Old Habits Die Hard (HP - Harry)

[HPG]

Wow! That would be one interesting Quidditch game to be observing (if you didn't, or did, know what was going on). As always, the story is superb, and thank you for the hugs! Here's one back

[Not_Telling]

@fang815: Poor Harry indeed! And rereading is a compliment! (at least to me )

@MJ: HEYYYY look who it is!!! The old VB collaborator of Keeping It Hidden! You have no idea how much it means to me that you are enjoying our story! The one you and VB did is like an HP sneezefic LEGEND, it totally inspired me to write Harry Potter! <3 Thank you for that.

@Seniorstatus14: Oh Draco. He's so misunderstood.....and hot....

@HarryPotterGeek: Goodness, I can only imagine Hugs anytime!

Here's the next part!

***

Part Thirteen

Harry breathed heavily, grasping his broomstick as tightly as he could, his chest heaving and resting on the front of the broom. He looked ahead of him. Malfoy was way ahead. Harry watched in dismay as he saw Draco’s arm reach out and envelope his hand around the Golden Snitch. He then heard, in a muffled sort of voice, Lee Jordan, the announcer:

“Draco Malfoy has caught the Snitch, earning 150 points for the Slytherin team!”

The game was over. Gryffindor had lost.

Harry landed his broom, where all the other Gryffindor Quidditch players had gathered. Well, except for Ron, who was preoccupied with the two Slytherins skipping around him and singing ‘Weasley is our King’. As Harry wobbled over to the rest of the team, he was stopped by Fred and George. Fred was looking at Harry with his usual expression of bemusement, while George on the other hand was looking at him with an air of apprehensiveness. Each twin stood on either side of Harry.

“Great job, Harry!” Fred said encouragingly.

“It was really, really close.” George optimistically noted.

“We got a lot of points,” Fred began.

“And only lost by, like, 20! Well, not counting deductions, of course.” George finished.

“If we’d only gotten a couple more goals…”

H’kshh! Heh’kshoo! Kshhn! H’kshhn! H’keshh! H’keshh!

Fred stepped back in surprise. “Merlin bless, Harry!”

Harry sniffled. “Th-Thanks-“

He was cut off when his voice cracked and was soon doubled over in a fit of wet, chesty coughing. Both twins looked at each other in bewilderment, George placing one hand on Harry’s back and rubbing in deep circles. “Harry…”

Harry looked up and met George’s eyes.

“You’re sick, aren’t you?”

Harry said nothing. He just turned around and crossed his arms, refusing to meet their eyes. As grateful as he was to Professor McGonagall for letting him play, he couldn't bring himself to let anyone know of his current ailment. But he didn't want to break his promise either, so he just said nothing and stumbled out of the arena, nearly falling over in the process.

Meanwhile, all the Slytherins were celebrating and congratulating Draco on a job well done. Draco just smiled as they jumped and shouted, but his smile began to fade as he caught sight of Harry, who was straying away from his team to go Merlin-knows-where.

Merely out of curiosity, and not at all out of concern, mind you, Draco decided to follow the Pothead. Just because he felt that Potter was up to something and he wanted to know what. No other reason, no further questions.

Draco walked out of the arena, following Potter from a safe distance. A part of Draco was kicking himself for doing this. It’s cold. It’s rainy. What the heck are you doing stalking Potter when you could be warming up inside?

“Just because your concer- ahem, curious about whatever idiotic thing Potter is doing doesn’t mean that…*huff* Honestly Draco, you’ve got to stop talking to yourself!”

He heard footsteps behind him, and whipped his head around to find Crabbe and Goyle chuckling at their leader’s inhibitions. Draco snarled. “What the hell are you two sniggering at?”

They immediately stopped laughing and ran off to their dorms, the cowards.

Draco turned back around and stomped his foot when he realized that he had lost Harry. Not that he cared. He reluctantly headed back in the direction of the Slytherin Dungeon.

H’kshh!

He was almost there when he heard the unmistakable sound of Harry’s sneeze. Draco tried to ignore it by reminding himself of how annoying Potter was, how he hated him so, and how if Potter chose to let himself suffer, to sit in the rain while terribly ill to the extent in which he was probably going to faint, then so be it.

H’keshh!

What if Potter really did faint? Madame Pomfrey wouldn’t get back from her Conference for at least a few days. B-but so what? Draco wouldn’t feel guilty. This was his enemy. He deserved this, right? Plus, what if Potter was contagious? Draco didn’t want to get sick.

Heh…Ik’sshhooo!

No! He would not relent. He would not give in. Draco absolutely refused to-

Kshoo! Kshh! Heh-kshnn!

Oh, f**k it.

Draco rushed over to the source of the sound, which was ironically only a few yards away. Harry was lying on his side near the Black Lake, curled up so as to conserve body heat, shivering and lacking the energy and motivation to get up.

[Seniorstatus14]

Ahh!!! Draco's internal argument is amazing! Poor Harry! But I love the twins' concern! Gosh I just love this fic so much! It's definitely one of my favorites!

[Emily]

Oh god now you're embarrassing me ^^; "sneeze fic legend"? I'm really happy knowing you were inspired by it! And this must have taken you guys forever to write and organize (all the blood, sweat, and tears!) so kudos to both of you guys!

Still loving the Gred and Forge thing going on there. 8D I swear there isn't enough of them which almost makes me feel like writing about them LOL

[Pyrus_Fangmon]

Heeheehee oh Harry, so much happiness you give me.

[Not_Telling]

@Seniorstatus14: Aw, thank you so so much ! You have no idea how happy that makes me

@MJ: Yeah, I think we started in...September? But yeah the twins are awesome~

@fang815: And so wonderfully stubborn too!

Okay, here's my last part for now. Part fifteen will be posted by VividBubbles! A little bit more Draco fun for you guys

***

Part Fourteen

Draco crouched down in front of Harry. The shivering boy’s eyes were closed tight, in pain it seemed. Draco nudged him. He didn’t budge. The Slytherin rolled his eyes. “I always knew you were an idiot, Potter…”

Harry’s eyes shot open. “Balfoy?”

Draco stumbled back, caught off guard with Harry’s sudden awakening. “Christ, Potter! I thought you were asleep!”

Harry sniffled, still not moving from his spot. “I wasd’t. Did I scare you?”

Malfoy scoffed at that. “No! You most certainly did not! And despite what you may think, I did not come here to ‘help’ you.”

“I never said you did.”

Draco ignored him. “I came here for an apology, for crash-landing on my broom. I was riding on it, for your information. I could’ve died, you know. That could’ve killed me!” He dramatically exclaimed, wildly flailing his arms for added emphasis.

“Fide. Sorry.”

Draco stomped his foot in aggravation. Then he looked at Harry and said lamely, “It’s raining, Potter.”

“Really? I did’t kdow.”

“And-and you’re wet.”

“Yes…”

Draco looked at him in bewilderment, quickly losing his temper. “So what the bloody hell are you doing out here?!”

Harry only coughed in response.

“You’re sick, Potter.”

“I ab dot.”

“Yes, you are.”

“Ndo, I’b dot.”

“YES YOU ARE!”

“Ndo I’b dot!”

“No you’re not!”

“Yes I amb! Wait…”

Harry groaned, just realizing his mistake. Draco smirked at him, and helped him to his feet.

H’keshh! H’kshooo! Heh-kshh!

“Come on, Pothead. Let’s get you dried off before you catch pneumonia and I get infected with it and die.”

And with that, Draco began helping (yes, helping) Harry back to the castle. As they walked, Draco swore to go straight to the Hospital Wing as soon as Madame Pomfrey got back, and ask for a potion to cure someone going mentally insane.

[Pyrus_Fangmon]

“You’re sick, Potter.”

“I ab dot.”

“Yes, you are.”

“Ndo, I’b dot.”

“YES YOU ARE!”

“Ndo I’b dot!”

“No you’re not!”

“Yes I amb! Wait…”

Omg I'm dying of laughter! Harry just got Loony Tooned! Oh god my sides hurt!

[Emily]

“You’re sick, Potter.”

“I ab dot.”

“Yes, you are.”

“Ndo, I’b dot.”

“YES YOU ARE!”

“Ndo I’b dot!”

“No you’re not!”

“Yes I amb! Wait…”

Omg I'm dying of laughter! Harry just got Loony Tooned! Oh god my sides hurt!

AHAHAHAHA LOONY TOONED I LIKE THAT

Harry/Draco exchanges are always cute. Do I smell fluffy slash here?

[Seniorstatus14]

“Come on, Pothead. Let’s get you dried off before you catch pneumonia and I get infected with it and die.”

And with that, Draco began helping (yes, helping) Harry back to the castle. As they walked, Draco swore to go straight to the Hospital Wing as soon as Madame Pomfrey got back, and ask for a potion to cure someone going mentally insane.

Oh my goodness gracious!! I just giggled so loud! My little brother thinks I've gone insane! Hahaha

[squealofapproval]

DRACO

DRACO DEAREST,

We all know you like him so shut up. #swerve #gayforpotter

[Kali]

Imagine my joy and surprise when I opened the little Fanficion tab and saw there were THREE NEW UPDATES for this story!!! I love this story so much. It's amazing how Draco keeps trying not to admit to himself that he cares about Harry :') If he blesses Harry, I think I might just about die.

This writing is perfect!! I'm so glad you guys are continuing this, and as usual, I'll be waiting impatiently for the next part. This is soooo adorable!!

[HPG]

OH MY GOODNESS THIS STORY!!! And, of course, your hug

[Dylan]

DUDE

I love you.

And Draco XD

[Not_Telling]

Wow, so many comments!

@fang815: Heeheehee oh Harry why u so stu-piiiid Thanks. Thought a little comic relief would be nice here

@Emily: Hey hey, the old screen name's back! And...uh...there's no...fluffy slash going on...nope...not at all...

@Seniorstatus14: Ahaha Draco's so dramatic I do that alot when I'm reading a fanfiction, then my family looks at me strangely

@Awko the taco: #shutupdraco

@Kali: Awh thanks so much Kals :D never fear, there's one more chapter of Draco to come!

@HarryPotterGeek: And another one for you~

@BringVerityTheHorizon: Daw luv you too Vers <3 And Draco, of course!

Okay guys, this next part was written by VividBubbles! But she's having a bit of computer/technology/something problems so I'ma go ahead and post it for you.

Enjoy!

***

Part Fifteen (VB!)

Draco Malfoy wasn't sure how he got to this place in his life, but what he was sure of was that no one would ever know of it. When Draco first helped Harry from the ground, it was the heat that surprised him. At first the warmth encompassed him, warming him up and protecting him from the cold, but it soon became sweltering and Draco wasn’t entirely sure how Harry hadn't boiled his brain yet, when he was drenched in sweat after only carrying the guy for about five minutes.

"Merlin, Potter, how your brain isn't boiled mush right now is beyond me." Draco said, stopping for a second to wipe his soaked forehead on his robe. I shouldn't be like this, he thought. Malfoys aren't meant to do manual labor, Malfoys aren't meant to be sweaty.

Harry merely spat out a quiet and airy "S-sorry", panting and out of breath from the walk, before turning into his free arm's elbow to cough. And cough. And cough.

That's the second thing that surprised Draco. Harry's breathing sounded terrible, panting with little coughs injected in between, and Draco just couldn't help but feel concerned for the raven haired boy.

Rubbing Harry's back soothingly, Draco was finally able to coax him up the first two staircases to the Gryffindor dormitories. That's when it got more difficult. Past those first couple staircases, Draco didn’t really know which way to turn, having never needed to go to the Gryffindor common room before, and he had to continually ask Harry, who was slowly but surely falling asleep on him, for directions.

It was time consuming, and very surprising that they met no other students, but they finally made it to the Fat Lady's portrait. "Oh, hello dears," she addressed them, before catching sight of Harry. "Oh! What on Earth happened to him?"

Draco scowled at her irritatingly high voice and Harry flinched in his sleep.

"Nothing, just let us in." The Slytherin demanded.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear, but I can't do that. You'll need the password."

Draco frowned. He didn't want to wake Harry, but he obviously had no other choice, other than to just leave the Pothead to sleep on the staircase.

"Potter," Draco whispered, jostling the boy. "Wake up."

Harry merely mumbled in his sleep and turned his face away. Draco sighed and tried again.

"Harry! Wake up!" This time Harry woke up, groggy but luckily still comprehensive.

"What?" The tone was irritable and almost whiny. Draco rolled his eyes before replying.

"We need the password to get in, you knit-wit! What is it?"

Harry shook his head a bit, as if trying to clear it, before looking up at the Fat Lady.

"Bimbbulus mbimbbletodnia."

The portrait gave him a funny look. "Um, could you repeat that dear?"

Harry sighed and ran an angry hand through his hair, sniffling a couple times to try and clear the congestion.

"Mb-Mimbulus mi-hh-mimbldo-heh!-ia…K'sshhhhh! Isshhhx! Hehsshxgh!"

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Oh for the love of Merlin, Potter." He looked up at the Fat Lady, a confused expression plastered on her chubby face. "Mimbulus mimbldonia!"

The portrait swung open into the common room and Draco let out a sigh of relief. He turned to Harry who was blushing and embarrassed.

"Now you get in there and go to bed, Potter. I'm tired of you."

Harry nodded and gave him a little grin. "Thanks, Malfoy," he said, turning to step through the portrait hole. Then he paused. “Um, would you mind not telling anyone about this?”

Draco shakes his head. "Oh, don’t worry. No one is ever going to find out about this. ‘Least not while I’m alive." He turned to leave, but before he did, he stopped and gave the faintest of smiles. “And no problem, Potter.”

Draco turned to leave, leaving a tired yet relieved Harry staring after him. The ill Gryffindor stepped through into his common room, the portrait hole shutting behind him.

[Dylan]

I love this even more...

I didn't even think that was possible!!

I am very eagerly awaiting the next part

[Seniorstatus14]

AHHH!!! So adorable!!! Can't wait for the next part!!

[8lifflefoot]

This is so amazing, the mood, the style, everything!!! I didn't know it was physically possible to fangirl so much...

[Kali]

Yes. Just yes. This is all I've been waiting for and more. An the 'faintest of smiles'? Ughhh you are killing meeee...

That's it. I'm dead. This is officially on my Favorite Stoies Ever list

[Pyrus_Fangmon]

Ha ha ha, This is just marvelous <3

[squealofapproval]

I know this is an Awko moment since I already know,

(But I think he cares.)

Shhh don't tell anyone.

[Not_Telling]

Hey-o! What's up, guys?

So I'm going to let VividBubbles! respond to your comments for that last part, since it was hers, so...yeah. Anywho~

Here's another part from me!

***

Part Sixteen (N_T!)

Harry lay on his bed, keeping a close eye on the door. He’d learned from his lesson last time. Harry wanted to know when Ron or any of the others entered the room, so he would know when to stifle his coughing or sneezing. There was just one problem. He was so…tired…

He slowly let his eyes droop close.

“Ksh! Ksh! H’kshoo!”

Harry woke up in the middle of the night sneezing. His first instinct was that someone else might hear him, so he cupped his hands over his nose and mouth and muffled the sneezes as best as he could.

“H’kshh! Kshhn! Kshh! Ksh! Eh’ksshh!”

Harry pulled the curtains open on his four-poster bed, relieved that everyone else appeared to be asleep. His relief soon dissipated, however, when he felt another sharp tickle flare up in his nose.

The raven-haired boy stood quietly, grabbing the bedpost for support. When the room finally seemed to stop spinning, Harry walked as quickly as he could down to the common room.

As soon as he got there, the sneeze released itself from its constraints. “KSHH’ooo!” It was strong, making him double over with the force.

Harry teetered over towards the couch in front of the fireplace, planning on spending the night in the common room. He had only gotten halfway there before his legs gave way and he collapsed in a heap on the ground.

***

Harry moaned before half opening his eyes. It was still night, and he was lying on the couch. Fred was sitting nearby on one of the armchairs, reading a book, and George was asleep on another armchair. There was a cool, wet cloth on Harry’s sweating forehead, and a basin of water at the foot of the couch. He was covered with a soft blanket.

Fred looked over to Harry, then to George. “Hey, George.”

George snorted and woke with a start, blinking his eyes. “Wha-“

“I think Harry’s awake.”

George glanced at Harry, and then said rather groggily, “Oy, Harry!”

Fred got up and kneeled down in front of Harry. “Glad to see you’re alright, mate. We’ve just been keeping an eye on you for the past few hours. How’re you feeling?”

Harry turned his head away and coughed weakly, unable to respond. Fred placed a hand on his shoulder, and gently rubbed up and down on Harry’s arm. Harry turned his head back to face Fred, too out of it to comprehend exactly what was going on.

The redhead took the cloth off of Harry’s forehead and dipped it into the basin. He squeezed out some of the excess water and dabbed it on Harry’s face and chest.

“Get some rest, mate.” He said, after placing the cloth back on Harry’s forehead and returning to his armchair. “We’ll be here.”

[Seniorstatus14]

Awww!!! more Fred & George! Yay!! Gosh I love those two. Like they always act like the biggest pranksters, but you can tell that underneath it, they are probably the most protective over their family (Besides Molly and Arthur of course)

[Kali]

I love this! It's so adorableee!!! And you're so good about updating we all love you for it. Amazing, as usual!

[HPG]

You used Fred and George! Oh, the love!

[Dylan]

FRED AND GEORGE OH MY GOD

This just keeps getting better and better :3