rarepair_shorts | A gift for ccharlotte: Wrapped in Snow (Draco/Theo, PG-13)

Author: [read the Invisible Book of Invisibility for too long]
Recipient:

ccharlotte
Title: Wrapped in Snow
Pairing: Draco Malfoy/Theodore Nott
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 2.010
Summary: Draco’s plan how to spend the Christmas holidays in the deserted Hogwarts castle does not mix well with Theodore’s own ideas.
Author's Notes: I really hope you enjoy this,

ccharlotte. I tried to mix up most of your prompts. They were fun to juggle. :) Many thanks to K. for the beta!

Christmas morning was wrapped in silence. The dorms in the entire castle remained mostly empty except for a handful of students. Patterns of ice crawled over the windows, especially thick in the cold corners. Stacks of wrapped packages towered at the end of used beds. Draco Malfoy had merely eyes for one parcel.

He entered the common room with a grin, parcel shouldered. “Merry Christmas, Theodore.”

The one student he had to indulge – besides that fourth year that looked like not even a family of trolls would want to spend Christmas with him – sat in front of the fireplace and read the Daily Prophet. He barely looked up, simply nodded.

Draco settled next to him in an armchair made of black leather. “You haven’t touched your presents. Nothing on your wish list?”

“Nothing that came true. Because you’re still talking,” said Theodore without taking his eyes off the newspaper.

Draco gifted this unfunny joke a fake laugh. He placed the parcel on his lap, obviously presenting it to envious gazes, and after his feigned interest he expected at least something similar in return. But Theodore continued reading.

Draco cleared his throat. “You might’ve noticed it.” Despite not looking up. “This is what my father sent me. The new Nimbus.”

Behind the shielding newspaper, Theodore’s mouth curled upwards. “Still not a Firebolt?”

Draco freed the broomstick from his prison of parchment. “Well, the Firebolt’s quite old. I’m telling you, sticking to Nimbus will pay off… eventually. They’ll always be… somewhere at the top of the market.” He admired the smooth, polished wood and the bushy end of twigs. A real eyecatcher. “My 2001 is free now. You in for a game?”

Finally, Theodore folded his newspaper and put it on his lap. He still did not spare a single glance for the broomstick. He looked steadily at Draco, then shifted his gaze over to the window, where the green light of the Lake shone through, and to the fireplace before sending a frown over to Draco. “No.”

Draco had to control his jaw from dropping. A simple ‘No’ shouldn’t be so definite. Actually, a ‘No’ shouldn’t be anything he had to deal with.

Draco snorted. “Do you have something better to do?”

Theodore nodded at the chimney place.

“Seriously? Theodore, feeding flobberworms under the Half-Giant’s puppy eyes is more exciting. The pitch is free. Get on my broomstick and have some fun.”

“I don’t care if you cannot live two days without a hard stick between your legs, Draco, but it’s just not my thing.” Theodore missed Draco’s slight blush as he once again hid behind the Daily Prophet. He might’ve managed to read a paragraph before Draco poked him with his broomstick.

“I won’t be sitting with you in front of a boring chimney fire. We’re almost alone in this castle. Let’s do something thrilling. Just you and me. Like we used to when we were children.”

The bait lured Theodore out of his still waters. “You mean that one time when we got lost in the woods and nearly froze to death?” Catching Draco’s disappointed glance, he quickly added, “That wasn’t so bad, yeah. Your house-elf made some pretty decent hot chocolate.”

Draco grinned, certain of success.

“Why don’t we fast-forward to the hot chocolate and stay here?” Theodore asked.

Draco huffed. “I want to try out my new broom. It’s not like I have a wide range of choice who to take with me,” he said. “You’re my only option.”

Eyes narrowed to slits, Theodore scowled at him. “If you’re that desperate, go ask Pritchard.”

Draco returned the scowl. He rose from the couch. “I rather play by myself than talk to that little troll.”

Theodore shrugged that off. So much indifference left Draco no other choice but to return that. He turned on his heels and left.

~*~

Flying by himself was actually no fun at all. Draco sat sideways on his broom and floated ten feet above the frozen shore of the Black Lake. His hands burnt with cold. He’d forgotten his gloves because of stupid Theodore Nott, and he couldn’t go back and get them because of stupid Theodore Nott.

Thick snowflakes twirled to the ground, nestled on his hair and shoulders. The harsh wind tried to blow him off the new broom, but not that threatened his balance. Something hard and icy clashed against the back of his head.

“What the…” Draco pulled the remains of a snowball out of his cloak. He turned his broom around to throw it back at… stupid Theodore Nott. The snow melted in his hand. “What was that about?” he called.

Theodore stood on a snow dune, wearing a black coat, thick gloves and a badly tied scarf. “Thought you’d be able to catch that, Seeker.”

Draco landed on the ground, ankle deep in snow. “I think you mistake me with a Keeper. A prepared Keeper.” He tucked his broom under his arm to rub some warmth into his hands. “You changed your mind, right? It’s too late, though.”

“That’s too bad. You seemed to be having an incredible time.” Theodore’s voice and face stayed completely emotionless – emphasising the sarcasm even heavier.

“Better than slouching in front of the fireplace,” Draco snapped back. “You saw reason, eventually… right?”

Theodore ignored that and pointed at Draco’s shaking hands. “Where’re your gloves?”

Draco snorted, puffing a cloud of breath into the air. “I’m not a whimsical couch potato that’s scared of cold. I don’t need gloves.”

“Your fingers seem to think otherwise.”

Draco pointed his shaking, red finger at Theodore’s chest. “That’s entirely your fault.”

“I make you tremble?”

“Yes, with anger. And actually, you should pay for that.”

“Draco, I wanted –” Theodore gasped. Draco had shoved his ice-cold hands under his robes and shirt. Maliciously grinning, he pressed his palms against surprisingly warm flesh. Theodore simply froze – on the outside and inside. He stood there as if he’d eaten Draco’s broomstick. His normally cold eyes burnt into Draco’s. Then he started jerking and wildly struggling to get away. But instead of escaping, he pulled Draco with him to the ground. The snow was thrown up, a light and fluffy powder of white. Solely his strict upbringing kept Theodore from cursing.

Draco grinned. “Well, will you look who’s fallen for snow?”

Theodore rolled his eyes. “I haven’t – umpf!”

Draco slammed a fistful of snow on Theodore’s face, right on his lips. The other hand stayed warm and safe under Theodore’s coat.

Theodore shook the snow out of his hair. Draco’s hand slid to his throat. He smirked down on Theodore’s bewildered face und poked his chin up. Underneath the icicles of his fingers everything felt warm, yet Draco’s hand wandered further upwards to warmer skin, to Theodore’s cheek, reddened by… coldness.

“So…” Draco felt more out of breath than he should. “Have you realised that it’s more fun to do what I say?”

Theodore grabbed his wrist and pulled Draco insolently close in one movement. “Just because you’re on top doesn’t mean you’ve won.”

Draco felt Theodore’s cloudy breath brushing over his lips. The goosebumps on his body didn’t result from the cold. Theodore’s gaze downright pierced him. Some tiny snowflakes had melted on his lips, bringing a fascinating shimmer on the rosy flesh.

Theodore lifted his head, constantly reducing the distance to Draco.

“I…” Draco pulled away and sat up straight. Heat centred in his chest, throbbing like anger. “I didn’t know we were playing anything you need to win,” he snapped.

Theodore fell back into a pillow of snow. His eyes remained blank as Draco left him lying there.

~*~

Wrapped in a comfortable blanket, Draco stared into the flames dancing in the chimney. The bright tongues of fire threw warm shadows on his face. He was wet from the snow he’d carried with him back into the castle and depressed because his holidays promised to be terrible.

He remembered the days when he used to be a child, when he got lost in the woods with Theodore and the aftermath when they were huddled in front of the fireplace, trying to warm up. Hot chocolate and more sweets than they could possibly eat, and their fathers somewhere lost in the study, too busy to be angry at them.

It seemed too long ago to look at it full of nostalgia, painted in sepia.

Footsteps came closer. Most certainly not Pritchard, whom Draco had sent to his dorm after he cried noisily into the couch pillows. Those had to be Theodore’s eyes, lying noticeably on him. Draco pretended not to care and by that lured Theodore closer.

“Here.” Theodore offered Draco a cup. He had another one for himself. “I thought some hot rat poison might do you good.”

Draco rolled his eyes but took the cup. Hot chocolate. He inhaled the sweet steam and closed his icy fingers around the warm cup.

Theodore sat next to him on the ground. Silently, he stared at Draco, now and then taking a sip. “I’m not playing games, you know that,” he said quietly. He had almost as much trouble getting an apology over his lips as Draco.

“Tell that to the guy who sits in the corner like a bored king, while his court is trying to amuse itself.”

“You’re not really talking of yourself as the court, are you?”

“No.” Draco snorted indignantly. “I’m talking about the rest of infantile idiots that normally dances around me. While you are judging them silently, instead of slumming.”

“So, what does that make you? The down-to-earth queen?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I just don’t think that metaphor makes a lot of sense.”

“I’m warning you, Theodore,” Draco hissed between clattering teeth. He took a calming sip from his cup and smiled into it as Theodore continued to give him that challenging look. Almost simultaneously, they chuckled, and for a moment everything appeared to take a turn to a more comfortable mood.

Until they looked at each other for a second too long.

Draco put his cup away. “Do you know why I’m here?” he asked without expecting an answer. “I’m not some unwanted baggage who’s locked into a cupboard by his family. I thought when everyone else’s gone, then maybe… we get to hang out like we used to. You and I.” Before he said something even more clichéd, he added, “And you don’t even show a remote interest in my present.”

“Because every year you get socks for everyone.”

Draco lifted his eyebrows. “Nobody ever complained.”

Theodore’s lips travelled into a real smile.

“Besides,” Draco continued, “you could’ve wished for something.”

“For example?” Theodore asked but didn’t seem to expect an answer, too. “I’ve got almost everything I want. No annoying primates around. Just… the one guy whose presence I gladly endure.”

Draco allowed himself a proud smile, despite blushing softly. “Almost everything?”

Theodore put his cup on the carpet and moved closer. He lowered his voice, “I still wish you would shut up for five minutes, Draco.”

“That’ll remain unfulfilled.”

“Wanna bet?” Theodore leant in, very slowly to give Draco a chance to win that bet. But in this case, losing didn’t seem to be that bad. Draco closed his eyes and let Theodore kiss him. His warm lips tasted like chocolate, sweet and smooth, except for the awkward scrape of his teeth as he opened his mouth wider. Wide enough to drown in…

Theodore jerked away because of a banging spit from the fire. His eyes big and his cheeks flaming. Draco grinned, flung his arm around him and pulled Theodore under his blanket, as close against him as possible.

“You know,” he said, “I could put up with some quality time in front of a boring fire.”

Theodore smiled back. “Well, then I might let you convince me to do some flying… or falling.”

“Only if you open your present.” Draco pulled Theodore quickly back as he tried to get up. He forced Theodore’s hands on his chest to the buttons on his shirt and kissed him again.