Holiday Mom

Summary: Hermione is hosting the family Christmas feast, and she can't help but feel happy about spending time with her family. This is a short one-shot about how she feels about her day and her life as a mother.

Christmas always made Hermione feel warm inside. Today it was quiet in the house she shared with Ron, as they'd all gone to The Burrow to give her time to cook. Now that the meal was cooking on its own, she could sit in the living room with a cup of hot cocoa and stare out the window.

Snow had dusted the lawn overnight, and footprints leading to the rock wall made her smile. There wasn't enough on the ground to make anything decent, but there was plenty of snow on the rock wall, so Ron led the children over. They tossed snowballs at each other for thirty minutes or more before getting into the family car and heading to The Burrow to leave Hermione alone.

She sipped her hot cocoa, her mind drifting to those Christmases at Hogwarts when she'd roam the castle with her friends, exchanging gifts or going on adventures. Her children wouldn't experience those memories for a few more years at least, but Hermione wanted them to experience it. Having the house quiet on such an important day was actually a blessing, a blessing that allowed her to hear when one of her pots began to boil over.

Once in the kitchen, she looked at the pictures on the refrigerator as she stirred and stirred. Her children's artwork was precious to her and it was always on display, much of it rotated on a weekly basis. This week was the time of Uncle George, who was in nearly every picture. Hermione smiled, putting a casserole into the oven and sitting at the breakfast table to eye the works of art. She didn't remember being as creative and artistic as her children were. She was always eager to learn, so she learned to read early and spent her time curled up with books, many of which crowded the attic in overflowing boxes. The kids had yet to touch them; they would rather draw or make crafts or go to The Burrow to do things with Grand-Mama.

Hermione didn't mind. She had a box in her room filled with yarn-based crafts, and her walls were covered with other framed pieces. Her children were her life, and she smiled as she took another sip. She could hear the car approach, meaning her house would soon be overflowing with her family and Ron's family, and maybe even Harry and Ginny if their kids weren't ill.

The front door burst open and the house immediately filled with enough noise to shake the windows across the house. Hermione couldn't help but smile as Molly and Ginny poured their goods into the kitchen. Hermione would remain in the kitchen with the women while the men played roughly with the children either in the living room or out on the snowy lawn. Currently they were trying to decide which game to play, but they just couldn't make a decision.

"You look like you're glowing," Molly said to Hermione, patting her forearm. Hermione nodded, watching as a line of children ran past. "Ah, you love this stuff! So do I, dear, so do I," she nodded, checking on her casserole with her finger. "Is there more room in your oven, dear? It's gotten cold."

"Plenty," Hermione nodded, helping her as the group poured outside into the snow with mock Quidditch gear. "Ginny, did you get the kids that stuff?"

"I almost had no choice," she said, halfway rolling her eyes as the youngest child, Hermione's daughter Rose, moved slowly into the kitchen with her newest toy, a beautiful doll.

"Do you want us to keep that safe for you?" Molly asked. The girl nodded, smiling brightly before dashing into the yard. "I miss having kids of my own for things like that, but I'm glad you've all blessed me with such great grandkids. Ginny, how's your youngest?"

"Fussy but good," Ginny sighed. "I'm glad George offered to keep him for me. He'll be over later, I think. It's okay if he misses this, right Hermione?"

"As long as everyone else is here," she replied, stirring some of the pots on her stove. "I realize now I always wanted a full house at Christmas. I didn't really get that as an only child."

"Your house is rather empty," Molly agreed, looking up as a car arrived in the driveway. "Speaking of which, here are your lovely parents now. I'll go lead them in so the kids don't attack them. Oh! I knew that would happen eventually," Molly grinned, smiling as she looked to the broken window in the living room. The kids were stunned, but Molly fixed the damage within seconds. She tossed them back their ball as she welcomed in Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who arrived with a basket full of bread.

As the women mingled in the kitchen and the men and children played outside, the Christmas feast came together. The table was extended to seat everyone, and soon everyone was piled into the dining room to enjoy dinner. After Mr. Weasley carved the ham, the dinning room exploded with sounds of chewing and inner moans of enjoyment. Conversation began once the initial blast of flavor loosened everyone's lips, and the house buzzed with homely activities.

Hermione sat between Molly and Ron, her thoughts on the years to come. She'd host every Christmas celebration if she could help it, mounds of dishes or not. She'd donate her refrigerator and walls to every piece of art, and she'd memorize every stain removing spell available to help clean up after her children. She was a mother, a Christmas-loving mother, and she'd enjoy every moment, good or bad.

As she thought this, the gravy boat soared through the air due to the misplaced elbow of her oldest son. Gravy rained over the meal, but Hermione couldn't help but smile. She used a spell to clean up the mess, and soon the eating continued until everyone was in a food coma. The living room was soon filled with sleeping children and men, most notably Arthur and Hermione's dad.

With the house quiet, the women scrubbed away the mess and put the few leftovers into special dishes. The house was back in order, and Hermione let the warmth and coziness flow over her as she rested with the women in the dining room, pulling out the quilt they'd been working on and sewing away in silence. They'd add onto this quilt every year to solidify the memories, like Hermione even needed it. She smiled, getting lost in her daydreams, as the day ended around them.

Theme 018: Holidays

To complete the themes yourself, I have the list posted on my profile. The list is for any type of fan fiction (one-shot, drabble, etc.) and any fandom. Challenge yourself in other ways to make it more fun, and enjoy!