Well that rating rose fast. Warnings for a bit of dirty language and sexual references.
Chapter 2: Distractions and What They Lead To
"Oy! Harry! You're going to be late for breakfast!"
"Go on without me, Ron. Save me a seat." Harry barely noticed as his dorm mates left. He held the phone in his hand. Several things sliding into place in his thoughts. Nobody had ever accused Harry of being an exceptionally self-aware person. Fighting for survival most of your life didn't leave much time for self-reflection, but as he began to scroll through the messages, paying considerably more attention this time to the subtler undercurrent of emotion as he read. Was he really that starved for normalcy? For basic friendship and affection? He was getting emotional about words on a screen. He turned off the screen, and lay back on his bed, staring up at the hangings. A buzz caught his attention.
'I don't know if I can even eat. This is too much.'
'What is? Are you okay?' Harry's heart began to thud, and a sick feeling grew in his chest. Had he done something wrong?
'You haven't looked at the head table yet?'
'No. I'm running late.' He began to throw his clothes on, relief flooding him, and thoroughly distracting him from his morning revelation.
'Hagrid is sitting on the other side of Trelawney. She's literally sitting between Hagrid and Snape. And I swear she is already tipsy. My friends keep asking me what's wrong.'
'ha ha! What are you telling them?' Harry didn't notice the grin on his face as he gathered his belongings and made his way through the nearly empty common room.
'Nothing, obviously. This is our little secret. Ha ha'
Harry felt a little thrill of pleasure at the words. 'Some secret. I never knew you Slytherins were this-' He stopped typing. What was he going to say? Perverted? Hilarious? Human and approachable? 'Imaginative. You've ruined most of my teachers for me now. Thanks a lot, mate.'
'My pleasure.'
Harry scowled when he felt another little thrill at the words "My pleasure". Really, now this was just getting sad. Before he could respond, another text came in.
'Can you imagine what they would say if they knew how we have been speaking about them?'
'Snape, especially.' Harry was both amused and horrified at the thought.
'I'm actually curious about Trelawney. There doesn't seem to be much going on behind those glasses. Would she just cry and feel insulted? Blush?'
'You are putting a lot of thought into this.'
'Maybe it would give her ideas.'
Harry burst out into laughter. He was still grinning when he neared the Great Hall to see that students were already bustling out the doors. An unexpectedly shoulder slamming against him sent him stumbling, almost to the floor. A low laugh and Draco Malfoy's sneering "Watch where you're going, Potter" nearly ruined his good mood. He caught his balance and glared after him, but there were too many students between them now for him to retaliate. He made his way to his table in bad grace, scowling.
"What's eating you, mate?" Ron asked. Hermione was nowhere in sight, so Harry assumed they hadn't made up yet. Ron was nearly finished eating, obviously just killing time until Harry put in an appearance. Harry sat and ate quickly.
"Malfoy, who else," he mumbled between bites. Ron scowled.
"Yeah, he'd ruin anyone's morning."
"Hermione still mad at you?"
"Yeah." Ron looked glum. "And Lavender's sent about a million texts already this morning. Hermione just keeps glaring at me. I tried to get someone to switch but nobody wants to."
"Not even Hermione?"
"No. She said she'd rather talk to Goyle."
"She MUST be mad."
Their first class was Transfiguration with McGonagall. It was a rather complex lesson, preparing them for their N.E.W.T.s. The diagram on the chalkboard was completely confusing to Harry. Hermione had raised her hand to ask for clarification on several points already, so he knew it wasn't just him, or his distracted state. His phone buzzed. McGonagall, wand pointed at one particular part of the diagram, stopped. She turned to the class.
"All those of you in Muggle Studies will kindly silence your phones or keep them in your dormitories during class hours. I understand that it is homework, but you will kindly not bring distractions to class. I need not remind you that Transfiguration can be dangerous. Anyone caught using a cell phone during class will have it confiscated and serve a detention."
Harry had to have Hermione help him figure out how to turn the thing on silent. He saw quite a few of the others doing the same. He didn't fail to notice Draco Malfoy's smirk at him, enjoying him getting into trouble, the git.
As soon as the class ended, he pulled out his phone. He'd barely paid attention, focusing instead on the waiting message in his pocket. It really was a terrible distraction. He really understood why the Muggles tended to walk around with the things glued to their noses.
'I'm bored. Entertain me.'
'You seriously texted me in the middle of class for THAT?'
'What can I say? I have a short attention span.'
'You nearly got me detention.'
'Ha! Seriously? My class was threatened with the same. The teachers already dislike these phones. I suspect our Muggle Studies prof is in for it in the staff room.'
'Binns won't care. Just keep your phone on silent if you have class with him and he won't even notice.'
'A good recommendation. I might actual forego my usual nap then, in favour of talking to you.'
Harry once again felt the thudding of his heart, and a warmth flooding through him. 'I'll do the same then, when I can.' He paused, and, feeling greatly daring, continued. 'I really enjoy talking to you.'
He waited, heart in mouth, for the reply. It seemed to take a long, long time.
'Me too.'
He was walking on air all the way to his next class, and he thought that even another run in with Malfoy wouldn't have been able to dampen his spirits.
His good mood carried on for the rest of the morning. He caught himself whistling as he walked between classes, and ate his lunch with gusto, eyeing the head table for anything humorous he could use as an excuse to text his mystery partner. A wide grin stretched across his face when he saw Dumbledore standing beside Hagrid, speaking into his ear.
'Looks like they are planning a lingerie shopping trip.' He typed. It wasn't all that witty, and kind of a stretch, but the reply came soon enough.
'I think Dumbledore would go with something blue with a lot of sequins.'
'Ha! That would be his style. I don't know why, but I'm pretty sure I see Hagrid in red lace. And it would be way too small, because I really don't think they make lingerie in his size.'
'I really don't WANT to see Hagrid in red, but now I do too. I'm beginning to think you might actually be getting off on this.'
Harry blushed, but found himself chuckling. He had his mystery texter's humour down pretty well by now. 'You started it, and most of the ideas came from you. I can't help it if your Slytherin perversion is rubbing off on me.'
'Hey now. I'm not rubbing anything on you. And I'll have you know my perversions have nothing to do with teachers.'
'Oh so you do have perversions, then?'
'Well…I wouldn't use that word for it. But doesn't everyone?'
The conversation had taken a distinct turn. And Harry couldn't say he minded it, though he felt that his flushed, excited condition was probably all too noticeable to his table mates. He decided to wait until lunch was over before continuing the conversation.
He was thinking over his response as he left the great hall. He saw Draco and his friends and prepared for them to say something obnoxious, but they didn't even notice him.
Pansy Parkinson's shrill voice caught his ear as they swept past. "Oh come on, Draco! Tell us! You can't keep.." The rest of her words were lost as a group of students came between them.
He turned back to his phone. 'I don't think I have any perversions.'
'Kinks, then? Fantasies?'
'You are seriously asking me about my kinks?'
He was in class then, and still had his phone silenced from the morning. He didn't have a chance to check for a response. He was loath to pull out his phone during the dinner meal, in case someone looked over his shoulder, so he waited until he was back in the relative safety of his dorm room. He removed his robes and threw himself on his bed, and opened the phone.
Two New Messages
He grinned.
The first message said 'What? Shy? I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave and bold.' The second one, which the time stamp showed had been sent only a few minutes ago read 'Sorry. I didn't mean to overstep.'
The apology made Harry feel a little giddy. A Slytherin apologizing to him was also quite hilarious, but he wasn't going to be telling anyone.
Ron sat down on the edge of his bed. "Texting again? You really are dedicated to your homework."
Harry tried to keep his face straight, but Ron wasn't fooled.
"You found out who it is! It's a girl, isn't it?!" Ron crowed, delighted. "I knew it!"
Harry flushed, and glared at Ron.
"Who is it, Harry? Tell us!" Seamus joined in.
"No. I don't know."
"Oh come onnnn, Harry." Ron wheedled. We're your friends."
Harry just shook his head. "No. Leave it alone."
"Well. Only one thing for it." Seamus dived for Harry, shouting at Ron. "Grab the phone."
Harry leapt to his feet, wand out, face red with anger now. "I said leave it!"
Seamus and Ron froze.
"We were only, joking, Harry." Ron sounded put out. Harry ignored him, sliding back onto his bed and snapping his hangings shut with a flick of his wand. He cast a ward to both silence his friends and keep them from bothering him.
'No, I'm not offended at all. Just didn't exactly want to reply with people around. This isn't exactly a conversation for the public eye.' Harry had certainly had enough of that kind of scrutiny.
'Ah, so spill, then. Tell me your deepest, darkest desires.'
'I will if you will.'
'Certainly. That would be only fair.'
Harry's heart was racing now, but he couldn't think what to type. His mind seemed frozen.
'You first.' He hedged. 'It was your idea after all.'
'Alright. We can take it in turns. I'll tell a kink or fantasy, and then you can.'
'Seems fair.' Harry decided right then and there that he would absolutely never reveal his identity to his texting partner. He felt a sudden freedom rush through him. He could say anything. Things he would never normally admit to anyone. Then, he had a thought. 'Wait. What if the professor reads the messages?'
'Just remember to delete them before you hand it in.'
'How do you do that?'
'Top right hand. The three little dots. Then press the little trash can.'
'You're pretty good at this.'
'I figured it out right away. Necessity. I delete the messages every night before bed, just in case. I am in a dorm full of Slytherins after all. They pry.'
'In that case, if you are going first, let's hear it.'
The reply took a long time, and Harry barely breathed. When the messaged flashed, he had to put the phone down for a moment and take a deep breath. He was glad he'd closed the curtains.
'Doing it on Snape's desk.'
Harry burst out laughing, now also glad he'd cast the privacy charm.
'Well that sounds intimidating. What if he caught you?'
'I'd tell him to join in or bugger off.'
'Wow. Just…wow. I don't even know what to say to that. Do you not value your life at all? And they say Gryffindors are the reckless ones.'
'It IS a fantasy for a reason. Doesn't mean I'd actually do it. Your turn.'
Harry thought a moment.
'Since we are talking public or semi-public places, getting a blow job under a desk in the library, while everything thinks I'm doing homework, and having to pretend to be normal.'
'Damn. That is a really good one. I think I'm going to have to steal that one.'
'Your turn again.'
'Bondage. Perhaps it's cliché. But the giving up and taking of control. Not something I would do with just anyone, of course.'
'Of course. I would imagine that needs some trust.'
'Yes. I don't trust easily. Slytherin and all that. So I don't often get the chance to indulge.'
'I've never tried it, so I wouldn't know.'
'Really? Gryffindors don't sound very adventurous in bed.'
Harry was a little offended. 'Some of us are.'
'Oh really? Well, your turn then. Prove me wrong.'
Harry thought for a long while. Nothing was coming to mind, and he felt just a little embarrassed about that. It had to be something good.
'Alright. Meeting you, but not knowing who you are. The mystery of that…I have to admit I find it exciting.' Harry dropped his phone to the blanket, shocked that he had dared to hit 'send'. He felt hot and cold in turns as he waited for a response, hoping desperately that he hadn't ruined everything, and running over potential responses in his mind.
His phone screen lit up.
"That is pretty exciting. I think I'm stealing that one, too.
Harry gulped.
I had to look up lists of kinks and fantasies for this to remind myself. I just couldn't quite imagine what this version of Harry and…uh…Mystery Texting Partner would fantasize about. It think it fell into place rather nicely.
I'm having a LOT of fun writing this, so though I am keeping the chapters short, I will post at LEAST once a week unless something comes up, but possible even every day. I have no real idea where it's going, aside from one major scene later on, so I'm as excited as I hope you are about what these two crazy kids will do next.
Also, in case you hadn't noticed yet, I'm sort of just not bothering with any of the actual plot from the books. I'm just focusing on the characters, and this little bit of non-angsty fun (though there may just be a bit of angst at some point. It IS Harry after all), so don't expect me to keep to the books in this one.
I also apologize in advance for any errors and inconsistencies. I do not currently have a beta, or a lot of free time, so the edits are quick and dirty.
Also, the smut will probably only increase from this point on. You have been warned!
