A/N: This story was written for Hermione's Holiday Hideaway hosted by Hermione's Haven on Facebook. This collection is to spread the cheer of our favorite Gryffindor as well as the holiday season for the fourth year in a row!

My pairing was set to be Hermione Granger & Ezra Fitz and my location was Stroudsburg, France as well as a holiday treat, pandoro. All of these make an appearance in this story in some way.

I hope you enjoy this story as well as the rest of the stories in the collection. I know that many of these authors have worked very hard on all of their collection pieces for this group as well as a few other holiday-themed events going on this time of year.

If you enjoyed my story and would like to check out some of my other works, feel free to search up starrnobella on most social media and you will be able to find a way to contact me outside of FFN.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Love always,

~starr


Leaving Rosewood behind was one of the most difficult things Ezra Fitz had ever decided to do, but looking back now, he realized that he needed to be able to move on from the life that trapped him there. The decision to move to London was the most straightforward decision he had ever made - that was where he met Hermione Granger. Now here they were, five years later, getting ready to travel to the Christmas capital of the world to celebrate the most festive time of the year, and Ezra hoped that this year would be a little extra special.

He pulled open the top drawer of his dresser and shifted a few pairs of socks to the side, wrapping his slender fingers around the ring box and pulling it out of the drawer. Ezra pushed the lid open and smiled at the ring's sparkle against the sunlight shining through the window. "Soon," he whispered, brushing his thumb against the stone.

"Ezra!"

Her voice startled him, causing him to drop the box back in the drawer and quickly slam it shut. Ezra spun on his heel and saw Hermione standing in the doorway. He plastered a large smile on his face, made his way quickly across the room, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in for a kiss.

"What are you hiding?" Hermione asked, resting her arms around Ezra's neck as she pressed another kiss to his lips.

"What do you mean?" Ezra replied, trailing kisses along her cheek and jawline.

"You hid something in the top drawer of your dresser," Hermione hummed, leaning her head back to allow him more access to her neck. "What were you hiding from me?"

"I'm not hiding anything, love," Ezra whispered against her skin. "Your voice just startled me."

Hermione chuckled softly as they pulled away from her, narrowing her eyes at him. "So you're telling me that if I pull away from you right now and open the top drawer of your dresser, I won't find anything hidden in there that I'm not supposed to see?"

Ezra let out a sigh, dropping his head. "I really wish you wouldn't go over there and open the dresser's top drawer. There may or may not be a surprise for you in the drawer, and I don't want you to ruin the surprise."

Hermione's eyes went wide. "A surprise?"

Ezra chuckled, nodding his head slowly. "Yes, a surprise. But you can't have it yet."

Hermione pouted her lip and crossed her arms over her chest, stepping back as far as Ezra's hold around her waist would let her. "And why not?"

"Because," Ezra said, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist and pulling her into his chest, "I want to give it to you on Christmas Eve while we are in Stroudsburg and today is not Christmas Eve, nor are we in France."

Hermione furrowed her brow as she looked up at him. "That's four days away," she huffed, stomping her foot just a little. "What if I want my present now?"

"Then I'll have to disappoint you," Ezra laughed, pressing a kiss to her cheek before pulling away from her and turning back to his dresser. He pulled the drawer open and wrapped his hand tightly around the ring box before pulling it out of the drawer and slipping it into his sweatshirt pocket. As he turned on his heel, he was greeted by a glare from Hermione. "It's not that I don't trust you, but I'm not taking any chances."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's fine. I'm sure I'll figure it out before you give it to me anyway."

Ezra chuckled, nodding his head slowly. "I'm sure you will, and that's why I love you. Did you need something when you startled me earlier?"

Hermione thought about it for a moment and shook her head. "No, I think I was just looking for you to see if you were almost packed. We need to get to the airport by one if we are going to make our flight."

"Just need to finish my carry-on, and then I'll be ready," Ezra replied, offering her a warm smile. "What about you?"

"I just need to grab my winter jacket from the back of the closet, and I'll be ready to leave," Hermione said, offering a smile. "I can't wait to see the Christmas market. I remember it is being so beautiful, and we have to get some pandoro."

Ezra raised his brow, glancing back at her over his shoulder as he pulled the zipper on his suitcase shut. "Pandoro?"

Hermione opened her mouth to respond but snapped it closed quickly to take a moment to think about the response she was going to give. She didn't want to come across as rude, but she was having a hard time wrapping her mind around the idea of someone with Ezra's upbringing not familiar with pandoro. Taking a deep breath, Hermione made her way to her closet and grabbed her winter jacket before walking to the door. She stopped beside Ezra and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek as she tried to sneak a peek inside of his bag, only to be disappointed as he finished zipping it shut. With a sigh, she pulled away and shook her head.

"Pandoro is the most delicious tasting sweet Italian bread that is very popular during Christmas. My family used to make it every year, or if we were traveling, my dad would find a bakery to buy it for us. It's my favorite part of Christmas," she explained, her face lighting up as she spoke about it.

Ezra nodded his head slowly. "I guess that means we'll have to find a place in the market that sells it," he replied with a wink. "We've got a flight to catch."

. . . . . . . . .

Ezra settled into the chair on the opposite side of the hotel room as Hermione collapsed onto the bed, still dressed in her ski gear with a heavy sigh. He laughed when he noticed her struggling to roll onto her back as he propped his feet up on the table. "Need some help?"

Hermione's entire body shook as she shook her head. "No, I'm fine, but I'm exhausted," she groaned, propping herself up on her elbow in an attempt to get a look at him. "I think I'm going to take a nap."

Ezra's eyes lit up, and a smile pulled at his lips briefly before tucking his emotions back in so that Hermione didn't suspect his behavior. He nodded his head slowly. "A nap sounds like a good plan."

"Do you want to join me?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow as she pulled the zipper of her jacket down.

Ezra smirked, shaking his head. "As tempting as that offer is, I've got some papers to grade."

"We're on Christmas vacation," Hermione whined, pouting her lip. "You aren't supposed to be working while we're on vacation."

"I promise only to work while you're napping," he said, pushing himself up from the chair and making his way over to the bed. Ezra cupped her cheek, brushing his thumb against her lips. "As soon as you wake up, we can spend the rest of our vacation together, work-free. And we can start by going to the Christmas market in town."

Hermione sighed as Ezra kissed her. "I guess that's fine, but if you pull your laptop out at any time during the rest of this trip…." Her voice trailed off as Ezra kissed her again.

"You won't have to worry about finishing that sentence," he whispered as he pulled away from her. "Get some sleep. I'll be waiting for you to wake up."

Ezra walked back over to his chair and pulled his laptop out of his carry-on. He kept a careful eye on the bed while waiting for Hermione to drift into a deeper sleep. It was a weird feeling, watching her sleep from across the room rather than lying beside her. But for his plan to work, he needed her to be asleep enough that she wouldn't hear him leave, and he could leave a note beside her bed stand that she'd see immediately after she woke up.

It took about fifteen minutes for Hermione to fall into a deep enough sleep where any kind of movement would awaken her. Ezra closed the lid of his lap and grabbed the notepad from the middle of the table, scribbling a note for her before getting out of the chair to walk over to the bed and place the note on Hermione's cell phone. He pulled the ring box out of his pocket and opened the lid, smiling as he held it beside her and snapped a picture with his phone - something he had been doing since they boarded the plane in London. He couldn't wait to print all of the images out and arrange them in a photo album after this trip.

With one last glance around the room, Ezra blew a kiss to Hermione before making his way out of the hotel room. He only had about thirty minutes to gather everything he needed before she discovered his note and came searching for him.

Ten minutes later, Ezra was making his way into the small Italian bakery on the far side of the Christmas market with a smile. He walked straight up to the counter and rang the bell, and his smile widened when a young woman came out of the backroom.

"Hello," she said, offering a smile. "What can I do for you today?"

"Hello," Ezra said, nodding his head as he looked around at the sweets in the display case. "I need to order pandoro, and I'm proposing to my girlfriend this evening, and pandoro is her favorite Christmas treat."

"Of course," the woman said, reaching for her order slip. "How soon do you need it?"

"Now, if possible," Ezra replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I know I should have come in earlier, but I just couldn't get away."

"Without raising suspicion," she interjected. "I completely understand. Let me look in the back and see if there's anything we can do to help you out."

"Thank you," Ezra said, nodding his head.

The woman nodded and turned on her heel quickly, making her way back into the room from where she had emerged when he first arrived. Ezra glanced up at the clock on the wall and took a deep breath. Hermione would be waking up any minute and making her way to the marketplace to find him. "Please have one tucked aside," Ezra whispered to himself, closing his eyes as he took a few deep breaths.

"You're in luck," the woman said, reappearing through the door with a beautifully wrapped gift box in hand. She lifted the lid to reveal a perfect pandoro sitting inside. "This is the last one we've got on hand."

"It's perfect," Ezra said, reaching for his wallet. "What do I owe you?"

"A visit from you and your fiancee after she says yes," she replied, closing the lid and handing the box over to him.

"Are you sure?" Ezra asked, taking the box and raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sure," she replied. "Tonight is going to be a wonderfully special evening, and I'm just happy to know my dessert will play an important role in it."

Ezra laughed, smiling at her. He set the box down on the counter, pushed open the lid, and pulled the ring box out of his pocket. He opened the ring box and gently lifted the ring out of the box, and placed it in the middle of the cake. He smiled and turned it to show the woman standing on the opposite side of the counter.

"Perfect," she said, offering a smile. "Good luck tonight."

"Thank you," Ezra replied, nodding his head as he closed the cake box lid and turned to leave. He pulled his jacket tight around him with a deep breath and made his way out the door, and he needed to get into position before Hermione arrived in the market.

. . . . . . . . .

Hermione groaned as she rolled onto her side, and her eyes opened slowly. "Ezra?" she called, stretching her arms over her head. She waited a few minutes for a response, but she sat up and looked around the room when none came. With a furrowed brow, she glanced over to the chair he was sitting in before she fell asleep. It appeared empty and as though it had been empty for some time. "What the hell?" she mumbled, yawning.

Hermione noticed a piece of paper folded up and sitting on top of her mobile out of the corner of her eye. A small smile pulled at the corners of her lips as she reached over to grab the piece of paper. She flipped it open, her smile broadening at his beautiful penmanship.

Meet me at the market place beside the Christmas tree.

xoxo, Ezra

Hermione jumped out of bed and pulled her sweater over her head before slipping her feet into a pair of snow boots. She grabbed her jacket before making her way out the door. Leave it to Ezra to always find a way to surprise her.

It took her about fifteen minutes to find him. The market place was busier than she had anticipated, but seeing it lit up and decorated, busy with a large crowd of people, warmed her heart. It was nice to see everyone out enjoying the evening. The only thing that would have made this picture-perfect evening even better would have been for it to be snowing. There was something magical about Christmas lights and snow on Christmas Eve that reminded Hermione of her childhood and was something she would always find herself chasing after.

"Hermione," Ezra called, waving to her from a few feet away from where she was standing. He had a large pastry box in his hands and a nervous smile.

Hermione laughed, pulling her coat tight around her body and making her way over to him. She looked at the box in his hand and cocked her head to the side. "What's that?"

"A treat," he said, offering her the box. Hermione took it from him with a puzzled look on her face. "Open it."

Hermione shrugged her shoulders and turned her attention to the box. As she lifted the lid slowly, Ezra lowered himself to his knee as he waited for her to see the box's contents. His heart was beating a million miles a minute as the anticipation of her response built up in his chest.

"Ezra," she whispered, noticing the sparkling diamond in the middle of the pandoro. She moved, lowered the box, and saw him on one knee, looking up at her with a smile on his face.

"Hermione Granger, we've spent the last five years dreaming of a night like tonight as we've gotten to know one another. We have good times and bad; we've shared memories of our past as well as dreams of a future together. I'd like tonight to be the first of many happy memories. Will you marry me?" Ezra asked, taking a few deep breaths as he waited for her answer.

Tears welled up in the corners of Hermione's eyes as she nodded her head. "Yes, yes, yes," she repeated, watching as Ezra rose from his knee and grabbed the ring out of the top of the pandoro and slipped it onto her finger. A large smile pulled at her lips as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him.

He lowered his lips to hers, and as the kiss deepened, the sky released a flurry of snowflakes, encompassing the market place like a snowglobe.