Chapter 23: Tidings and Good Cheer

The holiday season was fast approaching, which did nothing to alleviate Hermione's mood. She found herself sulking about her flat more so than usual. Her work was slacking, her writing more lackluster than it had ever been when she was not in the right mood. Frequently looking at her message machine, she knew that there were messages in it waiting to be heard. She also knew who they were from. Still feeling a bit discouraged, she got up off her couch and slipped on some clothes and headed out the door.

/ /

"You know, lady, I can get at least eighty bucks for that tree!" A rather surly looking old man was frowning at Hermione as she began to pull some bills out of her wallet.

"Surely you don't expect me to give you eighty dollars for this small thing!" Hermione stared at the barely five-foot tree that the man was holding. "I'll give you thirty dollars."

"Whatever, lady, just get this thing out of here." Smirking slightly, Hermione handed over her money and began to drag the Christmas tree down the seven blocks to her flat.

When she arrived, she looked around her and pulled out her wand and did a discreet levitating charm on the tree and floated it to her place. As she turned the keys in her door, she heard the familiar 'beep' of someone leaving a message on her machine.

The voice was unmistakably Draco's, slow and drawling, sounding bored and aloof. But there was something else there. A tinge of sadness and remorse that she was not accustomed to hearing.

"Hi, it's me. It's the holiday season, this doesn't happen to be my most favorite time of the year, but I know you get all worked up about Christmas and I thought I would remind you that it is the season of forgiveness and charity, so if you felt like calling or owling me back, it would make me a very happy person…"

Hermione dropped the tree and rushed to delete the message, not wishing to hear anymore. Tears welled up in her eyes as she dragged the tree into her home and went off to look for her decorations.

Nearly an hour later, her muggle phone rang, automatically going to her machine.

"Hello? If you're there, please pick up the phone. I really want to talk to you…"

"Incendio!"

The piece of plastic burst into flames and with an odd feeling of satisfaction, she watched it melt on the table, leaving her house smelling horrid, but her spirits slightly lifted.

/ /

Across town, Draco paced back and forth on his carpet, wearing the fibers close to non-existent. HE looked at the muggle mobile phone in his hands and pushed a button.

There was no answer. He waited for the beep and took a deep breath…

"I'll take this as a sign that you're not available. Or else you are available, but you're caught up with that cretin you've been dating. And if you are with him, please understand that when I call him a 'cretin' I mean it in the best possible sense of the word…"

/ /

As the weather grew colder, so did Hermione's feelings towards Draco. Draco knew how wrong he had been and had tried for the last few weeks to forget about Hermione. He just couldn't for the life of him shake her from his thoughts. He recalled being in a store a few days back smelling in the air the perfume Hermione wore and frantically looking around for a glimpse of her.

"Oi! Draco!" Draco turned his head and saw Blaise coming towards him.

"Man, its too bloody cold in this city. I say we all retire for a nice holiday in Monte Carlo. You're parents still have their estate there don't they? You, me, Gin, and Hermione would have a …" He stopped short seeing the look on Draco's face. "Gads, you're still on the outs with her then?"

"She doesn't want to talk to me." Draco walked over to a bench and sat down, looking up at Blaise. "Well, I don't really care anymore. If she wants to call me, she can call me. I'm through acting like a complete fool for her."

Blaise was taken aback, seeing a look of anger on Draco's face that he had not seen since their time at Hogwarts.

"Ugh! I can't stand it," Draco screamed as he pulled out his mobile phone and dialed frantically. Blaise stood back, unsure of his friend's current mental state.

"Hermione? Please call me…please I beg you….."

"Draco?" Draco almost dropped the phone upon hearing the voice on the other end. He shooed Blaise back, cradling the phone close to his ear, his eyes lighting up.

"Hermione? Is that you?"

"Well, I would expect it to be, you did call my house."

Draco gave a low chuckle, "Right, well, I didn't…you know….didn't think you'd…what are you doing? Want to grab some coffee?"

"Sorry, but I'm on my way out."

"Well, where are you going? We could meet up!" Blaise shook his head. Draco sounded like a love-sick school boy. He tried to pry the phone from him, but to no avail.

"What do you want, Draco?" Blaise heard Hermione scream on the line.

"Nothing, I just called to say…What are you doing for New Year's? Are you going to drop by the Tyler's party?"

Draco listened and heard only Hermione's light breathing on the other end. He heard her sigh.

"'Mione? Do you have a date? Because I don't have a date and if you don't have a date, we always said that if neither of us had a date on New Year's…" Draco was fast running out of breath when Hermione cut him off.

"Draco, I can't do this anymore. I am not your consolation prize. Goodbye Draco."

"Ouch." Draco turned to see Blaise practically hovering over him, a pair of extendable ears resting on his shoulder.

"Shut up," he murmured as he closed his phone and began walking home.