Chapter 32
"Christmas"
A few days had passed. Harry was busy packing up his things, preparing for tonight. Dumbledore had whipped up a wonderful Christmas feast, complete with turkey, cookies, mashed potatoes and more. They sat around the campfire, singing Christmas carols. Dumbledore wanted everyone's minds to be as far away from any bad thoughts as possible. Harry watched as the sun began to dip. He felt a sense of dread consume him.
"Don't worry Mione, we're coming." he whispered.
Hermione stood in front of the dresser mirror, admiring herself. She had on a gown that looked just like Belle's from that muggle movie, "Beauty and the Beast," only instead of gold, it was a platinum white with a bit of blue here and there. She wore her hair in half a ponytail, tying it up with a blue ribbon, leaving the rest to settle against her shoulders. A pair of dangly diamond earrings and a lovely diamond bracelet were found in a small drawer of the dresser. Hermione put these on along with a dash of dark vanilla perfume she found as well. She was to have a Christmas dinner in the ballroom that her and Bellatrix had decorated. She held her necklace, thinking of her friends and family.
"Communicus." she whispered.
Dumbledore watched as the fire transformed into a life-like size of Hermione dressed in a beautiful gown. Harry and everyone else gasped.
"Ah, the lovely Miss Granger." said Dumbeldore, beaming.
Hermione smiled.
"Professor Dumbledore, how are you?" she asked.
"Fine." Dumbledore replied.
"How's Harry and Ron?" Hermione asked.
"Why don't you ask them yourself." said Dumbledore.
He motioned for Harry and Ron to come in front of the hologram Hermione.
"Hey Mione!" they said.
"Oh Ron, oh Harry! It's so good to see you. I miss you guys so much. Ron, how's Lavender and the twins?" Hermione asked, clasping her hands together.
"Fine. Poor Snape's about to have a heart attack." said Ron.
"I heard that Weasley." came the voice of Professor Snape.
Hermione laughed.
"Hermione, are you being treated well?" asked Harry.
"Of course." said Hermione.
"Hermione, we will be there to take you tonight, so don't you worry." said Dumbledore.
Lucius Malfoy was walking in the hallway looking for his son. He happened to pass Hermione's room when he heard voices. He could have sworn he heard that oaf Dumbledore's voice. He leaned cautiously against the door, listening, trying to make out the muffled voices. A faint, eerie glow of white light sneaked out from the crack below the door.
"Tonight?" Hermione asked, her smile fading a bit.
"Yes." said Dumbledore. "It is very important we do so for if Voldemort knows by now, you have special powers he could use to help him win the war. Have you discovered any?"
"Well none that I know of so far." said Hermione.
"Yes, well, we must be getting along. We have things to do to prepare for tonight," said Dumbledore.
"Bye Mione." Harry and Ron chimed.
"Bye everyone." said Hermione, watching the holograms disappear.
She heard her door open and turned to see Lucius Malfoy. He had a sneer on his face.
"What do you want?" Hermione hissed.
"Why, I was just passing by when I thought I heard voices coming from this room." he said, his eyes wandering around the room. "Are you talking to yourself?"
Hermione glared at him.
"You're hearing voices, Malfoy." she hissed.
"Yes, maybe I am, but be warned, I don't trust you one bit. I know you are up to something, you filthy little mudblood." he said.
With that, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room. Hermione's heart skipped a few beats.
"He's going to find me out." she whispered.
The sun had dipped low behind the dark mountains. The snow had once again begun to fall. Tom stood in the ballroom, admiring the fine beauty of the place. It had been too long since he enjoyed a real holiday. Bellatrix was busy humming a Christmas carol, something highly unlikely for a person of her type. The doors of the ballroom opened. Tom gasped as he saw Hermione, dressed-up nicely and with the grace of a princess, no queen. He walked over to her, admiring her beauty. He saw her soft pink cheeks flush a bit.
"No need to blush." he said, taking her hand. "You know no matter what you do, you always surprise me."
Hermione smiled. Tom led her to the piano.
"Hmmm.maybe a cheery Christmas carol." he said, tapping the piano with his wand.
A western-style version of "Jingle Bells" began to play.
"Shall we dance?" asked Tom.
Hermione nodded her head. Tom instantly wrapped an arm around her waist. He led her around the room.
'He's a very good dancer.' thought Hermione, laughing as Tom began to hum "Jingle Bells."
They danced for a long time to other catchy songs, stopping only so Hermione could rest her feet. Dancing in high hills was a very hard thing to do. She sat down near the Christmas tree, the enchanted snow falling on top of it. Tom stood by her.
"Hermione, you must know that we were married." said Tom.
She looked up into his eyes.
"Yes, we were." she said, remembering their wedding day.
"You were my beautiful, wonderful wife." said Tom. "We are still bonded together through spirit, but why not physical too?"
He got down on his knees. He removed a small velvet box from the pocket of his robes.
"Hermione Granger, long ago you made the happiest man in the world, were stolen from me, and I thought I'd never see you again. Please say that this time, we will be together, that not even death itself will tear us apart. Please say you will marry me."
He opened the box. Inside, nestled between the soft velvet cushions, was a golden ring encrusted with tiny diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. On top was a large, single diamond that even in dim light glow with an intensity as bright as the stars above. The lights from the Christmas tree danced upon it.
"Oh my God, it looks just like.just like the one I had long ago." Hermione said.
"Yes, an exact copy." said Tom.
"Of course I will marry you." said Hermione, tears fogging up her eyes.
Tom removed the ring and slid it on Hermione's ring finger. He kissed her hand, and then bent up to kiss her. He whipped a tear off her cheek. She was so beautiful. A soft, whirling gust of wind rushed in from one of the windows that had opened. The flames of the candles flickered. Suddenly, a jet of red light flew just above Tom's head. He grabbed his wand out of his robes pocket.
"Bellatrix, call the others!" Tom yelled. "We're under attack!"
"Christmas"
A few days had passed. Harry was busy packing up his things, preparing for tonight. Dumbledore had whipped up a wonderful Christmas feast, complete with turkey, cookies, mashed potatoes and more. They sat around the campfire, singing Christmas carols. Dumbledore wanted everyone's minds to be as far away from any bad thoughts as possible. Harry watched as the sun began to dip. He felt a sense of dread consume him.
"Don't worry Mione, we're coming." he whispered.
Hermione stood in front of the dresser mirror, admiring herself. She had on a gown that looked just like Belle's from that muggle movie, "Beauty and the Beast," only instead of gold, it was a platinum white with a bit of blue here and there. She wore her hair in half a ponytail, tying it up with a blue ribbon, leaving the rest to settle against her shoulders. A pair of dangly diamond earrings and a lovely diamond bracelet were found in a small drawer of the dresser. Hermione put these on along with a dash of dark vanilla perfume she found as well. She was to have a Christmas dinner in the ballroom that her and Bellatrix had decorated. She held her necklace, thinking of her friends and family.
"Communicus." she whispered.
Dumbledore watched as the fire transformed into a life-like size of Hermione dressed in a beautiful gown. Harry and everyone else gasped.
"Ah, the lovely Miss Granger." said Dumbeldore, beaming.
Hermione smiled.
"Professor Dumbledore, how are you?" she asked.
"Fine." Dumbledore replied.
"How's Harry and Ron?" Hermione asked.
"Why don't you ask them yourself." said Dumbledore.
He motioned for Harry and Ron to come in front of the hologram Hermione.
"Hey Mione!" they said.
"Oh Ron, oh Harry! It's so good to see you. I miss you guys so much. Ron, how's Lavender and the twins?" Hermione asked, clasping her hands together.
"Fine. Poor Snape's about to have a heart attack." said Ron.
"I heard that Weasley." came the voice of Professor Snape.
Hermione laughed.
"Hermione, are you being treated well?" asked Harry.
"Of course." said Hermione.
"Hermione, we will be there to take you tonight, so don't you worry." said Dumbledore.
Lucius Malfoy was walking in the hallway looking for his son. He happened to pass Hermione's room when he heard voices. He could have sworn he heard that oaf Dumbledore's voice. He leaned cautiously against the door, listening, trying to make out the muffled voices. A faint, eerie glow of white light sneaked out from the crack below the door.
"Tonight?" Hermione asked, her smile fading a bit.
"Yes." said Dumbledore. "It is very important we do so for if Voldemort knows by now, you have special powers he could use to help him win the war. Have you discovered any?"
"Well none that I know of so far." said Hermione.
"Yes, well, we must be getting along. We have things to do to prepare for tonight," said Dumbledore.
"Bye Mione." Harry and Ron chimed.
"Bye everyone." said Hermione, watching the holograms disappear.
She heard her door open and turned to see Lucius Malfoy. He had a sneer on his face.
"What do you want?" Hermione hissed.
"Why, I was just passing by when I thought I heard voices coming from this room." he said, his eyes wandering around the room. "Are you talking to yourself?"
Hermione glared at him.
"You're hearing voices, Malfoy." she hissed.
"Yes, maybe I am, but be warned, I don't trust you one bit. I know you are up to something, you filthy little mudblood." he said.
With that, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room. Hermione's heart skipped a few beats.
"He's going to find me out." she whispered.
The sun had dipped low behind the dark mountains. The snow had once again begun to fall. Tom stood in the ballroom, admiring the fine beauty of the place. It had been too long since he enjoyed a real holiday. Bellatrix was busy humming a Christmas carol, something highly unlikely for a person of her type. The doors of the ballroom opened. Tom gasped as he saw Hermione, dressed-up nicely and with the grace of a princess, no queen. He walked over to her, admiring her beauty. He saw her soft pink cheeks flush a bit.
"No need to blush." he said, taking her hand. "You know no matter what you do, you always surprise me."
Hermione smiled. Tom led her to the piano.
"Hmmm.maybe a cheery Christmas carol." he said, tapping the piano with his wand.
A western-style version of "Jingle Bells" began to play.
"Shall we dance?" asked Tom.
Hermione nodded her head. Tom instantly wrapped an arm around her waist. He led her around the room.
'He's a very good dancer.' thought Hermione, laughing as Tom began to hum "Jingle Bells."
They danced for a long time to other catchy songs, stopping only so Hermione could rest her feet. Dancing in high hills was a very hard thing to do. She sat down near the Christmas tree, the enchanted snow falling on top of it. Tom stood by her.
"Hermione, you must know that we were married." said Tom.
She looked up into his eyes.
"Yes, we were." she said, remembering their wedding day.
"You were my beautiful, wonderful wife." said Tom. "We are still bonded together through spirit, but why not physical too?"
He got down on his knees. He removed a small velvet box from the pocket of his robes.
"Hermione Granger, long ago you made the happiest man in the world, were stolen from me, and I thought I'd never see you again. Please say that this time, we will be together, that not even death itself will tear us apart. Please say you will marry me."
He opened the box. Inside, nestled between the soft velvet cushions, was a golden ring encrusted with tiny diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. On top was a large, single diamond that even in dim light glow with an intensity as bright as the stars above. The lights from the Christmas tree danced upon it.
"Oh my God, it looks just like.just like the one I had long ago." Hermione said.
"Yes, an exact copy." said Tom.
"Of course I will marry you." said Hermione, tears fogging up her eyes.
Tom removed the ring and slid it on Hermione's ring finger. He kissed her hand, and then bent up to kiss her. He whipped a tear off her cheek. She was so beautiful. A soft, whirling gust of wind rushed in from one of the windows that had opened. The flames of the candles flickered. Suddenly, a jet of red light flew just above Tom's head. He grabbed his wand out of his robes pocket.
"Bellatrix, call the others!" Tom yelled. "We're under attack!"