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. Fourteenth holiday: Christmas Eve!

A/N: Wow. It's almost been a month since I updated last! I apologize profusely for the delay. Well, at least finals are over now, and the holidays just about, so I should have more time to write. I'm not promising that I'll update on time, but I'm going to try my hardest to do so. I'm just working on so many fics at the moment that it's hard to choose which one to write on.

I wanted to post this chapter yesterday, but it wasn't finished. I also wanted to point out that yes, I know I already did Christmas, but this is Christmas Eve. Same concept, different days. Besides, I just love this holiday season!



















Holiday 14: Christmas Eve

Rated: PG





Making a face, Harry Potter took a cautious step back from Ron Weasley. He didn't want to make any sudden movements for fear of being attacked.

Clucking her tongue in an I-told-you-so manner, Hermione Granger said haughtily, And you just *had* to open Fred and George's gift early, didn't you?"

Her point was well-proven. Apparently the twins knew Ron all too well. When Ron had tried to unwrap his gift, it had swiftly transfigured into a giant fuzzy spider that was currently sitting in his lap. It was taking all of Ron's strength not to pass out.

Raising her wand, Hermione muttered a spell and made the spider vanish into nothing.

Ron promptly fell over on the couch, stunned.

Gazing at his friend sympathetically, Harry was about to help him up when a feathery blur flew past him and smacked into the table. "Errol?" Harry reached the dazed owl and uprighted him, untying a package from his talons. Plucking the note from the package, he read aloud, "Don't open this one until tomorrow, you git." Glancing at Ron, who was now sitting up with an astonished look on his face, Harry burst into a round of laughter.

Joining in, Hermione tugged Ron to his feet, and the three made their way out of the Gryffindor common room and to the Great Hall for lunch. Like the previous winter breaks, there were not many people who stayed at school. This year, both Hermione and Ron had wanted to spend their last Christmas at Hogwarts with Harry, who was grateful to no end.

The three took seats by a group of fifth-year Ravenclaws, then glanced up the table. There were maybe twenty students, a smattering of each of the four Houses.

Helping himself to a plate of rice casserole, Ron grumbled, "Bloody Fred and George, practically giving me a heart attack."

"They anticipated your every move," Harry commented solemnly, shaking his head as he hid a smile.

Hermione, wanting to stifle any more complaints from the redhead, expertly changed the subject. "I wonder what kind of activity Professor Dumbledore will have for us after lunch."

As they found out, though, there were no activities scheduled for that day, which was why the three were back in the common room, lazing about. Hermione was, as usual, reading a rather thick book, while Ron and Harry were playing a game of wizard's chess. The guys were getting antsy, halfheartedly moving their pieces, neither one really winning or caring.

Even Hermione was growing tired of reading, which must have been a first for her. "That's it," she announced, closing her book with an air of finality. She stared at the

guys, who were eyeing her curiously. "It's Christmas Eve! We should be doing something festive."

"Like what?" Ron was more than content with the fact that Dumbledore had more pressing matters than making them participate in his version of Christmassy fun. And if Hermione hadn't looked so psychotically determined, he would have told her so.

At the question, she had to stop and think. She really didn't have anything in mind. Hmm... Then she smiled. "I'll be right back." She dashed upstairs.

"Sometimes she scares me," Ron confessed, to which Harry nodded in wholehearted agreement.

A minute later Hermione came bouncing back down the stairs, holding a stack of white paper and three pairs of scissors. As she handed each of them a pair of scissors and paper, she explained, "We're going to make snowflakes!"

Ron wrinkled his nose in displeasure. "Snowflakes? How girlie!" He instantly winced as Hermione shot him a withering look.

"It's either this or go caroling around the school." She nodded in satisfaction as Ron quickly picked up the paper and scissors. "Now, it's really easy to do. Just fold the paper in half a few times and start cutting out designs. Here, I'll show you." She took a folded sheet of paper and cut out a few triangles on the center fold, then trimmed the edges a bit. When she opened up the paper, it was rounded and had pretty geometric designs cut out of it.

Following her example, the boys got to work. Harry found the task to be oddly therapeutic. He tried to make all of his cuts exactly straight so that the snowflakes would turn out just as wanted them. He took his time, trying to visualize what the paper would look like when it was opened, scrutinizing over each line before he made an incision. He wanted each one to be beautiful.





An hour later, he was still making snowflakes. A long while back, Ron and Hermione had quit, telling him that they were going to go for a walk. He had declined their offer to join them, and he kept right on making snowflakes.

Before he knew it, he had about one hundred of them, each one holding different patterns and shapes. They were littered all over the carpet at his feet, on the table, sitting in his lap. He only finally quit when he ran out of paper.

Leaving his snowflakes in their disarray, he decided to try and catch up with his friends. He made his way into the mostly deserted halls, passing an occasional student and stopping briefly to chat before moving on.

Having wasted more time than he wanted, he decided to take a shortcut through a rarely used hallway to get outside faster. As he padded across the cold stone floor, he passed by a room whose door was halfway ajar. Being naturally curious, he peeked his head in.

He was greeted with the sight of Draco Malfoy, who was sitting on the window ledge and staring into the gloomy, pale sky. He was also muttering something to himself.

Taking a few cautious steps forward, Harry strained his ears to hear what the Slytherin was going on about.

"It is Christmas Eve, after all," Draco was saying, a slight hint of annoyance in his voice. "Who ever heard of no snow on Christmas Eve? It''s just not right." While he spoke, he gestured to the sky emphatically.

Having heard enough, Harry snuck back out of the room and started walking in the same direction he had previously come from. Now that he thought about it, it *was* pretty strange that there was no snow for Christmas. He had never defined winter by the weather, but obviously Draco did. And for that reason, Harry decided to try and make the blonde's Christmas better. Idea in mind, he dashed back to Gryffindor tower.





Ten minutes later, panting and breathless, Harry was standing back outside of that same room. Draco was still sitting by the window, looking forlorn.

Taking a deep breath, Harry contemplated his idea. He knew it wasn't strictly to cheer up the blonde. That was the inspiration, sure, but not the motive behind the act. No, he was doing this for selfish reasons, being that he had a not-so-little crush on Draco.

Who knew why; he certainly didn't. But he did know that the Slytherin was extremely sexy, smart, charming, and loyal. To the Light, that is. Those all constituted reasons for said crush to form. So if Harry could make Draco happy, even artificially, then Harry would be happy also.





As Draco just sat there, he fell into a lull. He had been in the same spot for over an hour, unmoving, just thinking aloud. No sounds except his voice. No interruptions.

Which was why he jumped back when something flew in front of his face and landed delicately on the windowsill he had previously been occupying. Curiously picking up the object, he turned it around in his hand. "What in Merlin's name is this?"

"It's a snowflake," Harry explained as he stepped into the room, startling Draco yet again.

Attempting to sneer at the Gryffindor, Draco's efforts fell flat, so he opted to cross his arms over his chest. He still clutched the snowflake in his hand. "Stalking me, Potter?"

Smiling at Draco's expected response, Harry replied, "Not as such." He shifted the box he was holding from one hip to the other. "But I did accidentally stumble across your presence a few minutes ago."

Having no interest in his explanations, Draco instead focused his attention to the box in Harry's arms. "What's in there?" he nodded to the box, genuinely curious and unable to keep that inflection out of his voice.

"Something to make your Christmas brighter."

Before Draco could question him, harry took out his wand. He opened the lid of the box, muttered a spell, and closed his eyes, mentally crossing his fingers.

A moment later his eyes were open, and he was delighted to see the look of absolute amazement on the blonde's face.

Draco was standing in the middle of the room, watching snowflake after paper snowflake float delicately to the ground, then rise back up to the high ceiling and float back down again. He turned to Harry, wonderment in his eyes. "Why..."

Shrugging, Harry said, "I wanted to make you happy." Then he realized just what he said and his eyes grew wide, box dropping at his feet. "I didn't mean--"

"Didn't you?" Draco asked softly, stepping closer so that they were only a foot apart.

Opening his mouth, Harry couldn't find the words to speak. He must have been crazy! He just as well might have confessed his feelings outright for the blonde. There was no telling what he was thinking. In fact, Draco was--

--Pulling Harry into a kiss. That's what Draco was doing. And Harry wasn't going to complain. Arms swiftly enveloping the blonde, he pulled their bodies closer together as their lips met again and again, growing red and swollen but neither teen willing to retreat.

So they continued kissing, paying no attention to the paper snowflakes around them, nor noticing that on the other side of the window minuscule white flakes had also begun to fall.

















::does a little holiday dance:: Winter holidays are the best. I just love em to pieces. Well, I hope everyone enjoyed this last chapter. I want to thank everyone for being patient with me in my sporadic updates, and especially thank you for reading and/or reviewing. It means the world to me. Until next update!