This piece was written for Harmony & Co's 2020 Harmony Advent Collection. All canon characters, plots, dialogue, and situations from the Harry Potter series belong to JK Rowling. I am not profiting from this work. Thank you to my wonderful beta Pamela RR.
Hermione concentrated on the piece of parchment in her left hand with pure determination as her wand hand pointed at the brass doorknob. On her side, Harry was patiently leaning against the brick wall near the door of that brass knob.
"Hermione is everything alright?" asked Harry.
"Of course it is. I almost got it."
"I know this is a surprise, but can you give a clue as to why we're in Diagon Alley in the middle of the night and trying to break-in somewhere?"
"How do you know we're in Diagon Alley? I thought you said you couldn't see with the blindfold," she replied moving her hand in front of Harry's face. "And I'm not breaking in!"
"I know that Hermione," he laughed. "I can hear you swearing under your breath as you remove the wards and I can't see anything, by the way. I just know how Diagon Alley smells."
"Smells?"
"Yeah," he laughed. "Diagon Alley always smells the same to me." Hermione smiled at her friend's observation.
"Well, Auror Potter, your keen sense of smell is correct, we are in Diagon Alley and I'm almost done."
"Good, because it's cold out here. I don't want to get frostbite."
"Frostbite indeed, Harry. It's not even close to a freezing temperature." With that, the sound of clicking echoed through the empty back alley they stood in, causing Hermione to happily gasp that she was finally ready to give Harry his Christmas gift. "Got it!"
Hermione grinned at Harry as she gently removed the blindfold covering his eyes, then placed his familiar round spectacles back on his nose. The look of his emerald eyes on her made her stomach flutter. She was delighted that she was the one here with him this Christmas night and how easily he came with her when she asked him. She had been planning Harry's Christmas gift for weeks and was excited to finally be able to present it to him. Although the gift would be a small gesture in the eyes of others, it meant the world to her. She knew that all she wanted was to make him happy. The last three months for her have been some of the best, even if she knew the time together had started on a sad note.
His breakup with Ginny that August was hard on him, but during that time Harry and Hermione's friendship grew stronger. She would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the endless amount of time they've spent together.
The first month of his breakup was rough on him. Hermione did her best to listen. She made sure to agree when it was fair and chastised him when it was needed,and as the days went by the conversations slowly shifted away from Ginny Weasley. Harry concentrated on his work at the newly formed Potter Foundation. An idea he came up with to help children in need. Be it a home, school supplies, or to provide a grown-up to talk to. The Foundation - or Harry - would find a way to help. She loved hearing his ideas and seeing the drive within him flourish. It was a subtle transformation to most, but she knew the complexity of it. Within four months she had seen her friend grow out of becoming embarrassed or sometimes angry for being the center of attention, to accepting who he is. He will always be looked at as the boy who lived, but he knew, he was just Harry. A man who wouldn't let darkness and others' expectations of his youth hinder his own expectations of the future. Hermione only hoped that she was one of the contributing factors to his new look on life and the warmth that seemed to follow him wherever he went.
"Tada!" said Hermione with her hands pointing to the sign above the door. Harry adjusted his glasses and looked up, following her direction.
"Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour," said Harry. Hermione could hear the confusion in his voice. "I thought this place was closed down after Mr. Fortescue's death."
"Come in," said Hermione, grabbing Harry by his hand and pulling him through the door. As they entered the parlour both of them couldn't stop smiling. The once boarded-up shop was bright and warm, even with them being the only two within its walls. The floor sparkled with new pale green and yellow tile that perfectly matched the painted walls covered in moving photographs. Each photograph showed customers smiling on a visit to the well-known ice cream parlour. "One of my co-workers is retiring from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He and his wife are reopening the shop after the new year. He was a cousin of Florean Fortescue and wanted to honor his memory by reopening and keeping the business going."
"That's brilliant! For a moment I thought you bought me a bloody ice cream shop." Hermione laughed and shook her head.
"I'm sorry, but you nor I own this place." She laughed when Harry playfully frowned. "But hopefully, I can make it up to you." Hermione led Harry behind the counter, stopping at the glass display that usually held the many ice cream flavors. Looking down at the display, Hermione exhaled in relief. She was nervous that someone could have forgotten, but sitting in the almost empty freezer was one very large container. "Francis, the wizard opening the shop, was brainstorming new ideas of ice cream. He wanted to keep Florean Fortescue's originals but still wanted to experiment. So-"
"You didn't?" Asked Harry with wide eyes.
"I did," chuckled Hermione. "Who knew after a night at the pub and way too many pints could lead to such a brilliant idea?"
"Are you telling me that container, not only holds my favorite food on this earth but...it's in ice cream form?"
"I suppose it's time we find out."
Hermione took a spoon from a small basket on the display, then opened the glass door beside them. With a flick of her wand, the lip popped open revealing a white fluffy mass with a thick swirl of golden brown. She carefully grazed the spoon across the top of the ice cream, making sure to collect the cream, syrup, and pastry frozen within the mixture. She shivered from his touch when he decided to grab hold of her hand to taste the sugary concoction. Hermione involuntarily licked her lips when his own did the same as he closed his eyes to savor the flavor.
"Treacle tart," he replied with a lovely smile that reached his eyes. Harry grabbed himself another spoon then went in for another taste. Hermione followed, scooping up more of the ice cream and sampling it herself. "But not just any Treacle tart."
"Why, Auror Potter, not only do you have a keen sense of smell. It seems you also have a keen sense of taste as well," said Hermione.
"Did you break-into Hogwarts as well?"
"I-I didn't break-in. I simply asked for a favor," shrugged Hermione.
"Hum," replied Harry with a curious brow.
"You see, I could have easily asked a baker from Sugar Plum's, but I wanted...I don't know. I suppose I wanted your first bite to remind you of home. And you always said that was Hogwarts. Of course, without all the life-threatening aspects of it. I wrote to the Headmistress. And Minerva approved for the head kitchen elf to visit me and a few of the staff here for a baking lesson."
"You learned how to bake for me?"
"Unfortunately, no," pouted Hermione. "It's a good thing the other staff does though. I burnt two tarts before they told me to only watch." The sound of Harry's laughter brought Hermione out of the smoky memory of burnt pastry and scorched sugar.
"Thank you," swallowed Harry. "This is beyond thoughtful. But...Hogwarts is not the only place -"
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Hermione removed an envelope from her coat and handed it to Harry. "For you too." He took the envelope from her hand, turning it over to reveal the light pink wax seal with two F's intertwined. He snapped it opened and read out loud.
"Dear Mr. Potter,
We at the new Florean Fortescue's are excited for the fantastic opportunity to sell "Harry's Favorite" as part of our delicious ice cream options. We are proud to inform you and agree to the terms provided by Ms. Hermione Granger. We guarantee that for every scoop sold of "Harry's Favorite" we will donate half of all earnings to the Potter Foundation. We at Florean Fortescue's can't express our gratitude for selecting us as an official sponsor to your notable foundation.
Keep it sweet,
Francis Fortescue"
"Happy Chris-"
Sweet golden syrup with wisps of lemon clouded her senses as his lips crashed onto hers. The intensity of his kiss caused her legs to weaken, but the strength of his embrace kept her in place.
"Thank you for being you," he said, slowly pulling away, but keeping his arms wrapped securely around her. "It's not the only place, you know? Hogwarts. It's not the only place I feel at home." Hermione felt tears fall down her heated cheeks as Harry looked at her with such tenderness.
"Happy Christmas, Harry," whispered Hermione, filling in the small space between them to draw in the warmth from the man she loved.