“Why?” Harry asked, drawing the word out warily.
“Just come with me,” Draco insisted, grabbing his hand and pulling him to his feet. “Mum’ll get Victoria.”
Harry saw only suspiciously blank expressions when he glanced around the table at the others. “Where are we going?” he asked, grudgingly allowing himself to be pulled from the room.
Draco didn’t answer and didn’t stop until they stood in the middle of the drawing room.
“Presents?” Harry asked blankly, staring at the large pile of wrapped packages.
“What else would they be?” Draco retorted, but he looked extremely pleased with himself.
“Those are for me?” Harry questioned, brows raised in disbelief.
“I was afraid you might actually think this was bizarre,” Draco muttered. “Yes, these presents are for you, Harry,” he said, gently tugging Harry to sit down on the floor near the pile of packages.
“Where the hell did they come from?” Harry asked, bemusedly staring at the pile. “Certainly this is more presents than I’ve received in my entire life.”
“You’ve been deprived,” Draco said flatly.
Harry sent a sidelong glance at Draco. “And you’ve been spoiled,” he said in amusement, regaining his equilibrium.
“And it is your turn to be spoiled,” Narcissa said pleasantly.
The adults had followed and taken seats where they could watch Harry open his gifts. Narcissa set a cleaned-up Victoria on the floor, who immediately crawled over to the colourfully wrapped boxes.
“Where’d all this come from?” Harry asked. “It’s not like anyone could go shopping or anything.”
“Well, some of it Mum and I shopped for before we came to your house that first day,” Draco admitted casually. “Others, I’ve had to get the matching pair’s help with.”
Harry blinked in astonishment. “You were preparing to go into hiding, and you went shopping?!”
“Only Mum did, really,” Draco said. “You know I couldn’t go out, even then. I just told her what I wanted.”
Harry gaped at Narcissa. “Why would you do such a thing?” he asked. He was certain he’d completely surpassed his sense of the bizarre. This was incomprehensible to him.
Severus was the one who answered. “Narcissa spent a whirlwind few hours shopping, in several cities, leaving me an impossible trail to follow,” he said dryly. “It was not entirely for your benefit.”
“Thank Merlin,” Harry said gratefully. He never would have considered shopping as a way of eluding people, but it made an odd sort of sense when it came to Malfoys.
“You want presents as well?” Harry asked Victoria in amusement. She’d managed to pull a strip of paper off of one of the packages and was waving it delightedly as if it were a flag. “I’m sure your grandmother bought you lots of things for your birthday next month.”
“She did,” Draco said, grinning. “But Victoria can practice on yours. It’s already two o’clock and you’ve only got so much time.”
“You said I’ve got until six o’clock,” Harry protested.
“No, I said you were expected at the Weasley’s at six o’clock,” Draco corrected. “I didn’t say that you didn’t have other plans between now and then.”
“Where else am I supposed to be?” Harry asked, his voice rising incredulously.
“Open your gifts and then you’ll find out,” Draco said, smirking at him.
“I believe Draco is using your sense of curiosity to make sure you accept and open these gifts,” Remus said in amusement.
“But I don’t want to accept all this,” Harry protested. “It’s too much.”
“See, I told you he’d argue with me about them,” Draco said to Severus.
“I do not recall disagreeing with you,” Severus said dryly.
“Harry,” Lucius spoke up quietly, capturing everyone’s attention. “My wife and son are clearly quite taken with you and only wish to give you gifts in appreciation and recognition of your birthday. From what I understand, you deserve to be spoiled for once. It will not detract from your character to accept the gifts in the spirit they have been given.”
Nonplussed, Harry couldn’t figure out how to argue against Lucius’ comments.
“Come on, just open them,” Draco encouraged. “And if Severus tries to say anything to bother you again, like during lunch, I’ll Silence him for you.”
Harry grinned at the now scowling Severus. “Well, with an offer like that . . .,” he said, leaving the statement hanging.
“Start opening, brat,” Severus said wryly.
“Yes, sir,” Harry said, grinning cheekily amongst the others’ laughter.
Harry still had trouble comprehending that it was all for him, but he had a lot of fun with Draco and Victoria, opening all of the packages. Many of the presents were clothing items of one sort of another, which didn’t surprise Harry, considering he knew how Draco felt about his wardrobe.
What did surprise Harry was the fact that much of it was things that he actually liked. It wasn’t all fancy clothing like Draco tended to favour, and there was a mix of both Muggle and Wizard. He received everything from jeans and t-shirts to formal robes. He grinned in amusement when he received his own silk pyjamas. He appreciated them, but had to wonder at the slight twinge of disappointment that he had no excuse to borrow Draco’s anymore. He rather liked wearing Draco’s things.
Amongst the gifts was the outfit Draco informed him he’d be wearing to the wedding. Black, fitted trousers, white dress shirt, green tie, and open robes that were black with green trim. A phoenix was embroidered in the same emerald green on the back of the robes. Added to the clothing was the tie tack, cufflinks and robe clasp – all silver phoenixes with emerald eyes. Belt and shiny black shoes rounded out the ensemble.
Harry choked at the idea of owning an ensemble. “Draco, I can’t wear all that,” he protested. “I’ll look . . . expensive.”
Draco chuckled. “You’re going to look stunning,” he corrected.
“People are going to know I didn’t pick this out,” Harry tried again.
“Of course they’ll know,” Draco said, matter-of-fact. “That’s why you’re going to tell them you bought your basic clothes, Lupin got you the robe, and the matching pair borrowed the jewellery for you because of the special occasion.”
“Oh, well, as long as you have it all figured out for me,” Harry said sarcastically.
“No boyfriend of mine is going to attend a wedding looking scruffy,” Draco said, wrinkling his nose at the very idea.
“I was going to dress nicely,” Harry protested. “Uh, not as nicely as this, though,” he admitted, his fingers tracing lightly over the phoenix pattern on the robe.
“I think you’re going to look incredibly handsome,” Draco said. “And I think it’s quite fitting for you. The silver and green represent Slytherin, while the phoenixes represent your role in the Order.”
“I do like it,” Harry admitted softly, still tracing the phoenix. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Draco said, his voice just as soft. “I’ve, uh, got one more thing for you to wear,” he said hesitantly. “Well, I reckon it’s two, not one.”
Harry looked at him curiously, recognizing Draco’s sudden nervousness, but not understanding the cause for it.
