"And?" Ignatius was practically jumping up and down when Alex entered the common room.
"It went all right," Crabbe answered and settled himself beside Harry on the couch. "You guys?"
"I definitely passed," the youngster smirked. Studying with Tom had its advantages. 'Hermione would be so proud!' he chuckled as Parkinson pulled a face.
"I think it went okay," Ignatius shrugged, "we'll see. For now we're going to celebrate the ending of our school years!" he cheered. "Tradition wise there will be a party in the dungeon and," Parkinson leaned forward, "I heard there will be alcohol!" he whispered the end enthusiastic and Harry couldn't help but laugh at his excitement. For the next couple of hours they stayed in the common room before going to dinner and afterwards preparing themselves. When they finally reached the decorated dungeon the party was already in full swing.
"Marvolo!" Alistair called out and grabbed the youngster's wrist before pulling him to a table full of snacks. "You've got to try these!" he held out a new kind of candy and Harry felt like melting when he sucked on it.
"This is amazing!" he called out as Alex joined them. The youngster blinked at him when he noticed he was alone and Crabbe pointed to the dance floor where Ignatius was already putting his charms on a couple of girls.
"He's beyond help," Harry laughed.
"You can't blame him for trying," Alistair retorted with a smirk and the youngster couldn't help but grin at him.
"That's true." For another half hour they snacked on the candies before Alistair pulled both of them to the dance floor. On and off, Ignatius brought them cups of the secret alcohol stash before again disappearing to another girl. The night seemed to pass in a blur and Harry was more than surprised to wake up in Alistair's bed with Ignatius cuddled against him.
"What?" he questioned getting up and immediately a splitting headache made itself known. "Oh Merlin," his voice sounded hoarse and a chuckle announced the presence of a third person.
"Here." A hand pulled his chin upwards and a wand got pressed to his sleep. The hangover spell cured his headache and he blinked at Alistair. "We really drank way too much yesterday," Stromay laughed quietly why'll he took in Ignatius' state, "especially him." The youngster glanced down and had to smile as his friend was crawling at his clothes. Turning his eyes back on his roommate he could see the jealousy in Alistair's eyes, but for once the Stromay didn't voice it. Carefully not to wake Parkinson Harry released himself from his grip and crawled out of bed. In his movements he got a whiff of his clothes and shrieked back.
"I reek!" Honestly he suspected that someone puked on him and waggled to the bathroom. He could hear Alistair mumbling about the state of his bed as he left the room and closed the door behind him with a smile on his lips. Quickly he removed his clothes and jumped under the water, letting it rinse the filth away. Feeling his muscles relax, he let out a moan and knew if Tom had been present he could have manipulated him in giving him a back rub. 'That's right, today the politicians are coming!' A smile bloomed on his face and he got out from under the water. Quickly he dried himself and put on some clean underwear. Next his teeth got brushed and he used a shaving spell to be done with it fast. When he got back to his room his eyes almost fell out of his head as he saw Ignatius waving around a shirt in the air while straddling Alistair on his bed.
"Marvolo!" Stromay called out annoyed and Harry started laughing when he noted the shirt was his roommates.
"Lost something there?" he chuckled and walked to his trunk. He pulled out a shirt of his own and pulled it over his head as Alistair was complaining about drunks. In the mood to tease the other, he pulled up his pants and turned back to the door. "Be good boys. I'm going to see if I can still get some breakfast," he skipped out of the room followed by Alistair's complains and Ignatius' drunken laughter. Chuckling he walked to Alex's room and found Crabbe nursing his own hangover. Sitting on the edge of his bed he was pointing his wand at his forehead and trying to pronounce the hangover spell, but failed miserable. "Let me," the youngster offered his help and his friend's face relaxed as his headache disappeared.
"Never, never again!" Alex promised himself and Harry chuckled.
"You only graduate once."
"Let's hope so," Crabbe smiled up at him.
"At least you ended up in your own bed," the youngster laughed and got a sharp look from his friend. "I seemed to have mistaken Alistair's bed for my own and somehow Ignatius ended up beside me."
"Where did Stromay sleep?" The youngster blinked at the other.
"No clue. My bed?" Harry shrugged. "Anyway, Ignatius is still drunk and holding Alistair captive. We should probably go and rescue him." Alex raised his eyebrows at him, before shaking his head and getting ready. Ten minutes later they stood before Harry's and Alistair's room and glanced at each other. It was too quiet behind that door. Cautiously, the youngster pulled the handle down, making as little noise as possible and sneaked a peek inside. He froze as his eyes landed on Alistair's bed. Briskly he raised his head and gave Alex a shocked expression. Crabbe immediately looked through the crack and grimaced before pulling away.
"Should we stop them?" he questioned and Harry just blinked at him. It didn't want to penetrate his head and against his better judgement he looked again. Ignatius was completely naked and humping in Alistair's lap while the other was kneading his ass. Their lips were locked in a fierce battled and the moment Ignatius' hands moved to the Stromay's waist Harry jumped away from the door. "Should we stop them?" Alex asked again and the youngster just stared at him. Not getting an answer Crabbe simply closed the door - trapping a moan inside - and stepped away from it.
"I thought Alistair was sober?" Harry mumbled.
"Ignatius probably affected him. You're not supposed to consume alcohol for two hours after casting the hangover spell," Alex answered in a low voice.
"Ignatius never said anything about liking Alistair, did he?" Crabbe shook his head.
"I think he's just convenient."
"If I had stayed...?" the youngster shuddered and got a look from his friend.
"Even drunk you don't cheat. Alistair tried more than once yesterday," Alex told him and it made Harry feel a little better.
"Won't they regret it?" the brunet asked and Crabbe shrugged.
"Ignatius needs to get laid and maybe it would get Alistair of your back," he stated and blue charmed eyes blinked at him.
"But still..."
"I say we let them be," Crabbe nodded to himself before grabbing the youngster's wrist and pulling him with him.
-THTH-
While eating his breakfast Harry couldn't help but keep glancing at the huge door. "I do believe they will be busy for a while," Alex stated seeing the blue eyes move once more.
"How do you think they're going to act?" the brunet asked with a teasing tone.
"Probably like nothing happened," his friend shrugged and bit in his sandwich.
"That would be a pity." Crabbe's eyes turned to him as he swallowed.
"You're evil," Alex stated and calmly took another bite. Harry just smirked at him. "And you were the one who wanted to stop them!" Crabbe continued playfully narrowing his eyes at the other.
"I know but as you said: Ignatius needs to get laid and Alistair isn't such a bad choice," the youngster shrugged and his friend just shook his head.
"When is our Lord arriving?" Alex changed the subject and the brunet blinked at him in thought.
"I suspect he's already here," he figured as it was already pretty late. "He's probably with the other politicians preparing everything." He picked at his eggs and munched on a piece of bacon. "I don't think we'll be seeing him for another couple of hours," disappointment was clear to hear in his voice and the first empty plates started to disappear from the table. Quickly he grabbed three apples and continued eating. The house-elves wouldn't remove his plate before he was gone, but still the urge to speed up was there. Both friends quickly finished and strolled back to their dorm. They couldn't deny that they were both curious at Ignatius' and Alistair's behaviour. They entered the common room, greeted a couple of classmates and walked back to Harry's room. Before the door they listened for any sound from the other side of the wood, but nothing could be heard. Slowly the youngster moved the handle and sneaked a peek before opening it entirely. The room was empty, Alistair's bed a mess of sheets that lay half on the ground and the window stood wide open to air out the sex smell. Alex also popped his head inside and he grimaced as the smell assaulted his nose.
"Where are they?"
"Shower?" the youngster suggested and with a last look at each other they moved to the bathroom. Before they even reached the door they could hear laughter coming from behind it and abruptly the wood swung open slamming against the wall beside it. Briskly a fully dressed Ignatius stepped through the doorway to get restrained by an arm wrapped around his waist.
"Stop it!" Parkinson called out with a scarlet face as Alistair pushed his half dressed body against his back.
"Come on," he chuckled but his smile fell when his eyes landed on Marvolo. The other's sudden silence made Ignatius suspicious and he also glanced up to find his two friends frozen before him. His eyes widened almost comically and he sprinted forward out of Stromay's grip to stop before them.
"'Morning!" he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and Harry couldn't keep the smirk of his face any longer.
"Had fun?" he teased his friend, who seemed to even get more red by the minute.
"We-we were..."
"Yes?" Alex had to join in the teasing. Alistair moved beside Parkinson with a desperate expression.
"Marvolo, we were just-"
"Oh, stop it!" Ignatius suddenly yelled. "Stop saying his name!" Angry and annoyed he pushed passed his friends pulling the youngster with him. The other two were fast to follow and the brunet got pulled into his room for more privacy. "Seriously, he screamed your name!" Ignatius briskly turned to Harry and glared at his offender of the other's shoulder.
"Ignatius!" Alistair tried to stop Parkinson from admitting what had happened between them, but Alex suddenly started laughing beside him, successfully stopping him from continuing. The youngster felt his face heat up at Ignatius outburst and embarrassed glanced backwards at Stromay before his eyes landed on his other friend.
"Alex!" Parkinson raised his voice and the laughter only grew louder.
"What did you expect?!" Crabbe asked between hiccups. "He's been after him for months!" Sheepishly Harry turned back to Ignatius and gave him an apologizing look.
"Sorry?" he tried and his friend shook his head.
"You used me!" his voice suddenly sounded dangerously low as Parkinson leaned passed the youngster – clinging at the brunet's arm for support – addressing his previous bed partner.
"So did you!" Alistair yelled back a little hysterical as the other's grip on his pillar tightened.
"But I didn't call out one of your best friends' name!"
"You didn't call out anyone's name!" Stromay pointed out and Harry felt himself got pushed backwards as Ignatius unconsciously moved closer to his yelling partner. Alex had quiet down a little but was still snickering.
"At least I was considerate!" Parkinson shot back and the youngster actually had to take a step backwards to keep his balance. Glancing at Alistair, Harry surprisingly noted that the other had also moved closer with his head just a couple of centimetres away from Ignatius.
'He's going to kiss him!' flashed through his head but the tightening in Stromay's face was enough to push that thought away. "Stop it!" he suddenly yelled and Alistair jumped backwards as Ignatius simply straightened. Alex's laughter also quiet down. "You were both drunk and slept together, end of story!" the youngster summarized as he pushed Ignatius backwards to create more space between them. Next he gave an apple to Parkinson and half turned to throw one at Stromay. "Put on a shirt," he gave Alistair a look and the teen immediately scrambled to his trunk. Alex let out a chuckle and opened the door behind him.
"Let's go and enjoy our last days of Hogwarts," he suggested with a smile still firmly plastered on his face and Harry was more than gladly to follow his example, pulling Ignatius with him. He noted his friend shooting a last glare at his roommate as they left the room.
-THTH-
"Was it good?" Alex asked his brooding friend as they were sitting by the lake enjoying the sunshine. Ignatius glared at him, but his friend just kept watching him.
"Tell us at least you got something out of it," Harry joined in and Parkinson's glare turned to him before he rolled his eyes.
"Yes," he muttered and his friends immediately let out catcalls. "I was probably lucky I came first," Ignatius continued in a low voice and Crabbe sniggered while the brunet gave him another apologizing look.
"He's all yours," he joked and meant seriously at the same time.
"Isn't that our Lord?" Parkinson abruptly changed the subject and Harry's head shot up.
"Where?" Laughter was the only answer he got and now it was his time to glare at his friends. Silence settled over them and for a while they simply took in the scenery around them.
"I'm going to miss this place," Alex broke the silence eventually.
"Me too," Ignatius sighed and the youngster smiled at them.
"This was my first home," he confessed and got confused looks back. 'Shit,' the brunet realized his mistake. "Only here Tom and I could be ourselves," his cover up was the truth and his friends smiled a little sadly at him.
"You're making your own home." Alex gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"That's right, my home is wherever Tom is." Ignatius rolled his eyes and Harry suddenly pulled his head in his lap.
"I want to practice my massage skills," he declared as he pushed his fingers to his friend's sleep. Slowly he started his massage and watched his friend enjoy it with closed eyes. He knew how difficult it was for Ignatius to still be single and he didn't meant to rub in his relationship. What happened with Alistair didn't help at all. The guy hadn't hide that he had been thinking of Marvolo the entire time. It was a blow to Ignatius' self esteem. "Are you still planning to continue in your father footprints?" he changed the subject and Parkinson nodded.
"Yes, I'll become a proper businessman," Ignatius chuckled and the brunet turned to Alex.
"Same for me," Crabbe shrugged. Harry didn't know what to feel about the fact that his friends' lives seemed to be planned for them.
"Are you still planning on becoming an Auror?" Ignatius cracked open one eye and the youngster smiled down on him.
"Yes, I guess I'll be seeing a lot of Harold in the future."
"Who do you think will become the new Head?" two pair of eyes turned to Alex.
"No idea," Harry mumbled.
"I expect our Lord will suggest someone," the teen in his lap answered and the youngster couldn't help but blink at him.
"But that doesn't mean it will automatically be his choice." His two friends just looked at him.
'Do they really believe Tom has that kind of power?' he couldn't help but wonder. 'Perry's going to be right!' He shook his head and turned to look at the castle. Tom was somewhere inside.
-THTH-
Curious, Harry walked from one stand to another with his two friends flanking him. He was honestly interested in the other politicians, but his entire body craved for that one person on the other side of the room. He glanced around and met Harold's eyes to his surprise. His grandfather smiled at him before his attention moved to the Auror beside him. "What's Harold doing here?" he asked aloud as he turned to his friends.
"A couple of the politicians demanded extra protection," Alex answered and shrugged. "It probably is a dream opportunity to show the students how to protect their charges."
"There's our Lord," Ignatius suddenly whispered and again Harry's head shot towards the direction he was pointing. This time his friend was telling the truth and he saw Tom talking with Alistair to his surprise.
"Come," the brunet decided and stepped forward ignoring the teasing looks his friends shared. The future Dark Lord's eyes fell on him and a small smile appeared on his lips as the youngster stopped beside him. "Hi," Harry greeted with a wide smile and the older teen's arm slipped around his waist before he got a kiss.
"Mar-," Alistair tried to greet his roommate but an angry growl stopped him. "Ignatius!" Stromay instead called out and got a raised eyebrow from Tom at his behaviour. Alex started to smirk again as Parkinson openly glared at Alistair.
"Don't you have someone else to use?" Ignatius said in a tight voice and his previous bed partner quickly agreed before darting away. With a victorious expression Parkinson faced the future Dark Lord, who gave him an impressed look back.
"Teach me how to do that," Tom said to everyone's surprise and Ignatius immediately turned bright red as Harry and Alex laughed their heads off.
"You better don't!" the youngster gave the politician a warning pat on the shoulder and got a confused look back. "Don't cheat on me," Harry whispered in Tom's ear and brown eyes widened in understanding before darting to Ignatius, who seemed to get even redder.
"Don't teach me!" there was a hint of disgust in the future Dark Lord's voice and Parkinson seemed to want to hide behind Alex as the laughter around him increased.
"You seemed to be having a good time," a voice joined their little circle and Harry smiled at the twinkling eyes of Dumbledore.
"Hi professor," he greeted the Head of Gryffindor, who gave him a pleasant smile.
"Good to see you again, Tom." Dumbledore held out his hand to the politician, who shook it politely. "I do have to say that this day is a success," the future Headmaster continued as he eyed the people around him before facing the future Dark Lord again. "And I am curious as to what your group has to offer." Tom smiled at those words and handed over one of his brochures.
"We want an environment where wizards will feel safe," he started and Harry felt the arm around his waist disappear as the older teen went completely in his politician mode. "They wouldn't have to hide their true nature."
"What about the muggleborns?" Dumbledore asked with a glint in his eyes and the future Dark Lord gave him a look.
"They can't be kept in the dark any longer." Albus gave him a confused look.
"In the dark about what?"
"Their options," Tom pressed. "They deserve to know the truth about their abilities before they turn eleven." That actually made the youngster look up at the future Dark Lord.
'Did he mean that?'
"That would only lead to inexperienced children trying to use magic with drastic consequences," Dumbledore raised his voice as his eyes demanded the politician to see his point of view.
"Purebloods don't seem to have that problem?" Brown eyes narrowed.
"They have constant supervision!" the future Headmaster almost yelled and the teenager's lips turned into a smirk.
"There you have it, supervision. Muggleborns also deserve that supervision," Tom emphasized his words by leaning his upper body forward entering the old man's personal space. "There are enough children who already use their magic before the age of eleven and if they don't think they're going insane, their family most likely are." Someone bumped into Harry making the youngster look to his right and his eyes widened as he noted the circle that had formed around them. Everyone was listening to this conversation. "I was one of those children," Tom's voice sounded just above a whispered, but everyone could understand him as it was the only noise in the room, "if someone had been there for me..." Brown eyes glanced sideways and met blue charmed ones. A sad smile appeared on his lips and Harry grabbed his hand squeezing it in comfort. He let the unfinished sentence hang in the air and a flash of remorse passed on Dumbledore's face.
'He was the one who found Tom,' the youngster realized and watched the old man open his mouth to speak. "Children should never be taken from their family." The youngster actually glared at the future Headmaster for a second before he moved his face in a detached expression.
"Of course not," Tom exclaimed and the brunet knew he was faking his mortification, "I only want the children born of muggles to have a magical godfather or –mother!" Dumbledore gave the politician a pensive look as clamours started around them. The students liked this development and Harry had to admit that he did too.
'If I had had a godfather or –mother the Dursleys could never have treated me like they did!' A smile bloomed on his face and the older teen glanced at him to present him with a small smile in gratitude. 'It's important that I support him!' the youngster read the situation and wondered just why the future Dark Lord had kept his plans a secret even from him.
"An excellent point," the future Headmaster gathered their attention again and the blue eyes were actually twinkling in what seemed like approval. "Thank you for the talk, Tom. I learned much," Dumbledore smiled and held out his hand, which the older teen shook before calmly walking towards the next politician he was going to interrogate. The brunet watched him disappear in the mass of students surrounding them and turned back to the future Dark Lord.
"You did well," he whispered as he leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to Tom's cheek. "I'll let you get back to your voters." Tom simply nodded at him and Harry could feel his eyes on him until he also disappeared into the mass.
-THTH-
A continuous knocking woke Harry up and with heavy eyes he watched a still sleepy Alistair wobble through the room. Slowly the door got opened and in an instant his roommate looked wide awake. Curious the brunet cocked his head and got his answer when Ignatius rudely pushed himself passed the Stromay and bolded straight to the youngster's bed. "Wakey, wakey!" Parkinson screamed earning a glare from the teen in the bed. "It's our last day of Hogwarts, ever!" Ignatius continued as Alex also entered the room with a short mumble of greeting at Alistair. Tired Crabbe walked over to the brunet's bed and sat down on the cover.
"He also did that with me," he mumbled unhappy as he glared at their friend bustling around the room. Abruptly Parkinson stopped in mid step and faced to them.
"Mates!" he raised his voice and the two on the bed seemed a little more awake. "This is the last day we can search for the secrets that this castle has hidden!" Ignatius waved with his hands to emphasize his point. "You could show us the Chamber of Secrets!" he suddenly yelled in excitement and blue charmed eyes widened in surprise.
"You've got to be kidding," Harry stated blunt but his friend kept his hopeful look intact. It also didn't go unnoticed that Alex and Alistair were looking at him curiously. "You do know that a basilisk lives down there, don't you?" The youngster had no idea what actually happened to the animal after Tom's and Dumbledore's fight.
"The basilisk listens to our Lord, it wouldn't hurt you," Parkinson waved his objections away.
"All right fine, say that it recognizes me. We still can't get inside the room without someone who speaks Parseltongue." 'Do I even still speak it without the horcux?' Harry wondered briefly. His friends' faces fell, but the brunet didn't feel guilty. It was for their own safety.
"What about the third floor or the restricted section at the library?" Alistair suggested and Ignatius narrowed his eyes at the guy before turning back to his friends.
"Actually that isn't a bad idea," he said to the others' surprise and an evil smirk appeared on Harry's face.
"Maybe we should let the two of you go alone..."
"Marvolo!" Parkinson yelled undignified and glared at Stromay for his help but the teen simply blushed scarlet. The glare lost some of its heat and a flash of uncertainty passed through the orbs. Seeing the exchange the youngster wondered if maybe there really was something between those two. Something they didn't want to admit to. He shared a look with Alex, who wore a look of contemplation.
"I'm for exploring the third floor," he broke the awkward silence that had settled around them and Ignatius was quick to agree.
"It's decided then," Crabbe mumbled as he got up. "In fifteen minutes in the common room?" he suggested and got a nod from Harry before disappearing from the room.
"I'm going to hit the showers." The brunet crawled out of his bed, gathered his things before following Alex's example. Not able to stop himself, he glanced over his shoulder to see the two remaining occupiers look ill at ease with each other. Chuckling he continued his way.
-THTH-
Alistair glanced around the corner before signalling the coast was clear and the four of them sprinted up the stairs to hide in the first classroom they encountered. They waited a couple of minutes before bursting out in laughter. "We did it!" Ignatius exclaimed as Alex opened the door to sneak a peek in the hallway. When he saw nothing suspicious he opened the door completely and Harry was the first in the corridor again.
"Come on," he whispered and made his way further away from the stairs. The others were quick to follow him and after turning the corner found the youngster with his head inside another room. "I think this was an old potion classroom," he stated as he let Alistair take a peek. The middle of the room was completely covered in some sort of black goo that seemed to have migrated into the pores of the walls.
"An experiment gone wrong," Stromay mumbled and stepped backwards letting the youngster close the door.
"Wow!" Ignatius called out from a couple of doors ahead before following Alex inside. Harry and Alistair shared a look before quickly joining them and entered a huge room covered with white curtains that got blown slightly by a wind they couldn't feel to reveal glimpses of huge racks full of books. Ignatius and Alex stood in the middle of the room staring around them in wonder. The other two quickly joined them.
"Just imagine what must be hidden here," Parkinson mumbled with awe in his voice.
"Books that aren't even allowed in the restricted section," Crabbe answered and took a step forward. His fingers were itching to touch but he clearly couldn't decided where to start.
"We should be careful," Harry decided. "These books must be powerful and probably have protections cast on them." Alex nodded to him before stepping forward and let his wand move over the backs of five books. Nothing happened so he pulled one from its place. The other three moved closer to him as Crabbe opened the cover cautiously. Immediately his eyes widened as he read the title.
"This is the complete work of Drostum Collinious!" he called out astonished. The youngster had no idea who Drostum Collinious was, but his friends clearly did.
"I thought all of them were destroyed!" Ignatius said stunned from over his shoulder.
"What's it about?" the brunet questioned and got three surprised looks.
"Collinious studied all of the creatures' bloodlines," Alistair started, "and bundled them in his work." He pointed to the book in Alex's hands.
"It isn't a secret that there are pureblood families that have creatures' blood," Ignatius continued and Harry's eyes turned to him.
"They aren't so pure then, are they?" he stated sarcastic and his friends nodded.
"Making it no surprise that those families made certain the work got prohibited and they burned every copy," Stromay took the book from Crabbe. "Except this one apparently." He flipped through the pages and his eyebrows rose in wonder.
"Mates!" Ignatius suddenly called out and the youngster turned around to see him right from him against the wall. He stood before a giant stand that contained one book. The others quickly walked over to him. "The Book of Relations!" Parkinson stated in awe as they joined him.
"Seriously?" Alistair asked astonished and again Harry felt a little left out.
"This book contains every genealogical tree that exist, past and future," Alex explained noticing his friend's look. "For example this is how the school knows who to send their letters too."
"Oh," the youngster got the answer to a question he had only ever asked himself unconsciously.
"It can also tell you who you're going to marry," Ignatius said just above a whisper and the brunet briskly turned to him.
"No!" he stated and got an innocent look from the teen beside him.
"You're not going to see who you're going to marry," he told him giving him a small glare as warning. Parkinson pouted and Alex suddenly turned his head away from them as a shiver ran through his body.
"Do you guys feel that?" he questioned and Harry gave him a confused look.
"The wind," Alistair answered and a gust ruffled the locks on the brunet's forehead. Confused he twirled around and noted that the curtains were being moved with a lot more force than before.
"We need to get out of here!" He grabbed Ignatius' wrist – as he was still eyeing the Book of Relations – and pulled him with him but could only move about two meter before they got roughly pushed back to the middle of the room.
"This isn't a normal wind. It's too strong!" Alex stated as the books around them got pulled from their spots and started flying around them. Using his arm to protect his head the youngster glanced around and noted one book that didn't seemed to be hindered by the wind. Against every law of physics it hung in the air unobstructed by the heavy blasts of air and slowly opened. A bright light came from the pages and Harry shut his eyes in pain.
R&R