Potter!

Plans for Christmas

When Christmas came around, it turned out that Draco was welcome at the Burrow but only for Christmas day as they didn't have enough room for the whole family.
As much as Draco found this odd, for they were a family with magic and surely could conjure up more space with the flick of a wand, he accepted it.

However, that left him homeless for the rest of the Christmas break. He definitely was not going back to the Manor, even for a second.

If the Leaky Cauldron had any rooms, he would stay there. It would be sad to be alone but at least he wasn't dying slowly at the Manor. Maybe Harry would visit him when he wasn't having fun with the Weasley family, as Draco was sure they would make room for the saviour of the wizarding world.

The day before the holidays was always a drag. To be honest he couldn't wait to get out of there. For the first time, Hogwarts had been suffocating him, pulling him underneath the surface. All the ghosts of the past and the rumours spreading about the friendship between him and Harry, some even going further than friendship which to his disappointment, Harry incessantly denied.

Sitting at the Gryffindor table for breakfast was quieter now, but there was still the occasional glare or whisper, which usually came from. Ron or Seamus's direction. Harry ignored it so Draco did too. It was the only way to keep sane.

"Hey." Harry said through a mouthful of toast, his eyes moving over an article about Dumbledore in the daily prophet.

Draco took a piece of toast and put it on his plate but had no intention of eating it at the moment. He was too anxious to eat.

Hermione leaned over the table to speak to him excitedly, "Are you going to spend the Christmas holidays with your parents, Draco?"
She had clearly been arguing with Ron about her needing to visit her parents on Christmas, but he wanted her at the Burrow. Draco smirked as Ron gave him a filthy look for, he didn't know, perhaps being alive?

"No, why would I go there?" He replied, wrinkling his nose in disgust at her even mentioning his parents.

Hermione shut her mouth tight, and Ron gave her a victorious smirk.

"They're different to my parents though, Ron..." She whined.

"Where are you going then?" Harry finally glanced up from his newspaper to look at Draco with his eyes filled with concern.

"I'll be staying at the Leaky Cauldron until Christmas day." Draco replied, swirling his pumpkin juice in his cup wondering what he could do in Diagon Alley for 2 weeks, or maybe he could visit muggle London if Harry or Hermione showed him the way.

"The Leaky Cauldron?!" Harry furrowed his eyebrows, "That's not happening."

"Why not? I don't want to go to the Manor!" Draco didn't want to be forced by anyone to go there, let alone the chosen one, the one his family are supposed to hate.

"I know you don't. You'll stay with me." Harry said with a wide grin, earning a disbelieving look from Ron.

"Aren't you staying at the Burrow?" Draco ignored Ron who was eyeing them both, now Hermione included, but he suspected what she was thinking was a lot of different.

"No, they didn't have room for me. Not with Bill, Fleur, Charlie and his wife, Percy and his girlfriend, Hermione if she wants too, Andromeda and Teddy." He laughed at his two friends scowling at him from the other side of the table.

"Oh," was Draco's only thought. So the Weasley's weren't lying when they said they didn't have room for him?

"You'll stay with me at Grimmauld Place." Harry said, full of excitement.

Draco swallowed. All alone with Harry Potter. As much as he wished that would happen, the thought of being with him but not be able to be with him ate at his insides. Besides, he didn't know how long Ron and Ginny would actually let them be alone.

"Is that okay?" Harry had noticed his slight hesitation, and pretended not to have seen the faint crimson spread across his pale cheeks.

Draco nodded, swallowing all his doubt. At least this Christmas would be better than Christmases at the Manor, he thought

"Come on Draco, don't look so glum! Would you rather stay alone in a dark, smelly room at the Leaky Cauldron? Do you really hate me that much?" Harry smirked, admiring the blonde's nervous tendency to bite his pink lips.

Draco stifled a laugh, "I used to. But now I'm not so sure."

Harry rolled his eyes, hitting his shoulder in a manly, friendly way. Draco noted this. It was not lovable or as if he fancied him. Thinking about it, he wasn't even sure Harry liked men at all.

"It will be fun! Kreacher is really good at cooking once you get on his good side." Harry chuckled, Ron and Hermione nodding in agreement.

"Fine." Draco made it sound like he was forcing himself to go, whereas deep down he was ecstatic.

Harry rolled his eyes once again, appreciating that their rivalry was now just a few jokes that they could laugh about.

In their wildest dreams, they could not have imagined that they would be spending Christmas together.