This is a Draco/Hermione one-shot I wrote with the idea of them making a Christmas cake together - or at least trying to do it.

The Characters are probably OCC for it takes place after Hogwarts and I don't follow canon so if you don't like that type of stories, it may be better for you not to read this one.

As always, I apologize for the mistakes, I'm not an English woman so please be indulgent =D

A belated Merry Christmas to you! and I hope you'll enjoy your reading!

Elie

They Cook

She steadied herself by holding the counter. She was laughing so hard she feared, if she let go of it, she might collapse on the floor.

"Stop laughing Granger."

The threatening tone made her laugh harder.

"Granger."

He only called her by her last name when he was angry. She should stop, it wasn't very nice of her to make fun of him, yet she couldn't help it.

"Well, tell me when you're over." He turned to leave the kitchen.

"Don't step out of that room Draco Malfoy!" she immediately exclaimed. "I don't want to have flour all over my house!"

"Then stop laughing! And give me instructions I can follow."

"You are the one who wanted to cook."

"And you the one who would help," he retorted. "How did you want me not to mess up when you lead me with such bad instructions!"

"I said I'd help only because I didn't trust you to be alone in a kitchen - my kitchen - and I was right, wasn't I?" she chuckled while pointing at the table.

Even she had never transformed the room in such a mess during her rare attempts to cook something.

"Right," Draco replied, "you're more used to destroying it."

Hermione's smile dropped.

"Do you think your mixture is edible?" she attacked back while dipping a finger in the brown pastry.

"I've followed the recipe!"

"Are you sure?"

Hermione was looking askance at her finger.

"Granger," Draco growled.

Her eyes went wide open after she'd quickly licked the mixture.

"So bad?" he sighed.

Hermione blinked.

"You could at least say something."

She blinked again.

"Granger!"

"That's... that's rather..."

"Can't you be faster?" Draco stamped.

"That's..."

"We're making some big progress there."

"Draco you..."

"And now comes my name, when will I get the rest?"

Hermione frowned. "Stop being a prat!" she scolded him. "If you were a little more patient you'd already know it doesn't taste as bad as I thought it would."

Draco's eyes lightened. "So it's good?"

"Not too bad," Hermione mumbled. She didn't want him to get cocky now or else she'd never hear the end of it.

"So it's good."

"You're not so terrible."

"So it's good!"

"Yes it is!" Hermione shouted while stamping in a childish way.

Draco beamed at her. "I knew it."

She sighed. "Well, it's only the pastry. It doesn't mean the whole cake will be a success."

He waved her remark away while taking back his place in front of the floured table. "You're jealous because you're a bad cook. I won't listen to anything you say. I know my cake will be awesome!"

"If you say so," Hermione shrugged before leaving him alone.

She might have said she'd help him, but it seemed he didn't need her help – any help in fact – at all. He only needed her kitchen – for nobody else had agreed to lend him theirs.

Hermione collapsed on the couch, planning to finish her book before everything went into flames. She might have acknowledged Draco's pastry was good, yet she didn't trust his patience at all. One little thing not going like it should would be sufficient to annoy him. Then, once she'd have heard the first curses, she'd have to act quickly if she didn't want her house to be destroyed. Somehow she was regretting the time when they couldn't use magic outside of the castle.

"Where is the sugar?"

"Where you've put it."

"No, it isn't there!"

"Then look in the cupboard, perhaps you've put it back there."

"No, I'm sure I haven't!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I haven't touched anything in the kitchen, so the sugar is where you've put it."

Draco's head suddenly appeared by the door.

"I said, it isn't where it should be!" he growled.

She waved his anger away. "You're the master of the kitchen, aren't you? Then I'm the one of this couch and I'd like to read in peace," she replied with a calm she was far from feeling.

Hurt in her pride, Hermione could be as much of a brat as him.

"Moron," he mumbled under his breath.

"I consider that a compliment, thank you," she sniggered.

Draco held back a comment. He should have known she'd hear him - she always heard him.

He went back to the kitchen, turned three times around the table, growled, turned once more around the table, growled again before stopping dead in front of the cupboard – which he hadn't opened when Hermione'd advised him to do it.

But the sugar couldn't be inside, could it? He couldn't have put it back, he'd remember it if he had... wouldn't he?

"Her-" he cut himself off. He didn't want her to be more upset than she already was.

He wasn't stupid, he knew she was vexed because he was better than her at cooking. Well, at least he hadn't destroyed the kitchen since the beginning – he'd already finished one half of the recipe and nothing had gone wrong... yet.

Now he had to find that damned sugar if he wanted to go on.

To open the cupboard or not to open the cupboard, that was the question.

Draco pondered several seconds before giving up, he didn't have any other choice but to open it. He inhaled deeply then restrained a swearword with difficulty. The sugar was there, where he had first taken it and automatically put back.

"Have you found it?"

Hermione had never been able to resist her own curiosity.

"Of course!" he replied with a confidence he was far from feeling.

"Do you need help?" she asked only to be polite.

"No thanks."

She silently nodded.

"Er... Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know where the chocolate is?"

She turned to see only his head appearing from the room. "What-" words failed her as she started to laugh uncontrollably.

Though they'd been dating for several months, seeing him blush was still rare enough to make her react strangely.

"Hermione," he whined.

Wait, whined? She was now shaking so much she dropped her book.

"Sure you don't want me in the kitchen?" she asked, forgetting all about her vexation to have previously been kicked out of it.

"Well, weren't we supposed to do it together?"

Hermione waited for her smile to weaken a little before getting up from the couch. She wouldn't admit how pleased she was to have him called her back by his side. She might be an independent girl, yet she loved doing things with him.

"How about that, you cook, I give you the ingredients?"

"Come on I need the chocolate now."

Hermione chuckled, it was Draco's way to say 'I need you'.

The End