Chapter Three: Present Prank (Part 2)

�I saw that.�

�What?�

�That look.� Between you and my brother.� I saw it.�

�Oh.�

Pause.

�You fancy him! You fancy him!� Hmm-hmm, you fancy him!� Ginny sang, skipping down the hall ahead of her friend.� Hermione rolled her eyes.

�What are you, two?�� They were walking down to the kitchens, having decided that it was mean to steal a person (or two)�s presents on Christmas morning if you didn�t plan to at least try to make up for it by delivering a specially made breakfast-in-the-common-room (seeing as how the boys were already up and all, so breakfast-in-bed wasn�t possible.� Besides, the girls weren�t allowed in the boy�s dorm anyway�heh heh heh).� The scavenger hunt Ron and Harry were on at the moment was merely to buy Ginny and Hermione some time while they got everything ready.�

�Fifteen, actually,� Ginny replied tartly, then grinned. �You do fancy him.�� Hermione just gave her a look and continued on down the hall.

�Why won�t you just say it?�

�What, that I fancy Ron?�

�Yes!�

�It would give you too much pleasure.��

Ginny was speechless for a whole of two seconds.� �Then you admit that you do?�

�Did I say that?�

�You implied it!��

�Funny, I hadn�t realized that implying something and saying it was the same thing.�

�You are the most frustrating person I�ve ever met.�

�What about Moaning Myrtle?�

�Does she count as a person?� I mean, I know she�s pretty much just the same now as she was before she died, but technically she�s a ghost.� Do ghosts count as people?�� They came to a stop in front of the painting of a bowl of fruit, and Hermione absently tickled the pear.

�I�m not sure actually,� she told Ginny thoughtfully.� �I don�t think so.��

�Welcome, Misses!� exclaimed a familiar voice as they stepped through the door.�

�Hello, Dobby,� Ginny said with a smile.

�Dobby has everything ready, just as Miss is asking,� he told them, motioning them to follow as he walked across the room, chattering away almost as if he were talking to himself.� �In the kitchen, nobody minds if Dobby makes something different at breakfast time.� They is too busy with Christmas dinner, they is, to mind what Dobby does.� So Dobby is making what the Misses ask.� He is a good house elf.� He stopped before a tall counter and motioned towards it with one hand.� �They is sitting on those trays, they is.� Dobby put them there himself.��

�Thank you, Dobby,� Hermione smiled down at the bowing house elf as she reached for the tray with Ron�s name written across the front of a little white card resting against the mug in one corner.� She stopped herself just short of picking it up, and knelt down in front of Dobby instead.�

�I�m sorry about this, Dobby,� she told him, �but can I ask one more favor?��

�Of course, Miss!� What can Dobby do?�

�Can I get a candy cane, please?� Do you have one around here somewhere?�� He retrieved one for her, and after several more bows from Dobby, and another thank you or two from Ginny and Hermione, the girls set off back to the common room, trays in hand.

�A candy cane?� For breakfast?��

Hermione just smiled.

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The common room was a mess of, well, many things by the time they got back.� After much careful maneuvering and three near-accidents, the two girls managed to get both the trays and themselves through the portrait hole with relatively little damage to any of the aforementioned objects/people.� They got no further into the room however, as they were frozen in place by the horror of the sight that met their eyes.�

Wrapping paper and ribbon were everywhere, several of the pine garlands seemed to have �fallen� off the walls, tinsel and broken ornaments littered the floor around the tree, and all of the furniture was disarrayed, some of it even pushed over backwards or resting on its side, and all of the couch cushions were still on the floor.

�You know, we�re the ones who�ll have to clean all this up,� Ginny sighed.

�D�j� vu,� muttered Hermione.� �At least I�ll have company this time.�

�What?�

�Never mind.�� She shook her head and turned to watch Ron set up the Quidditch pitch for his Chudley Cannons team.� He was grinning from ear to ear and humming to himself as he set each goal carefully in place.� She smiled at his childlike enjoyment of his new toys and tossed a look at Harry, who seemed equally happy digging through his box of Famous Quidditch Seekers of the Century, which Ginny had bought for him.� He pulled one wriggling figure out with a shout of surprise.

�Hey! Even Krum is in here!�� Ron looked up with a feigned air of surprise.

�Really?� Let me see that.�

�Oh, no you don�t.� You�re not going to take your irritation with the real thing out on my action figure.�

�But Harry-� Ron protested.� Hermione gave Ginny a look.

Should we break this up?

�No Ron,� Harry replied.�

Ginny returned Hermione�s glance.� More than likely, yes.

�Harry-�

�We�re back!� Ginny called out brightly.� Both boys looked up with a disagreeable frown, but froze when they saw the trays of food.

�Breakfast!� cried Ron, jumping up to relieve Hermione of her burden.� She surrendered it to him and moved to clear one of the tables for him to set it on, then retrieved a chair from the floor for him as well.

�This isn�t the sort of thing they normally serve for breakfast on Christmas,� Ron said frowning down at his butter, syrup and strawberry covered waffles, accompanied by eggs and sausage.� �Normally they just give us toast because they�re too focused on Christmas dinner to make anything else.�

�We told you it would be worth your while, didn�t we?�

�You made this?� Ron squinted up at his sister, looking suddenly suspicious.� Hermione sighed.

�No.� We had Dobby do it.� She sounded regretful and disgusted all at once, and Ron rolled his eyes.� Though she never mentioned it, he knew she hadn�t given up on the whole SPEW idea.� She was just biding her time, waiting for the opportune moment to bring it up again�� In the meantime, she was always exceptionally polite to the house elves, so much so it was almost sickening.

�You brought us breakfast to make up for stealing our presents and you didn�t even make it yourselves?�� Harry was amused.

�We tried to do it ourselves,� Ginny said sorrowfully as the boys began to eat, �but the house elves got so upset about it, we had to give it up.� So we asked Dobby instead.�

�Was that before or after you asked him for the coal?� Harry asked wryly.

�Hey!� How�d you figure that out?� Ginny cried.

�After,� Hermione answered.

�Hey, a candy cane!� exclaimed Ron.� �My favorite!�� He happily plucked it off the tray and began to unwrap it.

�Oh yeah, I�d forgotten about that,� Hermione mused, then lunged forward to snatch the candy out of Ron�s hand just inches before it reached his mouth.� �No!� she told him. �You can�t eat that yet.�

�Why not?� That�s what it�s for isn�t it?�

�Not quite.� Here.� Eat your waffles and I�ll show you what it�s for.�� He obligingly took a bite, still pouting, while Hermione poured a cup of hot chocolate from the little pot on his tray.� Pulling the wrapper completely off the peppermint candy, she put the straight end in the mug and let the crook hang over the edge.

�What are you doing?!� Ron cried, reaching to rescue his beloved candy from certain doom at the hands of the heated chocolate drink.� Hermione calmly slapped his hand away.

�Ow!� He glared up at her, rubbing his injured hand with his uninjured one. �What was that for?�

�Leave the candy cane alone, Ron.�

�But it�ll melt in there!�

�That�s the point.�

�What?��

Hermione sighed.� �Trust me, Ron.� Just leave it alone.� Now eat your breakfast.�� She pretended not to see the faces he pulled as she stood up and began to straighten the room.� Ginny quickly rose to help her, and soon the furniture, at least, was back in place, and all the wrapping paper and ribbons had been disposed of.

�The two of you sure made a big enough mess,� muttered Ginny.� Harry grinned maliciously.

�We did it just to spite you,� he told her happily, taking a bite of egg.

�I know,� she replied with a sigh, �and I suppose we deserved it.�

�Speak for yourself,� said Hermione sourly. �I would never have gotten involved if you hadn�t attacked me this morning.�

�Attacking you had nothing to do with any of this,� she waved her hand around to indicate the still messy common room.

�It did.� Hermione picked up some tinsel. �If you hadn�t attacked me, I wouldn�t have woken up, and if I hadn�t woken up, I would never have been tempted to help you.�� She threw the tinsel in a trash bin they had found somewhere.

�You know, it wasn�t like you protested when I offered to let you in on it,� Ginny replied hotly.

�Well,� Hermione told her thoughtfully, �it was a good idea.� But it was so unpolished.� I felt I couldn�t allow you�Ron, leave that candy cane alone�to take credit for such rough work when I could have prevented it.�

�It was a good idea, wasn�t it?�

�It was.� I especially liked the theme song.�

�Theme song?�� Ginny gave her a funny look.� Hermione just smiled innocently back, and magicked the closest pine garland back onto the wall.� Ginny shook her head and turned to clean up the mess under the tree.� Then she really stopped to look at it for a second, and groaned.

�Was it really necessary for the two of you to knock half the ornaments off?� she grumbled and bent to examine the glass shards on the rug.

�The ornaments are Ron�s fault,� Harry replied absently, cutting his waffles into bite-sized pieces.

�Ron��

�You shouldn�t have put my second clue at the top of that stupid eight foot tree,� he interrupted her, scowling down at the Chaser he was trying to animate in between bites.� �Hermione, if I can�t have the candy cane, can you at least move it someplace where I can�t see it, please?� It�s calling to me.�

�Oh Ron, it is not.�� She moved to his side and gently stirred his chocolate with the candy cane, then tapped what was left of the candy thrice against the rim of the mug and set it down.� �You can drink it now,� she told him, �but don�t eat the candy cane until after you�ve finished your chocolate.�� He scowled up at her and lifted the mug, clearly intending to drink it all in two gulps just so he could eat his favorite holiday treat.� He got as far as half of the first gulp before his eyes widened and he slowed down to savor his drink.�

�Mmmm,� he sighed happily, taking little sips and wiggling his big feet under the table in pleasure.� �Tastes like hot chocolate and candy canes.� My two favorites!�

�I tried to tell you,� Hermione told him, �but no; you can�t just trust me.��

Ron looked up at her with serious eyes.� �I trust you, �Mione,� he told her softly, �I�m just impatient.�� He flashed her a grin, and went back to focusing all his attention on his new love: candy cane flavored hot chocolate.� Hermione, meanwhile, tried to pretend that the rare nickname and the complete seriousness of his words didn�t affect her, and failed miserably.� She nearly ran to help Ginny finish cleaning before anyone could notice her blushing.

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Dinner was spectacular.� The Great Hall looked amazing, with the usual twelve Christmas trees, fully covered in all sorts of magical decorations, ringing the perimeter and red and green table cloths and napkins on the one long table.� Ham was served, with mashed potatoes and thick gravy and all kinds of greens and four different kinds of juice and so many sweets the teenagers lost count.� They came back from dinner full and happy, though there was so much extra food that they all filled their pockets with some of the leftovers, and Ginny even filched a pitcher of pumpkin juice and some goblets before they left the Hall.� Unfortunately, she dropped it almost as soon they reached the common room.� She had turned around to say something or other to Hermione, who was just climbing through the portrait hole after Ron, and it had slipped out of her hands, spilling juice and glass shards across a wide section of stone floor and trapping Ron and Hermione just inside the entrance.� When nobody moved to clean the mess, Hermione sighed and pulled her wand from her pocket.� Two waves, a scourgify and a reparo later, the juice was gone and Hermione was bending down to retrieve the flawless pitcher.

�There,� she said, offering the pitcher back to Ginny, �no harm done.�� But Ginny didn�t seem to hear her.� In fact, she wasn�t even looking at her, rather, she was staring at a something behind and slightly above her, with the barest hint of a sly smile on her lips.� Hermione frowned and followed her gaze up and over to a bundle of green tied with red ribbon dangling from the ceiling above Ron�s head.� Her eyes widened.� Ginny grinned.

�What?� Ron asked, confused by the sly look Harry was giving him.

�Mistletoe,� Hermione told him softly.

�What?� he glanced up and froze.� �Oh.�� A couple of the first years who had been the only other occupants of Gryffindor tower over the break looked up from their game of exploding snap and grinned.

�Hey! You two are standing under the mistletoe!� cried one girl.

�I told you that was the perfect place for that sprig, William!� cried the other excitedly to another of their companions.� �And you wanted to move it over by the stairs after your sister put it up.�� There was unmistakable disgust in her voice.

Hermione glanced over at Ginny, who was looking at her expectantly, then back at Ron, who was still mesmerized by the plant hanging above him.� Ginny had planned this; she just knew it.

I can�t kiss him! She panicked, her thoughts flashing through her head in microseconds, and her wildly beating heart dropped heavily into her stomach.� He doesn�t fancy me at all; surely he doesn�t want his best friend kissing him.� Then again, maybe he wouldn�t mind; it is tradition... Her heart turned over in her stomach again, and she quit rationalizing.� But even if he doesn�t, I still can�t kiss him!� I can�t!� He�s Ron!� He�s my best friend!� My best friend whom I think I�m in love with; I can�t kiss him!� There�s no way I can kiss him!� I can�t even touch him without melting into a puddle on the floor!�

Still�

I can�t leave him standing there�

He�d been there all of two seconds.

She took a hesitant step towards him, and those gorgeous blue eyes jerked down to focus on her, wide in anxious anticipation, shock, and�something else?� At least she knew he was just as uncomfortable as she was.� Somehow that made things easier.�

She closed the small gap between them, placed one hand on his broad shoulder for balance, and then she was rising, up, and up, and up on her toes and she wondered briefly why he seemed so much taller than he ever had before, and then he was bending forward to meet her and her free hand was on his face, softly turning it just so, and her lips were on his cheek, and then it was over, and they were both turning a little red.�

That wasn�t so bad�

�I�m not sure that was good enough.�

Scratch that.

�What?�� Ron sounded outraged, and Harry tried to hold back a laugh.� Ginny wasn�t so polite.

Hermione, for her part, wasn�t sure whether to feel relieved by Ron�s reaction because she wouldn�t have to embarrass herself in front of her friends by sharing her first real kiss with him so publicly, or hurt because he didn�t want to kiss her.� She snuck a glance at him.� He was glaring at his very smug sister, but she caught him sneaking a glance at her too, out of the corner of his eye, and his face grew steadily brighter after that.� She grinned.

Relieved then.�

Now that Ron�s reaction was taken care of, Hermione felt at ease to deal with the situation. So she rolled her eyes.

�Come on Ron,� she told him, grabbing his wrist, �let�s go play with your Chudley Cannons Quidditch set.��

When in doubt, run.�

Ron lifted a skeptical eyebrow in response as she dragged him across the room.� �You want to play Quidditch?�

��Only because I want you to get good enough at the spells that you can beat Ginny�s Puddlemere team.� I want her to suffer.�

�Laughter filled the common room.

�This was an excellent Christmas.

�~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

�Psst, Hermione.��

Hermione rolled her eyes.� �No Ginny,� she said absently, snuggling further down in her blanket on the couch and turning a page in the book she was reading.

�Oh, come on Hermione��

�Absolutely not.� You�re a bad influence on me, even Ron says so.�� Said red-head flashed her a grin from the chair kitty corner to her sofa, where he was currently demolishing Harry in yet another game of Wizard�s Chess (their third or fourth of the day; Harry kept insisting Ron�s winning streak of six years had to be a fluke).

�But Hermione!� What about girl time?� You�ve been hanging out with Ron and Harry all day!� said the voice at her elbow.

�So have you,� Hermione told her. �It�s Christmas, we always spend the day together.� Besides,� she added, finally looking up from her book, �I�ve spent enough time with you recently to realize I�m much better off without girl time after all.� I�m going back to hanging out with boys.� They�re much easier to deal with, and don�t get me into nearly so much trouble.�� Snickering was heard from the general vicinity of the chessboard.

�Trouble?�

�Yes trouble.� First there was the fight by the fireplace, then there was the snowball fight on Girls� Day, followed by the charms fight in the corridors, and then the tickling fight all over the common room.� And now you�ve got me pulling pranks on my best friends.� At this rate we�ll be moving on to teachers by next week, and I�m not so sure I�m ready to face the kind of consequences that would bring.� I think we need to go back to the way things were before.�

�Before?�� Ginny�s voice was small and forlorn.

�Yes before,� Hermione replied, turning back to her book.�

There was silence.

�So�I�ll see you next month.�

��Yes.��

Ginny grinned sneakily and crept back around the back of the couch the way she had come.

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