Dear readers: A little holiday ditty I penned from years past... posting in an effort to try to rouse my muse...

"Hermione, there's something wrong with the socket outside, take care with what you put in it."

Hermione turned to acknowledge her father who was still in the house, but not before Malfoy apparated into her parent's garage. The loud bang has her leaping into the air.

"Malfoy!" she admonished, slapping his shoulder. "You can't apparate into my parent's house without warning!"

"You were gone too long. I was bored. A kiss, hello, Granger?"

"Ugh! No! I'm filthy."

"That never stopped me before," he said, waggling his eyebrows. She rolled her eyes. Sometimes her boyfriend was such a wretch.

"I told you I was going to be here all afternoon. Go play with your friends!"

"You are my friend. I'm here because I want to play with you," he says, seductively. When his sultry look does nothing to incite her passion, he shrugs. "What are you doing, anyway?" He frowned at the scattered Christmas paraphenalia strewn across the concrete floor. "Is this some sort of yuletide massacre?"

"Merlin's sake, Malfoy! I'm helping put the Christmas decorations up. DON'T TOUCH THAT!"

Draco yanked his hand back from the thing he wasn't supposed to touch. It looked odd, laying on its side, like some paralyzed animal.

"What is it?"

"It's Rudolph, of course!" she explained impatiently.

"What?!"

"Draco, the red-nosed reindeer!"

"I'm neither red-nosed nor a reindeer, Granger."

Thoroughly irritated, she turned to her iPod encased in speakers, prodding at it until Gene Autry's voice rang out.

"You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen."

"I think I met those bints at the pub last night," Draco quipped.

"Draco! Shut it and listen!"

"Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose. And if you ever saw him, you would even say it glows."

"Like Weasley's hair?" the blond snickered.

"Draco, listen to the story!"

"There's a story?"

"Ugh!" Hermione turned to reset the song. She stared at him pointedly. Since he still wished to win a kiss, Draco tried valiantly to appear interested.

"All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names. They never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games."

"If Rudolph looked as bizarre as Potter and his scar, of course they'd call him names! That's what kids do, Granger, even reindeer ones. This is no story, it's fact."

"You would side with the bullies, Malfoy! You're incorrigible!"

"And you love me for it, Granger," he replied cheekily. "Now, can I cast a scourgify and claim my kiss?"

"No!" she huffed. "Why should I, when you won't even listen to one of my favorite Christmas carols?"

"Fine!" he said, turning to shove a finger at the do-hickey she was messing with earlier.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT!"

"You touched it!"

"Malfoy, you're making this day much harder than it's supposed to be!"

"It's supposed to be hard?" he inquired, warily nudging the toppled reindeer with a toe. "Why is the Rudolph stupefied in your parent's house, anyway?"

"I've got to help dad bring him to the rooftop. It's not Christmas until Rudolph's standing and properly lit."

"Like a candle?"

"No! Like a lightbulb, Malfoy!"

Draco blinked.

She muttered something disparaging about Purebloods and their stiflingly proper Christmas celebrations.

"Will you use levitation?" he asked.

"No magic. Muggle London, remember?"

"You'll risk life and limb to bring that thing up to the top of your house?" he questioned with alarm. "Are you mental?"

"We do it every year, Malfoy."

"Not this year!"

"You can't tell me what to do! I came here to help my father and that's what I mean to do!"

"No girlfriend of mine is going to risk injury doing something as asinine as putting up ridiculous reindeer statues three times her size on top of a building where she might fall and break her neck! Let me talk to your father."

"You've never even met my father!" she yelled, horrified at the possibility of such a thing. "Besides, he won't listen to the likes of you!"

"Hermione, are yo—" Mr. Granger poked his head into the garage, wondering why his daughter was shouting. He stopped short, having spied a fair-haired young man scowling at her. Hermione's father loudly cleared his throat to announce his presence.

"Mr. Granger!" Draco said smoothly, turning to meet the taller man eye-to-eye. "Hermione tells me it's her responsibility to bring that... reindeer to the rooftop. I, Sir, would like to offer my assistance in her stead."

"And you are?"

"Draco Malfoy, at your service, Sir."

"Hermione?"

"He fancies himself my boyfriend," she explained grumpily, receiving an annoyed glare from Draco. "He wishes to protect me."

"Isn't he the one who made your life miserable at Hogwarts?"

"Water under the bridge, sir," interrupted Draco, disliking the conversation's trajectory. "I've assured Hermione that my youthful ignorance of how to properly show affection led to that boorish behavior. I've since learned other, more convincing ways t—"

At Mr. Granger's raised eyebrow and the formation of a scowl rivaling that of the most notorious of Slytherins, had Draco's assurances fading with his voice. The man in front of him might not know magic, but Draco still found him quite scary.

"There are some tricky moves required for the task. You seem..." Mr. Granger, paused to critically assess Draco's fine clothes and baby soft hands, "ill-equipped to handle it.'

Draco sent him an injured look.

"Yet, you still wish to assist me with Rudolph?" Mr. Granger asked in a tone only a suspicious father could manage.

Though Draco mentally shuddered at the question, he nodded emphatically.

With a hearty slap to Draco's back, Mr Granger started out. The manly gesture left the blond a bit off kilter while Hermione grimaced.

"Well, then, Draco, don't dawdle!" Mr. Granger shouted. "Bring the reindeer."

"Don't drag it!" Hermione hissed. "Do you want him to slaughter you?"

Draco sent her a piteous stares, hoping she'd recognize his silent plea for help, but the merciless witch, still miffed by his unexpected intrusion ignored him. When her father slipped around the corner, Draco tugged at her elbow.

"A kiss for luck, then?"

She shook her head. "You got yourself into this, Malfoy. Luck won't save you now. Listen to his instructions and do as he says. I'll be down here to cushion your fall."

"Always expecting the best from me, Granger."

"I'm just being practical. You'll get your kiss when you're done."

"Promise?"

"Yes! Now, go!" she quite nearly growled, shoving him forward to catch up with her father.

Draco learned many a Muggle thing that hour. Without a broom, he discovered the value of ladder rungs as he propelled himself skyward. Nails, extremely useful when one was without sticking charms. But hammers... hammers were blasted nuisances. An ill applied swing of the tool had him striking his own thumb. The shock was instantaneously followed with the fright associated with the new knowledge of how effective gravity pulled on a wizard's body when he was without his wand.

Profanity flew from his mouth as he fell. Hermione's father shouted at him to hold on, all the while scolding Draco for his foul mouth, one he'd loudly hoped hadn't yet touched his daughter. Still sliding, Draco's foot at last found purchase in what Hermione informed him was a rain gutter, full of a mucked up collection of leaves and mushy things he could barely contemplate his fine leather soles touching.

"Are you quite alright?!" she shouted from below. "Quite," he replied shakily, inwardly cursing this time.

"Ready to call it quits, Draco?" Mr. Granger called merrily from above, but only after assessing the boy's safety. "Hermione's much better at this. It would be safer if she was helping."

This was the worst thing to say to Draco, as it only strengthened his resolve. Stubbornly, he climbed over to the now upright reindeer, grabbing hold of Mr. Granger's outstretched hand. Together they finished lashing it to the roof.

Back on the ground, quite satisfied with himself, Draco sauntered over to Hermione who was holding an orange cord. Smiling, she offered it to him

"I thought you might do the honors this year." Confused, he took the cord and her offered hand.

"Put the prongs in there."

"What'll happen?" he asked suspiciously, staring at the strange holes in the wall.

"You'll see."

He positioned the plug, turning to her before pushing it in.

She joined her hand to his, helping him guide the plug in while her lips touched his. At the meeting of mouths, an incredible surge of energy coursed through both of their bodies. A tingling sensation shot through him, from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. Together their hands dropped from the plug and their eyes flew open, quite literally shocked.

She giggled at the sight of him. Each silky strand on his head stood on end. A wisp of smoke curled up from the tallest, slightly singed lock nearest his forehead.

"Merlin, Hermione, that was some kiss," he croaked, wide-eyed.

"Electric," she whispered, understanding dawning. "Faulty socket."

"What?"

"Never mind, Malfoy. Look!"

His gaze followed her pointing finger to rest on Rudolph and his blinking red nose.

"Now, it's officially Christmas."

"All because of a fake reindeer, Granger?"

"No, Draco. All because of you."

Smiling up at him, she offered Draco another kiss.