make fun of me, Harry Potter. I know all your dirty secrets."
"So does the rest of the wizarding world. You're not that special," Harry teased.
"Now, now," Viktor interjected, taking a step closer. Hermione's breath hitched in her throat when his hard chest bumped into her back. He lowered his voice and said in a deep pitch, "That's no way to talk to a beautiful lady."
"What are you all talking about?" Ron asked, walking over from the kitchen, a large slice of pie in his hand.
"Viktor's going to teach Mione how to fly," Harry said with a snicker.
"Pfft! Stop joking around, Harry," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "If you don't want to tell me the truth, don't. But don't lie to me."
Hermione bristled with indignation. She snapped at Ron, "Viktor really is going to teach me how to fly."
"It's true," Viktor murmured, placing his hands on either side of her waist and leaning into her. "In fact, let's go do it right now."
Do it right now. Hermione's mind immediately decided on changing the meaning of those innocent words, and her face warmed.
"Come with me, Hermione," Viktor whispered, his breath ghosting over her ear. Hermione whimpered at the double-edged words.
Why was Viktor so close to her? Why did he have to smell so good? Why were his hands so warm? And why in Merlin's name was she so attracted to him while he was dressed as Santa?
"Okay," she mumbled right before Viktor spun her around, wrapped his strong arms around her body, and then Apparated out of there.
They landed in the garden behind the Burrow, Viktor's arms still wrapped around her waist, her face buried in his chest. She shuddered at the feelings coursing through her but did her best to pull away from him.
Surprisingly, Viktor didn't let go of her. Instead, he pulled her flush against his body and let his hand run up her spine, over her shoulder blades and into her hair. He swallowed heavily as he cupped the back of her head. "Hermione…"
Hermione squeaked out a weak, "Viktor?" and waited for him to explain himself. Why were his fingers splayed out on her back so possessively? Why did she want to climb him like a tree and stick to him like a baby koala rather than yell at him for his dominating action?
"I'm so tired of fighting this, lyubima," Viktor growled through his clenched jaw. He dropped his forehead against hers even though he had to bend his knees a little to do it. He tightened his grip on her hair, but it didn't hurt her.
"I… don't understand," Hermione whispered, trying to sound composed but failing. Even to her own ears, her voice sounded shaky.
"Tell me I'm not the only one who can feel this… this thing between us," Viktor pleaded—no, begged. "Please tell me, my darling."
Hermione's legs buckled under her at the term of endearment. She murmured, "You're not wrong… I can feel it, too."
"Let me kiss you, lyubov moya."
"Hell, yes," Hermione blurted out, her face warming when Viktor grinned at her enthusiasm.
But then, all her thoughts were silenced when Viktor leaned down and kissed her.
His tongue immediately parted her lips, and Hermione rocked on her heels, hungrier than she'd ever been. When one of his hands found her curls and fisted it, tugging her head back, she nipped at his lower lip and arched her back, needing more. She dug her nails into his shoulders, trying to keep him close, even though her lungs demanded she let him go so she could breathe in some much-needed oxygen—but who would choose to breathe when they had Viktor Krum's tongue down their throat?
Unfortunately, they finally parted, and Hermione was left panting and gasping for breath, still wanting more, more, more. Something clenched in her chest when she noticed Viktor's appearance. His lips were bruised, his hair stood on its ends, his breath came out in harsh pants, his chest heaving. His dark eyes resembled deep chasms that Hermione would gladly jump into if she was given the opportunity.
"Tolkova si krasiva," Viktor mumbled, his lips turning up in a goofy smile. He pulled her in for another fierce kiss that had her toes curling inside her boots, her heart thundering against her ribs, and her brain going on an indefinite holiday.
The combination of cinnamon, apricots and plums on his tongue was strange but still heady, and Hermione couldn't get enough of his taste. At the back of her mind, she knew she was acting quite unlike herself, but she didn't care. She was kissing Viktor-freaking-Krum!
Viktor pulled back slowly and licked his lips. "I can't get enough of you. What have you done to me, you wonderful, wonderful witch?"
Uncharacteristically, Hermione giggled and buried her face in his chest. "More like, what have you done to me?"
Viktor shook his head and murmured, "I haven't done anything to you. It is you who has cast a spell on me."
Hermione gasped and pulled back to look up at him with shock. "I would never!"
Viktor grinned down at her before picking her up like she weighed nothing more than a handful of grapes. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist and was fascinated by the feeling of his hard body in between her thighs. Viktor tilted her chin up and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth before making his way to her jaw and then down the side of her neck.
"Viktor," Hermione mumbled, scratching his scalp with her short nails. She whimpered when he began sucking on the spot right underneath her ear. "Viktor!"
"Yes, my love?" Viktor growled, nipping at her skin and sending Hermione's mind into a blissful haze.
"We… outside," she mumbled, trying to sound coherent but failing miserably.
"I don't care," Viktor whispered, peppering kisses on her neck. He clutched onto her harder as if she would leave him—not that the thought would ever cross her mind if he kept doing that thing with his tongue.
"Woah, what in Merlin's pants—" Ron yelled from behind before Ginny shushed him. Unfortunately, the moment was broken.
"It's obviously in Viktor's pants and not Merlin's," George's amused voice corrected. Viktor groaned under his breath and buried his face in her hair, his arms still tight around her.
"It's trying to get into Hermione's though," Harry said with a snicker, embarrassing Hermione even more.
"Let's leave them alone," Ginny said sharply. Hermione looked up and found Ginny trying to herd her brothers and Harry away from the garden, but the damage was already done.
Hermione reluctantly pulled away from Viktor and mumbled, "I'm going to hex them all."
Viktor grinned and bent his head to whisper in her ear, "How about we go to St Mungo's right now? The sooner I finish handing out the gifts, the sooner I can get back to kissing you."
Hermione decided it was a brilliant idea. She ran her hands up his biceps just because she could—and she loved the feeling of his muscles bunching up under her touch—and entwined her fingers behind his neck.
"Lead the way, Santa."
