Hermione sometimes felt as if she were on another planet when she visited the Weasleys, especially at the holidays. There were always so many people at the home, so much food, with so many things going on. This year there was a baby to add to the mix, as Fleur had birthed she and Bill's second baby the previous month. Hermione loved babies and was thrilled to cuddle and coo at the baby as much as Fleur would let her.
"Sooo Herms, planning any little Krum babies any time soon?" Ginny asked.
"Babies? Yes. Soon, no. I do however see Viktor as the wizard for the job."
"So it's love for sure?" Ginny asked.
Hermione looked pensive for a moment and spoke. "Of course I love him, I say it all the time, but in my mind, saying it just isn't enough, you know? It's so much more than words, it's like… well, it just is. He is love to me, like a blanket of it that you just want to wrap yourself in and never let go."
"Zat is ze most romantic thing I've ever 'erd," Fleur said. "Good for you, 'Ermynee."
Christmas Day
Hermione felt a gentle shake of her shoulder and opened her eyes to the pale peach wall of her old bedroom.
"You'll help me make Christmas hotcakes, won't you sleepyhead?" Evie asked.
"Then presents?" she asked sleepily.
"Yes, then presents," Evie confirmed.
Hermione yawned, nodded, and said she'd be down in twenty minutes.
"Take your time, the men were out late. Your father took Viktor and Marko to the annual Christmas Eve soiree at the club."
As Hermione and Evie were mixing the batter, John and the Krums entered the kitchen, minus Viktor.
"Did Viktor go home last night?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, something about a holiday party with his team," Marko said.
"He wanted me to assure you that he would be here for breakfast," Anna said, looking at Hermione with new eyes.
Hermione wondered if she had something on her face, by the way Anna was looking at her. A platter of hotcakes was finished and placed on the dining table. A familiar sharp crack of apparition was heard from the back garden and Hermione left the room. She returned to the dining room with an armful of presents and Viktor.
"Just put them with the others," John said.
Hermione and Viktor took the gifts and went to the parlor. When they returned (with Hermione blushing furiously) Viktor held a chair for her, waited for her to sit, then took a seat beside her. She placed food on his plate and then started on her own.
"Dad, why you still go to that stuffy, pretentious club?"
"I feel the way you do, but I am of the peerage and appearances have to be made from time to time," John replied.
"You're of the peerage?" Anna asked.
"Yes, very distantly," John said casually and continued with his hotcakes. "My late great-uncle was a baron; I'm the heir of his line."
Marko was fascinated. "Have you met the queen?"
John shrugged. "A few times growing up and when I finished Sandhurst. We presented Hermione when she was born, that was the last time I saw her in person."
Eager to get off the subject, he told Hermione about the club last night.
"Pumpkin, we talked with someone last night who said he knew you, a bloke by the name of Oliver Wood."
"He was at your club?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, he was there with some friends and wanted me to relay his best holiday wishes."
Viktor spoke grumpily. "I know Wood. He is keeper for Puddlemere, the number one team."
"Come on now, don't get all pouty on us," Hermione teased.
"No matter what we do, we cannot beat that team," he said, "and I do not get pout."
Hermione and Evie couldn't help the giggles that bubbled out.
"At least you beat the Chudley Cannons," she offered, miraculously keeping a straight face.
Viktor put his fork down, wiped his mouth and looked straight at Hermione. "Pretty one, you could beat the Chudley team."
The floor was littered with torn paper, ribbons, bows, and boxes. Both sets of parents observed the couple sitting on the floor, wondering when Viktor was going to pop the question. While Hermione flipped through a Bulgarian cookbook, Viktor took a ring from his pocket and cleared his throat. The parents fell quiet. Hermione started to say something about Shopska salad when he held the ring in his hand above the book. Her eyes wide, Shopska salad was no longer on her mind. He cleared his throat and took a calming breath before he spoke.
"You enchanted me when you were fifteen, my Hermynee, my first kiss. Did you know that? Outside of the library when I asked you to your school ball and you said yes. I saw you again at the Weasley wedding, so lovely and I was just as enchanted. Then I encountered you at the Ministry, I knew we belong together. Fate brings us together, and I never want to part from you. I love you, so very much, will you be my wife?"
"You were my first kiss too. Yes, I'll marry you."
"You say yes?" he asked.
She nodded. Viktor looked at his parents. "Mama, papa, she says yes!"
Viktor crushed her with a hug, slid the ring on her finger, and gently kissed her. The parents clapped and congratulated the engaged couple. Marko held up Hermione's hand and explained the ring.
"Viktor's grandmother, before she passed, wanted Viktor to have this ring, to present it to his beloved," Marko said and kissed her hand.
Anna cupped Hermione's chin. "You're going to be such a lovely bride."
Later, Hermione sat at the bay window of the parlor and looked out over the sparkling, snow-covered yard. She admired the ring on her finger and sighed in contentment.
"That is sound I like to hear," Viktor said softly, his lips at her ear. "Are you happy, pretty one?"
"I wish everyone could be as happy as I am right now," she said. "It's just like I told Ginny yesterday about how I feel for you. I say I love you all the time—"
"And I can never hear it enough," he said.
"-but it seems so inadequate to how I feel. I look at you, and I see love. You're like a blanket that I want to stay wrapped up with and never leave."
"Hmm… being your blanket, wrapped around you, I like the sound of that," he said and their lips came together.
After a huge Christmas lunch, Hermione and Viktor went to the Weasleys. As soon as they stepped from the floo, Hermione scooped up Fleur and Bill's two-year-old girl, gave her a kiss and gently tickled her. She adored the giggles of the little girl and cuddled some more, then handed her off to Ginny. Beside her, Viktor could easily imagine half a dozen sweet little girls scampering about, just like his Hermynee.
"Happy Christmas you two, so glad you could make it!" Molly exclaimed and passed them glasses of mulled wine, and spied at the ring on Hermione's finger.
"What a beautiful ring… wait, did he... is it?" Molly queried. Hermione nodded shyly.
"How wonderful!" Molly declared and drew Hermione into a hug.
"What's wonderful?" Ginny asked.
"They're engaged!" Molly said.
"What?!" Ginny called and rushed to the couple. Hermione held out her hand and Ginny squealed with glee.
"When?" she asked.
"We were thinking June," Hermione said.
"She finishes school, that is important," Viktor said.
Harry watched the scene, thrilled for his friend. She truly deserved this happiness. Ron felt a door shutting in his heart, the "Hermione" door. Any chance he might have had with her was over. She was sharing Krum's bed, would be taking his name, and having his children. His dad's hand rested on his shoulder.
"I know it's hard, but can you be happy for your friend?" Arthur asked quietly.
Later, everyone was enjoying Molly's Christmas apple crumble and the talk eventually turned to quidditch. Viktor talked about the Montrose and Puddlemere teams, the teams ahead of his that season. Hermione decided to have a little fun with he and Ron.
"At least Chudley isn't in last place this year," Hermione offered.
"Yeah, just next to last," Ginny mumbled.
"That much is true, but as I said this morning, you could beat them," Viktor said.
"But Hermione doesn't fly," Ron said.
"Exactly," Viktor said.
It took Ron a few seconds to get the joke. "Hey, that's not funny!"
The day after Christmas, the Krums made their tearful farewells and thanked the Grangers for their hospitality.
"My dear, you must visit more often," Anna requested of Hermione. "Even if Viktor can't get away, you must."
"John, Evie, the invitation goes to you as well," Marko said.
"We'll take you up on that, we want to meet the vampire who saved our pumpkin's life," John replied. That's just something I never thought I'd say.
"Korabãt mi na v'zdyšna vãzglavnica e pãlen sãs zmiorki," Marko said with a wink toward Hermione.
She blushed and Viktor apparated with his parents.
"What was that all about?" Evie said when they settled in the parlor.
"It's something I said to them when I first arrived at their home. I thought I said thank you for having me, you have a beautiful home."
"You thought?" John asked.
"So, what did Marko say?" Evie asked.
Hermione brought her glass to her mouth and mumbled.
"What was that?" John said.
Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed. "My hovercraft is full of eels."
Evie chortled. "Oh Hermione, you didn't," she said, her laughter bubbling out. John was laughing so hard he was wheezing.
Hermione shrunk her gifts and packed the Christmas feast leftovers her mum insisted she take back to her cottage.
"I've seen your kitchen, you barely have enough to keep from starving," Evie said.
"Like the Krums said, come and visit more often, you're just up the motorway," John said.
"I have the interview with the Mage Guild next week, so how does next weekend sound?"
Later that night, Hermione was cleaning the accumulated dust from her cottage when she saw Crookshanks hiss and paw at the door. She pointed her wand at the door and scooted behind the sofa. She heard Viktor's voice and a bark. A bark? She sighed in relief and opened the door.
There stood Viktor with a bouquet of flowers and a dog, more specifically, one of the German Shepherds from the Krums. He and the dog stepped in.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"No, Crooks spooked me is all," she said and frowned at the cat. "He was hissing at the dog."
"Well, is your dog now, mama insisted that you have her," he said.
"Are you serious?" she said and knelt, petting the dog. "Welcome to England, pretty girl."
Crookshanks growled. The dog, used to Anna's cats, thought nothing of it. "Shush Crooks, she lives here now. You have to get along."
With an "oh yeah?" air, the cat left the room. His tail was held high to make sure that he showed the room his bum.
"What's her name?" she asked.
"Zoya."
After dinner, the lovers cuddled on the sofa and listened to Christmas music on the radio. They talked of a summer wedding and watched a fire dance and crackle in the fireplace. Across the room, Crookshanks scrutinized Zoya chewing on a beef-flavored dog toy.
Stare all you want, cat.
How can you chew so much on that? Do you know how you look?
It keeps my teeth sharp and clean. I know how I look, see? She curled her lips to show her teeth.
"How cute, you'd think they were having a conversation," Hermione noted.
I was here first, remember that, dog. I've been looking out for her since she was a small girl.
I'm not here to take your place, cat. I'm here to look out for her too, when the man isn't around. I know good humans when I sniff them.
As long as we understand each other, dog.
So cat, tell me how things work around here.
Certainly, follow me.
Viktor held up her hand, admiring the ruby, amber and pearl that glittered in the candlelight. "It looks perfect on you."
"I know what else that would be perfect on me," she said and ran her hand up his arm.
Viktor groaned. "You will be a happy death of me, woman. Do you know today, when I see you with the baby, how much I wanted to ravish you and fill you with my baby?" he whispered.
"Why don't you show me how much you want to… what was it?" she asked.
"Ravish you," he repeated.
He stood, carried her bridal-style to the bedroom and kicked the door shut. He lay her on the bed and quickly peeled away her clothes. He paused when his hand traveled up her skirt and discovered that she had no panties on.
"You minx, you were like this all day?" he asked.