A/N: Here's my Christmas Eve Surprise to you... a two chapter post, Chapter 26 being a bit longer than normal. Thanks so much to all the following for helping me to get over 325 reviews! sweet-essence03, Gaerwen, PapayaCrazy, All-American Vampire, professionaldooropener, shadowglove, Mrs Pierre Bouvier, Ms. Dwyn Snape, kat6528, CardboardCreative, Shanghai Honey, amourelle, Kitty0617, sarklover826, Twilight Elf-Maiden, Universal Hope, keeper of the heart, njp, Sophiax, Eleriel, san01, little mimi, and Emi-Bum. Y'all are the greatest. HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A SAFE NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!

Now, enjoy... :)

Chapter 25 – The Best Christmas Ever

Christmas Eve arrived and eyes in the school were alight with Christmas spirit and glee. Everyone seemed so giddy and ready to party that it was contagious. Hermione smiled as she walked through the hall and noticed passing students laughing and smiling. She suddenly felt alone though because Sandie had went with Brian to patrol the halls for snogging students, and Tiffany, well, she had been one of the ones they had caught. Her and Arnold.

Hermione sighed and then thought of something. Tom. He would most likely be alone himself, she would just go visit him. She rushed down the seventh floor corridor and came to his portrait, and just as she was about to give the password, someone called to her from down the hall.

"Alice!"

Hermione turned around and saw Tom walking toward her. There was something about him. It was the smile on his face. It made him seem like a completely different person. A person Hermione suddenly felt a great bust of affection for. Her smile widened and she turned and walked toward him, wanting nothing more than to throw her arms around his neck, but she refrained.

He did something that shocked her though. He grabbed her hand and started to walk her away from his tower. Her smile lessened, but never left her face as he pulled her toward Gryffindor tower.

"Let's go get your cloak and stuff," Tom said as he looked her over.

Hermione nodded, noticing for the first time that he was wearing his cloak and scarf as well. She hadn't looked away from his handsome face in all the five minutes that they had been together. They finally came to Gryffindor tower and Tom waited outside as Hermione ran in, past the still snogging Tiffany and Arnold, and up to the girls' dorm.

She quickly tossed on her cloak and wrapped her scarf messily around her neck. She rushed back out of the tower and into the hall where Tom was leaning against the wall. He snorted with laughter and Hermione tilted her head to the side in confusion. He walked over and looked her up and down and then shook his head.

"In that big of a hurry, hmm?" he asked as he reached out with gloved hands and straighted the hood of her cloak and her scarf.

She blushed and bowed her head as he stopped, his hands still holding the collar of her cloak. They stood like that for a few moments before Tom cleared his throat and smiled meekly, something she never expected him to be.

"So where are we going?" Hermione inquired.

"Just for a walk," Tom replied. "Gloves?"

"Right here," Hermione sighed as she slipped her hands in her red gloves and then looked to Tom expectantly.

He took looped her hand through his arm, letting her hand come to rest on his forearm as he started for the stairs. The descended to the entrance hall in content silence, admiring the decorations and caroling suits of armor and ghosts. The were just about to go out the door when someone pulled the door open and a burst of laughter hit them. It was a group of fourteen boys, most of them in Hufflepuff Quidditch robes, and a few in Ravenclaw ones.

Hermione's eyes immediately connected with Leo's who looked quickly from her to Tom and back again. He seemed angry at first, but when Tom nodded to him and spoke, Leo's narrowed expression melted away to confused shock.

"Evening," Tom nodded as he gave a gentle, leading pull at Hermione's arm and guided her part Leo and out the front oaks doors.

The walked down the school's front path until they came to a place in the snow where a path was worn. Hermione's eyes followed it, taking in all the places where it branched out. There were kids along the forest's edge building snowmen, one even building a snow hippogriff and a snow unicorn. Others were making snow angels or having snowball fights. But something that really caught Hermione's eye was two students ice skating on the lake.

Tom saw her watching and pulled her off the larger path to one that led down to the lake. She glanced at him in excitement as they drew near, watching the boy and girl do a dance on the ice like one Hermione had seen so many times on the Muggle ice skating shows.

"Do you want to try?" Tom asked.

"Oh... no," Hermione said while shaking her head. "I don't think I'd be too good at it. I'm not exactly the sporty type."

"Well, it's simple really. I know a spell that would keep you from falling... and I'll be right there with you as well," Tom offered.

"That's sweet, but no thanks. I think I'll uh... keep my feet on more solid things," Hermione sighed as she looked down at the edge of the ice where a grindylow was scratching frantically at the ice and pressing its ugly face upon the transparent shield which separated them.

"Okay," Tom muttered as he shrugged and they headed off back to the main path.

Hermione noticed that one branch led off to Hagrid's house and she wanted to go and visit him, see if he was all right, but she doubted it was a good idea. Harry had mentioned that it was Tom that had framed Hagrid, and she didn't think that he would take too kindly to having Tom show up with her. Saving the idea of the visit for later, Hermione gave Tom's arm a little squeeze and he glanced over at her.

He gazed at her as she looked away, taking in some more of the wintry scene. He smiled inwardly, feeling a warmth flood through him as he took in her beauty. Her hair was flecked with snow and her cheeks a rosy pink against a creamy sort of pale skin. Her eyes looked so dark and large out in the white cold that he wanted to start into them for hours. He let his eyes continue to talk in her features, his black orbs finally landing on her lips which were a glistening pink.

He swallowed slightly nervously. Would she kiss him again? Or was it just that night in his dorm when she had been slightly drunk? Had she still been drunk at that point? She had vowed her friendship and she was sticking true to that, she was no doubt sober then.

"Tom?"

He stopped. He hadn't noticed that she had stopped and that she was now standing a few feet behind him. He turned and was met with a rather large snowball which got him in the shoulder. He looked from his shoulder to her and black again in shock. She giggled and walked up to brush the white off his black cloak.

When she came near, though, he scooped her up, his arms wrapping fast around her waist. He spun her around and she squealed in amusement as she began giggling openly. He faltered and the fell into the snow, Hermione landing on top of him. She rolled off and laid there in the snow laughing, partially out of breath.

He sat up, snow covering his back, and looked over at her. She smiled and then waved her arms and legs in the snow, making a snow angel. She sat up and Tom got to his feet, pulling her up as well. They turned and looked at the figures in the snow, Hermione's snow angel looking rather attractive compared to the spot where Tom had been sitting.

"I think you need lessons on how to make a proper snow angel," Hermione laughed as she reached up and brushed snow out of his perfectly groomed black hair.

He grabbed her hand and lowered it to his cheek, holding it there as he put his other hand on her cheek. She smiled and blinked slowly, feeling a calm rush through her. He let her hand go and she let it fall to his chest, her hand rest over his heart. Her other arm wrapped up around his neck and he leaned forward, his lips only inches from hers.

She blushed and bowed her head as she saw students out of the corner of her eye looking at them. Tom stood up straight and sighed as he too looked around, everyone continuing what they were doing as Hermione and Tom parted. He took her hand in his, lacing their fingers, and led her up the main path in the snow back to the castle.

They entered the castle, their shoes squeaking with wetness as they walked across the entrance hall and up the marble staircase. They continued up to his common room, shedding their cold cloaks, scarfs, and gloves to sit in front of the fire on the couch. Hermione sat down and pulled her legs up close to her chest, basking in the warmth of the crackling fire.

Tom waved his wand at a set of mugs in the corner of the room and they filled with steaming hot cocoa. He walked over to the couch, handing Hermione hers as he sat down slowly, careful not to spill any of his cocoa. He and Hermione drank in silence, both watching the fire crackling, Tom occasionally stealing glances at Hermione.

When Hermione finished her cocoa, she sat the cup on the coffee table in front of them and grabbed a pillow. She hugged it to her and slid over on the couch, her head resting on Tom's shoulder. He suddenly felt off guard and it worried him a bit. Should he really trust her like this? Did she like him like he thought she did?

He sighed inwardly and looked deeper into the fire. 'Who am I kidding? She do-' he stopped degrading himself mentally as she grabbed his empty mug and sat it on the coffee table next to hers. She then grabbed his arm and pulled it around her shoulder, her head resting on his chest, just over his heart. She closed her eyes and hugged the pillow to her chest, feeling sleep lull over her with a last few thoughts.

'This acting thing is getting easier and easier' Hermione thought as she yawned slightly. 'I am still acting... right?'

"Where is that awful little lying rat," Voldemort growled. "I sent him out two days ago."

Voldemort stalked through the room he was in, feeling anger. How could the fire crackle so merrily? The sun, how could it shine so brightly? Voldemort pulled out his wand and blasted a small stand in the corner to mere wood splinters. Nagini hissed rather annoyedly as she slithered out of the room and then a squeak was heard. 'Wormtail!' Voldemort thought excitedly.

He ran out of the room and nearly stepped on the exhausted looking rat who was laying flat on his stomach as the snake eyed it from down the hall.

"Wormtail!" Voldemort bellowed.

The rat's whiskers and tail twitched, but it made no signs of changing into the short, filthy and balding man that was Voldemort's servant. The Dark Lord was tired of waiting as he pulled out his wand and pointed it at the rat who's eyes went wide, but before he could move, Voldemort changed him. Wormtail now sat before him in disgusting human form, panting and sweating profusely.

"You had better have something good to tell me," Voldemort hissed. "Or else I'll turn you back into the befitting rat that you are and let Nagini eat you little piece by little piece."

"My... Lord," Wormtail gasped. "Du-m-ble-"

"Speak now you fool!" Voldemort ordered.

"Dumbledore! He's... back," Wormtail squeaked breathlessly.

"Back?" Voldemort roared.

He exploded in a fit of rage. He jabbed his wand in Wormtail's direction and let loose with a Cruciatus Curse. Wormtail squirmed on the floor, trying his best to change back into his rat form so that he wasn't such an easy target. Voldemort stopped his transformation part way through and Wormtail lay there squeaking and screaming.

Voldemort's rage intensified, making the spell more powerful. Wormtail stopped squeaking, squealing, and screaming as he lay there twitching and near losing consciousness. Voldemort was sickened by the sight of him and all he saw in his mind's eye was Hermione standing next to Dumbledore, the only wizard Voldemort feared. It angered him and his rage soared again.

He let out a scream of fury and blasted Wormtail with a spell so powerful that it broke the banister which Wormtail was leaning on. Peter fell to the floor below with a loud, hard thud. He didn't move, but Voldemort didn't care. He summoned Wormtail back up to the landing of the stairs with such force that he flew past Voldemort and smashed hard against the wall.

Wormtail gave a faint moan and his eyes rolled to the back of his head as Voldemort felt an arousal of wrath flare in him. He hit Wormtail with the Cruciatus Curse again, causing him to flail about weakly with soft, but pained groans.

"You're worthless," Voldemort growled as he lifted the curse. "And as worthless as you are, I'm going to ease your passing."

Voldemort grit his teeth and tightened his grip on his wand as his red eyes blazed.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

With that, Wormtail passed, his body frozen. His skin was covered in brownish gray fur and his nose was pointed and pink with whiskers popping out. His teeth had become small, sharp, and bucked. He had a tail and his eyes were completely black, no white, no cornea, no iris, nothing but black orbs. His ears were the shape of a rats and his usually bald head held a full head of short, spiking tufts.

Voldemort felt revolted by the very sight of his pitiful form, but he was too distracted to truly care to be rid of him as he turned and walked back into the room. He took his seat by the fire, vowing to be rid of him later as he summoned Lucius to him.

Hermione awoke, her arm numb and stiff. She looked around the room which was very dimly lit by the dying embers of a fire. She saw that it was not her own room, not even her own common room, but Tom's. She tried to bend her arm at the elbow and it felt like it had locked. She used right hand to grab her left wrist and bend her left arm, feeling a tingling shoot up it.

She had fell asleep on the couch and left her arm to hang over the side at an awkward angle. She winced and went to sit up, but found herself restrained. She propped herself up as best she could on her tingling arm and looked behind her. There was Tom, laying on his side, his head resting on the arm of the couch seeing as Hermione had been using the pillow, and his right arm draped over her waist.

Hermione slid out from under his arm, careful not to disturb or stir him from his slumber. She lit the fire once more and tossed a small throw blanket over him. She smiled as he turned on the couch and continued sleeping peacefully. He was beautiful to her in that moment, more so than ever before. He was silent, not brooding, but at peace and composed with heavenly serenity.

'I wonder what he's dreaming about?' Hermione thought to herself. She sighed and tiptoed out of the common room and back to her own. She was halfway across the Gryffindor common room when she spotted the presents. 'Oh no!' she thought in desperation. 'I didn't deliver Hagrid and Dumbledore's presents!'

She ran up to her dorm as quietly as she could, grabbed the gifts and ran back out of the common room. She headed straight for the Owlery, cursing the cold and snow as she went. She found a rather large barn owl and secured Hagrid's package to its leg quickly as she could, not wanting to get caught. 'Thank goodness Apollyon Pringle doesn't have a cat like Mrs. Norris' Hermione thought as she sent the owl out the window and walked it sore down to Hagrid's and peck at the window.

She waited until she saw lights come on in the little hut before rushing off to Dumbledore's classroom. She narrowly missed a patrolling teacher as she dove behind a suit of armor which stretched and yawned, covering up the sounds of her footsteps as she set off back down the corridor once more.

She made it to Dumbledore's classroom, sitting the present on his desk and rushing back toward the door. But something stopped her. A voice speaking softly to her.

"Miss Granger?" Dumbledore said with amusement in his voice.

"Oh... hello, Professor," Hermione said as she stopped suddenly and turned around to face him in an extremely ambling fashion.

"What are you doing out after hours?"

"Making a Father Christmas run," Hermione joked with a nervous smile. She was already in trouble, was she honestly trying for two detentions.

"I see," he sighed laughably as he walked over to his desk and picked up the package. "By rights, I can open this," he beamed as he shook it next to his ear lightly.

Hermione nodded her agreement, hoping to get him off track and keep him there. She watched as he sat the gold wrapped package down and pulled off the red ribbon, pulling the tape from the paper and sliding the box inside out. In the box was lemon drops and some wizard candy with a shrunken game of tenpin bowling.

"Why, Miss Granger... thank you," Dumbledore chuckled as he pulled out the set and sat it upon the floor, enlarging it with a wave of his wand. "I love tenpin bowling."

"I know," Hermione laughed as she recalled the back of the Chocolate Frog card which said that he enjoyed chamber music and tenpin bowling. "Glad you like it."

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy it very much... but now is not the time to discuss that," Dumbledore nodded. "I believe Apollyon will be passing by in about five minutes. He does so every night."

"Thanks," Hermione said as she turned and grabbed the door handle.

"And Miss Granger," Dumbledore called. "As a gift to you – not a very equal one, but a gift nonetheless – I relinquish your detention."

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione smiled as she opened the door and rushed out into the hall on her way back to her dorm.

Tom awoke with a jolt. He looked around for Alice, but she was nowhere to be found. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stretched, his neck reluctant with pain from his cramped sleeping space. He stood and stretched some more, his eyes scanning the room. He saw the sun rising over the forest which was covered in a mist as snow hung on the trees, some bare, some pine.

He looked to the clock and saw that it was only just after six in the morning. Breakfast wouldn't start for a while which would give him time to get cleaned up. He walked around the couch and was going to head up to his bathroom when he looked to his tree. The present from Alice, the only one there, was still sitting there. 'It is Christmas no matter how early it is' Tom thought with a smirk as he walked over and bent to pick up the package.

It twinkled with a faint musical sound and he furrowed his brow as he carried it over to the couch. He sat down, sitting the curious box upon his lap as he read the tag once more. To: Tom, From: Alice, Merry Christmas! He smiled and pulled at the bow excitedly, watching the ribbon fall into his lap. He tore at the paper with high anticipation, feeling like a six year old. He had never before received any gifts, not even from his Slytherin friends.

He pulled the brown box from the paper, tossing the wrapping aside and pulling the lid off the box. Inside was a dark, almost black, shiny wooden box with his name engraved on a golden oval plate. Tom Riddle. He frowned at the name and sighed as he pulled the wooden box from the cardboard one and heard it twinkle with music once more.

He opened it and the two tiny figures inside sprang to life as the music of the box started once more. There was no crank to wind the box up, but it played by magic as the two little figures danced upon a glass mirror. Tom took a closer look at the two little bodies and saw that one was in a green evening gown and the other in a black formal suit. 'Looks like Alice and I from Slughorn's party' Tom mused with a snort of laughter.

He smiled at the box and watched the boy and girl dance around, the boy bowing his partner and then sweeping her across the mirror again with swift, smooth movements. One thought came to Tom's mind in that moment as he watched them. 'What are you going to get Alice?'