A Dark Time For The Light

60

They called at the House on the way home, relaying the news to the denizens thereof. “A place to do undetected Magic?. Oh wow”, was the general concensus. George, as the wandmaker, extracted the feather, tipping it from the wood without touching it, straight into Harry’s palm who placed it instantly in the box it had resided in since it’s rescue from Hogwart’s. Harry smiled, “Can Alice keep the wand?. I kind of already said she could”, he asked George. The red-head handed back the, now, inanimate piece of wood with his blessing.

“She did brilliantly and now it’s just a bit of wood. It’s not like she used it or anything”. They chatted some more, then, glancing at the time, Seamus, Colin, Dean and Terry excused themselves, “Kick-off in a minute. Care to stay and watch the match?”. Harry and Draco declined. As the boys trooped upstairs, the girls called them to the computer, instructing them to pull up chairs.

“Look at this web-site that Josie’s been helping us build”. A site to attract the demi-magiques, asking a series of layered questions, then an invitation to leave their tales and stories on the site. The final question being, ‘Was there a special school that they had expected to attend and then hadn’t received the invitation?’.

“We’ve had about ninety so far in less than a week who have all named Hogwart’s as the school they expected to hear from, sixty-odd from those expecting to go to Beauxbatons and ten or so that had awaited their Durmstrang letter only to be disappointed. That’s in six days and these folk are scattered all over Europe. Six days, guys. That’s fuckin’ incredible. We were right, probably 10 of them to every one of us, possibly more”. Harry and Draco were truly amazed.

“This could be the army we need”, Harry breathed, the hope for using Magic again surging in his heart. He held Draco tight against him as Hermione closed the site down and turned the computer off. The boys kissed her and Ginny goodnight and left for home on the bike. They ran up the street and joshed at the door, Draco marginally beating Harry up the stairs. Harry grabbed his lover’s ankles and pulled, Draco landed on his back in the soft carpet, the wind propelled out of his lungs, but he fought back, rolling Harry over then yelling, “Death by a thousand tickles”, and laid into Harry until he was a squirming heap shrieking for mercy, then he showed none, bruising their mouths together in a kiss.

Harry was having none of this bottoming lark and, levering himself with a well-placed arm and leg tipped Draco beneath him once more. Draco capitulated, throwing his head back and Harry devoured his neck, leaving off only long enough to rip his t-shirt over his head, before mapping that alabaster skin with his greedy tongue, nipping and toying with Draco’s stiff nipples. His lover groaned, “Yesss. Oh, Harry. Use me. Fuck me”. Harry grinned around his tongue, now dipping into Draco’s waistband while his fingers fumbled with button and zip. Oh joy, his beloved went commando today. This spurred him on to ravish his lover with fevered lips and tongue as the jeans were discarded somewhere, taking his burning length into his mouth and sucking hard and urgently.

Draco arched clean off the carpet, his hand in Harry’s hair. Harry withdrew and stood and looked at his wanton fiance laid out on the carpet, “Stay there”, he purred and went in search of lube. In moments he was back, stark naked. Draco’s eyes narrowed as he regarded the love of his life standing over him spread-eagled on the landing, his cock standing to attention, “Sexy bastard”, he breathed, “Like what you see?”. Harry toyed with his own cock as he looked, “Oh yes, and I shall have you”, Harry was breathing hard. “So come and get me, you fucking gorgeous Gryffindor”, offered his sexy Slytherin and Harry was on him. Kissing and biting, marking, claiming, branding with his mouth.

He opened and prepared his desirable Dragon who opened beneath him and proceeded to give him carpet burns as he fucked him across the landing, hard, harder, hardest until Draco sprayed Harry’s chest and a few fevered thrusts later, Harry threw his head back and cried out as he released deep into Draco.

They held each other as they came down, “We’re still on the landing, Harry”, Draco kissed into his hair. Huffed breath on his chest told of Harry’s weak laughter, “Gimme a sec, love. God, I love you, Draco”. They cuddled for a while, then picked themselves up. They left their clothes where they were and staggered off to bed hand in hand.

Both Harry and Draco were back at work the following Monday, a truly bizarre week behind them. Steffie grabbed Harry and quizzed him. He saw Dean and Seamus’ eager faces and pulled her away. She smiled at his caution and discretion and made a note to pass this nugget on. This boy could be trusted. Although her best friend already knew this. Dean and Seamus glanced at each other. The House had bought some powerful weed from Harry and Draco that week, suspecting it emanated from the Scottish cadre, somehow filtered through Alice, but Harry and Draco never told.

Draco yawned his way through his first day back. The others laughed. “Had some good time off?”, he was ribbed mercilessly by his workmates and accepted it all with a smile. “I saw my first major dope deal this week plus my first gun, it’s been a weird week”. He left it at that, to his colleagues’ bemusement and fascination, not to mention the marks he displayed around any bit of open shirt and rolled back sleeve. The marks of love bestowed by his Harry. He was proud of each and every one

On a particularly hot day, Harry stripped off his t-shirt, more bites revealing themselves, fading now, to amazed eyes. Throughout the day, he noticed his friends’ eyes upon him. Dean’s sideways glances, Seamus’ frank approval and Steffie giggled. She snagged Harry at hometime as he pulled his t-shirt back on, before they climbed into the van. “You know several of the team think you’re hot, don’t you?”. Harry blushed a little and shrugged. “Just take me home. To my gorgeous man”. He leaned his head back in the front seat of the van as Cellan pulled away, glancing across at him, “Are you okay, Harry?”. Harry’s smile was lazy in return. “Never better. Take me home, Cel”.

He tumbled into the flat, running up the stairs and straight into the arms of his lover, who gave him the welcome he needed. A hot dinner on the stove but an even hotter body under the shower after the lights were turned low on the cooker. Sated, they kissed long and slow, then donned their dressing gowns and Draco fed his beloved his supper, dishing up a ragout of beef with roasted veg. His cooking really was improving.

Tuesday night, an early tea for them, then down to the pub for an enjoyable night of snooker. Draco was winning occasionally, but now Harry was beating the old-timers on a regular basis to the admiration of all. He had such focus, his intensity as he played crackled around the room holding everyone, literally spellbound. After a spectacular frame, John approached him and asked him to be on the pub team. Harry glanced at Draco who nodded slightly, then agreed. “ ‘S’alright. Your boyfriend can come to all the games in the tournament”. Both boys were aghast. “We’d figured you two out soon enough. Don’t make a big deal about it, but you’re welcome”. Harry’s smile was massive as he accepted with a small courteous bow that would have done a Malfoy proud.

There was a tourney planned for three weeks hence and Harry shook hands and agreed to participate, between several other local pubs. It promised to be fun. Draco hugged him on the way home, “My favourite Gryffindor. The next Jimmy White”. Harry thought to ask how his lover knew about one of the greatest greats of snooker, then shrugged, slightly pissed and let his beloved guide them home.

One way or another, Draco, Harry and the housemates had an excellent summer. Hermione now had eight regular book-keeping clients and while money wasn’t pouring in for her, her income was steadily growing to the point where she didn’t have to dip in her and Ginny’s pot. Ginny had formed a small circle with Josie of a few cool work-mates. The job was boring and tiring on the feet but her colleagues were fun and she was liked. Terry was turning into quite a capable mechanic and had been taken off the scheme and into full employ by the garage at which he worked. He was now on a proper wage. Colin had started a sideline in taking his own photographs. Weddings and christenings to start. He’d had an interview with the local Education Authority and now had a part-time position as a school photographer. The downstairs shower room was also used as a darkroom. It was discomfiting sometimes to take a shower surrounded by rows of pictures of grinning schoolchildren pegged to the washing lines festooning the room.

Everyone was invited to the snooker tournament. The girls came to every game, various of the boys in tow. Colin missed out but he was working so hard to establish himself. In the event, the team came fourth overall, but it was considerably better than they had done in previous years mainly due to the two youngest members of the team who were roundly congratulated by their team and their friends and were treated to a right royal piss-up, the boys not allowed to take out their wallets once.

The next weekend, the girls badgered the boys into teaching them to play. Hermione was hopeless but Ginny was surprisingly good, weighing each shot carefully, not letting anyone rattle her as she crouched and paced, chewing the inside of her cheek, totally focussed. On her third game, she took Harry on. He didn’t give an inch and they finished 62-68 to Harry. The boys were impressed. As were some of the older regulars. There was none of this patronising, “You’re good....for a girl”, nonsense. She was a natural.

Frank introduced himself and his wife, Betty, the captain of the Ladies team. She offered Ginny a game and she accepted with alacrity. She knew this was a tryout but didn’t let it faze her. The second game between them of a best-of-three and Betty never made it to the table ceding after Ginny’s century break. To cheers from the whole room. The girls were invited to the Thursday knockabouts. Ladies night at the tables.

That night all nine gathered at the House. The TV programme was being shown of Draco’s workplace and the progress made on the Restoration project. They watched as Draco’s colleagues were interviewed, then a long piece with Jacinta as the plaster and gilding expert. The cameras panned to the huge ceiling rose that Draco was working on, “Our Master Gilder is a little publicity shy, he did not wish to take part, and I respect that”. The room cheered and laughed. The boys leaning in to gently biff Draco’s arms. Hermione ruffled his hair. There was ribbing from all quarters, “Master Bater”, to “Golden Boy” fired at him, but he was proud and pleased and didn’t bite anyone’s head off as he once would have done, just accepted the teasing for what it was. Harry held him tight, “I’m proud of you, my Dragon”, he whispered, kissing his lover’s temple.

They were now into the autumn. One night, Harry and Draco received a call from Severus and Remus. “We need to take you up on the offer of accommodation, chaps. Remus has a job starting at the beginning of the next half-term at the end of October and I’ve been shortlisted for two jobs one of which I’m almost certain to be offered, the Education Authority are so desperate”. The boys signalled their congratulations. Their new lodgers were to move in over the coming weekend. Harry nipped down to the mini-mart to speak to Hussain. “Well, Harry, I’ve nothing available for at least a month, but I’ll let you know”. He asked if his landlord minded his friends staying with them. Hussain laughed, “Everyone needs a floor to crash on, Harry, I just don’t want more than the accepted number of occupants per property actually living there, but I don’t give a shit who you have staying with you”. Harry was happy with that and left.

In the eventuality, Severus was offered both jobs and accepted the most challenging. The rough boys’ comprehensive school. The one that had metal detectors to winnow out knives and guns from the pupils. Harry and Draco shook their heads as he told them. Remus’ new position was teaching in a small private Prep school. He’d been offered live-in, but preferred live-out and the higher salary. The boys helped their two ex-teachers to move in and find a lock-up storage facility for their extraneous bits and bobs.

They had moved in on the Friday. On the Saturday night the four and the House convened in the pub. This was an important night for Ginny. Josie and Steve were there also. A grudge match between two local pubs’ ladies teams. With pride, her fellow Gryffindors and two Slytherins watched the youngest Weasley wipe the floor with most of the opposition. She now had her own cue. “Feels like choosing my own wand”, she’d remarked at the time of purchase. Which indeed it was when wielded in the right hands. For the first time in nearly two years, The Feathers’ Ladies team roared to a resounding victory. Everyone got roaring drunk then continued the party back at the flat, the boys digging a couple of fat buds out of the freezer.