I Hate You!

During Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts, the threat of Voldermort had become real and people were afraid. Only a few people were staying at Hogwarts for the Christmas holiday. It was a repeat of three years ago when the threat of supposed mass murderer, Sirius Black, hung over the head of the wizarding community.

Only a few of the younger Muggle-borns were staying at the school from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Slytherin house was empty except for its formidable head, Severus Snape.

If it had not been for Harry Potter, Gryffindor would have been just as empty as Slytherin. Harry received offers from both the Burrow and the Order of the Phoenix to stay over the Christmas holidays, but he refused. He was still mourning the death of his godfather and did not want to be around others, typical of a sixteen year old. Ron and Hermione refused offers from their families as well in order to cheer Harry up. Regardless to say, that plan wasn't working very well.

Harry and Hermione were reading in the Common Room in front of the crackling fire. It was without saying that they took the best seats and that Crookshanks was curled up in front of the fire, purring contentedly. Hermione was reading a revised edition of "Hogwarts, a History." Harry had bought her the book when they spotted it in the window of Flourish and Blotts while shopping in Diagon Alley. Since Hermione had no money to but it herself and did not want the charity of Harry, it became an early birthday present. Harry, on the other hand, was reading "The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts," a book which Hermione had bought him for his birthday. Surprisingly, he started reading it soon after and was now nearly done.

When Harry finished the chapter he had been reading, he marked the page and placed the book beside him. A quick glance at the clock showed that it was approaching midnight: midnight on Christmas Eve. Hermione noticed the movement and took one eye off her book to watch him warily. Harry started staring into the fire, picturing all the times he had seen Sirius's head in that exact spot.

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?"

Harry looked up, startled at the sudden noise disturbing the eerie quiet and then looked at Hermione, remembering that she was there as well. "How can I not?"

Hermione noticed how strangled his voice sounded and attempted to soothe him. "You should always remember him, but you should think of other things too. It's not healthy to just concentrate on a loss like you're doing."

Harry felt the temper from the previous year come back. "What should I be thinking about? How Snape is planning on failing me this year? Which side this Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is on? How Voldermort plans on killing me this time?!"

Harry's voice had risen several octaves and it was only a matter of time before he started off on one of his infamous tempers and Hermione knew it. At this point, her book lay abandoned and she was facing towards him. She tried to calm him, but it seemed to be too late. "Harry, it's Christmas Eve. Please--"

Harry cut her off by storming away to his dormitory. As if on cue, the only other resident of Gryffindor Tower over the holidays entered the room. Ron quietly walked over to Hermione and sat next to her on the couch. "What did you say to him?"

"Excuse me?" Hermione sputtered. "I didn't do anything. I was trying to get his mind off Sirius. It wasn't fault that he got into another one of his moods."

"Well, you shouldn't have bothered him so much." Ron said accusingly.

"I barely said more than two sentences to him! It isn't my fault!" Hermione's voice rose and she was staring to get angry as well.

"Of course it was your fault! Everything's always your fault! You try to make things better but you bloody well ought to know that that's one of the things you're bad at! You can't make anybody feel better; you only make them feel worse!" Ron was ready to scream.

"Just how is everything my fault?! I seem to remember you messing up a lot more than me!" Ron's face slowly turned as red as his hair. "What? You don't remember your infamous days as Keeper?"

"See? See? This is exactly why I hate you! You think you're so much smarter than everyone else! You're always superior to other people... and this is your fault too." He leaned over and kissed her full on the lips. Hermione's eyes widened, but she did respond.

As the kiss ended, Ron smiled lopsidedly. "You know I still hate you, right?"

Hermione grinned as well, "I hate you too," and pulled him in for another kiss as the clock struck midnight and Crookshanks streaked away in the direction Harry had gone, hissing fiercely.

Harry had seen the whole thing, never having gone further than halfway up the stairs as soon as he heard the argument commence. His hand unclenched from the railing, letting go of the anger and frustration from the argument he was involved in, as well as the argument he had heard. After nearly being knocked down by a ginger blur, he smiled. "Happy Christmas, Ron. Happy Christmas, Hermione."