To Bedlam and Partway Back
NOTE: WARNINGS FOR SLASH
Rating: M
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters
Chapter Ten
"Cedric," Harry huffed, "Cedric!"
The blond didn't look back, merely pulling the boy along behind him like a kite on a string.
"What's going on- Cedric!"
Harry ripped his wrist from Cedric's grasp, startling the older boy into stopping.
Intense green eyes bore into him, staring him down. "Will you just stop and tell me what's going on!" he demanded hotly.
Cedric was slightly stunned by the vivacity of the boy staring back at him. For a long moment he couldn't find anything to say. Then he remembered what he'd come here for, and glanced about the empty hallway cautiously. Tugging a stiff Harry into an empty classroom, he whispered a locking and privacy charm around them. "There," he murmured.
"Now will you explain just what all that was about?" Harry asked, his hands folded crossly over his chest.
That was an unfortunate move on Harry's part, since all Cedric seemed to be able to concentrate on was the lean torso in front of him. Harry's robes were open at the front, and his shirt was pretty thin, and if he stared hard enough he could see the shifting planes of muscle through-
"Cedric!"
Harry was blushing now. Cedric had been rather obvious in his intentions.
The blond sighed, and sank onto a dusty desk.
"My mother," he began, "she sent me another letter, within the one you read."
"Oh?" The blood hadn't quite faded from Harry's skin, and he cautiously inched closer.
Cedric nodded. "She wrote to warn me. My father- he's apparently been closeted with Dumbledore in his study every afternoon. She's managed to overhear some of what they were talking about, and she doesn't like it."
All the colour drained from Harry's face. He swallowed harshly. "Is your mother safe?" he asked softly. "If your father finds out she wrote that-"
Harry's concern startled him, but it made the older boy smile. "Mother'll be fine," he said. "She's been doing this for ages now. My father and I- we rarely see eye-to-eye, you see. Mother and I get along much better. She's the one who practically raised me all on her own."
Harry still looked worried, so Cedric pulled him close, wrapping him in a warm embrace. He buried his face in the crook of his neck, breathing in the warm, zesty scent. "She'll be fine," he mumbled against Harry's skin, causing him to squirm at the ticklishness. "What soap do you use?"
"Wh-what?"
"What soap do you use," Cedric repeated patiently, inhaling again. Then he nuzzled against the exposed patch of skin, delighting in the feel of his Bonded against him.
Harry was fidgeting, although his arms were now also wrapped loosely about Cedric's waist. He didn't quite seem to know what to do with his hands. Cedric thought it was adorable. "Orange-mango and vanilla. That was the only one of the soaps that didn't smell like a girl's."
"You smell good," Cedric murmured, not quite listening to his words. His lips were moving against Harry's neck now, gently lipping and kissing the fragile skin. Harry gasped and writhed between his thighs. No matter how much he wanted to mark the virgin skin, Cedric knew that he wouldn't. It was still too much too soon. But then Harry pulled his head up and kissed him.
Their lips met with a raw, quiet desperation that hadn't been as evident in their previous kisses. Harry clung to his neck as he kissed him, whimpering as Cedric's tongue traced his lips.
"I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you," Harry moaned.
Cedric kissed him roughly. "What makes you think it'd be any different for me?" he demanded coarsely, before claiming Harry's lips again.
Harry pressed himself as tightly as he could to Cedric's body, running his hands up and down the broad chest in front of him. The blond jumped at the first brush against his nipples. Harry retreated, somewhat frightened. "What happened? Did I do something wrong-"
Cedric soothed him with another kiss, tracing the features of his face and tucking his wild locks behind an ear. "No, Harry," he crooned, "not at all. Rather you did something very, very right."
He had the boy panting beneath him. It would almost be too easy; Cedric knew Harry would never say no to this. It would hurt him, he was sure of it, but as Harry stared at him with simple trust in his bright green eyes, he knew Harry would concede to everything he said.
He couldn't do it, couldn't push that boundary so soon.
"I love you," he said instead.
He didn't quite get the reaction he was hoping for.
Harry went red, then white, and then he looked absolutely terrified. That had all been before he hightailed it out of the room, nearly braining himself against the locked door.
Sighing, nonplussed, and more than a little upset, Cedric brushed his hair back into place and adjusted his uniform before walking out.
His stomach gave a growl, so he reluctantly made his way over to the Great Hall. He only hoped it was late enough that there were very few people left eating. He wasn't in the mood for being stared at, not after Harry had just left him like that.
Strangely enough, neither Herbie nor Hermione were at the Hufflepuff table. Tamsin was, though, and beside her were Ernie and Hannah.
All three of them turned to look at him.
"What?" he said defensively, taking the seat opposite them. He reached for some mashed potatoes, but Tamsin smacked his hand with a spoon.
"Why did Harry run into the Great Hall on the verge of tears two minutes ago, grab Herbie and Hermione, and then immediately run out again?" the irate Chaser demanded.
Cedric immediately paled. "He did what?" Lunch forgotten, he immediately scrambled to his feet. "Which way did he go? Do you know where he was heading? Did you say he was cr-"
He was smacked with the spoon again.
"Cedric, shush," Tamsin said firmly.
"She's right, Cedric," Hannah agreed. "You're lucky there were so few people left in the Great Hall, and no professors. They'd have kicked up a right fuss about it, and used it to separate you two. Just what happened?"
Cedric ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I don't know! Things were going well- at least I thought they were- you saw those letters in the morning, didn't you?" Once they nodded, he continued. "My mother sent me a letter, warning me to watch out for Dumbledore, that he might've roped my father into doing something stupid. I don't- we were just talking about that, and then we started-" he blushed.
"You started snogging?" Ernie guessed dryly. He threw up his hands. "Merlin only knows how a discussion about your mother can turn into a snogging session. Wait, don't answer that."
Tamsin smiled at the younger boy, but she was clearly still worried. "Cedric, just what were you thinking? Harry's just thirteen, and after what he's had to go through the past couple of days-"
"Oh, it wasn't the snogging that bothered him, trust me," Cedric revealed darkly.
Tamsin flushed a pale pink, but pushed on bravely. "So what was it then?"
The blond prefect sighed. "I told him that I-I loved him. And then he just ran-"
"And he's incredibly stupid for doing so, but he did need time to calm down and realise that," a level voice said from behind him. Cedric whirled around.
"Herbie!"
He peered worriedly behind his friend.
"Where's Harry? Isn't he with you? Why isn't he with you? By Merlin, you didn't leave him and Hermione in the castle somewhere on their own did you-"
"Cedric, will you just shut up and listen!" Herbie exclaimed in exasperation, although he did look rather amused. He shook his head. "Honestly, the things I do for you-"
"I'll do all your summer homework," the blond immediately swore.
Herbie grinned, and Cedric groaned as he knew he'd been had. "Anyway, loverboy, let's get your arse back into gear. And to answer your brainless question, no, I didn't just leave him and Hermione lying around the school; they're in our dormitory waiting for us to get back. But it's okay, you're allowed a blond moment once in awhile. I'll leave Harry to do the actual explanations." He glanced at the other three Hufflepuffs still on the table. "You guys headed back too?"
They shook their heads, smiling. "Nah, we still have stuff to finish up here," Ernie replied casually.
"But we do expect gossip!" Tamsin insisted. Cedric just groaned again.
Herbie laughed and hauled Cedric out of the bench. "Here, if you're hungry." He handed him one of the last cinnamon rolls. "Come on, Harry's waiting."
The boy was perched on their shared bed, his hands tangled together nervously. Cedric thought he looked adorable.
Hermione was on the bed opposite, happily swinging her feet as she nattered on at him mindlessly. When they both caught sight of the two older boys they immediately leapt off the beds.
'C'mon Hermione, I'm sure you have homework you can finish at the Commons." Herbie winked at her and she gladly left with him, leaving the two Bonded alone in the dorm, staring at each other.
"I'm sorry," Harry finally whispered.
"You left," Cedric said, not quite wanting to be accusing, but unable to keep the hurt and frustration from bleeding into his voice. "You suddenly left, and I didn't know why-"
"I know," Harry said hurriedly, blushing. "And I-I'm sorry." He looked down at his fidgeting feet.
Cedric sighed, and sunk onto the bed Hermione'd been sitting on. "Harry, you can't just keep saying that and expect me to understand."
"You scared me," Harry quietly confessed.
That just confused him even more. "What? Why? I thought it was pretty obvious what I meant-"
"Not that way," he replied. Harry wouldn't meet his eyes. "I-I don't know what that means, I don't know what to expect-"
"Oh, Harry," Cedric crooned, rising up to pull Harry into his arms. The boy was warm and pliant, but his shoulders were still tense. Cedric drifted his fingers soothingly over the taut planes, and gradually, he began to relax.
"You don't have to- I'm not going to jump on you for every little thing. I'm not going to expect this to be perfect, especially not after the start we had." That got a soft chuckle out of the younger boy. "All I'm asking is that you give me the chance to show you, and when things like this come up, you can't keep running." Cedric tilted Harry's chin up, forcing him to face him. "I expect you to tell me what's going on, and to face things like this with me."
"I know that now," he whispered.
"Harry, look at me."
The boy gradually raised his eyes from the floor. Cedric drew him in and gently kissed him. He felt the boy in his arms almost sag with relief against his larger form, thin fingers gripping his shirt front fiercely. Harry opened his mouth, welcoming the older boy in, not in the same desperation as before, but rather a passionate reassurance of the Bond between them.
When they pulled back, Cedric rested his forehead against Harry's. He could feel the bright green gaze boring straight through him with nearly violent intensity.
"Can I say it again, and now you won't run away?"
He immediately tensed, but Cedric could feel him force himself to deliberately relax. He smoothed down the wrinkled front of Cedric's shirt, and then slipped his arms up to clasp around his neck. They were shaking.
"I won't run," he promised shyly.
Cedric kissed his temple, then his cheekbone, then his ear, then the spot just above his jaw. He nipped at a pale earlobe, nibbled up the edge of the smooth curve, traced the lines of the pink curled shell. Harry let out a squeak and buried his face in his neck, breathing fast and hard against his skin.
Cedric continued to suck his ear, and then blow against the moist surface. Harry shuddered at the feeling. Finally he pressed his lips right against the curve of his ear, and whispered, "I love you."
Fluff for the last post of the month (o: I'll see you guys in August. Do review! Cheers.