Chapter 11: On The 9th Day of Christmas...

December 22.

The excitement being felt all over the school was contagious. There were only 3 days left until Christmas. Decorations began cropping up all over the school and Hagrid had brought 4 large trees into the Great Hall.

At breakfast, McGonagall made another announcement.

"We, the teachers, have decided on a contest to coincide with the Ball this coming Wednesday. Each house will decorate one of the 4 trees here in the hall. The house with the best tree will win a prize to be later named by the staff." She waited for the chatter to die down before continuing. "And as a special treat, I am pleased to announce that Gryffindor's own, Mr Harry Potter, will be giving a concert the night of the ball, singing some of his favorite Christmas Carols. And as I understand it, Mr Draco Malfoy from Slytherin will accompany him on the piano." The applause was thunderous as Harry and Draco stood up and waved before sitting back down.

"Gee, Harry. I didn't think you'd like all this attention." Draco murmured into Harry's ear.

"I used to. But this is for a good cause so I don't mind it so much." Harry shivered as Draco's tongue traced the shell of his ear.

"Ferret, I'm trying to eat over here." muttered Ron. "Can you hold off shagging Harry until after I've had my breakfast." Draco tugged on Harry's ear with his teeth before reluctantly moving away.

"Couldn't help myself, Weasley. He's so bloody tasty." Draco grinned. Ron rolled his eyes.

"That's the most romantic thing I've ever seen." Hermione sighed. Something nudged her foot and she risked a glance at Blaise. He smiled at her and nodded his head toward the doors. She blinked in agreement. "I need to get to the library and do some studying. Anyone care to join me?"

"I'll join you, Granger." Blaise said, getting to his feet. The two left the Great Hall, heads bent together discussing something. Draco hid a smirk by sipping his juice. He leaned toward Harry to whisper in his ear.

"10 Galleons say she's going to drag him off to some dark corner and snog him senseless."

"I'd take that bet but I know you're right." Harry grinned.

"Eating!' Ron exclaimed.

"Shut it, Ron!" Harry laughed. Then he did something so un-Harry like, it took everyone by surprise. He sneezed, 3 times in rapid succession.

"Bless you." Pansy giggled.

"Thank you." Harry nodded, thinking nothing of it.

Draco had come to expect his gifts since this whole thing started, so he wasn't really surprised when Caedmon landed in front of him during lunch. Draco cooed at him affectionately, giving him a bit of his sandwich before opening his gift. The note was short, simple and it made his heart beat madly in his chest.

Sweets for the sweetest person I know.

Happy 9th.

He opened the gift to discover a box of his favorite chocolates from Sweden.

How do they know all this about me? Draco couldn't help but wonder, stuffing a chocolate crème into his mouth.

While Draco was engorging himself on chocolate, Harry had received a different kind of gift.

There was no note with his, as usual, which didn't bother him. But the gift itself seemed odd, to him at least.

It was a set of rings, both silver. Once had a stone of black onyx in the center, the other a stone of pure opal. He pulled them out to get a closer look and felt the magic in them. That's when he spied the note that had been under them.

Two hearts

Two souls

Two minds

One love.

Now he was even more confused. Sighing, he put the rings back in their box and hid the box in the bottom of his trunk beneath some of his old Quidditch uniforms.

Harry got a second gift in the Great Hall while Hermione was organizing the Gryffindor Tree Decorating Team (as she called it). They all decided on using Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol as a theme for their tree decorating efforts.

He opened it quickly and saw that it was 2 VIP seats and passes to the Quidditch World Cup finals being held in Hawaii in Mid-March. It brought a smile to his face and he quickly showed them to Ron. Ron eyes widened and no sound escaped his mouth when it popped open in shock. Hermione rolled her eyes at both. After 7 years, she still didn't understand why they had such an unhealthy fixation of a sports game. They simply told her it was the same way she read all her books. For the sheer enjoyment factor. They had a good laugh and went back to work on the ornaments.

Harry and Ron were busy trying to transfigure leaves into ornaments resembling the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Future. It was hard and Harry felt the beginnings of a headache beginning to plague him. On top of that, he'd been feeling queasy all afternoon.

The house elves began to bring everyone snacks and Dobby set a plate of freshly-made cookies down in front of the two Gryffindors. The smell wafted up to Harry, sickeningly sweet, and his stomach protested violently. He dropped both his ornament and his wand and ran from the Great Hall like his shoes were on fire. Ron stared after him in shock.

"Where's he going?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know." Ron stated.

"Should we go find him?"

"Yeah, I think so." Ron nodded. "Should we tell Draco?"

"We'll find him later, Ron. Let's go." She grabbed his hand and they went after their friend.

After Harry managed to be discreetly ill in the boys bathroom, he went back to his room and collapsed on his bed, too weak to do more than kick off his shoes and crawl beneath the blankets, shivering cold but feverishly hot all the same.

"What's wrong with me?" he muttered. He knew he should have at least called Madame Pomfrey, but he didn't have the energy. His eyes closed and soon he was asleep.

"Well I checked all the boys bathrooms and there's no sign of him." Ron said, meeting up with Hermione outside of Gryffindor Tower.

"Do you think he's in his room?"

"Let's check." Ron went over and tickled the portrait. When there was no answer, he shrugged.

"I'm worried, Ronald. This isn't like Harry."

"Feels like First year all over again." Ron muttered.

"I think we should find Draco now." Hermione stated.

"Good idea."

They found Draco with his friends in the Great Hall, decorating their tree. Hermione marched right up to him and grabbed his shoulder to get his attention.

"Dammit, Granger! Are you trying to bruise me?" he scowled, whirling toward her. Then he saw the look on both hers and Ron's faces. "What's wrong?"

"Harry's missing and we haven't been able to find him."

"How long has he been missing?" Blaise wondered.

"Over an hour now. We thought he might be in his room but no one answered." Ron replied. Suddenly, Hermione smacked her head.

"How could I be so stupid!" she groaned. She pulled something from her pocket and pulled out her wand. She tapped it to the thing in her hand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The map of Hogwarts appeared before their eyes.

"Bloody hell!" Draco exclaimed, seeing the conglomerate of dots roaming around the map.

"It's Harry's map. It used to be his dad's before he left it to him. It shows where everyone is in the school, including us." She pointed to the Great Hall on the map showing their 4 names all clumped together. "He gave it to me for safe-keeping over the summer while he was with Remus in the United States."

"How do you think Harry was able to get around school at night and not get caught?" Ron explained.

"That explains a load of things." Pansy giggled. Hermione ignored them, searching the map for Harry's name.

"He's in his room!" she discovered. "Mischief Managed." The map returned to an ordinary blank parchment.

"Then why didn't he answer us."

"Maybe he can't." Draco said. Turning on his heel, he headed for Harry's room, the others right behind him.

Draco didn't think Harry wanted anyone to know the password to his rooms so he whispered it. The door opened and they all went inside. There was an odd rhythmic thumping sound coming from the direction of Harry's bedroom. Draco bit down on the irrational surge of jealousy that went through him.

It doesn't mean Harry's with someone else, Draco Malfoy! He muttered.

No one was prepared for the sight that greeted them when they charged into Harry's room. Harry was in his bed, shivering so hard the bed was rocking and banging up against the wall behind. He was drenched in sweat, and had the blanket tugged up around his head.

"Harry!" Draco exclaimed, running to his side. He put a hand to Harry's forehead. "Salazar's Ghost! He's burning up with fever! Get Headmistress McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey, now!" Hermione and Blaise quickly left the room to use Harry's floo in the living room.

"Ron, find me something to wipe his head down with. Pansy, get a fire going." Draco ordered, not leaving Harry's side.

"D-D-Draco!" Harry shuddered.

"I'm right here, love. What's wrong?"

"Don't...feel...good. Head hurts."

"Is it your scar?"

"No!" Harry stated. "Not that...kind of...pain. Aches. Whole body aches." Draco watched helplessly as Harry's body was wracked with more violent shivers. Draco sat beside him, keeping the covers around him and wiping his head while they waited.

Madame Pomfrey, McGonagall, Remus and Snape (of all people), arrived quickly. Draco moved aside to let the nurse do her work. She muttered a quick spell over Harry's body, then force-fed him a sleeping and calming potion. All at once, his shivering ceased and his face relaxed into sleep. She used a cleaning and clothing spell on him so he was dry and in his own pajamas. Then she ushered everyone from the room, closing the door softly.

"What's wrong with him, Poppy?" Remus asked.

"An ordinary muggle flu." she replied. "We caught it just in time. If his fever had gone up any more, he would have fried his brain."

"Can't you give him a healing potion?" Draco demanded.

"No, Draco. Who knows what it will do to his system. The flu is a muggle disease and can only be cured the muggle way." Hermione told him.

"I gave him a potion to help him sleep, but he's going to need muggle medicines to get rid of the infection." Pomfrey told him.

"Professor Lupin. Would you be so kind to run to London and get whatever Harry needs?" McGonagall asked.

"My pleasure." Remus nodded.

"I would like to go with you." Snape stated, shocking everyone in the room.

"Why?" Remus asked.

"It's been some time since I was among muggles, and I'd like a chance to study them a little more. If you don't mind my company...Remus." Remus looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before gracing him with a smile.

"I'd love the company...Severus." Nodding to everyone else, the two men left the room.

"Did I see what I think I just saw?" Blaise asked.

"If you mean Professor Snape hitting on Professor Lupin, then no I didn't see that." Ron replied, shuddering at the thought.

"Is ittle Wonikins squicked by it?" Draco teased.

"Shut it, Ferret. I can tolerate you and Harry, but any thoughts of anyone lusting after Snape make me ill."

"Snape's not a bad person once you get to know him." Pansy told him.

"No thank you. The sooner I leave Hogwarts, the sooner I won't have to see his smarmy face anymore."

"Leave it alone, Ron. We should focus on making Harry better." Hermione said.

"Miss Granger is correct." the Headmistress stated. They had all forgotten she was in the room. "Let's leave so Mr Potter can rest."

"But-" Draco began.

"Mr Malfoy, you can stay. I'm sure he'd love to see you when he wakes."

"Thank you, ma'am." Draco nodded. Everyone else turned to leave. Madame Pomfrey left several sleeping potions with Draco, telling him to give Harry 3 drops every 4 hours. Draco pulled up a chair beside Harry's bed and sat watching his dark-haired God until he fell asleep, his hand in Harry's.

Harry was violently ill on and off throughout the night. Draco spent most of the time gently stroking Harry's back while he was bent over the toilet.

Harry fell into an exhausted sleep about 1 in the morning, his fever down slightly.

About two hours after that, Harry moaned fitfully in his sleep and kicked off his blankets. Draco was at his side in an instant.

"Harry?"

"Draco." Harry murmured, staring at the blonde.

"You need to leave the covers on you, love."

"No. 'M too hot!" the raven-haired boy muttered. Draco stared into the pain-filled eyes of his Gryffindor and sighed.

"All right. But if you get cold, let me know. Remus brought you some muggle medicine. Feel up to taking some for me?"

"What'd he get?"

"Something called Ny-Quil. I'm supposed to give you two tablespoons."

"A'right." Draco measured out the correct dosage and helped Harry sit up to drink. Harry coughed fitfully and Draco thought he was going to be sick again but Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"You should be sleeping. Not taking care of me." There were tears in Harry's eyes.

"I don't have anything pressing to attend to." Draco smiled, tenderly, brushing Harry's hair back from his still-too-hot forehead. Harry's eyelids started to droop as the medicine kicked in.

"I love you, Drake." Harry murmured, dropping off to sleep. Draco continued to hold him, running his fingers through Harry's hair.

"I love you, too, Potter." The last word was spoken affectionately. Draco fell asleep with Harry in his arms.

To be continued...

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. At first I thought about the two of them having some kind of big fight and not speak to each other until the ball on Christmas Eve, but I think that scenario has been played out. ExtremelySick!Harry and TLC!Draco was much more fun to do.