Sweetest Sin

Chapter 13

The next day Harry woke early and quickly shoved his clothes from the day before into his bag. He pulled on a black sweater and a pair of loose fitting jeans. Harry walked over to the mirror and smoothed his shirt. The sweater was fitted so it clung to his body, showing off his muscular chest. He slipped a leather belt through the loops on his jeans, tightening it so the jeans hung perfectly from his hips. He slung his bag over his shoulder and walked around the guest house, making sure everything was turned off.

After making sure there were no lights left on, Harry exited the guest house and started making his way back to the main house. He let himself in the back door and saw Hermione sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bagel. Her eyes widened a bit as she looked at Harry from head to toe. Hermione was looking very nice herself in a white sweater and tan pants. Harry gave her a half smile and gently kissed her on the forehead. Hermione said softly, "There's another bagel on the counter for you."

Harry moved to the countertop where there was a bagel waiting. He quickly spread some cream cheese over it and carried the plate to the table. He sat down next to Hermione, tearing off a piece of the bagel and putting it in his mouth. He chewed slowly and finally broke the silence, "Hermione, I'm sorry I've been so moody lately, it's really really hard for me this time of year. I don't handle not having a family around very well...I mean I don't even have Sirius anymore, he's not family but as a godparent I consider him like an uncle. I have no one."

Hermione turned to Harry and said slowly, "You have me...you have Ron...you have lots of friends that you are so close with they may as well be family."

Harry looked down and concentrated on ripping off another piece of his bagel. "I know, Hermione, but it's not the same as a family, you have to understand that. I know I should be better at coping with it, but I'm not, I'm just not."

Hermione reached over to put her hand on top of Harry's. "Harry, it is never going to be easy coping with the tragedies you've had to go through, and no one expects you to be good at it. But don't shut me out; we'll work through the hard times together. Okay?"

Harry nodded. "Do you forgive me?"

Hermione gave him a smile. "Do you really even have to ask? Of course I do, I never needed an apology."

Harry smiled back and leaned forward to press his lips to hers. When they broke apart, Hermione gently ran her hand down his face. "Happy Christmas, Harry."

Harry smiled. "Happy Christmas, Hermione. I love you."

Hermione's smile turned into a grin. "I love you, too."

Harry glanced at the clock on the wall and quickly finished up his bagel. Hermione did the same and then she said, "It's about time to go."

Harry stood up and Hermione grabbed their dishes to wash them. Harry called over his shoulder, "Is your bag up in your room?"

She replied, "Yeah, I'll go get it as soon as I wash this."

Harry quietly slipped out of the room and went upstairs. He quickly found Hermione's room and stepped inside. Her room was painted a pale pink and Harry glanced around. There were several framed pictures of friends and family throughout her room. Harry walked over to her dresser and picked up a framed picture of them. It was a Muggle picture and Harry inspected it more closely. Hermione and Harry were sitting together in the Great Hall and laughing about something. Harry never even remembered the picture being taken and he smiled, setting the frame back down. He grabbed Hermione's bag and headed back downstairs.

When he reentered the kitchen Hermione said, "I was just wondering where you went! I thought you must have forgotten something in the guest house."

Harry set her bag down and reached his hand out. Hermione took it and he pulled her against his chest. He lowered his head and gave her a soft kiss. Hermione reached up and slid her hand behind his head and pulled him closer for a deeper kiss. Then they heard someone clear their throat and broke apart to see Hermione's parents standing in the doorway. Hermione blushed and buried her face in Harry's chest muttering, "Oh my God, I'm SO embarrassed."

Harry tried to suppress a laugh and said, "We're ready to go the Kings Cross whenever you are, Mr. and Mrs. Granger."

Mr. Granger was giving Harry a cool look and Harry busied himself with collecting his and Hermione's bags and carrying them out to the car. Harry and Hermione slid into the backseat and soon they were on their way to Kings Cross station. Hermione rested her hand on Harry's leg and whispered in his ear, "You look so gorgeous today; I am struggling to keep my hands off you!"

Harry grinned and whispered back, "Just wait till we're on the train! Your dad just may kill me if I even hold your hand, we probably shouldn't even be whispering like this!"

Hermione giggled and leaned back in her seat. About twenty five minutes later, they pulled up in front of the train station. Harry grabbed their bags yet again and they started walking towards the platform. When they reached the wall that they would go through to get to the Hogwarts Express, Hermione turned to hug her parents goodbye. Harry shook their hands and thanked them for letting him stay and they told him he was welcome anytime. They said their final goodbyes and then walked through the wall and found themselves in front of the Hogwarts Express. Hermione moved towards the train and climbed aboard, Harry right behind her. They found a compartment and settled in.

Hermione stretched and yawned. "It is still sooooooo early! But we need to get back to school early so we can spend the day with Ron and Lily."

Harry nodded and slipped his arm around Hermione's waist. "In the meantime, we have this compartment all to ourselves, with a few hours to kill. What could we possibly do?"

Hermione smiled and leaned in to give Harry a long kiss. Harry's hand slid from her waist down into her back pocket as they kissed. Suddenly a cold voice rang out, "What a sickening sight, can't you two wait till you're back at Hogwarts?"

The pair broke apart to see Draco Malfoy leaning against the doorframe. He was giving them a cocky look and Hermione said, "Get out of here, Malfoy!"

He gave her a smirk. "My pleasure, Granger, I just had a question for you two."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? What is it?"

Draco seemed a little hesitant but said, "I was wondering if Ginny went home for Christmas break or if she stayed at Hogwarts."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other and then Hermione said, "Um, she stayed at Hogwarts. Why?"

Draco didn't respond, he just turned around and walked away. Hermione turned back to Harry with a perplexed look on her face. "Why would Malfoy be interested in Ginny's whereabouts?"

Harry shrugged. "Who knows...now where were we?"

Hermione giggled and leaned in to kiss Harry again. They kissed for a few minutes and then cuddled and talked the rest of the way to Hogwarts. When they finally reached the school and climbed off the carriages, Hermione gave him a smile. "Well, back again. Home sweet home, eh?"

Harry smiled back and nodded, looking across the snow covered grounds. They trudged up the many flights of stairs and finally entered Gryffindor Tower. Ron and Lily were already there and they jumped up as Harry and Hermione entered, exclaiming excitedly, "How was your visit? I'm so glad you're back! We have presents!"

Harry and Hermione briefly told them about the visit and Harry was grateful that Hermione made no mention of his dark mood. They settled onto the couches and pulled out presents. Harry handed a wrapped package to Lily and Hermione followed suit. Lily gave them a smile and quickly unwrapped the gifts. Harry had gotten her a large slab of Honeydukes best chocolate and Hermione had gotten her Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. Lily thanked them both and handed them their presents.

Harry unwrapped the silvery paper and discovered some new, very nice quills. There was also a bottle of ink that would change colors as he wrote. He grinned. "Cool! This is awesome!"

Hermione was exclaiming over the book Lily had gotten her. "I love this! I've wanted it for forever!"

Lily beamed. "I'm glad you like it!"

Next, Ron was handing out packages to Harry and Hermione. Harry pulled off the paper to reveal an assortment of items that he had ordered from Fred and George. Harry's face lit up. "Too cool! Wow, there are so many different ones!"

Hermione opened up her present to discover a new school bag. It was brown leather and had a small silver plate on the front that had her initials on it. Hermione gasped. "Ron! This is gorgeous! Thank you!"

Ron grinned and seemed very pleased with himself. Harry and Hermione handed him their presents and he opened them eagerly. He had received Zonko's jokes from Harry and a kit to care for his wand from Hermione. Ron grinned at both of them and said, "Thanks, you two! This is great!"

Everyone was quiet for a moment and Harry said, "Well, Ron, Lily, we'll head off elsewhere so you guys can exchange presents, and so Hermione and I can exchange presents. Okay?"

They nodded and Harry grabbed Hermione's hand and led her out of the common room. He paused once the portrait closed behind them. "Do you have anywhere specific you want to go to exchange presents?"

Hermione thought for a moment before smiling. "Let's go outside. I love being in the snow!"

Harry grinned and they walked downstairs and out the door in silence. They stayed near the castle walls and Hermione handed Harry a present. He smiled and took the paper off of it. There was a box lying there and he opened it and found a silver watch. His eyes widened. "Wow! This is really nice!"

Harry slipped the watch on and gave Hermione a quick kiss before handing over her gift. Hermione quickly unwrapped it and found herself holding a small velvet box. She looked up at Harry with wide eyes and he just gave her a smile. She opened it up and found a delicate white gold chain lying there. Dangling off the chain was a red stone shaped like a heart, surrounded by small diamonds. Hermione's jaw dropped. "Is it...is it real?"

Harry grinned. "Of course, white gold chain, ruby heart, diamonds."

Hermione just kept staring at the necklace and Harry said, "Don't you like it?"

Hermione looked up quickly. "Like it? I love it! It's the most gorgeous piece of jewelry I've ever owned! Will you put it on me?"

Harry chuckled. "I thought you'd never ask!"

Hermione pulled her hair up away from her neck and Harry stepped behind her, putting the necklace on and clasping it securely. Hermione turned around and leaned close to Harry, giving him a long kiss. She pushed him gently back against the wall of the castle as she kissed him. He slid his arms around her waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

They broke apart when they heard people laughing. They turned to see Ron and Lily heading down the steps to the castle. Lily had quickly made a snowball and pelted it at Ron. Ron spotted them and called for Hermione and Harry to come over. When they arrived Harry noticed Lily was wearing dangly, sapphire earrings. Hermione exclaimed, "Lily! Those earrings are stunning!"

Lily motioned towards Hermione's neck. "And what about your necklace?! That's beautiful!"

Hermione flushed with happiness and Ron said, "Lily got me some new robes, I've been meaning to get some new ones for a while! Nice watch, Harry!"

Harry grinned and soon they were all involved in a snowball fight. When they had finally worn themselves out they headed inside to change before the feast. Harry and Hermione walked through the main doors first, and stopped short. Ron stepped around them. "Why'd you guys--"

Everyone stared at the scene before them in shock. Draco Malfoy was kissing Ginny Weasley.