the kiss list, adrian pucey
𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆, 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟓

bonus chapter, A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

✧ ━━━ · ✦ · ━━━ ✧

     "HONEY, I'M HOME!"

     Bianca is all for clichés now. She looks back on her teenage years and blames it on immaturity ─ a lack of understanding of the extent and profoundness of real, long-lasting love. Now, well into her twenties, she craves every little romantic banality whenever possible. The cheesier the better.

     Maybe it's just the hormones.

     And so, hearing her boyfriend announcing his arrival after a day of work, while she mashes potatoes and feeds the pets ─ Randy, the golden retriever kindly being gifted some leftover minced meat ─ was like a dream. A very very corny movie that probably made next to nothing at the box office and yet is loved by thousands.

     Sliding the dish of ready-to-be-cooked Shepherd's pie onto the top deck of the oven, its creamy potato grooves Bianca's pride and joy, Bianca wandered out into the hallway to make sure Adrian wasn't leaving dirt tracks on the wooden floor.

     "I still don't understand why they made you work on Christmas Eve," Bianca cocked her head to the side more as a warning to her boyfriend so that he scraped the mud from his shoes onto the mat, not around the house.

     Adrian shrugged as he slid off his coat, hat, and scarf making sure not to dump them on the banister now he was under scrutiny from Bianca. "Season starts soon. Can't miss even one practice."

     Adrian had been signed to the Appleby Arrows almost straight out of Hogwarts as a reserve. And by the time he and his best friend, Graham Montague had hit twenty-four, they were two of the best chasers in the British and Irish Quidditch League.

     Bianca prided herself on having a famous boyfriend.

     And Adrian couldn't be prouder of Bianca too. She had been Editor in Chief for the Daily Prophet for almost four years and was transforming the paper into a truthful, down-to-earth political weapon that no longer published gossiping garbage.

     It would be truthful in saying they had both made a name for themselves.

     Changing the topic, Adrian slipped off his shoes, slung an arm around Bianca, and led them both toward the kitchen. "Something smells good."

     "Of course it does," she replied. "I made it."

     Chuckling, Adrian spun her inwards with the arm that still rested over her shoulder, and tucked her under his chin. After planting a quick gentle kiss on her lips, Adrian lifted a brown grocery bag to eye level.

     "I bought you some non-alcoholic mulled wine."

     Bianca loved that glint in his eyes. The one that sparkled even if there weren't Christmas lights dancing around the room. The one that told her just how excited he was for this baby.

     "How is little Michael doing today then ey?" Adrian said, kneeling down in front of her bowling ball-sized belly.

     Poking at the side of her mouth with her tongue, Bianca rolled her eyes at the second name drop of the week. "Adrian, we don't even know if it's a boy and you've already named our baby?"

     "It's definitely a boy."

     "And you know this how?"

     "Magic."

     Bianca rested her folded arms on top of her bump and raised her eyebrows at her boyfriend. "Michael, really?"

     "It's a tribute."

     "Michael Jackson isn't dead."

     "You can make living tributes, Bianca."

     "Not sure if that's how it works, honey. Besides, I already let you name the dog after his brother and we're not having a family named after the entire Jackson family."

     His hands still posied on her belly, Adrian got to his feet. "You love the name Randy. And we totally are. Why do you think I named the dog after MJ's brother?"

     Sighing, feeling her whole body sink under the weight of her growing child, Bianca tilted her head back and looked up at Adrian. "So you could leave the name Michael available for our supposed son?"

     Grinning, Adrian swiped a finger across her nose. "See, you get it."

     Dropping the subject because she knew it would no doubt come up again sometime in the very near future, Bianca returned her attention to the messy kitchen. "Dinner's in half an hour so-"

     "You heat up the mulled wine and then we'll do Christmas Eve presents, sound good?"

     Adrian left Bianca gaping alone in the kitchen as he went into the living room, Randy skipping close behind. "That's not a thing!" She called out to him while retrieving a pot from under the sink.

     "We've done it for the last decade, Bi! It's tradition!" Adrian yelled from the next room as George Michael's voice slowly began to fill the whole house.

     Unscrewing the cap on the wine and pouring it onto the heating pot, Bianca scoffed. "No, you've done it for the last decade!" She shouted, leaning back so that her voice could better travel through into the lounge. "I try and stop you and every time you blame it on the dog for ripping the wrapping paper."

     "I take Christmas very seriously darling ─ I would never lie."

     She could almost hear the serious expression he would be wearing should she enter the living room at that exact moment.

     As much as she questioned him about it, Bianca loved Adrian's Christmas traditions. How Home Alone would always be the first festive film they'd watch together. How every year he'd buy Randy a different outfit (this year the dog was dressed as a snowman with a top hat and everything). And how Christmas Eve dinner had to be Shepherd's pie with mulled wine and nothing else.

     It made her think ─ he had shared all of his Christmas practices with her for so long and yet there was one thing he hadn't done.

     Twelve years they had been together. That's a decade and a bit. Bianca was under the impression that high school sweethearts get married straight out of school. Hogwarts was a distant memory by now and still, Bianca's ring finger was left bare. She was carrying his baby, the least he could do was let her walk down the aisle for Merlin's sake.

     She tried to pretend that the fact he hadn't proposed didn't bother her. They loved each other unconditionally, ─ twelve years will explain that much ─ they didn't need to share a last name to be happy. 

     Bianca just liked the thought of marriage. They rarely discussed it; she assumed Adrian wasn't keen on the idea and so never pushed him.

     But it sure would be nice.

     Once the mulled wine was warm, Bianca carried two piping hot cups into the living room, where Adrian was waiting next to the tree, with his legs crossed, like a child waiting for Santa.

     You could still hear George Michael singing Last Christmas in the background when Adrian said, "At least do it with me this time?"

     Fighting back the urge to laugh, Bianca tutted, and handed him the glass. "Drink your wine and shut up."

     "I'll shut up if you let me choose a present for you to open," Adrian said over the rim of the glass, swirling the pearly red beverage as the steam spiraled out of it.

     Knowing that trying to get him out of it was going to be a lost cause, Bianca sighed and sat down on the sofa next to the tree. "Just one."

     Not trying very hard to conceal the smile that was ever-growing on his face, Adrian carefully placed his full glass on the fireplace and got to his knees to search under the tree for his chosen 24th of December gift amongst the array of red and golden assortment of shapes.

     "How about . . .," He murmured from where he was practically burrowing under the pine's branches, "This one?"

     Bianca thought that she must have blinked and missed the part where he got on one knee and presented a little velvet box. Plucking the lid open and trying not to let his emotions overcome him, Adrian took a deep breath in.

     Snuggled between a plush mini cushion was a shiny silver band, encrusted with diamonds, tiny pearls, and glorious moonstones, a bigger one in the center ─ a sparkling exhibit of elegance. Bianca could almost see her teary eyes in the central rock's reflection.

     An engagement ring.

     "I know I'm late," Adrian half laughed half sighed, feeling the weight of the pressure heavy on his shoulders. Bianca could only bite back tears with a teasing chuckle, unable to find the words. "You deserved me to ask this question a long time ago. And I never doubted for even a second that I wanted to marry you, so I have no excuses. Nerves? Probably."

     "Stupidity?"

     "Definitely."

     The want to propose had never left Adrian's mind. A few years back he had even bought a ring but ended up sending it back because he wanted everything to be perfect but the weather report predicted a 70% chance of rain and so he chickened out, claiming the imperfections would make her say no.

     Of course he wanted to marry the woman he loved. But he never quite found the right time.

     But now that Bianca was carrying his baby and tomorrow they would be hosting Christmas for all of their married friends and little kids, it finally felt just right.

     "But right now, I can't think of a better time than to ask you to be my wife. There is no one else that I want to spend the rest of my life with. You make me whole, Bianca. And so before I cry or run away, I wanted to ask you something. Will you marry me?"

     As she looked down at her boyfriend knelt on one knee, holding the most beautiful ring she had ever seen, Bianca finally saw it through his eyes ─ this was the perfect time. And suddenly, any resentment she had that had built up over the years that he hadn't asked her, evaporated.

     It made it that much easier to answer. "Of course I'll marry you."

     Scooping her up, careful not to crush his almost daughter (shhh, don't tell them!), Adrian let the first tears fall and felt the weight be lifted from his conscience.

     Kissing her forehead and sliding the ring onto her finger, Adrian too was glad he had waited. He was grateful for a lot of things. Twelve years is a long time but when you're with the person you love most in this world, it's hardly that long a wait.

     Giddy with happiness, her cheeks flushed and butterflies settled in her stomach, Bianca threw her arms around his neck, and pulled him tight. Maybe Christmas Eve presents can be a real tradition from now on.

     "I had it specially made, you know," Adrian broke the silence from where his head rested on her shoulder, his nose buried in her hair. "The ring? Graham went with me to pick it up today."

     Chuckling as she took another look at the new addition to her finger, she noticed the personalized affection that accompanied its glow ─ her birthstones. Bianca broke the hug to look him in the eyes. "You lied about going to work." She poked him hard in the chest. "You left me all alone on Christmas Eve."

     Adrian sensed the teasing tone of his fiancé's voice. He shrugged nonchalantly. "Had to be done. You had Randy for company anyway. I had big plans to finalize. Took me a whole twelve years to work up the courage to ask you to marry me, you know."

     "Oh," Bianca said in a deep voice. "I know."

     As Randy danced around their feet, a Christmas playlist serenading their embrace and the Christmas lights twinkling in the reflection of the windows, their house was filled with laughter that felt as though it would never cease.

     The feeling that life couldn't possibly get better than this still hanging in the air, the newly engaged couple sat down to eat their annual Christmas Eve dinner of Shepherd's pie, Love Actually playing in the background (Adrian insisted on having every Muggle technological device known to man in their house), Randy at their feet and a baby on the way.

     The sun set early outside, and the sky darkened and grew heavy, a sign that might bless them with snow on the 25th.

     The couple danced in the refrigerator light and ate mince pies by the fire until they could keep their eyes open no more.

     This time next year, they'd do it all over again, but with a fourth companion and far more excitement.

     Christmas day came in a blur of wrapping paper, an unlimited supply of food, and endless laughter. Mother Nature did indeed bless England with a twinkle of snow making it Bianca and Adrian's first White Christmas together.

     For once in her life, hosting Christmas didn't seem so daunting to Bianca. Adrian was a great help ─ not when he burnt the first batch of roast potatoes though (Randy was delighted by the prospect of spare unedible human food) ─ and she was surrounded by the people she held most dear in the world.

     For the first time ever, Bianca didn't care that there were mud tracks left in the hallway because of who left them.

     First to decorate her house with little muddy footprints was her Goddaughter, June O'Flaherty-Johnson, who had only just escaped her mums' grasps. Sighing, the signs of motherhood weighing heavily on the beautiful features, Angelina and Maxine were grateful for the spare room awaiting them upstairs that would allow them to have all the alcohol they wanted on Christmas day.

     Standing by the door to greet her friends, collecting the numerous bottles of wine and champagne while Adrian collected presents to put under the tree, Bianca could have shed a tear at how wonderful it all seemed. A very merry Christmas indeed.

     It was definitely the hormones.

     Still, as more arrivals came, Bianca felt that the need to cry was justifiable.

     Newly married, Leo and Alicia arrived next and Bianca was grateful for the reaction she got when she showed them her new engagement ring. Everyone felt that Adrian had waited far too long.

     A hoard of familiar gingers arrived shortly after, more toddlers and pregnant wives waddling in. The Weasleys were, of course, followed by the Potters and tiny baby, James Sirius, who looked so much like his dad. Bianca didn't care that their house wasn't particularly large because the more the merrier. And Bianca truly understood that now.

     Oliver and his wife and their twin boys, Joel and Corey made a beautiful family, and Bianca was surprisingly delighted that the children had brought their Christmas presents into her home so that they could quite literally fly around her living room. Who would have guessed that Oliver Wood bought his sons brooms as soon as humanly possible?

     Bianca learned from his wife, Morgan, that she had absolutely no say in the matter and that Oliver had bought the brooms all the way back in March.

     Graham Montague ─ unmarried, unattached, but desired by many, and loving life ─ strode in his usual fashion into a house he basically could call his second one. Bianca and Adrian lived closer to the Appleby Arrows' training ground than Graham did and so more often than not he stayed over for dinner.

     Miles Bletchley could finally introduce his long-term boyfriend after three years of traveling and shared the big news of their decision to adopt now that they were home for good.

     Crammed into the living room, scattered around the walkway, and hanging in the kitchen, the Larsson-Pucey household had never been merrier.

     Amongst the pets, children, and bouts of holly, drunk on happiness, Adrian just about managed to sneak away his future wife/master chef/pregnant ninja for a kiss under some mistletoe because she had finally accepted that clichés were nothing short of perfect.

     He broke away from her warm, soft lips, his arms locked behind her back as if he never wanted to let her go. A dusting of snow made for freckles on her pink cheeks. "Merry Christmas, Bianca."

     "Merry Christmas, Adrian."

     And in that moment, Bianca was transported, time traveling back thirteen years from now. A different Christmas, where Adrian and Bianca were the only two people on planet Earth, encompassed in their own perfect snow globe where no one could hurt them.

    "So you guys hosting for New Years too?" Miles called from where a hoard of their friends had gathered to watch the couple on the patio from the distance of the dining room.

     "We'll have the baby by then," Bianca called back, taking in the wide smiles and many pairs of eyes staring back at her.

     Adrian bit back a very big smile as he looked down at his fiancé, squeezing her a little tighter. "Perfect."

     After a delicious Christmas dinner, the children demanded presents came next. And as she watched the children unwrap their gifts and as she watched her friends gasp and sniffle away tears overcome with the memories brought on by their presents, Bianca thought that she had received the best present of all.

     She glanced down at the glinting ring on her finger, sitting perfectly and glowing wonderfully under the lights of the Christmas tree.

     It wasn't that it was a diamond or that it came in a pretty velvet box that made it the best present she could ever receive. It was the fact that it came with a promise. A promise from the man she loved that he would never stop loving her.

     And that was the best Christmas present she could ever ask for.

𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒔!

surprise, my favourite people!

i've wanted to do a bonus chapter for so long and to me
nothing is more christmassy than harry potter, so in a bout
of grieving my favourite story i've ever written, i sat down
and wrote this.

so merry christmas to you all from me, adrian and bianca.
i hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and a happy
new year.

till next time x