Meanwhile, in the Slytherin changing rooms…

Half the team was already in the showers, the steam was rising and celebrations were getting rather boisterous. The buzz of the win was even getting to the usually sullen Warren Beezley (Or Beater Beezley, as he was known) who was sneaking around holding a wet towel, whipping it across the backs of legs, and grinning like a loon when someone squealed.

Just then, John Wilkes barreled round the corner, with a whooping Tiberius Yaxley on his back. Wilkes did a loop of the room and then aimed for the shower walkway.

"Coming through!" he bellowed.

"Agh watch what you-"

"Shit!"

"Hey!"

"OW!"

He managed to barge past three people and tread on little Regulus Black's toe before the water and steam totally blinded him and he trod on someone's loofah. There was a loud Yaarrgh, lots of squeaky skidding noises - and then a big, solid thunk.

The changing room fell silent except for the sound of the running showers, and everyone ran to see what had happened. Wilkes groaned – his head spun.

"Aw …fuck."

He tried to get up, but the weight of Yaxley was pinning him down. "Gerroff me will you Tibe!"

"Tibe…?"

The weight on his back was suddenly lifted. He turned over and went to sit up before he noticed everyone was standing around staring at him.

"Well, give us a hand then, someone," growled Wilkes.

Regulus snickered at what was obviously a private joke. Wilkes stared back at him angrily, until he noticed what gorgeously long dark eyelashes the boy had. What svelte cheekbones… His face softened.

Yaxley whacked him round the back of the head with the loofah and whined. "But he's mine first!"

"Let me have him after you!" growled Beezley suddenly.

"Since when do Slytherins ever share?" exclaimed Yaxley. "I've loved him bloody longer than you have!"

"Like fuck you have!"

"I have! Since…since…forever!"

"Try forever plus infinity!"

"Want me to hex you?"

"Go right ahead dungball! It won't change anything!"

There was a splashy whump, and a sudden sound of smooching. Yaxley and Beezley stopped rowing and glanced around horrorstruck to see someone had already beaten them to it.

Goyle.

There he was, snogging the hell out of the dark-haired boy with the long eyelashes. Regulus had been looking at him one moment, and then the next they had fallen backwards into the showers and were rolling around spashing, moaning and kissing as passionately as if the world would end tomorrow.

"Hey..no fair Regulus…" whined Yaxley hungrily. "I'm far better looking than he is!"

Suddenly Yaxley yelped as someone grabbed him from behind with some rather strong fingers. He found himself unexpectedly shivering with pleasure under their touch.

"I know you are," breathed Beater Beezley into his ear. "Your gorgeous sandy hair is as golden as a tropical island beach, your eyes are the mysterious colour of molten mercury…and your squeal is like a siren's song…"

Yaxley frowned. "Squeal? What do you-"

There was swoosh, and then a loud wet slapping sound. Yaxley let out a shrill squeal and jumped about a foot in the air.

Beezley grinned like a loon.


If he could, Snape would have scowled and spat at Sirius Black when the boy so cheekily dangled his bit of Soap on a Rope in front of him. And he would have certainly punched him when the boy suddenly upended him and dragged him undignified into the showers – feet first and in his greying excuse for underwear, his head thunking along the floor tiles.

"God Snivellus, did you know you have some really manky looking toenails – growing like something out of Sprouts' greenhouse. I think I'm going to have to boil my hands in a cauldron after this!" grimaced Sirius.

"Boil his head in a cauldron, more like" smirked James. "Do you reckon all that grease might block the drains?"

"We could always use Fairy Liquid…" sniggered Graham. "House colours too!"

The other Muggleborns and Half bloods in the room guffawed.

Sirius propped Snape up under the end shower, in full view of the other showers. Snape's eye's boggled as James Potter jumped in after them, completely stark naked and wielding a large bottle of shampoo. He came up close, smirked and squeezed most of the bottle over the Slytherin's head. Sirius let out a loud whoop of laughter, grabbed hold of a backbrush and scrubbed the top of Snape's head with it. Snape's eyes almost bulged out of his head at this, and the sight made James bend over almost crying with mirth. The water running over his back and dribbling off his chin.

Sirius gave a crazy grin and began to slowly stroke the end of Snape's nose with the brush. James bent double again. The changing rooms erupted with laughter.

"Padfoot….don't!" Crowed James clutching at his side. "Padfoot…Merlin…stop! Stitch…oh god...you're…killing me! "

James's continued to laugh, and it was a few seconds until he noticed he was the only one doing so. He tailed off and squinted up at the changing room. No one was making a sound anymore – instead they were just staring…staring at –

James glanced back across at the end shower and froze.

There, in the corner, one dark haired boy, showerbrush in hand stood motionless with his face just inches apart from another dark-haired boy. His eyes were closed as if he was under some sort of trance…slowly, his hand moved to gently trace down the frozen boy's side...

James's jaw dropped as he watched his friend's face relax into a dreamy smile.

"PADFOOT!"