~ Chapter 3: Amortentia ~

Monday morning, Harry had to physically restrain himself from skipping down to the dungeons for Potions class. Even with Slughorn as the professor, it wasn't his favorite class, and he didn't want his friends to think he was acting strange.

He also didn't want to get there too quickly. After a few minutes of maneuvering through the crowded halls, he suddenly slapped his forehead and cried out, "Oh, darn! I forgot my Potions book."

"Oh, darn?" Ron said with a snort, just as Hermione said, "Harry, really."

"You guys go ahead, I'll catch up," said Harry. He turned around and dashed back down the hall the way they'd just come, before Ron could begin to suspect his rather weak acting skills.

I probably should've cursed, he said to himself as he darted up the stairs leading to Gryffindor Tower. Well, too late now. He paused and checked his watch. Five minutes to class, and the halls were beginning to empty. If he hurried, he could still make it in time. Of course, his book had been in his bag all along, so instead of entering the common room, he ran back down the stairs towards the dungeons.

He made it to the classroom a minute before the bell rang and paused to catch his breath before entering. As he did, he noticed a rather pleasant scent coming from the classroom. Treacle tart, a hint of broom polish, and a liberal amount of expensive cologne. He stepped through the door, breathing deeply.

Once inside the classroom, he caught himself and wrinkled his nose in disgust. Waving a hand in front of his face, he declared, "Whew, lay off the cologne, Malfoy! You don't need to use the whole bottle at once." The room quieted suddenly, which he pretended not to notice as he headed for a seat with his friends.

"Mate," Ron whispered to him, his face a combination of disgust and confusion. "That's not—"

"You're right, Malfoy does wear too much cologne," Hermione cut in quickly. "Can't you smell it, Ron?"

"What are you on ab—" Hermione gave him a look, and Ron began sniffing the air. "Uh, yeah, I think I can. Yeah."

"What are you talking about?" said Ernie MacMillan from the next table. "All I can smell is fresh bread and the ocean." He sniffed again, then smiled. "And Lisa."

Lisa Turpin blushed and giggled, and Harry heard someone from the Ravenclaw table say, "I think all the Gryffindors are in love with Malfoy."

"All right, everyone, settle down," said Slughorn, smiling and winking at Harry. "If you haven't guessed by now, what you're smelling is Amortentia. Some of you have expressed interest in the brewing process, so I decided we could try brewing it today, as a special treat." He opened up his copy of Advanced Potion-Making, then raised his head again with a small smirk. "But I must remind you that Amortentia is illegal, and I don't want to see anyone using it for nefarious purposes." With a snigger, he directed them to the correct page, and all around the room, students got to work.

Harry set up his cauldron and opened his book to the correct page. Across the room, Draco caught his eye, but all Harry could do was shrug helplessly.

"Malfoy really does wear too much cologne," Hermione said again as she began chopping ingredients. "You can't smell anything else when he's around."

"He probably didn't want to shower this morning and went overboard with the cologne instead," said Ron. "That's just gross."

Harry wanted to scream. The rest of the class was snickering in their direction, except for the Slytherins, who were busy ribbing Draco as he tried to work. "Be right back, I need more eye of newt," Harry said, and hurried to the front of the class before his friends could say anything.

Parkinson left the Slytherins' work station and was waiting for him when he reached the ingredients table. "I thought Granger was supposed to be smart," she said. To her credit, she wasn't sneering, which Harry appreciated.

"Same here," he couldn't help agreeing. He took his time, curious as to what she wanted.

"You know, I don't care if you want to make a fool of yourself, but the whole school is laughing at you and Draco, and if you can't figure out how to get through to your friends, we're going to have a problem."

"If you have any better ideas, I'd love to hear them," Harry said. He poked absently at a nearby horned slug, turning his back on his friends, who he knew were both watching his entire exchange with Parkinson.

Parkinson looked a bit startled, but simply said, "I'll let you know," before returning to her table.

With no more reason to dawdle, Harry grabbed his eye of newt and turned around. He breathed deeply the scent of Amortentia Slughorn had already made and gave Draco a secret little smile for the benefit of the class. Then, eye of newt in hand, he returned to his desk.

As he expected, his friends wasted no time frantically trying to get his attention.

"Harry, are you feeling okay?"

"What the hell did Parkinson want?"

"Have you eaten anything strange lately?"

"Did Malfoy just wink at you?"

"It might be wise to go see Madam Pomfrey, just to be sure."

Harry did his best to ignore them as he started brewing, and after awhile, Ron at least gave up. But once his potion was finished and looking reasonably like Slughorn's brew, he couldn't help breathing deeply. "You know, Draco's cologne is rather nice, actually," he said, and he strolled up to Slughorn's desk to give him a sample, leaving his friends gaping at his back.

And he wasn't a bit surprised when he returned to his desk and Hermione declared, "That's it, we're going to the hospital wing."

But he was disappointed.

"I just don't know what to do," Harry moaned. "I never expected them to be so stubborn."

"They'll come around eventually," Draco said. His tone was reassuring, but Harry knew that his friends' opinions mattered to Draco, more than he let on.

Harry sighed and squeezed his hand. "I hope so," he said. "I'm tired of hiding from everyone. It makes it seem like I'm ashamed of you, and I'm not."

"Maybe we should snog in the middle of the Great Hall," Draco suggested, snuggling closer to Harry. They were curled up in a big, soft bed conjured up by the Room of Requirement, gazing up at the ceiling after a particularly energetic shag.

Harry laughed at the mental picture, but it turned into a sigh halfway. "I don't even think that will help," he said. "Hermione's convinced you've given me a love potion. Madam Pomfrey told her she couldn't find any evidence of one, but Hermione just won't give up."

"Hmmmm." Draco's warm breath tickled the side of Harry's neck. He nibbled on a spot just below Harry's ear for a moment. "Maybe throw in a little groping." His hands playfully caressed Harry's body beneath the covers.

"Draco . . . "

"Little ass-grabbing . . . "

"Now you're just being ridiculous."

"Maybe come around front a bit." Draco's hands slid lower.

"Why don't we just have sex in front of the whole school while we're at it?"

"Now there's an idea." Even in the darkness, Harry could see Draco smirking.

Draco's lips returned to Harry's neck once more, and Harry surrendered to his ministrations. "Well, we need to do something, and fast," he said, turning to face Draco. "You know, Parkinson actually threatened me if I couldn't convince my friends that we're dating."

His only answer was the sound of Draco's laughter before he captured Harry's lips and they slid back beneath the covers.

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