Acknowledgments: Rpeh for the Beta work

Lord, What Fools These Mortals Be

It took a surprising amount of time to get out of the common room after the show. It felt like every member of his house came up to him at some point after the show and wanted to talk about every little detail of it.

He managed to excuse himself to the dormitory under the guise of wanting to change out of the costume. He wasn't quite sure what to do with it after he took it off, so he left it near his trunk as he dug out his all-black dress robes and his map.

He'd bought them with Hermione at a Hogsmeade trip earlier in the year but hadn't had an excuse to wear them yet. At the time he hadn't been sure why he'd let her talk him into it. But, he guessed, she had two fairly solid reasons. The first being that there was no way he would be able to get out of Slughorn's parties for the entire school year. He wasn't sure she was right about that, and he figured with enough effort he could have done so.

Her second reason was far more practical. She'd pointed out that his green robes from his fourth year were way too small for him now and it wouldn't be that far from Ron trying to refit his if he had to wear them. Harry wasn't quite sure it was that bad, but the argument had worked.

He dressed, tucked the map into his pocket, and made his way back down to the common room. A few of the girls turned to look at him when he reentered. Some of them, like Romilda Vane and Demelza Robbins, seemed to have a difficult time looking away from him.

He waited a few minutes, chatting idly with some of the girls who kept gushing about the performance. He responded as diplomatically as he could manage, which wasn't as well as it should have been. After about ten minutes the Creevey brothers came down from their dormitories.

"I still don't think we were what Slughorn had in mind when he shouted out the invitations," Colin Creevey said.

"He said cast and crew. And you two did the lighting for the entire play. That's pretty important crew. The spotlight was almost its own character," Harry said.

"Still," Colin shrugged.

"Let's go," Harry said as he led the Creevey brothers out of the common room. He hopped through the portrait hole first, taking a few steps away from it as the Creevey's joined him. Before they did, he slipped the part of the map out of his pocket. He peered down at the pot he'd left folded over and saw that Daphne was still in the Slytherin dormitories. Judging from the dots she appeared to be pacing while her sister and Pansy Parkinson were sitting on one of the beds. Harry wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not.

He'd assumed she'd take forever to get ready. That was half the reason he'd opted to con the Creevey brothers into attending the party, so he'd have an excuse to wait for them to get ready on shorter notice. He didn't want to be early for Slughorn.

It did surprise him a little to see that Ernie and Leanne were already in Slughorn's office. And that Padma was in the hallway moving toward it. Perhaps he'd taken longer to convince the Creevey's to join him than he'd thought. But still, those cast mates were not his primary concern.

He tucked the map back into his pocket as he saw Daphne's and Astoria's dots start to move.

"What's that?" Dennis asked, nodding toward the parchment.

"An essay I forgot about," Harry said.

"In your dress robes?" Dennis asked. Harry shrugged.

"I just grabbed everything in my pockets after I changed. I wasn't paying that close of attention."

"Weird," Dennis said.

"I'm surprised you're even going to this," Colin interjected. "Don't you do everything in your power to avoid these things?"

"I found a good reason to attend," Harry said.

"Does that reason happen to be named Amata?" Colin teased.

"Only sometimes," Harry countered.

"Her sister is really cute," Dennis said. He nearly brought his hand up over his mouth after he spoke, as if he couldn't believe he'd said it.

"Ask her to dance tonight then," Harry said. Dennis blinked at him like he was insane.

"The prettiest girl in my year is not going to dance with me," Dennis responded, looking shocked at the mere accusation.

"Why not?"

"Because she just won't!"

"Want to make a wager on that?" Harry asked.

"You don't even know that she'll be there!" Dennis argued. "She wasn't a part of the performance."

"I wouldn't tell her that, if I were you," Harry said.

"You think she'll be there?" Dennis asked, his tone hushed and nervous.

"I would lean toward yes. Shall we put a sickle on it?" Harry said.

"Do I look okay?" Dennis asked. Colin rolled his eyes while Dennis chuckled.

"You look fine."

"Are you sure? I could try to make my dress robes look better and I didn't do anything with my hair."

"You'll be fine," Harry said as they rounded the corner to Slughorn's office. He led the Creevey brothers into the room as was greeted by the Potions professor. If Harry had to guess, Slughorn had been waiting by the door for him.

"Harry Potter!" he yelled as Harry entered. Half the guests in attendance in the magically enlarged office turned to look at him. Harry peered around, his stomach rumbling as he saw the tables with food piled high. There was a dance floor in one corner of the room, soft music came from a small quartet in the corner, and comfortable looking seating near various fireplaces spread out around the room.

"Professor," Harry responded.

"Splendid you were able to find the time to get to one of my soirees. I was just telling Pius how you always try to make time for my little gatherings when you can manage it," Slughorn said. He nodded toward a mid-forties man who was handsome with distinguished features and a bright smile. The man seemed to hear his name and his gaze turned away from Padma and Daphne, both of whom looked enraptured by his presence. He gave Harry a slight nod, almost a sign of familiarity. Harry returned it on instinct.

"Of course," Harry said. "It's a shame I can't make it to more of them. But there's only so much time in the day."

"Yes indeed," Slughorn responded. "Who's this with you?"

"Colin and Dennis Creevey," Harry said, gesturing to each of the boys in turn and figuring it was bad form to mention they were his students. "They did the majority of the lighting for the show. Colin helped build the stage and it was Dennis's idea to have the spotlight act independently of Sir Luckless for his introduction."

"A spirited idea! That drew quite the laugh from the crowd," Slughorn said, smiling brightly at the two brothers.

"Thank you sir," Colin said.

"Come, meet Pius," Slughorn said, dragging Harry and the Creevey brothers over to the well-known actor.

"I think I'd have preferred Alana Moonbright," Harry commented, causing Slughorn to boom with laughter. Pius Pringle peered over at the noise.

"A common sentiment. I'll try not to be offended," he said with a very suave smile. It was a smile, Harry thought, that in most cases could make panties wind up on the ground. He resisted the urge to look toward Padma or Daphne's ankles as he decided he didn't like the man.

"Oh come now, Pius," Slughorn interrupted. "You can't fault the boy."

"For being interested in short blondes rather than myself? Of course not Horace," Pius said.

"It is an honor to meet you," Harry countered, offering his hand and looking for a way out of the conversation.

"And you, Harry Potter," Pius Pringle responded, shaking his hand. "You were very good in the show tonight."

"Thank you. But I had plenty of help to make me look competent," Harry said, nodding toward the girls.

"And they were quite sublime as well," Pringle said, causing much tittering.

"Thank you," Padma said, breathlessly.

"Now come," Pius said. "Let's all grab a drink and I'll tell you about the time we did all of Beedle the Bard in one night with a cast of four."

"That sounds amazing," Daphne said as Pius led them all away. A month later Harry realized that only a half hour had passed and he decided he'd rather fight Voldemort naked with all of his limbs bound than listen Pringle drone on about The Tale of the Three Brothers and his remarkable turn as Death.

He glanced to his side, sipping his drink and thinking that at least the mead Slughorn was serving tasted fantastic. Dennis and Colin both looked as bored as he felt. But Daphne and Padma were hanging off every word.

Harry gazed around the room, looking for any way out of his current situation. He found it in the form a five-two blonde standing near the dance floor, staring longingly at the handful of people dancing. When Pringle looked over toward the girls, he made his escape.

He slipped next to the girl just as the song came to an end. She looked over at him, sensing the intrusion into her space and then looked rather startled by his presence.

"May I have the next dance?" he asked as the music started to swell into a new song. She stared at him for a few moments before glancing over toward Pius Pringle and then back at him.

"With me?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?" she asked. She glanced over his shoulder and looked at the crowd around the actor.

"Is there a problem with that?" Harry asked.

"Well, no," she said. "But I heard you were a terrible dancer."

"I may surprise you," Harry said, offering his hand to her. She looked at it, and then looked toward the dance floor.

"Oh why not," Astoria Greengrass said as she took his hand and pulled him to the center of the dance floor. They swayed with each other for the first couple of minutes of the song before he spoke up.

"As bad as you heard?" he asked.

"No," Astoria frowned at him, a mock annoyance on her face. He'd seen a similar expression adorn her sister's visage enough to know how she felt.

"Is that disappointing to you?" Harry chuckled.

"A bit," Astoria admitted. "Harry Potter stomping all over my feet would have been a better story to tell in the common room than Harry Potter being dashing."

"I can try to break a couple of your toes, if you'd prefer," Harry responded.

"I think that's alright," Astoria giggled. She tilted her head to the side and stared into his eyes for a moment, chewing on her lip as she did.

"Everything alright?" he asked.

"You annoy my sister," Astoria said.

"Do you have a monopoly on that job?" Harry asked.

"No," Astoria smiled at him. "But it annoys me that you seem to be better at it than I am."

"She's probably just used to your brand of annoyance," Harry countered. "Whereas mine is fresh and new. Change up your tactics, do something stupid and reckless. I'm sure that will annoy her."

"Why do you think I agreed to dance with Harry Potter?" she asked. "She's glaring daggers at you right now."

"Good," Harry said. Astoria's brows shot upward.

"That's good?" she asked.

"Well, if she's staring at me, it means she's not staring at that pompous cock like she wants him to ravish her," Harry said.

"You're using me," Astoria frowned, her expression darkening. The song was winding down and Harry found himself being pulled toward the edge of the dance floor.

"Sorry," he responded. Her features changed as she stared back at him. A far more devious look spread throughout her face.

"Oh, it's fine, I'll live. And I'll think of something for you to do to make it up to me," Astoria countered with a quick smile.

"I actually have an idea if you'd like to have me wind up even more in your debt," Harry said, twirling her mostly to see if he could get a look at Daphne. She giggled and he caught a glimpse of Daphne. He was rather pleased to find Astoria was right. She had lost all interest in Pius Pringle and was staring at him with rather murderous intent. Harry figured it was an upgrade.

"I'm not going to help you get into my sister's pants. That's gross, Harry," Astoria said, her expression hardening as she spoke.

"No, not that." Harry resisted the urge the comments that came to mind, figuring traumatizing Astoria wouldn't help.

"Then what could I possibly do to put Harry Potter in my debt?" she asked.

"I want you to ask Dennis Creevey to dance," Harry said. Astoria looked to her side over in the direction of the Creevey brothers.

"Why?" she asked, not sounding thrilled by the prospect.

"Because he thinks you're beautiful and fun and is too nervous to ask you to dance and I may or may not have a sickle riding on it," Harry said. He didn't think it was pertinent to point out that technically he'd lose if she danced. Although he suspected that might spur her into action. Best to table it for now.

"I don't know if I want to dance with someone too afraid to ask me," Astoria said.

"It's one dance," Harry shrugged. "And he would revere you. It's not like I'm asking for something terrible like, say, dancing with Draco Malfoy."

"Hey now," Astoria said. "He has a much better reputation in my house than you do."

"Yeah, but I'm prettier," Harry countered. Astoria burst out laughing, shaking her head as he said it.

"Fine," she said. "But if he's awful I'm going to be so unbearable that you'll regret ever even being in the same room as me."

"Deal," Harry said as the song ended. She let her arms slip away from his neck and hugged him rather tighter than was necessary before skipping directly over to a stunned looking Dennis Creevey. Harry saw the young Gryffindor blink at her in disbelief, and then nod while standing completely rooted to the spot. Astoria giggled like the perfect coquette before taking his hand and quite literally dragging him toward the dance floor.

"What are you doing with my sister, Potter?" Daphne asked.

"Dancing," Harry countered.

"Why are you flirting with my sister, Potter?" Daphne asked, her shoulders tensing as she spoke. Harry raised his brows at her.

"There was a girl waiting for someone to ask her to dance. I was otherwise unoccupied. It seemed rude to not ask," Harry said. He offered his hand to her and nodded his head toward the dance floor behind him.

"You asked me to come," Daphne said. Harry couldn't help but notice how stiff she was standing.

"I did," he agreed before tilting his head to the side, feeling like an idiot for still having his hand out toward her. "But let's not pretend that had any bearing on your attendance."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"Nothing other than the fact that you would have attended even had I not asked," Harry said. Daphne's eyes narrowed as she stared at him.

"I don't like you toying with my sister," Daphne spat.

"God Daph, I was just trying to being nice. No ulterior motive. I promise."

"My name is Daphne," she countered, emphasizing the final syllable.

"Sorry, Daphne," Harry said raising his hands defensively and doing his best to sound sincere and making a mental note to not use the diminutive ever again.

"You were just being nice to my sister?" she asked, her features softened slightly but not much.

"Do you think I spent the last two months flirting with you to try to date Astoria?" Harry countered.

"You flirt with everyone," Daphne retorted.

"Not true," Harry said. "I've never flirted with anything with a penis."

"Astoria will be crushed. You're ruining all of her fantasies."

"I don't even want to know."

"Slytherin boys say younger is better. They all think Astoria is prettier than me. I hear them talk about it all the time. You even just called her pretty," Daphne said.

"Once again proving that I am correct in that the average Slytherin male is about as intelligent as the blast end of a Bland-Ended Skrewt," Harry said. To his surprise Daphne gigged, his features softening more.

"I'm stealing that," she said.

"Only if you dance with me," Harry countered. Her eyes shifted to his still outstretched hand. He hesitated for a moment but as the music shifted into a new song she reached out and took it.

They stayed near the edge of the dance floor, spinning slowly in each other's arms for a few songs. Daphne didn't say much of anything. Nor did she spend much time looking at him. Which was fine, Harry thought, given that the cut of her dress robes was very flattering toward her upper body.

But even he couldn't leer for the entire time. He looked around the dance floor a few songs later and was surprised to see Dennis and Astoria still dancing together a few feet away. She was giggling happily while he looked rather proud of himself about being able to elicit such a reaction. When he turned his attention back to his dance partner, she was staring at him.

"Why did you set that up?" she asked.

"He's a good kid. He likes her. They were both doing nothing. It seemed harmless," Harry shrugged.

"His brother is always personable at Professor Burbage's parties. Never really dealt with him outside of the play," Daphne said. "They're cute together."

"I suppose," Harry said as he peered over at the couple. Astoria's smile looked a little too wide and too bright to be fully genuine and Dennis looked too stunned with the fact that he was touching her to focus on anything that wasn't not stepping on her feet.

"Marcus never wanted to dance," Daphne added. Harry frowned. It didn't feel like disparaging Belby was his best course of action. Honestly, he would have preferred to ignore the Ravenclaw for, well, the rest of time.

"His loss," Harry countered.

"It might not be," Daphne said. "There's not many chances to practice. For all I know I could be awful."

"You seem pretty good to me. And if this counts as practice, then I'm enjoying it enough to do it again," Harry said.

"You're a dork."

"I try."

"Can I cut in?" Padma Patil asked from their side. Daphne's eyes narrowed as she turned to see Padma beaming at Harry. She was about to snap a refusal when Harry answered for her.

"Sure," he said, slipping his hands from hers, despite her attempt at holding him. He flashed that annoying smirk of his, the one he used when he knew he was two steps ahead of everyone else. "I was just going to get some drinks."

And then, Daphne found herself dancing with a giggling Padma.

"How did he even do that?" Padma asked.

"I don't know," Daphne blinked. The two of them drew a few stares, mostly from some of the other boys in attendance.

"You certainly upgraded from Belby," Padma said.

"We're not…" Daphne started.

"Oh really?" Padma interjected. "So, you wouldn't mind if I asked him to Hogsmeade after the holiday?"

"What?" Daphne blinked.

"There's a Hogsmeade weekend the week after the holiday," Padma said.

"I know. Wouldn't your sister kill you?" Daphne asked.

"I'm sure she'll be a right pain about it but I don't base my life decisions on making my sister happy," Padma said. "And I don't have to share a common room with her."

"I don't base my decisions off of Astoria," Daphne countered.

"I didn't say you did," Padma countered.

"Why are you interested in Harry?" Daphne asked.

"Same reasons as you. He's smart. He's fun. And he's got a nice body. I'd be more than willing to do all sorts of things to him in a broom closet," Padma said.

"There are better places for that than a broom closet," Daphne scoffed.

"I'm sure," Padma retorted.

"Are you really going to ask him out?" Daphne asked.

"Only if he doesn't have a girlfriend," Padma responded. She surprised Daphne by giving her a twirl. Daphne slipped on her heels but recovered enough to glare at Padma.

"And you're bringing it up to me because?" Daphne asked.

"Please don't be daft. You know he likes you. You know you like him. Are you going to do anything about it or can I have him?"

"I'm not sure he's something to be given away. You can ask him yourself," Daphne said. She was about to try to find a way out of the conversation when Harry spoke up.

"Having Fun?" Harry asked as he peered between the two girls. He offered a glass of mead to each of them. "Mead? Slughorn has barrels of this stuff."

"Well it is delicious," Padma said, sipping hers. Daphne sipped her own then looked at Padma. The Ravenclaw was smiling quite brightly at Harry, a fake cheer and obvious interest present on her face. If Harry noticed, he made no mention of it aside from smiling back.

"Dance with me again," Daphne said, taking some small measure of amusement in how quickly Padma's face fell when Harry agreed. Ernie Macmillan approached and asked Padma to dance as she and Harry started to sway once more.

It was much less coordinated than their first one, as she'd tossed her arm around his neck while still holding onto the mead. He only had one hand on her as his other held his drink.

"I don't think Marcus ever brought me a drink unprompted," she said. Harry twitched a bit as she said it. He paused for a moment to bring his drink to his lips.

"Can we not talk about Marcus?" he asked.

"Sorry," she mumbled, looking away from him.

"It's fine," Harry said quickly.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you….?" Daphne started. But the rest of her sentence died in her throat. A lump forming as she thought of how silly it was for her to be asking. That wasn't how any of this was supposed to work. He was supposed to be the one that asked!

"Do I what?" he asked. She averted her gaze for a moment and realized she was being a coward. If Padma Patil was brave enough to ask then she could ask. It wasn't that difficult.

"There's a Hogsmeade trip the week after the holidays. Would you like to go with me?" She asked. It came out in one breath and she felt the blush rising to her cheeks as she spoke.

"Sure," Harry said. Daphne blinked. What kind of an answer was 'sure.' Sure was, like, the worst word of all time. It was a shrug, a non-committal stupid word. It didn't tell her anything. She hated it.

"Okay," she said.

"I don't want to go to that stupid tea shop though," Harry said.

"Madame Puddifoot's?"

"Yeah."

"That's where couples go," Daphne said.

"I had a very bad time there with Cho," Harry said. Daphne felt a pang in her chest and glared at him. She bit back a comment about not being Cho when she realized that must be how he felt when she mentioned Marcus. And worse, he and Cho had lasted a single date. She'd dated Marcus for months.

"We can do something else. Marcus never liked the tea shop either," she said. She winced as soon as she said it. She honestly hadn't meant to say it. If Harry noticed this time he didn't comment on it.

"Great. It's a date then. At least I'm assuming it's a date," Harry said, peering down at her.

"It is a date," she agreed. She slipped the arm that was holding the mead off of him and finished the glass.

"Good," Harry said as their dance continued. After a few moments he added. "I like your dress."

"Thanks," she blushed. It was a bespoke navy number that had been a gift for her last birthday. It had taken far too long at the seamstress but the results had been worth it. "You aren't wearing the green robes from the Yule Ball."

"I'm shocked you remember what I wore to the Yule Ball," Harry said.

"I would be surprised if every Hogwarts student there didn't at least spend a few minutes fantasizing about opening up the dancing with you," Daphne said.

"I grew out of the green ones," Harry admitted.

"That's easily rectified," Daphne countered.

"I know. But I also thought black was more formal."

"It is," Daphne said. She paused for a moment as he looked away, his expression rather sheepish. "You look good too. I like them more than the green ones. Mar-Most boys don't bother with owning more than one pair."

"Thanks," he said and they let silence come between them once more. Toward the end of the song Harry noticed Daphne was glancing around the room.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked.

"Yeah just well," Daphne said, frowning up at him.

"What?" Harry asked before he heard her stomach rumble. He raised his brows at her as she blushed deeply.

"I was too nervous to eat before the show and I sort of forgot after. Did you see if there was any food?" she asked, blushing as if the thought of having to eat was undesirable.

"There were some canapes but not a whole lot of very substantial things," Harry said. He stepped off the dance floor, pulling her with him.

"A few small things should be fine," Daphne admitted, her voice barley above a whisper. Harry figured it was best not to ask why she seemed concerned about eating as he led her to the refreshment table. She seemed frozen when they approached so he took the initiative.

"Why don't you go grab us one of those little tables and I'll grab some food," Harry said as he picked up two glasses of mead and offered them to her. She nodded and took the glasses from him before moving toward the small tables nearby that Slughorn had obviously set up for people to relax at.

Harry found two large white plates and began shoveling on one or two of every one of the small hors d'oeuvres onto the plate. He wasn't sure what most of them were if he was honest, but most of them looked interesting and he figured it wouldn't hurt to have a sampling, even more so because he didn't know Daphne's tastes. He did make sure to grab an extra scotch egg for himself, though.

He walked the plates over to Daphne and set them down at the table she'd picked. It was tucked away in the back corner and she was looking around the party as he approached. He slid a chair next to her and sat down.

She didn't start eating until he did, and even then it took him trying something and faking far more enjoyment of it than he felt for her to take a bite as well. After that, though they devoured both plates of food.

At some point Neville and Hannah Abbott came over to talk with them. Both were slightly breathless from what Harry could only assume was dancing, but they had the decency to bring more mead.

Harry's head was starting to feel rather fuzzy as he continued to drink, but that didn't seem to be much of a problem. At some point he and Neville went to gather more food. When they returned Dylan Harper and a Hufflepuff girl Harry didn't recognize were also surrounding their table. He sat next to Daphne and continued his conversation with Neville. He wasn't one hundred percent sure but he thought it might have had something to do with Conjurations and Catacombs.

Some time later Astoria and Dennis joined them. Astoria complained she was hungry so Harry found himself fetching food for a third time that evening. Part of him was annoyed about it, part of him was rather glad for the excuse to get another glass of mead. He brought two back to the table and wondered why Daphne seemed so flushed as she talked to her sister.

He shifted his chair closer to hers to make more room at their table for their small party. At some point he took her hand and she leaned back against him. Her perfume reminded him of the season, a sort of warm cinnamon and perhaps cranberry and honey filling his nostrils. Part of it, he thought, might have been the mead.

Slughorn noticed their gathering and brought a series of people over to chat. Harry was sure he was supposed to know who they were, but his mind didn't seem to be able to place the names with anything of important. He found himself rather happy that Pius Pringle was no longer present.

The vast majority of the people Slughorn brought over only seemed interested in talking to him. He wasn't sure that he was that interesting of a conversation given that he had no idea what he was talking about, or what people would even want to hear about. But they kept laughing with him when he joked, or seeming very interested in whatever story he told.

There were quite a few questions about the Triwizard Tournament. He found himself recounting all of the tasks, oddly in reverse order. Or at least that felt odd to him. Somewhere in there another glass of mead appeared and he continued to drink until he was describing how he flew around the dragon, his arms outstretched to the side as he mimed being an airplane to much laughter.

It wasn't until he knocked over a few glasses of mead on the table that he realized perhaps his arms weren't entirely crucial for the story. A few quick vanishing charms took care of the mess and then Harry realized he needed more mead. He got up to get more.

Somehow, he wound up on the dance floor rather than at the concessions table. But given that Daphne was in his arms he didn't think of that as too bad of a development. Although he wasn't quite sure if they were actually moving while they danced. He was going to comment on it but then Daphne started kissing his neck and enjoying himself seemed like a better idea.

"Hey Harry?" she asked, not bringing her lips from his skin as the song ended.

"Mmm Daph….ne?" he answered. If she noticed his stumble she didn't comment.

"Want to get out of here?" she asked.

"Okay," he said. He paused for a moment before realizing that leaving without any comment would be rude. "We should say something."

"Nuh-uh," Daphne said. "We should sneak out. I don't wanna talk to Slughorn or anybody."

"Okay," Harry said, finding the thought of talking to Slughorn to be a lot less pleasant than Daphne. They both giggled as they made for the door. In their minds the left without being noticed. But in their minds, they also didn't stumble heading through the doorway. And in their minds they weren't giggling the entire time.

Daphne led him up a flight of stairs near the office. Harry slipped as his foot missed a step and fell nearly onto his face. Daphne giggled uncontrollably as she looked down at him.

"Oh my! Are you alright?" she asked, she rushed down the stairs to help him and stepped into the same fake step as he was pulling himself off of it. She crashed into him and they rolled down the steps.

Harry landed flat on his back with Daphne on top of him, still giggling.

"Ouch," he said, hoping his head wasn't split open.

"Oops," Daphne said. Harry rather liked the way her body moved as she giggled against him. So he did the only logical thing he could think of. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her right there on the castle floor.

Her lips parted for his and his tongue slipped into her mouth. She tasted of the mead which made him want to keep kissing her. So he did. His hands roamed around her body as they kissed, resting on her behind after a few moments. It was soft and felt nice in his hands, so he squeezed it.

"Hey," she giggled against his lips. "Stop that."

"No," he said, doing it again as he pressed his lips to hers once more.

"Yes!" she squealed and threw herself to the side, rolling them over so Harry was on top of her. Harry rather liked that so he kissed her again as her hands started to roam around his body. Her hands found his backside and she gave it a squeeze as well.

"Hey," he said.

"See!" she giggled.

"It's actually kind of nice. Do it again," Harry said. Talking made his lips leave hers, which drew his attention to her neck and suddenly he wanted to know she tasted elsewhere, so he moved his lips to her neck, tracing them softly around her skin until he found just the right spot to kiss.

"Oh," she gasped, squeezing him again, which had the added effect of causing him to press against her. That caused her to make another sort of mewling noise that he found rather enjoyable, so he repeated his actions hoping to hear it again. He wasn't disappointed.

He decided to explore more, letting his lips trace over the hem of her dress around her throat to the other side of her neck, enjoying each little gasp as he kissed her. Her hands slid up his back, clawing at his robes and they continued to kiss.

"What was that?" Harry asked, lifting his head from her skin and attempting to crane his neck to see behind him. It didn't work very well.

"What?" Daphne asked, her hands sliding into his hair as she tried to force his head back down.

"I think I hear someone coming," Harry said. But her scent was more appealing than the thought of being caught, so he resumed kissing her.

"We shouldn't get caught," Daphne said.

"I don't want to stop," Harry responded.

"Me either. But we should move further away from the party."

"Fine," Harry sighed. He didn't want to get off of her. In fact, he rather thought having her pinned underneath him was the best spot for her. But it seemed like obliging her now would lead to more of that so he did rise from her. He helped her up and they continued down the dark hallway.

They found an empty sitting room not too far the offices. Harry hadn't been in the particular room before but it was similar to the one he'd met the Weasley's in before the final task of the tournament. He locked the door behind him and cast a few spells on the door intending to block sound and light from exiting.

He turned to see Daphne had conjured a few candles and his only thought was that she looked rather nice with the flames flickering off of her skin. She kicked off her heels and let her hair down as she perched herself on the edge of a comfortable looking armchair. Her eyes seemed to beckon him forward. Or maybe it was that she patted the chair with her hand.

As soon as he sat down she slipped off of the armrest and into his lap. He had to admit that it felt every bit as good as having her underneath him. He slid his arms around her, his fingers sliding into her hair as they resumed kissing.

This time there was the added bonus of having her wiggle in his lap. Harry had a hard time believing how good that felt. Every sense seemed to be amplified as she touched him and he her. He wondered if it was the mead. Maybe that was why adults liked to drink so much.

He let his hands wander. They slid through her hair, enjoying the silky feeling of it as it slipped through his fingers. He took a handful of it into a fist and pulled down. She gasped loudly as her head tilted back and his lips once more found her neck. He kissed her skin until she tugged on his own hair, pulling him up to her lips and they continued on.

Daphne's hands traced over his sides, around his back, up into his hair and seemed to slide all over him as their lips joined together. She rocked her hips against him, her body pressing down into his lap as they continued to kiss.

His own hands grew more adventurous. He traced his nails over her sides and stomach, enjoying the gentle shiver it brought out of her. When she pressed to him, he couldn't help but grab her hips and pull her down against him.

After a moment his hands continued to wander. His fingers traced over her stomach and then upwards. He moved them slowly. In his mind he wasn't sure if he was doing it to be sneaky or to be clear as day with his actions. Either way, after a moment, he cupped her breasts in his hands.

Her body stiffened against his touch and then she leaned back away from him. He didn't move his hands as he stared at her.

"Do you like them?" she asked. Her body was flushed crimson with embarrassment, or what he assumed was embarrassment. After all, what else could it possibly be?

"Uh-huh," he said, squeezing gently. She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes as he did, letting out a soft moan that only served to encourage him to do it more. He marveled at how soft and pliable they seemed, even through the material of her dress. She let him play with her for a few minutes and he found himself rather fascinated with the experience. It wasn't until he was thinking of the best way to free them from the dress that her weight shifted forward and she was kissing him once more.

He lost himself in her lips, his mind not seeming to function as quickly as it should have been able too. But it didn't matter. She tasted wonderful and if she wanted to spend the rest of the night in his arms kissing him he was more than okay with that.

Except, apparently, she didn't want to do that. She slipped off of his lap, which was the absolute worst thing that could have ever happened in the history of time, and knelt between his legs. Harry stared down at her, waiting to protest their lack of contact, except that once he saw her there, peering up at him with wide blue eyes, he decided that it wasn't so bad not having her in his lap.

"My turn," she whispered as her hands slid around his calves and up his legs. She traced them around his knees and over his thighs, her eyes shifting between her own hands and his face as she touched him. After a moment she hesitated. She stared up at him, her eyes questioning, as if begging him for permission.

He did the only thing he could think of. He nodded.

Her right hand slipped toward his waist. And then it was on him, pressing experimentally against him through the two layers of clothing he still wore. Why? He wasn't sure, but there it was.

"Oh," he gasped. She giggled, her gaze shifting away from his waist and up toward his eyes as she explored him. Her hand pressed against the outline of him, tracing over him, teasing him. He bit his lip as she touched him, wanting nothing more than to accidentally vanish their clothing but figuring that would be a stupid idea and would likely make her stop. And he did not want her to stop.

"I've had a fun time tonight," she whispered. A flirty tone infused her voice as she kept her eyes locked onto his. He knew that he couldn't actually feel her warm breath on him. But he imagined it anyway.

"Me too," he whispered back. His mind filled with nothing but the multitude of ways he could have even more fun that evening. The possibilities seemed endless as she continued to trace her hand around him.

And then her left hand slid up and over him. Both of her hand pressed against the sides of him as her fingers trailed upward toward his belt. He didn't even realize he was holding his breath and she started to work on his clothing.

"I think you deserve a reward, Marcus," she said. And she may as well have dunked him in ice cold water. The warmth that had seemed to suffuse him just moments before drained completely out of him. His eyes seemed to focus as his vision sharpened.

Her movements, which had felt erotic moments before now seemed sloppy and confused. He slid his hands down and took hold of her wrists, preventing her from undoing his belt. She fought against him, her eyes narrowing in confusion as he held onto her hands. She leaned toward him, moving her mouth closer to his belt.

He was being stupid, he knew. Unbelievably stupid. He should do the right thing and let go of her hands. He should let her continue. There was no reason to not let her continue. It would be great and he'd enjoy every second of it.

Except that it wouldn't be and he wouldn't. He felt the blood rush from him as he knew, with perfect clarity, that he was doing the right thing. When he finally managed to speak he was surprised at how weak his voice sounded.

"I think it's time to go to bed, Daphne," he said as calmly as he could manage.

"Oh," she responded, still looking confused, and then, he thought, worried but willing. Her hands slipped from his grip and moved around to her back. "Did you want to conjure a bed? Can you help with my zipper?"

Yes, he thought.

"No," he said. He stood from the chair, not sure if he could stay there with her kneeling before him without doing something he'd regret. He took a few steps away from her.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked, looking absolutely tiny as she seemed to shrink into the ground. He opened his mouth to tell her exactly what she'd done and exactly how it made him feel. But those weren't the words that came out.

"No, I'm just tired," he lied. He faked stifling a yawn

"Oh," she said. "Right. It can be hard when you're tired." The opposite, Harry thought, but resisted the urge to comment.

"Let me walk you back to the dungeons," he said.

"You don't have to do that," she said. She looked like she wanted to move toward him, but with every step she drifted a little to the left. He took her hand and led her toward the door.

"I know," he responded as he led her outside of it. She leaned against him as they walked toward the dungeons. When they finally arrived her eyes were closed and she was muttering something about his not helping with their charms homework.

He stared at the entrance to the Slytherin common room and wondered how he'd get her inside.

"Daphne?" he asked quietly. She stirred a little against him but didn't open her eyes. He tried again, and again. Until he almost yelled, "Daph!"

Her eyes opened. They looked bleary as they stared back up into his. And then she hit him. Not softly.

"Daphne," she muttered as her eyes drooped again.

"Ouch," he said, deciding he would just leave her there. Until he remembered he had the map on him. He wasn't sure if it would tell him the passwords to other common rooms, but he figured it was worth a try.

But before he could slip far enough out of her grasp to get into her pocket a savior showed up.

"Harry?" Astoria Greengrass said. She raised her brows at her sister. "My God how drunk did you get her?"

"Pretty drunk. I was trying to get her inside but I don't know the password," Harry said. He shifted slightly, turning to face the newcomer. and wondering how bad that sentence made him sound. He wasn't trying to take advantage of her! Daphne's eyes opened again and she giggled.

"Hi Tory," she said.

"Astoria," Astoria corrected her sister.

"You were more fun when you were Tory," Daphne giggled.

"I was six," Astoria said.

"Can you get her inside?" Harry asked.

"Personally, I think we should just conjure her a bucket and leave her here," Astoria said.

"That's not nice," Harry said.

"Either was her lecture on being responsible around boys and alcohol," Astoria countered. Harry didn't have a comeback so he just stared at her. Eventually she relented and looked toward the wall. "Caduceus."

The stones on the wall shifted into snakes and formed a door that swung open. Astoria walked up toward her sister and helped Harry get her through the door. She seemed to walk more or less under her own power and Astoria rolled her eyes as Daphne said something.

Harry watched the sisters disappear into their common room and turned to leave. He debated stopping in the Prefect's bath to release some stress, but something about that felt hollow for him.

He caught up with Dennis Creevy outside the staircase leading to the Gryffindor common room. He spent the rest of the walk listening to the young student rave about how amazing Astoria was and how he couldn't believe she'd spent the entire night with him. She'd even held his hand and kissed him on the cheek when they left!

Harry wasn't sure how to respond when the boy asked him how his night was. So instead he gave the password to the Fat Lady and entered the Common Room. A din of noise greeted them but Harry managed to deflect the questions about how the party was toward Dennis as he slipped up to his room.

All he could think of as he stripped out of his dress robes and tossed himself onto his bed in his underwear, was that he hoped he didn't dream that night.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading and reviewing I do appreciate it. I am now available on PAT RE ON at TE7writes if you are interested in supporting my works. Chapters do wind up posted there a few days earlier. Thanks again!