When Harry awoke, he was briefly disoriented because instead of the black and silver hangings and blankets of Barty's room, he was surrounded by scarlet. Harry considered for a second that he had just had an extremely vivid dream, but after attempting to stretch and feeling a soreness in his backside, he knew that the sex had been real. The sensations flooded back into him and he grinned up at the ceiling basking in the loss of his virginity. He thought about it, and Barty must have moved him back to Gryffindor tower sometime last night after he fell asleep.
His thoughts were interrupted by Ron pulling open his hangings and saying, "Come on Harry, you're going to miss breakfast. I let you sleep in an extra half an hour, but I can't wait any longer. I'm starving."
Harry made the get up, but his soreness made him stop. Ron noticed this and frowned, "Do you need to go see Madame Pomfrey? Maybe you pulled a muscle or something flying like you did."
Harry shook his head, "No, I'm fine. It just a bit of bruising." He quickly got dressed and he and Ron met up with Hermionie in the common room before heading down for breakfast. Harry then wrote a lengthy, detailed letter to Sirius all about his defeat of the dragon and the three of them went up to the owlery to find Hedwig.
As Harry reached up to gently wake Hedwig from her sleep, he winced a little as soreness shot through him. Hermionie caught this and said sharply, "Harry, do you need to go to the hospital wing?"
Ron answered for him and told her that he too had already asked Harry that. "Maybe it wasn't the dragon that bruised you up, but your girlfriend." Ron joked, "Who is she by the way?"
Harry couldn't meet Ron's eye and on accidentally making eye-contact with Hermionie, he knew that she was now suspicious as well. "Alright, I didn't go to bed early. I snuck out and met someone okay?" Harry said quickly.
"That's all you have to say mate, unless you know…you want to give us a hint as to who she is." Ron said hurriedly not wanting to test the newly reformed friendship too soon.
Hermionie pursed her lips and gave Harry a look that clearly said, "It's not a girl is it." Harry blushed furiously and nothing more was said on the subject until Hermionie cornered him while they waited for Ron outside of the bathroom.
"Harry, I've been wondering since before when you told me about your dream. Are you having feelings towards men? Because I want you to know that unlike in the muggle world, homosexuality is treated as an everyday thing and there are tons of books on the subject. The array of potions you can find for having children between the genders is quite fascinating. I'm just saying that you don't have to hide it if the person that you're seeing isn't a girl. Ron won't mind as long as you tell him first. I think you keeping secrets is more hurtful than if you were with another boy." She stated quickly.
Trust Hermionie, the girl who reads everything, to be able to attribute his soreness to him possibly having some sort of sex with another man. Harry took a breath and said "Well, yes. They aren't a girl, but I don't really want to talk about it anymore Hermionie. It's not like we're a couple or we want to get married or anything. I don't want to have his whole life messed up because we're having some kind of fling okay."
Hermionie sighed a little and replied, "Alright. If that is what you want, I won't ask anymore. But, I also can't help you hide it Harry. If Ron finds out without you telling him, I can't pretend that I didn't know."
Harry nodded. "Okay Hermionie, I get it."
And nothing more was said as Ron exited the bathroom and they all went down to Hagrid's until dinner time.
Dinner was the first time all day that Harry was able to catch a glimpse of Barty and his eyes darted every couple minutes up to the gnarled figure of Moody seated at the high table. He kept getting pulled away from his heated thoughts by Hermionie and Ron discussing what the horrible racket from the golden egg could possibly be and various other students coming up to congratulate him on a job well-done for the first task.
Barty himself kept Moody's magical eye fixed on Harry while he spoke sparingly with the other teachers and hid a small grin to himself when he noticed Harry shift slightly out of soreness. The previous night, he had returned the boy to his dormitory not long after feeling his mark burn. Luckily, without the boy there to keep it stoked, the fire of the common room party had died down and no-one was in the common room to witness the strange sight of Professor Moody entering the tower carrying an invisible Harry wrapped in the cloak.
The boy was surprisingly nubile and a quick learner, Barty thought. The way that he copied what Barty had done to him was admirable in one so inexperienced. He mustn't get too absorbed into the boy and his body if he was to complete his task for his master. He knows that, even more now than before. The Dark Lord knows that he is getting close to the boy, but doesn't know the extent to which the boy allows himself to be utterly vulnerable in front of his servant. His mind had always been an open book to the Dark Lord in the days before his fall and until now, he never really had anything to hide from him. And the fact that he wanted to hide it and actually had done so, frightened Barty.
Moody's magical eye followed the boy as he left his seat to head off to the Gryffindor common room with the other students and he tried not to let his glow of pride reach Moody's features as he noticed the slight discomfort in Harry's walk.
-
Two weeks went past with Harry meeting Barty in his rooms to do his homework and more enjoyable activities on five occasions. Even though Harry was impatient to have sex again, Barty wasn't letting him get his way. Mostly they kissed and there was some heavy petting, but Barty didn't allow Harry to stay so long as to bother the Fat Lady at the entrance of Gryffindor tower. One thing he did not need was for Harry to be known to be out of the tower at too late an hour, all too often.
Harry himself was balancing his school work with futile attempts to discover the secret of the golden egg and trying to keep his night time activities from being too carefully observed by Ron and Hermionie. It was great to be friends with Ron again though, all of the long hours in boring classes like History of Magic went by so much faster if you had someone to joke with or play endless games of tic-tac-toe under the table with.
It was at the end of Transfiguration when he and Ron were messing around with a pair of Fred and George's fake wands. Professor McGonagall called for the class' attention and made an announcement. "I would like to inform all of you that as part of the traditional festivities included in the Triwizard Tournament, there will be a Yule Ball held. This is open to all students fourth year and above, but younger students may attend if they are invited by an older one. The dress robes that were included on your list of supplies at the beginning of this year are what we expect you to wear. Potter, Weasley! Stop that this instant!"
Harry and Ron dropped the wake wands and grinned guiltily up at the professor. "I hope you boys were listening properly, especially you Potter. The champions are required to start the ball with their partners, so you especially need to pay attention."
"P-partners?" Harry asked nervously.
"Yes Potter, dance partners. Now don't make that face, you must dance it is part of tradition! The champions always commence the dancing." Professor McGonagall said looking exasperated.
Harry looked at Ron in panic and Ron shrugged at him. As they left the classroom with Hermionie, Harry voiced his concerns. "I have to dance in front of the whole school? Isn't it bad enough that half the school hates me for even being in the tournament, but I have to make a fool of myself in front of them by dancing. And I have to find a partner…"
"What do you mean find a partner?" Ron said quizzically, "why not just take that girl you keep running off with."
"T-that's impossible. There's no-way that they'd go for it." Harry stammered. He then briefly thought of entering the hall with Barty at his side, the older man's arm around his waist. He shook his head, that thought was ridiculous. Barty wasn't even supposed to be alive, he wouldn't blow his cover and come to the ball with Harry.
Hermionie said matter-o-factly, "Well, you'll have to take someone so why not ask?"
Harry gave her a look, but she continued. "If they don't want to be seen in public with you after however long the two of you have been having your secret meetings, then maybe you should stop seeing them all together."
Harry sighed; he did not want to be drawn back into this topic. Luckily he was saved by Ron saying "I don't see any problem if they just want to get off with each other, I mean, I wouldn't mind getting off with someone like that. Boys are like that Hermionie, Harry is just insanely lucky that he's found a girl who is so casual too! I'd still like to know who it is though…"
Harry nodded and let his two friends bicker about his 'relationship' between themselves. The problem still wasn't solved, who should he ask to come with him to the ball? He didn't want to get some poor girl's hopes up about dating him and he didn't really want to dance anyways. Maybe if he told McGonagall that no-one would be his partner, he wouldn't have to. But knowing his professor, she would make someone go with him even if she had to force him to take a first year.
Thoughts of the Yule Ball swirled through his mind and kept him so pre-occupied that even in Barty's rooms that night, he barely noticed when Barty had kissed the nape of his neck while he stared down at his essay on goblin rebellions.
"Harry, is there something on your mind?" Barty said slightly amused and blowing the feathery baby hairs on the back of Harry's neck.
His voice snapped Harry out of his thoughts and he involuntarily shivered from the warm breath. "Nothing. Just thinking about this stupid Yule Ball."
"Ah yes, the champions have to open It yes? Got two left feet Potter?" Barty joked.
Harry's ears turned red and he turned around and frowned at Barty. "Are you going to go to the ball just to laugh at me?"
"I have to go anyways." Barty said baring his teeth, "I'm a teacher remember."
"Oh, right…" Harry said slightly dejected. A little bit of him had formed a wild plan where Barty stole another student, who couldn't go to the ball's hair and came as Harry's partner, but this of course for so many reasons, would not work.
"You better get a move on finding a partner. Although I'm sure all the girls, and maybe a few of the boys two would like to get their hands on famous Harry Potter." Barty said grinning a little cruelly.
Harry felt his lips twitch and he held back his anger at Barty. "I'm sure that they'd all be impressed with the skill I've learned being your plaything." He snapped.
"I know a lot more skills than the ones I've taught you Potter." Barty laughed and then flicked his wand. Harry flinched, expecting to be hit with a curse of some kind, but was confused to find that the only change was that he heard soft music. He looked at Barty and Barty jerked his head towards a side table with a gramophone perched on it. It was playing a gloomy sort of waltz.
Barty stood up and offered Harry his hand, bowing slightly. Harry took it and stood up clumsily knocking his knee against the small table he had been working at. But before he could rub the injured knee, Barty pulled him close and he felt the older man's large hand on the small of his back, their chests pressed together. Barty moved Harry's hand to his shoulder and clasped the other in his own before slowly moving Harry across the floor in a somber waltz.
This was the first time Harry had ever danced and he could see why all those women in Aunt Petunia's historical dramas always had patches of pink on their cheeks when they danced. They movement wasn't too bad, but the closeness of bodies was tantalizing. Harry could barely keep from tripping himself up as he followed Barty's lead while staring at his lick-able jawline.
When he couldn't hold back any longer, he stood on his tip-toes and kissed where Barty's jaw ended, right under his earlobe. Barty turned his head and caught Harry's mouth with his own and deepened the kiss. Harry's hand on his shoulder snaked around the back of his neck and into the older man's hair as his other arm wrapped tightly around Barty's thin waist. Barty's newly freed hand found its way to Harry's ass and roughly squeezed it making Harry's mouth open wider in a gasp and Barty to nip his tongue.
The two kissed furiously until they stumbled into the black leather sofa and toppled onto it. Barty was on his back and Harry sat atop him looking thoroughly mussed. "Do you think you can handle that opening dance now?" Barty said narrowing his eyes at Harry.
Harry rolled his hips and brushed his burgeoning erection against Barty's crotch. "Only if you let me lead next time."
"Alright. Next time." Barty said bucking his own hips against Harry's.
Harry wanted desperately to go further, but just then the clock struck 11 and Barty sat up. Harry hated that he did it, but he pouted at Barty. Barty laughed and leaned forward to bite and pull the offending lower lip. Harry used this to instigate another kiss, but Barty broke it off too quickly and said, "Bed, Potter."
Harry rolled his eyes and sighed. He got up, arranged himself in his trousers and gathered up his things. He headed towards the door and just before opening it said, "Just so you know, I really would have liked to dance with you at the ball. Just like how we were doing. "
Barty was slightly surprised at Harry's words. He raised an eyebrow at the boy.
"And, I will look for another partner because I have to, but I don't want you to have one." Harry said, heat rising to his cheeks as he admitted some possessiveness.
"Alright. I won't invite anyone, although I doubt anyone would go with Moody." Barty said calmly. He was rather interested in Harry's possessiveness over him. Maybe this explained why the boy hadn't turned him in. The Dark Lord was also possessive, another trait they shared; although Harry had a certain rashness and warmth to his desire to possess Barty.
Harry bit his lip a little to stop from smiling and said, "Good." And then he left.
Barty thought of the boy as he brushed his teeth. He felt a little bit of happiness at the boy's parting words. He might not have noticed it, but he essentially said that if he didn't have to have a partner he wouldn't and not just for lack of dancing prowess, but out of wanting to be with Barty. He was asking Barty to be exclusive and Barty felt happy about this.
Barty laughed at himself. He was happy that the boy he plans to kill wants him exclusively, how delightfully twisted.