Imperiused (Dramione)

Christmas Holidays (Part 4)

This is for royalbella14 , AshleyClarke0 , Ginny_7, and @TFerron1 thanks for voting on my previous chapter :)

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When the clock stroke at five in the afternoon, the Weasley men started arriving at the Burrow. Bill was first, accompanied by his wife, Fleur, and their 7-month old baby girl, Victoire. Percy came next with his girlfriend, Audrey. George came too with his girlfriend, Angelina, in tow, while Charlie came alone. Their boisterous laughter made the house fill with Christmas spirit.

Andromeda Tonks also arrived before the dinner started, carrying her 8-month old grandson, Teddy Lupin. That made Harry forget about Hermione's revelations for a while, happy to see and hold his godson again.

Hermione tried her best to act jolly when the Weasley Christmas dinner began. She chatted amiably with Fleur, who was holding her baby, but refused to have eye contact with Harry and Ron.

The Christmas Eve dinner at the Burrow ended exactly at midnight, with George's colorful fireworks lighting up the night sky.

The family members not residing the Burrow left in groups, after everyone has given and opened their gifts for each other.

Hermione had given Molly and Arthur a three-night stay at a hotel in London, which delighted the couple. She gave some picture books to Teddy and Victoire, which made George say, "Typical bookworm!" When George saw her gift for him, which was a nice pair of muggle shoes, he exclaimed, "Lucky me!"

Her gift to Ginny was a beautiful red dress that she can wear on a muggle date with Harry, while she gave the two young Aurors a pair of dragonhide gloves each.

She received Molly's famous knitted jumper, which was a striped red and green this year, and some pumpkin pasties. George gifted her with a box of WWW's Skiving Snackboxes, same as the one for Ginny, Harry, and Ron.

Ron gave Hermione an assortment of chocolates, while Harry had given her a muggle book. Ginny gave her a pair of snitch earrings, that flutter whenever she moves.

It was already past two in the morning when the last guest left, making Hermione feel so exhausted.

Hermione and Ginny went to their room together after saying goodnight to the other residents of the Burrow. Both exhausted, they fell asleep immediately as the clock strikes three in the morning.

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When Hermione woke up the next day, it was already around eleven o'clock. She saw Ginny's empty bed and was glad that she was not awoken by the redhead.

She started sitting up, her head was still heavy from her sleep. She felt the first pangs of nausea as she stood up on the bed. She knew that she won't be able to get to the loo on time, so she silently conjured a bucket with her wand.

After emptying her stomach on the bucket, she scourgified it with magic and hid the bucket under her bed since she was still feeling nauseous. She sat again on her bed and tried to even her breathing before going down to face another day at the Burrow.

Hermione walked out of Ginny's room still light headed, then went straight to the second floor bathroom to freshen up. She was lucky to find the loo unoccupied and having not met anyone yet.

She brushed her teeth, ridding her the smell of vomit. She saw how pale she looked on the mirror, so she splashed some water on her face before applying a glamour charm on herself.

After brushing and tying up her hair in a ponytail, she's ready to go down to the kitchen and face her "family".

She could hear loud conversations coming from the Weasley's kitchen. They were all sat and eating brunch, chatting happily with each other. She felt loneliness creeping up on her body, how she misses her own parents!

She felt tears running down her cheeks, feeling her chest tighten as she thought of her missing parents. She decided not to enter the kitchen and ruin everyone's mood, so she just went up silently again to Ginny's room.

When she was sitting on her bed again, she remembered her meeting with Draco on the next day. Thoughts of the blonde filled her lonely mind, adding guilt to her misery.

"Hermione," Ginny called as she entered her room which startled the brunette witch still lying on the bed. "Come downstairs to eat," she invited her friend.

"I'm not hungry yet," Hermione replied softly, closing her eyes again.

"It's already past noon, Mione. Are you alright?" The younger girl asked, sitting on Hermione's bed, concern filled her voice.

"No, Ginny, I'm not," she replied sighing. "I miss my parents terribly," Hermione revealed.

"Don't worry, the Ministry would find them soon. It's Christmas Day, let's enjoy it," Ginny told her in a soothing voice.

"I don't think I could, I'm sorry. I'll just sleep again," Hermione replied, trying very hard not to cry again.

"Alright, Hermione. I'll just get you some food so you could eat," Ginny told her friend. She gave her a kiss on the cheek before going down to the kitchen.

Hermione closed her eyes again, trying to ease her pain, hoping Ginny would not let the boys see her like this.

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"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked Ginny when he saw her at the stairs. He was playing wizard's chess with Ron at the living room, badly loosing from his best friend.

"She's not feeling good. I'll get food for her so she could eat in our room," Ginny explained.

"Why? Is she sick?" Ron asked his sister, concerned about his girlfriend.

"Not really," she replied. "She misses her parents badly, she told me. It's Christmas so it's harder on her, not being with them," Ginny explained.

"Of course," Ron agreed. "The ministry's still looking for them, and Harry and I also try locating them during our free time. We should be able to find them soon," he informed her.

"Well, they should find them immediately. After all Hermione's done during the war, that's the least the Ministry could do for her, don't you think?" The young woman told the young Aurors.

"Don't worry, Ginny. We are doing what we can. We also always follow it up with Kingsley himself," Harry answered his girlfriend.

"Just make it faster, for Hermione's sake," Ginny told them fiercely.