Breakfast was rushed. Parcels were still dropping in frequently on the little table, marked for each student and tied with string. Hermione had stopped by the room of requirement on the way down - there was a huge pile of packages just inside the doors. Presents covered the floor around them, and as soon as it seemed everyone was finished, they were levitated up to the room. The excitement was almost tangible, floating among them like the sparkling snowflakes outside. It reminded her of Luna's concept of Wrackspurts - flying around the room, invisible. She could feel the excitement creeping in, permeating her skin and going straight through her. It was Christmas. It was time. There was a commotion as every student in the castle aimed to get through the door, carrying even more packages than had already piled up under the tree, overflowing despite Hermione's enlargement charm. Eyes widened as they entered - it was even bigger and better than any of them could have hoped for. Hermione charmed the room to include a large garbage chute for all of the paper waste and such. Finally ushering everyone into a semicircle around the fireplace, Hermione stood before them, glowing.
"Alright. I s'pose it's time to open gifts... they've all been sorted by student, and, please try not to make a mess of things. Don't be lazy throwing away paper. You are witches and wizards. Levitate it. Enjoy!" There was a blur of people rushing to get their gifts. Shrieks and giggles filled the room as peoples wishes came true, desires fulfilled, and the chute clanged shut with each disposal. As Hermione passed out boxes and bags, she caught Draco looking at her from across the room - he must have snuck in after breakfast - and she smiled, quickly looking away. After what she'd read the night before, she was bashful, like a little first year or something. He'd completely gotten to her.
At last, she took a seat in a chair she'd pulled aside and began opening her own gifts. A sweater from Molly of course, and a book and some sweets from Ron and Harry. Some clothes and books from her parents, a scarf from Ginny, and a flower in a pot from Neville. When she looked back down at her supposedly diminished pile, however, there were now seven more gifts. Puzzled, she picked up the first. They were all wrapped in the same silver paper, tied with green ribbon. Once the colors registered, she knew automatically who had sent them. In fact, the sender stood just a few feet to the side, leaned up against the corner with smirk on his face and a warm feeling throughout himself.
The first was a pair of slippers. A complete separate pair from the first he'd gotten her, which were now currently on her feet. These were fuzzy, plush, and white. She set them aside with a smile. She knew exactly what he'd done. The next was a new coat. Wool, ridiculously warm, and fastened with fancy gold buttons. Another - a rather large gift certificate to Honeydukes. A new set of sugar quills. A large, moss colored mug. Cat treats. There was only one thing on her list, and she had a feeling that it was exactly what was sitting in the last box by her feet. She was not surprised to see gloves in the box, but she was surprised at the gloves the box contained. Black cashmere, just longer than normal gloves, and a perfect fit for her hands. They felt smooth and supple under her fingertips, she picked them up and slipped them on. She would not be removing these gloves until she had to.
Lunch was even quicker than breakfast. After all the gifts had been unwrapped, everyone was wearing new things or talking about what they'd gotten. Draco still did not approach Hermione, opting instead to let her come to him. He had admitted everything, and he was damned if he was going to stick himself out there like that again. He sat a few seats down and across the table from her, watching as she removed her gloves, set them in her lap, and replaced them as soon as she'd finished eating. After Lunch, they all ran back up to the room to get things ready for that night. There was cooking to do, and a projector to set up, and Hermione was in such a good mood it almost all didn't matter.
Draco had previously agreed to get things set up for the movies, and he did so quickly and without problems. After he'd finished, he walked straight up to her and began mixing a bowl of something he couldn't quite identify. With a start, she turned to look at him, and saw the blood rush to his cheeks. They hadn't spoken since the night before, since she'd read the message on the paper heart admitting all of his feelings for her. She reached across him to grab the salt, and their hands brushed against each other. That small bit of skin on skin contact make her entire body melt before her. She took in a shaky breath, and continued cooking. It was not yet time.
"I'd like to propose a toast." Draco's voice filled the room easily, he'd never had a hard time taking control of any situation and tonight was no different. The room fell silent and every head in the room turned towards his own. "To Christmas, and Hogwarts, and to Hermione Granger, who threw all of this with the idea of giving us all a proper Christmas. And succeeded, quite well." At the sound of her name, Hermione was startled. She raised her glass with the rest of them, and clinked her glass with those around her - including Draco. He'd chosen to sit directly across from her. They ate, they drank, and they were merry. Everyone gossiped about presents, and letters from home, and about Hermione and Draco themselves. Hermione pretended to ignore their remarks - she'd be giving her present to Draco as soon as everyone left, and she really hoped nobody could catch on and spoil the fun.
After they'd finished eating, it was near 6. Draco started up the projector and plopped onto the couch, beckoning to Hermione to sit with him. She obliged, settling into his side and snuggling there throughout all three movies. She smiled into his chest - suddenly she'd gotten the feeling that this was all she'd ever wanted.
Everyone left around 11 - a particularly late night around Hogwarts. After plenty of goodnight hugs and time spent gathering new things, everyone had finally left the room but Hermione and Draco, the latter of which leaned back in a chair, throwing a ball of paper into the air and catching it. Hermione waved her wand, and the mess of the day began cleaning itself. At least, on top of everything, she didn't have to do everything the muggle way. When everything finally seemed to be in order, Draco waved her over. Hermione took a breath before speaking.
"Draco, I..."
"Yes?"
"The letter. The heart."
"Ah. And?"
"Well... that was... very sweet of you. And fantastic."
"And?"
"And well... I don't exactly know what to say. It's been a whirlwind, Draco, and we've had a load of good times."
"Shocked, Hermione?"
"More than shocked. And a bit different as well. More like... surprised. Pleasantly surprised, but surprised."
"Well, I guess that's good."
"And Draco?"
"Yeah?"
She pulled a curious little bit of paper from off the counter. She must have been hiding it all night, there were no pockets on her dress and it hadn't been there before. She walked back to him and handed it over. It seemed to be a plain piece of wrapping paper, folded in half once and taped shut on one side. On the front was a gift tag, from Hermione to Draco. He studied it for a moment before starting to carefully peel back the tape. He didn't want to rip whatever was inside, and yet he was impatient. She smiled, taking another step towards him.
Inside was - nothing? Not quite nothing. On the paper inside, an arrow had been drawn it, pointing away from him.
Draco was startled. He didn't quite understand. What was this? But he looked at her, and her whole face lit up, and he sort of got it. She'd meant for him to look at the arrow and then follow it up to her. Hermione wasn't giving Draco nothing for Christmas - she was giving him herself.
Two hours later, Draco lead Hermione by the hand out of the room of requirement. It wasn't to say that they'd lost track of the entire time - no, that was the first hour. After that, they'd just laid down with each other and talked, playing with each others hands and hair and breathing heavier than they'd been before. He kissed her goodnight - a few more times, for good measure - and sprinted down the halls to the dungeons. Not that he was hurrying to keep out of trouble - even Filch and Mrs. Norris couldn't ruin his feelings right then.
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