Work Text:
Cordially Invited
by Lopaka Tanu
It wasn't right. Glancing up from buttering his toast, Harry caught Hermione glaring at Ron, yet again. The brunette had made it clear she forgave them both, yet she would not let it go. It had been but a small prank. Besides, Crookshanks didn't seem to mind too much.
Sighing, he took a bite of the now soggy bread. Harry decided to mentally review the precise pronunciation for today's transformation incantation. While he wasn't the worst by far, there was still room for improvement. Last night's practice had only proven that.
This made him wince. Not that it was permanent or anything. The cat would eventually get over it. How long it would take depended upon how long it took for the spell to wear off.
In the mean time, Crookshanks would simply need to learn how to fly.
A screech overhead jerked Harry from his thoughts. Looking up, he nearly choked on his toast. The morning post had arrived with a flurry of owls and two eagles. The latter meant Draco's parents were feuding once more and sought his favor. For just one moment, Harry considered practicing on the eagles.
He was about to return to his mental gymnastics when a huge black mass came crashing down upon his plate. Harry jerked back to avoid being hit by its wings. As it hopped off and settled next to his plate, he clearly made out a large bird.
Cocking its head, the Raven focused a red eye on the plate. Cawing, the bird flapped its wings.
That needed no translation for Harry. "Go ahead." He indicated the plate with his hand, but was careful to keep his fingers out of snapping range. The beak looked strong enough to snap off a few of them.
The bird didn't need to be told twice. Launching itself at the bacon, the Raven snatched up a piece. It placed a foot on one end, then began tearing off chunks and swallowing them. After it finished off two pieces, the bird hopped over to the fallen piece of buttered toast.
Harry watch it swallow the bread in two gulps. As its neck bobbed, he felt a queasy roil in his stomach.
Leaning to Harry, Ron frowned at the bird. "What do you suppose it wants, mate?"
"My guess is an early death." Still a little green, Harry smiled when the bird glanced his way. If he could just reach his wand before it got to him, he might be able to fry the bloody thing. His fingers twitched as he went for his sleeve.
Eyes narrowing, the Ravin flared its wings. It spun to face him. Cawing, the bird stuck out a single foot.
Harry found his eyes drawn to the ankle. There, tied with an orange ribbon, was a tiny scroll of parchment. Relief and worry filled him at the sight. As far as he could remember, no one he knew used Ravens to send messages.
"Are you going to take the note, Harry?" Hermione had paused with a forkful of egg halfway to her mouth to speak. Her tone implied that his reaction was silly.
Perhaps it was. If someone wanted to harm him, they wouldn't have used the post to do so. At least, they would have sent a howler to do so. Swallowing, he screwed up the courage to reach out for the bird's leg.
He must not have gone fast enough because the bird suddenly bent forward. Beak snatching at the ribbon, it made quick work untying the note. Once it was freed, the bird flared its wings and cawed at Harry again.
Much to his relief, the bird went back to snatching at his breakfast. Feeling it safe, Harry reached for the note. He moved slowly so as not to arouse the bird's attention. That went out the window the moment he had it firmly in his hand.
Snatching back, he leaned back just in case the bird decided to attack. When nothing happened, he exhaled in relief. The parchment appeared yellowed by age. All that was left to do was unroll it and read the message.
Harry wasn't certain why he was so reluctant. There was no indication this was a threat. It was a note, and nothing more. He closed his eyes and took a calming breath. Then, he opened them and unrolled the paper.
His eyes tracked the elegant script as he mouthed the words. As he finished reading it, he frowned. Confused, he read it a second time. The words hadn't changed in that span of time.
Curiosity overriding his manners, Ron leaned over Harry's shoulder to read it. "What's it say?" When it was suddenly snatched from his view, Ron sighed. "Come on, Harry, I let you read the notes from my mum!"
"That's different!" A faint blush colored Harry's cheeks. He quickly rolled the note back up. Swallowing, he stuffed the paper in his robes pocket. "This is private, Ron."
"How so?" Ron sat back, his arms crossing over his chest. He stuck his bottom lip out as he glowered at his friend. "Is it from a girl?"
"No!" Harry winced as his voice rose. He cast a quick glance about to make sure no one was watching them, at least, no more than usual. Thankfully, they weren't. "It's not from a girl, it's just private."
"Fine, be that way." Turning from Harry, Ron glared at his plate. He picked up a piece of bacon and stuck it in his mouth. As he chewed on it, he kept shooting Harry annoyed looks.
For his part, Harry was near mortified. The contents of the letter was the last thing he needed exposed. A squawk made him jump. Looking to the bird next to his plate, he stared at it in confusion. It was obviously waiting for a reply.
A thousand thoughts filled his head. None of them offered any real solution to this new problem. How could he give a response either way? Clearing his throat, he leaned closer to the bird so the others wouldn't hear him speak. "Tell him 'tonight, in the library quidditch section.'"
Cawing, the bird took flight. It's wings beat quickly as it shot over Harry's head. As it flew, the bird shot over the Slytherine table. Squawking, the bird released a white mass, then shot up towards the ceiling.
Having been watching, Harry saw the droplet heading towards it's target. The trajectory was obvious. Even if he had time to warn Draco, he wouldn't have.
A half second later, the Great Hall went silent. Then a shrill scream split the air.
Harry had to turn around quickly to keep the shriek of laughter from erupting. Covering his face, he began to shake. Thoughts of the letter were all but forgotten.
Across from him, Hermione watched him with suspicious eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time the evening rolled around, Harry's stomach was so knotted that he felt like he was going to hurl. The note had been vague, but the style had left little doubt to the intent. Still, there was always the chance he was just reading more in to the situation.
Harry snickered nervously.
As he moved through the stacks, he kept glancing over his shoulder. He wasn't sure what he was looking out for. No one had any reason to be suspicious of his being there. This was just a student curious about quidditch. Nothing to see here, folks.
Casting a final glance over his shoulder, Harry rounded the last shelf. The moment he laid eyes upon those broad shoulders, they took his breath away. Harry had been expecting to see the larger boy waiting for him, but the actual sight set his pulse to racing.
Harry nervously swallowed. He took in a harsh breath. "I'm here."
Spinning slowly, Viktor faced Harry. "You came." As his eyes trailed over the smaller teen's body, he smiled slowly. "That is good."
Swallowing again, Harry nodded. "Yeah, I got your note." He took a hesitant step towards Viktor. His racing pulse made his skin hot and his cheeks started to burn. "I was a little scared of agreeing to meet here."
Instead of replying, Viktor's smile grew a little more. "You are good Seeker, I see you once."
Harry glanced away with a shrug. "It's nothing." If his cheeks got any hotter he knew they might burst in to flames. "You're way better than me."
"Do not sell yourself small." Viktor frowned as he thought over his words. "I believe I mean short. You are good player."
"Really?" With his heart threatening to burst from his chest, Harry grinned like a fool. He knew this was silly, but he couldn't help it. This was Viktor Krum. Ron would be spitting with envy! If that set it to fluttering, his heart stopped when two strong fingers curled under his chin.
"You should not look down. It is wrong." Raising the other teen's chin, Viktor stepped in closer. He cocked his head to the side as he smiled down at Harry. "We are equals here, both in tournament."
For a solid minute, Harry had no clue as to what the older teen was talking about. Then he remembered the Goblet of Fire and their being rivals. Closing his eyes, he tried not to feel devastated. How could he have been so stupid?
Of course that was why Viktor would want to meet him. There was no other reason.
Sighing, he nodded. His embarrassment over the situation made it easier to meet the older teen's eyes now. When he looked up, he was surprised at just how close Viktor had gotten. He opened his mouth to ask what the meeting was really about.
"May I kiss?" The words were whispered so low that they were almost a growl.
Still, they seemed to come screaming in to Harry's ears. He instantly became aware of Viktor's hand on his cheek. How had that gotten there? "Please." If he had been able, Harry would have been mortified by how close to pleading he had sounded.
As it was, Viktor was suddenly right there, kissing him. It started off gentle, almost hesitant, then he was pushing harder. Warm and strong, his lips seemed to be the only thing holding Harry aloft.
Hands shaking, Harry reached up to grasp Viktor's jumper. While his mind was completely shot, he knew in that moment he would have told the older boy anything he wanted. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, he was left standing alone.
The quick withdrawal left Harry staggering in an attempt to maintain his balance. Opening his eyes, he sucked in a sharp breath.
Viktor was now half a step away. The smile he had was one of pure pleasure. "You look pretty this way."
"Thanks." Reaching up slowly, Harry traced fingers over his still warm lips. As sensation seemed to return, he felt tiny scratches left from what to have been Viktor's facial hair. Harry knew he had to say something, so he asked the first thing that came to mind. "Is that why you asked to meet?"
Viktor frowned. "I asked to meet?" Stepping back, he frowned at Harry. Then he glanced about them. "Did you not ask me?"
Now it was Harry's turn to frown. His heart skipped a beat in alarm. "No. I received a note this morning in the post. It was from you."
"I send you no note." Lowering his voice, Viktor's hand went to his waist. He quickly pulled out his wand. "I too received note."
Seeing the other boy draw his wand made Harry do the same. He began to mentally summon up the words for a blasting curse when he heard a snort behind them. He spun with his wand drawn to attack. The words upon his lips died when he saw her.
Arms crossed, Hermione stared at the two of them. A look of betrayal curled her lip in to a sneer. "This is a library. Have you two no shame?"
"Hermione!" Harry automatically took a step towards his friend. When she backed away, he felt something in his chest clench. "It's not what it looks like."
"You were kissing Viktor, it's exactly what it looks like, Harry!" Raising a hand, she pointed at them. "I have half a mind to report the both of you. If you don't leave now, I won't hesitate."
Viktor sighed. Seeming to deflate, he nodded. "Very well, Hermione." He looked over to Harry. "I apologize for dishonoring you, Harry Potter."
"You didn't..." Harry trailed off as Viktor walked away. Feeling his cheeks flame, he looked to Hermione to try and reason with her. The stormy expression she sent him made his jaw snap shut. Sighing, he hung his head and followed after Viktor.
Hermione was going to make him suffer long and hard for this one. He would have to talk to her later. There would be a lot of groveling, probably cost him several chocolate frogs, but he hoped she would come around.
In the mean time, he had to catch up to Viktor. If he caught him before the other teen got too far, he might be able to repair the damage. To what, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he didn't want Viktor to be disappointed with him.
Back in the stacks, Hermione watched them disappear towards the exit. Once they were out of sight, a grin formed on her lips. It had worked better than she had planned.
In her pocket, Crookshanks hissed smoke.
THE END...........................