AN: Not much to say on this, R&R –Richard S

AN: Not much to say on this, R&R –Richard S.

Picking and Choosing (Tales of Hogwarts Romance) Chapter 20

Upon entering the hall Killious found herself faced with an interesting dilemma, on one hand Harry had made clear to her that she was not to embarrass him, but did eating with Draco constitute embarrassment? She decided that she would risk it, and head for Draco's right side, as his left was occupied by Pansy.

"Thanks for taking me up to Pomfry."

"No problem." Dolan and Jacky spoke together; Christian sniggered and began with the torment.

"What a lovely couple, they even think alike." He jeered, with little creativity, at the two. The insult may have been pathetic, but it warranted reaction from Dolan. Jacky sighed and continued reading his book.

"What were you there for? Run out of breath from snogging too long and end up fainting?" Draco whispered at her, his voice scathing and harsh, but just as seductive as ever in her own mind.

"Do we really need to flirt at the table Draco? I thought you were going to handle this like an adult." She whispered back as she put skinless boiled potatoes and a small portion of shepherd's pie on her plate.

"I'm handling it fine, how is Harry taking the news?" Her body went ridged next to his; he had caught her in the act. He wanted so badly to look at her expression at the moment.

"You…you t-told Harry?" She stuttered, that was new, he had never heard her stutter in his life. He looked down at her face, rather than an expression of guilt or anger, or any other plausible emotion from her, she was terror stricken. That could only mean two things, one that something had scared her senseless other than him, or two, she liked Harry even more than she had let on.

"Not yet, but what's to stop me? You two seemed fine sneaking around right under my nose, so why not give him the same honesty?" He turned to Pansy, planting a theatrically forced kiss on her lips. She gushed with joy, her lip gloss sticky lips reacting to his with the liveliness of the pie on his plate in comparison to Illy. Actually, the pie was somewhat warmer and tasted better when he thought about it. He was hoping that Illy had caught his shrewd little performance but when he looked to make sure she was irritated he found her glancing around like something was going to eat her. She looked back towards Gryffindor, Harry was staring back at her intensely, not exactly a lover's stare, but their eyes met none the less. Her gaze snapped back to her plate and she subtly withdrew a quill from her robes, she gulped before taking the tip of the quill to Draco's thigh, her warm hand rested on his leg as the cold ink ran partially through his jeans. The sensation was odd, but not nearly as odd as Illy's behavior. He looked down at the message:

Can't talk Harry is watching. Tonight in the common room 1

"And why should I care that the filthy ponce is watching?" Draco asked, flipping his silvery flaxen tresses over his shoulder in Illy's direction, before he made eye contact with her. It was written on her stone gray gaze, her eyes pled; there was nothing but fear in her now. "Fine, but you owe me Killious; I've been put second more times around you than I have in my cumulative years with everyone else."

"Fine, just stop talking to me here." She mumbled as she ate. Draco took note of the behavior, he may have been irritated, but he wasn't a heartless beast, she was eating, for him she was eating. She finished the potatoes and took a few bites of the pie, but it proved to be too much oil content and she just picked the rest of it apart. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing, he watched as she picked a carrot out of the pie and ate it slowly, he served her a small helping of stewed carrots that she wordlessly ate.

As the meal was ending Illy stood to make her way toward Harry, but she stopped in her tracks and sat back down as she felt Draco's quill on the skin on her leg. Surly Dolan and Christian had seen his hand slide up the back of her skirt several inches, to place a mark just below her buttocks. He smiled coolly at her,

"Oh, I'm done now."

She stood up and stared down at him, fridgid and irate, before she walked towards Harry. On her way she noticed Jacky looking rather upset from his seat next to Clause. He had left just moments before her, looking bubbly and anxious, but now it appeared he was on the verge of tears. She looked back at Harry, hoping that he hadn't seen her and she could go to Jackquinn, but his eyes were looking for her, no, they were looking over her, ravaging her body with their burning green emeralds. She smiled lightly and walked towards him, taking her seat between Harry and Ron, being sure to leave space to her right, choosing nearness to Ron over Harry at the moment. Harry didn't seem to care all too much and pulled her closer with one arm around her waste, his possessive gesture sent chills up and down her spine.

Everyone at the table noticed how uncomfortable she was except Ron, who seemed too preoccupied with shoveling as much food as possible into his mouth. The twins heads were instantly introverted as they began to discuss what had just transpired, Hermione just gave Illy a questioning look that was returned with no response.

"So, I heard that Lupin already went through the boggart lesson with you all." Illy tried.

"Yeah, turned Snape into a bloody hysterical scene, put him in grandmum's clothes, Neville did!" Ron piped up between scoops of treacle tart.

"I see, that might explain his foul mood earlier today…"

"Pretty sure we did that actually love." The twins reminded her of their earlier escapades.

"Oh yeah, guess I'll be ending up with some cleaning tonight...Did he tell McGonagall?"

"Not to our knowledge, but" Fred started "We've been avoiding her just in case." George finished. "So, tell us how you made the apple."

"What do you mean?"

"When you were on hunger strike, the apple, you never took a bite of it, but by the time we were to the dungeon steps it was gone." Fred explained.

"Oh…that" Illy could feel the warmth in her cheeks, even if no one else could see it. "Well I just placed a self consuming curse on an apple and then used a night rejuvenation potion as a soak while I slept."

"We could use that on…" George was getting excited, almost leaping from his seat.

"THE PET POLTERGEIST!" They exclaimed in unison, before scurrying out of the hall in a flash. The pet poltergeist was their newest addition to Weasly Wizard Weases, and as of yet they were at a loss for a signature grotesque act for the pet to perform, consuming ones undead self and then rejuvenating might just do the trick.

As students rose to exit the hall Illy felt Harry's hand on her own, but she quickly loosed his grip in favor of discovering what had just caused Jacky to slap Clause and storm out of the hall, tears brewing in his pale eyes. She made a move to cut off his path, just as Clause was now doing, but like Clause she was other wise prevented. Clause was surrounded by a group of first year girls, gushing over him and asking stupid questions, due to his recent popularity gained by joining an up and coming band, and Illy was caught by Harry's harsh grip once again. He forcibly removed her from the hall, leaving yet another bruise mark on her arm, which was now dotted with like spots of color ranging from yellow to purple and black. As the crowd dispersed his grip remained tight until Dolan popped up out of no where with a bright, threatening smile for Harry.

"Hey Illy promised to walk me back to my dorm." He said, lacing his arm through hers.

"She's going to the library with Hermione today, I'd hate for her to break her plans, no matter how distressed walking alone must leave you." Harry's words were curt and rude; he had only ever spoken to Draco that harshly before now. None the less Dolan was determined to save Illy.

"Yes well I'd hate to be raped; I need a big strong woman with me. So, tell Hermione she won't be coming tonight."

"I'm certain it's far too important to miss!" Harry insisted. Killious was silent between the two men and sighed in relief when Hermione herself came to end the conversation.

"Actually, tonight I'm rather tired, I think I'll go to bed early." She said, leaving Harry with no choice but to release Illy's arm, defeated. She felt bad, leaving him there on his own, but decided Jacky was a more pressing matter, "Tell Herm I said I'm sorry!" She called over her shoulder with a flip of her hair. She left quickly and Harry stood, disturbed, upset, and gaping at her sudden behavior. That would constitute embarrassment in every sense of the word, a filthy Slytherine fop had just stolen her from him and she had blown of one of his friends to go along with the plan, this would not end well for her.

"We need to find Jacky" Illy was practically running down the steps with Dolan's hand in her own.

"I know, I know…Clause said he would go to his room."

"What in the hell did he do to him?"

"I don't know the details Illy, just that Jacky is extremely pissed off."

"I don't know anything, so tell me what information you do have." Illy slowed down now, to listen to Dolan explain.

"It's really not my place Illy…"

"Dolan, tell me now." She narrowed her eyes on his, stopping to focus on the deep shades of green in them. She repeated her demand for an answer over and over but her lips wouldn't move, the lines played out in her head over and over, "Dolan you have to tell me." She couldn't understand it, she was now screaming at him in her own mind, but as she focused more on him she found herself less and less able to control her own body. Flashes of Jacky in places she'd never seen him were going through her mind, the boys dorm, in the halls surrounded by other first years, segmented second long scenes of conversations she'd never had.

"You're eyes…Illy what's wrong with them." He pointed now, to her grey eyes, little bits of deep colors were swirling behind them, like a storm. She didn't respond. She was caught up in his head, searching his thoughts for whatever she could find, desperate above anything else to try and figure out what was happening to her. 'Dolan you have to tell me'

"What the fuck Illy, you're lips didn't move, you're freaking the bloody hell out of me!" Dolan took a step back as he shouted; her voice in his head was far from comfortable at the moment as deep chills ran rampant across his skin. 'Then just tell me'

"You did it again! Stop it." He was now blinking over an over again, as if the repetitive action would force her from his mind somehow. 'I'm trying.' This time Dolan was still after the words came through his mind, as if he was speaking them himself. Illy's eyes rolled back into her head, her hands and arms shook, and then she was still; deathly still, as if she had been turned to stone at that moment. Dolan reached a cautious hand toward her; she fell instantly, narrowly avoiding the stone floor by way of being caught up in Dolan's arms. Her eyes came back into place and closed now, Dolan pushed hair out of her face and looked around desperately as he held the girl in his arms while he lowered himself to his knees on the floor. His eyes were starting to water but he repressed the tears. Illy suddenly drew in a sharp breath and her eyes fluttered wildly as she regained consciousness.

"Are you okay, what in the bloody hell was that?"

"I'm not sure what it was, I was looking into your eyes and repeating that you should answer me in my head…and the next thing I knew I was trapped in…trapped in your mind." Dolan shuddered at her response and helped her to her feet. Jackquinn had been right about his theory from earlier in the day. they needed to find him now.

"Jacky knows more about this stuff than me, we need to find him."

"That's right…" The fog of the experience was being lifted, "We do need to find him, and you need to tell me what you know."

"Look Clause just, he did some really wrong stuff to Jacky is all."

"Like what? Did he hurt him, steal a girl, what?"

"Look it's nothing you know about okay, just…let's just find him."

"I already know that Jacky has a little thing for Clause if that's what you're talking about, what did he turn him down or something?"

"Illy…he cheated on him! There, now you know." Illy stopped walking again.

"They…were dating then?"

"Since like the third week of school and Clause is…he's just a bit of a whore, so he messed around with a girl or two, and Jacky put up with it, Clause is new to all of this you know, he just came to terms with it over the summer. So Jacky brushed all of that off, but then one day he comes into his room…and you know Clause's band, well he walks in on Clause and the drummer…they were right there on his bed, they were still dressed and everything, but they were making out on his bed, and so Clause makes some bullshit excuse and Jacky believes it, or at least he wanted to. But then before dinner Clause told me that he's breaking it off with Jacky to be with that drummer guy."

"So let me get this strait…Clause is gay, Jacky is gay, Greg is gay, and the reason Jacky has that room is so that he cane orchestrate gay orgies or what?"

"No, not really; let me clear all this up now, Clause is bisexual and so is Greg, actually Greg is just so desperate he'll take anything, you know that, and even joining a band won't help his celibate state at all. Jackquinn is not bisexual…at all, in any way. He's the gayest guy you've ever met in your life, so he felt like it was wrong to stay with the rest of the guys, like having a guy stay in the girl's dorm, it just wasn't fair. So, he gets the little other room thing, but I'm thinking that before he graduates it won't be necessary. Jacky's moms are gay too, their both muggles and so was his birth mother, but apparently his father might have been a wizard, no way of telling though, he's not exactly around. Anyway, his moms will end up blowing the school away at some point. They're both pretty proud of theirs and Jacky's orientation, so being stuck in some other room doesn't exactly make them happy."

"Is there anything else I need to know, because that was no where near not knowing the details you git."

"Yeah, guess I'm a bit of a gossip underneath it all."

"So, anyone else gay that I need to know about?"

"Actually yeah, let's see, Matty is dikin' it these days, Pansy and Matty hooked up once, I have suspicions about Fred personally, Dean Thomas is gay as they come, Bill, Ron's older brother, well he actually hooked up with some mystery man two summers ago, Draco used to have a huge crush on Harry a while back, hence why he teased him so, and then last year they made out and Harry beat the fuck out of Draco for talking to him in public so he pretty much swore men off after that, and then there's the Ravenclaw's wow, some crazy people there, okay Lina Sminter's is a huge lesbian, she's hooked up with Tailor Cruth, Samantha Wellington, and Kacy McClintock in the last year alone, most of the guys over there are bisexual, but hey they're an intellectual people, not a social one I guess it's the smarter way to got. Jacob Bryan's is gay, there's some speculation about Theodore Nott, but yeah, that's about it, oh and Hufflpuff has less gay students than any other house, Ravenclaw takes first, followed by Slytherin, and Gryffindor takes third, which is too bad, we need some people with balls to go ahead and come out, it's not like this school is immune to the dilemmas that face the rest of the world or something, we just have a chance to handle things better than muggles do."

"I'm in shock right now is there a gay hotline in this school I'm excluded from or something? I mean really, Matty? That's disgusting, Fred is not gay at all just so you know, and I have some interesting proof that will tell you Theo isn't either. Wow, Draco and Harry, good god, he let him beat him up over all that."

"Actually no, when Harry hurt him Draco started working out. He was pretty small before all that, he got hung up on the whole 'no one will ever hurt me again' thing over the summer, and he's been getting bulkier since then. But he wasn't meant for men anyway, he just wanted to get back at his dad. It's too bad; we'd have loved the addition."

"Wait… 'We'd have loved the addition'? Are you…Dolan."

"Yes...I actually just kind of found out…I noticed some things about Jacky and they reminded me of myself. I mean it's not like the thought of a woman would make me sick or something, Dean and Jacky are the only kids in this school gay enough for that, but still, it makes sense."

"Oh…that's what that was…you're in love with Jackquinn aren't you." Dolan's eyes were on the floor in a fraction of a second.

"He's smarter than me, and stronger, and more athletic, and…and we live in two different worlds…its doomed Illy, I'm not going to start anything I know will fall apart."

"Oh shut the fuck up and don't wallow in self pity, now, seeing as Clause clearly doesn't know a thing about Jacky after all, where would he be lover boy?"

"Don't call me that, and don't mention all this to Jacky…"

"Chances are, if he's as smart as you make him out to be half the time, he already knows." Dolan sighed and turned around in the hall. "Where're you going?"

"He's under the wailing willow on the northeast end of the black lake…"

"I told you that you'd know…wait, we have a wailing willow?"

"Yeah we do…it really just sort of moans in the wind, but it's there non-the-less. Students tend to shy from it though, it's a little cryptic to listen to it, but Jacky goes out there almost every day."

"Changing our profession to stalker are we?"

"No…after the day that Draco got hurt in the common room I've been hanging out with Jacky a lot more, we go out there together sometimes, to talk, or read, or just sit."

"You two are as bad as Draco and I, lets go."

Illy and Dolan managed to sneak out of the castle with minimal difficulty as dinner had only just ended, and the duo soon found themselves walking Jacky back to his room explaining Illy's experience in the hall. "We'll need to look further into this. Illy you need to write down anything odd that happens to you of this nature from now on. The sooner after the event the better…" Jacky was engrossed enough in the odd turn of events to momentarily forget grieving over Clause and in stead he spent half the night awake and actively conversing with Illy and Dolan, who took shift napping and reviewing what Jacky had taught or theorized with them. By the next morning the three decided to stay up late for the rest of the week together. On Friday they agreed to skip herbology and instead sleep so that they were all ready for Lupin's class on Boggarts, which had been temporarily suspended, thanks to some kicking and complaining from Snape's side of the school.