Harry laid on his bed, trying to ignore the soft snoring from the other side of the room. He sighed heavily and rolled over on his side. Finally, he grabbed is pillow and pinned it over his head to block out the sounds. Ron's snoring had never bothered him at Hogwarts. It hadn't even bothered him the night before when they were both sleeping in Ron's tiny room. Now, however, the sound was nothing more than a reminder of what he was and was not going to get during this semester. Draco had slept silently, never making a single sound. Now he was off sleeping in some other room, far away from Harry. It felt like had lost him.
A particularly loud snore broke though the pillow. Harry had had enough. He threw the pillow to the ground and jumped out of bed. He was not going to be able to sleep. He stepped lightly, not wanting to wake Ron up, and exited the room. He wished that he could see Draco, maybe wrap his arms around the blonde's body. He needed to feel that warmth seeping through his skin. It was too late though. Everyone would be asleep. Draco would be in his new room, with his new roommate, and Harry didn't even know which room it was.
He was about to give up and go back to bed when he heard footsteps heading towards him. He turned and was delighted to see Draco walking up the hall. A warm smile spread across Harry's face. Draco looked around, checking to make sure that they were alone, before he pulled Harry into a passionate kiss. Harry felt the tension of the day melt away as soon as the warm lips met his own. He held Draco close, enjoying the pressure against his chest. They kissed again and again, short kisses that they could escape from quickly if anyone should enter the hall. Their hearts raced at the thrill and excitement of their secret.
"Merlin, I've wanted to do that since New Years," Draco said breathlessly.
"I know," Harry agreed. The kisses that they had exchanged in the car were just not enough.
They separated, still in fear of someone discovering them. Together, they slumped against the wall. Harry's mind was still buzzing from the kiss. He wanted so much more, but he knew how impossible that would be. They had to be as careful as they could. Harry did not want to think about the consequences if anyone found out. His name would be flashed around the news papers yet again. He doubted that the media would have anything good to sway about The Boy Who Lived dating the son of a known Death Eater. If it had not been for the testimony of his father, there was a good chance that Draco would have been investigated further. While Harry hated to think about it, he knew that the former Slytherin would have been convicted. He was, after all, guilty of several crimes.
"I wish that I could have talked to you during dinner," Draco said after a long pause.
"It's nice to hear your voice again rather than just reading your owls," Harry agreed, "I swear that I didn't know that Ron was going to be coming with us."
"I thought that it was going to be hard just keeping my hands off of you while we took him to Kings Station, didn't know I was going to have to do it the whole way there,"
"Not to mention what happened at dinner," Harry rolled his eyes, "Sorry that he was so rude to you."
"You weren't in charge of teaching him his manners," Draco shrugged.
Harry let out a deep sigh. He had been looking forward to returning to Chatnior and being with Draco again. He hated to think that his best friend was the reason that he was unhappy, but it was the truth. The friendships that he had built with Draco and Blaise had been formed in Ron's absence. If he had been there from the beginning, it wouldn't have been so difficult. Then again, if he had been there from the beginning, Harry doubted that those close bonds would have been formed. Harry hated thinking that it would be better if his best friend wasn't there.
As if Ron could hear Harry thinking about him, a light flipped on in their shared room. Draco shifted, putting more distance between him and Harry before the door opened. Ron stood in the doorway, framed by the bright light behind him. Harry could almost feel the hatred seeping out of his boyfriend, lover? He wasn't sure what to classify Draco as at the moment. They hadn't discussed it.
"What are you doing out of bed?" Ron asked as he sleepily rubbed his eyes, "I woke up, but you weren't there, thought something might have happened."
"I'm fine, I just couldn't get to sleep." Harry said, realizing now that he had never asked Draco why he was in the halls so late, "Go back to bed, I'll be in soon."
Ron nodded and disappeared back into his room. Harry stood up with an overdramatic sigh. Draco didn't say anything, he just stood up and walked off in the direction of his room, or at least Harry assumed that that was where he was headed. He wanted to call out to him, but he had no idea what he would say. The situation with Ron was only temporary, until the end of the semester at the very latest, but their relationship was only temporary too. A deadline loomed over them, even if it was over three years away. It would still be there, no matter how happy or miserable they were. With that darkness stalking them, Ron's interference, even if it was only for a few months, seemed so much worse. There were no words of comfort that Harry could offer Draco.
Harry groaned as Ron's alarm clock went off at eight AM. It wasn't particularly loud or irritating, but Harry just did not have to be awake that early. He knew that Draco's alarm must have woken him up many times, but this somehow seemed different. He told himself that it was because he hadn't had a specific time to wake up for some time. Soon he'd get used to it and it wouldn't bother him anymore. It had nothing to do with his disappointment about his roommate. He should be glad that Ron was his roommate. They had been friend since they were eleven years old. He should be jumping for joy, not wishing that he could swap him for someone that he hadn't even gotten along with until a few months ago.
He kept his thoughts to himself as he rolled out of bed. There was no point in trying to get back to sleep, he wouldn't be able to. He got ready quickly and headed to the dining hall for breakfast. It was rare for him to be awake early enough to eat breakfast before class. Usually he just sat through the class trying not to think about how hungry he was. In a week or so he'd learn how to sleep through his friend's alarm and he'd return to his old ways. For now, though, he'd enjoy the feeling of a full stomach during his morning class.
He walked to the dining hall alone, Ron had already rushed off to his first class. He stepped into the warm hall and soon spotted Blaise and Hermione enjoying plates of pancakes. As much as he wanted to walk over and join them, he did not want to intrude. They faced as many problems, if not more, than he and Draco did. Harry did not want to go to them and complain. Apart from how wrong it would be, it would also upset the balance of everyone feigning ignorance of the romance surrounding the four of them.e
Hermione spotted Harry after he got his food, a plate piled high with hot pancakes and sausage, and waved him over. As he sat down they began talking about everything that had happened over winter break, their new schedules, and everything else that the could without mentioning Ron. It was nice to hear Blaise contributing to the conversation, something that had not happened the night before. Back in Hogwarts, Harry had never imagined that he would want to hear the Slytherin's voice. After fall semester, he never expected to miss it. He was surprised, and somewhat disappointed, by how much more comfortable he was talking with Blaise than he was his best friend.
"You think he'll warm up to us?" Blaise asked. No one had to ask who he was talking about.
Harry took a deep breath, putting some real thought into his answer. Ron could be very stubborn when he wanted to. Once he made a decision about a person, he tented to stick to it. There was no question what Ron had decided about Slytherins. Maybe he would start to let go of some of his prejudices now that he was away from Hogwarts' sharp division and house rivalry. There was no longer any difference between the two Slytherines and the three Gryffindors. If anything, there were more similarities since they all went to Hogwarts together. But, Harry had to admit, it had taken him a while to look past the former house alliances.
"He might," Harry finally said, "But it's going to take time, plus some work on everyone's part."
Blaise nodded, looking disappointed, but not surprised. Hermione placed a hand on his shoulder, a gesture that Harry chose to ignore. It hurt Harry deep inside that Blaise was hoping to strike up a friendship while he knew that Ron had no such interest. But then again, Ron did have a good reason to hate Blaise, even if he did not know it yet. Ron had foolishly believed that Hermione's extended stay with the former Slytherine was a study trip, nothing more. While Harry was not ready to convict Hermione of cheating on Ron, it did seem as thought that was the case.
"Mr. Potter," A familiar voice said from behind Harry.
He spun around to see Professor Ashton standing behind him. The winter break had treated the man well. His hair was freshly dyed black again, covering up the patches where it had faded to a grayish brown. He seemed more alert and less tired than Harry had ever seen him before, but he still carried an air of suffering about himself.
He had greatly enjoyed the professor's Muggle Studies class, even the lazy methods of teaching. Hermione may have a fit if she learned that Muggle Studies was mostly just one hour of watching a movie, but he had loved it. Whenever someone complained, Ashton had been fond of telling everyone that there were simply not enough Muggle Studies professors to go around at the moment. Many had met an unfortunate demise at the hands of the dark lord. No matter how many complaints were made about him, Professor Ashton explained, he would not be fired. Chatnior had already been desperate when they hired him. If they hadn't been desperate, he argued, they would have found someone better the first time around.
"Hello Professor," Harry greeted him, "I'm surprised that you're up this early."
"So am I," Ashton laughed, "But I had hoped to catch you before class. There's something that I need to talk to you about, but not here. Come by my office when you get a chance, bring Draco."
"Yes, sir," Harry responded. It felt odd to address Ashton so professionally, particularly when he exuded such casualness. The man refused to be referred to by anything but his first name and was so unlike any professor that Harry had ever met before, but he was indeed a professor and should be addressed as such.
"He the Muggle Studies professor?" Blaise asked after Ashton and walked away, "Related to Draco, right?"
Harry nodded and returned to eating his food. He wasn't going to worry about what Ashton wanted. It was most likely something minor, nothing compared to what had been asked of him in the past. He was much more concerned with the first day of classes. He had Care and Treatment of Minor Injuries from ten thirty until eleven forty-five and then Care and Treatment of Minor Illness at noon. While he had been on the receiving end of more than enough healing magic, he could not heal so much as a paper cut himself. His two other classes, Medical Potions and then Wizarding Anatomy, were not until tomorrow and were not as frightening. He'd have Medical Potions with Draco, there was no way he'd get low marks.
Harry had significantly calmed down after his first two classes. Both of them were taught by a graying witch who seemed more like a grandmother than a professor. Most schools, she had told them, did not teach any healing spells, not until the university level. They were considered too dangerous for the majority of students. The incident involving Lockheart sprung to mind. While it meant that the class would be difficult, at least he wasn't behind on his learning.
Now finished with his classes for the day, Harry headed back to his dorm room. He had not forgotten about his promise to Professor Ashton. Draco had a free period and he knew that Harry would be done for the day. With any luck, the former Slytherine would be waiting at the dorms for him and they could both visit the professor together.
When Harry reached the fifth floor, he was delighted to see Draco standing in the hallway. The blonde's face lit up with a smile when he spotted Harry. It was too risky for them to do anything together more than talk. It would not be good if Ron were to walk in on them. Without waiting a moment, Harry opened the door and almost shoved Draco inside. Before the door could fully close behind them, Draco's lips were on his. Fiery passion burned between them for a moment before they forced themselves apart. Harry was breathing hard, his heart pounding, demanding more. By the looks of it, Draco suffered from the same symptoms of their separation.
"Ashton wants to talk to us," Harry said, still recovering from the rust of testosterone that had just flooded his system.
"He always wants something," Draco snorted. His eyes traveled around the room, taking in the differences.
Harry swallowed hard, feeling slightly awkward. This, he realized, was the first time that they were truly alone since Draco had decided to take a shot at happiness. He didn't count the brief time in the car. There were things that he had wanted to tell Draco, but had been too afraid to put down on parchment, words that it almost hurt to keep inside. He had expected them to flow out of him now that they had the chance, but they did not. They all seemed too pointless, too soon, or just plain wrong. He didn't have anything left. Instead, the two boys just looked at each other, uncertain of what to do.
The silence in the room was broken when the door swung open loudly. Both Harry and Draco jumped at the sound, terrified at the thought of someone catching them. Harry relaxed instantly as he saw Ron. The pair had not been in the middle of anything and Ron was somewhat slow when it came to relationships. Left to his own devices, Harry doubted that the redhead would ever learn about the secret romance that would be playing out in front of him all semester long.
"What's he doing here?" Ron demanded, eyeing Draco with suspicion.
"I invited him in," Harry shrugged. He hoped that Ron would have the sense to drop the discussion. The room was his as much as it was Ron's. Harry could invite in whomever he wanted.
Everyone in the room could tell that Ron wanted to say more. The space filled with tension, the lights seemed to dim around them. Harry mentally begged both of his friends not to say anything. He could deal with them not getting along, but he wouldn't be able to choose sides if they began fighting. He stepped between the two of them when Draco began to open his mouth.
"We should go find out what Professor Ashton wanted, it might be something important," Harry said a bit too quickly.
Draco nodded and left the pair in the room before Ron could say anything. The air in the hallway seemed more open and comfortable than the air in the room. Harry instantly felt more relaxed.
"I wasn't going to say anything bad," Draco said, leaving Harry confused for a moment, "Back in the room, I wasn't going to antagonize him."
"Neither of you have a good track record of being nice to each other, I didn't want to take that chance," Harry sighed heavily, now understanding just how difficult their secret would be.
Wow, only a little more than a week since the past update. Not bad, not bad at all. Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Before I posted the first chapter I honestly didn't know that so many people hated Ron. I kind of like the poor guy. Sorry folks, but he's staying in. He's too much of an important plot device for me to get rid of him. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you next chapter!