Title In Late December
Characters Hermione, Ginny
Rating PG for kissing
Words 936
Comments/criticism Yes please!
Notes This was inspired by an old fanfic challenge. Beta'ed by Leeann and Lo (thank you! ♥).

Hermione balanced a teetering stack of books on one arm, and rang the doorbell of the Order headquarters with her free hand. She heard it ring through the house, and shifted her books so they wouldn't topple over into the snow. She briefly considered trying to find her keys in her coat pocket again, but heard feet running down the hall to the door. Moments later the locks clicked open and Ginny stood in the doorway, her cheeks flushed.

"Hermione!" she said, smiling. "Here, let me help you with those."

Hermione gratefully gave half the books to Ginny, and stamped the snow off her boots before going inside. Ginny shut and locked the door behind her, and then led the way down the hall with the books floating ahead of her.

"Harry'll be back in a moment," she said over her shoulder, going into the kitchen and leaving the books on the table. Hermione followed her in, blowing on her fingertips to warm them.

"Tea?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, please," Hermione said, pulling out a chair at the table and sitting down. Ginny took two mugs from the cupboard and set them on the counter, while levitating the kettle over to the sink and then to the stovetop.

"How've you been?" she asked, squinting at the packets of tea in the cupboard, wrinkling her nose at the names until she found something that sounded normal. "I haven't seen you around here lately."

"No, I know," Hermione said. "Research. Planning. Talking to people." She sighed, and added, "Christmas."

"Ah, yes," Ginny said. The whistling kettle cut her off, and she took it off the heat, filled both mugs and brought them over to the table. "Harry's been talking about that too, although I doubt he's bought anything yet."

"I hardly have, either," Hermione said, wrapping her hands around her mug and letting the warmth of it seep into her frozen palms. "I spent all of yesterday in Diagon Alley, but the crowds were too enormous to get anything done."

"I've got a few things," Ginny said, stirring sugar into her tea, "but mostly I've been decorating. Fred and George threatened to throw me out when I hung up the mistletoe yesterday."

Hermione laughed, finally agreeing with herself to ignore the piles of work she knew awaited her in the library. "I should have thought those two wouldn't mind the mistletoe at all."

"Well, they didn't," Ginny said, "at first. Then they got caught underneath it, and Ron happened to be in the room as well, and he refused to let them move until they kissed."

Hermione inhaled a mouthful of burning tea, laughing and sputtering it everywhere. "I wonder about your brother sometimes," she said.

"You're the one that would know about his preferences, wouldn't you?" Ginny said, teasing.

"Oh, shush," Hermione said, hiding her blush behind the tea mug. "Did Harry bring last week's reports with him, or are they still here?"

Ginny grinned at her obvious attempt to change the subject, but didn't comment on it. "He left them in the library," she said. "I don't think it was Order business he was going out on today, actually. I can show you where they are."

"Thanks," Hermione said, getting up and bringing her mug with her. Ginny finished her tea in one long sip and then went with Hermione out of the kitchen and up the wide staircase to the second floor.

"I'm just going to look at them," Hermione said as they walked. "I won't start cross-referencing before tomorrow."

"There's no need to lie to me," Ginny said, laughing again. "I know you're addicted to working. Merlin knows someone around here has to be."

They crossed the landing, and Ginny opened the massive door leading into the library, waving her wand to light the lamps along the walls. She paused for a moment in the doorway, her wand at her lips, and then took Hermione's hand and led her through one of the side doors that led to the smaller offices.

"I think he was--" she started saying, but then she stopped. Hermione bumped into her and sloshed a bit of her tea out of the mug.

"What is it?" Hermione asked. Ginny turned her head to look at her, her mouth slightly open. She looked both amused and exasperated.

"What?" Hermione repeated.

"Look," Ginny said, and looked up. Hermione followed her gaze, and saw the twigs and white berries hanging from the ceiling directly above them.

"Oh, dear," she said.

"I'm that dreadful, am I?" Ginny said, raising an eyebrow. Hermione felt the blood rush to her cheeks.

"Of course not," she said. "I just--oh, never mind." She put her hand on Ginny's waist and turned her around, held her mug out of the way and leaned forward so their lips nearly touched. Ginny tilted her head and pressed their lips together. Hermione could feel Ginny smiling. She tasted, unsurprisingly, of tea.

Hermione pulled back slightly, kissed the tip of Ginny's nose and let go of her. Ginny's lips were on the verge of laughing. She looked up at the mistletoe again.

"I expect Fred and George put that one up as revenge," she said. "I wouldn't be surprised if they're around here somewhere now." Hermione tried very hard not to think about that.

The front door banged open downstairs, and both girls started a little.

"Hullo!" Harry yelled, slamming the door behind him. "A little help?"

Ginny rolled her eyes, Hermione set her mug down on a nearby table, and they went downstairs to see what he had brought with him.