Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, that sly JK Rowling does, and through her unsurpassable skills in legimency she wrote down their story. Now I'm just tweaking it a bit.
AN: This started as a story for my dear friend Amie, but as I am an attention hog(warts) I decided to put it up for the general public, so I may get reviews and fans. My lifesblood. I will continue it, based on the general reaction I've recieved of it so far. Draco Malfoy is for whom I hold a candle, if you haven't already guessed, and I will orchestrate some pairings eventually. Review and submit your favourites.
'v'
The clamour of the Great Hall was intensified at breakfast on this particular morning as the rumour mill was set aflame by recent events of a most scandalous nature.
"It's true, Hugh Davies in the second year saw it, honest to Hog!"
"Yeah, but Hugh Davies just came out of Hufflepuff shared charms though."
"So?"
"So, Eugene Karlowski's wake up charm soldered his eyes together. He could only see from one eye, it was all crusted up. There's no way he could be telling the truth, he couldn't see from those eyes."
"He copped an eyeful if he did see it, that's for sure."
"But it's true; he's convinced that it's true!"
Over on the Gryffindor table the Golden Trio were deep in conversation.
"It's the side of Hogwarts you'd never think to see, is it?" Hermione mused.
"It's the side you'd bloody well never see. Let alone think to!" Ron grumbled.
"Well, it's not like it was in public, was it?"
"Public enough! That Davies squirt saw more than what was publicly acceptable. That Slytherin git just can't keep it in his pants!"
Harry choked on his mouthful of cereal and whilst spluttering, he was pondering the situation. As you do.
Malfoy had proven yet again that Slytherin's were different people, and maybe a different species. Hugh Davies was a second year Ravenclaw who got lost after attending a botched charms class, got caught afoul of the switching staircases and ended up wandering around the dungeons with a coating of sleep over his eyes. Walking around the cold corridors performing healing charms on his eyes, Davies opened them right in the middle of some Slytherin sexual orgy. He'd been telling anyone and everyone in that over excitable second year manner that he'd seen Malfoy (the most recognisable Slytherin thanks to his peculiar shade of silvery blond hair) and a group of other Slytherin boys and girls bereft of most of their clothes engaged in a very intimate affair indeed. It was a memorable night for Davies, and by morning the whole school seemed to be buzzing with the news.
"I mean, how would a slimy git like Malfoy even get enough people together, in a room, who can stand him enough to have sex with him? What's the appeal, you know?" Ron muttered conspiratorially to Hermione. Harry judged by his expression that Ron set up this question just to have Hermione vehemently agree with him, to boost his ego and protect the tiny bit of him that was feeling jealous of Draco.
"Well," Hermione responded. "He's not actually all that bad looking, if you consider it from a different perspective."
Ron's jaw was hanging agape.
"Sure, he's a little skinny," she continued. "But he's got quite handsome features, almost feminine. And a lot of girls gossip, of course they do, and he's been with loads of people before. He's a bit of a sex addict apparently, or so the rumours say. And Parvati's sister Pamda knows a couple of Ravenclaw girls and boys who say they've been with him in some way or another. An underground orgy doesn't seem all that unlikely, all things considered."
Ron started spluttering. "But – Hermione! It's Malfoy! No way! And how have I never heard any of this before, am I that out of the loop?"
She put her spoon to her lips as she considered her words. It didn't escape Harry's notice that Ron's hand twitched as his eyes followed the path of the spoon. Harry smirked.
"Well Ron," Hermione began tentatively. "I'm not sure how to say this, but people really just tend to not tell you these things."
"What? Why not?"
"Well, you tend to take it badly."
"Badly? I'm not taking this badly. How am I taking this badly?"
She rolled her eyes and put her cutlery neatly down beside her plate. She grinned at him then put on a very poor impersonation that Harry discerned as Ron.
"Oh, er, yuck, Malfoy's gay? As in he likes guys? As in sex with guys? I think I'm going to throw up. Er… oh Merlin that's not right – Are you so close minded about everything Ron?"
"Well, it's not right. It's not right, here, tell her Harry."
Harry looked sheepishly up from his cereal.
"What are we talking about?"
"It's not right, Malfoy's seedy business."
"Are we talking about Malfoy having sex or Malfoy being bi?"
"Both."
"Well, I think either way it's none of our business, Malfoy's sex life. I don't think it's wrong. He can do what he likes, it's his life." Harry's words earned an appreciative smile from Hermione. Ron forked his sausage with a frustrated jab.
"I still don't like it." He grumbled.
"You don't have to like it Ron." Hermione chided. "It's not like he's coming onto you."
The bickering couple was interrupted by the sudden silence that descended on the hall. The gossip was hushed as the very object of gossip entered the hall for breakfast. Several students blushed and looked away, the rest just stared as Malfoy, his constant guard Crabbe and Goyle, and his two very pleased looking friends, Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini, strode through the main archway. A sly grin spread across Malfoy's face as he realised that he was the object of attention and desire for nearly the whole school.
He whispered something into Zabini's ear and a similar grin lit his features. Malfoy threw a careless arm around Parkinson's shoulder and they strutted across the hall over to the Slytherin table.
Hundreds of curious eyes followed their path. A boy at the end of the Ravenclaw table flushed when he met Malfoy's gaze and looked away. He nearly jumped out of his seat as Malfoy trailed his fingers playfully across the Ravenclaw's back as he walked past him to his seat at the Slytherin table. Parkinson's squeal of a giggle broke the silence as a large group of upper class men from the Slytherin table joined in, laughing raucously at the shying Ravenclaw boy's reaction. They reached out to Malfoy and with many claps on the back and dubious handshakes pulled him down into his seat at the centre of the group with Parkinson and Zabini staying glued to his side.
The conversation in the hall bubbled back up again as the students turned back to their friends and instead of staring, threw covert glances over their shoulders as they discussed the Slytherin table's sexual ethics.
"Blimey," Ron croaked. "So pretty much all of Slytherin was at this party then?"
"You know, I've heard of sexual parties being held in boarding communities," Hermione was thinking aloud again. "Usually they are silent invitation sort of things where you have to reach a certain level of notoriety or sexual prestige before you are given the details for the secret meeting place."
"How did you find this out then?" Harry asked Hermione with a coy smile.
"I suppose you read it in a book, did you?" Ron bitingly queried.
"As a matter of fact, I did." Hermione snapped back. "Not that it's any of your business."
"No, of course it's not." Ron replied, rolling his eyes. "You could be reading smutty novels hidden in your Arithmancy books for all I know. Am I not allowed to ask where all this newfound sexual knowledge of yours is coming from?"
The edges of Hermione's mouth twitched up into a minute smile for a second, then her features rearranged into the more acceptable expression of friendly reproach.
"You are taking this badly Ron, why did I know you would?"
Harry rolled his eyes. The hidden intonations of this sentence. It was hard being the third wheel of a 'secret' relationship, in the sense that the coded conversations between Ron and Hermione were becoming less amusing and more arduous. They both liked each other, it was plain enough for Harry to see. But they continued to skirt around the facts and all the subtle flirting they did became irritating for Harry to watch. He didn't want to be the middle man. Instead, the couple just continued their playful arguing, as they did now.
"Well, I have a right to know how my friend gets about, who tells her these things which a good girl like yourself ought not know. I mean c'mon Hermione, sexy parties?!"
Harry laughed. Ron's belligerent expression was, quite frankly, ridiculous, and the tension that built during his rant broke. Torrents of laughter poured fourth from Hermione. Still giggling, she pat Ron on the shoulder.
"Oh, you are so funny Ron." She said in her best condescending voice. "I have to go. I have Arithmancy next and I need to find one of my romance novels to hide between the pages of my textbook." She scoffed as she swept her morning newspaper into her school bag. "See you guys in potions. Bye."
"Now hang on –"Ron tried to tug onto the sleeve of Hermione's robe and she teasingly slapped his hand away.
"I'll be late! Just because you have a free." Hermione poked her tongue out at Ron and he laughed and waved her off.
Still smiling, Ron turned to Harry. He saw Harry's knowing expression and narrowed his eyes.
"What's that look for?"
"Nothing," Harry replied with an impish smile. "It's just funny, that's all."
"What is?"
"Well, all it took was one crazy Hogwarts orgy to perk you two up. Weren't you two, ah, ignoring each other yesterday?"
Ron's brow furrowed and the set of his mouth hardened with embarrassment.
"How'd the cold shoulder technique work, did she warm up to you that fast?" Ribbed the grinning golden-boy.
"Shut up."
Harry laughed. It was true he was feeling bitter about their relationship, especially as it made painfully prominent how alone Harry was now. He'd been giving Ron a lot of trouble because of it.
"She looked almost excited to be fighting with you." He nudged Ron with his elbow.
"Shut it!"
"Do you think they'll send her an invite to the next one?"
"You are such a berk, do you know that?" Ron snapped. "Don't talk about her like that, mate."
"It's only a joke Ron, she would have laughed." Harry sulked.
Ron shovelled his scrambled egg onto his toast. As he cut a bit off and forked it into his mouth he seemed to be contemplating Harry's words.
"You think there'll be another one then?"
Two hands suddenly clapped down on Ron's shoulders. A frame of the lanky freckled arms of Fred and George formed around Ron's face.
"Hello little brother." Fred said.
"Are you talking about that orgy?" queried George.
"What? No I wasn't," Ron protested in a squeaky voice, dropping most of his egg off his fork in surprise.
"Aw, little Ronnikins is angling for an invite, is he?" George teased.
"Methinks he's far too young and naïve to be thinking of that saucy business." Fred nodded.
They both stepped over the bench and sat down on either side of Ron. They smiled identical smiles when Ron tried to get up and walk away and pulled him back down to the seat, their hands still clamped firmly onto his shoulders.
"Naughty, naughty Ron." They said in unison.
"Look, I never said I was thinking about … that. Or talking about it. Geez, everyone's giving me a hard time this morning. Just lay off would you?" Ron replied defensively. He got rather flustered talking about sexual things in ordinary circumstances. Fred and George were practically having a field day with an orgy in the news.
"Poor choice of words Ron." They grinned at each other.
Harry laughed at this, drawing the twin's attention on him.
"Wotcher Harry," Fred and George casually acknowledged the Boy Who Lived.
"Hey guys," He replied with an air of nonchalance.
Ron was fuming silently, deciding he can't win, as his brothers continued to tease him. A sudden thought occurred to Harry.
"Hey Fred, George. Has anything of this sort ever happened at Hogwarts before or is it just the Slytherins being Slytherins?"
Fred answered quickly "No" at the same time his brother answered "Yes".
"What?" George looked to his brother.
"Uh, it hasn't happened, has it?"
"Yeah, that time in Second year, remember? The oldest Fawcett girl walked in on it. She was never the same." George reminisced with a rueful grin.
"Oh, right. I forgot about that." Fred nodded hurriedly.
Harry watched their dialogue with suspicious eyes.
"And what happened that year, was it just Slytherins?" he asked.
"Yeah, it –"Fred began.
"No, it wasn't –"George replied, speaking over his brothers words. Again he looked confused.
Harry frowned.
"No, it wasn't." George continued, looking suspiciously at his brother. "I heard rumours that people from other houses were in on it too, and even some Gryffindors. It was a bit of a laugh because there was this really skanky sixth year girl who had a bit of a reputation and she left the school afterwards."
"Why?" Harry asked.
"I dunno. I guess she was too embarrassed to show her face afterwards or something like that." George shrugged.
"I heard she left because she got all in a snit because she wasn't invited to 'em." Seamus chimed in.
"Where did you hear this?" Fred asked him curiously.
"Me mam's sister's girl was attending at the time. It was real big news apparently."
"You chimer, Seamus." Ron smirked, finally rejoining the conversation.
"Well, look who's decided to join us, talking of chimers." Fred smirked at his younger brother.
"What?! It's interesting, ok." Ron rebutted defensively.
"So this isn't just a one time random orgy, is that what you're saying?" Harry pieced together the conversation. Ron recognised on his face the conspiracy expression that Harry frequented. Fred caught the look too and decided to cut Harry off.
"There isn't some massive scheme at hand here Harry, just a bunch of horny boarders releasing all their pent up energy. It could happen anywhere. Just because it's Hogwarts, doesn't mean there has to be some kind of fascinating link to the past. There's nothing all that magical about sex." He bluntly said.
George took it the opposite way. Adopting a girlish falsetto he shrugged suggestively up next to his brother. "Oh, the sex was simply magical!"
This brought laughs all round. Fred pretended to swoon and continued the joke, but Harry wasn't paying attention. Instead he was staring over at the Slytherin table, his conspiracy face back on. Ron noticed this and frowned to himself.
The cogs in Harry's mind were turning over this fresh piece of information, ever the detective.
Over on the Slytherin table, the tight group of upperclassmen laughed loudly and made many jeering sounds. Malfoy stood up from his seat and took a mock bow before blowing kisses to the group on the table. They all laughed and Malfoy held his arm out for both Parkinson and Zabini in turn as they got out of their chairs to join him. Linking arms, they turned to leave the hall. It seemed one of the boys called something out to Malfoy, for he turned to look over his shoulder and nodded to them. Zabini and Parkinson wrapped their arms around Malfoy's waist and together they walked up the hall, Malfoy's subtle wave dismissing the Goons to their supping. As they passed the shying Ravenclaw boy the trio sprung on him and ruffled his hair. Laughing jovially they turned and strode out the archway as the flustered boy nervously flattened his hair to the amusement of his peers.
In Harry's observations he didn't miss the many flickers of eye contact between the students, mostly upperclassmen who exchanged heavy glances, and the teachers who seemed to nod to one another. This seemed all too suspicious for Harry Potter, and he was in dire need of a mystery, as watching Ron and Hermione gallivant about was giving him no satisfaction these days.
Making his decision, Harry swept his paper into his bag and threw his cloak over his arm as he bid his goodbyes to the boys at the table. It was his free period, and he was going to spend it at the library. Although it was a very Hermione action Harry felt it pertinent to his investigation.
Hogwarts had some explaining to do.
'v'
So there is chapter 1. I hope you enjoyed it and I expect REVIEWS! I'm sure I earnt at least a few, and with goodness to come folks! No pun intended. Tell me what you think, tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what made you giggle, titter and bellylaugh if you will. And the mystery resumes NEXT CHAPTER!! Oh, and did you get that my little page breaks are owls? Oh how I love them.