Chapter six.
******
Rosemary Mason, in her full decade of teaching, had never witnessed two more prickly students than the ones currently sneaking hateful glances at each other in between bites of sandwich.
Sighing, she rubbed her forehead with her thumb and index finger and returned her attention to assessing the day's lesson. She had noticed quite a bit of pink energy coming from the Longbottom and Brown booth... She smiled. Those two would prove to be quite the match; not so much in power, but in true compatibility.
The thought brought her back around to the two boys in front of her. They had such potential. At first, she had imagined that the animosity between them would only fuel the heights to which their passion would take them, but she was beginning to have doubts. None of the initially tumultuous pairings she'd ever taught before had genuine reasons to hate each other. The usual schoolchild teasing, hair-pulling and whatnot, but nothing that couldn't be overcome. These two, on the other hand, were on opposite sides of a war.
Rosemary moved her gaze to Draco and felt her heart clench, as it always did when she dwelt too long upon certain students. She couldn't bring herself to imagine any of them doing the things that Death Eaters did. It seemed impossible for these smooth-cheeked innocents. If she were completely honest with herself she would admit her hope that the pairing between the Malfoy boy and Potter would win him over to the other side. That they would both be stronger for it and it could possibly make the difference between life or death, for the both of them.
The door handle clacked loudly in the silence and Minerva McGonagall entered, sparing a brief smile for Harry before making her way over to Rosemary's desk.
"Rosemary, I tried to get in touch with you earlier, but you were unavailable," she said briskly. "The staff meeting has been moved."
"Oh, alright," Mason blinked, confused. "Why?"
McGonagall didn't answer and her eyes slid to the side, silently indicating the two boys nearby. Nodding her understanding, Mason stood and motioned the Transfigurations professor to one of the booths. A marvelous insight on her part to have made the curtains soundproof.
"We're meeting in the Headmaster's office," McGonagall said in a low voice once the curtain was closed.
"I thought it was sealed up?"
"It was," said McGonagall with a loaded look in her eye. "We have a guest."
"Oh," Rosemary breathed, her mouth open slightly. "I see."
"I'll see you at eight o'clock. The password is lemon drops."
Rosemary smiled fondly and saw its reflection in the other woman. Unexpected guests were a happy occasion.
***
"It's time, boys," Mason told them, glancing at the clock as she held back the curtain to their booth. "You don't have long, as I have an engagement this evening. In you go."
Harry and Draco dropped their half-eaten sandwiches reluctantly. Moving more slowly than was strictly necessary, they made their way into the tent and turned to face Mason.
"Fifteen minutes, on the lips. No stalling," she told them, dropping the curtain into place.
Harry and Draco eyed one another skeptically in the muted light of the booth. Neither boy moved, most definitely stalling despite Mason's order. Their anger from earlier seemed a distant memory, having been replaced by dizzying anxiety.
"So, er, do you want to sit down?" Harry gestured vaguely, and he noticed that Malfoy jumped.
"Sit down?" Draco parroted.
"On the sofa."
"Yeah," Malfoy nodded. "Okay."
Harry glanced at Malfoy out of the corner of his eye as they made their way over to the sofa. The other boy appeared quite flustered, swallowing frequently and wiping his hands on his robes. Harry thought back to their conversation earlier and the possibility that Malfoy might actually want to do this.
He looked down at his shoes as he sat down, feeling the cushions sag next to him under Malfoy's weight. If he were honest with himself he would have to admit that one of his main objections to this partnership with Malfoy was his own nervousness and feeling of inadequacy. Since the moment his shock at who he was paired with had worn off, his thoughts had mainly flickered back and forth between fear at what he would have to do and uncertainty at the fact that he would have to do it with another boy. His biggest surprise had come when he hadn't been repulsed outright at the idea of having sex with a boy, but rather terrified at the thought of having sex at all.
"Uh, Potter?" He heard Malfoy call his name quietly, almost fearfully.
"Hm?" Harry murmured distractedly. "Oh, yes. The- the kissing."
"Right. That." Malfoy nodded and looked away.
"Turn toward me," Harry said calmly, surprising himself.
Malfoy gave him a stunned look but otherwise did as he was told.
"Just do it and get it over with, then?" he asked sheepishly.
"That was what I had in mind," Harry agreed.
"Good. Yeah, okay. That's good."
"Malfoy, you're babbling." Harry told him, smiling slightly.
"Oh, sorry. Uh-"
Harry leaned forward suddenly, and Malfoy yelped and flinched back. Harry drew back as well and they stared at one another for a few seconds before a wide-eyed Malfoy swallowed and scooted closer. Harry took a deep breath and moved in again, stopping when their lips were close but not quite touching. He felt Malfoy's breath feather across his lips and looked up into half-closed gray eyes before they drifted down to settle on his mouth. Taking that as a cue, he leaned in.
He could say with utmost confidence that his second kiss differed in every way possible from his first. There was the obvious fact that the second was with a boy rather than a girl, but from there the differences became entirely based on sensation. Malfoy's lips weren't cold and slippery, they were warm and Harry's lips clung to them. He was surprised by the softness of another boy's mouth, something that until then he had attributed only to girls.
For the first few moments, neither of them moved. They sat there, mouths pressed together, awkward and uncertain for an indeterminate amount of time before Harry steeled himself against his fears and began kissing Malfoy properly. Draco drew in a quick breath, frozen in place.
Harry nearly made and involuntary noise when Malfoy's mouth finally began to move over his and provided a pleasant amount of pressure that made his head spin a little bit. He slid a hand into the hair at the nape of Malfoy's neck and tugged his head back. Draco brought a hand up to flutter along Harry's jaw and cheekbone.
Neither boy realized how intense things had become until Harry was pushing Malfoy onto his back. Malfoy fell back without hesitation at first, but tensed when he realized what was happening. Harry felt hands on his shoulders, resisting weakly, so he settled his weight more fully into the cradle of Draco's hips beneath him.
All of the fight suddenly drained out of Draco and his hands slid over the back of Harry's shoulders to tug him closer. Harry let instinct guide him as he swept his tongue out to press lightly against Malfoy's lips. He gasped and flung his head back, eyes wide as he looked up at Harry in shock. Their breathing was ragged and choppy in their chests as they stared at one another.
Draco's eyes flickered from side to side, attempting to read something in Harry's face. Harry held perfectly still, waiting for some sign to continue. Finally, Draco out a shaky sigh, lurched up and pressed his lips to Harry's again.
Harry felt Malfoy's mouth open under his and dove in. Draco made a tiny whimpering noise in his throat and pulled Harry firmly down on top of him. Harry let his trembling arms give out and settled eagerly onto the warm body beneath him, one leg between Malfoy's and the other knee dug into the cushions of the couch. Malfoy arched into him and he groaned, deepening the kiss and thrusting his tongue rhythmically into the warmth of the Slytherin's mouth. Malfoy's hands clenched over his ribcage and his left leg rose to straddle Harry's hip...
"Boys?" Mason's voice filtered through the lusty fog. "Are you finished?"
Harry wrenched his mouth away from Malfoy's and took several deep breaths, his chest pressing tightly to Malfoy's each time he inhaled. "Y-yeah," he responded. Clearing his throat, he reluctantly eased away from the warm body under him.
Malfoy drew himself up on his elbows as Harry settled back onto his side of the sofa. A heavy silence hung between the two of them as they straightened their robes and stood. Harry glanced in Malfoy's direction and Draco looked away quickly.
"So, uh... See you Wednesday." Harry muttered awkwardly.
"See you then," Draco responded tightly, avoiding Harry's eyes, and walked out of the booth.
Harry ducked under the curtain after him and blushed furiously at Professor Mason standing there, looking at him with a small smile on her face. "All right, Mr. Potter?"
"Yes," Harry responded a bit too loudly. "Fine."
Mason watched as the two boys left the room. They took care not to bump into one another on their way out the door. She should have known holding hands, snuggling, and long talks wouldn't work with these two. It would still take some work, she supposed, but judging by the brilliant white sparks that had been crackling above their booth, she doubted very much that they could hide from their feelings much longer.
***
Harry flung himself face down onto his bed the second he reached his room. The walk back to the Gryffindor dorm had been a highly uncomfortable one. Grimacing, he reached down and tugged on the front of his trousers. All he wanted was to have a wank and a good night's sleep.
"Harry?" Neville's voice called quietly from nearby.
Harry groaned. He did not want to talk to anyone at the moment, most especially not anyone associated with Sex Magic. Leaving his face buried in his pillow, he didn't bother looking up.
"What?" he asked testily, his voice muffled.
"How did it go?"
Harry sighed. He couldn't be cross with Neville. His voice held nothing but genuine concern.
"Horribly," he answered, secretly grateful that the Veritaserum had worn off. The thought that he knew he was lying followed close behind and Harry growled angrily into the pillow.
"Harry?"
Neville sounded worried and Harry turned his face toward him. "Sorry," he said. "It was just... Nevermind. How did it go with Lavender?"
"Great, after I got her to stop crying." Neville answered flatly, and Harry burst out laughing. Neville joined him after a moment and the two of them laughed together until their eyes watered. Harry shook his head and wiped away the moisture on his lashes.
"I'm sure you had it worse," Neville said finally, and Harry threw a pillow at him. Neville laughed and pulled his bedcurtains closed. "Goodnight, Harry."
"G'night, Neville," he returned, flipping over onto his back and removing his glasses. Kicking off his shoes and stripping down for bed he let out a sigh, relieved that his earlier problem had diminished. He really hadn't been looking forward to wanking off over Draco Malfoy.
******
Next chapter.
Rosemary Mason, in her full decade of teaching, had never witnessed two more prickly students than the ones currently sneaking hateful glances at each other in between bites of sandwich.
Sighing, she rubbed her forehead with her thumb and index finger and returned her attention to assessing the day's lesson. She had noticed quite a bit of pink energy coming from the Longbottom and Brown booth... She smiled. Those two would prove to be quite the match; not so much in power, but in true compatibility.
The thought brought her back around to the two boys in front of her. They had such potential. At first, she had imagined that the animosity between them would only fuel the heights to which their passion would take them, but she was beginning to have doubts. None of the initially tumultuous pairings she'd ever taught before had genuine reasons to hate each other. The usual schoolchild teasing, hair-pulling and whatnot, but nothing that couldn't be overcome. These two, on the other hand, were on opposite sides of a war.
Rosemary moved her gaze to Draco and felt her heart clench, as it always did when she dwelt too long upon certain students. She couldn't bring herself to imagine any of them doing the things that Death Eaters did. It seemed impossible for these smooth-cheeked innocents. If she were completely honest with herself she would admit her hope that the pairing between the Malfoy boy and Potter would win him over to the other side. That they would both be stronger for it and it could possibly make the difference between life or death, for the both of them.
The door handle clacked loudly in the silence and Minerva McGonagall entered, sparing a brief smile for Harry before making her way over to Rosemary's desk.
"Rosemary, I tried to get in touch with you earlier, but you were unavailable," she said briskly. "The staff meeting has been moved."
"Oh, alright," Mason blinked, confused. "Why?"
McGonagall didn't answer and her eyes slid to the side, silently indicating the two boys nearby. Nodding her understanding, Mason stood and motioned the Transfigurations professor to one of the booths. A marvelous insight on her part to have made the curtains soundproof.
"We're meeting in the Headmaster's office," McGonagall said in a low voice once the curtain was closed.
"I thought it was sealed up?"
"It was," said McGonagall with a loaded look in her eye. "We have a guest."
"Oh," Rosemary breathed, her mouth open slightly. "I see."
"I'll see you at eight o'clock. The password is lemon drops."
Rosemary smiled fondly and saw its reflection in the other woman. Unexpected guests were a happy occasion.
***
"It's time, boys," Mason told them, glancing at the clock as she held back the curtain to their booth. "You don't have long, as I have an engagement this evening. In you go."
Harry and Draco dropped their half-eaten sandwiches reluctantly. Moving more slowly than was strictly necessary, they made their way into the tent and turned to face Mason.
"Fifteen minutes, on the lips. No stalling," she told them, dropping the curtain into place.
Harry and Draco eyed one another skeptically in the muted light of the booth. Neither boy moved, most definitely stalling despite Mason's order. Their anger from earlier seemed a distant memory, having been replaced by dizzying anxiety.
"So, er, do you want to sit down?" Harry gestured vaguely, and he noticed that Malfoy jumped.
"Sit down?" Draco parroted.
"On the sofa."
"Yeah," Malfoy nodded. "Okay."
Harry glanced at Malfoy out of the corner of his eye as they made their way over to the sofa. The other boy appeared quite flustered, swallowing frequently and wiping his hands on his robes. Harry thought back to their conversation earlier and the possibility that Malfoy might actually want to do this.
He looked down at his shoes as he sat down, feeling the cushions sag next to him under Malfoy's weight. If he were honest with himself he would have to admit that one of his main objections to this partnership with Malfoy was his own nervousness and feeling of inadequacy. Since the moment his shock at who he was paired with had worn off, his thoughts had mainly flickered back and forth between fear at what he would have to do and uncertainty at the fact that he would have to do it with another boy. His biggest surprise had come when he hadn't been repulsed outright at the idea of having sex with a boy, but rather terrified at the thought of having sex at all.
"Uh, Potter?" He heard Malfoy call his name quietly, almost fearfully.
"Hm?" Harry murmured distractedly. "Oh, yes. The- the kissing."
"Right. That." Malfoy nodded and looked away.
"Turn toward me," Harry said calmly, surprising himself.
Malfoy gave him a stunned look but otherwise did as he was told.
"Just do it and get it over with, then?" he asked sheepishly.
"That was what I had in mind," Harry agreed.
"Good. Yeah, okay. That's good."
"Malfoy, you're babbling." Harry told him, smiling slightly.
"Oh, sorry. Uh-"
Harry leaned forward suddenly, and Malfoy yelped and flinched back. Harry drew back as well and they stared at one another for a few seconds before a wide-eyed Malfoy swallowed and scooted closer. Harry took a deep breath and moved in again, stopping when their lips were close but not quite touching. He felt Malfoy's breath feather across his lips and looked up into half-closed gray eyes before they drifted down to settle on his mouth. Taking that as a cue, he leaned in.
He could say with utmost confidence that his second kiss differed in every way possible from his first. There was the obvious fact that the second was with a boy rather than a girl, but from there the differences became entirely based on sensation. Malfoy's lips weren't cold and slippery, they were warm and Harry's lips clung to them. He was surprised by the softness of another boy's mouth, something that until then he had attributed only to girls.
For the first few moments, neither of them moved. They sat there, mouths pressed together, awkward and uncertain for an indeterminate amount of time before Harry steeled himself against his fears and began kissing Malfoy properly. Draco drew in a quick breath, frozen in place.
Harry nearly made and involuntary noise when Malfoy's mouth finally began to move over his and provided a pleasant amount of pressure that made his head spin a little bit. He slid a hand into the hair at the nape of Malfoy's neck and tugged his head back. Draco brought a hand up to flutter along Harry's jaw and cheekbone.
Neither boy realized how intense things had become until Harry was pushing Malfoy onto his back. Malfoy fell back without hesitation at first, but tensed when he realized what was happening. Harry felt hands on his shoulders, resisting weakly, so he settled his weight more fully into the cradle of Draco's hips beneath him.
All of the fight suddenly drained out of Draco and his hands slid over the back of Harry's shoulders to tug him closer. Harry let instinct guide him as he swept his tongue out to press lightly against Malfoy's lips. He gasped and flung his head back, eyes wide as he looked up at Harry in shock. Their breathing was ragged and choppy in their chests as they stared at one another.
Draco's eyes flickered from side to side, attempting to read something in Harry's face. Harry held perfectly still, waiting for some sign to continue. Finally, Draco out a shaky sigh, lurched up and pressed his lips to Harry's again.
Harry felt Malfoy's mouth open under his and dove in. Draco made a tiny whimpering noise in his throat and pulled Harry firmly down on top of him. Harry let his trembling arms give out and settled eagerly onto the warm body beneath him, one leg between Malfoy's and the other knee dug into the cushions of the couch. Malfoy arched into him and he groaned, deepening the kiss and thrusting his tongue rhythmically into the warmth of the Slytherin's mouth. Malfoy's hands clenched over his ribcage and his left leg rose to straddle Harry's hip...
"Boys?" Mason's voice filtered through the lusty fog. "Are you finished?"
Harry wrenched his mouth away from Malfoy's and took several deep breaths, his chest pressing tightly to Malfoy's each time he inhaled. "Y-yeah," he responded. Clearing his throat, he reluctantly eased away from the warm body under him.
Malfoy drew himself up on his elbows as Harry settled back onto his side of the sofa. A heavy silence hung between the two of them as they straightened their robes and stood. Harry glanced in Malfoy's direction and Draco looked away quickly.
"So, uh... See you Wednesday." Harry muttered awkwardly.
"See you then," Draco responded tightly, avoiding Harry's eyes, and walked out of the booth.
Harry ducked under the curtain after him and blushed furiously at Professor Mason standing there, looking at him with a small smile on her face. "All right, Mr. Potter?"
"Yes," Harry responded a bit too loudly. "Fine."
Mason watched as the two boys left the room. They took care not to bump into one another on their way out the door. She should have known holding hands, snuggling, and long talks wouldn't work with these two. It would still take some work, she supposed, but judging by the brilliant white sparks that had been crackling above their booth, she doubted very much that they could hide from their feelings much longer.
***
Harry flung himself face down onto his bed the second he reached his room. The walk back to the Gryffindor dorm had been a highly uncomfortable one. Grimacing, he reached down and tugged on the front of his trousers. All he wanted was to have a wank and a good night's sleep.
"Harry?" Neville's voice called quietly from nearby.
Harry groaned. He did not want to talk to anyone at the moment, most especially not anyone associated with Sex Magic. Leaving his face buried in his pillow, he didn't bother looking up.
"What?" he asked testily, his voice muffled.
"How did it go?"
Harry sighed. He couldn't be cross with Neville. His voice held nothing but genuine concern.
"Horribly," he answered, secretly grateful that the Veritaserum had worn off. The thought that he knew he was lying followed close behind and Harry growled angrily into the pillow.
"Harry?"
Neville sounded worried and Harry turned his face toward him. "Sorry," he said. "It was just... Nevermind. How did it go with Lavender?"
"Great, after I got her to stop crying." Neville answered flatly, and Harry burst out laughing. Neville joined him after a moment and the two of them laughed together until their eyes watered. Harry shook his head and wiped away the moisture on his lashes.
"I'm sure you had it worse," Neville said finally, and Harry threw a pillow at him. Neville laughed and pulled his bedcurtains closed. "Goodnight, Harry."
"G'night, Neville," he returned, flipping over onto his back and removing his glasses. Kicking off his shoes and stripping down for bed he let out a sigh, relieved that his earlier problem had diminished. He really hadn't been looking forward to wanking off over Draco Malfoy.
******
Next chapter.