Chapter Seventeen; There's five days to Christmas?! Christmas shopping and dinner.
"THERE'S FIVE DAYS TO CHRISTMAS?!" Hermione shrieked across the table, to be met with three pairs of amused eyes staring back at her.
Harry was visiting for his yearly Christmas visit. Every year he, Ron and Hermione would do their Christmas shopping together – Harry always needed advice on what to buy for everyone. Especially the women in the family.
Hermione had come downstairs to find Harry sitting at the table with Ron and Luna having breakfast. Hermione had sat down and asked Harry why he was there. Harry responded by telling Hermione that he needed to do his Christmas shopping, since there were only five days until Christmas day. At that Hermione had shrieked across the table, not believing how the time had disappeared from under her feet.
"You're joking, Harry? Surely?" Hermione demanded, only to have everyone around the table shake their heads.
"Hermione, you're usually so much more prepared than this!" Harry teased her.
"Oh man. I know. Let me get dressed and we can go shopping, OK?" Hermione spoke hurriedly, grabbing a piece of toast and sprinting up the stairs, leaving the others in silence.
"How long do you reckon it'll take her to realise she's already dressed?" Ron asked no one in particular. After a few moments of silence Harry spoke up.
"I bet 10 galleons she won't realise, but still change at least one thing that she's wearing." Harry said as he took a bite of egg.
"I bet 15 galleons that she'll change half her outfit." Luna piped up, giggling a little.
"OK. I bet 25 that she'll change something and she'll put a robe on over the top." Ron added before taking a gulp of pumpkin juice.
A few moments later Hermione came down the stairs. Once she was in their line of sight, the three sitting at the table burst into laughter, earning a confused look from Hermione.
"No go guys. Next time maybe?" Ron laughed as Hermione shot him another confused look.
"What did I miss?" Hermione demanded. The three at the table just shook their heads. Hermione had changed her top, from a casual tee to a ladies button up shirt and a Weasley jumper, but left on her jeans and boots, and thrown on a black robe with red lining and threads over the top. So all three had been right with their bets and as a rule between them, whether or not anyone else followed the rule, that cancelled everything out and no one got anything.
"We made a bet on whether or not you'd realise you were already dressed before you came down here." Luna explained, to be met with a blank expression from Hermione.
Everyone watched her expression, waiting for the dots to connect. After a few moments Hermione blushed furiously when she figured out what it meant.
"Why didn't you guys say anything?" She demanded, but the others just burst into laughter.
Half an hour later Harry, Ron and Hermione were stepping through the archway behind the Leaky Cauldron into Diagon Alley. Luna had opted to stay behind, explaining that she had already done her Christmas shopping and should stay behind to wrap them and begin on the Christmas decorations that Ron and Hermione had told her about the week before.
"Where should we go first?" Hermione asked the two men accompanying her. The three of them looked around simultaneously, each of them wondering what in the world they were going to buy for everyone.
"How about we start in Quality Quidditch Supplies?" Harry offered, earning an excited nod from Ron and a muttered; "I s'pose." from Hermione.
Walking into the warm shop, Harry and Ron comfortably began walking around the shop, going to their favourite sections of the shop and comparing notes and facts with each other. Hermione walked around much slower, looking for something to buy for Draco. She wasn't sure which team he supported, but he did still play for fun, so she had been thinking of something for broom care or an interesting book.
Just as she was about to lose hope, Hermione found a book titled Quidditch at Hogwarts; Through the years. Quickly skimming through it, Hermione found that the book gave accurate, and descriptive, biographies of every team, every team member – including substitutes, for each house, for each year at Hogwarts.
Hermione found the first year Harry played and read the biography;
Seeker; Harry James Potter.
New up and coming seeker for Gryffindor, the youngest in a century.
Who needs to know more about Harry Potter than that? For more information it can be found in any bookstore.
Hermione giggled a little at the last comment and flipped through the pages to the next year, this time looking for Draco, knowing that he started playing in their second year.
Seeker; Draco Abraxas Malfoy.
New seeker for Slytherin with lots of potential.
Father – Lucius Malloy – donated a Nimbus Two Thousand and one to each player on the Slytherin team.
Hermione gave a little sigh at the misspelling of Draco's father, and read on as the biography mentioned the outside of Hogwarts teams Draco played for as well as his favoured brooms and seeker statistics – how many times he'd caught the snitch, how quickly and if his team won the game once he'd caught it.
"Hermione, you ready to pay?" Ron called from the counter, waving Hermione over. Hermione snapped the book shut and walked over to the boys, placing the book on the counter.
"That'll be fifteen galleons." The man behind the counter informed her as Harry and Ron picked up their recently bought items. Hermione handed over the galleons and placed the book in one of the bags she had brought along to place everything in.
"Thank you, hope to see you again." The man behind the counter droned and the trio left the store.
"Where to next guys?" Harry asked.
"Well, how about we go into the jewellery store. You guys can look for Luna and Ginny?" Hermione offered pointing at the store across the road from Quality Quidditch Supplies. Both Harry and Ron nodded so the three of them made their way through the snow together to enter the dainty little shop.
Two hours later Harry and Ron were sitting at the Leaky Cauldron eating dinner and each enjoying a Firewhiskey while they waited for Hermione. The three had split up so they could do their Christmas gifts for each other without running the risk of accidently ruining the surprise. The boys were used to Hermione taking longer than them with her shopping; they usually ended up having a five course dinner at these shopping trips while Hermione only had two at the most.
Not that they really minded. By the time Hermione arrived the boys were ready to eat slower and actually engage in conversation.
Hermione arrived just as the boys were beginning their third course – half of a huge steak and kidney pie each – sitting down with a small but satisfied; "Humph."
"Successful shopping then, Hermione?" Harry asked before taking a big bite of pie. Hermione flashed him a smile before answering.
"Very successful! What about you two? Find everything?" Hermione asked the pair as she waved to Tom the barman.
"Yeah. I think so." Harry gave a half smile. "Every year I want to buy you a new book, but I don't know what you do and don't have anymore, Hermione! I think next year you should send everyone a list of books you don't currently own." Harry teased Hermione, making her and Ron laugh.
At that moment Tom the barman came over to take Hermione's order, and gave the trio a large, toothy grin.
"Hello, Miss Granger. What'll it be?" Tom asked.
"I'll have a Firewiskey with roast chicken and potatoes and gravy please, Tom." Hermione said, not even needing to look at the menu. She had the same meal at the end of every Christmas shop with Ron and Harry.
"It's good to see you three together and laughing again." Tom smiled as he wrote down Hermione's order. "It's been a long time since I've seen you three so happy together! Your meal will be right out, Hermione." Tom said before walking away.
The trio sat in a still silence for a few moments after Tom had left, processing what the barman had just said.
"It has been a long time, hasn't it?" Hermione whispered to no one in particular.
"It has." Ron said, clearing his throat before continuing. "I dunno about you two, but I like it." He smiled at Harry then Hermione before spearing another piece of pie and popping it in his mouth.
"Yeah, I do too." Harry smiled.
"Me three." Hermione agreed, sitting back so that her food and drink, which Tom was levitating over to her, could land safely on the table in front of her.
For the rest of their meal, the trio laughed and joked together, not noticing the people passing and staring at the three of them, not hearing the whispers that were passed from lips to ears.
"The Hogwarts Golden Trio is back."