Star-Crossed Lovers

By that weekend snow had started to fall softly on the hard brown grounds. There was a Hogsmeade trip scheduled for that Saturday, and Hermione was looking forward to spending some time with her friends.

"Almost ready!" Hermione called to Harry and Ron from the top of the spiral staircase in the common room. She quickly fastened her cloak and pulled on a hat and mittens. The three of them joined up with Dean, Seamus, Parvati, and Lavender as they filed out of the portrait hole. They laughed as they walked out the door, blinking as the snowflakes fell gently on their eyelashes.

The village looked a treat as the group entered it. There were Christmas wreaths hanging on every lamppost. The pine trees that lined the edge of the street were dusted with pure white snow, and there were fairy lights around some of the shop windows. Seamus, Dean, Lavender, and Parvati left towards Honeydukes and waved goodbye to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Hermione's breath rose around her like a cloud as she spoke.

"Let's go get a butterbeer, I'm freezing!" she said, and the two boys nodded fervently.

As the three stepped in to the Three Broomsticks, a blast of warm air greeted them. Hermione's nostrils filled with the smells of food, pine trees, and balsam. There were several Hogwarts students sitting in clusters around wooden tables, their cloaks hanging over the back of their chairs, with their hands around steaming mugs of butterbeer. Ron left to get the drinks and Harry and Hermione sat a table near the back, next to a large Christmas tree.

"It's so nice to get out of the school," Harry said, throwing his and Hermione's cloaks over an empty chair.

"You've got it easy," Hermione said as Ron came back and set a hot mug in front of her. "You don't have to go back and spend every evening with Malfoy."

"He's not giving you more trouble, is he?" Ron asked, eyeing her suspiciously. Hermione shook her head quickly.

"No! No, he's not Ron, honestly, just don't worry about it," she said hastily. She blew the steam off the top of the mug. Then a nasty little thought crept into her head: Malfoy's lips. They were often making rude and uncouth remarks toward Hermione and her friends, but the other night they were warm and soft against her own. She had thought that maybe there was more to him than evil. Hermione absent-mindedly put her fingers to her own rosy lips. Hermione remembered in her fourth year when Viktor Krum had told her she had beautiful perfect lips. She wondered what Malfoy thought when they kissed. Why was this bothering her so much?

"Hermione?" Harry asked tentatively. Hermione started. She must have had her hand to her mouth for a while, because both boys were staring at her oddly.

"Sorry," she said. "I must have burnt my lip on my drink."

After the three of them finished their drinks Harry and Ron headed towards Zonko's and Hermione to Honeydukes. The snow crunched under her feet as she walked towards the end of the street where Honeydukes was located. There was a small pond near the shop in a small park. As Hermione pushed the door to the shop open she heard a child screaming. Quickly she turned and saw two children out in the middle of the pond. Hermione stood for a moment, not sure what to do. But before her brain could even think her feet were taking off as fast as they could toward the pond. She slid her way quickly across the ice, reaching the middle within a few moments. There was a small girl holding onto a boy's hand. Her face was all scrunched up. Hermione could tell she was trying not to cry. The boy however, who looked about the same age, was crying. His small plump face was red as hot tears streaked down his cheeks. Hermione took the boy's other hand and pulled, but the ice broke more. She and the girl lurched forward, almost falling in right on top of the boy. Hermione let go of the boy with one hand and caught the girl by the back of her coat, pulling her back from the water. Hermione breathed heavily as she grabbed the boy with both hands again. Hermione thought she was going to cry herself. There was no one else around and she couldn't pull the child out alone. Harry and Ron were on the other side of the village. Suddenly someone grabbed her arm and gently moved her to the side. A mittened hand grabbed onto the boy as well and heaved. Hermione pulled with all of her strength. To her relief, the boy slid out onto the ice and shivered. The girl, who had been watching not far off, ran to the boy and started crying.

"Oh Jack, that was so scary! Come on, let's go home! This ice isn't safe to skate on," she said. Then she turned to Hermione. "Would you terribly mind bringing us home? I don't think Jack can walk too well right now." Hermione nodded and turned to see who had helped her save the little boy.

There was a blonde boy with a Hogwarts cloak wrapped around him. He took off his cloak and mittens. He wrapped the little boy in the cloak and put the mittens on his cold little hands. Hermione watched in shock as he picked up the boy and held him as one would cradle a baby.

"Come on," he said in his normally snide tone, but it was soft and comforting now. "Coming, Hermione?" She shook her head, took the little girl by the hand, and followed the little boy, who was being carried home by Draco Malfoy.

"Home" was a small cottage not too far from Zonko's, where Harry and Ron were. Hermione knocked on the door and a tall, slender woman with wispy brown hair answered the door. Her cheeks were warm and rosy, but her face looked entirely worried.

"Jack! Marion! What happened?" she rushed out to help Malfoy carry in Jack while Hermione led in Marion. The woman brought Jack in front of the fire and ran to get some warm dry clothes. Malfoy took his cloak from Jack and peeled off his wet jacket, boots, and socks. The woman changed his clothes and asked Hermione if she would please get some blankets off the shelf in the hall closet. Hermione was only too happy to help, she felt awkward standing in a stranger's living room, holding a little girl's hand.

Once Jack was wrapped up and had a good dose of pepper-up potion, the woman smiled at Hermione and Malfoy.

"Thank you so much. My name is Eulalie Finch. I owe my life to you. Would you like some tea?" she said, shaking their hands. Hermione and Malfoy both declined, saying thank your for the hospitality but they really needed to get back to school now. The woman hugged each of them in turn, thanking them profusely.

"Anytime you're around, stop by and have a little chat. My husband died a few years ago so I don't usually have much company. The children are my life." The little girl ran to the door just as the three of them reached it.

"Thank you so much!" she said, wrapping her arms around Hermione's waist, and then hugging Malfoy. They said their final goodbyes and Hermione and Malfoy stepped out into the cold. They walked in silence next to each other for a while. It was dark and the air had gotten even colder. Hermione gave an involuntary shiver.

"You did a noble thing Hermione," Malfoy finally said, making Hermione jump.

'Me? I didn't do much. You're the real hero. I wouldn't have been able to pull him out by myself."

"But you did help. You found him, and saved him from getting even deeper in the water. That woman owes you her life." Hermione smiled to herself. The rest of the walk to the school was silent.

Malfoy pushed open the heavy oak front doors and they entered the warm entrance hall. Malfoy walked toward the dungeons and Hermione toward the grand staircase.

"Well, goodnight," Hermione said, waving to Malfoy.

"Yeah, g'night," he replied.