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Chapter 6: Christmas Surprises
"Harry! Harry! Wake up! Presents!" a rather annoying voice filtered through Harry's dreams, rattling his brain awake. Then, suddenly remembering that it was Christmas, he jumped from bed and gazed admiringly at the stack of presents lying on his bed.
Ron was smiling happily down from beside him, his regular maroon sweater in one hand.
Harry couldn't help but smile also, and pick up the rather lumpy package that was his undeniable his usually Weasley sweater also. This year it was green with a black stripe along the middle of the chest and on the cuffs. Also from Mrs. Weasley was the usual supply of home baked goods, this time fruitcakes and cinnamon rolls. From Hermione was a book, a very peculiar book, as one would usually get from Hermione. Harry flipped it open to the first page and read the title aloud, with a slight amusement in his voice, "Hogwarts, A History' looks like shes finally gonna make us read it aye? What did you get from her? "
Ron held up another book. "Behind the Chudley Cannon's: A interview book," he read aloud from the spine.
"No fair, she seems set on getting me to read it doesn't she? Wonder why she's not making you read it," Harry suddenly smirked. "Maybe she likes you -" but he stopped, his heart suddenly flashing to Draco, and thinking how he sure wouldn't like to be teased about liking someone, or Draco's reaction to someone saying 'maybe Harry likes you!'. Harry could just imagine the look of disgust that would probably come over his face, and that made Harry's heart ache. It wasn't fair.
But Harry missed Ron's reaction as he was so caught up in his thoughts, and rather than asking him to renact it he picked up the next present which was from Ron. It was a rather large amount of Honeyduke's Chocolates, along with several boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
"Sorry mate, no Chocolate Frogs this year, they were sold plum out of them," came Ron's sheepish apology. That's all right, Harry had gotten Ron in the same thing.
Next he picked up a even larger box of sweets from Fred and George, this time filled mostly with Chocolate Frogs. "Well now we know where they all went," chuckled Harry lightly, throwing one to Ron and opening one himself.
There was a note from Sirius, and a note from the Dursleys that said much less than Sirius' with only a 'Happy Christmas, the Dursleys' scribbled hastily on a scrap of paper. There may have been other presents, but I don't really care to list them as the real surprise lay at the bottom of the stack of presents. A simple parchment envelope lay there, on which was written Harry Potter, in rather fine red lettering.
Harry opened it curiously. Ron looked over the top of the book he had just picked up then, shrugged animatedly and looked back down. Harry pulled out a card, on the front was a picture of a rose and a heart, definitely a Gladioliss' Card Shop card (a shop in Hogsmeade) Harry flipped it open and on the inside it read, in the same fine lettering, this time purple, 'I have a crush on you Harry Potter'. There was no name or any other way of identifying who had sent it, only by the lettering on the front of the envelope, which didn't look remotely familiar. Harry stared puzzled at it for a moment before beckoning Ron over to have a look.
Ron quirked his eyebrow. "Who do you reckon sent you this?" he asked, gingerly picking up the card, and examining it closely.
Harry shrugged. "I dunno." he said puzzledly. But he sure knew who he wished it was: Draco Malfoy.
After much coxing from Hermione, and after she had examined the card, and said she too had no clue about who it was from, the three of them headed down to breakfast. They had only just sat down at the Gryffindor table when all the sudden an angry shout was heard from the doorway of the Great Hall. Harry turned to see Draco Malfoy standing at the door, looking rather disheveled, but still incredibly cute, his face an angry red, and clutched in one hand was a tattered bit of dirty cloth, which Harry recognized in an instant.
"Oh no." he muttered as Draco stormed towards him and flung the hat at his chest.
"I'm tired of your little tricks and games Potter! I know you're not in love with me! It's all a scam!"
Harry stared at him startled, whatever it was he had been expecting, it hadn't been this. "I didn't give you that!" he finally got out, motioning towards the hat that had fallen onto the floor.
"Don't lie to me! I don't know how you did it, but I know that you put it in my dormitory this morning Potter! I'm tired of your little games!"
"Boys, boys, what is the meaning of this?" came a curt voice as the sound of swishing robes marked none other than Snape's arrival.
Draco pointed wildly at the hat. "Potter put that in my dormitory! I don't know how he did it, how he got the password or anything but he did it!"
Snape's lip twitched but he tried to keep a straight face as he turned to Harry. "Is this true Potter, what Mr. Malfoy is saying?" he stooped and picked up the hat front Harry's feet. "Did you leave this is his dormitory?"
"No!" Harry exclaimed, his face red with annoyance and frustration.
"Now, now Potter, there's no need to shout," Snape said calmly. "But we do need to sort to the bottom of this. This hat does belong to you am I correct Potter?"
Harry shook his head. "No, I found that in my bad one day at breakfast, that day that. and I left it on the table as I left. I haven't seen it since then honestly!"
Snape sighed and had just opened his mouth to respond but he was just then called away but Dumbledore, who had an urgent tone to his voice from the staff table. Narrowing his eyes, he stalked away, dropping the hat on the floor, whether by accident or not, and not bothering to pick it up, as the headmaster had already called his name again.
The two boys both stared after him as he stalked towards Dumbledore's seat at the staff table but then suddenly, they remembered what Snape had been there for in the first place.
Draco picked up the hat from the floor and once again tossed it back to Harry, his eyes narrowed also. He tossed it lightly to Harry. "Take your hat back and I never want to see it in my sight again." With these 'final words' he swept away, in a path to leave the Great Hall. He was almost at the doors when Harry had the sudden urge to follow him. No one stirred or spoke as they watched him leave.
"Draco!" Harry called just as soon as he had left the Hall also, and Draco was now several yards in front of him.
Draco turned, teeth clenched. "What Potter?" he spat icily. Harry's heart sank a bit, maybe he didn't want to do this. but it was too late, he had already decided. Harry held out the hat.
"Put it on," he said softly, not really expecting Draco to hear him, and possibly even to lure him closer.
Draco did step forward a few steps as Harry had hoped, his eyes on the hat, and not on Harry's slightly tinged face. "What was that you said Potter?"
"I said 'put it on'," Harry repeated calmly, with stern determination on his face.
Draco heard him this time. "You're ordering me about now, eh, Potter? What has the hat given you a special power to command all others? You can't make me put on that hat!" His fists clenched slightly. Suddenly, two pairs of arms seized him from behind and held him tight.
"Come on Harry, slap the hat on his pointed head," came the playful voice of Fred Weasley, who had ahold of Draco's left arm. George, his twin, sniggered while holding tightly to Malfoy's right.
Harry smirked and approached Draco cautiously as he flung his arms about. Harry thanked his lucky stars that Crabbe and Goyle probably hadn't gotten up yet.
"C'mon Harry!" George urged.
"Yeah, c'mon Harry" mimmiced Draco, still flailing. "That way you will see that this is all a joke and that you don't really love me! I know Potter!"
Having no clue how this was going to prove what Draco knew, or whether or not Harry really loved him, Harry took one last step forward, not noticing the dead silence inside the Great Hall. He had only one thought on his mind: to prove whether or not Draco really loved him. He jammed the hat on Draco's head and the twins cheered as the hat jolted slightly, sat straight up on Draco's white blond hair.
"Hello Draco Malfoy," purred the voice. "And Fred and George Weasley." The twins grinned broadly at being recognized.
Draco however just rolled his eyes. "Just skip the corniness and tell Potter here that you're sorry but he's not my true love."
The hat was silent for a moment. "Oh, and hello there Harry Potter," it finally said.
"Hullo." Harry muttered.
"Now, now Draco, patience is a virtue." the hat giggled as Draco fidgeted restlessly, while still being held tight.
"Virtue?" Draco wrinkled his nose annoyedly. "I haven't time to discuss qualities I care nothing about! Just tell Potter here that I'm not his true love so these two red headed apes with let me go!"
Fred and George scowled at his and Fred accidentally moved his arm slightly so that Draco winced as his shoulder moved backwards in an unnatural motion.
The hat was silent for a moment, then said even softer than last time so that Harry had to edge forward slightly, even though he stood right in front of Draco to hear it. "But I do not lie, not even to a person who does not realize his true feelings."
"NO!" Draco practically screeched.
"Yes!" cried the hat dramatically as the twins two cried out, but with glee. "Draco Malfoy your true love is Harry Potter!"
Suddenly a cheer erupted from the Great Hall, and as if like a tidal wave about 50 students scurried out to the entrance hall where Draco, Fred and George and Harry all stood, Draco's usually pale face now more like the color of the dead than anything else. He somehow managed to tear himself away from Fred and George's grasps, which must have loosened somewhat.
"NO!" he screeched again. "I don't love you Potter! I've never loved you and I'll never love you for another thousand years!" And with these words he tore the hat from his head and spun right around and stormed towards the Slytherin dormitories.
Suddenly everyone was silent as Harry's face fell. He had hoped that this would help, now it was very unlikely that Draco would ever speak to him again, even to harass him. He too took off running to dormitories, a single tear streaking down his face.
Chapter 6: Christmas Surprises
"Harry! Harry! Wake up! Presents!" a rather annoying voice filtered through Harry's dreams, rattling his brain awake. Then, suddenly remembering that it was Christmas, he jumped from bed and gazed admiringly at the stack of presents lying on his bed.
Ron was smiling happily down from beside him, his regular maroon sweater in one hand.
Harry couldn't help but smile also, and pick up the rather lumpy package that was his undeniable his usually Weasley sweater also. This year it was green with a black stripe along the middle of the chest and on the cuffs. Also from Mrs. Weasley was the usual supply of home baked goods, this time fruitcakes and cinnamon rolls. From Hermione was a book, a very peculiar book, as one would usually get from Hermione. Harry flipped it open to the first page and read the title aloud, with a slight amusement in his voice, "Hogwarts, A History' looks like shes finally gonna make us read it aye? What did you get from her? "
Ron held up another book. "Behind the Chudley Cannon's: A interview book," he read aloud from the spine.
"No fair, she seems set on getting me to read it doesn't she? Wonder why she's not making you read it," Harry suddenly smirked. "Maybe she likes you -" but he stopped, his heart suddenly flashing to Draco, and thinking how he sure wouldn't like to be teased about liking someone, or Draco's reaction to someone saying 'maybe Harry likes you!'. Harry could just imagine the look of disgust that would probably come over his face, and that made Harry's heart ache. It wasn't fair.
But Harry missed Ron's reaction as he was so caught up in his thoughts, and rather than asking him to renact it he picked up the next present which was from Ron. It was a rather large amount of Honeyduke's Chocolates, along with several boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
"Sorry mate, no Chocolate Frogs this year, they were sold plum out of them," came Ron's sheepish apology. That's all right, Harry had gotten Ron in the same thing.
Next he picked up a even larger box of sweets from Fred and George, this time filled mostly with Chocolate Frogs. "Well now we know where they all went," chuckled Harry lightly, throwing one to Ron and opening one himself.
There was a note from Sirius, and a note from the Dursleys that said much less than Sirius' with only a 'Happy Christmas, the Dursleys' scribbled hastily on a scrap of paper. There may have been other presents, but I don't really care to list them as the real surprise lay at the bottom of the stack of presents. A simple parchment envelope lay there, on which was written Harry Potter, in rather fine red lettering.
Harry opened it curiously. Ron looked over the top of the book he had just picked up then, shrugged animatedly and looked back down. Harry pulled out a card, on the front was a picture of a rose and a heart, definitely a Gladioliss' Card Shop card (a shop in Hogsmeade) Harry flipped it open and on the inside it read, in the same fine lettering, this time purple, 'I have a crush on you Harry Potter'. There was no name or any other way of identifying who had sent it, only by the lettering on the front of the envelope, which didn't look remotely familiar. Harry stared puzzled at it for a moment before beckoning Ron over to have a look.
Ron quirked his eyebrow. "Who do you reckon sent you this?" he asked, gingerly picking up the card, and examining it closely.
Harry shrugged. "I dunno." he said puzzledly. But he sure knew who he wished it was: Draco Malfoy.
After much coxing from Hermione, and after she had examined the card, and said she too had no clue about who it was from, the three of them headed down to breakfast. They had only just sat down at the Gryffindor table when all the sudden an angry shout was heard from the doorway of the Great Hall. Harry turned to see Draco Malfoy standing at the door, looking rather disheveled, but still incredibly cute, his face an angry red, and clutched in one hand was a tattered bit of dirty cloth, which Harry recognized in an instant.
"Oh no." he muttered as Draco stormed towards him and flung the hat at his chest.
"I'm tired of your little tricks and games Potter! I know you're not in love with me! It's all a scam!"
Harry stared at him startled, whatever it was he had been expecting, it hadn't been this. "I didn't give you that!" he finally got out, motioning towards the hat that had fallen onto the floor.
"Don't lie to me! I don't know how you did it, but I know that you put it in my dormitory this morning Potter! I'm tired of your little games!"
"Boys, boys, what is the meaning of this?" came a curt voice as the sound of swishing robes marked none other than Snape's arrival.
Draco pointed wildly at the hat. "Potter put that in my dormitory! I don't know how he did it, how he got the password or anything but he did it!"
Snape's lip twitched but he tried to keep a straight face as he turned to Harry. "Is this true Potter, what Mr. Malfoy is saying?" he stooped and picked up the hat front Harry's feet. "Did you leave this is his dormitory?"
"No!" Harry exclaimed, his face red with annoyance and frustration.
"Now, now Potter, there's no need to shout," Snape said calmly. "But we do need to sort to the bottom of this. This hat does belong to you am I correct Potter?"
Harry shook his head. "No, I found that in my bad one day at breakfast, that day that. and I left it on the table as I left. I haven't seen it since then honestly!"
Snape sighed and had just opened his mouth to respond but he was just then called away but Dumbledore, who had an urgent tone to his voice from the staff table. Narrowing his eyes, he stalked away, dropping the hat on the floor, whether by accident or not, and not bothering to pick it up, as the headmaster had already called his name again.
The two boys both stared after him as he stalked towards Dumbledore's seat at the staff table but then suddenly, they remembered what Snape had been there for in the first place.
Draco picked up the hat from the floor and once again tossed it back to Harry, his eyes narrowed also. He tossed it lightly to Harry. "Take your hat back and I never want to see it in my sight again." With these 'final words' he swept away, in a path to leave the Great Hall. He was almost at the doors when Harry had the sudden urge to follow him. No one stirred or spoke as they watched him leave.
"Draco!" Harry called just as soon as he had left the Hall also, and Draco was now several yards in front of him.
Draco turned, teeth clenched. "What Potter?" he spat icily. Harry's heart sank a bit, maybe he didn't want to do this. but it was too late, he had already decided. Harry held out the hat.
"Put it on," he said softly, not really expecting Draco to hear him, and possibly even to lure him closer.
Draco did step forward a few steps as Harry had hoped, his eyes on the hat, and not on Harry's slightly tinged face. "What was that you said Potter?"
"I said 'put it on'," Harry repeated calmly, with stern determination on his face.
Draco heard him this time. "You're ordering me about now, eh, Potter? What has the hat given you a special power to command all others? You can't make me put on that hat!" His fists clenched slightly. Suddenly, two pairs of arms seized him from behind and held him tight.
"Come on Harry, slap the hat on his pointed head," came the playful voice of Fred Weasley, who had ahold of Draco's left arm. George, his twin, sniggered while holding tightly to Malfoy's right.
Harry smirked and approached Draco cautiously as he flung his arms about. Harry thanked his lucky stars that Crabbe and Goyle probably hadn't gotten up yet.
"C'mon Harry!" George urged.
"Yeah, c'mon Harry" mimmiced Draco, still flailing. "That way you will see that this is all a joke and that you don't really love me! I know Potter!"
Having no clue how this was going to prove what Draco knew, or whether or not Harry really loved him, Harry took one last step forward, not noticing the dead silence inside the Great Hall. He had only one thought on his mind: to prove whether or not Draco really loved him. He jammed the hat on Draco's head and the twins cheered as the hat jolted slightly, sat straight up on Draco's white blond hair.
"Hello Draco Malfoy," purred the voice. "And Fred and George Weasley." The twins grinned broadly at being recognized.
Draco however just rolled his eyes. "Just skip the corniness and tell Potter here that you're sorry but he's not my true love."
The hat was silent for a moment. "Oh, and hello there Harry Potter," it finally said.
"Hullo." Harry muttered.
"Now, now Draco, patience is a virtue." the hat giggled as Draco fidgeted restlessly, while still being held tight.
"Virtue?" Draco wrinkled his nose annoyedly. "I haven't time to discuss qualities I care nothing about! Just tell Potter here that I'm not his true love so these two red headed apes with let me go!"
Fred and George scowled at his and Fred accidentally moved his arm slightly so that Draco winced as his shoulder moved backwards in an unnatural motion.
The hat was silent for a moment, then said even softer than last time so that Harry had to edge forward slightly, even though he stood right in front of Draco to hear it. "But I do not lie, not even to a person who does not realize his true feelings."
"NO!" Draco practically screeched.
"Yes!" cried the hat dramatically as the twins two cried out, but with glee. "Draco Malfoy your true love is Harry Potter!"
Suddenly a cheer erupted from the Great Hall, and as if like a tidal wave about 50 students scurried out to the entrance hall where Draco, Fred and George and Harry all stood, Draco's usually pale face now more like the color of the dead than anything else. He somehow managed to tear himself away from Fred and George's grasps, which must have loosened somewhat.
"NO!" he screeched again. "I don't love you Potter! I've never loved you and I'll never love you for another thousand years!" And with these words he tore the hat from his head and spun right around and stormed towards the Slytherin dormitories.
Suddenly everyone was silent as Harry's face fell. He had hoped that this would help, now it was very unlikely that Draco would ever speak to him again, even to harass him. He too took off running to dormitories, a single tear streaking down his face.