A/N: Nope, not mine, not at all, not in the least tiniest bit. Warner
Brothers, J. K. Rowling, and whoever else, owns these characters and stuff.
I'm just borrowing them off the dusty old shelf and putting it to some use
for the fans before the real book 5 comes out. How about that.
1 Chapter 13
Halloween
With a sweep of orange marbles and black jacks, fall swept out Halloween, as playfully as if it were all a simple and easy game. November was a day away and the Halloween ball was just beginning, with Harry Potter and Hermione walking down the hall in their dance clothes, ready for a great night.
Harry, of course, held in his hand the journal, wrapped in some nice gift-wrap that Fred and George Weasley given him (for once, it was a decent addition to Harry's quest for a perfect gift). The gift-wrap was colorful and cheery, and Harry wondered if Draco would like it.
' Why wouldn't he!' Harry's mind exploded hotly. 'He's a normal guy, maybe a bit withdrawn and spooky, but hey!'
So having decided on it that way, Harry took Hermione's hand and they waltzed happily into the dining hall. The festive decorating hadn't gone unnoticed - everyone's faces glowed happily under the floating jack o' lanterns.
Neville was explaining hotly to his perfect match, Hannah Abbot: " See that one? That's the one I made float!" His voice overflowed with pride, and Harry reasoned that he had something to be proud of, indeed. Neville rarely got spells right, so this was quite an accomplishment.
Cho Chang was commenting to her little cousin, Nick, about how the cat posters on the wall seemed almost real, ready to hop out of the pictures and rub around their legs. She asked Nick: "Do you know who made these? They're pure brilliant."
Nick shook his head.
" I bet Harry Potter might have done this." Cho said, thoughtfully. Harry couldn't help but laugh at that.
" What're you laughing about?" Hermione asked him.
Harry didn't feel like explaining, so he said: " Just something I remembered."
" Oh." She hugged his arm closer to her side.
They found a nice seat in the corner of the room, where they could sit and talk about the things that had come to be and that might come. Hermione stared the whole time into Harry's eyes, and Harry stared into hers. There was nobody in the room but them, according to the two's intent gaze at one another as they spoke.
Draco Malfoy had walked into the room, as well. He carried a gift with him. It was small and wrapped tightly, and he seemed nervous as he held it, as if it were to explode in his hands any second. Harry knew it was unlike Draco to give gifts all of a sudden, so he smiled at that.
Hermione suddenly said: " Harry, you know what? Something tells me that the pot had been a bit, um, tapped. In choosing people to buy gifts for whom, so you know."
" How's that?" Harry asked.
" Well, I think everyone got to give a gift to the person they're least likely to give a gift to." Hermione explained. "That's the spell on it, I think. I've noticed that by now."
" How so?" Harry seemed bemused. He didn't really think this was so.
" I've taken notice on who gives whom a gift. See, I'd have never thought of giving Dennis a gift. Ever. Now, you probably would have never in your right mind given Draco a gift, am I right?" Hermione asked.
" Right."
" Neville, for sure, would have never gotten the nerve up to give Hannah a gift - he likes her a lot, didn't you notice?" Hermione asked.
" Uh. . . yeah." Harry didn't notice.
" Colin wouldn't give Cho a gift, he'd be too scared that she'd laugh at him or something. You know how it is, with boys liking an older, more popular girl." Hermione looked at Harry knowingly.
Harry blushed at the memory of his crush at Cho. It felt so stupid now! He murmured: " Yeah."
" Now, Ron would not give Rebecca Crick a gift. He'd be repulsed beyond his mind, in fact, with even looking at her. He's scared out of his wits by Rebecca. You do notice that, don't you?" Hermione questioned.
" Yes, I notice." Harry said, irritably. He hadn't noticed any of this at all. He figured it was just pure coincidence and tough luck that they'd get the names they'd picked.
" Also, guess who Snape is giving a gift to." Hermione had an elfish grin on her face. She had done some snooping, obviously. Harry knew it was just like Hermione to do so - she had the power to do that, after all.
" Who?" Harry didn't feel like guessing.
" Thea!" She giggled. " Isn't that just perfectly coincidental for him? He's practically in love with her." Hermione smiled widely. "You have to say you noticed at least THAT."
Harry hadn't even noticed THAT. He nodded anyway.
" I don't know much about anything else, but if I'm correct, then I'm getting a gift from Lavender, since she detests me ever since you asked me to the dance." Hermione looked thoughtful. "And I think I know who's getting YOU a gift."
" Who?" Harry couldn't help but ask.
" You'll find out." She laughed and then turned since someone was trying to talk to her. It was Neville, his face so red that the brown freckles on his face were nearly swallowed by the sea of maroon. " Oh, Hermione, you gotta help me." He whimpered.
" What is it, Neville?" Hermione asked, her wand readying.
" You're a girl, right?" Neville said, softly.
Hermione's eyes shimmered. " Sure I am."
" So you'll tell me what to tell Hannah to make her like me, won't you?" Neville's eyes melted like butter.
" Uh. . . alright." Hermione thought hard. " Be yourself, be open, compliment her, and above all, don't do anything out of what you'd normally do when you're out with your friends, eating."
" So I should basically spill everything that is capable of being spilled, sneeze when my mouth is full, and tell her dirty jokes?" Neville looked worried.
" In that case, then I think you should just revise and brush up your normal self. Maybe become a more formal normal self, but keep your personality." Hermione was now stumbling over her words, not knowing what advice to give him.
" I'm confused." Neville said.
" So am I." Hermione laughed.
" Here, Neville, just ask her to dance and compliment her. Make her feel nice, you know, like she's the greatest girl in the room." Harry advised.
Neville nodded, then admitted: " I don't think I'll remember."
Harry was stumped. " Well, then, just try and keep in mind that girls like table manners."
" True." Hermione said, and she gave an awkward glance at Goyle, who had come with a fifth-year girl that she didn't recognize. Goyle had just burped out a reply to a question the girl asked, and she didn't look delighted at all. In fact, Harry hoped that she didn't vomit or anything, since her cheeks had turned a rather pale green.
Neville had finally gone back to Hannah, who asked if he'd like to sit at her table with her two friends - both girls. They all giggled.
Harry couldn't help but smile. Neville was a winner today.
Just then, the plates on the tables burst open with food. Delicious aromas filled the entire dining hall, and just as Harry prepared to dig in, Dumbledore began an announcement:
" Children! I'd like to ask you to eat hastily."
" Crabbe's got that down pat." Hermione whispered. Harry now turned to Crabbe. He was sitting with Goyle, and Crabbe had a fourth-year girl with him. Crabbe's mouth was full and half his plate was cleared already.
Harry stifled a laugh as Dumbledore continued:
" We want to get past the dining part of this festivity and past the dancing and go right to the gifts-giving. I hope you all brought your Secret Ghost gifts?" Dumbledore's white and bushy eyebrows raised high on his forehead.
A few heads nodded, a few people said 'Yes', and a few wise-guys from Slytherin (Draco included), had shouted: " No!"
Dumbledore shook his head at them, then continued: " I hope that all the gifts are acceptable, as the rules had decided? No bombs, no green goop?" He looked right at Fred and George as he said this, and the twins both sunk low in their seats. They both had rather soggy-looking presents on the table and a slightly green discoloration had shown up on the white tablecloth. Harry knew more then well what had happened and what sort of gifts they had brought with them. He also knew for whom they got the gifts - for each other's girlfriends. This also made sense to what Hermione said, about the spell on the cauldron making everyone draw out a name of a person they'd be least likely to award a gift to.
Harry felt Hermione grab his hand under the table, and he turned to her. She had something urgent to say, and speaking softly while Dumbledore's speech continued, she said:
" I found something out. About English Whitescales."
" What?" Harry asked.
" Well, it appears that they are often useful even when they are less then a hundred years. Especially in their first years." Hermione said, softly.
" In what ways?" Harry wanted to know. He realized this might relate to the disappearance of Hagrid and Lisa's baby dragon.
" Read this." She held up a page from a book which she had ripped out. Harry stared at her in amazement. It wasn't like Hermione to rip pages out of books!
She noticed his surprised gaze and explained: " I know a spell that can mend ripped-out pages. Don't worry."
Harry breathed out a sigh of relief and then read the page softly to himself:
'Young English Whitescales
----------------------------------
. Despite popular belief, some
Whitescales can be in use even
before they reach their one
hundredth year. Records of this
had been traced and found all the
way back to the wizards of Greece
in 200 AD.
. Some common uses for the
young dragons is to find older ones.
The young Whitescale dragons have
an instinctual habit of seeking
for older members of its species,
most likely due to when dragon
populations boomed in 534 BC
and how dragons had formed separate
groups with leaders that were elder
dragons.
. Another use, less known to
the public, had been found to be
deeply associated with dark magic,
because of how only dark wizards
manipulate innocent young dragons
like these.
. One of such lesser known uses
is that the skin of the dragon, when
woven right, can be used to make a
magical garment, whatever it might
be. This garment, when worn, can
disguise a person into the form
of someone else.
. A dark wizard from five thousand
forty two years ago, a man named
Alchadius the Fifth, had made himself
a hat from the leather of the young
Whitescale dragon. This leather had
changed him from the form of an
elderly old man to a handsome, robust
young man with raven-black hair and
a thick Greek accent. Things such
as sex, race, accent, hair color, posture,
eye color, body build, and others can
be manipulated with the use of the
hide. Since young Whitescales are hard
to find, it is nearly impossible to meet
someone in such a disguise today.'
" My!" Harry's eyes widened. " This is. . ." His heart hammered. Someone who had stolen the baby dragon from Hagrid might now be running around, using the leather of the dragon to transform himself into someone new or something new.
" Harry, do you think this might be significant?" Hermione asked. She, after all, didn't know of Hagrid's missing dragon or of the dragon stolen from Charlie's dragon-breeding grounds.
" Yes. VERY significant." Harry whispered.
" All right, students, start eating!" Dumbledore had just finished his speech. Harry suddenly didn't feel like eating too much. He took a gulping breath and then twirled his fork in the spaghetti that had sprung up on the lilac-patterned plate.
Hermione wasn't eating much, either. She had no reason not to, though! Her plate was empty other then some salad that she'd put down on it.
" Herm, why aren't you eating?" Harry inquired.
" I'm just. . . not hungry." She said, softly.
" You're not hungry a lot, lately. You keep missing breakfast and then sometimes you skip dinner. Hermione, I hope this isn't what I think this is." Harry said.
" I'm on a diet." She told him.
" A diet where you don't eat isn't a diet at all. Diets are when you eat all three meals, exercise regularly, and so on and so forth. And you don't even need a diet." Harry was upset, and Hermione could see it. She looked down at her plate.
" I just haven't been hungry lately." She said, lamely.
" Well, you better get hungry soon. Try the spaghetti, it's good." Harry put a forkful of spaghetti in his mouth to make his point. She nodded and tried the food as well.
" You're right. It is good." She smiled.
*¤*.¸¸.·´¨`»*«´¨`·. ¸¸.*¤*
The dancing had just begun, and Harry took Hermione by the hand and brought her up towards the front of the room, at the dance parquet that had been set up once again. They had an hour of dancing in plan, and Dumbledore hoped that his students would make the best of this time, since next was the gifts giving.
Harry twirled Hermione and then they nearly avoided a collision with Ron and Lavender. Ron gave Harry a vague smile, then steered Lavender farther away from Harry.
Hermione's long hair wound around her shoulders and she looked really pretty. Harry wanted to tell her, but just then, his mind was taken off of her when he saw Draco.
Draco was sitting alone, one of the very few people that weren't dancing. In his hands he held a glass and he tilted the glass around between his fingers, causing the water inside to slosh from one side of the glass to the other.
" Draco doesn't have a date." Harry told Hermione.
" So?" She seemed unconcerned. She lifted his hand and did another twirl, then they moved farther left of the parquet so that Harry couldn't see Draco anymore.
" I actually feel bad for him." Harry said.
" Hmm."
" I mean, he's more then he appears, actually. I don't know what it is, but there's something about him that tells me he might have been sandbagging us all along. He might actually be a nice person and a great friend." Harry wondered.
" Keep dreaming." Hermione laughed and then stopped dancing, since the music had ended. There was a silence, and then Dumbledore said:
" Now I ask the teachers to come up and choose someone to dance with!"
A stunned silence followed, then laughter and applause as teachers made their way up to the front of the room. Professor Trelawney grabbed Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall took Professor Flitwick (since Flitwick was a bit short it looked rather funny, he had cast a floating charm on himself so that he was dancing in midair).
A few eyes stopped on Thea. She was still sitting, laughing and watching the dozens of teachers beginning to dance. Even Filch was dancing with someone (Madame Hooch, who was having a great time and didn't even mind who she ended up dancing with). Harry hadn't noticed that all the teachers and faculty had been invited into the room.
Then, everyone's eyes turned to Hagrid. He was there, too, and with Lisa. Despite how shaken Hagrid was about the disappearance of his English Whitescale dragon, he took Lisa and they danced merrily.
The students observed that Snape was sitting, too, and he seemed rather nervous and fidgety. He had dressed up rather nicely for the Halloween ball, and Hermione even said he looked handsome today, then she laughed and realized how odd it was to say something like that.
Thea stood and approached Snape. She held her hand out to him, her pretty pink lips forming words. Harry wished he could hear what she said.
Snape took her hand, smiling, and then said something too.
Hermione nudged Harry and said:
" What did I tell you? Snape adores her."
Snape, indeed, looked elated. He barely made his way up to the front of the room, his eyes plastered on the lovely Thea beside him. She was also dressed nicely, in a loose-fitting white dress with a lace coverlet on it. Her long blonde hair was pinned upwards and then tied down with a white glittery ribbon, which shimmered when it hit the light.
They began to dance, and Snape was a surprisingly good dancer. Harry couldn't believe how happy Snape looked. He had never looked that happy in the entire time that Harry had seen Snape!
The dance ended, and the teachers returned to their seats. This time, a much braver Snape sat down with Thea at her table. Thea was sitting alone, much to the tall and dark Snape's convenience.
" Adorable." Hermione said, quietly. " Who'd have thought?"
" Not me, that's for sure." Harry replied, grinning.
*¤*.¸¸.·´¨`»*«´¨`·. ¸¸.*¤*
The dancing time had ended, and the Secret Ghost time had begun. Students got up, searching the room for the people they were giving a gift to.
George and Fred's girlfriends both got a packet of green goo, and they laughed realizing that the Weasley twins ended up getting gifts for each other's girlfriends. The Weasley's girlfriends, meanwhile, got a gift for the wrong twin as well. Fred had gotten a crocheted pair of socks in a shockingly fluorescent green color, and George had gotten a plush teddy from Fred's girlfriend.
Neville and Hannah had ended up exchanging gifts, and Hannah had given Neville a kiss on the cheek when she saw the gift she had received.
Harry stalled as much as he could from handing his gift over to Draco. He made sure to stop and chat to everyone he even remotely recognized.
Hermione had given Dennis his sticker and the pink quill pen (Dennis was happier with the sticker), and then she waited to find out who was giving her a gift.
Ron had handed Rebecca Crick his gift, then quickly got away from her. Rebecca finally approached Hermione and gave her a gift. It was a small snow globe with nothing inside. " Oh." Hermione exclaimed. " So you were giving me a gift?"
Rebecca nodded, then said: " Do you like it?"
" Yes." Hermione smiled. " But. . . what is it?"
" It's a snow globe!" Rebecca said, as if she were speaking to someone stupid.
" Yes, I know that! But there's nothing inside of it." Hermione said. " What was supposed to be inside?"
Rebecca hadn't replied. She had simply shrugged and walked away. " Strange, that girl." Hermione whispered to Harry when she returned to him with her snow globe. " I expected to get a gift from Lavender. I suppose Rebecca was the one least likely to give me a gift, now that I think about it. She doesn't like me much, does she?"
" No, she doesn't." Harry shook his head. " Too bad, really. Since she doesn't know what she's missing." He put his arm around Hermione and then they went over to Lavender and Parvati, who were both supposed to give gifts to Crabbe and Goyle, and looked rather distressed about it.
Harry watched out of the corner of his eye as the teachers gave gifts to each other. Snape was to give Thea a gift, and he gave her a bouquet of white flowers.
Harry wondered who was going to give him a gift. Just as he readied to go to Draco's table, he realized Draco wasn't there. Harry clutched Draco's gift closer to him and then looked around for the light-haired, fair-skinned boy.
The room was so crowded, it was hard to find anyone, not even someone the size of Hagrid. Harry felt a light tap on his shoulder and he turned around.
Draco was there, holding out a gift at an arm's length from Harry. " Here you go." Draco said. " Happy Halloween." Then, he turned and looked ready to leave.
" Wait." Harry said. " Here's a gift for you." He gave Draco the wrapped-up diary. Draco was a bit surprised that Harry was giving him a gift. He opened it, then said:
" Oh!"
Harry could see Draco liked the journal. His eyes were widening and his mouth had opened, and he seemed awed. " This must have cost you a fortune." Draco finally said.
" I thought you'd like it."
They were both silent. He seemed to be struggling with something, then said, just loudly enough so Harry could barely hear it: " Um. . . thank you. I like it a lot." His words were honest. He spoke as if he never really got a gift like this, a gift so meaningful. And he probably never gave a gift, either.
He added: " Open my gift later. It's stupid. You probably won't like it." Draco seemed a bit upset. " Well, thanks." Then, he walked away, looking dazzled.
Harry shrugged at that, not knowing what to think of Draco's nervous behavior. He shook the gift lightly. Whatever it was, it wasn't huge, since the parcel was small. It wasn't in a lot of pieces, either, since nothing rattled when he shook it.
Harry went back to Hermione, and Hermione said:
" Did you get Draco's gift?"
Harry nodded. " You were right. The cauldron was tapped. Everyone gave a gift to the person they're least likely to give a gift to."
" I think it was a brilliant idea of Dumbledore to do that. It might just make some new friends." Hermione smiled. " Did Draco like the diary thing? What did you get from him?"
" He liked my gift for him. I think he liked it a lot, in fact." Harry was satisfied, knowing that. " And he told me to open the gift from him later. He seemed embarrassed at giving it."
" Poor guy." Hermione smiled. " I bet he never gave a gift in his life, at least, not a meaningful one like this. No wonder he was all jittery about it."
" I wonder what it is?" Harry looked at it curiously.
*¤*.¸¸.·´¨`»*«´¨`·. ¸¸.*¤*
Later on, in the common room, just as all the other boys had fallen asleep, Harry sat down under the window so that the moonlight allowed him to see what he was doing. He slowly opened the gift from Draco.
The parcel was so light he wondered if perhaps Draco didn't put anything in it at all, just stuffed it with tissues and wrapped it to look good. Maybe he was in the Slytherin common room right now, having a good few yaks with Crabbe and Goyle about it. Maybe he threw away the journal from Harry, or he burned it, or did something equally mean.
' No!' Harry thought to himself. 'He wouldn't do that. Why do I always have to think he's going to do the worst thing possible?' Harry couldn't really answer that question for himself as he pulled open the gift. Slowly, carefully, he revealed the inside of the present.
It was a small box, covered in fuzzy felt. Harry was very curious now.
He raised the lid of the felt box and he saw a lovely golden locket inside. It was a tiny little thing, shaped like a heart and rather roomy inside, and he opened it and saw a picture of his mother on one side and one of his father on the other. They were old pictures, but were still moving, though not as advanced as the wizard pictures these times held. On the back of the locket, someone had carved 'L.P.'
He was quite taken aback by this present and he then read the note inside, in Draco's clear and concise handwriting:
' Harry!
'I'm sure you know your dad and my dad went to school at Hogwarts together. Well, it happens that your mother had this little locket, see, and she lost it. My dad found it and he was going to give it back, but I guess he never got around to. I found this at home. My dad was going to throw it out, he's not much for sentimental things. I figured it'd be best if you had it.'
'I couldn't really find any other gift, I guess I risked my ass just getting this thing for you, my dad hates when I take his things without asking. But he probably wouldn't have let me give this gift. He probably would've been against the whole Secret Ghost business.'
' The pictures of your mom and dad weren't in there when I found it, I just sort of cut those out of my dad's yearbook. He never looks in there anyway.'
Well, you better like it, Potter!'
Harry laughed at that last sentence. It was just like Draco, to write in something like that. Of course, Harry was now convinced that Draco couldn't be all that bad.
At the bottom of the little letter, Draco had scribbled his signature in, rather messily. Harry folded the note back up and then leaned his head back onto the wooden backing of his bed. He would have never imagined getting a gift like this from Draco.
He knew that Malfoy probably had gone through quite some trouble behind his dad's back to get the locket to it's rightful owner. Harry's mind whirled with gratitude and surprise. He had to thank him, and thank him most generously. It was going to be his closest belonging, other then his Firebolt and the Invisibility Cloak.
' This belonged to my mum. . .' Harry thought, flipping the little golden locket around in his hands. ' My mum . . .'
Soon he couldn't see the locket any longer through the tears in his eyes.
A/N: I had to flip through the Harry Potter books to see if Lucius Malfoy went to school with Lily and James. Knowing that he did, it was easier to figure out that perhaps Lucius had found the locket. Then, knowing how he probably wasn't too fond of the Potters, he never gave it back. I figured it would be Draco to give it back. Yeah, I know it's a bit out of character for Draco to do that but I really do think he's not that bad! I think he's a rather nice person, actually, only withdrawn for certain reasons. I kind of wrote a little background fic on that, it's called 'If his father only knew. . .'. You could read that if you want to find out how I see Draco as a character.
Oh, and I'm really working on adding more fluff but It's hard to add it since I don't think Harry and Hermione would be sitting around snogging all day and moaning out " Oh I love you, I love you", perhaps I should add it in still but I don't know how, exactly. Any suggestions will be highly appreciated, email them to me at LittleMaggie01@yahoo.com. I'm definitely not making this more then PG-13 though, keep that in mind.
1 Chapter 13
Halloween
With a sweep of orange marbles and black jacks, fall swept out Halloween, as playfully as if it were all a simple and easy game. November was a day away and the Halloween ball was just beginning, with Harry Potter and Hermione walking down the hall in their dance clothes, ready for a great night.
Harry, of course, held in his hand the journal, wrapped in some nice gift-wrap that Fred and George Weasley given him (for once, it was a decent addition to Harry's quest for a perfect gift). The gift-wrap was colorful and cheery, and Harry wondered if Draco would like it.
' Why wouldn't he!' Harry's mind exploded hotly. 'He's a normal guy, maybe a bit withdrawn and spooky, but hey!'
So having decided on it that way, Harry took Hermione's hand and they waltzed happily into the dining hall. The festive decorating hadn't gone unnoticed - everyone's faces glowed happily under the floating jack o' lanterns.
Neville was explaining hotly to his perfect match, Hannah Abbot: " See that one? That's the one I made float!" His voice overflowed with pride, and Harry reasoned that he had something to be proud of, indeed. Neville rarely got spells right, so this was quite an accomplishment.
Cho Chang was commenting to her little cousin, Nick, about how the cat posters on the wall seemed almost real, ready to hop out of the pictures and rub around their legs. She asked Nick: "Do you know who made these? They're pure brilliant."
Nick shook his head.
" I bet Harry Potter might have done this." Cho said, thoughtfully. Harry couldn't help but laugh at that.
" What're you laughing about?" Hermione asked him.
Harry didn't feel like explaining, so he said: " Just something I remembered."
" Oh." She hugged his arm closer to her side.
They found a nice seat in the corner of the room, where they could sit and talk about the things that had come to be and that might come. Hermione stared the whole time into Harry's eyes, and Harry stared into hers. There was nobody in the room but them, according to the two's intent gaze at one another as they spoke.
Draco Malfoy had walked into the room, as well. He carried a gift with him. It was small and wrapped tightly, and he seemed nervous as he held it, as if it were to explode in his hands any second. Harry knew it was unlike Draco to give gifts all of a sudden, so he smiled at that.
Hermione suddenly said: " Harry, you know what? Something tells me that the pot had been a bit, um, tapped. In choosing people to buy gifts for whom, so you know."
" How's that?" Harry asked.
" Well, I think everyone got to give a gift to the person they're least likely to give a gift to." Hermione explained. "That's the spell on it, I think. I've noticed that by now."
" How so?" Harry seemed bemused. He didn't really think this was so.
" I've taken notice on who gives whom a gift. See, I'd have never thought of giving Dennis a gift. Ever. Now, you probably would have never in your right mind given Draco a gift, am I right?" Hermione asked.
" Right."
" Neville, for sure, would have never gotten the nerve up to give Hannah a gift - he likes her a lot, didn't you notice?" Hermione asked.
" Uh. . . yeah." Harry didn't notice.
" Colin wouldn't give Cho a gift, he'd be too scared that she'd laugh at him or something. You know how it is, with boys liking an older, more popular girl." Hermione looked at Harry knowingly.
Harry blushed at the memory of his crush at Cho. It felt so stupid now! He murmured: " Yeah."
" Now, Ron would not give Rebecca Crick a gift. He'd be repulsed beyond his mind, in fact, with even looking at her. He's scared out of his wits by Rebecca. You do notice that, don't you?" Hermione questioned.
" Yes, I notice." Harry said, irritably. He hadn't noticed any of this at all. He figured it was just pure coincidence and tough luck that they'd get the names they'd picked.
" Also, guess who Snape is giving a gift to." Hermione had an elfish grin on her face. She had done some snooping, obviously. Harry knew it was just like Hermione to do so - she had the power to do that, after all.
" Who?" Harry didn't feel like guessing.
" Thea!" She giggled. " Isn't that just perfectly coincidental for him? He's practically in love with her." Hermione smiled widely. "You have to say you noticed at least THAT."
Harry hadn't even noticed THAT. He nodded anyway.
" I don't know much about anything else, but if I'm correct, then I'm getting a gift from Lavender, since she detests me ever since you asked me to the dance." Hermione looked thoughtful. "And I think I know who's getting YOU a gift."
" Who?" Harry couldn't help but ask.
" You'll find out." She laughed and then turned since someone was trying to talk to her. It was Neville, his face so red that the brown freckles on his face were nearly swallowed by the sea of maroon. " Oh, Hermione, you gotta help me." He whimpered.
" What is it, Neville?" Hermione asked, her wand readying.
" You're a girl, right?" Neville said, softly.
Hermione's eyes shimmered. " Sure I am."
" So you'll tell me what to tell Hannah to make her like me, won't you?" Neville's eyes melted like butter.
" Uh. . . alright." Hermione thought hard. " Be yourself, be open, compliment her, and above all, don't do anything out of what you'd normally do when you're out with your friends, eating."
" So I should basically spill everything that is capable of being spilled, sneeze when my mouth is full, and tell her dirty jokes?" Neville looked worried.
" In that case, then I think you should just revise and brush up your normal self. Maybe become a more formal normal self, but keep your personality." Hermione was now stumbling over her words, not knowing what advice to give him.
" I'm confused." Neville said.
" So am I." Hermione laughed.
" Here, Neville, just ask her to dance and compliment her. Make her feel nice, you know, like she's the greatest girl in the room." Harry advised.
Neville nodded, then admitted: " I don't think I'll remember."
Harry was stumped. " Well, then, just try and keep in mind that girls like table manners."
" True." Hermione said, and she gave an awkward glance at Goyle, who had come with a fifth-year girl that she didn't recognize. Goyle had just burped out a reply to a question the girl asked, and she didn't look delighted at all. In fact, Harry hoped that she didn't vomit or anything, since her cheeks had turned a rather pale green.
Neville had finally gone back to Hannah, who asked if he'd like to sit at her table with her two friends - both girls. They all giggled.
Harry couldn't help but smile. Neville was a winner today.
Just then, the plates on the tables burst open with food. Delicious aromas filled the entire dining hall, and just as Harry prepared to dig in, Dumbledore began an announcement:
" Children! I'd like to ask you to eat hastily."
" Crabbe's got that down pat." Hermione whispered. Harry now turned to Crabbe. He was sitting with Goyle, and Crabbe had a fourth-year girl with him. Crabbe's mouth was full and half his plate was cleared already.
Harry stifled a laugh as Dumbledore continued:
" We want to get past the dining part of this festivity and past the dancing and go right to the gifts-giving. I hope you all brought your Secret Ghost gifts?" Dumbledore's white and bushy eyebrows raised high on his forehead.
A few heads nodded, a few people said 'Yes', and a few wise-guys from Slytherin (Draco included), had shouted: " No!"
Dumbledore shook his head at them, then continued: " I hope that all the gifts are acceptable, as the rules had decided? No bombs, no green goop?" He looked right at Fred and George as he said this, and the twins both sunk low in their seats. They both had rather soggy-looking presents on the table and a slightly green discoloration had shown up on the white tablecloth. Harry knew more then well what had happened and what sort of gifts they had brought with them. He also knew for whom they got the gifts - for each other's girlfriends. This also made sense to what Hermione said, about the spell on the cauldron making everyone draw out a name of a person they'd be least likely to award a gift to.
Harry felt Hermione grab his hand under the table, and he turned to her. She had something urgent to say, and speaking softly while Dumbledore's speech continued, she said:
" I found something out. About English Whitescales."
" What?" Harry asked.
" Well, it appears that they are often useful even when they are less then a hundred years. Especially in their first years." Hermione said, softly.
" In what ways?" Harry wanted to know. He realized this might relate to the disappearance of Hagrid and Lisa's baby dragon.
" Read this." She held up a page from a book which she had ripped out. Harry stared at her in amazement. It wasn't like Hermione to rip pages out of books!
She noticed his surprised gaze and explained: " I know a spell that can mend ripped-out pages. Don't worry."
Harry breathed out a sigh of relief and then read the page softly to himself:
'Young English Whitescales
----------------------------------
. Despite popular belief, some
Whitescales can be in use even
before they reach their one
hundredth year. Records of this
had been traced and found all the
way back to the wizards of Greece
in 200 AD.
. Some common uses for the
young dragons is to find older ones.
The young Whitescale dragons have
an instinctual habit of seeking
for older members of its species,
most likely due to when dragon
populations boomed in 534 BC
and how dragons had formed separate
groups with leaders that were elder
dragons.
. Another use, less known to
the public, had been found to be
deeply associated with dark magic,
because of how only dark wizards
manipulate innocent young dragons
like these.
. One of such lesser known uses
is that the skin of the dragon, when
woven right, can be used to make a
magical garment, whatever it might
be. This garment, when worn, can
disguise a person into the form
of someone else.
. A dark wizard from five thousand
forty two years ago, a man named
Alchadius the Fifth, had made himself
a hat from the leather of the young
Whitescale dragon. This leather had
changed him from the form of an
elderly old man to a handsome, robust
young man with raven-black hair and
a thick Greek accent. Things such
as sex, race, accent, hair color, posture,
eye color, body build, and others can
be manipulated with the use of the
hide. Since young Whitescales are hard
to find, it is nearly impossible to meet
someone in such a disguise today.'
" My!" Harry's eyes widened. " This is. . ." His heart hammered. Someone who had stolen the baby dragon from Hagrid might now be running around, using the leather of the dragon to transform himself into someone new or something new.
" Harry, do you think this might be significant?" Hermione asked. She, after all, didn't know of Hagrid's missing dragon or of the dragon stolen from Charlie's dragon-breeding grounds.
" Yes. VERY significant." Harry whispered.
" All right, students, start eating!" Dumbledore had just finished his speech. Harry suddenly didn't feel like eating too much. He took a gulping breath and then twirled his fork in the spaghetti that had sprung up on the lilac-patterned plate.
Hermione wasn't eating much, either. She had no reason not to, though! Her plate was empty other then some salad that she'd put down on it.
" Herm, why aren't you eating?" Harry inquired.
" I'm just. . . not hungry." She said, softly.
" You're not hungry a lot, lately. You keep missing breakfast and then sometimes you skip dinner. Hermione, I hope this isn't what I think this is." Harry said.
" I'm on a diet." She told him.
" A diet where you don't eat isn't a diet at all. Diets are when you eat all three meals, exercise regularly, and so on and so forth. And you don't even need a diet." Harry was upset, and Hermione could see it. She looked down at her plate.
" I just haven't been hungry lately." She said, lamely.
" Well, you better get hungry soon. Try the spaghetti, it's good." Harry put a forkful of spaghetti in his mouth to make his point. She nodded and tried the food as well.
" You're right. It is good." She smiled.
*¤*.¸¸.·´¨`»*«´¨`·. ¸¸.*¤*
The dancing had just begun, and Harry took Hermione by the hand and brought her up towards the front of the room, at the dance parquet that had been set up once again. They had an hour of dancing in plan, and Dumbledore hoped that his students would make the best of this time, since next was the gifts giving.
Harry twirled Hermione and then they nearly avoided a collision with Ron and Lavender. Ron gave Harry a vague smile, then steered Lavender farther away from Harry.
Hermione's long hair wound around her shoulders and she looked really pretty. Harry wanted to tell her, but just then, his mind was taken off of her when he saw Draco.
Draco was sitting alone, one of the very few people that weren't dancing. In his hands he held a glass and he tilted the glass around between his fingers, causing the water inside to slosh from one side of the glass to the other.
" Draco doesn't have a date." Harry told Hermione.
" So?" She seemed unconcerned. She lifted his hand and did another twirl, then they moved farther left of the parquet so that Harry couldn't see Draco anymore.
" I actually feel bad for him." Harry said.
" Hmm."
" I mean, he's more then he appears, actually. I don't know what it is, but there's something about him that tells me he might have been sandbagging us all along. He might actually be a nice person and a great friend." Harry wondered.
" Keep dreaming." Hermione laughed and then stopped dancing, since the music had ended. There was a silence, and then Dumbledore said:
" Now I ask the teachers to come up and choose someone to dance with!"
A stunned silence followed, then laughter and applause as teachers made their way up to the front of the room. Professor Trelawney grabbed Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall took Professor Flitwick (since Flitwick was a bit short it looked rather funny, he had cast a floating charm on himself so that he was dancing in midair).
A few eyes stopped on Thea. She was still sitting, laughing and watching the dozens of teachers beginning to dance. Even Filch was dancing with someone (Madame Hooch, who was having a great time and didn't even mind who she ended up dancing with). Harry hadn't noticed that all the teachers and faculty had been invited into the room.
Then, everyone's eyes turned to Hagrid. He was there, too, and with Lisa. Despite how shaken Hagrid was about the disappearance of his English Whitescale dragon, he took Lisa and they danced merrily.
The students observed that Snape was sitting, too, and he seemed rather nervous and fidgety. He had dressed up rather nicely for the Halloween ball, and Hermione even said he looked handsome today, then she laughed and realized how odd it was to say something like that.
Thea stood and approached Snape. She held her hand out to him, her pretty pink lips forming words. Harry wished he could hear what she said.
Snape took her hand, smiling, and then said something too.
Hermione nudged Harry and said:
" What did I tell you? Snape adores her."
Snape, indeed, looked elated. He barely made his way up to the front of the room, his eyes plastered on the lovely Thea beside him. She was also dressed nicely, in a loose-fitting white dress with a lace coverlet on it. Her long blonde hair was pinned upwards and then tied down with a white glittery ribbon, which shimmered when it hit the light.
They began to dance, and Snape was a surprisingly good dancer. Harry couldn't believe how happy Snape looked. He had never looked that happy in the entire time that Harry had seen Snape!
The dance ended, and the teachers returned to their seats. This time, a much braver Snape sat down with Thea at her table. Thea was sitting alone, much to the tall and dark Snape's convenience.
" Adorable." Hermione said, quietly. " Who'd have thought?"
" Not me, that's for sure." Harry replied, grinning.
*¤*.¸¸.·´¨`»*«´¨`·. ¸¸.*¤*
The dancing time had ended, and the Secret Ghost time had begun. Students got up, searching the room for the people they were giving a gift to.
George and Fred's girlfriends both got a packet of green goo, and they laughed realizing that the Weasley twins ended up getting gifts for each other's girlfriends. The Weasley's girlfriends, meanwhile, got a gift for the wrong twin as well. Fred had gotten a crocheted pair of socks in a shockingly fluorescent green color, and George had gotten a plush teddy from Fred's girlfriend.
Neville and Hannah had ended up exchanging gifts, and Hannah had given Neville a kiss on the cheek when she saw the gift she had received.
Harry stalled as much as he could from handing his gift over to Draco. He made sure to stop and chat to everyone he even remotely recognized.
Hermione had given Dennis his sticker and the pink quill pen (Dennis was happier with the sticker), and then she waited to find out who was giving her a gift.
Ron had handed Rebecca Crick his gift, then quickly got away from her. Rebecca finally approached Hermione and gave her a gift. It was a small snow globe with nothing inside. " Oh." Hermione exclaimed. " So you were giving me a gift?"
Rebecca nodded, then said: " Do you like it?"
" Yes." Hermione smiled. " But. . . what is it?"
" It's a snow globe!" Rebecca said, as if she were speaking to someone stupid.
" Yes, I know that! But there's nothing inside of it." Hermione said. " What was supposed to be inside?"
Rebecca hadn't replied. She had simply shrugged and walked away. " Strange, that girl." Hermione whispered to Harry when she returned to him with her snow globe. " I expected to get a gift from Lavender. I suppose Rebecca was the one least likely to give me a gift, now that I think about it. She doesn't like me much, does she?"
" No, she doesn't." Harry shook his head. " Too bad, really. Since she doesn't know what she's missing." He put his arm around Hermione and then they went over to Lavender and Parvati, who were both supposed to give gifts to Crabbe and Goyle, and looked rather distressed about it.
Harry watched out of the corner of his eye as the teachers gave gifts to each other. Snape was to give Thea a gift, and he gave her a bouquet of white flowers.
Harry wondered who was going to give him a gift. Just as he readied to go to Draco's table, he realized Draco wasn't there. Harry clutched Draco's gift closer to him and then looked around for the light-haired, fair-skinned boy.
The room was so crowded, it was hard to find anyone, not even someone the size of Hagrid. Harry felt a light tap on his shoulder and he turned around.
Draco was there, holding out a gift at an arm's length from Harry. " Here you go." Draco said. " Happy Halloween." Then, he turned and looked ready to leave.
" Wait." Harry said. " Here's a gift for you." He gave Draco the wrapped-up diary. Draco was a bit surprised that Harry was giving him a gift. He opened it, then said:
" Oh!"
Harry could see Draco liked the journal. His eyes were widening and his mouth had opened, and he seemed awed. " This must have cost you a fortune." Draco finally said.
" I thought you'd like it."
They were both silent. He seemed to be struggling with something, then said, just loudly enough so Harry could barely hear it: " Um. . . thank you. I like it a lot." His words were honest. He spoke as if he never really got a gift like this, a gift so meaningful. And he probably never gave a gift, either.
He added: " Open my gift later. It's stupid. You probably won't like it." Draco seemed a bit upset. " Well, thanks." Then, he walked away, looking dazzled.
Harry shrugged at that, not knowing what to think of Draco's nervous behavior. He shook the gift lightly. Whatever it was, it wasn't huge, since the parcel was small. It wasn't in a lot of pieces, either, since nothing rattled when he shook it.
Harry went back to Hermione, and Hermione said:
" Did you get Draco's gift?"
Harry nodded. " You were right. The cauldron was tapped. Everyone gave a gift to the person they're least likely to give a gift to."
" I think it was a brilliant idea of Dumbledore to do that. It might just make some new friends." Hermione smiled. " Did Draco like the diary thing? What did you get from him?"
" He liked my gift for him. I think he liked it a lot, in fact." Harry was satisfied, knowing that. " And he told me to open the gift from him later. He seemed embarrassed at giving it."
" Poor guy." Hermione smiled. " I bet he never gave a gift in his life, at least, not a meaningful one like this. No wonder he was all jittery about it."
" I wonder what it is?" Harry looked at it curiously.
*¤*.¸¸.·´¨`»*«´¨`·. ¸¸.*¤*
Later on, in the common room, just as all the other boys had fallen asleep, Harry sat down under the window so that the moonlight allowed him to see what he was doing. He slowly opened the gift from Draco.
The parcel was so light he wondered if perhaps Draco didn't put anything in it at all, just stuffed it with tissues and wrapped it to look good. Maybe he was in the Slytherin common room right now, having a good few yaks with Crabbe and Goyle about it. Maybe he threw away the journal from Harry, or he burned it, or did something equally mean.
' No!' Harry thought to himself. 'He wouldn't do that. Why do I always have to think he's going to do the worst thing possible?' Harry couldn't really answer that question for himself as he pulled open the gift. Slowly, carefully, he revealed the inside of the present.
It was a small box, covered in fuzzy felt. Harry was very curious now.
He raised the lid of the felt box and he saw a lovely golden locket inside. It was a tiny little thing, shaped like a heart and rather roomy inside, and he opened it and saw a picture of his mother on one side and one of his father on the other. They were old pictures, but were still moving, though not as advanced as the wizard pictures these times held. On the back of the locket, someone had carved 'L.P.'
He was quite taken aback by this present and he then read the note inside, in Draco's clear and concise handwriting:
' Harry!
'I'm sure you know your dad and my dad went to school at Hogwarts together. Well, it happens that your mother had this little locket, see, and she lost it. My dad found it and he was going to give it back, but I guess he never got around to. I found this at home. My dad was going to throw it out, he's not much for sentimental things. I figured it'd be best if you had it.'
'I couldn't really find any other gift, I guess I risked my ass just getting this thing for you, my dad hates when I take his things without asking. But he probably wouldn't have let me give this gift. He probably would've been against the whole Secret Ghost business.'
' The pictures of your mom and dad weren't in there when I found it, I just sort of cut those out of my dad's yearbook. He never looks in there anyway.'
Well, you better like it, Potter!'
Harry laughed at that last sentence. It was just like Draco, to write in something like that. Of course, Harry was now convinced that Draco couldn't be all that bad.
At the bottom of the little letter, Draco had scribbled his signature in, rather messily. Harry folded the note back up and then leaned his head back onto the wooden backing of his bed. He would have never imagined getting a gift like this from Draco.
He knew that Malfoy probably had gone through quite some trouble behind his dad's back to get the locket to it's rightful owner. Harry's mind whirled with gratitude and surprise. He had to thank him, and thank him most generously. It was going to be his closest belonging, other then his Firebolt and the Invisibility Cloak.
' This belonged to my mum. . .' Harry thought, flipping the little golden locket around in his hands. ' My mum . . .'
Soon he couldn't see the locket any longer through the tears in his eyes.
A/N: I had to flip through the Harry Potter books to see if Lucius Malfoy went to school with Lily and James. Knowing that he did, it was easier to figure out that perhaps Lucius had found the locket. Then, knowing how he probably wasn't too fond of the Potters, he never gave it back. I figured it would be Draco to give it back. Yeah, I know it's a bit out of character for Draco to do that but I really do think he's not that bad! I think he's a rather nice person, actually, only withdrawn for certain reasons. I kind of wrote a little background fic on that, it's called 'If his father only knew. . .'. You could read that if you want to find out how I see Draco as a character.
Oh, and I'm really working on adding more fluff but It's hard to add it since I don't think Harry and Hermione would be sitting around snogging all day and moaning out " Oh I love you, I love you", perhaps I should add it in still but I don't know how, exactly. Any suggestions will be highly appreciated, email them to me at LittleMaggie01@yahoo.com. I'm definitely not making this more then PG-13 though, keep that in mind.
