I think im back in the game!!! This chapter is dedicated to Warren...you're so sexy, I love you dearly in a totally I wish I could think of you as anything other than a friend way.

On WITH THE SHOW.....

"Gin, Gin! Wake up, sleepy head!" Ron yelled, running into the girl's room.

"What is it, Ron?" she asked, pulling her covers over her face.

"It's Christmas and we've got LOADES of presents, you should see the tree!" Ron said, still yelling.

"I understand. Now what time is it?" the muffled voice came from a bed over where Hermione was laying with Aissa. The little girl was dead asleep and Hermione was looking bright eyed and bushy tailed (sarcasm).

"It's around five." He said, still bouncing on Ginny's bed. He jumped a little higher every time and closer to the edge of the bed. Eventually Ron the bouncing boy bounced right off the little bed and onto the floor. "Fuck!" he yelled. Parvati sat up in bed immediately, looking around for the cause of the rucus. Aissa let out a tiny, pitiful wail as she woke up.

"Ok. You take the crying baby because it's your fault, and we'll get up just about the time that Draco does, how about that?" Hermione said, looking smug at the fact that Draco was a long, hard...... sleeper. (Sorry... ^_^)

"Fine, fine." he said, taking Aissa and retreating the room.

"And no waking him up." Parvati called as the three girls settled down for another few hours of sleep.

~*~Hours later~*~

"Oh, Hermione, thank you!" Ginny cried as she opened the gold wrapped package containing a quaffle signed by the captain of the Hayworth Harpies.

"Draco, you fuck-face!" Harry yelled, opening up the new Gryffindor and Slytherin themed chess set.

"As always," Draco replied, tearing off the wrapping of Hermione's present containing a very old edition of "Playing Fire against Fire", a dark arts defence book, with strategies how to use dark to fight dark. "Woah, Hermione!"

"You are very welcome." She said, bringing in a tray of tea and Ogden's Old for the group.

"Haven't you opened your presents, darling?" Sev asked, mixing the Whiskey and tea in a cup.

"No, not yet. I've been getting Aissa her bottle and the tea." she replied, picking up her daughter. The little curly headed girl had a ribbon stuck to her sparse hairs. She giggled and pulled it off, flinging it towards Severus.

"She should have some presents." Ginny said, pushing a little red box toward Hermione and Aissa.

"Here, baby, here's a present for you." Hermione cooed, pulling the spellotape off and letting Aissa tear it a little. Upon opening it, she found a little gold ring with a cresent moon and a star in the middle with a tiny diamond chip. There was a tiny filagreed W inside the moon. "Oh, Gin." she breathed.

"It was my baby ring when I was little. I thought Aissa should have it." she said, Draco putting an arm around his girlfriend.

"Thank you." Hermione said, giving her friend a warm kiss on the cheek.

"It's nothing." the overly modest one said.

"But it is, Ginny." Severus said, wrapping Aissa up in his arms.

"Oh, come on, Hermione, open this one from Harry and me." Ron said, chucking a long, flat, rectangular package at her. She tore into the green paper and found a deep coffee brown leather journal. She opened up the little book and immediately she saw a message from Harry and Ron each. Suddenly, in Harry's handwriting, the book began to write again.

Hey 'Mione. It's an enchanted journal thats connected to ones Ron and me have. Try to write back.

She immediately gasped and lunged for a quill.

4. Say that number out loud.

"4. Say that out loud." Ron said, laughing.

"These are amazing!" Hermione cried, hugging both of the boys at the same time. She was getting a little teary-eyed when a timer went off in the kitchen. "Oh, no. The Turkey is ready." she got up and ran to the kitchen.

"Hermione." Sev sighed, pressing his nose that wasn't really hooky into Aissa's hair.

"Yes, darling?" she turned.

"When you get done, you still have my present to open." he said, smiling her way. "Two actually."

"Really?" she asked, smiling a little, thinking of the present he had already given her.

"Yes, but I want to be alone with you and with Aissa. Maybe before dinner?" he asked, kissing Aissa's brown head.

"All right, love. I'll be back soon." she said, going with Parvati and Ginny to set the table.

~*~With the boys~*~

"So, Sev, is tonight the night?" Draco drawled, moving the pieces around Harry's chess set so that they could play.

"Night for what?" Ron asked, looking up from the Biography of the Chudley Cannons.

"Shut up, Ron." Draco said.

"I'm asking Hermione to marry me." he said softly.

"Mazel Tov." Harry said, grinning at Sev.

"You're all right with it?" Sev asked incredulously. He immediately sat up in the squishy chair.

"Yeah. I've never seen 'Mione so happy. Except when she won that Arthimancy prize last year." He laughed

"Really?" Snape asked again.

"Yes."

"Even you, Ron?" Severus asked tenatively.

"I never want to make her choose. She loves you." He said, looking a little strangled, shifting in his seat a little, a pale blush coming to his cheeks.

"Are you sure you approve. If not, I woln't ask her." Sev replied quietly.

"You would do that?" Ron was silent. He realized, in his own meager mind that this was Hermione, his Hermione. The man that loved her, other than him was willing to give it all up at a drop of his little finger. He was tempted, so tempted to tell him he couldn't, take Aissa and Hermione in his arms and make the family he wanted. And Ron couldn't bear the thought of Hermione never really and truly being happy with him. She loved Snape, the git-bat and Ron was just starting to like him. He was close, he was so close.

"Never do that." he replied quiescely, shaking his head. A youthful smile took over Severus' face as he pulled out the little blue box from his pocket.

"Here it is." he said, showing the other boys the ring. It was huge, but not gaudy. It was particularly tasteful for that matter. The amber was deep and rich while the canary diamonds glinted in the noon time sun.

"Gaw..." Harry sighed, his jaw dragging the floor, "Mione will love it."

"Yeah, it's very nice." Draco added. Ron couldn't bring himself to look at it.

"Look at it, Ron." Harry said forcefully getting up from his position of admiration. Ron commanded himself to get up and look at the beautiful ring. He sighed, looking at it. He knew that he could never give Hermione something like that. And she deserved that. The best he could do would maybe be something average like a small diamond, Hermione's birthstone, April, in yellow gold. Platinum was so much more expensive. He sighed again.

"It's perfect for her," he relented, looking at the smooth platinum and exotic amber. "It really is."