Heads I Like Him, Tails I Love Him

Seamus Finnigan examined his surroundings rather dubiously. The Irish boy rather liked to think of himself as brave, hardy and adventurous. After all, in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he belonged to Gryffindor House, known for drawing in students of courage and strength. However, he was quite certain that the enormous affection he felt for his companion was the only thing keeping him from turning tail and running for cover.

It was Valentine's Day and a Hogsmeade afternoon. Normally, Seamus would be wandering through the wizarding village with his friends, shopping for Cockroach Clusters, Ice Mice, Fizzing Whizbees and tons of other candies at Honeydukes, a sweets emporium favored by his fellow students. Instead, he found himself in a rather questionable part of town with the Slytherin boy he chose as his Valentine sweetheart.

"Um...Blaise?" he queried. "Are you sure this is still Hogsmeade?"

The other boy snorted. "Of course this is still Hogsmeade. Where do you think it is?"

"Knockturn Alley's cousin?" Seamus replied sardonically, referring to a dark and dingy street well known for its shady vendors, disreputable customers, and often-illegal wares. He really could not imagine their headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, encouraging his students to enjoy themselves and expand their horizons in a place like this.

Blaise Zabini snickered beside him. Despite the gloomy and shifty alley they were now wandering through, the normally brooding and sullen Italian boy looked almost cheerful. Seamus wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not.

"You did say I could choose where we went next," Blaise reminded him. "I chose here."

"Not to criticize your choice, mind you, but are you sure we're safe here?"

"We're safer here than we were in Honeydukes."

Seamus grimaced. Earlier in the afternoon, he had almost come to blows with one of his seventh year housemates who felt compelled to make lewd and rude comments to them. It apparently bothered the older Gryffindor to see Seamus keeping company with a Slytherin. They hadn't even gotten a chance to buy anything from the candy store. He hoped his best friend, Dean Thomas, would share some of his purchases later.

"I take it you've been here before," Seamus said, deciding to change the subject. "You're looking right at home."

"I like it here. It's my kind of place with my kind of people." Blaise looked around and then quickened his pace a bit, heading towards a large stone building.

Seamus gamely trotted after him. "So what's over there?" he asked, indicating the building. He really had not noticed it before.

"Come on. You'll see."

Blaise lead him to the side of the building where Seamus saw a small open doorway. The doorway, it turned out, was actually the entrance to a tunnel walkway. As the boys emerged on the other side, Seamus was surprised to find himself in a large open courtyard. Ahead of him, he could see rows of booths and tents, with more vendors peddling their wares. "Where is this place," he exclaimed, eyes agog, "and how come nobody's ever mentioned it before?"

Blaise shrugged. "This is one of those places you normally don't find unless you're looking for it. I just came across it one day." He waved at one of the vendors they passed by. The white-haired old wizard grinned at Blaise and winked. He gave Seamus a very appraising look that made the Irish boy's skin crawl a little.

"You know these people?" Seamus asked as a tall, sultry, dark-haired witch smiled and licked her lips teasingly at them when they walked by her tent.

"I know a lot of them," Blaise replied vaguely. "The rest seem to know me." Seamus was about to ask for more clarification on that when his companion turned suddenly and walked between two of the booths, seeming to head towards the perimeter of the courtyard. A very large, menacing-looking wizard glared down at them as they approached the entrance to a building. The sign over the doorway said "Nerogatto". Seeming to recognize Blaise, the man's face broke out into a sinister grin that Seamus felt was no less frightening than his glare.

"It's been a while, boy," he growled. "Madam was wondering about you." He eyed Seamus beadily. "Where are those sassy girls you bring sometimes?"

Blaise smirked at the big man. "Other plans, Rom," he replied. "It's just Finn and me today."

"Finn, eh?" Rom looked the Gryffindor up and down. "Irish boy. Good bones; nice size; a little too wholesome looking to be here though."

Before Seamus could wonder just how wholesome was too wholesome and where here was exactly, the big man waved them in and continued standing watch at the doorway.

They entered what looked to be a tavern of sorts. Seamus thought there seemed to be an awful lot of people here for midday. Although the lighting was quite dim, the patrons appeared to be merry and boisterous, shouting over at each other as though they were at a family gathering rather than in an eating establishment.

As the two boys made their way past the tables, several of the revelers smiled, waved and winked at them. One of them, a short stout wizard with frizzy gray hair, stood, smiling as they approached.

"So," he said, eyeing Blaise, "you finally decided to grace us with your presence again, Simone." He glanced at Seamus and then winked again at Blaise. "I see what's been keeping you busy. You're going to dance for us tonight?"

"I don't know," Blaise replied, grinning. "That's up to Madam. She might already have a full pen tonight."

The older wizard snorted. "She gives you any trouble," he growled, "let us know." He gestured to his tablemates. "We'll clear the pens for you." Witches and wizards of varied ages and sizes all nodded, smiling wickedly and hungrily. Seamus noticed with some unease that Blaise didn't seem at all bothered by the open leers and lewd attention.

"That's very interesting, Malevron," a gritty voice replied. "With which army do you aim to do that?"

Startled, Seamus turned to look at the speaker standing near them who seemed to appear out of nowhere. Despite the cane she needed to help her walk, the tall thin elderly woman was imposing and regal. Her white hair was swept back into a bun. The cold stare she aimed at the revelers could have frozen an erupting volcano.

"Surely you're not thinking your idiot band of friends here could possibly take on any of my dancers," the tall woman added. "The girls wouldn't even need their wands to cut your balls off!"

The man she called Malevron winced. "Aww, Almyra," the stout wizard said, "we have not seen our favorite ballerino on stage in ages. You want to dance for us, don't you, Simone?" He turned puppy-eyes and a pout towards Blaise.

"Leave him be, you drunken arse!" the old witch snapped. "Now sit down before I throw you out! And stop drooling at the lads," she added bitingly. "They're young enough to be your great-grandsons! You two," she said, scowling at Blaise and Seamus, "get your skinny behinds into my office. Now!" She waved her cane towards the back of the room.

Blaise nudged Seamus and led him towards a room beyond the dining hall. Seamus could hear firm footsteps following them accented by the rhythmic tap of a cane. He briefly wondered how someone who walked so loudly like that could sneak up on them so silently earlier. Glancing over at his boyfriend, he saw that the Slytherin seemed to be grinning like a cat that ate a canary.

"All right," Seamus whispered as they entered the small office, "two questions. First, who the hell is 'Simone'? Second, are we in trouble here?"

Blaise snickered. "First, Simone is my middle name. That's what they call me here. Second, we're in trouble if Almyra decides we are."

"Isn't Simone a girl's name?" the Irish boy queried.

"Not in Italy," Blaise replied, shrugging.

"Stop with the whispering, you two!" Almyra barked, interrupting their conference. "You have something to say, have the bones to say it out loud!"

Turning around to face the glowering woman, Blaise grinned "Dispiace, Nonna." he said ruefully. "Do you forgive me?"

"Argh! Don't try to sweet-talk me!" The old woman reached over suddenly and pulled Blaise into a tight embrace. "What kind of ragazzo bambino are you?" she demanded, still holding him. "Staying away so long when you know I worry about you."

"Don't you get my owls, Nonna?"

"Owls lie, you silly boy!" Almyra retorted. "You can say anything you want on a scrap of parchment, but you know you must tell me the truth when you face me." She drew back and looked him over. "You're still far too skinny," she observed, "but you look happier." She glanced over to where Seamus stood watching the scene. "Male ducato, Simone," she reproached. "Introduce me to your friend here."

"This is Seamus Finnigan," Blaise said, beckoning to his boyfriend. "Finn, this is Madam Almyra. She owns the Nerogatto as well as much of the area outside of it."

Seamus stepped over and smiled at the old witch. Before he could say anything, his hand was clasped and he was yanked over, standing directly in front of Almyra. She was staring at him in a somewhat predatory manner. He realized she had one brown eye and one blue eye.

"So you're Seamus, eh?" she growled, smiling wolfishly. "You look rather ordinary for someone Simone here blathers on about so much." Seamus blinked in surprise. Glancing over at his boyfriend, he saw that Blaise was blushing slightly.

"Um...sorry," Seamus said, "for being ordinary, that is." He grinned at her. Despite the nervousness Madam Almyra inspired, he found himself rather liking her.

"Ack!" she exclaimed, releasing the Irish boy. "Another charmer, this one." She mock-glared at Seamus. "Simone is like a son to me. I take a great interest in anything that interests him. And you interest him quite a lot."

"Nonna!"

"Oh, stop yowling like the brat you are," she told Blaise, who was now glaring at her resentfully. "I'd wager neither of you have eaten. I'll have to see to lunch for both of you." She gestured towards two chairs and they obediently slid over to where Blaise and Seamus stood. "Now sit down and try to behave yourselves." She limped out of the office.

Sitting down, Seamus smiled smugly at Blaise. "So you blather on about me, eh?"

"Just shut up, Finn."

"Why? I rather like the thought of being blathered about. I blather on about you all the time."

"You do not!" Blaise retorted, still blushing.

"Yeah, I do," Seamus replied. "Just ask Dean one of these days." He looked around the office they sat in. There was an old desk with a quill and several rolls of parchment on it. Although the room was small, it still felt comfortable and cozy. Looking back at Blaise, Seamus could see that despite his annoyance at being teased, the Slytherin looked more relaxed and less guarded. "So how long have you been leading this secret life?" Seamus asked, grinning.

Blaise snorted. "I found this place my first time out to Hogsmeade. I wondered why I was the only student here, but later Madam told me she prefers it that way. It's not exactly the most reputable looking place to be."

"You know," Seamus pointed out, "you're still being kind of dodgy about everything here." He looked around and lowered his voice. "They're not a part of You-Know-Who's group, are they?"

The other boy laughed. "Madam refuses to be a part of any group. The people here may be corrupt, but they're not evil. Like I said, it's my kind of place to be."

Seamus frowned. "So you think you're corrupt?"

Blaise gazed at him for a moment. "I know I'm corrupt," he replied. "Many of us are. I'm just honest enough to admit it and smart enough to keep it in its place."

"I don't suppose you'd consider explaining that to me a little better," the Irish Gryffindor said, sighing. "You're talking in riddles and I'm just not getting it."

"He's giving you all the right answers," Almyra smirked as she entered the office, levitating a small table with a tray of sandwiches and juice on it in front of her. "You're just not asking the right questions, boy." She settled the table gently down on the floor between them. "Now eat! The folks here would be all too delighted to find ways of reviving you if you faint from hunger. You just may or may not survive the experience."

Seamus hastily picked up a sandwich. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he bit into the thick savory beef and freshly baked bread. He noticed that even his more persnickety boyfriend seemed to be enjoying the meal.

Almyra settled herself down on a chair near the desk. She silently watched the two boys eat for a few moments before finally leaning forward and once more closely regarding Seamus. "So young Gryffindor," she said sardonically to him, "tell me how Minerva McGonagall is doing. I haven't seen her in ages it seems." She smirked wickedly. "I'm sure she won't be asking after me anytime soon."

After glaring at Blaise who was snickering beside him, Seamus took a sip of pumpkin juice and smiled at the old witch. "She's fine. As sharp and stern as ever."

Almyra cackled. "I remember her as a young girl. Feisty little rule breaker she was." She snorted at Seamus' shocked expression.

"'Rule breaker'? Professor McGonagall?" Seamus shook his head as if clearing his ears. "Are we talking about the same witch?" The Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts and Head of Gryffindor House was notorious amongst her charges for her expectation of total adherence to all rules.

"Hah!" Almyra spat. "Is that so hard to believe? Why do you think you rascals never get away with anything around her? She knows all the bloody tricks!" She smirked again. "Probably invented a few of them herself!"

Seamus grinned at the thought of sharing this little tidbit of information with his housemates later. "Did you go to school with her then?" he asked, very much interested in learning more about his teachers.

Almyra cackled noisily. "Of course not, dear boy! She's a little kitten in my eyes!" Seamus snickered at the joke. The Transfiguration professor, a registered Animagus, was able to take the form of a cat.

"Do you know Headmaster Dumbledore also?" the Gryffindor inquired.

"Of course I know the old fool!" she replied, scowling. "Who doesn't know the great Albus Dumbledore, vanquisher of Grindewald and the biggest pain-in-the-arse to Voldemort and the Minister of Magic the wizarding world will ever have the pleasure of meeting?" Almyra seemed to ignore the shudder that both boys reacted with at the sound of the Dark Lord's name. "I must say I like Albus better when he's had too much to drink! He's quite a lot of fun when he's pissing drunk." She snickered at Seamus' wide-eyed stare. "Enough story telling. You get to hear more if you come back another day." She frowned at Blaise. "You've only eaten one sandwich, Simone. How are we going to bulk you up if you keep eating like a girl?"

"I'm stuffed, Nonna. You should be pleased that I ate a whole sandwich."

"Pfah! I saw you take the smallest one, Petite Gatto," she snorted, rolling her eyes. "Well if you're done, you'd best go and pay your respects to the other gattos. They know you're here and are quite peeved that I haven't brought you around yet. You," she said to Seamus as Blaise stood up, "get to stay here and finish your lunch. The girls are sometimes dressed not altogether decently. I wouldn't want Minerva to sniff out my insidious corruption of a Gryffindor." She cackled at Seamus' pout.

Blaise smirked at his boyfriend's expression. "Yes, Finn. I get to go visit half-naked women and you get to keep my nonna company. Seems fair to me."

"Get your tail out of here before I burn it off, you impertinent brat!" Almyra snapped.

Snickering, Blaise almost skipped out of the office.

The old witch looked approvingly at the food tray. "Hmph. Unlike my Simone, you at least have a healthy appetite. You're still growing so you need a lot of sustenance." She sat back and watched Seamus eat for a moment. "Do you know why you're here, briccone?" she asked him shrewdly.

Seamus looked warily at her while he chewed the last of his second sandwich. He wasn't at all sure what the sharp old woman was asking and why.

"You are the first boy Simone has brought here for me to meet," she said, seeing the uncertainty on the Irish Gryffindor's face. "I've met those girls of his several times, but he's never brought me one of his boyfriends." It didn't surprise Seamus that Blaise would have brought his friends here. He could imagine Millicent Bulstrode, Pansy Parkinson and the rest of the Slytherin Harem fitting in just fine.

Seamus shrugged. "I don't know exactly why I'm here. I didn't even know this place existed." He frowned. "Blaise said that you wouldn't find this part of Hogsmeade unless you're looking for it. What does he mean?"

Almyra smirked. "I have wards and Confundus Charms set up around the outer building," she explained. "Very few people find their way here. Most come as invited friends or family."

"Oh," Seamus said, "so Blaise really is related to you then?"

"Oh no, not by blood," Almyra replied. "You could say we've adopted each other. He is one of those very few who actually did find his way here." She gazed at him with her blue and brown eyes. "Now he's brought you here. You might want to work out for yourself what that means."

Seamus flushed at the implied meaning to her words. "Well, sometimes it's a little hard to tell," he admitted. "He's awful hard to read. I think he likes me fine, but I'm not always sure."

"Typical Gryffindor, you are, boy," Almyra snorted. She smiled at the indignant expression on his face. "Keep your fly zipped, young man. I don't mean that in a bad way. Most Gryffindors I know seek approval and acknowledgement with lots of pretty words and pats on the back. Simone is a Slytherin. You want to know how he feels, watch his actions and his reactions. He may not tell you how he feels, but if you keep your eyes open, you'll see it as clearly as parchments of pretty words."

Seamus couldn't help grinning. "So he's really blathered on about me?" he asked.

Almyra rolled her eyes. "You have no idea! I kept telling him to bring you by, but he never did until now." She looked at him closely. "You must have done something rather significant for him recently."

The Irish boy chuckled. "I guess you could say that. Humiliating him in front of his housemates and the rest of the school could be called 'significant'."

Almyra stared at Seamus with raised eyebrows. "You will tell me just how you did that and how you got him to forgive you," she said with an eager gleam in her eyes.

The Irish boy described in detail the events in the Great Hall that Valentine's morning. By the end of it, Almyra was hooting and slapping her knee in delight. She eyed Seamus beadily. "My estimation of you has just gone up several notches," she told him. "You have done something for him that no other boy has done before."

"Give him a Valentine, you mean?" Seamus asked.

"No," she said smiling widely, "you treat him like he matters and you did it in front of people. You've shown that you're not ashamed to be with him."

"Well, I'm not. I don't care what other people think."

Almyra nodded, reaching over and squeezing his shoulder. "You're a good boy, Seamus Finnigan. You make my Simone happy." She smiled wickedly at him. "I think I know why he has brought you here."

"To meet you?" he queried.

"Besides that," she replied. The old witch stood up. "Come with me, Seamus. I'll take you to a place where you can wash up and rest safely away from the trash we call customers."

Almyra led Seamus past the dining room, which was still lively with noisy revelers, down a dark hallway to a non-descript wooden door. She opened the door and waved him in. Seamus saw what looked to be a large guest room of sorts. There was a bed, a comfortable looking armchair, a wardrobe cabinet, and a small vanity with a wash basin and towel on top of it.

"Wash up and rest, my boy," Almyra said, limping out of the room. "I'll let Simone know you are in here." She closed the door behind her.

Deciding that he should obey the sharp old witch, Seamus went over to the basin and cleaned himself up, feeling amazingly refreshed afterwards. Laying his school robe on the bed, he settled down on the armchair to wait for Blaise. Feeling clean, comfortable, cozy and well-fed he didn't even realize he had dozed off until he felt something warm and pleasantly heavy on his lap. Knowing already who it was, he sighed happily, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend. When he opened his eyes, he gaped in astonishment at the boy on his lap.

Blaise had shucked his own school robe and was snugly wrapped in a black leather body suit. Skin-tight black leather boots completed the stunning effect. Although the outfit covered him from neck to toe, the Slytherin still looked indecently alluring since not much was left to the imagination. Seamus could feel the familiar tightening in certain parts of his own clothes. In certain lower parts of his clothes, that is.

Stroking the Irish boy's sandy-colored hair, Blaise smiled at Seamus' mute reaction. "Waiting long?" he murmured, golden eyes gleaming with amusement and fondness.

"Erm...uh...no, not at all," Seamus whispered, his eyes glazing over. He gasped and winced as Blaise casually but purposely shifted on his lap. "So, what's with the nice outfit?" he hoarsely inquired as he ran his hands over the sleek leather.

"'Nice?'" Blaise smirked. "I have it on good authority that there's nothing 'nice' about this suit." He stood up, skillfully extricating himself from Seamus' arms, ignoring the moan of protest from the other boy. "This is one of the outfits I wear when I dance here at Nerogatto. Madam stores it here for me." He gazed at his stunned suitor. "I have no sweetly romantic Valentine for you, amico. You caught me off guard this morning. So we shall just make do with this."

The dark-haired Slytherin pulled his wand from a slot on the side of his right boot. Waving it above his head and murmuring a spell, he slipped the wand back into his boot as music began beating and blaring around them. Seamus grimaced at the piercing voice of the phantom-singer, who seemed to be screaming the lyrics into his consciousness. Despite the harsh sound and fast pace of the music, he sat, engrossed, mesmerized and incredibly turned-on, unable to do anything more than keeping his eyes glued on the lean sinewy sight before him.

"I'm the man, I'm the king, I'm the one

That's pure inside
Everyday, everyway I smell of suicide
Bitter sins how they grow within

So you tell me it ain't right
I am all sins

And you're my reason for life."

Blaise danced hard and passionate, in perfect rhythm and motion with the explosive song. He leaped, twisted and turned at impossible heights, speeds and angles. Each time he faced his enraptured audience of one, intense golden-eyes locked with dazed blue-eyes, the expression in them conveying as much as the feverish music and movement.

"I will stone you, stone you
Wrap my arms around you
I will stone you, stone you
My little halo!"

Seamus' heart was beating faster and louder than his eardrums. He vaguely remembered that he was the one who was going to try seducing the other boy this day. Hastily casting the useless memory aside, he devoted all his attention back to his surprise gift.

"Make a change, gotta rearrange idle minds, crushing time
I am all sins and you're my reason for life!"

The very horny Irish lad realized that Blaise was now just an arm's length away from him, still twirling and undulating in time to the music. Seamus wondered distractedly if his fingers would melt or disintegrate if he reached out to touch the other boy. Just in case, he kept his arms locked at his sides, fingers desperately gripping the chair.

"I will stone you, stone you
Wrap my arms around you
I will stone you, stone you
My little halo!"

As the raucous music faded away, Blaise took one final turn and then gracefully settled back down on Seamus' lap. Before Seamus could say anything, Blaise quieted him with a heated kiss which the Gryffindor felt down to his toes. Unable and unwilling to say anything more, Seamus once more wrapped his arms around the hot leather-clad body and gave himself completely to the kiss, opening his mouth to his boyfriend's probing tongue.

Seamus groaned in protest when the other boy broke the kiss. He was desperately drowning in passion and sensation and he had no desire for rescue. Blaise began stroking the sandy-colored hair, gazing at the panting boy he had loved from afar for so long. "Amante," he said softly. As Seamus stared mutely at him, Blaise smiled and then began licking and nipping at the other boy's earlobe. "Tell me about your dream," he murmured.

Moaning and gasping at the attention paid to his ear, Seamus was barely able to respond. "Urk?"

"Your dream, Finn," Blaise prompted him. "The one you had the other night. You woke your dorm mates up with it."

As the leather-clad Slytherin continued nibbling on the one ear, he began stroking the other ear, making it even harder for Seamus to focus on what he was saying. "I...mmm...t-told...you," he gasped, "it...uh...oooh...I mean...er...it...mmm...was...about...unh...us." He gulped as Blaise's wandering lips and hands worked their way down to his neck, licking, nipping and stroking.

"Tell me what we were doing in your dream," Blaise whispered.

"Um...sort of...what...we're...uhhh...doing n-n-now," Seamus replied breathlessly.

Blaise paused to favor him with a catlike grin. "Is that all?" he murmured.

Realizing what his boyfriend was up to, Seamus managed to grin back, although a bit shakily. "No," he said softly. "In my dream, neither of us wore much clothes." He stared up hopefully at the golden-eyed boy on his lap.

Blaise smiled, then gazed at his Irish boyfriend as a cat would stare at a most appealing morsel of tuna. Licking his lips, he leaned forward. "I've had the same dream," he whispered, sending heat and shivers down to Seamus' toes and all extremities in between. "Let's find out if it's fantasy or prophecy, shall we?"

Seamus closed his eyes and nodded, surrendering completely to his dream lover.

* * * * *

Much later, still nestled together on the arm chair, the two boys were panting and twitching with the afterglow of pleasure. They clung to each other, both slick with sweat and their combined release. "Prophecy," Seamus said, sighing. "My dream was definitely prophetic. How about yours?"

Seamus felt Blaise kiss and nuzzle his neck, once again languidly stroking the sandy-colored hair. Remembering what Madam Almyra had said about watching for answers from his Slytherin rather than listening for them, he decided that response was in the affirmative. He sat for a few minutes, relishing the feeling of both passion and peace between them. "Um...baby?" he finally queried.

"Hmm?" Blaise replied, still kissing and licking.

"I have three things to ask you," Seamus said, feeling bemused and happy.

"What is it?" Golden eyes gazed at him, one hand stroking the Gryffindor's face and hair.

Reaching up to finger the nipple ring he had earlier discovered on his boyfriend, Seamus grinned. "Does this thing hurt?" he asked.

"No," the Slytherin replied. "In fact," he added, smiling wickedly, "it actually enhances my pleasure during lovemaking." Snickering at Seamus' wide-eyed interest, he kissed him. "What is your second question?" he murmured.

"Oh...um...oh yeah." Seamus tore his gaze from his lover's chest. "You've often called me 'ah-mee-koh' in the past. I knew that was Italian, but I never thought to ask what it meant. Just now, though, while we were...um...you know..."

Blaise nodded, smirking. Seamus cleared his throat. "Yeah. Well, anyway, you started calling me 'ah-mahn-tay' or something like that. What do they mean in English?"

"'Amico,'" Blaise explained, "means 'friend'. 'Amante' means 'lover'."

"Oh." Seamus considered this. "I like 'amante' better," he said, grinning again.

"So do I," Blaise agreed. "Now, what is your third question?"

"Does this mean you'll go steady with me?" The Irish boy looked hopefully at his boyfriend-now-lover.

Blaise stared at him for a moment before wrapping his arms around Seamus' neck and chuckling. "Is that question really necessary?" he asked, resting his head on Seamus' shoulder.

"I don't want to just make an assumption, baby. I'd kind of like to make it official."

"Ah, you're such a Gryffindor," Blaise said fondly.

"I know that. Your nonna already pointed that out to me. So what's your answer?"

"My answer, persistent one, is 'yes'."

"Oh good. I thought I'd have to send you more valentines to get you to agree."

"Oh please. Anything but that."

Seamus chuckled. "Come on. Admit it. You like my crappy poetry." At the other boy's baleful expression, he laughed. "All right. I'll make you a deal. You let me write crappy poetry to express my devotion for you and I'll read them to you in private."

Blaise sighed. "I suppose I can't suppress your creative muse, no matter how incompetent it is."

"Hey!"

"You were the one who called it 'crappy poetry'. I'm just agreeing." Blaise shifted and carefully lifted himself off of the other boy's lap. "It's getting late, amante. We need to be getting back to Hogwarts."

"Aw! Can't we stay longer? I'd like for us to try out that bed," Seamus said wistfully.

"Maybe next time. Come. We need to shower and dress." Blaise padded over to the wardrobe cabinet and brought out two towels from one of the drawers inside.

Seamus reluctantly followed his boyfriend towards a door he never noticed before, which he supposed was the bathroom. "Oh, all right. Will you at least spend the evening with me when we get back to the school?"

"Only if we can be someplace warm. I don't want you taking me to the Astronomy tower. It's freezing there."

Seamus chuckled. "Of course, baby. I wouldn't dream of freezing your little bum off. I'm becoming quite fond of it."

"Git!"

The Gryffindor snickered as they disappeared into the bathroom.

* * * * *

"This is a really bad idea, Finn!"

"Why? You said you wanted to go someplace warm. I only want you to be happy, Blaise."

"In the Gryffindor dorms???"

"My bed's very warm. I promise."

"What about your dorm mates. Are they warm too?"

"Stop fussing! Harry's with Malfoy so I don't expect him back anytime tonight. Dean, Neville, and Ron all have plans for the evening. I asked them at breakfast. They won't be back until much later."

"Oh. That makes me feel soooo much better, Finn."

"Here we are! Dorm sweet dorm!"

"Hmm. Looks like the Slytherin dorms, except more...red."

"We call it home. You can show me where you live next time."

"Like hell I will! You wouldn't exactly blend in down in the dungeons."

"Come here, you old worry fart. Check out the blanket me grandmum gave me for Christmas. It'll warm us up plenty."

"How very...green."

"Yeah, but look at this. She sewed in little red and gold griffons. She doesn't know much about magic, but she knows I'm in Gryffindor House."

"Does she know you're gay? This is a potential gay bedroom accessory, especially with the tassel tails on those griffons."

Snicker. "You're now my favorite gay bedroom accessory."

"Prat."

"C'mon, baby. Take your clothes off and climb in. I intend to ravish you silly. I especially want to see how that nipple ring works for you."

"How am I supposed to relax in enemy territory?"

"You're not in enemy territory. You're with me. Now stop whining and come here."

"Demanding sod, aren't you?"

"Nope. Horny sod. See?"

"Yes, I do see. It's a bit hard to miss."

"Then come here and take care of it for me. Pretty please, Simone? It misses you already."

"You want us to make love on your grandmum's blanket?"

"Mmhmm. We can make love on it and then snuggle under it after we clean it up. Grandmum wouldn't mind. She's quite feisty, you know."

"Hmm. That doesn't surprise me somehow." Pause. "It feels nice. You're lucky to have a grandmother who makes things for you."

"I'm sure she'll make things for you too once she meets you."

"Finn. Please don't say that. I've got a full plate with just you. I'm not ready for your family."

"Okay, okay. No need to be such a nervous Nellie." Moan. "Oy, you're good. You're also mine, you know. You can't do this for anyone else."

"Possessive sod, too, aren't you?"

"Not normally. Just when it comes to you now, I suppose. Ooooohhh...yessss! Mmmmmmm!"

"Good job no one's around. You're a real screamer, you know, Finn."

Moan. "I know. After I scream for a while, I'll make you do the same!" Gasp. "Oooooh!"

Snicker. "Of course you will, amante."

TBC