1A Christmas Teaching
The Great Hall was deserted except for a small group of students at the top sitting near the Head Table where the teacher's sat. If you looked closer you would see that in Dumbledore's chair was Draco Malfoy with his feet up on the table. On his right was Hermione Granger, with a scrutinizing look on her face. Before them prefects were showing plans for the Christmas Ball they were going to have.
"That's a good idea but I think the 'Slytherins Rock' flags are just too much and the silver and green color code needs changed. This is for the whole school not just the Slytherin House." Hermione informed a disgruntled Pansy Parkinson.
"So what? We'll add the other colors in other places." Pansy argued with her looking to Draco for help.
Draco was studying the plans himself. "Perhaps we can have a quarter of the hall Slytherin, one quarter Gryffindor, one quarter Ravenclaw, and the last quarter Hufflepuff." He said slowly trying to decide what the best thing to do would be.
"But that would look so utterly repulsive!" Hermione said with a disgusted look. "The colors won't go together. Why can't we just have red and green and white as our colors?"
The three Slytherins surrounding her didn't answer causing Hermione to smile and stand up straight from pouring over pieces of parchment on the table. "Well then it's settled." She told them. "Our colors will be red, green, and white."
Hermione began to push away the decoration plans but Pansy yelled, "No!" very loudly and everyone turned to look at her with surprised expressions.
Hermione sighed heavily. "Then please Parkinson give us your reasoning as to why we shouldn't use those colors?"
Pansy's face flushed red and she struggled to find a reason just why the colors shouldn't be green, red, and white. "Because...because..."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "I don't have your time for your unintelligible babbling. I have a ball to plan and your stupid pleas aren't helping." Hermione began what seemed to be yet another long speech on how important this ball was. "People are expecting this ball to get them into the Christmas spirit which means we have to come up with the best Christmas Ball this school has ever seen. And if one thing goes wrong god so help me if I don't blow a fuse at the next prefect meeting."
Everyone sat down or sighed, or showed any other sign that they were tired and didn't want to hear yet another speech from Hermione that night. Nobody of course was bold enough to stand up to their Head Girl and tell them what they really thought about her speeches. Nobody except Ginny Weasley of course.
"Oh for Merlin's sake Hermione give it a rest." Ginny said from the wall she had been leaning against for the entire night. "Christmas isn't about this stupid ball, or what the decorations are, or what food there'll be, or what music will be played. It has nothing to do with that. Everyone should be in the Christmas spirit because it's a time when people get together with their family!"
With that being said she stormed out of the Great Hall leaving everybody in shock. Hermione stood gaping and staring at the doors that had just slammed behind her best friends back. Everyone turned to look at her expression and reaction.
"You..you guys can go back to your dormitories." She said in a hoarse voice gathering all the papers in front of her into a pile and shoving them inside her bag.
The prefects and Draco filed out silently not wanting to make Hermione take her anger out on them. Also secretly they were all happy to leave after working on the ball for an entire extra hour. Hermione watched them all leave and then sat down in Dumbledore's usual seat. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice anyone come in and stand behind her.
"Is everything all right, Ms.Granger?" A wizened voice from above asked her.
Hermione gasped and jumped from her seat. "Professor." She squeaked.
The old man smiled and gestured for her to sit back down while he pulled up another chair for himself. "What's on your mind, Ms. Granger, you seem distressed."
Hermione sat down slowly in the seat and bit her lip thinking about everything that had just happened. "I guess I forgot the true meaning of Christmas."
Professor Dumbledore raised his eyebrows with a mild smile. "Oh no, Ms.Granger, you never truly lost sight of what Christmas truly means."
"But I did Professor!" Hermione exclaimed, looking up at her headmaster. "I got so caught up in planning the Christmas Ball and buying presents and picking decorations and colors and everything that I forgot what it is really supposed to mean and...and Ginny brought me back to my senses."
"See, Ms.Granger, you just proved yourself wrong." Hermione gave him a quizzical look and he continued. "You never forgot the true meaning you just lost yourself in all the other activities that surround Christmas."
Hermione didn't reply but just looked up at the man in awe and wonder. How could one person know and comprehend so much? She would never be able to understand him.
"Now since Christmas is about family you should hurry off and find your dear friend Ms.Weasley." He instructed her rising from his chair and moving towards a door, Hermione remembered from herfourth year.
"But Ginny's not my family." Hermione called after him confused.
Dumbledore turned around and gave her a kind smile then said. "You don't have to be blood to be family."
Hermione thought about this after he had left. Perhaps he was right and Ginny was her family but for some reason Hermione couldn't help but feel like she didn't feel that way towards Ginny. She had always been very close friends to Ginny but she had never thought of her as a sister without feeling a little weird. No the young redhead was something else. Something she couldn't put her thumb on.
Standing up and walking away from the table she left the Great Hall. To her surprise she saw Ginny's school bag lying by the castle door which was slightly left ajar. Hermione opened the door and took a step outside into the cool evening air. The sun was almost set so Hermione hurried off on the grounds to find Ginny.
Hermione found Ginny sitting on a rock by the lake. She remembered the rock because it had been known to make all your troubles go away. Hermione had never believed that it actually worked though. It was just a coincidence that many couples got over their quarrels or got together while sitting on the rock. The rock didn't have anything to do with it though as Hermione had concluded.
Sitting down Hermione just gazed out at the lake with Ginny before the silence was broken by either of them.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you today." Ginny whispered softly to her best friend. "It wasn't right of me. You were just trying to get everything done in time and make it perfect."
"No Gins I went overboard by making everyone stay late and work so hard. Besides your right, Christmas isn't about this ball or what decorations there'll be or what I'm wearing." Hermione told Ginny shaking her head and putting a hand on her shoulder.
Ginny looked over at her. "I never said anything about what you were wearing." She told her with a small smile.
"Yeah, but I was thinking about it." Hermione said sheepishly with a smile and the two girls fell into a fit of giggles. "Thanks for making me remember, Gin." She said pulling her friend into a hug.
"Remember what?" Ginny said pulling away a bit but still hugging Hermione.
"The real meaning of Christmas." Hermione whispered staring into Ginny's eyes.
Before either girl knew what they were doing they both moved their heads in and smashed their lips together. For just a moment they were both spinning in circles. For just a moment they forgot about the rest of the world and what they would think if anyone walked in on the two girls. And for just a moment they realized that nobody would ever kiss them better than they were being kissed now. Slowly they parted from each other and sat in total complete silence.
It was as if someone had made them deaf while they sat on the rock and looked at each other, reflecting on what had just happened.
Ginny gulped loudly and stuttered. "I...I...I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." Without warning she stood up so quickly that she almost lost her balance
Hermione shook her head and smile up at her friend. "Thank you, Ginny." She whispered.
Ginny gave her a confused look. " Mione you already thanked me. There isn't much to thank me for anyways."
Hermione shook her head and stood up next to Ginny. "No, thanks for giving me the best present ever."
Ginny grinned with her and both girls leaned in for another kiss in front of the most perfect sunset.