Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
This chapter has quite a bit of Ron/Hermione, Ginny/Neville, and Dean/Seamus. Hope you all do not mind!
Italicized words refer to thoughts
Next morning, Harry went down to breakfast with Ginny, telling her about his date with Draco the previous day. He found himself on the receiving end of many punches and slaps to the arm but he appreciated them anyway. He was grateful that Ginny was still his close friend even after they broke up and there was no form of tension between them. Ginny had told him that her attraction to him was more of an infatuation and Harry revealed that he too did not think it would work out well between them. They broke up on good terms, and the Weasely family was accepting of their decision too. Ever since Ginny had been recommending people for Harry to date, and they had even ogled at professional quidditch players together in the common room at times.
As they entered the Great Hall, Harry sat opposite Ron and Hermione, next to Seamus while Ginny walked up to the seventh years, placing a quick kiss on Neville's cheek on her way there. Ron choked on his pumpkin juice and Neville blushed. They are quite cute together, Ginny being all spontaneous while Neville is shy. Despite this, Harry had won his bet that Neville topped. He chuckled, as he remembered how Ginny had thrown in her bet that Neville topped, much to the surprise of many Gryffindors, and how Neville was so flustered he chucked a handful of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans into his mouth just to escape to the toilet to puke.
Harry chewed on his toast as Hermione rambled on about her application for advanced Arithmancy, which, as Neville had pointed out, normally is already advanced. She was upset that she had to drop another subject to make way for advanced Arithmancy. A rare moment in time when Mione and Malfoy would agree. (Fortunately,) Hermione stopped her rant when a miserable Dean pulled a chair and dropped into it next to them. The eighth years looked at him with concern and Dean sighed. They turned to Seamus who was seated across him. Parvati and Lavender giggled. "Seamus is giving him the silent treatment!" They continued giggling, wiping non-existent tears from their eyes. "I accidentally sat on the quill he uses for his betting notebooks and he got so upset he pushed me off his bed. I am so bad with a simple reparo and the girls wouldn't stop laughing so I had to give up," Dean said with a sigh, filling his plate. The rest of the eighth years chuckled silently and Neville reached out for the tattered quill, passing it to Hermione. She fixed and passed it back to Dean who gave it to Seamus with a hopeful smile. Seamus took both the quill and Dean's filled plate and started eating without acknowledging Dean. The eighth years shook with mirth.
While the students were mostly done with breakfast, owls came swooping in with letters and parcels. A neatly wrapped package dropped in front of Harry, together with his usual handful of letters ranging from grateful magic folk to job offers, and the occasional invitations to events. Harry did a quick check on his morning delivery for any harmful spells before placing the letters into his bag. Except for Neville who occasionally stayed up to read, no one knew that Harry actually reads each and every letter and keeps them sorted in a box under his bed. He also wrote back, usually with standard replies, but with sincerity nevertheless. Harry eyed the box in front of him. It was wrapped in pastel green paper and had no form of identification or whatsoever. He gently tore away the wrapping by the side where it had been sealed, trying not to rip the paper apart. His friends around him waited in impatience. Why can't he just rip it apart like normal people, Ron whined internally. By the time Harry got the box out, he had piqued the interest of the entire Gryffindor table. The box was crimson red and like the wrapping, held no markings. It could probably fit a textbook, Hermione figured. However, when Harry lifted the cover, she saw that the box held chocolates and some sweets, neatly wrapped into tiny packages. A folded piece of parchment was balanced on top of the sweets as well.
Harry took one look at the contents of the box before his cheeks started burning. Malfoy. He recognized the sweets as those that Draco picked up during their date. They were no longer in their original packaging but instead packed into smaller bags with a few pieces of each type inside. Harry picked up the letter and unfolded it, leaning back into his chair to evade the keen eyes of his fellow Gryffindors. They politely turned away and engaged in small talk, one eye still on Harry for any signs.
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Potter,
First of all, the gift was always meant for you so do not let your pea of a brain think that I gave you leftovers. I had not expected you to follow me to Honeydukes, nor for us to have eaten a bit of chocolate by the lake. I cannot risk you getting a toothache or the Gryffindors will butcher me so I only gave you a few of each kind. I expect you to write back regarding which you like and do not, and perhaps other matters too.
DM
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Harry read the letter twice. It held nothing private, yet the memory it pulled at felt intimate. Harry knew his cheeks were probably still red and he could not calm his racing heart. Why didn't I think of getting him something too? Even if it was just a dare, it was a date anyway. My face! Everyone's going to think that he wrote something romantic in here! Harry mustered his courage and folded the letter, placing it back to where it was and closed the box. He kept his head down and busied himself with the task of pushing the box back into the wrapping and keeping the package into his bag. Yet, he could not tune out the whispers coming from all around him. Just as Harry looked up, his green eyes locked with grey ones across the hall. Draco ran his hand through his platinum blond hair, before winking at the raven-haired boy across the hall, breaking their eye contact as he turned to speak to his friends.
Harry felt like he was undergoing a cardiac arrest. Damn him, he figured out that his hair is my weak point. Why does he have to make life hard for me? Fortunately for Harry, it was the weekend and he could hide in the common room. He let out a breath he had unknowingly held and looked at his friends. They all wore similar quizzical looks, with the exception of Hermione who seemed to have worked it out. "Malfoy." Instantly, the table broke out into cheers and proclamations that they knew it. Harry could not do anything but absent-mindedly drank his juice. As soon as his friends were done with breakfast, he headed straight to the Gryffindor common room, up to his dormitory to write his reply to Draco. Hermione shook her head in disapproval. "Just because he is falling in love doesn't mean he should waste his weekend being in love instead of studying! The NEWTs are coming and he has barely started-" "Neither have I so let's go study shall we? Malfoy cares about grades just as much as you do so Harry will study," Ron cut in Hermione's words with a sigh. He pulled her onto the couch and pulled out a random textbook. Least I can do is pretend that I am trying to study.
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Malfoy,
First of all, why do you have to be all dramatic with the gift? Can't you just pass it to me in the corridor or something? How about you keep your flashiness to yourself and your Slytherin cluster, don't bring it to the Gryffindors okay?
Anyway, I have not tried the chocolate yet so you'll have to wait for my reviews. What are the 'other matters' you wrote about?
Harry Potter
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Harry waved his wand and a shimmery layer of magic fell on the ink on his letter, before it settled into the parchment. Now no one can read this other than him and myself. He reduced it into a tiny bit of paper, visible but unnoticeable. He spelled to the Draco and he watched it fly under the crack of the dormitory door. He smiled, proud of his work and lied on his bed. After what seemed like a mere five minutes, he heard knocking at the door. Who knocks before entering here? He opened the door, only to have a paper dragon fly into his face before it settled on his bed. Harry sighed into his hand and sauntered to his bed, trying his best not to think about the Gryffindor's reactions to a six-inch paper dragon flying up to the boys' dormitory. He hoped that it hadn't been knocking on the painting outside as it did to the dormitory door, but he knew the likely answer too.
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Potter,
By 'dramatic' and 'flashiness' I assume you mean I am impressive. What makes you think I leave exceptions to who I showcase my so-called 'flashiness' to? Additionally, you got it wrong. In case you have not noticed, which I highly think so due to your reduced ability to observe, whatever your Gryffindors see, the rest of the school does too. Teachers included. The price you pay for saving the world, Mr Chosen One.
'Other matters' refers to anything you wish to speak about. I must admit, I am not the best when it comes to interaction but I do believe I suffice for the Golden Boy. If your highness is ever so willing, could he make his way out of his common room with his textbooks and study materials?
DM
)))))
Me? Why does he want my books? Harry paused for a moment and pondered. Shit, he wants me to study with him? A study date? So soon? Oh no, he's probably already outside waiting. With a series of more colorful words playing through his head, Harry waved his wand about, casting non-verbal magic as the letter folded back into a dragon and fell nicely into the box under his bed. The other letters in his bag flew with the dragon into the box, which covered itself once the letters were in. Harry pushed it back under his bed, grabbed his bag and ran out of the dormitory. He was greeted with curious glances from a quarter of the Gryffindor population. Never had they seen Harry in such a hurry, at least not on a day with no classes. His glasses were askew and face flushed. He turned to Ron and Hermione with an apologetic look on his face. "I'll explain later, sorry!" With that, he pushed the painting and scurried out. The painting shifted back, quick enough to prevent anyone from looking out at the other side, while slow enough to hear a part of a conversation on either side.
"First my scarf, now my tie? Am I that unsightly?!" Hermione chuckled at her best friend's plight and turned back to her book.
Thanks for reading this chapter! Sorry, it took a bit longer to update this time around. Do like and review!