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

Disclaimer: Not mine…don’t sue







Disclaimer:
Not mine…don’t sue.

A/N: Sorry for
the lateness of this chapter. My computer broke and a whole slew of other crap.
This chapter kicked my butt to get it online. This chapter did *not* want to be
posted! First my computer dies…then I rewrite the chapter at work…only to find
that I have *no* way to save the work and move it to a computer where it can be
posted to the net. So I have to print it out, take it to Jasmines and re-type
it…again…(Massive props to Jasperina here for her mad typing skills), she’s
almost done…and the lap top battery dies. *sigh* Thank goodness the work was
saved. You guys came very close to having to wait even longer for this doomed
chapter. I hope it’s good after all of this. And I can only pray that some
freak ambulance or other vehicle doesn’t drop out of the sky and kill me, since
obviously some one important was trying to tell me not to post this chapter.
DAMN THEM! And here it is!

Thank you all
for being so patient with me! *throws kisses at readend dnd double kisses at
reviewers* And thank you to Jasmine. The only sister I know and my beta.
*throws copious amounts of kisses.*

 

Chapter 7 part
A.………………’BOY WHO LIVED DROWNS IN DEATHEATER POOL’

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

*SPLASH* A
very soaked Harry Potter lifted his head to glare after being unceremoniously
pushed into the pool by Draco.

“Hey! I could
have drowned…how did you know I could swim? Hmmmm? I can see the headlines now
if a half-naked Boy-Who-Lived drowns in your pool. Oh the scandal! What would
you do then?”

“Draco
pretended to seriously ponder the question for a moment. “I suppose you’re
right, about the scandal and all. I can’t have *that* on the Malfoy name…so I
suppose I would just *have* to jump in and save you.”

Harry grinned.
“Aww…you’d save me?”

Draco grinned
right back at him, although he tried very hard to keep the arrogant
indifference in his voice.

“Purely
political reasoning, you understand.”

Harry lifted
his torso out of the water by planting his hands on the edge of the pool. He
stretched up until his lips grazed the shell of Draco’s ear and he whispered
“Oh…I think I do.”

Draco couldn’t
hold in the soft mewl that escaped him when Harry had whispered in his ear.
Keeping one hand firmly planted on the ground to support his weight, Harry ran
the other up Draco’s sun bathed torso, feeling the warm skin under his fingers.
He ran his fingers up from Draco’s belly button and over his chest, extracting
another soft sigh. When Harry had reached the blonde’s shoulder, he gripped
tightly. Maybe a little too tightly. This seemed to startle Draco a bit.

“Harry what…”
But Draco did not get to finish his sentence. ..or maybe he did, but Harry
wouldn’t be able to hear it as Draco’s head was now underwater.

Harry had to
laugh at the surprised expression and indignant squawking come from a very
frustrated and adorably wet Draco.

“You scheming
little wanker! You’ll pay for that!”

Instead of
replying or splashing away, Harry took a mouthful of pool water and pushed it
out of his mouth in a steady stream, making him look rather like a fountain.

Draco took a
deep breath and waited for his left eye to stop twitching before moving forward
towards the raven haired Grndorndor. Once face to face with him, Draco reached
out his hand, his long fingers grazing Harry’s cheek with his nails dragging
lightly over the soft skin. With his grip on Harry’s chin, four fingers on one
cheek, and his thumb on the other, Draco squeezed. Harry laughed a bit as the
last of the water came shooting from his mouth. Draco held his gaze though, and
kept a tight grip on his chin before stretching forward and closing the
distance between them in a hungry kiss.

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

“Mione?”

“Yes?”

“Where’s
Malfoy?”

Hermione
froze. She knew she had to be very careful. If she tensed, Ron would know. If
she stuttered, Ron would know. If she followed her instincts and averted her
gaze to the ground, Ron would know and Harry would hate her. She steeled
herself.

“Ew, Ron…why
are you worried about *Malfoy*?”

“Well, I
haven’t seen him all day…and I thought…maybe….you know….”

“I haven’t
seen him either, but he’s probably off shagging Parkinson somewhere or spending
obscene amounts of money.”

Ron’s face
regained some of it’s color. “Hermione, can we go sit somewhere please…I don’t
feel so good.”

‘Damn you
Harry, I am tired of cleaning up your messes!’ Hermione thought.

“Sure, Ron.”
And she took his arm to lead him to the Three Broomsticks.

Once settled
at a table, Hermione had a question that had been bothering her since their
scene in the street.

“Ron? Why did
you assume Harry was with a man so quickly?”

“Oh. Well…I
never really thought about it before, but in the current situation, it just
kind of made sense.”

“What do you
mean ‘made sense’?”

“Well…he’s
never had a girlfriend, if you don’t count Ginny…and even then he looks
terrified. The first few years I chalked it up to shyness, and girls seem to
find that alluring…but even now? Come on…*every* teenage boy has hormones. When
I would get dirty magazines from Fred and George…”

Ron stopped
talking and looked at Hermione, who had her eyebrow raised at his admission. He
blushed a bit and continued.

“When I would
get one from the twins…which was *rare*…which I do *not* do$c~ymore…because now
I have you….and I don’t need them…”

“RON! Get on
with it would you?”

“Well when…you
know…he never seemed to care. And he has all those pictures of muggle athletes
on his wall in his room…but he never talks about muggle sports.”

There was a
silence for a moment before “Hermione?”

“Why did Harry
tell you and not me? Or did you just find out?”

“No Ron, I’ve
known. I’m a girl…I guess I’m just more sensitive to notice those things. I
figured it out on my own and just asked him about it. He was nervous at first,
but after a bit he seemed quite relieved to have someone to talk to.

“How long? How
long have you known?”

Hermione shifted
her eyes away guiltily. “Since last year.”

“Last Year?
Jesus, is Harry so afraid of my reaction that you would *both* keep me in the
dark for so long?”

“Ron, calm
down! You mean a lot to Harry and he doesn’t want to lose you. Plus you’re a
boy and boys get freaked out by this stuff. You’re always talking about girls
or making jokes. You haven’t really left him much room to come to you and think
he won’t be shunned. No one else knows and I guess he thinks it’s safer to have
one person to confide in until he’s ready.”

“What about
Ginny? She should know, it’s not fair for Harry to lead her on just to keep his
secret.”

Hermione
looked away again. “Er…almost no one else knows.”

Ron gaped at
her, furious. “You mean she knows? Bloody hell! Am I the only one left out of
this special little secret?!”

“No, of course
not Ron, Ginny only just found out…it’s the same as you said…she had to know.
It wasn’t right to let her continue to chase Harry the way she was.

“I suppose”
Ron huffed. He sat quietly, as he seemed to be considering something. Suddenly,
he reached across the table to Hermione’s hands and tool them gently in his
own. She smiled at him.

“I’m sorry
Mione. I didn’t mean to get so upset with you…it’s just a to tto take in. I
know you’re only trying to be a good friend to Harry…and to me. Thank you.” Hifteifted their joined hands to his lips and lightly kissed her fingers.

Hermione stood
from her seat, keeping their hands together, and walked around to his side of
the table to sit beside him. She gave her boyfriend a warm smile and rested her
head on his shoulder. For the first time that day, all was quiet and peaceful.
But Ron still had something on his mind.

"Mione?"

"Hmm? She
looked at him.

"Should I
tell Harry I know?"

Hermione
considered this. She knew if Ron told Harry, he would undoubtedly get angry
with her. She also knew how important their friendship was to both of them.

"Do what
you think is best Ron. I know you want to resolve this right away, but Harry
may not be ready. If you confront him too soon, he may get defensive."

Ron kissed the
head of bushy hair against his cheek. "You're right. I'm going to wait.
This way I have time to show him that I won't flip out about it, that I'll be
there for him. Hell know he can trust me, and you won't get in trouble with
him."

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

"But I'm
scared Harry.... I've never done this before."

"Oh come
on.... you'll get the hang of it, I promise."

"You
know.... I've never ever been in here before today."

"That's
because you’ve never done this before. I'm sure after this you'll want to come
in here all the time.... with or without me."

"But what
if I'm bad it?"

"You're a
Malfoy.... you're not supposed to be bad at anything"

"I hardly
think *this* is what my ancestors had in mind when they decided that rule"

"Quit
whining. Now move your hand over it, yes, like that. It should be coated
now.... you know.... this highly erotic."

Suddenly the
rolling pin Draco had been coating with flour flew at Harry's head.

"What?"

"You
actually get me to try and *bake* something.... in my own kitchen.... with my
own hands, and not a house elf in sight saying it will be *fun* and you find my
misery EROTIC?"

Harry grinned.
"Quite.... now all you need is an apron and you'd be the perfect house
wi.... er.... guy"

"House-guy?"
D's e's eye was twitching again. "Are you insinuating that I remind you of
a bloody woman?"

Harry
shuddered. "Of course not.... if you hadn’t noticed.... women aren't
really my thing."

"Good"
Draco smirked. "And anyways.... I'm not the one who shrieks like a
girl."

"I do
NOT"

"Oh?"
Another evil smirk. Draco took a handful of the flour and flung it directly at
Harry's face. The

now comically
white faced Harry had let out a rather unmanly squeal.

"At least
I'm not always going on about my hair or wardrobe. It doesn't do you any good
anyways." Harry taunted.

Draco stopped
dead in his tracks. "What.Did.You.Say.About.My.Hair.?"

"All that
effort doesn't do you any good." And Harry, who had been moving inch by
inch closer to the flour bowl, picked up a handful of the powder and dropped it
directly on Draco's head.

Draco stood
still for a moment, his pale skin turning from pink and back to its original
color again. He looked up at Harry, eyes gleaming and spoke in a calm voice.

"That's
it Potter, I'm feeding you to the hounds." He lunged for Harry knocking
them both to the floor.

Draco had
pinned Harry underneath him, and his trademark smirk adorned his face once again.

"Take it
back" he said

"Take
what back?" Harry asked.

"About my
hair."

"No."
Harry grinned.

"Take it
*back*!"

"And if I
don't?"

Draco fan his
hand along the edge of the table feeling for the flour bowl. Grabbing the rim
of it, he managed to scoot it over to him and lift it over Harry.

"Oh
no.... Draco...."

"Take it
back"

"No!"
Harry squirmed underneath him, but suddenly all he could see was white.... the
entire contents of the bowl now strewn all over him.

Draco had let
his guard down while laughing at the Harry snow man below him, and Harry saw
his chance. He lurched forward, knocking o bao back until his back was to the
floor. He held his wrists down in this new reversed position, and watched as
the majority of the flour fell from Harry’s chest and face and onto Draco's. He
narrowed his eyes to slits to address the Slytherin.

"You do
realize this means war."

"Of
course Potter, I was...." Draco was undoubtedly about to make some
scathing remark, but was interrupted by his own chest, taking in short breaths,
and his nose was twitching from where the powder had left quite a bit flour
dust everywhere.

Harry watched
Draco twitch for a moment, and then there was a sound. A soft, childlike mewl
almost. The kind of sound you'd expect from a baby just waking up. Harry
blinked at Draco.

"What was
that?"

"It was
sneeze Harry, what else would it be?"

"It was
cute"

"Cute?"
Draco asked, irritated.

"Terribly,
disgustingly cute. I think I may die from cuteness poisoning"

"Are we
back to the woman thing again? I mmmphhhm...."

Harry
attacked. He leaned down and captured Draco's rambling lips in a heated kiss to
which Draco instantly relented.

When oxygen
became necessary, the two broke apart. Harry leaned down to the ear of his
lover and whispered. "I take it back."

Dazed, Draco
seemed to have forgotten. "Take what back?"

Harry chuckled
a bit. "About your hair." Harry ran his fingers through it eliciting
a soft sigh from Draco.

Even when
coated with flour, Harry couldn't help but notice the silkiness of the blonde
strands.

"So
soft.... it's perfect."

"I take
it back too.... you don't squeal like a girl."

And the two
were kissing madly again. Hands covered in powder, seeking each others skin,
and spreading the flour all about them but not seeming to care. Reluctantly
Harry broke the kiss and Draco let out a soft moan of protest at the loss.

"Draco?"

"Mnn?"

"This
flour tastes disgusting."

The two looked
around at the wrecked kitchnotinoticing the white that seemed to coat everything,
including them.... especially them.

Draco ran his
fingers along Harry's cheek for a moment, taking in a last gaze at the
disheveled boy above him covered in flour with flushed cheeks and crooked
glasses.

"You're
quite right, Harry." There was a pause before Draco looked him deep in the
eyes.

"Bath?"

Harry wondered
why Draco was looking at him so intensely, until he heard the question. He
smiled. It seemed his dragon was finally ready to progress things a bit. He
nodded down at Draco and got to his feet, helping Draco do the same.

"Are you
sure?"

Draco nodded,
chewing on his bottom lip

"Lead the
way."

Draco took
Harry' hand and squeezed it before leading the eager Gryffindor up the stairs.

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

TBC

A/N: Short, I
know…but after all the troubhis his half gave me…my creative juices are tapped
out for tonight…and I wanted to post at least *something* for you guys. The
next part will be here soon, as I have a laptop to work on now. Thanks for
reading!

Love and
Kisses,

Reika