Classes continued. Harry, Draco, and Hermione were acing every subject. Not that it was fair, considering the fact they had already taken all these classes before. Yet, it still made Hermione and Draco feel proud, like they were still accomplishing something important. However, Hermione was still upset.
"I just don't understand why there wouldn't be some new content they taught us." Hermione complained. Harry looked at her, disbelievingly.
"Hermione, we're time travelers. We went back to the past, not the future. So, yes, they are teaching us the exact same content. However, it is not their fault. Get over it." Harry said after she had repeated the statement for the fifth time.
"You could always self-study." Draco suggested. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"I'm already doing that. I've been doing that since last first year." Hermione scoffed. Ron, who was sitting down the way from them turned to the trio.
"Last first year?" Ron repeated, sounding confused.
"Shut up, Weasley. No one invited you into this conversation." Draco covered quickly. The three looked around at the very public common room.
"Maybe we should talk somewhere else." Harry suggested, getting up and pulling Hermione up with him. They all walked down to the Room of Requirement and wished for a comfy living room to sit in. It quickly appeared and all three walked in. The boys quickly screwed their faces into ones of disgust.
"Who thought of this?" Draco asked as he looked around the bright pink colored living room. Harry nodded in agreement. He thought it quite resembled to medicine his aunt usually gave Dudley when his stomach was sick. Draco looked over at Harry, accusingly. Harry looked back, offended.
"Hey, don't look at me! I couldn't think of something this girly!" Harry defended. They both looked over at Hermione, who was dropping gracefully into a big, hot pink, fluffy chair and sighing in delight.
"Oh, that explains a lot." Draco reasoned, rolling his eyes.
"Do you think we could wish for something to sit on that's not as pink?" Harry asked Draco, who shrugged in reply. Harry wished, and suddenly, two beige recliners appeared. They sat down and relaxed, still quite appalled at the pink, but appeased all the same.
"So, what are you going to do for Christmas, Granger?" Draco asked the young girl now cuddled up in her fuzzy chair. She shrugged.
"Go home. See my family. Realize I DON'T have to Obliviate them this time around." Hermione listed blissfully. Draco sat up straight.
"You Obliviated your own parents?" He asked her, surprised Granger had the nerve to do such a thing.
"Yeah, I sent them to Australia to keep them safe." Hermione explained as she played with a little portion of her chair.
"Oh," Draco mumbled. The room went silent.
"So, Harry, do you still think you'll get presents from the Weasleys this year?" Hermione asked, conversationally. Harry shrugged.
"I'm on the team with the twins, and even though I don't like him, Ron likes me. We'll see." Harry decided evenly.
"Won't you get presents from anyone else?" Draco asked, obliviously. Surely, someone as hero worshipped as Harry would get loads of presents
"Well, let's see. There's the family who hates me, the fact that the only friends I have are you two, and I haven't seen any of my parents' friends since I was a baby. Yeah, that makes for loads of presents." Harry replied sarcastically. He sat silent for a minute before adding, "But I will get the invisibility cloak that's rightfully mine."
Draco sat in awe for a moment before hitting Harry upside the head. "So that's how you did everything."
Harry rubbed his head where it had been hit. "Yeah, it's my dad's. Dumbledore has it. Thinking back, the note he gave made it sound like he was doing me a favor by giving me back my dad's things. It was rightfully mine and should have been saved in their vault, not at Dumbledore's disposal." Harry thought aloud. They sat in silence for a while, letting that information sink in.
Finally, Hermione got up from her seat. "Well, boys, we still have two more weeks of classes before Christmas break. Let's go finish strong." Hermione encouraged. She helped each boy out of their recliners and they all headed back to the Gryffindor tower.
Before Hermione left, she gave the boys a chore to do.
"Now, remember Draco and Harry. We need to research how to take the tracers off our wands. Perhaps when you get the invisibility cloak, you can look in the restricted section for a while." Hermione instructed as the boys helped her put her things into a carriage.
"Yes, Mum." Draco joked as he finished lugging her trunk up onto the floor of the carriage.
With that, Hermione was gone and Harry and Draco were left to their own devices.
If it were not for Draco, they would not have gotten any research done. However, the blond kept the boys on track and soon they had several viable options to test once Hermione got back.
On Christmas day, Harry was surprised as always to find presents at the end of his bed. As he unwrapped the usual-invisibility cloak from Dumbledore, Quidditch through the Ages from Hermione, the fivepence from the Dursleys, a Weasley sweater from Molly (with a not so subtle note stating that her Ronniekins helped her make it)-Harry found the unusual package with Draco's name on it. He opened it up to find a copy of 1984 by George Orwell.
He quirked an eyebrow in confusion. How did Draco know about a muggle book? Better yet, why did he think to give it to Harry? Harry opened the cover and dropped the book like it was hot. Behind the front cover, was a note: To Severus. I know you loved Animal Farm, so I thought you might like this book, too. Maybe we can read it together and discuss it. Hope you enjoy! Lily. His mother. His mother had given this book to Professor Snape. He looked over at Draco.
"How…How did you get this?" Harry asked in wonder. Draco smiled sheepishly.
"I remembered how you said Uncle Sev was a friend of your mother. I asked him for something of your mother's and he gave me this." Draco explained. He paused for a moment and added, "Look in there again. I remember Uncle Sev saying something about giving you a trinket, as well."
Harry looked back in the box and his breath caught. Inside was a muggle photograph of a young Lily, sitting on a swing he recognized as the swing where he knew Professor Snape had met Lily. His throat grew tight and his eyes swelled with tears.
"Thank you." He whispered, directing his gratitude toward Draco.
"It was nothing, really. It was mostly Uncle Sev." Draco shrugged off. Harry shook his head.
"But you asked him. This is more than Ron ever did for me. Thank you." Harry repeated.
"Come on!" Harry whispered under the invisibility cloak.
"Where in the world are you taking me, Harry?" Draco asked as he tried to stay under the invisibility cloak.
"Nowhere if we get caught." Harry replied snottily. He finally stopped, and Draco slammed into him.
"Warning would be nice." Draco snapped at him as Harry pulled off the invisibility cloak. "And what happened to come on?"
"We're here." Harry announced triumphantly.
"What joy." Draco drawled as he looked at the dusty room. "Where are we?"
"Some unused classroom, but that's beside the point." Harry waved off as he stood in front of an old mirror. He stayed silent for a few minutes before sighing and turning to Draco. "Your turn."
"My turn for what? Admiring myself for a godforsaken amount of time in front of an old mirror?" Draco sneered.
"I'm not that vain." Harry shot back as he positioned Draco in front of the mirror. "Just look, and tell me what you see."
Draco sighed and decided to indulge Harry his moment of madness. As he looked, however, he began to see himself and Hermione, surrounded by many children. He looked next to himself and saw nothing.
"Well, what do you see?" Harry asked. Draco shrugged.
"Granger and myself with a bunch of kids." Draco replied lackadaisically.
Harry burst out in shock, "That's your greatest desire?" Draco looked appalled.
"No." He claimed. "What do you mean?" Harry pointed to the top of the mirror.
"You read it backwards. I show not your face, but your heart's desire." Harry read to Draco. "Since when do you have a crush on Hermione?" Draco sputtered.
"I…I don't know." Draco finally managed to get out. "I wasn't sure I had one. I mean, yeah, I did. Who didn't? She's the smartest witch of her age. I…thought I was over it, though."
"Well, the mirror says otherwise." Harry countered. Draco tried to change the subject.
"What do you see, Harry?" He asked.
"My parents and Sirius." Harry replied, looking once again in the mirror. "At least I have a chance at having Sirius back." Draco nodded in understanding. "Anyway, that's all I wanted to show you. So, now you know." Harry finished matter-of-factly. Draco nodded. Harry slipped the cloak back over the both of them and they headed off to bed.