Title: With The Drop Of A Fork

Author: CrimsonSnowflake

Warning: Slash

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling, all the copyrights associated with Harry Potter belongs to her. Only the ideas contained within this story is the property of the author. No profit is being made by the writer of this story.

"Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affection, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehood." William Shakespeare 1564-1616

Chapter 4:

Hide & Seek

Harry had always possessed a healthy amount of curiosity, a childlike fascination with everything new. It had begun with those magazines he had once located when cleaning under Petunia and Vernon's bed. It wasn't until he was thirteen years old that he figured out why Vernon had turned so red and had immediately yanked the magazine away from him. He would have felt self-conscious too had someone found magazines with naked women under his bed. But that wasn't the point, the point was that Harry was curious by nature and said curiosity had now officially been enticed.

Puzzles and mysteries intrigued him. Giving him an unsolved riddle was the equivalent of throwing a dog a bone—he would immediately latch onto it and practically swallow it whole. The previous night's mystery was therefore bound to awaken his curiosity as effectively as a tiny speck of dust awoke Petunia's unforgiving wrath.

And so, when he—after having been given permission by the ever so feared madam Pomfrey—parked his bum by the Gryffindor table that morning he immediately listened for any sign of someone having been in the infirmary that night. Someone had gotten their heart trampled on, their virginity taken away, but not a single person had been near the infirmary. The likelihood of that happening was so small that it was ridiculous. There was always someone in the infirmary. Always.

A great sigh escaped the confines of his mouth as he grabbed a hold of his fork, uselessly shovelling around the food occupying his plate. Full lips pursed out into a pout, his left hand lazily supported his chin and his entire frame dropped into a slouch. All in all he made up the perfect picture of boredom.

"Don't play with your food, Harry." Hermione absent-mindedly reprimanded, as she turned back to her own food—just having finished scolding Ron for something, as usual.

"I'm not hungry." Harry stated, pushing the plate of untouched food away from him.

A fork spearing a crispy piece of bacon suddenly appeared in his line of vision. Ron offhandedly commented with a shrug of his shoulders, his voice husky as it usually was in the morning hours."You've got to eat mate."

With a careless flick of his wrist, Ron waved the fork teasingly in front of Harry's face—working to entice a response from the shaggy haired young man. A playful grin stretched the red head's lips upwards, growing larger and larger as the minutes ticked by and the Weasley became more creative in his methods. Even going so far as pretending that the fork was a broomstick about to crash into Harry's mouth—as one would with a child.

"Do you intend on poking my eyes out with that thing, Ron?" Harry grumbled, waving his hand at the fork as if swatting an insignificant fly.

"Come on," Ron shot back, used to Harry's moods from all the hours, days and years spent in his versatile presence, "This food is going inside your mouth whether you like it or not. I'm not opposed to force-feeding you."

"Oh for goodness sake!" Hermione burst out when noticing that Harry was still refusing to cooperate. "Eat your food Harry, you know how grumpy you get when you don't eat properly in the morning and I am not inclined to dealing with your horrible temper all day, thank you very much."

"You are not my mother you know." He commented, and despite his words morosely grabbed a hold of his fork again and viciously stabbed at a piece of sausage.

"And thank God for that. If that had been the case I don't know how I would ever survive." The girl, not at all affected by Harry's words, offhandedly remarked.

Harry responded with nothing more than a glare before shoving the poor sausage straight into his mouth. He did not pause to enjoy the taste that covered his tongue as he usually would, instead he hurriedly chewed the food and swallowed it—no enjoyment in it whatsoever. Harry always strived to take the time to enjoy his meals. His stay with the Dursley's where food—at least when it came to him—was at times sparse, had taught him to savour what food he got. And so the days where he just chomped it all down without even giving it a small taste was far between. In fact, it could be considered quite a rarity.

"Happy?" He inquired, a less than friendly smile spreading across his face.

"Immensely." Hermione said, diving straight back into the book clutched between her long, agile fingers. A thin page was expertly flipped.

With a huff and a barely there pout, Harry dropped his fork, the eating utensil hitting the plate with a clinking sound. Pushing away from the table he reached up to drag a hand through his hair before muttering. "I need to go get some books. I'll meet you in charms Ron."

"Don't be late!" Ron shouted after him, his words slightly muffled by the food occupying his mouth.

Without acknowledging his friend's last words Harry moved along the corridor between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw table. And with one last look at his friends he gracefully slipped out of the Great Hall. Climbing the many staircases throughout the castle, it didn't take him long to reach the Gryffindor common room and ultimately the books he had been on the hunt for.

A chorus of loud snores greeted him as he pushed the doors leading to his rooms open. There was nothing unusual about the sounds, nor the sight that greeted him as he stepped into the room. Seamus and Neville were known for being heavy sleepers and the pair had, on more than one occasion, come barging down the stairs on the verge of being late for class. Much to the amusement of their fellow Gryffindors. And so when seeing them both tangled in their sheets, drool running from the corner of Seamus' mouth and Neville's upper body hanging off the bed, Harry could honestly say that he was not at all surprised.

He headed straight for his bed and bent down to pick up the books that were halfway stashed away under his bed. Slender fingers gently caressed the cover of the top book, making sure he had the correct ones before straightening up and moving to leave the room. A small smirk darted across his face as he took in the way Neville was dangerously close to falling off the bed and, instead of waking his friend, he slowly—careful not to make a sound—moved towards him and tugged on a particular piece of sheet. When seeing that Neville's body was slowly, but surely approaching the cold floor he hurried out of the room and gently closed the door behind him before hurrying down the stairs.

A loud crash and a curse rang through the air just as the Fat Lady swung open. And right as Harry jumped over the high ledge he could hear Seamus' groan. "Bloody hell, shut up, Neville!"

Light giggles erupted from his throat as Harry practically skipped through the hallways, a small smile playing at the edges of his mouth. His mood had drastically been improved and he found himself to be looking forward to his charms class. A cheerful humming reverberated off the stone walls, following in Harry's wake as he wandered through the castle.

Nothing could quite compare to the blissfulness of simply lying by the Black Lake, the snow softly cushioning his body while a wisely placed heating charm kept him from freezing. And although the tip of his nose was slightly cool it did nothing to bother him. It was a perfect day and Harry was quite certain that nothing could ruin it for him.

He lightly nibbled on the sandwich clutched in his hand. It was dinner time and, for once, Harry had decided that foregoing eating in the Great Hall in favour of picking up something in the kitchens to eat outside was a rather good idea. What harm could it do skipping dinner just this once? It wasn't as if any of the meals in Hogwarts was obligatory and Hermione and Ron were perfectly capable of eating without him. Besides, he hadn't been this relaxed in years.

His senses were heightened. His ears easily taking in the sound of birds singing, of the wind dancing through the air and the occasional splash caused by the Giant Squid's many tentacles. The sun hung high up in the sky and his skin absorbed whatever warmth it could from the glowing ball of energy. It wouldn't be too long before it set, disappearing behind the mountain tops surrounding the castle. They were steadily approaching Yule and consequently the days were growing shorter, colder and most definitely darker. Nowadays, he woke to darkness and fell asleep to it. Winter had truly arrived.

"You shouldn't be lying in the snow like that. You'll catch a cold." Snow crunched as a pair of feet came to a halt right beside him. The mild scent of a perfume flowed into his nostrils—strawberry.

"Worried about me, are you?" His lips turned upwards in a small smile while his green eyes swivelled up to gaze at a shock of red hair.

A snort was the only reply he received as a thick, dark cloak was dropped to the ground.

"Oh I understand, really, I do. I am quite irresistible after all." Harry continued on, his small smile turning into a full blown out, cocky grin.

"And conceited as well, apparently." Ginny offhandedly commented as she gracefully seated herself beside the young wizard. A slender hand reached out to bury itself in the dark mess that was Harry's hair, arranging it into a semblance of order while gently massaging his scalp.

"A little birdie told me," She began, pausing for a moment when a soft and content sigh escaped her companion. "that a certain snake has become quite interested in you."

"Hermione should really learn to keep her mouth shut." Harry groaned.

A quiet giggle erupted from Ginny, travelling up her throat. " He's rather handsome, isn't he? Quite the catch."

"Ginny!" He whined, shooting up into a sitting position before spinning around to stare at her, his pupils widened in disbelief. "Don't tell me you are in on it too!"

"I'm just saying," She pointed out, "I wouldn't mind getting a piece of that ass."

"Then have at it." Harry scrambled to his feet, brushing off the snow clinging to his clothes. "Believe me, he's all yours."

"Ah, but wouldn't it be so much more fun if he was to be yours?" Ginny continued, pursuing her friend as he moved towards the castle, her pony tail swinging back and forth as she moved into a light jog to catch up with him.

"No," Harry remarked, his eyebrows furrowing into a frown while his lips formed a slight pout, "no not at all."

"Come on, you know you want to. Just think about it. That body, all yours to do what you like with." She waggled her eyebrows in a suggestive way as a leer settled on her face.

"You are unbelievable, you know that right?" Harry spun around, pointing at her in an accusing manner. "This is vengeance isn't it? This is your revenge for what happened to that green dress of yours, isn't it?"

"It was brand new! Do you know how much it cost me?" The red head shouted back, her cheeks flushed with her fiery temper.

"How could I have known that the garden gnomes would choose that exact moment to declare war on us! Throwing the dress at them was a reflex, anyone would have done the same as me when faced with an entire army of gnomes out to get you!" Harry defended, holding his hands up as if in defeat.

"You were holding your wand!" Incredulous, she stared at him. "You could have just sent a hex their way."

"In retrospect yes..."

"But that's not the point." Ginny painfully reigned in her temper, her knuckles turning white as her hands clenched into tight fists. "It was a good attempt at distracting me, Harry, but I won't quit until you've accepted that Draco Malfoy is an absolutely delicious piece of man candy and that you want him."

"You flatter me, Weaslette, really, you do." A most unwanted voice cut into their conversation.

It was as if the whole universe was against him, determined to smack him down into the darkest of chasms before pissing on him, laughing all the while. As if it was a great bully with a giant magnifying glass angled just so that the sun could fry a poor little ant—the poor little ant named Harry.

With an almost pained grimace plastered on his face, Harry spun around, his entire frame frigid with tension. The intensity of Malfoy's eyes clashing with his own nearly had him struggling for breath.

"Has no one ever told you that eavesdropping is unbecoming?" He drawled, moving so that he was shielding Ginny from the Slytherin.

"Eavesdropping?" Malfoy questioned, a mockingly surprised expression on his face. "Is that what I was doing? I had the impression that I was merely having a walk and coincidentally caught a piece of your conversation as I walked by."

And then he added, practically leering as his eyes swept up and down Harry's body. "what with all the shouting going on it was rather difficult to miss, I'm afraid."

"Is that so? Then the proper thing to do would have been to simply walk on and pretend as if you had heard nothing, wouldn't you agree?" A wry smile lightened his features, his green eyes narrowed and darkened as he attentively watched the Slytherin's every move.

"Ah, but how could I when the conversation's topic was so...interesting." The blond moved forward, only stopping when he had successfully invaded Harry's personal space.

The Gryffindor's breath hitched as a most intoxicating scent wafted into his nose, his nostrils flaring as he subtly tried to inhale more of it. Green eyes fluttered, falling to half mast as he tried to distinguish exactly what it was about the scent that had him so...so affected. With a start he realised it was coming from Malfoy. Mortification rushed through him, his cheeks flushing red as he gazed at the blond in shock.

Harry was a coward really. Truly undeserving to be in the house of Gryffindor. For instead of facing Malfoy head with a witty retort or even a sarcastic 'oh Draco, take me! Take me now!' as he usually would have, he ran away. Oh yes, Harry Potter, defeater of the Dark Lord, bravest of all brave Gryffindors, had run away with his tail tucked between his legs. And to make it worse, he had run away from a Slytherin!

Ginny was never going to let him forget this...

The rest of the day, or rather, the rest of the week went by in a game of hide and seek. A quite tiring game at that. Ducking behind Hermione or Ron each time he caught sight of a flash of red or blond was quickly making him weary. He had never been aware of exactly how many of the student population in Hogwarts who were blessed with red or blond hair, but he was rapidly becoming aware of the fact that they were many. So many, in fact, that Harry had by now lost count of how many times he had resorted to hiding.

On the other hand he had become much more advanced in the art of stealth. Taking a leaf out of Professor Snape's book and keeping to the shadows, not making a spectacle of himself and always making sure to stay in the vicinity of a large crowd should the need to blend in arise. Ron and Hermione had long since given up on keeping up with him, merely rolling their eyes and continuing with their day when Harry suddenly chose to disappear. Seven years, it seemed, had been enough to make them immune to his small quirks and antics.

A startling glint of red flashed before his eyes, forcing a sharp inhale out of him as he hurriedly pressed himself into the wall he was standing by. The cool stone a great contrast to his hot skin. Anxiously he licked at his lips, his green eyes flitting back and forth as he searched for some sign that his eyes had not deceived him. There! He immediately zoomed in, eyes narrowing when he confirmed that it was, indeed, Miss Ginny Weasley he had caught sight of. And worst of all, she had caught sight of him.

There was something incredibly foreboding and evil about the way that smile spread across her face. Slowly transforming her into something sinister. Nothing, Harry had experienced on several occasions, was as frightening as a woman when scheming. And none more so than Ginny. Perhaps that was the effect of having grown up with the twins as brothers. Though, Harry thought it more likely that she had been born with this particular...gift.

"Oh Harry." She singsonged, her voice chiming through the air like the smoothest of silk.

Had it not been for the fact that she would see him as an even bigger coward than he already was, Harry would have bolted the moment she uttered his name. However, for the sake of his pride he held his ground and faced her head on. He was the son of a marauder for pity's sake, there was no situation that he could not wriggle his way out of. Or at least, he had yet to encounter a situation which he could not escape. A single look into Ginny's glinting eyes had him doubting himself...

A/N: It took time, a lot of time, but finally I was able to finish this chapter for you. Things have been a bit hectic lately, I've fallen ill with mononucleosis so I haven't really been up to writing. Luckily, however, I'm beginning to feel a lot better and as such my inspiration has rushed right back into me! Oh happy day! Anyway, I hope you are all satisfied with this chapter, although it is a bit short.