Author's Notes: Thanks to my 5 reviewers: Peegchica, Assur (I'm still contemplating the werewolf idea and I'm jealous of you being in Oxford, I hope you're still having a good holiday, stay safe!), Xaverii Jade, MoonyPadfootJr (I think you will really like the Jack/Corbin action – it's only a few more chapters away!), and LittlePuppyBlack (I'm so glad you found my stories and that you like them!)

Extra special thanks to Xaverii Jade for the beta!

Chapter 9 Stars

After his birthday, Jack spent most of his evenings at Corbin's house. He'd even spent the night, staying in the guest room so often he almost felt like it was his room. Evenings were usually filled with stargazing and quiet conversation. Jack was unable to admit to himself how much he had begun to lean on Corbin, requiring his view before any decision was made, needing to tell him what had happened during his day, wanting to share with Corbin everything that had happened in his life.

They'd celebrated Corbin's birthday with Clara and Stevens just before Jack had gone to Hogwarts. Jack was feeling like himself again, the pain of losing his parents and Sirius was still there, but he could focus on happy memories and the future no longer looked lonely and bleak. Jack had missed Corbin and their evenings together immensely the past month when he'd been teaching DADA. Today had been his last day, Audra Domran would be returning on Monday.

"There's Cassiopeia." Jack pointed upwards, then looked over at Corbin for confirmation.

"Uh huh." Corbin agreed, staring up at the sky. They were lying on a blanket in the yard outside Corbin's house. Jack had done a few warming charms since it was the last week of November. Corbin had his hands behind his head, one long leg bent at the knee. Jack moved closer to rest his head on Corbin's bent arm, lying against his side.

"Show me another."

"There's Lyra." Corbin moved one arm from behind his head to point upwards. "See the stars there, they make a sort of square."

"What's the story about it?" Jack turned to look at Corbin. They were so close that Jack's nose bumped against Corbin's cheek. Corbin started the story of Orpheus and his ill-fated love for Eurydice. Jack looked back up at the stars, one hand unconsciously creeping across Corbin's waist, as he listened to Corbin's warm baritone voice.

"Do you think that's true? That he never loved again?" Jack asked, when Corbin had finished.

"I don't know. It makes a good end of the story, I suppose."

"How long do you think it would take to get over someone?"

"I don't know. You have to give yourself time, Jack."

"But how long?"

Corbin was quiet for so long Jack thought he was never going to answer the question and he was startled when Corbin began to speak.

"When Owen died, Cassie said his heart had shattered into millions of pieces and he'd never love anyone ever again. Then, one day, he met a man. When the man smiled at him, the pieces of his heart slowly began mending themselves back together. Every smile healed his heart a little more. On the day they first kissed, Cassie realized he could feel his heart beating again."

"He was talking about Remus?"

"Yes."

"That's so romantic." Jack sighed. "Did he really say that?"

"That's what he told Stevens once, after about six shots of tequila - which is when he gets all soppy."

"What happens when he has seven?" Jack asked curiously. In spite of getting to know Cassius better when he'd dated Sirius, Jack still didn't know the other auror well.

"He gets naked."

"You're teasing!" Jack said, raising his head and looking down at Corbin in surprise.

"'M not." Corbin's blue eyes met Jack's for a moment before returning to gaze up at the sky.

"Cassius Malfoy takes his clothes off after seven shots of tequila."

"Sometimes it takes eight. Or…I don't know. I don't know if it still happens. It used to."

"Huh." Jack laid back down.

Corbin tried not to tense as Jack laid back down and got comfortable, his head now resting on Corbin's shoulder. In addition to the arm that was around his waist again, one of Jack's legs had spent the better part of the evening flung over one of Corbin's. Corbin tried to picture something – anything – that would get rid of his erection before Jack noticed…or before he had to walk. He'd thought he'd found an image that worked when Jack's breath ghosted across his ear, causing him to immediately harden again.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Jack said excitedly. "There's going to be a meteor shower around 11:30. And it's Friday so we could stay up for it."

"Really?" Corbin tried to calculate…that meant at least another two hours of laying with Jack. Laying and not being able to rub or grind or…damn it! "How about something to drink?" He sat up and ignored Jack's soft sound of protest. It didn't mean anything, just like he had told Stevens the day before.

"I'm just saying he touches you more than is proper." Stevens had said, leaning back in his chair. "He always has but now…well, I think you need to put a stop to it."

"Says the grown man who wrestles on the ground with his best friend while tickling him." Corbin had replied lightly.

"That's different."

"How is it different?"

"Because, aside from a few wet dreams Cassie had about me when he was thirteen, he and I have only ever been friends. He's like my brother."

"Jack and I are friends."

"Jack and you are friends the way two men who've been having sexual fantasies about each other for years are friends."

"He doesn't think of me that way. He's still in love with Sirius. He just wants comfort. He doesn't want to be alone." Corbin had said, feeling uncomfortable under Stevens' stare.

"You didn't want to be Owen's stand-in. Why do you want to be Sirius's?"

"Because it's all I'm going to get."

"Could we have hot chocolate?" Jack asked, following Corbin inside.

"Sure."

"And marshmallows?"

"That's a given." Corbin said with a smile.

"I didn't realize astrology was so interesting." Jack perched on the counter as Corbin heated up the milk for the hot chocolate. "All those hours I spent in the astrology tower at school and I never looked up at the sky….well…I did, I guess, when I was on my back, but I never noticed the stars really. Sinistra let me sit in on a few of her classes, it was wicked cool. I think I'll dig out my old textbooks over the weekend. I think I have them in a box somewhere."

As his mind had immediately begun to picture Jack on his back without any clothes on, Corbin had to concentrate hard on the image he'd stumbled upon that made his erection wilt – Severus Snape and Mundungus Fletcher kissing…with tongue, lots and lots of wet, sloppy tongue. It made his skin crawl and after a moment he was able to say, "I've got mine upstairs, if you don't want to bother looking."

"Really? That'd be brilliant since you took it sixth and seventh year and I didn't." Jack reached out and twirled one of Corbin's curls before tucking it behind Corbin's ear, his finger caressing the shell of the outer ear before moving away when Corbin twitched. Corbin made a mental note to cut his hair the next day. Jack had always loved to play with the curls and it drove Corbin mad with longing. As much as he tried to convince himself that Jack only thought of him as a friend, he couldn't totally dismiss the fact Jack often acted like they were a couple. Hope flickered in his heart, even as he tried to extinguish it. The past few months had been torture. He'd been relieved when Jack had gone to Hogwarts and he'd spent almost every night having the thought of Jack driven from him.

"Get some mugs, will you?"

"Oh, sure." Jack hopped down and retrieved two large mugs, returning to stand just a little too close for Corbin's liking. "Could we have cookies as well?"

"Sure. In the pantry." Corbin gestured over his shoulder as he poured the hot chocolate into the mugs.

"I missed this, didn't you?" Jack returned with the cookie jar. "Spending time together, just you and me."

"Yeah." Corbin agreed, trying not to picture other fun things the two of them could be doing along with other places Jack could be touching him. He realized he had overcompensated and should probably have put a little more feeling into his answer. He looked over at Jack who was gripping the cookie jar just a little too tightly. "I missed you a lot."

"Did you?" Jack smiled tremulously.

"It was far too quiet." Corbin smiled back, feeling a warmth in his chest as Jack's smile widened and both his dimples showed.

Anyone want to discuss the new book? Slide on over to my LJ (link on my author page) - I'm dying to discuss it! Next chapter will be up soon!