Outside the Fire

Disclaimer: Please see previous chapters.

A/N: Thanks to Sunglow for beta reading, and my extremely patient husband for double-checking to see if everything makes sense. It's been pointed out to me that I was a little bit cryptic over the final item. The answer was there, but only towards the end of the chapter, but to put everyone out of their misery, the final item was an object that no one would want, and as everyone should know, there's no such thing. I hope that explains it.

Outside the Fire

Chapter 8 - Christmas

Apart from the annoying Hufflepuff who seemed to have developed a crush on him, the students went back to their usual frightened state when he approached them in the corridors. He sneered as they scuttled out of his way and didn't let them see the almost-smile that curled his lips when they weren't looking. To all intents and purposes, he was the same as he had always been, and now that Halloween was long gone, life was normal again.

Except that it wasn't really normal for him anymore. Miss Granger seemed to think that one relatively civil conversation was enough to warrant them partners in crime. Well, they were. Of sorts.

He rarely saw her when he went up to the seventh floor, but only because it was much later at night when he used the exercise room. She always left the lights on for him, and somehow an extra bottle of shower gel and shampoo had appeared in the shower room. Sometimes the air would still be a little steamy, indicating that she hadn't long left. He was going to deduct points from her next time; being out this late after curfew.

Stripping down to his loose trousers, he rolled his shoulders before starting his usual routine of jabs and punches at the bag. He was getting quicker all the time and thought idly that this extra training would have come in useful during the last few years. It might even have helped avoiding some of Longbottom's messier mistakes, he thought, remembering the blue goop he'd been covered in. He still hadn't been able to figure out where the idiot had gone wrong. Miss Granger's potion had been perfect, and he knew for a fact that they had used the same ingredients. It annoyed the hell out of him that this was a puzzle he wasn't able to solve.

"I won't be a minute, Draco, I just have to get my..oh, Professor..I didn't know you'd be here." Hermione pulled up short in the doorway, her eyes wide at the sight of a half naked teacher. Pulling himself together with as much dignity as possible, he glared at her.
"Yes, Miss Granger?"
"I..er..forgot my watch." a flush was spreading across her cheeks and her eyes were firmly fixed on a spot just past his shoulder.
"Hello, Professor." Draco lounged in the doorway, a smile curved on his mouth. This he would have to relay back to the others.
"Draco." Severus nodded, "Well, Miss Granger? Or have you been petrified again?" his snide remark galvanised her into action, and she darted past him into the shower room. While she was gone he snatched up his shirt and hurriedly pushed his arms into the sleeves. There was nothing he could do about his bare feet, though, before she emerged again. A strange expression crossed her face when she looked at him, but then it was gone.
"Sorry to disturb you, Sir." she murmured and crossed to the door.
"Twenty points for being out after curfew, Miss Granger."
"What? What about Draco?" her eyes flashed at him in outrage. He smirked at her.
"He has a permanent pass, Miss Granger, unless you have one as well?"
"You know damn well I don't."
"Another five for coarse language. Care to try for a detention?" he almost smiled at the way her fists clenched, and held the bag for her, "Or a swing at this?" he did smile then when she pushed past Draco in the doorway and her heels were heard clicking down the corridor.
"Feel better?" Draco straightened up.
"Gryffindor are twenty five points down. What do you think?" Severus shrugged out of his shirt again.
"You can be quite childish sometimes, Sev, you know that?"
"Since when did you become the adult?"
"Since you started acting like a child. There was no need to be nasty to her."
"I wasn't nasty." Severus frowned, "What are you doing here anyway?"
"As Head Boy, it's my duty to patrol the corridors." Draco sounded remarkably like Percy Weasley, "And catch couples snogging in the Astronomy tower." that was more like Draco.
"So what was Miss Granger doing out at this time of night?" Severus wiped his face with a towel, "Don't tell me you caught her snogging someone?"
"You have to be joking!" Draco laughed, "Hermione wouldn't be caught dead in the Astronomy tower." or anywhere else, he thought to himself. Time to give old Sev a bit of a push. "She's more a control freak than anything."
"Pardon?"
"Likes to be in charge, if you know what I m"
""
"I don't think that discussinss Gss Granger's sexual tendencies is an appropriate topic of conversation, Draco." Severus was in desperate need of a cigarette. "How do you know, anyway?"
"Ah, now that would be telling, wouldn't it?" Draco could almost see the wheels turning in his godfather's brain, "So you're all set for our London trip?"
"Tell me again why I have to be dragged with you?"
"The Headmaster thought we needed a chaperone."
"Why? It's only Diagon Alley."
"Um, no it's not."
"Pardon?"
"Harry wants to take me into Muggle London."
"No."
"But Sev.."
"No. I am not going into Muggle London with you."

~~@~~

"Where to now?" Harry pushed his hands deeper into his coat pockets, looking at the other two men.
"Don't ask me, I have no idea where we're going." Draco blew onto his fingers, wishing he could cast a warming charm over himself.
"I think we should make our way to the Leaky Cauldron." Severus Snape was cursing his godson for forcing him to herehere with them.
"Great. We can get some dinner and get changed before heading to the club." Harry's eyes lit up at the thought of food.
"What club?" Severus narrowed his eyes.
"We're meeting Hermione at eight."
"You never said I'd have to socialise with you as well."
"You'll enjoy it when we get there. Trust me."
"Mr Potter, last time I trusted you I nearly got killed."
"Well, I promise not to battle any Dark Lords tonight, okay?"
"I need a drink."
"You don't drink."
"I do now."
"We need you sober. Just in case."
"Just in case of what?"
"You'll find out."
"This is not my idea of a fun way to spend my Christmas break." Severus muttered, "Stop laughing, Draco."
"It was the word 'fun' in your sentence that got me." Draco dug in his pockets, "I will have to kiss you soon, Harry."
"Not here!" Severus yelped, "and why now?"
"Because he bought me this." Draco held up a rather squashed purple foil-wrapped object. He closed his eyes as he savoured the first piece.
"It's just chocolate, Draco. And Honeyduke's is better." Severus snapped.
"Don't care." the blond mumbled around the sticky sweet.
"Do something, Potter!"
"I really don't think you want me to do what I want to do at the moment." Harry licked his lips.
"Teenagers!" Severus grabbed their arms and marched them down the street towards the Leaky Cauldron. What sort of club did Potter have in mind? He shuddered at the thought of one of those places that had strobe lights and pounding, tuneless noise. Oh, bugger. He'd just resigned himself to a tortuous evening with three teenagers, two of which were just itching to get into each other's pants. Why? Why him? In what former life had he sinned so badly that his punishment was to get lumbered with babysitting hormonal teenagers? Someone, just Avada me now, please.

After a relatively pleasant dinner, Draco and Harry changed into pressed trousers and loose shirts, much to the surprise of their chaperone. Where was the strange 'gear' that he'd heard the other students talking about? Draco entered Severus's room after a perfunctory knock and went straight to his trunk, tossing clothes onto the bed.
"Mr Malfoy!"
"Sev, you're not coming with us dressed like that."
"What's wrong with it?"
"We're in the twenty-first century, not the nineteenth. High collared jackets are not in fashion anymore."
"It's my normal wear."
"For Hogwarts. Not London. I know you've got Muggle clothes in here somewhere..ah, here we are." Draco stood up, flourishing black trousers and shirt. "Hurry up, we're late." he stood and watched as Severus buttoned the black oxford shirt and rolled back the sleeves to mid forearm.
"You can borrow one of my jackets."
"I can transfigure my own, thank you." Severus sniffed and a wave of his wand created a plain black c He He slipped a wallet into the inside pocket.
"Happy now?"
"I will be in a minute." Draco waved his wand and Severus felt his hair being pulled back and fixed at the nape of his neck. "There. Now we can go."
"You will pay for this, Draco. I'm going to revoke your hall pass when we get back."
"And I'll be scrubbing cauldrons without the aid of magic until I graduate, I know, I know, now come on." Draco shrugged off his usual threats and banged on Harry's door, "Ready, Harry?"
"Ready." Draco jumped a little when Harry's soft voice spoke behind him, and he turned swiftly to smile at his lover. He was looking forward to seeing what this club Hermione had mentioned was like.

Following the directions Hermione had owled to him, Harry hailed a taxi and smiled at the two very different reactions he got. Draco was treating all the new experiences as a great adventure, while his Potions Professor, with more knowledge of Muggle London, was gritting his teeth as the taxi driver swerved in and out of the slow moving traffic.
"We are not taking this form of transport back." Severus said firmly. "You both know how to Apparate, don't you?" he waited while they nodded, "I suppose it's too much to hope that Miss Granger does as well?"
"No, she took her test last year, when she was seventeen, same as us." Harry nodded.
"So why are we sitting in this infernal contraption, then?"
"Draco's never been in a car before. Thought we'd give him the whole Muggle tour." Harry's eyes sparkled behind his wire-framed glasses. Severus rolled his eyes; thankful he'd thought to cast a discreet privacy charm on entering the taxi. When he got this pair back to Hogwarts he was going to assign them a months worth of cleaning toilets with Filch. Using only a toothbrush.

Eventually the taxi pulled up outside a brightly lit building and they got out, Harry paying the driver.
"Hermione said she'd meet us upstairs." Harry led the way forward into what looked like a normal pub, except a wide wooden staircase led up to the next level. The noise from downstairs was muted by two large double doors from behind which music could be heard. Draco recognised the beat.
"A Salsa club?" he stepped forward eagerly but a large man at the door stopped him.
"It's okay, Mike, they're with me." Hermione had seen them through the door and came forward before Draco could get snotty with the doorman. Mike was a sweetheart, but he'd never be able to handle a pissed off Draco Malfoy.
"Oh, these are the ones you were telling me about." Mike winked at her.
"Yes, meet Harry and Draco, Mike. Oh, Professor." One day she'd be able to not act tongue-tied around him, "I didn't know you were coming."
"The Headmaster made us bring him." Draco said.
"That must have been fun for you."
"He's a barrel of laughs really." Harry said.
"He's still within earshot, Miss Granger, and can still hand out detentions." Severus frowned as they talked over him.
"That must be a strict school you go to, Hermione." Mike held the door open for the three men to enter.
"Oh, it is." She winked at Mike and followed them in.
"Do you come here often?" Harry grinned at the corny line.
"When Dad can find the time." She pointed out a tall man a few years older than Severus.
"Your father brings you dancing?" Draco was amazed.
"Mum's got two left feet, so we come together." She waved at her father, who weaved his way through the dancers.
"Hello, Harry, nice to see you." John Granger had greying brown hair and a neat, clipped beard. His blue eyes smiled at his daughter's friends.
"Nice to see you too, Mr Granger. May I introduce Draco Malfoy and Professor Snape?"
"Professor Snape? Of Potions fame?"
"You've heard of me?" Severus shook his hand.
"Hermione talks about you all the time." John smiled down at Hermione who had flushed.
"Really? All good, I hope?" Severus smiled maliciously at her. John laughed.
"Afraid not, Professor. She says you're a hard taskmaster."
"I bet that's not all she calls him." Draco whispered to Harry.
"I try to bring out the best in my students." Severus knew exactly what she called him; he'd heard it often enough over the years from former students.
"Come on, Professor, we'll leave the youngsters to chat while we get a drink." John drew Severus towards the long bar, "You can leave your jackets in the cloakroom, by the way."

"You didn't tell me you were bringing him." Hermione dragged the two boys over to the cloakroom.
"You didn't tell us this was a Salsa club, either." Draco shrugged out of his jacket and handed it over to the attendant, fascinated when he received a paper ticket in rn. rn.
"I thought I'd surprise you."
"So did we." Harry grinned.
"You certainly did. I hope Dad's okay."
"Don't worry, Hermione, Sev can be perfectly charming when he wants to be." Draco patted her shoulder.
"I just hope he wants to be, that's all." Harry laughed and helped Hermione off with her loose jacket she was wearing.
"Christ, 'Mione, what the hell are you wearing?" her coat dropped from his nerveless fingers as he stared at her clothes.
"Like it? Mum bought it as an extra Christmas present. Let me open it early."
"We'll be beating them off with a stick." Draco made her twirl round and nodded approvingly, "Nice."
"Thought you might like it."
"Had your Dad seen it?"
"Yes. He suggested I secure it with magic as well, though."
"I'm not surprised." Harry eyed the top nervously.
"Don't worry, Harry. It'll stay on."
"If you say so." he was still a bit doubtful.
"I say so, now come on, I'll introduce you to some of the others." they went back into the main room and started to circulate. As they neared the bar, Severus looked up and choked on the scotch John had bought him. He hadn't liked to ask for just an orange juice.
"Merlin's beard!" he breathed as John pounded on his back.
"Are you all right, Severus?" it had been a surprise to both of them to find that they had quite a lot in common.
"You let her out in that?" Severus waved his hand in Hermione's direction, coughing as the three teenagers came up to them.
"It's perfectly decent, Professor." Hermione had heard his remark.
"Decent? I own handkerchiefs bigger than that!" he growled.
"It's the fashion, Severus." Draco was enjoying this.
"I don't care what it is. Here." he shrugged out of his jacket and wrapped it around Hermione, "You'll catch your death, girl, and I'm not going to spend my holiday supplying you with the appropriate cure." He tried not to think about the scrap of silver fabric that was currently under his jacket. Hermione looked at her father who was struggling to hide his amusement. A raised eyebrow begged him to intervene.
"It's all right, Severus, it's not going to fall off her." John held out his hand for the other man's jacket and Hermione gratefully slid it off her shoulders. She could still feel the warmth of his body and didn't want to think about how that made her feel. Severus snorted as he took his jacket back, "Are you sure?"
"Positive. I made her fix it on with magic." he murmured in a low voice.
"Providing no one says Finite Incantatem." Severus muttered, eyeing what Hermione was wearing.
"Dance, Hermione." Draco held out his hand imperiously and led her onto the dance floor. As they began to move together, Harry leaned against the bar next to Severus, who was watching the young girl move fluidly with her partner. Her black skirt swirled around her knees, and the triangle of silver metallic material lifted and swayed with her movements, her back bare apart from the silver thread under her shoulder blades, to all intents and purposes the only thing holding her top up.

Harry noticed he wasn't the only one watching her either. There were quite a few single men scattered around the room, and most of them were watching Hermione and Draco dancing. He growled deep in his throat when he also noticed that some of the men weren't just watching Hermione.
"You sound like Lupin, Potter."
"Sorry."
"Try to restrain yourself. I'd hate for the Ministry to have to perform multiple memory charms when you lose control." Severus kept his eyes on the dancing pair.
"Aren't you going to dance, Professor?"
"I don't dance."
"Draco told me you were the one who taught him."
"Draco needs to learn to keep his mouth shut."
"There are quite a few women here your age, Sir."
"Shut up, Potter." Severus said through gritted teeth, and then almost groaned when a woman approached them.
"Hi, I'm Mandy, would you like to dance?" she smiled encouragingly at Severus.
"N.."
"He'd love to, Mandy." Harry elbowed Severus in the ribs, which earned him a dark glare. Mandy giggled flirtatiously.
"Twenty points, Potter." Severus muttered and glided onto the floor with the tall redhead.

Hermione almost missed a step when she noticed the tall dark man swing the redhead into his arms. Snape could dance? This evening was getting weirder and weirder. Oh, wow, he really could dance. Concentrate, concentrate, that girl is getting way too close, back off, girlie. Her head twisting surreptitiously to keep him in view, she didn't notice Draco aiding her by guiding her into the best position to do this.
"Looks good, doesn't he?" Draco murmured in her ear.
"Who?"
"You know."
"No, I don't."
"Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire." he sing-songed.
"You've been around Ron too much."
"Urgh, bad image there, Granger."
"Sod off, Draco."
"Not sharing my chocolate with you now." Draco pouted.
"Ha! You wouldn't share it anyway." Hermione tossed her head, her eyes sliding once again to Severus. He'd swapped partners again, although he didn't look too happy about it.
"Can I cut in, please?" Harry tapped Draco's shoulder and stepped between them. Draco was soon asked to dance by an attractive blonde girl, and Harry frowned as he moved to the music.
"Not sure it was a good idea to come here, 'Mione." the girl was laughing at something Draco had said.
"Me either." Harry followed her eyes to where Snape was now dancing with a dark haired woman a few years younger than him.
"You like him." it wasn't a question.
"I don't know." she sighed. "Come on, let's sit down." she dragged him off the floor and to a table in the corner.
"He confuses me. Pomfrey has offered me an apprenticeship next year, so I'll be working with him. He's a difficult man to know."
"Hermione, we're his students. We're not supposed to get to know him."
"We're adults, according to wizard law, when we reach seventeen."
"That doesn't mean we get treated like one." Harry's eyes gleamed, "He does look hot, though."
"Draco, or Snape?" Hermione laughed.
"Both." he grinned at her, "Your top has attracted rather a lot of attention."
"I know. You don't think it's a bit tarty, do you?"
"'Course not. You've been hiding a great figure all these years; if I was straight I'd be after you like a shot." Harry grasped her hand and squeezed it.
"Thanks, Harry." she looked up as someone paused by her chair. A young man was shuffling his feet.
"Would it be all right if I danced with your girlfriend?" he looked at Harry.
"Oh, she's not my girlfriend." Harry grinned, "Go ahead." the boy helped Hermione out of her seat.

From then on, it was a whirl of changing partners. Severus retreated to the bar to stand with John and brood. Merlin, these Muggle women were persistent. No matter how rude he was to them, they kept coming back for more. John was sipping his drink, quietly amused at the way Hermione's teacher was glaring around the room, particularly at the young men Hermione was dancing with. He heard him muttering words like 'flaunting' and 'detention'. He looked at his watch and saw that it was nearly midnight.
"Severus, would you mind telling Hermione that I'm ready to go? I just need to make a quick phone call." he smiled at Severus. Severus glanced around the room and saw Harry and Draco sitting together at a table. He made his way over there first.
"Time to go, gentlemen."
"So soon?" Draco looked up into his godfather's scowling face.
"I have to drag Miss Granger away from her admirers." he snorted and turned away, gliding onto the dance floor and catching Hermione's hand as she was swung away from her partner. She landed against his chest and clutched at his arm to regain her balance.
"Professor!" the music slowed down to a sultry beat and he automatically guided her movements into the dance, ignoring her protesting partner.
"Your father says it's time to go." her perfume drifted up to him and he was reminded of steamy showers.
"Oh?"
"He's making a call."
"We'd better go then." but she didn't attempt to move out of his arms. One callused hand rested on the dip of her back, the other curling around her small hand. His foot nudged in-between hers and he swung her around, moving together as if they'd been dancing partners for years.

Hermione kept her gaze fixed on the open collar of his shirt and bit back a moan. Here she was, pressed against the man who currently had the starring role in her erotic dreams. The ones featuring Snape had started on Halloween and were bordering on pornographic. It was only the fact that he was such a nasty bastard in class that prevented her from leaping over her desk and tying him down and ripping those robes off him. And there was no way she was ever going to confess that to Harry. She'd keep her little crush, because that was what it was, to herself. She'd have the whole summer to get her feelings into perspective. It was the stress of all that extra studying, that's all it was.

Severus looked down at the young woman in his arms. Not so much a know-it-all now, and for once she wasn't asking questions. In fact, this was the quietest he'd ever seen her, and she'd done something with her hair too; it wasn't as out of control as it normally was. It had been a long time since he'd been this close to a woman that hadn't had to be held down and he shuddered at the memory, his left arm giving a phantom twitch. He felt her hand tighten on his shoulder and he realised his fingers were digging into the soft flesh of her waist. He stepped back a little and released her waist as the music faded into the background.
"Time to go, Miss Granger." He bowed stiffly and allowed her to precede him off the floor.

Draco and Harry were waiting with Hermione's father, who had been watching them dance. His eyes narrowed as Severus looked down at Hermione, an inscrutable expression on his face. What was going on here? Certainly more than the usual teacher/student relationship, but that wasn't surprising, knowing his daughter as he did. But how did the teacher feel about his student? That was the question. From what he'd heard about Severus Snape he was the most unpopular teacher at Hogwarts, but that usually meant he was one of the best. He'd learnt tonight that he didn't suffer fools gladly, but then neither did he. John found that he quite liked the taciturn man. He'd also discovered that Severus Snape was fiercely protective of his charges, or was that just Hermione, from the way he'd been muttering every time she changed partners?

John handed Hermione and Severus their jackets and watched as Severus held it up for her; saw the way his fingers flexed above her shoulders without touching her. Hmm, so that's the way it was. He wasn't sure he wanted his only daughter getting involved with someone so much older than her, but he knew instinctively that it wouldn't be Severus making the first move, not from the look on his face, anyway. He held the door open for the other four and followed them down the stairs and into the darkness of an alley nearby.

Severus stood in the shadows, making sure no one followed them. He nodded to Draco and Harry who turned to Hermione. Each gave her a hug and Draco whispered something to her. She hit his shoulder and laughed, shaking her head at him.
"See you after Christmas, and don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"Spoilsport." And they were gone with a 'crack'.
John stepped forward and placed his arm around Hermione.
"It was nice to meet you, Severus." He held his hand out.
"And you, John." Severus shook his hand and turned to Hermione, his eyes shadowed. "Goodnight, Miss Granger."
"Goodnight, Professor, and Happy Christmas." Hermione held out her hand. Severus hesitated and she lifted her chin, withdrawing her hand.
"Ready, Dad?" she pulled her wand out of a deep pocket and with a defiant toss of her head, Apparated with her father.

Severus stood there for a moment longer, frowning into the darkness. Would it have hurt to shake her hand and wish her Happy Christmas? He snorted at the thought of her face if he'd returned the felicitations. Surely she hadn't really expected him to answer had she? On the strength of one civil conversation and one dance? Granted, he hadn't had a dance partner that complimented him so well since Narcissa, but that was no excuse to be nice to her. He didn't do nice. At all. With a shake of his head, he Apparated back to the Leaky Cauldron. The sooner he got back to his dungeons, the better.

~~@~~

Christmas dawned bright and clear with a deep covering of enchanted snow. Harry woke to find himself curled up in Draco's embrace and slowly eased himself out of the bed. Draco murmured sleepily and snuggled under the covers, pulling Harry's pillow into his arms. Harry smiled indulgently and crept into the bathroom for a quick wash; he wanted to catch Draco unprepared with his presents. There were very few students staying over this Christmas, so dinner would be a fairly relaxed affair with only one big table being used.

Grabbing a clean pair of pyjama bottoms and a warm dressing gown, Harry retrieved his gift to Draco from his robe pocket and slid back into bed, shedding his dressing gown as he came into contact with the warm sheets.
"Harry?" Draco raised his head and Harry grinned.
"Hey, sleepyhead."
"Wha' time s'it?"
"Time all good little Slytherins opened their pressies." Harry nodded to the pile of brightly wrapped gifts at the bottom of the bed. Draco launched himself at the pile and Harry was treated to the wonderful sight of his lover's bare backside. This was the first time he'd seen Draco at Christmas, and he was surprised to see that he was a ripper rather than an opener. Scraps of paper flew over the sides of the bed as the blond tore into the pile.
"Where are your presents?" Draco looked over his shoulder at Harry.
"I think you've just opened them."
"What?" Draco looked dismayed, "Oh..."
"Only kidding." Harry grinned and revealed his own pile from under his invisibility cloak.
"You will pay for that later." Draco threatened.
"Promises, promises." Harry waved his hand and pulled another Weasley sweater from his pile. He looked up to see Draco holding a similar wrapped package.
"Please don't tell me this is what I think it is."
"Looks like you've been accepted into the family." Harry smiled as Draco pulled out a dark forest green sweater with a big silver D on the front. Harry's was a deep burgundy red with a gold H on it. "Don't you like it?"
Draco felt the soft threads of the sweater, knowing it wouldn't itch him, and swallowed, unsure of what to say.
"Never had a homemade sweater, before."
"It'll keep you really warm, here..." Harry plucked it out of his hands and quickly draped the garment over Draco's head, dressing him like a child. He watched as Draco ran his fingers over the soft wool, tracing the letter, and restrained himself from pouncing; it wouldn't be a good idea to mess up that lovely sweater.
"I feel a bit guilty about what I sent Ron, now." Draco looked up at Harry, his eyes glinting.
"What did you get him?"
"Wait and see. Here, open my one." Draco thrust a flat package at Harry and fidgeted while he opened it.
"A t-shirt?"
"That's only part of it."
"Draco, I can't wear this." Harry held up the shirt.
"And why not?"
"I..can't." Harry's face was red.
"Oh, I see." Draco folded his arms, pouting.
"I daren't."
"Why not?"
"Because.." Harry held it up to the light and then looked back at Draco, seeing the glint in his eye.
"If it makes you feel any better, Hermione's got one too, as well as Ron."
"Not with the same message on, I hope."
"No. I got one for Severus, too."
"That one I have got to see."
"Aren't you going to try it on?" Draco pouted again. Harry sighed.
"I am only wearing this for you, and no one else gets to see it." He grumbled, smoothing down the stretch material. He rolled his eyes as he read the wording.
"That's okay, your real present is this." Draco pulled out a small flat box and passed it over, grinning at Harry's expression.
"Oh, Draco." Harry opened the box and drew out a gold chain, hanging from which was a small gold dragon. The dragon was engraved to show every scale and the tail was articulated, rippling against Harry's finger. Rubies glowed for eyes and nostrils and Harry loved it. He quickly put it on and patted the dragon where it nestled in the dip at the base of his throat.
"I knew it would look good on you." Draco leaned forward and kissed him, "Where's mine?"
"Greedy."
"I know. So where is it?"
"It's for both of us, really." Harry reached under his pillow and drew out the small box. Draco hesitated slightly before accepting the gift.
"Are you sure?"
"Positive, Draco."
"Thanks." He flicked open the clasp on the box and opened the lid. Inside were two matching rings in platinum, one engraved with a snake, the other with an elongated lion. Draco hesitated again, and then reached for the lion.
"Mine?" he raised silver eyes to Harry.
"How did you guess?"
"This is about the only thing with a Gryffindor symbol on that you'd get me to wear."
"So I can't get you a 'Gryffindor Rules' t-shirt?" Harry teased and nuzzled Draco's neck as he slid the ring on his finger.
"Never in an eternity." Draco nuzzled back.
"So you like my present?"
"Do they mean what I think they mean?"
"Bond rings, yes." Harry drew back, searching Draco's face.
"Good. Means you're finally going to make an honest man of me." Draco's smile was smug, and he picked up the snake ring, sliding it onto Harry's hand. "Eternity." He whispered and pulled Harry close.

~~@~~

"So you're not wearing my t-shirt to dinner, then." Draco flicked a bit of lint off of his dress robes.
"You have to be kidding. McGonagall will have a heart attack." Harry was trying to flatten his hair down but not having much success.
"I'm sure she's seen worse."
"Not about the 'Boy Who Lived to be Buggered by Malfoy', though."
"Oh, I don't know, I thought the slogan was rather appropriate."
"You have a filthy mind, Draco."
"I know, but you love me anyway."
"You're a menace."
"True." Draco smiled at Harry, who shook his head at him and gathered him into his embrace.
"I do like it, though. Makes me smile."
"That's why I had it created for you." A quick kiss on his cheek, "And it's true."
"What is?"
"The slogan."
"You can take me up on it later, because if we don't get moving, all the food will be gone." Harry pushed Draco gently towards the door and they exited into the dungeon corridor, meeting up unexpectedly with Professor Snape. Harry grinned at the dark man.
"Happy Christmas, Professor."
"Why are you grinning at me, Potter?"
"Just wondering what Draco got you for Christmas."
"None of your business." Severus glared at him.
"Something embarrassing, then." Harry smirked.
"Not at all, Potter. It's between Draco and I, that's all."
"What did yours say then?"
"Pardon?"
"Your shirt? What did it have on it?"
"How did.."
"I got one too."
"Do tell, Mr Potter."
"Not on your life."
"Then don't ask me about mine." Severus swept ahead, leaving Harry and Draco to trail behind him.
"What did his say?" Harry whispered.
"Number One Potions Master." Draco whispered back. Severus glared as Harry's laughter sounded behind him. Bloody teenagers. Bloody godsons. Bloody stupid t-shirts...


TBC