Two Houses (HarryxDraco)

Chapter 28

On the morning that the students were due to depart Hogwarts for the Christmas break, Draco got up a little earlier than usual to pay Myrtle a visit before breakfast. For her part, Myrtle had stuck to her word and had made no attempt to drown Draco in toilet water since their falling out on Halloween. But his disembodied friend had remained aloof with him in the weeks since, ignoring his summons any time he visited her bathroom or quickly excusing herself before disappearing through a wall. If anyone else—living or dead—were so rude to him, Draco would likely have thrown in the towel and left them to it. He also knew that if the shoe was on the other foot, he would have behaved in a far less courteous manner than simply giving his friend the cold shoulder. But after everything Myrtle had done for him, she was a rare exception to this rule. So he had persisted, dropping off the Daily Prophet for her every day as a small peace offering.

Knocking on the bathroom door, he strode inside without waiting for a reply. "It's me again. I brought your paper." Predictably, there was no reply, but that didn't mean that she wasn't hiding in the u-bend. He opened the newspaper at the obituaries (her favourite section to read) and balanced it on the sinks at the far end of the room. He turned to face the seemingly empty bathroom and announced, "Just so you know, I'll be away for the next couple of weeks, so I won't be able to drop the Prophet off for you until I get back in January."

Still, there was no reply. Draco sighed. "Alright. Well...Merry Christmas, I suppose."

Draco headed towards the exit but stopped dead in his tracks as Myrtle materialised in front of him. "What do you mean, you're leaving? Are you going home for Christmas? I thought you were staying here!"

It surprised Draco how relieved he was that Myrtle was speaking to him again—not that he'd ever admit that, of course. He had, however, banked on her curiosity overruling how angry she was with him; evidently, he was right. "Well, I'm not heading straight home. I'm going to Muggle London for a few days first."

Myrtle's eyes narrowed. "Why? What's happening in London?"

"School trip," he explained. "Professor Tonks is taking us to see that poxy play that you love so much. And—what was it she said? Oh yes, 'to give us the opportunity to gain some first-hand experience and immerse ourselves in Muggle culture'."

"Sounds like your worst nightmare."

"And you'd be right. But Harry asked me to accompany him, so I figured I could grin and bear it for a couple of days."

A mischievous grin spread across Myrtle's face. "Oh yes, because spending all of your free time with Harry is such a chore! How is Harry, anyway? Is anyone plotting to kill him yet? It feels somewhat overdue."

"Not as far as I'm aware."

"Shame," she said as she tried to nudge Draco on the shoulder only for her arm to go straight through his body. "So, are you going to take him on a romantic stroll down Little Venice? Treat him to a fancy dinner and then kiss him under the moonlight?"

Myrtle kissed the air and giggled to herself at the thought. Draco rolled his eyes but chose not to dignify her comment with a response. If he were being perfectly honest with himself, he wasn't sure how much of London he'd get to see while he was there. He'd be content if he saw nothing else beyond the boundaries of his hotel room, but he kept that thought to himself.

"You'll need to bring me back a souvenir from your trip," Myrtle instructed.

"Okay," said Draco slowly. He wasn't entirely sure what would qualify as an appropriate souvenir for a ghost. "Um...do you have anything particular in mind?"

"I don't know, nothing too fancy. Well..." she looked sheepishly at Draco and asked, "If you happened across a poster of Prince William, or maybe a plate with his face on it, I'd be ever so grateful. Or a tea towel! Yes, that would be lovely."