"Do have a Happy Christmas Harry, and Ron, send my love to your parents, Fred, George, and whoever else might be around... I'll see you both in less than three weeks."
Ron pouted. "And where's my love, hmm?" She beamed, planting a kiss on each of their cheeks in turn. Harry simply smiled back, while Ron put a hand to his face as if she'd smacked him.
"Will do, 'Mione. Try to have fun while you're here, but don't try and overload the stragglers, I'm not sure how much cheer they can take from you..." Ron smiled and hugged her.
"Oh, don't worry about Ron, he's just excited to be leaving school for a while. Take care Hermione."
"I'm serious about the cheer bit though. It is a little out of character..." Ron winced automatically, as if she might strike him. Instead, she threw herself into his arms again. "Oh Ronald, I'll try not to hurt them. Don't do anything stupid, I won't be there to save you."
They laughed, each of them secretly knowing in their minds that it was true. With a wave at the platform, they were gone.
Hermione stopped by the kitchens on her way to the common room. If she was going to start this Christmas right, there had better be some cocoa in her hands. Perhaps with some miniature marshmallows. Once a hot mug was placed in her hands, the warmth spread through her. She rushed up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room - the password for the holidays was "Mistletoe" - and settled down in front of the fire with some parchment to write a final list of guests and activities.
Speaking quietly to herself, as there was still one other person in the room reading, Hermione listed names and copied them onto a master list. Altogether, there were three names on the first two lists. With four still to go, and a total of 26 students staying at Hogwarts for the Holidays, she thought she'd done a pretty good job of advertising. One list was empty, the next two only had one a piece - making the new total five. On the last list, however, there were four additional names from a list posted outside the charms classroom. Interesting, thought Hermione. Slytherins had Charms for that last class, I'm surprised any of them signed up at all. She memorized and copied the first three names before moving onto the last...
"Oh there must be some mistake. Surely someone else signed his name..." Hermione did not bother keeping her voice down now. The small second year girl set down her book and started over towards Hermione.
"You put those up? Oh, I'm Olivia! I signed up on the list by the dungeons, I had potions that class and signed up as soon as I saw it! But what name do you think is a mistake? I'm not sure anyone would try to make a joke out of it." The girl pushed her reading glasses up over the bridge of her nose, where they had slipped a good half an inch in the short while since she'd walked over.
"It's... Draco Malfoy!" Hermione near-shouted. And while the girl was young, even she understood the oddness of that name being on the paper.
"Draco? Really? I never would have pegged him for the spirit-y type... maybe you should ask him about it."
"I'd rather not talk to him at all... surely someone is fooling him, or he's trying to ruin the festivities... I'm going to have a word with that boy, and if he was planning to ruin this for everyone else I'll hex him until he can't see straight!" Hermione left her things on the table, nobody would move it, and immediately stormed down into the castle, looking everywhere he might be. I'll be out of luck if he's in the dungeons, I can't very well get in there... but if I find him.. and, as if on cue, she saw a flash of brilliant platinum hair turn a corner, not flanked by his usual cohorts.
"Draco... Draco Malfoy! If you're attempting some sort of trick on my Holiday, you'd better be prepared to face the consequences, I will NOT have this be spoiled for everyone else left behind, you're a right prat for even thinking of..." Hermione began, but he put out a hand to stop her. Pausing to think for a moment, he started three times before he actually spoke.
"It was not my intention to ruin a thing, Granger. I simply saw the sheet and signed my name. Is there something wrong with a curiosity in some goodnatured frivolity? I thought not. I paid no attention to your name on the bill."
Hermione was shocked. Was Draco Malfoy actually being civil towards her?
"But... you've always hated me."
"Not you, Hermione. A little sore over your blood status, as anyone with my name must be, but it's nothing personal. It's that Potter I have a problem with. But he's not here now, is he? I see no reason to be bitter over the holidays."
She was still shocked, and could still say nothing. Unsure if that was meant as an insult or a compliment, she simply gaped.
"Going to close that mouth of yours anytime soon? You're usually quite the feisty little opponent. And the truth is... I've no idea why I'm telling you this, I'm actually looking forward to those things you promised."
Finally able to speak, Hermione uttered only one word. "Wow."
"Yes, Granger. It must be shocking to have seen my name on that paper, but... as long as the plans are still going, I'd be glad to join in." And for the first time in the entire time she'd known him, Draco Malfoy actually smiled in her presence. This was setting so many new records it made her head spin.
"In any case, I'll be in the Library - yes, I'm invading your safe haven - when you need me, and I can round up the few other Slytherins that might want to join in. I guess I'll see you later." And with that, he turned and walked off towards the library.
Hermione was still stunned. Draco Malfoy actually wanted something to do with this. She wondered for a moment if he'd only been joking, but he'd already insulted Harry, so he must be serious about it. In almost a dizzy trance, she wandered back to the common room, and found Olivia just where she left her, pushing up her glasses again. She'd probably be doing this a lot - the thought made her laugh.
"So? What happened?" Up close, Hermione could see the freckles on the pale girls face. She had long, straight, dark brown hair and porcelain skin just like her own, but smattered across the nose and cheeks with freckles. Even behind the glasses, her grey eyes were large and misty-looking. Simply put, she was absolutely adorable. Right then, Hermione made it a point to remember to make her Christmas wonderful.
"He's... he's actually serious!" Hermione launched into the story of exactly what happened, down to the way she'd stood silently gaping towards the end of his speech and after his smile. Olivia nodded her approval.
"This is interesting. Verrrrry interesting. Well, all you can do is just have fun then, right? And if you do need to hex him, I can always hold him back for you..." the two girls laughed, and Hermione even permitted Olivia to help her plan the activities for the weeks of break.
Later that afternoon, they finished planning. Both of them having finished seven mugs of cocoa between them, there were good spirts in the Gryffindor common room, especially when a fourth year boy came down to tell Hermione he'd like to join in as well. After introducing himself - "Bryce Avery, at your service" - the three of them walked down to the Great Hall for dinner, stopping only briefly at the Library. Hermione entered alone, the other two waited just outside the doors for her.
She walked down the sections until she saw that familiar blonde head again. Deciding a surprise might be worth the effort, she snuck up quietly behind him, then plopped into the chair beside him. He jumped half out of his seat before he saw her. "Oh, Granger. It's you. Come to see me then?" He smiled again - what was it with these new smiles, anyway? - and she rolled her eyes. "No, Draco. Well, sort of. Would you mind getting together the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs around 8 in the Great Hall? I've been given special permissions by McGonagall to hold a short meeting there... I'll explain some of our planning and we'll work out the weeks ahead."
"Sure thing, Granger. You'll be getting the Ravenclaws, then?"
"Yes. I'll see you at 8 sharp."
"And for Dinner as well, I was just about to leave. I'll walk with you." This shocked her even more - he was subjecting himself to be in her presence. He even acted like he might like it!
"Oh come on, pick your jaw up off the floor. I'm walking with you and your little friends to Dinner, not asking you to marry me." The thought crossed her mind, and she quickly stood and turned around to hide her flaming cheeks - what an awkward thought that was! Back in the Great Hall, the house tables had all been removed, leaving only one long table in the center of the room for all of them to eat together. Malfoy sat just across the table and a seat or two down. When, at one point, their eyes met - they smiled, each going back to their meal and attempting to assure themselves that it was just the Holiday spirit making them this pleasant towards each other.
Staring around at the faces that night - not ten as expected, but fourteen - Hermione had an action plan.
"So. There are fourteen of us, we're going to require a little bit of money for supplies the school won't give us... anyone who's old enough will head into Hogsmeade with us on Tuesday. Who has spending money with them?" A few people raised their hands, but Draco spoke up.
"Put your money away... I'll pay for anything we might need."
Things were getting stranger and stranger as time passed. Hermione almost thought she saw Draco's eyes flicker over to her as he said the next part.
"My Christmas gift to you all. Well, one of them anyway. I fully intend on having gifts for each of you."
After some quick applause, Hermione continued. "Well, I guess our budget is settled then... there's only planning. Tomorrow, Hagrid will take us into the forest to pick out our own tree, we're going to use the Room of Requirement as a sort of gathering place for all of this. We can decorate it tomorrow night, he says there are still plenty of leftover ornaments we can use. After that, we've got plenty of baking, and we'll have a day or two of just playing in the snow. I've written everything else out on a list here, everyone take a slip..." she passed out an approximate schedule to everyone seated, duplicating them by magic for the extra people. "Does anyone else have any traditions or ideas they'd like to add?" Hands shot up, and Hermione took every suggestion, adding it to the list along with everyone else. Looking up to take the last idea from a Ravenclaw boy sitting beside Malfoy, she could have sworn she saw him smiling down onto his parchment.
"So, does anyone have any questions?" as she then answered various questions about the holiday planning, she got a great, warm feeling in her chest. Everything was going to be wonderful. Once questions were done, Hermione made her last announcements. "Alright then, everyone back to your rooms, we've been out far too long already. I'm just going to head over to the Room of Requirement to start work on our room... I'll see you all tomorrow at breakfast." Everyone stood to leave. Hermione walked up to Olivia, who began asking even more questions, when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
"Do you mind if I join you? It's not safe to wander the castle at night alone... never sure if Mrs. Norris might attack you..." Draco smirked.
"Right, because I'm awfully worried about a cat mauling at Hogwarts." Looking back at Olivia, who nodded and shooed her off, Hermione obliged. "Sure, but you'd better not mess around. We've got some fixing to do before tomorrow and I won't stand for any non-sense with these sorts of things..."
He smiled and linked arms with her. Before she had time to realize what he did, let alone shrug him off, he tightened his hold. "Come on Granger, enough worrying. This is going to be a very merry Christmas if either of us have anything to say about it."
After many failed attempts to provide a room large enough, yet cozy enough, to be a Christmas-y room, they had to think. After the first few failures - a huge, damp sort of room that might be perfect for plants, and a broom closet sized room fit only for hiding something in a hurry - they were actually laughing.
"Your turn, Draco." Hermione leaned a hand against the wall to support her shaking frame.
"Alright, alright... I need you to be a place we can have happy holiday plans in. There should be a fireplace as well, a large one, and room for fifteen people and a table for food, and possibly a kitchen on one side, stocked, if you can manage that." And the Room of Requirement obliged. They finally opened the door to what Hermione had been imagining the whole time.
Slightly smaller than the common rooms, this room had lush red walls and dark hardwood floors, with a large forest green rug in the center. To one side was a complete kitchen fit to cook for thirty people or more, and to the other was a living area with a fireplace as asked for, plus several coffee tables, a few couches, and numerous squishy looking chairs in red, white, and black. The ceiling overhead was white, and seemed to twinkle and shift slightly as if one was looking into the sky while it was snowing. Hermione took in a breath, stunned at the perfect interpretation.
"Malfoy, it's... it's fantastic."
"You can call me Draco, you know."
"Just as soon as you start calling me Hermione."
"Duly noted. Hold on... Room? Oh this sounds ridiculous. I want you to remember this exact set-up, alright? And anyone who comes looking for it will ask for the Christmas room, or the Holiday room, and be this for them... oh I sound mental, speaking to a room..." Hermione laughed at his odd little speech, but smiled at him as well.
"This really is wonderful, Draco." He shook her head at him as she said it.
"Like I said, you are quite feisty, Hermione. And thank you. I think it's pretty nice."
Maybe first impressions were wrong, or maybe others had convinced these two to conspire against each other. But these were the Holidays, they were creating their own sort of magic. And as they turned towards each other, neither could remember what was so terrible about the first one after all.
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