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sesheta66Title: In the Spirit – Part 2
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sesheta_66
Prompts used:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
slythindor100’s early bird prompt 16: Christmas decorated storefront (picture under the cut) and dracoharry100’s prompt 6: chance meeting
Word Count: ~1K
Rating: PG, for now
Warning: none
Summary: Harry had a rough Christmas last year, to say the least. But things are looking up this year, and he plans to embrace the season, even if he is still single.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: Written for theslythindor100 Early Bird 25 Days of Draco and Harry and the dracoharry100 Christmas Challenge.
To start at the beginning: In the Spirit – Part 1
In the Spirit – Part 2
Determined to make this year’s Christmas better than last – not that it was a high bar, all things considered – Harry ventured into Diagon Alley to pick up some Christmas cards and decorations.
He breathed in the clove-scented air and felt immediately warmed against the crisp December weather. He passed by stores decorated with all manner of greens, reds, golds and silvers, and window displays showcasing the latest and greatest wares, glad to be a part of something he’d missed rather a lot last year.
He hummed along to the music that carried along the street and spilled from the various stores, and grinned at all the excited children running about, driving their parents mad. So preoccupied with one frazzled mother and her brood of four, he walked right into someone. Auror and Seeker instincts always at the ready, he managed to catch one small parcel in his left hand and wave his wand to rescue the rest with a cushioning charm before any of the packages had reached the halfway mark between arms and ground.
"So sorry," he said as he helped the man put his parcels to rights. Then he realised whom he faced. "Malfoy?"
The grey eyes rolled upwards as his white blond brows scowled. "A menace as usual, I see."
Harry laughed. Not even Malfoy’s familiar annoyance with him could dampen his mood. "Apparently so." Another wave of his wand and Malfoy’s parcels were neatly bundled together with a thick red and gold ribbon tied in a decorative bow that would do Godric Gryffindor himself proud. "There you go. Now they’ll at least stay together."
Malfoy hesitated and Harry wondered if he was about to shock Harry with thanks. Alas, it was not meant to be. "Ugh. Isn’t there enough red and gold in this place already?" His eyes travelled over a particularly gaudy display in a window across the street.
Harry shrugged and waved his wand once more, transforming the ribbon and accompanying bow into deep green with silver trim. "Better?"
Malfoy’s mouth opened but no words escaped. He closed it again and then, with a confused and wary expression, nodded curtly.
"You know you could shrink them to make them easier to transport. Or send them on ahead of you."
"Why no, Potter, I didn’t know such basic spells existed." With a long-suffering sigh, he said, "Not everything can withstand the brutality of a shrinking charm or magical transit, you know."
Harry, bemused at the strangely comforting combination of sneer and condescension from Malfoy, bowed. "But of course, such precious cargo as you are no doubt transporting, Mr Malfoy, would need far greater care."
Again Malfoy did the mouth opening and closing thing. Harry barely restrained a chuckle. Eventually, Malfoy regained the use of speech. He looked even warier. "What are you suggesting, Auror Potter?"
"Er ..."
"I’ll have you know that I’m not doing anything wrong. People have the right to walk down the street in broad daylight carrying Christmas presents."
"Of course they do." Harry wasn’t sure what had happened to get Malfoy all bent out of shape, but he needed to stop this before it went downhill even further. "Listen, Malfoy, I wasn’t implying anything. I was just joking around with you."
Malfoy’s eyes narrowed. "You? Joking with me?"
"Mm hmm. You know, like normal people do."
"Normal people that don’t hate each other, you mean."
"I don’t hate you."
His eyes widened briefly at that, but he continued to look unamused. "Right."
Harry returned his wand to his pocket – he hadn’t even realised he was still holding it – and put his hands up in front of him. "Look, Malfoy, I don’t know what I did --"
"You mean besides nearly knocking me down in the street?"
"Yes, I mean besides that." Again he had to fight back a grin. He had no idea why their exchange was amusing him so much while clearly pissing Malfoy off. Well, maybe it was precisely that he was pissing Malfoy off that amused Harry so much. Old habits and all that. "I was in a particularly good mood and was a bit distracted by ... well, never mind that. I bumped into you, for which I’m sorry. Then you looked down your nose at me, as you always do, and the familiarity of it just got the better of me. I was amused and, for some unknown reason, I tried for some teasing banter. I meant nothing by it. Nothing bad anyway. Really."
Malfoy took a while to process what Harry had said before allowing himself to accept the words for what they were. "Whatever, Potter. If you’re done with your witty banter I’ll be on my way before some other oaf bumps into me."
Harry smiled and nodded at the packages Malfoy was carrying. "I put a cushioning charm on them, just in case."
Once more Malfoy looked completely thrown. "You’re strange, Potter."
This time Harry allowed himself to laugh. "I would have thought you’d know that about me by now."
He once more rolled his eyes. "Bye, Potter." As he walked away, he called over his shoulder, "And try to pay attention to where you’re walking."
"Later, Malfoy," Harry called to his retreating form.
As Harry continued his trek through Diagon Alley, he felt even lighter now than before his odd exchange with his old school nemesis. He supposed that one-upping Malfoy had always been one of his favourite things to do. Strange that he’d never given it a thought, how he might miss that.
Part 3
Author:
sesheta_66Prompts used:
slythindor100’s early bird prompt 16: Christmas decorated storefront (picture under the cut) and dracoharry100’s prompt 6: chance meetingWord Count: ~1K
Rating: PG, for now
Warning: none
Summary: Harry had a rough Christmas last year, to say the least. But things are looking up this year, and he plans to embrace the season, even if he is still single.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: Written for the
slythindor100 Early Bird 25 Days of Draco and Harry and the dracoharry100 Christmas Challenge. To start at the beginning: In the Spirit – Part 1
Determined to make this year’s Christmas better than last – not that it was a high bar, all things considered – Harry ventured into Diagon Alley to pick up some Christmas cards and decorations.
He breathed in the clove-scented air and felt immediately warmed against the crisp December weather. He passed by stores decorated with all manner of greens, reds, golds and silvers, and window displays showcasing the latest and greatest wares, glad to be a part of something he’d missed rather a lot last year.
He hummed along to the music that carried along the street and spilled from the various stores, and grinned at all the excited children running about, driving their parents mad. So preoccupied with one frazzled mother and her brood of four, he walked right into someone. Auror and Seeker instincts always at the ready, he managed to catch one small parcel in his left hand and wave his wand to rescue the rest with a cushioning charm before any of the packages had reached the halfway mark between arms and ground.
"So sorry," he said as he helped the man put his parcels to rights. Then he realised whom he faced. "Malfoy?"
The grey eyes rolled upwards as his white blond brows scowled. "A menace as usual, I see."
Harry laughed. Not even Malfoy’s familiar annoyance with him could dampen his mood. "Apparently so." Another wave of his wand and Malfoy’s parcels were neatly bundled together with a thick red and gold ribbon tied in a decorative bow that would do Godric Gryffindor himself proud. "There you go. Now they’ll at least stay together."
Malfoy hesitated and Harry wondered if he was about to shock Harry with thanks. Alas, it was not meant to be. "Ugh. Isn’t there enough red and gold in this place already?" His eyes travelled over a particularly gaudy display in a window across the street.
Harry shrugged and waved his wand once more, transforming the ribbon and accompanying bow into deep green with silver trim. "Better?"
Malfoy’s mouth opened but no words escaped. He closed it again and then, with a confused and wary expression, nodded curtly.
"You know you could shrink them to make them easier to transport. Or send them on ahead of you."
"Why no, Potter, I didn’t know such basic spells existed." With a long-suffering sigh, he said, "Not everything can withstand the brutality of a shrinking charm or magical transit, you know."
Harry, bemused at the strangely comforting combination of sneer and condescension from Malfoy, bowed. "But of course, such precious cargo as you are no doubt transporting, Mr Malfoy, would need far greater care."
Again Malfoy did the mouth opening and closing thing. Harry barely restrained a chuckle. Eventually, Malfoy regained the use of speech. He looked even warier. "What are you suggesting, Auror Potter?"
"Er ..."
"I’ll have you know that I’m not doing anything wrong. People have the right to walk down the street in broad daylight carrying Christmas presents."
"Of course they do." Harry wasn’t sure what had happened to get Malfoy all bent out of shape, but he needed to stop this before it went downhill even further. "Listen, Malfoy, I wasn’t implying anything. I was just joking around with you."
Malfoy’s eyes narrowed. "You? Joking with me?"
"Mm hmm. You know, like normal people do."
"Normal people that don’t hate each other, you mean."
"I don’t hate you."
His eyes widened briefly at that, but he continued to look unamused. "Right."
Harry returned his wand to his pocket – he hadn’t even realised he was still holding it – and put his hands up in front of him. "Look, Malfoy, I don’t know what I did --"
"You mean besides nearly knocking me down in the street?"
"Yes, I mean besides that." Again he had to fight back a grin. He had no idea why their exchange was amusing him so much while clearly pissing Malfoy off. Well, maybe it was precisely that he was pissing Malfoy off that amused Harry so much. Old habits and all that. "I was in a particularly good mood and was a bit distracted by ... well, never mind that. I bumped into you, for which I’m sorry. Then you looked down your nose at me, as you always do, and the familiarity of it just got the better of me. I was amused and, for some unknown reason, I tried for some teasing banter. I meant nothing by it. Nothing bad anyway. Really."
Malfoy took a while to process what Harry had said before allowing himself to accept the words for what they were. "Whatever, Potter. If you’re done with your witty banter I’ll be on my way before some other oaf bumps into me."
Harry smiled and nodded at the packages Malfoy was carrying. "I put a cushioning charm on them, just in case."
Once more Malfoy looked completely thrown. "You’re strange, Potter."
This time Harry allowed himself to laugh. "I would have thought you’d know that about me by now."
He once more rolled his eyes. "Bye, Potter." As he walked away, he called over his shoulder, "And try to pay attention to where you’re walking."
"Later, Malfoy," Harry called to his retreating form.
As Harry continued his trek through Diagon Alley, he felt even lighter now than before his odd exchange with his old school nemesis. He supposed that one-upping Malfoy had always been one of his favourite things to do. Strange that he’d never given it a thought, how he might miss that.
Part 3