On her final night of her first term as a Slytherin, Hermione was sitting with new friends discussing the upcoming holidays. Draco had his arm wrapped around her waist, and she was quite happily sitting nestled into his side. Since their first kiss their relationship had gone from strength to strength, and Hermione thought they were on the brink of something quite special. As well as their blossoming romance that she was enjoying, Hermione also had to admit Draco had been a calming influence on her in regards to Harry and Ron.
Hermione had been edging closer to snapping and showing her former friends just how dangerous she could be, but Draco had given her something else to focus on. Hermione was now so caught up in her romance with Draco that she was back to ignoring the two Gryffindors when they continued to have a go at her. If they were trying to provoke her, which she seriously thought they were for some reason, it wasn't going to work. She wasn't going to give them what they wanted and show everyone that they were right about her and that she was as dangerous as they were claiming.
With Harry and Ron not registering on her radar, Hermione had been able to focus on the Slytherins and building relationship with them. Despite the fact she didn't really like Pansy, she'd still tried to connect with the other girl, but her efforts were getting her nowhere. Pansy had taken against her from the off, and Hermione didn't know what she could do to change that. In other circumstances she might have been worried that the other girl seemed to hate her for no real reason, but she knew Pansy wasn't stupid enough to try and strike out at her. Pansy may have hated her, but she wasn't stupid enough to do anything to anger her father. Only a fool would target The Dark Lord's daughter, and Hermione didn't have Pansy pegged as a fool.
"So, Christmas," Theo said. "Is there a big party as usual, Draco?"
"I can't see why not," Draco replied with a shrug. "Since when has my mother ever passed up on the opportunity to host a gathering of some sort?"
"Narcissa does throw the best parties," Blaise declared.
"And what about New Year?" Daphne asked. "Does anyone know where that party will be held?"
As a discussion got underway regarding the parties over the coming holiday season, Draco quietly explained things to Hermione. The Malfoys always threw an extravagant party on Christmas Eve, while a New Year's Party was often hosted by different people each year. Hermione was unsurprised by the fact the Slytherins all celebrated together as it was fairly obvious their families were all pretty tight. Personally, she thought it was rather good and on a whole she felt it made for a more united group at school. The Slytherins certainly spent more time together outside of school then the Gryffindors had ever done.
"And what's happening with presents this year?" Blaise questioned.
"I thought you would have gotten the hang of this present lark by now, Blaise," Draco drawled with a roll of his eyes. "You buy a Christmas present for the people in your life."
"I know that," Blaise shot back, giving Draco a dirty look. "I mean are we all buying for each other, or doing some sort of Secret Santa again?"
"No Secret Santa," Theo exclaimed. "It was havoc the year we did that."
"Why did you do Secret Santa?" Hermione asked with a frown. She doubted it would be to save money as almost all the Slytherins came from wealthy pure-blood families, they just weren't as a super-rich as the Malfoys, but then again, not many people were.
"A couple of year ago we wanted to do something different for the holidays," Draco explained. "To be honest, I think everyone was just sick of being able to predict what presents we were going to give one another. Anyway, someone suggested we all put our names in a hat, and everyone picked out one person to buy for. The other stipulation was that you had to buy them something you'd never bought them before."
"And the entire thing was a disaster," Theo grouched. "Everyone got naff presents."
"Hey, I bought Daphne a designer dress," Blaise protested.
"In the wrong size," Daphne pointed out. "Not to mention, it wasn't my style at all."
"And I got a massive box of Bertie Botts," Theo said with a grimace. "I hate Bertie Botts. Every time I eat one I get a disgusting flavour, so I gave them up before we even started school."
"I didn't know what else to get you," Pansy muttered with a pout. "Because of the stupid rules, I wasn't allowed to get you a quidditch book."
"I say we just go back to normal and buy our same old presents for each other," Theo said.
"I tend to agree with Theo," Draco said. "I've already brought a few presents. Although, I resent the implication I always buy people the same thing. I vary my gifts."
"No Draco, you just vary the perfume you buy us girls," Daphne said with a laugh. "Although, I will admit it's always gorgeous perfume you buy."
"I've got good taste," Draco replied with a grin.
"And you always buy us something quidditch related," Theo pointed out.
"Yeah, but I buy you something different every year," Draco argued. "Besides, you always get me something quidditch related."
Hermione chuckled as the light hearted bickering continued over gifts. It was clear that even though they were bickering over what they received, on a whole they appreciated the gifts from their friends. Hermione also decided that they knew each other pretty well, and it sounded to her as though the gifts they gave each other were perfect.
"Do you really always get the girls perfume?" Hermione asked Draco, when he turned his attention back to her while the other continued to laugh and joke around.
"Yeah," Draco replied. "It's a safe bet. My father always goes to a French perfumery to get Mother's favourite fragrance just before Christmas, and I always go with him. That way I'm always buying decent perfume, not some nasty trash like you can get in some shops."
"So now I know what I'm getting for Christmas," Hermione teased with a laugh.
"No, you don't," Draco said, shaking his head. "You're not getting perfume. I only buy perfume for my female friends, and you're not just my friend."
"So what am I?" Hermione asked, pressing herself closer to Draco. Even though they'd been dating for the last six weeks or so, they'd yet to define their relationship.
"My girlfriend, or at least I hope that's what you are," Draco answered. "That's how I think of you."
"I'm happy being your girlfriend," Hermione confirmed with a smile, before she leant forward and pressed her lips against Draco's.
Never one to miss out on an opportunity to kiss Hermione, Draco deepened the kiss as he plunged the hand that wasn't around Hermione's waist, into her curls. Hermione instinctively wrapped her hand around Draco's neck, pulling him closer, totally oblivious to the fact their friends were sitting all around them.
"Hmm," Hermione sighed when they finally broke for air. "Yep, I definitely like being your girlfriend."
"That makes two of us," Draco replied as he leant forward to reconnect their lips.
"Oh no you don't," Theo called, elbowing Draco in the ribs as he was the one sitting on the other side of the blond. "If you two want to get frisky, bugger off out of the common room. We don't need to see the pair of you slobbering over each other."
"Okay." Draco nodded, before smoothly getting to his feet and holding his hand out to Hermione. Pulling his girlfriend up off the sofa, he then led her over to the stairs and up towards the boys' dorms, totally oblivious of the daggers Pansy was shooting at Hermione's back.
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As it always was, the Malfoys Christmas Eve party was pretty spectacular. As always, the party was held in the large ballroom at the back of the manor that opened out onto the gardens. The ballroom and gardens were decorated like a winter wonderland, with fake snow and ice as far as the eye could see. There was several tables crammed full of food and drink, and a bar at the far end of the room that was serving alcohol for the adults. As usual the party was a mix of adults, who were usually friends of Lucius and Narcissa, and teenagers, who tended to be Draco's friends or children of the adults present.
Normally Pansy loved the party as it always got her in the festive mood. Upon arrival, she'd headed off to join her friends, but as she always was these days Hermione was already at Draco's side. Even so, Pansy was determined not to let the brunette witch get to her, so she ignored her and greeted her true friends.
"Now we're all here, are we exchanging gifts?" Theo asked.
Gifts were always exchanged before the party got fully underway. Everyone had arrived with a bag of presents, which they'd handed to Draco's personal house elf. Draco's elf then stored the presents in Draco's room and the group headed up to exchange gifts before returning to enjoy the party while his elf made sure the freshly opened presents were waiting for everyone when they got back home.
"Let's go," Draco said, leading the way across the ballroom and out of the door.
Pansy's frustration at Hermione's presence only grew when they left the ballroom, and Draco had to stop to greet a distant relative. With Draco busy, Hermione took over leading the group to his bedroom, which she managed to find far too easily for Pansy's liking. She also seemed far too comfortable in the room, and Pansy frowned when she flopped down on Draco's bed as though she'd lain on it hundreds of times before.
"I guess we should wait for Draco before we begin," Hermione said.
"Or we could open all the presents and pretend no-one bought him anything," Blaise joked.
"I don't think so," Draco said with a snort as he sauntered into the bedroom.
"Don't worry Draco, I wouldn't have let them do anything like that," Pansy promised, giving her oldest friend a warm smile.
"Thanks Pans," Draco said absentmindedly as he walked over to the bed and settled down next to Hermione.
Pansy frowned at the way Draco had practically dismissed her, however her frustration was soon forgotten as presents started to get exchanged. As usual, what people had bought didn't vary much, but the gifts were always received with genuine appreciation. The only time Pansy had to fake a thank you was when she received a beautiful silk scarf from Hermione. If anyone else had given her it, she would have loved it, but because it was Hermione, she found it hard to appreciate the gift.
"Hermione, this is stunning," Daphne gushed as she opened a parcel which contained a deep purple cardigan.
"I thought you would like it," Hermione replied with a smile.
"I don't like it, I love it," Daphne declared as she gave Hermione a hug. "Thank you so much."
Pansy watched the exchange with narrowed eyes, before she turned her focus to Draco, who was opening the present Hermione had just handed him. Unlike everyone else, who'd give Draco quidditch related presents, Hermione had plumped for a watch for her boyfriend. Pansy knew Draco liked watches, but she also knew he had expensive tastes and she could never afford to get him one. However, it seemed Hermione had no such issues with buying such an expensive piece of jewellery.
Once Draco had thanked Hermione, with a searing kiss, it was his turn to hand out presents. As he always did, he'd bought perfume for the girls. However, Pansy wasn't impressed when he handed Hermione a box that clearly didn't hold perfume. Instead it held a gorgeous diamond snowflake necklace and a pair of matching earrings.
"They're lovely," Hermione said as she immediately removed the jewellery she was wearing and replaced it with the new pieces Draco had bought for her.
As Draco had done before her, Hermione thanked him with a deep kiss. Once they were finished kissing it was time for the group to return back to the party. The second they were back in the ballroom, Draco and Hermione disappeared off to dance. Pansy watched them wrapped around each other for a few minutes, before stalking off to get a drink.
As she was getting her drink, Pansy spotted her father and Lucius over the other side of the room. The pair looked to be having a disagreement, and being the nosy person she was, Pansy couldn't help but sneak over and listen in to what was being said.
"This isn't on, Malfoy," her father hissed as she approached the pair, hiding herself behind an ice sculpture. "We had an agreement."
"It wasn't an agreement, it was merely something we were talking about," Lucius responded in a bored drawl. "No decisions had been made."
"We were this close to signing contracts," Parkinson responded, and Pansy could hear the frustration in his voice.
"Well, we didn't so get over it," Lucius replied with a casual shrug. "Draco's with Hermione now. Find some other sucker to palm your daughter off on."
"And that's that?" Parkinson questioned. "Now The Dark Lord's daughter is on the scene, Draco can do as he wants. It doesn't matter that for years, we'd been planning on marrying him and Pansy?"
"No, it doesn't," Lucius answered. "Nothing was ever decided, and now Draco's made the choice for us."
"We both know you could change all that with a snap of your fingers," Parkinson snarled. "If you told him to, he would have to marry Pansy."
"And why would I want him to marry Pansy when he's involved with the daughter of The Dark Lord?" Lucius questioned with a low chuckle. "Face it Parkinson, Hermione's a much better catch then your girl. Pansy will never be a Malfoy, not now."
As Lucius strode off, leaving her father standing glaring after him, Pansy let the revelations sink in. She couldn't believe she'd been that close to marrying Draco. If Hermione had never shown up, she would have been engaged to Draco. She'd been so close to getting everything she ever wanted, and bloody Hermione had ruined it.
Scanning the ballroom, Pansy found Draco and Hermione and watched as something caused them to burst out laughing together. As she watched them, Pansy made a decision. It was time to get rid of Hermione. She no longer cared if Hermione was the daughter of The Dark Lord, and she could end up in trouble. It was time she was gone, and Pansy was going to see to it that the upcoming New Year would be the last one Hermione experienced.