A/N: to everyone who reviewed, thank you very much, to virvidian... you
dirty mind you! but, thanks for the idea... might have to incorporate that
into another idea of mine..... but yeah, onto the damn story....
Chapter 17
Saturday morning, Severus, anxious for the Co captains to get ready for their home game against Durmstrung, wandered into the Boy's Dorms to wake up Harry and Draco. He quietly opened the door and walked over to Draco's bed. He grasped the covers and pulled on them, already shaking the shoulder under the blankets.
"Draco, wake up. The game starts in two hours and you need to warm up and eat breakfast... GINNY???" He stared at the sleepy redhead in shock. "What're you doing in Draco's bed???"
Ginny sat up and stretched, yawning. "Harry had another- AHHAHH ahh- nightmare, a really bad one. His uncle again. Draco is sleeping next to him. It was the only way he could get back to sleep..." Severus scowled, a truly terrifying sight.
"When I get my hands on that perverted fuck up..." he growled. " I swear I'm gonna kill him and it'll be the -"
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" a terrified scream came from across the room. Severus and Ginny blanched and shot over to Harry's bed. They yanked back the curtains to see Draco sitting up, cradling Harry in his arms. Harry was thrashing and sobbing, trying to curl into a ball as far away from Draco as possible.
"Shhh." Draco held him in place and stroked his back tenderly. *Harry, it's just a dream. Wake up, Harry. Come on, wake up.* Draco soothed.
Severus and Ginny sat down, opening their shields. *Harry, come on brother/nephew, wake up,* they thought in unison, rubbing his shoulders.
In the third bed, Eric sat bolt upright at the sounds of Harry's shrieks. "Oh HELL!" he swore vehemently, crawling out of bed. He walked unnoticed out of the room and reappeared several minutes later with Emily, Lily, James, Remus and Blaise in tow.
Draco, Severus and Ginny kept soothing Harry, trying to pull him out of the nightmare. Blaise and Remus sat down on Draco's now empty bed. Emily and Eric decided to bid each other good morning in a much more interesting way than speaking and started making out on Eric's bed. Not one paid any attention to them. Harry stopped screaming and just lay there in the fetal position, whimpering. Lily and James rushed over to their son and gently pulled him from Draco's arms.
"Hey!" Draco protested.
"I'm his mother," Lily admonished him. "I haven't been there to save him from the abuse, please let me comfort my son!" Draco lay back on the pillow, sulking.
"And I'm his soul mate," he grumbled under his breath. "Doesn't that mean anything?"
James shot him a look over the messy mop of ebony hair cradled in between him and his wife. "Yes, that counts for something. But, imagine if you would be so kind, how we feel right now? This is our fault. If we had been there for him growing up, none of this would have happened." He rocked Harry back and forth. "Come on, Harry, we've got you. It's safe now, we promise," James soothed.
Harry slowly opened his eyes, tears still falling freely down his face. He blinked sleepily at his mother, pain clouding his vision.
"Harry, what did you see?" Lily asked gently.
Harry shook his head and just lay there, safe in his parents' arms. "I - I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled, burying his face in his mother's shoulder, tears still streaming down his face. Lily and James exchanged worried glances over his bowed head. They tightened their grasp on their nearly inconsolable son.
*Harry?* Draco asked, concerned.
*Draco?* Harry replied.
*Are you all right?* Draco asked him, grasping his hand in a show of support.
Harry lifted his head and weakly smiled. *You know what it was about because you were there, so yes I'll be all right, and no, I don't want to talk about it.*
Draco sighed. *You know that bottling it up inside will only make your nightmares worse, right?*
*I know, but I feel so weird talking to my parents. They blame themselves for what happened to me. It's not their fault. They couldn't help that Voldemort killed them. He's a demon, and the Killing curse kills demigods and mortals alike. I've survived this long on my own, and don't get me wrong, I love my parents, but I'm 16, not 4. I can deal with this.*
*You never should have had to deal with this, Harry.* Draco wracked his brain for a way to explain this to his soul mate. *The fact that they haven't been there is through no fault of their own. Let them in. They want what's best for you, and they aren't treating you like a 4 year old, most of the time. I'm not quite sure about now, though.* Draco shot a small glare at Lily and James.
*Relax, Draco. Down!* Harry laughed mentally. Draco stuck his tongue out at him, making Harry laugh even harder. James and Lily stared at his shaking shoulders, concerned.
"Um, Harry, are you all right?" Lily asked tentatively.
"Harry? Are you sure you don't want to talk to us?" James asked, rubbing his son's back.
Harry sat up, tears of mirth rolling down his face. His parents stared at him in shock. "Sorry, Mum, Dad, Draco said something funny," Harry explained, rolling his eyes. He sat up and leaned back against the pillows next to his soul mate.
Draco mock glared at him, and turned his nose up with a delicate sniff. "Fine, be that way. See if I help you next time you're screaming you head off, Potter." Draco stood up, dumping Harry on the floor in the process. Harry sat on the floor in only his boxers.
"HEY!" protested Harry, rubbing his now sore butt. "And you will too help me, if only to get yourself out of my nightmares." Draco stared at him and smirked, walking into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.
Harry stood up and quickly ran to the bathroom door, ignoring the kissing couple and Ginny's giggles. "Hey, Dipwad! I have to get in there too, you know!"
Draco opened the door. "Hello, Moron, the door is unlocked. You could just walk in. Oh yeah, that's right. You're slow on the uptake." Harry grumbled under his breath and pushed past Draco, disappearing into the bathroom. Draco grinned and closed the door again.
Lily and James stared at the bathroom door in confusion. "Are they always like that?" Lily asked Severus.
"Oh yes. They can't live without sniping at each other. At least this time they don't mean it. This time last year, they'd have killed each other over the insults and the little display we saw. At the very least, it would have ended in a fistfight." Severus shook his head and stood up. He walked over to Eric's bed and dumped his other two favorite students on the floor.
"HEY!" they yelled in unison.
"Breakfast is in twenty minutes, Miss George and Mr. McKnight. I expect to see you there. So quit exploring each others' mouths and get ready." Severus, Lily, James and Remus walked from the room, leaving their students to get ready for the game.
"You really mean it?" Lily asked Severus as they walked out the door. "Then how in hell can they be soul mates? They'll kill each other!"
"Lily, remember how you and James used to act? The saying 'opposites attract' is very true. I shudder to think of how Laurel might act..." Blaise and Eric stared at their House Head in confusion as the adults exited the Dorms.
Emily and Ginny just rolled their eyes and walked out of the room, heading back to their rooms to get ready for the day. Eric walked into the bathroom after Harry and Draco, hoping to God he wasn't interrupting anything.
Thankfully, for Eric, they were in separate showers.
Exactly twenty minutes later, Harry, Draco, Eric, Emily and Ginny strolled into the Great Hall for breakfast. They sat down at the Slytherin table next to Seamus, Neville, and Luna, who were already in the middle of eating. Harry grabbed a plate and dug in. After about five minutes, he finally looked around and noticed the decorations.
Jack-o-Lanterns hovered in midair, lighting the Hall. A gigantic spider web covered the walls, and conjured spiders crawled around the web and dangled in midair. Harry could just imagine Ron's reaction to all things eight legged and wondered where the arachnophobic Gryffindor was. Live bats flew around the Hall in a mad frenzy. An eerie mist covered the floor, and Harry could almost be certain that there were rats scurrying around in the mist. He felt something brush his ankle at least twice while he was eating, and something ghosted by his ankle yet again at that very moment. He kicked, hard, and felt his foot connect with absolutely nothing except for the underside of the table. Draco stared at him strangely.
"What?" asked Harry.
"Why'd you kick the table?" Draco asked him.
"I thought something touched my ankle." Harry took a long swig of Pumpkin Juice and stared at it, absently changing it to a Screwdriver. "Hey, how're we getting the invitations out?" Harry asked suddenly. He watched with great interest as Dumbledore, McGonagall, and the other teachers with the exceptions of Severus, his parents, Alanna and Xander left the Great Hall.
Draco sat still for a minute. "Ummmm... let's see. I know that we can let everyone know by word of mouth, or we could send out the invitations immediately..." Draco trailed off, lost in thought.
Harry elbowed him in the ribs. "Hey, how many people are we talking about? Who isn't invited?" he asked as soon as he had Draco's attention. Harry took a long swig of his Screwdriver, gasping as the Vodka hit his stomach. "Oh, that felt good..." he sighed happily.
"No one under fourth year, as we will have alcohol and rather questionable drugs... WHAT ARE YOU DOING???" he screeched.
Harry looked down at him from where he had climbed up onto the table. "What??" He turned and cast a quick "Sonorus" on his voice and yelled over the dull roar. "EVERYONE SHUT UP!!!!!!" The Hall went completely silent. Everyone turned to look at him. "NOW THAT I HAVE EVERYONE'S ATTENTION, THERE'S A PARTY IN THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS TONIGHT FROM 9PM UNTIL WHENEVER IT ENDS!!!!!!!! THE DRESS CODE IS SEXY COSTUME OR JUST PLAIN SEXY! FOURTH YEAR AND ABOVE ARE WELCOME TO COME, BUT ANYONE YOUNGER, IF THEY HAVE AN OLDER DATE, ARE WELCOME. ANYONE INTERESTED, PLEASE SEE ME AFTER THE GAME." Harry removed the Sonorus charm and sat back down. The Great Hall broke out into whispers.
"Did that work?" Harry smugly asked. Draco just rolled his eyes.
"Plebian." Draco went back to eating. Harry mocked him and tucked back into his breakfast. A loud thump next to him made him jump almost a foot in the air. He whipped around, his fist glowing, and relaxed just as quickly. Ron and Hermione had sat down next to him.
"Harry?" Ron asked tentatively.
"Yes?" Harry asked just as cautiously.
"Did you mean that anyone can come?" Hermione asked from the other side of Ron. Ginny stiffened. Draco wrapped an arm around her comfortingly.
"Yes, it did. Do you two want to come?" Harry asked, eyeing them suspiciously.
Ron and Hermione nodded slowly. "And, we have something to say to Ginny. Ron!" Hermione added, elbowing her boyfriend in the ribs.
Ron cleared his throat nervously and stared at the impassive, if not slightly hostile faces surrounding him. He turned to his sister, cringing at the pain and anguish in her eyes. "Gin, I'm so sorry. I've been shown the error of my ways, and I just wanted to say that I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! Mum even screamed at me for being an ass! She sent me a Howler, threatening to disown me if I don't stop acting like this! No one is mad at you, and everyone is completely pissed at me." Ron fell silent, waiting for his sister to say something.
Ginny nodded and stood. "Draco, fix my robes, please." She started to transform, Draco quickly waving his hand to make her robes and clothing grow with her. She stalked over to Ron, who was staring at her in awe and fear. "You mean that you can accept me for who I am and not call me a freak or the bitch from hell?" she all but purred, coming around the other side of the table to stand behind Ron. Ron turned to face her.
Ron shocked everyone with his next move. He stood quickly and wrapped his sister, demon form and all, in a bone crushing hug. "I'm so sorry, Gin. I've been a bastard and I don't deserve a wonderful sister like you." Ginny started to cry and slowly morphed back into her human form.
"If you ever hurt me like that again..." Ginny trailed off, her voice breaking with emotion. Ron said nothing, just held her tightly in his arms. The entire Great Hall breathed a sigh of relief, with the exception of Professor Snape, Harry, Draco, Alanna and Xander.
Harry and Draco exchanged worried glances over the table. Severus walked over from the Teacher's table, a grim expression on his face. "Mr. Weaseley, do you really mean that, or is this just some stupid prank?" Severus asked, scowling at Ron and Hermione.
Ron jumped. "No- no Sir. I mean every word." He turned to stare the Potions Professor straight in the eye.
"I would like a word with you two, then, Miss Granger and Mr. Weaseley. Follow me." Severus swept from the Hall. Hermione and Ron looked at each other fearfully and followed Severus meekly out of the Hall.
Harry and Draco just stared at each other. "What time is it?" Harry asked finally.
"It's almost 9:00. We have to get going to warm up for the game," Draco absently replied. Harry nodded and stretched, turning to Ginny.
"Come one, everyone," Harry called as he stood up. "We have to go get ready for the game. It starts in an hour." He and Draco walked out of the Great Hall, their team mates falling into step behind them.
Harry led the Hogwarts team to the locker room. After quickly changing into their practice gear, they took to the skies for warm ups. Ron finally showed up, looking queasy and pale. Harry, concerned that their backup Goalie wouldn't be able to play, asked him what was wrong.
"Nothing," muttered Ron sullenly, still shaking. Harry left him alone after that.
After almost forty five minutes of practice, Madam Hooch called them back into the locker rooms. "Come on! The Durmstrung team is here already!" she called anxiously. They quickly rushed to the locker rooms, stripping off their practice gear in the process. Harry quickly threw on his game robes. On either side of him, Draco and Ginny were doing the same.
Once Harry had finished dressing, he turned to his team mates. "Ok, ladies and gents, you know the drill. No powers except telepathy, and no cheating- "
Draco cut him off from where he was seated on a bench. "Unless they start it!" he finished, grinning. Harry elbowed him in the ribs. "Hey!" Draco gasped, laughing. "If they start it, we aren't going out without a fight, you idiot. Besides, I know that Durmstrung plays dirty. We have to be prepared."
Sighing, Harry agreed. "True, they do play dirty, but I don't want us being called on anything illegal. So, we don't do anything until they foul us, and PLEASE be discrete." Everyone nodded in agreement, Draco included. "So, let's do this."
"On three." Draco extended his hand.
Everyone crowded around him, putting their hands in the center. "ONE, TWO, THREE, HOGWARTS!" the team screamed. Madam Hooch stuck her head out the locker room door.
"Ok, everyone, this is it! Good luck and WIN!" she yelled, shooing them out the door. They mounted their brooms and shot out of the locker room onto the field. Harry and Draco led the team in a lap around the field to the cheers of the Hogwarts Student Body. Harry again saw his mother, in the stands, seated next to Severus Snape. And again, with an incredible sense of deja vu, she looked as if she was going to be sick at any minute.
"Dad, I thought Mum was feeling better!" Harry protested, falling back to talk to his father.
James shrugged mysteriously. "Oh, she is, Harry. The nausea comes and goes." Harry stared at him strangely, but James refused to elaborate any further. Shrugging, Harry sped up and landed next to Draco.
"WHOOOHOOOOO!!!!! GO HARRY! IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!!! GO DRACO, IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! GO HOGWARTS! IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!!!" Harry looked up and grinned. Gaila and Olivia were leaning over the edge of the stands, screaming, their soul mates holding onto their robes for balance. Draco looked up and rolled his eyes.
The referee walked out onto the field across the center line. "Now, boys, I expect a clean game-"
"And girls," Ginny interrupted.
The referee glared at her before continuing. " AND GIRLS, I expect a clean game. No curses and," he glared at the Durmstrung Captain, "I better not see any steam rolling." The other captain glared and scuffed his shoes. "Now, shake hands."
Harry shook the beefy captain's hand and wasn't surprised when the other boy tried to break his fingers. Harry smirked, for the first time glad that Dudley had beat up on him. He quickly flipped the grip, clenching his fingers into fists, and the other boy's face whitened in pain. Draco stood next to him, grinning evilly.
The other boy backed off, rubbing his fingers. "Don't worry, Ref, we won't have any problems with them," Draco said, an evil smirk on his face.
"All right then." The Ref, with little fanfare, released the Snitch, Bludgers and the Quaffle. Harry kicked off the ground, spiraling upward. He quickly caught the Quaffle and immediately passed backwards, knowing that Draco was right behind him.
Draco slid the Quaffle into Ginny's reaching fingers. She shot to the goal, the other chasers still after Draco. She and Harry quickly scored, raising the score to 10 - 0, Hogwarts. Dimly, Harry could hear Lee and Fred commenting on the game, but tuned them out so he could concentrate. Ginny stole the Quaffle and she shot towards the goal, Harry and Draco flanking her. They passed the Quaffle back and forth, avoiding the Bludger one of the other Beaters shot directly at them. Nicholai, at the last minute, swung his bat, targeting the other team. They quickly shot the Quaffle at the left most goal, scoring on Durmstrung's rather hot female keeper yet again- all within thirty seconds. Durmstrung quickly took possession. Harry and Draco chased them down the field. They actually took a shot against Emily. She deftly caught the ball and passed it to Ginny, who streaked down the field, the other team in hot pursuit.
Five minutes later, Hogwarts was in the lead, 50 - 10. Harry anxiously kept his eyes peeled for the other team's Beaters. They had this annoying habit of slamming the Bludger at unaware and unprotected backs. Harry slammed the Quaffle into the goal yet again, upping the score by ten to 60 - 10. *Come on, Dad, catch the damn Snitch already. They're too good.* He dodged a Bluger as his sped towards his face, angrily shaking hs fist at the grinning Beater.
*Damn it, Harry, I'm trying!* James snapped, trying to shake the other Seeker from his tail. *This guy's like a leech! He won't leave me alone!* After ten more minutes of the damn Seeker clinging to him James was struck by a burst of inspiration. He shot towards the ground, the other Seeker blindly following him. He spiraled to the ground and, at the last minute pulled up, a perfect Wronski Feint. Victor Krumm's replacement never saw it coming. He plowed into the ground, skidding off and past his broom. The Referee skidded to the ground, blowing his whistle. All play was halted as Madam Pomfrey examined the other Seeker.
*Good job, Dad!* Harry cheered mentally. James grinned and took a half bow, smirking at the other team. *Uh oh,* Harry thought as he saw the glares the other team was sending towards his father. *Dad, they're gonna target you now.*
*Let them. I dare them,* was his father's offhand comment. They clapped politely as the other Seeker, with an obvious concussion, waved off Madam Pomfrey and remounted his broom. *Good. He's in no condition to play, so this'll be a piece of cake.* Harry laughed at his father's comments.
*Hey, it's all legal, so don't worry, Harry,* Draco said, laughing.
Harry turned to Draco, smirking. *Since when am I worried?* The referee restarted the game and they quickly scored twice more before Durmstrung scored their second goal. After another half an hour of playing, both teams gave up on even trying to play by the rules. The other team's Beaters were blatantly targeting Ginny, James, Draco and Harry, even when they didn't have the Quaffle or were chasing the Snitch.
In retaliation, Ginny flew close to the lead chaser of Durmstrung. "Hey cutie! What's you're name?" she asked, smiling bashfully at the rapidly blushing sixth year.
"Anton," he replied, smiling back, staring at her.
Ginny's grin grew wider as they continued to idly flirt with one another. *Sweet! Score for the tiny one!* She flew really close to him, herding him closer, closer... WHAM!!!! He slammed face first into the side of the Pitch, right below the Hogwart's Stands. The Referee stared at her, confused as to whether or not she had actually committed a foul. The entire Hogwarts Student Body (and some of the Staff as well) erupted into cheers.
"Whoops!" Ginny smirked and nabbed the Quaffle from Harry, quickly scoring. Harry and Draco just laughed and stole the Quaffle again for another easy goal, the score 110 - 30. A loud crash, followed by a scream of pain, had them whipping around in terror.
One of the Beaters had hit a Bludger straight at Emily. Out of pure reflex, she caught it, shattering three of her ribs and knocking her unconscious. She fell off her broom, in, for Harry, slow motion, heading for the ground over a hundred feet below her. He shot towards her, diving to catch her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Eric vaulting the wall in front of the stands and racing towards his girlfriend. Harry lowered himself to mould to the broom and increased his speed even more. At over five hundred miles an hour, he caught her three feet above the ground. He immediately braked and landed right in front of Madam Pomfrey.
"Harry, do your glowing thing!" she hissed, running her wand over the unconscious girl. Harry sighed and, trying to be as discreet as possible, ran a hand over Emily's ribs, healing them. Above them, the Referee halted play yet again. Eric pulled Emily from Harry's arms, hugging her. Emily stirred and groaned, opening her eyes slowly.
"I'm ok," she said weakly. Ginny swooped over them, holding Emily's broom in her hands. She held out the broom to her and she took in determinedly, wincing in pain from her sore muscles. "Thanks, Harry," she said under her breath, mounting her broom. Eric glared daggers at the offensive Beater, promising retribution. The other Beater sneered at him, and turned away. Harry and Eric shared a long look and then Harry kicked off the ground.
Draco, during the off time, had struck up a conversation with the other goalie. To say she was enamored with the sexy Slytherin was the understatement of the millennium. Draco grinned as he saw the dazed and vacant look in the poor girl's eyes. "So sorry, sweetheart, but I don't swing that way." He took a perverse pleasure in the crushed look in her eyes. "You see that absolutely hot guy over there?" he asked her, pointing at Harry She nodded, tears falling down her face. "Yeah, well, he's mine," Draco growled possessively.
*Harry, don't kill me, but I just claimed you...* Draco sent to his soul mate. Harry whipped around, smirking. He winked at Draco and flew over.
*You ready to play this one out completely?* Harry asked playfully. Draco grinned at him, and then gasped as Harry flew up behind Draco to wrap his arms around Draco's waist, leaning his chin of the blond's shoulder. Draco tensed slightly, then relaxed back into Harry's body. "Draco, what have I told you about breaking hearts?" Harry admonished lightly. "You know they'll wind up crying." Harry playfully squeezed Draco's waist, kissing the astonished Slytherin on the cheek. He looked the sobbing girl in the eye. "I'm really sorry, but he has this perverse streak in him. He thinks it's funny to traumatize the female population. It's really sick, and I'm trying to get him to stop, but it's hopeless, really." Harry pulled Draco away from the girl, laughing quietly, and pecked him on the lips in front of everyone. He heard a roar of shouts coming from the Stands, some sounds of approval, others boos.
"WHAT!!!! MALFOY AND POTTER, KISSING???? WHAT THE FUCK!!" Lee Jordan screamed over the magically enhanced microphone. Harry dissolved into a giggle fit at the look of extreme shock on Draco's face.
"You- you - you do realize that that action is going to make the school year living hell, don't you?" Draco hissed after his had recovered enough to speak.
"Do you really care what everyone else thinks?" Harry smirked. Draco stared at him and slowly grinned, shaking his head no in amusement.
The Referee stared at them, disgusted. "Are you two quite finished?" he asked, sneering at the blatant display of affection. Harry, to the shock of everyone around him, flipped the Referee the middle finger. The Referee blinked in surprise, shocked to his core.
"Now we're finished," Harry smirked. The Referee sighed and resumed play, already composing the draft of a long letter of complaint against the whole damn idea of an International Quidditch League for School age Brats. *That puling brat, flipping me the bird like that. I should yank him from the game- not that this is any way Quidditch should be played. I swear, this is a mockery of the sport.* Harry rolled his eyes at the loud thoughts of the Referee and continued to slam the Quaffle through the other team's goal at every available opportunity.
Within two minutes, it was all out war. Between the two teams, they broke every rule in the book. The Referee had long since given upon calling fouls, as new ones were committed every five seconds. Emily, in her exasperation at the other team, kicked a Bludger directly into the Beater that had hit her, slamming him in the head. He slumped on his broom, semiconscious. A quick "enervate" from the Referee had the game going in full swing.
The other Beater, in retaliation, slammed the Bludger at Harry's broom as he was diving from three hundred feet at over two hundred miles an hour for the Quaffle. Harry flew from his broom, Draco racing to catch him. Harry knew Draco wasn't going to make it and he braced for impact, shutting his eyes tightly. A second later, when he didn't hit the ground, Harry opened his eyes and stared at the ground, inches from his face. Harry stared at the ground in confusion, and then looked above him. Draco was right next to him, grinning. Harry himself was surrounded by his verdant aura, floating inches away from what would have been certain death. Harry put his hand to the ground and rolled gracefully. He stood up, brushing himself off.
The other coach stormed onto the field. "What!!!!! HE'S CHEATING!!!!! I DEMAND A FORFEIT OF THE HOGWART'S TEAM!!!!!" Harry looked up to see his father suddenly shoot past the goalposts. He banked a hard left and, within seconds, had a small Golden ball clasped in his fist.
*Good, it's over.* Harry sagged, and Draco, acting quickly, caught him. Harry leaned comfortably against his soul mate, listening with half an ear to what was going on around him.
"I DEMAND A REMATCH!!!!" the other coach continued to screech at the bored Referee, who was documenting the final score, 340 - 80, Hogwarts. The Referee checked the time with a quick "tempus" and activated a Portkey. Oliver Wood and Viktor Krumm appeared, looking disgruntled.
"Vat is ze problem?" Viktor asked. The Referee just gestured to the other coach and Madam Hooch, who were perilously close to hexing each other. "IVAN! You idiot!!!" Krumm yelled, striding over to his former coach.
"Viktor! That boy used powers to win!" The coach gestured at Harry.
"You are accusing Harry Potter of CHEATING???" Viktor asked, incredulous.
Oliver walked over to them, snarling. "Don't worry, Harry, we'll get this straightened out. What did you do?"
Draco answered. "The Beater hit Harry's broom in a direct foul, and Harry flew off his broom. He then levitated, by accident, rather than smear himself all over the grass." Oliver nodded.
"Krumm! Come here!" Wood yelled. Krumm jogged over, and they started talking intently. Eric disappeared, dragging the Beater who had attacked his girlfriend with him. Harry could hear muffled thuds and a quickly silenced cry of pain coming from under the stands. *GO ERIC!* he thought tiredly.
*I'm glad my actions meet your approval,* came the laughing reply.
*What ya doing to him?* Harry asked.
*Same as he did to Emmy. Shattered ribs, and OOPS! A black eye and a broken hand, and... you get the picture.*
*Sweet.* Harry focused on what was happening in front of him.
Finally, after about five minutes, Oliver raised his head. "We are in agreement. Hogwarts wins and Durmstrung is penalized. The Beater in question, Igor Gorbachev, is suspended two games. The ruling is final." They apparated, leaving the other coach gaping like a fish.
"FINE! DURMSTRUNG, WE LEAVE NOW!!!" The coach spun on his heel and stalked off to the designated Portkey site. His team and the several students who had come to watch straggled after him, with the exception of the Beater who had hit Emily. The coach spun around, counting heads as he walked. "Franz! Where is Dimitri!" he yelled, finally noticing the missing player. At that moment, Dimitri ran out from behind the stands, clutching his ribs and holding a purple hand over his already swelling eye. Eric sauntered out after him, smirking evilly.
"Coach! Vait for ME!!!" he screamed, tears falling down his face. The coach stared at him, and then glared at the smirking Eric, who was standing at the base of the Stands, cracking his knuckles. Harry grinned as Eric flipped the coach the bird and walked off, laughing. The coach grabbed Dimitri by the arm, loudly swearing about "those DAMN Hogwarts cheaters!" as they grasped the Portkey. They disappeared mid cuss word.
The team walked back to the locker rooms, laughing at the insanity of the game. Madam Hooch was waiting for them in the locker room, her arms folded over her chest. She glared at them sternly and the entire team managed to stop laughing long enough to realize that she was PISSED. James quickly grabbed his shower stuff and ran into the boy's shower area, determined to miss the worst of the yelling.
"You BLOODY FOOLS!!!" she yelled, shaking her fist in anger. "MISTERS POTTER AND MALFOY, WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE SEVEN RINGS OF HELL DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING??????"
"Umm, playing Quidditch?" Harry replied meekly. Her face turned purple.
*Wrong answer, stupid,* Draco sniggered mentally, fighting to keep a straight face and failing miserably.
Madam Hooch rounded on the Slytherin Co captain. "And I suppose you think this is funny, Mr. Malfoy." Draco gulped and shook his head quickly. "You are just as much to blame for this as Harry: FLIRTING with their GOALKEEPER!!! What were you thinking????"
Draco's smirked. "Strategy?" he offered, a manic sparkle in his eye.
Madam Hooch's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. "Explain yourself," she said, her tone deadly.
Draco gulped. "If I distracted her, we could score more points?" he asked tentatively, well aware that he was treading on thin ice.
"Right, and I'm the bloody Minister of Magic," Madam Hooch snorted. "And YOU, MISTER POTTER!!! WHAT WAS THAT ON THE FIELD???" she asked, whipping around.
Harry paled. "He started it!" Harry said, pointing at Draco. Draco scowled at him, and the rest of the team laughed.
"Don't you laugh, I've not even started with you yet," Madam Hooch warned. The rest of the team fell silent and sat on the benches, hanging their heads. "Mister Potter, I am well aware that Mr. Malfoy started it. My question is: Why did you finish it like that, and WHY, IN GOD'S NAME, did you flip the Referee the MIDDLE FINGER? We could have been DISQUALIFIED!!!!"
Harry blushed crimson. "Strategy?" he offered, mimicking his soul mate.
Madam Hooch glared at him. "Explain."
"He told her that I was his boyfriend, so I thought we'd really distract her and she wouldn't be able to see straight to catch the Quaffle and I'm really sorry about the middle finger incident but he was really, really rude and I'm rambling, aren't I?" Harry finished in a rush. Draco nodded.
"Harry, do us all a favor and shut up. You're making it worse for the rest of us," James said, stretching as he walked back out of the shower area. Harry clamped his mouth shut and put his hands over his mouth.
"Harry, if you EVER flip off a Ref again, you will no longer be a captain!" Madam Hooch snapped, glaring at Harry.
Harry nodded quickly, keeping his mouth shut.
Madam Hooch rounded on James. "AND YOU!!!" James cowered a little. "EXCELLENT WRONSKI FEINT!!!!!!!!! GOOD JOB!!!!!" she screamed, hugging the astonished Seeker. The entire team stared at her strangely. James stiffened at the thug, but finally relaxed and patted her back.
"Ummm, thank you?" he asked tentatively. Madam Hooch thumped his back, pormoting a coughing fit from everyone else.
"AND AS FOR THE REST OF YOU," she screamed, pulling away from James. "IF I EVER SEE SUCH BLATANT CHEAT ING AGAIN I'LL KICK ALL OF YOU OFF AND REMAKE THE TEAM!!!!" She stood in the center of the room, shaking with rage. Everyone baked up, standing against the lockers, convinced that she was about to explode.
"Practice is tomorrow and I expect a 36 inch parchment on what the rules of Quidditch are as well as how you specifically broke ten of them during the game. It's due at the start of practice. Get dressed and rejoin the school. I'm utterly disgusted." Madam Hooch swept from the room.
Despondent, the rest of the team started to change their clothes. All the girls headed into the girl's bathroom and shower area, changing back into their regular robes and the guys headed off to the guy's showers to do the same. Harry, Draco and Ginny just sat their, replaying the entire game into their minds, determining what went wrong and how it could be avoided in the future.
*I don't care what Hooch said. I refuse to let another team cheat and not retaliate!* Draco exploded after five minutes of debate.
*I know! I hate it too, but we can't let that happen again, or we'll be off the team!* Harry protested, throwing his hands in the air.
*Did you even think of trying to explain that to her? Of course not. We need to talk to her and tell her that we refuse to let our team be at such a disadvantage. It isn't fair to us if they cheat and we don't retaliate.* Ginny reasoned, trying to resolve the issue.
Lily, Severus, and Remus walked quietly into the locker room. "Are you all ok?" Lily asked, staring intently at her son, Ginny and Draco. "We could hear that all the way in the hallway. We thought that you gave Durmstrung what they deserved, a taste of their own medicine." Harry hugged her
"Thanks, Mum," he whispered. He pulled away from her, anxiously searching her face. "Speaking of medicine, have you seen Madam Pomfrey? Did she say what's wrong?" Grinning widely, Lily led Harry to sit on the bench next to his father. Harry looked at James, who grinned at him in return.
Severus and Remus sat on either side of Harry and James, anxious to hear what was wrong as well. James stood up and loosely clasped Lily around the waist. "We saw Madam Pomfrey last night, and she said there was nothing wrong with me," Lily said, grinning.
"But you're sick all the time. How can nothing-" Harry started. James held up a hand, silencing his son.
"You didn't let her finish. Madam Pomfrey said there wasn't anything wrong with her that nine months won't fix."
Harry gasped, his eyes wide. Severus's mouth dropped open. Remus stared at Lily, grinning. "I KNEW something smelled different!" he exclaimed.
Lily nodded. "I'm PREGNANT!!!" she screamed, laughing. Harry jumped up and hugged his parents.
"This is AWESOME!!!!!" Draco! Ginny! I'm gonna have a baby brother or sister!!!" Draco grinned and hugged Harry. Ginny hugged him as well, her face a little troubled.
Ginny watched as Harry and his parents celebrated. She really wanted to be happy, and she was so happy for Harry, but what did this mean for her? *If Harry has a little brother or sister, is he still going to want me?* Ginny wondered sadly. She started to gather her shower things and headed for the girl's bathroom.
Harry watched her, having heard the question Ginny had asked herself. He shook his head and walked quickly after her, grabbing her arm. She spun around, unable to keep all traces of sadness from her eyes. "Ginny, Ginny," Harry whispered, crushing her in his arms. "How do you feel about being a big sister?" he asked, grinning at her.
Ginny squealed, throwing her arms around Harry. "I'd like that. I HATE being the baby!" Lily and James walked up and wrapped their arms around Harry and Ginny.
"So, this is going to be our new daughter. James, I think we need to welcome her in true Potter and Evans style." Lily looked Ginny up and down. "You know, James, she looks like she could be our daughter. She has your color eyes and my hair. This is too creepy."
Ginny beamed. "What's your true style?" she asked curiously.
Lily and James grinned evilly at each other. "Have you heard of the Marauders?" James asked in all seriousness.
Ginny gasped. "That was YOU? You're my ROLE MODEL!!!" she squealed, hugging James. Lily laughed at the shocked and thrilled look on James's face. Severus's face twitched as he fought, successfully, to conceal his smile.
"Well, it wasn't ALL me. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were my partners in crime. Peter Pettigrew joined up with us in his third and our fourth year." Ginny looked up at his adoringly.
"My brothers Fred and George have carried on the tradition and, now that they're gone, we," She opened her arms to include Harry and Draco, "are carrying on the tradition."
Harry and Draco grinned. *You thinking what I'm thinking?* Harry asked.
*PRANK WAR!!!!* Draco yelled exuberantly. Harry snickered.
*Oh, what to do first???*
*I'm thinking that we get George and Fred to get us some of their products and then prank the rest of the school. Who's with me?*
*I AM!!!" Came the mental voices of both Harry and Ginny.
Lily, Severus, Remus and James looked at each other. *Why rely on the Weaseley twins for products? Make your own!* came Sev's amused voice.
Harry grinned, already dreaming up several ideas on how to make the ickle Firsties completely blue, or the Ravenclaws a lovely shade of puce, or give the Slytherins red and gold hair.... Oh the possibilities!!!
Severus expounded on Harry's train of thought. *You know, I could just have them brew a potion that is guaranteed to explode and completely drench them in blue dye...*
*But is it fair to the rest of the school if the teachers are pranking the students? Who am I kidding! The students prank the teachers all the time. It's about time that we gave the cheeky bastards a taste of their own medicine.* Remus thought, grinning like a madman.
*Right, so it's us against the school. I think Seamus, Blaise, Neville and Luna would be wonderful allies and would have fun helping us out,* Harry mused, already planning the first big prank to pull.
"All right, you three, YOU STINK! Hit the showers!" Lily exclaimed, fanning her nose as if they smelled repulsive. Harry discretely smelled himself. His mum was right, they were all really ripe. Laughing, Lily, James, Remus, and Severus walked out of the locker room and headed back to Hogwarts'.
Ginny walked into the girl's shower area, her clothing under her arm. "Harry, Draco, no fighting," she called over her shoulder as she closed the door.
Harry snickered. "Who? Us? Fighting?" he asked rolling his eyes. Draco snickered, silently agreeing with Ginny. Suddenly, his eyes widened as Harry pulled off his robes and undershirt, standing there in nothing but a pair of black jeans. He watched, suddenly aroused as Harry bent over, picking up his robes, and bundled them on the bench. Draco turned around, slightly panting, as Harry quickly grabbed his change of clothing, a bar of soap, and a washcloth and headed into the showers.
Draco turned back around and stared at Harry's sculpted back as he walked away. As waves of lust and desire slammed into him, leaving him reeling, he slammed the strongest shields he had ever created into place, cutting Harry out of his mind. *Oh MERLIN! What the HELL is going on?* He rested his head against the cool metal of the lockers, trying not to jump his soul mate right then and there.
Harry walked back out of the shower area in just a small, black towel, completely unaware of the effects his state of undress immediately had on Draco. "Draco, are you all right?" he asked, staring at Draco intently. Draco hurriedly sat down on the bench, trying to hide his hard on.
"I- I'm just fine. Go on, take your shower. I'll be in in a minute," Draco managed to say without stuttering too badly, his face glowing a tomato red. *What is wrong with me??? This is Harry! I- I -oh shit, no, please GOD no. Don't do this to me.*
Harry turned and walked back into the shower, shaking his head. Something was definitely wrong with Draco, but he couldn't feel anything and he didn't want to pry. Shrugging, he stepped into the shower.
Draco sat in the locker room, trying to calm himself down. *You knew what being soul mates with him meant. You knew,* he accused himself. *But oh HELL this is bad. He can't know. He'd freak.* A picture of Harry, in his black satin boxers, rose unbidden in Draco's mind and his raging hard on intensified painfully. *Fuck this! I REFUSE to be GAY!* Draco angrily willed his hormones to subside. *I'll work this out. I have to.* Drawing in a shuddering breath, he walked into the shower, head held high.
A/N: Hey everyone, sorry this one is a little late. My computer has bit the dust, literally. It's in its last gasping death throes and I'm tying this on my laptop, which isn't connected to the internet. So, I'm doing some transferring of files and all that nice stuff. So, what did you think? Have I satisfied all those poor people who want slash and ask for it every review? No? Too damn bad! It's gonna take a while before the rating of this story jumps from R to NC17 and then I'll have to find an alternate site, maybe adultfanfiction.net. It's so sad. Violence is a R, but sex is NC17. Why? Reading about sex is so much healthier than reading about murder and torture. But, that's just my opinion. Let's all be Nymphomaniacs!
Chapter 17
Saturday morning, Severus, anxious for the Co captains to get ready for their home game against Durmstrung, wandered into the Boy's Dorms to wake up Harry and Draco. He quietly opened the door and walked over to Draco's bed. He grasped the covers and pulled on them, already shaking the shoulder under the blankets.
"Draco, wake up. The game starts in two hours and you need to warm up and eat breakfast... GINNY???" He stared at the sleepy redhead in shock. "What're you doing in Draco's bed???"
Ginny sat up and stretched, yawning. "Harry had another- AHHAHH ahh- nightmare, a really bad one. His uncle again. Draco is sleeping next to him. It was the only way he could get back to sleep..." Severus scowled, a truly terrifying sight.
"When I get my hands on that perverted fuck up..." he growled. " I swear I'm gonna kill him and it'll be the -"
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" a terrified scream came from across the room. Severus and Ginny blanched and shot over to Harry's bed. They yanked back the curtains to see Draco sitting up, cradling Harry in his arms. Harry was thrashing and sobbing, trying to curl into a ball as far away from Draco as possible.
"Shhh." Draco held him in place and stroked his back tenderly. *Harry, it's just a dream. Wake up, Harry. Come on, wake up.* Draco soothed.
Severus and Ginny sat down, opening their shields. *Harry, come on brother/nephew, wake up,* they thought in unison, rubbing his shoulders.
In the third bed, Eric sat bolt upright at the sounds of Harry's shrieks. "Oh HELL!" he swore vehemently, crawling out of bed. He walked unnoticed out of the room and reappeared several minutes later with Emily, Lily, James, Remus and Blaise in tow.
Draco, Severus and Ginny kept soothing Harry, trying to pull him out of the nightmare. Blaise and Remus sat down on Draco's now empty bed. Emily and Eric decided to bid each other good morning in a much more interesting way than speaking and started making out on Eric's bed. Not one paid any attention to them. Harry stopped screaming and just lay there in the fetal position, whimpering. Lily and James rushed over to their son and gently pulled him from Draco's arms.
"Hey!" Draco protested.
"I'm his mother," Lily admonished him. "I haven't been there to save him from the abuse, please let me comfort my son!" Draco lay back on the pillow, sulking.
"And I'm his soul mate," he grumbled under his breath. "Doesn't that mean anything?"
James shot him a look over the messy mop of ebony hair cradled in between him and his wife. "Yes, that counts for something. But, imagine if you would be so kind, how we feel right now? This is our fault. If we had been there for him growing up, none of this would have happened." He rocked Harry back and forth. "Come on, Harry, we've got you. It's safe now, we promise," James soothed.
Harry slowly opened his eyes, tears still falling freely down his face. He blinked sleepily at his mother, pain clouding his vision.
"Harry, what did you see?" Lily asked gently.
Harry shook his head and just lay there, safe in his parents' arms. "I - I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled, burying his face in his mother's shoulder, tears still streaming down his face. Lily and James exchanged worried glances over his bowed head. They tightened their grasp on their nearly inconsolable son.
*Harry?* Draco asked, concerned.
*Draco?* Harry replied.
*Are you all right?* Draco asked him, grasping his hand in a show of support.
Harry lifted his head and weakly smiled. *You know what it was about because you were there, so yes I'll be all right, and no, I don't want to talk about it.*
Draco sighed. *You know that bottling it up inside will only make your nightmares worse, right?*
*I know, but I feel so weird talking to my parents. They blame themselves for what happened to me. It's not their fault. They couldn't help that Voldemort killed them. He's a demon, and the Killing curse kills demigods and mortals alike. I've survived this long on my own, and don't get me wrong, I love my parents, but I'm 16, not 4. I can deal with this.*
*You never should have had to deal with this, Harry.* Draco wracked his brain for a way to explain this to his soul mate. *The fact that they haven't been there is through no fault of their own. Let them in. They want what's best for you, and they aren't treating you like a 4 year old, most of the time. I'm not quite sure about now, though.* Draco shot a small glare at Lily and James.
*Relax, Draco. Down!* Harry laughed mentally. Draco stuck his tongue out at him, making Harry laugh even harder. James and Lily stared at his shaking shoulders, concerned.
"Um, Harry, are you all right?" Lily asked tentatively.
"Harry? Are you sure you don't want to talk to us?" James asked, rubbing his son's back.
Harry sat up, tears of mirth rolling down his face. His parents stared at him in shock. "Sorry, Mum, Dad, Draco said something funny," Harry explained, rolling his eyes. He sat up and leaned back against the pillows next to his soul mate.
Draco mock glared at him, and turned his nose up with a delicate sniff. "Fine, be that way. See if I help you next time you're screaming you head off, Potter." Draco stood up, dumping Harry on the floor in the process. Harry sat on the floor in only his boxers.
"HEY!" protested Harry, rubbing his now sore butt. "And you will too help me, if only to get yourself out of my nightmares." Draco stared at him and smirked, walking into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.
Harry stood up and quickly ran to the bathroom door, ignoring the kissing couple and Ginny's giggles. "Hey, Dipwad! I have to get in there too, you know!"
Draco opened the door. "Hello, Moron, the door is unlocked. You could just walk in. Oh yeah, that's right. You're slow on the uptake." Harry grumbled under his breath and pushed past Draco, disappearing into the bathroom. Draco grinned and closed the door again.
Lily and James stared at the bathroom door in confusion. "Are they always like that?" Lily asked Severus.
"Oh yes. They can't live without sniping at each other. At least this time they don't mean it. This time last year, they'd have killed each other over the insults and the little display we saw. At the very least, it would have ended in a fistfight." Severus shook his head and stood up. He walked over to Eric's bed and dumped his other two favorite students on the floor.
"HEY!" they yelled in unison.
"Breakfast is in twenty minutes, Miss George and Mr. McKnight. I expect to see you there. So quit exploring each others' mouths and get ready." Severus, Lily, James and Remus walked from the room, leaving their students to get ready for the game.
"You really mean it?" Lily asked Severus as they walked out the door. "Then how in hell can they be soul mates? They'll kill each other!"
"Lily, remember how you and James used to act? The saying 'opposites attract' is very true. I shudder to think of how Laurel might act..." Blaise and Eric stared at their House Head in confusion as the adults exited the Dorms.
Emily and Ginny just rolled their eyes and walked out of the room, heading back to their rooms to get ready for the day. Eric walked into the bathroom after Harry and Draco, hoping to God he wasn't interrupting anything.
Thankfully, for Eric, they were in separate showers.
Exactly twenty minutes later, Harry, Draco, Eric, Emily and Ginny strolled into the Great Hall for breakfast. They sat down at the Slytherin table next to Seamus, Neville, and Luna, who were already in the middle of eating. Harry grabbed a plate and dug in. After about five minutes, he finally looked around and noticed the decorations.
Jack-o-Lanterns hovered in midair, lighting the Hall. A gigantic spider web covered the walls, and conjured spiders crawled around the web and dangled in midair. Harry could just imagine Ron's reaction to all things eight legged and wondered where the arachnophobic Gryffindor was. Live bats flew around the Hall in a mad frenzy. An eerie mist covered the floor, and Harry could almost be certain that there were rats scurrying around in the mist. He felt something brush his ankle at least twice while he was eating, and something ghosted by his ankle yet again at that very moment. He kicked, hard, and felt his foot connect with absolutely nothing except for the underside of the table. Draco stared at him strangely.
"What?" asked Harry.
"Why'd you kick the table?" Draco asked him.
"I thought something touched my ankle." Harry took a long swig of Pumpkin Juice and stared at it, absently changing it to a Screwdriver. "Hey, how're we getting the invitations out?" Harry asked suddenly. He watched with great interest as Dumbledore, McGonagall, and the other teachers with the exceptions of Severus, his parents, Alanna and Xander left the Great Hall.
Draco sat still for a minute. "Ummmm... let's see. I know that we can let everyone know by word of mouth, or we could send out the invitations immediately..." Draco trailed off, lost in thought.
Harry elbowed him in the ribs. "Hey, how many people are we talking about? Who isn't invited?" he asked as soon as he had Draco's attention. Harry took a long swig of his Screwdriver, gasping as the Vodka hit his stomach. "Oh, that felt good..." he sighed happily.
"No one under fourth year, as we will have alcohol and rather questionable drugs... WHAT ARE YOU DOING???" he screeched.
Harry looked down at him from where he had climbed up onto the table. "What??" He turned and cast a quick "Sonorus" on his voice and yelled over the dull roar. "EVERYONE SHUT UP!!!!!!" The Hall went completely silent. Everyone turned to look at him. "NOW THAT I HAVE EVERYONE'S ATTENTION, THERE'S A PARTY IN THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS TONIGHT FROM 9PM UNTIL WHENEVER IT ENDS!!!!!!!! THE DRESS CODE IS SEXY COSTUME OR JUST PLAIN SEXY! FOURTH YEAR AND ABOVE ARE WELCOME TO COME, BUT ANYONE YOUNGER, IF THEY HAVE AN OLDER DATE, ARE WELCOME. ANYONE INTERESTED, PLEASE SEE ME AFTER THE GAME." Harry removed the Sonorus charm and sat back down. The Great Hall broke out into whispers.
"Did that work?" Harry smugly asked. Draco just rolled his eyes.
"Plebian." Draco went back to eating. Harry mocked him and tucked back into his breakfast. A loud thump next to him made him jump almost a foot in the air. He whipped around, his fist glowing, and relaxed just as quickly. Ron and Hermione had sat down next to him.
"Harry?" Ron asked tentatively.
"Yes?" Harry asked just as cautiously.
"Did you mean that anyone can come?" Hermione asked from the other side of Ron. Ginny stiffened. Draco wrapped an arm around her comfortingly.
"Yes, it did. Do you two want to come?" Harry asked, eyeing them suspiciously.
Ron and Hermione nodded slowly. "And, we have something to say to Ginny. Ron!" Hermione added, elbowing her boyfriend in the ribs.
Ron cleared his throat nervously and stared at the impassive, if not slightly hostile faces surrounding him. He turned to his sister, cringing at the pain and anguish in her eyes. "Gin, I'm so sorry. I've been shown the error of my ways, and I just wanted to say that I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! Mum even screamed at me for being an ass! She sent me a Howler, threatening to disown me if I don't stop acting like this! No one is mad at you, and everyone is completely pissed at me." Ron fell silent, waiting for his sister to say something.
Ginny nodded and stood. "Draco, fix my robes, please." She started to transform, Draco quickly waving his hand to make her robes and clothing grow with her. She stalked over to Ron, who was staring at her in awe and fear. "You mean that you can accept me for who I am and not call me a freak or the bitch from hell?" she all but purred, coming around the other side of the table to stand behind Ron. Ron turned to face her.
Ron shocked everyone with his next move. He stood quickly and wrapped his sister, demon form and all, in a bone crushing hug. "I'm so sorry, Gin. I've been a bastard and I don't deserve a wonderful sister like you." Ginny started to cry and slowly morphed back into her human form.
"If you ever hurt me like that again..." Ginny trailed off, her voice breaking with emotion. Ron said nothing, just held her tightly in his arms. The entire Great Hall breathed a sigh of relief, with the exception of Professor Snape, Harry, Draco, Alanna and Xander.
Harry and Draco exchanged worried glances over the table. Severus walked over from the Teacher's table, a grim expression on his face. "Mr. Weaseley, do you really mean that, or is this just some stupid prank?" Severus asked, scowling at Ron and Hermione.
Ron jumped. "No- no Sir. I mean every word." He turned to stare the Potions Professor straight in the eye.
"I would like a word with you two, then, Miss Granger and Mr. Weaseley. Follow me." Severus swept from the Hall. Hermione and Ron looked at each other fearfully and followed Severus meekly out of the Hall.
Harry and Draco just stared at each other. "What time is it?" Harry asked finally.
"It's almost 9:00. We have to get going to warm up for the game," Draco absently replied. Harry nodded and stretched, turning to Ginny.
"Come one, everyone," Harry called as he stood up. "We have to go get ready for the game. It starts in an hour." He and Draco walked out of the Great Hall, their team mates falling into step behind them.
Harry led the Hogwarts team to the locker room. After quickly changing into their practice gear, they took to the skies for warm ups. Ron finally showed up, looking queasy and pale. Harry, concerned that their backup Goalie wouldn't be able to play, asked him what was wrong.
"Nothing," muttered Ron sullenly, still shaking. Harry left him alone after that.
After almost forty five minutes of practice, Madam Hooch called them back into the locker rooms. "Come on! The Durmstrung team is here already!" she called anxiously. They quickly rushed to the locker rooms, stripping off their practice gear in the process. Harry quickly threw on his game robes. On either side of him, Draco and Ginny were doing the same.
Once Harry had finished dressing, he turned to his team mates. "Ok, ladies and gents, you know the drill. No powers except telepathy, and no cheating- "
Draco cut him off from where he was seated on a bench. "Unless they start it!" he finished, grinning. Harry elbowed him in the ribs. "Hey!" Draco gasped, laughing. "If they start it, we aren't going out without a fight, you idiot. Besides, I know that Durmstrung plays dirty. We have to be prepared."
Sighing, Harry agreed. "True, they do play dirty, but I don't want us being called on anything illegal. So, we don't do anything until they foul us, and PLEASE be discrete." Everyone nodded in agreement, Draco included. "So, let's do this."
"On three." Draco extended his hand.
Everyone crowded around him, putting their hands in the center. "ONE, TWO, THREE, HOGWARTS!" the team screamed. Madam Hooch stuck her head out the locker room door.
"Ok, everyone, this is it! Good luck and WIN!" she yelled, shooing them out the door. They mounted their brooms and shot out of the locker room onto the field. Harry and Draco led the team in a lap around the field to the cheers of the Hogwarts Student Body. Harry again saw his mother, in the stands, seated next to Severus Snape. And again, with an incredible sense of deja vu, she looked as if she was going to be sick at any minute.
"Dad, I thought Mum was feeling better!" Harry protested, falling back to talk to his father.
James shrugged mysteriously. "Oh, she is, Harry. The nausea comes and goes." Harry stared at him strangely, but James refused to elaborate any further. Shrugging, Harry sped up and landed next to Draco.
"WHOOOHOOOOO!!!!! GO HARRY! IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!!! GO DRACO, IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! GO HOGWARTS! IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!!!" Harry looked up and grinned. Gaila and Olivia were leaning over the edge of the stands, screaming, their soul mates holding onto their robes for balance. Draco looked up and rolled his eyes.
The referee walked out onto the field across the center line. "Now, boys, I expect a clean game-"
"And girls," Ginny interrupted.
The referee glared at her before continuing. " AND GIRLS, I expect a clean game. No curses and," he glared at the Durmstrung Captain, "I better not see any steam rolling." The other captain glared and scuffed his shoes. "Now, shake hands."
Harry shook the beefy captain's hand and wasn't surprised when the other boy tried to break his fingers. Harry smirked, for the first time glad that Dudley had beat up on him. He quickly flipped the grip, clenching his fingers into fists, and the other boy's face whitened in pain. Draco stood next to him, grinning evilly.
The other boy backed off, rubbing his fingers. "Don't worry, Ref, we won't have any problems with them," Draco said, an evil smirk on his face.
"All right then." The Ref, with little fanfare, released the Snitch, Bludgers and the Quaffle. Harry kicked off the ground, spiraling upward. He quickly caught the Quaffle and immediately passed backwards, knowing that Draco was right behind him.
Draco slid the Quaffle into Ginny's reaching fingers. She shot to the goal, the other chasers still after Draco. She and Harry quickly scored, raising the score to 10 - 0, Hogwarts. Dimly, Harry could hear Lee and Fred commenting on the game, but tuned them out so he could concentrate. Ginny stole the Quaffle and she shot towards the goal, Harry and Draco flanking her. They passed the Quaffle back and forth, avoiding the Bludger one of the other Beaters shot directly at them. Nicholai, at the last minute, swung his bat, targeting the other team. They quickly shot the Quaffle at the left most goal, scoring on Durmstrung's rather hot female keeper yet again- all within thirty seconds. Durmstrung quickly took possession. Harry and Draco chased them down the field. They actually took a shot against Emily. She deftly caught the ball and passed it to Ginny, who streaked down the field, the other team in hot pursuit.
Five minutes later, Hogwarts was in the lead, 50 - 10. Harry anxiously kept his eyes peeled for the other team's Beaters. They had this annoying habit of slamming the Bludger at unaware and unprotected backs. Harry slammed the Quaffle into the goal yet again, upping the score by ten to 60 - 10. *Come on, Dad, catch the damn Snitch already. They're too good.* He dodged a Bluger as his sped towards his face, angrily shaking hs fist at the grinning Beater.
*Damn it, Harry, I'm trying!* James snapped, trying to shake the other Seeker from his tail. *This guy's like a leech! He won't leave me alone!* After ten more minutes of the damn Seeker clinging to him James was struck by a burst of inspiration. He shot towards the ground, the other Seeker blindly following him. He spiraled to the ground and, at the last minute pulled up, a perfect Wronski Feint. Victor Krumm's replacement never saw it coming. He plowed into the ground, skidding off and past his broom. The Referee skidded to the ground, blowing his whistle. All play was halted as Madam Pomfrey examined the other Seeker.
*Good job, Dad!* Harry cheered mentally. James grinned and took a half bow, smirking at the other team. *Uh oh,* Harry thought as he saw the glares the other team was sending towards his father. *Dad, they're gonna target you now.*
*Let them. I dare them,* was his father's offhand comment. They clapped politely as the other Seeker, with an obvious concussion, waved off Madam Pomfrey and remounted his broom. *Good. He's in no condition to play, so this'll be a piece of cake.* Harry laughed at his father's comments.
*Hey, it's all legal, so don't worry, Harry,* Draco said, laughing.
Harry turned to Draco, smirking. *Since when am I worried?* The referee restarted the game and they quickly scored twice more before Durmstrung scored their second goal. After another half an hour of playing, both teams gave up on even trying to play by the rules. The other team's Beaters were blatantly targeting Ginny, James, Draco and Harry, even when they didn't have the Quaffle or were chasing the Snitch.
In retaliation, Ginny flew close to the lead chaser of Durmstrung. "Hey cutie! What's you're name?" she asked, smiling bashfully at the rapidly blushing sixth year.
"Anton," he replied, smiling back, staring at her.
Ginny's grin grew wider as they continued to idly flirt with one another. *Sweet! Score for the tiny one!* She flew really close to him, herding him closer, closer... WHAM!!!! He slammed face first into the side of the Pitch, right below the Hogwart's Stands. The Referee stared at her, confused as to whether or not she had actually committed a foul. The entire Hogwarts Student Body (and some of the Staff as well) erupted into cheers.
"Whoops!" Ginny smirked and nabbed the Quaffle from Harry, quickly scoring. Harry and Draco just laughed and stole the Quaffle again for another easy goal, the score 110 - 30. A loud crash, followed by a scream of pain, had them whipping around in terror.
One of the Beaters had hit a Bludger straight at Emily. Out of pure reflex, she caught it, shattering three of her ribs and knocking her unconscious. She fell off her broom, in, for Harry, slow motion, heading for the ground over a hundred feet below her. He shot towards her, diving to catch her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Eric vaulting the wall in front of the stands and racing towards his girlfriend. Harry lowered himself to mould to the broom and increased his speed even more. At over five hundred miles an hour, he caught her three feet above the ground. He immediately braked and landed right in front of Madam Pomfrey.
"Harry, do your glowing thing!" she hissed, running her wand over the unconscious girl. Harry sighed and, trying to be as discreet as possible, ran a hand over Emily's ribs, healing them. Above them, the Referee halted play yet again. Eric pulled Emily from Harry's arms, hugging her. Emily stirred and groaned, opening her eyes slowly.
"I'm ok," she said weakly. Ginny swooped over them, holding Emily's broom in her hands. She held out the broom to her and she took in determinedly, wincing in pain from her sore muscles. "Thanks, Harry," she said under her breath, mounting her broom. Eric glared daggers at the offensive Beater, promising retribution. The other Beater sneered at him, and turned away. Harry and Eric shared a long look and then Harry kicked off the ground.
Draco, during the off time, had struck up a conversation with the other goalie. To say she was enamored with the sexy Slytherin was the understatement of the millennium. Draco grinned as he saw the dazed and vacant look in the poor girl's eyes. "So sorry, sweetheart, but I don't swing that way." He took a perverse pleasure in the crushed look in her eyes. "You see that absolutely hot guy over there?" he asked her, pointing at Harry She nodded, tears falling down her face. "Yeah, well, he's mine," Draco growled possessively.
*Harry, don't kill me, but I just claimed you...* Draco sent to his soul mate. Harry whipped around, smirking. He winked at Draco and flew over.
*You ready to play this one out completely?* Harry asked playfully. Draco grinned at him, and then gasped as Harry flew up behind Draco to wrap his arms around Draco's waist, leaning his chin of the blond's shoulder. Draco tensed slightly, then relaxed back into Harry's body. "Draco, what have I told you about breaking hearts?" Harry admonished lightly. "You know they'll wind up crying." Harry playfully squeezed Draco's waist, kissing the astonished Slytherin on the cheek. He looked the sobbing girl in the eye. "I'm really sorry, but he has this perverse streak in him. He thinks it's funny to traumatize the female population. It's really sick, and I'm trying to get him to stop, but it's hopeless, really." Harry pulled Draco away from the girl, laughing quietly, and pecked him on the lips in front of everyone. He heard a roar of shouts coming from the Stands, some sounds of approval, others boos.
"WHAT!!!! MALFOY AND POTTER, KISSING???? WHAT THE FUCK!!" Lee Jordan screamed over the magically enhanced microphone. Harry dissolved into a giggle fit at the look of extreme shock on Draco's face.
"You- you - you do realize that that action is going to make the school year living hell, don't you?" Draco hissed after his had recovered enough to speak.
"Do you really care what everyone else thinks?" Harry smirked. Draco stared at him and slowly grinned, shaking his head no in amusement.
The Referee stared at them, disgusted. "Are you two quite finished?" he asked, sneering at the blatant display of affection. Harry, to the shock of everyone around him, flipped the Referee the middle finger. The Referee blinked in surprise, shocked to his core.
"Now we're finished," Harry smirked. The Referee sighed and resumed play, already composing the draft of a long letter of complaint against the whole damn idea of an International Quidditch League for School age Brats. *That puling brat, flipping me the bird like that. I should yank him from the game- not that this is any way Quidditch should be played. I swear, this is a mockery of the sport.* Harry rolled his eyes at the loud thoughts of the Referee and continued to slam the Quaffle through the other team's goal at every available opportunity.
Within two minutes, it was all out war. Between the two teams, they broke every rule in the book. The Referee had long since given upon calling fouls, as new ones were committed every five seconds. Emily, in her exasperation at the other team, kicked a Bludger directly into the Beater that had hit her, slamming him in the head. He slumped on his broom, semiconscious. A quick "enervate" from the Referee had the game going in full swing.
The other Beater, in retaliation, slammed the Bludger at Harry's broom as he was diving from three hundred feet at over two hundred miles an hour for the Quaffle. Harry flew from his broom, Draco racing to catch him. Harry knew Draco wasn't going to make it and he braced for impact, shutting his eyes tightly. A second later, when he didn't hit the ground, Harry opened his eyes and stared at the ground, inches from his face. Harry stared at the ground in confusion, and then looked above him. Draco was right next to him, grinning. Harry himself was surrounded by his verdant aura, floating inches away from what would have been certain death. Harry put his hand to the ground and rolled gracefully. He stood up, brushing himself off.
The other coach stormed onto the field. "What!!!!! HE'S CHEATING!!!!! I DEMAND A FORFEIT OF THE HOGWART'S TEAM!!!!!" Harry looked up to see his father suddenly shoot past the goalposts. He banked a hard left and, within seconds, had a small Golden ball clasped in his fist.
*Good, it's over.* Harry sagged, and Draco, acting quickly, caught him. Harry leaned comfortably against his soul mate, listening with half an ear to what was going on around him.
"I DEMAND A REMATCH!!!!" the other coach continued to screech at the bored Referee, who was documenting the final score, 340 - 80, Hogwarts. The Referee checked the time with a quick "tempus" and activated a Portkey. Oliver Wood and Viktor Krumm appeared, looking disgruntled.
"Vat is ze problem?" Viktor asked. The Referee just gestured to the other coach and Madam Hooch, who were perilously close to hexing each other. "IVAN! You idiot!!!" Krumm yelled, striding over to his former coach.
"Viktor! That boy used powers to win!" The coach gestured at Harry.
"You are accusing Harry Potter of CHEATING???" Viktor asked, incredulous.
Oliver walked over to them, snarling. "Don't worry, Harry, we'll get this straightened out. What did you do?"
Draco answered. "The Beater hit Harry's broom in a direct foul, and Harry flew off his broom. He then levitated, by accident, rather than smear himself all over the grass." Oliver nodded.
"Krumm! Come here!" Wood yelled. Krumm jogged over, and they started talking intently. Eric disappeared, dragging the Beater who had attacked his girlfriend with him. Harry could hear muffled thuds and a quickly silenced cry of pain coming from under the stands. *GO ERIC!* he thought tiredly.
*I'm glad my actions meet your approval,* came the laughing reply.
*What ya doing to him?* Harry asked.
*Same as he did to Emmy. Shattered ribs, and OOPS! A black eye and a broken hand, and... you get the picture.*
*Sweet.* Harry focused on what was happening in front of him.
Finally, after about five minutes, Oliver raised his head. "We are in agreement. Hogwarts wins and Durmstrung is penalized. The Beater in question, Igor Gorbachev, is suspended two games. The ruling is final." They apparated, leaving the other coach gaping like a fish.
"FINE! DURMSTRUNG, WE LEAVE NOW!!!" The coach spun on his heel and stalked off to the designated Portkey site. His team and the several students who had come to watch straggled after him, with the exception of the Beater who had hit Emily. The coach spun around, counting heads as he walked. "Franz! Where is Dimitri!" he yelled, finally noticing the missing player. At that moment, Dimitri ran out from behind the stands, clutching his ribs and holding a purple hand over his already swelling eye. Eric sauntered out after him, smirking evilly.
"Coach! Vait for ME!!!" he screamed, tears falling down his face. The coach stared at him, and then glared at the smirking Eric, who was standing at the base of the Stands, cracking his knuckles. Harry grinned as Eric flipped the coach the bird and walked off, laughing. The coach grabbed Dimitri by the arm, loudly swearing about "those DAMN Hogwarts cheaters!" as they grasped the Portkey. They disappeared mid cuss word.
The team walked back to the locker rooms, laughing at the insanity of the game. Madam Hooch was waiting for them in the locker room, her arms folded over her chest. She glared at them sternly and the entire team managed to stop laughing long enough to realize that she was PISSED. James quickly grabbed his shower stuff and ran into the boy's shower area, determined to miss the worst of the yelling.
"You BLOODY FOOLS!!!" she yelled, shaking her fist in anger. "MISTERS POTTER AND MALFOY, WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE SEVEN RINGS OF HELL DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING??????"
"Umm, playing Quidditch?" Harry replied meekly. Her face turned purple.
*Wrong answer, stupid,* Draco sniggered mentally, fighting to keep a straight face and failing miserably.
Madam Hooch rounded on the Slytherin Co captain. "And I suppose you think this is funny, Mr. Malfoy." Draco gulped and shook his head quickly. "You are just as much to blame for this as Harry: FLIRTING with their GOALKEEPER!!! What were you thinking????"
Draco's smirked. "Strategy?" he offered, a manic sparkle in his eye.
Madam Hooch's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. "Explain yourself," she said, her tone deadly.
Draco gulped. "If I distracted her, we could score more points?" he asked tentatively, well aware that he was treading on thin ice.
"Right, and I'm the bloody Minister of Magic," Madam Hooch snorted. "And YOU, MISTER POTTER!!! WHAT WAS THAT ON THE FIELD???" she asked, whipping around.
Harry paled. "He started it!" Harry said, pointing at Draco. Draco scowled at him, and the rest of the team laughed.
"Don't you laugh, I've not even started with you yet," Madam Hooch warned. The rest of the team fell silent and sat on the benches, hanging their heads. "Mister Potter, I am well aware that Mr. Malfoy started it. My question is: Why did you finish it like that, and WHY, IN GOD'S NAME, did you flip the Referee the MIDDLE FINGER? We could have been DISQUALIFIED!!!!"
Harry blushed crimson. "Strategy?" he offered, mimicking his soul mate.
Madam Hooch glared at him. "Explain."
"He told her that I was his boyfriend, so I thought we'd really distract her and she wouldn't be able to see straight to catch the Quaffle and I'm really sorry about the middle finger incident but he was really, really rude and I'm rambling, aren't I?" Harry finished in a rush. Draco nodded.
"Harry, do us all a favor and shut up. You're making it worse for the rest of us," James said, stretching as he walked back out of the shower area. Harry clamped his mouth shut and put his hands over his mouth.
"Harry, if you EVER flip off a Ref again, you will no longer be a captain!" Madam Hooch snapped, glaring at Harry.
Harry nodded quickly, keeping his mouth shut.
Madam Hooch rounded on James. "AND YOU!!!" James cowered a little. "EXCELLENT WRONSKI FEINT!!!!!!!!! GOOD JOB!!!!!" she screamed, hugging the astonished Seeker. The entire team stared at her strangely. James stiffened at the thug, but finally relaxed and patted her back.
"Ummm, thank you?" he asked tentatively. Madam Hooch thumped his back, pormoting a coughing fit from everyone else.
"AND AS FOR THE REST OF YOU," she screamed, pulling away from James. "IF I EVER SEE SUCH BLATANT CHEAT ING AGAIN I'LL KICK ALL OF YOU OFF AND REMAKE THE TEAM!!!!" She stood in the center of the room, shaking with rage. Everyone baked up, standing against the lockers, convinced that she was about to explode.
"Practice is tomorrow and I expect a 36 inch parchment on what the rules of Quidditch are as well as how you specifically broke ten of them during the game. It's due at the start of practice. Get dressed and rejoin the school. I'm utterly disgusted." Madam Hooch swept from the room.
Despondent, the rest of the team started to change their clothes. All the girls headed into the girl's bathroom and shower area, changing back into their regular robes and the guys headed off to the guy's showers to do the same. Harry, Draco and Ginny just sat their, replaying the entire game into their minds, determining what went wrong and how it could be avoided in the future.
*I don't care what Hooch said. I refuse to let another team cheat and not retaliate!* Draco exploded after five minutes of debate.
*I know! I hate it too, but we can't let that happen again, or we'll be off the team!* Harry protested, throwing his hands in the air.
*Did you even think of trying to explain that to her? Of course not. We need to talk to her and tell her that we refuse to let our team be at such a disadvantage. It isn't fair to us if they cheat and we don't retaliate.* Ginny reasoned, trying to resolve the issue.
Lily, Severus, and Remus walked quietly into the locker room. "Are you all ok?" Lily asked, staring intently at her son, Ginny and Draco. "We could hear that all the way in the hallway. We thought that you gave Durmstrung what they deserved, a taste of their own medicine." Harry hugged her
"Thanks, Mum," he whispered. He pulled away from her, anxiously searching her face. "Speaking of medicine, have you seen Madam Pomfrey? Did she say what's wrong?" Grinning widely, Lily led Harry to sit on the bench next to his father. Harry looked at James, who grinned at him in return.
Severus and Remus sat on either side of Harry and James, anxious to hear what was wrong as well. James stood up and loosely clasped Lily around the waist. "We saw Madam Pomfrey last night, and she said there was nothing wrong with me," Lily said, grinning.
"But you're sick all the time. How can nothing-" Harry started. James held up a hand, silencing his son.
"You didn't let her finish. Madam Pomfrey said there wasn't anything wrong with her that nine months won't fix."
Harry gasped, his eyes wide. Severus's mouth dropped open. Remus stared at Lily, grinning. "I KNEW something smelled different!" he exclaimed.
Lily nodded. "I'm PREGNANT!!!" she screamed, laughing. Harry jumped up and hugged his parents.
"This is AWESOME!!!!!" Draco! Ginny! I'm gonna have a baby brother or sister!!!" Draco grinned and hugged Harry. Ginny hugged him as well, her face a little troubled.
Ginny watched as Harry and his parents celebrated. She really wanted to be happy, and she was so happy for Harry, but what did this mean for her? *If Harry has a little brother or sister, is he still going to want me?* Ginny wondered sadly. She started to gather her shower things and headed for the girl's bathroom.
Harry watched her, having heard the question Ginny had asked herself. He shook his head and walked quickly after her, grabbing her arm. She spun around, unable to keep all traces of sadness from her eyes. "Ginny, Ginny," Harry whispered, crushing her in his arms. "How do you feel about being a big sister?" he asked, grinning at her.
Ginny squealed, throwing her arms around Harry. "I'd like that. I HATE being the baby!" Lily and James walked up and wrapped their arms around Harry and Ginny.
"So, this is going to be our new daughter. James, I think we need to welcome her in true Potter and Evans style." Lily looked Ginny up and down. "You know, James, she looks like she could be our daughter. She has your color eyes and my hair. This is too creepy."
Ginny beamed. "What's your true style?" she asked curiously.
Lily and James grinned evilly at each other. "Have you heard of the Marauders?" James asked in all seriousness.
Ginny gasped. "That was YOU? You're my ROLE MODEL!!!" she squealed, hugging James. Lily laughed at the shocked and thrilled look on James's face. Severus's face twitched as he fought, successfully, to conceal his smile.
"Well, it wasn't ALL me. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were my partners in crime. Peter Pettigrew joined up with us in his third and our fourth year." Ginny looked up at his adoringly.
"My brothers Fred and George have carried on the tradition and, now that they're gone, we," She opened her arms to include Harry and Draco, "are carrying on the tradition."
Harry and Draco grinned. *You thinking what I'm thinking?* Harry asked.
*PRANK WAR!!!!* Draco yelled exuberantly. Harry snickered.
*Oh, what to do first???*
*I'm thinking that we get George and Fred to get us some of their products and then prank the rest of the school. Who's with me?*
*I AM!!!" Came the mental voices of both Harry and Ginny.
Lily, Severus, Remus and James looked at each other. *Why rely on the Weaseley twins for products? Make your own!* came Sev's amused voice.
Harry grinned, already dreaming up several ideas on how to make the ickle Firsties completely blue, or the Ravenclaws a lovely shade of puce, or give the Slytherins red and gold hair.... Oh the possibilities!!!
Severus expounded on Harry's train of thought. *You know, I could just have them brew a potion that is guaranteed to explode and completely drench them in blue dye...*
*But is it fair to the rest of the school if the teachers are pranking the students? Who am I kidding! The students prank the teachers all the time. It's about time that we gave the cheeky bastards a taste of their own medicine.* Remus thought, grinning like a madman.
*Right, so it's us against the school. I think Seamus, Blaise, Neville and Luna would be wonderful allies and would have fun helping us out,* Harry mused, already planning the first big prank to pull.
"All right, you three, YOU STINK! Hit the showers!" Lily exclaimed, fanning her nose as if they smelled repulsive. Harry discretely smelled himself. His mum was right, they were all really ripe. Laughing, Lily, James, Remus, and Severus walked out of the locker room and headed back to Hogwarts'.
Ginny walked into the girl's shower area, her clothing under her arm. "Harry, Draco, no fighting," she called over her shoulder as she closed the door.
Harry snickered. "Who? Us? Fighting?" he asked rolling his eyes. Draco snickered, silently agreeing with Ginny. Suddenly, his eyes widened as Harry pulled off his robes and undershirt, standing there in nothing but a pair of black jeans. He watched, suddenly aroused as Harry bent over, picking up his robes, and bundled them on the bench. Draco turned around, slightly panting, as Harry quickly grabbed his change of clothing, a bar of soap, and a washcloth and headed into the showers.
Draco turned back around and stared at Harry's sculpted back as he walked away. As waves of lust and desire slammed into him, leaving him reeling, he slammed the strongest shields he had ever created into place, cutting Harry out of his mind. *Oh MERLIN! What the HELL is going on?* He rested his head against the cool metal of the lockers, trying not to jump his soul mate right then and there.
Harry walked back out of the shower area in just a small, black towel, completely unaware of the effects his state of undress immediately had on Draco. "Draco, are you all right?" he asked, staring at Draco intently. Draco hurriedly sat down on the bench, trying to hide his hard on.
"I- I'm just fine. Go on, take your shower. I'll be in in a minute," Draco managed to say without stuttering too badly, his face glowing a tomato red. *What is wrong with me??? This is Harry! I- I -oh shit, no, please GOD no. Don't do this to me.*
Harry turned and walked back into the shower, shaking his head. Something was definitely wrong with Draco, but he couldn't feel anything and he didn't want to pry. Shrugging, he stepped into the shower.
Draco sat in the locker room, trying to calm himself down. *You knew what being soul mates with him meant. You knew,* he accused himself. *But oh HELL this is bad. He can't know. He'd freak.* A picture of Harry, in his black satin boxers, rose unbidden in Draco's mind and his raging hard on intensified painfully. *Fuck this! I REFUSE to be GAY!* Draco angrily willed his hormones to subside. *I'll work this out. I have to.* Drawing in a shuddering breath, he walked into the shower, head held high.
A/N: Hey everyone, sorry this one is a little late. My computer has bit the dust, literally. It's in its last gasping death throes and I'm tying this on my laptop, which isn't connected to the internet. So, I'm doing some transferring of files and all that nice stuff. So, what did you think? Have I satisfied all those poor people who want slash and ask for it every review? No? Too damn bad! It's gonna take a while before the rating of this story jumps from R to NC17 and then I'll have to find an alternate site, maybe adultfanfiction.net. It's so sad. Violence is a R, but sex is NC17. Why? Reading about sex is so much healthier than reading about murder and torture. But, that's just my opinion. Let's all be Nymphomaniacs!