"Oh, surely not," Snape remarked, even though the magical counter was already reflecting it. "Hmm," he murmured. "Double-letter score on that E... triple-word score. Hmm. I suppose everything's in order, then. Sixty points. Well played, Harry."
"This is what comes of making his E's worth so much!" Draco roundly censured Snape. "He's won the whole effing game!"
"But he's smiling after a hard day," Snape countered.
"Yeah," Draco admitted, as he smiled too. "That part's good. You were pretty glum after the Weasel left."
Harry's smile died. "Don't call him that."
Draco's silver eyes were hard. "Still going to pretend he's a friend? I suppose you're even going to give him his Christmas present!"
Harry gritted his teeth. "Oh, very funny! You know I haven't been able to go out shopping!"
"Owl-order, Harry," Draco scathed, but his voice lost all rancor a minute later. "Oh, sorry. You didn't think of it?"
"I grew up with Muggles, in case it slipped your mind."
Draco flushed. "I can show you how it works tomorrow, if you like."
"I think I can manage to figure it out," Harry dryly returned. "But thanks."
"I trust the two of you can find your beds before it gets too much later?" Snape inquired, standing, one wave of his wand clearing away the game.
"Sure," Harry agreed, while Draco nodded.
They stayed up past midnight, though. First there was the rematch. They agreed on E's worth their usual one point, but both Muggle and Wizarding slang allowed. After Draco won by a hair, they got to talking Quidditch strategy for a while. When Draco finally got so tired that he didn't even flinch at the sight of Sals climbing out of Harry's pocket, Harry knew it was definitely time for bed.
Harry forgot to take his Truthful Dreams Potion, but he slept the whole night through regardless... though before he drifted off he made a mental note to ask Snape if quizzex was really a word.
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Coming Soon in A Year Like None Other:
Chapter Forty-Six: Delegation from Gryffindor
Comments very welcome,
Aspen in the Sunlight
Chapter 46: Delegation from Gryffindor
http://archive.skyehawke.com/story.php?no=5036&chapter=46
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A Year Like None Other
by Aspen in the Sunlight
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Chapter Forty-Six: Delegation from Gryffindor
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The next day, Harry spent a fair amount of time figuring out what he wanted to do about Christmas. He'd already decided what he wanted to give Snape, and it wasn't even something he would need to order by owl, but he decided to buy him a little something also. Just a token, really, but he thought Snape would appreciate it.
It went without saying that he'd better get Draco a present, too. That took more thought. And of course Harry wanted to get something for Dudley; he'd owl it to Mrs. Figg who could Muggle post it to Aunt Marge's house.
That just left his Gryffindor friends.
Harry wasn't too happy with Ron, and he didn't really want to get him a Christmas present, but he didn't like the idea of doing anything to make the situation between them worse. Leaving him out of Christmas was like admitting that things between them weren't going to get better, wasn't it? And anyway, Ron's Christmas at the Burrow was likely to be a real disaster. Even if Arthur and Molly Weasley didn't approve of the adoption--highly likely scenario in Harry's opinion--they certainly wouldn't stand for the kinds of nasty allegations Ron had decided to make. Ron was going to have a miserable holiday. Not that he didn't deserve it. But still.... sighing, Harry added a couple of items to one of the orders he'd already written up.
Hermione was less difficult to decide about. Harry didn't appreciate her view of him as somehow so damaged that he couldn't make an informed decision about being adopted, but at least she hadn't taken it as badly as Ron. He got her a somewhat nicer present in consequence. Finally, he wrote up an order for some Wizarding Christmas cards to send to the rest of his friends.
"Essay about done?" Draco said as he wandered back from the Potions lab. He set down a large bubbling beaker of something orange and creamy, and made a move as though to take hold of the parchments Harry had stacked next to his book.
Harry hurriedly gathered them up. "You can't see."
Draco gave him a twisted grin. "You don't want me to know your views on second-stage transmutations? I didn't realize they were all that personal."
"I haven't started the essay yet," Harry explained.
"Oooh, do tell," Draco teased. "What were you writing out here, love letters?"
"Christmas orders," Harry said, laughing.
Draco's grin grew wider. "I like diamonds and emeralds. Oh, and racing brooms--"
"I actually do need your help," Harry interrupted, shaking his head at the other boy's antics. Had Draco always been this... well, friendly and easy-going? Somehow he didn't think so. "How do I pay?"
"Well, the normal way would be to include an imprint of your key and specify a maximum amount they're allowed to withdraw. That protects you in case they think you're ordering something expensive you didn't mean to. You could probably skip the key and say you'd pay them in person later, though. Any Wizarding shop in Britain would be so pleased to have Harry Potter patronize them they'd be glad to wait for payment."
Harry frowned. "I don't want special privileges. How do I include an imprint of my key?"
After Draco showed him, Harry wrote in some maximum amounts and rolled up the letters into scrolls for Snape to take up to the Owlery. He really missed Hedwig; one of the drawbacks of living in the dungeons had been that he really couldn't keep an owl here. Hedwig wouldn't like being cooped up what felt like miles from the nearest sunshine. Not that Harry liked it any too well, either, but that was no reason to inflict it on his beautiful snowy owl.
"What is that?" he asked Draco, who was idly toying with the glass stirring rod sticking out of the Potions beaker.
"Oh, camouflage potion," the Slytherin boy answered. "You're supposed to make some; it's in Severus' lesson plans, but it has to be charmed to bind the chicory to the edelweiss... I thought you might as well get a feel for how it should come out, though."
"How do you know it came out right?" Harry asked doubtfully.
"I tested it."
Harry nodded, and picking up the beaker, tilted it to and fro to study the viscosity.
Draco bit his lip. "I probably should have mentioned this sooner. But... ah, you haven't seen your snake around lately, have you?"
"No, why---" Harry abruptly narrowed his eyes and set the beaker down with a thud. "You tested your potion on Sals!"
"I was testing it on one of those crickets Severus keeps for just that purpose. Sals... uh, ate him."
Harry wasn't sure he believed that load of bollocks. "How'd she see him?"
"How should I know?" Draco exclaimed, crossing defensive arms. "She's a snake! Maybe she smelled him or something."
"Oh my God," Harry moaned. "That Potion is supposed to be topical, only! What does it do to you if you eat it?"
Draco had the decency not to point out that the required reading had actually covered that. "Um, well it's a bit toxic for wizards," he admitted, hurriedly adding, "But Sals isn't that, so maybe it'll be all right."