There was an air of general merriment in the hall. People were ready to go home for the holidays. Christmas was fast approaching and it was the last week of school and everyone was happy.

All except Hermione. She was supposed to go skiing with her parents again this year, but they'd forgotten to send her a ticket or to find a way to get her to the airport. She sat on the staircase and watched as all her friends made their plans to go away. She would stay at school. Normally she wouldn't have minded, but Harry and Ron were going to the Burrow for Bill and Fleur's homecoming after their honeymoon in Africa. They all thought she was going to the Alps and so they hadn't bothered to invite her.

She realised she would be spending a very lonely Christmas here at Hogwarts listening to the taunts of Draco Malfoy who was also staying for some reason. With this bleak outlook on her Christmas holidays, Hermione sighed as she watched the bubbling students around her.

"Penny for your thoughts?" a friendly voice said behind her. Turning she saw Harry. He leant against the banisters casually and she couldn't help noting how sexily relaxed he was. But, then again, she thought everything he did was sexy. He was just a sexy person, in general. And he didn't even know it. Bloody hormones.

"You don't wanna know." She looked at her knees.

"Yes I do Hermione. If you can't tell me than who can you tell? Unless of course it's women's troubles, in which case I will be forced to send for Ginny."

"It's just that, my parents aren't taking me skiing this year and I can't exactly invite myself over to the Weasley's." she sighed again.

"Sure you can! They love having you over. You'll be able to keep Ginny company in the midst of all those horrid boys." Harry's eyes twinkled which meant that he counted himself as one of the beastly boys. He smiled his most charming smile and this made himself even more handsome than he already was.

"I don't know." She said doubtfully.

"Wow, this must be a first. The Great Hermione Granger doesn't know something." Ron sat on the end of the banisters cheerfully. "So come on then, what aren't you sure about?"

Harry whispered what the problem was.

"Is that all!?" Ron cried. "Come and stay with us! We'll have such fun, we always do. And it won't feel like Christmas if you aren't there telling us off for something or other."

Hermione laughed in spite of herself. "But there'll be too many people."

"Nonsense! The more the merrier." Ron said genially.

"The Burrow can't hold all of us."

"Course it can! It's a full house anyway, one more person won't make the roof fall off!"

"I'd prefer to be properly invited." She protested.

"I invited you, just now! You need another one?" Ron grabbed Ginny as she passed with her best friend Luna Lovegood. "Gin, invite Hermione over for the holidays." He ordered.

"Um, come stay with us this holiday?" she said doubtfully making Harry and Luna laugh and Hermione and Ron try not to.

"Alright I'll come. It's much better than staying here and listening to Malfoy brag about his presents and sneer at me. He's got worse as well."

"What's he done this time?" Luna said.

"You'll all freak."

"It can't have been that bad." Harry said, thinking it probably was.

"It's worse. He… asked me out."

"WHAT???!!!!" the other four shouted together. Everyone in the hall stopped what they were doing and stared at them.

"Please tell me you said no!" Ginny begged looking disgusted and enraged at the same time.

Hermione snorted. "You actually think I'd say yes? Of course I said no."

Her friends were all looking extremely miffed and then the double doors opened and Malfoy himself came in. The four turned and glared at him so fiercely that he paled a little.

"Okay, what did I do?" Malfoy swallowed audibly.

"If I were you I'd run." Hermione said into the silence as the four charged up their rage waiting to hex him. Malfoy nodded and ran for it.

Hermione laughed at him and the sound seemed to calm the others. "So, how many people will there be this holiday?"

"Let's see, Charlie will only be there for a little bit. Bill and Fleur will be there throughout. Fred and George should be there if they haven't blown themselves up yet."

"I'm staying for most of it. Dad wants to go searching for the Crumple Horned Snorkack again and I'm beginning to doubt whether it exists. He's going alone and I'm coming to you a few days after the hols start." Luna said sitting beside Hermione.

Ron was busy doing some people counting on his fingers. "Ten for all of it, and twelve for most of it. I think."

"Yes Ron that is right." His sister told him patiently. "Hang on I think you might have to stay in Ron's room. Lune'll stay in mine, but I don't think I have room for you as well in that room. It's pretty tiny."

"Share with the boys?" Hermione glanced at Harry and Ron, who looked a little more cheerful about the prospect. "Well, alright. But we have to maintain some sort of ground rules."

"Okay."

"Firstly, you try anything sexual and I punish you in the medieval way. You lose the hand that touched me. Secondly, I need privacy. I'm a girl, even though I took you four years to notice Ron, and any peeking at me while I'm changing and you will regret you even live. Voldy-shorts has nothing on me when I'm very angry and trust me, taking advantage of me will not be tolerated. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am." The boys chorused meekly.

"Good. Glad that's understood."

When they arrived at the Burrow they were greeted by the rest of the Weasley clan all of whom were wearing red to match their hair. Mrs Weasley kissed them all round making the boys get very embarrassed.

"Hermione, it's lovely to see you. I got Ron's letter and you will have to stay in his room, I'm afraid. We're full for this holiday. Not that it matters. I'm sure they'll be perfect gentlemen, right boys?" she looked pointedly at her youngest son and his best friend.

They blushed and nodded quickly, before rushing to get their trunks up to Ron's room. Hermione laughed and levitated her trunk up the stairs. Outside the room she paused eavesdropping on their conversation.

"This sucks, man! She's not gonna let us do anything. Stupid rules!" she heard Ron say sounding very annoyed.

"Yeah, she gave us rules, but we never obey rules, why should we start now?"

"Oh Harry you are in so much trouble!" Hermione whispered.

"You gonna try something then?"

"I'm taking this opportunity. We might not get another one for, like, ever. I'm gonna find out what she really thinks."

"About you, you mean?"

"Of course Ron. And you, and Malfoy. I'll find out who she fancies, just you watch."

"Yeah, like that's gonna happen." Hermione said as she came in the room. She set her trunk on the floor beside the spare camp bed that was separate from the other beds. Opening it she took out a book and then her diary and quill and ink. And set her pyjamas on the pillow neatly.

"How much did you hear?" Ron asked carefully.

"Enough. Come on, we better head down. Fred and George said they had a surprise for us. I dread to think what it is." She walked out of the room smiling.

"Do you understand girls?"

"Nope." Ron replied happily. "And I don't think I'm ever going to. That's the way they want it to be."

"Not for long."