"What about this? Would Hermione like this?" Harry asked, picking a book on Succubus culture from off the shelf. He showed it to his left, the being sighing.
"How am I supposed to know? She's your friend." Malfoy groaned, pinching the bridge of his bright pink nose. Harry breathed in.
"Look, if your going to be impossible, we can just go back and waste the day." Malfoy rolled his eyes, reaching up toward the top shelf, pulling a thick book with red leather binding toward them. 'Official Wandcrafter's History'. He pushed it onto Harry's chest, the air forced out of his lungs.
"You said she was a know it all, give her something not much is known about. Make her scratch her fuzzy head a little." Draco said, turning his back to the brunette. "If you could excuse me, I'm in the need for something as well."
"Don't be gone long, we have more to do!" Harry called, a groan sounding from around the corner. He placed the two books in his basket, walking toward the front desk. Being as it was Saturday, Hogsmeade was full of people, not as many as normal due to student's being gone, but enough to make Harry wish to beat the rush. The bookstore was the first place, since shopping for Hermione was most difficult. Next was the robe shop for Fleur's maternity robes, the joke shop for Ron and George to mess with, and various treats for the others. Harry knew this could make horrible gifts, especially to Fleur, but who could blame him? Harry never pocked out gifts.
"Potter, put this in the basket, too." Draco said, a book with a black velvet cover extended in his hand. Harry grabbed it, snorting slightly.
"'Poetry Through the Ages.', Malfoy? Didn't think of you as such a pansy." Harry teased, a punching in the arm making him flinch.
"I'm sorry for showing interest in something other than kicking your sorry arse." Malfoy drawled, reaching to ring the bell on the counter. A feeble woman came from behind a curtain, her face brightening at the sight of them.
"Draco, dearest! 'Ow 'ave you been doin'?" the woman said, shuffling toward the register. Harry tried not to laugh, her speech like that of Jamaican native.
"Very well, Evelyn. As beautiful as ever, I see." Draco complimented, his face smiling brightly. The elder blushed.
"What brings you 'ere? Anothe' poetry book?" she said, taking the three books from the basket.
"Yes, I'm afraid. I finish last week's purchase yesterday and wished for another."
"Who is this chou 'ave wit you?" Evelyn asked, tapping the covers with her wand.
"Nice to meet you ma'am. I'm Harry Potter." Harry said kindly, nodding in her direction. She blushed again, carefully packing the books into a paper bag.
"Alrighty, boys. That'll be two Galleons. 'ave a good day." Harry placed the coins on the counter, Draco grabbing the bag as he said his last goodbyes. They stepped out into the nipping storefront, Harry instantly shivering.
"Robe shop next, correct?" Draco asked dully.
"Yeah. I need to get maternity robes and whatever else could pass as a gift." Draco gave him a shocked look.
"Did you knock some poor girl up?" he asked, his voice nothing but sarcasm.
"Oh, ha ha. It for Fleur. Her and Bill are having their first child." Harry said, staring their walk toward the shop. Malfoy cocked an eyebrow.
"Fleur? That hot French chick you faced in the Triwizard Tournament?"
"Yeah. She married Bill Weasley two years ago. Their wedding was interrupted by a Death Eater raid. I was forced to leave." Harry said sadly, quickly trying to change his mood. "Anyway, baby number one is on the way, and I want to get her something nice for ruining her wedding. They plan for it to be born in June."
"You didn't ruin her wedding. You-Know-Who did." Draco said, turning to open the robe shop's door handle. A bell chimed, a blur of purple sparkle hitting their eyes.
"Ello boys! Today's promotion: Everything with a purple tag is half off!" the clerk said preppy, walking away with a swift of her skirt.
"I hate it here." Draco mumbled. "Come on, lets get this over with." Harry followed as they went toward the woman's area, scanning for baggy-looking robes.
"Her favorite color is baby blue, so lets try to stay to stay towards that." Harry commented, reading signed leading further into the store.
"There the blasted things are." Draco exclaimed, grabbing Harry's wrist as he marched toward a window. The plaque above said 'Maternity', just what they were looking for.
"Okay, so baby robes for a blonde French woman in her second trimester of pregnancy. I expect she's showing, so we're looking for something with growing room. Is she one of those happy pregnant women?" Draco asked, looking through the more fancy robes.
"I guess. She is moody, but happy none the less. Radiating actually." Harry said, scratching his head. Draco nodded, tugging three robes, baby blue, purple, and dark maroon, from the rack, holding them in front of Harry.
"I need you to hold these." He took his wand from his pocket, muttering a Transfiguration spell. Harry watched as he morphed, the exact replica of a baby-filled Fleur in front of him.
"What do you think your doing?" Harry asked, his eyes gaping wide.
"I am trying on ze robe wizout 'aving to guess 'er zize." Draco-Fleur said, the accent making Harry's ears hurt. Draco took the blue one, draping it over his shoulders. "You are right, Pottare, baby bloo does fit 'er." Harry giggled through his fingers, watching as the he-she continued trying on robes, one after another. A pink one, a black one, one that resembled something Hagrid would wear. It concluded with the first three they selected, Draco transfiguring back into himself.
"God, I love being a woman sometimes. So much more entertaining to shop for."
"Huh? How?" Harry asked, laughing slightly.
"Do you realize how huge Fleur's tits are? I could not stop honking them! Bill is lucky he jumped on her hobby horse before some other loser." Draco admitted, grabbing the bag from of the cashier counter.
"So your a tits guy?" Harry said, his voice disappointed. Draco snorted.
"Please, you sound as if you think I'm straight." Draco said with a sneer, expecting an insult in return. Harry stopped dead in his tracks, Draco looking his way.
"Your gay." Potter said, more of a statement than a question. Malfoy clapped slowly, his face radiating with sarcasm.
"Good job, Potter, it's not like I avoid girls and dated Zabini for three years or anything." Draco said, waving his arms dramatically. Harry smiled wide, running to catch up with the blonde.
"Well, I guess that's one thing we have in common." Draco looked at him with disbelief.
"Hold on, your gay?" Draco asked, adjusting the bag handle pinching his palm.
"I didn't find out until recently. Cho kinda helped me discover it." Harry said, blushing a deep shade of red. Draco sneezed, rubbing his nose with his sleeve. Harry looked at him with care, noting the redness of his nose. "Do you still have a cold?"
"Slightly. My nose is still clogged."
"And bright red." Draco blushed, turning away.
"Don't mention it! It's humiliating!" Draco said, covering his face with his hands. Harry laughed, reaching to pry the mittened hand's away from Malfoy's face.
"No it's not. It's normal for your nose to be red in the winter. I hate to admit it, but your kinda cute with your nose like that." Harry said, cupping Draco's face. The blonde flinched away, turning his head toward the other side of the street.
"L-lets just go to our next stop." he mumbled.
"The candy store for Ron, Ginny, and Teddy. Then I'm finished." Harry said, continuing their walk down the snowy cobblestone. "This'll be the easiest, you honestly don't even need to come in."
"I am coming in. Maybe I wish to buy something. Like chocolate frogs or strawberry whips." Draco said as they turned another street corner. "I'd prefer lunch before that, though. If I remember correctly, I was promised a lunch paid by you, Potter. I want to go to Three Broomsticks, make it happen." Harry looked at his watch. 11:47.
"Alright, Malfoy, but on one condition." Harry said shoving all the bags he carried in Draco's path. "You carry the rest of the bags."
"That wasn't part of the deal, Potter!" Draco yelled, stomping his foot in the snow. Harry shrugged his shoulders, Draco's slumping. "Why me?"
"Payback for throwing the book at me." Harry said, motioning for the blonde to take the bags. Draco groaned, taking the other handles into his already full hands. He mumbled to himself, wallowing in melodramatic self pity. They trudged across the street, the warmth of the restaurant inviting. They stepping inside, Harry's glasses fogging at the new heat. Draco moved toward a far booth, his normal seat Harry knew.
"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to help me pry these blasted strings from my fingers?" Draco snapped, tossing his hair to the side with a casual head jerk. Harry nodded, taking the sacks from the left hand, setting them on the ground under the table. Draco continued muttering, pealing the jacket he wore from his shoulders, a tight black long sleeve tee shirt covering his chest. Harry stared as he moved, the muscles under the material seeming to call him. He sighed, his own thoughts sending him into distress. Damn Cho and her horribly brilliant mind to hell.
They sat at the same time, Harry then removing his own coat. He could feel eyes burning into his body, trying not to look at the source until the clothing was settled. He turned to face the table, Harry and Draco's eyes meeting instantly. They continued for what seemed like hours, both of them trying to refrain from blinking.
"What can I get for you boys? Butterbeer?" the waitress asked, her voice causing Harry to jump.
"Oh, yeah." he stammered.
"And two roast beef sandwiches please." Draco said confidently, smiling at the woman. She wrote the orders down, walking back into the kitchen. Draco placed his elbow on the table, his head leaning in his hand. Harry watched as he stared out the window, blushing slightly when he moved a strand of blonde hair behind his ear.
"I'd prefer if you stopped staring, Potter. It's starting to get annoying." Draco said, keeping his eyes outside the window.
"I'm not staring." Harry said, his voice shaky and high. Draco rolled his eyes.
"Your horrible at lying. Honestly, it's no wonder your in detention all the time." Malfoy looked at Harry intently, scanning his face. "Not only do you blush, but your left eyebrow twitches." Harry covered his eye, ashamed.
"Oh, and your some master at lying?" Harry asked.
"Of course. Try me. Ask me anything, and you won't be able to tell if I was lying or not." Draco dared as their butterbeer was placed in front of them.
"Um... What's your favorite color?" Harry asked, shrugging his shoulders.
"Evergreen. Honestly Potter, ask something meaningful. Not that kindergarden crap." Draco said, smirking. "Ask me something I'd want to lie about."
"How am I supposed to do that?" Harry asked, knocking his head back to gulp half of his butterbeer. Draco sighed.
"Depends on what you want to know. Ask me anything. My past, my relationships, anything." Draco sipped his own butterbeer, licking away the mustache left behind.
"Fine. Relationships, how many and how intimate?" Harry said, trying to extend the conversation. "You said something earlier about Zabini."
"Trust me, he wasn't the first. Before him was Callon in Hufflepuff, then another Slytherin named Riley, then a Ravenclaw named Finn. After all of that, I settled with Blaise up until a year ago, when Pansy finally caught his eye. I hate having to break up with people, so when he ditched me for Pansy, I felt free." Draco explained. "All I wanted in each relationship was sex, nothing more." Harry stared him in the eye, looking for any sign of a fib. Malfoy's face remained solid, no flinch or movement in any facial feature.
"I give up. Which part were you lying about?" Harry asked, flopping his back against the cushioned booth. Draco laughed.
"The lie is staring you in the face. Even a dunderhead like you could guess it." Draco sneered, bringing his napkin to his pink nose to muffle another sneeze. "Think about it."
"Was it one it one of the people you dated?" Harry asked, clueless.
"No." Draco said.
"About Zabini leaving you for Parkinson?" Harry guessed again, his voice quiet and uneven.
"No, that's true."
"Then what else is there?" Harry said, throwing his hand's in the air.
"The sex, Potter! I don't just want a person who want's me physically, I want a loving person who makes me happy, sad, angry, and would love me if I wasn't me." Malfoy said, rubbing his temples. He paused a moment, breathing in deeply. "I wish for a happy relationship that will last, not just be a fling with someone who only wants to say they got in bed with a Malfoy. Someone that will honor what we have and not kick me out for the next best thing."
"I never thought of you as a hopeless romantic. You were such a cold arse to me back in the day I never would have guessed." Harry teased, smiling. Draco looked at him with disbelief.
"You cannot tell me you don't want the exact same thing. I know about you and Creevy."
"Of course I want that! Not sure I'm ready for it though. I'm sure that special person come one day, sooner or later." Harry said, watching as Malfoy's emotion thickened.
"So your just sitting here waiting for a miracle? It may be Christmas, but that doesn't mean some sexy hunk of a man with a bleeding heart will just show up with a bow over his dick, waiting for you to 'open' him." Harry raised his eyebrows.
"That's quite the imagination." Harry commented, sexual images tracing his mind. Imaged of a naked Malfoy, blushing and ready for him under the Christmas tree. The real Draco blushed, his guard dropping.
"Shut up." he whispered, plates clacking in front of them, two roast beef sandwiches, and refills on butterbeer being placed on the table. The two ate in silence, the tension rising yet again. Harry watched as he ate, his temples pulsing with every bite.
"What are you planning for Christmas?" Malfoy asked, dapping his mouth with a fresh napkin.
"Excuse me?" Harry asked, his thoughts breaking in his brain.
"Christmas? What are you doing?" Draco asked again. Harry shrugged.
"Same as every year. Open gifts, give gifts, put them away, hang with whoever is here, go to diner with the staff, and then spend the rest of my night alone." Harry said, biting a bit of crust he pulled from the bread earlier.
"Who are you giving gifts to?" Draco questioned.
"The Weasley family, Hermione, Cho, Moganogal, and someone I'm not prepared to tell you about." Harry said. "Well, the gift for that person isn't really a gift, more like a reuniting. This person hasn't had contact with his parent for months, so the parent and I have been talking, and they're coming to Hogwarts on Christmas."
"This person a crush of yours?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow. Harry could feel his cheeks blush.
"So what if he is? It's not like I planned for they're parent to come, she's coming on her own accord."
"So your crush is a man, and the parent is a woman." Harry choked.
"I didn't say that!" Harry yelled, his voice cracking. Malfoy laughed into his hand, Harry finding the sound rather cute.
"You used pronouns, you dunderhead! He for the crush, she for the parent. It's like your talking about me or something!" Draco continued laughing, Harry faking a smile. The blonde sighed deeply, drinking more butterbeer. "I think you were right, Potter. It is easy to talk to you."
"Is it?" Harry asked, still pink.
"It really is. I always thought of you as a self centered wanker with a hero complex, but only one third of my thinking is correct."
"Which part was right?" The brunette as the wheels in Draco's head turned.
"The fact your a wanker."
"Hey!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry unloaded the bags by his bed, flexing the red striped hands. Draco did the same, groaning.
"Honestly, Potter. Three bags of candy?" Draco said sarcastically, bending down to fish through the largest of the bags. Harry had to force himself to look away from the curve of his arse through the cloak's masking fabric.
"Stop complaining. I bought you a shit ton of gummy mushrooms." Harry said, tugging his cloak from off his shoulders. Draco stood up again, a large bag of multicolored shrooms in his hand.
"And I thank you for that, but if you please excuse me, I'm going to the hollow. I haven't visited Tink and the other fairies in a day, I don't plan to stop now." Draco pulled his cloak tighter around his person, swapping his soaked scarf for a dry one. "Please don't follow me this time!"
"Wouldn't dream on it!" Harry yelled as the blonde exited. No sooner did he leave, Cho charged in, a purple notepad and self inking quill in hand.
"Okay, what did you learn?" she asked, the door slamming shut.
"You were right, I am undeniably homosexual." Harry said, plopping back onto the red sheets. Cho rolled her almond eyes.
"I meant about Malfoy. His liked, dislikes, you know!" She sat down on the bed, crossing her pajama clad legs. Harry thought for a moment, wondering what to say.
"He's a poetry geek, likes those gummy mushroom things, and tends to stare at this one ring with a sapphire in the middle at that jewelry store you mentioned. He likes Muggle rock music, which scared me, and wishes to one day live a happy gay life. He hates Gryffindor house, which is a given, and he has some fascination with woman's underwear."
"Slow down, Harry, I can only write so fast." Cho pleaded, her quill scribbling on the pad. Harry watched as the feather swished.
"One more thing. He really likes the fairies in the pine trees. They make him smile." Harry said, remembering the hoard of lights following them to the dorm room not five minutes earlier.
"Okay, I think I know exactly how you can woo him." Cho said, circling certain words. "buy the ring, wear the panties, and bring the fairies. These are your keys to his heart."
"Why the panties? Can we skip that?" Harry moaned. Cho shook her head.
"Nope. Got to wear them. Don't worry, I have a really cute dark green pair with black lace you can borrow. I haven't worn them since Ashley left for winter holidays." Cho explained, smiling devilishly.
"For all that is magic." the brunette groaned.
"Stop whining, Harry. At least your not wearing the entire outfit. It comes with a matching corset, and I don't know if you have the balls to wear that." Harry kicked her knee, making her laugh slightly.
"I'll wear it, just to prove to you I do have balls!" Harry said scowling at her smiling face.
"I knew you would." She looked back at her pad, studying the words. "I think we should execute the plan on Christmas Eve, so not only is it romantic, but just in time for Naricissa to arrive. Malfoy'll end up with not only his mother back, but the ring which you will by as a wooing gift, and a 'ready for action' Scarhead. It's a three item set!" Cho said excitedly.
"I'm not an item!" Harry said, sitting up onto his elbows. Cho cocked an eyebrow.
"Come now, Harry, is this really the time to discuss such a trivial subject?" Cho said, eyeing the brunette jokingly.
"Fine, just go get the corset and see if it fits. I need to wrap these gifts and owl them to the Burrow." Harry said, watching as the girl bounced off the bed humming to herself.
"Don't think of backing out now! You've put out, time to take what's coming to you!" Cho called from the bottom of the stairs. Harry snorted, pulling his legs over the bed.
"I don't plan to!"