fervere

Chapter Twenty Four

Draco couldn’t quite put his finger on why dating felt so much different the older he got.  

He had to admit he had lots of fun with Pansy the first years of being a student. It was all pretty innocent back then. Pansy had always been pretty assertive considering the second day of their classes during their first year, she had marched up to Draco and confessed she fancied him.  

Then it was just a lot of hand holding and strutting around to show off that they were together. Now that Draco thought of it, Pansy never really had much of a grip on him until they were in proximity and then she would attach herself to him.  

As if she almost forgotten he existed until she physically saw him. 

Nevertheless, Draco had an inkling that Pansy wasn’t the type to want to connect. She kept everything light, entertaining, noncommittal, and fun.  

It really wasn’t until fourth year when she was upset Draco hadn’t asked her to the Yule Ball that made him reassess the possibility that, as they grew older, even the most stagnant people change.  

All that to say that Draco didn’t expect Millie to be a carbon copy of his first experiences with girls but he was unsure of how to feel when she stepped out of lines of his expectations or even question his past. 

Like she was now.  

Publicly.  

“No seriously,” Millie cocked her head to the side sweetly, as if to bribe him, “Who was your first?” 

Draco had to rip his concentration off his essay to give Millie the attention she was asking for. It irked him she was questioning him in the middle of a library packed with students who were all stuck inside studying for their midterms coming up fast.  

Her voice, as soft as it was, felt like it echoed through the stillness of the library even with the occasional cough and page turn.  

“What?” He narrowed his eyes.  

“Your first,” She said just a tad bit louder and Draco winced.  

“Why does that matter?” He hissed and Millie immediately frowned, displeased at his non-answer.  

“Because it’s a big deal.” She scoffed.  

Draco licked his lips, lowering his essay down and he smiled forcibly.  

“Let me rephrase that,” Draco began, “Why does it matter to you?” 

Draco had a lot of pent-up feelings about Millie and this was adding to the concerns he had. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been led by his own desires to have asked her to date him. Still, he hadn’t thought of Millie was someone he’d have trouble with.  

Even Millie was displeased with the lack of vigor of this terrible conversation (that shouldn’t have been going on in the first place, and at a library, at that!). 

“Because!” Millie’s face had hardened, “What’s so bad about asking?” 

Draco remained quiet much to her displeasure. It was something that Draco kept a tight lip about. In fact, a lot of Slytherin’s never outright spoke about their private actions. Even if Draco had witnessed Crabbe or Goyle entertaining a prospect, he’d never ask them about them unless they wanted to share first.

The activities of shared nights were never vocalized.  

Of course, everyone knew of the salacious activities going on at night but hardly anyone cared who was coming in or out of someone’s dorm room. Even Ron had been covered by the simple fact that, although surprising at first, no one seemed to care that he frequents Daphne’s room.  

That specific detail hasn’t been in the gossip circulation going around at Hogwarts.  

“I don’t see what the big deal is!” Millie crossed her arms, “Clearly, you’re practiced. Experienced even. Can't be the bashful type, can you?” 

Draco slammed his essay down, throwing his chair back with the back of his knees. Millie’s face dropped upon seeing Draco’s own disgust. He began packing haphazardly, trying to get out as soon as he could while Millie was tripping over the beginnings of her apologies. 

“Wait, no Draco.” 

A raging flush burned at his cheeks.  

“Don’t- you’re not finish.” She blurted out, pointing at his work.

Draco slung his book bag over his shoulder, ignoring her feeble attempts to keep him settled. 

“It’s okay if you don’t want to-” 

“See you.” He cut in and stormed out, receiving a few quick glances from the nearest tables that circled them where he had sat with Millie.  

Draco wished he could have had a better handle of the situation or maybe even gotten the time he needed to just let the anger simmer down to a reasonable level so he could, once again, explain to Millie why he hated people freely talking about his private matters.  

Draco got a few moments to himself before he had to take on patrol that night and Millie had immediately found him by the dungeons as he left, profusely apologizing. It fell on deaf ears for the moment, but Draco didn’t feel like dragging it on. He assured her with a small stiff smile and they were, once again, on good terms.  

That is until they ran into a stream of fourth year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws that were slowly making their way down from a late Astronomy class. One boy, a Ravenclaw, Calum Bexley turned to Draco his eyes wide and wicked as he smirked.  

“Malfoy,” He called out, “Congrats on the basilisk in your dungeon.”  

Admittingly, Draco’s reaction was delayed. He watched Bexley and a number of other Ravenclaw boys all snicker between themselves as they walked away. It slowly sank in, his guts twisting around uncomfortably. Draco inhaled, trying to focus his mounting frustration into something more productive than yelling, especially in front of other students. 

Draco slowly turned to Millie who was scratching the back of her ear nervously, waiting for Draco to scold her again. She wholeheartedly knew that after another breach of Draco’s trust, she would need to do more than to twist the narrative and actually apologize for another indiscretion. It was almost laughable how she couldn’t help but to blabber on and on about them. 

Draco stared on in silence and Millie groaned, her shoulders slumped and her eyes rolled around dramatically. 

Millie huffed, “What’s the big deal if everyone is saying you’re eight inches and thick, it’s not like it’s a lie.” 

Draco fluttered his lids in utter astonishment. The nerve of her. He pinched the bridge of his nose to control his incoming outburst.  

“Millie,” He began, pressing his lips into a thin hard line, “What you think are compliments are not for me, not when I have explicitly told you how much I value privacy in a relationship.” 

Millie pouted again.  

“You want me as a secret.” She twisted her face, as if she were about to cry.  

“No,” Draco shook his head, “Is it hard to understand that I whatever is between us is special and should be cherished? The rest of the school doesn’t need to know the details of what goes on.” 

“My friends-” 

“Fuck your friends,” Draco groaned, “You know they hang on to your every word because they enjoy the entertainment of it instead of respecting what I’ve asked of you over and over again, Millie. They don’t respect me nor do they respect you. If they were loyal friends, any secrets you shared with them would stay secrets. They’d know that your private life isn’t something to be a spectacle of. How hard is that for you to understand?” 

They stared at each other, tensions running high. 

The footsteps of more students echoed down. First, the nearly sheer blonde hair of Luna Lovegood appeared. She pleasantly hopped off the very last step with a cheerfulness unsuitable at the hour it was. Ginny came dragging behind her and another pair of friends. Luna Lovegood waited for the other three to join her just as she noticed one of her shoelaces untied. She quickly bent down to work on her shoes.  

Draco and Ginny locked eyes and for some reason, Draco felt a sense of comfort but also embarrassment when he felt his face relax. Surely, he must have looked maddening.  

Ginny glowered at Millie, already formulating her strong opinion of her. Ginny always had a way of letting others know exactly what she felt without having to vocalize it. It was written all over her face, her strong dislike for Millie. To be fair, it wasn’t like their argument had been quiet nor was Ginny deaf to the whispers of gossip surrounding Draco, straight from Ravenclaw friends. 

Juniper Melvin, another Ravenclaw, elbowed Ginny slightly, smirking at the pair.  

“It’s them,” Juniper loudly whispered over to Romilda Vane.  

All three of them took pause to watch the couple closely. Even Luna Lovegood paused as she straightened up from double knotting her shoes. She looked at her friends, mystified at their observation, then followed their line of vision.  

Her startling light blue eyes landed on Draco. 

“Oh,” Luna airy breathed out, “Is he the one with the snake in his pants, Romilda? Isn't that awfully dangerous if it isn't venomous?” 

Romilda and Juniper burst out into laughter and pulled Luna away before Draco could say something to them. Ginny lagged behind, slowly dragging her feet to follow her friends that already had a considerable distance from her. Her eyes lingered on Millie. 

“Go on!” Millie barked out her order with her chin up, “Get going before I take points away, Weasley.” 

Ginny rolled her eyes, “Alright, no need to get your knicks in a twist, Mildred...ful.” 

Draco couldn’t help the smile that spread sloppily across his face, proud that Ginny had snapped back. Millie watched as Ginny stormed past to join her friends whose laughs were now echoing down the corridors. Ginny's stare lingered on Draco as if to share a dark unspoken secret with him. A criticism. Ginny did not like Millie and Draco was soon to find out that the feeling was mutual.  

“Ugh,” Millie scrunched her nose up once they were alone, “I hate the Weasleys.” 

Draco tried to hide his offense but, like his growing resentment, it was hard to not have it read on his face. 

“I swear those twins are making it extra difficult to patrol,” Millie huffed, “I’ve caught them several times by that statue of that one eyed witch on the third floor. I wouldn’t care if it wasn’t past midnight but it’s people like them that agitate Umbridge and the rest of us have to suffer.” 

Draco cocked his head in question, “Wait. What are you doing out past midnight?” 

It was strict Hogwarts rules, after all. Curfew was always at nine for regular students (with the exception of having Astronomy class), and midnight for Prefects and Heads during their patrols.  

Millie glanced at him, “Nothing! You know I leave your room pretty late at night. Lucky, I haven’t gotten caught.” 

“Funny,” Draco snorted, “With all the details you’ve told, you’d think that the audience in my room would do you the favor to escort you back to your dorm.” 

Millie crossed her arms, “Listen, I’m honestly really sorry about everything, Draco. I’m just as embarrassed by it as you are.” 

“Doubt it,” Draco rolled his eyes, keeping in mind that Millie wasn’t the biggest fan of the Weasleys. He have to give them a heads up, especially the twins.  

“Really!” Millie insisted, twisting her face from the confession that was about to leave her lips, “I’ve only talked about us to my friends twice and that particular euphemism... it was used... I mean, I used it after the first time.” 

Draco cocked his head. Millie tugged on his robes to bring him closer to him, wrapping her arms around him when he stepped towards her. She placed her head on his chest, nuzzling herself right in the crook under his chin.  

“I’m sorry,” She muttered, her muffled voice echoed in his chest, “Haven’t you been so stupid in love that you make the strangest choices without meaning to?” 

Draco tensed up because he knew exactly what she meant but also, he was surprised she had already indirectly told him she loved him.  

Draco let out an audible sigh. He supposed he couldn’t fault her when he had changed his whole outlook on life for the mere hopes of being able to get closer to Hermione. Draco blinked down at his own girlfriend, who had the look of adoration speckled in her eyes and he only hoped that his own eyes reflected it back to her, masking his own insincerities.  

A few more students quietly shuffled past them, followed by Professor Sinistra who smiled at them appreciatively.  

“That was the last of my students,” She announced, “You may trail after your house Ms. Clearwater, make sure they don’t stray.” 

Orders.  

Millie deflated. 

“As for Mr. Malfoy, there’s an entire castle for you to patrol, best to help out the other prefects to cover more ground,” She winked, “Good night.” 

Draco and Millie both looked on as the rather tall witch dressed in a midnight blue robe went her own way.  

Millie pouted.  

“You know,” Millie sighed, “I’ve been thinking of Christmas.” 

“Have you?” 

Millie nodded, “I actually hate surprises so I like to tell my family exactly what I want.” 

Draco glanced at his watch noting they only had around thirty minutes left on their patrol.  

Millie confidently smiled up at him. 

“A bracelet with a blue gem. I love a deep rich blue color,” She rolled her eyes up in thought, “Or a watch would be nice. Oh! Maybe like a cute headband and some new Mary Jane shoes. Actually, if I really think about it, a new dragon leather bookbag would be nice too.” 

Draco was unaware of why Millie was admitting all of this to him. It was quite a list. Perhaps it was something she was mentioning to her family and just relaying her thoughts to Draco. Surely, Draco wasn’t expected to buy all of that. After all, if he did the calculations, it had only been about a month of them together and most of the time wasn’t exactly spent getting to know each other. 

Well, at least not emotionally.  

He thought a simple box of sweets would have sufficed if he did decide to get her something. Draco interrupted her as she went on with her list, kissing Millie on her forehead. 

“Go herd those fourth years,” Draco asked as he backed away, “I need to go to the loo.” 

Millie paused, “Oh, sure.” 

Draco stepped away, “See you tomorrow.” 

That’s all he had managed to say before he took off running. 

It was a bold lie to say about bathroom but Draco needed time to think. Hell, he was rushing up flights of steps thinking of Ron, who also had patrol, hoping he’d find him around. 

Surely Ron would have a better clue on what to buy a girl. Ron may not have the funds to buy something extravagant for Daphne but Draco was sure that git would be able to find something undeniably romantic to give Daphne.  

He needed inspiration.  

Draco had found himself on the seventh floor pacing around, looking everywhere expecting Ron’s stupid face to appear around the corner.  

He had even hoped that Ron would have sense his distress and hand him the gift to give Millie out of the blue. Draco shook his head; he wasn’t that advance in legilimency to implant thoughts into other people's heads.  

Draco needed an idea, he needed to go somewhere where he could find lots of inspiration. A lot of choices... A place. Somewhere. 

Draco caught something shifting from the corner of his eye and he half expected a person to be there but when Draco wheeled around, there was nothing but dead air and silence. He whirled around still expecting someone to pop up but he was alone.  

However, there was a door next to a rather large tapestry that wasn’t there before.  

Was it? 

Draco cocked his head quizzically before a strange smile pulled at his lips. 

Couldn’t be possible, could it? 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 

Midterm exams weren’t too bad.  

Despite that it was only a preview of their OWLs examinations, Draco felt at ease. Maybe he had been too worried about them that he found himself over preparing the last few months. Or maybe, the professors shoved the worry down their throat so that when OWLs do come around, they’ll be more than ready, even the lowest performing students will have a chance to redeem themselves.  

The only subject that gave Draco a bit of pause was Arithmancy. He made a mental note to read up on it once he returned to Hogwarts after the holidays.  

Draco had just finished up his dinner with his essay scroll of History to hand in, when he bumped into Professor Trelawny who was in deep talks with Umbridge right at the foot of the steps of the stairs that faced the Great Hall.  

“That is all,” Umbridge smiled, before marching away. Trelawny shoulders hunch even more in as she took off her glasses to wiped them off. A few students were watching carefully before scurrying off to get a bit of food.  

“Everything alright Professor?” Draco asked, eyeing the pink potato sack triumphantly marching away from them. 

Trelawney sniffed about to answer but paused. She quickly fumbled with her glasses trying to place them back on and a look of horror spread across her face.  

“Mr. Malfoy!” She exclaimed, “It’s been a while my boy.” 

Draco nodded and that was all he was able to do before Trelawney launched herself into a tirade. 

“What is this I feel? A change?” She gasped, “A rather short-sighted attempt to redirect your own fate. My boy there are consequences to your choices, are you sure you have considered them all?” 

A knot the size of a large rock tightened his at his throat. Draco continued to stare.  

“You- You haven’t, have you?” She pointed a crooked finger at him, “Have you considered the potential grave possibilities not just between the one you love but far beyond that circle. Your family my dear. Danger. They’re in danger.” 

Draco scowled at Trelawney and stepped away, leaving her gawking at him as if he was some miracle that was defying the laws of life. Of course, he considered his choices. He didn’t just wake up and immediately pledged his allegiance to Dumbledore for the sake of Hermione.  

If people truly knew how much he hesitated and pondered what is considered to be the morally right choice, they’d probably wouldn’t really consider him a morally outstanding person. 

As for his parents, all things considered, they were always going to be in danger whether they liked it or not. It was the reason his mother foresaw and sought after his protection in the slightest chance of Voldemort’s return.  

Draco continued to storm away and then he fell at a sprint taking two steps at a time to create as much distance from Trelawney. She always gave him the heebie jeebies.  

Draco took a breath and focused remembering that Snape was the best at helping him clear is mind and truthfully, another visit with him wouldn’t hurt. 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 

“A dog?” Draco cocked his head to the side, taking slow deliberate inhalations to really sense the shape and image in the front of Snape’s mind.  

Draco paused seeing the blob morph into a fuzzier mess as he lost concentration. Snape had pushed him out of his mind with ease and didn’t look half as impressed as he had been with Draco’s occlumency. 

“It was a hippogriff,” Snape sighed.  

Draco shrugged, “Well at least I guessed an animal.” 

Snape let out a laugh and it was the first time Draco had even heard him laugh. It caught him off guard as if his own professor had sprouted wings and flew around him.  

“It’s a challenging skill,” Snape reminded, “It should be enough if you only want to show them what it feels like. Legilimency already feels invasive enough in any form.” 

Draco nodded, resetting his initial goals. He didn’t exactly want to barge into his friend’s private memories. His only goal was to have them build a shield and know when to use it. Draco being exceedingly proficient at legilimens was not required.  

Snape lectured him more about technique and how to practice intuitively with his breathing, then, his final lesson was over. Draco was about to leave when he paused and stared at his professor.  

He thought of all the risks Snape had put himself in, protecting Draco, and it was something he couldn’t exactly put into words how grateful he was that he was given the opportunity of choice. Snape had given them all the opportunity of that.  

“Merry Christmas, Professor,” Draco announced, placing a small box on his desk. He didn’t wait to see him open it, Draco walked away thinking of how stunned Snape would be once he discovered that Draco had come across an old photo of Snape he had found in the Room of Requirements the night before. 

In fact, there was so much in the Room of Requirements that he found intriguing he ended up spending a good chunk of the night just shifting through stuff. In hindsight, he probably shouldn’t have sacrificed his sleep when he was just about to take his midterms the next day, but he did end up finding a few things that immediately reminded him of others.  

Draco recalled his own curiosity getting the best of him when he opened the door just an inch to take a peek inside the room that hadn’t been there a few seconds ago. Then he pushed it open just enough to poke his head in.  

His had mouth dropped.  

There were towers and towers of discarded things. Some old, some broken and some just stored away. There were old squishy chairs and stacks of books with faded titles. Statues of beasts. A small phonogram with giant bronze shell. There were tons of bottles and vials all different colors. Mirrors and long forgotten trophies.  

There was a section of what looked like old clothes and old, incomplete wizard’s chess. Perhaps these are things that students had left behind after a year of Hogwarts. There was even an outdated looking school robe. House patches that looked decades old, perhaps even more.  

Draco had found a Slytherin one and picked it up, a small smile on his face. It was about the size of his palm, the stitched serpent was wrapped around a sword with the silver letters looped on the bottom of the crest saying: The House of Salazar Slytherin.  

Draco pocketed the patch and continued to look around. There were several quidditch cup rings dating back to 1945 when Hufflepuff had won. Draco had found a Holyhead Harpies poster that he knew Ginny would love. Before he knew it Draco’s pockets were full of trinkets and photos he had come across with.  

There was a photo that he discovered that had a comical younger version of someone he admired and what looked like his girlfriend at the time. Draco had immediately recognized Snape in the photo, although he wasn't sure of the girl next to him.

He had been awfully intrigued with each item he picked up, analyzing it closely before moving to another. He continued on like this until Draco stumbled upon a few discarded brooms he hadn't seen.  

He tripped over them, a puff of dust hit his face burning his eyes and invading his mouth as Draco took on the dull pain of landing flat on the floor. Draco smacked his tongue around feeling the fine grit of dust as he tried to spit most of it out. His eyes teared up from the irritation. He rubbed his eyes when he sat up until the rawness became manageable. He blinked and blink to make sure his eyes were back in focus and, although it took him a while, he finally got his vision back and in his line of view was yet another stack of books.

He used the books as a guide to make sure he was sure of his sight, that is until he felt the tug of a smile on his lips before the thought registered in his head.

It was perfect.

And in all his gifting perfection, Draco almost skipped away feeling happy and pockets heavy with presents for all, a small book clutched happily in his hands.

Snape had found Draco before breakfast the very next day they were bound to go back home and quietly thanked him. Draco swelled with pride that he had managed to find a photo of Snape back in his Hogwart years. There was something rather intriguing in Snapes look that was more than appreciative.  

It was like Snape was indebted. 

Draco shrugged it off and used his morning to hand out gifts.  

Draco ran into Ron and Daphne after Breakfast near the clock tower. He gave them old house mascot pins he had found. Daphne brightened at the serpent she was now pinning on Ron’s robe and Ron bent the pin off the lion so he could stick it on the side of Daphne’s headband with a simple sticking spell.  

Ginny received the vintage Holyhead Harpies poster while they were loading their small trunks. The twins appreciated the broken pocket watches Draco had found. They had no trouble repairing them and gloating how much they felt like business owners. Neville got a broken small pot, mended with thin golden adhesive, making the cracks of it detailed and beautiful against the smooth white glaze. Draco hadn’t expected him to really like it considering it wasn’t much to grow a plant out of but Neville grinned widely. He mentioned that it was perfect for miniature plants.  

Draco handed Crabbe and Goyle a box of treats as they trotted off in the carriages towards the station. They both rightfully rip the boxes open to praise the new treats his mother had sent from Switzerland. It might have been a regift, but Draco thought they would enjoy the sweets more than he could. 

By the time they reached the Station, Millie, who had been patiently sitting by Draco on the carriage ride, was now looking expectantly at him. Other students were slowly boarding the train, skipping by singing carols at an alarming volume.  

She pouted holding his hand while Draco looked forward to the break. Millie had decided to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas this year citing that she needed the extra time to study. She hadn’t felt the most comfortable after her midterms. Draco, on the other hand, relished on the idea of not having that pressure on him for the next three weeks.  

“Promise you’ll miss me,” Millie huffed as they stopped by the third shiny bright red carriage from the front. Draco nodded.  

“I’ll write.” He smiled.  

Millie huffed once more as if she was trying to make it extra obvious that she wasn’t happy at all. Draco knew why but he found it slightly entertaining seeing Millie mope about.  

“Every day?” Draco added with the tilt of his head. 

Millie slowly nodded, her pout cracking into a disheartened smile. The train conductor signaled the last call with a whistle.  

“Ah,” Draco cleared his throat, “Before I forget.” 

He pulled out a box from the pocket of his cloak, “Here.” 

Millie brightened up immediately and tore the box open. Draco chuckled at how charming her childish side was. She was waiting for her gift. Her face stilled. 

“I had to bribe a third year to make a last-minute run to Honeydukes for a box of their best truffles and fudge.” Draco smiled proudly but sensing that it wasn’t enough from Millie’s disappointed expression, he pulled her in.  

“Oh, and,” He continued, “This as well.  

He opened her cloak to fold over itself, reaching into his own pocket to fish out his final gift: An old Slytherin patch. He used his wand to have threads pull at the sides and have it properly sewn inside of her cloak. 

Draco encouraged her with a smile, “It’s a Slytherin patch.” 

“I can see,” Millie slowly said, looking confused. 

“It's sewn there to be close to your heart,” Draco explained, “Like I hope I am.” 

Millie paused before she smiled at him.  

“Thank you,” She quietly said, “It’s very thoughtful of you.” 

“All aboard!”  

Draco quickly kissed Millie on her temple before he jumped on the carriage just as the giant gears began to crank the wheels forward. Draco waved at her and stayed by the window to watch her turn into the tiniest dot before he pulled away to find a place to relax for the next few hours.  

Considering not all the students were traveling back home, there was plenty of seating available. It was only the matter of finding a good spot.  

Draco was deep into his simple thoughts crossing over to another train car, when he found himself an empty compartment. He lit up and took a few steps towards it when he bumped into a body who happened to just exit out of the compartment across from his precious find.  

His heart flared, a feeling he was growing accustom to, when Hermione let out a nervous laugh. Draco’s hands hand found her arms to steady both of them from stumbling over.   

Her eyes were wider than usual, possibly because her hair was pulled back into a low bun, exposing a lot of that beautiful face of hers.  

Then Draco’s eyes flickered down to her hand. She was clutching a small rectangular wrapped gift. Draco gulped; another gift was weighing heavy in his breast pocket.  

Hermione gulped and pointed at an empty compartment.  

“Care to sit?” She pointed before adding, “Ron and Daphne are busy snogging in there and Harry well, he’s actually talking to a few Slytherins down at the end.” 

Draco blinked in surprise, “Oh is he?” 

"Who are you referring to?" Hermione asked. 

Draco chuckled, "You don't honestly think I'll be questioning if Ron was snogging Daph. Of course, I'm asking about Harry."

Hermione opened her mouth, presumably to give a witty comeback, but she glued her back against the wall as Ginny came around, weaving in and out the narrow path to chase down the trolley lady with two galleons pinched between her fingers. Ginny smirked at Draco as she weaved on by.  

“What’s with the face Draco?” Ginny snorted, “See something you li-” 

Draco had managed to roll his eyes, gently guiding Hermione into the compartment before he wordlessly joined in. Ginny had taken a few steps back to taunt them, she was at the window blowing kisses at the both of them. It was fairly awkward for the both of them trying to see if the other would point out Ginny’s behavior. Draco didn’t want to highlight why Ginny was acting that was but it was hard to ignore when she was watching them like animals at a zoo.

Draco wished he could send a decent jinx in her direction to shut her up. 

He didn’t have to. Ginny looked to her left and caught sight of her brother and Daphne and her face twisted in disgust as she stormed off.  

Hermione let out a laugh.

"She must have seen Ron." Hermione pipped up. Draco nodded, licking his lips in anticipation.

They sat across each other in an anticipated silence for a stretch of a moment, waiting for the other to break.  

“I heard-” 

“Merry-” 

They both paused before erupting into a bit of nervous laughter.  

“You first,” Draco gestured her to continue her thoughts. His thoughts were consumed by the excitement of handing over his gift. 

Hermione smiled brightly and exhaled lightly collapsing back into the comfort of the train seats.  

She gave him a long look before she continued.  

“I heard you gave everyone gifts.” She smiled, “Very thoughtful of you, Draco.” 

Draco grimaced, “Actually, I feel crummy about it.” 

“Why?” Hermione perked up. 

“I could do better, I think. They weren’t things I bought. I found them in the Room of Requirement.” 

“Wait. You found the room?” Hermione’s brows rose up, impressed. 

Draco licked his lips, “Yeah, I felt like I could have gotten lost in there forever looking through everything. I found things that reminded me of everyone. It’s honestly nothing special-” 

“I disagree,” Hermione gulped, she glanced down to her lap where her present laid, “They don’t have to be lavish or extravagant gifts to be meaningful, Draco.” 

At that moment, when’s Draco heart felt full and satisfied. Crabbe and Goyle happen to walk by, their attention suddenly pulled at the strange pair inside the compartment. They both stared in, gawking, until Daphne appeared behind them. Her and Ron were quick to pull them away into their compartment to leave them alone. 

Draco closed his eyes and winced.  

Hermione let out a nervous chuckle. 

“I suppose your friends will question this.” Hermione ducked her head in shame, as if he was ready to hear another round of lecturing from Draco as to why they should stay clear from each other.  

“Yeah, maybe,” Draco agreed, “Anyways, I’m usually the one expecting gifts. I hadn’t really given any of my friends’ gifts for Christmas. It was a first for me this year, I could be shit at it, really.” 

Draco gulped. His mind raced on how he was going to present the gift he had in mind for Hermione that was in his pocket.  

“You aren’t,” Hermione perked up, “I was talking to Neville and he was really touched and Ron was pleasantly surprised.” 

“I have one for Potter but it's nothing much really,” Draco admitted.

Hermione seem to struggle with herself as she contemplated silently, gripping on to the small box on her lap. It wasn’t at all beautifully wrapped. It was in a brown paper wrapping with a small bow.  

Hermione nodded to confirm something within herself.  

“I, um,” Hermione licked her lips, “I have something f-for you.” 

She tried her best to confidently make eye contact with Draco but she only lasted a split second before ducking her head offering him that very plain box.  

Draco leaned forward to accept his gift, and like a greedy child, he thanked her as he tore the box open. The bits of fluff inside the box were now suspended in air as Draco stared on in astonishment once he had revealed his gift.  

“I’ve been hanging on to it,” Hermione quickly admitted, “I almost forgot that I brought it to Hogwarts, thinking that maybe we’d have time... which is quite stupid of me when we have OWLs and we’re all pretty busy.” 

“Your cassette player?” Draco blinked, lifting the small rectangular device with the head phones neatly wrapped next to it. Draco saw a few cassettes in the box and he examined the titles of them as Hermione jumped to explain.  

“Well, I thought you had really enjoyed the music over the summer,” Hermione leaned over the box, “I had my dad owled some of his old music. He’s been slowly replacing his music collection with CDs...” 

“CDs” Draco asked, holding up a cassette that had a list of muggle Christmas songs. Hermione opened her mouth but thought it a bit too lengthy to explain another means of music to Draco when he was completely fascinated in reading the tiny print on the cassettes. 

“What’s Wham! and what’s so special about a bell and a rock that jingles?” Draco’s finger trailed down the list of weird titles. 

Hermione snorted.  

“Here,” She gently took Draco’s gift from him and fixed it up for him so he could enjoy muggle music once more on their train ride home.  

Draco didn’t hesitate to step over to her side to sit next to her as she began to explain who Wham! was as well as what the Jingle Bell Rock meant. They both fell into a rhythm similar to summer where they freely enjoyed each other’s company.  

The curious looks of passerbyers seemed to be the least of their concern as they enjoyed each other’s company, listening to music. Hermione pressed her ear next to Draco’s and spent the next moments listening to Wham!. 

Draco hung the headphones around his neck and continued to read off the other cassettes, fascinated in the titles. He could feel Hermione staring at him, almost as if she was memorizing his profile.  

Draco glanced back at the curious face and let out a small guffaw.  

“What?” He asked.  

Hermione chewed on her lip as if she was tired of trying to figure something out silently in her head. 

“Hey Draco?” 

“Yeah?” Draco hummed out, noting the four faces plastered against the windows of the compartment next to them. Seemed like they had a very curious audience. 

“Can I ask you something?” 

“Sure.” Draco eyes widened as the four gathered up the courage to escape and make their way over to them. He perked up when he remembered that he had something for Hermione. He was just reaching for the small parcel when a bundle of bodies stumbled in. It seemed like the fantastic four couldn’t help but to butt into Draco’s and Hermione’s compartment.  

Ron and Daphne stumbled in lightly arguing about the gift Draco had received. Looks like they’ve been spying for quite a while and were waiting with baited breath for the perfect time to barge in. Ron was going on and on about how cool a cassette player was, while Daphne couldn’t imagine such a thing. Crabbe and Goyle were even more fascinated with the musical device that Hermione had gifted Draco.  

Hermione held it up for the admiration of the others. Draco sat back proudly at the perfect gift he had received.  

Ron puffed up his chest.  

“Dad’s got like three of them back home,” Ron gave a prompt nod, “He works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts in the Ministry, you know. I’ll show you Daph.” 

Crabbe looked at Ron as if he was a rare gem.  

“Your dad’s got that many?” Crabbe gave Ron an impressed frown, “Think you can swipe one for me?” 

Hermione was quick to explain why that was impossible, “Ron’s dad can’t really fix them, right Ron?  His job is to counteract the jinx and hexes that some witches or wizard place on muggle items.” 

Ron slowly nodded, “Yeah, he collects the things he’s neutralized. It’s a bit tricky to tackle a cursed item, much more if it’s muggle. It’s got that muggle thing, what was it again Hermione?” 

Ron looked at Hermione, looking for the word.  

“Electricity,” Hermione informed.  

“Right, elecristacy,” He repeated, feeling foreign on his lips, “It makes the magic a bit tricky to counteract the jinx and curses.” 

Goyle grinned, “Well are you going to share then Draco?” 

“What?” Draco cocked his head, defensively. 

Goyle pointed at this cassette player, “Well you can’t always be listening to music, you got patrol and stuff to do, don't ya?” 

“So?” Draco scoffed.  

“So, can we borrow it when you’re not using it?” Goyle asked as if it was the most obvious question in the world.  

“No,” Draco glared, “Of course you can’t.” 

“Draco,” Daphne scolded.  

They had been lightly arguing about it and soon the six of them, cramped up in a small compartment settled into nothing but teenaged nonsense. They joked around, all shared the misery of fifth year studies, and played exploding snaps until the train had slowly come to a halt.  

Draco glanced outside to find the train pulling into the dark Platform 9 ¾. His friends began to slowly trickle out of their compartment, ready for their holidays to start. Hermione had risen to her feet and Draco pitifully followed suit, sad that his last moments with Hermione, although fun, hadn’t been completely alone. 

Draco dreaded that their ride was coming to an end but he was grateful for the slight freedom he had in those few short hours to enjoy Hermione’s company.  

Lingering behind, Draco allowed everyone else to go ahead of him, wanting to be the last to disembark. Much to his delight, it also seemed like Hermione was taking her time gathering her own things to as other students walked by and cut in front of her. 

Draco thought it was now or never.  

“Granger?”  

Her face quickly snapped up a glare just for him. Draco smirked. 

“’Mione,” He corrected, “Here.” 

He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a small package, with her name neatly scribbled on it. 

He gulped at her puzzled expression.  

“I found it in the room... and I thought of how you are like me, well kind of. In the sense that you didn’t grow up in our world. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.” Draco rambled, nearly socking himself in the face. Hermione slowly began to carefully peel off the thick wrappings. 

“Like how I missed out on things like cassette players or literature.” Draco explained, “You’d also would have missed out on somethings that are so much part of my upbringing, that it feels forgettable.” 

Draco watched her expression change as she uncovered a small handheld book, with a titled etched out in golden ancient runes. 

“It’s a children’s story book,” Draco continued, “It's got beautiful artwork. I think it has about four stories-” 

“Thank you Draco,” Hermione interjected, “This is... perfect.” 

Draco felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips, “Really?” 

Hermione nodded, “Yes, really really.” 

They stood in silence in the middle of a near empty train cart, that was until Ron stuck his head in to call for Hermione.  

“Hurry ‘Mione,” Ron groaned, “I’m starving and mum said she got a big stew ready for us.” 

Draco watched Hermione’s face twist into a painful smile, “I’ve got to go.” 

A conflict of information caused Draco to pause.

“I thought you were spending your holidays with Krum,” Draco pointed out without meaning to. It sort of came out of him, unhinged. Hermione looked stunned at first but soon relaxed upon realizing that anything she might have mentioned, would have been making its rounds in the school gossip. 

“Yeah, I was,” She began, “But then... I didn’t want to hassle my parents into another trip to Bulgaria. We'd have to take the muggle way of transport this time around and it can be quite expensive for such a short trip.” 

Draco slowly nodded.  

“We’re spending it with the Weasleys.” Hermione finished.  

“Hermione!” Ron whined

"We?" Draco questioned.  

“Daphne, too,” Hermione smiled.  

Draco pressed his own into a thin line, “That sounds lovely.” 

“I’ve thought of inviting you,” Hermione admitted, “But I wasn’t sure if you had plans... with family or people.” 

Draco wondered if she intended it to sound like she was referring to Millie.  

“I wondered what it would be like to have you around for Christmas,” Hermione softly continued “Like another summer with us. Wouldn't that be fantastic?” 

“Mayhem, you mean,” Draco snorted, causing Hermione to finally break in a laugh, distracting her from her train of thought.  

From the corner of his eye, Draco could spot his mother on the platform, her distinct bright blend of blonde and black hair pacing back and forth through the windows of their carriage. She was briskly approaching their train cart in search of him.  

Draco quickly thought of having to exit from another train cart to not give rise to suspicions of having both of them exit at the same time. 

It seemed like Hermione had come to the same conclusion.  

“You should go,” She said quietly, watching his mother through the window. Draco began to step away from her, thinking that two carts away would be enough to extinguish any questions form his own mother.  

Draco smiled, “Merry Christmas Hermione.”  

He soon joined his worried mother feeling, for some odd reason, like he just won a quidditch match.