A/N: Ooh, I say. She's doing other stuff. Does this mean that maybe she'll get to Births and Deaths before she dies?! Does it?! Does it!

It's quite possible, yes lol
FYI and for future reference: This has been updated April 2020 and crossposted to both AO3 and FF dot net while we're all in lockdown for a zombie apocalypse. I think we need a bit more happy in our lives right now, no?

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Original A/N: So this is a little Christmassy one shot. It's mainly Min & Harry centric, with a bit of Hermione thrown in there for good measure. It's un-beta-ed. I figured I'd give Spin a day off seeing as it is Christmas lol

Well then, hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think and of course, if there are any glaringly obvious mistakes. Most of all I just like hearing from you really lol Oh, I forgot to tell you all. Any of my readers have a birthday in January for my Wilful Perversion of the Truth Series let me know. I have no-one yet…it's rather sad!

Well now, Merry Christmas to all of you! Merry whatever you celebrate, or merry today if you don't celebrate at all. Clearly I'm just a little merry today lol
I'm sure Min wouldn't mind if I told you… Nollaig Chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr!

Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Hermione sighed as she sat in the Common Room alone. It had been a long couple of months since she first arrived on the Hogwarts Express and now, it was Christmas. The first she'd had since arriving at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The castle was festive and the atmosphere building up to this first day of holidays was exciting, but now everyone had gone home to their families but Hermione was still there.

Her parents had sent a letter to her Head of House, Professor McGonagall, explaining that Hermione's grandmother had contracted a terrible flu and was in the hospital. While Granny's prognosis was good, her parents had insisted that Hermione stay at the school while they cared for her in order to keep her from getting underfoot.

To say that Hermione was upset was an understatement. She loved Christmas. It was one of her favourite times of the year and she had been looking forward to getting away from school to decompress a little. She sniffed as she thought about what she wouldn't be doing for Christmas this year. There'd be no early morning; waking up her parents by jumping on their bed. She may have been eleven, but she was not beyond a bit of childish fun on Christmas morning. They wouldn't be cuddling together for another half hour before she finally persuaded her parents to rise and move downstairs where all her presents would be waiting.

Furious at herself for being so childish she wiped the tears from her face and stared at the fire. It was now the night before Christmas Eve and she and Harry were the only two Gryffindor's remaining in the castle. She'd only started to make friends with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley in the last few months and now, she was stuck here with one of them. Ron, along with his three older brothers had gone home happily, but she and Harry remained. It wasn't terrible, she supposed, but she'd spent most of the first week sitting on the lonely sofa in the Common Room, reflecting on her first term or reading.

Harry had mostly kept to his dormitory.

She wasn't sure why, to be honest. She had a feeling it was because he felt as rotten as she did, but there was every chance he was just giving her space. He seemed to be a kind boy, if a little dense.

So, despite them being the only company for each other, they hadn't really talked or hung out at all. She didn't know very much about him, but while she was mourning the loss of a magical Christmas with her parents, Harry didn't seem to have any concept of Christmas at all.

"Hey," came a gruff voice from beside her.

Hermione jumped a mile and slapped the boy she had just been thinking about as he sat down next to her grinning a little.

"Harry Potter, you scared me!" she said giggling a little before she sniffed again.

"Sorry," he said, sitting beside her. "Um, are you okay?"

They may not have been friends for long, but Hermione admired his courage. She wasn't sure Ron would have asked the same question if he had been the one to be stuck in the castle with her.

"What would you be doing now if you were at home?" Hermione whispered.

"Nothing," he said with a disinterested shrug. "Pretending I didn't exist, most likely. Listening to Dudley complain because he had one less present than last year," he whispered. "What about you?"

Hermione, bearing in mind the secret he seemed to have just told her, made her Christmases sound just a little less amazing than they were. To his credit, he smiled with shining eyes and leaned against her shoulder.

"That sounds amazing."

They fell silent as they both thought about the other's Christmas while they took comfort from being together, at least.