"Care for some eggnog, Perce?"

The sudden appearance of his room mate shocked Percy Weasley out of the book he had been reading, curled up on his bed.

"Huh? Oh… sure." Percy said distractedly, running a hand over his curls before he caught the expression on his friend's face.

"Oliver… why are you grinning like that?" He asked carefully, noticing a glint in Oliver Wood's eyes. His hands were full, holding a carton and two stemmed glasses.

"I , uh… might have doctored it a little bit." Oliver said, keeping his face innocent and taking a seat on his bed, sitting across from Percy. He poured one glassful.

Percy lifted his gaze from his book and directed a raised eyebrow in Oliver's direction. The other boy's controlled facial expression fell away and he went immediately on the defensive.

"It's just a bit of rum and it's Christmas Eve, Perce. You're supposed to celebrate!"

"You know it's not allowed on campus much less in the dormitory-" Percy started to tell Oliver off but then caught sight of the pleading look on his friend's face, his large brown eyes welled up in a puppy dog face. Percy squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Well… I mean, I guess it is Christmas… and you do deserve a bit of a break with it being the middle of the quidditch season and all…" He said, opening his eyes again. Oliver nodded eagerly. "And there's no one about so I can't see how you could get into any trouble…"

A triumphant grin spread across Oliver's lips and he flourished his wand over his glass, causing a sprinkle of eggnog to fall, somewhat messily, over it. He took a victorious slurp before speaking again.

"Would you like any, by the way?" He asked, licking the eggnog off his top lip. Percy winced. Oliver knew he was pushing his luck, Percy would probably never drink, but it wasn't very fun to drink alone and it was polite to offer, right?

Percy thought for a moment, his lips pursed and his eyes focused on the empty champagne flute he had taken from Oliver. He looked up after a moment.

"Yes, actually."

—

Percy's clear blue eyes were stretched wide and full of interest. A three quarter's empty carton of eggnog sat on Oliver's bedside table. Both boys were stretched across Percy's bed, facing each other as Oliver recounted a story from his childhood.

"What happened then?" Percy asked breathlessly.

"Nothing." Oliver finished in a voice he imagined sounded resolute and compelling but, in reality, was rather anti climatic. "She just said she wouldn't tell our aunts as long as I cleaned up the pieces."

"Wow." Percy said softly. It was so comfortable lying there with Oliver, warm with drink and good feeling.

Oliver giggled a laugh that ended with a hiccup. Neither of them spoke for a few moments. Oliver's face clouded over, his mind switching gears.

"What if I told you that…" Oliver stopped again biting his lip before going on. "That I'm in-"He paused a second time. "-That I like someone." He finally managed. "Someone I, I can't like, a close friend."

Percy's face, filled with giggles moments ago, turned somber.

"I guess I'd tell you to ask them for sure. You never know." He suggested, a small hope rising in his chest.

Oliver shook his head sloppily. "No," he insisted. "I do know. They never cou-

"Who is it?" Percy asked, impatience overcoming him.

"No one. Just. Just forget it." Oliver sighed in frustration, his fingers screaming out to touch Percy in some way. "I don't know why I brought it up in the first place. I'm tired anyway." He huffily rolled to face away from Percy who had a frown falling rapidly over his face. He pulled the sheets over himself and fell instantly asleep.

—

Percy awoke the next morning to an arm falling across his stomach. His eyes shot open. For a moment he couldn't remember what was going on. Why was Oliver in his bed? He knew that had been drinking had they… No. He was remembering now. They had talked and fallen asleep on the bed. With a jolt, he remembered that last thing they had talked about and a heavy feeling fell over the pit of his stomach.

Still, though, he and Oliver had slept in the same bed. Percy felt himself blushing scarlet. But he couldn't just leave. This was his bed. Where would he go? To sleep on Oliver's? Even more weird and he would wake up his friend in the process of wriggling out.

Then the arm shot off his stomach and Oliver's bleary eyes were fixed on him. As Percy watched them focus he saw the same thought process he had gone through play over in Oliver's eyes: confusion giving way to relief, then a look of…- was that disappointment?- before finally settling on jovial.

"It's Christmas, Perce!" He announced before bounding out of the bed and over to his own to examine his pile of presents. Percy had almost forgotten. He scrambled to the edge of his bed to see the usual array of brown parcel paper-wrapped presents, including a suspiciously nobbly looking one.

"I have an idea!" Oliver said, his eyes lighting up. He grabbed a clean pair of pajama pants and a shirt and bounced to the bathroom, where he spoke to Percy through the door. "I'll go down to the hall and get us some brunch. We can eat while we open gifts- it'll be like a picnic!"

"You want to spend Christmas with me?" Percy asked incredulously. "I mean, I know we're friends but aren't any of your teammates around or something?"

Oliver poked his head out of the bathroom door before retreating again. "Don't be silly, Perce. If I was with the twins they would spend the whole time making fun of me. Most of the team is gone and Harry and Ron are, well, Harry and Ron." He emerged from the bathroom, changed and mild cleaning spells cast over himself. "You're really all I've got today." A cloud passed over his face. "Unless you'd like to spend Christmas with someone else. In which case, I understand that too." He added quickly.

"No, no!" Percy covered, just as quickly. "Of course I want to stay with you!"

Oliver's face brightened again and he bounded toward the door. "In that case, I'll be back in just a few minutes!"

While Oliver was gone Percy didn't move from his place om the floor. Rather, he lazily flicked his wand around the room, moving things back into drawers, vanishing the (surely) now spoiled eggnog, and casting a teeth cleaning charm and hair cleaning charm on himself so he didn't feel so grimy.

Percy tried not to think of last night but it bubbled to the surface again. It had been so comfortable and warm, talking to Oliver, spilling his secrets and hearing the other boy's. But then…

Percy wondered who Oliver was in love with. They must not be someone spending Christmas at the castle or Oliver would surely be spending time with them. Percy sighed. Why did he care so much anyway?

Just then Oliver burst back in through the door, his arms laden with food from the Great Hall.

"I have eggnog." He announced. "Non alcoholic this time. It is breakfast after all."

Oliver laid out an array of breakfast and lunch foods, having been sure to include Percy's favorite breakfast sausages, which he places next to the red headed prefect. Percy grinned as Oliver sat next to him, the pair between their beds, well in reach of all their presents.

They both unwrapped and ate and talked and unwrapped and shared their presents until they each had only one package left. Both of the parcels were nobbly and squishy. Percy's ears turned red.

"Oh that, er, that will be a Weasley sweater. Mum knits them every year for all of us and for our, erm, friends. It's embarrassing. You don't have to wear it if you don't want."

But Oliver was already ripping into the package. "Embarrassing?" He asked as the wrapping fell away to reveal a red sweater with a clumsily knit OW in the middle. "It's beautiful." He grinned. "Lovely and warm." Oliver stripped off the sweater he was wearing, revealing a bare chest, and replaced it with the new one. It was warm and the wool was incredibly soft. It smelled like the Burrow, a scent that clung around Percy as well.

"Come on, Perce, Put yours on too!" Oliver urged once he had adjusted his sweater.

Percy rolled his eyes but, all in all, was pleasantly surprised and relieved that Oliver liked his gift. He unwrapped his own sweater which was a sickly sweet looking shade of baby blue. He pulled it on over his tee shirt.

"It looks lovely." Oliver pronounced, grinning.

Percy had to stop his ears from turning a delicate shade of pink once again.

"Oh stop, you're worse than Fred and George."

Now it was Oliver's turn to roll his eyes.

"I meant it, really." He replied earnestly. "It… it makes your eyes look nice."

Percy couldn't control his blush any longer and he felt his ears heat, probably turning a violent shade of red.

There was a lull and, once again, a cloud passed over Oliver's face and he realized what he had said.

"When I was getting breakfast I-" A rather uncharacteristic blush fell over Oliver's face as well."I was thinking about what you said last night."

"Said about what?" Percy's mouth had gone dry.

"About just. Telling the person I like that I like them. Just to see what they say. I guess what I'm trying to say is-" Oliver had started speaking faster now, worried he would lose the words. "Is that. Percy, I- Well, I mean… Blimey. I guess I just… Merlin I want to kiss you." He broke out at last. "If you'll kiss me, I mean, Which you probably won't. But…" Oliver trailed off and was immediately surprised by a pair of lips over his.

He smiled, kissing back and grabbing one hand into Percy's coppery curls, holding the other at his waist. When Percy broke away after a moment, Oliver laced his fingers with the other boy's, still smiling.

"You mean you li-"

"Yes." Percy broke in, a giddy smile spreading across his own face as he grabbed Oliver's sweater with two hands and used it to pull the other boy closer to him.

Oliver kissed Percy with relish. He tasted a hint of eggnog.

—

A few hours later the two reluctantly disentangled themselves from each other to get ready for Christmas Dinner. Oliver had suggested not going but Percy declined, saying that he should really see his family sometime today.

As they walked to the great hall Oliver couldn't resist linking his fingers with Percy's, taking pleasure in the small act.

Suddenly, Percy felt and arm thump across his shoulders. He instantly dropped Oliver's hand.

"Are you-"

"-Fellas"

"Heading down to dinner?"

It was Fred and George who had moved in on either side of the couple.

For what seemed like the millonth time that day, Percy felt his ears burn red.