A Christmas Story
Dramione
Mistletoe.
Rating: T
Summary: Whichever year you want. Draco and Hermione have been seeing each other in secret for nearly a year now, and Draco wants to do something special for Hermione this Christmas - and so he decides to acquiesce to her pleadings and come out to her friends. He has been dead-set against this idea from the very start - house Rivalries, I-hate-Potter and all that… But he will do it for her.
Christmas Eve comes around and Draco is determined to talk to Potter and Weasley before the actual day, so that they can surprise his girlfriend together. At least, that's the plan… Draco finds that this is a little more difficult to accomplish in practice.
Christmas was coming, you could hear it in the walls, feel it in the air. The students of Hogwarts were laughing and whispering in classes, passing notes and buying presents and easily letting the festive spirit of the season take a hold of them.
Everyone, that is, except Draco Malfoy.
"Crap, crap, CRAP!" He yelled, punching the wall beside his bed angrily. He sank onto its warm sheets and let his head fall into his hands, muttering under his breath. It was just his luck, really. Two days until Christmas and he couldn't think of a single thing to give to his girlfriend of almost a year.
What kind of boyfriend can't think of anything after a whole year?
Of course, it'd be so much simpler if her knew what she wanted. Draco let his head fall back onto his pillow as he thought back over their relationship, racking his brains for any clues for what she might want.
Books? No, she had enough of those… Robes? No, she's more than capable of sorting that out herself, and she'd likely take offense if Draco even tried to comment on her fashion… Jewellery and make-up were out, as were parchment, quills, potions…
God, she didn't need or want for anything! Draco groaned in frustration, frowning at the ceiling, idly replaying their first date in his head…
They'd snuck out after curfew, under the guise of being at the library, and had snuck down to the lake in the wintertime. She had shivered, and Draco had wrapped his arms around her, keeping them both warm. Her soft hair had tickled his chin, and he'd kissed her softly. They'd agreed to keep it a secret, even though she looked more than a little put out at having to hide it from her best friends…
Draco's eyes snapped open, and idea firmly lodged in his head. Of course!
She'd always hated hiding them from her friends, but she'd stopped bringing it up after Draco had denied her the twelfth or so time… Draco grinned, swinging his legs over the sit up on the edge of his bed.
He knew what he was going to do.
He was going to give Hermione Granger the best damn Christmas ever.
Draco put his plan into action the very next day - Christmas Eve. He wanted to surprise Hermione the next day with him getting along with her best friends - even if that meant getting along with Potter and Weasley.
After breakfast, Draco saw Hermione dash off to finish homework - they hadn't gotten much done the night before. Draco smirked to himself, before noticing one of her friends saunter out of the Great hall by himself. This was his chance!
Draco quickly stood, made some excuse or other, not quite paying attention, before walking quickly from the room after his target - Harry Potter.
"Potter, Hey Potter!"
Potter sighed and turned to face Draco in the hall, ignoring the glances from the other students in the vicinity. Looking weary and a little bored, he responded.
"What do you want, Malfoy?"
"I want to talk to you. In private, if you will."
Potter blinks, looking a little surprised and more than a little curious. Draco turns and leads the Boy Wonder to an abandoned classroom, and Potter looks expectantly at Draco, who suddenly felt rather nervous. This had to work, he had to… make friends with Potter. Draco takes a deep breath and blurts out before he can chicken out.
"I'mdatingGranger."
Potter blinked once or twice, and then snorted in amusement. Draco frowned, confused at this turn of events.
"Took you two bloody long enough to tell me."
Now Draco wasn't expecting that at all.
"Huh?"
Potter chuckled
"Please, I've known for ages. You being almost civil to us, and actually nice to her. Her not ranting about you any more, I've seen the secret smiles, and I know she isn't always in the library…"
Draco was, to put it lightly, more than slightly taken aback.
"I never would've picked you for the sensitive type, Potter."
Potter snorted again. "Just because I'm male doesn't mean I don't notice things."
"And… you're ok with this?" Draco asked quickly, that was why he had pulled Potter here in the first place, after all.
"Draco, when was the last time I fought with you? Actually fought, not just retaliated with the odd insult or "Shut your mouth, Malfoy"?"
Draco paused, thought back, and his eyes widened in shock.
"Why, not since -"
"Not since you stopped calling Hermione a Mudblood." Potter finished with a grin. Draco smiled back tentatively.
"I do believe I've misjudged you, Potter," he said wryly, holding out a hand. "Shall we start over?"
Potter grinned and took his offered hand. "We shall, and the name's Harry."
"Harry," Draco said slowly, before shaking his head. "Nope, doesn't sit right, I'm sticking with Potter, see? Rolls off the tongue."
Potter laughed. "Baby steps, I guess. I'll crack you eventually."
Draco smirked. "I'd like to see you try. Now, that's over and done with, time to attack Weasley."
Potter's grin dropped into a vaguely horrified expression. "Oh, don't, please. Hermione prefers you with your nose intact."
Draco blinked. "Excuse me?"
"I may not be your typical brutish manly man, but Ron is. He'll punch your lights out before you can put 'dating' and 'Hermione' in the same sentence." Potter said urgently, ignoring Draco's scoff. "I'm serious."
"As am I." Draco retorted. "I swore I'd get along with the two of you as my Christmas present to Hermione, and damned if I'm not going to do exactly that!"
Potter eyed Draco, as if weighing his words for sincerity. Finally Potter sighed and nodded. Draco glanced at him.
"I'll help," Potter muttered, eyes closed in resignation. Draco shot him a grateful smile.
"Thank you, Potter. I don't speak Weasel- kidding!" The blond hastily amended at Potter's glare. Draco sighed, this was going to be difficult, he hoped Hermione appreciated this.
Draco swore and slammed his head into his desk, almost at wit's end. He and Potter had been trying all day to come up with a way to come out to the Weasel without killing him or ruining Draco's face, and so far they'd come up blank.
And there was only a few more hours until Christmas Day. Fantastic.
Potter sighed somewhere to Draco's left, and the Slytherin raised his head to glare in his general direction. That and admire the room they'd found, which as really quite spectacular. The Room of Requirement was truly marvelous, thought Draco. He'd have to start organizing late-night meetings with Hermione in here…
No, focus, focus!
"Ok, what about YOU tell him, and suffer his wrath, and then I come over after he's calmed down and accept his begrudging blessings?" Draco suggested, idly playing with a dark grain in the wood of the table. Potter snorted humorlessly.
"You're kidding, right? He'd hunt you down and murder you for being too much of a prat not to come to him himself."
Draco groaned.
"So, if I approach him myself, I'm dead, if I don't approach him myself, I'm dead. If I don't approach him at all, I can't give Hermione her present… Fuck, why does Weasley have to be so difficult?" Draco's head fell to the table again.
"Stop that, or you'll have a big bruise on Christmas," Potter said absently, looking out of the convenient window. Draco glared at him half-heartedly, surprised at how easily they were getting along. If only Weasley was more like Potter, he'd have this in the bag! The Christmas bag, with jingling bells and tinsel.
"How about…"
Potter musing tone snapped Draco out of his mental ramblings, and the blond looked over to his co conspirator with a raised eyebrow.
"How about you don't tell Ron?"
Draco sighed, losing interest once more.
"We've already covered this, Potter. You may not remember but I said I had to, for Hermione-"
"That's not what I meant." Potter rolled his eyes. "I mean, Ron has always dealt better with visual information, as opposed to lectures and people telling him things. Don't tell Ron you're with Hermione - show him."
Draco thought it over. It was sound logic, with only one problem…
"And how does one show the Weasel that I'm dating his best friend?"
Potter grinned mischievously, green eyes glinting and conveniently ignoring the insult.
"Mistletoe."
Draco shifted awkwardly just outside the Great Hall on Christmas morning, trying to mentally prepare himself for Potter's insane come-out-to-the-Weasel plot. God this was insane, no wonder that damn boy nearly got himself killed all those times…
Draco took a deep breath and walked into the Great Hall, walking to his table and determinedly NOT looking at the Gryffindor table. At least, not until he was seated. Once he had a plate of breakfast, Draco looked over to the table in question, eyes seeking the Golden Trio.
Damn, Potter had come through. Draco was surprised - he hadn't expected it to work…
Potter was sitting at the table, grinning to himself and innocently munching on a blueberry muffin as Hermione sat next to him, red in the face with a sprig of mistletoe magically floating above her head. She seemed to have successfully fended off any suitors wanting a smooch - whether that was through magic or words, Draco didn't know.
The point was, Potter's scheme had worked, and everything was going according to plan.
Next step; getting Draco under the mistletoe with her.
Draco saw Hermione and her friends leave the Great Hall and rose to follow them, making sure to stay behind them until Potter gave the signal. Potter tumbled slightly, brushing it off as a dodgy cobblestone, but to Draco the message was clear.
Draco sped up, moving to brush past the friends, making sure to push between Potter and Hermione. Potter 'stumbled' again, effectively pushing Draco into Hermione and bringing the procession to a grinding halt.
"Oops, sorry about that, Malfoy. Didn't see you there." Potter said cheerfully, straightening his robes. Draco didn't even bother shooting him a glare, eyes all for Hermione - and the red-head glaring at him from over her shoulder.
"The hell do you think you're doing, Malfoy?" Weasel spat, fists clenched. Draco fought the urge to roll his eyes, and instead looked up pointedly at the mistletoe over Hermione's head.
"Oh look," Draco smirked, looking back at his girlfriend, who was blushing a little, but gazing back defiantly. Draco wasted no time in leaning down and kissing Hermione full on the mouth, hands winding around her waist and back.
Draco heard a choking noise from Weasley, and a smothered laugh from Potter, but ignored them both in favour of the sweet taste of Hermione's mouth. He flicked his tongue out to taste, before pulling back and smiling at her - a real smile.
"In answer to your question, Weasley," Malfoy spoke, turning to face the red faced boy, arms never leaving Hermione's waist. "I was merely wishing my girlfriend a Merry Christmas."
Weasley began to splutter, face going red then white then green. Draco chuckled - how festive. That's Weasley for you, always getting into the spirit of things. Draco glanced at Potter, who slipped him the thumbs up and a smug grin.
Draco then turned to Hermione.
"Merry Christmas, love. How do you like my present?"
Hermione was beaming, tears in her eyes.
"You mean we can tell people about us now?" She whispered, and Draco nodded, a faint smile on his lips. Potter coughed from behind her, and Draco looked up to see him waving his wand, Vanishing the mistletoe and Conjuring a bouquet of roses. Draco grinned - he could grow to like having Potter around.
Draco took the flowers and presented them to his girlfriend with a kiss and a flourish.
"It appears that I have the approval of at least one of your best friends, and the other will come around eventually…" Draco glanced at Weasley. "… At least as soon as we revive him."
Hermione laughed and hugged Draco tightly.
"Thank you," she whispered, kissing his cheek.
"This was the best Christmas present ever…"
Potter coughed again, still grinning like a mad thing. Hermione giggled and rolled her eyes.
"Yes, alright, the second best Christmas present ever."
Draco frowned. What had Potter done that was so much better than him? Hermione chuckled, seeing the question in Draco's face.
"Harry's given us his Invisibility Cloak and Map for the night…" Hermione whispered in Draco's ear, sending a shiver down his spine. The possibilities of an Invisibility Cloak alone, let alone this Map, whatever it was for…
Draco smiled and kissed Hermione once more; this truly was the best Christmas ever.
AN ~
My God, am I giving up ALL of my principles?
Apparently.
So there you go, I have written a Christmas fic. Not only that, but a DRAMIONE Christmas fic…
I know I swore at some point I'd never write Dramione, but a certain someone managed to talk me into it. Besides, I'm actually pretty happy, apart from the sappy Draco at the very end, it wasn't too much OOC, and almost funny in some parts…
Merry Christmas, Danni! Hope you had a good one, my dear!
And so, Christmas is over for another year, and I will never again fail at writing Dramione.
Until next time!
Zanchev.