Chimera

Chapter 32

It was Christmas Eve, and Hermione was the last one in the office. The Ministry was closed from Christmas until after New Year, except for the unfortunate few employees on call. Everyone else left as soon as they could, eager to start their holiday.

Hermione looked at the clock on the wall, partly hidden by the Christmas tree. A headache was forming behind Hermione's eyes, made worse by flickering fairy-lights. The clock ticked towards eight.

"Guess I'd better head off," Hermione sighed. There was no work left for her to do and she couldn't put off going home any longer.

It was a little creepy, walking through the dark and silent Ministry. The light of Hermione's wand cast long shadows as she hurried to the apparition point.

Hermione's flat was cold and dark when she arrived. She switched on the lights, disturbing Crookshanks. He yowled and sulked off into the bedroom. Hermione smiled tiredly.

The only decorations in her flat were two Christmas cards on top of the TV. One was from Ginny, who was visiting Charlie in Romania for the holidays. The other was from Molly and Arthur. They announced earlier in the year that since all of their children had moved out, they no longer needed to suffer through wet, English winters. Instead, they would spend Christmas on a Greek island somewhere. This was Hermione's first Christmas by herself and the loneliness was suffocating.

As though sensing her darkening mood, Crookshanks sauntered back into the living room. He jumped onto the sofa and climbed onto her knee. Hermione smiled as he butted her chin with his face.

"Ah, see, I'm not alone," she said quietly, scratching behind his ears. "Not when I've got you, hey?"

Crookshanks purred, kneading her leg with his paws. Hermione flinched as his claws dug through her trousers. She nudged his paws away.

"We've got a whole week and a bit, just me and you," Hermione told him. Her bottom lip wobbled, despite the brightness in her tone. "It's going to be fine. Great, even."

*****

The next morning, Hermione hid under her duvet and refused to come out. Crookshanks eventually got bored and sat on the lumpy mound of her head until she moved. He stared impassively at her as she stomped out of bed.

The coffee table was hidden under a pile of presents that hadn't been there last night. Hermione filled Crookshank's food bowl and hurried over to look. She gazed at the brightly-wrapped gifts, reluctant to open them and end the Christmas magic.

Eventually, Hermione picked the first present. Ginny had sent her a traditional Romanian headscarf. The molten fabric cascaded out of the wrapping. Gold and silver thread decorated it with geometric patterns.

"Don't touch that," Hermione told Crookshanks as she folded it and put it aside. "I don't want your claws pulling the embroidery out."

Crookshanks sniffed and turned his face away, as though offended by the suggestion.

Molly and Arthur had sent her the traditional Weasley jumper. It was dark red with a golden griffin on the front. Hermione marvelled at the skilful knitting before turning to the slightly dented box that came with it. A note was stuck to the top.

Dear Hermione,

These are kourabiedes - a traditional Greek dessert. They're usually eaten for special occasions, and are particularly popular at Christmas.

Enjoy!
Molly & Arthur

Hermione smiled. She knew none of the others would have received such an explanation, because none of them would care. She was touched Molly took the time to tell her about their significance. Hermione pulled one of of the box and was immediately dusted in powdered sugar. She nibbled a corner. It was similar to an almond shortbread biscuit, with a spice clove embedded in the middle.

"Mmm, so good," Hermione mumbled as she shoved the rest in her mouth. Soft, white sugar coated her fingertips and lips.

There was a bottle of wine from Nate, a box of chocolates from Ellie, and a container full of biscuits from Mr Singh. The gift-tag said they were homemade by his wife and daughters. Ron sent her a card with a hastily scribbled note inside and a voucher for Flourish & Blotts. It was an appreciated but unimaginative present; he got her the same thing every year.

Hermione left Harry's present until last. He hadn't yet lost his enthusiasm for gift-giving after the neglected first decade of his life, so they were always fun, thoughtful, and a little bit quirky. She picked it up and shook it. It was a lot more book-shaped than usual. Hermione tore off the snowflake wrapping. She burst into a fit of giggles and showed the book to Crookshanks.

How to Speak Cat: A Guide to Decoding Cat Language

"Oh God," she said, "does this mean I'm officially a crazy cat lady?!"

Crookshanks glared at her for her horrified tone. He jumped off the sofa and minced away as haughtily as he could through the discarded paper.

*****

A few days into the new year, Ginny came by to visit. She brought a little blown-glass dragon for Hermione, no bigger than her thumb.

"How was your Christmas?" Ginny asked. She sipped a large glass of wine, courtesy of Nate.

"Oh, yeah, it was great," Hermione lied. "Pretty quiet, just the way I wanted it. Hung out with Crookshanks and caught up on sleep! You have a good time in Romania?"

Ginny nodded, emptying the glass and then sloshing more wine into it.

"Definitely!" Ginny said. She giggled as a drop of wine blossomed on her light-blue jeans. "Oops! This is good stuff, by the way. Aren't you having some?"

"Nah, I'm good," Hermione said, pushing the bottle away when Ginny waved it at her.

"Aw, c'mon, I feel bad when I drink on my own."

"No, really," Hermione said. Her stomach churned at the strong smell. "I've not been feeling good the last few days. I think it's something I ate."

"Hm, alright then. It's probably all that take-away," Ginny said. She pointed at the pile of boxes overflowing from the bin. "It's not good for you, you know!"

"Alright mum, stop with the lecture and tell me more about Romania."

"It was so fun! Charlie's set up a quidditch team among the dragon-keepers, and I got to practice with them a bunch. I learned a few new tricks that I can teach the Harpies when we're away."

"Oh yeah, I'd forgotten you leave soon. How long for this time?"

"Only a couple of months," Ginny said, waving her hand dismissively. "Then I'll be back for a few weeks before we go back out again. I'll probably be back around the same time as Harry and Ron, actually."

Ginny and the team were heading to Asia the following week for a lengthy training session. They would be practising in all different environments to prepare for the upcoming match season. Gwenog, the captain, had her eyes set on the championship trophy. Ginny often complained that Gwenog was worse then Oliver Wood ever was, but she thrived under the pressure. She never looked more alive than when she was on the quidditch pitch.

"That's not too bad then," Hermione said with a stiff smile.

"I'll try and remember to reply to your owls this time too," Ginny grinned.

"Chance would be a fine thing!"

The two girls grinned good-naturedly at each other. Ginny was almost as hopeless a pen-pal as Harry and Ron.