Author's Note: This is a fic I wrote earlier this month to celebrate Christmas - it's my part of my Holiday Fic Event. If you would like to see more fics that are part of this event, please visit my profile. The ones I have listed in the Story News section are the ones to look at! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the flame-in-a-jar - the character's are Miss Rowling's, and the flame-in-a-jar is from the Terrible Trio's first year. Nor do I own Sharpies, though I wish I did...
Draco Malfoy, you foolish, foolish boy.
Why did you have to fall in love with such a good Mudblood?
It was winter at Hogwarts - snow was everywhere. Hermione and Draco were every place at once, stipping snow ball fights and handing out little, magical flames held captive in jars. All of the flames were the same blazing white - they could be used to warm classrooms, as well as light them.
It had all been Hermione's idea. One day, after she and Draco had been resting in the entrance hall after a particularly nasty snow fight, she had said, "When I was a first year, I put a flame in a jar and carried it around with me. I wish they were allowed. They're so warm..."
Draco had been shocked. "Hermione Granger, breaking rules?" he'd gasped. She'd slapped his arm. "But you know, a flame in a jar really is a good idea." He had paused. "Even for a Mudblood."
Hermione had smacked him upside the head, just like she always did when he said "Mudblood."
He'd smirked at her. "Really, though, it's a great idea, Granger."
Hermione had turned away, trying not to laugh as she said, "Glad you think so, Ferret."
He'd glared at her. Malfoy wasn't allowed to hit girls - not even ones with "dirty" blood. He'd stocked off to the dungeons while Hermione had set off skipping for Professor McGonagall's office.
It was a rather long walk from the entrance hall to Gryffindor tower. She wished she'd taken another route - the way she was going was taking too long.
She'd run into Peeves a few times, but had eventually reached the tower. She had no trouble getting into the common room. As soon as she was in, she had run up the staircase to McGonagall's office.
The professor was completely for it - all she needed was a prototype to keep her office warm. Hermione grabbed an empty jar off of one of McGonagall's shelves and told her wand to spit a small blaze into it. She'd stuck the lid on and, proud of herself, set the jar down on her professor's desk.
"Lovely," Professor McGonagall had said, peering at it. "Beautiful spell work, Hermione. Thirty points for Gryffindor, and I will be sending you quite a few jars over the winter."
Hermione had left with a huge grin on her face, pulling her own flame-in-a-jar out of her bag on the way back to keep her fingers warm.
Now it was the holidays, and nearly everyone had gone home. Hermione and Draco celebrated together in the Room of Requirement - their friendship was still unknown to most, and they wanted to keep it that way - alone except for each other. They met there on Christmas morning, each holding a wrapped gift in their hands.
Draco held his present out to her as they sat down in the two overstuffed armchairs by the hearth. "Ladies first," Malfoy said, mock-politely.
Hermione smirked. "Being nice now, are we?"
He sighed. "Just open the bloody gift, Granger."
Her movements were slow as she detaped and folded the wrapping paper, like she wanted to save it. He watched her every move, silently mesmerized by her delicate touch. When Hermione took the bow off, he had to put it in her hair just to lighten the mood.
She laughed. "You forgot something, Draco," she said, sticking a piece of left-over tape on the back of the bow and slapping the ribbon down on his head. It wouldn't come off.
They laughed together, until Draco realized something. "You just called me by my first name," he said stiffly.
Hermione froze. "And you just laughed with me, didn't you?" she asked him.
"Finish opening your present, Granger. I think I need to take a nap after this."
Hermione blushed almost imperceptibly. If he wanted to take a nap, he might not like her present - it would definitely wake him up.
As she reached into the pile of wrapping paper in her lap, Draco smiled. The cute little box was in exactly the position he'd hoped it would end up in.
"'Thank you for being my partner this year, Hermione. You're a nice Head Girl'," Hermione read off the top of the box. "'Love, Draco'." She quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing about the sentiment as she opened the box. She gasped outright.
"Draco... I-I couldn't..."
He got on his knees before her and took the tiny box. A ring and a diamond glinted inside. "Yes, you could. All it is is a promise ring, Hermione." He slipped it on her left ring finger.
"A promise ring?"
"Yeah. It's family tradition - if a Malfoy thinks he loves someone, he makes her a promise and gives her a ring. If she accepts, she wears it as long as she wants. She decides what happens and when it happens."
"Wow," Hermione said. "Sounds like there's a bit of pressure."
Draco shook his head. "Not with a promise ring. There's zero pressure. You decide how far. I'm less important than you in my eyes, now, if not everyone else's." He cleared his throat. "Of course, if you reject it, you take it off and don't wear it. But you get to keep it... Or something like that."
Hermione grinned down at him. "That's okay. I like it... I think I'll be wearing it for a while. Now, c'mon, open my present!"
Draco laughed his relief. He reached down for her gift, but she stopped him.
"One thing you need to know about this little thing is that it isn't dishwasher safe. Okay? It'll explode."
He frowned at her, but ripped off the paper anyhow. He grinned mischievously. "A bad girl now, Granger? Interesting..."
Hermione's smirk returned to her face. "That's not even half of it." She turned the gift - a glowing, heat-emitting mug that changed colors; the lettering on it said, "If you're a good boy, I'll be a bad girl." - once clockwise. It transformed into a little flame-in-a-jar that swirled a rainbow of colors.
Written on the jar's outside in pink Sharpie were the words, "But if I'm a bad girl this year, you're a bad boy next year."
Draco beamed. "Bad boy, Granger? You're sure good at this gift-giving thing."
She nodded. "I know." She stood up and dropped her bathrobe.
Underneath it was a very short red-and-white striped strapless mini dress - very possibly the mini dress of mini dresses - thigh-high red boots, and not a lot else if you excluded the giant golden bow on the front of her dress.
Malfoy let out a low whistle.
"Merry Christmas, Ferret," she murmured in his ear, giving him a teasing peck on the cheek. Then Hermione sprinted for the back of the Room of Requirement, counting on it not to end as she trailed pink rose petals behind her. Draco gratefully pursued her.
And still the snow fell outside, with the first ever colored flame-in-a-jar turning the sparse white walls of the Room of Requirement into a light show.
She'd never tell him so, but she did keep the wrapping paper. It had little orange kittens on it.
How could she resist such adorableness?
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