Chérie, parchments and quills

Chapter Fourteen - Concealed truths

'The cold winds were determined, he'd give mother nature that,' Harry thought, as he utilized yet another warming charm. Draco and himself, both masked under glamour charms to hide their appearance, knew that Diagon Alley would be packed, but it was brutally chaotic!

"Discourteous, uncouth prats!" Draco sneered as he was bumped into for the hundredth time. He would have been granted a wide berth had his appearance remained the one he had been born with, but it wasn't worth the verbal and physical abuse an ex-Death Eater would be subjected too. Yes, he would have been avoided by most, in fear and disgust, but those that felt justice had not met...

"I'm almost finished here Draco." Harry tried to contain his mirth, unaware of Draco's darkening thoughts. "I just need to pick up Teddy's; I promised Andromeda I'd buy him a new broom."

"Broom?" Asked Draco, his frown framing blue eyes – strange against that foreign complexion, shortened chin, and dark brown hair. "Is he hoping to make the team then?"

They weaved through the crowds of excited, last minute Christmas shoppers as they walked back up the hill to Quality Quidditch Supplies. Chatter, laughter, merchants calling out deals, and frenzied parents running after excited children... all ambient for the week leading up to Christmas.

Draco glared at anyone that dared to come too close to them – the man didn't mind crowds per se, but he hated being touched and knocked into. Harry was in the same frame of mind actually, but he had more tolerance for rambunctious crowds when they didn't know his real identity... Yes, they'd never get anything done if they knew their 'hero' was among them.

"Yeah," nodded Harry, "he wants to try out for the chaser position that will open up after the summer. Mylo Yarwood is a seventh year so he won't be here next year."

They passed a crowd of rosy-cheeked children, pressed up close against the windows of 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' with their gloved covered hands. Their innocent faces stared longingly at the brightly animated products on display in the charmed windows - charmed to snow over the various merchandise within, where the assortment of goods popped, cracked, flashed, bounced, and shrieked. Harry smiled at the ooh's' and 'wow's' and other exclamations of amazement and wonder, but his smile turned sombre as he remembered Fred...

George and Angelina had worked hard to maintain the Wesley business, and it was blooming... literally. They'd stopped in earlier to wish them both a Merry Christmas, and they'd brought a few things for the older Weasley children there too.

"Why not buy it for his birthday then..." Draco's voice tore Harry away from his thoughts, "wasn't he born in April?"

"He was, yeah..." Harry paused as he heard the shrill voice of a frazzled mother, demanding her son come away from the window as they had lots to get done, "...but he wants to practice. Hufflepuff have some great players this year..." Harry had to pause again, to let a herd of giggling girls pass by with their Christmas shopping. He found himself pressed up close to a warm body... Draco's body – unchanged, unlike his glamoured facial features. Draco's hand gripped his shoulder as the man glared at the 'impertinent' females.

Harry's heart wilted as he moved away from the man to continue on up the hill – he really had fallen hopeless in love with Draco Malfoy.

"You were saying?" Draco drawled, still bitter that their conversation had been rudely interrupted. Harry was so jubilant and joyous today despite the crowds, and even though the man hadn't stopped talking up a storm, he rather enjoyed listening to him; It was good to see Harry so frivolous, instead of over worked and stressed. "About Teddy, and that Hufflepuff have good players this year."

"Ah, right, yeah... erm ... he's worried that he won't be good enough to get in. Andromeda only had enough to buy him a second-hand broom, so he only has his Nimbus 2000."