Flammy: It seems to me that seem, seems right! Lol. I think Harry and Ginny are a perfect match as well :::Grin::: As do I think Draco and Harry are a perfect match as well. :::Double Grin::: Hey! Opposites attract, right? And not to fear, oh great reviewer bows there will be slash :::Triple Grin::: I'm just leading up to the good stuff…can't just jump right in it, have to have fun! Now go! Read it! Read it, my precious.
DragonVampire: Hehe, yeah, I have, what they call at work, 'Fat Finger Syndrome,' even though my fingers are far from fat…that and I type like a bat out of Hell. Sip is correct. I noticed that the asteriks I had in there, didn't show up when it pd on FF.net. Thanks for pointing that out, now I know I can't use my stars, have to change it to something more fun now! I love details as much as anyone, I was feeling lazy that day, I'm not going to make up any excuses for my laziness. Oh, and for future reference to everyone, I won't take anything wrong. In fact, I never take anything wrong, prolly why people don't find making fun of me any fun anymore…lol. Well, the next chapter will come…:::Does best Ryan Seacrest impression::: after the break.
:::A/N: Well! After a few days, and many hours at Perkins ((not the old warlock, the restaurant)), I've finally come up with a way to word what I wanted to write. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter! ((and by the way it looks, 'you all' refer to you; two, Dragon and Flammy.)) Please keep R&R-ing. It helps me write ((and what not to write, that is the question)), what you want to read! ((or not to read, that is the other question)). I promise I'm going to start going more into detail between Harry and Draco in further chapters. I hope you enjoy! P.S…I'm coming up with a song list I'm going to add to each chapter, if the songs let me, it's the 'soundtrack' to the story grin I take no credit for these bands music and am just using them to state what songs inspired the chapters I write. Oh, and don't laugh…music means a lot to me, laughing at my song choices will just make me put in more songs by the band and hopefully torture you into buying their CD so you can actually hear how good the song is.
People/Places/Things: that I give thanks to for helping me get through this chapter: ((may ignore, I'm just putting this stuff in for good measure :::grin:: ))
: "The Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter (Analysis of Books 1- 4) " by: The Wizarding World Press.
: Perkins, with their never ending coffee, root beer and always a clean ashtray waiting to be filled.
: My muse, faeries, Gods and Goddesses
: And last, but not least, my reviewers ((even if it is just you four)).
Songs used to inspire this chapter:
Double Trouble (PoA soundtrack, out now in stores! Go get it if you don't got it) "Double double, toil and trouble, fire burning, cauldron bubble, double, double, toil and trouble, something wicked this ways comes.
Touch (Measure of a Man - Clay Aiken) "All I want is your touch, All I want is your Heaven right here by my side, every night, all I want is your touch, all I want is your tenderness here in my life, every morning and night, Girl, cause your touch is so right."
Get up and Go (Underneath - Hanson) "…Get away, be in love, we can make it better, All I need's a little time for us to get together, Happiness is just a step away, when it's alright, yeah it's alright, Just a girl like you, and maybe just a, just a guy like me, maybe we, can take a walk on the wild side, take a look and see, get up and go."
Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good without the usage of JK Rowlings characters, and maybe a few of my own thrown in to help mess things up a little. I am in now way related to, or trying to take over Harry Potter, the WB, AOL, Scholastic Books, Bloomsbury Publishing, Time Warner, Entertainment Company and anyone else who's with the Harry Potter trademark. I make no money so no suey, ok? And without further ado, I give to you….
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Two hours later (with Ron and Harry's pockets filled with assorted pick of candy from Gambol and Japes; some made your nose turn colors, a few gave you sticky fingers for a day, anything you touch will stick to your hands, and some some that made your ears steam with pixie dust. Ginny chose a mood rose. It was a real rose that changed color, according to your mood as you held it), they made their way back to Gringotts where they met up with Mr. And mrs. Weasley, who had three bags with each of their school supplies at their feet. She smiled brightly at the children and complimented on Ginny's rose as she hustled everyone toward the departure area. Harry, his eyes scanning the area one last time for a sign of blonde hair belonging to a certain boy paused as his eyes ran over Draco's head. It was partially hidden by Crabbe and Goyle and a building that led into an alleyway.
"Well, come on, Harry." Mrs. Weasley beckoned to him to come inside the departing building. Harry's mouth flopped open, looking for an excuse, any excuse as he stared hopelessly at a large sign in front of the doors that read in bright, blinking, white lights 'Now leaving Diagon Alley.' Harry looked around quickly, not wanting to miss the chance to stay and scout out Draco, that had seemed to have gone missing, as his head was no longer visible.
"I…I forgot to get something, you go on ahead, I'll be right behind you." Harry quickly said. Mrs. Weasley tilted her head.
"Well, alright…You sure you can get back ok? No flooing into other people's fire pits?" She asked, concerned. She was remembering the first time Harry used the floo to come to Diagon Alley. He accidentally said diagonally and it took him to the wrong spot. Luckily, Hagrid was nearby to find him and take him back to her. Harry nodded urgently.
"Yes, The Burrow, right? I can remember that." Harry looked around again, beginning to bounce on his feet. He was getting anxious. The longer Draco was gone, the more of a chance Harry had of not catching up to him. Mrs. Weasley nodded back and stepped inside the doors.
"We'll see you soon then, Harry." Harry sent a quick smile her way as she shut the door and got in line to floo out of Diagon Alley as Harry took off running. He stopped to look down the alley he had seen Draco standing by, but no one was there. He continued walking down the familiar pathway, looking in the windows , his stomach sinking as no one showed up. He was just about ready to turn around to go back to the burrow when he was suddenly stuck walking in-between Crabbe and Goyle. Harry looked at each of them with confusement as they grabbed Harry by the arms and guided him along with their fat, yet strong, fingers. Tese two were rarely seen without Draco leading the way and no Draco was to be found.
"Where did you two come from?" Harry asked as he was forced to walk forward. Crabbe and Goyle kept quiet as they pushed onward.
"Where are we going?" Harry asked again, a few steps later, but still, no answer came. They took a sudden right, into an abandoned shop. A few torches along the wall burned, giving just enough light to see a cement floor, a crack seemed to follow them as they walked to the back wall. Harry was about to open his mouth to ask a third question when Goyle struck a brick with his over-sized hand. The wall moved back, revealing a narrow and dark hallway. Harry was pushed inside before he had a chance to fight and the wall started closing quickly behind him. He turned just in time to see Crabbe and Goyle leaving the abandoned shop as the wall slid closed with a slam. Harry threw his fists at the wall, hitting along the edge and the middle of the hard, cold, stone to find a way out, but the hidden door didn't open. He whipped around and tried to search through the deep blackness, but couldn't see anything. He rested his back on the wall and pushed and again, nothing happened.
"Ha ha, ok guy's, you got me…let me out." Harry tried screaming to the door, but with the knowledge that Crabbe and Goyle had left the shop already, didn't help at all. Surely the shoppers that were free in the streets of Diagon Alley couldn't hear him. No, not through these thick stone walls. If anyone could hear him through these walls, that would be a surprise gladly welcomed.
Harry took a deep breath and saw no place to go, but forward. He stuck his hands out in front of him, to protect him from any sudden wall or fall he might take, and proceeded to take a step forward, then another. On the third step, a firework of lights happened, shooting up and out of the walls, leaving behind a soft flickering light, lighting only a few good steps ahead of him. Upon further investigation, any other lost person would have seen a candle holder, shaped like cast iron black fingers, griping a cone of granite in which flames jumped out, burning hot and bright from the top of the granite cone. Harry, just thankful for the light, paid no attention to the candle holders. He squinted his eyes, as the new light was a shock to his eyes from being in total darkness for more than just a few seconds. He continued walking slowly down the hall. It happened again, fireworks, then light. It made Harry jump, as he was still not expecting it. He turned quickly and saw the first light that had exploded on him, grow dim. His eyes searched through the darkness, making sure there was nothing to jump out at him. He drew his wand out of his pocket and held it at arms length, his hand shaking in weird intervals.
"H-hello?" He asked, unsure of what to expect. There was no answer. Harry took a few steps backwards, not expecting the stone hand that seemed to protrude from the wall with great force, that if he hadn't of turned quickly forward again, it would have knocked him to the ground. He put a hand over his chest as he looked over the cement hand. His heart was racing, as was his thoughts. The hand was pointing left, so left he went, down another corridor that was seemingly shorter than the one he was in. A few steps took him to a huge mahogany door with a gold handle. A soft glow emitted from under the door. His heart, still racing like crazy.
"Hello?" He asked again, this time with more bravery than before. He raised a hand to knock at the door, but it swung open, before he could even touch it, revealing a room. He stepped inside and looked to his left again. A fire was burning in a huge fireplace. A lounging chair in green velvet wasd placed graciously in front of the fire and a circular woven rug in reds and blues, was spread out over the floor, leaving only the corners of the room showing rotted, wooden flooring that had collected a few good inches of dust. Harry's eyes traveled over the walls. Swirls of different shades of red seemed to move in the provided dancing light of the fire place. Above the mantle, a picture hung on the wall. A man with short white, almost silver hair, and caring eyes, stared back at Harry. The old man's skin seemed wrinkled from time, but the smile he wore on his face made him look twenty years younger than what he was. Harry tilted his head as the man in the picture stood with a polite nod and excused himself, leaving the picture empty. Harry's eyes lingered on the black background of the empty frame for a second, swearing quietly to himself that the man looked familiar, before he turned to his right. Draco leaned casually on the wall, his blonde hair that Harry had searched so carefully for, fell above his eyes. Harry paused and watched as the fire light accented different features on the boys face with each flicker the flame chose to do. Harry stood, not moving, as if caught in the gaze of a Basilisk, but Draco was no Basilisk.
"Took you long enough." Draco sneered and stood straight, looking back at Harry, somehow, Draco's, cold-gray eyes not seeming as bone-chilling as his sneer. Harry took another step in and closed the door, breaking his frozen stance.
"Well, if I knew what your two followers were up to, I might have come quicker."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Harry." The sneer disappeared from Draco's face. "I would have had them bring you here, but getting rid of them is the hard part."
"Can't you just wave your hand at them and send them away?" Harry asked. Draco chuckled and turned, walking into the room behind him. Inside was a wooden table, a cauldron and walls lined with numerous jars filled with random ingredients used for brewing the most dangers, and sometimes the most interesting potions.
"You see, Harry. Crabbe and Goyle are dumb. Tell them tere's a Santa Claus, and they'll believe you. Cook a rabbit for dinner and they'll cry, thinking it's the Easter Bunny. Tell them to find you and bring you here for me to fight you and they'll want to stay, believing their instincts that I'd actually turn you into a Dandelion and no matter how hard I'd try to send them away, they won't go until you are growing out from the ground."
"But you would turn me into a Dandelion anyway if you--"
"They'd pick you and run off with you before I had the chance to send them off and turn you back."
Draco grinned and pulled up two chairs, sitting in one of them. Harry sat in the other chair, his wand, still tightly gripped in his hand as if he was expecting another stone hand to come out of a wall and challenge him to a duel. Draco saw the wand and rolled his eyes.
"Harry, please, stay a while, put your wand away." Harry had to double look at his hand before he blushed and quickly stuck his wand back in his back pocket.
"What is this place?" Harry asked, looking around once again. Draco leaned back in his chair.
"Just a place I found. It was covered with cobwebs, so I told Crabbe and Goyle to clean it up and I moved in."
"Ah." Harry exclaimed, his eyes meeting Draco's. Draco smiled and nodded.
"It's cozy. I call it--" and he lifted his hands in front of him and held them up as if seeing his name in lights "Draco's Den." He put his hands down after a while, admiring the blank space in the air with a serene sort of smile on his face. Harry nodded, a smile forming on his face as well as he suppressed an 'aw' and instead, said "cute." Draco growled and glared at Harry.
"It's not cute." Draco crossed his arms. "Now that you said it's cute, I'm going to have to change the name."
"Oh…" Harry said quietly. "Then it's not cute. It's very fearsome, indeed."
"Don't try to fix it, Harry. The damage is done. You dubbed it cute already."
Harry laughed and stood up, walking over to the shelves.
"And don't laugh." Draco stated, getting up as well. "It's not funny, it's sad, really." He walked beside Harry, watching him quietly. Harry's profile was soft and it showed something that Draco had never seen before. Usually, Harry's face screwed up in such a fit, Hate was written all over it when they came face to face. Now, here, even though they were much closer than face to face, there wasn't a trace of Hate. It was almost angelic…innocent even. Draco's eyes moved to his lips. They seemed soft and moist. The closer Draco moved in to look, the softer and more enticing they seemed to be. Draco took a step closer, his chest brushing against Harry's arm and blew softly into Harry's ear. The hair on Harry's neck stood on end as Draco's warm breath tickled the inside of his ear. He brought his hand up and itched inside his ear as her turned to face Draco.
"That wasn't very nice." Harry said, jokingly, bringing his hand down.
"No, that was me being nice…but if you prefer it the other way around…" Draco brought his hands up to Harry's face and drew him in roughly, kissing his lips with such force and passion, Harry didn't know Draco could possess, he could tell that, in the morning, if the night continued on like this, his lips would be visibly bruised. Torn, cracked and bruised.
Draco pulled back, softly nibbling Harry's lip and waited as Harry's eyes opened. The tops of his ears grew red, making Draco smile evilly. Harry leaned forward for another kiss, but Draco only let their lips brush against one another before he pulled back teasingly.
"Nope." He stated simply, as Harry pouted, furrowing his brow. Draco took Harry's hand and led him out of the room. He pushed on another wall that was right in front of the front door in which Harry entered and the wall gave way, showing another corridor of staircases that led down to another level.
"Come." Draco whispered, close to Harry's ear. Harry shivered and bit his lip as he studied the stairs. He remembered Mrs. Weasley…'we'll see you soon.' Harry looked at Draco, sadly.
"I should…be going." He hung his head. Draco took his free hand and lifted Harry's chin gently.
"No, you shouldn't."
"I told Mrs. Weasley that--"
"--forget what you told Mrs. Weasley, Harry."
"But--"
"--Shh, listen. She doesn't run your life. Neither does Wease-er-" Draco stopped suddenly and stared suddenly at Harry, searching for the foreign name he was trying to say.
"Ron." Harry hinted quietly, hiding amusement in his eyes as Draco winced at the name. Draco took in a breath.
"Ron or Ginny, for that matter." He added quickly. "Make your own decisions."
Harry bit his lip. He hated to keep his friends worrying, and he knew that he'd hate himself for not staying a bit longer.
"What about Crabbe and Goyle?"
"I told them to drop you off and go home, they won't show up tonight…we're alone, Harry." Draco leaned closer and softly kissed Harry, helping him make his decision. When Harry seemed quiet for too long, Draco grabbed Harry's wand out of his back pocket and pointed the tip at their hands. After Draco murmured, incoherently, an incantation, a light shot fourth from the tip and instantly, their skin from where their hands joined seemed to melt together.
"Besides, I'm not letting your hand, or your wand go. That would be a hard one to explain now, wouldn't it?" He leaned in for another kiss, softer than the one before and pulled back. Harry looked down at their hands. He did have to admit. Draco did have quite a grip on their hands. He brought his eyes up, letting them linger on Draco's lips before allowing himself to be led down the stairway. What choice did he have, he'd come up with some believable excuse to tell them, back home. He couldn't miss this moment.
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Harry had been sleeping peacefully. He had been dreaming about the first quid ditch match of the season against Slytherin. He and Draco were side by side, hands outstretched, both fighting for the Snitch which was just centimeters before their fingers when a quick snore from Draco had made Harry wake. He laid on his back, staring at the ceiling as Draco slept peacefully on next to him. The candles in the small bedroom were still burning brightly. The room had been stuffy, but at least the bed was comfy. It was an old bed and any good movement caused it to groan and creak under the weight, which made Harry glad that there were no neighbors he knew of, besides never ending corridors, to hear any creaking that went on just a few hours ago. Harry slowly got up on his elbows and reached for his glasses that were beside him on the small, simple, wooden, nightstand. He put them on and turned his head, looking at Draco. He was on his side and the fabric of his pillow barely moved with his soft, rhythmic breathing. His arm laid snug over Harry's bare waist. Their shirts had been thrown off on the floor as soon as Draco had un-bound their hands and the making out session went on. Draco would have taken it further, he could have taken it further, but Harry made him stop, explaining that it was his first time with a boy and he was just a bit nervous. Draco had given satisfaction to Harry's confession by continuing the make out session and told Harry that he'd take it as fast or as slow as Harry felt comfortable.
Harry quietly moved Draco's arm from his waist as he stood. He watched Draco a few minuets longer, memorizing his sleeping face before searching around the room for some paper, a quill and his shirt. He scribbled a note and folded it, leaving it neatly on the nightstand. As he made his way up the stairs, he threw his shirt over his head. He took one last look around, wondering how he was going to get out as he remembered that the brick wall hadn't opened for him to let him back out into Diagon Alley after Crabbe and Goyle shoved him inside. He spotted the old man in the picture frame; a candle was burning on a small round table placed by his side as he read, spectacles on his curved nose, a blue book held right in front of it. Harry approached and the man took off his spectacles and looked down upon Harry.
"Um, excuse me, but…you wouldn't happen to know how to move the brick wall at the entry of the hall outside, would you?" Harry asked, quite embarrassed. The man in the picture smiled warmly and Harry noted that something seemed to be missing from that smile.
"Just open the door." He stated. Harry glanced back at the front door, something about the old man's voice sounding familiar as well, but he couldn't place it as he made a face at the door. He turned back to the old man and shook his head.
"But that door leads to--" He felt a light breeze as the door opened by itself. Harry looked at it again, this time, not looking past the door frame into a black hallway, but instead, outside of the door frame there was a garden surrounded by a picket fence and a stepping-stone pathway that led from the door into a deep, black, forest that seemed chilling to even look at. Harry coughed, not expecting the site, and turned back around to face the old man.
"Um. On second thought…would you mind if I used your fireplace?" Harry asked, a bit confused.
"No, no. Of course not. By all means." The old man answered, his arms spread open and the bright flames went out, a flower pot of floo powder appeared next to it's opening.
"Thanks." Harry said as he stepped forward, a feeling of relief washed over him as the floo powder felt safer than the forest outside. He turned around as soon as he was safe inside the brick walls of the huge fireplace and held the hand which held the floo powder out, in front of him. He took a deep breath and spoke slowly and clearly, "The Burrow." He threw down the powder and was soon engulfed by green flames. A few seconds later, he was thrown out on the floor of the Weasley's living room. He held in the urge to cough as ash and dusty smoke settled in the air around him. He stood and looked around. The house was dark and quiet. He brushed himself off and walked into the kitchen, spotting the strange clock, in which the family's pictures were placed. All hands of the clock, one for each picture, stood soundly on 'home.' He watched closer as he spotted a hand that started moving from the 'Hogwarts' label to 'home' and froze as the hand came to a stand still at his face. They had added his picture to the clock and his hand had said he had been at school?
'No.' Harry thought in weak amusement, meekly looking away and heading toward the sink. 'That's impossible. I was at Diagon Alley with Draco.' He grabbed a glass and filled it with water. 'Not at school.' He took a gulp of water and got to thinking again as he brought down the glass. 'Yet, when the door had opened, it led out of a garden…a house garden and into a forest.' Harry leaned back on the counter and took a small sip of water and stared at the floor as the next thought flowed through his head. 'It surely couldn't have been the--"
"Oh! Harry! It's only you. You gave me quite a scare." A voice had interrupted his thoughts and he looked up, seeing Mrs. Weasley, wand in hand, standing in the kitchen. Harry smiled tiredly.
"Yep, only me." He took the last bit of water down before putting the empty glass in the sink. Mrs. Weasley walked toward Harry.
"I figured you were going to be late. I saw your hand move to 'Hogwarts.'" Mrs. Weasley motioned with her head toward the strange clock. Harry nodded.
"Yeah, I ran into Professor and they said she had to talk to me." He added quickly, not thinking his words over.
"What?" Mrs. Weasley stood confused, putting a hand securely on Harry's shoulder. "What happened?"
"Harry swallowed, his mind racing to straighten the story he had just told her.
"I met Professor McGonagal…and Professor Trelawney." He paused. "They had to talk to me, so we went back there…to Hogwarts of course, because that's where it said I was." Harry forced a smile and Mrs. Weasley just nodded. That was a story he'd have to remember, just incase he got asked about it again. She patted his back after a while.
"Well, you have quite a day tomorrow. You should get some sleep. I had Ron pack your things so you should be all ready to leave when you wake." Harry stood, looking confused at Mrs. Weasley.
"Tomorrow? Pack?…OH!" Harry suddenly remembered that tomorrow was the day he'd return to Hogwarts. He smiled and nodded. Mrs. Weasley gave Harry a hug and turned to leave, but paused in her step and looked back at Harry.
"Oh, and Harry?"
"Hm?"
"Happy Birthday." She smiled and left as a smile slowly filled out Harry's face. Indeed, it had been his birthday for almost a whole day. It was over in just a couple of minuets and he had forgotten about it. He wondered if Draco knew as he moved through the living room and started up the stairs. He stopped at Ginny's door, deciding not to go further up the stairs. He put a hand on her door handle and turned it, opening it slowly and stuck his head in. It was the first time he had been in her room. A four poster bed was pushed against one wall. A wicker basket with a few stuffed animals, sitting happily on top of it was in a corner. Few clothes were laying around. He stepped in and closed the door. He walked over to the bed, the stuffed animals watching him closely as he watched Ginny sleep. Something inside of him felt wrong about coming back from an evening with Draco and now standing, watching Ginny sleep as he had with Draco. Yet something else made him feel happy that he had her. Harry lied down beside her in her bed and pulled her close. Ginny stirred and smiled as she noticed Harry. She welcomed the feeling of his arms around her. She closed her eyes and returned to sleep as Harry held her for a while, thinking all the while that he had forgotten his wand back with