AU! Obviously.

December Prompt #5: Holidays

Hermione absentmindedly flipped through the Quibbler, ignoring the articles about the false defamation charges against Crumple-Horned Snorkacks attacking Muggles in Westminster Abbey. She yawned and leaned on the palm of her hand.

She was so bored. Her parents were on a holiday in the Alps, so she had opted to stay at Hogwarts with a handful of other students. Harry was at the Burrow, and even though Ginny had invited her, Hermione had reluctantly chosen to refuse the offer, not interested in being forced to watch Ron and his precious Lav-Lav play tonsil hockey. It wasn't like Hermione was jealous of Lavender; she was mostly envious that Ron had someone while she didn't.

So, while everyone else was gallivanting off who knows where and having fun, Hermione had already finished all her holiday homework and was now sitting in the Great Hall, bored out of her mind. She had finished reading all the books in the library—to even Madam Pince's shock—and had then taken up to following Professor McGonagall around like a lost puppy for the better half of a day before Professor McGonagall had apologetically told her she was going to visit a friend in Wales.

Hermione would have gone to visit Hagrid, but he was on a date with Madame Maxime. It was as if everyone had someone to spend Christmas with except for Hermione.

The realisation stung until Hermione found Draco Malfoy wandering through the corridors with a small bag slung over his shoulder and a disgruntled expression on his face.

Hermione was so excited that someone else was spending Christmas away from home that she immediately decided to latch onto Malfoy for the day.

"Malfoy! Wait up!" Hermione yelled, startling the blond so much that he whirled around and looked around to see if she was actually talking to him.

She was huffing and puffing by the time she reached his side. Tilting her head up to look at Malfoy, she was struck with the realisation that the Slytherin had grown really tall. The top of her head barely reached his collarbone.

"What is it, Granger?" Malfoy demanded, adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder quickly. "I've got places to be."

"Can I come with you?" Hermione blurted out.

His eyes widened with disbelief before looking around him again. "Are you talking to me?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but no one else is here but you," Hermione retorted, rolling her eyes. "I know we hate each other and what not, but I'm so bored."

"I'm not here to entertain you. That's what Scarhead and Weaselbee are for."

Hermione groaned loudly. "If you haven't noticed yet, Harry and Ron aren't here—"

"That doesn't mean I'm going to spend the holidays being all buddy-buddy with you—"

"—and I've finished my homework, and Professor McGonagall and Hagrid aren't here either—"

"—I'm busy, Granger—"

"—so please, please, let me come with you. I promise I won't say anything mean to you or interrupt you," Hermione finished and let out a sharp breath.

Malfoy stared at her as if she had just told him the earth had begun spinning backwards and was doing loop-the-loops in space. "You've gone barmy, haven't you?"

"It's this castle!" Hermione cried, flailing her arms around. "Everyone's doing something, but I'm so bored and I can't stand it!"

"You're actually begging me to let you come with me," Malfoy said thoughtfully, rubbing the beginnings of his stubble. "You're definitely bored."

"Thank you for noticing that, genius."

"Don't take that tone with me," Malfoy snapped, glaring at her.

"I'm sorry," Hermione mumbled, only slightly regretting her tone.

Malfoy's eyes filled with horror and he quickly grabbed her wrist and yanked her closer. Hermione was about to cry out in shock when Malfoy silenced her by covering her mouth with his.

Hermione's eyes widened. She instantly raised her hand and slapped him.

Malfoy pulled away from her and wiped his mouth with the back of his arm, nodding slowly. "Okay, you're not under a spell."

"Wh—"

"I wanted to make sure you weren't under a spell. You actually apologised to me. Forgive me for not taking your words to heart immediately."

Hermione scrunched up her nose and frowned. "You could have just used magic instead of shoving your tongue down my throat."

"I didn't shove my tongue down your throat, Granger. Don't be so dramatic," Malfoy said, rolling his eyes. He gestured at her to start walking beside him, and she immediately obeyed.

"You did!"

"Nope. If I shoved my tongue down your throat, I'm certain you'd feel it slithering inside your mouth." Malfoy's smirk was as wide as his face, and Hermione's face warmed at his vulgar phrasing.

"Shut up, that's gross," she grumbled, wrapping her arms around herself.

Malfoy chuckled and remained silent as he led her through the corridors, down the stairs, and towards the doors. When they exited the castle and reached the vast grounds, he finally turned towards her and said, "Alright, Granger. I want you to promise me something."

Hermione squinted up at him suspiciously, but when he only waited for her assent, she was forced to agree to whatever he was about to say.

Malfoy nodded. "Good. Now, promise me you won't tell a soul what you see me do today."

Alarm bells began to ring in the back of her mind. "I have to say something if it's illegal—you know I can't stay silent if—"

"It's not illegal, I promise."

"Is it… immoral?"

"No."

"Is it—"

"For Merlin's sake, it's not forbidden, illegal, immoral, dark, or wicked or anything of that sort!"

"Then why do you want me to stay silent?"

"Because I have a reputation to uphold and I don't want you to ruin it for me," Malfoy explained, glaring at her.

"Then why am I here?"

"Because you said you were bored and I… wouldn't mind some company," he admitted, not meeting her eyes.

"Oh." Hermione had to think about it first before she nodded and said, "Okay, I'm in. I promise I won't tell anyone your deepest, darkest secret."

"It's not… Never mind. Just don't tell anyone," he grumbled before looking around to make sure no one was around. When he was certain there weren't any witnesses, he opened his bag and slowly extracted a…

"You have a Muggle camera." Even to her own ears, Hermione's words made no sense.

"Yes, shut up," Malfoy muttered, two high splotches of pink on his cheekbones.

"You have a Muggle camera," Hermione repeated, sounding the words out more deliberately to make sense of them. "Why do you have a Muggle camera?"

Malfoy clenched his teeth for a moment before admitting, "I… I'm interested in photography."

"That's not a bad thing… is it?" Hermione still didn't understand why Malfoy had a Muggle camera on himself. Her eyes suddenly widened. "Wait! You don't go around taking nude pictures of people without telling them, do you?"

"What? No!" Malfoy almost screamed, his face red with utter mortification. "Why would you even say that? Do I look like a pervert to you? Besides, that's illegal."

"Well, no, but you don't look like you enjoy taking pictures with a Muggle camera either, so…"

"Damn it, Granger! I may be a bully, but I'm not that evil. I wouldn't stoop so low as to take nude pictures of people without their express permission."

"So you would take pictures if they asked you to?"

"Well, considering only you know I like taking Muggle pictures, do you want me to take nude pictures of you?" Malfoy's eyes glinted with mischief; Hermione had to secretly admit that childish expression was a good look on him.

Suddenly, she realised what he had just said."Wait, no one else knows about this?"

"No. Not a soul. And if you don't keep your mouth shut about this, I'll make your life a living hell."

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "It's not like anyone will believe me. I mean can you imagine me going up to people and saying, 'Hey, did you know Malfoy has a Muggle camera?' People will not only laugh at me, but your cronies will even hex me for spreading rumours about you."

Malfoy snickered. "That's true. Pansy would definitely hex you."

"So… Why do you have a Muggle camera? Wouldn't wizarding cameras be more acceptable?"

Malfoy scratched the back of his neck, still seeming hesitant to answer her. "There's… there's something special about Muggle photos that wizarding cameras just can't catch."

"Really?" Hermione didn't know a lot about cameras, but she assumed he was talking about the picture's resolution.

Malfoy simply nodded, toeing the ground with his thick boots. "Anyway, I'm here to take pictures, so don't disturb me while I'm working."

"Okay, I'll be as quiet as a mouse," Hermione said, even putting her finger on her lips. For some reason, she felt a twisted sense of camaraderie with Malfoy, especially now that she knew he was human just like the rest of them mere mortals.

Malfoy looked at her suspiciously but held up the camera and walked away. Hermione sat down on the snow-covered ground and used her wand to keep herself warm. She kept her eyes trained on Malfoy, who was bent over a bush, his camera pointed at something she couldn't see. He had the most intense expression on his face, and Hermione rolled over onto her front to watch him.

After he had clicked a few pictures of whatever was behind the bush, he walked over to the nearest tree and began circling it, obviously looking for something interesting.

Hermione called out, "Are you into nature photography? How do you know what to do? Who taught you how to use the camera? Where did you get it?"

"I thought you said you were going to be quiet."

"Just answer me. I'm bored."

Malfoy sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, mussing the perfect strands just a little as he thought of an answer. A few moments later, he said, "I'm not an expert, Granger. I just take pictures for my own amusement."

"Yes, I got that. But who taught you?"

"No one. I taught myself."

"Will you show me your pictures?"

"Merlin, no." Malfoy shook his head quickly, not even hesitating to answer her. "I'm not going to show you my pictures. They're all personal."

"You're taking pictures of trees, Malfoy. Trees aren't personal."

"Maybe this tree is personal to me," he retorted.

Hermione inspected the tree Malfoy was still circling and suddenly grinned. "Hey, isn't that the tree you were leaning against right before Buckbeak attacked you?"

Malfoy shot her a glare, but it didn't have the desired effect on her. She kicked her legs back and forth as she laughed. Malfoy grumbled, "Shut up, Granger. Let me concentrate."

"Alright, alright," Hermione said, still laughing at him. She hummed under her breath as she watched him scale the tree like a professional. She was impressed by his speed and jokingly wondered how he would have fared against the furious Hippogriff in an alternate timeline.

Snow began to drift down from the sky. Hermione lazily smiled as she rolled onto her back, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of the snowflakes caressing her cheeks before drifting to the snow-covered grass beside her.

In a moment of pure childish joy, she opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out to catch a snowflake. She laughed at the slight chill on her tongue and raised her hands to touch the slowly falling snow. She pulled out her wand and began casting spells to freeze the snowflakes in mid-air.

She got to her feet and looked over her shoulder at Malfoy, who was still up in the tree, so she grinned excitedly and began dancing through the frozen snowflakes. She twirled and twirled until she went dizzy and was unable to see anything clearly. She threw her head back and laughed as she flopped back onto her back and spread her arms out to make snow angels.

She removed the charm from the snowflakes and let them float down to her. She gathered a few and began sewing them together with magic. Pretty soon, she had a crown of snowflakes in her lap.

"What are you doing?" Malfoy suddenly appeared behind her, startling her into almost dropping the crown.

"Making a crown for you," she said seriously. She looked up at him, her smile widening when she noticed his hair sticking up in different angles.

"Me?" Malfoy squeaked out, disbelief evident in his tone. "Why?"

"As a thank you for letting me come with you," she replied, feeling playful for the first time since her childhood.

"You don't have to do that," he muttered, trying to shuffle away from her subtly.

"I know. I wanted to," she said happily. She patted the spot beside her and said, "Sit down so I can crown you the Prince of Slytherin."

Malfoy let out an undignified snort. "Everyone knows I'm already the Prince of Slytherin, so your crown is useless."

"Oh, just come here," she growled, grabbing his hand and yanking him down. He stumbled and fell halfway on top of her, his camera pressed between them. Hermione shoved him off before sitting upright.

Malfoy sat up, checking his camera to make sure it was okay. "Granger, you're—"

"I now crown you the Ice Prince of Slytherin," she declared cheekily, ignoring his dark scowl and placing the snowflake crown on his head. "The ice part is because you look like you've been carved from marble—and you're not nice."

Malfoy's lips twitched. He reached up to remove the crown, but Hermione batted his hand away. "Don't touch it! It's delicate!"

"As soon as I get away from you, I'm destroying this," he muttered, but Hermione beamed when he lowered his hand to his lap.

"Merry Christmas, Malfoy."

Hermione was flipping through the Quibbler again, again ignoring the articles about the imaginary creatures Luna's father kept writing about. It was only because she was friends with Luna that she even read the magazine that was filled with utter bullshite.

Suddenly, her eyes landed on a headline near the very end of the magazine. She read the announcement that the picture had won the annual themed photography contest the Quibbler held. She frowned, squinting at the picture to figure out why it had struck a chord within her.

A brunette wearing a red beanie was leaning back on her elbow, watching snowflakes drifting down from the sky. She had her tongue out, waiting to taste the snowflakes. The picture was obviously taken from high above the ground, and the photographer seemed to have gone through a lot of trouble for that one clear shot.

Hermione stared at the photograph for a few moments before realising why she seemed to recognise it.

It was her!

She was the girl in the photograph.

There was only one logical explanation for how the picture had ended up in the contest: Malfoy had taken her picture and sent it.

But why?

Hermione got to her feet and hurried out the door to look for the blond, needing answers. She ran through the castle but was unable to find him anywhere inside the castle. She had just reached the courtyard when her eyes landed on Malfoy's unmistakable blond hair sticking out from behind a large bush.

She walked over to the bush and cleared her throat loudly. Malfoy shot out of the bush, his eyes wide with fear as he hurriedly shoved his camera into his bag. When he realised it was just her, his shoulders relaxed. "What do you want?"

"Answers."

"As always." He even had the audacity to roll his eyes at her.

"Why did you send my picture in for the competition?"

Malfoy's shoulders visibly tensed. He didn't meet her gaze, looking anywhere but at her. "I don't have to answer you."

"You don't have to, but you know I'll just follow you around and keep questioning you until you're tired and you'll answer me. Or I could just set the Weasley clan on you. Merlin knows how stubborn that bunch is."

"I'm pretty stubborn myself," he taunted, crossing his barns. He cocked his brow at her, waiting for her retaliation.

"I'll slip you some Veritaserum—"

"That's illegal. I thought you said you would have to tell someone—"

"I'm also a hypocrite when it comes to things that concern me," Hermione admitted calmly. "Now, do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?"

"You won't get me to open my mouth," Malfoy said, the challenge in his voice audible.

Hermione didn't know what came over her. She would later blame it on her emotions running high, on the fact that she had never backed down from a challenge, on the fact that it was Christmas. But at that moment, all she could think of was that she needed to wipe that smirk off his face and replace it with something else.

She reached up and grabbed his collar before yanking his head down to meet hers. She ignored his startled cry as she kissed him hard on the mouth. The moment his body relaxed against hers, she slipped her tongue into his mouth, waiting for him to react.

Instead of pushing her away like she had expected him to do, he groaned and wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her even closer to his body. He slid his arm up to her back and kissed her back just as fiercely.

It was Hermione's turn to be stunned. Her jaw loosened, and his tongue immediately made its way into her mouth. A voice in her head was screaming at her to stop this before anything happened, but the larger part of Hermione didn't care.

Malfoy was a hell of a kisser, and soon, Hermione's mind stopped yelling at her.

When Malfoy pulled away, his eyes were dark and heady. Hermione's legs slightly buckled under her, and he grinned as he tightened his hold on her.

"What was that?" Hermione stammered, trying to stop herself from blushing but failing.

"What was what? You're the one who started it!" He didn't even look the least bit apologetic that his tongue was halfway down her throat. In fact, he looked damn pleased with himself.

"I was trying to open your mouth!" Hermione suddenly realised what she had just said and paled.

He smirked, reaching up and burying his hand in her curls. Tugging her head backwards, he brought his mouth down to hers. "Looks like you were very, very successful."

He silenced her retort—and her brain—by pressing his lips to hers.