Unexpected Love

Unexpected Love

Unexpected Conclusion

Hermione was acting as if Ron wasn't even there the next morning, but after breakfast, on the way to Charms, she asked Harry, 'Did you and Luna use anything? You know, any precautions?'

'Huh?'

'Didn't you even think about that? Girls can get pregnant, you know!'

'Oh. We didn't go that far! Did you think we did?'

'Yes. You said you did as much as with Ron ... and I just thought ... oh, OK. I jumped to conclusions, sorry.'

'I thought that when you were with Luna, precautions meant earplugs,' said Ron. Harry grinned at him. Hermione acted as if she hadn't heard him.

'Anyway,' Harry told her, 'all I've done so far is some of what that booklet called "foreplay" -- no real sex, not the first time I did anything with a boy!'

Hermione nodded. 'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed you had.'

'Got any more plans, Harry?' Ron asked.

'Plans? I don't think I plan anything, ever. Other people's plans happen to me. I suppose I could talk to Malfoy.'

'If nothing else, you could skin him and use him as a nice warm rug,' Ron suggested. Hermione pursed her lips to avoid smiling.

Snape asked Harry to stay behind after their Potions class, and asked him if he'd had time to consider becoming his lover. Harry nervously told him it was a big step, and one he wanted more time to think about.

'I don't want to tell him he's a disgusting old man,' he told Ron and Hermione afterwards in the common room.

'He is, though,' said Ron. 'I agree with Hermione -- you've got to tell Dumbledore.'

'Maybe I can get Malfoy to make him stop,' said Harry hopefully. 'I don't want Snape to get any nastier to me in Potions.'

'This is nastier,' objected Hermione. 'Don't you see that?'

'At least he thinks he's being friendly.'

*

Harry told Ron and Hermione to go ahead while he waited for Malfoy.

'What do you want, Potter?' sneered Pansy.

'I want to talk to Malfoy, and I don't think he wants you to hear.'

'Don't be stupid.'

'You go on, Pansy,' said Malfoy. 'I'll catch up with you later.'

She stared at him in disbelief, then hurried off down the corridor.

'So, what is this about?'

'I was curious. Ron and I ... messed around, a few weeks ago.'

'I knew it! Wait -- only once?'

'Only once with a boy, yes.' Harry wasn't going to say he'd only done that once with a girl, too; let Malfoy think what he would.

'Oh, so you're "slumming it" with the gays?'

'Are you interested, or do you just want to insult me?'

'I thought you were insulting me.' There was a pause before Malfoy admitted, 'I'm interested.'

'I wish you could do something about those curses, though. I'd rather you at least looked human if we do something.'

'Maybe you can convince Dumbledore to cure me. I've tried enough times.'

'What? You mean those could be cured, but he won't do it? Is that because of what you said about learning to accept what life brings?'

'He says I need to learn humility, which is ridiculous. What could I possibly have to learn about humility?'

Harry didn't answer that. 'I'll ask Dumbledore, then. Maybe some time after you're cured?'

'Yes, I'd like that. I'd like being cured, too.'

'Look -- in exchange for that, can you talk to Snape? He wants me, just like you do.'

'The old pervert! All right, that's a deal.'

*

Harry did speak to Dumbledore, and convinced him to have Malfoy cured, though not until he'd added 'He needs to learn humility' to the list of reasons.

They met again, awkwardly, in the same empty classroom where Malfoy had told him his feelings. 'What ... I mean, where could we actually do anything?' Harry asked. 'We can't go to my dorm, and this classroom is a bit too close to a busy corridor.'

Malfoy snorted. 'I did think of that.' He pulled something that looked like Harry's Invisibility Cloak from his pocket. 'You won't have come across one of these before, but it's an Invisibility Cloak. Put it on, and we'll go to my dormitory.'

'Is that a good idea?'

'Do you think anyone would dare enter that room if I told them not to? They'll just think I'm in there practising my curses.'

Harry shrugged, and put the Cloak on. He supposed there were advantages to being a Malfoy. He followed Malfoy down through the Entrance Hall and along some dungeon corridors. With Malfoy leading, they reached the featureless piece of wall much more quickly than when he and Ron had searched for the Slytherin common room.

'Death to Mudbloods,' said Malfoy, and the wall slid open. Harry followed him inside, and looked around. The room itself was familiar from his previous visit, but it was far more crowded than it had been that Christmas Day.

'Everyone listen!' Malfoy said in a loud, carrying voice. 'I have something I want to do, so nobody goes near my dorm until I come out again. Anyone who does, gets detentions. Clear?'

There was a sullen murmur of confirmation. Malfoy nodded, and strode across the common room, still followed invisibly by Harry, and up a staircase which led eventually to a door marked 'Sixth year boys'. They entered; there was nobody inside. Harry took off the Cloak.

'Well, Potter,' said Malfoy, moving over to what Harry supposed was his bed, 'this is where you find out what gay love is really about, instead of whatever you and the Weasel did.'

'Yeah, OK,' said Harry awkwardly.

Malfoy was already lying on his bed. 'Well?'

'Oh, yes.' Harry lay down beside him. This was really strange. It hadn't been as strange with Ron, as they shared a dorm anyway, but this ... Being with Luna had been strange too, but in a different way; a large part of Harry's mind still insisted it was more normal to be interested in a girl than in another boy.

Lovemaking with Malfoy was different, somehow, Harry found as they did it. It seemed to be more impersonal, probably because they'd never been friends, as he and Ron were. Clearly, Malfoy had had more practice at this than Ron, but he seemed mainly to take, and not give; he was less interested in what Harry got from the experience than in what he could get.

As they were straightening their clothes again, Harry was thinking that it was the worst of the three times he'd had so far.

'That wasn't bad, Potter. If you'd learn to think less of your own needs, you could be quite good.'

'Me? What about you?'

'Nobody's ever complained before,' Malfoy said smugly.

'That's because I'm not scared of you, the way they are!'

'If you're going to take that attitude, you can forget ever doing this again.'

'I already had,' Harry said coldly.

They walked back up to the empty classroom, where Harry gave Malfoy the Cloak back.

'Oh, and that Seeker girl is leaving,' said Malfoy. 'She says she doesn't get enough attention here, so she's going back to Pooh school. Nice work, Potter. You got her curses cured, and annoyed her so much by not telling her you're gay that she's leaving and won't be able to curse me again.'

Harry said nothing in response, but returned to the common room and looked at the list on the noticeboard. He resisted the temptation to add another reason. He sat down beside his friends, instead.

'Well?' Ron asked.

'You don't have anything to worry about. You're much better than he is. I was tempted to put that as a reason on the list, but I think I'll keep very quiet about it instead.'

Hermione frowned. 'I'm still surprised you even wanted to humour him.' There was a hurt tone in her voice.

'I know, after he's been so rude to you in the past, I did that with him and got the curses lifted. Sorry.' She frowned, and Harry saw something else in her expression. He looked into the fire, feeling guilty. Why had he humoured Malfoy like that? Curiosity? That time with Ron had been a better way to satisfy his curiosity. With Malfoy, it had been awkward and impersonal, and ... Harry sighed and closed his eyes, as he realised he shouldn't have bothered. He'd already tried it with Ron, after all.

Harry glanced surreptitiously at the others. Ron was looking at him and grinning, whether at being told he was better than Malfoy -- affection, after all, was something that all Malfoy's money couldn't buy -- or because this was now two experiences to one in favour of Harry being gay. Hermione was looking at him with a disappointed expression. He knew why: he'd let her down by trying to be a friend to Malfoy. Unable to meet her eyes, he looked back into the fire. He'd been stupid. He should just have told Malfoy never to bother him again when he'd first said something, and left him to suffer Marie-Susanne's curses. As soon as he'd heard the Slytherins' disgusting password, he should have given Malfoy the Cloak back and abandoned the whole idea.

He said, 'I'm sorry. I told him to leave me alone in future. I just want to be alone now.' He went up to his dorm and lay on his bed, thinking about Ron and Luna. Even he and Luna had more in common, as she was the first person to tell him she could also see the thestrals, and she'd then insisted on going with him to rescue Sirius. At least, to try to rescue him.

After a while, Ron came up to see if he was all right. 'And did you mean it about me being better?'

'Yes, I did. Do you want to try it again some time? I don't want to do it with him ever again.'

'I'm glad to hear that. I think Hermione will feel better, too. She started crying again after you came up here.'

'Oh, no,' Harry said sadly. 'I should have thought about it more before humouring him, shouldn't I?'

'Yeah. Want to go down and talk to her?'

Harry stood up. 'Yes, I'd better. After that -- do you want to come back up here? I need help getting rid of some bad memories.'

Ron grinned. 'I'd love to help you with that.'

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