Title: 'Tis the Season

Author: Kara (aka gutterqueen)

Pairing: Ron/Hermione

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. The characters and the universe belong to JK Rowling. No money is being made and no copyright infringment is meant by this.

A/N: Christmas!Fic? I know, I never would have thought I'd write domesticChristmas!fic. Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome.

Most importantly, this ficlet is for Heather, in honor of her 16th birthday! I love you, Heather!

Ron was never fond about the holidays. Don't get him wrong, he wasn't all, 'Bah Humbug' about Christmas, but he was never bouncing around singing carols, either. He had so many siblings to buy for, with of course, no money, that he just ended up making himself look stupid when the day came around.

He tried the whole "make a present from scratch" thing one year when he was 7. Looking back, he couldn't even believe he even tried to give Bill the chess set made out of rocks pasted together (well, the pawns were just 1 rock). Bill had pretended to be overjoyed at the rock chess set, but Ron could tell, at the tender age of 7, when someone was being far too overenthusiastic.

Then there was that time when he was 8 when he had tried to give his mum a homemade cake. This would have been fine, a perfectly acceptable Christmas gift (in his mum's eyes, at least) if his mother hadn't have been the one to bake the cake in first place. She ranted and raved about 'Where on EARTH her cake could have disappeared to'. She cornered Fred and George in particular (it was their first year at Hogwarts then) until an embarrassed Ron had come forward and given her the cake back, his ears even more red than his hair.

You'd think he would have learned his lesson at 9. But of course, he didn't. In fact, that year he did something much like he had done the year before. He went into Percy's room the day before Christmas while Percy was eating breakfast. He found a book sandwiched between his bed frame and mattress. He snuck out, making sure that none of the floorboards would creak, because he knew Fred and George would have been able to hear him creeping around. Percy has always had a volatile personality, but Ron was sure he's like this present. After all, he knew he'd like it- he already had it. But Percy didn't like it. When Ron handed it to him, Percy's face got so red and his expression so fierce that Ron thought he was going to hex him right there. As it turns out, it was his diary- no wait, his journal- and Percy thought that Ron was giving it to him as some sort of joke. And no matter how much he apologized, Percy wouldn't talk to him until he left to go back to school at the end of vacation.

He had always been a fan of getting presents, of course, (what sane person wouldn't?) but buying them for people just triggered a fear in him. Plus there was that whole, 'let's-all-be-nice-to-each-other' thing that went around. It was phony and just plain annoying. And carols? Those got stuck in his head far too fast and far too easy.

OK, so maybe he was a bit 'Bah Humbug' about the holidays. He didn't mean to be, it just sort of... happened.

When he woke up in the bed alone on Chrismas morning, he was a bit surprised. He was used to waking up with the soft, warm form of Hermione cuddling up against him. He glanced the clock and then realized why. It was 10:47 and Hermione thought that sleeping any later than 9 was wasting time in the day.

His feet were cold (well, after all, he was barefoot) as he padded down the hallway towards the living room. He held the present behind his back, wrapped in metallic gold paper. Maybe the paper had been too much, but he had a feeling Hermione wouldn't mind.

He found her in the living room, sitting on the chaise and staring out the window. Her hair was bushier than usual- she hadn't showered yet and her hair became statically charged in the winter.

"Wish it snowed?" he said.

Her head instinctively snapped towards him, probably because she had no idea he was even up yet. She nodded slowly and a smile played at her lips. "What took you so long to wake up, sleepyhead?"

Ron didn't answer, just smiled back and held out the present he had bought for her.

"Happy Christmas, Hermione." He leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips. She turned around and grabbed a present from the side of the chaise and handed it to him.

"Happy Christmas, Ronald."

He slowly tore the wrapping off of the present. Unlike his wrapping paper, the one Hermione chose was a typical Christmas print. Dark green with silver ornaments. Tasteful. Ron wasn't sure what he was expecting for a gift, but he knew for one thing that he wasn't expecting a book about the Ancient Wizards of Constantinople. Which is exactly what Hermione gave him.

He swallowed a laugh and looked up at Hermione. She looked like she was trying not laugh just as hard as he was. Maybe he should have gotten her something more...Hermione-like. Something that she would have liked more than the newest broom model. Maybe if Hermione wasn't scared of heights to begin with, that would have been a good present.

The second their eyes made contact they both began to laugh. Simultaneously, they swapped presents back.

Yeah, buying for Hermione was easy.