It\'s Only Love, What Is Everyone So Afraid Of?

Disclaimer: mine





Disclaimer: mine? nope…nah ah

 

Thanks so much for the reviews! Like I said, I’ve never done
slash before, and never even any het. sex scenes or anything, so it’s good to
know I don’t totally suck. (ugh..I think my vocabulary went on hiatus) I know
there are some reviews missing frhe rhe review page from June 4th. I
got them through email, but they won’t come up on the site. Rest assured, I did
not delete them or anything (gasp), but apparently ff.net was having a problem
and most of the reviews from that day were deleted. I did get them though, so
THANK YOU!

 

Cherry: Thanks for your review! I was really anxious to get
one from someone who had seen the film. As I said, you don’t have to have seen
it to enjoy or understand the story, but I was curious as to how someone who
*had* seen it would look at my story. Now I know, and thank you again.

 

 

 

Chapter 4………Where else?

*****************************

 

 

The weekend finally rolled around for two very anxious
seventh year boys. Unfortunately for Harry, he’d have to wait a bit longer than
he had planned for his secret rendezvous with his Slytherin counterpart, as he
was stuck down in the dungeons with Hermione serving some meaningless and
undeserved detention from Professor Snape.

 

 

Harry was so noticeably aggravated about something that soon
Hermione couldn’t take his grumbling any longer.

 

 

“Harry?”

 

 

“Mn?”

 

 

“What in Merlin’s name is wrong with you today? You’ve been
acting funny all week…what happened?”

 

 

“I can’t tell you…” Harry trailed off and grumbled something
else under his breath. “But I need to get out of here. You’ve got to help me!”

 

 

“Harry Potter, I’ll do no such thing until you tell me
what’s going on!”

 

&;
;

“Fine! I’ll tell you if you help me, okay?”

 

 

“What?” She was resigned. “What do I do?”

 

 

“Feint”

 

 

“What?!”

 

 

“Just do it, then I can take you to the hospital wing and
get out of here.”

 

 

“And just where do you have to be that’s so important…don’t
tell me this is all so you can go running off to those perverted…” nbspnbsp;

 

Harry pressed his finger to her lips. “Just stop and listen
to me, okay?”

 

 

“I’ve been seeing someone…someone
important…..someone….well…special….”

 

 

“Oh?.....ohhh…..well who is it then? Out with it already”

 

 

Harry took a deep breath and looked her clear in the eye.
“Draco Malfo
&
 

 

She laughed. “That’s funny Harry…in your dreams maybe...really…”
she noticed the look on his face. “You’re not joking. Oh Holy Shit!”

 

 

Harry winced…he knew it was huge when Hermione swore.

 

 

“Draco Superman Malfoy?!”

 

 

“Is that what they call him?” Harry looked amused as the
words left him.

 

 

“The ones who know what it means”

 

 

“I mean….Harry….this is huge, he’s got his whole future
planned out before him, this could be dangerous….I don’t want you to get hurt.
And furthermore, it stands to reason that the two most shaggable boys in school
would only want each other…of course…why sodding not?”

 

 

“Mione, look, I’d love to discuss the irony of who my lover
is, but I have just got to get out of here….so if you could get with the
passing out already.”

 

 

“Fine! Harry James Potter, you owe me!” Hermione wandered
over to where people would see and collapsed on the floor midstride.

 

 

“Oh god! She’s feinted!” Harry tried to sound aghast.

 

He bent down to her and lifted her head. She opened her eyes
very slowly and discreetly shot Harry a glare before muttering.

 

“So dizzy….I think I need to see Madame Pompfry”

 

Snape just grumbled something and shot them both a dagger
infused glare before dismissing them with a carefree wave of his hand.

 

*********************************************

 

 

Harry wandered around the empty and dusty unused classroom
in his invisibility cloak. When the door opened, he turned and checked to make
sure it was who he was waiting for.

 

 

When he saw that it was, indeed, Draco, he allowed the cloak
to slip from his shoulders and he scuttled up to the blonde eagerly.

 

 

“Hi” Harry mentally backhanded himself for his seemingly
unconquerable opening line.

 

 

Draco lifted his hand to Harry’s chin. “Hi” he smiled.

 

 

Harry leaned towards Draco with unmasked intentions of
snogging him right there.

 

 

“Wait!...not here. Can we go to your room?”

 

 

Harry took a calming breath and pushed his glasses up his
nose. “Sorry…no can do. Ginny was dead set on waiting there for me until my
detention was done. She’s most likely still in there. What about your room?”

 

 

Draco shook his head. “No…too close….it’s not safe.”

 

 

“Okaaay.” Harry thought for a moment. “I know where we can
go!”

 

 

*******************************************************

 

The forbidden forest may not be the most romantic place on
earth, but it’s certainly safe from passersby.

 

 

Draco, leaned back against a tree with his shirt open and a
cigarette in hand, let out a contented sigh.

 

Harry, leaned back against Draco, also bare chested. “Do you
think it’ll always be like this?”

 

 

As much as Harry hated to admit it, he felt Draco tense
behind him. “Sure…why not?”

 

 

“It’s just…everyone says there’s something big I’m supposed
to be doing…save the wizarding world…again, or play Quidditch or something, you
know…but I try not to think of it. I try to think of you and I, after
graduation, out in the world where no one will care.”

 

 

Draco’s tension gave way to complete rigidity.

 

 

“You do want to see me after graduation, right?”

 

Draco had his face buried in the nape of Harry’s neck now.
He lifted his lips the tiniest bit to answer very quietly.

 

“Of course…I”

&;
;

The two boys snapped their heads to the right; they both had
clearly heard the twig snap. “Shit!”

 

 

“We should split up” Harry suggested. Draco took off in one
direction while Harry took off in the other.

 

 

Runningm whm whomever or whatever was out there, Harry
didn’t seem to notice the half-giant heading his way until he ran slam into
him.

 

 

“Hagrid!”

 

 

“Arry? What’re you doin’ out ere?”

 

 

“I was um…I mean….I….” Harry stammered. Despite his
protests, Hagrid insisted on taking him to Dumbledore to be certain nothing had
happened to him in the forest. When they arrived in the headmasters office,
Hagrid gave Harry’s shoulder a light squeeze and headed out, leaving Harry with
Dumbledore, McGonagall, and *gulp* Snape.

 

 

“My boy, what possessed you to venture to the forests at
this time in the evening?”

 

 

Harry couldn’t look him in the face.

 

 

“Mr. Potter,” McGonagall began “I have noticed your strange
behavior as of late, and I worry that something is troubling you. Will you not
share with us?”

 

 

Now it was Snape’s turn. “Really Potter!” Snape leaned
across a desk in the room for that brooding, looming look he managed to
perfect. “What in Merlin’s name were you thinking?! You could have put the
whole school in danger! You could have been captured and tortured or molested
by the perversions of the remaining Death Eaters! You have *no* idea what they
are capable of! None!”

 

 

Harry couldn’t take it any more, ripping his hands from his pockets;
he couldn’t stop the words before they left him.

 

 

“Where else were we supposed to go!” Unable to meet the eyes
of his three elders, he fled the room.

 

 

“Oh my” McGonagall muttered.

 

 

“This is very interesting indeed” was Dumbledore’s reaction,
accompanied, of course, by his patented twinkle.

 

 

“Hmph” was all anyone was going to get out of Severus Snape
on the matter.

 

*****************************************************************

 

 

Harry burst into his room, forgetting about the young red
head that was most likely curled up on his bed. Upon seeing her, he groaned and
wiped furiously at his eyes preparing to have to put up a half fight to get her
to leave. He was relieved, however, when he saw that Ron was also waiting in
his room.

 

“Oi, mate, you look awful. What in bloody hell happened?”

 

“It’s nothing Ron, look I’m tired, I need rest….can I just
go to sleep tonight without all the damn questions?”

 

“Whoa…that’s fine…just calm down okay?”

 

“Calm down? This is my room; you’re the one giving me the
third degree.”

 

“Harry?” Ginny suddenly interjected from the other side of
the room.

 

“Nobody asked you! Why are you here all the time anyways?”
Harry regretted the harsh words as soon as he’d said them, but it was too late.
The girl was already sniffling and running out into the hall.

 

“Christ mate! I know she might come on a little strong
sometimes Harry, but it’s just because she likes you. You don’t have to hurt
her feelings!”

 

“I’m sorry Ron, really, tell Gin that I’m really sorry…I
just….need to get some rest, okay?”

 

“Fine, but we’re not done.” Ron dropped the stack he’d been
holding onto the desk…the quidditch pictures.

 

Harry flinched and wondered what Ron must’ve thought about
seeing all those pictures of Malfoy.

 

“I hear they loved your pictures at the Prophet.”

 

“Huh?” Harry had been too preoccupied all week to give the
article a second thought.

 

“The pictures you took” He pointed to the photos on the
desk.

 

“Yeah”

 

“Apparently they were really happy with the ones of Malfoy.
They said Colin never does so well at capturing ‘that something he has’ or some other bullocks. The girls
supposedly went nuts over them.”

 

Harry rubbed his temples. Was Ron fishing? Did he suspect
anything? Or was he really that dim?

 

“Whatever Ron….you have to go now, okay, I’ll see you at
Breakfast tomorrow.”

 

“Alright Harry….g’night mate”

 

“G’night”

 

***************************************************

 

 

Breakfast was not the dreaded event Harry thought it would
be. Ginny seemed a little peeved at him, but she was still leering at him none
the less. Hermione kept glancing at him and then sneaking glances to the
Slytherin table and giggling. (He really would have to talk to her about
that…he really didn’t want her spooking Draco.) And Ron went on about how he hated
potions and the twins and their joke shop along with other mindless chatter.

 

The day seemed to pass without consequence until Potions.
Potions…with Slytherin.

 

Snape was bad enough with his glares that said “I’ll get
you, and your little house elf too.” But Harry couldn’t help but look over at
Malfoy several times during the lesson having not spoken to him since their
premature interruption in the forest. Throughout the entire class though…Draco
was pointedly ignoring him. Harry couldn’t figure out what he hated
most…Malfoy’s relentless teasing in the beginning, his total indifference
earlier this year, or whatever game it was that the two of them were playing
currently. He sighed and began to prepare to leave having no clue what Snape
said the last half of the lesson. Thinking he was the last to leave, he started
out but was stopped by one Ginny Weasley.

 

“Harry?”

 

“Oh hey Gin…”

 

“Do you like me Harry?”

 

Harry panicked. “Uh…s..sure…I like you Gin…you know
that…right?”

 

“No Harry…do you like me?”

 

“I ah…um….well…..”

 

“I’m sorry…I…I shouldn’t have….just…..bye Harry” Harry could
hear her mumbling to herself as she took off towards the door….
“stupid…stupid…stupid…”

 

In her disheveled state she almost ran smack into Draco who
happened to be coming in the room at the same time. He looked behind him at the
sniveling girl and didn’t have to ask what had happened. He turned his
attention towards Harry.

 

“I take it you got back alright then?”

 

“You take it wrong. Hagrid found me and took me to
Dumbledore, McGonagall and *Snape* of all people.”

 

“What…what did you tell them?” Draco gulped audibly.

 

“Don’t worry, I didn’t tell them anything.” Harry felt a
sudden pang of guilt over his little outburst in the headmaster’s office, but
since it wasn’t specific to Draco, he didn’t need to know about it.

 

Draco stepped forward after looking around nervously for a
moment and ran his thumb over a scratch on Harry’s cheek. Most likely inflicted
while running though the forest.

 

“Do you think you can get away this weekend?”

 

“I don’t know…I’m sure the three of them are going to be
watching me now…I don’t need anybody thinking it has anything to do with
Voldemort….that’s always the conclusion they jump to even though I already
killed the bastard.”

 

“Well” Draco started. “If you can steal away for a bit
sometime during the weekend, let me know, okay?”

 

“Okay”

 

The tension hung in the air as neither wanted to leave, but
both were unsure of what to do. Finally, Harry lunged forward and gave a
lightning fast yet undeniably sweet kiss to Draco’s cheek. Draco lifted his
fingers to the cheek, wanting to be upset at Harry’s pseudo public affection,
but totally incapable of doing so. So instead he smiled.

 

The unlikely pair separated, to both of their distaste, and
headed to their next classes unaware of the tearful red haired girl watching
from the corridor.

 

********************************************************

 

TBC

 

I know, I know, this one doesn’t leave off all dramatic the
way the others do, but I have to stop now because the next bit is a *lot* of
drama and needs to be part of a new chapter. It will come soon; I promise…I
have been writing like a mad woman.

 

Please R&R. I thank you guys so much…Love and Kisses,
Reika.