All They Want For Christmas...

Giving

December 29th had come quickly upon Draco and Hermione. They hardly noticed the passing of days at Hogwarts when they were with each other. They were always talking, laughing, getting to know each other. And the more they got to know each other, the more they genuinely liked about each other, and Draco hardly mentioned the gift Hermione got from Ginny. Hardly being the operative word.

They hadn't kissed since Christmas Eve, hadn't had any romantic contact whatsoever, but that didn't mean that sexual tension didn't hang between the two so thick that you could cut through it with a knife. Every once in a while, one of them would slip and say something uncharacteristically flirtatious. A heated stare down would then ensue, both of them mulling over in their minds whether or not this was a good decision. Both scared of rejection, of what would happen if they gave into their desires. They were alone together.

Hermione could no longer deny the fact that she was quickly developing feelings for the boy that had once been her sworn enemy. She knew that Harry, Ron, and Ginny would have her head if they knew. She'd lose all of her friends over it... and the rest of the wizarding world? Just because Voldemort was defeated didn't mean that prejudices against muggle borns had completely died off. There were still plenty of old families who had managed to stay neutral during the war and keep their points of view, the Zabinis and the Parkinsons to name a few. If anything became of her and Draco... anything serious... She didn't know what would happen. They could lose everything. They could be put in danger... she wasn't going to risk hurting Draco, even if it meant her unhappiness.

Draco was falling, and falling fast. Every moment he was with her it was like truly being alive. He finally had someone he could connect with on an intellectual level, someone who shared his sense of humor, someone who just seemed to get him. And every time he looked into those honey-brown eyes of hers he felt himself surrender just a little bit more of himself to her. He was completely confused, and frustrated, and agitated. He dreamed about her almost every night now, wanted to pull her into his arms like they had the first time they had gone out to play in the snow. When he saw her stretched out on the couch with a book he wanted to go lie beside her and just breathe her in. He had determined that he had a serious problem, but he had no clue what to do about it. This was uncharted territory for him, and so he fought it. He fought it with just about everything he had. He tried to force himself to find the things that he once hated about her, but her blood no longer mattered to him and he could find no other grounds to dislike her.

She was beautiful. She was perfect.

She was off limits.

The other two members of the golden trio would never allow it. They'd come and kill him in an instant, Azkaban be damned.

Not to mention the rest of the Wizarding World.

"Can we go flying again?"

Draco dropped the book he had been reading. "Absolutely not."

"But Draco, I-"

"No, Hermione." Draco practically glared at her. "You nearly died last time. I'm never letting you back on a broom again."

"Draco, I'd be more careful this time! I'd hardly leave the ground!"

"NO, Hermione." He said again forcefully.

"Not even on the back of your broom?"

This question made Draco hesitate. He was loathe to put her in any kind of dangerous situation ever again, but at the same time he wanted so badly to feel her arms wrapped around him tightly, relying on him for warmth again... "When?"