Do They Know It's Christmas Time at All?

Islay 12 here. Yes I know, the title implies a song-fic but I was actually just listening to it while trying to type up Rowena Insight Chapter 8 but I wanted to write this instead.

Have you ever wondered if the witches and wizards of Hogwarts have a religion? Or are they pagan? Does the Christian church shun them for being witches? Cause it's against Christianity to be a witch. So I started writing bout Hermione and the reason for the season.

I don't own the Harry Potter series cause then I'd have been a published kindergartener.

Note: I do not mean to offend anyone by writing about the Christian faith and a bit of the Jewish, so if you're Muslim or Hindu I don't mean to exclude you.

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Hermione watched the little flakes of snow drift outside her window. It was her ninth Christmas, one more and that would be a perfect ten. She smiled and skipped downstairs, two steps at a time in happiness. It was a beautiful Christmas Eve and she had a beautiful life.

When she got downstairs her cousin Emily was shaking all the gifts under the tree. Emily was the opposite of Hermione: she had straight blonde hair and perfect teeth, along with clear grey eyes.

Hermione came up beside the girl and touched her hand to Emily's. "Hello Emily."

Emily turned her head in the midst of pressing her ear to a silver box. "Oh." She said surprised. "Hi Hermione. Where did you come from?"

"Upstairs." Hermione explained. "What are you doing?"

"I'm checking to see if mummy got me a 1990 Holiday Barbie doll." Emily said shaking the gift.

"But why are you doing that." Hermione asked. "Christmas isn't about gifts. It's about baby Jesus' birthday."

"Who's Jesus?" Emily asked. Hermione looked at her in disbelief, but seeing the blank look, she knew Emily truly didn't know.

A year later Hermione had met Harry and Ron but neither of them gave any indication about knowing what they were celebrating on December 25th. Both just treated it like some frivolous event with food and gifts and Father Christmas. They never even asked what the plain t shaped object was around her neck.

In second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh year: every Christmas, Ron and Harry would just raise third glasses to the holidays. But never one mention of the Baby Jesus.

It was like she was a loner. A witch who believed in a religion which scorned witches. Maybe witches weren't supposed to have a religion. Or maybe it was because she was a muggle-born that she felt so out of it. Being brought up on muggle traditions which could never mix with her new customs.

Hermione didn't know what to do. She wanted to be a witch, but at the same time loved her faith. Mary, Joseph, Jesus, God, were all part of who she was. She prayed every Sunday meticulously. During the holidays, when she wasn't with Ron or Harry she would got to mass with her family. She loved her faith, but kept it a secret from the wizarding world.

It was three years later. Hermione was twenty and working in the Ministry. She knew all would work out. Even if no one else could see it, she knew that the Holy Spirit had been working for the side of good. It was a few days before Christmas and she was straightening the small wooden cross in her office.

"I'll see you later Hannah."

"Alright Neville, have a good time at Temple." Came a sunny voice from outside her office.

Hermione got up and opened her door to see Neville in a small Jewish cap. Her eyes widened and she mouth gaped a little bit. Neville turned to and saw Hermione. He stared at her.

"Hermione. Hey." He said nervously.

"You're Jewish?"

"Ya, started going after the second war."

"Why? Aren't you pureblood?"

"Well ya." Neville said tugging at a hank of hair. He stepped into Hermione's office. "But after I saw everyone die, I kind of thought about how life's so short and what would happen after it. So I decided to go to Temple."

"But don't Jews not like wizards?" Hermione asked.

Neville picked up the cross from Hermione's wall. "Don't Christians hate them as well?" Hermione blushed.

Neville interlocked his fingers and leant his elbows on the desk. "Hermione, if God didn't want witches and wizards, why would he put them on earth? The hatred is just a human element for fear. I think that everyone should have some form of belief in a higher power, otherwise what's the point of living? We need somewhere to go afterwards, someone to create, to set the rules of humanity. So my philosophy is that there can be wizards who believe in Elisha or the Narizite." Neville said holding the cross.

Hermione took the cross from Neville's fingers, "I never thought about it that way."

"That surprises me Miss Hermione Granger. I thought you would be smarter than that." Neville smiled and got up. "I wish you a happy Christmas."

Hermione smiled softly and looked skyward. "Happy Hanukkah Neville."

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So whatever you are, have a happy holiday!

Love Islay Sinclair.

Ps. I think the Patil twins are Muslim and Luna is a Wicca (I can see her dancing under the moon at the winter solstice).