A/N: Thank you to ThebrideofRemus, gray0skies, johansen, mollsballs, GinnyPotter6891, carrie76, & I Heart Star Trek for follows/faves/reviews! I seem to be doing alright so far - you guys make my day, seriously.

Chapter 16 - Christmas! I'm super excited for the next chapter, which promises to be a fun one. My plot, JKR gets the rest as usual. Please R&R, & enjoy! :)

The final two weeks of term passed in a blur of exams, essays, and last minute Christmas preparations, and Hermione soon found herself packing her trunk for home. She was to spend the majority of the holidays with her parents, but the three Grangers had been invited to the Burrow for Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day's celebrations, and Hermione was looking forward to spending time with some of her favorite people. She and Ginny spent the train ride chatting happily about the upcoming festivities and reached London in good spirits, wishing their friends a happy Christmas before going their separate ways.

The days until Christmas Eve passed rather uneventfully – both elder Grangers spent the majority of the time at work, so Hermione took it upon herself to finish off as much of her homework as she could. She knew Harry and Ron would give her grief for this once she got to the Burrow, but she rather fancied the idea of having nothing to do but relax the latter half of her break and repeated that mantra to herself as she slogged her way through several tedious essays. Once the work was done, Hermione locked her schoolbooks in her trunk and set to wrapping the impressive number of Christmas presents she'd accumulated for her friends and family.

On Christmas Eve day, the dental practice closed for a short holiday, and the Grangers went on a quest for the perfect tree. The farm wasn't exactly close, and they wouldn't be enjoying the tree much anyway as they'd be at the Burrow, but they'd been choosing a tree from that very place since long before Hermione started at Hogwarts and weren't about to break tradition. Finding a beautiful fir took a surprisingly short time, and the tree soon stood in the Grangers' living room, waiting to be decorated. After a quick lunch, Hermione helped her parents take the boxes of ornaments out of storage, and they spent a good chunk of the afternoon reminiscing as they draped garlands over the boughs and recalled fond memories related to each delicate piece they hung from the limbs. Satisfied with their work, they enjoyed a quick cup of cocoa in front of the fire before heading upstairs to dress for Christmas dinner.

"Hermione, hi!" Ginny said brightly as the Grangers entered the Burrow's kitchen. "Oy, you lot! Hermione's here!" There was the sound of scuffling feet and hurried thumping followed by cries of delight as Harry and several of the Weasleys came charging down the stairs to greet Hermione and her parents. After exchanging hugs and hellos, Mrs. Weasley shooed the lot of them into the sitting room until it was time for dinner.

Dinner, as it always was in the Weasley household, was a grand affair. Bill and Fleur were dining with the Delacours and consequently wouldn't join them until sometime the next day, but Charlie, Percy, and George had all managed to come home for the meal, so Hermione found herself surrounded by people she loved as the eleven diners made their way through countless dishes of Molly's sumptuous cooking. Ron, as always, ate seconds of everything and still managed room for dessert, and Hermione was a little shocked but pleasantly surprised when George made a joke about a dish that had been Fred's favorite. George had essentially lost half of himself when Fred had died, and seeing him healing the way they all knew his twin would've wanted him to warmed her heart.

Full to bursting after their feast, everyone helped clear the table before settling in the living room to listen to the Christmas broadcast on the wireless. Mrs. Weasley whipped up a batch of scrumptious cocoa, and they all found themselves feeling pleasantly warm and sleepy as they enjoyed the carols. At the end of the broadcast, the Grangers bid the Weasleys goodnight and headed home.

The next morning, Hermione triple-checked her list against the large pile of gifts sitting in her front hallway before carefully stacking them inside her beaded bag – why she hadn't discovered Undetectable Extension Charms before, she'd never know, as they really were dead useful. After ensuring yet again that they did indeed have everything, Hermione took hold of her parents' hands and Apparated to the Burrow. The elder Grangers stumbled a bit on landing, not used to the foreign sensation, but they soon righted themselves and followed their daughter into the house.

"Merry Christmas, Hermione!" Harry and Ron said as she entered the sitting room. Both boys enveloped her in bone-crushing hugs, and she smiled fondly at them as she returned their sentiments.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" Arthur's voice echoed as he followed the Grangers into the room. "Shall we get started on these presents, then?"

"Just a second," Hermione said, pulling out her bag. She quickly Summoned her gifts from inside and added them to the already sizeable pile beneath the Weasleys' Christmas tree. "Now we can start!"

"That bag's still working out for you then, eh Hermione?" Ron laughed.

"Indeed it is," she replied as she passed him a gift. "Happy Christmas, Ron!"

"You too!"

Half an hour later, the living room looked like a war zone. Everyone seemed to have forgotten that the majority of them were of-age witches and wizards thoroughly capable of casting Vanishing charms, as they were all sitting waist-deep in wrapping paper, and Hermione had managed to slap a large purple bow from one of her gifts onto Harry's head without him noticing. He finally figured out what had them all sniggering and removed the offending object, but not before Charlie, who'd been put in charge of chronicling the day's events, had taken several pictures. Hermione's mother took photos of Hermione, Harry, and the Weasleys wearing their new Weasley sweaters, and as Mrs. Weasley had also made them for Hermione's parents, she insisted on a Granger family portrait as well. Andromeda Tonks Flooed to the Burrow not long after they'd finished presents, little Teddy Lupin in tow, and the teenagers had great fun playing with the rambunctious little boy until lunchtime. Bill and Fleur joined them in time for the meal, which was merely leftovers from the previous night's feast but just as delicious, and Hermione warmly congratulated the French witch, who was just shy of five months pregnant and positively glowing with pride.

The high-energy events of the morning followed by an equally noisy lunch left everybody exhausted, and Hermione and Ginny retreated to the sitting room for some peace and quiet. Hermione propped open a book on her knees and hardly noticed when Harry and Ron entered the room, but her eyes widened in disbelief when she noticed just what Ron was carrying.

"Oh my goodness – Crookshanks!" The cat gave a loud meow and jumped from Ron's arms to run towards his mistress, who scooped him up and held him close.

"How did you find him?" she asked, still not daring to believe that her beloved cat was actually there.

"We didn't, actually," Ron chuckled. "He found us. He's been in the attic all this time, can you imagine? He'd made friends with the ghoul and everything – but I reckon it's safe to say he likes you a bit better." Hermione laughed and reached over to hug her friend.

"Thank you so much," she said. "This means so much to me…oh, Crookshanks!" She affectionately nuzzled the cat, who then curled up on her feet, his large eyes surveying the mess still scattered across the floor. Hermione ran her fingers through his soft fur and made to reach for her book once more, but Harry's voice stopped her.

"Hermione, did you know you've got another present here?"

"Sorry?" she asked.

"Here – it was under the tree, we must've missed it in all the chaos earlier." Harry reached over and handed her a rectangular box wrapped in simple blue paper. The package was indeed addressed to her, and Hermione flipped open the accompanying card, wondering where the box had come from and who had sent it.

I believe this belongs to you, and if we're to face off in Defense, I want you in top form.

Happy Christmas.

"Oh my…" The note was short, but Hermione recognized the bold script.

"What is it, Hermione?" Ginny asked. Hermione studied the box once more, and although the idea seemed ludicrous, its size was perfect…

"It's…but how could he possibly…no…" she whispered. With trembling hands, she tore off the paper and carefully removed the lid. When she saw what was inside, she gasped and began to cry.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Harry asked, clearly alarmed. "What's in that box?"

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "Nothing's wrong at all!" And indeed, beneath the tears, she was positively beaming as she removed a very familiar piece of wood from the package's cushioning.

"Bloody hell," Ron murmured, "is that what I think it is?"

"Yes, Ron!" Hermione cried. "It's my wand!" As soon as her fingers made contact with the wood, little golden sparks erupted from the tip, as if the wand itself was also expressing its pleasure at being reunited with its mistress.

"But…how?" In response to his question, Hermione held out the note.

"Does this handwriting look familiar?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly. Ron merely looked perplexed, but Harry stared at her in surprise.

"That's Malfoy's," he said. "I'd know it anywhere, the number of times I got stuck sitting next to him in class."

"Yes, Harry, it is! We were talking a few weeks ago in the common room, and somehow it came up that I'd lost my wand. I don't know how he did it, but...well, this speaks for itself, doesn't it? If this doesn't prove he's changed, I don't know what will." She smiled broadly, her eyes still glistening in the firelight, and cried, "Expecto Patronum!" The otter burst into being more effortlessly than it had ever done with any other wand and gamboled playfully about the room, its bright silver hue reflecting its caster's joy.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were happy," Harry joked. Hermione rolled her eyes and punched his arm.

"Of course I am! You know what it's like to be so connected to your wand!" Harry smiled and nodded.

"I do," he acknowledged. "Malfoy's been a right git in the past, but he definitely got this one right."

"Why didn't he just give it to you at Hogwarts?" Ginny wondered aloud.

"Oh, I bet I know that," Hermione said at once. "I mean, it's a rather personal gift, isn't it? There's no way he'd be comfortable giving me something like this, not when we're only just becoming friends."

"Fair point," Ginny chuckled. "We may be house-less this year, but his Slytherin side definitely won out on this one."

"What does he mean, 'if we're to face off in Defense'?" Ron asked.

"Oh, our Aurors said we're going to be staging mock duels in class starting after the New Year," Hermione said, "which has just given me a rather brilliant idea."

"Oh?" Harry raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Well, I have to thank Draco for the gift, don't I?" Hermione said. "But since he gave it to me in a rather round-about way, I plan to thank him in a similar manner."

"What did you have in mind?" Ginny asked with a smirk.

"Oh, you'll see," Hermione answered with a devilish grin of her own. "It's time for my Slytherin side to have a little fun."