Countdown to Christmas: TheWritingSociety

December 3, 2009

Midnight Trips

Writers- Mea and Michelle

Category- Harry Potter

Genre- Friendship

Disclaimer- We do not own Harry Potter.

~Hermione

"Happy Christmas, Hermione," I muttered to myself. My parents had a Jewish kid who wanted to beat the apparently very intense holiday rush. The last time there had been a holiday rush for braces was beyond me, but well, that was how things turned out. So I was staying here at Hogwarts over the holidays. Was it beautiful? Yes. The trees were full of enchanted lights that swooped above our heads, and the teachers had enchanted the halls to make it look like reindeer were flying overhead. I could almost forgive my parents for dropping me here...

Until I turned around and saw Ron Weasley.

-Ron

Christmas Eve. I was supposed to be with my family but no. They decided since it's my first year, here at Hogwarts, I should spend the holidays alone. My new found friend, Harry Potter a.k.a. The-Boy-Who-Lived, had to go back to his muggles. Our other..acquaintance Hermione Granger, was staying here for the holidays too. We don't get along very well.

So here I am. A pathetic little boy with no one to talk to. I'm heading to the kitchens for a snack. It was actually kinda nice here. There's no shouting. It's peaceful, different from home. I was actually enjoying myself, walking down the halls at night...

That is, until I saw a certain bushy-haired know-it-all.

"What are you doing out?!"

~Hermione

I whirled around.

"Nothing. I was just coming down to, um--" He took one look at the book in my hand and smirked.

"Level Four spells? What are you doing with a book of Level Four spells?"

"I, uh, I... I was returning it. To..." My mind darts to the first name I think of. "Your brothers. They're studying. Yeah."

"You're a terrible liar, Hermione," he said. "Fred and George have never studied for a thing in their lives."

"Well, I could say the same to you," I shot at him. "What are you doing here?"

It's finally my turn to get to him.

"I was getting a snack," he said quickly, but the tinting red of his ears suggests otherwise.

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes at Ron. He was such a waste of time. How could they let anyone like him into HOGWARTS? "I'm going upstairs." I turned to go outside the kitchen and glanced at my watch. 11:59. Great. Curfew was 11:30. I had gotten so caught up in this new spell that...

"I smell some little first-years out here all alone," said a familiar voice. I cringed. I tried to keep an open mind, telling myself that Dumbledore wouldn't have hired the man if he wasn't good, but the truth was that Filch just frightened me. The voice was close.

Might as well get the detention over with now, I thought. I was about to step out and explain myself to Filch, but a pale hand yanked me backwards. I whirled around and nearly punched him in the stomach. Who DOES stuff like that?

"What..." I hissed at him angrily... "Are you DOING?"

"Saving you from the wrath of Filch," Ron whispered back. "Do you WANT detention?" I glared at him and shook my head no. "So we hide. He really doesn't smell any first-years, Filch lost his sense of smell years ago. He says that every night. All we need to do is hide for a moment, and he won't find us." Rolling my eyes, I ducked behind the refrigerator and obeyed. Hopefully this could work.

I held my breath and inhaled and exhaled.

"You're not a rule-breaker, are you?" Ron asked with a sigh.

"At least I don't get in trouble," I spat back defensively. "Now shut up or we'll be caught." Ron threw up his hands in a "she's so completely insane" kind of way, but he didn't move again. Filch was creeping closer and closer, putting his ear to the fridge, as if we might be hiding in there. I wanted to scream that we were there and just deal with it all now. But the warning look on Ron's face across from me told me I could do that, or risk something worse than detention. So I drew in my fear as the breathing of the old man was safely away-- or at least out of my shot of hearing. He shut the lights off and muttered,

"Stupid kids." Even Ron looked relieved, although it was nothing compared to the way I felt. We hadn't been caught! We hadn't been caught!

Until the footsteps of Hogwarts' caretaker faded away, I crept out of the safety of my hiding place and into the dark kitchen. I was blind as a bat, but I managed to feel my way through the kitchen.

"Thanks," I said hurriedly. He shrugged.

"Make it up to me by doing my Potions homework." I gave a groan. "Oh, come on! It's the least you can do!"

"Fine," I growled at him. "Fine." I glanced at my watch. "It's midnight." Even in the pitch black, I could see Ron grinning.

"Happy Christmas, Hermione."

"What?"

"It's Christmas Eve. Well, now it's Christmas. But, you know, whatever. Happy Christmas."

"Oh," I whispered softly. "Happy Christmas to you too then."

-Ron

I smiled. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all...

"But don't you have to study or something?"

The moment is officially ruined by the busky-haired know-it-all.

A/N-

Mea- ~shrugs~ It doesn't have to be 5-star writing.

Michelle- Hope you like it. Please review.