Christmas had just arrived, and Hermione found herself avoiding all the halls with mistletoe so Cormac Mclaggen couldn't smother her to death. Even worse, she couldn't stand seeing another snogging session between Ron and the infamous Lavender Brown. She wondered around the halls and ran into Harry on her way to her first class. "You're looking quite perky this morning", Hermione said as she nudged Harry on the side. His glasses were a bit askew, his hair slightly roughed, and his cheeks were red from the cold, brisk morning air. "Nose down Hermione. I've only just broken free from a few girls who spotted me under the mistletoe. I don't understand, it's like they travel in packs." Harry proceeded to fix his glasses and pat his hair down as neat as he could manage, which wasn't much. Hermione gasped a little and looked towards him, "That reminds me, Hermione pointed across the courtyard to a girl who was reading a book and Harry at the same time. "You see that girl over there with the dark hair? Her name is Romilda Vane. Rumor has it that she's trying to smuggle you a love potion because she claims you're the 'Chosen One'." Harry looked at Hermione and let out a great big smile along with a half-laugh, "but I am the 'Chosen One'." Hermione slapped Harry up the back of his head as he was starring back at Romilda. "Okay, sorry", Harry let out a laugh and broke eye contact and looked at Hermione apologetically.
By this time Harry and Hermione were on their way to Transfiguration Class. "Harry, have you asked anyone to Slughorn's Christmas party? I was under the influence that Ron and I would be attending the party together, but given the circumstances, I had to make other arrangements", Hermione said as a small frown approached upon her face. Harry looked at her with a bit of a surprise, "no, I thought that maybe me and you could go, you know, as friends." Hermione looked a bit surprised then taken back, "Oh no. I wish I would have thought of that before." Harry glanced her over, "who did you invite then?" She hesitated and looked away from Harry as embarrassment crept upon her face. "I invited Cormac McLaggen. I thought it would annoy Ron the most. I'm sorry Harry" Harry shook his head, "It's okay, I'll ask someone else. Hopefully someone I like."
Harry and Hermione headed into the Transfiguration classroom and took seats next to one another near the front of the class. Ron made his was into class with messy hair, a slightly unbuttoned shirt, and lipstick prints on his neck, cheeks, and smeared across his lips. He took a seat next to Dean, near Harry and quickly noticed his unbuttoned shirt when Hermione shot him a disgusted look and rolled her eyes. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat a few minutes later to silence all the students mumbling in the background. "I hope you all had plenty of time to practice your human transfiguration spells over the weekend. We will be practicing them today at the front of the class. As always, I will call your name, you will come up and preform your spell, and if you don't have any backfires, will return to your seat and wait for all students to finish before you begin chit chatting", she stared towards Draco Malfoy who was mumbling under his breath to Crabbe.
McGonagall turned and took a seat at her desk at the front of the classroom and pulled out a roll of parchment, "Vincent Crabbe." Crabbe rolled his eyes and made his was to the front of the classroom and turned to face the professor. He raised his wand, pointed it at his foot and said, "Oaky Pegto." His pants disappeared from his lower legs and revealed that his left foot had been turned into a proper peg leg. His pranced around with it for a few moments trying to keep his balance and then wished his wand and turned his peg leg back into his normal foot. He looked at the professor who didn't seem impressed, and made his way back as McGonagall called the next name, "Harry Potter."
Harry walked to the front of the class a bit confident. He took a deep breath, pointed his want at his head and then uttered the words, "Drumstrangius Shippo." All of his sudden his head had disappeared and in its place sat an exact small scale replica of the ship that Drumstrang had come to the castle with during the Triwizard Tournament. McGonagall's eyes lit up as she gave him a gentle grin. He swished his wand and the ship disappeared and Harry's face was back along with his glasses and scar sitting perfectly, like always. Harry made his way back to Hermione, then the professor called out Hermione's name. Harry shot her a thumbs up as they had practiced all weekend on her transformation. She stood for a moment and then shot McGonagall a smile before she raised her wand and pointed it at her own head, "Minervius Verto!" McGonagall let out a laugh as Hermione's face then turned into McGonagall's face, hat and all. The whole class laughed, then Hermione waved her wand again, and a gray tabby cat head appeared in an instant sending the whole class into an uproar of laughter as McGonagall said, "10 points to Gryffindor." Hermione swished her wand once more returning her face to its original, and shooting the professor a smile before taking her seat next to Harry. Harry patted her on the shoulder as Ron's name was called.
Ron let out a groan and reluctantly got up and dragged himself to the front of the class. The professor didn't look pleased at all with his appearance. Harry had helped Ron for a moment on how to turn his head into a bicycle, but Lavender ended up pulling him away not even then minutes into studying so Harry didn't know how well Ron would do, neither did Hermione. Ron swallowed, lifted his wand to his face, "cyclius -er-verito." a few sparks shot out the end of his wand onto his upper lip which then grew a black bushy handlebar mustachio. Hermione couldn't help but bust out laughing because Ron looked ridiculous with a mustache. Ron felt his face over and noticed that his enchantment hadn't worked and shot a mean look at Hermione, "oh ha ha, very funny. Look not all of us can spend every waking hour with our nose shoved two meters deep in a book, some of us actually have friends to see and things to do you blimey know it all."
Hermione's face turned a bright shade of red as tears filled her eyes. She got up and ran out of the classroom without grabbing any of her things. Harry looked a bit taken back and shot Ron a look that said WHAT THE F***. Ron swished his wand angrily, but his mustache only shrunken into a Hitler mustache, it didn't disappear. Harry waited until everybody was done presenting and McGonagall had started on her lecture for the day before he asked to be excused. He gathered his and Hermione's things together and left the classroom shooting Ron another dirty look. He understood the two of them couldn't get a long, but Ron had no right to call her out like that in front of the whole class.
Harry knocked on the door of the girls bathroom, and the door was answered by none other than Luna Lovegood. "Oh hello Harry, come in, it's only me and Hermione." Harry followed Luna over to Hermione who had stopped crying, but her eyes were still wet and red. Harry sat down beside her and gave her a gentle one armed hug as he sat her bag in front of her. "We all know he can be a right fowl git Hermione." She gave a gentle laugh and picked her bag up. "I've got to go Harry. Thank you. I will see you later at Slughorn's Christmas party. I've got to wrap your present anyway." She gave Harry and Luna both gentle smiles and made her way to leave the bathroom.
Luna took a seat beside Harry as she stared at the stone wall in front of them. "You know, your head is always filled with so much Harry. It's not always a good thing. Your friend Ron, sometimes he says and does funny things. Then there are other times", she turned and looked at Harry in an odd tone, "he can say and do very hurtful things. I've always had a passion for sharing the truth. It's times like what happened with those two that make me miss Dumbledore's Army. I actually felt that I had a lot of friends there. Even Ginny stood up for me when Crabbe and Goyle were calling my Loony Lovegood. It's funny how so much can change in so little time. Less than a year and your friends have went from wanting to be with one another to nothing short of a waxpert infestation. It's rather sad really if you think about it."
They both sat in an awkward silence for a moment before Harry decided to change the subject, "Er, Luna? Would you like to come with me to Slughorn's Christmas party this evening? I would love to take you as a friend." Luna smiled, "Anything for my friends." Harry got up and smiled, "Okay, brilliant! Well I better go and get ready. The party starts at five this evening, if you want to meet me in The Great Hall, we can walk together." Luna smiled, "Okay I will see you there. I hope there's pudding there!"
Harry left the bathroom and made his way up the stairs to the seventh floor, through the portrait of the fat lady, through the common room and up the stairs again to his dormitory. He rummaged though his chest and pulled out his shower bag that held all of his hygiene items and a towel. He turned and walked towards the bathroom and locked the door behind him. He walked up to a mirror and pulled his robes off, and then his shirts to where he was lightly defined abs were exposed. He pulled out his shaving cream and razor and shaved away his 5o'clock shadow. He then brushed his teeth, making sure to scrub his tongue very well. He pulled his shampoo and soap from his bag and draped his towel on the towel rack right outside of the shower. He took his belt off, unbuttoned his pants, and let them along with his boxer briefs fall to the floor as he turned on the hot water.
He stepped into the hot water and let his body relax as the hot water hit against his back. He showered quickly and made his way out of the shower. He tucked his towel around his waist and grabbed his toiletry items. He made his way back to the dormitory and rummaged through his trunk to find his black dress pants, white button up with a Gryffindor badge embroided on the chest, and a black dress robe. He pulled out a pair of boxers and slid them on. He got dressed, after putting on his dress robe, he walked over to the side of his bed and looked into the mirror as he combed his hair back. He smoothed some gel through his hair, but he still had a few locks that curved down the front of his forehead, accentuating his lightening bolt scar. He didn't mind. He looked as his green eyes sparkled in the light. He thought he looked rather nice.
He sat on the side of his bed and placed his sicks and black dress shoes on. He sprayed a little bit of calougn Professor McGonagall had sent him as a Christmas gift on and then tucked his wand into the inner pocket of his dress robes. He grabbed a tiny little box off his night stand and tucked it into his pocket as well. He looked up at the clock that read thirty minutes till five and made one more look at himself before heading out the dormitory. He made it into the Common Room where Ron was sitting putting on a fancy pair of shoes Lavender had bought him for Christmas. "Ah, hello Harry, don't you look dashing. Do you like my shoes? They are official quidditch shoes from my favorite team! My little Lavender got them for me for Christmas. Aren't they darling?" Ron stood up and showed his shoes off to Harry. He couldn't help but feel like Ron wasn't himself, the thought of him being so cheesy made him wonder if Ron was under a love potion and not just infatuated with a girl he hardly knew. It just wasn't like Ron to act that way.
"Yea, they're great Ron. I've got to go. Slug Club Party tonight. Happy Christmas, don't get to carried away this evening", Harry dismissed himself and made his way out into the stairwell of the castle, letting an eye roll slip at the thought of Ron and Lavender together. He made his way down to the Great Hall where Luna was waiting for him. He held out an arm, and she wrapped hers around Harry's and the two of them walked arm and arm together, making their way up to Professor Slughorn's office. There was several people already in the beautifully decorated room that seemed to be under and undetectable expansion charm in order to fit all the people. Neville had managed to get a job as a hostess, Luna's eyes it up when she seen him so Harry let her go.