No Time for Epilogues
Chapter 27- Happy Christmas, Part 2
When it came to Hermione's gifts, Ron and Harry almost fought about itthem.
"Ron, we always get her books," Harry had fussed. "She deserves something more imaginative than that."
"Well, it's her favorite thing, and I know of a couple of books she's been waiting for months to come out, can't go wrong with that," Ron had replied. "I'm also getting her a set of earrings to match her ring and necklace."
"Okay, I'll get her a nice watch too," Harry said.
They watched Hermione admire a hand-made wool and satin cloak from Molly. "It seems too nice to wear," she commented.
"Let's see how it looks on you," Molly said and they chatted about the quill and wand pocket on the inside. Ginny gave her a desktop wand holder, a vine wood model to match her wand, complete with Gryffindor emblem. Harry put two gifts in her lap, a small box and a larger gift, obviously a book. She opened the small box first.
"Harry, what a great watch, thanks!" she said and put on a silver watch, featuring a Gryffin on the face and wands as the hands. She excitedly tore open the paper from book, Ron giving Harry a "I told you she'd like it" look.
"Careful Hermione, it's an antique," Harry said affectionately. Hermione slowed and carefully opened golden tissue paper that protected the book.
"I'm...I'm speechless," Hermione said. It was a seventeenth century edition of Centaur history compiled by the Ministry of Magic of Greece. "I don't know how in the world you found this Harry, but I'll always treasure it, thank you," she said, hugging the book to her chest.
"Hey, what about me?" Ron said and mock-pouted, presenting her with his gifts.
"Should I be careful with these too?" she asked and opened the first gift. "Just the one I've been wanting! Thank you love!" Hermione exclaimed and held up the newest edition of Advanced Magical Theory. Ron, Ginny and Harry grinned at each other as Hermione chatted and flipped through the book, Arthur looking on in polite interest. Only Hermione would be so giddy over such a book. She opened the next one.
"Brilliant!" she declared and flipped through Are They Law? Case Studies of the British Wizengamot. Again, only Hermione would be so thrilled over such a book. He placed a small velvet box in her hands with a soft "m'lady." She slowly opened it and drew Ron into a hug when she saw it. He had given her earrings to match her engagement ring and necklace.
Ian cleared his throat. "Pumpkin, I'm afraid we only got you one gift this year."
"The laptop?" she asked.
Elizabeth shook her head and laughed. "It's outside, the side drive," she said. She gave her parents a curious look and went out to the side drive and squealed. Everyone followed.
Hermione was standing there, one hand over her mouth, the other pointing to the driveway. "Omigodyougotit! A Cooper!" she gasped and tackled her parents in a hug. There in the drive was a brand new Mini Cooper, royal blue with silver racing stripes on the hood.
Harry wasn't about to be upstaged by a mere car. He knew Ginny's gift would bring the house down. He just had to get to it. He watched her open new robes from her parents, a set of deluxe Never-Ending-Ink quills from Ron, and a gaily decorated basket of a dozen different bath lotions from the new Bewitched, For Her line of products from Hermione. He took a deep breath, stood before Ginny, dropped to one knee and held out a little black velvet box. He opened it and held it for her to see.
"Will you marry me Ginny?" he asked.
Hermione saw the flush that traveled up her red-headed friend's neck and reach her face and remembered how it felt when Ron asked her. She knew how Ginny felt, how her heart must be racing, when she saw Ginny's bottom lip tremble and eyes well with tears. She took Ron's hand when he cleared his throat and fell in love with him all over again when she looked up at his face. He was overcome with emotion at the sight of his best mate asking for his little sister's hand in marriage. She saw Harry's hopeful, loving face waiting for an answer. Ginny nodded and the room erupted in cheers and applause when he slid the ring on her finger.
When the grandfather clock chimed ten times, Christmas Day at the Grangers started winding down.
"Blimey Harry, how's she supposed to hold her hand up?" Ron asked when he looked at Ginny's ring.
Everyone agreed that they had never seen such a ring. Harry had found the biggest marquise-cut ruby on the planet and had it set on a gold band.
"Nothing but the best for my Ginny," Harry said and drew her close to him.
"Look over there, I don't know who's more excited, us or them," Hermione said to Ginny and nodded to Elizabeth and Molly talking earnestly.
"Them, now they both have engaged daughters," Ginny said.
The roads were cleared of snow, but Hermione drove her new car carefully toward London.
"Wasn't today simply wonderful?" she asked Ron. "Best Christmas ever."
"It'll be hard to beat," he admitted. "Just imagine the Christmas when..."
"What were you going to say?" she asked.
"Well, just imagine if you're pregnant next Christmas," he said. "Or Ginny, or both of you."
"That would be something," she said softly. "Would you like me to be pregnant next Christmas?"
The sound of Bing Crosby's White Christmas echoed in the car before he shrugged and spoke. "Not really, I know you want to wait a while, so do I. Was just thinking out loud."
She arrived at the carpark adjacent to The Leaky Cauldron and parked. "Wanna walk from here or floo from The Leaky Cauldron?" Ron asked.
"We can walk, it's a nice night," she replied.
They entered Diagon Alley and walked past the new all-night cafe, Java Magic, waving at a server they knew. They walked until coming to the festively decorated Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and took the side stairs of the shop leading to the flat.
"M'lady," he said with a bow and opened the door for her. She rolled her eyes.
She leaned close and tapped the end of his nose. "If you don't cut that m'lady stuff out, I might not let you in on your last Christmas gift," she said primly, tossing her hair behind her shoulders and flounced inside.
"You sure are sassy, but you know that, right?" he asked. "And does this gift include you and sexy knickers? Or little to no clothing?"
"No more m'lady stuff?" she asked, slowly and deliberately undoing the top button on her shirt. He nodded and licked his lips. Her hand moved to the second button. She paused, lowered her hand and went to the bedroom. She knew he would follow.
He waited next to the bed in his special Santa's Helper boxers, sure to bring a smile to her face. Hermione went had gone into the bathroom ten minutes ago with a holiday bag from Just For Witches Boutique that she made sure he saw. He ran a hand through his hair and cupped his hand to his mouth to check his breath. Next, he straightened an imaginary wrinkle from the turned-down bed covers and fluffed the pillows. He wanted everything perfect for her. The bathroom door opened and he wasn't sure if the vision standing there was indeed his Hermione, until he saw her unmistakable eyes. Yes, it was Hermione, but she had never looked so sexy, so delicious as this.
She was wearing a red silk, sheer, see-through baby-doll type negligee that laced between material that barely held her perfect breasts. She sported a red crotchless thong (something he had only heard of, never seen!) red garters that extended to thigh-high red stockings and Merlin's Balls! red stilettos stilletos! His eyes traveled up her body and he saw her wavy hair piled up haphazardly on top of her head, a few tendrils hanging, pointing to her new earrings.
"All for you, love," she said softly.
He was across the room in two steps. He tasted her strawberry lip gloss, released the ribbons holding her hair and moved behind her. He kissed the spot below her ears that always made her shudder and ran his hands up and down her sides, relishing the feel of her warm skin through the cool, smooth silk. He slid his boxers off and pressed against her.
"Feel what you do to me."
Wordlessly, she nodded.
"When I make love to you, this stays on, all of it," he growled lightly in her ear. Again, she shuddered and nodded. He turned her around, unlaced the ribbons between her breasts and picked her up. In a move that surprised her, he thrust up into her as she wrapped her legs around his hips and they moved to the wall. They had never done it like this, but it was exciting to her nonetheless.
"Feel what you do to me," he panted and thrust sharply into her again and again, burying his face between her breasts.
"yesyesIfeelit" she moaned and bounced on him, calling out, "moreharderyes!" losing herself to the passion of the moment.
With enthusiasm like that, it was a miracle he hadn't come yet. He glanced back quickly to the bed and moved to it. Her mouth was attached to his neck, her stilettos digging into his bum. He wanted those sexy heels in the air! He lowered her to the bed, ran his hands up her thighs, cupped her bottom and slid into her. He took gentle hold of her right, then left ankle, set them on his shoulders and resumed the "harderfaster!" she was crying for.
Harry and Ginny talked for hours into the night on the sofa in the living room at the Burrow. The next morning, Molly woke and found the two of them asleep on the sofa, Harry's head on Ginny's lap. She patted Harry's thigh. He snorted lightly and opened his eyes, reaching for his glasses on the table next to the sofa. Ginny woke, stretched, ran her hands through her hair and groaned. The sight and sound of Ginny waking like that sent a jolt straight to his usual morning erection. He excused himself to go to the loo. When he returned, he heard Ginny telling Molly that she and Harry were going to Ron's flat for breakfast.
"He's cooking?" Molly asked.
"No mum, Hermione is," Ginny said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "She likes to cook."
"Why don't you tag along?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, Dad already left for work, so you won't have to eat alone," Ginny said.
Molly thought it over. It had been months since she last visited Ron's flat, or wreck rather; maybe he had straightened it up since then.
Diagon Alley was quiet as the three made their way to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, situated between the second hand robe shop and Gambol and Japes. Up the stairs they went and Harry knocked on the door.
Hermione was startled from sleep by thumping on the front door. She looked at the clock, 7:24. Who would be knocking this early? Ron mumbled in sleep and shifted a foot. She patted his bum and whispered, "I'll get it, stay asleep."
She summoned her dressing robe from the bathroom, yawned and trudged to the front door. She rose on her tip toes and looked through the peep-hole in the door. There stood Harry, Ginny and Molly. Why in the world are they here this early? She opened the door, gave them a sleepy smileand welcomed them in. That's right, breakfast.
"Good morning sunshine!" Harry teased and ruffled her tousled hair.
"I'll get some tea and coffee going and wake Ron," she said and left the kitchen. Minutes later, Ron came into the kitchen and greeted his mum with a kiss on the cheek and got himself a cup of coffee.
"No tea?" Molly asked.
"'Fraid not, Hermione's got me hooked on coffee," Ron said. "She's in the shower."
Molly looked around the tidy flat and noted Hermione's touches around the place. Candles and books were on the shelves and tables in the living room, cat toys were on the floor and nice drapes adorned the large sliding doors that led to the balcony.
"Looks better than the last time you saw it, huh?" Ron asked.
"I'd say so, yes," Molly replied.
He took out a frying pan and a spatula and set them on the stove. Next, he placed settings for five on the table, along with juice, milk and croissants. Hermione, freshly showered and ready to face the day, came into the kitchen. She took eggs, bacon, sausage, tomatoes and beans from the icebox and lit the stove.
"Can I help?" Ginny asked.
"Sure, you can slice the tomatoes," Hermione said. She and Ron continued cooking at the stove, working in tandem and nudging hips every once in a while as they scrambled eggs and fried the bacon. It reminded Molly of her and Arthur years ago.
"So, what does everyone have planned today?" Molly asked.
"Just relaxing, I have some things to wrap up at Hogwarts before I go back to the Ministry tomorrow," Hermione said.
"Yeah, I have to go back to work day after tomorrow," Harry said.
"I'm doing some re-arranging at the house, care to help?" Molly asked.
"I'm in," Harry said.
"As long as it doesn't involve ladders and roofs, sure," Ron said.
"Dad still feels awful about that," Hermione said.
"Can I hang out here?" Ginny asked, looking hopefully at Hermione, which meant I need to talk.
"As long as you're home by dinner," Molly said.
My beta's hard at work on the next chapters. (yes, I said chapters so be kindly patient, I'm eager to post the new chapters too.) I'm here in Germany, in the bitter cold and rain, close to pneumonia and aforementioned beta just got back from Hawaii, lucky sucker...In the meanwhile, have you read any of my other stories? Of not, give 'em a go! Reviews of any kind are welcome!