The Hourglass

Center>Chapter V

“Just how short do you want it, love?”, Draco asked Hera only an hour before the sorting ceremony.

“Right above the shoulders”, she answered as she sat straighter so her brother could do a better job with her hair.

The sound of the scissors and the sporadic turning of a page were the only sounds that could be heard inside Harry’s and Draco’s living-room. Harry was reading a book about the truths and myths of Quidditch, though his concentration was broken a bit too often by Draco’s passionate hairstyling. He remembered the one time he had tried to cut his hair before they had become lovers, even friends, and he couldn’t help but grin. Now, that was something he would want to live again, even if the result wasn’t the one to be expected.

Blonde hair fell to the floor like tree leafs and, shortly after, Draco asked “So, what do you think?”

“It’s perfect”, she smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror. “Do you like it, Harry?”

“You look like a princess, Hera. Now, go and get changed for the ceremony. I doubt it’ll be much longer until the other first-years arrive.”

“I left your robes in the bathroom for you”, Draco told her while he vanished the hair that had fallen to the floor.

Hera left the room and closed the door behind her. Draco counted silently to three and, just like he had guessed, he felt a warm hand going around his waist and moist lips brushing the crook of his neck making his hairs stand on end.

“You know, we ought to change into out dressing robes too, Professor Malfoy”, Harry whispered and Draco could picture him grinning. He pressed himself closer to Draco so he could feel how thrilled he was about the situation.

“Wouldn’t it be best if we saved that for tonight? We’re supposed to face our first students today and I don’t want to look like I’ve just been shagged”, Draco said, though he knew far too well Harry wouldn’t take a no for an answer and, hell, who was he to put up a fight?

“Why not? That is how you look best, as far as I’m concerned.”

Harry pressed soft kisses in the crook of his neck paying close attention to Draco’s moves and sounds. Just one little hint of pleasure and he would be dead. That little game had become one of their favourites. Never show it until you can’t hold it in any longer. Draco felt Harry’s fingers tracing a maddening pattern on his stomach and thanked he wasn’t facing the brunette. He bit his lips, fighting against his own reactions with all his might. He couldn’t lose so quickly, even if he already knew he would give up eventually.

Harry walked around him and kissed his neck, his emerald green eyes fixed on grey as he unbuttoned his silky shirt and kissed his way down his chest. As he reached his navel, Draco unwillingly jerked forwards and cursed himself for it. Harry stood straight in front of him and his eyes sparkled with hunger. He caught his lips and slowly pushed him against the nearest wall.

Draco grabbed his buttocks and released a moan of delight just as the door flew open. Hera was standing in her brand new robes, her cheeks flushed at the sight in front of her. Even though she knew well enough what they did, she had never been present to witness it. She ran back to the hallway and Harry and Draco looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

“Should I go after her?”, Draco asked seriously disturbed.

“What would you say to her if you did?”

The question hang in the air for what seemed like an eternity, but Draco didn’t even think about a good answer to it.

“Let’s just… get ready, alright? We don’t have much time, anyway.”

~*~

Draco sat next to Harry at the staff table. This was definitely a strange point of view after spending seven long years as a student who looked up to the table to see who was taking the Defence Against the Dark Arts position. He always wondered why they never lasted more than a year and, for the very first time since Dumbledore had offered them a job, Draco thought about what Harry had gotten himself into. The position was cursed, and now it was him who was filling it and had to face the possible dangers of an unlucky year and even the remote risk of death.

No. This was Harry Potter. If the Dark Lord couldn’t finish him off, a cursed job wouldn’t even dare to affect him too.

He looked at the brunette and saw him beaming at the Gryffindor table. Well, it wasn’t really the table he was beaming at, of course. He followed his gaze and found a beautiful redhead he immediately recognized as the Weasley girl. She was gesturing for them to talk after feast and Harry nodded.

The doors to the Entrance Hall opened and McGonagall, followed by a long line of first years, entered the Great Hall with the famous stool and the even more famous Sorting Hat. Draco looked around the newcomers and found Hera standing out with her bright blonde hair, striding across the room as if she owned it. Their grey eyes met only for an instant and she looked away.

She’s embarrassed of me, he thought. This was supposed to be her night and I stained it. Even if she knew what Harry and I did all this time we were together, it must have been a shock to see it, to hear me… Maybe it was just the fact that she walked in and interrupted and she’s blaming herself, but I know she’s embarrassed of me.

McGonagall placed the stool in front of the line and, after a short silence, the rip nearest to the Sorting Hat’s brim opened and it begun to sing:

Back in the old days, long ago
This school was nothing but walls,
There were no students to be taught
But the founders had a goal:
They would summon them one by one
Sending owls to their homes,
So they would know the day had come
For their powers to be shown.
Excitement was such when they knew
That Hogwarts’ doors would open
That they came running to the school
And the control was broken.
‘What shall we do with this large mass
Of children eager to learn?
Only us four to teach the arts
And take care of them all year!’
And so they thought of sending back
A few of those new students,
But they just couldn’t quite decide
Whose ideas were prudent.
Slytherin said he would prefer
To leave the school in their hands
If they wanted him to take care
Of a big bunch of half-bloods.
And so they fought day in and out
Until they made up their minds:
They would each be head of a House
That would fit the student’s kinds.
Slytherin chose the purest bloods
Gryffindor took the bravest
Ravenclaw chose the smarter ones
And Hufflepuff took the rest.
And now my job is to sort you
The same way they would have done,
Just let me see inside of you
And I’ll tell you which’s the one!

The Great Hall burst into applauses and fell silent for the sorting to begin. Professor McGonagall held up the list with the names of the first-years and called ‘Arula, Ariadna’ to step up to the front. She sat on the stool and, after a brief moment the Hat yelled ‘Gryffindor!’ The petit girl jumped on her feet and walked to her table, as she was applauded by the students and the staff.

One by one, the new students were sorted into their respective Houses. Draco watched them all go by without paying attention to them. He was a lot more interested in Hera, who was standing in line with a very familiar air of superiority and whose lips whispered the name of the House seconds before the Hat itself said it out lout.

“Malfoy, Hera.”

The room filled with murmuring as she walked toward the stool. Not Slytherin, not Slytherin… Draco prayed, surprisingly similar to what Harry had done when he had been sorted in his first year. He flinched when the Hat bellowed “Slytherin!”. He knew she would be sorted in the nuts House and he didn’t like it one bit…

The sorting went on, and Draco was only aware of the ovations and maybe a random House being named. There was only one boy left and he thanked Merlin for it; he was starving.

“Zachary, Wayne.”

The slim brunette walked to the front and sat on the stool. There was a deadly silence and Draco felt honestly sorry for him, but eventually, the Hat yelled ‘Slytherin!’. The boy looked very proud of himself and he walked straight to the Slytherin table, where he was patted on the back by several members of the House.

“The very best of evenings to you all!”, Dumbledore said to the room packed of students. He was smiling broadly as he greeted the audience with his arms wide open. “To our new students, welcome; to our old students, welcome back! Another year of learning has begun and, even though there is much to be said, words are always better received when the stomach is full. Thus, you may attack!”

Golden trays with food appeared on the five tables. Chattering grew louder in less than a minute, since every student had to shout to be heard over the noise. Draco fixed himself some chicken and pumpkin juice and ate slowly and silently. His mind was still racing, thinking about what sort of influences Hera would find in Slytherin. He pictured her using her powers to control people and gain allies in a very Voldemortish way, and he thanked with all his might that her powers didn’t include wand magic.

He tried to push the thought away, but found himself unable to do it. Several times, Harry asked him if he was alright, but he just dismissed it with an unconvincing nod.

Dumbledore stood up again and the ranting and laughter died away to listen to what the Headmaster had to say.

“First of all, Mr. Argus Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to remind you that the list of banned items can be found on the door to his office. This year, the most recent jokes from Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes have been added. Also, the Forbidden Forest, as you all know, is out of bounds for all students.

“There are new open positions in the Quidditch teams, so for those who want to play for their House, give your names to your Head of House.

“And finally, I want to present our two new professors. Even though most of you already know them since they just finished school, this year’s Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher will be Mr. Harry Potter.”

The Great Hall exploded into a standing ovation, which made Harry blush and smile as he greeted the students. The Gryffindors themselves where making enough noise to wake up Grawp, who slept in the heart of the Forest.

“And our new Potions teacher”, Dumbledore went on, “will be Mr. Draco Malfoy.”

Only the first years and a couple of Gryffindors he had known since he decided to leave Slytherin for good clapped, but it lasted so little that Dumbledore resumed his speech. “As we all know thanks to the Daily Prophet, the two of them together, with the help of one of our new students, managed to do what many grown and prepared wizards and witches couldn’t. They rid the world of the darkest wizard of our time. So, for those who have let their prejudices form an unfair opinion of our Potions teacher, I suggest you open your minds to know the real Draco Malfoy.”

Draco swore under his breath. Who was he to defend him? If people wanted to hate him, it was fine by him. He didn’t want Dumbledore’s help on this.

“So, with that said, you are invited to follow your Prefects and go to bed. That way, we will all be fresh to start early in the morning. Goodnight to you all!”