Disclamer thingggggggyy: pst... h.p and the whole h.p thing belonge to JO Rowling and her worryingly good mind...she just lets us write about stuff cause she's nice like that ...Rock and sausageroles JO!

Hermione helped herself to some of the crushed chocolate from the silver foil in front of her.

She was fed up.

She watched as her little cousin Amanda danced to the Spice girls on her walkman. Spinning around on the spot with tinsel in each hand.

Hermione pulled her Weasley jumper closer to her, why did she suddenly feel so isolated. Why did she feel so far away from the world she loved, the people she loved?

She carried her wand with her even here in the safety of her own home. But then again this wasn't as safe as she would have liked. What would happen if the Death eaters turned up here? She would never be able to fend them off alone, no mater how accomplished a fighter she was now.

What would Ron do if she were murdered in her bed? Would he morn or thank the havens that his choices had been made easier?

'Yes these and many other thoughts could be yours if the price is right!' Hermione thought to herself, 'oh great I am quoting stupid TV shows in my head that is not a good sign' she thought as she picked Amanda up off the floor where she had landed in a lump.

"'Mione. Do a trick?" the little girl asked her quietly. Checking to make sure that her aunt was out of the room as she spoke.

"I'm not supposed to…."

The little girl turned her big amber eyes to her. "Pwwwwwweeeesssseee" she wined.

"Ok what?"

"Something!" she said dancing on the spot.

Hermione sighed and pulled out her wand pointing it as the fairy on the top of the tree Hermione thought 'Wingardium leviosa' the grotesquely pink thing that she had decided to name Lavender floated down in to the hands of the five year old in front of her.

"Wow!" said Amanda looking at Hermione in amazement.

"Now don't ask again ok, I'm not supposed to do magic in front of people I get in to loads of trouble." she said as the little girl jumped on to her knee.

"Ok 'Mione I won't ask again." she said making a huge show of crossing her fingers.

"Want to go make snowmen?" Hermione asked, suddenly felling a lot better. The little girl nodded excitedly and ran in to the hall.

"Mum were going outside….."

"Ok don't be to long!" shouted her mother from the kitchen where a small ball of smoke was floating over the oven. It was just as well Hermione had practically stuffed herself with chocolate and jellybeans this morning.

She helped the little girl fasten her coat and pulled her own over coat on, fastening her school scarf tightly around her neck.

The snow still had a light covering on the ground outside even though it was now almost eleven.

She watched as the little girl eyed the small front yard worryingly. She was staring at 'Satan Santa' her father had such a way with words.

"Why is it ginger?" the little girl asked.

"I have no idea, it could be rust." said Hermione leading the little girl out in to the street, not a single car had travelled up the street all day, the footprints that Amanda and her mum had made were the only ones in the shining white snow.

Hermione chose the spot next to the gate and started to pile the snow up in a ball.

"You're doing it all wrong." said Amanda shaking her head; she proceeded to show Hermione exactly how you make the snowman from hell.

By the time, the five year old had made a body the size of her Hermione was frozen through.

"Wow that's a big snowman." said a voice behind her nearly making her jump about seven feet in the air.

She turned around ready to hurt whoever was hanging around behind her, she froze as the dazed and slightly lost looking Tonks smiled at her from under a ridiculously large hat and coat.

"Tonks?"

She was barley recognisable as the bright bubbly woman; her lank brown hair fell around her face.

"Hey, Merry Christmas." she said quietly.

"And you….I thought you were going to the Burrow?" Hermione asked as she lifted the little girl up to shove rocks in to the smaller ball of snow for eyes.

"The same could be said for you." Tonks said quietly. The two of them exchanged looks.

"Ron wouldn't want me there." Hermione said looking away.

"Ginny said something was up between the two of you."

"Yeah you could defiantly say that." Hermione said as the little girl jumped down to the ground to observe her work. "So why aren't you getting force fed Molly's cooking?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Oh you know….." Tonks looked away. Hermione had a fair idea of what was wrong with Tonks, but the older woman needed some respect, it was not as if Hermione was the best person to be dishing out relationship advice.

"Listen do you want to come in? I mean is there any point in us standing out in the street?" Hermione asked. Tonks was about to answer when she was hit with a face full of snow.

Amanda was behind the two of them, practically rolling on the floor with laughter.

Tonks smiled lightly and picked up a small ball of snow throwing it at the little girl.

She ducked and hid behind Hermione.

After this all out war started, Hermione who had neither the swiftness or the throwing ability of the other two was soon getting belted with snowballs left right and centre.

"Hey no ganging up on me!"

"Get evil Santa!" the little girl shouted and started aiming snowballs at the horrendous plastic and metal Santa in the Grangers tiny front yard.

"That is the ugliest thing I ever seen." said Tonks as Amanda hit the face dead on. Tonks clapped, her face looking happy for the first time since Sirius had been killed. She turned to Hermione.

"She would be an awesome chaser." Tonks said as the second snowball hit the doorbell.

"Do we have to talk Quidditch?" Hermione rolled her eyes.

Tonks nodded.

"Ok then yes she would probably be fantastic as a chaser, but seeing as I'm the only witch in the family I doubt that will happen."

"Shame." said Tonks as the house door opened. Hermione's father opened the door, he to receive a snowball in the face. The two women watched as Amanda howled with laughter on the way back to the house.

"She looks like a handful."

"She is."

The two women sat in the living room warming themselves by the now lit fire.

Tonks had received a Weasley jumper this morning, a bright pink one with yellow stars, she to wore it with pride. It was a comfort when you felt left out of things Hermione supposed as she watched the older witch fiddle with the cuffs.

"I thought you were stationed in Hogsmead."

"I was but the school is closed for Christmas so I decided to …" she trailed off.

"I saw you at the match." Hermione said casually.

"Ron is a really good keeper."

"I know…" Hermione looked down at her hands.

"Do you want me to hit him for you?"

Hermione laughed. "I think I could manage that one myself." she looked up at Tonks, her face was smiling but she still had that sad look in her eye. "You know Ginny offered to do the same thing?"

"She's a clever girl that Ginny." said Tonks. "Doesn't miss a trick…"

The next few hours were spent talking about everything and nothing at all…. Tonks ended up stopping for Christmas dinner, her mother always made way to much, Amanda asked loads of questions about the wizarding world, she was so nosey but Tonks answered as many as she could.

When the two of them finished dinner, they took the dishes in to the kitchen talking animatedly about the arrest of Stan the bus conductor.

"I used to go to school with him…he was in the same year as me and Charlie."

"Really?"

"Yeah he had a tendency to blow things up instead of the actual spell…."

Hermione instantly thought of Shamus, oh well he could always get a job on the Knight bus if everything went down the pan.

There was a tapping on the window, Hermione turned around sharply, and a large hawk owl was perched on the window ledge.

Hermione knew what the scarlet envelope meant, who would send her a howler?

Tonks lifted the window ledge and the bird flew in dropped the envelope in to Hermione's hand (where it began to smoke dangerously) and flew back out of the window in haste.

"Open it." advised Tonks. Hermione had vivid flashbacks of horrible boils and burns from cursed howlers in the past….

"It's just a normal howler." said Tonks almost reading her mind.

Hermione opened it tentatively.

"Stay away from Ron."

Lavender's voice was magnified a thousand times in the tiled room.

Hermione watched as the envelope burst in to flames in front of her.

"I think someone thinks you fancy there boyfriend." said Tonks leaning back on the counter almost knocking the pots off.

"Like I would ever do anything whilst he's with her." Hermione almost spat the last word. Her liking and toleration of lavender was following her owl out of the window.

"You know I think you should…" Tonks started Hermione shot her an evil look.

"I tried playing him at his own game, it didn't work," she shuddered at the thought of McLaggen. "If she wants him so bad she can have him."

"Really?"

Hermione looked out the window at the dangerously dark clouds floating towards the house.

"No, but…Why can't this be easy, seriously give me advanced ancient runes any day."

"How bad are they?"

"It's like watching him get to grips with the giant squid, every hour of the day…"

"That bad hu?"

"Yes that bad."

"And how much do you like him?"

Hermione could feel herself going red.

"Though as much…you know him and the squid will burn out eventually…"

"Oh great so I just have to wait for him to get bored and move on to me?"

Tonks shook her head.

"Hermione, Ron is crazy if he can't see that you love him as much as you obviously do…"

"I don't love Ron…."

"Really?" Tonks stared at her. "Because you seriously go on like you do."

"How can it be love if it's just one sided?"

Tonks shook her head. "Hermione its not one sided trust me, that man would throw himself in front of a train for you if you asked him too."

"Yeah well he has a funny way of showing it."

"Did you ever think he might just be doing it to get to you? To make you jealous?"

Hermione watched as the snow started to fall quietly from the dark clouds.

"Do you really think Ron is that smart?"

"I wouldn't put it passed him Hermione would you?"

Hermione pulled her jumper tighter around her. The smell of the burrow filled her nose, blocking out the burnt turkey smell. She knew Ron was not as stupid as he liked to make people believe. He knew exactly what to say and what to do to wind her up, to get a reaction out of her.

He was playing her and she hated him for it.

"No, I wouldn't put it past him at all…"

thankyou for the reviews... i know i haven't done any flashbacks in the last two chapters but i pick up the origanal story telling angle in the next chapter ...

Quidditch7 i know you wern't having a go at me . i just felt i should explain ron's actions.it's a quirk of mine sorry i love getting your reviews.

until then i'm off to work to see how much damage the fire did to the stock last night.

love and stuff paula-lou