Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the plot. If there is a similar line in another story, it is a coincidence and I credit whoever it belongs to. JK Rowling owns Harry Potter, not me! Enjoy!

Hermione's Snowman

It was a cold, snowy December night, and for once, Hermione Granger could not think of anything to do. She'd already read "Hogwarts: A History" twice that day. Harry and Ron had detention with Professor Snape. That was normal. She sighed, while thinking about how wonderful it would be to be home with her parents, talking and telling jokes in front of a fire. But, no, it was not possible. She had promised Professor Dumbledore that she would help students study over the holidays. She would help the teachers clean. And in that instant, she regretted those promises. But because she was Hermione Granger, she would never back down from a promise. As she pondered what she could do about her situation, a shadow fell across the floor in front of her. A snide voice brought her out of her musings. "Where are the potter and the weasle?", inquired the one and only, Draco Malfoy.

"I do not see why you should care," she retorted, angry that he'd roused her from her peaceful thoughts. "Ha, I figured I might as well enjoy my holidays." He smirked at her expression, which was a tired one. "Honestly, if I had a choice of telling you and doing their homework for the rest of the term, I'd go with the latter option." He growled at her answer, seeing that his retort had not gotten a rise out of her. "Fine, then, Granger. How about I make you a deal." His stoic expression gave away none of his inner intentions, and for his great ability to hide his emotions, he was grateful. "Ferret, I'm not sure I quite trust you." Hermione stated bluntly. This will definately be harder than I thought, he mused to himself.

Not long after this encounter, the remaining students were called to the Great Hall. Harry and Ron were finally out of detention. Hermione wondered if she should tell them about her little problem. She decided not to until she found out the ferret's true intentions. Once the twenty students were seated, instead of dinner, they each recieved a slip of paper, coloured red, green, yellow, or blue. Red was for Gryffindor, obviously. Green, Slytherin. Blue, Ravenclaw. And yellow, Hufflepuff.

This greatly puzzled the students. Professor Dumbledore spoke to them after a few minutes. "Attention, students. Because I have recieved many complaints, I have come up with a solution to your boredom." Excited whispers could be heard from each table. Even from the stoic Slytherins. "We will be having a contest!" announced Professor Dumbledore. The whispers died down. "Each of you has recieved coloured slip with another student's name inscribed on it. Once you find your partner, you will meet with them and build... a snowman!"

Groans could be heard from every end of the hall. "Open your slips!" Hermione unfolded the green parchment and gasped. The paper slowly fell from her hands and floated to the ground. After reading the name, she promptly fell to the ground in a faint.

2 HOURS LATER

Hermione opened her eyes to see moonlight casting shadows throughout the infirmary. "Finally awake I see." She bolted into an upright position and turned her head to the voice that had spoken. There, in all his glory, was Draco "Ferret" Malfoy. "What, exactly, do you need?" she inquired. "I don't suppose you would remember, would you?" She gave him a strange look. He sighed, exasperated. "We're partners," came the forthright statement. Her lips formed an O. "Well, we should get started then."

THE COURTYARD

As soon as they stepped out of the castle, they started to shake. "That Dumb Old Door," muttered one popsicle of a Malfoy. "Suits your personality," stated Hermione. "Oh, thanks," came the sarcastic reply. "Just stating the facts." "Right...Well, let's start."

After an hour of rolling snow around, there, before them, stood a magnificent snowman. It seemed as if they both had a taste for art. After studying the frosty sculpture for a few minutes, Draco spoke. "Hermione?" She turned toward him. She was amazed that no insult followed. "Yes?"

He looked down at his feet in shame and quietly, so quietly she had to strain to hear his words, he said,"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for treating you, Harry, and Ron how I've been treating you." She was surprised, but she quickly got over her shock. She knew he was good inside. She knew her father threatened him because Voldemort threatened his family. "It's alright." It was his turn to be surprised. "How can you be so accepting?" The gentle tone of acceptance in her voice made him want to sit down and cry, cry like he's never cried before. "Because everyone has some good in them," came her soft reply. He was unprepared for the sudden sobs that racked his body. Immediately, he was in her warm embrace. He knew she really did forgive him in that moment.

They learned to accept each other, push past their differances. They helped unite the houses. They came to believe anything is possible. And in that one statement, we find many truths. When one would cry, the other would stay by their side. If one fell, the other would fall, too. But the biggest surprise is that they came to love each other.

And as every good story ends, they grew into a loving family with two children, who were the pride and joy of their lives. Everytime it snowed, Draco remembered that day. And he was so, so thankful that the headmaster was just a bit rambunctios...

And the best part is, they won the competition!