Sorry for the slight delay. This is the last chapter! Thank you for your views, favorite, follows, and reviews. I'll see you for my next Harmony after I finish Serendipity.

Chapter Eight/Epilogue

Students would begin boarding the train within half an hour, but somehow—she knew exactly how—Hermione and Harry were running behind. As Heads, they should have already arrived in Hogsmeade, levitating their trunks behind them, so they could usher students onto the train before they had a repeat of an incident in their fifth year where a student had been left in Hogsmeade.

However, Harry wanted to make use of one last broom cupboard. "Harry!" Hermione hissed. "There's a bed at Grimmauld Place or a sofa. Despite what you might think," he pressed his mouth to her neck, dragging a gasp from her. "I don't enjoy this broomstick digging into my back."

"Didn't complain before," Harry mumbled, his tongue tracing her collarbone.

She slumped against the wall, and she knocked the broom away from her. "Yes, well, we need to be at the train station right now rather than snogging in a cupboard."

"Do we though?" He tugged her sleeve to the side, pressing slow kisses to her shoulder. "I just can't keep my hands to myself."

"Tell me about it." Hermione groaned.

Harry took it as an invitation. "Well," he drawled, his fingers skimming the sides of her breasts, "Let's start here."

Her breath caught. "That's not quite what I meant." Hermione gasped. Her eyes were screwed shut tightly, and she didn't make a single move away from him. "But... go on."

He smirked. Harry's hand slipped beneath her jumper, his skin hot against hers as he cupped her fabric clad breasts. "So soft," he murmured under her ear as he tugged the cups down. His thumbs swiped across her nipples, earning a not so quiet whine. "They're so fucking pretty, and you like to tease by changing in front of me where I can't even see you."

A chill rolled down her spine as Harry ducked his head down. He held her up by wrapping one arm around her waist and closed his mouth around her nipple, slowly flicking his tongue across the point. Hermione moaned his name, wishing she could reach her wand that was laying unhelpfully on a nearby shelf.

They really should cast a silencing charm before a student passing by found the Heads like they were.

His hands slid down her sides, and his fingers hooked into the belt loops of her jeans. "Hermione."

Someone banged on the door, and Harry righted her bra before fixing her jumper for her. "Last call for the train," Dean called, amusement clear in his voice. "Unless you want to be stuck here for winter hols, you'd better stop shagging in a cupboard."

Her face heated as Harry clasped their hands together and led them from the closet. Dean and Seamus grinned. "Snogging in the cupboards now?" Dean laughed.

Harry shrugged, tightening his fingers in hers. "We have a lot to make up for in the last seven years."

The train ride to Kings Cross wasn't a silent one. Harry and Hermione sat with the majority of their friends, though Ron was content to remain silent in the corner.

Ginny offered nothing to the conversation while she sat with Neville. She wore a bright smile while peering over Neville's shoulder to read the Herbology book he was engrossed in.

As they disembarked, they both waved to Mrs Weasley but stepped to the side as they gathered their luggage. "Ready?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded and Apparated from the spot into the walls of Grimmauld Place. She immediately coughed, covering her mouth. "Dusty." She managed an explanation.

Harry snorted. "I'll work on the cleaning charms."

"And set up some automatic cleaning charms," Hermione muttered under her breath.

They went into Diagon Alley for a Christmas tree and found the pickings to be slim to none. "We could go into the muggle world," Harry suggested while she looked at each tree. "I'm sure they're running out, but…"

Hermione shook her head. "We would have to go to Gringotts and covert out money. I don't want to do that when they're up to their eyes in holiday crowds, do you?"

Harry looked around them, and she'd already forgotten what she'd said by the time he replied. "Well, goblins are pretty short. So even if they are up to their eyes in crowds—"

She swatted his chest while laughing uncontrollably. "Harry!"

He caught her by the wrist, tugging her to him, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "What about that one?"

She glanced over her shoulder. "Was that always there?" Hermione's brow furrowed. Out of all the trees, most had been decrepit, but this one wasn't. "How did we miss that?"

Harry snorted. "It was probably because we were paying more attention to each other than the trees."

"Yes, well, you do keep grabbing my arse."

"It's quite lovely."

She rolled her eyes and hurried over to the tree before someone else could buy it. "This would be perfect. What do you think?" She fluffed the tree, taking a step back to look at it once more.

"Yeah, perfect," Harry answered, and she noticed that he wasn't looking at the tree at all.

They bought decorations in the colours of Gryffindor before stopping for lunch. With their tree and decorations already delivered to Grimmauld Place, they parted shortly after to shop for gifts.

"No, a little to the left," Hermione instructed while wobbling on Harry's shoulders. "Oh, my God, I'm going to fall."

His snort wasn't refined. "If you'd stop wiggling, you wouldn't fall." Harry's hands roughly gripped her thighs, holding her steadfastly in place. "Hermione, just put the bloody star on the tree."

"Move to the left then!" She hissed.

"I did!"

She sighed. "Your other left then, Harry."

He muttered under his breath but did as she asked. Hermione placed the star at the top of the tree and tried not to fall on her face as he set her on the ground. "There's hot chocolate in the kitchen."

She kissed his cheek, murmuring a thanks before leaving him to fall onto the sofa. Grasping both mugs, she returned to take the seat next to Harry, and their fingers brushed as she handed him his mug. "What are you thinking about?"

The back of his head rested against the sofa, and he stared at the ceiling. "I'm still surprised that McGonagall gave us permission to leave together. I expected her to force us to stay at Hogwarts."

She nodded. "Yes, it's a little surprising. It was nice of Ginny to still invite us to the Burrow, but she knew we weren't going to take that offer."

A smile spread across his face. "Did she tell you that Neville is visiting the Burrow for Christmas?"

She hadn't.

Harry continued, "I'm glad she's happy. I thought things would be awkward, but maybe this is the relationship Ginny and I were always meant to have." He pulled at a loose string in the sofa's fabric. "Ron will come around. I know it bothers you, but eventually, this will work itself out."

It was so like him to remain reassuring, but Hermione shook her head. "I hope he will be able to hold a civil conversation one day, preferably soon, but I don't think our friendship will ever be what it once was. Not after a breakup, and then his attitude toward us. I expected him to act like a prat to me, but he's treated you in such a way that it's almost like you haven't been friends for so long."

He traced her jaw. "It's all right."

It wasn't, not to her anyway. "Have you thought about what you want to do after graduation? Are you still planning to enlist in the Aurors?"

"Yes, but Dr Smith will have to sign a release form for me to enter training. I'm not so sure he will."

Hermione set her ceramic mug on the coffee table and crawled into his lap. Straddling his waist, she cradled his face. "Are you mental? Harry, you've come so far since the end of the war. Of course he will."

He didn't appear to believe her. "I hope so."

As much as she wanted to reassure him, Hermione worried it might seem too much like she was smothering him, and she let it go.

"Have you thought about after graduation?"

Her shoulders fell. "I wanted to work in the Ministry, but after the last several years, I'm not sure it's the place for me now. There is an internship—which pays little—at St Mungos. It's not exactly what I want to do, but if I have it in my transcripts, it would be much easier to enter a Potions Mastery program."

"Potions?"

"I've thought about this a lot." Hermione prattled. "After all the potions I've taken since the end of the war, there are so many that have terrible side effects. I'd like to work with reducing those side effects."

The corner of his mouth twitched. "You have thought about this a lot."

"There's just one thing that I keep coming back to. I'd love to make new potions, but of course, the research would take years. I want to help others, Harry, and this route… I wouldn't be helping for a long time, perhaps ever, if I can't discover—"

He covered her mouth with his hand. "You will. You're brilliant."

She clasped her hands in her lap. "Thank you."

Harry leaned up to kiss her lazily, and their mugs were forgotten when he shifted, laying her on her back while he hovered over her.

They stirred before the sun rose.

Her leg was slung over his waist, his shirt slipping off of her shoulders as she cracked one eye open. "How long have you been staring at me?"

"Not long. I just woke up." Harry said. "Your nose twitches when you're sleeping, did you know that?"

Her hand flew up to cover her mouth. "I—no, I didn't know that."

"It's adorable." Harry caught her by her hips and draped her across his chest. "Happy Christmas." He murmured as his lips brushed hers. "I know that we bought the tree, and it's beautiful, but I don't particularly want to leave this bed at all."

She didn't mean to press her pelvis against his the first time, but once she felt a hard bulge pressed between her legs, Hermione absolutely meant to the second time. "That's doable."

Harry recognised the words he'd used on her following their time after the Yule Ball and his eyes narrowed. "Absolutely, but first—Accio Hermione's presents." With a flick of his wand, the bedroom door creaked open, and two boxes flew onto the bed.

She arched an eyebrow, pointing her wand toward the door. "Accio Harry's presents." Grateful she'd thought to give him two gifts rather than one, Hermione watched as two more foiled wrapped boxes landed on the bed. She moved off of him, reaching for the first box which she assumed was a book.

"You didn't have to get off of me," Harry said.

"I think you and I both know we wouldn't have opened presents at all if I hadn't." Hermione crossed her legs and waited for Harry to pick a gift. "Open yours first."

He shook his head. "No, you open yours first."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, why don't we open them at the same time?" Harry ripped his present open and Hermione tore the pretty wrapping paper away from the book.

In her hands rested a copy of Hogwarts: A History. She'd lost count of how many times this particular volume had been gifted to her, but there was something different about his version. She flipped the cover open, and a scream lodged in her throat. "I can't possibly accept this. Harry, it must have cost a fortune!"

He waved his hand. "Not at all."

She gave him a withering look. "This is a first edition."

"Astute eye." Harry grabbed her hand. "I really want you to have it. I can't think of anyone else that should have it more than you. I know you haven't read it in some time, but you'll find that there are several parts that have been removed from current editions now."

Hermione ran her hand over the cover. "How did you find this? There couldn't have been many copies for sale now."

He muttered something quickly under his breath.

"What was that?"

Harry cleared his throat. "Malfoy, uh, helped me. I asked him after a prefect meeting if he would know where to find one. There was a book collector in France he could put me in contact with."

She threw herself at him, abandoning the book at the foot of the bed as she feverishly kissed him. "Thank you."

Harry joked that if this was the thanks he got, he would gladly do it several times more.

She pulled away from him so he could look at his gift, but made no move to slide off his lap. "It pales compared to your gift," Hermione whispered as Harry traced the photo album. "But Professor McGonagall was helpful in the recovery of these. I'm not sure where she found them."

It was a leather-bound album, housing all the photos of James and Lily Potter, and eventually Harry, in existence. She knew that Remus and Sirius made appearances, but the last photo was tragically dated on Halloween of 1981.

"Don't compare them, 'Mione." He whispered. Harry's voice was thick. "This is—no one has ever—"

"You deserve to have them."

The kiss he gave her was desperate. "I love it."

Her smile was watery. "I'm glad."

"And I love you." Harry leaned his forehead against hers. "I love you so much, and I don't know how I never saw it before."

Her heart slammed into her rib cage. She combed her fingers through his hair. "Oh, Harry," Hermione pressed kisses to his cheeks, to his forehead, and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you."

Harry pressed a small box, her second present, into her hand. "Please open this so I can see your reaction."

She pulled the decorative string that was wrapped around the box before tearing off the paper. Hermione's eyes darted from the box to Harry and back to the box as she slowly lifted the lid. It was a necklace, white gold, but she noted a vial attached as well. Holding it up, light trickled through the vial, meeting the iridescent liquid inside. "Harry?"

"It's a memory." He swallowed. "It's just a copy of the memory since I'm attached to it myself."

She didn't want to move even for a moment. "Your pensieve is at Hogwarts. Will you tell me what it is?"

He nodded, his fingers brushing her sides. "It's us. I'm not great with words, Hermione, but I want you to always know how much I care about you."

Her voice was stuck in her throat. All of their memories rested in her palm, meant to be close to her at all times, and there for her to relive at any time. "This is perfect."

He tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Maybe you shouldn't open the other gift." Hermione said. It was only quidditch gloves, and Harry had just given her two of the most thoughtful gifts anyone had ever given her.

Releasing a chuckle, he sighed. "Didn't I tell you not to compare? You're the best gift, Hermione. You gave me something I hadn't known I needed." Harry cupped her cheek, his lips skimming hers. "Happy Christmas."

She relaxed against him. "Would you put this on for me?"

Harry clasped the chain around her neck, and it was warm against her chest. "Looks good on you."

She grinned. "Do you mean the necklace or your shirt?"

"Oh." Harry drawled, flipping her onto her back. "You know I can't possibly choose."

That's a wrap. Please leave your final thoughts if you don't mind. Until next time!