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fallingforfictionalcharacterss · 1 year

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Merry Christmas everyone💚

I hope you´ll all have some wonderful days and can spend some time with the people you love, no matter if you are celebrating or not.

The best Christmas

Summary: Draco and you are spending Christmas together at Hogwarts even if you never used to like each other.

Warning: reader with a kinda sad past (mentions of sickness and death), but mostly fluff

Your gaze followed Hagrid, who was struggling to carry yet another fir, that was meant to be positioned in the Great Hall, where Professor Flitwick would cover it in tons of tinsel and baubles. The music of the choir was echoing through the castle. They were probably practising for the last banquet before the holidays when they would perform some Christmas songs before Professor Dumbledore would wish all students, who would go home for the feast, a merry Christmas and also a happy new year.

The huge footprints Hagrid had left on the ground, would soon be covered by new snow, that was still falling from the grey sky. You couldn’t help but smile, as you saw some first-years running around, all excited while having snowball fights and building an entire army of snowmen. Their cheeks and noses were already coloured red, yet their eyes were sparkling, and it seemed like they couldn’t even feel the cold.

You on the other hand were freezing terribly, so you shot them a last glance before you went back into the castle. Unfortunately, inside it wasn’t that warm as well, so you quickly rushed to your common room, where the ingle and the hot chocolate the house elves would bring you, would warm you up again.

As soon as you climbed through the entrance to the common room, a cosy warmth lulled you in, as well as the pleasant smell of pastries and punch. As you looked around, you noticed, that none of your friends was sitting in the armchairs in front of the fireplace. You sighed. Probably they were already in their dorms, packing their things for the ride home tomorrow.

As you went up the stairs and opened the door, your assumption proofed to be true. Hermione was standing in front of her suitcase, weighing some books in her hands.

“You know that in the holidays you are meant to relax, don’t you? We will have continue studying soon enough. At least try to take a few days off.”

Hermione still looked at the books with furrowed eyebrows.

“I won´t have time on Christmas anyway.”, she answered, without tearing her gaze from the books. “But I will stay until after new year, so I can spend the time between the days to read something. That isn’t even actually learning. For me, this is relaxation as well.”

You rolled your eyes at your friend´s stubbornness.

“If you say so.”

Hermione sighed and threw both books in her case before she closed it. As she turned around to you and saw your questioning look, she shrugged her shoulders.

“You never know.”

“You are always prepared for all eventualities, aren’t you?”, you chuckled.

“As if this would be a bad thing.”, Hermione responded. Then she took a look at her clock. “It´s almost time for dinner. I´m already looking forward to Dumbledore´s speech this year.”

The next day, you were standing at the railway station, and watched your friends, loading up their things. You watched the scene with a bittersweet feeling. When Ron had tucked away his last belongings, he turned around to you once more.

“Are you sure, you don’t want to come with us?”, he asked you. “Mum would be really happy about it. She was already asking for you.”

But you shook your head.

“No Ron, I´m fine. Really. But wish your mum a merry Christmas. And also the rest of your family.”

After many goodbyes and even more assurances from Ron and Hermione that it would be perfectly fine, if you would change your mind and wanted to spend Christmas either with the Grangers or the Weasleys and Harry, you would always be welcome, they finally got on the train.

You waved them goodbye until the train disappeared behind the next bend.

Then, you slowly made your way back to the castle. You didn’t quite know how to feel. It was the first Christmas you would spend on your own. But it was just the way you wanted it. Last year, you had spent it with the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione. It had been perfectly fine, yet, it had felt wrong sitting at a table with a family that day, that wasn’t yours. Mrs Weasley had seen this differently of course, since she had embosomed all of Ron´s friends and saw you as a part of the family, and normally you agreed with her, yet, on Christmas it was different. Somehow, at this time of the year, everything felt different. This year, all you wanted was your freedom and to spend the holidays in peace. Also, in practical terms, you wouldn’t be on your own, even this year. Some students always stayed in Hogwarts during the holidays and so did most of the teachers. So you wouldn’t suffer from a lack of company for sure.

“What are you still doing here (Y/l/n)? Do even your friends don’t want you to ruin their holidays with your presence?”

You let out an unpleasant grunt. That wasn’t exactly the company you had hoped for.

Draco Malfoy leaned against the castle wall right next to the entrance, a thin grin on his lips.

“I could ask you the same Malfoy.”

You were genuinely surprised to see him here. Malfoy had always headed home over the holidays. You knew that many things had changed for him since his father had gotten arrested at the end of the last school year, but you had thought that this was yet another reason for him to go home and spend some time with his mother.

“I have more important things to do than to celebrate.”, the blond boy answered, while pulling a secretive face.

You rolled your eyes.

“Please don’t tell me I will have to deal with you the entire holidays.”

He huffed.

“I could say the same. So, tell me, why didn’t you leave with your annoying friends and give me a chance to actually enjoy my holidays?”

“I don’t think that this is any of your business.”, you snapped back.

Malfoy shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t care anyway. As long as you won´t bother me for the next few days.”

“Me bothering you? Don’t make me laugh, Malfoy. But oh, I forgot, you have to deal with more important things, don’t you?”

Malfoy´s grin only grew wider.

“Exactly, and you really don’t have to know about it.”

“Did I ask?”, you responded.

“I know that you always stick your nose into other people´s businesses.”

“Do you really think you are that important to me, that I will spend my free time on you?”

“You got something better to do?”, he quickly replied.

“I can think of many things. And if you may excuse me, I´m cold now.”

You walked past him, ignoring his gaze following you.

On the first days of the holidays, you spend mostly on your own. Only a handful of students had decided to stay in the school over the holidays. You weren’t exactly sad about it. You spent much time reading, taking walks through the snow and sometimes you found some other students who would play Wizard´s Chess with you. Even Professor McGonagall had announced that she was always up for a match and would grant every student, who would be able to beat her, a surprise. No one had ever managed to do so though and you highly doubted that someone would make it in the near future.

The only thing that disturbed you from having the perfect lazy Christmas holidays you wished for, was Draco Malfoy. He was sneaking around the castle, always looking busy and you couldn’t help but wonder what was on his mind. But what displeased you even more than his secretiveness was the fact that he was sitting on the Slytherin table all alone for most of the meals you were having. Not many other Slytherins had stayed over the holidays and none of your year. But while the students of the other houses didn’t care about the age or the house of the other students these days and you found yourself sitting on the table with some Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs as well, the Slytherin boy seemed to prefer staying on his own over having to deal with the other houses, as well as the handful of other Slytherins that stayed in the school as well.

Sometimes you caught him staring at you and the other students sitting at one table all together with a strange look on his face, but whenever he realized you had caught him, he quickly looked away again, acting as if he didn’t care about it at all. At some point, you had caught yourself thinking that you might as well ask him to join you, but then you remembered who Draco Malfoy was after all, and you rejected the idea again. Still, you intended that if he would come up to you -even if you highly doubted he would ever do so- you wouldn’t mind him joining you. Because on Christmas, everyone should come together, shouldn’t you?

Over the few free days that had already passed, you had gotten into the habit of taking a walk around the castle ground. By now you had to pave your way through the snow that was coating the ground in a thick layer. It was still almost constantly snowing, but you enjoyed being outside, feeling the cold air filling your lungs, getting your head clear, just thinking about nothing at all. And as long as you were covered in cosy sweaters and a warm winter jacket and just kept on walking, it didn’t get too cold.

You never knew where it would take you next, and you loved it. You visited the owlery, the lake and sometimes Hagrid, who always greeted you with a large cup of warm tea and some biscuits, that unfortunately were so hard, you were wondering how in Godric´s name you had managed to not lose a tooth yet.

Today, your feet carried you to the Quidditch pitch. You didn’t exactly know why, there was nothing going on out there, but you needed a destination.

Reaching it, you realized, that there was actually nothing special about it, even though it had something magical looking at the arena, covered in white, everything being quiet. You wouldn’t have guessed how loud and busy it could get here, if you wouldn’t have been at many matches yourself, supporting your team and cheering as well. You circled around the arena once, before you got ready to head back to the castle.

But just as you wanted to do so, you heard a sneering voice behind you.

“What are you doing here?”

You turned around, facing Malfoy. You didn’t know where he had come from, you had really thought, you had been on your own.

“Taking a walk. This isn’t forbidden, is it?”

“Wish it was for you.”, he responded.

“What are you doing here then?”

Malfoy raised an eyebrow, looking amused.

“For real (Y/l/n)?”

Of course this was a stupid question. Malfoy held his broom in his hand and was wearing his Quidditch jersey. His normally neatly styled hair was dishevelled, and his cheeks looked slightly rosy. Even though you hated to admit it, he looked unfairly good like this, even with -or maybe even more because of- the mocking grin on his face.

“I mean why are you practising right now? On your own and while it´s freezing?”

The grin on his face only grew wider and his eyes sparkled.

“Are you worried about me?”

“You wish Malfoy.”, you snorted. “I just thought you had more important things to do.” You imitated his momentous voice.

“Sometimes even I need to switch my brain off.”, Malfoy responded, not reacting to your teasing. “But I originally planned to do so without my fans bothering me.”

You rolled your eyes.

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t call myself a fan of yours. Also, I´m already on my way back. So you´ll be on your own again in no time.”

“Good.”, Malfoy responded.

But you had barely taken a few steps when you heard the snow crunching under some boots behind you. At first, you tried to ignore it, but after you had already had made half of the way back to the castle, and you still heard the annoying sound, you turned around once more.

“Are you following me?”, you asked.

Malfoy shook his head.

“You don’t expect me to wait out here freezing to death until you are gone and I won´t bother you, do you?”

“Well, you were the one who told me I shouldn’t bother you.”

“You can wait here until I´m gone (Y/l/n), I don’t mind. But I won´t do so for sure.”

“Neither will I.”, you responded.

“Fine.”

“Good.”

“Great.”

You let out an annoyed groan before you continued your way, Malfoy walking silently next to you.

Only when you were near the castle, he spoke up again.

“So… Why are you taking a walk on your own, when it´s so cold and the snowfall is that heavy?”

You narrowed your eyes as you looked at him.

“And you are implying that I´m the one who´s worried about you.”

Silence.

“Sometimes I need to get out of my head as well I guess.”, you answered his question.

“Does it work?”

You were irritated by his interest, but still, you decided to answer once more.

“Mostly. At least for a while.”

Malfoy just nodded.

When you entered the castle together with Malfoy, you glanced at him from the side. This had probably been the most awkward interaction you had ever had with him, and you weren’t quite sure how to end it now.

But luckily, Malfoy decided it for you. He glanced at you as well and then gave you a short nod, before leaving into the direction of the Slytherin common room, without saying a word.

Your gaze followed him. When he had turned around the next corner, you shook your head.

This had definitely been awkward.

The next day, you went out again, this time heading towards the lake. But just like yesterday, you weren’t on your own for long. Because at some point, someone larger, with much bigger steps, caught up to you.

But instead of continuing his way and passing you, Draco Malfoy once more adapted his pace to yours. You glanced at the boy who was walking by your side quietly.

“You still want to tell me you don’t follow me?”, you finally spoke up, when he decided to keep on pretending as if he didn’t just appear next to you and keep your company.

Malfoy huffed.

“Do you think I am in need of doing so?”

“What are you doing here then?”

“Taking a walk. Someone told me it´s good to switch off my brain.”

You looked at him, slightly surprised that he cared about what you had told him.

“Does it work?”, you asked, even if you weren´t sure why you even approached him.

“If you would just shut up it might.”

“I´m not forcing you to keep my company.”

“I never intended to do so.”

“You can walk away then.”

“So could you.”

“Why should I, I´ve been here first.”, you responded.

“So?”

You sighed in annoyance.

“If you don’t want my company, you can leave.”

“I could. But so could you.”

“I could.”

But neither of you did.

And it went on like this for a few days. It was like an unspoken consultation between the two of you.

At some point during your walk, the two of you met up and Draco adjusted his pace to yours since you were struggling with the masses of snow, that, on the worst day, almost reached your knees. The two of you bickered for a while, claiming that you just tolerated the presence of the other one, while actually, you found some kind of comfort in those walks. He didn’t force you into chatting, actually, he didn’t even force you in keeping his company, but that’s why you enjoyed it. You didn’t have to give an account for any of your behaviour, had no kind of commitment. On rare occasions, you did talk to each other, but the questions, as well as the answers, were almost always taciturnly. But maybe that was just what you needed at that time of the year.

On the day before Christmas Eve, the sky had finally cleared up. It was still cold, but at least it had stopped snowing and the sun was shining again, making the snow, the landscape was still covered in, sparkle.

Once again, you met up with Malfoy somewhere outside of the castle. This time, you were walking through a grove near the border of the forbidden forest. The sun that shone through the trees, drew beautiful patterns on the ground. The snow was by now frozen, so you didn’t cave in that easily anymore, and crunched under your feet.

For some reason, Malfoy seemed to be way happier today than he had been the last days. He was almost talkative. But since he was Malfoy, that wasn’t exactly a good thing. He ran his mouth about all different things, while you just listened to him, sometimes zoning out a bit, since your mind was occupied with different things.

“Do you think Weaselbee and his family even have the money to buy some presents?”, he asked you, after he had bragged about the ostentatious Christmas parties his family always used to host. “I think it´s strange they all went home over the holidays. I mean if they would have stayed in Hogwarts, they would at least have gotten some food. Don’t think Weaselbee will get that at home as well. But for Potter, it still must be paradise. At least Weaselbee still got his parents; not like Potter.”

Your gaze shot up.

“You know these are still my friends you are talking about?” Your voice was sharp.

Malfoy looked at you haughtily.

“So?”

While over the last few days you had sometimes wondered what exactly the reason had been you had never liked Malfoy, now you suddenly remembered again.

“Don’t talk about them like that. And just for your notice; I spend Christmas with them the last year and it was amazing!”, you snapped back.

“Why didn’t you do it this year again then?”, Malfoy asked.

“I already told you; this is none of your business. And I don’t want you to think up yet another reason to run them down.”

“So there is one?”, Malfoy asked.

You shot him a deadly glance.

“You really are an asshole, you know that?”

You quickened your pace, not wanting to spend more time than necessary with a boy who talked so badly about your friends.

“(Y/l/n), wait! There´s no need to be offended.” With a few large steps, he caught up with you again. “Can´t you just wait for me?”

“Why? So you can continue making fun of my friends?”

“I didn’t mean to…”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t mean to do so. You always did. Why should that change now?”

“I just want to know.”

“What?”

“Why you´re rather staying on your own at Christmas than be with people you love.”

“Why do you even care?”

Silence.

You glared at him. “Never mind.”

On your way back to the castle, both of you fell silent again, but this time, it wasn’t as comfortable as in the last few days.

And when you stormed up the stairs to your common room, while Draco headed towards the dungeons, he knew, he had screwed up.

On the day of Christmas Eve, you were sitting in the Gryffindor common room, staring into the fire. You felt miserable. In the last few days, you had hoped that this year it would be different, that you wouldn’t have to deal with all those feelings, but now, you felt even worse. You should have known better from the very beginning. The company of a Malfoy, even if it might had felt pleasant at that very moment, was never a good thing. And it was even worse, that you had let yourself get lulled in by the illusion of him being anything else but an idiot.

A small knock on the door, made you look up. You couldn’t think of a single person who would want to get in here but wouldn’t have the password.

It knocked a second time.

You sighed and gave up your cosy spot on the couch. As you opened the entrance, you furrowed your brows in irritation.

Malfoy was standing in front of you, in his winter uniform and with a wry grin on his face.

“What do you want here?” Your voice was cold.

“I haven’t seen you outside. Is everything alright?”

“I´m fine.”

“Why weren’t you out there then?”

“Why should I?”

“So we can go on a walk.”

You shook your head in disbelief.

“You really think I want to go with you after what you said yesterday?”

Malfoy cleared his throat.

“This was a misunderstanding.”

“Oh, I think you´ve expressed yourself clearly.”, you responded.

“I didn’t mean to upset you…”

“But you did.”

“It was just fun.” “Not for me.”

“I´m sorry if you misconceived it…”

“Goodbye Malfoy.”, you cut him off.

You wanted to slam the door, but Malfoy was quick to put a foot in between.

“Okay, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said this. I´m sorry I did.”

You looked at him, pleasantly surprised. This was probably the only actual apology he had ever made.

“I shouldn’t run my mouth on people who aren’t even there and what I said about Weasley and Potter was below the belt.”

“It was.”

You couldn’t help but smile. You had never thought you would ever hear Malfoy apologizing to anyone at all. For some reason it must have been really important for him to get you out of here because you highly doubted, he would have been able to say this.

“And I apologize for it.”, Malfoy said once more, spitting the words out as if they were poisoned, staring at his own feet as he did so.

The smile on your face only grew wider.

“I´ll grab my jacket really quick.”

You could have sworn you had seen some relief on Malfoy´s face, as his gaze shot up.

“Can I come in?”, he asked, glancing into the room behind you curiously.

You realized that Malfoy had probably never visited a Gryffindor before, let alone standing in front of the open door of your common room. You had to admit that you would also be kinda curious if it would have been the common room of another house, but you knew that your friends would probably kill you, if you would let, out of all the people, Malfoy in. Also, even if he recently might had shown a side of him, you hadn’t known yet, you still didn’t trust him completely. Not even five minutes ago, you had sworn yourself to never fall for his bullshit again, yet, for some reason, you did once more. But this was a border, you probably shouldn’t cross.

“You wish Malfoy.”, you answered. “Wait for me here, it won´t take long.”

This time, your feet carried you to the owlery. On your way there, you didn’t talk at all, but you could feel Malfoy´s gaze lingering on you most of the time. The sun was shining brightly, being reflected by the shimmering snow. You had to squeeze your eyes to see anything at all.

When you had reached the owlery and climbed up the stairs, you almost slipped on a frozen spot. But Malfoy was quick to grab your arm, helping you to find your balance again.

“Careful (Y/l/n).”, he grinned, locking his gaze with yours.

You could feel your skin prickle, where Malfoy was touching you, even through your jacket. For a second you just stared at him, fascinated by his eyes, which had just the same colour as the sky above you. But as you saw Malfoy´s smile only widened as he noticed the way you were scanning his features, you were quick to look away again, clearing your throat.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” His hand lingered on your arm for another second, before he let go of you. “Just try not to slip once more. I don’t want you to spend the holidays in the hospital wing.”

You just nodded, not trusting your voice, before you continued your way, now placing your feet much more carefully.

When you had reached the owlery, you watched Malfoy tying a small package onto the leg of his eagle owl. Your own owl was sitting on a sim next to you, while you carefully caressed her plumage.

“It´s a Christmas present for my mother.”, Malfoy explained to you, when he had sent his owl on its way. “I think she is sad I won’t come home this year. It´s my first year spending Christmas away from my family.”

You could hear his voice sounding a bit more hollow than usual, filled with the yearning of heading home like he always had done it.

“You should always be with the people you love at Christmas. It´s nice if you are able to forget all your worries for some time and just be grateful for what you got.”

Malfoy´s gaze was still fixed on the owl, which slowly disappeared in the distance. He nodded absent-mindedly.

“I´m sure you will be able to go home again next year. And then you will have another of your feasts and get all spoiled by your mum.”

Malfoy looked at you and gave you a small smile.

“I hope I will. My family is very important to me, you know? Not because of the bloodline and all of this. But because that´s where I belong. Because I know they will always be there for me.”

You mirrored his smile. He came over to you, fondling your owl as well, who looked at him distrustfully and rattled her chanter. But soon, she started to enjoy the additional attention she got now, nibbling on your fingers benignly.

“That´s why I didn’t want to go with Ron this year, you know? It´s his family, not mine. I know they didn’t mind me, but I still felt out of place.”, you spoke up after some minutes of silence.

Malfoy tore his gaze apart from your owl and now looked at you instead.

“Why don’t you visit your family then?”

You sighed.

“Christmas isn’t exactly the happiest time of the year in my family.” You could see the confusion on Malfoy´s face, but it seemed like he didn’t dare to ask.

You bit your lip. You weren’t sure if you should tell him. It wasn’t like it was a secret or something to be ashamed of, but even after all these years, it was still hard for you to talk about it. You barely ever talked about it with your friends. So why should you do so with Malfoy? But for some reason, you felt more comfortable with him right now, than you usually did with most of the other people you spend your time with. And he wanted to know, after all, didn’t he?

“It´s just… My mom died a few years ago.”, you told him, dedicating your entire attention to the owl in front of you, as if it was her, you were telling the story. “Dragon Pox. In the beginning, they told me there was no need to worry, and that she would make it, but she didn’t. She passed away, only a few days after Christmas. I spent the holidays sitting by her bedside. I was hoping till the very end she would still make it. I even brought her a present.” You let out a bitter chuckle. “But on Christmas, she was already gone. She was still breathing, but she was gone. She didn’t recognize me anymore. And neither did I recognize her. I just felt like it wasn’t my mum anymore lying there. I had already lost her back then. At some point… At some point, I was just wishing it would all stop. And it did shortly after it.”

You paused. Malfoy had stopped fondling the owl. You felt his gaze burning on you, but you didn’t dare to look at him.

“The next year, I was desperately trying to get the perfect Christmas with my family. But it felt like we were all pretending. One day I was expected to be happy and thankful and the next day I should be all sad and mourning. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mind celebrating Christmas and remembering her on her death anniversary, but not like that. I don’t want to pretend one day that everything is just fine and then break down crying as soon as midnight has passed. And I don’t think that´s what she would have wanted for us. I mean, I can miss her and still celebrate. Thinking about the good things, you know? Anything else just felt as if I was pretending. And I just couldn’t do it. That´s why I visited Ron last year. But somehow it felt just wrong as well.” You shrugged your shoulders, your voice sounding almost uncaring as you said: “I guess there is just no right way to deal with this.”

Malfoy and you stood there in silence for some time.

“I… I am sorry, I didn’t know…”, Malfoy finally spoke up. “I´m… I´m sorry. Really sorry.”

You took a deep breath and looked up at him. In his eyes, you could see some heartfelt sympathy.

“You say that really often today, Malfoy.”, you teased him, trying to relax the situation a bit.

“No, for real, I…”

“I know.”, you cut him off. “But it happened a long time ago and this year I just… I just wanted to finally do it my way. Just don’t want any pressure on me.” You sighed. “Sorry I killed the mood though.”, you chuckled.

You could see a small smile creeping on Malfoy´s face again.

“Now you apologized.”, he stated.

“Sorry, I…” You stopped and rolled your eyes. “You know what? I´m not. I can apologize whenever I want.”

“That´s what I wanted to hear.”, Malfoy grinned.

“Can we leave now? I get cold.”, you asked.

Malfoy nodded, and on your way back to the castle, you had an almost normal conversation. Just like friends would have one. And when he told you goodbye, you wondered, if maybe, by now, you were. But maybe friends wasn’t the right term to describe what you felt for the blond boy now. All you knew was, that, by now, you were for sure more than just two people who happened to know each other.

When you woke up the next day, you had almost forgotten it was Christmas, until you saw the small pile of presents at the end of your bed. You spend the rest of the morning, unpacking presents and trying to beat a Ravenclaw from your year in the new Wizard´s chess game she had gotten for Christmas.

Then it was time for the banquet. You had always heard the stories about the Christmas meal at Hogwarts, but when you walked into the Great Hall it was better than in your wildest dreams. Snow was falling from the ceiling, still, a cosy warmth embraced you. The tables of the different houses were thrust aside and replaced by one table standing in the middle of the room, where the teachers and some students were already sitting, patiently waiting for everyone to arrive. You sat down next to the Ravenclaw girl that had beaten you so badly in Wizard´s chess this morning and opened one of the Christmas crackers that were spread all across the table. You squeaked in surprise when some living white mouses jumped out of the cracker, quickly trying to escape the maze of feet under the table.

“Is the seat still free?”, you suddenly heard a familiar voice.

You looked up and saw Malfoy standing there, pointing at the seat next to you. You were a little bit surprised that he approached you. Not in a bad way though. But even if you had spent some time together in the last few days, besides your walks, you had stayed for yourself, mostly ignoring each other, especially when other people were around. But now he was standing there and smiled down at you. You returned the smile and nodded.

“Take a seat.”

Malfoy sat down and you tried to ignore the irritated look the girl next to you gave you when she saw you not only not being rude to the probably most hated Slytherin of your year, but actually being nice. You were chatting for a bit before Professor Dumbledore raised from his seat.

“I don’t want to bore you with a long speech. I know you are all here for the food. So all I have to say is merry Christmas and Bon appetite!”

And when he clapped his hands, your plates were filled with the most delicious dishes. You had thought that the Halloween meal had already been the best banquet you had ever witnessed, but Christmas was a whole other level. Also, the atmosphere was relaxed and familiar, and you chatted with most of the students and teachers.

The climax of the feast was probably Hagrid and Professor Slughorn, who were emptying one bottle of oak-matured Mead after another until their faces took an unhealthy-looking red colour. At some point, they performed a not-so-rhythmic version of the song “Christmas at Hogwarts”, while Professor Dumbledore used his wand as a baton. The trio earned tons of applause from their audience, but when Hagrid wanted to take a bow, tripped and nearly knocked over the table, Professor McGonagall decided that it had been enough alcohol for the evening and replaced it with some pumpkin juice.

After hours of eating and drinking, the table slowly emptied. Hagrid had fallen asleep with his head on the table and when Professor Slughorn excused himself, you could see him staggering. Madame Pince and Mr Filch were engaged deeply in a conversation and you highly doubted you had ever seen either of them that happy.

You felt comfortably full and sleepy, even if it was only late afternoon. When you finally stood up from the table, stretching your stiff limbs, Malfoy did the same. You had chatted almost the entire time with him, even laughing together, just enjoying each other’s company.

You left the Great Hall, still talking.

“Would you like to hang out some more?”, Malfoy asked, when you had nearly reached the place, your ways would have to part if you would go to your own dorms again.

“I would love to, but honestly I don’t think I can take a walk now.”, you told him, genuinely feeling sorry, since you would have loved to continue spending your time with the boy by your side. “I´m way too tired today.”

“We could also do something else. Just unwind for a while.”

You felt a smile creeping on your face, but at the same time, you felt a bit nervous. You had never spent your time with him any other way, besides the bickering, you had before those holidays. What the hell were you supposed to do with him?

There was only one way to find out.

“I´d love to.”

“Are you sure this is okay?”, you asked, nervously shifting from one foot to another.

“There´s no one in there. They´re all gone.”, Malfoy answered.

You were standing in front of the entrance to the Slytherin common room. You had decided you actually wanted to hang out a little bit longer, but everywhere in the castle, it was freezing cold, since the only rooms, that were heated were the ones that were used, and right now, these were only the Great Hall and the common rooms. You were surprised that Malfoy had even offered you to get to the Slytherin common room, especially after you had refused to let him into yours.

“But still…”

“It´s your decision (Y/n). But you won´t get this chance again.” You felt some chills running down your spine when you heard him calling you by your first name. He had never done so before.

“So we are on a first name base now?”, you teased him.

You could have sworn that Malfoy´s cheeks slightly darkened, but he rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“I will leave you here, if you won´t decide soon.”

You raised your hands in defence and sighed.

“Fine, let´s get in there.”

You could see a triumphant grin on Malfoy´s face as he stepped aside.

“After you.”

“Thanks Draco.”, you said, stressing the last word.

The grin on his face only grew wider.

“I like how that sounds darling.”, he said.

The nickname made you blush.

“And I like how that sounded.”, you responded, making him chuckle.

You passed the door and found yourself standing in another world.

The Slytherin common room looked oblong and was covered in green light. The naked stone walls made the room somehow look cold, as well as the dim light, but not necessarily in a bad way. The furnishing looked classic and really expensive. Some leather couches were placed in front of a fireplace, which extended a comfortable heat. But the highlight of the room was the rear wall. Because it wasn’t an actual wall – it was glass. You had always known that the Slytherin common room was located below the ground and near the lake, but you hadn’t thought of this. Behind the glass, lay the great lake. You had a perfect view of it. It looked just like in those big fish tanks the muggles sometimes visited, only that here it looked like there wasn’t even a barrier between the lake and the room. You took a step closer and carefully extended your hand. You wouldn’t have been surprised if you would have touched the water, but instead, your hand met the glass, that, even if it was almost invisible, separated you from the underwater world that was captured under a thick layer of ice right now.

“Do you like it?”, Draco asked.

He had followed you inside, watching you closely as you looked around. He had his hands buried deep in his pockets, looking like a boy, who had just taken you home for the first time, anxiously waiting for your judgement, which, in fact, he was.

“It´s so… different. In a good way.”, you quickly added, as you saw the look on Draco´s face. “I can´t believe Ron and Harry never told me.”

Draco frowned.

“How should they know?”

“Hm? Oh yeah, they must have been in here as well to know what it would look like, wouldn’t they?”

You let out a nervous laugh.

Draco looked at you with narrowed eyes, before he turned around and let himself fall on one of the couches in front of the fireplace.

“You want to stand there all day?”, he called you out.

Slowly, you walked over to him, not quite sure what to do. The entire situation felt strange, even though you felt comfortable with Draco by now. But it also still made you feel insecure.

“What are you waiting for, sit down.”, Draco said, patting the place next to him.

You sat down on the -unexpectedly soft- couch. You glanced at Draco from the corner of your eye, who was watching you closely.

“Are you alright?”, he asked, as he saw how stiff you were sitting there.

You looked like a deer, always ready to jump up and run away.

“Yeah. Yeah, it´s just…”, you cleared your throat, “it´s unfamiliar.”

“What do you mean, love?”

“Being here. Being with you. Just… all of this.”

Draco raised an eyebrow. Amusement sparkled in his eyes.

“(Y/n), we know each other for almost six years now.”

“Yeah, and the first five and a half you hated me.”

“Do you really think that?”

You looked at him, narrowing your eyes.

“You hate everyone Draco.”

“Not necessarily everyone.”

“Every Gryffindor.”

“And why did I go out there every day for the last bloody week even though the cold has nearly killed me?”

Now you were confused.

“What?”

“Do you really think I would have gone out there, risking dying from pneumonia, if it wasn’t for a reason?”

“You told me it was to switch your brain off.”

“It was. Kinda. But I could have done that in here as well. Only that I wouldn’t have such a pretty girl to keep me company.”, he said, with a smug grin on his face.

“Now you´re playing games with me Malfoy.”, you huffed.

The blond boy shrugged his shoulders, a smug grin covering his face.

“Maybe, but at least now you´re relaxing.”

You hadn’t even noticed, that you had sunken back into the pillows, covering the sofa, leaning one arm on the backrest, while you had eyed him distrustfully.

“Don’t do that to me again.”, you responded.

“Why, did I make you nervous for a second? Do you like the thought of me wanting to spend my time with you?”, Draco smirked.

“You wish Malfoy.”, you responded.

But from the way your heart was pounding in your chest, you knew, he was right. You weren’t quite sure how he had done it, or what exactly it meant, but within a few days, Draco Malfoy had managed to make you feel more secure than anyone had in a long time. You genuinely enjoyed his company and didn’t feel as if you would have to play pretend when he was around. And the thought that everything you had done together in the last few days, he had done just so he could be with you, appeared more pleasant to you, than it should.

The rest of the afternoon, you spent in front of the fireplace, huddled up in blankets, while you were just talking or staring into the fire in front of you. And when one time, a second year, entered the common room and gathered all his courage to tell Draco, that students from other houses weren’t allowed in here, Draco kicked him out again, threatening the poor boy to practice all three unforgivable curses on him if he would ever tell someone. When the boy had run to his dorm, on the verge of tears, you had scolded Draco for this, but he just brushed it off, saying he obviously wouldn’t do it, or at least he wouldn’t if you would mind, making you roll your eyes and blush at the same time.

At the beginning of the afternoon, you had both sat on the very opposite sides of the couch, everyone curled up in their own corner. As time went by, you had, more or less obviously, closed ranks, and by now he was so close, you could feel the heat he was radiating. The scene was so stereotypical, you probably would have laughed or called it kitschy, if it wasn’t for the boy next to you. By now, you felt like there was nothing that you would rather do than confirm any cliché you had ever read about in romance books, as long as it was with Draco.

That´s why, when your hands touched and Draco carefully interlocked his pinky with yours, you didn’t shy away, but only smiled and stared into the fire in front of you, not daring to look at the boy next to you yet.

But when you did, he was looking into the flames dancing in front of you as well. His cheeks looked slightly rosy -you weren’t quite sure if the heat the fireplace radiated was the only reason for this- and a small smile played around his lips.

You didn’t even realize you were staring at him, until he turned his head to you, and gave you a small smile.

“Is that okay with you?” His voice sounded hoarse.

Instead of answering, you just disentangled your pinkies, taking his hand instead, now actually interlocking your fingers. You were pretty sure, Draco must have heard your heart pounding in your chest and felt your pulse hammering in your fingers, but if he did, he didn’t show.

“Take that as a yes.”, he chuckled.

You smiled as well.

“Yes.”

And Draco moved even closer to you. His thumb brushed small circles on the back of your hand, making you shiver. Your gaze shifted back to the fire, as you placed your head on Draco´s shoulder. You could feel his breath hitch as you did so. He placed a small kiss on the crown of your head before he looked back to the fire as well.

For a while you were sitting there in comfortable silence, just enjoying the feeling of being close to the person next to you. You felt your heartbeat slowing down again, and felt your body starting to get heavy, as you nearly drifted off into sleep, cuddled up to the warm body next to you, inhaling Draco´s intoxicating scent. For now, you didn’t want to think about what all of this meant. You didn’t want to think about how things would go on after this day or after the holidays. You didn’t want to think about that Draco by now, was in the perfect position to break your heart if he wanted to. And you knew that even if he didn’t want to, there were still many ways he could. Still, right now, all of this seemed far away, as you felt your mind beginning to feel dizzy.

But then you felt Draco slightly shifting next to you, as he glanced down at you. You squinted up to him, slightly confused.

“Is something wrong?”, you mumbled.

Draco smiled and shook his head.

“Nothing’s wrong love. Actually, everything is more than just great.”

You felt his gaze wandering as he said this, making you suspect, this wasn’t the entire truth.

“But you still got something on your mind, don’t you?”, you persisted, slightly sitting up again.

Draco chuckled.

“Actually, I have.”

“You care to tell me?”, you asked, tilting your head.

“It´s just… I thought about…”, Draco paused, and you could see the indecisiveness in his eyes. “(Y/n)?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I kiss you?”

You looked at him with widened eyes. Draco was looking down at you, slightly overawed.

“Draco?”

“Hmm?”

“I would love you to kiss me.”

The smile that spread across Draco´s face could have lightened up the entire room. As if in slow motion, he bent down to you and carefully pressed his soft lips on yours. You returned it just as tenderly, trying to control the smile that now crept on your face as well.

When Draco pulled back again, he looked down at you in awe. His hand was caressing your face, his thumb brushing over the lips, he by now knew, he would never get enough of.

“It was actually because of you, you know?”, he whispered.

You frowned.

“What?”

“Going out there. I mean, in the beginning, I actually wanted to clear my head, but it didn’t work that well. Because I only thought of you.”

“You tell me this as if this would be a bad thing.”, you grinned.

Draco chuckled.

“It isn’t. Not at all. This might be the best thing that ever happened to me.”

You nodded and placed a small peck on the corner of his mouth.

“Not only to you.”

And after many other kisses, wandering hands, and sweet nothings whispered in the ear of the other one, Draco laid back on the couch, but this time he pulled you close to his chest. With his arms wrapped around you and a pleasant haze covering your mind, you were quick to doze off again. But before you did, you spoke up once more.

“Draco?”

“Yes love?”

“Thank you.”

Draco looked down at you, grinning.

“No need for this, darling. I know I´m good but trust me I had my fun as well. No need to thank me.”

“If I wouldn’t know you, I wouldn’t believe it´s even possible to be that self-assertive.”, you chuckled. “But for real Draco. Thank you. That was probably the best day I had in a while and for sure the best Christmas in years.”

If it wouldn’t have been for you in his arms, Draco now would have puffed his chest. It wasn’t just that he was proud that he was the one who had made you that happy. It was more that he could feel his heart swelling just from knowing you felt contented after all. And as he glanced down at you, a small smile still covering your face, he knew that he wanted to make you just as happy for the rest of his life.

“Anything for you darling.” He placed a small kiss on your temple. “Merry Christmas love.”

“Merry Christmas Draco.”

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