The days passed them by in a heartbeat. Katherina and Draco were on good terms again. They had received one day of detention along with Selena - they had to clean the Potions laboratory and reorganize the ingredients and the books. Snape had been particularly petty that day, for some reason, but he ended up dismissing them half an hour early while complaining about a headache. Actually, he rather shooed them out, but in their eyes, they had been dismissed.

As November rolled into December, Katherina began wondering about the Christmas gifts. Going home from Hogwarts was her best occasion to grab everything, but then... what did she need? The first time she thought about it, the word distracted it - the Manor was home, in a way. What could she possibly give to a spoiled brat who could have everything in the world by just looking at it for long enough? The thought brought a smile to her face. Her father hadn't been treating her very differently, from this perspective.

Draco had been trying to talk to Anna about the same matter, but the black-haired girl was becoming a ghost. He was lucky to see her at breakfast, but there were too many people around then. How odd...

On the first Sunday morning of December, the headmaster waited for everyone to come into the Great Hall. Clinking a teaspoon on his glass cup, he drew their attention to him and the hall was suddenly quiet.

"My dear students," he began, but Draco rolled his eyes. He was looking towards the Gryffindor table. "As the holidays are approaching, I believe we should start a new Christmas tradition of our own. Every year from now, one of the houses is going to organize it in their vision, but I believe some of you might be familiar with the concept of this. It's commonly known as Secret Santa."

About half of the students roared, mostly Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. Obviously, Draco assumed - they had the most muggle-borns and half-bloods. This silly name could only come from the muggles... He leaned with his head against his hand and his elbow on the table.

"Let me guess - he's gonna start with Gryffindor," he mumbled.

Katherina looked at him with a smirk. "You're just mad because it's a muggle thing."

"Wow, what a revelation," he rolled his eyes, the sarcasm dripping off his words.

"So is Christmas, but who doesn't enjoy gifts?"

"...of recent events, Professor Snape has volunteered to organize the first edition!"

Draco's eyes widened and he nearly choked. "What?!" He immediately looked towards the table of their professors to see Snape standing like a terrifying gargoyle as the others were clapping. Parkinson was among the first of the students to clap and soon, everyone joined - it was the head of Slytherin after all, though that was precisely what shocked everyone. The other houses joined them, Gryffindor being the very last.

Snape waited for the initial surprise to wear off and the students to quiet down. "For those of you who are not familiar with the concept, the event consists of an anonymous gift exchange. I will ask everyone to take out a small piece of paper, write their name on it in black ink, without any additional markings, then fold it repeatedly until it is the size of a fingernail. Once you have completed this task, find your respective year's cauldron and place the folded paper inside. There are seven cauldrons for seven years," he clarified for the slow but refrained from calling them so.

Draco looked skeptical. "This can't be right... Our names, folded, in the precise same cauldron as Hufflepuffs? And bloody Gryffindors?"

The cauldrons had been placed on the professors' table as miniatures and readjusted to their usual size with magic. A white tag with a number was on seven on them, while an eight remained blank. They saw the professors following Snape's instructions and placing their names into the last cauldron. Soon enough, everyone was tearing out pieces of paper from notebooks, sharing sheets among themselves, writing down their names as easily readable as they could manage.

"You too? We can't join these peasants!" Draco whined when he saw Katherina doing as requested.

"Stop being so arrogant! What's so wrong with presents? The worst that could happen is a prank - no harm in having some fun." Katherina took a second piece of paper and wrote his name.

"I don't remember agreeing to this!" He crossed his arms over his chest.

Anna sighed. "You're acting like a five-year-old." She held out her hand to collect the little labels from Selena and Katherina, join them with her own name tag, and take them to their cauldron.

"If I draw the name of a Gryffindor-!" he grumbled.

"I can trade you if that happens," Selena volunteered. "Of course, assuming I have a different option."

That seemed to have calmed him down a little. The boy waited anxiously for everyone to place their respective paper in one of the cauldrons. He wanted to see what name he would draw, secretly praying it would be a fellow Slytherin. In truth, Draco didn't really know his colleagues from other houses well enough for a gift exchange. Selena, in contrast, hoped to receive any other name but that of a Slytherin. She was rather popular in their house, but she didn't enjoy the attention at all.

Once everything was as it should and the students had quieted down, Snape indicated towards the first cauldron. "First-year students, come draw the name of one of your colleagues. You are to maintain the name a secret from everyone. You all have one week starting now to procure a present for the person whose name you see on the paper."

"Also," Dumbledore felt the need to add, "all presents must be packaged in one form or another. Boxes, bags, wrapping - feel free to get creative with that!"

Soon after that was over, the second year was invited to replicate the procedure. Draco made his way to the front fast, followed by Katherina. While he seemed as serious as always, she felt amused.

"The cauldron isn't running anywhere," Katherina chuckled.

"Not so sure about that," Ron mumbled beside her. "Malfoy could scare it away."

That remark received a cold stare from Katherina, but a subtle smile from Selena. "What if he draws your name?" she asked quietly.

"Damn!" Ron said before slapping his own hand over his mouth. "Sorry! But really, I'd probably get something awful."

"Like what?" the girl laughed as she was waiting for her turn.

"Something that would explode in my face? Or bite, or something. It's Mal-foy for a reason," he said with a hint of amusement.

Katherina reached the cauldron at the same time as Hermione. The girls exchanged a brief moment of contemplating each other - Hermione had a brave smile, Katherina a sly one; and then, they reached into the cauldron at the same time, only breaking eye contact to unfold and read their notes.

"Who did you get?" Draco asked as soon as he saw Katherina making it out of the crowd with a white paper in her hand.

She quickly hid it between her palm and her chest. "We're supposed to keep it a secret!"

Draco sneaked a look at the professors. Snape seemed focused on something else - or perhaps someone else. "I'll show if you do."

"Secret~" the girl teased him. "I don't really care who you got."

"Maybe I got Parkinson," Draco made one final attempt.

"If you had, you wouldn't be telling me this," Katherina said as she took her seat again.

Draco followed. "Well, they're sharing!" he pointed towards Anna and Selena who briefly exchanged papers.

"Good for them! I'm not," Katherina chuckled. "What happened, Draco? Don't tell me you drew Harry Potter!"

The blond looked away. "Do you find it funny?"

Her smile dropped in an instant. "...You did?!"

"Of course not!" he snapped. "...Maybe," Draco mumbled after a moment of misery.

"It's not that bad..." Katherina tried to encourage him as Selena and Anna took their seats and the third year went to the front.

"No, not bad at all - it's called catastrophic! Why does this always happen to me? The worst possible scenario, the slimmest chance in the universe, and who shall get it? Me! Obviously!"

Selena kept smiling, not really paying attention, but rather throwing a look over her shoulder quickly. On the other hand, Anna was quite alert.

"Don't you ever get tired of whining, Malfoy?" she sighed. "Get a mug, put some chocolates in it, wrap it up with a bow and you're set."

Katherina tilted her head. "That's a good idea. Or you could give a scarf and a pair of gloves, or something similar. That works for everyone."

"Both of these are boring!" he complained. "I'll find something... I'll get something good, something that will show my superiority!"

The girls looked at each other and sighed. It always had to be a contest with Malfoy, especially against Potter.

"Who did you get?" Anna asked her.

Katherina showed her the note, careful that nobody else would see the name. Anna's eyes widened.

"Oh! Oh, my... That's going to be interesting." She in turn showed the paper drawn by Selena and exchanged later.

"Ah, so boring," Katherina said. "I would have traded that too."

"I think I know what I'm going to give, actually," Anna said with a small smile. "Do you want to know who I've drawn and turned to Selena?"

Hearing her name anchored the girl into reality. "Um, yes? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

Anna had her show the name to Katherina. Selena obeyed but turned a shade of pink when she saw both of her friends smirking at her.

"W-What happened?" she mumbled.

The drew Draco's attention. He eyed the three girls suspiciously.

"Nothing," Katherina said with a devious smile on her face. "Just luck, I suppose, right?"

Anna nodded quietly. Her grin said everything she needed to express.

"Alright...?" Draco was still confused, but it was clear he won't get any answers from them. "Where have you been all week?" he asked Anna.

Katherina leaned against his shoulder. "Should I get jealous, the way you do when I look at Cedric?"

"I don't get jealous," Draco argued back. "Why should I even bother with that spineless Hufflepuff?" Yet, by the time he looked up, Anna had disappeared. "...I'm telling you, she's up to something."

"Relax," Katherina straightened her back. "We can trust Anna. Whatever she's doing is probably so she can get more information from Ravenclaw."

That's when Zabini had noticed the empty seat beside Selena and planted himself beside her. Selena looked up at Katherina and Draco with a terrified look in her amber eyes.

"Who did you get?" Draco began distracting Blaise.

"A Gryffindor. I was wondering if you'd have any ideas, Miss Selwyn...?" he purred while leaning closer to her.

Selena looked on the verge of tears. She shifted away from him slowly. "M-me? Why would you ask me, of all people?"

"You've been hanging out with them, right?" he pointed out the obvious truth.

"I got a bloody Gryffindor too," Draco mumbled in hopes of distracting Blaise.

The boy had a devious look in his eye. "Maybe we can give them some prank potions? I'm sure you and your friend know at least a few of those..."

"You'd have to ask Anna for that. I-I'm really just... average." Selena had nowhere to run and couldn't think of an excuse to make her escape.

Thankfully for her, the hand of a Gryffindor separated them like a barrier. They looked up to see Potter, the Weasley brothers, and Granger behind them.

"Sounds like she doesn't wanna help you," Fred said in a serious voice.

"Better leave it at that," George continued his phrase.

Blaise quickly looked at Draco with a look that urged him to do something, but Draco shrugged. He didn't want to take any side in somebody else's soap opera - he had too much on his plate already.

"Do you want to play some gobstones with us?" Harry asked Selena.

The girl stood up as soon as she heard the invitation, carefully stepping over the wooden bench. "I'd like that, thank you."

Left without any option, Blaise watched the girl leave with the Gryffindors as he chewed the inside of his cheek in annoyance. "You're just letting her go?!" he whisper-yelled at Draco.

"Didn't she say she wants to go?" Draco stood up as well, indifferent to Blaise about to throw a tantrum.

"But I'm irresistible! And they're the Weasleys, for heaven's sake!"

Katherina threw him a mocking smile over her shoulder. "Clearly, you're not."

"What a sore loser," Draco said as he went towards their common room with Katherina.

Blaise hang his head in his hands and sighed heavily.


Author's notes:

OH, the urge to write "wOt?!" for Draco is real! I'm assuming that's how you read it, anyway, but still...

Here you go, XxBlue-ButterflyxX. You can also check out The Losing Game as these events appear in that story as well, from a different perspective.

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