Title: Concerning Hogsmeade

Summary: Professor Trelawney is in charge of Valentine's day this year, but her roses (supposed to lead you to happiness and your true soul mate) seem to bring more trouble than they're worth! (Slash)

Genre(s): Fluff, Slash, Romance

Books Referenced: None in particular

Warning(s): Contains slash.

Disclaimer: I don't own it. It owns me.

A/N: Muahahahaha! Love those peddlers on the metro! I got the basic plot of this chapter from a peddler trying to sell me something on my way home from the movies today. So, thank the peddlers for this chapter. ^_~

A/N 1A: I have no idea what day it is in my story right now, so we'll just pretend Hogsmeade visits are....random now. Kay? =\

A/N II: Okay, yes! I'm back to thanking reviewers! Thanks to: leia3000, Prophetess of Hearts (Nuu, then there won't be any plot for later! Wait...never mind...there IS no plot. ^^;; ), Liz Huisman, penguin-chan (Nice name!), the-princess-bard (I'll try. ^_^ But I'm so uninspired! ;_; ), AJ, Nana H, until strawberry sherbert (Nice name, as well! Yeah, I think by this point, *Blaise* is the only one who wants this to be a Blaise/Harry slash. XP), Aiera, chimerical (Glad you liked it. :D), ChibiSlasher (Oh, really? Yay, I wrote a nice cliffhanger, for once! O.o; ), Aurora, and Shadow! *hugz to all!!*



~*~

The three Hogwarts students turned at the sound of the Slytherin dungeon's door sliding quietly open behind them. Draco turned to see who it was and groaned.

"Dracy poo, I thought you were going to the kitchens," said Pansy Parkinson as she caught sight of the blond boy standing in the hallway. "What are you doing with these Gryffindors?" Draco flinched imperceptibly and thought fast.

"Potter's missing," said Draco. "These Gryffindors here thought I stole him, like I'd want him in the first place. It turns out, Blaise stole him. I was just about to go to the kitchens to get the special thing, but it looks like I have to go get Blaise. I'm very mad at him."

"Why, Dracy?" asked Pansy, widening her eyes. "I would have thought that you'd be glad Blaise got Potter." Ron and Hermione glanced at each other nervously.

"Well, Pansy, he did it wrong. I'm very angry at Blaise for getting Harry the wrong way and I have to teach him how to do it right. Do me a favour, love, so I can go to the kitchens for you. Go get Blaise and bring him to me. Let Potter escape so I can show Blaise the right way to capture a Gryffindor. Will you do that, Pansy-dear?" Pansy thought for a second then nodded.

"I'll see what I can do, Dracy," she said, disappearing back around the dungeon door to sneak out the back way. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Let's go look for Zabini and Harry," he said to the Gryffindors. "With any luck, we'll get there before Parkinson does."

***

-at the lake again-

"Zabini, don't make me hurt you," hissed Harry. The other boy was still pressed up to him uncomfortably.

"But sadomasochism is my thing these days, Potter. I'd be honoured if you'd hurt me," Blaise said sweetly. Harry narrowed his eyes at Blaise.

"I think you know what I meant, Zabini. Get off of me." Blaise smiled at the other boy. Then, suddenly, a voice came from behind him.

"Oh Blaise! There you are!" Pansy came running up to the two boys. "I've been looking all over for you! I wanted to tell you something." Blaise backed quickly away from Harry, then turned to eye the Slytherin girl.

"Pansy, I was busy," he scolded. "It'd better be something important." Pansy nodded adoringly at Blaise and walked up to him. Standing on her tiptoe, she whispered something in his ear. Blaise looked disgusted. "You what?!" Pansy giggled girlishly at him.

"You heard me," she said coyly. Blaise wrinkled his nose at her.

"Go away, Pansy." He started to turn back to Harry, but Pansy caught Blaise by the arm, spun him back around, and kissed him hard. When he finally came to his senses and pulled away to get back to seducing Harry, the Gryffindor was gone. Pansy winked at Blaise, giggled, then ran off happily, leaving Blaise fuming.

When she arrived at the castle again, she ran smack into Hermione, kocking both of them over and leaving them sprawled indecently on the floor. Pansy wrinkled her nose and stood up quickly.

"Did you find him?" asked Draco. Pansy nodded, but didn't say anything. "And?" he prodded. Pansy shook her head and ran off.

"Huh," commented Ron, staring after her. "Issues."

***

-the next day, in Hogsmeade-

"It's a shame Hermione decided not to come to Hogsmeade with us today," commented Ron, licking an ice cream cone he had bought from the Weasley twins' shop. Harry shrugged.

"Guess she didn't feel well," he replied, snickering as Ron's skin turned orange. Several passerby stared at the now-orange boy.

"What?" asked Ron self-conciously to Harry as he noticed the looks. "What??" He suddenly looked down at himself, made a strangled sort of quiet screaming noise, and dashed to a store nearby to duck into the washroom. Harry smiled to himself and followed Ron into the washroom.



Meanwhile, Hermione was feeling fine. She had lingered around Hogwarts for a few minutes until her two friends were safely out of sight, then headed to Hogsmeade herself. Her plan was to shop around Hogsmeade alone, to find Ron a present for his upcoming birthday. However, after a quick scan of the main Hogsmeade shops, Hermione was beginning to think this was easier said than done.

As she headed for the last shop, by itself at the end of the street, she noticed a small side alley leading out of Hogsmeade that she had never seen before. Curious, the Gryffindor girl headed down the alley, thinking she might find something special there.

"Looking for something, miss?" asked a toothless old man carrying a large box of body oils. "If so, I have just the thing for you. Body oils, they make you smell good and they make perfect gifts." Hermione looked at the man for a minute, considering.

"Well," she said, "I'm kind of looking for a present for my...er...good friend. He's turning sixteen this year. What do you think I should get?" The man opened his box and rummaged around in it.

"Try this one, missy. It's vanilla musk, very nice for a young man." He held the jar out and Hermione undid the lid on it. It was perhaps luck, or misfortune, that had Hermione concentrating on the lid and not the man, for when he held it out to her, his robe sleeve slipped back a little bit. Had the girl been paying attention to the man, she might have seen that under the sleeve was a small, black tattoo. Before she could potentially move her concentration from the jar to his arm, two things happened at once. The man shoved his sleeve back down just as Hermione took the first sniff of the oil. Then, everything went black.

~*~

TBC

A/N: Hope this one wasn't confoosling to you. I wanted to get it written before I forgot my idea. So...who IS this mysterious man with the oils? What's up with Hermione? And when, when, WHEN do Harry and Draco get to snog? This and much more coming whenever I can write it!! XD

A/N II: For those of you who don't know, sadomasochism is getting sexual pleasure from being maimed. o.O; Like, whips and chains and...stuff. Yeah.