[Disclaimer: I do not, and unfortunately never will, own any of the Harry Potter characters or the contents.
Chapter Nine: Christmas at The Burrow.
Hermione, Ginny and Ron walked through the snow towards the Hogwarts gates, where they were met by Lupin and Tonks. They had brought a portkey, in the shape of a ragged old teddy bear, which would transport them directly to The Burrow.
They landed in front of the strange looking house at nine o'clock. Mrs Weasley came running out to greet them and pulled them all into a three way hug.
"Merry Christmas!" They all cried together.
They were joined at the front of the house by the smiling faces of Mr Weasley, Fred, George, Bill, Fleur and Charlie. Everyone began to make their way back into the house to have a catch up when they were stopped in their tracks by a large POP!
Everyone spun round to see what had caused the noise and there standing beaming at them was Harry.
"Harr-" Ron began but Hermione elbowed him in the ribs and placed her hand over his mouth when she saw he was going to argue back at her. She signalled toward Ginny, who was standing staring at Harry.
No-one said a word as they watched Ginny intently. She stepped backwards towards the house, not sure what to do but aware that everyone was watching her. She knew that her and Harry were no longer together but she just wanted to hold him.
Harry knew that she was unsure what to do so he smiled directly at her, which he hoped would be a signal that he was back to see her, back to be with her, back to tell her that he couldn't live without her.
Ginny felt butterflies in her stomach as he smiled at her and suddenly she didn't care that he had ended it. She ran towards him.
As she threw her arms around his neck, he lifted her up so her feet were no longer touching the ground.
"I love you Ginny," Harry said as he brought her back down and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I love you too!"
Harry pulled her closer to him and held her tightly, he never wanted to let go of the most precious thing in the world that he was now holding in his arms.
Mrs Weasley, Hermione, Tonks and Fleur were all silently crying at the romantic scene they had just witnessed. Slowly the group of people made their way back into the house to leave the couple to have some time on their own.
Harry pulled away and kissed her gently on the lips. Ginny had never felt happier, not even when they were together before, now it was different, they loved each other; she knew nothing would stop them being together.
"I've missed you so much Ginny and I'm sorry, I broke up with you for your own good but I can't bear not being with you. Even when I go back to preparing for the battle and you go back to Hogwarts we will still be together."
Harry and Ginny walked hand in hand to the garden, where Harry used his wand to melt some of the snow so they could sit down.
"Ginny, when your with me, your not safe."
"I don't care, Id rather be with you and in danger than not with you at all. Some things are worth the sacrifice."
Harry handed Ginny a small package. "Merry Christmas," he said. "Sorry it's only wrapped in newspaper but I couldn't really get anything else."
"Don't be silly, I don't care if it's wrapped in newspaper but you shouldn't have got me anything, I didn't get you anything." She looked down at the present in her hand.
"You did get me something, you forgiving me for the hurt I've caused you these past months is the best present ever."
"I didn't realise you were so soppy Mr Potter," Ginny giggled.
"It's the effect you have on me," he laughed with her.
She pulled him towards her but he didn't expect it and fell onto his back. Ginny laughed again.
She patted his stomach, "My mother will have something to say about the weight you have lost."
"She always does," he said getting up.
"Lets go inside and see everyone and then I'll be able to open my present."
Harry stood up, grabbed her hand and helped her off the floor.
They walked into the kitchen through the back door.
Ron spoke first, "Gin, I know you've missed him but me and Mione have too."
Hermione glared at Ron.
"He's so unromantic," she thought.
"Aww, has ickle Ronnie missed Harry?" Ginny mocked, moving out of the way so Harry could be reunited with his best friends.
Ron's face turned bright red.
"Leave it Ron," Hermione said before he had time to reply.
Hermione moved over to Harry and hugged him tightly; Ron followed and joined in the hug.
"The sentiment is nice and everything but can we open presents now?" Fred asked.
Harry, Hermione and Ron broke the hug and laughed.
Everyone was high spirited as they opened their presents in the Weasley living room, which was cramped with the amount of people and the piles of presents.
"Wow, thank you Hermione, its gorgeous!"
"I saw it and it just reminded me of you, I thought the green would go lovely with your hair," she replied. Hermione had been shopping in the holidays with her parents when she had seen a butterfly hair slide, encrusted with green gems.
Ginny had left the present she was most anxious to open until last. When she finally opened the present Harry had given her when they were sitting in the garden she gasped. Everyone looked around to see Ginny looking at her hands, where a gold chain and a gold ring with a single diamond stone lay.
Ginny looked up at Harry.
"I went back to Godric's Hollow to the house I lived in with my parents-" several people gasped. "I found that ring and chain in my mothers jewellery box, I think it was her engagement ring and there's no-one else I want to have it except you Ginny."
"Harry, I can't accept your mums ring…"
"Yes you can!" Harry interrupted. "You're in danger being close to me and I know my parents will keep you safe if you wear this."
Harry picked the ring and chain up from Ginny's trembling hands. He threaded the ring onto the gold necklace and fastened it around Ginny's neck.
All the females in the room were silently crying again and it took a while for them to stop. Once Mrs Weasley had gained composure she pulled Harry into a bone-crushing hug.
"Oh Harry dear," she cried.
Harry could hear laughter, which he guessed would be Ron and probably Fred and George, when Mrs Weasley finally let go of him he saw that he was right although Ginny was laughing too.
As the Weasley kitchen was too small to accommodate thirteen people they ate Christmas dinner in the garden. Fred and George moved the kitchen table into the garden expanded it so it was big enough for everyone to sit around. Harry cleared the snow with his wand just as he had done earlier and Hermione conjured fire into lanterns, which hung in mid air above the table.
It was common knowledge that Mrs Weasley wouldn't let anyone leave her table before they had consumed at least second helpings so by the time Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny made their way back into the house they were so full they headed straight upstairs to lie down in Ginny's room on the third floor.
"I didn't realise you were so romantic Harry mate," Ron laughed.
Hermione shot Ron a disapproving look. "Ignore him Harry, it was lovely what you did for Ginny today, you've had loads of people crying today."
"Well what can I say, I have that effect on women," Harry smirked.
All four teenagers fell about laughing. It felt like Harry had never been apart from the people he loved the most; it was going to be hard saying goodbye.
"Do you really have to go back to Hogwarts tomorrow Mione?" Harry asked as he lay down next to Ginny on her bed. Ron gave him a disapproving look, which Harry ignored.
"Yeah, I'm head girl so I've got to look after the people that stay in the castle over Christmas."
"Oh well, I guess we better make the most of tonight then, by the way thank you so much for my Christmas present, where did you get it?"
"Professor McGonagall gave it to me, she said that Professor Dumbledore wanted me to have it but I know it was the right decision giving it to you, I think he would agree."
"What did you get her?" Ron asked, letting his curiosity get the better of him.
"A phial of phoenix tears," Harry answered on behalf of Hermione who had gone quiet since she had mentioned Dumbledore.
"I thought it would be useful for you to have when you out and about in dangerous situations."
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny stayed awake until the early hours of the morning laughing, talking and embracing their time together until Ron and a reluctant Harry made their way up to Ron's bedroom on the fifth floor.
It had been Ginny Weasley's best Christmas ever. She was back with Harry and he had given her the most beautiful present ever, she was still stunned that he had given her his mum's engagement ring. Every time she looked at it she knew that Harry loved her but she also knew that he was her soul mate and they had been destined to be together.
Harry Potter didn't want the day to end as he knew it meant he would have to face the reality of life in only a few short hours. For those few happy hours he had forgotten that it was his fate to kill Voldemort, he had forgotten that the whole wizarding community relied on him and he had forgotten that he had a dangerous journey ahead of him. The threat of death that had hung over his head for months had vanished that day. Christmas at The Burrow would be a day he'd never forget.
Ron Weasley fell straight to sleep as his head hit the pillow but not because he didn't want to dwell on the great day he'd just experienced but because he eaten far too many chocolate frogs when he was downstairs in Ginny's room.
Hermione Granger lay awake for the longest thinking about someone. Someone who she knew wouldn't have had a great day like she had. Sadness filled her body as she pictured him alone on Christmas with no-one to talk to. As Hermione Granger lay long into the night thinking about Draco Malfoy she figured out how he could rid himself of the Dark Mark.
"The thing that Voldemort doesn't have is love and friendship so that has to be the tool to use against him," Hermione thought. "The person who loves Draco will be the one to save him."
She didn't know where it had come from but she knew it was right, she knew it was the answer to his problems, but who loved him? Then it hit her, it was if she had known all along. She was the only person who knew the real Draco Malfoy; therefore she could be the only one to save him.
"But I don't love him, do I?"
But Hermione didn't have time to dwell on her thoughts as tiredness filled her body and she fell into a deep sleep.
She was running along a dark alleyway, which seemed to go on and on. If she didn't hurry it would be too late. She was running as fast as she could, her legs were aching, they felt like they were going to snap in half but she couldn't stop.
She kept running for what felt like hours until she eventually came to the end of the alleyway. She was standing in a graveyard, the gravestones were old and worn and the air was cold and forbidding. She knew she was close. She could feel that he was around somewhere.
She searched and searched behind gravestones and trees but after an hour she still couldn't see him.
"Times running out, I'm going to loose him!"
"Hermione," a faint voice said.
It was very faint but it was definitely him, somewhere to her right. She turned and ran until she saw him. He was lying on the floor in the middle of a large clearing. He was weak and covered in blood. She ran towards him but he vanished as she touched him.
"Hermione!"
His voice was more panic stricken now. Just as she had done before, she ran in the direction that his voice had come from. She ran for ages until she came to a hill. She could see his fragile figure lying at the top, she ran to him and threw herself down by his body, but she didn't touch him.
"Its too late Hermione," he said. "Why didn't you save me from them? You were the only one who could save me and you didn't."
He took his last breath and he was still.
"NOOOOOOOOO!" She cried!
She reached out and touched him, he didn't disappear this time but it didn't matter, he had already gone and he wasn't coming back. He was right, she had always been the one who was supposed to save him but she was too wrapped up in her own life to see it.
She pushed his blonde hair out of his eyes and leant down and kissed his cold lips. A tear fell from her eyes onto his pale skin, then another and another. She wiped his face.
He would never know how she felt.
She took his hand in hers, "I love you Draco Malfoy."
Malicious laughter filled the air; she looked around and saw Lucius Malfoy and Voldemort.
"I taught him since he was a baby that he was better than people like you, yet he defied me and befriended a mudblood," Lucius Malfoy didn't seem to be upset that his only son was dead.
"Anyone who disobeys Lord Voldemort's orders will die, and now it's your turn!"
He pointed his wand at her and a flash of green light hit her chest.
Hermione woke with a start. She felt physically sick; the dream had seemed so real but it had meant something.
"Why didn't you save me from them? You were the only one who could save me and you didn't."
The question she had asked herself before she had fallen asleep had been answered by her dreams. She did love him.
Hermione Granger had fallen for Draco Malfoy.
