The Snape Who (Almost) Stole Christmas

Chapter 3

Harry opened his eyes. Hermione's brown ones stared back at him. Somewhere in the distance someone was crying inconsolably, but Harry couldn't have cared less at the moment.

Hermione Granger had just kissed him. Kissed him, Harry, and not Ron. Did this mean what Harry thought it meant? Did it mean that Hermione had picked him over Ron?

Hermione smiled at Harry sweetly and lovingly. Harry felt himself grin back. The sobbing got louder.

Hermione turned her bushy brown head to the side, where Ginny lay on the grass bawling. Hermione's smile vanished, and she rushed from Harry's side to attempt to console Ginny. But it was no use. Harry saw Ginny shove her away and shout something.

Harry couldn't focus on the words coming out of Ginny's mouth. In fact, he couldn't focus on anything. He felt like he was suspended in time, floating away, not a care in the world--

"HARRY!" someone screamed, and Harry snapped out of it and shook his head. His eardrums were ringing as he tried to focus on the slew of insults and cursing Ginny was throwing at him. Ginny looked as if she were trying to reach for her wand, but Hermione was keeping her arms pinned behind her back as she struggled and swayed violently from side to side, screaming and screaming.

Harry's eardrums stopped ringing, and he was able to hear some of the insults being pelted at him like cold snowballs that went right to his heart.

"--IF I EVER SEE YOU SO MUCH AS LOOK AT HERMIONE AGAIN, I'LL JINX YOU INTO NEXT MILLENIUM! I'LL PUT A BAT-BOGEY HEX ON YOU THAT'LL BE SO BAD THAT WHEN YOU HAVE GRANDCHILDREN, BOGEYS WILL STILL BE FLYING OUT YOUR NOSE AND AROUND YOUR BIG HEAD! I HATE YOU! LET GO OF ME HERMIONE!" Ginny flailed and kicked Hermione squarely in the shin, and so Hermione was forced to put a Body-Binding curse on her.

Harry blinked at Ginny. Her words had stung him, and he hadn't expected them too. Even though Harry had started to feel something for Ginny lately, he didn't realize how strongly he had felt until just now, when she had said I hate you.

"Please don't hate me Ginny! I... I love you!?" Okay, Harry thought, so I didn't really mean that one... but I'm not going to lose Ginny like this. She's funny, and smart, and pretty, and my friend. She can't hate me, she just can't.

"You love her?" Hermione asked quietly in Harry's ear.

"I... I love you, too!" Harry amended.

"Do you love Ron, in that case?" said Hermione in a hard voice.

"What... no! I'm not gay, Hermione!" Harry stared at her, bewildered.

"I didn't mean that... ah, never mind, Harry... I just wanted you to know tonight that I chose you over Ron, that I love you, Harry, but now... now I'm not so sure." Her voice cracked and a single tear tracked down her face, illuminated in the moonlight. She turned away and ran up the castle stairs, leaving Harry with the Body-Binded Ginny.

Ginny was rolling over on the grass towards the castle and away from Harry. Harry didn't know that he could scare off girls so bad that they would do anything to get away from him, even if they were all tied up.

"Ginny... wait... I can get you free..." called Harry, but Ginny just started to roll over and over faster. Finally Ginny got to her wand and freed herself, and she jumped up and sprinted up the stone steps into the castle. Harry stood for a moment, looking out at the lake, which was bathed in moonlight, and then reluctantly followed them inside.

The next morning in Care of Magical Creatures, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting upon invisible cushions nestled in the grass, listening to a dragon-keeper talk about how dangerous it was to handle the enormous, fire breathing beasts that he saw everyday at work. Hagrid was standing next to Mr. Dragon-Keeper (Harry called him so in his mind because he hadn't been paying attention when the man had actually said his name), and was staring at him attentively, hanging onto his every word about dragons. Hagrid loved dangerous beasts of any kind, and had a really nasty habit of taking in best that were known wizard killers. Harry let his mind wander when the dragon-keeper began describing a Hungarian Horntail, which Harry had faced in his fourth year.

Harry looked over at Hermione, who was taking notes on everything being said. Hermione had not spoken to him at breakfast that morning, and Ginny had been conspicuously absent from the breakfast table, so he hadn't had a pleasant morning so far. Girls, he thought, why I even bother--

"A Sickle for your thoughts?" interrupted Ron from Harry's left.

"Oh... I was just thinking about the Triwizard Tournament, that's all," said Harry quickly.

"Oh."

"Hagrid really seems to like this, doesn't he?" said Ron, pointing. Hagrid was clapping because the dragon-keeper had just finished telling the story of how he Stupefied a Common Green Welsh all by himself.

"Mmm," said Harry.

"And Hermione, taking her usual notes," Ron said, gesturing to Harry's right.

"Mmm," said Harry again.

"And look, here comes a dragon eating Malfoy," said Ron, pointing to the thin air behind Hagrid.

"Mmm," said Harry.

"You seem a bit detached today," observed Ron casually, pulling up some grass.

"Mmm," said Harry for the fourth time.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked, appearing genuinely concerned.

"Dunno," said Harry quickly.

"I see. Girl trouble?"

"Tell me about it," Harry said, then slapped his hand over his mouth.

"It's all right. It's Ginny, isn't it?" Ron asked.

"Er... yeah," said Harry.

"It's really hard for me to say this, being her brother and all, but you've just gotta tell her how you feel, you know, reveal all the secrets, remove all your many veils--"

"I'm not a belly dancer, Ron," said Harry seriously.

"What's that?" asked Ron, puzzled.

"They're Muggles who wear see-through scarves, kinda like the ones Trelawney had draped on all her lamps in her room, and they wiggle their belly buttons around, and they wear veils, too," explained Harry.

"People do that?" asked Ron.

"Sure. Every day," said Harry.

"Strange. Well, back to the point, you should, just tell her--"

Just then, Draco Malfoy came sauntering into the paddock where the lesson was being held. He held his pointed face high so that the sun reflected off his blond hair and made it appear silver. He jogged to the only invisible cushion left, past Pansy Parkinson, past Crabbe and Goyle, and gracefully seated himself next to--

--Next to Hermione. Harry was instantly extremely jealous, though he was sitting on Hermione's left. Ron looked mad too.

The dragon-keeper had stopped talking, and he and Hagrid, along with the rest of the class, were now staring at Malfoy.

"Er... why're yeh late, Mr. Malfoy?" asked Hagrid.

"That's none of your concern, now, is it?" said Malfoy smoothly. Several Gryffindors, including Harry, Ron, and Hermione, lunged at Malfoy. He sat calmly and ignored them all.

"Righ' then. Er... continue, please," Hagrid said nervously to the dragon-keeper, who picked up right where he had left off.

"Who does Malfoy think he is?" exclaimed Ron angrily to Harry.

"A Malfoy," said Harry dully. "It makes no difference whether or not his father's in jail, he's still just as arrogant as ever."

"I'd really like to hex him good, maybe another Bat-Bogey Hex would set him straight--"

Ron stopped talking abruptly as Malfoy tried to strike up a conversation with Hermione. Ron and Harry's eyes focused on Malfoy, and they listened to what he was saying.

"I'm sure you've heard the rumors," he drawled, staring at his fingernails and rubbing them against his Slytherin robes.

"I don't think I have," said Hermione, disinterested.

"Surely you have--the one about me and the Mudblood, Bridget?" Malfoy asked.

"Of course. That little fiasco was enough to get you infamous for life, now, wasn't it?" Hermione reverted her attention to the lesson.

"Wait," Malfoy said. "I didn't say anything to make fun of you."

"Oh, really," scoffed Hermione.

"I said Bridget was a Mudblood, not you."

"And that's supposed to make it okay?" Hermione said in a high voice.

"Yes, well, I suppose not...."

"Please shut up, Malfoy."

"So polite," Malfoy drawled. "You know, you're exactly the kind of Mud--I mean witch I would date."

"Sure I am. That's why you hate me, because I'm dateable," Hermione said dully.

"And you're difficult. Another redeeming quality."

"I'm warning you Malfoy, if you don't stuff it, I'll--"

"Please," Malfoy said, "I prefer that my girlfriends call me Draco."

"And why would I care, Malfoy?"

"Because," he stated with the air of one explaining that B comes after A in the alphabet, "as of right now, you are my girlfriend."

"I'm not some charity case, Malfoy."

"That's 'I'm not some charity case, Draco' to you, and I wasn't saying you were."

"Well, that's why you want to go out with me, isn't it? Because I'm Muggle-born? Because I know you hate me." Hermione tried again to pay attention to the lesson.

"Do you hate me?" Draco asked casually.

"Well, I... I don't hate anyone, really. But I suppose I could hate you if you want." Hermione said this as if it were some immensely boring chore.

"Go right ahead," mumbled Ron. Harry elbowed him.

"Look Malfoy, I'm not your girlfriend and I won't be, ever. So get over it, if you can," Hermione said.

"My poor broken heart," said Malfoy in a monotone.

"Besides, what would be in it for me?" said Hermione as an afterthought.

"I am extremely handsome, thank you very much, and also rich," said Draco vainly.

"That was a rhetorical question," said Hermione.

"Whatever. Anyway, you will be my girlfriend. I have an offer you can't refuse."

"Oh, really," said Hermione skeptically.

"Keep in mind that you might want to be nice to me. I can buy your parents a million times over," Malfoy snarled.

"Well isn't it too bad that Galleons are useless to them as they are dentists."

"They're whatsits?"

"They fix teeth," said Hermione matter-of-factly.

"Whatever," said Malfoy again. "Just meet me tonight at midnight by Greenhouse Four."

"And what if I don't?" said Hermione nonchalantly.

"You'll regret it, Granger, I guarantee it."

The lesson ended soon after Malfoy had spoken his final words. He dashed off to be with Crabbe and Goyle, and left Hermione looking furious.

"You handled that quite well, really," said Ron from behind her.

"Oh, really?" said Hermione in a high voice. "Then how come the conversation ended with me being Malfoy's girlfriend?"

"Minor drawback," said Ron. "What's he want to meet you for anyway?"

"For all I know, he wants me to snog Mandrakes. I really could care less." And with that, she stormed off towards the castle, mumbling something about missing notes for part of the class.

"Bit touchy, don't you think?" said Ron. "I bet you ten Galleons she's off to the library."

"We have to follow her tonight," said Harry fiercely. "We have to be there in case Malfoy's planning something horrible."

"Well, if snogging Mandrakes isn't horrible, I dunno what is," said Ron.

"She could have to kiss Acromantulas," said Harry with a grin.

"You know what, you can rescue her by yourself in that case," said Ron, who had turned slightly whiter at the mention of giant spiders.

"You're coming with me," said Harry, "And that's that."

"Alright, as long as I get to hex that insufferable git Malfoy."

Midnight took forever to roll around. All of Harry's love troubles were the last of his thoughts at dinner that night, until Ginny sat down right next to Harry.

"'Lo," she said to Harry, and grabbed the nearest platter of chicken.

Harry had almost spit his vegetable stew out. "Hi," he choked.

"Have a nice day?" Ginny said.

"Apart from Malfoy, yeah," said Harry.

"Oh, what happened?" asked Ginny, rubbing Harry's arm.

Harry looked down at her hand slowly traveling up and down his arm. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh, well, I'm always here if you need me."

"Thanks, Ginny," said Harry, and he gave her a big grin. He was surprised that Ginny actually cared about someone she hated, like him. Harry had spent all of last night thinking about Ginny and what she had said. And he realized that they were beyond friends. All those nice little conversations about nothing in particular at mealtimes, all those times he had helped her with her O.W.L. practice papers, all those times they had kissed....

That was the best part, when they kissed. Harry felt something that he had not felt with Cho when he had kissed her. And he had realized that he had a choice to make. Hermione or Ginny? He really didn't know. Both had their strong points. Both were attractive, friendly, intelligent, caring...

"Harry?" Ginny waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello?"

"I love you," he said suddenly. He hadn't meant to say it. It had bursted from his mouth on impulse. How he wished he could suck his words back in as he felt his cheeks grow hot.... But they were his true feelings, he supposed.... Well, it's what Ron had said to do wasn't it?

"Wow," he heard Dean Thomas say from somewhere on his right.

"Did you know that they were that serious?" Lavender demanded of Parvati.

"Hadn't a clue," said Parvati. "Ginny is so lucky, to have a guy say that to her like that." They sighed together.

Harry dared to look up at Ginny, afraid that she would be mad at him and that they would have a big row, right there in the Great Hall. Instead, she smiled.

"I love you too, Harry," she said. "You don't know how much this means to me." She started crying, tears of joy. Oh, how Harry hated it when girls cried.