Hermione looked up through the frosted glass at the drifting snow outside. She lacked her usual concentration and struggled to focus on her assignment. It was infuriating how her mind wandered with the change in the weather. She eventually gave up on her work with a huff and decided pick it back up later; it was due in 2 weeks anyway. Snow was Hermione's favourite thing (save for friends, family and books) and she was enthralled with the way the snowflakes danced around each other. Even as a child Hermione found the idea of no-two-snowflakes-being-the-same fascinating and marvelled at each of their individual designs. In a sense, snow was Hermione's first interaction with "magic"; white blankets that seemed to appear over night and the wonder and amazement that followed were one of the few things that still managed to excite the Gryffindor. She decided to take a walk and enjoy the snow before it inevitably became grey and slushy. Thankfully, this year there were less students staying over during Christmas break, with many families still overly cautious and wanting to keep their children under familial supervision. Gathering her things, Hermione moved out of the joint common room that she shared with non other than the Slytherin prat, Draco Malfoy. As she made her way to her bedroom, she reflected on the past term and prepared to go outside. - Hermione had returned for 7th year whilst Harry and Ron had made the decision to become Aurors immediately. The wizarding world was in its first year of peace after Voldemort's reign and everything was oddly.. calm. The Golden Trio were known as A-listers amongst wizards, witches, house elves and everything in between. The pressure from the press was immense; even Ron and Hermione's relationship had begun to strain under the constant media coverage. Along with Ron's busy career and Hermione's dedication to her studies, the downfall of their relationship was inevitable, albeit slightly welcomed. Hiding from the paparazzi was impossible and Hermione yearned for privacy. It became part of the reason she decided to return to Hogwarts. Of course, she loved her education and was dedicated to learning, but the lure of no cameras or snooping paparazzi had drawn her in and finalised the decision. Professor McGonnagall had informed Hermione of her infinite choices regarding her future. Job offers flew in from far and wide but Hermione didn't like the spotlight and thought it unfair that she could steal others' opportunity. She ultimately decided to stay in Hogwarts to complete her final year; earning herself 9 more months of peace. When she returned to Hogwarts, it had appeared Draco Malfoy had chosen to do the same. Hermione wondered why he had decided to stay. Even after the war, Draco was still in possession of the Malfoy's heirlooms and wealth. It had shocked Hermione to come into school only to find out the newly-appointed Head Boy was none other than her old school enemy. At first, Hermione was prepared to argue with McGonnagall (What on earth was she thinking?!) but as she stood in the Headmasters office, she saw the Slytherin had no arguments and instead seemed... tired and run down. She studied him silently and saw the droop of his shoulders and the emptiness in his eyes. War had taken its toll on everyone and any animosity she had previously felt for him, just didn't exist anymore. She simply had no interest in petty fighting, for what is the point when you have already stood on the front lines of war at 17? He, in turn, had watched her warily, already expecting her complaints to McGonnagall but far too tired to argue. Draco frankly couldn't give less of a damn. He wondered why he had been given the Head Boy badge and whether it had been given to him accidentally, but was proven wrong when the insufferable Hermione Granger gaped at him wordlessly upon entering their shared quarters. Ah... So that's they gave me the badge.. To torture me. *imagine a -.- face* He had nodded his head curtly and offered a polite acknowledgement rather than greeting, "...Granger." In response, she had murmured, "Oh no.. Oh no. There must be some mistake." He had chuckled darkly, "I wish," before she finally came out of her stupor and dragged him into the Headmaster's office. Her response was not unexpected but what had surprised him were the events that followed. Although, the muggle born had looked angry and fit to burst, she considered him for a moment before taking a deep breath and..... nothing. She regarded Draco through the corner of her eye and spoke to McGonnagall only to inquire about patrol duties. He eyed her dubiously. They had then made their way back to their common room, silently and awkwardly. She only nodded at him and said, "Looking forward to working with you... Draco." She turned and entered her room leaving a very bewildered Slytherin in her wake. Draco had wondered whether Granger had been abducted by those.. alien things that they had once studied. - Hermione had decided that holding grudges was of no use in a post-war society. Draco had eventually chosen his side and she accepted that he wasn't as "evil" as she had first made out. Although they frequently argued over small matters, such as "Did you really have to deduct those points?" "Don't be an arse, Malfoy," the events were inconsequential and they found that they actually worked quite well together. In fact, they could maybe even consider themselves as.... friends. Hermione quickly corrected herself. Maybe not quite friends, but at least a fellow classmate and colleague. Certainly, working with him wasn't... enjoyable per se.. but he had matured and was much easier to deal with than before. He had long forgotten his blood prejudices and any tension that may have arisen was eliminated when she realised he had let go of the disgraceful ideas. - It was after a particularly heated argument that she had found herself pondering his lack of name calling, and nervously spoke up, "... Malfoy.. May I ask a question?" They had both returned to their own work in silence but Draco replied, "You just did." Hermione rolled her eyes impatiently, "Shut up, Ferret. May I ask another then?" "....You just didask another." "Oh for Merlin's sake. All I wanted to ask was.. well.. you see... I uhm.. I noticed that.." Hardly looking up from his work and with an air of indifference he snidely said, "Spit it out, Granger." "Alright, well I've noticed you don't say Mudb-" He sneered and cut her off, "That's because it's an incorrect term. We all know muggle borns bleed the same substance as purebloods. That much became evident during the war." After being cut off and in awe of his answer, Hermione's mouth opened and closed like a confused goldfish and had nothing to offer in reply. Draco sighed and continued, "You practically bled to death on my floor.. I think it's safe to say that your blood is just as red as mine." The words fell heavily from his lips and he couldn't look Hermione in the eye. She inhaled sharply at his bluntness and took in a shaky breath before nodding and hastily refocusing on her textbook. His words came as a shock and although they were harsh, Hermione knew Draco still held onto his pride. So it was nothing short of a miracle that he had admitted his private thoughts to her. She didn't realise her experience at the Malfoy Manor had affected Draco quite so much. Nevertheless, the topic was stored away, and a silent agreement was made to never approach the subject again. - After their uncomfortable discussion, the pair had gotten on amicably, the heavy weight on their partnership lifting to allow for easy flowing conversation. He still teased her but she had found that she didn't mind it and the menace behind their arguments no longer existed. For a while, Draco had wondered why Hermione didn't hate him. He was frequently frowned upon and many students made it clear that they had little to no respect for a Malfoy. He simply ignored them, but inwardly agreed - he did not deserve the position of Head Boy or even a place in the wizarding world; especially after the horrors that his family had caused. Nonetheless, Granger treated him as a human, although taken with a grain of salt. It had surprised him and continued to fuel his guilty conscience, much to his distaste. - Hermione grimaced at the cold. She had chosen to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas, partially due to her Head Girl duties and partially because she had fallen in love with the magical festivities at the school. Content that she wouldn't catch a cold, Hermione made her way out from the top of the Prefects' tower and into the open. She exhaled a misty breath into the snowy grounds surrounding her school and smiled happily at her favourite season. However, even after charming her gloves, scarf and hat to stay warm, she still shivered slightly under the frosty conditions. Snowflakes flew at her face and the snowstorm had begun to lessen slightly but was yet to cease. She trudged slowly towards her tree beside the lake. Everyone knew the tree was Hermione's. It was the only tree with a bench attached to it and she was frequently found in her favourite spot reading a book or just reflecting on the past. Of course Hermione had friends, her favourites being Luna, Ginny and Neville but sometimes one required serenity and solitude over companionship. More often than not, Hermione preferred to get lost in a good book than meaningless chatter about classes or boys. As she approached, she spotted a figure sat on her usual place. A little disgruntled, Hermione wondered who was brave enough to take her seat and most of all, who was crazy enough to be out in a snowstorm.. Aside from herself. She edged closer and saw that the figure belonged to a boy, roughly taller than Hermione herself. Gathering her Gryffindor courage, she walked the last steps slowly and coughed lightly. The boy turned to face her, a look of surprise covering his features. "What the- Oh. Granger.. Why on Earth are you out in this weather?" She groaned inwardly and wondered why it had to be Malfoy, now of all times. All she wanted to do was enjoy the weather. Admittedly though, she had wondered where the blonde had disappeared to; without his presence their common room felt quite.. lonely. Mumbling, Hermione replied, "The same could be asked of you." "I asked first." Hermione huffed but answered anyway, "If you must know, I just wanted to appreciate the snow. It's my favourite time of the year." He continued staring at the lake, "... Me too." "That doesn't explain why you're sat at my tree." Draco considered the words before replying, "I didn't know you owned this tree. If anything, the tree belongs to Hogwarts. Anyone can use it." She glared at him, "I always sit in this spot and nobody has ever bothered me." Pointedly she took a seat next to him and earned an exasperated sigh from the Slytherin but no objections were made. They fell into a comfortable silence, watching the snowflakes drift around them. Hermione begun to fidget, unable to stay still considering the weather conditions. After a while, an idea hit Hermione, and the corners of her mouth tugged upwards to form a mischievous grin. She gripped her wand in her pocket and smiled innocently at Draco. "I think I'm going to make my way back, you should do the same, it's freezing out here, you'll catch a cold." She stood up and turned to leave. He watched her warily, she had smiled far too sweetly at him and her sudden departure was a cause for concern. He groped around his robe for his wand and held it in his hand, just in case. Staring at Granger's retreating silhouette, he had just relaxed again when she spun around. He mouth made a small frown as he realised his reflexes hadn't reacted quickly enough. A perfectly formed snowball hit his face as the witch responsible ran away as fast as possible. Growling, Draco hurriedly staggered up, spluttering snow and muttering, "Oh no you don't." He produced a snowball with the tip of his wand and flicked it towards Granger. His aim was good and it hit her square on the back. She stopped. Turning around, she glared at him. He took a deep breath as she made several snowballs at once and aimed them all at him. Now that... was unfair. He fled the snowballs as they gave chase and managed to evade most of them. However, he didn't notice the additional two that were behind him and grimaced when one hit his exposed neck and the other caught his leg. He was not going to be outdone. Especially not by Granger. He turned to face her and watched as she giggled with delight. He pouted and called out, "You've really gone and done it now, Granger. This. is. war." And with that he chased after her, snowballs in hand, opting for the traditional muggle way of snowball fighting. He threw 3 but the pesky witch skilfully dodged all of them. Aggravated, he stopped and allowed her to feel a false sense of relief, she slowed down and faced the Slytherin about 10 feet away from him. She stuck her tongue out, surprising them both and teased him, "Given up already Malfoy?" She blushed at her own voice and blamed her childishness on the Christmas spirit. He only smirked at her and took advantage of her embarrassment to cast a quick, non verbal 'Caesum Movemento'. The spell disabled Hermione's movement for 5 seconds, which was more than enough time for Draco to grab a handful a snow, smile smugly and stuff it down the witch's back. As she regained movement, Hermione jumped and let out a blood-curdling scream. "MALFO- oh my gOD." She squirmed in discomfort and shock for a few moments before the cold settled in and the witch regained her senses. She narrowed her eyes at Malfoy who was doubled over in laughter. With a pout on her lips and adrenaline surging through her veins, Hermione tackled Draco who was unprepared and promptly knocked over. As he fell he instinctively reached out for something to hold onto and of course the only thing within reach was Hermione. And thus, they both fell onto the snow. After a scream from Hermione and a grunt from Draco, they both fell silent. Hermione blushed as she realised the compromising position that they were in. Both were breathing heavily and small clouds of water vapour condensed around them. She quickly manoeuvred herself off of him, whilst Draco stayed put. Once on her feet, Hermione stammered incoherently before and making an excuse to go back to the castle. But upon her swift exit, she tripped over her own feet and landed once again, on top of the Slytherin. Draco laughed airily, "Fallen head over heels for me, Granger?" Hermione's face turned even redder, her cheeks burning up, but she stayed proud. "In your dreams, Malfoy." He stared intently at her lips, watching as they formed words and strung together a sentence. They were pink, plump and oh so inviting. Draco's resolve faltered and he muttered, "Yes Granger..... Something along those lines." Gently raising his head, he cupped her face and brought their mouths together. Instead of pulling away, Hermione returned the kiss which surprised them both but Draco wasn't going to complain. Her lips were as soft as he imagined and she tasted sweet but clear like a pleasant mix of pomegranate and fresh snow. As they broke apart, Hermione laughed nervously before getting up and offering a hand to Draco. They walked hand in hand towards the castle bundled in hats and scarves and the irresistible lull of "what now?".
