The latest batch of cock photos was as dismal as ever. Draco tossed them aside in disgust. He didn't even want to look at them anymore. None of them were worthy of publication, and he was itching to write up new lesson plans for his photography class. He had never felt so important and fulfilled than when he'd had six pairs of eyes staring at him as though he had all of the answers. Which, strangely, he did.
Mindy tiptoed into the room with a packet and a cup of tea. "Here is a fresh cup for you, sir, and also the weekend post."
Draco sighed and pushed his tepid cup towards her. He supposed he should give her some sort of acknowledgement regarding her taking on his first class last week, when he'd been breaking the news to his mother.
"Mindy, I believe you are due a five percent pay increase."
She blinked at him. "Sir? I got a pay increase six weeks ago."
"Are you saying you don't want it?"
She shook her head wildly and backed away. "No! Of course I'm not saying that! Thank you, sir! I meant to say thank you very much!" With that, she fled, and Draco let out a pained sigh. Merlin, it was bloody difficult to find decent help these days. They couldn't even accept a decent gesture of appreciation without making it awkward.
Pansy swept in. "Did you give that twit another rise in pay?"
"How did you know?"
"She is browsing through catalogues."
Draco was impressed. His estimation of Mindy rose minutely. "That was quick."
"Yes, well, don't sound so pleased. Her catalogues of choice are Cauldron and Crate and Smather's Sensible Shoes."
"Well, she's hardly the type to shop at Wanda's Wicked Wiles, now is she?"
Pansy took her usual spot on the edge of Draco's desk and picked up the weekend post. "She'd probably faint if she took one look at the Wicked Wand Collection. Oh, what have we here?" She selected a photo and held it up.
"Let me see that." Draco snatched it. He dropped it almost immediately with a sigh. "Amateur."
Pansy picked it up. "I know, but take a look at that prize. Merlin, the shape of it is utter perfection. I wonder if he could be coaxed to send another." She cocked her head and licked her lips.
Draco took the photo back, and had to admit that she had a point. The cock in question, completely hidden beneath lightly patterned blue pants, looked utterly delectable. Dark-haired, he noted, eyeing the tracing of hair that led from the waistband to the edge of the photo, and fit, if the brief glimpse of the man's abdominals was anything to go by.
"Really, the light from the window makes this almost laughable."
"Draco, that is a perfect cock."
"I cannot just critique the cock, Pansy, I have to take into account the entire thing. The lighting ruins this. And it's only barely in focus. And the angle is boring."
She said nothing, merely arched a brow, and he gave her a pout of defeat. There were no others of even similar quality, he knew, so he would throw the owner of the perfect cock a better score than he normally would.
"Fine. I will give it an A for Acceptable, because that is as generous as I can get."
Pansy smiled. "Good. Hopefully it will encourage him to send in an unclothed shot. I would love to wrap my tongue around... Oh, don't give me that look! You know the chances are higher that he bats for my team than yours. A girl can dream."
"Why do I let you in here?"
ooooHoooo
"How was class, Harry?" Hermione poured him a tall glass of pumpkin juice.
"It was good. Fine."
"Did you learn anything?"
"I learned that Draco Malfoy knows a lot about photography."
Ron looked up from where he'd been scooping potatoes onto his plate. "Malfoy?"
Harry nodded. "Believe me, I was surprised too."
"Draco Malfoy?"
"I'm pretty sure I said that, Ron."
"I haven't seen him round the past few years," George piped up as he dropped a basket of warm bread slices on the table. "Wonder what he's been up to?"
"I was hoping he'd been eaten by a thestral, or possibly smothered by a lethifold." Ron smiled dreamily, as if envisioning the gruesome scenarios.
"I don't think thestrals eat people." Angelina sat down next to George.
"Probably choke and die if they tried to eat Malfoy, anyway," Ron muttered.
Hermione brought out the roast chickens and everyone scrambled to make room for the large platter. Sunday dinners at the Weasleys were a tradition whether the elder Weasleys were in residence or not. Molly and Arthur had gone to Romania to visit with Charlie, who was still in the dragon-taming business and still "lamentably single" as Molly proclaimed often.
Bill had gone to Latvia to dig for some sort of goblin treasure, and Ginny was off starting the new Quidditch season with her latest boyfriend, the coach of the Tutshill Tornadoes.
Ron tore a leg and thigh section from one chicken and dropped it onto his plate before adding a spoonful of buttery sprouts. Hermione had turned into a passable cook, as had George, and there were no complaints about the meal.
"George made strawberry tart for afters, so save room," Angelina advised.
"There is always room for strawberry tart," Ron mumbled through a bite of bread.
"Ron, do swallow first, honestly." Hermione sighed after the quiet admonishment and dished up her own plate. "So you plan to keep going to class, Harry?
"Yeah. He actually had some really useful tips. That reminds me, I have to take some snaps for tomorrow's class."
"You can photograph me, Harry." Ron straightened and flexed his muscles
"Not sure your biceps count as inanimate objects. That's our first assignment."
"You can come down to Wheezes and take photos of the stock, Harry," George offered. "If they turn out decent, I can use them for advertising. Paid, of course."
Harry snorted. "I'm not good enough to be paid, but I'll do it anyway. Taking pictures of Moustache Mints and Pouty-lip Pops sounds much more fun that snapping photos of books or pillows at my place."
"Great! I'll expect you in the morning. Got some new stock that hasn't been unveiled yet."
ooooDoooo
Draco had intentionally left one wall of the flat blank, and he used temporary Sticking Charms to spread out all of the photos his class had taken. Most of them were perfectly predictable. Gladys had taken photos of teacups, vases, and a multi-coloured bundle of yarn, all quite dull even though most were off-centre and cockeyed. Henrietta had only snapped photos of flowers. There were roses and gladioli and snapdragons and mums, and some of them were quite good. She had captured a bee landing on one of the mums, and the lazy loop provoked the feeling of a slow, sweet summer day.
Orson Rhonestaadt hadn't even tried. Most of his images were out of focus, and it seemed likely he had remembered the assignment moments before rushing out the door. He had taken pictures of his tie, the same pair of shoes he currently wore, a bedpost, and a hideous-looking rug that had seen better days.
Jason, the clumsy lad, was apparently a Quidditch aficionado. He had selected multiple shots of brooms, most of which were not bad. The close-up of broom bristles was almost interesting, and the one with the glowing Nimbus logo would have been lovely if the plain wooden background hadn't pulled the attention into a void and out of the photo.
The American had taken predictable photos, obviously combining a sightseeing trip with her assignment. There were shots of stone lions, architecture, a wrought-iron gate, and a cobblestone path. All very dull and touristy. Draco nearly yawned when tacking them to the wall.
Potter's were surprising. Draco had fully expected photos similar to Rhonestaadt's, but instead Potter had produced whimsical, visually interesting pictures of George Weasley's products. In the first shot, a multi-coloured ball rested on a wooden table top, which was relatively uninteresting until it grew feet, feathers, and a huge tail that fanned out into blue-green brilliance. A peacock preened from the photo, exquisitely in-focus and just enough off-centre that the eye was drawn from the sweep of feathers to the creature's eye-just before it morphed back into a ball.
Another was a white bowl filled with brightly-coloured sweets against a pastel blue background. They looked tempting enough that the viewer would want to reach into the photo and take one. Even that was not the best of the lot. Draco had to reserve that honour for the tiny Candied Quidditch display. Miniature brooms made of spun sugar floated over a chocolate pitch, and gumball Bludgers soared between them, along with what had to be a malted milk chocolate Quaffle. The display barely moved, seeming to have been caught in time, almost like a Muggle photograph, until a hint of yellow appeared and traversed the photo, drawing the eye naturally into the scene-a lemony Golden Snitch. The entire thing was mesmerising, but Draco forced himself to give it only a cursory glance before tacking up Potter's rejects. Even those were not that bad.
"Harry! These are amazing!" Sarah, the American, clapped her hands in front of her face and fairly gushed at Potter, who tugged his forelock and smiled modestly.
"I got lucky with the subject matter. My friend owns the shop."
"I think I've heard of it. I need to go there, for sure!"
"If everyone will leave off the Potter worship and take their seats, I will go over your photos and we will discuss what might have worked better." He would have to resist suggesting "a fire" for some of them, particularly Rhonestaadt's.
Draco had arranged a row of chairs in front of the photo wall. Potter sat at one edge and Sarah plopped down immediately next to him. Rhonestaadt took the seat next to her, and then Gladys, Henrietta, and Jason.
"Jason," Draco said cheerfully, deliberately leaving Potter's for last in hopes they would run out of time to get to them. "We will begin with yours. Can anyone tell me whether or not this photograph is visually interesting, and if not what Jason might have done to make it better."
"Incendio?" Rhonestaadt muttered and Gladys tittered. Henrietta made an affronted noise and patted Jason on the arm.
"Twenty points from Rhonestaadt for rudeness," Draco said, suddenly feeling very much like Severus Snape, and enjoying it immensely. No wonder the old bastard had deducted house points so frequently.
"Hey! You never said there was a point system!"
"Well, there is now. We are all here to learn, not to criticise." He glanced over and found Potter staring at him as though he'd turned into something baffling. Before he was tempted to analyse it, Draco turned back to the photos. "Now, then. As you can see, the focus on this first photo is on this part of the broom handle..."
ooooHoooo
Harry was astounded. Although he had been willing to accept that Draco Malfoy had, quite possibly, changed for the better, he had never expected to hear him defend someone from casual bullying. After all, Malfoy had seemed to make it a personal goal to achieve bullying godhood whilst at Hogwarts. To see him cut down Rhonestaadt a notch was extremely satisfying. And baffling.
Harry shook off his astonishment and picked up his notepad, not wanting to miss any important titbits. The more Malfoy spoke, the more excited Harry became about wanting to take photos. He felt a spike of remorse at having been so annoyed with Colin Creevey back at school. It was likely that Colin had felt this same driving excitement, the bizarre need to rush out and record the world through a camera lens.
Sarah raised her hand at one point. "Mr Malfoy, which do you think is the best?"
Malfoy shook his head and smiled. "That is not a fair question at this point. All of you are still learning, so there is no competition. I would rather not demoralize someone into thinking they were not worthy, or assume they were untalented because someone else managed to take a lucky shot. Instead of worrying about who is the 'best' I think we will concentrate on our own personal bests, and work on making future shots better than these first attempts."
Harry estimation rose even further and he found himself watching Malfoy through new eyes, very appreciative new eyes that found Malfoy's newfound philosophy almost as entrancing as his clothing.
Malfoy had chosen to wear traditional robes that were almost as attractive as the white suit he'd worn on Saturday. The robes were dark violet in a light fabric that seemed to dance as he walked. They were edged in black, barely visible against the dark colour, and held together with jet black frogs in a Celtic pattern. The more Harry watched him, the more a painful sort of twist began to knit itself together somewhere in his midsection. His throat was so dry he thought he might have to stand up and seek out a glass of water to clench his thirst.
Sarah leaned close to him, distracting him from his increasingly panic-inducing thoughts. "Well," she whispered, "I think yours are the best. Clearly, you are the most talented amongst us."
Harry glanced up and met Malfoy's frigid stare. He had apparently heard her, and either disagreed or wanted her to remain silent. For a moment, Harry thought he would deduct house points from the both of them, and then had to smile as he wondered what sort of points Malfoy planned to deduct. As Malfoy pointed out a minute adjustment in one of Henrietta's photos that would have brought the image into greater symmetry, Harry decided it wasn't the proper to time to ask.
The class continued until Harry began to yawn. He wondered how the others dealt with evening classes; he didn't even have a day job and he was exhausted.
"Your assignment for Wednesday's class is to take some photographs of moving subjects. It doesn't have to be anything too dramatic. Snap your neighbours walking past, or people in Diagon Alley. Take photos of your pets, or ducks on the pond. Remember to lead them, and keep in mind the lessons you've already learned."
"Circe, this is so complicated. I knew it would be, but I thought the camera would be the most confusing part, not all of this... composition." Sarah waved her hand at the wall as she got to her feet.
Harry laughed. "Yeah, I thought I could buy a couple of lights and start taking great shots."
They walked towards the door. Rhonestaadt had already blustered out, and Gladys was right behind him, pulling on a huge cloak that looked far too warm for the weather. Henrietta wrestled with her camera whilst trying to put on a crocheted wrap. Harry hurried over to help her and she gave him a toothy smile.
"Such a nice man, Mr Potter."
Jason was chatting up Malfoy near the photo display. Harry glanced at them both and felt a frown of dismay pull at his lips, wondering if Jason was flirting with Malfoy, until he remembered that not everyone was gay. In fact, it was extremely likely that they were both straight and that Harry was a complete idiot. He rolled his eyes and took his own cloak from the peg.
Sarah had already slung on a Muggle-style hoodie. She grinned at him and he reached for the door to hold it open for her. "Thank you, Harry, you nice man."
"Potter! If you please, I would like a word." Malfoy's words caught Harry mid-step.
He hovered awkwardly in the doorway and then gave Sarah a smile. "See you on Wednesday?"
"You bet!" With that, she trotted down the steps and Harry turned back into the room just as Jason slid past him with a mumbled, "Night, Mr Potter."
Harry bid Jason a goodnight although he was already halfway down the steps before he got the words out. He shook his head and shut the door before turning back to Malfoy.
"Yes?" he asked cautiously.
Malfoy was stood at the photo wall, staring at Harry's pictures. "Did George Weasley assist you with these? Or anyone else?"
Harry frowned. "No. I took them on my own."
"But someone else set them up for you?"
"What are you getting at? No, I did them all myself. George gave me a stack of products and an empty room and told me to have at it. Why are you asking?"
Malfoy turned and walked towards him. His face looked angelic and he gave Harry a smile that could have meant anything or nothing. "No reason at all, Potter. Have a good night."
Harry had been gearing up for an argument, but Malfoy's lack of aggression left him with nothing to fight. He floundered for something to say, but could only nod and open the door again.
"You'll be back on Wednesday, then?" Malfoy asked.
Harry nodded, still off-balance. "Yeah, of course."
Malfoy smiled at him again and for some reason it seemed almost predatory. And very attractive. "Good. Have a nice evening, Potter."
"Yeah. You, too, Malfoy," Harry muttered and went out. That smile would haunt him for the rest of the night, and sustain him through a much-needed (and very satisfying) wank the moment he got home.
oOo
Harry flipped eagerly through the magazine, hoping that his latest photo had been critiqued. His heart gave a jump when he spotted it, although he was almost afraid to see the words beneath. He steeled himself and read.
This looks to be a very fine specimen and the tease is nice (it definitely makes us want to see more) but the angle of the photo is dull and the lighting is atrocious, pulling the eye out of the shot and away from where the focus should be. Please try again and thank you for submitting your photo. I give this an A for Acceptable.
Harry let out the breath he'd been holding. At least it wasn't a Troll, but how could it exceed expectations when the critiquer had no idea who he was, and therefore could have no expectations at all. He wrinkled his nose at his meaningless thoughts and reread the critique. He bit his lip at the makes us want to see more portion. He had been reluctant to bare his cock for the world to see, but there was no way anyone would know it was him. All post was sent to an anonymous drop-box in Diagon Alley, so even if someone spotted his owl (although he'd intentionally purchased a very dull, average-looking bird) they wouldn't know which photo was his, or even if he'd sent in a strongly-worded letter of protest about the magazine showing indecent photos. He chuckled at the thought.
His attention returned to the photo and he studied it with a critical eye. He had thought the natural lighting would add drama to the photo, but the critique was right, it seemed too harsh to add any sense of romance, and the strong lines of it pulled the eye to the top of the frame. He sighed.
Merlin, perhaps he would ask Malfoy about lighting during the next photography class. In the meantime, he needed to get busy taking action shots. Jason was almost guaranteed to take photos of Quidditch, and Henrietta seemed determined not to leave her garden, which would likely produce several butterfly and bird photos. Sarah would probably find something interesting to shoot and he had no idea what Gladys would come up with.
He glanced out the window. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon, so he decided to head to a nearby Muggle park. There would likely be plenty of action there, and looking at photos of Muggles would probably irritate Malfoy. So deciding, Harry hurried to fetch his camera.
ooooDoooo
Draco looked at the photos he'd tacked to the wall, which moved in a veritable jumble of colours, speeds, and directions. Quidditch players and balls looped and swooped through Jason's photos, and bees lazily buzzed through Henrietta's. Sarah had taken photos of people at the Ministry-stepping from the Floo, casting Summoning Charms from their desks, tapping their feet whilst waiting for the lift-many of them were quite good. Gladys had apparently caused random items in her house to float, spin, and fly whilst she took photos of them. All were perfectly wretched. Rhonestaadt had not attended class, and Draco hoped to have seen the last of him.
Potter, of course, had chosen the most annoying route, and had also taken the most interesting photos. A Muggle girl with a bouncing horse's tail and bright yellow clothing jogged through one idyllic scene; ducks fluttered on a pond and then took flight; a small child stared from the photo and took a lick from a dripping ice cream cone;; and a very fit, shirtless man flexed his muscles and winked as he lifted a water bottle and poured it over his head. Draco watched the rivulets dribble down over the man's abs and felt a surge of something akin to jealousy. Was the man a friend of Potter's? And why had Potter taken this particular shot? Was he mocking Draco's sexuality, or was there some other meaning behind the beefcake picture?
"Holy shit, why didn't I think of taking pictures of hot guys?" Sarah fanned herself, bending closer to stare at the photo.
Potter laughed. "Hey, the girl was hot, too."
"What girl?" Sarah asked, still staring at the photo.
"Never mind that," Draco said. "In the interest of time, I will critique all of these individually and return them to you on Saturday. Today we will begin the rudimentary aspects of lighting, which is the second most important thing next to composition."
"Brilliant!"
Draco lifted a brow at Potter's outburst and met an annoyingly pleased-looking smile. Bloody hell, did the prat have to be so attractive? Draco gave him a tentative return smile, stupidly pleased to have initiated the one on Potter's face.
Forcing himself to walk away from Potter, he launched into an explanation of how lighting can set a scene, establish a mood, and either enhance or destroy a photo.
"Broad, soft light will lessen contrast and create fewer shadows. You will want to experiment with different light sources, so your assignment for this evening will be to select a single item-a Quaffle, for example," Draco looked pointedly at Jason, "and photograph it in different light sources. This will give you a feeling for what different types of lighting will do to your subject. One of the tools that will assist you with this is a simple Light Spell. It's possible that although you've been casting this spell since childhood, you've not done much with it other than brightening and dimming it."
Most of them nodded in agreement, including Potter, and Draco lifted his own wand. "What you might not know is that it is also possible to do this." He cast a Lumos and then brightened it until they all shielded their eyes, and then he softened it until it seemed to be a huge ball of glowing mist. Sarah made an "ooooo" sound and Jason gasped.
"You can also change the colour." Draco turned the ball of light pale blue. "Or create a spotlight." He shrank the ball, brightened the blue light, and then gave it a directional cone shape. "The problem with this, of course, is that you will need to hold the wand and that makes photo taking difficult. Some of these are best done with an assistant. Teach them how to create the proper lighting, and you focus on the photographs."
"Don't they sell directional lighting?" Potter asked.
Draco gave him a brief sneer, but then remembered himself and changed his snide comment into something more professional. "Yes, Potter, but they can be very expensive and could prove to be a waste of time and resources for beginners. It will take some time before each of you learns to develop your own style. Some of you will prefer bolder, outdoor photos, whilst others of you may go with higher contrast, more dramatically lit scenes. Personal preference will have a lot to do with your later purchases, including cameras, and the purpose of this class is to teach you which things work best for you. At this stage, experimentation is key."
They all nodded as though Draco held the wisdom of a wizened Headmaster, and he clapped his hands after quenching the light from his wand. "Now it is time to play. I have set up various light sources around the room with notecards explaining each one. You may keep the cards for reference for your assignments. There are six stations, although it seems Mr Rhonestaadt has abandoned us."
"Good," Sarah muttered to Potter, who snorted a laugh. Draco might have liked the chit if she wasn't always half-hanging over Potter.
"Everyone please select a station," Draco ordered, and allowed himself a smug smile when Sarah obediently moved away from Potter and trotted towards a brightly lit desk. Being in charge was wonderful, he decided.
~TBC~