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I think you might have gone a bit overboard,” says Ginny hesitantly. „I believe we will be eating all these for the whole of next year.” She picks a cookie up and takes a bite. „I’m not complaining though.”
The kitchen looked like a battlefield. There was flour spilled everywhere, the icing was dripping down the counter, and on plates, there was, what looks like thousands of cookies. Every type of cookie one can imagine - sugar, vanilla, chocolate, gingerbread, and in all sort of shapes too.
„I know. It's just…” Hermione hesitated.” It’s exam time, and Christmas is just around the corner and my family is so..., you know.” She looked nostalgic, a bit sad. There was something about holidays with her family that made her feel so lonely.
„Yeah, I know. And I feel like I need to repeat myself, you are more then welcome in the Burrow.” Ginny took another cookie. She thought she might be able to take some back home and for once be the productive girl her mom believes her to be.
„I will come up, I promise, it’s just I have this last shift at the cafe and some essays to write.” Hermione smiled. It was all a lie, well, not all but she didn’t have any writing to do, as always she submitted her work long before the deadline but she didn’t want to spoil the festive mood with her usual Christmas grumpiness. Nobody deserved to be punished for her bad relationship with relatives. She loved the Burrow and Ginny’s family and their mutual friends. Hermione was honest in one thing. She wouldn’t miss for anything spending the break up north. It’s just being there during Christmas time was off the table.
„I will hold you to that promise.” Ginny hopped off the counter. „I’m gonna pack. But before I do that,” she smiled devilishly. „Since you are such a great, amazing, best friend, will you pack me some of these cookies so I can take them with me?”
Hermione laughed, she loved her friend the most. Ginny was a sister she never had, they understood each other without words.
„Of course I will, I was gonna give them to you anyway. What else am I supposed to do with all of these? If I eat one more I will be sick.” She was being honest. There was no more room in her stomach, she had been snacking on her bakes for the whole day. Stress baking means stress eating, these two just go hand in hand.
„You’re the best” Ginny kissed her best friend’s cheek and left the room to finish packing. As much as she loved Hermione there was one thing she didn't like about her. How stubborn do you have to be to willingly spend Christmas alone? Ginny knew only the comfort of the overcrowded burrow and never experienced Christmas at Granger’s but from what was Hermione telling, she wouldn’t want to anyway.
————-
It was long after Ginny left that Hermione let herself take a break. She had cut out some more cookies from the remaining dough and put some in the freezer until there was no room left. She made care packages for her friends but there still were too many cookies.
„Goddamit! What the fuck am I supposed to do with all of them” She was pissed at herself but baking was her outlet, how she relieved stress. There were some periods during the year when she couldn’t keep it in and just had to do something. Christmas was one of those.
To keep herself busy she decided she would drive around the city and deliver the baked goods to her friends, after all, they had to somehow get them and asking all of them to come. Ere was just rude in her mind. They all were rushing to be home as soon as they could.
After running around the city for most of the afternoon she decided to go to the store, needed more stress relievers so she had bought herself a bottle of wine. As she was coming back it had started snowing, a true miracle considering the usual English weather. Hermione smiled to herself, maybe this wasn’t going to be such a bad evening after all.
As she walked into her building she saw a tall blonde man, their neighbor Draco. To be fair he was more than a neighbor, he was a very good friend. Draco smiled as he saw her and waved excitedly. He was sure he was the only one of his friends that was left in the town.
„What are you doing here Granger, I thought you were going to spend the break with the Weasleys.” He said as he let her go up the stairs before him.
Hermione had to turn around and started walking backward. The staircase was so narrow that she had mastered this skill to perfection.
„I’m going there a bit later, today it’s just me, how about you? Is the posh boy not going to spend the holidays at the manor?” Hermione teased as Draco pretended to be offended. She knew that he hated when somebody brought up his status.
„Well, my parents are spending the eve at my aunt’s, a truly horrible woman so I decided to go there tomorrow to minimize the possibility of seeing her.” Draco shrugged.
Hermione pondered for a second as they went up to the fourth floor. „Well since you are free tonight …”
„Who said I was free,” Draco interrupted her with a smirk.
„Well, aren’t you?” Hermione looked skeptically. Draco used to bring girls over, she has encountered them multiple times, but she has never seen one more than once, there was no way Draco was spending the evening with one of them.
„I am but you were too quick to assume I wasn’t. Had to temper you there.
„Now I’m just irritated, And here I wanted to invite you over for some cookies and wine,” she said as she lifted up the bottle. „But I guess the offer still stands if you want to spend the evening with some company. We can watch a movie or just get drunk and maybe a bit high?”
Draco smiled smugly. „I’m on it. I’ll be over in a minute, you can pour the wine babe.” He walked into his apartment.
Hermione blushed unwillingly and opened her door. She was gonna admit, Draco was handsome but completely out of her league, it was better than they were friends, she didn’t fancy her heart being broken again.
After she undressed she went into the kitchen and poured the wine as Draco asked her to. A couple of minutes later she heard the door being open. „Close them will ya,” she asked. „Sure, do you think I am some sort of caveman?” Draco stopped as he walked into the kitchen. „You are a madwoman Granger, Who the fuck do you think will eat all of the cookies?”
She looked confused „Umm, you? That’s why you’re here.” She passed him a glass of wine.
—————
It was a couple of hours later, they were on the balcony, the sky was clear and it was no longer snowing. Nonetheless, Hermione had wrapped a blanket around their shoulders and they were cuddled together. Only to keep the heat of course. To be fair, Hermione’s mind has been a bit clouded from all the weed and wine.
„Honesty, with you being so rich I would never think you would pick this building to live in,” Hermione said as she passed him her tea.
„It’s cozy and nice,” Draco shrugged and gratefully took the warm mug from her. He wasn’t the most sober either, on top of that he was tired but he felt way too comfortable sitting next to his friend.
„Yeah if you like rats and that tiny bit of mold in the basement.” It still made her feel a bit sick when she thought about it but there is no way she was moving out. It’s not like there was a lot left of her uni and she really liked living in her tiny flat with Ginny. She was just teasing Draco, seeing how far she could push him.
„Hey, don’t offend our building. It has history,” the boy decided that he could play this game as well.
„Mhm, yeah sure, of dying tenants and mice heartbreaks. I saw your mom chase one with a broom.” They both laughed, it was sure a sight to see, Draco thought to himself. His usually snobby mother, yes he loved her but had no problem admitting that the woman was stuck up, chasing a mouse and screaming for dear life as she murdered the poor animal. That’s actually how they met, he was just moving in and all the noise lured Ginny and Harmony out of their apartment. They were even kind enough to invite them over for a cup of tea, in order to calm down Narcissa. It was very much appreciated, at that time his flat wasn’t furnished and his cabinets were still empty.
„You are a good person Hermione, and I am grateful to have you in my life,” Draco didn’t know where it was coming from, he just felt so much love at this moment. Not sure if it was because of the substances he decided against acting on his other impulses as Hermione laid her head on his shoulder.
„Thank you Draco, I think you are amazing and definitely shouldn't ever move out from next to me,” her words weren’t making much sense but her eyelids felt heavy and she didn’t have it in her right now to pay attention to what she was saying. Draco felt it was his cue to go.
As much as he didn’t want to, he knew that it was the responsible thing to do. He gently started to rise up and pulled the girl along with him. „Come on, let’s get you to bed.” At his words, Hermione opened her eyes and was suddenly very awake.
„But you will take the cookies, right?” Draco laughed, this girl was so important to him.
„Of course I will hun, need to bring something with me back home don’t I?” They walked into the kitchen and Hermione pulled out a box, not just a standard Tupperware, this one was a nice cardboard one decorated with gold ribbons. If it was going to be a gift she had to make it presentable, even if it was the last thing she wanted to at 2 a.m. on Christmas Day.
„There you go,” she handed him the box and Draco kissed her cheek, not sure himself why he did it. His lips felt so soft against her skin but yet Hermione froze in place and as she wanted to say something Draco was long gone, disappear through the door and left behind just the smell of his cologne and red wine.