Title: Stalemate
Author: Meanderings
Rating: PG-15
Disclaim: Don't own.
Notes: Unbetaed. I was in the mood for something kind of happy.
Reviews would be nice, just saying.
Stalemate
The headlines next day threw the world into frenzy. Only Harry Potter was remotely calm about it. The press, against the orders of Headmistress McGonagall, bombarded him with questions. Hermione and Ron did their best to help Harry get to class, but the press was insistent.
"Only one more flight of stairs, Harry," Hermione murmured. Harry gave her a thankful smile.
"Mr. Potter! Mr. Potter! Did you have anything to do with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's disappearance?"
Ron roared, "No comment!" and then shut the classroom door behind them. Inside, they could hear McGonagall's furious voice. Hermione looked at Harry sympathetically as he dropped his head onto his desk. He couldn't wait until it was night again.
X
Argus Filch was rounding the corner with his beloved cat when he heard hissing down the hall. Mrs. Norris' tail snapped, indicating that there indeed was someone there. Raising his lantern, his squinted, but couldn't make out any forms in the shadowed hall. He heard faint rustling and then words.
"I said eleven."
"And I came at eleven, didn't I?"
"If your eleven comes a minute late."
There's a small scuffle before, "Better late than never."
"I just expect commitment."
Then everything fell quiet.
X
Harry could still feel the adrenaline running through his body even as he landed, balance thrown off because of the heavy winds that were tossing him around up there. Ron whooped and leaped onto Harry's back, who caught him just in time.
"That catch! That catch was amazing! Did everybody see that?" he yelled. Harry grinned, "You weren't so bad up there yourself, Ron." The Gryffindor team screamed their way to the showers with frosty Slytherin stares following them. Gryffindor had won again.
"Party back in the Common Room," Ron yelled as he exited the showers to meet up with Seamus. Harry yelled his confirmation back. He was the last one to leave, and as he did, a hand emerged from the shadows to slip into his.
X
"Aren't you afraid You-Know-Who is simply hiding?" Hermione asked, frustrated. Harry shook his head negatively, gulping down his soup. She sighed, silently asking Ron for help. Ron said, "You-Know-Who's unpredictable. There's nothing we can do about it."
She pursed her lips. "Well, I want an explanation." With that, she gathered her books and left.
"Hermione!" Ron ran after her.
X
Harry was running to his class when he tripped. He could feel his lip was slightly bleeding and knew exactly who was behind it. Leaping to his feet, he said, "Tarantallegra." Malfoy managed to duck behind Goyle, who crashed into a wall due to his dancing feet.
"Aren't we getting a bit too old for this?" Harry groaned, feeling his lip. Malfoy sneered, "Not until scum like you are dead."
"Expelliarmus," Malfoy said the same time as Harry. The result, since Harry's magic was much stronger, was a silent explosion at the point where the two met, the force knocking Malfoy to the ground. Crabbe, struggling to help Goyle, was at lost at what to do.
"Grow up, Malfoy." Malfoy was being particularly vicious today. As Harry turned around, it only registered that he let his guard down just a split second after he heard Malfoy yell, "Stupefy!" Two things happened at once, and Harry was lucky enough to see both. From out of nowhere, another spell sent the Stunning spell ricocheting to hit Crabbe and then Goyle. At the same time, a flash of blue light struck Malfoy and knocked him unconscious. Harry surveyed the three Slytherins without unconcealed amusement.
"You really shouldn't have," he said with a wry grin to seemingly no one in particular. He didn't flinch when a voice whispered in his ear, "This is the gratitude I receive?" Harry rolled his eyes and turned to face mischievous teal eyes.
"Why are you following me?" Harry questioned, though not seriously. The other boy twirled his wand as he pretended to think of an answer. Then he shrugged, letting Harry glimpse into his thoughts. Harry pushed him against the wall and kissed him. Screw class.
X
The little incident was sorted out fine with a little help from Obliviate. The next day, the Gryffindor House celebrated Ron's birthday. Mrs. Weasley actually sent him something useful for once, though not without the traditional knitted sweater, which Fred and George forced him to wear. Harry asked Dobby to ask the kitchen to prepare a cake, which was delivered through the portrait. Seamus was ecstatic when he saw it, demanding, "Harry, you better do that for my birthday!"
Even Hermione abandoned her studies. Her present was practical, a set of quills and gold ink along with a search lens. Fred and George reeled in a covered cart and had Ron throw off the black sheet. The crowd roared with approval. It was a cart filled with Firewhiskey and other assortments of the twins' creation. Bottles were passed around and money flowed toward the twins.
"Trust Fred and George to use my birthday as a way to make money," Ron called over the noise, but he wasn't angry. The party progressed late into the night, slowing down only because of the alcohol. Those who were still there were reduced to games like Truth or Dare, even though they protested against it. Harry sat in a circle along with Ron, Seamus, Neville, Ginny, Parvati, and Lavender. Hermione opted to play a card game with the rest. Nothing worth gossiping happened until Lavender asked Harry, "Do you have a girlfriend?"
The circle went, "Ooohh," as they waited for Harry's answer, which was, "No." He then dared Ron to profess his love to Colin Creevy. Ron returned red-faced to the laughing circle. Eventually, it was Lavender's turn again and she wasted no time in asking, "Harry, do you have a boyfriend?" It was only the truth serum that made him admit, "Yes." Not surprisingly, there was a collective gasp. Only Lavender raised her eyebrows, the gears in her mind turning. The next time Harry was asked, "truth or dare?" he chose "dare," knowing what the next question would have been. He didn't know whether it would have been better if he chose "truth" when Seamus dared him to kiss Ginny. He did.
X
When Harry entered the Room of Requirement, he swore the temperature dropped several degrees. His lover was sitting at the foot of the bed, glaring. It was then Harry realized he forgot to set up his mind barriers. He had no idea how he was going to get himself out of this.
Tom was furious. "You admit you have a boyfriend and then you kiss that Weasley girl. Care to explain, Potter?"
Harry could only tell the truth. "I was kind of drunk."
"Get out," Tom bit out. Harry made a noise of protest, but was cut off by the shattering glass table. "I said 'get out!' I don't have the patience right now." Anyone but Harry would have ran away immediately. Harry, though, said, "You of all people should know to forgive people for mistakes." Tom ran the words through his mind, and only after careful deliberation did his body relax.
"For some who supposedly—" Tom abruptly stopped, a look of shock written on his face. Harry caught on quickly and demanded, "Go on." Tom shook his head as if to wear off his shock.
"—maybe I expected too much. After all…" he trailed off, uncertain of his words for the first time. Once more, Harry knew exactly where he getting to. He kneeled in front of Tom and said, "Never think that." Tom continued to do so though. He couldn't help it.
X
The rumor that Draco Malfoy left the school because his father was on trial for being a Death Eater prompted Harry to ask, "What are you going to do about the Death Eaters?"
He saw Tom's fingers grow rigid along the spine of the book. Tom said, "If they have enough common sense, they'll revoke me. If not, then they can't be helped." Harry pulled Tom into his arms and let him read the book the rest of the night. As much as he despised Bellatrix, he knew Tom was worried about her welfare, being the most loyal of his followers.
"Do you regret—?"
"No."
X
Harry arrived late at night; his entrance woke Tom up from his light slumber. He peered blearily over the excess of covers to where Harry stood, jerking his clothes off, his movements laced with anger. Without so much as a greeting, Harry crawled onto the bed and threw the covers off Tom's warm body. Before Tom could protest, Harry kissed him roughly. As much as Tom enjoyed satisfying Harry's needs, he didn't have the stamina to do so right now. He sighed tiredly into the kiss, murmuring, "Now's not the time," but the hiss only made Harry shiver pleasantly.
"Please, I need it," Harry groaned, "Just want to fuck you." Tom's breath hitched as Harry mouthed at the spot under his chin, his legs spreading the accommodate Harry's gyrating hips. Harry's ministrations were quickly withering away his reluctance. By the time Harry had their shirts undone, he was responding eagerly. Tom was always louder when he wasn't thinking.
--
Harry was fast asleep next to him, but Tom stared up without really seeing. He couldn't sleep partly because he savoured the ache between his legs, but also because he was thinking too much. He looked at Harry, who was facing him, hair tousled and skin glowing in the moonlight. Asleep, Harry looked nothing like he did when he was awake, alive, alert, and wild. Sighing, Tom lightly traced a finger down Harry's defined jaw line. Nights like these always left him feeling empty. Tom drifted off to sleep uneasily.
Harry swore he heard his lover utter the three words he loathed to say.
X
"Harry," Ginny had cornered him after the twins' birthday, "I have a question. I want the truth." Ginny had been debated whether she needed to know or not; she couldn't stand the mixed signals she was getting from Harry. Cho, a boyfriend, and then kissing her? She had a life to get straight.
"Do you like me?" she asked. Part of her wanted him to say yes, but contrary to the popular belief that Ginny was obsessed, she wasn't. Harry stared at her, thoughts conflicting with each other. He never wanted to hurt Ginny, but when he recalled Tom's anguish, it was worth the risk.
"I like you, but…I'm in love with someone else." Ginny's sigh of relief surprised them both. She laughed and said, "I just wanted to make sure. Better off as friends, right?"
"If we weren't, Ron would beat both of us up." Ginny wouldn't have wanted it any other way. She'd get over it. She couldn't like one person forever, could she?
"Besides," Harry continued, "you're more like—"
"Back-up?"
"You could put it like that." They both laughed.
X
"Have fun on the date," Harry said, kissing Ginny fondly on her forehead. Ginny shoved him away, making a face.
"If you're going to kiss me, do it properly," she joked. Ron overheard and said, "Haha, no. Harry, you're making Dean jealous. It's not your job to show Dean how to be a gentleman." Dean protested loudly by Ginny's side.
"He's right, you can be a little bit overbearing," Ginny teased. Dean rolled his eyes and led Ginny away.
"How come you're not the crazy brother you were when I liked Ginny?" Harry asked. Ron replied, rather truthfully, "Because I'm certain Dean isn't going to pursue Death Eaters instead of my little sister."
X
"You never take me on dates," Tom said sarcastically. Harry didn't bother answering, having nothing to top it. He was busy with his essay, a smile on his face.
"A little bit of romance would be nice," he continued. "A bottle of champagne, dinner, beat someone up because he mocked me, that's always a turn on, and then some steamy snogging with spooning. Of course, we break up later, have an angst session, shouldn't be anything new to you, and then get back together after you've won a war for me. Now that's romantic. Think Gone With the Wind except not really." By the time Tom had said "angst" Harry was struggling to hide his laughter. Tom rarely made jokes, and when he did, they hardly made sense, but the sarcasm was so heavy it made up for the lack of humor.
"You wouldn't know romance if it hit you in the face," Harry retorted childishly.
"Neither would you," Tom said. Harry raised an eyebrow and challenged, "Try me."
Tom instantly sat up on the sofa, leaned over the table, grabbed Harry's tie, and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. When Tom drew away, his cheeks were pink and he nervously bit down on his lip. Harry burst out laughing and threw a pillow at him.
"That was awful!"
Tom dropped his act. "I'm awful sure you can do better."
"I'll show you what real romance is when I'm done with school work." Harry leered at him. Tom couldn't compose himself in time to stop the snort that came out.
"At the rate you're working, you'll have to commit necrophilia."
"I don't even want to know what that is." Harry gave him a look of disgust. He wasn't actually working, only waiting to see how long it took Tom to snap. Five minutes later, after Harry was pretending to write and Tom tapping his feet impatiently, Tom threw Harry's books out of the way.
X
"Harry James Potter!" Hermione thundered, stomping her foot. Harry had no doubts that she would make a very good Mrs. Weasley. "Ron told me you've been gone all night and this isn't the first time! What have you been up to?"
"Nothing," Harry said meekly. Ron stood behind Hermione, gesturing at his throat with a very distinct movement, but Harry saw it too late.
"You can't keep disappearing without telling us. It's only fair that you do. What if you got into trouble? Who's been saving you all these years?" Hermione glowered, hands akimbo, waiting for an answer. Harry never felt so intimidated.
"Um, 'Mione, Harry's got a boyfriend," Ron piped up from behind. Harry groaned and covered his face. Anything but that would have been wiser to say.
"A boyfriend? Well, that changes things," Hermione mused, not at all flustered, but rather enlightened. "Well, come on, Ron."
"What? Wait! You're going to leave after a confession like that? That's just not reasonable!" Harry gaped at her. She replied with, "Oh, don't worry. Ron and I are hungry. I have means of finding out."
"She's only joking," Ron assured Harry before he left, but the look on his face spelt out "entertained" with a large exclamation point at the end.
X
Harry let himself collapse heavily on the bed, groaning as loud as he could. If he was younger, he would've thrown a tantrum, but Tom wouldn't have approved. Tom set aside his book, which was a pity because The Glass Menagerie was such a good play, and said, "You seem like you're having a bloody good day."
"Sarcasm's not needed!" Harry complained, voice muffled. He rolled over onto his back, not letting up on his frustrated groans. Tom finally snapped, "What the hell is going on?"
"Hermione knows. Hell, everybody knows!" Harry threw his arms up in the air, looking at Tom expectantly.
Tom said blankly, "Is that it?" Harry let out a huff of exasperation.
"Maybe we shouldn't keep this a secret anymore. We'll tell everybody that the Boy-Who-Lived shares the same bed as the Dark Lord and things will eventually sort out," he irrationally thought out loud.
"I don't mind staying in the Room at all," Tom commented helpfully. Harry looked at him in surprise.
"I thought you hated it."
"Oh, is that how I came across? It's just you're never here," he said softly.
"There," Harry pointed at him with an accusing finger. "If I just told everybody you were my lover, you won't have to hide."
"But then they might take you away from me."
Harry snorted. "Oh, don't be so melodramatic."
"Don't deny the truth, Harry. I've committed murders. They're not going to pardon me," Tom said seriously. Harry hated the solemn look on his face. He sat up and pulled Tom over to his lap. He placed his hand under Tom's shirt and stroked the curve of his hipbone, making Tom sigh pleasantly. He rested his head on Tom's and whispered, "I won't let them. If I can forgive you, then everybody else can. You've only tried to kill me, what, seven times?"
"Eighth time's the charm," Tom said tiredly. Harry smiled, knowing Tom was no longer dwelling on the issue. He continued playfully, "Besides."
"What?" Harry's grin grew wider. Tom looked up at him, a smile lifting his eyes up.
"I don't mind being your secret lover."
Harry laughed and kissed him. As Tom pulled away, he said, "Harry, I—"
"I know."