Oo, my first flame… it bothered me for a while… and then I remembered that she said that she never actually read my story… well whatever, she needn't waste my time with her own insecurity…
-Oh! I started writing more because of all your reviews! It's hell now because of school and since I'm a senior in High School now… I can't slack off anymore… of course that doesn't mean I won't ^_~
~Double oh! I solemnly swear I will write more D/H, don't worry about it, I just needed to create the plot and such, now that we all know what the whole plot is… we can have fun!
~Triple OH! I guess I should give you all an explanation for why I write about the OCs so much… well the truth is, I can't help it. I'm creative that way, the other truth is… that secretly I want to be published one day, and of course you can't publish Fanfiction because J.K. would most definitely sue, and so I also need in enhance my own character skills too if I ever hoped to get published… (It's a secret though! Don't tell anyone! ^_~)
Ok, enough! Story time!
Chapter Nine+-Lovers and Sinners! Welcome to Aficionado!-+
Harry and Draco decided to enter the city not only to escape the threatening rain, but also to the thought that it'd be nice to be able to sleep 'inside' for once.
They picked up their speed and were at the gates of the city in less than an hour.
The skies were darkening quickly and Harry could see lightning in the distance, getting ever closer.
"How do we get in?" Draco asked, there were no guards and the gates were closed tight.
"How am I supposed to know?" Harry asked, "Try knocking maybe?"
Draco rapped on the gates twice and then there was silence.
"Well that did a lot of—" The gates slowly groaned open.
They got a good look of what was inside, all the buildings were pastel colors, everything from pink to lavender to yellow and back again.
Harry raised an eyebrow, it certainly was interesting.
"Interesting maybe, but can we stay here?" Draco said and stepped forward.
"Stay out of my head," Harry glared back.
Draco ignored him and entered the city, Harry followed right behind him.
~~~
Hermione was pacing around in the Burrow's living room, they had come to a decision on who was to go but they hadn't told them yet. Whoever it was, had better be good, Harry had said himself that he had no way in knowing how to get back. Surely Dumbledore or someone would know? A book maybe?
"Sit down, Hermione, you'll pace a hole through the rug." Ron commented from the chair he was sitting in.
"I can't." Hermione said simply and Ron just shrugged.
"Who do you think they'll send?" Ron asked.
"I don't know, Moody maybe? He is an auror."
Sometimes when Ron and Hermione were really quite they could here bits of the conversation the adults were having in one of the bedrooms.
Things like, "But why should we—"
"Just a kid—"
"Surely we can—"
"I do have ---"
Ron was about to reply when the door to the bedroom the grown-ups were conversing in opened and Tonks stormed out.
"What was—"
The grown-ups finally emerged from their meeting place; the expressions on their faces were mixed, from pleased to disappointed and solemn.
"Well we've made a decision." Dumbledore stated.
~~~
No sooner had Harry and Draco stepped inside the city, when they were bombarded on all sides by men and women, throwing flowers at them and placing wreaths around their necks.
"Lovers and Sinners! Dreamers and Pragmatics! Welcome to the city of Aficionado! The city of Love and Happiness!"
Harry looked sideways at Draco and burst out laughing, the boy was totally covered in pink wreaths and pedals! But when Draco arched an eyebrow at him, Harry figured he must look just as silly.
"Are you newly-weds? My gosh, you're so young!" A woman said and placed a hand to her mouth in awe.
The twin look on Draco and Harry's faces was absolutely priceless, the horrific expression followed by loud protests and accusations.
Draco swiped at the pedals and tried to free himself of all the wreaths, still outraged at the woman's mistake.
After both boys quieted down a little the same woman said, "I'm sorry, my mistake, so you're just dating hm? Well that's okay!"
Again, the widened eyes and open mouths started up but the people before them didn't give them a chance to begin before they were being dragged along by their arms.
"We have a fabulous selection of day spas –"
"But-" Harry tried to cut in.
"Or night spas, if that's more your thing-"
"No, it's—"
"Hot springs, massages, the whole thing-"
"We're really—"
"We have luxurious hotels too! The Golden Star, the Blue Cedar—"
"We're not—"
"And they don't cost anything!"
"Thanks but—"
"You see, our city lives on our belief that love makes the world go 'round, not money, and of course everyone here is glad to work for free! It's peaceful, supportive, people from all over the world come here to get away with their lovers and spouses---"
"HEY!!" Draco finally shouted, much more aggressively than Harry's attempts.
The people around them, quieted immediately.
Draco wrenched his arms away from the woman and man who were holding them and shook his head.
"We are not newly weds! We are not dating! We are not here to 'get away'! We just need a place to stay!" He yelled.
Harry winced, that wasn't polite at all.
The people looked around at each other and then the woman, who appeared to be the leader of this particular group, nodded slowly. "Alright…that's a different story then, you'll just need a hotel then?"
Harry tried to smile politely, "Yes thank you."
"Ok," She said smiling back. "Will you be wanting, oils? Chocolate? Any aphrodisiacs?"
Harry stared, "I beg your pardon?"
The woman blinked, "Well you are sleeping together, aren't you?"
"Oh my GOD!" Draco cried out and stormed away, Harry was a little surprised, he'd never seen Draco lose his cool like this before. What happened to the 'ice' he'd known from school?
The woman stared after him and nobody moved, "Oh dear, did I offend him?"
Harry repressed a frustrated sigh, "No, it's just--- I mean, we're just---" He stopped, what to say? What to say? That they were school rivals that just happened to be traveling together and ended up in some love capitol of the world? "We're just friends, I didn't know this was a lover's city." Harry said and was amazed that he could say that so easily, surely they weren't friends?
"Who's idea was it to come here?" She asked.
"Actually it was his… he-"
"Oh!" The woman placed a hand to her forehead. "I'm so sorry, did I ruin the surprise?"
Harry was confused, "What?"
The woman frowned, "Well that's why he's mad, right? You didn't know what this place was and he brought you here as a surprise and I totally mucked it up, I'm so sorry!"
Harry stared at the woman in disbelief, What is with this woman!?!
"No!" Harry slapped a hand to his forehead, that came out so wrong, and this woman seemed to enjoy warping his words to make it sound like something totally and utterly disgusting.
Harry let out a frustrated groan and went to find Draco.
"We have a terrific body food store!" The woman called after him and Harry walked faster.
Draco wasn't even paying attention to where he was walking, he just needed to get away from that woman and her screwed up ideas. How could anyone possibly 'get away' with all these psychos fluttering about trying to recommend them to sensual night spas?
"Hey! Wait!" Harry finally caught up to him; he was still red and a little breathless, but composed none-the-less.
"What are you grinning at?" Draco snarled at him.
Harry laughed and shook his head, "That was just too weird."
Draco's glare intensified. "You don't seem all that upset that people are assuming we're sleeping together!"
Harry shrugged, "Look, it's not that big of a deal. So we didn't know what kind of place this was and they misunderstood us, well at least we can stay here for free, right? I don't suppose you brought any of your countless bags of money on this trip?"
Draco crossed his arms and didn't dignify that with an answer.
"Your calmness in this situation is unnerving, Potter."
"Well we can probably find a small hotel or something… look at the sky, the rain's going to be here in less than fifteen minutes, I'd say."
"Fine." Draco said, finally giving in.
"Good," Harry replied, he was in a strangely cheerful mood. "I'll ask for separate beds ok?"
"Rooms." Draco growled.
"All right," Harry agreed. "Separate rooms and no aphrodisiacs."
~~~
Draco and Harry stared helplessly at the room they would have to share.
All the other rooms had been taken, every single hotel they'd been to prior had been full.
"Well it's got a nice view." Harry said.
"Shut up, Potter." Draco growled.
Their room was small and cramped, they were only staying for one night but it was still a crappy place. No wonder this one was still empty. The comforter was a rich velvety crimson and the floor was bright green.
The walls were filled with butterflies and flowers, it was disgusting really.
"You are sleeping on the cot." Draco said, throwing his bag on the bed.
"Oh no I'm not!" Harry countered, throwing his bag on the bed too.
"Well we're not both sleeping on the bed and I refuse to sleep on that sorry excuse for a mattress!" Draco cried back. It was a ratty old mattress with blue stripes and white lilies. It looked like it was nice once before, but those days were long over and past.
"You are such a spoiled brat, Malfoy! Would it kill you to be considerate for once in your life?!" Harry replied. He'd been sleeping on ratty mattresses and cruddy old beds since he was old enough to realize it, he'd be damned if he let Malfoy get the good bed!
"I don't know," Draco glared. "But I'm in not hurry to find out." With that, Malfoy trotted over to the bed and lay down. "I'm not moving." He said stubbornly, crossing his arms, and staring at the ceiling.
Harry growled under his breath, oh no, he wasn't going to win that easily.
Draco became aware that Harry was climbing onto the bed beside him.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Draco asked, eyes wide and disbelieving. "Get off."
Harry glared at him. "Well that's just too damn bad, Malfoy. I'm not moving either."
If it had been possible, Draco's mouth would have dropped to the ground. "You're not serious? You've got to be kidding me." Draco said. There was no way in HELL he was moving now!
"There's no way in hell I'm moving either!" Harry said stubbornly, mimicking Draco and crossing his arms too.
"Stay the fuck out of my mind," Draco said and inched away from Harry. "And stay over on that side, if you touch me, I swear I will rip your arms off."
"Tsk, tsk, violent when we're sleepy aren't we?"
"Potter…"
"I wouldn't touch you if you paid me." Harry rolled over so he was staring at the wall.
Draco did the same, opposite wall.
They stayed like that for a long time, neither one talking or thinking anything.
This was going to be one HELL of the night.
~~~
"What do you mean by 'travel the capitol cities of the world?'" Sapphire asked. Lately the king's requests were becoming more and more outrageous. But taking Black out to see the world? That was just plain insane.
"I need him out of the castle!" Remellus whispered loudly to her.
Sapphire frowned. "For what purpose?"
Remellus smiled knowingly. "For the surprise party of course!"
Sapphire's frown deepened. "What are you talking about, Lupis?"
Remellus looked around to make sure no one was listening, Sirius was out in the garden to the chances of him overhearing this conversation was zero to nothing.
"The engagement of course…"
***
END OF CHAPTER NINE!
Yes, I have a 'thing' for cliffhangers, I think that if I didn't leave cliffhangers, people would get board and not want to read it anymore. Besides, I needed a nice place to start off on when I start writing the next chapter.
Oh! Any suggestions would be grand! Since, I'm having trouble coming up with them on my own.
Thank you SOOO much for all your reviews! And I'm so sorry that my updates are less frequent, but it's school…. Can you blame me? Of course you can… -_-'