Hermione stood in her living room, holding a box with Christmas ornaments in her hands. Her favourite holiday was approaching fast, and as per tradition, the witch decorated the house by hand for her children's arrival from Hogwarts. Ever since she was a little girl, Hermione always loved this particular holiday, and she always helped her parents decorate the house. Now, Hermione, a mum herself, was creating a magical Christmas fairy tale for her son and daughter. Ron was at the Burrow; he spent the majority of his time there now, leaving Hermione to decorate everything herself. It was not the first time this happened, so the witch was used to it.
While hanging a red and gold bauble on the tree, Hermione heard a light pop from the hallway. It was a little strange because Ron said he wouldn't be home until evening. The house had anti-apparition charms installed for all uninvited guests, and since the protection charm didn't activate...
Her train of thought was interrupted by Ginny's voice, "Hermione, are you home?"
"In the living room," Hermione answered.
Ginny quickly walked through the house. When she entered the room, she gasped, "You really are a witch!"
Hermione laughed, put the box on the sofa and hugged her friend. "Ginny, I'm so happy to see you! What is the occasion?"
"Harry and I just finished decorating the house when he had an urgent call from work. I know that Ron is at the Burrow now, so I decided to drop by and give you a hand, but I can see that you are absolutely fine." Ginny smiled at her friend.
"I could use some help," said Hermione, smiling back. "Would you like a cup of tea?"
"Sure!"
"Let's move to the kitchen, then," said Hermione and led the way.
She was incredibly happy to finally see her best friend. They hadn't seen each other since that emotional conversation in Hermione's office. The witch was drowning in ministry work, with the Christmas dinner at the Ministry on top of everything. As a minister, Hermione had to be at that dinner, as well as prepare a speech. Everything just dropped onto the witch's shoulders, and she didn't have a single minute of free time before now.
"Milk?" asked Hermione.
"Please." Ginny stopped by the kitchen counter and watched her friend.
Tea done, both women took their cups, moved to the living room and sat near the roaring fireplace. Winter this year was surprisingly frosty, which was completely unusual for London. The temperature dropped to five degrees below zero, and the snow wouldn't stop falling.
"I haven't seen so much snow since Hogwarts." Ginny was the first to break the silence and looked at her friend with a warm smile.
"The snowy weather only adds to the Christmas spirit." Hermione moved closer to the fireplace, warming her hands on the cup. "It all seems so far away..."
"What does?" Ginny looked into her friend's eyes.
"Hogwarts. So many years have passed, but the memories are as fresh as they were 20 years ago," said Hermione with a smile.
"True." Ginny dreamily closed her eyes. "Do you remember the way my first-year self decided to wish Harry 'Happy Valentine's Day'?" Ginny opened her eyes and grinned.
"How could I forget?" Hermione laughed. "The tale about the gnome and the singing valentine circled around Hogwarts for a long time afterwards, always with additional details."
"Yeah, who would have thought that we'd get married, huh?" Ginny joined her friend's laughter. "Oh, do you remember the Yule Ball? I wanted to go to it so much, and when Neville invited me, I was so incredibly happy! Of course, I hoped that it would be Harry who invited me, but it wasn't our time yet."
"I was so thrilled when Victor invited me. I spent so much time preparing: the dress, the shoes, the makeup… Don't even get me started on the hair!" Hermione grinned. "My hair just wouldn't cooperate!"
"You looked drop-dead gorgeous then, and I'm not exaggerating. My jaw simply dropped when you walked into the hall on Krum's arm!" Ginny laughed and looked at her friend.
"Yeah, I really wanted Ron to finally see me as a girl. When I was choosing the dress with my mom, I kept thinking, 'Which dress would Ron like best?' Well." Hermione sighed.
"He behaved like an absolute pig that day," said Ginny seriously and looked at her friend. "I saw how happy you looked that evening, dancing and having fun. Well, until my brother went and ruined everything, that is."
"He was hurt and jealous, I understand," Hermione began, but Ginny interrupted her,
"That doesn't give him the right to behave like swine!" Ginny took a calming breath, sipped her tea and asked, "By the way, you ran out of the Great Hall after you argued with Ron, and I never saw you again that night. Where did you go?"
Hermione never told Ginny about this. She always left out any mention of him from her stories. So many years had passed, but she still remembered every moment spent with Draco: the romance, the tenderness and warmth. She never told anyone about this, but so many years had passed, surely there were no feelings left. No, everything was in the past. They had not even seen each other since the Battle of Hogwarts. Hermione knew that he worked in the Ministry, that he was married and had a son who went to Hogwarts. Sometimes, she saw his photograph on the pages of the Daily Prophet, but nothing more.
Hermione looked into Ginny's eyes and saw the warmth and support swimming in them. And Hermione decided there and then, that it would be better to tell someone and finally get at least a part of the weight off her chest. It would become easier to breathe after that. And she didn't have to call him by his name, right? She just had to be very careful.
"After I ran out of the Great Hall," Hermione began, "I ran for the stairs, but just fell on them and couldn't move from there." Hermione sighed and turned her gaze to the crackling logs in the fireplace. "I couldn't stop the tears. They began to fall freely down my cheeks, and I could do absolutely nothing about it. I didn't want to. I was so hurt by Ron's words, Ginn. I started taking down my hair. I suddenly hated every piece of my outfit: the stupid dress, the uncomfortable shoes. I sat on the stairs and cried. No one stopped by me, no one paid attention. And that feeling of utter loneliness was the last straw."
Ginny listened, and her heart hurt for the 14-year-old Hermione, crying alone in a beautiful dress on the Hogwarts stairwell. How much pain her brother caused that poor girl. Yes, he always had a temper; it ran in their family, but to behave like this? To hurt someone important in your life because of stupid jealousy? It was too much.
Hermione continued her story, "I don't know how long I sat crying on those stairs, but one moment, I was completely alone, and the next, there was a handkerchief in front of my face."
Ginny's eyes widened in surprise. Hermione had never told this part of the story before. It definitely wasn't her brother giving her the kerchief, because Ron didn't bother to get his head out of his arse and follow Hermione. If it wasn't her brother, and it wasn't Harry, because he stayed with his friend, then who was it?
"I was so surprised that I automatically reached out and took his handkerchief. When I lifted my eyes, I saw him smile at the way my eyes widened, but he quickly turned serious and said, 'He's not worth your tears.' Then he turned around and simply walked away. I watched him until he disappeared around the corner, clutching the handkerchief in my hand. It was so unexpected, Ginn! I wiped my tears with the kerchief, picked up my shoes from the floor and went to the common room. All the way there and then while sitting on my bed, I thought about his words. It was such a startling but nice thing to do that I couldn't think of anything else in the days that followed the ball." Hermione smiled and looked up at her friend.
Ginny looked at her with such surprise that Hermione said, "I know I didn't tell you about this, and I'm sorry. I just wasn't ready to talk about it before." Hermione was silent for a moment.
"Darling, don't even worry about it." Ginny took her hand in hers and looked into Hermione's eyes with a smile. "I'm glad you told me. But you have to understand, that now I'm going to need all the details about this mysterious young man." Ginny grinned conspiratorially, which caused a smile to appear on Hermione's face.
Hermione stood up from her chair and took the empty cup from Ginny's hands. "I'll tell you everything, but let's get down to business. You came to help me, right?" Hermione winked at Ginny and headed towards the kitchen.
"I thought you forgot about that part," grumbled Ginny and then laughed.
Hermione washed the cups and returned to the living room. Her soul felt so much lighter already. The witch was incredibly grateful for Ginny's support. She would finally share this part of her life with Ginny, and who knew, maybe it would make her feel better afterwards.
Ginny had already picked up the next bauble and was hanging it on the tree.
"I see you're not wasting your time," said Hermione as she went to the box and took out a sparkly snowball from there.
Ginny grinned but said nothing.
"I take it you're waiting for the story to continue." Hermione smiled and looked at her friend.
"Perceptive as always. I don't understand why you didn't want to go to Trelawney's Divination class if you're that good at predicting stuff." Ginny laughed.
"Yes, such a terrible loss," laughed Hermione in response. Taking the next ornament in her hands, she continued her story, "After that moment with the handkerchief, I couldn't stop thinking about him. I couldn't understand why he did that. After a lot of thought, I decided that the best thing to do would be to give him the handkerchief back." Hermione fell silent.
"So you just walked up to him and handed him the handkerchief?" Ginny asked with undisguised curiosity.
Hermione smiled. "That's about right. I thought about it for a long time, always carrying the handkerchief with me just in case. It didn't happen until after the second trial. After a Herbology class, I saw that he went for a walk alone. I finally made up my mind, walked up to him, took the handkerchief out of my pocket and silently handed it back to him. He looked at me and said, 'You can keep it.' He didn't take the handkerchief from my hands, so I carefully put it back into my pocket. I noticed a slight smile on his face when I did that, so I asked, 'Why did you do that?'
"He looked me in the eyes and said, 'You should never cry because of idiots like him. Remember that. No one deserves your tears, least of all that ginger. Keep the kerchief as a reminder to never allow someone's words to get to your heart and hurt you.'"
Ginny listened to her in amazement as Hermione continued, "I didn't even have time to think about my actions, just followed an impulse and hugged him. I pressed myself against his chest, dissolving into his scent. For a moment, I was afraid he would push me away, but he just hugged me back, chasing off my fears. I whispered a quiet "thank you", and realised that I didn't want to let him go. In his arms, I felt so good and calm, I felt protected, like nothing bad could touch me. When I pulled away and smiled, I saw the reflection of my feelings in his eyes. As I walked back towards the castle, I realised that the feelings that began to blossom inside of me wouldn't go away anytime soon. He put roots in my heart, and they would only grow stronger from there."
Ginny smiled, listening to her best friend's story. "So what happened next?"
"I started noticing his glances. He looked at me with such tenderness in his gaze, and I responded in kind. It was all so unexpected. One day, we ran into each other in the library, and he helped me carry the books to my common room. While we were walking, we talked and talked… He turned out to be such an interesting conversationalist! I also realised that we had very similar tastes in literature." Hermione smiled and immersed herself in memories. An image with platinum hair and grey eyes appeared before her.
Ginny looked at her friend and thought about everything she had just heard. Hermione had never told her about this guy, which further fuelled her interest. Mrs Potter noticed how Hermione carefully avoided any descriptions of the wizard's appearance, but she missed one important detail. Now Ginny knew that the young man was from another Hogwarts House. Ginny smiled to herself and said, "Come on, don't keep me waiting! What happened next?"
Hermione just smiled and continued the story, "During the fifth year, between all our DA meetings and preparing for O.W.L.s, I barely saw him. I noticed his glances during our double lessons, but we didn't talk. So you can imagine my surprise when I received a letter from him shortly before Valentine's Day."
Ginny's eyebrows crept up.
Hermione laughed, "Exactly. I was shocked, too. About a week before February 14th, an owl knocked on my window. I opened it, and the owl flew into the room. As soon as it sat on the desk, it extended its paw with a letter attached to it. I carefully took the letter and didn't even have time to offer him a treat. The owl just hooted at me and flew out the window. After closing the window, I sat on the bed and opened the envelope. There was a letter inside from him." Hermione paused.
"Come on! What was in the letter?" said Ginny with curiosity.
"So impatient." Hermione laughed. "There was an invitation in the letter. He asked me to spend Valentine's Day in Hogsmeade with him. Just the two of us."
"I was wondering where you were that day! I thought you were stuck in the library as usual," Ginny teased.
"Ha-ha." Hermione smiled. "There was no way I would have stayed in the library that day. He invited me to a small café on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. And to be honest, I didn't even know it existed before."
"Wait a minute. If the owl flew away, how did you give him the answer? Or was he so sure of himself, that he told his owl not to wait for it?"
"In the letter, he wrote that he really wanted to spend this day with me and if I felt the same, I should come to the appointed place, where he would be waiting for me. If I didn't come, he would know that his feelings were not returned. Yes, Ginny. That's exactly what he wrote. It was the first time he mentioned his feelings for me."
"I take it you went?" Ginny grinned.
"Of course I did." Hermione chuckled. "I couldn't wait for February 14th to finally come, and when it did, I went to the North Star."
"I've never heard of this place before." Ginny looked at her friend in surprise.
"Me neither. It turned out to be a small café that very few people knew about, and it was hidden from prying eyes. I think that the owners used the Fidelius charm on it, just like on 12 Grimmauld Place. So only those who knew that this café was there could see it. The letter had exact coordinates, so when I went to the right address, it appeared before me." Hermione smiled at Ginny's reaction. Her friend sat there entranced, with her eyes full of surprise as she listened to Hermione.
"The café was very cosy inside and was decorated with fresh flowers, which is surprising for the middle of February. While I was looking around, I didn't even notice when he came up to me. There was no one else there except us. I saw a blinding smile on his face as he handed me a bouquet of pink tulips."
"These are your favourite flowers! How did he know?" Ginny couldn't hold back her surprise.
"I honestly have no idea." Hermione shrugged. "But it was such a beautiful gesture. I accepted the flowers and quietly thanked him. He led me to a table in the centre of the room, which was already set and had a flower vase with water in the centre. I smiled and said to him, 'I see you were sure that I would come.' He pulled out a chair for me and said, 'I just really hoped you would.' He put the flowers in the vase and sat opposite me.
"The whole day was absolutely wonderful. I had such an amazing time that I didn't even notice when it began to get dark outside. He offered to walk me back, and we walked to the castle hand in hand. It felt so natural to walk with him and hold his hand, so sweet and romantic. We walked slowly and enjoyed the conversation. I have never felt so comfortable with anyone before. I didn't want to think that this relationship had no future..." Hermione sighed.
"When we reached the castle, it was completely dark. All the students were already inside their common rooms, but we were standing by the castle entrance and didn't want to say goodbye. When I looked up into his eyes, he leaned down and kissed me." Hermione closed her eyes and remembered that moment.
It was as if she was reliving that day again. That kiss was her first, and it was absolutely perfect. When Draco leaned towards her and incredibly slowly, as if afraid to spook her, touched his lips to hers, Hermione held her breath. His lips were so warm and soft against hers. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and opened up to the kiss. Billions of fireworks exploded in her mind and the sensations overwhelmed her. She didn't want that perfect moment to ever end.
Harry's voice pulled Hermione out of her memories. She opened her eyes and saw a silver stag strutting to the middle of her living room. "Ginny, darling, I'm finally done with work and heading home. I can't wait to see you," said the Patronus in Harry's voice and evaporated.
"Hermione, I think Harry can wait a little bit." Ginny smiled slyly. "I really want to hear the rest of the story about this mysterious young man."
Hermione smiled and said, "I'll definitely tell you everything, don't worry. But I think the rest of the story can wait until next time." Hermione waved her wand and levitated the empty box of Christmas tree decorations. "You've already helped me more than you know."
Ginny walked up to her friend and hugged her tightly. "Hermione Jean Granger, don't even think that you'll be able to get out of telling me the rest. On Christmas Day, we'll all gather together at Grimmauld Place, and that's when you'll tell me everything." The witch winked at her friend and apparated with a quiet pop.
The smile slipped from Hermione's face, and she silently went up to her bedroom and sealed the door. She took a small box out of her wardrobe, murmured "Alohomora", and it clicked open. The witch took out a carefully folded emerald green handkerchief with the initials D.M. embroidered on it. Hermione pressed the handkerchief to her chest, and a hot tear rolled down her cheek. No. It didn't matter how hard Hermione tried to lock her feelings behind a closed door and just stop remembering. Nothing ever worked. She still remembered every second spent with him and always would.
Hermione closed her eyes and before her, in the dark, appeared an image of a young man holding a bouquet of pink tulips and smiling at her. An image of a man with platinum hair and beautiful grey eyes. A painfully familiar image of Draco. The boy who was no longer hers.