The Dragon and the Angel - [Draco/Hermione]

Chapter Nineteen - Christmas Week-End

Meeting the Marauders fans, you'll get a kick out of this chapter. ;)

Chapter Nineteen - Christmas Week-End

Miah had been right about the date, and Draco didn’t even want to over-stress his brain to figure out how. When they arrived back at the castle, they were surprised to find the doors open, and McGonagall standing a few feet away in her dressing gown, waiting up for them. She nodded curtly to them all before turning on her heels and returning to bed. In the Great Hall, she had left four plates at the Gryffindor table, left-overs from the feast.

Draco was appreciating Hogwarts much more now; in fact, it seemed that so were Harry, Ron and Hermione. The weeks flew by as Christmas grew ever-nearer and snow began to cover the grounds. More Hogsmeade visits were issued and another would be coming up two days before Christmas. Draco resulted in getting Ron and Harry’s gifts there, maybe a new broom for Ron, but Hermione proved to be much harder to shop for. This fact meant that she was in his mind much more often than usual, which was saying something.

They now sat together in lessons and no one dared question it. After all, who would defy – out of admiration, of course – the famous trio? And – out of fear – who defy a twice-convicted Death Eater? Blaise Zabini, however, was more enthusiastic than Draco believed he would be. In Herbology, he had walked straight up to the four of them and asked if he could join their group when they had been in need of a fifth person.

Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Draco and Blaise were all meeting in the Room of Requirement that night to exchange gifts (the trio hadn’t gotten Blaise anything, and he was alright with that)  because Blaise, Ginny and Ron were going home for Christmas. Harry and Hermione, of course, were welcomed at the Burrow and Draco could go to Malfoy Manor, but Hermione reminded all of them that Christmas break was the perfect time to find out more about the mysterious pain they were feeling in their scar-slash-Dark Mark.

“Who’s going to be in the library during Christmas break?” Hermione reminded them in whispers over breakfast the morning of the Hogsmeade visit (Draco’s last chance to find Hermione anything before the night’s meeting in the Room).

“I dunno, maybe people who want to past their exams in June?” Blaise offered. Draco had assured the lot of them that Blaise was trustworthy (they weren’t quite sure on Goyle or Pansy yet) and he had been put up to speed with the last few months of pain.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Blaise with a smile on her face.

“No one in our year is going to be in the library, Zabini. The Hufflepuffs have Quidditch practice, there’s a Charms Club meeting for the Ravenclaws and all participants of the Battle of Hogwarts don’t have to worry about passing exams: Kingsley said none of us needed N.E.W.T.s if we wanted to be Aurors or Ministry workers.”

Ron spit out his pumpkin juice, narrowly missing Ginny’s face, which had suddenly lit up. She voiced what everyone around them was thinking:

“If you fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, you don’t need your N.E.W.T.s?” she demanded and when Hermione nodded, slammed her Potions book shut and tucked in her bag without another word. She scooted closer to Harry and rested her head on his shoulder. Ron was too busy waving across the hall at Lavender, who blew him a kiss and went to talk to some Ravenclaw friends, to notice.

“She’s a lot less clingy than she used to – okay, I’m leaving!” Ron cried, turning around at the precise moment to see Harry kiss Ginny on the head. “Anyone coming? Blaise, come on–”

Sighing and rolling his eyes discretely at Draco, Blaise stood up like the good friend he was and followed Ron out of the hall. Despite what Ron had begun saying about Lavender not being as clingy, she followed him out faithfully.