Title: A New Teacher

Author: Azure K Mello

Part number: chapter two

SPOILERS: HBP

Pairing: Draco/Harry

Summery: Can Harry accept his new Occlumency teacher and find what he needs to learn or will his own preconceptions tear them apart?

Sitting across from Harry, Draco couldn't help but smirk. "So," he said, "what did Severus teach you about Occlumency?"

"Nothing," Harry replied honestly, "he just threw himself into my head and told me to get him out."

With a nod Draco said, "That sounds like him. Well we're going to handle this in a much more entertaining way. It's a game. I'm going to find your most personal memories and watch them. You are going to try and root me out in under sixteen seconds. It takes that long for me to see an entire memory."

"That doesn't sound fun."

"It will be for me."

Panicking slightly Harry said, "Look, I've never been taught how to get you out of my mind."

"So you're saying you think about me a lot?" This was much more fun than Draco had anticipated.

"You know what I meant," Harry sneered but he felt his face paint itself red.

Sounding bored Draco said, "It's all about concentration. No spell is needed if you have a strong enough block."

"How do I do that?"

"You focus on one thing. It can be a sensation, emotion, object, thought: it doesn't matter what it is as long as it's singular and total. When I push into your mind, you focus on that thing, and it will be all I can find."

"Can we start small?" requested Harry. "Can you not go for the personal stuff yet?"

"Please," Draco scoffed, "you're getting an education while I'm getting an unwanted houseguest. I fully intend to enjoy myself. So, no, Potter, I will be looking through your secrets."

"Fuck," muttered Harry.

Raising an eyebrow Malfoy said, "Potter's mouth has been fouled by cusses? What else will I learn today?"

Harry looked away, fearing that Draco would learn far too much before the end of the night. "Can we just get this over with?"

"Sit back and think of England. I'm going to provide you with a focusing sensation."

Draco muttered a spell and Harry felt a knife stab into his abdomen, "Fuck! Malfoy," he started to keel over but Draco's voice stopped him.

"Eye contact, Potter," the blond commanded.

The pain left but Harry was still panting, "What the hell was that!"

"Focus on the pain. Hold it: own it. Keep eye contact." The cold, didactic, detached tone reminded Harry of Snape and he hated Draco a little more.

Inside his head he could feel Malfoy like a physical presence. He tried to hold the sensation but he panicked as he felt Draco brake into a memory. He shut his eyes but could still feel Draco inside of him. Curling into himself and the chair Harry moaned. He saw the memory Draco had found. Pulling more deeply into himself he found the stabbing sensation, reclaimed it, and pushed everything, including Draco, out of his mind.

"Fourteen seconds. That's not bad. But it isn't good either."

"How much did you see?" Harry wrapped his arms around his knees as he brought them up to his chest.

"Everything but the sex," Draco sat smirking.

"There was no sex," Harry said scornfully.

"Well then I guess I saw everything. . . no sex?"

Harry sneered again, "Being in the bath doesn't necessarily mean fucking."

Cedric crept into the toilet saying, "Did you figure out the clue?"

With a laugh Harry said, "Yes, and then I found your note in the soap dish and figured a second bath couldn't hurt."

Stripping slowly Cedric said, "I would never suggest anything that would hurt. . . unless it was a good hurt." He climbed down the steps into the water and smiled, "Move forward a little bit?"

Harry did as requested but asked indignantly, "Why do you have to sit directly behind me in this huge tub?"

"So that I can give you a massage. You're tense and bruised." He rubbed the boy's shoulders but felt that Harry went rigid at the touch. He sighed, "But I'm not calming you down, am I? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Harry said too quickly.

"You've avoided me since the ball. It's been nearly a month. I've had no time alone with you. So, do you really hate me for Cho?"

"Why did you bring her?"

Laughing Cedric said, "I couldn't have brought you."

"But why her? You knew I was going to ask her!"

Cedric rubbed circles into the small of Harry's back, "Yeah, it's why I asked her. I hate that you have a crush on her. I didn't want her to touch you."

"We could have gone together. The Durmstrang kids are the only ones who would have given a damn. We could have danced together. And you're upset about a crush? I'm not sleeping with her. I'm not in love with her. I'm not upset because she didn't want to go to the dance with me."

"Harry-"

The boy cut off his lover as he turned and said, "Shut up, you're an idiot. Kiss me and assure me that we'll get through the next task alive."

Cedric obeyed orders, kissing Harry slowly and saying, "I'm sorry. I've been an arse. And I know you didn't put your name in the goblet."

Huffing, still slightly put out, Harry said, "Took y'long enough to figure that out. Only a total moron would want to put his name in."

"Hey!" cried Cedric indignantly.

"Shut up and keep kissing me."

Harry didn't look at the blond; he shook his head and said softly, "Let's go again. Give me a sensation."

There was that smirk in Draco's voice as he said, "How can we 'go again' when you won't look me in the eye?"

"Sorry," Harry let go of his knees and looked up.

"Don't apologize: I'm having a great time."

"Shut the fuck up, Malfoy."