Blatant Disregard for the Holidays

"What on earth?" muttered Harry, climbing out of bed to answer the harsh rapping that had just recently emanated from the door of their dormitory.

Ron snored happily from his bed. Neville and Seamus sat up groggily and would have been glaring directly at the person causing such a knock had they had x-ray vision. Dean was nowhere to be seen.

"What kind of nutcase would be pounding on our door at three in the morning?" Seamus snapped. He hated being woken any earlier than four o'clock in the evening which was a pity since all his classes started at eight in the morning, plus he looked simply dreadful with bed head.

"Let's just see who it is," Harry said. He swung the door open and instantly regretted it.

"TRICK OR TREAT! SMELL MY FEET! GIVE ME SOMETHING GOOD TO EAT!"

The Gryffindors grimaced as a pack of oddly dressed creatures toppled into their room.

"We demand candy!" shrieked one of the invaders as his companions knocked him into the Boy Who Luckily Avoided Death as an Infant.

"Malfoy, is that you?" Harry asked, trying not to notice that he had caught the other boy by the hips and hadn't let go just yet.

"I'm afraid so, Potter!" replied Draco. He frowned at the pair of glasses just teetering on the tip of his nose. "Oh drat! They've broken again. Reparo."

Harry was certain he would move his hands in a moment. "What are you doing?"

The blonde smirked. "We're trick or treating! Guess who I'm supposed to be!"

"I've no idea."

"Shit. I knew it was rubbish." Draco shoved the glasses back on his face and searched the room for a mirror. "The scar's rubbed off I'll bet. That ruins the whole thing!"

"You're supposed to be Harry," Neville cried triumphantly.

"Precisely," Draco said. "Even the dimwitted Longbottom can see it, Potter...what's your excuse?"

"Erm..."

The blonde ran a hand through his sooty hair. "I guess I'm just too gorgeous to properly play the part," he remarked. "I mean--"

"Hands," Seamus burst out.

"What?" asked Draco. He did not like being interrupted.

"Its just that Harry's hands...are on your hips...and its making me uncomfortable."

Harry drew his hands away as if the Slytherin was on fire. "Sorry."

"I should hope so," said Draco. "I don't need any Gryffindors manhandling me! I mean--sweet Merlin, why is your shirt off?"

"Not everyone sleeps in silk pajamas," Goyle added helpfully. He was wearing what looked like baked potato costume or possibly just a lot of tin foil.

"I can't help it if I have expensive taste. I just..." He seemed to trail off as his eyes met Harry bare chest once again. "I just don't like being that close to scantily clad men unless we're going steady! I just came to--my God, you're ripped!" He leaned forward and peered into Harry's abs intently.

"I wouldn't say ripped," Harry murmured. He stared at the ceiling awkwardly.

"It's at least a four pack," Draco insisted. His mind seemed to wander for a moment.

"I'm dressed up as Rainbow Bright," Crabbe said.

"That's right!" Draco exclaimed, breaking out of his trance. "We have come for your candy!"

"You do realize it's not Halloween, right?" Seamus said.

"Its Valentine's Day," Neville piped up.

"Yes," hissed the blonde. "We realize that! We're protesting this vulgar love day you speak of. It sickens our evil Slytherin ways." His backup dancers nodded enthusiastically.

"Well, we don't have any candy," Harry explained.

"What? No candy?"

Harry began to feel uneasy as the blonde moved toward him.

"We shall have to take a hostage then!" Draco seized the taller boy. "We are kidnapping your Chosen One until your pay us a hefty ransom!"

"How hefty are we talking here?" asked Seamus.

"Oodles and oodles of sweets! Chocolates by the bucketfuls! Conversation hearts up the wazoo!"

The Gryffindors grimaced.

Harry wasn't sure how he felt about the other boy breathing on his neck. "Um...you guys..."

"Don't worry, Harry," Seamus laughed. "We'll save you...eventually."

"Gee, thanks."

"You could always stun him with your washboard tummy," Neville suggested.

Draco tugged his captive toward the door. "Enough of this idle chatter! Bring us the goodies by midnight...or...or we'll do something terrible! So there!"

"I don't know about you, Neville," muttered Seamus. "But I'm terrified. Whatever shall we do?"

"See you later, Harry!"

Harry scowled. "Goodbye, Neville! Thanks for nothing."

"This way, prisoner!"

"Stop calling me that," Harry snapped.

"Sorry," said Goyle. "Draco's orders."

The other boy sighed. "Fine...where are you taking me, oh fearsome guardsmen?"
"To the dungeons."

"Don't tell me you're going to chain me up or something kinky like that..."

Crabbe looked mortified. "No, that's just where the Slytherin dormitories are. Goodness! What thoughts you Gryffindors have!"

Harry remained silent and followed his captors through the dark corridors. He had always hated Valentine's Day himself, but it was worse when bitter singles got all worked up over the whole affair and started protesting.

They stopped just outside the entrance to the Slytherin common room.

"Halt!" cried a voice from the shadows.

"We already have," said Goyle.

"Oh..." The voice seemed uncertain. "Well, keep it up then."

"What's going on?" Harry demanded.

"Silence!"

"Draco, can we go to bed?" Goyle asked petulantly. "We're pooped, and I have to get up early for my pilates class."

"Shut up, Goyle!" hissed the voice. "You're ruining the ambience!"

"Ambience, schmanbience!" Crabbe said. "I need my beauty sleep, and you know how touchy I get when I'm deprived of my rest."

"Indeed," replied the blonde, stepping out of the darkness with a sulk. "Very well. I'll take it from here then...I guess." He held his hand out imperiously, palm up. Goyle placed Harry's bonds in Draco's grasp and shuffled off grumbling about circadian rhythms.

"Well," said Draco when they were finally alone. "Shall we?"

Harry frowned. "Shall we what?"

"Obviously my comrades were not fully dedicated to our evil love day protest, but we shall persist and conquer!"

"You're bonkers, aren't you?" Harry said.

"Bonkers like a fox!"

"I don't think that's how the phrase goes--"

The Slytherin cut him off with a wave of the hand. "I tire of your continual need to rain on my parade. It is most bothersome...much like your defiant bare chestedness..."

"If you had only let me put on a shirt before dragging me off into the night--"

"Come this way!"

Harry stumbled after the blonde into the common room. "What is that horrid smell?"

"Turns out I'm absolutely no good at roasting chestnuts on an open fire," Draco informed him. "I suppose that's what I get for listening to sentimental muggle songs."

"Oh no..." Harry moaned as he observed the room. "This is not right."

"Oh shut up," the blonde told him. "Come over here and help me decorate the tree."

"No."

"If I untie your hands, will you please help me deck the halls with boughs of holly?" Draco pleaded. "Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to use that wretch p word?"

"You poor dear," Harry grumbled.

"Just get over here," Draco ordered.

Harry did so and was surprised when the other boy did in fact cut the rope from his wrists. "Thanks."

"Shut up," muttered the blonde. He held out a shiny red globe. "You'll have to put some of the ornaments higher up. I can't quite reach."

Harry took the bulb in his hand and stared at it. "Erm...okay."

Draco began to place colorful trinkets throughout the branches, humming Frosty the Snowman. He looked over at Harry curiously. "What?"

"I've never...um...done this before."

"What are you talking about?"

"I've never decorated a tree before."

The other boy seemed shocked. "Are you serious?"

"Aunt Petunia always said that I'd only break the ornaments and ruin everything. They usually just sent me to my room once they'd gotten the tree set up."

"That's terrible," murmured Draco. He led Harry over to the tree. "Just hang it on the tree somewhere."

Harry reached up tentatively and hooked the shiny red orb on a branch. It dangled amid the pine needles, glittering down on the pair.

"There," said Draco with a smile. "We're already on the right track. It looks great." He caught himself. "Just don't screw it up, okay?"

Harry stared at the other boy, unsure of what to say. "Right." He looked back up at the bulb.

"Quit lollygagging, prisoner," barked his fellow decorator.

"Sorry." He took another ornament. It was a reindeer made out of popsicle sticks. "Did you make this?"

Draco looked up. "Of course. I had a very artistic soul in my childhood."

"What happened?" Harry asked, hanging the homemade creature on a branch.

"Father said that crafts were childish and that I was to stop all that silly painting and scribbling with crayons immediately and to move on to more important things like sports and torturing small animals."

Harry was handed a glass snowman. "So you never made any art after that?"

"Of course not!" snapped the blonde. He relented . "I may have dabbled a bit..."

"That's really cool," said Harry. "I've always been rubbish at drawing and all that. I'd love to see some of your work someday."

"That's quite the request coming from a hostage," Draco replied. "Especially one I consider my mortal enemy."

"Right."

They continued to decorate in silence.

Draco stood up suddenly. "Would you like some egg nog?"

Harry looked bewildered. "Sure."

The other boy handed him a pile of greenery. "Okay. I'll go get us a couple glasses, and I've got to find the nutmeg. In the meantime, hang these up, and don't forget the mistletoe."

Harry watched him go in wonder. The Slytherin had washed up, hair no longer sooty in mock Harry Potter style, and had changed into a pair of tight jeans and green sweater.

He snapped out of it, wondering what had gotten into him lately. He started to hang holly and ivy about the room. He paused to pin the mistletoe over the fireplace.

"Alright," said Draco, strolling in with two mugs and a tray of cookies.

"Where'd you get cookies?" Harry asked, taking a few off the tray.

"Perhaps some of us enjoy the culinary arts," the other boy muttered.

"You cook?"

"Bake mostly," said Draco. He handed the other boy a frothy mug of egg nog. "Hope you like it, secret family recipe."

Harry took a sip. "This is delicious!"

"The trick is the whipped cream," replied the blonde with a proud grin. He turned to look at the fire sheepishly. "I spent a lot of time in the kitchen helping my mother as a kid...but my father--"

"Yeah, yeah, more important things like maiming small animals and such..."

Draco was beginning to get very frustrated at himself for smiling so often around a Gryffindor. "Exactly." He set the tray down and put his hands on his hips. "Well enough dillydallying! We have things to do!"

Harry set down his mug with a sigh. "Can I put on some clothes before we do whatever crazy plan you have in store next?"

The other boy stared at his chest reluctantly. "Very well. I suppose it would only raise questions if I took you outdoors in only your pajama pants. That and Creevy would go mad with lust."

Harry opened his mouth to object.

"Oh please," Draco said. "No straight boy stalks older, famous, and ruggedly handsome men..."

Harry was beginning to worry that his companion might suffer from schizophrenia. "Ruggedly handsome?"

"Well, you've got the physique--"

"Please stop."

"Sorry."

"I'm not gay."

They both stared at their feet awkwardly.

"Right."

"I'm not."

"I never said you were."

"Well, I'm not."

Draco smirked. "Riveting as that may be. I believe you require clothes."

Harry nodded. "Yes. So if we could just go back to my room--"

"Nice try, Potter. You're not escaping that easily." The blonde started up the stairs. "You shall borrow some of mine."

Harry followed him. "Your clothes?"

"Yes, what's wrong with that?"

He laughed. "I'll never fit."

"You're not that much taller than me!"

"Look at it this way," Harry said. "I have a ruggedly handsome physique, and you...you're delicate."

"Delicate?" the Slytherin looked outraged. He frowned and opened the door to his walk-in closet.

"That and you wear girl pants," said Harry. He reached out and tugged on the belt loop of the other boy's jeans teasingly.

"Stop that," snapped Draco. He whirled around and slapped at the other boy's hand irritably.

"Draco wears girl pants! Draco wears girl pants!" Harry laughed. He gasped as Draco reached out and yanked at his pajama bottoms.

"I don't like it when you pull on my pants!" Draco shouted. They both froze. "Oh shit, I'm afraid I saw too much."

"I'll say," Harry snapped, pulling his pjs back up with as much dignity as possible.

"I swear I didn't actually mean to de-pants you," Draco insisted.

"Right."

"Although, I won't say that I wasn't impressed."

"I didn't hear that..."

"Sorry, sorry...it's just that I didn't think it'd be so..."

"I assure you I can and will make you shut up," said the Gryffindor. His face was flushed almost perfectly white.

"Once again, I'm sorry," Draco said. He turned and pulled a pair of jeans off of the shelf. "Here. I do in fact own a pair of guy pants! I know...shocking!"

Harry slid them on, purposely ignoring the other boy's eyes traveling up and down his body. "I still need a shirt."

Draco seemed disappointed. "Ah yes." He held out a black tee begrudgingly.

"Thank you." Harry took the shirt and pulled it over his head as fast as he could. "Now what joyous non-Valentine's Day related activities we participating in next?"

The blonde grinned. "You'll see."

"This is ridiculous," Harry said.

"Oh just suck it up already!" cried Draco. He forced the ribbon into the other boy's hand. "It's seven in the morning. Nobody is even awake yet. Who is ever going to know that you danced around a May pole?"

Harry sighed and wrapped his fingers around the pink streamer in defeat. "Fine. How do we do this?"

"We both skip around the pole and weave around each other. I'll go clockwise. You go counterclockwise."

"This is ridiculous."

"I might mention that you are still my prisoner," Draco told him.

"Must we skip?"

"Yes." The answer was firm.

"I hate you."

"I wouldn't expect any less of you."

Harry nodded. "Let's do this."

"Before we start," said Draco. "It might help add to the atmosphere if we sing and giggle."

"What?"

"Just a happy tra-la-la ..."

"Does anyone even celebrate May Day anymore?" Harry asked.

"So many questions and yet so little skipping."

He scowled. "Okay!" He began to hop along. "Is this merry enough for you?" He ducked under the other boy's ribbon. "Tra-la-la!"

"That's the spirit!" Draco cried. He joined in with a giggle. "Tra-la-la! I love May Day!"

They circled the pole, singing and weaving as they went.

"What a happy May Day we are having!" Harry shouted a little more joyously than he had expected.

"Yes," Draco agreed. "Such a happy and gay May Day it is!"

"Hey Harry!"

They both stopped at the greeting.

"Ginny!" Harry squeaked. "What are you doing here?"

"I always go for a jog in the morning," she said. "Its how I keep fit so I can break the hearts and minds of the Hogwarts male student body, excluding those of the homosexual persuasion...no offense."

"None taken," Draco replied.

"I'm not gay," Harry interjected. "Just surprised to see you, and currently a captive of the Slytherins. If you could tell Seamus and Neville to hurry up with that candy, I would be eternally grateful."

She seemed to think he was deranged. "Um...alright. I'm not sure what you're talking about, but I'll let them know."

"Thanks," he said. "And I'm still not gay."

"I don't care," she said. "You can prance around in the daisies with a million queens for all I care. Boys really aren't fun unless I can torture them, and you're just a little too naïve for my taste. Sorry, Harry."

He watched her jog into the distance and waited for his heart to burst.

"You okay?" asked Draco, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Harry looked over at him. "Surprisingly, yes."

"Fantastic!" Draco exclaimed. "On to Arbor Day!"

"Of all the obscure holidays that no one actually celebrates! Are you serious?"

"I am incredibly serious," replied the blonde. He pointed to the woods. "Now let's go hug a tree!"

"Why me?"

"Even trees need loving, Harry..."

"Okay," said Draco, plopping down on the couch of the Slytherin common room. "Halloween...trick or treating...Christmas...decorating and egg nog...May Day...pole dancing..."

Harry collapsed on the floor and repressed sobs of despair.

"Arbor Day...that was the tree hugging...Earth Day...we went recycling...Easter...egg hunting...what's next?" He looked at his list. "Ah that's right! Kwanzaa!"

"No!" Harry exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "I draw the line at Kwanzaa!"

"Fine," snapped Draco. "You choose a holiday then!"

"Valentine's Day!"

"We are not celebrating Valentine's Day! That's the whole point!"

Harry stomped over to the fireplace and kicked the hearth. "I can't think of any other holidays."

"Me neither."

"I hate this whole day," Harry said.

"I've always hated Valentine's Day," Draco replied.

"Why? It's not that bad!" Harry exclaimed. "Just because you're bitter and single--"

"That's not why I hate it," Draco said. He walked over and began to poke at the fire thoughtfully. "It's just...I've never had a good Valentine's Day. Last year, Pansy broke up with me. The year before my owl died. One year they stopped making my favorite line of shampoo."

"Tragic."

"My grandma died on Valentine's Day when I was eleven."

Harry couldn't help but notice how the glow from the fire made the other boy's hair look like it was flecked with gold. "I'm sorry."

"I've just never like this day, okay?"

"Well, we've had a pretty good time today, haven't we?" Harry asked.

"You just said you hated it."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't half bad, alright?"

The blonde smiled faintly. "I guess we did have some fun." He stood. "Thanks for playing along."

"I'm your captive, remember?" Harry laughed.

"We both know you could have left anytime you wanted."

"I don't know. You could have drugged that egg nog."

Draco wagged his finger in the other boy's face. "I have sworn to never reveal the family secrets."

They both realized how close they had gotten during the conversation.

Harry ran a hand through his hair and looked to the side awkwardly. "Well, I...er...okay."

Draco smiled again and cursed himself for it. "Your conversational skills are astonishing, Potter."

"Call me Harry."

"Alright, Harry."

"Thank you, Draco."

The blonde looked aghast. "I don't recall giving you permission to use my Christian name."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Joke all you want, Draco Malfoy. I could see you get all teary as soon as the words passed my lips."

"Indeed," murmured the other boy, his voice a bit husky. His eyes lingered on Harry's lips for a moment. "Maybe just a little bit. Perhaps I should get a tissue."

Harry reached out and wiped Draco's cheeks slowly. He smiled. "Let me."

"Don't," whispered Draco, wrapping his fingers around Harry's wrist.

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. I just--" He looked away.

"What?"

Harry frowned as the other boy dropped his hand and stepped away.

"I don't want to keep you. Thanks for making my Valentine's Day a little less miserable."

"But they haven't paid your ransom yet," Harry said, playing for time.

"I don't need it. Just leave me alone. That's how I should spend my Valentine's Day." Draco's eyes widened as the other boy pulled the black tee over his head. "What are you doing?"

"Returning your clothes," Harry answered sensibly.

"Oh that's not fair," cried the blonde, inching forward as if against his own will. He was up against Harry in an instant, hands pressed against bare skin.

Harry wrapped an arm around the other boy's waist, his free hand twining through blonde hair.

"Don't leave," Draco whispered.

"Never," Harry muttered. He pulled Draco even tighter against him and pressed his lips against the other boy's trembling smile.

Kissing Draco made so much sense. Cho's kisses had been confusing and frighteningly new. Ginny's kisses had been either overly passionate or completely chaste. Kissing Draco was different, and it made the thought of kissing anyone else entirely incomprehensible.

Harry pulled away and kissed Draco's forehead. "I promise I won't leave."

Draco hugged him as if he were a life preserver. "Good." He smiled again. "You know...today might have been pretty stupid, but I'm glad I got to spend the holidays with you."

Harry kissed him again, tugging the green sweater over his head and tossing it on the couch. "Me too."

"Harry!" Neville burst in the room suddenly. "I brought your ransom, Harry! You're free now! You're--What in the name of Zandar!"

Draco gave Harry a panicked look as piles of candy avalanched through the door (oodles, bucketfuls, and up the wazoo to be exact). "How on earth did you--"

Harry cut him off. "It's okay, Draco. I didn't hear anything about a ransom, did you?"

Draco smiled as their foreheads met. "I heard nothing of the sort."

Neville gave them a perplexed look. "Why is there a Christmas tree? And what's that over your heads?"

Harry glanced up to see the mistletoe he had hung earlier. "It is a Christmas tradition, Draco."

Draco kissed him tenderly. "And one I am more than willing to obey."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Draco."