Love

The cracks came quickly, one after another, making both Harry and Draco twitch towards their wands. But it was people showing up. The first few looked excited, but a number after looked smug.

"They want to see this fail." Harry whispered to Draco between hello's. The kettle between them was charmed to take the admissions money for the charity and glow green or red when more than enough or too little was put in. It very rarely glowed red, and when it did the wizard normally looked mortified as the kettle called out. "For the children!" When the kettle started ticking Draco's face broke into a huge grin.

"Only fifty people left on the limit." Draco practically purred. Harry chuckled and welcomed in another witch.

"It's going well too. Listen to them." Harry smiled. "You should go mingle, it's slowing down at the entrance. Make sure everything is going smoothly elsewhere."

Draco nodded and practically pranced off. Harry chuckled, welcoming in another wizard. If they did this again next year, there would have to be reservations, and wasn't that a thought. Harry smiled as a few more people trickled in before double checking the spell that kept the kettle immobile and began to drift through the house.

Ron and Hermione and Rose were in the living room, with Rose playing with a muggle toy that had been in the trinkets. It was a wooden puzzle and Ron kept trying to spell it into submission which made Hermione laugh. A few more children were climbing on the rent-a-santa. He flagged Harry down between children.

"I… Hate to do this, really." The man said, panting a bit. "But one of the kids smeared peanut butter all over me and I'm afraid the allergy spell I'm using-"

"Go!" Harry insisted. Then paused. "Can I borrow your suite?"

"Sure, sure, I have to dry clean it anyway." The man said, "Just show me where I can change."

Harry led the man to the upstairs bedroom, standing outside as the man stripped out of the suite and hurrying in next to him. The man was gasping and panting and a bit flushed as he rushed out of the house. "Feel better!" Harry called after the man, worrying about him.

He changed into the suite, and dying his hair. He grew in a grey beard and changed the shape of his glasses. He hurried back down stairs to a gaggle of children and didn't get a chance to move again for most of the night as he passed out trinkets and played with little ones.

The last then he expected when he saw Draco coming was to be tugged to his feet and up the stairs. In the main bedroom he was pushed up against the wall, and not in a pleasant fashion he might have appreciated.

"Stay away from him." Draco hissed.

"Wha?"

"There are rumours that Harry Potter tickled Santa Claus underneath his beard by quite a way." Draco snarled. Harry paused, uncertain of what to do with this opportunity. He could find out quite a bit about Draco and what was going on in his head, here, but Gryffindor honesty won out.

"Draco-" He tried but was cut off.

"No one calls me Draco." He snarled. "I won't have you taking liberties I wouldn't give away."

"No one?" Harry asked.

"No one." Draco snarled again, his lips pulling up.

"I won't call you that again. I'd thought we were friends. I'm sorry." Harry said breaking away.

"Wait… Potter?"

"At least you're kind enough to return the favor." Harry said with a sigh.

"I don't understand." Draco said pulling back.

"Neither do I." Harry grumbled. "But what you don't understand is that the Santa got sick and instead of making the kids do without I asked to borrow his suite. I don't know why it was a big deal."

"Harry wait."

"No. Don't. I'm going back down stairs, we'll talk later. Maybe." Harry grumbled walking off. He shook off the angst as he walked down the stairs, sitting back down to pass out presents. He hasn't been there for more than five minutes when a loud slightly off key rendition of Dashing Through the Snow started emanating from the door. Harry stood, setting down a small child.

"Santa's got to run to the bathroom." He said, catching Ron's eye. Ron stood up, setting Rose on Hermione's lap and joining Harry as he hurried toward the entryway.

"Stop right there." Alecto Carrow snarled, setting her wand tip to Draco's throat. Harry froze looking between the two. Alecto was wild eyed her other hand still on the kettle that held close to a thousand galleons.

"Nice to see you again Alecto." Harry said.

"Back off Santa, or the blood traitor gets it." She snarled and then blinked. "Potter?"

"Seems no one can see through the suite tonight." Harry said amiably. He looked from the wand to Alecto. "So, you decided this would be your high end theft for the month? I'm honored."

"It was supposed to be easy." She snarled. "Low base gain with higher end gains when I'm paid."

"You let that slip on purpose. You want us to let you go for information." Harry mused. "And I might be willing to do that."

"Harry!" Ron hissed but Harry held up a hand.

"So what do you have that's worth our time?" Harry asked, looking relaxed as he all but vibrated with tension and anger.

"I have this one's life in my hands." She snarled trying again, snarling as another couple of people showed up, drawn in by the caterwauling of the kettle. "Make them back off!"

"Ron, would you?" Harry smiled, and nodded as a silencing charm fell down around them, followed by a notice-me-not. "What else can I do to make you comfortable?"

"You could break your wands." Alecto offered.

"Let's be reasonable here Alecto." Harry smiled and lowered his wand to waist level. He tensed as Draco bucked in Alecto's hold.

"Crucio!" She yelled and Harry snarled as Draco fell to the ground, writhing. Alecto smirked. She was showing that she was willing to use the unforgivable curses, that she wouldn't hesitate to kill. Harry ground his teeth. The spell had been short, too short for him to disable her, but plenty long to make Draco pant for breath on the ground. Harry watched her eyes and wiggled his fingers a bit. Alecto looked down and Harry cast a non verbal spell behind her, twitching his wand just a bit. Slowly ropes began to grow out of the grass.

"You wanted to tell us something." Harry said as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I want out of here, with the pot."

"I'll have to take the antiaperation ward off of it then. It's queued in to me." Harry said.

"I don't think so Potter." She snarled but before Harry could do anything else Draco stunned her from where he laid on the ground. The woman fell backwards into the coils of rope that had been growing and ready to spring. Harry dropped down to his knees pulling Draco onto his lap grabbing his chin and forcing his mouth open. There was no blood, no bitten tongue, no cracked teeth.

"I've seen worse Harry." Draco grumbled, pulling out of Harry's grip and looking over to where Ron was securing Alecto.

"What happened to Potter?" Harry asked. Draco paused still sitting in Harry's lap and looked him over.

"I… I was jealous alright?" He muttered, looking away with a slight flush to his cheeks.

"That I might have a quicky with the cute Santa?" Harry chuckled.

"Of the cute Santa." Draco grumbled, and Harry laughed, pulling the man's face back around by the chin. Draco looked at him stunned for a moment before Harry closed the distance tasting only the slightest copper hints in the man's mouth.

"Mommy, is Malfoy kissing Santa?" Rose asked as the the notice-me-not spell fell and Ron got Alecto to her feet.

"Santa could give his partner a hand." Ron offered putting Alecto's wand in his pocket.

"I think Santa's favorite elf has it all under control." Harry offered, he adjusted and pulled Draco onto his now outstretched legs. Draco rolled his eyes and stood up, brushing his pants off. Harry hurried to his feet grabbing the man's shoulders. "You were just crucioed, sit down."

"Harry, I've seen worse." Draco said softly, and Harry's mind filled with the dark days. "I've got to do some damage control on the party."

"You've got to rest, no matter that you've seen worse. and Ron and I have to call this in. Why don't you take the suite and play with the children for a while." Harry offered. Draco paused before nodding, leading Harry up the stairs to the bedroom so that Harry could change. Harry looked around the bedroom as he did, thinking that the bedroom was lovely. He had just taken the suite off and gotten his hair back to normal when Draco barged in. The blonde looked flustered and flushed. Harry took a step towards him before he got slammed into the same wall that he had been slammed into earlier.

"I've made a decision." Draco said, his face a similar color to Santa's suite.

"You have my attention."

"We're changing our relationship status again."

"Oh?"

"You, Harry Potter, are either going to date me or stop leading me on because if I get another one of your longing looks or hands in my pocket as your friend I am going to explode." Draco snapped. Harry laughed, then laughed harder as Draco sputtered and blustered. He took pity a moment later and leaned in to kiss the man again.

"I thought I made that clear when I kissed you earlier. I'll take note that you're the kind that needs everything written down in duplicate." Harry practically purred against his blonde's lips. That made him grin. Draco blushed a moment longer, then hesitantly leaned in for a proper kiss. One that wasn't filled with angst and worry, or humor and pleasure, but one that was soft and simple and sweet. Harry whimpered a bit as Draco drew away, making the other man smirk.

"You promised you'd let me know." Draco murmured against his lips.

"I'll make it up to you." Harry said softly.

"How?"

"Presents?"

"Lots of them."

"With big bows and shiny paper." Harry promised again. Draco hummed and pressed up against the Wizarding World's Savior. He stayed there, breathing in the man's scent and relaxing into his arms.

"I have wanted to do this since your bloody movie marathon." Draco confessed.

"So long?"

"Maybe longer. It's amazing how endearing you can be when you're not going out of your way to make my life miserable."

"I wouldn't say that was ever exactly my intention, but you did lead a pretty colorful childhood."

"Said the pot to the kettle." Draco chuckled. He wrapped a finger in the waistband of Harry's pants. Harry groaned and pulled the man's hand up to his chest.

"I still have to file a report about the attack and you still have a party to oversee." He said, but the regret in his voice could have filled a loch.

"Tomorrow?" Draco asked hopefully. Harry laughed.

"Those puppy eyes got you everything you wanted all of your life, haven't they?"

"Mostly." Draco purred, nuzzling into Harry's neck.

"I've been informed you need more presents before Christmas, so no. Not tomorrow either. Christmas morning." He said firmly, though he knew if Draco argued he would be done for.

"Christmas morning it is." Draco said with only a small playful pout before he changed moved to get into the Santa suite. "But you'd best come back to night to help me clean up."

"As soon as I can." Harry said and pressed a light kiss to the man's cheek. Draco smirked and claimed another kiss from the man's lips.

"Soon." Draco purred huskily, then turned away. "Go on then, I've got children to entertain."

Harry returned to the house haggard and weary, dreading pick up. He walked in and frowned, seeing the place spotless inside. In fact, now that he thought of it, it was spotless outside as well. He wandered into the kitchen to see that it too was spotless… except.

"Is… that a steak?" He asked, his mouth watering.

"I thought about just feeding you left overs, especially since it's past midnight and just want to sleep, but you did defuse the situation with Alecto." Draco said, stepping away from the stove with a pan filled with rice.

"This from the man who got over a Crucio in moments and stunned her."

"Into your waiting ropes."

"Are we really arguing about this?"
"I imagine we'll argue about more trivial things than who possibly saved me." Draco chuckled and sat down across from Harry.

"Where's yours?"

"Are you kidding? I had to fly all around the world tonight eating cookies and milk. I couldn't eat another bite." Draco chuckled and Harry smirked, reaching out to finger the white fur trim of the suite. "I also helped myself to the left overs, though there weren't many."

"It was a success then?" Harry double checked.

"As much as any party can be when the host get's hit with an unforgivable curse." Draco shrugged, then a grin broke out from behind his nonchalant mask. "I got requests for invitations next year."

"Will we be doing one next year?" Harry asked, wondering if the 'we' sounded needy.

"If you play your cards right I might use you as manual labor again." Draco grinned. Harry spent a moment to feel self conscious about eating in front of a plate-less Draco, but a moment after the steak hit his tongue he forgot about anything but eating. He sighed as he pushed the plate away. Draco was giving him a funny look.

"Something on my face?" He asked, reaching up to brush it away with a napkin but Draco stilled his hand, leaning over and kissing a grain of rice off the corner of his mouth. Harry froze.

"You should probably go now." Draco said softly. "I don't want this to move too fast, and if you stay much longer…"

Harry nodded and stood.

"Walk me to the door?" He asked. Draco grinned and slipped his hand in Harry's leading him to a door they had painted together.

"So… do we kiss goodnight?" Draco asked as they stood there. Harry chuckled and brought him two steps to the left and one back.

"No, now we kiss under the mistletoe." He smiled looking up. Draco followed his gaze and chuckled softly.

Christmas morning came more quickly than Harry would have anticipated. He had thought Christmas Eve would drag on, but the running from shop to shop and the time he spent wrapping presents filled his day and made him eager to collapse onto his bed when he was done. He had re-keyed the wards last night, so that Draco could apparate in on his own, and had informed Kreacher that Draco would be coming, so a full spread of breakfast was to be laid out. For once he was certain that the elf would do as he was bid, not for Harry, but for Draco.

Harry slunk down the stairs, hoping to get a full cup of tea in before Draco showed, but was flummoxed when he got to the bottom of the stairs.

"Draco?" He breathed.

There, standing next to the pile of silver and green wrapped presents was an other worldly sight, one that Harry would never have guessed to have seen.

"If you make a big deal out of it, I will leave right now and change." Draco snarled, but his face was the same red as the sweater he wore. In the center of the jumper was a lion wearing a Christmas hat. The lion winked at Harry and stalked around the blonde's chest once then twice.

"It's so…"

"Gaudy, awful, repulsive?"

"Perfect." Harry laughed.

"It should be. It took me weeks to find this thing for you." Draco sniffed.

"For me?" Harry asked, eyeing the man wearing it. Draco's blush faded and he nodded slowly.

"I thought you might like the ironic twist." The man purred, and the lion on the jumper arched it's back and swaggered about.

"You, are a genius." Harry smirked, closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around the blonde. "And it's not ironic at all, because I'll still be unwrapping my best Christmas present."

"That is the sappiest most saccharin thing I have ever heard." Draco said, twisting his face up in a knot.

"Lucky for me, I know you have a sweet tooth." Harry grinned and Draco was still laughing as he leaned down to kiss the sound silent.

"Merry Christmas."

((OK guys. If you're really nice to me, I might have an epilogue up in a few days. Also I'll apologize now for all the spelling and grammar issues, no beta on this since the first chapter, so it's all very raw.))