Unofficial Portkey Archive

Hi! This chapter is 35 lovely pages for you, almost 11,000 words or something. I was going to make it two parts, but instead decided to just make it one big one because I couldn't see a good spot to split it up. Anyway, I want to say thanks to all those who have stayed with my story. I know it's been a long time coming, but I'm trying! I want to give a special thanks to Mark, Lisa, and Alyssa for the extra help. You've all been great! Haha, well, I'm going to stop so you can read.

Disclaimer: Nothing mine. Except Jenna. The characters and Christmas songs belong to richer people.

Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty

Harry Potter: To Catch A Granger Under The Mistletoe

You shouldn't kiss me like this
Unless you mean it like that
Cause I'll just close my eyes
And I won't know where I'm at
We'll get lost on this dance floor
Spinnin' around
And around
And around
And around

They're all watchin' us now
They think we're falling in love
They'd never believe we're just friends
When you kiss me like this
I think you mean it like that
If you do baby kiss me again

"You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This" TOBY KEITH

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"Hermione! You naughty girl! Sure, you told me how absolutely gorgeous he was, but you didn't tell me you were an item! Just a friend, eh? I wish some of my friends would snog me like that in the middle of the street!" Jenna exclaimed gleefully to her flush-faced cousin.

Harry's eyes widened at Jenna's revelation and tried to say cheekily, though he was honestly as nervous as could be. "Gorgeous, huh? No wait, absolutely gorgeous?! Hermione Jane, do you fancy me? Or is it just my strong, physical and sexual charm that you desire?"

Hermione's face reddened to an even more prominent shade of pink. "Uh…I-I" she stammered before stopping and dropping her face hopelessly in her gloved-hands. She was so embarrassed at the moment. And she didn't' even know why. Obviously the last few events were all potentially embarrassing, but still, she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. What Jenna had said wasn't really that big of a deal, not really. Her mind was scattered after what had just occurred, that was for sure. How dare he do that? What was he doing here in the first place? Except she did know why he did that. And that's what hurt her the most. That he saw her get bullied like that and felt sorry for her. Sure, he had seen it before at Hogwarts, but that was different. There was a reason why she was harassed so in the Wizarding World. But here in the Muggle World, there wasn't any other reason than that she was the person she was. It was purely "her fault" in a sense. Yes, she had told Harry about the hazing, but it was so much worse when he had to witness it. Her cousin as well. Jenna never had to deal with this sort of thing, so Hermione never shared it with her. For this to all happen now was overwhelming.

Hermione suddenly fell to her knees as tears stung at the corners of her eyes. She kept her face buried. No one would see her cry.

"Hermione?" Harry's gentle voice called as he dropped to his knees in front of her. He attempted to pull her hands away from her face, but Hermione held them there tightly. He looked up at Jenna, who had an awkward look on her face and was at a loss at what to do.

"She lives just right around the corner…how about I go ahead and get lunch started and give you two a moment?" Jenna asked softly, not wanting to intrude.

Harry nodded. He waited until Jenna was a few yards ahead before pulling Hermione close to him and wrapping her in a hug. The sight of Hermione crying terrified him. Unsure of what to do, he just kept stroking her hair, hoping she didn't feel as self-conscious as him regarding this unfamiliar position for them.

"Hermione? Please look at me." He begged in a sincere voice, trying once more to pull her arms away. At first, she put up a struggle before finally relinquishing. She refused to meet his eyes, however. Harry had to lightly force her chin up. He gave her a small smile, which she reluctantly returned. "That's better." He said.

Hermione suddenly felt foolish. Here she was, in the middle of the sidewalk, on her knees in the snow and crying like a child.

Harry made an attempted to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Ow!" Hermione yelped.

Harry reddened and swore under his breath. "Sorry! I wasn't aiming to poke you in the eye!" He quickly apologized before making another attempt. Hermione kept wiggling under his hand and Harry thought he was going to poke her in the eye again. "Er, maybe you should do it?" He asked, almost laughing at the whole scenario. Hermione nodded and wiped away the remaining tears easily. Harry stood gingerly and offered Hermione a hand. "Are you okay?"

Hermione accepted and allowed him to pull her to her feet. "I'm fine. Bloody humiliated, but fine nonetheless. Nothing new, I suppose. Hey, what's a holiday without a little emotional scarring, eh?" She half-joked.

"Why are you humiliated?" Harry asked as they began to walk down the street.

Hermione shrugged. "Well, I would have preferred not to have had those girls do that. Especially with you present. And Jenna. Then for my first kiss to have been something forced like that, just to make me look like less of a loser…well, that certainly is not what I had hoped for. I mean, I'm not trying to sound unappreciative or anything. I am grateful for what you were trying to do. Equally grateful you brushed your teeth today. Minty fresh. Or that could have been bad. And even if it had been, I would still be grateful just the same." Hermione flashed him a grin, which made Harry's smile even wider. "And then for my cousin to make is sound like I've gushed about you all break. That's a little awkward and uncomfortable, isn't it? And if this isn't all humiliating enough, let's add me crying like a baby in the middle of the sidewalk. Is Christmas over yet?" She asked, trying to lighten the mood after her small rant.

Harry laughed. "Well, things could have been worse. I could not have brushed my teeth. Or you could have had to have gone through all this with a wooden leg or something." He offered.

Hermione rolled her eyes at his comic relief antics. "I suppose you're right."

Harry smirked. "I'm Harry Potter, of course I'm right. I'm always right…and, from what I hear, I'm absolutely gorgeous as well." He added as an afterthought.

Hermione refused to let her cheeks even show a hint of pink. Instead, she rolled her eyes dramatically once again before retorting smoothly, "Don't flatter yourself. I was just trying to make you sound good." Before giving him a playful yet powerful shove-which caused him to fall into a snow pile. She squatted down so she was at his level and they were nose-to-nose. "I only told her that in hopes to get you two together. Merlin knows you could use a girl." She said in a mock serious tone.

Harry grabbed her and pulled her beside him in the large heap of snow. He laughed and replied, "A girl? Really?! I've got a Hermione, and when you have one of those, who needs a girl?"

Hermione laughed.

Both teenagers got up and continued their walk back to Hermione's house.

"So, you never did tell me why you're here." Hermione pointed out as the two rounded the corner.

Harry snapped his fingers, "By Merlin, you're right! I actually came here to give you your Christmas present!" He exclaimed excitedly. He walked over to the nearest bush and whipped out his wand. He pulled her shrunken present out of his pocket and with a flick of his wand, it became full-size. It was a rather large box wrapped rather messily with shiny, green foil paper with wide, gleaming ribbons wrapped around it and creating an enormous bow on top. A big tag hung from one of the ribbons and Hermione could read in Harry's familiar scrawl: To Hermione From Harry. Beside the tag was an envelope for a Christmas card. He gave her a grin and taunted the present in front of her.

Hermione smiled. "You didn't have to do that." She said.

"Rubbish, of course I was going to get you something, Hermione. Don't be daft." Harry replied dramatically, giving the box a small shake.

Hermione laughed. "No, you did have to get me something. Of course you did. I just mean you could have owled it rather than bring it all the way here." She explained in a mock-snobbish voice.]

It was Harry's turn to smile. "No, no. That wouldn't do. This is too special. I wanted to see your face."

Hermione grinned back nervously. Special? She suddenly grew anxious. There wasn't anything extraordinary about his gift from her. What if his was really great and made hers look stupid? Surely he wouldn't laugh at her attempt. No, he would appreciate it nonetheless.

The rest of the walk passed far too quickly for Hermione. She refused to even look at the large box Harry was so-proudly carrying. She did note that Harry seemed genuinely happy to see her as he continued to chat all the way back to her house, however. Once they got back to the house, Hermione gave Harry a tour of her house, trying to draw it out as long as possible. Harry appeared truly interested, so she kept coming up with more details to say about the wood work and curtains.

Harry's first thought when walking into Hermione's house was that it was spotless. Nothing was sitting out. He wasn't surprised. He had a sudden flashback to just a few weeks ago when they were doing their essays in the Library.

Harry watched as Hermione organized all of her writing utensils, parchment, and books on the table. She made sure her essay was ninety degrees from her right shoulder for optimal writing comfort, and that her book was the most favorable angle from the top right hand corner of her essay.

He gave a stifled laugh regarding this now-familiar routine he had noticed she always did before starting an essay. "What are you doing?" He finally asked with a raised eyebrow as she moved her inkpot over just a tad bit.

Hermione looked up, confused with his expression. Puzzled, she asked, "What do you mean?"

Harry nudged the ink well over a few centimeters. Hermione moved it back.

"Why must it be there?" He asked quizzically with a grin. "What's wrong with," he moved it back over, "Here?"

Hermione looked at him as if he were mad before pushing it back. "Because it goes here, Harry." She replied, as if it were the most thing in the world.

"But why there? Why can't it go where it was?" He asked again.

Hermione sighed."Oh honestly. That's not the proper place, Harry. Everything has its proper place. As for the ink, its proper place is right here, not there, but here." She finished slowly, as if explaining to a five year old why two and two was four.

Harry laughed. Suddenly Ron and Draco came over and Ron dropped into the empty seat beside Hermione. He nudged her things over some to make room. Hermione gave a huff before gathering up her things and exiting the Library, all the while saying, "And speaking of proper places, Ronald here belongs in a dumpster with his kind, rats! Merlin knows they have about the same amount of couth and manners!"

Ron looked after Hermione before looking over at Harry. "Did I say something?" He asked before opening a chocolate frog .

Harry chuckled. "She had everything in its proper place, Ronald. You ruined her equilibrium moment. Shame on you."

Ron rolled his eyes. "She's nutters."

"And Madam Pince will bit your head off if she sees you brought sweets into her Library." Draco informed him with a grin.

Ron through a shrug. "That old bat. Speaking of biting heads off…" Ron severed the frog's head with a bite.

"Ronald Weasley! Get that filth out of my Library!" A shrill voice demanded from behind.

Ron quickly shoved the rest of the frog into his mouth. With a mouth full of chocolate, Ron called, "Filth? What filth? I don't see any filth Madam Pince!" He shook his head. "And talking about nutters…that old bad it mental too!"

Draco wiped off a piece of spit from his robes that sprayed from Ron's mouth. "Hermione gave you too much credit. Rats have better manners than you."

Harry howled with laughter and nodded in agreement before quickly quieting down when he got a death glare from the librarian for making too much noise.

"Harry?" Hermione asked uncertainly, calling his name for a third time.

Harry blinked and shook his head as he was jarred from him reverie. Hermione was staring at him quizzically.

"Is something wrong?" Hermione asked, looking almost worried.

Harry shot her a half-smirk. "Nothing, just thinking about how you like everything in its proper place. I can see where the root cause of it is."

Hermione slowly scanned the room before glancing down at the clean, shiny hardwood floor. "Honestly, it's not exactly a sin to like things placed properly." She argued defensively.

Harry laughed. "So, I've seen the curtains and you've told me everything about the woodwork. How about a quick tour of your room then?" Harry asked, tossing a look up the stairs.

Hermione smiled. "Oh no, Mr. Potter. No reason to go snooping in there."

"Got a bunch of frills and pink stuffed animals on your bed you're wanting to hide then? Too embarrassed to show it?" Harry teased.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I've got nothing to hide," as she led the way upstairs to her room.

After exploring and teasing Hermione about her painfully boring room-jokingly of course-Harry finally took a seat in her Papuan chair, next to one of the many book shelves that lined her walls, and gleefully brought Hermione's present up to his ear and shook it. "Time to open your gift!" he declared with a grin.

Just as he said this, Jenna walked through the door. She stood there awkwardly for a second before telling the pair of them, "Er…lunch is almost done so just come down to the kitchen whenever."

Hermione gave her cousin a nod before Jenna exited the room. She then looked back at Harry, who was still holding up her present with a large grin.

"Shall we?" he asked, before give the wrapped package one last taunting shake.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Alright then, let's get this over with. Your present is under the tree downstairs. I'll be right back."

Harry was left alone in Hermione's room, smiling like a goof. He was so excited about this. He knew she would just love it. He stood and allowed his eyes to sweep over the room again. Her room was tidy and he was reminded very much of her room back at Hogwarts, with just more life and color. Her bed was made neatly with the comforter he remembered from her Hogwarts dorm. A few candles were scattered around, emitting a light scent in her room. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew he liked it. A large area rug of different patterns graced the center of the room, contrasting nicely with the hardwood floor. He then walked over to her desk, which had her laptop sitting on it. He noticed a music player was up, so he clicked PLAY and allowed "Carol of the Bells" to fill the room.

"The sound of silence drive you mad, eh?" Hermione's voice from the door made him jump.

"Er…"

Hermione laughed. She was holding a medium-sized present wrapped in blue with snowmen all over it and a large, silver bow. Mocking him, she gave her present a small shake before saying in a voice trying to mimic his, "Shall we?"

They both took a seat Indian-style on the floor.

"You go first." Harry said excitedly, shoving her his gift.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh all right." She slowly began to tear open the paper as Harry stared at her eagerly. She stopped and looked at him. "Must you watch me like that?" She asked nervously. Harry nodded. Hermione continued with the paper, trying to ignore his gaze. Inside was a large, brown box. She easily broke the seal and opened it, only to find another box. However, the seal on this one was done with duct tape. After a few seconds, she was able to get that box open well, only to, once again, find another box, this one a long rectangle. The seal on this one was also done with duct tape. Lots and lots of duct tape that wrapped around the entire box. She looked up at him in disbelief. He was shaking with laughter. "Are you kidding me?" she asked.

Harry just snickered. "Well, go on!" He urged.

Hermione began the painstaking task of trying to unwrap the duct tape. After a few minutes, she finally gave a huff and jumped up to get her wand. Despite Harry's protests, she gave a flick and cried, "Reducto!" The box was hoisted up in the air, levitated for a moment, before falling back to the rug.

Harry smirked. "I thought you might try to take that route. So it's charmed. Hop to it, Granger."

Hermione turned her wand on him. "And I suppose you took the precaution to charm yourself as well?" She asked.

Harry grinned. "Hermione…I know you realize I'm absolutely gorgeous and such. However, in fact, my charm rivals my good looks. And when you have charm like that…I certainly don't need to enhance it any further." He replied smugly before giving her a wink.

"Here, prat, charm this." Hermione shot back, waving her wand and causing a nearby pillow to fly straight into Harry's head. They both laughed, then Hermione returned to her spot of the floor and began to work on her present once more. After ten minutes of upwrapping several layers of duct tape, Hermione was finally able to open the box. "Harry James Potter, if there is any more duct tape in here, I swear I will hex you into next Christmas." She warned him.

"As attractive as that sounds, I'm afraid this is the last box. Enjoy." Harry replied.

Hermione opened the box and was met with a bunch of tissue paper. She sifted through it and pulled out the gift. Once she read the cover, she suddenly stopped. No way. He didn't. She couldn't believe. This much have been expensive. "Harry!" She shrieked before launching herself forward to give him a hug, knocking him backward. She squeezed him tightly, muttering, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" over and over. Once she untangled herself from him, she continued to gush, "This is the best Christmas present ever! Thank you so much!"

Harry laughed at her reaction. It met his expectations and then some. She looked so happy.

Hermione's eyes fell on her present to him and her happiness vanished. Her gift was nothing like his. At all.

"I get to open mine now!" Harry cried as he moved to pick it up. Hermione quickly snatched it up first. Harry looked at her quizzically. He made a move to take it back, but Hermione stood and ran to the other side of the room. "What's wrong?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Did you get me the same thing or something?" He said jokingly.

Hermione shook her head, near petrified. She was stupid. Her present was so impersonal and bland. "This present isn't yours." She lied, taking another step back.

Harry laughed. "Don't be silly. It has my name on it. I saw it, Hermione." He told her.

Hermione sighed before bluntly confessing. "My present to you sucks. It sucks and I don't want you to open it. I'll…get you something better or something." Hermione told him.

Harry grinned before reassuring her, "Hermione, I'm sure it doesn't suck. Stop being silly."

"But it does!" She shot back, her grasp on the box tightening.

"No it doesn't!" Harry replied.

"Yes it does!" Hermione cried back.

"Does not!"

Hermione ripped open the present and threw the box at him. "See? It sucks!" She said before dropping to her knees.

"Well," Harry replied in a snooty voice, "Now that you opened it and took away my favorite part of opening presents, it does suck."

Hermione didn't say anything.

Harry laughed and finished tearing off the paper so he could see what it was. An electric shaver. He smiled. "Aw, thanks, Hermione. It's great, really." He said with a grin. "Thanks! I don't have one of these!"

Hermione sighed, "You hate it."

"No, I don't hate it. I love it. It's a great gift. I think of the two of us, I faired off better than you. I've always wanted one of these." Harry declared.

Hermione shook her head. "You're not excited about it at all."

Harry jumped up and ran over to her, tumbling her backwards and mimicked Hermione's actions from earlier. He leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. He stopped short, wet his lips up real nice, and gave her a sloppy kiss. Hermione pushed him away and quickly wiped away his slobber. "You're disgusting!" she stated with a mock look of revulsion, trying to hide her surprise.

Harry laughed and stood before offering her a hand and helping her up. As he let go, he realized his forehead hadn't twinged one bit. In fact, he didn't recall it hurting at all today, and he had had quite a bit of contact with Hermione. He grabbed Hermione's arm.

Hermione looked over at Harry and then down to his hand. "Something wrong?" she asked.

Harry grinned. "This doesn't hurt. Touching you…my head hasn't hurt at all today, not even when we…you know."

Hermione shrugged. "That's odd. Because usually it does. Are you sure there wasn't even a little pang?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded. Hermione moved over to sit on her bed. "Well, this is all quite odd. I've looked up everything I could think of, and found nothing. It doesn't make sense. And now, all of a sudden, it's gone? That makes even less sense."

Harry nodded again. "I dunno, Hermione. Maybe, whatever it is, it's cured."

"I don't think these things just suddenly cure themselves overnight, Harry." Hermione pointed out.

"True, but you never know. I mean, we've been so busy with things; it seems as if a lot of things have just gone away. What about your dreams? When was the last time you've had one of those?"

Hermione shrugged. "I dunno. It has been awhile. But I don't think that has anything to do with it. I mean…well, honestly, those dreams…" Hermione gave a shiver. "I dunno, Harry."

They were both quiet for a moment, as thoughts of Hermione's terrifying dreams resurfaced.

Hermione finally broke the silence by clearing her throat. "Erm…well, I suppose it's nice I don't hurt you anymore?" She offered with a smile.

Harry forced a laugh and reached over to squeeze her arm. However, this time, the familiar pain rushed through his head and he quickly let go. He looked away.

Hermione didn't have to ask what had just happened. She could read it in his reaction. "…Or not…" she finished, glancing down at her feet, almost ashamed now.

Harry sighed. "We were supposed to go to Dumbledore about this, but things have been so terribly busy lately, with the N.E.W.T.S. and Quidditch and Christmas. We should probably really go talk to him about this. It isn't normal. I mean, it doesn't happen when Ron or Draco touches you or me or…I dunno." Harry really didn't know what to say. Was it really that big of a deal? Perhaps. Or maybe not.

Hermione nodded and looked over at her new present. It was such a great Christmas gift. "In the mean time, Harry, Happy Christmas and thank you so much for the present. You will be getting yours shortly."

Harry laughed as the mood lightened. "Happy Christmas to you too. And really, it isn't necessary. This," He picked up the electric shaver, "Is great, really. Thank you." He meant it. He did love his new gift.

Hermione would hear none of it. "Absolutely not. I would feel terrible. Please, just let me redeem myself?" Hermione asked seriously.

Harry could see this meant a lot to her. Finally, he sighed, "Alright. I will let you attempt to outshine yourself and buy me another present. But please, don't make it something impractical and stupid like an electric shaver or something. Come on, seriously! Can you say bloody lame?!"

Hermione gave him a small shove, careful not to make contact with his skin. With a satisfied smile, she suggested, "Shall we go to lunch then?"

Harry gave a nod and followed Hermione out of the room. Once they walked into the kitchen, Jenna greeted them with a smile. "Now there's the two lovebirds!"

Both Harry and Hermione blushed and tried to laugh it off.

Hermione held up a hand to stop her. "Really, it's not like that. We really are just friends. Harry just has some boundary issues…obviously." As she laughed, she looked over at Harry, who gave a dramatic sigh before nodding in agreement.

Jenna gave a mock Hermione-Granger-eye-roll before giggling. "Okay then. So…lunch then? Or maybe official introductions? I'm Jenna Detweiller, official favorite cousin." Jenna introduced herself.

"Harry Potter, official best friend from school."

"And I'm Hermione Granger, official…I dunno, let's just eat! I'm famished!"

Soon, the three teens were engrossed in their lunch that the morning's events were far from their mind.

As lunch ended, Jenna asked how long Harry would be staying with them and asked whether he would be attending the Granger Christmas party.

Hermione spoke up to reply, "Jenna! It's Christmas. I'm sure Harry has plans with his own family. Why would he want to come tonight?"

Jenna shrugged.

Harry intervened. "Yeah, I wouldn't want to impose. I mean, sure, I don't have plans tonight and my family already had their Christmas thing, but…well, I don't want to invite myself or anything." He looked at his almost-empty plate.

"Er…would you like to go, Harry?" Hermione asked, unsure. "Would it be…er…a good idea?"

Jenna jumped in. "Of course it would be a good idea. Didn't you hear him, Hermione? He doesn't have plans. Why wouldn't it be a good idea?!"

Harry laughed. "I dunno. It's your family, so maybe I should just go home. Hedwig might be pregnant again or something, who knows?" He asked cheekily.

"Hedwig? Who's that?" Jenna asked quizzically.

"My pet owl." Harry responded without thinking.

Hermione's eyes widened. Just how common was it for Muggles to have pet owls?

Jenna laughed. "You have a pet owl?"

Harry looked over at her and mock defensively responded, "Why yes, I do have a pet owl…would you like to make something of it?"

The three teens all laughed. Nervously, Hermione faced Harry and decided to go ahead and extend him an invitation to the Christmas party that night. "Harry, er, if you wanted to, I think it would be great for you to come to the party. I mean, if you don't have anything to do and your parents aren't missing you, that is."

Harry grinned. His parents were going to a Christmas party tonight anyway being held by some friends from the Ministry. He nodded, "I would love to go, Hermione. It sounds like fun."

Hermione flashed a bright smile. "Well then, it's a date!" She exclaimed before hurrying to correct herself, "Er, I mean it's settled. It's on the date December 25^th. Christmas…" She trailed off lamely.

An awkward silence fell over them before Jenna asked doubtfully, "So, you have an owl?"

Harry laughed and nodded his head.

Jenna replied bluntly. "You have a pet owl. You're fucking weird."

And that concluded lunch.

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Calls were made to let each of the parents know of the change in the night's plans. Hermione's parents were excited to meet Hermione's new friend and welcomed his presence to the party. Hermione's mother quickly ushered herself off the phone because now she had to go pick out one more present for the party. Harry's parents were a little curious as to who this new friend was, but told Harry to make sure he wasn't home too late. Harry needed to change his clothes for the party, so he told the girls he was going to take a cab home and would be back shortly. As far as Jenna knew, he didn't live too awfully far away. Once he was away from Jenna, he Apparated home.

Once the cousins were alone, Jenna couldn't stop herself from asking Hermione about her relationship with Harry.

Hermione blushed, "Really, we are just friends. Earlier, he did that because those girls were making fun of me. We're just good friends." Hermione assured her.

Jenna smiled, "Well, he seems like a great bloke. So, if you ever do become more, I definitely approve. What did he get you for Christmas?" She asked, remembering the present she had seen him carry.

"All ten seasons of Friends!" Hermione gushed. She was so excited about it.

Jenna smiled. "Wow. Where did he get it though? I mean, when we saw him, he didn't have anything in his hands, then you guys walk in and he had a huge present?"

Hermione stiffened before quickly lying. She let out a fake laugh. "He actually left it in the cab, and once the cabbie noticed, he drove back down that street because I guess Harry had told him where he was going today, and luckily, he spotted us." It wasn't the best story, but it was enough to cause Jenna to shrug before heading for the shower.

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Harry quickly showered and picked out a nice pair of black dress pants and emerald green button down. He opted for no tie and searched for a pair of black socks. After looking in the mirror and messing with his unruly hair for five minutes, he gave up and put on some shoes. After a quick few squirts of cologne and one last look in the mirror, he grabbed his phone and wallet before Disapprating and returning to Hermione's kitchen.

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Hermione looked in the mirror before casting an eye over to her dress for the evening she had picked out with her cousin when they had gone shopping. Jenna loved dressing up, and was more than willing to help Hermione find something suitable as well. Hermione hadn't wanted anything too flashy. With a nervous sigh, she straightened her strapless bra in the mirror for a final time before picking up her dress and unzipping the back. She stepped into it easily and pulled the halter top over her head. It took her a few seconds to finally manage to get the back zipped up. She stepped up to the mirror and took a look at her evening ware. A smile crept over her features. It was a silky black floor-length dress with a halter top. The bodice fit snuggly around her middle, making her a little self-conscious. She wasn't the skinniest girl, by any means. However, the dress gave the illusion that her hips were actually smaller. The v-neckline didn't plunge too dramatically, which she appreciated. It was a family event, after all. It showed that she was indeed a woman, but with plenty of class. The dress continued fittingly down to her knees, which is where it flared out a bit before reaching the floor, allowing her to have no trouble walking. Vines of white flowers stretched from the halter top to the flaring bottom of the dress in a nice design that caught her eye. The back of the dress dipped to about her mid back, showing off her shoulder blades and part of her back. It really was a beautiful dress.

(Here is a link to the dress. Just imagine it with white flowers rather than turquoise.

http://www.elegantmart.com/Fashion/Black-and-Turquoise-Fancy-Dress-Size-Small__7003.aspx)

Her cousin had pulled her hair back so it was half-up on top of her head, while the rest of her bushy brown hair hung down on her bare back. Her hair wasn't tamed, but her cousin had managed to style it to where that didn't really matter, and the waves actually worked out nicely. She wore light make-up and silver earrings that hung just a few inches below her eyes. A necklace she had gotten for Christmas the previous year draped over her neck, silver and dipping slightly with the v-neck of the dress. She slipped on her silver open-toed shoes with a small, chunky heel. She never was on to walk in high heels very successfully. Her cousin walked in and gave her a whistle.

"Cousin, you be looking fiiiinnnneee." She said with a giggle. Jenna never was one for much subtly. Her dress was a deep red that went to her knees. The silky fabric was then covered with a sheer, black lace with flowers and small rhinestones for the center of the flowers. Her dress was strapless and she had large hoop earrings in that were Hermione's. Red lipstick stained her lips, matching her other bold make-up. Hermione smiled as she watched her cousin put on a bracelet.

"Your parents said they will be here any minute to pick us up. Well, your father anyway. Your mother is there, getting ready. Shall we go see how strapping Harry looks?" Jenna asked cheekily.

Hermione laughed but couldn't help but feel nervous. Harry had never seen her like this before, and she was a little worried about his reaction. What if he thought she looked stupid? What if he thought she looked beautiful? Hermione took one last look in the mirror. Not to be vain, but she crossed her fingers and thought Harry would surely think she looked stunning. Hopefully.

Harry was sitting on the couch when the two girls made their way downstairs. Hermione didn't want Jenna to make a big deal about it entering the room, but Jenna would hear none of it. Her mentality was if a woman was going to take the time to look good for a man, then she earned the right to make an entrance and the man better damn well appreciate it.

"Oh yoohoo, Haarrrryyyy. Are you ready to see my breathtaking cousin?!" Jenna asked as she rushed in front of Hermione to get Harry's attention. Harry laughed and stood as Hermione began to walk down the stairs.

Hermione had to fight the urge to walk slowly down the stairs like she had seen in all the movies. No, this was nothing like that. She would simply walk down the stairs as if she was only in jeans and a hoody. However, even with that mentality, Hermione couldn't fight the large, embarrassed grin that crept over her features. Blushing she finally made her way to Harry, who was grinning madly.

"Wow." His voice was slightly higher than usual. He cleared his throat and gave a cough. "Er, wow, Hermione. You look…absolutely amazing. You…" He laughed. "Really, you look absolutely gorgeous." He gave her a wink.

Hermione blushed even more. Jenna broke the silence easily. "Well, Hermione. You just got the high-pitched-slash-must-clear-his-throat-and-give-a-nervous-laugh reaction. Congratulations. He wants you."

Before anyone could say anything else, the door opened and Hermione's father stepped in. He shook his head to shake some of the snow off his head before closing the door. "Merry Christmas, everyone! Are we ready?" He asked. "Wow, you girls look fantastic." He came over and pulled them each into a hug before dropping a kiss on top of his daughter's head. He looked over at Harry and held out his hand. "You must be Harry. Hello. I'm Darrel. You've managed to clear up your issues, I imagine?" He asked, shaking Harry's hand.

Harry didn't know what to say and looked at Hermione for help.

Hermione burst out laughing as her family joined in. "He's just kidding, Harry."

Harry gave a nervous laugh. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Granger."

"Please, call me Darrel. I'm going to just grab a few things real quick then we'll be off. Make sure you grab your coat!" Hermione's father said before heading towards his bedroom.

"Oh, that reminds me. I forgot my purse upstairs. It has my camera in it." Hermione exclaimed before turning towards the stairs.

"I'll go get it; I have to get my coat anyway." Jenna said before going back upstairs, leaving Harry and Hermione alone in the living room.

"You do look really great, Hermione." Harry assured her, now that they were alone.

Hermione smiled. "Thanks. So do you, Harry. I love your shirt. It really brings out your eyes." Hermione replied.

"Why thank you, Miss Granger." Harry responded.

Hermione opened the coat closet and pulled out her brown coat. "May I help you with your coat?" Harry asked. Hermione smiled and handed it to him. Just as he held it out for her, he stopped her and said, "Wait, you didn't zip yourself up all the way." He reached over and eased the zipper of her dress up the last little bit with slightly shaking hands before helping her with her coat. Blushing, Hermione thanked him for being such a gentlemen before the other two returned and they headed out the door.

0000000000000000000000

The party was in full swing by the time the four of them made it there. The hall was decorated marvelously. A large Christmas tree was in one corner with many gorgeously wrapped packages under with, trimmed neatly with bows. A long table lined one of the walls and had so many foods on it, Harry was surprised. He didn't expect a party quite this extravagant. There were many more people there than Harry had thought there would be. He shared these thoughts with Hermione. She smiled and told him the Christmas party each year was a very big thing. It was the one time every year almost the entire family got together. They would fly in from all over. Harry was impressed and couldn't help but feel a slight pang of jealousy as Hermione was greeted by many of her aunts and uncles and cousins and great-uncles and great-aunts. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen so much of his family all at once. He pushed that thought from his mind. He was here at a party with Hermione; he wasn't going to ruin it with thoughts like that.

"Oh, Hermione! Is that you? It's been so long dear!" A voice shrieked out from behind them. Hermione spun around to see her father's Aunt Claudia. She grinned widely and gave the older woman a hug. "Dear, you look fantastic. So beautiful!" Her aunt gushed, pulling Hermione in for a second hug.

Hermione smiled. "Thank you, Aunt Claudia. I'd like for you to meet a few people. This," She said, referring to Jenna, "Is my cousin on my mum's side, Jenna. She is staying with my family for a few days. And this is a friend from my school, Harry." Hermione finished, ushering Harry closer to them.

Hermione aunt smiled up at the teens through her squared spectacles. "Aw, that's great dear. It's so nice to meet you. I've got to go find your father, but Merry Christmas!" She replied cheerfully.

Hermione nodded and after one last hug, the small woman was on her way. Jenna took this moment to excuse herself to the dance floor, saying something about some "gorgeous cousin of Hermione's caught her eye."

Hermione introduced Harry to many members of her family. She had always been sure to only say his first name, however. No one raised an eyebrow of any sort, for which she was grateful. Harry played the role of a gentlemen, laughing and smiling with all his new acquaintances. After about half an hour of meeting new people and for Hermione, catching up, the two found a deserted table to sit down.

Harry looked over at Hermione and said with a smile, "Thanks for bringing me here, Hermione. It's a really great party."

Hermione nodded. "Thanks for coming. Otherwise, this could be dreadfully boring."

Harry laughed. "There's always your rather colorful cousin." He offered.

It was Hermione's time to laugh, "Ha, no reason to joke, Harry! In her mind, she could end up snogging someone here tonight! That's not the boat I want to be in."

Harry nodded.

"What do you say we go see my grandmother before taking a seat?" Hermione offered before heading over towards her grandmother's table.

"Hermione!" Her grandma greeted her, pulling her in close for a hug. After several long seconds, she finally released her granddaughter. "And who's your friend, dear?" She asked, looking closely at Harry.

Hermione smiled. "This is my friend from school. His name is Harry." Hermione replied. "Oh, it's so great to see you, Grandma! It's been ages. Do you mind if we take a quick picture? Harry, do you mind?" Hermione asked. Harry took Hermione's camera and took two pictures of Hermione and her grandmother. "I imagine Grandpa is around here somewhere?"

Her grandma nodded. "I think he's over there, talking with your father. So tell me, how's school been? Your parents said there had been some bumps-" She gave Hermione a knowing look-"But things are running smooth, now?" She asked.

Hermione didn't know what to say at first. She knew her grandma was referring to her running away. "Things that needed to be done…were done. And now, things are pretty great." She glanced over at Harry, who was standing there awkwardly.

Her grandmother followed her gaze and smiled. "That's just lovely, dear."

"Ah, what's so lovely?" a sing-song voice asked. "Hermione, is that you? You look so grown up!" Hermione's Aunt Darlene swooped in the conversation. "Mum!" She bent down to give her mother a kiss on the cheek.

Hermione smiled nervously. Her Aunt Darlene was one of the few in the family who had any knowledge about the Wizarding World. She would never talk about it, but she wanted nothing to do with it at all. She never knew about Hermione's ability, though there were times when Hermione had often felt her aunt's beady eyes on her in almost a condemning way, as if she could read her mind. It always made Hermione feel guilty and uncomfortable.

"And who is this dashing young man?" Her aunt asked, holding out a hand to Harry.

Harry shook it respectfully and replied. "Hi, I'm Harry. I'm a friend from Hermione's school."

"Ah, yes, the boarding school in Scottland, isn't it?" She asked, loosening the strap around her neck that her camera dangled from.

After a few more minutes of uncomfortable questioning, Hermione and Harry finally managed to break away and find an empty table.

The two sat there at the table and talked for a little while longer before they stood to get their plates of food before returning to the table.

An hour or so passed, as Harry and Hermione hung out and were genuinely merry with the evening's events. Hermione pulled her camera back out and the two of them took several pictures, some goofy and some normal.

Harry was ecstatic to be there. It was definitely the most fun he had had during the whole Christmas break. That thought made him almost laugh. Just a few months ago, he had had the mindset of never being able to find a Granger's company pleasurable. Now, here he was, right smack dab in the middle of a Christmas party, full of Granger's, and he was enjoying himself immensely. The old rivalry he used to take to heart now seemed so very foolish. He looked over at Hermione, who, he had to admit, looked like the most elegant creature he had ever seen tonight, and gave her a warm smile. Honestly, who could even think of her as a bad person? Definitely someone who refused to take the time to even get to know here, that's for sure.

"Would you like to dance, Hermione?" Harry asked, almost shyly, offering her his arm.

Hermione grinned in response and took his arm gracefully as she allowed him to lead her out to the dance floor. They stood there uneasily for a few beats. Harry reached out to her awkwardly before withdrawing back.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, noticing his edginess.

Harry gave an unconvincing nod. "Yeah, I, uh, just don't think I'm very good at this. I've...danced with mum…but not quite like this." He joked.

Hermione laughed. "It's okay. I'm not very good either. I think it would be wise for, uh, you to put your hands," she grasped his forearms lightly and slowly guided his hand to her waist. "Here. And I'll put mine," she lightly placed her hands on his shoulders, "Right about here. And now…I dunno, we just sway around." Hermione laughed nervously. She tried to act more confident than she felt.

Harry began to lead in the swaying around, and soon enough, the two were too lost in the music to be nervous.

She didn't recognize the face at first
But then her eyes flew open wide
She went to hug me and she spilled her purse
And we laughed until we cried.

We took her groceries to the checkout stand
The food was totaled up and bagged
We stood there lost in our embarrassment
As the conversation dragged.

We went to have ourselves a drink or two
But couldn't find an open bar
We bought a six-pack at the liquor store
And we drank it in her car.

We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness
But neither one knew how.

"This is fun." Harry said as they slowly circled around. "Dancing isn't as bad as I thought it would be."

Hermione chuckled. "Yeah, it seems like it's-ow!" She squeaked, as Harry stepped on her toe.

Harry jumped back and began to quickly apologize. "Merlin, I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"

Hermione held up a hand to stop him. "No, no, it's fine. Shall we try again?" She asked.

Harry looked hesitant. "Are you sure your toes can handle it?" He joked before pulling her close again.

They danced in silence as the band continued to play softly as they made their way around a small portion of the dance floor. Fortunately, no toes were stepped on this time. The song began to wind down and came to a quiet halt. As the song ended, the two slowly drew apart. Harry glanced up and noticed a small thing of mistletoe hanging just above them. Hermione followed his gaze and laughed nervously. "Do we dare break the tradition?" Harry asked jokingly.

Hermione smiled. "I-I think we've had enough…kissing for one day." She replied, blushing as she looked down.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Cause I don't want to come back down from this cloud
it's taken me all this time to find out what I need yeah

"Come Down" BUSH

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"This is true," he agreed. They both looked up at the plant once more. To break the awkwardness, Hermione suddenly pulled out her camera and held it up to Harry. They moved closer together and Hermione held out the camera and snapped a quick photo. Jenna suddenly bounced up from behind.

"Hi cousin!" She cried. "I am having such a great time!"

Hermione giggled. "I'm glad you're having a great time."

"You have some gorgeous cousins. That one…what's his name…the blonde." She sighed. "He's quite fit." Hermione noticed her cousin was slightly tipsy, and couldn't help but chuckle at her antics as they made their way to a table.

"I think he said he played the drums or something. It's sexy." Jenna continued.

"What's sexy?" A voice asked that belonged to Hermione's mother.

Jenna looked up. "A bloke who plays the drums, Aunt Sharon. Don't you agree?" She giggled.

Hermione's mother laughed and rolled her eyes, which Harry recognized as Hermione's trademark.

"Harry actually plays the guitar. Oh, Mum, this is Harry. Harry, this is my mum." Hermione spoke up and introduced the two.

Jenna's eyes widened. "Oh, I love musicians. Play something, Harry Potter. Play something!"

Harry looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. "I don't think so, Jenna. I don't have my guitar and-"

Hermione's mother spoke up. "Actually, Harry, it might be fun if you play something. I'm sure the band would let you join in."

Harry laughed. "Um, well, I guess I could…er play a song." How did he say no to Hermione's mother?

Hermione's mother motioned for Harry to follow her over to the stage, where the band was taking a break.

Sharon signaled for one of the band members to come over to her.

"I was wondering if my daughter's friend here could play a song while you are on your break. Just to give everyone a treat?"

The bloke nodded and motioned for them to come up on the stage. Harry took the guitar from one of the guys and walked to the microphone. Sharon grabbed the microphone and quieted the crowd. "Hello everyone, Merry Christmas! I just want to thank you all for coming. So far, we've all been having such a great time. I have a special treat for you. This is a friend of my daughter's, Harry, and he has agreed to play a song for us all before we begin the gift exchange. Isn't that great?" There was applause as Sharon put the mic back on the stand for Harry to sing into.

Harry fixed the strap on the guitar and stepped up to the mic stand. "Hello everyone. My name is Harry. I'm not going to lie, I don't know many Christmas songs, but this one is a favorite. It's been done by more artists than I can count, but personally, I fancy the Bruce Springsteen version. Well, everyone knows this one, so please, sing along!" And with that, he began to play the guitar. Soon enough, the rest of the band joined in. Harry began to sing, "You'd better watch out, you'd better not cry. You'd better not pout, I'm telling you why. Santa Claus is coming to town."

As Harry started singing, Jenna grabbed her cousin's hand and led to out to the dance floor. Hermione mock-reluctantly followed. The two girls threw their arms in the air and began to dance.

Hermione caught Harry's eye. "He's making a list, he's checkin' it twice. He's gonna find out who's naughty or nice." Harry sang as he sent Hermione a wink. "Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town."

Somewhere in the middle of the song, Hermione heard her cousin start to sing along loudly before sending out a catcall in the direction of the stage, causing Hermione to laugh and roll her eyes. she had to admit, he was doing a pretty good job.

Jenna was dancing around and accidentally bumped into a middle-aged lady. "Oops, sorry there, Miss." Jenna quickly apologized. "When my cousin's main squeeze Harry Potter gets on the guitar, everyone gets a little loose!" She giggled before letting out another catcall.

The woman raised an eyebrow, "Harry Potter, you say?" She asked quizzically.

Jenna nodded distractedly before shrugging off the woman and walking over to wrap her arms around her cousin from behind, not seeing the stranger lift a camera to snap a picture of Harry during his performance.

"He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows if you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good, so you'd better be good for goodness sake. Better be good for goodness sake!" Harry sung loudly, his eyes drifting closed for a split second. As the song drew to an end, the Granger audience broke out to a soundly applause. Harry took a dramatic bow, feeding off their energy, before stepping back up to the mic. "Thank you and I'd like to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas. Thanks for letting me be a part of all of this, and, if it's okay with her, I'll just turn the mic back over to Mrs. Granger." He flashed one more smile before lifting the guitar from his shoulder and placing it in its stand. He stepped off the stage and easily made his way over to Hermione, who greeted him with a large grin.

"Way to charm over my family, Harry. I bet they like you more than they like me!" Hermione joked.

This caused a laugh from Harry. "Well, it is a gift," he replied, earning a playful slap on the arm from his friend before allowing him to escort her back to their table.

Soon, Hermione's mother was at the table with two small buckets, one for the gentlemen and the other for the ladies. Everyone drew from their respective bucket and peered closely at the paper in their hands that had a small number scribbled on it. Harry asked Hermione what it was for.

"Well, now we start the gift exchange. Because there are so many people here, it's hard to buy for everyone. So instead, everyone buys one present per member in their family, keeping it within a certain price range. It gets a number. Everyone draws a number, and they get the present with that number on it. For example, you have, "She leaned over to take a look at Harry's paper, "Number fourteen. You'll get the number fourteen present. Just like I'll get number thirty-seven. This way, everyone gets a present, and no one breaks the bank." Hermione explained.

Harry nodded, and they sat there quietly as the rest of the numbers were passed out and the exchange began. Hermione's mother called numbers out chronologically, and people went up to the tree and accepted their present from Hermione's father and another woman who was helping. Harry walked up to them awkwardly, but felt more relaxed when Hermione's father greeted him with a smile. "There you go, Harry." He said, giving Harry a small box wrapped in a Christmas-tree patterned paper.

Soon, all the presents were passed out, and everyone opened their presents at once.

Harry tore open the green paper and pulled out a box about six inches long. He opened the box to find a decently sized pocket knife laying in a dark blue felt. "Wow." He said, pulling it out.

Hermione looked over at him over her own Christmas present, which was a Bath and Body Works complete shower set.

"Do you like it?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, it's brilliant. I don't have one of these." He flipped the knife open for further inspection. "What about you?" He asked, not looking up.

Hermione laughed. "It's nice. I guess I'll smell good for awhile."

Harry smiled, "That's good. I didn't want to tell you, but…it was becoming almost unbearable." He laughed.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"So, now what?" Harry asked, slipping his knew present in his pocket.

Hermione shrugged. "Nothing really. Everything winds down from here. Maybe a last little bit of mingling, and then people start to leave. We'll probably start to clean up soon. Luckily, there's a fairly long list of people on the clean-up committee."

Harry gave a snort. "I think only your family would have such committees."

Hermione gave him a quizzical look before decided not to even comment.

As the party wound down, and goodbye's and Merry Christmas's were exchanged, the decorations and trash began to get cleaned up. Harry, Hermione, and Jenna all tackled the decorations while Hermione's other cousins started with the trash.

Harry watched as Hermione and Jenna laughed while taking down ornaments from the tree. `Hermione is so great,' he thought warmly to himself before letting out a small sigh as he got back to work.

Soon, the large room was cleaned up nicely and all who remained was Hermione's family. After giving the room more last once-over, which turned three once-overs, they finally piled into Hermione's father's gray SUV and made their way back to Hermione's house. By the time they got back, it was almost ten-thirty. Hermione's parents disappeared into the kitchen and Jenna headed upstairs to get to bed, leaving Harry and Hermione in the living room. Hermione went upstairs to get Harry's present from her before returning downstairs.

"Thanks for coming over today, it's been great." Hermione said, handing Harry his present.

Harry took it and gave her a smile. "Thank you. That's the best Christmas party I've ever been to." He told her.

Hermione laughed. "Even better than Hogwarts at Christmas?" She asked.

Harry nodded. "Much better."

After a few more minutes of small talk, the two exchanged hugs and farewells. Finally, Harry Disapparated away with a small `pop.'

Hermione sat there on the couch, alone for a few minutes, going over the night's events. This had been one of the best Christmas's she had ever had.

Hermione's mother came in the room. "Harry gone, dear?" She asked.

Hermione nodded. "Yeah, it was getting late."

Sharon smiled. "He seems like a nice boy. Your father likes him." She pointed out sitting down beside her daughter, giving an exhausted sigh.

"That's good. He is pretty great." Hermione replied, laying back.

The two talked for a few more minutes before heading off to bed. As Hermione got in her bed, she heard the phone ring and couldn't restrain the smile that made its way onto her face as she picked up the phone.

"You've barely been home for fifteen minutes." She greeted him.

"And?" Harry responded.

Hermione giggled. "You're impossible." She told him, laying back down in her bed.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The little things, you do to me are
taking me over, i wanna show ya
everything inside of me
like a nervous heart that, is crazy beating
my feet are stuck here, against the pavement
i wanna break free, i wanna make it
closer to your eyes, get your attention
before you pass me by

"The Little Things" COLBIE CAILLAT

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

With Christmas over, the rest of break seemed to speed by. Hermione's cousin left the day after Christmas, which saddened Hermione slightly, but at the same time, it was a nice breath of fresh air. Sometimes, it's good for someone to leave before the nails came out due to being in each other's company for so long. Hermione had thoroughly enjoyed being with her cousin.

Harry had come over once again, and Hermione gave him a tour of her hometown. He told her about what had been going on with their mutual friends Ron and Draco in return, as well as his parents. They had been curious as to his whereabouts on Christmas, but finally gave up when he told them he was just at a new friend's house. He told her he had the feeling his dad may have known it was a girl, but decided not to share what the Marauders had walked in on just a few days before.

Harry had also spent more time with Ron and Draco, in an effort to not get too attached to Hermione. However, he noticed though he did enjoy their company, his mind always drifted back to his female friend and he unintentionally brought her up in conversation a lot. He tried to ignore the looks this caused his friends to frequently share.

The return to Hogwarts finally came. Despite their almost constant contact during the holiday, they were both still secretly excited to see each other. Hermione almost felt bad. She was so thrilled to return to Hogwarts, and she had barely had the chance to see her parents. Yet, here she was, ready to leave again. She tried to push these thoughts from her mind, and instead vowed to write more often. She also felt bad for not being able to see Clarence at all during the holiday, but Clarence had been on holiday with her family some place warm, and sounded like she was having a good time.

With all these thoughts behind her, Hermione boarded the Hogwarts Express and searched out Harry. And Ron and Draco too, of course.

As she passed down the main hallway, peering into each compartment, she accidently bumped into another student. She quickly apologized before going still upon recognizing his dark blonde hair. He was blocking her way now. "Er, excuse me." She said softly, trying to squeeze past him, but he wasn't having any of it.

"Have a nice holiday?" He asked politely, but Hermione could tell his real intentions were anything but polite. She hadn't had much of a run-in with him in a long time. He had no power over her any longer, she knew this. She knew the kind of person she was, and who she wanted to be. Everything Avery had ever told her had been lies. He had beaten her. Attacked her. Tried to persuade her. She was sick of it.

"Excuse me." She repeated, a little more persistently. She noticed his eyes flash dangerously. Her wand was in her carrying bag, so she could not reach it. One of the compartment doors opened, but quickly closed, as if whoever it had been did not want in on the trouble occurring in the corridor of the train.

"I believe I asked you a question." Avery said menacingly, stepping closer to her, earning a shiver of fear from Hermione.

Before Hermione could reply, a voice from behind her spoke, "And I believe she asked you to move."

Hermione whipped around to see Harry and Draco standing there, peering on lazily. Ron was just a few steps behind them, holding a Pumpkin Pasty. Once he reached his friends, he looked up to see what was going on. "Oh," He uttered softly before dropping his treat and crossing his arms, as if in a dangerous manner. Hermione fought the laughter that shook in her stomach.

"Aw, if it's not the Dream Team. I don't remember inviting you into this conversation." Avery replied, unperturbed.

Harry pushed past his friends to Hermione's side. "And I don't remember Hermione being asked to be harassed by the likes of you." He retorted. "Now step down."

Avery just smirked. "Going to flash your Headboy badge at me, Potter? I'm not harassing anyone, I'm just asking a fellow student about their holiday. No harm in that."

"Move, Avery." Draco said vehemently, coming forth and making his way even in front of Harry and Hermione. "Move or be prepared to take quite the ass beating. You know how to hit around on girls, don't you? How well do you do up against men?" He taunted angrily.

"Malfoy. Such big words from a little worm like you. Scared to embrace your family, but not too scared to embrace a Mudblood-" His words were cut short from Draco punching him in the nose.

Harry lurched forward to hold his friend back, while Ron rushed to stand in front of Hermione. Pushed from the action, Hermione observed in horror as Avery drew a fist back, and instead of striking Draco, aimed for Harry, who didn't see it coming. "Stop!" She screeched, unsure of what to do. "Stop! Stop!" But her cries were unheeded . Soon, her three friends were attacking the solo Avery. The space was cramped, leaving little space for creating powerful punches.

Hermione desperately dug into her bag and finally pulled her wand. "Expelliarmus!" Hermione screamed, causing the four boys to jump apart from each other. They all stopped and starred. With four sets of eyes looking at her, Hermione was at a loss of what to do. Finally, she managed to find her voice. "Stop." She demanded, almost angrily. They each had a few bumps and bruises, though Avery by far had caught the worst of it.

Ron, Draco, and Harry all turned to look back at Avery, who was sneering, his teeth stained red with blood. "The three of you can all go find a compartment and gang-bang the bitch, for all I care." He said nastily, causing a rise from Harry, who had the pocket knife he had gotten for Christmas out in a flash and inches from Avery.

Avery laughed, though Hermione could detect a sudden small glint of fear. He stepped back and disappeared behind a door.

Everyone's eyes now focused on Harry, almost in disbelief. He suddenly felt foolish and put his knife away. Refusing to catch anyone's eye, he led the way to an empty compartment in silence. The better part of the trip back to Hogwarts was spend in a similar manner.

By the time of the Welcome Back Feast, compliments on each other's blows were being shared and Hermione was just rolling her eyes at their antics. All the awkwardness had passed. When they came face to face with Avery again, who was nursing a fat lip, black eye, and a bruise on his cheek, everyone had to stifle their amusement.

The night ended early, despite classes not starting until the day after next. After a lingering good night between Harry and Hermione, they each finally made their way up to their separate dormitories.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

All of the things that I want to say just aren't coming out right
I'm tripping on words
You've got my head spinning
I don't know where to go from here

There's something about you now
I can't quite figure out
Everything she does is beautiful
Everything she does is right

"You And Me" Lifehouse

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Harry felt himself rudely awoken the next morning by Draco, who was shaking him violently in an attempt to wake him up, his eyes wide. "Harry, wake up!" He called, pulling his cover away.

Harry sat up groggily, "Was su madder?" He asked, slurring his words. Once he saw the worry on Draco's face, he was suddenly wide awake. "Is it Hermione? Did Avery do something?" He asked, jumping out of bed and pulling on the nearest pair of pants.

Draco shook his head. "No, but your parents are here. Both of them. Here, look at this." He said, tossing what Harry recognized as the Daily Prophet towards him. Harry caught it and took a look at the front page, where he saw his own face. There were two large pictures on the front, both taken from Hermione's Christmas party. One was of him on stage, singing; while the other was of him and Hermione, each glancing above them at the mistletoe that hung. Above the pictures where the headlines: Harry Potter: To Catch A Granger Under The Mistletoe.

Wow, and it's about time this chapter ends! Please Please Please review. I hope you like it. The next chapter it gonna be big, obviously. I hope everyone sticks around to read it. Once again, please review. I haven't had the time to write much or even reply to the old reviews from last chapter, but I will try to get that done tomorrow or maybe to night once I get off work. Well, thanks for reading and I hope you like it!

Until next time,

*~Archie~*

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