December X
BOOKS
Harry Potter - Harry/Draco
Author: Cyane Snape
Title: Erised Dreams
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Summary: Draco’s parents are dead and he is spending his first Christmas
alone…at Hogwarts. Someone cared enough to stay behind to keep him company.
Book: Harry Potter series
Date of publication: December 19, 2004
Disclaimer: : The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the
copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros, and anyone else with legitimate
rights. No profit is being made by this site or the authors it houses, nor was
any malice intended in any way, shape or form.
Feedback address:
lucretiamalfoy@excite.com
Advertisement: Part of the Slash Advent Calendar of 2003 at
http://www.kardasi.com/Advent/2004/SAC-2004.htm
Beta: Gavilan
Erised Dreams
Harry Potter stood on the front steps of Hogwarts, waving goodbye to his close friends.
Classes had adjourned for the Christmas holidays and they
were all leaving to join their families for the celebrations. Harry had been
invited to stay with the Weasleys, but had declined. This year, he just wasn’t
up for family togetherness. Ron and Hermione were an official couple now
and planned on marrying just after they finished school in six months. The
entire Weasley clan was expected to attend. Bill and Fleur would be there, as
would the twins and their girlfriends, Ginny and her date, and Percy. Ron had
told Harry that Charlie would be arriving on Christmas Day.
Harry just felt like the odd man out. Everyone had a partner or romantic
interest but him. He had saved the world from the evil of Voldemort, but he
couldn’t even get a date. Sure, there were lots of girls ready to fall all over
him and grant his slightest wish, but that wasn’t what Harry wanted.
In the first place, Harry was gay. So that effectively eliminated the girl
problem. Just the thought of kissing a girl, or having sex with a girl…well, it
was too scary to imagine. No. The Savior-of-the-Wizarding-World was very gay.
And he was in desperately in love. Not that he had ever told the object of his
affections, of course.
The noise from the thestrals pulling the carriages away snapped Harry out of his
musings. He waved in the general direction of his friends and then turned to
climb the steps back into the school. He stopped his progress, his green eyes
locked with the steely blue-grey eyes of Draco Malfoy. The blond had watched
Harry saying goodbye to his friends with an envy he had never felt before.
Neither wizard moved for what seemed like minutes, until Draco finally turned
away and entered the school.
Harry dropped his head and sighed. This is going to be more difficult than I
imagined. Harry slowly climbed the massive steps. I made a promise to
myself and I plan to keep it. Somehow…I will get the courage to tell Draco that
I love him.
~*~
Draco Malfoy had lost both of his parents to the insanity of Lord Voldemort. The
Dark Lord had killed both of his parents just before the final battle when they
refused to turn their only son over to the maniac when he discovered that Draco
had already been safely tucked away at Hogwarts under the protection of Albus
Dumbledore. Lucius Malfoy had volunteered to spy for the Order of the
~*~
Harry and Draco were the only seventh-year students remaining at the school for
the holidays. Since Voldemort had been defeated, most families were taking
advantage of the peaceful time to have large family celebrations. Only a handful
of students had remained behind. Draco was the only Slytherin and Harry the only
Gryffindor. Both students had received a message from the Headmaster asking them
to meet him after breakfast the first morning of the holidays. The two wizards
met at the base of the Headmaster’s gargoyle and climbed the revolving
staircase.
“Ah, welcome. Welcome, my boys. Please, have a seat. Tea?”
Both replied, “No, thank you, Professor.” Both students knew that the Headmaster
had a tendency to lace his tea with a calming potion. They knew that
Dumbledore’s calming potion was almost as potent as a truth serum. It was
something to be avoided at all cost.
Albus Dumbledore sat down and observed the two young men on the far side of his
desk. They had so much to offer the world if they could just get over their past
and move on with life. Both boys had no remaining family and seemed rudderless
in the wake of Voldemort’s defeat.
“Boys, I asked you to come here because I have a favor to ask of you.”
Each boy looked at the Headmaster with a slightly suspicious glance.
Dumbledore’s favors always had some kind of hidden agenda. Now all they had to
do was find the hidden agenda.
“Now, don’t look at me like that. I have nothing to hide. This is simply
business. We need to do some major renovations to the castle while the majority
of the students are away. Since you two are the only two students left from your
houses, we decided to start with the dungeons and Gryffindor tower first.”
Harry leaned forward in his chair. “I don’t understand, sir. How does this
involve us?”
“What I am proposing, Harry, is for you and Draco to relocate to new quarters,
just for the holidays. I have prepared rooms for you on the first floor between
the dungeons and Professor Lupin’s rooms.”
Harry couldn’t believe his ears. Share a room with Draco? What if he refuses?
At least I’ll be close enough to try to talk to him. Oh, Merlin…what if he
really hates me?
Draco was the first to respond, “It will be all right with me, Professor, if
it’s okay with Ha—Potter.”
Did I just hear correctly? Did Draco almost use my first name?
Harry looked at the Headmaster, “I agree, Professor. I have no problem
sharing a room with Dra…” Harry lifted his chin and gulped, “Draco.” He turned
and gave the blond a slight smile. Draco quickly shuttered his eyes before Harry
could see his emotions. That brief smile was enough to start the blond’s heart
to racing.
~*~
The two wizards had been sharing a room for nearly a week. Harry had not managed
to say much to Draco because the blond wasn’t very receptive to his company. He
held a portrait of his parents in his hands as he spent most of his time staring
into the fireplace. It was Draco’s first Christmas without his parents and he
didn’t know how he was going to survive. He missed them so much.
Harry spent his time writing long letters to Ron and Hermione. He told them
about his new living arrangements and how Draco was quiet and withdrawn,
wondering if his friends had any advice. He dropped his quill when Draco started
speaking in a barely audible voice.
“How did you stand it, Potter?”
Harry tilted his head at the blond. “What do you mean, Draco?”
The fragile looking blond turned his head toward Harry. “How could you stand
growing up without your parents? Being alone?”
Harry put down his quill and moved to the fireplace. He poked the logs to stir
the embers and sat down on the hearth rug, facing away from Draco. “I never knew
my parents. I was only a baby when they died, so I don’t know what it’s like to
have them.”
Harry turned so that he could see Draco and the fire. “It must be painful for
you. You’ve had your parents your whole life, and now they are gone. I wish you
didn’t have to go through this. I can understand how difficult it must be for
you.”
Draco continued to stare into the fire. “It wasn’t that they were the most
affectionate parents, but they loved me. They even died for me.”
“Then that’s something we share.”
~*~
Slowly, Draco and Harry opened up to each other. Harry told the blond about his
childhood and his Muggle relatives. Draco was shocked to hear about Harry’s
abused childhood. Draco told Harry about growing up a Malfoy and the pressures
he always felt to be the perfect son.
They spent their days on school work and flying around the Quidditch pitch.
Harry even convinced Draco to go to Hogsmeade to do some Christmas shopping. At
first the blond refused, saying that he had no one to buy a gift for, but Harry
insisted that he at least buy something for Severus Snape, Draco’s godfather.
The dark-haired boy told Draco about his godfather, Sirius Black, and how he
lost him at the end of fifth year. Snape was the only family that Draco had now
and he knew the blond would need the comfort of his godfather to help him
through his crisis.
~*~
On Christmas Eve, Draco had slumped into another depression. Harry was at a loss
as to how to help his introspective friend.
“Draco, is there anything I can do to help? Maybe it would help if you told me
what was bothering you?”
Draco’s eyes filled with tears as he faced the Gryffindor. “I…I just miss them
so much, Harry. I wish I could see them just one more time.”
Without thinking, Harry reached up to brush the tears from Draco’s cheeks. “I
know it hurts, Draco, but you can’t give in to the pain.” The blond leaned into
Harry’s touch. “I wanted to kill myself after Sirius died. I thought the world
would be a better place without me…that I had nothing left to live for. I nearly
died from my self-inflicted wounds. I wanted to die.”
Harry pulled up his sleeve to show Draco the long slash marks on his forearms.
Draco couldn’t believe it. The Golden Gryffindor had tried to kill himself? He
ran his fingers along the long scars as he asked, “What happened? How did you
survive?”
Harry rolled his sleeves back down. “Remus—Professor Lupin found me and
convinced me that I had something to live for.”
“What was that?”
“Love. He told me that I still needed to fall in love and get married and have a
houseful of children. Remus said that I had a whole lot of love to give to that
special someone and that if I died, he would never find his true love.”
“He?” This was another revelation that Draco hadn’t expected.
“Uh, yeah….you see, I’m gay.” Harry waited to see what kind of reaction he would
get from Draco. He loved the boy with all his heart, but he wasn’t sure that his
affection would be returned.
“Oh,” was the only answer Harry got.
The two young men sat on the rug by the fire for several minutes, each staring
into the flames and lost in his thoughts.
Abruptly, Harry stood up and hauled Draco to his feet. “Come on, I have
something that I want to show you that might cheer you up.” He pulled the blond
out of the room and down the long corridors and up to the third floor. With a
few spoken words, the entrance to an underground chamber opened before them.
“What is this, Harry?”
“There’s a secret room down here that I found our first year. What I want to
show you is down there. Come on. I’ll go first.”
Harry climbed down into the trap door and landed at the bottom in the dark
chamber. “Come on, Draco. It’s not bad. Just climb down.”
The blond took a gigantic leap of faith and crawled into the dark hole. At the
bottom, he stepped off the ladder ungracefully, only to be caught in the arms of
Harry Potter. Harry helped Draco to steady himself as he regained his footing.
He also didn’t let go immediately as he helped the blond dust the cobwebs off
his clothes. Draco couldn’t help but notice Harry’s hands brushing across his
body. He quickly straightened his robes, hoping Harry wouldn’t notice his body’s
reactions to the intimate gesture.
“So, where is this thing?”
Harry led Draco down the passageway to a door behind the large statue of the
four founders. He muttered a spell and the door opened into a large room. It
appeared to be a library of sorts.
“Where are we, Harry?”
“This is Slytherin’s private library. Every book you could ever dream of reading
is in here. I come down here when I need to be alone.”
Draco ran his hands along the rows of ancient books, wiping the dust on his
trousers. “Some of these books are one-of-a-kind, Harry. Wizards would pay a
ransom in galleons just to get a look at these.”
Harry reached up to touch one of the ancient tomes. “I decided that Slytherin
put them down here for a reason. He must have wanted them to be kept away and
safe, so I’m honoring his wishes.” He smirked at the Slytherin blond, “However,
I will admit to reading a few of them now and then.”
Harry crossed the room to another door on the far side, “Come on. What I want
you to see is in here.” With a wave of his wand, the new door slid open.
“Does the Headmaster know that you come down here?”
“Yeah, Dumbledore knows I come down here. I found this place about a year ago.
There is something in it that he didn’t want me to find again, but I promised
him that I wouldn’t use it anymore. It won’t hurt for you to have a quick look
Come on, look!”
Draco entered yet another room, an empty room –empty except for a large mirror
at the end.
“What is this, Harry?”
Harry pulled the blond closer. “It’s the Mirror of Erised. I discovered it
during our first year here. It can be dangerous if you look into it for too long
a period of time. When I look into it, I see my parents. You see, the mirror
shows you what you desire the most of all. I’ll show you.”
Harry stood directly in front of the mirror and pointed before looking, “See,
there are …my…”
But the mirror was different this time. It did not show Harry his parents.
Instead what he saw pulled at his heart, putting tears in his eyes. When Harry
looked into the Mirror of Erised, he saw himself, a few years older, standing
beside Draco. Harry was holding a little girl with white blond hair and green
eyes while Draco held a small infant wrapped in a blue blanket. Tugging on his
hand was a little boy, a toddler, with black hair and blue-grey eyes.
Draco stepped up behind Harry. “I don’t see anything. What do you see, Harry?”
Tears spilled out of Harry’s emerald eyes. “It’s changed. It’s not my parents.”
He turned away from the mirror, afraid Draco would see his fondest desires. “Go
ahead, Draco. You look in the mirror. If you truly desire to see your parents,
they will be there for you.”
Draco placed himself in front of the mirror and gazed at his reflection. His
parents stood before him smiling and gently waving. All the harshness and
bitterness was gone from their demeanor. His father had his arms around Draco’s
shoulders and his mother wrapped her arms around his waist, kissing his cheek.
He reached out, trying to touch his parents, forgetting that he was looking in a
mirror. The image didn’t change for several minutes. Then Lucius Malfoy looked
behind him in the mirror and gestured to a dark figure far in the distance.
Narcissa moved farther into the background as Lucius pushed the dark figure to
the foreground. Draco’s parents waved and blew him a kiss just before they
disappeared from sight. In their place, the dark figure stood next to Draco and
wrapped his arms around the blond’s waist. As the dark figure began to kiss and
nuzzle on the neck of his reflection, Draco collapsed into the arms of a very
real Harry Potter. My parents…my parents know that my fondest desire is Harry
Potter! Does this mean I have their blessings?
“Draco? What’s wrong? What did you see?”
Draco stood there with his arms around Harry’s shoulders while Harry supported
him around the waist. “What did you see?”
“I… it…was …my parents… for a while. Then they just disappeared.”
Draco slumped to the floor, pulling Harry down with him. The Gryffindor refused
to release his hold on the blond. He pulled Draco into his lap and began to
stroke his soft blond hair. Harry looked back into the mirror, but only saw that
his own desires had returned.
“I’m sorry, Draco. I didn’t mean for this to upset you. I just thought it would
make you happy to see your parents again. I’m so sorry…”
“They were there, Harry. My father had his arms around me and my mother kissed
me. Then my father reached out for this dark figure and pushed him to the front.
My parents disappeared after that and I was left with this other person. He had
his arms around me and was kissing me…”
Harry was afraid to hear Draco’s deepest desire. He didn’t want to hear that
Draco was in love with someone else. He closed his eyes in a feeble attempt to
keep out the pain he was sure to come.
“Come on, Draco. Let’s get you back to our rooms. I shouldn’t have brought you
here. I never meant to cause you more pain. I’m sorry.”
The Gryffindor led Draco out of the room, resealing the doors as they left.
Draco was able to support his weight and pulled away from Harry, walking on his
own. As they reached the first floor, they heard music and laughter coming from
the Great Hall. As they opened the doors they could see Professor Flitwick
directing the house-elves while they decorated the large room with holiday
decorations. Fairy lights were twinkling along the walls and covering the large
Christmas trees. The three other Heads of House were up by the Head Table, deep
in conversation. Minerva McGonagall saw the two boys and gestured for them to
join the festivities.
Harry looked at Draco and shrugged his shoulders before walking between the long
dinner tables to the front of the room.
“Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, Happy Christmas! Have a cup of eggnog.” The Head of
Gryffindor handed each boy a cup of the creamy beverage. “What have you two been
up to during the holidays?”
Harry waited to see if Draco would answer, but the blond was sipping his drink
and looking at his godfather. Harry decided to answer.
“We’ve been doing our homework and flying mostly. We got out the other day and
did some Christmas shopping but other than that, it’s been really quiet around
here.”
Draco quietly set his cup down on the table and excused himself, leaving the
room. “I’ll be right back,” he muttered as he left the shocked group.
Severus Snape moved closer to Harry. “Mr. Potter, is everything all right with
Mr. Malfoy?”
Harry looked up at the Potions Master. He knew that the man was honestly
concerned about his godson. “He’s had a rough time, sir. The loss of his parents
is hitting him hard during the holidays. We’ve had a few conversations, but I
don’t know how much good it’s done. I’ve tried to help him as best I can. I
think it’s up to him now to want to begin living again.
The door to the large room opened and Draco returned to the small group.
“Professor….Severus, may I have a private word with you?”
The Potions Master tried to read the emotions on the blond’s face, but his
Malfoy mask was firmly in place. “Of course, Draco.” The older man stepped to
the far end of the Head Table and sat in one of the chairs. Draco sat next to
him and removed a small box from inside his robes. He handed the box to his
godfather.
“Here, Severus, this is for you. Happy Christmas.”
Severus was astounded. He never expected that Draco would wish to celebrate the
holidays by giving him a present.
“It’s not much, Severus. Mostly…I just wanted to thank you for everything you’ve
done for me. You’ve always been there to protect me and I couldn’t have made it
through… well…you know… my parents’ death and all …without you.” In a movement
that totally shocked the stoic older wizard, Draco Malfoy hugged his godfather
around the neck and said, “I love you, Sev. I know that I should have said it
years ago. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
For once, Severus Snape was at a loss for words. All he could do was return the
gesture and hug his godson.
The older man pulled back and reached into his robes, pulling out a beautiful
leather journal. He handed the book to his godson. “Here, Draco, this is for
you. Your father left it with me for safekeeping. He wanted you to have this.”
Snape handed Draco the elegantly tooled leather book and he began to flip
through the pages. “What is this, Uncle Severus?”
“It’s your father’s private journal. He’s kept a journal since you were born.
It’s a record of everything he did and everything he was. He told me that he
wrote about his thoughts and feelings and what it was like to be a father. He
was very proud of you, but felt uncomfortable in expressing his emotions. Lucius
found it easier to express his feelings by writing them down. Just so you know,
I have not read your father’s entries. They were only meant for your eyes. But I
do know that he’s included some pictures of the family at certain special events
or holidays.”
Draco’s teary eyes met those of his godfather. “Treasure it, Draco. I know that
he left you financially secure for the rest of your life. You have the Malfoy
name to protect you and the wealth to sustain you. His love is on those pages.
Never forget that. It’s the most important thing you own.”
Draco hugged his godfather and took a moment to enjoy the comfort of his
embrace. “Thank you, sir. This means a lot to me.”
The Potions Master removed something else from the lining of his robes. It was a
rather official-looking parchment with a fancy wizard’s seal holding it closed.
Snape handed the document to his godson.
“This is also for you, Draco. Happy Christmas! I hope that this meets with your
approval.”
“May I open it, Severus?”
“If you wish.” The older wizard turned away, afraid to see the initial reaction
on his godson’s face when he read the official document.
The blond opened the document and scanned its contents. He looked at the older
man with an incredulous expression. “Severus? Is this what I think it is? What
have you done?”
Snape ducked his head, waiting for the rejection. “I’ve named you as my sole
heir. You are the closest thing to a son that I will ever have and now that your
parents are gone, I’d like to try and fill a little portion of the space that
they left in your life. You are now the heir of both the Malfoy and Snape
fortunes. But most importantly, I’d like for you to be a part of my life, a part
of my family…actually you’re my only family.”
Tears spilt from the steel grey eyes as Draco took in the visage of the man who
was his godfather. “I do not have the words to appropriately thank you, Severus,
but I would be proud for you to serve as my surrogate father.”
The two wizards shared a heart-felt embrace for several seconds. Harry was
afraid to approach the two men, but Professor McGonagall had suggested that it
was time for him and Draco to return to their rooms. It was approaching
~*~
Christmas Day dawned bright and glistening with the new-fallen snow on the
ground. Harry was the first to waken and he couldn’t help but look across the
room at the beautiful blond that he loved with his entire heart. Today was the
day. Today was the day he would tell Draco how he felt…that he loved him. But
first he had to wake the blond from his deep sleep.
Harry shook the shoulder of the sleeping form, only to receive a grunt and a
pillow thrown in his face.
“Ooof! Hey, what was that for? I’m only trying to wake you. It’s Christmas,
Draco!”
Another grumble came from beneath the stack of pillows and blankets. “Big bloody
fucking deal. Go away!”
“Aw, come on, sleepy head. We’ve got to go check out our presents.”
Draco sat up in the bed and glared at the overly-enthusiastic Gryffindor. “Can’t
you get it through your thick skull? There aren’t going to be any presents! My
parents are dead, Potter. There is no one left alive that would give a damn and
give me a Christmas present.” Draco plunged back under the covers to wallow in
his self-pity.
Harry sat on the edge of Draco’s bed and gently pulled the covers down. Cautious
grey eyes challenged his intrusion. The softness and concern on Harry’s face
clutched at the heart of the Slytherin. “Don’t be ridiculous, Draco. Of course
you have Christmas presents.”
“There’s no one, Harry.”
“There’s me.”
The blond shot up to confront the dark-haired wizard. His sudden jerky movement
sent him tumbling into Harry’s arms, catching him before they fell off the bed.
As they sat on the bed, tangled in each other’s arms, Draco whispered, “You
bought me a Christmas present?”
Harry’s face split into his mega-watt smile, “Of course I did. It’s Christmas.”
He looked at Draco like that statement clarified everything. To Harry, it was
the most obvious thing in the world.
The Gryffindor stood and pulled back the covers from Draco’s body. His breath
caught in his throat as he realized that the blond was clad in only his pajama
bottoms. Harry fought to hide his reaction to the beautiful expanse of pale
skin. Quickly turning away, he handed Draco his silk dressing gown and left the
bedroom, wishing his steadily growing arousal away.
When Draco entered the sitting room, it was to the sight of Harry on the floor
in front of a nicely decorated Christmas tree. There were stacks of presents
circling the bottom of the tree and a cozy fire in the fireplace. His heart
skipped a beat as Harry handed him one of the brightly wrapped packages, Draco’s
hands shaking with the raw emotion tightening in his chest.
“Sit down here with me, Draco. We’ll open our gifts together.”
The blond sat on the floor next to Harry. “I still don’t understand why there
are presents for me. Severus gave me his gift last night. There’s no one else
who cares.”
“I care,” Harry responded without hesitation. His sincere eyes locked on
Draco’s, seeing the uncertainty in his face. “Draco, lots of people care…like
you…it’s just that you’ve never been willing to let them in. See…here’s a gift
from Hermione for you. She could be a great friend if you just give her a
chance. She’s always admired your work ethic and skills in potions. You’d have a
lot to talk about if you tried.”
Draco opened the package, discovering a very nice volume of potions using exotic
tropical ingredients.
“That’s Hermione,” Harry added, “She always loves to give books for Christmas.
Look, here’s some more.”
Harry handed Draco a stack of presents. One was from Dumbledore and another was
from Professor McGonagall. The next ones were a great surprise to the blond. He
received a box of specialized sweets from the Weasley twins and an official
Weasley jumper, navy with a large silver “D”, from Mrs. Weasley. Harry held up
his new jumper, green with a silver “H”, and showed Draco.
“Mrs. Weasley knits one of these for everyone in the family each Christmas.”
Draco held the soft garment in his hands. “Why would she do this? I don’t
understand. My father said the worst things about the Weasley family.”
Harry placed a gentle hand on Draco’s arm. “She understands that you are not
your father, Draco, just as I am not my father. She is a kind and loving woman
who recognizes that you are spending your first Christmas without your parents.
She just wants you to be part of her extended ‘family’. She wrote me a note and
asked us to join them for Christmas dinner later this afternoon.” Draco’s eyes
widened at that suggestion. “You don’t have to answer me now. Just promise me
that you will think about it. And in case it changes your mind, she’s a really
great cook.” Harry smiled and handed Draco another box.
Draco couldn’t believe his eyes. “It’s from the weasel…uh…Ron.” Ron had sent a
book on Quidditch tactics and maneuvers to the Slytherin. “But he hates me.”
“He doesn’t really hate you, Draco. He just hates the things you say about him
and his family. He is a kind and loyal friend who has always admired your
Quidditch skills. If you give him the chance, he’ll talk to you for hours about
Quidditch. He’s analyzed every move you’ve ever made on the pitch. He’d be a
really good source to help improve your game. Personally, I think he’d made a
great coach someday.”
Draco put the book aside, contemplating everything Harry had said. One package
lay in front of him with Harry’s name on it. He recognized the flowing script on
the name tag.
“Harry, I think this one is for you…from Severus.”
Harry opened the shiny package and chuckled. It was a paperback copy of “Potions
for Dummies.” “Oh, great…just what I need.” As he was flipping through the
pages, a small folded parchment slipped into his lap. He opened it, wondering
what his professor could have written.
Dear Harry,
Please accept this book as a token of appreciation. The title
is a joke. I saw it on some Muggle books once in London. Actually, this is a
rather fine compilation of important potions and their uses that I have gathered
over the years. Even with your questionable abilities, you should be able to
master each and every potion in this book.
You are probably wondering why I have chosen to write this letter. I have
watched these last few days as you have patiently worked to help my godson deal
with his grief and loneliness. It warms my old cold heart to see you accept him
into your life. All I ask is that you are very careful with his feelings. I’ve
seen the way you look at him when you think no one can see you. I know that you
care deeply. I am not certain, but I think that Draco may return your feelings.
All I ask is that you do not hurt him. He is very vulnerable and fragile at this
moment. Please take care of him.
Sincerely,
Severus Snape
Draco’s curiosity was getting the best of him.
“What does the note say, Harry?”
Harry folded the note and returned it to the book. “It’s just a note explaining
that the title is a joke. It’s actually a good book on potions. I think Snape
was afraid that I wouldn’t recognize his twisted sense of humor.”
Harry quickly shoved the book under his Weasley jumper and picked up another
pair of boxes for Draco.
“Happy Christmas, Draco.”
The blond took the boxes and read the gift tag.
To Draco
From Harry
Wishing you the best for this holiday season and the new
year!
“I…I… don’t have anything for you.” The blond
dropped his eyes and fidgeted with his hands.
Again, Harry reached
over to calm the distressed boy. “It’s all right, Draco. Christmas is about
giving, not receiving. It’s just something that I thought you might like.”
Draco opened the first of the two boxes and opened it. It was a professional
quality broomstick maintenance kit and a new edition Thunderbolt Elite broom. It
was the newest and fastest model of broomstick on the market. The blond just sat
staring wide-eyed and shocked.
“It’s…it’s…” but all he could think of to say was “Why? Why did you do this?”
Harry smirked at the gobsmacked wizard. “Your old broom is six years old now.
It’s outdated. Anyone who flies as well as you deserves the best broom on the
market. Flying against you is the only thing that makes Quidditch fun. Don’t get
too crazy though. I bought one for myself, so the next time Gryffindor plays
Slytherin, at least we’ll be evenly matched.”
“Umm…I…thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Harry handed Draco the second gift. “This is also from me.”
Draco pried open the last gift with his long slim fingers. The silver paper fell
back to expose a hand-tooled black leather journal with a silver monogram “DM”
on the front.
“It’s beautiful, Harry.”
Harry crawled over to sit beside the blond. He opened the front cover exposing
the blank pages. “It’s a spirit journal. The store owner said that you would be
able to contact lost spirits with it. All it needed was a physical piece of the
departed. Dobby helped me and went to Malfoy Manor. Oh gosh, I hope you don’t
mind. Anyway, he was able to retrieve a few hairs from each of your parents’
hairbrushes. They’ve been magically embedded into the cover. All you have to do
is write to them in the journal and they should be able to answer you.”
Unshed tears threatened to escape from his stormy eyes. “There are no words that
can even begin to express what all this means to me, Harry. No one has ever
cared like this. I was expecting to be alone and forgotten, but somehow you have
turned everything around. Instead of being alone, I’ve spent the holidays with
you doing things I’d never done before. People that I believed hated me sent me
gifts. I’ve found that my worst enemy is now my closest friend. What can I say?”
Harry closed the journal and handed it back to Draco. He knew that his face
would not disguise the feelings in his heart, but today was the day that Draco
had to know. Harry needed to express his love.
As he inhaled to finally speak to the man he loved, Draco pulled back and
unclasped the platinum chain around his neck. It was an intricately woven chain
with a dragon pendant dangling at the bottom. Harry had seen that chain everyday
for the last seven years. As the blond reached up to fasten the chain around
Harry’s neck, the Gryffindor stopped him.
“Draco, what are you doing?”
The blond silently closed the clasp and sat back on his heels. “I’m giving you a
gift.”
Harry looked down and touched the silver dragon which was still warm from
Draco’s skin. “But you never go anywhere without this pendant. You’ve always
worn it.”
“I want you to have it, Harry. It was a gift from my parents and has several
high-powered protective spells on it. Even though Voldemort is gone, there are
still Death Eaters out there who might want to hurt you. This will protect you
from most curses and hexes.”
Harry tried to speak, but Draco stopped him. “Please… I want you to have it.
You’ve made this one of the best holidays I’ve ever had.”
Draco brushed a lock of raven hair off Harry’s forehead as the Gryffindor
instinctively leaned into the blond’s touch. Harry knew that the time had come.
It was time to open his heart to Draco. But how?
Maybe… I…I wonder what the Mirror of Erised showed to Draco. He said that his
parents were there but then disappeared. But then he said that there was a dark
figure kissing him…
“Draco, what did you see when you looked into the Mirror of Erised?”
Draco stared at his hands in his lap. Do I dare to tell Harry the truth? What
if he doesn’t return my feelings? How do I tell him how I feel?
The Slytherin finally looked up into the face of the man he loved so deeply.
“It was you, Harry.”
Harry’s eyes snapped open. Beautiful silver eyes, heavy with tears captured his
own. So many emotions flitted through that fragile face: fear, loneliness, need,
desire, love…? Here he was, the man of Harry’s dreams, only a breath away.
Could he possibly want me as much as I want him?
Harry captured Draco’s soft lips in the gentlest of kisses. He relished the
taste and the feel of the man he loved so much. Draco reached up to pull Harry
down and to deepen the kiss, which he willingly obliged. Draco’s tongue begged
for an entrance to Harry’s warm mouth and their tongues collided in a slow,
loving exploration.
Beautiful bright eyes met his gaze as silken strands of long blond hair slipped
through his fingers. Harry tried desperately to control his trembling emotions.
Draco needed him now. He had to be strong.
“You are still suffering from the loss of your parents, Draco. I want to be here
for you. I want to ease your hurt.”
Wide eyes upturned, blinking at him. Harry saw the glint of tears and sorrow
etched in Draco’s face. The blond had never been more beautiful to Harry.
“I will help you mourn for them, Draco. You shouldn’t have to feel all this pain
alone. Let me help you.”
"I couldn’t save them, Harry." Draco sniffed as the tears threatened to fall.
His body trembled under the weight of self-appointed guilt.
"It was their choice, Draco. You did everything they asked of you. It was
important to them that you continue to live. They gave their lives so that you
could be safe. That is the greatest gift that anyone can give to their child."
Another sniffle, and soon, Harry found himself with an armful of crying
Slytherin, heavy tears soaking his shirt. He wound his arms around the blond,
hoping to protect him from the pain of the real world.
“I hate to see you in all this pain, Draco. What can I do?”
“I’m all right.” Draco’s soft voice was hushed as he looked up into Harry’s
eyes.
“Was seeing me in the mirror so upsetting that it made you cry?” Harry
tilted his head, his green eyes betraying his concern.
“No, Harry. Seeing you in the mirror did not make me cry. I cried because I was
afraid.”
“Afraid of what, Draco?”
“I was afraid that you wouldn’t love me the way I love you.”
Green eyes finally relinquished a cascade of tears as Harry realized how much he
truly loved this beautiful man in his arms. He wanted to cherish and protect the
blond for the rest of his life. He felt the truth of Draco’s words deep in his
heart.
Draco stroked the side of Harry’s face and ran his thumb along the soft lips.
The blond leaned in to claim those lips again. He could feel his heart beating a
mile a minute. When he broke the kiss, Draco could see his own desire mirrored
in Harry’s eyes.
“What did you see in the mirror, Harry? What was the deepest desire of
your heart?”
Harry could feel his pulse quickening and his blood rushing to his groin. He
could only give his love the truth. He had no other choice.
“The first time I looked into the mirror, all those years ago, I saw my parents.
But today, it was different. Today it was you. You are my deepest
desire.”
Harry kissed away the few remaining tears on the blond’s face. He ran his
fingers through the soft blond hair and searched the depths of his lover’s eyes.
“I love you, Draco. I have always loved you. I stayed here in the castle for the
holidays just to be near you. I’ve been trying to get up the courage to tell you
how I feel for nearly a year. I was afraid you wouldn’t want me.”
The blond kissed the cheek of his love, “Not want you? I’ve been in love with
you since that first day at Madam Malkin’s. We were eleven years old and I knew
even then that I loved you.”
“Why didn’t you say anything to me?”
“By that time Weasley had turned you against me and all of Slytherin. I thought
you hated me all these years. I didn’t even know you were gay until
yesterday.”
The two wizards quietly held on to each other, each relishing the feel of the
man in his arms. Several minutes passed before either was willing to break the
silence.
“I love you, Draco. I’ve wanted to say that for the longest time.”
“I love you too, Harry.”
The raven-haired wizard slowly lowered the man in his arms to the carpet. He
stretched out beside Draco and nearly covered the blond’s body with his own.
Harry began to plant small kisses along his jaw line, Draco’s moan of pleasure
encouraging him to continue.
“Draco?”
“What, Harry?”
Harry tilted up Draco’s chin with his fingers. “I want you. I want to make love
to you. Let me show you how much I love you.”
Draco couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Harry had been the subject of his
fantasies for so many years. Was his dream finally going to come true?
“I…I…”
“Only if you are ready, Draco. I don’t want you to do anything that makes you
feel uncomfortable.”
“I want you too, Harry.”
Draco ran his fingers down the smooth expanse of Harry’s cheek. His dark-haired
lover lowered his mouth to capture the sweetness of Draco’s lips. This time it
was Harry moaning. He slipped an arm around the blond’s waist to squeeze and
caress Draco’s hips, pulling him up closer to align their erections.
“Oh, yes…Harry…again…please…harder…”
The silk barrier of their pajama pants was an extra friction adding to the jolts
of pleasure singing through their bodies. Draco lifted his leg to rest on
Harry’s hips, creating the perfect alignment that threatened to send both young
men into a quick orgasm.
Harry whispered into Draco’s ear. “Just...feels...so…right…”
Draco smiled up at his lover while Harry increased the speed of his movements.
He watched as Draco closed his eyes and savored the feeling of their bodies
moving as one. Faster and faster Harry ground his hips against his lover’s
erection.
Draco tried to catch his ragged breath as he buried his head in the neck of his
love.
“Harry…oh…yes… that feels…so good.”
The dark-haired wizard could feel a tightening in the bottom of his groin. Harry
bent down to nip at Draco’s nipples. The blond raised his chest upward, craving
more contact with that hot, warm mouth. Harry teased and tweaked the bud until
it was a stiff peak His free arm traced a path down Draco’s smooth back and
dipped into the silk pajama. Harry eased one finger between the blond’s muscular
cheeks and gently ghosted his finger over Draco’s entrance. Just brushing
against Draco that intimately was enough to send the blond into spasm after
spasm of mind-shattering bliss.
“Oh…fuck, yes…HARRY!”
As Harry continued grinding into Draco’s erection, the spreading warmth of his
come triggered Harry’s own waves of ecstasy.
“Gods….yes….DRACO!”
Harry dropped his forehead onto his lover’s and softly kissed his swollen lips.
Their kiss was interrupted by a sound from the fireplace. A red head popped into
the sitting room, looking for his best friend.
“Harry? Are you there, mate?”
Harry looked into the fire to see Ron Weasley’s head floating in the flames.
“I’m here, Ron. What did you want?”
“Mum told me to drop off these fresh scones for your breakfast.”
A basket of freshly baked scones appeared on the floor in front of the
fireplace. The face in the fire turned to face the two wizards lying on the
floor. Harry returned to planting kisses on the flawless face of his lover.
“Harry?”
“What, Ron?”
“Are you shagging Malfoy?”
“Not at the moment.”
“Oh…were you?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.”
Draco
lifted his head and began to suck and nibble on Harry’s neck, eliciting a groan
from the Gryffindor seeker.
Ron rolled his eyes at the spectacle. “Harry, when you suggested that we all
make friends with Malfoy, this was not what I expected.”
Draco had the nerve to giggle as he turned his face away from the fireplace.
Harry bit the blond’s earlobe in retaliation.
“That’s okay, Ron. You just make friends with him. I’ll do the shagging.”
The red head still couldn’t believe what he was seeing, but he was Harry’s
friend and supported him in his new relationship with Malfoy, if that was what
his friend really wanted.
“Mum said to tell you that dinner will be ready in three hours. I told her that
we didn’t need to give you that much warning, but she said that it was really
for Draco. She said that she knows that he always likes to look his best and
probably takes forever to get ready. The translation for that: you both had
better wear your new Weasley jumpers to dinner. I’ll see you in a couple of
hours.”
The head disappeared from the fireplace. Draco smiled up at Harry, running his
fingers through the dark, messy hair. “Will I survive this dinner?”
“Oh, yes, love. It will be loud and chaotic and insane, but I will be at your
side every moment of the day. So don’t worry.”
Harry rolled over onto his back and the cool air reminded him of the sticky
wetness in his pajamas. He stood up and offered Draco a hand. “We really must
shower before going to the Weasleys. Would you like to share a shower with me?”
Draco hugged his love and kissed his cheek. “If I join you in the shower, we
will never get to the Weasleys. You go first. I’ll hop in after you finish.”
After one final kiss, Harry padded across the room to the shower. Draco muttered
a quick cleansing spell and picked up the journal that Harry had given him.
Sitting down at the desk, he picked up a quill and began to write.
Mom? Dad?
//Draco?//
Is that really you?
//Yes, son. Your mother is here with me. How are you doing?//
I miss you so much. Are you both all right?
//We are fine, son. We’ve been watching over you.//
It’s Christmas Day. I’m spending the holidays at Hogwarts this year.
//Are you happy, my Dragon?//
How do you tell your parents that you miss them, but you’ve finally found
your true love?
I was very unhappy until a few days ago. But now…now I have found someone who
loves me as much as I love him.
//You finally told Harry Potter how you feel about him?//
Yes. I saw you in the Mirror of Erised. Just before you disappeared, you pushed
Harry into the mirror. How did you know he was my heart’s desire?
//There are many things that spirits can see that mortals cannot. The love you
share with Harry is true, Draco. Take his love and nurture it. We can worry less
about you now that we know you have Harry to love you.//
I never got a chance to say this, but I want to thank you both for everything
you’ve ever done for me.
//That is what parents are for, Draco. We will be here anytime that you need us.
Now it’s time for you to join that young man in the shower. You have a date with
the Weasleys.//
Happy Christmas, Mom and Dad.
//Happy Christmas, my Dragon.//
Draco closed his journal and replaced the quill. Smiling to himself, he set
off for the shower, planning on distracting a certain Gryffindor. Perhaps he
could convince Harry that they could be a little late arriving for
Christmas dinner at the Weasleys.
FIN