Inside Your Mind

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any or the characters. They are all J.K. Rowling’s brilliance…you know what I wonder sometimes? What would J.K.R. do if she knew what we’ve done to her characters in fanfiction…it always amuses me to think about how much we screw with things lol.

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Chapter Fifteen – The Good and The Bad

As the night went on, the four that remained in the living room talked and were awake well into the early hours of the morning. Thankfully, the next day was Saturday, so they didn’t have to worry about classes. At about one o’clock am, Draco decided that they needed sugar, so he reached for his wand and conjured two containers of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. He directed one to the other couple, along with two spoons, while keeping one for himself and his boyfriend.

“You can conjure??” Hermione exclaimed incredulously.

“You can conjure ice cream??” Harry said, even more incredulously, his emerald eyes shining with amusement.

Looking up from the container he had already opened, the blonde shrugged before replying, “Muggles should be praised for thinking to put cookie dough in ice cream.”

“Can I have a piece of parchment? I think we need to mark the date and time that Draco Malfoy said something good about muggles.” Hermione remarked sarcastically.

“I could go back to calling you Mudblood, if you wish.”

Hermione’s eyes narrowed. “I could go back to punching you in the face, if you wish.”

Silence ensued for a moment as the tension of their old rivalries surfaced. However, to Harry’s relief, the blonde simply laughed and replied, “Touché,” before returning his attention to his ice cream.

The brunette grinned at having held her own before opening the container resting on the part of Ron’s lap that she wasn’t settled in. Taking a bite, she closed her eyes and sighed. “It really is a great invention.”

Following her lead, Ron reached dug in for a spoonful while looking almost gleeful. “I will always remember that the first thing I ever saw Malfoy conjure was ice cream.” Abruptly, the ice cream was pushed out of his reach before he could get that first awaited bite. He turned to see his girlfriend holding the container out to her left, and tried to get it back. Holding it just out of range of his attempts, Hermione said, “I’m going to hold it out here until you can manage to not insult Draco.” He turned to the mentioned Slytherin and Harry, but they were too busy shaking with suppressed laughter to offer any help.

“But you just threatened to punch him!”

“And he threatened to call me Mudblood. I was provoked.”

Dropping back into his seat, the redhead grumbled, “I hate it when smart people make up rules.” Hermione smiled proudly before handing the ice cream to her boyfriend, who took a huge spoonful and shoved it in his mouth, sulking all the while.

“Weasley, Granger and I were bantering. I don’t believe you’re intelligent enough to do that.”

Harry shot him a look that clearly said, “Why must you be so unnecessarily arrogant?” while Hermione glared at him as well. “Just because I don’t want Ron to insult you doesn’t mean I don’t know a few curses I’ve been absolutely dying to try out.”

Backing down, Draco muttered :She’s fucking controlling for a Gryffindor.: Harry laughed aloud at this, and Hermione glanced at him. “Did he say something about me?” she demanded. The Gryffindor shook his head quickly, still laughing.

They were all silent for a little, wanting to enjoy their ice cream and give Hermione time to calm down. Suddenly, Harry said, :I always wondered why people associated eating ice cream with sex.:

Draco sat up abruptly, almost choking on his ice cream, all parts of him alert instantly.

:What do you mean?: His voice was slightly rough.

:We’re all sitting here, eyes closed, enjoying ourselves completely. Every once in a while, one of us sighs or moans softly at the pure pleasure of eating something so good. And in order to eat ice cream, you have to lick something…: His green eyes smoldered and he trailed off for a moment. :Let’s just say it gives a person ideas...:

Silver eyes now wide, the blonde sat completely still as Harry went on. :The way you moan while eating ice cream reminds me very much of the way you moan when you do other things…:

:Potter…if you don’t stop I’m going to be forced to attack you.: Harry smirked as he noticed the blonde’s carefully controlled breathing and the way his hands were gripping the couch in an attempt to restrain himself. Actually eating ice cream was now clearly the last thing Draco was concerned with. He sent his boyfriend a wave of his overwhelming desire, accompanied by a picture of what thoughts were running through his mind as a result of Harry’s teasing and a molten gaze filled with so much lust that it made the other shiver.

It was Harry’s turn to grip an arm of the couch to calm, and he was not as good at controlling his very heavy breathing as Draco was. In fact, he was so bad at it that Ron and Hermione noticed. It only took one look at the other pair for Ron to gasp and say accusingly, “You two are thinking about sex!” while Hermione stared at the flushed pair in admiration.

The two in question, however, were too busy staring at each other and actually thinking about sex to be embarrassed about thinking about sex, a fact that was still blatantly obvious.

Blaise and Seamus chose this moment to emerge from Harry’s room, a full three hours after they had abandoned the other four in favor of each other. Ron immediately switched his attention to them, seeming grateful that he had a reason to stop unwillingly picturing what Harry and Draco were thinking about.

“So, three hours! That’s a long time …” He trailed off in defeat as he noticed that both Blaise’s dark stare and Seamus’s bright one were glued to the pair on the couch, along with his girlfriend’s, whose brown eyes hadn’t budged since Ron had pointed out the situation. The two were now only centimeters apart, and Ron knew that the minute their lips touched, there would be no turning back. As much as he didn’t like thinking about, he saw clearly that Harry and Draco were very much attracted to each other. So, he blurted out the first thing that ran through his mind.

“Harry, I think you should clean your sheets. I mean, first me and Mione, and then Blaise and Seamus…they were in there for three hours. Merlin knows what they were doing for so long.” He was very grateful when these words managed to pull his best friend’s gaze away from that of the Slytherin’s, and even more grateful when he saw Harry grimace and pull away slightly.

“Damn you, Weasley!” Blaise exclaimed. “Another minute with that stare and they would have forgotten we were here, and we would have had a free and very enjoyable show.” Seamus glared at Ron as well, apparently having given up on pretending to be bothered by Blaise’s appreciation of Harry and Draco and admitted that he shared the admiration. Even Hermione sent him a look.

While the disappointed three were glaring, Draco had managed to regain his composure slightly. “Weasley, there’s no way I’m going to let you make my boyfriend forget just how much he wants me, because there is rarely a time when stares like that don’t result in very good sex,” he stated bluntly, clearly irritated. Adopting his Malfoy politeness for an instant, he continued, “So, if you could please leave us alone, I would highly appreciate it.” His glare left no room for argument, although three out of the four were very reluctant to leave. When they were finally gone, Draco carefully slid the portrait shut before returning the couch and kissing Harry full on the mouth.

That was all it took. In less than a minute, they somehow managed to return to Draco’s room and remove all their clothing. Falling onto the bed, Draco managed to pull away from his boyfriend long enough to gain the upper hand, and he began kissing down the other’s body. When he reached the part of Harry that was begging most for attention, he smirked before saying, “Since we left the ice cream outside, I’ll have to practice licking something else.”

The last coherent thought that ran through Harry’s mind that night was How did I ever manage without Draco?

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The next morning, the beam of sunlight that shone through their wind awakened the sleeping pair. Harry grimaced at the brightness before asking aloud what time it was.

“Ten o’clock! And you still look exhausted…you must have stayed awake all night after you kicked us out.” This reply was delivered by Seamus’s familiar Irish voice, accompanied by the look of admiration that seemed to grace everyone but Ron’s face when Harry and Draco were either snogging or in bed lacking clothing. He was, of course, accompanied by Blaise, who was grinning as he surveyed the two. The Slytherin added, “Don’t feel like you’re in any rush to put on clothing. We don’t mind.”

The blonde sat up, glaring at the two before saying, “Blaise? Finnigan?”

“Yes?” they answered, sharing a look.

“Get out.”

“But-“

“Now.”

Sulking, they left Draco’s room. “Damn,” the blonde said suddenly. “Forgot to tell them to make sure your sheets were clean.”

Harry shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. We only need one bed, since I’m gonna be staying with you every night anyway.”

Malfoy raised a pale eyebrow. “You’re assuming?”

The other leaned forward suddenly and kissed Draco hard on the lips while letting his hand run roughly over Draco’s lower body. Within seconds, Draco was no longer coherent, and it was then that Harry chose to pull away.

Silver eyes flew open immediately. “Tease.”

The Gryffindor laughed. “Yes, I think it’s very safe to assume I’ll be here every night.”

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It took them an hour and a half to shower and get dressed; it turns out that putting two teenage guys with sex on the brain in a shower together caused some delays. After waking each other up properly (well, properly in their minds), they headed for the lake under Harry’s direction. The Gryffindors liked to spend time by the lake on the Saturdays when there were no trips to Hogsmeade, and this Saturday was no exception. It was a breathtakingly beautiful day. The sun reflected off of the lake in arcs and beams, almost as if someone were controlling the way they bounced. It was the kind of day where one could not imagine things not going their way.

Each person was lying with another. They were split up into couples, the comfortable heat of the early November sun making them curl up with their partner, each couple in their own little sunspot; Harry and Draco, Blaise and Seamus, Ron and Hermione, and even Ginny and Neville had joined them.

The youngest Weasley and her new boyfriend were staring at each other with such admiration and softness that Blaise felt compelled to take out his camera.

Five of the other seven looked at him with surprise. “I didn’t know you liked photography,” Harry commented.

“Well since we just became friends, I’m not surprised.” Blaise replied sensibly while focusing the lens on the love struck couple.

“Could you take a picture of me and Harry?” Draco requested suddenly, his voice not quite devoid of the worry he had managed to let go of the night before.

“Sure. Okay, so sit together and snog for the camera.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “You just said yes because you wanted us to kiss.”

“Hey,” Blaise protested. “You asked me to take the picture.”

Before the blonde could open his mouth to retort, Harry covered the other’s lips with his own. This kiss wasn’t lustful; instead, it was gentle, and expressed the love they had declared the night before. They didn’t even notice when the picture had been taken, their lips lingering on each other for minutes after. When they finally did pull apart, their eyes stayed locked.

The others were watching the two staring at each other, transfixed by the emotions that they managed to stir in each other with just a simple glance. It was Blaise who came out of the trance first, catching Harry and Draco’s attention by softly saying, “You two really love each other.” It was a statement, not a question, and it was also the first reference the dark Slytherin had made to their relationship that had nothing to do the physical aspect of it.

The two in question didn’t even break their stare as they nodded, which wasn’t even necessary, considering how obvious it was anyway.

“I know a time when that would have scared the hell out of you.” Blaise’s comment was said in a joking tone, but it was also as if he was trying to confirm that Draco wasn’t going to run away.

“It wasn’t that long ago, I know,” the blonde replied, looking away from Harry for the first time in minutes, and the Gryffindor’s expression now held a sliver of worry at Draco’s answer. Noticing this, the other turned back to Harry and said without a trace of uncertainty, “I would have to be crazy to run away now.”

Harry’s relief was interrupted by Hedwig, who landed on his shoulder and nipped at his ear for attention. When he pulled away from Draco to acknowledge her, she held out her leg to him, a piece of parchment attached to it. He removed it and unsealed it, reading it before handing it to Draco. Standing up, he reached down to help his boyfriend up, and explained before anyone asked. “It’s from Dumbledore. He wants Draco and me to go up to his office.”

Draco looked uncharacteristically unsure, and Harry squeezed his hand before leading the way away from their friends.

:You look worried.:

:I am.:

:We’ll be okay.:

At this, Draco stopped walking and looked Harry right in the eyes before capturing his lips in a deep kiss. There was a desperation in the blonde’s kiss that left Harry shaking. Before the other could turn away, Harry held his shoulders in place. :Draco, what’s wrong?:

:I have a feeling we’re about to get some very bad news.:

:Well, whatever it is, we’ll get through it together.:

:I hope so.:

The remainder of the walk to Dumbledore’s office was silent. Draco’s mind was occupied with his worries, and Harry’s mind was occupied with worries about Draco’s worries.

Finally reaching the entrance, Harry said the password and they continued until they saw Dumbledore waving them in.

Lucius was seated in a chair across from Dumbledore.

The blonde took one look at his father before dropping down into one of the two offered chair and saying, “It was Parkinson, wasn’t it.”

The elder Malfoy nodded mutely. Confused, Harry looked to Draco for confirmation. “Voldemort knows?”

“Not just yet,” Lucius answered. “I managed to convince Parkinson that luring you into a trap by using Draco’s feelings for you would be a better surprise for the Dark Lord than leaving him to do all the work. It would seem that Parkinson received quite an interesting letter from his daughter last night.”

“Jealous bitch,” Draco muttered. “What do we do now?”

Everyone was silent, unsure of how to act. What could one say? One stupid letter had just managed to make it dangerous for two people who had grown to need one another to love each other. Just then, Pansy came through the door.

Shooting up in his seat, the Slytherin shot Dumbledore a dark look and snapped, “Why is she here?”

Pansy collapsed down into a chair on the side of Draco that wasn’t already occupied, and immediately placed her face in her hands.

“Miss Parkinson.” Dumbledore said gently.

The girl looked up, and everyone got a look at just how much she knew she had fucked up. Her eyes were red and her face was pale, and she wore no makeup. She was obviously worn out, and Draco’s expression softened. It was only a fraction less harsh, but Pansy grabbed on to whatever she could.

“Draco, I am so sorry, I never meant to-“

“But you did.” Draco’s words were not said harshly, nor were they filled with the appropriate anger. He sounded deathly calm, empty, but his eyes stayed glued to her blue ones, letting her see the pain, betrayal, and fear that resided there.

Holding her in place with his piercing gaze, he continued, “You were on my side. You were annoying, but you were on my side. I knew you would not be anywhere near pleased with this, but I hoped you wouldn’t try to ruin my life.”

“I told Dumbledore right after I did it-”

“Your father still knows. Damn it, Pansy! Of all the revenge, did you have to do this?” The anger that he felt was finally showing on his face, and his silver eyes had darkened with rage, as well as with unwanted tears. Wisely remaining silent, Pansy seemed to shrink back in her chair.

Harry, who had been leaning against the wall, watching, now walked over to his boyfriend, and sunk into the chair with him, pulling him into a hug. Anger soon melted as Draco embraced his boyfriend and let his head fall against the other’s shoulder.

After a few minutes, Pansy tried again. “I am so unbelievably sorry.”

Draco said nothing, not even looking up at her. He just let Harry hold him, something Harry was more than willing to do.

Finally, the Gryffindor turned to Lucius and stared at him with sharp eyes. “What are you doing here? Are you really going to help us, or are you going to use everything you find out here to please Voldemort? Are you on our side or their side?” he asked directly.

Lucius sighed, and Harry realized he had never seen the man look worn out before. “I don’t know whose side I’m on, Potter. But I told you that I will do nothing that will harm Draco, and at the moment, that means keeping Parkinson from telling Voldemort, and keeping Voldemort from finding out that I already knew and killing me.”

“Lucius, Severus will give you some of the potions he uses to keep his lies secret around Voldemort. I have already informed him that you would be coming, so if you will just go down to the dungeons, he will be waiting.”

Wanting a way out of the tense situation, Lucius left quickly. Narrowing his eyes, Harry stated, “Is it safe for him to know everything? That Draco and Pansy support the Light? That Professor Snape is a spy?”

Headmaster Dumbledore sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, the only sign of uncertainty and tiredness he had ever shown, and even that was very rare. “I don’t know, Harry. But for now, we have to take the chance.”