The Christmas holidays should be a time of joy, but Hermione can only worry about how Harry has changed since the war with Voldemort ended. Her only wish for Christmas is to find a way to give him the peace that he has rightfully earned, even if only for the holidays.

The upcoming Valentine's Day in his sixth year, and a scheduled Hogsmeade trip to celebrate it, has Harry frustrated with his nonexistent romantic life in comparison to the youngest Weasleys. But a question to Hermione about her own troubles, and his receipt of an anonymous letter soon afterwards, may turn his entire world right on its head.

One single action can be all it takes to see someone in a new light. A gaze between Harry and Hermione, before the beginning of the Yule Ball, causes them to reevaluate their feelings, leading them down the path to a Christmas that will never be forgotten.

Waiting in the hospital wing while Hermione is unconscious after the attack in the Department of Mysteries, Harry has a grave realization about everything she has done for him in his life.