CONTEST WINNER THIS CHAPTER: User flybynight088 recommended the song, "Making Memories of Us" by Keith Urban for Harry & Tracey this go around, and I thought it a perfect complement to Harry's thoughts here. So, this chapter is dedicated to flybynight088 - congratulations! Lyrics for that song appear at the bottom of this chapter. Hope you'll find this song somehow and give it a listen.
Remember, I'll accept song suggestions for each couple, as well as digitally manipulated images of live people and your original hand-drawn or digitally drawn fanart for this story up until the end of this fic is published. SEND ME YOUR LISTS OR ARTWORK! I'll pick my favorites, and reward you, as promised!
PLEASE REVIEW, FOLKS! What did you think of this chapter?
CHAPTER TWO (#2): HARRY & TRACEY
Harry politely opened the door for Tracey into their private room, scooting in behind her to close the door with a gentle push of the lock. The room was decked out exactly as the others: white furniture, walls and flooring, ceiling lights, and fully capable of being altered in a moment by either party should they ask the Room of Requirement to do so.
Tracey looked about, blushing. "Wow, it's… really... white."
Harry considered it and nodded. "Yeah, kind-of uncomfortable. I'll fix it, if you'll let me?" They glanced at each other and she nodded, looking shyly down at the floor almost immediately.
With a thoughtful request, the room altered about them. The white shag carpet became a plush dark green, the walls a very light grey, and the furniture blended to match. He also requested a fireplace against the back wall instead of a bed, and set a magical flame to it. The final piece was a comfy, fabric two-seater sofa in front of the fire that was black, designed so they could get to know each other better. He'd tried for Slytherin colors, hoping to put her more at ease.
He lowered the light in the room so that it was a more intimate atmosphere. "Better?"
His partner looked about with a smile and relaxed visibly. "Much, thank you."
He indicated with a polite arm that she sit on the couch ahead of him, choosing her seat as she wished, as was proper for a man to do. He then took his place beside her. "You drew first," he reminded her lightly, trying to keep things as stress-free as possible between them, given the awkward situation. "But, before we begin, maybe we should introduce ourselves properly?" He smiled at her gently. "I mean, I know you from around classes, but we've never actually spoken, I believe."
Davis hesitantly held out a hand to shake, her pretty lips turning up in an honest smile. "Tracey Marie Davis."
Harry smiled brightly and shook her small, dainty hand. "Harry James Potter."
They let go immediately at the same time, and looked away, apparently both bashful about such things. "So, um… would you like to read your card first?" he offered again.
Tracey blushed. "Oh, yes, of course." She held it up and read it aloud:
DEED: Your partner must give you a sensual foot and leg massage with a nice scented oil of your choice.
He almost adjusted his non-existent glasses again, reminded himself with a mental slap to knock it off, and instead scratched the side of his face. "Well, as Deeds go – and I don't know about you, but I did get a chance to read all of my Housemates cards in advance – that one is rather pleasant to start off, I think," he chirped, trying to make it easier on both of them.
The pretty blonde girl nodded. "Yes, I think we could both enjoy this."
They sat for another minute, neither moving. Behind Harry's chest, his heart started beating a little faster.
"Right, so, what oil scent do you want to try?" he asked, unbuttoning the cuffs of his shirt, rolling up the sleeves and kneeling down by her side, waiting.
She considered it, biting her lip. "Um… honestly? I've never done this before – get a massage, I mean - so I wouldn't know," she admitted. "You choose."
Harry's eyebrows lowered in confusion. No one had ever given her a massage before? Tragic! It had been one of his favorite things to do with Marietta Edgecombe while they'd been dating. "Well, you're in for a treat, then," he explained, cracking his knuckles and twirling his wrists to stretch them out. "I happen to be a massage expert." He glanced up at her through his dark lashes. "Do you like the smell of peppermint? It has a refreshing, cooling effect for the feet and legs."
Tracey nodded without a second's thought. "Sounds nice. I'll trust you, Harry."
His stomach flipped at her words and at the sincere look of faith in her hazel-colored eyes. Merlin, she was really pretty, wasn't she? "Okay," he stuttered, then summoned a bottle of peppermint oil into his hands. Indicating her dress, he nodded at her. "May I?"
She acquiesced easily, and Harry respectfully lifted the hem to above her knees… and nearly got blown away with the exquisite beauty of her bared calves, ankles and feet. Secretly, Harry had a thing for touching a girl here, finding these spots sensually erotic on a woman. With delicate care, he removed her strapping sandal heels from her feet one at a time. Her toenails, he noted, were very well cared for and she'd given herself a pedicure with matching purple nail polish before coming to tonight's game.
A girl who cared for her feet was such a total turn-on for him.
Glancing up at her, he indicated that she should lie back into the cushions of the sofa and enjoy what he was about to do. Following instructions, she watched him not out of suspicion, but out of genuine curiosity about the process of a foot massage.
With another silent thought, Harry conjured a towel to lay over his lap and piped in some soothing Enya to play in the background, thinking of his favorite artist's 'Watermark' CD, feeling awkward with the silence that would, he knew, ensue as soon as he started rubbing her feet. Tracey seemed surprised by the music and tensed up.
"Relax," he soothed her. "Just a bit of Muggle music to make the atmosphere peaceful, so you can enjoy."
"Oh," Tracey replied and immediately did as he bade.
Rubbing the oil between his palms and then rubbing them together to heat them up, Harry began smoothing the slick fluid over her foot, inhaling the sharp minty bouquet on the air with a sigh of contentment. Peppermint had a nice odor on both the breath and the body. Applying the proper pressure to the bottom of her right foot, he moved his thumbs over the top, smoothing the muscles there first. Moving with tender attention, he then rubbed the pad at the base of her toes, where he was sure there was pain from the height of her heels. Tracey inhaled and then exhaled deeply in pleasure, and her muscles just seemed to let go at that point as she fluidly melted into the furniture.
"Good?" he asked, continuing on down to the arch of her foot, applying just the proper pressure as he rubbed in outwardly-curving circles with his thumbs.
She nodded. "Oh, yes," she harmonized in sincere enjoyment, and as he moved to her heel, rubbing it in a circular motion, she moaned and leaned back into the couch, closing her eyes fully, willing herself into his capable hands. "That feels wonderful."
Warmth suffused his chest at her words and the expression upon her features.
He hadn't felt such a thing for another person since Ginny. It was a queer, nervous feeling he was experiencing just then, but at the same time, it filled him with hopeful anticipation. Perhaps this game was going to present him with an opportunity here…
"Good," he whispered, then continued, working on her individual toes next, then her ankle, then calf. As he moved the towel to his shoulder and rested her leg on it, so he could get to the back of her knee, her dress accidentally moved, giving him a glimpse of her soft, rounded thighs. Her legs were strong – not a runner's musculature, but definitely indicative of some sort of athletic activity aside from climbing the stairs of Hogwarts. "Are you a dancer?" he chanced a guess.
Tracey's eyes flew open. "How did you know?"
He continued to massage her knee. "Your build. You're tall, thin and have great legs."
He blushed at his own candidness, but thankfully his partner did not reply. Concentrating on continuing the massage, he moved back down her calf, reversing his path from earlier, assuring he'd gotten every last knot out before letting her go. When he'd finished with the right leg, he took up its twin and repeated the process, not speaking, letting Tracey enjoy the experience, absorbing himself in the act as well.
She had absolutely gorgeous legs and feet, and he was so turned on by the touching and the occasional peeking at her thighs that by the time he'd gotten up to Davis' knee, his sack was beginning to ache from the tightness of his pants. He chanced a look back up at her, hoping she hadn't noticed.
Head lolling back against the cushions, eyes closed and a small smile gracing her lips... she'd fallen asleep!
The old ego taking a nice stroll around the room at the thought that he'd relaxed his partner so thoroughly that she'd sacked out, Harry took that stolen moment to really look at this girl more closely. She was really quite a beauty. Why hadn't he noticed her before?
Well, that wasn't quite fair. He knew the reasons: over the last four years, he'd had a crush on 'Mione, then Cho, then Marietta, then 'Mione again, then Ginny, and finally Julie Parkes, whom he'd broken up with a little over a month ago after a two week fling that meant nothing but a good shag opportunity for both of them. Besides, Tracey was a Slytherin – a House he'd vowed never to date anyone from, simply on principle alone. Had he missed his chance with this girl as a result of such prejudice?
He was getting way ahead of himself. He didn't even know her yet! Yeah, she was pretty, and apparently liked the color purple, and she was shy and somewhat trusting, but that wasn't enough for him to really know if he wanted to make a play for her. He had to get to know her better. He hoped they didn't get any really kinky sex stuff before he felt comfortable with the idea tonight. Performance anxiety was a killer for a boner.
He'd finished up her left foot by then, and put both legs back on the floor, glancing up. She was still asleep. Placing the towel on the floor and sitting up on the sofa next to her, leaning back into the couch, he took her hand gently in his. "Tracey," he murmured, trying to wake her without scaring her. "Tracey, wake up." She sighed, but didn't awaken, merely shifted so that her head moved to his shoulder and leaned upon it. In another second, she had snuggled up to him.
Harry was caught off guard, unsure as to what to do. He looked down at the girl-woman in his arms and tried waking her again. She merely burrowed her nose into his chest.
So trusting, he thought again, feeling that warmth in his chest expand. It was adorable… but for the sake of the game, they had to do his card before time ran out or else he would accidentally forfeit and they'd both be knocked out. It was too early for such a thing. Besides, he was kind of enjoying their time together and the idea of performing his card now was rather interesting to him.
"Tracey, wake up," he jarred her lightly. "Come on. You have to get up now, pretty girl."
She stirred and looked up at him, sleepy, multi-colored eyes so honest and sincere. Their gazes locked. "Harry?"
His heart gave a painful leap in that moment, squeezing tightly. Oh, man… Swallowing back the tide of irrational feeling that flooded his senses (especially between his legs), he righted Tracey, helping her come fully awake. "If I don't perform my card, I'll be knocked out of the game," he reminded her. "There isn't a lot of time left. I've lost about ten minutes already."
"Card?" she asked, and then dawning realization alighted her features and she sat up abruptly. "Oh, your card! The game! I'm so sorry for falling asleep like that! It's just that N.E.W.T.s were so exhausting last week, and I never really recovered fully between all of the parties they've been throwing in the dorms and all. And the massage was so wonderful..." She looked down, realized that her knees were still exposed, and righted her dress immediately, blushing again. "So, your card. Yes, right. We need to act it out."
Harry noted that her hands were trembling slightly, and he put one of his over the both of hers in her lap. "Don't worry. It's really a harmless one." He read it for her:
DEED: Your partner must dance with you – however you want.
"Oh!" Tracey brightened, her smile finding its way back home. "Well, that sounds lovely!"
He stood and held a hand out to her. "Rather fortunate that you're a dancer," he joked as she slid her warm, small hand into his and helped her to her feet. "Because I'm rather awful at it. You lead."
She laughed and it was an enchanting sound. "I'm barefoot," she reminded him. "What if you step on my feet?"
"Hmmm…" he considered the problem, and promptly hopped her up onto the tops of his shoes, wrapping one arm about her waist and the other taking her hand, as he had learned for the Yule Ball years before. Snuggled in close to him, her body pressing against his, they were almost of an equal height, he slightly taller still. "I guess I'll have to do my best to guide us then. Just don't laugh."
He thought of some songs he wouldn't mind dancing to with her like this and came up with a couple of his favorites. The first one piped into the room to the soft jazzy accompaniment of a piano, a muted trumpet and a soft cymbal, performed by one of his favorite Muggle singers.
Unforgettable… that's what you are.
Unforgettable… though near or far.
Like a song of love that clings to me,
How the thought of you does things to me.
Never before has someone been more…
Unforgettable… in every way.
And forever more… that's how you'll stay.
That's why darling it's incredible,
That someone so unforgettable,
Thinks that I am unforgettable, too.
"I know this song," she admitted. "It's one of my mother's favorites. She's a Muggle-born witch, you know. She used to dance with my father to that song in our living room when I was younger."
"Nat King Cole is one of my favorites, too," he admitted softly, staring into her charming eyes as he sashayed them back and forth. "I used to hear my Aunt Petunia sneak these songs on the player when she thought no one was home to hear. I've always imagined my parents dancing to this song. Funny, huh?"
She nodded once. "Funny."
"It's not my favorite song from him though. This one is." He thought of the song he wanted as soon as the last notes of "Unforgettable" faded away, and then the fully orchestrated version of "When I Fall In Love" filled the room.
When I fall in love,
It will be forever,
Or I'll never fall in love.
In a restless world like this is
Love is ended before it's begun.
And too many moonlight kisses
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun.
When I give my heart,
It'll be completely,
Or I'll never give my heart.
And the moment I can feel that
You feel that way, too…
Is when I'll fall in love with you.
Behind his chest, his heart thumped wildly, and for a moment, he felt himself falling, too… directly into Tracey Davis' honest, green-blue-brown combination eyes.
Oh, man… Not good! She was on the other team! She was supposed to be his rival for this game…
Thankfully, a light chiming sound rang out in the air, telling them that their time was up (a Malfoy idea when they'd been setting up the Room of Requirement earlier; it was timed to count out exactly fifty minutes from the moment a couple entered a private room).
"Time to go," he stated, reluctantly releasing her.
"Yeah," she agreed, seemingly just as loath to end the dance.
Lowering her eyes, she climbed off his feet. The loss of her warmth from his person was enough to make him shiver. He swallowed and turned away, trying to compose his rioting emotions as she bent to replace her heels, politely allowing her to support and balance herself with one hand on his arm.
Moving to the door side by side, he reacted on gut instinct and stopped her from reaching for the knob. "Listen, Tracey," he tried for honest. "No matter what else tonight brings, I want you to know that I liked this. Just this, what we did here this first round. It was… perfect."
Rosy-cheeked, she looked over at him and nodded. "Yes, it was a… perfect first date, I suppose you could say," she smiled tremulously.
Stepping into her, he reached up and smoothed a loose blonde hair off her forehead, tucking it back behind her ear. "I'll try… not to hurt you," he promised her. "No matter what my card says, I won't… do anything you don't want. You set the tone and pace."
She looked at him a minute more, and then slowly leaned forward and kissed him gently on the cheek. It was butterfly soft, and made fireworks go off in his chest. "Thank you," she accepted graciously, then smiled playfully. "I just realized something. This is the first time I've been escorted to the door by a date." With a sigh of happiness, she turned the knob and stepped away.
Harry's heart flipped over in his chest, and he knew right there that he was in serious trouble.
TO BE CONTINUED...
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Enya's 'Watermark' was released on CD in 1988, so Harry would have known about it by the time of this fic. If you haven't ever heard this CD before, I highly recommend it. It's my favorite of all of her albums, and has the best music for massage, in my opinion.
"Unforgettable" (1951) and "When I Fall In Love" (1964) were the versions sung by Nat King Cole for this fic, as I prefer those over all other versions of these songs.
Musical Selection for this Chapter: "Making Memories of Us" by Keith Urban. Lyrics are as follows…
I'm gonna be here for you, baby.
I'll be a man of my word.
Speak the language in a voice that you have never heard.
I wanna sleep with you forever,
And I wanna die in your arms,
In a cabin by a meadow where the wild bees swarm.
And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you.
And I'll earn your trust making memories of us.
I wanna honor your mother.
And I wanna learn from your pa.
I wanna steal your attention like a bad outlaw.
And I wanna stand out in a crowd for you,
A man among men.
I wanna make your world better than it's ever been.
And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you.
And I'll earn your trust making memories of us.
We'll follow the rainbow
Wherever the four winds blow,
And there'll be a new day
Comin' your way.
I'm gonna be here for you from now on,
This you know somehow.
You've been stretched to the limits, but it's alright now.
And I'm gonna make you this promise:
If there's life after this
I'm gonna be there to meet you with a warm, wet kiss.
(Yes I am.)
And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you.
And I'll earn your trust making memories of us.
I'm gonna love you like nobody loves you baby,
And I'll win your trust making memories of us.