I've noticed in the past (and now) that I tend to start chapters with waking up and/or ending them with going to bed. I really need to break that habit *looks at first sentence of chapter* never mind

Harry woke up on Boxing Day feeling very content with himself. If he could go back in time and redo the Yule Ball, he would. He went down to breakfast with Luna as usual and asked her how was the ball.

"It was very magical. We got ourselves underneath a mistletoe," she said.

"Do you think there were any Nargles in it?" Harry asked.

"Possibly. I couldn't find my shoes this morning. And how was your night?"

A dreamy smile crossed Harry's lips. "Amazing."

"I thought so," Luna said. "Do look now, your boyfriend is staring."

Harry turned around and caught Fred's eye. Fred smiled at him, and Harry turned back around, biting his lip.

Instead of Hagrid waiting for them for Care of Magical Creatures, there was an elderly gray-haired witch named Professor Grubbly-Plank. She led them past the paddock and to the edge of the forest where a unicorn was tethered.

Many of the girls "oooooh!" in awe.

Harry had to agree; the unicorn was a beautiful animal, with its bright white coat and golden hooves.

"Boys, keep back!" Professor Grubbly-Plank said. "They prefer the woman's touch, unicorns. Girls to the front, and approach with care, come on, easy does it..."

She and the girls made their way forward, leaving the boys by the paddock fence.

"I wonder where Hagrid is," Harry muttered.

"You haven't heard?" Draco said.

"What d'you mean?"

Draco pulled out a folded page of newsprint. "It's not good."

Harry took it and looked it over. Hagrid was on the front and in big letters was the headline: DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT MISTAKE.

It talked about how unsafe Hagrid's classes were, albeit in a twisted, overly exaggerated way- what was this about Crabbe being bitten by a flobberworm; they didn't even have any teeth!- and his blood status as a half-giant. Giants were notoriously aggressive creatures, but Hagrid wasn't aggressive. Harry would concede that the creatures he showed were not entirely safe, but then again, a lot of the things they did were not safe- just look at Potions! One wrong move and there could be an explosion.

"Rubbish, the lot of it," Harry said flatly, crumpling it up and tossing it back to Draco, who only just managed to catch it.

When they returned to the castle for lunch, George and Fred came over and plopped down next to him, ignoring the stares he was getting. "Hey, Har," he greeted him.

"Hey." Harry smiled at them. "Are you allowed to sit at other tables?" He never heard of such a thing.

"No rule against it," Fred replied nonchalantly.

"You only sit at your table during the feasts at the beginning and end of the year," Luna said, sliding in on Harry's other side.

"I wish I had known sooner," George said. "Imagine how fun it would have been."

Harry groaned at the thought of the twins wreaking havoc at individual houses.

"Have you figured out the egg, Harry?" Luna asked.

"Not yet."

"Well, you should take up Cedric's offer tonight," Luna suggested.

"I can join you," Fred said, eyebrows wiggling.

"Sure, why not?"

"Really?" Fred perked up.

"That's what I said, isn't it?"

"Do spare me the details," George said, though he was grinning. "We don't need to know everything about each other."

"Oh!" Harry squeaked in surprise once he understood. "We're not- there's no- George!"

"Sorry."

"I'll meet you at your common room," Harry said to Fred. "We can both fit under my Cloak."

That night, Fred exited the Gryffindor common room. "Harry?" he whispered.

"I'm here." Harry's head emerged. "Come on."

Fred ducked down, his taller height making it slightly awkward under the cloak. "Do you want me to hold something?" he asked.

"Here." Harry handed him the egg as he looked at the map. Fred thought back fondly to when he and George had given Harry the Marauder's Map. Good times...

They crept down the hall carefully and reached Boris the Bewildered. Harry said the password- "Pine fresh-" and went in.

The bathroom looked lovely, with its marble floors and white linen curtains. A painting on the wall featured a mermaid asleep on a rock.

"Any idea what to do?" Fred asked as Harry removed the cloak.

"Not exactly. Cedric just said to take a bath and mull things over in the water," Harry answered as he turned in the tap, which started to fill the tub with hot, foaming water.

"Well, no time like the present." Fred began stripping off his pajamas. "Let's go."

Harry didn't move for a moment, just stared owlishly at Fred's lean frame. He snapped out of it and looked away, suddenly hesitant to take off his own pajamas. But he didn't want to back out now, so he reluctantly removed his clothes. With his back to Fred's, he didn't see the brown eyes boring into him just as intently as he had a moment ago.

By now, the tub had filled, so Harry turned the tap off and slid in. Fred did as well, egg in hands. "Now what?"

"Maybe we should put it under the water?" Harry suggested, remembering how the egg had screeched while above.

"Worth a shot." Fred lowered the egg until it sank beneath the water and opened it. The wailing was replaced with a gurgling song, but neither could understand a word. "Shall we?"

Harry nodded. They took a deep breath and lowered their heads.

"Come seek us where our voices sound,

We cannot sing above the ground,

And while you're searching, ponder this:

We've taken what you'll sorely miss,

An hour long you'll have to look,

And to recover what we took,

But past an hour– the prospect's black,

Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."

Harry and Fred burst out from the water.

"All right," Fred said, running a hand over his face to wipe away the excess water. "I did not understand that at all."

It took a few repetitions for them to understand.

"You have to retrieve something within an hour," Fred finally said.

"From the lake," Harry added thoughtfully, looking at the mermaid.

"Which has mermaids in it?" Fred guessed, following Harry's gaze.

"Probably. How the hell am I supposed to breathe underwater for an hour?"

"You'll find a way," Fred reassured him. "You're brilliant at research." He smiled softly at Harry. "You're brilliant at everything."

"Except Quidditch," Harry replied. He had tried playing the sport a couple times with his guardians, but only Sirius really had any skill. Remus hadn't been terrible, but he clearly preferred having both feet on the ground. Harry had decided to stop playing after he caught the Snitch in his mouth. Yuck.

"Almost everything," Fred corrected himself, and then he leaned in.

Their second kiss was just as wonderful as the first, if not a bit damp. Fred ran his hand through Harry's wet hair, pulling him in closer.

"Let's go," Harry said, pulling apart first.

He let out a squeak when Fred got out, exposing his full front side. Okay, he did not need to see that.

Fred looked at Harry curiously when he heard him squeak, belatedly realizing he was still stark naked. "See something you like?" he teased.

Harry turned away, face red. "No?" What was he supposed to say?

"Harry," Fred said, realizing what was troubling him, "if you're ever uncomfortable with something I do, tell me. I won't be offended."

"I'm fine," Harry said. "It's not a big deal."

Fred nodded unconvinced as he watched Harry hurriedly grab his pajamas and put them on. Only when they were both dried and dressed did Harry relax. "Ready?"

"Let's go."

And back under the cloak they went.

Can't blame ya, Harry. I'd be uncomfortable if I saw a dick, too

Just remembered a dream I had some time ago. The details are fuzzy, but I remember walking down the Hogwarts corridors and I know that sounds uneventful, but it felt so real... I'd do anything to even be INSIDE Hogwarts