Against His Nature

CHAPTER 20

“You shouldn’t smile as much Hermione, people will talk.” Harry cautiously glanced over his shoulder as he heard a small group of giggling first years come scampering past their table in the great hall. Hermione sighed almost wistfully her gaze firmly planted on the empty seats over at the Slytherin table.

“Why shouldn’t I smile Harry, I’m getting some.” Harry rolled his eyes as Ron let out a miserable groan beside him before dropping his head onto the table with a rather nasty bang. Hermione winced in sympathy but shrugged her shoulders when Harry glared at her for her insensitivity.

“That might be true Hermione but the rest of the school shouldn’t know about it.” Harry snapped as he lifted Ron’s head and dutifully placed a pile of napkins under his best friends forehead for comfort. “And neither do I have the stomach to picture such going’s on.” Harry shuddered as he watched Hermione’s gaze stray to the entrance, where Draco and his lap dogs had just walked in. “Will you concentrate on my problem for moment Hermione?” Harry snapped when it was clear Hermione couldn’t draw her gaze away from the blonde, who’d totally ignored her undoubtedly to preserve his reputation.

“Sorry Harry, what are you going to say to him?” Hermione reluctantly drew he gaze back to her best friend who was doing a fine job of tear a hole in his jumper as he fidgeted with the cuffs.

“I don’t know, I can’t believe he asked me in the first place it’s kind of weird considering we hate each other.” Harry grumbled beneath his breath as the great hall began to fill with more students coming in for dinner.

“Perhaps that’s why he’s going to suck you dry and get rid of you Harry.” Both Hermione and Harry turned to glare at Ron, whose contribution to the conversation was neither helpful nor inspiring.

“Ignore him Harry, Professor Snape wouldn’t dare harm you in anyway and I doubt he’d ask your permission to kill you.” Harry tutted loudly, the conversation having degenerated into talk of his abysmal demise, something that Harry had already visualized for himself. “Perhaps he genuinely needs your help. I don’t know too much about blood lust but I hear Vampire’s can go crazy if denied it for any extended period of time. I suppose he figures you can be trusted…”

“Or that you’d make a tasty meal…” Ron butted in abruptly earning himself a glare from Harry and a firm swat to the side of his head from Hermione.

“Oh shut up Ronald, just because your life is in the toilet at the moment.” Hermione snapped before turning back to Harry who was looking far less confident about the whole situation. “Maybe you should talk to him some more about what being a ‘donor’ involves, it might help your decision if you know what you’re in for….” Before Harry could reply a brown owl came screeching into great hall, it circled a few times before landing with an awful skid on the table in front of Ron. Ron barely sat up to take the message that was strapped to the owl’s leg. Hermione and Harry sat in silence for watching as Ron read his letter. A notable change occurred in Ron’s expression as he came to the end of his letter, a small smile twitching at the corners of his mouth in a very familiar Weasley way.

“Well don’t keep us in suspense Weasley, who’s it from?” Ron’s smile widened as he folded the letter and put it in his top pocket.

“It’s from Mum, she and Dad have arranged a friend for me.” With a grin befitting even that of his elder more mischievous twin brothers, Ron turned around on the bench and looked over to the Ravenclaw table. Both Harry and Hermione strained to see over the heads of the other students in the hall, to what had caught Ron’s attention. Ron waved politely at whom ever had caught his attention and both Harry and Hermione stared shocked as a pretty, petite young Ravenclaw waved back. In Harry’s opinion she was nothing special, she was attractive but plain with strawberry blonde hair and pretty blue eyes but none of her features could take away the obviousness of her breasts that were barely contained in her school blouse. It was hardly surprising Ron knew whom she was, and it was plainly obvious what had caught the Weasley’s full attention. A blush rose in the girl’s cheeks as she and her friends giggled together at Ron’s attention.

Hermione huffed with contempt and sat down with her arms folded across her chest. Having ogled the young Ravenclaw a little longer Harry too turned back to face Hermione across the table, a small smile of amusement tugging at the corner of his lips as he took in Hermione’s expression.

“How quickly I am forgotten for a pair of perky tits.” Harry raised a smooth eyebrow in Hermione’s direction, easily identifying bitterness in the girls tone but choosing not to comment upon it.

“Be fair Hermione you dumped him.” Harry watched as Hermione’s lips tightened in irritation as Ron got up from the table and moved over to join the Ravenclaw’s at their table. “Besides the Ministry have laid down the rules, time is of the essence or so we’re lead to believe.” Harry laughed and although Hermione smiled at the joke didn’t quite manage a laugh. With a shake of his head Harry turned his attention to the front of the great hall where Dumbledore was just rising to call attention in the hall for dinner. Harry’s gaze caught Snape’s completely by accident, and the boy felt his chest tighten slightly in worry. Snape would be expecting a reply sooner rather than later and Harry wasn’t inclined to say ‘No’ to a Vampire and a Death eater.

Harry was still caught in Snape’s gaze when he felt a hand come to rest on his shoulder. Spinning around Harry was surprised to find Professor McGonagall smiling down at him.

“The headmaster wishes to have a word with you in his office after tea Harry, the password is sugar snaps.” Harry nodded and watched as McGonagall joined her fellow co-workers at the top table. Dumbledore began with the usual notices, and Hermione leaned over to inquire after McGonagall’s message.

“What do you think he wants?” Hermione whispered. Harry sighed and shrugged his shoulders just as the meal appeared at the table and the usual chaos of dinner began in earnest.

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“Minister.” Harry stared at the bumbling little fat man across the room, barely concealing his disgust as he sat down beside Remus who was perched on the arm of a reclining chair. After dinner Harry had hurried up to the headmasters office and was quite surprised to have found several Auror’s, Remus and the Minister of Magic already in the room waiting for him.

“Harry my dear boy, enjoying school I hope?” Harry’s lip curled in mild irritation but the boy covered it with a weak smile having had Remus nudge him hard in the arm. After a brief but awkward pause Fudge continued. “Well I suppose we must get down to business. Something has come to our attention Mr. Potter, that is quite distressing.” Harry resisted the temptation to sigh and roll his eyes knowing damn well what the Minister of Magic was here for. “It appears you have broken of your arranged engagement with Miss Weasley, and have made no intentions to re-establish a relationship with anyone else.” Fudge paused and waited for Harry to reply.

“If you mean I dumped her, then yes I did.” Harry took amusement in watching the Minister of Magic get slightly flustered at his uncaring tone of voice.

“You are aware Harry, that just because you are famous you are not excluded from the ‘heritage laws’ that had been re-established by the Ministry?” Fudge stared pointedly down his nose at Harry who had folded his arms angrily across his chest and was beginning to scowl. Dumbledore was strangely quiet in the corner no doubt having learnt his lesson previously about interfering in Harry’s life.

“Forgive me Minister Fudge.” Harry met Fudge’s stare straight on, a twitch of irritation catching the corner of his lips. “I thought I’d just fuck around for a while and see who I knocked up first.” There was a short gasp at Harry’s comment and Harry received a short slap on the back of his head from Remus who was horrified but not surprised by Harry’s reaction to the Ministers probing.

“You think this is a joke Mr. Potter? But if you are not formally linked to a witch within the next month we shall be forced to arrange an engagement for you.” Harry’s resolve was only strengthened by the threat and he stood up abruptly and stepped within the Ministers personal space.

“And what if I don’t like witches? What if I prefer cock?” Harry knew he was pushing the Ministers buttons and sure enough everyone stared at him in shock at his supposed outing. It was all crap but the satisfaction it gave Harry at seeing the expressions on their faces was certainly worth the lie.

“You’re not are you?” Remus was on his feet immediately his voice high pitched and bordering slightly on hysterical. It was at that moment however that the doors to Dumbledore’s office opened and a frustrated and rather angry Severus Snape came in.

“Sorry I’m late, potions don’t brew themselves you know.” Severus paused aware suddenly of the tension he’d just walked in on. “Did I interrupt something?” Severus looked towards Dumbledore who was purposefully keeping out of the conversation.

“No, No Severus, Harry was just discussing his choices in life.” Dumbledore glanced at Harry who shrugged his shoulders, still aware that Remus was waiting for an answer to his previous question.

“Well if his life is anything like mine, the choices are abysmal.” Snape strode over to the chair Harry had previously occupied beside Remus and sat down, leaving Harry to perch precariously on the arm of Remus’ chair. With the tension broken the Minister of Magic got stuck into his lecture, about responsibility and sacrifices for the war. Most of it was aimed at Harry and Severus but Harry’s attention was firmly rooted on Snape, whose bored expression didn’t falter once during Fudge’s entire diatribe.

When it was over, Harry left with Snape the elder wizard determined to see him to his dormitory so that the boy wouldn’t wander particularly after curfew. Remus had given Harry a looked that clearly indicated the previous conversation wasn’t over, but Harry ignored it. Perhaps if they thought he was queer they’d back off on the whole ‘reproduction’ thing. Harry stood silently beside Snape as the revolving staircase deposited them back into the quiet, torch lit corridors of the lower school.

“It’s humiliating being lectured about sex isn’t it Potter?” Harry fell into step beside Snape as the man glanced down at him sideways. Harry couldn’t tell what Snape’s expression was, the shadow of the torches hiding most of the man’s face.

“I wouldn’t know I’m not getting any, so that lot didn’t mean anything to me.” Snape smiled crookedly down at the boy and shook his head in silence. The boy had a Slytherin spirit if he was riled about something.

“Don’t worry Potter, not all of us are using this law for an excuse to fuck anything with legs.” Harry paused and stared up at Snape in shock hardly believing what Snape had just said. Snape rarely swore and never in front of students but the boy’s scent had lulled him into a false sense of calm and the word had just slipped out. Shock turned to amusement on Harry’s behalf and the boy let out a quiet bark of laughter at Snape’s expense. Snape begrudgingly allowed the boy the luxury of laughing at him without reprimand, taking the moment himself to stare at the flawless face of youth beside him. In silence Snape walked Harry to the fat lady’s portrait and paused against the railing as Harry whispered the password and stood in the doorway.

“I need to know Potter, have you thought anymore about my situation?” Harry sighed and nodded reluctantly. Snape raised an eyebrow expecting to hear further explanation.

“I want to know more about it before I make my decision though. Can we talk?” Snape nodded his lips tightening lightly in mild irritation. The boy had a brain after all, and despite his Gryfindor bravery was doing his research, something Snape didn’t really want him to do. The more Harry knew about what being a donor required the more reasons the boy would have not to go through with it.

“Of course,” Snape paused and began making his way back down the staircases heading towards his dungeons. “Come by my office tomorrow evening and we’ll discuss it over tea.” Harry nodded in agreement and watched until Snape had disappeared completely from view down the stairs. With a heavy sigh Harry turned and went into the common room, he was putting off the inevitable with Snape but at least he’d be prepared.

TBC>>>>