Happy birthday Draco :)
For capitu who hosts this amazing party for Draco :)
prompt: Why does everybody keep giving him potions ingredients every bloody year?
Title: The perfect gift
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Draco is tired of getting Potions Ingredients for every birthday. The perfect gift for him is not that expensive anyways.
“Oh Pans you shouldn´t have...” unwrapping the small package brings forth a pouch of powdered Moondragon Scales. They are ridiculously expensive and get added to the ever growing pile of outragously expensive potions ingredients.
Even though you smile at her and graciously thank her for the gift, inwardly you sigh. You love potions, but it gets tiresome that each year your friends and family apparently try to outrank each other in finding the rarest and most expensive ingredient there is.
You own powdered moonstone, scales of the cristalline nightcrawlers, horn of the chinese black unicorns, blood of the yeti, skin of a moosbear, corals from the great barrier reef and so on. It is a huge and valuable collection, but you will never use it. Because although you love potions in class you are well aware that you lack the talent to ever truly become great in the art of potions.
You won´t be an inventor like Serverus Snape or Nicolas Flamel were. These gifts would be so much better suited for someone like Granger who would research each and every property of these things and would come up with a new and usefull purpose for them.
You are good, but you aren´t a genius and the gifts rub it in, even though you are sure they don´t mean to. It rankles that they don´t see what you are truly interested in, and that they deem your love for books not worthy enough to actually give you a book for your birthday.
Turning nineteen is hands down way better than turning seventeen & eighteen were though, and still a part of you is sad, sad that your famous mask still sits too tight for others to look beyond it.
The party dies down and you say goodbye to your friends.
Hogwarts will end soon. Summer vacation is already drawing near and the air is still warm, instead of sulking in your bedroom you decide to take a walk maybe then sleep will come easier later.
The night is beautiful, and you allow a rare smile to paint your face. All in all you have been lucky, instead of ending in Azkaban your family got of lightly - Harry testified for you and thus your father has gotten away with only having his wand remain broken and some reparations, mother is beyond grateful to Harry and showers him with the same doting love she shows you. The sweets she sends are always his favorite, and from the secret smile Harry wears when he receives the packages he takes them for what they are, a simple but honest - “Thank you”
You have returned to Hogwarts for the eight year and have taken the newts classes. And even though your group of friends has huddled together even closer now, at least you know now that they are real friends and not simply with you because of your fathers power. You have even told Pansy why you will never end up married to her, and even though she cried honest tears about it, she still is your friend, closer now than ever before.
Close to midnight a twig breaks behind you and you whirl around, to see who has tried to approach you without alerting you.
There he stands, akward, speccy and just gorgeous - not that you would tell him.
He appears a bit startled and you realize that you are still smiling. It doesn´t matter anyways, soon you´ll be gone and who cares about your reputation anymore.
“Come sit with me, Potter.” As he follows your invitation you notice a package that he is clutching like a shield
“That for me?” you don´t want to be presumptious, but you love making him flush and stammer, because then just for a second you can imagine him flushing for another reason.
“Actually yes” and with that he thrusts it in your direction. Holding it out with both hands, his face determined and terrified at the same time.
“Thank you.” you unwrap the gift slowly, the paper falling away to reveal a thick tome. You smile and it feels as if this smile would break your face.
"How did you know?”
Harry smiles now as well, and he shrugs his shoulders
“Lets just say I noticed that you have taken more than one muggle novel from Hermiones huge staple of recreational reading. So I hope you will enjoy this - I loved Lord of the Rings and think it might suit you. Happy birthday Draco!”
The hug you receive is unexpected but not unwelcome and your own arms close around his neck rather reflexively.
He holds on for far longer than is really normal for a friendly hug and thus you take a chance.
Maybe starting your twentiest year will bring something far better than a great book.
“Harry?”
“Yes, Draco?”
“I would really like it if you would give me a birthday kiss.”
Harry complies with that request very enthusiastically, giving you the perfect gift.
Yes happy birthday to me - is all you can think, before you stop thinking for a long time.