Author's Note: My roommate and I are in full-out panic/exam/essay mode, and so this only felt right. And humorous—because if we don't laugh right now, we'd cry. Well, we're crying a bit already. Anyways, enjoy!
Disclaimer: The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.
Warnings: NA
Stacked with: MC4A; Hogwarts
Individual Challenge(s): Cuppa; Gryffindor MC (x4); Seeds; Golden Times; Old Shoes; Winter Wonderland; Themes & Things A (Learning); Themes & Things B (Surprise); Rian-Russo Inversion; Ethnic & Present; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux
Word Count: 683
Hermione Granger's Once-in-a-Lifetime Christmas Miracle
She, Ginny, and George hustled back inside The Burrow, and the coziness of the house hit Hermione like a ton of bricks. Her cheeks started to thaw immediately, and she took a deep breath as she pulled off her hat and kicked off her books. The house smelled like oranges and cloves, and the turkey soup Mrs Weasley had left to simmer on the stovetop all day while she and Mr Weasley went out to finish their Christmas shopping.
"George, you got snow down my shirt," Ginny whined.
"Sounds like somebody should have dodged more quickly," George said.
"I'm going to lock you out there and let you freeze," Ginny grumbled.
"Too late for that," George said, rubbing his hands together to try and get some warmth back into them.
"I'll make tea," Hermione offered. There was a pleasant thought: a cup of tea, a warm blanket, curling up by the living room fire and reading a book for fun… Yes, she was all caught up with her schoolwork at the moment—which may or may not be related to the fact that, as it turned out, stopping Voldemort had broken Hermione's anxiety. Suddenly those NEWT grades didn't look quite so meaningful when compared to her ability to look someone in the eyes and remind them of how many Horcrux she'd helped to destroy.
Yes, a good book sounded just right at the moment.
She wandered into the kitch and called over the shoulder: "George, Gin—did you two want tea or hot chocolate?"
"Shh!"
Hermione spun towards the direction of the shushing, the kitchen table, and her jaw dropped.
Harry and Ron were sitting there, bundled up and surrounded by piles of books, parchments covered in notes, pots of ink, discarded quills, flashcards, pamphlets from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement…
"Oh my God," Hermione whispered. "It's finally happening."
"Hermione, please no screaming in the kitchen," Harry said, sounding exhausted. He had baby Teddy curled up in one arm, while the other was busy transcribing something from what appeared to be a treaty on wizarding law. His hair was even more chaotically tousled than usual—it was quite something.
"Yeah, please love," Ron said with a sigh. "We're trying to study."
If she wouldn't have been too shocked to move, she'd have pinched herself.
"We've only got two weeks until we write our Auror Apprenticeship Exams, and it's really important," Harry said.
"Oh my God," Hermione repeated. "I can't believe it. It's finally happening."
"Ron, are you nearly done with the poisons textbook?" Harry said, turning back to his work.
"I'm only at chapter 5."
"Chapter 5? Chapter 5 was the easiest, Ron. You're hogging it."
"I'm not hogging—and don't think I didn't see you skipping the last three study questions when you did chapter 5," Ron said.
"Such thoroughness," Hermione whispered.
"Well Ron, if you'd started by doing the Herbology unit like Kingsley recommended, you'd have realized that those three questions were repeats of—"
Teddy squirmed in Harry's arm and both boys froze, eyes wide with fear.
"Harry," Ron said oh-so-quietly and oh-so-slowly. "He's so cute… and you know I love him… but whatever you do…. Don't wake up that baby."
"I am trying so hard not to," Harry said, panic flashing through his eyes as he looked down at his godson. Teddy cooed a little more and then settled down. The two of them breathed out, relieved.
"What I was going to say," Ron said. "Is that those questions aren't actually repeats—because they're about different classes of potion use, elixirs versus antidotes. So like I said: get off my case, and let me finish chapter 5 in peace."
"Damn," Harry said. "You're right. Hey, pass me your notes on Herbology—I'll trade you for mine on Dark Artefact Removal Protocol…"
"Deal," Ron said, picking up a pile of parchment. "Try to keep them in order. Actually, don't worry if you get them mixed up, they're colour-coded."
Hermione audibly gasped.
Both of the boys looked up to her.
"You okay?" Ron asked.
"I've just… never been more proud," Hermione said, shaking her head. "Happy holidays."