Chestnuts Roasting Over The Open Firewhiskey: A Hogwarts Christmas Tale

Male Delivery

"Would you just let me in?" Draco yelled at the infuriating portrait. "Look, she left her mail at the table," he shouted louder, waving the letters around so she could see them. "I can just drop it off and go, you stupid bint."

"Go away snake," the fat lady sang from her seat, her nose turned up at him. He thanked Circe that the dungeons weren't guarded by a daft portrait. "Leave my little lioness alone."

"Do you really think I won't rip your canvas from your frame?" Draco hissed, causing the fat lady to let out a yelp. Just as he started towards the portrait with his most threatening glare, the door was opening and he was staring into the chestnuts eyes of the witch he was looking for.

"Dra- Malfoy?" Hermione cocked her head to the side, clearly surprised to see him. She tightened her grasp on a small package she was holding.

"Granger," Draco nodded at her. "I was hoping to talk with you," he said, feeling unsure of himself. "Privately," he added with urgency as he glared up at the portrait, who glared back down at him.

"Oh. Come in," Hermione waved him in, turning her body to the side. The smell of vanilla hit him when he walked by her, drying his mouth instantly. As Draco walked through the portrait, he was visually assaulted by an explosion of red and gold. "Tacky, but not surprising," he thought as he surveyed the Gryffindor common room. He stopped in front of the fireplace and turned back towards her, unsure if he should take a seat.

"I was actually on my way to see you," Hermione said brightly, as though she hadn't just hexed him in the Great Hall. She stayed standing, though Draco noted disappointedly that she was just a few steps out of reach. "Not that that matters," he reminded himself, irritated at his subconscious for even noticing.

"Oh really?" He asked dryly, through his heart did a flip at the warmth in her tone.

"As much as you don't want to talk about last night, I'd really like to get to the bottom of it. I got you something. As a peace offering," she extended the small package towards him.

"What is this?" Draco asked, eyeing it suspiciously and shifting his weight uncomfortably. It looked like something from the Weasleys' shop, which he'd only had negative interactions with.

"Open it." Hermione shoved the package towards him again. He took it hesitantly.

"A bag of...coal?" He asked, reading the bag and looking back at her in confusion.

"It is a muggle candy. A joke really," she explained. "I thought you deserved some coal after...well the last six years I guess," Hermione shrugged as he turned the candy over in his hands.

"I deserve coal?" Draco knew he must be looking at her like she had three heads. She gave him a small confused smile in response.

"Surely you know? Santa gives you presents if you are good and lumps of coal if you are bad," Hermione trailed off, waiting for his recognition. He looked down towards the flickering fire for a moment, trying to remember any mention of this, before giving her an incredulous stare.

"And what, pray tell, is Santa?"

"Oh, erm," Hermoine paused thoughtfully, looking back at the coal in his hands. "On Christmas, Santa visits the children of the world. He gives gifts for children who have been nice, and coal to those who have been naughty. Have you really not even heard of this? Ron knows who Santa is, so I just thought it was something magical children were also taught. Might be his father's influence then. We never covered it in Muggle Studies and I hadn't thought to do further research into the disparity in holiday traditions because so many overlap. I'll have to do that this week." Draco felt the corners of his mouth turn up as he watched her work through her thoughts. He fought and pushed them back down when she glanced back at him. He wouldn't let Theo be right.