Mousetrap
By Clay
Chapter Six: Boy Wonder's Daring Escape
PAIRINGS: Mainly Harry/Draco and Ron/Hermione, but there are some other random pairings thrown in for fun
RATING/WARNINGS: PG/slight spoilers for all books
SUMMARY: An incident in potions causes Hermione to begin acting strangely. Soon everyone in Harry's world is affected... and he's next. We've got Hermione skipping class, Snape skinny dipping, and much, much more. (romance/humor)
The next morning, Harry was awoken by the bedroom door slamming against the wall. His eyes flew open, body jolted forward… only to be slammed back down by the boy strewn across his chest. Draco slid off him, detangling their limbs in jerky, half-awake movements. In seconds, all seven of the rooms occupants were sitting up, half blushing guiltily at a very red faced McGonagall.
Her mouth opened and closed, but her rage would let no sound escape. Wide, angry eyes scanned the room.
"Dress yourselves at once!" She screamed and then stormed out, yanking the door shut behind her.
"Oops." Seamus smiled and snuggled tight against Neville's side. It wasn't long until they were all rolling around in laughter.
In fresh robes, Draco and the Griffindors emptied into the common room, where a long table set for breakfast had replaced the couches and chairs.
Pansy, Cho, Michael, and Marietta were already there, and together they half listened to McGonagall's ranting. Other than the occasional "Never in all my years" and "a disgrace to all your houses," no one really paid attention, and what they did hear had them all quaking in silent laughter.
Needless to say, once McGonagall left and everyone had dug in to the massive breakfast, all were in high spirits.
"Oh, you should have seen in it!" Michael cried around a mouthful of scrambled eggs. "There we were, me, Cho, and Mari, all of us completely naked and she just waltzes in! I swear, I thought she was going to have a heart attack and die right there!"
This prompted another round of giggles; Ron would have choked on his muffin if not for Hermione.
"Seriously," Draco smirked and pushed his plate away, "She locked a bunch of horny teenagers in a room all night. What did she expect to find?"
Hermione shrugged, "Well, she hasn't been a teenager in a long time."
"That's no excuse!" Marietta smiled, "She around students each and every day. She should have known better."
"Well said," Seamus raised his glass of pumpkin juice in a mock toast. "Now if you'll all excuse us, Longbottom and I have matters to attend to in the bedroom." He stood, offering a hand to Neville.
"Seamus!" Neville stared, wide-eyed, blushing fiercely.
"Oh, go on." Ron nudged him.
"Sounds like a good idea," Michael jumped to his feet, immediately followed by a rather enthusiastic Cho and Marietta.
"Yes, let's all go shag and leave Pansy miserable and alone, "Pansy pouted into her plate.
"Aw, miss your ickle Snapey?" Draco sniggered.
Seamus was on the verge of dragging Neville off when Ginny caught their attention.
"Don't worry, Pansy. I'll keep you company," she circled the table to sit next to her in Marietta's vacated seat.
"Pity from a Griffindor? No, thank you. I'd rather be alone."
"Oh, it's not pity." The entire room watched as Ginny's innocent façade melted away to reveal a sly and seductive smile.
"What are you—"
But Pansy was cut off as Ginny caught her lips in a fiery kiss.
At this point, Ron did begin to choke.
Seamus shook his head, finally managing to pull Neville into the bedroom. He shut the door and threw him a quizzical look, "I though Ginny wasn't affected?"
Neville just smiled, "She's not."
Snape paced his quarters like a caged animal. He had been locked in for over 15 hours and the solitude was driving him insane. There was nothing but books in his bedroom, which he was very not in the mood to read. He longed to do something – anything! He wanted to swim, to play with herbs and mix potions, Hell, even Pansy would be welcome at this point. But no, he was stuck in a tiny room with a cold no less.
His wand had been confiscated, so he couldn't even make the wadded up tissues dance for his amusement.
Oh, he'd tried to escape, but each attempt had been thwarted by those thrice-damned wards. Apparently he wouldn't be allowed out until 9:00 that evening.
With a weary and very disgruntled sight, he fell to the carpet and leaned against one bedpost. And sneezed.
The hours seemed to pass far too quickly for the others, however. Despite the close quarters, everyone was getting along. They played games and chatted, and even the Ravenclaws joined in on the mischief before the night was over.
At precisely fourteen minutes to ten, there was a knock on the door, and an amused voice asked, "Everyone is fully dressed, I hope?"
Laughter filtered in from the other side of the door, and Dumbledore guessed that if he had arrived sooner, he could have wandered in on some very indecent behavior.
"Very well, then. We're coming in."
Dumbledore entered the small room to see all eleven children gathered in the common area. Many couples were snuggling far too close, but the gathering seemed innocent enough. Curious, though, was Ginny Weasely. She appeared to have a split lip and a line of scratches down one arm, but was smiling nonetheless, curled up in Pansy Parkinson's lap. Pansy herself was sporting a black eye, one arm wrapped possessively around Ginny's waist.
"The last few days have been rather entertaining and quite enlightening for you all, I'm sure, but I'm afraid it is time for the fun to end. Severus?"
Snape moved from behind Dumbledore carrying a rack containing eleven phials. His eyes lighted on Pansy briefly before turning to the head master. "I hate to say this, Albus, but it seems this little mishap was a large step towards uniting the four houses."
"I hope you're not suggesting we administer it to the entire student body!" McGonagall bristled from the doorway.
Dumbledore smiled, "Oh, I'm sure he meant nothing of the sort, Minerva, dear, but he does have a point. Never in my day did I hope to see Slytherins and Griffindors untied like this. Enough chitchat, though." He nodded and Snape approached the children. "Everyone take a phial and bottoms up."
The glass was cool to the touch, the liquid inside a translucent pale blue. Many troubled looks were shared before they all lifted the phials to their lips in unison.
The effect was immediate.
A cloud seemed to lift from Harry's mind, and he realized that one hand was still nestled in Draco's. The other boy seemed to have similar thoughts. They met each other's gaze, both unsure of what to do next.
"I suppose we should stop holding hands now." Harry frowned and tried to pull away, but the pressure on his palm increased.
Draco was frowning as well, "Should we?"
"Well, we're back to our right minds now, so…"
"I see." Draco snatched his hand away, "You have to be drunk to care for me."
"No, Draco, wait—"
But Draco had stood was already halfway across the room. He looked to Dumbledore, eyes cold and distant. "I assume we are allowed back in the dormitories now."
Dumbledore nodded, and with that, Draco left.
"Jerk."
Harry's eyes flew up to meet Pansy's. Her arms were still wrapped around Ginny, her empty phial laying forgotten on the couch.
"Yeah, Harry, that was mean." Ginny placed one hand on Pansy's cheek, turning her head until their eyes met. A whimsical smile lit her face. "Just because you're sober now doesn't mean what you felt wasn't real."
"Yes." Pansy giggled and rubbed her nose against Ginny's. "You know, I've never been with a girl before. You have a lot to teach me."
"Ahem!" McGonagall faced them, hands on her hips. "There will be plenty of time for that later. For now, however, I insist you all return to your rooms and get some sleep. You will be expected to attend class tomorrow."
Ginny sighed and rolled her eyes, "I guess she's right. I'll see you later, Pansy."
"Mm." Pansy smiled and leaned forward to give Ginny a soft kiss.
Potions the next morning was far too normal for Harry's liking. Snape was back to his miserable self, and Draco, while somber, even joined in the snickering when Snape caught Ron and Hermione passing notes.
Neville handed in his essay, and Snape graded it while they all studied silently. At the end of class, he took ten minutes to discuss the highlights of Neville paper and surprised everyone by awarding it an E.
Lunch came and Harry picked at his plate, lost in thought. It took a sharp poke from Seamus to realize that he was being spoken to.
"Just go apologize and tell him you still want to get in his knickers!" Seamus exclaimed, ignoring the exasperated looks thrown his way.
Hermione waved it away and turned to Harry, "Look, if you like him, you know we're all behind you. You hurt him last night, though, and you need to make it right."
"But how?" Harry threw his fork down in frustration. "If I try to talk to him when he's surrounded by his friends, he'll just laugh at me, and there's no way I can get him alone."
"Sure there is." Ron smiled. "We'll make it happen."
Hermione nodded. "We have Care of Magical Creatures with him after lunch. We'll," she gestured to herself and Ron, "make sure to separate him from the Slytherins, and then you grab him and slip away."
"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, smiling for the first time that day, "Are you suggesting that I cut class?"
Hermione blushed. "Well, even I have to admit that some things are more important than grades."
"Hey there, Ferret."
"Weasel," Draco greeted Ron amicably and then caught himself. His eyes darkened, "What do you want?"
Ron shrugged, "Just because Harry is a stupid git doesn't mean we can't be friends, does it?"
"You… want to be my friend?"
"Sure," Ron shrugged again and smiled, "Walk with me?"
Draco considered this for a long moment and then nodded. He turned to Crabbe and Goyle, both hanging back, ready to jump in at the first sign of hostility, and motioned for them to stay put. While obviously reluctant, they obeyed. They were far out of earshot before Ron spoke again.
"I first gave you a chance for Harry's sake." Draco seemed to tense at the mention of his name. "But," Ron continued, "even though you're an arrogant, insufferable, whiny—"
"Draco grit his teeth. "Get to the point."
"The point," Ron grinned at him, "is that despite our past, I've had a lot of fun hanging out with you the last two nights. Hell, I think I almost like you. So screw Harry; let's be friends."
Draco smirked bemusedly, "I guess I almost like you, too. Sure. Let's be friends."
"Great!" Ron laughed, slapping Draco on the back.
Their wanderings had led them to the far side of Hagrid's hut. Draco smiled at Ron and then looked forward again. His smile dropped. There stood Harry, watching them with infinite patience.
Draco backed up a step. "What's going on?"
"Oh, Harry wants a word with you, too. See you later, mate." Ron threw a wild grin at Draco before taking off.
Draco sighed and contemplated running away as well, but his pride forced him to stand his ground, arms crossed, eyes cold. "You wanted something?"
"Yes." Harry's voice was low, soft, as he carefully crossed the distance between them. "I have something to show you."
"Draco rolled his eyes, "Oh, the great Harry Potter is willing to tolerate my lowly presence. I'm so honored."
"Don't be an idiot." Harry snapped. He grabbed Draco's hand and proceeded to lead him across the campus. Draco followed with surprisingly little resistance. Eventually, they reached the edge the lake. Harry let his gaze linger on it. He asked in the same soft tone, "What do you see?"
Draco scoffed and then looked down as well. "My reflection. So?"
Harry nodded. "I was standing right here, staring at the lake last week. I tried to see what lay beyond the surface, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see past my own reflection. Later that day I came back. The sun had moved and now I cast a shadow over the water. Finally, in the darkness of my shadow I could see everything." He looked up and caught Draco's gaze, holding it as he continued, "The next morning I returned and found nothing but my reflection."
Draco felt his breath catch. He knew where this was going, though he dared not get his hopes up.
"What I'm trying to say," Harry reached out his hands and Draco took them instinctively, "is that I'm sorry. The potion opened my mind to all kinds of new possibilities. When I couldn't hide behind it anymore, I got scared. I pulled away because I thought you would, too. It was stupid, and I'm sorry." He paused, breathing in deeply, building up his courage, "Give me another chance?"
"Another chance?" Draco laughed, harsh and bitter. He flung Harry's hands away with unnecessary force. "We've been over this once before. I told you Friday that you were out of chances, and you should know something about Slytherins by now."
Harry nodded. His head dropped, body seemed to collapse in on itself. He didn't want to hear this, but he was a glutton for punishment. "What's that?"
And then something amazing happened. Thin, pale fingers were lifting his chin, and Draco was so very close. His eyes were warm, laughing. "We lie a lot," he whispered before capturing Harry's lips in a kiss.
"You asshole!" Harry shoved him away, laughing.
Draco just shrugged, smiling from ear to ear. Harry grabbed his robes, yanking them both to the ground, pinning him down as he ravished Draco's mouth. In between kissed, he managed to ask, "So I'm forgiven?"
Draco laughed, "Always."
"You know," Harry whispered as he rained feather light kisses down the column of Draco's neck, "You'll have to make that little stunt up to me."
Draco groaned. He flipped them over so that he was straddling Harry, kissing him deeply. "My pleasure."
Author's Notes:
It's finally finished! I apologize for the long, long wait and I hope you enjoyed it.
Like the Ginny/Pansy thing? That was just thrown in for the Hell of it, but I like the way I worked it into the plot.
3/11/04
By Clay
Chapter Six: Boy Wonder's Daring Escape
PAIRINGS: Mainly Harry/Draco and Ron/Hermione, but there are some other random pairings thrown in for fun
RATING/WARNINGS: PG/slight spoilers for all books
SUMMARY: An incident in potions causes Hermione to begin acting strangely. Soon everyone in Harry's world is affected... and he's next. We've got Hermione skipping class, Snape skinny dipping, and much, much more. (romance/humor)
The next morning, Harry was awoken by the bedroom door slamming against the wall. His eyes flew open, body jolted forward… only to be slammed back down by the boy strewn across his chest. Draco slid off him, detangling their limbs in jerky, half-awake movements. In seconds, all seven of the rooms occupants were sitting up, half blushing guiltily at a very red faced McGonagall.
Her mouth opened and closed, but her rage would let no sound escape. Wide, angry eyes scanned the room.
"Dress yourselves at once!" She screamed and then stormed out, yanking the door shut behind her.
"Oops." Seamus smiled and snuggled tight against Neville's side. It wasn't long until they were all rolling around in laughter.
In fresh robes, Draco and the Griffindors emptied into the common room, where a long table set for breakfast had replaced the couches and chairs.
Pansy, Cho, Michael, and Marietta were already there, and together they half listened to McGonagall's ranting. Other than the occasional "Never in all my years" and "a disgrace to all your houses," no one really paid attention, and what they did hear had them all quaking in silent laughter.
Needless to say, once McGonagall left and everyone had dug in to the massive breakfast, all were in high spirits.
"Oh, you should have seen in it!" Michael cried around a mouthful of scrambled eggs. "There we were, me, Cho, and Mari, all of us completely naked and she just waltzes in! I swear, I thought she was going to have a heart attack and die right there!"
This prompted another round of giggles; Ron would have choked on his muffin if not for Hermione.
"Seriously," Draco smirked and pushed his plate away, "She locked a bunch of horny teenagers in a room all night. What did she expect to find?"
Hermione shrugged, "Well, she hasn't been a teenager in a long time."
"That's no excuse!" Marietta smiled, "She around students each and every day. She should have known better."
"Well said," Seamus raised his glass of pumpkin juice in a mock toast. "Now if you'll all excuse us, Longbottom and I have matters to attend to in the bedroom." He stood, offering a hand to Neville.
"Seamus!" Neville stared, wide-eyed, blushing fiercely.
"Oh, go on." Ron nudged him.
"Sounds like a good idea," Michael jumped to his feet, immediately followed by a rather enthusiastic Cho and Marietta.
"Yes, let's all go shag and leave Pansy miserable and alone, "Pansy pouted into her plate.
"Aw, miss your ickle Snapey?" Draco sniggered.
Seamus was on the verge of dragging Neville off when Ginny caught their attention.
"Don't worry, Pansy. I'll keep you company," she circled the table to sit next to her in Marietta's vacated seat.
"Pity from a Griffindor? No, thank you. I'd rather be alone."
"Oh, it's not pity." The entire room watched as Ginny's innocent façade melted away to reveal a sly and seductive smile.
"What are you—"
But Pansy was cut off as Ginny caught her lips in a fiery kiss.
At this point, Ron did begin to choke.
Seamus shook his head, finally managing to pull Neville into the bedroom. He shut the door and threw him a quizzical look, "I though Ginny wasn't affected?"
Neville just smiled, "She's not."
Snape paced his quarters like a caged animal. He had been locked in for over 15 hours and the solitude was driving him insane. There was nothing but books in his bedroom, which he was very not in the mood to read. He longed to do something – anything! He wanted to swim, to play with herbs and mix potions, Hell, even Pansy would be welcome at this point. But no, he was stuck in a tiny room with a cold no less.
His wand had been confiscated, so he couldn't even make the wadded up tissues dance for his amusement.
Oh, he'd tried to escape, but each attempt had been thwarted by those thrice-damned wards. Apparently he wouldn't be allowed out until 9:00 that evening.
With a weary and very disgruntled sight, he fell to the carpet and leaned against one bedpost. And sneezed.
The hours seemed to pass far too quickly for the others, however. Despite the close quarters, everyone was getting along. They played games and chatted, and even the Ravenclaws joined in on the mischief before the night was over.
At precisely fourteen minutes to ten, there was a knock on the door, and an amused voice asked, "Everyone is fully dressed, I hope?"
Laughter filtered in from the other side of the door, and Dumbledore guessed that if he had arrived sooner, he could have wandered in on some very indecent behavior.
"Very well, then. We're coming in."
Dumbledore entered the small room to see all eleven children gathered in the common area. Many couples were snuggling far too close, but the gathering seemed innocent enough. Curious, though, was Ginny Weasely. She appeared to have a split lip and a line of scratches down one arm, but was smiling nonetheless, curled up in Pansy Parkinson's lap. Pansy herself was sporting a black eye, one arm wrapped possessively around Ginny's waist.
"The last few days have been rather entertaining and quite enlightening for you all, I'm sure, but I'm afraid it is time for the fun to end. Severus?"
Snape moved from behind Dumbledore carrying a rack containing eleven phials. His eyes lighted on Pansy briefly before turning to the head master. "I hate to say this, Albus, but it seems this little mishap was a large step towards uniting the four houses."
"I hope you're not suggesting we administer it to the entire student body!" McGonagall bristled from the doorway.
Dumbledore smiled, "Oh, I'm sure he meant nothing of the sort, Minerva, dear, but he does have a point. Never in my day did I hope to see Slytherins and Griffindors untied like this. Enough chitchat, though." He nodded and Snape approached the children. "Everyone take a phial and bottoms up."
The glass was cool to the touch, the liquid inside a translucent pale blue. Many troubled looks were shared before they all lifted the phials to their lips in unison.
The effect was immediate.
A cloud seemed to lift from Harry's mind, and he realized that one hand was still nestled in Draco's. The other boy seemed to have similar thoughts. They met each other's gaze, both unsure of what to do next.
"I suppose we should stop holding hands now." Harry frowned and tried to pull away, but the pressure on his palm increased.
Draco was frowning as well, "Should we?"
"Well, we're back to our right minds now, so…"
"I see." Draco snatched his hand away, "You have to be drunk to care for me."
"No, Draco, wait—"
But Draco had stood was already halfway across the room. He looked to Dumbledore, eyes cold and distant. "I assume we are allowed back in the dormitories now."
Dumbledore nodded, and with that, Draco left.
"Jerk."
Harry's eyes flew up to meet Pansy's. Her arms were still wrapped around Ginny, her empty phial laying forgotten on the couch.
"Yeah, Harry, that was mean." Ginny placed one hand on Pansy's cheek, turning her head until their eyes met. A whimsical smile lit her face. "Just because you're sober now doesn't mean what you felt wasn't real."
"Yes." Pansy giggled and rubbed her nose against Ginny's. "You know, I've never been with a girl before. You have a lot to teach me."
"Ahem!" McGonagall faced them, hands on her hips. "There will be plenty of time for that later. For now, however, I insist you all return to your rooms and get some sleep. You will be expected to attend class tomorrow."
Ginny sighed and rolled her eyes, "I guess she's right. I'll see you later, Pansy."
"Mm." Pansy smiled and leaned forward to give Ginny a soft kiss.
Potions the next morning was far too normal for Harry's liking. Snape was back to his miserable self, and Draco, while somber, even joined in the snickering when Snape caught Ron and Hermione passing notes.
Neville handed in his essay, and Snape graded it while they all studied silently. At the end of class, he took ten minutes to discuss the highlights of Neville paper and surprised everyone by awarding it an E.
Lunch came and Harry picked at his plate, lost in thought. It took a sharp poke from Seamus to realize that he was being spoken to.
"Just go apologize and tell him you still want to get in his knickers!" Seamus exclaimed, ignoring the exasperated looks thrown his way.
Hermione waved it away and turned to Harry, "Look, if you like him, you know we're all behind you. You hurt him last night, though, and you need to make it right."
"But how?" Harry threw his fork down in frustration. "If I try to talk to him when he's surrounded by his friends, he'll just laugh at me, and there's no way I can get him alone."
"Sure there is." Ron smiled. "We'll make it happen."
Hermione nodded. "We have Care of Magical Creatures with him after lunch. We'll," she gestured to herself and Ron, "make sure to separate him from the Slytherins, and then you grab him and slip away."
"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, smiling for the first time that day, "Are you suggesting that I cut class?"
Hermione blushed. "Well, even I have to admit that some things are more important than grades."
"Hey there, Ferret."
"Weasel," Draco greeted Ron amicably and then caught himself. His eyes darkened, "What do you want?"
Ron shrugged, "Just because Harry is a stupid git doesn't mean we can't be friends, does it?"
"You… want to be my friend?"
"Sure," Ron shrugged again and smiled, "Walk with me?"
Draco considered this for a long moment and then nodded. He turned to Crabbe and Goyle, both hanging back, ready to jump in at the first sign of hostility, and motioned for them to stay put. While obviously reluctant, they obeyed. They were far out of earshot before Ron spoke again.
"I first gave you a chance for Harry's sake." Draco seemed to tense at the mention of his name. "But," Ron continued, "even though you're an arrogant, insufferable, whiny—"
"Draco grit his teeth. "Get to the point."
"The point," Ron grinned at him, "is that despite our past, I've had a lot of fun hanging out with you the last two nights. Hell, I think I almost like you. So screw Harry; let's be friends."
Draco smirked bemusedly, "I guess I almost like you, too. Sure. Let's be friends."
"Great!" Ron laughed, slapping Draco on the back.
Their wanderings had led them to the far side of Hagrid's hut. Draco smiled at Ron and then looked forward again. His smile dropped. There stood Harry, watching them with infinite patience.
Draco backed up a step. "What's going on?"
"Oh, Harry wants a word with you, too. See you later, mate." Ron threw a wild grin at Draco before taking off.
Draco sighed and contemplated running away as well, but his pride forced him to stand his ground, arms crossed, eyes cold. "You wanted something?"
"Yes." Harry's voice was low, soft, as he carefully crossed the distance between them. "I have something to show you."
"Draco rolled his eyes, "Oh, the great Harry Potter is willing to tolerate my lowly presence. I'm so honored."
"Don't be an idiot." Harry snapped. He grabbed Draco's hand and proceeded to lead him across the campus. Draco followed with surprisingly little resistance. Eventually, they reached the edge the lake. Harry let his gaze linger on it. He asked in the same soft tone, "What do you see?"
Draco scoffed and then looked down as well. "My reflection. So?"
Harry nodded. "I was standing right here, staring at the lake last week. I tried to see what lay beyond the surface, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't see past my own reflection. Later that day I came back. The sun had moved and now I cast a shadow over the water. Finally, in the darkness of my shadow I could see everything." He looked up and caught Draco's gaze, holding it as he continued, "The next morning I returned and found nothing but my reflection."
Draco felt his breath catch. He knew where this was going, though he dared not get his hopes up.
"What I'm trying to say," Harry reached out his hands and Draco took them instinctively, "is that I'm sorry. The potion opened my mind to all kinds of new possibilities. When I couldn't hide behind it anymore, I got scared. I pulled away because I thought you would, too. It was stupid, and I'm sorry." He paused, breathing in deeply, building up his courage, "Give me another chance?"
"Another chance?" Draco laughed, harsh and bitter. He flung Harry's hands away with unnecessary force. "We've been over this once before. I told you Friday that you were out of chances, and you should know something about Slytherins by now."
Harry nodded. His head dropped, body seemed to collapse in on itself. He didn't want to hear this, but he was a glutton for punishment. "What's that?"
And then something amazing happened. Thin, pale fingers were lifting his chin, and Draco was so very close. His eyes were warm, laughing. "We lie a lot," he whispered before capturing Harry's lips in a kiss.
"You asshole!" Harry shoved him away, laughing.
Draco just shrugged, smiling from ear to ear. Harry grabbed his robes, yanking them both to the ground, pinning him down as he ravished Draco's mouth. In between kissed, he managed to ask, "So I'm forgiven?"
Draco laughed, "Always."
"You know," Harry whispered as he rained feather light kisses down the column of Draco's neck, "You'll have to make that little stunt up to me."
Draco groaned. He flipped them over so that he was straddling Harry, kissing him deeply. "My pleasure."
Author's Notes:
It's finally finished! I apologize for the long, long wait and I hope you enjoyed it.
Like the Ginny/Pansy thing? That was just thrown in for the Hell of it, but I like the way I worked it into the plot.
3/11/04