Chapter Summary: I think the chapter title says it all. Hermione's back with her parents to spend an interesting (if not slightly stressful) holiday.
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Harry, Ron, and Hermione had decided that the first thing they had to do was find out exactly what "fluffy" was guarding. They needed to know as much as possible about whatever was beneath the trap door so they could understand why Snape would want to steal it. The best way to do that would be to find out all about Nicholas Flamel. Hermione felt like she was in her element. Finding out obscure facts was what she did best, and the library was like her home. She was positive that she would be able to quickly figure out the puzzle by doing a little research.
Unfortunately she quickly found out that it wouldn't be that easy. Nicholas Flamel might as well be a ghost; he was just as elusive. No matter how many books she and the boys checked, they could never find his name. What made things worse was that they only have a few spare moments throughout the week to look, and the cold weather wasn't exactly motivating them to want to be in the drafty library. Still they didn't relent in their search no matter how futile it seemed and they also remember that Snape wasn't going to get past Fluffy anytime soon. It didn't matter how much dark magic he knew, the three-headed dog would rip him to shreds before he could even raise his wand.
Although they were eager to learn the mystery behind Flamel, the trio didn't spend all of their free time in the library. Hogwarts had turned into a winter wonderland and Hermione wanted to relish this time before she had to go back home for the holidays. Her favorite times were when Ron was playing wizard's chess with Seamus in the Gryffindor common room because this almost always meant that she got Harry to herself for an hour or so. Usually they would spend this time walking around the lake and talking. To keep themselves warm on these strolls, Hermione would use her clever wind blocking charm and then conjure a bluebell flame and enchant it so that it would follow them around, floating in the air just behind them.
Harry was a little more talkative when they weren't around Ron and always more willing to discuss things like his life with the Dursleys, his confusion about who he really was in the wizarding world beyond just "the famous Harry Potter," and his concerns about his future. Hermione in turn talked about her fears about being a muggle-born witch and how it would affect her life and her family, the reasons why she always felt she had to push herself academically, and what her life had been like before she came to Hogwarts.
Of course their talks weren't always serious. Half the time they were trying to figure out new and grander ways to get rid of Malfoy and his band of Slytherin idiots or at least get them off their back. Malfoy had been an increasing annoyance ever since Harry had secured Gryffindor's victory over Slytherin in their last quidditch game. Pansy, of course, was always quick to find new reasons to taunt Hermione for hanging out with Harry.
Their last walk around the lake was the afternoon before the holidays started. They had just left lunch and Ron had gone off to play one final round of wizard's chess with Seamus before he left. Hermione was still fuming about a fight she had gotten in with Pansy during lunch.
"I swear if that girl says 'muggle-born witch' to me one more time, I'm going to figure out how to transfigure her into a toad," Hermione said.
Harry laughed. "I think that's easier said than done, but I wouldn't put it past you. So what are you going to do for the holidays back in the muggle world?" he asked changing the subject.
Hermione hadn't really given that much thought. "Well, I'm sure both my parents will still be working. I know how their practices can be this time of year. Everyone is on holiday, of course, so this is a good time for most people to go get a checkup. I'll probably have a lot of free time on my hands while they're at work. I'll be studying of course to make sure I have everything ready for when I come back to school. Other than that, I guess I'll just try to relax."
Harry gave her a look that said all to clearly he thought Hermione could use some time to relax. "What about your friends back home? Are you going to see any of them?"
"Uh… I don't really have any friends back home. You know, I told you about my old school," she reminded him vaguely.
Harry nodded. "I just figured maybe you had friends in your neighborhood, or cousins your age or something," he mumbled.
"Nope. None of my extended family lives nearby. It doesn't matter though," Hermione said brightly. "I'll have a fun time back home. I've always loved Christmas. So what are you going to do during the holidays?"
"I don't know," Harry shrugged. "Ron wants to teach me wizard's chess."
Hermione shuddered. "That game is so barbaric."
"Oh, isn't that Hermione language for: 'I suck at that game,'" Harry teased.
"Okay that's it, Potter. You're going to pay for that one." Hermione pulled out her wand and waved it at the ground. "Fred and George taught me this."
Three balls of snow shot from the ground and speed towards Harry. His eyes grew wide and he took off towards the castle, with the snowballs in hot pursuit.
Hermione followed and as they made their way quickly back to main doors she marveled at how only a few weeks prior, she couldn't wait to go home to be free of school. Now she didn't want to leave her new life. Harry would be staying for the holidays, preferring this to going back to a hellish life with his muggle aunt and uncle. She was envious that Ron would get to stay over the holidays with him because his mom and dad were going off to visit his older brother for the holidays. Meanwhile, in less than a day, she would be on the Hogwarts Express, speeding back to a life she didn't even feel was hers anymore. It felt very weird.
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Hermione sat with Lavender, Parvati, and Padma on the train ride back to London. Lavender and Parvati were being extra nice to her lately and Hermione suspected that it was because she had walked in on them talking about her, and they felt guilty. In any case, the girls were careful not to talk about Harry at all on the trip, and Hermione had to admit it was ten times more pleasant than her last ride on the train. She even joined in on their banter about the latest "who likes who" gossip at Hogwarts.
Hermione donned her normal clothing in the bathroom on the train shortly after its departure from Hogsmeade. When they arrived in London, she said a quick goodbye to her roommates and then rushed off the train, eager to beat the crowd to the platform exit. As she walked down the platform, she noticed several merchants lining the wall.
"Cringle's Charmed Christmas Catalogs!" one of them shouted. "Shop for Christmas gifts from the convenience of your home. We pickup your order and money, and your gifts arrive exactly on Christmas Day, guaranteed."
Hermione paused. She hadn't thought about buying a Christmas gift for Harry and she knew there was little chance she'd be getting back to Diagon Alley during the holidays. Her parents hadn't been overly impressed with the Leaky Cauldron the last time they went. She made her way over to the merchant.
"How much are these?" she asked the balding man.
"Absolutely free, my dear. You don't pay until you shop."
"Really? That's great." Hermione took the catalog he offered her. "How does it work?"
He pointed to the envelope in the center of the catalog. "Just place your money and order into the envelope. It has a modified port key charm. Once you seal it, your order will be whisked away to our office and we'll take care of the rest. But remember, don't seal the envelope until you're absolutely sure you're order is right. You only get one chance. Also the envelope won't leave if you don't have the correct amount of money inside for your order. Change will be sent back to you in the return envelope a few hours later."
Hermione took all this in as she thumbed through the book. The catalog seemed to have everything from candy to broomsticks. She was sure she'd be able to find the perfect gift in it. Then something struck her.
"Uh… do you take muggle money by any chance?" she asked tentatively.
"Excuse me?" the merchant eyed her suspiciously. "We're trying to run a professional operation here."
"Never mind," she said quickly. She shoved the catalog into her bag and walked towards the platform exit again. She didn't have much wizard's money left. She silently scolded herself for not converting more of her savings when she was at Gringotts in the summer. She would have to make do with the 5 galleons she had left. She never actually needed to buy anything at Hogwarts and she still had plenty of school supplies so she would just survive without pocket money for the rest of the school year.
Resolving herself to this idea, she stood in the now long line waiting to be let out of the magical station. After a few minutes the attendant allowed her through and as the muggle platform came into view, she saw her mom and dad waiting patiently for her off to one side.
"Welcome home dear!" Mrs. Granger hugged her daughter. "How was your trip back?"
"Not nearly as bad as my trip up, but it was fine." Hermione said immediately. "I wish Harry had come though. You would have gotten to meet him."
"That's alright dear, we're just glad to have you home. The car's this way."
"Wait," Mr. Granger said suddenly. "I believe you haven't shown us something, young lady."
Hermione rolled her eyes, but was careful not to let her father see this. "Dad, I told you in my last letter, Hogwarts doesn't have progress reports and I can't do magic outside of school."
"Well then how am I supposed to know that you've actually been learning something up there and not just spending our hard earned money doing parlor tricks?" her father asked irritably.
Hermione grumbled as she reached into her bag. Her father could be insufferable sometimes. "Here," she pulled out a jar that contained a floating blue flame. "It's supposed to be your Christmas gift, but you can have it now."
Her father took it. "What's this?"
"It's a flame I created. It won't extinguish. It's portable, it's waterproof, and it can keep any room warm once you take it out of the… DAD DON'T!"
Mr. Granger was unscrewing the top of the jam jar; presumably to get a closer look at the flame, but the moment he took the top off, it shot out and grew to twice its original size.
Hermione whipped out her wand and pointed it at the flame. She knew she had to contain it again before someone else noticed. "Back, get back in there," she ordered, pushing the flame back down with her wand. It shrunk back into the jar and she quickly screwed the top back on.
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. That was close. "Alright, now you know what a real witch can do. Can we go home now? You can open your flame there."
Mr. Granger was still a little shaken by what had happened. "Yes… yes of course."
Hermione shook her head in irritation as she followed her parents to the parking lot. "Parlor tricks indeed."
-----
Hermione spent the first few days of her winter break doing something she hadn't done in a long time… nothing. Her mother and father were still working at their dental practice, as they didn't plan on closing their office until Christmas Eve. Then they would open again until New Year's Eve. So during the day she had the house to herself.
Maybe it was because she was away from the pressure of her studies but Hermione had absolutely no desire to do anything that required effort. She didn't feel like she needed to impress anyone and was finally able to unwind. She lounged around the house in various sets of pajamas watching television, eating snacks, and flipping through the Charmed Christmas Catalog.
There weren't a lot of options for gifts fewer than 5 galleons. The delivery fees alone would eat up part of her money and all the prices were inflated. Plus she had no idea what she should get Harry. What do you buy for someone who saved you from a mountain troll? And if she bought something for Harry, she knew she'd have to buy Ron a gift as well. After all, he was her friend too and he'd actually been a lot nicer lately. She didn't want that to change just because she sent a gift to Harry and not Ron.
Still that didn't leave a lot of money for two gifts. In the end, she decided on candy; small, practical, and sure to be appreciated by the boys. She ordered a large box of chocolate frogs for Harry, and an equally large box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans for Ron. She slipped 3 galleons into the envelope with her completed order and sealed it carefully. It disappeared in an instant.
She was glad she didn't have anyone else to buy gifts for. She hated shopping because she always felt like she had to find the perfect gift. Her parents loved the flame she'd made for them and it would definitely save them money on heating the house. This particular blue flame emitted a great deal of heat but was magically cool to the touch. This way they could move it around anywhere they wanted without any help and push it back into the jam jar when they were done with it.
Usually, it sat in the fireplace as if it were a real fire they had lit. Mrs. Granger had decided that this was the best place for it in case company came unexpectedly. If anyone asked about the color, she'd say they used special logs.
Hermione and her parents always spent dinner together and during these meals, she would tell them as much about her school life as she dared. She purposely edited some material out like the midnight misadventures that led her to find out about fluffy, the story of how Snape tried to kill Harry, and the fact that she regularly snuck out at night to visit her secret spot on the ramparts. She stuck mainly to telling them all about the new friendships she had formed and how it had a very positive influence on her school life. She did, however, eventually tell them about how Harry and Ron saved her from the mountain troll, though she made sure to point out that trolls didn't regularly storm through the castle.
"But still that was very dangerous Hermione. Why didn't you tell us about this sooner?" her mom asked between bites of chicken.
"Because I knew you'd worry," Hermione said matter-of-factly.
"The whole castle doesn't sound like a very good learning environment." Mr. Granger said. "How are you supposed to keep on your studies if you have to worry about the stairs and corridors shifting, and ghosts and poltergeists and mountain trolls?"
"Dad, all of that is part of our education. Being a witch means being able to handle your environment and the unexpected," Hermione pointed out. "Some things can't be learned from books."
"Nothing of any value," Mr. Granger said.
Hermione hated when her father acted like this. "There are a lot of important things you can't get from books, like courage," she said heatedly.
Mr. Granger took a long gulp of water. "Hermione that's not the point. You're not going to get anywhere, witch or no witch, if you don't buckle down in your studies and get everything you can out of your education."
Hermione sighed. "Dad, I couldn't possibly study any harder."
"Oh really," Mr. Granger said shaking his fork at her. "From what I've seen you've spent this entire holiday so far lounging around and not getting any work done for when you return to school. If I didn't know any better, I'd say these new friends of yours have been a bad influence on you."
"Now dear…" Mrs. Granger said, trying to calm her husband.
"So what are you saying," Hermione almost shouted. She could feel her temper rising. "That I can't have any friends now?"
"I'm not saying that at all dear but you have to prioritize. You have a very special gift and you need to make the most of this experience so that when you get out in the real world you'll have all the skills and education you need at your disposal."
Hermione knew she'd never win this argument. "Fine, Dad. Rest assured; I won't let a little thing like friendship get in the way of my bright future." She stood. "Can I be excused? I have a lot of work to do before school starts, you know." She didn't wait for the answer.
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Hermione was too upset to do anything so she just lay in bed staring at the ceiling and thinking. A half-hour after she'd left the table, there was a knock on her door.
Her mom entered. "Hermione, are you okay?"
She rolled over to face her mother. "Yeah I'm fine. It's just that sometimes… I don't know. I don't think Dad gets it. It's like he thinks I can't keep up with my studies and have a life at the same time."
Mrs. Granger smiled. "Of course he doesn't get it, but that's because he's a Granger. He can be very narrow-minded at times. You should know, you can be the same way when you want."
Hermione grimaced. "I'm never like that."
"Oh really, little Miss Speak-Before-You-Think." Mrs. Granger laughed. "If I recall, several weeks ago, you wrote to me saying that Harry and Ron were two 'self-centered, egotistical, prats' as you put it. Now you have nothing but praise. I think something else changed your mind out about Harry, and I'm not talking about being rescued from a mountain troll."
Hermione blushed. "Oh alright, I guess I can be a little hot headed at times too."
"And you have to admit, you have your father's passion for studies as well."
Hermione sighed. It was true. She did.
"You two are so stubborn and hard headed." Mrs. Granger ruffled her daughter's bushy hair. "That's why I love you both."
"You're a masochist," Hermione laughed.
"No… I'm a Granger." Mrs. Granger kissed her daughter and then left the room. "Now you better get some rest dear. Tomorrow's Christmas."
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Hermione tore into another gift. "I hope Father Christmas was this generous to the other kids in the world."
Mr. Granger gave her a quizzical look. "Hermione, you've never believed in that.'
"Even as a 5-year-old you were completely against the idea," Mrs. Granger reminded her.
"Well that's before I read 'Great Wizards and Witches of the Old Era,'" Hermione explained as she unwrapped a new school bag. "Apparently Chris Cringle was a very powerful wizard who was trying to improve wizard/muggle relations. He decided the best way to do this would be to give gifts to poor muggle children. Of course the whole thing caused a huge scandal throughout the wizarding community. Some people were afraid that this kind of generosity would make muggles start expecting magical solutions to all their problems. Others were afraid it would lead to more serious complications.
"In the end, it became such a big mess that Cringle was put under huge restrictions by the world wizarding leaders. He was only allowed to distribute gifts once a year and as indiscreetly as possible. Then they spread around the whole 'Father Christmas' myth to throw muggles off. Of course, because Cringle had to keep himself so well hidden, no one is really 100% sure if he passed his legacy down to another witch or wizard, but since there are still so many unexplained reports of random acts of giving on Christmas, I'd say it's a safe assumption."
Hermione looked up at her parents who both had looks of shock and confusion on their face.
"What?" she asked finally.
Mrs. Granger laughed. "Hermione, I love you dearly, but sometimes you're scary."
"Mom!" Hermione squealed, giving her a fake look of hurt.
"Well at least we know she's been studying," Mr. Granger said proudly.
After opening the remainder of her presents, Hermione went up to her room to change out of her pajamas. When she pushed open her door, she saw a large, brown owl sitting patiently on the windowsill. She quickly ran to the window and let it in. It looked like a school owl and it was holding a small package. She untied the bundle from the owl and placed it on her bed.
"You can come in and rest a bit if you'd like." Hermione told the owl, but it hooted happily and flew out the window again.
Hermione shrugged. Perhaps the owl was in a hurry to get back to its own family. She supposed owls must want to be with their family on Christmas too. She turned her attention to the small brown parcel now lying on her bed. There was a note attached. She pulled it off and unfolded it.
"Dear Hermione,
I hope this reaches you before Christmas. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get you anything since there isn't exactly a gift store here in the castle, but fortunately Fred and George decided to sneak into Hogsmeade this weekend. I don't know how they managed it, but they did.
I asked them to pick me up something for you while they were there. I knew exactly what I should get you and fortunately they sold them in town. You'd be proud of me; I read about them in one of the library books you showed me a few weeks ago. In any case, I hope you like it and I hope your holidays are going well.
Harry"
Hermione beamed and she silently chastised herself for this. She couldn't understand why she hadn't gotten over her crush on Harry. They were friends now and that's all she really wanted. But no matter what she told herself, she always became overly emotional every time Harry did the least little nice thing.
She picked up the small package and unwrapped it. It was a book, completely unmarked. She could tell that the cover was made of dragon hide, but nothing else revealed anything about the book's true purpose. She opened it and saw that all the pages were blank as well. A note fell out of the center. Curious, Hermione picked up the note and read the first few lines.
"Thank you for purchasing the Young Wizards Dragon Keeper Diary, perfect for writing your most intimate secrets without fear from prying muggle or wizard eyes."
Hermione grinned again. "What a perfect gift." She thought. "I can't believe he got me this and all I got him was a box of chocolate frogs."
As she continued reading, she found that the plain green book had many magical properties. Although there seemed to be a finite number of pages, the diary claimed to never run out of writing space. She could seal it by saying the magic word "Imperamora" and then only someone with a wand saying the same magic word could open it. In addition, she had to write her name and own secret password in the last page of the book. Since the diary immediately concealed all of her entries once the book shut, she would have to write in her password on the last page anytime she wanted to write an entry or read an old entry.
Hermione read the rest of the instructions eagerly and when she flipped over the page to see if there was anything else, she found another written message from Harry instead.
"Hermione,
I thought since you liked reading so much you would enjoy writing for a change. You and Ron are my best friends and I hope we stay like that forever, but I'm sure there will be plenty of times when we can't be there for each other. So use this diary whenever you want to get something off your chest but you aren't able to talk to me about it."
Hermione put the note down and beamed again, despite herself. She pulled a quill and inkbottle out of the bag she brought from school and turned to the last page. There was a name and password line already there. She wrote "Hermione Granger" on the name line and on the password line, "Harry and Hermione Friends Forever."
She watched the words she wrote shimmer for a moment and then fade away. Then some new words replaced them. "Hello, Hermione: Your Diary is Now Unlocked."
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Hermione hated to admit it but her father had succeeded in making her feel guilty about the fact that up until Christmas, she hadn't done any studying. So she spent most of the remainder of the holidays doing the little bit of schoolwork that her professors had assigned and catching up on her personal studies on magical society. She remembered that she had made a commitment to herself at the beginning of the term that she would be the best witch of her year. She couldn't afford to slack off. She was supposed to be taking the castle by storm. She wasn't going to let Pansy Parkinson or Draco Malfoy ever think that they were better than her just because they were born into wizarding families. She was a Granger and as her father always said: Grangers could do anything.
The rest of the holidays went along without incident. Her parents were still working most of the time but they were sure to spend as much time with their daughter as possible since they knew they wouldn't see her again until the end of the school term. Her mother took her on a "girls' night out" and they went to see a movie and spend some quality mother/daughter bonding time at a local restaurant. She caught up on current muggle events with her father and they had several spirited debates.
Though Hermione definitely enjoyed her time at home, she was ready to go back to school when the holidays ended. She wanted to spend more time with her friends as well as continue her studies. She began to remember why she preferred reading to television and though her parents weren't the worst cooks, she definitely missed the Hogwarts food. Also, as much as she loved her father, she felt that he was overzealous about her education and it was beginning to drive her mad. It was bad enough she was putting pressure on herself; she didn't need his help. All and all, on the last day of the holidays, Hermione was more than pleased to be heading back as she repacked her books in the new bag her parents had bought her for Christmas.
After several hours of driving, the Grangers were once again at Kings Cross Station. Mr. Granger was watching another set of wizarding students disappear casually through the barrier between Platform Nine and Platform Ten.
"I'll never understand how nobody notices all of the wizarding activity that's going on around here," he said quietly to his wife and daughter.
"Sometimes they do," Hermione confirmed. "But the Ministry of Magic takes care of that when it happens." She looked at the clock on the wall in front of her. "Well, I'd better get going. I want to find Parvati or Lavender before the train leaves so I'll have someplace to sit."
Both Mr. and Mrs. Granger hugged and kissed their daughter. "Good-bye dear. Have a safe trip. Send us a letter when you get there." Mrs. Granger said cheerily.
Mr. Granger bent down to look Hermione in the eyes. "Have a good term Hermione and keep up the good work. I know I don't tell you this often enough, but I'm very proud of you. Always remember that you're a Granger, and Grangers can do anything."
Hermione nodded fervently at this. She hugged her father again and then started off towards the hidden entrance to Platform 9 ¾.