Wednesday December 9

Hogwarts, Gryffindor Common Room

5:17 pm

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Dominique Weasley is not a big fan of Christmas. She was when she was a kid, she recalls fondly. But now, at the wise old age of thirteen she feels she is too old and too mature to believe in the wonder of the holidays. It's for babies, not for sophisticated teenagers like herself.

Or so she thought.

"Hey Dom!"

Dominique looks up from her Charms essay to see her two friends, Catherine and Meggan, waving at her from across the Common Room. "We're going downstairs to eat," they shouted over the noise, "You coming?"

Nodding, Dominique threw her books and parchments into her book bag. Throwing the strap over her shoulder she quickly got up from her table by the fire and headed over to her friends. Joining them, the three girls quickly started off towards the portrait hole; Catherine and Meggan in front with Dominique bringing up the rear. Just as Catherine and Meggan stepped through the portrait hole Dominique suddenly realized that she had forgotten something. "Oh shoot, my Potion notes!" she wailed as she turned away from the portrait hole, only to run smack dab into someone.

Someone hard, someone warm and someone most definitely not female.

"Dominique?"

Dom looked up to see big brown eyes regarding her friendly. Eyes that could only belong to one boy, Jacob Wood, her fellow Gryffindor classmate. Dominique's stomach flip flopped and her mouth went dry as she stepped away from him, suddenly nervous.

"Jake? Oh, I'm so sorry," Dominique started to stammered, "I didn't see you there."

Jacob smiled slowly, the grin lifting the dimples of mouth into a teasing pattern. At age thirteen, Jake Woods was not considered by many girls to be exceptionally good looking. His nose was too big for his face, his body too tall and lanky, his hands and feet were still two sizes bigger then the rest of him and his dark brown hair always stuck up in the oddest manner. He definitely wouldn't be on the cover of a Wizarding magazine anytime soon. But there was something about him, something that Dominique had yet to place, that always made her heart race and her palms go dry whenever he got too close.

Like now.

"It's okay," replied Jacob as he smiled down at Dominique shyly, "I was just coming over to give you this." He held out a stack of papers in his hand and Dominique was shocked to realize that they were her Potions notes.

"Um, thank you," she replied nervously as she took the papers from his hands, blushing to think that he noticed she left her papers and came all the way across the room just to give them to her.

"You're welcome," said Jacob as he continued to stare down at her, "I just thought they might something important."

They weren't but Dominique didn't have the heart to tell him that. Staring at him, she suddenly realized that a good majority of the people still milling around in the Common Room had stopped and were now watching the pair of them anxiously, many of them pointing above their heads. Looking up, Dominique followed their fingers to observe a batch of mistletoe dangling precociously from the ceiling, right above her and Jacob's heads. "Oh…" she murmured softly as Jacob's gaze followed her own.

The whole room exploded into a bunch of catcalls once Dominique and Jacob noticed the mistletoe. "You get her Jake!" "Atta boy!" came a few shouts from the staircase followed by a "Snog her 'til she's senseless" cry from a burly Fifth Year. Dominique could hear Catherine and Meggan giggling quietly behind her and she blushed in embarrassment.

Jacob glanced down just in time to catch Dominique's eye and the two of them look away quickly, embarrassed. "Its okay" muttered Dominique softly as she unknowingly clenched her Potion notes tighter in her fist. "You don't have to do it."

"No!" said Jacob sharply and Dominique looked up at him, surprised. "I mean," Jacob's face flushed a bright red as he tugged at his collar bashfully, "its tradition right?"

Dominique's eyes opened wide and she nodded slowly, unable to comprehend what he just said. A second later his meaning became clearer as he stepped closer to her, causing the whole Common Room to explode into even more chaos. Dominique closed her eyes, unsure of what exactly she was supposed to do. She could feel Jacob getting closer and a moment later, his lips touched hers. The kiss was brief and soft, lasting a second at the most, but Dominique could feel something light and tingly run the course of her veins, through her arms and down to her feet. She could feel the full effect in her chest. And as she opened her eyes a moment later she saw Jacob staring at her, his face now completely red.

"Um…Merry Christmas Dom," he said quietly as he stepped away, half pleased and half embarrassed with himself. Turning around, he quickly walked back towards his group of friends, ignoring the many slaps of congratulations on his back. Dominique watched him go, bringing a finger up to her lips in wonder as a huge smile spread unchecked across her face.

"Merry Christmas Jake," she answered softly, deciding in that moment that Christmas was the most wondrous, fantastic holiday ever invented. And it definitely wasn't just for babies.

Author's Note: I tried really, really, really hard not to get into any pairings in this series, because I wanted to make it more about the family then anything else. But I couldn't help myself here. The image of Jacob and Dominique in my head was just too perfect to pass out. And I do deserve some credit. I mean, after all, I waited until chapter 9 for romantic fluff. That has to count for something right?? :)

Thanks again for all the reviews. I really enjoy hearing everyone's thoughts.