Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow. The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. The few owls that managed to battle their way through the stormy sky to deliver mail had to be nursed back to health by Hagrid before they could fly off again.
No one could wait for the holidays to start. While the Gryffindor Common Room and the Great Hall had roaring fires, the drafty corridors had become icy, and a bitter wind rattled the windows in the classrooms. Worst of all were Professor Snape's classes down in the dungeons, where their breath rose in a mist before them and they kept as close as possible to their hot cauldrons.
"I do feel so sorry," said Draco Malfoy during one of their last Potions class before holidays, "for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they're not wanted at home."
He was looking over at Harry as he spoke. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled. Harry, who was measuring out powdered spine of lion-fish, ignored them, but Hermione was furious. She thought about slipping some Essence of Tentacula into Malfoy's cauldron when he wasn't looking but figured Snape would somehow commend him for the error, even though it would make Potion Number 07, a highly toxic and dangerous potion.
Professor McGonagall had come around the week before, making a list of students who would be staying for the holidays, and Harry had signed up at once. Ron and his brothers were staying, too, because Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were going to Romania to visit Charlie, Ron's second oldest brother.
Hermione, however, was going to go home. She was torn. She wanted to stay at Hogwarts desperately, but her parents seemed so eager for her to visit. The truth was, Hermoine's letters home had dwindled considerably in both size and frequency. Now that she was so involved with Harry, Ron, Neville, and Parvati, she barely had time (or need) to write home as often.
Complicating matters further was all of the extra research Hermione was doing to try to find out who, exactly, was Nicholas Flamel. Harry kept insisting that he recognized the name from somewhere, but Hermione was 100% certain he was not mentioned in any of their school books.
When they left the dungeons at the end of Potions, they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor ahead. Two enormous feet sticking out at the bottom and a loud puffing sound told them that Hagrid was behind it.
"Hi, Hagrid, want any help?" Ron asked, sticking his head through the branches.
"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron."
"Would you mind moving out of the way?" came Malfoy's cold drawl from behind them. "Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts, I suppose — that hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to what your family's used to."
Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs. Hermione threw her hands over her mouth to stop herself from screaming.
"WEASLEY!"
Ron let go of the front of Malfoy's robes.
"He was provoked, Professor Snape," said Hagrid, sticking his huge, hairy face out from behind the tree. "Malfoy was insultin' his family."
"Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, Hagrid," said Snape silkily. "Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and be grateful it isn't more. Move along, all of you."
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pushed roughly past the tree, scattering needles everywhere and smirking.
"I'll get him," said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy's back, "one of these days, I'll get him —"
"I hate them both," said Harry, "Malfoy and Snape."
"Come on, cheer up, it's nearly Christmas," said Hagrid. "Tell yeh what, come with me an' see the Great Hall, looks a treat."
So the three of them followed Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.
"Ah, Hagrid, the last tree — put it in the far corner, would you?"
The hall looked spectacular. Festoons of holly and mistletoe hung all around the walls, and no less than twelve towering Christmas trees stood around the room, some sparkling with tiny icicles, some glittering with hundreds of candles.
"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked. Hermione thought Hagrid was absolutely endearing. She couldn't help but smile around him. He had a heart of gold.
"Just one," said Hermione. "And that reminds me — Harry, Ron, we've got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library."
"Oh yeah, you're right," said Ron, tearing his eyes away from Professor Flitwick, who had golden bubbles blossoming out of his wand and was trailing them over the branches of the new tree.
"The library?" said Hagrid, following them out of the hall. "Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"
"Oh, we're not working," Harry told him brightly. "Ever since you mentioned Nicholas Flamel, we've been trying to find out who he is."
"You what?" Hagrid looked shocked. "Listen here — I've told yeh — drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'."
"We just want to know who Nicholas Flamel is, that's all," said Hermione.
"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Harry added. "We must've been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere — just give us a hint — I know I've read his name somewhere."
"I'm sayin' nothin'," said Hagrid flatly.
"Just have to find out for ourselves, then," said Ron, and they left Hagrid looking disgruntled and hurried off to the library.
Hermione felt calmer just crossing the threshold. This was her place, her element: tens of thousands of books; thousands of shelves; hundreds of narrow rows. She was, however, getting more and more frustrated. No matter where they looked, they couldn't find any mention of Nicholas Flamel. He wasn't in Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century or Notable Magical Names of Our Time; he was missing, too, from Important Modern Magical Discoveries and A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry.
Hermione took out a list of subjects and titles she had decided to search while Ron strode off down a row of books and started pulling them off the shelves at random. She wanted to tell him he should be more strategic but decided it wasn't worth the effort. Harry wandered over to the Restricted Section. Unfortunately, you needed a specially signed note from one of the teachers to look in any of the restricted books, and Hermione was too paranoid to ask any of her professors, especially Professor McGonagall. These were the books containing powerful Dark Magic never taught at Hogwarts, and only read by older students studying Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"What are you looking for, boy?"
"Nothing," said Harry.
Madam Pince, the librarian, brandished a feather duster at him. "You'd better get out, then. Go on — out!"
Being much more familiar with Madam Pince, Hermione had convinced Ron and Harry not to ask her directly where to find Flamel; she was convinced Madam Pince had a slight crush on Professor Snape and may tell him what they were up to in order to get closer to him.
"You will keep looking while I'm away, won't you?" said Hermione. "And send me an owl if you find anything."
"And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is," said Ron. "It'd be safe to ask them."
"Very safe, as they're both dentists," winked Hermione.
"Dad's gonna love it, by the way," Ron said. Hermione smiled. She had just given Ron a little explanation of what a dentist was and had her parents send one of their introductory textbooks by owl to give to Ron for his dad.
Inspired by the Christmas magic, Hermione asked Professor McGonagall for help ordering gifts by owl for all of her friends. For Neville, she had ordered a small, pocket sized notebook that Neville could use to write everything down so he could remember it… and maybe not find himself locked out of the Common Room. She performed an Impervious Charm on it to protect it from any clumsy accidents Neville may have with the notebook.
For Parvati, Hermione bought a beautiful planner. She took the time to write out a suggested study plan for the holidays so Parvati could keep up and prepare for the spring.
For Ron, Hermione wrote the paper for his dad and got the book, of course, but she also got him a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans because, just like Ron, it was always unpredictable. You never knew what he was going to do or say.
Finally, for Harry, a Chocolate Frog so he'd have something for himself on Christmas. She had noticed his small collection of cards and hoped he'd get one he didn't already have.
The day to leave for holidays came, and Hermione and Neville took the trip down to Hogsmeade Station together. The impressive Hogwarts Express stood before them, majestic as ever. Hermione started to get excited to see the snow-covered towns out the windows and happily boarded the train.
The trip was spent discussing their various plans for the holidays and Christmas traditions. Hermione found it odd that Neville never mentioned his parents, but she didn't want to pry. She slipped her gift for Neville in his bag when he wasn't looking. She didn't want to watch him open it - she'd be too embarrassed. Instead, she wrote a little note inside so he'd know he was meant to have it.
During the last hour of the train ride to Kings Cross Station, Hermione put the final touches on the gifts for her parents. Bert absolutely hated to write anything down and had absolutely atrocious handwriting when he actually did. There were many times when Bert would bribe Hermione with a new book or some pocket money for school supplies to take down his dictations. She wondered how he had managed to do all of his charting while she was away from school. She couldn't quite afford to order a "Quick-Quotes Quill" from the catalogue (she made herself a reminder in her journal to ask her parents for more money), so Hermione did some homework. A Quick-Quotes Quill wrote automatically as the subject speaks. She found a charm in the Standard Book of Spells (Grade 7) that did, basically, what a Quick-Quotes Quill did. It was pretty advanced magic but, after a few tries, Hermione was able to figure it out. She also performed a self inking charm on it so her dad wouldn't have to remember to keep dipping it.
Her mom proved to be a bit more difficult to get a gift for. It was Ron, actually, who gave her the idea when they were talking about their families in the Gryffindor Common Room. Something about his surprise that their Muggle pictures didn't move stuck. Parvati had a Wizarding Camera and agreed to take a picture of Hermione. There was a lot of debate on what Hermione should "do" for the moving picture. Hermione suggested taking a picture of her studying but Parvati convinced her to blow a kiss. Hermione thought it was a bit childish, but agreed anyways.
As she watched herself blow a kiss inside the small locket she ordered, Hermione had to admit it was a great idea. Her mom was going to love it. She put an impervious charm on the locket as well so it'd never tarnish. Neville, who was surprisingly crafty, helped her to wrap the presents. They looked wonderful.
The Hogwarts Express pulled into Kings Cross Station and Hermione followed the crowd out to the platform. She didn't yet see her parents, but she got to meet Neville's grandma, Augusta Longbottom. She was a very severe woman, but Hermione appreciated her straightforwardness.
Hermione still didn't see her parents anywhere. Neville offered to stay with her until they got there, but she told him it was ok. She took a seat on her trunk near the barrier wall. The platform was thinning out. Most people had already left, and Hermione was still there. The anxiety started creeping in. What if they had forgotten? What if they got into a car accident on the way to London? Hermione quickly pulled out her favorite book, Hogwarts: A History, and started thumbing through it. Wizards and witches cannot Apparate or Disapparate to or from Hogwarts within the grounds. The ceiling of the Great Hall is bewitched to look like the outside sky. Hogwarts is hidden to Muggles. If a Muggle looks at it, they see an old ruin with a sign saying: "DANGER, DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE". Boys are not allowed in the girls' dormitories; if they try to enter the stairs turn into a slide. And so on.
"Excuse me, lass," said a voice. Hermione looked up. It was the Hogwarts Express Conductor. He and Hermione were the only ones left on the platform. "Sorry, but you'll have to be headin' out. We're about to shut down the platform. It's almost 8pm."
"Sure… sure… Sorry."
"You have someone picking ya up, dontcha?"
"Oh yes, of course." The panic was almost at the surface.
"You alright?"
"Yes, thank you," Hermione got up and heaved her trunk onto the trolley he had brought over for her. She didn't want him to see her cry. She ran at full speed through the barrier and didn't even look at her surroundings as she made a beeline for the main concourse.
"Hermione!" she heard the voice, but it didn't register at first. "Hermione! Hermione, wait!" She turned around. Bert and Mary were jogging to catch up! She nearly tackled them with a huge hug.
"I thought you had forgotten!" she sniffled.
"Oh, no, of course not!" said Mary, smoothing down Hermione's hair. "We've been here since nearly ten o'clock in the morning but couldn't get up the courage to go through the wall without you."
Hermione let out a sigh of relief.
"Welcome home, Hermione," Bert said. Hermione knew the Muggle World wasn't really "home" anymore, but she appreciated the sentiment as they walked out Kings Cross Station together.
"Happy Christmas, Hermione!"
The Grangers woke up on Christmas Day bright and early. They had spent the last few days catching up. Bert and Mary had closed their office to patients so they could spend more time with Hermione. She was so happy to see them but was dreadfully bored. Hearing about their patients and daily life in Lavenham didn't even come close to even the most mundane incident at Hogwarts.
Hermione had tried to discuss the break-in at Gringotts and the three-headed dog, but her parents just looked at her in horror. She figured it wasn't a good idea to worry them so she stopped. She also asked them about Nicholas Flamel and was disappointed (yet not surprised) to learn they had no idea who he was. She had plans to go to the library to visit anyways and would take a look there to see if she could find anything.
After devouring some wonderful scones and treats, the Grangers set down to open their presents. Without thinking, Hermione summoned her cup of tea she had forgotten at the table. "Accio Tea!" She only realized her mistake when she saw her parents' shocked faces. "Sorry," she said. She hoped, based on their shock, they wouldn't be terrified of their magical gifts.
Bert and Mary were so excited when Hermione opened one of her gifts. It was a state of the art Deluxe Portable CD Player and a few random CDs. Hermione didn't have the heart to tell them that, according to Hogwarts: A History, all Muggle electronics wouldn't work on the school grounds. She smiled and said that she couldn't wait to listen to music with Parvati… and was shocked at how easily the lie came out. She had been hanging out with Harry and Ron too much, she thought.
Hermione could barely contain her excitement as Bert carefully unwrapped his quill. It took a little bit for Bert to completely understand what it did but, once he did, he was thrilled. He kept turning his back, talking, and then whipping around to catch the quill in action. Being a scientist, of course, he had to test to see if the quill would write bad words or censor him if he swore. Mary and Hermione were in tears laughing. He then tried to think of the most difficult terms he could come up with to see if the quill would get them right. It did. Finally, he mixed the medical terms with cuss words to the same results.
When Mary opened the locket, she burst into tears. She was flabbergasted by the magic of the photo and immediately put it on. "This is the best present anyone has ever got me," Mary said, giving Hermione a hug.
Hermione was so happy her parents loved their gifts. They spent the rest of the morning lounging about the living room, saying more random things for the Quick-Quotes Quill. As the sky turned from a bright grey filled with flicks of white snow to an inky clear blue, the Grangers sat down for a fantastic Christmas feast. Hermione couldn't help think of the feast Harry, Ron, and the rest of the Hogwarts students who stayed for the holidays were having. She wondered if it compared. The food at Hogwarts was absolutely wonderful. She had read in Hogwarts, A History, most of the food was prepared by something called House Elves, but she had yet to meet them.
The next morning, Hermione woke up bright and early for a trip to the library. She was excited to see Mildred, the librarian, and hopefully find something out about Nicholas Flamel. Her parents seemed slightly disappointed Hermione wasn't going to spend the day with them, but she promised them she'd be home in the early afternoon.
Walking through the town, Hermione tried to see the beauty in Lavenham… but everything just seemed so dull compared to the Wizarding World. All of the buildings were weathered and tired. Everyone had dark clothes on instead of vivid robes. There was just no magic in the Muggle World.
Walking into the library, however, still felt like magic. The musty smell of the books met Hermione like an old friend. The pale yellow faded walls may not have been as enchanting as the deep, rich browns of the Hogwarts Library, but Hermione couldn't help but smile.
"Hermione!" a voice called from the stacks. "Happy Christmas! It's so wonderful to see you!" Mildred emerged and gave Hermione a huge hug. "How's Sherborne?"
"Oh, it's wonderful. I'm learning loads."
"I'm surprised you're not teaching them!"
"How have you been, Mildred?" They spent a few minutes catching up. Hermione felt bad lying to Mildred, but there was no other option. "I have an odd question I was hoping you could help me with. Have you ever heard of someone named Nicholas Flamel?"
"Nicholas Flamel you say? Can't say it sounds familiar, but let's go check."
Hermione and Mildred rifled through the card catalogues but came up empty. She knew it was a long shot but was still disappointed. She couldn't help but count down the hours before she could get back to Hogwarts and continue her search. Hermione hated not knowing something. It was like a constant itch she couldn't reach.
When Hermione got back home, Bert had set up the chess board on their living room table. "You said you wanted to practice, didn't you?" Bert said. Hermione and Ron had started to play Wizard chess (similar enough to Muggle chess) in their off-time or when they got too frustrated to search for Nicholas Flamel. Ron beat her every single time, and Hermione was furious. She was loads smarter than Ron. She should be beating him every single time!
"Yes, thank you!" she said and sat down for a game. "Ron is positively brilliant at chess but not at anything else. I need to be able to beat him."
"Well, your father was on the chess team in college, so you'll be learning from the best!" Mary said, sitting down on the couch behind Hermione. "You know, his chess skills were one of the things that made me fall in love with your dad." Mary had a wide grin on her face. "Maybe… you and Ron…"
"Ew! No! He's a proper git! I just want to prove I'm smarter than him at everything, especially chess!"
Mary and Bert shared a smile over Hermione's head. That's what Mary had said about Bert, too.