Author's Note: Okay, I mentioned in the author's note in Harmony Reimagined that I'm working on 2 other stories as well. Well, I've been reluctant to write one of them because I was worried it would have no audience, but it's the one I'm most excited for. Both stories are series rewrites, so a lot of the best moments to come will take a while to get to, but I wanted to share this one excerpt from Slytherin Prince. (Basis is that Harry and Hermione are sorted into Slytherin, and Hermione has an older brother named Richard, and Richard is a wizard.)
Slytherin Prince: Mingling with Muggles.
Harry was lounging across Richard's bed as Draco stared at himself in the mirror, not fully comfortable in the clothes Harry had loaned him. He wanted his robes and suits back very badly. If his father saw him in jeans and a simple black T-shirt, Draco would be dead many many times over. How did he let the dynamic duo talk him into doing something this crazy. "You realize I've never been around muggles, right Potter?" He asked.
Harry sighed. "Back to Potter, I see," he muttered and propped himself up on his elbows. "Just say you've been sheltered your whole life if you get confused, keep your mouth shut about magic, and don't use the term muggle. It's simple," Harry repeated for what felt like the thousandth time.
"We shouldn't have left Grimmauld. Your godfather is going to kill us," Draco reminded Harry ominously.
Harry chuckled. "If I had a sickle for every time someone insisted my godfather was going to kill me," he joked and both boys dissolved into laughter. "You know as well as I do that he'd have ditched bodyguards with my father to get into trouble without a moment's hesitation. Besides, it's a muggle party Hermione's brother was invited to, it's not like we're planning to jump into a death eater hive and get ourselves killed."
Draco shook his head, still thinking his best friend was an absolute lunatic. Hermione knocked from the other side of the door and Harry practically jumped off Richard's bed, the movement so sudden he might as well have been struck by lightning. "Everyone decent?" She asked, and Draco confirmed that both he and Harry were dressed. Hermione stepped through the door and walked into the room with a shy smile on her face. Harry's eyes widened and he ran a hand through his unruly hair as he looked Hermione up and down.
She had never looked more beautiful to Harry. Her hair was still the wild mane of untamable curls it always was, her eyes lined very subtly with black eye-liner, her lips were painted ruby red, and she wore black jeans tucked into black ankle-boots, and an emerald-colored velvet tank-top. Draco noticed the hungry look on his best mate's face, and the way Hermione nibbled on her lower lip as her cheeks pinkened and grinned. He was admittedly getting tired of watching the two of them dance around each other and wanted them to just admit how they felt about each other and get together, but witnessing their growing attraction was amusing anyway. "Looks like you're ready to go," Draco commented.
Hermione blinked a couple times and nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'm ready to head out. Richard is downstairs waiting for us," she added as she attempted to keep her eyes off Harry. "I'll ummm… I'll see you down there," she added and turned to leave.
As Hermione gripped the doorknob, Harry choked out, "You look really great Mia," and averted his gaze to the window to hide his embarrassment.
Hermione blushed further and muttered a soft, "thank you," before hurrying out of the room and down the stairs.
Draco chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Smooth, I'm sure she'll never catch on that you're mad for her," He taunted with a grin.
Harry growled at Draco. "As if you're any more subtle around Theo!" Harry snapped and Draco rolled his eyes. "Besides… we're not that awkward around each other… that often… mostly…" Harry said and sighed.
"What happened between the two of you anyway? You've been this way around each other for months," Draco asked.
Harry averted his gaze again and shuffled his feet. "What makes you think something happened?" He countered, knowing the moment the question was voiced, he'd confirmed Draco's suspicions.
Draco rolled his eyes again. "Well, that pitiful dodge for one. And the fact that this started recently and the two of you used to be so comfortable around each other that this awkwardness is really jarring."
Harry grumbled and slumped against the wall behind him. "It's none of your business, okay? Can we just head out? I don't want to leave Hermione waiting." He shoved himself off the wall and walked out of the room, not bothering to wait for Draco, he knew the blonde would follow soon enough.
Harry didn't feel comfortable discussing what had happened between him and Hermione. It was private, and potentially embarrassing. Afterall, she had gotten so shy around him he was worried he had either offended her or scared her off. Speaking of Hermione, she was seated on the couch with her older brother Richard.
"Hey Harry, Mia said you were ready to head out, is Draco coming down yet?" Richard asked. Harry took note of the tense tone of voice. Did he know about what happened? Or was he having second thoughts about their plan to sneak out?
"Right here," Draco answered with a swaggering confidence he had found somewhere between the doorway and the staircase. "I suppose there's just no getting out of it."
Richard chuckled. "It's a ten minute walk," he reminded everyone and stood up, gesturing for everyone to follow him out." Harry fell into step beside Draco, watching Hermione as she walked with her brother.
Richard was getting worried. Hermione hadn't been this quiet around Harry since… ever actually. Any silence between them was always comfortably quiet as they both read together. What was going on?
Thankfully the painful silence between the two teens only lasted for the walk. The moment they made it to Ryan's house, they were greeted by him rather enthusiastically. "Rich! You made it! And you brought our favorite duo!" He shouted and nearly collapsed against Richard. "And who's that one?" He asked while pointing to Draco.
Draco kept his face expressionless but he felt the panic rising. This was one of the things he was worried about. He knew no one here, and no one knew him. But Harry came to his rescue just in time. "He's with me," Harry answered. "His name is Draco," He introduced casually.
Ryan nodded slowly, clearly intoxicated. "Okay then, welcome to the house of chaos," he said loudly and gestured to the house behind him. "Rich, I've got this girl you've got to meet!" He insisted and Richard led Ryan back inside, laughing.
Draco turned to Harry with an expression of utter bewilderment. "What the bloody hell have you dragged me into you madman?" He asked with a weak voice.
Hermione rolled her eyes and playfully shoved Draco toward the open door. "It's called a party, Malfoy. We've thrown plenty in the Slytherin common room."
Draco stumbled at the doorway, but quickly regained his footing and walked inside tentatively. The loud banging music was a bit of a shock, as was the sheer amount of elated shouting going on around him. "We've never thrown a party like this," he muttered.
Harry clapped Draco on the back with a chuckle. "Welcome to my second life, mate."
"HARRY!" They heard a feminine voice call out and suddenly a leggy redhead had practically flung herself at Harry. Harry recognized her immediately. Vivian, who'd gained quite the reputation while he was away at Hogwarts the past year and a half. "I didn't see you all summer!" She shouted and batted her eyelashes at him. "I missed you," she insisted and placed a hand on his chest. "You look really different," she added with a note of flirtation.
Harry smirked and plucked her hand off of him. "That's what happens when you get older. And I'm not interested, move along," he told her dismissively.
Vivian pulled out her signature pout, and shifted her stance to show off more of her cleavage. "Sure about that?" She asked, the previous note of flirtation tripled in the three words she strung together.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Even less interested now. Move," he added and shoved past her, shaking hands with Ty. "How ya been?" He asked with a smile.
Ty hadn't yet reached Ryan's level of drunkenness, but he was definitely not all there. "Having a ball," he said and burst into laughter. "Apparently being tall is a good thing now," he added and pointed to a girl in the crowd with her long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. "That's my girl," he explained.
Harry smirked. "Then you should go spend some time with her," he encouraged with a laugh.
Draco was fascinated. He'd never seen his best friend in the muggle world, but he didn't seem to be that much different. Maybe a bit more… relaxed?
Hermione walked up to Harry and touched his arm lightly. "Wanna dance?" She asked and bit her lip lightly.
Harry's eyes lit up with excitement and he nodded, taking Hermione's hand and moving to a more open space to sway to the music with her.
Draco continued to watch as Richard disappeared with a couple guys Draco had never seen before, but clearly knew Richard. He appeared to be on his own now, and decided to simply watch the crowd.
It was strange, experiencing this different world in a setting like this. If he had been raised in the muggle world, would he enjoy a party like this? Was there any true lack of enjoyment for him now? It was admittedly entertaining watching someone crash into the wall because of a misplaced step as he danced. Listening to the slurred speech of the people around him was hilarious. They all seemed to be drunk, horny, and carefree. What worried him was that he couldn't see where Harry and Hermione had disappeared to.
Hermione wasn't sure what had emboldened her this time, maybe it was just the energy of the crowd, but she had grasped Harry's hand in hers and dragged him to an empty bedroom.
Harry had no complaint with Hermione's actions, but he was admittedly confused. She'd been the one to leap away from him before, hadn't she? Where was her head at?
Before Harry could ask Hermione what she was doing, she had shut the door and pulled Harry to her by his shirt, slamming her lips against his. Harry moved instinctually, wrapping one arm around her waist and pinning her to him as he reciprocated her enthusiasm.
It was chaos in their heads as their tongues danced and they landed on a bed that neither of them realized they'd been moving towards. Collapsing together broke the kiss momentarily, and they laughed at their carelessness. "What are we doing?" Harry asked with a husky voice, and Hermione shivered.
"Probably something stupid," Hermione answered breathlessly and bit her lip. "And for once, I don't want to do what's smart," she admitted.
Harry's eyes darkened and he lunged forward, kissing her again, reaching one hand up to tangle in her sweet-scented hair and the other gripping her leg, which she wrapped around his waist.
A voice in the back of his head was telling Harry it was a bad idea, that they'd already been this close once before, and Hermione had leaped out of his arms and bolted before they could evaluate the situation, that he still didn't know where they stood with each other, that snogging his best friend had led to several months of avoidance, awkwardness, and painfully uncomfortable silence whenever they were alone together.
But it felt so good to have Hermione in his arms, to feel her lips against his, her leg hooked around him, her hair between his fingers, feel the heat between him, to feel wanted by this glorious person that had changed his life forever, and it silenced the rational part of his brain screaming warnings that they should stop.
As for Hermione, she was so lost in desire and ecstasy she didn't care how badly things had gone the last time she and Harry had been this entangled with each other. She had fancied him for years and kept her lips shut on it for so long it felt like it was killing her. She knew Harry had other options, an entire magical world full of them, many flinging themselves at him with reckless abandon, and even here he was wanted by more attractive girls, but he was with her for now, and that was enough.
She wasn't afraid as his hand on her leg traveled upward under her shirt, she felt Flames light up in her and she let her own hands wander up his back, clawing at him as she kissed him feverishly. This moment was everything. Please, please, please, she never wanted this to stop.
'Stop, Stop, Stop,' that voice was back in his head, and Harry desperately wanted it to go away. 'She's going to run again. She doesn't really want you,' the voice continued. Harry shivered as Hermione ground her pelvis against his. 'She can run if she wants, but until she does I don't care,' he told the voice and sat up, pulling her onto his legs and groaning as she rocked against him.
It was the most pleasurable agony they'd ever experienced. The friction of their cores grinding against each other was not enough but it was something, and that something was intoxicating.
Harry pulled out of their kiss just long enough to rip her shirt off over her head and Hermione's hungry growl was the only confirmation he needed that she had no argument, but he also got it from her own eagerness to rid him of his shirt, and from her hands landing on his belt as he yanked her back into another kiss.
Hermione knew they were going too far, but she couldn't stop herself. She just couldn't! She unhooked Harry's belt and yanked it out of the belt-loops of his jeans, sending it flying somewhere behind her. Harry tugged her hair a bit harder and she softly bit his lip, prompting a groan from him that sent a shudder down her back.
In their lust-induced haze, they didn't hear the knock at the door, but they did hear their friend Draco gasp out, "bloody hell," and just as before, they jumped apart. "I'm so sorry, I was just… I didn't know where you… I'm so sorry…" Draco rambled almost incoherently.
Hermione shook her head and grabbed her shirt from off the floor, pulling it back on quickly and running out of the room. She couldn't believe it, it happened again. First Sirius, now Draco. This wasn't fair!
Harry growled and stood up, enraged at Hermione fleeing again. Where had all that passion gone? Was it fake? Was she playing him? If so, she'd strummed him expertly and he wasn't happy about being left dangling like a Puppet on a string for the second time in a row. This wasn't fair!
Draco was so mortified he wished he could just die. Just die and be swallowed up by the ground he was standing on. "Umm… how long has…" he began, his voice strained as he gestured to Harry and the bed.
Harry huffed. "None of your business. And apparently it isn't mine either," he snarled as he pulled his shirt back on and fixed his belt back through his pants.
"How is it not your business?" Draco asked, sure his head would burst from the extreme levels of embarrassment, confusion, and shock he'd already endured so far tonight.
"Because she doesn't want it to be, otherwise she wouldn't have bolted," Harry explained. "I knew it was a bad idea, I fucking knew it. Why am I such an idiot?" He asked himself and left the room, not sure where he was going and not caring where he ended up. All he knew was that he needed to get away or he was going to lose it completely.
Draco watched Harry leave and groaned at the frustration of having walked in on his two best friends in a compromising position, and losing them again. His next move was to try and find Richard, and he sure as hell wasn't going to say a word about what he had seen.
Hermione had locked herself in one of the bathrooms as she cried. Everything had been so perfect for a split second, and then it was ruined in the blink of an eye. And to make it worse, this was the second time she'd abandoned Harry when they were in the middle of… well… what they were in the middle of… and she was sure he wasn't going to take it well. She certainly wouldn't. She'd given no explanation, and with all the awkwardness between them for the last several months… no, this was awful. There was no fixing it!
"Potter!" Harry heard a familiar voice call out and turned to see none other than his own cousin Dudley standing nearby. "Finally decided to show your face again, did you?" He asked.
Harry growled. "Not a good time Dudley," he warned the blonde gorilla.
Dudley cracked his knuckles. "I don't care! I've been waiting for this for a long time!" Dudley shouted. "It's time for payback!"
Harry narrowed his eyes. "For who? You're the one that used me as a punching bag, not the other way around."
"For getting my father arrested!" Dudley roared indignantly. "It's your fault!"
"My fault?!" Harry shouted back. "I didn't take a belt to a child, he did!" Harry argued and dodged as Dudley swung one of his massive fists at him. Dudley stumbled forward several steps, showing his vulnerability. He was drunk and using all his strength to land a single blow. Harry wasn't nearly as strong, but he was a hell of a lot smarter. He dodged the second fist and tripped Dudley, causing him to hit the floor. "Tell my uncle my scars and I said hello," Harry taunted Dudley and turned to leave, only to find his godfather standing behind him.
Harry hadn't seen Sirius this way since the night Harry finally learned who the true traitor of his parents was. His back was stiff, his chest heaving despite his crossed arms, and his nostrils flared as his foot tapped repeatedly against the floor. In short, Sirius Orion Black was fit to burst, and Harry was doomed. "Fuck," was all Harry could bring himself to say.
"Fuck indeed," Sirius growled. Yeah, Harry was definitely doomed. Might as well carve a gravestone next to his parents in the Godric's Hollow cemetery.