"Hang on a minute," Harry yelled, hopping round his room with a foot half into his sock, as the doorbell went off the next morning.
"It's alright Harry," Hermione called from the hallway, "I'll get it."
As he threw on his shoes and made a last desperate attempt to comb his hair he could hear his girlfriend welcoming Andromeda and Teddy into the house and wishing them both a Merry Christmas. Giving his hair up as a bad job - he wasn't sure why he still bothered to be honest - he grabbed his gift to Hermione from his wardrobe and ran down the stairs to greet them.
"How's my favourite godson doing today then?" He scooped Teddy from his grandmother's arms whilst giving her a kiss on the cheek and blew a big raspberry into his hair which turned a bright turquoise shade as he giggled delightedly.
"A bit grizzly this morning," Andromeda answered hanging her coat on the stand and handing some parcels to Hermione, "but I'm sure he'll be fine now that he's the centre of attention." Harry grinned at her.
"What's that Harry?" Hermione looked curiously at the present in his hand as he shifted it to readjust Teddy on his hip. To disguise its identity he had placed the ring box inside a much longer one, that way it would be more of a surprise.
"It's your other Christmas present, to open later; I was going to put it with the ones we're taking to your parents," he admitted truthfully. "I forgot to put it under the tree last night."
"Oh," she blushed, "I only got you one gift. You didn't have to get me two - thank you though; it's lovely!"
"You haven't seen what's in it yet… So shall we go and open some presents then Teddy?" and he bounced off excitedly with the baby into the sitting room.
"It makes you wonder who the child is," Andromeda watched the two of them go affectionately, since her daughter's death she had somewhat adopted Harry as a surrogate son.
"He had so few good Christmases when he was a child," Hermione was watching them both as well, "I think he's making up for it now. You should have seen him in the toy shop getting things for Teddy. I think he bought half the shop!"
Andromeda laughed as they followed the boys. "That child is going to be utterly ruined."
Harry was sitting in the middle of the floor next to the massive tree with Teddy in his lap, both of them looking the picture of childish anticipation, explaining to him about the fairies lighting up the tree - which the baby kept trying to grab and then chuckling happily when they flitted about his hands.
"Ron," Hermione called as they sat down. "Come on or you'll miss the presents."
There was a minutes silence and then the pounding of feet before there long-legged friend appeared in the doorway. "Sorry," he panted, "I was just helping Kreacher check the mince pies." He sat down quickly as Harry eyed the crumbs around his mouth with suspicion.
"Anyway," he turned back to the tree, "I think Teddy should go first, what do you say little mate?"
They spent the next half hour unwrapping presents punctuated every five minutes by another gift for Teddy: a tiny set of Chudley Cannons robes from Ron, who insisted that children had to be indoctrinated early, an enchanted baby book from Hermione, which worked much like a pensieve except the memories were kept on individual photo-like frames on each page, a giant fluffy bear from his grandmother and from Harry he received a miniature Hogwarts Express, complete with track to run it on, a wizarding baby walker which grew with the child and changed colour every half hour, a bouncy ball that had models of different wizarding locations alternating inside of it, several sets of baby clothes - including a jumper with a huge phoenix on the front - and his very own toy broom.
"He better not use that in the house," was Andromeda's comment, but they were all having too much fun for her to say it with any seriousness.
From Ron he received a Foe-glass ("just to be on the safe side") and a copy of the latest edition of Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century in which he had bookmarked the entire chapter at the back devoted to Harry. Ron ducked laughing, as he threw it at him, much to Hermione's outrage. A new, emerald green cloak was his gift from Andromeda and Teddy and from Hermione he received Aptitude for Aurors by Parmenio Bellatorus, and a really long, stripy, multicoloured scarf.
Hermione was the last person to open her gifts (a pair of emerald earrings and a set of books on the medicinal properties of various herbs, plants and fungi from Harry) and once that was done they all repaired to the kitchen for an extensive Christmas dinner as prepared by Kreacher, who had gone to extra lengths that morning after receiving a new blanket from Hermione and some Black family silver that Harry had found in the darkest corner of the attic.
"Well I don't think I could eat another mouthful," Harry sat back after polishing off his second helping of Christmas pudding topped with liberal quantities of custard.
"Yeah? Well feel sorry for me mate, I've got another dinner to have when I go home." Ron emphasised his point by belching loudly, much to Teddy's delight.
"I'm sure you'll manage somehow" Hermione looked over disapprovingly. Then laughed as Ron pulled a face at her.
"You can always come you know," he looked at his two friends slyly. Harry and Hermione both snorted in unison.
"Perhaps another day -"
"We have to see my parents."
Chuckling drew their attention and they all looked over at Andromeda. "You three are like a comedy act. You really should hear yourselves sometime."
"Baahhhbeee," Teddy concurred smashing his hands into his own piece of pudding and then proceeding to smear it over his face, the high chair, and everything within arms reach.
Sighing resignedly Ron got up stiffly from the table. "Well I better think about making a move then. I'll send Mum and Ginny love from the two of you shall I?" The last they heard of him after they wished him a happy Christmas was Ron chuckling to himself as he went into the hallway.
After that the three and a half of them retired back to the living room and played several Christmas games, or the wizard versions thereof. In charades you could use your wand to conjure objects that helped in the pantomime and in Who am I? you could cast a glamour on the other person rather than just stick a label on their head. All too soon it was time for Andromeda and Teddy to go as Harry and Hermione had to get ready to leave to go to her parents house.
"Well bye then little man." He gave Teddy a cuddle and actually received one in return which caused a little lump to form in his throat. "I'll see you soon ok? Promise to be a good boy for Grandma and no more transfiguring the furniture when you have a temper tantrum." In response Teddy turned his hair a brilliant golden shade - Harry was sure he knew what he was talking about really. "Next time I see you I'll show you how to ride that broom alright?"
"As long as you don't break any of my ornaments while you do it then that's fine by me." Andromeda smiled fondly at him. "Bye Harry, we both had a lovely day." She reached across to kiss him on the cheek as she took Teddy back from him. "Say Merry Christmas Teddy." She helped him wave goodbye then with one last parting smile they walked to the bottom of the front path and disapparated. Harry watched the space where they had vanished for a moment enjoying the warm, contented feeling the day had generated within him.
"Haaarry," Hermione called his name from the living room as he shut the door. Quickly, because she sounded slightly panicked and her voice had taken on that high squeaky tone it adopted whenever she was getting stressed or hysterical, he went back to the living room. Time stopped. There sitting amongst all the paper and paraphernalia of Christmas was his girlfriend, white as a sheet and holding in her hand the box that should have been safely wrapped up under the tree waiting for that perfect evening he had planned. Only it wasn't. It was open and Hermione was staring at the ring as though it was about to bite her.
"Harry?" she repeated switching her confused eyes to his face.
It was ruined. All his careful planning, the sleepless nights trying to work out the perfect thing to say, the menu he and Kreacher had spent days concocting, the hope of seeing the enraptured look on Hermione's face as she would have opened the gift in front of the fire and he got down on one knee. Now she just looked as though she was going to vomit.
"You weren't supposed to open that." It was all he could think to say.
"What is it?" There, that was it; the idea of them getting married had obviously never occurred to her and now that she was presented with the ring she was still clueless because it was something she just didn't have planned, and he knew how big Hermione was on sticking to plans. Either that or she knew and was going to say no so she was giving him an escape clause so he could back out with his dignity semi-intact. He could say it was a friendship ring, or that he'd gotten it mixed up with someone else's gift, but who else would he be giving a ring to? That would make things worse, she'd think he was having an affair or that he was just plain insane… maybe she thought he was mad anyway, God knows he would think the same if he was her, especially now that he was just standing there staring at her with his mouth slightly open and his brain going into overdrive as he scrambled for what to say next. All his pretty speeches had flown clean out of his head. Say something Potter!
"I… I um… It's a ring." Genius.
Hermione stared at said object for a moment more before clearing her throat and speaking again. "Yes, I can see that… what…" Was Hermione Granger lost for words? "What sort of a ring?"
"Well, it was… well you see…"
"Yes?"
Harry screwed up every ounce of his courage - how could this be harder than facing a rampaging dragon or defeating the greatest dark wizard of all time? Because it was Hermione that's why - and spoke to the air three inches to the left of her face.
"Well it's an engagement ring. You see I was going to ask you tonight at dinner and Kreacher was helping me make roast beef and I had everything planned out in my head and there was going to be a fire and my hair would stay flat. You weren't supposed to open it just now and I hadn't told anyone else because I wanted it to be a surprise and I knew what I was going to say I had a speech and everything, although I'm not that good at speeches so it was going to be relatively simple, and then I put it in the bigger box so you wouldn't know what it was and I wanted it to be a surprise." Ok so he didn't so much speak as babble at her. Smooth Potter.
Hermione sniffed suddenly causing his gaze to snap back to her face which was soaked with tears as they cascaded down he cheeks. Harry's brain immediately jumped into protective mode.
"Hermione what's wrong?" He rushed over to her and knelt beside her on the rug. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you cry, we can forget all about it if you want, it was a stupid idea. I just want you to be happy."
She let out a watery chuckle at this and he was relieved to see that through the tears she was actually smiling. "Do you really mean it Harry?" She sniffed again as she took his hand in her free one.
"Yes!" He was emphatic. "I don't care what we do as long as we're together and you're happy. We don't need to get married if you don't want to."
"No, I meant… I meant do you really want to marry me?"
He stared at her earnestly for a moment, at her watery brown eyes and her mouth usually so stubborn but at the moment trembling as she sniffed and hiccupped, at the mascara which she never usually wore except on special occasions that was now streaked down her cheeks. He'd never seen anything more beautiful.
"Yes."
A half sob, half laugh exploded out of her as she wiped her face with the back of her hand. "Well come on then," she sniffed trying to compose herself. "If we're going to do this we better do it properly. What were you going to say to me?"
Harry's heart stopped, actually it did more than stop, it seemed to disappear out of his chest altogether went zinging around the room like a mental ping-pong ball and then re-entered his chest with the force of a small bomb exploding. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?
She was looking at him expectantly now, so he cleared his throat and tried to rack his brain for the words he had spent so long rehearsing.
"Hermione Granger, you are the most wonderful woman I have ever met in my whole life. You're loyal and kind and generous and smart and so, so beautiful. You've always been there for me whenever I needed you, through all the good times and the bad - and there's certainly been more of the latter - and you've never once deserted me. I can never thank you enough for everything you've done for me and I can't imagine what I ever did that made me lucky enough to have you in my life. I knew you were special the moment you stepped into that compartment on the Hogwarts Express seven years ago and I'm so glad you did because I can't imagine how I would have gotten through everything without you by my side or what my life would have been like without you in it. Sometimes I'm scared to open my eyes in the morning in case it was all just a dream, but it's not and you're here and you're real and I love you with every fibre of my being. So…" he took the ring box from her trembling fingers and adopted the traditional proposing stance. "Hermione Granger… will you marry me?"
As she looked up at him through eyes that were once more pouring tears, he could see the answer shining from her eyes, but he wanted to let her say it so he waited with patience he hadn't known he possessed. Rising up on her knees she took his face in both of her hands and gently kissed him. It wasn't eager or passionate or the sort of kiss that blows your socks off, but it was simple and tender and oh-so-Hermione. She broke away after just a moment and looked straight into his eyes with utter conviction as a wide grin spread across her face.
"Yes."
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