Harry Potter and the Odour of the Pheromones - Part 1

[magicbunbuns]

Harry Potter and the Odour of the Pheromones By Kate's Brain and Magic of Isis

ETA this additional disclaimer: Mrs Weasley's trifle is not to be taken as representative of the general standard of trifles within the UK ;-)



**

“Ron, you can help me set up the table,” Mrs Weasley said as she directed an assortment of bubbling saucepans that were on the stove. “And Harry, would you please go upstairs and tell the twins that dinner is nearly ready?”

Harry nodded and trudged up the stairs of Grimmauld Place, deep in thought. Well, he told himself he was deep in thought; in fact, he was actually sulking.

He had been trying to sulk ever since he left Privet Drive, but it had been hard to do when in the company of his best friend, whom he didn’t dare tell the whole reason why he was moping so much. Sulking at Privet Drive had been a different matter. It had been so easy to glare and fume at the Dursleys when they refused to let him leave the house all summer, knowing they weren’t interested in why it was such a disappointment for him.

It wasn’t as though he didn’t like being able to see Ron and Hermione over the holidays, but this time next week, he would be back at Hogwarts for his final year and his plans for the summer had been left by the wayside - all because Dumbledore didn’t want him out of anyone’s sight. His every move had been monitored, and even when he managed to slip past the Dursleys that one time, Dumbledore had shown up and quickly escorted him back to the house, telling him that they couldn’t risk anything happening to him. There was nothing that Harry could have done, bar admitting to his headmaster that he wanted to go out and try a few things that he wasn’t going to even mention, let alone do, to the other boys at Hogwarts.

Last summer, Harry had come across a few individuals who hung around outside the public toilets by the park, and one of them had made Harry a very surprising offer; the boy in question had offered to suck Harry off, and it took a few moments for Harry to realise what had been meant by those words. He had balked at the idea and quickly left the park, but he’d since had a whole year to obsess about it and to admit to himself that the suggestion really intrigued him.

So this year, he had hoped to go back to those public toilets, to experiment and make sure that he was interested in boys - before he made an idiot of himself in front of his best mate by asking Ron if he might like to do some of those things with him.

As Harry approached the door to the twins’ bedroom, the sound of Fred’s voice brought him out of his internal moping.

“I think we should add a bit of mandrake root.”

“Do you really think it’s necessary?” George replied. “Perhaps we should just wait a few more days to let it ferment. The potency might increase on its own anyway.”

“But it’s already been a week, and the mandrake is bound to help.”

“I’m not sure it won’t affect the properties of the other ingredients, though.”

“We could put a vial to one side, and then add the mandrake to the rest.”

Shaking his head in amusement, Harry knocked. The door opened a crack, and Fred peeked out. Once he saw Harry, Fred beamed and dragged Harry into the room.

“Just what we need: a test subject!”

“What? I… Dinner’s nearly ready,” Harry stammered, trying to make an exit from the room before he was recruited, but Fred held him fast.

“We’ve developed a new product-” Fred said.

“But we’re both allergic to one of the ingredients-” George continued.

“And seeing as you’re our silent partner, we thought you might like to help us to sort out the details.”

“I don’t want to be your guinea-pig.”

“Oh, come on, Harry. It’s perfectly safe. We just need to make sure it’s strong enough.”

“We’ll do you a favour in return,” George added suggestively.

“Like what?” Harry asked, narrowing his eyes when he saw Fred and George give each other a sly smile.

“Well, for a start,” George said, “we won’t point out to Ron just how you’ve been ogling him since you’ve arrived here. He might be completely oblivious, but we’re not.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Harry immediately said, but blanched when he realised the twins weren’t having any of it. “You’re going to blackmail me.”

“Now that’s not a very nice way of putting it, Harry. I’d rather think of it as helping you to keep your secret.” George wrapped an arm around Harry’s shoulders and gave him a squeeze before adding, “You have no idea how jealous I am right now of my baby brother. I’ve always had a… certain appreciation for you, Harry.”

Harry could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, and he glanced nervously between Fred and George, wondering if Fred was about to come on to him as well. But to his relief, Fred put paid to that thought right away.

“You don’t have to worry about me. I’m straight. But I’ll be willing to keep your secret, too.”

Both George and Fred were staring pointedly at him now, waiting for Harry’s agreement. He knew he didn’t actually have much choice in the matter, and finally, he asked, “What’s the potion for?”

“It’s Weasley’s Anti-Pheromone Potion,” Fred said, handing over a piece of parchment that was covered in rough notes and seemed to be a draft advertisement for the potion.

Fed up with someone bragging how attractive they are?
Does your best friend’s ego need taking down a peg or two?
Then we say “build them up and then knock ‘em down” with the help of Weasley’s Anti-Pheromone Potion.

Just a dash of this in their drink will lure admirers to them by the score.
But when those admirers get too close, then repulsion will become the order of the day!

Harry cringed at the thought of having his pheromones tweaked experimentally.

“How long does it last?”

“A couple of hours, at most,” George said with a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry; if it works, everyone downstairs will just assume you need a bath.”

Reluctantly, Harry reached out and took the vial that Fred was holding out to him. The liquid inside was a pale yellow and thick like syrup. He swallowed it and gagged as it clung to the back of his throat; it certainly didn’t taste like syrup. If anything, it tasted like Mrs Weasley’s fruit trifle, which was something he had had to endure on several occasions this holiday.

“It’s disgusting,” Harry complained as Fred walked to the other side of the room and began sniffing in earnest.

“It’s not strong enough. All I can smell is something cheesy, but that might just be your socks, George.”

George, who still had his arm draped across Harry’s shoulders, bent his head down to the crook of Harry’s neck and inhaled deeply. Harry jumped in shock and tried to pull away, but in response, George tightened his hold and merely pushed his nose closer, brushing it gently against Harry’s skin.

“Hmm, I can’t smell anything much,” he breathed, sending goose bumps up Harry’s spine. “Certainly nothing pongy.” Drawing back to look Harry in the eye, George asked, “Have you ever kissed a bloke, Harry?”

Harry nervously shook his head. No matter how much he tried to tell himself that it wasn’t right, he had to admit that the prospect of kissing George at that moment was very appealing.

“Would you like to?” George asked again. “Just to know what it’s like, of course. Think of it as a thank-you for being our test-subject.”

Before Harry had a chance to reply, George was lowering his face and brushing their lips together. Tentatively, Harry kissed back, pressing his mouth harder against George’s, his arms hanging limply by his sides.

It was slightly off-putting to hear Fred chuckling in the background, but it wasn’t enough to make Harry pull away. Kissing George was very nice indeed. There was a slight bristling sensation around his mouth from the stubble on George’s face, and when George’s tongue slipped between his lips, Harry licked at it hungrily, tasting the sweet tang of butterbeer. George raised a hand to cup Harry’s face, and Harry shivered, leaning into the warm palm against his cheek.

Harry was enjoying it so much that it came as a bit of a shock when he suddenly heard Ron’s voice calling from the hallway.

“Harry, Fred, George, where are you? Mum’s dishing up.”

Harry jerked away from George just as Ron opened the door. He hung his head guiltily, knowing that his face was bright red and hoping that Ron wouldn’t have the sense to work out what they’d just been doing.

“What’s going on?” Ron asked, looking from one to the other.

“Harry’s just testing a potion for us, ickle Ronniekins,” George said with a smile and handing over the parchment so that Ron could read it, before turning back to Harry. “We’ll get back to you once we’ve worked out how to increase the potency.”

**

Worried that the potion might suddenly start working and he’d have to make a quick exit, at dinnertime Harry had sat at the end of the table that was nearest the door. Ron had sat next to him and was unusually quiet throughout the meal. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed Ron frequently glancing at him, and it seemed that Ron was trying to do this surreptitiously. This left Harry wondering if the potion had started to get stronger, but not once throughout the meal did anyone complain about the smell.

For Harry’s part, he had spent the time studiously not looking at George. He was certain that if George were to catch his eye, there would be no stopping the blush that would appear on his cheeks. He knew that their kiss would be making a regular appearance in any fantasies he’d be having in the near future - starting that evening, if he had the opportunity. Not only had he enjoyed kissing George immensely, but the experience had also confirmed for him what the boys at the public toilets had not: he was definitely attracted to own sex.

**

Five days later and it was time to return to Hogwarts. Ron woke up with a stinking cold, and although Mrs Weasley spent a lot of the morning dosing him up with Pepper Up potion, his breathing through his reddened nose still had a distinctive snuffle.

Harry had hoped that Fred and George had either forgotten or had changed their minds about getting Harry to re-test the potion. But to his dismay, they pulled him to one side five minutes before they were due to leave and pressed a vial into his hands.

“Take this today. We recommend you drink it once you get on the train - that way it’ll wear off by the time you get to Hogwarts.”

“You want me to drink this today - with all the other Hogwarts’ students around?” Harry asked with a whine. “I’m not going to do that!”

“At least you’ll be guaranteed a whole compartment to yourself,” George said with a smirk followed by a meaningful wink. “Send us an owl to let us know how it goes, and then we won’t have to send one to our baby brother.”

On the train, Harry sat quietly in one corner, next to a still-sniffling Ron. Hermione sat the other side, and within seconds of him drinking the potion, she started to complain.

“Ugh. What is that smell?” She asked, looking around her with a grimace on her face. Leaning in Harry’s direction, she added, “Harry, is that you? It smells as if you’ve been rolling in something nasty.”

“Fred and George have recruited me to test out a potion,” Harry explained. “It’s supposed to stink, but it’ll wear off soon.”

He knew his tone didn’t hold much conviction, as he didn’t trust the twins completely. All he could do was hope that the smell would dissipate at least before they arrived in Hogsmeade station. Then Ron leaned over as well, sniffing through his blocked up nose, and Harry was sure he could see a faint blush on Ron’s cheeks.

“I don’t think it’s that bad, at least not right up close…” Ron said. “Well, it smells nicer close up than in the rest of the carriage,” he added hastily, as if to underline the point that Harry’s scent did nothing for him.

“As if you can smell anything reliably today,” Hermione said, shaking her head at Ron and tutting. “Trust me, Harry; it’s foul. Why on earth did you agree to test their potion, anyway? It might be dangerous.”

Knowing that the potion was working, Harry did not want to share the carriage with anyone else. But when Seamus, Neville, Dean and Ginny chose that moment to join them, Harry gave a silent thank-you for the distraction, as it was enough to stop any further queries from Hermione.

When Ginny started to complain about the smell, Neville, Seamus and Dean looked at her bemusedly, as if she was going mad, and Harry braced himself for a continued barrage of questions. To his relief, another distraction was afforded, this time in the form of Ron scowling at how closely Dean was sitting next to his sister.

“Oh, will you give us a break, Ron,” Ginny said in exasperation, and grabbing Dean by the arm, she ushered him towards the door. “Come on; let’s find somewhere else to sit.”

The conversation moved on to the Gryffindor’s chances at Quidditch this year, and both Seamus and Neville seemed overtly interested in Harry’s opinion of everything. Then they were enthusiastically asking him about his summer holidays and blatantly ignoring both Ron and Hermione. When Harry mentioned that he was starting to feel hungry, Seamus practically jumped out of his seat.

“Yeah, me too. I’m going to see where the lunch trolley has got to. If it’s still a way down the train, do you want me to bring you anything back, Harry? Chocolate Frogs? Pumpkin Pasties?”

“Er, yeah, okay. Thanks,” Harry muttered, feeling slightly stunned at the offer.

“I’ll help you,” Neville added, and he bounded out of the carriage after Seamus.

“You’re popular, today,” Ron said, frowning in Harry’s direction.

Harry shrugged. “At least they’re not complaining about the smell.”

The rest of the train journey passed in much the same manner, with Seamus and Neville continuing to badger him into conversation - after they had deposited a few handfuls of Chocolate Frogs and Pumpkin Pasties into his lap, which he shared with Ron and Hermione.

**

By the time they had reached Hogwarts, the effect of the potion still hadn’t dissipated, and Harry was left wondering if Fred and George had made the potion specifically so that only girls would be able to pick up on the pheromones, as only the female half of Hogwarts bothered to complain about the smell. Harry was also starting to worry about the excessive attention he seemed to be getting from the other boys.

And things continued in a similar way over the next two days. Harry found that the best way to avoid complaints about the smell or unwanted attention was to just keep his distance from everyone - except for Ron, who still couldn’t smell anything because of his illness. But Ron did seem slightly annoyed about all the attention Seamus and Neville were giving Harry.

Even the teachers left Harry feeling off-balance: Snape had been unexpectedly close-mouthed when it came to Harry’s work in Potions, and Professor McGonagall had insisted on more than one occasion that he retreat to Gryffindor tower and take a bath.

But the most notable - and perhaps disturbing - part of those two days was an encounter with Malfoy. An encounter that featured no venom whatsoever (although, Ron did find it mildly insulting when Malfoy told Harry, “You could do so much better if you were to hang around with us.”) but it did involve a thoughtful perusal of the length of Harry’s body on Malfoy’s part. Harry hoped it was the potion - really hoped. He didn’t think he could cope with a semi-reformed Draco Malfoy who was interested in him in that way.

He needn’t have worried, though. The potion seemed to have worn off by the next day, because Lavender kept touching his sleeve in Charms, and Malfoy was once again his usual nasty self.

**

On the day of their first visit to Hogsmeade, Harry was greeted at breakfast by two owls bearing letters. The first one Harry read was from Sirius, which said that he and Remus would be going up to Hogsmeade as well, to get their Christmas shopping done early; if Harry didn’t see them in the shops, he could meet them at Florean Fortescue’s later in the afternoon. The second one - he groaned - was from Fred and George and contained another vial of potion.

Hello Harry,

Sorry that last dose took so long to wear off, but we’re sure that we’ve got it
right this time. We’ll meet you and Ron in Hogsmeade later today, in case there
are any problems - which there won’t be. Make sure you take it this morning, so
you can tell us how it’s working when you see us.

Gred and Forge

Harry didn’t need to wonder why they’d emboldened Ron’s name; it was a clear reminder why Harry was going to continue testing for them, whether he liked it or not.

After breakfast, Hermione went upstairs to finish off an essay for Ancient Runes; she was going to meet Harry and Ron at lunchtime in The Three Broomsticks. Once she had left, Harry and Ron finished gorging themselves on bacon, eggs, and black pudding before making their way out of the Great Hall.

As they neared the giant oak front doors Harry knocked back the contents of the vial, squeezing his eyes shut in a grimace at the taste. Because of this, he didn’t see how Ron managed to crash so spectacularly into Malfoy. Hearing the sound of falling objects and brazen swearing, Harry snapped his eyes open. Ron and Malfoy were sprawled on the floor, amidst what looked to be the contents of Malfoy’s bag.

“You clumsy oaf,” Malfoy said as he shoved items back into a bag that now had a large split down the seam.

“Me? You were the one who wasn’t looking where he was going,” Ron protested. “I think you’ve broken my ankle, you stupid ferret, and you’ve torn my robe!”

“Oh dear, does that mean another trip to the second-hand shop?” Malfoy asked in a sarcastic drawl. “But I bet even that place is too up-market for your family. Perhaps you’d better get your slutty sister to go on the game; that might bring in a few… knuts.”

“Take that back!

“I’m not apologising to you, Weasel,” Malfoy sneered, and then he promptly gave Harry a look that said he’d gladly apologise to him at any time.

Harry shivered, and then his eyes widened when Malfoy suddenly whipped out his wand and pointed it in Ron’s direction.

“Bulbusortia!”

Immediately, Ron’s nose began swelling into a grotesque parody of an onion; not wanting to be outdone by a Malfoy, he aimed a hex of his own that was said rather nasally.

“Durdumculus!”

It wasn’t a curse that Harry recognised, but he was suitably impressed when a thorn-bush started to grow from Malfoy’s rear end. Harry wasn’t entirely sure what hex Ron had planned to use, but it was obvious by the look of surprise on Ron’s face that the effect wasn’t what he had intended.

“What on earth is going on here?” The three of them froze as McGonagall interrupted the duel. She studied the scene before her and tutted. “Well really… I was hoping you would have grown out of this petty feud by now. Points will be deducted from both houses. Mr. Weasley, Mr. Malfoy, come with me to the Hospital Wing.

Harry started to follow them up the stairs, but he froze in place when McGonagall turned and fixed him with a stern expression.

“Are you injured in any way, Mr. Potter?” she asked pointedly.

“Er…”

“Well, run along then. And I suggest you take a shower before you leave for Hogsmeade.”

At her words, Malfoy sniffed and then screwed up his face in confusion, obviously not finding Harry’s odour as offensive as she did. Once again, Malfoy was giving Harry’s body the once over.

“You really are wasted in Gryffindor,” he said suggestively.

“Enough, Mr. Malfoy!” McGonagall said, completely misjudging the lurid tone to Malfoy’s voice.

Watching them carry on up the stairs without him, Harry shivered. He did not just find Malfoy lecherous behaviour appealing, he hastily told himself. He did not.

Pulling himself together, Harry decided to wander down to Hogsmeade and find somewhere to hide until it was time to see Fred and George. Then he would tell them it was working and they could reverse the effects.

“Wait up, Harry; I’ll walk down with you!”

Harry stiffened as Seamus jogged to catch up.

“I’m sure you don’t want to… I smell bad.” Well, for once, he hoped he did smell bad - bad enough to be left alone.

Seamus leant forward to tentatively sniff at Harry. “You don’t. In fact, I think you smell… rather… um, nice.”

Harry’s eyes widened at the blush on Seamus’s face. “Mmm, okay,” he mumbled as they passed through the gates.

“Harry, have you ever wondered what it would be like to kiss another bloke?” Harry started; that made two boys who had come onto him in less than ten minutes. It had to be the potion - there was no way he was that lucky! His jaw dropped, and Seamus added, “Because I have… and… would you like to, Harry? Just the once, for comparison, like…”

“Er, I…” What could he say? That he already knew? But then Seamus would want to know who, and Ron would find out and think that Harry fancied his brother. Harry stewed over this briefly, before realising that, if he was honest to himself, the idea of kissing Seamus wasn’t really all that bad.

“What, right here?” he asked, frowning and making a gesture with his hand at all the other students walking past them.

A sly smile appeared on Seamus’s face, and he shook his head. Grabbing Harry’s hand, Seamus swiftly pulled them both in the direction of a thicket a few yards from the path.

Continue to Part 2