She dipped the marshmallow into the melted chocolate, the fireplace beside her roaring quietly as she smiled. Now it was his turn, but somehow, every time he copied her actions, he got himself covered in chocolate. As he dipped his own marshmallow in, he did it with prefect concentration, his eyes narrowed almost to slits. A small smirk was creeping up on his lips as he figured he'd accomplished his mission. But in that second ego inflammation, the marshmallow fell and the chocolate drooped on the floorboards.
"This is pointless!" he outraged, throwing his metal prong into the air and dissipating it with his hand in a quick flick. "You're using magic! I know you are, Granger!"
She laughed hysterically, chocolate dribbling down her chin, "I am not! You're just doing it wrong."
"How could I possibly get this wrong?" he snapped. He snatched up a pink marshmallow and thrust it in her face while pointing his finger, "Muggles are stupid! You are stupid! And this is stupid!" he threw it into the fireplace.
She shook her head and moved next to him, "I'll show you what you're doing wrong." She conjured a new prong as he had incinerated his last one. "When you put it on, you don't just hook it on." She shoved it right on through the centre. "See? That's why it falls off you oaf."
He watched in silence and took the prong; she put her hand over his and led it to the flames of the fireplace. As the marshmallow caught on fire, they pulled it out and she blew the flames out gingerly. His left eye twitched slightly and a feeling in his stomach caused him to suck in a deep breath.
"Okay," she moved his hand, directing the marshmallow to the melted chocolate, hovering over a conjured heat plate. "Now you dip it in..." she lowered his hand as if teaching a five year old how to write his name. "Now," she pulled it up and let the remaining chocolate drip off. "You eat it."
She removed her hand and he put the treat into his mouth with a smug smile, "I knew I could do it."
She snorted and moved back to her previous position, "Yeah, you did it alright. No help whatsoever."
He licked his lips, "At least I can eat the damned thing without getting it all over my face." He leaned forward and wiped the smudge of brown off her chin, tutting her as he did so. "Now who's an oaf?"
She shrugged, "Well, I guess we both helped each other out."
He nodded slowly, "Yeah, we've been doing that a little too much lately."
"You want to go back to like we were before?" she asked curiously.
Draco's face twitched in confusion, "I don't know... we just had this thing you know? We had this chemistry thing going on..."
Her eyebrows rose, "Chemistry?"
He rolled his eyes, "Don't get excited, Granger. I just mean that you would be a pain in the arse, I'd call you out for it then you'd hex me or something. It was our thing and now it's just all... it's different now."
"Yeah, it's called maturity." She said pointedly. "Look at it this way: if we still had that chemistry would we be sitting here on Christmas Eve toasting marshmallows and laughing at each other? With each other?"
He frowned in thought, "I guess not..."
She glanced up at the clock, "It's almost midnight."
He followed her gaze, "Wow... yeah."
She smiled, "How funny is it to you when you think back to exactly a year ago when you showed up here at midnight on Christmas Eve?" she shook her head. "I'm still spinning over it, to be honest."
Draco leaned back against the sofa, suddenly interested in his socks, "Last resort I suppose..."
Draco pulled his coat closer to him, although soaked and chilled to the bone as it was. His eyelids fluttered momentarily as the rain hit his face and blurred his vision momentarily. Sighing heavily, he stepped into the gutter and jogged across the busy London street, looking each way and holding up his hand to the honking cars.
"Confundus." He muttered as a muggle walked by with his umbrella.
He snatched the polka dotted umbrella from his hands and took off at a fast pace up the sidewalk. He counted the numbers on the buildings until he saw the number he recognized. With a deep, regretful groan, he approached the doorman cautiously.
"Can I help you sir?" the muggle asked.
"I need to see Annie Jones. Room 305." Draco said, his teeth chattering.
"Is she expecting you?" he asked.
"I work with her." He replied. "She's not expect – can I just go up?"
"I'm sorry sir, unless she knows you're arriving you can't go up." He replied.
Draco grit his teeth, "Fine." He strut past the man then muttered, "Confundus."
The Confundus Charm had become his favourite over the past few weeks. He wondered why as he ran into the building while the muggle was looking around stupidly. Jumping into the elevator quickly, he hit the level number and vanished the umbrella. He scowled deeply as the elevator music annoyed him to the bone; he hated elevator music.
Stepping out onto her level, he looked either way down the hallways then took a left. He knew he shouldn't be doing this, but he had no choice. He had no money, no wand, no nothing. The manor had been taken by the Ministry, his family were on different sides of the globe – he had no one to turn to except her.
They weren't exactly enemies, yet they weren't friends. He'd found himself becoming less and less annoyed by her appearance and the fact that she was still one third of the precious Golden Trio. It wasn't true that he worked with her – he had worked with her... sort of. He fed them information during the war – that was classed as work to him.
Room 305. He stopped to take a breath then knocked, "So stupid." He muttered to himself before the door opened to reveal a very startled brunette.
"Malfoy?" she gaped.
"Granger." He said quietly.
"What are you... how'd you get... what's going on?" she stammered.
His hair clung to his face but he didn't bother brushing it away, "I need your help."
"You know," Hermione sighed. "I still wonder how you found out what name I was going by and where I lived. I highly doubt Harry or Ron told you."
"Let's just say I had some connections... called file one and file two held under strict security at the ministry." He snorted. "Those dolts didn't even see me. I was so quick – honestly, if you had've been there... would've knocked you prefect little socks off."
She smiled and let out a short breath, "Wanna open a present?"
He looked at her quizzically, "You... you got me something?"
"Of course I did!" she chuckled, rolling over to grab one of the four presents she'd gotten him. "Here."
He took the rectangular box in his hands, "Granger I... you didn't have to. I mean... I thought we agreed we wouldn't buy each other presents? You know I can't afford to buy you anything."
She shrugged, "I believe everyone deserves a Christmas present. Go on. Open it."
He sighed and started to open the box; he stared, "Granger!" he pulled a fully new furnished wand out. "Granger!"
She laughed at his expression and heightened pitch in his voice, "It's a wand, Draco. I know Wandless magic is energy draining – I am quite experienced in it as you know. I thought that every now and then you might like a change."
He shook his head and examined the wood in his hand, "Ten inches... Hawthorn Wood..." he ran his fingertips along it gently then looked at her. "Unicorn hair." He swallowed. "How did you..."
She shrugged innocently, "You're not the only one with illegal connections."
He gripped the wand in his hand and sprung forward, wrapping his arms around her. He couldn't remember the last time anyone bought him a present with such value before – let alone a present that wasn't making it's rounds to the next innocent victim in a death eater attack.
She was surprised but giggled, patting him on the back, "You're welcome."
He pulled back slightly, just enough for the room to become awfully small, "I don't... Granger, you're a bad person. Did I ever tell you I hate you?"
She nodded, "Yup."
He smiled, thanked her and kissed her cheek. They instantly both frowned as his actions startled them both. She looked straight ahead as his lips were still against her skin. Her heart thundered in her chest and she could hear his. Holding his breath, he kissed her cheek again, only this time closer to her lips.
On instinct, the muscles in her neck forced her to tilt her head only slightly and her brain forced her to look into his eyes as he came to be in front of her. She could practically see his Adams apple shaking in his throat as his eyes moved from her lips back to her eyes repeatedly.
She rolled her eyes, "Just do it already!"
He let go of his new present and cupped her head in his hands, swiftly pressing his lips against hers roughly. The tension had been building up over the past year, their friends – her friends specifically – didn't suspect anything going on between them because obviously: who would have thought that Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger would be spending Christmas Eve kissing without the presence of a mistletoe?
a/n: so it's really tame, I know, but it's a few years old. I edited it – because the grammar and punctuation was shocking! Lol. Hope you enjoyed it either way. You know what to do now! R&R!