A.N. Hey everybody, this is my first attempt at a one-shot so I hope you all like it. I hope it isn't too confusing or anything. Please read, and REVIEW! I like reviews! Please, even if you just say one word, I would love to hear from people about how they think my writing is. So please, read, enjoy, and review!

Mistletoe

Hermione Granger Loved the Christmas season except for one thing, Mistletoe. She hated that green and white little plant that kept cropping up wherever she went, and she always swerved to avoid it. She had even found different routes to all her classes just to avoid that loathsome little plant. It worked relatively well until one day the Heads of the School held a meeting. Since it was an "emergency meeting" that meant that Hermione had a free class during what would normally be Transfiguration. As normal, she headed to, where else, the library. Her favorite place in all of Hogwarts, she proceeded to the Library, ducking around more mistletoe and was blissfully unaware that she was the topic of conversation in the teachers meeting.

The next morning, the entire school knew the object of the "Emergency Meeting" the teachers had held yesterday. It was only a few days till Christmas, and the Yule ball was fast approaching. None other then Victor Krum, famous Quidditch star, had asked Hermione only yesterday, in the library of course. Hermione was terribly excited because she normally was never asked for anything first, unless it was for help with homework. Hermione was very preoccupied with this amazing news and so she didn't notice the new decorations that had been added to the hall overnight. In fact she didn't notice until she had spotted Ron eating his food disgustingly fast (Harry was still asleep, he slept late most days). At this point, Hermione looked around, and nearly gagged.

The entire hall was covered in mistletoe, and the teachers were all wearing some on their hats. There was mistletoe on the ceiling, on the walls, and even on the tables. She pretended to ignore the fact that there was a mistletoe hanging right above her head, and broodingly pulled some porridge towards her. Almost immediately after the post had come Dumbledore stood up, apparently to make a speech.

"That's odd." Thought Hermione, "Dumbledore doesn't normally make speeches at breakfast time." She had to stop thinking though because Dumbledore had started talking.

"I hope that all of you have not failed to notice the new decorations that have been added all around the school." (Hermione gagged again, and he continued.)

"These have been placed around the school to celebrate the upcoming Yule Ball. You may not have noticed, but" at this point he chuckled maddeningly, "these mistletoe that you see, are magically bewitched so that when you stand underneath one, you can not move until you have been kissed.

I am sorry, but some of them have gotten quite out of hand and have actually been moving around the school and tracking down people. These ones are different. You will be able to move, but when your date, or your crush, also stands under the mistletoe, then you must kiss or you will be rooted to the spot until that person kisses you. However there are some rules to this "holiday treat" as I like to call it. You cannot have someone else come and kiss you if they are not the ones stuck under the mistletoe with you, and you will not be able to see the mistletoe until both people are underneath them. These were not part of the original plan, but they seem to work splendidly. I hope you have as much fun with them, as I have had with making them. Now Pip pip, and off to classes with you!" The entire school got up and left with much grumbling, and scraping of benches on the stone floor.

Hermione stayed rooted to the spot though. She was horribly appalled at Dumbledore for playing such a joke on them, and was quite aggravated. Why would Dumbledore do such a thing? She decided it was just a joke, and was getting up to go to Care of Magical Creatures when Neville ran up to Hermione.

"Hermione! Help me!" Neville seemed very panicked about something. "Hermione I forgot to do the homework, and I really need your help, and—Oh My God!"

Hermione quickly looked up to see what Neville was gaping at, and instantly went weak kneed. Mistletoe hung above Neville and her heads, and as they both tried to move, they found they were stuck to the stone floor right outside the great hall.

"Great, thanks a lot Neville." She snapped. Hermione did not like this change of events not at all. She didn't mean to snap at Neville, but this was just too much.

"Hermione, I'm really, really sorry about this, but I really needed the homework, and I'm so sorry!"

"Its fine!"

"No it isn't! Look at the mess I made! I seem to mess up everything!"

"Neville it's fine, but seeing as we are going to be late for Care of Magical Creatures, we need to either kiss already, or miss class. And I can't miss class! We have final exams in only six months!" Hermione was becoming frantic now, as she didn't want to hurt Neville's feelings, but she really didn't want to miss class.

"Ok, well then…." Said Neville. And to Hermione's astonishment he began to get closer and closer to her. Hermione did not like this one bit, but then what else was she supposed to do? She puckered up, and quickly kissed Neville. Immediately after it happened she found that she could mover her feet again. She gathered her bag, and her homework, and quickly walked out to the grounds. Neville followed close behind, and was trying to say something, but Hermione didn't want to hear it. Finally, right before she reached the greenhouses Neville grabbed her arm. He pulled her aside and said very quickly:

"Look Hermione, You are brilliant, and you are so nice to me, and help me with everything, and are the only girl who has ever even talked to me, and so I was wondering if, you, would come to the Yule Ball with me?" Neville looked highly embarrassed after he said this and turned bright red. He suddenly seemed to think that his shoes were more interesting then her face and stared at them.

Hermione didn't know how to answer, she already had a date to the ball, but she had just kissed Neville, and he was ever so cute! She shook her head and began preparing herself for her answer that she knew she had to say. You can't just blow off an international Quidditch star after all!

"Look, Neville-"

"No, Hermione its fine, I shouldn't have asked, its just you look so beautiful, and I just thought-"

"Well Neville I'm really sorry, but I'm actually going with someone else to the Ball. If I wasn't I would have said yes." Ok, now she was lying through her teeth but it made Neville look so happy.

"Who are you going with?"

"Ummmmm, you know Neville we really are getting late for class. See you there!" Hermione left at top speed hoping against hope that she would get to class on time, and no one would ask her where she had been. She didn't want the story going around that she had kissed Neville!

The rest of the day was spent dodging mistletoe, and was only forced to kiss once more. This one was Krum, and no wonder she had been trapped under the mistletoe with him; he couldn't keep his eyes off her. She quickly kissed him and then ran away, grateful that it was the library that just happened to be deserted. Except for one person she failed to see as she rushed out. Fred Weasley had seen it all and was thinking about it. Hermione made it to the common room to find Harry, Ron and Ginny sitting there. Harry and Ron were laughing about something, Hermione, who had noticed that they weren't at dinner wondered what could have possible been the source of laughter on an empty stomach.

"Why weren't you two at dinner?"

"Because-oh shut up laughing, you two—because they've both just been turned down by girls they asked to the ball!" It was Ginny who answered, and this statement made Harry and Ron stop laughing in an instant.

"Thanks a bunch Ginny." Ron said sourly.

"All the good looking ones taken, Ron? Said Hermione loftily. "Eloise Midgen starting to look quite pretty now is she? Well I'm sure you'll find someone who will have you."

Ron was suddenly staring at her in a completely different way, and Hermione was starting to get freaked out.

"Hermione, Neville's right—you are a girl…."

Only took you three years, she thought.

"Oh, well spotted." Her lofty tone was gone, replaced by a venomous voice.

"Well—you can come with one of us!"

Oh my goodness is this day going to get any worse?

"No I can't!"

"Oh come on," he said with the air of being superiorly right, "we need partners, we're going to look really stupid if we haven't got any, everyone else has…."

"I can't come with you," Hermione was now blushing, "because I'm already going with someone."

"No your not!" said Ron, "you just said that to get rid of Neville!"

Was her really going to argue with her?

"Oh did I?" Hermione was getting into her stride now. "Just because its taken you three years to notice, Ron, doesn't mean that no one else has spotted I'm a girl!"

Ron gaped, and then smiled. Odd

"Okay, we know you're a girl," he said. "That do? Will you come now?"

This guy was so stupid sometimes.

"I've already told you! Hermione said very angrily. "I'm going with someone else!" She stomped off to the girl's dormitories a few moments later, and threw herself on her bed, hoping that she could just forget this day and move on.

The next day, the mistletoe was still up, and Hermione was getting rather annoyed. The Yule ball was only a few hours away, and Hermione needed time to think, not to avoid being kissed by yet another boy. (This really was getting out of hand). On the ceiling of almost every hallway there was some sort of mistletoe, and Hermione found it was very difficult to get to the library when so many people were rooted to the spot. She finally decided to go outside, and watch the Weasley's and Harry have a snowball fight. At a quarter to five, she left to go get ready, because no one else knew how long it took her to get ready. After playing a few more minutes, Fred claimed he was hungry, and followed Hermione up the front stairs.

Fred had seen Hermione leave, and so decided to follow her. No one but George knew this, but he had had the biggest crush on Hermione ever since last year. Fred was angry that he had seen her and none other then Victor Krum kiss! This made Fred so angry that he couldn't concentrate on throwing snowballs anymore. Fred followed Hermione up the stairs, and through the empty common room. Just before she started up the stairs Fred called out to her.

"Hey, Hermione!"

She turned around, looked at him, and she blushed. Why would she blush? Fred wondered, but he pushed the thought from his mind, and focused on the task at hand.

"Hermione, who are you going with to the ball?"

Hermione blushed even more, and didn't say anything. Fred continued. " Well I was just wondering because I saw you snogging Victor Krum yesterday in the library, and I was wondering if you had a crush on him, or if he was your date." There he had said it.

Hermione gaped at him, and he was tempted to tell her that her impression of a fish was quite amazing, but decided against it. He waited for Hermione to say something, and after a few moments in a very small voice she said "yes."

"Yes to what?"

"Yes to I am going to the ball with Victor, but he is not my boyfriend. I have a completely different guy that I like, and I wont tell you who it is." As she said this she had been growing closer and closer to him. Suddenly all Fred could see were her beautiful eyes. Beautiful eyes? Since when had he had a thought like that?

She was now staring up at him, in absolute horror, and he looked up too. Mistletoe hung above their heads, and Hermione was not happy to see it.

"God, I HATE mistletoe!" Fred nearly lost his hearing at her outburst. "I hate mistletoe, and I hate how this is the third one that has followed me around, and I don't like kissing people just because I can't move! This is terrible! I really need to be getting ready for the Yule ball—."

Before she could continue Fred had bent down and kissed her on her lips to shut her up. Then he pulled back smiling.

Hermione stood there looking at him, with an odd look in her eyes. "What was that?"

"A kiss, if I wasn't mistaken." Fred smiled.

A half smile lit Hermione's face, and she said in a sweet voice that made Fred want to faint, "Well, why did you stop?"

Fred's mouth fell open, and he stared at Hermione as if she was mad. Did she really just say that?

"Well I-." But he was stopped before he had time to respond. Hermione was kissing him. And so he did the only thing that made sense any more. He kissed her back. They stood that way for what seemed like hours, it could have been minutes, or several wonderful years, he never knew. All Fred knew was that it was the best kiss he had ever had, and that he wanted it to go on forever. Fireworks had exploded in the pit of his stomach, and a tingling sensation had traveled all over his body where Hermione was touching him. Her hands were wrapped around his neck, and his around her waist. He pulled her closer, and when her tongue asked for entrance, he gave way to her. But before Fred knew what was happening Hermione had pulled away.

"Well," she said smiling, "I guess you know who my crush is now." She smiled and then turned away, and walked up the stairs to the girls' dormitory, and all Fred could do was watch.

He walked dazedly to his own dormitory, and began getting ready for the Ball.

At a quarter till eight he went to go meet Angelina by the Great Hall, and he was not the only one thinking that he wasn't dancing with the person he loved.

And as she saw Hermione teaching him how to say her name, he wasn't the only one, who felt a wave of jealousy.

And as he saw her with Krum, he wasn't the only one wishing that she was his.

Fred Weasley had completely and irrevocably, fallen in love with Hermione Granger.