Life Goes On.
Chapter Three.

Dear Hermione,

Finally Christmas is here! My case has been packed for weeks, as much as I love Hogwarts I can't wait to get home, it's just not the same here without you guys.

The whole family funny expects you to come to ours for the holidays and you can't use my stupid brother as an excuse to do otherwise, for all I care he can spend the whole holiday in his bedroom sulking.

Please don't let him be the reason for you spending Christmas alone.

Looking forward to being home soon!

Ginny.

Hermione had received letters from Harry and Mrs Weasley to a similar effect and finally she concluded that she really had no choice in the matter, when the Weasley women made their minds up about something there was no arguing with them.

From the letter Mrs Weasley had sent she was expected to be at the Burrow in two days time, with a sigh she got up from the chair she was sitting at and entered the room that she had claimed as her bedroom. She began to pack, in some ways she was rather glad of the persistence of her friends, the thought of spending the holidays alone had been hanging over her for the past few days, and it wasn't a prospect that appealed to her too much. Granted, she was nervous about seeing Ron again; from his reaction last time she had tried to speak to him she didn't imagine that he would be too excited to have her in his house.

The following day was spent in a flurry of activity for Hermione for, however nervous she was about spending so much time in such a close proximity to her ex-boyfriend, she was also greatly looking forward to being so close to her friends, this had prompted her to go shopping for Christmas presents. As much as she usually dreaded the thought of having to buy things for her friends she found that this year, with a little more cash from work, she could get each of her friends something that they would really like instead of just what she could afford like she had on previous years, the fear of mistake and buying something that they wouldn't like was gone, relieving Hermione greatly.

Late into the afternoon she returned to Grimmauld Place, laden with shopping bags thoroughly exhausted. However her work wasn't over yet, spreading out all her purchases on the floor around her she then set to the task of wrapping them, whilst scolding herself for leaving it all so late.

But finally she was finished and able to go to bed, her reading for that night being a weighty volume on 'Dragon Handling Law' she had borrowed from the office before finishing for her two weeks off. Her view on 'light' holiday reading still, evidentially, being far different to everyone else's.

Mid afternoon of the following day found Hermione grabbing a handful of Floo powder and stepping into her fireplace her bag alongside her.

"The Burrow" She stated clearly and firmly and she was off, grate after grate flashing before her eyes before finally she came to a stop and stepped out into the Weasley's kitchen, dusting herself down.

"Hermione dear!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed, "I'm so glad that you could make it."

The older woman rushed forward to embrace the younger in a warm embrace before turning to the doorway and shouting "Will one of you boys come and help Hermione with her bags!"

Thudding could be heard as four pairs of feet came traipsing down the stairs and Ginny, Harry, George and Bill entered the kitchen and each greeted Hermione in the same manner as their mother.

Bill picked up her bag and carried it up into the room she would be staying it that had been Percy's before he had moved out. This was where Hermione had been staying since the end of the war, before she had left to stay in Grimmauld Place, Harry had taken over Ginny's room and Ron had remained in his own. When Hermione had got to the room she would be staying in she was surprised to see that another bed hadn't been set up in the room, with George and Charlie also being home she had assumed that she would be sharing with Ginny.

When she asked the girl about this it brought a blush to Ginny's cheeks and a smile to her face, "Well, Harry and I thought that we'd both be more comfortable in my room."

"And what does your mother think about this arrangement?" Hermione asked, she couldn't imagine Molly condoning those sorts of things to be going on beneath her roof.

"Well...we haven't exactly told her, she thinks that Harry will be sharing with Ron like he usually does. And seeing as he can apperate now it's not going to be hard to make her believe that that's where he really is."

"Ginny Weasley you sneaky young thing! There'll be hell to pay if you two get found out." Hermione laughed.

Ginny simply shrugged and grinned, settling herself down on the bed as Hermione began to move her clothes from her bag to a chest of drawers.

"With Charlie coming home tonight and Fleur will get here later, and possibly even Percy and Penelope, Mum will have her hands full she's not going to notice one little change to the sleeping arrangement."

"If I'm having Percy's room where are he and Penelope going to stay?" Hermione questioned, trying to work out how on earth the Burrow was going to fit that many people inside over the week.

"Percy and Penelope and Bill and Fleur will be going home after tea and coming back for Christmas dinner on Wednesday, so there's only six of us lot and mum and dad here."

"That makes life easier then," Hermione smiled, "So how's school going?"

"Not too bad. I'm getting loads of homework, but we expected that. It's pretty boring really, not even a slight hint of some evil plot somewhere. It's almost like having a normal life."

"And you're sad about that are you? You sound just like your brother."

Ginny faked a look of pain and threw a pillow at Hermione, "Now that is just a horrible thing to say."

A knock to the door interrupted the girls' laughter and Ron begrudgingly entered the room.

"Mum says lunch is ready." He muttered before swiftly leaving again.

"You're right Ginny." Hermione said as they got up to leave the room, "It was a horrible thing to say, you could never be that much of a prat."

The weekend and Monday passed with the only large event being Charlie's arrival, and a slight apple pie explosion down to George forgetting where he had left a bag of explosives. But before they knew it Christmas eve was upon them and they all awoke to find that the fields outside had been covered in the blanket of fluffy snow while they slept.

Everyone pulled on clothes, hats, scarves and gloves and raced outside to commence a snowball fight.

"Harry, Hermione, Charlie against me, Ginny and Ron." George yelled as they got to the field, "Come on people this is war! You have ten minutes to build your fort and then there will be no mercy!"

The teams ran to opposite sides of the field to begin their constructions and gather snowballs and soon the fight was underway. Icy snow flew every which way hitting their targets with a soft thud, while laughter filled the air.

A snowball hit Hermione's left shoulder and she bent down to scoop up some more snow to send back at the culprit. But she didn't see the rock that was underneath the thin layer and she scraped off layers of the skin off her knuckles. Crying out in pain she raised her hand to her mouth to capture the blood that began to trickle from it. Charlie, being the closet to her rushed over and took her hand in his he took out his wand and touched it to the scrape and muttered some words that Hermione couldn't make out, instantly the cuts vanished and the pain subsided.

Running his thumb across her knuckles he asked quietly, "Better now?"

"Much." She smiled, gazing up into his eyes.

Another snowball sailed past Hermione's head and Charlie pulled her into his arms, they pulled apart seconds later with embarrassed laughter but Hermione couldn't help but glance back at him continually throughout the day.

Thankfully she didn't see too much of Ron throughout the day and whenever she did have to it was around the rest of the family so no arguments occurred. But neither did any reconciliations, Hermione hoped that while she was so close to him they would be able to become friends again, but now she was actually at the Burrow she wasn't sure if that would actually happen or not.

That evening Hermione settled down in the living room in front of the crackling fire with her weighty volume, it was late and she believed everyone else had gone to bed already so when Charlie entered the room she jumped violently, causing the book to topple from her lap where it had been resting.

"Merlin! Charlie you scared the life out of me." She exclaimed, hand resting over rapidly beating heart.

"Sorry Hermione didn't think anyone else was up." He said as he bent down to pick up her book for her, "Dragon law? What are you reading up on that for?"

"It's for work; they said I'd need it on a new project when I get back after Christmas, so I thought I'd brush up on it before I go back."

"You should have just asked me," Charlie grinned, "I'm a walking text book on dragons, and I'm far better to look at."

Laughing, Hermione closed the book and set it aside on the coffee table.

"Go on then, Mr Weasley," She prompted, "amaze me."

For a good hour Hermione and Charlie sat up talking, laughing and joking as they went along, but finally the clock struck two and they concluded that they better go to bed seeing as they would probably be made to get up early to open presents.

And of course they were right at six thirty George and Ginny bounded into every room shouting "It's Christmas! It's Christmas! It's Christmas!" their voices amplified with the spell they had cast upon themselves.

With slight grumbles the household got up, but soon the excitement had infected them all and they rushed downstairs and all sat around the tree to begin opening presents.

Hermione received a book on the history of Wizard and Goblin relations off Ron, a Charm bracelet containing actual charms you could cast upon people off Harry, a golden eagle quill off Ginny and a box of homemade fudge off Mrs Weasley. She was happy as was everyone else with their gifts.

George leafing through a book on, 100 hilarious ways to jinx your friends, stopping every now and then to test one out on Ron or Ginny, between jinxes Ron was setting up his new, marble figured chess set so that he and Harry could have a game. Ginny was too busy threatening George to pay too much attention to her gifts and Mrs Weasley was already too busy making breakfast to break them up. Charlie and Mr Weasley were in the kitchen too tinkering with the car engine Mr Weasley had received.

The rest of the day passed in a warm blur full of delicious food and fun and games. Hermione even managed to get a few civil words out of Ron at the dinner table, so all in all she surmised that it had been a very good day.

As the days went on Hermione began to dread the day she had to return to Grimmauld Place and go back to work, as much as she enjoyed it she would miss the warm and homely feel that the Burrow possessed. But sure enough the final day of the Holiday arrive and Hermione repacked her case and returned to the large empty house she had come to know as home. She knew she could have quite easily asked to remain at the Burrow, but thought it not wise, no matter how civil she and Ron had been over the week she was sure arguments would arise eventually, space is what the former couple needed.

So instead she lit fires to warm the house and prepared for her first day back to work.


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