Harry Potter and Gaining Momentum

Harry was, yet again, in the place that made him most comfortable in Hogwarts: The Gryffindor Suite. He'd made it a habit to come here as often as he could over the past week. He wasn't sure yet what it was about the three room suite that made him feel so relaxed, but whatever it was left Harry not caring, but instead, basking in its existence. He was dreaming of last week's duel every night, before he finally gave up and started popping down to the suite's entrance to stay there for the night. It took a total of three nights of nightmares before he finally gave in to the pull that the suite seemed to have on his body and mind, like an addiction.

He had forgone his training sessions with Dumbledore, and instead was getting instruction from Godric, who found it humorous that Harry was fighting Slytherin's Heir. Harry had yet to tell him that he was also Slytherin's Heir, though only magically. Godric knew spells that Harry had never heard of, spells that even left Harry taxed to the max when he was finished. He'd also brought Hedwig here, and owled a few of his professors, because he didn't always feel like going to classes. These classes usually had Draco in them.

The hole in his gut was still there, but Harry only noticed it when he was out of the suite; he was becoming a hermit here, but didn't care. He spent most of his day, if he had chosen not to go to classes, with his nose in a book. Then after dinner, which the kitchen made by itself at Harry's request, Godric would take him through new spells that he had invented and catalogued while he was running the Wizarding School.

Harry's knowledge of the founder was increasing greatly because of Godric's library. It seems that he was the keeper of records, even before the school was officially started. Rowena and Godric had traveled the world with a single-minded purpose: to find every spell they could, and catalogue them all. The Gryffindor Library was full of huge thick tomes that were marked by date and area. In each tome, such as the one for Britain, they had every spell ever uttered, and a definition of what it did. Harry was very surprised at how accurate the records were. For having come from an age when the Quick Quotes Quill didn't exist, it seemed odd that one could take notes as fast as Rowena did. (Of course, Rowena was the one taking the notes; Godric had also told him this.)

While examining the huge books, he especially took out the ones from countries outside Britain, and looked through them. The fact that surprised him the most was that the killing curse was actually invented in Africa, by a tribe of wizards who were advanced in knowledge, though not in culture. The spell had been invented for one purpose: death. But that's not what surprised Harry the most: the biggest surprise was that the spell was invented to kill animals on the plains. The tribe would hunt gazelle and water buffalo with the curse. The person who invented the curse thought that it was more efficient and less painful for the animal. It also turned out that the desire to kill wasn't needed to cast the curse. Originally all that was needed was hunger. It seemed to Harry that over the centuries since the curse was first cast, the emotion feeding the curse had turned from benign hunger of appetite, to a malignant hunger to take life.

This brought a new idea to Harry's mind, and he recalled something that Hermione had asked Albus on their first day in spell invention class. Why couldn't you counter the Killing Curse with a spell that projected a feeling of life? Albus had said that no wizard he ever knew could think of life when the curse was coming at them; but if this were true, couldn't they think of fulfillment? If hunger was in fact what drove the spell, then fullness, or fulfillment, or accomplishment, might be the counter to the deadly green beam. An appeased appetite might be the key to neutralizing this Unforgivable.

Harry began, with a new sense of revitalization, to pore over the book while in his Occlumency state to see if he could find a spell already invented for the need to sate one's appetite. He looked for hours each day; but after the fifth day, he found that not one spell of this description existed. A potion did exist, though. It was made for those who wanted to lose weight. The potions would be taken, and they suppressed the appetite by fooling the stomach into thinking that it was already full. Unlike Muggle methods, where a pill or substance was taken to suppress the appetite, the potion just simply made someone feel full.

When Harry did finally leave the Gryffindor suite, it was to go to the Room of Requirement to meet with the others that were in his Spell Invention group. He was about to explain to them what exactly fed the Avada Kedavra, and how he planned on countering it.

Harry got to the portrait that yielded the way to the Room of Requirement, and suddenly stopped. Did he really want to do this? He knew that Draco was behind this wall right now... was he willing to subject himself to his scrutiny, and have the hollow abyss in his chest open up wide again? For a fleeting moment, he wanted to run the other way, and put all confrontations with Draco on the back burner. But the possibility that there could be a counter-curse for the Killing Curse drove away the need, or desire, to flee. He took the required walk to get into the room and stepped inside. He was immediately awarded an outcry.

"Harry! Where have you been? We've all been so worried!" Hermione wailed, as she got up and dashed for him, grabbing him in a bear hug and cutting off his ability to breathe. Unlike other times, he didn't complain; he needed the affection.

"Sorry," he said quietly in her ear, putting a hand gently on the small of her back in a half-hearted attempt to soothe her worrying mind.

"So? Where have you been?" she asked again, lifting her head from his chest.

"Later," he said, glancing at the others in attendance. A knowing look came to Hermione's eyes, and she nodded before turning and heading back to the table. Harry followed her. They were all here: Susan, Hermione, and... Draco.

"Harry," Draco said, nodding in a kind of formal greeting. Harry couldn't muster the same confidence to say Draco's name, so he just nodded and looked away to Hermione.

"I think I've found a way to counter the Killing Curse," he blurted out in an attempt to get over the tense and awkward situation.

"What? Harry, you know that's impossible," Hermione said in her logical voice. "No one can create a spell of life, much less utter it when the killing curse is coming at them," she explained.

"What if I told you that I've found new evidence that the emotion to want to kill someone isn't what drives the curse?" Harry asked, as if it were a rhetorical question.

"But the Headmaster told us on the first day of class that hate, vengeance and cruelty are what drive the curse. How do we counter emotions that strong?" Susan said, as if she refused to take the bait.

"Like I said, I've found a loophole of a sort. What is needed to cast the curse?" Harry asked.

"Everything Susan just mentioned," Hermione said, motioning to the other girl.

"Go deeper, Hermione. What feeds those emotions?" he asked.

"Evil," she said, shrugging.

"No. You're thinking about it in the wrong direction. Okay, what if I told you the curse was originally invented for hunting? Then what would you answer be?" he asked.

"Survival," Susan spoke up, furrowing her brow and letting the wheels in her head start to turn. Harry nodded his head in an off-handed manner.

"Partly," he began, "but you're still not thinking right. Survival was the key factor, but the curse was based on emotion. Hunger, guys... hunger was the emotion that led to the curse's existence. They hungered for survival, for food; and thus, the killing curse was formed. What if we invented a counter for the killing curse that involved a spell that appeased the appetite? One that, pardon the pun, snuffs out the hunger?" he asked. Hermione sat there clearly thinking for a second before she looked back at Harry.

"Those are some very unorthodox assumptions, Harry. No doubt some deep thinking went into this, but we'll have to be sure the curse was originally fueled by hunger," Hermione said.

"The evidence is as solid as it will ever be, and it's stone now," Harry said.

"So, what you're saying is that, when You-Know...I mean Vol--Voldemort uses the Killing curse, he feels hunger in some way?" Susan asked, confused.

"Well, it makes sense, doesn't it?" Hermione replied. "The hunger to win, the hunger to see the death of the other person, it only makes sense. Hunger is essentially just another word for 'drive' or 'will', so why wouldn't it work?"

"Exactly," Harry said glad that she caught on.

"So we have to put together a counter-curse that will appease the appetite of someone who is hungry? But that's going to be harder than you think. It's not the kind of hunger that one feels in his stomach, but in one's being. Like love," Draco said, trailing off for a second. His eyes were slightly wide with his slip of the tongue, but he fought for composure, "Erm... what I mean to say was... um... accomplishment... you can't appease that with something as simple as a spell. We have to realize that we're not looking for a spell for dieters. Making someone feel as if they've already eaten isn't going to do any good. We're looking for the ultimate counter-curse, one that will forgo the hunger to live... to exist. I don't see us doing this," Draco said.

"I think you're thinking too deeply now, Draco. Harry said it was used for hunting, for painless killing. I think hunger of the stomach was exactly what fed the curse; hunger of the soul, or being, as you said, only enhanced the desire to cast it. What do you think they did before they had the spell? They probably just used a severing curse to mangle the animal, so they could slaughter it. They could have continued to do this, but wizarding populations apparently increased if they used a more precise method of killing an animal. Not to mention it was used out of mercy," Hermione added. "I think that whatever occurred that made them want a more accurate curse left them physically hungry. And besides, if you were famished, and I mean doubled-over-from-hunger-pangs famished, would you be able to summon up the energy to go chasing after some animal?" she asked. Harry loved her when she was like this. She thought deeply, but only on the turn of a dime. She brain-stormed aloud, and came up with the right answer because she was on the spot, not to mention on the verge.

"Excellent," Harry said, beaming at her. "Though I didn't look as far into it as you did, I couldn't have explained it better."

"Thanks," she said blushing. "I think over time, people just resorted to hunger of the soul, rather than hunger of their physical selves. But since it started out as physical hunger, it was still hunger... it may work." Harry just smiled more broadly.

"Why am I in this group?" Susan suddenly piped up. "You are all so intelligent I hardly feel like I contribute anything."

"You do just as much work as we do. Just because you don't think deeply like those two doesn't mean you're not intelligent; it just means you, like me, try not to read into things too often," Draco said. "You do just as much research and equation work as we do."

"I guess; though I still feel like I'm not contributing enough," she said.

"Susan, everyone has a stroke of genius every once in a while. Harry and Hermione just happen to have it more often than others, which just means they think deeper than us. If you look at it this way, the group is perfect. We see what's above the surface of things, and they see what's beneath it. It's the perfect balance," Draco said with a satisfied look. It was indeed an ideal combination.

"Well, when you put it like that, it does seem better," Susan said, sounding like she still wasn't totally convinced, but she didn't argue.

"So, when do you want to start?" Harry asked.

"When you show us this evidence, Mr. Potter," Hermione said sternly. Harry grimaced at her tone. He knew something like this was going to happen, but Godric told him that the books had to remain in his study. There was a charm that Rowena put on the quarters to make sure all the records stayed in place, so they would not be abused.

"I can't remove the book I found the spell in, from where I found it," Harry said mysteriously.

"Then take us there," Hermione said, like it was no big deal.

"I can't," he said simply.

"Why not?"

"I'm not allowed."

"Says who?"

"I can't tell you."

"Says you?"

"No."

"Harry, we're getting nowhere this way. I need to look deeper into this; and without proper notes, I won't know what we're looking at. This goes for everyone. We all need to be clued in on the background information. Without that, we don't have a specific place to start," Hermione said tersely.

"I'm sorry, but I can't show you," Harry said.

"Fine, we'll work on something else. Any ideas? I thought maybe a stunner with a signature spell spliced into it, so Death Eaters couldn't revive their comrades," Hermione said briskly. Harry stared at her in disbelief.

"What? You mean just because I won't reveal my sources, you're going to totally disregard the fact that we can save lives doing this?" he sputtered incredulously.

"Yes," she answered bluntly.

"How can you do that with a clear conscience?" he asked her, angering.

"Because if the spell we make doesn't work, we'll be known as the four students who will have caused a massacre when the Aurors go out to try the spell," Hermione said logically.

"But we will have tested it first," Harry said. His neck was getting hot, and he was balling his fist now.

"Harry, you've obviously not thought about this, have you? We can hardly test it. The three of us would hardly be able to cast the spell with enough power to kill; we'd be lucky to get a nosebleed out of another person. You are the only one that could cast it, but your tie to your staff won't let you. Besides, you've had the curse cast at you twice. The first time it rebounded, and the second time you ate it. You don't make the best candidate for the testing," Hermione said, glaring at Harry.

"Fine; but if I show you, and you show any inclination that you'll show anyone else, I'll modify your memories so far back you'll be drooling like babies, got it?" he said heatedly.

"Got it," Hermione said just as heatedly.

"I'm not playing games Hermione. One slight vibe with my empathy and your first word will not be ma-ma, but sor-ry," Harry threatened. Hermione bristled a bit, but didn't lose her composure, just nodded. "And you two?" he said, giving a withering look at the other two. Susan looked scared out of her wits, but nodded shakily anyway. Draco looked at Harry imploringly. He didn't nod at first, but instead stared into Harry's intoxicating green eyes. Harry felt his eyes and body swim with familiarity for a second, before he too got lost in those moonlit silver eyes. Harry was suddenly back on Earth, and was shocked. Draco had had the nerve to prod Harry's mind with his own. He obviously didn't think that Harry would feel it.

Harry slammed his fist down on the table and forced the probing sensation away until he was in Draco's territory. He tore at Draco's sturdy walls; and he was able to tear them down in no time, as Harry guessed, because of his emotion and anger. Draco gasped at the sensation of his Occlumency walls falling before he started trying to build them back up. Without thinking, only out of an idea at the back of his head, Harry retreated so quickly that Draco was sucked back into Harry's mind. Harry made a crack in his Occlumency walls and slipped through along with Draco. Harry then sealed the crack and straightened up. Draco's mind was now trapped in Harry's. He definitely wasn't getting out until Harry let him out. Harry quickly surrounded Draco with a wall behind him also, so that he was between two, and couldn't look at Harry's memories.

Draco sat in his chair, breathing measured breaths methodically, with a glazed look on his face. Harry turned and looked at Hermione who now looked frightened.

"What did you do?" she whispered, horror struck.

"He had the nerve to try to get into my mind, but couldn't get through my Occlumency walls. I tore his down, sucked him into my head too fast for him to react, and trapped him within two walls," Harry answered, looking at Draco's empty shell still sitting there gazing at him.

"He looks like... like..." she couldn't continue, but she sobbed.

"Like Neville's parents?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. Hermione nodded and Harry agreed. "He'll learn not to get in over his head," Harry said with conviction. "Levitate him with us and I'll put him back in his body when we get there," he ordered. Neither of the girls argued, and Susan did as she was told and promptly waved her wand with a muttered charm.

Harry put one hand on Hermione's shoulder and another on Susan's. Seeing what he was about to do, Hermione pulled Draco's levitated form towards Harry and put one of Draco's hands on Harry's arm. Harry flinched away at first, and Hermione seemed to sober a bit and gave him a look of sympathy, but when she did it again, he didn't budge. With a whisk of cold air and white glistening snowflakes, the four disappeared from the Room of Requirement and reappeared in front of the mirror outside the Gryffindor suite. Harry mumbled something that neither Hermione nor Susan could hear before a ripple went thought the mirror, and the glass opened up, like mercury being pushed aside. He glanced suspiciously once more back at Hermione and Susan, before leading them in.

From what Harry could see, their reaction was the same as his had been: awestruck. Harry had to smirk a bit when he led the crew into the library. Hermione's eyes lit up like she'd never had a Christmas, and he had just given her the first one. She covered her mouth as her jaw dropped in an 'O' shape and she gazed with rapture at the bookcases full of old tethered tomes.

"Harry?" Godric's voice said bringing Harry out of his thoughts of Hermione's bliss.

"Yes?" Harry said from the library.

"Who's here? I can feel more signatures than yours," Godric said from the living room.

"C'mon, guys, I have to introduce you to someone," Harry said; and he turned and led them out of the library. "Hermione?" he said, getting her attention when she didn't move. She jerked her head towards him and gave him a questioning look. He motioned for her to follow. She looked back with disappointment in her eyes, but reluctantly followed. He led them to the living room and stood in front of the portrait.

"And who, may I ask, are these young lasses and lad?" Godric said, looking at the three visitors with an appraising eye.

"Godric, this is one of my best friends: Hermione," Harry said, motioning to the bushy-haired girl to his right. "This is a good friend and ally, Susan," he said as he motioned to Susan, who was standing on his left.

"The boy?" Godric questioned, when he didn't introduce Draco.

"It's him," Harry said as if that summed it up; and apparently it did, because Godric scowled lightly at Draco's shell on the couch where Susan had laid him down.

"What's wrong with him?" Godric asked, as if Draco were merely a pesky bug on the bottom of his shoe. Harry didn't know whether to laugh or scowl at the painting, for speaking that way about the only person he had loved in such a manner.

"He's not in his right mind... literally," Harry said, looking back at Draco.

"Explain," Godric commanded, but not harshly.

"He tried to get into my mind before I brought them here, and I trapped him there. I guess I should put him back now," Harry said in an off-handed manner.

"Why?" Godric asked, looking at Draco as if he were a less than worthy being.

"Because like it or not, we need his help in this, Godric," Harry heaved a sigh and sat on the edge of the couch beside Draco. He put a hand under Draco's neck and lifted his glazed and zoned-out eyes to meet his own. He pushed forward into Draco's mind and into the wall that was torn down. He took his first wall down and forced Draco back into his own mind before rebuilding Draco's walls in a blink, then retreated back to reality. Draco stirred and fluttered his eyes.

"What the hell did you do that for?" he said to Harry harshly. Harry simply stood from the couch and leaned against the arm.

"You needed to know your boundaries. My mind is off limits unless I invite you in, which I likely never will," Harry said, before going back to stand in front of the painting. "Everyone, meet Godric Gryffindor," Harry said, waving a hand slightly to the painting.

"This is an Heir's Suite," Hermione breathed in awe once again. Harry looked at her curiously for a moment. Seeing this questioning look, she elaborated.

"In Hogwarts: A History, it said that the founders had Suites that they kept hidden from the general population of the school. It was speculated that the Heirs could gain access to these Suites, but the theory was disregarded after Tom Riddle never found Salazar Slytherin's," Hermione said. Harry looked at her for a moment then nodded slowly.

"Why couldn't Voldemort get into Salazar Slytherin's?" Draco asked confused. "He got into the Chamber of Secrets."

"Ah, so someone found that wretched place? Helga and I looked for decades and couldn't find it. But... tell me... if he found it, why are there still students here?" Godric asked.

"You don't know?" Hermione asked, looking at him oddly for a moment. He gave her a cross look.

"You'll forgive me, young lady, but I only have two portraits in the whole castle. One can only be seen my Heir, and resides just within the Entrance. You're looking at the other. People don't wander past these parts often. My reason for putting my Suite here in the first place," Godric said, trying not to sound snippy, Harry could tell. Hermione gave Harry a look and saw that he hadn't told Godric that he was also the Heir to Slytherin. She assumed it was for good reason.

"Well, the monster in the Chamber was a Basilisk, and it petrified a load people before Harry finally went down there and killed the thing with the Gryffindor Sword," Hermione said.

"How'd you get into the chamber? And how did you find it?" Godric asked Harry.

"Ginny Weasley opened it when she was being possessed by Tom Riddle," Hermione answered before Harry could. Susan and Draco both stiffened at the blatant lie, but neither said a word.

"Ah, so she also showed you where it was?" Godric asked again.

"Oh, no, Harry and Ron found it by putting pieces of a puzzle together and looking the girls' lavatory over really well. It turns out the resident ghost there was killed by the Basilisk the first time Riddle let it out," Hermione informed him. Godric raised an eye to Harry as if looking at him in a new light then smiled warmly at him.

"Any new instructions for me, Harry? Do they always have admittance here? I daresay I could use a talk or two with this young Ravenclaw," he said, looking at Hermione, who flushed.

"Actually she's a Gryffindor," Harry said, grinning. Godric's eyebrows rose in alarm and he stared at Hermione intently.

"Is she really?" he asked as if intrigued. Harry and Hermione nodded.

"As for instructions, they stay as they are, for now," Harry said without looking at Hermione's scandalized face. He didn't want to get into the reasons why he left the instructions the same at the moment.

"Fine, but do bring her back along with your other best friend, what's his name?" Godric asked, furrowing his brow trying to remember.

"Ron," Hermione supplied; Godric nodded in recognition.

"Yes, him. Do pardon me, my mind seems to be rather dusty these days," he said with an irritated look.

"No pardon needed, Lord Gryffindor. Understandable," Hermione said warmly.

"Lord?" Susan asked.

"Yes, any wizard that has the defeat of another great wizard on their hands is a Lord. Originally, after the defeat, the victorious wizard would be granted the defeated wizard's land, making him a lord; these days it's used if the defeat of a great wizard occurred. The Muggles have taken over so much land that there was no longer any land to claim lordship over, so the title is used more loosely than it used to be," Hermione explained. "All descendants are also Lords, making Harry a Lord twice over. Once for being the descendent from Gryffindor and once for the initial defeat of Voldemort. This gives him the title Grand Sorcerer. No surprise there," she added wryly.

"So Dumbledore has Defeated two Great wizards, or one and is a descendent?" Harry asked remembering seeing the title on the Hogwarts letters long ago.

"Oh, not necessarily. If he was rewarded a lord's land by inheritance without being a descendant, than he would be given the title of Lord; but you have to take into account the Defeat of Grindelwald.

"Then that makes Harry a Lord three times over. He inherited land from the Black Family Trust also," Draco said.

"It would only count if the owner of the house was a Lord. Some don't flaunt it, but some do so, as a way to get into tight social circles," Hermione explained.

"The Noble House of Black," Harry said, furrowing his brow and trying to remember if he'd ever seen anything on the tapestry at the Manor that would help.

"Noble?" Susan asked. Harry and Hermione nodded. "Then he wasn't a Lord, he was a Noble. You can't be both, it wasn't allowed."

"What do you mean? I don't recall anything about Nobles," Hermione said grimacing and trying to recall information, no doubt from History of Magic.

"A noble is someone with Political Stature. They get seats on committees, boards, and such. If Harry wanted to, after he turned seventeen and was out of Hogwarts, he could force one of the governors on the Hogwarts board to resign so he could take his spot. No questions would be asked and Harry would just be able to waltz in and starting trying to pass new rules and regulations for the school. Auntie says that's how your father got onto the board," Susan said, looking at Draco.

"What determines a Noble?" Harry asked.

"Money," Draco, Godric and Susan all said in unison.

"Anything over ten million is considered Noble," Draco explained.

"So money corrupts our school board?" Harry asked.

"No, it's a way of making sure the school is always funded. Or, it used to be," Draco said rephrasing. "If the board was comprised of Nobles, they would be able to donate money for projects that would increase the wealth and reputation of the school. It was a balanced system, and it's odd that it still happens," Draco said, leaning back on the couch.

"Doesn't that make you a Noble?" Harry asked Draco bluntly.

"You're not allowed to claim Nobility until you're of age, but yes, I will be," Draco said in a dignified manner. Harry caught a glimpse of the old Draco for a moment.

"That would make you a Noble twice over," Hermione said grinning now. "You've been named Heir to the Noble House of Black, and you fit the requirements for claiming you're one because of your galleons. Lucky you," Hermione said wryly again. Harry glared at her.

"I think I'm beginning to understand why Dumbledore said that Sirius left me all that money to make sure I did well in politics. He knew I was going to need something to back up my titles, and they both knew that I would soon break out into politics once all these titles were made public," Harry said.

"Harry, they're already out; it's just that no one really looks at them any more unless they're pointed out. People call Dumbledore 'Headmaster' or 'Sir'. Have you ever heard someone call him 'Lord'?" Hermione asked. Harry shook his head 'no'. "That's because most wizards and witches don't use their titles unless they're in high-ranking politics. Most don't even acknowledge their own titles unless they've been rightfully earned, which explains why Dumbledore only puts his titles at the end of important documents."

"You know far too much for your own good sometimes, Hermione," Harry drawled. "Anyway, Godric, we've come because we need information from the library so we can create a new spell. We'll let you know if it works," he said, and shuffled the others out of the living room and back into the library to go through the books.

"How do you even know where to start? There's so many," Susan said.

"The whole Suite is enchanted for efficiency. Africa, Avada Kedavra," Harry said in a commanding tone. Two books lit up in a blue haze and Harry pulled them from the shelf where he left a perfect slot for them to be replaced in. If Harry didn't replace them in more than twenty-four hours, or if they weren't marked, they would go back onto the shelf by themselves.

"Wow, that's so much more efficient than the Hogwarts library," Susan commented.

"You have no idea," Harry said as he laid the books on a side-table and said again, "Physical Runes, breakdown of Diet-Suppressing Potion." Four more books lit up this time, and Hermione grabbed them. Harry could tell she wanted to try it, but was holding herself back. "If you guys think there's anything else that would help, don't hesitate," Harry said, motioning to the shelves and taking a seat in one of the plush chairs at the table. Hermione sat down next to him, looking dejected. Apparently she couldn't think of anything else that they would need from the shelves. Draco sat down on the other side of him. Susan sat beside Hermione and grabbed the Runes book and started looking though it.

Harry was overly aware of Draco sitting next to him. The heat from his body was radiating off him; and Harry gave a slight shiver that, thank Merlin, Draco didn't notice. He felt intoxicated by Draco's presence, by the heat - but said and did nothing. He wanted to close his eyes and bask in it, but knew he couldn't. He had to get over this; he had to be stronger. Draco shifted in his seat and unintentionally, Harry guessed, moved closer to Harry to have a look at a book Harry was feigning to read. Harry wanted to scoot closer to him too, but his pride and his indecision wouldn't let him. If he did that, it would be evident that he was taking this harder than Draco thought he was. He had held himself together fine so far; but as Draco reached a hand over Harry's arm to turn the page halfway and look on the other side, he brushed the top of it with his fingertips by accident. Harry sprang up as if jolted by electricity.

"Um..." he stammered, trying to come up with a reason to move before he broke down and started pleading with Draco to take him back, "You guys thirsty? I'm parched myself," he said quickly, and left the room before any of them could answer. He headed to the kitchen and opened the door to the pantry that was charmed to stay cold. He stuck his head in and took a deep breath of the chilling air to calm himself.

Idiot, he chided himself. He had acted like a total idiot when Draco brushed his arm. His body had immediately reacted to the touch, and he began to get aroused. He felt weak and vulnerable again, like he had no control over his own body. He had longed for Draco's touch so badly over the last week. The lack of physical contact never fazed him while they were together. He assumed it was because the touch would have been welcomed by Draco. But now that Harry couldn't just ravish him at a mere thought or urge, it tore him apart.

"Harry?" the soft whisper made him stiffen. It was Draco. It was the same voice that would rasp while Harry was on top of him.

"Huh?" Harry said, looking around the pantry as if trying to find something.

"Are you all right?" Draco asked, still quietly.

"Yeah," Harry said, trying to sound more composed and relaxed than he felt. He actually wanted to pin Draco against the counter and have his way with him, or turn and curse him to oblivion for turning him into an emotional basket case.

"Oh," Draco said, sounding disappointed. "Need help with anything?"

"Care to give my heart back?" Harry said without even thinking. He silently cringed at the edge on his voice. He heard Draco suck in a shocked breath. He turned and looked at the boy, who paled even further. Harry moved in front of him carrying four Butterbeers. Draco didn't speak. "Didn't think so," Harry said, and shoved one of the cold bottles into Draco's chest. He grasped it out of instinct. Harry left the kitchen and made his way back to the library.

Last Edit: 03/08/2004

Thanks to David305