Chapter 5 Valentine's Day

AN: Sorry shorter than normal, but I felt it needed to end there. Probably only two more chapters until this story ends.

Draco was sitting in the Great Hall for breakfast on the fourteenth of February when a strange owl flew down in front of him. He was surprised to see a package and letter tied to the owl's leg addressed to him. He couldn't for the life of him figure out who it was from. Harry only sent back mail with Ambrosia, and Draco had made sure his owl would get to Harry's place this morning. Plus, neither had Harry's handwriting on it.

He rubbed his eyes hoping with all of his heart that Parkinson hadn't sent this. With trepidation he untied the strings holding the package and letter to the owl, before he gave it a piece of his sausage. He watched the owl fly away with worried eyes.

"Open the package first Malfoy." Daphne Greengrass called out when she saw he wasn't moving to open either. "You have plenty of time before classes."

It seemed that most of the Slytherins in his year were anxious to see what he had received. He rolled his eyes, but since he knew it wasn't from his Harry he decided there wasn't any harm in opening the package at the table.

He unwrapped the package while his audience watched excitedly. When the box popped open he realized it had an undetectable extension charm on it. He put his hand in and pulled out a green dragonhide jacket. His wasn't the only mouth that was gaping open at the sight.

"Who sent you that?" Blaise demanded when he could speak. "That thing is expensive, and that owl didn't belong to your parents."

"I haven't got a clue." Draco admitted as he turned the letter over in his hand.

"Well open the letter and see." Pansy ordered bossily. She wanted to know who was sending a Valentine gift to her man.

"Did you ever think that maybe I don't consider it any of your business who sent this?" Draco sneered at her.

"But Draco…" She looked horrified at his pronouncement.

"Are you going to read the note that came with it?" Blaise asked, ignoring the way the pug-nosed girl was acting. "Or do you already know who it is from?"

"I've never seen the owl before, or recognize the handwriting." He again admitted as he opened the scroll.

Draco,

I wanted you to have something for Valentine's Day. I also wanted everyone to see you were important to somebody. I think of you all of the time. I miss you more than you'll ever know.

Your Secret Admirer

P.S.

I thought this would go well with your vest.

Draco couldn't keep the smirk off his face. He knew with the P.S. that this was from his Harry, but even if somebody else saw the note they wouldn't be able to tell. He wondered if the strange handwriting meant Sirius Black had written the letter for the Gryffindor.

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Harry woke up on Valentine's Day to Draco's owl once again pecking on his window. He jumped up and hurried to let the owl in. His excitement intensifying when he noticed the package tied to the owl's leg. He had never received a Valentine before, well unless you counted that horrendous poem that a dwarf sung him in second year, and he didn't count it. He did everything he could to forget that scarring moment.

"Hey Ambrosius. Thanks for bringing this." He said as he untied the package and letter.

The package was small, which made him wonder if it was in a box like the one his dad had fixed, so he could send the jacket to Draco. But his eyes got big when he realized that it was a jewelry box. He sat staring at the beautiful necklace. It had a lion's head on a gold chain. The eyes of the lion were two bright emeralds.

Holding his mouth with one hand, he picked up the note that came with it. The smile grew on his face as he read the words of his Valentine.

My Harry,

I saw this and it made me think of you. My Gryffindor lion with the emerald eyes. I hope you will be my Valentine. I really care about you Harry, and the letters you send only make my feelings for you grow. I can't wait until the Easter holiday, so we can talk face to face.

Hopefully your Valentine,

Draco

Harry shook his head in disbelief. Who would have ever thought his Draco could be so romantic? He slipped the necklace on before getting ready to spend the day with his dad.

He had of course gotten the man a Valentine's gift. It wasn't much, just a frame that would hold the adoption paper in one side and a picture of them together in the other. But he knew the man would love it, because he took to being a dad like a duck to water.

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Draco sat in the stands waiting for the second task to begin. He was sitting as close to the judges' table as possible. He could tell by the way Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall were acting while they conversed, that they thought Harry would still show up.

The Slytherin was wondering why they were sitting in stands that faced the Black Lake. Hopefully this wouldn't be some stupid stunt that was underwater for the contestants, because if so the audience was going to be bored stiff, and frozen was the thought going through his mind.

He couldn't contain the smirk when he saw the Minister, Bagman and a few other Ministry lackeys getting in the Headmaster's face. It seemed he had promised them that Harry would be here today, and they weren't happy that it was two minutes until the task started, and the Boy-Who-Lived was still a no show.

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Harry and his dad were sitting down to dinner the day after the second task, when Ambrosius flew in and delivered a note to Harry. He couldn't figure out why it came at such an odd time, but figured that Draco wanted him to read it right away. Should he go to his room and read it, or stay here? He saw that his dad was eyeing the note curiously, so opted to just open it where he was.

My Harry,

I had to share this with you at once. I'm sure your dad will find it interesting too.

You won't believe what the second task was. The champions had to swim to the bottom of Black Lake and rescue what they would miss most. Just let me state first of all for the audience watching a lake in February unable to see anything, is not fun.

Anyway onto about the task. Dumbledore evidently thought you would show up. He even told the Minister you would. The man was not happy when you were a no show. Well both men were unhappy. Dumbledore got chewed out big time for that.

You won't believe what they put at the bottom of the lake for you to save from the merpeople. The Weasel, yes you read that right. They stuck the Weasel at the bottom of the lake. It was funny because nobody was there to go for him.

That Beauxbaxton chit wasn't able to save her hostage either, something about grindylows. I thought that was strange, since we learned how to deal with them in third year.

Anyway if it wasn't funny enough that the Weasel was at the bottom of the lake, it got better. Dumbledore sent Snape to rescue them both when the task was over. When I heard him tell him to do it. I of course stayed nearby, so I could see him bring them up. It was hilarious seeing the Weasel's face when he saw who had ahold of him. I do believe he thought he was better off with the merpeople.

Snape wasn't happy about his lack of gratitude and took fifty points from him and gave him a week's worth of detentions. I think that was the first time Snape got his hair close to being washed in years. You should have seen the water around him. It looked like oil spill from one of those big ships. I don't think the merpeople were happy about it either. I saw Dumbles talking to one of them, and then he spent a half hour doing spells to clean the oil out of the lake.

Anyway I wanted to share the fun with you. Oh Diggory won the task, and Krum saved that Ravenclaw gal he took to the Ball. You should have seen Granger's face when she realized that his date for the Ball was what he would miss most. I could just tell she was upset he backed out of their date.

I'm counting the days until Easter break.

Draco

Harry reread the letter through once and then a second time out loud so his dad could hear. It was great to see his dad laughing his arse off when the part about Snape's hair was mentioned. The man said he didn't think it had ever been that close to water before, because he was a greasy git when they were in school too.

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Draco was once again sitting in the room he felt was a special place for him and Harry. He was holding the newest letter from the Gryffindor in his hands. Excitement was spreading through his body as he broke the seal. He eagerly began to read.

Dear Draco,

Your letter was a hit with not only me but my dad. I didn't think he would ever stop laughing about Snape's head washing. He said he didn't that the man had ever had it washed before, as it was just as greasy when he was a kid.

I can't believe that old fool thought I would save Weasley even if I was there. Is the man deaf? I know my howler said I didn't count him as one of my friends.

Hey Draco, dad said that the common rooms have a wireless radio in them. I never saw one in ours, but if you have one make sure you and the other Slytherins listen to it on the first of the month at eight P.M. You will like the things that will be brought to light that night. Try to get the other houses to listen that night too. I gave an interview via the floo, but requested they wait until then to play it, since I wanted you to be able to hear it. Let me know what you think of it.

I miss you and can't wait until you are here. It is just five more weeks until I see you again. I have been decorating your room for you. Would you mind too much if I do it in Gryffindor colors? Or if you don't like those how about a nice pink/purple combination?

Miss you lots,

Harry

Draco's mouth gaped open in horror. He really wouldn't do that to him. Would he? It would be a way for him to pay him back for how he had been a prat to him for the last three years, but his Harry wasn't that mean. Was he?

Dear Harry,

I know I was terrible to you for the last three years, but please have mercy. You wouldn't really expect me to sleep in a room with any of those colors? Would you?

I'm glad you dad got a laugh out of it, but truthfully that is a horrible thought. The man hasn't washed his hair in decades. Ewww…. yuck.

I will have to be sneaky to let the other houses know about the interview without them realizing it is from me. But I will do my best to have all houses listening to it. I don't understand why you never saw or rather heard your house's wireless. The Slytherins listen to ours all of the time.

I miss you too, and I can't wait until I get there. How am I getting where you are anyway? I mean it's not like your dad can pick me up at Platform 9 and 3/4s.

By the way Harry please don't use those colors. It doesn't have to be Slytherin colors, but please go for more neutral colors. Putting my pride aside, I'm begging you.

Yours always,

Draco

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Draco was sitting at breakfast the second of the month. He was still trying to wrap his mind around all he had heard the night before from Harry's interview. Oh he had heard the rumors here and there over the years, but nothing could have prepared him for all of what his Harry had been through.

He glanced up at the the head table. He had trouble hiding his smirk. It seemed that Dumbledore, Mcgonagall and Snape were being bombarded with letters and quite few howlers from irate listeners of the interview.

He was startled out of his thoughts by Blaise's voice. "I can't believe half of the things I heard last night. No, I take that back, it isn't that I can't believe them but really don't want to."

"I know," The Ice Queen of Slytherin chimed in. "Potter was right in his howler. Dumbledore really is trying to get us all killed. It's a miracle that didn't happen in our first year alone."

"Huh," Crabbe mumbled.

With a shake of her head she explained. "Well the troll incident for one, he sent the Slytherins and the Hufflepuffs back to their dorms, which are in the dungeon. Second is the fact he had a Cerberus in the school with only a door with a simple locking charm on it. What if somebody opened it, saw that monster and ran away leaving the door open. It could have ate half the students while roaming the halls. And let's not even get into the fact that our defense teacher was possessed."

"Well what I got out of that interview being broadcast was quite a few chuckles." One of the sixth years added.

"You thought that stuff was funny?" Tracey Davis asked incredulously.

Eyes rolling and shaking his head at the question. "Not the danger we were in, but the fact Dumbledore and the Minister showed up there expecting to find Potter there. I mean come on, Potter may be a Gryffindor but the way he has been acting since before the Christmas holidays has been more Slytherin than Dumbledore's golden boy."

Draco was shocked to have so many of his housemates speaking about Harry like that. Some of them even seemed impressed by him. He would have to make sure to let the raven haired boy know in his next letter. Again he was brought out of his musings, but this time it was the sound of the great hall doors being opened and a crowd of people coming in.

Everybody in the room went quiet as Madam Bones and a half dozen aurors walked in, quickly followed by a group that the purebloods knew were the school Governors, and right behind them came quite a few parents or guardians, including Lucius Malfoy and Augusta Longbottom.

'Oh this is going to be fun,' were the thoughts going through Draco's mind at that moment.

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Harry woke up to a pecking at his window. Rushing to retrieve the newest letter from Draco, excitement running through his body. He took the letter from his second favorite owl and gave him a treat before opening his newest letter.

Dear Harry,

Well you definitely got things stirred up here. And I, for one am enjoying the aftermath. You can't go anywhere in the school without hearing people talk about your interview. Many of them are looking mighty guilty with the way they have treated you. I think it has finally hit them with how many times you have saved their sorry arses.

The school governors showed up here the next morning with parents and aurors in tow. They asked questions from random students to back up your claims, and when they were done they took action.

All four Head of Houses were replaced since they took part in that obstacle course that you had to go through in first year. Sinastra is the new Slytherin Head, Babbling is Gryffindors, Vector is Ravenclaws and Hooch is Hufflepuffs. Dumbledore, McGonagall , Snape, Hagrid and Trelawney are all on probation for their actions and or teachings. Binns has been replaced with Longbottom's grandmother. No more naptime in History.

Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape and Hagrid are all under investigation from the DMLE. Nobody is saying what that all is about, but if I would guess it is because they all have endangered students badly enough that they could have been killed.

I never did tell you they found the real Moody locked in his own trunk after your howler. The man is a much better teacher than the imposter was, but after hearing your interview he convinced Madam Bones to have aurors patrolling the school for the rest of the year. Those aurors seem more interested in what the professors are up too instead of the students. Which has them all being real jumpy. Snape even has a nervous tick now as one is always following him around.

I miss you Harry. I can't wait until next month to see you again. This place really isn't any fun anymore with how on edge the adults are. I spend more time in our room than ever before. It really is the only place I can relax. Plus it makes me feel closer to you.

Yours always,

Draco

Harry went to start his day with a smile. He couldn't wait to tell his dad how well the interview had gone to cause trouble at the school. He may not be going back to the place, but he still had a fondness for the castle as it had been the first home he could remember. Hopefully changes would be made at the place. He did feel a little guilty about Hagrid being on probation though, the others not so much.