Harry And Draco Chronicles

Chapter 2: Peevish Peeves

Draco stared into the poltergeist's eyes for a moment; but thinking he was dreaming, he let his eyes close and drifted off to sleep. Peeves floated above the bed for several more minutes, his eyes fixed on the couple below him.

In life, the poltergeist had been the youngest of nine children, and the only way he could catch his parents' attention was by acting obnoxious. But he had never grown out of his need to be looked at. Even in death, he had a thirst for attention, whether it be negative or otherwise. He had once haunted the mansion of the Westbrook clan in Essex for several years; but was forced to move out when his behavior ceased to draw a reaction from any of the family members. But his luck had changed when he came to Hogwarts. The school's large population and abundant rooms provided a cornucopia of opportunities for mayhem. Plus the fresh crop of incoming first years always guaranteed that he would have a group of students who hadn't grown weary of him.

He had experienced much fun that night in the Gryffindor girls' dorm; Parvati always proved to be a favorite target, as she was easily spooked. Hearing her squeals as he zoomed around the room for twenty minutes knocking her possessions to the floor had put him in a frenzy. He was then ready to take on a much more difficult target: Draco. The blond had always proved to be a hard person to anger; his cool demeanor and the way he always glanced up so casually at him irked Peeves. It seemed as though nothing he did rattled the young lad's nerves.

However, he was able to irritate Draco for the first time the night before. Seeing that he was setting candles about the dorm, Peeves took a lot of pleasure in blowing them out. Draco finally lost his temper and began to yell at him. Peeves smiled then, as he knew he had succeeded in getting under the seemingly cool lad's skin.

Knowing the lad's reputation, Peeves assumed Draco was preparing for a romantic night with one of the young ladies who had stayed behind at school. His plan was to sneak into the dorms and catch the couple while they were engaging in a romantic tryst. He carefully approached the bed, but was disappointed to discover that Draco and his mate were both asleep. But his happiness had returned when he laid his eyes on the young man now curled aside Draco.

Peeves grinned widely as he took one last look at the sleeping couple below. He then floated away, and prepared himself for the fun he would have later on.

* * * * *

Harry's hand leisurely traveled along the bed in search of hot skin. He assumed his fingers would eventually glide along the hills of Draco's smooth chest, but he felt nothing. His eyes snapped open. The left side of the bed was empty. He brought Draco's pillow to his face and inhaled deeply, enjoying the musky scent that drifted into his nostrils. He laughed, as he knew his actions seemed somewhat childish; he would surely be embarrassed if Draco caught him doing this. He felt along the bed once more; it was cold. It was apparent that Draco had left a while ago. His gaze flittered around the room, hoping to find the boy; but since the room lacked windows, it was hard to see.

But he soon saw Draco walk back into the room with a towel draped over his shoulder. Draco did not look in his direction and headed to his trunk, where he deposited his shaving kit and other toiletries. He then walked to the full-length mirror on the other end of the room and checked his appearance.

Harry sat up on the bed and watched as Draco fumbled with his hair. A look of disappointment rang out on his face. He had hoped to awake with the young man in his arms. He assumed that morning would be a continuation of the night before, when Draco showed such tenderness and took his time caressing his body. He didn't crave lovemaking as much as he desired to be held in the other boy's arms. But he knew that would be too much to ask. Draco, although passionate at times, could also be aloof and distant.

"You should get dressed," said Draco. "The feast is going to be starting in about an hour."

Harry was quickly drawn from his thoughts and snapped his head in the direction of the other boy. He eyed him for several minutes, before he reluctantly got out of the bed. Noticing that Draco was watching him through the mirror, Harry covered his naked body with a silk bed sheet. He reached under the bed for his bag, which held his extra clothes. "Could I take a shower here?" he asked.

Draco didn't bother to glance over his shoulder and uttered, "The bathrooms are over there."

Harry headed to where Draco was pointing. The Slytherin bathroom was much like the one in his own dorm, except for the colored tiles that were expertly arranged against one wall to resemble Salazar Slytherin. Thinking that the man's eyes were following him about, Harry quickly headed into one of the shower stalls.

After a much deserved hot shower, he walked to the sink and stared at himself in the mirror. He should have had a bright smile on his face, as their night together had been blissful. He tried to force a smile onto his lips, but he ended up looking awkward.

He bent down to get his toothbrush from his bag, when he felt Draco's hands curl around his waist. Draco's warm breath was then on his ear. Harry turned around and faced the other boy, glancing deep into his eyes. They did not utter a word to one another. Draco opened his mouth to say something, but hesitated. He then glanced down at his feet, before pulling Harry against his body and hugging him. Harry closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the other boy; he needed no words to know how Draco was feeling at that moment. A smile now trickled onto his lips more easily than before.

The two shared one last kiss before Harry put on his invisibility cloak and headed back to Gryffindor Tower. As he trudged back to the dorms, he tried to concoct an explanation to give The Fat Lady when she questioned him about his whereabouts. He took off his cloak and made his presence known when he approached the portrait. But luckily for him, the lady in the portrait didn't ask him any questions, as she seemed to be enjoying a celebration with some of her friends. "Happy Christmas," she slurred, before taking a long sip of her drink. She didn't wait for him to say the password, and swung open.

Not wanting to make his presence known to Parvati nor Seamus, Harry slowly crept into the common room. But after several minutes of standing in the middle of the room and listening for any signs of the other two students, he determined that they must have already headed to the Great Hall for the feast. He made his way to the dorm rooms and deposited his bag. He fell back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. His eyes closed, as recollections of the night before flooded his mind. He brought his shirt to his nose; he could still smell the other boy's cologne on his clothes.

* * * * *

Although he could have spent the rest of the day reminiscing, Harry eventually climbed out of his bed and forced himself to go down to the Great Hall. Ghosts pasted by him singing Christmas carols as he descended the stairs to the ground floor. Even Peeves seemed to be in the spirit of the holidays and sang carols - although his renditions of the classics were rather crude; he chased Parvati down the hall while belting "Frosty the Snow Bitch."

"Peeves," yelled Professor McGonagall as she stood by the entranceway of the Great Hall ushering in the students. "Stop harassing the students. And don't let me hear you using such vulgar language again." She placed her hands on her hips and glared up at the poltergeist, her eyes daring him to do something else.

But Peeves eventually abandoned his stance and floated away.

"Come along Harry," Professor McGonagall called out. "The feast will begin soon."

Harry quickened his steps, when Peeves floated by him. "Yes, Master Potter," he said in his usual cackle. "Wouldn't want you to miss the feast. There's going to be much excitement there, and you must be present."

Harry furrowed his brows as he glanced up at him. He was in the process of thinking what the poltergeist could be up to when his gaze fell on Draco, who was making his way to the Great Hall. Harry opened his mouth to shout out the other boy's name, but stopped himself just in time. He lowered his head as he was suddenly bombarded with doubts that he would be able to keep his feelings for Draco to himself during the meal. But after deciding he would concentrate solely on his food to keep from glancing around the table at the other boy, Harry proceeded to the Great Hall.

When he entered the room, he saw Seamus and Parvati whispering to one another. Then Seamus waved and signaled for him to sit next to them. Harry grimaced; he knew they would surely question where he had been the night before. He was so preoccupied in his quest to sit as far away from his fellow Gryffindors, that he didn't realize he was sitting across from Draco until he glanced up at the other boy's face. Draco met his gaze for a moment, before his eyes flittered away. Harry couldn't believe how Draco was able to keep his eyes so expressionless, and hide the connection they had formed the night before.

After a short delay, which was caused by several of the first years walking around the room to marvel at the decorations and bewitched ceiling, the feast eventually commenced. Although the food was bountiful and smelled delicious, Harry never touched a morsel, as his mind was too preoccupied with thoughts of the other boy.

Things were made worse when he and Draco reached for the same roll. Harry should have immediately pulled his hand away, but he left it where it was, as he savored the touch of Draco's warm hand underneath his. But even he knew that their interaction had been too long when he noticed a scowl on Draco's face. He quickly brought his arm back to his side. However, their exchange had not gone unnoticed; he could see Snape glancing at him. The Potions Master's eyes stayed fix on him for several minutes before they traveled to Draco and scrutinized him with the same amount of intensity.

Just as he lowered his head and contemplated what Snape could have witnessed, Peeves appeared from the middle of the table.

"Hello your Headship," the poltergeist greeted Dumbledore. "How is your meal?"

Dumbledore finished chewing the last of his roast beef and wiped his mouth. "Delicious as always." He put down his fork and glanced up at Peeves. "I hope that you are staying out of trouble. I was informed of your last interaction with Ms. Patel. I am shocked you would use such language around a lady."

Peeves whizzed through the air overhead Parvati. "Oh I am deeply ashamed of my actions, sir." He reached down and placed a hand in Parvati's hair. "I surely hope she will forgive me." His fingers curled around several strands of her brown tresses. The touch was gentle at first, but he eventally gave her a little tug.

Parvati made a face and moved out of his reach.

But Peeves soon found a new interest, as he traveled down the table towards Harry. "Master Potter, how are you enjoying your meal?" His voice was unusually pleasant.

Harry was so taken aback by the seemingly caring expression on Peeves' face that he glanced up at him for several seconds to check if he really was being sincere. But he dropped his gaze when he noticed a tickle of mischief glimmering in the poltergeist's eyes and answered with a hushed, "Yes."

Peeves floated across the table to Draco. "And what about you, young Master Malfoy? Is the meal to your liking?"

Draco was not easily fooled by Peeves and did bother to look his way, as he brought the spoonful of cranberry sauce slowly to his lips. But the spoon stopped short of meeting his mouth, when he felt the cold touch of Peeves' fingers on his neck. He dropped the spoon on his plate and swiftly gazed up at the poltergeist.

"I bet the meal doesn't taste as good as the delights you savored last night," Peeves uttered in a whisper that was loud enough for all at the table to hear. "Does it boys?" He then innocently glanced from Draco to Harry. He observed the startled expressions on both of the young boys' faces, before continuing down the table. He paused near Justin and slowly poked his finger into the young man's bowl of sticky toffee pudding.

Justin batted him away, before asking, "What are you on about?"

Peeves shook his head. "Oh, I can't say. It's of a sexual nature." He then floated to the corner of the room and turned his back to everyone. But glancing over his shoulder, his eyes beamed when he caught the interested glances of most of the people at the table; the titillating nature of what he had to say surely caught their attention. But he glanced away again, hoping that someone would eventually cajole him to speak.

"Peeves, what is it?" asked Seamus.

The poltergeist's eyes lit up. He floated back to the table and uttered, "This morning I accidentally came across a delightful scene of star-crossed lovers in the aftermath of what looked like an amorous night together." His head hung low, and he spoke as if embarrassed by what he had seen.

Justin pushed his plate to the side and moved forward in his seat. "Who were these star-crossed lovers?"

Peeves put his hands over his face. "Please don't make me do this. I'm afraid I might expose what seems to be a secret union."

Seamus' eyes travel down the length of the table, as he tried to guess which of the thirty people present could have spent the night together. But catching a glimpse of Harry's blushing face and knowing that he had suspiciously sneaked out of the dorms in the middle of the night, he assumed the green-eyed boy had a secret girlfriend. Since many of the girls present were giggly first years, Seamus presumed the object of Harry's affections must have been one of the two sixth year Ravenclaws sitting at the end of the table.

"I'll give you all a hint," said Peeves. "They are two young rivals you wouldn't expect would find comfort in each other's arms." Seeing that all eyes were now on him, the bashful facade on his face disappeared to reveal his usual toothy grin. "Can anyone guess who these lovers are?" he asked. He glanced at everyone's anticipated eyes, savoring the way he had captivated all of them, before blurting out, "Potter and Malfoy!"