"Ugh… the weather's simply frightful," Hermione muttered as she stepped into the Gryffindor Common Room after closing down the library for the evening. She had wanted to do one more revision of her holiday homework, but Madam Pince insisted that she allow her to close for the night so that she could get some sleep before Christmas Day. Blinking, she found the room far darker than the early evening hours would normally suggest.
Looking around the room, she found Harry smiling at her from his traditional spot on the couch. "But the fire is so delightful," he supplied with a cheeky grin as he waved her over to join him, hints of warm chocolate filling the air. "And since we've no place to go…"
"Let it snow, and give me cocoa," Hermione demanded as she rushed over to claim her spot, only to pull up short. On her side of the couch, there was a blanket covered form using Harry's thighs as a footrest, and the what looked like Harry's robes as a secondary pillow. Upon closer inspection, she found that the lump was a human girl that she knew rather well. She looked at Harry in confusion for a moment, until he motioned for her to sit down before him so they could talk.
As she settled in, she found his fingers playing with her hair, gently working through it to smooth out the gnarls and knots that she gathered while studying. Letting his soothing touch filter through her mind, she accepted a cup of hot chocolate. Looking down, it had a large dollop of whipped cream, drizzled dark chocolate, and a single stick of peppermint to stir it with. Obviously, Harry thought that she was not going to like what he had to say, and was trying to calm her down enough that she wouldn't wake the sleeping Ravenclaw next to them.
"She was wandering the halls with tears fresh on her cheeks... " he explained as he continued combing through her hair with his hands. This caused Hermione to stiffen as she realized that she had been ignoring their friend again, and judging by Harry shifting to giving her a massage at the base of the skull, she wasn't the only one that felt they were forgetting her this break. "I was thinking we could do something together tomorrow, the three of us… for Christmas Eve."
Hermione closed her eyes, letting Harry talk as she just enjoyed the pampering that he was lavishing on her. She could tell by how smooth the hair on Luna's head had been, she had gotten a similar treatment earlier, probably right up until she fell asleep and curled up. "She has always had a rough time during the Christmas Season…" she supplied after a few minutes, feeling the stress unwinding from her neck. He knew that though, and most likely had a plan in mind already. "I… I will do it, as long as we don't break rules."
"For once… we won't have to," Harry assured her, getting a soft laugh from the brunette before silence fell over the group again. The dim lights, the crackling fire, and a cozy trio of friends passing the night together. They could not find fault in the way they chose to pass the night before Christmas Eve.
The following morning broke bright and early, with a cool crispness that even the magical charms of the Common Room could not dispel fully. Harry was awake and alert when Hermione's eyes cracked open, and she found that the couch had been Transfigured into a comfortable space for her and Luna to sleep on, while one of the chairs had been extended into a lounging bed for one. "Professor McGonagall didn't have the heart to wake you two up, but made us follow propriety," he offered as she untangled herself from the blankets that she had been snuggled up under. "Ready for a busy day?"
Hermione blinked in confusion, before the conversation from last night came back to her mind. Turning to where Luna still slept peacefully, wrapped in a blue and bronze blanket, Hermione almost let out a little laugh as she found her holding a stuffed lion with a lightning bolt stitch on his forehead, while a lioness with a messy tail seemed to settle for keeping watch on her shoulders. "I suppose that she is telling us something?"
"She's in our den now, might as well accept it?" Harry asked with a sheepish grin, motioning towards the door. "Want me to step out while you wake her? We can get an early breakfast and start on the day…"
Hermione's answer was cut off as the blonde's eyes peeked open, and she gave them a small smile. "Thank you for staying with me…" she said with her usual dreamy voice, slightly thicker with sleep. "It kept the bad dreams away…"
"Anytime, Luna," both of them replied without hesitation, happy to see their friend in better spirits. Harry moved to the end of the couch, and held out a hand for the sleepy Ravenclaw. "Want to spend the day with us? I think you might enjoy the plans I cooked up, and if not, we can make more."
"What plans?" she asked, noticing the look on Hermione's face. She had learned where the brains of the pair lay a while ago. So if Harry was making the plans, she trusted him that his heart was in the right place, but maybe not fully thought out.
A half-hour later, with Professor Flitwick leading the way, the trio found themselves going into a long unused section of the school, behind a set of double doors was what looked like several kitchen stations that gleamed as though they had been freshly cleaned. Seconds after they arrived, Dobby popped in with sacks of flour, sugar, eggs, and all sorts of baking supplies. "Never thought to do it the muggle way, my boy, but ten points for bolstering the Christmas Cheer, no matter what the outcome."
With a devilish grin, Harry turned to his two female friends and bowed to them. "My ladies, tis the season to spend time with those you care about, and many Christmas stories tell of families gathering together to make cookies, I was hoping you both would join me."
The two girls looked at each other for a moment before smiling to the boy that won their hearts, and nodded. The group set about making cookies, some were failures, some came out looking like hockey pucks, but of those ones that were edible, they were more than saved by the frosting that Harry whipped up.
All in all, it was one of the most enjoyable Christmases that they could remember.