Tequila

Harry arrived at his first class with only seconds to spare, and realised once he was sat down, that he had none of his school things with him. Leaning over to Ron he asked him in an undertone if he could borrow some parchment and a quill.

“Where were you this morning?” Ron muttered under his breath. “You had left before I got up and your bed looked like it hadn’t been slept in.”

Harry groaned under his breath.

“I got up early to send some post and then I fell asleep in the owlery. I only just woke up in time for classes but I forgot I had none of my stuff.”

Ron gave Harry a disbelieving look before shaking his head and leaning back over his own parchment. Harry was going to have to be careful. He really didn’t want his friends to become suspicious, especially when he was still dealing with his worst enemy knowing his secret. He knew he’d have to tell them eventually but now just didn’t seem like the right time, especially while he was still dozy from the rather spectacular orgasm he’d had this morning.

Ron appeared to be resolutely not looking at him throughout all their morning classes, and didn’t even join him when he ran up to the dorms to get his school things in break. In fact Ron pretty much ignored him until lunch where it seemed he and Hermione were planning on ganging up on him.

Sitting down to his lunch, Harry noticed his two best friends exchange meaningful looks before Hermione cleared her throat.

// Oh no, they’ve been practising. //

“Harry, we know you’ve been a bit tense since the end of the war, and we just wanted to make sure you’re dealing with everything ok.”

Harry, determined not to snap at them again, pushed aside his pumpkin juice and looked Hermione squarely in the eye.

“Hermione you don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine. In fact I’m happier than I have been in a long time. Everything’s ok.”

Hermione looked unconvinced.

“Well…. I’m not quite sure how to ask this….. but are you sure EVERYTHING is ok? I mean….” She blushed slightly. “How is your love life?”

Hermione was perfectly ok with Harry being gay, in fact it was she who guessed first and persuaded him to tell Ron before coming out to the entire world. She just was a little confused about the whole ‘bum’ thing. Harry could remember her, blushingly, asking Madame Pince if they had any books about gay relationships in the restricted section of the library. He could also remember the stack of gay porn she received in order to try and understand it better (which she had finally shared out amongst Harry, Seamus and Dean, having figured out as much as she could from it).

Harry looked at her blushing brightly and almost laughed out loud. Trying to maintain an indifferent expression he asked “What makes you ask about my love life?”

Hermione, if it was possible, blushed even brighter and looked towards Ron, who was gracefully hiding his face behind a large book on quidditch rules (which was upside down, incidentally) and obviously trying to listen to every word that was being said without looking like he was trying to listen to every word that was being said.

“Well, Ron mentioned that you weren’t in bed when he got up this morning and has also mentioned a couple of times that he’s woken up in the middle of the night and you weren’t there. Now we’re not spying on you,” she said hastily, seeing the look on Harry’s face, “we’re just concerned. If you’ve got a boyfriend, that’s great, we just wondered why you haven’t told us about it.”

Ron decided to join in the conversation. “Yeah, unless it’s Malfoy, then we can totally understand you keeping quiet.” Ron looked appalled for a moment. “It’s not is it? Malfoy I mean.”

Harry glanced over at the Slytherin table and saw the boy in question staring at Harry, with the surprised look from this morning still on his face. Harry shuddered. There was no question that Draco was beautiful, he was just a bit too effeminate for Harry’s taste. Harry liked a real man. He shuddered again, but with desire this time as opposed to distaste, thinking about Severus. Whether Draco was gay or not, and it was still in question, he was still a little to camp for Harry.

// As camp as a row of tents! //

Harry looked back at his friends, who, thankfully, had noticed his little shudder and were looking much more relieved.

Harry laughed. “Don’t worry, it’s not Draco.”

Hermione pounced. “So there is someone?” she asked, leaning forward eagerly.

// Damn my big mouth. //

“Yeah there is Hermione. I’m seeing someone, but I’d rather not say who for now. We’re just at the start of the relationship and I don’t want to make things complicated between us before things even get going.”

Hermione looked crestfallen but answered sensitively, “We understand Harry. It’s your business, we don’t want to pressure you into something you’re not ready to tell us yet.”

Ron, who looked like that was exactly what he wanted to do, disappeared behind his (still upside down) book.

Hermione’s face cleared, as she leaned forward excitedly. “Ok, you don’t have to tell us who it is, but you DO have to give us details. What’s he like? What do you have in common? Is he a good kisser? How far have you gone….physically?” As she said this last bit, Hermione\'s eyes started twinkling madly. Ron, however, looked mildly aghast.

“Ok, Harry, I’m really pleased you found someone you like, and I’m happy you’re happy. And I’m REALLY happy you’ve decided to stop being grumpy, but if you’re gonna talk about bum sex then I’m gonna go for a fly.”

Harry and Hermione both laughed at Ron, another one who had a slight problem with the ‘bum’ thing. Hermione’s was lack of knowledge and slight embarrassment (and a reluctance to admit it kinda turned her on, the thought of two guys together). Ron’s was just pure, plain, misunderstanding. And that kind of nervous wariness that all straight teenage boys have about gay sex.

Hermione patted her boyfriends arm and replied, “Yes, sweetie. We’re gonna talk about ‘bum’ sex whether Harry,” she gave him a meaningful look, “likes it or not.”

Harry resigned himself to a long laborious lunch hour, while Ron picked up his broom and left, muttering about Hermione and how she always had to have the details, and ALWAYS had to know everything about everything.

Harry and Hermione had about 45 minutes before they had to be in their next class,

// Plenty of time for her to give me the third degree //

and so walked out into the grounds and settled themselves under a tree. It was an unseasonably nice day, warm and clear, something you never got in April in Scotland, and so most of the other students were taking advantage of it. This also gave them the added bonus of being able to chat without some nosy Ravenclaws listening in from the next table (another group of people who had to know everything about everything).

“So…..” Hermione said brightly, settling down for the long haul and looking at Harry expectantly.

“So…?” Harry replied, unwilling to make the first move in this conversation.

Hermione sighed in exasperation. “So…… what’s he like? What do you have in common? Is he a good kisser? How far have you gone? Don’t play innocent with me Harry, I want all the details, especially if this is actually a relationship for a change as opposed to those little gropes you’ve had before.”

Hermione had taken an unhealthy interest n his love life ever since she and Ron had become a couple. She told Harry she wanted to see him as happy as she and Ron were but Harry suspected it was also about him not feeling left out.

He sighed. “Ok, Hermione. You win.”

// I’m gonna start gushing now, I know it. //

And gush he did.

“Hermione, he’s great. He’s fabulous. He’s so perfect. He’s kind and gentle and passionate and intense. We have so much in common, well we don’t have that much in common, but we can talk for hours. I talk to him about quidditch and my friends and my goals and he talks to me about….his interests.” Harry had been about to say potions.

Hermione squealed. “Oh, Harry. I’m so pleased you’ve found someone you can really talk to. I feel like such a girly girl having this conversation, but it’s great to be able to talk to someone about this stuff. Now get to the good bits….the kissing….the sex!!!”

Hermione nudged him suggestively, making him laugh. She was such a fag hag!!

“The sex is….was….is good.”

Hermione frowned. “You don’t seem entirely sure.”

“Well, it’s complicated,” Harry defended in an effort to explain. “What we do is really good, brilliant orgasms,” he grinned at the thought of the last, “but we haven’t really properly had full blown sex.”

“So you haven’t had penetration?”

// Trust Hermione to sound like a text book. //

“I respectfully refuse to answer that on the grounds that it may incriminate me.”

Hermione laughed. “I love that Harry, sort of a no but really a yes. Kind of like the twins ‘ask us no questions and we’ll tell you no lies’. Ok, if you don’t want to tell me then I respect that, but I do expect full details of the first night together as soon as you’re comfortable talking about it.”

Harry smiled inwardly.

// As soon as I remember them ‘Mione, I’ll tell you. //

Hermione was back on the rampage.

“So how did you meet? In Hogsmede? Or is he a student here? Is it one of the 7th years? Or is he younger? How long have you been seeing him? Have you really spent a couple of nights in his bed? How come none of his dorm mates have seen you?”

Hermione could be a pain once she got her teeth into something.

“I’ll tell you what I can Hermione but I don’t want to give too much away. Like I said, we’re still kind of finding our feet. Yes we met here at school. Yes I have known him the full 7 years, its only recently I realised I was attracted to him. No he’s not younger than me. Yes I have slept in his bed a few nights. And no one has seen us cause we’re careful.” It was as much truth as he could give her without giving her everything.

Hermione just seemed pleased he was telling her anything at all.

“I wish you would tell me who it is. If I make a guess will you tell me if I’m right?”

Harry laughed. There was no way she would guess it was Snape but if she named every single 7th year boy in Hogwarts she was bound to get suspicious if he said no to them all.

“No Hermione. I know you’re like a dog with a bone when you get something started and I have no wish to give too much away.”

She looked kinda disappointed but would probably admit it was true.

“Fair enough. You will tell me though? Eventually?”

“Yes Hermione, I will tell you eventually.”

Harry was just imagining her reaction when she told him it was Snape for Merlin\'s sake, when the man himself rounded the corner and headed towards them. Harry tried to keep his face impassive but knew that a smile was just dying to break free. He could only hope that Hermione thought this was him trying to keep down his loathing for Snape. Severus himself looked as cold as normal.

“Mr Potter, Miss Granger. The bell rang a few minutes ago; shouldn’t you be making you way to class now?”

“Oh, gosh Professor. We’re so sorry. We didn’t hear it. We’ll go now.”

Harry thanked all the gods and stars and various trees that some strange people worship for the opportunity that presented itself.

“Yeah, we’re real sorry Professor,” he sneered. “Merlin forbid we should actually try and have a relatively normal, private conversation in this place. Come on Hermione.”

Hermione was looking at Harry with something like amazement and disbelief all rolled into one as Harry grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards the castle.

“Just a minute Potter,” Severus ground out. “Miss Granger, I suggest you run along. We wouldn’t want you to miss any more of your class. Mr Potter, I would like a word.”

Hermione started walking slowly back to the castle, casting frequent glances back at her suddenly rather insane best friend. She saw Harry step close to Professor Snape and almost rolled her eyes. If he was gonna start an argument with the man, he was gonna get another detention. Something he really didn’t need in the middle of this whole new relationship thing. She watched Harry and Professor Snape talk quietly for a few minutes before Harry started hurrying towards the castle.

Catching up with her in the entrance hall he explained what happened.

“He didn’t take points thank god, but I’ve got detention with him this evening at 6 pm.”

Hermione did roll her eyes now. “And how exactly are you gonna spend any time with your new beau if you keep getting detention?”

Harry rolled his own eyes in return. “Don’t call him my beau for heavens sake,” he replied without answering Hermione’s question.

It was all sorted. Detention with him tonight. And they really did have to have that talk they’d been trying to have for days now. Harry smirked to himself as he wondered what would get in the way this time. As he made his way to his afternoon lessons, he sincerely hoped it was more sex.