Goodnight Sweet Girl

Nine: Mr. Potter Shares a Confidence with Snape

A week had passed since the ball, an entire week, and Harry had hardly slept or eaten anything, and he couldn't get a certain blond out of his thoughts, and when he wasn't thinking of Draco, Draco was there. There was no escape, and Harry was becoming desperate. He had to get over this new obsession or simply waste away until nothing mattered anymore.

Hermione and Ron were growing increasingly worried for their friend, and Draco continued to playfully taunt Harry, although secretly he was worried for the black haired boy. Every night at dinner, Draco managed to taunt him into eating enough to survive another day.

"What is wrong with you?" Ron finally snapped at his best friend. Harry looked up with a start, pausing in pushing around the food on his plate.

It was in the morning and they were at breakfast, and Hermione and Draco had decided on skipping the meal for much needed sleep after what Hermione termed an 'all nighter of girl talk'. Harry looked around him and then shook his head and returned his gaze back to his plate.

"Oh, hell, mate, tell me something, anything. And please eat something! You're starting to waste away. I haven't seen you like this in a long time," Ron scolded him, doing a fairly accurate impersonation of his mother.

"There is nothing to tell, all right?" Harry said tiredly, pushing his plate away, then he stood up, and before walking off he added, "So leave off, Ron."

Ron stood to go after him, but a hand reached out and grabbed his arm. Ron looked down started at Neville Longbottom's hand on his arm. Ron gave him a puzzled look and Neville bit his bottom lip nervously before speaking. "Let him go. He needs to sort things out on his own sometimes. He'll come around, you'll see."

"Thanks," Ron said, and felt oddly relieved by Neville's words. He might have been shotty in every class except herbology, but sometimes he could be rather useful.

Ron still couldn't shake the idea he had about Harry though, and it was all because of Draco Malfoy, even if the form and figure had changed, Malfoy was still Malfoy.

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Harry went back to Gryffindor tower, more specifically the seventh year boys' dorm to get his things for class. He quickly stuffed his textbooks, parchment, a quill and a bottle of ink into his school bag and then he sat down on his bed, trying to think of anything beyond platinum blonde hair and silver-gray eyes.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples and then he felt a cool sensation against his ear. Almost as though someone were blowing on it. He opened his eyes and turned his head where he was met with silver-gray eyes, dark with want for him. Harry sucked in a deep breath of air and let it out in a rush. Soft pink lips smiled warmly at him and Harry's heart beat quickened, fire began rushing through his veins, butterfly wings fluttered in his stomach, and suddenly his trousers felt too constraining.

A smirk then lit across those sinfully inviting lips and a spark ignited in those gray eyes and again the blonde leaned toward his ear and blew against it. A shiver raced up Harry's spine and a low growl resonated from his throat.

"Please," Harry moaned, unsure of what he was pleading for and then he reached for the girl with the gray eyes and platinum hair flowing gracefully down her shoulders, but as soon as he reached for her she was gone. The illusion was gone.

"Dammit!" Harry snarled and then brought his hand down hard on his mattress in frustration.

It was becoming too real, and that scared him...

Hysterical laughter bubbled up in his throat and he choked it back, shook his head, and then sighed. "Wouldn't Malfoy love to know that I'm afraid of him, of what I could do to him... I must be going mad."

Realizing it was time for class, he thought of the Queen, and soon his "problem" had eased. He stood up, picked up his schoolbag, and let out a groan of displeasure as he realized his first class was double Potions. Snaped had been particularly nasty to him since the Valentine's Day ball. Harry considered cutting class, but thinking of the backlash of missing one of Snape's classes short of peril of his life, quickly remedied any thought of missing his loath teacher's class.

Harry hurried out of his dorm room, rushed down the stairs, out of the common room, down several corridors and stairways until his reached the Potions classroom, albeit a bit breathless but on time. He hastily entered the classroom and took his seat by Ron and sighed in relief, but that relief was short lived as he noticed the murderous gaze he received from Snape.

Showing up for class had obviously been a big mistake...

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"That was so bloody unfair! How could he do that to you! And Harry why in the bloody hell didn't you say something to him? He had no right going on about a little mistake," Ron ranted as they headed toward Hagrid's hut for Care of Magical Creatures.

"He did melt a cauldron and half of the table you were working on," Draco pointed out with a chuckle. Hermione sent the blonde a pointed look that stated 'obviously you are not helping!'

Hermione looked skyward and then piped up, "Harry, despite the yelling and insults, Snape had a point. Shut it, Ron!" Hermione sent a glare his way expecting a retort of some kind. "Honestly, Harry, your mind hasn't been on schoolwork, or much of anything as far as I can tell. We're here to talk. I'll even kick Draco out if you aren't comfortable discussing things in his... her... Oh bloody hell! It's been nearly two months and this is still so confusing."

"I'm the one that underwent this transformation, and Potter gets all the sympathy!" Draco said with a snort. "That figures."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Ron growled, coming to Harry's defense.

Harry suddenly stopped, fists balled up at his sides and body rigid. "Enough! Hermione, I know you are here to talk. Ron, stop being my bloody guard, and you," Harry took a step toward Draco and looked down into the gray depths of the blonde's eyes as he hissed, "No more games."

Then Harry stalked off, not in the mood for whatever creature Hagrid would be teaching about today, and left his bewildered friends and a thoroughly miffed Draco in his wake. He needed some time to himself, and he needed it desperately.

Harry found himself in the corridors of the castle wandering around aimlessly not caring much if a teacher found him... Until the event came to pass. He was in the middle of pacing one of the corridors when he ran into a barrier that gave way, a human barrier. Harry hit it with such force that he fell back. When he looked up all color drained from his face. Glaring down at him was none other than Snape.

"Well, Mr. Potter, to what do I owe this displeasure? Obviously some class is not important enough for your presence at this time. At least my class garners more importance. Join me in my office," Snape said, his deep baritone voice smooth as honey laced with deadly nightshade. "And that was not a request."

Harry followed as Snape led the way to his office. Once there Harry took a seat in a rigid wooden chair across from the desk as Snape locked and warded the door, and put a silencing charm around the room. Snape then sat down in the black leather chair behind the desk, steepled his hands, and looked down his nose at Harry, displeasure seeping from his every pore.

Harry fought back the urge to shiver under Snape's scrutiny. He returned the Potion Master's glare with one of his own, and his effort was met with a raised black eyebrow. Animosity hung thick in the air.

"Tell me, Mr. Potter, what were you thinking before you bungled your potion, destroyed school property, and endangered your fellow classmates with those noxious fumes?"

"It's no concern of yours, Professor," Harry said.

"Mishaps, such as yours, when they occur in my classroom are very much my concern. Furthermore, so is my goddaughter, whom you seem overly fond of, in my opinion. Or perhaps my observations are incorrect?"

"Leave Draco out of this..." Harry's eyes widened when he realized his mistake.

"Draco?" Snape asked and then he slapped his palms down hard on the desk and hissed. "What do you know about that, boy?"

"As much as he was willing to tell, and more, but I won't betray a confidence, besides he probably wouldn't want you to know," Harry spat, and then realized he was talking to a teacher, however hated that teacher might be. "He told us the day the students returned from Christmas holiday."

"Us?"

"Me, Ron, and Hermione. He said something about some dreams he'd been having, and then he confessed to an unhealthy obsession with me and then told us about this pendant he wore, some sort of wishing stone," Harry answered.

Snape leaned back in his chair, taking in all that Potter had just disclosed to him. So give a lonely boy suddenly transformed into a girl a couple of friends and this is what happens. He should have known leaving Draco at the mercy of Potter would be dangerous.

"While we are on the subject of Draco, tell me Mr. Potter, what are your intentions toward him."

"What do want from me?" Harry snapped, his anger overriding his fear. "Do you expect confessions of my undying love and faithfulness? Well, there, you have it. Stupid git had to go through all of this mess, and never realized I liked... Loved who he was before. He could be a sodding blast-ended skrewt, and I know he would make a horribly ill-tempered one of those, for all I care and I would probably still love him. I didn't recognize it for what it was until..."

"Until?"

Snape's question hung in the air for a few moments.

Harry took a deep shuddering breath. He'd gone this far, he might as well finish it off. "The first game of the season when he fell. That night I snuck out and stayed in the hospital with him until nearly five in the morning. As far as I know Madame Pomfrey was the only one who knew about it, and the only reason she did was because she woke me up and told me to go back to my bed."

Snape's eyebrow rose as he took in this information. Apparently Potter was more than smitten. He'd mentioned love... Was that possible for one so young as Potter. Snape looked at the boy, and realized the unmarked years on him. The age that came from never having a childhood. Harry Potter was no ordinary teenage boy, he'd been forced to grow up and know the harshness of reality all too soon, so it was indeed possible for him to know love, and with as much as Draco had fought with himself over the subject of Harry Potter, then it was possible that Draco returned the sentiment.

Snape almost smiled,thinking that maybe Albus' meddling wasn't so bad, but caught himself in time. He suddenly sat forward in a quick movement, his black eyes locked with Potter's green ones.

"Boy, I do not need to tell you that if you are lying to me, and it results in any form of injury where Draco is concerned, that you will pay a hefty price, and I will see to it personally that the Potter line ends with you. Is that understood?"

"Does this mean I have your blessing?" Harry asked incredulously.

Snape glared at the boy, angered by his impudence. "Call it what you will, Potter," he spat, and then after a moment's thought said, "One other thing. What are those blatant public displays between yourself and Draco all about?"

"He comes on to me!" Harry replied defensively.

Snape couldn't help the smirk at that. "Yes, there is no doubt about that. You do have a certain chaste, perhaps one might go as far as say virginal quality about you."

Harry's mouth fell open in indignity as he stood up and pointed a finger at Snape. "Now, look here! I am not a virgin! How many times must I say this? Draco is teasing me about it and now... Oh! Sweet Merlin, did I just say that to you, of all people?"

Snape again smirked at the boy. "I supposed I could let that last bit go unnoticed, although thou doth protest too much. Now on with a more serious note. I do not wish to catch you skipping classes unless you are headed toward the hospital wing or in the hospital wing. Is that clear?"

"W-w-what? That's it?" Harry asked in shock his hand falling back to his side.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Do you really wish for me to take away housepoints? Under the circumstances, I thought I could allow this one time to go unnoticed. Especially after our understanding. Ofcourse if you insist."

"No, that's all right," Harry said quickly, and then looked speculatively at the older man. "You're not so bad after all. You know you could go a bit easier on Neville, he does make an effort."

Snape's expression darkened. "We have an understanding Potter, not an epiphany. Talk like that will result in the deduction of house points!"

Snape quickly removed the wards and said a spell that unlocked his door, then he pointed to the door and fixed his gaze on Harry. "Remember what I said if you hurt him. Now out, before I take more points from Gryffindor than even your foolish heroics could recover!"

That was the first time any student had walked out of the Potion Master's office with a grin on their face, and unfortunately there was no one around to witness the event.

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Harry found himself back in his dorm, mulling over his strange conversation with Professor Snape. That man sure was protective of his charges, and that was when he realized that he had a newfound respect for the man. Calling him a greasy git would no longer hold the same amusement it had before. And what a pity that would be.

Harry sighed and laid down on his four-poster, and within a few moments time he was asleep.

And it wasn't long after that when he was rudely shaken awake by a very concerned redhead. Harry lashed out and his eyes snapped open, hands then instinctively reaching for his glasses. They were handed to him a few moments later, and once he had them on the concerned face of Ron Weasley came into focus.

"Ron?"

"Oi, what happened? Why can't you just tell me what's wrong?" the redhead asked and then a look of confusion passed over his face as he noticed the small smile creeping over his best friend's face, and the sparkle returned to the green eyes behind the glasses he wore.

Suddenly Ron's repeated, "What happened?" took on new meaning.

Harry rolled his eyes and smacked Ron playfully in the shoulder. "Nothing like that! Let's just say I have a few new perspectives. And I've come to terms with a few things. Now I have to find a way to make a Slytherin prat in Gryffindor clothing come to terms."

"Oh, bloody hell, Harry, it doesn't have to do with shagging does it?" Ron asked, looking green.

Harry looked at his friend and laughed. "Ron, sometimes I worry about you. I wouldn't call it shagging so much as making love."

"Love?" Ron's eyes widened. "You're in love? I think I'm going to be sick now. Before making anymore announcements considered what I've eaten, and give it time to settle before you speak."

With that Ron left the room firmly clutching his stomach.

A few minutes later Harry, under the cover of his invisibility cloak, walked out of the room and headed toward Hermione and Draco's room. He smiled as he said the password and slipped into the room. His heart gave a leap when he noticed Draco sitting on his four-poster, with no sign of Hermione anywhere in the room. Harry crossed the room in silence until he stood before Draco, then he knelt down until he was eyelevel with the blonde, before he removed the hood of his cloak, he took the soft delicate feminine face in his hands and savaged those pale pink lips with his firm mouth and a tongue that demanded admittance.

Draco shoved him back and stood up immediately, eyes wide as he stared down at Harry's head seemingly floating in midair and his hands pressed back on the floor supporting the rest of Harry's body, no doubt hidden by an invisibility cloak.

Harry's hands relaxed and then he removed the cloak as he stood up. He had a smile on his face, regardless of not having fully succeeded with his spur of the moment plan to shock Draco into giving into him.

Draco's eyes narrowed in anger as he spat, "What did you think you were doing, Potter?"

"This," Harry growled, and then snatched the feminine body into a desperate embrace, his mouth once again firmly pressed against Draco's. Draco found that Harry was surprisingly stronger than him now, and the blonde cursed his feminine body for its weak defenses against the oposite sex. And as Harry's tongue traced his bottom lip, Draco's resolve gave way. The blonde opened his mouth to Harry and a soft moan escaped his lips as both fought for dominance, Harry and Draco's tongues twisting and battling for upper ground, tasting and exploring seemingly new and yet oddly familiar territory.

Eventually the need for air drew the two apart and that was when they heard the gasp. The two sprung apart and looked toward the door of the room where a stunned Hermione stood.

"Oh, sweet Circe. I'm sorry, please continue. I'll just be going now," she said awkwardly and then quickly ducked out of the room.

Draco smirked at Harry and then chuckled. "You have a great deal of potention, Potter. You seem to enjoy touch and sensation."

"It won't be all of that and nothing. I won't have that from you. I want you, all of you. I don't want sex. I want to make love to you. I..."

"You, what...Harry?" Draco asked softly as he looked at the boy in a new light.

"I love you. I loved you as you were, and I love you now, as you are."

Draco looked down at the floor, unsure of how to respond, and when he looked back up he noticed the spark in those green eyes that sent a shiver down his spine.

A small smile curved Harry's lips as he took a step toward Draco and tentatively wrapped his arms around the blonde, leaving enough room for escape if that is what Draco wanted. Instead Draco surprised him and leaned into him, resting his head against Harry's chest and curling his delicate arms around Harry's waist.

Harry sighed and dropped a kiss atop the platinum blonde hair. "You don't have to say it now. I already know..."

Draco slowly pulled back from the embrace, his silvery gray eyes swimming with conflicting emotions and then he sighed, took a deep breath, and said, "I think it's time I show you something, to assure you that I have been honest..."

Harry looked at the girl in his arms in confusion. "Show me what?"

"Let me go, and you'll find out," Draco challenged playfully.

And Harry adhered to the request.

Draco sauntered over to his trunk, murmured a few unlocking charms and a password and then he was pulling out all of the clothing and putting it on the bed. Harry noticed all of the things being pulled out of the trunk and figured there had to be some sort of storage charm on the thing. When it was finally empty he noticed Draco's delicate fingers touching a dark spot in the silken inlay, and then the bottom of the trunk popped up. Harry raised an eyebrow, the trunk had a false bottom.

Harry looked in and noticed as Draco pulled out a large leather bound book that was tied secure with a leather cord. Draco lifted it out and then said a charm that put the false bottom back in place and with a swish and flick all of his clothes were back in the trunk. Draco then muttered several locking spells over his trunk and finally when the trunk was closed and secure he sat down on his bed and patted a spot beside him for Harry to sit.

With an odd and awkward slowness of a timid lover Draco untied the leather cord and slowly opened the large book, which turned out to be a sketchbook. Harry's eyes widened at the first thing he saw, a very detailed portrait of himself, it was simply drawn, not enchanted, and the work was amazing. Slowly he traced his finger along the scar so carefully drawn on the forehead, and then felt delicate fingers, Draco's fingers, trace the scar that was on his forehead.

Harry continued to look through the sketches, and there were dozens, mostly of him, but there were a few of Ron and Hermione, and even one of Snape. Then he came across a portrait of Draco, as he had been before.

He looked up and held the drawing out to Draco, "When did you draw this?"

"Before all of this happened. It was a self portrait. As conceited as it may sound I sketched it while staring at my lovely former male visage in the mirror, and that was the result."

"These are really good. I mean, I'm no authority or anything, but they are so life like... And this one," Harry said and held up another drawing of rough hands gently touching a scarred back in an intimate gesture. "Whose hands are these, and whose back?"

At that question a faint flush appeared on Draco's cheeks and he reached for Harry's work roughened hands and traced his own fingers over the roughened pads of Harry's palms and fingertips. Rough, yet promising gentle tenderness. Draco smiled at the thought.

"From the first moment I saw your hands I knew I had to draw them," Draco admitted breathlessly, and then he looked up. "That is my back. I thought I told you I had scars of my own. Of course this body remedied that ugliness. This body is unmarred, only the soul that resides within is scarred."

"Those scars make you who you are. I'm sorry that so much happened to you, but without those scars would you be who you are, or would you have become your father?"

"I don't know." Draco turned away. "But it still hurts."

Harry set the book aside and scooted closer to the sad girl. He put his arms around Draco, and Draco relaxed, finally feeling at peace with himself, for the first time, and he chuckled. Harry froze for a moment, and then Draco spoke. "I never wanted a hero, Potter, only a lover. How is it that you ended up rescuing me?"

"I don't know," said Harry as he pulled Draco closer against him, "And it doesn't matter. Just know that I am here..." With that Harry paused as something occurred to him.

Draco looked up, eyebrow raised in curiousity, a gesture oddly similar to Snape. "What is it?"

Harry shook himself and then sighed in frustration. "Even your bloody godfather thought I 'possessd a certain virginal quality.' You know I'm not a saint. Why do you just assume..."

Draco cut him off, "You talked to Severus? So he knows that you know? Bloody hell!"

Harry blushed. "I'm sorry, but I was angry and frustrated, and you were ignoring me I didn't know how to tell Ron or Hermione, and I sort of ran into him in the hallway and he gave me that anatomy in a specimen jar lecture, threatened to remove house points, and then sent me on my way."

Hysterical laughter bubbled up from Draco's throat and filled the room. Harry gave him an odd look and soon he too joined in the laughter, neither really knowing what they were laughing at, perhaps fate or maybe not, but whatever it was, it was damn funny.