With Darkness as our Blanket

- by BiSciFiGuy -

Pairing: Harry P. & Draco M.

Genre: Romance/Drama

Rating: M (Violence and gay themes)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, No copyright infringement intended.

Prologue

'Merlin, how can potions be so boring today, it's even worse than usual'. Harry though to himself as he looked up at the potions master, droning away, mumbling about the various ingredients that were important in a potion that Harry really didn't care about.

Hermione elbowed him suddenly and he yelped, drawing the attention of the whole class as well as the professor.

"Mister Potter," Professor Snape sneered at him.

"Yes sir?".

"Kindly repeat back to me the ingredients for Gobbler's ink?". Harry looked around the classroom, all eyes were on him. He noticed Malfoy smirking at him.

"I… um… I don't remember sir". He grumbled.

"Very well mister Potter, Ten points from Gryffindor for disruption of my class". Snape went back to his incessant droning while Harry went back to studying his classmates. He realised how much they all had changed in the few short months since he'd last seen them. He looked at his friends, startled that he couldn't remember when they had become young adults, he still remembered them like they looked the first time he had seen them.

They were not however, still the same. Harry looked at Ron, his red hair had grown long and thick, his face much more elongated than Harry could remember. He was taller too, standing almost a head above Harry when they walked down the hall. His hands were large as he held the quill and Harry noticed how the muscles in his arms tensed as he moved to dip the quill in the ink.

He looked at Hermione, she too had changed so very much. She was wearing more make-up and her eyes had a wise look to them, she had also lost a substantial bit of weight and had grown much taller as well. As Harry gazed at her he noticed the line of her neck, how her throat pulsated as blood rushed through the arteries there, how her shoulders were so much more defined, the collar bone making a beautiful outline through the shirt she wore beneath her robes. Harry's eyes dropped a little more and he noticed how much her breasts had filled out too, they were full and luscious, the delicate skin almost shimmering in the faint light… Harry suddenly realised what he was doing and blushed, feeling his face burn and he was sure the whole class would notice him, shining like some red neon billboard… thankfully no one noticed… no one except for Hermione of course.

"Harry," She leaned close to him "Are you alright, you look all flustered, do you have a fever?". She looked worried.

"No… I… I'm fine, it's just a little hot".

"Okay", she smiled sweetly and turned her focus back to Snape.

In an attempt to recover from the utter humiliation he had just experienced Harry scanned the room again, looking for anyone he could pick apart in a desperate attempt to forget about the fact that he had been staring at Hermione's breasts. As it turned out, Malfoy caught his attention, his old foe had changed as well, so different from the way he had been when they had first met in that crowded little bookstore.

Malfoy had indeed changed, he seemed paler than he had been and much thinner, Harry noticed that thankfully Malfoy hadn't grown much taller and they were still pretty much the same height, still able to stare each other down eye to eye if need be. Malfoy reached for something on the table in front of him and Harry's eyes caught the muscles in his arms as they stretched, they weren't big… like Ron's, but they were there. He stared at the pale hand, the fingers almost delicate as they picked up some ingredient Harry couldn't identify even if he'd tried. His gaze travelled up the arm and settled on Malfoy's face, still pale, the eyes grey, although not lifeless as one might expect from eyes such as his. His lips were thin beneath his nearly perfect nose, as Harry stared the lips turned up into a sneer and Harry felt himself sigh.

Ron shot him a glance and Harry shook himself internally, shocked that he'd been staring at Malfoy and realising to his horror that he had been enjoying it.

'No!', He told himself, 'I wasn't enjoying looking at Malfoy, I was enjoying sizing up my enemy and… and seeing that he hasn't become superior to me'. Harry nodded to himself just as Snape dismissed the class.

"C'mon Harry, we need to get to Divination, you know how Trelawney gets when we're late". Ron mumbled as he noticed Harry putting away his things at a snail's pace.

"Harry!".

"Yeah, Okay", Harry started packing faster, "You go ahead, I'll catch up, no use both of us getting the brunt of her bleak predictions". Ron nodded and hurried out of class, leaving Harry confused as to why he was so distracted.

He stood up and walked towards the door, he noticed Malfoy just stepping out of it and he sighed again. He shook his head and walked faster.

"Mister Malfoy, a moment please". Professor Snape spoke behind Harry and he was thankful the potions master hadn't called him back. His relief was so great that he hardly noticed Malfoy turning back into the class just as he reached the door. Malfoy stepped inside and he and Harry knocked into each other. For a moment it felt like time was standing still as their bodies touched, shoulder to shoulder. For that moment Harry was lost, he had been in close contact with Malfoy many times before but this was different, something had changed. Something about Malfoy was…

"Watch it Potter". Malfoy spat and pushed past, ripping Harry from his thoughts.

"Sorry…", Harry whispered and rushed to Divination, arriving just in time, thankfully sparing himself one of Trelawney's predictions of a horrible death in his future.

"What's up with you, you look seriously freaked out?". Ron whispered.

"I don't know, it's probably just the rush to get here". He mumbled and it seemed to satisfy Ron. The rest of the day's classes passed slowly for Harry, his mind working overtime trying to solve the riddle of what exactly had changed with regard to Malfoy. Surely it wasn't anything physical.

After dinner Harry ran up to his room quickly, wanting to strip off into something more comfortable before getting to his homework. He stood beside his trunk and pulled off his robes, he sighed again and pulled his shirt over his head, that's when he caught it… The smell!. He bundled his shirt up and pushed it to his nose, a wonderful smell was clinging to the soft material. It filled his mind and he felt his pulse race. What was it?, he had never smelled anything like it before. He pulled the shirt back on, finished dressing and went down to the common room to find Hermione and Ron. He dropped down next to them and they got to work, the smell forgotten.

Much later in the evening they were still sitting around the various tables, although it was only Hermione who was still doing homework. Ron sat in a big armchair, his head titled to one side, nearly asleep. Harry sat on one of the large couches, his feet pulled up. He smiled at Hermione and looked into the fire. His nose started itching and he rubbed it against his upper arm… It hit him again then, the smell! It was driving him mad, it was a near perfect smell yet… yet… it suddenly hit him like a curse during a duel..

"It's not a smell". He nearly cried out as he jumped from the couch, "It's in my brain!". His thoughts were racing, he knew he remembered something regarding smells that worked on people's brains.

The few students who were still in the common room looked up at him with questioning expressions, Hermione sat staring at him and he rushed to her side.

"Hermione, smell me". He held out his arm.

"What?". She asked, looking bewildered.

"Smell me".

"Why should she smell you?". Ron asked and Harry rushed to him.

"Because it's here, smell me".

"No mate".

"Ron just shut up and tell me if you smell anything on my clothes". Ron leaned forward reluctantly and took a whiff of Harry's sweater.

"Do you smell it?". Harry asked desperately.

"Smell what?, I just smell wool". Ron mumbled. Harry stared at him and smelled the sleeve himself. It was still there, the strange smell. He turned around and noticed Neville.

"Neville!". Neville held up his hands.

"I'm not going to smell you either".

"No, I don't want you to smell me, I want you to tell me something". Hermione looked incredulous that Harry would ask someone other than her to tell him something he didn't know.

"Okay". Neville looked around the room.

"Do you remember Professor Sprout talked about how insects used smell to talk to each other right?".

"Yeah, with pheromones, why?". Neville felt a bit better, Herbology was the one thing he was really good at.

"What exactly did she say about it?".

"Just that the insects used these chemicals to attract mates".

"Attract mates…". Harry looked stunned as he turned away, he looked at the clock, it was nearly midnight, he knew Professor Sprout would still be in the greenhouses, she usually was this late on Thursdays. He grabbed a coat and stormed out of the common room.

He found Professor Sprout right outside the third greenhouse. She turned around just as he rushed up to her and she gave a slight yelp.

"Mister Potter, why are you out so late?". She asked.

"I'm looking for you Professor, I really need to know something". She stared at him for a moment then nodded.

"What would you like to know?".

"You talked about pheromones the other day, the things insects use to attract mates".

"Yes". She nodded and motioned for him to walk with her.

"Do people have pheromones too?".

"Well, it's possible Harry, we're not quite sure yet. Why this sudden interest?".

"I kind of walked into… someone today and have been getting this strange smell on my clothes ever since and no one else but me seems to be able to smell it".

"Well Harry, It could just be a smell you are sensitive too". She said trying to hide the faint tone of interest that welled up within her.

"No, Professor, you don't understand. I don't really smell it, it's like… like I can feel the smell in my brain, somewhere behind my eyes". Professor Sprout stopped for a moment and smiled at him.

"Oh?, even though the jury is still out on human pheromones, I must tell you that secretly I do believe that people have them and thus," She smiled at him again, "I do believe that since you are the only person who can sense it, this person you bumped into must be sexually compatible with you". She smiled and walked on. Leaving Harry standing on the steps to Hogwarts, wondering about her words and sniffing at his sweater.