Inamorato

A/N: YAY!!! Let's try flying with Harry's new wings! I'm scared...I don't know if I can do this well, or if it's going to be weird. Tell me if it sucks, so I can work on it again, okay? Enjoy! ~ FA

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Draco, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna, Pansy, and Blaise all sat down under a large willow tree (not the Whomping one, of course) near the lake. Harry charmed off his robe and flared his wings a few times, stretching them out. "Um..." He grinned sheepishly at everyone. "Anybody have any idea what I should do?"

"Well," Pansy said slowly, considering. "You should probably take a running-jump to get started. That's what a lot of birds do, anyway."

"Oh, and try not to flap too much, Harry, you'll just fall if you do." Ginny suggested helpfully, sounding a bit too cheerful for Harry's tastes. "Just do some slow, steady flapping to get up and then sort of let yourself glide once you're in the air. Only flap if you feel yourself start to dip lower."

Harry nodded and then frowned. "Um...do I flap like this...?" He flared his wings out wide and then moved his wings backwards, then forwards again, creating a large gust of air. "Does that seem right?"

They all sort of frowned and thought about it for a moment. "Well..." Neville said a bit uncertainly. "It certainly seemed like how owls flap their wings, if on a bit of a larger scale."

"Alright then. Here goes nothing." Harry took a deep breath. Oh Merlin, he was going to end up killing himself doing this, he just knew it.

Draco leaned back against the tree, watching as Harry spread his wings wide again and began to flap them. He took a few running steps and jumped up as high as he could, flapping his wings a bit faster. He winced as Harry fell and hit the ground, face-first. Ouch. That...could NOT have been pleasant. He watched as Harry, determined, tried again...and again...and again...and again...and finally, after watching the brunette fall about ten times, he intervened.

"Um, Harry...does this feel right to you?" He asked, moving to kneel beside Harry, who had pushed himself up onto his knees. "I mean, like the first time you climbed onto a broom, I saw it on your face. You looked like you knew exactly what you should be doing and it was just...instinct. Right?"

"Well, yeah, I guess." Harry frowned, his eyebrows drawn together as he thought about that day. "So you think I should do what? Just close my eyes and do whatever feels right?" He looked skeptical. "It sounds kind of hokey, Draco."

The blonde shrugged, getting to his feet; Harry did the same. "You don't have to." Draco said. "What you've been trying doesn't seem to be working, but if you enjoy falling on your face..." He trailed off, then shrugged again before turning around and walking back to the others. He leaned back against the tree, standing this time, and waited to see what Harry would do.

The brunette frowned, looking around intently. He strode purposefully away from them. After looking at each other briefly in confusion, their little group followed him. They watched curiously, still following, as he walked about halfway around the lake before stopping. He then began to climb up a very large rock that hung out over the lake. At the far end, it hung about 10 feet above the surface of the water. Once he was up on the tall rock, Harry kicked his shoes and socks off, dropping them down onto the grass. Then he magicked off his shirt, tossing it down beside his shoes and socks. He took a deep breath and turned to face the lake.

"Um, Harry, mate." Ron spoke up, looking worried. "Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, what if it doesn't work and you fall again?"

"Then I swim." Harry stated calmly.

He took another deep breath and ran, leaping off the far edge of the rock. For one long, heart-stopping moment, Harry began to fall. Then, he spread his wings wide and with every bit of strength he had, pushed the bottom tips down towards his toes. He arched his back as he did so, tipping his face up, and shot upwards. He spread his wings again, gliding for a moment, then pushed his wings down again, climbing higher into the sky. He did his best to steer, though figuring the "controls" out was a bit harder than getting into the air had been. Several times he dipped drastically close to the water in an attempt to turn one way or the other and he'd have to pull himself back up sharply so he wouldn't end up soaked and be forced to swim back to shore. He had a feeling his wings wouldn't work quite as well of they were wet.

After about twenty minutes of practicing, Harry felt his wings growing heavy. It was a strain to force them down with enough force to remain in the air, so he flew back to the others waiting on the shore. He let himself drift down gently, stumbling a bit as his feet hit the ground, his wings flapping noisily as he tried to steady himself. There was a long moment of silence, then his friends (and Draco's) burst into applause, cheering and congratulating him on a job well done, talking about how lovely he had looked soaring above the lake.

Draco merely smiled at him; a small, private smile just for Harry. "So..." He drawled smoothly. "What made you decide to stop? You weren't really up there for very long."

"Er..." Harry smiled sheepishly, his cheeks turning a dusky rose color. "I got tired. I guess it'll take some time to build up strength in my wings. Until then, I won't be able to stay in the air for very long." He stretched his wings out, wincing slightly as he did so. "I'm probably going to be a bit sore as it is. I should have stopped sooner."

"Was it quite lovely, flying?" Luna asked dreamily, staring at Harry with her wide eyes. "I mean, was it better than being on a broom or a Thestral?"

"Oh yeah." Harry stated. "Better than a Hippogriff, too."

"You've ridden on a Thestral?" Blaise demanded, moving closer. "Really? I can't even see them..."

Luna nodded. "Oh yes, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Neville, and I have all ridden on the Thestrals that live in the Dark Forest. They're quite magnificent, really. Harry, Neville, and I can see them, too. They're quite beautiful, though a bit unnerving."

Blaise stared at the waif-like blonde girl with something akin to interest on his face. "Really? Do you think you could take me for a ride on one?"

"Certainly." Luna focused her eyes on the slender boy, silently admiring his dark skin and intense, black eyes. "Though not today. I've got to write to my father and see how his Wrackspurt research is coming." Blaise nodded, looking confused but wisely not questioning the girl further.

Harry yawned. "Merlin, I'm tired." He murmured, feeling his eyes suddenly grow heavy. He took a step and stumbled. Draco and Ron rushed forward to catch him, each one grabbing an arm and slinging it over their shoulders. "Why'm I s'tired all a sudden?" He yawned again, his eyes drifting closed without his permission.

"Must be the flying." Ron suggested, shaking Harry lightly. His green eyes opened about halfway and he blinked sleepily, his eyes unfocused. "We should get him to bed."

"Come on, Weasley." Draco said, starting forward. He and Ron headed towards the school (with the others following), practically carrying Harry between them. "Merlin, he's heavy for such a petite bloke, isn't he?" Draco puffed out, panting as they dragged Harry up the final staircase to their floor.

Ron nodded, nudging Harry awake again. Mostly dead weight was better then completely dead weight, anyway. "I reckon it's those wings of his." Ron said seriously. "All those feathers and stuff...it's got to add up. Probably why he's so tired...there's a lot of muscles that go into controlling something as large as his wings." When Draco looked at Ron over Harry's head, one eyebrow raised, Ron shrugged. "I was best friends with Hermione for six years."

"Ah." Draco replied. They stopped in front of the owl painting and Draco panted out, "Inamorato". The painting moved and Ron and Draco mostly-carried the once-again unconscious Harry into the bedroom, then dropped him onto the huge bed. "I can take it from here, Weasley." Draco said calmly, sliding a hand underneath Harry's body to unfasten his pants. "You can go let the others in. If you're hungry, Pansy knows how to get food. I'll be out shortly."

Ron left without another word and Draco dragged Harry's pants down over his narrow hips, dropping them on the floor when they were fully removed. He then gently turned Harry's head so the smaller boy wasn't smothering himself in the mattress anymore. He ran his hand lightly down the gorgeous white wings, marveling at how sleek and smooth they were. He curiously studied Harry's wing joints, since the brunette was stubborn in his refusal to allow Draco to do so when he was awake. He ran a single finger lightly down the Gryffindor's spine, smiling as goosebumps appeared on the tanned skin. He moved the finger over the small, grayish feathers on his shoulder blades, marveling at how soft they were...like a little baby duck. Not that Draco Malfoy had ever petted a baby duck...but one could imagine how soft said baby duck would be. With a sigh, Draco leaned forward, placing a light kiss just between Harry's shoulder blades, on his spine.

"Sleep tight." He whispered before retreating silently out of the room.

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: What did you guys think? Did it suck? I hope not! Let me know! Also, leave your e-mail, as I alert people to my updates. I hope you enjoyed! Also, I don't have any more written, so I've got no idea when I'll be posting more. Sorry! I'll try to work on it soon, but I've got a job interview coming up, and then hopefully a new job so...sorry, the real world sucks, lol. ~ FA