"'Mione, do we really have to put these up without magic this year? It would be so much less effort just to use our wands," Draco whined as Hermione brought over a string of muggle fairy lights in her hands.
He rested his right hand gently on the left side of her waist. "Besides, then I could snog you under the mistletoe more," he purred in her ear.
She giggled and lightly pushed him away with her hip. "Don't you get whiny with me, Draco Malfoy, or there will be no snogging under the mistletoe at all," she teased sweetly as she twirled away from him, fairy lights still in her hands. "Come on, you're going to learn how to do this whether you like it or not! It's time you learn more about how I used to live before I learned I had magic. Grab the hooks, will you?"
Draco rolled his eyes but did as she asked, knowing that if he stepped one toe out of line, he was sleeping on the couch for the next week, no questions about it. Nevertheless, Hermione's ferocious temper and refusal to let go of things quickly made him love her all the more. That was one of the reasons he'd gone out and bought her a gorgeous gown for the Ministry Christmas Eve ball coming up in a few weeks. The dress itself was rather simple: luxurious black silk that would cling to her curves in all the right ways; the back was open, with a loose lattice of gold chain that was connected by a thin gold snake in the middle. It was rather alluring and had immediately appealed to Draco due to its inherent Slytherin symbol and the way he knew it'd fit his witch perfectly.
They began by wrapping the tree in white fairy lights, laughing at Draco when he got himself wrapped up in them from spinning too much. As Hermione began focusing on hanging ornaments on branches, Draco bewitched a sprig of mistletoe to move around the flat and directed it towards Hermione. Silently, he moved behind her until the enchanted mistletoe had caught both of them.
Hermione, unaware of the mistletoe hanging a few feet above her head, struggled against what seemed to be an invisible barrier, a sparkling silver ornament in her hand. "Draco, what's going on?" she whirled around at his low chuckle and glanced up, a blush tinting her cheeks.
"You are so ridiculous, Malfoy," Hermione said sarcastically, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and pulling his lips down to hers and engaging him in a light, tender kiss.
Draco opened his eyes after they broke apart and smiled at her. "I do hope you're saving some of that for later, Granger."
"Oh just you wait till after that blasted ball is over," she replied. "I'm going to be so tired from socializing and being Miss Perfect all night. Speaking of, I don't have a gown yet," she frowned as she hung the last ornament on the tree.
I reached above her and placed the star on the top of tree. "There's no need; I've already got one for you. Think of it as an early Christmas present," Draco stated smoothly. "It's hanging in your closet now."
Hermione quickly rushed to their bedroom and flung open her closet doors to search for said gown. Draco loped in casually after her, waiting for her to bring it out. She reemerged momentarily, the silky material gathered in her hands. "Draco, this is too beautiful! You know how I don't like you buying me such expensive things!"
"Nonsense," he waved his hand dismissively. "Don't put it on until the night of the ball, though. I want to see how breathtakingly beautiful you are in it only then," Draco instructed. "Merlin's beard, it's gotten late. You and your insisting on decorating the muggle way kept us up! Come on, time for bed!"
He snagged her around her chest and brought her in for a quick hug before releasing her to change into her sleepwear. Hermione slept on her side with her head nestled comfortably on Draco's left shoulder while he lay on his stomach and had his left arm slung loosely about her waist.
~*~*~Christmas Eve~*~*~
"Love, we're going to be worse than fashionably late if you don't get out here!" Draco called from the living area. Nervously, he patted his right trouser pocket, reassured the small box was still there, and that he was going to do as he'd planned to.
A loud thump came from their bedroom and heels clicked on the hardwood as Hermione entered the living area. "Well, what do you think?" she asked, spinning around in a slow circle.
Draco's breath was sucked right out of him as he turned to look at Hermione. The dress looked like it'd been made just for her, hugging all of her curves but retaining enough modesty for her liking. Her exposed back made all sorts of tremors run through him, but he ignored them and simply stared slack-jawed at his witch.
Without realizing it, he'd crossed the short distance between them and cupped her face with his hands. "You are more radiant than the sun, moon, and stars combined," he whispered silkily before leaning down and kissing her passionately enough to leave both of them a little dizzy.
"Well now we'll definitely be late. Let's get going, then! I haven't seen Harry and Ron in ages!" Hermione said, gathering her coat and gloves and following Draco out the door of their flat.
"You saw them on Tuesday! That was four days ago!" Draco said exasperatedly. Hermione looped her arm in his and he apparated them to the Ministry.
The moment their feet touched solid ground again, the paparazzi hounded Hermione and Draco with cameras and recording devices, curious to know if their relationship was real or all just a fluke to get Draco back into the public's good graces. With professional ease, they navigated through the sea of reporters and made it inside the ballroom, free from the press, and sighed in relief. They gave their coats to a waiting employee and instantly made way for the bar.
"Two firewhiskeys, please," Draco ordered. He noticed everyone's eyes were on the beautiful woman beside him and he protectively put an arm around her waist.
The bartender set the two shots on the bar in front of the couple and watched as they downed them in sync. "One more?" Draco asked Hermione.
"One more," she confirmed. The bartender poured them another round and they downed them just as quickly. "Let's see if Harry and Ginny are here yet!"
Draco followed in Hermione's wake as she ran into old friends from Hogwarts and chatted amiably with each of them as they searched for Harry and Ginny. He kept a firm arm around her waist yet chose to speak little, knowing his reputation was still not so spotless, and not very many people knew about his and Hermione's relationship. Actually attending the Ministry of Magic's Christmas Eve ball was a new thing for them as well—she'd feared backlash and disbelief from everyone last year, so they'd stayed in for Christmas.
More and more people arrived, and the level of merriment soon rose as more staff members took to the dance floor and the alcohol. "Hermione, care to dance?" Draco whispered in her ear.
"I'd love to," she answered. There was a slight delay as a stray sprig of enchanted mistletoe flew over the couple, allowing Draco to take full advantage of Hermione's bewilderment by kissing her passionately enough to convey his ideas for later that night.
They broke apart, both breathing a little heavily, and continued to their original destination. She followed his every move on the dance floor in nearly perfect synchronization until a waltz came on. "Oh, I'm terrible at waltzing! Let's take a break; it's a bit warm in here, isn't it?"
"Oh no you don't," Draco said, keeping her right in front of him. "You're going to learn how to waltz right now, with me. It's a simple three-step, see? One-two-three, one-two-three, there you go! See, I told you it was easy," he instructed, smiling as she continued mimicking his steps. "Now you just let me lead, and we'll waltz all across the floor."
Immediately he spun her around and they began waltzing like she had never known she could. Both were blissfully unaware of the stares in their direction; they were lost in each other, and in the music. Eventually, the music died down and everyone applauded the couple, much to their chagrin. They waved awkwardly and took seats at a nearby table.
Ginny rushed over to them with Harry in tow, looking gorgeous in a midnight blue gown and smart in a crisp tuxedo, respectively. There was an exchange of unintelligible words between the two women as the leading men in their lives awkwardly watched. The girls engaged in animated conversation for the better part of an hour while the men nursed drinks quietly, letting them get all of their socializing out of the way.
Draco lazily looked at his watch and nearly had a heart attack. It was pushing a quarter to midnight, and he still had to get Hermione back on the dance floor. Merlin must have been listening because Hermione's favorite song to dance to with him began playing from the orchestra on stage. She turned and looked at him, hope shining on her face. Wordlessly, he took her hand and led her onto the dance floor once more that night.
They danced in slow circles, with emotions clear on their faces. As the song came to a close, Draco knew what he wanted for the rest of his life: her. They broke from their dance form and he deftly dropped his hand into his pocket, his hands beginning to sweat at the prospect of the feat he was about to do.
The clock read one minute to midnight, and that was all he needed. His fingers grasped the small box and he wiped his sweaty left hand on his trousers. The first bong from the clock signaled midnight.
"Hermione," he breathed. Fluid as water, he bent down on one knee and drew the box from his trouser pocket, but kept it hidden in his hand. "Hermione Jean Granger, these past three years with you have been the best of my life. You saw light in me when others only saw darkness. You helped me to recapture the goodness of life. You are the light of my life, my moon and stars. I want you to be my guiding light for the rest of eternity. So, Hermione, will you marry me?" Draco opened the ring box and offered it to her, his heart nearly beating out of his chest.
Hermione's hands had flown to cover her mouth the instant he kneeled. Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes as he spoke. She nodded furiously and whispered, "Yes, of course." He slid the ring onto her finger and pulled her down to him and kissed her in a most disgraceful manner, but he did not care.
Cries of excitement and applause surrounded them as the couple came up for air. Hermione grinned sheepishly at her and Draco's public display of affection. He kissed her hair and mumbled something to her, but she didn't hear it due to loud clapping and shouts coming from the other side of the dance floor.
They peered across to see Harry also on bent knee in front of Ginny, putting a ring on her left ring finger. The couple kissed quickly before acknowledging the crowd. Hermione and Draco made their way over to them. When Ginny saw Hermione's newly adorned hand, she screamed in joy and hugged Hermione just as tightly as Hermione hugged her.
The press had a field day with the announcement of the double engagement at the ball, and would continue to do so as the couples were almost continuously documented until their wedding days.
Ultimately, this Christmas with Draco was nothing like Hermione had expected, but she loved every bit of it just the same.