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.

Thank you to everybody who has read and reviewed my first attempt at writing fan fiction. This is the end of the journey that we set out on together 18 chapters ago. I hope that you have enjoyed this journey as much as I have. I have a sequel to this story in the works, and hopefully will get around to writing it before too long, though I might not post it immediately.

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story. All characters belong to J. K. Rowling. “All I Want for Christmas is You” has been recorded by several artists, and no copyright infringement is intended.

All I Want for Christmas

Chapter 19: All I Want for Christmas is You

Harry slept in on Christmas morning, but woke up more at peace than he had in a long time, yet more nervous than when he had been called into Mr. Granger's room only two days before.

This morning is the time to admit to Hermione that I fancy her. I know that I love her more than life itself. Has she realized that she loves me too? I can tell that she does. The way she cuddled with me last night on the couch in front of the fireplace seems to be proof of that. But that doesn't mean that she's figured that fact out yet. Will she be willing to take the chance and be my girlfriend? She doesn't need to have gotten me anything for Christmas; just being able to spend it with her is a gift enough.

Just then he heard a knock at his door.

“Who is it?”

“Come on, sleepyhead,” a very familiar young feminine voice that he loved hearing called out from the other side of the door, “Mum and Dad are already downstairs waiting for us.”

Harry couldn't help sighing contentedly at the sound of her voice. He quickly pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt with a big smile on his face before opening the door to the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

It was Hermione, also in sweatpants and a t-shirt with a big smile on her face. She seems more at peace today than she was yesterday. What was troubling her yesterday?

As they wandered down the stairs to the living room, where several presents lay underneath the tree, waiting to be opened, Harry started humming a Christmas carol. Hermione turned around and smacked his arm. “Quit humming `All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth'!” she scolded him while unsuccessfully trying to stifle a giggle.

“Merry Christmas, sleepyheads!” Mrs. Granger exclaimed as she entered the room with a pair of cups of hot chocolate, which she handed to them.

Mr. Granger entered the room from the dining room a moment later, “Merry Christmas to you both!”

“Merry Christmas!” Harry and Hermione chorused together.

Harry and Hermione sat down next to each other on the couch, while Mrs. Granger sat in a chair and Mr. Granger handed out the presents to each of them.

Harry sat back and enjoyed the sights and sounds of this morning, which included Christmas carols playing on the radio in the corner. Harry even found himself humming along with one, and he heard Hermione start humming in harmony with him a few seconds later.

Within a few minutes, they all had a small pile of presents sitting in front of them, and Mr. Granger had taken his seat across from Mrs. Granger.

“Harry,” Mr. Granger said, turning to look at Harry, “since you're our guest this year you can open the first present.”

Which one should I open? Harry picked up one that was clearly in a box to hide what it was and saw Hermione's familiar writing on it. I'll wait and open this one second. I'll open the one from her folks first.

Harry picked up the rectangular shaped present from Mr. and Mrs. Granger and started tearing off the wrapping paper carefully. When he finished unwrapping it, he couldn't help but smile. The chess set will help me practice my chess skills for whenever Ron and I play. I wonder why they got me a journal, though. Guys normally don't write in journals.

“Thank you,” Harry sincerely said to Mr. and Mrs. Granger. “I really like the present.”

“You're welcome, Harry,” Mrs. Granger said to him. “We were told that you could use a little practice at chess, and I figured that it might be soothing for you to have a journal to write in with everything you have to do this year.”

Harry looked at Hermione, and they exchanged shy, but knowing smiles before quickly turning their attention to Mr. and Mrs. Granger.

“Hermione, you can open the next present,” her mum informed her.

Harry watched carefully as Hermione looked at the two presents in front of her, as she debated which present to open. Oh please, let her open the other one first!

Hermione looked at him, as if seeming to silently ask for his advice, then turned her focus back to her presents and picking up the one that was from her folks.

Harry looked on curiously as she opened it very carefully to reveal sugarless snacks and a journal that matched Harry's.

Harry and Hermione curiously looked up at Mr. and Mrs. Granger together. Are they up to something? No, they couldn't be. It must be a coincidence that they got us the same journals.

“Thanks, Mum. Thanks, Dad,” Hermione said to them.

“You're welcome, sweetheart,” Mr. Granger said.

Mrs. Granger picked up a present that was clearly boxed by the shape of it. She looked at Hermione curiously as she started unwrapping it as carefully as Hermione had done.

Once she had finished taking the wrapping off, she opened the box and looked inside before looking giving Hermione a knowing smile. Mrs. Granger then pulled a pair of bush trimmers out of the box for the men to see.

“Thank you, sweetheart. I needed a new pair of these,” Mrs. Granger said to her daughter.

“I know, Dad told me,” Hermione informed her.

Harry chuckled to himself as he looked at Mrs. Granger holding the bush trimmers. The present is sort of appropriate since Mrs. Granger didn't beat around the bush when we were talking yesterday about how I feel about Hermione.

Harry got busted.

“What's so funny, Harry?” Hermione demanded.

“Oh, nothing. I just thought about something funny.”

“Care to share?”

Harry turned slightly red before responding, “Umm…I'd rather not. At least not right now.”

Mr. Granger decided to bail Harry out by picking up his present from Harry. Oh, he'll like this one, Harry told himself as Mr. Granger started to unwrap it.

Moments later, Mr. Granger revealed a picture frame to the ladies, which caused Hermione to chuckle.

Harry looked inquisitively at Hermione, who turned bright red in response. Harry raised an eyebrow at her. Why does she find the fact that I got her dad a picture frame so amusing? Did he show her the pictures he showed me or something? He might have. He also might just really like pictures.

Mr. Granger smiled knowingly at Harry. “Thanks, Harry,” he said, “I really like the picture frame. I'll make sure to put a picture in it shortly.”

Harry sat there for a moment wondering who was supposed to open the next present. I'd like what I got Hermione to be the last present opened. That way I'll have a natural way to tell her how I feel about her.

Mrs. Granger seemed to sense Harry's hesitation and picked up her present from Harry, which was clearly boxed to hide what it was, and started unwrapping it as carefully as she had unwrapped her present from Hermione. I hope she likes it, Harry thought to himself, waiting for her to reveal what he got her.

Mrs. Granger opened the box and smiled sweetly at Harry before pulling his present to her out of the box that it was placed in.

“Thank you for the stuffed owl, Harry,” Mrs. Granger told him. “I really like it.”

It fits her. She's as wise as an owl.

Mr. Granger got the hint from his wife and picked up his present from his daughter, which was in a small box. He looked curiously at her before starting to unwrap it.

I wonder what she got him that would fit in that small of a box. Oh, wait a minute! I think I have an idea…I saw her coming towards the store that I got her gift in as I left. It must be something from there. Harry glanced at Hermione curiously. I wonder if she saw me leave the store.

Harry's suspicions were confirmed moments later when Mr. Granger pulled a silver pocket watch out of the small box that it had come in. He saw him smile up knowingly at Hermione before saying, “Thanks, sweetheart. I needed a new watch.”

I wonder why they exchanged a knowing look...Did they have a conversation like both Mr. and Mrs. Granger had with me? If so, was it about me?

Harry slowly reached down and picked up his present from Hermione. It looks like it's a book, but why would Hermione get me a book? And why would she give me a magical book in front of her folks?

Harry glanced at a suddenly very nervous Hermione. Why is she so nervous? I'm sure that she knows that I'll like whatever she got me.

Harry slowly, almost teasingly slowly, neatly unwrapped Hermione's present. Then, he looked down at it before looking at Hermione again with a look on confusion clearly etched across his face. Why did she get me this book? I figured that she would have gotten me a book that would help me, and this book doesn't seem to be one that will.

Hermione could sense Harry's confusion, so she explained it to him. “I know you're not the greatest at expressing what's on your mind at times, and I figured that this might help when you're having problems expressing the thoughts that you can't quite express.”

That actually makes a lot of sense. Is this her way of trying to tell me that she's figured out that she fancies me too? I sure hope so, because that'll make things a lot easier on me.

Harry picked up the book of poetry that Hermione had gotten for him and flipped through it. She must have figured it out. There's a lot of love poems in here.

Harry leaned over and gave Hermione a big hug. “Thank you, so much,” he told her. “I'm sure this will come in handy some day.”

Hermione beamed at him, and then glanced down at the present from Harry that she had been holding on to for a while. She looked at him as if to ask “What is it?”, but Harry merely smiled at her as if to respond “Just open it.”

So, Hermione very slowly started to unwrap Harry's present.

I really hope that she likes it. I don't know what I'll do if she doesn't. I just wanted to try to express how much she means to me. It's almost like she's unwrapping my present really slowly to tease me. I wonder if she has an idea as to what it is…

Hermione finished taking the wrapping paper off, revealing a small black box.

Hermione looked up at Harry with eyes as wide as saucers, with her pupils as big as rings. She didn't even see that her mum and dad appeared to be just as surprised as she was. They were looking at Harry as if to ask “Are you seriously going to propose without dating for a while first? We gave you our permission to ask her out, not to propose!”

Harry smiled at Hermione encouragingly. She hesitated for a minute before very slowly opening the box.

Hermione's audible gasp made Mr. and Mrs. Granger lean over to try to see what was in the box.

Hermione looked up at Harry with a stunned look on her face.

Why won't she give me an indication if she likes it or not? It would break my heart if she doesn't.

“Harry,” Hermione started so softly that her voice was barely audible, “it's beautiful. Where did you get it?”

I guess it's safe to say she likes it.

“In the same store that you got your dad's new pocket watch. I was afraid you might have seen me leaving, because I saw you approaching as I left with it. It was the first thing I picked up, so I didn't have another bag to put it inside either.”

Hermione shook her head. “I didn't see you leave the store,” she told him, “but I do remember seeing somebody that reminded me of you disappear around a corner just before I went into the store.”

Harry smiled guiltily. “Yeah, that would have been me,” he confessed.

Hermione returned her gaze to the open box in front of her, as she slowly reached down and picked up its contents and lifted it up for her folks to see.

Her folks gasped at the beauty of what their daughter was now holding in her hands.

It was a pure gold necklace with a heart of gold on the end. On the heart it was clear that there were letters engraved into it, and a closer look revealed that the initials HG and HP were intertwined with each other.

Hermione leaned over and gave Harry a quick kiss on the cheek before giving him a big bear hug.

“Harry, help me put it on please,” Hermione requested once she let go of him, turning her back and lifting her hair to allow Harry to put the necklace on for her.

Harry gently took the necklace from Hermione and lovingly helped her put the necklace on, making sure that it clasped correctly.

“Thank you, Harry,” Hermione said blushing, turning around after Harry finished putting the necklace on her. “This is the best Christmas present anybody's ever gotten me.”

“I also want to thank you again for your thoughtful present,” Harry replied. “You know you didn't really need to get me anything.”

“I know, Harry. I wanted to.”

It is time. “Hermione,” Harry said, taking her hands in his gently, “I want to tell you something.”

“What is it, Harry?”

At that moment, Harry heard the opening chords of a familiar Christmas carol come on the radio. One he had heard just yesterday while talking with Mrs. Granger. One that would be a perfect way to start this discussion. “Let's listen to this song first,” he told her looking directly into her eyes. I could get lost in these eyes forever…

“Okay,” she replied tenderly.

As the words started to pour into the room, Mr. Granger went over and stood next to Mrs. Granger, taking her hand in his and smiling at the sight.

Harry and Hermione were completely oblivious to what her folks were doing, because they were lost in each other's eyes, listening to the words flood over them.

“Take back the holly and mistletoe
Silver bells on string
If I wrote a letter to Santa Claus
I would ask for just one thing
I don't need sleigh rides in the snow
Don't want a Christmas that's blue
Take back the tinsel, stockings and bows
'Cause all I want for Christmas is you

I don't need expensive things
They don't matter to me
All that I want, it can't be found
Underneath the Christmas tree

You are the angel atop my tree
You are my dream come true
Santa can't bring me what I need
'Cause all I want for Christmas is you

I don't need expensive things
They don't matter to me
All that I want, it can't be found
Underneath the Christmas tree

You are the angel atop my tree
You are my dream come true
Santa can't bring me what I need
'Cause all I want for Christmas is you
'Cause all I want for Christmas is you
'Cause all I want for Christmas is you.”

As the last chord of the song played, Harry and Hermione leaned in towards each other and brushed their lips together briefly.

“Hermione,” Harry started, “You've meant so much to me over the last six and a half years that I'm stunned that it took me this long to figure out how much you mean to me. You aren't just my best friend. You are so much more to me than that. You didn't have to get me anything for Christmas because just being here with you this morning is the best gift that I have ever been given. I asked your folks for their approval to do this last night after you went to bed, to make sure they were okay with me doing this, and they said that they saw the same thing I did before I had given the idea any thought. I don't want this to change things between us, but…”

Harry wasn't able to finish because Hermione cut him off with a kiss.

“Oh, Harry!” Hermione exclaimed elatedly once they had broken the kiss. “Of course, I'll be your girlfriend. It was last night when I was trying to fall asleep that I finally realized what everybody else seems to have figured out already. We belong together. I can't imagine what life without you would be like, and I don't want to. You are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me, Harry. Thank you so much…”

Hermione wasn't able to finish her thought because Harry returned the favor by quieting her with a kiss.

After they had broken the kiss, they looked into each other's eyes before leaning in together and starting to snog, completely oblivious to the fact that her folks were still in the room, standing by the dining room door. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were reveling in the sight that sat before them with pure joy on their faces, enjoying the beautiful, simple harmony.

The End

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