Disclaimer: Not mine. You know how it would have ended if it was, right?
A/N: My response to the "Kissing Santa" Challenge by leochick, which can be found here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26200. Hope you'll enjoy it, and please leave me a comment if you read, so that I know what you think of it.
Kissing The Wrong Santa
Chapter Sixteen: Snowy Christmas
Harry was in a hurry. He had to finish his Christmas shopping, and he had left everything for the last moment. Again.
"Will I ever learn to do this in time?" he wondered, sighing, as he ran through Diagon Alley. He checked his list and noticed he still needed a gift for Teddy, Ron and Ginny.
"I'm never going to be on time" he growled, sprinting toward the next shop he needed to visit. The huge crowd of people window shopping didn't help him quicken his various stops, making instead him lose even more time.
"I wish I had listened to Hermione, who made the shopping ages ago" he sighed while Apparating away to his flat, a couple hours later, exhausted. He quickly hid all the gifts into the pockets of his coat, and stepped into the shower, hoping the hot water could help him relax a bit.
Just as he stepped out of it, Hermione arrived.
"Harry, are you ready?" she called from the living room.
"Actually, not yet" he called back from the bedroom, hastily choosing the clothes he would put on.
"Honestly, Harry…" she started nagging him, but as she stepped into the room, she was met with the sight of his naked torso while he slipped on a white shirt, and blushed. Even after some months dating him, she was still amazed at how handsome he was, and how muscular he had become through Quidditch and Auror training.
"Like what you see?" he cheekily teased her while rapidly buttoning the shirt.
She gave him a mock glare, then proceeded to try and fix his hair. Then they rushed out, Harry grabbing his coat, before Apparating to Andromeda's to get Teddy.
The boy was excited to see Harry and Hermione and ran towards them, hugging first his godfather then Hermione.
After wishing the older witch a merry Christmas, the three of them Flooed to the Burrow, where the Weasley clan was waiting for them.
This year was officially Harry's turn to pose as Santa as no one apart from him, Ron and Hermione knew of the exchange that had taken place the previous time. The redhead had asked him if he wanted to switch since last year Harry had done it already, but the raven haired wizard wisely declined.
First of all he didn't care much for a repeat of last year's mistake, when a slightly drunk Hermione had kissed Santa thinking it was her boyfriend, and second, he had to admit he had enjoyed the role. It had been fun to distribute the presents, and the look of sheer joy on the kids' faces when they tore them open could really warm the heart. So, Harry had told Ron he would gladly do it again.
Once there the three of them were welcomed by a traditional Molly Weasley hug, as well as hugs from everyone else. Harry noticed Luna was there too, and was standing close to Ron.
"I'm glad to see you, Harry, Hermione" she greeted them with her usual serene look. Harry had an idea about what was going on there and couldn't help but smile. A look he exchanged with Hermione told him she had had the same intuition, and he grinned.
Luna was good for Ron, he was sure of that. They completed each other perfectly, and he was sure they would be happy. In the meantime, Teddy quickly scurried away to meet with the other kids and play before dinner, and in a rare moment when he was alone with Ron Harry couldn't stop his curiosity.
"So, you and Luna, uh?" he teased his best mate, and Ron blushed scarlet red.
"Well, she came to the hospital a month ago with a nasty case of Wizarding Flu, although she blamed it on some kind of strange creature like her usual, so I took care of her, and things blossomed from there" he admitted, sheepishly.
"I think she's good for you, if that has any kind of importance" Harry said with a smile and a clap on Ron's shoulder.
"It does, Harry. Of course it does" Ron grinned back before Hermione came toward them and snuggled in Harry's embrace. It was strange for Ron to see his ex girlfriend with his best friend, but he was happy for them. They were clearly suited for each other.
They noticed it was snowing quite heavily outside, and Hermione whispered something into Harry's ear about how she loved when it snowed on Christmas night. One had just to agree with her, as the show was really fascinating.
Finally, dinner was ready and as always everyone left the table completely filled. Molly Weasley was a real talent in the kitchen, and Harry had to admit at times her feasts rivalled with the Hogwarts ones.
Then, everyone settled into the living room, the kids playing, oblivious to the chats of the adults, who instead sat on couches and chairs and kept indulging into eggnog and Firewhiskey. Hermione had her fair share too, although she wasn't as tipsy as the previous year, and she winked at Harry from across the room when she caught his stare. He shook his head smiling, and walked toward her, pulling her into his arms.
"You want to mistake Ron for me, this year?" he teased her, and she lightly swatted his arm. "Prat" she scowled.
He laughed. "Well, I better go to get ready" he said, as it was already forty past eleven. He had twenty minutes.
Once he put on the Santa costume, beard and changed his hair and eyes to fit the traditional image, he spotted Hermione coming into the kitchen.
"Harry, it's you?" she asked.
"Yeah, it's me" he replied.
"Just checking" she giggled, a clear sign she had drunk enough, as she walked toward him. "Because since it's you, I can do this" she seductively purred lacing her arms around his neck and pulling him down for a kiss.
He didn't mind at all, instead he was more than happy to kiss her back, lifting her so he could put her on the kitchen sink, and caress her back as their tongues mated with a rhythmic dance inside their mouths.
The bells of the nearby village sounded to signal midnight but they were so wrapped up in each other that they missed it. It was just some minutes later, when Ron had come into the kitchen with an excuse that they returned to the real world, as he called out to them.
"Oi! Sorry to interrupt" he smirked, "but it's already past midnight, Harry" he said.
"Shit!" Harry cursed under his breath as Ron and Hermione returned to the living room. Almost immediately later, Harry conjured the puff of dust in front of the fireplace and Apparated himself in the middle of it.
Handing the presents to everyone, he kept an eye on Hermione to see her reaction. Her gift had been the first he had bought that year, the only one he had done with time to spare, and still, it hadn't been easy to find it.
As she unwrapped it, the box clearly gave it away that it was jewellery, but nothing could prepare Hermione for the shock she had when she opened it. Inside there was a sparkling necklace, made of white gold and little sparkling stones, and two entwined emerald H were in the middle. She gasped as tears came to her eyes when she read the "Forever Yours" engraved on the back side.
Harry felt his heart swell at her reaction. They exchanged a look and he found there all what he needed to know. She loved it, and that made him overjoyed.
Teddy shrieked in surprise when he saw what Harry had got for him, a miniature of the Quidditch World Cup stadium with flying players. He immediately got hooked by it.
The other kids loved their presents too, and started playing with them for a while, till their yawns convinced the adults it was better to put them in bed. Once they were gone, the adults resumed their drinking and loud chatting, as the booze had its effect on everyone, especially Percy and George who seemed to be the ones who had indulged in ti the most. Harry, who had in the meantime changed back to his clothes, joined Hermione on the couch and she greeted him with a sweet kiss that earned them claps from Luna, Ginny, Molly and Percy's fiancé Vanessa, plus of course Fleur, who looked at them with tears in her eyes, probably the hormones for her third pregnancy kicking in as she whispered, "Ah, l'amour".
Slowly, everyone started to get to bed, and the last two in the living room were Harry and Hermione.
"Care for a walk in the snow?" he asked, and she nodded. They quickly slipped their coats on, and exited from the main door, Heating and Covering charms placed upon themselves to keep them warm and dry.
Harry took her hand, and they peacefully strolled under the snow, crunching it under their shoes as they walked, Hermione's head rested on his shoulder and his right arm wrapped around her shoulders.
"It's so romantic, isn't it?" she said softly as they came to a spot from where they could enjoy a view of the village under the snow.
"It is" he agreed. "And it's really beautiful, too. Although, not as much as you"
"That was sooo cheesy, Potter" she teased him. "But I liked it all the same" she said then with a warm smile.
He chuckled. "Only the best for you, milady" he said with a slight bow.
Then they stared at the scenery in silence, Harry now and then putting his left hand into his pocket, as he was checking something was still there.
Then, he softly called her name.
"Hermione"
"Mmh"
She heard him inhale deeply, and had a flash of what was coming. The next moment, he was in front of her, kneeling, a box in his hand.
She looked at it and could see a white gold band with their birthstones, a sapphire and a ruby, in the middle.
"He's going to!" she gasped, but Harry didn't notice, as wrapped up in what he was going to say as he was. Finally he spoke.
"Hermione, I had a well prepared speech, but I admit I don't remember a word of it, now. So I'll speak with my heart. In this year I've come to realize I've loved you for so long I can't even find the moment it actually started, only I never understood it. I have always know, though, that I couldn't live without you, and now even more so. This is why I'm asking you to marry me and live on my side forever, if you will want to"
She kneeled in front of him, with a bright smile, and kissed him soundly, then as they broke the contact she looked up into his green pools, and her eyes told him all he wanted to know. Still, she whispered her answer.
"Yes, Harry, I'll marry you" she said, and he grinned.
"Then let me slip this ring on your finger" he whispered back, his green eyes almost bursting for the love he felt for her and Hermione recognized it, and felt her heart melt in joy.
"Be my guest" she breathed as he slid the ring in place, contemporarily claiming her lips in the sweetest of kisses.
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