eaving for Auntie Luna and Uncle Nev's shortly."
"Yes, Mum." Darcy's face showed how disappointed he was with the verdict.
"Thanks Mum." Irene hid her disappointment much better... and was far more likely to ignore Hermione's directive in favor of however many biscuits she could get, despite the fact she knew exactly what would happen later. Neither child had been permitted any ignorance when it came to the rules.
"Go on, then." Hermione smiled to herself as they scurried away to the kitchens. Harry's arms encircled her distended belly and she felt the bristle of his beard behind her ear as he kissed her.
"Happy Christmas, love." He rumbled softly.
She reached up to scritch his beard and turned to kiss him. "Mmm... better now. Good job you're so bloody fit, makes this almost bearable."
Harry laughed and kissed her cheek and neck. "I'll remember that the next time you fancy another."
She elbowed him in the chest with a mock pout. "I swear this one is going to come out on a broom the way it wriggles."
"I'll put a net up around the pool and catch her before she flies off then." He chuckled, "I've packed everything, we're ready to go when you want." The baby shifted then, and Harry felt multiple tiny impacts under his hands.
"Oof." Hermione sighed and put her hands over his. "At least it's only another couple of months."
"Sorry love. I'll try to think calm library thoughts for the next one."
"Next one!" You're bloody lucky you got this one, presumptuous git."
Harry chuckled and shifted around in front of her to rest his forehead on hers. "I'm bloody lucky to have you at all love. Don't think I don't know it." He kissed her deeply to illustrate his point, and made her toes tingle. "I wouldn't be here without you."
"Stop interrupting my grump with your wonderful husbanding. I'm pregnant, I'm allowed to grump. It says so in the manual."
He just smiled happily at her. "You wrote that manual. Besides, grump all you like, hon. You'll never make me anything but happy."
She smiled at him then, her mock grump fully evaporated. "Alright, I suppose we should go then."
"Reluctant?"
She sighed. "Luna's a fantastic cook and I already eat like an Erumpent. I just don't want to look like -"
"So just nibble. I'll ask for a plate or two to bring home and you can eat happily while I distract the kids. Well - tuck them in is more likely."
"I love you." She feasted on his lips briefly, then assumed her 'action' face as she turned toward the kitchen. "Children! Come along, darlings, we're leaving now!"
Darcy and Irene ran full-tilt into the Great Room a few seconds later. Irene won the race and immediately burst into song. "Wee aaare the Chaaampions..." as she jumped around with her arms in the air.
Darcy glowered at her and hugged Hermione's belly. "Don't worry, when you get here we'll team up on her and win." He said softly into her navel.
Hermione hugged him back. "Remember that your sister isn't likely to have longer legs than you for very long, Darcy. Girls mature differently than boys. When I met your father I was taller than him, you know."
"Really?!" His little face lit up with wonder.
Harry picked Darcy up and set him on his hip. "Really. Taller and smarter than me by a mile. I trust you listened to your Mum and only had one biscuit?"
Darcy nodded with a smile. Irene busied herself looking anywhere but at Harry.
Harry kissed the side of Darcy's head and set him down again. "Good, you know the rules are -"
"The rules. They exist for a reason. Punishments for breaking the rules are to teach us not to break the rules." Darcy finished.
"Good lad." Harry smiled at him and ruffled his hair. "Anything you want to share, Irene?" Harry turned his deep green gaze on his fidgeting daughter. He slipped his hand into Hermione's while they waited for Irene to speak. Her little face went from cunning success through suspicion and worry, and finally to debate and then resolve as she worked out that her parents somehow knew she'd not obeyed her mother.
She turned to face them with her eyes on the floor, her hands behind her. "I took two biscuits." She admitted in a tiny voice.
"We're disappointed you disobeyed." Harry told her. "You know the rules exist for your own good, and I'm particularly upset you didn't listen to your mother. She deserves more respect than that." Harry squatted in front of her. "In this particular case, can you think of a reason why your mother might have told you only one?"
"Because too much sugar isn't good for us?" It was the usual answer.
"That's true, but in this particular case there's more to it. Where are we going right now?"
"Auntie Luna and Uncle Nev's."
"And what is today? Why are we going?"
"It's Christmas!" Her little face lit with excitement.
"Exactly. That means your Auntie Luna has probably spent a goodly amount of time cooking all kinds of food and treats, doesn't it?"
She nodded her head. "Auntie Luna always has lots of yummy things."
"Precisely." Harry agreed, "Which she made just for you, right? So if you made food for someone and they didn't eat it because they'd filled up on biscuits before they arrived, how would you feel?"
"Oh!" Her eyes widened as she understood. "Bad. Like they didn't want to eat what I made for them."
"Right. And we love Auntie Luna and don't want to make her feel bad, do we?"
She shook her head vehemently. "I'm sorry, Daddy."
"I'm not Auntie Luna, am I?" Harry enfolded her in a hug.
"No." She hugged him fiercely in return. "I should 'pologize to Auntie Luna."
"Right. I'm proud of you for owning up to what you did, Irene. Lying about it only -"
"Makes it worse, I know Daddy."
"Good girl. And trust that when your mother tells you to do something or not do something, that it's because she understands things you don't. You need to respect and obey your Mum. We only have your best interests in mind because we love you sweetheart, even when it doesn't seem that way." He kissed her crown and let her go.
She went immediately to wrap her arms around Hermione's tummy. "I'm sorry, Mummy."
"Apology accepted, sweetheart." Hermione kissed her daughter's forehead. "We're not your jailers, Irene. We won't ask you to do something or tell you No for no reason. It's alright to ask why, unless there isn't time to explain and then we'll explain later."
Harry knelt on one knee and pulled Darcy into a family hug, with one arm around Hermione's waist and the other around the twins.
"Alright, are you ready to go?" Hermione asked the twins as they hugged her stomach.
"Actually, just before..." Harry addressed the kids in his Dad Voice, "Keep in mind Violet and Summer are younger than you two and can't play as hard as you both do, alright? Go easy on them and play nice, please. Understood?"
They both nodded in unison.
"Yes, Dad." Darcy said.
"Yes, Dad." Irene said.
"Good. Off to the Portal Room then." He shooed them on, and they both ran to the stairs and down.
Hermione pulled his face into hers and snogged him tenderly. "I love you so much, Harry." She told him as she wiped the corners of her eyes. Harry kissed her once again and held her close.
"No more than I love you, hon. You and the kids are my life, and I love my life." He smiled at her and slipped his hand into hers.
"Told you you'd be a great father." She smiled back at him and they began the descent into the sub-basement where the Portal Room was located.
"I'm thrilled you think so, considering." He looked at her bulging stomach pointedly.
She laughed and rested her head on his shoulder.
Darcy and Irene waited patiently outside the door to the Portal Room when they arrived, as neither child could open the door. Harry put his hand on it and told it to open while he pushed a tiny tendril of his magic at it. It recognized his authority and obediently opened.
"You have your Recalls?" Hermione asked them.
Darcy and Irene both touched their shirts and the amulets they wore beneath. "Yes, Mum." They replied.
Harry cleared the coordinates from the last connection and dialed Nev and Luna's ranch from among their Frequent Destinations list. The runes around the doorframe in the middle of the room lit up briefly and then rolling grass hills dotted with copses of trees appeared inside the doorframe.
Hermione held Darcy's hand as they went through, and Harry held Irene's. Once the bright warmth of the morning fell on them, they turned toward the house a few dozen feet behind them. Off to the left was a huge fenceless pasture meadow where several families of exceptionally graceful winged unicorn-like creatures frolicked and chewed on wildflowers.
To the right of the stone ranchhouse was a block of greenhouses, five of them side by side, each of them easily sixty feet long and thirty wide. Snow drifted from ceiling to floor inside one of them.
The heavy oak front door opened, and Neville stood in the doorway. "Welcome back! Come on in, Luna's just set out some still-warm fairycakes, and Vi is desperate to reduce the number of presents under the tree to zero."
Harry and Hermione both laughed while Darcy and Irene both slammed into Neville's thighs and hugged him tightly as they were able.
"Happy Christmas Uncle Nev!" They both shouted in unison.
Neville ruffled both heads and leaned down to hug them back. "Happy Christmas, kids. Go on in, Luna and Vi can't wait to see you."
Darcy and Irene detached from him and ran into the house, screaming "HAPPY CHRISTMAS AUNTIE LUNAAAAA!"
Neville laughed as he watched them, and turned back to Harry and Hermione. "That never gets old."
Hermione had to stretch onto her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Happy Christmas, Nev." Neville wrapped her in a gentle hug and let her go as she followed the kids inside, and returned Harry's combination handshake and shoulder-slap.
"Good to see you again mate." Harry grinned. "Another new greenhouse since Hallowe'en."
Neville laughed. "It wasn't my fault this time! The Snorkacks... Luna wanted something special for their diet, so we've both been attempting to hybridize their favourite foods." He followed Harry into the house where the smell of baked goods and pine and peppermint wafted generously, and the sound of children's laughter rang.
"Oh? How is that going?" Harry asked, "I notice they're a lot closer to the house than they used to be."
Neville shot him a proud smile. "Pretty well. I have a few more things I want to try, but Luna's thrilled with the results so far. Butterbeer?"
"Please." Harry replied. "Congrats then, I've no doubt they'll be dressing in Santa outfits and passing out gifts next year."
Neville returned from the kitchen and handed Harry a Butterbeer with a chuckle. "That'll make Xeno unhappy then, he loves that. I'd be surprised if he doesn't sho-"
"HO HO HO!" a booming voice sounded from the stairs. Xenophilius Lovegood tromped down the stairs in a Santa suit, complete with foam belly. There were also small imitation Snorkack wings on his back and a horn jutted through the front of his red cap. The beard looked real.
"GRUNCLE XENO! Irene and Darcy squealed and ran to hug him.
His bright blue eyes sparkled with life as he returned their hugs. "Happy Christmas! Have you been good during the year, my dears?"
"I think so!" Darcy grinned.
"Mostly..." Irene hugged Xeno tightly again and then crossed the room to where Luna spoke quietly with her mother. "Auntie Luna..." She waited patiently until she had Luna's attention.
"Yes, Irene?" She smiled lovingly down at the girl.
"I'm sorry. I had two biscuits before we came instead of just one and I don't want to make you sad when I'm full so I'm sorry." She delivered her apology while looking at Luna's feet.
Luna shot a quick warm glance to Hermione before she knelt in front of Irene. "Thank you for your apology, Irene. I'm proud of you, it's not easy to apologize, is it?" She smiled.
Irene shook her head while her bottom lip stuck out.
Luna wrapped the girl in a hug and whispered "That's how you know it's the right thing to do." She pressed a kiss to her cheek and took out her wand as she stood. She flicked her wand at Irene, and a soft red conical hat appeared on her head. "For your punishment, you'll have to help Daddy hand out presents this year." She winked at Irene, whose face slowly grew into a huge grin.
She hugged Luna's distended waist. "Thanks Auntie Luna! You're the Best!" She squealed delightedly, followed by a whispered "Your Mum is the best!" into her navel.
"Off you go then, darling. You'll have plenty to do when Auntie Gwen and Uncle - Oh, nevermind, there they are." A soft chime alerted the house to another arrival. Harry took the opportunity to sneak to the tree and unload the shrunken trunk he had in his pocket.
Neville crossed back to the door before the chime fully faded and opened the door, only to be hit with an uncle-seeking missile.
"UNCA NEV!" Summer attached herself to his leg briefly before he picked her up and carried her.
"Happy Christmas, Summer!" He grinned at the four-year old.
"Happy kissmas!" she squealed and smooched his cheek. She wiggled to get down then, so he let her down and she bolted toward the other children as Rynard and Gwen arrived at the door.
"Happy Christmas, Nev." Gwen said as she hugged him.
"Happy Christmas!" Nev returned the hug, and then patted her bulging stomach. "You guys have great timing!"
Neville let go of her to shake Rynard's hand, and Gwen looked over to where Luna and Hermione smiled at her.
"No way! Both of you too?!" She laughed out loud and crossed the livingroom to hug her two best friends.
"See, this is what happens when we don't see each other enough and spend too much time with our husbands." Luna laughed as she stroked her own rounded midsection.
Gwen laughed again. "If only that were true. Most of the time we're too busy to even see each other much, with research, symposia, and business meetings all the time. Rynnie's been a champion looking after Summer most of the time." She looked back at where the three husbands talked and laughed and clinked butterbeer bottles together.
"How is the business?" Luna asked.
"Gaining ground, honestly." Gwen replied, "After the Iron Lady here denied the British Ministry public access, they're practically begging."
"Honestly! Bunch of jumped up self-important prigs." Hermione snorted. "Obviously because we're women and not Purebloods we couldn't possibly be trusted to run something as integral and useful as our own company. So now they're on bended knee, cap in hand, and they can stay that way and stew in their own stupidity and backward nonsense. JoPo has offices in every major magical city in the world as of August this year. They need us, but we don't need them."
"Exactly!" Gwen smiled at her business partner. "We released a formal statement to the public last month to let everyone know exactly why Britian is denied JoPo service. We'll see what happens."
"Devious." Luna's eyes sparkled. "I like it. Neither Nev nor I miss dealing with the British Ministry at all. There are only around seven thousand magicals here in Uraguay, so the Ministry here is more like a clubhouse. Still full of nepotism and corruption, but thankfully none of the elitist nonsense."
"That's one of the reasons we spend most of our free time in Australia." Hermione agreed. "Well, that and my parents of course."
"How are they? I miss your Mum taking the piss out of you." Gwen laughed.
Hermione snorted. "I don't! She's too bloody good at it. It's going to be a bit weird for the twins when they're older, knowing they're older than their aunt and uncle."
"Your Mum had another?" Gwen boggled.
"She did. Unplanned, but they're both over the moon. Even I have to admit my baby siblings are adorable."
"Both magical." Luna bounced lightly on her toes. "We already have an expedition to the Outback planned for the coming year, we're taking a week to visit during."
"Hopefully long after April, you're going to be a little busy in April." Hermione patted Luna's stomach.
"Same to you. February is coming fast." Luna grinned and patted Hermione's stomach.
"Oh please." Hermione rolled her eyes. "As though I haven't had my leave planned since we found out."
Luna laughed at that. "Probably with colour-coded calendars and lists of things to do."
Hermione looked proud, even though her cheeks tinged pink. "Absolutely."
"Mum! This one's for you from Auntie Gwen!" Irene shoved a brightly-wrapped box into her hands and sprinted back toward the tree.
"I guess it's presents time then." She smiled as she watched her daughter's frenzied antics.
Gwen sighed and wiped the corners of her eyes. "I missed you both." She said, "I missed this."
Luna and Hermione both smiled and wrapped their arms around Gwen and each other. "We'll have to stop waiting so long to visit together." Hermione said, "We can certainly afford to delegate some responsibilities and get out of the board room more often now."
"I'd like that." Luna grinned. "Violet misses Summer and the twins too."
Gwen nodded. "Settled then."
Xeno the Snorkanta passed gifts to Zippy the Hyper-Helper Elf, and before long everyone was embroiled in the unwrapping of gifts and the flurry of discarded paper and bows. The children, being children, were more interested in unwrapping gifts than seeing who they were from or actually enjoying the gifts. After a few firm reminders, they calmed down some and remembered to thank the sender.
"Thanks, you two!" Neville said as he held up a small cube the size of a salt shaker. It looked to be made of some kind of firm rubber.
"Doesn't look like much, does it?" Hermione grinned at Nev. "Mister cleverclocks here designed that two years ago, and we've been working in our spare time to coax it into reality." She smiled at Harry and squeezed the inside of his knee where her hand rested. "It's a specialized, tiny version of the portal, and serves as a transmitter/receiver for wireless internet. Keep that with you, and wherever you are you have wi-fi."
"You didn't tell me about this, you sneaky minx!" Gwen gasped as she held up the ones gifted to her and Rynard.
"How does it work?!" Rynard sat forward on the sofa, his eyes alive with curiosity.
Harry laughed. "That'll have to wait until next week, Ryn. It kind of needs the huge-sized prototype to explain. Come a bit early for New Year's and I'll show you."
"That's just brilliant." Neville said and set both of theirs on the shelf in front of their television.
"We thought it would be advantageous since it's more reliable than phone service, and you can talk to each other - and us - wherever you are in the world, and wouldn't need to wait to upload photos or research or what have you." Harry explained, "Now none of us have any excuse for not being in touch." He grinned.
"And yes, there are plans to manufacture and distribute through the company. We figure it should increase our stock value by quite a bit." Hermione winked at Gwen.
"I'll say..." Gwen quietly calculated things in her head. "Just in the States alone... Merlin's moneybags!"
"And it should put the final nail in the Britsh Ministry coffin. With every other Ministry in Europe able to put Aurors on-scene in less than a minute, they're already desperate. Add information capability to that, and I expect to be able to name our own terms." Hermione's grin was completely feral.
"Gwen's right, you get a steely glint in your eye when you talk about the British Ministry." Rynard grinned.
Hermione sat up straighter and straightened her blouse primly. "After all the... excrement... we went through, and having them condescend to us lowly females when we started, I'm inclined to twist the knife perhaps more than is beneficial. They want to turn themselves into the magical backwater of the world, that's their choice. If they decide they need to join the rest of the world and the twenty-first century, I'm going to bend them over a barrel for it. We owe them that much." She looked to her husband fiercely as she twined her fingers with his.
"Hear hear!" Neville agreed heartily. "Spank them over your knee like the greedy little trolls they are."
Violet, Irene, and Darcy all stopped what they were doing and held their bottoms. Summer was too engrossed with a puzzle.
"Spankings?" Darcy asked with a small voice.
Harry immediately leaned forward on the sofa and smiled at his children. "Not for you, kiddos." Harry held up Hermione's hand, "Mummy is going to spank the government because they've been bad. You're all perfectly fine." He grinned.
"Oh good." Irene and Darcy both sighed and smiled back, then went back to tickling Gruncle Xeno.
Violet ran forward and crushed herself to Hermione's knees. "Love you Auntie Hemmine." She gazed up at her with big pale blue eyes.
"Aww." Hermione shot a glance at Harry and let go of him to pull Violet into her lap. "I love you too, Violet, you wonderful girl." She kissed the side of Violet's head. "Are you having a Happy Christmas?"
"Yes!" Violet grinned, "I miss you and Unca Harry and Reeny and Darcy. I like prezzies too. Christmas is fun!"
Hermione laughed. "I couldn't agree with you more, sweetheart. In fact, I think I see one over there by your Granddad with your name on it."
"Really? Where?!" Violet squeezed Hermione's neck and then scrambled down from her lap to go look.
Harry leaned over and kissed her neck while he rumbled a low, contented sound. She sighed in return and leaned against him to watch the children finish their frenzy of unwrapping.
Neville manoeuvered himself behind Luna and she lay back against him while he absently rubbed the sides of her stomach as they watched the children. Gwen grinned broadly from her perch on the couch next to Rynard with their arms around each other's shoulders. Xeno sat cross-legged on the floor with Violet in his lap while she unwrapped gifts. Her tongue protruded from her lips as she bit on it while concentrating. Neither Harry nor Hermione had ever seen Xeno look happier.
Once the children had finished and went back to happily playing together with their new toys, Luna and Neville set lunch out buffet-style. Harry gladly dealt with Hermione crushing his fingers when Darcy and Irene loaded their plates with small strudels in the shape of Christmas trees with green and red icing. He smiled at her and she relaxed a little with a small, defeated nod.
"I know, it's only one day..." She sighed.
"Told you you'd be the best Mum." He whispered. "Besides, you know you want one too. So do I."
Her eyes sparkled when she looked back at him, and he had a quiet word with Luna about making a take-home plate. Luna was pleasantly surprised and more than happy to conjure a plate for him to take home, and stuffed it with fairy cakes, strudels, bacon and cheese pinwheels, biscuits, savoury scones, tiny fruit pies, and turkey-with-gravy pastry puffs.
"Thanks Luna, I appreciate it." Harry gave her a quick hug and a grin. "Been looking forward to your cooking for weeks."
"See?" Neville smiled at his wife, "Told you you were a great cook. Brilliant potioneer, intrepid explorer, fantastic cook, and all-round wonderful witch." He paused to kiss Luna as he filled his own plate, and winked at her when she pinched his behind.
Gwen giggled and raised her fist at Luna. "Take him! Own him!"
The adult witches all laughed together while the wizards just ate lunch with a smug grin.
"I want to do this again before February." Luna said as she sat next to Neville on the loveseat and bit into a turkey-gravy puff.
"We could have a January pool party." Rynard suggested. "Rhydian would love to see all the kids about."
Gwen bit her lip for a second and kissed his cheek with a smile. "Dad would adore that. Love you."
Rynard smiled back and put his arm around her and fed himself with the other hand.
"How is your Dad?" Luna asked Gwen.
"Improving, thankfully. San Diego definitely agrees with him. He's taken up golf and lost about two stone."
"Brilliant! Well done him then." Neville grinned. "Glad he found something he likes to do."
"Done wonders for his disposition as well, being in a place where Magical and Muggle are side by side everywhere. He didn't realize the kinds of basic assumptions he had about Muggles until he was in a crowd and gawking at everything in downtown Los Angeles." Gwen grinned.
"Speaking of which, we ran into friends of yours there." Rynard added. "George and Angelina opened a Wheezes branch in Los Angeles."
"Really? Good for them." Harry smiled. "Been forever since we even talked to the Weasleys."
"Molly and Arthur were completely shamed by Ron and Ginny at the wedding. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't talk to George or Angie much anymore either. They seemed like they just wanted to hide afterward." Hermione said with sympathy.
"Well we know they don't talk to Ginny much at all anymore." Harry said quietly.
"Oh? How's that?" Neville asked.
"You've seen Ginny? How is she?" Luna asked, her eyebrows drawn together.
"Flense is still our Australian Accounts Manager." Hermione explained, "She and Ginny are in the papers occasionally. After Ginny was fired from the Redcliffe Raiders for being a 'witch's witch'," Hermione made air quotes around the term, "They both went on the warpath to campaign for equal rights. They're both sort of public figures in magical circles down under."
"Wow..." Gwen breathed. "That hasn't worn off in seven years?"
Harry shrugged. "It might wear off tomorrow, it might never."
"Mum, Dad, we're finished, can we go play again?" Irene asked from the table.
"Hands and faces washed?" Hermione asked over her shoulder.
"Not yet, Mum." Darcy and Irene answered in unison.
"Alright, go wash up then." Hermione smiled at the look Harry gave her, and tried unsuccessfully to keep one from her own lips.
Rynard got up and helped Summer get her own hands and face washed, then he and Harry cleared the table and did the dishes.
Before anyone wanted it to, five P.M. arrived and forced Harry and Hermione to take their leave.
"We have to do this more often." Luna said as she and Hermione waited by the door for Harry and the kids to pack everything up.
"I would like that. I know Harry would too. It's not so easy to get together anymore." Hermione smiled and hugged Luna. "Did you ever see this coming?" She looked out over the living room, the Christmas tree, the coloured lights, and the children who hugged each other goodbye.
"For me? No. For you and Harry? Absolutely." Luna smiled back and put an arm around her friend.
"I saw University. I saw fighting the stupid politics in magical Britain. I wanted to see Harry, but until that day we went to Diagon for Groceries..." Hermione put her arm around Luna's shoulders as well.
"Would you change it if you could?"
"Nothing. Not a single thing."
"Good, neither would I."
Gwen levered herself off the sofa and came to say goodbye as well. She wrapped Hermione in a hug, then Luna.
"We should be off as well. Next month, the twenty-first. It's a Saturday. Dinner at our place? Come early, lounge about in the pool?"
"Mmm." Hermione hummed. "That does sound nice. I'll have to check the schedule when I get home, I'll call you tomorrow."
"Same." Luna said as she hugged Gwen as well. "Neville is speaking at a conference in January, I'll have to check which weekend it was again."
"I'll take it as a yes. Bring your Dad, Luna, we'll see if my Dad can get him on the golf course." Gwen said with a wink.
Luna laughed. "I would love to see that."
"It'll probably end with a weekly golf column in the quibbler." Hermione chuckled.
Harry finished packing everything and shrunk the trunk to put it in his pocket, and joined them at the door with Neville and Rynard. Darcy started giving hugs to everyone, and irene followed.
"Thanks again for the takeaway plate." Harry said as he hugged Luna goodbye. "Happy Christmas."
"Happy Christmas, Harry." Luna smiled back.
"Happy Christmas, all." Xeno called from inside with a girn and a wave. Harry, Hermione, Gwen, and Rynard all wished him a Happy Christmas in return. Hermione waved back to everyone as she and Harry and their children walked away from the house.
"Darcy Potter recall recall recall." Darcy said, and vanished.
"Irene Potter recall recall recall." Irene vanished next. Harry and Hermione held hands and looked back at the house while they waved, then they vanished as well.
Harry closed and locked the Portal Room again when they left.
"Did you have a nice visit?" Hermione asked the kids as they walked up the steps to the ground floor.
"Yes!" Irene bubbled, "So much fun handing out presents and playing with Vi and Summer and Gruncle Xeno. I can't wait until Auntie Luna has the baby so there's even more fun people!"
"Darcy?" Hermione twigged to the fact that he was unusually quiet.
"I wanted to hand out presents too." He pouted. "I had fun with everyone, but..."
"I'm sure if you talk to Nana and Granddad tomorrow you'll be able to work something out." She smiled down at him.
"I forgot we get to go to Nana and Granddad's tomorrow!" His eyes went wide.
"Another big day tomorrow." Harry added, "Time two Christmas Elves were in bed."
"Brush teeth, wash hands and faces, we'll be there in a moment to tuck you in." Hermione reminded them, "Off you go."
Both of them simply raced forward and up the stairs to their bedroom.
"Nev's right, their enthusiasm never gets old." Harry put his arm around her shoulders. "We'll get them tucked in, you can have your way with Luna's cooking, and I'll do your feet?"
"Mmm." Hermione pulled him into a long kiss. "Have I mentioned I love you?"
Harry grinned back at her. "Yes, but I never tire of that either."
They tucked the children in minutes later with hugs and kisses, though Darcy and Irene were both nearly asleep by the time they did.
Harry arranged pillows for her on the sofa, brought her tea and the plate full of Luna's treats, and massaged her feet while she ate. When he finished her feet he smiled warmly, his chest suffused with brightness. Hermione was asleep, the plate balanced on her stomach, still half filled with food. A turkey puff with two bites out of it rested on her chest halfway between the plate and her chin.
Harry finished the turkeypuff while he beamed happily at her and put the plate of food in the stasis cabinet.
She roused some as he applied elasticity cream to her skin, just enough to get changed for bed before she pulled him under the covers and snuggled into him.
He brushed her hair back from her face and kissed her forehead while she made contented sounds.
"Happy Christmas, my love." She sighed.
He nuzzled her neck and dropped a kiss there as well. "Happy Christmas, Hermione. Happier every year, thanks to you."
"Mmm." She smiled. "Me too. I love my life. Wouldn't change a thing."
"Nor I, love." He settled down beside her and sighed as the world fell away and left them in their own tiny realm. They relaxed against each other as they slipped into sleep, cradled tenderly in each other's embrace, and all was right with the world.
The End.