Author's Notes: Seriously everyone! Wow! We've nearly hit 400 reviews! I honestly can't believe that this story is heading towards 400 reviews before it's finished! You guys are awesome! If this chapter puts it over the 400 review mark I will be literally bouncing in excitement!
Disclaimer: Don't own it...as usual
Chapter Twenty-Six
"Where is the infernal woman?!"
The occupants of the Burrow turned to find a rather irate looking Severus Snape in their doorway. The three youngest occupants for a moment resembled horrified first years at his presence.
"Good morning Severus, would you like some tea?" Molly spoke up from the kitchen. His gaze snapped to the Weasley matriarch immediately.
"No I do not want tea." He barked. "Where is Miss Granger?"
"She's not here." Molly told him calmly. "She left less than an hour ago."
"No thanks to you, you great-"
"Ronald Weasley shut your mouth this instant!" Molly shouted. Ron wisely chose to obey and stopped talking before he said anything stupid. "She left with George earlier and said something about errands to run. She said she would probably come back later."
The dark haired wizard stared between his former students and the older witch for a moment, before grunting a response and turning on his heel. He exited the Burrow with the slam of the front door, as loudly as when he had entered.
"That was interesting..." Harry said under his breath.
"Still a git." Ron mumbled.
"I think...he's worried about her." Ginny said. Mother and daughter shared a knowing look, before Molly placed a tray of tea and cake in front of them and things in the Burrow returned to normal once more.
Two days later everyone started gathering at Grimmauld place on Christmas eve. Hermione couldn't help but smile despite feeling rejected by Severus. The former headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix found itself bursting at the seams with its members.
"Hello? Is anyone there? I can't get through the door." A familiar voice called. Hermione laughed and headed up the stairs where she found Neville stood in the doorframe at the top.
"Happy Christmas Neville." She smiled, hugging him and then kissing him chastely on the lips. He flushed heavily and she pointed upwards. "Fred and George."
"R-right." He nodded. "Happy Christmas Hermione."
"Come on down, almost everyone is here." She said, leading the way back down the stairs. Neville entered the kitchen and was greeted by hugs all around before they heard another voice called from the top of the stairs.
"Oi! You sods, send a woman up would you?!" the voice of Charlie Weasley bellowed down the stairway.
"Hermione?" Ginny asked.
"He's your brother." She sighed, turning and heading back up the stairs.
"But you were already stood up! I've already been up and down those stairs plenty of times!" Ginny replied.
"Hi Charlie, Happy Christmas." She smiled, hugging him and kissing him to release the spell.
"Happy Christmas." He replied. They turned upon hearing footsteps behind them. Hermione's heart pounded the minute she spotted Severus and Minerva in the hallway. She couldn't help but freeze up.
The older wizard made to turn away from her but Minerva shoved his shoulder firmly back in the direction of her and Charlie.
"Oh no you don't young man, you know the drill by now." She said firmly. "This is the only time of year I make you do anything."
"That woman, is most definitely a lie." He ground out. "I hardly think Miss Granger and Master Weasley want an audience."
"I think you're misunderstanding Professor." Charlie spoke up.
"Well are you going to move out of my way?" he spat. Shrugging Charlie started down the stairs and grinned widely when he heard the man behind him curse before he'd even taken five steps.
"They put the mistletoe on the kitchen doorway this year." Hermione explained. He met her gaze and he could see she was angry at him. He realised that what he had witnessed was not some heated snogging session but instead a kiss under the mistletoe, of course she was annoyed at him for jumping to the wrong conclusion.
"You are a very hard witch to track down Miss Granger." He told her. "Every time I have searched for you, you have conveniently been out."
"I think we covered everything that we needed to the other day Sir, I owled you my completed final potion and notes so I think that about wraps everything up." She replied.
Minerva observed the two, she wasn't blind or stupid, she knew the pair were obviously crazy about each other. Severus being Severus was bound to have done something stupid, if not more than one thing stupid and Hermione was likely to have taken it to heart.
Hermione suddenly seemed to cast her colder thoughts aside and smiled at Minerva.
"Happy Christmas." She told them both, before leaning quickly forward and kissing Severus to release the spell.
She was proud of herself that she only lingered a heartbeat longer than she should have done before pulling away. Unfortunately even that mere brush of lips was enough to make them feel as if they had been scolded. To anyone else, Severus Snape wouldn't have looked any different, the two witches in the doorway with him however knew him better than that.
"Severus, be a dear?" Minerva asked.
"No, actually I don't think I will." He smirked, heading past Hermione and down the stairs.
"Severus!" Minerva shouted after him. "Get back up here and let me through the doorway!"
"I'll go get him," the younger witch assured her, "Or...someone... Someone will be right up."
She reached the bottom of the stairs to find Severus sat in one corner of the room, as far away from everyone else as he could get.
"Perhaps the Mister's Weasley should use enchanted mistletoe that allows witches to free one another?" he said, raising an eyebrow at her.
"You didn't have to be so mean." She frowned. "Could one of you gentlemen please go and let Minerva in?"
"I will!"
"No I think I should!"
The twins both laughed and shoved each other as they got to their feet, each wanting to claim that they had managed to kiss the Headmistress of Hogwarts and get away with it.
"I think boys, that perhaps it would be wise for you both to sit and keep your heads down for a moment." Arthur spoke up. "I will go and retrieve her now."
"Don't think you've gotten away from me, you and I are having a discussion later Severus!" Minerva scolded, when she reached the kitchen, followed by Mr Weasley. Sniggers were heard from the other end of the kitchen and the Weasley boys observed their dreaded Potions Professor getting scolded.
Hermione went and sat next to them and helped herself to a Christmas cookie from the table. She groaned at the sugary treat and glanced over to Harry.
"How on earth did you get Creature to start making such delicious food Harry?" she asked.
"Well..." He replied reluctantly. "As long as I give him plenty of work to do and act respectful he seems fine, in fact he didn't even make these, Pippy did. I think Creature likes her, that's why he's been pleasant recently."
"Pippy?" Hermione asked, glancing around the table. "You have two house elves! Harry!" Hermione couldn't help but feel disappointed in her friend.
"Hermione she had nowhere else to go." He replied defensively. "All of the families that were imprisoned or kissed or killed, a lot of house elves became homeless. They have the whole cellar to themselves and I even did it up nice for them so they aren't being mistreated and they like to work. I did tell them I would free them at any time they wished it but they looked horrified."
"Yeah, I did notice that about the Hogwarts elves..." she admitted.
"They're fine Hermione; I don't allow them to punish themselves either. After seeing how horrified they looked at the idea of freedom I told them that if I caught them ironing their hands or banging their heads or anything like that, then I would immediately free them." He smiled.
The kitchen was full of laughter and lovely smelling food for the length of the day. Hermione grinned as she watched Ginny, Luna, Seamus, the twins, Ron and Neville playing 'never have I ever'.
Unfortunately for Lavender she was currently hiding in preparation for her transformation, the full moon had bad timing to land on Christmas Eve. She would be joining the Weasley's for Christmas dinner tomorrow to make up for missing it. Harry was in a deep conversation with Charlie about something. Hermione just sat alone for a moment, watching everyone that she cared about enjoying themselves.
"Hello?" a voice called. Hermione's brow furrowed in confusion and she headed for the stairs to investigate. Everyone was here...so who was upstairs? She froze as platinum blonde hair came into sight.
"Draco Malfoy..." she stated flatly.
"We were invited, I swear." He said defensively. "We wouldn't have been able to get into the house otherwise."
"Ah, Draco, Narcissa," Severus's voice came from behind her, "I was beginning to think you weren't going to save me from the Gryffindor masses."
"You invited them?" Hermione asked, not accusingly but still looking to connect the dots.
"No, actually Harry did." Draco spoke up. "We can't seem to get through the doorway Godfather."
"I believe you have the Mister's Weasley to thank for that, Hermione if you would be so kind?" he murmured. Something about his voice stirred butterflies in her stomach. She glanced at him for a moment and met his gaze, for a second it was as if they were back to before he had once again dismissed her...then the hurt resurfaced and she turned back to the Malfoy's in the entrance.
Hesitantly Hermione stepped forward to the threshold and raised up on her toes to press her lips very briefly against the startled blonde. Sure enough though the spell released him and he was able to step through.
"Sorry, Fred and George's enchanted mistletoe; you have to be kissed by a member of the opposite sex from the other side of the doorway." She explained.
"What happens if no one is the other side?" he asked.
"Nothing, and nothing would happen if it were either all witches or all wizards either. They could do with changing it though because your Godfather left none other than the Headmistress stood there rather than free her." She said, careful to avoid saying his name again to prevent causing herself the pain.
"Well then, be a dear Severus?" Narcissa said. She watch him lean over and kiss her and couldn't help but feel jealous. She knew it was beyond ridiculous, it was enchanted mistletoe for Merlin's sake. Not to mention that she and the Potions Master were not a couple.
"Come on down." She said to Draco, turning away from Severus and Mrs Malfoy. "There's plenty to eat and drink."
Things seemed to quieten down when the youngest Malfoy followed her into the kitchen but Harry was on his feet and heading over to him straight away. He shook his hand and invited him to join him and Charlie for a drink.
"Hermione come on, a couple of drinks to get you in the spirit?" Harry asked. "You haven't had anything more than butterbeer yet..."
"Oh alright fine," she sighed. "But I'm not getting drunk just because it's Christmas Eve."
"Afraid of what you might get up to Granger?" the blonde asked smugly.
"More of what I might say, I have a feeling I'd open my mouth about a few things best left unsaid." She frowned.
"How about we follow the example from across the room and play a game?" Charlie asked. "How about goblet of fire?"
"How do you play?" Hermione asked.
"It's easy, we all pick our drink of choice and a shot glass and on the table in the middle we had an empty goblet." Charlie explained. "We all take turns to do truth or dare. If you fail a truth or dare by passing then you take a shot of your own drink, if you do it correctly a shot of your drink goes into the goblet."
"Alright, who starts?" she asked.
"Also if you drink more than three times you then have to drink from the goblet." Draco added. "Ladies first."
"Right. Yum." She said wrinkling her nose. "I'll start off easy, truth."
"Are you a virgin?" the blonde asked.
"Yes." She replied, leaning over and tipping a shot of her butterbeer into the goblet. Charlie and Draco looked mildly surprised but Harry didn't bat an eyelid. "Harry?"
"Truth." He shrugged.
"Are you planning on asking Ginny to marry you?" she asked.
"Yes." He said quietly, flushing slightly and tipping a shot of firewhiskey into the goblet.
"Dare." The red head next to him grinned, before he could be asked.
"Alright, I dare you to go and sing a My Christmas Love to McGonagall!" Harry laughed. Charlie laughed but stood and made his way over to Minerva and knelt on the floor in front of her and began to sing. After only a moment Molly hexed his mouth shut sending him back to the table looking rather sheepish.
Hermione silently released the hex so that he could talk again. "Was that a pass or a fail?" he asked straight away.
"I vote fail." Harry laughed.
"But you didn't say how much of it he had to sing." Draco pointed out.
"and his failing wasn't exactly his fault." Hermione agreed.
"Alright fine, pass." Harry agreed, Charlie leant over and tipped a shot of firewhiskey into the goblet. "Draco, your go."
"Dare." He replied, causing Charlie to grin.
"Since I still don't believe it could possibly happen even under enchanted mistletoe, I dare you to kiss 'Mione." He laughed. Draco shrugged casually and gestured for her to come closer, clearly he was above moving, instead of kicking up a fuss over it she just moved a bit closer. She couldn't stop the blush that rose to her cheeks at the thought of not only Draco Malfoy kissing her but everyone witnessing it.
"Sorry." He smirked, before swopping forwards and pressing his lips firmly against hers. He didn't just leap away from her either; instead he moved his mouth over hers in deliberate motions before pulling away. By now she knew that she was practically purple in the face, Malfoy could kiss...and yet he looked complete composed. "Truth or dare Gr-Hermione?" Her name sounded strange on his lips.
"Um...well dare I suppose." She answered reluctantly.
"My Godfather is looking rather grouchy over there, why not go give him a nice Christmas kiss?" he asked. Hermione's gaze flicked to Harry's in horror for a moment but since she knew for a fact that none of her friends nor Severus had said a word to Draco about their involvement, she couldn't say anything without implicating herself. She took a deep breath and stood before slowly making her way to Severus.
He arched an eyebrow at her questioningly when she stood in front of his seat. "Yes Miss Granger, can I help you?" he asked sounding rather cold.
"Sorry, truth or dare." She whispered nervously. She quickly bent down to kiss him before she backed out. He stiffened under her at the contact and she pulled away feeling ashamed and hurt. He didn't want her any more... She whispered a further apology before hurriedly backing away from him and practically running back to the table and taking a large gulp of Harry's drink.
After daring Harry to charm Fred and George's clothes pink without them realising it was him she drifted out of focus. She was busy feeling hurt. Whatever she had with Severus was over. She had wanted to give up on it, she had known that she couldn't continue to be involved with him if he couldn't love her back...but the reality of it hurt so much more.
"Draco are you gay?" Charlie asked.
"Yes." The blonde nodded, which brought Hermione sharply back to the current moment. What?! Draco Malfoy was gay?!
"Hermione it's your turn." Harry nudged her.
"Oh, truth then." She replied.
"Are you involved with my godfather?" Draco asked. Hermione knew the instant he asked that her face would give her away before she even had a chance to reply. Instead she couldn't stop her flight instincts as she rose and fled from the room.
No one missed the fact that a certain Dark Wizard rose from his seat moments later and left the room also.
Author's notes: so after a couple of days apart our couple or not couple to be more precise are about to clear the air! Exciting stuff! I'm going to continue writing now but I have a killer headache so I don't know how long I will be writing for tonight.