It's Just 12 Inches of Wood

It’s Just 12 Inches of Wood by The Coven

Author : ZooArmy (and Graballz)

Beta : Graballz

Author's note--Thousands upon thousands of apologies for completely blowing the deadline out of the water! You can beat us (me) if you like. Hopefully the next chapter will be much sooner in coming and the chapters after that as well!

As an attempt at a peace treaty (for not killing us before we finish the story), we offer top!virgin!Draco and bottom!Harry sex...basically, what we promised a few chapters ago and hadn't delivered yet. Here it is. AND...ENTER REMUS!!!! *wild applause* YES, Remus shows up! (Remember, in this one, he's not dead! Yay us!) Enjoy the plot too. *wink*

Zoo wrote most of this chapter. The plot ideas are all hers. I just added the sex to it and cleaned it up a bit. But the basics are hers, and she is BRILLIANT!!!

~Graballz

Chapter 13

Beautiful Weapon

“Mister Potter! Mister Malfoy!” Ollivander called after he had heard the doorbell chime for the second time. Neither of them responded and he sighed. If the mountain won’t come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain. He gathered the photos in his hands and left the office. They were in deep conversation and Ollivander hoped that they at least hadn’t ignored the customer.

“Mister Potter. Mister Malfoy,” he said again and sat down at the counter, watching the sheepish expressions on their faces. “Please take a seat; we need to talk about your next trip.”

He spread the photos out on the counter top, while Harry and Draco quickly Transfigured stools, sitting down across from him. The wandmaker didn’t notice Harry’s hand landing on Draco’s thigh or the incredulous look the blonde shot him.

“This is Robert Thomas,” Ollivander began, pointing at a photo, and looked up. “Eh, Mister Malfoy, are you feeling well? You seem a bit… twitchy.”

“I, eh… yes, yes, I’m fine.” Draco stuttered and sent his partner a short but pointed death glare. He shifted on his bar stool, leaning forward to grab the photograph.

A tall, young man posed in the non-moving picture, his arms wrapped around a skinny young woman who was rather tall as well. The man was actually quite handsome, Draco thought, once he got over the shock that the man Ollivander called Thomas had snow-white hair and stunning red eyes that reminded the Slytherin strongly of Voldemort. They both had long, straight hair, but the girl’s coif was a warm blonde color with a slight reddish tint; SHE, Draco noted, had blue eyes, though a vibrant blue, they were.

Draco saw Harry rise from his own stool out of the corner of his eye and felt the Gryffindor’s warm breath against his neck when he leaned over to get a better look at the photograph in Draco’s hand.

Potter was so predictable.

Of course, he DID lean closer than necessary and (oh, surprise!) his hands rested on the stool, damn close to Draco’s magnificent buttocks.

“The girl in Thomas’ arms is his little sister, Emily. She’s living with him in a community they founded about fifty years ago. As you can see, Mister Thomas is an albino, and both he and his sister were born as werewolves. I don’t know if his disorder is one of the reasons for the formation, but Thomas is the leader of WEAPON.”

Harry and Draco looked up at the same time and frowned at Ollivander.

“It stands for the Werewolves of Europe, Albinos, and Pacifists Order and Nation,” Ollivander continued impassively, handing them a piece of parchment with the emblem and basic information about the organisation. “Obviously, the membership is open to every werewolf living in Europe. More specifically, albino werewolves—since he himself is such, though they are extremely rare—and they associate with other pacifist groups around the world. The goal of the community Thomas founded—or ‘Nation’, if you will—is to suppress the animalistic desires that go along with transformation. They help the werewolves who live in the nation to control their bestial impulses.”

“And our task is to…” Harry asked suspiciously. It sounded ridiculous that werewolves would be able to suppress impulses that were rooted in their genes, in their mind since he was of the understanding that it was a matter of instinct. He had seen Remus transform more than once, and only the Wolfsbane Potion had prevented the extremely dangerous dementia. He supposed that this albino pacifist probably classified the ‘bestial instincts’ of a werewolf as ‘dangerous dementia’.

He remembered with a shudder the incident in his third year at Hogwarts when Remus had forgotten to take the potion. It had been ages ago, but the memory was as vivid as if it just had happened last week. Remus hadn’t been Remus anymore, but an animal and they had been his prey. It was only because Sirius, as the big black dog, had distracted Remus that they had lived.

“Hold your horses, Mister Potter.” Harry shook off the memory when he heard Ollivander’s calm voice. “We’re getting there. So, where was I?” He flicked through the photos and scratched his chin with the other hand. “Ah, yes. So… how’s your German?”

That got Draco’s attention as well and he lifted his head to look at Ollivander with narrowed eyebrows.

“Only so-so,” he said slowly and the old wandmaker saw that something clicked in the head of the blonde when the crease between his brows disappeared and a small smile tucked at his mouth.

“Eh, non-existent,” Harry admitted sheepishly, knowing that ‘only so-so’ said by a Malfoy meant nothing less than ‘probably fluent’. “Why?”

“Well, Mister Thomas is among the very small number of known albino werewolves in Europe,” Ollivander handed Draco another photograph. This time, it was a magical one, showing Robert Thomas transforming into his beast-self—a snow white wolf of impressive stature. “… and he’s German.”

Harry nodded in understanding and rested his chin unconsciously on Draco’s shoulder. The blonde felt a pleasant shiver at the extra weight; it was such an intimate gesture that he couldn’t stop the thoughts of sex that assaulted his brain instantly.

“Okay, so you want to send us to Germany and get some hairs from this albino werewolf,” Harry clarified, and Draco bit his lower lip when the sexy voice reverberated in his body.

“Yes, but I also need his blood.”

“Oh, that’s fine with me. By now, I’m trained in using a crossbow,” Harry said with a self-pleased grin.

Chimera-hunting must have been quite entertaining for him, if he showed such eagerness to get the crossbow back in his hands to put the werewolf out of action, Draco mused. He snorted and Harry took his chin off the blonde’s shoulder to purse his lips and look darkly at the back of Draco’s head. “Think about it, Potter.”

Potter? Why not Harry? Harry wondered.

“You know what the word ‘pacifist’ means, don't you? Do you really think they’d allow arms to be brought into their community?” Harry could literally imagine the arrogantly lifted eyebrow, and in fact, he was quite grateful that he couldn’t see Draco’s face. It wouldn’t be good to jump the blonde in front of their boss just because of ‘The Eyebrow’.

“Besides, the anaesthetic would soil the blood and that’s the least Ollivander wants, I assume?” Draco asked and enjoyed the feeling of being right once again when Ollivander nodded affirmatively.

“You are dead right, Mister Malfoy. No weapons are allowed, and Thomas has to give his blood of his own free will. Otherwise there’d be a chance that it would be useless.”

Draco turned on his bar stool and smirked at his partner, who, in return, just stuck out his tongue. “Mature as ever, Potter. You act like a real grown-up.”

Ollivander cleared his throat in a way that both young men thought Severus Snape was in the room. Draco turned back around and smiled apologetically at their boss. Harry, on the other hand, was elated that they’d be travelling again so soon and was feeling a bit reckless. He was used to worse reprimands from Snape, and had established—through the years at Hogwarts—something like resistance to annoyed coughs. He leaned against Draco’s back and whispered quietly enough for only Draco to hear.

“You know, I could show you how grown-up I can act with my tongue,” he purred, and the blonde jumped as Harry’s breath tickled his ear. This time Draco landed on the floor with a loud thud and yelped when his brain got the message from his pain receptors that his bum hurt.

“You bloody…”

“Enough!” Ollivander barked and stopped Draco insulting Harry before he had even begun. “What’s wrong with you two today? I feel like I’m working with children here, instead of grown-up men!”

Harry needed to bite the inside of his cheek, not to fall into fits of laughter. ‘Grown-up’ was a bad, bad word at the moment.

“Help him up already!” The wandmaker ordered, and Harry obeyed, grabbing Draco under his arms and hoisting him to his feet.

“Sit down, shut up, and listen. If you behave like children, I’ll treat you as such,” Ollivander glared at them until they sat on their respective bar stools. Draco, in turn, glared daggers at Harry and hissed angrily.

“This is all your fault.”

“Silence.”

Not much longer and Ollivander would order them to take out their quills and parchment and do lines!

“I swear to Merlin, Elise acts more adult than the two of you! Okay, where was I?” the old man sighed and rubbed his face tiredly. “Robert Thomas has to give his blood voluntarily. He has no problem with that, if it is for the right reasons, but the problem is that he always wants something in return.”

“Well, we gave Chenarenn something, so it shouldn’t be that much of a problem,” Draco reasoned, but Ollivander shook his head.

“It’s not that easy this time, Mister Malfoy,” the wandmaker disagreed. “The Seranyx is trapped in her cavern and doesn’t know about the rest of the world. She was easy to appease; anything glittery catches her eye, regardless of its actual worth. Robert Thomas, on the other hand…well, he knows that he’s valuable. He is quite picky about what he deems an acceptable exchange. He rejects most offers; I myself have only found favour with him a handful of times since he founded the Nation to be able to obtain a few hairs and some of his blood. And to be quite frank, he’s an arrogant, spoiled brat who commands enough wealth to support his organisation with minimal outside funding.”

Harry laughed loudly and clapped Draco on the back. “Hey! Draco, he’s one of your kind! Maybe YOU can negotiate with him!”

The blonde gave him a disdainful look and raised his eyebrow in that wicked way again.

“I beg to differ, Potter. I am possibly a bit arrogant, and growing up, of course my parents saw to it that I was spoiled. I am NOT, by any means, a brat, nor am I wealthy beyond measure…anymore.” He had difficulty to end the sentence with a straight face. Thinking about his family situation brought more pain than happiness.

Harry bit his lip, falling silent. Ollivander coughed indelicately and changed the subject. “Okay, boys, back to the important thing at hand. Thomas only accepts things he has chosen solely, so we can’t plan or decide on a ‘gift’ in advance. He calls himself a collector of beauty…”

Harry snorted. “Germans are weird.”

“No weirder than the rest of the world, Potter,” Ollivander commented, pulling a map out of the bottom of the pile of photographs. He unfolded it on the counter, and the blonde recognised it as a map of Germany.

“His community is here,” the wandmaker pointed, and both young men bent over the map to look at the spot, “in the middle of the Thuringian forest. I assume you have at least a basic knowledge of German geography, Mister Malfoy; the Hermunduren University is northeast of the forest in the Thuringian Basin.”

Ollivander’s finger wandered an inch upwards and Draco nodded in comprehension. Harry screwed his face up in absolute and utter bewilderment.

“Herm what? Basin?”

Draco’s nodding turned into shaking, and he rubbed his forehead with one hand.

“Potter, please don’t tell me you don’t know about the Hermunduren University,” Draco pleaded, looking at Ollivander in disbelief.

“Okay, Draco, I won’t tell you that I don’t know the Herm-whatever University,” Harry replied cheekily, and Draco sighed loudly, not amused.

“Bloody unbelievable. I’m working with a troll,” Draco mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear. “The Hermunduren…”

“Hey!” Harry began to protest, pretending offence, but the Slytherin shot him such a venomous look for interrupting that the black haired boy gulped and motioned for Draco to continue.

“The. Hermunduren. University…” Draco ground out through clenched teeth. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a moment, and caged his anger. “The Hermunduren University is the sole wizarding University in Europe. The University was named by the founders after a Germanic tribe they belonged to. In the third century, parts of the Hermunduren tribe joined together with parts of other tribes and formed the tribe of the Thuringian.”

Harry looked at him in awe. “How do you know so much about it?”

Draco’s face shut down, and he shrugged, trailing his fingers in mindlessly patterns on the counter top. “After Hogwarts, I thought about studying wizarding law or getting a Potions Master and informed myself of the university.”

Harry’s brow furrowed in distress; the sadness Draco emitted was almost palpable. And the Gryffindor wanted to punch himself for obviously upsetting his blond lover with his stupid jibe about Draco being rich and reminding him of his family and Harry’s stupid questions. Hidden from Ollivander’s eyes he reached under the counter, over to Draco’s knee, and gave it a loving squeeze, letting go immediately so that he wouldn’t send the Slytherin the wrong message. Draco stared at him for a moment, but when Harry gave him an apologetic smile, the blonde also smiled.

The old wandmaker sensed the change in the atmosphere and thought that he had given both men enough time and picked up where he had left off. “As I already mentioned Mister Thomas calls himself a collector of beauty…” He sent a sharp look at Harry so that he wouldn’t interject again, but Harry was much too occupied with watching the blonde that Ollivander didn’t need to fear an interruption. Now, whether the Golden Boy was listening was another question…

“… he’s obsessed with anything that’s beautiful in his eyes. No matter if it is an object or a living creature, he wants to own it, wants to have it in his collection. Everything he collects—whether object or creature—is kept in his community, and the followers of his organisation take care of everything. Thomas believes that the daily confrontation with beauty will rein in the inner beast. His followers learn to appreciate beautiful things, which is also what he believes will keep them from destroying those same things during their transformation.”

“And you tell me that werewolf’s not crazy?” Harry snapped sarcastically, his gaze abruptly switching to the wandmaker. “That sounds more like a cult than anything else. He’s brainwashing them!”

“There is a small difference, but you must remember, Potter, that membership into the Nation is voluntary— ”

“So you’re saying that they WANT to be brainwashed,” Harry interrupted, and Ollivander sighed.

“It is their choice to go and their choice to leave. The imperative piece of information here is that he sees himself as their most precious artifact,” Ollivander retorted coolly. While he still hated being interrupted, at least it cleared up the question of whether Harry was actually listening. “In reality, I think he’s rather ambivalent towards his so-called beautiful objects; his pickiness stems from a bit of fanaticism, I think, because he says he won’t stop looking for and collecting things and beings until he’s found something more beautiful than himself.”

“I have to agree with Harry. That werewolf is completely off his sodding trolley,” Draco pronounced gravely, his thoughts flying. Harry’s grin split his face in two when he heard the blonde calling him by his first name again.

“Do not underestimate him, Mister Malfoy,” Ollivander began to collect the photos, folded the map, and handed everything over to the blonde. “You have one hour to return to your homes and pack. Meet Elise and I at the Ministry; she wants to pick out your Portkey. It will be taking you directly to the gates of Hermunduren University, and Lupin will be waiting for you. He’ll…”

“Remus? Remus will be there?” Harry asked, astounded and excited at the same time.

“Yes, he is a professor at Hermunduren,” Ollivander nodded. “He has also been in contact with Thomas much more than I have, and he can give you good advice on approaching him and such. I thought you’d prefer him to show you around, rather than a German stranger.”

“Remus teaches at this Herm-something varsity?” The Gryffindor sounded like a small child and not even Draco’s loud groan could break his euphoria.

“Potter!” Harry’s broad smile deflated – but only a little bit. “Didn’t you listen to Nymphadora? Haven’t you listened to anything Ollivander and I have told you in the last hour? Hermunduren University is the ONLY Wizarding University in all of Europe! When Nymphadora said that he was teaching at university, what did you think she meant? A Muggle campus?” Draco made an amused noise. “I don’t think so.”

“Okay, sorry, I forgot,” Harry snarled back. “No need to be a prick about it.”

“I am not being a prick,” Draco protested. “You’re just a…”

“Alright, alright, get going,” Ollivander interrupted this time, shooing them both out the door with reminders to meet at the Ministry in an hour. They paused in the middle of Diagon Alley, glaring at each other.

“I’m a what?” Harry taunted.

“Never mind,” Draco said. “You heard him. See you in an hour.” The blonde disappeared, and Harry swore, Disapparating himself.

*

Exactly one hour later, Draco and Ollivander were waiting with Elise in the Atrium of the Ministry. Elise was chattering happily, much more at ease with the apprentice. Draco found, to his surprise, that the little girl was fun and easy to talk to, much more so than he had anticipated children to be. Though after the time came and went for Harry to have arrived, the blonde began to tune her out, smiling and nodding absently, while he silently waited, looking around almost constantly.

“Perhaps I should go check on him,” Draco finally mumbled to Ollivander, who was also frowning and looking around. “What if something’s happened? What if—”

“Awww, you were worried about me!” The familiar voice in Draco’s ear gave him a bad start, and he jumped away, whirling around and drawing his wand to see Harry with a wide grin on his face and a pack slung over his shoulder.

“Bloody hell, Potter!” Draco yelled, blushing immediately when he realized Elise was watching them and giggling. Apparently SHE had seen Harry sneaking up behind Draco while neither the Slytherin nor the wandmaker had.

“You missed me, didn’t you? You can’t deny it!” Harry chirped, winking at Elise. “He missed me.”

“He was worried,” she nodded in confirmation, holding out the Portkey to Harry. He accepted it gingerly, since it was a small, matted plushie that looked like a dirty rabbit without ears.

“So where are you going this time? Great-Grandfather told me about your adventure to Turkey!” The little girl asked wistfully.

“They are going to visit Robert Thomas,” Ollivander answered for the two.

“Oh, wow!” Elise sounded amazed. She had known who the albino werewolf was since she was small, since Ollivander had spent a great deal of time complaining about him whenever the offered gifts were rejected. “Maybe you should put a Glamour on yourself, Draco, or he’ll want to keep YOU!”

She sounded as if she was half-joking, half-serious, but Draco snorted, and they shared a laugh about it. Harry frowned, not finding anything funny about that information, but when he glanced to Ollivander, he was alarmed. The old man’s eyes had widened, and he looked troubled, which gave Harry no comfort. He wondered if the wandmaker had been thinking that very thing but had decided not to share that certain piece of information, but in any case, Harry was very glad to have that warning. He turned his attention to the blonde, and the look in his own green eyes turned hard. No one would take Draco away from him. Not after he just had just managed to get him.

*

“Are you ready?” Harry asked, more determined now to get this mission over with and return to England with his lover at his side. Draco nodded, picking up his own duffel bag. Ollivander took Elise’s hand, stepping back as Draco reached for the Portkey.

Knowing that the blonde would probably freak, Harry leaned over and pecked Draco on the cheek just as the Portkey activated. He didn’t notice the raised eyebrows of their boss or the surprised gasp of “Awww!” from Elise.

They landed on a cobblestone pavement; Draco with the expected grace of a Malfoy, Harry with his bum on the pavement and the earless bunny clutched to his chest. Draco watched Harry climb to his feet, glaring.

“What was that just now?” The Slytherin hissed, making nonsense gestures with his hands.

“I think it’s called ‘travelling by Portkey’,” Harry said matter-of-factly and stuffed the bunny into one of his pockets, hiding his smirk.

“Oh, really? Thank you for that enlightening information,” Draco snarled and—no longer in the presence of the little girl—vented his anger by whacking Harry upside the back of his head. “No, you berk! Why did you kiss me in public? What if someone saw? Ollivander was RIGHT THERE! What if HE saw?”

“No one saw it,” Harry sighed. “Besides, it could barely even be CALLED a kiss, and if someone HAD seen, you’d have the perfect opportunity to call them delusional,” he hoped that the blonde would see his logic.

Both heard soft giggles and stopped their bickering to look around. They hadn’t landed on a deserted street or side street, but right in front of the gates of Hermunduren University, where many small groups of young people were clustered.

“Why didn’t Ollivander tell us that we would end here?” Harry whispered nervously while looking around. He took a step closer to Draco when some girls winked and waved at him.

“He did,” Draco replied dryly, shooting dirty looks at the girls. “You were just too busy drooling over the fact that Lupin is going to be here to have listened.” He looked at his lover, who was giving the group of girls a polite smile. “Oh no, Potter, not again!”

Draco rolled his eyes and grabbed Harry by the front of his jumper, pulling him into a heated kiss. It took only mere seconds before Harry responded, but Draco stopped the kiss shortly after and rested his forehead against Harry’s.

“Stop trying to be nice to everyone, or we’ll end in the same deep shit like last time,” Draco commanded, though the fact that he was panting undermined the order.

“Yes, sir. I thought you didn’t want to kiss in public,” Harry smirked, pressing a chaste kiss to the corner of the blonde’s mouth.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Draco explained, winking back at the Gryffindor and looking over Harry’s shoulder to give the bunch of girls a well-meant Malfoy glare that would have peeled flesh—had they continued to undress his lover with their eyes.

To his shock and surprise, the girls didn’t look the slightest bit intimidated, disgusted, or upset; they were totally delighted and starry-eyed. When they finally noticed that Draco looked their way, they began cheering and shouting that they wanted to see more.

“Harry!” A new voice interrupted, and Draco shook his head to get rid of the utter disbelief, readjusting his grip on his bag. Women were perverts. He saw Remus Lupin coming towards them in long strides. Their former professor looked much better than the last time Draco had seen him; no longer was he the haggard, haunted individual he had been some years ago while fighting for the Order.

The Gryffindor laughed out loud and wrapped the werewolf in a tight hug when he reached them. “Remus,” he said enthusiastically. “It’s so good to see you. Why didn’t you tell me that you’re teaching again?”

“Well, how could I, if you never show up anymore?” Remus answered good-naturedly, but Draco could hear the slightly concerned undertone. The professor let go of Harry and turned warm brown eyes to Draco.

“Professor,” Draco greeted him politely, offering his hand.

“Oh, that time’s over, Draco; call me Remus.” Draco nodded. “Besides,” he added. “It’s absurd if the lover of my son’s godfather calls me Professor, don’t you think?”

“Remus!” Harry cried out, shocked, while Draco tried to hide the embarrassment written all over his face. “How did you know?”

Remus chuckled. “Oh, Harry, will you never learn? I can smell you all over him.” That made Harry blush as well.

“And,” Remus added with an amused expression. “I saw that you gave the students quite a show here.”

“Oh…you…saw that…” Draco managed to choke out while Harry gave a whine of protest in his throat.

“Alright, alright,” the professor clapped the Slytherin on the shoulder. “Come on, I’ll show you around a bit and show you your rooms—no, singular: room; sorry.”

“You can stop with the jibes now,” Harry said with a sigh and tried to covertly take Draco’s hand, following Remus.

“You actually have perfect timing because I am on break at the moment. I have one class in a bit, but afterwards, I thought I could take you to the forest,” Remus said over his shoulder, threading easily through the mass of students, greeting some off and on. He seemed, like back in Hogwarts, rather popular with the students.

“Why would we need a room?” Harry asked while he gazed at the University grounds. He wondered briefly if there existed something like a stereotype for educational institutions of witchcraft and wizardry, because Hern… Herp… Herm… gah, he needed to ask Draco about the name once again… the main building just inside the varsity gates looked almost like Hogwarts, only perhaps a bit smaller: an old castle with a multitude of towers, turrets and windows.

“Well, it’s highly unlikely that Thomas will allow you to stay overnight in his community, let alone give you his blood at the first afternoon you’re visiting. Unless…” Remus stopped in front of the ‘Hogwarts-esque’ building Harry had been admiring and turned to face the two boys. “Unless, he takes a liking to one of you, and the one agrees to stay with Thomas.”

Draco snorted and shook his head. “No offence, sir, but I don’t think I want to live in a community consisting solely of werewolves.”

“Oh, thanks a lot! And here I thought you wouldn’t want to go because of me,” Harry rolled his eyes and looked away from Draco but didn’t let go of his hand. The blonde didn’t even bother with an answer, simply pulling the sulking Golden Boy through the double doors that Remus just had opened, making sure that their arms brushed against one another.

Draco listened intently to the professor’s explanations of how the life at the University was, where the different classes were held, and what research they did and so on. It hurt a bit, he admitted mentally, to be so close to something he had wanted really badly a while ago and never gotten a chance to follow up on.

They went up staircase after staircase, and Harry could see the curious looks he and Draco got from some students who stood in the halls. He could hear them speaking frantically after the trio passed by, but he didn’t understand one word of what they were saying.

“Hey, Remus, how do you communicate with the students?” Harry asked, still looking around and noticing for the first time the look on Draco’s face. He nudged the blonde questioningly and got no response. “Are they required to be able to speak English?”

“Oh, no, of course not,” the professor said calmly when he left the staircases and turned left into a hallway. The hallway was free of anyone else, and their steps echoed along the stone floor in a familiar way. “The school’s motto is ‘Culture is freedom’. When it was founded, one of the premises was that the students should retain their own culture, including the language in which they communicate most comfortably. I teach them in English, but there is very powerful magic here that allows them to hear and understand me in German, French, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch, or whatever their mother tongue happens to be.”

The professor opened the last door at the end of the hallway, revealing a small, cozy guest room. The fire in the fireplace flared up when Remus cast Incendio and tinged the room in a warm, red hue. “I know it’s not much, but this is one of the usual rooms for University guests. It’s generally meant for one person, but…”

“It’s perfectly fine, Remus, really,” Harry hastened to reassure his friend, casting a concerned glance at his distracted lover. “We don’t intend to stay long anyway; we’ll just Transfigure the bed into a bigger one, right, Draco?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah, sure…”

“Okay,” the werewolf said slowly and exchanged a meaningful look with Harry. “I’m afraid I must get back to my office to pick up my materials before class. If you get hungry, there is a large cafeteria on the ground floor of this building, though between you and me, you’re taking your life into your hands to eat there. There is a small café in the performing arts building, which is just south of this one. It’s quite a popular student hangout, so just ask anyone to point it out to you. I will be finished by four fifteen this afternoon, so why don’t I meet you back here at the front door of this building then?”

Harry nodded and hugged Remus in parting. He closed the door after the professor and cast Locking and Silencing Charms on the door so that he would be undisturbed with his lover. He dropped his backpack on the floor, noticing that Draco had already set his bag down beside the bed. Harry pocketed his wand and wrapped his arms around the blonde, inhaling the familiar scent that was uniquely Draco. Draco’s arms wrapped tentatively around his waist, and he gave a sad smile when the pale face pressed against his neck, trying to snuggle as close as possible.

“I know this might come out the wrong way,” Harry whispered, his mouth close to Draco’s ear and he planted a small kiss on the side of Draco’s neck. “But I’m actually grateful you never went to this University.”

“Oh, really? And why would that be?” Draco’s voice was muffled, but Harry detected a hint of sneer, as he knew there would be.

“Because we never would’ve worked together otherwise,” Harry said simply, placing gentle kisses along Draco’s jaw line. “And I couldn’t touch you…” His hands travelled along Draco’s spine down to the two firm, round globes and squeezed. “Or fuck you…” He pulled Draco’s pelvis flush against his, eliciting a lusty groan. “Or kiss you.” Harry’s lips finally descended on Draco’s.

“In that order?” The blonde murmured, feeling the corners of his mouth turn up at the implications.

“Generally, yes,” Harry snickered, feeling Draco’s fingers come alive on his hips, caressing around to Harry’s buttocks in return.

“Mmmm, no complaints here,” Draco replied, his slight depression and regret dissipating instantly as they touched each other more fervently.

“So…we don’t have as much of a time constraint as the last time,” Harry pointed out, and Draco’s brow furrowed as he kissed his lover again, trying to think, but Merlin, was it hard when he was attached at the lips!

“No, we don’t,” the Slytherin agreed, wondering where Harry was going with this.

“Are you in the mood to learn something new?” Harry asked carefully, hoping that he wouldn’t say something wrong and cause Draco to clam up. “We ARE at an institute of learning, after all.”

“You want to teach me my ABC’s?” Draco nipped playfully at Harry’s jaw line.

“Only if it stands for A Big Cock,” Harry replied, finally brushing his hand over the neglected bulge in the front of Draco’s pants.

“I think my zipper needs examining,” the blonde gasped, his grey eyes darkening as Harry sank slowly to his knees, rubbing down Draco’s body the entire way.

“XYZ, very impressive,” Harry popped the button on Draco’s trousers and dragged the zip down at a maddeningly slow pace. “And…so is this,” he smiled, taking the waistband of Draco’s underwear down and allowing the pale wand of flesh to spring forth right in front of his face.

“Ahhhh, Har-ry!” Draco moaned the two syllables throatily as the black haired boy’s lips closed over the head of his cock. His hands flew to his shirt, letting the garment flutter to the floor as he tried to push his pants down farther without upsetting the enthusiastic blow job he was receiving. Once he was as naked as he could get, Draco’s hands twined into Harry’s black tangle, trying to keep from thrusting down the Gryffindor’s throat.

Harry listened for the sounds that signalled when Draco had gone from mere arousal to ‘climax-building’, and when he heard the tell-tale groan, he pulled back, eyeing the spit-slicked cock in front of him.

“I want you inside of me this time,” Harry said softly, in response to Draco’s anguished look of protest at the loss of suction. “Is that okay with you?”

“Brilliant,” Draco breathed, feeling nervous but excited butterflies take over his stomach. Harry kept constant eye contact, backing away from Draco and standing. The blonde’s air caught in his throat as he watched his lover strip, and then they laid down on the bed, twining together, just enjoying the other’s nakedness.

“Okay, just say when you’re ready,” Harry whispered in between kisses as their hard bodies rubbed against each other. “No hurry, though.”

“Okay,” Draco’s heart sped up. “I’m ready.”

“First, get the lube out of the small pocket in my backpack,” Harry instructed, and Draco pulled a face, sticking his tongue out as he climbed out of bed and padded across the room, trying to be quick about it.

“Of course, you drop your things in the furthest location possible from the bed,” the blonde complained, finding the tube and returning. He knelt on the bed, shaking slightly with anticipation as he watched Harry roll onto his back and pull his knees up, opening himself.

“Now, spread some on your fingers and insert them carefully,” Harry gave his lover a smile, trying to put the obviously-nervous Slytherin at ease. Draco concentrated on making smooth movements as he pressed slick fingers to Harry’s entrance, hesitating. “Go on, love,” the black haired boy nodded encouragement. “Just go slow.”

Draco bit his lip as the tips of his fingers breached Harry, and he paused, watching in fascination as the Gryffindor’s face contorted, and he let out a long sigh. The blonde pushed in a bit more, feeling the tight heat, and kept a close eye on his lover, lest Harry’s facial expression turn to one of pain as Draco pushed steadily until his first two fingers were buried solidly in Harry.

“Oh, god,” Harry moaned, arching his back. “It’s been so long…that feels fucking great, Draco. Now, move them in and ou-UT! YES! JUST like that! Oh, god! Oh, fuck! And you can spread them apart like scissors…mmmm, yeah, that’s nice.”

The Slytherin tried to hide his frown at Harry’s unintentional reference to his former lover. He concentrated on Harry’s sounds and which movements produced what sounds, determined to overwrite any other sexual encounter the Gryffindor had ever had.

“Okay, okay, okay, Ohhhh, okay, Draco, stop,” Harry whimpered, and Draco froze. “No, no, you’re fine; you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just that…so close…” Harry hastened to reassure his lover while he tried to force his orgasm back. He didn’t want to finish just yet, but Draco had instinctively hit all the right spots, reducing Harry to a puddle of goo much faster than the more experienced boy had anticipated.

“Okay, now I’m going to turn over like this,” Harry carefully pulled himself off of Draco’s fingers, put his legs down, and flipped over, bearing his backside to the blonde. “This is the easiest position for a first top,” he said over his shoulder, and Draco had to swallow hard.

He prayed that he wouldn’t shoot his load before ever entering Harry, but the Gryffindor obviously had no idea what kind of amazingly sensual visual he was right then, his round little bottom pushed out right in front of Draco, his back arched as he glanced over his shoulder. With a little bit of innocence in those emerald eyes and a slight pout, Draco was sure he wouldn’t be able to resist the ‘horny virgin’ vibe Harry would give off, and he made a mental note to request that…later.

He tried to force the naughty thoughts out of his head and concentrate on the instructions Harry was giving him.

“Now you’re going to slick your own cock,” Harry licked his lips, his mouth suddenly dry in anticipation. “Put the tip right up against my hole and…push. Don’t stop until you’re all the way in or else…”

“Or else what?” Draco asked absently, shuddering as his hand slid smoothly over his length. He whimpered when Harry drew up farther onto his knees, practically shoving his backside against Draco’s groin. He parted the delectable cheeks and lined up the head of his cock with Harry’s rosebud. Draco took a deep breath and began to push.

The head of his cock slowly invaded his lover’s hole, and Draco forgot how to think and breathe. The sensations were overwhelming as his dick went from being totally exposed to buried to the hilt inside Harry. He put his hands on the small of Harry’s back, cursing unintelligibly as he convulsed. White-hot waves of pleasure coursed through him, and Draco cried out, accidentally cumming in Harry’s arse without any actual thrusting.

“Or else it’s over before it begins,” Harry chuckled, loving the feel of Draco above and inside him. He honestly didn’t care that Draco had just climaxed; his own orgasm was meaningless in the face of Draco’s pleasure, and Harry got satisfaction from Draco getting off. As soon as Draco had paused with only the head of his cock in Harry’s arse, Harry had known what the blonde was fighting and had impaled himself the rest of the way. “God, you’re so hot, Draco. You know that, right? You’re fucking beautiful.”

“Harry, I’m sorry,” Draco whispered, feeling a grain of guilt thread through him for finishing so quickly. “I didn’t mean—”

“Stop right there,” Harry’s voice was low but commanding. He somehow managed to rise up onto his knees without separating himself from Draco, twisting his upper body around a bit to be able to cut the blonde off in mid-sentence with a finger to his lips. “You did absolutely nothing wrong. It’s fine, Draco. All I want is your pleasure, okay? We have all the time in the world to practice, and this was perfect just the way it happened.”

Draco nodded, a lump forming in his throat as he leaned forward and kissed Harry, wrapping his arms around the strong torso. He broke the kiss, turning his lover to face him completely, his spent cock sliding out of Harry’s arse with a wet ‘pop’. He pushed Harry back against the bed, smiling wickedly as he made a big show of licking his lips. Draco gave no pretence of what he wanted, going straight for Harry’s groin and taking his lover’s entire length in his mouth and down his throat.

“Ahhhh! Of course, that works too!” Harry exclaimed, his hands petting the fine blonde hair.

“Good,” Draco mumbled. “I’d hate to think we came all the way here for me to fail my first lesson.”

“No, not failed,” Harry gasped. “Definitely not failed. University says you pass with flying—oh god!—colors.”

“What university, Harry?” Draco let his mouth release Harry with an audible slurp, making the Gryffindor groan. He cocked his head, looking up at the writhing boy.

“Hermen—what-the-fuck-ever-just-suck-me,” Harry tried to recall the long word, failed, and the first thing that came to his mind fell out of his mouth.

“Incorrect,” the blonde said, nipping gently at the head of Harry’s dick. “It’s Hermunduren.”

“That’s what I said,” Harry panted. “Herm-whatever.”

“Nuh-uh, Her-mun-du-ren. Repeat it,” Draco murmured, giving a long, slow lick up the underside of Harry’s shaft, ignoring the thrusts of Harry’s hips that tried to get him to pay more attention to Harry’s cock.

“Dra—”

“Not until you repeat it, lover. Her—” Draco said, drawing the tip of his tongue up the ‘V’ from between Harry’s legs to his hipbone.

“Her—” Occupied as his mind was, the Boy Who Lived quickly figured out that his manhood wouldn’t get any more attention until he played Draco’s sadistic and completely unfair little game.

“Mun—” Draco continued, planting soft kisses across Harry’s lower abdomen to his other hipbone, smiling against the tanned skin as the Gryffindor squirmed at the ticklish sensations.

“Mun—” Harry repeated, and Draco began the slow descent back to Harry’s groin.

“Du-ren—”

“Du-r-ren—” Harry stuttered and was rewarded with another deep throat.

“And now the whole word,” the blonde instructed, pulling his mouth away long enough to give Harry an angelic smile and then go back to work, head bobbing.

“Her-mun… Hermun-du-ren,” Harry managed, feeling his climax burning inside him. Draco increased the pace and speed, mouth and hand working Harry over in tandem as his other hand slid lower to fondle the Gryffindor’s balls. “D-Draco! Close…can’t hold…Draco!” The black haired boy tried to gasp out a warning and ended up howling as he went over the edge unexpectedly, warm ejaculate filling Draco’s mouth. The blonde milked him dry, and then sat back, making a big show of swallowing.

“See, wasn’t that hard, was it?” Draco teased, chuckling.

“You evil little bugger,” Harry was impressed with his ability to hiss, considering it felt like his guts had exploded.

“And yet…you love me,” Draco smirked, and Harry nodded tiredly, pulling the blonde down on top of him. Draco went uncomfortably stiff for a second before relaxing into his lover’s embrace.

“That I do,” the Gryffindor whispered, sighing contentedly.

“And I l-love you too,” Draco said, barely audible, and it was Harry’s turn to freeze.

“Really?”

Draco nodded, and he could practically feel Harry’s body twitch with happiness as it radiated out of him.

“I love you too,” Harry said, squeezing Draco tighter. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could spoil this moment for Harry because Draco Malfoy, pureblood heir and Slytherin Prince, had just told him that he loved him!

They cuddled for a bit, basking in the joy of being together, and then Harry politely excused himself, heading for their private loo to relieve himself, even though most of Draco’s seed had already leaked out onto the bed sheets. When he got back to the room, Draco took a turn in the bathroom. Harry cast a Tempus charm, realizing that they were supposed to meet Remus in about half an hour. They got dressed leisurely, pausing every once in a while for lazy kisses. Harry was rather glad that the classes were several hours in length, even if he thought the Germans crazy for creating the schedule like that.

*

In spite of Remus’ expectations (of having to go upstairs and physically drag them out of bed—which he and his keen sniffer were NOT looking forward to), Harry and Draco were waiting at their appointed meeting place. They chatted about his class and how it went as they walked to the café that Remus had pointed out earlier, where they grabbed sandwiches to go.

The Thuringian Forest was a popular recreation area for wizards and Muggles alike, though the German Ministry of Magic worked hard to keep the two groups in different locations within the national park. Following Remus, they walked from the varsity campus to downtown Gotha, where the Hermunduren station was. They took the wizarding rail to Eisenach and changed lines. Robert Thomas, being the wealthy, somewhat reclusive leader of his organization, had added a private rail line from his community, in the hill above the town, to the nearest station in Eisenach.

The three of them chitchatted all the way to the only rail stop, which was Wartburg Castle. It had been a Muggle tourist attraction until Thomas converted it into the site for his pacifist community, obtaining permission for a Muggle-Repelling Charm that made it seem like the castle had burned, with only charred portions remaining. Remus had told the two boys as much as he could about Thomas, trying to give them ideas on potential gifts for the albino werewolf.

They were met at the platform by a young woman with long blonde hair and vibrant blue eyes. Draco recognized her instantly, and Harry blinked at her height.

“Miss Thomas, I presume,” the blonde accepted her offered handshake and turned her hand, brushing his lips across the back of her knuckles. Harry frowned, noticing the light pink blush that tinged her cheeks. Remus, who already knew her, gave the standard Continent greeting: cheek kisses.

“You presume correctly,” Emily Thomas was impressed with her brother’s visitors.

“May I present my partner—the Boy-Who-Lived and Vanquisher of the Dark Lord, Harry Potter,” Draco choked on the word ‘partner’ when the several different meanings flashed through his mind. Their hostess pretended not to notice, smiling politely as Harry followed Draco’s lead, kissing the back of her hand as well, though with less grace.

“Welcome, Mister Potter,” she murmured. “As one who was often mistaken for a follower of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, I would like to offer my gratitude for your services on behalf of myself, my brother, and our little slice of paradise here.”

“No thanks necessary,” Harry said awkwardly, shooting a glare at his lover for putting such an unnecessary spin on the introduction. “Just call me Harry.”

“As you wish,” the young woman nodded to him and turned back to Draco, giving the blonde a broad smile. “How interesting of you to introduce your compatriot before yourself.”

“I am Draco Malfoy,” the blonde squared his shoulders and lifted his chin as if daring her to comment.

“Son of Lucius Malfoy?” Her eyes widened, and Draco blinked.

“I am,” he said. “I was—I am.” Draco hadn’t expected her to know his family (other than perhaps his surname as a Death Eater) and thus he tripped over his words. “How do you know my father?”

“Your father was once a business acquaintance of my brother’s,” Emily took Draco’s arm and led them out of the station toward the castle. Several people were gathered outside and stepped forward to take their bags, following the guests silently. Harry was reluctant to let go of his bag, only doing so after confirmation from Remus. The Gryffindors fell into step behind Draco and Emily, whose head was bent towards the Slytherin’s in private conversation. Harry huffed, and Remus gave him a sympathetic pat on the back.

“I was very displeased to hear about his imprisonment,” Emily said sadly, sympathy abundant in her eyes. Draco flinched but maintained a stoic expression.

“It was a difficult time for all involved,” he replied stiffly, sensing that his lover was upset and guessing that it was because Emily was choosing to pay attention exclusively to him.

“Your father is such a generous man,” she continued, waving her hand at their surroundings. “He spent so much time with my brother, teaching him about the business side of the endeavours Robbie wanted to undertake. He even offered to support the beginning of the community financially, but my brother is wealthy in his own right.”

“Yes, my father, generous,” Draco tried not to let his surprise show. The man Emily talked about was most definitely NOT the man Draco knew. He fell silent, letting the young woman continue on about how they had started WEAPON with Lucius’ advisement. According to Emily, when the Dark Lord rose the first time, Lucius joined, which didn’t sit well with her brother—a pacifist—and that was the end of their association.

*

There were people milling all around; the werewolves that lived there, Harry figured, and most of them were friendly enough to smile at him. Remus, it seemed, was known, though he also got disdainful glances as their guide led them through the castle’s grand corridors and rooms. True to Ollivander’s words, the décor was absolutely gorgeous, and Harry couldn’t help exclaiming over several things along the way. Draco was just as impressed but better at keeping it quiet.

Remus had warned them on the train about the way he would most likely be treated, so Harry was prepared. The university professor was accepted as one of their own because he was a werewolf, but because he elected to remain outside the community, he wasn’t trusted fully.

“Mister Thomas has been informed of your arrival and is expecting you,” a boy with silver hair and pink eyes several years younger than either Harry or Draco appeared as if out of nowhere when Emily paused in front of a closed set of ornate mahogany doors.

“I’m afraid I have other business to attend to,” Emily sounded regretful as she turned to Draco and took his hands. “I shall see you later, though.” Impulsively she leaned in and gave the blonde the standard cheek kisses, and Harry inadvertently growled. Remus shot him a warning look, placing a restraining hand on his arm.

The young woman walked away, casting glances over her shoulder as Harry glared daggers at her, stepping up beside his lover.

“Go ahead in,” the boy gestured, dutifully ignoring the potential danger brewing, and the doors opened magically. Remus took the lead; Harry leaned in towards Draco.

“He has CHILDREN working for him?” The Golden Boy hissed, his temper rising. He had trouble accepting the fact that the participants in this community were voluntary, especially since he still considered it ‘brainwashing’. The knowledge of a minor being in the employ of the leader of the pacifist nation made Harry doubt how morally-upstanding this Thomas bloke really was. Not to mention the fact that the man’s sister had flirted with his boyfriend!

“Mister Lupin, I am pleased to have you back with us, as always,” a smooth voice purred as they walked in, cutting off any response Draco might have made. “Mister Potter, Mister Malfoy, we have not met yet, but Mister Ollivander was quite insistent that I see the two of you.”

“Hello again, Mister Thomas,” Remus paused in front of a large desk, nodding his head. The desk was easily twice the size of Dumbledore’s from Hogwarts, and the chair had the highest and widest back either of them had ever seen. It was obvious that the person sitting in it was their host, but Draco raised his eyebrow at the fact that he had addressed them with his back turned. In pureblood circles, that was a sign of incredible wealth, power, or arrogance that only a handful could get away with.

“Harry, Draco, this is Robert Thomas.”

The chair spun to face them.

*

Author's note--Forgive? (Hope so!) Also, quick mention that the places named in Germany (except for Hermunduren University) are real. The forest, the basin, and the towns are all real places. Hermunduren was made up by ZooArmy. Also, Wartburg Castle really is a tourist site, and it has NOT burned down or anything like that (that was just the charm Thomas put on it...)

Thank you for reading, and THANK YOU for all of the reviews!!! Especially those who reviewed to correct me on which year Lupin taught...THANK YOU! (What was I thinking?) I appreciate you keeping me on target! It's fixed now, for anyone who cares...

And let me just reiterate that we are going to try desperately hard to get back to the one-to-two week deadline with the chapters! Thanks for sticking with us, though!

~Graballz