What If? - Drarry

Part Three - Chapter One

Once he had finished his reply to Draco, Harry meticulously wrapped the scarf and attached the letter to the present, doing his best to make it neat. Finally, he tied a piece of string around the present, looping it over all the sides, to make it easier for Hedwig to carry. Then he watched her carry it away until she disappeared into the sky bright summer sky. He was already impatient for his answer.

0o0oDraco0o0o

Draco grinned as he read through his (very belated) birthday letter, having sent Hedwig back off home. Harry's messy - sometimes borderline illegible - handwriting always had the ability to make Draco feel less lonely, and today it was doing so marvellously. He read and re-read the letter before placing it aside and carefully began unwrapping his present. He smiled as he pulled out the scarf, holding it against his skin to feel the feather softness that only cashmere could possess. Then he noticed a note torn from a sheet of parchment within the wrapping paper, obviously written by Harry. He picked it up. It read:

Draco,

I know how you're always cold, so I thought this would be perfect. It's enchanted to keep the wearer warm, and (as far as my fashion sense goes) I think it's pretty stylish too. It will certainly look dazzling on you.

-H

Though it was a warm day, Draco hurriedly wrapped the scarf around his neck and felt himself grow warmer until he was at a perfect temperature. Then, to put the cherry on top, Draco realised that, as Harry had been keeping the scarf in his room for a while, it smelt of him. He gathered the fabric to his face, inhaled through his nose... and positively ached from how much he was missing Harry. It was hard to ignore the loneliness when he was engulfed in Harry's smell. Trying to block the feelings from his mind, he walked over to his desk and sat down, pulling parchment and a quill towards him. Harry's birthday was due in a week, so he was going to start the letter now.

Draco had thought long and hard on what to get Harry for his birthday. It wasn't an easily answered question. It couldn't be Quidditch related - everyone got Harry Quidditch stuff. Clothes were out of the question, as they weren't personal enough, and Draco had already given Harry too many drawings for them to be special anymore. So, finally, Draco had decided to go window shopping in search of inspiration. He had asked permission to go into Diagon Alley by himself, and luckily, Narcissa had agreed. After two hours of fruitless searching, something gleaming in a shop window caught his eye - two rings. They were simple to look at - unadorned bands, one silver, one gold - but they were more than they seemed.

"Enchanted," the old man behind the counter had wheezed. "Give this to someone, wear a ring yourself, and you will always know if the other person is in danger."

Rings had originally been crossed off Draco's mental list of possible presents for obvious reasons. Apart from the fact that is was incredibly cheesy, it also made Draco think too much about marriage. He loved Harry, but something about the idea of weddings made his feel strange - maybe because his only experience with courtship was of his parent's very unhappy arranged one. But these rings felt different. They perfectly suited his and Harrys' situation. Draco had left the shop that day with considerably less money than he had entered with.

Draco dipped his quill into a well of dragonfly blue ink, and pressed the nib to the parchment, writing in an elegant, curly hand:

Dear Harry,

Happy birthday you wonderful person! (I'm hoping this get's to you on time.) I hope the muggles aren't being too horrible and that you are having a decent day. I wish I could be there with you. I promise that as soon as you escape from the muggles, I will make your birthday amazing. Until then, I hope my letters provide some form of entertainment.

On the subject of birthdays, THANK YOU! This scarf is absolutely going to change my life this winter. It is so soft! How did you know I liked cashmere? Not to mention it smells of you (i.e. amazing). I'm probably going to look like a complete crazy person, sniffing this scarf all the time, but I don't even care. Thank you. This has totally made my week - no, my year!

Draco made his letters as long as possible because he knew Harry had absolutely nothing to do when he stayed with the muggles. At least Draco had a whole manor to himself - Harry was often confined to a single room for hours or days.

Once Draco had written a good deal, he folded the parchment and sealed it in an envelope. Next, he placed one of the rings - the gold one, as he thought that colour would best suit Harry (he was a Gryffindor, after all) - into a small cushioned box, along with a note explaining what it was and how it worked. Unfortunately, he still had to wait a few days before sending them. But it gave him a sense of accomplishment to know that he had got the job done.

Groaning internally, Draco counted the time left of the summer, knowing that whatever the number, it would be too long.