12 Days of Christmas

Day 8: Harry Porter

Summary:  Harry is surprised by a late night visit by Zoe when he chooses to stay alone at Grimmauld Place. She quickly makes herself home as they chat over tea and Harry can't help notice how much their relationship has changed as she gets really comfortable with him.

This chapter is dedicated to Invader Zoe, who left Wattpad awhile back.

..............

"I hope you don't mind me visiting you." Zoe smiled sweetly as she shrugged off her coat. She hung it inside a nearby closet.

Harry simply stared, before realizing that he was supposed to reply. He was still wrapping his head around the fact that Zoe had come back from Hogwarts straight to Number 12 Grimmauld Place for Christmas. It was really late too. Did the train get this late, coming from Hogwarts?

"Of course not." He said, eyeing his friend. She seemed to have gained a bit of weight since the end of the war, now her cheeks rosy, her hips curvy instead of her pale and bony look.

"It's a pleasant surprise, actually." He said as he responded the quick hug she gave him. The last time they had hugged, she had held to him for a long time, sobbing on his shoulder with relief. The last time he had seen her she had looked at him in a different way, he couldn't explain. And now she was here, with him, alone.

"I just had to come here after Ron wrote to me that his family's spending Christmas at their Aunt Muriel's this year and that you were planning to hole yourself up here alone." Zoe chatted merrily as she made her way to the kitchen to place the bags that contained whatever the goodies she had brought with her.

Harry suspected that it also bagged his Christmas gift as well and couldn't help feeling slightly excited about it. She often managed to get him the best but also the most useful gifts.

"Thanks. You really didn't have to though." He quickly started to explain as he noticed Hermione's glare. "Not that I don't want you here. I mean, don't you want to spend your time with your parents?" He suggested almost timidly, scratching his cheek. He needed a shave, he decided.

Hermione went to the kitchen counter as she took boxes of pastries from the plastic bag she had bought from the Hogsmeade bakery.

"I actually was planning to visit them in the evening tomorrow." She said with a smile. She always wore that smile when she talked about her parents, ever since she got the memory charm off from them. It was a simple smile but bright, relieved and lovely. Harry could get lost in it if he wanted to.

"Oh okay. Great." He nodded. They remained in silence for a while as they looked at each other from the opposite ends of the kitchen, in their own thoughts, noticing how much the other had changed. Recently they often had those silences, comfortable silences, where they looked at each other, taking the other person in to their mind, etching it. Their eyes met.

"Shall I make some tea?" She suggested, straightening herself up, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. He wasn't sure whether she was blushing or not because of the dim lights in the kitchen.

"Oh no, you will do nothing." Harry fussed walking towards the counter. "You're the guest here. Let me make..."

"It's fine, Harry. I think I'm best at making the tea." She said opening the cupboards to grab two mugs for them. She felt Harry's body brush against her back from behind her as he took the two mugs from her hands.

He felt her instinctively lean against him. When had they started to get this physically comfortable? he couldn't remember. Maybe ever since they were stranded camping last year when Ron left.

"You seem to forget that I made tea for the Dursleys every morning when I used to stay with them." He said, looking down at her before walking off to place the mugs on the table. He filled the kettle with some water and placed it on the stove to boil.