Chapter 14: Christmas attacks

Hermione came home for Christmas without mishap, despite expecting a cloaked figure to appear from around every corner and shoot deadly curses at her and her friends. Harry had been…forgiven. That was the best way to put it, although he had yet to fully regain Hermione's trust. But when one is living from day to day, not knowing quite when a battle will ensue, friendships cannot be easily broken. Hermione sighed. She thought they had got through this after the end of the war.

'It is so wearing when one is constantly on edge and aware of every little thing.' She thought to herself sadly.

When she finally arrived home, her fears of attack were slowly fading into the background. Indeed, as she felt every holiday away from school, it was almost as if there was no magic, no wizarding world for her to come back to. Almost. Much to her surprise, a glossy eagle owl had been waiting for her arrival.

"Who's it from?" asked her mother walking into the room and setting a cup of tea on the table. "You've barely been home five minutes dear. Take it out into the garden, your father wont be pleased if it messes on the carpet again."

Hermione grinned and held out her arm to the owl. It only eyed her distastefully and flew into the garden of its own accord, alighting on one of the covered pieces of garden furniture. It had to be from Draco, no one but him could have an animal that sneered in exactly the same way as its owner. The owl looked away as it held out its leg with the letter attached.

Hermione,

Hope you arrived home safely. I took the liberty of posting a few alarm wards on your luggage so I would know if you didn't. All for your own safety my dear.

He was checking up on her? Hermione couldn't help but smile. It was rather sweet. She carried on reading.

Mother has been panicking about presents since I reminded her that it is in fact Christmas. She seems to have lost all sense of time. However, this does mean some impromptu shopping so we shall be in London next Monday. It would be…nice if you could join us.

Draco.

London. He obviously meant wizarding London (though what he meant by '…nice' she could not discern) and it wasn't too difficult for her to get to. But would she go? And, more importantly, would Dumbledore and the remnants of the Order allow her to travel alone, and shop in one of the least patrolled areas in the country with only a boy of her own age for protection. The security around Wizarding Britain had seriously lapsed now the obvious danger was over. Or so the Ministry thought.

However, Hermione's urge to be with Draco, if only for a few hours, overrode her suspicions. She hurried in out of the cold, after telling the owl to wait (she could have sworn it had rolled its eyes) and scribbled two short notes onto parchment. She attached both to Draco's owl, and stressed that the second not should go to Dumbledore. She presumed the owl would know where to go once Draco had received his message of acceptance.

Hermione watched the large graceful bird fly away, back to Draco. She would not admit to herself that she felt anything more for him, not at the moment. In fact, to some extent, Hermione refused to believe that she could ever love him, as it implied that she would eventually. And if there was the possibility of loving him in the future, then it was easier to start thinking about it, and once she started thinking that she loved him…well. That's what led to all that trouble before.

The bird was no more than a speck in the sky when a fierce shiver scurried down Hermione's spine. It was then she noticed just how cold the evening had become, she could even see tiny crystals of ice beginning to form on the birdbath.

'Strange.' thought Hermione. 'We don't usually get frost this early.' She turned away from the darkening garden and walked into the warmth of the house. Had Hermione been able to look closer at the ice as she walked away, she would have seen the tendrils of hair and the image of a face slowly fade away, and the solid slowly dissolve back into liquid.

Hermione could never remember that while she could see the Leaky Cauldron perfectly, her parents could not. In fact, it was one of the very few things that she could not remember, and it always frustrated her that she had to grab them and pull them into the darkness of the ancient pub as they sauntered past. Luckily she only had her mother to deal with this time, who had opted out of the wizarding world for the pre-Christmas sales in Oxford Street, and didn't even needed to be guided into the Leaky Cauldron.

Stepping into the bustle on Diagon Alley, Hermione's gaze was instantly drawn towards a new display of books in Flourish and Blotts' window. She was bending over to examine the covers, when someone grabbed her hips from behind. The shock made her leap a foot in the air, and Draco started to laugh.

"Honestly! You scared me, you…" But she was effectively silenced by a kiss. He pulled back.

"You didn't say where you wanted to meet, so I've been staking out the shop all day." Draco smiled as he handed her a book shaped package. "This isn't your actual Christmas present, but I couldn't resist."

Hermione accepted the present with grace, as she racked her brains for what to get him. Slipping the book out of the brown paper she could not resist a giggle. It was such a Slytherin present! Love's spells: How to get your way with love by Amora Jenks. Draco noticed a sly look come into Hermione's eyes.

"I think I've already had my way with love."

They meandered through the streets, looking at shops and waiting to meet up with Draco's mother. After buying presents for Harry, Ron and Ginny, Hermione was just left with Draco's present, and still had no idea what the Slytherin would like. She left him looking at brooms in Quality Quidditch Supplies and hurried off down the crowded street.

She saw the perfect shop, and was just walking through the entrance when she felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned around slowly, and came face to face with a haggard witch, whose straggly black curls not only extended down her back but flew out at odd angles, making her look wild. Hermione thought she was going to be sick. She was standing face to face with Zarina Vavier, and no help in sight.