As tempting as it was to spend more time in the shower thinking about what might have happened if he and Draco had been a little bolder, Harry refused to let his thoughts wander far — the twins could only keep people occupied for so long. He changed into his Holyhead Harpies t-shirt and comfortable jeans, heading back down to the party. Now that he was actually paying attention, he was impressed at how quickly the twins had prepared for the gathering; there was a long table of snacks, no doubt stolen from the kitchens, and a huge stack of butterbeer crates. Music played beneath the chatter of the crowd, and they'd even managed to string some more Christmas decorations up — all in Gryffindor colours, of course. Harry found the pair sat with an assortment of other sixth years, as well as Neville, Ginny, Ron and Hermione. There was a gap on the sofa between the twins, and Harry squeezed himself into it. "Cheers," he said, both for the saved seat and for distracting everyone from wondering what was taking Harry so long. Fred merely winked at him, grinning.
"Where'd you get that t-shirt, Harry?" Ron asked, eyeing the green Harpies shirt over. Harry shrugged.
"Birthday present." Let them think it was from Sirius.
"I'm glad someone here has taste," Ginny teased, offering Harry a fist-bump. "The Harpies are way better than the Cannons."
That set Ron off on a long rant about how the Cannons were trying their best with poor management, and Harry rolled his eyes, turning instead to the older students. "Welcome to Gryffindor," he said to the assorted non-Gryffindors, grinning up at Cho as she returned with several bottles of butterbeer in hand, clambering over the back of the sofa to perch in Cedric's lap. She handed a bottle to Harry, smiling.
"Oh, I've been up here before," Cassius said offhandedly. "The Christmas decorations are a nice touch, though. Very festive." "When have you been up here?" Harry asked with raised eyebrows. The Slytherin's olive cheeks flushed.
"None of your business, Potter," he retorted. Harry smirked at him, wondering if it had to do with his mysterious someone. Was Cassius dating a Gryffindor?
"That was some brilliant flying, Harry!" Cho enthused, tapping the neck of her bottle against Harry's own. "Really impressive!"
"Yeah, I didn't know you had it in you, Potter!" Patrick, one of Cedric's roommates, added with a grin. "Bet Krum'll think twice about challenging people in future." Despite definitely being more Cedric's friends than Harry's, none of them seemed upset that Harry had so firmly beaten Cedric. Even Cedric himself was grinning, insisting he was proud of himself for even catching the snitch twice. "I was playing well out of my league," he said, running a hand through his hair. "Both in brooms and in skill. But it was loads of fun!"
"I'll let you try out my Firebolt sometime," Harry promised. "You too, Cho, if you want." The Ravenclaw seeker lit up at that.
While Harry was still getting random people coming up to congratulate him, the party seemed to have changed from a celebration of his victory to an informal Christmas gathering, everyone just enjoying being able to hang out. It made Harry wonder why the school didn't have some sort of inter-house common room — again, nobody encouraged the houses to mix. It was ridiculous!
The happy atmosphere was abruptly broken when the portrait hole swung open, and McGonagall stepped into the room. She blinked, doing a double-take at the crowd inside. With a wave of her wand, the music cut off, and everyone turned to her with wide eyes. "I was told of a disruption in the Gryffindor common room," she declared, tone firm. "What, may I ask, is the meaning of this?"
"Harry beat Viktor Krum at quidditch!" Seamus piped up from the back of the room. McGonagall pursed her lips. "I am aware. I was present," she said. "That does not explain why the common room is overrun. This is supposed to be a space for Gryffindors!"
"The school rules say we're allowed to bring guests, Professor," Katie Bell pointed out. McGonagall didn't look impressed.
"One guest, Miss Bell," she retorted sternly. "One guest per person."
All of a sudden, the crowd shifted. George reached out to sling an arm around Cassius' shoulders. Fred put a hand on Cedric's arm. Harry reached over to grab Cho's hand. All over the common room, Gryffindors were claiming their non-Gryffindor companions, until everyone was in pairs. Every single guest was accounted for.
McGonagall's face was tight, her lips a thin line that most people assumed was her trying to stifle her anger. Harry knew better — his housemistress was trying really hard not to smile. "Very well," she said eventually. "Just keep the noise down. And make sure the password is changed by this evening, Miss Dunn." The seventh year prefect nodded, smiling with her arm linked with Beatrice Haywood from Hufflepuff.
"Yes, Professor," she chirped, cheeks dimpled. McGonagall nodded curtly.
"Carry on, then." She let the music resume and turned on her heel, leaving them to their party. Harry let go of Cho's hand with a grin.
Perhaps the Gryffindor housemistress wasn't quite as much under Dumbledore's thumb as he thought.
.-.-.-.
The day after the now-legendary seeker's match was Christmas Eve, and Harry was up in the dorm alone, reading quietly before lunch. He was sore after all that flying, and not really in the mood for being down in the crowds after the day before. Peace and quiet was becoming a rare thing, and he'd take what he could get. Leaning back against his headboard, Harry blinked when a piece of parchment suddenly appeared between the open pages of his book. It was a small note, with only two words in a very familiar handwriting. Come down.
What did Snape need him for on Christmas Eve? Harry had assumed the man would be back at Seren Du with Remus. Maybe Remus had come to Hogwarts instead!
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