Chapter two here I come! Hope you enjoy! As per usual, I don't own the magic of Harry Potter…I only wish I did :D

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"…so I told him that I bloody well wouldn't be letting him date my sister if he was the next seeker for the Chuddley Cannons! Can you believe the nerve of that git, Harry? Harry…you listening to me mate?"

Startled back to reality, Harry was jolted from his inner thoughts and brought face-to-face with another story of how Ron saved Ginny from her next potential boyfriend. Ever since they had broken up, Ron had not only been in a particularly good mood, but had taken every opportunity to tell Harry (and anyone else who would listen) about how he had successfully reduced no less than ten interested suitors to quivering masses of embarrassment on the floor. Privately Harry felt that Ron was hoping to keep his sister single for as long as humanly possible, but, what could he say? Ginny got around. Ron was probably so supportive of Harry's coming out because it meant that he would no longer have to picture Harry snogging his sister whenever they went anywhere without him. Just as Harry was about to create some ridiculously vague reply that would most likely convince Ron he had been hanging on to his every word, Hermione rushed through the portrait hole and completely changed the flow of conversation.

"Hermione," Ron started as their bushy-haired friend hurtled towards them, "guess who asked me today if..."

"Oh honestly Ron give it a rest!" Hermione snapped as she collapsed into one of the common room's overstuffed armchairs. "No one the next person you imagined asked if they could date Ginny."

"I haven't imagined anything!" Ron retorted angrily, sitting up straighter in his chair.

"Well then, let me be the first to assure you that no one in their right mind would ask you if they could go out with Ginny. She's dated more boys than you know and none of them even knew you existed, let alone cared if you had a problem with them dating your sister. Besides," she added, completely ignoring Ron's gaping mouth, "Ginny's already seeing someone."

"What? Who?" Harry interjected before Ron could begin shouting again.

"Seamus." She answered casually, ignoring Ron's muffled howl of fury. "She's like him for ages. Well," she said, "not as much as Harry, maybe. But as soon as she got the feeling something was off a few months ago, she started looking around again."

At this point, both Harry and Ron's faces were identical masks of shock.

"Wait," Harry choked out, "what do you mean months ago?"

"Oh really Harry," Hermione chided him in that infuriatingly exasperated tone of hers, "you may have thought you were able to hide that you're gay, but in reality it wasn't that difficult to see. You only kissed Ginny or showed her affection towards her in a way that was more brotherly than romantic. You really on ever became physical because you felt you had to. It was clear in made you uncomfortable and," she continued, clearly enjoying the looks of horror on both her friends' faces, "it's not like you were ever able to hide that you've fancied Dra—"

"YOU GOT PHYSICAL WITH MY SISTER?!" Ron shrieked, completely cutting Hermione off and causing Harry to bury his flaming face in his hands.

"What do you think your sister does in her free time?" Hermione asked, rolling her eyes.

"What did you come up here to tell us?" Harry croaked hoarsely. He peered at Hermione through his bangs and hoped that his face wasn't as red as it felt.

"Oh! Well, rumor has it that there was an experimental accident in the Slytherin common room," Hermione said, kindly dropping the subject of Ginny's sexual activities and Harry's sexual preference for the time being. "Apparently Goyle tried to make a potion to dye his hair blonde and not only succeeded in turning his hair bright pink, but created a toxic virus that had to quarantined in the Slytherin's dungeon."

"Wait….Goyle wanted blonde hair?!" Ron asked skeptically.

"Always the first to recognize the most important point of the story," Hermione answered, rolling her eyes. "Yes, Ron. He was trying to impress Millicent Bulstrode and someone told him she has a thing for blondes."

As Ron cackled with laughter, Harry looked at Hermione with questioning eyes. "But where are the Slytherins going to go?"

"And now we reached the important part of the story—well Harry since you asked such a logical question, I can tell you that, the Slytherins have been assigned to stay in different house common rooms." Ron instantly stopped laughing and began to choke on what must have been his own saliva.

"What?! Who in Merlin's bloody name would assign the Slytherins to share other houses common rooms?"

"Where else would they go?" Hermione asked, her temper clearly rising.

"The forbidden forest, the other dungeons, the owlery, the floor of the entrance hall," Ron replied ticking off examples on his fingers as he went.

"Well that's not what Dumbledore wanted and how would that create more house unity?" Hermione yelled, throwing her hands in the air as she spoke.

"Because we don't need—"

"Who's been assigned to our common room?" Harry broke in, cutting Ron off midsentence.

"Well Harry," Hermione slowly replied, her face stretching into a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin, "I'm glad you asked. I asked Professor McGonagall and there are no Slytherin girls staying in our dorms. But, we will be playing host to none other than Blaize Zabini and," she stopped for emphasis, "Draco Malfoy."

Harry let out a constricted noise that sounded like a cross between a dying cat and a suffocating hamster, burying his face in his hands as he did so.

"This is ludicrous, we can't share dorm with Malfoy. I mean let's think back on all the hell he's tried to put us all through. What's Dumbledore playing at and…what's wrong with Harry?"

"Oh nothing," Hermione said smirking as she glanced at her homosexual friend, "he's thinking about the best way to hide his sexual preference from out new houseguests.

Harry made another choking noise, but otherwise said nothing.

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"This is a nightmare," Draco cried hauling his smaller-than-usual trunk up what felt like the fiftieth flight of stairs. "Who in their right mind decided to put the bloody Gryffindors this far up?"

"Well, we'd probably be there already if someone hadn't felt the need to tell some fifth year that her hair was…what was it? "Taken from the back pages of Witch Weekly's beauty tips," Blaize huffed in an irritated fashion.

"Well I'm sorry but that clip was gaudier than my Aunt Clasinda's hairpin collection. And trust me, her favorite is a stuffed Cornish Pixie arrangement. That girl owes me at least a thank you."

"You made her cry."

"The price you pay for honesty."

"She didn't ask for your opinion!"

"We do not always know the things we need," Draco said philosophically, "but one day she will look back and think 'Merlin, if it wasn't for that exceedingly handsome Draco Malfoy I would have been a fashion disaster for the rest of my life!' and then she will send me a very nice card saying so."

Blaize snorted derisively. "Okay Draco, whatever floats your boat. But this is the painting we're supposed to go through and I don't think she wants your fashion advice."

Both boys stared at a huge painting of a fat woman in pale pink dress. She stared at them skeptically.

"I know the headmaster told me you'd be here for a bit, but I don't like it. Not at all. This tower is for Gryffindors, not for…your type."

"Excuse me," Draco exclaimed indignantly while Blaize tried to elbow him painfully in the ribs. "But I think that as a portrait of your status you should treat guests with much more—"

"Pig's Feet."

Blaize and Draco whirled around to see Harry Potter standing behind them. The pink lady glared at him but eventually nodded and swung forward mumbling something about "insensitive about not having legs" as she complied. Looking between the two Slytherins, Harry took a moment to size up his new roommates. Blaize was tall, with dark wavy hair that accented caramel colored skin and chocolate eyes. He may not like Pansy much but, Harry had to admit, she had taste. Slowly he turned his gaze to the other guest. Draco was shorter than Harry remembered, Harry figured he had about 4 inches on the Slytherin, and his body could be described as nothing short of petite. His hair seemed to fall in soft, spikey tendrils and the white-blonde of is hair matched is grey eyes and pale skin perfectly. Harry brought himself back to reality, realizing that he had essentially just been checking out his arch nemesis and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"She can be a pain sometimes but she'll get used to you. Just don't give her any reason to make you sleep in the corridor."

Blaize snorted, bit late for that. I think she already has a vendetta against Draco and his oversized ego. Grabbing their trunks the two Slytherins followed Harry through the portrait hole and into the open space of the Gryffindor common room.

"Your rooms are up the stairs to the left, make yourselves at home," Harry said gesturing towards a narrow staircase at one end of the common room.

"Thanks Harry," Blaize said, shooting him a smile as he turned and headed in the direction Harry had indicated. "Would you mind showing us around later? I hate looking like that awkward person who doesn't belong."

Harry smiled in spite of himself. "Yeah, no problem. And don't worry, most people here are really great once they get to know—"

"Absolutely not."

Both Blaize and Harry turned to stare at Draco in shock.

"I do not need a 'tour' Blaize in order to feel like I belong." Draco said loftily, trying to hide his anger as he glared daggers at his friend.

"Suit yourself if you want to be a prat," Blaize replied shrugging. "See you in a few Harry?" Then he disappeared up the stairs.

An awkward silence fell between Harry and Draco as the two stared anywhere but at each other.

"I don't need your pity Potter," Malfoy finally said icily. "I can take care of myself."

Before Harry could get another word in, the blonde had turned on his heel and marched up the stairs, his hips swaying in a fashion that was anything but masculine. Harry closed his eyes and attempted to massage away a headache he could feel approaching. House unity his ass. No matter how gorgeous Draco Malfoy was, he didn't have to put up with the prat. As Harry slumped into an armchair to wait for Blaize, Hermione peered at him from the safety of the girl's dormitory staircase. Rolling her eyes, she could not understand for the life of her why boys were so stupid. These next few weeks were going to be very interesting indeed.

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Woo! So guys thanks to all your sweet reviews and favs and follows, I got the second chapter banged out a lot sooner than I anticipated. I'll try not to get buried in my AP studio art paintings and art college stuff and work on keeping updates fairly steady. Suggestions, reviews, or any kind of message will be received with love 3 Sending you all a huge lesbian hug :3