Boxing Day morning, Harry and Hermione wandered down from their dorms much later than they normally did.
Everyone else had apparently had the same idea of sleeping in, as there were only a few other people milling about in the common room when Harry walked in, quickly spotting Hermione standing by the window holding and petting Crookshanks as she looked out over the frosty grounds. It was a sure sign that she'd only been there for a few minutes, as on the mornings she didn't go watch the sunrise, she always spent five or ten minutes just looking out the window, enjoying the beauty that Hogwarts provided and the grumpiness her kneazle provided, before starting reading or researching or doing any homework. As he approached her, Harry saw her smile despite not having turned around at all to see that he was coming — she simply knew, like always.
"Morning, boyfriend," she said quietly once he was near enough for him to hear her.
"Morning, girlfriend," replied Harry as he joined her looking out the window and absentmindedly reached over to scratch Crookshanks behind the ears. They stood there like that for several minutes, before Harry finally said, "Hungry?"
"I could eat," answered Hermione.
She set down Crookshanks down on the couch, and they started to head out. When they were almost to the portrait hole, they heard the twins call them over from where the redheaded pair was huddled conspiratorially in the corner. They should have known something was up when the twins were already awake before them, as the twins weren't renowned for being particularly early risers without reason, but as Harry and Hermione were still slightly sleepy from staying up so late the night before, they didn't question it. And so they made their way over, completely forgetting to pay attention to where they were going,
And walked straight under an innocent looking clump of mistletoe that had been stuck to the ceiling of the common room with a sticking charm a week before.
However, nothing was ever as innocent as it looked at Hogwarts — staircases had trap steps, doors weren't really doors, tapestries often led to secret passages, and the greenery could have secret powers. This unobtrusive little plant was no different — it was magical mistletoe, a far more sinister plant than its muggle counterpart.
You see, magical mistletoe had a symbiotic relationship with Nargles. Unlike muggle mistletoe, under which muggles voluntarily kissed, magical mistletoe, when in full bloom, trapped its unsuspecting victims beneath it until they kissed. Which while not a problem for any happy couple that happened to wander under its spell, those less inclined to lock lips were in trouble. And whilst the unhappy victims were stuck beneath the plant, the Nargles that lived inside the mistletoe would infest the bickering pair.
When the mistletoe had first been affixed to the ceiling a week before Christmas, word had quickly spread to avoid that section of the common room if you didn't want to go tongue tangoing. However, in their post-Christmas sleepiness, neither Harry nor Hermione were paying attention to where they were walking as they went over to see what the twins wanted. So a second later, they found themselves stuck underneath the offending greenery, with only one way out.
The twins walked over, not-so-innocent smirks playing across their faces.
"Would you look at that," said Fred.
"How very unfortunate," replied George, sounding anything but displeased, as they both came to a stop right in front of the trapped pair.
So as not to have to admit that she'd fallen for the twins' trick, Hermione rolled her eyes and pulled Harry to her, snogging him senseless.
As the twins were whistling and catcalling the amorous pair, Ron chose that moment to come down from the boys dorm, unnoticed by any of them. Seeing the lip-locked lovers (but missing the fancy, free-flowing, flowering flora above their heads — not that it would have made any difference to him), he froze in shock. Unfortunately for everyone, however, his temporary paralysis lasted less time than their kiss, and he screamed, "Oi!"
Hearing the minor explosion, Harry and Hermione languidly broke apart, before stepping out from under the mistletoe to avoid being infected by any Nargles.
"Yes...?" said Hermione coolly, giving Ron a look that clearly said 'think twice about what you're about to say'.
Ron, however, thought at most once, and likely not even that.
"What the bloody hell were you doing!?"
"Kissing," replied Hermione, her tone unchanged from before.
"Why were you kissing him!?" yelled Ron. "You're supposed to end up with me!"
"I'm supposed to end up with you!?" exclaimed Hermione in complete flabbergastation, her voice rising. "You didn't even realize I was a girl until a week ago!"
"That completely misses the point!" bellowed Ron. "You end up with me, and Harry ends up with Ginny! Mum's always told us so!"
Suddenly Mrs Weasley's behavior the past three summers he'd spent at the Burrow made a lot more sense to Harry, as did her continued Christmas present this year despite him no longer being friends with her son.
"Wait!" exclaimed Harry loudly, as yelling seemed to be the only acceptable way to be part of this conversation. "How could Mrs Weasley have always been telling you that you'd end up with Hermione, when she'd never even heard of Hermione before three years ago, didn't meet her at all until Diagon Alley two and a half years ago, and didn't spend any extended time with her until six months ago?"
"So she added Hermione three years ago, what difference does that make?" snarled Ron savagely, turning on Harry. "It doesn't change the fact that her and me are supposed to end up together!"
"I am not supposed to end up with anyone," growled Hermione threateningly.
"That still doesn't give you any reason to be kissing him!" shouted Ron in reply, turning back on Hermione. "He's probably been using his fame to snog every girl in the castle!"
"Just because that's what you would do if you were champion, doesn't mean Harry's been kissing any other girls!"
"Fine! So maybe he hasn't kissed any other girls, but that doesn't give him the right to kiss you!" shouted Ron, changing tack at the speed of light.
"Ronald Bilius Weasley! Harry is my boyfriend, he can damn well kiss me as much as he bloody well likes!" shouted Hermione, fury radiating off her in waves as she pulled out her wand and took a threatening step towards the redhead.
"Okay, full name and wand, I think we need to separate you two," interrupted Fred, stepping in between Ron and Hermione before Hermione jinxed Ron into tomorrow, or at the very least the hospital wing.
"Why don't you two go get breakfast," added George, grabbing Harry and Hermione's arms and pulling them towards the portrait hole.
As soon as they were through the portrait, before it'd even fully closed behind them, Hermione stormed off towards the Great Hall, muttering under her breath what sounded like a list of curses she'd like to use on Ron.
Harry ran to catch up with her.
"Hey," he said softly when he had, gently putting a hand on her shoulder as he caught up with her. "Ignore him. It doesn't matter what he thinks. He's just jealous I got the prettiest girl in the castle."
Stopping when she felt Harry's hand land on her shoulder, Hermione turned and rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. "Ignoring the fact we both know I'm not the prettiest girl in the castle even when there isn't a Veela around, he's not jealous that I'm with you instead of him. He's jealous that, in his mind, you've taken something else away from him that he thinks should be his, and something that would bring him fame and attention, which is all he really cares about. It's only the idea of me being with him, and everyone knowing I'm with him, that would matter to him — not me myself. If he could have a robot that looked just like me that he could show off on his arm, he'd be just as happy with that — and if it couldn't bug him about not doing his homework, he'd be even happier than with the real me."
"So you really think Mrs Weasley told him that you would be his one day?"
"And that Ginny would get you, and that everyone would end up as one big happy Weasley family," answered Hermione with a nod. "And based on what Ron said, she had you picked out for Ginny long before either of you ever started Hogwarts, and definitely before ever meeting you. And while I'm sure every wizarding mother has probably dreamed of having their daughter marry the great and famous Boy-Who-Lived one day, Mrs Weasley took it to the extreme of instilling the idea as a guaranteed fact into her children. And then when I became the 'brightest witch of the age', it only made sense to put me with Ron to collect me into the family as well."
Harry didn't even know what to say to all of that, so he didn't say anything. It seemed so impossible that anyone could be like that, and yet it did explain an awful lot.
But eventually Hermione said, "It's a lot to think about, I know. And I may not be entirely correct about all of it, but what I am correct about is the fact that I really am hungry now, so let's go eat and we can think more about certain Weasleys sometime later — perhaps on the same day Snape hosts a birthday party for you and Neville."
Harry chuckled, and they resumed their walk down to the Great Hall and morning sustenance.
~HP~
They had only been eating for a few minutes when everyone's favorite ferret swaggered in, followed closely by his posse.
"Oh look, the Boy-Who-Lived and the Insufferable Know-It-All, madly in love," he drawled quietly enough for the entire hall to hear.
So in order to quickly stifle any rumors that they were romantically involved, Harry and Hermione leaned towards each other and languidly kissed, making sure anyone who looked in their direction would have plenty of time to see them.
Once they'd finally broken apart, Harry looked across the table at the Snakelet and asked innocently, "Whatever would give you that idea?"
Their blatant disregard for what he had been so sure would be a highly embarrassing rumor, left the ferret literally speechless. So after staring thunderstruck at the Golden Couple for several seconds, he finally walked away and sat down at the Slytherin table without uttering a single word.
"Bravo," came two voices at Harry and Hermione's outside ears.
The next moment, the twins had sat down on either side of them.
"That's how you stun a snake into silence," said Fred, grabbing a plate of sausages.
"We overheard him last night talking to his peeps about the fact you two went to the Ball together; we wondered how long it would take before he twisted it into you two dating to try and embarrass you," added George, grabbing some toast of the nearby plate.
"You don't think he knew we actually are dating when he said that?" asked Hermione, surprised.
"Definitely not," answered Fred, shaking his head. "No one knew you two were dating until you decided to show the entire Hall."
"Wait a minute," said Harry slowly. "Then how did you know we were dating, in order to trick us under the mistletoe earlier? Because even you guys wouldn't force two people to kiss if you didn't know they were okay with it."
"We were getting pretty darn close, just to make you two finally realize your feelings for each other, but no — we saw you kissing by the fountain last night," answered George.
"Yeah, we'd followed you out there to convince some fairies to set a romantic mood around you guys, but it seemed you'd found your own perfect setting before we could help," added Fred.
"Then how do you know no one else saw us and knows as well?" asked Hermione curiously.
"Because do you two see everyone staring at you and whispering? Well, before you just snogged in front of the entire hall, that is — there are a lot of people looking this direction and whispering now," answered George.
"And when we saw you, there wasn't anyone else nearby, and certainly not close enough to see you," finished Fred.
"Well, they know now, that's for sure, and everyone who isn't currently here will probably know within the hour, given how gossip about me spreads," replied Harry.
"We can guarantee it, if you like," offered Fred.
"And completely free of charge, including any extra rumors you'd like spread with it," added George.
"Thanks for the offer, but I think the news will make it around on its own just fine," said Hermione. "Harry and I hadn't really discussed it, but as neither of us like the spotlight I think we were trying to keep it low for a while — not that that's going to happen now."
"Oh, you're long past zat," came a recognizable voice floating across the table.
The four of them looked up to see Fleur sitting there, smiling brightly at Harry and Hermione.
"As soon as I walked in I started 'earing whispers zat ze Boy 'O Lived, Fourth TriWizard Champion, ze one and only 'Arry Potter 'imself, 'ad a girlfriend — and it was ze same girl ze Prophet rumored a month and a 'alf ago, and was reinforced last night," continued Fleur. "I just wanted to come over and see if it was true, and congratulate you two."
"Well thanks, and yes, it is true," replied Hermione. "We've been getting closer ever since Harry's name came out of the goblet and everyone started hating him and calling him a liar, and then last night we kissed and admitted our feelings for one another, and started dating — or officially started dating, as we've kind of been doing it without realizing it for the last couple months."
"Well best of luck to you, and just wanted to say congratulations," said Fleur, before standing up and starting to return to the Ravenclaw table where the rest of the Beauxbatons were sitting.
"Fleur — you could stay with us and eat, if you'd like," Harry said quickly before she'd taken more than a step. "Hermione and I joined you at the Ravenclaw table once, even if it was by accident — you could stay here. You haven't met the twins yet, anyway, and that's always worth the time."
Fleur turned back around, clearly surprised at having been invited to stay.
"If you're sure I won't be a bother," she said hesitantly.
"Of course not!" said Hermione. "We'd be happy to have you here. And the twins really are a riot."
"Zen I will," answered Fleur, sitting back down. "So who are zese twins you both mentioned?"
"Fred. George," said Harry, pointing at each in turn. "They're the resident jokesters and pranksters of the castle, always good for lightening up the mood and throwing a fantastic party."
"Pleasure to meet you," replied Fleur, holding out her hand to each of them in turn to shake.
Harry, Hermione, the twins, and Fleur spent the rest of the morning getting to know each other better and recounting the twins' greatest hits, eventually being joined by Luna Lovegood as well when she wandered in, and saw that Fleur was sitting with Harry and Hermione that morning instead of at the Ravenclaw table like normal.