Part 2 is here! Review responses:
Ayakia Naru : Yeah, thanks a lot. You know the challenge doesn't apply to beta readers anyway...
Hmm.-I-Wonder : Here's part 2 for you. Thank you for submitting your guess.
So, um, yeah. Thanks again to those who reviewed. Hope you enjoy this chapter, in which the ever interesting Ghost of Christmas Past makes its appearance to our dear Mr. Malfoy.
Part II
"Twas the night before Christmas…" Draco thought as he snuck out of the Slytherin common room later that night. As he came upon the gargoyle that guarded the door to the Headmaster's office, he realized he did not know the password. Scowling, he approached it anyway, and proceeded to try everything he could think of to get it to open.
"Chocolate Frogs? Oh come on! You're on a card! What about pepper imps? Sugar quill? Pumpkin Pasty? Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans? Drooble's Best Blowing Gum?" and so on and so forth. Finally getting tired of naming sweets off the top of his head, he got very angry and grumbled sarcastically, "Oh, for the love of Christmas!" and was surprised when the gargoyle jumped aside to let him in. Blinking rapidly, he walked up the spiral staircase and into the office.
Immediately, a broad grin spread across his face. This was going to be fun. But, before he could make one move toward one of the shiny silvery objects on the spindle-legged tables all over the place, there was a very familiar voice near him.
"The Headmaster's not in at the moment…but I can take a message." Draco looked around, startled. As his eyes traveled along the walls, they rested on a patched and frayed old hat on a shelf in the corner. "Unless it's something I can help you with?"
"No." Malfoy snapped, turning away from the Sorting Hat. "Just leave me alone."
"You're troubled, young Malfoy," the hat said. "What is it?"
"I thought you could see everything in my head?" Draco mocked, turning again to face the hat.
"Yes, but I have to be on your head for it to work properly," it answered, leaning forward off the shelf…and tumbling straight onto Draco's head. After a moment, it continued. "Ah…I see now. I'll help you with your holiday humbugs, Draco."
"How can you help me?" he asked, ripping the hat off his head. "You're just a stupid old hat!"
"That may be, but I can still give you this warning." Draco rolled his eyes and stuffed the Sorting Hat back on its shelf. The Slytherin Prince proceeded to once again make his way toward the weird silver objects, deciding that they would be the first things to go, and ignoring the hat entirely.
He had just raised one arm to knock the nearest object to the ground when the hat spoke again. "I once knew a student who was just like you. She was completely oblivious to her surroundings, and hated the holidays."
"I'm not oblivious!" Draco spat. "I've memorized every detail of my shortcuts and my common room!"
"Ah, a literal thinker. I think I can help you."
"You've said that before, and you keep talking!"
"Go back to your common room, Mr. Malfoy, and wait," the Sorting Hat instructed.
"Wait? For what?" the young Malfoy asked.
"You'll be visited. You have to wait for your guests. It's bad form to come in after they've arrived."
"That was vague," Draco said, but left Dumbledore's office and returned to the Slytherin dorms.
XxXxXxXxXxX
The clock on the mantle showed the time to be ten minutes to midnight. Its face stared mockingly at Draco. The blonde Slytherin sat slumped on the velvet green couch and stared moodily into the fire. The guests the Sorting Hat had said would come had not shown so much as a thread of a cloak.
"Stupid Sorting Hat," he grumbled. "Doesn't know what it's saying…no one's coming." He chanced a look at the clock. Five to midnight. Yawning, he closed his eyes and was asleep in seconds.
What seemed like hours later, the soft tinkling chime of the clock rang like a gong in the still and silent common room. And still, Draco Malfoy slept. That is, until he heard a somewhat familiar voice sounded in his ear.
"Master Draco! Master Draco! Wake up! Dobby has things to show Master!" Draco waved his hand in dismissal at the voice.
"Go away. I want to sleep!"
"But Dobby cannot let Master Draco sleep! Dobby has things to show Master!" Then, Draco's silver eyes shot open. Only one word of what the voice was saying penetrated his sleepy brain.
"Dobby? As in Dobby the House-elf that we used to own, but stupid Potter set free?"
"Yes! I is Dobby the House-elf! And Harry Potter is not stupid! Now up! Dobby has things to show you!" the house elf said, pulling on Draco's hand to get him up.
"What could you possibly have to show me? What are you doing here, anyway?" Malfoy said, pulling his hand away from the tiny creature and crossing his arms.
"Dobby works in the kitchens! But that is not important! Come on!" Dobby grabbed Draco's robes and pulled him close to the fire.
"You have got to be kidding me," the young heir muttered as the house-elf snapped his fingers and the fire instantly turned green.
"Come on! Dobby is not kidding!" the creature said, stepping into the green flames and pulling his former master in with him. "Seven!"
Before Draco could ask why Dobby had said 'seven', they started spinning around. After a few moments, Dobby jumped out and Draco fell face first onto a hearth. A very familiar hearth.
Where is he? What is he doing there? It's your job to answer. Sumbit your guess to the Christmas Carol Challenge and get a random Christmas present...even if you're not right. P.S. Reviews make updates go faster...