xxx
One Step at a Time
Cousin Eustace is Coming to Town
"I can't believe I'm letting you do this," Draco muttered, sitting on a stool in the kitchen. He'd been forced into a Weasley sweater with a large hippogriff stitched into it and his hair had been charmed to a dark shade of red courtesy of Hermione.
Right now she was in the process of researching a freckle charm while Ginny giggled and snapped pictures.
"I feel like an idiot," he pouted.
"You make a fetching redhead," Ginny said around her giggles.
"You actually do," Ron said. Noticing the raised eyebrows around the room he flushed and raised his hands. "I just mean it doesn't look terribly weird, all right? Bloody hell, you lot need to get your minds out of the gutter."
"Could we skip the freckles?" Draco asked. He actually didn't mind the dark red – at least it wasn't quite as orange as Ron's hair – but the freckles were below his dignity. He might not be as proud of being a Malfoy as he once was, but he did still have standards. Freckles were not in those standards.
"Of course not," Ron said. "Those are our best feature."
Draco opted not to comment.
"Okay, I think I've got it," Hermione said. "Maculia facieum!" she said, twirling her wand and tapping it on Draco's nose.
A burst of freckles sprouted out across Draco's cheeks and nose. However…
"Those are rainbow freckles!" Ron exploded with laughter. It did indeed look like a bag of Bertie Bott's had thrown up on Draco's face and the effect was incredibly comical.
Ginny delightedly snapped another picture.
"I can fix this," Hermione said, flipping back through her book. "Maybe I just needed to indicate color in the casting…
"Oh Merlin," Draco moaned, covering his face. There was no way he was going out in public now.
"I suppose this would be payback for when you gave Pansy electric blue spots," Harry said. "Remember that?"
Draco perked up. "That was a great prank, wasn't it?"
"Okay, I think I've got it," Hermione said. Recasting the spell she smiled victoriously as Draco's freckles all turned into dark brown splotches instead. "Perfect!"
"Mirror!" Draco called rather frantically to laughter. Even Mrs. Weasley was chuckling as she rolled pie dough on the counter. She never thought she'd ever see a redheaded Malfoy!
Draco turned the offered mirror at different angles, his look of initial horror turning into a rather preening motion.
"Oh knock it off," Ginny said, swiping the mirror away. "Good job Hermione, way to inflate his ego more. You made him into quite the handsome devil, didn't you?" Hermione blushed. She personally thought Draco would look handsome no matter what his hair color was.
"His name is still Eustace though," Ron said. "Right?"
"Right," Ginny grinned.
"And he needs a pair of glasses too," Harry said, pulling out a charmed pair with regular glass inserted instead of a prescription.
"What? No! I don't need glasses too."
But Hermione shook her head, blush fading from her cheeks. "Sorry, Draco. But the more we can alter your appearance the better. Glasses help to break up the face. I mean, look at Superman and Clark Kent."
She was met with a round of blank stares, including Harry.
At her look he shrugged and said, "I was never allowed to watch the telly or anything. Sounds like a comic book character though…?"
"He's an American comic book superhero," she explained. "Which is like a book full of pictures but it's not a 'picture book' per se. Anyway, Clark Kent is Superman and he hides his two identities by wearing a pair of glasses as one identity and taking them off for another."
"And no one call tell the difference at all?" Ron asked skeptically.
"They sound like a bunch of idiots," Draco agreed.
"You're still wearing the glasses."
"Awwww."
Now that Draco's makeover was done the rest of the group vanished upstairs to get ready themselves and Draco stayed in the kitchen, playing with Butterscotch's ears.
This would be a very different shopping trip to Diagon Alley. Not just because he was dressing as a Weasley, but for the first time in his life he had almost no money.
He'd discovered about a week ago that his father had scrubbed his name from the family bank accounts and had disinherited him. The news of course hadn't been released, because Lucius did need to keep up appearances to a degree, and Draco had no intent to make it known anyway right now.
Sure, most of his housemates would probably find out somehow and he was sure the jeering would get worse, but for now he preferred that no one knew about it. It was an odd feeling, to have almost nothing. He technically had no home now and that did send a pang deep into his heart.
As cold and dark as Malfoy Manor had been, it was his home. The Wiltshire countryside was beautiful and despite the abuse he'd suffered in the home he also had several good memories. The fact that he was never welcome back there hurt.
The only money he had left was anything he'd had on him at Hogwarts. It was still a pretty decent amount, as his father had always given him a hefty allowance for Hogsmeade trips and anything else he needed it for, like bribes. Although it would easily support him through the school year and even hopefully the next school year, so long as his books weren't too many in number, it was a finite amount.
He was too proud to ask for any assistance though. He was sure Harry would give him money – how the Potters had accumulated such a fortune was a question he still pondered, but even Harry didn't know – out of both his kindness and his still deep guilt in almost killing Draco.
The Weasleys too, he'd observed, would more than likely offer him something and he bet that if he wasn't staying at Hogwarts for the summer for the potions tutoring he would be welcome in their home.
And then there was his godfather. Snape, he knew, would try to help him. And maybe Draco would be willing to accept some help from him, but it still stung. Yes, the circumstances were out of his control and he was not at fault, but he was still a Malfoy and he would not beg for charity.
So for now he would carry on as normal, just perhaps tone down the extravagant spending, and he'd be fine, hopefully, until he graduated from Hogwarts and got a job. It brought him back to the conversation he'd had with Hermione the day Harry had turned into a teapot and they'd been stuck at St. Mungo's.
She had seemed surprised he didn't know what he wanted as a career yet, but he really didn't know. He did enjoy potions and Uncle Sev said he had a talent for them so maybe that would be something to look into. He did know that he did not want to be a teacher like Hermione had expressed interest. Dealing with bumbling first years and having to read through scrolls and scrolls of bad handwriting? No thank you!
He was pulled from his musing at a nudge and a lick from Butterscotch, who whined and Draco realized he'd stopped petting him.
"Sorry," he apologized to the puppy, still amazed at how big the dog had grown in just a few months.
"What do you think?" he asked Butterscotch. "Do you think I'd make a good potions brewer?"
The dog barked and licked his hand again.
Draco sighed and went back to petting. "It just seems like such a lonely job," he mused aloud. "Maybe though I could work for a large company and be on the creation team or something." That idea actually had some appeal and he mentally made a note of it. He knew for sure he wanted to work in some type of office or laboratory environment with other people, and that could be just the thing. He could live downtown in a large, but still cozy, flat and be just steps away from restaurants and shopping.
He could maybe convince Blaise or Pansy to be his flatmates too, as living alone didn't seem all that appealing. Maybe he could get a pet? Not a dog as that would be a lot of work, but maybe a cat? He'd always liked cats and they were incredibly intelligent animals.
And then maybe he could even convince Hermione to join him at his work, in research or something that catered to her love of books, and they could get lunch together and hang out after they both got off the clock.
He paused then, eyes widening and shook his head. Why was he thinking such things about Hermione?
Sure, they saw each other practically every day at Hogwarts, even if it was just for a quick 'hello' in the halls as they went to class, and he wouldn't deny that seeing her always brightened his day. Was this sudden desire to have her work alongside him because he didn't want to lose that daily interaction?
He didn't feel like he needed to see Harry like that, even though he would consider him one of his best friends. The thought of not seeing Harry every day didn't make him feel suddenly lonely. But not seeing Hermione, not getting to talk with her and share stories and experiences…
He was prevented from any further reflection on the matter as Ron tramped noisily into the kitchen and calling out for his "dear cousin Eustace," swung an arm about Draco's shoulders and used his own larger frame to propel the Slytherin from the room and towards the fireplace.
"Remember our plans," Hermione said as everyone gathered around the floo powder pot. "We can split up if we'd like but we're all meeting at The Leaky Cauldron for lunch at one, so don't be late. Someone always needs to be with Draco – excuse me, Eustace – as it would be too suspicious otherwise. And Harry, you need to be with someone too just in case anything should happen."
Hermione was still holding onto his wand and did have it in her expandable bag. She hoped they had no need for it – just a simple shopping trip, please – but with the way everything had been going this year it could not hurt to have it on hand just in case.
"And don't forget, no one can know about Draco," Hermione cautioned. "Not even if we run into Lavender or Parvati or anyone. And if we see Neville or Blaise and Pansy don't make a big fuss. We don't want to attract any attention."
The group all nodded, understanding the seriousness of the situation.
"Broomstix first!" Ginny shouted all of a sudden, breaking the somber atmosphere, with equal enthusiasm from all of the boys.
"Then QQS!" Harry said. "I need some more polishing oil."
"I'll hit Flourish and Blotts then," Hermione said, "unless any of you wanted to also go to the bookstore?"
"I think that one is all yours, Mione," Harry grinned. "We'll meet you there though, okay?"
Plans decided, they group all took a pinch of the powder and flooed out one-by-one to The Leaky Cauldron and then entered into Diagon Alley.
In his role as "Eustace" Draco had been told to make sure to stay close to Ginny and Ron, as any cousin probably would in a strange place. His cover was he lived in Switzerland and was homeschooled by his parents as they didn't want to send him all the way to Hogwarts, which was the closest school.
He was visiting his cousins for the holidays as his parents went on vacation and they didn't want him home alone. He was not overly familiar with Ron or Ginny, but they'd met at various family functions a few times over the years.
Keeping to his role, Draco practically dogged Ron's footsteps as they headed down the cobblestone to Broomstix.
"Back off a bit Dra- er-Eustace," Ron said. "You're going to step on my heel, mate!"
Ginny, hand-in-hand with Harry, giggled under her scarf.
"Sorry," Draco groused. "Your mum said to stay close so I didn't get lost."
"How about we all hold hands?" Ginny suggested.
Ron blanched. "How old do you think we are? Five?"
"Well, some of us sure do act like that," Ginny smirked. "Right, Ronnie-kins?"
"Argh!"
Ron leapt at his little sister who tore away with a shriek down the street. Draco and Harry were left alone as the two natural redheads vanished into the holiday crowd.
"So…," Harry said, moving to walk next to Draco. "What are do you think of London?"
"It's very… busy," Draco answered, looking around the streets. "And so many people. There's nothing quite like this in.. uh, Switzerland."
Quieter he whispered, "I am from Switzerland, right? Or was it Sweden?"
"Switzerland," Harry whispered back.
"Right," Draco straightened up. "Yes, it's very different from Switzerland. What would you say your favorite part about London is?"
"I have a few favorites," Harry said. "In Diagon Alley I'm very fond of the ice cream shop, Florean Fortescue's, but I think it might be a bit cold for it. Sugarplum's is a delicious sweet shop; we'll definitely have to stop by even if your aunt is baking enough sweets to kill us all from sugar overload."
"If only my other aunt baked," Draco said.
"Your other aunt?" Harry asked, not quite following.
"I have two, actually," Draco said. "I've never met one but my cousin is super friendly, if a bit klutzy. My other aunt though is a little crazy though and would rather murder someone than bake."
"Ah," Harry said, realizing who Draco meant. "Yeah, she doesn't sound all that pleasant. Hopefully you won't have to see her during the holidays then."
"Or hopefully ever," Draco muttered.
He'd never been fond of Bellatrix, even when he had been trying his hardest in his younger years to cater his father's favor. While Lucius was cruel, Bellatrix was insane. She had never really abused him, as she let Lucius mete out any punishments and would just delight in watching, but he'd seen her torture animals out of boredom and once set a house elf on fire because her tea wasn't quite hot enough.
At least with Lucius he knew if he stayed out of the way he'd be fine. He hadn't been upset when she'd been banished to Azkaban when he was little and wished she could have stayed there longer than his third year at Hogwarts.
"Anyways, those and The Leaky Cauldron are probably my favorite places here, other than the Quidditch stores. There's quite a few of them! The one we're headed to now sells all the newest model brooms. They're fun to look at, even if you can't afford them."
A figure suddenly sidled up to them, revealing under a fur-lined hood the glittering eyes of Pansy.
Draco could feel the groan at the mischievous twinkle in her eyes and she clearly knew who he was.
"Hi there, Harry," she greeted. "Who's your good-looking friend? Haven't seen him around here before."
"Hey Pansy," Harry said. "This is Ron and Ginny's cousin Eustace. He's visiting for the holidays."
"Eustace?" she choked, barely stifling a laugh. "Well, hello Eustace. It's a pleasure."
"Hello," Draco said, resisting the urge to stick his tongue out at her as she continued to giggle.
"I didn't know you'd be in Diagon Alley today," Harry said.
"I'm just running a quick errand for my mum," she said. "Heading back home now. We still on for tomorrow?"
"Of course," Harry grinned. "I hope you don't mind dog fur as Butterscotch will be there."
"Oh, that big sweetheart," Pansy gushed. "I can't wait to see him again. Well, I'm off and I'll see you tomorrow, Harry. Nice to meet you, Eustace."
She disappeared almost as quickly as she'd arrived.
"Well, she seems nice," Draco said. Curse her, he thought. She just wanted to see him as a ginger, he was certain. At least, he thought smugly, he somehow made the hair and freckle combination sexy. He even made glasses look good!
"I'm sure you two will get along great," Harry said. "You'll have a chance to talk with her more tomorrow. Come on, we're almost to the store. We might have even beat your cousins depending on where they ran off to."
"They always were immature," Draco mused. "I wouldn't be surprised if Ginevra has Ronald hogtied somewhere out of the way."
"What did you call them?" Harry asked, blinking. He wasn't aware that was part of the plan.
Draco smirked. "Their full names are so much more becoming, aren't they? They don't hold a candle to Eustace, but it's not like I'd expect any name to."
"Uhhh…"
Fortunately they'd reached the shop at that point and spotted the two redheads inside, admiring the Cumulus 2500, which was the newest Cleansweep model on the market.
"You shouldn't have run off, Ronald, Ginevra," Draco scolded as they approached them. "What if something had happened to me? Aunt Molly would have been so furious with you."
Both had the good grace to look sheepish, before Ginny's eyes narrowed. "What did you call me, Eustace? You know I hate going by my full name."
"That's too bad, Ginevra, you know how much I love saying it."
She glowered and gave him a "friendly" punch to the shoulder. Draco winced and rubbed the sore spot.
"How about we take a look at the brooms?" Harry butted in, hoping to avoid any loud drama. "Eustace, what do you think of this one?"
Their conversation turned immediately to the brooms and Harry took comfort in the fact that no one sensed anything amiss from what turned into a very heated broomstick discussion.
xxx
About an hour later the entire group met up at Flourish and Blotts and surprised Hermione, who hadn't even noticed how much time had gone by. She had quite a stack of books picked out that she was considering purchasing and could only smile in amusement as a few went missing as her friends picked them off to buy as her Christmas presents.
"Did you have fun, Eustace?" she asked, pretending not to notice as Harry purchased some of her books on the counter behind her.
"I forgot how excitable my cousins can be," he said. "One would think they would understand that the FLAMETAIL is a much better broomstick than the CUMULUS 2000," he said, pitching his voice so it easily carried towards Ginny at the checkout counter.
"Now, now, let's not antagonize them," Hermione said, putting a placating hand on Draco's arm. "How about we go check out Sugarplum's? I think you'll love their sugar quills – they're my parents' favorite wizarding candy."
The entire group traipsed over to the sweet shop, which was packed to the brim with customers. They spotted a few Hogwarts students and waved but did their best to keep their distance so no one would look too closely at Draco.
The each ended up with a generous assortment of candy, Draco stocking up heavily on caramel cobwebs. "They're my godfather's favorite," he explained. "He's always trying to prove that he's too grown up for sweets, but he'll eat these by the handful if no one is watching." He also picked up an assortment of jelly slugs, liquorice wands and fizzing whizbees for Tonks as she'd mentioned her love of candy while keeping him company at the hospital.
Their next stop was Slug and Jiggers. "Not really Christmas shopping," Ron complained, but followed them in anyway although he wrinkled his nose as much as he could against the smell.
"I know I for one am running low on several Potions ingredients," Hermione said, scooping up a few ounces of new eyes. "You should get some too, Ron, because Professor Snape is not going to be happy if you run out."
Snape did have spare supplies on hand for students that were short, but you went on the unofficial "will grade all future assignments like they are the NEWT exam" list and grades normally suffered for it. And if you needed more than a few things he would charge you at triple the retail price for the "inconvenience."
Ron gulped and hurried over to the barrels of dried lacewings.
After they'd all burdened themselves with Potions supplies – Hermione kindly shrinking everyone's packages down – they took a break for lunch. Tom was always very kind about seating them away from the rest of the crowd so Harry wasn't bothered.
The attention was nowhere near as bad as it had been last year following the Triwizard Tournament and then Voldemort's return (finally acknowledged by the ministry), but Harry still had plenty of fans who wanted to talk to the boy-who-lived.
After lunch the ventured back out into the cold and visited Amanuensis Quills as Crookshanks had gotten a hold of several of Hermione's and Butterscotch had ruined her last good one and then the Magical Menagerie for pet supplies.
"Pig is going to get fat if you keep buying him treats," Ginny said, eyeing the pile of goodies in Ron's basket.
"It's Christmas, Ginny! Pig deserves a treat. Right, Hermione?"
"Just make sure he doesn't eat them all at once, Ron." She was distracted with looking at cat toy for her wily cat, who she figured following Parenting Class needed a little pampering. He was too intelligent though for common cat toys so she had to be very picky in her choosing.
"Do you have any pets, Eustace?" Harry asked, joining the two of them with a purchased bag of toys and treats for his puppy.
Draco shook his head. "Afraid not. I've always rather like cats though, so perhaps once I get a place of my own."
"Not even an owl?" Hermione asked. She could have sworn she'd seen a magnificent looking black owl delivering Draco mail all throughout his years at Hogwarts.
"Nightwing belongs to my father, I'm afraid," he said.
"Well, once you get your own flat I'd love to help you pick out a cat," Hermione smiled. "I'm picturing a very elegant looking one for you."
"So the opposite of Crookshanks?" Harry joked, earning an elbow to the ribs. "Owww."
"Crookshanks is very elegant," she sniffed. "And intelligent too. Don't forget that he…" she trailed off and Harry raised an eyebrow.
"He what?"
"He survived my entire reign as a child," she said. "And with hardly any wear and tear at all. That's quite a feat."
Harry and Draco chuckled at that and left to go help Ron finish picking out his treats. Hermione bit her lip as they retreated. She'd almost blown it then!
She, Ron and Ginny had all agreed that unless Harry brought up Sirius they wouldn't say anything. Following his death just that spring – goodness, had it really been that short of a time ago? – Harry had withdrawn, blaming himself for what had happened.
They'd tried to talk to them, but he didn't want to and shut them out. Hermione couldn't even begin to imagine what he was feeling; to gain family and to lose it so quickly and to feel responsible for it – even though they'd told him time and time again he wasn't at fault.
Over the summer he seemed to have bounced back and so long as they didn't bring it up he seemed all aright. The closest they'd come to discussing it was back during the Parenting Class when Harry had been looking at his photo album and little Draco had asked who the man in the photo was.
She knew it was only a matter of time before something cracked – it would be Christmas without Sirius for the first time since Harry found him – but not being in the Order headquarters she was sure had certainly helped. That house just had a way of bringing down anyone's spirit, while the Weasleys' home never failed to raise them.
She would be there when Harry was ready to talk or just needed someone to listen. But it would be on his own terms and time and not a minute before.
Nodding to herself Hermione finally picked a toy – a mouse that she could program with different charms to race in different patterns to chase and a large bone for Butterscotch– and headed to the checkout.
The rest of the afternoon passed by pleasantly. They all decided to stay together and visited Gambol and Japes and Ginny dragged them all into Madam Primpernelle's Beautifying Potions. Draco was the only one who went willingly and said it was where he got his hair gel and conditioner. He had ditched the gel – Hermione personally thought he looked much better with his hair loose and not slicked back – but still loved his shampoo and conditioner.
Then it was to the Junk Shop where it was always fun to poke around – Ron ended up finding a still mostly intact Chudly Cannons figurine – followed by a stop at Rosa Lee Teabag to warm up. It wasn't quite the butterbeers of The Three Broomsticks, but they all enjoyed a hot cup (except Harry, who just got water with lemon) before venturing to their last stop: Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.
"Ah, dearest cousin Eustace!" boomed Fred as soon as they entered the crowded building. "How good to see you!"
The loud announcement had many pausing in their shopping to turn to see who all the commotion was about. Draco gave a nervous wave as it seemed every eye turned towards him and he saw a few females do a double take.
Vain as he was, Draco had been specifically instructed that he was not to acknowledge any attentions aimed at him, as Eustace would be very humble from his homeschooled upbringing. But it wasn't the other girls he found he wanted to impress. He glanced over at Hermione, and noticed that her jaw was tense. What was she upset about?
George and Fred then engulfed him in giant hugs and the crowd went back to what they were doing, leaving Draco squirming and struggling to breathe as the twins bestowed greetings upon him.
Hermione smiled in amusement as Fred ruffled Draco's hair and George steered him off to show him "the works" while Ron tagged along and asked (for the hundredth time) if they would please give him a discount.
Draco had done well at staying under the radar all day, tucking himself into the backmost corner during lunch and not going out of his way to attract any attention while shopping. But with Fred's call everyone had looked at him and Hermione had seen the way girls' eyes had lit up at the sight of him. She'd made him a little too good-looking in hindsight – she should have added more freckles so his entire face was one giant one.
She wasn't a possessive person by any means (except for her ever growing library that no one was allowed to use without permission) but she didn't like it when a bunch of random strangers eyed Draco like a piece of fresh meat.
She wondered again if she should have continued on with her confession yesterday. At least then she'd know if she even had a chance to be with him, or if he would rather meet one of those other girls.
After Christmas, she promised herself. She would tell him then before they all went back to Hogwarts.
She wandered over to where Ginny was eyeing a new species Fred and George had bred called the Puffskeins; little miniature versions of Pygmy Puffs.
"Aren't they cute?" Ginny cooed, holding a little purple one in her hands. "It's a shame my brothers are such cheapskates they won't just give me one." She sent a pointed glare in the direction of said brothers, who were in the process of forcing Eustace to try out their assortment of fake wands.
"Drop a hint?" Hermione said. "I mean, they should get you a Christmas present, right?"
She brightened. "That's a wonderful idea. One second." Hefting the puffskein like she would a quaffle, Ginny launched the creature at the back of Fred's head.
"Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed, aghast.
"They're pretty much made of fluff," she said, grinning as the puff collided dead on. "They really don't feel much."
Hermione just shook her head.
Fred turned around, holding the puff with a confused expression on his face.
"THAT'S YOUR HINT!" Ginny shouted from the first floor. "I want one!"
"Duly noted," Fred yelled back, settling the puffskein on his shoulder. It wasn't harmed in the slightest and didn't even appear to have awoken from its nap.
"If you do get one make sure you don't let Crookshanks or Butterscotch get it," Hermione warned. "They'll both think it's some new toy."
Both shuddered and then continued on with their shopping.
Hermione wasn't sure how time had gone so quickly, but all of a sudden it was nearly dark outside and almost five in the evening.
"Relax," Ginny said, putting a few purchases on the counter as Hermione fretted beside her. "We're in no rush to get home for anything, right? Mum will have dinner ready whenever we do arrive and dad isn't even home from work yet."
"But I still have so much homework to do. I haven't even started on my essay for McGonagall and I know it's going to take at least a few hours of research."
Ginny huffed and turned to her friend. "Hermione, it's Christmas break. Relax. The homework isn't going anywhere and there will be plenty of time for you to finish it. Just enjoy yourself."
As Ginny accepted her bags from the clerk, a seventh year Ravenclaw hired on for seasonal help, the rest of their group joined them.
"Ready to get going?" Hermione asked, putting her shrunken packages away in her bag.
"I'm going to stay and help Fred and George for a little bit," Ron said. In a whisper he added, "They said they'd give me some stuff if I helped out." He looked positively gleeful at the prospect of free merchandise.
"We're ready to go, right Eustace?" Harry said.
Draco looked a bit drained, likely from being around the twins for such an extended period of time, and just nodded.
"We may have turned him into a canary," George said sheepishly.
"And a penguin," Fred added apologetically.
"And then a flamingo," Harry put in.
"And transforming like that can make you a bit tired," George said.
"…How?" Hermione asked. "Canary creams?"
"Please, I know better than to eat those," Draco said. "I've been told never to eat anything these two offer."
"We've been experimenting with these new poppers," Fred said. "Didn't quite get them ready for the holidays in time. They're just supposed to turn your head into a random bird, but we keep getting full body transformations."
"And you used Eustace as your guinea pig?" Hermione asked, eyes narrowed.
"What do guinea pigs have to do with birds?" Ron asked.
She sighed. "Never mind."
"He volunteered," George beamed, ruffling Draco's hair. "As expected of our dear cousin."
Draco scowled and ducked out from under the offending hand. "You handed me a popper. I pulled it. I don't think that counts as volunteering."
The twins just shrugged.
"All right, let's all get going then," Hermione said. "Ron, will you be back for dinner?"
"Just leave out a plate," he said. Under her breath Ginny muttered "you mean leave three" and Hermione giggled.
"Take care you lot," Fred said. "We'll see you all for Christmas morning. Make sure you save some cookies for the rest of us."
With final waves good bye the remaining four stepped out of the shop and into the alley. In the two hours they'd been inside Diagon Alley had transformed into a bit of a winter wonderland. Fresh snow still clung to the rooftops and eaves and many shops had turned on festive lights outside.
Fairy lights hung between the buildings and offered a cheerful glow against the night sky. It was still cold, but it was a cuddle up against someone cold, rather than run for the nearest shelter.
Harry and Ginny did just that as they stepped off towards The Leaky Cauldron, his arm snug over her shoulders and hers around his waist and her head resting against his shoulder. They looked picture-perfect, Hermione sighed silently.
She cast her gaze around the other holiday shoppers and noticed a similar trend; couples walking hand in hand or pulled close against the cold. She tucked her hands into her coat pockets and continued down the cobblestone with a wistful smile on her face.
Draco noticed too. And for some reason he wanted to put his own arm around Hermione and draw her close. He was sure she was cold too as he shivered inside his coat. He tentatively raised an arm, but a second later pretended like he was stretching and put it ramrod straight back at his side.
A sharp elbow had him letting out a quiet 'oof' a second later and he turned to see Ginny glaring it him from his other side.
"What?" he hissed quietly.
"Do it," she hissed back.
He raised an eyebrow in question. She rolled her eyes and lifted up her one free arm in a crook.
She wanted him to put his arm around Hermione? He wasn't sure how the Gryffindor would take that. She was normally the one to initiate any contact, like dragging him by the hand down the hall or leaning in for a quick hug when she was excited.
"Trust me," she whispered, eyes dancing.
The youngest Weasley had thought the two of them would finally get together when Draco was in the hospital, but no luck. She'd stalled on how to get them to admit their feelings (enchanted mistletoe did come to mind but she knew Hermione would probably kill her), but maybe all they needed was a nudge instead of a push.
Draco cast a nervous glance at Hermione, who remained oblivious of the interaction next to her, and then to Ginny's insistent nodding.
Slowly Draco lifted his arm again and this time hovered only a second before curling it around Hermione's shoulders. She glanced up at him in surprise, and Draco blushed.
"You looked cold," he mumbled, averting his gaze.
She blushed too, but pressed herself to his side so his arm wasn't stretched. "Thanks," she said softly.
Harry, who had caught wind of what was going on, shared a grin with Ginny. Finally!
As they continued their leisurely walk back to the pub, Draco's hold tightened ever so gently and he breathed in deeply the scent of Hermione's gingerbread shampoo.
Everything felt so right, so perfect in this moment.
He wished it never had to end.
Author's Notes:
We are finally moving into some Dramione! Slow and steady wins the race and all that. Draco's a bit of an idiot though when it comes to recognizing his feelings, so it might be a while before everything comes together. Then again, I'm throwing in the drama in a few chapters so, mwahahaha, maybe there will be no Dramione! (just kidding, I promise. Sort of :p)
Thank you so much to all who reviewed! I read each one and appreciate every comment you guys have. They really encourage me to keep writing!
The Review that Made My Day (and there were quite a few!)belonged to JessieLou71605. I love your boggart (that is indeed terrifying!) and the little haiku was so sweet. Thank you!
To a few other questions asked in reviews that I thought I'd answer:
1)No, I still have not seen Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I know, the horror! I did go see Moana last week though and absolutely adored it! Keep bursting into songs (And creepily my favorite is "Shiny") so that's been fun :D
2)But yes, I am the IcyPanther you see on Etsy! The link to my shop is in my profile here, or just search IcyPanther on Etsy. I do have some Harry Potter merchandise, but not much is listed on the site. Feel free to shoot me a conversation on Etsy to discuss further.
Remember, you lovely readers control how quickly the next chapter is published. I will always update within two weeks on Sunday, but you do have the power to have me update within one week instead :D If we get a great turnout of views and reviews I'm inclined to update sooner. And this week, we even have a milestone goal to hit. If we manage to get 3,000 reviews I will for sure update next Sunday.
If you're stuck and need a bit of a prompt for a review, answer this question to start: If you were Christmas shopping in Diagon Alley, what is the one store you would want to visit for certain? See the above chapter for a bunch of the stores if you're stuck. Me? Sugarplum's - I have such a sweet tooth!
See you maybe next week!
Updated: December 4, 2016