Midnight.
The moment Hermione was back in her own body, she rolled out of bed. While her roommates were still fast asleep, she sneaked out of the dormitory.
At exactly a quarter past twelve, she arrived at the Slytherin common room entrance. Sure enough, George and Fred were already there waiting.
"Miss Granger, long time no see," George said with a grin.
In his mind, the last time he had discussed a "deal" with Hermione was right before the term started.
"Long time no see," Hermione replied.
Actually, it hasn't been long at all... just one day. No, half a day.
"Just call me Hermione," she said, following the twins. "George, is Hogsmeade dangerous at night?"
The twins blinked in surprise.
"Not at all, Hermione. Hogsmeade is an all-wizarding village. There's nothing there but freedom and everyday life. Plus, it's almost Christmas. Lots of wizards stay up all night celebrating."
Fred nodded in agreement. "Actually, a lot of students at Hogwarts don't sleep tonight either. That's why it's called 'Hogwarts' Sleepless Night.'"
George added, "Tomorrow night is a sleepless night, too. You know how it is—everyone's just too excited for the holidays."
Starting the day after tomorrow... no, wait, it was already past midnight. Starting tomorrow, the nearly month-long winter holiday would officially begin.
"Stick close, Hermione. Don't fall behind. And watch out for the Whomping Willow. If that thing notices us, the whole school will be in an uproar. Even the professors would be out here hunting down whoever snuck off the grounds."
Hermione trailed behind the two boys.
They took a secret passage out of Hogwarts, which led them straight to a place Hermione was absolutely terrified of.
—The Shrieking Shack.
This was where she had first encountered You-Know-Who. Or rather, truly encountered him.
The oppressive aura, the bone-chilling cold, and that horrifying face were permanently burned into her memory.
She would never forget the sickly green flash of the Killing Curse as You-Know-Who swung his wand and screamed, Avada Kedavra.
"And here we have the Shrieking Shack," George said, still playing tour guide.
"I know, I know. Let's just go. I hate it here," Hermione urged, pushing George and Fred along.
On a normal day, the clothing and hat shops in Hogsmeade would have been closed by now. But not tonight.
The shops were just as bustling at night as they were during the day. Wizards from all walks of life were buying Santa hats, looking as though they were all preparing to play Father Christmas themselves.
Even Fred and George each whipped out a ridiculous Santa hat and slapped it on their heads.
"Want one, Hermione?"
"..." Hermione sighed. "No, thank you."
She was only here to find the perfect gifts.
A belt... Yes, I need one of those.
And besides the belt, a new pair of glasses.
Winter had set in. Her mother's gloves hadn't been replaced in ages, and just the other day, her father was complaining about the poor quality of his leather shoes.
Hermione carefully picked out the items one by one. Though the prices were a bit steep, she fortunately had plenty of Galleons on her.
Once she had those sorted, the real headache began.
She started counting on her fingers.
Two roommates, Malfoy, Harry, Mum, Dad... that leaves one.
Her mind unhelpfully pulled up a very specific face.
He's got a nice face, but a rotten personality through and through.
Tom Riddle.
What on earth am I supposed to get him?
Tom was always acting so pretentious. Maybe she should get him a walking cane so he could fully commit to the "English gentleman" bit?
She checked the price tag. Hiss... why is it so expensive?!
She couldn't afford that. Time for Plan B.
A top hat? This one looks decent. The black fabric is incredibly smooth.
Thirty-three Galleons?!
Are you robbing people?!
"That top hat is a Magician's prop, Hermione. You might want to look over there instead."
"A Magician? Don't you mean a wizard?"
George shook his head. "Magic and 'Magicians' are two different things. Hmm... have you ever seen a Magician in the Muggle world?"
Hermione nodded. "I know what a Magician is. What I mean is, why is a wizarding shop—run by someone who actually uses real magic—selling Muggle props?"
"Probably out of... curiosity?" Fred shrugged. "People aren't usually interested in things they already have. So, Hermione, have you found anything suitable yet?"
Hermione shook her head.
The three exchanged a glance, and the twins smiled warmly. "Don't get discouraged. The night is young. It's a very long night, and the whole of Hogsmeade is awake with you. Let's keep looking together. You'll find something."
Hermione thought they were right.
Maybe she was just being too impatient.
They wandered around the village for ages. It wasn't until half past twelve that Hermione finally bought all her gifts and returned to Hogwarts with George and Fred—sneaking back through the Shrieking Shack tunnel.
The night was completely silent. High above, owls preened their feathers with sharp beaks.
In a certain room at the end of a corridor, a three-headed dog let out a massive yawn.
A few small snowflakes drifted down from the sky. Gradually, the snow grew heavier, falling so thick that the Whomping Willow had to physically shake itself to dislodge the heavy white blanket.
That night, Hermione slept very deeply.
When she woke up the next morning, she washed up and left her dormitory.
Someone was already waiting to ambush her.
Malfoy and Harry were lurking around like spies. They kept elbowing each other, their eyes full of obvious, silent urging.
Finally, the brave Harry stepped up first.
Gryffindor students were brave in every aspect, after all.
"Hermione, Merry Christmas!" Harry said, holding out a beautifully wrapped gift box.
"Oh... goodness, thank you, Harry! Here is your gift. I hope you like it."
Harry looked as if he'd just been handed a sacred artifact. He nodded and bowed repeatedly in thanks before scurrying off, clutching the small box Hermione had given him.
The box wasn't overly fancy. It didn't have layers of wrapping paper or flashy ribbons, but to Harry, it was the most perfect Christmas present in the world.
Seeing Harry's success, Malfoy immediately marched up.
"Granger. Merry Christmas." He looked a little embarrassed, clearing his throat twice before handing over his gift.
"Merry Christmas to you too."
Harry and Malfoy were both red to the ears. The moment they received their gifts, they immediately bolted.
"Hey, let's see what Hermione got you," Harry said, leaning over curiously. "A belt? I remember you saying you liked belts!"
The corners of Malfoy's mouth instantly flew up. Even the Nike swoosh didn't curve as sharply as his smile right now.
"Hermione does care about me! Harry, let's see yours."
Harry pouted slightly but tore open his own box.
A small pair of black-rimmed glasses lay quietly inside.
"Hermione really gets me! She knew I needed new glasses!" Harry said excitedly. "She must care about me a lot, otherwise why would she give me this?!"
"Nonsense, it's obviously me."
"It's me!"
Neither was willing to concede, and they immediately went back to elbowing each other.
Meanwhile, Hermione ran into two other people.
Sue Li and Terry.
Terry looked frantic. As soon as he spotted Hermione, he sprinted over.
"Hermione! Hermione!" Terry shouted from a distance.
He skidded to a halt, panting heavily, his hands resting on his knees. "Have you seen Tom? Sue went to the bathroom last night, and when he came back, Tom was gone!"