Perhaps inviting Draco round had been an awful idea after all.

It was remarkable how utterly your perspective could change depending on the circumstances. For Harry, he might have gone as far as admitting that he'd enjoyed his time with the Slytherin up to that point, though he wouldn't have dared say that out loud to save them both from the embarrassment. They hadn't killed each other, which had to be seen as a positive. They'd even shared a few laughs, something which no one else was going to find out about anytime soon.

But, as the four of them stood outside the Grangers' home, Harry couldn't help but regret the choices that had led him to this moment.

He'd known that it was coming. It had been written in stone, a plan that had largely been agreed before Harry had thrown a proverbial spanner in the works (in the form of Draco Malfoy). Yes, he was more than looking forward to seeing his friends again, not used to being without their presence for prolonged periods of time. But Christmas was a time for merriment and for cheer. Draco's track record when it came to Muggles wasn't exactly stellar, and such attitudes would surely take away from the spirit of the occasion. No number of poor jokes found in crackers could override that.

Perhaps he was just suffering from the ill effects of their mode of transport, which accounted for his sour mood and low expectations for the day ahead. The Knight Bus had never been his favourite way to travel and, so when it had turned up on their doorstep, he'd known that it was nothing more than a prank from the two aged Marauders. Even the festivities weren't enough to make them take it easy on him, unless they imagined that watching Draco repeatedly fall over thanks to the sheer violence of the journey was a greater present than money could buy.

If so, they'd been right about that.

"It's rather…small."

Harry cast a weary look towards his blonde companion. Draco's expression wasn't set in his usual sneer, but it was verging on that with every second that went by. Was it too late to turn around, to summon the Knight Bus back? Or had the Grangers already made note of their arrival, now waiting for them with eager anticipation. No, he wasn't going to let Draco ruin the occasion. He had to have hope that their time together had borne some progress, that Draco wasn't lying when he'd claimed he'd changed.

"I know for a fact that Grimmauld Place is more cramped, despite the fact that it seems to go on forever," Harry pointed out.

"We've discussed extending the hallway so that more than one person can actually fit at a time," Sirius said. "But we've never got round to submitting the planning application. That bloody Ministry and its bureaucracy."

"That's not the point. I'm more worried about Draco insulting our hosts."

The Slytherin threw his arms up in the air. "I wasn't insulting them!"

"I don't think you even knew that that was what you were doing, which is my biggest concern. You'll just…come out with these comments without thinking, and I'll be left to pick up the pieces."

"I think you're being a tad overdramatic."

"The Grangers are some of the best people I know. They didn't have to agree to let you come, but they did, because that's the sort of people they are. And I won't let you throw that back in their faces. Not just because it'll ruin their day, but it'll also make me look bad."

"There's that Slytherin side of you. I must admit that it's nice whenever it rears its head, no matter how much you try to keep it bay."

"Stop deflecting."

"I'm pretty sure that that was a deflection. Hypocrite."

"This is precisely the sort of behaviour that I'm worried about."

"I know how to act around people. I've been to parties in the past. I'm more of a socialite than you, Potter."

"Ah, but do you know how to act around Muggles?" Harry watched as Draco's face fell. "Exactly. One word out of line and it won't even be me that you have to worry about. You must realise how protective Matthew can get."

"I've suffered the consequences because of that in the past, so I know what you're referring to."

"I'm worried that he's going to be a problem?"

"And not me?"
"The two of you together is a bigger problem than anything I've faced, and that's saying a lot. The issue is whether he's already said something to Hermione's parents about you. If he's brought up what you were like and the way you treated her…"

Draco's face, if possible, paled even further. "They wouldn't have invited me over if that was the case."

"So you admit that you were wrong in the past?"

"Do I have to say it out loud?"
"Not to me. I'm not the one you insulted repeatedly. All I know is that Matthew's got a big mouth at the best of times, but that wouldn't have stopped the Grangers from letting you come. There's every chance that they want to get their revenge. So I'd make sure to check that the turkey hasn't got any surprises in it."

He patted Draco on the back as he walked towards the house in front of them, grinning to himself. He could practically feel the Slytherin shaking as he worked up the courage to follow in his wake, and it was a truly enjoyable thing to put him in his place so effectively. If there were going to be fireworks, then he at least wanted to be the one setting them off. Just so that he knew when to run away as far as possible.

Behind them, Sirius was shaking his head, whilst Lupin rolled his eyes.

"It almost brings a tear to my eye," the former said. "Messing with Malfoy's head so perfectly…Harry's learnt from the best."

"That's what I'm most concerned about," Lupin replied.

Harry only had to knock once before the door was opened, and even then his knuckles had barely rapped against the surface. It appeared that Hermione was just as anxious about how the day was going to unfold as Harry was, judging by the way her eyes initially flittered to the blonde boy accompanying him. But those nerves seemingly abated, or she might have simply pushed them to one side, because she was soon smiling brightly. A second later and she was wrapped around Harry, as if she hadn't seen him for months, instead of the week that had gone by.

"It's so good to see you!" she said into his ear.

They parted after a few moments. For Harry, he was more than used to receiving hugs from his friend, which meant he wasn't taken aback in the slightest by the show of affection. Draco, on the other hand, hovered awkwardly off to one side, watching the interaction in bemusement. Hermione looked slightly bashful, as if she'd been caught doing something wrong, just because they now happened to have an audience. Harry grimaced, fearing that that was going to be the narrative of the day, with Draco just making everything a little tense.

"You almost sound as if you thought I wasn't going to survive to this point," Harry replied.

"Well…that has been playing at the back of my mind. We were constantly discussing whether to check in on you, but Matthew's without the Tardis at the moment, so travel would have been more tricky. And, in all honesty, my parents have been enjoying having just the two of us for company, and I didn't want to rob them of that. All in all, it's good to see that the two of you are still in one piece."

Harry felt more than a little bit guilty. "Are you sure they want us here? If they've been loving the way it's been…"

Hermione was quick to wave away his concerns. "Oh, Harry. You know how much they love you. Mum's been talking excitedly about getting to host for ages, and I think she's done enough food for the entirety of London. If you dared walk away now, she'd be hunting you down."

"And we've all seen how frightening Katherine Granger can be," Sirius quipped.

"Exactly."

"That's also a word of warning for our extra guest."

Hermione glanced at Draco as Sirius slapped him on the shoulder. "I'm assuming that Harry has already laid the ground rules?"

He nodded his head. "Basically telling me not to act like myself in any shape or fashion for the next few hours."

Her smile was sarcastic and saccharine. "Then we should get along swimmingly."

"You're letting the cold in, Hermione! What's taking so long?"

It was Peter's voice that drifted towards them, prompting a roll of the eyes from his daughter. It was enough to kick her into gear, however, and she bid the four arrivals entry into the house. Katherine was already hovering in the hallway by the time they stepped inside, looking as if she'd been anxiously waiting for that moment all moment. She was currently sporting an apron that had various stains decorating it and her hair was more frazzled than usual, a silent instruction that told them not to enter the kitchen under any circumstances.

Whilst the Granger matriarch busied herself with hugging Sirius and Lupin, as well as promptly removing their jackets and ushering them into the living room beyond, Harry focused his attention on the boy beside him. Draco was scanning the surroundings suspiciously, as if he'd been transported into an entirely different world. In truth, there wasn't always a lot of difference between a house owned by wizards and one owned by Muggles, and yet Harry was still worried that the look Draco was wearing was one of quiet disdain.

"Harry, dear," Katherine said warmly. "I'm hoping that Hermione hasn't used up all your allotted hugs already."

He wasn't given much of an option either way, soon wrapped up in a similar embrace to the one he'd had from the youngest Granger. Harry remembered a point in his life when such a welcome would have left him stiff and uncomfortable, never used to that sort of affection. He was grateful, then, for the likes of Hermione and her mother for slowly building up his tolerance over the years, with Sirius also usually on hand to provide tactile support.

He looked over at Draco at the same time as Katherine did once the hug was over, and Harry was surprised to see a certain level of fear in the boy's eyes. It started to click into place as he realised that Draco was basically at the beginning of that journey Harry had been on since arriving at Hogwarts. How long had it been since someone had hugged Draco? Harry doubted that Voldemort was the sort of person who rewarded good behaviour with an embrace.

"And you must be Draco," Katherine said, a smile still on her face at least, which had to be seen as a good sign. "It's nice to meet one of Hermione's other friends."

Harry couldn't tell who was more surprised. Harry and Draco were looking at the girl in question with matching looks of disbelief. There were plenty of ways to describe Draco Malfoy, but none of them revolved around him and Hermione being friends. Either she was looking to maintain plain sailing for as long as Draco was in the vicinity, or it was her way of supporting Harry's attempts to bring him into the fold. Either way, she was using a sharp expression to silently tell them to play along, or risk facing her wrath.

"And it's…nice to meet you too, ma'am," Draco replied.

"Ma'am? Dear me, I can feel the wrinkles forming on my face. No, you'll have to call me Katherine. I faced this same problem with Harry when we first met, and I wore him down eventually. Didn't I, Harry?"

"I've learnt never to second guess a Granger," he said.

"Wise words to live by. Now, Draco, I haven't been told a lot about why you're having to stay with Harry at the moment but, mark my words, I want you to make yourself feel at home whilst you're here. You're a part of our celebrations."

He didn't look too convinced. "I..am?"

"Don't look so frightened. There aren't any spooky rituals that we're going to make you get involved with. Unless you count watching all the different versions of Miracle on 34th Street."

"Um…I…don't know what that is."

Katherine's eyes flashed with delight. "Oh, you're going to love it. It's one of my favourite films. I will admit that I always cry, so you have been warned."

"Film?"

Draco looked rather sheepish and Harry could tell why. The Slytherin was a proud person. It came with the territory when you were placed into that particular house. One of the ways he liked to show off was through his sparkling knowledge so, to see that faltering, he was evidently at a loss as to how to proceed. Harry could at least resonate with the situation, finding it similar to how he'd barely known how anything worked when he'd first entered the magical world.

Draco Malfoy didn't know what a movie was. It was a sign that their society still had a lot of learning to do, and a whole lot of catching up to go through alongside that. It was no surprise that the likes of Arthur Weasley were so enamoured with Muggle creations when the wider community paid no notice to the topic. Perhaps that would be a way to change Draco's perspective on the non-wizarding population, by showcasing the marvellous inventions they had to offer that, for some reason or another, their world had so far ignored.

Katherine frowned. "You..don't know what a film is? My, that's brilliant!"

"...it is?"

"Yes! I get to be the one to introduce you to the joys of cinema. There aren't many situations like that, nowadays. You're going to have so much fun."

As she led Draco towards a more comfortable setting, Harry and Hermione shared an uneasy smile, wondering whether they were going to enjoy the same levels of frivolity that her mum was imagining. Even so, they weren't going to leave the Slytherin unattended for long. Even a few seconds would have been long enough for him to open his mouth and say the wrong thing.

Harry's perspective when it came to Christmas was slightly skewed. He'd gone from never being involved in the celebrations with the Dursleys to the magic of Christmas, which meant that he'd never properly experienced what the festive season was like in the Muggle World. As he walked into the front room, he got his first taste of it, from the tree that was scraping the ceiling, to the large plastic bags that were now filled with the remnants of wrapping paper that had already been ripped through.

He thought it was just as magical as any other he'd been involved in.

Sirius and Lupin had situated themselves on the sofa, already looking as if they weren't going to move unless it was strictly necessary. Draco appeared to have put himself in the far corner just to be safe. Meanwhile, Matthew and Peter had been in the middle of some sort of card game, with both of them appearing to be taking it very seriously. That was based on the way Matthew's tongue was slightly poking out of his mouth, and the way Peter's brow was creased quite furiously. Perhaps the younger man was losing, because he was all too happy to get up and greet them.

"You've been on the Knight Bus, haven't you?" he asked.

"How can you tell?" Harry wondered.

"You've got that same sickly colour to your face that I've seen in the past. No matter how many times you've experienced Ernie's driving, you've never been able to stomach it. Hopefully that means you've lost your appetite so that there's more food for me."

"It's nice to see you too."

"Ah, you know I've missed you, Harry. But because we're young men and all macho, we're not supposed to say those sorts of things."

Hermione hit him affectionately. "Boys."

"I'm shocked that Mione's been able to cope with you on her own," Harry said. "Normally, she needs me around to dilute your…"

Matthew folded his arms. "Charisma? Charm? Glowing personality? I can go on if you're struggling."

"I think it's probably best if I don't finish that sentence."

"Smart. And I'm sure that my company hasn't been nearly as testing as some people's, am I right? Hermione has certain ways to shut me up that you definitely can't use with Draco…unless you want to tell us something."

He'd lowered his voice by this point, not wishing Draco to overhear that he was the topic of their conversation (although it must have been fairly obvious). Even so, Hermione still dragged them back into the hallway, despite the fact that they'd just been there. Maybe she was just punishing Matthew for his less-than-subtle hint at what the couple had been up to the past few days, a point that Harry really didn't need to focus on too much.

"It's been surprisingly…drama free," he told them once they had a dose of privacy. "I expected us to be at each other's throats most of the time but, barring a few choice words here and there, we've actually…got along quite well."

Matthew grimaced. "That's unsettling."

"Tell me about it."

"But it's a sign that you were onto something, Harry," Hermione argued. "It's entirely possible that Draco really appreciates what you've done for him this week."

"And not insulting me is his way of showing it?"

"Precisely. Because I doubt he'd want to say that out loud. It's your plan and it's not as if you've been complimenting him left, right and centre. It's a lot for him to process. I just can't believe that he's willingly stepped through the door here."

"Getting him here was the easy part. It's maintaining the peace that's going to be difficult. Although, saying that, Draco has been teaching me more about the intricacies of socialising at parties and events. Maybe he's deploying those same tactics now to keep his head above water."

"Why would Draco be teaching you stuff like that?" Matthew asked.

"It's basically a swap deal. I teach him how to be a normal person, he teaches me how to cope with all the people in society who'll no doubt want to take advantage of my name and fame."

"That's…actually a wonderful idea," Hermione said.

"He's got plenty of experience and loads of the stuff he's come out with is going to be useful. Maybe not right away, but it's good to have it in the bank for later. You'd benefit a lot from it too, Matthew. You could always do with some work on your manners."

"I think Malfoy's been rubbing off on you a bit too much," his friend argued.

"You're going to have to put up with him today, at least. There's nowhere to escape. I was hoping that the Tardis would be here just in case we need a hasty getaway…but Hermione mentioned that you left it behind."

"Her behind. She won't let you travel with her again if you keep insulting her. As for why she's not here…well, I promised Hermione that this week was going to be about her and her family. No magic. Throwing myself into this side of her life. And the biggest temptation of all is always going to be the Tardis, so I thought it best that she remained safely at Hogwarts."

"Not to mention the fact that, if she had been here, my parents would no doubt have been asking for a trip or two," Hermione added. "There's no telling what trouble they'd get up to."

Harry was scrutinising Matthew. "And how have you found this 'no magic' policy?"

The other boy waited no more than five seconds before bowing his head. "It's been so difficult, Harry. You can't even imagine the torment I've been through."

Hermione just shook her head. "Oh, please. You've been spending all your time trying to beat my dad at board games to miss your magic."

"Yes, but I could have used that magic to beat him. He'd have no way of knowing."

"I'd tell him."

"You wouldn't betray me like that."

"Just watch me. Because I'm the only one who's ever trumped him at Monopoly, and I'm not about to lose that title."

Katherine poked her head around the door. "What are you three doing? Harry, you've got presents waiting for you and I don't mean to sound impatient when I say I'm really looking forward to seeing your reaction. That's the best part about Christmas, isn't it? We've even gotten Draco a little something."

As they re-entered the room, Harry saw Draco's demeanour brighten just a smidge. "You have?"

"It's under the tree with the others…yes, that's the one…it's only a little something. Obviously, I didn't know what you like, but we didn't want you to miss out."

Draco almost reverently tore through the paper until he was clutching an assortment of chocolates, packaged in an ornate metal tin. He turned it around in his hands a few times, seemingly trying to make sense of the design.

"You can't go wrong with chocolate," Katherine said. "Although, as a dentist, I shouldn't be saying that."

"...thank you, ma…Katherine."

"You're more than welcome. See, that's what I'm talking about. Those are the reactions I enjoy at Christmas."

"But…what's a dentist?"

And, as Katherine started to divulge about that particular industry, Draco continued to stare at the gift, with Harry almost certain that he could see a smile filter through on the boy's face.

xxxxxxxxxx

It had to be said that the day was a relative success, which was viewed by Harry as a complete and utter victory. After a while, he'd stopped fretting about Draco and had allowed himself to enjoy the occasion, experiencing what a normal family Christmas was supposed to look like. It was about awful jokes and eating far too much confectionery, about wanting to play with and use every present you'd been given all at once, and about taking the time to appreciate who you had around you.

The main event, naturally, was the meal. As they all sat around the table, Harry was sure that magic must have been involved to create such a vast spread. Katherine had truly gone above and beyond, rivalling even what the Hogwarts elves could muster. There were groans of contentment from pretty much everyone at the table with every mouthful that was tackled, and Harry was about to give his compliments to the chef.

When Draco, much to his surprise, beat him to it.

"And…you made this?"

Katherine didn't look as if she knew how to react. "...yes, I did."

"All of this?"

"It's nothing, really."

"Give over," Sirius barked. "It's absolutely amazing, Katherine, so don't be humble."

"But…you don't have magic," Draco still sputtered.

She shrugged. "Last time I checked."

"I don't know how you do it."

"A lot of organising goes into it, that's for sure."

"But the Granger girls have always been pros when it comes to that," Peter pointed out.

"I…I think this might be the first hand cooked meal I've ever had," Draco admitted.

"Your first?" Katherine echoed, scandalised by the notion.

"At home, the food was always prepared for us by the servants. And then at Hogwarts, they have staff to take care of all that. So…yeah…this must be the first."

"Well…" She almost looked close to tears. "...I hope that this has lived up to expectations."

"I don't think anything else is ever going to match up to this. Because it was made by…made by…" He sniffed, and that was when Harry grew alarmed. "...would you excuse me for a moment?"

They all watched helplessly as he got up from the table, with Draco working hard to keep his face obscured from their view. None of them knew how to react. And the daunting issue that Harry was facing was the fact that the others were now looking at him, as if they all believed that it was his job to deal with the aftermath. He supposed that it had been his idea to bring Draco into the fold, but he hadn't imagined that that would involve a session of counselling as a result.

Knowing that they weren't going to let him get away with it, Harry reluctantly got up from his chair and followed the same path that Draco had taken. The Slytherin was apparently quick on his feet, because he was out of sight by the time Harry had left the sanctuary of the dining room. The distant clicking of a lock caught his attention, and meant he gravitated towards the downstairs bathroom. For a moment, he did nothing more than stand awkwardly by the door, listening to the faint sniffing and wondering whether the best course of action was just to leave him alone.

His Gryffindor instincts stopped him from running away.

"Draco?"

"Of course it's you." You could hear the roll of the eyes through the door. "You just can't help but save me."

"I'm not…that's not what I'm doing. You just…looked upset, and I thought it was the right option to check up on you. That's a lie, by the way. Because everyone else basically forced me to do this without even having to say a word. It would be impressive if it wasn't so annoying…"

"Potter?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you stop talking?"

"I'd much prefer that, yeah. But if you want to talk…you can. I hope you know that."

There was a period of silence after that, which seemed to give Harry his answer. A part of him wanted Draco to open up, to feel as if they had that level of trust, because it would have finally put his concerns to bed about the boy's allegiances. A part of him, however, also wanted Draco to keep his mouth shut, not used to dealing with emotional moments such as this. As Harry began to edge away, he was at a loss as to whether the quiet was a good result.

"I'm never going to see my family again, am I?"

Harry froze. "What's brought this on?"

"What do you think? Look at them all in there, happy, actually showing love for one another. I've never been able to experience that, and I'm never going to be able to experience that. Home cooked meals and laughter at the dinner table…I missed out on that part of life."

Harry gently placed his forehead against the door, trying to figure out what the right thing to say was. "I wish I could say that things are going to work out, that you'll be able to live with your parents again at some point in the future. But I also don't want to lie to you. Because we both understand that we're at a time of war, and your parents have chosen their side. I…I'd like to think that you've chosen yours as well, seeing as you're here.

"What I can say is that I know what it's like to lose your family abruptly. And I know that it's under different circumstances, but it's the only comfort I can provide. Because…well, I lost my parents, yeah, and that's never going to change. I'm always going to be heartbroken about that. But you were just in that room, sitting at that table…and that's proof that you can find a different type of family no matter what happens. Sometimes, it even finds you."

Another beat of tense silence, which left Harry wondering whether he'd overstepped the mark, whether he'd shared too much, whether he'd gone far too emotional and mushy for the situation. But he'd already told himself that the only way to get Draco to make positive steps was for Harry to show him how it's done. He liked to think that his advice wasn't terrible, which was the low bar he'd been aiming to get past.

"Thanks, Harry."

And he was sure that was the first time that Draco had ever addressed him solely with his first name.