A/N: Hey guys! Quarantine has officially brought this story from out of hiatus. Please don't forget to comment if you're still enjoying the story. It really motivates me to continue and bust the chapters out quicker. Any constructive criticism is of course welcome. Hope you're all staying safe during this crazy time!

Two Weeks Later

It was the Christmas eve feast.

I sit beside Draco at the vacant Slytherin table while absent mindedly stabbing my roast beef with a fork. Peering across the Great Hall, my eyes solemnly fall upon the equally barren Gryffindor table.

I had been left in the absence of my friends for the holiday. The Weasleys were home with their family and so was Hermione. I decided to spend it with my mate Malfoy who didn't have a reason to return home since his father was tending to 'more important tasks' with the Ministry.

Still coming down from the high of the victorious match against Gryffindor, Malfoy hadn't shut up about it in weeks. Unbeknownst to him, I wasn't fully proud of our win due to my troubling behavior that won us the game.

Our match had been won based off false pretense, and I was left feeling guilty and apprehensive of what my manipulative eye was capable of.

I had opened up to Ginny regarding my eye following the afterparty and it is was tremendously alleviating. There was a certain softness to Ginny that perfectly contradicted her fierce, albeit bossy, character. I felt comfortable in opening up to her and I felt safe around her. This was something that I would never take for granted.

Not even my right eye could get in the way of our blossoming relationship.

Not if I could help it.

After filling up on candy apples, peppermint cakes and pumpkin pie Malfoy and I make our way back to the boys dormitory. A fire place roars in the corner illuminating our eerie yet charming common room.

Malfoy had gotten his hands on a bottle of firewhisky that we intended to save specially for tonight. He pours me a glass and I accept his offer while clinking my glass against his.

We both recline in the ridiculously comfortable sofa chairs in front of the fire. I'm entranced by the rhythmic movement of the flames as Malfoy speaks up.

"So why aren't you spending the holiday with your parents?"

"Because they lied to me about everything," I admit while curling one of my hands into a fist. "Christmas was always terrible anyway. They thought they could buy me their love, as if that would somehow erase my memories of the terrible rubbish they put me through as a child."

My eyebrows furrow as my eyes skeptically dart to Malfoy. I hadn't intended to share such a vulnerable statement with him, and I mentally kick myself in the arse for doing so. He continues to stare at the firepit, just as thoughtfully entranced in the flames as I was.

"I can relate," Malfoy confesses to my surprise. "Mother always showered me in lavish gifts, but that was never the problem of concern. I love gifts."

His statement doesn't surprise me in the least.

"However, now it's clear that my father has deemed his position at the Ministry to be more necessary than spending the holiday with his son."

"And your mother?"

"Don't worry, Potter," he says with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I'll still wake up to loads of presents."

The corners of my lips rise as I roll my eyes at him.

"Cheers mate." I tilt my glass of firewhisky clinking glasses with him once more. "We'll give ourselves a proper Christmas."

I wake up the next morning to a pile of unexpected presents at the foot of my bed. Hedwig must have had one hell of a night carrying all of the precious cargo.

Malfoy sits across from me propped up in his bed. As promised, a stack of gifts in quadruple the amount of mine sits in his lap. He rips through them like an eager child while tearing each one by one.

He scoffs at a furry peacoat getup that he holds elevated above his shoulders. "From my grandmum," he solemnly informs.

I shamelessly snicker at him while offering Hedwig a treat. Following suit of my morning ritual I feed my pet snake and let him out of its cage to slither around our dorm.

"Well?" Malfoy gestures a hand toward my presents. "Are you going to open them, or should I?"

"Don't get your knickers in a twist," I sigh while picking up the gift at the top of the pile. "I'll open them."

The first gift was from Hagrid, some more rock cakes that I almost shattered my teeth on last week; a gift from Ron's mother, a scratchy homemade sweater with letter 'H' on the front; a gift from Hermione, a copy of her favorite book with an attached note that instructed me to finish it by the end of break..

And one last mysterious parcel that I hadn't a single clue who it could be from.

"Stop staring at it already and open it," my snooty roommate demands.

I flip the package onto its front while tearing my finger through the tape. I pull out the silky contents that melts through my fingers. Using both hands to extend the intriguing garment, I stretch it out before my eyes.

"Well, at least it's more attractive than that bloody coat I received," Malfoy notes (correctly).

I look for a note that should have been attached to the package, but there's nothing. Just a simple parcel that was referenced to me.

"I don't have anyone who would send me this," I insist. "I haven't spoken with my parents since the beginning of term."

"Give it a try, then," he coolly suggests. "Can't hurt."

"Only if you try on yours," I counter.

"Like hell!"

I roll my eyes at him and place both feet on the carpet while throwing the cloak over my shoulders. A look of thorough horror crosses Malfoy's face as I stand up. His eyebrows furrow and he leans forward in his bed with a stern finger pointed at me.

The cloak couldn't be that ugly..

I let out a reluctant sigh while looking down at my chest, only to find that I can only see the bare ground beneath me. I gasp while impulsively jumping back a foot. I shimmy the cloak from off my shoulders as my limbs gradually reappear again.

"What the bloody hell is this?"

"Stop being so daft, will you?" Malfoy drawls. "It's an invisibility cloak, Potter. Not just anyone has one of those lying around."

Repositioning the enchanted silvery cloak in my hands, I stroke the surface with my thumb.

An invisibility cloak?

But who on earth could have sent me this?

"These are a laugh," Malfoy says, drawing my attention from the enchanted garment. He tosses over a package of Dungbombs that he had received from his older cousin who graduated from Hogwarts last year. "Imagine the damage that these could do.."

My mouth twists into a sinister smirk as I retrieve the invisibility cloak from my lap. I tilt my chin down and send him a deceitful smile while showcasing the garment. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

After opening our presents and attending the afternoon Christmas feast, Malfoy and I head to the quidditch pitch for some fresh air. The sun was setting and we were both growing tired from the amount of flying that we had done that day.

The night was nearing and it was time to place our plan into full effect.

We make it back to our room in gleeful anticipation. Malfoy shovels through his pile of gifts while retrieving the box of Dungbombs. "You're brilliant, Potter, have I ever told you that?"

"Not as much as I deserve," I reply with a smirk while retrieving my gifted cloak.

"Can you imagine the look on his face?"

"Are you kidding? It's all I've been thinking about all day."

I stand before the mirror and wrap the invisibility cloak around my shoulders to ensure that it's capabilities were still intact. As predicted, I could no longer see my torso, legs or arms, and I'm left as a floating head.

It was well past our curfew and the few Slytherins who stayed behind for the holiday had gone off to bed. Malfoy and I sneak out of our room beneath the invisibility cloak. I extend the cloak with my arms and hold it over our heads as he clutches the precious box of Dungbombs.

"Ouch," he hisses at me. "Stop stepping on my heels, will you?"

"Sorry," I say above a whisper. "Maybe if you'd quit abruptly stopping in place, I'd be able to avoid it."

"Shut up."

We both hold in a strained breath as we swing open the door to our common room. We nearly bump heads as we peek over the other side to the wall; checking for any professors or, worse, Filch.

"Go," I urge, pushing him out the door. I almost trip over the back of him and we sloppily stumble into the hallway. Luckily, the cloak was big enough to cover our fumbling bodies.

Ensuring that there was no one lurking around the corners, we adamantly make our way to Snape's office. If there was one person on campus who was deserving of a harmless prank on Christmas, it was our temperamental potions professor.

Our rapid footsteps come to more of an apprehensive tiptoe as we approach the vacant potions classroom. Snape's office was just around the corner. We share a snicker as Malfoy opens up the batch of Dungbombs, ready to disperse.

The flicker of a lantern suddenly flashes from around the corner as we halt in place.

"Do you think it's Snape?" Malfoy whispers.

I shrug my shoulders in response. It was a whole bloody castle after all. It could be anyone.

"Do you hear someone, Mrs. Norris?"

To our horror, we hear Filch's footsteps as he rounds about the corner; furiously stomping behind his cat with a lantern held over his head.

"In there!"

Much harder than intended, I shove Malfoy into one of the vacant bathrooms as I tumble behind him. We patiently wait for Filch to pass with baited breath. The caretaker eventually breezes past us and ascends the stairwell while trudging from out of our view.

"That was close," I mutter.

"Bloody hell!" Malfoy jolts as he starts wildly flailing his left leg about like a mad man.

"Would you stop moving?" I plead. "Filch is going to hear us!"

"It's that bloody reptile of yours!" he groans.

My lime green pet snake had wrapped itself around Malfoy's ankle, and with a quick kick of his leg, it goes soaring across the bathroom.

"You're going to hurt him!" I reprimand. I take initiative and position myself in front of Malfoy while leading us after my snake.

"Get back here!" I firmly instruct it.

"Follow me," it whispers.

I stop in place as it eagerly slithers around the corner. I proceed to follow after it as Malfoy continues to complain. But unless he wanted to get caught by Filch, he had no choice other than to follow my lead. I was intent on catching my snake who I must have lost track of this morning, and nothing was going to stop me.

Not even my moody roommate.

"This way."

"Where are you leading us?" I ask it.

"What're you saying to it?" Malfoy frets. "Where's it going? Not all of us can understand parseltongue.."

"Maybe if you'd shut up, I'd be able to find that out."

"Fine."

"Follow me," the snake repeats. "This way."

We curiously trail behind it as it leads us into another room adjacent to our potions classroom. As soon as we enter the pitch dark chamber, the vision from my right eye begins to wildly sputter out of control.

"Ouch." I uncomfortably rub my irritated eye as it stings like never before.

"Follow me."

Utilizing my night vision, we're led toward a curious, ceiling high mirror that is dauntingly propped up in the corner of the dim lit area.

A lone window drapes along one of the elongated walls exposing the cast of the full moon. As if it were intentionally broadcasting the enticing mirror, the moon spotlights the contraption as we're unconsciously lured toward it.

My snake slithers across the floor while inching toward the mysterious device. It stretches its body against the length of the mirror while flicking its tongue along the surface.

"This way."

"I think it wants us to look into the mirror," I inform Malfoy. "Let's give it a go."

"Why?" he complains. "It's just a dusty old mirror."

I ignore my grouchy roommate's commentary and shut the classroom door behind us. Wasting no time, I strip the invisibility cloak from off our shoulders and hastily approach the intriguing mirror.