Notes: I'm baaack! These chapters will probably still take quite a while in between them, as I just got a rather demanding new job. Also, I had a lovely little picture of Draco with a muffin sent to me! I would love to show it to you if it's okay with the artist. ^_^
Chapter Eight: Hide and Seek
Harry had gone to sleep the previous night on Professor Dumbledore's calm promise that Malfoy was not in mortal danger. His dreams were filled with half human dogs and when he woke, he had a strong urge to write to Sirius. However, the sight of Malfoy's unused bed cut off these thoughts. Obviously the blond had not been down to sleep in his Christmas-y little den since the night before. The blankets were smooth and (Harry discovered) cold to the touch. Plus he had left a sappy little "I'm Glad We Are Roommates" card on the covers and it had not even been opened.
The dark haired boy nibbled on his thumbnail before deciding to ask Professor Snape where the Slytherin had gotten to. Perhaps he was overreacting. The other night Malfoy had eaten with the Potions master, so perhaps he had slept in his quarters tonight. It was quite a simple answer. But Harry would not be satisfied until he pinpointed his rival's exact location. Unfortunately for him, he no longer had possession of the Marauders' Map. So he was on his own.
As he dressed, he kept his eyes on Malfoy's silent bed. Without Malfoy, he would have to resort to Hermione and the Terrible Twins for relief from boredom. And at this moment, pestering the blond was much more appealing than evading Parvati's hands, Hermione's books, and Padma's eyes.
Yanking a sweatshirt over his head, Harry hurried from the room. Behind him the house elves started rustling about his bed and the fireplace.
In the hall outside, someone was singing a Christmas carol in French. Probably one of the teachers, as it was a deep voice (though it was in the dungeons, Harry highly doubted it was Snape). He made his way down the corridor, haunted by the song and invisible singer. Perhaps one of the ghosts had gotten into the Christmas spirit- though that was unlikely. They tended to sulk at any holiday except Halloween.
"It's just not a ghostly enough holiday," Sir Nicholas had complained to Harry once. "Christmas is for you living people." And with a distressed sigh, he had floated away through the roof.
Harry had to agree. Christmas always made him feel more alive. There was that rush of warmth when opening the door to his dorm, and the smell of cinnamon and pine decorations. The house elves took twice as much care preparing the food so it looked festive. Most of the students were in high spirits as a result of either anticipation or too many cookies. And occasionally Dumbledore would dress up like Saint Nicholas and walk down the hall handing out random candies and gifts. Yes, it was definitely a holiday for the living.
The singing died away, and Harry found himself face to face with the imposing door to Snape's private quarters. Usually, students weren't allowed in there, but as he was currently under Slytherin house's protection, he figured it would be all right. Raising his right hand, he rapped smartly on the door.
"Who is it?" came the snarl from within.
"Professor, it's me, Harry."
The door was flung open and a very rumpled looking Snape stood in the doorway. His hair was surprisingly clean looking and he was wearing a dark green robe which was the first spark of color Harry had ever seen on him. In fact, it brought out the lovely dark brown color of his eyes. Harry was not sure it WAS Snape- as this being actually had some semblance of human beauty about it. That was, until Snape opened his mouth. "What do you want, Potter?" he spat, his usual sneer settling into place.
"I was... looking for Malfoy."
"And what exactly would Mr. Malfoy be doing in my room?"
"Well, he wasn't in my room when I woke up... and I thought I'd ask you." Harry shifted uncomfortably. "As... as you would probably know where he was."
"Look, Potter, if you have a problem, go talk to your precious Headmaster. I'm busy."
"But... you don't know where Malfoy is?"
"No! Now go away!" And the heavy door was slammed in Harry's face.
Heaving a sigh, Harry made his way up towards the main level of Hogwarts. If he was going to look for Malfoy, he might as well do it on a full stomach. He had smelled the cinnamon buns all the way from bed and now was exactly when he wanted to eat them. Cinnamon buns were Harry's absolute favorite breakfast. And finding Malfoy could wait until he had at least three large buns inside himself.
He was joined at breakfast by a very tired Hermione and an overly cheerful Headmaster. Hermione had bags under her eyes, and was staring at her bun as though contemplating transfiguring it into a pillow. Dumbledore was humming to himself and spreading thick white icing over his own cinnamon bun. He winked at Harry. "Any problems with the roommate?"
"Not really. But... I'm a little worried. He didn't show up at all last night," Harry said around a mouthful of bun. He swallowed. "I asked Professor Snape where he was, but he didn't know."
"Why don't you just relax and practice some Quidditch?" Dumbledore replied, neatly slicing his breakfast into strips. "I'm sure Mr. Malfoy would be eager for a rematch after his successful game against you yesterday."
"But that's just the problem," Harry said, fingering his glass of milk. "I can't find Malfoy."
"I'm sure he'll show up if you get out your broom." The older man's eyes twinkled. Then he turned to Hermione. "Miss Granger, it's really not necessary for you to be at breakfast. I could have the house elves bring you up something later on in the day."
Hermione replied something that sounded a lot like "Finny McGrew."
"Aaahh! I know what a challenge it can be rooming with twin girls." Dumbledore sat back and folded his arms, a smile spreading across his face. "I had twin sisters who were quite the little hellions..."
At this, Harry sat up straighter. "You had twin sisters?"
"Ellie and Dina." Dumbledore was silent for a moment. But just as Harry was about to ask another question, he prompted, "Go on, Harry. Go play some Quidditch." And he shooed the boy out of the room.
Harry trudged down to the broom shed, his eyes scanning the snow before him. That certainly was strange… Dumbledore seemed to know everything about everyone, but Harry had never even thought of him having a family. Twin sisters? He knew nothing about Dumbledore's family, or even his past- save for that one glimpse of a younger Professor he had seen in Tom Riddle's diary.
The broom shed door was unlocked- Harry's first key to something unusual. He opened it slowly, not sure what to expect. But when he saw a dozing Malfoy curled up on some practice mats, he nearly laughed out loud. Nearly. There was something in the way that the light fell onto the blond hair that made him stop. It was a very child-like Malfoy that lay snuggled under his broom blanket. Child-like… and actually quite beautiful. Harry shifted, not knowing exactly what to feel.
Perhaps woken by the slight noise or by some other instinct, Malfoy shifted and then suddenly sat up, a bewildered look on his face. "Wh-" he stopped on seeing the dark haired Gryffindor. "Potter…?"
"Malfoy, what are you doing out here?" Harry asked, a slight frown creasing his forehead. "You've been missing since yesterday's lunch and we were worried about you." As soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, he realized that he had unintentionally lied. There was no "we" who had been worried. Neither Snape nor Dumbledore seemed particularly concerned. Hermione couldn't have cared even if she wanted to. Harry had been the only one worried about Malfoy's disappearing act.
Malfoy snorted and stood up, attempting to smooth his rumpled robes and hair. "If I were you, I'd be more worried whether this magnificent young Malfoy is going to hex you into tomorrow."
Harry blinked. "I find you and the thanks I get is you wanting to hex me?"
"I never asked to be found! I was doing just fine until you came stomping in here!"
"Well excuuuuse me for caring whether you are swallowed by a manticore!"
"You and your bloody Gryffindor sense of valor! I don't need to be saved by anyone! I wanted some peace and quiet, dammit!" Draco stomped his foot and drew out his wand. "Now go away before I hex you!"
Harry suddenly became aware that his tail was standing straight up under his robes (which was uncomfortable) and was puffed out angrily (also uncomfortable). "Hex away, Slytherin slime!" he hissed, pushing his glasses up with the middle finger of his right hand. Now that his temper was lost, there was no trying to pretend that he actually liked the other boy. "I can take anything you throw at me."
"Oh yeah? Well, I can take more than you!" Draco yelled some sort of spell and suddenly, Harry found his fingernails growing at an alarming rate. He reached into his pocket before the nails grew too awfully long and grabbed his wand. He yelled another curse back which shortened Draco's pants painfully.
"Ow!" howled the blond before hexing Harry's nose into twice its size.
Harry sneezed violently and then turned Malfoy's ears into fox ears, adding on a tail for extra effect. Strangely enough, they were a silvery color that matched his hair.
Malfoy's tail twitched and he threw a spell at his rival which caused large purple dots to swell up all over his arms.
Harry resisted the urge to scratch the dots and made Malfoy's feet grow so fast that his shoes nearly exploded.
Then, suddenly, a voice boomed out, "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!"
To be Continued…
Notes: Muwa ha ha ha haaaaa! Who has found them? And will the boys ever go back to looking normal? Will Harry's glasses stay on his huge nose? All this and more in the next chapter! Also, my beta is preggers and off somewhere so I'm going to be fiddling solo for a while. ^_^
Thanks to…
Bunny-kuo: Hahaha! Ha ha! Hah! HA! Ahem. Nope! No loving yet, but there will be plenty later on. And yes- there is something I believe is better than kissing or sexing. Hee hee.
Caitlin: … my story? Oh my. Thank you! If you need a laugh, I suggest reading about Gimli singing about Legolas fancying Frodo's ass. That had me rolling on the floor. ^_^ Heh heh.
Ivan: Actually, there aren't many hints in that dream. Most fanfic writers have the dreams mean something… foreshadow something… in this case, it's JUST A DREAM. ^_^ Though the muffin thing is rather symbolic.
Roast Chicken: Yummy name. ^_^ And I would love it if Harry keeps his tail. Though Snape might make Draco remove it. . *shakes fist at Snape dollie*
Grey Malfoy: Sanity is the bane of youth. Chee hee hee! And here is more.
Lady M'raa: I would LOVE to give them wings. But I think that would have to be saved for another story. ^_^ They have too much that is going on and that is going to happen…
Lunadeath: Surprise! The dream means NOTHING! Lol! It's just a dream. Except for the muffin part. But that's pretty obvious.
Kiyone: Squee! I love Kurama. Well, not as much as Hiei-san, but close enough. Isn't it amazing how many girls like YYH?
Flair: I wanna see how that tail can be used for kinky things!!! Though I'd have to actually come up with the kinky things first… . oh dude, boobie eyes….
Neko-chan: Actually, the child's eyes are green because my eyes are green. Lol! Nothing to do with Harry. Aya!!! I really did love your stufflie stuff! Especially that one where you drop into Middle Earth with Sean… that made me fall off my bed I was laughing so hard. ^_^ Actually the idea for the half wizarding pop being gay/bi was not mine. But I can't remember which story had it in there, so I can't credit them. *cries* I will find it and restore honor!
And thanks to ALL who reviewed! I'll try not to work as many hours at my job so that I can actually pump out something creative for you people. Though I owe my dad $500 by the end of winter vacation… *cries* Maybe I'll do commissioned artwork… yeah! If you want art of anything, check out my site and see if you want anything that I do. Yay!