Carridwen

"Where are we?

What the hell is going on?

The dust has only just begun

To form crop circles in the carpet,

Sinking, Feeling." - "Hide and Seek" Imogen Heap



He still thought 9:30am was far too early to be awake, much less to be meeting someone for brunch. He was entirely certain one could ingest meals with toast or scones at any other point during the day.



He pulled the black wool topcoat closer against the hooded pewter sweater he wore, crisp white oxford peaking out at the collar. The only sound outside of the early London traffic was the echo of his footsteps against the steep marble steps. Carridwen seemed so imposing in the morning fog.



He pushed open the heavy wooden doors and stepped into the chilly atmosphere of the university, briefly admiring the intricate rune detail in the polished stone walls.



Draco was a bit early for their scheduled brunch, but he knew if he wasn't early, Blaise would get distracted. And then Pansy would yell at him. And then it would all go to hell.



He stared forlornly at the staircase before him, recognizing he would have no idea where to go once he ascended, so he stood at the bottom railing and fidgeted, looking to his watch and knowing it would only make time move slower.



As the cold became almost unbearable, a flurry of movement caught his eye. A messy young man heading down the stairs.



Is it? He had messy raven hair, and was trying to shove two large books into a worn messenger bag as he clambered down the steps. The relaxed denim and tight long sleeved blue shirt, cuffs pushed haphazardly up, made this student appear more relaxed than Draco knew he was. Suddenly the man lifted his gaze, striking an unsuspecting Draco with bright emerald eyes.



The blond couldn't help but laugh as Harry Potter tripped over the last step. Draco easily caught him, helping him right himself and gather his fallen books.



It was a refreshing sight, almost. The shock of having seen him the day before with Blaise had worn off, and he had a chance to admire the man before him, lack of grace and all. He was tanned, though olive-toned and unlike his best friend's caramel skin. His unruly hair curled and spiked just over his ears, and his eyes shone deep, no longer obscured by thick spectacles. Where Draco was slender, this man was muscle, and though the blond stood an inch taller, the brunette's shoulders were just a bit more broad.



He could no longer remember why he once had a burning hatred towards the man currently scrambling nervously from his grasp.



"In a bit of a rush, Potter?" Draco's smile shown through his words.



The darker man rolled his eyes, "Actually, yes. I have an important meeting to attend."



"Ah, yes. As do I," Draco paused to pick up one of Harry's dropped belongings. "But I do wish it was at a more reasonable hour. Don't you hate waking up before noon?"



Staring slightly at the book Draco handed him, Harry seemed in shock at the cordiality, and recovered before his faltering became too apparent. But Draco had noticed already; was Potter under the assumption that childhood rivalries held true in the real world?



Somehow this irked him to no end. Why should Potter keep that spoiled image of Draco alive in his memory? He wanted that memory to cease its existence.



"I'm a bit of an early riser, admittedly," Harry responded hesitantly, "so it doesn't bother me much. Who are you meeting with at Carridwen? I haven't seen you around before."



Draco smiled passively, "I've really only stopped by to collect Blaise, but apparently he's moving at his leisure. I'm just surprised he's not at home with a hang-over after last night."



Harry's eyes widened a bit at the end of that statement.



"Well, classes are pretty punctual. I skipped out early, I've got an appointment in Hogsmeade," Harry stated, as a handful of clouds gathered over his verdant eyes.



"Hmm." the blond watched as Harry sighed and bit at his bottom lip, and Draco found he couldn't take his eyes off of the abused flesh.



An image surfaced in his mind of taking that bottom lip between his teeth and soothing the red skin with his tongue - but he stopped this thought short of finishing itself. Why am I thinking this about Potter?



"So, Malfoy, where are you taking Blaise to brunch?" There was a masked tone behind Harry's voice that he couldn't place. Concealed jealousy?



"Taking...? No, we're meeting Pansy to plan out her birthday festivities for this year," he chuckled, "We wanted to surprise her, but she just loves being in control."



Draco took a longing look at his pocket watch, "I'm just waiting around for Blaise because he'd probably be an hour late if I didn't drag his arse along... And then I'd have to face Panz's wrath by myself." He grimaced at the thought, only to hear Harry quietly chuckling at the remark.



"Um, are you and Blaise seeing each other, then?" Harry had his head cocked to the side, a furious blush settled over his cheeks, yet he kept his viridescent eyes locked on Draco's. He wasn't afraid of an answer, yet his nervousness betrayed his subconscious thoughts.



"Hm? Oh, no no no!" Draco laughed a bit, unsure whether he was pleased with the mention that he was single, or displeased with the notion that Potter was asking about Blaise. "No, he's my closest friend, but I'm far too stable for him."



The blond didn't know how to continue. Should he compliment Blaise, so Potter would wish to see him again? Or should he be honest and warn the boy off, telling him of Blaise's constant promiscuity?



He cleared his throat to make for time, hoping the emerald eyed man in front of him would change the subject.



Harry smiled slowly, and reached out to touch Draco's golden hued hair, "Your hair looks really nice. Much better than the white blond from school."



Draco fought to keep himself from leaning into the touch, and wondered what the other man was going on about.



Then a cog seemed to snap back into place in the brunette's mind, and he pulled his hand back, "Bloody hell, I'm late for my meeting!"



Harry jostled his bag a bit and placed a strong hand on Draco's shoulder, tacking on a hurried - though stunning - smile, "It was good talking to you, Malfoy. We should have lunch sometime soon and catch up!"



Draco swallowed, his throat was unnaturally dry for some reason, "We should, indeed."



And he smiled weakly as Potter raced out the doors of Carridwen.



He really did have one of the nicest arses Draco had ever seen.





A/N: so, i think ya'll will be pleased with the awkward h/d action that got in this chapter. :)

in the mean time, voodoo fest starts today. so for the next three days ill be jammin to the likes of eminem, the flaming lips, kiss, lenny kravits, mynameisjohnmicheal, and all time low. quite a variety, but its always a good experience.

so... ch7 wont be ready til next week, i think. sorry!!



Elfprincess: thanks! i think it's going to develop nicely. we'll see more where harry's mind's at concerning life and dating in ch7! hope you enjoy it.



MonsterOfMalice: thanks for the review! and im glad you're feeling better :) hope your halloween will be fun! i know mine will be ;)

reviews are appreciated!