(Truly) Home for the Holidays

The characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling and her assigns.

"I don't understand why we have to walk this last bit," said Hermione petulantly. "You'd think they'd offer a better welcome home from a long trip than this."

"After long broom ride, this is good for us." Viktor smiled good-naturedly as he took her hand and guided her down the path. "Luna says is to see house in best light."

"Seeing the house at all and not that ridiculous tent is all I...oh, look at that."

Hermione's cottage was completely obscured by the Knight Bus standing in front of it. The entire population of a small town appeared to be milling around, but as they approached, it turned out to be family and friends.

"They're here!" someone shouted, and everyone cheered and hooted out their greetings.

Hermione's mouth twitched until she couldn't help smiling. Harry was the first to seize her in a hug, followed by Ginny and all the Weasleys. Severus and a more slender Andromeda came next. Hermione couldn't see around all the people who claimed her attention, but from the sound of it, Viktor was similarly engaged.

"We have another sister!" Beatrix told Hermione excitedly. She pulled her over to the pram where the twins lay. "Aren't they beautiful? Papa said our sister's name is Eileen for our gran, and mum said our new brother is Regulus."

Hermione looked at the sleeping babies and raised her eyes to see Viktor watching her. They exchanged a secret communication, and then she turned back to her sister. "They are delightful, just as babies should be."

Finally, Luna came out from around the bus. "Everyone is sorry it took so long," she said, "but we think it will be worth it."

"What are you talking about?" asked Hermione. "You were just supposed to get rid of the nargles."

"Did you find all your things?"

Actually, Hermione had. "Well, everything showed up among the things I had at Hogwarts, when it came down to it."

"So the nargles are gone, aren't they?"

Suddenly, Hermione was suspicious. She tilted her head and looked at Luna with narrowed eyes. "Do they really exist?"

"Your things were missing, weren't they? And now that the extermination is complete, they've all reappeared, haven't they?"

"Well..."

"Call it what you like. I call it nargles," said Luna matter-of-factly.

"What about the other things?"

"Everything that was keeping you from a happy life in your home is now gone."

There was some fundamental truth in Luna's words that was just beyond Hermione's ability to process it while standing there will so many people around; she would sort it out when she and Viktor were alone. Glancing at him and seeing the way he looked at her, she realized it might be a while after she and Viktor were alone. Perhaps they could continue the honeymoon just a bit.

"Well, do you mean to keep me meters away from my doorstep indefinitely? When can I enter my own house?"

Charlie Weasley showed up next to Luna. "Is everyone ready?" he asked. After the crowd shouted, "Yes!" he said, "Stan, move the Knight Bus!"

The bus shifted into gear with its usual round of odd sounds and lurches. Suddenly it was gone with a loud sound, but Hermione didn't notice. She was too busy looking at the structure in front of her.

It wasn't the house she'd lived in with Ron.

Well, the general shape was the same, but instead of the house she'd shared with her husband...her first husband, that was...this was a home similar to a stone cottage she and Harry had seen while trying to find Horcruxes. "Harry, was this your doing?"

"Not exactly, love," he answered. "I admit I participated."

"Who was involved in this?" She looked a bit suspiciously at her husband. "Were you in on this?"

He shook his head. "I merely take job, with hope of perhaps becoming friends with Myown again."

"Then how did it happen?"

Andromeda stepped forward. "Come see what's been done inside, dear. Perhaps we can put it all together for you."

The door was opened, and everyone cheered when Viktor carried her over the threshold, something he'd done at every hotel and home they'd stayed in since the wedding. Hermione was getting quite used to it, and took advantage of the opportunity to kiss him during the process, which invoked more cheers.

The interior of the house was the same and yet different. There was a wonderful fireplace just where the old one had been, but it was shaped completely differently, and now it was stone instead of brick. Each of the rooms had been changed somewhat, because doors and windows had moved to accommodate the changes to the outside of the house.

The kitchen was the best room of all. Hermione had always admired her stepmother's kitchen, and now hers was very similar, down to newer models of the same appliances. "This is amazing," she whispered as she sat down at the table with her husband, Harry and Ginny, and Severus, and Andromeda. "So how did it happen?"

"You contacted Luna. That was absolutely the first thing that happened," Harry stated unequivocally.

"Didn't Viktor get the job at Hogwarts, first?" Hermione asked teasingly.

"Well, yes, but that was unrelated to the house at the time. Viktor had the job, and then you asked Luna to do something about the nargles. She discovered why you were losing things and you made the arrangement for the extermination."

"Yes, I do recall that bit."

"Well, when we heard about it, it seemed like a good time to make a few changes. I remembered that house you fell in love with and wondered if something could be done."

"And Severus and I heard that your home was under a tent and offered to do something about the kitchen," said Andromeda.

"Molly and Arthur offered to help, too, and when we realized that we'd be moving the back door, we contacted Neville about the garden."

"You did all of this behind my back?" Hermione said. "That's quite a lot, and extremely invasive."

"We only made changes to things we'd already known you liked."

"How could you be sure I'd want a stone cottage?"

"We back to that other one three times, Hermione. You said it was too much of a risk to go anywhere twice, and yet we went there again."

"I suppose that's true."

"And we all knew the things you found lacking in this house before," said Severus with a smirk.

"We can change it if you don't like it," said Viktor close to her ear.

Hermione knew it was time to give in. "All right then," she said. "I suppose a great many thank yous are in order."

The afternoon and evening progressed with a great many hugs and kisses. Food appeared, no doubt Andromeda's and Molly's doing. Children played, grown ups watched them as they chatted. Hermione and Viktor walked all over their garden and the downstairs of their house, admiring the way things had been done and planning one or two small adjustments.

Finally, everyone went home, and it was time to investigate the upstairs. Hand in hand they walked up, but after Hermione indicated which room she thought would be theirs, Viktor swept her up into his arms one last time. A song came to mind as she put her arm around his neck.

"What are you humming, loff?"

"Hm? Oh, just this Muggle song I heard once."

"What is it called?"

"'Fall and I Will Catch You.' The singer's called Kristian Leontiou."

"At the end, you start thinking about the beginning?", he risked, eying his wife with the sly smile he reserved only for her.

Hermione laughed. "More like: "All beginnings should come from an ending like this."

Viktor stepped over the threshold. The room had been charmed so that candles would light as soon as they did so, but they didn't notice, being absorbed in each other.

fin

Author's Note: I'm sorry this took so long to finish. I knew exactly how everything happened in this chapter, even down to the Wizarding version of Extreme Makeover-Home Edition, but somehow I'd lost the ability to say it. I finally found the words this week.

Finally, thank you dear readers, for travelling this journey with me. Your kind words and thoughts as we all have mourned Kyria have helped immeasurably.