Harry tightened the hold on his jacket, his breath coming out in clouds as he stood outside the doors leading inside Hogwarts. It was Christmas Eve, a day he had been hoping for since Saturday earlier that week. After days of anticipation and waiting, Naricissa would arrive to see her son. Harry checked his pocket again, the square making his heart flutter with nervousness. The sapphire ring was in that box, waiting to be given to it's rightful owner. Harry knew it would be costly, and it was. Fifty galleons, gone on the spot. It was a beautiful ring, shining when the sun hit it directly. It was no wonder Draco had his eyes on it.

Cho had finally found the corset she was willing to let his borrow earlier that day, the revealing clothing make his stomach tie in a knot. He was going to have to wear it. In front of someone. Who happened to be Malfoy. Harry was surprised a man could be attracted to something like this as he tried on the tight fabric. It fit him perfectly, every curve showing distinctly with each angle. Harry couldn't help but admit he was sexy. Even so, he looked ridiculous, and ended up rejecting the idea altogether, no matter how much Cho pleaded with him.

Harry and Draco had spent much time together after the day in Hogsmeade. They visited the grassy clearing with the abundance of Pine Tree fairies almost daily, which is where the blonde was currently. Their status went from eternal enemies to friends in a period of a few days, and Harry was proud if that fact. As it turned out, Malfoy wrote poetry himself. Harry caught a glimpse of one he was contemplating over, only for him to cover it with his forearm and scowling at him. Harry also caught a few other quirks about the blonde. The real reason he refused to wear the glasses for activities other than reading was he thought they would ruin his complexion. It ended up the reason he befriended the Pine Tree fairies was because they thought his hair was made of sunshine and good fortune. The one thing Harry liked most about Draco was when he slept, he had the sweetest smile. A small one, barely noticeable unless you stopped and looked closely.

Harry enjoyed watching while Draco sleep. No words, no worries, just the two of them. It calmed Harry excessively, Draco's steady breathing all he needed. Once, Harry went to touch his cheek, only for the sleeping figure to lean into his hand, a soft mewl quietly sounding. Harry couldn't sleep that night. His mind was racing far too fast.

Harry's ears pricked, the sound of crunching snow coming his direction.

"Harry, it's me." a whispering voice said in his ear, making him jump. A gentle hand pressed against his shoulder, a hand Harry trusted. He nodded to the nothing, opening the large door back inside. A wave of warmth escaped the building, Harry holding the door open before stepping in himself. His body was pulled forward, arms wrapping around his shoulders tightly by a flurry of black and blonde.

"Thank you, darling. For going through the trouble of sneaking me in even though I'm wanted." Naricissa said into his neck, squeezing him tighter. Harry chuckled.

"Don't thank me yet. We still need to get upstairs. But the charms back on." Harry said, his voice muffled by the wavy hair. Naricissa straightened he back, taking her wand from her pocket and casting Disillusion charms around her cloaked figure. Harry walked down the corridor, smiling at the hand gripping his.

"How may I repay you?" she whispered as they reached the moving staircases. Harry shook his head, melted snow landing on the floor.

"You don't need to." he whispered back, waiting for a certain stair line to finish it's course. "We're almost there." They continued on in silence, Harry's heart beating faster and faster. He could feel Mrs. Malfoy's hand tense, hear her breath hitch and her footsteps waver. The various paintings greeted Harry with smiles, the brunette waving back. They stopped at the Fat Lady, her face red from alcohol.

"Ello, Harry! You should be inside, celebrating." she blubbered.

"I plan to do that. Stardust." The portrait creaked open, red and yellow bursting forth. Cho rushed toward Harry swiftly.

"Did she come?" she asked quietly, a look of hope on her face. The other students look their direction, silence enveloping them in tension. Harry nodded.

"It's alright Mrs. Malfoy, they know."

"How many times must I ask you to call me Cissy? We're partners in crime, we've reached that point." Naricissa said, removing the charms from her body. Victoria gasped.

"Your so pretty!" she said from her seat on the couch. Naricissa giggled at her blunt outburst.

"Thank you!" she said, removing her soaking cloak and drying it.

"You must be hungry." Cho said, leading the mother to an empty armchair by the crackling fire. "Could we get you anything?"

"Is there butterbeer? I haven't had any since my own years in Hogwarts." she requested. Collecting her skirt underneath her, she sat, sighing loudly. "Something warm. Traveling in the snow and hail for a week is more exhausting than I ever expected."

"Considering you did it on a whim." Harry teased.

"It was not on a whim. I had hoped to visit Hogwarts to see my baby, but I didn't want to just show up out of the blue. I wanted it to be special, and since Christmas was close, I thought why not? I sent a quick owl notifying Harry I was coming, so I appearated to London, and walked from there. Security was tight, I barely made it to Platform 9 3/4 to follow the tracks here." Naricissa said, taking the goblet from Cho's hands.

"Did you get hit by a train?" Victoria asked, Edgar covering his mouth with his hand. The group burst into laughter, Harry grabbing a mini treacle tart from the table.

"If I did, dear, I wouldn't be here, not would I?" the woman asked, smiling wide. Victoria blushed, pouting her fake pout.

"How is Draco, by the way?" she asked, smiling.

"Well, according to Harry, head over heels in a bromance." Cho said, the mother laughing.

"Tell me more!" Naricissa asked, taking another sip from her goblet.

"You're the key part of his plan to win him over!" Edgar said suddenly, Harry instantly jumping over to his side to cover his mouth. She raised her eyebrow, a devious look on her face.

"Oh really? How interesting."

"Trust me, he is such a loser at wooing." Cho said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey!" Harry exclaimed. "I'm doing just fine wooing!" Naricissa laughed into her hand, snorting once.

"If only I had as much energy as you young people." she said happily. She turned toward Harry, her eyes shining with glee. "Don't worry, darling. You have my permission to 'woo' my son. He deserves to be happy, after what he's seen, been through, and lost. You're the only one who knows exactly what he's been through, and can comfort him him when he is in need of it, love him continuously, and help him fulfill his dreams." Harry removed his hand from Edgar's mouth, at a loss for words. The girls moaned sweetly, aww's of adoration coming from the entire room. Cho clapped her hands, matching the large crackle from the fire.

"Now that that is resolved, we need to hide Naricissa. Draco doesn't know she's here yet, thanks to our lovebird, and I'm sure she needs her rest. She can stay in my room for the time being."

"A bath please, I'm covered in filth. I also need to get out of these ridiculous robes. I will never shop at a secondhand store as long as I live." Naricissa said, getting up from her seated place. She walked toward Harry, pulling him into another hug. "Thank you for everything, Harry. Tell me when it's my turn in this plan of yours. Be quick about it, too! I'd like to see my son before the new year!"

"No need to thank me. If anything, I should thank you." Harry said as she followed Cho to the girl's dorms.

"Pish posh, dear. Think nothing of it."

"Goodnight Mrs. Malfoy! Have a good sleep!" Victoria said, waving wildly. The students said their good nights as she walked up the stairs. Harry grabbed Cho's arm, tugging her backward.

"I need to talk to you. In private." he said into her ear. She gave him a nod, automatically making her way to the boy's dorm. They remained silence until the door closed, waiting a minute until either started speaking.

"Well? Spit it out." Cho said, sitting on Ron's bed. Harry's hands fiddled with the end of his sweater sleeves.

"You know how all of this all started as a simple plan before? When holiday started? I think I finally realized something I should have figured out months ago." Harry said quietly, sitting down next to her. She nodded silently. Harry gulped. Cho grasped his hand, gripping it tightly. She smiled kindly, looking him in the eye.

"There's more to this, isn't there?" she said, cocking an eyebrow. Harry sighed, nodding his head.

"Yeah. A lot more than what I expected."

"What's stopping you?" she asked urgently. Harry looked up, confused. "You know how you feel, and from what I've seen, Draco feels the very same. What's holding you back?"

"I don't what to go ahead and say something and end up rejected. How does that work? Admit I might feel a little something for him, get rejected, and have this awkward moment with his mother standing there?" Harry said, his voice shaking. "This all has to happen tonight, and I haven't even thought about how I'm going to..."

"Confess?" Cho stated. "Does the ring you bought chime any bells? Give the ring, show the parent, press a kiss. Simple!"

"It is not simple. I'm so nervous, I have butterflies in my stomach. You try confessing to him, see how it goes!" Harry yelled slightly.

"I've told you how I think you should carry this out. If your not going to listen, give up." Cho said sternly, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. She stood to her feet, walking toward the door. "You know where he is. You know what to do." Harry sighed, his breath uneven. The door opened again, a moan following the entry.

"Why is it so cold during the winter?" Draco growled, throwing his damp cloak onto the bed. Harry remained silent, his fingers twiddling with his sleeves again. Draco raised an eyebrow at him. "Something wrong?"

"N-no." Harry said immediately, sitting up straight.

"Your eyebrow twitched. Your lying." the blonde said, pointing at his eye. Harry groaned.

"Promise not to laugh?" Harry said, his foot starting to tap.

"Sure. Fire away." Harry slowly shuffled in his pocket, the box pressing against his thumb. He pulled it from his pocket, his heart pounding in his throat.

"I got this for you. I noticed you staring at it when we went shopping." He tossed the box at him, Draco catching it before it his his chest. He opened it slowly, his silver eyes freezing on the blue jewel gleaming in the red velvet.

"What's are you- I mean how- Are you insane?" Draco stammered, his hands shaking.

"Most likely. That's not all, either." Draco stared at him through thin eyes.

"What is it?" Harry stood, his gaze staying on his feet.

"Your mother is here. In the castle."