"Ah, be gentle, that hurts!"
Hermione's voice drifted from her bedroom.
"I can't help it—it's too tight."
"Then go slower!"
The exchange was… open to interpretation.
Mr. Granger, listening from the stairs, was halfway to charging in with a kitchen knife before Mrs. Granger grabbed him by the arm.
Moments later, the door opened and Hermione stepped out with Kevin. They found Mr. and Mrs. Granger frozen in an awkward wrestling pose.
Hermione's cheeks flushed as she realized what they might have thought. Kevin, catching the dangerous glare from Mr. Granger, quickly spoke up.
"Uncle, Aunt—I was just helping Hermione untangle her hair. It was knotted pretty badly, and I might have pulled too hard. That's why she yelped."
The Grangers glanced at Hermione's hair. Sure enough, a few strands were still twisted together.
Mr. Granger's face cooled from bright red to normal, and Mrs. Granger exhaled with relief—though perhaps with a hint of embarrassment.
Kevin eventually freed the stubborn knot, vowing never to take on that task again.
Two days later, Hermione invited Kevin to go shopping for Christmas decorations.
The streets were bustling with the holiday crowd. To avoid getting separated, Kevin took Hermione's hand.
Her face turned pink, but she didn't pull away. Soon, she was pulling him from shop to shop, completely absorbed in the festive mood.
At one stall, Kevin bought a red Santa hat and a white beard, placing them on Hermione with a grin. She instantly began speaking in a deep, "old man" voice, pretending to be Father Christmas.
Hermione, in turn, bought Kevin a headband with reindeer antlers, declaring him her "loyal mount."
The Grangers, following at a distance, smiled. Their daughter had grown far more cheerful since meeting Kevin.
Later, Kevin fed Hermione a piece of candy. She accepted it shyly, her eyes bright as she looked at him.
Her heart raced in a way she had never felt before. In that moment, she wished they could stay together forever.
"Merry Christmas, Hermione."
"Merry Christmas, Kevin."
As the bells rang in the New Year, Hermione leaned in and kissed Kevin lightly on the cheek before scampering away. Kevin touched the warm spot, his heart pounding.
Back home, Hermione found herself avoiding being alone with Kevin, blushing whenever she remembered the kiss.
It wasn't until the next day, when owls delivered piles of gifts, that she began to relax again.
Harry and Ron had sent matching gifts to both Kevin and Hermione—a notebook from one, a quill from the other.
Kevin's gifts to them were small sets of potions—red for healing, blue for energy recovery—crafted from ingredients he had quietly "borrowed" from Professor Snape's stores.
Among the parcels was one from Snape himself: a book titled The Half-Blood Prince's Treasury. Inside was a terse note: If you ever rummage through my workshop again, you'll be banned from it permanently.
Kevin winced.
Hermione smirked. "Serves you right."
Professor McGonagall's gift to Hermione was a Time-Turner, accompanied by strict instructions that it was to be used only for academic purposes.
Kevin received a backpack with an Undetectable Extension Charm—larger inside than it appeared.
Hagrid's present was a sack of rare magical creature parts, worth a small fortune but far more valuable to Kevin for potion-making.
Finally, it was time for Kevin and Hermione to exchange gifts.
Hermione opened her present to find a worn but solidly bound book: Kevin's Treasury. Inside were pages of handwritten potion recipes, detailed notes on magical plants, and Kevin's personal insights—each entry refined through repeated experiments.
Snape himself had reviewed the book and found no fault.
Hermione traced the worn edges, realizing the long nights Kevin must have spent working on it. She hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Kevin. I love it."
Kevin smiled. "It's spelled to be indestructible. You could drop it from a tower and it'd survive—more durable than a brick."
Hermione laughed softly against him.
Kevin's gift from Hermione was a dark blue cloak with golden stripes down the front. She had sewn it herself from enchanted fabric, though the stitches were uneven.
Kevin loved it all the more for that. He draped it over his shoulders, the hem brushing his ankles.
"Looks good?" Hermione asked.
"Looks brilliant," Kevin replied.
A few days later, Kevin returned to the orphanage where he had grown up. Dean Hope greeted him warmly—though jokingly asked if he'd been expelled. Kevin laughed and explained it was just the holidays.
From his enchanted backpack, Kevin produced crates of food, sweets, and gifts for the children, along with a hefty donation for the orphanage. The hall filled with joy and laughter that evening.
Hermione visited as well, listening with delight as the dean shared embarrassing childhood stories about Kevin—stories that had Kevin plotting gentle revenge.
And just like that, the Christmas holidays came to an end.