The Letters

Dear Hermione,

Do you want to come with us to the America's for winter break? It's going to be very warm, so be sure to pack warm clothes. We will be waiting for you at the platform.

With all our love,

Mom and Dad

Hermione put down the letter she had just got from her parent. She flipped the paper over and wrote:

Dear Mom and Dad,

Of course I want to go! Ill be ready and packed when you need me to be.

Lots of love,

Hermione

Hermione sealed the letter and attached it to the carrier owl. She watched the owl as it soared away.

"Hermione! Hermione!" Ron called to her from the end of the table. Hermione, who was zoned out, came back to reality. She was sitting in the Great Hall at the Gryffindor table. Ron just ran through the big wooden doors leading to the Great Hall, and ran over to Hermione. Harry was close behind him.

"What?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"My mum wanted me to ask you if you wanted to come to the Burrow with us, me and Harry that is, this winter break," Ron said as he sat down next to her and pouring himself a goblet of Pumpkin juice.

Harry, who was sitting across from Hermione, helped himself to some toast.

"Oh," Hermione said looking up at Ron, "I'm really sorry, but I just said I'd go to the America's with my Mum and Dad," Hermione finished. She turned to Harry. "I'm really sorry guys." She did look it too.

"Oh…" Ron said looking very solemn. "It's O.k. You can just come over next year." Ron started picking at his food and then scowled at it.

Harry, who didn't want to start an awkward moment, suddenly brought up the subject of Quidditch. Hermione took out the book Hogwarts, A History and began reading. "Did you hear that Bulgaria beat Scotland at yesterday's match?" Harry exclaimed.

Harry heard a little sob coming from behind the book. Hermione was crying.

"What's the matter, Hermione?" Harry asked in concern.

"Oh, it's nothing," Hermione said wiping her tears off her cheek.

"It has to do with Krum, doesn't it? I swear if he did something to you I'm gunna send Ginny after him!" Ron said with a little too much enthusiasm.

"Send Ginny after him? Why not do it yourself?" Harry asked, giving Ron a quizzical look that could resemble Mrs. Weasley.

"Apparently, you've never been on the receiving end of one of Ginny's bat boogie hexes!" Ron exclaimed, pointing a finger at Harry.

"What about me?" Ginny said, as she was walking towards the trio. She took a seat next to Harry. Hermione put her book down. Her eyes were glistening with tears and her face had gone slightly red.

"Oh, perfect timing!" Ron said and Hermione gave another small sob.

"Oh Hermione! Are you ok?" Ginny asked. She turned to Harry, "What's the matter?"

"Well…er…I'm not sure yet," Harry said feeling rather dumb.

"It's just you mentioned Bulgaria and then it reminded me of Viktor…but its nothing. Honestly, guys! I'm O.k." Hermione said. She put the book back up to hide her face.

"Oh!" Ginny said. Hermione already told Ginny the news. Ginny nudged Harry and Ron and beckoned him to come closer. "Viktor dumped Hermione two weeks ago," Ginny said in such a low whisper that it was hard for Harry to even hear her, and he was right next to her!

"Ohh," Ron exclaimed. He put his arm around Hermione who had, once again, came from behind her book. "It's ok 'Moine. He's just a stupid Quidditch player. You even said so yourself!" Even though they weren't exactly comforting words, they still made Hermione feel better to know that her friends cared.

"So, Gin, are you coming home for Christmas?" Ron asked. Ginny looked at Hermione and then back to Ron.

"No, I'm not." She said.

"Why?" Ron exclaimed.

"Because Hermione isn't going and that means I'm going to be the only girl there. NO- WAY!" Ginny said with a little "umpf" at the end.

The Hogwarts clock gong-ed which means it was time for their classes. It was the last day of classes before winter break. Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny all left the Gryffindor table and went off into somewhere in the castle.

Dear Draco,

This is an invitation to come home to the Malfoy Mansion for winter break.

Mum

"Oh, great! Since when do I need an invitation to come home to my own house?" Draco thought to himself after he finished read his short letter from his mother. Draco crumbled it up and threw it in the trash. He had no intention to go home.

Last time Draco went home he was bored to death by his sobbing mother. All she does is cry since Lucius got sent to Azkaban. Draco, personally, thought it was the dumbest reason to cry over. Who cares? He didn't miss his father.

Draco was staying at Hogwarts this year. Pansy Parkinson was also staying with him. "At least she won't be crying the whole time!" Draco thought to himself. He smirked and walked off to go find Zambini for their next class.

"TWELVE INCHES OF PARCHMENT!" Ron exclaimed throwing his hands in the air. "That's crazy!"

"Ronald…shhh! He might hear you," Hermione said quietly. They had just gotten out of their last class of the day. Potions.

Professor Snape had just assigned them 12 inches of parchment essay on the antidote for some terrible poison no one in the class could pronounce.

The trio walked up to the Gryffindor tower to put their stuff down before they went down to dinner. Hermione noticed that there was a letter addressed to her on one of the Gryffindor tables.

Hermione picked it up and looked at it. Standing at the window was a tiny barn owl. Hermione petted it and it flew off.

"Come on, Hermione! We're gunna miss dinner!" Harry called to her from the portal.

"No need to shout dear!" The Fat Lady said. Harry ignored her.

Hermione shoved the letter in a pocket of her robes and clambered out of the portal hole.

The trio made their way down to the Great Hall.

Draco was already at the Slytherin table when Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked in. He scowled at them. "They're probably going to have a fun winter break!" Draco thought to himself. He hated when people were having more fun then him.

"Hey, Draco. Sup?" Blaise called from the other side of the table. He got up and sat down across from Draco. Blaise noticed he was staring at something so he asked, "Wutcha starin at?"

"Nothing." Draco said looking towards Blaise. They started up a conversation, till they were interrupted by-

"Draco!" Pansy Parkinson yelled walking into the Great Hall. Draco smirked. He liked when he was given attention. "Draco! There you are," Pansy said as she sat down next to Draco.

She linked arms with his. Normally, Draco would be ok with this, but Blaise was snickering like crazy. Draco unlinked arms with Pansy. Pansy got the hint and started up a new conversation.

"So Zambini, are you staying for the holidays?" Pansy asked.

"No way, mate! I'm out of this place!" Blaise said helping himself to some mashed potatoes.

Draco scowled at his pork chops. He wasn't very hungry. "Well, don't you just suck," Pansy said in a snootiest little tone.

Blaise smirked. "I don't suck, Parkinson. I lick." Blaise and Draco burst out laughing. Pansy, on the other hand, didn't think it was funny. Pansy turned a slight shade of pink.

"You know-" Pansy began. But she was cut off by none other than Albus Dumbledore himself, doing his before break speech.

"As you all know, Christmas is just around the bend. But I must ask you that you DO NOT bring any illegal items to Hogwarts. Mr. Filch has been kind enough to have re-written and revised the list of banned items. Feel free to check the list at any time before you leave. And with that said, I bid you all off to bed. Good night." Dumbledore finished.

Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Ginny were all sitting in the Gryffindor common room. They were rapped in blankets sitting in front of the fire.

"I guess we'll just see each other after the break," Harry said after a not-so-awkward silence.

"You will write though, right?" Hermione asked Ron and Harry.

Harry nodded, but Ron was staring at the fire. He was apparently zoned out on the flames.

"Ronald! The least you could do was listen to me when I'm talking," Hermione said with a playfully annoyed tone.

"What? Sorry…" Ron said, his ear going red. This was a natural trait of Ron's.

Harry and Hermione started to laugh.

Ginny checked her watch. "You guys better get to sleep. Harry and Ron have to be at Hogsmeade station by 9:45 tomorrow morning," Ginny said.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione got up and went up their separate staircases. Hermione and Ginny went up the girls' side, and Ron and Harry went up the boys' side. (A/N: DUH!)

Hermione had to get to sleep too. She only had to be at the station by 10:00. But she still wanted to get up and say good bye to the boys. Hermione changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed. After one big yawn she rested her head on her pillow and was dead asleep.

Draco lay awake in bed. His hand here behind his head, in a relaxed position. He was going to spend the whole winter break with Pansy. Draco turned on his side and thought, "This is going to be a LONG winter break."

(A/N: First chapter! What do you think? Please review!)