Chapter 21: Charity and Frats
Harry took a bunch of seeds and planted them into the ground as fast he could. However, the magic-moving watering can kept catching up with him faster than he could move. "Draco, a little help here?" He called, sweating in his gardening robes. The charity work had landed them in doing herbology work, for Neville. Rules stated that they couldn't get out of it, and Neville couldn't lessen the punishment. Of course, that didn't mean Draco couldn't weasel his way out of working by doing business deals with Longbottom himself. Neville looked increasingly uncomfortable, but was scratching his head at the prospect of getting workers, courtesy of Iota Mu Xi.
"Yes. Iota Mu Xi would be so thankful to do some sponsor work. It'd look great on their resume. And great in your pockets." Draco proposed to him. He was wearing the gardening robes as well, but they actually looked good on him, the stupid sod, and he hadn't gotten his hands dirty. It had only been ten minutes. They still had two hours, 50 minutes to go. "Did you say something, Harry?" Draco asked, looking down at him kneeling on a tree stump. "I need a hand seeding. You know, if you could stop making a business venture." Draco rolled his eyes. "Aren't you concerned about Iota Mu Xi?" He asked.
"Of course I am!" Harry yelped, but it was half-hearted. What he really cared about was getting done with this work. He had to put on two new cleaning charms already. It was hot outside, at least hot enough that there weren't any clouds. Damn the spring. "Shouldn't Ernie or Justin be planning this instead?" Harry pushed, wondering if even Blaise could have done this. No. He'd care more about what wines would preserve long enough in the cellar. It was a lost cause. Draco shrugged, muttered a spell, and Harry watched as ten spots dug out in advance closed as seeds filled under them.
"H-how..." Harry sputtered. Why didn't he tell him about that? "Sorry. But I like a man in uniform." Draco winked. Harry cursed. "You're going to get it!" Harry hexed him, and Draco's loafers splattered with ink. "Merlin! Harry! These cost five hundred galleons!" He yelled, face burning. Harry noticed Neville holding in a laugh. "You two should probably get to work." Neville told them, and Harry saw the watering can had continued to spray all the holes without seeds in them. Harry groaned. "Oh great. Good job Harry." Draco shook his head. "Good job me? You were the one not helping all this time!"
Draco bit his lip. "Good thing I know a thing or two." Draco smirked and with a another charm, transfigured the watering-can into a extra hand and sent it to pick up the rest of the seeds. "Now you can be the watering-can." Draco told him, unfazed about making a severed hand do his own work. "No! You better help out now!" Harry complained, jumping up to drag Draco over to the small crops. "Fine! Fine! Let go already!" Draco bit out. Neville snorted. Draco glared at him and put some gloves on before transfiguring a watermelon into a watering-can. "Finally." Harry mocked him.
~.~.~.~.~.
"I can't believe you put me through that." Draco told Harry. Harry blinked at him. "Me? It was our punishment, Draco! Remember how we stole Fred's portrait?" They were sitting at a table with Hermione watching them. Hermione put her head in her hands. "What were you two thinking?" Harry shrugged and Draco snorted. "That maybe George would take him more seriously if he was a bit bigger?" Harry guessed. "I thought if George talked to that portrait, he'd be less averse to the whole thing. Except not in Hogwarts." Draco added on. Hermione looked between her fingers. "You two are idiots."
"Hey! Am not!" Draco disagreed. "Well at least not me. I don't know about Harry." Draco said innocently. "Wow!" Harry barked at him. "Enough! Do I have to bring Ron into this to make you two stop arguing with each other?" Harry and Draco shook their heads in unison, blushing. The more Ron came over between them, Draco thought, the more embarrassing accidents happened. It was best to make sure he wasn't there to make a fool out of them for his own amusement. He had a sick sense of humor when he was in the right mood for it, stupid Weasel. Just yesterday they had been caught kissing, and had been laughed off by Ron and his dastard mobile.
It had infuriated Draco to no end. Hermione had of course, brought it up five times already, with her scheming self, threatening to bring him over from his studies and have him do it again. It wasn't Ginny they should be afraid of anymore, it was Ron. "Don't look at me like that, Malfoy. It's not my fault you're so easily offended." Hermione held her hands up. Draco held his fists, and Harry had to grip his shoulder to stop him. "Stop! Merlin. Can we just blame this on George?" Harry pleaded. Hermine looked at the two of them. "Maybe. But the fact remains you two have got to think through things more."
Draco rolled his eyes. That was like asking Harry to do his work on time. "We'll work on that." Harry lied, scratching a itch under his neck. Hermione glared at him. "Yeah I'm sure." She put a paper onto the table. "Anyways, here is the contract you two can sign that shows you did the charity work. Now you're free to go." Draco signed it quickly and handed it to Harry, not bothering to read it. He knew Hermione would never put Harry into trouble. "Thanks for this, Mione." Harry told her, signing it carefully, but the writing still ended up looking like chicken scratch. "We'll be concentrating on being sneaky this time."
Hermione groaned. "Very hilarious, Harry. Next time you'll end up with a fine, and I won't be paying for that." Hermione scolded him. Draco wanted to contradict her, saying she probably still would, Harry being rich or not, but it wouldn't have changed anything. "Alright, alright!" Harry shook his head, smiling at Draco. Draco grinned back, overwhelmed by the sincerity of his gaze. Hermione stood up. "I know that's my cue to leave." She quickly got the rest of her stuff and moved away. "She acts like we're about to make out or something." Harry tells Draco. Draco laughs and kisses Harry, hard.