Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Restoration of Magic	By : Bickymonster & CelticKitsune Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male Views: 10396 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: We do not own Harry Potter or any concepts or characters associated with it. We are not making any money from this this story.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
A huge thankyou to Emily for beta reading this chapter for us!
There is going to be a LOT of fun things happening in this chapter! So please enjoy!

December 1995

“I don’t need a scarf, Draco,” Harry said with a laugh, as he ducked out of his friend’s reach, “it’s not that cold.”

“I’ll let you explain that to Blaise,” Draco said as he slung the scarf around his own neck instead. The end of the year had brought with it much colder weather, and they had woken up to see the city covered in snow.

“I have gloves on,” Harry pointed out, holding up his leather clad hands and wiggling his fingers towards Draco, “and TWO of my thickest cloaks. I am going to lose the snowball fight just because I can’t move my arms,” he said with a grin.

“Who said we were having a snowball fight?” Draco asked, raising an eyebrow at his smaller friend.

“I said we were having one,” Harry said with a grin. Draco shook his head. “Oh, come on, it will be fun,” Harry pleaded, moving to Draco’s side and looking up at him with an exaggerated pout. “Pretty please.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Draco stated, linking his arm with Harry’s and dragging him out the door of their dormitory and in the direction of the gardens.They found Theodore and Blaise waiting for them downstairs, the two of them talking together and oblivious to their approaching mates.

Grinning widely Harry unlinked his arm from Draco’s, hurrying down the last few steps and over to Blaise and Theo. “Hi,” Harry exclaimed joyfully, as he all but barrelled his mate over. Blaise laughed, his arms automatically going around Harry, lifting the smaller boy off the floor. He couldn’t help but smile as Harry’s joyous laugh filled the hallway.

“Hi to you too,” Blaise said as he regained his balance, setting Harry back on his feet again. Blaise looked over and gave Draco a smile as the blond joined them more calmly.

“Draco’s not being any fun today,” Harry said, pouting as Draco greeted his own mate.

“Draco just has a different idea of fun,” Theodore said, wrapping his arms around Draco.

“Yes, and I do not find snowball fights to be ‘fun’. The snow is cold and wet, and you feel miserable, then it takes forever to warm back up once you’re inside again,” Draco said. “You are the only one here that insists on going outside to roll around in the snow,” Draco huffed.

“Fine, then you can just stay inside and do boring stuff.” Harry stuck his tongue out at Draco, before he started leading Blaise outside.

“We can stay inside, “ Theodore offered, looking down at Draco.

“No, I’ve already put the time and effort into getting dressed to go outside, we might as well go walk around for a little while,” Draco sighed. His was used to the lightweight fabrics they wore most of the time, and so the thick material of his trousers and cloak, combined with the addition or a scarf and leather gloves felt overly cumbersome. Taking Theo’s hand, Draco smiled up at his mate and the two of them followed their friends out.

“It is beautiful out here, isn’t it?” Theodore said as they walked together, and Draco hummed in agreement because as much as he didn’t like the cold, he could appreciate the view. “At least Harry and Blaise seem to be enjoying it,” he added, gesturing over to where the two of them were literally rolling in the snow.

“Harry is so childish,” Draco said, rolling his eyes but he had a fond smile as he watched his best friend. “Though I do hope that is something that never changes,” Draco added, remembering the incident almost nine months ago, when Harry had had his magic bound.

“I’ve seen you act just as childishly as he does,” Theodore said, chuckling softly at the look Draco gave him. “It’s not a bad thing to act like a child, particularly considering how serious things have gotten around here recently,” he said.

“Could we not talk about that? It’s bad enough dealing with it all during the week. Endless hours of boring lectures, and I feel like we’re being watched almost constantly now,” Draco told him, and Theodore gave him a sceptical look. “You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed how much more the mentors are around, ever since Cedric and the others got into trouble.”

“I suppose,” Theodore admitted, looking contemplative. “But can you really blame them? Five kids try to run away, putting this city in danger. Of course they’re going to watch us more closely.”

“We still don’t know what happened to them, though,” Draco pointed out. “And you remember what Lorn said, that one of them was still missing. They have never said that they found that person at all.”

“I know it is frustrating, Draco, but it isn’t our business, not really. And we were told that the four of them that were found had been brought back to the city,” Theodore reminded him.

“But if that is true, then where are they?” Draco retorted. “Why haven’t they been brought back to the school? Why are the mentors counting us every morning now? They seem very adamant about the fact that we are not to leave this city,” Draco said, keeping his voice low, just in case anyone might be listening.

“You sound like you’ve been talking to Harry too much,” Theodore said, giving his mate a disapproving look. “Blaise told me that Harry is very insistent that we still have parents somewhere, and that he wants to try and find them.”

“Damnit, Theo, this isn’t about our parents, or whatever foolishness Harry has been going on about now. This is about the fact that five of us have gone missing, and the whole school has been on lockdown ever since!” Draco snapped. This was clearly something that had been bothering him for some time, but with the mentors keeping a closer eye on all of them, it was harder to have private conversations.

Before Theodore had a chance to respond, to try and calm his mate down at all, Draco was hit in the side of the head with a snowball. As Theodore turned in the direction the snow had come from, he was hit in the face with one too.

“Harry! We’re trying to have a serious conversation over here!” Draco snapped, turning to glare at the smaller boy.

“Oops,” Harry said with an innocence that no one really believed. “I wasn’t actually aiming at you, I was trying to hit Blaise,” Harry told him, glancing over in the opposite direction where Blaise was actually standing.

“Harry, you are a terrible liar,” Theodore said, kneeling down and picking up a handful of snow. “There are punishments for those who lie.”

Harry yelped, ducking as the snowball was thrown at him and running over to where Blaise was standing and trying to hide behind his mate. “Don’t hide behind me!” Blaise exclaimed, grinning as he looked over his shoulder at Harry. “You started this fight, and now it’s everyone for themselves,” he said, before dropping a snowball onto Harry’s head.

“Hey! Not fair!” Harry pouted, brushing the snow out of his hair. Blaise laughed, dodging out of Harry’s reach when the smaller boy made a grab for him.

“Don’t start something you can’t handle,” Blaise said, only to have a snowball hit the back of his head. Turning around he saw a smirking Theodore standing there, another snowball in the other boy’s hand.

“That goes for you too, Blaise,” Theodore said, throwing the snowball at the tan boy. Blaise dodged easily, scooping up a handful of snow before throwing that back at Theo, managing to hit the slightly taller boy in the shoulder as he too tried to dodge.

A scream from across the garden caught both their attentions. They turned to see Draco doing his best to avoid the barrage of snowballs flying his way. Harry was standing a short distance from him, waving his hands in a complex pattern, forming snowballs with one hand, and the other making them shoot across the garden at Draco. Harry’s thick cloaks were swirling around him, seeming to react to the excessive use of magic. The blond was doing his best not to be hit by the barrage of snowball, but with the amount being thrown his way, it was impossible.

“Harry! That’s not fair!” Draco shouted, ducking to avoid another snowball, only to be hit in the legs with two others.

“Blaise, can’t you control your mate?” Theodore asked, looking over at the tan boy, who just shrugged.

“Harry,” Blaise called out, gaining Harry’s attention. This turned out not to be the best idea, as Harry now shifted his snowball attack toward Blaise and Theodore instead. Though his aim was a bit off as Harry couldn’t seem to stop laughing.

Draco reached down and gathered up a bunch of snow from near his feet. Taking advantage Harry’s diverted attention, he floated it over to his smaller friend, and right into the back of Harry’s neck. Harry squealed in shock, and Draco gathered up a second lot, dumping it into the hood of Harry’s cloak, before flipping that up over Harry’s head, causing the rest of the snow to fall down into Harry’s tunic. Harry shouted out in shock as yet more snow was dumped over his head, going down his back.

“That’s not fair!” Harry cried out, jumping around as he reached behind himself to try and bat away the snow; though it was nigh on impossible with how many layers of clothing he was wearing, much to Blaise and Theo’s amusement.

“Maybe you should have worn a scarf after all,” Draco said, with a taunting grin. Harry growled in mild annoyance, picking up another snowball and throwing it at Draco. As the snowball connected with Draco’s shoulder, Harry felt more cold snow slipping down his back as another small pile was dropped on his head.

“Hey!” Harry turned quickly toward Blaise and Theodore, though he couldn’t tell which one of them had done it.

However, since Draco was still set on taking revenge for being dragged into a snow fight, turning his back on the blond proved to be a mistake, as a huge pile of snow was magically dropped on Harry’s head, quickly followed by two more, one from Blaise and one from Theodore. Harry tried to move out of the way, but just tripped as so much snow had been dumped on him, that he was buried almost up to his waist.

“Not fair!” Harry cried out again, kicking his feet until he was free of the snow, sitting up and crossing his arms as he pouted, ignoring the snow still dripping down his back.

“Ready to go back in now?” Blaise asked, not even trying to hide his amusement. Harry turned his head away from Blaise, continuing to pout as he ignored his mate. “How old are you again? Five?” Blaise asked with a laugh, dropping down next to Harry and wrapping his arms around his mate.

“Not five, fifteen,” Harry huffed, still refusing to look at Blaise, though he did lean into him. Harry looked up when he heard someone approaching, frowning when he saw the smug look on Draco’s face.

“Don’t pout, you started it,” Draco reminded.

“I was just having fun, and I didn’t dump snow down your back!” Harry huffed, turning away from the blond and cuddling into Blaise a little more, seeking his warmth. Blaise smiled, wrapping his larger cloak around Harry.

“I told you to wear the scarf,” Draco told with a shrug, looking to Theodore as the taller boy came to stand next to him.

“I think it’s time we went back inside,” Theodore said, one arm around Draco’s shoulders.

“I’m staying here,” Harry insisted. Blaise rolled his eyes at how ridiculous Harry was being. There was no way that he was going to let his mate stay there in the snow. Pulling his small mate closer to him, Blaise was able to easily lift Harry off the ground.

“Your clothes are soaked, Harry. If you stay out here you're going to catch a cold,” Blaise stated firmly, ignoring Harry’s protests at being carried.

“I don’t want to go back inside!” Harry wiggled, trying to get Blaise to put him down. “I hate it in there, everything feels weird!”

Blaise stopped walking, as did Theodore and Draco, all three of them looking at Harry in surprise. This was the first time they had heard Harry say he didn’t like where they lived. Harry was almost always a very happy person and they hadn’t realised that anything had been bothering him.

“Since when, Harry?” Blaise asked in concern, putting Harry down on his feet. He took his mate’s hand in his own and looked him in the eye.

“Since… since things started getting weird, since Cedric and Angelina and the others went missing,” Harry admitted, looking away. “No one’s really happy anymore. Even the mentors are stressed all the time,” Harry said, keeping his eyes lowered.

“Why didn’t you say something,” Blaise asked, wrapping his arms around his mate gently. Harry shrugged his shoulders; he knew he should have mentioned sooner how much everything was bothering him, but he hadn’t thought it was that big of a deal.

“Maybe it is something you should discuss with Firo,” Draco said, leaning into Theo’s side as he watched his best friend with worried eyes. “He might be able to at least explain what is going on a bit more.”

Theodore fixed his mate with a pointed look. He didn’t doubt that Draco wanted to help Harry, but he also suspected, given the conversation they had just been having, that the blond had alternative motivations with trying to get more information out of Harry and Blaise’s mentor.

“We’ll talk to Firo,” Blaise agreed, running his hand down Harry’s back, sending warmth into his mate. Harry looked up and smiled gratefully at his mate. “We could go speak with him now if you would like,” he suggested.

“He might be able to help, Harry,” Draco said, still watching his friend with concern. As much as he wanted to get in out of the cold and get into some warm, dry clothes, he wasn’t going to walk away after Harry’s confession.

“Maybe,” Harry said, turning his head to give Draco a half smile. “It’s just… doesn’t feel like his lessons have been helping my empathy much yet. But it’s worth a try,” he added before Draco or Blaise could argue with that.

“Well in that case, let’s all go get changed into less snow drenched clothes,” Theodore suggested, steering Draco back towards home, Blaise and Harry following just behind.

------------x

“Do you think Harry will be okay?” Draco asked as he and Theodore headed towards the dining hall for lunch. They had all changed into dryer clothes, and in Draco and Harry’s opinion, more comfortable clothes, as neither of the smaller boys were used to wearing such heavy fabric. Blaise and Harry had then gone in search of Firo, not wanting to put off talking to their mentor.

“Of course,” Theodore said confidently. “Blaise is with him, and they will find Firo.”

“I know Blaise is with him, and I know Firo is the best person to help Harry, but… none of us even realised anything was wrong to begin with,” Draco said looking at his mate.

“Stop blaming yourself,” Theodore said, looking at his mate with a knowing smile. “I can practically hear you over thinking everything.”

“He’s my best friend,” Draco argued, a frown on his face, “shouldn’t I have noticed that something was wrong? I can’t believe he has spent the last nine months hiding what he was feeling.”

“You have always been there for him, Draco,” Theodore pointed out, stopping and holding onto Draco’s hand, so that his mate turned to face him. “You said it yourself, you are Harry’s best friend. And, if I know Harry, and I think I do, the last thing he would want was you to start treating him differently just because of his empathetic abilities.”

“I know that,” Draco said huffily, going quiet while a couple of younger students passed them. “I don’t understand why he didn’t say something,” he said, looking worried.

“My guess would be he didn’t want us to worry,” Theodore said with a wry chuckle, as he threw an arm over Draco’s shoulder and guided them into the dining hall. “He’ll be okay, we’ll see to it,” he promised, as he spotted Pansy and Neville and headed over in their direction.

“Well don’t you two look happy,” Pansy said when she spotted them.

“Did something happen?” Neville asked looking concerned after seeing Draco’s expression.

“Nothing that we shouldn’t have expected,” Theodore answered, sitting Draco down before taking the seat next to his mate. “Some things just came up this morning with Harry,” Theodore said, holding his hands up before quickly adding, “he’s fine,” to which both Neville and Pansy relaxed.

“Where are Harry and Blaise anyway?” Neville asked, glancing towards the door, but there was no sign of either of them.

“Speaking with Firo,” Draco told him, as he and Theodore helped themselves to lunch. Pansy and Neville were clearly looking for more of an answer than that though, and continued to look at Draco expectantly. Draco sighed and leaned forward. “He has been picking up on all the negativity that’s been around here in recent months,” he told them quietly.

“And we’re only now finding this out?” Pansy asked sounding disappointed.

“Harry just told us, when he literally freaked out about coming back inside, even though he was soaked, and had a bunch of snow dumped on him,” Draco said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. “He hasn’t been any different recently. I didn’t even notice anything was wrong.”

“Draco,” Theodore said warningly. “I meant what I said before, stop blaming yourself. What we need to do right now is help Harry. If he is picking up on the worry and stress of others then we need to keep things less stressful for him while he’s around us at the very least,” Theodore said.

Pansy smiled widely at this and nodded. “Theo is right, Draco,” Pansy looked at him. “We have to keep things happy, and I’ve got the perfect way to start,” she said with a wicked grin as she turned to face a nervous looking Neville.

“Do I even want to know what is going through that devious mind of yours right now?” Neville asked, raising an eyebrow at his mate.

“It’s no fun telling you what I’m planning, your reaction will be better if I just do it,” she said, and before Neville could speak, or anyone else could ask what she was planning, she had leaned in and pressed her lips to her mate’s.

“Pansy!” Draco exclaimed, as both he and Theodore stared at Pansy and Neville in shock. “She can’t do that,” he whispered to Theo, “she’ll get in trouble. See, Syndra’s coming over now.”

Theodore glanced over toward to mentor table, and sure enough Pansy and Neville’s mentor was heading their way, with a stern disapproving look on her face. “We have company,” he said, as he prodded Pansy in the side.

Pansy swatted at Theo’s hand, keeping her other hand against Neville’s cheek and continued kissing him. Neville seemed to get over his sudden shock, and had just started responding to the kiss when Syndra pulled the two of them apart.

“What do you think you two are doing? No, don’t answer that,” Syndra snapped when Pansy opened her mouth to answer. “Both of you, move.” She motioned for the two of them to stand up and start walking first, where she could watch them closely.

“Totally worth it,” Pansy said with a grin, winking at Draco as they passed him, the blond boy still staring at her in shock. Draco watched in almost a horrified shock as Pansy and Neville were escorted out of the dining hall.

“Not so sure how that will make Harry happy,” Theodore said shaking his head and going back to eating his food.

“Theo!” Draco said turning his attention toward his mate. “Pansy just KISSED Neville! Here, at the table, in front of EVERYONE! And I do not believe her goal was to make Harry happy. Harry isn’t even here!”

“Draco, just eat your lunch,” Theodore said giving his mate an amused look. Glad that Pansy’s antics had at least taken Draco’s mind of continuously thinking of himself as a horrible friend.

------------x

Blaise gave his mate a worried glance as the two of the walked down the hall toward Firo’s room. Harry hadn’t said a single word since they had come back inside, and he was trying to figure out if there was something actually wrong with Harry, or if his small mate was just lost in his own thoughts. Letting out a long sigh, Blaise reached down and took Harry’s hand in his own.

“Talk to me, Harry,” Blaise said. Harry looked up at him in surprise.

“Talk to you about what?” Harry asked.

“About what’s on your mind,” Blaise said, “or tell me why you never said anything to us sooner if the lessons with Firo weren’t working as well as you thought. I want to protect you, Harry, but I can’t do that if you start hiding things from me,” Blaise said seriously.

“I wasn’t hiding it exactly,” Harry said hesitantly, and Blaise fixed him with a sceptical stare. “Okay, maybe a little, but it isn’t that bad, and I just didn’t want to worry you…”

“Harry, this was bothering you enough to make you want sit in the snow wearing wet and cold clothes, rather than come back inside,” Blaise pointed out. “I hate that anything would make you feel that miserable.”

“I’m not miserable, Blaise, I promise,” Harry said earnestly, “it just gets a little much sometimes.”

“Well then, how about we start with you telling me when it gets to be too much,” Blaise suggested, wrapping his arm around Harry, and pulling his mate into his side as they walked. “Or you could tell Draco, or Firo, if you didn’t want to talk to me,” he added, unable to keep the anxiousness from his face.

“Of course it’s you I want to talk to,” Harry stated as though Blaise was crazy for even thinking otherwise, “I always want to talk to you. You’re my mate.”

“Yes, you are,” Blaise said rather smugly as they reached Firo’s room. “All mine.”

“Stop looking so pleased with yourself,” Harry chastised, though he couldn’t keep the smile from his face as he raised his hand and knocked on their mentor’s door. They could hear footsteps inside and a moment later the door was opened.

“Harry. Blaise,” Firo said, sounding and looking surprised to see the pair of them. “Are you both okay?” he asked urgently, genuine concern in his eyes as he looked between the pair of them, as he waved them into the room, shutting the door behind them.

“We’re fine,” Harry said cheerfully, and Blaise just sighed, shaking his head in exasperation.

“Neither of us are hurt, but Harry has been having more trouble with his empathy ability than he was letting on,” Blaise said. Firo nodded his understanding, a concerned frown on his face as he gestured for them to take their usual seats.

“Can you tell me what you have been feeling, Harry?” Firo requested, as he sat down opposite them. Harry hesitated. “We can’t help you if you don’t talk to us.”

“That’s what I told him,” Blaise declared. Firo fixed him with a pointed look and Blaise raised his hands in surrender, falling quiet and leaning back in his chair, waiting for Harry to speak.

“You, and the other mentors, you’re all so…” Harry trailed off, a pensive expression on his face as he waved a hand vaguely.

“Stressed?” Firo suggested. “Worried?”

Harry nodded. “Yeah.” Harry looked down at his hands fidgeting slightly as he thought about what he was going to say next. Firo waited patiently for his ward to continue, but after a few moments had passed, Harry still hadn't said anything else.

“Harry, you know you can tell me anything,” Firo said. Harry had always been so open about everything that it was strangely out of character for him to be so quiet now.

“I know,” Harry said, glancing up at his mentor. “It's just… you’ve been really stressed too, and I don't want to make things worse,” Harry said, his eyes lowering once again. He could feel the shock, though he couldn’t tell if it was coming from Firo or Blaise, but Harry concluded that it was most likely coming from the both of them.

“Harry,” Blaise began, but Firo held a hand up silencing him.

“What do you think you will make worse?” Firo asked. The only response he got from the small boy was a simple shrug of his shoulder. “Harry,” Firo stood and moved over to crouch in front of Harry.

“I don’t want you to leave me too,” Harry practically whispered, his eyes fixed on the floor next to Firo, refusing to look at either him or Blaise.

“What do you mean?” Blaise asked in confusion, reaching over to take Harry’s hand. “Who left you?”

“Alais!” Harry declared angrily, tears falling now. “I was too much trouble, and now she doesn’t want to see me any more,” pulling his hand away from Blaise to wipe away his tears angrily.

“No, no,” Firo said urgently, “that’s not what happened, Harry. I know you miss Alais, but it is far more complicated than that. And besides, there is nothing you could do that would push me and Blaise away. Right?” he added, glancing over to Harry’s mate.

“Of course. You’re stuck with me,” Blaise said, forcing a grin and trying to lighten the mood. Harry, however, was not fooled, and could feel the sadness and pity rolling off his mate.

“Would it help if I promised to talk to Alais?” Firo offered. “I am sure she has very good reasons for not coming to see you recently because I know that she loves you more than anything.”

Harry shook his head, he still would like to see Alais, but he was afraid that even if Firo talked to her, she wouldn’t come see him. “She hasn’t been around in months… and everyone is still dealing with what happened with the older kids that tried to run away,” Harry wiped at his eyes again, the tears drying up as he pushed his own anger and hurt back down once more.

“We are all still worried about what happened because we still haven’t figured out why they tried to run away,” Firo confessed to Harry. “Us being worried about that should not be a burden for you too, Harry.” He reached up and ran his hand through Harry’s hair soothingly.

“You really don’t know why they tried to leave?” Blaise asked, giving their mentor a curious look.

“We have gotten very little out of them in the past few months, which is why they have been staying somewhere other than this home,” Firo explained. “The Elders believe it would be best if they had limited interaction with everyone here until the exact reason why they ran away is discovered.”

“Cho wouldn’t have run away, not without a good reason; maybe Cormac hurt her?” Harry suggested.

“What makes you think that her mate would hurt her, Harry?” Firo asked, frowning as Harry lowered his head to stare at the floor again. “Harry, if you know something…” Firo trailed off still watching the small boy.

“I don’t know anything really,” Harry said. “It’s just… Cho never liked Cormac. He’s not really nice, and… maybe he didn’t hurt her, but I wouldn’t put it passed him to threaten to hurt her,” Harry said, looking up at Firo again.

“Okay, I promise we will look into that,” Firo assured him. “But I promise you that Cho is perfectly safe now. Though, like I said, she will not be returning home until we have more answers about what happened.”

“Maybe they just wanted to know what else was out there?” Harry suggested, swinging his feet and avoiding looking at Firo. Having lived in their home in the Fae city for as long as they could remember, Harry had often wondered that himself over the years, even more lately.

“Harry…” Firo said sternly, a finger under Harry’s chin to tilt his ward’s head up to look him in the eye, “... I understand your curiosity, but please don’t do anything silly. You are safe here, and we just want to protect you.”

“I know,” Harry said with a sigh. Firo fixed him with a pointed look, and Harry bit his lip nervously.

“Promise me you won’t try to leave the city. Please, Harry,” Firo implored. Harry could feel the worry coming from his mentor and so reluctantly nodded his head; the last thing he wanted to do was upset Firo.

Firo sighed with relief, pushing himself to his feet and pressing a kiss to the top of Harry’s head. “Thank you,” he said softly, as he returned to his own seat. “Now, have either of you eaten yet?” Firo asked, smiling when Harry shook his head. “Then why don’t you both go have some lunch, and then come back here this afternoon and we can work on directing your magic to shield your mind,” he suggested.

Harry smiled happily, and as he jumped out of his seat to give Firo a hug, Blaise couldn’t help but chuckle at his mate. “Come on Harry,” he said, taking his mate by the hand and leading him out of their mentor’s room.

--------------------x

Harry was feeling a little happier after they left Firo’s rooms. Although he was still worried and curious about what was going on with the missing kids, he trusted Firo enough when his mentor said that everything was okay. Harry just wished that he could go see them, since he didn’t fully understand why they had to be kept some place different than here.

“You’re still thinking too much,” Blaise said, chuckling when Harry turned wide eyes up toward him.

“How do you know that?” Harry raised an eyebrow at his mate.

“Because you’re far too quiet, meaning that there is something still on your mind.” Blaise shrugged and Harry sighed, nodding his head, though he remained silent. “Harry,” he pulled his small mate to a stop, turning the other boy to face him. “Please talk to me, Harry, I don’t like it when you start keeping things to yourself like this,” Blaise said.

“I’m not doing it on purpose,” Harry admitted. “I like talking to you… I want to talk to you, but…” Harry glanced back in the direction they had come from. Blaise turned his head slightly to look where Harry had his attention, before looking back at his small mate.

“Harry, anything you say, anything you tell me from this point on will stay between the two of us,” Blaise promised. “Unless you tell me it’s okay for Firo to know, I won’t say anything. He is our mentor. He has always been there for both of us, and I respect him; however, you come first before anyone else,” Blaise said. From the bright smile that he received from Harry, Blaise was sure that he had managed to convince Harry to start talking.

The smile faded too quickly for Blaise’s liking, replaced with a serious look that he didn’t think belonged on Harry’s face. “Blaise… if... if I decided I wanted to leave the city some day…” Harry stared up at his mate, taking in the shock he could feel coming from him. Though Blaise kept his expression mostly blank, Harry could still feel the emotions coming from him quite clearly.

“Is that what you want to do?” Blaise asked.

“Yes… and no,” Harry sighed. “I want to know what’s out there. Even though Firo made me promise I wouldn’t do anything silly, I… I don’t think this is silly. There’s something outside the city, Blaise. And maybe our parents are out there, maybe not, but recently I’ve been feeling more… trapped,” Harry admitted. “I don’t know if I’m picking that up from someone else around here, but I’m fairly sure that it’s my own feelings…”

“Whatever you want to do Harry, I will be with you the whole way,” Blaise said firmly. “And although I don’t want to speak for the two of them, I am fairly sure that Draco and Theo will be right by your side as well.” Keeping hold on Harry’s hand, he pulled his small mate to start walking again.

“You think?” Harry asked. “I wouldn’t want to get them, or you, in trouble, but…”

“You are not going anywhere without me,” Blaise interrupted, before Harry could start double guessing himself and pushing him away again. “Do you hear that?” he asked.

“That sounds a lot like Draco,” Harry said, looking up at his mate in bemusement. The two of them picked up their pace, and as they rounded the corner they saw their two friends standing outside the dining hall, and sure enough, Draco was ranting rather loudly about something. Theodore had obviously been listening to Draco go on for a while now, if the look of mild exasperation was any indication.

“I just don’t understand!” Draco all but shouted. “Why would Pansy risk getting into trouble?”

“Draco…” Theodore said, trying to calm his mate down, knowing this to be pointless since he had been trying to do just that since the incident happened.

“I mean, the mentors were right there!” Draco went on, apparently oblivious to anything his mate was saying.

“Draco…”

“What if they…?” Draco started to say, but Theodore stepped forward. Reaching out, Theodore wrapped his hand behind his mate’s head, his fingers threading into Draco’s hair as he leaned forward he had a moment to take in Draco’s stunned expression before he pressed their lips together.

Harry gasped, his hand tightening on Blaise’s arm, as the two of them froze in their steps, staring at their two friends. “They are going to be in so much trouble,” he said in a whisper, not wanting to disturb the moment between Draco and Theo, but unable to take his eyes off them either.

“We should probably stop them,” Blaise said, though he made no move to step forward, even as Theodore started pushing Draco back so that the blond was pinned against the wall. Neither he or Harry moved as they watched their friends, at least not until Draco had let out a soft moan. Blaise decided it was time to put a stop to this before one of the mentors caught them, so he cleared his throat loudly.

Theodore slowly pulled away from Draco, looking down at his mate who still seemed to be a bit shocked by the sudden kiss, cheeks flushed as silver eyes stared back up at him. “So, think it would be worth getting in trouble, if we were to kiss again?” Theodore questioned.

Draco narrowed his eyes at Theo. “Kissing… is fine,” Draco admitted reluctantly, “but I’m not having sex with you,” he said firmly and Theodore threw his head back laughing loudly, pulling Draco away from the wall before turning to see Blaise and Harry still standing there.

“Hi guys,” Theodore greeted, a pleased grin on his face.

“Hi yourself,” Blaise said, while Harry hurried over to Draco grinning widely at his best friend.

“You just kissed Theo!” Harry said excitedly.

“Technically I kissed him,” Theodore pointed out.

“Same difference,” Harry said, waving his hand dismissively, his attention back on Draco, who was doing his best to control the blush that still colored his cheeks. “I can’t believe you just kissed!”

“Try saying that a little louder, Harry, I don’t think the Elders quite heard you,” Draco said, quickly covering Harry’s mouth when it looked as if his small friend was about to do just that. “I wasn’t serious!”

Harry giggled as he batted Draco’s hand away. “I know that,” he assured his friend. “But Theo kissed you,” he repeated in an excited whisper.

“I did notice,” Draco told him with a roll of his eyes. “It was kind of hard to miss, seeing as how I was quite involved with it,” Draco huffed.

“It looked fun,” Harry said.

“You could try it for yourself,” Theodore suggested, with a smug smile.

“No!” Draco said firmly, glaring at Theodore. “There has been more enough of… that, for one day. We still don’t even know how much trouble Pansy and Neville are in.”

“Where are they?” Harry asked curiously, as Blaise wrapped an arm around his waist and guided him into the dining hall, Draco and Theodore following them, even though the two had just come from there.

“Syndra led them out during lunch after Pansy kissed Neville,” Theodore explained, not sounding too concerned at all, contrary to the panicked expression on Draco’s face.

“And I missed that?” Harry asked, pouting. “I’ll have to ask Pansy about it later,” he said decisively, taking his seat.

“If she’s even back in our room today. Syndra looked really upset with them,” Draco said, sitting next to Harry, watching his friend dish up some food.

“I still don’t understand why though, Blaise kisses me all the time,” Harry pointed out.

“On the forehead, or the cheek,” Draco said. “Kissing like that… it’s different.”

“Hmm,” Harry hummed, thinking it over. “So, Pansy and Neville were kissing like you and Theo? And that’s a special kind of kissing, just for mates?”

“Exactly,” Theodore said, “and I am sure Blaise would be happy to demonstrate at some point soon.”

“Of course,” Blaise said with a smirk.

“Okay,” Harry said happily, returning to his lunch. Draco, next to him, groaned and rested his forehead on the table; he had a feeling this wasn’t going to end well.

------------x

Syndra had been very unhappy with Pansy and Neville, so much so that their mentor had kept Pansy with her for a week, sending Neville to spend the week under the watchful gaze of Lavanya, who had been Cedric’s mentor.

Pansy had been in bed for barely ten minutes when she felt the mattress dip, having been allowed out of Syndra’s rooms earlier that day. Having thought that her dorm mates were already sleeping, she looked up over her shoulder in surprise. She was, however, even more surprised to see Draco sitting on the edge of her bed because usually it was Harry seeking a little extra comfort at night.

“Draco?” she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes so she could see the blond boy better, frowning as her friend sat there, looking pensive. She sat up in her bed, shuffling over to give Draco a little more room.

“Why did you kiss Neville?” he asked without preamble, as he made himself more comfortable.

Pansy chuckled. “Because I wanted to,” she stated confidently, flashing him an unrepentant grin; even a week with Syndra, away from Neville couldn’t make her regret it. Draco, however, frowned at her, still looking a bit confused. “Last year, I saw Cho doing it, and…”

“Cho was kissing Cormac?” Draco interrupted, his voice a scandalised whisper, but Pansy giggled and grinned widely, shaking her head.

“She was kissing Cedric,” she told him, relishing the scandalised gasp from her friend.

“But Cedric is Angelina’s mate,” Draco pointed out, disapprovingly.

“And Cho is Cormac’s,” Pansy added. “But Cho said that she didn’t like Cormac that way, and that she loved Cedric. I guess not everyone is as lucky as us with our mates,” she said, smirking at him.

A blush coloured Draco’s cheeks as he thought about the kiss he and Theodore had shared the week before. Something else was occurring to him too though. “Do you think that’s why Cho went with Cedric, Angelina, Lee and Adrien, when they tried to leave the city?” Draco asked eagerly.

“Oh,” Pansy said, tipping her head and mulling it over, “I hadn’t thought of that. I bet you’re right!”

“Shhh,” Draco said quickly, glancing over to Harry, Susan and Hannah’s beds, glad that Pansy’s exclamation hadn’t woken any of them. “Do you think that the mentors know?”

“That they were kissing? Or that they didn’t want to be with their mates?” Pansy asked. “Maybe that’s why they haven’t allowed them to come back here,” she added. “I mean, what if others decided they didn’t want to be with their mates?”

“The mentors and the Council wouldn’t like that,” Draco said seriously. “I am glad that I have Theo. I wouldn’t want my mate to be anyone else.”

“So I hear,” Pansy said with a knowing grin. “Apparently you and Theodore did a little kissing yourselves. You are so naughty, Draco,” she said, and he thought she actually sounded proud.

“Who told you?” Draco asked, but a look of comprehension crossed his face. He turned to glare at his best friend, who was cuddled up under his blankets, facing away from them. “For someone so little, Harry sure has a big mouth.”

“Do not,” Harry argued, turning over in his bed to glare at his friends. Though he broke into an innocent smile when both Draco and Pansy narrowed their eyes at him. “I couldn’t sleep,” he hedged.

“Sure,” Draco said skeptically, “and it was nothing to do with wanting to hear what Pansy and I were talking about?”

“Did you really see Cho kissing Cedric?” Harry asked Pansy, instead of answering Draco.

“I did,” Pansy said. “Last year, I just sort of found them together. I had been looking for Cedric originally, I remember there was something that I really wanted to ask him… anyway, I found him and Cho kissing.” Pansy shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal, then again, she had had a whole year to get used to the idea of two people being with someone other than their mate.

“Why were they kissing?” Harry asked, as he sat up, his blankets bunching around his waist.

“I don’t know, they told me that they loved each other,” Pansy shrugged. “It made sense to me. I mean, even though we’ve all grown up together, and I don’t know if I could see myself with anyone other than Neville, if you look at poor Susan, she is stuck with Ron. It is obvious to anyone that they don’t really like each other,” Pansy pointed out.

Harry looked over toward Susan’s bed, thinking over what Pansy has just said. “But she and Ron are supposed to be together…” Harry said. He looked back at Pansy.

“And what if whoever decided that made a mistake?” Pansy said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Not with all of us,” she added quickly, when Harry looked suddenly outraged, “I don’t think anyone could deny that you belong with Blaise,” she assured him, and Harry let out a sigh of relief. “But for others, like Cedric and Cho. If they don’t actually get along with the mate chosen for them, there really isn’t much we can do,” Pansy pointed out.

“They could have always tried talking to the Elders, instead of running away,” Harry said, though even Harry looked skeptical about this bit of advice. Harry let out a long sigh, flopping back on his bed so he could stare up at the ceiling. “I just wish things could go back to normal.”

Pansy and Draco exchanged a look, before they moved from Pansy’s bed over to Harry’s. Pansy waved her hand expanding Harry’s bed slightly so that the three of them could fit more comfortably. Draco crawled onto the bed, climbing over Harry and settled down on one side, while Pansy took up the other side, the smaller boy was sandwiched between the two of them.

“Things will go back to normal eventually,” Draco said. “As long as people learn how to behave,” he added, looking across Harry to Pansy.

“I make no promises,” Pansy said seriously, and Harry giggled.

“At least don’t go kissing Neville in the middle of the dining hall again,” Draco said with a huff.

“Oh, okay I think I can manage that, though I think I might get into more trouble if we both sneak off to go kiss in private; that may lead to other things,” Pansy said, and couldn’t hold back the laugh at Draco’s horrified expression.

“You wouldn’t dare!” Draco said, only to realise that yes, Pansy would indeed dare. Harry giggled again at the antics between his two friends.

“So, what is kissing actually like?” Harry asked suddenly, his voice full of excited curiosity.

“Can’t explain it, you’ll just have to kiss Blaise and find out for yourself,” Pansy said, a somewhat dreamy expression on her face.

“Do not encourage him!” Draco hissed, scowling at her. “Harry shouldn’t be doing stuff like that.”

“Why not?” Harry turned his head to pout at Draco. “You kissed Theo, and Pansy kissed Neville.”

Pansy let out a loud surprised laugh at the outrage in Harry’s voice. She happened to agree with Harry, that he could do anything they could. “Stop babying him, Draco,” she chastised.

“Maybe you could all stop babying him tomorrow?” Susan asked sleepily from across the room. “Some of us would actually like to get some sleep.”

“Sorry, Susan,” Harry, Pansy and Draco called out, the three of them snuggling down into Harry’s bed together.

------------x

“Draco!”

Kire’s annoyed voice broke into the blond’s mind, and Draco jerked awake. Draco blinked away the edges of his confusion, sitting himself more upright in his chair as he took in the worried face of his mate, and the annoyed scowl of his mentor.

“You fell asleep,” Theodore told him, before Draco had a chance to ask.

“Oh…” Draco said rubbing his eyes and yawning widely before he looked back to Kire. “Sorry,”

“Do try to stay awake and pay attention, Draco,” Kire said sternly.

“I can’t help it, this lecture is boring,” Draco said, already resting his head back on his arms. “Why do we have to learn about how we have magic? And what do I care about the World of Wizards anyway?” he asked, yawning again.

“It is important that you learn this, because you may one day return to the World of Wizards, and it has come to our attention that you, along with all the other children here, are vastly unprepared for such a thing. You must learn their history, so that you do not repeat the mistakes that they have made…” Kire trailed off, staring at Draco as his ward pulled the hood of his tunic up over his head.. “Draco!” Kire snapped, more than a little surprised at Draco’s actions.

“I’m awake!” Draco snapped back, but he didn’t lift his head from where it was resting on his desk, though he didn’t remove his hood. Theodore did his best to hide his amusement at Kire’s obvious frustration about the situation.

“Maybe, today isn’t the best day for this kind of lecture?” Theodore suggested, seeing their mentor’s temper rising. “Even if we continue today, Draco is going to continue falling asleep, and won’t remember the lesson anyway,” Theodore pointed out, looking imploringly at Kire, who looked like he was going to refuse to let them leave and demand that Draco pay attention. “You’re just going to have to repeat this lesson again later. If you allow us to have the rest of the day off, I will make sure that Draco gets the rest he needs, and we will be here earlier tomorrow,” Theodore offered.

Kire let out a frustrated sigh, waving his hand toward the door. “Very well, just leave,” he said watching as Theodore stood from his own seat, and quickly pulled Draco up to his feet, much to the protests of the tired boy. “Draco, if this happens again, I will be forced to punish you,” Kire warned.

“It won’t happen again,” Theodore promised on Draco’s behalf, smiling as his blond mate leaned against him on their way out the door. They still had an hour before lunch, but Theodore lead Draco to the dining hall regardless.

“Why are you so tired today, Draco?” Theodore asked.

“I was just up late last night, and Kire’s lecture really was boring,” Draco told him petulantly. “Sleep sounded better than listening to him.”

“Admittedly, all this wizarding history is not my favourite of subjects either,” Theodore agreed, “but I am sure that Kire has a good reason for teaching it to us. And what were you doing up late last night, anyway?” he questioned, deciding not to bother wasting his breath on convincing Draco of the importance of their lessons.

Draco shrugged, avoiding Theodore’s eye, not wanting his mate to see the flush that covered his cheeks. “Just talking to Harry and Pansy about some things,” he said dismissively.

“I had figured that much out on my own,” Theodore chuckled. He knew that the three of them talked about everything, often late at night whilst cuddled up in bed, but he didn’t mind in the slightest, he was glad that Draco had both Harry and Pansy. “I was more inquiring about what you were discussing,” he clarified.

“Nothing much; just the normal stuff,” Draco said as if that would be enough of an answer.

“I don’t know what you guys usually talk about though,” Theodore pointed out. “Is it something that I’m not allowed to know about?” Theodore asked, smiling as he caught sight of the blush coloring Draco’s cheeks.

“No… not really,” Draco said, glancing toward Theodore before looking away again. “I wanted to know why Pansy kissed Neville,” Draco said softly.

“And what did she say?” Theodore asked curiously.

“Why are you so curious all of a sudden? You’ve never wanted to know what we talk about before,” Draco said, looking at Theo.

“I’m not all that curious really, but you blush so prettily,” Theodore commented laughing out loud when he saw Draco’s cheeks darken even more.

Draco huffed in annoyance, hitting Theodore in the arm before starting to storm off. He had only made it two steps before Theodore grabbed his arm, turning him around and pulling him close so that their chests were pressed together.

“You’re even adorable when you’re mad,” Theodore said, reaching up a hand and sliding Draco’s hood back off his mate’s head, before leaning down and pressing his lips to Draco’s, smiling when he felt a shudder run through his mate’s body. Theodore wrapped his arms around Draco, his hands slowly sliding down the blond boy’s back until they reached Draco’s arse, giving it a light squeeze.

“Theo,” Draco gasped, leaning his head back enough to break the kiss between them, staring up at his mate in shock, “we can’t,” he insisted, his hands against Theodore’s chest, and his mate took a step back without hesitation.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to push…” Theodore said, his hand covering Draco’s, which was still pressed against his chest.

“It’s okay,” Draco said, his eyes looking either way down the still empty corridor, “I just don’t want us to get caught.”

Theodore smiled in understanding. “So, it’s not that you didn’t like it, that’s good to know,” Theodore said a little smugly.

“Kissing… is nice,” Draco admitted softly, giving Theodore a small smile. Even though it was only their second kiss, Draco was finding that he was really enjoying kissing his mate, and though he still didn’t think he would ever be ready to go further than that, he was already looking forward to the next time Theodore could kiss him without being caught.

“Come on,” Theodore said, keeping hold of Draco’s hand as he started to lead them in the direction of the dining hall again.

The two of them were rather surprised to see Harry and Blaise there already, given that most of the students were in lessons with their mentors. The only other ones in the room were the four youngest students, Nigel, Eleanor, Malcolm and Natalie, but they were across the other side of the room, talking among themselves.

“You finish your lesson early too?” Draco asked, as he dropped into the seat next to Harry, his friend turning to smile at him.

“Firo seemed to think I was too tired to concentrate,” Harry said with a wry smile.

“Yes, someone else was to tired to focus today as well,” Theodore said, looking toward Draco.

“True I am tired, but Kire was just so BORING today,” Draco complained. “I wouldn’t have had any problem staying awake, if Kire hadn’t been just droning on and on and on,” Draco huffed, glancing toward Harry when the smaller boy giggled.

“Was it really that bad?” Harry asked.

“Worse,” Draco answered seriously, leaning into Theo’s side.

“No, Harry, it wasn’t really that bad,” Theodore said, seeming amused by Draco’s over reaction. “Draco is just being dramatic.”

Draco stared at Theodore in shock. “I’m not being dramatic! I swear they’re trying to kill us, death by boredom!”

Theodore shook his head, leaning back in his seat, clearly giving up and letting Draco have his moment. The blond boy was far too tired, and as a result was in fact over dramatic about everything. It was sometimes amusing to watch Draco like this, but less amusing when Draco also got Harry riled up, which seemed to be what was happening now.

Harry’s eyes widened as he heard Draco’s explanation about how he had fallen asleep twice in his lesson, and hadn’t remained there long enough to fall asleep a third time. Harry turned quickly to look at Blaise. “You have to save me!” Harry said.

Blaise, who had been listening to the whole conversation, was already expecting something like this from Harry. “Save you from what? Bordom? You do both know that you can’t actually die from boredom,” Blaise pointed out.

“How do you know?” Draco asked raising an eyebrow at him. “You’re not the one who nearly died today,” Draco said, then turned his attention toward Harry once more.

“Do you think that Firo will try to teach us the same stuff this afternoon?” Harry asked, sounding worried by the prospect. Draco nodded sympathetically. “Blaise, you REALLY have to save me,” Harry implored, turning back to his mate once more. “Pretty please,” he added, his eyes wide and his lip pouted.

“I am sure we could find somewhere else to be,” Blaise said indulgently, laughing as Harry practically threw himself at him.

“And you call me dramatic,” Draco said, sighing loudly and leaning against his mate once more, looking up at his mate with a grin.

“You really are tired,” Theodore said with a fond laugh, wrapping his arm around Draco’s waist, “that’s the only possible explanation for how silly you’re being.”

“I can be silly when I’m not tired too,” Draco said.

“You can be, but not usually,” Theodore pointed out.

“Yeah!” Harry said grinning widely. “You're usually like this," Harry said making a face where his brow was creased, and his mouth was pulled into a deep frown.

Draco narrowed his eyes at Harry. "I thought you were leaving," he commented petulantly. This, however, just made Harry laugh. “Blaise, please find somewhere to take him,” Draco requested as he looked to Harry’s mate.

“Gladly,” Blaise said and stood up, pulling Harry to his feet. “If we’re going to make our escape, it should be now, less chance of us being caught,” Blaise said keeping hold of Harry’s hand as he lead his small mate out of the dining hall.

“Awww, but I was just getting started,” Harry said with a cheeky grin, looking up at his mate.

“Why do you provoke Draco?” Blaise asked with fond exasperation. “Isn’t he your best friend?”

“But he looks so cute when he gets all scowly,” Harry told him with mock seriousness.

“Should I be jealous?” Blaise questioned teasingly, earning a glare from his mate that told him exactly how stupid that suggestion was. “Alright then,” Blaise said, chuckling softly as he held tighter to Harry’s hand. “Let’s start our game of hide and seek with the mentors.”

------------x

So far, Blaise and Harry had managed to avoid being caught for a little over two hours; though they had nearly been caught a couple times, as Firo was now out looking for them. Harry was grateful for Draco’s warning about a boring lecture. Lessons with Firo used to be fun, but recently they had been putting Harry to sleep, and today’s lesson, if what Draco had said was true, was going to turn out to be one of the worst.

“Firo is going to be mad at us again,” Blaise said as he and Harry snuck down the hall, like they had done many times before. Skipping lessons had become something of a regular thing in the last few months, with the increasingly strict mentors and boring lessons.

“He’ll just scold us, and give us a really big book to read again,” Harry said with a giggle as he and Blaise peaked around the next corner, making sure the coast was clear. Finding it empty, they hurried down that hallway, but as they neared the end of the hall, they heard footsteps coming their way.

“In here,” Blaise said, and before Harry could reply, he was being pulled through a door that was just barely visible. The only reason Blaise had seen it was because the tapestry the door was hidden behind, seemed to have caught on the door handle.

Blaise listened at the door as the footsteps passed by their hiding place. Harry stood back from the door, staying as still as he could until Blaise nodded that it was all clear. “Shall we go?” Blaise asked and Harry shook his head.

“No, this is the perfect hiding place!” Harry said excitedly as he turned and looked around the room that seemed to be some sort of storage closet. It wasn’t very big, but there were papers and scrolls tucked neatly along the shelves along one side of the room, the rest of the space mostly filled by boxes.

“Is it?” Blaise asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked around the room. “I give you five minutes before you’re bored and want to find somewhere else to hide,” Blaise said with a smirk as Harry turned to look at him.

“I won’t get bored, and even if I do, this has to be less boring than that lecture Draco warned us about,” Harry said with a smile as he turned back around to look around the room once more. Arms wrapped around him from behind and Harry turned his head to grin at Blaise. “Besides, I get to be alone with you, there’s nothing boring about that.”

“That is true,” Blaise conceded, tightening his arms around Harry. “We really don’t have time to just sit together any more. Even in our lessons, Firo won’t let me hold you like before,” Blaise sighed. It made Harry extremely happy to know that it wasn’t just him having a difficult time with the new rules. While Firo was still one of the more lenient mentors, he was a lot more strict than he used to be. Though Harry understood the reasoning behind it, it didn’t make it any less difficult.

“I always feel the best when I’m with you,” Harry said turning around in his mate’s arms, so that he could look up at Blaise. “When I’m close to you, it’s like everything else is blocked out, and I can focus on just you,” Harry said, he smiled up at Blaise before resting his head on his mate’s chest.

Harry could feel himself relaxing as he listened to Blaise’s heartbeat, the warm feeling of Blaise’s arms around him, the heartbeat thumping gently under his ear made Harry feel calm. Things had been changing a lot in the past few months, and it had been stressful for everyone, not just the other kids, but the mentors as well.

“I love being close to you too,” Blaise assured him, holding Harry close and running his fingers through his mate’s hair. Harry let out a contented sigh, closing his eyes and just staying there silent for a few moments.

“Blaise,” Harry spoke softly, keeping his head rested against Blaise’s chest, “do you think I’m too young?”

“Too young?” Blaise frowned in confusion, looking down at Harry.

“To do stuff with you. I mean, like… kissing?” Harry asked, pulling back slightly so that he could look up at his mate.

“You’re basically the same age as Draco,” Blaise pointed out, though he understood what Harry was saying. “Do you want to do stuff with me? Like kissing?” he asked, unable to keep the hopefulness from his voice. He definitely wanted to kiss his mate, properly, like he had seen their friends doing, but he would wait as long as Harry wanted. “Do you think you’re too young?”

Harry shook his head vigorously. “No, but Draco thinks I am,” Harry said with a small pout. “And I really want to kiss you,” Harry added, a light blush coloring his cheeks.

“Then I am happy to oblige,” Blaise said, a smirk on his face as he leaned down a gentle pressed his lips to Harry’s.

Harry let out a soft gasp of surprise, not having expected his mate to actually kiss him now. It only lasted a few seconds, but when Blaise pulled back, both of them were wearing dopey grins.

“That okay?” Blaise asked cautiously. Harry, however, nodded enthusiastically. “You okay for me to do that again?”

Blaise had barely finished his question when Harry’s hand wrapped around the front of his tunic. He let out a small yelp of surprise as his petite mate pulled him down and pressed their lips together again, this time a little more firmly. It was all the encouragement that Blaise needed and he threw himself into the kiss, his fingers threading into Harry’s hair as he kissed his mate properly.

Harry felt light headed as he held onto Blaise. He was having a difficult time trying to figure out if it was his own emotions and feelings that were this strong, or if he was picking up on what Blaise was feeling. Though as they continued kissing, Harry decided he didn’t actually care, moving his hands from Blaise’s tunic, he wrapped them tightly around his mate’s neck leaning up further to press against him.

Blaise made a noise in the back of his throat that sounded close to a growl, without breaking their embrace he walked Harry backwards, until he was up against wall, their bodies pressing together more firmly. Encouraged by his small mate’s enthusiasm, Blaise’s hands moved from Harry’s hair, down his neck and chest, feeling his mate’s body heat through the silky fabric, before they settled on Harry’s hips. Blaise bit down on Harry’s lower lip, one hand moving lower down Harry’s leg lifting him off the floor forcing Harry to wrap his legs around Blaise’s waist. Blaise pressed his hips firmly against Harry, groaning softly at the feeling of being so close to his mate.

Blaise was dimly aware of the fact that they should stop, that they shouldn’t continue. Kissing was one thing, but this was moving quickly past just kissing. However, as he moved his hips slowly against Harry, and heard the moan from the smaller boy, and the way Harry’s fingers scratched at the back of his neck, Blaise knew that he couldn’t stop now. Biting down harder on Harry’s lip, he pushed his tongue into the welcoming mouth. Harry, however, made a muffled sound, pushing lightly at Blaise's shoulder. The tan boy pulled away reluctantly.

"What? Did I hurt you?" Blaise asked, breathless, but concerned that Harry hadn't been enjoying the kiss as much as Blaise thought he was.

"No,” Harry shook his head, his cheeks flushed. He, too, seemed rather breathless, “something fell," Harry said, turning his head to try and see what had hit against his arm. It became quickly apparent that it was the folder of papers, which was now scattered on the floor by Blaise’s feet.

"Something..." Blaise trailed off also looking down. He shook his head, letting out a small chuckle, though he looked more exasperated than amused. "Only YOU could get distracted from your first real kiss, when I have you pinned against a wall, by something randomly falling," Blaise said, but Harry was already wiggling out of his grasp to investigate the papers on the floor.

Blaise considered keeping Harry pinned against the wall, knowing he could easily make Harry forget about the papers. However, the distraction, though annoying, was a welcome one, because Blaise knew any longer and today would have been full of a lot of ‘firsts’ for Harry, for both of them, if they had continued. So Blaise watched as Harry knelt on the floor to investigate the folder. Blaise remained standing, leaning against the wall.

Blaise was debating on going off and leaving Harry to his exploring, since their little kiss had left him with a rather uncomfortable problem. Blaise had never envied Harry’s loose fitting clothes until now, while his own clothes were not skin tight, they made it impossible to hide his issue. To make things slightly worse, every slight movement he made was a near constant reminder that he had had Harry pinned against this wall moments before.

Letting out a sigh, Blaise looked at his mate still sitting on the floor. “Anything interesting?” Blaise asked, as Harry opened the folder and started reading. Harry didn’t answer, he just knelt on the floor in silence, his focus was completely on the papers that he had clutched in his hand. “Harry?” Blaise frowned, pushing away from the wall, worried about his mate’s lack of response.

“What does this mean?” Harry asked suddenly, turning toward Blaise and holding out the paper from the folder. Blaise was alarmed to see Harry’s green eyes shining with unshed tears, and the hand holding the paper was shaking. Taking the paper from Harry, the tan boy watched him for a second longer before looking down at the paper that Harry had handed him.

Blaise scanned the paper, his eyes narrowing the more he read. “Harry, this is…”

“It’s about Adrien isn’t it?” Harry didn’t really have to ask, he had read the paper already. The tears he had been holding back, slowly slid down his cheeks. Blaise knelt down and pulled Harry close to him. “It… it says... Blaise, Adrien is with the others isn’t he? He’s with Cedric, Cho, Lee and Angelina, right?” Harry asked.

Blaise looked back down at the paper once more. The full detailed information about the boy that was only a couple years older than them. It listed his age, that his mate was Lee, it stated that Adrien was a male, with the genetic structure of a female. But there was more information than that. It listed who Adrien’s parents were, a witch and a wizard, it stated how old Adrien was when he had been brought to the fae city, along with the date of Adrien’s death.

“I don’t think he’s with them any more, Harry,” Blaise said, setting the paper down so he could wrap both arms around Harry and hold him close. However, Blaise was shocked when his mate pushed his arms away almost angrily. Blaise watched as Harry started pulling more files down from the shelves, opening a file and looking through it before tossing it to the floor to join the others.

“Harry, what are you-?”

“These are about us!” Harry shouted. “Every file here! Look, here’s Cedric’s,” Harry said, waving a file at Blaise, but didn’t let his mate take it as he read a paragraph from the first page. “Child removed from home, twenty-fourth of October 1978. Father, Amos Diggory, only parent home at time of retrieval.” Harry threw the folder toward Blaise before pulling down another and continuing on.

“Harry, stop this,” Blaise said, getting to his feet and pulling the next file from Harry’s hand. “I get that you’re upset, and I will admit, this is more than a little shocking, but please, slow down,” Blaise said, closing the file that he had taken away from Harry.

“They took us!” Harry shouted. “We have parents!”

“Harry, I know, now shh,” Blaise said. Waving his hand at the mess that Harry had made on the floor, he watched as all the files righted themselves, and restacked on the shelves. “We’ve been missing for hours now, we should head back,” Blaise said putting a finger over Harry’s lips when his small mate went to speak. “We will discuss this with the others, quietly. We were obviously not meant to find these files, if we get caught in here now we could be in serious trouble,” Blaise pointed out, putting his hands on Harry’s shoulders and gently steering him toward the door.

“But, I want to find our files,” Harry said, a little more calmly than he had been speaking before.

“We can always come back at a later time,” Blaise said, closing the door behind them. “But that requires us not to get caught this time,” he pointed out as he took a moment to make sure the door was once again hidden behind the tapestry. “Let’s go find the others, it’s getting close to dinner time now,” Blaise suggested.

Harry sighed, but nodded his agreement and Blaise wrapped an around around him, as he led Harry down the hall and away from that door. Blaise’s main focus was to get Harry back to Draco, and have the blond boy stay with Harry while he took Theodore off so the two of them could speak about what he and Harry had found. Blaise didn’t know what they were going to do with the information, but he knew that their lives were going to be changed from now on.

We had so much fun writing this chapter! See you all in three weeks for the next update!
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Restoration of Magic