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Bane of My Existence	By : DreamHowler Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 10480 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Bane of my Existence

by Dream Howler

*~*~*~*

Author Notes: I thought I had
published this chapter here, and I just realized that I either hadn�t, or it
was lost when the archive changed. Regardless, I want to apologize for
taking so long with this chapter. Between work, writer's block, my computer
crash, and other such things, my life has been one problem after another
lately. I am glad that I finally got chapter five done. Chapter six is complete
and is being beta read as we speak.

Canon Notes: This story is Pre-HBP, which takes place in my
version of Harry Potter's seventh year, based on the events of the first
five books.

Have a question, or want to provide private feedback Email: dhowler@gmail.com

Contact Info: I also have a writing journal, and a mailing list to
update people on my writing.

http://www.greatestjournal.com/~dreamhowler/ and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dreamhowler_writings/join

Copyright: This plot/story is �2004 - 2007 by Dream Howler. This story
is the sole property of its author, and may not be copied, in whole or in part,
or posted on any other website without the written permission of the author. As
for the characters that are in this story, they are the property of J.K.
Rowling. I am not receiving money for writing this story, and have no money for
any lawyers to take should they decide to sue me.

*~*~*~*

Chapter 4 Recap:

In Chapter 4, Harry got scared when he found out that Draco was his pen pal and
ran away. Not really typical Gryffindor or even Harry's behaviour. Several
weeks go by before the band decides that they need a manager. Oddly enough,
Draco suggests Hermione Granger. Once Draco had apologised to her, she agreed
to be the band's manager.

After a long drought of no letters, the pair begins writing again in lieu of a
more personal relationship. For the moment, things are looking up.

*~*~*~*

Chapter 5 - It takes more than the written word

Harry and Draco had been writing again for a month before Harry realised that
he was slowly falling in love with the new Draco. The problem was, at least in
his mind, that even if he did come clean about whom Anton was, Draco might
never trust him again. Hermione tried everything she could think of to convince
Harry that he hadn't really lied about who he was to Draco, and though he might
be initially upset, that he wouldn't stay upset long. Harry knew that no matter
how much Draco had changed, he still had a temper, and he didn't want to cross
it for a while.

The war outside was getting worse and all trips to Hogsmeade were cancelled.
This, of course, left the band without a venue to play. Professor Dumbledore
had decided, after much persuasion, to throw a ball for the Yule, and had told
the group they could play. Therefore, the excited group tried to learn a few
wizarding carols as well as a few Muggle ones in order to play that night.

The letters between Harry and Draco seemed almost desperate at times. They were
both hunted men, and Harry had even tried to convince Draco that if Voldemort
ever found out that he was talking to Harry, that he would probably kidnap him
to lure Harry to him. Draco always scoffed at this in his next letter. Draco
figured that as much as he was always sending out letters, that someone had to
have informed Voldemort by now. This, of course, meant that since he was still
here, he would be okay.

Harry was hard pressed to agree with Draco's assumptions, but it didn't do any
good to tell Draco anything that he didn't want to hear. Harry had even tried
to talk Draco into a much more private way of communication, but Draco seemed
to like the way they were currently conversing and wouldn't hear of it.

*~*~*~*

Days before the concert, there was a short, slightly heated discussion taking
place in the band's practice room. Anton had mentioned that the band would be
on stage a good majority of the time, and he didn't think he would be taking a
date to the ball. He went on to say that by the time they got finished playing,
they would be too tired to devote too much time to keeping a date happy, along
with the fact that they wouldn't be around much of the ball due to them being
on stage, it just didn't feel practical. After all was said and done, the
group, as a whole, decided that they would all go without dates.

Harry was silently relieved that the band had come to this decision. Harry was
already worrying that since he would have to change back and forth between his
two personalities that he might get one or the other confused. There were only
a handful of people that knew about his real personality, and he wasn't sure if
he was ready for them to stumble in the wrong direction.

When Draco wrote to Harry to tell him that the band wasn't taking dates, he
just sent a letter back telling him that he was planning to go stag anyway. He
certainly didn't want to bring another girl; he had a horrible time of it last
time when they had a ball. In fact, Harry even told Draco that if he hadn't
been forced to take a date the first time, he probably wouldn't have, as his
first choice was already taken.

*~*~*~*

The concert was a day away and Harry was in a panic. He still hadn't quite
figured out how to get out of staying around as Anton very long. Obviously,
Draco would want to spend time with Harry if he could, and if Harry had to
continue to pose as Anton, then Draco would probably get suspicious.

In desperation, Harry wrote the Weasley twins, and told him that he had to be
in two places at once, and wanted anything to help him. Luckily, for Harry, the
twins just happened to be in Hogsmeade that morning, and were able to send off
their new invention right away.

*~*~*~*

Harry was excited when the morning owls flew into the Great Hall and a package
was tied to Hedwig's leg. He quickly pocketed the package in his pack and
headed towards his secret passage to read the enclosed letter.

Harry,

You are the first to receive our new invention: Weasley's Persona Gum. This gum
works just like a Polyjuice potion, except it lasts much longer than an hour.
As long as you chew the gum, you will remain in the form that you have chosen.
All you have to do is take a piece of your hair, and place it on top of the
gum. Then say the words: Mutare Persona. The gum will then change the chewer
into you. After awhile the gum does lose its flavour, so it is best to have
several pieces available to the person taking your place.

Your Devoted Servants,

Gred and Forge

Harry grinned; now he just needed to talk Ron into being him for the first half
of the concert.

*~*~*~*

As the end of the day rolled around, Harry felt slightly disturbed that it
hadn't taken much convincing to talk Ron into being Harry for part of the ball.
It almost made Harry feel used, as if Ron had been planning this all along and
was just waiting for Harry to ask. Of course, Harry shook that idea out of his
head as nonsense.

"Thanks, Ron, I appreciate your sacrifice. We will probably need to let
Hermione in on the secret so she can help cover if anyone asks where you are.
Fred and George said the gum was something you could chew for a while and then
stop chewing it, reverting to yourself, or vice versa. I think that we should
make five pieces or so, just in case. I probably need to see if it can do a few
of Anton as well. That way, if you think someone is getting suspicious about
where you are, you can run into the passage by the Great Hall, and revert back
and then come back in for a bit."

Ron nodded, looking far too excited for Harry's taste.

*~*~*~*

The day of the concert went quite well for the students of Hogwarts. It was
actually quite quiet for winter break, and since most stayed, the majority of
the students slept in and got dressed for the ball at a leisurely pace. Harry
had to practice several clothes Transfiguration Charms since he couldn't be
seen in the same clothes as Anton. It was then that Harry realised that the
same problem was going to happen to Ron and Harry began to panic again. Luckily
for Harry, Hermione had already thought of that problem and was practicing
several spells to turn Ron's new blue robes into a nice green for when he was
Harry.

Since the group was performing, it was impractical to wear dress robes, so they
stored them in the teachers' lounge next to the Great Hall to change into
later. Harry made sure to take note of what Ron's green robe looked like to
make a copy for later.

As the day drew closer to the concert, Harry began to get slightly nervous.
This was the first time in a long time that Harry had to be seen in two places
at once, and he wasn't looking forward to it. Harry was so sure that he would
screw up something, but he didn't want to dwell on the negative aspects of the
night.

Luckily, Harry would be staying most of the night as Anton, and Ron was walking
around talking to people occasionally to pass as Harry. When the first song of
the night began to play, Harry just focused on the music and nothing else. It
definitely helped to calm his nerves. Draco had written a new song, called Crash
and Burn. Once the first few bars began to play, Harry noticed that Draco
was looking right at Ron, who was currently disguised as Harry. The meaning
behind the song suddenly made sense, Draco wrote it for Harry. It wasn't for
the first time that Harry thought that Draco's voice was what an angel might
sound like.

When you feel all alone

And the world has turned its back on you

Give me a moment please to tame your wild, wild heart

I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you

It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold

When darkness is upon your door

And you feel like you can't take anymore

Let me be the one you call

If you jump, I'll break your fall

Lift you up and fly away with you into the night

If you need to fall apart

I can mend a broken heart

If you need to crash then crash and burn

You're not alone

When you feel all alone

And a loyal friend is hard to find

You're caught in a one-way street

With the monsters in your head

When hopes and dreams are far away and

You feel like you can't face the day

Let me be the one you call

If you jump, I'll break your fall

Lift you up and fly away with you into the night

If you need to fall apart

I can mend a broken heart

If you need to crash then crash and burn

You're not alone

And there has always been heartache and pain

And when it's over you'll breathe again

You'll breathe again

When you feel all alone

And the world has turned its back on you

Give me a moment please

To tame your wild, wild heart

Let me be the one you call

If you jump I'll break your fall

Lift you up and fly away with you into the night

If you need to fall apart

I can mend a broken heart

If you need to crash then crash and burn

You're not alone

After the song was over, the group sang several Christmas related songs, which
were a big hit. Later, the group sang a few more of their own songs, mixing
them in between the more traditional songs of the season. Overall, the entire
concert was going quite well. The audience seemed to enjoy all their new
material, as well as the old favourites; it made the band very happy over all.
By the time that the concert was ending, Anton noticed that Ron had slipped out
with Hermione and returned to his normal self. Anton just hoped that Ron hadn't
remarked on anything that he would have to explain later. The group started up
another one of Anton's songs, "Help Me".

I wish I could define

All the thoughts that crossed my mind

They seem too big for me to choose

I don't know which ones to lose

When I'm falling down so far

I think I'll never see your light

Bouncing off of me

Shining down here from your eyes

Help me

Figure out the difference

Between right and wrong

Weak and strong

Day and night

Where I belong and

Help me

Make the right decisions

Know which way to turn

Lessons to learn

And just what my purpose is here

It's like I got the signals crossed

With messages I can't decode

Half asleep, never wide awake

And I'm in complete overload

I got so much information here

And nothing I can really grasp

I should know the truth

But I'm too afraid, so I have to ask

Help me

Figure out the difference

Between right and wrong

Weak and strong

Day and night

Where I belong and

Help me

Make the right decisions

Know which way to turn

Lessons to learn

And just what my purpose is here

Wanna know you

More than anything

I need you

In my every dream, you're there for me

Do you love me?

For who I am, no angel

Just an ordinary man

Help me figure out why I'm stuck in the middle

Trying to understand why I can't

Why you're such a riddle

Got my eyes crossed

I'm thinking so hard and I know I'm missing the mark

Can you help me sort out

All this information

I'm just rackin' my brain,

Paying attention

But I'm still lost

And at all costs

I gotta know (gotta know, oh o)

Help me

Figure out the difference

Between right and wrong

Weak and strong

Day and night

Where I belong and

Help me

Make the right decisions

Know which way to turn

Lessons to learn

And just what my purpose is here

Help me figure out why I'm stuck in the middle

Trying to understand why I can't

Why you're such a riddle

Got my eyes crossed

I'm thinking so hard and I know I'm missing the mark

Can you help me sort out

All this information

I'm just rackin' my brain, baby

Paying attention

But I'm still lost

And at all costs

I gotta know

As the song ended, Anton stood thinking for a moment about the concert so far.
Overall, Anton and Draco had shared the lead vocal position. Draco had
mentioned several times that a good group leader knew when they couldn't sing a
song properly, and had to let others have the limelight. Harry took this as a
good sign that Draco was indeed changing, because when in the last six years
had Draco ever really shared anything? As the concert wound down to the last
two songs, Harry started singing the group's latest song; When the Children
Cry, the lyrics pouring out of his soul like rain.

Little child, dry your crying eyes

How can I explain the fear you feel inside?

Cause you were born into this evil world

Where man is killing man and no one knows just why

What have we become? Just look what we have done

All that we destroyed you must build again

When the children cry let them know we tried

Cause when the children sing then the new world begins

Little child you must show the way

To a better day for all the young

Cause you were born for the world to see

That we all can live with love and peace

No more Death Eaters and all the wars will end

One united world under Merlin

When the children cry let them know we tried

Cause when the children sing, then the new world begins

Draco grinned as he started his guitar solo; it was moments like this that the
young blond enjoyed. The spotlight was on him, illuminating his pale complexion
and hair. It really was one of the best parts of the sad song in his opinion.
However, as Draco thought about it, the song was more than appropriate for the
times that were all around them.

What have we become? Just look what we have done

All that we destroyed you must build again

No more Death Eaters and all the wars will end

One united world under Merlin

When the children cry let them know we tried

When the children fight let them know it ain't right

When the children pray let them know the way

Cause when the children sing then the new world begins

As the applause died down, the group finished up with a couple of traditional
carols that were happier than their previous songs, and ended the concert
portion of the ball. The group all tiredly walked down the stairs and into the
staff lounge where they collapsed with a collective sigh into several of the
plush chairs that surrounded the fireplace.

Anton, seeing his chance to get out of his predicament easily, let out a
long-suffering sigh, closed his eyes, and leaned his head back against the
chair. "I don't know about you guys, but I think I could go to sleep right
now and not wake up until the holidays are over."

Blaise groaned, and laughed softly. "Me too, mate. I don't know if I want
to even get out of this chair. Why is it that the teachers get such comfy
chairs?"

Anton opened his eyes, looked over at the plush green chair, and chuckled.
"No telling, really. Perhaps they deserve it after putting up with us in
classes all the time."

Draco snorted and huffed softly. "Not like we ever actually see you in
classes. I have been fending off questions for a while now about why no one
ever sees you around school. There are quite a few guys and girls that would
love to catch you outside a concert."

Anton blinked several times and looked over at Draco. "Really? I guess I
have been a bit too preoccupied to notice. I am usually walking around trying
to think of lyrics for a new song, when I'm not doing homework and stuff."

Draco smirked at Anton. "Well, guess we need to open your eyes a bit then.
Do you not notice the sighs and lustful stares while you are performing? Are
you daft or are you so into the zone that you don't notice anything but the
music?"

Anton frowned slightly, trying to recall the looks on the crowd's faces as he
sung. "I guess I must have been in the zone. About the only thing I look
at the audience for most of the time is to find out if they liked the
song."

Wayne, who was quiet up until this point smiled over at Anton. "Anton,
just because you don't notice your adoring fans, don't mean that the rest of us
are blind. We are probably popular mainly because of you. I mean you're
mysterious, you are only seen at concerts and practice. There is a huge betting
pool going around on your identity even. If you do end up telling the world who
you really are, I am sure you will make someone a very rich person," he
said with a laugh.

Anton looked at Wayne with a stunned expression. "The students are gambling on my
identity? Why in the world does it matter so much who I really am?"

Wayne shrugged. "Well, you could be anyone
really. People love to place wagers on things around here, especially in
Slytherin. Their pool of money, I think, is biggest of any of the houses, or so
I have been told by Blaise."

Anton looked over at Blaise. "Just how much money is riding on who I am
and who's winning?"

"Well, it's up to a hundred Galleons at the moment. The leaders in the
pool have narrowed it down to seventh year Gryffindors, and one even bet on
Ravenclaw. However, the one that made the bet for Ravenclaw withdrew his bet
because he figured that no one in Ravenclaw would be in a band during a NEWT
year," said Blaise as he began to laugh.

Anton frowned at Blaise. "I can't believe that people are wasting their
money on a stupid wager. I suspect quite a few of them don't have a lot of
money to begin with and are going to end up losing it."

Blaise snorted. "Well, someone has to win sooner or later, unless you
never plan on telling anyone who you are, and then you are right, everyone
would be wasting their money."

Anton sighed. "I actually never planned on telling anyone. I mean what
happens if I don't tell anyone for several years? Who is pocketing all the
money?"

Draco smiled. "Well, actually there is a term limit on it. If no one at
all finds out who you are by the end of the school year, all the money is
returned. Once we get out in the world, I am sure a new one will start up, but
at least most of the kids will get their money back. If you can hold out and
not screw up for the next six months that is."

Anton laughed softly. "Well, that shouldn't be too hard if someone doesn't
sneak up on me when I am changing."

When Anton finished speaking, Draco suddenly had an idea. He could sneak up on
Anton, and find out who he was. He just had to time it properly to get into the
band room early and surprise him. Though, as Draco thought about it, he had
been trying to catch Anton for weeks now and nothing seemed to be working.
Draco was sure that Anton had some kind of charm on the room to identify the
occupants of the room before entering. It was actually unnerving that Anton was
so Slytherin like.

Though, Draco knew that the seventh-years in Slytherin that had any sort of
talent were in the band so it didn't make any sense. Of course, intellectually,
Draco knew that each person had the potential to be in more than one house at
Hogwarts. He just didn't know what to think of someone who was so Slytherin in
another house; it just didn't sit well with him. After a few more moments
pondering, Draco stood and strode gracefully to the door and opened it.
"Well, I suppose we should make an appearance at the dance. I mean it
wouldn't do to ignore our fans."

The group nodded and followed Draco out the door, Anton following up the rear,
making sure that his "other" self wasn't running around somewhere
before he disappeared to change clothes and personas. Just as Anton passed the
punch bowl, his arse was grabbed suddenly, which made the cool, calm, and
collected Slytherin mask drop. Anton swung around quickly in an impressive
swirl that even Snape would be proud of, drew up into a defensive stance, and
glared at the offending person with his wand raised in the air.

"Just what do you think you are doing?" Anton hissed. "Don't you
know that it is not a good idea to sneak up on people? What if I had hurt
you?"

Anton's attacker gulped audibly and stuttered. "I.... I'm so sorry! I
didn't think."

Anton's glare lessoned considerably. "I noticed that. The next time you
grab someone's arse without permission, you better be prepared to be
hexed."

After Anton's groper scurried away, Anton sighed. 'What does it take to get
rid of that kid? I mean come on, he invades my privacy as Harry Potter, and now
he runs after me grabbing my arse as Anton! Well, perhaps this time I scared
him senseless, and he won't ever do anything like that again.'

Looking around for Draco, Anton spotted him across the room making a beeline
towards Harry's look alike; he quickly had to rush into action. Anton reached
in his pocket, took out the old DA coin, and set it to buzz Ron. A few moments
later Ron jumped slightly, and looked around to spot Draco heading his way. Ron
suddenly became panicky and asked Hermione to distract Draco with band
business. A moment later, Ron slipped out the hallway and into the loo. Quickly
spitting out the gum, and reciting the incantation quietly, Ron became himself
again. He waited for a few more minutes until he heard the door open, and the
stall next to him open and close. Ron stood there nervously, hoping Draco
hadn't followed him into the loo, and peered at the floor between the stalls,
seeing part of Harry's costume from the show and relaxed.

"Harry?" Ron asked tentatively.

"Ron? Are you okay now?" Harry knew that he couldn't ask Ron if he
was back to normal in case anyone was eavesdropping.

"Right as rain, Harry," Ron replied.

Harry quickly fixed his attire to the outfit that Ron had been wearing just a
short while ago and stepped out of the stall. "When you are done, come on
out, Ron. I will be looking for you in the hall."

"Right Harry..." Ron spoke, a little sad that his fun was over.

Harry walked into the Great Hall and looked around for Draco, who was keeping
Hermione company. Harry slid up next to Hermione; he grinned at her.
"Thanks for keeping Draco occupied for me, Hermione. I really had to use
the loo."

Hermione tilted her head slightly and nodded. "No problem, Harry. I will
just leave you two alone now. Have fun..."

Draco nodded. "We can talk later, Granger�I mean Hermione. I do have some
new band ideas I would like to go over with you later. Though it won't be
tomorrow, since we have band practice; I can possibly make it Sunday afternoon,
if that is all right?"

Hermione smiled, so pleased to see the new and improved Harry was rubbing off
on Draco. "Sure, just owl me a time and a place and I will be there."
Hermione quickly turned around, not waiting for an answer and left the two
alone. Harry noticed a moment later that she must have spotted Ron coming in
the Great Hall because she hurried over towards him.

*~*~*~*

Draco smiled, realizing he was relatively alone with Harry. That is, if you
didn't count the whole Hogwarts student body that was milling around talking
and dancing around the room. Draco swept into an elegant bow and grinned at
Harry. "Would you care to dance, Harry?"

Harry blushed slightly; he hadn't done much of this kind of dancing since
fourth year, and he was actually afraid he might step on Draco's feet.
"I'd love to, but you might want to keep your feet away from mine. The
last time I did any dancing of this kind was the last Yule ball, and I wasn't
the best at it."

Draco smirked. "Don't worry, Harry. Ballroom dancing is one of the things
that Malfoys are taught from birth. If anyone can teach you how to dance, it's
me. You just have to let me lead. You can do that, can't you, Harry?"

Harry smiled and nodded. "Sure, I think I can do that. It might take some
getting used to."

Draco took Harry's hand and led him to the dance floor, and began teaching
Harry how to dance. It took a bit, and a few hurt toes, but eventually, Draco
and Harry were dancing across the floor gathering attention from everywhere. It
had slowly begun to be common knowledge that Draco didn't fight with any of the
Golden Trio anymore, and of course, the school knew that Hermione Granger was
the band's manager, so this shouldn't have surprised them. However, it did;
even a very embarrassed Colin Creevey, who had earlier grabbed Anton's arse,
flushed bright red, and began mumbling about how he just "knew" that
Harry liked guys a long time ago, and no one believed him.

Harry and Draco danced for a while longer, not even realizing that they were
being watched. After the last song of the dance ended, they quickly got some
punch and joined the throng of students going back to their houses.

'All and all, the evening was a complete success,' thought Albus
Dumbledore. 'I wonder how long those two will take to get together now. They
looked so nice together dancing. I just hope that Harry doesn't ruin it by
keeping Draco in the dark about who he really is for too long.'

*~*~*~*

Before everyone knew, it was Christmas morning. Harry had actually ended up
calling the band together the night before to give them the presents he had
bought. They all promised not to open them until the next morning, so each of
them carried a small bundle of presents back to their dorm. Harry had ended up
getting Draco two sets of gifts, one from Harry, and one from Anton. After the
rest of the band left, Harry had snuck down to the kitchen and asked Dobby to
deliver the present to Draco. Before Harry could depart, however, Dobby
informed him that he had a present for Harry from Master Draco. Harry found it
funny that Draco had thought of the same thing to do that he had.

Harry had gotten his bandmates custom chess sets that changed colour depending
on the house that the person was in. Draco, of course, ended up with a nice
dragon set; Blaise got a Merlin chess set featuring dragons, knights, castles,
and everything. Wayne ended up getting a lovely phoenix set that had red and black phoenixes
as chess pieces. Getting everyone chess sets was one of the more obvious gifts
in Harry's mind, because it always seemed like someone wanted to play chess.
While he was out purchasing things, he thought about getting Ron a new chess
set as well that had a lovely set of lions, however, Harry decided against it
in the end and bought a plain chess set that had red and gold pieces. It wasn't
as fancy, but it wouldn't look like Anton had bought Ron Weasley a chess set.

Draco had actually gone overboard for his Christmas presents to his band mates
by buying everyone brand new instruments. Harry's new guitar even had strings
that didn't break so Harry didn't have to buy new strings when he played a
little too hard at a concert. Harry thought it was a brilliant, though
expensive present. It almost made his chess sets feel a bit cheap. However,
Harry reasoned that the chess sets were more personalized than new instruments.

Harry had agonized over Draco's gift for a long time before deciding on a
beautiful mahogany box that had a very detailed hand-carved wooden dragon on
top. Harry had even asked Hermione to help him on some charms so that it would
only open for Harry or Draco. The box itself was considered lucky, and was
crafted by artisans in the village of Ban Thai in Northern Thailand. He also purchased another hand-carved
Chinese dragon from the same source that was quite different than anything
Harry had seen. Harry had even found a spell to make the dragon move around and
sleep in a limited space. Harry hoped that Draco liked them.

Christmas day went quickly for Harry, who had received more presents than he
ever had before. He got some sweets from Ron, Blaise, and Wayne. Hermione got
him several books on protection spells, defensive magic, and general household
charms. Harry figured that the protection spells book might be the first one to
read, due to Harry and Draco's budding relationship.

Harry was actually surprised to receive a gift from his former professor, Remus
Lupin. It was a book on Animagus training. It wasn't just any book however; it
was the very book that his father and his friends had used during their
Hogwarts years. Harry almost cried when he opened it and saw his father's and
Sirius' handwriting. It was the best gift that Harry had ever received.

Harry had decided to leave Draco's present for last since Dobby was delivering
several presents last night. Harry had told Dobby to place Draco's present
under the tree and it seemed to be missing. Disappointed, Harry went down to
the Great Hall for breakfast, wondering what was going on. Did Draco decide
that he didn't like him anymore? Did he not like his gift and got Dobby to go
get the one he sent? Harry suddenly didn't feel very Christmassy.

*~*~*~*

When Harry got down to the Great Hall, Draco seemed to be nowhere to be found.
Just as he sat down, Hedwig swooped down and dropped a letter from her beak
into Harry's waiting hands. Sighing softly, Harry opened the letter and noticed
it was Draco's handwriting.

*~*~*~*

Dearest Harry,

After you have eaten breakfast, meet me in the Room of Requirement. I have
decided to give you your gifts in person, so I asked Dobby to return them to
me. I think you will love them.

Draco

*~*~*~*

Harry quickly ate breakfast and hurried to the Room of Requirement. The inside
was decorated with a huge Christmas tree, with dozens of twinkling fairy
lights. The room had a warm and cosy fire burning, with several cups of what
looked like hot chocolate. Harry smiled. It seemed that Draco was just being
romantic, a much better thought than the ones he had coming down stairs to
breakfast. Draco was sprawled out on the couch in front of the fire, looking
extremely pleased with himself. Harry suddenly wondered just how long Draco had
known about this room.

"Hello, Draco," said Harry.

Draco smiled as he stood up and crossed over towards Harry. Taking his hand in
his own, he led Harry over to the couch and told him to sit down. Moving over
to the tree, Draco brought back a very large thin package. Harry took the
present and slowly began to open it. As the frame was revealed, Harry suddenly
thought that Draco had gotten him a picture of himself, which seemed a bit
conceited. However, Harry was very wrong; the picture was not of Draco at all.
It was a portrait of James, Lily, Remus, and Sirius. Lily was cuddling baby
Harry in her arms, and all of them were waving happily at Harry. Harry was
shocked, and looked to Draco for an explanation.

Draco took Harry's hand in his again, letting his thumb draw small comforting
circles on the back as he began to speak. "Mum and Sirius were actually
close when they were growing up; when I told her that I was kind of dating you,
she told me that she had something that she was sure that you would like. She
pulled out a chest and gave me an old photograph; she said that it was taken
shortly after you were born. I researched in the library for a way to make it
bigger, and oddly enough, that creepy Creevey was the one that was the most
help. I asked him if he knew a way to make a picture portrait-sized, and he
pointed me to the right book."

Harry chuckled at that; he often thought that Colin was creepy, especially
after he had grabbed Anton's arse after the concert for the ball. Harry was
still glaring at Colin off and on for that little stunt. In fact, now that
Harry thought about it, the whole thing seemed a little odd. Colin, though he
was a bit obsessed with Harry, had never seemed overly touchy feely. He snapped
tons of photos, sure, and they were mostly of him, but to just wander up to
someone he didn't know and grab their arse?

'Hmm, perhaps I should have a little talk with Colin soon,' Harry
thought.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he pulled Draco into a hug. "Thank
you, Draco, I absolutely love it. I don't really have any place to hang it, so
I guess I will have to shrink it and put it in my trunk until I can find a
place to hang it."

Draco smirked. "No need, Harry, just spell it to hang above your bed. I
doubt anyone would care, I mean with all the posters around on the walls, it
will look much better than them."

Harry smiled and nodded. "True, Ron has the Canons pictures all over the
place. You should see his room; it looks like an orange blew up in there."

Draco laughed. "That does sound like him. My room, I am sure, is much more
tasteful. It was professionally decorated several years ago as a birthday
present. It's about the only room in the house that I don't have to worry about
breaking some expensive family heirloom or something."

Harry looked at Draco, confused. "Why would you worry about breaking
something in your room? You aren't by any means clumsy."

Draco blushed. "Well, the house-elves have a bad habit of surprising me. I
had one especially clumsy house-elf once, who actually raised me. Mother was
always yelling at him because he kept breaking expensive things. Around second
year though, father came home and said that he would not be returning. He
mumbled something about you and disappeared. It took me several months to
realise where he went. I was kind of glad that he had more people to take care
of, though he is a bit daft."

Harry laughed. "You are talking about Dobby, and to be honest, it was my
fault. Your father kept beating him up right in front of me, kicking him
around, and I couldn't stand it. So I tricked your father into giving him
clothes."

Draco laughed, and then frowned slightly. "Father was so mad; he actually
left me alone for several weeks after that. However, he was very upset that he
had to get a new house-elf. They are rather expensive, after all."

"Well, Dobby is happy, and of course, Hermione is happy that at least one
house-elf is happy being free," Harry said as he nodded.

Draco snickered. "Yes, she does have some odd ideas sometimes. She still
doesn't realize how insulted the house-elves were with her little campaign.
That, and the only person that can free a house-elf is their owner, which would
be the current Headmaster. Therefore, her whole campaign on freeing them with
knitted things wouldn't have helped. I mean they do our laundry, after all; if
it were that easy to free a house-elf, Hogwarts wouldn't have any."

Harry's eyebrows furrowed, as he looked confused and thoughtful. "You
know, I never thought of it that way. I guess that is why they need to do some
sort of class on wizarding traditions and information, so that people that were
raised by Muggles don't waste their energy on lost causes."

Draco suddenly looked thoughtful. "That is a very good idea. Perhaps we
could bring it up to Dumbledore, you know, for an after-school kind of club or
something."

Harry smiled. "That sounds like a great idea."

Draco nodded and sat pondering for a moment before remembering Harry's other
present. "Oh, I have one more thing for you. I was actually glad you got
me two presents, which I really loved, by the way. I have never seen anything
like them before."

Harry blushed and smiled. "Well, I know it was a little play off your
name, and I am sure that most people do that, but I saw them and I thought they
were unique enough to be different."

Draco grinned and handed Harry the other box. "I know that we are probably
a little old for it, it may be a little girlish, but I saw these in a little
shop I was passing and I thought you might like it."

Harry opened up the large box and there were several furry objects inside.
Slowly sticking his hand inside, he pulled out a large black dog that looked
remarkably like Sirius's Animagus form, and a white deer that looked remarkably
like Harry's Patronus. Harry blushed, clutched the stuffed animals to his
chest, and let out a soft sob. Harry had never had a teddy bear or anything growing
up. Whenever he tried to grab one of Dudley's old ones, he would tear it to pieces and dump it
in the trash.

Draco was unsure what to make of Harry's reaction to the stuffed animals. Harry
looked like he was about to cry; perhaps it was a bad idea. Draco made a
gesture towards the animals and tried to make light of the situation.
"Well, I ... if you don't like them, Harry, I can take them back."

Harry blinked and turned to stare at Draco with a confused expression on his
face. "Draco... I love them." Harry stuttered embarrassedly,
"I... I... never had any stuffed animals when I was growing up. I was just
the freak that got clothes hangers for presents and old clothes. I tried to
grab one or two that Dudley had tossed out, but he always found them, beat me up, and then ripped them
apart."

Draco reached over and took Harry's hand in his own, staring down at the young
man that had captured his heart. Silently, Draco vowed that some day, those
horrible Muggles would pay for the pain and misery that they had caused Harry.

*~*~*~*

Several days later, Harry arrived at breakfast just in time for the daily
delivery of the Daily Prophet to be thrust into his face and waved at
him. Harry glared at Ron for just a moment before grabbing the newspaper and
beginning to read the headline.

*~*~*~*

FORMER MINISTER AND SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE MINISTER ARRESTED!

By Cornelia Sioners

Several sources have come forward recently regarding the 1995-96 school year,
and the treatment of the children that were attending Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry, that has caused a large stir in the magical community.

Cornelius Fudge assigned Dolores Jane Umbridge, Former Special Assistant to the
Minister of Magic, to the job of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher when
Headmaster Dumbledore was having trouble finding someone to fill the post due
to suspected rumours of a curse on the position. Umbridge gradually took over
the school, first becoming Hogwarts High Inquisitor and eventually becoming
Headmistress. This probably would strike anyone as odd, especially considering
Ms. Umbridge did not have any training in the field, and had no patience for
children.

What the Minister was thinking about when hiring her has now become known. The
Minster thought that Albus Dumbledore was plotting to take over the Ministry,
and in a plot devised by himself and his assistant, they drove the Headmaster
out of Hogwarts. They decided that they needed someone in Hogwarts that could
be trusted to run the school properly.

During her time as a teacher at Hogwarts, she repeatedly belittled her students
and those she felt were especially deserving were forced to write lines with
was has now been identified as a Blood Quill. For those of you unfamiliar with
what that is, it is a Dark Arts quill which, instead of using ink, uses the
blood of whoever uses it and scratches whatever is written into the user's
hand, which can lead to permanent scars if repeated enough times.

We at the Daily Prophet are not sure what is more shocking, that a
professor at the school had little or no training in the field they were
teaching, or the fact that said professor was using the Dark Arts to punish the
children in her care.

It also was revealed that Ms. Umbridge sent Dementors to harass Harry Potter
the summer before his fifth year, trying to get Mr. Potter expelled from
Hogwarts. When this plan didn't work, she subjected him to an entire year of
writing of lines with his blood. When this was investigated under Veritaserum,
it was determined that Ms. Umbridge was hopeful to be in
He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's service, and had used her pull at the Ministry to
try to make an impression on You-Know-Who.

When investigators brought this information to the former Minster of Magic, he
tried to appear shocked, as quoted by Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt:

"He claimed that Ms. Umbridge had plenty of experience in the field she
taught. Unfortunately for the former Minister, he couldn't tell us how he knew
that she had these abilities. When we told the former Minister that she was only
teaching theory in her classes, and insisted that the young children in her
classes didn't need practical skills, the former Minister only nodded in
agreement. It seems that this was an order by the Minister of Magic himself. He
then went on to claim that he was doing it for the children's protection since
they shouldn't be involved in the war that is now going on, and having these
skills would only encourage them to get involved."

When Auror Shacklebolt informed the Minister that the war with You-Know-Who
wasn't even going on at the time, due to the Ministry convincing the public
that You-Know-Who hadn't returned, the Minister insisted that he meant the war
between himself and Albus Dumbledore and by extension, Harry Potter.

Regardless of the former Minister's wild ramblings, Auror Shacklebolt insisted
that Mr. Fudge was not entirely sane, and though they were prosecuting him, he
would probably be confined to St. Mungo's for life.

The former Minister will be brought up on charges of hiring an unqualified
professor for Hogwarts, allowing her to take over the school and allowing her
to endanger the students of said institution. He will also be charged with
taking bribes by former Ministry employee and convicted Death Eater, Lucius
Malfoy, and several other sources to look the other way when crimes were
committed.

If the former Minister does prove to be sane enough to stand trial, he and Ms.
Umbridge will be facing life in Azkaban.

*~*~*~*

Harry put the paper down for a few moments and let out a sigh. It really was
for the best that those two were out of the way, but Harry still felt a bit
guilty for turning over the evidence. Luckily for Harry, he had convinced the
paper that he didn't want to get anywhere near that Skeeter woman, and would
not give the report to anyone at all if she was in audience.

It was then that the editor of the Daily Prophet told Harry that due to
numerous complaints about her behaviour and her reporting style that she had
been sacked several days before. It made Harry very happy to realise that he
wouldn't have to be dealing with her in the future. The new reporter was much
nicer and didn't try to twist his words around and make horrible comments about
him while doing it.

Harry decided to play innocent since no one knew it was Harry that had ratted
out the Minister, and started the even larger investigation by the new Minister
and his office. The editor told the Minister that he could not reveal his
sources, but they were definitely true and even showed the Minister a Pensieve
memory of hands stained with blood as a young person wrote lines. Luckily, for
Harry, he had actually gotten the memory from Fred and George. Their lines were
incidentally, "I will not play pranks on my professors," though it
was hard to read with all the blood.

Harry nodded to Ron and grinned. "Well, at least they won't be bothering
us again, huh?"

Ron nodded and grinned back. "Yep, mate, at least the toad is getting what
she deserves. Over half of the DA had lines of some sort carved into their hands
because of her."

Harry nodded, looking over at Hermione who looked a bit disturbed. "Ron,
did you say over half of the DA got lines from that woman?"

Ron nodded, pulling out his own hand, and using his wand, uncovered some sort
of product covering his hand, which seemed to be some sort of wizarding scar
makeup. The line clearly read, "I will not be friends with Harry
Potter."

Hermione and Harry fumed, and Ron looked embarrassed. "She kept making me
write it until my hand was so sore that I could barely write in class. She
wanted me to stop being friends with Harry. She said that if everyone deserted
you, that you would leave the wizarding world and never come back with your
lies. Luckily, I was able to hide the scars with this stuff I found left in the
common room after some of the girls had one of those makeover parties. I didn't
want Harry to get even more hostile to the woman. I didn't want him to be
expelled. Sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to keep it from you. I know how you hate
having stuff kept from you for your own good, but I just couldn't tell you.
Please don't be mad."

Harry nodded, still clearly upset. "Well, Ron, I was a bit moody that
year, and I had a lot to deal with, so I guess I should forgive you and thank
you for not letting me get expelled. I probably would have gone off the deep
end if I had seen that line written on your hand."

Ron nodded. "Yeah, that's what I figured. Luckily, I was able to get Ginny
to show me how to use the stuff. The Glamour she tried on it wore off after
awhile, and I needed something more lasting."

Harry nodded. "Well, did you try getting Madam Pomfrey to fix it?"

Ron shook his head. "No, Umbridge told me that it couldn't be healed.
Guess we know why now."

Hermione shook her head. "Ron, don't you think that maybe she told you
that so that you wouldn't try to get it healed? So perhaps that Harry would see
it?"

Ron looked shocked and shook his head no slowly. "I didn't think of that.
I guess we should both ask her after the trial. I mean we might be called on as
witnesses. It would help to have them, just in case."

Harry and Hermione nodded, all agreeing with Ron.

'The trial will be interesting,' Harry thought. 'I wonder what the
public would think when they find out that their hero was hurt by that woman. It
will be interesting to say the least. I think it's time to use some of this
unwanted fame for something useful for a change.'

Author Notes: Thanks to Jayson, Rob, Laureen, and several of my other
fans who have helped me out with ideas for this chapter. Thanks to my wonderful
betas.

Mutare Persona = Change Person

Draco's for Christmas can be purchased from:

http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=555185

http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=566172

Music Credits:

1) Crash and Burn - Savage Garden

2) Help Me - Nick Carter

3) When the Children Cry - White Lion - Yes, I know that God was changed to
Merlin, and presidents were changed to Death Eaters. Please forgive me, but I
doubt that Harry would use either of those terms when he when he was writing a song.
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