THC Christmas Challenge 2021
Prompts:
Request: Copper'sMama - Someone has dosed all of the pumpkin juice and cider at Hogwarts with a potent, long-lasting Veritaserum.
Theme: Effects from the past.
Prompt: [Word] Magical
Word count: 2614
Happy 2022, everyone! I was supposed to write this a while ago but Miss Rona came to visit and I didn't really feel like Christmas in the first place. But Round 9 is starting soon and I wanted to get something done to refamiliarise myself with writing in preparation for the next stories.
This is where I mention that I hate Christmas myself so there wasn't really the possibility that I'd write any Christmas fluff. It ain't as angsty as I started out to make it but I'm not mad at it. I hope you enjoy it as well and that your holidays were bearable.
This is fully unbetad so this is also a test to see how good I can write on my own. Hope I haven't missed anything major.
Hermione Granger hated Christmas. It had been fun when she'd been a kid, still naive and ignorant, but after surviving a war, the lies of forced cheer became just that: lies. Last Christmas, she had spent with Harry on the run, the two of them barely even realising what time it was while on the run - and when they did realise, they nearly died. That indifference had suited her just fine since it had also been her first Christmas without her parents. But now, stuck amidst the Hogwarts celebrations with no life-threatening distraction at hand, she was just plain miserable.
Well, she had been miserable until Malfoy had given her access to his whiskey cabinet. In an effort to abolish House rivalries as well as not to disrupt the kids attending their regular years, Headmistress McGonagall had created a new "House" for all the 8th years. Though a house it was not, every one of the returning students could attest to that. They had no crest, barely anything in common and, to the dismay of most of them, couldn't even form a Quidditch team. No, their House was a mockery, just a hodge podge of outcasts that just didn't fit anywhere else.
However, Hermione didn't mind. She would have felt ridiculous walking straight back into Gryffindor Tower as if nothing had changed because everything had. Harry and Ron were gone in Auror training and most Gryffindors from her year had either hidden away or were too traumatized to adapt. At least this way, they were allowed to grieve and process in peace, with no fangirling first years or pitying glances from the rest of the student body. And without Harry and Ron to keep the rivalry alive, Hermione had easily conceded to Malfoy's awkward apology, his views clearly having changed and their petty quarrels not really important in the grand scheme of things.
She'd found a quiet haven in the brooding former Slytherin. They didn't feel the need to discuss anything since they had both survived through the deepest pits of Hell. Motivational words and empty promises just didn't feel necessary to either of them so they had found solace in just knowing someone that understood was there. When she would cry, he'd sit by her side until she had no more tears left to give. When he would smash everything in his room because rage was his only outlet, she'd wait him out until there was nothing more to break. Friends they were definitely not, but there was an unmistakable sense of camaraderie between them.
Christmas was just as miserable for him, with his father a soulless, living corpse in Azkaban and his mother a prisoner in the Manor of Horrors. And, though she wasn't a big fan of alcohol, she would agree that it made the depressing occasion better. So they sat and they drank glass after glass of firewhiskey until the world didn't seem as dark anymore. Well, at least that had been their plan until Theo had found them and confiscated their bottle since, apparently, 'drinking their problems away was not a viable solution'.
Another gift of Eighth Year Hermione had not seen coming was the Slytherin crew. The relatives of Death Eaters needed every last redeeming quality they could get for their future lives and getting through their N.E.W.T.s was essential if they wanted a chance. Draco had been joined by Theo Nott and Pansy Parkinson and, when one of them decided to let someone in, all of them did. Hermione might have been left without her boys but she'd been surprised to find she fit right in the snake pit.
Draco had made the first move and Pansy still kept an awkward distance, not really comfortable yet with the other girl, but Theo had been the most pleasant surprise of them all. The two hadn't really interacted in their previous years so there were no major issues to hash out, which gave them an ease she didn't have with the others. As she came to find out, Theo was incredible company. Studious and intelligent but not braggy, quiet but sassy and witty, the Nott heir was the counterpart Hermione had not yet been able to find.
"Come on, Nott, give it back, don't kill our buzz," Malfoy groaned, a slight slur in his words as Hermione was brought back to the present. She slowly realised her glass was not in her hand any longer, instead replaced with a plastic cup filled with what smelled like pumpkin juice. She blinked to clear up her blurry vision and looked up at the bottle in Theo's hands, making clumsy grabbing motions towards it.
Theo chuckled and placed the bottle at the top of Malfoy's library, tall freak that he was. "No more whiskey for you two. Now drink up your juice, it's a fresh batch and it will help if you sober up sooner rather than later."
Hermione grumbled but obeyed, downing the whole cup and throwing it at his head petulantly, earning herself another chuckle. "You're too loud, Nott, get out," Malfoy grumbled, stumbling up and throwing himself down on his bed. "Christmas can go suck it, I'm going to sleep. Shoo, both of you."
The witch giggled as she was pulled up, stumbling over her own feet before she found her balance. "Night, grumpy pants. Thanks for the drinks. You made this tolerable," she waved as Theo tugged her outside the room, frowning at herself as she realised her words. She'd never been touchy-feely with Malfoy; was the alcohol affecting her this much?
The light from their common room was harsh against her tired eyes and the music brought her an instant headache. "Christmas already sucks enough, Theo, do we have to go there? I don't like any of them and I'm tired of pretending that I do."
"Wow, someone's not holding her punches anymore, I see," Theo laughed as he gently pushed her towards the couch. People didn't really notice the pair, too busy dancing or making out in the corners. A Muggle boombox was set up on a table, cheesy Christmas songs blasting at the loudest volume. "Wait here, I'll get you a second glass of juice, okay? Try not to get into any fights while I'm gone."
Hermione barely acknowledged him as she glared at the music box. Song after song, her anger grew. People were celebrating as if their world hadn't been turned on its axes just a year prior. As if their friends, their siblings, their parents weren't dead. A freaking war had happened and here they were, trying to act as if everything was back to normal.
She didn't even realise it as she blasted the boombox with a wordless Bombarda. She wasn't even conscious of reaching for her wand, only the shocked gasps of her classmates cutting through the fog of her mind. Hypocrites, all of them. She glared at them as everyone turned to look at her, eyes filled with pity for the great war hero.
"What the hell you looking at?" She snapped, grasping the back of the couch to stand up on shaky legs. "Your music was getting on my nerves. Joy, cheer and Muggle bullshit. Do you know how Muggles describe Christmas? 'Magical'. 'Oh, it's such a magical time! Such a magical holiday!'. Well, what the fuck do they know? Ignorant fools don't even know magic is real. But at least they still get to think it's all good because they don't know magic is a curse. A bloody curse! Magical, my ass. I wish I'd never held a wand!"
"Wow, slow down, Granger, use your inner voice." Hermione felt her wand leave her hand as someone guided her firmly towards her room. As the door closed behind her, her eyes widened, the reality of her words crashing down on her.
"What the hell," she muttered as Theo pushed her gently to sit on the bed. "I-I didn't mean to-"
"I know, don't worry. That was my bad. I overheard Corner boast about how he managed to brew Veritaserum all on his own. Didn't take much to connect the dots. It should have worn off by now but obviously he screwed something up so I don't know how long this will last. How are you feeling?" Theo asked, placing a comforting hand on her knee as he sat on her desk chair.
"Miserable," Hermione blurted out, now able to detect the effects of the truth serum. "I've been miserable ever since the decorations went up. And seeing everyone so carefree and happy just made me angry. How can they act like that? How can they forget?"
"They aren't forgetting, Granger," Theo sighed, conjuring a glass of water and handing it over to her. "You can't just forget a war. But you can't stay stuck in the past forever, you know? They are trying to move on and so should you. You don't have to enjoy Christmas if that's not your thing but you need to let the dead lie and move on. Because you're still here, you know? You still have a life to live, we all do. We fought so we could survive and we did. How about we celebrate that?"
Hermione cocked her head to the side, observing the wizard curiously. "Your eyes are beautiful. I've never seen a similar shade of blue. It's not the deep, grayish kind but not light either. It's magnetic."
Theo grinned awkwardly, a light rose colour dusting his cheeks. "Uh, thanks, Granger, appreciate the honesty. But maybe I should let you rest up, alright? Sleep the 'serum off, we can catch up tomorrow." With a nod to himself he quickly rose to leave, though Hermione reached out and grabbed his shirt to stop him.
"No, stay, I don't want to be alone. Alone means thinking and I don't want to think anymore. I'm always the smart one but I'm tired of thinking. It was good while I was drunk but you had to go ruin that and now my buzz is waning so you have to make up for ruining my night. Plus, I enjoy hanging out with you. You're good company and you're nice to look at," she begged, huffing to herself in anger. "Damned Corner with his stupid potion. That part was meant to be my internal monologue."
"Uh, yeah, sure, no worries," Theo mumbled as he sat back down, gently disentangling her fingers from his shirt. "I'll, uh, I'll wait until you fall asleep, okay?"
Hermione giggled as she gently kicked him to get his attention. "I've never seen you flustered before. It's cute."
"And you get violent and mouthy when you're drunk. It's bearable, so far," Nott replied, grinning as she giggled again. "So, uh, a vendetta against magic, huh? Or is it Muggle Christmas?"
"Ugh, both, actually," Hermione scoffed as she scooted back on her bed, pulling the blanket over her knees. "I can't help but feel that, if McGonagall hadn't come to my house all those years ago, my parents would still be around and I would have avoided all the trauma. Sure, I wouldn't have known about my powers but I was doing alright beforehand anyway. But now that I know, I can't go back. I can't obliviate myself, I've checked. And I can't help but pity them every time they say something is 'magical'. Pity and envy. Because they will never know the pain magic can cause. For them, it can still be something wonderful."
"It can be wonderful for us too, you know," Theo jumped in, stretching out his legs over the end of her bed and leaning back in her chair. "Sure, we all lost stuff, but it isn't magic's fault. The Muggles have had their own wars and problems without the ability to turn a pencil into a fork. They don't have Avada's but they made guns. They didn't have Riddle but they had Hitler. And they give us an opportunity to look into our future, you know? Because they survived two wars and still rebuilt. Their history is part of them and they haven't forgotten but they've evolved. Hopefully we get to do that too, you know?"
The witch let out a snore as she rolled to her side, mouth open and drooling on her pillow. Theo huffed a laugh and sat up, reaching out to pull the blanket up to her shoulders before leaning back again. I should stay to make sure she's okay, right? That's the honourable thing to do.
Hermione groaned as she pulled the blanket over her head, trying to shield her eyes from the bright sun hitting her straight in the face. She begrudgingly got up to shut the blinds, only to stumble over something and nearly fall flat on her face. Strong arms gripped her waist as she tumbled on the floor, falling onto something soft that groaned as they made contact.
"Calm down, Granger. I'd rather not be kicked in the face first thing in the morning, alright?" Theo's voice came from somewhere underneath her, muffled under her own weight. Hermione scrambled up, her head pounding in retaliation to her sudden movement. Theo waved up at her from the floor, awkwardly trying to get himself up as well.
"Don't worry, milady, nothing untoward happened last night. You and Malfoy got pissed and I stayed to make sure you didn't choke in your sleep," he tried to reassure her, stretching his head side to side to work some kink in his neck out.
"Well, that's a bummer," Hermione blurted out before her hands flew to her mouth as her eyes widened in shock. Now that she was no longer inebriated, the severity of her honesty hit her full force and she could feel the heat of her blush extend all the way to her ears. Theo looked back at her with an unreadable expression in his eyes before he averted them towards the door.
"Ah, I see the Veritaserum hasn't worn off yet. I'll, uh, go look for Professor Slughorn to see if he can cook up an antidote. Get some breakfast, okay?" He mumbled before he threw the door open, eager to make his escape. "And, uh, maybe we can come back to this at another time? When a potion isn't forcing you to spill your innermost darkest secrets?"
Hermione stared, mouth open, at the blushing boy at her door. That was not how she'd envisioned this going, not in all the different scenarios she'd rehearsed in her head. She could barely nod as he smiled shyly and ducked his head down, not really brave enough to push it any further. "Hope you can reconcile with 'magical' until next Christmas," he mumbled before he closed the door behind him.
His heavy footsteps slowly faded away as Hermione took everything in, frozen at the spot. When feeling finally returned to her legs, she threw herself back on the bed, staring at the ceiling as she ran through what she could remember from last night. She was grateful that Theo had left when he did, she could still feel the Veritaserum flowing through her veins and she didn't want one wrong question to make her blunder her way through confessing her crush for the brunet wizard.
She allowed herself a small smile as she turned to her side, clutching her pillow to her chest. A lot of yesterday was missing and she had the distinct sense she'd made a fool of herself but it didn't matter. In the light of the next day, she slowly realised she'd made it through her first Christmas alone. And it wasn't half bad.
