The next morning Rita Skeeter's story appeared in the Daily Prophet. When it arrived by owl to Harry's room, he and Draco huddled in bed to read it together.

Love Blooms at Hogwarts-or Does It?

By Rita Skeeter

Hogwarts--Green eyes gazed lovingly into gray. Two young men, so different in appearance, in up-bringing, in temperament, in fact in all the ways that count-found themselves inexorably bound by that greatest of magic: Love.

And would it have been so very bad if it had happened in some quaint village green or urban loft? Of course not. This reporter has seen such affection elsewhere and the more enlightened of the Wizarding world barely gives it a backwards glance. But the question is asked because of two simple factors: the two men are teachers at the famed Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and because the two men are none other than Harry Potter--whose fame and deeds need not be recounted here--and his arch-nemesis, the notorious Draco Malfoy.

Potter rose from humble beginnings. Parents killed by You-Know-Who, he was raised by Muggles. When he started his schooling at Hogwarts he not only showed an aptitude for magic, but also trouble. There followed a series of unfortunate events at Hogwarts, including the opening of the heretofore unknown Chamber of Secrets harboring a Muggleborn-hating monster, the Tri-Wizard Tournament in which Mr. Potter was the fourth competitor, and many more such occurrences. But despite the horrors that Potter has experienced, his disposition has not altered from that of a bright and intuitive young boy to an equally bright and intuitive young man of twenty.

Love, it seems, knows no bounds. "It's not a question of choice," said Harry Potter, gazing at his lover whilst sitting in the Headmaster's office. "When you fall in love, does it really matter who it is?"

Potter is pragmatic. And as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher one would hope he is. Given his experience with the late You-Know-Who, Potter can be excused for a forthrightness that might make heartier wizards cringe. He talks of his life with his former enemy and as he does, there is a light in his eyes that defies description. Truly he is in love. He explains that their controversial "outing" at the school's Yule Ball three days earlier was less of a statement to the world, and more of a personal choice. "It seemed right. And Draco is such a good dancer. It seemed a waste of good music," he said.

When asked, Potter reluctantly admitted that it was Draco Malfoy who initiated the dance. Malfoy, a name that still brings chills to Wizardry, a once wealthy family whose infamous association with the Dark Lord has long been reported by this very paper, watched detached as Potter tried to take on the blame for the events and the controversy that followed.

"It's all a bunch of nonsense," Malfoy said, sneering at some unseen hurt to his pride.--

---"I knew it! I knew I'd come off as the villain. Again!"

"Quiet, Draco, I'm trying to read."---

--"Why should anyone care if we danced or not? So we're gay. Big deal. There are a lot of wizards and witches out there who are gay and they are healers and tavern keepers and shop girls and whatever. And you know what? They are afraid to make themselves known for exactly this reason. I don't see why we can't be more advanced and tolerant than Muggles, for Merlin's sake. They don't make such a big fuss about this sort of thing."

And perhaps Malfoy is right. But tongues wag when said men can influence many little minds. Many parents have, in fact, pulled their students from the school, complaining that Headmaster Albus Dumbledore refuses to see their side of it, especially since a pair of boys also took to the idea of dancing together at the Yule Ball as well. One pair of the boys' parents could not be reached for comment, but the other pair reluctantly talked to the Prophet, asking to remain anonymous.

Mr. F was visibly upset when he announced that his son would not be returning to Hogwarts. "I never realized such went on there. I'm a Squib myself, you see. I never attended Hogwarts, but my wife did, thirty years ago. She said that such things never went on there."

Mrs. F agreed with her husband's assessment. "It isn't right the Headmaster allowing it. What's next? I mean, my boy didn't know what he was doing. That other boy turned him, I know he did. My boy's normal. He just a wizard, that's all."

Mrs. F explained that she would be hiring private tutors for her fifth year son.

It seems that even the magical walls of Hogwarts cannot stem the tide of discontent. To date, 434 families have pulled students from Hogwarts, and yet Malfoy continues to teach Potions, and Potter Defense Against the Dark Arts. The Headmaster had no comment except to say that he hoped, "…the parents would re-evaluate their decisions and base them more on substance than perception."

Still, Potter explained it this way. "We don't have anything to be ashamed of. If Wizardry could just understand that, we'd all be happier."

Except that as the pressures of the interview went on, it seems that even the Hero of the Wizarding world cannot achieve true happiness. Malfoy seemed to snap. Love cannot survive such scrutiny, and before the interview was over, Mr. Malfoy announced he had broken off relations with Mr. Potter.

Love, it seems, needs stronger stuff than what is taught at Hogwarts.

"What the hell happened to all that other stuff she asked?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm used to this. Welcome to my world."

"This didn't help at all! Why did Dumbledore make us do it?"

"I don't know. Part of that enigmatic thing he's always doing. No one ever understands it until much later."

Draco threw the paper over the bed and clasped his arms over his chest, his favorite gesture of late. "At least you come off all right," he growled.

"Oh yes, like some dewy-eyed school boy in love for the first time."

"But that's good for your case."

"Our case."

"Look, Harry." Draco turned toward him. There was no anger in his eyes, which surprised Harry since he had been so full of it before. "I've been thinking. It's important that we think in terms of two different cases, treat it like that. That way, when I go down in flames, you won't go, too."

"You're not going down in flames and we are not treating this like separate cases. Together, remember?"

"It's not a good idea."

"It was yesterday in the library."

"I was trying to put you off."

"Well you can't. Look, you admitted it. You love me. You love me a lot. And you may think you are the only one who can make command decisions for us but you aren't."

"Harry…"

"Draco, there is something you are going to do right now. You're going to forget Rita Skeeter, you're going to forget the Ministry, and you are going to put your face in my lap and pleasure me." Harry leaned back against the wall and pushed his blanket down. "Do I make myself clear?"

Draco looked at Harry's face and then at the bulge in Harry's lap. His eyes darkened with sudden passion even as he offered a very Slytherin-like smile. "Crystal, Mr. Potter…"


On to Chapter Eight
"The Board of Governors"

Back to Chapter Six
"Poison Pen"

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