Slytherin
Warnings: Slash, Language, Spoilers Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
An Unexpected Task
It didn't mean anything, Harry told himself as he paced the corridors of Hogwarts in the faint torchlight. Just because Draco had kissed him and Harry had kissed back—it didn't mean that anything had to change. Still, it left Harry's mind reeling with unanswerable questions. Had he responded to the kiss because it was Draco kissing him, or was it just because it had been his first kiss? He hadn't done anything to stop Draco from kissing him, but this could have been because of the addictive feeling that kissing in general gave him, not because of any attraction to Draco on his part. Though how could he know that for sure? He'd never kissed anyone other than Draco before. He hadn't even kissed a girl yet. He wondered if kissing a girl felt as good as kissing Draco. Hell, he wondered if kissing anyone else was as good as kissing Draco.
It doesn't mean anything, Harry told himself firmly. Draco had been worried about Harry—clearly not in control of his emotions. And Harry had just been glad that Draco wasn't mad anymore. He would have done anything to keep it that way. Even, apparently, snogging him as if the world depended on it.
Harry was still jittery. His blood was still rushing, though it had been nearly half an hour since the kiss. Harry hated to admit it, but he wanted to do it again. Maybe not with Draco, but he wanted to kiss someone again. He didn't want to let go of the powerful feeling of being wanted that kissing had given him.
"Harry?"
Harry was startled out of his thoughts by Cedric, who had just turned into the corridor that Harry was currently pacing. "Cedric? What are you doing here?" Harry asked.
"I have Prefect duties," Cedric replied. "It's after curfew, you know."
Harry saw that Cedric was no longer covered in the orange goo that Madame Pomfrey had smeared on him earlier that evening. There was no visible trace of a burn anywhere on his face. Where the orange goo had been, there were only slightly shiny patches of new skin.
"Sorry," Harry muttered darkly. "I'll head back in a minute." He couldn't go back yet. He had to make sure that Draco would be in bed when he returned, because he couldn't face Draco yet. Not tonight. He didn't know what he was feeling yet.
"Harry?" Cedric said worriedly. "Are you alright?" He reached out and gently turned Harry around, forcing him to look at him. Harry traced the edges of the new skin on Cedric's face with his eyes.
"Harry," Cedric said again, more firmly.
Harry needed to know. He needed to know now.
"Harry?"
Harry grasped the lapels of Cedric's robe and pulled him closer before he could comprehend what was going on. Harry rocked forward onto his toes so he could reach Cedric's mouth and kissed him roughly before Cedric had a chance to protest. For the most part, Harry missed, and he only really managed to get his mouth on Cedric's bottom lip and a good portion of his chin. Still, the contact sent a spark of pleasure through Harry's chest and he let his mouth linger for a moment before lowering his heels back to the ground.
Cedric gaped at Harry, his chest heaving with surprise.
"Sorry," Harry gasped, blushing thoroughly as the impact of what he'd done sunk in. He looked away, unable to bear looking Cedric in the eyes.
"Don't be," Cedric said breathlessly, sounding much younger than he really was.
Harry's eyes jerked back to Cedric's face. "What?" he asked incredulously.
Cedric faltered. "Just…" he began, unable to find the rest of his sentence. "I, uh….Oh, what the hell."
He pulled Harry closer and leaned down to kiss him properly.
Harry could feel Cedric's kiss right alongside his memory of Draco's, as if they were happening at the same time. Cedric was gentler than Draco, much less hurried. It was still rather wet, but the sensation seemed to be growing on Harry. Harry groaned as Cedric deepened the kiss, pressing his tongue firmly into Harry's. It felt as if a knot in Harry's stomach had unraveled.
Cedric pulled away, smiling slightly to himself. "I certainly wasn't expecting that," Cedric said in amusement. "I didn't know you swung that way, Harry."
Harry let Cedric pull him into his embrace, feeling strangely numb yet pleased. "Me neither," Harry said into Cedric's shoulder.
Cedric looked down at Harry in concern. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Harry struggled to explain, not only to Cedric but to himself. He obviously liked boys. He didn't know about girls yet. And he couldn't deny that he'd felt something when Draco had kissed him. But Cedric definitely made him feel something too.
"I'm confused," Harry finally replied. It was as close to the truth as Harry could get. Harry was sure he could probably figure out the whole ordeal if he tried, but he really didn't want to.
"That's a pretty common feeling," Cedric assured him. "You'll figure it out though."
Harry pulled away from Cedric. "Thank you," he said, avoiding Cedric's eyes determinedly. He took a few steps back. He needed to get away so that he could think. "I'll…I'll get back to my dorm now."
"Harry," Cedric said, and he sounded uncharacteristically unsure of himself. Had Harry done that to him?
Harry turned to look at him.
Cedric fidgeted with his hands nervously. "I don't regret this, you know. And...Well, if you want this—us—then so do I."
Harry stuttered. "Cedric…I…"
"You don't have to decide now," Cedric said, sounding more and more confident as he went on. "Just don't keep me waiting for too long either."
"Goodnight Cedric," Harry said.
Cedric smiled tentatively. "Goodnight Harry."
Harry descended into the dungeons trying not to think about anything that had happened between him and Draco or Cedric. He'd just defeated a dragon. He wasn't dead. That would have to be good enough for now.
"How's the egg coming along?" Hermione asked in a smug way that said she knew that Harry hadn't gotten anywhere with it at all. They sat at Gryffindor table and as usual Harry stuck out in his green robes compared to the sea of red.
Harry grimaced but covered it up by taking a large drink of orange juice. "I'll figure it out," he said with feigned nonchalance.
Hermione sighed. "Harry, it's been nearly a month!"
Ron spoke up from Hermione's other side. "Yeah, but the second task isn't until after the holidays. He has loads of time for that. What we should really be worrying about is the ball. At this rate we'll be the only ones without dates."
Hermione rolled her eyes but was surprisingly quiet. It was quite out of character and Harry immediately wondered why she'd given up so quickly.
"Who do you reckon you'll take Harry?" Ron asked.
"Dunno," Harry said, and his eyes went to the Hufflepuff table. Cedric sat amongst his friends, laughing. How was Harry supposed to tell Ron that he'd been seeing Cedric Diggory for these past few weeks and that what he really wanted was to be able to go with Cedric to the ball without being ridiculed for it? He wasn't, that's how. So he kept his mouth shut.
"Well you'd better hurry and pick someone mate," Ron said. "Especially if you're going to be dancing in front of all the schools. Can't dance with yourself, can you?"
"No Ron, I probably can't," Harry said dryly. "But if all else fails, I'll just have to take you."
Ron turned seven shades of red in less than a second. "You shouldn't say stuff like that Harry," he muttered. "I'll start to worry that Malfoy's rubbing off on you."
Hermione hit him half-heartedly. "Homosexuality isn't contagious, Ron. Stop being so insensitive."
Harry looked back at the Hufflepuff table and found Cedric already looking at him. The older boy smiled, and looked at the doors to the Entrance Hall pointedly. Harry gave a slight nod.
Cedric stood, making excuses to his friends as he left. He walked out of the Great Hall and turned towards the stairs to the dungeons. Harry forced himself to wait a few minutes, so he didn't draw attention to himself by following Cedric right away. He swept his gaze back to the Slytherin table where Blaise and Draco sat, conversing as if they'd forgotten that Harry used to be a part of their trio.
Blaise looked up at Harry as if he'd felt Harry's eyes on him. For a moment they just stared at each other expressionlessly. Blaise didn't draw Draco's attention to Harry either, just gave Harry a vaguely disappointed look before turning away.
Harry fought back a small bit of self-loathing and looked down at his plate. At this point he figured he deserved whatever nastiness from Draco and Blaise that he sure was coming his way. It had been over three long weeks since he'd last spoken to either of them, and he doubted that either of them really knew why. He hadn't even properly rejected Draco, or told him that he was with Cedric.
He made an excuse to Ron and Hermione and left the Great Hall, turning outside of the doors towards the dungeons. They always met in the dungeons, though they made a point of not using the same spot twice in a row. It was the easiest place for both of them to meet, since both of their common rooms were in that area.
Harry paused in the corridors, trying to remember where Cedric had wanted to meet today. They'd met closer to the Hufflepuff common room last time, so they'd probably meet near Slytherin this time. Before he could decide, though, he was grabbed from behind. A hand covered his mouth before he could say anything. He panicked, up until someone bit his earlobe gently. It was Cedric.
Harry relaxed and Cedric uncovered his mouth, but kept hold of Harry's waist. "I've found a hidden classroom," he said with barely contained glee.
Cedric's good cheer was infectious and Harry grinned. "The one down the corridor from that painting of the charging elephant?"
Harry could sense Cedric's confusion. "How do you know all these things?" Cedric asked.
Harry thought fleetingly of the Marauder's Map, sitting in his trunk. "Maybe I'll show you someday," he said casually.
Cedric laughed and pulled him down the corridor, refusing to relinquish his grip on Harry. "The mysterious Mr. Potter," Cedric said. "I'm intrigued."
Cedric stopped and pushed Harry gently into the classroom he'd mentioned and shut the door behind him, locking it with the flick of his wand.
Without further pleasantries, Cedric kissed him, pushing Harry up against a desk. Harry kicked at a chair that stood behind him until it was out of the way. The desk pressed uncomfortably into the back of Harry's thighs.
"I missed you," Cedric said quietly, and turned his attention away from Harry's mouth and onto his body. He pressed kisses into Harry's throat, sending white-hot shivers through Harry's body. Cedric's hands held Harry's hips firmly to keep him from squirming.
Harry grasped at the back of Cedric's robes but didn't return any of his more intimate touches. In truth, these encounters always left Harry feeling uncomfortable in his own skin. Sometimes Cedric's displays of affection made Harry nervous, but Harry liked them far too much to put a stop to them.
Cedric suddenly went rigid against him and his mouth pulled away. "Harry, there's a bug in your hair," he said in a tight voice. He pulled away quickly and Harry felt his absence like a splash of cold water.
Harry batted at his head with his hand until he felt it, and he brushed it to the ground. Cedric took another leap backwards as the beetle hit the floor and scuttled away, seeking refuge under a nearby desk.
Harry looked up at Cedric, who still stood away from Harry as if he were a leper. Harry stared at him in confusion.
Cedric sighed, his shoulders relaxing. "I don't like bugs, okay?" he said defensively. "They creep me out."
Harry couldn't help but grin. "Bugs, huh?"
"It's not funny," Cedric muttered, and Harry thought that maybe he was blushing.
"It's a little funny," Harry said. "Are you alright? You look pale." Despite his concern, he was still grinning like a fool.
Cedric shot him a dirty look, but smiled back. He moved back towards Harry, grabbing his hand and pulling him to the front of the classroom. They both sat at the edge of the teacher's desk, which was wide enough to fit them both side by side. Cedric lay back on the hard wood, his legs dangling awkwardly off the end. Harry looked at him over his shoulder as the other boy ran a hand through his hair.
"I asked Cho Chang to the Yule Ball," Cedric said with a sigh.
There it was again. The feeling of being dunked into ice water. "Oh," Harry said. He stared fixedly at the opposite wall.
Cedric tugged gently on Harry's sleeve. "Come on, Harry," Cedric said pleadingly. "You know that we both have to have dates. Unfortunately those dates can't be other boys."
"I know," Harry said quickly. He worked up the nerve to look back down at Cedric, who was watching him intently with somber eyes. "Just…why Cho?" he asked. "Cho's pretty."
"And I'm gay," Cedric reminded him, sounding amused. "Harry, I don't want Cho. But she is a nice girl and she's a little on the prudish side. She won't be too suspicious when I don't try to kiss her at the end of the night."
"Oh," Harry said dumbly.
"And who are you taking?" Cedric questioned, linking his fingers with Harry's. "You're running out of girls to ask. Soon there'll be no one left."
Harry turned away again, this time to think. "I don't know. I suppose I could ask Hermione. It'd be nice to go with a friend."
"I like Hermione," Cedric said. "She seems like a very sensible girl."
"Bloody brilliant is more like it," Harry said. "I've never met anyone smarter. Except maybe Draco…" He paused when he mentioned the blonde-haired git that he missed so much and Cedric seemed to notice.
"Right, Malfoy. He's in the same boat isn't he? Who'll he take I wonder?"
Harry didn't like the direction that their conversation was taking. A strange sensation had taken residence in his chest that he was pretty sure felt a lot like heartburn.
"I dunno," Harry said shortly. "I know that Pansy Parkinson really has it for him. He'll probably get wrangled into going with her."
Cedric pulled Harry down to lay beside him. "Well whoever you decide to ask, you'd better do it quick," Cedric said. "Soon they'll all be taken."
"Hey, Hermione?"
Hermione sighed and looked up from her Transfiguration book. "Yes Harry?"
Harry stared very pointedly at his own intertwined fingers. He didn't realize asking a girl out would be so difficult, considering he wasn't even interested in any of them. Perhaps it was because this was Hermione—his best friend. He really didn't want her to get the wrong impression from his asking.
"Well, it's just…I'm still looking for a date to the ball, and since we're friends….Well, I thought maybe we could just go together." He put a lot of emphasis on the word friends, hoping that he'd made his point clear.
Hermione closed her book very deliberately, and Harry knew from her precise way of moving that he'd somehow offended her.
"I see," she said. "I suppose it didn't occur to you that I might already have a date? Or is that so hard to believe?"
Harry stammered, searching desperately for the right thing to say. "I…just….No, it's not that hard to believe," he retorted defensively. "I just hadn't realized that you had your eye on someone. Unless you're going with Ron…"
Hermione blushed. "No, I most certainly am not going with Ron."
"Then who?" Harry asked. He really couldn't think of anyone who Hermione would agree to go to the ball with.
"It's a surprise," Hermione snapped, her blush deepening. Harry couldn't see who it was that would embarrass her so much. Unless…
"You're not going with Neville are you?"
Hermione glared before standing and leaving the library in a huff.
Harry walked absently towards the Slytherin common room, something akin to despair taking hold of him. At the rate he was going, he'd be forced to take Mrs. Norris to the ball.
He heard footsteps down the corridor, and then hushed voices.
"We really must stop meeting like this," Draco's voice drawled.
Harry froze where he was, listening.
"You should stop making zis difficult," said the unmistakable voice of Fleur Delacour. What was she doing with Draco again?
"I assure you, mademoiselle, that is not my intention," Draco replied smoothly.
"Then you admit zat we have zings to we need to talk about," Fleur said.
"I suppose we do," Draco replied. "Though I think you'll be disappointed when I finally convince you of the truth."
"Ze ball," Fleur said. "You will accompany me as my date. Zat will give us ze time we need to talk."
"Very well," Draco agreed. "We'll discuss this further at the ball."
Harry felt very suddenly as if a fire-breathing dragon had taken up residence where his heart was meant to be. And it seemed to be roaring in anger. Harry was almost positive that he would be killing Fleur in the next few seconds.
The two blondes emerged from one of the many nooks in the dungeons and saw Harry where he stood. Fleur sniffed haughtily, turning gracefully and walking away. Draco sneered. "Problem Potter?" he demanded before striding past Harry into the common room.
Yeah, Harry went there. Cedric Diggory. Try not to hate me.