A/N

Hello everyone! So, as a nice little Christmas gift, I thought I would write a Christmas one-shot. It does have references to my other story "Red Apples and Silver Hooks", so if you want to check that out as well, you can find it on my profile. However, this one-shot can stand alone.

I hope you all enjoy it and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday!

The end of the year was coming to a close. Auradon had just received its first snow of the season a few days ago, and the grounds were blanketed in a thick layer of it. The trees were barren, the bushes no longer held the full and lush roses, and the chill wrapped around those who dared to venture outside. Harry was used to the cold, but the cold of the Isle and the cold of Auradon were two different concepts. The cold from the Isle dampened anyone's mood, while the cold of Auradon sparked interest and joy in its residents. A few children would race out after class and engage in snowball fights and snowmen building.

He was sitting at the table in Remedial Goodness 101. His brow was furrowed in concentration, his tongue slightly poked out between his teeth. His pencil was scribbling and scratching across the paper of his final examination, the last one of the entire semester. This was a long semester, filled with trials and hardships, but he had one good thing to hold on to, and she was currently waiting for him back in his dorm under the covers of his bed, trying to stay warm. She took her last final yesterday and was enjoying her day off.

He punctuated his final sentence and breathed a huge sigh of relief. He set his pencil down and looked over his essay, making sure he didn't miss a single piece of important information. This was one final he had to pass or else he would be sent back. He scooted his chair back and collected his exam, placing it on Fairy Godmother's desk. He gave her a two finger salute as his final goodbye, but he knew this would not be the last time he saw her. Magical History was coming up for him next semester, and she of all people would be teaching it. He packed up his things and headed out of the library, hoping to grab a nap after pulling an all-nighter last night to study for this class.

Gil was still taking his exam, so he had to the dorm entirely free to him and Evie, a rare feat these days. He softly opened the door and saw she was still sleeping, her face relaxed and a strand of hair covering her face. The heat blanketed the dorm room, giving them a comfortable ambiance. He gave the sight a small smile before placing his books on the trunk at the foot of his bed. He kneeled down next to the bed and ran his fingers over her hair gently to wake her up. After a few moments, she slowly stirred awake. She blinked a few times to get the sleep out of her eyes, but a wide smile graced her lips when she saw who was in front of her.

"Hey you" she said groggily, her voice thick with sleep.

"Hey yerself" he replied back, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"How did it go?" she asked, yawning and pushing herself up to a sitting position.

He shrugged his shoulders up and gave her a "meh" sound. "I knew enough."

"You should have aced that final, especially after making me lose sleep last night."

Evie stayed up with Harry in order to help make sure he passed it. With her help throughout the semester, he was able to claw his way into the top twenty best students of Auradon Prep. It wasn't easy, but Evie had a way that made everything simple and easy to understand.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an envelope with his name scrawled out in gold calligraphy on his nightstand. Judging by the elegance and the fanciness of it, he figured it came from Ben. He grabbed it and ripped it open, not bothering to be careful about it since he was most likely going to throw it out after he read it.

"I got one earlier" Evie said. "It's nothing to worry about."

His eyes scanned the letter as he read it.

Dear Master Hook,

It is with great pleasure to announce that you are cordially invited to attend the annual Royal Christmas Ball hosted by his majesty King Ben and Lady Mal. A carriage will be outside of the castle on Saturday at 7:00 pm to collect you.

The event is a black tie affair, so please dress accordingly. You are permitted to bring a date for the evening and a gift for the gift exchange at the end of the Ball.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely,

King Ben and Lady Mal.

He scanned the letter up and down again, thinking this was a joke. He knew that Auradon took Christmas incredibly serious. The theory was further solidified by all the decorations scattered around the castle. Snowflakes were hanging from the ceiling and several Christmas trees were placed throughout the castle, decorated and lit up. Garland was wrapped around the stair banisters and mistletoe was placed in every doorway. It was his first time ever celebrating Christmas, but he had the basic traditions and customs in his memory box thanks to Dizzy and Evie.

"So, are you going to the Christmas Ball on Saturday?" she asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. When he turned to face her, he had a sly grin and a playful look in his eye.

"I was, but I don't seem tae have a date for that night."

Evie formed a thoughtful look on her face, playing along with the inside joke. She tapped her finger to her chin, pretending to be deep in thought.

"I think I know the perfect one.

"Oh you do, do you?" Harry asked, a playful tone in his voice. "Who is she?"

"Well, she's incredibly beautiful. She has blue hair, fair skin, and is the owner of her own business empire.

Harry gave her a small laugh. "What time am I pickin' ye up?"

"Just meet me down in the entrance hall at 6:50. I want you to be surprised."

He was walking through the corridor, going to the place of his last resort. His pride held him off as long as he could, but with the Christmas Ball tomorrow, he ran out of time. He spent all morning and afternoon at the Auradon Central Market, trying to find the perfect gift for Evie, who was out and about delivering a few dresses to the students of the royal family who were also invited. Not everyone in the school was invited to the Ball, so having only a few dresses to make made it easier on her. Unfortunately, the demands for them were always higher.

He searched throughout the market for that one gift Evie would love, but he was met with all the generic holiday gifts, from makeup palettes to high heels to jewelry. They all screamed "Evie", but he wanted to give her something that couldn't be easily replaced after a few months, which is why he was walking towards his last resort.

He held up his fist and knocked on the door just below the "Evie's 4 Hearts" sign. A few moments later, the door swung open and there stood Mal, her purple hair tied up in a messy bun and wrapping paper tossed all over the room. She only sighed as her greeting.

"I figured you would show up here at one point or another, though I thought it would be much sooner."

Harry just shrugged his shoulders and entered the Christmas-decorated dorm. He sat down on Evie's bed, taking off his pirate hat and running through his hair. He knew that Mal of all people would be the perfect person to know what the perfect gift for Evie would be.

"I take it you found nothing at the market today?" Mal asked, her arms crossed over her chest.

Harry just gave her a look that screamed "duh", causing her to softly chuckle.

"You of all people should have it easy. She already has you, so anything else is just extra at this point" Mal quipped. "Evie's a girl of simple pleasure. Just get her the new eyeshadow palette that dropped yesterday."

Harry knew exactly which one she was talking about. It contained every possible shade Evie loved, and it was a decent price, but it wasn't up to the standards he had.

"I thought about it, but I don't want tae. I want tae give her somethin' special."

Mal's eyes softened at what he said. At the beginning of the semester, she had her initial doubts and reservations about the pirate considering her history with them, but her thoughts and opinions changed once she saw how much Harry loved Evie and would do anything to make her happy.

Her eyebrows furrowed up in deep thought before the lightbulb went off over her head. Harry picked up on the gesture and knew that he was in luck. Mal snapped her fingers together and grabbed the key off her desk and exited the dorm. Harry quickly stood up and scrambled after her, trying to keep up. They made their way further down the corridor and Mal knocked on another door, which swung open to reveal Jane. Audrey was out doing something else today, so Jane had the entire dorm to herself.

"Hey Mal, Hey Harry" Jane said in greeting.

"Hey, can we come in for a second?" Mal asked.

"Sure." Jane stepped aside and let the two of them enter. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, this guy here" Mal said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Needs a gift for Evie, and he won't budge on it being special."

"Aww" Jane swooned.

"I was wondering if you still have all those pictures from family day that you took."

"Yeah, totally" she replied, moving over to her desk and shuffling through a thick folder. "Is there a specific one you had in mind?" Jane took multiple photos at family day, and they still hadn't been released yet. She planned on releasing them at the start of the next semester once all the editing and sorting was done.

"Just give him a sample of all the ones that had Evie in them."

Jane piled a few pictures together and handed the stack to Harry. He thumbed through them, trying to find the perfect one when his eyes settled on it. His eyes lit up and he nodded his head, confirming to the others that this was the one. He placed the stack back on Jane's desk and kept the picture.

"Hey, do ye have any frames?" Harry asked her, hoping she would pull through again. Unfortunately, Jane shook her head.

"Nope, sorry."

Mal furrowed his eyebrows again in concentration before she bid Jane a goodbye and exited the dorm, causing Harry to quickly throw Jane a "thanks" and scramble after Mal again. They went back down the corridor and knocked on Uma and Dizzy's dorm. Dizzy opened the door and let them in, excited to see her big sister again.

"Hi Mal."

"Hey Dizzy. We were wondering. Do you have any spare picture frames lying around?"

"Sure. What size?"

Harry handed her the picture, causing Dizzy to squeal loudly and run to her closet. She threw open the door and entered, shuffling through various bins of items and junk. After a few moments of shuffling and things being tossed out of the closet, Dizzy came out holding a frame that was a perfect size for the photo.

"Here you go" she said, handing Harry the frame and picture. "Need some wrapping paper and a bow?" she asked.

"Do you have any?" Mal asked, hopeful that Dizzy would pull through again.

Dizzy went back to her closet and came out with sparkling blue wrapping paper and a red shimmer bow, the perfect colors to represent Evie.

"Dizzy, you are an absolute lifesaver" Mal said, bending down and giving her a hug.

"I know" she quipped back, rocking back and forth on her heels and tiptoes.

"Thanks, little Diz" Harry said, giving her a hug as well. Harry became one of Dizzy's honorary uncles through Evie, and he wouldn't admit it, but he liked Dizzy. Sure he spent his Isle years intimidating her and bullying her, but thanks to Evie, he became much kinder towards her.

They left the dorm, and Harry walked back to his, ready to wrap his gift for tomorrow night. He just hoped that Evie would like it as much as he did.

Saturday night rolled around, and Harry was busy examining the large Christmas tree in the entrance hall. He ran his fingers over the various glass, hand-painted ornaments and branches, causing them to shake slightly. A few students who were invited to the Ball passed by him, including Dizzy and Evan. Some of his tourney team members who were invited nodded their heads in greetings and he returned it. Outside, the carriages were pulling out and heading out to Beast's Castle for that evening. He pulled his pocket watch out and noted that the event started in ten minutes, and Evie was still nowhere to be found. She texted him earlier saying she didn't want to be seen or bothered the whole day while she got ready.

A few moments later, Jay and Lonnie descended down the stairs, both dressed in formal attire colored in their specific color schemes. Carlos and Jane came after them, with Carlos wearing his signature black shorts. Harry thought it was weird that Carlos only wore shorts, but he didn't question it. They were holding gifts that would be exchanged at the end of the Ball, and Harry only hoped that Evie would like hers. It was originally going to be a picture, but after another trip to the Auradon Central Market, he found something she would love that would be perfect for tonight.

"Evie was right behind us. She'll be here in a few minutes" Jane said as she passed by him. "You look nice."

Harry looked down at his outfit for the evening. He was wearing black trousers with black, shined dress shoes. He paired it with his white silk shirt, black silk bowtie, and his red tuxedo coat tail jacket. A few pieces of the outfit came from past events at family day and Castlecoming, but Evie recently made the red jacket for him when he accompanied her to formal events throughout Auradon. His guyliner was much neater and cleaner than usual, and his hair was more managed and not so wild.

"We'll see you there" Carlos said, slapping his hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry gave them a nod and a wave before they left for one of the dozens of royal carriages waiting outside. Harry went back to his usual pacing back and forth when a small, delicate cough at the top of the stairs caught his attention. The sight before him made him quit pacing and rendered him speechless.

Evie was standing at the top of the stairs, looking enchanting as ever. She was wearing a sapphire silk ball gown. It was a sleeveless, V-neck gown and had elegant flower stitching down the front of it. The dress flared out at the bottom in light, gossamer fabric, cascading off her hips like the waterfall at the enchanted lake. Her hair was in an elegant side chignon with two tresses framing her face like a halo. Harry had seen her dressed formally before, but she never looked like this. He could tell she made a serious effort to look like the princess of the Ball. Harry could also swear that Cinderella would be jealous of her tonight.

She slowly descended down the stairs, placing one jewel-encrusted pump in front of the other. She never took her sight off of Harry, and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She made her way to stand in front of him and looked up at him through her blue eyelashes bashfully. Harry shook his head, trying to think of a coherent thought.

"Damn" he said softly. "Ye look absolutely beautiful."

He picked up her hand and spun her around, causing the dress to softly twirl with her. Harry noticed that the dress was also backless and showed off the perfect amount of skin. When she was face to face with him again, he bent down and placed a feather-soft kiss on the back of her hand.

"And you look like an absolute prince" she replied, straightening his bowtie. She was wearing the red rose corsage on her wrist that he gave her first thing this morning before he was shooed out of the dorm.

"Ready tae go?" he asked.

She moved her arm out in front of her. "Lead the way."

He bent his arm, and Evie placed hers in the crook of his elbow. The exited the castle and headed towards one of the last few carriages left. A footman opened the door and Harry helped Evie inside, holding up her dress. Once she was securely inside the heated carriage, he followed in after her. The footman hopped in front with the driver, and the carriage jerked forward and off into the magical, winter night.

"Ready to face all the reporters?" Evie asked him as they headed towards Beast's Castle.

If you were to ask him, he had grown tired of being photographed at all these events. He reached his breaking point one time and almost hooked a reporter before being stopped by a guard nearby. There were reporters at family day and Castlecoming, but the Royal Christmas Ball was going to have every single reporter in attendance, asking various questions and blinding them in flashing lights. Sure, Evie was used to it and a natural-born celebrity, but Harry never had this much exposure before. Once the news that Evie and Harry were dating slipped, the news spread like wildfire in every region of Auradon, and all the reporters were interested in the lives of the newest VK relationship.

"Hey, it'll be ok" Evie said, gently placing her hand on top of Harry's, hoping to calm the anxiety and tension that he was radiating like sunlight. He placed his hand on top of hers and gave her a small smile.

"Thank ye princess" he said softly and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

The horse-drawn carriage slowed down to a stop in front of Beast's Castle and Harry took a deep breath trying to calm down his racing nerves. The doors to the carriage opened up, and Harry stepped out. He made his way to Evie's side and held out his hand. She graciously took it and linked their fingers together. Even before they made their way to the red carpet dusted with sparkles, Harry could hear the flashing of cameras and the hundreds of reporters screaming their names and yelling questions at them.

They made their way onto the carpet and walked down towards the center, ready to pose for the hundreds of photos that would be plastered over the pages of Auradon Weekly tomorrow morning. Harry wrapped his arm around her waist, and Evie curled into his side, smiling politely for the cameras.

"Evie, what does it feel like to be dating a pirate?!"

"Evie, Harry, who are you wearing tonight?!"

"How come you are the only two villain kids who are dating?!"

"Are you two planning revenge after what happened on the Isle?!"

"Are wedding bells in the future for you two?!"

Harry was becoming overwhelmed by the questions being hurled at them, and Evie took notice of it. She had to get him out of here or else he would turn into Carlos and have a full-blown panic attack on the red carpet.

"No comment" she snapped at the reporters and pulled Harry down the carpet, leaving the reporters screaming behind them and the cameras flashing at them to get the last minute photo.

They made their way through the entrance hall of the castle, where hundreds of guards where positioned to fight off any reporters and unwanted visitors from entering the castle and crashing it. They made their way towards the grand ballroom, where it was transformed into a winter wonderland.

The ballroom had tables placed around covered in shimmery, white silk fabric and chairs wrapped in the same fabric. The centerpieces held snow globes that were charmed to allow an endless stream of snow to continuously fall from the top. The ceilings had silver tinsel streamers crisscrossing each other and attaching to the other side. A giant gold chandelier hung the center, softly lit by candlelight. Numerous silver and white Christmas trees of various heights were scattered around the ball room.

"Hey guys" Mal said approaching them with Ben right behind her.

He was wearing his formal crown tonight and a blue silk tuxedo Evie made. Mal was dressed in an elegant ball gown colored in purple silk, with her purple hair falling in soft ringlets. She gave Evie a one-armed hug due to the goblet in her hand, while Ben and Harry shared a "bro-handshake" as Harry was told.

"Guess you guys made it past the reporter circus out there" Ben mentioned.

"Barely. He was about to have a panic attack out there if we didn't get away from them."

"Think about it this way" Mal added, taking a sip from the goblet in her hand. "Least you only have to deal with them at events like this. I have to put up with them every single day."

Compared to Mal, Harry had it easier when it came to reporters. Mal was constantly being followed by someone with a camera, ready to capture whatever she did these days, even if it was something completely boring. Everyone had to know what was happening with the potential future queen.

"Just relax and enjoy yourselves" Ben said. "Our table is up front and we reserved two spots for you guys. Dinner should be out in fifteen minutes." With that, he and Mal left and made the rounds, greeting the other guests who were invited.

Evie made her way to the table and placed her clutch in front of her seat. A band was playing soft, romantic Christmas music and numerous couples were slow dancing on the ballroom floor.

"Care tae dance, ma' princess?" Harry asked her, his upper body bent down low in a bow.

Evie giggled. "Why yes, kind sir."

Harry guided her out to the center of the dance floor and wrapped her in his arms, leading them in a waltz around the room. Evie followed right along with him, matching his movements and complimenting him perfectly.

"You never told me you could dance" she said impressed.

"There's a lot ye still don't know about me" he said, spinning her under his arm. He pulled her back to his body and placed a soft kiss on her lips. The song faded into another, and Evie rested her hands on his shoulders. He placed his on her hips, softly swaying in time with the tempo, their eyes locked together.

"Ma' dad taught me when I was a wee lad. Thought it would be important one day."

"Well, he certainly taught you well. At least he got one thing right in his life" she replied before resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes, allowing herself to be immersed in Harry.

A few minutes later, the former king announced that dinner was being served, causing everyone to disperse and head to their respective tables.

The hours passed by them, but Evie couldn't care. She spent the night completely immersed in Harry, dancing right along with him. Her feet were starting to hurt and her perfect bun was becoming messed up, but she didn't care. All that mattered was that she was tucked safely in Harry's arms, where she wanted to stay for the rest of her life. She never thought in her wildest dreams that she would be where she is at this moment in her life, but she knew that it was because of their fateful encounter on the docks that one time. Without it, she never would've had her happily ever after.

"Alright everyone. Before we leave, we'd like to start the gift exchange" Ben said into a microphone from his chair.

The gift exchange was a simple concept. Everyone brought a single gift for their date and exchanged them in front of everyone at their table. Carlos and Jane exchanged theirs first. Carlos got a new tech gadget he wanted, while Jane got a new set of headbands she eyed a few weeks ago when they were at the Central Market. Jay got a new pair of tourney gloves since his had become ripped and frayed from constant usage, while Lonnie got a new dagger set to help fund her new knife-throwing hobby. Mal and Ben insisted that their gift couldn't be shown in public, but they were both happy with what they received. Evie gave Mal a knowing smile, causing Mal to turn a light shade of fuchsia.

"Alright. The last two" Mal said.

Evie placed her clutch on the table and opened it, pulling out what the others presumed to be Harry's gift. Harry pulled his gift over from the side of his water glass and placed it in front of her. It wasn't the complete gift, but just the one he wanted the others to see.

"So, who goes first?" Jane asked impatiently, wanting to see what they got for each other.

"I guess I'll go" Evie said, taking the blue, wrapped gift into her hands. She ripped off the paper and exposed the picture frame. She let out an audible gasp and covered her mouth with her hand.

The picture was the two of them at family day, but it was a completely candid shot. Evie was pulled into Harry's chest and Harry was placing a kiss on her forehead. Both of their eyes were closed, savoring the moment. Silent tears were spilling out of Evie's eyes, causing Mal and the others to wipe their eyes in an attempt to control their emotions. The picture represented everything she had right there, and the moment couldn't have been better.

"Harry…" she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. She looked over at Harry who had a small smile on his face.

"I love it" she whispered again. She reached over and gave him a soft kiss filled with nothing but adoration and love.

"Guess it's ma' turn" Harry shrugged. He reached over and grabbed the small box wrapped in red paper. He ripped it open and produced a confused look on his face. The box contained a pair of keys.

"What are these for?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Those keys belong to the cabin cruiser in Belle Harbor. Remember how you said you wanted to explore the seas one day?"

Harry nodded his head, wondering where she was going with this.

"Well, Ben and his parents allowed you to borrow the cruiser for a week and travel around the seas in Auradon. So, you can captain your own boat and explore just like you always wanted to."

Harry's heart melted. His dream of exploring the seas was becoming a reality. It wasn't the pirate ship he dreamed of, but it was a close second. Evie knew how much it meant to him, and she did everything she could to make it happen. Harry could only be grateful for the gesture.

Without his knowledge, she slipped a second box in front of him, causing him to quirk up an eyebrow. He ripped it open and found another pair of keys inside.

"What do these belong tae?" he asked.

"Those belong to one of the royal limos. Ben has a driver on standby next month so he can take you to Neverland when you want to. It's not as much fun as flying, but it gets the job done."

Harry was now speechless. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. His first Christmas and he got the best Christmas gift of his life: the fulfillment of his life-long goals and ambition. And it was all thanks to Evie and the royal family.

"I don't know what tae say" he said hoarsely, his voice too becoming raw with emotion.

"How about a thank you?" Jay teased him.

Harry would've shot him a glare, but he was too overcome with emotion to respond with a petty remark.

"Thank ye" he said to Evie. "Thank ye tae ye both" he said to Ben as well, acknowledging the role he had in all of this.

"Don't mention it" Ben said, waving it off with his hand. "Don't crash it though."

"Don't have to worry about that. Harry's an excellent captain" Evie replied, giving him a wink.

The Ball was coming to end, but Ben promised them all at least one more dance that evening. Evie and Harry were off on the dance floor again, wrapped up in each other's arms. She didn't want this perfect and magical night to end at all.

"Ye know, that wasn't yer complete gift" Harry whispered in her ear.

She pulled her head off his chest and gave him a quizzical look. Harry released his arms from her and reached into his jacket, pulling out a small box with a red ribbon tied around it into a bow. Evie paled at the sight of it.

"No, no, no" she stuttered out and created shallow breaths.

"It's not a weddin' ring if that what's ye were thinkin'" he said, trying to calm her racing nerves threatening to burst out of her chest.

She flipped open the lid and saw a ring with a diamond in the center flanked by two red rubies. It was the most enchanting ring she had ever seen, and she knew that Harry must have spent quite a fortune on it.

"Think of it like this lass" he said, pulling her attention back to him. "Think of it like a pre-engagement ring. It's a promise that when the day comes, ye'll say yes tae spendin' the rest of yer life with me. Because there's no one else I want tae be with other than ye."

Her heart melted at the gesture. She was far too young to get married at this point in her life, but she knew that Harry was going to be the only one for her.

"Of course I will" she whispered, her voice thick with tears and emotions.

Harry pulled the ring out of its slit and slipped it onto her left ring finger, where it nestled perfectly next to her knuckle. It sparkled from its place on her finger, and she knew she would be interrogated tomorrow morning about it, but she would deal with them when it happened. Harry cupped her face with his hands and pulled her in for a soft kiss, his lips melting against her.

"I love ye" Harry told her once they pulled away.

"And I love you" Evie said, no hesitation in her voice.

She wrapped her arms around him again and rested her head against his chest, closing her eyes. Harry wrapped her in his embrace and rested his chin on top of her head, closing his eyes as well. Both of them lost themselves in each other and the music, knowing that this night was just the first of many more to come.

Tonight was just the start of their future together, and it couldn't have been more perfect.