Author's Note: Thank you to all of my reviewers! I'm amazed that this was so popular. I got so many hits! Thank you for all of the positive feedback, and keep reading. I hope that you're all having a wonderful holiday.

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Hermione awoke to a pounding on her door. She moaned and tried to go back to sleep. "Hermione, wake up!" The person banging on the door persisted. "You have an hour to get ready!"

Hermione scrambled out of bed at that news. "I'll be right out!" she called. She glanced out her bedroom window before racing to the bathroom: it was snowing outside.

I love snow on Christmas, Hermione thought as she blinked against her mascara wand, her mouth wide in an "O". She whistled Christmas carols as she finished in the bathroom and getting dressed.

She sashayed down hallway in her red sweater and black skirt. She entered the kitchen, where Harry and Ron were. They sat at the kitchen table, doing last minute wrapping. They looked up when she entered the room and whistled.

"Very nice, Hermione," said Harry. "It's a wonder you're single."

"Why thank you Harry," she said. "I think I'd have to say the same for you."

Hermione's marital status had been a touchy subject lately, ever since her breakup three months ago with Draco Malfoy.

"We've got twenty minutes to get to the Burrow," said Ron. "The casserole is in the oven, Hermione."

"Sorry I woke up so late," Hermione apologized. "Do we have all of the gifts wrapped?"

"This is the last one," said Harry as he added a piece of tape to the corner of a package. "Why haven't we found a spell to do this for us?"

"It's not the same if you do it with a spell," said Hermione. "It turns out too exact."

"I don't think I'll ever understand your logic, Hermione," said Ron, shaking his head. He stood up and picked up the packages lying on the table. "Are you two ready to go?"

"Of course," Hermione said, smiling. She loved Christmas at the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley was a fantastic cook and all of Hermione's favorite people were there.

They picked up all of the gifts lying around their flat, grabbed the casserole, and gathered in the middle of the kitchen. "Do we have everything?" Harry asked.

"I think so," Hermione saying, taking a last look around. "Let's go."

The three friends arrived in the Burrow's sitting room with a 'pop'. Ginny was sitting on a couch, her boyfriend sitting next to her.

"Hey guys," she greeted, standing up. She hugged each of them in turn, though they couldn't hug very well considering their arms were full of packages.

Ginny's new boyfriend stood up too, looking nervous. Ron glared at him, trying to size him up. He held out his hand. "I'm Evan," he said.

"Ron," said Ron, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Oh Ron, stop it," Ginny scolded. "Come on Hermione; let's take the casserole into the kitchen."

Rolling her eyes, Ginny led Hermione into the kitchen by the arm. "Hermione!" cried Mrs. Weasley, sticking her wand in her apron pocket and giving Hermione a tight hug. "How are you dear?"

"Fine," replied Hermione. "I'm sorry that we haven't stopped by for a visit in a while. We've all been too busy for a spare moment."

"I understand, dear," Mrs. Weasley smiled.

"Do you need any help in here" Hermione asked. She asked this every year, and every year she got the same answer, but it was tradition to ask, and Hermione wasn't one to break tradition.

"Of course not, Hermione, I've got all the help I need,' said Mrs. Weasley, tapping the wand in her apron. "You two go enjoy your time."

Ginny and Hermione headed off into the dining room. "How've you been, Hermione?" Ginny asked.

Hermione shrugged. "I'm holding up," she said.

"Have you still not heard anything from Draco?" asked Ginny softly.

Hermione's face hardened at this and she shook her head. "Let's go see who else has arrived," she said, walking out of the room and back to where Ron was quizzing Ginny's new boyfriend, who looked very uncomfortable.

Hermione spent most of the night flitting from person to person, discussing her life and making small talk. She, along with Tonks and Ginny, helped Mrs. Weasley set out the food on the long buffet table in the living room when it was time for supper. She handed out presents to various friends and received presents as well.

She was having a drink and a conversation with Remus Lupin when a murmur rippled through the gathered crowd. Ginny appeared next to Hermione, having pushed her way through people. Her eyes were wide and she looked slightly nervous.

"What's up Gin?" Hermione asked her friend, her brow furrowed.

"Er…oh, sorry to interrupt, but Hermione, I think we should get out of here," said Ginny, tugging at Hermione's arm.

"Ginny, what are you doing?" Hermione wondered, trying to resist Ginny's pull. Remus looked confused as well.

Suddenly, Hermione heard Ron's yelling. "Get out of here you bloody git! Don't you dare go near her!"

"C'mon Hermione, let's go see if Mum needs help in the kitchen," Ginny urged, pulling at Hermione harder than before.

"Tell me what's going on," said Hermione. She dug her heels into the carpet, refusing to budge. Ginny gave an exceptionally hard tug which caused Hermione to reel forward and drop the packages she was holding. That was when Hermione found out why Ginny was trying to drag her away.

"Hermione," said a voice that sounded very familiar. Hermione turned her head to see where the voice came from and who it belonged to.

"Draco," she breathed.

Ginny's arm dropped to her side. Everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath. Hermione saw that Ron was trying to get at Draco, but Harry was holding him back with an arm.

"Hermione, I had to see you again and I knew that you'd be here," Draco said. He was standing only six feet away from her. Hermione couldn't believe her eyes.

"Why did you have to see me again?" she asked, her voice suddenly turning cold when she remembered why she had broken it off with him.

"I have to set the record straight," said Draco.

Hermione looked around the room, which was silent. Everyone knew of their breakup. Draco had quite a bit of publicity, so the world knew of them dating and when they broke up. The newspapers hadn't gotten a hold of the reason they had broken it off; however, Hermione had told all of the people she cared about.

"She doesn't want to talk to you, Malfoy," said Ron's angry voice.

Draco pretended like he hadn't heard what Ron said.

"Why don't we…er…go outside," Hermione suggested. She was trying to keep her voice steady, but that was hard because of the obscenities she wanted to yell at Draco right now. She walked heavily through the dining room and the kitchen and out the back door.

The light was just fading from the sky as Hermione and Draco stood there, facing each other. Hermione's arms were crossed over her chest. She was trying to warm herself up discreetly; snow covered the background of the Burrow. Draco stood with his arms limp at his sides, his face expressionless. Hermione always hated the times she couldn't read his expression.

"Hermione," Draco said. The way he said her name sounded more like a caress than a word to Hermione. She had to remind herself that she was mad at him.

"How is Valerie, then?" Hermione asked accusatorily, glaring at him.

"She was just trying to take me away from you," said Draco. "She wasn't ever pregnant. She didn't have my child."

Hermione tried not to look as surprised as she felt at this news. Draco's ex-girlfriend, Valerie Monroe, had claimed that she had Draco's child a year ago and was now a single, poverty-stricken mother. It had taken all of Valerie's power to get him to go back to her. Hermione had broken up with Draco, pretty disgusted at what he had unknowingly done. He had disappeared from Hermione's life at once.

"Why did it take you so long to come back then?" Hermione asked icily.

"It took me a while to shake Valerie off," said Draco. "And I didn't know if you would ever want to see me again." His eyes locked on hers and he didn't look away.

She didn't either, as she said, "You're right; I don't ever want to see you again."

That was when Draco let his guard down and Hermione saw the sadness in his eyes. She felt as if she had missed a step when walking up the stairs. Her stomach dropped and she realized that she hadn't meant what she had said. Draco had cleared his name, so to speak. It wasn't his fault. But Hermione couldn't get her mind off of the obscenities Draco had shouted at Valerie over the telephone, the disheveled, moody state he had been in for days.

Her eyes strayed from his. "No, that's not true," she said. "I do want to see you. Again and again." She looked in his eyes once more, trying to read what he was feeling. He looked expressionless for a second time.

"I love you, Hermione," Draco whispered.

Despite the snow, Hermione felt pleasant warmth spread throughout her body. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "I love you too," she said, and took a step closer to him.

"Happy Christmas, Hermione," he said. In one smooth motion he stepped up to her and planted his lips on hers.

Hermione melted against him. She had missed him, missed this. She pulled back before the kiss got too involved. "Let's go back inside; I'm sure everyone will want to know what happened."

"Does this mean we're back together?" Draco asked with a slight smirk as the pair headed back into the house.

"We'll see," said Hermione.

When they entered the kitchen it appeared that the entire crowd was nervous, pretending that they hadn't been eavesdropping on the whole conversation. Hermione grinned. "I know you all were listening," she said loudly. "Therefore, you don't need to bombard me with questions and you can be civil to Draco."

When Hermione, Harry, and Ron returned to their flat later that evening, they all sat down in the living room. "Today was fun," Hermione smiled, placing gifts under the Christmas tree. "Let's open a bottle of champagne."

"And then open gifts," said Ron impatiently.

Hermione went into the kitchen, grabbled a bottle of champagne and three glasses, and headed back to the living room. She placed the alcohol and glasses on the coffee table and curled up on the couch. As she took of her shoes, she said, "Today was fun."

"I wonder why," said Harry, an eyebrow raised.

Hermione blushed.

"Are you sure you want to be back with Malfoy?" Ron asked, popping the cork on the champagne bottle and pouring out three glasses. He handed them out to his best friends.

"I think so," said Hermione, sipping her drink. She looked at Ron. "I love him, Ron. And now I know that nothing really happened between him and Valerie…well…" Hermione shrugged. "I love him."

"You know what's best for you, I suppose," said Ron. "Now, let's open presents."

Opening gifts had always been Hermione's favorite part of Christmas, and that hadn't changed over the years. The three roommates sat around the Christmas tree unwrapping their gifts, talking about how their friends that had seen that day were doing and sipping at their champagne, sharing Christmas together.

Hermione didn't know a time when she's been more content. She had Draco back, her friends, a wonderful Christmas, and a glass of alcohol in her hand.