The next few weeks were difficult to say the least because Fred and Hermione had to plan the Christmas party while also being swamped in their own work. Fred was running one of the busiest shops on Diagon Alley and Hermione was providing caffeine to all of the holiday shoppers in a never ending wave. What neither said to each other was the fact that they were both struggling with the potential developing feelings.

From Hermione's point of view, Fred had always been a fixture in her life ever since she had become a witch. He had been like an annoying older brother to her while she was in school but also someone she knew that she could rely on. When Umbridge had come in her fifth year and his seventh, Hermione had noticed him and George taking it upon themselves to comfort the younger students who had been receiving detentions with the old hag. She had made it a point back then to give him the essence of dittany for his scarred hands because she thought it was amazing that he had taken on the punishment to protect other students. Even when she wasn't interested in him he was always a fixture she could rely on.

From Fred's point of view, he was struggling to figure out when the witch who had always run along with whatever mischief Harry and Ron had gotten themselves into had become her own witch. She had always been smart and studious but in a friendly next-door neighbor way. Now she also had a beauty and elegance that only came to adult women. Once when he was passing by her café he saw her interacting with a couple of kids inside and he was suddenly overcome with an image of her raising a brood of little red heads. He had never more quickly beaten an image into submission because he knew that there was no way Hermione would give up her career to settle down and be someone's housewife. Fred would personally kick the ass of any man who tried to make her.

But at the same time the image came to him regardless and he wasn't eager to let go of it. Over the past few weeks Hermione had let herself into his heart and he couldn't deny the fact that he had feelings for the witch anymore.

The pair of them were unable to meet up anymore because their businesses were so busy but the party was still put together through the conversations at their windows in the evening as well as exchanging letters during the day. Orders were placed and the invitations were sent out. Different business owners contacted them stating they wanted to stay open and were offered stalls during the party. Hermione and Fred both felt a sense of accomplishment when everything came together the weekend before the big event. Since Hermione was ahead of her office work, all of the decorations and orders that couldn't be put up immediately were placed there in her café.

Hermione made it her duty to make sure everything came together so starting on the twentieth she let Katie run the café alone while she managed everything else.

As she surveyed her handiwork on the evening of December 23rd, Hermione nodded to herself. Everything was going to be perfect.


Everything was falling apart. She hadn't seen Fred all day and people kept running up to her with requests and order changes. The party was set to start in an hour and her second in command was nowhere to be found. Hermione drew Katie into the line of fire and had her help out in terms of figuring out the final arrangements for the party while Hermione went off to find Fred.

She was on her way towards Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes when she was stopped by none other than Michael Blotts.

"Hey Hermione," he said cheerfully as he stepped into her path. "I was wondering if you had a spare minute to chat?"

For a moment Hermione hesitated and glanced behind him at the large head that made up the front of the joke shop before she shook herself. She had wanted Michael to notice her for months and he was finally talking to her with a look in his eyes that she could easily tell he was more interested in her than a discussion on academics. She should be thrilled.

"Of course," she smiled at him. "Let's go to my café and we can get something to drink. I'm sure you've been busy helping your grandfather set up shop for the party. Did you ever get a chance to read the book I recommended the last time we talked?"

"Of course I did," Michael said cheerfully as they both started discussing the plot and dynamic of the story.

Hermione was so engaged in the conversation she didn't even notice when Fred came out of his shop and was quickly detained by his brother and Lee.

Fred had seen Michael intercept Hermione and was filled with a flare of jealousy. He had every intent to leave his shop and go talk to her but before he could make it three steps his George came running up panting in a panic.

"Where have you been?" he demanded. "We've got a real emergency on our hands."

"What's going on?" Fred asked, concerned. "What happened?"

"Aberforth has the flu!"

One of the biggest parts of the holiday party that Hermione and Fred had put together was a meet and greet with Santa on a stage.

They had set it up on the steps of Gringotts where little kids could come to meet Santa and ask for any last minute gifts before they went home and were tucked into bed by their parents. When asked who would play Santa, Fred had suggested the crotchety old owner of the Hogshead. He had insisted that if the bad boys or girls asked for gifts Aberforth could easily also pass off as Krampus. Hermione had hesitated for hours before nixing that idea.

Fred had asked Aberforth anyway and when he said yes Hermione had no reason to refuse.

"What do you mean Alberforth has the flu?"

"I mean what I said! He can't play Santa!"

"Who the heck is going to play Santa then? We can't just take away the biggest event the day!"

"Funny you should mention that," George gave his brother a knowing look. "When Lee and I drew straws, your name was drawn to be Santa."

"Me?" Fred blinked confused. "How could I be Santa? I'm in my late 20s."

"That can be easily adjusted with a little bit of magic." George laughed. "Besides I think it would be hilarious and if you do it I promise I will get Hermione on your lap so you can ask her how she feels."

"What are you talking about?" Fred asked, confused. "We're just friends."

"Right and I totally didn't sleep with Angelina Johnson last weekend because we are also just friends."

"What are you on about?" Fred glared.

"We're talking about your massive crush on Hermione Granger," Lee said honestly as he materialized next to the twins. "George and I have a bet on who's going to confess first because it's obvious you two like each other."

"She likes Michael Blotts," Fred argued. "She's not interested in me that way."

"I don't think it's fair of you to put words in her mouth without actually asking her how she feels," Lee told him. "Besides that's not even the main topic of discussion at this point because Santa goes live in an hour and we have a lot of work to do to make you look like him."

"Are you sure there's no one else who could play the part?" Fred asked one more time. "There's always Olivander? Slap a fake beard on him and he'll be good to go."

"We could ask but I think this is much funnier," George said before he and Lee pounced on Fred to drag him back inside Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.


Hermione frowned as Michael kept talking. She was really worried about Fred and as much as she enjoyed talking with Michael for some reason the conversation felt flat today. She never thought that day would come but she almost wished the conversation would wrap up so she could go looking for the lost Weasley.

She knew that she was probably throwing away her chances with the handsome future bookstore owner but she still couldn't lie to her heart as she stood up to excuse herself 30 minutes after they sat down.

"I'm really sorry about this Michael but I have to find Fred and finish preparing for the party. Maybe we can continue this next week sometime?"

"Hermione I want to be really straight with you," Michael said suddenly. "I really like you and I'd like to make our conversations more frequent if you're willing to go out with me?"

Hermione literally felt herself short circuit at his words. She wanted to hear him say nothing else for weeks and now that he had she didn't even know how to respond.

"Michael… I'm so flattered that I don't even know what to say."

"Let me guess: you're in love with Fred Weasley and I've lost my chance for taking too long?"

Hermione visibly recoiled at the idea because it hadn't even crossed her mind. Sure she enjoyed spending time with Fred and was worried when he hadn't shown up to help with prep in the morning but being in love with him? That idea never even crossed her mind. She enjoyed spending time with him, sure, but it wasn't like she spent every minute of the day thinking about him. They both had their own interests and lives to live. It's not like they were foolish teenagers looking for their next boyfriend and girlfriend. Despite all of her logic against the idea Hermione couldn't help but have a few flashbacks to the interactions she had shared with Fred in the last few weeks.

He had made her laugh more than she had ever thought possible and she genuinely looked forward to their conversations whenever they were talking in the evening, either about the party or their personal lives. She hoped that they would continue having these conversations in the future but had never considered the fact that it could be anything more than just friendship.

However at Michael's words she couldn't help but feel something clench in her chest at the thought of Fred having those kinds of conversations with another woman. She wanted to talk with him every day and hear his opinions on different subjects. She wanted to work with him on more projects and bring joy to the people in their life by combining their ideas.

Most insanely of all she wanted to talk with him in that manner for years to come and get to know more about him and his interests. She wanted to know why he liked to prank people so much. She wanted to know what made Fred tick differently than George. She wanted to know absolutely everything there was to know about him and spend the next few years doing it.

"Oh my God, I'm in love with Fred."

"Wait," Michael clarified. "Did you really not know that?"

Hermione didn't know when it happened but she could feel her hands covering her mouth to contain her surprise. All she could do at Michael's query was shake her head in the negative. She had literally never considered the idea until he said it out loud. She was even at the point where she didn't even know how to process the information. All she knew was that she had to find Fred and tell him.

"I'm so sorry," she said, standing. "I'm so, so sorry but I have to go. If it makes you feel any better I really did like you but Fred is—"

"If Fred is the one, I just want you to be happy," Michael smiled at her good-naturedly before ushering her out of her own café. "Now go find that redhead menace and tell him how you feel!"

"I will," Hermione said as she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you so much."

Hermione ran through the streets of Diagon Alley desperate to find Fred. She wanted to be sure to tell him how she felt first and was surprised that she had never considered it earlier. They spent so much time talking and interacting these days, it was no wonder she had fallen for him.

She ran through the streets desperate to find any trace of his iconic auburn hair. Unlike his brothers Hermione had noticed that Fred's hair had a naturally more brown tint to it. It was literally the only part of him that was understated in comparison to his energetic personality.

After twenty minutes of searching she finally turned to run back to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes where she found George and ran up to him in a panic.

"I can't find Fred anywhere, do you know where he is?" she asked him as she clutched his arm for balance while taking a deep breath of air.

"Whoa there Hermione! Take a deep breath," George caught her arm to help her remain balanced as she took a gulp of air to soothe the sting in her lungs. "Where's the fire?"

She was milliseconds away from blurting out 'I just realized I'm in love with your brother and I need to tell him', before she remembered the etiquette was probably to tell Fred first before she went telling his twin. Instead she turned to him and asked, "Do you know where Fred is?"

"We were short on hands at the Santa display so Lee and I sent him there. You should find him there in costume helping out. I would've done it but I had to watch the shop."

"Thank you so much," Hermione said gratefully as she kissed him quickly on the cheek. "Merry Christmas!" she said as she ran out of the shop towards the cattywampus building that housed the goblin-run bank.

The Santa exhibit was a sight to behold. They had spared no efforts for the scene and it had been up for the past week. Complete with a countdown clock the front steps of the bank had a shoddy pop-up stand of Santa's workshop.

There were a few elves helping Santa who was reclining in his throne. The oversized stuffed chair had been a donation from Hagrid so that the refurbished throne would have a larger than life feeling.

When she got to the exhibit she tried to look around and find Fred but found no trace of him anywhere. Who she did find was Lee in a hilariously overdramatic elf costume. She smiled as she walked up to him.

"Lee, I'm trying to find Fred! Do you know where he is?"

Lee Jordan was a smart man and he was quickly able to put together that she was looking for Fred to tell him that she had finally pulled her head out of her ass and realized she was in love with him. The way her cheeks were flushed and her eyes sparkled were a dead giveaway. She never really focused on Lee as she kept looking around, desperate to catch a glimpse of Fred. If he were a kinder man, he would've just told her that Fred was the one sitting on the throne. Truth be told, he had gained his friendship with Fred and George by not being a kinder man and being a prankster instead.

He did not tell her even though he had every confidence he was about to win the bet.

"You know, I think I last saw him behind Santa's workshop, but before you find him I think you should go visit with Santa?" Lee suggested as he steered her towards the line.

"With all due respect Lee I don't want to see Santa, I need to talk to Fred."

"Trust me I think you want to talk to Santa."

"But I just said that I didn't—"

Hermione's protests fell on deaf pointy ears as Lee physically picked her up, put a hat on her head, and put her on the stage in front of the next set of kids.

"Mrs. Claus! Mrs. Claus!" The kids started cheering in excitement.

"Mrs. what?" Hermione was completely confused as her hand went to feel the hat Lee had placed on her head.

It was a fucking bonnet. Looking down at the dress she had chosen for the day she realized how she could easily be passing for a very young Mrs. Claus. However she didn't know how she felt about little kids identifying that so immediately. Did she look that old already?

"Okay kids! Who here thinks that Mrs. Claus should sit on Santa's lap and tell him what she wants for Christmas?" Lee asked the kids enthusiastically as he used his natural Quidditch announcing talents to hype up the crowd.

"Lee!" Hermione hissed angrily in a voice low enough that she knew the children wouldn't hear. "I am not sitting on Aberforth's lap!"

"Come on kids! Let's cheer if you want to see Mrs. Claus show Santa some love! We all know the story that they promised to love each other forever so they can always bring your Christmas presents! Wouldn't you like to see Mrs. Claus give Santa a kiss to show him how happy she is that he works so hard?"

"Yay! We love you Mrs. Claus!" cheered the children.

Hermione honestly weighed the pros and cons of scarring children for life if they watched Mrs. Claus strangle an elf on a stage.

As it was, she glared at Lee who had nothing to return to her except his own bemused grin. She knew that she would be disappointing the children in some sick way if she didn't interact with Santa so she gathered all the grace she possessed and walked over to the old man. As she grew closer she frowned in confusion. She had seen Aberforth dressed up all week and the old man in front of her looked very different.

"Hello?" she said to the old man as she approached. In a very quiet tone she asked him more seriously "Where is Aberforth?"

"Ho! Ho! Ho! My helper, Aberforth is very sick right now and I decided to come down from the North Pole to see all these wonderful children myself. Ho! Ho! Ho!"

"I see." Hermione's voice took on a higher pitch as she took in the appearance of the man in front of her. She had no idea who was sitting on the chair but he seemed to be doing an okay job so far thus she decided not to worry about that part. "Do you mind if I…"

Santa looked around and for a brief moment she thought she recognized the twinkle in his eye but it was gone before she could place her finger on it. "Santa would love it if such a lovely Mrs Claus sat on his lap and told him what she wanted for Christmas."

Hermione blushed as she recognized that the man in Santa costume was probably under a glamour charm to hide his identity. Or at least that's what she hoped and that a really old man wasn't getting slightly fresh with her. As it was, the children cheered and she felt she had no choice but to move to carefully perch herself upon his lap.

Before she was fully settled in his lap, his hand found her waist and hugged her more securely into his lap by sitting her on his thigh rather than his knee where she had been angling for. Instead of being able to support her weight by crouching slightly on his knees, she found that she was settled securely with all of her weight on his leg. She knew she wasn't a young teenager anymore — and that she ran a café bakery — so she couldn't help it as a blush colored her cheeks.

Santa didn't mind though as he left his hand on her hip at a respectful place. She narrowed her eyes as she knew some men would choose to cop a feel in this position but he remained respectful throughout the entire process.

And what would you like for Christmas Mrs Claus?" Santa asked as he targeted the question towards the kids.

Hermione stared at him for a moment too long and he turned to look at her with a raised brow, as if waiting for an indication on what kind of act he should put up moving forward. She felt her breath catch in her throat as she recognized the brown eyes of the man she had been looking for ever since she left Michael in the café.

She was 90% certain that Santa Claus was Fred. Based on Lee's and George's typical mannerisms she was willing to bet her coffee shop on it.

She also took a moment to remember the way Lee had phrased his joke and decided to take a leap of faith as she laid all of her cards on the metaphorical table in front of the entire community of Diagon Alley.

"Well the head elf mentioned a kiss?" she asked him uncertainly. "Surely Mr Claus wouldn't mind giving Mrs Claus a kiss, would he?"

Santa's head whipped around to look at her so fast she was worried about him breaking his neck from whiplash. If nothing else that gave her the confidence that she had the right Santa Claus.

"Santa Claus wouldn't mind giving Mrs Claus a kiss would he? Because Mrs Claus understands if that's too forward for a public event but—"

She didn't have a chance to finish her thought as his hand snaked around her neck and pulled her into a searing kiss. As far as first kisses went this was at the top of her list. It started off chaste, but he very quickly grew confident and kissed her with more passion. She went from questioning if she had made the right choice to knowing she had as she wrapped her arms around his neck to hold him to her.

The whole world faded away and was left with only the two of them as they both sank into the feeling of newness and completion.

They didn't stop until one of the elves that wasn't Lee came over and clapped Santa on the shoulder. Their bubble burst and the two pulled away blushing, completely embarrassed.

"See kids always look for someone who you love just as much as Santa loves Mrs Claus. Although maybe keep the PDA to a minimum when surrounded by kids of your own in the future."

Again Mrs Claus found herself weighing the merits and demerits of murdering the head elf in front of a group of impressionable young children. As it was, she was pretty sure no judge would convict her poorly.

"Ho! Ho! Ho! I think Santa Claus needs a break for a moment kids!" Fred said as he squeezed her hip lightly. "I will be back in ten minutes but how about you go ask your parents for some hot cocoa to warm up while I'm gone?"

Before Hermione could recover enough to figure out what was going through Fred's head she found herself in a bridal carry as Santa Claus stood up with her still in his arms. He quickly made his way off stage before he set her down again.

"Fred! Why the hell are you—"

Again her question was cut off as his lips covered her own. She felt like she couldn't care at all anymore as she kissed him back. Far too soon for her liking, he broke the kiss again.

"How did you know it was me?" Fred asked. "I thought the guys did a pretty good job with the glamours."

"They did an excellent job," Hermione agreed. "I almost didn't recognize you except they forgot something very crucial."

"What in the world did they—"

"They forgot your eyes," Hermione told him as her hand raised to cup his cheek. "Your eyes are so different from everyone else's. They have so much personality in them alone that I have a feeling I'd recognize you no matter what you were wearing as long as your eyes were still visible."

Fred felt his jaw drop as he stared at her and wondered how he had ever gotten so lucky to have such a wonderful, powerful, and beautiful witch be interested in him.

"Wait, you noticed my eyes because you like me, not because Michael rejected you or—"

This time it was Hermione's turn to wrap her arms around his neck and tug him down to kiss her.

"I'll need to apologize to him later," she mumbled against his lips. "But I rejected him because I realized I was way more interested in 'Santa Claus' than I should be."

"Santa Claus likes you too in case that wasn't clear," he smirked. "How could Sir Santa not love his Queen of Christmas?"

"So Santa likes Christmas again?"

"How could Santa not love Christmas when his Queen loves it more than anything?"

"Well maybe not anything ," she smirked as she pulled her new Santa into another kiss.