Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker

Author: GrapeSmshr

Rated: G to PG-13, depending on the chapter

Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness

Updates: every Friday.

Summary: H/D *slash* Everyone loves the holidays because love blooms. Each chapter is a different holiday in which Harry and Draco find romance. Thirteenth holiday: Thanksgiving!

A/N: Late update! I know. I just finished this chapter a couple of hours ago. Why did it take so long? To put it bluntly, I didn't feel like writing. Now, don't take it that I'm losing interest, because that is so at the total opposite end of the spectrum of how I'm feeling. I'm just really burnt out right now, what with the holidays on the way, and finals, and I'm getting more hours at work because of all of the Christmas sales... so I've been very, very busy. So busy, in fact, that I've made an executive decision.

I won't be updating for the next couple of weeks. I know, totally not cool. But my first priority is school. I've been slacking these past couple of months, and if I want to make the A's that I need to keep a high GPA, then I need to concentrate fully on school and not have to worry about finishing chapters every week. I'll start posting again once the craziness dies down some. That being said, I apologize profusely for the late update, and I hope everyone understands.

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Holiday 13: Thanksgiving

Rated: PG-13

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"Come back here!"

Harry Potter and Hermione Granger laughed as they watched their redheaded best friend, Ron Weasley, turn around in circles as he searched for his diricawl, which had disappeared in a puff of feathers.

It was another fun-filled Care of Magical Creatures lesson, and the trio was having quite a time looking after the diricawls that Hagrid had assigned them. Except for Ron, that is, whose diricawl would not stop vanishing on him.

"Perhaps he doesn't like you, Ron," Harry suggested through a snort of laughter, earning a glare from Ron and a giggle from Hermione.

"Bloody bird," Ron muttered as it reappeared not two feet from where he was standing. "Right about now I'm missing those flobberworms. They were boring, but at least they didn't run off."

Fortunately for him, the class was just about over. They deposited their diricawls back with Hagrid, bid him goodbye, then began their trek back to the school for their next class.

"Aww, Ron, it wasn't that bad, was it?" Hermione patted him on the arm reassuringly, receiving a scowl in return.

"You can say that because *your* diricawl just sat in your lap and behaved," Ron grumbled as they walked into the school building.

Hermione couldn't very well argue, so she kept silent. Harry, on the other hand, couldn't keep his comments to himself. "Maybe if you hadn't started chasing him around, he would have settled down some."

"Oh, what are you, the ethical treatment of creatures patrol? Not that that's a bad thing," he added quickly when Hermione shot him a withering look. Although she didn't campaign actively, she still held onto her SPEW morals.

"Hey, look, we're at our class," Harry segwayed expertly, drawing their attention away from the inevitable argument.

All three were taking Muggle Studies, which was different this year than normal. Because of the very small amount of seventh-years that had wanted to take it, students from all four Houses were joined together. As it was, there were only twenty students in the class.

The first thing they noticed when they walked in was that the room was completely different in its arrangement. Instead of desks, there were now large counters evenly spaced out, with two stools at each.

"What the..." Ron's eyes scanned the room in absolute confusion.

"Have a seat, and I'll explain everything," Professor Mensch told them as he waved to the classroom. "Your names are at your stations."

"Stations?" Ron wrinkled his nose but did as told, finding his name at a counter in the front of the room. Justin Finch-Fletchley joined him. Hermione was at the station to the right of him, taking a seat next to Pansy Parkinson.

Harry's seat was at the very back. He glanced over to see the name of the person that would be joining him, and he sighed. He really should have known.

Draco Malfoy.

A couple of years ago, if anyone had told him that Draco Malfoy would be taking Muggle Studies, he would have passed out from laughter. But now... It was still pretty unbelievable, and yet he believed it.

The Slytherin had become more mellow after the fall of Voldemort. Harry suspected it was relief at not having to become a Death Eater. He never saw Draco as one to follow orders. Add that to the fact that the blonde's father was now dead, then there was nothing holding Draco to the life he would have led.

Harry noted the changes in Draco's demeanor; how could he not? He was used to almost daily verbal sparring matches, which had lightened to only occasional quips now and again. He quite missed it, actually.

There was just something about Draco that drew Harry to him. It went beyond the fact that Draco was the most gorgeous person in school. No, it was a deeper layer... almost like the blonde was holding himself back from the rest of the world. If there was anything a Malfoy was not, it would be reserved. And yet he was, which intrigued Harry all the more.

His thoughts were interrupted as Professor Mensch began class. "Does anyone know what day it is?" he asked pleasantly, peering at the students.

"It's Thursday," Ernie Macmillan called out.

"I know, I know. I meant more specifically."

All eyes turned to Hermione expectantly. When she only shrugged, half the occupants of the room gasped. Hermione *never* didn't know the answer!

"What? I can't know everything all the time," she snapped.

"Right then," Professor Mensch said quickly. "Today is--"

He was interrupted as Draco burst into the room. He strolled over to the professor and handed him a note. "I was running an errand for Professor Snape," he said breezily, then walked to his seat. He didn't even have to check; he knew his assigned seat was next to Harry. It was only inevitable. "What did I miss?" he asked Harry.

Giving him a strange look, Harry answered, "Nothing yet."

"As I was saying," Professor Mensch continued, "today's class will be a bit different. I thought we would switch gears and learn about another culture. Today in the United States, it is Thanksgiving Day." He proceeded to tell them the history behind the holiday, but he still didn't explain what the new setup was for.

"So today, we will be making a Thanksgiving meal."

"We're cooking?" Pansy screeched. "I don't cook!"

"Today you will," Professor Mensch said calmly. "Each pair will prepare a certain dish. I have taken to pairing one person with at least some cooking experience to someone with... less experience. All of the ingredients should be on your counters. If you need help, I'll be walking around. All right, let's start cooking!" He clapped his hands, and everyone got to work.

Harry turned curious eyes to the recipe that was on the table in front of him. He felt a surge of excitement course through his veins.

"What are we making?" Draco asked, not bothering to look at the paper.

"Apple pie," Harry answered with a lilt to his voice. He was a phenomenal cook, what with his years of child labor for the Dursleys. But he much preferred to bake, especially pies. He had perfected them long ago, and it was something he didn't need a recipe for.

Taking one look at the recipe anyhow, just briefly, Harry mentally planned every step out. He picked up a paring knife, holding it out to Draco. "You peel the apples, and I'll start on the crust."

With those instructions, he immersed himself in the pleasures of baking, not paying attention to Draco. How difficult could it be to peel some apples?

For the blonde, apparently very difficult.

"Uh, Potter?" Draco tapped Harry on the arm, interrupting his sifting.

Harry turned his attention to the blonde, then blinked. Draco had peeled the apple, all right, not to mention slivering the offending piece of fruit into minuscule pieces. He took one look at the mess, then the uncertain frown on Draco's face. It was that look that kept him from laughing. Instead, he picked up the abandoned paring knife and a new apple. "Here, try it this way." Starting at the top, he used the knife to peel the skin off of the apple in one long spiral.

Draco watched Harry's long, nimble fingers as he skillfully shed the apple of its peel. He felt stupid for even thinking this, but watching Harry pay great detail to something as trivial as an apple was insanely sensual. He wondered if the Gryffindor would treat other... things with such care. Draco almost shivered at the thought.

Setting the apple down, Harry handed the knife back to Draco. "Can you handle it from here?" he asked, unaware of the brief twitch of Draco's eye.

"Oh, yes, I can handle things *quite* well," Draco answered smoothly as he plucked another apple from the counter and set to work.

Shaking his head, Harry turned back to the task at hand. Every so often, out of the corner of his eye, he would watch the blonde struggle with the apples as he tried to peel the skin off in one long string, as Harry did. Harry found the entire situation amusing, not to mention adding to Draco's sexiness as the Slytherin concentrated on his job, blowing loose strands of blonde hair out of his eyes. Sexy indeed.

It wasn't long before Harry's pie crust was made and pressed into the pie plate. Now all he needed was to work on the filling...

Taking a deep breath, he snuck a peek over at Draco, then smiled widely. Not only were the apples peeled, but they had been cored and quartered as well. Needless to say, Harry was quite impressed. "Those look great," he complimented, startling the blonde into dropping the last piece of apple. He reached down and deftly caught it before it fell on the floor.

"Nice catch," Draco muttered, cheeks slightly pinking from embarrassment. Clearing his throat, he gestured to the pile of apple pieces. "Now what?"

"Now we put them in the pie shell." They scooped the apples up and filled the pie. Glancing around, Harry told Draco he would be right back. He went over to Ron and Justin, who were making a fruit salad. When he came back, he was carrying a wedge of lemon.

"What is that for?" Draco asked curiously.

"To add some zing to the pie." Harry squeezed the lemon over the pie, the juice dripping off the tips of his fingers.

"But the recipe doesn't say to--"

"Trust me; I've done this before." As Harry finished squeezing the lemon, he tossed it away and then proceeded to lick the juice from his fingers.

Draco watched as Harry slipped each finger into his mouth, licking all of the juice away without making a face. The Slytherin was amazed, not to mention turned on. Extremely. He wondered if Harry was doing this on purpose. It was taking all of his willpower not to jump the ravenhead right then and there.

His little display now over, Harry washed his hands, and he and Draco finished up the pie. Then he slipped it into the oven and returned back to their station to wait.

Draco sat back and let Harry start tidying up. He knew he should be helping, but it was against his nature to clean anything. But Harry, on the other hand, cleaned like he had the practice. "Do this often?" he inquired, genuinely curious.

Still scrubbing, Harry shot Draco a brief quirky smile as he answered, "I was the resident slave to my aunt, uncle, and cousin for ten years before I turned eleven, and then every summer after that. Cooking, cleaning... you name it, I did it." Surprisingly, he said all this with no bitterness inflected in his voice. He had come to accept his past and upbringing, only growing stronger for it. It was a luxury most people in similar positions never achieved, so he was quite lucky.

Looking up, he saw the surprised expression on Draco's face. Wanting to avoid any kind of scene, he changed the subject. "I like to bake. Cook, too. I'm quite good at throwing things together."

Draco nodded. That would be why Harry never looked at the recipe while making the pie. Draco's mind was reeling. There was just so much he didn't know about the Gryffindor, and each discovery surprised him more than the last. To say he was intrigued would be an understatement. He felt this strong desire to not just snog the Boy Wonder senseless (although he wanted to do that, too) but to have a conversation with him, learn everything about him, and not to use against him later. He genuinely wanted to know Harry, and that thought alone almost frightened him. Almost. He was a Malfoy, after all, and he always stepped up to a challenge. "You know, Ha--"

He was cut off as their timer dinged. "Pie's ready." Harry smiled as he picked up an oven mitt to retrieve the pie. When he came back, he was positively beaming.

Their apple pie was steaming from the holes in the woven golden crust, the sweet smell of apples and cinnamon wafting around them. It was obvious that Harry was proud, and Draco was very impressed. And hungry. When would they get to try their food?

Soon after, everyone's dishes were finished. Professor Mensch conjured a long table, where each dish was set. They all took seats around the table.

Much to Harry's surprise and delight, Draco sat down next to him. On Harry's other side, Hermione gave him a questioning look but said nothing. She turned to Ron, who was next to her, but he was too busy drooling at all of the food to be paying attention to seating arrangements.

"All right, everyone," Professor Mensch called from his seat at the head of the table, "this is the part where we go around the table and say what we are thankful for." As he received a few snorts of protest, he said firmly, "We will be thankful, and then we will eat." No snorts this time. "Good. I'll begin. I am thankful for my health, my family, and my current wonderful company." He turned to his left, beaming at a startled Lisa Turpin.

As they went around the table, Harry tuned the others out. What was he thankful for? His friends? His life? The fact that he never had to see the Dursleys again? But then his thoughts switched over to the blonde sitting next to him, and just how sexy he looked when doing something as domestic as cooking. He was definitely thankful for that sexiness.

When it was his turn, Harry glanced discreetly at the Slytherin before saying, "I'm thankful for pared apples."

Hearing this, Draco almost fell out of his chair. He had felt Harry's eyes on him when they were making the pie. Not that Draco minded. But if the ravenhead was going to make a comment like that, so innocent yet so not, then he could, too. "I'm thankful for lemon juice." As Harry whipped his head in Draco's direction in disbelief, the blonde only smirked.

They continued around the table until everyone had expressed his or her thanks, and then Professor Mensch finally told them to dig in.

Plates were piled high with food as each person tried to get a bit of everything. They were excited about trying their own dishes to see how they turned out. Only the pie remained untouched, as it would be saved for dessert.

Taking a bite of spinach casserole, Harry made a face. It was crunchy and tasted like how he would imagine cardboard to taste. It shouldn't have been either of those things.

Apparently Ron shared his thoughts. "Yuck! This spinach casserole is terrible!"

"Mr. Weasley! That is quite uncalled for!" Professor Mensch reprimanded the redhead. "Not everyone has the same tastes. I'm sure lots of people like it." To prove his point, he took a large bite of the casserole. The students watched as his eyes widened a bit. He swallowed, then smiled forcefully. "See? It's not bad."

"Then how come you made that face?" Ron asked defiantly before he was hit in the nose with a dinner roll.

"There's nothing wrong with it!" Lisa snarled as she flicked a spoonful of casserole at Ron. "Here, try some more!"

Narrowing his eyes, Ron said, "If you like it so much, you can have mine!" He scooped the casserole off his plate with his hand and hurled it at Lisa, smacking her in the chest.

There was a brief silence before Ernie screamed, "Food fight!"

As food was launched in every which direction, Harry's panicked eyes fell on their pie, which was as of yet unscathed. "The pie!" he called frantically to Draco.

Leaning forward, Draco snatched the pie just before it was covered with a splatter of potatoes. He jumped up from his seat and ran to the back of the room, Harry not far behind. They watched the food fight for a moment, then turned back to the other. "Shall we?"

Using a charm to levitate over two forks, Harry handed one to Draco. "Dig in," he echoed the earlier words as he scooped up a piece of pit with his fork, popping it into his mouth.

Draco did the same. He closed his eyes as he savored the spice of cinnamon and apple, the flaky pastry practically melting in his mouth and sliding down his throat. Wonderful, absolutely wonderful. Food of the gods.

He was going to tell Harry so when a glob of cranberry sauce hit him in the face. He opened his eyes to see Harry silently laughing at him. As he made to wipe his face, Harry stopped him.

"Allow me." Leaning in, Harry's pink tongue darted out and gently scraped over Draco's cheek, licking the cranberries off. His mouth moved lower, trailing the sticky red sauce across Draco's chin. Then, ever so slowly, he slid his tongue over the blonde's lower lip, his gasp lost as his tongue was sucked into Draco's mouth.

Tasting the cranberry and apple on Harry's tongue, Draco just about whimpered as the Gryffindor returned the kiss with heated fervor, leaving him panting and wanting more of the sweet taste of Harry.

Breaking away, Harry smiled. "I think the Americans had the right idea with this Thanksgiving thing," he said over the shouting at the front of the room.

Grinning wickedly, Draco answered, "Come back over here, and I'll show you just how thankful I am."

"Mmm, Happy Thanksgiving to me," Harry murmured as he gladly accepted Draco's thanks.

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Oh, if only all Thanksgiving holidays could be that wonderful... I had so much fun writing that chapter. I didn't think I would write one for this holiday, but I was inspired when I got into a fight with my mom over making an apple pie. I love getting inspired over trivial things! Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed reading as much as I did writing. Please review! They'll greatly help me through these next few weeks, and I could definitely use some encouraging words. I love you guys! You're so awesome!

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Thanks to:

Lady PhoenixFyre: Hehe, i was hoping to get that reaction...

Maiden of Mystery: I apologize for it not being sooner, but I hope the chapter content makes up for its lateness.

Brad: Oh, it wasn't a holiday. They just needed a break. I'm the same way when studying, although my breaks aren't *nearly* as fun...

wicchick: I'm the same way. Where do these obsessions come from? Is it coded into our DNA or something? Well, whatever it is, I'm not complaining!

Dea Liberty: Aww, happy birthday! (late, I realize, but I try)

BURN THE R.U.M.: I think I spend more time on the endings than the entirety of the chapters... How sad is that?

hieiandkuramalover: I ran out of holidays a long time ago. Luckily everyone has made some really great suggestions. If you have any, please send em my way!

SoulSister: I just had to do that. Can't you just imagine them running around, shirtless and soaking wet? It's the stuff dreams are made of.

Caz Malfoy: Hehe, I think summer brings out the hotness in everything. It's just closer to the surface with those two.

destinywriters: If I could pull them out of the screen, I would've done so a loooooong time ago! Yeah, I realized that with these last few chapters, I've pretty much focused on Harry. I'll try to fix that in the next couple of chapters.

GoddessMoonLady: Yet another one I didn't think of... The beginning of the school year is a good idea... So much potential... ::nods:: Yep, yep, definitely have to do something with that. Thanks!

Sylvia Sylverton: There's nothing better than a dirty Harry and Draco (both literally and figuratively).

soccer-chick250: I think any cute moment between them brings out the voyeur in us all... I feel the same way. What I wouldn't give to see those two together...

onlyHAUNTED: Drooling is always a plus... and inevitable when reading ANYthing involving Harry and Draco...

Moondragon: By all means, join in the frolicking! Charlie (my unicorn) loves the company!

Sweet Sorrow: You're not the first person to express their wishes in wanting more... While I plan on keeping this fic strictly PG-13 and under, I do have a songfic that I'm about to start working on that might go into more... detail...

Starr Light1: Well, sometimes the fake holidays are the fun ones. I mean, Harry and Draco all wet and sweaty? Yum city!

gigabyt: That is a totally great idea! Opposite day! I remember that from my younger years. If we can do it, why can't they? I'll definitely add it to the list. Thanks!

Martha: Your review just made me beam. I'm so happy you're enjoying these! And yes, I do plan on continuing as long as I can come up the holidays!

MedNar: Midwinter's Eve... Gonna have to look that one up, methinks. And nope, wasn't suggested before, so thanks!

Papaya: I know how that goes. Sometimes there's no time to write reviews, let alone long ones. I appreciate the comments, though!

Cat: That is one thing I just won't write. When I read a fic where either of their struggles with their preferences is dominant in the plot, it makes me think that the author may not be so comfortable with it. I dunno, maybe it's just the ones that I've read. But I didn't want any of my fics to come off that way, so I've always avoided the moral issues.

Prongs1: Aww, thanks! It's always nice to hear that someone is enjoying this fic enough to put it on their favorites list. I appreciate it!

Snail: Good point. Besides, I've found that focusing on just British holidays has been a bit... limiting in my ideas. I'm trying to expand as best I can.

Alexis-Greenleaf: I love having water gun fights. Although now that I'm older, I haven't really had one in a while... I'll definitely make a point to have one over the summer.

Lunadeath: Better late than never. And thanks! I have such an eclectic writing style.. I blame it on writing poetry before I started in on fics. And, of course, I've been writing for a good ten years, so I think my writing has improved greatly, to the point where I'm even starting to enjoy reading my own stuff. That's still amazing to me...

incoherent: Your review just made my day. Seriously! I'm so happy you're enjoying this fic so much. That definitely makes me want to write more.

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Thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed. Until next update! (which, hopefully, won't be more than a couple weeks away)