Chapter Four: Silent Night

"Good morning, Ron," Arthur Weasley smiled at his very red son as he entered the dining room. Ron sat down and tried not to notice his brothers giggling across the table. Molly walked over and placed a steak on his plate. Ron tried not to look at Hermione, but when he failed, he saw she was more pink than Ginny's bedding.

"Mmm!" Ginny said happily, grabbing the mashed potatoes away from her pathetic brother and dumping its contents onto her plate.
"Ginny, did it occur to you other people might want some mashed potatoes?" Percy asked from the end of the table.
"No." Ginny lied, handing the half empty bowl to Hermione.
"No thanks. I'm not hungry," Hermione said.
"Do you want some corn instead?" Molly asked from the stove.
"No thank you. Actually, I think I'm going to take a shower, if you don't mind," she replied.
"Oh of course not dear. Go ahead," Molly smiled, and watched the girl practically run out of the room.
"Ron, are you going to eat that?" Ginny asked, pointing to an untouched pancake.
"No," Ron said quietly.
"If you want Ron, you can go take a shower as well. I'm sure Hermione won't mind." Fred whispered to him.
"Fred!" Molly scolded.
"I'm going to...clean my room." Ron lied, and ran up the stairs.

/

Draco lay on the hardwood floor with a torn quilt as his only cushion, a lumpy pillow for his head and a baby blanket that barely covered him, his only shelter for nightly chill coming from the window Potter refused to close. Harry was snoring loudly, keeping him awake. So Draco began thinking about the past events of the evening- dinner had been a piece of toast with butter and a glass of milk. He hated milk. Then he had to help Harry in the kitchen by drying dishes. And then they had been stuck the bedroom for an hour, before Harry decided it was time for bed.
During the hour, neither of them said anything to each other. Harry had sat at the small desk in the corner, fiddling with a pencil. Draco read a book from his suitcase. At nine, Harry threw the tattered rags at him and bid the Slytherin a good night.
Draco let out a deep breath and turned on his side, facing the opposite wall from Harry's bed. As he was falling into slumber, he suddenly heard a very odd moan come from Harry. He sat up and looked at the raven haired boy, turning in his sleep violently and muttering nonsense under his breath.
"Potter?" Draco whispered, crawling closer to the bed and leaning his stomach against the top edge. He looked down as Harry started to cry. "Potter!" Draco whispered a little louder, grabbing his shoulder and softly shaking it.
Harry almost screamed, but suddenly opened his eyes and let out a load sigh of relief.
"Shut up," Draco said softly, gazing down into the dark green eyes, which were obviously embarrassed. Harry looked up into the cold, visible eyes watching him, and started to fluster. Draco growled and moved back to lay on the old smelly quilt. "Good night, Potter. Don't kill yourself."
Harry stayed a bright shade of violet until he fell back asleep, peacefully, with no more nightmares.

/

Harry had the urge to kick Malfoy, but he didn't. He stared down at the sleeping blonde on his floor. "Malfoy! It's noon! Get up!" He yelled, poking him in the side with his toes.
"Five more minutes..." Draco mumbled, turning over and pulling the baby blanket over his head.
"No! I'm already in trouble. Five more minutes and I'll be dead." Harry said, poking him more violently in the side.
Draco giggled. "Stoppit...dat tickles..." He peeked up over the blanket flirtatiously. Harry growled.
"Get up!" Harry finally kicked the blonde.
"Hey!" Draco quickly sat up and crawled the farthest he could from Harry.
"We have to go to the store for olives and toothpaste. You have to come," Harry said.
"Why?"
"Because if you didn't, my uncle would give you forty whacks, and when I get home forty one." Harry sighed, "I'm trying to be nice."
Draco yawned. "Olives and toothpaste? What are we having for lunch?" he joked.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Hurry up." he said, walking out of the room.

Harry and Draco walked down the sidewalk. Harry had to explain to Draco what cars were. What stop lights were. What certain animals were. What people were wearing. He was getting quite annoyed.
"Oh, Potter, what's that?" Draco asked, pointing.
"That's an owl, Draco," Harry said, as if it wasn't important.
"An owl?" Harry realized. A large, black owl flew eye level with them, holding a rather torn up parchment. Harry told the bird thank-you and took the parchment quickly before Draco could see it.
"Who's that from?" He asked.
"No one," Harry said, stuffing it in his pocket.
"Oh come on. Let me see!" Malfoy begged.
"No."
"Potter, let me see it."
"No!" Harry yelled.
"Yes!" Draco yelled louder.
"NO!" Harry screamed.
"YES!" Draco screamed.
"SHUT UP YOU BLOODY KIDS!" an old man screamed from his porch.
"Sorry..." The boys said in unison, heads down in shame. They continued walking towards the grocery store.

"Um...Ron?" Hermione asked whilst opening his bedroom door.
"Hmm?" Ron lifted his head from the bed.
"Just wondering if you wanted to come with me and Ginny to Diagon Alley..."
"For?"
"Stuff." Hermione smiled. "Like this new book I've been wanting..."
Ron sighed. "Eh..."
"Please?"
"I guess..." He sat up. "But I don't have any money."
"Your dad gave us..." She took the money from her pocket. "Twenty galleons, thirteen sickles and seventeen knuts."
"That much?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"I don't know. He just did."
Ron sighed again, and stood up. Walking to the door, he took the money from Hermione's hand and headed down the stairs.
Ten minutes after not getting an answer from his father about why he was being so generous, Ron, Hermione and Ginny found themselves standing at the entrance of Diagon Alley, and heading towards Obscurus Books.
"Oh wow!" Hermione exclaimed, walking faster than the other two towards the wondrous book
store. "Isn't it lovely?" she asked Ginny.
Ginny smiled. "Sure."
Ron rolled his eyes. "How about you two stay here, while I go to Florean Fortescue's."
"No. We have to stay together. Mum said," Ginny retorted.
"But...ice cream..."
"Ron, it's just a book store." Ginny sighed.
"Oh Merlin, I'm in heaven!" Hermione said, skipping merrily into the bookshop.
Ron glared at Ginny, and followed his friend inside.