All I Want for Christmas

A/N: This is my first attempt to write fan fiction of any sort. Plus, I don't have the knowledge that most of you do about Harry Potter, as I've only read fan fiction and seen the movies. I've tried to be as true to the series as I can considering my knowledge, but the story may be slightly AU. Please be constructively critical of my work. Thanks in advance for your kindness. Maybe I'll write more of these in the future if this one goes well.

Thanks to everybody for their patience with me as I didn't get this chapter out as quickly as the others. My homework kept me busy last week. Thanks to everybody who's reviewed my story so far. You help encourage me to keep writing. I'd enjoy hearing from more of you. I will say that this is the chapter that I feel will have the best line of the story. I'll leave you to figure out which line I'm talking about.

Now, to debunk a couple of theories from reviews I got in response to the last chapter. No, Thomas is not Harry using the Polyjuice Potion to disguise himself. Thomas is also not a son of Harry and Hermione's from the future.

At the suggestion of one of my reviewers, I'm going to ask people to include their guesses as to when Harry and Hermione are going to get engaged in their reviews. I look forward to reading your guesses. I will say that I will not comment on them, so as to keep you all guessing.

If any of you want to try to figure out where I'm going, you might want to read my replies to people's reviews, as I will occasionally drop a hint in there. However, be wary, I have been known to toss out some red herrings too. Speculate at your own risk.

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story. All characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

All I Want for Christmas

Chapter 16: Fireside Chat

That night, after they returned home from the mall, Harry, Hermione, and her folks sat down in front of the fireplace with some eggnog and Christmas cookies. Fatigue was apparent on all of their faces after spending three hours doing their Christmas shopping.

They had all gotten their gifts wrapped at the mall to prevent anybody from knowing what they were getting. That didn't keep them from asking, seeing if anybody else would slip. Nobody would offer any hints.

“Did you enjoy yourself, Harry?” Mrs. Granger inquired.

“Definitely,” Harry answered with a wide smile on his face. “This was the most fun I've ever had shopping for Christmas presents.”

“More fun than when we've gone shopping together in Hogsmeade?” Hermione demanded.

“That was fun too. Don't get me wrong, Hermione,” Harry defended himself. “Today was fun in a different way. You know what I mean, right?”

“Yes, Harry. I understand. I sort of feel the same way,” Hermione conceded turning slightly red before leaning over and putting her head on Harry's shoulder.

Harry tilted his head so that his right cheek rested on the top of her head. This feels really comfortable. I'd love getting to do this with her more often. I wonder if she's enjoying it as much as I am…

A contented sigh from by his right cheek answered his question.

“You two look so cute sitting there like that,” Mr. Granger said. “It makes me wish I had my camera handy at the moment.”

“It's alright, Dad,” Hermione reassured him. “You might get other chances to take a picture like this one.”

“You know, we could fix this problem magically,” Harry whispered to Hermione.

“I know, but I feel too tired to get my picture taken right now,” Hermione murmured in response.

“Just one,” Harry pleaded. “You don't know if we're going to get another chance like this or not.”

“You're right, Harry,” Hermione conceded after a moment. “He can take one.”

“Accio Mr. Granger's camera!” Harry said softly holding up his hand. Moments later, Mr. Granger's camera floated into the room and into Harry's hand. Mr. and Mrs. Granger looked on in surprise, never having seen that spell done before.

Mr. Granger slowly stood up and walked over to Harry to get his camera. As he took it from Harry, Harry told him quietly, “One picture. That's what Hermione asked for.”

Mr. Granger slowly backed up and focused the camera on Harry and Hermione cuddled up on the couch. They looked up at him with contented smiles on their faces and waited for him to take the picture.

I wish we could stay cuddled up like this forever, Harry told himself while he was waiting. This feels so natural. So right. I wonder if she feels it too…

Click. That quickly the picture was taken, and Mr. Granger was setting the camera down on the coffee table and sat back down in his chair by the fireplace.

“Do you know what's so great about this time of year?” Hermione mused aloud.

“There's a lot of stuff that's great about this time of year, sweetheart,” her dad said, “What did you have in mind?”

“It's great to be able to spend time with our families and people that we love,” Hermione responded contentedly.

“People that we love”? Does that mean that Hermione has figured out that she fancies me too? I would like to think so, but I can't assume so right now. This wouldn't be a great time to ask her out anyway. I want to wait until the right moment before doing that.

“Yeah, it is great,” Harry affirmed with a dreamy smile on his face.

“Have the two of you thought about how you would raise a family of your own?” Mr. Granger inquired, earning him a glare from Mrs. Granger.

I wonder why she didn't like him asking us that question. It almost seems like they're trying to bring the two of us together.

Hermione gave her dad a puzzled look before responding. “Of course,” she said baffledly, “every girl has by my age.”

“How do you plan on raising your family?” Mrs. Granger inquired.

“As much as I enjoyed being an only child, it's not something that I would wish on any other child, so I hope to have more than one. Three or four might be a nice number, especially if they come close together.”

“That's understandable,” Mr. Granger interrupted, earning a glare from Mrs. Granger.

“You asked the question,” Mrs. Granger pointed out. “Give her a chance to answer it.”

“Thanks, Mum. But actually, YOU asked the question. Dad just asked if we had thought about it.”

Her mum waved her hand dismissively. “Never mind that,” she said. “Keep going.”

“I would want to be firm with them, but not overly strict either. I'd try to encourage them to pay more attention to books than sports, but won't complain if they want to play sports, even very dangerous ones,” she added glancing up at Harry, who grinned despite himself. “I would like my husband to help me around the house with the chores, especially because we'll probably both be working. If my children have magical abilities, when the time comes, I'll want them to go to Hogwarts.”

“You've proven that you've given this a good deal of thought, sweetheart,” Mr. Granger cut her off. “I'm curious as to Harry's answer.”

Well, Hermione provided a good jumping off point for me. Let's see what else I'll be able to come up with.

“I've definitely given the subject some thought,” Harry informed them, much to Hermione's surprise. “I've had several examples of how NOT to raise a family, so my experiences have helped me develop some of my own ideas as to what might work for my family.”

“Why didn't I think of the fact that after living with the Dursleys, you would probably have a good idea of how you would like to raise your family?” Hermione interrupted.

“Probably because this isn't a subject that mixed gender company would discuss in a normal conversation,” Harry reassured her.

Hermione smiled up at him. “Go on,” she encouraged. “I'm curious as to what you think.”

How do I make this not sound like I'm copying her ideas?

“I definitely want multiple children. Maybe two boys and two girls so one isn't outnumbered by their siblings. I want to be quite involved in their lives, but not be overbearing either. I want them to be happy, no matter what they want to do, even if it is reading,” Harry added with a wink at Hermione. “I want to share the duties around the house with my wife, because I'll be able to enjoy doing the mundane, everyday things after having to do extraordinary things for so long. I also would like my children to go to Hogwarts if they are magically inclined. Whatever happens, I want my children to have a happy childhood. One where they know their parents for more than a year. One free of the stresses that I've endured.”

Mr. and Mrs. Granger exchanged a knowing smile, which went unnoticed by Harry and Hermione, who were both staring at the fire—deep in thought.

It's funny how important some of the people closest to you are without you ever realizing it, or at least it taking a long time to realize it. Hermione and I would seem to be well suited as mates, since we have a lot of the same ideas as far as how we want to raise our families. I'm definitely going to marry her if I don't have to surrender my life to defeat Voldemort.

“Well,” Hermione said with a yawn, breaking through Harry's train of thought. “I'm tired, so I'm going to call it a night.”

Hermione gave Harry a big bear hug before going over to her folks and giving them a hug and kiss good night as well. Then Hermione disappeared quietly up the stairs.

Strange how the hug she gave me was a lot longer and firmer than the hug she gave her folks. I wonder if there's something to that…

“Did you enjoy our trip, Harry?” Mr. Granger asked.

“Definitely,” Harry told him. “I was hoping for a chance to go shopping to get something for the three of you, especially since you were kind enough to welcome me into your home for the holidays.”

“It's our pleasure, Harry,” Mrs. Granger reassured him. “We have company over quite often. It's always a pleasure to spend time with one of Hermione's friends. Especially one she talks about as often as she does about you.”

Harry blushed slightly. “Does she really talk about me a lot?” he asked in surprise.

Mr. Granger smiled, “oh yes, she talks about you every day during the summer. She cares about you a great deal.”

Harry reddened even more. Wow! She may fancy me even more than I realized. Has she figured out that she does, though?

“How do you plan to support yourself once you finish school, Harry?” Mr. Granger inquired.

“I was left a good deal of money by my parents and godfather, so I can afford to take some time off after I finish school if I need to, to be able to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. I actually have enough that I wouldn't have to work a day in my life, but I'd go insane if I did that.”

“As would our daughter,” Mrs. Granger interjected. “I noticed that you and Hermione listed a number of very similar ways you intend to raise your families. Have you given serious thought as to how our daughter will fit into your life after you graduate from school?”

How should I answer this question? I love Hermione. But am I ready to admit that to other people? Especially her folks. I would like her to be my girlfriend, but am I ready to consider marrying her? Should I even consider telling her how I feel right now?

“You're not totally sure yourself, are you?” Mr. Granger said softly.

“I know that I love your daughter, sir,” Harry began. “I'm not sure that we're ready to talk about getting married yet, but it would be an honor to be your son-in-law if we were to eventually marry.”

“You're a remarkable young man, Harry,” Mr. Granger said admirably. “You're far wiser than I was at your age. My wife and I are very proud of you both. If anybody deserves to be happy, it's you. I can understand your hesitancy at the prospect of getting married young. I was a bit nervous about the prospect myself, but I knew it was the right thing to do.”

“What makes you so nervous about the idea of marrying young, Harry?” Mrs. Granger asked softly.

“Part of it's that I'm concerned that we'll make the wrong decision and regret it in the long-term. The other part is that it would sort of feel like we were rushing into it.”

“Harry, you don't have to commit to marrying our daughter now,” Mrs. Granger reassured him. “We just want to get an idea of how you feel and what your plans are.”

“Harry, if your life were to play out perfectly, how would it look?” Mr. Granger asked.

Harry laughed. “There's no way it will,” he said, “but a man has to have a dream. If I were to have all the breaks fall my way I would be happily married with a couple of children. I wouldn't have to be looking over my shoulder all the time to see if somebody that wanted to kill me was behind me. I'd be enjoying a challenging, but relaxing career. We'd be living out in the country. Friends would visit us regularly. There's more I could say, but that gives you a pretty good general idea.”

“That sounds like an enjoyable life for anybody,” Mrs. Granger mused.

“Do you see where our daughter fits into that dream, Harry?” Mr. Granger inquired.

Harry closed his eyes. Let's see where I can see her in my dream life…There she is right next to me as we talk with Ron and Luna…There she is sitting next to me as we enjoy a sunset together by ourselves…We look so happy together…There she is holding a baby. I want a closer look at the baby she's holding. Am I seeing things? She's holding a baby girl that has messy black hair and cinnamon brown eyes. That would have to be our child…

“What is it, Harry?” Mr. Granger asked seeing Harry's mouth drop open.

“I see her holding…a baby…that has to be…ours,” Harry stammered.

“Interesting…” Mr. Granger replied thoughtfully.

Interesting is putting it mildly.

“Harry, what are your fondest memories from school?” Mrs. Granger quizzed.

“Let's see…There's when we rescued my godfather during our third year…There's me teaching other students how to defend themselves…There's Hermione saying the evil wizard's name for the first time, because so few people are brave enough to say it…Wait a minute…all of those memories include Hermione!”

“What an interesting coincidence…” Mrs. Granger observed.

Is it a coincidence? My times with Hermione have been some of the best times of my life. I want them to happen after we leave Hogwarts. I want to make sure that Hermione continues to play a significant role in my life after Hogwarts and Voldemort.

“Well,” Mr. Granger said, standing up, “I think it's about time that we went to bed.”

Mrs. Granger nodded and stood up as well. “Don't stay up too late, Harry,” she told him as they moved towards the foot of the stairs.

“Wait a minute!” Harry said jumping to his feet and turning to face Mr. and Mrs. Granger.

“Yes, Harry?” Mr. Granger inquired.

“Umm…well, I was wondering…if the two of you would be okay if I…if I…asked Hermione to be my girlfriend,” Harry stammered nervously while staring at the floor.

Mrs. Granger crossed back to Harry and cupped his chin in her hand, lifting his chin so he was looking into her eyes. “Harry,” she started softly, “That's what we've been trying to show you. We want you two to find the love we did…where we did…in each other.”

Harry looked at her with a stunned expression on his face. “You mean to say,” he started, “that the two of you have been trying to help us realize how much we care about each other?”

“Yes, Harry,” Mr. Granger said crossing to them. “We already knew that Hermione cares a great deal about you, and we saw very quickly that you care just as much about her. You two deserve to be happy, and I've never seen Hermione look happier than when she's with you or looking at something connected to you.”

“If it wasn't for the fact that as I've explored my feelings that I've realized that I've subconsciously loved Hermione for quite a while now, I'd feel like you were trying to force the two of us together. As it is, I'm glad that the two of you have helped me realize just how much I love your daughter. Thank you.” Harry gave Mrs. Granger, and then Mr. Granger, a big hug.

“It's our pleasure Harry,” Mr. Granger told him. “You'll realize when you have children of your own that their happiness brings you great joy as well. I'm sure that you and Hermione will be very happy together.”

“I hope so,” Harry said to them. “I think it's time that I go to bed too.”

The three of them walked quietly up the stairs trying to be careful not to make too much noise in case Hermione was already asleep.

Harry stopped outside the door to the guest room. “Good night,” he called softly after Mr. and Mrs. Granger.

“Good night, Harry” they responded in unison.

Harry entered the guest room, grabbed his stuff, and took care of his nightly rituals in the bathroom. As he walked back to the guest room after finishing in the bathroom, he stopped outside the guest room and looked at Hermione's bedroom door.

“Good night, Hermione. I love you,” Harry whispered before entering the guest room and shutting the door quietly behind him.

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