A/N: I suck at summaries, which might be why I've changed it for this story three times and am still not satisfied. XD Sorry 'bout that.

Hope you all like this chapter! I know it's like, "WTF? Why is it Christmas?" It just plays nicely into my story, so DEAL! jk. Read on!

Chapter 8: Christmas Surprises

It's the time of the season

When love runs high

.Time of the Season, Scott Weiland & The Big Blue Missile Band.

Hermione quietly shut her bedroom door and sat on the corner of her bed. Could all that Draco had just told her be true? She replayed parts of the conversation in her mind.

"…I have an, er, incurable disease. It doesn't even have a name, it's so rare. I mean, me, of all people. I probably deserve it, anyway. And, don't worry, I'm not contagious…"

"…I require treatment which is really expensive, even for a Malfoy's bank account. Ever since my father went to Azkaban, though, I don't want to take away from the money my father left my mother and I…"

"…I told my mother that I was fine- she has enough to trouble her what with her husband in prison…"

"…even the most advanced wizard scientists can't find a cure…"

"…I don't want you to feel bad for me, I just thought you deserved to know…"

Not knowing what else to do, Hermione had given Draco the most comforting thing she could think of - a hug. They had then both parted ways towards their own rooms.

Hermione thought about it more as she prepared for bed, but she just couldn't get him off her mind. She felt so included; she was sure that she was one of the only people in Hogwarts who knew. She wanted to reach out to him, to help him, but she knew he would just push her away.

Hermione settled herself between the covers of her bed, completely unsure of what to do…

'o'

Suddenly, Christmas was upon Hogwarts. All of the Greek students were wrapped innumerable layers of clothing, very unused to the bitter cold that whipped around the castle walls.

Hermione and Costas had been spending their days almost completely together lately, showing each other all sorts of wondrous things and filling up with the holiday spirit.

Draco had awoken that morning, forgetting for a moment that it wasn't just any other day. Normally, he would have been waking up in his own four-poster bed at Malfoy Manor, but all student hosts had been forced to stay over break with their Greek students. He had really despised this, since he wanted to know how his mother had been holding up alone in the house for months. Plus, his dull-as-wood hostee, Artemis, was no particular reason to want to stay at school.

He stretched his legs underneath the crème-colored blanket his mother had crocheted for his last birthday, knocking his foot against a box at the foot of his bed he hadn't noticed before. He slowly and carefully tore apart the bright red-and-green wrapping paper, revealing a plain brown cardboard box underneath.

He opened the lid, exposing a small white bottle. It was the medicine for his disease! He was surprised and grateful… But who would send this to him? Not his mother; she had sent him some silk boxers, chocolates, and hair gel. He opened the small white piece of paper that was folded over once to read:

To Draco:

Happy Christmas! Feel better.

From,

Someone who cares

Draco stared in puzzlement once again at the mysterious note. The wheels in his head spun until, with a yelp of discovery, he figured out whom the present was from. He leaped out of his bed, hurriedly getting dressed to bound out the door and find this mystery person…

'o'

Less than forty feet away, Hermione heard a knock on her door and she called for the person on the otherside to come in. Costas stood in her doorway, looking unfit for the winter with his gleaming tan face smiling at her between a matching hat and scarf. She smiled back, saying, "Just one minute, Costas. I have to brush my hair."

He nodded and sat on the bed, and Hermione went into her bathroom. She found herself unable to stop grinning after seeing Costas. For the past week, they had been acting as though they had been dating for months, seen everywhere together, cuddling and holding hands. For once in her life, she had someone who liked her more than platonically, bushy hair and all. Hermione hated to think that someday soon, this kind and caring person who actually made her feel special would be gone, so she chose instead to think in the present and enjoy the time she had with him.

She ran the brush once more through her almost-straightened locks, sighing happily and exiting the bathroom to head out with Costas. Hogwarts was allowing students a Christmas Hogsmeade trip for the Greek students to see the village in its full holiday splendor. Hermione had promised Costas to give him her own tour of Hogsmeade, hitting only the best eateries and shoppes.

Moments later, they were making their way to the Entrance Hall to be led by various professors to Hogsmeade. The two almost walked around as though nothing could burst the imaginary bubble that had slowly but surely formed around them. Oblivious to the rest of the world, they did not notice the two separate people who kept their unwavering stares on them…

'o'

A few hours later, Hermione and Costas were window-shopping when Hermione gasped excitedly and ducked into a small souvenir shoppe called Hogsmeade Treasures. Costas warily followed her through the unsteady-looking shelves.

She finally stopped, saying, "I have got the perfect present for you. And, it's cheap, since I don't have much money left. I spent loads of it on one of my, er, family members," she explained.

"Hermione, you don't need to get me something. Being with you is enough," Costas said sweetly, his English obviously improved since they had first met.

"But I want to. And hopefully, it'll be the perfect thing for you to remember me and your stay here at Hogwarts by. Now, go wait outside while I buy it for you."

"If you insist," he said, reluctantly stalking his tall figure out of the shoppe.

Moments later, she walked out of the shoppe, brown bag in hand. "This," she proclaimed as she reached a mittened hand into the bag, "is for you."

Standing upon her outstretched palm was a small snow globe displaying the letters "Happy Holidays from Hogsmeade" across the base. Inside, miniscule flakes of snow fell upon moving figures that window-shopped along the replica of Hogsmeade's snowy streets.

"Oh, Hermione," Costas beamed at her. "How perfect."

The next thing she knew, he had enveloped her in a passionate kiss. Snowflakes fell on their closed lids and everything about the moment seemed perfect. Reluctantly, the kiss was broken and they each took a moment to stare into the eyes of the other.

Suddenly, Hermione was painfully aware of the whispering passers-by and her cheeks flushed bright red. "That was lovely and all, Costas," she said, "but let's not try for any more PDA's."

"PDA?" he questioned, eyebrows furrowed.

"Public Displays of Affection. Like, no making out in front of a bunch of people."

"Oh! I get it now," Costas said in sparked realization, letting go of Hermione's hand.

She looped her own right back through it, explaining, "We can still hold hands, though." He beamed at her, and they walked off towards The Three Broomsticks at the end of the road.

What neither of them noticed, though, was a certain redheaded somebody standing across the lane, scattered bag of Bertie Bott's at his feet. His mouth was hung open in utter disbelief, but as soon as he snapped out of it, he gripped tightly his bag of purchases and made a mad dash towards Hogwarts castle.

'o'

As they entered the crowded shoppe, Hermione and Costas both noticed many familiar faces scattered throughout the patrons of The Three Broomsticks. Hermione led Costas past Ginny and her Greek student, Pam, who were sitting with Michael Corner and his student, Owen, to a table in the back. Hermione had waved at Ginny, but noticed that she and Owen were practically ogling each other and decided not to interrupt.

The pair was promptly confronted by a small, curly haired witch who asked to take their order. As they waited for their coffees to arrive, Hermione was distracted by an uproar from a crowded table not too far from theirs. Padma, Parvati, and their Greek students, Lydia and Theo, were in tears laughing at some joke Anthony Goldstein and his student, Phil, had just told. "What do you suppose is so funny?" she mused aloud.

"Oh, what does it matter?" Costas said, regaining her attention and placing his hand upon hers. "I am here with you."

"Tell me, Costas, how did you become so sweet?"

"I was born of the sugar cane," he joked.

She laughed melodically, adding, "And funny, too. Corny, but still sweet." She snorted at her own joke, immediately embarrassed. At the sight of Costas' warm smile, the redness quickly subsided from her cheeks just at their drinks arrived.

After thanking the waitress and removing the lid to let it cool, she let her eyes once again roam the room, resting them on a familiar blonde head.

Almost sensing her gaze, Draco lifted his head to stare back at Hermione with a look of helplessness in his eyes. She looked at the two boys sitting across from him who seemed to be having an extremely heated discussion. She returned her gaze to Costas, motioning towards Draco's companions, saying, "Can you help me out with something for a second?"

He agreed and they brought their drinks to they boys table to find Nick, the student Ron was supposed to be hosting, and Artemis, Draco's student, ranting wildly in Greek. Costas sat down to make peace between the two and Hermione sat next to Draco.

"What happened?" she asked Draco.

"I don't really know. This other one," he said, pointing towards Nick, "just showed up and started following me around with Artemis. I came in here and we were all just sitting down and then all of the sudden, they start flipping out and I can't understand a word of it. It's been going on for about fifteen minutes."

Hermione suppressed a laugh, saying, "Well, you can just hang out with us for the rest of the time. In fact," she said, glancing at her watch, "we should probably be heading back to the castle." She stood up, asking Costas if he was ready.

Draco opened his mouth to tell Hermione something, but Costas spoke first, "I've broken them up, but they're still pretty mad. We ought to keep them separate." Draco and Hermione nodded at Costas' instruction and the five put their coats on and trudged back towards the castle.

'o'

After Hermione and Costas had parted ways with the other three boys and then parted ways themselves, Hermione roamed around the close-to-empty school, losing herself in her thoughts and the Christmas spirit. Before she knew where she was, she found herself outside of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. She heard sobbing coming from inside and was about to ignore it until she realized it wasn't actually Myrtle. Hermione had definitely heard the ghost's cries enough to realize when it was and wasn't her.

She stepped cautiously into the bathroom to investigate. The closer she got to the sobbing, the more she realized that it wasn't even female. She wondered what small boy had gotten so confused in his flurry of despair that he had roamed into a girls' room. When she reached the last stall from which she had deduced the crying came from, she slowly pushed it open and the weeping subsided a bit.

Upon the student looking up at her, Hermione was immensely surprised to see it was Ron. In all the years she had known him, she had seen him fume with anger, but never once had she seen him cry. Ron just struck her more as the type who would act out in anger than actually break down and cry.

Ron roughly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Was I so loud that you could hear me from outside?" he slurred with a lopsided smile.

Hermione noticed a small clear bottle of amber liquid at Ron's feet. "Oh, Ron," she said, clearly disappointed with her friend. But she knew there would be time for that later- right now, Ron needed her help. "Come on, I'll take you upstairs," she said softly, reaching to help Ron off the toilet. As she leaned in closer to him, the bitter smell of alcohol on his breath stung her nose, almost making her gag.

"No," he said, pushing her arm away. "Just leave me here. You've already done enough," he spat, a hint of malice in his voice.

Hermione's patience was wearing thin, but she managed to ignore the comment. "Ron, we can talk about it once I get you to your room. Let's just go," she urged trying once again to help him up.

"I said, get off of me!" he yelled, shoving her arm away again, more forcefully this time. "Go get it on with that Greek stud of yours or something."

"That's what this is all about?!" Hermione shrieked in disbelief. "You got yourself piss-drunk just because you don't like it that we're together?! I can't believe you!" Silently, she tried to calm herself down, telling herself that he wasn't in a right state. "Look, the most important thing to do right now is get you to bed."

"For the last goddamn time," he slurred, getting up off the toilet seat to stand on wobbly feet, "I'm staying here." He made to pick up once again the bottle that lay on the floor.

But Hermione got there first, her anger refueled. "If you're going to stay here, then you won't be having any more of this," she spat, pouring the bottle's remaining contents into the recently vacated toilet.

She didn't even have time to smile triumphantly before Ron had smacked her down onto the hard, tile floor. "What was that for?!" he screamed in her face. "You know I don't fucking have any money!"

Hermione rubbed her sore backside, wincing at what she knew was going to be a bruise tomorrow. She stood up, seething back at him, "Exactly the reason you shouldn't be wasting it on that foul, nasty drink! Look at you! Crying and beating up one of your best friends all because of a few too many ounces of that crap!"

"Shut up…" he whimpered, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor, beginning to cry again. "You don't know anything about what's going on with me."

Hermione calmed down, feeling extreme pity for him, even though he had just struck her down. She kneeled down, sitting on her heels beside him. "That's because you don't tell me," she whispered sympathetically to Ron.

Just as soon as he had sat down, he shot up again, towering over her. "Because you're always with that Greek fucker! And if you're not with him, you're with that disgusting Slytherin prat!"

Before Hermione could get out the words "How did Malfoy get dragged into this?", Ron had slapped her across the face. Hard. She grabbed her stinging cheek, seeing him lift his arm again out of the corner of her eye. She cowered beneath him, shielding her face with her hands, waiting for him to deliver his next crushing blow…

A/N: I'm sorry this chapter has taken a somewhat darker turn, but it's all in the storyline. Ron is one of my favorite characters (second only to Draco) so it was way hard to make him so mean. But for all of you who forgot about him in this story, he just came back to bite you in the ass! Never underestimate the Ron.

Tell me if you totally hate it, though. I want to know these things! Seriously though, folks. Review.

And now comes the fun part- my uber-reviewers! You all get a box of Frosted Flakes for being so grrrrrrrrrrrreat!

Son Christine: I haven't seen you lately! L Call me or something… And, btw, any Potter fan (cough, cough, NOT YOU) would know that HERMS is a commonly used nickname for Hermione and NOT an STD!!!

fourthiv: Huge problems is what this story is all about. J

SlytherinPixie: Thanks for the ego boost! I'll try to keep it under control. Thanks for tuning into this story!

ellen2321: Bing bong bing bong! You got it! Hermione's such a player…. As far as who's the 'bad guy' and how this story's gonna turn out… well, you'll just have to keep on reading.

slytherin-kittycat: Wheee! Here's the update!

Lady Paine: Tee hee. The conversation did turn out very interesting, no?

You guys rock! Review again!

Charlotte ;)