Oh, Christmas Tree...

A/N- This is just a quick little oneshot in honor of the holiday. It was inspired by the Christmas challenge at Granger Enchanted "I've enchanted the mistletoe" prompt. If you haven't already, you should def check out the site and the other submissions for the challenge. (grangerenchanted.com)

**This story has no smut or swearing, so if that hasn't completely turned you off, please feel free to proceed :) **

Hermione Granger squeezed between her two best friends at the Gryffindor house table, ignoring the delicious looking food in front of her. Harry and Ron greeted her through mouthfuls of partially chewed egg and toast, but her attentions were elsewhere, focused on the enchanted ceiling that sparkled bright with flurries of snow.

“Shoot, did I miss the post?” she asked, slamming her hand on the table and making the plates rattle after nearly five minutes had gone by without an owl sighting. Harry and Ron both jumped in their seats and stared at her, still chewing their food, and Ginny looked at her quizzically from across the table for a minute before answering.

“Umm… no, I don’t think so. Why, are you expecting something important?”

“No…” she answered slowly, suddenly embarrassed at her outburst and the way her friends were eyeing her. “I’m just umm… getting The Daily Prophet this morning.”

“Don’t you get the “Prophet” every morning?” Ginny asked again.

“Yes, but it is usually on time!” she snapped back, shoving a piece of bacon into her mouth and glaring at her friends to stem further questioning. However, her eyes continued to dart upwards at random intervals. Perhaps the wizarding world needed to invest in some mailmen if 50 kilometer-an-hour winds and blizzard conditions were enough to stop the post from reaching its destination. The way the storm was going, they could be stuck without news for days!

Just when she was about to give up and retreat to the library, a cry from overhead signaled the arrival of a very flustered and snow encrusted group of owls. A large brown one settled in front of Hermione, shaking and spraying them all with ice particles. Hermione took the paper and hurriedly paid the owl, but it didn’t leave until stealing a piece of toast off her plate and purposely spraying her with water from its wings.

Hermione scowled at the rude feathered beast as she tore open the paper. She didn’t need to look for long; the front-page headline was all she needed to see.

“I can’t believe this,” she said, glancing towards the Slytherin table just in time to catch the back of Malfoy’s blonde head as he stalked towards the Entrance Hall. He must have seen as well.

“The Malfoy’s lost their appeal. Lucius will spend the next twenty years in Azkaban, but Narcissa’s sentence was lowered from ten years to five. I thought for sure they would drop the charges completely after how she helped you in the forest. This is just absurd!”

“I provided a testimony of what she did at the original hearing over the summer, not that it seems to have done much good,” Harry replied calmly.

“It does seem a little harsh, mind you, they were Death Eaters,” Ron chided in.

“A little harsh? It’s completely unfair!” Hermione shouted, causing the entirety of their table to stop what they were doing and turn to look at her. She rolled her eyes at them and growled, but continued in a much softer tone. “You think she deserves five years in Azkaban just for not turning in her husband?”

“She also held Olivander and all of us as captives in her own home,” Harry added, but seeing the look on Hermione’s face made him continue. “Look, I’m not saying I agree with this, but there’s nothing we can do. I think we’ve cared about everyone else for long enough. We came back to school to have just one ordinary school year and finish our NEWTS, without any unnecessary acts of philanthropy, remember?”

Hermione sat and thought for a moment. Yes, of course she remembered. It was her idea after all. They had missed their last year of classes, and even though they were war heroes now, the Auror department was giving them a hard time about not meeting their requirements. After the war had ended, the ministry had taken up a new very strict policy of following any and all rules, hoping to avoid letting the wizarding world get so out of control ever again. This included making sure students had the correct credentials to apply for a job, and also that war criminals be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

She thought that with all these new rules, Hogwarts would be full to the brim with returning students, but somehow most of them had passed the makeup exams they gave over the summer. Unfortunately, Hermione, Harry and Ron had been attending funeral after funeral all summer, not to mention fighting so that the Weasleys could adopt baby Teddy. The last thing on any of their minds was NEWT exams.

Hermione immediately contacted Professor McGonagall, who was delighted that they were returning. Hermione even convinced her to give them their own dormitory. Harry was even more of a celebrity than ever, if that were even possible, and if anyone deserved some peace and quiet, he did. Not to mention, the Gryffindor dorms were already extremely overcrowded.

So they had returned to school aboard the Hogwarts’ Express, expecting to be the only students from their class coming back. They were almost right.

When McGonagall showed them to their private dormitories, complete with their own tiny common room, they saw an extra door, leading to an extra bedroom. They soon learned that that room was for Malfoy. Three days later another unwanted Slytherin arrived. Millicent Bullstrode now shared Hermione’s once private bedroom. Harry and Ron also had to share a room. She supposed it was still better than sharing with all of Ginny’s class, and Ron and Harry didn’t think it was unfair that Malfoy got his own room. They were just happy they didn’t have to share with him. He definitely brought a sullen air with him where ever he went. He rarely spoke to anyone outside of class, just glared at those who dared look in his direction. Even Millicent, his old housemate stopped trying to talk to him after he ignored her for several weeks.

Hermione, Harry and Ron all kept their distance from Malfoy as much they could, though they shared almost all of their advanced classes with him. Most of the other students avoided him as well, but some openly voiced their feelings that he should leave. They thought that if he was so miserable in school, there was no reason for him to be there, seeing as he had voluntarily returned. It was times like those that Hermione wished she was Head Girl, because she would have loved to be able to hand out detentions. Didn’t they read the paper? Malfoy’s parents were in jail, and the manor had been seized by the Ministry of Magic as evidence. Malfoy was at school because he had nowhere else to go.

Hermione finally snapped back to reality and frowned at her friend. Of all people, Harry should understand what Malfoy was going through.

“You can just sit here all calmly and do nothing, while the woman who saved your life and in turn helped take down Voldemort, rots away in Azkaban? And just a week before Christmas break!” she asked him incredulously.

“Hermione, I swear I don’t agree with the ministry any more than you do, but there is nothing we can do,” Harry said soothingly, taking Hermione’s hands in his over the table. “I testified in her defense. I told them we would not have won the war if it weren’t for her. The ministry is dead set on showing the world that no crime will go unpunished. I’m honestly surprised they lowered her sentence as much as they did. Kidnapping is a minimum of ten years in most cases.”

The fierce look on her face started to fall away as reality sunk in. There really was nothing she could do short of flying to Azkaban and breaking them out herself. She just felt so bad for Malfoy, and he was the last person she ever thought she would pity. With everything that had happened and everything he had done to her over the years, she thought she’d happily loathe him for as long as they both shall live, and vice-versa, but things were not going according to plan.

After he failed to kill Dumbledore, her feelings towards him had softened to mere hate, and now she found herself almost captivated with him. She watched him immerse himself in his studies, hiding out in the far back corners of the library or taking a pile of books back to his room.

It also didn’t help that he looked so much more approachable and desirable these days, not that she would ever admit that to another living soul. He no longer walked around with his nose in the air, sneering down at everyone as though they were dragon dung under his fancy shoes, and his blonde hair wasn’t slicked back like protective headgear. He usually left it natural, falling in his face in messy perfection. She wouldn’t go as far to say he had completely turned over a new leaf, but since he hardly spoke to anyone, it was difficult to tell if he had relinquished his old ways or if he was just as horrible as ever and simply hiding it better. She hadn’t even attempted to play nice with him or talk to him. He was probably feeling incredibly lonely; he didn’t have his friends with him like she did.

Her mind was made up in an instant. Without further ado she set off for their “eighth year” dormitories. A few minutes later she was standing in front of Malfoy’s bedroom door, knocking loudly. It didn’t take him long to open the door, but when he did, he stared down at her with those steely grey eyes and his infuriating little half smirk, and the words she planned to say got caught in her throat.

“Hi…” she squeaked out after at least ten seconds spent counting his many dark blonde eyelashes. He only raised an eyebrow, pondering his next move.

Next thing she knew, the door was being slammed in her face.

“Ugh, Malfoy!” she yelled at the solid oak panels. She started to knock again, much harder and louder this time. How dare he be so rude to her! She was only there to present a truce, and give her condolences that his parents’ charges hadn’t been dropped. She was trying to be nice! The least he could do was not slam the door in her face, especially without even listening to what she had to say first!

She was so fuming mad that she didn’t notice him open the door until she heard his cry of pain. She had punched him square in the face. Hard.

“Good Gods Granger, I fink you broke my nose!” he yelled, cupping his hand over the blood that was starting to run into his mouth.

“Merlin, I’m so sorry! I swear I didn’t mean to. I can fix it!” she screeched, panicking as she tried to dab at his bloody nose with her robe and he swatted her hand away. This was not what she had in mind when she decided to make amends.

“Go away, Granger,” he growled out, trying to shut the door on her, but she stopped it with her foot.

“I can fix it in a second, or do you want the whole school to know that I punched you again?”

Malfoy mulled it over. It would save him a lot of embarrassment if he didn’t have to go to the hospital wing.

“Move your hand, this will only take a moment. I won’t tell anyone what happened,” she added, sensing that was what he was truly worried about. His mouth was set in a hard scowl, but he slowly moved his hand away from his face.

“Episky!” she shouted. She heard the bone snap back into place, and Malfoy doubled over with pain, so she knew she had done the spell correctly.

“If my nose is even a millimeter off center I swear to you I will not rest until I have my revenge,” he sneered at her, heading off to the bathroom to examine himself in the mirror. He was still dripping blood, and Hermione followed along with her wand, zapping away any evidence that made its way to the floor. She didn’t even stop at the bathroom door, although it was clearly marked as ‘wizard only’.

Draco scowled at her, but was more interested in inspecting his newly repaired nose. It seemed okay at first glance, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t internal damage, and it was hard to tell through all the blood. He took the wet towel out of Hermione’s hand reflexively, apparently forgetting whom it came from. She kept quiet until he no longer looked like the handsome leading man in a horror film.

Gross! Hermione shuddered. She shouldn’t be thinking of him as the handsome anything! Icky Malfoy, Icky Malfoy, Icky Malfoy…

“It seems fine, but there better not be any permanent damage,” he scoffed at her, breaking her away from her thoughts and back to the present.

“Something tells me you’ll survive… Oh joy,” she replied sarcastically, talking mostly to the shiny chrome faucet. She was having a hard time looking at him for some reason. The bathroom wasn’t exactly roomy, seeing as it only had to be used by three people, and their close proximity was making the heat rise in her face. She pulled at the neck of her robes, hoping to alleviate the uncomfortable warmth.

“Funny, Granger,” he said, eyeing her up and down before shoving past her and out of the door. He was feeling lightheaded from the loss of blood, and it was messing with his neural functions. For a second there he thought Granger almost looked like an attractive woman, and not just an annoying thorn in his side with inferior blood. He needed to get away from her before he did or said something he would regret.

“Wait, Malfoy I wasn’t finished!” she called out after him. His hand was on his doorknob, and he so badly wanted to turn it and escape to the solitude of his bedroom, but his fingers weren’t cooperating. Against his better judgment, he turned around to face her.

“Just so you know, I will not tolerate further attempts to disfigure me.”

“It could only be an improvement,” she snickered back at him.

So much for playing nice…

“Shoot, sorry… What I meant to say was… I saw the paper, and I’m sorry about your parents. They didn’t deserve that,” she mumbled, unable to meet his eyes.

Draco almost couldn’t believe his ears. He hadn’t been expecting that. His parents weren’t particularly popular among the muggle community, and he wasn’t exactly in the good graces of any of the Golden Trio. There had to be a catch.

“And…?” he asked, trying to get to the bottom of this.

“And… umm… sorry for your face?” she asked, equally confused.

Malfoy just looked at her, as though he were seeing her in a whole new light. It had been so long since anyone even tried to converse with him. The last time he’d really said anything of substance was over the summer, when he said goodbye to his parents…

Suddenly the emotion in the room was too much. He nodded his thanks to Hermione, afraid his voice would betray his feelings. The news that he wouldn’t see his mother for five whole years had been incredibly hard to take. Just because they weren’t saints, didn’t mean they weren’t good parents and that he didn’t love them both dearly. This wouldn’t be his first Christmas without them, but it would be the first time he felt truly alone. There weren’t any other students even staying at Hogwarts over break. For once he was the only person who didn’t have a place to go home to, and no one even cared.

No one, except the last person on Earth he thought would feel anything for him… The last person on Earth he thought he would have any kind of feelings for. Hermione Granger.

Hermione’s simple gesture had changed everything. After all, the line between love and hate is fine indeed.

-*-


The excitement was palpable on the last day before Christmas break. After breakfast, everyone met in the entrance hall, waiting for the carriages that would take them to the Hogsmead station. Hermione didn’t walk down with Ron and Harry, she met them a few minutes after the congregation had assembled. It didn’t take them long to realize she was not prepared for the trip to the Burrow.

“I think you forgot your trunk… and your cloak…” Ron pointed out after an inspection of her. “Is there something you’re not telling us?”

Yes, there were actually a few things she “forgot” to mention to her friends. For example, while everyone was at lunch three days prior, she was snooping through Malfoy’s room, and ever since she had been planning and plotting grand theft. Also, she had shared a smile with Malfoy during potions the day before, when Ron’s poor attempt at a sleeping drought had exploded in his face. Not to mention, the covetous glances they had been shooting one another for the past week. She couldn’t think of anything but him lately. There was no way she would enjoy spending Christmas at the Burrow, when her thoughts were so preoccupied on Malfoy’s stormy eyes, and the way he seemed to let her in a little more every time their eyes met, which was becoming more and more frequent with each passing day. It was like they had developed a relationship that was so secret, even they couldn’t speak of it.

“I’m sorry, I just can’t leave the castle when I have so much work that needs to be done,” she replied apologetically.

That wasn’t technically a lie…

“Hermione, you can’t miss Christmas!” Ginny exclaimed as she joined their circle.

“I won’t really be missing Christmas, I’ll just be spending it with my other friends, the library books,” she shrugged. “You know I’ll miss you, but I’ll never get a chance to have the library all to myself again!”

Her friends just shook their heads at her. Even after all they had been through, they couldn’t understand her fascination with the written word, but knew there was no changing her mind. They hugged her goodbye, and followed the rest of their classmates out the double doors.

Hermione didn’t linger. She marched up the many staircases and straight through the portrait of the fat lady. There it was; the beautiful evergreen Christmas tree that no one would even use at Christmas. It seemed like such a waste. Therefore, Hermione didn’t feel too bad that she was going to steal it. The house elves hadn’t thought to put a Christmas tree up in their common room. No matter, she didn’t think it would be that hard to shrink it and relocate it, and none would be the wiser until it was too late.

She pointed her want at the beautifully decorated tree, concentrating hard to ensure the ornaments would shrink as well, and shouted the spell.

“Reducio!”

Nothing happened. Hermione tried a few more times before frustration set in. The house elves had charms to protect their work. She didn’t know what to do. She was determined that Malfoy would have an enjoyable Christmas. She had snuck into his room and found some old photographs of him and his family at Christmas, and in them she saw they had such a beautiful tree. The absence of a Christmas tree in their common room would just remind Malfoy of other things he didn’t have this year. Even if she couldn’t free his parents or give him back his home, she could definitely provide him with a Christmas tree…

Or so she had thought when she planned this! She threw a few more spells at it, but it didn’t budge. Conceding defeat, she trudged back down the stairs. It was time for Plan B.

Plan B was actually very simple, probably less complicated than Plan A in fact. The next morning at breakfast she excused herself from the Ravenclaw house table she was sharing with Malfoy (neutral ground), and approached the professors.

“Excuse me, but I was just wondering if we could have a Christmas tree in our common room?” she asked, ever so politely. They all looked around, hoping someone else would be the bringer of bad news.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Granger, but seeing as Christmas is tomorrow, I don’t think that’s possible,” the Headmistress responded at last. “The elves levitate them all over castle, but I believe most of them are on holiday until after Christmas, only a few remain to cook and they’re quite busy preparing the feast.”

Hermione’s face fell, but she was not going to give up. She nodded to her professors and took off. The Headmistress had just given her a new idea, but she would have to wait until late that night to carry it out.

When the clock struck 1AM on Christmas morning, Hermione set off for the Gryffindor common room once again.

“Wingardium leviosa!” she shouted at the tree, swishing and flicking with expertise. To her astonishment and relief, the giant tree rose up a few centimeters from the ground, and she was able to guide it along with her wand. Navigating her way through the portrait hole was quite an ordeal, and she lost more than one ornament in the process.

Down the stairs she went, tiptoeing along and praying the staircases stayed put. Luck seemed to be on her side, though she knew she had left a small trail of broken baubles along the way from slipping on a step here and there.

By the time she reached their dormitory, she felt completely exhausted, and the Gryffindor tree had definitely seen better days. She stumbled through the portrait and into their common room, not noticing that someone else was there until she heard a loud gasp. She jumped a foot, lost her concentration, and watched in horror as the tree fell over in what seemed to be slow motion.

“Noooo!!!!” she yelled, just before the tree hit the ground and sprayed pieces of ornament across the room in every direction. She just stared at it in shock, her mouth gaping wide. Draco, on the other hand, burst out laughing. He couldn’t control it. Her face was just priceless.

“What… are you… doing!?” he managed to get out between snorts of laughter. Hermione crossed her arms and pursed her lips. She didn’t think it was that funny!

“What am I doing? What are you doing?”

He pointed to the corner of the room, where there was another Christmas tree, presumably from the Slytherin common room, seeing as there was a silver snake on the top. Unlike her tree, however, this one had all it’s ornaments and was standing in the upright position.

“I heard you ask for a tree at breakfast, and you were so put out all day, I thought it was really important to you,” Draco replied.

“Really? But…how?” she asked, gesturing to her mess of a tree that took up half the floor.

“Levitated it with an impervious charm,” he answered. It was so simple. Why didn’t she think of that!?

“Oh and there’s one more thing…” he continued, closing the distance between them and circling her delicate waist in his arms. He looked up and she followed his line of sight…

“I’ve enchanted the mistletoe,” he finished with a smirk. He swooped down and touched his lips with hers, pouring all of his feeling that he had been hiding for her into the kiss. She felt her skin tingle with electricity at their many points of contact, and was lost in the sweet mint taste of his mouth. Her hands tangled in his hair, holding him to her and prolonging the kiss until the need for oxygen overpowered them. They stood, panting hard, entangled in each other’s arms. She placed her head against his chest, and listened to his heartbeat until her breathing returned to a normal rate.

“Merry Christmas, Draco Malfoy,” she whispered softly.

“Merry Christmas, Hermione Granger,” he whispered back, nuzzling his face into her bushy hair and nibbling on her earlobe. “I think you owe me another present though, seeing as you sort of killed mine.”

She pulled back to stare into his eyes, and saw that they were sparkling with mischief, and something else… Lust? Love?

Her lips cocked to the side to mirror his smirk, and she took his hand in hers and led him to her bedroom, with the mistletoe right on their tail…

-*-


….Four Christmases later, on a cold and stormy winter night, Draco knelt down in front of their two Christmas trees in the modest flat he now shared with Hermione, and slid a diamond ring onto her slender finger. They married the following Christmas, with Narcissa’s blessing. Nine months later they had their first child; their greatest gift of all. They named him Nicholas, or Saint Nick, as they liked to call him. Gazing at their beautiful baby boy, they knew that Christmas truly was the most magical time of the year.

-*-The End-*-


Thanks for reading! Hope everyone has a good holiday, and please don't forget to review!