A/N: I think I'll go and update now...Thanks to your awesome reviews! ::Gives out pixie sticks::
Krzy-cav-4-christ: thank you ...yeah pixie sticks are yummy!
Deep blue quill: thank you...yeah I think I will hurry...
Anon11: I don't think that there's going to be another fight between them...I don't think I can fit a fight in so I just think there are three different things that are going to happen but a fight is not one of them.
Nevermind2: and I can't help but love your review! ;)
Pinkkutie, JessicaDracoMalfoy, fieryred20, angelicwun, stargazerstarluver, sapphireazhalia: Thank you for your awesome reviews!
Cesia: I wonder too...
Eliria: I can't wait either!
Dracinique: no, Dumbledore just reminded them in the letter that there was a Hogsmeade weekend. He was never planning to meet them.
Gryffindor-Magic: yay! Thank you!
MioneandMalfoy: Thank you so much...that was so touching...I bet you want another pixie stick :::tosses you a pixie stick:::
Kring: yeah it's soon...this fic is only up to chapt 20. I miss you too! Well good luck with school and all...hope you like this chapt.
Melovedraco: salamat! Thank you!
Crazee: I wonder too...hmm. Guess you'll have to read this chapt
Me: They really are!
Flavagurl: Thank you...yup I have a feeling that they will too.
RedPillow: knowing that he was going to fall was enough for him to know that he was in danger, although he didn't know how much danger there was.
OKAY NOW ON WITH MY STORY!
Chapter 18: Spread the Christmas Cheer
Draco dragged Hermione to their common room so they could get ready to go to Hogsmeade. Hermione freshened up, fixed her hair in a messy bun and changed into a white tank top over plain jeans. She rummaged in her trunk for some gold and put a coin-filled bag in her pocket.
Draco took out a black band t-shirt that featured a heavy metal band that comprised of drunken and depressed wizards that screamed random words whenever they had a concert. He pulled them over his jeans and checked his reflection on the mirror. He brushed his hair away from his eyes, but it just fell loosely in front of them again. He took out a bag of gold and put it in his pocket.
"Hurry up Draco!" Hermione said, rushing for the door, "the train leaves in five minutes"
"Lighten up Hermione," Draco said, pretending to be cheerful, "Spread the Christmas cheer"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh he can be so childish," she thought.
"But cute at the same time", a little voice at the back of her head said. She had to agree. Black looked quite well on him, but she wasn't about to say that out loud.
Draco watched as Hermione pulled a pink sweater over her tank top. "Why'd she have to do that?" he thought, "she has this perfect body..."
"It's cold outside, stupid", a small voice said from the back of his head. He ignored that little voice and went over to leave the common room with Hermione.
--
They boarded the train to Hogsmeade. It was already decorated for Christmas, and it hadn't even started to snow yet. Hermione immediately pulled Draco to Honeydukes. She got Harry and Ron each a candy sampler, which was a huge box filled with different kinds of Honeydukes candy. "Now that's solved", she said under her breath, then she glanced at Draco, who was buying some chocolate frogs, "One more left"
Draco opened up a chocolate frog, and pocketed the rest. "What to get...what to get", he thought. His thoughts disappeared when Hermione suddenly pulled him into a shop that sold quills and parchment.
"I'm almost out of parchment," she explained, and they got inside. Hermione picked up a few rolls of parchment from the back aisle, but then she stopped in her tracks when she saw a jewel-encrusted diary made with the finest parchment in the world. It was covered with glass, which meant it was very expensive. It was the kind of diary where the words sunk in, sort of like a pensieve.
"Like Riddle's diary", Hermione reminded herself, clutching her glowing pendant. She admired the diary a few seconds more, and then checked out the quills on the shelf beside it. Draco stopped looking at the disappearing ink on one of the shelves to look at what Hermione had been gaping at.
"I think I know what to get her", Draco thought.
--
Draco then dragged Hermione to a different shop which sold brooms and other expensive wizard things Hermione hadn't seen before.
After a few minutes in the shop, Draco came out with a new broomstick servicing kit, and Hermione came out with not even a faint idea of what to get him, until she encountered an ad in the Daily Prophet the next morning
--
Weeks passed, and Christmas finally came. The prefects were called to decorate the Great Hall. Ron and Hermione had a lively conversation, and Draco gritted his teeth while trying to put up some pixie sticks...err---pixies.
"Not bad", Draco said, as they stood at the entrance of the now fully-decorated Great Hall.
"Yeah", Hermione agreed, "considering that you decorated it" and she flashed him a smile.
Draco grinned, "Oh ha-ha", he said, in mock hurt, "go on and laugh"
"Then I will", Hermione teased, and then she gave a fake laugh.
"I will get you for that"
--
Everyone (except those who left for the holidays) was looking forward to the Christmas feast. Hermione and Draco had a small argument over where they were going to sit.
"I want to sit there" Hermione said, pointing to the Gryffindor table.
"But I want to sit with them", Draco motioned to the Slytherin table.
Hermione took his hand. "Oh no Draco Malfoy", she said, "We are not sitting with them"
"I'm not sitting with them either" he said stubbornly.
"Please?" Hermione pleaded, "That can be your Christmas present...just once? Please...?"
"Oh alright", Draco said
"But what about my other present?" he thought, as Hermione pulled him to the Gryffindor table.
They sat down, and they sat down on the Gryffindor table that was on the right side of the brightly-lit Great Hall. Amidst the flaming torches, glittering fairy lights, and floating candles, one light glowed the brightest. And that light was Hermione's pendant.
--
Plates of food appeared on the tables in front of them, and they all ate to their heart's desire. Hermione was about to reach for the lamb chops when her hand met Draco's they both pulled their hands away, and they turned the same crimson color.
Draco was becoming very full, and so were the others who were there. The plates of food suddenly disappeared and were replaced by dessert trays and a pile of wizard crackers. Hermione reached for one and ended up with a bright pink quill. Draco took one and with a loud pop, a wizard's hat decorated with yellow stars appeared along with a dozen white mice. Hermione tried to force the hat onto Draco's head.
"No"
"Please?"
"No"
"Fine"
Draco thoroughly enjoyed the feast, especially because Hermione was paying more attention to him then anyone else, but he got this annoying, tingling feeling in his stomach.
He also felt a pang of jealousy when Hermione started talking to Harry and Ron.
"Is he treating you well?" Draco heard Ron asking Hermione.
"Quite well actually"
"You don't really think he's changed, do you Hermione?" Harry asked.
"I don't know Harry"
"Well he might be playing you for all we know"
"You think so?"
The conversation went on, until Hermione remembered that she forgot to bring her gifts for Harry and Ron.
"Draco?"
"Yeah"
"D'you think we could rush upstairs and get my gifts for Harry and Ron?"
Draco sighed. "I suppose"
"Spread the Christmas cheer" Hermione teased, as they ran up the staircase.
Draco stopped and forced a smile as they rounded into a corridor.
"That's better" Hermione said, and she started to walk into a corner when Draco suddenly grabbed her hand. "What?" Hermione said, irritated. Draco didn't say anything, he just looked up. Hermione looked up too, just to see mistletoe hanging over them.
"Hermione?" Draco asked suggestively.
"Oh", Hermione said, but she pulled him away. She wasn't ready to kiss him yet, well at least, not on the lips.
"Oh", Draco repeated as the entered the common room. Hermione couldn't help but notice the disappointed look in Draco's eyes, but she ignored it and took the gifts from under her bed
--
Draco was still looking disappointed as they went back into the great hall, but he tried his best not to look like he was. He kept quiet and finished the rest of his pudding as Hermione gave the gifts to Harry and Ron.
"Wow", Ron was saying, "an entire box of candy"
"This'll last me a whole month", Harry said, "Ron's will last for a night though"
"It would not" Ron said, turning red, and the golden trio kept on talking until it was time for bed.
"Happy Christmas", Hermione said, hugging Ron and Harry.
--
Back in the common room, Draco took out a small wrapped package from his closet.
"Here", he said, giving Hermione the gift.
"You didn't have to get me anything", she said blushing.
"Well I did"
Hermione unwrapped the package and revealing the jewel encrusted diary Hermione had admired in the parchment and quill shop in Hogsmeade. Before he knew it, Hermione had her arms around his neck.
"Thank you", she said after she let go of him.
"Saw you looking at it," Draco said sheepishly, "had it delivered by post"
"Thank you so much", Hermione said again, smiling, "oh I almost forgot"
She went back in the bedroom, and came out with a medium-sized package wrapped in green paper and a silvery ribbon.
"Slytherin colors" she said, as she handed him the present.
"You didn't have to get me anything"
"But I did", Hermione said smiling.
Draco unwrapped the package to reveal a small box. Inside that box was a wizard camera where the pictures came out instantly. (A/N: sort of like a Polaroid camera)
"Thank you so much", Draco resisted the temptation to hug her.
"You haven't already got one, have you?" Hermione said.
"Nope"
"It was hard to shop for you"
"Yeah well" Draco said, "Hey let's take a picture"
Hermione hesitated but came over beside Draco on the couch. He held the camera in front of them and there was a flash. With that came out a small square of thick blue paper. Blue smoke came out from it revealing a grinning Draco and a smiling Hermione moving around.
Hermione and Draco watched themselves move around, but Hermione looked away when she saw the photo-Hermione kiss the photo-Draco on the cheek.
--
After a few minutes on the couch, just sitting there, they decided to call it a night. They both got ready for bed quickly, thinking about each other, and they both got into the huge four-poster bed at the same time, still thinking about each other.
Draco edged towards Hermione, and she rested her head on him as he wrapped hi arm around his neck. Hermione closed her eyes, but she wasn't asleep.
"Draco?" she said softly.
"Yeah?"
"Have you ever thought..."
"About what?"
"What would happen when the chain breaks?" she finished sleepily.
"Every night Hermione, every night" Draco said, closing his eyes.
Hermione edged closer to him.
"I do too", she whispered.
"Happy Christmas, Hermione", Draco breathed as he stroked her hair.
"Happy Christmas Draco", Hermione said, clutching her bright, bright pendant.
--
A/N: I know you hate me for making Hermione pull away AGAIN! ::sigh::: but I won't update until you review! And since one of my reviewers coughANON11cough took all the pixie sticks, I shall have to give you chocolate bunnies instead.
P.S. just kidding Anon11! ;)