grryffindor secret

Chapter 9

"Don't be afraid, I'm here." Harry pressed Draco into his arms more tightly, allowing him to confirm his existence, "I promised you. It was just a nightmare, okay?"

Draco leaned against his chest, "I can hear your heartbeat, Harry." The little boy said softly, with a cute nasal voice, "I know it's a nightmare, but I'm still scared." Draco was on Harry's shirt Rubbing his own little face, of course, Harry indulged everything about his little responsibility.

He rocked Draco gently, promising softly, "I'll be here with you until you're not so scared anymore." Harry planted a kiss on the little boy's head, knowing all too well what it was like to have a real-life nightmare, And now it's happening to a five-year-old.

He considered using his Patronus to send Snape the news, but Harry realized that the man would not be happy to see the stag...he whimpered, "Why the hell should I care about this?" But he summoned anyway With parchment and a quill, and holding Draco in his arms, he scribbled about the little boy's nightmare, and added at the end a request to take Draco to Hogsmeade for the Christmas holidays, and then he called The elf - not Dobby, of course - begged it to take the note to Snape.

"Hope he doesn't subpoena us now..." Harry muttered, "...did I use the word 'subpoena'?"

Draco's breathing gradually stabilized, and seemingly reluctantly, he withdrew from Harry's arms, picked up the glass of water that Gryffindor had just handed him, and took a small sip, "Harry, you can talk to me Sleep together?" he heard him ask himself.

If those were the words of seventeen-year-old Draco Malfoy, Harry thought, he must be having a nightmare.

And in the end he succumbed to the little boy's watery eyes, as he had done so many times before. Harry changed into pajamas and grabbed his own pillow, and Draco moved in, protectively towards the little boy, lying on his side next to him, Griffin squeezed between their pillows again.

"Do you have nightmares too Harry?" Draco asked in a low voice, "Am I too timid?"

Under the moonlight, Harry felt the little boy's face paler, and he raised his hands to pinch Draco's little face, "Of course, I hope someone will be around at that time." He comforted Draco, "Usually it will be Ron Stay with me, and he'll get me a glass of water too, you know."

The little boy blinked, and Harry successfully diverted his attention, "You cry too?" He looked at Harry curiously.

He scratched his cheek unnaturally, "Uh, cry? Well, I do cry, too." A flash of understanding flashed across Draco's face, "I actually scream, that's horrible." He grimaced. Replenish.

"Scream." Draco repeated.

"Scream," Harry confessed. "So, you see, it's not because you're timid, Draco. I'm seventeen, but I still get scared by nightmares."

Draco moved closer to Harry and squeezed himself into the big boy's arms, "I get it," he mumbled, "Sometimes I have other nightmares too, but I'll be in my room by myself and I shouldn't bother Mom and Dad. I want to take care of myself."

"And now you have me, right?" Harry put his arms around his little boy, "I'll be here with you." He repeated his promise, and Draco looked up from his chest, eyes bright. , Harry was caught by his emotion, "Think happy, Draco. Remember the day after tomorrow is Christmas Eve? I just asked Severus for Christmas leave to take you to Hogsmeade in a note to Severus, I'm sure he will Agreed."

"Are you serious?!" Draco said in surprise.

Harry smiled at his little boy, "Of course, and you mustn't know, we don't have lessons tomorrow." He thought he might have told Draco this sooner, but his mind was preoccupied with Griffin and the Chamber of Secrets until now , "We have a whole day, and everyone in seventh and eighth grade needs to help decorate the school."

Draco wrinkled his nose suspiciously, "Why?"

"For the Yule Ball the night before the holiday," he replied dotingly, scratching the tip of the little boy's nose, "I bet you want to go, there'll be better cookies than dinner."

They get a sleep that literally wakes up naturally, ignoring breakfast.When Harry packed him and Draco, he got a reply from Snape.He wasn't sure if there was some way for the man to know they were awake and ready, the note had appeared in front of Harry the second Harry had buttoned the last shirt button for Draco.

"Did Uncle Sev allow me to go to Hogsmeade?" Draco asked nervously.

"Of course," Harry replied, delighted to see the little boy's cheeks flushed with excitement, "he allowed me to take you there all morning, after the other students had left." At the same time Snape told him that if Draco had started making real memories It's a dream, which means that there are only three days before he recovers. Harry was surprised by the news, subconsciously he didn't want to tell Draco, which he did.

Before going to join Hermione and the others, he carried Draco to the kitchen first, got a few pumpkin pies for Draco and himself while Dobby was chattering excitedly, then found Hermione and Ron in the auditorium, and walked away He waved to Blaise enthusiastically.

"I don't think you'll forget that it's best to have a partner at a ball, Harry," said Hermione bluntly, as she busily hung the walls of the Great Hall with little bells and mistletoe.

"Stop trying to suggest I go to Ginny!" Harry ruffled his hair petulantly. "You know me and her are out of the question, especially you, Ron, please, don't start."

Ron shut his mouth loudly, and silently continued to levitate one leprechaun doll after another on the wall lamp beside them, and Harry put Draco on the bench beside him, and joined Ron.

Of course he knew he needed a dance partner, but he had been cut off from his companions for so long that theoretically the invitations should have started a week ago, and what was he doing then?Well, at that point he was heading towards self-destruction. Harry had completely forgotten about the Yule Ball, he was too busy struggling with the nightmare.At that time, his life was like a terrible circle, going round and round, day after day, repeating nightmares, full of anxiety and pain.He endured them every day, but everything was different now, he was getting away from those screams, Harry didn't want to admit it, but he knew it was the presence of the little responsibility in his arms, and maybe Griffin, that broke it.

"Dancing partner?" Draco shook his legs, looking at the three Gryffindors curiously, "Who is Harry's dancing partner?"

Hermione and Ron looked at Harry in unison, wondering how he was going to answer the question, they couldn't believe who he had invited. Harry made a grimace, "Please, don't look at me like that..." Under their surprised eyes, he knelt down on one knee facing Draco, and stretched out his right hand, "I don't know if I have the honor—you Will you be my dance partner, Mr. Malfoy?"

Hermione covered her mouth, and Ron was thankful that he had chosen a remote place to finish their work.

Draco giggled at Harry's behavior, and he put his little hand in Harry's palm, "I do." He replied in a childish voice, and Harry smiled softly at his little boy.

"I was dreaming?" Ron said dumbfounded.

Hermione tapped his head, "We didn't." But she was smiling too, "Seriously, you should be happy that Harry isn't avoiding us anymore, and at least it's not 17-year-old Malfoy." She was mischievous say.

"Oh Mione!!!" Ron made a pained look, "Don't make me imagine that..."

Back in the bedroom, Harry dug out his frock robes and racked his brains to recall a spell Mrs Weasley had used to smooth out wrinkles, which he mostly succeeded.Then he found Draco's from the box. Unlike Harry's dark green patterned one, Draco's was still a plain black high-necked gown, just like the one he saw in fourth grade.Shrunk it down again and helped Draco put it on.

"Oh, you look so serious, Draco," he said teasingly, admiring the way the little boy looked at himself in the mirror with a serious face.

"It's like Father's robe!" Draco said in awe, his tiny body tensing.

Harry blinked but didn't speak, it wasn't the first time he knew about Draco Malfoy's admiration for his father.

What Harry didn't expect was that obviously the five-year-old Draco knew more about a "prom" than he did.Under Draco's guidance, he fixed his messy black hair behind his head with magic, only a few strands hung loosely on his forehead, and then found out the short-acting magic that Remus had given him to treat myopia. Medicine - he'd only used it for mobility during the final battle, Harry took off his glasses and looked at Draco hesitantly.

"How do I look?"

"It couldn't be better!" Draco said cheerfully, and Griffin chimed in agreement into the palm of his hand, "I think you look better without glasses."

In the end he fastened them both with the pins the boy had asked for, Draco choosing a silver snake pin with an emerald emerald for himself, and Harry's a winged hippogriff with a red gemstone in it. —that was a gift from Hermione for his seventeenth birthday.

They arrived at the Great Hall at nightfall, and Draco marveled at the enchanted ceiling, where small flakes of snow were falling. It was now a calming dark blue, dotted with stars, and the four long house tables were gone. , Just like in the fourth grade, a hundred small tables were replaced and lanterns were lit.

"You look so different Potter!" Blaise popped out of nowhere, his eyes widened, looking Harry up and down, "If it wasn't for Draco beside me, I would hardly recognize you."

"You look good too, Zabini," Harry replied dryly. Blaise was also wearing a plain black dress robe, which was exactly the same as Draco's, except for the high collar. "You Slytherins like that." style?"

"So you usually look like a Gryffindor?" Blaise fired back, and he didn't invite a partner, walking easily beside Harry.

"Shut up Zabini..."

"Again, watch your language, we have kids here." Blaise smirked.

He ignored all the fiery eyes staring at him, held Draco's little hand tightly, and sat down with Blaise at a remote table. Harry picked up the menu above and asked Draco what he would like to eat, and he got an answer without hesitation.

"Honey Cookies!"

"You can't eat too much tonight, Draco."

"Harry..."

"Draco! No kidding! Okay one last time," he said resignedly, calling out Draco's cookies and pumpkin juice to their plates, and their butterbeer and steak.

More and more people were seated, the staff tables were filled by professors, Snape was sitting in his usual place, next to Remus, Harry couldn't believe that Snape actually went through with Remus' proposal to hold a Yule Ball, the reason It's something everyone in the post-war world needs a bit of cheer. Hagrid noticed him, still in his brown suit, waving at Harry, grinning.

Hermione joined them, along with Ron. Hermione threw her head high, refusing to speak to him.

Ron complained loudly about how Hermione had ruined his hair for three hours - just like she had ruined herself.

"Oh Harry, you took off your glasses." Hermione looked at Harry for a moment and said unexpectedly, "And your hair..."

"Ah yes, yes, Draco asked me to do this..." Harry explained, he didn't know why he suddenly felt a little embarrassed, "I must admit that he has a little bit more taste than me..."

Hermione smiled at the little boy and said, "You're really good, Draco." Draco looked at them proudly, then she turned to Harry and asked suspiciously, "Don't you think it's a bit too much for a five-year-old to wear a gown like that?" Are you serious?"

Harry grimaced, "That's all we have, it's Draco's own, I shrunk it down," he explained.

"May I?" Hermione asked Draco, drawing her wand from her magic clutch, "A little change to your robes?"

Draco glanced at Harry and nodded. Hermione knelt down and muttered a spell as silvery threads emerged from the tip of her wand, circling around the little boy's gown, and a lifelike silvery dragon appeared entwined. Draco's eyes widened in surprise, "It's so beautiful!" He slid off his chair, lowered his head to get a better look at the dragon, and then gave Hermione a big hug, "Thank you!" She hugged the little boy back, clapping Pat him on the back.

"I hate to say it, but, this is awesome... Granger." Blaise also stared at the dragon on Draco's robes, which could even wag its tail.

"Hey, since you know this, why don't you get me one too?" Ron said disapprovingly, tugging at his own robes, "and you've got time to keep fiddling with my hair—"

"Oh, what?" Hermione interrupted angrily, raising her eyebrows, "A big spider for you?"

"Don't even think about it!"

Harry ignored the bickering between the two good friends, he didn't realize that he was smiling happily the whole time, watching it all.At this time, the lights in the auditorium gradually dimmed, and everything became hazy. The Weird Sisters stepped onto the high platform in the center, and they played a soothing tune. Snape insisted on staying still in his seat, with his lips tightly pursed, as if resisting some monster, Remus led Professor McGonagall into the dance floor first, and then more students joined with their partners, Draco was obsessed Staring blankly at the center of the auditorium, he even forgot about his cookie.

"Want to go dancing together Draco?" He asked close to the little boy's ear, Harry didn't want to make a loud noise, as if that would break the moment of peace, if one ignored the synchronized angry expressions of Hermione and Ron.

Draco nodded eagerly, jumped off his chair, and let Harry pull him onto the dance floor, but they were only on the periphery.He still can't dance, Harry thought nonchalantly, so what, it's easier to dance with a child than with a girl, isn't it?All he had to do was - take Draco's hands and circle slowly.

He took Draco slowly, slowly, around the dance floor, just in circles. Harry could vaguely see the stars above his head, and he had a vague feeling that he was really in a dream, but the soft little hands he held tightly together, and Draco's starry gray eyes - he was almost there Seeing his own shadow reminded him that all this was real.

He knew that this would be his most memorable prom.