I'm sorry it's so late...I meant to write more, really I did, but then the fact that I'm a lazy cow took over...(plus, I was mourning the final episode of Merlin for at least a week. I'm still not entirely over it.)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! My resolution for 2013 is to finish this story!

I hope you enjoy this chapter. It is short, yes. But features Trolling!Blaise, In Love!Draco and Drunk!Harry. I seem to have a liking for writing drunken characters. I don't know why.

Reviews are like thousands of tiny hugs. Go on, 'tis the season, after all.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

Blaise found Draco curled up behind the bookshelves in Tomes and Scrolls, the bookshop in Hogsmeade. He had a book in his lap, but given up all pretence of reading it, opting to stare into space. Blaise sat down next to him. From years of experience of being friends with Draco, he knew that staying quiet and waiting for Draco to talk to you was a far more sensible option than fawning all over him à la Pansy, which more often than not, ended up with being screamed at.

"Why are you here?" Draco asked quietly.

"Didn't fancy sticking around alone with a bunch of Gryffindor morons."

Draco smiled weakly. "What about Pansy?"

"She can fend for herself. She's a scary woman."

"How about your girlfriend?"

"She'll be fine alone. She has to share living space with the trio, I'm sure she can handle it."

Draco said nothing.

"She'll probably be grovelling to Potter, anyway," Blaise said.

Draco shot him a look. "I don't want to talk about it, if that's what you're here for."

"It?" Blaise said, innocently.

"Yes, Blaise. You know bloody well what it is. And apparently, so did everybody else, and that left me on the same page as Weasley. In the dark, not knowing anything, do you have any idea how I felt? I mean, Merlin, you think he'd have given me some clue-"

"Oh, look," Blaise interjected, "you're talking about it."

Draco's eyes widened comically. "Damn you, Blaise."

Blaise grinned. "So, you do really want to talk about it."

"No, I really don't," Draco said, standing up, and walking away.

"Yes, you do," Blaise followed him.

They left the shop and started walking down the snow covered path toward Hogwarts. Neither said anything, but Blaise had a feeling that he'd won. ...

In the Hog's Head, Ron was trying to come to terms with it, and was plaguing Harry with questions. Firewhiskey had loosened his tongue considerably.

"So, Harry, of all the men you could have gone for, why Malfoy?" Ron asked.

"Did you not hear me tell him earlier? The bit I didn't mention though, was that he's bloody gorgeous. I mean, look at him!" Harry exclaimed, gesturing to his face.

"If you say so, mate," Ron said, not seeing the appeal, as Harry pouted and ran his fingers through his hair. He also vowed not to let Harry drink again after this display. "I think he looks like he's permanently ill."

"Harry, stop posing," Hermione cut in, "and Ronald, Draco is rather attractive actually, just because you hate him doesn't mean he's ugly. He has the whole brooding, mysterious and striking thing about him. Girls love it."

"Harry too, clearly," Ginny interrupted.

Harry nodded vigorously. "Can I have another drink? And a mirror to look at my face."

"I think you've had enough to drink, Harry," Hermione suggested. "Why don't we head back to Hogwarts and you can have a nice lie-down?"

"So we can laugh at your drunken antics and talk about you and Draco," Pansy muttered under her breath.

Ron startled at her words. "I'll think I'll come back as well."

With that, the three of them left the pub. Harry spotted his reflection in the glass window. He smoothed his blond hair down and grinned.

"Hello, sexy," he said, winking.

"Ron," Hermione said.

"Yes?"

"Make sure we don't run into Draco. I don't know what Harry will do."

"Duly noted."

...

Blaise and Draco walked into the library. They headed behind some shelves. Blaise leant against a bookshelf. Draco drew his wand.

"Muffliato,"he muttered.

Blaise grinned.

"Stop grinning, Blaise."

"No."

Draco sank down next to him. He sighed.

"Well, where do I start?"

"You start at the beginning, dumb arse."

"It's an expression. Do you want me to talk to you or not?"

Blaise rolled his eyes, and gestured for Draco to continue.

"Let me start by saying that this could be quite possibly the weirdest conversation we've ever had. If someone told me last year that Harry Potter would fall in love with me, I would have laughed in their face and then ran off to go and vomit."

"I second that."

"But now, the more I think about it, the more I feel that it's not the worst thing to happen to me. Far from it, actually. It's rather good," he smiled to himself.

Blaise smirked. "I knew it. You looooooooove him."

Draco slapped him. "Shut up Blaise. I don't love him."

"Yet," Blaise added.

Draco blushed.

"Draco and Harry sitting in a tree," Blaise sang, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Draco's face fell.

"But it can't happen."

Blaise stopped singing abruptly. "Why not? He likes you, you like him, where's the problem?"

"Everything! This relationship would be frowned upon by everybody. Harry is the bloody poster boy for the Wizarding World, can you imagine all the crap he'll get for dating a male ex-Death Eater? Then there's everyone who knows me, and dislikes me. I'll probably have to meet all the Weasley family and they'll all try to kill me and force Ginny on Harry again, no offence meant to you there, Blaise, and worst of all, my father. I'll be disowned. The Malfoy family traces back thousands of years, and I can't be the one to end our line. I have to do what is expected of me, after all. So, no, it cannot happen."

Blaise shrugged. "Oh, well. It's not like you liked him that much anyway. No big loss."

"How could you say that? I do so like him that much! He's brave, he's kind, he's loyal, he's a bloody hero! He saved my life, you know. You have to admit that the hero thing does make him more attractive. Not that he was unattractive before, quite the opposite actually, he was-"

Draco paused mid-sentence, and glared at Blaise, who looked smug.

"You sneaky little bugger."

Blaise grinned. "I'm glad you realised your true feelings. Just don't start waxing lyrical about his eyes. Or writing sonnets about his hair."

"Shut up, Blaise. I want to be able to mope in peace. The one boy to ever show any interest in me is the one boy I can't have."

"If you don't mind my asking, you don't sound particularly worried about the fact that he is a boy."

"That is a statement, not a question."

"Pedant. Alright, why don't you sound worried?"

Draco shrugged. "Love is love, I suppose. Should I sound worried?"

"Not at all. You're gay and that's okay."

"Thank you, Blaise."

"I like you anyway."

"Stop now."

"No."

"So, we don't need to worry about me writing poetry, I think we need to worry about you, Blaise Zabini. Honestly, it's no wonder you're dating Ginny, maybe the two of you could compose an epic poem together."

"Fantastic idea! I'll mention it to her later."

Draco groaned. "Don't write one about me. Please."

"The Forbidden Love of Harry and Draco," Blaise said, "has a certain ring to it, eh?"

"I will murder you in your sleep."

Chapter 23=Done. I have no idea when the next update will be, but bear with me. Stick with Harry (and Draco) until the very end. I'll be as quick as I can to put up another chapter before the holidays end. Mock exams await, and I'm dreading it.

So, my fondest memory of Harry Potter, well, memories, really. Reading the books for the first time. I'd recently moved house, and my bedroom was being painted, so I had to live in the little bedroom upstairs. It was so small, there was only room for a single bed, and it had a slanted ceiling. I really identified with the boy from the cupboard. Reading the Harry Potter books in my own little Cupboard Under the Stairs really gave me many magical moments, and so, they are my fondest memories. Possibly of all time.

Next question!

Let's get festive! Which HP character would you most like to meet under the mistletoe?

I'll update soon(er than this time,) I promise.