This is so overdue it's not even funny. My only excuse is that I had a writer's block the size of Antarctica that wouldn't go away…

Running with Love

Chapter Seven- Under the Quidditch stands

Disclaimer: I own nothing, not even the computer I'm typing on…

Co-written with InsaneGiggles, her incredibly free roaming mind has been quite the source of inspiration. Million thanks.

Chapter summery: Peter's birthdayis here, what is Harry planning? Dumbledore finds a way to return Peter and Susan to Narnia, will they go back, and what did happen under the Quidditch stands?


oo00oo…

The morning of the 11 of March shone bright and clear. After a week of heavy snow and miserable weather all around, which made everyone in the castle gloomy and grouchy, the sun was finally out again. People woke up to a brilliant dazzle of white from the grounds and clear blue skies without a trace of a cloud. Peter walked with Harry down to the Great Hall for breakfast where he was greeted with all the sixth year of Gryffindor chanting a course of "Happy Birthday to you", Peter immediately blushed crimson and tried to duck into his seat as inconspicuously as he could.

He received good natured slaps and smiles from the boys and a colourful card and a small gift from the girls. Harry, who sat across from him, gave him a sweet smile that melted Peter's heart but said nothing. And Peter tried his best not to feel too self-conscious about it. After breakfast they each turn to his separate way, with a promise to meet again in a couple of hours in the charms class.

When Peter met with professor Lupin he was mightily surprise when the latter gave him a fond smile and a genuinely happy "happy birthday", which made Peter wonder which of the Gryffindors told the professor of his birthday. From the corner of his eye he could see the jealous face of Susan and he just knew she wished October 15th would be here and now. That amused Peter to no end, knowing that Susan was agonising in her love for the older man, which- if professor's Lupin's behaviour was any indicator, would stay blissfully unfulfilled. At last- she can get a taste of what I'm feeling, he thought, that shall serve her right.

By dinner time Peter felt wretched, not to mention flat out mad over the callus behaviour of his boyfriend. It wasn't that he expected a big party or something, but a little kiss would by nice. Hell, even a bloody slap on the back would suffice right now. But he got neither, as Harry got up and left the table long before dinner was over and disappeared without an explanation. Peter tried to stifle his disappointment but couldn't really stop the frown that crossed his face. He left the Great Hall with Ron, Hermione and Seamus, making his way back to the tower with no enthusiasm. Ron and Hermione walked ahead, bickering as usual over insignificant things and he trudged slowly next to Seamus who kept shooting him curious looks that Peter tried to ignore.

"So, what wrong?" Peter lifted his eyes questioningly, "You look like you've been stomped on by a dragon." Seamus told him in a friendly voice that made Peter want to burst in a mad laughter, "Are you having Harry troubles?"

"What?" Peter spat, a little too harsh than he meant, "What are you on about?"

"You're pissed because your dear boyfriend wouldn't give you any attention on your birthday." Peter stopped dead on his tracks and simply glared at Seamus in disbelief, it shouldn't surprise him, really, that Seamus knew of his attraction to Harry, all things considered, but it still did and Peter stood flabbergast in front of the smiling Irish boy. "Oh, come on Peter, you don't actually think I'll miss something as important as Harry's making his way into the world of man love." Peter blinked at him without a word and Seamus wrapped a friendly arm around his shoulder, coaxing the stunned boy into moving.

"How did you know?" Peter asked quietly once he found his voice again,

"Well, it wasn't very hard to paste things together you know. The little looks and smiles…" He told Peter with a broad smile, "Not to mention the fact he's been sneaking into your bed almost every night." He added with a little wink that made Peter blush to the roots of his hair, much to Seamus' delight. The rest of the way to the tower was passed with Seamus dishing out tips for enhancing the joy of gay sex, while Peter was on the verge of collapsing with a heat stroke caused by his own blushing. When they stopped by the portrait of the fat lady someone grabbed Peter's arm. He looked around him wildly, not seeing anyone, and gulped nervously,

"Who's there?" He asked in a slightly shaking voice, not even reaching for his wand in his panic and Seamus laughed,

"I believe you boyfriend's here to whisk you off for a night of forbidden pleasures." He said as he reached around Peter and pulled something out of mid-air, revealing Harry standing there with his arms crossed, Seamus gave them both a wink and said to the fat lady, "Golden snitch." When the portrait swung open he turned to the couple at the corridor, "Do behave." And climbed inside the hole, Harry narrowed his eyes,

"Git!" He yelled after Seamus but got no reply, so he turned to the stunned Peter, gesturing for him to get under the cloak as well, "Come on, let's go."

The two made their way under the cloak, walking silently through the corridors. Peter could feel Harry's body pressed tight against his back as he guided their way from behind and bit his lip. It's been a while since he was this close to Harry and that felt so… strange, not that Peter didn't think of being intimate with Harry, but wank fantasies up in his room in Cair Paravel was a big step away from having Harry pressed against him so close.

"Where are we going?" He asked in a hushed whisper,

"You'll see." Harry's breath was ghosting over his ear, sending little shock waves down his spine. Peter gulped and tried his best to detach that little part of his brain that was supplying such facts as how close Harry really was and how good it felt mixed in with all the ever so helpful tips Seamus has been cramming into his brain for the last hour.

Eventually the two reached a deserted corridor on the seventh floor, when Harry stopped in front of a barren wall. Harry instructed Peter to stand back with the cloak while he paced in front of the wall three times. The door the suddenly appeared effectively cutting short any mocking words Peter might have had to say of Harry's strange behaviour.

Harry reached his hand to Peter and the blond boy took it, curious as to what was behind the door. When he stepped inside his jaw dropped in surprise. The room behind the door was breathtaking, in fact it wasn't a room at all, it was a forest clearing, complete with soft springy grass and moonlight spilling silver from the full moon that hung above like a huge crystal ball.

"Wow." He whispered in awe,

"You like it?" Harry's voice held a little note of uncertainty and he bit his lip, hoping beyond hope that Peter would like his surprise. His worries were dismissed when Peter turned around and wrapped his arms tightly around Harry's neck and their lips met in an enthusiastic kiss.

"I love it, how did you do that? It's not even full moon outside."

"This is the room of requirement; it'll give you anything you want." Harry answered simply, "And I wanted to give you a romantic picnic under the moonlight, only we don't have any champagne or strawberries, so I'm afraid it's going to be butterbeer and chocolate frogs…" Peter laughed and pulled Harry to him again, giving him a brief kiss before he settled down comfortably on the grass. Harry followed suit and produced the butterbeer bottles and chocolate frogs to sit on a small tree stump next to them.

"I thought you forgot." Peter whispered sheepishly, as if feeling guilty for doubting Harry.

"I know. That's why I brought you here," Harry said with a grin, "So, how old are you anyway?" Peter, who was just about to take a swig of his butterbeer, had to pause for a moment and think,

"Well, I was going to turn seventeen had I stayed home, but now I'm not too sure." He said with a frown,

"Hey, that's cool; I'm going to be seventeen in July."

"I suppose technically I'm seventy-one." Peter said gravely and Harry rolled his eyes,

"Don't be daft Peter, you don't have much more life experience than me, so drop the old man act and embrace your teen-ness." He stated firmly and Peter gave him half a smile, Harry reached with his hand to cup Peter's cheek softly, boring with his piercing greens into Peter's blue and doubtful eyes, "As much as you like to pity yourself, you are just seventeen, no matter what year you were born in." He finished quietly and before Peter had a chance to retort he dove in for a kiss. Peter soon found himself being gently lowered to the grass the kiss never broken and he moaned softly at the sensation. Harry kissed his way softly along Peter's jaw, nibbling and nipping at the soft skin, drinking eagerly the little noises Peter was making.

Peter closed his eyes, giving in to the amazing feeling of Harry's soft lips on his skin, something he sourly missed in all their time apart, and together here in Hogwarts. He felt his muscles relax under the gentle treatment. Harry's hand slipped under his shirt, searching for the warm and smooth skin, making Peter gasp into the kiss,

"Wait, Harry," Peter called breathlessly as he pulled back from the kiss, "What are you doing?" Harry rolled his eyes and sat back on his haunches,

"What do you think?" He said, trying not to sound too impatient with Peter's hesitation, after all, the whole point of the forest romantic-moonlight-picnic was to get into Peter's pants… Ok, maybe not the whole point, but still… He tried to snick his hand back under Peter's shirt but the blond boy swatted his hand away,

"Stop!" Peter crawled backwards to place some distance between him and Harry, not so much afraid of Harry's actions as of his own reaction to it. He's been dreaming of being with Harry this way for a long time, why is he so fastidious about it now?

"Why?" Harry's didn't even bother to hide the disappointment in his voice,

"We can't…" Peter mumbled,

"Why not?" Harry cut in furiously, this was ridiculous! He grabbed Peter's hand roughly and placed it on the bulge in the front of his trousers, Peter's cheeks immediately reddened but Harry didn't care, "Can you feel this?" He hissed, "This is what you're doing to me, Peter," Peter's cheeks grew redder and he averted his eyes, and Harry felt like grabbing him and shaking him till his teeth clattered in his head. He pushed Peter's hand away from him and jumped to his feet, "For the love of Merlin, Peter, you've seen me naked before, you've touched me before," He cried out in exasperation, "How can you still be so squeamish about this?" Peter gathered his knees to his chest, resting his chin on top of them, refusing to look at Harry,

"I know," He whispered, "It's just… Have you ever done…?" He straggled with the word, chiding himself for not being able to say the thing they were both clearly thinking of at the moment, "Have you ever done… it, before?"

"What, sex?" Harry snorted at Peter's prudish attitude but a small part of his brain pointed out that if Peter didn't squirm it would have been Harry who would, but Harry chose to ignore that little voice and slumped back down to sit next to Peter. "No." He finally confessed,

"How far did you ever get?"

"How far did we ever get?" Harry answered with a little smile and Peter groaned, "I really don't see what the big deal is."

"Damn it, Harry!" This time it was Peter's turn to cry and jump on his feet, "We are not talking about holding hands and skipping about here, we are talking sex, and it's going to hurt, a lot." He finished with a sombre tone,

"Is that what you're worried about?"

"Aren't you?" Peter felt a little deflated at Harry's casual approach to the subject, maybe I should set Seamus on him, he thought maliciously,

"Of course I am," Harry cried, jumping to his feet as well, facing Peter and reaching for him, pulling him into a tight hug, "But I'm willing to do it because I love you." He whispered in Peter's hair, and Peter felt like a complete idiot, and a coward,

"Or because you're horny?" He said in a small voice, which made Harry laugh,

"Only because you make me so." He pulled back and looked Peter square in the eye, "Come on Peter, it's no biggie." Peter chuckled softly,

"Well, that not very inspiring then, now is it?" It took Harry a second to catch up with Peter's humour but when he did he punched his boyfriend, not too gently,

"Ha Ha, Pevensie, very funny." Before he had time for a proper pout Peter covered his mouth with a soft kiss, that left Harry very pleased,

"It's not just that," Peter confessed quietly, "It's also this place,"

"You don't like the scenery?" Harry said in a disappointed voice, he's been working on this idea for almost a week now… "We could always change it."

"No, it's not the scenery, I love this scenery," Peter assured him with a smile, "It's this place in general, Hogwarts. It's hardly sex inspiring." Harry blinked a couple of times as Peter's words sank in,

"Are you taking the mickey on me? This castle is full of hormone packed teens whose sole thought is sex!" He exclaimed and Peter sighed, he wasn't doing too well in passing his point across, it's probably the effect of having Harry so close and kissing him so soundly that was making it hard to from any coherent thoughts. He decided to try a different approach,

"What would your friends say if they find out?" Harry huffed at the unwelcome mental image,

"They're not likely to flip even more than they will if we shag or not, now are they? I don't care what they have to say, this is my life and they can't bloody tell me how to live them!" Now if only he could get himself to believe it, everything would be peachy in his world,

"And yet the constantly do…" Harry rolled his eyes, so much for convincing anyone that his life belonged to him,

"If they ever find out they will just have to suck in and deal with it, just like they dealt with the fact that Seamus is buggering everything that moves or the fact that Ron is dating Luna "Loony" Lovegood!" He was slightly out of breath by the end of his little speech, which seemed to have little effect over Peter. Harry sighed and cupped Peter's face gently pressing their foreheads together, "Ok, look, I can wait, it's not going to kill me, though I bet I'll wish it would, but I'll wait. For you. I'll wait till we find a place you feel comfortable in."

"Really? You'll do that for me?" Peter whispered in awe,

"Of course, I'll do anything for you." Peter flashed Harry a big seductive smile before he leaned closer and kissed Harry again,

"So, how about you feeding me some of those infamous chocolate frogs of yours." Harry grinned and pulled Peter closer.

oo00oo…

The following week passed fairly uneventful, as far as Peter was concerned, and that suited him well. He got his Harry back and made sure that the Gryffindors back off on their stupid plan to couple Harry with anyone else, plus, it gave Peter the chance to really appreciate the fact that Harry wanted him so bad Peter had to hold him back with a stick. Not that Peter didn't want to be with Harry, he'd be crazy not to, after all they've been through, but Hogwarts simply wasn't the place for it, at least not in Peter's eyes. The fact that the place was swarming with people at all times- day or night (Harry had taken to drag Peter out of the dorms after hours for a little "alone time" almost every night), combined with the fact that they all appeared to be watching every single move Harry made, caused Peter to hold back.

I was Tuesday morning, and Peter suddenly realized it was already the end of March, and that he and Susan have been in Hogwarts for almost two months now. During those two months Susan had been nearly metamorphosed, from a bitter, angry young woman to a bitter, less angry young woman who was basking in the glory of her unattained love. Peter found the situation quite distracting, as Susan tended to ogle professor Lupin during class and ooze sweetness. Peter was torn between gagging in disgust and watching in interest for further development.

That Tuesday morning Peter sat on the Gryffindor table, eating his breakfast and adding some last minute notes to his homework. When the owls arrived with the morning mail (a procedure that never failed to amaze Peter, the way each owl always found his correspondence and further more, the way the all swooped in without crashing into each other), when a brown barn-owl landed in front of him, sticking out his leg. Peter glanced at the owl suspiciously, he didn't know anyone outside Hogwarts, and there was absolutely no reason for the people in Hogwarts to send him an owl when they could simply come to talk to him in person. He glanced on both sides, maybe the owl got the wrong person, but the owl seemed determined that Peter was indeed his target, to the extant of actually nipping at Peter's hand, none too gently. Eventually Peter decided to stop fighting the owl and just take the note, worst case, he could always pass it on to its real corresponded. To his utter amazement he found his own name on the parchment, for long seconds Peter only stared at the note, as if the name would change, before he opened the note gingerly,

"Dear Mr. Pevensie,

I would like to see you in my office tonight, after dinner. New information has come to light that would surely interest you.

Respectfully,

Albus Dumbledore."

New information? What kind of new information could Dumbledore have? What kind of information could Dumbledore have that would be actually interesting for Peter… Oh, no… he thought miserably, Aslan must have returned, or worse, something bad could have happened to Ed and Lu. With those foreboding thoughts harping on his mind he soon realized that if he didn't hurry he's about to miss his lesson.

Peter skidded to a halt in front of the library doors, he took a deep breath before pushing them open and stepping inside. Susan sat in their usual table in the corner, contemplating a rather familiar looking parchment when Peter approached.

"Did you see that?" She asked him and he handed her his own version of Dumbledore's letter.

"What do you think it means?"

"I don't know. But I sure hope its good news." Susan twiddled with the parchment, and Peter noticed she looked even tenser than usual. Before they had time to suggest any ideas as to what Dumbledore cryptic message meant professor Lupin walked into the room and the lesson began.

oo00oo…

Harry sighed in relief when the clock ticked off the seconds, signalling the end of class, it's been a long day, a day without charms, and thus a day without Peter. He began shoving his things back in his bag as fast as he could in order to get down to the Great Hall for dinner, when professor McGonagall's voice stopped him,

"Mr. Potter, a word." Harry rolled his eyes mentally and approached the teacher's desk. "Just a little message for you," she stated when he stood in front of her, "The headmaster would like a word with you in his office after dinner."

"Huh?"

"The headmaster would like a word with you in his office, after dinner," She repeated slowly, as if Harry was soft in the head, "Clear?"

"Yes, professor. Thank you." He said with a clipped tone and left the classroom. Oh, great, what have done now? He sat heavily next to Peter, fighting back the urge to put his head on Peter's shoulder and give him the puppy-dog eyes.

"What did McGonagall wanted, Harry?" Ron asked from the other side of the table, already busy with piling food on his plate,

"Nothing, she just told me that the headmaster wants to see me after dinner." Peter lifted his head, the fork he was holding stopped halfway between his plate and his mouth.

"Hey, me too." The two Gryffindors looked at him, and Peter pulled Dumbledore's note from his pocket to show Harry.

"This is brilliant." Harry chirped happily, and Peter looked confused, "Well, it means I'm not in trouble or anything…" He explained sheepishly. "So, what do you think old Dumbledore has to say to us?" A horrible thought struck him that it had something to do with the fact that he and Peter were in love, when Peter said in a thoughtful voice,

"Susan and I think it's has something to do with Aslan." Harry felt a strange pang of disappointment at the fact that Susan was going to be there tonight, Pansy too probably. But then again, if Aslan has returned, that means that Susan would finally be on her marry way and Harry would be free to have Peter all to himself… that is if Peter doesn't decide to follow his sister back to Narnia. Damn, this was confusing.

The two of them headed for Dumbledore's office in silence, each trying to figure out what the other will do if the news were that Aslan has returned. At the gargoyle they met with Pansy and Susan who looked on the verge of hysteria. The four stepped on the revolving staircase that revealed itself once the gargoyle sprang aside and rode up to Dumbledore's office in silence. When the four teenagers walked through the door a slight frown crossed Dumbledore's brow, you'd think these four are on the way to their own funeral. He decided to end their misery,

"I have found a way to return you to Narnia." He said cheerfully and watched how the four were taking the news, if he expected them to whoop with joy he was surely disappointed, not even Susan looked happy,

"You mean Aslan is back?" Peter asked meekly,

"No."

"But you said that…" Susan burst in with an intense tone, but Dumbledore cut her short before she could say anything further,

"I know what I said but you have to understand that as far as you're concerned time in Narnia stopped when you left, which means that Aslan has just left. But!" He raised a finger before any of them could interrupt him, "I pulled some strings, called in a few favours… you know what I mean…" From the looks on the faces of the four teenagers they didn't quite knew, and Dumbledore sighed, so hard being a comedian these days… "Anyway, I found a way for you to return and now the two of you," He fixed Susan and Peter with a piercing gaze, "Have to decide whether you want to return or not. I suggest you take your time and we shall reconvene here tomorrow after lunch to hear your decision." The four nodded dumbly and rose from their seats, heading slowly to the door. Now they not only looked like they were heading for their own funeral, but also dragging their coffins behind them as well.

Once they reached the corridor out side Dumbledore's office Susan seemed to explode, turning to her brother,

"Peter, can't you see? This is our chance to go home!" She pleaded as if Peter had already said no,

"We will not be returning home, we would be returning to Narnia." Peter said flatly and looked away from his sister,

"Narnia is more of a home to me than this place would ever be." Susan said quietly,

"Not for me." Susan sighed and closed her eyes, battling the urge to punch Peter square in the face,

"Pansy, Harry, could I have word with Peter, alone?"

"You go ahead girl," Pansy said with a slightly forced cheery tone, "Come on Potter, let's go have the "What if" talk." With that she dragged the very reluctant Harry behind her and Susan directed Peter into the nearest classroom, shutting the door behind her. Peter leaned against one of the desks, looking worn out and tiered.

"Susan, spear me, please. I know what you're going to say and you're wrong. This is not about Harry. I have so many things going on for me here." Susan snorted with disgust,

"Right, how could I forget, Mr. Wizard." She said with a cold sneer.

"This is who I am now, Susan, and I'm very sorry if you feel threatened by it!" This has gone long enough, and even a good-natured, easy going person like Peter had his limits. Susan clenched her jaw tightly, clearly hurt by Peter's comment.

"Threatened? You must be joking! Why would I be threatened by your ability to swish some stupid stick in the air! Ed and Lu are all alone there, waiting for us to return, and you're going to abandon them for your own selfish whims." Now that wasn't fair! Nor accurate, really,

"Technically, they didn't even notice we were gone." Peter said quietly, already tiered of the argument. If nothing else, he thought, I might stay here just to rid myself of this constant nagging.

"Fine, whatever." Susan huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, "I hate it here," she said quietly, miserably, "I really, really do. I don't fit in, I don't belong and I'm living in a house full of conniving… snakes." Peter smiled a little as he leaned and wrapped his arm around Susan,

"Try living in a house of righteous idiots who think they know what's best for everyone." She chuckled a little and leaned closer to Peter, drawing comfort from his strength. As much as Peter and Susan liked to bicker and fight, they still shared that ultimate bond of family love, which meant they always forgave each other and always stood by each other in times of need.

"I just want to go back."

"I know." Peter answered and tucked Susan's head under his chin, "You should go back." Susan lifted her head,

"What about you?" Peter avoided her eyes and sighed,

"It's not that easy."

"Because of Harry?"

"Because of a lot of things. I need to talk to him." Now it was Peter's turn to draw comfort from his sister and he placed his head on her shoulder, Susan's arms wrapping around him.

"Are you really in love with him?"

"Yes."

"Why?" The question left Peter a little flabbergasted; this wasn't something he thought of often,

"Why? I don't know. I mean… I do know but it's a little hard to explain…" Susan smiled; love was never an easy thing to explain. She put her finger under Peter's chin and coaxed his head up, looking into his eyes,

"Did you two ever… you know?" She could keep her voice steady but not the blush from her cheeks, Peter also blushed crimson and looked away,

"No. Not yet." He bit his lip and frown, this was so surreal, it was the first time he and Susan had a "sex talk", and the thought of discussing the subject with her was making him a little squeamish.

"Are you going to?"

"Hopefully, some day." Susan looked both nauseated and intrigued by this and Peter just wished something heavy would fall from the ceiling and end his misery.

"I'm going to go back to Narnia," Susan said in a resolute voice, "But I'm not going to hate you if you don't come with me." Peter hugged her tightly,

"Thank you, Susan." They stayed like that for a little while longer before separating and going their separate ways.

Peter climbed his way to the Gryffindor tower, feeling relived, one obstacle down. Now he only had to talk to Harry. He didn't know what he wanted to say to Harry, what he wanted Harry to say to him; would Harry be able to change his decision making? With a deep collecting breath he stepped bravely into the Gryffindor common room and scanned the place for his boyfriend.

Harry sat by one of the tables in the far corner of the room fiddling endlessly with his wand ever since he sat in that spot what seemed like an age ago but was only ten minutes in reality. Every time he heard the portrait swing open he snapped his head up, hoping it would be Peter only to be disappointed to see one or other of his house-mates. When the portrait hole opened again he raised a weary head, without much hope when he finally saw the person he wanted to see so bad stepping in, looking around. Harry hastily rose from his chair, nearly knocking it over and rushed over to Peter's side.

Peter was still busy looking for Harry when the latter seemed to pop right next to him, nearly giving Peter a heart-attack. Peter smiled feebly, trying to calm the racing of his heart,

"Hi." Harry smiled warmly and stuck his hands demurely in his pockets, to avoid temptation,

"Hi yourself, Had a good chat with Susan?" Peter nodded and his smile grew wider,

"Can we have a word? In private?" Harry took a deep breath and nodded. He's been rehearsing what he and Pansy agreed on saying for the last hour repeating them over and over in his head. He knew they were the right words, the ones that had to be said but now that he was finally on the verge of saying them, he wasn't at all sure he wanted to. He wanted to take Peter in his arms more than anything and promise him whatever the blond boy wanted to hear, but he couldn't so instead he just led the way to their dorm room.

When he opened the door Harry breathed a sigh of relief that it was empty. Not that he had any problem at chucking his friends out, even at wand-point but he was still happy he didn't have to. He turned to face Peter, who was standing next to the closed door and pulled himself to his full height,

"Hum," he started hesitantly and had to stop and swallow hard around the lump forming in his throat, but the sooner the words were out the better, as far as he was concerned, "I just wanted to say that I'll support you whatever you decide to do." There, he said it and now he felt like ten kinds of shit, especially at the crestfallen expression that crossed Peter's face.

"Really?" Peter wasn't sure what he did wanted Harry to say, but that sure wasn't it.

"Yes, I'm not going to temper with your decision and I won't stand in your way." And that just made it worse, if possible.

"That's very noble of you." Peter managed in a strain voice, hoping he succeeded in hiding his disappointment and anger well.

"Peter, everything alright?" Harry knew that he was wrong to listen to Pansy, damn stupid nobility. This wasn't fair to either of them.

"Yes, of course." Peter walked to his bed, sitting down heavily, back turned to Harry. Harry closed his eyes briefly in self-disgust and racked his hand in his hair,

"Has Susan made her decision?" He asked, trying desperately to put some mental space between his words and his feelings,

"She's going back." The words were uttered so quietly Harry almost didn't hear them. Peter sat on the bed, back straight and wished Harry would just go away. Harry chewed his lip, battling to keep reign over his emotions, and tried again,

"I…" he began before he gave up, this wasn't working, at all, time to change the attitude a bit, "Oh, hell!" He cried and Peter turned in concern, "I promised Pansy I'll be mature about this and won't push you into anything but I can't. Peter," He reached over to sit on the bed and grabbed Peter's hand in his, "Please don't leave me. I love you so much, I can't make it without you." He pleaded and Peter fought to hold back his smile now that was much more like it!

"That's quite an argument." He said and Harry blushed and averted his eyes, suddenly shy of his declaration of love, "Alright." Harry lifted his head in shock,

"Alright? Alright, as in you'll stay?" He didn't dare to hope but Peter's smile and bright eyes left little doubt,

"Yes." Before Peter had time to assess the situation he found himself with an armful of Harry, who launched over at him with a big smile and an even bigger kiss. Unfortunately Harry failed to read the distant correctly and promptly send them both tumbling onto the floor with a loud and rather painful bang.

Peter blinked in pain, trying to clear his head from the blow, which unluckily caught him under Harry's body,

"Ouch." He heard the feeble muttering from above him and sniggered,

"I'll second that." Peter's snigger quickly turned into a chuckle and from that to a full laugh, and after a couple of stunned seconds Harry joined him, sliding to a more comfortable position on top of Peter, both laughing like mad, until their aching ribs, tearful eyes and shortness of breath caused them to calm down.

"Come on, time for bed." Harry said and pulled himself off Peter with visible effort as they scrambled to get ready for bed.

The next day they met up with Susan and Pansy after lunch at the entrance to Dumbledore's office. The gargoyle sprang aside once the four teens stood in front of him and they travelled up to Dumbledore's office.

"So, have you two reached a decision?" Dumbledore asked the Pevensie siblings without beating around the bush, and they both nodded, "Well?"

"I'm going back." Susan stated firmly, Dumbledore then turned his gaze to Peter who swallowed nervously,

"I'm staying."

"Very well." The old wizard said and rose from his seat, "Follow me, please." The four followed in silence as Dumbledore led them through the corridors and moving stairways of Hogwarts, down towards the dungeons. But they didn't stop at the potions class, or even at the Slytherin common room, as Dumbledore led them further down to the bowls of the castle, to a place that even Harry's never been to. Harry gazed around him in interest, trying to think if this place ever showed up on the Marauders' map when he felt a warm, slightly moist hand slipping into his. He looked up and received a sheepish smile from Peter, which he returned with earnest and squeezed his hand tight.

At long last Dumbledore stopped in front of an ancient wooden door which opened up in an ominous cricking sound and led the four gulping teens inside. The room was small and most of his space was taken up by a large mirror with an ornate gold frame, standing on two clawed feet. Harry's eyes were attracted to the words carved on the top of the frame and his eyes widened, well, here's something he hasn't seen since his first year…

"I believe you know this mirror, Harry." Dumbledore said with an amused tone at Harry's astonished recognition,

"The mirror of Erised." Harry whispered in awe and the other three looked at him in confusion. Harry gulped and paced forward to the mirror, expecting to see his parents again, wanting to see them again. But when he stood in front of the mirror he could only see Peter standing behind his shoulder. Harry spun quickly only to see Peter standing at the doorway of the small chamber, huddled with Susan and Pansy and then returned his gaze to the mirror. Through the reflection he saw Peter leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on his neck, and Harry felt his cheeks flush and was mightily glad he was the only one seeing this, though when he turned his face to Dumbledore the old coot had a strange twinkle in his eyes that made Harry blush fiercer.

"Step forward, Miss Pevensie." Dumbledore instructed and Susan stepped forward, dragging Pansy, whose hand was clutched in Susan's with her.

"Thank you so much, for everything." She whispered to Pansy her voice thick with tears, hugging her tight.

"Anytime, girl." The raven-haired girl answered, her own voice slightly chocked. When Susan released Pansy, she turned to face Harry, who subconsciously shrunk,

"I should really hate you for stealing my brother away," She said sternly and Harry flinched a little but then she sighed, "But I've never seen Peter so happy as he is when he's with you," Harry didn't even have to look around to know that Peter was blushing a brilliant red as he was, he hugged Susan tightly, relieved she wasn't going to yell, when she pulled back from him and gave him a piercing glare, "You better take care of him, or I will find a way to return here and make your life hell!" Harry stiffened and tried to smile, releasing Susan quickly and ducking shamelessly behind Pansy. Susan then turned to her brother,

"What am I going to tell Ed and Lu?" She asked quietly,

"Tell them the truth; tell them I'm a wizard." She nodded and bit her lip, trying to bite back tears,

"Take care of yourself." Peter sniffed too, blinking rapidly,

"You too." He said before he pulled her in a tight hug. "I will be back, someday, I promise." Susan nodded and whipped her eyes before she straightened herself and turned to face Dumbledore.

"Goodbye, Susan Pevensie. It's been a pleasure having you here." He stuck his hand out and she shook it gravely, tears now running freely down her cheeks. "You know what to do." Susan took a deep breath and turned to the mirror; she closed her eyes and reached forward, but opened them again in the last moment. The others watched in fascination as she slowly sank into the shining surface of the mirror. When she was completely gone Dumbledore turned to the three students,

"Well then, back to your classes then." The three hurried to comply, almost running out of the room.

oo00oo…

It was the first Quidditch game that Peter ever saw. Harry and Ron had explained the rules to him several times and he even sat in a practice or two but nothing could have prepared him for the real thing. The stands were bustling with cheering Quidditch fans, most in either blue or red. He noticed the Slytherins were all supporting the Ravenclaw side while most of the Hufflepuffs were supporting Gryffindor. Not Hannah though, she stood tall and proud in her yellow and black scarf wrapped around her neck amidst the mass sporting red flags.

The players zoomed to and fro passing a big red and beating the angry looking black balls, trying to score. But Harry hovered above the game, seeming as if he didn't belong there, searching for something. Peter knew Harry was supposed to look for the snitch but he was a little disappointed that Harry didn't do any of the amazing turns and dives he did during practice.

Peter loved watching Harry fly; Harry was agile and carefree when he was up in the air. The stands were in an uproar as every spectator screamed his or hers lungs out. Peter could feel the wooden floor under his feet shaking with the stomping feet, but truth be told, Peter was bored. Never one to actually go for any organized sport; he soon discovered that Quidditch fell under the same description of football- boring and pointless. Not to mention that being up here in the stands, looking at the players zoom past made him feel queasy and pale.

Suddenly Harry plunged in a spectacular dive that stopped the breath of Peter and the rest of the Gryffindors, the other seeker plunged right after him but he wasn't quick enough and soon Harry rose from his dive, grinning wide with his hand held high, a glint of gold catching the rays of the winter sun. Peter felt his heart dislodge painfully from his throat and returning back to its rightful place after watching Harry about to crash the ground in full speed.

All around him the stands erupted in loud cheers or boos as the final score was announced. The Gryffindor players landed on the ground in a messy hug, all rounded around Harry, and then made their way to the changing rooms quickly, as the red stand filled out in a hurry, eager to get to their common room for the celebration. Peter waited until the last ones left before he moved, hating the idea of being caught in the masses on his way down more than he hated the idea of staying behind in the high stand.

Eventually he started making his way down the rickety wooden stairs, clutching the rail with both his hands and thanking Merlin or Dumbledore that Susan wasn't here to mock his phobia. Harry was probably bent on celebrating the victory with his friends and house mates and suddenly Peter didn't feel like going back there. He sighed and sat heavily on the bottom step, not sure where he should head next. Now that Susan was gone he felt more alone than ever. He never appreciated her presence in Hogwarts before, but she was a piece of home, an anchor for him and now she was gone and Peter felt that perhaps staying behind wasn't the best solution after all.

"Peter, Peter, are you in here?" Peter lifted his head at the cry of his name and poked his head out of the stand. Two stands away stood Harry, freshly showered and dressed in casual attire, hair still dump, poking his head in every stand looking for his stray boyfriend. Peter crept behind him and leaned in with a soft whisper,

"Hi." Harry jumped a foot in the air and spun around in surprise. When he saw Peter his face broke into a hearty grin and he pulled Peter against him.

"Hi yourself." He murmured and captured Peter's lips in a searing kiss. Peter smiled and returned the kiss with matching vigour.

A sharp intake of breath by their side caused them both to jump up and turn around. In front of them stood very pale, very disgusted looking Hannah.

"Shit." Harry heard the curse softly murmured and couldn't agree more. Being caught snogging under the Quidditch stands was one thing, being caught snogging under the Quidditch stands by your ex was down right cruel. Susan would surely appreciate the sick humour, he was certain.

"Oh. My. God!" She breathed hard, the first to overcome the shock, "Harry?" Harry simply stared at the blonde girl unable to bring himself to say anything. He felt Peter's warm palm slide into his and from the dark frown crossing Hannah's face he knew she saw that as well. "You're not in love with Parkinson after all." She said quietly, Harry shook his head,

"No, and I never was."

"So I see." She snorted in a humourless way, "So, let me get this straight, you left me for him." She jerked her head towards Peter,

"I'm sorry, Hannah." Harry said quietly, at lost for anything else to say.

"Oh, you will be, Potter! You bloody… Poof!" She cried and turned on her heel, running back to the castle, just like she did eight weeks back when Harry so carelessly dropped her, but this time it was worse, far more humiliating, and this time Harry would pay. This time even his own friends would turn away from his in disgust!

"She didn't seem terribly happy." Peter observed quietly, looking at Hannah's retreating back. Harry squeezed his hand tighter and tossed his head back in a furious shout,

"FUCK!" Peter flinched at the force Harry used to squeeze his hand before the raven-haired boy turned to face him, a wild fire in his eyes, "Come on!" Harry started to pull the stunned yet unresisting Peter behind him. They entered the castle hurried through the corridors. At first Peter thought Harry was leading him to the Gryffindor tower but he soon realized they were heading down towards the dungeons. Surely Harry wasn't planning on hiding away from the entire school?

Harry released Peter's hand in front of the small room the mirror of Erised was located in and opened the door; Peter tugged at Harry's sleeve,

"Harry…" Harry turned to face him, that wild fire still burning bright in those beautiful jade eyes,

"I've had enough!" He declared before stepping forward and grabbing Peter by the arms, "I can't do this anymore; I'm tiered of sneaking and hiding. I'm leaving!" Peter looked at him incredulously,

"But… but where will you go? Back to Narnia? And what of your friends?"

"I don't care! I'd rather take my chances with Susan than with this lot! And besides, I'm just going to end up back here and now eventually. I just need some time alone with you. Won't you come with me?" His eyes were pleading and Peter found it impossible to refuse, besides, he wasn't much looking forward to face the entire school of Hogwarts, Susan is probably better to face, and Narnia is a big place, maybe they wouldn't even have to meet her. He placed a gentle hand on Harry's cheek and a soft kiss on his lips,

"Let's find a safe haven." He said and Harry smiled. He lowered his arms and grabbed Peter's hand and they both walked over to the mirror,

"A safe place, somewhere we could be together in peace at last." Harry said before they both reached for the mirror. Peter closed his eyes as his fingers started to sink in the silvery glass, he tightened his grip on Harry's hand and let go of the rest, falling into the shimmering darkness.