A Howling Christmas, Part Twenty-Three, by Maraudersaffair (Last Minute Shopping)
Title: A Howling Christmas
Author: maraudersaffair
Word count: 825
Characters/pairings: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy
Challenge: Christmas Challenge 2018. Prompt: Last Minute Shopping
Summary: Overworked and lonely, Harry decides to spend the month of December at a Christmas-themed Bed and Breakfast owned by Draco. They quickly fall for each other, but whispers of werewolves and an unsolved attack threaten to derail their holiday romance.
Authors Notes: Also written for newyearcntdown. Unbeta'd. Wish me luck!
Read previous parts here.
When Harry woke up, he was on a hard floor and everything was dark and blurry. His glasses and wand were gone. He sat up and muffled a cry. The wound on his shoulder still bled a little, and the pain was excruciating.
He was in some sort of one-room cabin. He touched the wall, feeling bark and cold. He saw indistinct furniture. Some of it looked broken, chewed up.
“Hello?” he said, but nothing answered.
He sighed and gingerly leaned back on the wall. He wondered what everyone else was doing. People who weren’t Aurors and didn’t have to deal with werewolves. They were probably doing some last minute shopping and anticipating Christmas.
He didn’t want to have any worries. He just wanted to be with Draco, safe and warm. Draco. It hurt to think of him.
Footsteps echoed from outside. Someone came in through the door and set something heavy down, like a bag.
“Who’s there?” Harry called, wishing he had his wand.
“You don’t get to know,” answered a rough, male voice.
Harry frowned. The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place it. “What do you want from me?”
“I want you stop meddling. I want you to leave us alone.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the house. I’m talking about everyone.”
Harry hesitated. “Do you know Draco?”
The man snorted. “Of course I know Draco.”
“Who are you?”
“Maybe I’m Mr Loup.”
Harry frowned. “I know you, don’t I?”
“Why should I tell you?”
Harry gulped. “What are you going to do to me?”
The man moved closer. “I don’t know yet. I’m desperate, though. I’m desperate to do anything.”
“Are you a werewolf?”
“No, I just pretended to be one when I bit you.”
“It’s not a full moon. I don’t understand.”
“I don’t expect you to understand.”
“Are you in trouble?” Harry said. “I can help you if you’re in trouble.”
“My whole life is trouble. Ever since I became a monster.”
Harry tried to stand, but the man pressed a wand to his throat.
“Don’t move. I will kill you.”
Harry slumped back down, his mind racing. “Is this because of who I am?”
The man laughed. “I don’t care about who you are. You could be the Minister himself and I would’ve still attacked you. I just want to be left alone. I just want some peace.”
“Did you attack Ernest?”
“That - that was an accident.”
“How? What happened?”
The man paced, his heavy footsteps echoing in the room. “I - sometimes I can’t control it. I can’t control what Greyback did to me.”
“Greyback?”
“Merlin, I hate that bloke. I wish it had been me who killed him.”
“Were you in the war?”
“No, I was too young. Only a child.”
Harry slowed his breathing. He had to think. He had to piece it all together. “How do you know Draco?”
“Draco was kind to me. He was the only person to give me a chance.”
“He won’t like what you’ve done to me. What you’ve done to Ernest.”
“That doesn’t matter. He will never find out. He can’t. That’s why I have to get rid of you.”
Harry gulped again. Maybe he could try Summoning his wand. He was too weak to run fast or far. “Murder is never the only option. You don’t sound like an evil man.”
“Of course I’m evil. I’ve been evil since Greyback bit me.”
“What else did he do to you?” Harry asked quietly.
The man stepped even closer. “He cursed me. He tried to make me like him.”
“A werewolf?”
“More than a werewolf.”
“Oh,” Harry said. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“Yeah, me too.” The man crouched down beside Harry. “We are alike, you know. We both know -”
Harry lunged at him, toppling him over. He punched him hard in the face, stifling a yelp as he felt his wound rip just a little more. The man roared and grappled for his wand. Harry dug both of his thumbs into the man’s eyes, then grabbed the man’s wand.
“Accio Harry Potter’s wand!” Harry said, and his wand flew into his hand. He staggered to his feet. He thought to immobilize the man with ropes, but it was no use: the man was morphing back into a werewolf.
Harry pressed his back to the door. He had to kill the werewolf. Most curses just bounced off magical creatures and he was too weak to outrun it.
The werewolf growled at him, showing his large teeth.
“Don’t come any closer. I will be forced to hurt you!”
The werewolf growled even louder. It stepped forward, spittle dripping from its gums.
“Protego!” Harry yelled as the werewolf lunged. Harry threw himself out of the way, then yelled, “Avada Kedavra!”
He wasn’t a child anymore. He was able to kill when he had no other choice.
Author: maraudersaffair
Word count: 825
Characters/pairings: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy
Challenge: Christmas Challenge 2018. Prompt: Last Minute Shopping
Summary: Overworked and lonely, Harry decides to spend the month of December at a Christmas-themed Bed and Breakfast owned by Draco. They quickly fall for each other, but whispers of werewolves and an unsolved attack threaten to derail their holiday romance.
Authors Notes: Also written for newyearcntdown. Unbeta'd. Wish me luck!
Read previous parts here.
When Harry woke up, he was on a hard floor and everything was dark and blurry. His glasses and wand were gone. He sat up and muffled a cry. The wound on his shoulder still bled a little, and the pain was excruciating.
He was in some sort of one-room cabin. He touched the wall, feeling bark and cold. He saw indistinct furniture. Some of it looked broken, chewed up.
“Hello?” he said, but nothing answered.
He sighed and gingerly leaned back on the wall. He wondered what everyone else was doing. People who weren’t Aurors and didn’t have to deal with werewolves. They were probably doing some last minute shopping and anticipating Christmas.
He didn’t want to have any worries. He just wanted to be with Draco, safe and warm. Draco. It hurt to think of him.
Footsteps echoed from outside. Someone came in through the door and set something heavy down, like a bag.
“Who’s there?” Harry called, wishing he had his wand.
“You don’t get to know,” answered a rough, male voice.
Harry frowned. The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place it. “What do you want from me?”
“I want you stop meddling. I want you to leave us alone.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the house. I’m talking about everyone.”
Harry hesitated. “Do you know Draco?”
The man snorted. “Of course I know Draco.”
“Who are you?”
“Maybe I’m Mr Loup.”
Harry frowned. “I know you, don’t I?”
“Why should I tell you?”
Harry gulped. “What are you going to do to me?”
The man moved closer. “I don’t know yet. I’m desperate, though. I’m desperate to do anything.”
“Are you a werewolf?”
“No, I just pretended to be one when I bit you.”
“It’s not a full moon. I don’t understand.”
“I don’t expect you to understand.”
“Are you in trouble?” Harry said. “I can help you if you’re in trouble.”
“My whole life is trouble. Ever since I became a monster.”
Harry tried to stand, but the man pressed a wand to his throat.
“Don’t move. I will kill you.”
Harry slumped back down, his mind racing. “Is this because of who I am?”
The man laughed. “I don’t care about who you are. You could be the Minister himself and I would’ve still attacked you. I just want to be left alone. I just want some peace.”
“Did you attack Ernest?”
“That - that was an accident.”
“How? What happened?”
The man paced, his heavy footsteps echoing in the room. “I - sometimes I can’t control it. I can’t control what Greyback did to me.”
“Greyback?”
“Merlin, I hate that bloke. I wish it had been me who killed him.”
“Were you in the war?”
“No, I was too young. Only a child.”
Harry slowed his breathing. He had to think. He had to piece it all together. “How do you know Draco?”
“Draco was kind to me. He was the only person to give me a chance.”
“He won’t like what you’ve done to me. What you’ve done to Ernest.”
“That doesn’t matter. He will never find out. He can’t. That’s why I have to get rid of you.”
Harry gulped again. Maybe he could try Summoning his wand. He was too weak to run fast or far. “Murder is never the only option. You don’t sound like an evil man.”
“Of course I’m evil. I’ve been evil since Greyback bit me.”
“What else did he do to you?” Harry asked quietly.
The man stepped even closer. “He cursed me. He tried to make me like him.”
“A werewolf?”
“More than a werewolf.”
“Oh,” Harry said. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“Yeah, me too.” The man crouched down beside Harry. “We are alike, you know. We both know -”
Harry lunged at him, toppling him over. He punched him hard in the face, stifling a yelp as he felt his wound rip just a little more. The man roared and grappled for his wand. Harry dug both of his thumbs into the man’s eyes, then grabbed the man’s wand.
“Accio Harry Potter’s wand!” Harry said, and his wand flew into his hand. He staggered to his feet. He thought to immobilize the man with ropes, but it was no use: the man was morphing back into a werewolf.
Harry pressed his back to the door. He had to kill the werewolf. Most curses just bounced off magical creatures and he was too weak to outrun it.
The werewolf growled at him, showing his large teeth.
“Don’t come any closer. I will be forced to hurt you!”
The werewolf growled even louder. It stepped forward, spittle dripping from its gums.
“Protego!” Harry yelled as the werewolf lunged. Harry threw himself out of the way, then yelled, “Avada Kedavra!”
He wasn’t a child anymore. He was able to kill when he had no other choice.