Fireplaces, Hot Chocolate, and Marshmallows

Chapter #13

For about a week or so, the four Gryffindors played around and had fun. They played wizard chess, and had snowball fights, and as much as Hermione wanted them to study, they managed to persuade her otherwise every morning.

One morning Britney woke up to a beautiful snow on the ground, about five inches she guessed. 'No wonder it got so cold,' she thought, wrapping herself tighter into her blanket. Hermione was already awake and opening her presents. "About time," she said. "I was starting to get worried about you."

Britney smiled and went to the foot of her bed. In about half an hour, everything lay opened and exposed before her. She had received a diary from Hermione that unlocked with an anti-stealing key, a large picture frame full of pictures of the four of them from Harry, a large assortment of candy from Ron, and a some treacle fudge and a rock cake from Hagrid. She put them all into her trunk for safekeeping, and went downstairs.

* * * * * * * * * * *

"How many people stayed here for Christmas?" Harry asked, watching his knight demolish Ron's pawn. They were playing yet another game of wizard's chess.

"I think it's us, one Slytherin, a Ravenclaw, and two Hufflepuffs," Hermione answered, deep in her Potions essay.

Britney flushed. "When... when is Christmas dinner?" she stuttered. She wasn't sure she was ready to face Draco yet, or even if he would forgive her.

"At five," said Ron, checking his watch. "Oh crap! That's in fifteen minutes!"

"What?!" Britney screamed, standing up anxiously.

Harry cocked an eyebrow, and asked, "Why so eager?"

Britney blushed and sat back down. "No reason."

They abandoned the chess game and split to go get ready for dinner. Within five minutes, Britney and Hermione reappeared in the common room, Harry and Ron waiting. Britney was wearing a simple green dress with her hair tied back with several red ribbons. She hadn't bothered to put on any make-up; she wasn't trying to impress Dumbledore or anything. As for Draco, 'Well, screw Draco,' she thought, exiting the portrait hole. Everyone was too content to say anything, so they arrived at the Great Hall in silence.

Once they were seated, Dumbledore rose, and said, "Now that we are all here, we can begin. But first," he added, momentarily pausing to grab his nearby flask and raise it, "Let us make a toast: Here's to our loving friends and family, our past experiences and our future mistakes, the good times and the bad times, but, most important, holiday cheer."

Several chants of "Hear, Hear!" were heard as they all raised their goblets in agreement. The food appeared within seconds, and the clattering of silverware soon filled the large room.

Britney continued to ignore Draco and avoid eye contact, but halfway through her sweet potatoes she felt a sharp shooting pain in her shin. She fought the instinct to glare at Draco, and decided to stare at her plate instead. A moment later, however, she felt it again, and she looked up at Draco. 'That stupid git has a smirk on his face!' she thought. Deciding to be ornery, she kicked back. Draco had determined her next move however, and had pulled his legs far beneath his chair, causing her to hit the chair leg, scooting his chair backward.

The sound filled the hall, and everyone stopped eating to stare at Draco. He quietly murmured, "Muscle flinch," and everyone went back to eating.

Britney smirked and sniggered behind her hand. The rest of dinner went rather uneventfully, unless you count one of the Hufflepuffs dropping their spoon on the floor as "exciting", and there was little conversation.

Once everyone was full, the food disappeared, and people one-by-one began to excuse themselves. As Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Britney got up to leave, so did Draco. Just outside the doors, Britney felt his hand on her elbow. "We need to talk," he hissed in her ear.

Britney called to the others, "I'll catch up with you later!" just as Draco pulled her around the closest corner.

"We need to talk," he repeated.

"I..." she stuttered. She looked in Draco's eyes, hoping that they would help her to know what to say, but instead they only refueled her anger. "I'm still mad at you! I... I don't think I'm ready to talk yet." As she walked off, she noticed the hurt look on Draco's face. She mentally sighed and thought, 'Why do I always have to be the bad guy?' She sulked quickly back to the common room, and took a seat in a far corner. She needed time to think, alone.

Britney sat there for well over an hour, many thoughts racing through her head at top speeds, and watching the group eat marshmallows with hot chocolate next to the fireplace. She wanted to forgive Draco, yes, deep down, but she felt it was unfair to Harry. 'But then again, Harry forgave me, even when he was still upset and thought I was guilty,' she thought, then gasped. 'Harry forgave me. He gave me a second chance. I've been mean this whole time! I should've forgiven Draco a long time ago!' Determined not to be the cold, unforgiving person this time, she grabbed Harry's invisibility cloak, ('he'll understand.'), and went to go find the only person who could help her get to Draco... Sir Cadigen.

* * * * * * * * * *

After about half an hour of searching, she found him, in his portrait, on the third floor next to an empty classroom. He was holding a carton of eggnog, and when he spoke, his speech was interrupted with hiccups, and was terribly slurred.

"Sir Cadigen?" she asked politely, getting his attention.

"'Ello, mi (hiccup) lady. What is it you (hiccup) want?" he asked her, leaning forward in his horse's saddle, nearly falling off.

"I need the password for the Slytherin dungeons," she stated, hoping that his eggnog was strong enough.

"I can't (hiccup) give that out," he said. But seeing Britney's downcast face, he quickly added, "But you be (hiccup) an exception." He took a quick swig of his eggnog before finishing. "I'd try 'Muggle-born' (hiccup) if I were you."

Britney smiled. "Thank you Sir Cadigen!" she called from over her shoulder, already on her way. From behind her, she heard a faint, "You're (hiccup) welcome missy."

* * * * * * * * * *

"Muggle-born," she whispered, hugging the borrowed invisibility cloak close around her, and hoping that Sir Cadigen was right. Sure enough, the stone wall transformed into a makeshift doorway, and she eagerly entered.

She had to cover her mouth to stifle her gasp of surprise. The Slytherin common room was exquisite! Everything was beautiful, rare, and extremely detailed. However, she noted that it reflected its residents well: mercilessly cold.

Once over her shock, she quickly looked around to see if Draco was there, she didn't know if she would want to go looking for the boy's rooms otherwise, but he was there, sitting in a plush, comfy-looking hunter green armchair, next to the fire, sipping... hot chocolate? She walked immediately over to him, as quietly as she could, and sat down on the nearby couch.

Draco must've noticed the sudden dent in the couch, or heard her, because he stared a tit curiously with a sideways glance. He must've remembered that there was only one person in Hogwarts who owned an invisibility cloak, because he said, "Is that you Britney?"

Britney grinned to herself under the secrecy of the cloak. 'I've got him where I want him,' she thought, getting up from the couch as slowly as she could. 'I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a little fun, now would it?'

Draco sat rigid in his seat, staring oddly at the spot where she had just sat. She walked quickly in her light-footed way to stand behind Draco's chair. She leaned her head over so it was close to Draco's neck. She lightly blew on an exposed patch of skin between his collar and his hair. He shivered vigorously, almost spilling his drink. He turned his head so quickly that Britney didn't have time to react. Their heads bumped together painfully, sending Draco's hot chocolate into his lap, and Britney sprawling on the floor clutching her head.

"Shit!" Draco exclaimed, trying to find something to soak up the hot liquid other than his skin. "I knew it was you." In the few seconds of chaos, the cloak had fallen off of her shoulders and was lying on the floor next to her.

As soon as she stopped seeing stars, she got up and flung off her cloak, and began dabbing the place where the hot chocolate had spilled on Draco's legs. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry Draco," she kept stuttering and repeating.

When it appeared that no more hot chocolate would absorb into the cloak, he grabbed Britney's chin (she was still stammering her apologies) and made them lock eyes. "Sorry about what?" he asked, probing her with his steel gray eyes.

"The... the hot chocolate," she said, trying not to whimper under his gaze.

"What are you really doing here?" he inquired.

'God, he's like the human lie detector,' she thought. She had to close her eyes to tell him the truth, which he already knew. "IactuallycametoapologizebecauseIrealizethatIwaswrongto..." Draco cut her off with a kiss.

"Apology accepted," he growled, then deepening the kiss.

'Mm... he tastes like hot chocolate...'