A Very Harmony Christmas

The Perfect Gift

Prompt: December 21st. Mutual Secret Santa.

~~~

The Perfect Gift

"Hey Sirius, I was wondering if you could help me?" Harry asked.

He hoped that the fact that he'd pulled Sirius aside and away from everyone else straight after the Family Christmas Dinner would tell Sirius that he wanted to keep this a secret.

"Sure, Pup. What's up?" Sirius asked.

"I've been thinking about Christmas gifts for Hermione," Harry began.

"Never too early to start," Sirius nodded. "Although, I'm surprised. I thought that you would have already had that sorted out by now."

"I do. Well, kinda," Harry replied. "I do have a Christmas gift for her, but I bought it before we started dating. I was thinking of getting her something else, to add to it."

Sirius nodded. "Good plan. So, what do you need help with?"

"I want to go to Diagon Alley to buy her something," Harry stated. "Can you make it so that I can?"

Sirius looked thoughtfully at Harry for a long moment, one finger tapping his chin, the elbow of that hand being cupped across his chest by his other hand.

"I'm a Marauder, remember? Leave it with me," Sirius agreed.

~~~

"Mum, when are you going back to France?" Hermione whispered, leaning in close so that no one else would hear.

"We were thinking of sleeping in our own beds tonight and having Dobby take us back tomorrow in time for breakfast," Jean replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Any chance that you could delay going back by a few hours?" Hermione asked.

"I don't see why not," Jean replied. "Any particular reason that you're asking?"

"I'd like to buy Harry a proper boyfriend-type present for Christmas, in addition to the one that I already have for him," Hermione admitted. "I was hoping that you could take me shopping in the morning?"

"I'd be delighted to!" Jean replied, her eyes shining. "Let me just tell your father that we're delaying our return for a few hours."

~~~

The boy that walked into Diagon Alley was wearing nondescript blue robes, had sandy-blonde hair, brown eyes and a dark complexion. What he didn't have were glasses or a scar. And while he appeared to be unaccompanied, there was a silent, hidden house-elf dogging his steps.

Flourish and Blotts caught his eye but was instantly dismissed. While Hermione would always love anything from in there, it didn't send the right message: this was a gift to a beloved girlfriend from her boyfriend. He was after something much more special.

Half a dozen stores down on the opposite side of the Alley, he saw something – a shop that he was sure would have the perfect gift in it.

"Yes, young Master!" an almost-excited sounding grouchy voice exclaimed approvingly from seemingly nowhere.

~~~

Harry, Hermione decided, was both easy to buy for and incredibly difficult to buy for at the same time. He'd never received many gifts and thus was always extremely happy to receive anything and cherished every gift that he was given, no matter what it was. On the other hand, he wasn't materialistic and didn't really ever express a desire for things.

The obvious thing that he needed – a brand new wardrobe to replace his cousin's old, baggy castoffs – wasn't right as a gift from a girlfriend for Christmas, although, seeing all of the shops full of clothes had Hermione filing away the thought that she needed to get him out to buy some new clothes of his own one day soon.