Gentle Rain

Chapter 10 - Merry Little Christmas

It was the nineteenth of December and Christmas was rushing on its way to Hogwarts. Hagrid had brought in a huge Christmas tree, which seemed to get larger and larger every year. The house elves were buzzing everywhere looking rather pleased as they could help with decorations and do nice little surprises to everyone. For example, Hermione had found a delicious pack of chocolate elf-figures hidden in her sock in her cupboard. The elves had forgotten their little misunderstandings with her over the years and Hermione had finally understood the inner nature of those little creatures better. Even though it still was difficult for her to let them take care of all the dirty work, in her opinion, she didn't want to offend those generous servants by taking care of the tasks herself.

Since this was the last working day for the teachers, Dumbledore had insisted they would throw a nice little Christmas party for the Hogwarts' crew. There would be a dinner with lots of Christmas desserts, music, dancing and everybody had been asked to bring a small gift, so that they could put them all in a Santa's sack and then share them to everybody. It was quite difficult to try to think of a gift that would suit, for example, Madam Sprout as well as Mr. Filch. Hermione had given it a lot of thought and had finally come up with, not so surprisingly, a small and beautifully illustrated book about Hogwarts Christmas traditions through the centuries. Of course it certainly wasn't something that Mr. Filch would be dying to get, but so what. She wasn't going to wrap any chains or daggers in snow-angel decorated gift-paper either.

Tomorrow morning Hermione would leave to her holiday. She had planned to go to her parents first and stay there for a few days. Then she would go to the Burrow on Christmas Eve to spend a couple of days there and then return to her parent's home to stay over the New Year. Spring term wouldn't start before the eighth of January, so she would be able to spend a few days in Hogwarts too before the children came back.

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Dressed in a lovely gown made of soft and shimmering peridot green velvet, Hermione arrived in the Great Hall. She felt like entering in to the truly magnificent world of Christmas. Magical snowflakes were falling gently from the ceiling, which was bewitched to look like deep indigo blue sky with thousands of bright stars and a shooting star every now and then. It was breathtaking and beautiful. A string quartet was playing old medieval songs in one corner of the hall. Next to it was only one long table, which was sagging of the most delicious festive foods that one could possibly invent to have something to do with Christmas. The elves had certainly exceeded themselves this time.

The floor in the middle of the hall was empty, as if someone had been optimistic enough to think, that there would be someone to dance in there. Hermione liked dancing, though, but whom would she dance with? It would be nice to dance with Harry, but she didn't want to encourage anybody to think that they were romantically involved, not any more that they already thought. I don't care, I'll dance by myself if I want to! She thought and took a few turns in the invitingly empty floor.

Around the dancing area and near the walls were many extravagant red velvet armchairs and a few couches, for those who would prefer to watch than take part to whirling on the floor. Hermione knew who they would be. Surely we aren't going to see Professor Snape on the floor tonight, or any other night, in that matter. Hermione tittered by herself, trying to imagine that grim and awkward character in the middle of wild cha-cha.

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"It's so nice to see you all. We now have a very nice term behind us and before we turn our hopes to the next one, it's time to forget everything about work and relax! Please, my dear friends, enjoy the offerings of the table and feel free to have fun!" Everybody clapped their hands to the Headmaster's welcoming speech. Dumbledore had always known that the best speeches are the shortest ones. And before the echoing clapping had ceased, everybody was sitting around the table and loading their plates with the marvellous dishes.

After the dinner Dumbledore politely asked everybody to rise from the table and be seated on the armchairs and couches around the dance floor. "Now the moment we all have been waiting for has come. It's time to hand out our little Christmas presents. Let's all say 'Accio Gift!' aloud at the same time, and then we will all will get the gift most suitable." Dumbledore seemed to be so thrilled and happy about that little idea. He had always been a very social and warm person, who really enjoyed the company of others. Dumbledore seemed to be in the spring of his life, he had only gotten younger and younger after Voldemort had left them for good, and that left Hermione wondering, if his bosom friend Nicholas Flamel had left a little something in a bottle for him as a heritage.

The old wizard opened the sack and after everybody had said "Accio Gift!" some more enthusiastically than others, they all started to unwrap the papers around their Christmas presents. Hermione wanted to cherish the moment and watched others to open their packages before opening hers. Professor McGonagall had got her book of Christmas Traditions and she seemed to appreciate it greatly. Hermione was happy that Dumbledore had thought about how all the presents would go to the best possible receiver. Now there was no worry to find a shape-changing dildo, or something like that in her package. In other words, she would not get Harry's present. Maybe he wouldn't have dared to wrap anything like that inside a reindeer gift paper, what if it would have gone to Professor Flitwick, or Snape... Hermione couldn't hold her laughter anymore, but luckily everybody else was also laughing, since Hagrid had found a small pink fluffy-bunny in his package. Hagrid was cuddling it under its chin and his rich baritone guffaw filled the whole room.

Harry got a magical choker with a leash, obviously from Hagrid, which could tame even a dragon, or so it said in the instructions inside its box. Suddenly Hermione saw how Professor Snape was surrounded by his hilarious co-workers. Severus held a small heart shaped bag in his hands. "Well, open it!" Madam Sprout encouraged him with an uncharasterically loud voice. Severus pulled gently the bindings and poured several small, also heart shaped little gingerbreads on his palm. "Now, taste them, taste them. I made them all by myself!" Madam Sprout kind of yelled and tried to thrust one of the gingerbreads into his mouth.

"Now, please, I am still totally capable of feeding myself." Severus snarled and took a small bite of one of them.

"They are not just any gingerbread, you know," Madame Sprout whispered into Hermione's ear, "I put some ingredients in the dough..." The older witch jolted for the restrained laughter. "You'll see..."

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The man, who was the only one wearing all black, watched colourful figures spinning on the floor with a sour expression on his face. Ridiculous, if they only knew how stupid they look...

"Severus, dear friend, why are you not showing off some swift moves on the floor?" asked Dumbledore, his face gleaming with sweat and a large smile. His eyes followed the icy lines Severus' glance had left, chopping the air of the Great Hall.

"Oh, that's why you are sitting all here alone, with your face all puckered up. It's your own fault, you know, Hermione has danced with everybody who has asked her. She's so lovely, isn't she, and oh, how she looks just stunning with that green dress of hers, don't you agree... Severus? Do you hear a word I'm saying?"

He's nothing but a nuisance, that Potter-boy, can't even dance properly, hmph. Severus felt someone gripping his shoulder and woke up with a jolt.

"I said that it's no use to sulk here while you could just get a hold of yourself, swallow your pride and ask her to dance with you."

"I'm afraid that after all those gingerbreads there's no room in my stomach for such a big bite." Severus scorned with a scowl, but it just made the old wizard burst into laughter.

"Don't be a baby, it's perfectly all right to ask her. It would be such a nice act for her kindness towards you. I'll ask the band to play something convenient for you two. Stand up, open your mouth, utter a nice proposal and give us something to remember for..."

Dumbledore was tugging Severus up from his armchair with such physical strength he had never known the Headmaster to posses, and pushed him towards Hermione, who had just finished dancing with Harry. Severus tried to think fast how to act in order to rescue as much of his pride as possible. Hermione turned to face the Potions Master and took a few steps backwards so as not to get Professor Snape to fall onto her, since Dumbledore had shoved him a little bit too hard. Straightening his robes he tried to do the only reasonable thing that came in his mind and as he offered his arm to her, he asked Hermione to dance with him.

"Oh, there is a gentleman in you after all," she said, smiling enchantingly.

Not that I'm aware of, there isn't. Severus wanted to say, but instead he pulled her into his arms tightly and started to lead the dance.

"Not bad, not bad at all. I'm impressed!" Hermione murmured, her eyes glimmering. She had drank one too many glasses of hot red Christmas wine, spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, vanilla and a tiniest pinch of black pepper, and it had made her blood stream freely and a warm relaxed feeling all over her body. In fact, it felt fine to be pressed firmly against that slender body. It was so totally different than dancing, for example, with Harry, or anybody else she had ever danced with. He felt so sure and it was somehow very exciting, to be held that way.

All of the sudden total blackness swallowed everything in its obscure maw, music stopped and Hermione felt a bewildering and forceful kiss pressed heavily on her unexpecting lips. It was gone as fast as it had came, and there she was left standing, stunned, wondering what had happened, if it ever really had happened, while the others had illuminated their wands and Minerva was already lighting the abruptly died candle lights.

"Oh, it certainly was that ill-mannered poltergeist, does he never tire of teasing us with his sick sense of humour..." Professor McGonagall complained, but Hermione was unable to hear or see anything, except that another ill-mannered ghost-like male had vanished.

A Merry Little Christmas to you too... She thought, tottering towards an empty couch.