Continued…
"Well, if it isn't Harry Potter." A voice proclaimed. Harry froze, and then turned uncertainly to face the man who had just caught him.
"Professor Lockhart!" Harry said, surprised. "You scared me!"
"Well my boy, you shouldn't be out and about at this hour. You're breaking rules, you know." Lockhart smiled charmingly. His blond hair was waved back from his face showing off a handsome face, and Lockhart's award winning teeth. The teacher looked all calm and suave, but Harry knew that this man was simply a poser
Harry relaxed. 'Piece of cake.' "But Professor Lockhart, you know how you were a kid, right? I bet you did this all of the time."
The Professor looked taken aback for a moment before looking a bit more thoughtful. "Why yes, I was a bit of a daredevil. Went an entire year sneaking out and was only caught once."
Harry suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the braggart. Instead he began to stroke the man's ego. "I'm sure you did, sir. I bet you were always invited to all those midnight parties."
Lockhart brushed off his shoulder looking smug. "Well of course! There was never a party without me being there. Actually, this one time, a Slytherin, oh I don't know his name, tried to throw a party with out asking me to come. But when everyone realized I wouldn't be there, they all …left!"
'Right…' Harry thought to himself, staring at the teacher. 'I bet the moment they knew you wouldn't be there they called as many of their friends as they could…' "I'm sure you were the life of the party," Harry said on the outside. Now was the time to strike. "And that is exactly why I am here, sir. You see, like you I am quite known through the castle as being the party person…" He looked beseechingly at the Professor. "So, could you maybe let this slide?"
Lockhart examined him for a moment. "Harry," he began (Harry suppressed a shudder at this man trying to be friendly with him), "You should know I can't do that! Why if I let every rule breaker go I would lose my job!"
Harry thought quickly. "Yes, but professor, I am not every rule breaker, now am I…"
Lockhart sighed, defeated. "I guess that's right. Besides how else will you have your fun, right boy?" Harry cringed at the endearment. "Well, I guess I will let you off this one time, I mean you are Harry Potter, but don't expect it to happen again. I will only let you off this one time."
Harry was about to thank the idiot when a soft smooth voice sounded behind him one that was always accompanied by a'10 points from Gryffindor' comment.
"Professor Lockhart, I hope you are not allowing Harry Potter to get away with avoiding curfew…" Snape asked calmly.
Harry froze again. 'You have got to be kidding me.'
"Because that would be unfair to the other students," Snape gestured vaguely to the rest of the castle.
Lockhart stood still for a moment before replying, "But Severus," (Snape suppressed a shudder at this man trying to be friendly towards him), "you must remember how it is to be young, to have parties in the corridors, and to want to break some rules?"
Snape paused for a moment, an almost sincere look coming onto his face. "No, I don't really recall those…things. But that is beside the point. The boy must get some type of punishment."
Lockhart nodded, once again facing defeat. "I suppose you're right, Severus. Well, Harry, sorry but you'll have to meet me in my classroom for detention tomorrow."
Harry and Snape shuddered at the same time.
"It's alright, Professor. You're just doing your job." Harry gave an innocent smile to the man, before turning and looking at Snape. "Well I guess I should head back to my common room. I should probably get some sleep."
Snape raised an eyebrow at the boy's guts, but said nothing more, allowing Harry to leave the scene. Just as he was turning the corridor, he heard Lockhart begin, "Severus, have I ever told you about the banshee?" Harry smirked at his revenge.
Ron and the others arrived back in the room fifteen minutes later.
"Man, Harry, I thought we were done for! I thought Lockhart and Snape would figure out we were in the classroom." Neville whispered, exceptionally pale and out of breath.
"Well, was it worth it?" Harry asked looking from Seamus to Ron.
Ron smiled, mischievously. "Tomorrow Flitwick's entire bookcase will fall, throwing books everywhere." He sighed. "I love magic!"
Seamus laughed. "The best part is that we will be in the class as it happens since it's the first class we have tomorrow."
"Yeah," Neville agreed still out of breath. "Though it's a bummer you're going to have to be in detention later that day."
Harry smiled, "I'll decide if it was worth it tomorrow in class."
The four went to bed smiling.
The next day the bookshelf fell in Professor Flitwick's room. The boys smirked at their handiwork, until Flitwick said a simple spell to make it return too normal.
"I hate magic…" Ron muttered.
Harry facedesked. It definitely wasn't worth it…
Harry reached Lockhart's class at the end of a day that was so horrific he didn't even want to think about it. It started out with the bookshelf problem, but in each class it got worse and worse. In Transfiguration, Ron's wand backfired, making the chandelier fall, and almost nail Harry in the head, if he hadn't ducked just in time. Of course in Potions Harry had the problem of having Draco Malfoy as a partner, so the entire class period was filled with Harry desperately trying to focus on the project and ignore the constant observing Slytherin. The entire period went as fast as a snail with the weight of the world on it's shoulders, and just as awkwardly. Then, in Defense Against the Dark Arts Lockhart set loose a bunch of wolfrabbits, a beast that had the body of a rabbit that was amped up on steroids and came to around the knees, with a head of a wolf and rabbit ears, so that it could hear the smallest things. Oh, and by the way, they are carnivores. The entire class had to go to the nurse's office to heal the bites on their legs. And finally if that wasn't enough, in History the professor gave out a ten-page assignment due in two days. Yeah, now he had detention. Well it couldn't get any worse…
Harry entered the classroom to be met with the teacher who almost got him killed by evil bunny rabbits. Professor Lockhart still looked apologetic to the Gryffindor. He was sitting at his desk at the very front of the room with a huge pile of papers next to him. Surrounding him on either side were pictures of himself, and his narcissistic attitude. Harry also noticed two chairs on either side of the teacher's desk each with its' own stack of papers in front of it.
"Oh, Harry it's nice to see you are early. Well as you can see, you will be helping me end off autographs to my ever-adoring fans. It's just so much one man can do," he said with a smile.
Harry approached the front of the room, and nodded towards the other chair. "Are we being joined by someone else?" Harry asked, a little confused.
Lockhart looked at the other chair, a look of distaste crossing his features. That surprised Harry, Lockhart rarely disliked people. "Yes. Draco Malfoy will be joining us. I caught him watching people fall down hexed stairways with so much delight that I knew he had set up those little traps."
Harry froze. 'You have got to be KIDDING ME!' He inwardly shouted. "Oh…I see."
He heard the door behind him open, allowing another person to enter. He listened as they walked closer and closer to the front of the room. When they stopped beside him he forced himself to continue to look straight ahead. This was going to be a long night.
"Professor," Draco murmured as a sort of greeting. He also kept his eyes on the teacher sitting at the desk.
"Ah, Draco, will you confess to hexing the stairs or will you just continue to hide your crime?" Lockhart asked loftily.
Harry heard a soft exhalation of breath from the other teen. "Sir, I have told you before, I did not hex the stairs."
"Then why were you watching all those people fall down the stairs?" Lockhart quizzed, sounding like a great detective.
"Because it was hilarious," Draco replied, deadpan.
Harry furrowed his brow, and decided to go ahead and get involved. "Professor." Lockhart looked at the Gryffindor. Harry continued using his nice little kid voice. "Sir, is the only reason Dra- uh… Malfoy here because he was watching people fall down the stairs?"
"Ah… he was watching them with such delight, that I knew he was the one who did it," Lockhart repeated.
Harry smiled indulgently before asking, "But sir, couldn't he have just been laughing at the clumsiness of others? I am sure you have had such an experience yourself, with all of your work."
Lockhart didn't even think about it. "No, my boy!" Harry once again cringed. "I am sure that Draco is the one who has done such an evil act."
Harry sighed. It appeared Lockhart's mind was made up. There was no way anyone could change it now.
"Well, there is no time to dawdle." Lockhart motioned each to take a seat across from each other.
The next half an hour was a tense silence, which was only broken by Lockhart telling them the stories about his work (as he didn't even notice the atmosphere) and the scratching of quills, as Harry, Draco, and Lockhart, signed Lockhart's name over and over again.
Lockhart was just in the middle of a really funny joke, when a young first year came in. Since she needed his help, he left the two teenage boys by themselves with a "Too-da-loo." No one said Lockhart was the brightest of wizards.
The moment the door closed, Draco stopped writing and started staring again. The nice thing about having the teacher in the room was that Draco was forced to keep his eyes down and continue working, but now that the teacher was gone…
"So, Harry, why did you try to help me out back there?" Draco asked, curious.
Harry didn't even look up. "I was hoping that if I made a good case, you wouldn't be in detention right now, and then I could actually have a nice time with Professor Lockhart." It was a lie of course, but what kind of boys tells the truth these days anyway.
"Oh, nice time, I see. I didn't realize you swung that way, Harry."
Harry clenched his teeth at the innuendo. "Well I didn't realize you swung that way either Draco," Harry replied, reminding Draco of the time in the common room.
"Oh, you talking about when you stole ingredients to make a Polyjuice Potion?" Draco taunted. "I'm surprised that you have the balls!"
Harry looked up meeting Draco's eyes. "You would care if I didn't have them, wouldn't you." Harry tilted his head to the side and gave Draco a cold smile.
The door opened stopping all comebacks that the boy could possibly have.
Harry went back to tracing Lockhart's name, while Draco stayed silent looking at the boy.
"Ah… youth. These girls just don't know what to do with themselves," Lockhart sighed. He then went into detail what happened to him while he was outside, which Harry pretended to pay attention. The intensity in the air increased tenfold, making it hard for Harry to breathe.
Lockhart was talking about his adventures in Tanzania, when he remembered a great club that he had gotten while he was there. He went up the stairs into his study to retrieve it.
"Wow, Harry, you're really schmoozing it up with your Professor, aren't you." Draco sneered. Unlike Harry he had the ability to make Harry's name sound like a curse word.
Harry glared at the blonde boy. "I have had enough," he hissed. Draco's eyes widened at this new side of Harry. Harry glanced up the stairs to where the Professor disappeared into and then at the stack of papers the teacher hadn't signed yet. He then grabbed a handful of his own unsigned papers and shoved them into the bottom of Lockhart's stack. Now Harry only had three more autographs to do.
Draco stared in amazement, his mouth slightly open. He didn't even think of that. The sound of Lockhart tramping to the door gave Draco only enough time to copy Harry and turn back to his pile of five.
Harry finished quickly, and stood up, before Lockhart could even make it down the stairs.
"I'm finished, Professor. I will be leaving now," Harry informed him before heading for the door. He heard Draco get up almost immediately afterwards, telling the teacher the same thing.
Harry sped out of the room and down the hallways, but before he could make it even halfway to a corner, he heard Draco's pattering feet behind him.
"Harry! Harry, wait."
Harry stopped and turned around. He was really finished with this. "What do you want, Malfoy!"
Draco noticed the change in name but didn't say anything about it. Instead he jogged up to the boy and stopped, catching his breath.
"Man you walk fast." Draco muttered, taking a slower breath.
Harry looked unimpressed. "What do you want, Malfoy?" he asked again, slower this time, like he was talking to a dumb animal.
"I just wanted to ask you for your answer."
Harry's eyes narrowed. "Answer to what?"
"Well, usually when someone confesses to the person they like, the other person tells them whether they like them back or not."
Harry's breath caught. "Wh-what? What are you talking about?" His heart started racing, as Draco looked him straight in the eye.
"Well, when we were in detention together, I noticed how you didn't answer my confession. You know, the one in the Slytherin common room?"
Harry felt all the blood rushing to his face. "We-well, of course I-I don't have any fe-fee-feelings for-"
Draco cut the answer off with a kiss, taking Harry's meager breath away. Harry tried to pull back, surprised by the sudden proximity, but was stopped by Draco's right hand behind his head, holding the other boy in place. Draco's left hand was snaking around Harry's waist, pulling their bodies close together. Harry's lips molded to Draco's, and he realized Draco's lips were really soft. And that Draco was taller than he was. It wasn't by much, but it was enough to give Draco the upper hand.
Draco finally pulled away, allowing the two to breathe. They both gasped for breath, but Draco seemed to be a bit better off.
"Well, I guess that answers that question."
Harry flushed, and glanced at Draco worriedly. "Wha-"
Their eyes locked, and the words died in the oncoming heat. Draco leaned forward again, his right hand smoothing down Harry's back as their lips touched again. This time the passion leapt between, causing tingles to run down Harry's body. Harry shivered at the feeling, making Draco smirk into the kiss. Harry closed his eyes letting himself just feel the experience.
Draco pulled away again, but slower this time. Harry kept his eyes closed still lost in the feeling.
And suddenly he wasn't being held anymore. Draco was walking down the hallway like nothing happened, sauntering along lazily. The blonde reached the corner and looked over his shoulder at Harry who was still frozen from the kiss.
"See you later…Harry," Draco smirked. His eyes promised more to come. And then he turned, and was gone, leaving Harry by himself in the corridor, his face heating up as he realized what just happened.
YAY! Finally they kiss! FINALLY!
Well I is happy now, and I hope that you are happy too. Thank you for reading!
R&R