Kellen had no shortage of visitors in the infirmary. Harry, Ron, and Neville came up to his bed without fail after school each day. Daphne, Tracey, and Pansy visited him during their free periods, as did Desiree during hers. They would bring him an occasional chocolate frog or some pumpkin juice.
But Kellen looked forward to spending time with Hermione the most. Every day after dinner, she would go to the infirmary until 9:45 each evening, and they would go over schoolwork, go over the Norwegian language together, or just do nothing but hold hands.
November had come and gone just as quickly as September and October. Kellen was just about to be discharged from the infirmary when Hermione came to visit. She had a huge smile on her face.
"Hiya, Kellen," she squeaked excitedly.
"Oh, howdy Hermione," Kellen replied. "What's new?"
Hermione giggled. "Nothing, really. Today's the last day of November. I don't think you've decided what you wanted to do yet as far as how you intend to spend Christmas break. Didn't you say you would think about taking me up on my offer to spend Christmas with my family?"
"I did," Kellen said. "Do you still want me over?"
Hermione beamed. "I'd love nothing more."
Kellen returned the smile. "I'd be delighted to spend Christmas with your family. Thank you for inviting me. Are you going to owl both Professor McGonagall and your parents your intentions to invite me?"
"Yes. I'll write them tonight,". confirmed Hermione. She leaned over to give him a gentle peck on the forehead. "I've missed you terribly, Kellen," she admitted. "I'm glad that you're mending up as nicely as you are. I can't wait to have you back in class, and back in the Gryffindor common room."
"I missed you too, Hermione," replied Kellen. "It'll be good to be back. Hopefully I'll be able to make up those house points that I lost."
"You'll make them up in no time, Kellen," giggled Hermione. "Nobody in Gryffindor earns house points like you do."
"I've heard you've earned quite a few points in my absence," Kellen said proudly. "I'm happy to know that Gryffindor's in good hands without me."
Hermione blushed. "I'm just doing what I can to fill the void. But I'm still not you."
Kellen chuckled. "No - you're Hermione Granger. You're the most amazing witch I know. Believe it or not, you're capable of things that I can't do. Like, exercising restraint."
"You're brave to the point of being foolhardy, Kellen," Hermione replied. "But you have a couple of friends in Slytherin that wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you. Pansy even made it over to the Gryffindor table once... she'll come back again once she knows you're out of the infirmary. You really won her over."
"Is she still friends with Malfoy?" Kellen asked.
Hermione shrugged. "She never told me whether or not they made up after their argument. My guess is that they probably aren't as close as they used to be, especially if she felt comfortable enough to visit us at the Gryffindor table."
"Yeah, that's a big step for her, I'd imagine," concurred Kellen. "I'm even more surprised she made it over without me."
Hermione beamed. "She wanted to tell us in person how grateful she was to have someone like you to look out for her like that. And she was stunned at how receptive Desiree and the other Gryffindors were. She half expected everyone at our table to turn away in disgust, but they actually reached out and wanted to get to know her. She was certainly pleasantly surprised."
"It sounds like the walls between Gryffindor and Slytherin might be slowly beginning to crumble," Kellen said hopefully.
"And we have you to thank," Hermione said as she planted a gentle smooch on Kellen's cheek.
That evening, in the common room, Hermione got Kellen caught up to speed over what he had missed during his injuries.
"I don't know if anyone told you this, but Snape forced Malfoy and Ron to partner up in Potions a couple of weeks ago. It was a bloody disaster."
"Merlin's beard," Kellen chuckled. "I can only imagine."
Hermione grinned slyly. "So we were making a Forgetfulness Potion. It calls for four Mistletoe Berries. Well, Malfoy, being the dingbat that he is, put fourteen in the concoction. Ron called him out on it, but Draco told him to sod off."
"Snape would never tell Malfoy that he did wrong..." Kellen mused.
"Of course he bloody well wouldn't," sighed Hermione as she rolled her eyes at the thought. "The argument between Ron and Malfoy got so heated that Snape stepped in. He docked Gryffindor ten points for mucking up the potion and gave both Ron and Harry a night of detention for yelling at a teacher, which was a bit of a stretch because it wasn't Ron's fault and he didn't really yell at Snape, he was trying to explain his side of the story."
Her caramel-colored eyes narrowed. "Pardon my French, but you know it's bad when Daphne, Tracey and Pansy all agree that it was a bunch of bullshit. He doesn't favor the rest of Slytherin like Malfoy, that's for sure."
Kellen shook his head in disgust, his dusty-blonde locks flopping. "Ugh, and how in the world did Harry get dragged into this? He did nothing wrong, unless there's something you're not telling me."
"Guilty merely by association," Hermione replied. "Harry wasn't even anywhere near Malfoy or Ron, but Snape said that Harry should have done more to restrain Ron from arguing with Malfoy and a teacher. It's no secret that they're his two least-favorite students."
"What did they ever do to Snape?" Kellen asked. "Harry's been nothing short of quiet and respectful to all the teachers. Even to a prick like Snape."
"I don't rightly know, myself," admitted Hermione. "But it wasn't entirely bad... Harry and Ron spent a night of detention polishing up the trophy room."
"That doesn't sound fun at all," Kellen spat. "I'd almost rather clean poo out of the barns."
"The chore was not fun," Hermione said. "But when Filch was satisfied with their work, they 'accidentally' got lost on the way back to the dormitory. They somehow made their way to the forbidden room on the third floor, and don't ask how they opened the door without magic because they probably think Alohamora is a Polynesian greeting. But they got inside and found a rather nasty looking creature that looks like a three-headed dog."
"Sounds something like Kerberos from Greek mythology," Kellen replied. "And did they go there on purpose? Dumbledore said it was off-limits, even I wouldn't have dared venture there."
"Cerberus, you mean," Hermione said. "And you can say that now, but before Halloween, I wouldn't have put it past you."
Kellen shook his head in mild frustration. "No, I mean Kerberos. It's the original Greek. Cerberus is the Anglicised form."
Hermione giggled. "Now who's being the bossy know-it-all?"
"Sorry," Kellen breathed.
"Anyway," continued Hermione, "Ree, Daphne, the boys and I asked Hagrid about the creature. He got it from an Eastern European gentleman at the Leaky Cauldron a while back, and it's actually guarding something. Something very valuable, or perhaps something very terrible. He wouldn't give us the specifics but he said that it's something only Dumbledore and a gentleman named Nicolas Flamel are to know about."
"Who's Nicolas Flamel?" Kellen asked, wide-eyed.
"I don't rightly know," Hermione said with a note of disappointment. "But we are trying to find out! I'm actually hoping you'd help us." Her face brightened. "And knowing you, it won't take too long."
A few days later, at breakfast, Hermione got a note from one of the school owls.
"It's from my parents!" she squealed. She read the letter excitedly. Kellen, who was sitting next to her, wasn't expecting a flurry of bushy brown hair flopping all over his face - Hermione must have planted a half dozen smooches on him.
"They can't wait to have you over!" she said excitedly. "I know it's not the same as being back home on the farm, but I promise you'll be treated like family. Maybe I can visit you in Minnesota during the summer."
"That sounds great," Kellen replied. "I'm really looking forward to it."
Several minutes later, Tracey, Daphne and Pansy joined them at the Gryffindor table.
"Hiya Kellen and Hermione," Daphne squeaked.
"Good morning," replied Kellen and Hermione.
"I've heard a really juicy rumor," Pansy said slyly. "Draco might be transferring to Durmstrang after this year."
"Wow... why?" Hermione asked.
Pansy grinned. "Because Lucius fears for Draco's safety. Lucius won't admit it, but he's afraid of Kellen. He's afraid of what Kellen could do to Draco. On top of that, with a mountain troll on the loose a few weeks ago, he's no longer confident that Hogwarts is the safest place to receive a magical eduction."
"But Kellen wouldn't ever hurt Draco for real, he's truly not a dangerous boy," protested Daphne.
"Kellen's a sweetheart," replied Pansy. "But he's also a Muggle-born prodigy, and that fact bothers the Malfoys to no end. There would be no chance of being shown up by Muggle-borns at Durmstrang."
"Why's that?" asked Hermione innocently.
"Because you have to be half-blood, minimum, to be accepted into Durmstrang," replied Pansy matter-of-factly.
"Oh," said Hermione.
"Don't worry too much about it," Pansy said gently. "It's a rather stupid policy anyway. You and Kellen have gifts that put many purebloods to shame." She smiled at Kellen and Hermione. "Just a couple of months ago I never thought I'd be sitting at the Gryffindor table, but you welcomed me with open arms. I still can't get over that... thank you." She gave Kellen and Hermione each a quick hug.
"I told Daphne this a while ago, but I see you as a friend before I see a Slytherin," Kellen said. "You're not mean and scary like some in Gryffindor might think. You're a pretty cool girl."
"Likewise," replied Pansy. "You're an incredible boy, Kellen. You have risked your life to protect mine, which nobody in Slytherin would have done. I truly treasure our friendship. I'm really starting to believe that there will be more friendships between our two houses, thanks to your efforts."
"It was the right thing to do," Kellen said. "I lost my house fifty points, but saving your life is bigger than gaining or losing points. I would have felt awful had you just stayed down there by yourself, knowing a mountain troll was lurking in the dungeons."
"I'm sorry you lost Gryffindor fifty points, but you're right, some things are bigger than house points. Friendship is definitely one of them," agreed Pansy. "I know nothing Daphne or I can do will ever make up for what you've done for us, but I promise that you're viewed very positively in Slytherin. You're not just a champion for Gryffindor, you're a champion for all of Hogwarts." Tracey and Daphne both nodded in agreement with Pansy.
Christmas spirit was in the air. The familiar scents of freshly-baked gingerbread, peppermint-scented candles, and the scent of pine and spruce permeated the air throughout the castle. Nearly everyone was in jolly spirits, and at long last, the last day of class before Christmas break had finally arrived.
Kellen and Hermione had packed their bags, and met in the Gryffindor common room before heading downstairs to leave for Hogsmeade Station.
Hermione was bundled up in an overcoat, cap, scarf, earmuffs, and mittens. Kellen was in a sweatshirt and khakis.
"Goodness, Kellen, it's going to be freezing out there! Are you sure you don't want to dress a little more warmly?" Hermione suggested.
"I'll be fine. You haven't experienced a Minnesota winter. That's a whole new definition of cold," Kellen replied. She threw him a look indicating that she wasn't convinced.
Kellen smirked. "I'll put on a cap and scarf if it'll make you feel better," he offered.
"Thank you," replied Hermione. "It would make me feel better."
Neville pointed to an object above them. "Uhh... you two are under the mistletoe," he said nervously. "You know what that means, right?"
Hermione grabbed Kellen by his scarf and pulled him toward herself. She planted a kiss one the forehead.
"Doesn't count," Kellen chuckled. He closed his eyes and slowly put his lips on hers, giving her a soft, gentle kiss.
"Wow," Hermione sighed softly. "Now that was a kiss." She blushed deeply.
"Don't get too used to that," Kellen replied with a grin. "It's gonna be a good while before you get another one of those."
Hermione leaned over and whispered in Kellen's ear. "Too bad, because I enjoyed that." She giggled softly.
The two friends made their way down to the Great Hall to say goodbye to Harry and Ron, who were playing a round of Wizard's Chess.
"Happy Christmas, you two," Kellen said as he gave each of them a quick bro-hug. "I hope you'll be all right at the castle."
"I'm actually excited," replied Harry. "A Christmas without the Dursleys? I never thought I'd see the day!"
"My parents are visiting by brother Charlie in Romania," Ron said. "The rest of us are sticking around the castle this time."
"I'll miss you two," Hermione said. "Kellen's staying with my parents since he didn't want to fly across the Atlantic. He says the weather can be very unpredictable this time of year on the farm."
"That's very kind of your family," said Harry. "Happy Christmas, Hermione. And Happy Christmas, Kellen. I'll see you two in a couple of weeks."
"Happy Christmas, Harry and Ron," said Hermione. She gave each of them a quick peck on the forehead. "I'll be thinking about you two. Please stay out of trouble."
Kellen and Hermione then looked for Desiree and their Slytherin friends to wish them a happy Christmas. They found Daphne, Tracey, and Pansy and they all exchanged quick hugs.
Then the two friends bumped into Desiree. "Happy Christmas, 'Ree!" they said as they hugged the baby-faced Ravenclaw. "Happy Christmas, you two," Desiree replied.
Desiree then cocked her head. "You know, cuz, you could have stayed with us. I mean, I'm sure Hermione's family is nice and all, but I am your relative..."
Kellen shrugged. "She asked, and you didn't, 'Ree. Simple as that."
Desiree giggled. "Well, I didn't think an invitation was required, but fair enough." She gave Hermione a look. "Please bring Kel back in one piece, Hermione."
"You know I will," Hermione replied. "I'll see you after the break!"