Disclaimer: I own nothing. J.K wrote Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which this fic is based on. I do not own the quotes I used from the aforementioned story.

A/N: Here is my Christmas present to you! A short one-shot about Hermione's first magical Christmas. Not
quite AU, but not quite cannon.

Hermione Granger's First Magical Christmas


By her eleventh Christmas, Hermione Granger wasn't one to believe in silly fairy tales. Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle; Santa wasn't real. Her mummy and daddy brought her all the presents, everybody knew that. Late at night on Christmas Eve, they would sneak past her bedroom door, arms full of presents to leave under the Christmas tree.

How on earth could one overweight man carry a sack of presents all the way around the world in one night? It wasn't logical.

But by her twelfth Christmas, she reconsidered her previous assumptions. Hermione couldn't be more exited about her visit from Jolly Saint Nick. Magic could make it possible!

She trudged up the stairs with Harry and Ron after Potions, her last class before the holidays. The air from the Entrance Hall warmed her to the core. After being in the freezing dungeons for a double with Snape, it made the slight warmth coming from the doors to the Great Hall a welcome relief.

Harry and Ron came to a stop in front of her and she had to slow to avoid colliding with her small, raven-haired friend. A large fir tree was blocking their path, and the large face poking around it could only belong to Hagrid.

As Harry and Ron asked if they could help him, Hermione pondered what she would get the boys for Christmas. Chocolate Frogs for Harry? Yes, yes. And Every Flavor Beans for Ron…

"WEASLEY!"

Hermione spun around and saw Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes. Snape stood glaring at Ron, while Hagrid tried to plead that Ron was provoked.

"-Malfoy was insultin' his family," said Hagrid. Snape held up a pale, spidery hand.

"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwart's rules, Hagrid," Snape said silkily. "Five points form Gryffindor, Weasely, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along all of you."

Malfoy and his cronies pushed past Hagrid and his tree, spreading the pine needles everywhere. Malfoy smirked and sauntered up the hallway towards Hermione, pine needles scattering around his feet.

"Daydreaming, know-it-all?" he sneered, pushing her roughly into the wall.

Hermione huffed indignantly and pushed him back, sending him into Goyle. Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles menacingly. "If you want to continue being mean, Father Christmas won't bring you any presents!" The three Slytherins roared with laughter.

"Father Christmas? Merlin, Granger, I thought you'd be smart enough to figure out he's just a fairy tale," said Malfoy. Hermione turned bright red.

"Is not," she mumbled at their retreating backs. She turned and followed Harry and Ron to check out the newly decorated Great Hall, her Christmas spirit dampened only slightly.

But her spirit was rekindled when she stepped into the Hall. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicle, some glittering with hundreds of candles.

It looked magnificent.

"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" asked Hagrid.

"Just one," said Hermione. "And that reminds me – Harry, Ron, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should get to the library."

After a short argument with Hagrid, they headed off to the library to find more information Nicholas Flamel.

On Christmas Eve, once her parents had gone to sleep for the night, Hermione snuck down to the lounge-room where their Christmas Tree stood in all it's glory. Red and gold strings of beads replaced the tinsel - her mum always insisted on an elegant tree – and baubles were scattered over it. The advent calendar hung on the wall, telling all that it was Christmas Eve.

Hermione sat down behind the couch, as not to be seen by Santa Claus, who, she was sure, would arrive through the fireplace at any second.

Three hours passed, and Hermione was starting to snooze, just as the fireplace erupted with a wonderful green light. She was startled out of her sleep and checked to make sure her entire body was hidden as a man stepped out of the fireplace.

His entire body shook with a jolly laugh as he spotted the milk and biscuits Hermione left our before she went to 'bed'. He settled himself on an armchair next to the fire and ate the snack, smiling in appreciation at the Christmas tree.

He wore a scarlet cloak and boots with white fur trimming and shiny black boots. A thick leather belt round his middle accentuated his bulging belly, and held up by his rosy cheeks were a pair of oval glasses.

Hermione gasped. It was Santa.

Her looked over at her sound, and winked. Hermione blushed and came out of her hiding place. As she sat on the couch, he took out a snow white wand and levitated the plate over to her. She smiled and took one of her mum's special peanut-butter-choc-chip biscuits gratefully, savouring the taste.

He brushed the crumbs off his hands onto his cloak and stood. He winked at her again and waved his wand in a circle around the room. Bright red and green sparks shot from his wand and splashed over the couches and walls, each spark separating into smaller sparks, and soon the whole room was filled with the glittering Christmas light.

Her stocking was filled with lollies (Sugar-free, of course) and little toys. The tree was almost knocked over as the floor around it was filled with presents.

And as she sat, mesmerized by the magic of Saint Nick, only one thought ran through her head.

Suck on that, Malfoy.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed my little Christmas one-shot! I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it! If you got confused at the start, Hermione started Hogwarts when she was eleven, but by the time it was Christmas, she was twelve.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love, Maddie