FicWad

A flash of green light.

The muggle old man dropped screaming to the floor, and Harry woke with a start, his scar burning.

The dream, it had been so real, so vivid. He could feel everything in that dark room in the Riddle House, he could hear everything, the crackling of the fire, the slithering of Nagini and the whimpering of Peter Pettigrew.

And the monster… that called itself Lord Voldemort… it looked like a life-sized, half-aborted fetus with the most wretched mouth and hands, like a tiny alien sitting in that dusty old chair.

He shuddered, and then he groggily opened his eyes, looking around him. It was still dark, and he was still in the Gryffindor Tower.

He realized he was clutching his blankets very tightly, as if he had been hugging something, or someone the entire night. But there was no one else in bed with him. Why did it seem like he was hugging someone?

Didn't Eve come by in the early morning? He thought he remembered that she had climbed into bed with him, and the warmth and happiness he had felt when she had done so. He was half-asleep when she arrived, and barely remembered what she said, or whether they had cuddled before they fell asleep.

What was real and what was not? The scene in the Riddle Manor with Voldemort and that old man felt more real than the memory that Eve had returned to him the previous night. Maybe both of them were just dreams. Perhaps him and Eve were truly over.

Shaking his head, he climbed out of his bed softly and dressed. Today was Saturday, and he did not want to waste it. He knew Ron wanted to fly around on the Quidditch pitch with him, but he hardly wanted to trouble the snoring Weasley boy at such an early hour.

Going down to the Great Hall, there were only a few students dotted around the tables, talking quietly. Only Professor McGonagall was at the Teacher's Table, and she gave him a small smile as he waved to her.

He grabbed a piece of toast and headed for the library.

Madam Pince, the librarian, gave him a suspicious look when he entered. It was awfully early, especially for a Saturday, and he being a Gryffindor was not someone who usually came to the library at all if he could help it.

But today was different. The past week had made him realize that he was weak, too stupid, too reliant on his heritage, his mother's protection, his connection to Voldemort. He was also too reliant on his sister. Together they were a formidable dueling force, but by himself he was only slightly above average for his age.

He did not know what exactly Voldemort had become, but he did know that Voldemort was alive – his burning scar was evidence of that. And that he would be searching for Harry as soon as he recovered, which meant Harry needed to be prepared more than ever.

The library was essentially empty at such an early hour. Walking through rows of countless books of all shapes and sizes, Harry was slightly awed at the sheer number of interesting books that he never even looked at. No wonder his sister and Hermione spent so much time here, they would often be here studying and doing homework while he and Ron were dicking around playing Wizarding Chess or Quidditch.

He arrived at the section called "Advanced Magic." In this section were bookshelves stuffed with all sorts of advanced spells, and all of them sounded interesting. Picking out the books he wanted to browse, he soon had a heavy stack in his hands.

Advanced Transfiguration: From Alchemy to Ziggurats

Charmes and Runes: Less is More

Between Light and Dark: The Grey Arts

The Art of Magic

Dueling Basics, Level 1

The Complete Guide to Animagi

Using Potions Effectively

He knew some of these were far out of his skill range for now, but by seeing what the requirements were for those spells he could work on the areas he needed to improve the most.

These heavy tomes, stacked up on one another, nearly prevented him from seeing where he was going, as he wandered deeper and deeper into the library trying to find a table where he could sit down.

As he rounded a corner, he suddenly ran into someone, the only other occupant in the library besides Madame Pince at the front desk, who was also browsing the shelves. His books flew everywhere, pushing his victim back and causing her to curse under her breath.

"Potter?" Celine Malfoy asked, straightening her clothes as she rebalanced herself. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah fuck, sorry Malfoy." Harry apologized, picking up his books. "I could ask you the same question, it's so early."

"Says the Boy-Who-Never-Comes-Here. I usually come in the morning, and finish before the regular crowd gets here."

She was wearing a light sweater that hugged her figure and a mid-sized skirt, looking like the perfect image of a schoolgirl. The only indication that she was a Malfoy was the diamond-embroidered emerald necklace she wore, and the snobbish look on her face and her icy blue eyes.

"Interesting, I didn't know that you Malfoys actually think you need to study."

She glared at him. "I'm not studying, just reviewing shit I already know." She picked up a book and glanced at it. "Dueling Basics, Potter? Really?"

He shrugged. "As you said, reviewing shit I already know. Plus, it's none of your business what I'm reading. I have to go study, give that back."

"It is my business if you're turning my friends into your slaves." She snapped, tossing the book onto an empty shelf. "I can't believe what you did to Livvy yesterday."

Harry's face turned slightly pink as he thought about the previous day. "Malfoy, you are the one who told her to talk to me about us becoming official."

"Yes, and you were supposed to agree to that, not break up with her and then fuck her!" She looked genuinely angry. "And on top of that, she actually agreed to be your slave? How is that even possible?"

"It was a joke, I didn't actually expect her to comply."

"A joke? Are you kidding me? I don't know what you did to her but she came back looking like she just overdosed on faerie dust, what the hell Potter. She spent the rest of the night in my room talking about you and your cock, and how she was going to be your sex slave for the rest of her life."

Harry grimaced. "That may have been a mistake. I was trying to get her to stop… you know…" then he exhaled. "If you hadn't inspired her by telling her everything that happened between us..."

"Fuck you Potter." She was blushing now, her beautiful pale skin slightly pink as she seemed to be thinking about a few days ago. "I wasn't trying to make you look good, but damnit, Jasmine ended up sucking you off and then Olivia just outright threw herself at you. Why are my friends such sluts?"

Harry did not know how to reply to this instigation, clearly this wasn't to his disadvantage.

"Don't answer that, Potter, it was rhetorical." She scowled at him. "And you told her to spy on me too. Why the fuck would you do that?"

"You're suspicious, that's why. First of all, how did you get Dumbledore to change the rules of the Triwizard Tournament?" Harry put his books down, it seemed this encounter was going to last longer than he planned.

She crossed her arms. "You and the rest of the school probably think my father did it, but in fact, I was the one who visited Dumbledore's office and convinced him and the rest of the professors. My father's letter helped, of course." She glared at him. "But it was mainly because of me. Once I showed them how much I knew they changed their mind. It was a ridiculous rule anyway. I am the best duelist in this school, why should I be disallowed from competing?"

"It just seems very manipulative, that's all. And why are you trying to pull strings behind my back, telling the whole school that I'm dating Nott and then sending both Rosier and Nott after me in front of my house? It's like you are trying to alienate me from my friends and… my sister." His voice went very soft at the last part.

Her eyes widened at his accusation. Closing the gap between them she immediately slapped him without warning. "You really think I'm trying to manipulate you, Potter?" She seethed under her breath. "Holy shit. You are a fucking asshole if you think that!"

Harry remained defensive. "I'm the asshole here? You forced Nott to date me even though she did not want to. And you sent Rosier after me at four in the morning, why?" He said heatedly.

It was fortunate they were so far in the back of the library, otherwise Madame Pince might have heard them and kicked them out.

Celine laughed incredulously, her tone harsh. "I was trying to make you FEEL better, Potter." She nearly spat. "And Livvy was the one who wanted to be with you, she had all these reasons too, like why it would be more beneficial for my image if she took the fall or some stupid shit like that. Do you really think I give a fuck what my housemates think about me?"

"I'd be surprised if you didn't. Rosier told me all about it, how you Slytherins have some kind of feudal system where you 'leaders' fight for control and influence, something like that."

"Yes, there is such a thing in Slytherin, although we're all so used to it now that we don't even think about it." She glared at him. "But that has nothing to do with this, Potter. To be honest, I am disappointed in you right now. You actually care about your housemates' opinions if the truth about us came out? I don't care if my entire house disowns me, why do you?"

"I don't care either, but… damnit Malfoy." Harry didn't know any better way to put this. "Eve… my sister… we promised ourselves to be each other's first."

She looked at him, blinking. "… and?"

"You can imagine how mad she was then, when I told her about us. Everything between us has changed, now she just wants to be brother and sister, we don't even sleep together anymore, and it's all because…-" He was rambling now, and he didn't even know why he was telling all of this to Celine.

She suddenly started laughing. "Do you have any idea how pathetic you sound right now? You are the Boy-Who-Lived, and you are complaining about your SISTER not willing to commit incest with you anymore? As if taking MY virginity and Livvy's and having Jazzy comfort you wasn't enough for you? Because your sister is just so much better than us slimy Slytherin snakes?"

Harry groaned. "That's not what I meant, Malfoy, that didn't come out right…"

"Bullshit Potter! I was looking forward to our next meeting together, in fact, I was excited to see you again. But I can't believe you have spent the past few days hating me and wishing we had never slept together."

"I didn't hate you or regret anything, I was just suspicious, that's all. I can't tell what's real or not anymore." He thought about his "encounter" with Eve last night, was it a dream, or was it? He continued. "I'm sorry Malfoy, I really do like you, you know."

Celine was not mollified. "Potter, your apology is not good enough at this point. I'm going to give you one chance." Her hands on her hips, she was strikingly beautiful, yet deadly. "Tell me that you are glad you lost your virginity to me instead of… Evelyn." Harry was surprised to hear Celine say Eve's name, as the Gryffindor and Slytherin rivals never called each other by their first names.

But he could not say it. Celine was the most beautiful girl in their school, one of the most sought-after witches in the wizarding world. He had heard that Celine had modeled for Witches Weekly even as a teenager, which was exceedingly rare.

No matter what though, she was still not Evelyn. And just like he could not keep the secret of him and Celine from his sister, he could not tell Celine a lie to her face. It was far easier to lie to Ron or anybody else… but to Celine and Eve both, it just seemed impossible.

"I can't say that, Malfoy…" Harry said softly. "Because I wouldn't mean it."

She looked at him, her eyes widening. "So you do regret it." She said, almost looking devastated. For one fleeting second, Celine Malfoy did not look like her usual aristocratic self, but rather just a girl, a timid, vulnerable girl who had been figuratively slapped in the face.

"No, I don't regret it, I just can't say that I'm glad it was you instead of her. I'm still glad it was you than anyone el-"

"Whatever, same thing." She interrupted. Her demeanor had turned ice cold. "Thank you telling me the truth, Potter." She now had a wry smile. "I shouldn't have been so stupid. I wanted you to be happy, I was willing to do anything, including share you with my friends. You know they would not even look at you if it weren't for me. And I did have a crush on you, but not anymore."

This was the first time Harry had heard her say those exact words. "What? Why?"

"Because you are a selfish asshole, that's why. I was trying to do good things for you, I wanted to help teach you some advanced materials. Why would you need 'Dueling Basics' when you have me. Fuck Potter. You just threw me away like I am nothing."

"I did not! You are an amazing, beautiful girl, I just need some time to think, everything happened so fast over the past few days," Harry tried to stall.

"You can have all the time you want to think!" A tear streamed out of her eye, and she flicked it away angrily. "Congratulations Potter, you got what you wanted. Don't ever expect me or any of my friends to talk to you again. Enjoy your newfound 'freedom' from my 'manipulations.'" She made a move to leave.

"Malfoy, stop." He tried to stop her, but he soon found himself facing the tip of a glowing wand. "Please, stop. I care about you and I valued the time we spent together." He said desperately, holding out his arms to block her path.

"Get out of my way." She whispered, incensed. "Don't think I am just going to kiss you like last time. This time I am truly hurt Potter, I really hate you for what you said." She pressed her wand point into his chest. "If you don't move, I am going to kill you. That is what will happen if I have to stare at you any longer."

"Then kill me." Harry said, not moving. "I'm not going to let you go, Malfoy."

She slapped him again. "Fuck Potter, just GET OUT OF MY WAY!" She nearly screamed.

They could hear footsteps, it was Madame Pince no doubt, coming over to yell at them-

"Malfoy, I may not be able to choose you over my sister, but that doesn't mean I don't deeply care about you. Ever since first year when we first met, and you saved me during that first Quidditch match, I knew you were different than most girls. You have an outer shell of coldness but I know on the inside you are a very warm and loving person." He was speaking very fast.

"What the fuck does that mean?" She was still furious, her cheeks glistening, but at least her wand point was not threatening to blast him to smithereens anymore.

"It just means that you are a beautiful person. I was wrong about you being manipulative and I'm sorry I judged you that way. Probably something to do with our house's rivalries, and how everyone thinks you just get what you want all the time. But I never knew how genuine your feelings for me were. And that means a lot to me."

She glared at him, her lips quivering, as if she was about to burst at him again, but could not find the correct insult to throw at him.

"I want to know you better, Malfoy - Celine. So that I don't make stupid assumptions about you again, and stop being suspicious of your actions. And you're right, it doesn't matter if both of our houses disown us, what matters is that we are together."

He took a deep breath. His monologue was not as great or epic in scale as some of the Malfoy monologues he had heard in the past, but he was trying his very best. "And finally, I think I will choose you. I want to be with you, if you'll still have me." Her eyes softened at this, but then they were interrupted.

"Ahem. What is this racket that you two are making in my library at such an early hour?!" Madame Pince had rounded the corner and was scowling at them, but then she noticed Celine's tear-stricken face. "Is Mr. Potter causing you trouble, Miss Malfoy?"

Celine shook her head. "No Madame, I'm sorry, I was just excited to finally find this book," she grabbed and held up the book she threw away earlier, Dueling Basics, Level 1 to show the librarian, "I've been looking all over for this!"

Madame Pince gave an odd look. "Dueling Basics, Miss Malfoy? According to rumors you are quite the expert."

The Malfoy girl grimaced at her choice of book. "Just reviewing things I already know, Madame," while Harry suppressed a laugh.

"Very well. Still, do try to keep it quiet you two!" And she left, leaving Harry and Celine alone once more.

Celine was not looking at him anymore. "Okay, Potter. You've made your point… I guess I'll accept your apology for now." She said softly, almost breathless.

He almost exhaled a sigh of relief. He did not expect his early morning visit to the library to turn out like this. "I don't deserve it, Malfoy, but thank you."

They did not look at each other, but both of them just stood there staring at oddly interesting points on the ground, neither of them knowing what to say.

"I guess I should actually get some reading done." He looked at the Dueling Basics book and smiled. "Maybe learn a little about dueling."

She sniffed. "Ugh no. Potter you are going to study dueling with me. I will teach you much more than these silly books ever could." She haughtily tossed the book back onto the shelf. Although she was still acting snobbishly, at least it seemed she was in a better mood now.

Harry's eyes widened. Private dueling lessons from Celine Malfoy? He did not know whether to celebrate or curse his luck. "Are you sure you want to help me? After all these years I'm sure you've enjoyed cursing the hell out of me and the other Gryffindors on more than one occasion."

"Because, Potter, I actually care about you now. I want you to be strong enough to challenge me. Plus," she smiled evilly, "you'll be great target practice."

Harry rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Very well Malfoy, I'll train with you, but where? Imagine what people will say if they see us training together."

"You have a lot to learn about Hogwarts. I know just the place. Meet me on the 7th floor corridor tomorrow night." She cast one last disdainful look at his books. "And don't bring anyone else. I don't want this to turn into Malfoy's Dueling Club or some stupid shit like that."

They could hear Madam Pince talking to another student – neither of them wanted to be seen together by any of the students. With one last smile, she left him alone with his books and he found a table to begin reading. There was too much to learn, and too little time. Putting away his thoughts of what happened earlier to think sift through later, he began to study.

xXx

Before he knew it, several hours had passed and his stomach was already grumbling. It was lunchtime, although he did not want to stop reading about Potions and their many "effective uses," (the book was surprisingly interesting considering how much he hated Potions with Snape).

"Harry? What are you doing here?" Asked the fourth person that day. People he knew had come up to him, surprised to see him in the library on a Saturday of all things. Most of these people were Ravenclaws who were not used to seeing a Gryffindor other than Hermione take up their usual table.

However, looking up this time Harry saw it was his sister. She was dressed very casually and had her schoolbag tossed lightly over her shoulder. Hermione was standing behind her, giving him an impassive look.

"Hey Eve." Harry smiled. "Just reading for fun. Very interesting these things are."

"They're called books, Harry." Eve said, while Hermione giggled. "By the way, Ron's been looking for you. He couldn't find you in the tower or the Great Hall, now he thinks you've been kidnapped by the Slytherins."

"Oh boy." Harry sighed. "I'll go find him. Might as well take a break."

Eve was looking at him a bit oddly. He watched her eyes, judging by the dark circles under her eyes, she was still having trouble sleeping. So was he, judging by his restless sleep the previous night after dreaming about Voldemort…

"Hey sis," he said as he packed up his schoolbags, deciding to return later to read more, "You didn't come by last night, did you?"

She had an expression of surprise, which then turned into suspicion. "No, I didn't. But maybe someone did, of course it's none of my business. Why are you asking?"

He shrugged. "No reason, Eve, and no, no one else did. Sleeping alright?"

She glared at him. "That's none of your concern anymore, Harry." Hermione was now scowling at him too.

Harry sighed, inwardly rolling his eyes. When did it become the case that the Slytherins, especially Celine Malfoy start being nicer to him than his own sister?

Probably because you fucked her instead of Eve. A voice in his mind answered him. Great, another voice in my head, what else is new. The voice did not answer.

"Alright then. Bye, Eve. Hermione." He exited the library to find Ron, letting the two girls have his table. He wasn't going to be difficult just because they were.

As he walked he considered that the previous night really had been a dream. Eve did not sleep with him after all. But why had the dream felt so real? It was definitely different than most dreams… he could feel things, he almost felt that he was conscious during it. Perhaps there was such a thing as lucid dreaming.

Or maybe he was just going crazy. After all, with all the sex and drama he had over the week and the emotional turmoil that happened in the morning, it was very likely that he was mentally going down the deep end.

xXx

He found Ron ("Where've you been mate?! I've been looking all over for you! The library?! Why?") and the two of them went to the Quidditch pitch along with George and Fred Weasley, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell to the Quidditch pitch. Katie was the backup chaser for Gryffindor as Eve normally held the spot. Dean, Seamus, Parvati and Lavendar also tagged along as they wanted to watch.

Even though the Quidditch cup wasn't going to be held this year, the rest of the team still wanted to practice. Harry went along with it, after all he needed a break from his studying anyway, and he always enjoyed flying with a passion.

The Gryffindors were dismayed therefore, when they reached the Quidditch Pitch and saw that it was already occupied. By people dressed in green and silver.

Having noticed them, a few members of the Slytherin team landed to accost them.

"What are you fucks doing here?" Cassius Warrington, the Slytherin captain asked, as he landed with Miles Bletchley and Lucian Bole, who had a big bat over his shoulder looking menacing.

Fred (or was it George) held out his arms in friendship. "The same reason you lot are here, no doubt. We all know that there's no official Quidditch this year, but that doesn't mean we can't do a bit of informal practicing."

Warrington narrowed his eyes. "We're having a private practice session here. And we were here first."

"So you were," Angelina, the Gryffindor captain said, "However, since we're both here at the same time, why not have an exhibition match. We have some of our house here who'd like to watch, and seems like you have a few too." She nodded over to a part of the bleachers where a few girls were sitting and chatting.

"They're not here to see you, Johnson," Warrington spat. No doubt he was still angry over the Gryffindors defeating them the previous year. "You can come back later in a few hours after we're finished."

Harry felt annoyance rising in him. He did not cease his studying and walk all the way down to the pitch only to have to return to the castle. He stepped forth. "We've got seven and you've got seven. Let's just have a friendly competition. See how much our skills have deteriorated over the summer. Don't be selfish now, Warrington. We're all in this together in the spirit of Quidditch."

Miles Bletchley looked furious. "Says the fucker who broke me up with my girlfriend!" As the Slytherin Keeper he did not have a giant bat to wave around threateningly like Bole did, although Bole looked almost too willing to beat Harry up with it on his behalf.

Harry noticed Olivia sitting on the bleachers with Ella and Jasmine. Images flashed through his mind of the previous night, of the naked blond fifth-year on her knees, trying to jam him into her throat as deep as possible. "Bletchley, it was a misunderstanding. Your girlfriend – I mean ex – has no interest in me. She was just saying that to spite you."

"I KNOW she has no interest in you, dickhead. Liv and I have already talked earlier and patched things up."

"Well then," Harry smiled. "All of that is clearly none of my business. So why don't we stop wasting time and play a scrimmage round or two?" The rest of the Gryffindors nodded in agreement, not quite knowing what to make of the exchange between Harry and Bletchley.

"No I don't want you here, or anywhere near her!" Bletchley said staunchly.

Harry groaned. This was not turning out the way he was planning, to have the conversation be diverted in such a state.

"What's going on here Cassius?" Celine Malfoy had landed. Her windblown figure along with her hair made her look even more gorgeous than ever. Harry's heart leapt at the sight of her, and near him, Harry noticed both Fred and George had tensed up.

"These fucks want to practice with us. A scrimmage match. What do you think, Celine?"

She looked at them imperiously, especially at Harry, although she did give him an almost imperceptible smile. "Hmm. I don't care. But where is your star chaser, Potter?"

"She's studying." He said curtly.

A smirk grew on her face. "Something you clearly should do more of." The other Slytherins laughed, and Harry played along, looking furious. Celine turned to Warrington. "Let's not waste any more time, Cassius. I have new maneuvers to practice with you that require a live opponent, anyway."

Warrington nodded. "Fine, it's your lucky day Gryffindorks. We'll scrim."

"Normal scrimmage rules then? No bludgers to the head, no blatching, snitch is worth 50 points and does not end the match until one team hits 300." Angelina stated, which Warrington agreed with.

And so they were off. Ron was substituting as their keeper as Oliver Wood had graduated the previous year. Being relatively new to the Quidditch scene, he was woefully unprepared against the experienced triangular offense of Celine, Warrington, and Pucey.

Meanwhile, Harry had to face off against Draco Malfoy for the snitch, which was not exactly his idea of a real scrimmage, since the Malfoy boy was almost too easy to beat. The younger Malfoy looked more eager to impress his sister than to taunt Harry like he usually did, but to no avail – Harry caught the snitch three times versus Draco only doing so once.

Harry was savoring the feeling of flying anyway, not really caring what the score was. Last time he heard Dean (their 'independent' judge) call out the score as 260-250 in favor of the Slytherins. It was really a pretty close match, even though Harry caught more snitches, the Slytherin chasers were literally stomping all over Ron.

Looking down to the bleachers, he noticed that quite a large number of students had turned up, interested in watching a scrimmage match between the two famous rivals. A number of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had arrived as well.

However, nowhere amongst the crowd did he spot any streaks of crimson hair. The one person that he hoped to see was nowhere to be found.

Nevertheless, he thought as he watched Celine Malfoy streak across the pitch, pulling ridiculous Chaser maneuvers and looking more divine than ever, there was room for more than one girl in his life. She truly did care about him. And there was no reason to throw away one relationship just to throw away another one. After all, he had already made the mistake once of not appreciating what he had, he would not make the same mistake again.