Someday, I will own something of great value. This will not be Harry Potter, as J K Rowling already owns it.
February
Harry picked himself up off of Snape's floor for what seemed like the billionth time. It was already his third day of occlumency, and he still couldn't figure out what he was really supposed to do. Every day, his head hurt more and more, and he never made any progress. "Sir, I really don't think that we're going to get anything done tonight. If I could leave now?"
"I am the teacher, last time I checked, Potter. I will say when you can go. Again."
Harry sighed, and tried to clear his mind. He wasn't exactly a non-emotional type, and he was a bit undisciplined from time to time… So clearing his head of all thoughts and emotions didn't work very well. And as usual, Snape set the spell before he was fully ready, so images started flashing. A scene of Dudley chasing him at the head of a pack of boys, Marge's dog Ripper keeping him in a tree until nightfall, how pathetically happy and trusting he was when Hagrid came to haul him out of the muggle world… and then walking down the dungeons to the Slytherin Common Room, under a cloak, seeing Ryua's face, full of suppressed laughter turning around… No. That's not something I want you to see, that's private…
When Harry opened his eyes, he was still standing, for a change, and Snape was rubbing his arm. "Did you mean to produce a stinging hex, Potter?"
"I, ah… no."
"I see."
"So, I did it, does that mean I can go now?"
Snape sneered. "I would not say that you had done it. You have made progress, in the manner of an eagle gliding a foot before plummeting miserably to the ground. And I have assignments to mark this evening, so I want you out of my sight."
With a sigh of relief, Harry turned around and walked to the door. He was just about to open the door when Snape whispered something and the door sealed itself with a silencing charm. Harry spun around, hand going to his wand, but Snape raised a hand. "I just wished to say something before you go. Something that should not be overheard."
"Alright." Harry crossed his arms and settled back onto one leg.
"Potter, I have to say that I am absolutely disgusted by you."
"The attraction's mutual."
Snape's eyes flashed, and his voice got dangerous. "I would rather enjoy a legitimate reason to expel you, Potter, so I would love it if you kept talking…" Harry said nothing, although he looked sullenly at his feet. "I want to tell you that I could wish Ryua had picked a different person. Almost any person, as a matter of fact. But, for whatever reason, she actually seems to like you."
Harry's head had shot up at the mention of Ryua's name, and the question was plain on his face. "How did I know? Firstly, I saw Ryua emerge from an invisibility cloak outside the common rooms. And, the two of you were slightly less than cautious in my classroom a few days ago. So, I would like to tell you to be much, much more secretive about this. I'm sure Granger and Weasley already know, but I would not advise telling anyone else. Too many people involved in a secret fairly guarantees its escape." For a split second, Snape's face looked almost tender. "Ryua is like a daughter to me, Potter, more so than to her own family. I know when she's scared, troubled, exhausted, in pain… and happy. I don't see that in her nearly enough, Potter. If it takes welcoming you with open arms to make her happy… well I'll just have to tolerate you. But I warn you, if you hurt her, you should wish that her father finds you first. He's rash enough to kill you. The Dark Lord, myself, or heaven forbid Ryua, would make you suffer much, much more than you could possibly imagine."
Harry swallowed, and when he heard the spell on the door dissipate, he left before Snape could say anything else. Yeesh, and I thought the Weasleys were overprotective…
"I'm sorry he was so hard on you," Ryua said as she shelved the last of the books in the Room of Requirements. Hermione and Ron had stuck around until the last of the people had gone to their common rooms, and then left to do patrol, leaving Ryua and Harry to clean up.
"Ah, I'm still in one piece. At least he yelled at me for a legitimate reason this time…"
"Hah. I can take care of myself."
Harry smiled, tossing some pillows into a corner. "Actually, he did say that if I did anything to make you mad, I'd better die before you caught up with me."
Ryua chuckled. "Well… I maybe have a bit of a temper…"
"Guess I shouldn't make you mad then…"
"Probably not. I don't think you will, though."
"Really? That's good. Er, why not? Just so I know what I should keep doing…"
"Well… You are kinda cute…" This time it was Harry who blushed, a situation which Ryua liked much more. "Hey, I just had a thought!"
"Really?" Harry seemed a bit bemused by her fast topic switch. "What?"
"Why are we cleaning up after DA meetings?"
"What? Why not?"
"It's the Room of Requirements. When we come in next time, it'll be exactly as we require it, clean and ready for the lesson. So, why bother cleaning it if it's just done magically?"
Harry looked over at her, mouth slightly open. "You know… I never thought of that."
"Do you think anyone else has?"
"Doubt it, Ron and Hermione have been the only other ones cleaning it… So, I guess we don't really have to stick around late than…"
"Hey, I never said that! I don't mind spending time out of my common room… with you…"
"So, you're saying we should lie about not needing to clean up after our supposed-to-be-non-existent meetings just to spend time together?"
She winced. "Okay, maybe that sounds a little bad…"
Harry smiled. "Oh, I don't know. We just don't have to tell anyone that we aren't necessarily cleaning…"
Ryua had a little jolt of… she didn't know what, but her stomach did a pleasant little flip-flop. "Well, we've already spent almost ten minutes cleaning…"
"Okay… So can I have a goodnight kiss then?" Harry smiled hopefully.
"Only if you walk me down to the dungeons. Pansy's on patrol tonight, but Draco's doing a makeup paper so she's bored and mean. Don't want me to get caught and stuck in detention again, do you?" Ryua asked, poking him in the chest.
Five minutes later, they were down at the entrance to the Slytherin common room. "Consider yourself escorted," Harry whispered in her ear.
Ryua shivered; it tickled pleasantly. "Okay then…" She turned around, careful not to slide the cloak off by accident, and reached her hand back around his neck. They were nearly the same height, so she didn't have to yank his head down a foot like some girls. Under an invisibility cloak, neither of them felt like there were eyes boring into their backs, so Ryua moved very slowly, enjoying every bit of it. The feeling of his warm breath on her skin, a light brush of their lips, which got gently firmer. Her other hand reached up into his hair, her fingers working through his already disorderly, soft hair.
She pulled back for a breath, but didn't get far before he kissed her back. His hands slid around her waist, leaving goose bumps in their wake. Ryua was starting to melt, losing herself in the kiss, feeling like she was floating away somewhere. Apparently, Harry was having similar sensations, as he lost his balance and staggered sideways into the wall. "Oops," he whispered, "Got a little dizzy…"
Ryua stifled a chuckle and whispered back, "Yeah… well, goodnight." She unwound his hands, which were still around her waist, gave him one last kiss, and ducked out of the cloak before he could pull her back. Luckily, the only people in the common room were three first years on a mission to stay up all night long (one was already nodding off) so she got to bed without any troubles.
In the Gryffindor tower, Hermione and Ron were waiting up for Harry to come back. "Honestly, how long does it take to clean up that room?" Ron asked, poking a bobble on an elf hat.
Hermione, who was making more bobbled elf hats, said, "Well, he'll be coming up from the dungeons too, I'm sure…"
"Oh, right. So… d'you think she's killed him yet?"
"Of course not! She likes him…" A moment later, her face clouded with worry. "He is taking a while though…"
"Relax, he'll be fine. You're dropping stitches, by the way…"
"Since when do you know anything about knitting?"
Ron grimaced, tossing the hat onto another chair. "You know my mother. It's impossible to live in that house without learning the basics of knitting, cooking, cleaning, charming…"
"I suppose." Just then the portrait opened, and Harry appeared from under his cloak, a slightly goofy grin on his face. "Oh, there you are Harry!"
"So, how'd it go, mate?" Ron ducked a pair of socks that Hermione threw at him and grinned evilly up at Harry.
"None of your business. And how do you know anything 'went' anyway?"
"Because of the look on your face. You look like Hagrid talking about baby Norbert…"
For a moment, Harry's expression turned to one of disgusted embarrassment. It slipped back into dreamy thoughts a moment later though. "Well… I did kind of fall into a wall…"
Ron burst out laughing, and looked over in amazement when even Hermione laughed. "Ohhh, Harry, you poor innocent child. Falling into walls from a goodnight kiss…"
"As if you've had any experience, Hermione," Ron said, throwing a hat at her.
"More than you, Ronald!"
"Doesn't take much…" Harry said quietly.
Ron looked over in horrified surprise. "Harry… you're supposed to be on my side!"
"Sorry, couldn't resist."
"I think that girl's bringing out the Slytherin in you. She's a bad influence."
"Oh, Ron, don't be foolish. That's ridiculous." Hermione said, neatly stacking the hats on the table. "I don't think Slytherin-ness is transmittable. Only people meant to be in Slytherin act like Slytherins."
"Well, then… maybe Harry's a Slytherin in disguise! And he's fooled us all, being the good little hero all these years…"
For a moment, Harry teetered between worry and amusement. However, he was in too good of a mood to worry, so… "Yep."
" 'Yep' what?"
"I was supposed to be in Slytherin." Ron kind of gaped like a landed fish, and Hermione actually dropped one of her hats into the fireplace. "Cool, huh?"
"Er… I guess so…"
"No, I chose Gryffindor, you see. The hat thought I could fit in Slytherin nicely, except that I didn't want to go."
"Oh. Well, I guess that makes you doubly Gryffindor then." Hermione said, trying to fish her hat out of the fire, and giving it up as a lost cause. "Oh, I'm going to bed. Goodnight!"
"Yeah, goodni-ght," Ron called, interrupted halfway through by a loud yawn. "Sounds like a good idea, actually… Er, Harry, you aren't going to go mad and kill us all during the night, are you?"
"Only if you really bug me." Harry smiled as Ron made a sort of choking laugh, gesturing Harry to go first.
Author's Note: Whoa. Thanks goes out to Rohan Bernett for the most uplifting, sweet review I've ever had. I was happy for days!
