This is being cross-posted from Ao3. It was originally posted on 8 November 2020.

All the holidays! This was a fun one to write. Happy reading! Much love, xxDustNight88!

Huge thank you to GaeilgeRua for allowing me to use her Grammarly! Any other mistakes are definitely my own..

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, and Warner Bros. No copyright infringement is intended.

Title: Unexpected Christmas
Rated: Teen & Up
Pairing: Blaise Zabini/Hermione Granger
Summary: Blaise gives Hermione quite the unexpected holiday celebration.
Prompt: #HHRollADrabble August 2020: Blaise Zabini/Hermione Granger/Neighbour AU
#HHRollADrabble April 2020: Blaise Zabini/Soulmates/glasses, enflame, enormous, angel, interview, immense, battle, condemn
#DracosDrabbles August 2020: Blaise Zabini/"In my defense, I was left unsupervised."
#RAREHPBINGO Square N3: Christmas
#31DaysOfWritingChallenge October 22nd: A Holiday Celebration

"Thank goodness you were home," Hermione said to Blaise as she opened the door to her flat. "I got the call for this interview, so last minute and Crookshanks just got back from the vet. He's not supposed to be left alone with his enflamed bottom."

"No worries," Blaise said as he stepped inside his neighbour's flat. "I was just going to watch some telly and read; this is way more exciting."

"Crookshanks will appreciate you being here with him, and so will I," she said as she hurried to get ready. "How do I look?" She did a quick twirl for her neighbour and friend.

"You look great, now, into battle you go," Blaise said with a laugh as Hermione picked up her satchel and slid into her high heels.

"I don't know about a battle, but it's tough to get into this firm from what I understand," Hermione explained as she shrugged into her coat. "Thank you again for watching Crookshanks. I definitely owe you big time."

"Anytime," Blaise said with a smile. He'd hoped for a long time that Hermione would realize that he was the perfect match for her. They both loved reading and were well on their way to becoming solicitors. He had a great internship, and Hermione was about to nail this interview for a larger firm.

"Bye!" Hermione waved goodbye and shut the door, off to get the job of a lifetime.

Turning around, Blaise saw Crookshanks sitting on the couch and wandered over to give him a few pets. Only, the cat wanted nothing to do with Blaise. He hissed and jumped down onto the floor. He hit rather hard and gave a cry before running off into the other room. Panicking, Blaise hurried after the cat, wanting to make sure he hadn't hurt himself. He spotted the cat just as he darted into an open closet.

If something happened to Crookshanks, Hermione would condemn him for sure. Reaching into the back of the closet, he felt around hoping his hand would come into contact with fur. Instead, his knuckles connected with something hard. Shoving aside the coats and scarves, Blaise found himself staring at an immense cardboard box.

"I wonder what is in there?" he asked himself as he relaxed into a kneeling position. Flipping open the flaps, he was surprised to find various ornaments, glasses, and other holiday-related items. Clearly, this was where Hermione kept her Christmas decorations.

Figuring the cat would be fine hiding wherever he was at for the moment, Blaise decided to pull the box from the closet and get to work. He had a surprise up his sleeve, one that he hoped would show Hermione that he was worth more than just a neighbour.

Entering her flat after the interview, Hermione stopped dead in the doorway. Something had happened while she'd been out for the day… Something incredible. "What the…?" she asked herself quietly as she stared open-mouthed at the enormous tree that now stood in front of her windows. It was decked out in ornaments, tinsel, and complete with an angel atop it.

"In my defense," Blaise said slowly as Hermione walked wide-eyed through the flat, "I was left unsupervised."

"Blaise… This is… This-"

"It's great, right?" Blaise bounded up from the sofa and grabbed hold of Hermione's hand. Twirling her around in a circle, he pulled her in close before tipping her backwards in a dip. "Now we can celebrate in style."

"Where did you find all these Christmas decorations?" Hermione asked while still being held half upside down.

"They were tucked away in a box in the closet," Blaise explained, staring into Hermione's eyes. "I went looking for Crooks… He, uh, may have got upset and hid from me… Anyway, I found them there and thought it might be a fun way to either cheer you up or celebrate. So which is it?"

A grin slid onto Hermione's features. "Celebration. I got the job!"

"Yes!" Cried Blaise, and then without thinking, he kissed Hermione right there in the middle of the room. She was still tipped upside down, so he held her close, and when he felt her return the kiss, he knew everything was going to be okay.

Carefully, he returned her to a standing position and eased out of the kiss. They were both blushing furiously, and Hermione coughed a bit to sort of clear the air. "What was that for?"

"I went with my gut," he said sheepishly. "Please tell me my gut wasn't wrong?"

"It was right, but a bit unexpected," Hermione said, giggling a little. "I've been wondering for a while now if you would ever make the first move. By the way, how did you know Christmas was my favourite?"

"Something in my heart just told me it was," Blaise explained before kissing her cheek. "That and the giant fake tree I also found in the closet." When Hermione blushed, he kissed her again and tugged her toward the sofa. "Now, tell me all about the interview. I want to hear what this new job is going to be like."

"You do realize next week is Halloween and not Christmas, right?" Hermione asked as they settled down on the sofa and watched the lights twinkling on the tree.

"Yeah," Blaise said with a shrug before putting an arm around her shoulders. "We can fix it later, but for now I want you to celebrate your new job with your favourite holiday."

"You're perfect for me, you know that?" Hermione said, snuggling up close to Blaise.

"I was hoping you would say that," he told her before they got lost in the moment once more.