Author Notes – longest chapter so far. This is the last chapter of the first part of the story. But don't worry, there's still plenty more to come. Thanks to all those who have read so far, hope you've liked it and will stick with it. Please review if you want to, it's great to hear what readers think.
Rating – T
Note – I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, that privilege belongs to JK Rowling.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Confessions and Lamentations
'What's up Hermione?' Harry asked as he sat down at the Gryffindor table for breakfast. He was surprised to see that her eyes were gleaming as though she had been trying not to cry, and was staring resolutely at her toast. Ron glanced at her and then handed Harry a copy of the Daily Prophet. Harry nodded his thanks and looked at the front page. He was shocked to see the headline "Former Hogwarts Teacher Found Dead in Hospital". Flicking the paper open to the main story, Harry started to read:
Tributes are being paid this morning to Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin Third Class, who was found dead in his hospital bed at St Mungo's late Wednesday evening. It is believed that he suffered from a fatal heart attack and the Healers who arrived on the scene were unable to revive him. Mr Lockhart, aged 46, was famous for his elaborate and exciting adventures, which involved battles with werewolves and yetis. Later in life, he took up the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the academic year 1992-3 but had to retire after being struck by a Memory charm that destroyed most of his personality. He spent his final years in St Mungo's under constant care, where he spent his time writing a new book and answering letters from his legions of fans.
The Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, led the tributes in the Wizengamot yesterday morning. Before answering weekly questions, he said the following: "It is with great regret that I must inform the Wizengamot that Gilderoy Lockhart has died. He was a first-class wizard and teacher, who will be sorely missed by those who knew him. I had the privilege of visiting him in hospital only a few weeks ago and he was as charming and graceful as ever.'
Opposition Leader, Rufus Scrimgeour, also paid tribute, saying...
Harry closed the paper and looked over at Hermione, who looked up at him. 'Bloody hell,' he said. 'I can't believe it.' She nodded and then looked down at her toast again, but it remained untouched.
'Tell me about it,' said Ron. 'I mean, I know he was a grade-A pillock, but I never expected something like this to happen at his age.'
'Oh Ron,' said Hermione, looking up at him furiously. 'I know that you hated him, but you could at least be a little more respectful!' And with that, she rose to her seat and hurried from the Hall, stifling a small sob as she went.
'Leave her be,' said Harry quickly, as Ron looked like he was considering following her. 'She's upset. Give her time, she'll be fine.' He scanned the rest of the newspaper quickly, but nothing leapt out at him, and so he placed it in the empty space next to him, and reached for the cereal. 'Odd though don't you think? A man dying of a heart attack in a hospital?'
'Absolutely,' replied Ron. 'Seriously though, heart attacks are really rare among wizards and even then, a skilled Healer can usually deal with it. This is the first fatal one I've heard of. My Great Aunt Muriel had one about five years ago, and she was up and on the mend after a few days. Lockhart was only forty-six, it's really unusual.'
Harry considered this for a moment. The idea of a wizard dying of something that was so common in the Muggle world was completely new to him, he was so used to these elaborate illnesses and injuries that he often forgot that wizards were human too, and suffered from the same frailties as Muggles. He made a mental note to always remember that fact. He glanced up at the Teachers' Table, wondering what Dumbledore made of this news, but saw that he was not in his seat. 'Haven't seen Dumbledore in days,' he said to Ron, who raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything.
The look that Ron gave him for some reason made Harry feel uncomfortable. He suddenly remembered that he had yet to tell his best friend about him and Cedric, he hadn't even told him about his sexuality. It wasn't that he didn't trust Ron, but he was slightly apprehensive about what Ron's reaction might be. After his last encounter with Cedric, he had told Hermione what had happened, and she had reacted just as he expected, with exuberance, asking him questions about every detail of their conversation, when they were planning to meet again, and almost anything else she could think of. It would have been nice if Ron had been there to share the excitement, and Harry knew that he would have to come clean at some point soon, it was hardly something that he could keep secret from his best friend for long, but he was still uneasy about doing so, and he was not entirely sure why. Surely Ron would accept him, they had been through much worse and remained friends.
'Come on,' said Ron, breaking Harry out of his reverie. 'We've got Defence first thing, don't want be late for Moody.' Harry nodded absent-mindedly and together they left the Great Hall.
The moment they sat down in the lesson, Moody silenced them with a wave of his hand. 'Now then,' he growled, his magical eye swivelling around madly, looking at them each in turn, before settling on Harry himself. 'Potter, I need to you to come to my office this evening at seven. Issues with your last essay.' Harry nodded, knowing full well that it was time for another training session, and he wasn't looking forward to it much. 'Right,' continued Moody, turning his attention back to the rest of the class. 'Today we're going to be talking more about the Unforgiveable Curses. Wait a minute...has anyone seen Miss Granger?' His magical eye was moving rapidly again, as if trying to spy her out.
'She's gone the Hospital Wing sir,' Ron lied quickly, and Moody stared at him. 'She said something about a migraine I think.'
'I see,' said Moody, and it was clear that he didn't really believe what he was being told. 'That's a pity, I was hoping she could help me with today's lesson. Never mind, we'll have to find someone else.' His eyes fell once again on Ron, who gulped visibly.
They didn't see Hermione for the rest of that day and by the time they got back to the Common Room after dinner, Harry and Ron were beginning to worry. It was a relief, therefore, to see her sitting in her favourite armchair gazing into the fire. They looked at each other, and Ron nodded, indicating that it would be best if Harry went and spoke to her. He walked over and sat down in the chair next to her. 'Hey,' he said, smiling at her.
'Hi,' she replied, giving him a watery smile in return. 'Sorry I haven't been around today. I didn't think I could face lessons.'
'It's all right, you didn't miss much, apart from Moody using Ron as a human guinea pig for his lesson, which was quite funny. I'm...er...sorry about Lockhart.'
'Oh it's fine,' she said, waving her hand. 'I'm not sure why I let it upset me so much. Ron's right, he was a grade-A pillock, but he was always nice to me, and as I don't get that from many people, it mattered.'
'Hey now,' said Harry, offering her a tissue from his pocket which she accepted and blew her nose. 'You're upset because you care. And don't ever change that. Honestly Hermione, you've been absolutely brilliant this past few days with everything I've been going through with Cedric. Seriously, I couldn't have done it without you.'
'Thanks Harry. I'm glad I've been able to help.' Harry smiled, and pulled her into a hug. She hiccupped a couple of times, and they both laughed. When they broke apart, she adopted her business-like manner once more. 'Right, seems like I've got a whole day's lessons to catch up on, so can't waste any time.' She reached for her bag, and pulled out a couple of textbooks. 'Do you want to work with me?' she added, as though she had just remembered that he was still there.
'Ah, this is why I love you Hermione, I'd never get any work done without you,' said Harry. 'But unfortunately, you may have to work with Ron cos I've got another lesson with Moody this evening that I should really be getting to.'
'OK,' she said. 'I suppose I should talk to Ron anyway. Speaking of which, have you told him about...you know, the whole Cedric thing?'
'Not yet,' he replied, and she frowned at him. 'I'm not sure why but I've been trying to put it off. I'm going to do it soon, I promise. I'd better get going.' He patted her arm briefly before heading to the Entrance Hall, nodding at Ron as he did, who took the hint, and as Harry left the Common Room, he glanced round and saw Ron hugging Hermione, which made him smile lightly to himself. At least they were on good terms again, he thought, that's one less bit of stress to deal with.
He walked quickly to Moody's office, not wanting to be late, and went inside. His teacher was once again sitting at his desk, this time reviewing a whole stack of papers. Harry waited quietly as Moody picked up a quill from the desk, dipped it in an ink pot, and wrote a large 'A' at the top of the paper, which Harry assumed was a grade for the piece of work. He then looked up at Harry. 'Ah good,' he said, getting to his feet. 'Now then Potter, it's been decided that we need to increase your level of training, and so from now on, we'll be meeting twice a week. I assume you can fit that into your schedule?' Harry decided that this was not really a question, more a statement of fact, and so just nodded. 'Excellent. Right then –
'Excuse me sir,' said Harry, unable to resist. 'I'm still not really clear why. I mean, what's changed in the last few days that means I suddenly need more training.' He paused for a moment, thinking about what he had read in the paper that morning. 'This hasn't got anything to do with Lockhart's death, has it?'
Moody looked at him closely. 'Perhaps you're a little more perceptive than I thought Potter.' He then glanced over at the dark corner of the room, before back at Harry. 'I will tell you what I can.' He gestured for Harry to sit down on the chair opposite his desk, and Harry did so, waiting with anticipation. 'You must understand Potter that much of what I'm about to tell you is highly sensitive, and you mustn't repeat it outside this room.' Harry nodded. 'Good. There's been a series of unusual events over the last few weeks, of which Lockhart's death is just the latest, involving a number of deaths and disappearances. Dumbledore and others believe that it's part of a greater plan. That, and the reappearance of a certain individual has convinced us that something is beginning to happen. Now, we may be mistaken, it could just be coincidence, but we cannot take any risks, and given your rather...notable history, it has been decided that you need to be prepared for any eventuality.'
Harry digested this information for a moment. He had known for a while that something was happening, what with the events of the World Cup, the disappearances that he had read about in the paper, and the encounter with an older version of Cedric. 'Is it anything to do with Voldemort sir?'
'Perhaps,' said Moody. 'Or indeed it could be far worse than that.' This made the hair on Harry's neck stand up. Something worse than Voldemort? 'But that's all I can tell you at the moment. The main thing is that you mustn't panic Potter, just be vigilant in your day-to-day activities, and work hard at your training. And, hopefully, in the end, none of this will have been necessary.' This wasn't exactly reassuring, but Harry knew better than to question it. Instead, he just nodded. 'Excellent,' Moody continued. 'Now let's get on with the lesson.'
When he returned to the Common Room an hour later, Ron and Hermione were still working by the fire. He was halfway across the room, intent on joining them, when he was stopped by Dean Thomas. 'Harry,' he said. 'Cedric Diggory caught me earlier this evening in the Entrance Hall, asked me to pass on a message.'
'What was the message?' Harry asked, trying to sound casual, and not be too obvious about his excitement.
'To meet him in the Entrance Hall at 9.30,' said Dean, looking at his watch. 'And it's twenty past now, so you'd better get a move on if you're going.'
Harry sighed. All this rushing around was doing him no good at all. He glanced over at Ron and Hermione, neither of them had spotted that he had returned. He wanted to go and talk to them, but he didn't want to leave Cedric waiting, and so for the second time that evening, he walked back out of the Common Room, and hurried down the Grand Staircase.
When he got to the Entrance Hall, it was deserted. He checked his watch and saw that it was 9.36. Damn it, he thought, Cedric must have already gone. Thinking that he might only have just left, Harry sprinted over to the other side of the room and looked down the corridor that led to the Hufflepuff dormitories, where he saw Cedric walking towards him. 'Blimey Harry,' he said, as he got closer. 'I've never seen anyone move so fast.'
'Hey,' Harry said, pulling Cedric into a hug. Cedric looked taken aback for a moment and then reciprocated. 'Sorry,' he added, when they broke apart. 'It's just I thought I was late and that you might have gone already. But it seems we were both late.'
'So it would seem,' Cedric replied. 'I got into an argument with James about Quidditch and didn't realise what the time was. What's your excuse?'
'Lesson with Moody,' Harry explained, and Cedric nodded. 'They're going pretty well actually, I've mastered the Stunning spell and now he's got me working on the Impediment jinx. Hopefully we'll be done with that by the end of next lesson.'
'That's great,' said Cedric, smiling at him. 'Sounds like you're really coming on. Though...any more information about why you're having these lessons?'
Harry thought back to what Moody had told him. For a moment he considered telling Cedric, it would have been nice to get it off his chest and hear someone else's opinion. But, on the other hand, he had promised that it wouldn't leave that office. 'Not really,' he said in the end, deciding that he might tell him later. 'Just think it's best to do as he says.'
'No argument from me there.'
'So, what can I do for you?' Harry asked and Cedric frowned. 'Well, I assume you asked to meet me for a reason.'
'Maybe I just wanted to spend some time with you,' Cedric said, and Harry realised that he was being far too business-like, he must have got that from Hermione. 'It's all right,' Cedric continued, clearly realising what Harry was thinking. 'I just fancied a chat that's all.'
'No, you're right,' Harry said. 'You don't need to have a reason to want to see me. To tell you the truth, I wanted to see you as well.' Cedric smiled. 'But I don't really fancy spending an evening in a corridor. Where could we go?' This was one of the major disadvantages of the House system, Harry thought, if you wanted to spend time with someone from another House, it was almost impossible to find a place to do so.
Cedric looked thoughtful for a moment and then smiled again. 'Tell you what,' he said, adopting a mischievous expression. 'We could go to the Prefects' Common Room. There probably won't be anyone there at this hour.'
'There's a Prefects Common Room?' Harry asked. 'Blimey, the job certainly comes with some perks doesn't it?'
'Well, I'm sure you'll find out next year. There's no way Dumbledore's favourite won't be made a Prefect. What, don't look at me like that, everybody knows you're his favourite.' Harry crossed his arms and pulled his best disgruntled face, even though he wasn't the faintest bit annoyed because he knew that Cedric was absolutely right. 'Anyway, come on then, let's go.'
And with that, Cedric grabbed his hand and started leading him back down the corridor. All other thoughts left his head as Harry registered that Cedric was holding his hand, and so they walked together through the Entrance Hall and back onto the Grand Staircase. Cedric led him to the third floor corridor, where they stopped outside the third door on the left. 'Here we are,' Cedric announced, letting go of Harry's hand, much to Harry's disappointment. He knocked on the door twice and said clearly, 'Dolfile.' Harry snorted at this ridiculous word, and Cedric gave him a reproving look. The door swung open and they stepped inside.
Harry decided that it would definitely be worth becoming a Prefect just to use this room. There was a collection of the most comfortable looking sofas and armchairs that Harry had ever seen arranged in front a roaring fire, and in one corner there was even a small kitchen area with shelves containing goblets and mugs. In another corner was a collection of tables surrounded by more chairs, and adjacent to that was, for some unknown reason, what looked like a small cupboard containing mops and buckets. Harry grinned at the eccentricities of the castle's design, and Cedric looked at him. 'Won't you sit down?' he said, gesturing to the sofas and Harry sunk into one of them. He had been quite correct, they were ludicrously comfortable, and he felt himself relax properly for the first time in a while.
'Can you I get you a drink?' Cedric asked, walking over to the kitchen area and reaching down two goblets from the shelf. 'Pumpkin juice?' Harry gave him a thumbs-up and Cedric opened up one of the cupboards and brought out a jug. 'It refills itself every time we use it up,' he explained, pouring the orange liquid into the goblets, and placing the jug back in the cupboard. He brought the two goblets over and sat down next to Harry, handing him one.
'Cheers,' said Harry, and they clinked the goblets together. Harry took a big swig and then put it down on the floor next to the sofa. 'I like it,' he said, gesturing to the room in general. He looked up, and saw that, like the Great Hall, the ceiling seemed to be bewitched to resemble the sky outside. At the moment it was a clear night and Harry could make out several stars. His Astronomy lessons meant he could quickly identify Mars, noting that it was particularly bright that evening.
'Yeah,' said Cedric, grinning. 'Some of the Prefects spend a lot of time here, and I can see why. I prefer the Hufflepuff Common Room if I'm honest, there's more people around, a more sociable atmosphere, you know.' He shifted a little bit closer to Harry and leaned towards him. 'So tell me,' he continued, with Harry trying not to get distracted by how attractive he was up close. He was getting very close now and Harry tried to decide whether Cedric was about to kiss him, and whether Harry should go for it first. This seemed like a very good idea. But then at the last minute, Cedric moved back again and said, 'Tell me about the Gryffindor Common Room.'
It took a moment for Harry's brain to start working again after what had just happened. He knew that Cedric was playing with him, but the truth was that Harry was thoroughly enjoying it, and decided that he could give as good as he got. 'Well now, don't know if I should be talking about such things to an outsider. How do I know I can trust you?'
'Well,' said Cedric, leaning forward once again. 'You've allowed yourself to be alone in this room with me.' OK, Harry thought, they were definitely flirting now, plausible deniability was being pushed to its absolute limits.
'You make a good point,' he replied, and looked down at Cedric's lips, they were perfect and Harry was trying very hard to resist the temptation to introduce them to his own. 'But then again, I can hardly resist whenever I get an invitation from an absolutely gorgeous fellow student.' Cedric grinned, again showing his perfectly arranged teeth.
'Why thank you Harry, I have to say you're pretty damn gorgeous yourself.' Harry's heart skipped a beat at that. He was used to people heaping praise on him for his actions, but this was the first time that someone had told him he was attractive. It was a strange feeling, knowing that someone actually fancied him, it was something completely new. And then he remembered his conversation with Moody earlier, about how he might be in a great deal of danger in the coming months, and he thought about how anyone who was connected with him would also be at risk. It worried him, thinking that by getting involved with him, Cedric might be exposing himself to danger. He looked at Cedric, who was watching him closely, and involuntarily shifted away from him, feeling suddenly dejected.
'Harry,' Cedric said, looking concerned. 'What's the matter? Sorry if I was being a bit forward there, I know you're still new at this.'
'It's not that, believe me it was fun,' Harry said quickly, trying to find the right words to express his thoughts. 'Listen Cedric, I really like you, and I'm fairly sure you feel the same way.' Cedric nodded. 'But I'm worried. Worried because I come with a lot of baggage.' Cedric opened his mouth to say something. 'Please,' Harry said before he could say anything. 'I really need to get this all out. If we're...you know, together, then I'm putting you at risk. You may have noticed that there are people out there who aren't exactly enamoured with me, and plenty more who would like nothing more than to see me dead. And if you're with me, then I'm worried that you're going to be in danger as well. The truth is I've never had to think about that before, and it scares me that by being with you, I could be putting you at risk.' He swallowed and waited for a reaction.
Cedric reached forward and took Harry's hand in his own. 'OK, now it's my turn,' he said, and Harry looked at him. His expression was determined. 'Do you really think I didn't know all that before? Everyone knows the rumours Harry, I know about your history with You-Know-Who and all that. And do you know something?' Harry shook his head. 'I didn't care then, and I don't care now. I like you, and as far as I'm concerned, that's worth more than any risk there might be in being with you. You can't go through life afraid of getting close to people, you'll be alone and miserable. Just...let it happen, and we'll worry about the consequences later.'
Harry looked him in the eyes and could tell that he meant it. He was right, of course. But Harry still had doubts. 'Are you sure?' he asked.
Cedric leaned forward again and this time pressed his lips against Harry's. Cedric kissed him tentatively at first, and then with more confidence. Harry leaned into it and felt Cedric's tongue slide delicately across his mouth. They broke apart a moment later. 'Does that answer your question?' Cedric asked, and Harry grinned, pulling Cedric for another kiss. He was more confident this time, and began to explore Cedric's mouth more closely, running his tongue across his lips and inside, lightly touching his teeth. Cedric's hands were on his shoulders now, and Harry reached up to cupped the back of Cedric's head. When they parted again, Harry looked into Cedric's eyes and smiled, and he put his head against Cedric's chest, both of them stretching out on the sofa below them, feeling perfectly content. Harry could feel Cedric's heart beating quickly, and listened to it for a moment as it began to slow again.
'Pretty good for a first kiss,' Cedric muttered. Harry grinned in spite of himself, it was weird to consider the fact that his first kiss with Cedric had come before Cedric's first kiss with him. That would certainly be difficult to explain away, he thought.
'Yeah,' Harry agreed, lifting his head and pecking Cedric on the lips again. 'I thought it was pretty damn fantastic myself.' Cedric smiled, and they lost several more seconds as they started exploring each other's mouths once more. 'So,' Harry continued when they had finished. 'The last time I saw you, I asked you if you thought we might have something. What do you reckon now?'
'Well,' said Cedric, hugging him slightly closer. 'I definitely think we do have something. Why, do you want do it formally?'
'Would be nice,' Harry said, and he sat up straight on the sofa. Cedric frowned and did likewise. 'Right then.' He took Cedric's hand. 'Cedric Diggory. Will you be my boyfriend?'
'Yes Harry Potter,' Cedric replied, smiling. 'Yes I will.' They kissed again. 'I think that's settled then. Nice word "boyfriend" isn't it? Who'd have thought it, I'm Harry Potter's boyfriend? The press will have a field day.'
Harry shifted uncomfortably again. 'Erm, listen Cedric. I'm not sure I'm ready for the entire world to know yet. If we were anyone else, I wouldn't really give a shit, but you know, it's me and as soon as someone knows something about me, everyone does. I hope that's all right with you?' he added hopefully.
'Of course,' Cedric said. 'I know it's going to be hard for you, I can't imagine what it's like having every detail of your life constantly on show. We won't tell anyone until you're ready.'
'Great, thanks Cedric, that means a lot. Actually though, Hermione does know already. When we had that fall out last week, I needed someone to talk to and she was there as always. But I think we can trust her to keep it secret.'
'What about Ron?' Cedric asked. 'Have you told him yet?'
'No, not yet. I suppose we're going to have to tell our best friends at some point, it's not exactly something you can keep secret from the people who know you best for long.'
'Yeah, most of my year in Hufflepuff already know I'm gay, but I won't tell them who I'm with, just that I'm with somebody.'
They carried on talking casually for over an hour, covering all the usual topics of work, Quidditch and their friends. They paused every now and again for another round of kissing, but were both comfortable to leave it at that. They talked briefly about what their relationship meant, and both agreed that they would take things slowly as this was something new to both of them, but particularly for Harry. Eventually, when it was way past 11, Cedric decided that it was time for Harry to get back to the Gryffindor dormitories, and insisted on walking him there, despite Harry insisting that it wasn't necessary. He quickly changed his mind, however, when Cedric took his hand again, and they walked hand-in-hand all the way back to the seventh floor.
When they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, who was snoring loudly, Cedric dipped his head and they kissed. When they broke apart, Harry chuckled to himself. 'You know, you being a few inches taller than me really isn't going to work out well in the long, I'm going to get a crick in my neck.'
'I'm sure we'll find some way to manage,' Cedric replied light-heartedly. 'Shortass.'
'Oi, I'm perfectly average height. It's you that's abnormally sized.' He paused, admiring Cedric's muscled shoulders and arms. 'Although, I'm not actually complaining about that.'
Cedric laughed. 'All right then you lunatic, time for you to go to bed.' They shared a few more goodbye kisses before Cedric insisted that Harry go through the portrait hole. 'Goodnight Harry, I'll see you very soon I promise.' And with that he was off back down the corridor. Harry watched him go, smiling inanely to himself. Thank God no one can see me, he thought, I must look like a right idiot right now.
He eventually managed to wake the Fat Lady and she reluctantly opened the Portrait Hole for him, grumbling about being woken up at ridiculous times. He clambered through, and for the third time that evening, entered the Common Room, hoping that he wouldn't have to yet again turn round and leave for some reason. He saw that Hermione and Ron were still up, and he went over to join them. They both looked relieved to see him.
'Harry, we were starting to worry,' Hermione said, as he sat down in a chair next to them. 'Were you with Moody that whole time?'
Harry glanced at Ron. 'Er...no,' he said in the end. 'I was with Cedric.'
'Oh yes?' Hermione said, and she too glanced at Ron and then back at Harry. She raised her eyebrows, and Harry knew what she was trying to tell him. He nodded and Hermione smiled, reassuring him.
'Listen Ron mate,' said Harry uncertainly. 'There's something I've got to tell you. You see, the thing is –
'You're gay and seeing Cedric Diggory,' Ron finished for him. Harry gaped at him, not really knowing how to react. Hermione too looked completely dumbfounded. 'What?' Ron continued. 'I'm not completely useless you know. I've known about Harry for quite a while and when you started spending time with Cedric, it was fairly obvious what was going on.'
'Whoa, wait a minute,' Harry interjected. 'What do you mean you've known about me for some time? How could you have done, I've only just found out myself.'
'I recognised the signs actually,' Ron replied. 'That happens when you've got a gay brother.'
Harry suddenly realised that his mouth was hanging open again, and so quickly closed it. 'I'm sorry, what? You've got a gay brother? Which one? Or more than one? When did this happen? Why didn't anyone...what?'
'Charlie,' Ron explained. 'Mind you, he's always been far too preoccupied worrying about dragons to ever bother getting himself a boyfriend, but he's gay. He told us all last year. Fred and George thought it was brilliant, got him to promise he would shown them round the gay scene in London some time. Honestly Harry, you didn't really think I'd have a problem with you being gay do you?'
'Well, no...but I thought...but you still haven't explained how you knew about me.'
'Only a couple of things really. First, whenever we had one of those talks in the dormitories about girls.' Hermione sighed at this and pretended to cover her ears. 'You were never really into it, then there was the way you used to look at Oliver Wood whenever I saw you at Quidditch training.'
'Wait a minute, stop right there. The way I used to look at Oliver?' Actually, he thought, looking back, it was fairly obvious now. He had always enjoyed it when Oliver praised him, and consistently found himself admiring Oliver's impressive physique in the changing rooms. He grinned. 'OK, maybe I get what you mean?'
'Exactly,' said Ron. 'Small things, but they all add up you know. Ah, wait until Mum and Dad find out, I think Mum'll die of excitement, she's always trying to find eligible men for Charlie, now she can do it for someone else.'
'Hey now, I've already got an eligible man thank you, I don't need any others at this particular moment. And listen Ron, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this actually. You know, the whole Harry Potter thing makes it a bit more complicated.'
'Got it,' Ron said. 'It's a fair point I suppose, don't really want my best friend's love life splashed all over the front page of the Daily Prophet. Seriously though Harry, you're still my best friend, this is certainly not going to change that. Hell, it just means for girls for me.'
Hermione groaned as Harry lightly punched Ron on the arm, but Harry knew that Hermione was secretly impressed with Ron's reaction, and he would probably be in the good-books for a few days at least. 'Thanks mate,' Harry said. 'That means a lot. On the other hand, it does seem that I was the only person here who didn't actually know I was gay.'
'So,' Ron said. 'Cedric Diggory eh? How did you manage that then?'
'Well, I can be very charming when I need to be. Actually I have been asking myself the same question, why would someone so thoroughly stunning want to be with someone like me?'
'Oh honestly Harry,' Hermione said, sounding impatient. 'Your time with your Aunt and Uncle has done terrible things for your self-esteem. You, my friend, are actually a very good-looking young man, and any man would be incredibly fortunate to call you his boyfriend.'
'Erm, thanks,' Harry said, considering this for a moment. It was true that he had always been slightly ashamed of his scrawny frame, but that was hardly his fault considering the treatment he had received at the Dursleys. There was no doubt that since he had come to Hogwarts, he had filled out and begun to develop. Perhaps Hermione was right, perhaps he was better looking than he thought. He made a mental note to have a look in a mirror soon to make sure.
'Right then,' said Hermione, clapping her hands together. 'I've spent quite enough time dealing with emotional issues today, so I'm going to bed because we've got a long day tomorrow probably.' She waved and left for the girls' dormitory.
Ron frowned as she went. 'Clearly mental,' he said. 'Sometimes I despair. You know, she's got no right to push me around and tell me what to do.'
'Now Ron, we both know that's not true,' said Harry. 'Listen, I'm probably going to go to bed as well. Thanks again mate, it means a lot.' He clapped Ron on the shoulder, who smiled at him, and then made his way up to his dormitory, where he quietly slipped inside being careful not to wake Neville, grabbed his pyjamas and went into the bathroom.
After he had brushed his teeth, he removed his shirt and examined his torso and face. Despite years of malnourishment, he was relatively proud of his frame now actually, his muscles were developing nicely and he even had the beginnings of a six pack. He smiled, suddenly a lot more at ease with himself than he had been when the day started. He finished changing into his pyjamas and went back to his dormitory, clambering into the bed. He suddenly felt very tired, it had been a long day after all. An eventful day to say the least. He ran over in his mind his time with Cedric, particularly lingering on that first kiss they had shared that evening, and smiled lightly to himself. A few weeks ago he had no idea that he was even gay, and now, here he was with a new boyfriend. A brilliant, fantastic boyfriend, who made him feel wonderful. He knew that things would not continue to be this good, they never were when it came to his life, but at that moment, he felt that all those terrible things that Moody had said might happen could come and try their best, because right now he was confident he could face anything. It was a thought that he would come to regret.
