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“Oh, Harry, that’s such a sweet idea!” Mrs Weasley said with a wide smile, watching as Harry cut some snowman-shaped cookies. “So, you’re gifting one of these to the most special people, are you?”
“Er, yeah,” Harry shrugged. “But I’m not really sure how they’ll turn out yet.”
“You let me help you, and I can guarantee you these will be the most beautiful cookies ever made.”
Harry just smiled at her. How could he refuse help from the most talented cook out there? Before he knew, the cookies were ready, and they looked perfect.
Harry didn’t really know where the idea had come from; he simply wanted to give something special to his best friends, something they didn’t expect. He hid a handwritten note inside every cookie, and decorated them differently according to who was to receive them: one for Hermione, one for Ron, one for Luna, and the last one was for…
“Harry! There you are.”
Harry hurried to hide the cookies before Ron could see them. “Yep, I’m in here.”
“Ready for tonight? I must admit I was a bit skeptical at the beginning, what with our past and everything, but maybe mum’s idea to invite the Malfoys to dinner isn’t so bad, after all.”
Harry smiled. “Did Hermione ask you to say that?”
“Pretty much. She asked me to try and be nice to them. Good thing Lucius is still in Azkaban; I don’t think I could be nice to him.”
“That makes two of us.”
Ron frowned. “You seem nervous. Something on your mind?”
“You could say that.”
“Cheer up, mate. Scared of Malfoy, are you?” Ron smirked.
“Nah, not one bit.” Scared wasn’t exactly the right word, but Harry had high expectations for the evening, and deep inside he knew Malfoy had everything to do with him being nervous.
***
Dinner went exceptionally well; after the initial awkwardness, both Draco and Narcissa Malfoy managed to blend in pretty nicely with the atmosphere at the Burrow. Harry was more than surprised. Luna and her father had joined them too, along with Bill and Fleur. It was a cheerful Christmas Eve, all in all.
When the time for dessert came, Harry slipped to the kitchen to retrieve the hidden snowman cookies. Then he waited for everyone to be distracted by the pudding to levitate each of them to their addressees. As soon as he came back to the table, Hermione leaned towards him and whispered: “Thank you, that really was a nice thought. Who else did you give these to?”
“Just Ron and Luna,” Harry replied with nonchalance, helping himself to a slice of pudding.
“Really? Who’s the fourth snowman for?”
“What snowman? There are only three of them.”
Hermione gave him a pointed look. “Oh, come on. I saw you levitate four cookies, not three.”
“Alright. There is a fourth one.”
“And you’re not gonna tell me who’s it for.”
“You'll see.”
“I have a pretty good idea already. I know you better than you think, Harry.” Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione spotted Draco on the other side of the table, faintly blushing and clutching a snowman cookie in his hands, and smiled.