This is a oneshot request from TutelaTwin. I'm including the challenge at the bottom so you can make sure everything she requested was included. It's Alternate 7th year. War is over, and Voldemort is dead. Book compliant only through book 5.
Sugar
Harry blamed his predicament on the new coffee station installed in the Great Hall. He didn't know what in the world had possessed Dumbledore to purchase it, or why he would make it available to all the sixth and seventh year students, but he did. And Harry was convinced that the amount of sugar and caffeine they had consumed that morning heavily contributed to his stumbling around the Forbidden Forest blindfolded.
--
Earlier that morning
"You really should slow down, Ron. You've already had four cups," Hermione chastised.
Ron's jaw dropped. "What? I've only had four? I need to catch up then, Neville and Seamus have already had six cups each," Ron groaned as he went back to the magical coffee station to fetch his fifth French vanilla cappuccino.
Harry preferred the hazelnut to the vanilla personally, but he had only had three cups. Still, he found them surprisingly addictive and contemplated going up for a fourth. He changed his mind quickly when Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head curtly.
"Oh no, I won't be dealing with two sugared up boys this afternoon. Ron being an imbecile is bad enough, I'm use to that, but not you too, Harry," she stated firmly, sipping her pumpkin juice.
"You're really going to have to lighten up, Hermione. The war is over, Voldemort is dead and we should be celebrating," Harry told her enthusiastically, hoping some of his excitement would rub off on his friend.
"You can celebrate all you want, but I have exams to study for," she replied.
"Ron and I have exams too," Harry huffed. "But we still find time to have fun."
"Well, you're an adult now Harry, I can't make you study. Just remember the marks you'll have to make to get into Auror training," she said with a slightly patronizing smile and left the Great Hall.
Harry sighed heavily and got up to follow her. Hermione was right, and if he ever stood a chance at passing and getting to be an Auror, he had to work harder in potions. Snape would love a reason to flunk him, and Harry wasn't going to let him.
On his way to the staircase he overheard an unusually excited Theodore Nott talking to Malfoy and Pansy about plans to play a game of hide-n-go-seek. Theo had read about it in a muggle book and thought it sounded like a good time, only they were going to make their seekers wear blindfolds to make it extra difficult.
They were planning to gather as many Slytherin's as they could to play and head out that afternoon for a game before dinner.
Harry rolled his eyes and imagined Malfoy bumbling around with a blindfold and bumping into everything. He laughed as he passed them and the three all turned in unison to sneer at Harry.
All but Draco, who instead of his trademark smirk had leveled a glance at Harry that he couldn't quite explain. Since just before the war, every time Harry had managed to look in Malfoy's direction, the boy was staring at him. It made Harry uncomfortable, and not because of the normal reasons, either.
Sure, he could explain it away as being in discomfort because it was Malfoy staring, or because it was a boy, or even because it was a Slytherin, but no. Harry was uncomfortable because he liked it.
Harry flushed at Draco's look and shot him a rude gesture. He tended to lash out at people when they made him uncomfortable. Pansy elbowed Malfoy in the ribs and shot him a scathing look but Draco just shook his head, a small grin pulling at the corners of his mouth.
The Slytherin gang went further down the corridor and away from the stairs and Harry took his embarrassed red face and ran up to the Gryffindor common room.
--
When Harry reached the common room it was already bustling with activity. Dean was in the corner playing chess with Nearly Headless Nick, Hermione was studying by the fireplace, a group of fourth years were playing a game of exploding snap, and Ginny was curled up on the sofa next to Neville, gently petting the plush frog he had gotten her from Hogsmeade.
Harry was secretly thrilled that Ginny had chosen to date Neville and was finally done being Harry Potter's biggest fan. Plus, Neville was as good a guy as they came, and she deserved the best.
Harry sank to the floor at Hermione's feet and ignored her protests of having her study space invaded. The general consensus in the room seemed to be boredom. Everyone was overloaded on sugar and caffeine and looking for an outlet, but nothing was doing the trick.
A few minutes later Ron and Seamus came bursting through the portrait hole, mirroring Harry's thoughts.
"I am so bored," Ron groaned, plunking down next to Harry, also ignoring Hermione's grumbles.
"Well, you couldn't possibly be more bored than the Slytherins," Harry said. "I heard them making plans to go play muggle games outside later," Harry laughed.
"The Slytherin's are playing muggle games? Man, a lot has changed since the war," Ron mused.
Harry shrugged. He supposed if he thought about it, a lot was different. Most of the houses mingled together more than they had before, and the general student population was a lot more lighthearted and at ease than before… even the Slytherins.
Maybe even especially the Slytherins. Out of every student there, they had the most to fear before the war. Most of their parents were Death Eaters, and working directly for Voldemort, and now that he was gone, their children didn't have to worry about the day someone would come to school and tell them that their mother or father had been killed.
"What kind of game are they playing?" Ron asked, suddenly intrigued.
"Hide-n-seek. It's a game where a group of people hide and one person stays and counts and then has to go and find the others, only the Slytherins are going to make the seeker wear a blindfold," Harry replied.
"That sounds brilliant!" Ron shouted, capturing the attention of several other students in the room.
Harry shook his head. "No way! I don't care how much things have changed during the war I am not playing with the Slytherins." An image of Draco and he hiding together in an unused classroom came unbidden into his mind and he shook his head even harder to clear away the thought.
Ron rolled his eyes. "Of course we won't play with them," Ron huffed. "We can just form our own group and play somewhere else."
Still shaking his head from the mental images he protested again. "I don't know where they were planning to play their game, and we might overlap. I don't want to end up hiding with Malfoy," Harry added, though not sure why he let that bit of information blurt from him.
Hermione snickered behind him but he didn't look at her. She was always doing things like that. It was unnerving how perceptive she was. Ron, however, looked disgusted and nodded.
"You're right mate, we couldn't have you trapped alone with the ferret," he said, obviously not thinking of the same reasons for that statement that Harry was. "We could just find a place that they would be guaranteed not to play!" he said at last, seemingly proud of himself.
"Like where?" Harry asked doubtfully. "The only place I know of that Slytherins wouldn't go is the Forbidden forest… and it's kind of forbidden," Harry said.
"Hence the name," Hermione muttered behind them.
Seamus, who had been listening to their conversation perked up. "That would be brilliant. It would be so scary!" he exclaimed. "Let's do it."
Harry only shrugged; he could care less. He had been in the forest too many times to count and it hardly affected him anymore. Ron swallowed thickly but eventually nodded, which surprised Harry.
So they got a group together, which consisted of most of the Gryffindors, a few Hufflepuffs, and Luna and went to the forest.
--
The group was nearing the edge of the woods when a couple of the younger students bailed on the game and went back to the castle. Harry, who was walking between Ron and Luna, chuckled but kept going.
"What is that on your ears," Ron asked the Ravenclaw blonde.
"Hm?" she asked, sounding completely distracted, as if she had been pulled from a dream.
"Your earrings, they look like… pigs," he said, his face pulled into a look of wonder mixed with disgust.
She smiled sweetly at him and giggled. "Oh these? They're piggy banks," she answered. "They each hold a galleon, so that if we get lost out here, I'll be sure to have money with me if I need it," she added, as if it made plenty of sense to carry money in your earrings as opposed to say… your pockets.
Harry rolled his eyes and smiled but Ron nodded as if it made all the sense in the world. Poor Ron was smitten with Luna and she was completely oblivious to it.
"We just lost four more," Harry muttered, gesturing to the first years that just fled back to the castle, as the forest loomed closer.
"Ah, let em' run," Ron said. "They'll miss out on all the fun."
"Right," Harry muttered.
They were making their way down the forest trail and hadn't lost any more students. At this point everyone seemed to think it would be best to stick together. They walked carefully down the path, being sure to avoid any spiders, as Ron so carefully insisted.
"So I was thinking-" Ron started.
"Were you now?" Harry asked, highly amused.
Ron frowned. "I was thinking that since you're the Gryffindor seeker that you should be the Hide-n-seeker."
"Fine," Harry groaned. He really hadn't wanted to be the one to have to don the blindfold, but he should have expected as much.
They reached a small clearing and Seamus decided it would be the perfect place to start the game, so they slipped the blindfold over Harry's glasses and tied it securely around his head and walked him over to a tree nearby.
Harry leaned against the tree with his arm in front of his face. "Ready?" he called, and judging by the lack of answer, he started counting.
--
Ron was walking softly next to Luna, or rather trying to walk softly. The bracken underfoot was making it dreadfully hard to stay quiet, and if they kept this up, Harry would find them easily, blindfolded or not.
Luna was telling him stories abut her summer and about all the various creatures she saw, none of which Ron was sure even existed. She was so pretty and so sweet and funny. Ron wanted her to keep telling him stories, but he also wanted to kiss her. Ever since he met her he had been thinking about it, and here they were, alone in a dark spooky forest.
Today was the day he would kiss Luna Lovegood.
The group hadn't separated too much, or roamed too far from the small clearing. They were all afraid to scatter too far apart.
Ron reached for Luna's hand and she giggled, slipping hers into his and twining their fingers together. He was grinning like an idiot, and about to make his move when a sound from the brush startled him.
He whipped around to find himself face to face with a centaurs arrow tip.
With a quick flick of his eyes around the clearing, Ron saw that several others were drawing their bow and arrows on his friends until nearly everyone he could see was under attack.
"What are you doing in the forest," the centaur asked,
"We… we were just playing a muggle game, completely harmless," Ron added with a stutter.
The centaur looked up and sought the attention of his friends. They seemed to converse silently and finally the one in front of Ron gave a solid nod. "You may leave, if you do so now. If you refuse, we shall take you all to our camp and let the leader decide what to do with you," he offered.
Ron nodded. "Leaving… we're leaving," he squeaked.
The centaurs lowered their bows and watched as the students gathered back together and began their trek out of the forest. Ron panicked after a moment and rushed back into the clearing under the watchful eyes of the centaur guard.
"Harry," he called. Ron looked around the small clearing but found no sign of his friend. "Harry," he called louder. Ron could only think that Harry must have finished counting and would already be searching for them.
The lead centaur came over to Ron's side. "You must leave now, human, or I cannot guarantee your safety."
"But my friend," Ron stuttered. "He's wandering around here blindfolded and looking for us."
The centaur looked at him incredulously. "You humans are a strange bunch of creatures," he said. "When we find the boy we shall send him back to you."
"What if you don't find him?" Ron asked, still panicked.
The centaur looked as if Ron had struck him. "We will find him. We know his forest better than any creature could hope to," he growled.
Ron nodded weakly, not wanting to anger the centaur and further and joined his friends.
They walked quickly through the forest, never looking back, and Ron hoped Harry would be okay alone in the forest.
--
It wasn't long before Harry fell and scraped up his hands. He was never particularly graceful except on a broom. He grumbled and cursed and fumbled along without the use of his eyes for quite some time.
Finally his feet stopped tripping over logs and twigs and he figured he must have made his way back into the clearing. He felt relief wash over him and he was about to remove the blindfold when he crashed into someone.
"Ha! Caught you," the other person shouted.
Harry whipped around, feeling the person beside him and trying to decipher who it was. It was definitely a boy, because Harry accidentally grazed a bulge, and the voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
"No, I caught you," Harry said at last when he couldn't figure it out. "I'm the seeker."
"When did you start a new game?" the other boy asked.
"What? We didn't…" Harry had about enough, and he whipped the blindfold off and nearly choked as his eyes focused on the boy in front of him.
The other boy took off his own blindfold in the same instant and grinned. "Fancy running into you here, Potter," Malfoy drawled.
Harry rolled his eyes and started to stomp away, but quickly realized he had no idea where he was. The clearing that he thought was the one he had started in was definitely not where he was now.
This was a beautiful flower-filled meadow. His breath caught in his throat as he watched the moonlight fill the beautiful clearing.
Moonlight. Was it really that late? How long had he been trudging around in the forest? "Do you know where we are?" Harry asked Malfoy.
"No clue," Draco said honestly. "I started off really far from here I think."
Harry nodded. "Me too. Where is everyone?"
Draco shrugged. "If I know the Slytherins they probably got bored and left me out here."
"Sounds like something they would do," Harry laughed, ignoring Draco's narrowed eyes. "My friends would never do that, though," Harry added.
"Oh? Then where do you think they are?" Malfoy asked.
"I probably just wandered too far away from them," Harry mused.
"Right, and none of them have come to find you yet? When did you come out here?" Draco asked.
Harry blushed. "Shortly after breakfast," he admitted. It must have been seven or eight at night based on the position of the moon.
"We'll just head back toward the castle and I'm sure we'll run into them," Harry said making his way toward the woods.
Draco grabbed his arm. "Or you might run into a werewolf, or some other big bad," he said, worry and panic creasing his forehead. "Plus, do you even know which way the castle is?"
Harry threw his arm off and crossed his own indignantly across his chest. He opened his mouth to speak and then promptly shut it again. "No."
The Slytherin nodded as if satisfied by Harry's answer. "It's common knowledge that if you ever find yourself lost, you should stay put until someone finds you."
"You're suggesting I stay here… alone… with you?" Harry asked, his eyes wide and slightly fearful.
"Unless you feel like trudging around in pitch black darkness," Draco offered with a shrug and made his way closer to the center of the meadow and plopped down. Harry couldn't see his head over the towering grasses and flowers.
"Suppose I go along with this ridiculous plan," Harry called over the ferns. "What are we supposed to eat? I'm starving."
Draco looked around and smiled brightly. "Pineapple," he declared.
"What?"
Draco stood up again and made his way a few feet from where he had been and pointed to a large plant with small spiny fruit protruding from it. He pulled out a pocket knife and cut it free, and with a spell, transfigured some of the larger leaves of the plant into plates.
Harry stared for a moment, amazed by Draco's ingenuity and eventually went over and sat beside him.
He laughed as pineapple juice dribbled down his chin. "I don't suppose you could transfigure a napkin?" Harry asked.
Draco spread his arms wide. "Alas, no. But I can help you would with that if you'd like?" he offered.
"Er, sure," Harry replied, not entirely certain what Draco had in mind. He didn't have to wonder for long though, because as soon as Harry spoke, Draco was licking his chin, stopping just beneath Harry's lips.
He pulled back and smirked at Harry, whose eyes were as wide as saucers. "Did you like that? If so I can keep going," he said.
Harry couldn't move, couldn't breathe, and couldn't think past the way Draco's tongue had felt on his face. Without even thinking about it, Harry shifted closer.
Taking that as an invitation, Draco moved in and captured Harry's lips.
Part of him wanted to shove Draco away, it was wrong, it was so wrong. But the other part of him, the vast majority, it seemed, wanted to continue to taste Draco. He tasted like sugared pineapple, juicy and sweet.
He moved closer still and Draco ran his fingers through his raven curls, pulling him against his mouth and crushing his lips against Draco's.
He felt Malfoy's tongue flick out and run against his teeth and bottom lip and he shivered, making Draco repeat the action. His tongue pressed against his teeth, begging for entry and Harry opened up to him and was happy he did. He could taste him even better.
Under the candied pineapple was a hint of hazelnut, which reminded him of the coffee he had consumed that morning. Was hazelnut Draco's favorite too?
But under all of it was the inherent taste of Malfoy, that flavor that screamed his name and that made Harry want to possess him.
Harry broke the kiss, gasping for breath and shooting Draco a puzzled look. "What was that?"
A faint rush of pink colored Malfoy's cheeks before he spoke. "That was me acting instead of watching from a distance," he whispered.
"Why?" Harry asked, taken aback by his honesty. "Why have you been watching me?"
"I saw you stand against him," Draco whispered. "I saw the power that floated from you like a gust of wind. I saw you destroy him and you never faltered."
Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "That's not me. Not normally," he amended.
"I don't care. I want it," Draco said, and captured his mouth again.
Harry melted against him, losing all rational thought to the onslaught from Draco's lips and tongue. Draco moaned against his mouth and Harry pulled him closer. His body matched against Harry's like a puzzle piece, perfect and true, it felt so right.
He shook free and pushed Malfoy away. "No… this isn't right. It's too fast. We hate each other, remember?"
Draco frowned and looked around him. "This is a faerie glade," he whispered.
"So then it's just magic? Some twisted faerie magic is making us do this?" Harry asked. Part of him was hoping that were true, that some outside force was driving him to this madness, but the larger part of him knew that it wasn't faerie magic making him want to kiss and hold Draco. That same part of him knew that he had been thinking about it in secret for years.
The Slytherin was beautiful, no doubt. His pale skin and platinum hair worked like a shimmering canvas, drawing the attention toward his pouting pink lips and brilliant pewter eyes. Harry had grudgingly admitted to himself some time ago that the boy was lovely, but what drew him so inexorably to him was actually the way he treated Harry.
Sure he was an arse, but more than that, he saw through all the pomp and circumstance that surrounded the name Harry Potter. He never backed down in a fight, and he always said what he wanted to Harry regardless of his mantle. He never got that kind of indifference from anyone, not even his closest friends, who always put up with his tantrums and never said a word edgewise.
It was refreshing.
It was also part of the reason he so often picked fights with the boy. He loved to feel the release of being around someone who didn't care what his name was or what fame followed him, and who would tell him off just the same as anyone else.
Draco was shaking his head, pale blonde strands flinging loosely around his sharp face. "Faeries can't make you do anything you didn't already want to do. They pull out your deepest, most dark and secret desires and remove your inhibitions so that you'll act on them," he replied.
"So deep down," Harry said with a smirk, "you wanted to kiss me?"
A faint smile pulled at the corners of Draco's mouth, and Harry wanted to see it's full form so badly he could cry. "It would also be worth mentioning that you wanted to kiss me as well."
"I do… I… it's just wrong," Harry muttered. He could feel the magic crackling around him like a warm blanket, trying to push him closer to Draco, but he put all of his resistance against it and pushed, keeping the faerie magic at bay.
Barely.
"Why is it wrong?" Draco asked innocently. He was not putting up any fight toward the magic surrounding them, and looked at Harry with raw lust. It flickered through Harry's mind and burst into flame. This was not the first time Draco had looked at him that way, and he only now could name the hungry emotion in the boy's mercury eyes. What puzzled Harry further, however, was that the first time he had seen such a look was before the war, not after.
"I think the list for why it's right would be much shorter," Harry grumbled. The fight to keep the magic from clinging to his skin was taxing and took too much concentration.
Draco shrugged, and Harry had no idea how anyone could make a shrug look elegant, but Draco managed it. Actually he managed to make everything look elegant, walking, eating, potions, homework. Everything Draco did was graceful.
He would love to see the boy dance; Harry bet it would be the most beautiful thing in the world.
Before Harry knew it they were on their feet, clinging together like familiar lovers. He looked around and the trees became giant ornate pillars and the canopy and sky a beautiful ceiling mural and the flowers below them turned to polished marble.
They danced through the meadow like it was their own private ballroom, Draco dipping him and twirling him to unheard music. Harry sighed and leaned against him, happy to let Draco take the lead, letting him make the decisions.
He realized that was a bit of what he needed in his life; someone who could help him make the hard choices, so that it wasn't all on his shoulders. "Just let go," a voice whispered, and he wasn't sure if it was Draco, or the faeries, or his own mind, but he listened.
He let go and let the magic roll over him, let the feeling of Draco holding him tight melt away all doubts. He could worry tomorrow.
Tonight he would just be.
Authors Note: This was the challenge: Harry and Draco are wandering blindfolded in the wilderness, and run into each other. Somewhere that has a forest and a meadow. Random other things to include in Fic: Pineapple, ballroom dancing, French Vanilla cappuccino, plush frog, drawing of a bow and arrow, piggy bank.
I know it seemed as though it ended too soon, with too many questions unanswered, but I planned it that way. When I'm done with my current WIP, I'll probably pick it back up and turn it into a short story. But for now, I'll leave you all dancing with Harry and Draco in the Faerie glade.
I accept reviews in the form of written word, song, dance and magical baked goods. Also, if anyone else has a story request, bring em' on. You can email them to me at