Author's Note: This story was written as part of the holiday collection: #OurFavoriteThings for Dramione FanFiction Forum, Hermione's Haven, and The Slytherin Cabal. Other stories from the collection can be found on Ao3. Even though the holidays are over, I do hope you enjoy this! Please make sure to review when you're finished! Happy holidays! Love xxDustNight

Disclaimer: All non-original characters, plot points, and information belongs to J.K. Rowling. The story plot and dialogue belongs to me. I do not write for profit.

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Just for Now
Rated: T
Pairing: Hermione/Draco
Song recommendation: "Just for Now" covered by Kelly Clarkson, Wrapped in Red
Summary: Newly engaged Hermione and Draco attend an extremely awkward Christmas Eve dinner at his parent's Manor. Will their love be enough to help them withstand the intense tension of the situation?

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Just for Now

Getting engaged right before the holidays was probably not the best of ideas, Draco thought as he watched Hermione frantically tear apart their closet in search of the perfect outfit to wear to dinner at the Manor. With his parents. His parents, who until recently, highly disapproved of his relationship with one Hermione Jean Granger. Frowning slightly from where he stood in the doorway, he thought about everything the two of them had gone through these past two years.

The backlash from their families and friends had been horribly difficult to deal with, both sides thinking they would never work as a couple. There'd been plenty of fights, crying, and cold shoulders, but they'd survived. They were stronger for it, he thought, and that is why he'd asked Hermione to be his wife just a few short weeks ago. Now, though, they had to deal with the aftermath of his decision, and he was uncertain how everyone would react.

His parents were the first to know, having received an owl earlier that week. Then, a day later, he'd gotten a reply along with the invitation for the two of them to attend Christmas Eve dinner. Together. At the Manor. He'd been hesitant to inform Hermione, but she'd taken to it like the Gryffindor he knew she was. She nodded and gave a firm smile before kissing his cheek. Hermione agreeing to Christmas Eve dinner at the place where she'd been tortured by his very aunt, well…that was something, and he loved her even more for it.

Suddenly, he noticed she was no longer rummaging through the closet, but standing in front of it, her shoulders shaking. It was a sure sign she was crying, and so he moved forward, wrapping his arms around her from behind and nuzzling his chin into the crook of her neck. She relaxed into the embrace immediately, her hands fluttering up to wrap securely around his forearms.

"What's wrong, Hermione? Why are you crying?" His voice was quiet, soothing even.

Sighing, Hermione let her teary eyes fall closed, not caring that her makeup was probably quickly becoming ruined. "I'm nervous, to be honest. Scared—I don't want to do or say the wrong thing tonight." Turning in his arms, she glanced up into his face, biting her rouged lip. "This is an important night for you and your parents."

"What?" Draco blinked in confusion at his fiancée. "For me and my parents?

"Yes, Draco. Tonight you're bringing me to your family home, not as a friend or even a girlfriend, but your future wife." She swallowed, fighting back more tears. "Despite everything, I know how much their approval of what you do means to you. I want everything to be perfect."

Draco thought about her words for a quiet moment, the truth behind them making him lightheaded. "Okay, here's what I want you to do…" He took her face in his hands, swiping his thumbs underneath her eyes to rid them of her tears. "I want you to relax and remember that it's Christmas, alright? My parents may be a bit difficult to deal with at times, but I think this is their way of making an effort to accept you—to accept us."

She took a shuddering breath, sniffling as she did so. "I guess you're right."

"I'm always right," he joked, smirking lightly. She elbowed him and he pretended to be wounded. "Hey, that hurts." It made her laugh, which is what he was going for. "Listen, just for now, put aside your worries, slip into your favorite red dress, and let's go and have a nice evening. How does that sound?"

Nodding, Hermione sniffled one last time before reaching for the hanger with her dress. As Draco made to leave the room, allowing her to get ready, she stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder. Kissing his cheek, she said, "Thank you…and for the record, it's your favorite dress."

"Too right," he replied. She giggled, her nose crinkling as he left the room.

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Later that evening, Hermione and Draco sat in the parlor at the Malfoy Manor. Both were sipping glass mugs of mulled wine, the alcohol calming their nerves. They still had a bit of time before dinner was to be served, so Narcissa insisted they'd exchange gifts earlier in the evening. Tentatively, Hermione pulled Lucius and Narcissa's gifts from her bag, handing them to Draco to distribute accordingly. She'd made certain the wrappings were perfect, white paper and gold trimmed red bows.

Lucius was first to open his gift, setting aside his tumbler of firewhiskey. He peered inside the box for a moment before extracting the green leather-bound ledger. Smoothing a hand over the surface, he glanced once at his wife before meeting Hermione's anxious gaze. "Ms. Granger, this is a lovely and useful gift. Thank you." His voice was a bit strained, but there was an honesty to it that calmed Hermione.

A smile broke out on her face and she readjusted her posture, sitting up a bit straighter. "You're welcome. Draco hinted that yours was wearing a bit thin." Draco smiled warmly at her, taking hold of her hand. The couple then waited patiently for Narcissa to settle onto the sofa next to her husband, her elegant hands untying the bow on her own gift.

She said nothing as she opened the lid to the package before reaching inside. Carefully, she withdrew an exquisitely carved music box, the smooth wooden surface decorated with hand painted poinsettias. Lifting the lid, Narcissa's hand fluttered to her neck as the first few notes of Silent Night began to play. Glancing at Lucius, she shared an unspoken conversation with him before turning her attention back to Hermione and her son.

"This is stunning…" She trailed off, overcome with emotion. Lucius took the music box from her lap, gently closing the lid and cutting off the music. "I'm afraid," she said after clearing her throat, "that our gift may not be as…heartfelt."

"Nonsense, mother," Draco said with a tightlipped smile. "Anything you get us, will be cherished." He felt Hermione tense at his words, knowing she understood the underlying meaning. Whatever they were about to receive was a gift that was bought out of necessity, not thought. Nevertheless, they both smiled as Lucius passed over the meticulously wrapped package.

Draco allowed Hermione the privilege of unwrapping the gift seeing as she'd been the one to suggest the ones they'd bought for his parents. He noticed the way her hands shook as she tugged at the silver bow, slid a fingernail underneath the edge of the green paper. Helping her open the box, he waited with bated breath as she gently pulled out the sparkling glass decanter. Carefully avoiding her gaze, he met his father's, his gut clenching at the flash of remorse he saw there.

"How did you know?" Hermione, ever full of politeness began, "It's just what I've always wanted." With a brilliant smile, she turned to Draco, handing him the gift. He quirked an eyebrow, but played along, amazed by his fiancée.

"You can never have too many of these." He returned the decanter to its packaging and set it aside before reaching for his glass of mulled wine. He drained the glass, the feel of his mother's nervous gaze on him the entire time.

"We were uncertain if you would have use of it…" Narcissa trailed off, standing to check on the dinner. She left the room momentarily, both to compose herself after the embarrassment of gifting such a subpar present, and to see how much longer their meal would be. Lucius, stood as well, collecting their empty glasses to set upon the drinks cart by the nine foot tree.

Draco and Hermione sat there quietly, both feeling the awkwardness of the evening settle around them once more. Leaning over, he gave her a brief kiss on the cheek, glad to see the small smile of reassurance grace her lips. They only had to make it through another two hours or so…they could do this.

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Halfway into to dinner, and Draco couldn't believe how horribly of a turn the night had taken. All was well until the house elves had come into the dining room to serve the meal. All ten of them. Having fought valiantly for the rights of house elves since the end of the war, Hermione was unable to keep quiet, immediately launching into a line of questioning regarding their care and wages. Narcissa and Lucius sat there, forks and knives in hand, staring at her with flabbergasted looks upon their faces. Bless his parents, they answered each question to the best of their ability, clearly following all laws required of them.

Each time she'd ask a new question, Draco would gently kick her under the table, silently urging her to choose a new topic of discussion. She would give him a stern look, but not back down, her fiery Gryffindor side clawing its way to the surface. He loved her desperately, but when he heard his father mumble, 'Will someone make her shut up about it,' to his mother he knew he had to do something drastic before it got out of hand. His father was bound to lose his cool sooner or later, but he preferred to avoid that entirely.

"Can we settle down please," he asked everyone, thankful when their voices quieted. Hermione nodded at him, a blush appearing high on her cheekbones as she reached for her glass of wine. His mother smiled at him thankfully, her hand reaching out to hold her husband's on the tabletop. It felt good to have his mother on his side, as always.

"Hermione, dear, I've read all your books and pamphlets on the subject of House Elf rights," the elegant Mistress of the house explained. "I take great measures to ensure that all our house elves are treated exactly as they should be."

"Oh," Hermione said, sounding defeated. "That's—that's good then."

"Yes," drawled Lucius, his finger tracing the rim of his wine glass. "It would be rather awkward to be arrested by my son's fiancée at Christmas Eve dinner."

Blinking, Draco stared at his father in complete and utter shock. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione bite her lip, and heard her sharp intake of breath. Narcissa, clearly unable to deal with the situation any longer, excused herself as she abruptly stood from the table. She exited the room, leaving the three of them in stunned silence.

Knowing his mother, she was crying, or close to it. She never left the table unless utterly upset. Draco shook his head at his father, biting down on his tongue as he breathed heavily though his nose. He had no idea how the evening could be salvaged at this point.

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S'mores.

His mother was cooking s'mores while she sat on the floor in the living room. That's where they'd found her after deciding dinner was over. Trying to break the tension, Hermione immediately walked to the hearth, settling down next to Narcissa and helping her with the treats. Draco and Lucius watched in abject horror, and fascination, as the two ladies bonded over the fireplace. Clearly, his family had gone mad.

Nevertheless, Draco followed his father further into the room and took a tentative seat on a chair close to the warmth of the fire. Hermione tossed her hair over her shoulder, sending him a brilliant grin in the process. He reached out and cupped her cheek, happiness filling him as her eyes drifted closed momentarily.

"I've read about these treats," Narcissa explained, her voice full of cheer. "I thought they might be a fun dessert for us tonight. I've bought peppermint chocolate and specialty made marshmallows." As she talked she handed out the ingredients to those around her. Sharing a confused look with his father, Draco took what was given to him and waited for further instructions.

"This is a lovely idea, Narcissa," Hermione chirped, happily sticking her marshmallow to the end of a metal rod created especially for roasting food items over a fire. She handed the rod to Lucius and then slid out of the way, indicating that he should come forward and cook his treat.

"Could someone else do this…," he began to protest but was stopped by a narrow-eyed look from his wife. Snapping his mouth closed, he stepped forward and stuck the marshmallow into the fireplace. Narcissa beamed up at him before preparing the graham crackers and chocolate for when he was finished. "What do I do now?"

"You just watch it and wait for it to be toasted to the right amount of burnt-ness." Hermione shrugged up at her future father-in-law, a smile tugging at her lips. His eyes narrowed at his marshmallow, almost as if he were trying to calculate how long it would take.

All of a sudden, the marshmallow burst into flame, the fire engulfing the entire morsel. Lucius yelped, tossing aside the rod. The others watched in horror as the flaming marshmallow landed on the floor in the middle of the expensive carpeting. Draco jumped to his feet as it began to singe a hole through the flooring. Narcissa dropped the chocolate she held, grabbing for her wand. She sent a stream of water at the fire, dousing it quickly, but the damage was done.

"Now, you've gone and ruined the whole thing," Narcissa sighed sadly as she met her husband's wide eyes. She then perched herself on the edge of a chair and turned her face away from everyone.

Hermione gingerly rose from the floor, slipping her hand quietly into Draco's. He squeezed it reassuringly as his father went to the drinks cart and poured himself another tumbler of firewhiskey. Taking a sip, he met Draco's penetrating stare, and was surprised to find regret in the grey orbs.

"Perhaps, we should go?" Draco didn't want to leave like this; he wanted the night to be perfect, just as he suspected his parents did. Lucius nodded his reply, turning and vacating the room. Narcissa said nothing, continuing to stare into the fire. Standing, Draco led Hermione towards the doorway. Stopping him, Hermione tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "Merry Christmas, Narcissa. Thank you for the beautiful evening, even if it didn't quite turn out the way we all had planned." Then, she allowed Draco to tug her out into the hall and toward the front entrance.

He noticed her tears had returned as he was helping her into her jacket. After making sure she was bundled against the cold of the outside, he pulled her close and kissed her gently on the lips. Her breath hitched as she tried to control her emotions, her words quiet and full of sorrow when she spoke. "This was a bad idea, Draco…get me out of here, please."

Kissing the tip of her nose, he whispered, "Anything for you, my love." Looping his arm through hers, he reached for the door with his other hand. However, he was stopped by the clearing of a throat. The couple turned toward the sound, both surprised to find Lucius and Narcissa standing there. The older couple looked more distraught than Hermione even, so when the former stepped forward, Hermione instinctively snuggled closer into Draco's arms.

"Ms. Granger, I do want to apologize for the way this evening has panned out. It was not our intention to offend or make you feel anything less than welcome." He reached out, his hand taking hers and bringing it to his lips where he kissed her knuckles. "Please, forgive us our transgressions."

Hermione blinked back at the Malfoy patriarch, unable to speak. Her eyes drifted to look over his shoulder at his wife, who was now stepping forward as well. Narcissa slid in beside her husband taking Hermione's hand when he had released it to her. She wrapped both her surprisingly warm hands around it and squeezed softly. "Hermione, dear—I know we've not been the kindest to you, but I want you to know that we love you, especially for how happy you've made our son. We'd like you to stay for a little longer, if you wouldn't mind. It's Christmas, after all."

Hermione tore her stare from the Malfoy matriarch to gaze at her fiancé. He merely smiled, letting her know the choice was all hers. He wanted her to feel comfortable, and if she wanted to leave, he would support her wish. The young woman glanced at Lucius, who was staring at her without hate on his face. Instead, she saw hope shining out of the grey eyes that resembled Draco's so very much. When she finally took a deep breath to answer, wanting to say maybe another time, she was surprised that Narcissa spoke again, her voice almost pleading.

"Just for now, please."

"Of course, we'd love to stay a little while longer."

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, and then Draco was guiding her back into the house, Narcissa and Lucius leading the way as they talked merrily about the possibility of another glass of mulled wine and a slice of chocolate cake that was beyond divine. When they were resettled in the parlor, Draco leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Everything alright, love?"

"Yes," Hermione replied almost breathlessly. "Everything is wonderful. Merry Christmas," she added toasting to Draco and his parents.

"Merry Christmas," they all chorused, their smiles warming her to the core, reassuring her that perhaps it was possible to set aside their helplessness's and differences after all.