The week had gone by slowly for Harry but probably because he was looking forward to the weekend so much. On Thursday evening he and Draco had their official try outs for keeper and seeker for the snakes but as predicted there of course had been no concern and they were both welcomed to their new positions. Ron and many Gryffindors were shooting him daggers but with Slytherin and many of his old housemates behind him, they were not willing to do anything.
Saturday morning Draco was coming to get him for practice and Harry tried to be quiet but when he got out of the shower he found he was not alone out in the sitting room as his father was already up.
His father and Draco were together at the table. "Did I sleep in and miss practice or something? I didn't expect to see you up father."
Lucius laughed and motioned him to join them for a bite to eat. "I have to head to London for business this morning and thought I'd feed you two first."
Harry sunk down into a chair. "This is a change at least. Angelina and Oliver before her would be considered nice if they let us have some toast before."
Draco laughed and assured him that they had more then enough time before they had to go to the change rooms and Uncle Sev always made sure that their team had proper breakfast delivered before practices so they would not pass out.
Lucius nodded. "I am surprised that Minerva does not see to that with her students. I mean the house elves would be happy to supply more then just toast."
Harry smirked. "I think it was more our captains who were worried that anything more then toast would keep us too long from our practices."
Draco shook his head. "It did seem you guys always had the earliest practices and the longest. It seems Thomas has decided to take a page from their books."
Harry shook his head. "We may have the early morning practice but we would have already been on the field practicing by this time. Thomas isn't that bad."
Lucius smiled and walked his sons towards the pitch. Harry had nearly forgotten that his father was still the head of Malfoy Industries and while he had left it in capable hands of employees, there would be times when he would have to on weekends and evenings after class, take off for London or some where else. Harry hugged his father as they got to the changing rooms.
Lucius kissed them both. "Don't worry I will be home for dinner tonight or for bed time tea at the latest."
Harry smiled. "You wouldn't want to make dad have a cold side of the bed, since you left him bright and early this morning."
Draco snickered. "I think dad has your first date on his mind more then keeping our dad company in bed."
Lucius tried to deny it but from the look on his father's face he knew in a way it was true. It was not that he did not trust his best friend, after all he had given the man his blessing to pursue his son but he knew what a huge deal this was for Harry. He knew Harry as much as he tried to hide it was still a bit anxious about his first official date even though their last trip into Hogsmeade had basically been one.
Draco dragged his brother into the dressing room. "Thomas might not be Oliver or Angelina but if we take any longer, he might do a pretty good impression of them."
Tom over heard that and nodded. "You know I have decided to make you guys run laps or something for every minute you are late for practices."
Draco groaned. "I am starting to miss Adrian already. Though I have to say you're better then other captains that I could mention."
One of the beaters smirked. "With your brother on the team, next year we are going to have trouble deciding who will be captain of the team."
Draco and Harry shrugged and knew they would be happy for one another if they made it. Draco was aware that his brother had given up being captain of the lions that year when he had re-sorted. Katie had been given the badge when Harry had re-sorted. Harry had not really minded giving up the badge for he preferred being with his brother and Thomas was a good captain. He would miss playing with Katie but felt less guilty as she was the only one of his original team to be left.
Suited up they hit the field and worked on some drills and Tom smiled when Harry showed them a few. "Who needs a spy; we have a former lion on the team."
Harry shrugged. "I mean they are just drills and not actual plays. I was never trained in anything but as a seeker so I can't really help with any of the plays."
In truth Harry had practiced from time to time with his chasers and when Tom saw him take to the air with their chasers when he was not busy chasing the practice snitch, the Slytherin captain said he'd make a half decent chaser. He never considered for he had been asked to play seeker even before he knew what quidditch was.
As practice was winding down Draco turned to him. "You know you have just cemented your place as captain next year. I mean you never said you could play chaser."
Harry shrugged. "I really had no idea I could. I mean it was your stunt with Neville's rememberall that got me my place on the team. I never tried out for anything."
Draco had been joking and he thought it might be a good idea for his brother to train with the chasers some more for it was always good to know how to play more then one position. Harry never thought he would be a staring chaser level but he was not opposed to learning a secondary position. He had actually had fun at it.
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After lunch Harry was sitting and talking with Draco and Blaise when he saw a number of Gryffindors heading out for the pitch and he knew that they were having quidditch practice and from the numbers he suspected that they were having try outs for they had a number of positions to fill including of course seeker.
Katie saw him and came over. "Hey Harry. It seems so odd to be having try outs for seeker. You have been ours for so long.:
Harry smiled and hugged her. "I am going to miss playing with you Katie but I am just glad that you're still talking to me since I turned snake on you."
Katie nodded. "You know I am going to make sure to whip your butt on the field for like Oliver I want to win my last year, but off you're still like a brother."
Harry smiled and he looked at the others off to the pitch. "Any prospects on who might be my replacement? Ginny is good but I think she is a better chaser."
Katie's response though was cut off when two people he had been avoiding as best as he could since the other students had returned to school, had come walking down the steps of the school and decided that they needed to cut into the conversation.
Ron glared at Harry before turning to Katie. "Did you forget that he is a snake now? He is probably spying on us for his new captain."
Ginny nodded in agreement. "He will probably tell you to pick someone like Neville as the new seeker for he wants to make sure his team wins this year."
Before Harry could respond Katie had stood up and he had never seen her look as angry as she had at that moment. Katie had always seemed the sweet tempered one and she seemed out of place after the former two captains of the team.
Katie glared at them. "I remind the two of you I am captain and if either of you want to be considered for the team, I'd get down to the change rooms now."
Ginny snorted. "I know you have this stupid idea of having try outs for every position, no automatic returns but you know you'd lose without the two of us."
Katie shook her head. "If you keep acting like this Ginnerva, I will take my chances of loosing, and find someone else. Now get down to the change rooms."
It was the perfect touch for the day to see Ron and Ginny head down to the change rooms with their tails between their legs after being chewed out by Katie. She would have done both Oliver and Angelina proud he thought. He assured her she would make an amazing captain and she headed off to the field. Harry and Draco's talk moved to the lions and Harry had a feeling who would make the team as there were some obvious choices. He knew that the Weasleys would really have to piss Katie off to not make the team for they were obvious choices.
They headed into the castle and as they headed into Slytherin for Draco to change Harry saw his brother's eyes. "You know you have to tell him."
Draco blushed a bit when he realized his brother had noticed where he was looking."Since when did I take dating advice from my kid brother, might I ask?'
Harry shrugged. "I am the one who has plans tomorrow. You know you just round out the family, and our fathers both love him. He's been your friend for years."
Draco elbowed his brother in the ribs. "I told you I will tell him in my own time. If you keep this up he is going to over hear us and I will have to hex you."
Though Draco had grown up in a home where his father had a male common law husband since he was three when his mother was alive, Draco had still grown up with some of the old blood traditions around him. In many old blood families it was expected that the heads marry a nice young woman and keep their male lovers behind the doors. Since the end of the war though and his dads being able to marry and come out, Draco saw he could actually feel at ease pursuing his own love.
Harry agreed to keep quiet. "You know unlike you, he is known to be gay and if you don't tell him soon, he will get snapped up. I dated him last year myself."
Draco smirked at that. "You took a few walks and you two didn't even kiss. I would not call that dating Harry. I know it was the most you did before now though."
Harry could not deny it. He had not been all that sure he was gay and when he had decided to experiment he had gone on a few experimental dates with a few guys including one of his now fellow snakes but he had only kissed one and it had been an eagle. Severus was definitely his first for many reasons.
"Just because I don't spend every hour snogging my boyfriends in an alcove like you did with Pansy, doesn't mean my advice is bad."Harry pointed out.
Draco snickered. "How about we find out how your first official date goes tomorrow and if it goes well, I might consider your advice and talk to him."
Harry pulled his brother into a headlock. "You know there is nothing like putting pressure on me. My first date is scary enough without your love life depending on it."
Really Draco agreed with his brother and had been trying to get up the nerve to talk to his interest for some time about his feelings but he was just a bit worried they had been friends too long. He knew Harry and Severus' date the next day would go well so he had no problem making it the condition of asking his own guy out.
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Severus smiled when on Sunday morning he saw Harry coming towards him out on the grounds. He had been looking forward to their first date all week and he could not do much more then to try and hide the blush as he saw Harry come to him.
He smiled and took Harry's hand. "You know I am so glad you decided to come. I just wish we didn't have to meet out here and I could pick you up properly."
Harry felt the same way but right now he knew it had to be this way. "Perhaps some day but for now I don't think we can risk the school seeing that."
Severus had readily agreed of course for he knew that the risk from his friends and other students finding out the two of them dating was not only about pushing friends away or the kinds of cruel jokes he would have made at him. Severus was a bit worried about Harry's physical safety. There were those who had made the news about the headmaster's arrest and their reactions to it as well, well known. The trial ended on Friday but the verdict would not come down till Monday. He had thought about waiting for a date until next weekend but he though quidditch yesterday and a date today would distract Harry and he had been right.
As they walked into town Harry did not care about their hand for there would be no students that weekend. "Well at least it's still nearly summer out."
Severus agreed. "It would be a shame to spend the day locked away in the dungeons even in my potions lab. Thank you for rescuing me from it."
Harry smiled but laughed a bit at that. "I don't know. I think some time in the lab after dinner together might be the perfect end to our first date.'
Severus had never thought Harry would take to potions like this but it was hearing Harry officially referring to this as a date that made him beam. By the time they got into town the shops were open but being a Sunday it was pretty quiet and as they explored the shops that morning and spent some time again in the apothecary, they had much of the town to themselves other then the shop owners. Severus even found himself enjoying the quidditch supply store he whisked Harry off to as he could see the twinkle in Harry's eyes.
He led them off to the Three Broomsticks for lunch and Harry told him about practice. "Tom thinks that I should train as a chaser as well. He thinks I have a talent."
Severus nodded. "I was never one for playing but I have watched enough games and you to know he is probably right about that. With some training you'd ace it."
Harry beamed at the compliment. "How much time you have spent watching me play quidditch? Do you have something to tell me?"
"Watching you beat my snakes over the years, well your snakes now as well." Severus reminded him but there was a bit of warm color to his cheeks as well.
They made Honeydukes their last stop where they purchased some sweets. Though last time Severus had noted Harry's like of chocolate frogs he was surprised to find that they shared their favourite, in black liquorice wands. Severus wasn't sure why that a shared love of the same candy made him smile but it seemed nice.
As they got home just before dinner Severus took him into his rooms and kissed him goodbye at the door that connected to the Malfoy rooms. "Thank you."
Harry smiled as he gently returned the kiss. "I should be thanking you. I was so nervous about my first real date and you made it so comfortable and amazing."
Severus smiled. "Perhaps for our next one I can take you to London or something a bit more interesting then Hogsmeade. I will have to think on it."
When Harry slipped into the Malfoy rooms he was giddy he had to admit. He had such a good time and the fact that Severus was already thinking of plans for their next date made him smile. He would have to tell his brother it was time he stopped being a chicken and asked his guy out. As Harry went in search of Draco, Severus had been right; it had been a good decision to do it this weekend. Harry had completely forgotten about Albus' verdict the next day.
