-story disclaimer at beginning of chapter one-
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:Chapter Nine: Swap
Harry was sitting outside the castle, on the Quidditch pitch listening to the music player Brent gave him. Above him, the Hufflepuff House was having a scrimmage game. In his lap was a piece of parchment he had been staring at for half an hour.
To be honest, he was having a little bit of difficulty. It was hard wanting to pour his feelings into the letter, but not knowing which words to use. He was starting to feel strong emotions towards his Mischief. His crush on the boy was getting bigger with each letter they sent. Plus, he was starting to crave their meeting. Sighing for maybe the thirteenth time, he started writing:
Dear Mischief,
Yes, I had a nice day at Hogsmeade yesterday. Did you end up going? I hope maybe we can get together at the next one. Oh, did you hear about the party Hufflepuff is having in a couple weeks? I am not sure what House you are in (maybe it is now safe to discuss our Houses?), so you probably already know. Some of my friends are meeting their matches then. I know you said that we should wait until Halloween to meet face to face. That is fine, but let me know if you change your mind.
You asked for something personal of mine that you could carry through out the day. I am not sure what to give you. The only things I own are clothing and school supplies. I don't own any trinkets or jewelry or anything – but I have an idea for something. Just give me a couple days to get the materials and I will send it as soon as I can. What colors do you like? Also, am I getting something personal in return?!
Right now I am sitting outside watching a Quidditch scrimmage. I can't wait until Quidditch Season starts next month!
Voyeurly yours,
Jolt
PS. Are you shy in person? I ask because you flirt so much in your letters – I am curious if when we finally meet up, I will have to drag the rowdy side out of you. Hope not!
-o-O-o-
After Harry finally went back into the castle, he put the letter in his mailbox and it was sent off to Mischief.
Going back down the stairs, he went to the Great Hall for lunch. Putting his music player in his pocket, he sat down next to Ron.
"Where've you been all day, mate?" Ron inquired.
"Oh, I was watching the Quidditch scrimmage outside."
"I would have gone with you."
"I know. But, I woke up early and wanted to go outside. Plus, it gave me time to think about the D.A. meeting and what we should practice and learn."
"Alright. You want to go swimming in the lake today? This is probably the last good weekend before the weather starts getting cold."
"Yeah sure, that sounds good."
"Is Hermione back yet? I haven't seen her all morning either." Ron said.
"No, she'll join us later." Harry answered.
"Did I hear something about the lake?" Neville asked while sitting down.
"Yeah, you want to go?" Harry asked. Neville nodded his head and then Harry invited all the people sitting near them.
After they ran upstairs to the Gryffindor tower and grabbed their swimming clothes and towels, they went out to the lake. Swimming, racing, and a few rounds of Marco Polo found Harry drying himself off a couple hours later.
Someone tapped him on his back and he turned around.
"Hi Hermione. I missed you all day… oh wow, you look great today!" He noticed. She was standing in front of him with a cute little sundress on and her eyes stood out drastically with mascara.
"Thanks," she smiled shyly. "You didn't tell anyone that I took a trip to muggle London to buy some new things, did you?"
"Of course I didn't. Hey, did you pick up the stuff I asked about?"
"Yes, in a variety of colors. I put it in a bag under your pillow."
"Thanks Hermione."
Ron then came out of the water and grabbed his towel.
"Da..damn, Hermione!" Ron stuttered.
She just blushed.
Most of the group walked back to the castle. Harry went into his room to grab a change of clothes. He quickly looked at the bag under his pillow, peered inside, and then he headed out the door for a shower.
Returning from showering, he towel-dried his hair and tossed his towel on his bed. He noticed his glowing mailbox and took out the parchment and read:
Dear Jolt,
My favorite colors are green and blue. I also wear a lot of black. Why do you want to know? What are your favorite colors? Thanks for going out of your way to give me something to carry around. And of course, I am planning on sending you something as well.
Yes, I did go to Hogsmeade yesterday. It was alright. I am sure next time will be better. I did hear about the Hufflepuff party, but I am not sure what date it is. I still think it will be best for us to meet up on Halloween – if that is fine with you. Of course, I would much rather meet up as soon as possible – but I just have a feeling that Halloween would be better. You know those Hufflepuffs – they throw parties all year long. Anything to get people together to have fun. We can attend their next one together.
I am looking forward to Quidditch Season starting in October, also. Although I will kind of miss watching the shirtless volleyball players… Ha. Maybe we can take a vote to get the Quidditch players to play shirtless… at least until winter hits.
Right now, I am in an empty classroom trying to hide from a friend that has been harassing me all day. Girls and their nagging! Ack. Not sure why I put up with it, but she does more good than harm. Plus, she's kind of like a sister..
Hiding in a dark room and wishing you were here,
Mischief
PS. No, I am not shy. But, I have a feeling that I will be the one making the first move while your shy arse is busy blushing.
-o-O-o-
Harry laughed as he set the letter aside. Then he pulled the bag out from under his pillow and sat down on his bed. He dumped the contents out and sorted all the colors into different piles. Then he put all the thread back into the bag except the black, greens, and blues.
He chose a few different shades of each and made a thick bracelet for his crush. Then he went into the common room and pulled Hermione aside.
"Hey, I need help with some spells." He asked her.
"Which spells?"
"One that stops thread from breaking down, maybe helps it not fade also."
"Okay, I'll go to the library and look it up."
About forty minutes later, Hermione entered Harry's dorm room. She handed him a piece of paper with the spells written on it. Harry spelled them onto the bracelet and also used a strong Impervius to make it water resistant.
"Thanks! I owe you big time for today, alright?" Harry told her.
"No problem." She responded.
Harry then put the bracelet on and decided to wear it for a couple days to make sure the spells worked before he gave it to Mischief. Of course, he would take care to make sure no one saw it.
-o-O-o-
A couple days later, Harry finished eating supper and walked out of the Great Hall with his friends.
"Hey, I'll see you guys at the D.A. meeting tonight, okay?" And he went in the opposite direction, taking a different staircase towards the fifth-floor Prefect's bathroom. He stopped at a statue of Boris the Bewildered – and looked around. Seeing that he was alone, he placed a small box between the statue and the wall. Then he left the hall and headed towards the Room of Requirement on the seventh floor.
Entering the room, he was shocked to see how many people were inside. Neville walked up to him and said, "See, I told you people were still interested!"
The rest of the evening, they did some of the old spells and counter curses to get practice, while Harry promised everyone that soon they would be learning new things.
-o-O-o-
Draco was on the fifth floor walking towards the statue of Boris the Bewildered.
He searched around the statue and finally found the small box. He picked it up and touched it gently. Reluctantly, he put the box in his bag and headed into the Prefect's bathroom to take a long hot bath.
He locked the door with a strong spell and sat down on a chair. Then he pulled the box out of the bag and opened it. He smiled and his heart skipped a beat. His Harry made him a bracelet! It was beautiful and he loved all the different shades of blues and greens, he used. It was perfect. While holding it, he pulled the small note from inside the box and read:
Dear Mischief,
I hope you like this bracelet I made for you. I made it long enough so you can either wear it as an anklet or bracelet. I did some spells to make the thread not break down and also it is water resistant. However, I am still not sure what House you are in, so maybe you might want to take it off during showers!
Oh, and I did wear it for a couple days just to make sure the spells works. Hope you like it.
Yours,
Jolt
-o-O-o-
When Draco was a small child, he never would have thought something so simple and non-costly could have ever made him this happy. But this gift meant so much to him; it would definitely become one of his most prized possessions. After he started running the bathwater and bubbles, he carefully put the bracelet on, moving it around to look at the design. He decided to only wear it at nights, and carry it in his pocket during the day. If he forgot to remove it in the showers after Flying class, things could turn disasterous.
After the long bath, he descended the stairs towards the Dungeons. Before he could even make it into the portrait, someone grabbed him by the ear. He didn't even need to turn around.
"Damn it, Pansy!" Draco yelled as he pulled away. "Don't touch me like that, you know I hate it."
"And you know I hate it when you avoid me!" She retorted.
"Well I had good reason. Stop nagging me about stuff and I won't have to hide from you."
"I wasn't nagging you. I was just asking a question."
"Yeah, over and over and over again. That's called nagging."
"Hmph!" She said. Then she turned around and started to storm off.
Draco grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him, hugging her.
"Aw Pansy. Do you really want an answer?" He asked her.
She nodded her head.
"Oh alright. I don't want to meet up with him so soon, because I don't think he's ready yet. I know you want me to set the date for the Hufflepuff party, but I have a feeling it's too soon. I think he might hex me or run off."
"But you've been talking for almost a month now! I think he's ready."
"Yeah, he's ready to find out he's been corresponding with Justin Finch-Fletchley, Ernie Macmillan, or hell - even Michael Corner. But he is not ready to find me waiting for him. I just need a little more time to pull him in."
"But you're so irresistible, if he doesn't fall for your charms, maybe he isn't worth it." Pansy said as she stepped back.
"Ughhh Pansy. Do you realize all the evil things I have done and said to him over the years? He probably hates me! I think it will take more than four weeks to get him to realize I am serious, once we meet in person."
"Fine. I won't bug you about the party. But you better set the date for Halloween, and I mean it."
"Sometimes you are like the pestering little sister I never had." He said while pinching her cheek. Then, "Ow, that hurt." As he rubbed the arm she just punched.
They walked into the Slytherin Common Room together. Draco physically kicked a lower year off his favorite couch before he landed on it gracefully. He spent most of the night thinking of his gift to Jolt. He originally intended to give him a necklace he had worn for years – but since Harry actually took time to make his gift he felt he should add something personal to it; to make it more meaningful.
Entering his dorm room, Draco sat down at his desk and wrote thank you letter to Jolt.
Dear Jolt,
Thank you for the beautiful bracelet. I love it! The colors you picked are perfect and I love all the different shades of blue and green you used.
You said your favorite colors are green and dark gray? I will have to find a way to incorporate that into your gift. I will have it to you soon.
This really means a lot to me, to have something you've given me and I can touch it and think of you all day long. This will help the time between our letters not seem as long.
Happily yours,
Mischief
-o-O-o-
Then Draco wrote a second letter. This one was for a jewelry shop that his family had been using for years. He requested them to make a very small charm usingYowah and Koroit Opals, specifically with more green and dark gray shades in it He also told them to make it very masculine looking – and to rush the order.
A couple days later his owl dropped a small package off to him. After classes, he went to his dorm room and opened the box. He lifted his necklace from around his neck and put the charm on. It looked perfect.
He sent a letter to Jolt, telling him to look behind the statue after supper.
Before he went to supper that night, he dropped off a small box behind the Boris statue.
Then entering the Great Hall, he sat next to Pansy, Vincent, and Gregory. He looked up to steal a glance of his Harry and his heart swelled. He had less than a month to work on Harry so their first meeting would go well. He suddenly wished he hadn't been a jerk to him all those years. It would be hard to get Harry to overlook everything immediately, but he was determined to try. He had to. He knew that he would do anything to have Harry in his life. Delicately, he reached into his pocket and stroked the bracelet. It reminded him that Harry was already starting to develop feelings for him and calmed his nerves a bit.
-o-O-o-
Returning to his dorm room after taking the box from behind the statue, Harry opened the box from Mischief. He saw a thick, lengthy chain with a beautiful tiny charm on it. He couldn't believe someone would give this to him, especially since they had no clue who he actually was. But he thought back to the many letters they had sent and he knew they shared a special connection. He put the necklace on and read the letter from Mischief.
Dear Jolt,
I know this can't compare to the bracelet you actually made with your hands, but I hope you will like it anyway. The necklace itself is one I have been wearing for many years and I just took it off today. I had the small charm made for you. Hopefully the colors will be to your liking.
Thank you for doing this swap with me. I touched your bracelet so many times over the last few days, I am afraid of wearing the threads down. Good thing you put a charm on it to not break down. I love having something of yours with me and I hope you feel the same.
You are in my constant thoughts,
Mischief
-o-O-o-
Harry smiled and jotted off a quick reply:
Dear Mischief,
Wow, the necklace is great and the charm is very beautiful. I have a feeling that I will be constantly touching it all day long, as well. It will help me to believe that someone out there actually cares for me. This swap idea was a great one and I thank you for it.
You are in my constant thoughts as well,
Jolt
-end of chapter-
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Author's Note: Hufflepuff parties! Yes, I am a Hufflepuff (but I almost begged the Sorting Hat to dump me into Slytherin because I looooove green so much).
Anyway – credit for putting 'Hufflepuff has the best parties' into my mind goes to author: iamthelizardqueen and story: Welcome to the Real World. It's definitely worth checking out if you haven't already.
