CHAPTER 45

"So... Since you do still want to be my friend, I had an idea..." she twirled around in the snow, doing anything possible to avoid eye contact with him. If he rejected her, then she had no idea what she would do. He was the only person here at Hogwarts for the holidays that she spoke to.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I was thinking that we could get each other a little something that can be worn with any outfit. And then I'll charm them so that whenever we need to talk to each other, they'll let us know," she explained.

"What does that mean?"

"For example if you want to talk to me, then the jewellery will do something to let me know. Then we can meet somewhere and talk."

It would be too difficult for her to cast a charm to make them work like muggle cell phones. She supposed that if she was given a few months, she could make something along those lines, but time was of the essence.

He paused for a moment, thinking about her offer, and she bit her lip, praying his answer would be a 'yes'.

"You're brilliant," he finally whispered, breaking out into a smile. "I love the idea. I have no idea how you'll do it, but you're the smartest person alive, so I trust you."

Her cheeks burnt up as she heard the influx of compliments from him. Something about the fact that it was him, Draco Malfoy, saying such nice things about her made it a thousand times more special. "Well, I suppose I'm smart, but definitely not the smartest person alive," she blushed.

"So, what kinds of little things were you thinking of buying?" he asked.

"Oh, anything that will go with the school uniform."

"Perfect," he squeezed her arm in excitement. "Meet you back here in half an hour?"

Before she could even reply, he had sprinted away in the snow.

She walked at a leisurely pace towards the new jewellery store. Stepping inside, she was overcome by the warmth coming from the heating spell. Taking off her scarf and jacket, she opened her wallet to check how much she had on her. Whatever she wanted to buy him would obviously be nowhere near as grand as what he was used to. But she hoped he wouldn't mind.

She had 30 galleons on her person. Back in Hogwarts, she had another hundred stowed away under her bed, but those were to spend on her ball gown.

Perusing the displays, she came across a pair of golden cufflinks. Knowing Draco, he would probably favour silver. But the silver version was nowhere near as elegant. They were shaped as two little roses, the level of detail on each petal absolutely astounding. The silver ones didn't do the pattern enough justice.

She knew they were the pair. They were exactly what she was after.

Elegant yet playful. Straightforward at a glance, but holding so much depth when you really took the time to study them. Beautiful, but with thorns.

She nodded to the saleswoman, indicating she wanted to buy the pair. And a minute later, she had her coat back on, her scarf around her neck, and was back out in the snow, waiting for her counterpart to return.

Draco made a beeline for the dressmaker's shop as soon as Hermione was done talking. He knew he was really jumping the gun here, but he had a plan. When they walked past the shop window, he had noticed the most ravishing ballgown. And to make it a million times better, it was in a perfect emerald shade of green. He had imagined, for a split second, Hermione coming to the Christmas ball in that dress, and knew at that moment that he had to ask her.

Asking her now would be too rash. But he could pay a deposit for the dress and reserve it for when she said yes. Not if, but when.

With a skip in his step, he entered the store.

"Hi, how much would the dress in the window be?" he asked the shopkeeper. The large, middle aged woman stepped around the counter and came up to the dress. Inside it, there was a price tag. 800 galleons.

She looked at him, wondering if a teenager would have enough to buy something like that. But when she saw his face, she must have realised who he was, because her expression changed from one of amusement to one of awe. Suddenly she was aware that she could make a massive sale that could carry her through the whole month without a problem.

"May I pay a deposit for it? In a few weeks a young lady will come in here and ask for the reserved dress. If she says yes, then I'll come and buy it."

The woman quickly agreed to his demands and took the dress of the mannequin, hanging it in the back room. She the display with a pretty purple gown instead. He Placed half the money on the counter and went to see the green jewellery.

There was a particular pair of earring that caught his eye. They were studs in the shape of teardrops. A glowing emerald was mounted at the bottom and the tip was made up of silver metal, and perhaps even some tiny diamonds.

"How much is this?" he turned to the woman.

"1200 galleons," she replied, coming over. It was quite obvious she was eager to make the sale. "I'm sure whoever this young lady is, she is very lucky to have a man like you."

He ignored her comment and took out his wallet.

In all honesty, they day's expenses hadn't really made much of a dent in his Gringotts savings account. But if Hermione asked for the price, which he was sure she would, he was not going to hesitate to tell a little fib.

Purchases made, he stepped out of the store, the little jewellery box in his pocket, and he walked back to their meeting spot.