I'll Take That Chance

CH 23 - He Headed to His Room, Smiling Like a Fool the Whole Way

"Harry, you're supposed to drink it, not inhale it," Neville laughed once Harry could take a real breath.

"Very funny, Neville. How are you doing this morning?" he asked carefully.

"Good. I came to ask if you guys were going to Hogsmeade tomorrow." He looked between he and Draco and Draco nodded at him cautiously.

"We are looking forward to a nice, quiet afternoon," he said carefully, and he looked at Harry who shrugged.

"Me too," Neville nodded. He played with a fork and tapped it on the table a couple of times and looked back up. "Luna and I are going to grab a butterbeer at the Hogs Head and Hermione said she and Ron would join us as well." He took a deep breath and Harry started smiling, knowing where Neville was headed. "I know we would all have more fun together, so I wanted to personally invite the two of you as well." Harry felt a great rush of respect for Neville but before he could answer, Draco stood up and held his hand out. Neville stood and grabbed it, shaking warmly.

"We would be glad to join you, thank you Neville," Draco said, and Harry smiled.

"Awesome. Well, I'll catch you tomorrow morning and figure out a time. See you guys then," Neville said as he walked off to join Luna at the Ravenclaw table. Draco looked at him with a pleasantly surprised look on his face and Harry motioned his head to the door.

"Let's get down to class a little early." Once they were out on the grounds, Harry grabbed Draco by the hand. Draco looked down at him with a nervous smile but Harry winked back. Draco gripped his hand tighter and Harry walked closer so their arms brushed together. He looked down at Harry again and must have noticed him grinning broadly.

"You seem mighty pleased," Draco chuckled.

"I am. Neville wasn't too sure about you when I first told him about us, but as he's one of my closest friends, I'm glad to see he's coming around. Plus I like holding hands with you out in the open, I'm proud of us and our relationship." Harry squeezed his hand again and had to swallow around the lump in his throat at the intimately soft look Draco was giving him. As they got closer to the paddock for class, they found Hagrid peering up into a large tree inside of a cage.

"What are we looking for, Professor?" Draco asked, but Hagrid kept his eyes on the topmost branches.

"I've got us a Clabbert for our next few lessons. Right now though, he's hidin' up there, just watchin' us." Harry could see the excited gleam in Dracos eye as he tightened his grip on Harry's hand and pulled him forward, the two of them looking as well. Hagrid cleared his throat and Harry looked up, red in the face but he didn't let go of Draco's hand.

"You boys seem to be in a good mood today," Hagrid said with a grin and Harry nodded, smiling as well.

"We are, Hagrid." Draco looked between the two of them, his cheeks pink and Harry laughed as Hagrid smiled a mischievous grin. "So, what exactly is a Clabbert?"

"Oh, a Clabbert? How exciting!" Hermione exclaimed, coming up behind them and she looked closely into the tree as well. "I've only ever read about them, but there wasn't much in the Library." Harry laughed as Ron and Draco rolled their eyes in unison. Suddenly, the tree branches started shaking and a small creature slowly climbed down the tree and came to look at them. It looked somewhat like a monkey mixed with a frog.

"Ugly," Ron remarked.

"But useful," Draco said. They stepped forward and Draco took a pear from the basket Hagrid held out and offered it to the animal. It had a large knot on his head that was wobbling a tiny bit, but he took the fruit and slowly took a bite. Draco smiled, "the Clabbert can sense danger. That pustule on his forehead will light up brightly, if it senses any, as a warning. But you're right, Ron, not the greatest to look at," he said back to them quietly, so the animal wouldn't hear.