When Harry woke up, it was still dark. He felt Shani's warm body against his side as he lay in the darkness of her room. He could smell the shampoo scent in her hair as he breathed in. It was the best sleep he'd ever had. Harry managed to look at his watch without waking her. 4:30. Bloody hell, he thought. He sighed, knowing that he should get back to his own bed before morning came. What would Christmas be without getting his ass woken up by Ron? He almost chuckled at the thought of seeing him in his latest Weasely sweater.
Somewhere nearby, a certain bleach blonde Slytherin was stewing in his bed. When the two lovebirds had so amorously made their way through the Slytherin common room, they hadn't noticed Draco sitting alone by the fire. Draco had watched them disappear into Shani's room with a scowl on his face. Not only did it piss him off that he wasn't having her, but it pissed him off even MORE that it was HARRY who was having her. He tossed in his bed, not wanting to think about it anymore. Many a night of his had been spent sitting by himself in the common room, gazing into the fire. The letters from his father had finally stopped. The last letter he received had come that night and he had been reading it by the fire when he saw Harry and Shani flounce by.
Draco,
It has begun. You will die like the rest of them.
Lucius
This letter was no different than the others, except for when he crumpled it up in his hand, it burst into flames. Draco bellowed in pain as the flames licked the inside of his palm. The paper fell onto the carpet and Draco kicked it into the fire, leaving a small black smudge where it had fallen on the rug. Draco stood there, gazing into the fire and trying to catch his breath. Fuck you, he thought, watching the letter from his father disappear into the flames. He looked down at his burnt hand. It wasn't too bad. He'd dropped it before it could burn him too much. Still, it wasn't all together comfortable. Draco pulled out his wand and pointed it at his left hand.
"Episkey," he muttered. The skin on his hand began to heal before Draco's eyes. He sighed a sigh of relief as the pain left him. He sank back into his chair, running a hand through his cool blonde hair. He briefly wondered what he'd meant by "it has begun". It was the general opinion of the Death eaters that their Master was returning to them. Most of them thought he was back to his old Unicorn blood sucking tricks in the Forbidden Forrest. Draco shook the thoughts away, not wanting to think about it anymore. That's when the two love birds pranced by and sent him spiraling back into his brooding.
May as well let him have his fun. He may not live for much longer, Draco thought morbidly. If what the death eaters were saying was true, Harry's time was growing dangerously short. Draco wondered if he had any idea. Then he wondered why the fuck he cared. He sank back into the soft green velvet of the arm chair and closed his eyes.
Back to the present. Harry slowly sidled himself away from Shani and slipped her head off of his shoulder gently. She stirred in her sleep but didn't wake. Harry smiled as she continued to dream. He bent down and give her a soft kiss on her head and then slid out of her bed. The air outside her bed was crisp and cool as he closed the curtains behind him. It was dark and all the other beds had their drapes drawn. He grabbed his clothes and quietly slipped them back on. Harry snuck out of the room, hearing the door click softly as he closed it behind him. He tiptoed across the common room. Just as he was about to exit through the portal, he noticed something in the common room. He turned around to see Draco sleeping in the green armchair closest to the fire. Harry frowned, wondering what in the hell he was doing there. He looked almost innocent in his sleep. Harry shook his head and made his way out.
Harry was no longer too scared to travel the halls at night. Being a 7th year, teachers tended to be a little more lenient about the late night sneaking around. Especially since he was so commonly to be found doing it. He meandered down the halls towards his own house. On his way, he heard a soft creak somewhere in front of him. He paused. It was silent. Harry held his breath, waiting to hear another sound. He wondered if it was a teacher. He began to edge forward quietly. As he did so, he felt a cool blast of air ruffling his hair. His legs slowly brought him closer to the turn in the hall until he was standing just at the corner. Harry could feel a constant flow of cold air coming from around the bend. He took a deep breath, pulled out his wand, and peeked around the corner. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that the hall was empty except for a slightly open door that led to the courtyard. He stepped out into the hall, nearing the open door with the intent to close it. Bloody hell Harry. Fucking pussy, Harry chuckled to himself for having gotten so scared. He opened the door, poking his head out to see if someone had exited through that door. He didn't see anyone, nor did he see any footprints in the white snow that was laying on the door step. He shrugged, figuring that the door must have swung open in the wind. The cold air felt wonderful on his skin as he stood there. Harry looked around, deciding to take a little stroll in the snow. It was so pristine at four in the morning. There were no foot prints or marks of any kind and it sparkled so beautifully in the moonlight.
