Patent Leather Mini Skirt

Author's note--Chapter 4 up and ready for your viewing pleasure! It picks up right where Chapter 3 left off, and I should warn you that it COULD be considered a bit of a cliff-hanger at the end of the chapter...hopefully not, for those of you who know me, but it MIGHT be...

Oh, and *cringe* more apologies if I cross the cheesy/campy/OOC line again with more Snorkack stuff...

Patent Leather Mini Skirt

“Did the mini skirt meet expectations?” Draco murmured, surprised but thoroughly enjoying the vertical cuddling he was receiving, even though Harry’s breath ghosting over his skin was tickling. He smiled when Harry nodded an enthusiastic ‘yes’ into the side of his neck.

“Met, exceeded, and excluded,” Harry responded. Draco’s head cocked quizzically. “Excluded anyone and everyone else, even if they try to wear the skirt. You’re the only one I want, Draco.”

A warm, fuzzy feeling spread through Draco’s soul, and he blushed as unexpected tears came to his eyes. He didn’t let them fall, though; instead, he turned his head and kissed Harry soundly on the mouth.

“I only want you too, you sappy Gryffindor,” he replied, voice slightly gruff, thick with emotion. “But I have to know, Harry…why orange? I understand if you’re color blind.” Harry’s eyebrows shot up behind his glasses, and he snorted.

“Color blind? Hardly,” he replied in an amused tone. He shrugged. “Why NOT orange?” Draco rolled his eyes, wondering if Harry had posed the very same question to Luna at some early point in their relationship and received the exact same question-response. While they talked, Harry let go of Draco and eased himself out from underneath the mini skirt, pulling his wand and mumbling a few Cleaning Charms for the both of them and the desk. He also cast a Dispelling Charm so that Draco wouldn’t have to worry about finding a restroom to relieve himself.

“Because there are other colors that I look much sexier in,” Draco said firmly, smoothing the orange abomination down over his hips and backside. He sighed with relief after he felt Harry’s magic wash over him, turning and sitting on the newly cleaned desk. Draco watched the black haired boy put himself back together, crossing his legs coyly, admiring the way the mini skirt and boots showed off his shapely legs.

“You look sexy in anything, I’d imagine,” Harry said, winking. “Or nothing at all.”

“Touché,” Draco responded, smirking. “So was it just a random choice?”

“You really have a problem with that color, don’t you?” Harry stood in front of Draco, running a hand over the blonde’s exposed knee. “It looked good with Ravenclaw blue. That’s the reason it was orange. We didn’t want it to be a particular House color, which eliminated red, blue, green, yellow, black, silver, and gold, so it was either orange or…or puce.” The Gryffindor tried to look haughty.

“Puce? Harry, do you even know what color puce is?” Draco tried to make his voice sound withering, but Harry’s imitation of Draco’s classic sneer and eyebrow made him giggle.

“No, but if you can make orange look that damn good, you can make anything sexy,” Harry replied warmly. Draco’s face broke into a genuine grin, and a pastel pink color crept into his cheeks. He tucked his chin, letting his blonde bangs shield him, his heart soaring at the compliment.

“I should go change,” he mumbled, sliding gracefully off of the table and trying to squeeze past Harry. He was caught up in the Gryffindor’s strong arms, and he resisted at first, finally giving in to the tanned hand that was gently prodding his chin. Draco looked up at Harry, his grey eyes shining with a vulnerable happiness that he tried not to show. Harry simply smiled and leaned in to kiss Draco sweetly on the lips.

“Will you be my Snorkack?” Harry sounded sincere enough, but he was having trouble keeping a straight face. The corners of his mouth kept turning up. Draco’s mouth dropped open, and he stared at Harry with a look of utter bewilderment on his face.

“Harry, you know I’m not Luna, right?” Draco’s weight centered on one foot, and his hip stuck out as he crossed his arms. “Because a line like that would ONLY work on Luna Lovegood.” Harry finally burst out laughing and nodded.

“I know. But it’s along the same lines that I was thinking,” Harry said cryptically, not expecting Draco to know what he was talking about. He had said it thinking it would be his own private joke. Draco stopped dead.

“Are you asking me what I think you’re asking me?” his voice got shriller and sounded almost panicky.

“Um, what do you think I’m asking you?” Harry sobered instantly.

“Snorkacks mate for life,” Draco said hesitantly, and Harry paled. “What are you asking me?”

“Oh…um…uh….wow…” Harry’s loss for words was less than eloquent. He was meaning that since Draco was dressed like Luna—in her clothes, no less—Harry used a pick-up line that, as Draco said, would ONLY work on Luna. It was quite apparent now, though, that Draco knew more about Snorkacks than Harry did…

“Can we try a second date first?” Draco guessed that, based on Harry’s reaction, he hadn’t meant it the way Draco took it, and the blonde tried to get out of the situation as gracefully as possible, especially since the Gryffindor couldn’t be counted on for a smooth sentence, or any sentence, really.

“Will you wear puce?” Harry smiled again, relief washing over him.

“Git,” Draco replied, looking around for something to throw at Harry. The only thing he could think of would be to use his (well, Luna’s) white boots, and he lifted an ankle, staring contemplatively before deciding that he really didn’t want to go through the trouble of getting the boot unzipped, especially considering that Luna had been the one to put them on him. The blonde settled for giving Harry a very mature middle-finger-salute before ducking out of the Potions classroom and heading back to Slytherin.

Harry, meanwhile, put himself back together quickly, glancing around at Snape’s old classroom. He definitely didn’t miss the way the greasy professor had singled him out and endeavored to make him feel stupid, but Harry ‘got something in his eye’ when he thought about all that Severus Snape had sacrificed for him, to make up for the former spy’s past mistakes. Swallowing around the lump in his throat, Harry hurried out to wait for Draco outside of the Slytherin common room, not noticing the shadow that slipped down the hall ahead of him.

Luckily, Draco didn’t take too long changing into casual (well, casual for a Malfoy) robes, and he smiled a real smile upon seeing his lover lounging against the wall, waiting. Harry’s head came up, and he pulled Draco into a hug, barely able to keep his hands off of that lithe body. Draco hugged him back but quickly, glancing around with an air of nervousness at being openly ‘intimate’ with Harry in Slytherin territory.

“It’s probably almost time for dinner,” Harry said as they started up the stairs. “Imagine what would happen if we walked in, hand-in-hand.”

“Everyone would go mental,” Draco replied, an impish impulse rising inside of him. He tried to squash it, but he caught the mischievous glint in Harry’s green eyes.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Harry had never been one to actively cause trouble (and he quite purposefully made himself not think about the time he and Ron flew Mr. Weasley’s car into the Whomping Willow), but the opportunity to announce how he felt about Draco was too irresistible to pass up.

“You’re joking, right?” Draco drawled aristocratically, raising an eyebrow. “You DO certainly know how to turn the spotlight on yourself.”

“I hate all of that,” Harry protested.

“And you think that announcing who you’re shagging will make that go away?”

“It’s none of their bloody business!”

“That won’t stop them from MAKING it their business,” Draco confirmed. “You’ve been the center of attention long enough, Potter; you should know this.”

“Unlike you, Malfoy, I can’t stand people staring at me,” Harry retorted, with only a hint of annoyance. He hated how Draco could make his last name sound like the sweetest nickname in the world in one breath and the bane of his existence in the next.

“And yet, you want me to wear puce,” Draco tried to hide his cheeky grin and failed. Harry snorted, breaking the slight tension between them. “Like THAT won’t cause people to stare!”

“Alright, alright, you win,” Harry acquiesced. “But we really SHOULD be getting to the Great Hall.”

“We’re here,” Draco stopped in front of the doors and gestured. Harry nodded.

“Okay, mum’s the word,” Harry said, touching Draco’s arm and leaning in for a quick peck on the cheek before they went their separate ways. Draco wasn’t expecting it, but he turned his head to say goodbye to Harry just in time for Harry’s lips to miss his cheek and land on his mouth. At the exact same moment, the doors to the Great Hall were pushed open, revealing the two former rivals locked at the lip.

Ginny Weasley stopped short, the blood draining from her face as she watched her ex-boyfriend and the Slytherin Prince pull away from each other, the two of them flushing mightily. She had managed to make it up the stairs from the dungeons before she was seen, she thought, and she had been headed back to Gryffindor Tower to make sure that her brother and Hermione were coming down to dinner.

Ginny had darted into the Great Hall and then realized her mistake, since she wasn’t in the mood to process the little scene in the dungeons in the presence of the entire school. She had been outside the Potions classroom the entire time and had a pretty good idea of what had happened inside, and it infuriated her. Coming face to face with what she was hoping to avoid was not helping her mood.

Most of the students were already gathered in the Great Hall, and there was a fast-rising silence as the entire population waited to see the fireworks. It was hard to tell what was more shocking: the fact that Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy had been KISSING or that they had been accidentally caught and subsequently ‘outed’ to the school as a whole by Harry’s quite bitter ex-girlfriend.

She reached into her robes. Both Draco and Harry automatically went for their wands as well out of self defense.

“So, you’ve moved on to the next blonde slut, I see,” Ginny said almost conversationally, except for that nasty hint of acidic spite in her tone. “Got tired of Luna and her precious orange skirt? Malfoy, I have to tell you…it made your butt look big.”

“Uncalled for, Ginny,” Harry said firmly, his eyes darting between her and Draco. He silently pleaded for Draco to hold his wand and his tongue and have patience.

“How would YOU know?” Draco snarled, but Ginny ignored him.

“Oh, I know more than you think,” she replied, and Draco snorted sarcastically. “Too bad it’ll only be a couple of weeks before you move on to someone else. Who’s next, Harry? A blonde Hufflepuff? I guess I should be glad that I got out when I did.”

“You mean the fact that you flew into a jealous rage at the thought of Harry even LOOKING at another girl—and one who is quite a bit more attractive, might I add—much less spending time with her JUST AS FRIENDS,” Draco snarked back, glaring at Ginny. “Isn’t it interesting how you ‘got out when you did’, and yet, you’re so bitter about the fact that Harry is now happily dating someone who isn’t you.”

“Draco,” Harry warned, but Ginny cut him off, advancing on the blonde.

“You shut your fucking mouth! You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Ginny screamed, dangerously close to crying.

“Oh, really?” Draco smiled sardonically, and Harry’s eyes widened in alarm. “I’m sorry to inform you that you’re not Harry’s ‘type’. That’s why you started talking shit about him: as revenge. I wish I could say that I hate to inform you, but that’s simply not true. I’m enjoying informing you that Harry is not yours; he never was, and he never will be.”

“He chose a Weasley over a Malfoy once,” Ginny raged. “He’ll do it again. You’re worthless, Malfoy.”

“We’ve made our peace,” Draco was unperturbed.

“You mean you took advantage of him with your overused ‘piece’ of ass in that hideous orange skirt,” she shot back. “No wonder everyone calls you the ‘Slytherin Slut’.”

“Ginny, that’s enough,” Harry stepped in between the two of them. She turned on her fellow Gryffindor.

“‘ENOUGH’?!” She hollered. “What about him? What the fuck is wrong with you, Harry? What’s the big deal about Malfoy?”

“I love him,” Harry said simply, and Ginny took a step back as if Harry had slapped her. There was a sharp intake of breath from the spectators.

“You…you can’t!” Ginny cried. “No! No! You don’t! It’s wrong! You can’t, you traitor!”

“You’re the one who blew the whole thing with Luna out of proportion,” Harry said. “And you’ve been nothing but a right cunt to her ever since. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you ignore her now, not to mention all of the nasty comments you make about Draco.”

Ginny looked as if she were about to explode when she suddenly deflated, burying her face in her hands and sobbed. Harry reared back, put off guard at her defenselessness, and concern crossed his face. Draco, however, narrowed his eyes as he studied the Weasley girl, his lip curling into a sneer again.

“Ginny?” Harry’s voice had gone soft and almost afraid-sounding. “I’m sorry, Ginny. Please don’t cry.” Harry went to put his hand on her shoulder, but Draco reached out like lightning and stopped his wrist, shooting him a ‘do it and you’re dead’ look that Harry bristled at. Draco shook his blonde head stubbornly, subtly trying to maneuver Harry out of reach of Ginny. She peeked through her fingers and then put her hand out, ignoring Draco completely as she focused on Harry.

“Harry,” she whimpered, trying to get Harry to take her hand. “I’m sorry, too.” Draco had to stop himself from saying something foul, but his head jerked around when he felt Harry hesitantly move beside him. He pinned Harry with his glare, trying to silently communicate that Harry shouldn’t get closer to her, but Harry simply glared back, stung that Draco’s jealousy would surface so extremely that he didn’t want Harry even near his ex-girlfriend.

Harry reached for Ginny’s hand and was caught completely off guard as Ginny brandished her wand in the other hand, pointed it straight at him, and hollered, “CRUCIO!” Draco had anticipated an underhanded trick on her part (as a Slytherin, Ginny had had no chance of hoping to hide it from him) and he shouldered Harry out of the way, accidentally stepping into the path of the spell himself, and his scream was practically inhuman as the pain ripped through his body, causing him to go as stiff as a board and crash to the floor. He was under the Unforgivable for maybe a matter of seconds until Ginny was grabbed and made to drop the spell. Harry was by his side, checking him for major injuries, one hand carefully caressing his cheek, while Ginny was restrained, her wand taken from her, and was marched out of sight by a furious Professor McGonagall.


Author's note--*sigh* I know...I was going to go for the black mini too...but then the plot bunnies dropped the orange in there, and I just couldn't let it go. And in this chapter, you found out "why orange" for anyone who didn't already guess.

Speaking of guesses, if you thought it was Ginny in the dungeon spying on them, you were RIGHT! But our boys don't know that she was there. The only indication she's given is saying that Draco looked fat in the mini skirt...(kind of like JKR saying that his hairline was receding in the epilogue. LIES! ALL OF IT LIES!)

And sorry about the possible cliff-hanger! I really wasn't intending for it to be like that, but I would warn you if anything horrendous was going to happen...

Zoo--Hey! Thanks for your question and sorry about the confusion. Yes, Harry takes the necklace off, but Draco puts it back on when they change positions. I posted the actual quotes and stuff on the Coven forum...go check it out when you get a chance!

Thank you to everyone else who reviewed! And thank you for reading!!!