Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker
Author: GrapeSmshr
Rated: G to PG-13, depending on the chapter
Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness
Summary: H/D *slash* Everyone loves the holidays because love blooms. Each chapter is a different holiday in which Harry and Draco find romance. First holiday: Christmas!
A/N: This is my first attempt at a fic full of nothing but free-standing chapters. Good thing about it is, you don't have to read the chapters in order! You can skip ahead to your favorite holiday because there's no timeline and the chapters aren't connected.
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Holiday 1: Christmas
Rated: G
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Decorations of tinsel and holly streamed across the walls as the many trees were alight with multicolored glowing glass bulbs and real faeries. The Great Hall of Hogwarts was possibly the most beautiful sight Harry Potter had ever seen.
It was Christmas Day, and the few students remaining for the holiday had just finished a wonderful dinner. After stuffing himself full of every food imaginable and some that was unimaginable, Harry decided to return to the Gryffindor common room.
Harry was all prepared to spend the evening alone. This was the second year in a row in which he was the only Gryffindor staying behind. Surely he wouldn't go to the Dursleys'. While he had had several other invites, he just didn't want to intrude on anyone's family togetherness.
So here he was, alone in the common room, sitting in front of the tree and sifting through the presents he had opened that morning. There was the standard Mrs. Weasley package, containing a load of sweets and a knitted jumper in a flattering shade of green. Beside those say a tin of treacle fudge from Hagrid, a new Quidditch book from Ron, and, surprisingly, a stylish silver hoop for his pierced ear from Hermione. Harry had just about died of shock when he found out her gift wasn't related to school in any way, but he was quite pleased with her selection.
Chuckling at his thoughts, Harry turned his gaze to the pair of mismatched socks Dobby had made him. Dobby had really outdone himself this year. The left sock, a deep maroon, had little Dobby heads, while the right sock was gold with little Harry heads. They were the most hilarious socks Harry had ever seen, but he'd wear them for Dobby's sake.
Shaking his head, Harry's eyes fell on a small black box. It hadn't been there earlier. Did an owl deliver it while he was at dinner? Gingerly picking up the box, Harry scrutinized it from every angle. It was just an ordinary black box with no tag of any kind.
Curiously, Harry set the box in his lap and pulled off the lid, revealing a note. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the note and opened it. On the paper was a simple scrawl, bearing the words, "Follow me." Wrinkling his nose in confusion, he set the note aside and lifted the black cloth in the box to reveal... "A golden snitch?" Harry asked in surprise.
As if hearing him, the snitch unfolded its tiny, birdlike wings and began fluttering about Harry's head before hovering near the open window.
"Wait!" Harry cried as the snitch flew out into the quickly darkening sky. Rushing over to the window, Harry's seeker skills set into play as his eyes searched the air for any sign of the tiny gold ball.
Then he spotted it. It was near the ground, directly below his window, and it was just hovering there. The note said to follow...
Quickly throwing on his shoes and coat, Harry dashed out into the hallway and down the many flights of moving staircases. Luckily, everyone still seemed to be in the Great Hall for Christmas activities because Harry didn't run into a single person. That was good because he really didn't have time to explain himself. He had to catch that snitch before it took off without him.
Finally making it outside, he immediately turned his eyes to where he had last seen the snitch. And there it was, just buzzing along at a leisurely pace. But as soon as Harry took a step toward it, it increased its speed and took off in the opposite direction.
"Hey, come back!" Harry shouted as he broke into a sprint. It was only when he slipped and fell did he notice that the ground was covered in a nice layer of snow, and he was outside running in his school shoes. But there was no going back now. Harry wasn't about to lose that snitch!
With a new determination, he ignored the impeding cold and took off after the ball, trailing it away from the school and down by the lake. It didn't seem to want to stop, and Harry was growing quite tired in the biting wind, but still he plowed on. They had now rounded the lake and were heading back to the other side when the snitch stopped, making Harry stop.
He took a cautious step toward it, and it stayed put. Taking another step, he was surprised to see that the snitch still hadn't moved. Increasing his pace, Harry stopped just out of arm's reach. He didn't want to make the snitch take off again.
Reaching out a hand, Harry inched his way forward, closer, closer, until he was so close his fingers brushed against the fluttering wings. Just a little bit further...
Just before he could grasp it, a pale hand shot out and closed around the golden ball, halting its fluttering. Harry stood frozen as he watched the owner of the hand step out from behind a tree.
"Malfoy?" he asked incredulously.
"Potter," Draco Malfoy greeted with a sardonic smile. His lips were pale pink, as were his cheeks from the chilling winds. He was bundled up in a long coat, complete with scarf, gloves, and snow shoes, yet he still looked to be cold. Maybe it was just the pale complexion. Lively silver eyes were fringed by pale, frosted lashes, and those mysterious orbs were focused on one Harry Potter. Harry retracted his statement from early. *This* was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.
Breaking their locked stare, Harry piped up, "I was just--"
"Chasing the snitch? I noticed," Draco interrupted as he released the snitch, and it flew around his head a few times before landing back on his open palm. "Really, it's a wonder how you became a seeker. Sure took you long enough." He said this with a tiny snort of laughter, but it wasn't derisive. In fact, it was just normal teasing, and this fact threw Harry for a loop.
"You? You were the one to send this to me?" he asked in obvious surprise, eyes going wide.
With one fluid motion, Draco had tossed the snitch to Harry. "Yes."
"But why?"
The blonde heaved a long-suffering sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. Then he looked at Harry and answered, "I sent the snitch anonymously because I didn't think you would have talked to me otherwise." His voice never wavered, and neither his voice nor his eyes betrayed any emotion. He just stood there, waiting for Harry to speak.
But Harry was speechless. Draco had wanted to talk to him? From the look of things, he didn't think this was leading up to some sort of prank. For the past year, the Slytherin had been pretty subdued, both towards Harry and the world in general. Then again, most people had changed after the wars.
He didn't quite know what to make of Draco's words. He wondered why the blonde wanted to talk to him in the first place. He wondered why Draco thought he--Harry--wouldn't talk to him. He wondered why he even cared what got Draco to want to talk to him!
For the past year, Harry had been having not-so-platonic feelings toward his Slytherin rival. It had taken quite a while for Harry to sort out of his feelings and even longer for him to stop denying them.
Harry wasn't stupid enough to believe he was in love with Draco. That wasn't saying he wouldn't like the opportunity to be. It was just difficult to act on one-sided feelings. But now...
Snapping out of his thoughts, Harry realized that Draco as waiting for a reply. Shifting on his feet, he pointed out, "But you didn't even *try* talking to me, sans the insult matches. I might have wanted to talk."
"Would you have?"
Was it Harry's imagination, or did he detect the faintest glimmer of hope in Draco's question? At this point, he was getting a bit scared because his brain was entertaining new possibilities, possibilities that may have been founded on assumptions and sheer wishfulness. If he were brave, he would just ask outright, but he wasn't, so he didn't. Whose bloody idea was it to put him in Gryffindor, anyway?
"I guess that's a no?" Draco asked, taking Harry's silence as an answer.
And this time the disappointment was evident in those silvery eyes. As Draco turned to leave, Harry panicked. This might be his one and only chance to tell the Slytherin what he had been wanting to for quite a while. "Wait!" he cried, reaching out a hand and clasping it on Draco's arm.
Draco whipped around, studying Harry intently, who grew a bit uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the gaze.
"I would like--I would like to hear what you have to say, Malfoy." How he managed to say that without his voice trembling, he didn't know. Glancing down, he realized that his hand was still on Draco's arm, and he quickly removed it.
"Draco."
"Huh?" Harry turned his attention back to the blonde. All of the disappointment and anything else that had been lurking in those eyes had been replaced with sheer determination.
"I would like for you to call me Draco," he repeated. "Actually, you can call me whatever the bloody hell you want. I don't care. Just as long as you call me something."
Harry's mind was reeling impossibly fast at Draco's reply. The implication was there. The underlying meaning was there. But Harry had hoped for too long, and he needed to hear the words. "What are you--"
Draco took a step closer to Harry, his expression soft. "I like you, Harry Potter," he confessed quietly. "More than you know. And I know that--"
"I like you, too."
Now it was Draco's turn to be stumped. "What?" he asked dumbly, jaw dropping open in disbelief.
"I like you, too," Harry repeated as a warmth began to spread all over his body. Draco Malfoy liked him back! He never would have guessed, but now he didn't have to. It was evident in the blonde's eyes, as well as confusion that clouded the stormy orbs.
"I don't think you quite get it," Draco tried to explain in frustration, waving his hands emphatically. "I'm not talking along the lines of friendship. I'm talking about--"
His argument was lost as Harry's mouth descended upon his own, effectively making Draco forget what he was about to say. He only drew a hand up to lightly rest on Harry's shoulder as their lips met over and over again, each time growing in barely contained passion.
With one last lingering kiss, Harry nuzzled the side of Draco's face before whispering in his ear, "I think I get it."
Pulling away just far enough to look into Harry's eyes, Draco murmured, "I think you've got it, too." Then he smiled softly, his first real smile in years. "This is the best Christmas gift I've ever received."
"I know how you feel," Harry agreed, shivering unconsciously in the cold. He glanced up just in time for little white flakes of snow to land on his already freezing nose. "Maybe we should head back in."
Grabbing one end of his scarf and draping it around Harry's neck also, Draco pulled the teen tightly against his own body. "Don't worry; I'll keep you warm," he grinned, lips brushing across Harry's ear ever so gently. With a contented sigh, he pressed their foreheads together. "Happy Christmas, Harry."
"Happy Christmas, Draco."
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Aww... I've been wanting to do a Christmas fic for a while. And then I got to thinking... I love reading fics about holidays. That's when I decided to start this project. There just aren't a lot of holiday fics out there, so hopefully this will remedy that. Oh! If you have a fave holiday (must pertain to most countries as a whole, so don't go suggesting the 4th of July or anything), let me know, and I'll see what I can do! I already have three other holidays written, and I'm working on another. Please review! I love my reviews. They keep me motivated!
Author: GrapeSmshr
Rated: G to PG-13, depending on the chapter
Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness
Summary: H/D *slash* Everyone loves the holidays because love blooms. Each chapter is a different holiday in which Harry and Draco find romance. First holiday: Christmas!
A/N: This is my first attempt at a fic full of nothing but free-standing chapters. Good thing about it is, you don't have to read the chapters in order! You can skip ahead to your favorite holiday because there's no timeline and the chapters aren't connected.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Holiday 1: Christmas
Rated: G
.
.
Decorations of tinsel and holly streamed across the walls as the many trees were alight with multicolored glowing glass bulbs and real faeries. The Great Hall of Hogwarts was possibly the most beautiful sight Harry Potter had ever seen.
It was Christmas Day, and the few students remaining for the holiday had just finished a wonderful dinner. After stuffing himself full of every food imaginable and some that was unimaginable, Harry decided to return to the Gryffindor common room.
Harry was all prepared to spend the evening alone. This was the second year in a row in which he was the only Gryffindor staying behind. Surely he wouldn't go to the Dursleys'. While he had had several other invites, he just didn't want to intrude on anyone's family togetherness.
So here he was, alone in the common room, sitting in front of the tree and sifting through the presents he had opened that morning. There was the standard Mrs. Weasley package, containing a load of sweets and a knitted jumper in a flattering shade of green. Beside those say a tin of treacle fudge from Hagrid, a new Quidditch book from Ron, and, surprisingly, a stylish silver hoop for his pierced ear from Hermione. Harry had just about died of shock when he found out her gift wasn't related to school in any way, but he was quite pleased with her selection.
Chuckling at his thoughts, Harry turned his gaze to the pair of mismatched socks Dobby had made him. Dobby had really outdone himself this year. The left sock, a deep maroon, had little Dobby heads, while the right sock was gold with little Harry heads. They were the most hilarious socks Harry had ever seen, but he'd wear them for Dobby's sake.
Shaking his head, Harry's eyes fell on a small black box. It hadn't been there earlier. Did an owl deliver it while he was at dinner? Gingerly picking up the box, Harry scrutinized it from every angle. It was just an ordinary black box with no tag of any kind.
Curiously, Harry set the box in his lap and pulled off the lid, revealing a note. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the note and opened it. On the paper was a simple scrawl, bearing the words, "Follow me." Wrinkling his nose in confusion, he set the note aside and lifted the black cloth in the box to reveal... "A golden snitch?" Harry asked in surprise.
As if hearing him, the snitch unfolded its tiny, birdlike wings and began fluttering about Harry's head before hovering near the open window.
"Wait!" Harry cried as the snitch flew out into the quickly darkening sky. Rushing over to the window, Harry's seeker skills set into play as his eyes searched the air for any sign of the tiny gold ball.
Then he spotted it. It was near the ground, directly below his window, and it was just hovering there. The note said to follow...
Quickly throwing on his shoes and coat, Harry dashed out into the hallway and down the many flights of moving staircases. Luckily, everyone still seemed to be in the Great Hall for Christmas activities because Harry didn't run into a single person. That was good because he really didn't have time to explain himself. He had to catch that snitch before it took off without him.
Finally making it outside, he immediately turned his eyes to where he had last seen the snitch. And there it was, just buzzing along at a leisurely pace. But as soon as Harry took a step toward it, it increased its speed and took off in the opposite direction.
"Hey, come back!" Harry shouted as he broke into a sprint. It was only when he slipped and fell did he notice that the ground was covered in a nice layer of snow, and he was outside running in his school shoes. But there was no going back now. Harry wasn't about to lose that snitch!
With a new determination, he ignored the impeding cold and took off after the ball, trailing it away from the school and down by the lake. It didn't seem to want to stop, and Harry was growing quite tired in the biting wind, but still he plowed on. They had now rounded the lake and were heading back to the other side when the snitch stopped, making Harry stop.
He took a cautious step toward it, and it stayed put. Taking another step, he was surprised to see that the snitch still hadn't moved. Increasing his pace, Harry stopped just out of arm's reach. He didn't want to make the snitch take off again.
Reaching out a hand, Harry inched his way forward, closer, closer, until he was so close his fingers brushed against the fluttering wings. Just a little bit further...
Just before he could grasp it, a pale hand shot out and closed around the golden ball, halting its fluttering. Harry stood frozen as he watched the owner of the hand step out from behind a tree.
"Malfoy?" he asked incredulously.
"Potter," Draco Malfoy greeted with a sardonic smile. His lips were pale pink, as were his cheeks from the chilling winds. He was bundled up in a long coat, complete with scarf, gloves, and snow shoes, yet he still looked to be cold. Maybe it was just the pale complexion. Lively silver eyes were fringed by pale, frosted lashes, and those mysterious orbs were focused on one Harry Potter. Harry retracted his statement from early. *This* was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.
Breaking their locked stare, Harry piped up, "I was just--"
"Chasing the snitch? I noticed," Draco interrupted as he released the snitch, and it flew around his head a few times before landing back on his open palm. "Really, it's a wonder how you became a seeker. Sure took you long enough." He said this with a tiny snort of laughter, but it wasn't derisive. In fact, it was just normal teasing, and this fact threw Harry for a loop.
"You? You were the one to send this to me?" he asked in obvious surprise, eyes going wide.
With one fluid motion, Draco had tossed the snitch to Harry. "Yes."
"But why?"
The blonde heaved a long-suffering sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. Then he looked at Harry and answered, "I sent the snitch anonymously because I didn't think you would have talked to me otherwise." His voice never wavered, and neither his voice nor his eyes betrayed any emotion. He just stood there, waiting for Harry to speak.
But Harry was speechless. Draco had wanted to talk to him? From the look of things, he didn't think this was leading up to some sort of prank. For the past year, the Slytherin had been pretty subdued, both towards Harry and the world in general. Then again, most people had changed after the wars.
He didn't quite know what to make of Draco's words. He wondered why the blonde wanted to talk to him in the first place. He wondered why Draco thought he--Harry--wouldn't talk to him. He wondered why he even cared what got Draco to want to talk to him!
For the past year, Harry had been having not-so-platonic feelings toward his Slytherin rival. It had taken quite a while for Harry to sort out of his feelings and even longer for him to stop denying them.
Harry wasn't stupid enough to believe he was in love with Draco. That wasn't saying he wouldn't like the opportunity to be. It was just difficult to act on one-sided feelings. But now...
Snapping out of his thoughts, Harry realized that Draco as waiting for a reply. Shifting on his feet, he pointed out, "But you didn't even *try* talking to me, sans the insult matches. I might have wanted to talk."
"Would you have?"
Was it Harry's imagination, or did he detect the faintest glimmer of hope in Draco's question? At this point, he was getting a bit scared because his brain was entertaining new possibilities, possibilities that may have been founded on assumptions and sheer wishfulness. If he were brave, he would just ask outright, but he wasn't, so he didn't. Whose bloody idea was it to put him in Gryffindor, anyway?
"I guess that's a no?" Draco asked, taking Harry's silence as an answer.
And this time the disappointment was evident in those silvery eyes. As Draco turned to leave, Harry panicked. This might be his one and only chance to tell the Slytherin what he had been wanting to for quite a while. "Wait!" he cried, reaching out a hand and clasping it on Draco's arm.
Draco whipped around, studying Harry intently, who grew a bit uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the gaze.
"I would like--I would like to hear what you have to say, Malfoy." How he managed to say that without his voice trembling, he didn't know. Glancing down, he realized that his hand was still on Draco's arm, and he quickly removed it.
"Draco."
"Huh?" Harry turned his attention back to the blonde. All of the disappointment and anything else that had been lurking in those eyes had been replaced with sheer determination.
"I would like for you to call me Draco," he repeated. "Actually, you can call me whatever the bloody hell you want. I don't care. Just as long as you call me something."
Harry's mind was reeling impossibly fast at Draco's reply. The implication was there. The underlying meaning was there. But Harry had hoped for too long, and he needed to hear the words. "What are you--"
Draco took a step closer to Harry, his expression soft. "I like you, Harry Potter," he confessed quietly. "More than you know. And I know that--"
"I like you, too."
Now it was Draco's turn to be stumped. "What?" he asked dumbly, jaw dropping open in disbelief.
"I like you, too," Harry repeated as a warmth began to spread all over his body. Draco Malfoy liked him back! He never would have guessed, but now he didn't have to. It was evident in the blonde's eyes, as well as confusion that clouded the stormy orbs.
"I don't think you quite get it," Draco tried to explain in frustration, waving his hands emphatically. "I'm not talking along the lines of friendship. I'm talking about--"
His argument was lost as Harry's mouth descended upon his own, effectively making Draco forget what he was about to say. He only drew a hand up to lightly rest on Harry's shoulder as their lips met over and over again, each time growing in barely contained passion.
With one last lingering kiss, Harry nuzzled the side of Draco's face before whispering in his ear, "I think I get it."
Pulling away just far enough to look into Harry's eyes, Draco murmured, "I think you've got it, too." Then he smiled softly, his first real smile in years. "This is the best Christmas gift I've ever received."
"I know how you feel," Harry agreed, shivering unconsciously in the cold. He glanced up just in time for little white flakes of snow to land on his already freezing nose. "Maybe we should head back in."
Grabbing one end of his scarf and draping it around Harry's neck also, Draco pulled the teen tightly against his own body. "Don't worry; I'll keep you warm," he grinned, lips brushing across Harry's ear ever so gently. With a contented sigh, he pressed their foreheads together. "Happy Christmas, Harry."
"Happy Christmas, Draco."
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.
.
.
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.
.
.
.
Aww... I've been wanting to do a Christmas fic for a while. And then I got to thinking... I love reading fics about holidays. That's when I decided to start this project. There just aren't a lot of holiday fics out there, so hopefully this will remedy that. Oh! If you have a fave holiday (must pertain to most countries as a whole, so don't go suggesting the 4th of July or anything), let me know, and I'll see what I can do! I already have three other holidays written, and I'm working on another. Please review! I love my reviews. They keep me motivated!