12 Grimmauld Place - December 31, 1998

Harry rested comfortably on his couch while watching the flames encompass the logs within the large fireplace. It was quiet in the drawing room, but he didn't mind. Having the silence around him right now was quite soothing. He had told Kreacher to take today and tomorrow off for the holiday, but secretly he just wanted to be alone. He had spent the Christmas weekend at the Burrow and was now happy to not have any obligations. "Oh! The Burrow," Harry thought, rubbing the bridge of his nose. The weekend was slightly overwhelming. There was the awkwardness of Fred no longer around, Ginny still not making eye contact with him, and of course, Luna and Ron snogging under enchanted mistletoe. To be honest, that wasn't too bad. He hadn't seen Ron that happy in a long time and to see his friend smile was worth a couple of minutes of them under that damn plant. The only thing missing was Hermione. He stood up to look at the photos on top of his mantle. Some were magical and some were stills. As he looked at the still photo of the witch with big brown eyes and dark curly hair his chest ached. He missed his best friend, he missed his girlfriend. He sat back down on the couch like a pining lovestruck fool staring at her photograph.

He thought back to Australia, and the two months they shared that lead to Hermione accomplishing another achievement. Finding her parents wasn't as difficult as they first expected. She knew her parents admired the coast and city living, thus making Melbourne their first stop. The first three days they stayed in a hotel, never leaving the bed. Sleep and sex clouded their brains, so research was utterly useless. On the fourth day Hermione pulled out a large telephone directory to begin her research. She handed him a Muggle pen and notepad assigning him the job of personal assistant. She explained that she was positive they followed the same career that they had in England. They spent days looking for dentists within the city. Finally after a week they came across a practice ran by a husband and wife team. Surprisingly, Hermione found this information from a computer and not a book at the local library. Harry was amazed by her use of finding information from something other than a book.

He remembered holding her hand tightly when they first walked in. She froze when she saw a woman speaking to man near the reception area. A woman with the same brown eyes he had grown to love and a man with short curly hair and a very familiar nose. Due to Hermione's reaction, he took the lead and setup appointments for him and his wife. Between tears, memory charms research and a root canal, (A shiver went through his body thinking of the root canal. The things you do for love) she managed to restore her parents memories in a little over a month. Her parents were extremely upset, but seeing their daughter safe made the anger gradually dissipate. Knowing the full story from his and Hermione's arrival in the wizarding world helped them realize exactly why she had to hide them. They may not have liked it or agreed, but they understood.

They stayed a few more weeks, before Hermione had to head back to Hogwarts. Her parents holding her tightly, not wanting to let her go as they said their goodbyes. She promised she would be back before Christmas to see them and help them sort out their affairs. Her parents loved Australia, but were ready to go back home. And that is where she was now, on a continent far away, with her family.

It had been four months since he'd seen Hermione. Their last kiss was on Platform 9 ¾ before she stepped on the train and headed back to Hogwarts. He missed waking up with her hair tickling his nose, or the way she would fall asleep with a book opened on her lap. Her letters help ease some of the longing, but he missed her presence. He was thankful when he started the Auror Academy. The busy schedule helped keep him occupied and extremely tired. He was grateful for the break, but would feel better once the holidays passed. Harry stood and placed her photo in its rightful spot on the mantle. He glanced at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room, watching the minute hand move.

"Two more minutes until midnight. Two more minutes until a new year." Harry walked out of the drawing room to head up to bed before he felt a tingling sensation crawl up his spine. He removed his wand from his sleeve and silently walked through the entrance towards the front door. He wasn't expecting anyone tonight, so who the hell thinks it's okay to remove his wards! As the grandfather clock struck midnight he quickly opened the front door to his home.

Fireworks lit the night sky causing a combination of bright colors to highlight her face. Hermione stood on his front step with a a grin so large her eyes were only small slits. She walked up the entrance and placed a hand on his chest.

"So, what does a witch have to do for a New Year's kiss around here?" Harry grabbed the collar of her black woolen coat and pulled her through the doorway. His lips crashing hard on hers causing her to stumble against the wall. The wall now supporting her due to the weakness in her knees. Her arms wrapped around him pulling him even closer to her. It was he who finally pulled away to look at her. As he opened his mouth to speak, Hermione raised her hand placing her fingertips upon his lips. "Yes."

Harry looked at her with a curious look, before she saw a spark in his eyes. "I thought you wanted to find a job first."

"Oh, Harry. You know me better than that," she said as she brushed his fringe from his forehead. He smiled, leaning into her hand.

"I'm guessing the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures?" he replied.

"I guess you do know me pretty well."

"When do you start?"

"Next month."

"Until then? Australia?" Harry couldn't help his eyes move away from hers. Hermione cupped his cheeks with her hands to make sure his eyes were back on hers.

"I was thinking more along the lines of moving into my new home...with my fiancé." Harry watched as tears started to form in her eyes. "I don't think I can handle even a few more days without you right now. I've missed you terribly Harry James Potter." Harry kissed her again, this time slowly and tenderly. When they separated they stood in the hallway with their foreheads touching.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too." Harry moved his arm around her and lead them upstairs. "Besides…" Hermione shrugged her shoulders "If I don't marry you, how else could I use your fame to achieve my goal of becoming Minister for Magic?" Harry moved to the side when he reached their destination, then bowed his head and gestured to her with a wave of his arm.

"After you...Minister Granger-Potter." Hermione smiled, then returned his bow before blissfully gliding into their bedroom.

THE END

This was so much fun! Thank you to everyone for reading, commenting, following, and favoriting. I truly appreciate it!

Thank you to my friend and Beta Pamela RR. You took on this task not even knowing what the hell I meant by Beta and I can't thank you enough. You're awesome.

Now, on to the you're into rare pairings; I'm currently working on a Hermione x Marcus Flint story.