A/N – I didn't forget about you guys! I'm sooooo sorry, this took so long. I've had it finished for ages, but I dislocated my shoulder (just don't ask) and my mum wouldn't let me on the computer!
It's not going to be a very long chapter, so sorry to all those who hoped for something more.
I can't believe I've finally finished it. I've been writing this and Together Forever for over a year now, and it's sad to finish them both. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I'm glad you all liked it.
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Harry Potter or anything from the magical world. However, I own the plot of this story!
Chapter Twenty-One
Thomas and Marcus rushed into their parent's room on Christmas morning and leapt on the bed excitedly. Sirius rushed into the room next closely followed by Lily and James, the last two of which waited at the door.
"Wake up! It's Christmas!" Thomas shouted, bouncing on the bed. Harry groaned and buried his face in his pillow, pulling the covers over his head in an attempt to block out the noise.
"Daaaaaad!" Marcus whined, pulling the covers down. Harry buried his face in his pillow.
"It's seven in the morning," he moaned, looking over at the clock beside the bed. Hermione slapped the back of his head.
"Get up, you lazy git," she ordered, sitting herself up in their bed and pulling Marcus off him. Harry mumbled something into his pillow and Hermione looked at him disapprovingly.
"If what you just said contained any swearwords, I'm going to slap you, Harry."
"No dear, of course not," Harry replied, looking up at her.
"Daddy!" Marcus cried, launching himself back at his father. Harry caught him and smiling, held him up in the air.
"Everyone's going to be here in an hour, mum, you both need to get up," Lily said from the doorway.
"It's seven already?" Hermione asked, picking up her watch from the bedside table.
"Yes," James replied for her. Harry looked round at his wife as she stretched and kissed her stomach as her top rode up.
"Merry Christmas, son," Harry whispered, kissing her belly again before pushing himself onto his elbows to kiss her mouth. Marcus and Thomas covered their eyes with an 'ew' and Harry chuckled before pulling away.
"There's going to be a lot of kissing today, boys," Hermione announced, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "Kieran and Anna will both be here." Lily and James both blushed and looked away from their parents.
"Come on, Harry," Hermione said, slapping her husbands arm. "We need to get ready and have a shower-"
"Mum, you have one hour, not one year," Lily interrupted.
"That's alright," Harry replied, smiling and jumping out of the bed, grabbing Hermione on the way up. "We'll take the shower together."
"Those were mental images I just did not need," Lily said, holding up her hands and closing her eyes. Harry laughed and dragged his wife into the bathroom.
----
Almost an hour later, Harry and Hermione appeared in the kitchen. Lily had made her brother's breakfast and the five of them had just finished eating.
"Sorry we took so long," Harry apologised, grabbing a piece of toast from the table and biting into it. "We-"
"I don't even want to know," Lily interrupted, looking into her cereal bowl. Harry smiled and looked up with everyone else as the doorbell rung.
"I'll get it!" Marcus cried.
"No! I want to get it!" Thomas argued, following his younger brother out of the kitchen. They reappeared moments later dragging Luna, Neville and Kieran into the kitchen. Kieran instantly walked over to Lily's chair and kissed her.
"That's disgusting!" Marcus wailed, pulling a face similar to one someone would make after drinking sour milk. Harry didn't seem to being hiding his scowl too well either and looked away so that he wouldn't have to watch any more.
"You won't be saying that when you get a girlfriend," Kieran replied, smirking. Marcus pulled another face to show him just what he thought of that idea and Kieran chuckled, pulling out the extra chair at the table to seat himself.
"Kieran's right," James added, smirking. "Girls always taste like chocolate when you kiss them." Thomas' eyes lit up.
"Do they really?" he asked, excitedly, his love for chocolate overpowering the disgust at seeing his sister kissing Kieran.
"Yeah, and strawberries." Lily glared at him and picked up a piece of her toast, throwing it directly at James' head.
"Well that was uncalled for," he muttered. Lily rolled her eyes and sunk into her boyfriends embrace.
"Can we open presents yet?" Marcus questioned, looking up at his mum expectedly.
"When Anna, Michelle and Ron's family get here-"
"Oh, that reminds me!" James cried, jumping up from the table and rushing up the stairs. Everyone looked after him and a few minutes later, he appeared at the door again with a wooden box. Lily looked at him suspiciously. James only smiled and opened the box, holding up a piece of mistletoe that began to float around the room as soon as he let go of it.
"Oh you have got to be joking me!" Lily cried, watching the mistletoe careful so as not to be caught under it in front of her parents.
"Rules of this mistletoe," James announced. "There will be no stepping from underneath it without giving your partner a proper kiss-"
"James-"
"Rules are rules!" he argued, picking more mistletoe from the box and hurling it into the air, much to the displeasure of Kieran, Lily and Sirius. Lily was about to lecture him when the doorbell rung again.
"I'll get it!"
----
It was mid-day before everyone had arrived and finished opening their presents. Ron and Lily were helping their ten year old son, Ryan, put together a new toy that he'd gotten, while Harry and Hermione were sitting on the sofa watching their kids. So far, Lily and Sirius had managed to avoid their brother's mistletoe, but knew that, that wouldn't be the case for much longer. The enchanted plant didn't seem to go anywhere near him or Anna, though they'd had to endure painful moments of their parents going in for a full blown snog under the mistletoe. Sirius and Michelle had been the victims of many cruel jokes from James - even Lily and Kieran were at the receiving end of a few.
James was currently trying to fix up a piece of the enchanted mistletoe. Lily grabbed it off him and flung it up into the air again.
"Hey!" James cried, reaching for it and earning him a slap.
"Leave that piece of mistletoe alone, James," she warned.
"But I-"
"You aren't going to do anything to it-"
"You don't even know what I was going to do!"
"And I probably don't want to know." James smiled and waited until she was no longer paying attention before grabbing the mistletoe back out of the air above him. Anna looked round at Lily.
"Is he like this often?" she questioned, smiling.
"Yes, but don't worry, you're his girlfriend. You won't be on the receiving end of his jokes. In fact, you might be able to talk him out of some of them," Lily replied, thoughtfully, scowling when she saw him fiddling with a piece of mistletoe.
"It's snowing!" Marcus cried, running to the window and bouncing up and down happily. "Can I go and play in it?"
"Come on," Harry replied, jumping off the sofa. "Let's go and make a snowman."
----
Much to the dismay of Lily and Sirius, the mistletoe followed them outside, floating dangerously close to them as they attempted to make a snowman. It didn't take long for them all to forget about it though when they all got into a snowball fight. Lily hid behind the tree at the back of their garden as a snowball came hurtling towards her and then grabbed Michelle as she mad to run past, pulling her behind the tree too.
"Is it only me who think boys against girls is slightly unfair?" she asked, dusting snow off her coat.
"Well, we are a little outnumbered," Lily admitted. "But the boys will get what they deserve in the end." Michelle smiled and looked round the tree hesitantly to see where the boys were. Sirius was at the end of the garden near the back door making more snowballs and James and Kieran were checking behind the sheds for anyone hiding there. Ryan and Thomas were caring a snowball in each hand and were standing lookout near the swing set. Anna was hiding behind the playhouse next to them and had a good supply of snowballs stacked in front of her.
"On three," Lily whispered, picking up a handful of snow. Michelle and Anna nodded, and on three they charged out. Sirius was hit first and another snowball hit Kieran in the face, causing him to slip on the snow and fall flat on his back. James dodged the one thrown at him and grabbed Lily round the waist, sending the two of them crashing to the floor.
"James!" Lily warned as she saw him pick up his dropped snowball. The only response she got was an innocent smile and the next thing she knew there was a lump full of snow in her face. Brushing it off with his gloved hand, she grabbed James, pushed him off her and shoved him face first into the snow. Looking round briefly, she saw Thomas and Ryan both attacking Michelle with Sirius' supply of snowballs. Sirius was on the floor, laughing, only stopping when Anna came up behind him and dumped a snowball on his head. Before she had a chance to get up, James grabbed her again and shoved a handful of snow down the back of her shirt.
"Oh my God! James!"
"Yes, dear sis?"
"Ugh! Go away!" she said, poking her tongue out at him and pushing him away from her. He smiled and ran off towards Anna. Lily rolled her eyes and stood up, spotting Kieran still lying in the snow a few feet in front of her.
"Now wasn't that just such a good shot?" she asked, standing above him. He cracked one eye open and smiled.
"I thought it might have been you that threw it at me."
"Me? Never," she replied, sarcastically. Kieran chuckled and closed his eyes again.
"Come on, up you get." Lily kicked some snow in his direction and he growled as it landed on his stomach before reaching up, grabbing Lily's arm and pulling her on top of him.
"That was cold," he stated after she'd stopped laughing.
"It's snow, it usually is." Kieran opened his eyes and glared at her mockingly before flipping them over so that he was pinning her to the floor.
"I suppose you think you're funny, Lily Potter?"
"I think I'm hilarious," she replied.
"Cocky too."
"Of course."
"And not in need of a kiss from her boyfriend, obviously-" Kieran made to pull away, only to stop when Lily pushed herself onto her elbows and kissed him.
----
"James, give us a hand," Sirius pleaded, seeing his brother come up behind Anna. She was taken by surprise as James hoisted her onto his shoulder, giving Sirius time to run away. He then bent down, picked up a snowball, put Anna on the floor and dumped it on her head.
"Merry Christmas!" he cried, jokingly. Anna laughed and kissed him.
"Has anyone ever told you what a complete idiot you are?"
"People may have mentioned it," he replied, smirking. Anna wrapped her arms around him in a hug and he returned it, closing his eyes and smiling. It was when he opened them and spotted his sister and Kieran that a smile broke out on his face.
"Oi! Stop making out in the snow, you two!"
"Piss off!" Kieran shouted back. James chuckled and deciding to make the most of the day, pulled away and kissed his girlfriend again.
----
Needless to say, the snowball fight didn't really continue after that and the 8 of them trudged into the house, dripped wet. Their parents looked up at them from the seats on the sofa and smiled.
"Have fun?" Harry asked, catching Thomas as he jumped into his arms.
"Yep."
"We'll make a snowman in a minute," he promised, pulling his sons hat off. Thomas nodded enthusiastically and Harry turned to the rest of the kids still standing in the doorway.
"Who won?" he asked. Everyone looked at each other, smiling.
"We all did," Lily replied, hugging Kieran. Harry was about to look away when he noticed the piece of mistletoe floating above them. James looked up to see what he'd saw and burst out laughing when he realised that it was above Sirius and Michelle.
"Oh you have got to be joking me," Sirius muttered, looking up at it and then at Michelle's parents. Michelle for her part had turned the most brilliant shade of red Harry had ever seen.
"Come on James, take the mistletoe away," Harry told him.
"I can't."
"James-"
"No really, I can't. It's enchanted and once it's over someone there's nothing I can do." Lily looked at Michelle sympathetically before swatting her brother.
"That was mean, James."
"Thank you, I do try," he quipped, sinking onto the sofa beside his parents. Sirius rolled his eyes and turned to Michelle who, like him, had been looking awkwardly at her parents.
"Come on guys, the sooner you get it over with, the sooner you can step out from underneath it," James said, smiling at them. Sirius glared at him before turning to Michelle and hesitantly pressing his lips to hers. He smiled when he felt her arms slid up to wrap around his neck.
"Just so you know," Lily said, patting her twins shoulder. "They've been going out since the beginning of December."
"They…what?" James asked, gob-smacked.
----
Harry looked at the snowman he'd made with his children and smiled to himself, watching them as they dressed it in whatever items of clothing they could afford to take off. Lily had lost her scarf, James his hat and Thomas his gloves.
"How come you're not dressing up the snowman with them?" a voice asked behind him. Harry turned round to find Hermione leaning on the doorframe. He held open his arms and she walked towards him, wrapping her cloak tighter around herself in attempt to keep warm.
"I was just thinking," he replied, resting his cheek atop her head.
"About what?"
"Everything. I was just remembering." Hermione smiled and closed her eyes. "They all grew up so quickly. I still remember when you had James and Lily. I was more scared than anything else."
"You think you were scared?" Hermione questioned. "I was absolutely terrified." Harry smiled and kissed the top of her head.
"And I'll never forget the look on your face when I suggested Fred and George should be Sirius' God-Parents. I was actually scared you hex me for suggesting something so stupid."
"Oh, I was going to," Hermione replied. "But you looked so upset when you thought I was going to say no, that I changed my mind."
"I love you all so much," Harry whispered, wrapping his arms tighter around her. "I know we haven't had the best year as a family and most of that is my fault-"
"What's brought this on?" Hermione asked, pulling away enough to look at him. Harry shrugged.
"I was just looking at them and thinking that in 3 more years, Lily and James will be old enough to leave home, Thomas will be starting Hogwarts and…"
"And?"
"I don't know. I was looking at Lily and Kieran and James and Anna and I just wanted you to know how much I love you."
"Well, I love you too." Harry pulled her back towards him and closed his eyes again.
"In three more years," he summed up. "Lily can get married."
"It's a pretty scary thought," Hermione admitted. She felt Harry nod his head.
"I'm beginning to understand how your dad felt when we told him we were getting married. It feels like your kids don't need you anymore-" Hermione cut him off with a kiss, cupping his face in her hands.
"They'll always need you. And they'll always love you," she said, resting her forehead against his. "No matter who they marry, or where they're living, they'll always love you more than anything." Harry smiled and kissed her again.
"You're so wonderful," he breathed, making her smile. "You're the most wonderful person in the world."
"I should hope so," she replied, hugging him again. "You're pretty wonderful yourself." Harry laughed and picked her up round the waist, twirling her round playfully.
"I love you, Hermione."
"I love you too." After one more kiss Harry pulled away and clapped his hands.
"Right everyone. Whoever hits Mummy with the most snowballs wins!"
"Harry!"
"Ready, steady, go!" he shouted, grabbing Hermione round the waist again and watching as all 5 of his kids charged towards them, a snowball in each hand. It was then that he decided that Hermione was right. They'd always love him and no matter what, he'd always love them too.
A/N - Just in case anyone cares, the conversation between Harry and Hermione was inspired by a fan video on youtube about Harry and Hermione's relationship from Hermione's dad point of view.
I think it's called "I loved Her First" so..you know..if you want to watch it :P