To all Harry/Hermione fans, here's a festive tale for you.
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Harry Potter, but who knows what Father Christmas will bring me this year :)
Harry Potter and the Twelve Days of Christmas
Chapter 10: The Grand Finale
25th December 2001.
Harry hadn't visited yesterday.
That was all Hermione could think about as she made her way down the stairs on Christmas morning.
Christmas Eve had come and gone, and there had been neither sight nor sound of Harry Potter.
Yesterday as supposed to be the day that Harry brought her eleven pipers piping, but there wasn't even a hint of so much as a whistle.
Hermione was now filled with so many conflicting emotions. She was furious with her father for putting this idea into Harry's head, she was upset with Harry for continuing with this stupid thing despite her asking him to give it up, she was upset that Harry did not come around the day before (did he think that she would be disappointed in him if he had failed?) and she was very cross with herself because a very small, tiny, miniscule part of herself felt a little bit sad that Harry might possible have failed to get her the eleventh present. But that was only a very, very, very small tiny itty bitty teensy weensy part of her. The rest of her wanted to shout at her father, and then for Harry to turn up so that they could have a nice Christmas day together.
She made her way into the kitchen and sat herself down at the table. Her parents were already there.
"Happy Christmas, Hermione." Emma said brightly.
Hermione just glared at her before addressing a question to her father.
"Dad, why did you put Harry up to that stupid task?"
"Um, well…" Daniel Granger began.
"The truth, Dan." Emma said before walking from the kitchen.
Dan swallowed nervously. If he lied, Emma would kill him. If he told the truth, Hermione would kill him.
"W-well, Hermione, Harry asked something of me, and I wanted him to prove himself before I would agree to it."
Hermione's eyes narrowed "And what did he ask you?"
It was frightening how much Hermione looked like Emma. The last time Dan saw that look, it was from Emma and he had spent the next month sleeping on the sofa.
"He, uh, he…"
"Well?" Hermione demanded.
"He, uh, he ." he said in a rush.
"Say that again, slowly." Hermione growled through clenched teeth.
Dan knew full well that she had heard exactly what he had said. This was just the beginning of the torture.
"He asked me if it was okay for him to ask you to marry him."
Hermione stared at him for a long while before slowly getting up out of her seat and making her way over to one of the cupboards.
She opened it and took out a cup. It was one she had gotten him when she was ten, and it was decorated with the words "World's Best Dad".
She threw it at him, and he only just ducked out of the way in time.
She grabbed another cup and threw it. This one struck him on the shoulder.
She began to shout at him, and each word was punctuated by a hurling cup.
"You - go - and - apologise - to - Harry - and - tell - him - to - not - worry - about - the - presents - and - tell - him - that - he - can - come - around - here - and - ask - me - to - marry - him - any - time - he - WANTS!"
The last, screamed word was punctuated by several thrown plates which smashed against the front door as Dan slammed it shut behind him.
His daughter's message had been clear, and Daniel Granger knew that even the slightest chance of forgiveness lay down the road at Harry's house.
Knock-knock-knock.
Dan knocked on the door to Harry's house for the fifth time, but there was still no answer.
Cleary Harry was not home, and that was not a good thing for Dan.
Contemplating just where he could go (he dared not return home without Harry); Dan made his way through the village, and soon came upon the village hall, where a lot of activity seemed to be going on.
Several cars were parked outside, and people were moving from these into the hall, carrying boxes that seemed to be overflowing with Christmas decorations.
One of the people, Dan quickly noticed to his great relief, was Harry.
Quickly he made his way over.
"Harry, what's going on?"
Harry turned to him and grinned "I'm about to complete my task, that's what's going on."
"Look, Harry, you don't have to do this. It wasn't fair of me, of course you can ask Hermione to marry you."
"That's nice and all, Dan" replied Harry "But I've now roped a lot of people into this, so do me a favour and just get Hermione here for six this evening, yeah?"
Dan watched him for a few moments before nodding his head.
"Alright. Alright, I'll make sure that she's here."
"Thank you." replied Harry "Oh, and if you could, perhaps we should have all of Hermione's other gifts here as well. Could you bring them down before Hermione gets here?"
Dan nodded, and then headed off up the road, wondering how the hell he was going to get the geese and swans down here.
Harry watched him go with a small smile on his face.
Yesterday it had looked like he had failed. Harry had done everything he could think of in an attempt to locate eleven bagpipe players, but no one could get there on such short notice.
Then, yesterday afternoon, Remus, Dora and Teddy had come around to see him. Little Teddy held up his hands to show Harry the bird that he held gently "Look what we found, Uncle Harry."
From that moment on, Harry had had a renewed vigour about him, and hurriedly set about making plans. A name that had been suggested for the dancing ladies came to his mind and he contacted her immediately. Professor Minerva McGonagall had assured him that she knew of eleven wizards in witches who played the bagpipes, and who would be more than happy to play for Harry (sometimes being the Boy-Who-Lived did pay).
From then on, twelve drummers had not been hard to find, as Harry had more than enough friends who would bang on a drum for him.
One quick phone call later, and the caretaker of the Village Hall had given him permission to host his finale there, and Harry had paid a visit to the church just as the choir was packing up following their carol service.
Now all he had to do was get everything ready in time.
Hermione did not feel very Christmassy, and so stayed inside glaring at television. In her opinion, everyone on it was far too cheery.
The cold shoulder that she was currently giving her father since he failed to bring Harry with him when he returned actually worked in Dan's favour as he was free to go about collecting Hermione's other presents without her noticing. He took the nearly dead pear tree, the two stuffed turtle doves, the three egg cups, the eight three-legged stools, the eight pails, and eight goats, the broken music box and the photograph Harry took of the ten bouncing Lords from the house and down to the village hall with no problems, though in the end he had had to ask Harry if he could borrow Luna and her flute in order to move the four blackbirds, the five pheasants, the six geese and the seven swans.
Hermione never batted an eyelid at the sound of the flute, or at the sound of all the birds wandering off.
Finally it was ten to six, and Dan came into the living room and cleared his throat "Erm, Hermione. I saw Harry earlier. He wanted us to be at the village hall for six."
Without a word, Hermione got up from the spot on the sofa that she had been occupying for the entire day, shoved on a pair of shoes, slung her coat on and then left the house. Dan and Emma exchanged looks before following her.
When she caught sight of the village hall, Hermione froze in mid-step. The exterior was decorated in full festive décor, lights flashing and blinking all over, snowmen lining the pathway, and a Father Christmas and his Reindeer sitting over the arching porch.
Hermione and her parents entered the hall and found themselves coming face to face with Harry, who smiled and said "Hermione, my love, here are your last two gifts.
The area in front of the stage lit up revealing eleven people carrying bagpipes, including Professor McGonagall herself. Just in front of them were Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Fred and George Weasley, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Richie Coote, Jimmy Peakes, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Terry Boot, each one holding a drum.
As the drummers began to drum, and the bagpipes began to play a soothing tune that Hermione did not know, the rest of the lights in the hall came on.
Hermione stared around in shock. All of the other presents were here (she suspected that the pear tree had some kind of anti-odour ward around its pot), as well as all of her friends. Large Christmas trees sat in each corner, and tinsel and lights decorated the walls. To the left a long table sat, ready to seat many, Luna Lovegood, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Katie Bell, Parvati Patil, Padma Patil, Lavender Brown and Leanne Simms were there dressed as milkmaids again and there on stage were both the local church choir and the local school choir. They began to sing.
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
A Partridge in a Pear Tree.
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Two Turtle Doves
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Four Colly Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Five Gold Rings
Four Colly Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.
On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Six Geese-a-Laying
Five Gold Rings
Four Colly Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.
On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Seven Swans-a-Swimming
Six Geese-a-Laying
Five Gold Rings
Four Colly Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.
On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Eight Maids-a-Milking
Seven Swans-a-Swimming
Six Geese-a-Laying
Five Gold Rings
Four Colly Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.
On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Nine Ladies Dancing
Eight Maids-a-Milking
Seven Swans-a-Swimming
Six Geese-a-Laying
Five Gold Rings
Four Colly Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.
On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Ten Lords-a-Leaping
Nine Ladies Dancing
Eight Maids-a-Milking
Seven Swans-a-Swimming
Six Geese-a-Laying
Five Gold Rings
Four Colly Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Eleven Pipers Piping
Ten Lords-a-Leaping
Nine Ladies Dancing
Eight Maids-a-Milking
Seven Swans-a-Swimming
Six Geese-a-Laying
Five Gold Rings
Four Colly Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Twelve Drummers Drumming
Eleven Pipers Piping
Ten Lords-a-Leaping
Nine Ladies Dancing
Eight Maids-a-Milking
Seven Swans-a-Swimming
Six Geese-a-Laying
Five Gold Rings
Four Colly Birds
Three French Hens
Two Turtle Doves
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.
And it was on that final "Partridge in a Pear Tree" that little Teddy Lupin opened his hands and released the partridge that he and his mum had found drinking from the bird bath in their garden the previous afternoon.
Hermione's eyes followed it for a few moments before she turned back to face Harry, only he wasn't there. Well he was, he just wasn't standing. He was kneeling.
Before he could even say anything, Hermione threw her arms around him and declared her answer loudly.
"YES!"
"But I had a speech prepared." protested Harry, pouting slightly.
"And I'm sure it was beautiful." replied Hermione "But you don't need to make a speech where you tell me how much you want me and want to spend the rest of your life with me. I only have to look around the room to see that. And I knew it long before my dad lumbered you with this challenge. Of course my answer is yes, because I love you too, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you as well."
"Oh. Okay then." said Harry, pulling the ring box from his pocket.
It was a beautiful ring, and words alone cannot do it justice. Harry placed it on Hermione's finger, and then they kissed as those gathered clapped and cheered loudly.
Seeing that Harry had absolutely no problems with Dan, and given how everything had worked out in the end, Hermione decided to enter into the festive spirit and give him her gift: forgiveness.
After half an hour of the pair of them milling about taking with their friends, dinner was announced.
Everyone sat down together at the long table, and a troop of twenty people dressed as Christmas Elves who usually worked for the garden centre came from, well from somewhere, carrying trays full of potatoes, sprouts, carrots, beef, runner beans, sausages wrapped in bacon, balls of stuffing and just about everything else you'd stuff yourself with during Christmas dinner.
Last came the smoker elf that Harry had dealt with twice, and she set down in front of him a large, lidded serving bowl. She lifted the lid to reveal the main meat of the dish.
Roast goose.
Hermione picked up the carving knife and handed to him.
"Would you care to carve, Mr Potter?"
With took the knife with a grin and answered "Gladly."
So there you have it. That is the tale of Harry Potter and the Twelve Days of Christmas. Harry and Hermione married six months later, and had five wonderful children.
Did they live happily ever after? Well, what do you think? Of course they did; this is that kind of story.
A/N: So what do you think? Sorry for the few days delay in getting this out, but I've had a couple of Christmas Parties to attend, and have only just now recovered :) 'Tis the season and all.