Author: enchanted nightingale

Beta Reader: pussycatadamah

Timeline: Book 4, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Pairs: Harry/Lucius

Disclaimer: The characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I merely use them in my plot for fun.

Chapter twelve

Hogsmeade was beautiful. The first snow had fallen and it had gotten too cold to roam outside. Harry had finished with his shopping as quickly as possible, opting to not visit Honeydukes at all; Lucius and even Bill kept him stocked up on all kinds of sweets from all over the world. It was because of Bill he was now hooked on coconut treats from Egypt. It was because of Lucius he was now hooked on Madeleine chocolate, a creamy truffle Ganache made from expensive ingredients. Lucius had gone all out to charm Harry and that little ball of heaven had been a very decisive factor. He had shopped for quills, a couple of books and treats for Hedwig. Hermione was not with him this time. The witch had confided that she had a date with Viktor Krum of all people. Harry found the pair odd but then again he was dating Lucius, who was still married (Harry was still feeling guilty over that fact) and had a son his age. He was not about to judge the witch. Ron for once was not glued to Harry's side, a fact the green eyed teen was grateful for. Ron had truly been impossible to bear in the aftermath of the First Task. He had still not apologized for being so mean and vindictive to Harry. He had just come up and said he was wrong. Hermione ignored the red head from then on and gave him the silent treatment. Harry rarely addressed him too. Still, Ron did not get the message. He had started hanging out with Dean and Seamus a bit more, but even those two did not want the redhead around for long periods of time.

Harry was currently in the Three Broomsticks and trying to have a bit of fun. He had booked a private room upstairs and Rosmerta came and knocked on the door.

"Hi," the teen greeted the witch.

Behind her followed two redheads.

"Bill!" Harry smiled at the tall man who was now his best friend. "Charlie! I did not know you were still here!"

Charlie smirked. "Yes well, I deserved a few days off. Whatever you did to that Horntail had all the Dragons feeling subdued, mellowed even."

"You're welcome," Harry muttered.

"I'll leave the tray here," Rosmerta said and left the three...

Bill and Charlie got rid of their coats and joined Harry on the rug before the fireplace, grabbing glasses of Butterbeer for themselves and the teen.

"What's with the long face?" Charlie asked.

His older sibling chuckled. "Harry here is sulking."

The Dragon handler sipped the Butterbeer. "Why?"

"Yule Ball," Harry sulked.

"Oh! Dating woes?" Charlie teased. "The girl you like is taken?"

Harry sulked more.

Charlie shot his brother a look. He knew Bill was close with the green eyed wizard. From Ginny's letters back home and the Twins' words; Ron was no longer Harry's favourite Weasley. Charlie could not fault the teen either. Ron had behaved like a prat.

"Harry has a boyfriend," Bill informed Charlie. "But there are complications."

"Unless you are dating a Slytherin…" Charlie stated.

Harry glared.

"You are dating a Slytherin?" Charlie exclaimed.

"In a way," Harry muttered. "I cannot take him to the dance."

"The scandal would cause a few heart attacks," Bill agreed.

Charlie knew that there was a big secret here but did not press for details. Harry seemed happy to see him and the teen looked exhausted. The Dragon handler was not about to ruin his chances to relax. Bill would never forgive him.

"So, found clothes at least?" Charlie opted to ask.

"He made me," Harry pointed at Bill, who looked quite smug.

"The gentleman deserves a toast," Charlie decided.

"To Bill," Harry agreed. "Whose fashion sense is better than his sister's?"

Charlie and Harry laughed at the grimace on Bill's face.

"Somebody had to," Bill replied. His lips were quirked.

For the next two hours the three males talked. They discussed Charlie's work, Bill's work, Harry's school career.

"You know," Bill mused at some point. "I'm surprised you still attend Hogwarts."

Harry snorted. "He said the same thing."

Charlie perked up. "The mysterious boyfriend?"

Harry nodded. "Oh! I forgot to tell you…" he eyed Charlie.

"You can trust him," Bill vouched for his sibling.

The green eyed teen nodded and told them the information he had about his emancipation. The stupefied expressions on the Weasley siblings' faces were fun to see.

"Blimey!" Charlie muttered.

Bill snorted. "That's… outrageous. But then again so is what happened to you this year."

Charlie nodded. "I'll keep my mouth shut," he promised. "Just make sure you milk this for all you can."

Harry smiled. "Oh, I will, trust me on that."

"We had better wrap this meeting up," Bill decided. "Harry needs to go back to the castle."

Harry's face darkened. "Everyone is crazy about the ball. All the girls are gathering together and giggling. The boys ogling the girls. It's madness!"

Bill and Charlie laughed.

"I'm serious!" Harry stressed.

"We know," Charlie replied.

"And I might have a solution to your problem," Bill added.

Harry blinked. "What's that?"

"I will take you to the Yule Ball."

Charlie choked on his Butterbeer.

Harry grinned.

The fourth Triwizard Champion left the pub in the company of two tall redheads. Ginny was too far away to greet her siblings but she saw them none the less. She was not alone. Fleur Delacour noticed the two red haired men and her interest piqued when she saw young Harry Potter with them.

"I still think Bill's idea is crazy," Harry said as he put on his gloves.

Bill opened the door for Harry and Charlie.

"I think it has merit," the Curse Breaker defended.

They three of them headed towards Hogwarts.

"I'm having too much fun to decide," Charlie told them, earning glares from the other two.

"You could just ask a guy," Bill commented.

Harry looked horrified at the prospect and he had two main reasons for that. One, he would never be able to actively pursue anyone; he was not that brave when social skills were needed. The second was that Lucius would kill the poor unfortunate soul he chose.

"There was that Durmstrang boy that kept ogling you while we were trying to leave the pub," Charlie offered.

"Forget it," Harry sighed. "Bill will do."

"Can you sound any unhappier?" Bill asked, feigning hurt.

"I can try," Harry replied with a smile on his face.

Charlie snorted. "You two are impossible."

"We try," Bill and Harry replied in unison.

After Harry had left their company Charlie turned to his older brother.

"Harry's boyfriend," he started.

Bill shook his head. "I have Harry's back," he replied.

"I sensed there is something big," Charlie commented.

"Huge," Bill agreed.

"If you need my help…"

Bill smiled and clapped Charlie's back.

"I know I have it, brother," Bill replied.

Lucius cursed. It earned him a giggle for his troubles.

"You want to see me suffer," he accused the teen that was seated on the picnic blanket across from him.

They were in a clearing not far inside the Forbidden Forest. Lucius had erected a few simple wards to keep the cold away and any dangerous predators. Having a picnic under moonlight had been an idea the teen had. Lucius had never been on a picnic in daytime, much less during the night but his options to take Harry out on dates were limited. So he had the Malfoy house elves prepare a basket and met up with Harry near Hagrid's hut.

"He's on a date with the Headmistress of Beauxbatons," Harry informed Lucius. "We are safe."

They sat down on the sprawled blanket and Harry had immediately turned to the blond for a cuddle and a hug. Lucius felt his anger spike. His parents had never been very affectionate. Lucius did not recall his father hugging him or kissing his cheek or forehead like he had done with Draco. His mother had cuddled and held him until he turned five and declared he was too old for her attention. But there had been proud looks, pats on the back, warm eyes and kind words. Harry, Lucius discovered after prying the information from the reluctant Gryffindor, had not had that luxury. After the First Task they had continued their meetings in Snape's quarters but with less urgency than before since they had some time. It was how Lucius found out that Harry, with a cuddle and a caress would curl up in his arms and lean in for more.

That was the reason why Harry made himself comfortable in Lucius lap. He knew it was practically torture most of the time for the blond, especially when he rubbed against him. But it was also the most comfortable he had felt in his life since he came into the care of the Dursley's.

"So what was that you wrote in your letter?" Lucius asked as he started threading his fingers through Harry's mop of hair.

"Bill is my date for the Yule Ball," Harry announced.

There was a sneer on Lucius face and Harry pretended he did not see it.

"He knows about us," the Gryffindor explained. "I do not have to pretend with him. He knows I am not offering more. Plus you know him and he would not go after me. It's a safe option."

"Did he suggest it?'"

"Yes," the raven haired teen admitted. "But I also thought about this and he was correct."

Lucius sighed and tightened his hold on the teen. The sex magic that was inside them dormant came to the forefront when his hands touched Harry's. Skin contact was all it needed and the warm energy flooded their senses, not overwhelming them, just stating its presence. It was a most comfortable feeling for both of them.

Harry leaned closer to Lucius and inhaled that wizard's scent. Lucius continued his hand's movement through Harry's hair.

"I need to learn how to dance," the teen said after a while.

"Are you asking Mister Potter?"

"Are you offering mister Malfoy?"

Lucius smiled. "I asked first."

"I am," Harry admitted.

"Then yes," Lucius replied. "We can start immediately."

Harry blinked. "Right now?"

It gave Lucius pause. "Well," he reconsidered. "We can stay like this for a bit longer."

The green eyed teen smiled and pulled Lucius' head down for a kiss. The blond pulled Harry to him more, making the teen straddle his lap as he took control of the kiss and started making out with the younger wizard.

They never noticed they were not alone, that a part Veela had seen their exchange.

End of chapter

A/N: The Madeleine contains a creamy truffle Ganache made from French Valrhona chocolate blended with fresh cream infused with vanilla pods and pure Italian truffle oil. For more info check: h t t p : / / m o s t - e x p e n s i v e . n e t / c h o c o l a t e - w o r l d - 2

Again take out the spaces.