[Fic:] 25 days - Day 23

[smirkingcat]

Title: The first Time he showed you something new
Author: smirkingcat
Word Count: 1029
Rating: G
Prompt:
Warning:
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: …. cohesiveness this has none




After the war, when they were all going back to school Harry felt… it was hard to describe for him, and most of his friends just wanted him to be fine, which made it even harder to talk about it.
But he felt angry, and he hated how now that Voldemort was no more, everybody tried to either pretend that nothing happened at all, or blame anybody even remotely connected with Slytherin to be guilty and a villain. He was just so over this pointless debate. And he disliked even more that some of the professors could not help their prejudice either. It was around Christmas when Harry truly got exhausted by this new world that somehow now needed him to defend the Slytherins. And the poor sods did not even want to stand up for themselves.

Except for Draco. Well, he did not try to stand out. But he kept his head held high and wore his house colours with pride. He also defended the first years and showed them how Slytherins behave in times of need. It took Harry a few months to understand, that Draco essentially took a page out of Severus' book. Slytherins dealt with things in private!

To be around Draco felt relaxing. So, Harry tried to be around him often. He did not have to walk on eggshells with Draco. Well, at least not when it came to the way he felt about things. And with Draco he could actually express how he felt. It was comfortable and at the same time exciting, because nobody liked seeing them together all that much.

This is what led to at first a bit of sneaking around, and later on to a lot of sneaking around. It also led to a paper dragon showing up in front of his face on the Tuesday night before Christmas. The message was simple: Meet me by the fairy fountain.

At first Harry was sceptical. Though they were returners, they still had to abide the school rules. But then he reminded himself that he never obeyed the rules anyway and snuck out.

"Ready for some fun, Potter?" Draco asked.

"Depends on your definition of fun, Malfoy."

"It's not malicious," Draco grinned.

Harry looked at him sceptical, but still nodded. Then he got a broom shoved into his hand and heard the words: "Try to keep up!"

It was more on instinct than on real thought how Harry got into the air and sped up to catch up to Draco. Flying felt so easy, natural, especially with Draco right next to him. He did not even wonder where they were going.
However they were not flying for long, as Draco landed in a small wood. He shrunk his broom and without asking did the same to Harry's.

"What now?" Harry asked.

"Now I shall apparate us to our destination, as flying would be breaking the law," Draco said.

Harry dully noted that he did not offer his hand per se, but he kinda, sorta, in a weird way offered his elbow. "Would have taken your hand as well," he whispered in Draco's ear, as he stepped close.

There was no answer as they were whisked away by Draco's apparition.
The first thing Harry noticed about the new location was the music. It was not Christmas music but more upbeat, like dancing music. And then there were people. A lot of people.

"Where are we?" He asked surprised.

"This town is close to the Manor," Draco answered and moved his pointing in some direction Harry assumed Malfoy Manor was located.

"And?"

"And what?"

"And what are we doing here?"

"You are not wearing those glasses just for show, right? I thought it was pretty obvious."

Harry grinned and stuck out his tongue playfully. Nobody teased him like Draco. It was so refreshing and so much fun.

Then he took another look around and all the playfulness drained away. He felt his body get rigid. "No," he stated with conviction.

"Yes. You will like it, I am certain. And it is much fun."

"No. I will make a fool out of me. Aren't you the one always saying how I lack grace and that nonsense.

"I am not telling you to become a professional. It's just a bit of easy ice skating. Honestly, quit being a drama queen," Draco said and tugged him along towards the ice.

"You calling me a drama queen is not right," Harry muttered.

"Get over it," Draco said.

Harry then watched how he charmed the man at the gate into letting them in, and the women at the rental to give them some skates.

"You know we could have paid for that?" Harry hissed.

"Potter, my family basically funds this town and this rink. If I say my name here, they would make a huge fuss. Also I don't have muggle money at the moment."

There was a tightness in Draco as he spoke about money, and Harry remembered that at the moment, the ministry was trying to get their claws into the Malfoy wealth, not that it was easily done. But he is certain, that Draco did not want to give them any ideas either.

"Well if you say so," he conceded.

"I do, now change into these."

"Are you good at skating?" Harry asked, feeling his nerves coming back.

"Decent, I dare say. My mother used to go with me, when I was still a kid, until the one year, where they recognised her because of one picture of her and father in the papers. It had been a nightmare back then."

"Your mother didn't come across as the muggle loving kind."

Draco sighed, but he ignored the statement and got up. And Harry had to confess it was a statement in bad taste.

"Erm- Draco how do I move in these?"

"Just one step after another. Here, grab my arm."

And so began Harry's first lesson in ice skating. And Draco was right: he had so much fun doing it, he didn't want to go back even as the rink closed down.

Ever since then, ice skating had become one of the things they did.