Here it is! The long-awaited sixth chapter. This one's got the Christmas Eve party in it as you can tell by the chapter's title. I think this is my longest chapter yet. I really hope everyone likes it. Please don't forget to review when you're done reading it.
And THANK YOU VERY MUCH once again to my beta, quirkyslayer and ALL my wonderful reviewers. You're the fuel that keeps this story going. Much love to everyone.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry. Wish I did though…
Enjoy!
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Everything Is Just Roses
Chapter 6: "Christmas Eve"
Her boot-clad feet clunked against the cement sidewalk. As she hurried to work, thoughts about her wedding bombarded her.
Her mother had told her that the plans for her wedding were being taken care of and that everything was set in motion. That was the thing about her mum; she took great pleasure in planning it all herself and said that all Hermione had to do was walk down the aisle. She trusted her mother's taste, so she let her do anything she wanted. Besides, Hermione didn't have the patience or attention span for something like planning a wedding. So who was she to argue?
The tiny bell above the door chimed when she entered Sabrina. "Once again, thanks to whomever opened up today," Hermione called out. "And I'm so very sorry for being out these past couple of days!"
"It's okay, sweetie!" Luna assured, approaching Hermione and hugging her. Neville and Ms. Muff came out of the back room. "Harry told us everything. Isn't it just wonderful that he's back?"
Hermione froze. He told them everything? That wasn't exactly like him to do that. She'd expect it out of Ron, but Harry? "He…did?" Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried to sound nonchalant.
"Of course!" Ms. Muff piped up, taking Hermione hand and patting it gently. "That nice young man came around here yesterday evening, just before we closed up, and told us you've been so sick these past few days that you could barely get out of bed. We're so glad you've recuperated."
"Oh…" Hermione said feebly, coughing weakly for effect. "Yeah, I'm much better now though."
"And it's great to hear it!" Neville gave her a huge bear hug, almost lifting her off the ground.
"So yeah! Isn't it great that he's back?" Luna queried when Hermione was in the back room taking off her coat, scarf, and hat.
"Who?"
"Harry of course!"
"Oh…yeah! It's great! Really great!"
Luna giggled. "I had to go out and buy another gift yesterday after he came."
"A gift?"
"Yes a gift! Duh! For Christmas. You have done your Christmas shopping, haven't you?"
In all honesty, she hadn't. With all that had been going on lately, Hermione had completely forgotten about it. "Umm…"
Luckily, she didn't have to think up an excuse because Luna said, "Well if you haven't you better do it soon. My party's on Saturday. Harry told me that you were coming. You are coming right? Anyway, everyone has to bring the gift they bought for the person they bring with them. Your person is of course, Ron. It's like a Secret Santa, only not so secret. 'cause I know who everyone's person is. You know?"
"I think so," Hermione replied, hoping she understood Luna's usual airiness.
"Oh, and do you mind getting a gift for Harry, too? Since he's not really going out with anyone right now, I don't know who to pair him with and I don't want him to be without a gift."
Hermione didn't answer, feeling a twinge of sadness in her chest. 'Poor Harry…'
"Well?"
"Huh? Oh, sure."
That evening, after closing up, Hermione went Christmas shopping. First, she would shop for Ron's gift. Ron…Hermione had left him this morning with a false sense of security that she'd done the right thing. She'd accepted Ron's apology without question or need of an excuse. Sometimes, she really thought herself stupid, but hey, this was the guy she was going to marry, so she needed to learn not to forgive him so easily. And anyway, that night was partly her fault, which was why her present to him would be dinner reservations on Christmas night at the new hot restaurant run by the Patil sisters. It was called 'Patils' Petals.' Cheesy name; great food.
For Luna, Hermione opted for the newest broomstick-shaped earrings that zoomed after anything shiny and gold if you weren't careful. And for Neville, she picked up a rare first-edition copy of 'Herbology: The Backbone of the Wizarding World' from a used bookstore. After shopping for almost anyone else she could think of, Hermione stopping at The Three Broomsticks to take a break and think of what to get the only person left on her list: Harry.
Madame Rosemerta came to Hermione's table in the back corner of the pub by the window and asked her what she would like. "One bottle of Butterbeer, please," Hermione answered.
"Comin' right up, love."
As she sipped her drink, Hermione spent a lot of time thinking about what to get Harry. She wracked her brain, but with all the different things she could think of, nothing seemed good enough for him.
Then, suddenly the very person she was mulling about came down the stairs from the inn on the floor above. His heather grey, ribbed turtleneck and khaki pants hugged his gorgeous body in all the right places. Hermione remembered the incident in her bathroom when he had first come to see her and blushed. She watched as he casually placed his elbows on the bar counter and leaned over to ask Madame Rosemerta for a beverage. He took the butterbeer she handed him with gratitude and turn around, propping his lower back against the counter. As he drank, his eyes scanned the crowd of people sitting at the tables and found Hermione. They locked eyes and froze, and their moments intertwined. Harry then crossed the room, heading toward her.
When she realized that he was approaching her, she relieved the stool next to her of all the Christmas merchandise. He slid onto it gracefully.
"Hey," he greeted her in a low husky voice that made her shiver.
"Hi…"
"Glad to see you out and about. Christmas shopping?"
"Yeah."
"Taking a break?"
"Yup."
Harry silently nodded, then eyed Hermione slyly, turning a quick peek at her packages. "Anything in there for me?"
A devilish smile crept onto Hermione's face. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
They were quiet for a while, each one fiddling with their own bottle of Butterbeer. "Harry?"
"Mm?"
"Thank you so much. You know, for the other day. That was really sweet of you. Even though you did put me in the tub with my clothes still on."
"Would you rather me have taken them off first?" teased Harry playfully.
"No!" Hermione yelped a little too quickly. Then, more relaxed: "No. Leaving them on was the right thing."
Hermione felt uncomfortable, and she could sense that Harry felt the same. She hoped that she hadn't offended him, but then again, it wasn't like he was her boyfriend…
"So are you going to Luna and Neville's party with anyone?" Hermione asked, wondering if Luna was right, secretly hoping she was.
Harry shook his head, biting at his bottom lip that was turning red.
"Well, it's okay!" Hermione exclaimed in an overly chipper tone. "It's not like it's mandatory!" Harry looked up at her with melancholy eyes. Bloody brilliant, she had tried to make things better but seemed to have only made them worse.
"You're going with Ron then?" he wondered in a small voice after a while, though it sounded more like an obvious statement rather than a question.
"Yeah…" Hermione replied, her voice equally small. Her gaze fell; she didn't know what to say. On the one hand, she really wanted him to have someone to go with. But on the other hand, for some reason…she didn't.
When she glimpsed up, his face was so close to hers—closer in fact, than the previous day. His beautiful green eyes drank more of her in with every second. Ever inch of her trembled, and it wasn't because of the cold draft of air that came in with each new customer of The Three Broomsticks. No. It was his warmth that made her tremble. She didn't know what to do or what to think or what to feel. An overwhelming feeling of yearning filled her. She couldn't keep doing this. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she breathed. Not able to take it anymore, she stumbled out of her seat and, gathering her bags, fled the pub. Hermione kept running until she couldn't hear Harry's voice call her name anymore.
When Hermione got home that night she immediately felt bad about what she'd done to Harry. In a way, it was more her fault than his. She felt like she was leading him on. But…why? She wouldn't really lead anyone on. She only reacted to those who, or rather he who…
No. She couldn't think about that now. Hermione had to figure out what to give Harry. It had to be something to make it up for running away from him, and she knew just the thing.
Hermione took a piece of parchment and cut four small squares the size of business cards from it. Then she pierced a hole through the side of each of them before stringing them and tying them together with a ribbon. On the first card she wrote 'Dinner With a Friend', on the second 'Coffee on Hermione', on the third 'One Shoulder Massage', and one the fourth she wrote 'Reusable: Someone To Talk To.' Then, she looked at it and smiled proudly at her homemade coupon book. Whenever he wanted to do any of the things that were on the cards, he would give her that card and they would do it—except for the last one. That one he would keep and could use for as long as he liked.
Hermione finished and felt anxious. She hoped Harry could forgive her.
Saturday evening came around quickly. By the time Ron can to pick Hermione up, she was fully dressed and ready. When he knocked, she gave herself one last once-over in her full-length mirror. Her curls were down and flowed nicely over her shoulders. She wore a short white dress that had a ruffled, tiered skirt and strappy, silver stilettos. She felt absolutely perfect.
"Hey! You look absolutely ravishing!" Ron greeted her excitedly at the door. "Ready to go?"
"Yup," Hermione answered, putting on her coat and shouldering her purse. She took his hand and they left.
The first thing Hermione saw when the door to Neville's apartment opened was Luna's enormous smile. "Oh my gosh! You guys look wonderful!"
Both Ron and Hermione thanked her graciously.
"So come in!" Luna exclaimed, excitedly ushering them inside out of the cold.
Neville took their coats and hung them in the closet by the door when they entered. Hermione peered around at the apartment.
The place was beautiful. Tiny pea-sized stars were drifting to and fro everywhere. Brilliant tufts of a cloud-like shimmering material illuminated and covered the floor, giving the impression of sparkling snow. There was a huge Christmas tree in the sitting room. It was adorned with a dazzling assortment of decorations from the traditional Muggle-type popcorn-on-a-string to the Wizarding world's own Silent Mini-Fireworks. These exploded at random intervals in various places on the tree sending rainbow sparks flying everywhere, but held no noise. Tiny fairies whizzed about the tree, striking it with their microscopic wands every now and then, changing the color of it from green, to red, to white, to gold, and back again. A large jewel-encrusted, golden star sat atop the tree proudly.
Quite a few of the guests had already arrived. Parvati Patil and Fred Weasley, Padma Patil and George Weasley, Fleur Delacour and Bill Weasley, and Lavender Brown and Seamus Finnigan were just a few of the couples socializing.
"Welcome, welcome!" Luna exclaimed. "You can give your gifts whenever you like. Food and drinks are at that table over there." She pointed to a long table, which was placed conveniently off to the side of the sitting room, heaped with all kinds of food such as turkey, thick rich gravy, cranberry sauce, Christmas pudding and cake, trifle, and eggnog. It all looked so inviting. "Well…have fun!"
Once Luna had gone to join Neville in his conversation with Bill, Hermione turned to Ron and said, "My gift to you is reservations at Parvati's and Padma's new restaurant, 'Patils' Petals,' for tomorrow night. I thought, you know, maybe…we could make a better go of a date than what happened last time…"
"I'd like that," Ron said, smiling. "Thank you."
Hermione smiled back. Ron moved closer to her to kiss her, but he only kissed her forehead.
"Oh yes, now it's your turn." He pulled a long red leather box from his pocket and handed it to her. "Open it."
Hermione held the box tenderly, and in an excited motion, she opened it. A sparkling diamond bracelet rested inside. "Ron!" Hermione gasped. "It's beautiful, thank you!"
"Here," Ron offered, taking the bracelet from the box and fastening it onto her wrist. "Look's great."
"It is." She smiled prettily at his gesture.
"Now," Ron said, kissing Hermione on the cheek this time. "Go mingle." And he left to go talk with Lavender and Seamus.
Hermione stood alone for a few moments, clutching her purse, not knowing what to do or who to talk to. Why did Ron have to leave her like that? Everyone she looked at seemed already engaged in a conversation. She didn't feel like intruding on any of them. Then she saw Harry, standing off to the side in the same situation as her. He looked around, not knowing who to talk to.
She moved toward him, slowly. He stared at her, the expression on his face was pained, yet grateful.
"Listen Harry, I—" Hermione cut herself off when she noticed that Harry's gaze was no longer on her, but past her. She followed it to the entrance of the sitting room where Luna was showing in Ginny Weasley and her beau, Dean Thomas. The long red glittering gown Ginny wore and her pale, freckled shoulders that were wrapped in white fur, caused the male population of the room to gawk at her. Hermione rolled her eyes.
The first thing Ginny did upon entering was beam at Harry. He returned the gesture and then whispered, "I need some air." Opening the sliding door to the balcony, he stepped out into the night.
Hermione followed him, but stopped just at the threshold to glance back at Ron. He was laughing a bit too over-enthusiastically at a joke that Lavender had apparently just told. It appeared that he wouldn't notice if Hermione was gone. She stepped outside.
Harry was leaning against the railing's edge and staring up at the night sky when Hermione approached him. She set a careful but calming hand on his arm, and he turned to face her.
"Harry, I… I want to give you something." Pulling out the tiny booklet she'd made Thursday evening, she placed it in his hand.
"What's this?"
"This is my Christmas present to you." Then she explained to him how to use it.
"I like this last one a lot," Harry said, fingering the card the read: 'Reusable: Someone To Talk To.'
Hermione couldn't hold it in; it just all came spilling out of her. "Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry about leaving you like that the other day, I—"
Harry traced a line down her cheek with the back of his forefinger. "Shh…it's okay. I forgive you. But…will you do something for me?"
"Sure." At that moment, Hermione felt ready to do anything.
"Close your eyes."
"Alright…" Hermione complied, nervously. She heard a tinkling sound and then Harry's hands went behind her neck.
"Now…open."
Slowly, Hermione opened her eyes and felt and extra weight on her neck, just above the center of her bust. When she looked down, she found she was wearing a beautiful oval-shaped antique locket. Carefully, she lifted it in awe to see an elaborate fleur-de-lis engraved on it. "Oh Harry…" Hermione could barely speak. "I love it!"
"You do?" Harry asked, hopeful and relieved to her response.
"Of course!"
She made a motion to open it, but Harry's fingers closed over hers, stopping her. "Don't open it," he whispered. "Not now."
"Okay." Hermione shivered, realizing that snow was starting to lightly fall and she didn't have a coat or anything to keep her warm.
"Come here," Harry told her, holding out his arms and Hermione obeyed. She encircled his waist with her arms, and he surrounded her shoulders with his. As she rested her head on his chest, her heartbeat quickened. She could hear his as well and discovered it was beating just as fast. The sound of his pulse comforted her, as his scent filled her senses. He smelled like fresh cut grass and spring rain. Curiously, she wasn't as nervous as she had been during previous moments of this kind of closeness with him. Hermione could feel Harry lay his cheek on the top of her head.
"You hair is really soft," he sighed.
Hermione giggled.
A soft and quiet version of 'Greensleeves' began to play from inside the apartment. Harry and Hermione moved their feet together in a slow dance.
"I love it when it snows," commented Hermione.
"Me too," Harry added.
"And it's even better when there's someone to keep you warm."
"Yeah…"
Time passed swiftly. They stayed outside in their embrace until the clock struck midnight. Harry glanced down at Hermione.
"Merry Christmas, Hermione."
"Merry Christmas, Harry."
Then they went to join the uproar that had commenced inside. And though everyone else had been cheering, Harry and Hermione knew that they were the happiest two people in the entire room.
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Whew! Chapter 6 done! I hope you enjoyed it immensely, as I did when writing it. Please review and tell me.
STAY TUNED NEXT TIME FOR: Hermione's Christmas dinner with Ron! Should be quite interesting…