Disclaimer: All hail J.K. Rowling, the character creator!

Summary: Draco and Hermione meet up on Christmas Eve.

A/N: So, I finished reading this wonderful story by silver. ink13, "Under the Lights" ( www. fanfiction s/7675327/1/Under_the_Lights), about Dramione having a secret friendship and meeting up every Christmas Eve at their Christmas tree, when this image of Hermione running up to Draco and hugging him in front of a Christmas tree their first Christmas after the war pops into my head. So I'm stealing the premise of silver. ink13's story, but it's my version of their once-a-year friendship. I've also been wanting to experiment with this format for a while, so I hope it makes sense! :-)

Their Christmas Tree

-x-x-x-x-

ii.

The little boy sits and looks at the brightly lit Christmas tree, wondering how it can be so different from last year's tree but just as pretty, when out of the blue a girl with big brown hair and a toothy grin runs up to him.

"You were here last year!" she says happily, holding out her hand to the blond haired, grey-eyed boy. "I'm Hermione Granger."

"Draco Malfoy," he says with a smile, as he shakes her offered hand.

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xiii.

He waits by their tree. He hasn't seen her since that horrible night when everything went to hell; he may have run away, but she... she never came back. She's left with her best mates to fight in a war that no one can win.

So as all the oblivious people around him bustle and go about their meaningless holiday errands, he sits and waits for hours, watching the tiny lights sparkle and glow, hoping against hope that she'll come to see how snow white and beautiful their Christmas tree is this year; wishing on every star in the sky that she'll forgive him for all his transgressions; praying to every god imaginable that she's safe and sound.

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vii.

She scoffs at the glare he gives her. "Can we call a truce on all this nonsense, Draco?" she asks as she holds out her hand. "It's Christmas, after all."

He eyes the red mittened hand, his thin lips pursed in an inquisitive manner, before warily taking her offering and giving it a weak shake. "Just for today because it's Christmas, okay, Hermione?"

She softly smiles as she sits beside the blond boy and they both admire the gold and silver decorated tree in silence.

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xii.

She notices for the first time how thin he is. His hair is lifeless, his skin is sallow, and his eyes are dull; he looks tired and sickly and she startles him by pressing the back of her hand against his forehead, her other hand feeling her own forehead for comparison.

He brushes her hand away, murmuring reassurances that he's fine, just not sleeping well. She frowns as he avoids her gaze and looks upon their tinseled and beribboned Christmas tree instead. Placing her hand above his, she gives it a comforting squeeze.

"I'm here if you need me."

As she gets up to leave, he grips her wrist tightly. He doesn't look at her; he doesn't want her to see his weakness; nor does he want her to leave the wondrous fantasy bubble they create every Christmas Eve.

"Stay."

Intertwining their fingers, she silently sits back down beside him.

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x.

"What is this?" he asks, taking out the scraggly, holey, bunch of green and red yarn and eyeing it with a disdainful look on his face.

"It's a Christmas scarf," she quietly replies. "I know it's not much to look at, but I tried my best..."

"You made this?" His incredulous tone upsets the girl at his side.

Fighting tears, she attempts to take the gift back, angrily saying "If you don't want it-"

The boy grabs the scarf out her hands and quickly wraps it around his neck before pulling her into a fierce hug. Softly, he whispers into her hair, "No one's ever made me anything before."

She smiles as she hugs him back.

.

vi.

"What's wrong, Draco?"

"We can't be friends anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because you're a muggle, Hermione, and Malfoy's can't associate with muggles."

"What's a muggle?"

"See, you don't even know what a muggle is. That's why we can't be friends."

"Me not knowing what a muggle is is a dumb reason not to be friends, Draco. Just tell me what a muggle is so we can be friends again."

"You're not allowed to know. And if you can't know, you're not good enough to be my friend. That's what Father says and he's the most important and powerful man in the world. If he says we can't be friends, then we can't be friends."

"That's rude, saying I'm not good enough to be your friend!"

"Sorry, but it's true."

"Well, maybe you're not good enough to be my friend. Maybe I don't want to be friends with a mean, spoilt, little boy!"

"Well, maybe I don't want to be friends with a stuck-up, bushy-haired, spoilsport!"

"Fine then! Why don't you just go away. You don't want to be seen with a muggle, do you!"

"Fine then, I will!"

"Good!"

"Great!"

"Go!"

"I will!"

They both turn and flounce away, arms crossed in indignant anger, forgetting all about the colourful dancing lights on their Christmas tree.

.

i.

They sit next to each other, admiring the brilliantly decorated Christmas tree.

"What's your favourite part?" she suddenly asks him.

He tilts his head, looking at the tree as if he's seeing it for the first time, instead of gazing upon it for the last ten minutes. "Of the tree? The lights."

"I love the colours," she replies back. He can hear the happiness in her voice. He's never heard anyone sound so happy before. "They're all so shiny and bright and everything just looks so beautiful together, don't you think?"

"They are pretty, I guess."

"Hermione! It's time to go!"

"Happy Christmas!" the little girl says to the little boy, surprising him with a quick hug before skipping away to her mum.

.

xiv.

She sees him first. Even from behind, she recognises his stance as he gazes upon the gloriously decorated tree. He's all in black, his pale blond hair standing out even more against the darkness. The only colour he wears is the horrid green and red stripped scarf she gave him four years ago.

He sighs up at their Christmas tree and turns around to leave when he sees her for the first time since the end of the war. Like a deer in headlights, he freezes, unsure what to do. He sees the shock in her eyes as she muffles a gasp with her hands and he suddenly needs to flee before she remembers she hates him and hexes him into oblivion.

But there's no time and the young woman throws herself at him before he can even take a breath. Her arms wrap around him and her tears soak into his shirt. Between gasps and sniffles, the young man can hear her cast disparaging remarks about his personality, looks, attitude, fashion sense, and he can't help but bury his nose in her neck and crush her tiny body against him.

"I thought I'd never see you again."

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iv.

"Even though we only see each other once a year, we'll always be friends forever, right, Draco?"

"Always."

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