Unofficial Portkey Archive

Chapter 4: Have Yourself a Harry Little Christmas

"That's it Harry, just a little to the left, almost there.... yesssss!" Hermione exclaimed as Harry loomed over her.

"Such bossiness over a simple Christmas tree" he muttered as he came down from the stepping ladder, the star on the top finally perfectly adjusted to Hermione's specifications. "You know, we could just use magic and have this done in two minutes."

"That's not nearly as much fun" she pouted and he grinned in spite of himself. They had been on three cases since the "Brain Beetle" case as they now called it and while they had always solved and stopped the cursed object causing the murders, they were no closer to figure out who was in charge of the whole debacle. Hermione had been researching relentlessly to find out where such secrets about Ancient Magic might exist outside of the cavern but she'd had no luck. Harry for his part was more concerned about the fact that there was a very good chance that the culprit had taken notice of their investigations. He was worried that whoever it was, their next play would be to attack himself, Hermione, or one of their family members.

Today he had resolved not to think about that. Everyone would be coming over to Hermione's house for a Christmas Eve party and he was looking forward to seeing his kids and spending time just enjoying life for once. The many hours of research in the cavern plus the many miles of travel had put a strain on him. Having Hermione with him had made it a lot less difficult though. When he was with her he felt like he was exactly where he wanted to be; exactly where he was supposed to be.

"Is the ham done cooking?" she asked him as they finished trimming the tree.

"It's all set to serve, I cast a warming spell on it so it'll still be piping hot when everyone arrives."

"What about the desserts? Do you need any help..."

"Everything is all set Hermione" he laughed. "It'll be fine."

"I'm just nervous" she admitted, wringing her hands. "I haven't seen Molly or Arthur since Ron moved out, and now that the divorce is finalized..."

"They're excited to see you" he promised her, placing his hands on her shoulders to calm her. "I just talked to them yesterday and they were saying how they've missed you."

"You don't think it was a mistake do you?" she asked, and for one horrific moment Harry was afraid that she meant the divorce. He felt his gut clench up in a strange way when he thought about her entertaining notions of taking Ron back. "I mean, you don't think that inviting Ron and Ginny was a mistake? It might be too soon still, and it could be awkward and I don't want the kids to suffer..."

"I think we can handle one night of the Weasley siblings" he assured her. "We can all act civilly towards each other I'm sure. As for the kids, they'll be thrilled to have both of their parents here. And if anything becomes uncomfortable, we have each other right?"

"Right" she said in a puff of air. Just then a roar came from the fireplace, spitting Molly and Arthur out into the room. Shortly after followed George and his wife Angelina and their kids. Bill, Fleur and family showed up shortly after, and soon most of the Weasleys were there, making a ruckus as the children ran about and causing havoc.

Hermione had nearly forgotten how stressful it was to host all the Weasleys at once and she retreated to the kitchen and poured herself a healthy serving of wine. She had barely managed a sip before Molly was upon her.

"Hermione dear, I'm so glad to have a moment alone with you" she began, nodding when Hermione gestured to pour her some wine. "I've thought about writing to you so many times. In fact, I've tried several times but the words never seem to come out right. I had always hoped that all of my children would find the same happiness in marriage that Arthur and I have..."

"I know Molly, and I'm sorry for what happened between me and Ron" Hermione interrupted, absurdly wanting to go find Harry and beg him to flee to the cavern with her so they could hide out together amongst the books.

"You have nothing to apologize for Hermione!" Molly responded, her tone almost sharp. "I don't want you to blame yourself for any of it. Ron has always had a hard time believing he was good enough and I know you did everything to make him feel loved and worthy. I never thought he would be capable of... of what he did, but you are not to blame. He is my son and I will always love him but that doesn't mean I always like him."

"Thank-you for saying that Molly. It means a lot to me. I was afraid you'd hate me."

"I would never! You're an incredible witch and my son was lucky to have you as long as he did. My grandkids are lucky to have you as a mother too, and you should know that you're welcome to visit anytime. I've missed your visits."

"I'll make a point to see you more often" Hermione promised, tears stinging her eyes.

"Will I be seeing your parents here this evening?"

"No, the kids and I will visit them tomorrow. I thought it best not to have them here with Ron in the same room. My father still has grand thoughts of knocking him out."

"I wouldn't blame him" Molly huffed. "I believe Arthur might have done the same if his health was a bit better! Well, I believe Teddy and Victoire just arrived and I haven't seen them in ages, so excuse me."

Shortly after Molly left Ron arrived and Hermione was thankful to see he hadn't brought his girlfriend. She hadn't broached the subject with him because she didn't want him to think she was jealous. She wasn't jealous, but it did still hurt her to be reminded that her husband of nearly 20 years had tossed her aside for a twenty-something year old. He greeted her stiffly and she greeted him in in kind, moving quickly on to Rose and Hugo who she immediately suffocated with tight hugs.

After making sure everyone knew where the food was she went to look for Harry but he was nowhere to be found. When she saw Ginny she began to sense why. Ginny was glued to the side of her fiancé, laughing at one of George's jokes raucously. "Hermione!" she greeted gleefully. "Where have you been hiding?"

"I haven't been hiding" Hermione responded, her tone defensive. Ginny just smiled, tossing her still brilliant red hair behind one shoulder and hooking her arm through that of her soon-to-be new husband.

"Have you officially met Joshua? I don't know if you've heard, but we're getting married in the summer!"

"Nice to meet you" Hermione said, stiffly shaking the man's hand. He at least had the good grace to look uncomfortable at being introduced to Harry's best friend. "I'm sort of in the middle of something Ginny, but we should catch up soon!"

"That would be great!" Ginny smiled. "Maybe we could take the kids to Diagon Alley for a bit of shopping while they're home."

"I'd love that" Hermione lied. Ginny had been the maid of honor at her wedding, and was one of her only close girl friends but Hermione would always take Harry's side, just like he would always take hers. She did miss Ginny, and she did understand that Ginny's separation from Harry had come after a long time of trying to make things work. Still, she couldn't understand how the redhead could be so damned insensitive at times.

"Where's your Dad?" she asked Albus as she looked for Harry. James and Albus both looked like their father, but Albus had the green eyes and the same sort of unusual soulfut maturity his father had always shown.

"I'm not sure, I was looking for him but then I got caught up talking to Hugo..."

"It's okay, I'll find him" she said with a kind smile. Looking into his face reminded her so much of that little boy she had met on the Hogwarts Express with the broken glasses. Despite spending every day for the past few months with Harry, she suddenly missed him.

"I'm worried about him" Albus said before Hermione could walk away. "I told my mom not to bring Joshua. He's okay I guess, but he's not my Dad. Sometimes I think she just does things to be a bitch."

"Language" she warned him but she smiled a little on the inside. "I don't think Joshua means to replace your father Albus, he's just in love with your mother, and she's in love with him so she wants him around."

"I still don't get why she couldn't still be in love with my Dad. He's the greatest bloody hero in wizard history, he was a great seeker, he is... was the greatest auror to live."

"Don't forget that he's rich" Hermione joked, which earned Albus a small smile.

"Do you know what he's doing for work now? James thinks it's something super important, like saving the world stuff that's top secret. Of course, Scorpius Malfoy keeps saying that my Dad just washed out and couldn't hack it anymore as an auror. That can't be true though, right?"

"It's not true and you already know that Albus. I can't tell you much about what your Dad is doing, but let's just say James is pretty close to the mark."

Albus beamed at his Aunt and once more she was struck by how much he looked like Harry. She remembered how her heart used to flutter when Harry would smile at her like that back when they were students at Hogwarts. Best not to think about that she decided, giving Albus a quick hug before resuming her hunt for Harry.

She finally found Harry sitting on the porch, using a warming spell and a glass of fire whiskey to stay warm. Teddy was there with him as well and she suspected they were talking business. "I've been looking for you" she said as a way of greeting.

"What's wrong, did I not frost the cookies properly?" Harry asked, and she could tell he was a little drunk.

"No, the cookies are quite well frosted. Actually, with all the Weasleys in there I'm sure they're demolished by now."

"I think she's come to check in on you Harry" Teddy joked, giving him a wink to suggest that there was something going on between the two of them.

"I'm fine" Harry hiccupped. "Actually, I should get back inside, I should be spending more time with my kids while their home, not wasting time out here with this brat" he gestured at Teddy. Teddy laughed and Harry took his leave. As he brushed by Hermione his arm grazed hers lightly but she felt it was intentional, a simple way of saying "thanks for caring". After all the time they had spent together over the years, she could understand his simplest gestures.

"So, Harry hasn't been home much lately" Teddy noted, sipping from his own glass of fire whiskey.

"You know he's on a special assignment from the Minister."

"Yes, and oddly enough you got pulled from the Department of Magical Law at exactly the same time for an equally mysterious mission. Couldn't be the two of you are working together again could it?"

"Nothing can get past you Teddy" she said dryly. There was no point in denying it, she was sure he wasn't the only one to put two and two together.

"So... you're spending a lot of time working together then. Is that all you're spending a lot of time doing together?"

"Teddy!" she gasped.

He gave her a mischievous grin. "All I can say is that when I do see him, he seems a lot less grumpy than he used to." When she didn't give into his bait he sobered up a bit. "Well, whatever it is, I'm glad he has you. Life hasn't been easy on the old man, we both know that. But he deserves to be happy, and not just because he's the savior of the wizarding world but because he's a good guy."

"I know Teddy" she said, giving him a pat on the back absent mindedly. After the war Harry had spent any extra time he had visiting Teddy, and when Teddy's grandmother Andromeda passed, Harry had brought his godson into his home and raised him like he was his own child.

Feeling the cold she coaxed Teddy to come back inside where Harry was in an animated conversation with Rose, James and Albus about quidditch strategy. She was glad to see that he had managed to recover from his depression and enjoy himself. He caught her eye and gave her a kind smile. She felt her heart flutter as it had those many years ago.

"We're going to head out" said a woman with a distinctly French accent. "Thank-you for everything!"

"Of course Fleur, so glad you could come!" Hermione said, breaking her eye contact away from Harry, but she was a moment too late. Fleur smirked, having seen the look that had passed between them.

"Zat one has always been `andsome and age `as treated him kindly. Maybe `e looks even better as `e gets older."

"Isn't that the way of it with men?" Hermione joked, trying to sound lighthearted. "They get better looking and we get fat and saggy and wrinkly."

"Zat is not always true" Fleur said kindly. "You are still quite beautiful, and Ron is balding."

Hermione laughed in spite of herself, hugging her former sister-in-law, thankful for her kind words and also thankful that Fleur hadn't pushed the topic of Harry. Teddy's insinuations already had her feeling awkward enough.

Shortly after everyone else said their farewells as well, until only Hugo, Rose, Ron and Harry were left. She ushered Hugo and Rose to get ready for bed once they had helped her finish cleaning. "You best get to bed or Santa won't come" she warned.

"We're teenagers Mom, we know Santa isn't real" Rose said, rolling her eyes.

"Don't let him hear you say that!" Hermione called after her. She walked into the kitchen to finish up the last of the dishes to see that Harry had already taken on that task and Ron was looking a bit boozed up, sitting at the island table nursing a glass of liquor.

"Are you okay Ron?" she asked. "Do you need me to help you apparate back to your flat? I don't want you splinching yourself."

"No we wouldn't want that" he snapped and she knew that tone right away. She had heard this dark, sarcastic tone many times throughout their marriage. Ron was jealous about something.

"What's your problem Ron?"

"What's up with the two of you?" he asked, pointing directly at Harry. Harry turned the water off in the sink and slowly turned, crossing his arms, his expression grim. "Don't think I'm a bloody fool. You both leave your jobs at the same time and now you're playing husband and wife in MY house."

"This isn't your house anymore Ron" Hermione replied, feeling heat rise to her face in anger. "I guess you've used your brilliant skills of deduction to figure out that we're working together but it's confidential and you don't need to know anything more than that."

"Working together or fucking together? Or both?"

Hermione gasped at the crudeness of his language. Her hand twitched to grab her wand but Harry had already moved forward and was leaning across the table, glaring at Ron. "Don't talk to her like that."

Ron stood up. He was a couple inches taller than Harry but he did not share Harry's affection for boxing and thus he wasn't as impressive in terms of muscle tone. "Don't tell me how to talk to my wife."

"She's not your wife. You botched that up well enough yourself. You're drunk Ron. Take the floo home before you say something you'll regret." Ron's face turned beat red with fury and Hermione did take her wand out now, but Harry gestured for her to put it away. She was standing behind him and it was rather incredible that he didn't even have to see her to know what she was doing.

"This is always what you wanted huh Harry? You could never stand the fact that I married Hermione and not you. Well you can have her, I had my fill of her nagging..."

"Ron-" Harry warned, and then in a split second Ron had punched Harry hard across the face. Hermione rushed forward but Harry was already straightened back out and he deftly moved her behind him once more. He stood firmly between the two of them. As he always has she thought tearfully. "I'll give you that for free Ron" Harry said in a surprisingly calm voice. "We've been friends for a long time and I know this isn't you. Go home, sober up and come talk to me when you're not being a total prat."

For a moment Ron looked torn between hitting Harry again and sobbing. Finally, he lowered his fist and walked into the other room without another word. Once the roar of the fireplace indicated that he had left Hermione broke into tears and Harry pulled her close to him. Allowing her to cry against his chest, her sobs muffled so her children wouldn't hear them.

When finally she felt she had gotten it out of her system she pulled away and said one word, "git".

"That he is" Harry responded and then he did something he'd never done before and gently wiped the tears from her cheek with his thumb. It was a startling intimate gesture, and somehow more arousing than any other kiss or caress she had ever experienced. For a dizzying moment she thought she might step across the small gap that separated them and kiss him. But as suddenly as the feeling came upon her it left. I'm just drunk and emotional.

She stepped back and Harry released her. "Will you be alright?" he asked as he gathered his things to head home.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for everything. Oh, and Harry? Happy Christmas."

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