AUTHOR's NOTES:
Sorry it has taken a bit longer than normal for me the post the next chapter… I've been kinda busy lately. … Just consider yourself lucky that you aren't following my other fic "On The Edge" – I haven't written anything new for that story since before I started this one…
I've been really busy working on this fic... and beta-ing some fics for a couple of friends..
Special Thanks to FerretScar, Ari Lackey, Strykker, TheSykotikMunky, allie36, & Anima – for adding me to your favorite stories and/or authors' lists… you guys made me really happy!! (and a happy JadedEros is more likely to write more!!)
I had a couple of pages of this chapter written, but I went back and erased it all cuz it was crap, and I'm starting over….
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CHAPTER FIVE: FASTER!! HARDER!!
Harry nervously walked around the corridors trying to find anything to do that would not involve returning to the Gryffindor common room and talking to Ron. He still didn't know what he was going to tell his friend about "the gift". He was tempted to make up some elaborate story about a non-existent affair with Cho, but that just seemed stupid. He had never lied to Ron about anything before, however, this was different. How could he explain his recent discovery? He tried to imagine what he could possibly say… 'Hey Ron, you know Malfoy, the guy who has been a complete pain in the arse to us for the past several years? The guy that has tried to get us expelled countless times? Well, I've decided I fancy him and I'm pretty sure he wants to snog my brains out. I'm supposed to meet him tonight and wear this lovely fabric swatch. Don't wait up!'
No, that wouldn't go over very well. He quickly realized he had to think of something fast. Dinner was only about an hour away and there was no way he could avoid talking to Ron when he was sitting across the table from him.
Harry was still lost in thought when he rounded a corner and collided with someone, falling flat on his arse with a dull thud. 'Oh Gods! Please don't be Ron! Please don't be Ron!' he though to himself as he looked up and saw a stunned Hermione on the floor in front of him. 'Shite! That's not much better'
"Harry?"
"Hermione! I'm sorry. I must not have been looking where I was going." He stammered as he quickly crawled over and helped Hermione pick up the books scattered all around them. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine" she said as she picked up the last book and got back up, wiping the dust off her robes with her other hand. "Is that your box?" she said pointing behind Harry.
Harry looked over his shoulder and noticed the box lying on the ground not far from where he had fallen. He had completely forgotten that he was even carrying the box, he hadn't even been thinking about it as he dashed out of the dormitory a few minutes earlier.
"Um… yeah" he said as he quickly stooped over and picked it up.
"What's in it?"
"Nothing…" he quickly responded truthfully.
She looked at him quizzically and studied the box he was holding.
"Why are you carrying around an empty box?"
"I… was… just… going to throw it away" he mumbled hoping she would believe his pathetic attempt at a believable excuse.
"Harry, You are a terrible at lying, and you always have been." She said smirking at him. "Now tell me, what's going on."
Harry shrugged and realized there was no way he was getting out of this one.
"Fine, I'll tell you everything, but not here." He agreed reluctantly as he turned and began to walk up the nearby staircase as an excited Hermione followed. They walked up the staircase and through a large iron door before emerging on the roof of the East tower where the owlery was located. Harry walked across the stone floor of the roof and over to the edge before turning around and lowering himself into a seated position, leaning his back against the stone railing that lined the perimeter of the roof.
As she sat down in front of him, he took a deep breath and began to tell Hermione about the events of the past 2 days. He told her all about his dream, his distracted state of mind during the Quidditch match, his self-discovery in the shower and finding the package on his bed. He even told her about trying on the garment in the bathroom (conveniently neglecting to mention his state of arousal) and Ron walking in on him, leading right up to the moment he collided with her in the hall.
"So that's what happened during the Quidditch match! I knew something wasn't right. I was watching in Ron's omnioculars. You had the snitch within your reach when you suddenly slowed down!"
"Uh huh" Harry confirmed, blushing slightly.
"I knew there was more going on that just a bloody wind current!" she continued, glowing with satisfaction.
"I'm happy you're enjoying this, Herm, but what am I going to do? What am I going to tell Ron?"
"Oh. Sorry, guess I got a little carried away there." She said realizing that there was still a problem to be dealt with. She took a deep breath as a look of concentration swept over her face. "So, first of all… you're gay." She continued, more of a statement than a question.
"I guess? I'm not sure."
"But you do fancy Malfoy?"
"I think so… Yes"
"When you think about him, do you get nervous? Self-conscious?"
Harry nodded.
"You fancy him," Hermione confirmed as if some conclusive test had just occurred.
"And you're okay with this?" Harry asked, nervously seeking approval from his friend.
"Of course I am. I've honestly suspected that you were gay for a while now, you've never expressed any interest in anyone other than Cho, and she's a lesbian," she said matter-of-factly "and it is very common for gay men to fixate on women who are unavailable when they are coming to terms with their sexuality."
Harry just stared at her with his jaw hanging open in shock. "What? How do you know Cho is a lesbian?"
"I walked in on her and Pansy snogging in girl's room last year."
"What???" he stammered incredously "And you never told me or Ron?"
"No… I didn't have any reason to tell you… until now."
"But?… but?"
"Oh, do grow up, Harry. It's no big deal. I've kissed Pansy before."
"WHAT???"
"She was depressed and lonely after Cho graduated, and I was curious." She continued calmly.
"So you're a lesbian too?" he asked, still in shock.
"No. Kissing Pansy didn't do much for me. I definitely like boys. It was just an experiment."
"Oh."
"But back to the topic at hand. You're supposed to meet Malfoy at midnight. How do you feel about that?"
"Okay, I guess. I'm kinda nervous about the whole thing. I don't know what to expect."
"I don't expect you've ever fooled around with anyone before?"
"No." he said, blushing again.
"Harry, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. Everybody has a first time."
Harry looked into Hermione's eyes again, with the sudden realization that Hermione was speaking from experience.
"You… you're not… you've…"
"Yes, Harry. I am not a virgin."
"But… who?… when?"
"During my summer break," she said smiling at her shocked friend. "I went to visit Viktor in Bulgaria for a week and it just kinda happened. He took me out and showed me around the city, then we had dinner at this romantic little Bistro… but that isn't the point."
Harry continued to stare at her in disbelief.
"I think you should tell Ron the truth about your feeling for Malfoy." She said seemingly out of nowhere.
"I don't know Hermione… you saw the way he acted when Seamus and Dean got together."
"What do you mean? He's never acted strangely around them."
"Not in public maybe, but he does act differently. He's very shy around them, as if they might try to grope him at any moment. He won't even change clothes when they are in the same room."
"But Harry, he isn't close with them like he is with you."
"All the more reason to be worried. My friendship with Ron means a lot to me, and I don't want anything to mess that up."
"Well, maybe you could ask him subtle questions to find out how he would feel about it"
"Like What? 'Ron, how would you feel, hypothetically, if I were to start snogging Malfoy'?"
"No, of course not… Maybe something like 'Ron, how do you feel about gay people?'"
"That's subtle??"
"I don't know? Do I have to think of everything?"
"Well, this was your idea!"
"Fine. I'll think of something, just leave it to me."
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Harry and Hermione were still whispering when Ron entered the Great Hall and sat across from them at the Gryffindor table, waiting for dinner to be served.
"Hey Guys!" he said as he smiled at his friends. "Harry, where'd you run off to? We didn't get to finish our conversation."
"Oh. Sorry, I had to find Hermione. I needed some help with an extra credit essay I am working on for History of Magic"
"Oh. Well, I guess we can talk about it later then." He said, grinning at Harry.
'Okay, "Crisis 1" averted for now', Harry thought to himself, 'Now, what are my chances of everything else running this smoothly?'
As if on cue, Seamus and Dean walked by and sat down next to a couple of sixth years not far down the table. Harry looked at Hermione nervously as she glance over at Ron, trying to gauge his reaction. Ron was staring blankly into space as if lost in thought.
Hermione sighed loudly, trying to get Ron's attention. "They make such a cute couple, don't you think Ron?"
"What?" said the redhead, snapping back into reality.
"Seamus and Dean. Don't they make a cute couple?"
Ron looked over at the couple, before he nervously answered, "I guess so. I haven't really thought about it. Why?"
"I was just asking." Said Hermione, not really satisfied with Ron's response.
She sat quietly for a moment, seeming lost in thought as Ron glanced nervously at Harry who was trying his best to act as if Hermione's sudden question was perfectly natural.
"Ron, How would you react if one of your brother's was gay?" she continued.
Ron's eyes widened with shock at he started back at Hermione
"What?? My brothers??
"uh huh"
"I dunno…. Which one." Uttered Ron as a since of panic seemed to spread across his face.
"It doesn't matter which one… George."
"George isn't gay!!"
"I didn't say George WAS gay. I just want to know who you'd react IF he were. Would you be less comfortable around him?"
Ron looked over at Harry with a "save me" expression on his face. Harry couldn't help but think to himself that this conversation was the furthest thing away from subtle that he could possibly imagine. At this point, Hermione may as well just ask Ron how he would react if he were to walk in on him giving Malfoy a blowjob.
"I don't know Hermione? He's my brother. I guess it wouldn't make a difference. But George has a girlfriend… I don't know why he would choose to start snogging guys."
"Who ever said that being gay was a choice?" Hermione asked defiantly
"What?" asked a startled Ron, caught off guard by Hermione's sudden aggression.
"I said begin gay isn't a choice! It isn't something that you decide… a lot of studies say that being gay is genetic, just like being a wizard, or having red hair and freckles. How would you feel is someone told you that begin a redhead is your choice?"
"Well… it kinda is… I could always dye my hair."
"You're missing the point," she barked back
"Why are you so upset?" Ron asked defensively. "Did I do or say something that offended Seamus & Dean? What did they tell you?"
"No, you haven't offended anyone… I'm just curious."
"Well, why don't you ask Harry some of these questions, or doesn't his point of view interest you."
'Shite' thought Harry as he felt his heart skip a beat in his chest. His pulse began to race. He didn't like the sudden turn this conversation had taken...
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Harry lay in his bed staring at the clock. It was 11:30pm. There was still a good twenty minutes before he needed to begin his short trip downstairs to meet Malfoy in the great hall.
After the awkward dinner with Ron, Harry and Hermione pretended to go to the library to work on some more homework. Ron had tried to tag along, but Hermione quickly said that she was going to be asking Harry a barrage of questions similar to the questions that she had asked him at dinner since she needed more than just one opinion for the "project" she was working on. Ron had quickly remembered he had a previous engagement.
They snuck back up to the roof and continued to discuss the graphic details of Harry's soon to be blossoming sex–life. Hermione asked him a ton of rather embarrassing questions, and although he had been hesitant to answer some of them at first and had been blushing profusely, he relaxed over time and found himself volunteering information that he would never have even imagined discussing with another living soul. He told her the truth about trying on the thong and the profound reaction that followed. He even told her about his mental image of accidentally blinding Ron with a cum spurt. Hermione fell over she was laughing so hard. He had never heard Hermione laugh like that before. She was usually always so serious and focused. It was nice to see her completely relaxed for once.
They went on to discuss Hermione's experience with Viktor in detail. She even gave Harry a few pointers, which he kinda shrugged off at first. He explained that he was pretty familiar with the way a man's body worked since he was in fact male and had first hand knowledge of the equipment (A/N – I know… bad pun… couldn't help it). She looked back at him with an evil grin before reaching around and running her fingers gently up his neck, making Harry shiver slightly and lean his head back a little. She instantly reached over with perfect aim and located his nipple with her other hand, pinching it slightly. He moaned slightly before slapping her hand away.
"Quit that! Fine I'll listen to your pointers, just stop molesting me!" he said laughing at his friend.
He still felt kind of awkward getting tips from Hermione on how to please a man. He had never really thought of Hermione as being a sexual person before, but she was obviously very knowledgeable. He suddenly had images of Hermione highlighting passages in "The Joy of Sex" while sitting in the Hogwarts library. He was tempted to ask her if she had in fact done extensive research, or had she simply picked up these techniques from experience. He began to picture Hermione hosting one of those late-night call-in shows that Dudley was always watching once Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon has gone to bed. He couldn't help but cringe at the thought of Dudley being sexually active, that was just repulsive.
After a couple of hours of chatting, Hermione finally said that she did have homework she needed to do and did need to actually go to the library for a while. Harry was almost sad to see their evening come to an end. He had really enjoyed the time they had spent together. Hermione gave him a big hug and told him he had nothing to be afraid of. As she turned and walked away, he heard her giggle slightly as she said 'Go Get em Tiger!'
Harry just stood there for a few minutes before making his way back down the staircase and towards the dormitory. It was about ten o'clock by this time and most of his fellow Gryffindors were still awake and gathered around the common room engaged in various activities. He quickly snuck around the room and up the staircase to the dormitory before lying out across his bed and staring up at the ceiling. He thought about everything that had happened to him within the last 2 days and he couldn't believe how much his life seemed to have changed so suddenly. He quickly closed his eyes when he heard the door creak open, pretending to be asleep. He was enjoying his time of contemplation and didn't feel like being interrupted.
"Harry? Are you asleep" he heard Ron say. Harry kept his eyes closed and focused on making his breathing sound deep and even. The thought occurred to him suddenly that he didn't know if he should fake a snore or not. He wondered if he snored normally. He had no idea. No one had ever complained about him snoring… but then again Neville snored loud enough that sometimes even the girls across the hall had trouble sleeping, but no one ever said anything to him. Most of the students had become quite adept at silencing charms to block out the cacophony. He decided against the fake snore and continued trying to breathe deeply. He was relieved when he heard footsteps retreating. He kept his eyes closed just in case.
Although he had spoken to Ron at dinner, they hadn't really discussed the thong incident yet. Despite the conversation, Ron was still completely oblivious as to what was going on. Although he did seem utterly convinced that Hermione was trying to tell him George was gay. She spent the rest of the evening explaining that none of Ron's relatives were gay as far as she knew.
Harry had eventually drifted off and pondered Hermione's comments on sexuality being genetic. If that was true, and homosexuality was in fact a recessive gene, then it stood to reason that Harry must have had gay relatives. He was saddened by the thought that Aunt Petunia was the only person alive that he was related to by blood. Maybe she would know if someone in the family history was gay, but the thought of even having that discussion with his Aunt made him cringe. He could always ask Sirius or Remus, they knew his parents pretty well when they were younger. Surely they would know.
Harry sighed and looked over at the clock again. 11:50. He still had a few minutes to kill. He decided to get up and check his reflection in the mirror. He quietly crawled out of bed and crept across the dark room and into the lavatory, being careful not to wake up his sleeping housemates.
As Harry gazed upon his reflection in the mirror, he realized how nervous he really was. His palms had begun to sweat and his mouth was suddenly very dry. He wondered if he licked the sweat off his palms if some kind of balance of fluids would be restored in his body and he would feel better? He pushed back his unruly black hair, although a few stray wisps still fell over his forehead as if intentionally trying to hide the lightening shaped scar that stood out on his otherwise smooth skin. Harry used to hate the scar when he was younger, when he though that it was a reminder of a terrible car crash that took his parents away from him. But now that he knew the truth, that the scar was a symbol of his triumph over the man who killed his parents and a sign of his mother's love for him, he didn't mind so much. He almost liked the rugged effect it gave his face.
He tried to brush out the wrinkly creases that had formed on his shirt from laying on it for the past couple of hours. He considered changing his clothes, but then realized that if things went the way he though they were going to go, he probably wouldn't be wearing the shirt for that long anyway…his heart skipped a beat as he admitted to himself what would be happening just a short while later.
He was still wearing the leather thong under his jeans, and the collar was still safely concealed in his pocket. He suddenly regretted not showing the items to Hermione. She probably would have gotten a kick out of seeing "the gift", but then realized that this would have required him to drop his pants in front of his friend, and decided that he was glad he hadn't thought about it after all. She had never even seen Harry is his normal underwear let alone the "hint of underwear" he currently had on underneath his clothes.
It suddenly occurred to him, as he pondered his undergarments, that he had brought a normal pair of boxer-briefs with him when had come into the lavatory earlier in the day, and he did not pick them up as he dashed out of the bathroom to escape the dreaded conversation with Ron. So, what happened to them?
He looked all around the counter next to the sink where he had sat his stack of clothing earlier. When he didn't find them there he bent over and examined the floor and the surrounding areas, but couldn't seem to locate them. He finally decided that the house elves must have found them and returned them to their rightful place in his dresser. Feeling satisfied with his conclusion, He left the lavatory, quickly grabbing his invisibility cloak, and made his way towards the great hall to meet with Draco.
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AUTHOR's NOTES:
OK.... I know this is another cliffy.... but it will probably be the last one.
Yeah… I know…. I promised hot-sweaty-man-sex in this chapter… but I got kinda distracted, but at least you guys got a chapter that it roughly twice the length of my normal chapters… I had a few other ideas for more things I wanted to happen before I got to the sex scene… but I decided that if I didn't post the sex scene soon that u would all kill me…
Anyway… you have a guarantee that there will DEFINITELY be sex in the next chapter… Harry is on his way to meet Draco right now… there is nothing else that I can possibly happen… I don't have any more time to waste…
**PS – Big mega ThankU's to my buddy pissedoffeskimo for putting up with my ass calling several times a day while I am at work and asking random obscure questions about the canon (since I didn't have the books handy). I kinda treated this wonderful author like a reference guide. PS – If you even remotely like my stuff… you would LUV Randi's stuff… my favorite story of Randi's is "He Defines Me" which is located in my favorite stories links… (Yes Randi…I'm pimping your fic)
Sorry it has taken a bit longer than normal for me the post the next chapter… I've been kinda busy lately. … Just consider yourself lucky that you aren't following my other fic "On The Edge" – I haven't written anything new for that story since before I started this one…
I've been really busy working on this fic... and beta-ing some fics for a couple of friends..
Special Thanks to FerretScar, Ari Lackey, Strykker, TheSykotikMunky, allie36, & Anima – for adding me to your favorite stories and/or authors' lists… you guys made me really happy!! (and a happy JadedEros is more likely to write more!!)
I had a couple of pages of this chapter written, but I went back and erased it all cuz it was crap, and I'm starting over….
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CHAPTER FIVE: FASTER!! HARDER!!
Harry nervously walked around the corridors trying to find anything to do that would not involve returning to the Gryffindor common room and talking to Ron. He still didn't know what he was going to tell his friend about "the gift". He was tempted to make up some elaborate story about a non-existent affair with Cho, but that just seemed stupid. He had never lied to Ron about anything before, however, this was different. How could he explain his recent discovery? He tried to imagine what he could possibly say… 'Hey Ron, you know Malfoy, the guy who has been a complete pain in the arse to us for the past several years? The guy that has tried to get us expelled countless times? Well, I've decided I fancy him and I'm pretty sure he wants to snog my brains out. I'm supposed to meet him tonight and wear this lovely fabric swatch. Don't wait up!'
No, that wouldn't go over very well. He quickly realized he had to think of something fast. Dinner was only about an hour away and there was no way he could avoid talking to Ron when he was sitting across the table from him.
Harry was still lost in thought when he rounded a corner and collided with someone, falling flat on his arse with a dull thud. 'Oh Gods! Please don't be Ron! Please don't be Ron!' he though to himself as he looked up and saw a stunned Hermione on the floor in front of him. 'Shite! That's not much better'
"Harry?"
"Hermione! I'm sorry. I must not have been looking where I was going." He stammered as he quickly crawled over and helped Hermione pick up the books scattered all around them. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine" she said as she picked up the last book and got back up, wiping the dust off her robes with her other hand. "Is that your box?" she said pointing behind Harry.
Harry looked over his shoulder and noticed the box lying on the ground not far from where he had fallen. He had completely forgotten that he was even carrying the box, he hadn't even been thinking about it as he dashed out of the dormitory a few minutes earlier.
"Um… yeah" he said as he quickly stooped over and picked it up.
"What's in it?"
"Nothing…" he quickly responded truthfully.
She looked at him quizzically and studied the box he was holding.
"Why are you carrying around an empty box?"
"I… was… just… going to throw it away" he mumbled hoping she would believe his pathetic attempt at a believable excuse.
"Harry, You are a terrible at lying, and you always have been." She said smirking at him. "Now tell me, what's going on."
Harry shrugged and realized there was no way he was getting out of this one.
"Fine, I'll tell you everything, but not here." He agreed reluctantly as he turned and began to walk up the nearby staircase as an excited Hermione followed. They walked up the staircase and through a large iron door before emerging on the roof of the East tower where the owlery was located. Harry walked across the stone floor of the roof and over to the edge before turning around and lowering himself into a seated position, leaning his back against the stone railing that lined the perimeter of the roof.
As she sat down in front of him, he took a deep breath and began to tell Hermione about the events of the past 2 days. He told her all about his dream, his distracted state of mind during the Quidditch match, his self-discovery in the shower and finding the package on his bed. He even told her about trying on the garment in the bathroom (conveniently neglecting to mention his state of arousal) and Ron walking in on him, leading right up to the moment he collided with her in the hall.
"So that's what happened during the Quidditch match! I knew something wasn't right. I was watching in Ron's omnioculars. You had the snitch within your reach when you suddenly slowed down!"
"Uh huh" Harry confirmed, blushing slightly.
"I knew there was more going on that just a bloody wind current!" she continued, glowing with satisfaction.
"I'm happy you're enjoying this, Herm, but what am I going to do? What am I going to tell Ron?"
"Oh. Sorry, guess I got a little carried away there." She said realizing that there was still a problem to be dealt with. She took a deep breath as a look of concentration swept over her face. "So, first of all… you're gay." She continued, more of a statement than a question.
"I guess? I'm not sure."
"But you do fancy Malfoy?"
"I think so… Yes"
"When you think about him, do you get nervous? Self-conscious?"
Harry nodded.
"You fancy him," Hermione confirmed as if some conclusive test had just occurred.
"And you're okay with this?" Harry asked, nervously seeking approval from his friend.
"Of course I am. I've honestly suspected that you were gay for a while now, you've never expressed any interest in anyone other than Cho, and she's a lesbian," she said matter-of-factly "and it is very common for gay men to fixate on women who are unavailable when they are coming to terms with their sexuality."
Harry just stared at her with his jaw hanging open in shock. "What? How do you know Cho is a lesbian?"
"I walked in on her and Pansy snogging in girl's room last year."
"What???" he stammered incredously "And you never told me or Ron?"
"No… I didn't have any reason to tell you… until now."
"But?… but?"
"Oh, do grow up, Harry. It's no big deal. I've kissed Pansy before."
"WHAT???"
"She was depressed and lonely after Cho graduated, and I was curious." She continued calmly.
"So you're a lesbian too?" he asked, still in shock.
"No. Kissing Pansy didn't do much for me. I definitely like boys. It was just an experiment."
"Oh."
"But back to the topic at hand. You're supposed to meet Malfoy at midnight. How do you feel about that?"
"Okay, I guess. I'm kinda nervous about the whole thing. I don't know what to expect."
"I don't expect you've ever fooled around with anyone before?"
"No." he said, blushing again.
"Harry, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. Everybody has a first time."
Harry looked into Hermione's eyes again, with the sudden realization that Hermione was speaking from experience.
"You… you're not… you've…"
"Yes, Harry. I am not a virgin."
"But… who?… when?"
"During my summer break," she said smiling at her shocked friend. "I went to visit Viktor in Bulgaria for a week and it just kinda happened. He took me out and showed me around the city, then we had dinner at this romantic little Bistro… but that isn't the point."
Harry continued to stare at her in disbelief.
"I think you should tell Ron the truth about your feeling for Malfoy." She said seemingly out of nowhere.
"I don't know Hermione… you saw the way he acted when Seamus and Dean got together."
"What do you mean? He's never acted strangely around them."
"Not in public maybe, but he does act differently. He's very shy around them, as if they might try to grope him at any moment. He won't even change clothes when they are in the same room."
"But Harry, he isn't close with them like he is with you."
"All the more reason to be worried. My friendship with Ron means a lot to me, and I don't want anything to mess that up."
"Well, maybe you could ask him subtle questions to find out how he would feel about it"
"Like What? 'Ron, how would you feel, hypothetically, if I were to start snogging Malfoy'?"
"No, of course not… Maybe something like 'Ron, how do you feel about gay people?'"
"That's subtle??"
"I don't know? Do I have to think of everything?"
"Well, this was your idea!"
"Fine. I'll think of something, just leave it to me."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry and Hermione were still whispering when Ron entered the Great Hall and sat across from them at the Gryffindor table, waiting for dinner to be served.
"Hey Guys!" he said as he smiled at his friends. "Harry, where'd you run off to? We didn't get to finish our conversation."
"Oh. Sorry, I had to find Hermione. I needed some help with an extra credit essay I am working on for History of Magic"
"Oh. Well, I guess we can talk about it later then." He said, grinning at Harry.
'Okay, "Crisis 1" averted for now', Harry thought to himself, 'Now, what are my chances of everything else running this smoothly?'
As if on cue, Seamus and Dean walked by and sat down next to a couple of sixth years not far down the table. Harry looked at Hermione nervously as she glance over at Ron, trying to gauge his reaction. Ron was staring blankly into space as if lost in thought.
Hermione sighed loudly, trying to get Ron's attention. "They make such a cute couple, don't you think Ron?"
"What?" said the redhead, snapping back into reality.
"Seamus and Dean. Don't they make a cute couple?"
Ron looked over at the couple, before he nervously answered, "I guess so. I haven't really thought about it. Why?"
"I was just asking." Said Hermione, not really satisfied with Ron's response.
She sat quietly for a moment, seeming lost in thought as Ron glanced nervously at Harry who was trying his best to act as if Hermione's sudden question was perfectly natural.
"Ron, How would you react if one of your brother's was gay?" she continued.
Ron's eyes widened with shock at he started back at Hermione
"What?? My brothers??
"uh huh"
"I dunno…. Which one." Uttered Ron as a since of panic seemed to spread across his face.
"It doesn't matter which one… George."
"George isn't gay!!"
"I didn't say George WAS gay. I just want to know who you'd react IF he were. Would you be less comfortable around him?"
Ron looked over at Harry with a "save me" expression on his face. Harry couldn't help but think to himself that this conversation was the furthest thing away from subtle that he could possibly imagine. At this point, Hermione may as well just ask Ron how he would react if he were to walk in on him giving Malfoy a blowjob.
"I don't know Hermione? He's my brother. I guess it wouldn't make a difference. But George has a girlfriend… I don't know why he would choose to start snogging guys."
"Who ever said that being gay was a choice?" Hermione asked defiantly
"What?" asked a startled Ron, caught off guard by Hermione's sudden aggression.
"I said begin gay isn't a choice! It isn't something that you decide… a lot of studies say that being gay is genetic, just like being a wizard, or having red hair and freckles. How would you feel is someone told you that begin a redhead is your choice?"
"Well… it kinda is… I could always dye my hair."
"You're missing the point," she barked back
"Why are you so upset?" Ron asked defensively. "Did I do or say something that offended Seamus & Dean? What did they tell you?"
"No, you haven't offended anyone… I'm just curious."
"Well, why don't you ask Harry some of these questions, or doesn't his point of view interest you."
'Shite' thought Harry as he felt his heart skip a beat in his chest. His pulse began to race. He didn't like the sudden turn this conversation had taken...
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Harry lay in his bed staring at the clock. It was 11:30pm. There was still a good twenty minutes before he needed to begin his short trip downstairs to meet Malfoy in the great hall.
After the awkward dinner with Ron, Harry and Hermione pretended to go to the library to work on some more homework. Ron had tried to tag along, but Hermione quickly said that she was going to be asking Harry a barrage of questions similar to the questions that she had asked him at dinner since she needed more than just one opinion for the "project" she was working on. Ron had quickly remembered he had a previous engagement.
They snuck back up to the roof and continued to discuss the graphic details of Harry's soon to be blossoming sex–life. Hermione asked him a ton of rather embarrassing questions, and although he had been hesitant to answer some of them at first and had been blushing profusely, he relaxed over time and found himself volunteering information that he would never have even imagined discussing with another living soul. He told her the truth about trying on the thong and the profound reaction that followed. He even told her about his mental image of accidentally blinding Ron with a cum spurt. Hermione fell over she was laughing so hard. He had never heard Hermione laugh like that before. She was usually always so serious and focused. It was nice to see her completely relaxed for once.
They went on to discuss Hermione's experience with Viktor in detail. She even gave Harry a few pointers, which he kinda shrugged off at first. He explained that he was pretty familiar with the way a man's body worked since he was in fact male and had first hand knowledge of the equipment (A/N – I know… bad pun… couldn't help it). She looked back at him with an evil grin before reaching around and running her fingers gently up his neck, making Harry shiver slightly and lean his head back a little. She instantly reached over with perfect aim and located his nipple with her other hand, pinching it slightly. He moaned slightly before slapping her hand away.
"Quit that! Fine I'll listen to your pointers, just stop molesting me!" he said laughing at his friend.
He still felt kind of awkward getting tips from Hermione on how to please a man. He had never really thought of Hermione as being a sexual person before, but she was obviously very knowledgeable. He suddenly had images of Hermione highlighting passages in "The Joy of Sex" while sitting in the Hogwarts library. He was tempted to ask her if she had in fact done extensive research, or had she simply picked up these techniques from experience. He began to picture Hermione hosting one of those late-night call-in shows that Dudley was always watching once Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon has gone to bed. He couldn't help but cringe at the thought of Dudley being sexually active, that was just repulsive.
After a couple of hours of chatting, Hermione finally said that she did have homework she needed to do and did need to actually go to the library for a while. Harry was almost sad to see their evening come to an end. He had really enjoyed the time they had spent together. Hermione gave him a big hug and told him he had nothing to be afraid of. As she turned and walked away, he heard her giggle slightly as she said 'Go Get em Tiger!'
Harry just stood there for a few minutes before making his way back down the staircase and towards the dormitory. It was about ten o'clock by this time and most of his fellow Gryffindors were still awake and gathered around the common room engaged in various activities. He quickly snuck around the room and up the staircase to the dormitory before lying out across his bed and staring up at the ceiling. He thought about everything that had happened to him within the last 2 days and he couldn't believe how much his life seemed to have changed so suddenly. He quickly closed his eyes when he heard the door creak open, pretending to be asleep. He was enjoying his time of contemplation and didn't feel like being interrupted.
"Harry? Are you asleep" he heard Ron say. Harry kept his eyes closed and focused on making his breathing sound deep and even. The thought occurred to him suddenly that he didn't know if he should fake a snore or not. He wondered if he snored normally. He had no idea. No one had ever complained about him snoring… but then again Neville snored loud enough that sometimes even the girls across the hall had trouble sleeping, but no one ever said anything to him. Most of the students had become quite adept at silencing charms to block out the cacophony. He decided against the fake snore and continued trying to breathe deeply. He was relieved when he heard footsteps retreating. He kept his eyes closed just in case.
Although he had spoken to Ron at dinner, they hadn't really discussed the thong incident yet. Despite the conversation, Ron was still completely oblivious as to what was going on. Although he did seem utterly convinced that Hermione was trying to tell him George was gay. She spent the rest of the evening explaining that none of Ron's relatives were gay as far as she knew.
Harry had eventually drifted off and pondered Hermione's comments on sexuality being genetic. If that was true, and homosexuality was in fact a recessive gene, then it stood to reason that Harry must have had gay relatives. He was saddened by the thought that Aunt Petunia was the only person alive that he was related to by blood. Maybe she would know if someone in the family history was gay, but the thought of even having that discussion with his Aunt made him cringe. He could always ask Sirius or Remus, they knew his parents pretty well when they were younger. Surely they would know.
Harry sighed and looked over at the clock again. 11:50. He still had a few minutes to kill. He decided to get up and check his reflection in the mirror. He quietly crawled out of bed and crept across the dark room and into the lavatory, being careful not to wake up his sleeping housemates.
As Harry gazed upon his reflection in the mirror, he realized how nervous he really was. His palms had begun to sweat and his mouth was suddenly very dry. He wondered if he licked the sweat off his palms if some kind of balance of fluids would be restored in his body and he would feel better? He pushed back his unruly black hair, although a few stray wisps still fell over his forehead as if intentionally trying to hide the lightening shaped scar that stood out on his otherwise smooth skin. Harry used to hate the scar when he was younger, when he though that it was a reminder of a terrible car crash that took his parents away from him. But now that he knew the truth, that the scar was a symbol of his triumph over the man who killed his parents and a sign of his mother's love for him, he didn't mind so much. He almost liked the rugged effect it gave his face.
He tried to brush out the wrinkly creases that had formed on his shirt from laying on it for the past couple of hours. He considered changing his clothes, but then realized that if things went the way he though they were going to go, he probably wouldn't be wearing the shirt for that long anyway…his heart skipped a beat as he admitted to himself what would be happening just a short while later.
He was still wearing the leather thong under his jeans, and the collar was still safely concealed in his pocket. He suddenly regretted not showing the items to Hermione. She probably would have gotten a kick out of seeing "the gift", but then realized that this would have required him to drop his pants in front of his friend, and decided that he was glad he hadn't thought about it after all. She had never even seen Harry is his normal underwear let alone the "hint of underwear" he currently had on underneath his clothes.
It suddenly occurred to him, as he pondered his undergarments, that he had brought a normal pair of boxer-briefs with him when had come into the lavatory earlier in the day, and he did not pick them up as he dashed out of the bathroom to escape the dreaded conversation with Ron. So, what happened to them?
He looked all around the counter next to the sink where he had sat his stack of clothing earlier. When he didn't find them there he bent over and examined the floor and the surrounding areas, but couldn't seem to locate them. He finally decided that the house elves must have found them and returned them to their rightful place in his dresser. Feeling satisfied with his conclusion, He left the lavatory, quickly grabbing his invisibility cloak, and made his way towards the great hall to meet with Draco.
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AUTHOR's NOTES:
OK.... I know this is another cliffy.... but it will probably be the last one.
Yeah… I know…. I promised hot-sweaty-man-sex in this chapter… but I got kinda distracted, but at least you guys got a chapter that it roughly twice the length of my normal chapters… I had a few other ideas for more things I wanted to happen before I got to the sex scene… but I decided that if I didn't post the sex scene soon that u would all kill me…
Anyway… you have a guarantee that there will DEFINITELY be sex in the next chapter… Harry is on his way to meet Draco right now… there is nothing else that I can possibly happen… I don't have any more time to waste…
**PS – Big mega ThankU's to my buddy pissedoffeskimo for putting up with my ass calling several times a day while I am at work and asking random obscure questions about the canon (since I didn't have the books handy). I kinda treated this wonderful author like a reference guide. PS – If you even remotely like my stuff… you would LUV Randi's stuff… my favorite story of Randi's is "He Defines Me" which is located in my favorite stories links… (Yes Randi…I'm pimping your fic)