I don't own any characters and as far as I'm concerned I won't own any characters. So, with that said, let the story continue!
"Where's the snake!? What happened, Gin? Are you okay?!" Harry said, helping Ginny up. "Professor, it was here, I swear!"
Dumbledore just looked at Ginny questioningly. "Ms. Weasley, what happened?"
"Well, I was keeping a close eye on the snake... and then I got knocked out by something on my head. Then I guess the snake disappeared." Ginny said, looking alarmed. "I don't know what or who hit me... and I doubt I've been put under any memory charms because I remember everything else before that."
Harry had a look of fury and disappointment on his face. Ginny just looked at him with sad eyes. Dumbledore rubbed his beard, eyes no longer twinkling.
"And nobody saw? Most people are looking out their store windows right now," Dumbledore asked.
"It all happened to fast." Ginny replied.
"He probably apparated, then," Dumbledore said, sighing. "We'll do a search on Hogsmeade, but please, you two, get back to the carriages to Hogwarts."
Ginny grabbed her newly purchased presents and walked along beside a very disappointed Harry. The world was still in danger because of that horrible snake.
"I'm sorry, Harry. I don't know what happened." Ginny finally apologized, for something she wasn't really responsible of.
"It's okay," Harry replied. "It's no one's fault, just the pricks who did it."
They found a carriage and loaded it. Neville and Luna joined them, Luna humming dreamily to herself.
"Thanks, though, for helping me today, Harry. I should have stayed, but I don't know..." Ginny said, taking a seat next to him.
"Yeah, well you stunned the snake..." Harry said. "So I should be thanking you." But Harry wondered why his curses didn't work against the snake. He quickly muttered a "Lumos!" to see if he still had magic in him. Luckily he still did because a bright light was formed by his wand, and he muttered "Nox," right after.
The two smiled at each other and received questioning looks from Neville. Luna was fondling with a gift in her hands.
"It'll probably be in the papers tomorrow, Neville," Harry said, sighing and looking out the carriage window.
The next few days came and nothing new had happened. As Harry suspected, the attack at Hogsmeade was in the Daily Prophet. A bit overexaggerated, but accurate nonetheless. Harry still hadn't learned anything about Snape's boggart. The sight of his mother suffering had finally caught up with him and he was startled by it. It was so odd that Snape's boggart could take that form... why would it take that form? Harry's mind whirled with wonder. And also the snake... the snake seemed so extremely familiar to Harry. It could not have been Voldemort's snake, Nagini, because he would have known... no, this was another snake, no doubt doing Voldemort's dirty work, but it was another snake, that was for sure.
Another thing was coming up - the Christmas holidays. The headmaster must have had something planned for Christmas, but if he didn't Harry didn't know what he would do. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go back to headquarters - it reminded him too much of Sirius and he had enough of that for one summer. The plans for Christmas were yet to come.
Harry had finished the book that Dumbledore had let him borrow. Concerning Aberforth - he went back to work at the Hog's Head after a week. Albus was catching up with his brother and was so surprised that Aberforth never told him about his business with the Goblins. Anyway, Harry finished the book and found out all he could about the Veil. He had mentioned it to Ron, who had a few looks at it, but didn't really take time to read it. He was still always spending most of his time in the library.
The second week of December at dinner, Dumbledore mentioned the Christmas plans.
"Well, I'm going to hire the Wizarding Russian Ballet to give us the Nutcracker in the Great Hall on Christmas Eve. The Hall will be arranged like a theatre. I am hoping that many of you stay, for it will be a great show." He said and then sat back down. Some boys grunted and said they were going home for sure, but most girls were excited and talking about how they would stay.
"What are your plans for the holidays?" Harry asked Hermione and Ginny after Dumbledore made the announcement. Ron was in the library - again. This was getting interestingly ridiculous again - even though they knew half of the reason why he was there.
"I would like to see the show, I've always admired dancers, you know," Hermione replied. "But I think I wanna spend time with my parents this Christmas."
Harry just nodded. What on earth was he going to do?
"I think I'll be going back to Headquarters." Ginny said. "That's where Mum wants me."
"Oh, that's great," Harry retorted to the both of them.
Suddenly, Hermione's eyes lit up. "I've got it!" she said, but didn't get to finish because Ron came walking in with books in his hands and the Daily Prophet on top of them.
"You're gonna have to move, mate," he told Dean Thomas, who was sitting next to Harry. Dean just shrugged and moved to the next seat over. Ron sat down. "I've got some interesting news, and some bad news."
"I guess it's safe to go with the interesting news first," said Hermione.
"Well, look at these books, Hermione!" Ron accidentally slammed the books on the table, causing it to shake. Fellow Gryffindors gave him irritated looks, but he just went on. "I was browsing the 'debates' section in the library for that History of Magic report we have due on why Indian Wizards despised Apparation. I found a few books on the debate against unpaid house elfs."
Hermione just looked at him in awe, with the other two. What on earth was wrong with this boy? "It's weird, Ron, that you're acting this way. And it's also weird that I've never seen those books before."
"Oh.. you know." Ron said.
"Well... I've sort of given up on that, Ron. House elfs don't want to be freed." Hermione replied.
"When you read the things in here, you'll wanna continue it again. And Hermione, I'm gonna help you!" Ron said, eyes bright.
The other three were looking at him with confused looks. Ron noticed and just slowly grabbed the Daily Prophet.
"Well," he cleared his throat. "The bad news..." His face became pale. "Is that the Death Eaters broke out of prison..."
The other three's faces were now both confused and horrified.
"How!?" Ginny asked.
"I don't know, they just have. They broke out last night." Ron replied. "They were so heavily guarded, too."
Then Hermione's original idea came back to her head. "I think it would be safer if you guys spent Christmas at my house."
"Your house?" Harry said, wide-eyed yet fascinated. Hermione's house... for Christmas. That would be a definite oppurtune moment.
"I don't think Mum will mind, do you Ginny?" Ron asked his sister.
Ginny pondered. "No... er - do you mean me too?"
Hermione gave her a hearty laugh. "Of course, Gin!"
"Do you think Dumbledore will mind?"
"No, I wouldn't," said Dumbledore walking by. His eyes were again twinkling darkly behind his half-moon spectacles. "Oh, and by the way I prefer Professor. I think it is a quite safe place to be for the holidays... especially with the Death Eaters breaking out of prison... which reminds me..." He quickly walked back to the Teachers' table and clapped his hands, shutting the students up. "I think most of you have read that the Death Eaters have broken out of Azkaban." Most gave shudders and odd glances. Hermione glanced over at Malfoy and noticed his eyes were downcast. "For the holidays, it is safe to be here, I promise, as I will be here most of the time, and so will the teachers. But if you want to spend time with your family, then so be it. But that ballet show will be quite wonderous, if you ask me..." And he walked back down the Great Hall to whatever destination he was going to.
The last Quidditch game of the fall season, Ravenclaw played against Hufflepuff. As Harry suspected, Ravenclaw won. Cho was too fast for the Hufflepuff's seeker. All the team's were still on the same page, except Hufflepuff was a bit behind... they would be out of the plays if Gryffindor beat them when they came back from the holidays.
Before the holidays started, and the four of them would be attending the Grangers' for Christmas, the trio decided to pay a last visit to Hagrid, who was in fact taking his brother back to his rightful home.
"It's so sad, 'Arry... I don't want 'em to get all beat up o'er there. 'E's gotten so good in 'is english too." Tears were coming down the half-giant's face. "But I know I gotta do what I got ter do..."
"It's alright," Hermione said. "I'm sure he will be able to take care of himself. And he's gotten so much bigger, after all."
"Yep, I suppose yer right. I gotta 'ave faith in 'em... that'd do it." He now wiped the tears from his eyes. "It'll be a long journey... but I'll be thinkin' of how much better he'd be in 'is own enviro'ment."
Harry said, "Yeah, don't worry Hagrid. He'll be okay."
Ron also joined in on the reassurance. "Yeah. I'm sure he's gotten loads better. And he'll be able to use what you taught him back in his old home."
Hagrid pulled the three of them into a tight hug. They were struggling to breath as he patted them all on the back, but they just continued to hug him back and encourage him through muffles.
"Well, you lot better go packin' now. I'll be back after Christmas break, for sure. Don't forget about those Horklumps we've been studyin' this term." The Horklumps were the most boring creatures next to the flobberworms. Hagrid was too depressed about Grawp to bring home any other interesting creatures. "I'll send yeh some... grass er somethin' from the mountains."
With that the three said their farewells and left toward the castle.
Hermione decided she needed to use the bathroom and departed from the boys halfway towards the Gryffindor tower. On her way, she passed by Malfoy. The two hadn't talked or met for about a month, only meeting eyes whenever they saw each other in the halls, in Defense Against the Dark Arts, or during dinner.
But this time, Malfoy decided that his plan of her wanting him by the 'silent treatment' wasn't working. He had to make a move now.
"Granger, where are you going for the holidays?" he asked sweetly.
Hermione just rolled her eyes. "If you must know, I will be with my family and my best friends."
"Ah, I see..." he replied, expecting her to ask what he would be doing, but received no such thing, only silence. "Aren't you going to ask me what I'm doing?"
"If you want to tell me, go ahead." Hermione said impatiently. Giving him this kind of treatment was kind of fun.
"Staying here," it was true, but acting it out sentimentally would also give him the head's up. "You know, my father's broken out of prison... mother doesn't want me coming home. I suppose the ballet would be okay... but even better if I had someone like you to go with." He stepped closer to her. She just stood still.
"If you know anything about Vo - his - plans, it would be nice to tell me." Hermione replied, trying her best to avoid his last comment.
He stepped even closer, and now they were face to face. "But I don't know anything."
She could feel his hot breath on her face and for some reason she felt that warmth go through her again. She felt it even more when their gazes met.
"Happy Early Christmas," Malfoy said, and he pasted one sweet kiss on her lips before walking away, leaving her feeling swept off her feet.
As Hermione walked back towards her Portrait after using the bathroom she met up with Ron.
"I thought you were going back to the tower?" Hermione asked him.
Ron replied, noticing the brightness in Hermione's eyes and the blushing in her face. "I forgot a book in the library. Anyway, why are you so red?"
"Um, no reason," Hermione lied. She then quickly tried to change the subject. "What's with the change, Ron? You are so different now... you've been acting like ... me!"
They both laughed. "Well... let's just say people can change you." Ron cleared his voice. Now it was his turn to change the subject. "So, you wanna hear more about those house-elf rights books? We can talk about it more when we're at your house... your parents don't care that boys are coming over right?"
Hermione gave an airy laugh. "Oh, of course not! They would be delighted to spend the holidays with you!"
Just as the two were approaching the Fat Lady, two figures appeared in front of them.
"Good afternoon, ma'am and sir. Yes, Dobby brings Winky here to apologize." Dobby gave Winky a scolding look. At first the young elf looked down, but her big, round eyes gazed back up and Ron and Hermione.
"I is sorry," then she quickly returned her gaze to the ground. She looked as if she was ashamed to be saying that.
"Now, the gift, Winky..." Dobby said, crossing his arms in front of him.
Winky looked back up and conjoured a mistletoe! "Happy Christmas...." And she handed it to Ron. Winky then began crying and ran away. Dobby followed the agonized elf.
"Have a happy christmas! Tell Harry that Dobby will send him nice gifts!" Dobby said, running after Winky.
"Dobby gives such odd gifts," Hermione remarked.
"Yeah, he does," Ron replied, smirking. He knew exactly what he was gonna do with this at Hermione's house... He placed the piece of mistletoe into his pocket.
The trip to Hermione's was full of anticipation from all four of them. They had very few conversations on the train back to Kings Cross. Hermione was eager to introduce her very best friends to her parents and was excited about finally being the host during Christmas. Ron was eager to meet Hermione's parents and perhaps maybe do book work with her - then maybe discuss the house-elf rights. Ginny was also eager to meet the Grangers. She was also happy to be spending Christmas at a new place. Harry... well he was excited period about being at his crush's house for Christmas. What exciting things would happen?
They finally arrived at Kings Cross and were greeted by Hermione's mom. She had bushy, brown hair and dark brown eyes. Hermione ran over to her and gave her the longest and loving hug that the other three had ever seen. It had been a while since Hermione spent Christmas with her family.
When they arrived at Hermione's pink house in London, Ron and Ginny were fascinated with the cleanliness of the neighborhood. They were even more impressed by the cleanliness of the inside of the house. When they walked in the door, the first thing you could see were stairs - golden brown stairs that led straight up into the second floor of the house. Next there was a hallway leading into the kitchen, a neat little living room to the right, complete with a fireplace and comfy soft couches, and a dining room to the left.
"Well, there's a room down here for you boys," Hermione explained. "Ginny and I will share my room. Just get settled in and then come out into the living room... we're going to have a nice, homemade dinner and then decorate the tree!"
Ron and Harry walked across the clean carpets to the guest room downstairs. When they walked in, they placed - or rather threw - their belongings on the floor and examined the room. There was a bed with red and white christmas sheets and a window showing the bright white snow outside above it. A tiny, white desk was next to it and a lamp was on it's other side. A sliding, white closet door was across the bed.
"Brilliant!" Ron exclaimed, throwing himself onto the bed.
Harry just laughed and took a seat on the edge.
"There's a problem," Harry said. "We're going to have to share."
Ron looked at him, "I am aware of that. What's the problem? At headquarters we slept on the same bed."
"Things are different now... if you catch my drift." Harry replied.
Ron suddenly understood and opened his eyes in sarcasm. "Ohhh... you can sleep on the floor then. Or you can just go upstairs and share a room with sweet Hermione. Ginny won't mind sleeping in here on the floor."
Harry just glared at Ron, who was presently chuckling at his last comment. "Fine, we'll sleep on the same bed. But there will be a barrier!" And Harry placed a pillow in the middle of the bed.
Ron and Harry walked outside after they had settled inside the room. Ginny and Hermione were on a couch in the living room, admiring the green Christmas Tree that stood in a corner in front of them. Mrs. Granger's head peered out of the kitchen to the four who had now sat down in the living room.
"Dinner's running a bit late... your father's working double shift, dear. Anyway, have your friends watch TV or something... I'll be done soon!" Hermione's mother called out and quickly went back to a silver pot full of scrumptous smelling food.
Hermione grabbed a rectangular looking gray remote and the television in front of them switched on.
Ron and Ginny immediately turned their attention to the TV. Harry and Hermione were used to the muggle object, but the Weasleys' were quite fascinated with them. The show, The Simpsons, was on.
"This is bloody hilarious!" Ron exclaimed. Ginny laughed along with him at the fact that Homer had just said "DOH!".
Harry and Hermione gave each other amused looks (Harry giving her more than just an amused look - or well an amused look for her at least). When would he tell her how he felt about her? Christmas time, perhaps? He would have to make a simple little gift, considering that he had no time to shop for her at Hogsmeade.
"That's more like you, now, Ron," Hermione laughed. She missed the old, funny best friend of hers that she would always bicker with, but didn't mind the new smartness.
Then dinner started and Mr. Granger came running in. He greeted the boys and Ginny and gave his daughter a welcoming hug. He took off the glasses he wore on his face and shuffled his light brown hair a bit.
"Work was a bloody fiasco! And so near the holidays too!" He gave his wife a kiss and took a seat at the dining table.
Their dinner started and Mrs. Granger made a great meal of muggle food. Ron loved the roast beef and potatoes in particular. Ginny enjoyed the soda compared to the old pumpkin juice for a change. During this whole dinner they had side conversations and at one point discussed Harry, Ron and Hermione's adventures. However, they didn't get into deep detail about it, for it would be odd for Harry... he still had not told them about the prophecy.
Later on after dinner, Harry decided he would be polite and offered to wash the dishes. He received admiring smiles from the Grangers and an especially twinkling one from Ginny. After that, they decorated the tree with lots of bright objects. Ron was quite fascinated with them and forgot, for the time being, about his work.
A/N: Well, here's Chapter 16! I just finished 17... or am finishing it. I've decided I won't add any new chapters until I'm done with the chapter ahead of it AND until I get more reviews! So get reviewing!!! Ohh, Chapter 17 has many surprises... it's one of my favorites! So come on and review... PLEASE!