Disclaimer: Same as it was in Chapter one!

A/N Well, you people are just too cool. I thank you SOOOO much for the reviews. I JUST got back from seeing "The Full Monty" and if that musical ever comes to your area, I totally suggest you go see it. (Even guys, because it REALLY is funny!) 'Big-Ass rock' was one of the funniest numbers I've *ever* seen. Visions of strippers are dancing in my head lol. Who needs sugar plums? Anywho's, on with the show!

The Twelve Days Of Christmas By: Gum Acacia



On The Third Day Of Christmas, My True Love Gave To Me...



"He was naked?" Harry's eyes were wide and full of astonishment. After lunch, Harry and Seamus decided to go back to the Gryffindor common room for a game of exploding snap, but as it often was with the boy, Harry spent the entire time listening to what ever gossip Seamus had managed to find out for the day.

Seamus was holding on to his sides, shaking with laughter. He wiped the tears that were leaking from his eyes. "Not a stitch of clothes! Colin Creevey was there, he took pictures!"

Harry had a sinking feeling in his stomach, he hadn't yet read what his task was and now he wasn't sure he wanted to. "He went skinny dipping...with the giant squid...in this weather?"

Seamus managed to stop laughing long enough to nod his head, yes. "Teddy Nott! I would have given all the galleons in Gringotts to see that."

"Umm, are all the tasks that," he paused searching for the right word, "revealing?"

Seamus shook his head, "No, they're supposed to be all different mate. Some have you stark naked, others might have you doing something dangerous." Seamus lowered his voice trying to sound ominous. "Some are just funny, others just tricky."

Harry leaned forward, "Well, what did you get?"

"No Harry, I'm afraid I can't tell you. They're supposed to be completely anonymous, at least until after you do them. Had I known little Teddy was going to be naked down by the lake, I would have gotten front row seats!"

Harry rolled his eyes, "You're a sick man Finnigan."

"A nice arse is a work of art! It should be appreciated. My only consolation is that it wasn't Padma Patil...or better yet maybe Draco Malfoy, eh?" Seamus leaned forward and swatted Harry playfully on the foot. "Don't tell me you wouldn't mind a peek at that."

Seamus continued to laugh as Harry turned as red as the jumper he was wearing. "You really are sick and it's beginning to border on a level that's not healthy."

Seamus stood up and stretched, "Tight pants and whiskey, the weakness of every Irishman. So, what shall it be today, Potter? Should we go caroling in the halls? Send out a few more Christmas owls? Spike tonight's supply of pumpkin juice?"

Harry shook his head, "No offence, but none of the above."

"Well, we've go to think of something! I'm not letting you off my Christmas plans that easy. I've got an idea! Let's sneak over to the teachers lounge."

Harry stood and placed his hands upon his hips, "To do what exactly?"

Seamus ruffled Harry's already disastrous hair. "To get into a little early Christmas mischief, of course! You know, with all the trouble you, Hermione and Ron get yourself into, I thought you'd be a pro at this sort of thing."

"Well actually, If it hadn't been for Voldemort trying to kill me every year since I've been here, we wouldn't have snuck out as much."

"That is truly sad," Seamus said placing a hand over his heart, "when young people can't find reason's to break the rules other then to save the world."

"I won't tell Hermione you said that," Harry said laughing.

After a few minutes of listing reasons why it was *vitally* important for Harry to spend at least one week of school getting into trouble that in no way had any connections to evil wizards; Harry relented and both boys made their way down to the second floor's south corridor where the teachers lounge was located.

"What if one of the teachers is inside?" Harry whispered quietly.

"Then we'll just say that we were looking for Dumbledore."

"And why would be looking for Dumbledore?"

"For crying out loud Harry, you ask to see Dumbledore all the time! Just tell him you think you sensed evil, or that you some one of the Slytherins being evil and thought he should know about it. I don't know, you think of something, you're the bloody boy who lived!"

Harry elbowed Seamus in his side, "Maybe I'll just tell him I caught you sneaking around the halls trying to have a peek at McGonagalls' knickers."

Seamus stopped and made a small retching noise, "that's not even funny in jest."

They made their way to the lounge and Seamus carefully placed his ear to the door. He held up his finger and placed it over his mouth signaling Harry to stay quiet. "I don't hear anything," he whispered softly.

Harry nodded and reached to open the door. His hand froze for a moment as he gripped the handle, a surge of paralyzing adrenaline shooting though his veins.

"Hurry up," Seamus whispered.

Harry's hand turned the knob and pushed open the door, both boys quickly entered the room shutting the door behind them. Harry had never been inside the teachers' lounge before. It was a large room, just bigger then his own common room. A huge fireplace loomed in the corner, and the walls on one side of the room were lined with massive bookcases. In one corner there was a small kitchenette which contained not only quite a few wizarding appliances, but also a few muggle ones!

Harry pointed to the coffee maker and mouthed 'Snape' to which Seamus vigorously nodded his head, covering his mouth to stifle his laughter. They made their way around the room and stopping before an enormous map that covered half the wall. It was a map of Hogwarts and it showed every secret room and hidden staircase Hogwarts had to offer. Harry noticed there were even a few rooms that were not marked on the Marauders Map. He began to wish he had more time to look around, and make a note or two of where some of those rooms were.

"Harry," Seamus whispered excitedly behind him. Harry turned and saw Seamus pointing at a large stack of scrolls on one of the tables. "You think it could be tests for our N.E.W.T's?"

Harry made his way over to the back of the room by the table. He was about to take a peek at one of the scrolls when he froze suddenly. His senses more alert then most, he felt sooner then heard the sound of the door slowly opening. Without thinking, he grabbed Seamus by the robes and pushed him to the ground behind one of the large sofas in the corner.

Panic filled both boys eyes as Seamus mouthed profanities with the skill of every true Irishman. Harry placed his finger to his mouth, signaling Seamus to quiet as he strained to hear who had entered the room.

"-still no reason to expel the boy in his last year, Severus." The soft yet commanding voice of Albus Dumbledore seemed to cross the room with total ease. Seamus mouthed another expletive but both boys remained unseen and unheard.

"But we need to set an example! Every year it's the same thing, Seventh years going out of their way to top the last years pranks and often nearly breaking their necks in the process. That boy today could have caught pneumonia, or what if the Squid was in a foul mood?"

Harry heard Dumbledore chuckle, "It's very considerate of you, Severus to worry so. But the Squid has yet to maim a student, and I doubt he ever will. And if I remember correctly, in your last year you yourself participated in the tasks."

Seamus' jaw dropped open, never truly believing the rumors his least favorite teacher had in fact been young once, but even more astonished that he could have broken any rules. "And I almost broke my neck in the process! To this day I regret my little stunt in the Forbidden Forest."

Albus merely laughed again, "You only live once Severus, remember that. In these times, a slight diversion is most welcomed in my opinion, especially with our eldest students. This is their last year, and the war that is approaching will soon call them all to stand. I would not begrudge them an innocent prank or two."

"But what about Potter? Of course he'll have to try and outdo everyone as he always does, wouldn't it be prudent to stop him now before he does anything stupid? At least, more so then usual."

Harry burned red with anger and Seamus quietly shook his finger at him playfully in mock reproach. "To be honest with you Severus, it is not Harry that worries me these days."

Harry listened carefully, pleased that for once the headmaster didn't seem to be troubled for him. "It's Malfoy, isn't it?" Severus questioned.

Dumbledore sighed, "Young Draco has indeed been at the front of my mind lately. He is a powerful young wizard, Severus, more so then I think even any of his teachers realize. But I do not doubt that Voldemort is quite aware of his potential. He would be quite an ally for our cause, but even more so I think he could be a terrible enemy."

"It grieves me to think that any of the students we have schooled will stand against us in the end. It's always made me wary of who and what I'm teaching," Snape said quietly, almost to himself. "But there's something I think you should know, Headmaster. I trust the boy."

Harry almost snorted, 'no surprise there' he thought. Snape had always favored the Slytherin from the start. "Why?" Dumbledore asked pulling Harry away from his thoughts.

"Because I see myself in him. I see him standing before the same crossroad that I myself once faced, and I see in him enough strength to take the path that I didn't. He's afraid of many things; Lucius has filled his mind since he was a child with ideas about Muggles. He's been taught to view them as nothing more then a plague on Wizarding kind. A kind of evil filth that should be immediately stamped out."

"And you think that's reason enough to trust him?" Harry was sure Dumbledore had sounded hopeful. "I regret that I was never able to get as close to him as you are, Severus. I will trust in your judgment."

Snape had paused for a moment, before taking a deep breath and continuing on. "I do think we should at the very least give him a chance. It's never been exactly easy to be a Slytherin, Headmaster. And those children tend to put up walls that children from the other houses never do. Take a moment and think what it must be like, to try and have pride in something everyone else seems to loathe. There is more to Draco then you see, Sir. More I believe then even I."

Harry leaned his back against the sofa feeling slightly dumbfounded. More to Draco? His mind called back something Draco had said to him earlier before 'You're wrong Potter, about more things then one.' Harry was lost in thought when he felt a slight tugging at his arm. He pulled his attention back to the present and noticed that Seamus was mouthing 'they're leaving' at him.

Harry nodded and after waiting a few minutes to make sure the coast was clear, both boys quickly hurried out of the room. They were all the way to the great hall before Seamus broke the silence. "I don't know what's harder to believe. Draco possibly ending up on the good side, or Snape pulling a prank!"

Harry fiend a small laugh, "Ya."

They both entered the Hall; Seamus immediately leaving his friends side in search of someone to share his new found gossip with. Harry made his way to the Gryffindor table, unconsciously searching out dangerously silver eyes that were suddenly filling his mind. He found his target seated across the hall, not at but *on* his houses' table.

Harry studied him for a moment, trying to imagine for a second that he was more then a smug, pretentious, narcissistic, bastard. It wasn't an easy task.

Harry almost jumped at a loud crashing noise that had come from the front of the hall. Someone had bewitched the professors head table to fly, and was currently riding it like a surfboard. Harry squinted his eyes and noticed that it was none other then the head boy himself!

The small crowd in the hall broke into quite an uproar at the site as Morag flew around the room, looking as though he were about to fall off at any moment. Harry found his eyes once more being pulled to the Slytherin side of the room.

Draco Malfoy...was laughing. And not the snide type of laughter that Harry had always associated with the Slytherin, but real heartfelt laughter. He was pointing up at Morag, and Harry could hear the sound of his laughter from across the room. He felt his stomach tighten instantly. He suddenly felt slightly warm and a little confused. It looked as though Draco's eyes were practically dancing.

Harry quickly got up and made his was out of the great hall. Thinking of Draco as anything other then an evil bastard seemed to be too much for him to handle. He broke into a jog trying to put more distance between himself and that feeling. Lost in his thoughts he didn't realize he had turned down a dead end. He'd have to get his bearings again and figure out where he was. No, he wasn't ready for thoughts like this at all.



A/N OK this is late at night, but at least it's still Sunday! I didn't fail my goal lol!

A preview for tomorrow - Angry Snape, lovely Seamus and I've managed to find a plausible reason for Harry and Draco to be wet lol, plus a little something that reminded me of The Full Monty. E.G