It had been a few days since their arrival, and neither of them really liked Mark any more than they had since the first dinner.
He didn't seem like an inherently bad person to Lucifer, but his boastful way of presenting himself was grating.
Lucifer didn't fully understand the human ego, but he hoped Mark was a rare exception in the business world.
As Hermione put it, he was a right prat. Her mother seemed to realize the flaw but continued to give him the benefit of the doubt.
She was flabbergasted by this, but Jane smoothly sidestepped any questions about it. Hermione eventually gave up the interrogation on the third day, wanting to stay on her mother's good side after being caught in such a compromising situation.
xxxxxx
Christmas was not far off now; he had gotten Hermione the perfect present. Or at least, he hoped it was. Lucifer had forgotten her birthday this year, and vice versa, so felt like he couldn't really say about his gift.
What he'd gotten her was a book she'd talked about last year, but obviously no author was ever going to actually publish it, so he'd do so himself. He had completed his own copy, and did Nott's 'family' magic at Lux to create the version Hermione wanted.
It talked about every aspect that original copies didn't touch upon, and when his Charms had been properly applied, he changed the name to be appropriate for the Updated Edition; 'Hogwarts: The Complete History.'
He also Charmed it to update in real time any detail, big or small, that wasn't something menial like every time someone took a piss. It did record events like Harry stopping Quirrell from getting the Stone, himself slaying a Basilisk, the 'Triwizard Tournaments' events including Cedric's death at the hands of Pettigrew, just to name a few things, he had also edited out details of the past reality.
xxxxxx
He felt proud, accomplished, and hoped Hermione liked the book as much as he imagined she would.
Although, he'd have to give it to her in private as Mark couldn't be allowed to know of Magic of any sort. To cover for the fact he otherwise didn't have a present for Hermione, he got her something else that was much more expensive, but to Lucifer it was barely even pocket change.
With how everything was going down, he needed to provide her with more safety as possible, and this gift was engraved with a drop of his own blood. It would be a powerful spell binding going together with her own drop of "virgin blood."
He wasn't sure how much Hermione was for rings, seeing as he never saw her wearing any. Lucifer did see her circling the bracelet he had given, and sometimes the earrings too.
But to his surprise, she hadn't pierced her ears yet.
They were Ruby Earrings that he got for her last year, and the cost of them ended up being £54,115.66, which in USD was $65,664.36. He was afraid of telling her the price of them, unless he wanted to see her faint, which he didn't really want to.
The necklace he got for her in Second Year, he hadn't told her how much it cost, but it also wasn't cheap, costing £48,896.80, or $59,331.76.
The earrings were obviously more expensive, but his love for Hermione was limitless, and he'd go to any length to show how much he truly loved her. It was Christmas Eve, and it had snowed the previous day, about thirty centimeters deep from what Hermione could tell.
She and Lucifer discussed going to see Harry, Ron, and other Weasley's at St. Mungo's on Twenty-sixth, as she wanted Christmas spent with Lucifer to be special. They could've gone earlier in the week but Hermione's Mum needed a lot of help in and around the house, she recruited the two teens to help her.
They didn't complain, especially Lucifer with the more physical tasks, but Hermione would have rather been 'flexing' her brain muscles, not her arm and leg.
Lucifer spent all of the twenty-third shoveling snow out of the driveway and walkway of the home, that seemed to impress Jane more than he thought, since he wasn't even tired after doing so much work.
Watching him going at it through the kitchen window, Jane turned to her daughter with a sympathetic look. "I feel for you, pumpkin," She said softly, noting the intensity with which the young man approached every task. "He's quite a handful to keep up with, isn't he?" She really couldn't fathom how her young daughter endured the boy's pounding whole nights.
xxxxxx
On Christmas Eve, however, he offered Hermione a trip to the park to spend some time with her away from the adults.
Mark was becoming more unbearable on the days leading up to Christmas as he went out with his buddies every evening to drink and got home in the middle of the night usually.
If it weren't against the Statute of Secrecy, or Merlin's original Order where Muggles were to be protected from malicious Magical use, he'd have put a 'Silencing Charm' on Mark already.
On the bright side he wasn't a violent drunk, just a cheerful, but obnoxious one. Hermione had accepted his outing to the park in spite of the cold weather. The nature scenes were still delightful to observe, and beautiful in the soft layers of snow.
"I used to come here when I was younger to escape the miserable life I had at school," She said to him in a quiet voice, "Particularly over there in the slightly thicker part of shrubbery," Hermione pointed to a place as they walked, "There was a small opening in the green setting, canopy of trees just slightly broken... enough to allow sunlight to creep through. It was beautiful to be there, but it's a bit small for two teenagers to be in."
Lucifer reached out and gently pulled her body close against his side, arm wrapping securely around her waist to sturdy her against a hidden patch of ice, "You know," he murmured close to her ear, voice rich against the quiet forest air, "If you want to show me that secret opening in the canopy, you used to hide in... I don't mind squeezing us together to fit inside. Even if bit tight for two teenagers with devious intentions."
Hermione's face instantly burned, that had nothing to do with the winter frost. She let out a soft, exasperated huff, her fingers tightening around his jacket lapels as she looked up to scowl playfully at his smirking face.
"You are incorrigible, Lucifer Morningstar!" She whispered fiercely, though her pupils dilated slightly in excitement as her body pressed flush against his, "I was discussing my childhood sanctuary, and you instantly turned it into something entirely lewd and inappropriate!"
"Tell me you aren't thinking the same right now, pet," he teased smoothly, his thumbs tracing slow, warm circles over thin fabric of her coat, "I can literally hear your heart racing from your tits here."
"Shut your ears then," She murmured breathlessly, her defensive pride melting away under his predatory gaze, "Prat," She said, but grabbed tighter through the lower back of her boyfriend's arse.
"At least I'm your prat," he said as he was groped by his girlfriend.
"True," Hermione said and smiled while he couldn't see it. Up ahead she saw a 'mistletoe' tied to a light post and she hoped he hadn't seen it. These were one of the many things she could see while growing up, but to her horror other children couldn't, and she was called a lot of names for it.
Their backside walking stopped underneath it, "I'm really glad to have you in my life, Lucifer."
"I'm glad as well..." he trailed off, and spoke after a moment of silence, "Without you, I'm not sure I could've stayed on earth any longer than I have to. There is no point of me being at Hogwarts without you."
Her heart was going to burst with love for him, "You know... we're standing under a mistletoe..."
"I know," Lucifer smiled down at her, "I saw it before you did."
She slid her fingers up from buttocks to knot tightly into dark hair at the back of his neck, eyes fluttering closed as she pulled his face down to meet hers for a second, even deeper kiss under the snow-covered branches, letting rest of the world slip away into the dark.
The kiss was deep and passionate, a perfect contrast to freezing winter air that surrounded them, before it was abruptly broken up by loud, obnoxious sounds of kids much younger than them.
"Eeewwwww! They're snogging right under the lamp!"
Both of them heard.
They split apart slowly, breaths fogging heavily in twilight, and looked over and down to see what should be like a trio of eight or nine-year-olds staring up at them with a mix of disgust and childhood curiosity. The boys were bundled up in matching parkas, boots sinking deep into the fresh thirty-centimeter layer of snow.
"Blimey, mister, what happened to your eyes?" One of them asked, his jaw dropping as he squinted through the dim light at Lucifer's blood-red pupils, "Are you a vampire or something?"
"Worse. I ran with scissors," Lucifer said in a flat, deadpan response. As he hoped, the three Muggle kids immediately developed horrified, shell-shocked looks on their small faces, "Have you three ever run with them before?"
They all hesitated, eyes darting rapidly to the crushed snow under his boots, before they quickly nodded in terror.
"Then unless you want to spend the rest of your lives looking like a pirate reject, I suggest you stop doing it immediately," Lucifer added, his dark voice carrying an unnatural weight that made the kids shudder.
Faces instantly stricken with pure terror, the trio turned on their heels and frantically sprinted through the deep drifts of snow away from couple as fast as their small legs could carry them.
"Was that truly necessary, Lucifer?" Hermione asked, though her tone was exceptionally light, amused, and playful as she adjusted her wool scarf.
"Nope," Lucifer looked straight down into her blushing face, hands resting comfortably inside his jacket pockets. "But I should have the right to have a bit of fun with common folks who ask stupid questions. Especially kids, since I can't tell them why."
"I guess that's a fair point, but you probably gave those poor kids nightmares for rest of inter break," She said with a brilliant smirk curling onto her lips.
"Probably, but that is technically Dream's job to handle, not mine," he smirked back down at her, eyes twinkling with a wicked amusement.
Hermione leaned high on her tiptoes, giving him a quick, affectionate light peck directly on lips, her heart swelling with devotion, "Come on then, my handsome prat, let's go a bit further into the thick part of the park before Mum starts dinner."
xxxxxx
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