Windswept Feelings

Chapter Three: Desperate Measures

The most extenuating circumstances often precipitate the most bizarre plans, and Ron was struck with a brilliantly insane idea as he was walking back to the Gryffindor common room the next day, after having suffered through sitting next to Harry during the entire Potions class. He'd had to endure watching Harry glance furtively across the room a dozen times a minute, and had forced himself to grunt in response to Harry's quiet questions, like 'do you think he knows?' and 'did he just glance over at us?' It was brutally agonising, and Ron didn't think he could take much more of this... this torture.

Harry had gone to check the Quidditch practice schedule for the Gryffindor team, and Hermione was at her Arithmancy class, so Ron waited alone inside the common room just beside the portrait hole for Seamus to come in. He needed to talk to Seamus— it was imperative that his little plan be put into effect as soon as possible, and Seamus was an integral part of it.

A few minutes later, the sandy-haired boy crawled in, hopped out of the portrait hole, and was immediately accosted by Ron, who took Seamus by the arm and propelled him off to a far corner of the common room.

"Seamus," Ron said in a low, urgent voice, "about the thing with Harry. I've got an idea, and I need you to help me out."

Seamus nodded. "Okay. What do you want me to do?"

Ron took a deep breath. "I want you to seduce Draco Malfoy."

Seamus blinked twice, and stared at Ron, startled. "You want me to... uh, what?"

"Seduce Malfoy." Ron cut in somewhat impatiently. He looked earnestly at Seamus. "Can you do that?"

"Umm," Seamus bit his lower lip, and glanced up at Ron with wide eyes. "Well. There may be just a little problem with the doing, actually. In that, I can't." Seamus looked unhappy. "It's not... no, I can't do it, Ron, I don't think so."

"Why not?" Ron was thoroughly distraught, and he raked a hand through his flaming red hair in frustration. "You said to ask you if I needed help."

Seamus looked aggrieved. "I thought, like, if you wanted me to hand a letter to Harry for you, or—"

"We have owls for that!" Ron said, exasperated. "I don't need you to deliver letters! I need you to seduce Malfoy!"

A few younger Gryffindor students sitting nearby overheard Ron, and they turned and gawped at them, which was an understandable response when the words 'seduce' and 'Malfoy' were strung so closely together. Ron snapped something very rude at them, and they retreated back to their corner, giggling. Seamus couldn't help cracking a small smile.

Ron turned back to him, desperation in his voice. "Please, Seamus. I need you to help me out with this. If Malfoy has the slightest idea that Harry likes him, then everything is over for me. And I think I'll die if I have to stand by and watch Harry and Malfoy go off together." The intensity in Ron's eyes was overwhelming. "I need you to distract Malfoy, so that he doesn't even think to notice Harry. You don't actually need do anything with him, but just— just make sure that he keeps away from Harry. Far, far away from him."

Seeing the plaintive look on Ron's face made Seamus's resolve weaken; Ron looked so distressed and upset, and his eyes were filled with pain and sadness at his own helplessness. Seamus hated to see Ron like this. He desperately wanted to make Ron feel better, and if this was what it took— after all, did a job get any more titillating than seducing Draco Malfoy?

"Are you ever going to tell Harry that you like him?" Seamus asked, looking intently at Ron. "You can't keep running from it forever, you know."

"I know," Ron groaned, sat back and closed his eyes. "I'll just have to work up the courage to tell Harry, somehow. Exactly how is another matter altogether, but I'll figure something out… soon enough."

Seamus sighed. "And you want me to keep Malfoy occupied in the meantime."

Ron opened his eyes, and nodded. "Can you do that? Please?" He leaned forward and took Seamus's hand, his eyes pleading. "You're my only hope, Seamus, because at this moment I simply can't think of anything else that might work. Please? For me?"

Seamus wanted to tell Ron that he wasn't being very fair by emphasising that there wasn't a Plan B in sight. That heaped on the pressure tremendously, and kind of made Seamus out to be a horrid person if he refused to help. And Seamus generally didn't like to be horrid to anyone, least of all Ron.

Seamus took a deep breath and made his decision; he looked up at Ron and nodded. "All right. I'll try. But hey, no promises, okay? I'll see what I can do."

The radiant smile that immediately lit up Ron's face made Seamus believe he'd done the right thing, even though deep down inside he wasn't so sure. Relationships were enough trouble without having to go out of the way to look for them. Seamus had had enough experience with the anomalous nature of emotions to know that they couldn't, and shouldn't, be manipulated. But on the other hand, just imagining the shattered expression on Ron's face if Harry and Draco got together was heartbreaking enough.

"Thanks, Seamus," Ron said fervently, his eyes shining with relief and happiness. "You have no idea how much this means to me." He paused, and then gave Seamus an embarrassed sort of smile. "Look, you don't really have to do anything with Malfoy— I'd really rather if you didn't, actually— just flirt with him a bit, that should be enough. You're cute enough to keep anyone enthralled, if you want to."

Seamus didn't know whether to feel flattered or bemused or sad at Ron's words. He wondered what Ron meant by that; and frankly, it didn't sound very right. Ron made it seem as if his charm could be turned on and off at will, and that sounded so fake and contrived, which Seamus didn't like. It was so much better to be naturally fun, all day long. All night, too.

At this point Harry stepped into the common room through the portrait hole, and Ron looked up, his face immediately brightening; Seamus could see the undisguised adoration in Ron's eyes as he gazed at Harry, who saw them and grinned. From the moment Harry had come in, it was clear that their conversation was over. Ron stood up as Harry walked over to where they were sitting, and Seamus gracefully got to his feet as well.

Ron turned to Seamus, and flashed him a quick smile. "Thanks again, Seamus," he said in a low voice, his eyes filled with gratitude, "I owe you big time."

Seamus rolled his eyes. "Damn straight you do, Weasley."

Ron laughed, but Seamus could see that his attention was on Harry instead. Seamus looked over at Harry, who was completely oblivious to the way his best friend was looking at him. It was ironic how there were still some things that couldn't be shared, even between the best of friends.

Seamus smiled at Ron and gave him a thumbs-up sign, then quietly slipped away and went up to the dormitory alone. He needed to think about what he'd just promised to do for Ron. It was too late for regrets now. But then again, Seamus thought, as a smile crept onto his face, it didn't get any better than the chance to have it on with Draco Malfoy. That was an altogether fun thing.

Seamus thought about Malfoy, with his stunning arrogance and elegant disdain, and privately agreed with the silent consensus that Draco was about the sexiest person with whom you could possibly get laid. Lots of boys were nice-looking, sure— Harry was cute in the sweet, innocent sort of way, for instance, and Ron was tall and boyishly attractive— but Draco. Draco was sexy.

Seamus smiled. It looked as if his little job would be more of a pleasure than a burden. It was a fun challenge, and he busied himself with drifting thoughts about how it would feel to be nudged up against the wall and ravished by Draco. And better still, if he had anything to say about it, soon enough his fantasies would become delightful reality.

Operation: Seduce Malfoy seemed perfectly simple in theory, but Seamus had a feeling that it would be a whole lot harder when it came to the actual doing. Seamus wondered what Draco would have to say if he went up to him and started flirting with him. Knowing Draco, probably a lot of not-very-pleasant things… but then again, Seamus could just shut him up by kissing him.

Seamus lingered at the entrance to the Quidditch changing rooms, trying not to look suspicious. The Slytherin team had just finished practice, and Seamus had conveniently been around the bend and had decided to drop by to say hello to the Slytherin captain. Yeah, right. More like, he'd been sitting and watching Draco practice Quidditch for half the afternoon, so that he could maybe catch a private moment with him afterward. He hadn't actually needed to sit through the entire practice session. But for some reason, he'd wanted to. He liked the way Draco flew— Draco possessed the elegance and grace that defined the beauty of flying.

Shrugging off the odd, slightly hostile looks the Slytherin players were giving him as they filed out of the changing room, Seamus poked his head inside and searched for Draco. He immediately spotted Draco sitting on the benches by the lockers, towel-drying his silky blond hair, which glistened wet and golden instead of its usual silvery tint. Draco had on only a shirt— loosely draped across his shoulders and left unbuttoned down the front— and a pair of half-zipped jeans with the buckle still undone.

And god did he have a nice body. Seamus indulged himself in a few moments of blatant staring, and he liked what he saw— Draco's slender outline defined the toned curves of his body, giving his somewhat delicate features a hard, firm edge to them. Oh, he is so, so shexy...

"You looking for someone, Finnigan, or just looking?"

Seamus was jolted back to reality by Draco's voice, which sounded sharp and edged with antagonism. Seamus took a deep breath as he boldly stepped into the changing room, looking calmer than he felt. Yes, Finnigan, he told himself. You know the moves. Use them.

There were only a couple of other players still in the changing room, other than Draco; they looked at Seamus curiously as he stepped in. Seamus barely glanced at them as his eyes met Draco's, whose gaze were resting evenly on him, betraying no emotion. Seamus felt his heart skip a beat, and then a few more in quick succession.

"What do you want?" Draco asked without preamble, eyeing Seamus warily.

Seamus cleared his throat, and offered his most charming smile. "I just wanted to have a word with you, Draco." He spoke Draco's first name clearly, and saw Draco arch his eyebrow in quiet surprise. Feeling more confident, Seamus walked forward, his footsteps paced and carefully measured, until he stood only a few feet away from Draco. "Could we talk… in private?" Seamus let the last word roll off his tongue sensually, smooth as velvet.

A flitter of emotion crossed Draco's face, and a certain dawning comprehension grew in his eyes. For a moment, Draco said nothing, and they just looked at each other; Seamus felt himself being drawn into Draco's unflinching gaze, his icy silver eyes glazed with a new, tentative understanding. It sent an electric shiver through Seamus, which felt strangely titillating.

Finally Draco spoke up, without breaking their eye contact. "You all go on ahead without me," he said to his other two teammates, although he didn't turn his eyes to look at them. "This might take a while, so don't wait up for me." The other two Slytherins nodded, gathered their things and left, casting suspicious glances at Seamus on their way out.

When they were finally alone, Draco got to his feet and took a few steps forward, until he was standing in front of Seamus, and they were close enough that Seamus could reach out his hand and touch Draco if he had wanted. But he didn't, of course. That would come later.

"So what is it you wanted to talk about, Finnigan?" Draco's voice was still cool and detached, although his tone was knowingly questioning. "You have all the privacy you want now, and something tells me that this has nothing to do with business matters. So, let's hear it."

"I was watching you fly during your practice, and I'm very impressed by your flying style, Draco," Seamus began, feeling comfortably dizzy by the fact that he was actually alone with Malfoy, who was suitably half-dressed for the occasion. Very nice.

"Yes, I saw you sitting with the bunch of Slytherin first- and second-years who always come and watch us practice." Draco smirked. "It's not hard to notice the thorn among the roses."

Seamus didn't flinch at Draco's little insult; it was all part of the game. "I especially liked the way you align your body with the handle so perfectly— I don't think I've seen anyone look so alluring on a broomstick as you did." Seamus spoke in a low, composed voice, his manner unruffled; he glanced coyly up at Draco. "Maybe you could let me get on it sometime." A pause. "With you, of course."

"This is what you wanted to tell me? That you want to... ride my broomstick?" Draco took a step backward, and eyed Seamus critically. "Is that what this is about, Finnigan?"

Seamus tilted his head and gave Draco a languid smile, then easily moved even closer with a quick, smooth movement. "I thought you couldn't look sexier than you did just now, the way you looked with the wind in your hair and the sunlight on your face." Seamus paused, and let his eyes slowly flicker down the length of Draco's body, taking in every detail, before he lifted his eyes to meet Draco's once again. His voice was soft and seductive. "I guess I was wrong."

Then Seamus leaned forward, closing the distance that separated them, and kissed Draco full on the lips. He felt Draco tense initially, but that quickly altered as Draco's hands moved up to firmly hold his shoulders; the next moment, Draco was kissing him back with equal passion, and Seamus felt himself being roughly shoved up against the lockers, held in place by Draco's body pressing hard against his own.

Draco's mouth tasted warm and fresh, like dew and summer rain, wet and deliciously smooth against his lips. Seamus moaned as Draco's tongue flickered out, prying his lips apart and running slowly over his lower lip, outlining the ridge of his teeth; he felt Draco smile and laugh low in his throat, and Draco's voice was soft and husky as he whispered, "You like this, don't you Finnigan?"

A warm tingle tickled up his spine, and Seamus shivered from the impossible heat that was radiating from Draco's body; in response he merely nodded, and lifted his face to receive Draco's mouth on his own once more. Draco's lips ravished his with an almost bruising force, then moved away from Seamus's mouth and began to trail kisses along Seamus's jaw and down the slender curve of his neck. Draco teasingly bit down at random intervals as his lips marked Seamus's skin, making Seamus moan and toss his head backward, exposing more of his bared neck to Draco's undoubtedly skilful mouth.

"So nice," Draco murmured against Seamus's shoulder, as he began to disrobe him, pushing the black robes away and letting them fall to the floor, revealing a white cotton shirt underneath. Draco's fingers deftly began to undo the top few buttons, and he slid his hand inside, making Seamus gasp softly and arch his body plaintively toward Draco. Seamus's breathing was fast and shallow, aroused by the sensation of kissing Draco, of the way Draco's hand was stroking across his chest, his fingernails just lightly scraping across his skin—

Then Draco suddenly withdrew and took a step backward, breaking their intensely physical contact. Seamus's eyes flashed open in surprise and dismay; they were clouded with helpless desire. "Draco?"

"Is this what you had in mind when you came looking for me, then?" Draco's voice sounded mockingly amused. "Is this what you wanted?"

Seamus bit his lower lip and tried to compose himself; his thinking faculties were still severely impaired by what Draco had been doing to him for these past few minutes. He raised his eyes to look at Draco's, and was met with calm eyes of startling grey, mutely questioning.

"No, Draco." Seamus answered softly; his blue eyes softened, hazing over with a pensive expression. Seamus slowly stepped around Draco, never once breaking eye contact, gracefully manoeuvring both of them such that their positions were now reversed, with Draco leaning with his back flat against the lockers instead. "This wasn't why I came." Seamus lifted his hand and let it trail over Draco's chest, exposed where his shirt was parted, completely unbuttoned down the front. He heard Draco inhale sharply, which was about the only indication of his own arousal— Seamus smiled knowingly, and gave Draco a meaningful, lingering look through lowered lashes, and said sensually, "I came because I wanted you."

Seamus saw the quiet surprise in Draco's eyes; then he moved forward and licked Draco's chest, letting his tongue slide slowly over his skin, warm with flourishing desire. Seamus tasted the mild saltiness of a new layer of perspiration that was starting to form on Draco's just-showered body, and he breathed in deeply, smelling the apple-fresh scent of his bath soap.

"Seamus," Draco hissed softly, the other boy's name escaping his lips on the wings of a whispered breath. He closed his eyes and bit back a groan as Seamus licked his way over his chest, leaving a trail of wetness as his tongue moved lower, and he felt Seamus's slim fingers gently pushing his new shirt off his shoulders. Seamus's hands ran along the hard plane of his chest, and the sandy-haired head was lowered slightly; Draco leaned back against the lockers behind him for support, and then reached his hands over to tangle his fingers in Seamus's hair, fine like woven silk dyed the colour of the desert, bright and sunny and hot like Seamus was.

Seamus could feel Draco's heart beating faster than it rightly should, sending quickened pulses vibrating through Draco's chest, over which his lips were moving with languid grace, and he was taking his time. Seamus drew back his lips and bared his teeth, biting down on Draco's warm flesh, almost tasting the passion that was rising in Draco's veins, licking the blood of desire as his teeth lightly broke skin.

Making out with Draco Malfoy was really nothing like Seamus had expected. Draco was smooth and seemed experienced enough, but he still let Seamus do most of the teasing, letting him kiss and nibble and lick as he pleased. Seamus kissed his way along the firm, smooth plane of Draco's chest, and soon felt Draco's mouth lowering to meet his, and he wrapped his arms around Draco's neck and drew him close, kissing him deeply. Seamus could feel Draco's hands running down his bare back before coming to rest on his hips, and Draco held Seamus firmly against his own body.

This was certainly a very comfortable position to be in— Draco was barely an inch taller than Seamus, and Seamus melted into the heated embrace, letting Draco kiss him and make him dizzy with pleasure, and he was drunk on pure sensation alone. He was vaguely aware that his shirt had long since been discarded, and that Draco's hands were now worrying along the waistband of his jeans.

Seamus slowly sank to his knees— he wasn't quite sure if it was a conscious action on his part, or that it was because his legs had gone so weak they just wouldn't hold him up any longer— his hands were shaking very badly as he reached up to lower the zipper of Draco's jeans, which were already unbuttoned. His trembling fingers could barely grasp the zipper, and Seamus was appalled at himself; why the hell was he so nervous?

He was just about to pull down Draco's jeans when Draco suddenly reached over and caught his wrists, halting his movement— Seamus looked up in questioning surprise. Draco wordlessly shook his head once, and he pulled Seamus off his knees, drawing him up to his level so that they could kiss again, and their teeth clinked against each other's as they kissed hard, fervently.

Seamus was momentarily surprised that Draco didn't expect something from him, not even the obvious that he'd been prepared to give. Seamus closed his eyes and let himself melt into the swirling sensation as it quivered through his body, new and exquisite and uniquely Draco, Draco's hands sliding over his body, roaming randomly, daringly sexual yet not intrusively so.

And for the first time, Seamus realised that with Draco, it didn't always have to be him giving and Draco taking. And it felt nice, a beautiful seduction, and Seamus kept his eyes shut and concentrated on the lingering sweetness and ache as Draco's lips ravished his; Seamus gradually forgot everything except the here and now, and this was all that mattered.