Chapter Six: The Pirate Ship
After Fred and Ron left, Harry backed up against the wall and waited for Oliver. As the minutes ticked by, he became increasingly nervous. Would they have anything to talk about? Did he still look okay? These were just some of the thoughts plaguing Harry as he waited for the other boy. By the time Oliver finally stepped through the door, Harry was in such a state of agitation that his heart pounded furiously against his ribcage and his hands were all sweaty. Worriedly, Harry brushed his fingers across his brow and sighed in relief when he felt nothing but dry skin.
Unfortunately, the sight of Oliver did nothing to calm his nerves. His stomach dropped heavily when he looked at the other boy and nervous butterflies flitted around his insides. Oliver was even better looking then he remembered. He had on a very similar outfit to Harry, though he noticed enviously that Oliver looked much better in simple jeans and a t-shirt than he ever could.
As he was looking in the other direction, Oliver didn't notice him immediately and Harry had to yell out his name to get his attention. When he saw how close Harry had been without his noticing, Oliver pulled a funny face.
"Hey, Harry," Oliver said brightly, "I don't know how I missed you there." He took Harry's hand in his and shook it gently.
"Thanks for inviting me," Harry said as he stepped back.
"Glad you could make it, Harry," Oliver smiled sincerely.
The smile lit up Oliver's face and it hit Harry like a punch to the solar plexus. Considering Oliver was a famous Quidditch player, Harry didn't even want to guess how many people he had charmed with that smile. It was the sort of smile that made Harry just want to grab onto Oliver and go for 'it', in every sense of the word.
Oblivious to Harry's internal struggle, Oliver looked around them quickly as though he was searching for something and then asked, "Did you come on your own?"
"No," Harry said with a shake of his head. "Fred and Ron."
"Ron?"
Oliver said it in quite a clipped tone and Harry could have sworn he'd heard just the teensiest bit of jealously in Oliver's voice. However, he rejected the idea as wishful thinking.
"You know Ron," Harry smiled. "He's Fred's youngest brother… my best friend from Hogwarts."
"Oh right," Oliver grinned when the penny dropped. "Where are they?" Harry made a drinking gesture with his hand and Oliver chuckled. "Well seeing as they're busy and all, I'll give you a tour of the house if you want?"
Yes! Harry's mind screamed but thankfully he managed to utter a more reserved, "I'd like that, Oliver." Harry didn't need a mirror to tell him he was blushing, his face felt incredibly hot. He just hoped Oliver wouldn't notice how red his cheeks were going.
To Harry's pleasant surprise, Oliver placed a hand on the small of his back and guided them out the room. The area directly underneath Oliver's hand tingled at the contact and Harry had to suppress his grin as Oliver took them through the hall and out the front doors. "I thought we should start out the front," Oliver smiled as he pulled the front door shut behind them.
Realizing he was staring at Oliver and not the house, Harry reluctantly shifted his gaze from Oliver and took a look around. By London standards it was a very contemporary looking house. When he told the other boy this, Oliver explained that the previous house had burnt down and the owners had built this in its place.
"Obviously it was a muggle house," Oliver grinned, pointing towards the double garage at the side of the house. "I thought we should get rid of them but Jackson likes cars so we kept it… not that he can drive," Oliver added wryly and Harry found himself chuckling. "Come on, enough of outside. There isn't much out here I just thought you should know what it looked like from the outside."
With that Oliver reclaimed the spot one Harry's back and pushed him gently back up the front steps. He leaned in close behind Harry so he could open the door and Harry could smell his spicy scent. He smelled wonderful and, as slyly as he could, Harry sniffed deeply.
Harry expected Oliver to take him on a whirlwind tour but as they made their way around, Harry realized that Oliver seemed intent on showing him everything. At a leisurely pace, they went through all the rooms on the ground floor. Sometimes they lingered in a room and Harry would ask questions, or they'd get distracted and end up talking until Oliver remembered he was supposed to be showing Harry around. And every so often he would stop to introduce Harry to someone or another. Harry seriously doubted he would be able to remember a single name should he have to speak to any of them again.
Sometimes as they moved around the house Oliver would rest his hand on Harry's back, guiding him along, while at other times he would walk on a head. Harry couldn't decide which he preferred. The touching was wonderful but when Oliver lead the way Harry got to watch his arse as he walked and Oliver did have a very nice bottom.
"This is my pride and joy," Oliver grinned once they were back in the hall. Harry thought the whole house had been rather amazing and he couldn't wait to see what would be in Oliver's favorite room. When he stepped though the doorway he instantly understood why Oliver liked it so much. "The billiard room," Oliver grinned, taking his hand from Harry's back so he could make a grand sweeping gesture.
It was a very 'masculine' room. The walls and floorboards were dark in colour. Hung about the room was various pieces of Quidditch memorabilia, from the early days of Quidditch right on through to the modern time. Thankfully, Harry couldn't see any evidence of a Quidditch set like the one they'd given Oliver and Jackson. Though, it did please him to know that when they finally opened it they were bound to like the present.
In the middle of the room a large billiard table took pride of place. A group of people stood around it and Harry could see that they were involved in a game. Over in the far corner was a dartboard and there too, a couple of girls stood playing a game of darts. They both swayed on their feet and Harry wondered whether it was wise to let them play with something as sharp as a dart in their 'condition'. In the other corner and running along just about the whole side of the wall was the most extraordinary bar Harry had ever seen. It was like the sort of bar one would see in a club and it looked to be well stocked.
"This is amazing," Harry said just as he heard a very loud, drunk voice yell his name. He recognized the owner of the voice instantly and he spun around in search of Ron. Harry grinned when he caught sight of Ron, sitting in the corner of the room on one of the couches. "Better go say hello," Harry said quietly and, as they made their way over, Harry could hear Oliver chuckling at his side.
"That's Ron, isn't it?" Oliver whispered in his ear. Oliver's breath ghosted over Harry's skin and he couldn't help the little gasp that fell from his lips. Hoping Oliver didn't hear him and not trusting himself to speak, Harry nodded in reply. "I'll have to take a picture of him later, that pirate outfit is cool," Oliver chuckled.
"Come sit, Harry," Ron beckoned, "We're playing a drinking game." When Harry shook his head, "You sure?" Kind though the offer was, he really didn't want to leave Oliver and there wasn't any room on the couch anyway. Ron was squished between five burly boy's, Harry recognized as Chudley Cannon players. As they turned to leave, Harry caught sight of a very happy Fred who bouncing in their direction.
"Oh there you are, Harry," Fred said brightly and he gave Oliver a slap on the back by way of a greeting. "What have you two been doing?"
"I've been taking Harry on a tour."
"Oh do I get one too?"
"Get Jackson to take you," Oliver grinned and then taking Harry by the arm, he walked off towards the exit. Harry glanced over his shoulder and when he saw Fred wriggling those eyebrows at him. Harry glared in return. He didn't want Fred to go jumping to the wrong conclusions; he had the tendency to become annoying when he thought Harry was interested in someone. Not to mention downright embarrassing.
"Just upstairs and then we're done," Oliver smiled.
Apart from the study and a small lounge, which they only looked at briefly, the upstairs area had a more private feel. Harry couldn't believe Oliver took him into Jackson's bedroom and he felt rather rude going in so he just poked his head around the door. But when Oliver took them out onto the balcony Harry didn't know where to look. In the decadent looking spa, a group of naked women pampered a rather excited young man. When Harry asked, Oliver told him it was Puddlemere United's seeker. Oliver seemed terribly amused by Harry's embarrassment and he teased him about it as he dragged Harry to the last stop on the tour.
Oliver pushed opened a large white door, "And this is my bedroom," he said, stepping inside.
Suddenly nervous, Harry took a calming breath before following Oliver into the room. He knew he was being silly and that it was just a bedroom but, in light of his recent fantasies, he couldn't help feeling self-conscious.
The first thing he noticed about the room was the bed. It was huge. The covers appeared to be made of rich silks in varying shades of gray and it all looked incredibly sinful to Harry. His wayward mind insisted on flashing up images of all the things they could do on such a magnificent bed and Harry just managed to stop himself from groaning out loud.
When he finally managed to drag his eyes from the bed, Harry noticed that Oliver was watching him in apparent amusement. As their eyes locked, Oliver smirked at him and Harry felt himself blush. Harry realized that Oliver had guessed what was going through his mind; it must have been written all over his face.
"Come on, we'll go get some drinks," Oliver said in a husky voice.
Feeling incredibly embarrassed, Harry tried to calm himself down as he scampered out the room after Oliver.
