Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
This fic was written for the Twin Exchange's Monthly Challenge for December.
I used the pairing Fred/Hermione, the prompt 'unwanted present', and the quote 'I can never have enough of these'. The theme is, of course, Christmas.
Season of Good Tidings
An odd feeling of foreboding washed over Hermione as she entered the almost empty common room. Perhaps it was the knowledge that the fire crackling merrily had been lit by slaves. Perhaps it was the knowledge that she hadn't yet wrapped her Christmas presents. The most probable reason, though, was the fact that Fred, George, Harry and Ron were huddled together in the corner. They were plotting something, she knew it. She slowly walked over to them, her head tilted as she caught some of their whispered conversation.
"No, no, you put that bit here, and then this bit here should be white, see?"
"Are you kidding me? That makes it look like a snake!"
"That's because you made these the wrong colour, they should be white, too!"
Hermione stood right behind them and cleared her throat loudly. The four boys jumped guiltily, and Fred turned to face her.
"Hermione!" he said cheerfully. "My favourite little bookworm, my love, my world, what are you doing here?" Hermione raised her eyebrow.
"I have a feeling that I've caught my boyfriend and the Three Stooges here doing something they shouldn't," she said. Said boyfriend and two of the three stooges looked blank at the reference. Only Harry understood it.
"Rude," he said.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Hermione," Fred said loudly. "We're not doing anything!" Hermione nodded her head.
"Okay," she said, leaning in to give her boyfriend a kiss. Before he knew what was happening, Hermione had reached around him to grab the thing the boys were working so diligently on. It was a large red ball made out of glass.
"A bauble?" she asked in confusion, as George, Harry and Ron laughed at Fred's bewildered expression.
"Turn it over," Harry told her when he'd stopped laughing. Hermione did so and squinted at the odd embellishment.
"Is this a snake?" she asked, making Harry, Ron and George laugh again.
"Told you it looked like a snake!" George said gleefully, thumping Fred on the back. He then grabbed the bauble and touched it with his wand, muttering an incantation before handing it back to Hermione. She took one look and snorted, before turning to her boyfriend.
"A ferret. So you took me seriously when I said 'There's always Christmas'?" she asked.
"Of course I did, Hermione," Fred said, grabbing the bauble back. "We're making a tonne, see? We're going to give them to all our friends." Hermione shook her head and looked at the table. There had to be at least twenty ferret-embellished baubles in red and gold.
"Did you design this spell yourself?" she asked as she picked up a bauble and examined it closely.
"Yes," the twins said in unison. "But Fred keeps trying to alter it," George added. Hermione gave Fred and George a look.
"You two could do so well at school if you just focussed," she told them.
"Oh, but you do that bookish, perfect thing so well," Fred said, putting an arm around Hermione. "Would you like to make some baubles?"
"No, thank you," Hermione replied. "I'll just leave you to it. Anyway, I have to go and wrap presents."
"What did you get me?" Fred asked automatically. Hermione just waved as she walked up the stairs to her dormitory.
Hermione awoke early the next morning. So early, in fact, that she was dressed by six. She made her way up to the sixth year boys' dormitory and pulled open the curtains surrounding Fred's bed.
"Bloody hell, Hermione," Fred croaked as Hermione sat down on his bed. "What time is it?"
"I don't know, about a quarter of six," Hermione responded. "Merry Christmas." At that, Fred sat up quicker than Hermione had ever seen him move.
"What did you get me?" he asked. Hermione laughed and threw him his present. Fred reached under his bed and pulled out a neatly-wrapped present and passed it to Hermione. He unwrapped his present.
"A book?" he asked quizzically. Hermione shrugged. "I am who I am," she told him. "But did you look at the title?" Fred did so. As he did, his face cracked into a huge smile.
"'A Prankster's Guide to Special Occasions'," he read. "What, you think we need help?"
"Certainly not," Hermione replied. "But it never hurts to learn something new." She opened her present. When she saw what it was, she scoffed.
"A Malfoy bauble," she said. Fred shrugged with a grin.
"I am who I am," he told her. He then reached back under the bed and pulled out another present. "Here." She unwrapped the new present and squealed.
"A book!" she said, and threw her arms around him. Groans were heard throughout the room.
"Who's squealing?" George groaned, pulling open his curtains. "Oh, Merlin, Hermione, what time is it?"
"Are you going to look at the title, Hermione?" Fred asked, his voice muffled by Hermione's hair. She disentangled herself from him and looked at the title.
"'The History of House Elves', oh Fred!" Fred shrugged.
"I can be serious, and not just about ferrety baubles," he told her. He turned to his twin. "Merry Christmas, George!" he said, and threw a present to him. George threw one back, and they opened them at the same time. They cracked identical grins and held up their identical baubles.
"I can never have enough of these," they said in unison. Hermione shook her head with a smile and kissed Fred on the cheek.
"I'm going to go and see Harry and Ron, give them their presents," she told him. "I'll see you at breakfast."
There was merriment in the air at breakfast. Students were talking about their presents, and in the case of the girls, what they were wearing to the Yule Ball that night. The merriment, however, didn't extend to Malfoy, who stomped over to Harry, Ron, Hermione and the twins.
"You think you're funny, do you?" he spat at them. Hermione looked at him in confusion, but his anger was made clear when he slammed down a box—in it was a red bauble with a gold ferret embellishment. Hermione looked at Fred.
"What, don't you like it?" Fred asked, with a fake hurt expression on his face. "I thought you'd like one. After all, you were the inspiration." He turned to Hermione, the hurt expression still on his face. "I hate it when people don't like their presents," he told her. George put his hand on his twin's shoulder.
"Can't win them all, brother," he said. Malfoy looked like he might hit the twins.
"Professor Dumbledore!" Hermione said in relief as the Headmaster arrived at their table.
"Merry Christmas," Dumbledore said. He then peered into the box. "I say, what an interesting bauble. Is that a ferret?"
"Yes, sir," the twins answered in unison.
"That is delightful. Would you mind making one for me?" Dumbledore asked. "I do so love to have unusual baubles on my tree in my office."
"You can have this one, sir," Fred replied.
"Thank you, Mr Weasley," Dumbledore said, picking up the box. He then wandered back to the staff table, leaving Malfoy giving a wonderful impression of a goldfish.
"Sorry, Malfoy, but no use letting an unwanted present go to waste," Fred said. Malfoy gathered his wits and turned back to the Gryffindors.
"You aren't funny," he told them, before stalking back to the Slytherin table. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred and George then turned back to their plates.
"What's the next holiday?" Fred asked in between bites.
"Valentine's Day," Hermione responded.
"Excellent. Time to put that book to good use, my love."