No Time for Epilogues
Chapter 26- Happy Christmas, Part 1
Christmas Day, 1998
Hermione woke to the sounds of jazzy holiday music and the scent of her mum's special Christmas pancakes. She slipped her dressing robe over her pajamas and went downstairs to the kitchen. Ian was cuddling Elizabeth from behind and nuzzling her neck.
"Ugh, get a room," she mumbled with a grin and went straight for the pot of tea.
"Well, Happy Christmas to you too, pumpkin," Elizabeth said and hugged her, Ian doing the same.
"Ready for eight Weasleys?" Hermione asked.
"Eight? I thought seven," Elizabeth said.
"Didn't I tell you? Charlie was able to make it in from Romania, or wherever it was."
"I'll just get another chair from the basement," Ian said.
"I need to dress so I can get the goose cooking," Hermione said.
"The ham shouldn't take too long," Elizabeth said.
Ian left to let his ladies to discuss cooking strategies. The last time he offered a suggestion, the two looked at him as if he had two heads then continued talking as if he hadn't said a word.
At the Burrow, Ron woke to discover his leg completely mended.
"Skele-grow tastes awful, but it does the trick," Arthur said and had Ron tell him the circumstances of his accident once again. While he was sorry Ron was hurt, the circumstances surrounding the injury were nonetheless fascinating to him.
"Happy Christmas!" Harry said, coming into the house, shaking snow from his coat and hair.
"Just in time for breakfast," Molly said.
George, Ginny and Charlie came sleepily into the kitchen, still in their nightclothes. Ginny went straight to Harry to bestow him with a hug and kiss.
"Now now you two, sit down for some breakfast," Molly fussed affectionately. Harry slid a chair out for Ginny and took the seat next to her that Charlie quickly left when Harry walked in. He saw the look pass between the two and had no intention of getting betwixt them. Although confirmed bachelor himself, he had no problem seeing other happy couples, and who better to pair with his sister than Harry Potter?
He looked around the table at his family and realized that he really should visit more often, especially since Fred's death. That thought, after all these months, was still hard to come to grips with. The only thing he knew of Bill's wife was that she was very pretty and French. George was coming out of a depression and had gone on two dates with Angelina Johnson, a former Hogwarts classmate who was now working in Fred's stead. Percy was seeing someone, although no one knew who she was, which was typical Percy. Ron was engaged to Hermione Granger, which came as somewhat of a surprise, to Charlie anyway. From what he had heard, they were total opposites personality wise, but apparently that made no difference. The family was thrilled at the engagement.
Finally, little Ginny. Well, little Ginny no more! She was a woman now, and it was plain to see, in more ways than one. She had grown into a beautiful young lady and a intelligent, powerful witch. The thought of his little sister canoodling with anyone made the hair on the back of his neck rise, but one look at Ginny and Harry told him it was no casual affair. Harry was serious and in it for the long run, and Ginny wouldn't put up with anything less, he knew that much. If his parents approved of the match, who was he to say anything about it?
The Weasleys arrived in groups of two, waiting to approach the door until the whole family had arrived. When Bill and Fleur arrived last, she took one look at the home and announced, "Ze invitation said manor, and it reely iz one!"
The back door opened and Ian welcomed them in.
"Happy Christmas all! How's the leg?" Ian asked Ron.
"Good as new," he said and walked into Hermione's waiting arms. "I was so worried..." she was heard saying and they left the parlor. Ian took everyone's cloaks and led them to the parlor and living room, where they raved over the large, beautiful tree and pile of gifts underneath. Ron was admiring Hermione's new dress when Elizabeth came into the parlor, dressed the same as Hermione.
Ze muzzer and daughter, zey look zo alike! Fleur thought. She looked carefully at the home, the Grangers and the casual elegance of the family. Elizabeth approached her and held out her hand.
"I don't believe we've met, I'm Elizabeth Granger."
"Bonjour, Fleur Weasley."
"Oui? Joyuex Noel! Soyez beinvenus a notre masion," Elizabeth said.
Fleur was pleasantly surprised. Mrs. Granger spoke flawless French and it had been so long since she had the opportunity to converse with anyone in her native language.
"Merci pour l'invitation," Fleur replied.
"Je vous en prie. Amusez-vous s'il vous plaît aujourd'hui," Elizabeth said.
Fleur decided that she would enjoy herself today. Ian brought in mulled wine, hot toddies and eggnog. Elizabeth and Hermione followed with trays of finger sandwiches, cheese, fruit and vegetable trays.
Some time later...
Hermione was playing and singing Christmas tunes on the piano, much to the delight of everyone.
"I didn't know she could sing too," Ginny said.
"I did," Ron said.
Hermione was the only soul on Earth who knew that Ron sometimes had nightmares at night and the only thing that calmed him back to sleep was her soft singing. When Hermione had nightmares, all he had to do was hold her and she would go back to sleep. He wouldn't dare sing, it might make her nightmares worse.
"You don't mean that screeching I used to hear in the prefects bathroom, do you?" Ginny teased.
Molly was examining some ornaments on the tree. "These are simply beautiful, Elizabeth."
"A lot of them are passed down from generations as far back as my great-grandmother," she said.
Arthur was looking at a wall covered almost entirely with pictures. They didn't move, but were still interesting to look at. Most of them had Hermione in them at different ages, taken at different locales. One, Paris obviously, by the Eiffel Tower in the background, others were on beaches. Newer pictures of Hermione and the Weasleys and the Hogwarts award ceremony in September.
"We're clearing out some space for wedding photos," Elizabeth said.
"I'd like to do this at our home," Molly said, admiring the picture wall.
"Well, now that's interesting, is that the Muggle queen in the picture with you three?" she asked.
"Hey, look at this old card, it says 'With our warmest holiday greetings and best wishes for the coming new year' from some baron," Ron said, holding up a card from a table in the corner.
"Do you know someone of the peerage?" Arthur asked.
Hermione, Elizabeth and Ian looked at each other pointedly. "In a matter of speaking, yes," Elizabeth said. Hermione tossed back the rest of her hot toddy, flopped down next to Ron and mumbled, "here we go."
"Should we tell them dear?" Ian asked.
"Yes, since it will involve Ron in the future," she said.
"Huh? What'll involve me?"
"You were commenting about the baron from that card? Well, that baron was...my great uncle. I have the hereditary title of Lady Smythe-Granger," Elizabeth explained. "Ian was offered a honorary knighthood as such, which he declined."
The room fell silent and looked at the couple in astonishment.
"Sir Ian, as if," he said, breaking the silence with a snort.
"I was told of this when I was a teenager, and given the option of letting the title expire, but I didn't," Elizabeth said. "That picture you see is of our family being presented at court when Hermione was seven. She was formally recognized as Lady Granger as well. When you marry her Ron, you'll be presented an offer of honorary knighthood, if she chooses to stay within the peerage."
The gathering all turned and looked at Hermione, again, in astonishment. "Which I'm not. I'm not Lady anything. I'm Hermione Jean Granger, witch, daughter of Ian and Elizabeth, dentists. All this peerage stuff has no part in my life."
"The only reason I kept the title was because of the dying wish of my great-uncle. If Hermione chooses to let the title expire, I have no problem with it," Elizabeth said.
"Dinner anyone?" Hermione stood up and asked.
The Weasleys sat around the dining room table, looking around the room and at Ian as if something had changed. Ian cleared his throat and asked, "More wine Arthur?"
"Yes, please," he said and held his glass up.
Elizabeth and Hermione swept into the dining room, Elizabeth with a ham on a platter and Hermione with a goose. The ham was set before Ian, the goose at the other end by Arthur.
"Would you like to do the honors?" Hermione asked him, holding a large knife in his direction.
The table was startled by the sound of Ian going at the ham with an electric knife. Ham was his favorite food, so he wasted no time. Arthur couldn't believe his eyes at the sight. An electric knife!
"I believe I'll use that when Ian is done," Arthur said.
A few minutes later, the plates were passed and slices of ham were placed on plates. Ian instructed Arthur on how to use the electric knife and holding his breath, Arthur pressed
the trigger.
"The potatoes are great, Mrs. Granger," Harry said as he helped himself to another serving.
"Why thank you Harry, it's an old family recipe."
"Is this basil I taste on the goose?" Molly asked.
"You have to ask Hermione, she cooked the goose," Elizabeth said.
The entire Weasley contigent looked appraisingly at Hermione. "You did a wonderful job dear, the goose is delicious," Molly said.
That was no small praise, coming from the master homemaker. Hermione smiled shyly and took a careful bite of goose, not really sure herself how well (or not) it turned out. A good hour was spent chatting and laughing over the meal.
"Dessert now or after the gifts?" Hermione asked.
"Well, if dessert is as good as the meal, I'll take dessert now," Ron said. Everyone agreed.
This time, Elizabeth emerged from the kitchen with a Christmas trifle, Ian with a Christmas Pudding and Hermione placed a dish of Rhubarb Crumble, Ron's favorite, on the table before him with a quick peck on the cheek.
Hermione hovered over the pudding, rubbing her hands briskly. "I've been trying to do this for months," she said. Ron and Harry recognized her intense look of concentration and waited. She closed her eyes, opened them and waved her hand over the pudding. The pudding was lit with a small flame and she sighed in relief.
"Goodness gracious," Molly said.
"Wand-less and silent?" Ginny asked.
Hermione nodded. "I've been working at it for months."
"Hermione, the only people I ever knew that could do silent and wand-less spells were Dumbledore and McGonagall," Harry said in amazement.
"I think Shacklebolt can too," Ron said.
"That's no small achievement Hermione, congratulations," Arthur said warmly.
In the living room...
"Guests get the first gifts," Ian said and passed a large box to Molly labeled 'From Ian and Liz.'
It was a heavy box and Molly was puzzled as to what in the world it could have been. She gasped when the wrapping paper was removed. It was a beautiful set of Japanese porcelain china, service for eight.
"Open it up and tell me what you think," Liz urged.
Now curious, Molly opened the box and carefully took out a plate. "Simply beautiful," she said softly, admiring a plate adorned with a rose-colored 'W' and platinum rim.
"C'est magnifique," Fleur said.
"I don't believe it," Arthur said when he opened his gift. It was a battery operated radio, flashlight, and 3-inch color telly. "Marvelous gift, thank you."
Hermione gave Arthur and Molly a mobile phone, to their delight. Ron gave his mum a new sewing box, Ginny everything inside of it. Harry gave Molly and Arthur five-hundred galleon gift certificates to Twilfit and Tattings Clothiers, but that was nothing close to what he really wanted to give them- a gift of a new home. He talked it over with George, Ron and Ginny who told him what a really wonderful gift it could have been, but Arthur, and Molly especially, were too attached to their home to ever give it up. Harry recalled the conversation.
"They would of course, accept it to not hurt your feelings, but it would break mum's heart to leave the place," George said. "They built it from the ground up and all of us were born there."
So Harry reluctantly relented on the idea of a new home for Arthur and Molly but vowed with all his being that he would someday give Ginny a brand new home, as big and fancy as she wanted, as a wedding present. All he wanted from her, was her.
Hermione and Harry got together and talked over Ron's gifts months ago. He had been so focused on Hermione and the shop that he forgot about himself.
"I'll be right back," Hermione said with a wink to Harry. "Want another hot toddy Ron?" she asked casually.
"Sure," he said, explaining Arthur's new mobile phone to him. She went to the garage, not the kitchen, and returned with a young eagle owl. Everyone saw her return, except for Ron, focused on the mobile phone.
"Dad, this is where you-" he said but stopped when Hermione knelt next to him, the owl perched on her arm.
"Happy Christmas love, he's yours," she said.
The owl looked from Hermione to Ron and hopped on his shoulder. He was shocked- he would have never thought to get himself his own owl. The owl currently perched on his shoulder was exactly what he would have chosen.
"Thanks love, he's perfect," Ron said and kissed her. The owl preened and ruffled his feathers.
"Here, Happy Christmas," Harry said and tossed Ron a thin box. Ron eagerly tore it open and almost dropped the box in shock.
"Lifetime box seats for the Cannons," he whispered in disbelief.