* Twelve Days *

Hogsmeade Station. It was right before Christmas of their fifth year and it would be the first year yet that the three best friends wouldn't all be together on Christmas morning.

At first Hermione had wanted to remain at Hogwarts as she always did, but her parents wanted her to come home to visit her Grandmother, who was very ill. Ron and Harry would miss her a lot of course, but they had made a few plans for the snowball fight of the century. And obviously they were planning to neglect all of the homework they'd been assigned over the hols. Avoiding homework was infinitesimally less difficult when Hermione wasn't there. So all in all this was still shaping up to be quite a pleasant Christmas vacation.

Or so Ron thought…

***

The last day of the fall term that year was December 10. This made for a very long vacation, something that was better than almost any other Christmas present the students could have expected. All except Ron Weasley. By December 13^th, he was bored out of his gourd and rather annoyed at Harry and Ginny.

Ginny, who knew that Harry liked Cho, had not been her bubbly little self as of late either. It seemed that whole situation was bothering her more than usual and she tended to spend her days wandering the castle mournfully singing Christmas carols like 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' and 'The Twelve Days of Christmas.' Ron had had both of them stuck in his head all throughout the previous day. Ron was pretty much fed up with everyone, well except Hermione, but she wasn't there, so that was to be expected.

Ron was currently trying to stay awake as he gazed blurry-eyed into the common room fire. Just as he was losing the battle with his steadily drooping eyelids, a discordant song broke the evening peace.

"We wish you a Merry Christmas! We wish you a Merry Christmas! We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!" Ron rubbed his weary eyes and turned them toward the middle of the common room. There, standing on a table, singing like inebriated goats, but with far less harmonizing talent, were the Creevey brothers. "Good tidings we bring to you and your kin. Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year!"

Ron groaned and tried to block out the sounds with a pillow, but the singing only seemed to be growing louder. Ron glanced up again and saw that now Neville Longbottom had joined in the Creevey brothers' out-of-key rendition of a former holiday favorite. Ron noticed that each of the three musical offenders was holding mug of Butterbeer. 'And I thought you couldn't get drunk on Butterbeer'.

"Oh bring us a figgy pudding! Oh bring us a figgy pudding! Oh bring us a figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer." 'Make it stop!' "And we won't go until we get some. We won't go until we get some! We won't go until we get some, so bring some out…" Loud and joyous applause broke out as Seamus and Dean, presumably tired of the horrible singing, threw what appeared to be figgy pudding at Colin, Dennis, and Neville.

"Oi! We were spreading holiday cheer!" Piped up Colin.

"Yeah!" squeaked Neville. He immediately stopped talking as he saw the murderous glances he was receiving from his fellow Gryffindors.

"Why don't you go spread some holiday cheer to the Slytherins?" A helpful second year suggested with a smirk.

"Right!" The three not-so-tenors, still feeling the effects of the Butterbeer, decided this was a brilliant idea and moments later they were on their way to the Slytherin dungeons.

Ron, not able to take the new round of singing that had commenced at their departure ('Joy to the World, the three gits are gone! Let Slytherins cover their ears…'), headed upstairs to his dorm. In the Gryffindor dorm, lying on his bed Harry was flipping through Chocolate Frog cards and testing flavors of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Ron rolled his eyes at his brooding friend and sat down at his desk.

The first thing he noticed was a pile of highly inedible rock cakes Hagrid had given him the previous day. Next his eyes fell on a picture of Harry, Hermione and himself laughing by the lake. Finally he glanced at the stationary set his parents presented him with on his last birthday. 'Hermione…stationary set…Hermione…stationary set…aha! Writing letters counts as something to do! ' Before he'd really thought much about it, Ron had written a letter to Hermione, packed up the rock cakes and sent the letter and the package off with Pig.

***

Back at home, Hermione was entirely bored as well. She had been home only a day and already was feeling that she'd rather be doing anything, including trying to give her water-phobic cat a bath, than just sitting on her bed staring out the window. It was as she gazed out the window for the eighteenth time that she spotted Ron's minute owl Pig fluttering tiredly outside. Instantly Hermione leapt up and raced over to open the window. Pig flew in, hooted appreciatively and flopped onto her bed.

Eager to see how Harry and Ron were doing, Hermione tore open the letter and read:

Dear Hermione,

I am really excruciatingly bored. I am so bored I would willingly listen to Professor Binns if I saw him. In fact if something interesting doesn't happen soon, I may just go seek him out. That's how bad it is.

Normally I would tag around with Fred and George, however I haven't seen them lately. I have a strong suspicion that they are testing new Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and I don't want to come across them while they are looking for a guinea pig. I learned that lesson when they made my bear grow spider legs.

Well back to the point of this letter. You see I need to entertain myself whilst my only non-seriously depressed friend is away. (What about Harry and Ginny you say. Simple: Harry is sad because Cho went home and Ginny is moping because she is still in love with him and thankfully he doesn't return her feelings. I know that sounds mean, but my best friend and my little sister. Yech.)

Thus I need something to do. And in case you don't know (though I doubt there is anything you don't know) today is December 13. Do you know what that means? It's twelve days before Christmas. So to preserve my sanity I am going to write you every day through Christmas. Also I plan to send you a small present with each letter. I know in the muggle Christmas carol, it starts with one thing and works to twelve, but I'll go in reverse. So here are twelve of Hagrid's rock cakes. Yummy!

Never fear, it will be better tomorrow. I promise.

-Ron

***

Ron woke up on the 14th in a considerably better mood than he had been when he fell asleep the night before. No more boredom, today he had a purpose. Ron dressed quickly and began to think on what he could get Hermione that day. As he was about to leave the dorm, he spotted a pile of Harry's uneaten chocolate frogs from the previous night. Ron collected them in his hand and found that by sheer coincidence there were 11 frogs left. He smiled, made a mental to buy Harry some chocolate frogs for Christmas and headed to the common room.

When he made it there he found his lazy owl Pig asleep on an armchair. As he asked whichever higher powers might be listening why everything he owned was in some way defective or overused, Ron deftly removed Hermione's reply from Pig's leg.

Ron smiled and sprinted back to the dormitory to grab a quill and some parchment. He scrawled out a brief message and before Pig was even truly conscience, he was being sent out into the icy air once more.

Ron didn't have time to stall. He needed 10 more days worth of gifts and he hadn't even the slightest idea what to get her. Ron didn't even realize how much he was smiling until he arrived at the Great Hall and sat down for breakfast across the table from a much quieter Neville Longbottom.

"What are you so chipper about this morning?" Neville asked after about five minutes of silence.

"Me? Nothing really. I dunno, you know how sometimes you just get into a really great mood?" Neville scowled in response. "What's wrong?" Ron asked.

"The Slytherins. That lot cursed us so many times last night, I thought I'd never see straight again."

"Well," said Ron standing up, "no offense, but that wasn't very bright of you to go down there." Neville continued to scowl, so Ron decided to leave, but not before whistling a few verses of 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas' to irk Neville.

As soon as Ron made his way from the Great Hall, he set off for Hogsmeade. The students were aloud to go there every day during the hols so long as they returned before nightfall. Just as he was stepping into the grounds, Ron noticed a patch of beautiful flowers over along the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Normally flowers wouldn't have caught Ron's attention, the only reason he even noticed was that it seemed a little odd for there to be flowers blooming through the snow in the middle of winter. He couldn't help but stare at them for a few moments and think that Hermione might enjoy seeing them as well. But at that time, he had more important things to concern himself with.

***

It was nearly noon when Pig arrived at Hermione's again. She was outside making a snowman with her mother when Pig's high-pitched hooting reached her ears.

"Who is that from dear?" Mrs. Granger asked as Hermione pulled the package from Pig.

"Ron."

"Ohhhh…" Hermione glanced at her mother. She knew that 'ohhhh' that was the word her mother used when she thought something was going on. Hermione hated that 'ohhhh.'

"Ohhhh what?"

"Oh, nothing." Hermione glared. "Well it's just that, isn't that the boy who wrote you last night?" Hermione nodded. "The redhead right?" Hermione nodded again. 'Please don't say it Mom, please.' "He's cute."

"MOM!"

"Well he is. And I think he fancies you!" By this point Hermione had covered her ears and was hurrying toward the front door. Pig was following her flying around in loops, very proud of himself for having made another successful delivery.

Once in the safety of her room, away from her obviously confused mother, Hermione proceeded to open the package and read Ron's latest letter.

Dear Herms,

Sorry about the nickname, I'm in a bit of a rush. Finding twelve days worth of presents is really a lot more difficult than I thought. However it is far better than counseling my lovesick friend and little sister. These are, well were, Harry's chocolate frogs. There just happened to be 11 left so I felt it was fate they be yours. I also thought you could use some candy seeing as your parents don't let you have sweets that much. Just don't tell Harry I took them. But this is truly for his own good; I mean he was making himself sick with all these sweets. Well I have to go find your next gift.

-Ron

As Hermione popped one chocolate frog in her mouth, she ran down to the Christmas tree in the center of her living room. She pulled a candy cane from it and ran back to her room. Candy canes were absolutely the only sweets that the Grangers ever allowed in their house; after all it was Christmas.

She tied the candy cane to Pig's leg with a red ribbon and wrote a brief reply to her friend before going downstairs for lunch. 'Hmm…and I was worried that this year would be horrible away from Ron and Harry for the holidays. I guess I never realized how cute, no I mean how thoughtful Ron could be. Yeah thoughtful.'

***

***

Ron was right. When Hermione received the cluster of flowers the next day, she was speechless for about a minute and a half. After this record period of no talking, she crossed the room to her desk eager to express how grateful she was. Hermione couldn't think of what to write however. Every time she started a sentence her eyes would catch the flowers, which she had placed in a vase on her desk. Each time she looked at them she was dazzled and all thoughts escaped her for a moment or two. Finally she managed to write a brief, if not somewhat incoherent letter. The letter basically said this:

She sent the reply back as soon as she had written it and proceeded to pull her coat off its hanger in the closet. Her parents were taking her to see her grandmother. She had been just about to leave when Ron's owl arrived. Hermione walked to the door and turned off the lights before glancing one last time at the flowers. She was about to head downstairs, when instead she walked back into the room and removed one of the flowers from the vase. 'This flower would definitely cheer Grandmum up. I hope she'll be better soon.' With that thought she closed the door to her room behind her and walked to the garage where her parents were waiting for her in the car.

***

Hermione's Grandmother didn't get better though. A few hours after Hermione and her parents returned home from the hospital, a nurse called to tell them that she'd slipped into a coma. Hermione's parents went back to the hospital leaving Hermione to sit at home and think on everything that was happening. She'd never been very close to her grandmother, but she still didn't like seeing either of her parents so upset. During the following days, Hermione's parents were in and out of the house all day. Hermione was rarely able to go to the hospital with them anymore because they'd moved her grandmother to an area that was off limits to anyone under the age of 18.

That week would've been completely miserable except for the fact that Ron was sending her something every day. He'd sent nine cauldron cakes, eight Ever Glow candles, a silver necklace with seven shimmering charms, six new quills (one was even a phoenix feather), and on the 20th he sent her five Euterpe Faeries that he'd found at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Euterpe Faeries are much more pleasant than their cousins, the pixies. Most people in the Wizarding World never see Euterpe Faeries, but only hear their beautiful singing. However the ones Ron found were very friendly and agreed to go sing to Hermione for an entire day. They only asked that Ron not tell anyone else he'd seen them in return for the favor. Ron obliged and sent the Faeries off to follow Pig to Hermione's house.

Hermione was completely enthralled by their harmonious singing and beautiful tunes. They stayed the entire day, and when they finally left at sunset, Hermione was certainly sad to see them go. Crookshanks was pleased though. Cats for the most part don't like strange magical creatures. As a result Crookshanks was agitated all during the day of the visit. When Hermione wrote Ron thanking him for the Faeries, she briefly mentioned this as well.

Ron, knowing how much that orange fur ball meant to Hermione sent along four catnip dwarves the next day.

Dear Hermione,

I thought they might bother ickle Crooky-poo so I'm making up for it in today's gift. I found these little catnip dwarf dolls in a store at Hogsmeade. Please give these to Crookshanks along with my sincerest apologies about the Faeries.

I also wanted to ask you how long you normally stay up on Christmas Eve. I'm having a little trouble finding a gift for the last day and I don't want to wake you when I send it. Write you tomorrow.

-Ron

***

5 hours later…

"Oh come on Lavender! You have to have some idea what she wants besides make-uppy goo."

"First of all Ronald Weasley, lip-gloss is most certainly not goo! And second of all I have no inkling as to what Hermione could want."

"But you've been roommates with her for five and a half years!"

"You're right. And in all those five and a half years I have never seen her use lip-gloss at all. Now get out!" SLAM. Lavender had pushed Ron backward out of the Gryffindor 5th year girls' dorm and promptly slammed the heavy door on his toe.

"OWWWWWWWW!" Ron muttered a few more colorful words before stalking back to his dorm. It was very late now and Ron stumbled into the dorm on his injured toe to find that everyone was already asleep, even Pig. Ron sighed, resolved that he would find something tomorrow, and drifted off to sleep.

***

"Hermione! Hermione wake up!" Hermione slowly turned over and rubbed her eyes. She'd been dreaming that Ron sent the Faeries again and they were singing, when suddenly they began to yell her name.

"Hermione!" Wait, that had been her mother. Hermione sat up and made her way to the door of her bedroom. Standing at the bottom of the stairs, wearing her nightgown was Hermione's mother.

"What is it Mum?" Hermione mumbled.

"The hospital just called dear. Grandmum woke up this morning. Your father and I are going to see her a few minutes. I just didn't want you to worry. You can go back to sleep now if you like." Hermione would have been extremely happy except that she was much too tired. 8:30 is very early to wake up when you're on holiday.

'Not that early for Ron though.' Hermione mused upon entering her room. For there, perched on her bed, desk, and windowsill were three large school owls. Each of them was carrying a medium sized rectangular package wrapped in brown paper. Hermione relieved each of its burden and read Ron's note.

Dear Hermione,

No, I am absolutely going to send you something on the last (first) day. But until then, here's some light holiday reading. You'll note that I sent three because this is the third day and also because that other git is too slimy to have his biography read. 'Til tomorrow.

Hermione was utterly puzzled by what he meant until she opened the packages. Each one was a very thick leather-bound biography of one of the Hogwarts four. The only one missing was Salazar Slytherin's biography. Hermione grinned widely as she opened Godric Gryffindor's biography and began to read. Reading was definitely her favorite thing to do. 'Today is going to be wonderful.'

***

"Today is going to be horrible!" Ron bellowed at no one in particular. It was now the 23rd (the second day) and he had just sent off Hermione's present. This was one of the gifts that Ron was most proud of. He'd found the most beautiful pair of cobalt blue earrings. And while he knew that Hermione would treasure them, right now he was very stressed.

'ACK! Ok I have one whole day to find her something. No, really two. I can look all day today and tomorrow. Mmm…I'm hungry. No! No, I am not hungry. I have to find a gift. Just one, it'll be easy…(whiny voice) what am I gonna do?'

As Ron was slowly going insane, Harry strolled into their dorm. He had been considerably happier as of late because one of Cho's Ravenclaw friends had given him a present from Cho that morning. Her friend told him that she'd wanted to give him the present before she left, but couldn't find him anywhere. He didn't have a care in the world…except the fact that his best friend was pacing about rapidly, muttering to himself, and running his hand through his hair so much Harry was sure it would fall out.

"Uh, Ron are you alright?" Ron looked at Harry as though he'd only just noticed he was there.

"No…well I don't know what to get Hermione. I only have to get her one more thing, and besides the fact that I'm a bit low on money I am really low on ideas of what to get."

"Why do you care so much?" Harry asked with an amused expression on his face.

"What?" Ron seemed completely bewildered. Why would anyone ask why he cared. He just did.

"Why do you care so much?" Harry repeated slowly. "I mean you've been sending her something everyday and didn't she say she didn't care if you couldn't find anything?"

"Well yeah."

"So, why are you torturing yourself over this?" Ron tried to think of an answer, but he kept coming to bizarre conclusions (like that he liked Hermione and other silly reasons). So instead of answering Harry, he decided to take a walk.

It was far too cold to go outside, so Ron was confined to wandering the stone halls of the school. He wasn't paying much attention to where he was going and therefore didn't realize that he was on a collision course with the Headmaster.

"Mr. Weasley, you should be more careful. I doubt you'd like it if you accidentally ran through one of the ghosts. Quite an unpleasant experience that."

"Sorry sir." Ron mumbled.

"Is there something troubling you today?" Dumbledore inquired kindly.

Ron sighed and proceeded to explain the whole situation to Professor Dumbledore. As he spoke, Ron became more desperate and more worried about the whole problem. He didn't want to disappoint Hermione.

"Hmm…you know Mr. Weasley, I believe I may have just the thing." Ron looked up not believing his ears. Dumbledore's clear eyes were twinkling as he smiled at his student.

"Really?"

"Yes, I believe I do. Meet me tomorrow night in my office at 9 o'clock sharp." Ron couldn't help but be worried that this would be too late, but Dumbledore reassured him. "The gift will arrive there in time, I give you my word." Ron nodded and Dumbledore smiled once more. "Now I have some business to take care of, but I will see you tomorrow."

"Bye! And thank you sir!"

When Ron reappeared that evening in the Great Hall, he was markedly more cheerful. Harry grinned as he wondered what could have caused such a large change.

"Found a gift did you?" He asked as Ron took a seat.

"Yes I did." Ron didn't give any details and instead began to shovel food onto his plate.

"And…what is it?"

"Well, to be honest I don't know. But I'm sure it'll be great." Harry stared at his best friend anxiously. This wasn't normal. But Ron ignored him, finished his dinner and basically acted like himself until bedtime. So maybe he wasn't insane, just a little odd Harry thought.

***

Hermione walked through her living room for the seventh time that half-hour. It was Christmas Eve and she was alone. Her parents were at the hospital again and though they had apologized profusely and even offered to let Hermione open one of her Christmas presents early, she still felt extremely bored and rather sad.

And to make things worse, she hadn't received anything from Ron yet. True, the earrings he'd sent her the previous day were unbelievably beautiful and more than enough for 100 Christmases and true, she had told him not to worry about it, but she didn't really want him to take her up on that. Oh well. Hermione decided to cease wandering aimlessly through her house and took a seat on the sofa. It wasn't long before the quiet of the house put her to sleep.

***

'8:45, better go.' Ron stood up and headed toward the portrait hole. He didn't want to be late, he'd have to send the owl off in time to reach Hermione before Christmas morning.

As he approached Professor Dumbledore's office, he saw that the Headmaster was waiting for him next to the gargoyle guarding the entrance.

"Ahh, Mr. Weasley, right on time." Dumbledore was smiling as his hands were hidden behind his back. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah." Ron replied excitedly, he couldn't wait to see what Dumbledore had. Slowly the Headmaster moved his hands in front of him. One was empty; the other clutched something Ron wasn't able to see. Finally Dumbledore opened his hand to reveal an Every Flavor Bean. 'An Every Flavor Bean? Is he serious?' Dumbledore continued to smile.

"Um sir?"

"Open your hand Mr. Weasley." Ron did so, though he was still highly skeptical. "Now you must promise me one thing."

"What?" Ron was trying very hard not to sound ungrateful, but really an Every Flavor Bean!

"Do try to be back before Christmas morning." Ron stared at him puzzledly as Dumbledore dropped the Bean into Ron's right hand. 'Back before morning? What is he talking…AHHHHHHH!' Ron felt the familiar pull behind his navel and the rush as he zoomed through space. After a few minutes he felt himself slow down and stop. He opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Hermione asleep on a white sofa.

***

Hermione thought she heard something hit the floor in front of her somewhere. Slowly she forced her eyes open. Immedialty she shut them again. 'I did not just see that. Ron Weasley is not standing in the middle of my living room.' She opened her eyes once more.

"Hey Hermione." Ron said as he waved rather sheepishly. Hermione just looked at him and began to laugh. "What?" Ron demanded.

"Oh nothing." She replied giggling as she did so.

"What?"

"Well, does this mean you're my present?" Ron smiled sheepishly again and Hermione resumed laughing until Ron glared at her.

"And just what is soooo humorous about that?"

"Nothing at all, I was just thinking, I like the earrings better."

"Hey!"

"You know I'm joking." Ron glared for a moment longer, then smiled and walked closer to her.

"They do look pretty on you." He said as he reached up to brush some hair behind her left ear.

"Thanks." She replied looking down. Ron noticed almost right away that she was blushing. As he was pondering this, Harry's words came back to him. "Why do you care so much?" Then it hit him. Ron looked back down at Hermione who was currently studying the pattern of her living room carpet.

"Merry Christmas Hermione." She glanced up at him. 'What did he mean by that?' Hermione only had a brief chance to wonder before Ron sealed his statement with a kiss. 'Oh. That's what he meant. Well he should wish me a Merry Christmas more often.' Ron and Hermione smiled inwardly as they continued to kiss and they both agreed that this was the best Christmas present either of them had ever received.

***

Thanks for reading! And triple thanks if you review. Now Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!