Okay, first things first, apologies are in order.
When I wrote the last chapter, I had been awake for like, 36 hours. I was a bit snappy, and unable to deal with criticism at the time. I hope to rectify that now.
Firstly, to sweet-single, I'm sorry. Really, really sorry. Um... 'loony'... um... is a, uh, term of, uh, endearment. Yeah! Endearment! My whole reasoning for the 'gay' thing, (I got a LOT of response on that, btw), is that to me, at least, 'gay' is 'not straight or bi'. I'm born and raised in North Dakota, so as you can imagine I'm a little out of the loop.
Secondly, a public apology to VampstoryHunter (I've already given him a private one.) I didn't mean to imply that he would be writing scenes I left out. Only that he would use the premise of my story to create his own (I think..) No plagiarizing at all. (Thank god for spell-check on THAT word.)
A third apology is in order, for I didn't keep my schedule of updates. My phone got shut off because my lazy ass didn't pay the bills. Dial-up connection, you do the math. Sorry.
Okay, to clear a couple of things up on Harry's character.
I've had lots of feedback saying that Harry wouldn't have run from the twins, but I do think otherwise.
I think, that deep down, Harry is chivalrous at heart. He wants to fall in love before sex, but also doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. His lack of inter-personal relations almost his entire life has made his tact in such situations even worse than my own.
On another note, some people think that the words 'Shit' and 'Fuck' are not something that Harry should ever be saying, being British and all. My reasoning behind it was that sometimes 'bloody' just isn't a strong enough word. So when Harry is really exasperated, he is going to use something stronger. In future chapters, if he does use an American swear word, you'll be able to tell that he is out of his mind angry or extremely put out of his element. That is what the words signified, at least for me.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
Harry awoke, early in the morning, to an unfamiliar weight resting on his right pec, his right arm uncomfortably numb, and a second weight resting on his upper right thigh.
He groggily opened his eyes, to find an unfamiliar mass of blonde hair tickling his nostrils.
He closed his eyes and set his head back down on the pillow, bringing up his free hand to rub the sleep out of his eyes before the information finally processed.
He sat upright rigidly, unending the woman curled up on his side. He looked down to the semi-familiar face of a seventh-year, one whom he had seen in passing but had never actually talked to.
"What," he growled, "the fuck are you doing in my bed?"
The girl, having just been woken up rather rudely, only stared at him and blinked for what could only have been five to ten seconds, but felt like minutes to the irate Veela.
She finally remembered where she was, and grinned sheepishly, yet unrepentant at the same time.
"I was lonely and cold, all alone in my own bed." She offered by way of explanation.
Harry got off the bed, and kneeled beside the girl whom was sitting on the floor next to his bed where she had ended up. "What's your name, anyway?"
"Casey," she answered, her grin somehow becoming even wider.
"Well, Casey, as enjoyable as it was to have a warm body next to me last night," he lied, trying not to cause a scene that would wake his dorm mates, "if I wake up next to you or anyone else for that matter in my bed uninvited again, I'm not going to be very happy, okay?"
The girl's grin vanished and she looked downwards, clearly upset. Harry reached down and touched underneath her chin with the knuckle of his index finger, bringing her gaze back up to him. "Look, I'm sorry I was upset when I woke. I'm not now. Please don't be sad," he pleaded, not wanting to calm down anyone this early in the morning.
He glanced around, seeing how dark the grounds outside of the windows were. "Do you know what time it is, Casey?"
The girl sniffed rather quietly, and lifted the underside of her wrist into view. "Just a little after five, why?"
Knowing that he had two hours until breakfast began, and that he needed to have a talk with this girl or else rumors would be all over the castle by lunchtime, his mind came up with a drastic plan.
"Would you like to come with me to get something to eat from the kitchens? I'm rather hungry, and the Hall won't be open for another two hours."
The seventh year witch nodded, a small smile reappearing back onto his face, but still wary of the seeker's wrath.
Harry stood, offering his hand to her before they made their way out of the room. Harry had to clamp his hand over her mouth when she started to giggle at Neville's snoring, not wanting anyone to wake. If McGonagall ever got wind of this, he was sure that HE would be the one to take the blame, not her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
Thankfully, they had made the trip down to the kitchens without interference from Filch. Having both slept in their respective uniforms, it took very little time to get to the portrait of the ticklish pair.
"HARRY POTTER SIR!" came a shrieking streak of green that slammed into Harry's midsection. A swift turn to the side at the last second was all that saved Harry from being a soprano the rest of the day.
"Dobby, Dobby, Dobby," Harry said, trying to get the overexcited elf to pay attention. Do you think you could get us a little something for breakfast?"
"Of course, Harry Potter sir," he made to leave and gather food, but whipped directly around to face them again almost instantly. "Harry Potter sir shouldn't be outside of his room this early! Harry Potter sir will get himself in much, much trouble!"
Harry rolled his eyes, and turned an amused grin to where Casey was watching the entire scene with wide surprised eyes. "It's okay, Dobby. We won't get caught. Do you think you could whip up some steak and eggs for us?"
Dobby gave them a quizzical sidelong look as he turned to fetch the food. "If Harry Potter sir is sure," he left the sentence unfinished, leaving.
Harry sat down at the small, two-seat table on the side of the room. He folded (not crossed) his left leg over his right, smoothing down his robe as he did so, giving him an almost regal appearance. He gestured with an open hand to the empty seat across from him, telling the girl simply to "sit."
She did so after less than a moment of hesitation.
"So," Harry began, "just what, may I ask, possessed you to sneak into bed with me?" raising an eyebrow at her, not really interrogating her, but just curious.
The girl ducked her head to the side, breaking the eye-contact. "I just... I guess I needed to be close to you."
Harry unfolded his legs and leaned over the table, once again making the girl meet his eyes. "Don't you find that a little strange? I mean, up until this morning, we had never even spoken. For that matter, I didn't even know your name. What could have happened to make you NEED to sleep with me?" he lied smoothly, trying to instill some doubt into her actions without revealing his secret. "I mean, before today, had you ever even had any thoughts of that kind around me?" he asked, completely knowing the answer.
To his surprise, however, she nodded. "Yeah, I guess I have ever since Katie pointed you out as the new seeker second year. I don't know exactly what made me actually do something so rash about it last night, though."
By the time she was done speaking, Harry's eyebrows had shot into his hairline. "You mean that you've been secretly pining after me for, oh, six years now?"
She blushed a shade worthy of a Weasley, once again adverting her eyes and nodding.
He opened his mouth to ask another question, when three house-elves appeared, Dobby curiously not amongst them, bearing breakfast. Harry gently took the plates and goblets from them, thanking them openly and honestly, which made the three servants fight back tears as they fled away.
Harry picked up his goblet, leaning back into his chair, and took a sip while waiting for the woman to regain her composure. Once her blush had returned to a minimal level, he reopened the questioning.
"So who all knows about this? I mean how you feel?" he asked.
She mumbled something that Harry, even with his newly enhanced senses, didn't quite catch. After asking her to repeat herself, she finally mustered the courage that the house was renown for by looking him directly in the eye, and stating; "Just about every Gryffindor but you, Harry."
Harry adopted a look of concentration on his face, dipping his head to stare into his goblet while swirling the pumpkin juice within. Not looking up, he asked "Do you think someone made you sneak in last night without you knowing? I mean, I'm sure that there are charms or potions or something that decreases your inhibitions, right?"
He didn't hear a reply, so he looked up to find the blonde girl glaring at a point on the wall, away from her. "I'm going to kill her," she stated with deadly calm. "Katie Bell is going to die."
Harry quickly set his goblet down and took both of her hands in his. "Can I tell you a secret? If you promise to keep it?" he asked, using his newly discovered 'honest' look.
She adverted her eyes from the wall, to meet his own, and agreed.
"Okay"
"Katie actually hit on me yesterday at lunch. If she was trying to get with me, I really don't think that she would make you do what you did."
Casey's angry look quickly changed to one of shock, then outrage, before finally settling into fear.
"But if she didn't, then who did?" she asked.
Harry stroked the backs of her hands, which were still in his, with his thumbs, trying to calm her down. "Look, I wouldn't worry about it. This whole thing wasn't malicious in nature, I think someone was just trying to help you out. I mean, it IS your last year, right?"
She nodded, her eyes fixed on their intertwined hands. Harry took that as a signal to retract them. He leaned back, cutting into his eggs with a fork. "And now that everything is in the open, you can be assured that there will be no more misunderstandings between us, right?"
She nodded again, still staring at her hands.
He put the bite of food in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully, before swallowing and speaking again.
Just as he was opening his mouth to speak again though, Casey posed her own question.
"Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?" she asked coyly, yet still showing more courage than the entire time she had been pining over him.
"Did you know that I dated Cho Chang last year?" he casually asked, this time cutting into his steak. She made agreeing noises around the food she had just placed into her own mouth, but he could tell that she was uncomfortable with the subject.
"Well, we didn't know each other at all before we started seeing each other, and it became an unmitigated disaster. I'm not saying that I am or am not interested in dating you, Casey. Before we can address that issue, however, we need to become friends. Does that sound reasonable to you?"
She nodded, dejectedly.
"Hey," he said, "that isn't a no. I'm sure that we can meet up for a couple of butterbeers or something later on that evening. I'll probably be with my friends, of course, and you are welcome to invite anyone whom you wish."
"Why later in the evening? Why don't we get together for lunch?" she asked, obviously wanting to spend more time with him.
"Because I have a very important meeting with some out of country friends earlier that day, and I honestly don't know how long that it is going to take." He answered almost honestly, since he did need that time open, but hadn't heard back from Fleur and Gabrielle yet.
After everything was cleared up, they spent the rest of their breakfast over friendly chatter, getting to know each other a bit better.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
Six-thirty rolled itself around, and Harry and Casey had been talking for half an hour after finishing their breakfasts. He had discovered that the girl was a muggle-born, and therefore hadn't been raised with fairy-tale like stories about the 'Boy-Who-Lived'. Furthermore, while he was renown as a sort of celebrity, she had feelings for him based on his appearance, ('You have the greenest eyes I have EVER seen'), and his quiddich ability, ('I have a thing for jocks, what can I say?' She said unrepentantly).
They also talked about the future, and Casey admitted to wanting to go into a private charm development career. It turns out that Casey was in the top five of her year in Charms class, and quite often shared theoretical discussions on charms with Professor Flitwick.
"You have got to talk to Hermione Granger,' Harry had replied, "she would absolutely love to talk with you about those kind of things. Merlin knows that I can't follow a conversation about magical theory to save my skin."
"So what do you want to do after you graduate, Mr. Potter?" she asked.
"Live." Harry showed no resignation with his answer, only sheer determination. "I'd like to live after graduation. Anything else is just a bonus."
Casey looked shocked. "I know that you-know-who is after you, but surely you must have more plans than that!"
Harry locked gazes with her, preparing to be brutally honest. "Voldemort- oh for gods sake, just say his name!, anyway, Voldemort and his minions have tried to kill me at least once every year since I was eleven. Keep in mind, that that number is only the ones I know about, who knows how many failed attempts have happened that I haven't even noticed. If I can die of old age, then I'll be happy throughout my life even if I work as a janitor or a garbage man."
The chime sounded for seven o'clock, signaling the opening of the Great Hall for the morning meal, and the two Gryffindors left to head back to their tower and get ready for the day.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
Harry waited for Casey to enter, before manually swinging the portrait closed, leaving himself still outside the room.
"Hello, Marge, how are you this morning?"
"Ah!, Harry dear! I'm just fine, how are you?"
He gave a non-committal shrug. "I've woken under more pleasant circumstances, but the rest of the day is shaping up to be okay so far."
"I sure hope so, Harry. Doesn't your year have potions first thing this morning?"
Harry inwardly cursed, but some of it must have escaped his mouth, for the Fat Lady's mouth was twitching upwards into a smile. "Indeed, Mr. Potter, indeed."
"Look, I've got to get ready for class and such, but before I go, can I ask a favor?"
"Perhaps,..." she replied, suspiciously.
"Would it be okay if I called you Maggie instead of Marge? I have an aunt, well, kind of an aunt, named Marge who isn't all that kind, and I'd rather you not share the same nickname as her, if you don't mind too much."
"Maggie," the Fat Lady sounded out, as if testing it for flavor. "Maggie.. I think I like it. Well, I still need the password, Harry."
"Follow the Butterflies"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
Harry walked through the open portrait, to run smack into Hermione, trying to get down to breakfast herself.
"Oooof!" she gasped out, before falling back onto her bum, and looking up to glare at Harry.
"Where have you been! You know that you aren't allowed outside the tower before seven!"
Harry grabbed the upper parts of her arms, effortlessly lifting her up and planting her on her feet with his newly developed strength. "Long story, I'll tell you later. Do you think that I could use the prefect's bathroom to shower? I'd rather not have to explain, well 'you know', to everyone, especially THIS morning."
Mione's gaze softened. "Sure, Harry. The password is 'Beneficiary', but do try to get down and have some breakfast with me?"
Harry was about to tell her that he already ate, but seeing as how she was one of two people who were in complete understanding of his predicament and still on speaking terms, and the only one of the two not falling into artificial love with him, he felt obligated to spend time with her before class.
"Sure, 'Mione. I should be down in about forty, forty five minutes."
"See you then, brother."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
Harry stepped into the expansive prefect's bathroom, and turned on the shower after dropping his clean change of clothes and his toiletries nearby. He began to disrobe, pulling off his robe, then his trousers and socks, before pausing as he stared down at Dudley's old tank top. 'How am I going to get this off?' he asked himself, before his surrogate sister's voice sounded in his head.
'Are you, or are you not a wizard, Mr. Potter?'
He ruffled through his discarded robe, pulling out his wand, before casting three separate enlargement charms on the tank, allowing him to shrug it off.
Just as he was about to pull down his boxers, the door opened and a familiar voice spoke to him that he did NOT want to hear.
"Harry, only prefects are allow- WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH WINGS!?!?!?!" came the voice of the Head Girl, Cho Chang, whom also happened to be Harry's ex- girlfriend.
Harry sighed and pointed his wand at the door, casting a spell to shut it gently before locking it.
He turned back to where Cho was staring at him, obviously surprised by his new physique and appendages.
"Harry, you look.. Um... " she stopped and shook her head, as if to rid her mind of thoughts. Still not opening her eyes, she finished her sentence. "Like a Veela.."
Harry chuckled, having already thought of a cover story should something like this happen. "Yea, well you can blame the Weasley twins. They sent me a candy, and I stupidly ate it. As far as I can tell, It makes the eater grow wings coupled with an infatuation spell."
Cho nodded. "That makes sense. Everyone knows that male Veela are mythical anyway, right?"
Harry nodded back, even though she couldn't see him.
She reopened her eyes, and reached out a hand to stroke his left bicep gently. "And these? Did the Weasleys augment your muscles too?" She had been leaning steadily closer and closer to him, until their faces were an inch apart. Harry rested a hand on her shoulder, deciding to try and make the best of a bad situation.
"Um, no, that's really me. Uh, as you can see, showering in the dorm showers until next week is not going to be a good idea, so do you think you could let it slide until the Wheeze wears off?"
Cho looked deep into his eyes, and nodded ever so slightly, before tilting her head and leaning in to try and kiss him.
Harry turned his head to the side, closing his eyes, and spoke softly to her. "Cho, we tried. It didn't work. What you are feeling is the infatuation charm that the Weasleys cursed me with. Just concentrate, and think of Corner or whoever you like other than me, and you'll be okay, alright?"
He looked over at her to find her petite hand covering her open mouth, her eyes wide in shock. "I'm so sorry, Harry. I'll.. I'll just go then, shall I?"
She walked towards the door, and Harry called after her.
"Cho! Can I ask you to please keep this a secret? The last thing I need is for someone like Malfoy to get wind of me getting pranked."
She shook her head up and down, neither looking back nor breaking her stride. She uncharmed the door, and left, closing it behind her just as quickly as she opened it.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Hermione and Ginny, not seeing any sight of Ron yet this morning. He filled his goblet with pumpkin juice, and sipped it slowly, trying not to draw any attention to himself. Much to his relief, the attention wasn't as bad as yesterday, yet he could still feel stares on his back. Thankfully, no one had approached him this morning so far.
Minutes after he sat down, someone sat down to his left, and he looked up to find Casey smiling at him, only a little more than friendly.
"Um, guys, this is Casey. Casey, this is Hermione and Ginny, two of my very best friends."
Polite hellos were exchanged, with puzzled expressions on 'Mione and Gin's faces when Casey wasn't looking. Harry mouthed to them 'I'll tell you later', and the subject was dropped for the moment.
The meal was spent in relative silence, between Ginny's 'I'm still waking up' attitude, 'Mione's face buried in yet another book, Casey attacking her meal with gusto, and Harry contemplating all that had already happened today.
He looked over to Casey, and was about to ask her how she could be hungry again, when he realized that she had had maybe two bites of her first breakfast, if even that.
Around eight, Harry remembered that he had left his potions texts and equipment in his dorm room, and rose to gather it. On his way out of the Hall, he once again felt the Headmaster's 'Trust-me' vibes, and he felt sick to his stomach.
"Harry, I need to see you in my office at 9:00 this morning."
Harry groaned inwardly as he turned to face the bearded wizard.
"I can't, sir, I have potions class at 9"
"I'm sure that Professor Snape won't mind you missing a little of his class."
"Only if you tell him so, which I hope you do for his sake. I've been... volitile lately, and I really don't think that you are going to want to find a new potions teacher halfway through the term." It could have been taken as a joke, but Harry's tone, posture, and expression spoke volumes about the sincerity of his words.
Dumbledore's infernal twinkling diminished to almost nothing. "I'll see you at nine, Harry, don't be late."
When I wrote the last chapter, I had been awake for like, 36 hours. I was a bit snappy, and unable to deal with criticism at the time. I hope to rectify that now.
Firstly, to sweet-single, I'm sorry. Really, really sorry. Um... 'loony'... um... is a, uh, term of, uh, endearment. Yeah! Endearment! My whole reasoning for the 'gay' thing, (I got a LOT of response on that, btw), is that to me, at least, 'gay' is 'not straight or bi'. I'm born and raised in North Dakota, so as you can imagine I'm a little out of the loop.
Secondly, a public apology to VampstoryHunter (I've already given him a private one.) I didn't mean to imply that he would be writing scenes I left out. Only that he would use the premise of my story to create his own (I think..) No plagiarizing at all. (Thank god for spell-check on THAT word.)
A third apology is in order, for I didn't keep my schedule of updates. My phone got shut off because my lazy ass didn't pay the bills. Dial-up connection, you do the math. Sorry.
Okay, to clear a couple of things up on Harry's character.
I've had lots of feedback saying that Harry wouldn't have run from the twins, but I do think otherwise.
I think, that deep down, Harry is chivalrous at heart. He wants to fall in love before sex, but also doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. His lack of inter-personal relations almost his entire life has made his tact in such situations even worse than my own.
On another note, some people think that the words 'Shit' and 'Fuck' are not something that Harry should ever be saying, being British and all. My reasoning behind it was that sometimes 'bloody' just isn't a strong enough word. So when Harry is really exasperated, he is going to use something stronger. In future chapters, if he does use an American swear word, you'll be able to tell that he is out of his mind angry or extremely put out of his element. That is what the words signified, at least for me.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
Harry awoke, early in the morning, to an unfamiliar weight resting on his right pec, his right arm uncomfortably numb, and a second weight resting on his upper right thigh.
He groggily opened his eyes, to find an unfamiliar mass of blonde hair tickling his nostrils.
He closed his eyes and set his head back down on the pillow, bringing up his free hand to rub the sleep out of his eyes before the information finally processed.
He sat upright rigidly, unending the woman curled up on his side. He looked down to the semi-familiar face of a seventh-year, one whom he had seen in passing but had never actually talked to.
"What," he growled, "the fuck are you doing in my bed?"
The girl, having just been woken up rather rudely, only stared at him and blinked for what could only have been five to ten seconds, but felt like minutes to the irate Veela.
She finally remembered where she was, and grinned sheepishly, yet unrepentant at the same time.
"I was lonely and cold, all alone in my own bed." She offered by way of explanation.
Harry got off the bed, and kneeled beside the girl whom was sitting on the floor next to his bed where she had ended up. "What's your name, anyway?"
"Casey," she answered, her grin somehow becoming even wider.
"Well, Casey, as enjoyable as it was to have a warm body next to me last night," he lied, trying not to cause a scene that would wake his dorm mates, "if I wake up next to you or anyone else for that matter in my bed uninvited again, I'm not going to be very happy, okay?"
The girl's grin vanished and she looked downwards, clearly upset. Harry reached down and touched underneath her chin with the knuckle of his index finger, bringing her gaze back up to him. "Look, I'm sorry I was upset when I woke. I'm not now. Please don't be sad," he pleaded, not wanting to calm down anyone this early in the morning.
He glanced around, seeing how dark the grounds outside of the windows were. "Do you know what time it is, Casey?"
The girl sniffed rather quietly, and lifted the underside of her wrist into view. "Just a little after five, why?"
Knowing that he had two hours until breakfast began, and that he needed to have a talk with this girl or else rumors would be all over the castle by lunchtime, his mind came up with a drastic plan.
"Would you like to come with me to get something to eat from the kitchens? I'm rather hungry, and the Hall won't be open for another two hours."
The seventh year witch nodded, a small smile reappearing back onto his face, but still wary of the seeker's wrath.
Harry stood, offering his hand to her before they made their way out of the room. Harry had to clamp his hand over her mouth when she started to giggle at Neville's snoring, not wanting anyone to wake. If McGonagall ever got wind of this, he was sure that HE would be the one to take the blame, not her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
Thankfully, they had made the trip down to the kitchens without interference from Filch. Having both slept in their respective uniforms, it took very little time to get to the portrait of the ticklish pair.
"HARRY POTTER SIR!" came a shrieking streak of green that slammed into Harry's midsection. A swift turn to the side at the last second was all that saved Harry from being a soprano the rest of the day.
"Dobby, Dobby, Dobby," Harry said, trying to get the overexcited elf to pay attention. Do you think you could get us a little something for breakfast?"
"Of course, Harry Potter sir," he made to leave and gather food, but whipped directly around to face them again almost instantly. "Harry Potter sir shouldn't be outside of his room this early! Harry Potter sir will get himself in much, much trouble!"
Harry rolled his eyes, and turned an amused grin to where Casey was watching the entire scene with wide surprised eyes. "It's okay, Dobby. We won't get caught. Do you think you could whip up some steak and eggs for us?"
Dobby gave them a quizzical sidelong look as he turned to fetch the food. "If Harry Potter sir is sure," he left the sentence unfinished, leaving.
Harry sat down at the small, two-seat table on the side of the room. He folded (not crossed) his left leg over his right, smoothing down his robe as he did so, giving him an almost regal appearance. He gestured with an open hand to the empty seat across from him, telling the girl simply to "sit."
She did so after less than a moment of hesitation.
"So," Harry began, "just what, may I ask, possessed you to sneak into bed with me?" raising an eyebrow at her, not really interrogating her, but just curious.
The girl ducked her head to the side, breaking the eye-contact. "I just... I guess I needed to be close to you."
Harry unfolded his legs and leaned over the table, once again making the girl meet his eyes. "Don't you find that a little strange? I mean, up until this morning, we had never even spoken. For that matter, I didn't even know your name. What could have happened to make you NEED to sleep with me?" he lied smoothly, trying to instill some doubt into her actions without revealing his secret. "I mean, before today, had you ever even had any thoughts of that kind around me?" he asked, completely knowing the answer.
To his surprise, however, she nodded. "Yeah, I guess I have ever since Katie pointed you out as the new seeker second year. I don't know exactly what made me actually do something so rash about it last night, though."
By the time she was done speaking, Harry's eyebrows had shot into his hairline. "You mean that you've been secretly pining after me for, oh, six years now?"
She blushed a shade worthy of a Weasley, once again adverting her eyes and nodding.
He opened his mouth to ask another question, when three house-elves appeared, Dobby curiously not amongst them, bearing breakfast. Harry gently took the plates and goblets from them, thanking them openly and honestly, which made the three servants fight back tears as they fled away.
Harry picked up his goblet, leaning back into his chair, and took a sip while waiting for the woman to regain her composure. Once her blush had returned to a minimal level, he reopened the questioning.
"So who all knows about this? I mean how you feel?" he asked.
She mumbled something that Harry, even with his newly enhanced senses, didn't quite catch. After asking her to repeat herself, she finally mustered the courage that the house was renown for by looking him directly in the eye, and stating; "Just about every Gryffindor but you, Harry."
Harry adopted a look of concentration on his face, dipping his head to stare into his goblet while swirling the pumpkin juice within. Not looking up, he asked "Do you think someone made you sneak in last night without you knowing? I mean, I'm sure that there are charms or potions or something that decreases your inhibitions, right?"
He didn't hear a reply, so he looked up to find the blonde girl glaring at a point on the wall, away from her. "I'm going to kill her," she stated with deadly calm. "Katie Bell is going to die."
Harry quickly set his goblet down and took both of her hands in his. "Can I tell you a secret? If you promise to keep it?" he asked, using his newly discovered 'honest' look.
She adverted her eyes from the wall, to meet his own, and agreed.
"Okay"
"Katie actually hit on me yesterday at lunch. If she was trying to get with me, I really don't think that she would make you do what you did."
Casey's angry look quickly changed to one of shock, then outrage, before finally settling into fear.
"But if she didn't, then who did?" she asked.
Harry stroked the backs of her hands, which were still in his, with his thumbs, trying to calm her down. "Look, I wouldn't worry about it. This whole thing wasn't malicious in nature, I think someone was just trying to help you out. I mean, it IS your last year, right?"
She nodded, her eyes fixed on their intertwined hands. Harry took that as a signal to retract them. He leaned back, cutting into his eggs with a fork. "And now that everything is in the open, you can be assured that there will be no more misunderstandings between us, right?"
She nodded again, still staring at her hands.
He put the bite of food in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully, before swallowing and speaking again.
Just as he was opening his mouth to speak again though, Casey posed her own question.
"Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?" she asked coyly, yet still showing more courage than the entire time she had been pining over him.
"Did you know that I dated Cho Chang last year?" he casually asked, this time cutting into his steak. She made agreeing noises around the food she had just placed into her own mouth, but he could tell that she was uncomfortable with the subject.
"Well, we didn't know each other at all before we started seeing each other, and it became an unmitigated disaster. I'm not saying that I am or am not interested in dating you, Casey. Before we can address that issue, however, we need to become friends. Does that sound reasonable to you?"
She nodded, dejectedly.
"Hey," he said, "that isn't a no. I'm sure that we can meet up for a couple of butterbeers or something later on that evening. I'll probably be with my friends, of course, and you are welcome to invite anyone whom you wish."
"Why later in the evening? Why don't we get together for lunch?" she asked, obviously wanting to spend more time with him.
"Because I have a very important meeting with some out of country friends earlier that day, and I honestly don't know how long that it is going to take." He answered almost honestly, since he did need that time open, but hadn't heard back from Fleur and Gabrielle yet.
After everything was cleared up, they spent the rest of their breakfast over friendly chatter, getting to know each other a bit better.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
Six-thirty rolled itself around, and Harry and Casey had been talking for half an hour after finishing their breakfasts. He had discovered that the girl was a muggle-born, and therefore hadn't been raised with fairy-tale like stories about the 'Boy-Who-Lived'. Furthermore, while he was renown as a sort of celebrity, she had feelings for him based on his appearance, ('You have the greenest eyes I have EVER seen'), and his quiddich ability, ('I have a thing for jocks, what can I say?' She said unrepentantly).
They also talked about the future, and Casey admitted to wanting to go into a private charm development career. It turns out that Casey was in the top five of her year in Charms class, and quite often shared theoretical discussions on charms with Professor Flitwick.
"You have got to talk to Hermione Granger,' Harry had replied, "she would absolutely love to talk with you about those kind of things. Merlin knows that I can't follow a conversation about magical theory to save my skin."
"So what do you want to do after you graduate, Mr. Potter?" she asked.
"Live." Harry showed no resignation with his answer, only sheer determination. "I'd like to live after graduation. Anything else is just a bonus."
Casey looked shocked. "I know that you-know-who is after you, but surely you must have more plans than that!"
Harry locked gazes with her, preparing to be brutally honest. "Voldemort- oh for gods sake, just say his name!, anyway, Voldemort and his minions have tried to kill me at least once every year since I was eleven. Keep in mind, that that number is only the ones I know about, who knows how many failed attempts have happened that I haven't even noticed. If I can die of old age, then I'll be happy throughout my life even if I work as a janitor or a garbage man."
The chime sounded for seven o'clock, signaling the opening of the Great Hall for the morning meal, and the two Gryffindors left to head back to their tower and get ready for the day.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
Harry waited for Casey to enter, before manually swinging the portrait closed, leaving himself still outside the room.
"Hello, Marge, how are you this morning?"
"Ah!, Harry dear! I'm just fine, how are you?"
He gave a non-committal shrug. "I've woken under more pleasant circumstances, but the rest of the day is shaping up to be okay so far."
"I sure hope so, Harry. Doesn't your year have potions first thing this morning?"
Harry inwardly cursed, but some of it must have escaped his mouth, for the Fat Lady's mouth was twitching upwards into a smile. "Indeed, Mr. Potter, indeed."
"Look, I've got to get ready for class and such, but before I go, can I ask a favor?"
"Perhaps,..." she replied, suspiciously.
"Would it be okay if I called you Maggie instead of Marge? I have an aunt, well, kind of an aunt, named Marge who isn't all that kind, and I'd rather you not share the same nickname as her, if you don't mind too much."
"Maggie," the Fat Lady sounded out, as if testing it for flavor. "Maggie.. I think I like it. Well, I still need the password, Harry."
"Follow the Butterflies"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
Harry walked through the open portrait, to run smack into Hermione, trying to get down to breakfast herself.
"Oooof!" she gasped out, before falling back onto her bum, and looking up to glare at Harry.
"Where have you been! You know that you aren't allowed outside the tower before seven!"
Harry grabbed the upper parts of her arms, effortlessly lifting her up and planting her on her feet with his newly developed strength. "Long story, I'll tell you later. Do you think that I could use the prefect's bathroom to shower? I'd rather not have to explain, well 'you know', to everyone, especially THIS morning."
Mione's gaze softened. "Sure, Harry. The password is 'Beneficiary', but do try to get down and have some breakfast with me?"
Harry was about to tell her that he already ate, but seeing as how she was one of two people who were in complete understanding of his predicament and still on speaking terms, and the only one of the two not falling into artificial love with him, he felt obligated to spend time with her before class.
"Sure, 'Mione. I should be down in about forty, forty five minutes."
"See you then, brother."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
Harry stepped into the expansive prefect's bathroom, and turned on the shower after dropping his clean change of clothes and his toiletries nearby. He began to disrobe, pulling off his robe, then his trousers and socks, before pausing as he stared down at Dudley's old tank top. 'How am I going to get this off?' he asked himself, before his surrogate sister's voice sounded in his head.
'Are you, or are you not a wizard, Mr. Potter?'
He ruffled through his discarded robe, pulling out his wand, before casting three separate enlargement charms on the tank, allowing him to shrug it off.
Just as he was about to pull down his boxers, the door opened and a familiar voice spoke to him that he did NOT want to hear.
"Harry, only prefects are allow- WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH WINGS!?!?!?!" came the voice of the Head Girl, Cho Chang, whom also happened to be Harry's ex- girlfriend.
Harry sighed and pointed his wand at the door, casting a spell to shut it gently before locking it.
He turned back to where Cho was staring at him, obviously surprised by his new physique and appendages.
"Harry, you look.. Um... " she stopped and shook her head, as if to rid her mind of thoughts. Still not opening her eyes, she finished her sentence. "Like a Veela.."
Harry chuckled, having already thought of a cover story should something like this happen. "Yea, well you can blame the Weasley twins. They sent me a candy, and I stupidly ate it. As far as I can tell, It makes the eater grow wings coupled with an infatuation spell."
Cho nodded. "That makes sense. Everyone knows that male Veela are mythical anyway, right?"
Harry nodded back, even though she couldn't see him.
She reopened her eyes, and reached out a hand to stroke his left bicep gently. "And these? Did the Weasleys augment your muscles too?" She had been leaning steadily closer and closer to him, until their faces were an inch apart. Harry rested a hand on her shoulder, deciding to try and make the best of a bad situation.
"Um, no, that's really me. Uh, as you can see, showering in the dorm showers until next week is not going to be a good idea, so do you think you could let it slide until the Wheeze wears off?"
Cho looked deep into his eyes, and nodded ever so slightly, before tilting her head and leaning in to try and kiss him.
Harry turned his head to the side, closing his eyes, and spoke softly to her. "Cho, we tried. It didn't work. What you are feeling is the infatuation charm that the Weasleys cursed me with. Just concentrate, and think of Corner or whoever you like other than me, and you'll be okay, alright?"
He looked over at her to find her petite hand covering her open mouth, her eyes wide in shock. "I'm so sorry, Harry. I'll.. I'll just go then, shall I?"
She walked towards the door, and Harry called after her.
"Cho! Can I ask you to please keep this a secret? The last thing I need is for someone like Malfoy to get wind of me getting pranked."
She shook her head up and down, neither looking back nor breaking her stride. She uncharmed the door, and left, closing it behind her just as quickly as she opened it.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Hermione and Ginny, not seeing any sight of Ron yet this morning. He filled his goblet with pumpkin juice, and sipped it slowly, trying not to draw any attention to himself. Much to his relief, the attention wasn't as bad as yesterday, yet he could still feel stares on his back. Thankfully, no one had approached him this morning so far.
Minutes after he sat down, someone sat down to his left, and he looked up to find Casey smiling at him, only a little more than friendly.
"Um, guys, this is Casey. Casey, this is Hermione and Ginny, two of my very best friends."
Polite hellos were exchanged, with puzzled expressions on 'Mione and Gin's faces when Casey wasn't looking. Harry mouthed to them 'I'll tell you later', and the subject was dropped for the moment.
The meal was spent in relative silence, between Ginny's 'I'm still waking up' attitude, 'Mione's face buried in yet another book, Casey attacking her meal with gusto, and Harry contemplating all that had already happened today.
He looked over to Casey, and was about to ask her how she could be hungry again, when he realized that she had had maybe two bites of her first breakfast, if even that.
Around eight, Harry remembered that he had left his potions texts and equipment in his dorm room, and rose to gather it. On his way out of the Hall, he once again felt the Headmaster's 'Trust-me' vibes, and he felt sick to his stomach.
"Harry, I need to see you in my office at 9:00 this morning."
Harry groaned inwardly as he turned to face the bearded wizard.
"I can't, sir, I have potions class at 9"
"I'm sure that Professor Snape won't mind you missing a little of his class."
"Only if you tell him so, which I hope you do for his sake. I've been... volitile lately, and I really don't think that you are going to want to find a new potions teacher halfway through the term." It could have been taken as a joke, but Harry's tone, posture, and expression spoke volumes about the sincerity of his words.
Dumbledore's infernal twinkling diminished to almost nothing. "I'll see you at nine, Harry, don't be late."