Harry:

Aunt Petunia was no slouch when it came to pulling together an elaborate and decadent Christmas party; she would cook a meal you would be glad to have leftovers of for as long as they would last in a house with Dudley and Uncle Vernon, and she always decorated the her house to the highest calibre of festivities. Harry had also been party to Kurt's catered lunch the year before but this event was something like he had never seen before in his relatively short life. Today, Harry had seen how the sausage was made and it had changed how he saw parties for the rest of his life; the Weasleys had put together a Christmas party intended to rebuttal Kurt's soiree the previous year.

A large tent had been erected in the field next to the burrow with the centre mast being replaced with a large pine tree, decorations had been prepared to the finest detail, Mrs Weasley was preparing a menu of foods she had been complaining about for the better part of the morning, and everyone was hard at work- everyone except for one person, Kurt had been instructed to pamper himself and get drunk on champagne. Keeping the trains running on time was Fleur Delacour; she had been up in the wee hours of the morning and had put them all to work. She was not a merciful supervisor and was almost as finicky as Kurt was, maybe he had been asked who should take his place at the helm because it was clear to Harry that their similarities did not end with their rosy complexion or speaking French.

After a long day of work- he had been helping Hipster Weasley decorate the tree, a task neither of them seemed to have the eye for. Harry was dressed in his Christmas sweater as he followed Kurt into the tent to see the finished product for the first time. Like the Hudson-Hummel house, the decorations were almost exclusively white but the underlying theme was different; this seemed like something more exotic.

Harry took his seat opposite Kurt, between Ron and an unknown, rotund man. Kurt looked impressed by their work, whether that meant that he thought of their work as good or simply that it was better than what he thought them capable of was unclear. He had complemented the décor and had leaned over his neighbours to thank everyone. He sipped his champagne and chatted animatedly to the people around him, Harry didn't seem able to keep up with the conversation at the table- Tonks was still in the same funk she'd been in since Sirius died.

"How are we this evening?" the man beside him spoke.

"Very well, thank you," he nodded, extending an inviting hand, "Harry Potter, and how are you?"

"Well, as well as one can be these days I suppose," the man's smile was like a thousand and one hugs, putting all of Harry's fears to rest, "Ted Tonks."

"This is my dad," Tonks explained, she seemed to glare from her mother to Kurt's direction, "You remember my mum?"

"Andromeda," Harry nodded, "How lovely to see you again, have you been well?"

"I think Ted said it best," she sipped her champagne and Harry wondered where his champagne was. She gestured in Kurt's direction, "do you have any idea why we're celebrating your friend?"

"No," he shook his head, "I was woken this morning and put to work with little to no explanation. I suppose it could be because he had the Weasleys over last year, his family went into hiding this year and so I think they didn't want him to be alone."

"Oh," Andromeda glared at her husband, he refused to meet her gaze, "his family is in hiding because there is a recently resurrected mad man who would seek to persecute them? Or possibly their crazed in laws who would relish the opportunity to prune their family tree?"

"Dromeda," his voice was soothing but her gaze continued to burn a hole into the back of his skull.

"They aren't publicly working as the Head of the Muggle Liaison Office?"

"What kind of example would I be setting for Dora if I ran at the first sign of danger?" the man turned to his wife and held her hand, "I could never live with that kind of cowardice if I taught my daughter to run at the first sign of trouble."

Harry could hear an imaginary Kurt rolling his eyes and muttering 'Gryffindor' under his breath in the back of his mind, the real Kurt did not weigh in because he was too engrossed in his conversation with Lupin, Charlie, Ron featuring a standing Fred and George- something wasn't right about that picture.

Andromeda shook her head, "Other than encouraging your daughter to go with you… do you want to die? Leave me alone?"

"Never."

"I'll be the Second Widow Black," she smirked, "children will tell scary stories about me."

Harry felt like he was intruding on an intimate moment, he turned to the other end of the table to find Kurt climbing over Charlie as George held a blue and white box just out of reach. Kurt got a hold of the gift and smirked victoriously, "What'd you get me from Tiffany & Co?"

"Where?" they all looked confused but none more than Kurt when opened the box and it sighed with pleasure, George attempted to salvage the moment with a kiss on the cheek, "Surprise!"

"What is going on?" Kurt furrowed his brow.

Fred knelt to Kurt's level, "On multiple occasions we have seen you open boxes just like this one and gasp with joy."

"So," Ron grinned, "And so we thought, what if the box was happy to see you instead?"

"We can't guarantee who thought of it," George raised his hands in surrender.

Fred leaned forward, "But we can make you certain guarantees as the manufacturers."

"It'll always be as happy to see you as we are," they chorused.

"It's like a puppy without the cost or responsibility," Kurt gushed, "I love it."

Charlie chuckled, "he's just being nice, the box usually has diamonds."

"This is better than diamonds," Kurt shoved the older boy, "neither have any intrinsic value but the value given to this box isn't set by society but by the thought that went into making this gift."

Lupin leaned forward and opened Kurt's hand, placing an indistinguishable coin or pin in his hand and closing Kurt's hand slowly, "Merry Christmas."

~0~

Harry cozied up to Kurt and smiled bashfully, "What is it?"

"What would you say if I told you that I needed your help?" Harry batted his lashes innocently.

Kurt shut his Alchemy textbook, "I would pretend to be shocked." He switched to the seat opposite and leaned forward in his new seat, "then I would ask you how you screwed the pooch this time."

"Why would you think it would be me?" the boy gaped at him, "Why not Ron?"

Kurt smirked, "Ron has been well behaved for the larger part of a year."

Harry seemed to mull over what he was being told, then the lights came on in his mind, "He has, hasn't he." He scrunched up his face, "Why is that?"

"He must have outgrown whatever was holding him back from being his true self," Kurt shrugged, Harry suspected that there was something that the other boy wasn't telling him but chose not to press the issue.

The boy who lived narrowed his gaze, "is that a dig at how short I am?"

"No, Honey no," Kurt shook his head, he took a swig from his hip flask, "Not everything is about you." He held it out to Harry, who took a cautious sip and smiled as the warm brown liquid went cascading down his throat, "how can I help you?"

"You were right about Slughorn," Harry hung his head in shame, "I pushed all the wrong buttons and now he won't talk to me."

"The plan was floored," Kurt placed a reassuring hand on Harry's knee, "it wasn't your fault, just blame Professor Dumbledore."

"That seems like a cop out," Harry shook his head, "I'm the one who heard your warning and actively chose to ignore it. The events played out exactly as you said they would," he grinned malevolently, "are you gifted with the third sight?"

"No," Kurt chuckled, "I'm also not in the beyond, nor is my aura pulsing."

"Pity," Harry shrugged, a wag of his brow hinting at his meaning.

Kurt gaped at him, "Harry James Potter!"

"What?"

Kurt glared at him, "You completely failed to deliver that joke, you're supposed to make a reference to throbbing before making it sexual."

"Wow," Harry scoffed, "what got up your ass?"

"Do you want a list?" Kurt challenged.

"Okay," Harry chuckled as he took another swig from the flask, "that was a good one." He eyed the hip flask suspiciously, "this never seems to get empty."

"Bottomless extension charm," Kurt smirked.

"I can see a bottom from here," Harry countered, extending his index finger in Kurt's direction.

"Okay, Fuck you!" Kurt growled, "There's nothing wrong with being on the bottom, I am sure I will love it and it will be the most fulfilling thing I ever do! So I will not be shamed, my refusal to be shamed does not give you the right to speak so freely of my potential sexual exploits." Kurt got to his feet and snatched his hipflask back, "Please get out of my compartment."

"I'm sorry," Harry pulled Kurt down into the seat beside him, "I'm sorry Kurt. I'm sorry you're a virgin who's chance to finish first was taken by Lord Voldemort."

"You're just pushing your luck today," Kurt scoffed.

He shrugged innocently, "Sorry, I got carried away."

"It's almost like you've forgotten that I know a curse that can break all your bones," Kurt shook his head.

"I remember," Harry swallowed loudly, "Hipster Weasley told us about how he saw you using it on Rebastan."

"And that was entry level usage," Kurt let a small threat creep into his voice and Harry's joints ached.

"We let ourselves get side tracked," Harry shook off the ominous air that filled the train car, "How do I fix things with Slughorn?"

"You need an in road," Kurt nodded to himself, "Come to him with your natural curiosities and an apology."

"My natural curiosities?"

"Tell him that you're curious because he killed your parents," Kurt explained, the eyeroll audible in his voice, "remind him that he is the only person you can ask because Professor Dumbledore has an agenda and Hagrid has too much anger."

Harry nodded his head in understanding, "You want me to manipulate him?"

"How far have you gotten without manipulating anyone?" Kurt quirked a curious brow, "whenever I've been ahead, it has been because I manipulated someone into helping push me forward."

"How do we push forward?"

Kurt smirked, "let's co-ordinate dates and get this over with."

"I thought you were working on your own thing," Harry smirked.

Kurt pursed his lips, "I am open to the possibility of being wrong."

"What's the plan?" Harry nodded to himself as he spoke.

"You show up while I'm consulting," Kurt smiled to himself, "you make nice, I ask the hard questions."

"That easy?"

"No," Kurt shook his head, "the tone has to be perfect, the questions worded ever so delicately and Professor Slughorn in the optimum mood."

"It's starting to sound less easy," he swallowed heavily.

"I want something from you in return," Kurt grabbed Harry's hand in both of his and started to emanate warmth, "I want a promise."

"You, want something from me?" Harry furrowed his brow, "what is it?"

"I want you to help me save Draco," Kurt whispered the words but they sounded like shouts in Harry's mind.

"You…" Harry shook his head in an attempt to clear the fog, "what?"

Kurt took a deep breath, "Draco has been painted into a corner by his father's actions, he never stood a chance at being one of the good guys." Kurt slowly let out what was left of the breath, "if it has come to him taking the dark mark and completing this mission for the dark lord in an effort to rehabilitate his family's image then the price is too high."

"You want to talk about prices being too high," Harry shook his head, "Do you have any idea what it is they want Draco to do?"

Kurt nodded, "And Professor Snape has made the unbreakable vow in his capacity as a spy for the same reason I am asking you to help me."

"You would let Professor Dumbledore die?"

"I would kill him myself if Professor Snape's loyalties were to prevent him from following through," Kurt admitted, his breath choppy. He took a deep steadying breath, "he's dying."

"What?"

"You've seen his hand getting worse but refused to accept that it would kill him," Kurt shook his head hopelessly.

"No," Harry mirrored Kurt's body language, "there must be something you can do."

"That he's lived this long is a testament to all we have done," Kurt countered as tears filled Harry's eyes.

He hugged himself and let his tears fall, "I can't believe it."

"You've seen him grow frail, you know it is inevitable," Kurt threw his arms over him, "let's have some good come out of his death." As Kurt held him, his tears dried and his breathing levelled, "It is literally his dying wish."

"Is this because Draco is a child or because he's your…" Harry let the words hang in the air but Kurt was not picking up what he was putting down, "your family. Is it because you're family?"

Kurt shook his head, "Draco isn't my family, none of them are." Kurt gave a small and weathered smile, "aren't his youth and innocence enough?"

"Is he though," Harry contorted his face questioningly, "innocent, that is."

Kurt nodded, "right now he's innocent enough."

Harry nodded to himself, "can I ask you an unrelated question?"

"I don't know if I should be afraid."

"If I'm out of line, you can punch me in the face."

Kurt furrowed his brow, "there is like a seventy percent chance I will punch you in the face."

"I'm going to take that risk," Harry nodded to himself.

"Your funeral," Kurt shrugged, "I look forward to punching you in the face."

"So," Harry took a deep and steadying breath, "if this Dusty Trains Guy has green eyes, and it isn't me because I have written you zero letters." He took a deep breath, "based on your behaviour on Christmas, is it Lupin?"

~0~

Hermione:

Hermione was waiting to greet Kurt, Harry and Ron in the castle foyer, "Why is Harry covered in blood?"

"Because I'm an idiot and I deserve it," Harry nodded to himself, "And I need to be punished for a little bit longer before I can fix it."

She gaped at him as he walked away, "what happened?"

"Damned if I know," Ron shrugged, "I left him with Kurt and when I returned he was bleeding." He eyed Kurt cautiously, "not that I'm implying that Kurt had anything to do with it."

"I punched him," Kurt admitted with a dismissive shrug, "we made a deal."

"What kind of deal ends with one of your better friends bleeding?" she heard herself scolding.

Kurt rolled his eyes, "Harry came up with the terms."

"Were the terms fair?" she asked, he glared at her and she knew the question had been unfair, "Sorry, I'm getting the feeling that this is how Harry got punched."

"He wanted to ask a question," Kurt led her down the stairs to the Slytherin Dungeon, "and his question was about Green Eyes?"

"What about him?" she gushed.

"He had formulated a theory," Kurt shrugged, he recited the Slytherin Dungeon password, "he wanted to test its veracity in a winner takes all bet."

"That stupid fool," she shook her head.

"Harry or Ron?" Tracey smirked as she and Pansy joined Kurt and Hermione on the walk down the boys' corridor to his room.

"Dare I say," Pansy spat to ward off evil spirits, "Weasley has been behaving his year."

Kurt nodded, "it was Harry."

"Is this why he was bleeding?" she smirked.

Hermione nodded her head, "Kurt punched him for being less than decorous."

"I want you all to know that this comes from the least evil morsel of my being," Pansy threw herself on Kurt's bed, "but YASSSSSSS QUEEN!"

Hermione was perplexed by Pansy's response, "You don't want to hear what Harry said?"

She shook her head, "I don't know what Draco said to you but I know he deserved it because Kurt administers deserved-punishment, I learned that the hard way."

"I want to hear the whole story," Tracey admitted.

Kurt caught them up to as much as Hermione knew, "his preamble was fine, but it left him vulnerable."

"What was the question?" Tracey demanded, before Hermione could form the words in her throat, "tell us."

Kurt shook his head, "he asked me if Remus Lupin was the love of my life."

"Professor Lupin?" they all chorused.

Kurt nodded, "The very same one who tried to give me a 'B' in third year."

Pansy shook her head, "he was cute, old cute like… Dennis Quaid, not like Robert De Niro."

"Good to know that Dzaddy transcends magical abilities," Kurt smirked. Hermione had to swat Kurt, reminding him to behave himself.

Tracey guffawed loudly, "he took one characteristic and he ran with it."

"Clearly," Kurt shook as if he had bugs on him, "The man tried to give me a B!"

"Hallelujah for the industrious mind of Kurt Elizabeth Hummel," Hermione shook her head, "or where would we be?"

"Hallelujah," Pansy echoed. Everyone eyed her suspiciously, "I go after Lily Moon, she's afraid of rats. Everyone is afraid of rats…" her gaze lingered on her and Kurt, "Sorry."

Kurt aggressively nodded his head, "when I first encountered Ron's rat I acted strong because I thought it was a cultural thing."

"Same," Hermione nodded.

Pansy contorted her face like the she had tasted a sour lemon, "Are you that student?" Kurt's mouth fell open, "I'm not judging, I hear Helena Ravenclaw was that student with Salazar Slytherin."

"Salazar Slytherin was her father," Kurt snapped.

"Messy," Tracey shook her head, "That is some white bullshit."

Kurt shook his head, "It wasn't both, he was just her father."

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes, her next words were under her breath, "still sounds white to me."

Pansy spoke before Kurt or she could formulate a response, "Back to the matter at hand, who is Green Eyes?" her grin grew wider, "Gosh, that rolls off the tongue better than 'Dusty Trains Guy'!"

"Ask Tracey," Kurt shrugged.

Hermione turned to her with disgust written all over her face, "You told her?"

"He told Neville," she corrected.

"Longbotttom?" Pansy furrowed her brow.

"When Neville calls him mother," Tracey began.

"Kurt calls him baby," Hermione completed.

Tracey shook her head, "Whenever I see how happy Mandy is, I regret turning him away."

Pansy shook her head in sync, "Neville is putting it down and I resent that Mandy is the one picking it up." She rolled her eyes, "As if I didn't hate Mandy enough."

"Mandy has it all," Hermione admitted, "We all hate her."

Kurt shook his head, "As someone else who has as much of Neville Longbottom he desires, I would like to be taken into consideration for your hatred."

Hermione shook her head, "Mandy has a different it factor-"

"Like," Pansy gave the idea some thought, "if you had behaved as a child, that would be your life." She shrugged, "it almost seems achievable to the normal person."

"Her life seems to say, 'this could be you but you playing' and then turns around laughs with its cool friends," Tracey nodded to herself as she perfectly explained the monument that was Mandy Brocklehurst.

Hermione shook her head, "You even find yourself forgiving her bitchiness." She rolled, "like what she did to Lisa at Slughorn's party."

"And their supposed to be best friends," Pansy shrugged.

"I still want what she has though," Hermione heard herself admit.

Kurt gaped at the ladies, "I have everything she has, plus I have material wealth."

"Take away that wealth," Hermione shook her head, "what do you have?"

"Great taste," Kurt shrugged, "a banging body, Intelligence-"

"Talent," Pansy added.

"Power?" Tracey challenged.

"Fame," Pansy countered.

Tracey shrugged begrudgingly before she spoke, "Beauty."

"Friends," Pansy smiled at the occupants of the room.

Hermione nodded, "Green Eyes. I guess there's a little Mandy Brocklehurst in all of us."

"And she's had, with her luck, a large Neville Longbottom in her," Pansy let out a defeated sigh.

The group turned to Kurt and Hermione found herself doing the same, he shrugged, "I'm as ambivalent as the rest of you."

"But on the topic of penises Kurt can recognise without the need for a head shot," Pansy purred.

Hermione smiled devilishly, "it's called oral, headshot doesn't make sense."

"Tracey Anne Davis," she started.

Tracey shook her head, "I actually don't have a middle name, just Tracey."

"Tracey Anne Davis," Pansy repeated, undeterred by Tracey's protestations, "under the oath of sisterhood, who is Green Eyes?"

~0~

Kurt took a long drag of his cigarette, he held the smoke in his lungs and then let it escape with his misted breath into the cold December night; snow was falling but melting on the ground. Large muscular arms wrapped themselves around Kurt's waist from behind and dry, plump lips kissed at his collarbone.

"You have guests," He whispered in Kurt's ear so that he could be heard over the howling of the wind.

Kurt smiled, "My guests can keep for a moment."

"Who is Green Eyes?"

Kurt choked on the smoke from his cigarette and detangled himself from the young man, "I beg your pardon?"

"I just want to know who this green-eyed bloke is," he stepped toward Kurt, "can I take him in a fight?" he took Kurt's hands in his own, "because I did all of this for you and it would be a tragedy if I lost you to him."

"You're being silly," Kurt pounded his fists on his muscular chest.

He shook his head, "No, I have your confession in writing, you love this Green Eyes person."

"It's you," Kurt laid his head on the young man's shoulder, "you are green eyes."

"No," he shook his head, "my eyes are blue, but thank you for considering me for the position."

Kurt couldn't help rolling his eyes, "have you seen copper oxidise?"

"I'm going to assume that is a science thing and pretend to know absolutely nothing about it."

"When you expose copper to air, over time it changes colour from orange to…" Kurt prompted.

"Blue."

"That's the difference."

"I don't follow."

"I see that as a shade of green."

"What does that have to do with the price of eggs?"

Kurt smiled, "That is the same colour as your eyes."

"Oh," he nodded, pulling Kurt into his space and laid his head on Kurt's shoulder. This moment, stolen from everyone else was perfect for no other reason than that they were together, "my eyes are still blue."

"You make me regret how I feel about you," Kurt ran his fingers through the young man's hair as he pulled himself closer to the boy.

"And how is that?" his facial fair tickled Kurt as he smirked, "You have to remind the half-wit."

"I should not have let Mandy have Neville," Kurt smiled, "If I had fallen in love with Neville Longbottom; I would have made my pureblood supremist parents just as proud, he's cuter too and he listens to me."

"It's literally not my fault that you're always wrong."

Kurt gaped, "you might be the only person who believes I am capable of being wrong." He shook his head, "this is why it's called falling, nobody does it intentionally and that is how someone as fabulous as me ended up with someone like you."

"Tonight-"

"Tonight was perfect," Kurt kissed him on the cheek, "Thank you. When I was in the moment it was almost as if they hadn't gone."

"You were still thinking about them…"

"They are my family," Kurt bowed his head, "I won't not miss them when I can neither write them nor see them, the phone call only made things worse." Kurt melted into the muscular arms that held him up right, "You know I usually go for guys who are taller than me."

"I am nothing like what you usually go for," he smirked.

"Gryffindor," Kurt shook his head, "How the mighty have fallen."

"Well, I got you a gift."

Kurt smirked, "As I kind of expected you to, the only doubts I had were routed in your ineptitude."

"Remind me again why I love you?" he furrowed his brow as he produced a box identical to the one Fred and George had gifted him.

"Because-" levelled his face with the man's and kissed him deeply for the first time, "I don't know why you love me but I'm glad that you do."

"Because you are completely your own," Kurt opened the box, "the only person under forty I know who wears brooches." He kissed him again as his eyes feasted on the silver dragon brooch with wide webbed wings, "not quite a serpent but not a bird either, unique."

Kurt sobbed, "Oh, Charles."

"Don't cry," he smiled, kissing the tears away like his father had done when Kurt had been a child; Kurt had never told anyone about that eccentricity. Charlie held his hands and gestured to the tattoo on his shoulder, "I'm crazy for dragons."

"I know," Kurt took a deep breath, "For so long, I've associated my feelings for you with guilt and I have revelled in the lack of reciprocity; it let me hate that I loved you but-"

"None of that matters now."

"I…" Kurt took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, "I was wretched because I couldn't help feeling guilty because of the relief I felt for a split second when Cedric died." A dark silence enveloped them, "at first sight I knew you would be significant in my life and I tried to push it away because Cedric was my great love. The more I knew you the more I realised that at some point I might need to break up with my perfect boyfriend for the mess that is you."

Kurt shook his head, "But if I hated you, I could stay with the boy whom I loved." Kurt took a deep breath, "After Cedric died, I tried to clog the hole with everyone and anyone but you…"

"It's okay," he smiled, "I made it out on the other end, don't you think I've struggled with this too."

"I remember almost biting Hermione's head off because I learned she had made out with a Weasley," Kurt admitted, "I would have been devastated if it had been you."

Charlie grinned, "Neither of us said anything because it would be easier if we didn't have to face rejection."

"I was afraid," Kurt buried his face in his hands.

Charlie gently pried his hands away from his face, "we both were but we've found our way to each other, the road that brought us here barely matters when you consider that we might die tomorrow."

Kurt pulled the young man in for a kiss and allowed himself to truly melt into the kiss, "I love you Hipster Weasley."

Hope you like it, reviews are love.