AN: this had been sitting around on my hard drive for a while now and I finally decided to post the first chapter. Only problem is, while I know where I'm going with this, I don't know how to get there. My Muses are dead set on another fic atm, but I want this one posted....

Anyway, read on and tell me what you think. Btw, this is my first Harry/Draco. Be kind?

Title: The Chinese Finger-trap

Genre: General/Romance

Rating: PG-13 as most of my fics generically are...

Pairing: Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy

DISCLAIMER: Ah! That part of a fic that all authors know and love to hate. Harry is not mine. Draco is not mine. Ron, Hermione, Hogwarts and other miscellaneous characters are not mine. More's the pity.

Warning: THIS IS SLASH. That means if you are a homophobe, please leave now. The exit is behind you. Otherwise, take a seat, fasten you seatbelts and we shall get started. Please remember to keep all limbs inside the vehicle at all times. The Management will not be responsible for any lost articles, but feel free to complain.....





Chapter One: A sticky situation





Lips pressed warm and sweet against Harry's own and he moaned. Reaching out, he ran his hands up under the other boy's shirt. It was his turn to moan and he pressed himself hard against Harry. Whispering Harry's name, the other introduced his tongue to the meld of lips. Harry sank further into the kiss and didn't protest when his quidditch robes slid to the floor.

'Harry.' He ignored the voice, preferring instead to kiss his way down his partner's neck.

'Harry!'

Annoyed, Harry left off kissing his lover's neck, drew back and opened his eyes for the first time.



And found himself staring at Hermione. Harry looked down at himself and saw that his quidditch robes were still firmly in place. ~ Oh damn. ~ Harry wearily rubbed his face. He glanced around him. He was collapsed in one of the armchairs in the Gryffindor common room, having just returned from quidditch practice. ~ Damn, damn, damn. ~

The whole idea of flying himself into exhaustion was so that he could sleep the night through. And instead he ended up collapsing in the common room and dreaming the very dream was he trying to avoid. ~ So much for that idea. ~ Harry sighed. ~ Oh well, look on the bright side. Maybe I won't dream again tonight. ~

Two weeks ago, Harry had started dreaming vividly of snogging with someone. Of snogging with a *guy*. This would have been fine, except Harry wasn't *gay*. At least, not as far as he knew. Most disturbing of all, Harry got the impression that his waking self did *not* want to know who it was that his sleeping self was having such a dandy old time with.

'Harry,' he realised Hermione was still standing over his chair, 'You look awful.'

Harry pulled himself up by force of will and stood swaying on his feet. Fortunately, he still had his Firebolt with him; he doubted he would have been able to stand otherwise.

'I'm just tired. I haven't been sleeping well.'

'Not -' Hermione gestured to his scar.

'No. It's nothing to do with that. Just... odd dreams. They keep waking me at night.'

'Well, you should go to bed. Try and get some sleep anyway.'

Harry nodded and started towards the stairs. He paused and glanced at a group of boys in front of the hearth.

'What's with them?' he gestured at them, then had to grab his broomstick with both hands as he swayed on his feet.

Hermione glared at the hysterically laughing group. Fred and George leant against each other, tears pouring down their cheeks. Their best friend Lee was collapsed on the arm of a chair chortling with glee. Ron was bent double and Dean and Seamus were thumping each other on the back. The object of their amusement was obvious. In the middle of the group, Neville Longbottom was jumping up and down trying, with all his might, to pull his hands apart. It seemed that his index fingers were stuck together.

Huffing to herself, Hermione said, 'Fred and George gave Neville a Chinese finger-trap and he can't figure out how it works.'

'Oh.' said Harry and, although he felt sorry for Neville, he couldn't help smiling.

'Oh, indeed.'

Hermione turned away, but Harry noticed that she couldn't help smiling ever so slightly either. 'Anyway, I'm going to bed now too.'

Bidding Harry goodnight she ran over to the girls' stairs and disappeared up them. Wishing he had that much energy, Harry dragged himself slowly up the stairs to the fifth years' dorm room.

Once there, Harry dumped his broomstick and robes and headed to the bathroom for a nice *hot* shower. By the time he had finished and was ready for bed, the other fifth year boys had entered the dorm room. Neville still hadn't figured out how to work the finger trap. Dean, Seamus and Ron were laughing and refusing to help him with it. Since Harry didn't feel like waiting for him to figure it out - or for one of the others to take pity on him - he dumped his stuff on his trunk and made his way over to Neville's bed.

Dropping onto the bed beside Neville, Harry took the boy's hands in his own.

'It's a Chinese finger-trap, Neville. You have to bring your fingers together,' So saying, Harry pushed his friend's hands together. The trap loosened, and placing one hand on it to keep it still, Harry drew Neville's hands away. 'See?'

Neville blew on the tips of his fingers and grinned at Harry. 'Thanks.'

'Aww, Harry! Why'd you have to go and do that?' Ron whined from across the room. Harry shot him a mild glare and turned back to Neville.

'It was nothing.' Harry placed the trap on his own fingers and demonstrated how it worked to Neville. 'See, when you pull your fingers apart, the weave tightens and your fingers get stuck. But when you bring them together, the trap lossens and falls off.' The trap fell to the bed between the boys. Neville poked with a wary finger.

'Yeah, well thanks anyway. It would have taken me forever to figure that out.'

Harry picked the trap up. 'It's a muggle artefact. I doubt you've ever seen one before. Do you mind if borrow it?'

'Keep it. It's not like I ever want to see it again.'

Harry grinned and Neville smiled back. With a quick 'thanks,' Harry went back to his bed. After placing the finger-trap in his bedside draw, Harry drew the bed curtains closed and resolutely shut his eyes, determined he would not dream of his mystery lover. ~ I mean, its like not I'm gay or anything. ~



@}~`~~~ @}~`~~~ @}~`~~~



Draco pressed his lips to those under his. The boy moaned and ran his hands up under Draco's shirt. Now Draco moaned and pressed himself flush with the other boy. He whispered the boy's name and ran his tongue over the sweet lips. Deeply involved in the kiss, the boy didn't protest when Draco pushed his robes off his shoulders and let them drop to the floor. Instead, the boy drew away from Draco's mouth and proceeded to kiss his way down his neck. Draco tilted his head backwards to allow his lover greater access.

Then the lips were gone and when Draco groped for his lover in the darkness, there was no one there. Draco opened his eyes and stared at the shaft of light on his pillow. He sat up.

~ Damn, stupid dream. ~ For two weeks, dreams of the sweetest guy he'd ever kissed had been plaguing him, and he couldn't even remember who it was. Checking the time, Draco decided he might as well get up. And have a *cold* shower.

Draco was so distracted by trying to figure out who the boy in his dreams was that he didn't recall the day of the week until Greg pointed it out. He had been standing in front of his mirror, adjusting the fit of his new robes when Greg appeared in the reflection beside him.

'Hey, Draco, why're you in your school robes?'

Shooting a mild glare at his oafish friend, Draco said, 'Why do you ask?'

'Well, it's just that it's Saturday.'

~ Damn, damn, damn ~ Draco fumed silently to himself, ~ When I find out who it is I've been dreaming of, I'll kill him. ~

'And you thought I had forgotten?'

Greg shrugged.

'Malfoys don't forget things like that. I was checking the fit of the new robes Mother sent me last week.' Draco quickly divested himself of the robes and turned the conversation from himself.

'Are you planning on visiting Hogsmeade today?'



@}~`~~~ @}~`~~~ @}~`~~~



Harry sat with his back to the room in the window of the Three Broomsticks, surrounded by a large group of his friends. Fred, George and Lee were huddled together at one end of the table, obviously brewing up trouble. Ginny was gossiping with Parvati, Lavender and one of her fourth year friends at the other. Beside him, Dean and Seamus were trying to explain to Ron how football was played, but he couldn't get past the fact that the game used only one ball, which didn't even fly. Opposite Harry, Hermione sat with Neville, trying to teach him a charm they had been working on in class.

In the midst of his friends, Harry was isolated. He was unable to join in any of the conversation because his attention kept wandering from the topic at hand. He simply couldn't get the dream out of his mind. Twenty times. Twenty times in the last two weeks he had woken up from that dream. And he wasn't even gay! A soft voice stirred in the back of his mind.

~ 'The lady doth protest too much, me thinks' ~

~ What would you know? And don't call me a lady. I'm a guy! ~

~ 'Uh-huh.' ~

~ I am *not* gay! ~

Harry thumped the table for emphasis. Everybody paused in their conversations to look at him.

'What?' Harry attempted to look as though nothing was wrong. When everyone turned away again, he let his head thud onto the table. Then he picked it up again and rubbed his forehead, mouthing 'oww'.

~ 'That's what you get for being a idiot.' ~ whispered Harry's newfound - and highly annoying - inner voice.

'Oh, shut-up,' muttered Harry, then spun around when he received a response that came from behind, rather than inside him.

'Talking to yourself now Potter?' Draco lounged at the table directly behind Harry's, wearing a short-sleeved powder blue turtleneck and dark grey slacks, looking extremely sexy.

~ Oh gods! ~ Harry choked, ~ Tell me I didn't just think that! ~

~ 'You just thought that.' ~

~ I thought I told you to shut-up? ~

~ 'Well then, don't talk to *me*. You can't have it both ways, you know. ~

'Potter? Are you deaf now as well as crazy?'

Harry had taken too long in answering and now everybody at his table had noticed the Slytherin's presence. The twins and Lee left off their private planning and cast Draco looks hinting that they had found their next victim. The girls all simply glared at him for intruding on their pleasant afternoon. Dean and Seamus ignored him and Ron turned right around in his seat and glowered at the blonde. Neville was the only one totally oblivious to his presence; he was still trying to get the hang of the charm Hermione had been helping him with.

'Not deaf, just ignoring you,' Harry sighed and rubbed his temples. 'Go and annoy someone else Malfoy. I don't have the energy to deal with you.'

He turned back to the table and picked up his mug of butterbear, taking a deep draught. Taking their cue from Harry, the rest of his group turned their backs on the Slytherin.

Moments later, Ron was spluttering and wiping water from his eyes. Draco was standing behind him, an empty glass still raised over Ron's head.

'Oops, sorry! I thought your head was on fire!' Goyle and Crabbe snickered nastily behind him.

'That was childish, Malfoy.' Harry turned completely around, 'And besides, I thought I told you to go and annoy someone else.'

A false look of innocence on his face, Draco looked down at Harry, 'But Potter! I *am* annoying someone else! I'm annoying the Weasel!'

Beside Harry, Ron growled, 'Watch your mouth, Ferret-face.'

At this, Draco turned an interesting shade of red. What happened next was rather jumbled. Draco and Ron launched themselves at each other, Harry jumped in between them and got caught in a flailing of limbs. As Harry blocked a blow, Neville shouted something and a stream of light poured out of his wand and hit Harry squarely in the arm.

All movement stopped. Harry, Ron and Draco all stood with chests heaving, Neville stared bemusedly at his wand and everybody else divided their attention between Neville and the trio who had been fighting.

Belatedly, Harry realised he was still in an attitude of blocking a blow from Draco and tried to pull away. He couldn't. His right forearm was quite stuck to Draco's left.







TBC







AN: So... is it worth continuing? It might take me a while, but I promise I will get around to it.... I like this fic, but I've hit a mental block as to what happens next. Suggestions would not be frowned upon. *hint*hint*

And remember, good readers, that little button in the left-hand corner is there for a reason. It gets lonely if no one pays any attention to it.

Thankyou and goodnight.... or...day. Or whatever time it is in your little part of the world.