Nargles & Neruda

'Tis The Season

The weeks passed by in relative bliss. The weather got colder and the days grow shorter, but Hermione didn't mind. Most of her evenings were spent curled up in the library with Luna studying for mid-year exams and stealing heated kisses between the stacks when Madame Pince's back was turned.

Hermione's frequent fights with Ron had settled down and their relationship devolved into a calm, casual correspondence similar to that she had with Harry. It had become far more of a friendship in nature than a romantic relationship. Although this was exceedingly preferable than their frequent lovers' quarrels, this new casualness made it all too easy for Hermione to separate Luna and Ron entirely in her mind and feel little pressure to make any real decision and formally break it off with Ron.

Slowly, Christmas seeped into the castle quite unexpectedly. In the haze of her new routine, Hermione had nearly forgotten that the holidays were so close, but before she knew it, they were upon her. Hogwarts had been decked with its usual holiday cheer and seemed to glow brighter than ever with the rosy light of the roaring hearth.

Hermione was packing her clothes and books for a two-week holiday break. It was a simple task, but it was taking her far longer than expected. Her mind was distracted, fretting incessantly about spending two weeks at the Burrow. The invitation had been extended casually, the way one extends an invitation with absolute assurance that it will be accepted. Honestly, she wanted to accept. She was excited to see Harry again and all the others to whom she'd hardly spoken for months. However, the weight of her decision hung heavy upon her in a way that she hadn't previously allowed. She felt so dishonest and so disloyal, but she couldn't tell if that feeling was more directed at Ron or Luna. Even her guilt was terribly confused.

As if Hermione's thoughts had called her, Luna's soft knock at the door roused Hermione from her distracted packing. Hermione turned to see her quietly standing in the doorway with her traveling bags in hand.

"Luna," she said with a smile, pushing her worries to the back of her mind once again.

"Hello Hermione," Luna said approaching her. "I wanted to wish you a Happy Christmas before I left, and I wanted to give you this." Luna reached into the top of her bag and produced a small, oddly wrapped package.

Once closer, Hermione could see that it had been wrapped in old covers of the Quibbler and tied with an elaborate origami bow fashioned out of the same material. Hermione took the package in her hands. "Thank you, Luna, that's so sweet," she said.

"Open it," Luna prodded eagerly.

Hermione was a bit concerned about what the gift would contain and whether she would have to feign gratitude over some inexplicable object. She was happily surprised when after gingerly removing the wrappings, she found that the present was nothing more out of the ordinary than a book.

The cover was ornately decorated and it read simply, "Nearly Forgotten Magickal Origins: Rarely Practiced Techniques of the Ancients." As Hermione opened the book and flipped through its pages, she saw spells and excerpts from diaries of witches and wizards as old as Merlin. Some names, she recollected from her History of Magic readings, but some were completely foreign to her. She was intrigued. She imagined herself delving into it in a comfortable chair in a library nook with Luna beside her and her face lit up with joy.

"Luna, this is wonderful. I love it, thank you," Hermione said quite genuinely.

Luna who had been waiting patiently for a reaction beamed with happiness. "I'm glad you like it. I thought it might interest you, even if you didn't agree with it all."

Hermione smiled and looked at Luna's dreamy eyes, wondering at the perceptive mind behind them. The gift was the perfect blend of the two of them. It rebelled enough against accepted magical practice for Luna, yet it was grounded in cited references to respected names, albeit ancient names, enough to suit Hermione's skepticism. It was perfect.