Draco Malfoy's First Love

Chapter Ten: Hermione's Dream, also known as Christmas Day

Oh, Draco!

Hermione, you are so beautiful!

Kiss me again!

Mmmmmm!

Hermione awoke Christmas morning with a start. Had she really been dreaming about Malfoy? After all that happened during the past few days, Hermione had been very stressed out. But at last, it was Christmas!

Hermione quickly put the dream out of her head, and looked to find a mess of presents at the foot of her bed. She quickly gathered them all up and hurried over to the boy's dormitories.

As she reached Ron and Harry's dorm, she noticed the two were already opening their things, as were Seamus, Dean, and a very sleepy-looking Neville.

"Merry Christmas, Hermione!" Ron shouted.

"Merry Christmas to you too, boys," she grinned. Ron was wearing the full-length orange Chudley Cannon robes she and Harry had bought for him this year. They matched perfectly with the hat Harry gave him last year, and clashed horribly, once again, with his hair.

She then looked over at a cheerful Harry, who was opening up a package from Hagrid--It was rock cakes again this year. Harry asked, "Doorstops, anyone?"

They all laughed and Hermione sat down next to the two on Harry's bed. She then went to opening her own presents. Many relatives had sent her pounds, not knowing, of course, that she was a witch. Her parents had given her the most wonderful (and largest) books from Diagon Alley titled The Most Complicated Transfiguration You Could Ever Find in Your Life, Volumes 1 Through 4. Then she looked to find rock cakes from Hagrid, surprise surprise, and pack of chocolate frogs from Ron. From Harry, she got a lovely new book bag with her initials on it, and a helpful little anti-tearing spell. Hermione's bags had a habit of breaking from the weight of all her books--even without the help from Malfoy. "Thanks, Harry!" she exclaimed.

Hermione was just going to start on a chocolate frog, when she noticed a small, silvery package at her feet. Didn't see that before, she thought, wonder who it's from? There was no note attached, and the package itself was very light. Hermione got a strange sensation when her hand closed over the packet. She then pocketed it in her nightdress. I'll save it for later, she thought.

In the afternoon, all of the Weasley's, Harry, and Hermione went down to the snow-covered quidditch pitch and played a game of snowballs. It wasn't like regular snowballs, of course, because they were all flying on broomsticks and pelting each other in midair. For a while there, Harry and Ginny disappeared and Hermione had her suspicions about where they were going. Her thoughts were confirmed when they returned looking flushed and very happy. Ron looked over at Hermione and smiled--he also knew they were probably off having a little snog session.

By the evening, they were all thoroughly exhausted, though, and were very much ready for the Christmas feast. It was even better than the one at Halloween--there were dozens of turkeys, roasted, mashed, french-fried, and baked potatoes, steamed and grilled vegetables, thick, creamy gravy and delicious cranberry sauce. To top it all off, they had Christmas pudding, fruitcake, and every kind of pie imaginable for dessert. Then there were the Wizard Crackers, with loud cannon blasts, purple smoke, and many prizes inside.

Even though there was much food and entertainment, not as many people were there at all. Most of the staff, though only about a dozen students at each table. Less than five, at Slytherin, though. Hermione was upset to see that Malfoy was among them. Since when did he ever stay at Hogwarts for Christmas? She wanted to point this out to Ron and Harry, but then remembered Ron's bad feelings towards Malfoy had increased drastically during the last few days. Later on, though, Harry asked her about it. Then he answered his own question, "Actually, his parents are probably to busy off killing muggles to have him home for Christmas."

Hermione silently agreed. From what Malfoy had told her, it seemed as though his parents didn't care about him very much. "Poor Draco," she whispered silently.

That night Hermione sat alone in the common room reading one of her new books. It's absolutely brilliant! She thought. Just then, Crookshanks ran down from her dormitory carrying something shiny in his mouth and sat by the fire gnawing on it. Hermione, thinking it was some sort of helpless animal, ran to her cat and took it from him. "No Crookshanks, very bad!" she scolded. Then she looked down and exclaimed in surprise. It was the tiny silver package she had put away in her nightgown. Crookshanks must have found it, she thought.

She sat down in a squashy armchair, while Crookshanks ran back upstairs, obviously hurt that his prize had been taken away. Hermione ripped open the package carefully and pulled out what was inside.

It was a necklace.

Hermione gasped at the beauty of it as she examined it. It was an illuminating gold chain with a lion pendant at the bottom. The lion was also made out of pure gold, and looked like the very same lion from the Gryffindor banner. It's eyes were sparkling rubies, and seemed to glow and sparkle, all at once. It was very dainty, even though it had a lion on it, and she could tell that it was made for a woman. That woman happened to be her, for as she looked at the back of the pendant, there were her initials, H.G.

Who could it have been? She thought as she undid the clasp and slipped it on her neck. I know Ron likes me, but he couldn't afford this. Harry maybe, but he wouldn't give me this out of friendship.

At that moment, though, Ron came down the stairs from his dormitory, Hermione, without knowing why, stood up and hastily slipped the necklace beneath her robes.

"Hermione," Ron exclaimed, "I didn't know you were down here!"

"I'm just reading one of the books I got for Christmas." She continued, "Thanks for the chocolate frogs, by the way."

"You're welcome, but it's nothing compared to the robes you got me," he blushed.

"Those were from me and Harry, you know."

"Oh," he blushed even more fiercely, "right. Listen, Hermione,"

"Yes Ron?"

"Um, well I was wondering...if...imighkisyou."

"What did you say?"

"Well, I wondered if I might be able to um...kiss you?"

Hermione was speechless. Ron had never really declared his love out loud for her before, let alone ask for a...a kiss. "O...okay," she stammered.

Ron then cautiously approached her and tenderly put his lips on hers. He brought her close to him and wrapped his arms around her. He's a very good kisser, she thought, much sweeter than Malfoy, he just swoops right in and, Oh god, she thought, why am I thinking of Malfoy at a time like this?

Ron finished kissing her and gently let go. Hermione smiled at him, and he blushed to the roots of his hair.

"Um," he asked, "I was wondering, was that a friendly kiss or...or something more."

Hermione blushed, she wanted it to be more than friendly, but after that kiss with Malfoy, she couldn't...what was she thinking? Ron was in love with her, and she detested Malfoy! "Yes," she stammered, "yes Ron, it was more." She then went up to him and kissed him in return.

Chapter Eleven: A Short Look into the Minds of Draco and Hermione

Mayfoy sat in his four poster bed. How could this be? How did that stupid git Weasley win over Hermione? Wasn't he, Draco Malfoy, the better looking, more popular, richer boy than Weasley? Stupid girl, he told himself, it's her loss. But somehow this wasn't enough to reassure him.

* * *

Ron and Hermione were hardly seen out of each other's presence. In fact, by the time the new term had begun, the whole school already knew about the youngest boy Weasley and the school's smartest girl. Most of them were surprised--they always thought Hermione Granger would end up with Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived.

Hermione finally felt that things were back to normal. She, Ron, and Harry were all hanging out together; it wasn't weird because Ron wasn't blushing every time they spoke. The horrible potions project was over, so she didn't have to even look at Malfoy anymore. In fact, as she was walking to Charms on day, she saw Malfoy with his arms around Pansy Parkinson again. She felt something inside--was it jealousy? After all, he once did hold her like that. But then as she turned the corner, Malfoy looked straight into her eyes and gave her a smug sneer. This completely threw any thoughts of the past out of Hermione's head, and she continued to class with Ron at her side.