Charmed Invitation
Title: Charmed Invitation
Author: Alisanne
Rating: PG
Pairing: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy.
Summary: Despite his instincts, Draco throws himself a birthday party, and gets just what he wants.
Word Count: ~1500
Genre: Romance, fluff
Warnings: None, really.
A/N: Written for HD_Pots_n_Porn's prompt #54: Cupcakes/Fairy cakes, HD_Fluff's prompt #82: Draco’s Birthday and for enchanted_jae's MDC #76: Celebration. I'm VERY late this time. Sorry!
Beta: None yet. *wibbles* sevfan YAY!
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are not mine. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.
~
Charmed Invitation
~
“So what are you planning for your birthday?” Pansy asked after they’d exhausted all other topics of gossip.
Draco sighed. He’d been trying to forget the fact that his birthday was approaching. The war and its aftermath had sucked most of the joy from his life and, to be honest, he didn’t feel like celebrating at all. After all, his parents were in Azkaban, what did he have to celebrate? When he said that aloud, however, Pansy wasn’t having it.
“That’s ridiculous,” she said, tossing her head. “You have to celebrate your birthday.”
“Why?” Draco asked, a bitter note in his voice. “Even if I did want to throw a party for myself, who would come? Everyone hates me for what I did. I almost destroyed Hogwarts!”
Pansy sighed, placing her hand on top of his. “I know. The other Slytherins will come.” Her tone softened. “I’ll come.”
Draco almost smiled. “I know. Thanks, Pans.” His voice hardened. “But I refuse to invite anyone who’s going to attend simply to gawk at me. Slytherins or no.”
Eyes sympathetic, Pansy nodded. “I understand, believe me.” Her hand tightened on his. “But we can’t let those people win, Draco. Yes, we both made mistakes, but it’s supposed to be a new era. Let’s hold them to that.”
Draco chuckled darkly. “And you believe that rhetoric? That’s just people pretending to make themselves feel better.”
She shrugged. “I say we act as if it’s true and maybe, just maybe, it will be. Either way, you have to host a party, Draco.” She leaned forward. “You have to show them you’re not afraid.”
Unable to argue that, Draco shook his head. “And how do I ensure no gawkers?”
She pursed her lips. “I could always spell the invitations to only go to people who don’t have an agenda, people who care about you as a person and not as someone to gossip about or gawk at.”
Draco blinked. “Merlin, Pans, that’s brilliant! You’d do that for me?” He stared at her. Pansy didn’t usually offer to do extra work.
She smirked. “Of course I would, I’d do anything for you, you know that. And naturally it’s brilliant. I thought of it.” Standing up, she moved towards the Floo. “I have to go home, but I’ll be back tomorrow so we can work on this.” Her eyes narrowed. “You were planning on inviting me, yes?”
Draco smirked back. “As long as you don’t start gossiping about me, yes.”
Pansy laughed softly. “Spoilsport.”
~
It took several days to charm the invitations. Draco had Pansy include all sorts of caveats. He insisted the invitations couldn’t go to anyone whose family had been adversely affected by his actions in the war, or to anyone who truly hated him, and definitely not to anyone who just wanted to gloat about his downfall. After pondering, he also had her include a charm to invite someone compatible with him, someone capable of caring for him. “And who I’m capable of caring for in return,” he’d told her.
Patting him, she’d complied, and, deliberately not thinking about the specific person he wanted to respond to that invitation, and, before he could change his mind, Draco told her to send them out, sat back, and fretted.
As he’d suspected, the vast majority of them came back. All but three in fact. Lips pursed, Draco sighed. “Looks like I’m throwing a party for three.”
“It’ll be fine, darling,” Pansy said, holding up her invitation. “Any party that includes me has to be fun.”
He prepared carefully, conscripting the remaining house-elves, who had, oddly, all but adopted him after the war. Apparently his attempts to protect them from the Dark Lord hadn’t gone unnoticed.
There were fairy cakes, decorated with fanciful frosting, some rather risqué, little finger sandwiches, petit fours, and several fondues. It seemed a bit much for three people, but Draco didn’t argue with the elves. It seemed churlish given that they were helping him and that he was the only one they had left to look after.
On the evening of his birthday, Draco walked outside to the rose garden located behind Malfoy Manor. The elves had decorated by hanging thousands of fairy lights in the trees, and in the dim light of dusk, the place looked magical.
“Hello?” came a voice from behind him, and Draco spun, gaping at who was there, holding an invitation card in his hand.
“Potter?”
Harry Potter, looking incredible in fitted robes, smiled hesitantly. “Happy birthday, Malfoy.” He held up the invitation. “I got this and I, um--”
“You came.” Draco’s heart was beating fast. He hadn’t dared hope... “Thank you.”
“Thank you for the invitation.” Potter moved closer and in that moment, Draco saw Potter was carrying a wrapped gift. “I guess I’m the first one to arrive?” he asked.
“So far.” Tearing his gaze from Potter, Draco gestured towards the table laden with food. “Are you hungry?”
“A bit.” Potter smiled, holding out the gift. “For you.”
“You didn’t have to--”
“I know, but--” Potter shrugged, smiling crrokedly. “It’s your birthday. I saw it and it reminded me of you.”
“Now I’m worried,” Draco joked as he accepted the box. Opening it, he gasped when he saw what was nestled inside, however. “Merlin.”
It was a figurine of a dragon, its wings folded about its body. As Draco reached for it, it moved, jewelled eyes blinking, and spread its wings. Potter smiled. “The shopkeeper said it would do that when it found its true owner.”
“Oh, Potter.” Overcome, Draco ran gentle fingers over the figurine, which preened under his attention. “It’s beautiful.”
Potter murmured something.
“What was that?” Draco asked, resolutely setting aside his present to pay attention to his guest.
Potter cleared his throat. “This place is beautiful, too.”
Was Potter blushing? Draco couldn’t be sure. “Thanks.” He shrugged. “The elves did it, really. I just...let them.” They stared at each other for a moment before Draco coughed. “How about some champagne?”
“Sure.”
After handing Potter a flute, Draco took one for himself. “Would you like a tour of the gardens?”
“That’d be great.”
Seeing the way Potter was eyeing the food, Draco said, “Let’s take some fairy cakes with us, too.”
Potter didn’t object, and as they walked, the initial awkwardness faded and soon Draco found himself laughing and joking with Potter, who proved to have a wicked sense of humour.
Several times on their walk, their hands brushed and Draco imagined he felt a spark. Apparently the charms on my invitation worked.
Chatting softly, they rounded the corner, and ran smack into Pansy and Luna Lovegood, who were standing together by the fairy cakes. “There you are,” said Pansy, moving away from Lovegood.
They look...close, Draco thought, suddenly suspicious. “Pansy. Lovegood. Thanks for coming.”
“Of course we came,” Lovegood said in her dreamy voice. “Pansy’s invitation made it hard to refuse.” She smiled at Harry. “My job was to make sure you didn’t get suspicious when only Harry showed up.”
“Right, so...we shan’t stay,” Pansy interrupted, quickly downing her glass of champagne before clasping Lovegood’s arm. “It looks like this party was only meant for two anyway.”
“What?” Draco’s eyes widened when he saw the elves had cleared away the majority of the food that had been there earlier, leaving only what looked like an intimate table setting for two and some of the more...suggestive fairy cakes. “I--”
“It’s okay,” Lovegood said, smiling serenely at Draco. “We didn’t mean to stay for very long, really. Pansy promised we’d have early sex tonight.”
Pansy choked. “So I did. Happy birthday, Draco!” She glanced meaningfully at Potter. “Enjoy your...gift.”
“What--?” Draco’s mouth dropped open. “Pansy, did you plan--?”
“Goodness, will you look at the time!” Hauling Lovegood off, Pansy tossed over her shoulder. “Have a lovely evening, you two!”
“You know,” Potter murmured, moving closer to Draco. “I think we’ve been set up.”
Face burning, Draco spun to face him. “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean--”
“Don’t be sorry,” Potter interrupted. “I was glad I got the invitation. I’ve been wracking my brain to think of a way to see you, so this worked out perfectly.”
“Did it?” Exhaling, Draco smiled, offering his arm. “Then shall we sit? I’d hate to waste the elves’ hard work.” Not to mention Pansy’s plotting, the wench. I wonder if she even charmed the invitations in the first place?
“Definitely,” Potter agreed, slipping his hand through Draco’s elbow. “Even if this was a set up, I’m glad.”
So am I, thought Draco. And even if there were no charms, I think there was magic at work.
~
Author: Alisanne
Rating: PG
Pairing: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy.
Summary: Despite his instincts, Draco throws himself a birthday party, and gets just what he wants.
Word Count: ~1500
Genre: Romance, fluff
Warnings: None, really.
A/N: Written for HD_Pots_n_Porn's prompt #54: Cupcakes/Fairy cakes, HD_Fluff's prompt #82: Draco’s Birthday and for enchanted_jae's MDC #76: Celebration. I'm VERY late this time. Sorry!
Beta: None yet. *wibbles* sevfan YAY!
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are not mine. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.
~
Charmed Invitation
~
“So what are you planning for your birthday?” Pansy asked after they’d exhausted all other topics of gossip.
Draco sighed. He’d been trying to forget the fact that his birthday was approaching. The war and its aftermath had sucked most of the joy from his life and, to be honest, he didn’t feel like celebrating at all. After all, his parents were in Azkaban, what did he have to celebrate? When he said that aloud, however, Pansy wasn’t having it.
“That’s ridiculous,” she said, tossing her head. “You have to celebrate your birthday.”
“Why?” Draco asked, a bitter note in his voice. “Even if I did want to throw a party for myself, who would come? Everyone hates me for what I did. I almost destroyed Hogwarts!”
Pansy sighed, placing her hand on top of his. “I know. The other Slytherins will come.” Her tone softened. “I’ll come.”
Draco almost smiled. “I know. Thanks, Pans.” His voice hardened. “But I refuse to invite anyone who’s going to attend simply to gawk at me. Slytherins or no.”
Eyes sympathetic, Pansy nodded. “I understand, believe me.” Her hand tightened on his. “But we can’t let those people win, Draco. Yes, we both made mistakes, but it’s supposed to be a new era. Let’s hold them to that.”
Draco chuckled darkly. “And you believe that rhetoric? That’s just people pretending to make themselves feel better.”
She shrugged. “I say we act as if it’s true and maybe, just maybe, it will be. Either way, you have to host a party, Draco.” She leaned forward. “You have to show them you’re not afraid.”
Unable to argue that, Draco shook his head. “And how do I ensure no gawkers?”
She pursed her lips. “I could always spell the invitations to only go to people who don’t have an agenda, people who care about you as a person and not as someone to gossip about or gawk at.”
Draco blinked. “Merlin, Pans, that’s brilliant! You’d do that for me?” He stared at her. Pansy didn’t usually offer to do extra work.
She smirked. “Of course I would, I’d do anything for you, you know that. And naturally it’s brilliant. I thought of it.” Standing up, she moved towards the Floo. “I have to go home, but I’ll be back tomorrow so we can work on this.” Her eyes narrowed. “You were planning on inviting me, yes?”
Draco smirked back. “As long as you don’t start gossiping about me, yes.”
Pansy laughed softly. “Spoilsport.”
~
It took several days to charm the invitations. Draco had Pansy include all sorts of caveats. He insisted the invitations couldn’t go to anyone whose family had been adversely affected by his actions in the war, or to anyone who truly hated him, and definitely not to anyone who just wanted to gloat about his downfall. After pondering, he also had her include a charm to invite someone compatible with him, someone capable of caring for him. “And who I’m capable of caring for in return,” he’d told her.
Patting him, she’d complied, and, deliberately not thinking about the specific person he wanted to respond to that invitation, and, before he could change his mind, Draco told her to send them out, sat back, and fretted.
As he’d suspected, the vast majority of them came back. All but three in fact. Lips pursed, Draco sighed. “Looks like I’m throwing a party for three.”
“It’ll be fine, darling,” Pansy said, holding up her invitation. “Any party that includes me has to be fun.”
He prepared carefully, conscripting the remaining house-elves, who had, oddly, all but adopted him after the war. Apparently his attempts to protect them from the Dark Lord hadn’t gone unnoticed.
There were fairy cakes, decorated with fanciful frosting, some rather risqué, little finger sandwiches, petit fours, and several fondues. It seemed a bit much for three people, but Draco didn’t argue with the elves. It seemed churlish given that they were helping him and that he was the only one they had left to look after.
On the evening of his birthday, Draco walked outside to the rose garden located behind Malfoy Manor. The elves had decorated by hanging thousands of fairy lights in the trees, and in the dim light of dusk, the place looked magical.
“Hello?” came a voice from behind him, and Draco spun, gaping at who was there, holding an invitation card in his hand.
“Potter?”
Harry Potter, looking incredible in fitted robes, smiled hesitantly. “Happy birthday, Malfoy.” He held up the invitation. “I got this and I, um--”
“You came.” Draco’s heart was beating fast. He hadn’t dared hope... “Thank you.”
“Thank you for the invitation.” Potter moved closer and in that moment, Draco saw Potter was carrying a wrapped gift. “I guess I’m the first one to arrive?” he asked.
“So far.” Tearing his gaze from Potter, Draco gestured towards the table laden with food. “Are you hungry?”
“A bit.” Potter smiled, holding out the gift. “For you.”
“You didn’t have to--”
“I know, but--” Potter shrugged, smiling crrokedly. “It’s your birthday. I saw it and it reminded me of you.”
“Now I’m worried,” Draco joked as he accepted the box. Opening it, he gasped when he saw what was nestled inside, however. “Merlin.”
It was a figurine of a dragon, its wings folded about its body. As Draco reached for it, it moved, jewelled eyes blinking, and spread its wings. Potter smiled. “The shopkeeper said it would do that when it found its true owner.”
“Oh, Potter.” Overcome, Draco ran gentle fingers over the figurine, which preened under his attention. “It’s beautiful.”
Potter murmured something.
“What was that?” Draco asked, resolutely setting aside his present to pay attention to his guest.
Potter cleared his throat. “This place is beautiful, too.”
Was Potter blushing? Draco couldn’t be sure. “Thanks.” He shrugged. “The elves did it, really. I just...let them.” They stared at each other for a moment before Draco coughed. “How about some champagne?”
“Sure.”
After handing Potter a flute, Draco took one for himself. “Would you like a tour of the gardens?”
“That’d be great.”
Seeing the way Potter was eyeing the food, Draco said, “Let’s take some fairy cakes with us, too.”
Potter didn’t object, and as they walked, the initial awkwardness faded and soon Draco found himself laughing and joking with Potter, who proved to have a wicked sense of humour.
Several times on their walk, their hands brushed and Draco imagined he felt a spark. Apparently the charms on my invitation worked.
Chatting softly, they rounded the corner, and ran smack into Pansy and Luna Lovegood, who were standing together by the fairy cakes. “There you are,” said Pansy, moving away from Lovegood.
They look...close, Draco thought, suddenly suspicious. “Pansy. Lovegood. Thanks for coming.”
“Of course we came,” Lovegood said in her dreamy voice. “Pansy’s invitation made it hard to refuse.” She smiled at Harry. “My job was to make sure you didn’t get suspicious when only Harry showed up.”
“Right, so...we shan’t stay,” Pansy interrupted, quickly downing her glass of champagne before clasping Lovegood’s arm. “It looks like this party was only meant for two anyway.”
“What?” Draco’s eyes widened when he saw the elves had cleared away the majority of the food that had been there earlier, leaving only what looked like an intimate table setting for two and some of the more...suggestive fairy cakes. “I--”
“It’s okay,” Lovegood said, smiling serenely at Draco. “We didn’t mean to stay for very long, really. Pansy promised we’d have early sex tonight.”
Pansy choked. “So I did. Happy birthday, Draco!” She glanced meaningfully at Potter. “Enjoy your...gift.”
“What--?” Draco’s mouth dropped open. “Pansy, did you plan--?”
“Goodness, will you look at the time!” Hauling Lovegood off, Pansy tossed over her shoulder. “Have a lovely evening, you two!”
“You know,” Potter murmured, moving closer to Draco. “I think we’ve been set up.”
Face burning, Draco spun to face him. “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean--”
“Don’t be sorry,” Potter interrupted. “I was glad I got the invitation. I’ve been wracking my brain to think of a way to see you, so this worked out perfectly.”
“Did it?” Exhaling, Draco smiled, offering his arm. “Then shall we sit? I’d hate to waste the elves’ hard work.” Not to mention Pansy’s plotting, the wench. I wonder if she even charmed the invitations in the first place?
“Definitely,” Potter agreed, slipping his hand through Draco’s elbow. “Even if this was a set up, I’m glad.”
So am I, thought Draco. And even if there were no charms, I think there was magic at work.
~