A Simple Wish
Rated PG-13
By: Resident Goddess
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all its corresponding characters and elements belong to JK Rowling, and not myself, however this story does.
Summary: Harry realizes that he can't keep his Christmas wish forever…
Warning: Slash: HP/DM, RW/DM
A/N: In honor of the holiday season. Everyone else is getting ready for Christmas, why can't I? This is just a one-shot, and it's not really a happy fic. It kind of runs along the same lines as Just Empty Desks and Broken Dreams, but that story has nothing to do with this one. PLEASE REVIEW!!
***
Flakes flew in the wind at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Christmas holidays were commencing, and many students were preparing for their leave. Harry Potter was not one of them. It was his 7th year spending Christmas at Hogwarts, and he couldn't remember a time when he had been more unhappy.
Harry was seated at the Gryffindor table in the Main Hall when Hermione Granger walked in with her bags. She stopped a moment to sit down with him, noticing his saddened face.
"'Lo Harry." She said, smiling almost sadly, "You have a good Christmas, all right?" Harry chuckled almost bitterly and looked up at her.
"Course." He said simply, letting his eyes wander past her to where Ron was standing. But he wasn't alone. Hermione didn't bother turning around, she knew already what Harry was looking at, and she looked down with a sigh.
"He's leaving too. Ron is, I mean. He wanted me to tell you goodbye, since you're not talking to him…"
"Hermione--"
"No, Harry. This is ridiculous, you can't let it get to you…you and Ron have been best friends for years, and you can't let one--."
"The one, Hermione." Harry corrected her, placing her gaze back on her. She was fixing him with a hard frown.
"All right. There's no use in arguing with you. I can't see the point."
"Good. At least you've finally learned." Harry muttered and reached for his hot chocolate. Hermione stood up and grasped her handbag with white knuckles.
"I'll see you after the hols." She said, "Don't get into trouble."
"I won't."
***
Seven-eighths of the school was empty then, on Christmas Eve. Harry was alone in the empty Gryffindor common room. Alone with his thoughts…a wretched way to be when the object of your thoughts was sitting somewhere, or standing, or talking, doing something in the near vicinity. Near enough that you could find them and walk over and touch them, speak to them, love them.
But it couldn't be done. Harry's mind rebuked the thoughts that filled it. His heart held on to them as the Christmas spirit died in the fire before him. It was unfair to snatch something away when it was so close within grasp…especially if that thing was needed with heart and soul. He had been wronged by his best friend.
Harry sighed deeply to clear his thoughts. It didn't work, and he decided to take a walk around the lake to clear his mind. He donned a heavy cloak, boots and a scarf and headed outside.
***
The lake was peaceful with ice. Snow had fallen across its surface and it appeared as a field of snow blended in with the scenery. Harry was careful to keep to the edge of the grass that grew along the lake, and he set his sights forward. His breaths came in deep puffs and the snow swirled around his head and body like gnats to a flame. The grounds were quiet with the snowfall. Harry could see only a dozen feet in front of him, and yet he recognized the scenery like he recognized the face of his--
Enemy. The face of his enemy.
Harry shook his head without meaning to. His thoughts were returning again. Returning to him.
His footfalls stopped. The snow was clearing and in front of him he could see a figure standing on the edge of the frozen lake. The figure looked up when the sound of the crunching snow abated, and Harry wasn't surprised to see the face of Draco Malfoy staring at him through the drifting snow.
"Potter." Draco said with a nod. The nod was curt, a acknowledgment of presence and that was all.
"Malfoy," Harry said, and continued walking again. When he was level with the blond he stopped and faced the lake. Moments passed in silence and the falling of the snow continued.
"What is your Christmas wish, Potter?" Draco said, still looking ahead and not bothering to soften his voice. Harry was taken aback slightly and looked at Draco quickly.
"My what?"
"Christmas wish. Everyone has one, even Slytherins." Harry's eyes narrowed. Was Draco playing at a joke?
"My Christmas wish…" Harry said, turning back to the lake. His vision swimmed slightly and he focused at a point far off. His Christmas wish…the very boy standing next to him in his arms instead of Ron's…in his bed instead of Ron's…in his heart--no. Draco was already in his heart, but he was not in his. The portion taken up by Ron Weasley belonged to him, and should have been his. He owned it, and yet it had been taken. The snow swirled.
"Potter." Draco pronounced after a few minutes, "I am trying to make civilized conversation, here. You don't just ignore someone when they are making civilized conversation. It's rude."
"Why?"
"Why?" Draco looked at him in disbelief, "Because, Potter, didn't your mother ever teach you--" He stopped, "didn't Dumbledore ever teach you the meaning of the word 'manners'?"
Harry winced slightly at the mention of his mother, and then dawned a confused expression.
"No, I mean, why are you trying to make civilized conversation? You haven't spoken civilly to me since--"
"Because," Draco said, "You're Ron's--"
"Was. I was." Harry snapped, Draco looked at him, his expression unwavering.
"Fine, Potter. Be that way." Draco said childishly, and fluffed himself up under his cloak and prepared to leave. Harry noticed that he was wearing a Gryffindor scarf. "I'm off." Draco turned his back and started walking towards the castle.
"Malfoy!" Harry called after him, and Draco stopped and turned around. "You asked me about my Christmas wish." Harry started walking towards him; the wind had picked up and was blowing his words back at his face. The snow made crunching sounds underneath his boots.
"Yes," Draco said, Harry had stopped a foot or so in front of Draco and felt himself looking down at the slightly shorter boy.
"My Christmas wish…" He whispered, half in bitterness, half in sorrow, "My Christmas wish…" He stepped slightly closer and captured Draco's lips with his own. Draco stiffened underneath him, but he didn't push away until a moment later. It wasn't until then that Harry noticed that his hand was on Draco's cheek, which was freezing with cold. His mercury colored eyes stared at him from inches away.
"Happy Christmas, then." Draco said, and stepped away. In the next breath he was walking away, towards the castle again, taking Harry's own path.
Harry wasn't frozen to the spot as he expected to be, instead his legs were like liquid, and he took two passes around the lake before he was able to return to the empty common room again.
Except it wasn't empty, presents littered the floor around the small Christmas tree. Since Harry was the only one staying over in Gryffindor, the owls hadn't bothered to drop them by his bed, instead they had messily dropped them near the tree. Harry sighed and arranged them nicely. His eyes filled with the sight of the colorful wrapping paper and bows, and he turned off the lights and went upstairs for the night.
***
The morning dawned cold and cloudy, and Harry only awoke when Hedwig tapped him incessantly on the leg.
"Geroff," He muttered, turning over with great difficulty. A large package had been set on his chest, and it crashed to the floor. Harry patted Hedwig on the head hastily and reached for the package. He ripped the brown paper wrapping open, and removed the envelope attached to the box inside. It was closed with much spello-tape, and was difficult to open, but once he had, he saw that it was a rather large batch of cookies and a scarlet sweater. Harry smiled despite himself, Mrs. Weasley had not changed. He reached for the envelope and realized that the title 'Harry' was scrawled in Ron's uneven hand. He slowly opened it.
Dear Harry,
I know that you are angry with me, and I can only hope that you actually read this, and don't just throw it in the fire. You shouldn't be angry with me--I can't help whom I fall in love with, even if he was our enemy for the last 6 years. If my parents and brothers and sister have accepted him, why can't you? Even Hermione has forgiven Draco for his past words. It wasn't only him--it took all of us to fight, and it couldn't have been done with just him. Or just me. Or just you or Hermione.
I hope you'll reconsider your anger towards me, I'm still the same person, even if Draco is not. You are still my best friend, even if I am not yours.
Ron
Harry put down the letter and sighed. Ron had it all wrong, he thought that Harry was angry for all the wrong reasons. Harry knew all too well that Draco had changed. He had changed in his eyes the first day that Harry had seen him as something more then an enemy. But Ron hadn't known, only Hermione knew, and that was why she pitied him. Pitied him because he could never have what he wanted, pitied him because he was The Boy Who Lived, and pitied him because he pitied himself. He would forgive Ron. He had to; otherwise he would never forgive himself and get over him.
Harry lumbered downstairs and opened his other packages. Hermione, Ron, Seamus, Dean, all of them had sent him presents in good Christmas cheer. And another present lay among the rest, wrapped in green tissue paper. It was tiny and flat, and Harry had a good idea from whom it came. But why? To torture him in his wounded state?
He reluctantly tore away the paper and turned over the small button. 'Potter is a rotter' flashed back at him in green letters. It alternated with 'ha ha' every few seconds or so, and Harry stared at it for a long moment. No, he hadn't expected for anything more. Only hoped.
***
A week after the Christmas hols, the rest of the school returned. Harry hadn't seen or spoken to Draco Malfoy since the day by the lake, and yet he wasn't surprised to see him at the Hogwarts platform when the train arrived. As the students filed off, Harry saw Hermione first, and then spotted Ron's red head in the crowd. Hermione smiled and handed Harry one of her bags and strung her arm around his free one.
"Did you have a good holiday, Harry?" She asked. Harry smiled a little and glanced back to where Ron and Draco were standing in a deep embrace,
"Yes. I got my Christmas wish."
"Good." Hermione said, smiling. Harry watched Ron give Draco a kiss and he sighed, but I could not keep it.
***
A/N: Yeah, I know that made little sense, but go with it, okay? PLEASE REVIEW, or I'll sick a rabid armadillo on you.