The next morning Harry was headed for breakfast when he ran into Ginny. He knew Ginny was interested in; heck she had a crush on him since she was ten years old but they had not even really had a chance to speak since the school year had begun.

Ginny ran over and pecked him on the cheek and joined arms with him. "It had been too long Harry. You know we missed seeing you except your birthday."

Harry sent a smile in her direction though he tried to remove himself from her grip. "Well now that I have my dads I assume it will be less common my stays."

Ginny pouted a bit at that. "But it was always so much fun having you at the Burrow. I mean Hermione is great and all but I want to spend more time with you."

Harry inwardly winced at that. "Ginny you know even without my dads, I am an apprentice now. I mean holidays and such I will be spending with the Malfoys."

Ginny was the one whose face changed for a moment at that and Harry was wondering what was going through her mind. He had not been oblivious to the death glares her brother had given the day before when Harry had sat at Slytherin with Draco.

Ginny's smile returned. "Well I guess it isn't that bad. I mean I had a good time talking with you yesterday at Slytherin. Draco is not too bad of a guy really."

Harry remembered her talking to Blaise. "And I saw you were having a nice conversation with Blaise at the table. Is there something I should know?"

Ginny looked uncomfortable. "Of course not. I mean that guy is one of the only snakes with any real brains other then Draco. I came to sit over there for you."

Harry sighed. "Ginny you do know that I care about you right but I don't see you as anything more then a friend. A really good friend but a friend."

For a moment he thought she might break down in tears or even at the very least let go of his arm for she looked slightly put off by his words but she surprised him by tightening her grip on his arm.

"You know mum and dad were friends before they started dating. Mum always says it is the best way for a couple to get started." Ginny confided in him.

"Your mum is a smart woman. I agree with her, often the best couples do start as good friends. Unfortunately Ginny I just don't see it happening." Harry tried.

Ginny was nothing if not persistent. "I know you feel like that now but I think when we spend more time together this year Harry, you'll change your mind."

Harry felt like telling her that she just did not have the right body parts for him at the very least but he did not feel like coming out of the closet right here and now over this kind of conversation with her. He reminded her of the fact that as being an apprentice and student as well as being in quidditch still, he would have little time for a personal life and he was not sure how much time he would have to spend with her.

A response from Ginny was cut off by Lucius. "Harry, I would be thinking you'd get into breakfast. I'd not like to hear my apprentice is late for classes."

Harry looked down at Ginny's arm on him uncomfortably. "Of course not Lucius. I was just trying to tell Ginny that I really needed to get going here."

Lucius turned to her. "Miss Weasley I believe you probably have a full course load this year with it being an OWL year. I suggest getting into breakfast right away."

With that Lucius headed for the doors of the Great Hall and for a moment Harry had thought he caught a glimpse of something in the man's eyes. He knew Lucius had every right to be angry if he thought Harry was flirting with someone but the man had to know there was a chance after all no one at school knew he was in some kind of relationship with anyone. Besides the man seriously could not be jealous he told himself, he knew what gender Harry's interests lay with.

Ginny scowled after the man. "The interfering old bastard. He is our professor not our father. Besides we have another hour before we have to get to class."

Harry shook his head and tried heading for the Great Hall. "He is my master and my actions reflect on him Ginny. He has every right to ask that I not be late."

Ginny plastered another smile on. "Then let's get in there. I want to sit with my friends at Gryffindor today and Ron would like you back. Come on."

Harry finally managed to extract his arm from her grasp. "You can go and sit with your friends and brother. I have something I need to speak to Draco about."

Ginny tried to put a pout on. "You know just because you are apprenticed to his father does not mean you have to suddenly become attached at the hip to Draco."

Harry shook his head. "Draco and I became close this summer long before I became an apprentice. It was one of the reasons that Lucius gave me the honours."

He heard Ginny grumbling about something as she headed off towards Gryffindor and he could swear she was saying something about Draco and love potions but he ignored the thought and headed over to sit between Draco and Blaise at Slytherin. Hermione was his only friend to join them that morning and she took up her customary spot across from Draco. He might have been wrong about Ginny and Blaise but he some how knew he was not wrong about those two.

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When he got to herbology that morning he was paired with Neville and while they were doing their prep work Neville decided that he needed to speak to Harry about something which had happened at breakfast that morning.

"You know Ginny has set her cap for you and I swear she said she needs to find some kind of love potion." Neville confided in him.

Harry groaned. "I thought I heard her mutter that as she took off but I thought she was insinuating I had already been slipped one."

Neville shook his head. "You know you're going to have to come out sooner or later Harry and she is going to be only angrier the longer that you wait to."

Harry had not really told Neville and Luna that he was gay. They had guessed and had confronted him about it the previous year. He had been for one moment quite petrified at how they would react to the news but they had both been amazingly supportive. He was not surprised at all for they had always been.

Harry made sure that no one could hear them. "I know but I am not really ready to come out. I know how the school is going to react when they find out."

Neville stopped him. "You know being gay is not that uncommon in the wizarding world, male pregnancies and all. And you know you have a lot of loyal friends."

Harry squeezed his arm. "I know at the very least I have two amazing and loyal friends who already know and have been nothing but supportive of me always."

Neville smiled and nodded. Harry knew that while he considered Ron and Hermione to be his best friends and Draco was right up there, Neville considered Harry his best friend. Luna and Harry were really the only good friends he had. The other Gryffindor boys hung out with him for Harry's sake most of the time. Harry was only happy to extended his friendship to Neville for he always knew that he was not only a great friend but loyal to the bone.

Neville smiled when Madam Sprout came over and gave them top points at the end of class. "You know this is the one class I ever get house points for."

Harry smiled. "You have been doing so well in DADA, I mean you received an O in the class on your OWLS but I am glad I was paired with you in this class."

Neville smiled. "Just need a good partner for charms and you're set. Draco and I will make sure that you fly through potions and herbology as your partners."

Harry smiled and had to admit that he had been lucky in his partners for he was paired with the top people in both classes and he just hoped that they would rub off on him and that he would not bring down their marks in the process. Neville asked if Harry had to get to Lucius or if they could hang out for a bit. Harry said he had the rest of the morning free and was not expected to meet up with Lucius until after lunch. Lucius had office hours right now and had given Harry this as a free block.

Neville directed him down towards Hagrid's hut. "Luna has care of magical creatures and I thought we could go and say hi. You know Hagrid would not mind."

Harry smiled and noticed the blush in his friend's cheeks. "You know you don't have to be embarrassed. You have been dating for six months and the school knows."

Neville shrugged. "I guess it is just odd to get used to the idea that some girl would actually want to date me. Ginny went to the Yule Ball as a pity date."

Harry would have argued that point with him but his only argument was that she had gone with him not out of pity for him but for herself. She had been a third year and if she had not been asked by an older student to attend as a date, she would not have been able to go at all. She had been willing to go with Neville as a last resort, disappointed when Harry suggested later on that they could go together for he had not found a date by then.

They were talking when he noticed one of the others in the class. "Ginny is in this class with Luna? Neville you should have told me."

Neville stopped him from leaving. "It isn't like she is going to try something right here in the middle of class. Besides you know Luna wants to chat with you."

Harry was not surprised she did but only that Neville knew she wanted to speak with him. "Has Luna told you anything Neville? I mean about wanting to talk."

Neville shrugged. "No. I mean she considers you like a big brother so I just assume she wants to have a chat with you. I don't know everything Luna thinks."

Harry should have known better for he knew that Luna would never have betrayed his confidence, even to her boyfriend. Luna had promised to keep his secret and from the talk he and Neville had been having in class, he had to know that Neville had no idea of the relationship of any kind between him and Lucius going on.

Ginny spotted them and came bouncing over. "Harry, it is so cool you came down here. Maybe you'd want to help me walk by skrewt? Would make it more fun."

Harry tried to hide a groan. "You know Ginny me and Neville really just came down here to say hi to Hagrid before we headed up to the castle to do homework."

Ginny tried to grab his hand. "Come on you know you don't get homework from herbology. Besides you're down here already. Might as well have a bit of fun."

Luna came to his rescue though. "Ginny, you know you need to go and get more food for the skrewt or it will die and you will flunk this assignment."

Ginny grumbled but she slunked off towards the crate and Harry shot Luna a very grateful smile for her help and she kissed him on the cheek. She told him she wanted to speak to him after dinner that night and he assured her that he had a half hour after dinner before he was expected in a training session with Lucius.

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Harry popped into Lucius' office about 10 minutes earlier then expected for he had kept seeing the way Ginny was looking at him and he suddenly felt like she was some kind of animal on the prowl waiting to devour her. When he saw Lucius he knew he and Neville were not the only one to notice her attentions.

Lucius closed the door and warded it before pulling Harry close. "What does that little red headed weasel think she is doing with her hands on you?"

Harry was worried he was angry with him. "She has decided that she wants us to date and she does not seem to take no for an answer."

Lucius actually laughed a bit. "Well I guess I can't be all that jealous as I happen to know where my little apprentice's interests lie."

Harry returned his smile. "You know you don't have to be worried about any girl catching my eye. Besides I know my obligations to you for two years."

"You're right, you're mine and the only hands I want on you are mine." Lucius said before beginning to nibble on one of Harry's earlobes.

Harry moaned as he felt his lover's mouth at his delicate earlobe. Lucius had learned all too quickly if he wanted to get his little lover aroused, he just needed to nibble a bit there and he usually had Harry moaning soon enough.

Lucius drew away but not before pulling him into a long sweet kiss. "I don't want to get you too aroused or we might raise some eyebrows in the classroom."

Harry actually blushed a bit for he knew given a few more moments of attention to his earlobes and neck Lucius would have been right. "No. Definitely not."

Lucius smiled and motioned him towards the classroom door. "We have our first duelling practice this evening and I think we can find other use for the mats as well."

Harry had to pause at the door for a moment to do his best to hide the deepening blush that came to his cheeks for he knew what Lucius had in mind for them. He had to keep the blush under even more control when he realized that the class was fifth year Gryffindor and Slytherin, and that Ginny was in it.

Ginny's attention seemed on him way too much and it did not slip the attention of Lucius. "Ten points Miss Weasley from Gryffindor. Keep your mind on that charm or you're bound to kill us all."

Ginny shot a death glare at the man and she sent a glance at Harry expecting his help but as he passed he whispered. "I happen to agree. Keep your mind on the task."

He tried to ignore the fact that he heard her make a comment about the fact that he had sure changed from last year with the DA and that he was brainwashed by his little master, surely. By the end of class the girl seemed even more determined to make Harry her boyfriend one way or another.