Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Goblin King	By : GeminiFaerie Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 29139 -:- Recommendations : 5 -:- Currently Reading : 14
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the Labyrinth, nor any of the characters from said books/movies and I make no money from this story.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
"Stupid Malfoy!" Harry muttered, "Stupid desert! Gah! It's so hot out here! How are you holding up Luna?" He broke off from his rant to check on Luna, who was still smiling although she had stopped skipping.

"I'm fine Harry," Luna smiled, "It is rather warm though. Do you know what would make this desert perfect?" She continued without waiting for a response, "An ocean. If we had an ocean here this desert would be the perfect vacation spot, don't you agree?" Luna's voice was airy and distracted.

"If it had an ocean this wouldn't be a desert," Harry pointed out, "Merlin! I wish we had something to drink! It's not good to be out in the heat like this without any water; is Malfoy trying to kill us or something?" They had been wandering through the desert landscape for about half an hour and already Harry was feeling parched.

"Oh, I have something for you!" Luna looked through her purse-really, why did he only notice the purse when she was taking something out of it?-and pulled out a bottle of water and two pieces of fruit. "Do you mind if I eat the dirigible plum?" She asked, keeping the funny-looking radish-type for herself, "You can have the peach."

"Thank you!" Harry accepted the fruit and gave Luna a tight hug, "You're the best Luna! I don't know why your housemates think you're loony; they must be mental!"

"You're welcome," Luna said simply, taking a bite out of her radish-thing, "Why don't we rest over there?" She pointed to a large boulder just off the path that would provide them with some shade and Harry followed her over to it. The small blonde pulled a blanket out of her purse and spread it out in the shade and they sat down to relax.

"We can only rest for a few minutes," Harry said, "Once we're done eating we should really start walking again." He took a sip of water before handing the bottle back to his companion.

"Of course," Luna smiled, "Now eat your fruit." Harry laughed a little at her motherly tone but took a bite of the peach; his eyes widened in surprise as the taste exploded over his tongue.

"Wow! I've never tasted a peach like this before!" He exclaimed as he took another bite, "It's so good, and juicy!" He closed his eyes in enjoyment, and then frowned a little. "Luna?" he opened his eyes only to immediately close them again as the world spun around him, "What's going on? I feel so dizzy…" He felt a gentle hand on his forehead and briefly opened his eyes to see Luna smiling at him softly. "Luna? What…what did you do to me?"

"Shh, Harry," Luna said, "Just close your eyes and rest; this is all for the best-you'll see. Trust me Harry, I'm doing this for you." Harry couldn't focus on her words, but her soft voice soothed him and he found himself slipping into unconsciousness.

Draco sat in his room and watched Harry and Luna make their way through the desert. Unknown to Harry, this desert was an endless loop; the scenery would constantly change but it was impossible to get out of by just walking. The only way to get out was to have outside help or be unconscious; he was actually surprised that Luna didn't tell Harry the secret of the desert but it really just helped to support his earlier conclusion. Then, he saw her hand Harry a peach from the royal gardens and he smirked; yes, Luna was definitely doing something sneaky because that was a dream peach which would knock the Gryffindor unconscious-and allow Draco access to his dreams. Immediately after Harry passed out, Draco saw that dwarf, Ystan, join Luna and the blonde girl gave him a hug. Draco frowned; that dwarf had kidnapped Luna earlier, so why would she…? As he watched the dwarf shimmered and transformed into a certain classmate that Draco recognized very well and the Slytherin smirked; he could definitely use this to his advantage. The viewing screen changed to show Harry's dream so Draco decided he would deal with Luna later; right now he had to put the next step of his plan into action. Draco smiled as he stood up and then he simply stepped through the window and vanished from his room

There's such a sad love

Deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel

Open and closed within your eyes

I'll place the sky within your eyes

.

"Harry Potter," Dumbledore read the name off the slip of paper. The Great Hall was silent, the staff, students and visitors all in shock at the fourth name being called. "Harry, join the other contestants please." Harry sat in stunned silence until Hermione pushed him off the bench; he looked up at her from his position on the floor and Hermione gave an exasperated sigh before pointing in the direction the other Champions had gone. Harry stood up and walked past the head table in a daze, not noticing the sympathetic looks from the staff. He entered the room where the other Champions-the real Champions, he told himself-were waiting, and saw the expectant looks on the faces of Fleur, Krum and Cedric, but he couldn't seem to find his voice to tell them what happened.

A few minutes later Dumbledore, Karkaroff, and Madame Maxine entered the room closely followed by Professors McGonagall, Snape and Moody. Dumbledore told everyone that Harry Potter was the fourth Champion and bound by magical contract to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. There was a loud outcry from the other contestants, all except for Cedric who gave Harry a worried look. Just when Harry was starting to get a headache from all of the yelling Moody spoke up and told everyone his theory that someone was trying to kill Harry by putting him in a tournament that he did not have enough training to compete in, and Dumbledore shooed the students away so that the adults could talk.

"Harry, wait up!" Harry turned as Cedric called out to him, "Are you okay? You look, I dunno-"

"Terrified?" Harry supplied drily, "That would be because I am. Who entered my name? And how? Do you think Moody is right and that someone wants to kill me?" Harry blushed as he realized he was rambling, "Sorry; I guess I'm more worked up than I thought."

"It's understandable," Cedric said, placing a sympathetic hand on the younger boy's shoulder, "I'm nervous and I'm actually of age; I can only imagine how you must feel. We aren't allowed to actually train together, but I just wanted to give you some advice."

"Oh?" Harry asked warily-was this where Cedric was going to tell him he would be better off jumping from the Astronomy Tower?

"Yeah, you need to get someone to teach you some more spells," Cedric said, "The things you've learned in the past three years won't be enough to keep you safe, but some of your classmates may know more spells that can help you. I would recommend asking a pureblood because they normally have tutors before starting Hogwarts and during the summers."

"Well, the only pureblood's in my year that I'm close to are Ron and Neville," Harry frowned, "and I have better grades than both of them." He noticed Cedric's hesitant look, "What is it?"

"Well, there is someone in your year that I know has a lot of knowledge," Cedric began, "I know you don't really get along with him, but maybe you should call a truce and ask him for help."

"Who?"

"Draco Malfoy," Cedric held up a hand to stop the angry protests, "I'm not saying you have to ask for his help, it's just something I think you should consider." The two boys had reached the Great Hall by now, and Cedric held out a hand, "Good luck, Harry."

"Thanks," Harry clasped his hand briefly, "Good luck to you too, Cedric." He watched as Cedric returned to the Hufflepuff table and then he walked over to the Gryffindor table only to find that Hermione and Ron were no longer there.

"Alright Harry?" Neville asked, "I thought you were going to pass out when they called your name."

"I almost did," Harry admitted, "and then Mad Eye said that he thinks this is a plot against me and that someone would have had to confound the Goblet in order for it to name a fourth Champion. Why me?"

"That's hard luck, Mate," Seamus said, "We'll help you train though; I'm sure McGonagall would even give us use of the restricted section." Dean and Neville nodded their agreement, and Harry smiled at them.

"Thanks guys; we'd better head on up," he stood up from the table with his friends following him, "Did Hermione and Ron already go to the tower? What? What is it?" He got nervous as he saw his housemates exchange an uncertain glance.

"Well, they seem to think that you got someone to enter you into the competition just so you could get more attention," Dean said, "I don't think Hermione really believes that, but since they started dating she is taking Ron's side."

"Oh," Harry said softly, "Well, I'm really tired, so I think I'll just go to bed." He walked ahead of his friends and managed to get in his bed and close the hangings without catching more than a quick glance of his two former best friends.

There's such a fooled heart

Beating so fast in search of new dreams

A love that will last within your heart

I'll place the moon within your heart

The next day was the Weighing of the Wands, and Harry had the extreme non-pleasure of meeting reporter Rita Skeeter. The reporter started out by trying to get Harry alone for a one-on-one interview, and Harry was unable to detach her long red fingernails from his arm.

"We'll just talk in here," she said, pulling open a broom closet, "Yes, lovely." She pulled Harry into the closet and pushed him down onto an upturned bucket, "Now Harry, just relax and don't pay any attention to the quill." Harry watched as Rita pulled out a notepad and an acid green quill. "So, how do you feel about-" she was interrupted by the door opening.

"There you are Potter," Harry squinted and saw Draco Malfoy standing in the doorway, "They're waiting for you in Dumbledore's office. I know you like the attention Potter, but really; even you should know better than to give an exclusive interview to trash like that. Come on." Harry let Malfoy grab his arm and pull him out of the closet, both boys ignoring Rita Skeeter's indignant spluttering behind them.

"I have never been so happy to see you Malfoy," Harry smiled at the blonde boy, "That Skeeter woman is horrible! She ambushed me before I could get past the gargoyle."

"Skeeter really is trash," Malfoy said nonchalantly, still holding on to Harry's arm, "If you're interested in giving an interview I can contact a reporter for you."

"Um, no thanks," Harry said, "Despite what you think I really don't want all the attention; I would be perfectly happy to just sit on the side-lines and watch the real Champions go at it." He sighed, "And here I was hoping to have an uneventful year without people trying to kill me. Well, this is my stop; are you coming up?" They stopped outside the stone gargoyle marking the entrance to Dumbledore's office and the blonde hastily let go of Harry's arm.

"No, I was just told to fetch you," Draco scowled, "like I'm some sort of errand boy or something."

"Well, I have to say I'm glad you showed up," Harry said shyly and saw the other boy's eyes widen in surprise. He bit his lip indecisively for a moment before meeting Draco's grey eyes with his own. "Look, we got off to a bad start in first year, and I think that maybe we should put it all behind us. Truce, Malfoy?" He held out his hand, and was rewarded with a small smile from the Slytherin.

"Only if you call me Draco," the blonde said, shaking his hand.

"Okay, Draco," Harry grinned, "and you can call me Harry. I'd better get up there, but I'll see you later."

"See you around, Harry," Draco nodded at him and then walked away, tossing a scowl at Rita as she followed Harry up to the headmaster's office.

The Weighing of the Wands was done without any further problems, although Rita Skeeter did manage to print an article portraying Harry as a young boy who was scared of the tournament but determined to make his dead parents proud. This article served to further alienate Ron and Hermione but, oddly enough, it didn't bother him as much as he thought it would because he had the rest of his dorm mates and Draco on his side. Since the boys had called a truce Harry was able to ask Draco for help researching spells and the Slytherin was proving to be very helpful; there was a little bit of tension with the other Gryffindor's at first, but after Draco saved Harry from a nasty prank orchestrated by Pansy Parkinson they all decided to move on and things went a lot more smoothly.

Two days before the first task, Hagrid asked Harry to sneak down to his hut after dinner, stating that he had to show him something very important. When Harry came back inside an hour later and met his friends in the empty Transfiguration classroom (McGonagall was allowing them to use it to help Harry practice spells) his face was white and his hands were trembling.

"Harry, are you okay?" Draco demanded, "Here, sit down before you fall over." He pushed Harry down into a chair and then summoned a house elf to bring some hot chocolate which he made the younger boy drink. The other boy's arranged some chairs in a circle and sat down as they waited for Harry to calm down. "Okay, now tell us what happened."

"Dragons," Harry whispered, "For the first task we have to get by dragons. Maxime and Karkaroff know which means so will Fleur and Krum; someone needs to warn Cedric."

"I'll go tell him," Neville offered, "Be back in a few minutes." The other boys sat in stunned silence for a moment, then Seamus spoke up.

"Blimey Harry! Dragons?" Seamus exclaimed, "You don't do anything halfway, that's for sure!"

"It's not like this was my idea!" Harry protested, "What? You think I went up to Hagrid and said, 'Please, I don't think the tournament will be dangerous enough, can you bring in some dragons to add a bit more excitement? Thanks Hagrid; you're a real pal.'" He glared at the Irish boy, then heard Draco snickering and turned his glare on the Slytherin.

"Well, it does sound like something you would say," Draco said, "Bloody Gryffindor's never have enough excitement."

"I know, it's so hard to live up to the expectations," Harry said mournfully, "I should have just let the hat put me in Slytherin."

"What?" The three other boys' in the room cried out.

"The hat wanted to put you in Slytherin?" Dean demanded and Harry nodded, "Huh. I always did say you were too sneaky to be a lion." He grinned at Harry who just rolled his eyes.

"Now wait just one bloody minute," Draco broke in, "if the hat wanted to put you in Slytherin, how did you wind up in the Lion's Den?"

"Umm…I asked it to put me there?" Harry said uncertainly. At Draco's glare he became defensive and added, "What? It was your fault, you know. You were a real prat when I first met you, and I didn't want to be in the same house as you. Add to that Hagrid telling me all the bad wizards came from Slytherin and my parents were Gryffindor's and, well, what would you expect me to do?"

"I think we're a little off topic here," Neville spoke up from the doorway, "It doesn't really matter what house Harry is in, we need to find a way to get him past that dragon safely."

"Right," Draco said and he grabbed Harry's hand, "Come on; time to hit the books."

The five boys spent the rest of the evening and half of the next day in the library researching dragons thanks to the pass McGonagall gave them to miss two days of classes; the only requirement was that they turn in all of their work before curfew Friday. By the time lunch came around they were all stressed out and beginning to feel discouraged, so Seamus suggested they take a quick flying break to relax. It was while they were out on the pitch that Draco got an idea; the he was relaxing in the Slytherin stands, admiring Harry's aerial stunts when it came to him.

"Harry! I've got it!" he called to the brunette and Harry flew over to where Draco was sitting, closely followed by the other Gryffindor's.

"What is it Draco?" Harry asked, finding the Slytherin's grin infectious even though he didn't know why the other boy was smiling.

"I know how you can get past the dragon," Draco said proudly, "What is the one thing that you can beat anyone at?" He continued without giving the other boy's a chance to answer, "Flying! You can outfly everyone at this school, so I'm sure you can fly circles around a dragon!"

"But I can't bring my broom with me," Harry frowned.

"No, but you can summon it," Seamus said, starting to get excited, "We've been working on summoning in Charms this whole week, and you're doing really well with it. Why don't I take your broom upstairs and you can practice summoning it?"

"Good idea," Draco approved, "Harry, give him your Firebolt."

"Yes, Bossy," Harry said and stuck his tongue out at Draco who smacked him upside the head. Harry pouted and handed the broom over to Seamus who flew off towards Gryffindor tower. Five minutes later Seamus re-appeared, and Harry cast the summoning charm. "Accio Firebolt!" They waited a few minutes but nothing happened, so he tried it again. After five tries he finally summoned the broom successfully, and Dean took it back up to the tower. For the rest of the afternoon Harry practiced summoning the Firebolt with Seamus and Dean taking turns taking it back up to the tower.

"Okay, good job," Draco said, "You summoned it ten times in a row, so I think you're ready for Saturday. Now, it's almost time for dinner, so I'm going to take a shower."

"Yeah, me too," Harry said, "I think I'll just fly up. Oh, and Draco? After I finish the first task, remind me to tell you how brilliant you are." He grinned at the Slytherin and flew off to Gryffindor tower.

The following day was spent perfecting the summoning charm before lunch, and the boys used the rest of the day to finish the classwork they had missed as well as their homework for the weekend. By dinner time they were all caught up with their work, and the rest of the boys convinced Harry to go to bed early in preparation for the upcoming task.

As the pain sweeps through

Makes no sense for you

Every thrill has gone

Wasn't too much fun at all

But I'll be there for you

As the world falls down

Falling...Falling down

Falling in love

The morning of the first task dawned bright and clear, and Harry was pleased to see that it was a perfect day for flying. He walked to breakfast with the other boys from his dorm, minus Ron of course, and they joined Draco at the Slytherin table. Harry was too nervous to really be hungry, but Draco cajoled him into eating a small breakfast of toast, bacon and apple juice. Finally the minister stood up and called for the Champions to come outside, and Harry was escorted to the tent by Draco, Seamus, Dean and Neville. The other boy's left him outside the tent with wishes for luck, and then all Harry could do was wait. Ludo Bagman, head of Magical Games and Sports entered the tent to tell the four students the rules and so they could find out which order they would be competing in. One by one they reached into a small draw-string pouch and pulled out a miniature model of the dragon they would be facing; around the neck of each dragon was a wooden sign with a number on it. When Harry's turn came he pulled out a miniature Hungarian Horntail with the number four around it. Harry sat in the tent nervously waiting his turn; he wasn't able to hear the announcer, but he could hear the shouts from the crowd and each moment that passed just made him feel more anxious.

Finally, Harry heard his name called and exited the tent. He walked into a large enclosure and saw the Hungarian Horntail sitting in a nest with five real eggs and one golden egg, which Harry knew was his target. Harry drew his wand and whispered "Accio Firebolt!" He spoke too quietly for the crowd to hear, and he could tell that they were wondering what he was up to. A few minutes later his Firebolt came zooming into view and came to a stop in front of him. Harry mounted the broom-and the crowd disappeared; once on his broom, he was in his element and there was nothing he couldn't do. He flew around the dragons head, taunting it and slowly drawing it away from the nest. The frustrated dragon snapped its jaws at the boy and breathed fire at him, but Harry managed to dodge everything, and the angry dragon finally left her nest to fly after him. This was the chance Harry had been waiting for; without giving it a seconds thought, he flipped over in midair and reversed his direction to fly straight at the nest. The dragon let out an angry roar and blasted a sheet of fire at Harry, but he avoided it and made a dive to grab the egg; the crowd let out a roar of approval loud enough to distract Harry as he was flying out of the enclosure, and the dragon managed to rake its claws across his back. Harry gasped in pain, but maintained both his seat on the broom and his hold on the golden egg. He landed outside the enclosure, hearing the shouts of the dragon handlers behind him, and dismounted; the pain from his back made Harry's legs give out from beneath him and his vision went white as he fell unconscious.

Harry awoke a few hours later to find himself in the hospital wing with his fellow dorm mates and Draco sitting by his bed.

"How did I do?" Harry asked, and was dismayed at how hoarse his voice sounded.

"Harry, you're awake!" Neville exclaimed as Draco helped the injured boy drink some water, "How do you feel."

"Not too bad," Harry replied, "My back doesn't hurt anymore; does that mean I'm all healed up?"

"Not quite," Draco drawled, "Madame Pomfrey gave you a potion to close the scratches, but she said it will be at least one more day before you're completely healed so she wants you to stay here overnight; she'd afraid if she doesn't keep an eye on you you'll just hurt yourself again, and I must say I'm inclined to agree. Really Harry, you get injured after completing the task? You should have been safe at that point."

"That's just how things happen with me," Harry shrugged, "and if Madame Pomfrey thinks I'm staying here overnight she's going to be sorely disappointed; I feel fine and I want to return to the tower."

"Actually, the teachers got together and for some reason all of the Champions have their own rooms for the rest of the year," Dean said, "so you won't be returning to the tower, and you can't go to your new rooms until Dumbledore comes to give you the password, which won't be until tomorrow."

"Well, that's just great," Harry scowled, "I hate staying in the hospital wing!"

"Then maybe you should stop injuring yourself, Mr. Potter," the boys looked up as Madame Pomfrey came out of her office, "Always getting into trouble, aren't you? There was the stone first year, the basilisk second year, last year we had the dementors, and now dragons. I swear they must think I don't work enough! What will they bring in next I wonder?" As she ranted the nurse performed a quick diagnostic scan, and grudgingly told Harry that he appeared to be healed and so he could leave the hospital wing, but only if he promised to rest for the remainder of the weekend. Harry quickly gave his word, and Draco offered to make sure the stubborn Gryffindor actually rested. Feeling somewhat more assured, Pomfrey gave Harry a scrap of paper with a password and the directions to his new rooms. Harry pulled the curtains around his bed and got dressed, and then he set off with his friends to find his new rooms.

About twenty minutes later, they found Harry's new rooms in the third floor corridor that had been forbidden back in first year. They stopped in front of a large picture with an emerald green snake wrapped around a silvery tree, and Harry gave his password-which happened to be "open sesame" in parseltongue, and he directed the guardian of the portrait to let his friends in at any time if they gave the password "aperio"-in English of course since they were unable to speak parseltongue. They entered and found themselves in a sitting room done in jewel tones of emerald green and sapphire blue with splashes of silver and amethyst in the form of throw pillows, rugs, and curtains. The color theme continued into the bedroom.

The group of friend arranged themselves on the couches and chairs in the sitting room until Harry announced that he wanted a bath.

"Here," Draco tossed him the golden egg, "Why don't you see if you can figure this thing out? We opened it earlier-" he grinned at the glare Harry gave him, "-but all it did was screech; Neville overheard Cedric say something about dropping it into the bathtub, so maybe you should give it a try."

"Okay," Harry shrugged, and took the egg into the bathroom with him. He filled the tub up with water and bubbles and just lay back and relaxed for a few minutes before dragging the egg over to him. Taking a deep breath he opened the egg and put it in the water before ducking his head in the water as well. Harry was surprised to hear a hauntingly beautiful voice singing;

"Come seek us where our voices sound,

We cannot sing above the ground,

And while you're searching, ponder this;

We've taken what you'll sorely miss,

An hour long you'll have to look,

And recover what we took,

But past an hour - the prospect's black,

Too late, it's gone, it won't come back." (1)

He ducked under the water three more times to make sure he had the song memorized, and then quickly finished his bath so he could tell his friends what he heard. He dried off as fast as possible and dressed in a pair of black boxers and a green bathrobe, which he assumed the house elves must have left for him, and then walked into the sitting room.

"Well, it's got to be mermaids," Draco said after some thought, "There are some in the Black Lake. So, it looks like something important will be taken from you and you will have to go into the lake to get it back. Hmm…we need to find something that will let you breathe underwater for an hour."

"Gillyweed," Neville said promptly, "It's in the herbology book Professor Moody gave me. I'm sure Snape has some-"

"Yes, but he hates me," Harry pointed out, "Maybe I can find some next Hogsmeade weekend…"

"If not I can get Severus to give me some," Draco promised, "He's my godfather, so if I ask him he has to help, although he may require you to prepare potions ingredients or something as re-payment. Well, this has been very productive; you just received the egg today and not only did you solve the riddle, but you have a plan of action as well."

"And the next task isn't even until February," Dean piped up, "You have two whole months to learn spells for use underwater, so this next task should be a piece of cake!"

"Just one thing for you to remember," Draco said, "The riddle says you only have an hour to recover whatever is stolen, but whatever it is will not actually be lost, so don't try anything heroic." Harry stuck his tongue out at the Slytherin and sat down next to him on the small sofa.

"Well, I think I'm about ready for bed," he announced to the group, "It's weird how outsmarting a dragon can really tire you out."

"So that's what you and Draco are calling it," Seamus grinned, and Harry looked at him confused for a moment before he remembered that Draco's name meant 'dragon'; when he caught onto the meaning of the Irish boys words Harry felt himself start to blush furiously.

"Get your mind out of the gutter," he snapped at Seamus, and all the boys-including Draco-laughed, "You guys are so mean to me," Harry pouted, "I narrowly escaped death earlier today, and here you are picking on me; some friends you are! Besides, I'm not gay." He closed his eyes and stretched so he didn't notice the look the other four boys exchanged. "Alright guys, I'm going to bed; you can hang out in here as long as you like and transfigure some beds if you want. 'Night!" His friends called their good-nights back to him and he shut the bedroom door; with all the excitement of the day he fell asleep as soon as he hit the pillow.

The next day found Ron and Hermione apologizing to Harry; he grudgingly accepted the apology but their friendship just wasn't the same. That night Dumbledore announced the Yule Ball to be held over Christmas break, and informed the Champions that they must have dates as they would be doing the opening dance.

The weeks leading up to Christmas break passed quickly, and soon Harry found himself lined up outside the Great Hall with the other Champions, standing conspicuously alone. He looked around nervously, eying the other students that were entering the hall; where was his date? He sighed and shook his head; this would be a lot easier if he knew who his date was and he was beginning to think Hermione was right to worry about his sanity. Really, who in their right mind would go to the Yule Ball with a secret date? Didn't he already have enough to stress over with being the only under-age competitor in the Tri-wizard competition? He should have just asked Ginny to go with him, but he had been worried about ruining their friendship, and then he had received that mysterious invite…

It was a week before the Yule Ball and Harry was sitting alone in the boy's dorm trying to decide who he should ask to be his date; Ron had finally gotten up the courage to ask Hermione so they were going together and Ginny was going with Neville. Maybe he should see if Ginny's friend, the strange blonde girl-Lulu? Luna?-would go with him. Just as he made up his mind to ask Ginny to check with her friend, Hedwig entered through the window and dropped a letter on his bed. Harry opened it curiously and it read:

Harry,

For too long I have admired you from afar, and I have heard that you do not have a date to the Yule Ball. If this is true, I would love to be your date. I am keeping my identity a secret for now, after all it is a masked ball, and if you agree to be my date I will reveal my true identity at midnight after the ball. I know I am asking you to put a lot of trust in an unknown person, but I swear my intentions are true. If you accept my offer please send a reply back via your owl, and I will meet you at the entrance to the Great Hall when you line up with the other Champions for the opening dance. I look forward to dancing with you.

Always,

Your Secret Admirer

After thinking it over for a few minutes Harry decided to accept the date request and sent Hedwig off with his reply. And that's how he got where he was now, seconds away from the start of the opening dance and without a partner. Just as Harry was about to give up hope, he felt someone take his hand and looked up to smile at his date; the smile quickly turned to a look of confusion, however when he realized that his partner was a boy. Before Harry could say anything the music started and he found himself being led into the Great Hall behind the other couples.

As a stunned Harry allowed himself to be led around the dance floor, he sized up his partner. The boy was taller than Harry by a few inches and had a pale, alabaster complexion; he was wearing black dress robes over a pale grey Muggle-style tuxedo and a silver mask served to cloak his features, although Harry was able to make out silvery-eyes. The boy's hair was a pale blonde, and Harry felt that he should know this person, but he just couldn't place him. The stranger's pink lips were upturned in a sort of mocking smile, and Harry found himself blushing at the thought of those lips brushing his own. Harry dropped his gaze from his date's face to look at the other boy's shoulder instead, hoping that the "mood-lighting" set up by the headmaster would help to hide his blush.

I'll paint you mornings of gold

I'll spin you valentine evenings

Though we're strangers till now

We're choosing the path between the stars

I'll leave my love between the stars

The song changed to a haunting melody, and Harry let his partner lead him into a series of turns until the brunette was dizzy and clinging to his date to avoid losing his balance. The blonde chuckled lightly at him, and Harry was entranced by the musical sound. Funny, before his date had shown up Harry would have sworn that he was straight, but now he felt intoxicated by the stranger's closeness and he wanted more. Harry vaguely recognized the fact that there were more people on the dance floor now, but his entire focus was on the being whose arms were holding him possessively.

'This is insane!' Harry told himself, 'I don't even know who this guy is; how can I be so attracted to him? Oh, but he smells so good, like cinnamon and vanilla…' He frowned as this thought triggered a memory but it was gone before he could pursue it, and he felt the blood rush to his head as the mysterious boy spun him into a sudden dip before pulling him close again.

As the dance went on, Harry let himself get lost in the music and the strong arms wrapped around him; he was so caught up in the moment that he didn't even realize he was being drawn out of the Great Hall until he felt the cold winter air on his skin. Blinking out of his daze, Harry looked around and saw that his partner has brought him to a secluded garden with a frozen fountain in the middle of it.

"What-why did you bring me out here?" Harry asked.

"Shh," the other boy said, placing one long, pale finger against his lips, "It's almost midnight; before I remove my mask can I have one kiss?" Harry frowned; that voice was very familiar, he really should recognize it…but he still felt muddled from the music and the dancing, and the knowledge was just out of reach. "Just one kiss?" With a start Harry realized that the other boy was still waiting on an answer, tracing Harry's lips with his finger. The brunette's voice caught in his throat and all he could do was nod his consent; his mysterious partner flashed him a brilliant smile before cupping the back of Harry's head and leaning in to press their lips together. The kiss was very sweet and chaste, just a gentle brushing together of lips that left Harry shivering from something other than the cold. Without making a conscious decision, Harry wrapped his arms around the stranger's neck and the blonde boy responded by wrapping his free arm around Harry's waist and drawing him closer. Harry sighed into the kiss, and then opened his mouth wider to admit the tentatively questing tongue begging permission. The kiss remained gentle even as the two boys' explored each other's mouths and Harry thought to himself that this was perfect, everything that a first kiss should be. This thought made him frown again and pull away;

'First kiss?' Harry thought, "That's not right; I kissed Cho last year, didn't I? No, wait; I didn't even speak to Cho last year. What's going on?' Harry opened his eyes-when did he close them?-and met a grey gaze that was full of curiosity. Harry gave the other boy a small smile and pecked him on the lips before stepping out of the warm embrace.

"It's after midnight," he said softly, "so are you going to remove your mask?"

"Of course," the blonde replied, but Harry could tell he was nervous, "Just, before I reveal myself, I want you to know that this was the best night of my life, and I hope you are willing to give me a chance." Harry gave him an encouraging smile and waited breathlessly as the boy removed his mask, and the brunette found himself face-to-face with-

"Draco Malfoy?" Harry cried, backing away, "What-why? I mean, when did you-?" Draco laughed softly and silenced Harry's questions with a finger against his lips.

"Like I said in my letter, I've liked you for a long time now," Draco smiled at the other boy, "I was going to ask you in person, but then you said you weren't interested in boys and I almost gave up; then it got close to the ball and you still didn't have a date, so I took a chance. Are you disappointed?"

"No," Harry shook his head, "a little confused maybe, but not disappointed. I guess I don't know myself as well as I thought I did," he mused and shook his head before meeting Draco's grey eyes with his own emerald gaze, "I'm glad you asked me out tonight, because this was perfect. Walk me to my room?" Draco nodded and took Harry's hand, escorting him up to the Gryffindor's private chambers.

"Next Hogsmeade weekend," Draco said, as they stood outside the painting concealing the entrance to Harry's rooms, "Will you go with me? On a date?"

"Yes," Harry replied, "I'd love to. Well, goodnight then." He said his password and turned to enter his room, but Draco stopped him with a hand on his arm. Harry looked back at the Slytherin curiously, and Draco leaned in to give him a chaste kiss.

"Goodnight Lion," Draco said and then turned and walked away, quickly disappearing around the corner.

As the pain sweeps through Makes no sense for you Every thrill has gone

Wasn't too much fun at all

But I'll be there for you

As the world falls down

Falling...Falling down

Falling in love

AN: Song is As The World Falls Down as sung by David Bowie in the Labyrinth.

(1)Excerpt from HP&The Goblet of Fire
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Harry Potter and the Goblin King