Harry waved feebly as the carriages carrying Hogwarts students back to the Hogsmeade train station sauntered into the flurry of white snow. With a sigh, Harry turned and walked back into the castle, nodding goodbyes at passersby. Entering the Great Hall, he walked over to the almost empty Gryffindor table and plopped down just as Hermione slid in besides him.
"Hey, so, did you see Ron off?" She asked, piling her plate full of cheese omelette.
"Yeah...He seemed pretty excited about going with his Mum and Dad to visit Charlie in Romania." Harry replied, plucking a piece of toast from the pile and nibbled on it.
"How come Ginny didn't go with?"
"Oh...she wanted to stay for some reason...Doesn't like the idea of dragons I suppose," Harry answered, strawberry-jamming up his toast.
"I wouldn't either. Dreadful, beastly things," Hermione commented, no doubt remembering their encounter with a dragon called Norbert.
Harry smiled and shrugged," As long as they're far away and you don't have to try and steal a golden egg from one, they're all right in my book."
Hermione grinned and continued to eat her eggs as Ginny slid onto the bench across from them.
"Hullo," Harry greeted, taking a few pieces of bacon.
"Hello Harry...Hermione...I didn't know you two were staying too. Wow, that's gonna make this stay a LOT easier," Ginny replied, plopping a ham steak onto her plate and scooping eggs next to it.
"How come you didn't go, anyways?" Harry asked ,munching on the crisp bacon.
"Oh, those dragons scare me to death. Last time one of them was getting all bothered cause Fred was teasing it with a stick. It blew out fire and singed the ends of my hair. Mum gave him SUCH a hollering, but it still didn't get my burned hair back," Ginny explained, shoveling food into her mouth.
Harry rose an eyebrow. Both Ginny and Hermione seemed to be eating much more than they normally do, and at an alarming rate. He shrugged this off." So, got any plans for today?"
"Mmm mmm. Was just gonna sit up in the common room and collect dust."
Harry laughed but caught a cold look from Hermione. What was wrong with her? " Uhh...well, we were gonna go visit Hagrid. Want to come?"
Ginny nodded eagerly," Oh god, THANK you! I desperately didn't want to stay in here alone...Well, I better get going. I want to make Hagrid something for Christmas then. Bye! "
And she scurried off, grabbing some toast before she went.
"WHY did you invite her along?" Hermione exclaimed just as Ginny disappeared out the doors.
Harry looked at her bewildered, "Well...because. I didn't think she'd like to hang around alone all day. Thought it'd be nice."
"NICE?" Hermione squealed.
"Honestly, Hermione. What's gotten into you?" Harry almost shouted, confused beyond reason." Its only a visit to Hagrid after all. Its not like its some private affair."
Hermione narrowed her eyes, furthering Harry's confusion," If you think I'm not onto her little game, you've got another thing coming Harry. I KNOW why she decided to stay and its not because of some stuffy old dragons."
Harry could feel his anger building at the injustice Hermione was dishing out," Enlighten me, then. WHY did Ginny Weasley decide to stay?"
"BECAUSE, Harry. She KNOWS you always stay during Christmas break. She wanted a chance to be alone with you. And since she thought I was going with my Mum and Dad to France again, she knew you were going to be on your own for once."
Harry looked at her incredulously," Hermione...that's ...just...RIDICULOUS! Ginny's OVER that, Ron told me so. YOU told me so. She said she's staying because of dragons, then she's staying because of dragons. Simple as that...SO, if you don't have anymore accusations of jealousy to throw out, I'M going to get Hagrid's present ready."
Then Harry pushed himself from the table and stormed out, now noticing all the curious eyes following his exit.
"Ginny wanting me alone...GAH! ABSURD!" Harry grumbled hotly to himself as he climbed the stairs to the Gryffindor common room.
He reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and shouted "Vive Noel" at her. She huffed and commented on his rudeness as the frame swung open and Harry climbed through.
Immediately he saw Ginny standing over her cauldron in the fireplace as smoke eminated from it. She shrieked as purple flames burst from the belly of the pot.
Harry hurried forward and grabbed her, spinning them around so she was shielded by his body as the cauldron spewed purple and pink flames, dousing the entire common room in clouds of peach.
They coughed heavily as Harry edged them towards one of the windows. He pushed it open grabbing a book that was left on the table and started to waft some of the smoke out.
"Good lord, Ginny...what were you trying to do?" Harry sputtered, choking on the thick smoke slowly trailing out the window into the snowy sky.
"I..I was just trying to make some cologne for Hagrid. I know how to make perfume, by accident really...I had been trying to make a sleeping draught in Potions last year and I somehow turned it into this flowery perfume instead. I just thought I could do the same thing but added fly's wings instead of butterfly wings." Ginny explained, helping Harry waft the smoke out.
"Well, Ginny...why didn't you just look it up?" Harry asked setting the book down, and started opening up the rest of the windows.
Ginny blushed furiously, looking somewhere between embarrassed and foolish. "I...I didn't think of that..."
Harry smiled and walked over to her cauldron. The smell eminating it wasn't anything near cologne. The putrid stench was something like rotten eggs and cow manure. Harry gagged and pulled out his wand , quickly mumbling Scourgify. The contents of the cauldron disappeared instantly and ,thankfully, the smell left with it.
"Why don't we go look it up, alright?"
Ginny beamed nodding quickly and followed Harry to the library.
An hour later, Hermione walked into the common room to see Harry hunched over Ginny, both peering into the fireplace.
"No...its got to be thinner...Try adding some more snake's skin, that usually thins it up good...yeah...yeah, that's good."
"What's going on here?" Hermione declared from behind them.
Harry straightened out surprised, banging his head on the edge of the mantel piece. He furiously rubbed the bump and looked over at Hermione.
"Harry was just helping me make some cologne for Hagrid...that's ok, right?" Ginny said, her eyes casting over with guilt.
Hermione scoffed and walked upstairs in a huff.
"I don't think she likes me talking to you..." Harry said as he picked up a ladle and started pouring the amber liquid into a large jug.
"Why not?" Ginny inquired, reaching out and holding the jug still for Harry to pour.
"Well...she actually thinks...I know this is ridiculous, but...she thinks you...you know...LIKE me again," Harry went on, raising his eyes to Ginny's.
She blushed but smiled," That's stupid. I mean...not that its stupid to like you, but...You know...Its stupid that she would worry so much."
Harry nodded and pushed a cork into the jug's mouth and handed it to Ginny. "I tried telling her that, but she's insufferable. Blew up at me after you left breakfast."
Ginny sighed and shook her head," Well, I can't say its not expected. Ever since I first met her, I've talked about nothing 'cept you. Its no wonder she thinks I still like you."
"Well...DO you?"
Ginny looked down and paused. A minute later she looked back up at him," Yes."
Harry felt a blush creeping up his neck, "But...you...you didn't stay JUST to catch me alone, did you?"
"Oh, GOD no. I really am terrified of those dragons Charlie tends to. I knew you were staying, so I figured I could just talk to you to keep me company. There wasn't any other motive. I swear."
Harry nodded and sighed, "Well...tell that to Hermione...I honestly don't know why she got so crazy."
"She likes you, Harry. ALOT. She just doesn't want to lose you is all...and If I were her, I wouldn't want to either," Ginny smiled.
//------------
"'Nother cup o' tea, Harry?"
Harry held up his cup and let Hagrid fill it to brimming once more. Hermione had been swaying from sitting protectively close to Harry and awkwardly moving away when Hagrid looked over at them. It was starting to get on Harry's nerves.
"So, did you see the Daily Prophet today?" Ginny asked, pulling the rolled up paper from her robes. She spread it open on the table and pointed to the front page.
Harry craned his neck so he could see it properly and his heart sunk.
"SECOND DISAPPEARANCE: MINISTRY BAFFLED" Hermione read aloud.
Harry looked up at Hagrid, who's face was etched with concern," I don't think this is gonna be the end of them..."
Hermione frowned and read on," Ministry officials were left bewildered at the sudden disappearance of ex-writer for the Daily Prophet, Rita Skeeter. Recently credited for the article she did involving Harry Potter and the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named published in The Quibbler, Skeeter had seemingly been enjoying her newfound fame. Monday morning though, her co workers discovered she was not at her cubicle. Three days later, her mother reported her missing. No leads have been made so far, but suspicions run high that her disappearance is You-Know-Who related. Its only a matter of time before the next headline writes "NEXT DISAPPEARANCE IN THE SERIES:HARRY POTTER NOWHERE TO BE SEEN'...."
Hermione looked up at a grief stricken Harry and pulled him into a hug," Oh, Harry...it wasn't your fault...Even IF Voldemort took her, she knew the risk..."
Harry gripped onto the back of Hermione's cloak, thinking it over. The first involved a man Harry had never seen before, BUT saw in his dreams. The second was a journalist who had interviewed him about Voldemort and named all the Death Eaters. The two didn't add up. They didn't seem to have any similarities . Soon, the trio got up and left Hagrid's, trudging their way to the Gryffindor tower.
"It just doesn't make any sense...I could see Rita...but that Cherrywood fellow. I don't know. It just doesn't fit. Why kidnap a man who works at the Ministry in Regulation and Control of Magical creatures? He didn't have anything to do with You-Know-Who," Ginny examined, talking out loud almost to herself.
"What do you remember from the dream, Harry?" Hermione asked, peering over at him as they entered the school.
"Nothing much...All I know is he was murdered..." He replied, staring at the edges of his robes.
"Do you remember his face? Maybe some expression? Some thoughts perhaps?" Hermione pressed on.
"Well...." Harry forced himself to recall the dream. It was a dark alleyway, no lights. There were houses, but none of them seemed to contain people. The man was on the ground by the time Harry's picture focused. A bright red light shot through the air and lit up the man's face. Harry gasped stopping abruptly.
"He didn't die!"
Ginny and Hermione wheeled around to look at him .
"What!?" Ginny shouted.
"He didn't DIE! He wasn't murdered!" Harry cried, reaching up to pull his hair out of his eyes and gripped it." I remember when I was a baby what the death curse looked like...it had a GREEN light. The light I saw aimed at Buckman was RED. It wasn't the death curse! It was the Imperious curse!"
The girls gawked at him in disbelief.
"Buckman's under Voldemort's control now...For whatever reason...It probably has something to do with his job...I..I also got the impression that...That Buckman had...I don't know...SEEN too much..." Harry went on.
The three looked at eachother in a wary way, not sure what Voldemort could possibly want with a Ministry official regulating magical creatures.
The week passed by in a jumble of research in the library of various creatures officials in the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures tend to come into contact with. Along with background information made on Rita's magical quill. They came up with nothing except extensive knowledge on every magical creature known by Monday the next week. With a heavy sigh, Harry lugged the last book Gilderoy Lockhart's Magical World of Magical Creatures back onto the pile they had created that day in the library. The old librarian, Madam Pince, had memorized Harry and Ginny's names by now, already knowing Hermione's.
"This is hopeless...There's NOTHING in any of these books about creatures who'd have any interest to You-Know-Who," Ginny announced, exasperated.
Hermione shot her an annoyed look," We just have to keep looking. We haven't checked all the books yet."
Harry sunk in his chair, he knew how touchy Hermione got when someone insulted the library as a source of all knowledge and answers.
"Well, you two can keep looking, I need some fresh air. See you at dinner," Ginny said before getting up and disappearing out of the library.
"Ugh, I thought she would never leave," Hermione grumbled, flipping through books once more.
Harry watched her for several minutes, noting how much her appearance had changed, but her attitude towards knowledge hadn't. Hermione glanced at him as she turned a page. Blushing, she looked at him full on.
"What?"
Harry shook his head smiling, "Nothing."
Hermione grinned and leaned forward, planting a soft kiss on his lips. Quickly, the kiss got out of hand and they were interrupted by Madam Pince shooing them from the library with a very disgusted look on her face. Hermione grabbed Harry's hand, whisked him down several corridors until they came upon a completely deserted one.
"Good, no one comes down this hall. We won't get disturbed," Hermione breathed before pinning Harry against the wall and pounced him with furious kisses.
Harry wrapped his arms around her, sliding his hand all over the bare small of her back. She felt even more soft than he last remembered.
"Uh, god Harry. I thought I would go crazy if I didn't kiss you soon," Hermione murmured onto his mouth, never pausing the intense kiss they were sharing. Her hands were rubbing all over him, exploring more confidently than she ever had before. Soon, her fingers crept beneath his sweater and shirt, and trickled along his stomach. He gasped, but when Hermione pulled away smiling to see his full reaction, she noticed his eyes not on her, but past her.
She whirled around and saw Professor McGonagal standing not too far down the hallway, her eyes staring out at them both behind the spectacles ,looking shocked and appalled.
"What are you-...Miss. GRANGER?! POTTER?! How...I...Come here at ONCE!" She yelped, her hands twisting in knots.
Harry and Hermione quickly smoothed down their clothing and hustled over to the fuming teacher.
"That was the most REVOLTING display of adolescent interaction I have EVER seen! You two know very well that kind of...of...behavior is frowned upon at this school. Five points will be taken from Gryffindor for your serious lack of decency." McGonagal spat, boiling with anger." You are VERY lucky indeed that it is break and no one saw that HORRID exhibition."
Harry and Hermione followed McGonagal as she lead the way down to the Great Hall. They ate their dinner rather quietly, as Ginny and Neville Longbottom jubilantly chattered away with the prospect of Christmas the next day.
"Why are you two so down?" Neville asked through a mouthful of pudding.
"We just lost Gryffindor five points," Harry replied glumly.
"What for?" Ginny wondered, eyebrows raised.
"Umm..." Harry started, feeling a sudden blush creep into his face.
Ginny burst out into giggles as Neville looked thoroughly confused.
"What? I don't get it," He said frowning.
"Nothing, Neville," Hermione put in, looking rather flustered.
Harry glanced down the table, eyeing the teachers . McGonagal caught his eye briefly, and gave him what he could've sworn was a smile. The night passed rather uneventful. Hermione apologized several times for treating Ginny so horribly, and Neville continued to ask what he had missed. Soon, the students were trickling back to their dormitories. Hermione stood up and looked at Harry," Coming?"
Harry shot a glance at McGonagal, who was emerged in a conversation with Hagrid and Professor Flitwick, "Um, no...Not yet...I better hang back just incase."
Hermione nodded and followed Ginny ,Neville and two other remaining Gryffindors back to the common room.
Harry sighed and nibbled on a piece of tart, letting twenty minutes pass until he stood up and left. Deciding he wanted a walk before returning to the dormitories, Harry steered off course and walked down different flights of stairs, ending in a dark corridor he had never been in. Deciding against continuing, he started to turn when he heard a muffled noise coming from down the hall. Slowly, he tip-toed his way further down, ducking behind a large stone pillar. Carefully, he peered around it and saw the figure of a boy sitting on the floor, leaning back against the wall. His knees were brought up to his chest and the boy's face was buried in his robes. With a flip of the heart, Harry watched as some of the robes shifted when the boy moved and an eyeful of white-blonde hair came into view.
"Dirty rotten....Bloody bastard...," Malfoy croaked between sobs. Squinting his eyes, Harry could see a crumpled piece of parchment clutched in Malfoy's fists." Feckin' git....Him and ALL his friends...BASTARD!"
Harry flinched slightly at the screech, so unlike Malfoy's usual cool sneer. Knowing he should just walk away and forget what he saw, Harry made to turn but his body refused to comply.
He's a rotten brat! Don't stay for him! He'd never do that for YOU, you know?
Yeah, but...I'm not him. I'm me...I'm better than that...
He'll tell you off, you know that right?
I don't care...He's hurting, its obvious. I got to atleast TRY and help...
Its your head, mate
With a deep breath, Harry stepped out from behind his cover and mumbled softly, "M-Malfoy?"
Draco popped his head up sharply, darting his eyes around in the darkness ,"Who's there? Who is that?"
Harry walked forward into the light of one of the few torches lighting the long hall. Malfoy quickly wiped his face dry with his sleeve and forced an outraged look on his face." Were you spying on me, POTTER!? How DARE you! You mention this to ANYONE and I'll have your-"
Malfoy stopped short at the sincere look of sympathy etched on Harry's face. It took him off guard," Don't act like you CARE...Cause I know you don't...Saint Pothead."
Harry walked closer to him, seeing more and more clearly the signs of hours of crying on Draco's pale face.
"Get away from me, Potter! I mean it! Its because of YOU this whole thing isn't over with!" Malfoy shrieked.
"What isn't over?" Harry asked, frowning.
Malfoy thrust his fist forward, showing the parchment held there," You know what this is, Potter!? Its a letter from my father saying my mother was killed...KILLED, Potter..."
Harry blinked, Malfoy's eyes were swelling with fresh tears.
"And not just some freak accident like he says. I KNOW it was because of those gits he's apart of...You know EXACTLY who I'm talking about, too. And if it wasn't for your bloody lack of skill, Voldemort could be dead now and my Mum could be alive."
Harry stared at him dumbfounded," But Malfoy...I DID try...I had NOTHING to do with your Mum's death. It was-"
"SHUT UP! YOU COULD'VE KILLED HIM! YOU COULD'VE STOPPED HIM BEFORE HE CAME AFTER MY MOTHER! YOU COULD'VE KILLED THAT BASTARD AND MY DAD...MY MUM WOULD'VE BEEN FINE! ITS ALL YOUR FAULT!ITS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Malfoy screamed, his shrill voice echoing off the empty stone walls.
Before Harry knew it, Malfoy had lunged at him and was furiously flaying his fists at him. Harry managed to grip Malfoy's wrists tightly before he landed a decent punch, and watched him struggle pitifully as tears streamed down his agonizing face.
"You...You could've killed him...Why didn't you kill him..." Malfoy sobbed hysterically as he jerked his wrists weakly.
Harry felt his heart break in spite of himself." I...I'm sorry Draco...I..I wish I did..."
Malfoy collapsed onto the ground in a fit of painful weeping. Harry bent down and, against his better judgment, hugged Draco. Much to Harry's surprise, Draco clung to his sweater and cried onto his arm. He sobbed well beyond an hour, Harry muttering words of condolence. He didn't know exactly how it felt to lose a mother you were close to, his died well before his memory. But he knew pretty close to how it would feel, crying more than once over it.
"It's going to be alright, Draco...I promise...I'll...I'll kill him if its the last thing I do..."
Malfoy looked up and peered at Harry in a way that made Harry feel as if a completely different person were looking out from Draco's eyes," Swear?"
Harry nodded and helped Draco to his feet. Slowly, Harry lead the way to the Slytherin dormitories, letting Draco lean against him for support of his wobbly legs." Anybody staying here as well?" he asked once they arrived at the entrance.
Draco shook his head, staring at the long stretch of stone wall." Just me...Oh, well, there's this one girl...Annoying prat, she is."
Harry nodded," Well...Try to get some sleep. Christmas is tomorrow ,there's something to look forward to."
Draco looked over at him, a glint of his old self briefly flashing in his gray eyes," Why are you being so nice, Potter?"
"Because...I..I know how it feels to lose a mother. Course, I don't remember mine, but, all the same...I know what its like to lose her to him."
Draco sighed heavily, looking back down," My father hated how much I loved her...Probably why she was killed, I suppose."
"There's no excuse to why she was killed, Draco." Harry replied firmly.
Draco caught his eyes once more, a tiny hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips," You know. you've never called me by my first name. My mother dies and suddenly we're on a first name basis?"
Harry instinctively felt a surge of anger, opening his mouth to retort when he saw a genuine smile coming from Draco's pallid face.
"I was just playing...H-Harry..." Draco replied, forcing out Harry's name, as if testing out the taste of it on his tongue.
"You know...If-If you get too lonely in there and need someone to talk to or...you know...just someone, you can come to the Gryffindor tower."
Draco's eyes widened in surprise, almost hope," Really? I mean...Um, really? The Gryffindors wouldn't mind too much."
Harry smiled a little, imagining the outraged looks on Ginny, Neville and Hermione.
"C-can I come...now?" Draco asked softly.
Harry was completely taken aback by Draco's new behavior, wondering if it was all just a ploy to get into Harry's good graces, then betray him. Its not something he would put past Malfoy...but still...What were the chances that Harry would wander downward and stumble upon Draco in the Slytherin dungeons?
"I...well...I suppose..."
"Really?" Draco exclaimed ,his face lighting up oddly.
Harry jumped at his outburst and before he knew what he was doing, he was leading the way back up the castle towards the Gryffindor tower. Soon, they entered through the portrait hole, catching a suspicious glare from the Fat Lady. Draco wandered over to the lit fire and held his hands up to it, eyeing the room over.
"Charming...in a cheap, small sort of way," Draco commented.
Harry shook his head and pulled two of the big arm chairs over to the fire. Plopping down, Harry pulled out a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean and tossed it at Draco.
Malfoy opened it and began to hungrily devour the beans, only slightly grimacing as he came upon the inevitable horrid flavored ones.
"I guess you skipped dinner, huh?" Harry asked, watching Malfoy consume two more boxes, a couple chocolate frogs and a tart Harry had saved from dinner.
Draco nodded as he eagerly downed the last chocolate frog and started on the tart," Got the letter this afternoon...been crying since..."
Harry nodded and leaned back in the armchair. It was well past midnight when they finally dozed off after a night of talking and eating.
//------------
Harry woke with a start and rubbed his throbbing forehead, right above his scar. He had dreamed again of Buckman Cherrywood, as he was closing in on something of great value. Harry's scar burned with a sense of happiness from he only guessed was Voldemort. Shaking off the feeling of great joy coming from The Dark Lord, Harry looked out the window and saw the beginnings of dawn.
He watched as the sky peacefully transformed from a purplish-pink to a dull gray. Harry was enjoying the subtle signs of an oncoming snow-storm when yells of "ITS CHRISTMAS!" rang through the dormitory.
Harry looked up at the stairs to the boys' dorms as a pair of stampeding feet came tearing down it.
Ron and Neville stood at the base of the stairs looking very worried, but upon seeing Harry perfectly fine, sitting in a chair by the dead fire, they breathed a sigh of relief.
"We was wondering where you went, Harry. Hermione pitched a fit when you didn't show up last night. We all thought you-" Ron exclaimed, just barely noticing Draco still fast asleep on the chair across Harry.
"WHATS HE DOING HERE!?" Ron shouted, waking Draco with a jolt.
"I brought him here," Harry explained as Ginny, Hermione and the other two Gryffindor girls came running down the staircase." Course, I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing back so soon?"
Ron had the grace to look atleast a little sheepish, " Caused a scene by the Welsh Green paddocks and Mum said it'd be best if I came back..." He muttered.
The Gryffindors all stared in horror at Draco, who was looking rather out of place with his black robes in the sea of golds and scarlets.
As the girls gathered uncertainly around them, Ron's initial demeanor seemed to fire back up
"BROUGHT him here? Are you SURE? You positive he didn't put a spell on you or something to MAKE you bring him here?" Ron continued, not bothering to lower his voice.
Harry sprung to his feet, "Oh would you SHUT UP, Ron! His bloody mother died and I didn't want him being alone after something like that! And if you don't like it, you can blow it up the a-"
"WHOA WHOA! Ok,enough of that," Ginny interrupted, jumping in-between the two furious boys."Look, Ron...What Harry says makes sense, ok? Granted, NONE of us are as forgiving as he is apparently, but if Harry believes Malfoy won't be a threat, we can trust him..."
Ron glared at Harry, his flaming red hair making him look even more angry. And although Ron was a good four or five inches taller than him, Harry never backed down. It was too late to falter faith in Draco.
"Fine," Ron muttered, sinking into a chair peeling his eyes off Harry and plastered them on Malfoy.
Harry gave Draco an encouraging look and nodded down to the pile of presents at his feet.
They all brought down their presents to open in the common room. Harry munched on the plateful of treacle fudge Hagrid gave him and set aside another one of Mrs.Weasley's emerald sweaters.
"Oh my god, Harry! Its BEAUTIFUL!" Hermione exclaimed as she unwrapped a gold bracelet with her name engraved on it. She leapt at him and showered his face with kisses.
Harry could hear all the 'ooooooh's' coming from around them, but he didn't seem to mind as much. Hermione settled herself on Harry's lap for the remainder of the gift-unwrapping as the others finished their piles. Draco seemed to have the biggest pile of all, somehow pleased to let them gawk at his new possessions.
"I guess being rich pays off," Neville commented as he nibbled on his Gran's peanut clusters.
"Just during Christmas...Half this junk I never pick up after today anyways," Draco remarked, looking round at his stack of pricey gifts.
Harry reached over and plucked a gray book called A Collection of Seekers' Greatest Seeks. He scanned through it, discovering it contained dozens upon dozens of Seeker's tales of their fabulous catches and a guide book at the end to numerous Seeker techniques.
"Nice, isn't it?" Draco asked, watching Harry hungrily devour each page of advice.
Harry nodded and gloomily handed the book back to Draco.
"Nah,keep it...Got two more at home. My uncle keeps forgetting I have them."
Harry pulled the book back to his chest, staring amazedly at Draco,"Wow...t-thank you..."
Draco smiled, getting a rather soft arose of gasps from around the room," Don't get used to it. Just thought it'd be more than fair to let you have the same techniques I have. Want our next match to be equal when I cream you."
Harry couldn't help but grin,"Oh come off it,Draco. You quiver at the sight of my extreme skill."
The two of them laughed, getting another round of confused looks from the others.
Soon enough, they were all headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast, Harry and Draco chattering away about Quidditch.
"Bit odd how alike they are, isn't it" Neville whispered as they settled into the Gryffindor table.
"Don't remind me...its just plain CREEPY," Ginny added on, watching Draco explain a particularly difficult trick he did on his broom once to Harry.
Hermione looked them over, not comfortable yet with how friendly Harry was being to their arch enemy of six years. Maybe it WAS a spell.
"No, but you see, the Firebolt has greater accuracy when it comes to turns and such, whereas the Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones, don't." Harry went on to Draco.
The two consumed themselves in this conversation, completely unaware of the baffled looks they were getting from everyone in the room. Even the teachers were surprised to see Draco laughing at something Harry said and not pummeling eachother.
"Very strange, indeed," Hermione mumbled to Ron.
They made their rounds, giving and receiving more gifts before they visited Hagrid last in the late afternoon. Hagrid was about as surprised as the others at the sight of Draco walking in behind Harry, if not more. If it hadn't been for Harry being infront, they all suspect Hagrid would've knocked Draco right out into the yard.
"So,er...what are ya doin' with this here lot?" Hagrid asked gruffly, setting a teacup for Draco down infront of him.
"Well...um.." Draco stammered.
"He's had a rough loss, so we're helping him out," Harry replied for him.
Draco looked at him gratefully, glad Harry didn't tell Hagrid the gruesome truth.
This seemed to satisfy Hagrid for now, pouring tea into Draco's cup.
They all gave Hagrid a gift and when it came clearly obvious Draco was the only one who didn't hand one over, he hastily thrust his hands into his pockets and produced several coins and a gold pocket watch.
"Um, here, " he muttered, forcing the pocket watch into Hagrid's large hand.
They all rose their eyebrows in surprise. Even Hagrid stumbled on his words.
"Um,er..t-thank ya." Hagrid mumbled, staring at the glistening watch.
"Um,no problem...I could probably buy a million more what with all the money I-" He started, then noticed the start of disgusted looks on them all and stopped." I can just buy another one...I don't like pocket watches much anyways..."
They enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Hagrid's, laughing, talking and reminiscing of past Christmas'. Draco seemed to only talk to Harry, nodding and answering one worded replies to the others. Much later, they trudged out of the cabin and walked with Hagrid for the Christmas feast.
Draco grabbed Harry's elbow before he entered and looked him straight in the eye, "I..I want to thank you, Harry...None...None of my other friends would've done what you did for me last night...And what with our past, I hardly expected you to show anything expect triumph when you saw me ..you know...last night...So...Yeah...Thank you..."
Harry smiled and patted him heartily on the back," Don't lose that gratefulness soon as classes start again or I'll knock your teeth out."
They play fighted and walked into the Great Hall, Draco becoming one more of the many people finding themselves realizing the genuine man that was Harry Potter.
"Hey, so, did you see Ron off?" She asked, piling her plate full of cheese omelette.
"Yeah...He seemed pretty excited about going with his Mum and Dad to visit Charlie in Romania." Harry replied, plucking a piece of toast from the pile and nibbled on it.
"How come Ginny didn't go with?"
"Oh...she wanted to stay for some reason...Doesn't like the idea of dragons I suppose," Harry answered, strawberry-jamming up his toast.
"I wouldn't either. Dreadful, beastly things," Hermione commented, no doubt remembering their encounter with a dragon called Norbert.
Harry smiled and shrugged," As long as they're far away and you don't have to try and steal a golden egg from one, they're all right in my book."
Hermione grinned and continued to eat her eggs as Ginny slid onto the bench across from them.
"Hullo," Harry greeted, taking a few pieces of bacon.
"Hello Harry...Hermione...I didn't know you two were staying too. Wow, that's gonna make this stay a LOT easier," Ginny replied, plopping a ham steak onto her plate and scooping eggs next to it.
"How come you didn't go, anyways?" Harry asked ,munching on the crisp bacon.
"Oh, those dragons scare me to death. Last time one of them was getting all bothered cause Fred was teasing it with a stick. It blew out fire and singed the ends of my hair. Mum gave him SUCH a hollering, but it still didn't get my burned hair back," Ginny explained, shoveling food into her mouth.
Harry rose an eyebrow. Both Ginny and Hermione seemed to be eating much more than they normally do, and at an alarming rate. He shrugged this off." So, got any plans for today?"
"Mmm mmm. Was just gonna sit up in the common room and collect dust."
Harry laughed but caught a cold look from Hermione. What was wrong with her? " Uhh...well, we were gonna go visit Hagrid. Want to come?"
Ginny nodded eagerly," Oh god, THANK you! I desperately didn't want to stay in here alone...Well, I better get going. I want to make Hagrid something for Christmas then. Bye! "
And she scurried off, grabbing some toast before she went.
"WHY did you invite her along?" Hermione exclaimed just as Ginny disappeared out the doors.
Harry looked at her bewildered, "Well...because. I didn't think she'd like to hang around alone all day. Thought it'd be nice."
"NICE?" Hermione squealed.
"Honestly, Hermione. What's gotten into you?" Harry almost shouted, confused beyond reason." Its only a visit to Hagrid after all. Its not like its some private affair."
Hermione narrowed her eyes, furthering Harry's confusion," If you think I'm not onto her little game, you've got another thing coming Harry. I KNOW why she decided to stay and its not because of some stuffy old dragons."
Harry could feel his anger building at the injustice Hermione was dishing out," Enlighten me, then. WHY did Ginny Weasley decide to stay?"
"BECAUSE, Harry. She KNOWS you always stay during Christmas break. She wanted a chance to be alone with you. And since she thought I was going with my Mum and Dad to France again, she knew you were going to be on your own for once."
Harry looked at her incredulously," Hermione...that's ...just...RIDICULOUS! Ginny's OVER that, Ron told me so. YOU told me so. She said she's staying because of dragons, then she's staying because of dragons. Simple as that...SO, if you don't have anymore accusations of jealousy to throw out, I'M going to get Hagrid's present ready."
Then Harry pushed himself from the table and stormed out, now noticing all the curious eyes following his exit.
"Ginny wanting me alone...GAH! ABSURD!" Harry grumbled hotly to himself as he climbed the stairs to the Gryffindor common room.
He reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and shouted "Vive Noel" at her. She huffed and commented on his rudeness as the frame swung open and Harry climbed through.
Immediately he saw Ginny standing over her cauldron in the fireplace as smoke eminated from it. She shrieked as purple flames burst from the belly of the pot.
Harry hurried forward and grabbed her, spinning them around so she was shielded by his body as the cauldron spewed purple and pink flames, dousing the entire common room in clouds of peach.
They coughed heavily as Harry edged them towards one of the windows. He pushed it open grabbing a book that was left on the table and started to waft some of the smoke out.
"Good lord, Ginny...what were you trying to do?" Harry sputtered, choking on the thick smoke slowly trailing out the window into the snowy sky.
"I..I was just trying to make some cologne for Hagrid. I know how to make perfume, by accident really...I had been trying to make a sleeping draught in Potions last year and I somehow turned it into this flowery perfume instead. I just thought I could do the same thing but added fly's wings instead of butterfly wings." Ginny explained, helping Harry waft the smoke out.
"Well, Ginny...why didn't you just look it up?" Harry asked setting the book down, and started opening up the rest of the windows.
Ginny blushed furiously, looking somewhere between embarrassed and foolish. "I...I didn't think of that..."
Harry smiled and walked over to her cauldron. The smell eminating it wasn't anything near cologne. The putrid stench was something like rotten eggs and cow manure. Harry gagged and pulled out his wand , quickly mumbling Scourgify. The contents of the cauldron disappeared instantly and ,thankfully, the smell left with it.
"Why don't we go look it up, alright?"
Ginny beamed nodding quickly and followed Harry to the library.
An hour later, Hermione walked into the common room to see Harry hunched over Ginny, both peering into the fireplace.
"No...its got to be thinner...Try adding some more snake's skin, that usually thins it up good...yeah...yeah, that's good."
"What's going on here?" Hermione declared from behind them.
Harry straightened out surprised, banging his head on the edge of the mantel piece. He furiously rubbed the bump and looked over at Hermione.
"Harry was just helping me make some cologne for Hagrid...that's ok, right?" Ginny said, her eyes casting over with guilt.
Hermione scoffed and walked upstairs in a huff.
"I don't think she likes me talking to you..." Harry said as he picked up a ladle and started pouring the amber liquid into a large jug.
"Why not?" Ginny inquired, reaching out and holding the jug still for Harry to pour.
"Well...she actually thinks...I know this is ridiculous, but...she thinks you...you know...LIKE me again," Harry went on, raising his eyes to Ginny's.
She blushed but smiled," That's stupid. I mean...not that its stupid to like you, but...You know...Its stupid that she would worry so much."
Harry nodded and pushed a cork into the jug's mouth and handed it to Ginny. "I tried telling her that, but she's insufferable. Blew up at me after you left breakfast."
Ginny sighed and shook her head," Well, I can't say its not expected. Ever since I first met her, I've talked about nothing 'cept you. Its no wonder she thinks I still like you."
"Well...DO you?"
Ginny looked down and paused. A minute later she looked back up at him," Yes."
Harry felt a blush creeping up his neck, "But...you...you didn't stay JUST to catch me alone, did you?"
"Oh, GOD no. I really am terrified of those dragons Charlie tends to. I knew you were staying, so I figured I could just talk to you to keep me company. There wasn't any other motive. I swear."
Harry nodded and sighed, "Well...tell that to Hermione...I honestly don't know why she got so crazy."
"She likes you, Harry. ALOT. She just doesn't want to lose you is all...and If I were her, I wouldn't want to either," Ginny smiled.
//------------
"'Nother cup o' tea, Harry?"
Harry held up his cup and let Hagrid fill it to brimming once more. Hermione had been swaying from sitting protectively close to Harry and awkwardly moving away when Hagrid looked over at them. It was starting to get on Harry's nerves.
"So, did you see the Daily Prophet today?" Ginny asked, pulling the rolled up paper from her robes. She spread it open on the table and pointed to the front page.
Harry craned his neck so he could see it properly and his heart sunk.
"SECOND DISAPPEARANCE: MINISTRY BAFFLED" Hermione read aloud.
Harry looked up at Hagrid, who's face was etched with concern," I don't think this is gonna be the end of them..."
Hermione frowned and read on," Ministry officials were left bewildered at the sudden disappearance of ex-writer for the Daily Prophet, Rita Skeeter. Recently credited for the article she did involving Harry Potter and the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named published in The Quibbler, Skeeter had seemingly been enjoying her newfound fame. Monday morning though, her co workers discovered she was not at her cubicle. Three days later, her mother reported her missing. No leads have been made so far, but suspicions run high that her disappearance is You-Know-Who related. Its only a matter of time before the next headline writes "NEXT DISAPPEARANCE IN THE SERIES:HARRY POTTER NOWHERE TO BE SEEN'...."
Hermione looked up at a grief stricken Harry and pulled him into a hug," Oh, Harry...it wasn't your fault...Even IF Voldemort took her, she knew the risk..."
Harry gripped onto the back of Hermione's cloak, thinking it over. The first involved a man Harry had never seen before, BUT saw in his dreams. The second was a journalist who had interviewed him about Voldemort and named all the Death Eaters. The two didn't add up. They didn't seem to have any similarities . Soon, the trio got up and left Hagrid's, trudging their way to the Gryffindor tower.
"It just doesn't make any sense...I could see Rita...but that Cherrywood fellow. I don't know. It just doesn't fit. Why kidnap a man who works at the Ministry in Regulation and Control of Magical creatures? He didn't have anything to do with You-Know-Who," Ginny examined, talking out loud almost to herself.
"What do you remember from the dream, Harry?" Hermione asked, peering over at him as they entered the school.
"Nothing much...All I know is he was murdered..." He replied, staring at the edges of his robes.
"Do you remember his face? Maybe some expression? Some thoughts perhaps?" Hermione pressed on.
"Well...." Harry forced himself to recall the dream. It was a dark alleyway, no lights. There were houses, but none of them seemed to contain people. The man was on the ground by the time Harry's picture focused. A bright red light shot through the air and lit up the man's face. Harry gasped stopping abruptly.
"He didn't die!"
Ginny and Hermione wheeled around to look at him .
"What!?" Ginny shouted.
"He didn't DIE! He wasn't murdered!" Harry cried, reaching up to pull his hair out of his eyes and gripped it." I remember when I was a baby what the death curse looked like...it had a GREEN light. The light I saw aimed at Buckman was RED. It wasn't the death curse! It was the Imperious curse!"
The girls gawked at him in disbelief.
"Buckman's under Voldemort's control now...For whatever reason...It probably has something to do with his job...I..I also got the impression that...That Buckman had...I don't know...SEEN too much..." Harry went on.
The three looked at eachother in a wary way, not sure what Voldemort could possibly want with a Ministry official regulating magical creatures.
The week passed by in a jumble of research in the library of various creatures officials in the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures tend to come into contact with. Along with background information made on Rita's magical quill. They came up with nothing except extensive knowledge on every magical creature known by Monday the next week. With a heavy sigh, Harry lugged the last book Gilderoy Lockhart's Magical World of Magical Creatures back onto the pile they had created that day in the library. The old librarian, Madam Pince, had memorized Harry and Ginny's names by now, already knowing Hermione's.
"This is hopeless...There's NOTHING in any of these books about creatures who'd have any interest to You-Know-Who," Ginny announced, exasperated.
Hermione shot her an annoyed look," We just have to keep looking. We haven't checked all the books yet."
Harry sunk in his chair, he knew how touchy Hermione got when someone insulted the library as a source of all knowledge and answers.
"Well, you two can keep looking, I need some fresh air. See you at dinner," Ginny said before getting up and disappearing out of the library.
"Ugh, I thought she would never leave," Hermione grumbled, flipping through books once more.
Harry watched her for several minutes, noting how much her appearance had changed, but her attitude towards knowledge hadn't. Hermione glanced at him as she turned a page. Blushing, she looked at him full on.
"What?"
Harry shook his head smiling, "Nothing."
Hermione grinned and leaned forward, planting a soft kiss on his lips. Quickly, the kiss got out of hand and they were interrupted by Madam Pince shooing them from the library with a very disgusted look on her face. Hermione grabbed Harry's hand, whisked him down several corridors until they came upon a completely deserted one.
"Good, no one comes down this hall. We won't get disturbed," Hermione breathed before pinning Harry against the wall and pounced him with furious kisses.
Harry wrapped his arms around her, sliding his hand all over the bare small of her back. She felt even more soft than he last remembered.
"Uh, god Harry. I thought I would go crazy if I didn't kiss you soon," Hermione murmured onto his mouth, never pausing the intense kiss they were sharing. Her hands were rubbing all over him, exploring more confidently than she ever had before. Soon, her fingers crept beneath his sweater and shirt, and trickled along his stomach. He gasped, but when Hermione pulled away smiling to see his full reaction, she noticed his eyes not on her, but past her.
She whirled around and saw Professor McGonagal standing not too far down the hallway, her eyes staring out at them both behind the spectacles ,looking shocked and appalled.
"What are you-...Miss. GRANGER?! POTTER?! How...I...Come here at ONCE!" She yelped, her hands twisting in knots.
Harry and Hermione quickly smoothed down their clothing and hustled over to the fuming teacher.
"That was the most REVOLTING display of adolescent interaction I have EVER seen! You two know very well that kind of...of...behavior is frowned upon at this school. Five points will be taken from Gryffindor for your serious lack of decency." McGonagal spat, boiling with anger." You are VERY lucky indeed that it is break and no one saw that HORRID exhibition."
Harry and Hermione followed McGonagal as she lead the way down to the Great Hall. They ate their dinner rather quietly, as Ginny and Neville Longbottom jubilantly chattered away with the prospect of Christmas the next day.
"Why are you two so down?" Neville asked through a mouthful of pudding.
"We just lost Gryffindor five points," Harry replied glumly.
"What for?" Ginny wondered, eyebrows raised.
"Umm..." Harry started, feeling a sudden blush creep into his face.
Ginny burst out into giggles as Neville looked thoroughly confused.
"What? I don't get it," He said frowning.
"Nothing, Neville," Hermione put in, looking rather flustered.
Harry glanced down the table, eyeing the teachers . McGonagal caught his eye briefly, and gave him what he could've sworn was a smile. The night passed rather uneventful. Hermione apologized several times for treating Ginny so horribly, and Neville continued to ask what he had missed. Soon, the students were trickling back to their dormitories. Hermione stood up and looked at Harry," Coming?"
Harry shot a glance at McGonagal, who was emerged in a conversation with Hagrid and Professor Flitwick, "Um, no...Not yet...I better hang back just incase."
Hermione nodded and followed Ginny ,Neville and two other remaining Gryffindors back to the common room.
Harry sighed and nibbled on a piece of tart, letting twenty minutes pass until he stood up and left. Deciding he wanted a walk before returning to the dormitories, Harry steered off course and walked down different flights of stairs, ending in a dark corridor he had never been in. Deciding against continuing, he started to turn when he heard a muffled noise coming from down the hall. Slowly, he tip-toed his way further down, ducking behind a large stone pillar. Carefully, he peered around it and saw the figure of a boy sitting on the floor, leaning back against the wall. His knees were brought up to his chest and the boy's face was buried in his robes. With a flip of the heart, Harry watched as some of the robes shifted when the boy moved and an eyeful of white-blonde hair came into view.
"Dirty rotten....Bloody bastard...," Malfoy croaked between sobs. Squinting his eyes, Harry could see a crumpled piece of parchment clutched in Malfoy's fists." Feckin' git....Him and ALL his friends...BASTARD!"
Harry flinched slightly at the screech, so unlike Malfoy's usual cool sneer. Knowing he should just walk away and forget what he saw, Harry made to turn but his body refused to comply.
He's a rotten brat! Don't stay for him! He'd never do that for YOU, you know?
Yeah, but...I'm not him. I'm me...I'm better than that...
He'll tell you off, you know that right?
I don't care...He's hurting, its obvious. I got to atleast TRY and help...
Its your head, mate
With a deep breath, Harry stepped out from behind his cover and mumbled softly, "M-Malfoy?"
Draco popped his head up sharply, darting his eyes around in the darkness ,"Who's there? Who is that?"
Harry walked forward into the light of one of the few torches lighting the long hall. Malfoy quickly wiped his face dry with his sleeve and forced an outraged look on his face." Were you spying on me, POTTER!? How DARE you! You mention this to ANYONE and I'll have your-"
Malfoy stopped short at the sincere look of sympathy etched on Harry's face. It took him off guard," Don't act like you CARE...Cause I know you don't...Saint Pothead."
Harry walked closer to him, seeing more and more clearly the signs of hours of crying on Draco's pale face.
"Get away from me, Potter! I mean it! Its because of YOU this whole thing isn't over with!" Malfoy shrieked.
"What isn't over?" Harry asked, frowning.
Malfoy thrust his fist forward, showing the parchment held there," You know what this is, Potter!? Its a letter from my father saying my mother was killed...KILLED, Potter..."
Harry blinked, Malfoy's eyes were swelling with fresh tears.
"And not just some freak accident like he says. I KNOW it was because of those gits he's apart of...You know EXACTLY who I'm talking about, too. And if it wasn't for your bloody lack of skill, Voldemort could be dead now and my Mum could be alive."
Harry stared at him dumbfounded," But Malfoy...I DID try...I had NOTHING to do with your Mum's death. It was-"
"SHUT UP! YOU COULD'VE KILLED HIM! YOU COULD'VE STOPPED HIM BEFORE HE CAME AFTER MY MOTHER! YOU COULD'VE KILLED THAT BASTARD AND MY DAD...MY MUM WOULD'VE BEEN FINE! ITS ALL YOUR FAULT!ITS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Malfoy screamed, his shrill voice echoing off the empty stone walls.
Before Harry knew it, Malfoy had lunged at him and was furiously flaying his fists at him. Harry managed to grip Malfoy's wrists tightly before he landed a decent punch, and watched him struggle pitifully as tears streamed down his agonizing face.
"You...You could've killed him...Why didn't you kill him..." Malfoy sobbed hysterically as he jerked his wrists weakly.
Harry felt his heart break in spite of himself." I...I'm sorry Draco...I..I wish I did..."
Malfoy collapsed onto the ground in a fit of painful weeping. Harry bent down and, against his better judgment, hugged Draco. Much to Harry's surprise, Draco clung to his sweater and cried onto his arm. He sobbed well beyond an hour, Harry muttering words of condolence. He didn't know exactly how it felt to lose a mother you were close to, his died well before his memory. But he knew pretty close to how it would feel, crying more than once over it.
"It's going to be alright, Draco...I promise...I'll...I'll kill him if its the last thing I do..."
Malfoy looked up and peered at Harry in a way that made Harry feel as if a completely different person were looking out from Draco's eyes," Swear?"
Harry nodded and helped Draco to his feet. Slowly, Harry lead the way to the Slytherin dormitories, letting Draco lean against him for support of his wobbly legs." Anybody staying here as well?" he asked once they arrived at the entrance.
Draco shook his head, staring at the long stretch of stone wall." Just me...Oh, well, there's this one girl...Annoying prat, she is."
Harry nodded," Well...Try to get some sleep. Christmas is tomorrow ,there's something to look forward to."
Draco looked over at him, a glint of his old self briefly flashing in his gray eyes," Why are you being so nice, Potter?"
"Because...I..I know how it feels to lose a mother. Course, I don't remember mine, but, all the same...I know what its like to lose her to him."
Draco sighed heavily, looking back down," My father hated how much I loved her...Probably why she was killed, I suppose."
"There's no excuse to why she was killed, Draco." Harry replied firmly.
Draco caught his eyes once more, a tiny hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips," You know. you've never called me by my first name. My mother dies and suddenly we're on a first name basis?"
Harry instinctively felt a surge of anger, opening his mouth to retort when he saw a genuine smile coming from Draco's pallid face.
"I was just playing...H-Harry..." Draco replied, forcing out Harry's name, as if testing out the taste of it on his tongue.
"You know...If-If you get too lonely in there and need someone to talk to or...you know...just someone, you can come to the Gryffindor tower."
Draco's eyes widened in surprise, almost hope," Really? I mean...Um, really? The Gryffindors wouldn't mind too much."
Harry smiled a little, imagining the outraged looks on Ginny, Neville and Hermione.
"C-can I come...now?" Draco asked softly.
Harry was completely taken aback by Draco's new behavior, wondering if it was all just a ploy to get into Harry's good graces, then betray him. Its not something he would put past Malfoy...but still...What were the chances that Harry would wander downward and stumble upon Draco in the Slytherin dungeons?
"I...well...I suppose..."
"Really?" Draco exclaimed ,his face lighting up oddly.
Harry jumped at his outburst and before he knew what he was doing, he was leading the way back up the castle towards the Gryffindor tower. Soon, they entered through the portrait hole, catching a suspicious glare from the Fat Lady. Draco wandered over to the lit fire and held his hands up to it, eyeing the room over.
"Charming...in a cheap, small sort of way," Draco commented.
Harry shook his head and pulled two of the big arm chairs over to the fire. Plopping down, Harry pulled out a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean and tossed it at Draco.
Malfoy opened it and began to hungrily devour the beans, only slightly grimacing as he came upon the inevitable horrid flavored ones.
"I guess you skipped dinner, huh?" Harry asked, watching Malfoy consume two more boxes, a couple chocolate frogs and a tart Harry had saved from dinner.
Draco nodded as he eagerly downed the last chocolate frog and started on the tart," Got the letter this afternoon...been crying since..."
Harry nodded and leaned back in the armchair. It was well past midnight when they finally dozed off after a night of talking and eating.
//------------
Harry woke with a start and rubbed his throbbing forehead, right above his scar. He had dreamed again of Buckman Cherrywood, as he was closing in on something of great value. Harry's scar burned with a sense of happiness from he only guessed was Voldemort. Shaking off the feeling of great joy coming from The Dark Lord, Harry looked out the window and saw the beginnings of dawn.
He watched as the sky peacefully transformed from a purplish-pink to a dull gray. Harry was enjoying the subtle signs of an oncoming snow-storm when yells of "ITS CHRISTMAS!" rang through the dormitory.
Harry looked up at the stairs to the boys' dorms as a pair of stampeding feet came tearing down it.
Ron and Neville stood at the base of the stairs looking very worried, but upon seeing Harry perfectly fine, sitting in a chair by the dead fire, they breathed a sigh of relief.
"We was wondering where you went, Harry. Hermione pitched a fit when you didn't show up last night. We all thought you-" Ron exclaimed, just barely noticing Draco still fast asleep on the chair across Harry.
"WHATS HE DOING HERE!?" Ron shouted, waking Draco with a jolt.
"I brought him here," Harry explained as Ginny, Hermione and the other two Gryffindor girls came running down the staircase." Course, I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing back so soon?"
Ron had the grace to look atleast a little sheepish, " Caused a scene by the Welsh Green paddocks and Mum said it'd be best if I came back..." He muttered.
The Gryffindors all stared in horror at Draco, who was looking rather out of place with his black robes in the sea of golds and scarlets.
As the girls gathered uncertainly around them, Ron's initial demeanor seemed to fire back up
"BROUGHT him here? Are you SURE? You positive he didn't put a spell on you or something to MAKE you bring him here?" Ron continued, not bothering to lower his voice.
Harry sprung to his feet, "Oh would you SHUT UP, Ron! His bloody mother died and I didn't want him being alone after something like that! And if you don't like it, you can blow it up the a-"
"WHOA WHOA! Ok,enough of that," Ginny interrupted, jumping in-between the two furious boys."Look, Ron...What Harry says makes sense, ok? Granted, NONE of us are as forgiving as he is apparently, but if Harry believes Malfoy won't be a threat, we can trust him..."
Ron glared at Harry, his flaming red hair making him look even more angry. And although Ron was a good four or five inches taller than him, Harry never backed down. It was too late to falter faith in Draco.
"Fine," Ron muttered, sinking into a chair peeling his eyes off Harry and plastered them on Malfoy.
Harry gave Draco an encouraging look and nodded down to the pile of presents at his feet.
They all brought down their presents to open in the common room. Harry munched on the plateful of treacle fudge Hagrid gave him and set aside another one of Mrs.Weasley's emerald sweaters.
"Oh my god, Harry! Its BEAUTIFUL!" Hermione exclaimed as she unwrapped a gold bracelet with her name engraved on it. She leapt at him and showered his face with kisses.
Harry could hear all the 'ooooooh's' coming from around them, but he didn't seem to mind as much. Hermione settled herself on Harry's lap for the remainder of the gift-unwrapping as the others finished their piles. Draco seemed to have the biggest pile of all, somehow pleased to let them gawk at his new possessions.
"I guess being rich pays off," Neville commented as he nibbled on his Gran's peanut clusters.
"Just during Christmas...Half this junk I never pick up after today anyways," Draco remarked, looking round at his stack of pricey gifts.
Harry reached over and plucked a gray book called A Collection of Seekers' Greatest Seeks. He scanned through it, discovering it contained dozens upon dozens of Seeker's tales of their fabulous catches and a guide book at the end to numerous Seeker techniques.
"Nice, isn't it?" Draco asked, watching Harry hungrily devour each page of advice.
Harry nodded and gloomily handed the book back to Draco.
"Nah,keep it...Got two more at home. My uncle keeps forgetting I have them."
Harry pulled the book back to his chest, staring amazedly at Draco,"Wow...t-thank you..."
Draco smiled, getting a rather soft arose of gasps from around the room," Don't get used to it. Just thought it'd be more than fair to let you have the same techniques I have. Want our next match to be equal when I cream you."
Harry couldn't help but grin,"Oh come off it,Draco. You quiver at the sight of my extreme skill."
The two of them laughed, getting another round of confused looks from the others.
Soon enough, they were all headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast, Harry and Draco chattering away about Quidditch.
"Bit odd how alike they are, isn't it" Neville whispered as they settled into the Gryffindor table.
"Don't remind me...its just plain CREEPY," Ginny added on, watching Draco explain a particularly difficult trick he did on his broom once to Harry.
Hermione looked them over, not comfortable yet with how friendly Harry was being to their arch enemy of six years. Maybe it WAS a spell.
"No, but you see, the Firebolt has greater accuracy when it comes to turns and such, whereas the Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones, don't." Harry went on to Draco.
The two consumed themselves in this conversation, completely unaware of the baffled looks they were getting from everyone in the room. Even the teachers were surprised to see Draco laughing at something Harry said and not pummeling eachother.
"Very strange, indeed," Hermione mumbled to Ron.
They made their rounds, giving and receiving more gifts before they visited Hagrid last in the late afternoon. Hagrid was about as surprised as the others at the sight of Draco walking in behind Harry, if not more. If it hadn't been for Harry being infront, they all suspect Hagrid would've knocked Draco right out into the yard.
"So,er...what are ya doin' with this here lot?" Hagrid asked gruffly, setting a teacup for Draco down infront of him.
"Well...um.." Draco stammered.
"He's had a rough loss, so we're helping him out," Harry replied for him.
Draco looked at him gratefully, glad Harry didn't tell Hagrid the gruesome truth.
This seemed to satisfy Hagrid for now, pouring tea into Draco's cup.
They all gave Hagrid a gift and when it came clearly obvious Draco was the only one who didn't hand one over, he hastily thrust his hands into his pockets and produced several coins and a gold pocket watch.
"Um, here, " he muttered, forcing the pocket watch into Hagrid's large hand.
They all rose their eyebrows in surprise. Even Hagrid stumbled on his words.
"Um,er..t-thank ya." Hagrid mumbled, staring at the glistening watch.
"Um,no problem...I could probably buy a million more what with all the money I-" He started, then noticed the start of disgusted looks on them all and stopped." I can just buy another one...I don't like pocket watches much anyways..."
They enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Hagrid's, laughing, talking and reminiscing of past Christmas'. Draco seemed to only talk to Harry, nodding and answering one worded replies to the others. Much later, they trudged out of the cabin and walked with Hagrid for the Christmas feast.
Draco grabbed Harry's elbow before he entered and looked him straight in the eye, "I..I want to thank you, Harry...None...None of my other friends would've done what you did for me last night...And what with our past, I hardly expected you to show anything expect triumph when you saw me ..you know...last night...So...Yeah...Thank you..."
Harry smiled and patted him heartily on the back," Don't lose that gratefulness soon as classes start again or I'll knock your teeth out."
They play fighted and walked into the Great Hall, Draco becoming one more of the many people finding themselves realizing the genuine man that was Harry Potter.