Hey everyone, I hope you liked the last chapter. And wow, I'm writing
another chapter in less then 24 hours. More like 20 hours actually. And
Ariana you are basically right on your guess. But your really only half
right. Go congratulations, you get a cookie. Even though I can't really
give you one. And if my readers could do me a favor, have your friends read
my story. I guess it is kind of selfish for me to want a lot of reviews.
And this may not seem like rated R. But that's only because it is still the
beginning. It will later be heavy R believe me. Sex is good. Well if you
can get it. But I want them to do the 'deed' later on. So anyway, I'm
getting off track. Read, review, and enjoy. P.S. you can review more then
once (that's directed towards CollerdbyInsanity, and every one else).
Chapter 16: The picking
"Okay everyone, form a single file line in front of us." Hermione said loudly. She waited until all the Raven claws did as asked before speaking again. "Do you all understand what is going on?" Every one nodded their heads to let her know they did.
Draco put three containers, excluding the Ravenclaw one, on the table in between Hermione and the students so they could get started.
The students went up one by one reaching into a container of their choice. They each picked up a folded piece of paper and walked away. Hermione and Draco herd many of the students gasping once they read the name of the person that was to receive a gift from them.
"I would like to remind you." Hermione said a little after the line had started. "That you are not to tell anyone who you are Secret Santa for. And if you do, you shall pay the consequences."
A few people looked at Hermione fearfully before leaving the hall. They knew better then to not believe her threats. She had been with Harry fighting off death eaters before. And everyone knew what had happened to the girl that snitched to Umbrege in their fifth year. They all knew to not say a word.
The Ravenclaws had all left the hall after a while. Hermione and Draco sat there enjoying their short break before another house would be called down. They sat alone in complete silence before it was finally broken.
"I'm sorry about last night." Hermione said, not able to look at Draco directly for fear of becoming the shade of cherries again.
Draco just stared at her for a minute contemplating what she had just said. 'She shouldn't be sorry.' He thought to himself. 'Can you also explain why not?' His inner voice from his mind thought back. 'No, not really, but I know she shouldn't be sorry. We shouldn't be sorry for what happens.' 'Then tell her that.'
"Hermione?" Draco said hesitantly looking at her.
Hermione brought her head up with a little surprise a parent in her eyes. "Yes?" She said looking into his eyes. She could feel her cheeks starting to burn.
"You shouldn't be sorry." Draco responded looking into her honey dew eyes. "If anything, I should be the one who is sorry." He paused, letting a small real smile form on his lips. "I am the one who started it."
Hermione looked at him with a little more surprise. But there was also a little of something else he could see in her eyes, he just couldn't tell what.
"I guess your right." She said also smiling. "But it was really weird for me."
"Yeah, I know, me too." He said still looking at her with the same small smile upon his lips.
"Do you want to try being friends?" Hermione asked tentatively not sure if she wanted the answer. "Or at least not bitter enemies?"
"Yeah sure. I think I might like that."
"I think that this is already working, and they haven't even come across our spell yet." Snape said speaking to McGonagall in the small chamber next to the great hall.
"Keep your voice down." She said quietly. "They might here us."
"Not likely, The Gryffindors are on their way down now."
The seventh year Gryffindors stepped into the Great Hall lead by Harry. He looked to Hermione and walked steadily towards the table she and Draco were siting behind. The rest of the Gryffindors followed behind him, including Ron, who had just gotten out of the hospital wing. Ron and Harry stood side by side at the table with the rest of the group in a bunch around them.
"Hey Hermione" Both Harry and Ron said at the same time.
"Hi Harry." She replied first. "Hey Ron. I'm glad to see you are doing better."
"Yeah me too." He said. "I'm just mostly glad not to be a bird anymore."
"Yeah, I know." She said, then she turned her attention to everyone else. "Does everyone understand what is going on?"
Everyone nodded their head in agreement, everyone except Neville.
"Yes, Neville, what is it?" She asked sweetly.
The young man looked confused when replying, "How are we to know who to give a gift to?"
"Well, if all you file into a single line behind Harry, you'll all find out." She replied. "And don't tell anyone whose name you have picked."
Draco put three containers onto the table, excluding the Gryffindor one. The students made a line behind Harry, and the picking began.
Harry reached into a container and with drew a folded piece of paper. He opened up and gasped. A look of disgust quickly drew upon his features. He looked as if he was about to lose his breakfast. Hermione hoped this wouldn't effect the Quidditch game he was to play the next game.
The students moved along preaching into containers and picking names. Neville had picked his and opened his mouth. "I can't believe I got..." But he was never able to finish his sentence.
He continued to open his mouth trying to get sounds to form. But there was complete silence. He couldn't speak. Hermione smiled, glad that the charm had worked. But she was a little worried for her friend.
She walked over to Neville and made him face her. "Neville, you are not supposed to tell anyone who you picked. Do you understand me?" He nodded his head to let her know he understood. "Good, because I don't think you want this to happen again." She did the counter curse and released the spell's effect.
"Thank you Hermione." Neville said sheepishly before walking away.
The rest of the Gryffindor picking went fine. Everyone of them soon left the room and the Slytherines would soon be let in.
Hermione felt a little nervous about being around only Slytherine for a period of time. So she asked Draco to speak to them while she left the room.
She went back in when she noticed that they had all walked out the doors.
"So, how did it go?" She asked Draco as she walked towards him, ready to take her place again for the Hufflepuffs.
"It went fine, I guess." He responded. "But Pansy shrieked when she found out who she had picked." The hufflepuffs had entered and gone through the same routine as the other houses. Some of them gasped, and some of them smiled. Luckily, another Neville incident didn't take place. The students left again leaving Draco and Hermione alone.
"Well, I guess it's almost lunch time." She said. "I'm starving."
"Yeah, me too." He said. "But we still have to pick ours."
"There's one in both of our houses, so we know what house we get."
They reached into the containers and gasped at the same time. Hermione saw Draco's name printed on her sheet of paper. Draco saw Hermione's name on his.
Chapter 16: The picking
"Okay everyone, form a single file line in front of us." Hermione said loudly. She waited until all the Raven claws did as asked before speaking again. "Do you all understand what is going on?" Every one nodded their heads to let her know they did.
Draco put three containers, excluding the Ravenclaw one, on the table in between Hermione and the students so they could get started.
The students went up one by one reaching into a container of their choice. They each picked up a folded piece of paper and walked away. Hermione and Draco herd many of the students gasping once they read the name of the person that was to receive a gift from them.
"I would like to remind you." Hermione said a little after the line had started. "That you are not to tell anyone who you are Secret Santa for. And if you do, you shall pay the consequences."
A few people looked at Hermione fearfully before leaving the hall. They knew better then to not believe her threats. She had been with Harry fighting off death eaters before. And everyone knew what had happened to the girl that snitched to Umbrege in their fifth year. They all knew to not say a word.
The Ravenclaws had all left the hall after a while. Hermione and Draco sat there enjoying their short break before another house would be called down. They sat alone in complete silence before it was finally broken.
"I'm sorry about last night." Hermione said, not able to look at Draco directly for fear of becoming the shade of cherries again.
Draco just stared at her for a minute contemplating what she had just said. 'She shouldn't be sorry.' He thought to himself. 'Can you also explain why not?' His inner voice from his mind thought back. 'No, not really, but I know she shouldn't be sorry. We shouldn't be sorry for what happens.' 'Then tell her that.'
"Hermione?" Draco said hesitantly looking at her.
Hermione brought her head up with a little surprise a parent in her eyes. "Yes?" She said looking into his eyes. She could feel her cheeks starting to burn.
"You shouldn't be sorry." Draco responded looking into her honey dew eyes. "If anything, I should be the one who is sorry." He paused, letting a small real smile form on his lips. "I am the one who started it."
Hermione looked at him with a little more surprise. But there was also a little of something else he could see in her eyes, he just couldn't tell what.
"I guess your right." She said also smiling. "But it was really weird for me."
"Yeah, I know, me too." He said still looking at her with the same small smile upon his lips.
"Do you want to try being friends?" Hermione asked tentatively not sure if she wanted the answer. "Or at least not bitter enemies?"
"Yeah sure. I think I might like that."
"I think that this is already working, and they haven't even come across our spell yet." Snape said speaking to McGonagall in the small chamber next to the great hall.
"Keep your voice down." She said quietly. "They might here us."
"Not likely, The Gryffindors are on their way down now."
The seventh year Gryffindors stepped into the Great Hall lead by Harry. He looked to Hermione and walked steadily towards the table she and Draco were siting behind. The rest of the Gryffindors followed behind him, including Ron, who had just gotten out of the hospital wing. Ron and Harry stood side by side at the table with the rest of the group in a bunch around them.
"Hey Hermione" Both Harry and Ron said at the same time.
"Hi Harry." She replied first. "Hey Ron. I'm glad to see you are doing better."
"Yeah me too." He said. "I'm just mostly glad not to be a bird anymore."
"Yeah, I know." She said, then she turned her attention to everyone else. "Does everyone understand what is going on?"
Everyone nodded their head in agreement, everyone except Neville.
"Yes, Neville, what is it?" She asked sweetly.
The young man looked confused when replying, "How are we to know who to give a gift to?"
"Well, if all you file into a single line behind Harry, you'll all find out." She replied. "And don't tell anyone whose name you have picked."
Draco put three containers onto the table, excluding the Gryffindor one. The students made a line behind Harry, and the picking began.
Harry reached into a container and with drew a folded piece of paper. He opened up and gasped. A look of disgust quickly drew upon his features. He looked as if he was about to lose his breakfast. Hermione hoped this wouldn't effect the Quidditch game he was to play the next game.
The students moved along preaching into containers and picking names. Neville had picked his and opened his mouth. "I can't believe I got..." But he was never able to finish his sentence.
He continued to open his mouth trying to get sounds to form. But there was complete silence. He couldn't speak. Hermione smiled, glad that the charm had worked. But she was a little worried for her friend.
She walked over to Neville and made him face her. "Neville, you are not supposed to tell anyone who you picked. Do you understand me?" He nodded his head to let her know he understood. "Good, because I don't think you want this to happen again." She did the counter curse and released the spell's effect.
"Thank you Hermione." Neville said sheepishly before walking away.
The rest of the Gryffindor picking went fine. Everyone of them soon left the room and the Slytherines would soon be let in.
Hermione felt a little nervous about being around only Slytherine for a period of time. So she asked Draco to speak to them while she left the room.
She went back in when she noticed that they had all walked out the doors.
"So, how did it go?" She asked Draco as she walked towards him, ready to take her place again for the Hufflepuffs.
"It went fine, I guess." He responded. "But Pansy shrieked when she found out who she had picked." The hufflepuffs had entered and gone through the same routine as the other houses. Some of them gasped, and some of them smiled. Luckily, another Neville incident didn't take place. The students left again leaving Draco and Hermione alone.
"Well, I guess it's almost lunch time." She said. "I'm starving."
"Yeah, me too." He said. "But we still have to pick ours."
"There's one in both of our houses, so we know what house we get."
They reached into the containers and gasped at the same time. Hermione saw Draco's name printed on her sheet of paper. Draco saw Hermione's name on his.