Banshee\'s Balls!

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. I’m sorry it took so long for me to write this chapter but as you’ll see its a very important one and I wanted to feel I’d done it justice. Hopefully I have so please let me know your thoughts at the end.

Thanks again to my reviewers. I make a copy of every review I get but since its been so long I’mnot sure whether some of the reviews were for the chapter before last, so if they were then bear with me cos I’m gonna thank you all again.

Dominique...Your wish is my command. Lol

Lilith...Lol Hopefully you’ll find out about Sev and Remus soon.

SP777...hopefully this is the mush attack you wanted. ^_^ I liked your idea unfortunately I already had an idea in my head how their first kiss would go and unfortunately it didn’t involve them rolling around in snow. But it would have been a good second.

ZooArmy...Lol, Harry does need to think of himself more doesn’t he. Maybe Draco can help.

Minna-chan...Thank you so much I’m really glad you like it.

FallenAngel1129...Thanks for reviewing, we are extraordinarily close.

MewMew2...Thank you I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I went into this just as a relationship fic with a bit of Quidditch but before I even got to the end of the first chapter I realised I had to add a lot more to it to do justice to the wonderful idea Ecks gave us.

Anon...Thanks for reviewing four times, wow. Lol I’m not sorry you’re addicted to this, it makes me feel too good. ^_^ I’m very flattered that you’d think so highly of my story.

Thrnbrooke...Knowledge is power as they say, maybe he doesn’t want to give up that power over Draco too soon.

Gentlenightrain...Glad you like it. ^_^

Spikesbitch...Lol, sorry it took so long for this chapter. I’ve struggled with it cos it’s very important but now that this chapters out of the way I forsee a lot of quicker updates.

A_naughty_mouse...Your wish is my command. ^_^

DiscoLemonade...Lol, thank you. Hhhhmmm Blaise is very ambiguous isn’t he. As to whether he’s gay or straight, lol he’s bisexual. Sorry I know you wanted an answer for one or the other but he really isn’t cooperating at all.

Nekoko Cella...Lol sorry, heres the update I’ll try and be quicker next time.

ElfHybrid...Thanks for the critique. When I started I was told I used too many commas so I toned it down a little then people told me too few, so I sometimes struggle finding a happy medium. Glad you like the story.

NyxUlfr...Thank you I’m glad you liked the parseltongue bit in the ROR, I love that bit myself. ^_^

Feltonslover...Thank you so much. I’m not a big fan of WIPs either. I hate finding a gem and not being able to read it because they haven’t updated in a couple of years, it gets really annoying. I’ll never leave a story hanging. I’ll always finish, may take me awhile to fine my muse. But I will finish them. ^_^

FallenAngel1129...Thank you. I was a little nervous about the snowball fight, didn’t know if I’d made it believable. Glad you liked it. Here’s what you’ve been waiting for.

GoddessMoonLady...lol, thank you so much for the review, I was cringing anticipating a lot of howlers over the snowball interuptions. I’m sorry it took so long to update. I struggled a bit getting this how I wanted it.

Slashy Snitch...thank you. I am very pleased to know that you are a big fan of my work. It’s very gratifying to be told that by another author. ^_^ Hopefully you’ll like this chapter as much as the others.

Lumcer...Sorry it took so long. Thank you for the review. ^_^

hieisdragoness18...lol, I passed on the pokes to my muse but she still refused to motivate me. This chapter was really difficult but the next chapter should be much easier.

Goddess_of_the_Night...Thank you so much. i'm sorry it took so long to update. ^_^

Dani...Thank you so much, i'm glad you liked it. Sorry it took so long to update.


Thanks again to all my reviewers. Now onto the chapter.


Chapter Nine

Draco must have felt like this the night Harry had been in the hospital wing. Waiting around to hear news was harder than being ill sometimes, especially when you cared about the person lying there in pain.

Draco had been put into a dreamless sleep at the start of his treatment so that Madam Pomfrey could work on him. Harry didn’t know who had thrown that second snowball and he didn’t really care right now as it was the first that had done the damage. Cho was a different matter; she had thrown the first so he would definitely get her back for it.

After Draco had calmed down from his rant he’d noticed a stinging pain in one of his eyes, once he’d removed all the snow and realised the blurriness he was seeing had nothing to do with melting ice he’d panicked. Harry and the others had called off the game and urged their Captain into going to the infirmary. Since Harry’s team had won anyway Draco couldn’t scold them later for retreating.

Draco had then been dosed with dreamless sleep so that he wasn’t tempted to move his eye around, aggravating the injury further. They’d stayed with him, watching Madam Pomfrey slowly draw out each sliver of ice and set is aside. It was a slow process. They did all wonder why she did it that way when she could have just melted the ice. Madam Pomfrey had responded that normally she would do that but with the injury being in the eye it was too risky to heat up the ice. The water wouldn’t exactly be boiling but suddenly introducing liquid to the inside of the eye wasn’t the smartest thing you could do, irrevocable damage might be done. Eyes were delicate; they couldn’t risk damaging it further.

This in Harry’s opinion made this whole situation worse. How could a snowball split into shards of ice when it hit, unless it was made that way deliberately! Yes sometimes the snow was packed really hard by hand and could feel like rock but that wasn’t the same. Madam Pomfrey had said the snowball must have been ice, shaped by magic, luckily the person’s magic hadn’t been strong enough to hold the shape completely so the damage done had only been minor. However that wasn’t the point, the intent was still there. People might think ice wasn’t dangerous but if there was enough force behind it an icicle could penetrate the human body like a knife did. Cho had set out to injure Draco on purpose. Harry, Collin and Blaise had no intention of letting this lie. They knew it was Cho who’d thrown the first and they would get her back.

Harry promised himself he would get her back.

Waiting was agony. He’d never been a good waiter. Eventually Madam Pomfrey kicked them all out. But Harry just went back to Gryffindor tower, got his invisibility cloak and went straight back to Draco.

All the way back to Draco he seemed unable to decide on a mood. In that afternoon he’d cycled through more emotions than he’d thought possible for anyone to feel in such a short amount of time. He’d been having fun; it was a laugh rolling about in the snow. Then he’d caught Draco’s eyes and he’d suddenly felt like he was drowning, but drowning in a good way. He wasn’t cold, not cold at all. He was sure he must have blushed from head to toe. They’d almost kissed, he was certain of it but did that mean Draco wanted him or could it just be put down to the moment? It was beautiful, utterly romantic; exactly what he’d been looking for. Maybe that moment had affected Draco? Made the other boy want to kiss him when he wouldn’t have before...but it was still perfect.

And then that bloody snowball, it had snapped him out of the spell, Draco too. But it didn’t last; another moment and they were right back the same way, as though nothing had happened to break them. So close, again so close and then another bloody snowball! They’d been so close.

And then the worry and the anxiety for Draco had set in. He’d been on edge for hours but now that he knew Draco was ok, his thoughts were cycling back to their near kiss and his insides were turning all warm and squirmy again. He was sure he could feel his lips tingling, like they actually remembered a kiss that hadn’t happened. How he wished it had happened.

Draco was still unconscious when he returned, still dosed into a dreamless sleep by Madam Pomfrey. He settled into the chair beside the bed, his cloak wrapped tightly around him.

It was cruel, whoever had thrown that second ball had been cruel, he wouldn’t have put it past Cho to throw another but he had no proof. Whoever it was, they could have allowed them to touch lips at least. What would it have hurt? Sighing, Harry glanced over at Draco’s sleeping form, silently wishing that he could see Draco’s face, sure it would be even more beautiful without the cares of the day but the bandages covered him completely.

They hadn’t had chance to talk. Before Harry even knew what was happening Draco had been dosed and was quickly asleep. Silently he had watched Madam Pomfrey apply the healing poultice to the affected eye and wrap Draco’s head in bandages to keep it in place, all the while thinking about the feel of Draco’s warm breath on his lips.

He couldn’t find an excuse now, that afternoon had blown all his prior excuses to hell. He wasn’t stupid, he was definitely a little blind to things but he wasn’t stupid. Draco was interested, he had to be. Oh, he really didn’t know what he was doing! Couldn’t this be one of those things people decided for him, it would be a hell of a lot easier if they made decisions like this and let him risk his life in his own way. He’d be a lot more grateful if they did.

How did people do this? He thought, grabbing his hair in frustration.

This might just be what killed him. Voldemort couldn’t do it, his Deatheaters couldn’t but Draco bloody could.

He’d never been so confused in his life.

He went over and over everything in his mind, analyzing every action of the blonde’s. He worried about it none stop until he was exhausted, soon after he dropped into an uneasy sleep, fidgeting often.

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Hours later, just before dawn, Draco woke up. Panicking for a moment he soon realized something was covering his eyes. After endless fiddling he finally managed to loosen the bandages and remove the whole thing. Blinking slowly in the predawn light he was saddened to realize no one had stayed with him. “I thought Harry would have at least stayed with me.” He muttered sadly.

Sighing he looked around the hospital wing, wondering where Madam Pomfrey was, she usually appeared the moment he awoke.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted something. A coloured spot in the chair by his bed. Reaching over he could feel something solid, whatever it was it twitched and the coloured bit widened to reveal part of someone’s thigh.

“An invisibility cloak?” he whispered, awed.

Reaching out he snagged the cloak and pulled it away to reveal Harry Potter, fast asleep with his head thrown back and his mouth wide open.

Draco’s face broke into a brilliant smile.

Harry had stayed!

He looked so innocent when he was asleep. His long lashes standing out against pale skin, his eyes moving restlessly beneath the lids showing that something troubled him even now.

With a pleased smile Draco covered Harry up again, so Madam Pomfrey wouldn’t find him and settled down to go back to sleep, reassured.

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Draco was allowed out of the hospital just before breakfast, having endured a blistering lecture for removing his bandages without Madam Pomfrey’s permission. They’d spent the rest of the morning inside where it was warm, making plans on getting Cho back. They’d decided not to prank her, as they didn’t want to start up another war. And attacking her would surely get the other Nifflers joining in when they came back. This with the tension between the two groups could result in some serious injuries and even possible expulsions. Harry wasn’t feeling particularly bothered about that at the moment though, he just wanted to do something.

Surprisingly it was Draco arguing the most for restraint.

It was amazing how much the other boy had changed. Before he would have been yelling about having Cho hung, drawn and quartered. Draco was being a bigger man, not falling for the petty insults and digs of others. Instead he proposed that they beat them where it would hurt the most. By absolutely slaughtering them in their Quidditch match in the New Year. The other three were all for that, so since it had warmed up during the afternoon they headed out to the pitch for a bit of a practice.

Of course not everything went as expected; they did a little practice and a little fooling around too. Normal take offs turned into races, which Harry naturally won. Although he was quick to dismiss that, saying that having his Firebolt had given him an unfair advantage. That led to a round of broom swapping. Whoever got the Firebolt was of course exceedingly happy but no matter what broom Harry got he wasn’t happy. Neither the Nimbus nor the Comet was fast enough for him. None of them could compare to his Firebolt, but having said that he’d still won two more races on the Nimbus. Even though Draco’s was one model up from his old broom, it still felt like riding a blast from the past and Harry still felt a pang at the loss of his own Nimbus.

Not only did he have that to contend with but his awareness of Draco seemed to have gone up another notch too. For weeks he’d found himself watching the blonde but now he couldn’t seem to take his eyes away from him at all. He was just glad that they hadn’t been practicing with snitches today; he’d never have found one, which would have been completely embarrassing what with several students coming out to watch them.

That feeling Harry had always gotten around Draco had intensified, now whenever he saw the blonde Harry felt like his heart was about to jump into his throat and his stomach about ready to rupture. He felt nervous whenever Draco flew closer, just hoping the other boy was going to grab him and kiss him. Even if he tumbled off his broom in shock he knew it would be worth it.

He didn’t have the nerve to do it himself though. So much for Gryffindor bravery eh?

The rest of the afternoon passed in a haze of embarrassment. Draco kept looking like he wanted to talk but every time he got close it seemed something was determined to stop it. At first it had been their friends but Blaise and Collin had quickly realised that they should butt out for a few minutes. And they had.

Unfortunately that wasn’t the last thing that got in the way. The Bludgers they’d enchanted seemed to take a sudden vendetta towards them as every time the two of them stopped near each other to talk the bloody iron balls would come straight for them causing them to have to dodge and fly off.

Would nothing give them a break?

It didn’t seem so.

They were soon joined by several other students and ended up having a pickup game instead. Not that that wasn’t fun but it made talking with Draco even more impossible.

Eventually they both gave up, resigning themselves to finding another time. Like always. One step forward only to stand still for ages.

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It was soon Christmas Eve and the four members of the Banshee’s team were up in the Gryffindor dorms. With no other sixth years remaining and very few other years there was no opposition to two Slytherins being in their territory. They were all gathered round the fireplace in the common room, drinking butterbeer and eating sweets.

“You know, we have the best coaches ever.” Collin laughed as he took another swig of his drink.

“Yeh, who’d have thought Snape would buy us a couple of crates of butterbeer and a load of sweets for Christmas and give them to us a day early. I’d have expected it from Remus but not Snape.” Harry said quietly. If a few months ago you’d have told him that Snape would buy him a Christmas present and treat him decently if not nicely on a regular basis, well, Harry would have checked for imperius or something similar.

“Just goes to show you Harry, you can’t judge a book by its cover. To Snape and Lupin and a Banshee’s win!” Draco toasted.

The others followed his lead, holding up and clinking their glasses together, slopping a little of the liquid all over their hands.

“Can we play a game?” Collin asked suddenly, a calculating look upon his face.

“What like truth or dare?” Draco sneered. “I don’t want to end up with a skirt on again.”

“Me neither.” Harry agreed. “Besides we don’t need to play that to find out stuff about each other. We can just ask!”

Judging by the smirk that crossed Collin’s features, completely un-gryffindor like by the way, he had played right into the other boy’s hands.

“Alright then Harry. We’ll start with you.”

“What have I gotten myself into?” Harry muttered.

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It didn’t take long for the question and answer session to become a game of Truth and Dare, it was much more fun doing it that way. Using magic as they did before to make everything binding they got on with teasing and questioning each other. This time they were all more comfortable with each other and aware of the other’s boundaries and because of that they didn’t have to hold anything back.

The game was the only way to find out certain things. Especially something in particular that they all wanted to ask Draco. It wasn’t surprising that that was the first question Draco answered when he first picked truth.

“So Draco when did you wear your Mother’s clothes?”

“You’ve really been waiting a month to ask me that?” Draco asked furiously, blushing brightly. “If you must know Pansy dressed me up in them when I was eight. I looked pretty good if I do say so myself but then again I always look good.”

Everyone laughed at the affected smugness of Draco’s tone. Harry smiled brightly at the teasing tone, knowing Draco was a little vain but not that serious about it anymore. Anyway he did look good, so what was wrong with being aware of it.

Draco did look good tonight, he was wearing dark black jeans that hugged his thighs and a tight green t-shirt that showed every muscle he had and whenever he looked at Harry, there was a look in his eyes as though he were completely aware of the picture he made. Whenever Harry snuck a look Draco would catch him looking and whenever he did Harry could do nothing but blush and look away. He was helpless to react differently. There was just something in Draco’s gaze, something intense that burned him whenever it was focused on him. He had the feeling that Draco was done waiting and was going to do something about it but Harry had no idea what that meant. Would he talk to him later before they went to bed or would he bring it out in the game?

Harry found himself looking at Draco a lot throughout the night. And every time Draco caught him at it a glint appeared in Draco’s eyes that he, Harry, hadn’t seen since they were together in the snow. It wasn’t surprising then that he was distracted when he was asked what he wanted next.

He didn’t see the smug looks on Blaise and Collin’s faces when he answered ‘dare’, he only really became aware of his surroundings again when Collin told him that his ‘dare’ would have two parts.

Noticing the looks on their faces Harry became very uncomfortable. He was squirming; he knew it, especially when he caught Draco watching him with a look in his eyes that clearly spoke of anticipation.

“Harry.” Collin called gaining his attention. He blushed under their frank regards. “The first part of your dare is this. I dare you Harry James Potter to tell me who you fancy right now. Not who you fancied last week, last year...right now.”

If Harry could see himself he would think about how much he resembled a deer caught in headlights. Like a deer he was well and truly caught. He felt the spell he’d cast earlier at every ones behest, pushing him to tell them the name. He held it in as long as he could and he seriously considered bolting from the room but his spells wouldn’t let him. Resigned he purposely looked away from Draco and muttered it.

He had to say it again because they didn’t hear and again it came out as nothing more than a mutter. He was unable to speak louder because of his shock; he couldn’t believe they were forcing him to do this.

“I didn’t hear you Harry, please speak louder.” Draco’s voice and the look in his eyes were forceful and passionate. His voice husky and seductive, he never removed his gaze from Harry’s and Harry found himself unable to break away.

Despite himself, even knowing he didn’t have to, already having fulfilled the obligations of the dare, he said it one more time.

“Draco Malfoy.”

The smile that broke out on Draco’s face more than made up for the fact that he felt he was about to die of mortification.

He barely heard the whoops and cheers that came from the other two people in the room. He couldn’t take his eyes off of Draco. The other boy’s whole face seemed to have lit up. Despite it all Harry was very aware of his second dare when it came.

“The second part of your dare Harry is to ask the person you fancy how they feel about you.”

Harry licked his lips nervously but after seeing the heat in Draco’s eyes as he watched his mouth... suddenly he didn’t feel so nervous anymore.

Taking a deep breath he asked what was probably the most important question of his life.

“Draco Malfoy... how do you feel about me?”

The look in Draco’s eyes spoke of someone who had tried everything they could think of to let someone know his feelings other than to come right out and say them. In that moment he saw for himself what Draco felt and he also saw the fears and insecurities that had stopped Draco from voicing them long ago.

“I think I love you.”

Those words, so simple yet with so much complicated emotion behind them had to be the most beautiful words ever spoken.

He had tears in his eyes. Draco did too.

It finally seemed he had his perfect moment. He was smiling happily, yet crying his eyes out. He probably looked like a walking contradiction.

“Harry?” Blaise broke in. “It’s your turn to ask the question.”

Harry nodded, still smiling, still crying.

“Draco Malfoy, truth or dare?”

“Dare me.” The words, again spoken in that husky tone sent a shiver right down Harry’s spine. He felt his mischievous side rise and scrapped his last idea in favour of something else.

“Kiss me.”

Maybe later he heard the gasps, registered the shocked looks in their friends eyes. But mostly he saw the surprise and elation on Draco’s face and the way the blonde licked his lips in anticipation, as he dropped to his knees and moved towards him in a crawl.

That moment, it was like time had stopped. As clichéd as that sounds but Harry really did hear a distinct pause in between the beats of his heart, which a moment ago had been going quite rapidly. Now it had slowed down to a pounding beat and he couldn’t think, couldn’t be afraid, he could only wait impatiently for the man of his dreams.

All he could do was watch as Draco’s knees and hands brought him closer. It seemed to have taken them years to reach this point and it had really, if you counted from the day they’d first met. There’d been this same intensity between them, they’d just sent it the wrong way. But really he could only count from that moment in their detention, when Draco had helped him and everything had changed. It seemed so long since that day but it was hardly any time at all to a Wizard. It seemed like he’d felt this way forever and every moment he’d waited had stretched into an eternity. Even now everything appeared as if in slow motion but he’d heard that before.

A lot of people said that major events in their life had seemed that way, like they were happening so slowly. Because of that they never missed a detail of it. He was more thankful for that than he’d ever been for anything in his life. He saw the hips sway, the somewhat shy, sheepish grin and flushed cheeks that stood out all the more on Draco’s pale cheeks. He saw each and every breath Draco took, he saw his hair swaying in the breeze from the open window, the firelight catching the strands and making them glow. It was perfect. No moment could ever be as special as this. He saw all that and he loved every moment. There wasn’t room for regret or nervousness, only that warm feeling in the pit of his stomach that was never absent when Draco was near.

And then Draco was in front of him, looking at him with warm eyes. Before this year he’d never felt warm when he saw that colour. That special grey, unique to the blonde. You could drown in such a colour.

Draco hadn’t made a move after he’d stopped and Harry thought he knew why. He was making sure Harry wanted this. He felt himself smile. Draco was so perfect. Gorgeous, sweet- Harry’d never kissed a guy before. He may have known he was gay in fifth year after his disastrous kiss with Cho, but that didn't mean he’d found a guy he liked enough to kiss. He’d had too many things on his mind to think about that then. But now that was all he was thinking about, he didn't know whether he would be bad at it but he didn't really care, this was Draco. He wouldn’t make fun of him if Harry didn't have enough experience. Harry didn’t want to bungle their first kiss but Draco would never hold it against him if he did.

He loved him for that.

He was biting his lip and Draco was smirking, he hadn’t realised he was doing that. It was a nervous gesture of his.

Draco’s smirk was endearing, it wasn’t vicious or cruel like it had been before, no now it just made Harry want to kiss him all the more. There was a light in his eye that made that little quirk of lips the most erotic thing he’d ever seen. He wanted to shock Draco, to get him moving.

“Draco, I dared you to kiss me. Are you gonna forfeit? Do I get to punish you?”

If Harry was aware of how his voice had dropped low and how husky he sounded, he would have blushed. But he wasn’t, he was too focused on Draco’s face. The surprise, the pleasure and the lust that flashed across his features.

“Hhhmmm maybe later.” He whispered sidling close.

Draco was kneeling before him now and Harry couldn’t help resting his hands on Draco’s thighs. Neither could he help rubbing his fingers over the rough jeans even as Draco’s fingers traced his cheek and a thumb brushed against his lips. He felt the heat rising through his fingers, felt the tremors of the muscles as they strained, he heard Draco sigh in pleasure and wanted nothing more than to hear those sounds over and over again for the rest of his life.

Leaning in together went agonisingly slow but that first brush made up for it. It was tentative, soft and after that tentative touch Draco was gone. Pulling back, checking that he was still all right. It barely took a moment before Draco was reassured and rushing back in.

Their second kiss was stronger, firmer. Just lips, one kiss then another and another, each one getting longer and longer. Then Draco’s tongue was begging for entrance and Harry allowed it, twining his arms around Draco’s neck and pushing him back. Chest to chest, so close together Harry was almost lying in Draco’s lap. Arms around his waist were pulling him even closer, crushing him in their need. The kiss deepened, became raw. Harry couldn’t help but moan. Draco answered him with a groan of his own. He broke the kiss to descend on Harry’s neck, wanting to hear more of his sounds, clear and unbroken by his own lips.

With that first brush of lips against his neck Harry gasped, encouraged Draco went to work, licking, sucking and nibbling every inch. Harry was like putty in his hands, squirming deliciously in his arms.

It was like nothing Harry had ever felt before. That kiss with Cho was nothing compared to this, nothing would ever compare to this.

Someone cleared their throat. Both boys broke apart gasping for breath and looking about themselves in confusions. It took some time for them to realise their friends were still there watching them. Harry blushed and turned his head so he didn't have to look at the knowing smirks they were wearing. He buried his face in Draco’s neck, humming in approval when the blonde only tightened his arms and kissed his cheeks.

Smirking, the other two left them alone for a few minutes. They remained locked together, the only movement being Draco’s hand as it rubbed small circles on Harry’s back. Once he was sure they were gone Harry pushed back to look his boyfriend in the eye. Were they boyfriends now?

He wanted to be.

“Do you know what a picture you make?” Draco murmured, his hands continuing to worship Harry’s back and sides. “Your skin is lightly flushed, these lips...” he said, kissing them lightly. “bruised and red, looking thoroughly claimed. And that light breathy sound you’re making, it’s so enticing. You just beg to be kissed and only I get to do it from now on. Only me.”

“Only you.” Harry agreed.

Draco’s smile was blinding as he cupped Harry’s chin and drew him in for another kiss.
When this kiss finally broke, whatever number of minutes later, they found Blaise and Collin watching them with proprietary smiles.

Blaise, always the joker had to have the last word. “Looks like someone wanted his New Years kiss a little early this year.”

Harry blushed but for once he didn’t care, he was happy.

A/N... Well what did you think? I’m not sure I did justice to the scene in the hospital wing but I’m happy with the kiss at the end. Hopefully you are too. Please let me know what you think.