AHHHH! I am SO sorry, everyone. I didn't mean to go this long. Honestly, I was going to update as soon as I got back from camp, but I never had the time, with school and extra-curricular stuff and all. In any case, I apologize. Profusely. Really. Please forgive me?
So, erm…yeah. This chapter is a little…meh. There aren't really words for what I think of this one. There's a lot that you'll have to interpret for yourselves. A few things I can promise: soft-core Lance/Kurama porn (a.k.a. lots of making out, censored everything else :eyeroll: ), Hiei/Kurama fluff, and Harry/Draco "OMFG will you two just MAKE OUT already?" moments. Yeah. Lots of that.
Oh, just a note—how did everyone like the sixth book? You don't have to tell me, actually. I just felt like asking so that I could bitch about it, but y'all probably don't care what I thought of it anyway. My one problem, besides the entire book: WTF IS UP WITH THE REMUS/TONKS? Um, sorry, NO! REMUS/SIRIUS, FUCKERS:clears throat: …Don't worry. I'm getting help.
Right then. So, without further ado…
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Majikku no Seirei: Chapter 11
Halloween
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If Kurama was at all surprised by the number of questions that bombarded him the next morning at breakfast, he did a remarkable job of not showing it.
In fact, Harry decided as he watched the redhead casually dismiss the idea that Snape had made him eat slugs in detention the previous night, Kurama was really being quite calm about the whole ordeal. It was quite impressive, really. First of all, most people came out of Snape's detention in tears. Second—well, actually, Harry wasn't all that surprised that Kurama could handle so much attention without even batting an eyelash. He was a pretty laid-back guy after all.
Ron nudged him. "Hey. Anything wrong, mate?"
Harry blinked at him. "No. Why?"
Ron shrugged and went back to buttering his toast. "You seemed a bit out of it." He took a large bite and chewed noisily. "Did something happen last night?"
Harry hesitated. He had considered telling Ron about his encounter with Malfoy at the Astronomy Tower. But somehow, he didn't think Ron would take kindly to the idea that Harry had felt something very much like butterflies in his stomach when his eyes had met Malfoy's. He shifted, uncomfortable. "No, nothing. Just watched the stars."
The last of the questioners had moved away, and Kurama turned to them. "What was that about stars?"
"Harry went to see the meteor shower last night." Ron told him.
"Oh, I knew about that." Kurama smiled, tucking a lock of hair behind his ear. It promptly fell back into his face and he rolled his eyes, annoyed. "God, I should just cut it off—" He broke off abruptly, staring over Harry's shoulder towards the Slytherin table.
Harry turned to follow his gaze. Pansy Parkinson had leaned across the table and was saying something to Hiei. Hiei seemed to give a negative answer to whatever the question was. Apparently the answer was offensive, because the next thing Harry knew; Crabbe and Goyle had bolted to their feet and tackled the smaller boy.
"Hiei!" Kurama yelled, surging to his feet as shouts of "Fight! Fight!" began to echo throughout the hall.
"Kurama, wait—" Harry began, but was promptly ignored as Kurama set off at a run to the Slytherin table, elbowing people aside.
Harry and Ron looked at each other. "Bloody mental, that one is." Ron said admiringly. Harry rolled his eyes, grabbing his friend by the arm and heading after Kurama.
By the time they had fought their way through the crowd to get to the table, Kurama had somehow managed to pull Hiei off both Crabbe and Goyle. The two burlier Slytherins were both sporting various bruises and cuts, but Hiei seemed to have escaped with only a split lip and a rapidly darkening black eye. Harry couldn't help but be impressed—he had expected to see Hiei unconscious or worse.
"GENTLEMEN!"
The entire school cringed at the sound of Professor McGonagall's furious voice as the Transfiguration professor stormed over to them. She stopped, hands on her hips, and glared at the three boys.
It was like the calm before the storm, Harry thought amusedly, waiting for the blow to fall.
Instead of the all-out tirade he had expected, Professor McGonagall spoke quietly, but it was the tone of her voice that was scariest. Harry tried not to cringe—it was the kind of tone that made kids wish that she would just yell at them.
"Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle, this is going to be another mark on both your records. Mr. Jaganshi, I expected better from you. Take a few lessons from your friend" she nodded towards Kurama who, Harry noticed, was nibbling his lower lip at Hiei's side, clearly waiting for McGonagall to stop talking so, Harry didn't doubt, he could give the spiky-haired boy a lecture of his own "and don't get into fights. And amongst your own housemates, at that! I'm disappointed in all of you. Very disappointed. Ninety points will be taken from Slytherin for this, and you'll each serve a detention with me. Is that understood?" Crabbe and Goyle nodded. Hiei didn't—until Kurama silently ground his heel into Hiei's toe. The dark haired boy bobbed his head once, glaring at his friend. "Good. Get to the bathrooms and clean yourselves up."
Turning on her heel, she made her way back to the high table. Crabbe sighed exaggeratedly. "Well, it could have been worse."
Harry found himself chuckling along with the rest of the students. Looking around, he tried to spot Kurama—only to just barely get a glimpse of swirling red hair as he dragged Hiei out of the Great Hall. Harry released Ron's arm and followed them, trusting that Ron would be too overwhelmed by the chaos around him to notice Harry's departure.
It was much quieter outside the Hall, and Harry spotted Kurama and Hiei easily.
"—absolutely idiotic, do you realize that you could have been thrown out of school?" Kurama was saying. Harry was suddenly reminded of Molly Weasley—he had seen that glare on Ron's mother's face a dozen times, if not more. "Honestly, Hiei, I don't know what to do with you sometimes."
Hiei had the decency to look at least a bit apologetic, but he wasn't about to go down without a fight. "They tackled me;" he said defensively. "Would you rather I had let them knock me out?"
"No, I just…" Kurama sighed. "Never mind. I suppose there was no lasting harm done." His expression shifted, turning curious. "What did she say to you, anyway?"
Harry shifted closer, trying to hear what was said as Hiei muttered something. He couldn't hear exactly what the smaller boy said, but Kurama flushed. "Oh;" he said, sounding offended.
"Exactly." Hiei said.
"Well, I suppose I can forgive you." The redhead smiled lightly, looking sympathetic as he reached over and wiped some of the blood from Hiei's lip with his thumb. "Does it hurt much?"
Hiei snorted. "Hardly. It's a scratch." He winced, though, when Kurama gently touched the bruised skin around his eye. "Don't."
"Sorry." Kurama retracted his hand. "I think you ought to get Madam Pomfrey to look at that, or you'll be blind in that eye for a week."
Hiei gave what looked to be a grudging nod, then suddenly whirled around, glaring in Harry's direction. "Potter, get out from behind that statue."
Startled but realizing he'd been caught, Harry crept out from behind the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw and waved guiltily.
Kurama looked startled at his sudden appearance, then smiled, amused. "Coming to check up on me, Harry?"
Harry flushed. "I was just…well, you just ran out, and I thought you might…" He trailed off and shrugged. "Never mind."
Kurama chuckled lightly, brushing his hair back. "Everything's fine. Go ahead back in the Hall, Harry. I'll be along in a minute." His voice was casual, but his eyes left no room for argument.
"Okay. See you, then." Harry turned and headed back into the Great Hall, only to be met by Professor Renton in the doorway.
He was about to stammer a greeting when Renton grinned. "Morning, Harry. Did you manage to catch the meteor shower last night?"
"Er…yes, sir. Why?"
"No reason. I'm just sorry I missed it. Grading tests, and all." Renton shrugged. "Listen, I'm looking for Minamino to talk to him about a study plan. Have you seen him?"
Harry blinked, confused, before remembering what Kurama had said about getting extra help in DADA. "He's just outside, Professor. Talking to Jaganshi."
"Thanks." Renton brushed past him, giving Harry's shoulder an appreciative pat.
Harry stared after him, shrugged, and went back to breakfast.
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"Why do you put up with them?"
Kurama smiled, ever-amused by Hiei's frustrated questioning. "With who, Hiei?"
"Any of them!" Hiei jerked his head in the direction Harry had gone. "They're just so…"
"Persistent? Nosy? Annoying?" Kurama smiled.
Hiei snorted. "All of the above. How'd you guess?"
"Because you say the same thing about me." He glanced over Hiei's shoulder and nearly jumped, startled. "Professor Renton?"
The brunet grinned, approaching them. "Good morning, Minamino, Jaganshi." He nodded to each of them in turn, then turned back to Kurama. "Minamino, are we going to reschedule your tutoring?"
"Oh, I forgot." He looked at Hiei. "Do you mind if I talk to him for a few minutes? School-related."
Hiei shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. See you in Potions." He left, probably to take Kurama's advice and see Madam Pomfrey.
Lance stared after him, eyebrows raised. "Weird little bugger, that one."
"You know, I take offense on that on his behalf."
"Oh, do you?" Lance smirked, taking a half-step closer to him. "And what are you going to do about that?"
Kurama raised his eyebrows. "I'm going to remind you that we're in the middle of a corridor, so you might want to reconsider whatever it was you were about to do."
"Touché." Lance stepped back. "Shall we continue with your lessons after class today?"
Kurama shook his head. "I can't miss anymore Herbology."
"Tonight, then?"
"Nine o'clock in your office?"
"Sounds good." Lance sighed. "You know, it's wonderful to have a student who cares so much about his schoolwork."
"I do try, Professor." Grinning playfully, he turned back to the hall. "I'm hoping tonight's lesson is as educational as the last one."
Lance chuckled. "I promise, you have nothing to worry about."
-0-0-0-0-
Kurama was greeted with raised eyebrows when he entered Lance's office that night, book bag over his shoulder. "Hi."
"Hi." Lance stepped back to let him in, closing the door behind them. "So…what's with the books?"
"Oh, these. Well, I told the others where I was going, and Neville said he had a few questions for you about today's lesson and he might come by. So I figured, to be safe…"
Lance groaned. "You mean I actually have to tutor you?"
Kurama laughed. "No. We just have to look like it. Besides, I have homework in your class anyway. You can give me the answers, if you'd like."
"Sorry, baby. That would be cheating." He crossed behind his desk, pushing some files out of the way and gesturing for Kurama to sit in one of the chairs on the other side of the desk. "Grab a seat. Let's see if you know your stuff as well as you think you do."
Taking the seat Lance indicated, Kurama opened the textbook and took out a few rolls of parchment and a pen. Lance cocked an eyebrow at the latter. "What happened to quills?"
"They're annoying. You write with one the wrong way and it's like fingernails down a chalkboard."
"True that, true that." Sitting down in his own chair, he tugged the book until it faced him. "I'm quizzing you on your counter jinxes, oh brilliant one."
Kurama pouted. "Cheater. You didn't give me time to study." But he smiled, eyes bright.
Lance chuckled. "Fair enough. How about I just quiz you on what we did today?"
"Fine, fine…" He slipped his pen between his lips, nibbling over the cap and slipping his tongue around it, pausing in his pen-decapitation every-so-often to answer one of Lance's questions.
After a decent half hour, there was a knock at the door. Lance got up and answered it, walking; Kurama noted with a self-satisfied smirk; a bit stiffly. "'Evening, Longbottom."
"Hi, Professor. Um, I had aquestion…" Neville said nervously, peering over Lance's shoulder. Kurama waved at him and the dark-haired boy smiled. Lance gestured for him to come in.
"What do you need to know?"
Neville pointed to a page in the textbook. Lance followed his gaze to the page, momentarily searching before explaining the passage slowly and carefully. Kurama smiled around the pen. Lance might have no regard for school rules, but he was a good teacher.
It took barely five minutes for Neville to leave, gratefully thanking the professor for his help. Lance nudged the door closed with his foot, sighing. He crossed the room to Kurama, reaching out and plucking the pen from his mouth. Playfully, he tapped the redhead on the head with it. "Has anyone ever told you that you have an oral fixation?"
"Yes."
"Oh. Well, has anyone ever told you that there are much better uses for it?"
"Yes."
"How about showing some of those better uses?"
Kurama smirked. "Thought you'd never ask."
Lance grinned as Kurama slid from the chair and dropped to his knees in front of him.
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Some unknown amount of time later, gasping and slowly letting his body relax, Kurama pressed a kiss to Lance's neck. "I told you that you're amazing, right?"
Lance laughed lightly, running a teasing finger over the redhead's chest. "Yeah, you did. Yelled it a few times, too, if I recall correctly. Good thing I soundproofed the office."
"I didn't yell it."
"Oh, yes you did." Lance dropped a kiss to Kurama's lips but then pulled away, frowning. "Are you okay?"
"Mm-hm." He shifted, brushing his lips over Lance's collarbone. "Tired."
"Again?" Gently, he brushed damp red hair away from Kurama's neck to kiss it. "I wear you out too much?"
"Not too much." Kurama smiled. Leaning back into Lance's embrace, he let his eyes travel around the office, really looking at it for the first time.
The desk was cluttered, papers and files strewn across it. A muggle swivel chair sat behind the desk, Lance's shirt carelessly strewn across it. Piles of books and disorganized lesson plans were randomly placed on the floor and bookshelves. The walls were covered with posters and photos of people Kurama didn't recognize, but assumed had some importance. Dimly, he recalled Harry mentioning that there had been a different Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the past six years. He wondered absently what the office had looked like under its other occupants.
"Oi." Lance nudged him. "Are we here to admire how messy my office is, or to do something useful?"
Kurama let his lips curve into a smile, reaching up to twine his arm around Lance's neck. "I don't know. Refresh my memory."
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"You look exhausted;" Hiei told him in Potions the next day.
Kurama glared half-heartedly at him, blowing his bangs out of his eyes. "Shut up."
"And irritable, too." He smirked. "Either it's that time of the month, or you were up all night."
Kurama stared at him. "If I wasn't so amazed at the fact that you just made something very similar to a joke, I'd hit you."
Hiei snorted. "You're about to fall asleep on your feet. I doubt you could hit me."
"Is that a challenge?"
"Maybe."
"In that case—"
The door swung open and Professor Snape entered, ever-present black coat billowing behind him in a cloud of black. "Sit down and be quiet." He sat down behind the desk, glaring daggers at the already silent class. "As you know, tomorrow is Halloween. Reflecting that, today's potion will be—"
A sudden crash interrupted him.
All eyes flew to the back of the room. Kurama was on his feet, chalk pale and shaking, the glass beaker that was in his hands seconds ago now in pieces on the floor. Hiei had turned in his seat, one hand on the redhead's arm, his eyes narrowed with concern.
Snape stood. "Minamino, could you kindly explain why you have chosen to disrupt my class by breaking equipment?"
The remaining color drained from Kurama's face, and Harry shot to his feet. "Leave him alone! There's obviously something wrong with—"
"Thirty points from Gryffindor for speaking out, Potter." Snape said calmly, not taking his eye from Kurama. After a moment, he turned to Hiei. "Jaganshi, take Minamino to the hospital wing. Longbottom, clean up that glass."
While Neville hurried to comply, Hiei rose without a word, taking Kurama by the arm and gently pulling him out of the room.
They had barely closed the door behind them when Kurama leaned against the wall and slowly sank to the floor, shaking. He pulled his knees up to his chest and folded his arms over them, burying his face in his hands. It was nearly a full minute before Hiei realized that he was crying.
"Kurama." Hiei sat next to him, saying nothing, teeth worrying at his lower lip. He hated being around when people cried. It meant that he could either comfort them and feel like an idiot, or do nothing and feel guilty. After a few moments, he hesitantly slid an arm around Kurama's shoulders.
His arm had barely touched him when the redhead suddenly moved into him, pressing against Hiei's chest. Hiei stiffened, surprised, but quickly adjusted; wrapping his arms around his friend in what he hoped was a comforting way. He decided against speaking, letting Kurama cry himself out.
After a few minutes, the sobs died down, leaving Kurama shaking in Hiei's arms. Hiei combed his fingers through the youko's hair, murmuring soft, meaningless words, hoping to calm Kurama to some degree. Soon the trembling faded as well, and Kurama pushed gently away and sat up.
A few moments passed in silence. Knowing that Kurama wouldn't talk about his problems without being goaded into it, Hiei spoke first. "I don't suppose you're going to tell me what this is about?"
Kurama bit his lip, then spoke. "It's October 30th."
Hiei raised an eyebrow. "And?"
A deep breath, let out slowly through the mouth. A steadying, calming technique—if only it worked better. "Kuronue died…twenty-three years ago. Tonight."
"Oh;" Hiei said. It was all he could think of. What do you say to someone mourning the death of a friend, a partner? Maybe more?
Kurama fell silent. When he spoke again, his voice was choked—he was holding back another onslaught of tears. "I feel like such a child like this. Twenty-three years…you'd think I'd be over it by now, but I can't let him go. It's like this every year…" He wiped his eyes, then reached into his collar, pulling out the chain that held Kuronue's pendant. Slipping the chain over his head, he let it dangle off his fingers, watching the torchlight reflect the firestone with something akin to fascination. "Strange, isn't it?" His voice was soft, like the flickering red shadows against the dungeon walls. "It seems so small, doesn't it? But it meant so much to him. Too much, maybe."
Before Hiei had a chance to move, the redhead was crying again, tears slipping down his cheeks in silver trails. He kept his distance, though, and Hiei was grateful for it. He wasn't good at comforting, and he knew it—but as Kurama had said (Hiei didn't remember when), sometimes just being there was enough.
"I told him not to go back for it." Kurama murmured, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "I told him it didn't matter. Do you know what he told me? He said he needed it. He needed it—and he went back. For a necklace—a stupid piece of metal and rock. It wasn't worth his life. No treasure was worth his life." His voice broke, and he continued in a whisper. "I suppose it doesn't matter why he did it. It's just that—that I miss him. I don't know. I—"
"You loved him;" Hiei supplied, quietly.
Kurama's gaze snapped to Hiei, eyes wide. A second of stillness and silence passed between them, and then Kurama nodded, slowly. He blinked once, and two tears slipped past his eyelids and caught on his lashes. Hiei reached over, silently brushing them away.
"I won't cry anymore;" Kurama whispered—to convince himself or Hiei, Hiei wasn't sure. "I shouldn't."
Hiei didn't think this time, only pulled Kurama against him, letting the redhead lean into his chest. "Cry if you want to;" he said softly, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice and failing. "I'm here."
Kurama closed his eyes, digging his fingers into the fabric of Hiei's robes. Slowly, he let the barriers in his mind and body drop, pouring twenty-three years of pent-up despair into his friend's chest.
Running his fingers through the long hair and wishing he didn't care as much as he did, Hiei leaned down, pressing his lips into the soft red strands in what could almost be called a kiss. "I'm here;" he repeated in a whisper. "I'm here."
-0-0-0-0-
"You go on ahead, mate, alright?" Harry told Ron after Potions as the rest of the class was filing out, desperate to get out of the dungeons. "I need to finish something up."
Blissfully unaware, Ron shrugged. "Sure thing, mate. C'mon, 'Mione." He gathered his books and left, Hermione at his side.
Harry looked across the classroom to where Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson stood. From the looks of things, Malfoy was waiting for her to finish cleaning up her Potions area. What a gentleman; Harry thought dryly. As if hearing his thoughts, Malfoy glanced over at him. Silver eyes met green and one white-blond eyebrow arched. Need something? Malfoy mouthed.
I need to talk to you; Harry mouthed back.
Malfoy rolled his eyes and turned to Pansy. "Pansy, baby, you go ahead to class, alright? I'll finish cleaning."
"Will you, really?" She looked incredibly relieved. Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes—she probably just didn't want to wreck her manicure. "You're a darling, Draco, thank you. I'll see you in Transfiguration, then."
"Sure. But stop off at the hospital wing and take something for your headache." He pried the rag she was using from her hand and handed her her book bag. "Go on."
"You worry about me too much." She giggled, pecked him on the cheek—Harry felt his stomach clench and briefly wondered why—and left.
The room was oddly silent when she left, the only noise being Draco as he scrubbed beeswax off the countertop. Harry spoke after a few awkward moments had passed. "I didn't think you'd actually clean up for her."
Draco snorted, not bothering to glance up. "Contrary to what you seem to believe, Potter, just because I'm in Slytherin doesn't mean I don't have friends."
"Right. So you and Parkinson are 'just friends', then?"
This time, Draco did look up, and made a face. "She's like my sister, Potter. I wouldn't date her."
Harry cocked an eyebrow. "Really? She's gotten pretty hot. She'll be up there with the Patil twins at the rate she's going."
Draco shrugged. "I guess."
More silence. Harry fidgeted. Finally, Draco gave an exaggerated sigh and straightened. "Potter, out with it. If there's something you need to say that you can't say to people who actually like you and feel the overwhelming need to say to me, say it. If you're just going to sit there and watch me clean, then you might as well help."
Don't hit him; Harry told himself firmly. You want to talk to him, so don't hit him. "Actually," he said, his voice calmer than he was; "I wanted to talk to you about last night."
"Last night…well, you were good, but I've had better. Don't worry; I'll still write 'for a good time call' and then your name on the bathroom wall. Oh, and I'm pregnant with your child."
"Malfoy!" Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm being serious."
"So was I. Except for the pregnant part." Finished, Draco crumpled the rag into a ball and threw it into the trash bin. It made a graceful arc and plopped rather pointedly into its target.
"You're good at that;" Harry noted.
Draco shrugged. "Practice." He sat on the now clean countertop, facing Harry. "So, what about last night?"
"When you…" Oh, this was going to be uncomfortable. Stupid words, they never said what they were supposed to. "Did you…feel anything weird last night?"
Draco gasped. "I knew that was your hand!"
"Malfoy!"
The blond snickered. "Sorry. Couldn't resist." More seriously, now—"What kind of 'weird'?"
"When we looked at each other;" Harry said nervously, trying to do anything but look at the other boy; "did you feel…something like a shock? Like a buzz?"
Draco shrugged. "Something like that. I figured it was static electricity or something."
"But we weren't touching. How could I have shocked you?" And how do you know what static electricity is, O Mighty muggle hater?
A pale hand made its way through un-gelled blond hair. "How should I know, Potter?" Their eyes met.
It was that same shock, buzzing and warm and flickering across Harry's skin like sparks from a flame. He shuddered and at the same time found himself taking a step closer to Draco, just as the blond stood.
The result was about six inches of distance between them, and Harry wondered why he was suddenly so desperate to make that distance disappear. The intelligent portion of his brain was screaming at him, but he couldn't quite hear what it was saying, because the not-so-intelligent portion couldn't focus on anything except bright silver eyes and the way a few loose locks of hair slipped in front of one of them. Harry's hand twitched as he resisted the urge to brush that bit of hair away, it was obstructing his view, and he needed to see those eyes—
Draco moved, bending down to shoulder his bag. "Sorry, Potter. Student duty calls."
And then he was gone, the hem of his robes disappearing outside. Harry shivered.
Suddenly, the dungeon seemed much colder.
-0-0-0-0-
The morning of Halloween dawned clear and cool, and Kurama found that he felt, surprisingly, much better. Examining himself critically in the bathroom mirror after a quick shower, he magicked the puffiness away from his eyes with a murmured word and a wave of his wand. He blinked a few times at the tingling feeling of the magic, then smiled at his reflection.
"That's a handy trick."
He turned, surprised. "Good morning, Harry."
"Morning." Harry gestured to the towel over his shoulder by way of explanation. "Came to get a hot shower. I figured that waking up earlier might give me a better chance."
Kurama chuckled. "It certainly does. Happy Halloween, by the way."
"You too." He grinned and headed for the showers, but paused. "Hey…Kurama?"
"Mm-hm?"
"Are you okay?"
The redhead glanced over his shoulder. "Of course I am, Harry. Why?"
The dark-haired boy bit his lip nervously. "I was just wondering…y'know, yesterday and all…"
"Ah." Kurama's reflection smiled at Harry as the redhead gathered his hair up and put it into a ponytail. "Yesterday was the anniversary of the death of a very dear friend of mine, Harry. I was a little upset." Noting Harry's worried look, he turned to face the other boy. "Don't worry. I'm fine, now. I had a good cry, got it all out of my system." He raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you going to go shower?"
"What?" Harry blinked. "Oh. Yeah. See you at breakfast, then." He headed off, leaving a chuckling redhead behind him.
-0-0-0-0-
"You seriously cleaned up for her?" Blaise said around a mouthful of toothpaste.
"Of course I did." Draco replied, rolling his eyes. "The girl gets chronic migraines, for Christ's sake. What was I supposed to do?"
"I just can't believe you two aren't screwing. That's all I'm saying."
Draco scowled at him. "Shut up."
"Come on, she's one of the hottest chicks in our year. And I don't even judge girls." Blaise grabbed a black eyeliner pencil from the counter and leaned over Draco, grinning. "Let me do your eyes."
"You're going to make me look gay again;" Draco whined, but tilted his head back so that the dark-skinned boy could get under his eyes.
"Just helping you get in touch with your inner homosexual." Blaise said cheerfully. "And anyone who's had the chance to go with someone like Pansy and didn't is definitely gay, whether you want to admit it or not."
"You just want a communal shower blowjob."
"Oh, rats. You've found me out. Now that you know my deepest darkest secrets, stop squirming. Or I'll poke your eye out." Draco took the hint and stopped moving, and Blaise continued. "So, what did Potter want to talk to you about?"
Draco would have shrugged, but remembered the eyeliner pencil just in time. "Nothing, really. Had a few questions about the Potions class, that's all."
"So he went to you?"
"I know the subject."
"So does Granger;" Blaise pointed out, smirking. "I think he has a thing for you."
Draco snorted. "Yeah. That'd be good. The mighty Boy Who Lived is really a poofer."
"It could happen;" Blaise said, and capped the pencil. "There. Done." He stepped back to admire his work. "Gorgeous, as always." He grinned. "Think about it this way—if he's staring at you tonight, that could be a hint."
-0-0-0-0-
The way the Great Hall looked on All Hollow's Eve never ceased to take the breath from Harry's lungs.
This year didn't disappoint him. There seemed to be more floating candles and jack-o-lanterns than usual, and Harry smiled at the way Kurama's breath caught in his throat as he gasped. "It's beautiful."
"I know, right?" Harry sat down next to the redhead at the Gryffindor table, just as Ron and Hermione slid into the seats across from them.
"Flitwick really outdid himself this year." Ron commented, watching as a piece of black paper, charmed to look like a bat, fluttered over to them and perched on the pumpkin that sat in front of Hermione's place setting.
"Do they do this every year?" Kurama asked curiously, as another 'bat' landed on top of Neville's head, making the other boy slightly cross-eyed as he tried to look up at it.
Hermione nodded, eager as always to talk about anything history-related. "Yes. If being a Wizard was a religion, Halloween would probably be the equivalent of Christmas. It's our most famous holiday, so naturally we'd have the most fun with it." She tilted her head to one side. "Don't you celebrate Halloween in Japan?"
Kurama vaguely remembered his mother dressing him up in some childish costume and sending him out on the streets at night to get candy. "I suppose. I just never really got into it. I'm much fonder of the harvest festivals than the spiritual ones like these."
Hermione looked ready to ask about said 'harvest festivals', but abruptly snapped her mouth shut as Dumbledore rose to his feet.
"Hello, good evening, and Happy Halloween!" He exclaimed. Several giggles went through the Hall at his attire—bright orange robes, gratuitously splattered with black cats that hissed if one stared at them for too long; and a pink witch's hat that clashed horribly with his robes. "I would make a speech, but I never could think of anything deep to say on an empty tummy. That considered, I suggest that we dig in!"
The food appeared, punctuating his words as efficiently as ever, and Harry gladly took the headmaster's advice and began shoveling food onto his plate.
Kurama shook his head, suppressing a laugh. "Harry, you can probably slow down. I don't think the food's going anywhere." A hand on his shoulder made him turn, and Harry was just as shocked as Kurama was to see Hiei standing there. "Hiei;" Kurama said, surprise evident in his voice. "Why aren't you with the other Slytherins?"
"I'm going to be, but I just got here." Hiei said simply, crossing his arms over his chest. "I thought I'd say hello."
Kurama smiled wickedly. "Such courtesy. Not like you." Then his smile softened. "Were you checking up on me?"
The way the dark-haired boy avoided Kurama's gaze told Harry that he obviously had. "Maybe."
The redhead's expression wavered, as if he wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. But instead he closed his eyes, still smiling, and said "Thank you."
Harry turned back to his food, deciding that Hiei would probably leave. But he didn't, and he glanced back up to see what Kurama would do next.
And to his surprise, Kurama got to his feet, leaned over, and gave Hiei what was unmistakably a kiss on the cheek. "Happy Halloween, Hiei."
Hiei's eyes widened—understandably, Harry thought—and he stumbled over his words before finally replying "You, too" and heading off at a slightly quickened pace to the Slytherin table.
Kurama chuckled, sliding back on his seat. "God, he's adorable sometimes."
Harry coughed to hide a laugh, following Hiei's progress back to the other Slytherins. He was greeted with grins and a pat on the back from Blaise Zabini, and a laughing comment from Pansy Parkinson, who had apparently resolved whatever issues she'd had with the shorter boy. Draco Malfoy turned in his seat to say something, and Harry felt his breath catch in his throat.
It was common knowledge throughout the school that Blaise Zabini was openly gay, and loved to do makeup for anyone he deemed attractive, Slytherin or otherwise. It was also common knowledge that Draco Malfoy was his favorite model, and Harry couldn't help but see why. A slightly different way of combing his hair so that it fell delicately over one eye, a soft touch of eyeliner that made his eyes seem so radiantly silver in his pale face.
Across the room, Draco turned, and his eyes met Harry's, briefly and barely. Then Draco's lashes flickered once and the contact was broken. Harry looked hastily away from him then—if he kept staring, he'd never be able to tear his eyes away. Reminding himself that Draco was his Sworn Rival and they could never be anything else, he struck up a conversation with Ron and tried very hard to ignore the origami guano that one of the paper bats was dropping onto his head.
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Reviewer Responses:
Evene: Glad you liked chap. 10, hoped you enjoyed 11. There was definitely H/K in this one!
ineXpressible: Er…didn't do to well on the "update soon" part, but I did update! Heh heh…
Chelley Angel: It's okay, I'm better now. I'm glad you liked the stargazing, I thought it might be a bit TOO cheesy. But people seemed to like it, so I guess it's okay.
Geb: Yes, blatant Draco/Harry. Hehe. O.o "magical writing"? I'm flattered!
My Bloody Angel: Heh heh heh, I was just kidding with you about that. But we love Kurama-chan's issues!
Lady Starlight2: Well, I guess it's a good thing the policemen had you barricaded in your house, or I probably would have gotten killed for not updating for so long! But don't worry, I should be updating more frequently now.
Mini-MoonStar: No, I'm not bashing Lance. For all his Gary-Stu-ness, I'm quite fond of him. But yes, Draco/Harry. Yay.
Shiakuu Hitome: Only slightly, Hitome-chan. XD Yes, brief puppy shipping, to be back in the future. (…J.K.R. sooo sunk our ship with the sixth book. Lupin/Tonks ew.) Definitely more H/K in this chapter, and I hope you liked the H/D. Hopefully other people liked the Kuronue thing too, because I definitely milked it for all it was worth!
Bluespark: Yep. Lots of fluff. And more fluff in this chapter. I'm losing my touch. Need…pr0n…Um…no idea what you'd use a flammability potion for. It just seemed fun. Yes, viva las HP/YYH crossovers!
Nikki: Thanks for understanding. It was stressful for awhile, but I'm all good now, and updates should be somewhat regular again. I'm glad you liked Hiei's possessiveness/jealousy mode. He was a bit snarky in this chapter, but cute as always. I hope you liked.
Clow Angel: Yes, yes he did. Glad you like.
crYstal: "It's like watching two naïve people discover fire or something" You SO win for that line. Rock on. Glad you like the Lance/Kurama, it seems like you're one of the few that do. Hiei and Kurama will end up together, though. I promise.
Kami Anya: Glad you're enjoying Israel, Kami. Shiakuu Hitome and I are going this summer. Many thanks for your Renton defense—it's not his fault he's attractive. I'll definitely pass the cookie along. I'm happy you like the H/D and the H/K. The H/D is a bit more blatant (cough WAY more blatant) in this chapter. I hope I didn't overdo it too much.
SunStar Kitsune: …(facepalm) Yes, dear, "that teacher" is "doing something to him". THEY'RE SCREWING LIKE BUNNIES! …Heh. Boink. (Hitome will get this joke.) And yes, I'm quite fond of yaoi. It's pretty much all I write. That and yuri. Haven't written a het fic in…um…a very long time. For your second review: Good to know I've converted you to the world of yaoi. And as for your questions…you'll have to wait and see!
Hedi Dracona: Um…that was already answered. No, he doesn't. And doober points for using the word "spiffy". Rock on.
Kitroku: Yes, fluff. Lots of it. Sorry for the long wait.
Cattibrie393: Glad you liked it.
mistressKC: You're not too bad. Sorry about the wait, hope you enjoyed the update!
Geministarz: Wow…you forgot about me? XD I guess it has been awhile. Eek, another anti-Lance person, I think. Don't worry, don't worry, H/K will prevail, you have nothing to worry about. I'm glad you liked the H/D.
dimonyo-anghel: …um. Yeah. Okay. Er…have an update?
GoldenRat: …why would you think that? Don't worry, he's fine. He appreciates the concern, though.
Bloody Cross: Hehe. Yeah, very true. Insult to monkeys everywhere, that one.
sexy pancake: Sorry. But it's necessary to the plot, actually. Feel free to skip over the lemon scenes if they make you uncomfortable. But as I said, the H/K is much more emotional than physical in this fic.
Serena: Again, I'm sorry. But let's try to keep in mind that it's my fic, and as far as the plot's concerned, Lance isn't going anywhere just yet, and Kurama and Hiei aren't sure what they feel for each other. I promise it'll get clearer as the chapters progress, but you've got to be a little patient. I hope you enjoyed the update.
Kurama's wannabe girlfriend: Glad you liked. To answer your questions: that was explained in this chapter, and yes. Hope you enjoyed!
Suteneko-chan: Yay for non-hated OCs! Unfortunately, pretty much everyone else seems to hate him. But I'm glad you like!
phsycoDraGon: In order: sorry, but Lance is gonna be here awhile; I'm glad you think so—comments about my writing style are just as welcome as comments about the story!; sorry about the wait. I hope you liked the update!
wolfnight:. I thought it sucked when I first started, but I liked it more once I started getting positive feedback!
Chara13: Um…kitty?
Wolfgirl211: Yeah, it was. But if you squint really hard at about seventeen trillion author's notes that have been posted throughout this fic, you'll see that it says that the Kurama/HIEI is not going to be outright, and will be progressing quite slowly.
anonymous: I'm glad you like nice!Malfoy. Sorry about the wait.
JAY: Um…yeah. Sorry, but the time thing was sort of against me on this chapter.
YanoCarinito: Thank you for not hating Lance. Brownie points to you. Glad you liked.
Fox Loves Shinigami: Sorry about the wait, hope you enjoyed the update!
spiritkitsune: …I GET THE POINT! YOU ALL WANT THE HIEI/KURAMA! IT'S COMING, DAMMIT! Phew. Had to get that out of my system. Sorry, spiritkitsune. Don't think I'm taking it out on you. And no, I haven't seen Howl's Moving Castle just yet. I'm working on it, though—from what I've heard, it's amazing.
ForbiddenFox: …I'm not even going to acknowledge the anti-Lance/Kurama comments anymore. But I'm glad you like the fic, and thank you for the praise!
OOMaxwellDemonOo: Hehe. Thanks for the idea, but the story is mapped out already. Though that would be quite funny. I'm thinking of doing a blooper chapter, maybe I'll put that in.
Ima Super Mute Ant: …it's coming.
Fuzzy Eared: I'm going to answer all of your reviews at once, to save space. Glad you liked the Muguru!cameo. She'll be returning in future chapters. Yes, Hiei is a snarky little bugger. The 'voices' line had me giggling when I wrote it. Oh, who needs reality? Reality is for canon!conscious people. The story's already AU, I figure I might as well play with it. Glad you like.
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Ending Notes: Phew! Well, I'm exhausted. I hope you all enjoyed the update. This was a fun chapter to write, and hopefully the wait for the next chapter won't be as long.
I do have one request: I realize that a lot of you are a little/a lot annoyed by the Lance/Kurama. But please, please, please stop telling me to get rid of Lance and put Kurama with Hiei. As I've said countless times and am getting really sick of saying, this fic will be Hiei/Kurama. So don't worry about it, and for my sake, stop asking about it.
That being said, thank you all again for your wonderful reviews. I'm looking forward to reading the new ones.
See you all next time!
--Rei
