Theory

Chapter Six - Point of Safe Return

Harry heard the door creak silently and a ray of light fell into the room. He turned quietly in his bed to glimpse through the gap in his curtains. Theo was just carefully closing the door, cringing slightly as it clicked unnaturally loudly in the night's silence. Propped up on his elbows Harry watched him in the dim moonlight, as he crossed the room, passed Harry's four-posters, took his night things from underneath his pillow, and vanished into the bathroom. Having changed, he came back out about two minutes later, and placed his clothes neatly on his trunk, before he vanished behind the ever closed curtains of his bed.

Harry's eyes lingered for a few more moments on Theo's bed. Suddenly the fabric rustled, and before he could turn away, Theo pushed the velvet aside with one hand and found himself looking directly at Harry. It clearly came as much as a surprise to him as it came to Harry, who felt a slight blush spring to his face. Theo's lower lip dropped slightly, but he seemed to recover quickly.

"Good night, Harry," he whispered. "Sleep well." And with a further rustle, the curtain fell close.

Harry let himself fall back into his pillow, his heart beating fast. Next to the feeling of embarrassment settled the by now so familiar feeling of shame, as Harry closed his eyes to find the image of Theo's slightly parted soft lips engraved in his mind.

The process of admitting to himself that he wanted Theo, that he wanted to be with him, wanted to experience the comfort of the body of the person he... had fallen in love with caused an almost physical sensation of sickness, but he couldn't deny it any longer. He was longing for their trip to Hogsmeade tomorrow, to spend time with Theo away from school, just enjoy himself in the other boy's presence, but he was dreading it as well.

He swallowed and turned to the side, imagining he could see Theo through the curtains. When he closed his eyes, the image was still there.

'Freak!'

***

"Shall we go straight to the Bouncing Beagle?" Ginny asked, as they were entering the village of Hogsmeade.

"Why?" Draco asked back. "We're allowed out till nine."

"Seven," corrected Ginny him somewhat bitterly.

"Well, yes, seven.... But anyway, it is too early for alcohol."

"Pardon?" At this Hermione had turned away from the shop window she was examining. Ron put his arms around her to stifle the biggest protest in the seed.

"Well, you didn't think we'd go to a pub and not touch a drop," he said lightly.

To Harry's utter surprise the practically predestined argument didn't come. Hermione opened her mouth as if to protest, but Ron managed to silence her with one gentle look and an impish smile. Hermione's expression softened and he put his arm around her as they went on.

Harry watched them for a moment with a slight curiosity he couldn't quite fathom.

They decided to have a look around the shops first. When Ginny pulled Hermione away in the direction of several clothes shops, and Ron asked the boys whether they wanted to come along to Zonko's and Honeyduke's, Harry, who rather wanted to have a look at the new Quidditch supplies, found himself pleasantly surprised when Theo decided to accompany him rather than Ron and Draco. It was only when his friends were gone that anxiety crept over and inside him like a fast caterpillar and settled as an unruly feeling in his stomach.

"Where is the shop you wanted to have a look at?" Theo asked, looking around curiously.

"It's not far," Harry answered. "Five minutes maybe."

"Can you show me around afterwards?"

"Of course. I almost forgot it's your first visit, isn't it?" Suddenly Harry had a relieving presentiment that the time would pass quicker and more easily than he had feared. Theo was completely laid back. He didn't seem to intend to ask awkward questions, and with the whole village to explore they would have enough to talk about.

Theo knew quite a bit about Quidditch, but even more about broomsticks. They had a good time talking about different strategies and moves. Before they left the shop, Theo bought the latest issue of Which Broom, asking whether they had any copies of previous ones left.

"Back in Germany, I got every issue delivered," he told Harry upon leaving the shop, scanning the cover. "Sometimes here I thought I got withdrawal symptoms."

"You could have borrowed mine," Harry said, leaning close to read the summary of the lead article, Flying Asleep on Autopilot Remains Illegal. "Why don't you play Quidditch, seeing as you like the game?" he inquired, as Theo put the magazine away in his bag.

"Dunno. Never tried out at my old school. Had the feeling they were making too much fuss about the rules." Theo shrugged.

"But... well, the rules are set, aren't they?"

"I don't mean the rules of the game. At my school they had very strict rules about who was allowed to play, when they were allowed to train and so forth. Only the good students were allowed on the team, even if others were more talented."

"And you weren't a good student?" Harry asked slightly incredulously.

"I was," Theo replied, with, what Harry thought sounded like a tad of defiant arrogance. "It was on principle. Most students on the team were intolerably big headed, because of the status it represented. And those who were still decent had a hard time not turning into pricks the way they were treated like idols." Harry found it hard to reply to this. He couldn't help but feel slightly insulted. But before the silence could turn awkward, Theo went forth. "That doesn't mean that I didn't play. My friend Katharina was on the team and we used to train illegally. I even was part of an unofficial team, but we used to play a slightly different game we called 'wood ball'."

And while Theo explained about the game and its rules, a game which basically turned baseball and lacrosse into a flying one, Harry tried to overcome the strange feeling that had ensued when Theo had mentioned this female friend of his, of whom he spoke so fondly.

~ ~ ~

Minutes trickled away like seconds and lunchtime came and went. Complete again, the group spent the afternoon paying a visit to the Shrieking Shack until Ginny urged them to leave for the Bouncing Beagle. It was already getting darker and a cool wind had come up. They pulled their cloaks tight and made their way to the other end of the village. Theo and Harry were bringing up the row. When Theo bent down to tie his laces, Harry waited for him and they fell behind.

"Thanks for waiting," Theo said, straightening up. Harry shrugged. They went quicker now to catch up with the others. When, however, Theo took Harry's arm out of the blue, they came to a sudden halt. Harry had stopped and made Theo stop with him.

"What?" Theo asked apparently nonplussed.

"I..." But what should he say? Theo was doing nothing wrong. Nothing at least, which Harry could name without sounding unreasonable not to mention almost silly. "I... thought for a moment that I left something at the Shack," he lied quickly.

"And? Did you?"

"No. No, I think not."

"Well, let's go then."

~ ~ ~

"Shall we play in teams?" Ron asked, upon taking the Butterbeer Draco was offering him.

"Yes, let's play in teams," Ginny replied, settling the matter for the general public.

Hermione was examining the pool table. When she turned to the rule board, she took a sip from her bottle and looked suspiciously first at the label, then at Draco.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Butterbeer," Draco answered. "I gave it a little tap with my wand though, causing a little chemical reaction to... enhance the pleasure," he finished with an impish grin at Hermione, as if daring her to pick a fight about it. She, however, only raised an eyebrow, then took another sip.

"Well, at least it tastes good," Theo chipped in. "I like the team idea," he said then. "How about Ginny, Hermione, and I against the three of you." Hermione threw him a quick look, which went unnoticed, yet everyone agreed and a minute later they threw a Knut into the slot at the side of the table and the balls appeared.

"Where are the cues?" Harry asked, looking around.

"You play with your wand," Hermione explained, still scanning the rules which were hanging on the wall on a framed parchment. "You take it at the tip, shake it forward as if you want to shake something out of it and say, 'Elongeo.' Like this, Elongeo!" She gave her wand a flick forward and it lengthened about three foot. Ron jumped aside just in time to save his best parts from being hit, and Hermione gave him an apologetic look.

A few spells and one broken bottle later, the game began.

As the game progressed and the second round of Butterbeer was due, they all more or less got the hang of it. Hermione looked immensely pleased with herself as she managed to score two in one in the third round and gave her Butterbeer an extra tap with a 'Cheers!' in Draco's direction.

"You can do it, Harry," Ron said, when only three balls in the cube were left, of which only one was theirs. "Try to get it into the upper left corner one." Harry considered. He took aim and -

Goosebumps spread over Harry's entire body, coming over his skin like a chain reaction. He shot, and missed and turned around to find Theo looking at him out of innocent eyes, yet giving an imitation of his crime.

"That wasn't fair!" Ron exclaimed.

"Why? I didn't touch him," Theo said with a smile. Harry still felt a prickling sensation on his neck, where Theo had blown against his skin. After a moment's silence Theo shrugged. "There is a German saying, Im Krieg und in der Liebe ist alles erlaubt! It means something along the lines of, in war and love anything goes. I'd say this falls under the name of war." And with that he gave the still speechless Harry a slap on the back.

"You're sure you're in the right House?" Draco asked with an almost approvingly proud half-smile.

"Quite!" Theo grinned back. He weighed his wand, took aim, and scored. The girls cheered. Theo gave a self-satisfied smile. "Your turn, Draco."

Harry began to wonder when the after-image of Theo's breath would leave his skin and allow the hair on his neck to settle, when Theo came over and put one arm on his shoulder slouching slightly against him. "It really was nothing personal," the boy said, his eyes on the game, as he took Harry's bottle away from him to take a sip. Harry could barely concentrate on his words. The alcohol had gone to his head quicker then usual and he found that the constant tension Theo's touch put him under somehow impaired his thinking abilities. He forcefully tried to relax.

"It... it was okay," he said eventually, "Just a bit Slytherin."

"Yes!" Theo exclaimed as Draco failed to score. "Ginny! Finish'em off!" After all the effort it had cost Harry to construct a however short yet coherent sentence, it seemed the other boy hadn't even been listening.

They finished the round and another and one more and had, thanks to Draco's galleons already lost count of their drinks. For the fourth round Harry decided to take a break. He felt pleasantly light-headed and wanted a quiet moment to fully indulge in the feeling. When he announced that they should count him out for that one, Theo said he would take a break as well to even the teams. He followed Harry into the small adjoining dart room, where he found Harry leaning smilingly with closed eyes in a corner.

"Draco's charm isn't half-bad, is it?" Theo said as he slumped against the wall next to Harry.

"Nope." And Harry could appreciate just how good the effect of Draco's art was, when he felt Theo brush firmly against him, skin on skin, and he felt nothing but comfort. His brain, his conscience, his inhibiting morals had been washed away by a rising tide. He opened his eyes and smiled at the boy next to him.

"I'm glad you came along. I had a good time today."

The smile Harry received now, held the slightest hint of pleasant surprise. "Thanks..," Theo said softly, in a manner which was far less cool than his usual and reminded Harry of the few more intimate moments they had shared. As if lacking for something to say, Theo raised his bottle to his lips and took slow, almost tentative seeming sips. Harry's eyes followed the other boy's hand and clung to his lips for a moment or two.

"The Hat considered me for Slytherin, you know."

Harry's heartbeat went fast, as for a second or so, air failed to reach his lungs. "What?" he stammered hoarsely.

"The Hat considered putting me in Slytherin," Theo repeated, giving Harry a curious look. "Harry, are you all right?" Theo moved away from the wall and stood in front of Harry, looking him straight in the face.

A smile of relief broke over the other boy's face. "Yes! Yes, I am fine." For a moment there Harry had been terrified to think that... well. "So... so you were actually considered for Slytherin?"

"Yes. I don't know how serious that gruff thing was though. He tried to put me into every House."

"Every?"

"Well, except Hufflepuff." Theo grinned. "He said I wasn't good-natured enough."

"And... how did you feel about being considered for Slytherin?"

Theo placed one hand next to Harry on the wall to support his weight. "I wasn't very bothered back then. I'm not sure whether I'd be now. I actually hope that, if I hadn't liked the people in my house, I would have been able to do a Draco and find my friends elsewhere."

"Yes, but wouldn't the implication bother you?" It was only Harry's strong interest in the subject, having for the first time found a person who openly admitted that the same thing had happened to him as had to Harry that kept him focussed on the conversation. Theo's proximity offered excellent distraction though and Harry found half his attention linger on the contemplation of why the other boy's cheek's just looked so almost unnaturally smooth and soft and so teasingly touchable.

"What implication?"

"Well, the attributes Slytherins are famous or infamous for," Harry clarified with some difficulty.

"I think there is a Slytherin in all of us."

Harry frowned. "I hope not."

"Oh but I'm sure," Theo replied seriously, as if discussing a scientific matter. "And wanna know what?"

"What?"

"I think my one isn't even that small a part of me."

Suddenly Harry found a grin spreading across his face. Not knowing its source, however, he blamed it on the alcohol and tried to resume a straight face again. After a moment's silence he said, "I..." But should he really tell him? After all, he had kept it to himself for over five years. Apart from Dumbledore and the Hat no one else knew. Nevertheless, Harry had a feeling that right here he might miss his only chance to... to what? He felt his face grow hot, as the silence stretched into a would-be awkward length. Theo was looking him directly in the eyes and yet, curiously, the silence just wouldn't turn awkward. That was when Harry realised that he wouldn't miss a chance at all. He would always be able to go up to Theo and talk about this.

"Harry?" And that was what made him decide to tell him now.

"I was considered for Slytherin as well."

"Were you?" Honest surprise was tracing the other boy's voice. "Why? What did the Hat say?"

"It said that I...that I had a thirst to prove myself. That Slytherin could help me on my way to greatness." It had been easy - hadn't felt like a big deal after all. Harry had expected to experience an almost agonising nervousness, while he awaited Theo's judgement, instead he just calmly answered his gaze, waiting for a reaction - or waiting for none.

After a moment Theo smiled. "Wow," he whispered.

"What?" Harry asked back.

"That just makes you so much more real." Harry blinked. What?! Theo put his empty bottle down, placed his second hand against the wall on Harry's other side and Harry found himself cornered between the other boy's arms. He swallowed. "I think I will like your Slytherin," he said silently. "In fact, I already like him." He allowed his eyes to trail down Harry's body, before he looked back up and into his face. Harry's heart raced. He couldn't move. Detaching one hand from the wall, Theo very softly and slowly placed the back of it against Harry's cheek and trailed his fingers along the gentle frame of his face and down his neck, causing Harry to involuntarily raise his head. After a moment of unmoving silence Theo leaned forward, dived around Harry's face and whispered next to his ear, "I like you."

"Harry, Theo, we've finished the game. Wanna come over and join in again? It's my last round."

Theo held the position for a moment longer, then he turned away and picked up his bottle. "We'll be right there, Gin."

***

"Theo?" The other boy stopped in his tracks and turned half-around. Harry smiled, but his smile wasn't answered - or only by an awaiting silence. "I wanted to see you," said Harry. "Could I - hey! Wait!" Theo was walking away. Wordlessly he proceeded along the hallway. Harry made to follow him. "Theo, wait!" The other boy, however, clearly didn't intend to listen to Harry any time soon, instead he took out his wand and, extinguishing the candles lining the walls, threw the hallway into darkness. Harry stopped abruptly, the sudden darkness giving him the unpleasant feeling of running into something. Casting his view forward towards the next window, he saw that Theo had broken into a soundless run. He made to follow him, running through the hindering semi-darkness as if through jelly, the almost unnatural silence hurting his ears with the threat of sudden deafness.

By the light of the moon, Harry was just about able to see how Theo rounded a corner at the far end of the hallway. He doubled his speed and managed to reach the corner, where he was greeted by a darkness even more intense than the insubstantial one from the corridor before. Out of the blue a bright ray of light came from a seeming slit in the concrete wall, as Theo pulled open a door and made to enter through it. "Wait!" Harry shouted once more. He ran towards the door, yet before he could reach it, Theo was through and the door fell shut, leaving Harry in such absolute darkness that the sudden shock of it manifested itself in a brief stabbing pain that seared through every fibre of his body. Harry concentrated as hard as he could on memorising where exactly the door must have been. Not taking his blinded eyes of the spot, Harry fumbled for his wand and pointed it at where Theo had vanished. "Alohomora!" he commanded. The door sprung a gap wide open, emitting a pale ghostly bluish light. Standing in front of it, however, Harry noticed that the gap wasn't wide enough to allow him through slim though he was. As he tried to pull it open further, he experienced tremendous difficulty. He pulled with all his strength, but the door wouldn't move an inch. He directed a second Alohomora at it, but nothing happened. Wondering, how the smaller boy had managed to open and close this door so quickly, Harry eventually had to stem one foot against the wall and try to pull the door open by hanging to it. Through labouring effort he managed in the end to open it far enough to squeeze through. On the other side of the door, Harry paused to think and gain some orientation. By now he was able to map the castle quite well in his mind. He had a look at the room and his first impression was that it was far too huge to be located in the castle at the place where Harry figured it to be. Tentatively he took one step forward. And then another. Suddenly the light became a little brighter revealing the character of the room and... Theo standing at the far end in front of an altar. Confused Harry looked around to find himself in a kind of chapel. Church-characteristic brick walls in varying shades of grey framed the room. On both long-sides stairs ran along the walls to join behind Harry above the entry. It was impossible though to make out, whether they were leading anywhere else than towards each other. Arches adorned the stairs, interrupting the otherwise very open expression they would have had towards the room. Harry himself stood at the near-door end of a passage way leading through rows of benches towards a plain stone altar, above which the body of Christ was stuck to a giant crucifix. Harry looked up at it with mounting confusion. At one point throughout its ancient history, Hogwarts must have offered a Christian service for Muggle-borns and halfbloods. Harry would have to ask Hermione about that.

Theo's eyes had followed Harry's to the cross above his head. Then he looked down at Harry from the raised altar-area. "You wanted to talk to me?"

His voice echoed pleasantly in the cold church hall. Harry cast aside his worries about the room's location and that it was actually supposed to end several meters before the step leading up to the altar. After all, it looked and felt very solid and Theo was standing at its far end.

Harry started walking through the rows of wooden benches. "Yes, I -"

"We should have left you on the door step to freeze to death!"

Harry's heart froze in his chest as he heard his uncle's sneering voice echoing threateningly from the cold walls. He jerked around to find him standing on the stone steps lining the wall to his left. There must have been some hidden doors up there after all, how else could he have -

"Rotten to the core you must have been by the time we took you in."

He whipped around. Aunt Petunia stood calmly on the step exactly opposite her husband, hatred oozing from her very posture.

"But... how...?" Harry stammered.

"It would have been kinder to my poor corrupted sister to let you die, instead of allowing you to live to turn out like this," she spat.

Harry's eyes widened in mingled horror and hatred and shameful fear - a fear as if his relatives could turn back time to leave him out there to die. "No!" he screamed.

"Then tell me what you came here for?" his uncle demanded.

"I... I wanted... I wanted to..."

"You wanted to be with him!" his aunt answered back at him, putting an unmistakable intonation on the last three words, while pointing at Theo. Harry followed her gesture with his eyes. Theo sat on the altar, his legs crossed, leaning back and supporting himself with his arms. He smiled. Harry looked back up at his aunt.

"Yes, but I... I..." But words failed him. How could he defend what he had wanted to do, when he firstly didn't know what it was he wanted and secondly knew it was wrong?

"It's... it's not wrong," he whispered pleadingly, his face looking up at the woman who had brought him up for ten years.

"Whom are you trying to convince? Us, or yourself?"

More silently even came his voice. "It is not wrong..."

"You can't even name 'it'! That's how abnormal it is!"

Harry felt his legs weaken.

"It is not wrong..."

"Is it not?" came a friendly voice from behind him. Harry turned around to find Theo smiling at him in bemusement. "What is it then?"

"Theo, I... I love you." Harry made a few steps towards the altar.

"You think you can excuse this foulness by terming it love?!" sneered his uncle. Theo started laughing into Harry's face. Harry looked at him in disbelief. As his laughter mingled with that of his aunt and uncle, Harry's knees grew weaker. Theo's laugh was drowned out by the echoing laugh of the two dark figures raised above them. Out of the blue he stopped laughing altogether and gave Harry a tranquil look. Eventually Harry's legs gave way. As soon as his knees hit the concrete, the floor vanished. Arching his back like a fallen angel lost in lust, Theo lowered himself down onto the altar. That was the last Harry saw before he fell into blackness.

He felt so empty he couldn't even feel scared of falling, nor could he scream.

With a start Harry opened his eyes as he hit the ground flat on his back. He was still panting from the fall. He jerked as he felt a hand touch his arm. Instantly Talitha withdrew it.

"Harry, don't! It's me. Are you all right?" came an urgent whisper.

"Theo?" Harry's vision was blurred.

"Yes." Theo took his hand and made him take his glasses. Harry put them on. Had Theo fallen as well? Where...? Suddenly Harry realised the softness of his pillow underneath his pounding head.

"Harry, are you all right?"

Harry felt himself calming down. "Yes... I guess, I am."

"Good." Theo made to get up from where he was sitting on the edge of Harry's bed, but Harry reached out for him and held him back by the wrist.

"Wait. Please," he said quietly. Theo sat back down and looked curiously at Harry. "Did I wake you up?"

"No," Theo answered truthfully. "My bed was still spinning slightly from the alcohol."

"What made you come over then?"

"I..." For a moment Talitha contemplated whether she should speak the truth, then... "I heard you mumble in your sleep. You sounded afraid. That's why I came over. Just when I thought about maybe waking you though, you woke up by yourself. What were you dreaming?"

"I... Could you come down, please." Harry had had enough of figures hovering above him for one night and the rest of the alcohol made him feel slightly nauseous from looking up at the boy. Furrowing his eyebrows, Theo did as he was told and by doing so, crept under Harry's cover to lie on his side next to him, his face turned towards him.

"I can't remember my dream." And how clearly he could remember.

"I don't believe you," Theo said simply. Then, very tiredly, "Your bed spins less than mine..." He lowered his head, which had been propped up on his arm onto the pillow next to Harry's, who was lying on his back. Then he placed his left arm on Harry's chest. Mere moments later Harry heard him breathe evenly.

Harry closed his eyes to welcome warm, unimaginative darkness and fell asleep.

***

For once Harry was almost looking forward to Divination. He had written down his dream the Sunday morning after their Hogsmeade visit, hoping that he would be able to inconspicuously raise a few questions after the lesson was over. The dream had been completely absurd! Harry wasn't even the least bit religious!

That morning he had awoken to find his bed empty. But he could have sworn that there was still a slight imprint of a second person's head in his pillow. He had been so sure that Theo had fallen asleep in his bed that night, but by now he wasn't quite so sure where his dream had ended and reality had begun. Theo had said nothing the other day or ever after.

As he made his way upwards with Ron at his side, Harry found himself watching out for Theo, falling slightly behind as if to wait for the boy.

"Come on, we're gonna be late," Ron said, pulling Harry at his sleeve and out of his reverie. They arrived in the tower room just as Professor Trelawny began to hand out little bags full of ten-sided dice. The two took their usual seats at the back of the class.

When every couple had a bag of dice, Professor Trelawny raised her misty voice, "On page 306 you will find a directory on how to interpret the possible combinations. You will start with asking the dice simple questions, meaning you will start with only a few of them. The more complex the question, the more dice you'll need. This lesson asks for bodily contact between the working partners, so I hope you all found a partner you feel comfortable with."

A slight mumbling arose. "Excuse me Professor, what exactly do you mean by 'bodily contact'?"

"Well, while one is framing the question in his or her mind, the partner will have to throw the dice. Thusly a connection between those two is necessary. I'd say, holding hands should be the most convenient and appropriate."

Harry heard Ron swallow audibly next to him. The redhead had never been good in disguising his fears or feelings. Harry received a stab by his best friend's reaction. They had never officially cleared the air. As the general mumbling arose again, while the several couples made to turn their attention to the task at hand, Harry turned to face Ron and determinedly said, "I'm sorry!" And he genuinely was. Ron looked thoroughly confused. This didn't exactly make it any easier, but Harry knew he had to clear this up once and for all. "I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you lately. It... it had nothing to do with you and that doesn't make it any better, I know, but it won't happen again and I apologise."

He could see relief flicker across the other boy's face. Then, however, his face became contemplating.

"Don't you think you owe me an explanation?" Ron asked firmly, but kindly. Harry hadn't expected that, yet...

"Yes, I think I do. But I can't give it to you. Not yet." He looked his best friend in the eyes and with a sudden flicker of forgiveness their old understanding was restored. Harry hadn't felt this relieved or happy about anything in weeks.

But maybe he could take this even further....

"May I ask the first question?"

Ron nodded and took the dice in one hand. Harry took his free hand and concentrated. When he heard the dice fall, he opened his eyes and let go. Ron opened the book and traced his finger along the lines.

"Yes," he said.

'"Yes' what?"

"That's the answer, 'yes'."

Harry felt his throat tighten. "Ron?"

"Yes?"

For a moment it seemed Harry's throat was too tight to emit any sound, nevertheless, there was no help - he needed to talk to someone. And who would be... better suited than his best friend?

"How...?" But how to phrase it? Harry hesitated. How could he express what was bothering him without...? "How... how can you be in love with the... wrong person?" That came out all wrong.

A flicker of anxiety hushed over Ron's face. "What? I mean, pardon?"

"I..." It was only by the deeply flustered confusion in Harry's eyes that Ron noticed that his question was neither personal, nor accusatory, but honest and... about Harry himself?! Ron blinked and thought hard for a moment.

Finally he asked, "What exactly do you mean by 'wrong'?"

"I... I can't explain," Harry admitted, "Just say, you know, that person is the wrong one to be loved by you."

"Well, see, to me that just doesn't work." Harry started playing with the dice in his hand. "I really would have to figure what you mean by 'wrong'. Is that person likely to harm or hurt you in any way?"

"No, I don't think so," Harry answered and with an inner smile of satisfaction Ron noted the affirmation of his assumption - they were talking about Harry.

"Well then... do you fear she might bring out the worst in you?" Harry thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"Does that person answer your love?"

"I... I don't know."

"But the possibility of unrequited love is not what you mean by 'wrong person', is it?"

"No, I -" Suddenly Ron grabbed his hand, the swiftness of it making Harry drop the dice from his other.

"And? What do they answer?" Ron asked in a falsely excited voice. Harry understood - he too could see Professor Trelawny now out of the corner of his eye. Quickly he consulted the book.

"They answer... hope, or three... or chocolate... or reptile... or green." Harry looked quizzically up at Ron. The professor had passed.

"Lift your trouser leg, Harry," Ron demanded. Doing as he had been told, Harry lifted his trouser leg to reveal green socks. "Fascinating...," Ron mumbled.

"Anyway," he continued, "I really can't see then, why that person should be 'wrong', I - wait... I... have an idea. Okay, let's start from a different angle." For a moment he looked up at the misty ceiling as if he was hoping to find words there. "I love Hermione," he said then steadily, as if he was glad to have found a good and secure starting point for his verbal journey. "I love Hermione and everything is right about that. Don't get me wrong! It isn't perfect. That wouldn't be right. But somehow, everything is right about it, so the overall is right as well, but... But then there can be... another kind of love, where not everything is right, where you know that some aspects are wrong about it, and I mean really wrong, but that wrongness makes it... overall still right in the end, a bit like minus and minus equalling plus... but not quite." He gave Harry a confused look. "Do you... do you understand what I mean?"

"..."

"What... what I mean is that, as long as neither get... harmed or hurt to a considerable extent, even when they get harmed it... it can still be worth it, but... as long as no one gets really harmed, there is no such thing as 'wrong' love, which means that there is no such thing as loving the 'wrong' person."

***

"I found out why he is skipping classes!"

"He has been skipping classes again?!"

"Yes, loads!"

*anxious* "He's not seeing anyone is he?"

"No!"

"No one else would dare to skip that often anyway."

"I would, if he asked me to!"

"Definitely! But shall I tell you what he is really skipping for?"

"Yes!"

"He is... rehearsing!"

"Rehearsing?"

"Yes! He is rehearsing plays."

*sigh* "So he is an artist after all!"

***

"'Thau lookest as if thine head is made by thoughts too heavy. Sire, is anything amiss?'"

"Yes, beloved, I'm missing thine rose-petaled lips' divine services. So let thy kisses sore down to where my lust is stirred most by thine beauty," a familiar voice reached Talitha's ear.

Gearing back into full cool Theo mode, she slowly turned around to face Draco who was leaning against the door frame.

"That wasn't the next line," Theo pointed out with a smile of faint faked superiority.

"No, but you must admit, for poetry inspired by the moment, it sounded pretty good." Draco stepped into the room and closed the door silently behind him. "Does it mean anything that you are playing the part of 'Hermione'?" he asked with a smirk, dripping with innuendo.

"Does it mean anything that you recognise Muggle literature?" Theo retorted with sarcasm.

"Touché."

"What brought you here, my sweet?" Putting her text book down, Talitha stemmed herself backwards up the teacher's desk of the out-of-use classroom she had chosen for her rehearsal.

"Curiosity," Draco replied, taking in the room. At last his eyes settled on Theo. "That was a mean trick you played on poor confused little Wonder Boy at the Bouncing Beagle." A maliciously tinted grin spread across his face. "I liked it. You had him pretty much cornered."

"You saw that?"

"Yyyep. We Slytherins have a talent for observing scenes that aren't meant to be seen. How else would we be able to successfully blackmail people?" Theo raised an eyebrow and gave him a look of instant suspicion. "Just joking," Draco clarified quickly.

"And did anything happen?"

"Well, I could have laid him there and then," Theo said coolly, "But -"

"Hey! Not so fast! Rewind! Last time I checked Saint Potter was straight as a dart and next thing he got bent in a dart room?!" Energetically Draco grabbed one of the randomly scattered chairs, whirled it around and sat down on it back to front.

"Not funny, Draco," Theo said in a slightly irritable tone. "I said, I could have, but -"

"But you didn't, because we could have walked in and been irreversibly traumatised by seeing Potter naked! Thanks. Very considerate."

"Draco! Shut up and listen!" That did the trick! No one ever dared these days to talk like that to Lucius Malfoys's son. Draco shut up and put on a face of fake childish shock. After a moment he opened his mouth and emitted a sound, but shut it again quickly as if in fear.

"Yes," Theo said in half-mock-half-real annoyance "Say it."

"Right there you reminded me of Ginny quite a bit," Draco said in what seemed faintly reminiscent of awe.

"Um, I mean, I'm listening."

"Well, as I said, I could have... done something with him."

"But?"

"But... I couldn't!"

"You don't want me to make a comment right now, do you?"

"No."

"Thought so."

"The thing is, when I started... twisting things in a way that I knew it would eventually lead to something, I was still thinking I would be able to... hurt him. But, I think it wouldn't be so easy after all now."

Draco tilted his head slightly to the side, and when he spoke now, his tone wasn't mocking nor was it anything other than just sincerely curious. "Hurt him? Why?" he asked, then added in his former manner, "Not that it has never occurred to me, but..."

"I'm not sure whether... Well, actually I'm sure I won't be coming back after Christmas. I have other plans."

Draco let out his breath audibly through his teeth. "So you have been toying with him," he pointed out plainly.

"No!" Talitha replied hurriedly "Well, yes. No. Well, that's exactly the point. I've been planning to have my fun, and then -"

"Dump him."

"Yes," Talitha said, her pain slightly perceptible still through Theo's voice. "But now I have the feeling that my... justifications aren't really... valid. Actually they never were."

"Just out of curiosity, what were your justifications for breaking someone's heart? Sounds as if a Slytherin could need them."

Talitha had the feeling that Draco took a certain pleasure in Theo's more and more miserable growing tone, but she also thought that the two of them probably deserved the humiliation. "I tried to tell myself that it would serve him right for being such a coward and not being able to acknowledge his feelings just because he had fallen for a boy."

Draco laughed. "Oh my!" he brought out between slightly malicious chuckles. "That could turn into a classic," he said in an ironic sort of voice. "You told yourself it would be right to dump him, because he had a problem with admitting that he might be gay at the age of sixteen. You know, no insult, but that wouldn't even be enough to calm a Slytherin's conscience, if he or she at some point found they had one."

"Thanks, Draco," Theo said bitterly. "That was exactly what I needed."

"I know, darling. So, what are you planning to do now? Come back after Christmas?"

"No. I certainly won't," Theo said resolutely, and Talitha thought, 'I've worked too hard for it!' "I'll just... have to slow down. If I stop now, everything should be... okay."

"Don't you think it's a bit late for that? I mean, the way Harry is reacting to your every touch it just seems..." He trailed off.

"You've noticed?" Talitha asked back with a mixture of pain and odd pride in Theo's voice.

"I told you I'm very observant. I think you've passed the point of safe return." Did the blond devil have to phrase each and every single of her doubts?!

"But there is no other way," Theo said firmly. "I'll just have to stop now. If I don't go any further, he'll be -"

"Wondering why."

"Yes, maybe, but that's still better than getting in any deeper and leaving him at Christmas."

"Suppose so," Draco admitted. Then, "What if he'll try to go further though? Maybe he doesn't need any more help from you to set the thing off by himself."

"He won't!"

***

The first snow of the rapidly nearing winter had begun to fall one evening at the beginning of December. Harry was watching it flying by the window over the edge of his book now and again. He was sitting near the fire a few feet away from the table where Ron and Hermione had spread their things. About an hour ago, Harry had exchanged his DaDA book against something he had found on Theo's trunk the other night. His interested look hadn't remained unnoticed, and Theo had offered him to take it and have a read. It was a poem collection - poems Theo had encountered throughout the course of his life and had written down.

'Go from me. Yet I feel that I shall stand

Henceforth in thy shadow. Nevermore

Alone upon the threshold of my door

Of individual life -'

"Would you like a tea?" Hermione suddenly interrupted his reading, kneeling next to him in front of the fireplace. She was holding a kettle and her wand at the ready.

"Um, yes, thank you."

"You too, Ron?" she called over to the table.

"What?" Ron barely looked up from the book he was writing in, apparently deep in thought.

"Tea?"

"No thanks."

Hermione sighed, poured two cups, added milk and sugar, and handed one to Harry before she returned to her book, her steaming cup in her hand.

Go from me. Yet I feel that I shall stand

Henceforth in thy shadow. Nevermore

Alone upon the threshold of my door

Of individual life, I shall command

The uses of my soul, nor lift my hand

Serenely in the sunshine as before,

Without the sense of that which I forbore--

Thy touch upon the palm. The widest land

"Hey! That's mine!"

"What?!"

"That's my tea! I offered you one and you said no. This one is mine!"

"But...," Ron said helplessly.

"No! The water should still be hot. You can get your own one." Hermione held her cup protectively.

"Okay," Ron said, defeated.

'Without the sense of that which I forbore--

Thy touch upon the palm. The widest land

Doom takes to part us, leaves thy heart in mine

With pulses that beat double. What I do

And what I dream include thee, as the wine

Must taste of its own grapes. And when I sue'

"Where is my Quidditch note book?"

"Pardon? Your what?"

"The book I do my Quidditch notes in!"

"Dunno," Hermione said, barely looking up.

"It was here when I left it!"

"Where?"

"Here, amongst your junk!"

Hermione looked up. So did Harry. "Careful, Mister! This junk is the homework you intend to copy later!"

"But my book was here!"

"Well, then have a look for it!"

Ron began to rummage amongst the books on the table.

"Careful! I just put those filing cards in arithmetical order!"

"Ha!"

"'Ha!' What?!"

"What is that?" With two long fingers Ron picked up his book from underneath Hermione's tea cup, and held it accusingly out to her. There was a stain on the open page.

"It's just tea," Hermione said. Harry, however, could tell that she was indeed feeling a tiny bit guilty.

"It's not just tea! It's the way you value my -"

"It's just tea!"

"No!" spat Ron.

"Don't you 'no' me, Ronald Weasley!"

"Yes, and very intimately so." Ron's tone and expression had suddenly changed. A grin had spread over his face and all the anger seemed gone, as he smugly spoke those words.

Hermione just wanted to reply something, as... well, as she apparently noticed what Ron had said. Harry could see that for a moment she was trying to fight to stay angry - very unsuccessfully. Against herself she caught Ron's contagious smile. Only few people were left in the common room, so that Ron obviously had no inhibitions to simply go over to Hermione, place one hand under her chin, lift it up and kiss her.

"I'm sorry," she said. Harry tried hard to bury his nose in his book.

"No, I'm sorry. It's just tea."

"I know a cleaning charm."

"That would be lovely."

"My tea's got cold..."

"Let's share mine."

"Thanks."

'Must taste of its own grapes. And when I sue

God for myself, He hears that name of thine,

And sees within my eyes the tears of two.'

Harry wasn't sure what exactly was happening with his stomach. The scene he had just witnessed had been... cringing! But... somehow... somehow it had made him smile and... He was feeling plain jealous! Of course, he didn't want the bickering! Well, maybe a bit, but the way they made up, and that had to happen often enough, and how comfortable the two now looked, more or less studying in each others arms - he knew he wanted that!

He looked down at the book and passed his fingers over the pages with the neat handwriting.

'That makes one and a half hours stargazing.'

'Stargazing?'

'I believe you.'

'Thanks!'

'I'm glad you came along. I had a good time today.'

'Thanks... I like you!'

'I heard you mumble in your sleep. You sounded afraid. That's why I came over.'

'Could you come down, please.'

'I'm here. You're not alone. I won't leave you.'

Thoughtfully he closed the book, and looked at the engraftment at the bottom right hand corner of the cover 'T. Callidis'.

And by now he had realised that Theo could give him that.

***

During the days after Theo's chat with Draco, Talitha began to concentrate more and more on her future plans, as not to have to think about Harry. She hadn't skipped any more classes, not wanting to risk more detentions and rumours, since she had noticed whispers growing around her again. After class, however, she often went up to the top of Gryffindor Tower, to the room that had been too small for another dormitory, and rehearsed.

Now she was sitting on the ground in said room again, leafing through the handbook of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, as she found her thoughts drifting downstairs. It was late. Stars were glittering through the window. If it hadn't been for the heating charm she had put on her clothes, she would be freezing. Harry was most probably in bed bz now - not sleeping, but cuddled up warm. Talitha closed her eyes and day-dreamed. Soon Harry would be old enough to Apparate. She could see herself sitting in a café after school with her new friends from RADA, as suddenly two arms would go around her from behind. Recognising his touch, she would smile, stand up, and they would kiss by means of saying 'hi'.

"What are you doing here?" she would ask. Then quickly introduce him, as they sat down.

"I wanted to see you. Quickly sneaked into Hogsmeade after class and Apparated," he would whisper, leaning close, so her Muggle-friends wouldn't overhear.

There, no one would know that he was famous. She would tell anyone that her boyfriend was visiting a boarding school in Scotland. She wouldn't be able to show off with his name, but rather with the fact that such a handsome boy came all the way from Scotland to visit her!

Just when his fingers were starting to toy softly along the skin of her back, momentarily distracting her from some discussion about Shakespearean versus Brechtian staging advantages, she snapped out of the scene and opened her eyes. Some star was shining brightly, as if winking at her. Mocking her. She knew well that this would never happen. Apart from everything else, in her dream she had simply jumped the part where Theo would have to tell Harry the truth. Harry would never forgive her for having put him through all those doubts and fears to find that he had gone through all those lengths to overcome his homophobia, just so the boy he fell for could reveal himself as a deceitful, lying girl! There would never be a 'we' for Talitha and Harry! And all possibilities of a 'we' that could have been for him and Theo, were going to die, when Theo died at Christmas.

Talitha got up, gave one last look out of the window at the malicious star and left for the dormitory. On her way down, she strengthened her resolve again. It had been harder than she thought, but she had managed satisfactorily the last few days to not approach Harry in any waythat could indicate more than a friend's interest. They would stay friends until Christmas and then... well, then maybe pen pals? She opened the door silently and saw with one glance that she was the last to come to bed. And that Harry was still awake. Suddenly all her melancholic thoughts were blown away by her curiosity. What was he doing there, sitting awake so often at night, not making a single sound? With a few quick quiet steps she crossed the room to his bed and pulled the curtains aside. His wand on Lumos stuck upright between the mattress and the bed, Harry sat in his bed, holding a mirror and looking at Theo in utter surprise. She could hear him swallow once audibly before his expression changed back to a blankly bitter one and he faced the mirror again. Theo looked at him, then at the mirror and his reflection in it, before he sat down, pulled his wand, closed the curtains, placed a silencing charm on them, and asked calmly, "This isn't about vanity. What is this about, Harry?"

Harry lowered the mirror face down into his lap. "Evening, Theo. Why don't you sit down?" he said calmly, with a slightly sarcastic tone Talitha had never heard from him before, but still instantly recognised as part of the mood he had been in at Halloween. He took a deep breath and faced Theo. "Sorry, I..." He trailed off and turned the mirror around. For a moment he looked at it thoughtfully.

"Did you know that my parents died on Halloween?" it came out of the blue. "No one knows. Or at least no one ever mentions it. Every year we celebrate. Every year I enjoy a feast the day they died." He looked at Theo and smiled bitterly. "Isn't that ironic?"

"May I?" Theo tugged questioningly at the duvet, and got under as Harry nodded.

"They died. Cedric died. And Sirius died. All because of me. Even if it wasn't my fault." Here Talitha could tell that he only said that to prevent her from speaking, yet not because he believed it. "They still died because of me. To protect me, or simply because Voldemort wanted to get to me, but ultimately I am the reason that they are dead."

"He would have killed your parents, even if it hadn't been for you," Theo pointed out. "They would never have allied with him!"

"No, they wouldn't have," Harry said, and Talitha heard both, bitterness and pride in his voice.

"Still, I make all the wrong decisions. I bring everyone into danger. And even if I decide to not do anything they are in danger, just because they are close to me. Everyone dies," he mused in an after-tone. Then he looked up at Theo. "You sure you wanna know me?" He gave a hollow giggle, before he slowly raised the mirror again. Talitha saw his green eyes reflect on the clear surface and observed the movement of his lips as he murmured, "And I'm still here..." Slowly she reached out with one hand to touch him, but changed her mind in mid-movement, as he began to speak again. "It seems somewhat unfair, you know. Everyone I care for is always in danger. They die. But others... people I don't like, or just don't care for - they survive."

"Are you trying to say, you don't care for yourself either?"

"No. I'm selfish. I would always fight to survive."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"I... it always seems to go wrong, but... I want to be able to protect my friends. I wouldn't wanna leave them alone. I still hope that..."

"That the protection you can give them is greater than the danger you put them in," Theo said warmly. "You also have to remember that they have a choice, you know. They choose to be friends with you. They make the choice every day."

"Choice," he spat the word somewhat scornfully. "I wouldn't know what the base for that choice would be!"

"Harry..."

"The one girl I've been with was always crying. Because of Cedric. They had been together until he died. Maybe it's for the best though that I haven't had a girlfriend so far. If there could be any better target than Ron and Hermione, that girl would be in for it."

"Her choice as well," Talitha said and swallowed. And again she heard hollow giggling that seemed to come out of nowhere and ebbed away in seconds.

"I know I sound like a total prick. I don't really know why I'm telling you that either. I must sound as if I think that the world turns around my bum, but..." In the wand light Talitha saw something glisten on the face of Harry's reflection in the mirror. Tears were silently running down his face. Sure he hadn't yet noticed, as he was currently looking at Theo, and not wanting him to see it either, Talitha protectively took the mirror.

"But I wish I wouldn't think that... that I'm the cause for so much and I... I hate all the pressure and I hate myself for not being able to just cast it away, or at least being honestly able to wish that someone else held the responsibility, because I... I don't want anyone else to have it, because... I don't believe they could handle it and it's mine and maybe I am the only one who can. Or maybe I'm just a complete prick, thinking I am the only one and am too arrogant. Maybe this whole shit is the only thing that... makes me anything special and I couldn't live with... I wouldn't know who or what would be left and I... hate myself for it." Talitha looked at him in shock, yet she wouldn't allow it to show on her face. He truly believed what he was saying, and for the moment there was nothing to say to that. She didn't dare touch him, so she laced her fingers along the frame of the mirror. Then...

"And... and does the mirror tell you, who you are?"

"No, but... but that's not what it's for." Harry took it out of Theo's hands and Talitha was glad to see that he was putting it face down in his lap again. "The mirror was a present from Sirius. It should help us in case I wanted to talk to him. I would be able to see him in the mirror." The silent stream coming from his eyes grew.

"And? Can you see him?"

"No." He forced a smile. And giggled. Talitha bit her lower lip and frowned. Then Theo reached out a hand to Harry's face placed his hand against his cheek. At that moment Harry collapsed against Talitha and began to sob uncontrollably. Quickly Talitha did the first natural thing and put her arms around him and held him against her.

Talitha could feel Harry trembling against her as he cried and felt how a slight state of shock made her chest go tight. Never had she thought it possible that Harry would allow himself to let go so much. How had that happened? To her his mechanisms of unemotional self-protection had always seemed almost annoyingly perfect and impenetrable. Why would he be like that in front of Theo of all people? Did he really... trust her so much, or had he just not been able to hold it back any longer? She shuddered.

The thought of him having just... cracked, scared her more than she would ever have thought possible. Fiercely she hugged him, as if trying with all her strength to stop him from physically falling apart. "Harry," she said pleadingly, only very subconsciously noting that her voice might have gone a bit too high. "Harry, please...!"

'Please,' what?!

Hadn't it been she who had resented him for being some sort of superhuman? Hadn't it been she, who had screamed at him for not opening up to her? Hadn't it been she who had accused him of cowardice, not being able to show, or even acknowledge his feelings?

But most importantly, hadn't it been she who mere weeks ago had told herself that she wouldn't care if he got hurt, or if, in fact, she hurt him?

She could feel his silent sobbing, the heaving of his chest grew steadier and relief and hope surged through her. Without realising what she said, she whispered, "I'm here." Soothingly she stroked his back. "You're not alone. I won't leave you." 39789859

After all she had thought to be true about him, and with even more certainty about herself, here she was, scared in a way she had never been before, because she couldn't bear to see him weak, could not bear to see how hurt he was. She sat there, on his bed, comforting him, scared of the ghosts she had called. Suddenly all the world depended on Harry being happy, and, above all, on him being strong. She had wanted him to show weakness, and now she almost found herself wishing he had kept on the pretence, for it scared her and it scared her how much she bloody cared and she hated herself for all the selfishness she could detect in her thoughts, and yet couldn't help thinking them.

The sobbing had stopped, but he still trembled slightly against her. Talitha didn't dare let go.

"Theo," Harry said quietly, breaking the silence, with the intonation of a child saying a random word, apparently meaningless, or maybe questioningly, and maybe meaning the world. Talitha had no idea where this had come from, or whether and what she should reply. Shortly afterwards, however, she felt how his trembling... changed.

He lifted his face from where it had rested against her and looked up at him. His eyes were vaguely red, and somewhat puffy, and Talitha bit her lower lip as her stomach did a funny little lurch. Gradually she let go of him, her hands just loosely touching him, as she lowered her arms. He looked at Theo with the eyes of a child and a tiny bit of fear tinting the green with a deeper shade. Slowly Harry raised one slightly trembling hand to Theo's face and took hold of her cheek. She couldn't help but nestle her face into his palm, and when he closed the distance, kissing her warmly on the lips, she couldn't help but respond in the one way her brain would have strongly objected to if it had been in working order.

His invitation was warm and gently demanding and she followed it in the same fashion. They let themselves softly slide down sideways until they were lying in front of each other rather than sitting. Talitha's head was blissfully numb and free of thought, yet full of blurry feelings and sensations in warm shades of orange. His kisses were sure, and affectionate, and steady, and Talitha realised that this was exactly what the whole world always wanted of him - a feeling that one was safe in his arms.

He pulled away, and Talitha couldn't believe how beautiful he was to look at. With his hands on her shoulders he gently turned her onto her back and hovered above her, part of his weight lightly pressing down on her. Her lips parted willingly, as he traced them with his tongue in an almost playful manner. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to become all feeling once more, exploring his lips with hers, gently probing the contours with her tongue.

After a while, however, she became gradually aware of something pressing forward from his midriff. Confused she opened her eyes and pressed her head back further into the pillow to pull away. Her mind felt so numb with the shock from earlier and the flood of sensations now, it took her a while, before she realised what had made her stop. Harry looked at her, instant insecurity clouding the lustfulness in his eyes. Instinctively Talitha reached up with one hand and traced his face with the back of her fingers, gaining time to think, while a gentle breeze blew away the clouds. Harry gave Theo a soft smile. In slow-motion Talitha became painfully aware of the bandages around her breasts and of the two pieces of underwear she wore. She had completely forgotten who she was - she was Theo, a boy, who right now was making out with Harry Potter! Shit!

Yet, while part of her brain was able of intelligent thoughts again, it also became clear that she couldn't stop now - not in the middle of it. She reached up to gently suck his lower lip, which had looked so cute, when she had seen him pout for the first time. She would just have to be alert, careful, mustn't allow things to go too far, and, above all, must not let him notice that Theo just didn't get a hard-on! For her own sake, as well as for his.

Gently taking over the lead, Talitha re-indulged in the game. Somewhere she was deeply aware of the loss of romanticism she had just experienced, but as part of it had simply turned into the truer feeling of slightly calculating lust, she tried not to resent it. Their kisses became fiercer and Talitha noted with a smile against his lips that Harry had only been waiting for her to be a bit more... assertive. Stirred on by the very stimulating sound of his kisses near her ear, caressing her neck, she turned the two of them around, as to have better control about what was pressing against what. Her hands ran passionately up and down his body, thus unfortunately inspiring his to find a way to get underneath her shirt. Twice she managed to skilfully wriggle the situation, seconds before his fingertips would have touched the bandages, the third time, however, she had been a bit too slow, reactions probably slowed down by his mind-anaesthetizing scent. Harry hesitated and broke the kiss.

"What is that?"

"I had a fight recently," Theo said lightly.

"You never told me."

"Wasn't important."

"Couldn't Madam Pomfrey...?"

"I didn't bother going to her." He smiled seductively at Harry as if to indicate that he carried his battle-wounds proudly.

Then Theo placed one hand on the back of Harry's head and pulled him close once more. His lips felt as warm and soft as Harry had dreamed them to be and he kissed as fervently as his eyes and manner had always promised. Harry felt his lips bruise slightly under the other boy's kiss and couldn't help but embrace the pleasure that came along with the gentle pain. Though thoughts raced around in his head, he blissfully managed to pay no attention to them, but to the shivers instead Theo's hands sent up and down his spine. Harry had never experienced how constant tension could be so immensely pleasurable. His hands toyed at Theo's waist and his arousal got new fuel as he felt the other boy giggle against his lips, obviously ticklish. Harry smiled. He pulled Theo closer - he wanted to taste him, touch him, feel him pressed against his own body! Theo slid his waist to the side, still pinning Harry down with his upper body. Harry almost moaned at the loss of bodily contact, but his moan transformed half way through and only surfaced, as Theo's hand slithered down to Harry's groin. It took the other boy mere seconds to circumvent his waistband. He pulled away a bit and gave Harry the most seductively dirty grin he had seen, as his hand progressed without having to deal with the obstacle of underwear.

'I'm wearing two and he is wearing none,' it crossed Talitha's mind and surfaced in a grin, as her hand settled between his thighs.

Bent over him, supporting her weight with one hand on the mattress, the other began to toy where it vanished. Both their kisses turned more passionate and less controlled. Talitha felt her breath quicken and him stiffen in her hand. She couldn't stop smiling and grinning lustfully. Slowly she slipped her hand out of his trousers and suffocated his moan in an eager kiss, all the time teasing him with a safe distance between him and her. Never would she have thought it possible that her sham would one day give her so much pleasure. For once during this whole episode she knew that she was fully in control, that here she would bring about the changes, and this feeling of power turned her on almost as much as he did.

As Theo retrieved his hand from his pyjama bottoms and passed his hand up Harry's stomach underneath his shirt, Harry thought he would burst, if the boy slipped any further away. A soft moan escaped him, only for his lips to be shushed by Theo's. Harry put his arms around the other boy's neck in a final attempt to keep him close, but Theo only grinned against his lips and pulled him in an upright position. Harry could feel his muscles flex at his neck. When Harry was sitting and Theo was kneeling over him with his legs parted, Theo pulled away and smiled at him. His cheeks looked so incredibly touchable with that lustful flush tinting them pink and Harry took one hand away from his neck in a stroking movement and placed it against Theo's cheek. Theo closed his eyes and let his hot face rest in Harry's palm. They were both panting slightly, but Harry could see how Theo relaxed under his touch. Slowly Theo reached up to Harry's other hand, covered it, laced his fingers through Harry's and led it away from his neck. Suddenly he opened his eyes, gave Harry an impish smile, who only then noticed that he had involuntarily let go of Theo. Free of Harry's arms, Theo placed both his hands at the side of Harry's upper body and traced them upwards until Harry's arms were outstretched. Then he took hold of his top and Harry found himself top-half naked before he even knew what was happening. Closing the distance, dipping his tongue back into his mouth, Theo pressed him back onto the bed. Harry tried to find use for his hands. He ran them through the other boy's hair and over his neck and every bit of naked flesh he could reach and received shivers and reactions in form of ever more heated kisses, but he had the feeling that the boy was constantly slipping away.

Theo kissed his way along Harry's neck and throat. After a while he slipped his hand back under and as Harry moaned, he looked up at him, grinned, retrieved his hand, and threw Harry's top at him.

"Here. Something to bite." He ran his hand along Harry's body and slipped it underneath his back. Harry arched slightly. Then he pushed his hand somewhat demandingly underneath Harry's bum. "Up," he ordered. Lifting his hips, Harry obeyed, and with two quick hands Theo pulled his bottoms down to his knees. Harry's eyes widened for a second, as he felt a strong sense of vulnerability surge through him and then once more, as he realised that this feeling appeared to arouse him even more. He clawed his hands into the mattress, as Theo now ran one nail down his upper body, before his hand once more settled on Harry's groin and skilfully began to tease it. Harry could feel his kisses on his body and as Theo's lips came within reach of his own once more, Harry tried to make that kiss last as long as he could. He indulged in his taste, mocking his tongue in a play fight, sucking its tip. When Theo at last pulled away, he could see so much warmth in the speckled brown of that strange boy's eyes that he felt himself smile as true as he hadn't smiled in ages. Out of the blue he felt the fabric of his pyjama top softly touch his cheek and then be drawn over his lips. Only the grin that spread over Theo's face made Harry understand the hint and he managed to get a good grip on the mattress and bite down on the fabric just in time, before Theo went down on him.

***