You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen
Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?
Hermione was tapping her high-heel shoe as she leaned against the wall of the ridiculous venue. Her and her big mouth. "Oh, let's raise money for the children who lost parents in the war. It's been ten years, we could show our strength during this holiday season with a good cause. All of them could use some wealth for Hogwarts supplies," she sighed as she waited impatiently.
"Miss Granger, what a stellar idea. How about an auction at the Christmas Gala," She mimicked Kingsley poorly.
"Why Minister, what a perfect plan! I will request ideas at the next Wizagamot," Hermione said with a high pitched voice and batted her eyelashes.
"Hermione, you're up," Percy's voice came from behind the curtain.
Merlin. She hoped she wouldn't have to deal with some crazed wizard with a fetish for feet or some oddity.
Hermione walked out from the curtain and blinked a few times. "We just had Blitzen and his showy reindeer games and now for the showstopper, Rodolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!" The loud voice of George Weasley declared; he was after all their host for the evening.
She felt mortified. Hermione was standing in front of this giant room of people in a costume. Tights that were fawn colored with speckles. A shorter dress than she was used to wearing and to top it, an elaborate mask with a sparkly red nose at the end. Her corset barely held her chest in and her black glittering shoes only gave way to the ridiculousness of the night.
Give a Weasley a chance to shine and he does it one hundred percent. The night was completely an artform of all the muggle traditions span sideways then tossed on their heads. Hermione… she was at a loss.
Oh, she wasn't listening to the auction!
"A hundred thousand galleons? Anyone else?" George questioned, and she could hear the smile in his voice.
"Oh, a red paddle, that's a counter, for?" and the miniature of Santa and his sleigh displayed the number, '200,' across the room.
Two hundred thousand galleons? Were they out of their mind?
"Two hundred thousand, anyone else?" He asked again, and this time the room was silent.
The room was still, and the flare from George's wand signaled the end to the bidding. "To the man who has too much to lose at table nine! Go on, Rodolph, let your nose guide you down to his table so we can continue with the winners of tonight's contests."
Hermione exhaled and tempted sending a signal of an obscene sort at the Weasley who was grinning like he just won Christmas for the entire year. Selling the reclusive witch to a man for two hundred thousand galleons probably was Christmas for a year for him. She passed him on the stage and walked down to the dim lit dining hall. This was only the start of the evening and Merlin did she wish it was over.
You see, it was a blind auction but not in the way she had known muggle auctions to be. Everyone, every single guest, server and worker was dressed for the holiday spirit. Disguises of all sorts. It was like Halloween binged drank until it passed out until Christmas. People around her were elves, gingerbread, and even a few fit Santas. However, the man sitting at table nine around different folks dressed as toys, selected a human looking snowman as his own costume.
"Rodolph the sexy reindeer," snickered the toy soldier.
"Shove it," Hermione huffed as she sat down.
Blitzen, who was a nearly naked Blaise Zambini, she knew this because she knew who else was stuck being a reindeer with her, was chuckling. "Rodolph, don't be so touchy. At least the money is going for a good cause, right? You weren't stuck like Vixen over there," he voiced as he nodded to Romilda who was being nearly groped by a rather old looking Santa.
Hermione glanced at the snowman with skepticism, and he held up his hands with a smile. "I promise not to do anything you won't allow," He snickered with a frosty smirk.
She glanced over at the doll-ish looking woman and could only assume it was Daphne, Zabini's wife. "You could have done better, Barbie. I thought Comet was well suited for a trip around a sleigh," Hermione spoke with a flat tone.
The woman burst into laughter with a nod. "Yes, that's true. However, reindeer games I have found are my favorite," she said with a nod.
"Who would have thought that reindeer stick to their own kind," the toy soldier sneered.
Hermione huffed and leaned against her chair's back. "Well, we tend to find it's easier to get along that way," she fired back half-heartedly.
The snowman shifted and reached for his drink. "How're the kids, Blitzen?"
"You know, sprouting like weeds. I had one of them walk up to me the other day and ask me about Potter. Pox of a subject when I realized it was because he was on the front page of the paper for the anniversary."
Hermione realized two things. One, this table knew exactly who everyone was. Two, and this was a big one, they were all close. Meaning, whoever did spend the ungodly amount on her, might have known who she was before she even stepped out onto the stage; cheating snake. This held the stench of Slytherin.
She reached for her wine glass and sipped from it very profoundly. "I hear that Nott got himself into a bit of trouble with Malfoy," the toy soldier declared.
"Well, what did you expect? He's about as batty as they come now," the doll snapped with a glare.
Hermione tilted her head and crossed her knee over the other. "Nott or Malfoy? Either wouldn't surprise me," she responded with a sigh.
"What about Weasley? I hear he decided to go back to being an Auror after Granger left him," Toy Soldier snickered while rolling his eyes.
Snowman snorted and waved his hand. "That wizard was about as dumb as a bag full of Hippogriff dung."
"Well, I think I am going to visit the little reindeer's restroom," Hermione voiced as she stood up.
Frosty jerked from his chair and offered his arm. "Come along, Rodolph, let me show you the way," he suggested with a toothy smile.
Hermione waved it off and shifted her short skirt. "No, I have my nose for that, thank you."
She journeyed for the back of the hall and passed several people along the way she knew who they were under their disguise, but said nothing. Hermione wanted to get as far away from Frosty as she could until the open bar and ballroom opened. She knew she couldn't hide from him after, he did after all pay for her to dance with until midnight.
Her heels clattered on the stone floor as she ducked out into the courtyard, sighing heavily. What a way to spend Christmas eve. A ridiculous dress. A silly party. A horrible end to the year alone. Hermione gingerly stepped out into the snow-covered grass and enjoyed the feeling of cold on her hot feet.
She touched the icicles hanging off the lit tree and started to hum to herself the tune of 'White Christmas,' as she mused over her muddled thoughts.
A hand reached around her waist, and she turned to see Frosty the fucking Snowman had stalked her outside, offering his other hand in a dancing pose. "Practice before tonight?" He teased while tipping his silk hat.
"What do you want?" Hermione groaned but accepted his hand.
"I thought I made that clear when I bought your attention for the evening, Rodolph?"
They swayed and danced in the snow a moment before Hermione exhaled. "You're who? Flint? Montague? Which Slytherin boy thought they could trick their way into charming me tonight?" She said with a scrunched nose under her mask.
"Definitely not Flint, he's dumber than rocks, Rodolph," Frosty snickered as he twirled her. "Also, Montague is married and lives in Ireland with a muggle."
"If that's you Malfoy, I'm going to curse your ballocks blue," Hermione growled as she returned to him.
"Malfoy? Come again? Which Malfoy? Lucius Malfoy? Abraxas Malfoy? Draco Malfoy? Too many to distinguish from their idiotic lot."
"Give me one reason to trust you," Hermione whispered as Frosty pulled her closer.
His bluish skin shimmered in the lights behind her and his dark eyes squinted with his smile. "Two hundred thousand galleons to your cause." He paused and released her in an elaborate end to the dance. "Give me until midnight. If you won't kiss me under the mistletoe, then I will leave before the magic of our disguises ends and you will never have to know."
"Why a kiss?" Hermione huffed, stomping her black heel into the snow.
"Because that's my Christmas wish this year. The only one I have ever made. If you don't like how I treat you, you can walk away at a quarter to midnight and leave without worry. If you remain curious, I would appreciate a kiss." He murmured and kissed her hand still in his.
Hermione sighed with a nod. "Alright, I will agree to this, but only because you sound so pitiful for a Slytherin."
"Who's to say I'm really a Slytherin, Rodolph?" Frosty countered with a tilt of his head.
Hermione glanced back at the entrance to the courtyard before answering. "I know who the other reindeer at the table playing reindeer games was. I know his people and I know yours."
He took off his hat and tossed it back on his head cleverly with a grin, patting the top of it. "Not everything is always logical. Believe in a little Christmas magic?"
She released her tight lips and rocked her head. "Fine, but only because my feet are freezing now."
"Good, I can warm them up for you," he teased and offered his arm before they went back inside.
Dinner turned out better than she thought. Harry and Ginny decided to sit down at the table with her, knowing well that it was her. It turns out that Frosty was quite the intelligent conversationalist and charmed Ginny disguised as Santa's elf. His selection of books even took her by surprise and she soon found that their discussions dragged on mercilessly for their table mates.
The night took another turn as the party adjourned to the ballroom where dancing, drinks, and merriment were found. Hermione still didn't know who her cloaked patron was for the evening.
She wanted to.
The clock was ticking. Her drinks and laughter were mounting. She needed to know.
It was half-past eleven by the time she actually tracked down George. "Georgie," Hermione huffed as she glanced back at Frosty talking with Harry in a Santa costume. "Who's the snowman?"
George straightened his ugly sweater, and his eyebrows rose as she stared back at him. "Why?"
"Because, I want to know," Hermione sighed tapping her toe.
George leaned forward and smirked. "Happy Christmas, little Rodolph. Go on a sleigh ride and shed a little light on it yourself."
Hermione groaned and waved him off before searching for Blitzen. He was snickering and chortling in a corner with Mr. and Mrs. Claus, also known as Arthur and Molly Weasley. "Blitzen," Hermione growled and tugged him away from the older couple.
"Merlin, Granger, what?" He hissed lowly as she pulled him into a secluded corner.
"Who is the snowman?" Hermione whispered with a pout.
He bent to her ear and spoke in a breath. "Go kiss him and figure it out."
Hermione rolled her eyes and stole his drink, downing it in one go. "Bloody Slytherins and their games," she huffed, handing him the cup back.
She regretted letting this masked man get the better of her, but she also hated surprises. Hermione realized she had no choice; she was going to have to kiss the stranger to find out. Weaving in and out of small groups around the dance floor, she searched and scanned.
Tracking down Frosty was a trial now. He had disappeared, and she found very little evidence that he even remained at the party. The cheery music was bothersome as she looked for the witty snowman, but he had gone.
Dejected and a bit put out, she exited the ballroom. What an anticlimactic night. She shuffled and lingered, hoping for a sound, a sign. Nothing. Well, until she heard bells? Sleigh bells maybe? Now she knew she was barmy as she followed the sound. They led her to a room around the corner where the flickering of light came from the cracked door.
Peeking inside, she saw Frosty standing near a lit fireplace, melting. He waved his wand when he noted her arrival and the bells near the door stopped jingling. Above him was mistletoe and he shrugged his shoulders. "Now or never, Rodolph. I have to leave before I melt away."
The clock on the mantle displayed a quarter to midnight. "Where are you going?" Hermione inquired, entering the room.
"Home, you want to come?" He asked her with a curve to his lips.
Hermione closed the gap between them and gulped before tilting her head up to the snowy stranger. He touched her lips with his and instead of melted snow, she touched warm flesh. It felt delightful and enchanting after such a large amount of resistance. Her arms wove around the black coat and he tossed her mask from her face, kissing her sincerely.
It was a lovely kiss. A welcoming one. A bit of magic.
She refused to open her eyes when he pulled away. She wasn't sure she wanted to know who it was. "Please, come home with me? I have wished for nothing else this year," He whispered.
"Yes," she breathed and opened her eyes.
Christmas Morning…
Hermione lounged on the bed and yawned again as her naked form was bundled by warm furry blankets. She stretched and opened her eyes to take in the room's aesthetic while her bedmate was missing. This never was in the cards for her to be in such a place on Christmas, but here she was.
Turning over, she grabbed her wand and retrieved her small bag from the floor. She checked her watch inside and groaned; Hermione had to be at the Burrow in an hour.
"Happy Christmas, Granger," his voice purred as the bed sunk behind her.
"Malfoy, is your son awake yet?" Hermione murmured as he nuzzled and licked her revealed flesh.
He grunted and wrapped an arm around her. "No, but we have a little more time to spare."
"I have to go to the Burrow soon," she sighed as he ran his fingers between her legs.
Draco nipped at her and huffed. "Don't go. Stay with me a little longer. Then you can come back over tonight and I can unwrap you again," he bemoaned and ran himself against her bum.
Hermione turned to him and pouted. "You know I have to go," she sighed as he bent to nibble on her neck.
"Come back tonight, I'll have a gift under the tree for you," he murmured against her skin.
"Shagging you isn't going to be it, is it?" she teased through a moan.
Draco pulled away with a frown. "No, Granger, I thought I made it clear; I want you. I didn't spend two hundred thousand galleons on a possibility to just shag you. I want the whole thing and I spent a good amount of time planning this whole thing to tell you I want you. I had no excuse not to act after Weasley was out of the picture, I just didn't have the guts until now."
Hermione smirked and arched an eyebrow. "Well, Malfoy," she paused with a scrunched nose. "You should have spent a bit more then," she snickered before kissing him. "Alright, but only if you promise not to trick me again."
"Not making that promise, it worked the first time," he chuckled and pressed her to the bed. "You, are going to be too sore to play any reindeer games today, Rodolph," he teased as he touched her sensitive flesh.
"Draco, never call me that again," she puffed and pushed him to the bed.
"Well, fine, but don't expect me to put out," he pouted.
Hermione laughed as she straddled him and sought her gift for the morning. "Mm, I beg to differ, Malfoy," she purred and rocked her hips.
He leaned up to her and met her lips. "My Christmas wish came true," he murmured before she kissed him passionately.
When they pulled apart from their tryst, Hermione was late, but cared not. She snuggled against the pale Malfoy and sighed. "Mine did too, Draco," she murmured.
So maybe Rodolph did go down in History. Well, traditions were born that night anyway. Hermione was most satisfied with her new favorite one.