For Love, Friendship, and Chocolate
FANFIC:
Title: For Love, Friendship, and Chocolate
Author: cocohufflepuffs
Pairings: Harry/Draco, General boy bonding in the Gryffindor Tower
Rating: PG-13, for mild swearing and Seamus', uh, love of Parseltongue and wands.
Words: 1100 Shaddup.
Disclaimer: JKR's. I'm just a crazed, verbose fan.
Notes: Again, this is AU with a few tips of my hat to HBP. *wink* There's also no beta or Brit-picking. Cross-posted in my journal and The Hex Files as well.
"Tell me again why we're doing this?"
"For True Love in the face of adversity."
"... Riiight," Ron eyed Neville sceptically. "Harry, tell me again why we're doing this?"
"Draco promised some alone time. With chocolate."
"The truly worthy cause," Seamus smirked as he slipped on his Herbology gloves.
The way Draco ate chocolate, Harry had to agree.
"You're all certifiable, you know that?" Dean sighed, placing an upturned rubbish bin over his head.
"Yet you're still here. By the way, that's a good look for you, mate."
"I don't want my things going up in flames."
Ron sighed, tucking the last of his bedding up under his mattress. "Tell me again why we're doing this? I keep forgetting."
Everyone smirked while getting into position around the dorm. Even Harry had to smile. This was a risky plan. So much rode on his ability to control the ashwinder once it came out of the fire, then on Dean’s ability to freeze the eggs properly. If Harry couldn't control the snake, there was the worry of finding its clutch in time. It was what Draco would call a foolishly Gryffindor plan. Still, they had agreed to help. Harry felt he owed them all chocolate.
"Okay Neville, light the lantern."
----
"Neville, you're sure that's a magical fire?"
"YES."
Being this was the fourth time in the last 45 minutes that Ron had asked, Harry didn't blame the normally mousy boy for snapping. He stretched carefully, still mindful of the lantern in the middle of their room. "The book said the fire had to be left unattended for a while."
"Book?" Dean glanced up, readjusting the bin still on his head. "I take it Hermione doesn't know about this."
"Hell no."
All five of them smirked, then returned to staring at the flame.
"Anyone wanna play Exploding Snap?"
Several of them groaned next.
----
KABOOM!
Neville jumped so high, it was obvious he'd fallen asleep again. After nearly two hours now, even Seamus was annoyed with the game. Harry rubbed his eyes, convinced there'd be a permanent imprint of the lantern on his retinas. That might complicate things when it came time to watch Draco eat.
"Relax, that one wasn't an ‘exploding snake' either. Blimey, I’m bored. What now?"
"... We could tell ghost stories."
"Ghost stories?"
"Well... the fire, you see."
"That's so gay, Dean. Errr... sorry, Harry!"
Glaring at Ron, Harry volunteered to go first.
---
Fifteen minutes later, he sighed in exasperation. "Ron, I'm sorry, okay?"
"Bloody hell it's not okay! You made me relive the spiders, Harry! I'm never talking to you again."
"Have to admit, it was a brilliant story." Ron hit Seamus so hard with his pillow they both fell over.
It was going to be a long third hour.
---
"You're serious about this, aren't you?" Ron asked muzzily as he rolled over on his bed. Neville was running interference outside. Dean had been quietly drawing with Seamus out cold and nuzzling the small of his back. Harry had been staring at the flame in an almost Zen fashion. He jumped and blinked owlishly at the first noise he’d heard in quite a while.
"What gave it away? The hours of relentless sitting?"
"Har-har. I have to ask then-- why Malfoy? When did this happen?"
Harry heard the scratching of Dean's pencil pause briefly.
"Well... it's always been Draco, in some form. Usually as an enemy. I don't know when he became something else. I guess when I started noticing his absence after the... courtyard incident. Remember how I thought he was up to something again?"
"Yeah, you were rather obsessed with him then. 'What's Malfoy doing now?' 'I bet Malfoy's behind this!'"
Harry smirked, figuring he was still obsessed.
"It became clear he had other things on his mind." Harry didn't want to break Draco's unwitting confidence about the fall out from his father's imprisonment. After all, he shouldn't have known either. "After... observing him a while, I started seeing him differently. I guess it'd just become habitual hating him. I never questioned why."
Ron studied him as he did a chessboard. Harry was worried he'd question more about 'why'. Like many of his chess strategies, however, Ron surprised him by going straight for the 'how'.
"This has to do with your dreams, doesn't it?"
"... What do you know about my dreams?"
"Nothing really. You just mumble his name in your sleep a lot."
"Do I... say anything else?"
"Aside from some distressed grunting about Him, no. Harry, why don't you take the Dreamless Sleep more often? It’s supposed to stop the nightmares."
"I don't want to become too dependent on it." It was mostly true. He felt bad for shutting out his friends again, but it was for their own good. And his.
It'sssss ssssso coooold in heeeerrrreeeee.....
"Then climb into your own bed for once, Seamus."
"Huh, Harry? Seamus didn't say anything."
They stared at one another then at Dean, who looked up in shock. Seamus was still curled up next to him.
All hell broke loose.
"Seamus, wake up!"
"GAH! Not the wand I wanna wake up to, Dean!"
"Bloody hell, where's Neville?"
A squeak answered that question.
"Stay by the door! Dean, not yet! Harry, start blabbing!"
What do you say to a snake that's just crawled out of a fire? "Uh, hi.... How are you?" Harry hadn't thought it possible for ashwinders to look incredulous. He tried other things.
"I love watching a man control his snake," Seamus snorted, racing to get his gloves back on.
"How is it I manage to shower with you around?"
"Maybe you should stop wanking in the shower then, Ron."
Harry slipped out of Parseltongue long enough to warn, "Guys, you’re seriously damaging my concentration."
"Shower wanks do it for you then, Harry?"
He lost the ashwinder. It dived between Seamus' legs and under his bed. Harry couldn't help the brief satisfaction at hearing Seamus’ high-pitched shriek when Dean raised his wand again. "NOT YET DEAN!"
Pandemonium ensued as everyone rushed at Seamus and the bed. It was amazing no one got frostbite or hit the ashwinder in the panicking volleys. Harry was certain it’d dropped its eggs purely out of fright. As they rested afterwards, faces aglow with something that’d been missing since the War started, Harry realised he'd won more than just Draco's favour.
He'd won back the support of his friends.
"If Malfoy doesn’t come through after this, I’ll hex him myself," Neville panted.
Harry had such wonderful friends.
---
Draco,
I have your eggs, your hideout and your chocolate.
Name the time.
Harry
Title: For Love, Friendship, and Chocolate
Author: cocohufflepuffs
Pairings: Harry/Draco, General boy bonding in the Gryffindor Tower
Rating: PG-13, for mild swearing and Seamus', uh, love of Parseltongue and wands.
Words: 1100 Shaddup.
Disclaimer: JKR's. I'm just a crazed, verbose fan.
Notes: Again, this is AU with a few tips of my hat to HBP. *wink* There's also no beta or Brit-picking. Cross-posted in my journal and The Hex Files as well.
"Tell me again why we're doing this?"
"For True Love in the face of adversity."
"... Riiight," Ron eyed Neville sceptically. "Harry, tell me again why we're doing this?"
"Draco promised some alone time. With chocolate."
"The truly worthy cause," Seamus smirked as he slipped on his Herbology gloves.
The way Draco ate chocolate, Harry had to agree.
"You're all certifiable, you know that?" Dean sighed, placing an upturned rubbish bin over his head.
"Yet you're still here. By the way, that's a good look for you, mate."
"I don't want my things going up in flames."
Ron sighed, tucking the last of his bedding up under his mattress. "Tell me again why we're doing this? I keep forgetting."
Everyone smirked while getting into position around the dorm. Even Harry had to smile. This was a risky plan. So much rode on his ability to control the ashwinder once it came out of the fire, then on Dean’s ability to freeze the eggs properly. If Harry couldn't control the snake, there was the worry of finding its clutch in time. It was what Draco would call a foolishly Gryffindor plan. Still, they had agreed to help. Harry felt he owed them all chocolate.
"Okay Neville, light the lantern."
----
"Neville, you're sure that's a magical fire?"
"YES."
Being this was the fourth time in the last 45 minutes that Ron had asked, Harry didn't blame the normally mousy boy for snapping. He stretched carefully, still mindful of the lantern in the middle of their room. "The book said the fire had to be left unattended for a while."
"Book?" Dean glanced up, readjusting the bin still on his head. "I take it Hermione doesn't know about this."
"Hell no."
All five of them smirked, then returned to staring at the flame.
"Anyone wanna play Exploding Snap?"
Several of them groaned next.
----
KABOOM!
Neville jumped so high, it was obvious he'd fallen asleep again. After nearly two hours now, even Seamus was annoyed with the game. Harry rubbed his eyes, convinced there'd be a permanent imprint of the lantern on his retinas. That might complicate things when it came time to watch Draco eat.
"Relax, that one wasn't an ‘exploding snake' either. Blimey, I’m bored. What now?"
"... We could tell ghost stories."
"Ghost stories?"
"Well... the fire, you see."
"That's so gay, Dean. Errr... sorry, Harry!"
Glaring at Ron, Harry volunteered to go first.
---
Fifteen minutes later, he sighed in exasperation. "Ron, I'm sorry, okay?"
"Bloody hell it's not okay! You made me relive the spiders, Harry! I'm never talking to you again."
"Have to admit, it was a brilliant story." Ron hit Seamus so hard with his pillow they both fell over.
It was going to be a long third hour.
---
"You're serious about this, aren't you?" Ron asked muzzily as he rolled over on his bed. Neville was running interference outside. Dean had been quietly drawing with Seamus out cold and nuzzling the small of his back. Harry had been staring at the flame in an almost Zen fashion. He jumped and blinked owlishly at the first noise he’d heard in quite a while.
"What gave it away? The hours of relentless sitting?"
"Har-har. I have to ask then-- why Malfoy? When did this happen?"
Harry heard the scratching of Dean's pencil pause briefly.
"Well... it's always been Draco, in some form. Usually as an enemy. I don't know when he became something else. I guess when I started noticing his absence after the... courtyard incident. Remember how I thought he was up to something again?"
"Yeah, you were rather obsessed with him then. 'What's Malfoy doing now?' 'I bet Malfoy's behind this!'"
Harry smirked, figuring he was still obsessed.
"It became clear he had other things on his mind." Harry didn't want to break Draco's unwitting confidence about the fall out from his father's imprisonment. After all, he shouldn't have known either. "After... observing him a while, I started seeing him differently. I guess it'd just become habitual hating him. I never questioned why."
Ron studied him as he did a chessboard. Harry was worried he'd question more about 'why'. Like many of his chess strategies, however, Ron surprised him by going straight for the 'how'.
"This has to do with your dreams, doesn't it?"
"... What do you know about my dreams?"
"Nothing really. You just mumble his name in your sleep a lot."
"Do I... say anything else?"
"Aside from some distressed grunting about Him, no. Harry, why don't you take the Dreamless Sleep more often? It’s supposed to stop the nightmares."
"I don't want to become too dependent on it." It was mostly true. He felt bad for shutting out his friends again, but it was for their own good. And his.
It'sssss ssssso coooold in heeeerrrreeeee.....
"Then climb into your own bed for once, Seamus."
"Huh, Harry? Seamus didn't say anything."
They stared at one another then at Dean, who looked up in shock. Seamus was still curled up next to him.
All hell broke loose.
"Seamus, wake up!"
"GAH! Not the wand I wanna wake up to, Dean!"
"Bloody hell, where's Neville?"
A squeak answered that question.
"Stay by the door! Dean, not yet! Harry, start blabbing!"
What do you say to a snake that's just crawled out of a fire? "Uh, hi.... How are you?" Harry hadn't thought it possible for ashwinders to look incredulous. He tried other things.
"I love watching a man control his snake," Seamus snorted, racing to get his gloves back on.
"How is it I manage to shower with you around?"
"Maybe you should stop wanking in the shower then, Ron."
Harry slipped out of Parseltongue long enough to warn, "Guys, you’re seriously damaging my concentration."
"Shower wanks do it for you then, Harry?"
He lost the ashwinder. It dived between Seamus' legs and under his bed. Harry couldn't help the brief satisfaction at hearing Seamus’ high-pitched shriek when Dean raised his wand again. "NOT YET DEAN!"
Pandemonium ensued as everyone rushed at Seamus and the bed. It was amazing no one got frostbite or hit the ashwinder in the panicking volleys. Harry was certain it’d dropped its eggs purely out of fright. As they rested afterwards, faces aglow with something that’d been missing since the War started, Harry realised he'd won more than just Draco's favour.
He'd won back the support of his friends.
"If Malfoy doesn’t come through after this, I’ll hex him myself," Neville panted.
Harry had such wonderful friends.
---
Draco,
I have your eggs, your hideout and your chocolate.
Name the time.
Harry