Thank you to ALL who read and review.
Thank you to my BETA's: Merlin, GoldenSunnyGrl, Malombra.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Co. belong to JKR. I am not JKR. Therefore, Harry Potter and Co. are just here for me to play with. And I do so love to play…
Pairing: Harry/Draco so this is SLASH.
No MPREG in this story though it is IMPLIED that it happens in the future. If, by some odd reason, I change my mind, I do apologize now.
Also, Blaise Zabini is a girl in this story of mine.
ENJOY!
CHAPTER TWO
HISTORY OF VEELAS cont.
The three words that Veela's have for their mate are: alona or mate, bedine meaning chosen (before mating), and hayana meaning lover. Alona, or mate, is the endearment used when the one that the Veela chooses has accepted the claim and the two are bonded. Bedine, or chosen, is the endearment used when the mate has been chosen and the claim accepted but they have yet to bond. Hayana is the endearment used after bonding.
Puberty, for all Veela's, are the night of their eighteenth birthday. At that time they are able to finally sense out their mate. If they are unable to find their mate or their mate denies them, then the Madness will take over and they will try to take their own life or will waste away until dead. No Veela has ever survived a denial.
Excerpt from : Magical Beings and Their 'Awakening'.
By: Della Constantine
Information courtesy of The Hogwart's Library
anno domini merlin 1947.
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"Harry!" Harry heard the familiar voice of his best friend, Ron Weasley, call out the second he stepped onto the platform. He forced down the jolt of happiness he felt to see him and schooled his face into the polite mask he had made himself master over the summer.
Ron slammed into him and gave him a brief hug before he stepped back to let Hermione at him. Harry made sure not to catch the sharp glance of his other best friend as he hugged her tight.
"Shall we board?" He asked in the even tone that conveyed nothing, exactly like the expression on his face.
"Harry?" Hermione's sharp gaze searched his face. Her concern for her friend and the way he was acting was apparent to all.
Harry's face showed nothing, but a shadow seemed to pass over his eyes. It was gone quickly and with a raised eyebrow he ushered them onto the train. He would not explain himself, not even to his best friends. This was the way he was now. The carefree, naïve, Harry Potter was no more. That Harry couldn't survive in this world. Things had happened and hard, cold, truths had been realized over the summer and the most important thing he had come to conclude was that he wanted to live. In the face of that fact, he did what he thought would be best to make that conclusion come about to the best of his abilities. With the least amount of bloodshed as possible.
He wasn't cold, not really. He hadn't turned evil either. It was like the part of him that was suppose to give a damn was…well, busted. He was just alone. He had simply decided to keep to himself. He wasn't going to burden anyone with anything this year. Harry Potter had finally grown up and he didn't care who didn't like it.
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Draco was met by Greg and Vince the second he stepped through the barrier at Kings Cross Station. With a sharp glance and a quick flick of his hand he conveyed to them the importance of silence. He could see the concern in both their eyes and was happy to see it quickly change to that of their usual indifference the moment they saw his subtle hand movement. They had worked on this form of communication since before they received their Hogwarts letters and each, along with their girlfriends, was proficient at it. He quite liked the espionage-y feel to what had started out as a game and quickly turned into something that had saved them from getting caught more times than he could remember.
Both nodded once and moved to stand on either side of him, their places since they had become friends at the age of three. Each boy donned their own mask and seconds later were met by their girlfriends. Pansy went to walk beside Greg and Blaise by Vince. Without a word the four best friends escorted the Slytherin Prince onto the train.
As they stepped into the corridor Draco stumbled as he was hit by a spike of incredible need. No great smell hit his nose and no wondrous sound did he hear, but, his whole body shuddered with this immense need. This was worse than the feelings he'd had at home. It was only the lightening fast reflexes of Vince that kept him from doing a header right there in the corridor in front of most of the school. Eyes frantically searched for his mate and his cool Malfoy façade was quickly becoming a thing of the past.
"Shit! Let's get him to a compartment quick." Pansy whispered worriedly. They moved to shield him the best that they could and then gently led the increasingly frantic boy into an empty compartment. They left him standing in the middle of the compartment while they locked and silenced the room. Blaise threw up a mini-ward and the second she did, Draco gave a hard shudder and seemed to come out of his trance.
"He's here," he said in a voice that was strange and unrecognizable before he passed out.
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At the exact second that Draco Malfoy fainted Harry Potter was hit with a feeling of such need that he gasped out loud at the strength of it. His body broke out in a cold sweat and he tried to draw in a big lungful of air quietly so that the two across from him didn't hear. He couldn't tell what it was that he needed, just that he did need. Once he got himself under control he stared out of the window of the compartment trying to figure out what that was. He had felt a few of them during the last few days of summer but never one that strong. He could hear Ron and Hermione talking quietly to each other, as they had for the last few minutes. He knew that they were talking about him but he found that it didn't bother him like it used too. To him, it meant that they cared and that they weren't going to push. He wasn't sure he could handle it if they pushed him right now. He would tell them, they knew, he just wasn't telling them now.
"So, Harry, what classes are you taking this year?" Hermione asked brightly. It was clear to Harry that she was saying she was okay with the way he was acting towards them. Of course, that was now, knowing her she would be demanding answers before the week was out. With a small smile he thanked her for her patience.
"DADA, Advanced Astronomy, Transfiguration, and private lessons." He said in the polite tone he had affected. His beautiful face with its wide green eyes and full lips, wingtip eyebrows and soft tanned complexion was just as polite looking as his tone was.
"No potions, mate?" Ron questioned.
"No, no potions." Was all that Harry replied.
"Harry," Hermione asked confusedly, "if you passed your OWL, why aren't you taking potions? And don't you need potions for your auror training?"
"No there is no need," Harry said stiffly as he stood, "I'm going to the restroom." He left without another word. He knew that they would talk about his behavior the second the door slid closed but he couldn't dredge up the anger he normally would have felt. He just wasn't interested in becoming an auror anymore. He figured by the time this 'thing' with Voldemort was finished he would have had it up to his eyeballs in fighting. Besides that was not what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, if he had one that is. He knew that Ron and Hermione meant well. They would discuss him, it was just another fact of life he had become used too.
He slipped his hands into the pockets of his baggy black jeans as he wandered down the corridor. He acknowledged the called out greetings with a nod of his head but didn't speak to anyone. He made his way to the back car and stood at the window watching the scenery fly by. He leaned against the door, lost in his thoughts.
He looked to the sky and wished for it to be night so that he could see the stars. That unlimited sparkling dark had drawn his attention for as long as he could remember. It amazed him that in all that darkness there was always a spot of light. The night sky reminded him of his life and the conviction that in all the darkness about him, there was always a spark of light, a spark of hope. Except lately, there had been little in the way of sparks for him.
Sighing, he ran a hand through his slightly longer than normal hair and pulled his thoughts from his internal debate. He knew if he started now he would get lost in the argument. Well, it wasn't actually an argument, more like a discussion he had with himself about the events of the day. He turned and slid down the wall so that he was sitting, wedged into a corner, at the very back of the train where he was hid from view by a row of boxes. Last minute school supplies by the looks of things.
Sighing heavily he let his head fall back against the box he was leaning against and closed his eyes. This summer, well the last week of it, had been somewhat different in terms of what was normal for him. He had mastered Occulmancy so Voldemort was out of his head but that didn't mean that things were smooth sailing. There were still nightmares to deal with that had nothing to do with Voldemort. The spikes had been going on for about 9 months increasing in strength and frequency and he'd had six in the last 10 days. The one on the train was the strongest yet but he still felt that they were good and not bad. He blamed his lack of giving a damn about much to the fact that he had not owled the Headmaster to let him know what was going on.
Besides, he didn't want to tell Albus. He had been very angry with him since the end of fifth year and he had pulled himself slowly away from the meddlesome old fool. He was grateful for what he had done for him but he was also so angry for what he hadn't done that he could have. He was no longer a child and treating him like one had gotten his Godfather killed. He wasn't sure he could ever forgive the Headmaster for that.
He had thought about many things this summer. And he had come to the conclusion that he was alone in this world. Oh, he had friends, but he didn't have that someone that he could trust with everything. He knew he never would either. He would always wonder if the person he was with was there for him or for his fame. He hated his so called fame. It had gave him nothing but trouble in his short life.
He reached into the pocket of his old leather jacket, curtsey of Sirius before he died, and pulled out a book. It was one he had on him at all times, NightWatch- Pocket Guide to the Galaxy. He also pulled out another possession that he never went anywhere without, his CD player. Taking a good look around to make sure he was absolutely alone, Harry opened up the back of his silver and black CD player to where the batteries would normally be. The space was empty but he already knew it would be. Licking the index finger of his right hand he gently touched the positive end of one of the nodes. As his finger left that node and made its way over to the adjacent node a dull blue light was left behind. Licking his finger again he traced another dull blue line for the other node. Whispering a charm under his breath the dull blue lines suddenly crackled with energy.
He replaced the battery cover and turned the player on. As the first faint strains of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2: Adagio sustention started to play he finally began to relax. This was exactly what he had needed to do. Yes, contrary to public belief, Harry Potter loved classical music. He fully blamed his Aunt Petunia for that part of him as that was all she ever listened too. He had cleaned many a room listening to everything from Bach to Vilvaldi. He tended to like the strong, more forceful, songs unless it was time for bed and then he listened to one song only.
He knew the way he really was when he was by himself would never be believed by anyone, even Ron and Hermione did not know who he really was. He didn't blame them though because he had never told them. Soon he was deep into the familiar text and music and had forgotten what had made him come out here in the first place.
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Draco was woken with a muttered enervate from Greg. He sat up quickly and looked around frantically before he realized what he was doing and stopped himself. His friends watched as he got control of himself.
"You okay?" Vince asked hesitantly. None of them knew what to say. They knew his situation and each of them had been extremely surprised when he had said he and not she.
"I-I," Draco shuddered one more time before he had the raging need under his firm control once again. "Yes, I am fine."
"We know you are fine, Draco, we asked if you were okay." Blaise grinned.
Draco raised a fine silver eyebrow at her comment, "of course, I am fine. I am a Malfoy after all."
"And a Veela." Pansy said with a knowing grin as she pushed a stray lock of short black hair behind her ear, "a male Veela that seems to have a male mate."
Damn, Draco thought, he had hoped they hadn't caught that. "Yeah, so?"
"Was there something that you had forgotten to tell us, 'Ko?" Greg asked as he too tried to keep the foolish grin from his face.
"No." Draco said haughtily. Of course, the aristocratic image he was trying to portray was broken by the fact he was still sitting on the dusty floor of a moving train compartment.
"Oh please, 'Ko, we are not stupid. Spill." Pansy demanded. She helped him up and as soon as they had all settled they waited, with expectant looks, for him to talk.
Draco sighed, sometimes he really hated his friends. "I don't know. But then I do."
"That's it?" Blaise cried out her face reddening to match her hair. "That's not an answer." She turned to Vince, "is that an answer?"
"Hush Blaise," Greg, the calm one of the group, said quietly, "for him that is an answer. As a Veela he can't answer questions like that until he knows who his mate is."
"Correct Greg. I just know it is a male but I don't know how, or who." Draco said. His normally cool façade was missing as he still had not gotten that part of himself completely under Malfoy control.
"Well, let's see…" Pansy and Blaise both got this weird look on their faces and each boy sighed. Here they go again, they would have to sit through another girly moment. Of course, Draco thought, if his mate was a male, maybe he needed to listen to them more often. He hadn't the first clue about what another male wanted, let alone how to go about giving it too them. Did he treat his mate like he treated his male friends? Oh God, he was going to have to talk to both of them privately. He so didn't want Vince and Greg there for that conversation.
For the rest of the trip they listened to a critical rundown of each Slytherin male in their year. Worryingly, none of the ones mentioned drew a response of any kind from Draco. If none of their year did anything for the Veela, was he going to be a cradle robber?
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Harry stayed in his hiding place until the bell rang that signaled that there was twenty minutes left before they reached Hogwarts. He walked slowly back to the compartment that his friends were in. He knocked once on the door and waited, he just knew that they were snogging in there and though he loved his friends very much he was in no way wanting to see them shag.
He grinned at Ron's obviously shagged appearance when the other boy opened the door. Not even bothering to hide his grin or the teasing tone in his voice he said, "we have about fifteen minutes to change guys."
"Harry!" Hermione cried out her face reddening. Harry chuckled at them both but said nothing else about their appearance.
"Sorry, guys," he teased one more time before he let it go, "I just couldn't pass up teasing you."
Though his face was red, Ron grinned at Harry. Hermione just stared at him before snorting and turned to get her school robes. They changed and talked quietly about little things as they waited for the train to stop.
"Hey!" Ron exclaimed as they were about to leave the train, "we didn't get our visit from the resident ferret."
"Ron!" Hermione admonished as she swatted at his arm. "Stop calling him names, its juvenile."
Harry shrugged his shoulders uncaringly not answering Ron. He really didn't care. "So?"
"So? Come on Harry, we didn't get to hex him before the Welcoming Feast. It's like tradition!" Ron pouted as he stomped from the train.
Harry shared a look with Hermione and then turned to the carriages. Without looking he could feel the Thestrels watching him. He could always feel them watching him ever since they had ridden them to the Ministry. It made his skin crawl.
As he stepped into a waiting carriage he was hit with another spike of uncontrollable need and he staggered into the carriage. He managed to laugh it off with Ron about how he needed to relearn walking instead of flying each year and as he sat he made sure to situate his cloak to cover his erection. He tried to ignore Hermione's questioning looks and concentrated on gaining control.
This spike was different from the first one, it seemed more physical than the mental one of before. As much as he hated it, he was going to have to see Dumbledore soon if things kept going this way. He really loved that old man but sometimes he barely was able to restrain himself from poking out both of his irritating twinkling, knowing, eyes.
So lost in his thoughts it was easy for him to maintain his polite exterior and tone. Before he knew it the Sorting Hat was done singing and all the new firsties had been sorted. The food appearing before him brought him out of his thoughts long enough for him to fill his plate and start eating before he was lost once again in his fleeting thoughts.
There was a small spike during dinner but this one wasn't bad as it seemed to only be concerned with need, not a specific need, just an inkling that there was a need.
"Harry?" Ron said loudly as he thumped him on the arm.
Harry's head snapped up and his confused gaze landed on his best friends. Both Ron and Hermione were looking at him strangely. "Uh?"
"Dinners over mate, time to go to the Tower." Ron said slowly. They had been calling Gryffindor Tower that since second year. The Slytherins called the dungeons the Pit, the Ravenclaws called their floors the Nest, and the Hufflepuffs called their tower the Den.
"Yeah, okay," Harry said absently as he absently got up and made his way to the Tower. He missed the concerned looks the two shared before they left. He decided, just in that instant not to go to Dumbledore, yet. He would wait and if it got to much for him to handle, then and only then would he take it to The Twink.
As he walked along the corridor Harry grinned to himself at the name that they had come up with last year when it seemed the Headmasters eyes never stopped that damn twinkling and that secretive smile was plastered on his face constantly. He loved the old man, sometimes, he really did, but sometimes he just got on his nerves.
Harry decided to spend some time in the common room with his friends before he went to his own room to sleep. After only fifteen minutes he was itching to get out of there but he forced himself to stay longer. Hermione was already looking at him strangely and he didn't need her on his case right now.
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The Welcoming Feast flew by as Draco concentrated on trying to find his mate. He grew frustrated with the fact he couldn't and mad at himself that he was even looking. He paid no attention to who was sorted where as he had decided his successor would take care of them. Greenleaf was not as charismatic as Draco, but then again he wasn't a Malfoy either. Draco had picked him, not because he came from the most prominent family but because of his cool head in times of stress, something he knew that they would need until Potter finished off the Dark Lord.
They left the feast, Draco only slightly pissed about the spike that had made him lose his appetite, and headed down to the Pit. The room grew quiet the minute he stepped in. Greenleaf was the only one not in their year still in the room. He turned and with another nod for Greenleaf to follow made his way to his private room. He knew without looking that his friends would follow.
As soon as his door was closed and warded, Blaise threw up another mini-ward and he sighed with relief as his Veela senses quieted now that they couldn't sense is mate.
"Any problems?" Draco asked Greenleaf.
"A few were scared but other than that it went fine." Steven Greenleaf was a short, stocky, boy that needed a good acne potion which he kept refusing every time Draco offered one. With his short brown hair, dark brown eyes, and chubby cheeks he looked like a cuddly teddy bear. His exterior belied his hard inner core, he was a Slytherin to the bone. He exuded a calmness that helped when he had to deal with the frightened children.
That was one of the reasons he had been picked as the next Prince. He was only a third year, Draco himself had been one of the younger Prince's chosen as he was chosen in second year, but he'd always had the showing of someone years older. His intelligent gaze took in everything and his mouth was shut until something needed to be said, another quality that had helped in his choosing. Draco studied him and decided that this year he would be relinquishing all but the more important duties into his very competent hands.
"Good, we will talk in the morning." Draco dismissed him. With a nod he left and once again Draco was glad of his choice.
"He will serve them well." Vince said when the door had shut after the younger boys departure.
"He will." Draco agreed.
"You okay?" Blaise asked as she settled onto one of the sofas before the fire. Draco always had a fire going in his room because he didn't like to be cold. Dungeons were not known for their warmth.
"Yeah." Draco said with a sigh as he sat next to her. He waited until everyone had sat down before speaking again. "There was one spike at dinner but it wasn't bad."
"What are you going to do now?" Vince asked with a scowl.
"Nothing I can do. There were too many students to single anyone out. I will just have to wait until I can do that." Draco's shrug was a study in nonchalant but it fooled no one.
"You know we will help in any way." Pansy said with a smile. "Now-"
Draco tuned out her gossiping and tried to concentrate on his chosen but all he felt was a sense of wrongness that was beginning to worry him. What the hell was wrong with his mate?
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The week passed as all first weeks do when school starts back. With a lot of complaining, a lot of homework, and little sleep.
Harry was exhausted from all the extra training and the only time he got to see anyone else was at meal times or in the classes that they shared. If he wasn't too tired to just stop by the kitchen and get some food on the way to his room where he showered and then fell into bed in a deep sleep. He was more tired than he had ever been but it came with a sense of accomplishment. He was doing well in all of his classes and the extra training was coming along easily, sometimes too easily. But he didn't want to look that gift horse in the mouth and ruin it so he didn't tell anyone about the increase in his magic.
Besides, who would he tell? Dumbledore would only make him train harder and he wasn't sure that was possible. Hermione would look at him quizzically and then mutter something and go to the library to try to find out why. Ron would shrug and pat him on the back all the while unable to hide his jealousy. Snape would sneer at him and degrade him even more. And Lupin would want to bloody talk about it.
So, he kept his mouth shut and his new strength to himself.
It was Saturday and he had promised Ron that they would get together to talk about the Quidditch team. For some odd reason he wasn't really in the mood to talk about Quidditch. He still had that extra paper for Astronomy due on Monday and he had promised The Twink he would practice the new spell on his own this weekend. He already knew the spell but he was tempted to use that excuse to get out of the meeting with Ron. Harry missed Ron but he also knew that Ron was wrapped so hard around Hermione right now you couldn't separate them for more than a few minutes and that was just too draining on his nerves right now.
He didn't begrudge his friends each other but sometimes, when the pang in his chest got to much to bear, he didn't like them all that much.
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The first week back for Draco was not one he wanted to ever repeat. During the day he was able to put on the appearance that nothing was off with him. His Malfoy upbringing and his House pride kept him from blathering like an idiot every time a spike hit him. He and his friends had tried to keep an eye out for anyone else acting strange at the same time he did, but they saw nothing.
By Wednesday he was a walking wreak. He barely managed to pay attention in class and only the quick thinking of his friends kept the teachers off his back. The only class he had any respite in was potions and his Godfather was only lenient to a point and he was sure he was fast reaching that place. The nights were the worst. He hid behind the ward that Blaise would throw up each night. He had stopped sleeping by Thursday and eating by the following Monday.
Only he knew what he really looked like behind the glamour he cast each morning. His hair was now limp and dull. His skin was sallow and he kept a constant sheen of sweat that wouldn't go away. His once vibrant silver eyes were now dull and lifeless. His hands shook all the time now and tears were never far from falling. There was a constant ache right between his eyes that never went away and the empty hole in his soul where his mate was suppose to be was raw and painful. He could feel his mate but he couldn't find him and the Madness was only hovering in the background until it could break free and consume him. His dreams had turned dark again and most mornings he woke with a cry on his lips and tears on his pillow. He absolutely hated it, he had been so adamant that he didn't want a mate and right now he would give anything he possessed to have him in his arms.
In the presence of the other students he was the same Malfoy. He used his rage and confusion about his mate to fuel his encounters with the other students and so far no one had discovered his secret. Not that the Malfoys had ever denied the fact that they were Veela, they were of the ruling class, so that was impossible to do, but they also didn't bring unwanted attention to the fact either.
He had already gotten one letter from his father stating that the Queen and King had inquired about who his mate was and wanted to know why he had yet to make a claim. All Draco could tell his father was that his mate was here at Hogwarts but he had yet to single the person out. He glossed over some points and embellished others so that his parents wouldn't worry. He had a sneaking suspicion that his father was also writing to his friends but he couldn't confirm that and they wouldn't tell him even if he asked, so he let it go. He knew that the regularly scheduled firecall from his mother come Sunday would reveal his written charade but he still had hope that he would find his mate before then.
It was Vince's idea that started the fight that first Friday afternoon back with Ron Weasley. Draco had wanted nothing more than to run to his room and hide behind a very strong ward but Vince had pointed out that questions had been heard about his lack of violence toward that one particular individual. He could have cared less, really, but he complied.
And ended up in the infirmary for the weekend, along side Weasley, healing up a broken wrist and various cuts and bruises. Weasley had a broken nose, his fourth since coming to Hogwarts, and more cuts and bruises than he did so he called that one a victory in his favor.
That was the first night he had spent without the help of the ward and by Saturday morning the Madness had started. The spikes weren't enough to keep it at bay without the protection of the ward.
It was Weasley that woke him up from his screaming Saturday night by a hard slap across the face.
Weasley stared at him, not looking the least remorseful about his hand printed face, as Draco sputtered in anger.
Draco's eyes were wild and it took him a moment to realize where he was. As soon as he did he raised startled eyes to Ron and scowled. "Weasley?" Even he could hear the frightened tone in his voice and he wanted to kick himself for showing weakness in front of the Gryffindor.
"You were screaming loud enough to wake me, Malfoy and that is no mean feat." He said with no hint of apology in his tone.
"I-" Draco stopped himself, had he really been about to apologize? To Weasley?
Draco could feel the darkness at the back of his mind and he knew what had happened. He had tried to connect with his mate and had, once again, found nothing. All he did was nod to the other boy and then turned to face the wall and tried to go back to sleep. He ignored Weasleys very loud sigh and listened to the creaking of the other bed as he laid down. He waited until even breathing could be heard from behind him before he let the first tear fall.
His alona was here, he knew he was, so why couldn't he find him?
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Harry spent his first weekend back at Hogwarts hiding in his room. He told himself he wasn't hiding but he knew he was. Three spikes during the week had left him running the gauntlet between sadness and uncontrollable lust. Thankfully the lust part had been at night when he was already in his room. Truthfully, he had liked that one, possibly more than he should. There had been one spike Friday night that had left him crying, huddled in a corner, and for the first time scared about what the spikes meant.
He had doubled the strength of his Occlumency after that one and the subsequent spikes the rest of the weekend and the start of the second week back had been small but he had been left with a sense of wrongness.
It was Friday night, their second week back, and he had decided, for the third time that week, to skip dinner and just pick up something in the kitchens before his first Advanced Astronomy class that night. He didn't eat breakfast, all he needed was coffee in the morning, he had lunch with Dumbledore during daily training, and though he was suppose to go to dinner, sometimes he was just too tired.
He was looking forward to this class as he hadn't seen Professor Sinistra since last year. As he walked up to the classroom one level below the Astronomy Tower he prayed that there would be no spikes during class of the erection making variety. Though he had come to like those he had yet to have one in the company of others beside the first one when getting into the carriages the first day back.
Before he could walk into the classroom he heard his name called. He turned to see Ron run up panting. Harry waited, crossed arms and small smile, as he got his breath back.
"You know," Harry said with an obviously fake tone of concern, "I can take you to Madam Pomfrey if you need me too, though you were just in there last weekend."
"Wanker." Ron gasped out as his red face started to return to normal.
Harry grinned, "not lately, you offering?"
Ron grinned and hit him in the shoulder. Before he could say anything though they were interrupted by a cough and Harry looked to see Theodore Nott standing there.
"Yes?" Harry asked in his polite tone of voice he used all the time now.
"Hi." Nott said as his face turned beet red.
Harry exchanged a confused look with Ron and then answered with a nod. He saw Nott's face get even redder as he looked at him. He was taller than Harry and very stocky, some would even call him fat if it wasn't obvious he was all muscle. His eyes were a warm brown and his hair, cut into a bowl shape on his head, was a light brown.
Ron glared at the Slytherin and snarled, "what do you want Snake?"
Nott looked at Ron disdainfully before turning his still embarrassed face back to Harry. "I was wondering what Harry," here Harry raised an eyebrow in surprise at the use of his first name, "was doing this weekend?"
Ron's eyes bugged out and it was clear he was going to say something rude but Harry beat him to it first, "I have training, Nott."
"Oh. Okay." Nott said and then turned and walked into the classroom.
Ron and Harry stood there for a few minutes before Ron asked, "what the hell was that?"
"No clue." Harry said with a shrug, "don't really care either. Look, I can't come to practice tomorrow, Twink's got me working on a new thing."
Ron nodded, "I'll take care of it. Sunday?"
Harry nodded back as they walked into class, "yeah. My room, say around 3?"
"I'll let Hermione know."
They stopped talking as the teacher walked into the room. Professor Sinistra looked as she always did; black hair pulled back into a tight bun, dark, tight, purple robes adorned her tall skinny frame and she looked, at least to Harry, like the wicked witch that Dorothy encountered in the muggle movie 'Somewhere over the Rainbow'. Her disposition was completely opposite that witch though, at least to her favorite student, one Harry Potter. Her austere appearance belied her age though, and Harry knew she did it on purpose. She was barely out of her twenty's, she was thirty-one if he remembered correctly.
She caught his eye and nodded back toward her office and he acknowledge her summons after class with a nod of his own.
Class flew by and Harry said goodbye to Ron before heading to the front of the classroom to talk to the teacher. He missed Notts longing look but Ron didn't and he made sure to remember to keep a good eye out for that brewing situation.
As soon as they were alone, Harry pulled her into a hug while whispering, "Sin, I missed you so," before leaning down to give her a kiss.
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I want to say thank you to all of you that took the time to let me know if I should continue or not. The amount of reviews were staggering and completely blew me away. THANK YOU.
If you haven't already guessed, I was very anxious about starting this kind of story as it can either go good and be great or turn bad and suck. Thank you for letting me know that it started out good and I hope that this chapter continued it.
ENJOY!
LMG