CHAPTER FOURTY ONE: Yuletide Tomfoolery Pt. 2

Last time on FOE:

"Can we look at your book now?" eh asked, changing the subject and picking up the said book.

"Sure, if you want to," she said, standing up. Draco stood as well and accompanied Hermione as she sat down on the Slytherin sofa.

~*~*~

Draco opened the book to the very first page and smiled at a picture of Hermione standing in a corridor with an armful of books.

"A lot of these were originally pictures taken by Colin, which I redrew," Hermione said as Draco turned the page. She remained silent as he looked at a picture of himself, smirking in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express while Harry and Ron sat in the background, looking angry.

"Wow, Mia. This must have been first year; Harry's wearing muggle clothes. Do you have a photographic memory or something like that?" Draco asked in awe and Hermione giggled.

"No, I drew that in first year, right after that happened. They're in somewhat chronological order; all the ones I've done recently are in the back." Draco was amazed at how good the picture was; especially if it was done by an eleven year old. He closed the book and reopened it backward, looking at the last one first and moving back to the beginning.

"This never happened," he said as he came to a picture of himself and Hermione, sitting together in a tree-swing, Hermione looking toward the sky and Draco looking toward her. Hermione smiled.

"That's one of my favorites; it was a dream," she told him and Draco kissed her temple. They continued looking through the pictures; Hermione explained some of them and Draco made random comments until they had seen each and every one. She gave him a kiss and left the couch, opening her box of playing cards and giving them a long shuffle. Draco flipped through the book as Hermione did this, but turned to her as she sat on the floor and began to deal them in a straight line. He watched silently as she laid down each card. **Face up, down, down, down, down, down, down, up, down, down, down, down, down, up...**

"What are you doing, Mia?" he asked curiously and Hermione smiled at him.

"Solitaire," she explained, and, although still completely obliviant to what she was doing, Draco pretended to understand.

"Oh!" he said, trying much too hard to cover up his ignorance. Hermione smirked.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

"Nope," Draco replied and turned back to his book, pretending not to be interested. Hermione shrugged and looked down at her cards, finishing the deal and beginning to play. Draco waited a moment, then slowly turned his eyes to the cards, watching as Hermione's delicate hands rubbed away their newness.

Hermione's game lasted only about fifteen minutes before she finished. She sighed and began to collect the cards into one pile. Draco looked up to her face at this action, then back down to the cards, confused as to what she was doing.

"What, that's it? Why did you stop?" he asked, not realizing how stupid he sounded.

"I won," Hermione said, looking up with a smile.

"You won already? Wow; I've never heard of a game you can win that quickly," Draco said, looking surprised. Hermione laughed.

"Haven't you ever played heads-or-tails?" she asked and Draco smiled.

"All you need to win that is the ability to say one word. A hippogriff could win heads or tails, but I doubt it could win Slimy-pear or whatever you said that was called." Hermione laughed again.

"Solitaire, like solitary, as in one- it's a game for one person," she explained and Draco nodded, turning back to his book. Hermione sighed deeply and began to shuffle her cards again.

"Okay, what is it?" Draco asked and Hermione turned her head up to face him.

"Hm?"

"Come one, out with it, That was your 'something is wrong, but I'm not going to say anything because I don't want to bother anyone' sigh. So, tell me what's wrong," he demanded, but calm and gently. Hermione smiled at his ability to pick up on something like that and shrugged.

"It's no big deal; I was just thinking that this game is incredibly boring ant that, if I were smart, I would find something better to do," she said, nodded, and moved to replace the cards in their box. Draco closed his book and placed it lovingly on the table beside him. He stood from the couch, then fell to his hands and knees, crawling over to Hermione, stopping when her face was mere inches from his own. He opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione stopped him with a kiss. When she pulled away, Draco lifted his lids, but remained silent and unmoving for a minute, looking into her eyes.

"You're getting that cabin fever thing again, aren't you?" he asked, his voice nearly emotionless, as if he already knew it was true. Hermione dropped her head a bit and closed his eyes, nodding slowly and guiltily. Turning her head up to meet his eyes, Hermione pursed her lips together.

"But it's alright... I can live with it, I don't want Christmas ruined on my account; not this one in particular," she said, sliding her hands up his arms. Draco smirked thoughtfully.

"No, no, no.... maybe it will make it better. All we need is somewhere away from our common room to go; where to? I picked last time," Draco suggested and Hermione smiled.

"Maybe you should pick again, I'm not good at being spontaneous."

"Just try," he insisted.

"Hm... we could go visit Dobby; he'd be ecstatic," she suggested and Draco gave her a crooked smile.

"He must already be; Christmas feast tonight. Visiting may be filed under inconsiderate," he reminded her and she nodded.

"You're right. Hogsmeade is deserted, so that would just be silly. I know; we can sneak up on the teachers, throw a cactus in their general direction, and run away before they see us!" she sarcastically suggested with a wide smile and Draco chuckled and kissed her. He remained silent for a long time, then his lips curled into a smile.

"Let's go to your place," he suggested and Hermione blinked in surprise.

"Seriously?" she asked and Draco shrugged.

"Why not?" Hermione broke into a grin.

"My parents aren't home," she told him and he shrugged again.

"That's okay; we won't have to deal with the whole meeting the parents thing yet; we can just hang out with your friends in a town where it's a little more unlikely that someone will suddenly appear beside you and make fun of your love life," Draco said and Hermione giggled, kissed him, then gave him a big hug. She pulled away with a wide smile.

"I might want to shower, then," she said and Draco smiled, so she kissed him again before standing and heading directly to the lavatory. **Not what I originally had in mind, ** Draco thought, **But I can't think of a more surprising surprise. **

* * * * * * * * * *

"Well, who's acting like a little kid now?" Draco said with a laugh as he walked toward Hogsmeade with Hermione, who was twirling around him, singing, giggling, and looking very much like a small girl heading to the toy store. Hermione laughed and took his hand, calming down and trying to act more mature. Draco smiled and kissed her cheek. "I never said you had to stop," he reminded her and Hermione shrugged, turning to him with a smile.

"I can't help it, I have my superior image to maintain, after all," she joked and Draco smiled.

"For who? I'm the only one here," he said, gesturing to the area around them and looking out at nothing.

"Hey, you never know who's watching. Plus, would it be smart to just hand you dirt on me? That, I've learned NOT to do," Hermione said, then giggled as Draco shot her a mock angry look.

"Oh, I don't know, Mia. You've given me some good material so far," Draco smirked and she laughed again.

"Oh, yeah..." she sighed happily and tucked her unclasped hand under the opposite arm.

"Are you cold, Mia?" Draco asked, letting her hand go and pulled her waist toward him. She smiled and hugged him close.

"No, but this is nice anyway," she said and Draco smiled.

"You're something else, you know that?"

"So I've been told, but this is the first time it's been a compliment," she said, turning her head up. Draco took it as an opportunity for another kiss and seized it. He smirked as he broke away.

"Who says it was a compliment?" Hermione laughed and pushed him away, elegantly sprinting the few feet to the gates. Draco laughed and followed, walking leisurely and sliding his hands into his pockets. Hermione looked annoyed as she waited at the gate and finally gave up and entered without her slow paced comrade, closing the fence behind her and holding her weight against it to keep it shut. Draco approached with a smirk and stopped directly in front of the entryway, looking at Hermione through the iron bars.

"Can I help you with something?" she asked, continuing to hold herself against he divider. Draco smiled.

"You could let me in," he suggested, trying to look cute and sweet-talk his girlfriend.

"Oh? And what reason might I have to do such a thing?" Hermione asked innocently, hiding her smirk with a smile. Before she could even register what he was planning, Draco kissed her quite thoroughly through the bars. "Good reason," Hermione said when she was done, spinning around and walking away from him. Draco wore a smug smirk as he pushed through the gates.

Hermione stood a few feet away, her back to Draco, pretending to ignore him, and crept up behind her. Hermione was expecting him to say something clever and was planning to interrupt with another kiss, but Draco had different plans.

He came quietly up behind her and gently pushed her hair to one side, creating an open area for his lips to recover. Hermione smiled as Draco continued, trailing tiny wet kisses up her neck and back down again. His hands moved to her hips and then continued around front, pulling her to him.

"A really good reason..." Hermione added blissfully with a smile and Draco laughed, stepping around to face her, lips catching hers before she could reopen her eyes. She moaned quietly as she fell into the kiss, bringing her hands to the back of his neck.

"Ready?" he mumbled into her mouth and Hermione was about to agree, but said nothing and finished their display.

"Here?" she asked, pulling back and opening her eyes. "Don't we have to go somewhere secluded or something?" Draco smiled.

"Look around you, Mia," he suggested and kissed her nose. "There's no one here, love. We ARE secluded." (A/N: Haha, I wasn't thinking this as I wrote it, but doesn't it kind of sound like they're talking about sex? Lol. Did anyone else catch that? It's not what I meant, I swear, lol.)

"If you say so," she agreed. Draco smirked and suddenly the world around them began to blur. Hermione watched in awe as everything turned a milky white, then darkened to grey before swirling into whole new scenery. "Wow," she said, looking around at the familiar platform. The Hogwarts Express sat silently beside them, resting a few more days before the long journey to the castle.

"I thought you might like that," Draco said and began kissing her again. Hermione giggled and kissed back.

"Question," she mumbled.

"Hm?" Draco replied and moved his kisses momentarily to her neck to let her speak.

"Why are we here?" He laughed and brought his head back up to face her.

"Because I have no idea where you live; I was hoping maybe you could help me out here." Hermione giggled.

"Oh yeah, I hadn't thought of that," she kissed him once more, then took his hand. "Let's go, Ace. This is going to be fun, I know it."

* * * * * * * * * *

"And why are we riding this thing?" Draco asked as they took a seat on the number seven city bus. Hermione giggled.

"It's called a bus, Ace," she told him and Draco smiled, glaring at her. She giggled again and took his hand as she crossed her legs.

"I know what it IS, but why am I ON it?" Draco said, somehow able to keep up their conversation, although it was obvious his attention was directed elsewhere. Hermione's skirt had ridden up a few inches, but she did not seem compelled to fix it. Draco just stared at her tantalizing legs while they spoke; if Hermione noticed, she made no move to redirect his eyes.

"Because it's half the price of a taxi, roomier, and not that much more inconvenient; this one stops a few blocks from my house, so it works out rather nicely. We'll be there in twenty minutes," she explained and Draco nodded. Hermione smiled as she realized that he hadn't heard a word she'd said. A smirk played on her lips as the Head Girl walked her fingers down the top of her thigh and stopped them at her knee, slowly sliding them back up, bringing the hem of her skirt along for the ride.

Draco's eyes widened a bit as his view became better and better; soon he could even manage a peek at her unsurprisingly black panties. He licked his lips, not wanting to take his eyes away, when the bus suddenly lurched forward. Both were thrown ahead, then back again.

The blonde Slytherin looked disappointedly at Hermione's lap; her skirt had been pulled down again. He turned to Hermione with a fake pout and she laughed, causing Draco to blush a little and smile. As the bus began to move again, Hermione leaned over and caught Draco in a sweet kiss, underrated and safe for the prying eyes of the bus-dwellers.

"You're adorable," she whispered cheerily to him and Draco smiled, then went back to the kisses.

As the bus slowed at their stop, Draco and Hermione made no hesitation to depart from it. Some of their fellow passengers were rather intimidating, at least to Hermione. Draco seemed not to notice anyone but her; particularly her legs.

Hermione breathed a sigh of happy relief as she stepped off the capsule with Draco behind her. He didn't seem unhappy either; wrapping his arms around her from behind and connecting his lips with the skin of her neck.

"You like that, don't you?" she asked in a volume just above a whisper. Draco smiled, but said nothing; he simply continued his work. Hermione let out her breath in a laugh and smiled. "Me too." As if only to torment her, Draco stopped his actions. He stepped aside, sliding his hand to the small of her back. Hermione looked up at him with a smile and Draco gave her a soft kiss.

"Lead the way, love; this time *I* have no idea where we are," Draco said and Hermione smiled.

"Come on, then," she said, taking his hand from her back and entwining it with her own, then started down the street. They walked in silence for a few minutes; Draco kept his eyes on Hermione, who was looking, if possible, even more excited. Suddenly, she started giggling.

"What?" he asked, smiling.

"You know what? I don't have a key," she said, laughing at the irony.

"You don't?" Hermione shook her head.

"Why would I; I'm not coming home until June," she pointed out and Draco nodded.

"So, what do we do?"

"I don't want a ministry warning, so we'll have to go borrow Thisbe's," she said with a shoulder shrug.

"We can do that?" Draco awestruck that she would trust another person with everything she owned.

"Of course. She lives there," Hermione said, pointing a way down the street to a quaint white house. She paused for a moment for him to see, then continued. "And, I live there," she finished, pointing to a three story brick house across the street. Draco looked to the house and was a bit surprised. After visiting Ron, he couldn't help but expect something less extravagant. Hermione's home was no where near as large as his, but that was to be expected. It looked very new, the porch well made and recently painted, the drive black and smooth, newly cleared of snow.

"Wow," Draco said, looking over the clean red brick as best he could from such a distance. Hermione laughed.

"Oh YEAH, it's just WONDERFUL," she said with a giggle. "Come on, let's go see if Thiz is willing," Hermione said and began pulling Draco down the street. She didn't say another word until they were stepping up to Thisbe's door. "Ready?" she asked with a slight smirk, holding her finger an inch from the doorbell. Draco shrugged slightly, trying to look like he didn't feel awkward. Hermione laughed and leaned swiftly in for a kiss.

"Mione!" a high feminine voice shrieked and the door flew open, causing a startled Hermione and Draco to jump apart. In the doorway stood a laughing Thisbe Cavello wearing light blue pajamas and a smirk through her giggles.

"Thiz!" Hermione said, half in warning and half in excitement as she stepped forward and embraced her friend. Draco stood to the side, looking a little surprised. Hermione's friend was a little taller than her and had straight, waist-length, black hair. She hadn't even bothered to throw a robe on over her slim fitting pajamas and was still barefoot. The girls broke from their embrace with smiles.

"Mione, why didn't you tell me you were coming?! I would have... um... well, I would have gotten dressed, for one thing," Thisbe laughed and Hermione joined her.

"I'm sorry... it was a... surprise, yeah," she explained, then hastily changed the subject. "Ready for introductions? Thisbe, this is the infamous Draco Malfoy. Draco, Thisbe Cavello," Hermione said and watched as Thisbe grew a horrendous smirk. Draco smiled a little guiltily, embarrassed at Hermione's words, and held out a hand. Thisbe took it in greeting, then moved both hands to her hips, wearing an expression of deep thought as she gave Draco a quick head-to-toe with her eyes.

"I believe he'll do," Thisbe said and both girls laughed. Draco pricked up an eyebrow and Thisbe nodded, crossing her arms. "Quiet, cute, and confused. Perfect." Again, the girls giggled and this time Draco blushed.

"Hey Thiz, I don't suppose I might have my keys back? Just for today?" Hermione asked and Thisbe took her eyes away from Draco and brought them back to her friend.

"Oh, yeah... sure," she said and stepped to the side where a key rack was tack to the wall. She plucked one set from a hook and handed them to Hermione.

"Thanks. We're going to go, but it'd be great if you come by when you get a chance," Hermione suggested and Thisbe smiled.

"I'll be there, Mione. See you guys later, then," she agreed, giving Hermione another quick hug, then retreated into her home. Hermione turned and smiled at Draco, who was still looking a bit uncomfortable. She laughed and he smiled.

"That was, erm... interesting," he commented and Hermione nodded.

"Quite." Draco smirked.

"She thinks I'm cute," he reminded her smugly and she laughed again.

"Come on before she starts drooling," Hermione said, taking his hand. Draco shook his head and followed her across the deserted street to the still- surprising brick building.

Hermione led Draco to the front door, then let him go and fumbled with the keys. She smiled triumphantly as the doorknob turned in her grasp and pushed the door open, looking back at Draco as she stepped inside, motioning for him to follow. Hands jammed in his pockets, he complied.

The room just inside the door was small and cozy, having only a coat closet, small settee, and some potted plants. There was a doorway to the left which held a staircase, one on the right with led to what seemed to be a sitting room, and two on the opposite wall. One had a closed door, but the word 'restroom' was carved into the cherry wood. **Odd, ** Draco thought, but dismissed it. To the right of the bathroom, but on the same wall, was an open doorway leading to a kitchen.

Hermione, while Draco had been taking note of his surroundings, had slipped off her shoes and was in the process of removing her coat when he came back from his world of discovery and stepped up to help. Draco aided her in the removal of her jacket and Hermione smiled as she took it back and tossed it on the sofa. She took a step toward Draco and stood on her toes for a peck on the lips; she was much shorter than him without the assist of her shoes.

"Want some breakfast?" she asked and Draco grinned. With a sweet smile, Hermione broke away gracefully and passed through the entry room, heading toward the kitchen. Draco removed his coat and shoes, then followed her, marveling at the large red kitchen with a black tiled floor, full to the brim with muggle innovations.

A giggle was heard as Hermione walked past him to the ice box, tickled by his awestruck expression.

"You act like you've never seen a refrigerator before," she said, amused, and Draco looked instantly embarrassed.

"I haven't," Hermione turned to him, looking a bit confused.

"Your mother has one, in the parlor," she reminded him and Draco nodded.

"Yes, I noticed that too, but she's purchased that and all those other muggle things sometime after I left, because they weren't there beforehand," he told her and the girl who was leaning on the open refrigerator door nodded.

"Well, there's not much to it; it's purpose? To give perishables a longer shelf-life. Close door, light goes off, cold stays in. Open door, easy access." Hermione pulled from the chilly chamber two cans of soda and a jar of grape jam. "Welcome to Grillin' with Granger. Today's lesson: muggle teen breakfast. Are you up for it, you saucy scum?" Draco laughed.

"Do I have a choice?" he asked, eyes following the girl as she expertly dashed about the kitchen.

"Hm," she mumbled, putting a finger to her chin. "No, not really," she shook her head and laughed. "Hey, want to hear a story? I should probably tell you anyway."

"Um, sure..." Draco said as he watched Hermione lay out four pieces of bread and begin to twist open the jam jar.

"This house used to be a funeral parlor. The kitchen and the living room were joined and they would have the wakes in here. The owners lived on the second floor, and they had a coffin showroom on the third. Then, the basement was used as like a temporary morgue... plus they did embalming and prepping down there. The equipment is still there, but I'm not sure if it works. I don't go down there unless I have to; rather creepy.

"We just finished renovating last summer; the insides have been done for two years, but we just added on the porch." **That explains the bathroom door, then, ** Draco concluded. Hermione, as she spoke, spread jam on two of the four slices of bread, then began to open another jar.

"You're not very good at bedtime stories, are you, Mia?" She laughed again, then continued her meal preparations.

"Actually, I'm not, but I thought I should tell you. Oh, come on, it's not like there's dead people germs or anything," she stated, sounding as if prejudices against the deceased annoyed her.

"Okay... so what's upstairs now?"

"Second story has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and my closet. Third story is home to an air hockey and pool table, along with various other means of muggle entertainment," she said, not looking up from her near completed task. After spreading a thick layer of a light brown past, which Draco hadn't the faintest idea was, Hermione folded the bred into two sandwiches, each with one jam slice and one paste slice. She cut each down the middle and picked up one half of a sandwich, stepping toward Draco. "Draco Malfoy, meet peanut butter and jelly. Go on, taste it." The sandwich was held out to him and Draco took it, looking rather confused.

"Wait... what is it?"

"I told you; peanut butter and jelly. You'll like it; I promise." Hermione took the other half sandwich in her hand and, bringing it to her lips, took a dainty bite. Draco, however hesitant, did the same, inviting the new substance to meet his taste buds. He was surprised at the taste, but a nod told Hermione that Draco had decided almost instantly to like it.

Only a moment after he swallowed, Draco's face began to flush. He brought a hand to his neck as he attempted at swallowing again, but he found himself unable; his throat was closing up quickly. Hermione watched worriedly as his face seemed almost to swell.

"Draco? Are you alright?" she asked, setting down her sandwich and stepping toward him.

"I don't know," he managed to say, but it sounded strained and raspy.

"Oh my god; open your mouth," Hermione said frantically and Draco did as she asked. He heard her let out a relieved sigh as she looked inside.

"What?" Draco tried to say, but all that came out was a raspy cough.

"Oh!" the distressed blonde's girlfriend exclaimed as she dove into her pocket for her wand. Hermione aimed her magic savior at Draco and gave it a flick, causing all of Draco's symptoms to almost instantly disappear. Breathing deeply, Draco looked up at her.

"What the hell did you give me?" he asked, surprised that she would do something like that, but not quite angry yet.

"I'm sorry; how was I supposed to know you were allergic to peanuts?"

"I'm what?" Draco asked, still sounding a bit hoarse. Hermione took one of the cans from the table and popped it open, then handed it to her boyfriend. He took it and smirked at her. "Should I trust you?" Hermione smirked back.

"I've never heard of anyone being allergic to Dr. Pepper; you should be fine," she said smartly, but Draco was already gulping the drink.

"Thanks," he said as he took the can down again. "So, what just happened?"

"You're allergic to peanuts. Your body overreacts when they are ingested or you get them into your bloodstream. I'm really sorry; I didn't even think... I should have checked first," Hermione said guiltily, fidgeting her fingers. Draco smiled and leaned to the side to catch Hermione's downcast eyes with his own.

"And how, exactly, would you do that?" Hermione smiled and took his arm in her hand, then touched her wand to his pale and perfect skin, leaving a thin trail of blood behind. Draco watched silently as she did this with a guilty frown. Hermione then held his wrist in one hand and ran the index finger of the opposite over the rim of the peanut butter jar.

She wiped the small glob over the fresh cut and looked up at her boyfriend, who was watching her amusedly. He looked to her from his arm, still smiling, and leaned in to kiss her. Hermione smiled as their lips met, then leaned her head against his chest as she waited. Draco, who had no idea what was going on, remained silent and moved his untested arm around her.

Hermione waited for two or three minutes, then she moved away from the light embrace, plucking a napkin from the holster on the table and wiping the offense from Draco's arm.

"See?" she said sadly, eyes on the swollen red lump which had formed under his abrasion. "I almost killed you," Hermione thought out loud as she flicked her wand and the bump, blood, and cut disappeared.

"Hey," Draco said with a smile, placing his hands on her arms and all but forcing her to look him in the eye. "I'm fine, it was an accident. I didn't know, how could you possibly have?" he assured her and Hermione nodded.

"Yes, but I should have known to-"

"Mia, it's not your fault, okay? And you saved me too, I think that about evens things out. Thanks." Hermione nodded and Draco pulled her into an embrace. "Just be glad your friend wasn't here, or we would have been screwed."

"She probably would have called an ambulance or something; wouldn't that have been fun?" she said and Draco smiled. Hermione pulled away with a happy sigh. "Okay, scratch PB+J. Plan B, pancakes," she said, moving from his embrace to the cupboard. (A/N: Is it just me or do these people like pancakes? Haha, I'm addicted, ask anyone I know) "Your allergy can be fixed permanently, but not by me. I know the spell, but I've never tried it and I don't want to mess up, so we'll wait and ask Pomfrey to do it later."

"If you say so, Mia," her boyfriend said and leaned against the counter behind him. He watched as Hermione scurried about the kitchen; mixing this, measuring that, and felt a little helpless. "Hey, do you want me to do something?" he asked and his hostess smiled.

"Nope, but thanks," she said and went back to stirring.

.

.

A/N: Haha; Voldie can't kill him but an itty bitty little peanut can.... mwa hahaha! I'm so evil! Yes! Am too! Okay, fine, I'm a freak... whatever! More Christmas to come in following chapters... and the golden couple gets four house guests! Guess who they are??? You'll never, never guess! And I'M NOT TELLING! Until they come, that is.

Once again, no R+J, and there wont be for the rest of the Yuletide Tomfoolery series of chapters... but after that, it's a possibility! Here's a quote to hold you over:

Romeo: I dreamt a dream tonight.

Mercutio: And so did I.

Romeo: Well, what was yours?

Mercutio: That dreamers often lie.

Romeo: In bed asleep, while they do dream things true.

Mercutio: O, then I see Queen Mab hath been with you.

PRF: As Guilly readers will tell you; I've become very lazy with my PRFs...

Thanx to: Arime Setta, Water demon, Erilyn Rose, Aindel, Purplerks, Carla, Joebob1379, XxSleeyGirlxX, Little Witch, MoshiMoshiQueen, Tom*Feltons*Babe, Malfoy, and Starry Skies for reviewing the last chapter! Wow, that sure took a lot less time that the real replying does, lol... I'll do a better job next time.

1) Question for Purplerks: What do you mean by 'what's up with the number 62?'... now I'M confused!