Winter's Night
Disclaimer and A/N: If it's familiar, I don't own it. Written for HPFC One Character Competition. Set during Sorcerer's Stone. Uses prompts shiver, silver, mittens, freezing, and mistletoe. It's 351 words long.
It was nearly Christmas, and Hermione was still at Hogwarts doing late-night research on Nicholas Flamel. Tonight, however, she was taking a break from her studies and going for a walk by the lake. She'd put on her silver mittens and cloak over her flannel pajamas and laced up her shoes before heading outside into the freezing December air. She shivered as her body adjusted to the cold.
As she neared the lake, she spotted a flash of silver-blonde hair in the moonlight.
Malfoy.
He spotted her and made his way over. "Relax, Granger, I'm not going to hurt you."
She sighed, her breath visible in the frosty air. "All right, fine. I suppose you couldn't sleep either."
He shook his head. "Not a wink."
They walked in relative silence towards the lake. Then, she spoke.
"What are you really doing, Malfoy? It's not like you to go five minutes without teasing me for my brains, my looks, or something."
He laughed- a cold, bitter sound. "I saw you leaving the castle and wanted to make sure you were all right."
She snorted. "Sure you did."
He paused, hesitated on how to phrase his next words. "The truth? I like you, Granger. As in, like you, like you. I've just never been good at showing my feelings."
She didn't reply at first, and he was certain he'd screwed up somehow. Then she spoke. "Let's head back inside."
It was a long and quiet walk back to the Great Hall. When they got there, they were about to part ways when Hermione spoke up. "Much as I hate to admit so, I think I feel the same way for you, Malfoy."
He half-smirked, half-grinned. Then, he saw a clump of something hanging above their heads. "Mistletoe."
She groaned, but then she stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him on the cheek. HE blushed and she walked off. "Good night, Malfoy."
He stood there for a moment longer, touched his cheek where it was still warm from her kiss, and walked off to go to sleep on that winter night.