All I Want for Christmas

A/N: This is my first attempt to write fan fiction of any sort. Plus, I don't have the knowledge that most of you do about Harry Potter, as I've only read fan fiction and seen the movies. I've tried to be as true to the series as I can considering my knowledge, but the story may be slightly AU. Please be constructively critical of my work. Thanks in advance for your kindness. Maybe I'll write more of these in the future if this one goes well.

Thank you to everybody who's reviewed so far. This chapter is certainly a bit of a make-up for the shortness of the last couple chapters, as this is one of the longest chapters so far in this story. I hope that all of you will enjoy it. Please read and review.

At the suggestion of one of my reviewers, I'm going to ask people to include their guesses as to when Harry and Hermione are going to get engaged in their reviews. I look forward to reading your guesses. I will say that I will not comment on them, so as to keep you all guessing.

If any of you want to try to figure out where I'm going, you might want to read my replies to people's reviews, as I will occasionally drop a hint in there. However, be wary, I have been known to toss out some red herrings too. Speculate at your own risk.

Disclaimer: I own only one of the characters in this story, and he appears in this chapter. I didn't include him in the A/N for any other chapter because he only will appear in this chapter, and I only thought of the idea for him while I was writing to help me get to where I wanted to get to more efficiently. All other characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

All I Want for Christmas

Chapter 15: What Do I Get Him?

You could cut the tension between Harry and me with a knife right now, Hermione thought to herself as her dad drove them towards a destination that neither of the passengers in the backseat knew.

Harry had been staring out the window for most of the trip thus far, sneaking occasional glances at Hermione, while she watched out the front windshield to try to determine where they were going.

“It's awfully quiet back there,” Mrs. Granger said to Mr. Granger just loud enough for Harry and Hermione to overhear.

Mr. Granger replied concernedly, “It's too quiet. Hey, Harry,” he said over his shoulder, “Are you excited for what could be a magical Christmas tomorrow?”

“Huh?” came a surprised voice from behind him. “Well…I umm….suppose it could be a magical Christmas,” Harry said, risking a quick glance in Hermione's direction, and being greeted by Hermione's tenderly smiling face, which led Harry to take a peculiar interest in his window again.

Is Harry being so shy because he doesn't want to tell me that he fancies me? How would I respond if he said he did? To be honest, I'm not sure how I would respond anymore. Would I slap him? Cry? Hug him? Kiss him?

“Umm…Harry,” Hermione started shyly, “Ginny said that the rest of the Weasleys love Luna.”

“I know,” Harry told her, keeping his gaze on his window. “Ron said that in his letter to me.”

“Ron sent you a letter? Why?”

“Just to let me know how things are going at The Burrow and to discuss guy stuff.”

“But Ron never sends a letter unless somebody sends him one first. Did you send him one and not tell me about it?” Hermione asked, grabbing Harry's shoulder, turning him to face her.

“No, Hermione. That's not the sort of thing that I'd keep from you. I was just as surprised as you are when I saw it,” Harry told her, looking square into her eyes to prove that he was being honest.

“When did it arrive?”

“The same time as your response from Ginny. What did she have to say anyway?” Harry inquired.

Crud! I don't want to tell him about what Ginny said. How do I get myself out of this one?

“Well…” Hermione stammered trying to give herself time to come up with an excuse.

“We're here!” Mr. Granger called out, pulling into a parking space.

Thanks Dad! You're a lifesaver!

“The mall?” Hermione asked. “Why are we here?”

“We figured that the two of you might want to do some Christmas shopping today, and I figure that Harry hasn't experienced what the mall is like on Christmas Eve before,” Mrs. Granger offered as an explanation.

Harry smiled gratefully at her. “You may never know how right you are,” he told her.

What in the world does Harry mean by that?

“Besides,” Mrs. Granger continued looking at Hermione, “didn't you say that you have some shopping left to do for some people that you've been having problems shopping for this year?”

Hermione turned bright red. I forgot that I told them that. I don't have a present for Harry yet! What in the world do I get him?

The four of them climbed out of the car and walked into the mall. As they passed approached a doorway that was only wide enough for two people to go through at a time, Mr. and Mrs. Granger casually slowed down to let Harry and Hermione go through the door first.

As Harry and Hermione started through the doorway side-by-side, Mrs. Granger called out to them causing them to turn around where they were. “You two do realize that you're standing under mistletoe right now, right?” she asked innocently.

Harry and Hermione looked up simultaneously, confirming what Mrs. Granger had just pointed out. When their gaze returned to each other, they both turned as red as the Weasleys.

You did that on purpose, didn't you Mum? Hermione silently demanded of her mum, giving her a mean stare.

“Umm…well…” Harry stammered, trying to figure out what to do.

Well…this is just…a LITTLE awkward, being caught under mistletoe with Harry…I suppose I could let him kiss my cheek. That would satisfy the obligation, but not be too embarrassing. I'm not sure that I want to let him kiss me outright here in public for our first kiss, especially when I'm not sure how we'll react to it.

Hermione turned her cheek towards Harry. He immediately caught on, grinning sheepishly before giving her a tentative kiss on the cheek.

Hermione quickly returned the deed as tentatively as Harry had done, and they were on their way. Mr. Granger making sure to allow Mrs. Granger to go through the door first so they weren't caught under the mistletoe too.

After a quick tour of the mall to give Harry a sense of what was there, Mr. and Mrs. Granger stopped at a bench to give instructions to Harry and Hermione. “We'll meet back here in three hours. That should give all of us enough time to do any last minute Christmas shopping we have to do.”

With that, Mr. and Mrs. Granger strolled off into the crowd to do their last bit of Christmas shopping. Harry gave Hermione a quick hug before he likewise wandered off into the crowd.

Hermione sat down for a minute to try to collect her thoughts. I know what I'm going to get my folks, but what do I get Harry? It needs to be something special. Something fun, but practical. I have absolutely no bloody idea.

Well, I suppose I could get Mum and Dad's gifts while I think about what to get Harry. At least I know what I'm going to get them.

Hermione started striding off purposefully to get her mum's gift, while letting herself ponder things regarding Harry and their feelings.

Why does everything have to be so complicated? Everybody seems to think that Harry and I are in love with each other. I have no idea what he thinks about this, but I'm sure he knows that people think we should be together. Even though he can be dense at times, even he's not that dense. I'm not even sure how I feel about this. I mean…he's a great guy, and the best friend a girl could ask for, but could he ever be more than that to me?

The biggest drawback on the idea of a relationship with Harry is his destiny to defeat Voldemort and the fact that he might have to give up his life to do so. Otherwise, he would easily be the most fanciable young wizard in the world…or at least Europe.

Will he ever find me to be beautiful? I'm no Cho or Ginny, so I don't think I stand a chance to win his heart. Do I even want to?

Hermione arrived at the store where she would be able to find her mum's gift and quickly went inside. Less than five minutes later, Hermione was on her way to a different part of the mall to get her dad's gift.

This isn't helping me figure out what I should get Harry. I need to focus on that first. I can wrestle with the other stuff later. They're totally unrelated after all.

Hermione's eyes went wide with a sudden realization. Or are they? Maybe if I figure out how I feel about Harry my gift to him can be a way to try to tell him how I feel. Or would that be too obvious? He may not be the brightest bulb on the tree at times, but he is still an exceptionally smart wizard for his age.

Okay…how do I proceed from here? The stuff regarding Harry and my feelings for each other may influence what I get him for Christmas, but I don't have that much time to think things through.

I know that the idea is becoming more and more believable that Harry and I may have non-platonic feelings towards each other. I know that pretty much everybody that's close to us thinks that the two of us fancy each other. I know that this wouldn't be a good time for Harry and me to start a relationship because we still have the war to fight.

Wait a minute…I think that this isn't a good time for Harry and me to start a relationship. There's no way that I could know that for sure.

At that point, Hermione arrived at the store that had the present that she was going to get her dad's Christmas present. She saw a messy head of black hair disappear quickly around a corner just before she made her way inside. That looked a lot like Harry. What would he have been doing in this part of the mall? Again, less than five minutes later, Hermione was leaving the store with her purchase.

She placed the bag with her dad's gift inside the bag with her mum's gift and wandered slowly to a part of the mall that wouldn't give away what she had gotten anybody. She sat down on an empty bench to think.

Well, I've gotten Mum and Dad's gifts…now I just have to figure out what to get Harry before we leave in a little over two hours.

What would he be able to use? What does Harry need? I want to get him something special this year, but I don't want it to be too extravagant either. After all, he wouldn't want me to break the bank on his Christmas present. He'd claim that I don't need to get him anything.

The big question is: Do I fancy him enough to get him a present that helps show him that I'm interested or do I get him something as his platonic best friend?

He's the best friend I could ask for. He's become more and more fanciable every year since I've met him. For some reason there seems to be something…how should I put this…different about our relationship recently. But I'm not sure what it is.

“Excuse me,” came a soft voice from just over her left shoulder, interrupting her thoughts. The six foot tall young man about her age looked at her with brown hair and a friendly smile on his face continued, “staring off into space like you were is an invitation to be robbed.”

“Thanks,” Hermione said as she smiled back at him. “I'll try not to space out so much next time.”

“My pleasure,” the young man responded lightly. He then gestured at the empty seat next to Hermione on the bench and asked, “May I?”

“Of course.”

The young man sat down and looked at Hermione. “Thomas Larson,” he said, introducing himself.

Hermione smiled at the friendliness and aura of trustworthiness that radiated from the young man sitting next to her that reminded her so much of Harry. “Hermione. Hermione Granger,” she told him, shaking his hand firmly.

“Pleasure to meet you,” he said. “If you don't mind me asking: What were you thinking about?”

Should I tell him? He seems to be a trustworthy person. He could be of some help to me. “I was trying to figure out what to get somebody for Christmas,” she told him.

“It must be somebody special, to have you thinking so hard on Christmas Eve about what to get them.”

“He is special. He's been my best friend since we were 11. And he was one of my first true friends. We've been through a lot together over the years.”

“Like what?” he inquired.

I know he's not a wizard, and I couldn't really tell him much even if he was. “Stuff that most people our age wouldn't dream about dealing with.”

“Like parenthood?”

Hermione slapped Thomas across the cheek. “Not that it's any of your business, but I can assure you that my virginity is safely intact,” she fumed, standing up and preparing to go somewhere else in the mall to get away from him.

Thomas jumped to his feet and grabbed her shoulders, preventing her from walking away. “I'm sorry,” he said earnestly, looking directly at her with his sparkling green eyes showing obvious regret. “I had no right to say what I did. It was wrong of me to even suggest such a thing. I apologize. Please, sit down, and maybe I can help you figure out what to get him.”

Hermione looked at him contemplatively while she debated her options. He just insulted my honor, but he did immediately realize his mistake and offered to make amends. It's sort of like he had a Harry moment there, speaking before he thought about what he said. If it wasn't for Harry, this guy could be really good boyfriend potential. Wait a minute…I haven't even determined that Harry is good boyfriend material yet! Never mind. I'll figure that out later. Thomas made an honest mistake. Most guys in his shoes probably would have done the same thing. I made a mistake by slapping him. He deserves another chance.

Hermione returned to the bench and sat down in the same spot she had vacated a moment earlier. “I'm sorry as well,” she apologized. “I shouldn't have slapped you like I did.”

“I deserved what I got,” Thomas reassured her. “You have nothing to feel sorry about.”

Hermione smiled gratefully at him. “What else do you want to know?”

“What's he like?”

Hermione smiled dreamily as she started to speak. “He's a real gentleman most of the time…He's a great listener…We know each other better than we know ourselves…He's really cute…He's amazingly kind and generous…He's really thoughtful most of the time…”

“It sounds like he's also holding your heart,” Thomas interrupted gently.

Hermione's mouth dropped open in shock as she was shaken out of her reverie. Thomas too! We've only been talking for about ten minutes and he's convinced that I fancy Harry.

“You didn't realize that you fancy him, did you?” Thomas inquired.

“I find it hard to believe. We've been best friends for so long that I find it hard to believe that we could possibly fancy each other, even though most people that know us seem to be convinced of that fact. My parents even are, and we haven't been together around them much because of the boarding school we're at.”

“Hermione,” Thomas said softly, looking directly into her eyes, “get him something that will be meaningful to both of you. Something that helps the two of you express how much you mean to each other. He'll like it. Trust me. I'm sure he loves you too.”

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. “I never said I was in love with him,” she insisted.

Thomas raised an eyebrow in return and smiled a knowing smile, much like the one her mum had given her the day before when talking with her about her feelings for Harry. “You didn't have to. I could see it in your eyes and I could hear it in the way you spoke about him. You didn't verbally have to admit it for me to know that it's true.”

He'd have made a good Ravenclaw if he was a wizard. He would have been a hit with the ladies at school too.

Suddenly, Hermione's eyes grew wide as an idea came to her. “Thank you so much for helping me, Thomas,” she said, giving him a quick hug before standing up. “You've been a huge help. I know exactly what to get him now.”

“It was my pleasure,” Thomas said, bowing slightly. “I wish the two of you all the happiness in the world. I hope to see you around sometime in the future.”

“I'm sure we'll meet again some day,” Hermione told him. “I really must be going now. Thank you again, and good bye.”

“Good bye, Hermione,” Thomas said with a big smile on his face.

Hermione strode off quickly to a part of the mall that she hadn't been to yet that day to get her present for Harry. She took a quick look at her watch. I have two hours to find exactly what I'm looking for and to get back to the meeting bench. I may need every bit of that two hours…

A/N: There Sarah, you got the mistletoe you asked for. :-P I just didn't use it the way you probably wanted me to, but this is the way it worked best to get it into my story. Some of my readers probably enjoyed the awkward moment that it led to between Harry and Hermione.

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