A/N: Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls...House Elves of all ages....let's be about it. Thanks as
usual to Lady Starlight for her work in this chapter. Umm...the title of the chapter should tell you something. By the
way, the recommended song for this chapter is: Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol.
Chapter 26: Walls Fall
************************Gryffindor Tower*********************************
December 19, 2015
6:45 pm
Emilia sighed as she looked over to watch Harriet staring out the half-frosted window, slowly brushing the same spot on Gaheris' fur over and over again. The large canine Familiar looked over at Emilia beseechingly and Em sighed, getting up from where she was getting ready, still in sweats, but with her hair done and the little makeup that she was actually wearing applied.
"You need to get ready," Em announced, perching on the edge of the bed next to her.
Harriet shrugged, and looked back down at Gaheris, shifting her attentions to his tail, which he tolerated, barely, and started brushing. A minute passed in silence, except for a faint yelp as she pulled on a burr in his fur, before she looked up, still feeling Emilia's and, across the room, Rain's eyes on her. "I'm not going."
Emilia sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose, before she looked back up, "Yeah, you are." Harriet looked up rebelliously, and Emilia shook her head, her eyes hardening, "I don't care if you just sit there on the side, you are going...maybe my dumbarse brother will see you and get a clue, or maybe you will just fill up on Christmas treats, I don't care, but you are going." Harriet sighed but nodded, dropping the brush on the bed, and standing.
She grabbed a towel and her toiletries and left, headed for the showers without another word.
Rain snorted and walked over, dropping on the bed, and flopping back. "Do you think it will work?"
Emilia shrugged, "I saw her in her dress the other day...unless my brother has decided to start seeking for the other team, he'll notice...Now, will it be enough of a Bludger to the head, fuck all knows." Emilia stood and pulled off her sweatshirt as she gestured to her armoire, catching her dress as it floated over to her. She slipped out of the sweatpants, tossed them randomly aside and stepped into her dress, gesturing at the back to lace itself up.
Rain stood and walked over to Em's bed, and bent down under it, "Do you know where the hell my shoes are?"
"I think they are in Harriet's trunk," Emilia replied, "Toss me my leg sheath," she added and caught the battered bit of black dragonhide. She pulled aside her skirt, reaching in though the slit up one leg and buckled the twin straps holding the sheath to her thigh. She caught her wand as it floated over to her, and slid it into its sheath. "If it does take much longer though," she went on, as if she had not been distracted from the conversation, "I think I am going to lock them in a room."
"There's always Christmas," Rain put in.
"Yeah, there is."
An hour later, Emilia grinned as she slipped in the main doors of the Great Hall, all thoughts of others' predicaments temporarily set aside. She looked up at Xander and smiled, before taking his hand and slipping between the small round tables that had replaced the house tables.
She looked up and waved at Rain, where the other teen was sitting at a white, linen-covered table with Justin, set to one side near the front of the Great Hall, conveniently near the area cleared for dancing later. She stood back as Xander as he pulled out her chair, and helped her to her seat. The fact that she was more than capable of taking care of such things for herself, and was far from an invalid in her dress, was lost to the magic of the night. He scooted her in and kissed the top of her head, before sitting next to her.
Emilia dropped her head to his shoulder for an instant, before straightening and picking up the menu.
"Where's Harriet?" Rain asked, pausing to share a knowing look with Emilia as Virginia and Kris slipped past, their hands tight in each other's and occasionally looking nervously around. Rain waved at them to receive slightly timid smiles in return before the pair sat down at a table two down from them where Lawrence and his date, Aiko Inoue, were already leaning together. The small, black-haired girl laughed at something Lawrence said then leaned across to greet the newcomers. "I see that Aiko gave in," she added, fighting a laugh.
"I think he was trying too hard," Emilia replied thoughtfully. She looked around the hall, to find Harriet slowly walking around the periphery, "She's over there."
"Should we..."
Xander sighed and looked to the rafters, from which a light snow was falling, vanishing just before it reached their heads. He looked at Em, and then over at Rain, and shared a quick, almost exasperated glance with Justin. "Leave them alone tonight."
"But," Emilia objected.
Xander half turned, taking her hands in his, "Sirius might as well be my brother-in-law, but you have to let them settle this themselves, Em, at least for tonight...If it's meant to be it will, if not, you will have all Christmas without distractions," he smirked, "at least during the day...If they haven't by then you can work on them, but don't let it distract you tonight, alright?"
She gnawed on her lower lip for a moment, before nodding and leaning forward to kiss him. "Alright, it's all us tonight, baby."
Across the room Harriet paused next to a large, twelve-foot fir tree and silently watched the lights twinkle and dance around it. Her preoccupied gaze did not notice the pair of emerald eyes focused on her from across the room, as Sirius sat down with Lawrence, Aiko, Kris and Virginia, and picked up his menu, only as an excuse to look over it at her, his appetite was rather lacking these days.
Harriet smiled faintly as one of the fairies slipped from the tree and flitted around her head, showering her with golden sparkles of light. She cocked her head, examining a sprig of Mistletoe hung near the tree, her eyes seeming to focus on something that was not quite here.
The soft fall of a high-heeled foot did not register; therefore, as a brunette in a short, black gown slipped up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. Harriet turned slowly, to find Naomi smirking at her, "I see that he came to his senses, didn't even bother to pretend to want to go with you did he?"
Harriet did not speak, as Naomi laughed, and took a half step closer, "I don't suppose it matters really, you were just a bit of a distraction for him anyway, he's gotten past you now." She reached over and patted Harriet on the cheek, "I'll just go and claim him now, with as much power as his family has, I'm sure he will be great fun...later." She leered at Harriet and spun on her heel, sauntering slowly across the room.
Harriet bit her lip and looked over at Sirius, just as he looked down at his menu. A faint sniff came from her, before she turned, and headed to the door, just as silver tracks started to wind their way down her cheeks. She escaped through the open doors of the Great Hall at a near run, nearly knocking down Flitwick who was stepping through at that very moment.
It was a measure of the depth that Emilia had taken Xander's words to heart, her attention focused on him alone, that she did not notice as her brother stood from his table, his eyes flickering, and slipped after Harriet, dodging around tables, Familiars and students on his single-minded path towards the door.
He spun around Shin and Abigail, the latter leaning against Elliot, his eyes still fixedly on the door that Harriet had left, and found himself face to face with Naomi. She smiled at him, leaning forward enough to emphasize her cut of her gown. He did not even spare a glance for her décolletage and she frowned faintly.
"Siri..." she murmured, just loud enough to be heard over the murmur of conversation, and music, "where are you going?" She reached for his hand, "Let's go sit and...talk."
His hand escaped her grasp, though he did not seem to move. "Excuse me," started to move around her only to be blocked as she shifted, moving back into his path.
She followed his eyes, "Don't tell me you are going after her," she smirked, reaching for his cheek, "Stay...In fact, I know a place, where..."
"I need to..."
"I can be so much more fun, than her," she patted his arm possessively, "stay."
Sirius shook his head and took a step to his left, only to be cut off again. He growled and a faintly visible pulse of magic tossed Naomi to her bum.
She looked up at him, as he started around her, wide-eyed in shock, "She's just another Weasley, not worth the time..."
He stopped in mid stride, and looked to her, his eyes fully lit and hooded, "Never, ever, bother her again, Naomi, ever..." she swallowed heavily, as he stalked off quickly, headed for the door.
Standing shakily, she glanced around, looking to see if anyone had seen the encounter before she let a smile fall back onto her lips and headed over to talk to Aidan Brennan, the seventh-year Seeker for Ravenclaw, who had just broken up with his girlfriend.
Sirius reached the hallway outside of the Great Hall, and frantically looked for Harriet in amongst the various students coming and going from the Great Hall. He sighed heavily as he did not find her, and leaned back against the wall of the corridor heavily. He waited a moment, and half-sprinted for the Great Stairs, taking the marble treads two at a time, to reach a spot where he could summon the map discretely.
******************************Hogwarts**********************************
December 19, 2015. (Saturday)
8:25pm
A heavy blanket of snow covered the ground, with a half-full, shimmering moon, lighting the grounds with a slivery sheen. Across the nearly virgin snowfall, a pair of tracks, one from two legs, one from four, tracked towards the edge of the frozen-over lake. Far above, tiny, twinkling lights from innumerable stars, Muggle aircraft, and the running lights of one of the American Defense platforms in low orbit competed with the moon to light the night.
A small square of golden light appeared inset in the great doors to the keep, and a black-cloaked figure slipped out into the winter night, the sounds of music and revelry escaping as well. He paused as his breath threw up clouds of steam, and looked down at the tracks leading off from the keep, gathered his cloak around his shoulders and took off, following them with a swift, purposeful stride, the snow seeming having no impediment on his progress.
He reached the side of the lake several moments later, stopping as a pair of ice-blue eyes, seemingly possessing of an inner light looked at him from the top of a flat rock that had been cleared of snow. The eyes turned away as the white wolf tucked his head back against a white-cloaked form. A small hand emerged from the end of a fur-trimmed sleeve and ran through his fur. The girl, for even with the cloak it was obvious what she was, sighed and leaned forward. She shook her head and her hood fell back, revealing a head of bright red hair, like a ball of flame against her white cloak. "Sirius," she said absently, as just her eyes cut to the side, looking at him.
Her eyes tracked him without moving her head as he walked around the other side of the rock and slid up to sit next to her.
She reached out as he sat and slowly reached for his hand; then froze, stopping as she realized what her traitorous hand was trying to do. The hand shot back inside the cloak, just as Sirius' eyes cut down and to the side.
He frowned, biting his lip and not commenting on her actions.
They sat for several silent minutes.
"I'm sorry."
Harriet cocked her head like a bird and turned to look at him, "For what?" she asked, her voice oddly soft.
Sirius shrugged, "For making you mad...whatever I did...I didn't mean it, honestly, I'm really sorry..." he swallowed, his voice fading to silence as he looked down at his hands.
Harriet frowned as she turned on the rock, and swallowed heavily, before she slowly reached out and grabbed his right hand with hers. She intertwined her fingers with his, before she looked up to find his eyes on hers.
She gasped quietly as a spike of something shot through her as his thumb started to slowly run over the back of her hand. Harriet came up on her knees, moving closer to him, until she was sitting only a foot from him. Gaheris looked up at his mistress, then at Sirius and seemed to roll his eyes, before leaping down unnoticed and pacing off towards the warm castle and Christmas snacks, just waiting to be pilfered. "I'm not mad at you, Sirius," she said, the words a mere susurration.
"You're going to ruin your dress," Sirius whispered, as he glanced down at the red silk that the open front of her cloak had revealed. She looked down, and then back up.
Harriet shrugged as she smiled slightly, "I'm a witch; I'll be fine." She took a breath, and a bare, brief smirk crossed her lips as she watched him glance down. He flushed red in the moonlight, and she reached up with her free hand and cupped his cheek. Soft grey eyes held his as she leaned forward, until their noses were almost touching. She glanced up at a sprig of mistletoe, somehow hanging on the branch above.
Harriet slipped forward, as her head cocked slightly to the side. She paused as Sirius looked up, "What about the Nargles?" he asked very softly, as the steam from his breath passed up between them, clouding his glasses.
Harriet slowly plucked his glasses from his face with her left hand, her right having never left his, and set them on the rock next to them, "Sod the Nargles," she breathed and leaned forward. Harriet gasped softly as she kissed him, feeling herself falling forward without moving, as her heart beat a riotous tempo against her ribs. They both pulled back panting, though the kiss had never been anything but chaste, and looked at each other, stunned. For just a second, brains had received signals from two bodies, and magic wove together, dancing along nerves like fire.
Harriet licked her lips, and let go of his hand as her fingers slipped up to tangle in the small hairs at the back of his neck, and kissed him again, this time her tongue slipped out to run along his lips. They opened and she groaned as the kiss deepened. She distantly felt his hands sliding inside her cloak, to gather at the small of her back, pulling her fully against him.
Sirius pulled back slightly and blinked away the flickers of emerald fire pooling in his eyes. Several branches and bits of refuse that had been floating at head height, unnoticed, floated back down to settle on the ground. "Harriet would you like-"
"Yes, I already was, silly, we just hadn't done anything about it," Harriet finished for him; she smiled slowly as she idly sifted her fingers through his hair. She looked up and leisurely brushed dark fringe from his eyes, before she kissed him again, smirking as he tried to keep contact. A soft, almost purr came from her lips, as his fingertips moved up her back under her cloak, incredibly warm through the silk of her dress.
"I was an idiot," Sirius whispered.
"Yes, you were," she replied quietly, "but you are my idiot. For now, and forever," she added very softly. Sirius just nodded, and kissed her. She grinned, "But now...I want to go back to the ball." Harriet slowly slid to the ground next to the rock, and waited as Sirius climbed down next to her. She took his hand, and slowly they retraced the frozen path back to the castle.
The small, inset door in the great, main doors opened of its own free will, and the pair, still holding hands, and with barely room for air to pass between them, let alone light, stepped through into the atrium, and stopped to look around for a beat. Several other students, both groups and couples were scattered about, talking, snogging and in the case of one seventh year couple near the top of the stairs, arguing with a fervor that would have done Sirius' mother and Harriet's father proud.
Harriet pulled Sirius along to a large, golden statue of a phoenix sitting in the center of the atrium. She let go of his hand and knelt in front of it, slowly running her fingers along a pair of names inscribed near the top of a bronze plaque. Harriet's breath hitched slightly, as she knelt there, stiffening for an instant as Sirius knelt behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She let her head flop back onto his shoulder.
"They are coming back, Harriet," Sirius whispered in her ear.
She nodded and pushed herself back to her feet. "Shall we, my Lord Potter?" Harriet asked, turning to face him.
Sirius watched as the cloak slowly slid from her shoulders, leaving them bare and revealing the long, floor-length red silk gown, a shade or two brighter than her hair. His eyes seemed to have a mind of their own as they tracked down from the high collar, down over the moderate swell of her chest to her legs, which were visible in flashes through hip-high slits in the fabric as she nervously twitched in place.
"Merlin, you're beautiful," Sirius whispered. A shy smile bloomed on her face as she reached forward and up, straightening the tie of his dress robes. "Thank you," he mouthed and she shrugged. Without a word, at least not consciously, they took a right and headed towards the Great Hall, pausing at the door to hand off Sirius' winter cloak to the elf in Hogwarts' livery that was manning the cloakroom door. "Ready?" Sirius asked as Harriet paused at the open door and looked in on the full room.
A soft, magical snow tumbled down from the rafters, stopping just above the heads of the tallest party-goers. Twelve, twenty-foot, snow-encrusted firs were set around the room, each fully lit with innumerable twinkling fairy lights. Dozens of small, round tables set with snow-white linen had replaced the long house tables, though only about a third were actually occupied with students or guests.
Harriet looked forward to the dance floor, where various couples were dancing, and she grinned, her eyes twinkling merrily, "Come on, I want to dance..." Sirius did not complain much as she pulled him past tables and students towards the front.
A tall girl with night-black, ruler-straight mid-back-length hair and shocking crystal blue eyes looked up as they passed and her eyes widened slightly. She stood rapidly from her perch on Justin Black's knee, gave her date a kiss on the cheek and whispered, "Be back." He nodded, long, blonde hair flopping in his eyes. She kissed him on the top of his head again, and started off at a vector to Harriet and Sirius' course.
She stepped around several tables, passing a group of third year girls who seemingly were more focused on the older sixth and seventh year boys, than on their own dates. She stepped over someone's kneazle, which had a purloined Christmas cracker in its mouth. She stepped around the last of the tables and headed towards a dimly lit alcove.
She paused for a moment, her hands on her hips as she looked at the pair standing there. Emilia's forest dress was several shades darker than her eyes, it left her shoulders bare, and like Harriet's, a long slit up one leg, provided freedom of movement and access to the wand no doubt hidden underneath. Just like Rain's own was, after all. Emilia was molded to Xander's front, his fingers playing with the locks of her hair that had been left free of the high tail most of her hair was pulled back into. Rain coughed slightly as Emilia leaned up, her knee slipping out of the slit in the side of her dress as she slipped it between Xander's legs.
"Sod off, Rain," Emilia said quietly, not turning to meet her friend's smirking face.
"Don't you have Justin to snog, or shag or something?" Xander added, resting his head on Emilia's shoulder. She sniggered, which grew to outright laughter as Rain replied with a single-fingered salute, as she caught sight of the gesture through Xander's eyes.
"I am staying at the Manor, for Christmas," Rain replied airily, pretending to buff her nails on the front of her dress, "I'm sure that we might get up to something." She darted forward and grabbed Emilia's hand and pulled her away from Xander. He shouted an objection, but the two girls were already halfway across the floor of the Great Hall.
"Rain, I love you like a sister," Emilia growled just loud enough for her to hear over the music and conversation filling the room, "a really annoying, taller sister, but one nonetheless...but saying that, we were about to head upstairs."
Rain pulled them to a stop at the edge of the dance floor, "There."
Emilia glanced towards the dance floor at the various couples dancing to a cover of Magic Works. She sighed, "I've seen Dumbledore and McGonagall dance before, Rain."
Rain pulled slightly on her elbow, and pointed her just past Dumbledore and McGonagall as they waltzed to a song that did not require a waltz. Dumbledore moved, and Emilia let out a soft, happy noise, as she watched Harriet swaying slowly in her brother's arms, her cheek resting on his shoulder. Emilia shared a small grin with Rain and bent at the waist, reaching through under her skirt and pulling her wand from an invisible holster. She flicked it through the air, drawing a small rectangle, and a camera appeared with a POP.
"What's that for?" Rain asked as Emilia slid her wand behind one ear, and lifted the camera to her eye. She clicked several pictures, before holding the camera flat in her hand. It vanished with another POP, and she turned to Rain, grinning.
Emilia pulled her wand from behind her ear and slid it back into its concealed sheath; she gave a small glare to a Hufflepuff sixth year, Eddie Thomas, who seemed abnormally fascinated with the expanse of her bare leg. She straightened up and leaned back automatically as she felt Xander slide in behind her, she smirked for a moment as he nuzzled her neck, a display of affection that depending on a Professor's mood, might get commented on. "I'll either give it to them as a present...or as blackmail...maybe both," Emilia replied, snuggling back against her betrothed.
****************************Godric's Hollow******************************
December 19, 2015
"How did we get out of the Ministry's ball this year?" Hermione murmured, settling back against Harry with a small sigh. She chuckled slightly as he shrugged and nuzzled her neck. A fire blazed in the fireplace, casting shadows on the walls, and filling the room with a soft yellow glow. A bare, unadorned fir tree sat in the corner of the room, waiting for the decorations that would surely decorate it, come tomorrow night.
Why, did you want to go? Harry replied, smirking slightly as he pulled a blanket up over their laps. His hands slipped back below the blanket and started to run up and down the outside of her bare leg. You have a cold.
I do? Hermione replied, amused.
Yeah, don't you feel a tad under the weather?
I do have a touch of a chill, Hermione replied, laughing, Care to try to warm me up? She squirmed slightly as he reached up, pushing up the too large jumper of Harry's she had slipped on after they had returned from the Ministry, and started to run his fingers along her belly. She leaned back, resting her head on his shoulder, turning enough to gain a quick kiss. How did Remus and Tonks get out of this one?
I think Remus said they had to paint the house or something, Harry whispered and Hermione laughed out loud at the absurdity of that excuse. Are you ready for the influx tomorrow? How many are showing up for Christmas?
Hell if I know, Hermione shrugged, she marked her page in the book she was perusing, I think Em said Rain was going to the Manor, so she won't be here like usual, but we have our own...and their significant others, and my parents and Anna if she doesn't go to Ginny's too, and probably Nathan if she's here...A couple of dozen Familiars, and a partridge in a pear tree....
So I should send Dobby to the butcher in the morning, you're saying, Harry replied reaching over to the side, to grab a glass of a dark red wine. He took a sip, and rolled his eyes as Hermione stole it from him. He did not comment as she sent it floating back to the coffee table with a wave of her hand. We have everything this year, right? I'm not going to have to go shopping in Diagon Alley again on Christmas Eve?
Hermione nodded, and leaned back, letting her eyes slip closed. Did we ever eat dinner? she muttered, then turned her head, looking back at him, Oh, that's right...we never made it back down from the bedroom after we got back, did we?
Harry pushed at her, Come on, then, I'll fix us something. He froze for a brief instant as he watched Hermione stand, watching the long jumper she had on fall down to half way down her legs. She rolled her eyes and waved a hand in front of his face before grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet.
She followed him into the kitchen, and jumped up to sit on the counter, watching as he opened the coldbox and started rummaging. "So what do you want?" Harry asked with his head in the coldbox.
"It's up to you," Hermione replied, catching automatically the pair of butterbeers Harry tossed backwards over his shoulder in her direction. They both curved in flight, right to her hands, she set them down next to her, "I cook so my family doesn't starve; you're the gourmand."
"So why did I marry you?" Harry asked with a smirk as he stood from the coldbox. Behind him, a silver pot lifted from a rack and floated over to the sink, where it gained a load of water and continued on its course to land with a soft rattle on the stovetop where the burner was already lit below it. He opened the freezer side of the box and pulled out a freezer bag of frozen, red sauce, and flicked his fingers over it. He watched as it melted in instants, seemingly like watching a tape on fast forward, before pouring the now melted sauce in a pan and flicking the bag up in the air where it vanished with a pop.
He glanced back at Hermione who laughed, and leaned back on her hands. She crooked a single eyebrow as she crossed her legs, baring even more of her thigh and sniggered as he almost dropped the chicken he had found, already cooked, in the fridge, to the floor. She laughed outright as he turned his back on her, and quite slowly, as if he were not quite in control of his motions set the poultry, left over from one of Dobby's slightly excessive 'lunches', down on the counter. He looked over as the sauce began to simmer, and nodded. Eyes flickered, and a web of silver jets seemed to snap from his fingertips, cutting the chicken into small cubes. "Are you sure you don't remember, Harry," she murmured, knowing full well that he could quite probably hear her on the opposite side of the planet.
The chicken floated into the sauce and a wooden spoon lifted from a bin of such utensils, and started to stir the mixture. "I dunno," Harry's lips held an small, half-smile, as he turned from the stove where their quick meal was rapidly fixing itself, helped along by Harry's already prepared marinara sauce. "If I remember correctly," he slipped across the two or three steps from the stove to the counter, and uncrossed her legs, to stand between her knees, "It had something to with this rather odd pastime all the blokes in my dorm used to rave about..." He reached up, and slowly wrapped a loose curl around his finger, "Seems you need a really pretty girl..."
"Do you now?" Hermione whispered, looking back into his eyes over the top of his slipped-down glasses. "And what do you do with this girl?" she asked, glancing down at her fingers as they twisted in the belt loops of the loose jeans that threatened to fall off him, "Once you've gotten her, that is?"
"Well see, that's the rub," Harry murmured, leaning forward to nuzzle her neck enough to elicit a soft sigh. "There was never really a...consensus reached," Harry paused as warm fingers slipped up under the hem of his jumper, "on...um...what one should really do, in that particular situation, to get to the desired endpoint." He glanced back at the pot, and the spoon dipped a small bit of sauce up, before floating over. Hermione took a taste and nodded, before he sent the spoon back on his way. "It seems that my esteemed colleagues never could quite agree on the proper...technique, one should apply in that situation."
"They didn't huh?" Hermione asked, leaning forward to catch his lips for a second. She rolled back slightly, letting her forehead remain in light contact with his. She moved just her eyes, and the pasta lifted itself from the water, gave itself a shake and floated over to a warm bowl waiting for it. Harry reached back with a pair of fingers, and the saucepan slid off the flames and both burners went out.
"No," Harry agreed, "There was pretty much unanimous agreement on the desired outcome...Seamus thought that the consumption of great amounts of alcohol, was often a necessary intermediate...I remember Padma disabusing him of that notion seventh year," he added as an afterthought. "Neville...well he never really said much, he just let his actions speak for themselves, and they did." Hermione gave him a small smile, and kissed his nose.
"What about Dean and Ron?"
"Well," Harry said, then paused as Crookshanks jumped up on the counter and started to sneak towards the food. A few droplets of water shot from the faucet, hitting him on the nose and he retreated, only to stop and glare at them from the door of the kitchen. "Dean used to "invite them to model"..."
"Oh that's what that was?" Hermione asked softly with sudden understanding as images of her seventh year and finding Dean in an abandoned classroom, with a sketch pad, and a half-nude Gryffindor sixth year.
"Yeah."
"And Ron?"
"Well Ron was of various minds, he tried the 'let's argue over everything' technique...that didn't get him too far," Harry added philosophically, ignoring Hermione's mouthed, "That's an understatement". Harry leaned forward, at the same time he pulled her closer to him, scooting her bum to the very edge of the counter, "He also tried the 'snog until you passed out' route, but that seemed rather shallow in the end, even for him, he ended up going with the more...eccentric."
"And what did you finally decide on, Harry?" Hermione slowly traced her hands around his back and started to trace faint scars there with the pads of her fingers, not having to actually see them to know the exact position of every line.
He smiled slightly reaching up to push a curl behind her right ear. "I finally managed, after a couple of bouts of pure idiocy, to just find the one that had been with me since I was scared little eleven-year-old on a train, and let nature take its course, and when it did, to never, ever let go."
Hermione smirked against his lips, before they opened, slipping her tongue lightly along his, before sighing contently and pulling back an inch or two. "I would shag you right now, if I hadn't just an hour ago, and I had actually eaten today. I need energy for that little endeavor."
"Oh you most certainly do," Harry teased back, then stood, picking up his wife by the waist with a hand on each hip and gently setting her on her feet. "Do you want to eat in front of the fire?"
Hermione nodded, and rose on her toes, kissing his nose, "I'll get the blanket." She stepped around him, and grabbed a fresh bottle of wine and a pair of glasses. She sauntered to the door leading to the living room, and looked back over her shoulder, "Don't take too long, I'll be waiting." She stepped through the door, letting it swing after her and he sighed heavily, before returning to his task with a singular dedication.
A/N: There you go, S/H, E/X and H/Hr in the same chapter....what else could you possibly want? Hmmm.......there
is that one thing still hanging out there, isn't there?