It was already dark outside; a wintry gloom that could draw all warmth out of everyone trying to finish their holiday shopping.

Reaching for his warm blanket, Harry sat down in the armchair by the window and sadly watched the snowy street below. There was no one he would need to buy presents for anymore. As his eyes fell shut and he tried to relax, he could hear a garbled voice that slowly became clearer.

"Unbelievable … these bloody Muggles have never heard of proper etiquette … not assisting the wealthiest customer first, pah ... Harry, are you home?"

When Draco entered the room, there was still snow in his hair and his long coat looked quite a bit more crumpled than it had earlier. Draco's cheeks were rosy from the cold, and Harry wanted nothing more than invite him to share his blanket.

"I absolutely refuse to do this again. It took me nearly an hour to find one of these mobiles you wanted! Next year's holiday shopping will be taken care of via owl-order. I don't care if we cannot get any Mugglish things."

Harry smiled a bit; a frazzled Draco was a sight he would always remember. A cup of steaming hot tea would probably do them both good, Harry thought. "Would you care for some tea?" Harry nodded. Draco had been thinking along the same lines as he, then. That was a nice feeling.

When Draco left the room, he took all those typical Draco-sounds with him which Harry loved so much. The dark silence grew again till nothing but he could hear nothing but far-away, muffled street sounds.

As the sounds disappeared, Harry was again reminded of how his life had been emptied of everyone he had loved. It was dark outside, and even darker inside his heart.

Harry thought back to the war, the long months of fighting against the Dark side, the many lives that had been lost, the risks they had to take and the prices others had had to pay. Everyone had paid.

Except for him, the lone survivor of the Second War.


- All characters belong to JKR, no gain is made from this fiction. This is my first attempt at a drabble. No flames please. -