Chapter Five

Unexpected Liaisons

Author's Note: I'm sorry it's been so long, but I have had some real life issues getting in the way of my creativity, though a good drabble challenge helped me get passed that. This note is mainly to those of you reading from , which it seems are quite a good number. I've noticed that my hits are quite good, really, but I'm still only getting a few reviews. Lately that's been an issue for me, so I'm considering dropping this and all of my stories from as there's not really a point to keeping them there if no one is enjoying them. I may just use my livejournal and that is all. If you want to keep reading them here, please review. If I get a lot of reviews (good or bad, just a review), then I'll keep posting here as well. Hope you enjoy the story!

"I'm an idiot," Zacharias said to Hannah later that evening, his head of blond hair curling again as the straightening charm wore off.

"Yes, you are," she assured him, rubbing his back gently from neck to base.

"Thanks for that," he replied sarcastically into his hands.

"Well, honesty's the best policy," she recited, picking up her wand and ending the charm on his hair fully so that it bounced back into the soft curls that he normally wore. "I don't suppose we really need that anymore."

"What? Honesty?"

"No, your hair to be straight."

"Nothing about him is straight," Susan said, coming in and sitting on the opposite side of the bed. "Completely bent, that one." Zacharias sniffled slightly, then looked up at her with red eyes. "Oh honey, I was only teasing." Her face fell and she leaned forward to gather him up in her arms.

"Why can't I just let him in?"

"Because you're a great, huge prat," Ernie answered, he and Justin standing in the door and looking a bit put out. Susan gave each of them a look and they immediately moved over to join the others on the bed, all of them moving close around Smith and smothering him in Hufflepuff love. "You just need to stop worrying that we're all going to turn on you, Smith. We've been here for five years, even with all your antics."

"I'm not going anywhere," Justin said, a smile playing at his lips. "Not even if you declare your love for me and stop pretending it's Potter you want."

"Oh right!" Zacharias sat up and hit him on the shoulder, laughing and sniffing, his smile genuine and happy. He gave a conspiratorial look to Hannah before he leaned back into Susan's embrace, allowing her to wrap her arms around him and breathe gently in his ear. "I don't think it was meant to be."

"Oh honestly, Zachy! If you'd just get over yourself and let him have a chance, you'd see what would happen."

"I've an idea," Hannah announced excitedly, bouncing up and down slightly and giving everyone intense looks. "Why don't we have another party?"

"That'll never work," Susan countered, looking thoughtful. Hannah's face dropped into a pout and she looked over at Ernie hopefully. He shook his head, along with Justin and finally Zacharias and she just looked depressed as Susan continued. "I think you two need to be alone, but maybe we should monitor you. Give you guidance."

"Yeah! Like in Shakespeare! We could—"

"Who?" Ernie asked, a confused expression on his face.

"—Tell you what to say, just like—"

"Was he a wizard? Will he be on the exam? Oh hell, I knew I should be studying!" Ernie made to get up and Susan smacked his shoulder, yanking him back down.

"He's a muggle playwright, you git. And that's complete bollocks, Justin. It'd never work." She looked thoughtful again, but then her face fell. "No, it wouldn't work."

"Oh I'll just have to pull myself together and get to it," Zacharias finally said. "It's not like he's not proven he's interested, it's me that's the problem." Justin and Ernie nodded and made agreeing noises whilst Hannah and Susan both just stayed silent. Zacharias looked around at all of them and smirked. "You lot are so bloody helpful at making a bloke feel good."

"I can make you feel right perfect," Susan said mock-threatening, putting her hand on her wand for emphasis. "Just fudge it up with Potter again and we'll see what I come up with."

---

"Could I have a moment, Potter?"

The Great Hall was filled to the brim as dinner had only just started. Ron and Hermione, as well as a few others who had joined in the D.A. that Zacharias only remembered didn't exactly like him much all looked up at him with wonderment, shock that he'd actually addressed Harry emanating like heat from an oven.

"What for, Smith?" Weasley asked angrily, making to stand and his hands curling into fists. "Harry doesn't want to talk with you."

"Harry please," Zacharias said softly, leaning in toward Harry. "I'm sorry, but, I—"

"It's alright, Ron," Harry said, standing up and giving his mates a quick smile before he turned and headed out of the hall. They began whispering as Zacharias ran after him, trying not to look ridiculous in the process. All eyes were on them, of course; Harry Potter was on the move. "What do you want," he asked darkly when they were alone in the entrance hall.

"I just wanted to say that I'm a prat, and that I'm sorry for being so ludicrous the other day." He couldn't bring himself to look up at Harry, and when he continued he found that his tongue seemed to be in a rush and the words were tumbling out of his mouth a little too quickly. "I just really like you and I don't know why but I can't seem to get over myself and realize that you like me too, and it's just really hard as I've never had anyone I've fancied actually fancy me back, and you're also, you know, Harry Potter, and you're sort of the saviour of the wizarding world, and really famous to boot, and it's just—"

"Smith?"

"—Not on that I'm making such an arse of myself, which I rarely do honestly, okay maybe a little, or a lot, but I'm not usually willing to admit it and you just really get under my—"

"Smith?"

"—Skin, and somehow I thought this would be easier, though I don't know why as I'd probably hate you if you just sort of fell into my arms and tried to snog, which is sort of what you did and sort of why I didn't trust you and—"

"Don't you want to breathe?"

"—I just think that Susan's right, and maybe we weren't meant—"

"Because you'll pass out if you don't, I should think."

"—To be together, but I'd really like to—"

This time Harry didn't say anything, he just started kissing Zacharias, which was both really good and really bad, because suddenly the image of an American movie he'd once seen played across his vision and he felt himself getting upset again, ready to push the boy away and run off to the common room to pout again. This time, though, Harry grabbed him harder and snogged him deeper and Zacharias sort of lost track of his anger as he sort of forgot that he was supposed to be. He sort of forgot a lot of things, actually, including the fact that they were doing this right in the middle of the entrance hall with the whole school on the other side of the doors, all eating and not ready to see Harry Potter kissing a bloke.

This wouldn't have mattered if it weren't for the fact that Draco Malfoy always seemed to want to know just what it was Potter was doing, at all times, and that the icy-blond git was now actually looking at the two of them with an expression so full of smug happiness that Zacharias yanked himself back to reality and left Harry looking dejected. When the Hufflepuff didn't leave though, Harry followed his horrified gaze and saw that now Malfoy was surrounded by half of the Slytherin sixth form and all of them were sniggering.

"Well, well, well," Malfoy said, his sneer fully at play. "Harry Potter's a pouf. Harry Poufter," he said mockingly. "How divine. Rita Skeeter's going to have a ball with this."

Hermione and Ron shoved through the crowd along with Susan and Ernie, both pairs looking really worried. The Gryffindors ran over to Harry and whispered to him whilst the Hufflepuffs came to Zacharias, also whispering.

"What happened?"

"We kissed," Zacharias said numbly. "They saw," he added, nodding at the Slytherins.

"Fuck," Ernie concluded.

---

"FUCK!"

"Smith, calm down," Justin said nervously, trying to stop the blond from pacing. His attempts only got him a glare and a point of an eleven-inch cedar wand. "Well, really," he said, sitting down next to Susan and looking at her worriedly.

"Calm down, you say," he started. "Really. It's bad enough everyone knows I'm a bender, but now they know Harry is as well. And I'm the one they'll blame!"

"Blame? It's not like you pulled out a bloody great 'gay changer' machine and turned him, is it?"

"Oh really, Hannah! They revere him! He's their fucking saviour!" His face was contorted in both dismay and horror and it looked really scary. Hannah teared up a little, but Zacharias went on regardless. "I'm done for. I'll have to go back to home and be a muggle. They'll have my wand. And my life if I'm not careful," he rambled, looking practically insane.

"Oh calm down," Susan said stoically. "They'll not have your wand."

"They'll say I cursed him, or used a love spell. I'll be in Azkaban!"

"It's not as bad without the dementors," Ernie said helpfully, garnering a reproachful look from everyone but Zacharias who was too busy imagining the rest of his life spent in prison.

"You'll not go to prison," Susan said, grabbing the blond by the shoulders and making him to look her in the eyes. "You didn't do anything wrong," she said forcefully. "It's going to be fine."

As if on cue, one of the third-year boys whose name he could never remember rapped on the open door and looked in nervously. "Erm," he said with a squeaky voice. "Harry Potter's here to see Smith."

"Send him up," Susan said, moving away and motioning everyone to get out of the room. They all did so without hesitation and were gone just before Harry's figure graced the door frame.

"Hullo," he greeted softly. "Alright?"

"Not really," Zacharias said, still pacing. "Bit off at the moment. You?"

"I'm fine, obviously. Not a big deal, really."

"Not a big deal? Right, not a big deal," he answered hysterically. "They'll not be lynching you, of course. It's all my doing."

"They're not going to lynch anyone, Smith." Zacharias looked up just before he ran into Harry, knocking them both to the floor before he could stop. "Though you might accidentally knock us both unconscious and give everyone the wrong idea."

"I think they've already gotten the wrong idea," he said nervously, trying to extract himself from the tangle of limbs. Harry wasn't exactly helping. "Would you—Get off, Potter!" But Harry didn't, and instead of even trying to get up, he seemed to be holding Zacharias down. "You're not—helping!"

"I don't want to help," he said mischievously. "I like this." And he was going to put up a fight, maybe bite him or something, but somehow Potter was able to align their mouths and have another go at a snog. Like before, suddenly everything around them sort of faded out of his sphere of concern, lost to the part of him that actually cared. The bulk of him, including parts of him that might have caused his other self to be really annoyed, was centered on the fact that Harry was kissing him. Harry was fucking kissing him, and using his tongue and it was nice. Neither of them knew how to do it properly, but it felt so nice even though it was wet, and a bit slimy and they gnashed teeth now and again, which felt really awkward—but they were kissing.

"I'm supposed to be afraid for my life," Zacharias said when they finally stopped, staring into each other's eyes. Such a nice shade of green, he thought.

"Why be scared? I'll protect you. I am a Gryffindor, aren't I?"

"And Harry Potter, at that."

"Yeah, and Harry Potter." And they kissed again, forgetting that everyone in Hufflepuff was probably listening in on the other side of the – very fortunately closed – door.

---

"It's not all bad," Hermione said happily. "At least I know how to make Skeeter keep her horrible little mouth shut."

"Yes, but that won't stop Malfoy from leaking it to the Prophet soon enough," Ron noted, tearing at the feather in his quill and causing his girlfriend to wince at each rip.

"Well, we could always just hex Malfoy into a puddle of slime like we did at the end of last year," Susan said, a nasty smile playing on her expression. "I'm very good with hexes."

"I've heard," Ron said, gulping.

"Malfoy's not the only problem," Dean added, his hand entwined with Ginny's on the table, she nodding her agreement as he spoke. "Now all of the people who were at your little get-together last month are on about what they saw. They're saying that these two were going at it on the dance floor."

"And Mandy Brocklehurst is claiming that Harry's told her he couldn't date her because he was in love with him," Ginny continued.

"I never said any such thing! I don't even speak to Mandy Brocklehurst!" Harry slammed his hand on the table and everyone in the library looked over at them, their eyes broadening as they saw Harry and Zacharias were seated together. "I'll not live like this," he continued. "I say we just admit it. Why not? It's out. I don't care what the fuck they all think," he decided, motioning to everyone watching.

"This isn't like the Chamber, Harry," Hermione said. "They're worse than muggles about it."

"I'm famous, yeah? Doesn't that count for something?"

They all looked skeptical, not that he was famous, but that he could change hundreds of years worth of bigotry with one relationship.

"I don't care. As long as you're with me, I'm standing up for it. I won't hide behind lies like I'm ashamed."

"You sound like a married coupe already," Seamus said nervously, apparently somewhat uncomfortable with the situation. "You've only just met, Harry. Don't you think it's a bit odd?"

"Maybe so, but, I like him loads and it's not really him that's the point, is it?" He grabbed Zacharias's hand and smiled. "Sorry, but, I mean, you know what I mean right?" The blond nodded, still keeping quiet and slightly upset at showing such an open means of affection whilst everyone around them was still watching. Sniggers and whispers were coming from all around by this point, and he was sweating with nerves.

"You've already got so much to worry about," Hermione said, still sounding a little dubious of the whole thing. "What with V-Voldemort, and ... Ron, do stop. Just, I don't know if you can—"

"I'll be fine. We'll be fine," he said, squeezing Zacharias's hand.

"Aww, isn't that sweet?" Malfoy's voice was unexpected, but not surprising. He always seemed to turn up when Harry was around. "Look at the little shirt-lifters holding hands. Isn't that sweet, Goyle? Don't you just want to hold hands now?" The large git nodded and smiled threateningly, taking Crabbe's hand and swinging them mockingly. "See! Slytherins can be sweet as well. We do so love this new side of you, Potter. It's so... Dandy, isn't it?"

Ron stood up and had his wand out before Hermione could say anything, but what really surprised everyone was that Susan was also on her feet and pointing, and both of them shot off curses before anyone could stop them. Malfoy and Goyle were now both writhing in pain on the floor whilst Crabbe just looked confused, looking back and forth between them unsure which one to help first. Madame Pince was storming their way and suddenly everything was chaos.

"That went well," Ron shouted as he and the group were rushing out of the entrance and heading for their respective common rooms. Ron gave Susan a bit of a smile before catching up Hermione, secretly thrilled to have someone on his side for a change.