"Are you Ginny Weasley?"
Ginny looked up from her
homework and saw Ethan standing across from her at the library table she was
occupying. "Yes," she answered, laying down her quill.
"Could I talk to you for a
minute?" he asked with a smile.
"Sure," she said
slowly, wondering what a Slytherin wanted to talk to her about.
Ethan sat down and folded his
hands on top of the table in a very business-like manner. "I've been told
that two of your older brothers own their own joke shop. Is that true?"
"Yep, Fred and George,"
Ginny smiled. "They're seventeen."
"Wow," Ethan said,
impressed. "Shouldn't they be in school still?"
"They dropped out last
year because of this horrible woman who took over the school. You're lucky you
didn't come last year, it was a horrible time. They were going to open a joke
shop anyway, they just ended up doing it a year earlier."
"They must be fun brothers
to have around," Ethan grinned.
"Yeah, they're always
pulling practical jokes on people and inventing useful things to get you out of
class," Ginny chuckled.
Ethan laughed. "I heard
they knew every secret passageway around Hogwarts, too."
"Oh yeah," Ginny
nodded proudly. "All of them."
"They must tell you all
that good stuff too, am I right?"
"Of course, they love it
when we carry on their tradition of school rule breaking."
"My old school had lots of
secret passageways as well, I kind of have an interest in that sort of thing.
I've only found one here so far."
"Really? Which one?"
"It's outside, under that
monster of a tree."
"The Whomping Willow? How
on earth did you come across that one?" Ginny asked in amazement.
"By accident really,"
Ethan smiled. "I got too close to it when I was walking outside and it
took a swipe at me, almost got me too, so I very immaturely picked up a rock
and threw it at the trunk in retaliation. Well, I must have hit some special
spot because it stopped thrashing about and opened right up."
"Wow, did you go
through?"
"No, I was too shocked and
I didn't know if I would be able to get out again. Some brave explorer I am,
huh?"
"You wouldn't want to go
through anyway, it leads to the Shrieking Shack."
Ethan leaned forward, a hungry
look in his eyes. "What is the Shrieking Shack?"
"It's a haunted house in
Hogsmeade, do you know that village?"
"Yes. It's haunted you
say?"
"Very, no one dares even
to step foot in there anymore."
"So, no one ever goes in
there, it's completely secluded, and the entrance is a secret...." Ethan
said slowly.
"Yep," Ginny nodded
in affirmation.
"Anyway," Ethan shook
his head slightly. "The reason I wanted to talk to you in the first place
was to ask if I could order something from you from your brother's shop."
"What is it you
want?"
"I'm not sure, what do
they have?"
"Well, do you want
something to give to other people as a joke? Like food that changes someone's
hair colour or turns them into an animal."
"Oh no, nothing like that."
Ethan laughed. "That would be mean."
"You're sure not like
other Slytherins," Ginny noted with pleasure.
"So I've noticed, I don't
really feel like I belong there. Some of the things they say and do behind
closed doors...." Ethan shook his head in disgust.
"That must be awful for
you," Ginny sympathized, patting his hand.
"It's alright," Ethan
shrugged. "There's no law saying I can't talk to people in other houses,
right?"
"That's right," Ginny
smiled. She admired his brown eyes for a second before coming to her senses.
"So what kind of things were you looking to order?"
"Perhaps, something to get
me out of class on occasion."
"Well, I highly recommend
the Skiving Snackboxes."
"Excellent. I'll take one
and give the money to you now. How much?"
"Five galleons. So what
class are you looking to skive off?" she asked, as he handed over some
money from his pocket.
"Potions," Ethan
said, pulling a face.
"Not a fan of Professor
Snape, I take it?" Ginny giggled.
"Not really," he
smiled.
"I think the Sorting Hat
may have put you in the wrong house."
"Me too," he laughed.
"So, do you want to know
any other Hogwarts secrets? Hidden rooms, secret entrances, or other
passageways?" Ginny offered with a mischievous glint in her eye.
One corner of Ethan's lips
curled up and his eyes narrowed in delight. "Of course," he said
leaning closer. "Tell me everything you know."
* * * * * * * * *
Draco smiled as he watched Harry
sleeping soundly next to him. He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Harry's
bare shoulder, before getting quietly out of bed and slipping across the room
to the informal picnic laid out on the floor. He sat himself down and picked up
one of the turkey sandwiches, delicately tearing little pieces off of it and
popping them into his mouth. He mentally scolded himself for not thinking to
bring pumpkin juice as he began to feel thirsty.
Harry stirred on the bed and
rolled over, his hand reaching out to where Draco had been lying. He opened his
eyes and sat up, looking around and smiling when he caught sight of Draco
sitting on the floor.
"Morning," Draco
greeted, waving his sandwich in the air. "Lunch?"
Harry laughed and reached for
his clothes lying on the floor.
"Uh, uh." Draco
wagged a finger at him. "If you put on clothes then you don't get to
eat."
"Well, I can't eat while
you're sitting next to me, with all your....bits and pieces showing."
Draco snorted and almost choked
on his food. "You are too innocent for words, Harry. You can't sit next to
me naked even after all the stuff we just did? The stuff you just did?"
"That's different!"
Harry replied, his cheeks reddening. "There's a time and a place for
everything and being nude while you eat just isn't...right."
"What if we combined the
two?" Draco smirked. "Can't people spread edible substances, say
chocolate sauce, onto another person's naked skin and then eat it off of
them?"
"But that's different,"
Harry protested. "That's not eating because you're hungry, that's just
erotic foreplay."
"Why, Harry, I'm
impressed! You said that without blushing."
Harry rolled his eyes and made
to grab his clothes again.
"Uh, uh," Draco said,
with a shake of his finger.
"Draco...." Harry
whined.
Draco turned his back on Harry
and began to smack his lips loudly. "Mmm...this is delicious!" he
exaggerated.
Harry grabbed the pillow from
off the bed and threw it at the back of Draco's head.
"Ow!" he yelled in
surprise. The blond turned around and glared in mock anger. "You are going
to get it, Harry."
"Oh yeah? What are you
going to do?" Harry asked haughtily.
Draco stood up and started
walking slowly towards him, like a panther stalking its prey. "Watch out,
Harry," he said menacingly. "I'm coming at you with all my bits and
pieces."
Harry rolled back onto the bed
with laughter and Draco leapt on top of him, pinning his hands down with one
arm and tickling his bare stomach.
"No! Please, stop!"
Harry gasped in between giggles. "Draco!"
Draco grinned and stopped,
staring down at Harry's flushed face. "How about a compromise?" he
offered.
"What?" Harry asked
sceptically.
"How about we eat on the
bed? That way we can cover our 'bits' with the sheets but still be essentially
naked."
"Deal," Harry
accepted.
Draco kissed the tip of his
nose and scrambled off to retrieve the food. Harry swept the sheets back and wrapped
them around his waist as he settled near the pillows. Draco slipped in next to
him and spread the food out in front of them.
"We should build a tent,"
Harry mused as he nibbled on the edge of a piece of chicken.
"Go ahead," Draco said
with a smirk. It wasn't the first time Harry had suggested it, and wouldn't be
the last, but the boy never found the energy to actually go through with it.
"Maybe...." Harry
said thoughtfully, knowing full well that he probably wouldn't.
Draco shook his head and licked
the tips of his fingers as he eyed the last treacle tart with a predatory gaze.
Harry glanced sideways at Draco, noticing the particular item that he had his
eye on, and grabbed it.
"Hey!" Draco
exclaimed. "You already had three!"
"And this makes four,"
Harry smirked in triumph.
"I don't think so, Potter,"
Draco growled.
Harry shuffled backwards and
held the tart to his lips. He stuck out his tongue and licked the tart with one
long swipe. "There, now you won't want it!" he declared childishly.
"Well, if that's the rule
then I guess I don't want this anymore either," he said, gesturing to his
lap.
"Draco!" Harry cried,
horrified.
Draco took the opportunity to reach
out and grab the tart from Harry's grasp. "I'll explain it to you when
you're older. Geez, Harry, maybe you should be in Hufflepuff."
"Hey!" Harry
spluttered indignantly. "I am not a Hufflepuff!"
Draco smiled and took a bite of
his prize, closing his eyes in mock ecstasy. Harry crossed his arms over his
chest and pouted.
"That's not going to work
this time," Draco said, eyes still closed.
Harry uncrossed his arms and
crawled over to the Slytherin, leaning forward to lick a crumb from the corner
of Draco's mouth.
Draco opened his eyes in
surprise and wasted no time in leaning in to capture Harry's lips with his own.
Harry kept his eyes open while he kissed, keeping one eye on the tart in
Draco's hand. Draco finally put the tart down and reached his hand up to
Harry's hair and cheek, increasing the passion of the kiss quickly. Harry
smiled against Draco's lips and secretively picked up the forgotten dessert.
"Aha!" Harry cried,
breaking apart and jumping backwards, waving the half-eaten tart triumphantly
in the air.
Draco gaped at him in shock as
Harry shoved the entire thing into his mouth and chewed. "That was very
Slytherin of you," he commented with a raised brow.
Harry swallowed with difficulty
and smiled, trying and failing to raise one brow. Draco sniggered as Harry used
his finger to poke at his eyebrow in concentration.
"How do you do that?"
Harry asked in frustration. "Do they pull you aside in Slytherin and teach
a separate class?"
"Yep, Snape gathers all
first year Slytherins to him and spends an hour teaching the new students all
aspects of looking snooty and superior."
"So you admit it!"
Harry grinned, still concentrating on his eyebrow.
"Snape says I'm a
natural."
"I don't doubt that,"
Harry snorted.
Draco couldn't help laughing at
Harry as he tried to look up at his own eyebrow, forehead wrinkled in
concentration. "Come here, you."
Harry gave up and crawled back
over to Draco, snuggling down into his arms. Draco lifted the sheets back up to
cover them both and squeezed Harry gently, as one might a favourite teddy bear.
They both closed their eyes and after awhile fell into a deep sleep, feeling
warm and content.
* * * * * * * * *
Ethan carefully prodded the trunk with
the stick he had seen Draco use, and the tree immediately stilled and opened up
before him. He grinned and looked around once to really make sure he was alone
before slipping inside. He found himself in a very dark and dusty tunnel, he
lit his wand and started up the dirt packed trail, looking around him carefully
and listening closely for any sounds of human life.
After awhile, he found himself
in what he thought must be the Shrieking Shack. He crept cautiously to every
door and put his ear against them, the floorboards squeaking slightly under his
feet. He glanced down and noticed two pairs of footprints in the layers of dust
covering the wooden floor. He smiled and began to follow their trail, his heart
beating in excitement and his hands shaking at what he hoped to find.
The trail stopped at the last
door in the hall and Ethan walked towards it purposefully. He grasped the
handle and turned it as slowly as possible, then pulled it open a crack – it
didn't make a sound, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
He peeked through the small
crack he had allowed in the doorway and looked around. The room was filled with
a pale light shining through a pair of old, tattered curtains hanging over the
window. The light fell upon a giant four poster bed on which lay Harry Potter
and Draco Malfoy.
Ethan's eyes widened as he
noticed that both boys were completely naked and wrapped in each other's arms. An
evil grin slowly spread across his handsome face as the wheels in his head
began to turn. This was even better than he was hoping for, he never thought
that they'd have gone this far.
"A Slytherin and a
Gryffindor," he thought happily. "Malfoy and Potter. No one's going
to believe me....but they'll have to believe it if they see it for
themselves."
With one last look, he gently
closed the door behind him and started back to the entrance of the passageway.
He almost felt like humming as he stepped lightly along the path and exited the
tree onto the grounds. Luckily, no one saw him emerge and he decided to walk
around the lake while he worked out the best course of action.
* * * * * * * *
Draco opened one eye sleepily and
looked towards the door. He blinked. He shook his head as he thought he saw it
close and listened closely, but didn't hear any retreating footsteps. He sighed
and closed his eyes again. Harry shifted in his arms and he rested his chin in
Harry's soft hair as he drifted off to sleep once more.