Chapter III: Evasion

Professor Snape walked up and down the aisles of his classroom, passing out essays he had graded that morning and lecturing them on how if they had been used on their O.W.Ls, surely none of them would ever leave Hogwarts under the age of thirty. Harry burst through the door, panting and ten minutes late. Snape's irritation rose and his temper broke, "Mr.Potter," he began, "How nice of you to join us."

Harry gave the teacher a pleading look as Malfoy began whispering about him to Goyle. Both smirked.

"You're late," he said curtly," b Why? /b " He had no sympathy for the boy, ignorant and vaunting in his mind. He watched him callously as he handed an essay back to Draco, "Good," he muttered to the Slytherin and then sneered at Harry, "Yet I'm afraid I will not be saying the same to you, Mr.Potter." He handed a paper with a thin, spiky D marked in the corner.

Harry looked at it briefly before stuffing it in his bag and sitting down by Dean. Dean smiled sympathetically at him and looked back down at his own essay graded with an A.

"Now," Snape continued, reveling in his authority, "You are to complete the potion written on the board. No doubt it will be on your exam and I expect nothing less than an A from all of you," his eyes traveled back to Harry, who gave an inward groan as the class turned as if puppets to the Potions master, "Although I will have to lower the standards for some of us."

Harry blocked out the rest of the class and began gathering his ingredients. Dean looked at him nervously, "You want me to do this, Harry? You look like you could use a visit to Madame Pomfrey."

Harry nodded, biting back his anger and frustration, overwhelmed with his position in Potion's class and the morning's events, "Thanks."

Dean went to the back of the classroom and Harry pretended to be writing something down as Snape passed. He watched as Dean came back and began dropping spider legs into his cauldron.

Then he heard the voice from the front of the classroom. A light hearted, sensationally familiar voice that rang throughout the dungeon with it's air of antics, "Professor, the Headmaster wants to see Harry." Fred said.

Harry felt all the anger he had inside of him slip away as thought it had been a sort of malevolent serpent as Snape looked at the twin in pure annoyance, "What for?" the teacher demanded.

Fred looked at Snape seriously and said, "I'm afraid that isn't any of your business, now is it?"

Snape's eyes narrowed and he eyed the twin with obvious distrust, "What do you mean it's none of my business, Weasley? I've every right-"

But Harry and had already shoved his things in his bag and was racing down the corridor after Fred, who pulled him into an empty classroom.

Harry gasped, breathless with laughter and exhaustion, "Fred! What- Are you mad?"

He pulled Harry to him, "Yes. I am."

The two kissed, Fred's tongue rolling over Harry's with an undeniable passion and energy. He explored the younger boys mouth, clutching him as if a balloon that may fly away at any moment. The kiss broke and they stood there, grasping and accepting one another. Fred's mouth wandered from Harry's own to his neck and stayed there, sucking in satisfaction. Harry pulled the his head gently so that it met his own and he ran his tongue over Fred's lips before entering where he met a fervor to match his own.

"Nothing will ever take you from me, Fred." Harry said, kissing him gently now.

Fred sighed in beatitude, knowing that nothing ever would, and that no matter what happened, nothing in his life would ever be the same again.

"I want to take care of you," Harry continued. He ran his hands over Fred's back, who was silent in content, "I don't want you to be afraid of anything ever again."

Fred rested his head on Harry's shoulder as he had in his dream. Harry ceased speaking and joined Fred in his nonverbal declamation of love and fidelity. They moved to sit by the wall, both of them leaning upon the other and enjoying the sensation of their unspoken allegiance to one another, knowledgeable that they were immune to all the hurt the world had to offer if only they could stay this way forever.