Happy Thoughts- Part Two
PART ONE
*~*
Hogwarts at Christmas time was, while very beautiful, extremely lonely. Almost everyone in the castle, Luke included, would return home to be with their families during the holidays. Noah usually stayed at school, while his father was away on assignments and spent Christmas alone in Gryffindor Tower.
But this year was different. Luke’s family was off to the States to visit relatives for the holidays, and Luke had the option of going with them or staying behind since he was sixteen and almost of age. Luke decided to stay behind and spend Christmas with Noah. He told his family that he didn’t want Noah to be alone for Christmas, since his father was out of the country, but if Luke was being honest to them, it was all because it would be the perfect opportunity for them to have some alone time.
They had been dating ever since that kiss they shared by the Black Lake in their Fourth Year. And now that they were Sixth Years, and were thrust into their N.E.W.T. level classes, they were having a hard time finding time to be together. They relished in the weekends that they were permitted to go to Hogsmeade, as it was the only opportunity to go on dates while at Hogwarts, and used every moment they could spare to be together. But nothing ever gave them substantial time to really enjoy each other’s company.
Noah was extremely thrilled that Luke would be spending Christmas with him at Hogwarts, but he was also incredibly nervous. With everyone being gone for the holidays, they would be the only ones in their dormitory in Gryffindor Tower. Just the two of them.
They had never been fully alone before, and Noah was pretty sure what would happen when they were. The physical part of their relationship was already a huge struggle to keep at bay, but now that no one was going to be around to keep them from getting closer, Noah knew that there would be no holding back.
He was really excited, and was sure that making love to Luke was what he wanted more than anything, but he was still really scared. He had never had sex before, and the pessimistic thoughts that followed that fact just kept escalating. He kept having to remind himself that Luke cared for him, and that he would protect him in bed if needed. And he knew that he would do the same in a heartbeat if needed. It was that thought alone that kept him going.
When Christmas Eve rolled around, Noah and Luke were sitting in the Great Hall for the Christmas Eve feast with only a handful of other students and a few teachers. Despite the small number of people, the house-elves still out-did themselves, leaving every person at the table bursting at the seams after dessert.
Noah and Luke barely spoke to each other throughout the meal, only managing to steal small glances here and there between conversations with others at the table. Both were fairly certain of the events that were going to unfold later that evening in the recesses of their vacated dorm room.
When the feast was finished and Luke and Noah had given well wishes to the other students and teachers, both boys began to quietly make their way back to the Gryffindor common room. They walked briskly side by side, pausing only to allow the staircases to finish changing before continuing on. When they had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Noah spoke “Gobbledegook!”, and the portrait swung open.
They stepped into the empty common room, the small fire in the hearth giving off a soft glow to the room. They headed straight for the spiraling stairs that led to the boy’s dormitories, and headed to their room. Luke opened the wooden door and stepped inside, Noah following on his heels. He shut the door behind him, pausing for a brief moment to catch his breath before turning around.
When he turned to face the room, he saw Luke standing at the foot of Noah’s four-poster bed, his normal confident personality gone from his person. Thick flakes of snow were falling heavily out the window to their right, giving promise of a very White Christmas. The fire in the center of the room was casting a shadow onto Luke’s face, and Noah thought that he had never looked more beautiful in his entire life.
He began to walk slowly toward Luke, never leaving his eyes. When finally he was standing before Luke, with barely any room in between them, the blonde lowered his gaze.
“We don’t have to do this.”
Noah reached up and brought Luke’s chin back up to face him.
“Is that what you want?”
“Yes…I mean, no, this is definitely what I want, Noah, but if you aren’t ready…”
“Hey,” Noah interrupted, bringing both of his hands up to cup Luke’s face. “If this wasn’t what I wanted, I wouldn’t be here right now, would I?”
Luke smiled softly at Noah, before rising up on his toes to kiss his mouth. The familiar passion ignited between them, but this time it felt a bit differently. This time both knew that they would be able to, for once, finally give in to their passion. To both boys, it felt extremely electrifying and freeing.
After a few moments of intense kissing, Luke abruptly broke away from Noah.
“Wait, Noah,” he told him quickly and very much out of breath. “Slow down for a moment.”
“Are you having second thoughts?”
“NO! No…no, I’m not having seconds thoughts, Noah…I just really have something to tell you before we go any further.”
Noah swallowed hard and his heart rate sped up as he waited with bated breath for Luke to continue speaking.
“It’s just…Noah…you’ve been my best friend for almost six years, and my boyfriend for almost two. And I just…I can’t imagine my life without you in it. I want everything with you, and I want to share everything with you. I go to sleep at night with your face in my head, and I wake up every morning hoping that you are the first thing that I see…” Luke paused, and took a deep breath before continuing. “It’s just that…I’ve realized…what it comes down to is…I’m in love with you.”
Noah’s stomach didn’t just flip at Luke’s words, it completely inverted itself, before landing with a large thud on his insides. His heart swelled with emotion, as he felt complete warmth traveling the lengths of his entire body. Luke loved him…
“I love you, Noah…I think I always have…ever since the Sorting Ceremony six years ago.”
Noah just stood there… words completely deserting his brain, and leaving only thoughts of Luke behind. He stared into Luke’s eyes, seeing flashes of smiles, simple touches, and kisses embedded in his darkened hues. To him, it all looked very much like forever.
“I love you too, Luke,” he finally whispered, his lips curling into a bright smile. “More than anything.”
Luke’s smile lit up the circular room and the deepest corners of Noah’s being. He quickly flung his arms around Noah’s neck and smashed their lips together. No longer was it a kiss between boyfriends, their lips were kissing each other for the first time as lovers, and Luke and Noah could instantly feel the difference. Every brush of lips, every touch of tongues was intensified and their mouths seemed to be moving of their own accord.
Noah carefully maneuvered them to the side of the bed, before gently lowering them onto it. Noah pushed his body completely against Luke’s, creating a perfect mirror image of their first kiss.
As their lips remained locked in a heated embrace, clothes were removed, skin was discovered, and for the first time in their young lives, neither boy needed their wands to create magic.
*~*
Noah’s nerves went haywire as complete euphoria sent extreme chills all over his body in remembrance of the night that he and Luke had first made love. He knew that it was now or never. Focusing all of his energy into the spell, he saw one last glimpse of honey-brown before lifting his wand and shouting into the open room.
“EXPECTO PATRONUM!”
At once, silver light illuminated the entire room from the tip of his wand, and then shot through the air. The light swirled around for a bit before materializing into shape in the center of the room. It took Noah a few moments to recognize the form, but when he did, his heart swelled and he smiled widely, before causing his successful Patronus to soar freely throughout the room.
+++++
Noah took a bite of the chocolate bar that Professor Potter had given him after his lesson, as he made his way across the castle grounds. The afternoon wind was light and crisp, causing small ripples to form on the surface of the Black Lake. Spring season was one of Noah’s favorite times at Hogwarts. The grass that once was buried and brown underneath layers of white snow was now soft and green again. The sun was shining brightly between white, fluffy clouds, but the gentle breeze kept the temperature cool and comfortable. He saw that the tall trees of the Forbidden Forest were becoming thick again as their leaves began to grow after a long winter.
Noah continued to take in his surroundings as he walked along the lake. His lesson with Professor Potter was still on his mind, when he finally saw him. That familiar head of blonde was unmistakable, even at a distance. He was sitting with his back against a tree, their tree, and his eyes were deeply fixed on the book in front of him.
Noah changed course and took a wider path so Luke wouldn’t see him out of his peripheral vision. He walked quickly toward the tree, making a large arc so he would come up to him from the back of the tree. When he had arrived to his destination, Luke’s eyes were still on the words in front of him, and Noah took the opportunity to slip in behind him. He sat between Luke and the large tree trunk, with the shorter boy resting comfortably in between his long legs.
Luke tore his eyes away from the book and turned to face his boyfriend with a large smile.
“Hi,” he greeted simply, scooting closer to Noah’s body.
“Hey,” Noah smiled, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I missed you this morning. How was Quidditch practice?”
“Ugh…it was rough,” Luke told him, resting his head against Noah’s hard chest. “Ever since Layla Stone’s cauldron blew up on her in Potions last week, she has been stuck in the hospital wing, so I had to try and find a replacement Chaser last minute for our final match next weekend.”
“Did you find anyone?”
“I gave Peter Fletchley Layla’s spot…although I wasn’t quite happy with it,” Luke admitted. “He’s a pretty fair flyer, but not up to Chaser standards. If we needed a Beater, he would be perfect. He doesn’t have the best shot either, but hopefully Lynn Taylor and I can pick up his slack.”
“I’m sure you guys will do great…I hear Ravenclaw’s not that good anymore ever since Mikey Randolf was kicked off the team because he was caught trying to hex Bailey Brighton a couple of weeks ago.”
“Yeah, that’s what we are hoping…” Luke sighed, the kind of sigh that gave Noah the impression that Luke had more on his mind than a simple Quidditch match.
“What’s on your mind, Luke?”
“It’s nothing really,” he replied after a bit of silence. “I just can’t stop thinking about how I successfully morphed into a stallion yesterday…after all this time…”
“Are you going to tell someone?” Noah asked, smiling inside at the thought of how his boyfriend had successfully become an Animagus at sixteen, after months of secretly working on it. “You have to register yourself, you know?”
“I know…and I will get around to it, I just want to be able to practice a few more times and make sure that I can really do it….But hey! I forgot…how was your lesson with Professor Potter?”
“It was really good, actually,” Noah said, thinking back to the last few hours. “It was pretty challenging, and exhausting, but very, very good. He helped me a lot.”
“Oh yeah?” Luke asked, turning his head to look his boyfriend in the eye. “What did he teach you?”
“He taught me how to produce a Patronus Charm,” Noah said matter of factly.
“Really?!” Luke said excitedly, turning around fully so that his whole body was facing Noah. “That’s really advanced magic! Were you able to conjure one?”
“Yep,” Noah smiled at his boyfriend’s enthusiasm, and the great pride he saw in his eyes.
“A shield Patronus or a corporeal form?”
“Both!”
“Oh my God!” Luke threw his arms around Noah’s neck. “That’s awesome Noah! What did your corporeal form take? Oh wait…let me guess…”
Noah laughed, and waited for Luke’s first guess.
“Let’s see…what animal fits you best…what about a lion?”
“A lion? Why would you guess that?”
“Well, lions are strong, and silent, and have great pride in themselves. They are also natural protectors, and that just seems to fit you really well.”
“Hmm…I suppose that is a good guess…but a wrong one. Keep guessing!”
For the next few minutes, Luke tried unsuccessfully to guess Noah’s animal Patronus, each guess becoming more obscure than the one before. Finally, Luke got fed up and just forced Noah to tell him what it is.
“Fine, Noah! I give up! Just tell me what it is already before I go crazy!”
Noah smiled briefly at the blonde, before quickly turning serious. He grabbed both of Luke’s hands in his before looking deeply into his eyes.
“It was a horse, Luke,” Noah confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. “My Patronus was a stallion.”
Luke’s mouth parted in shock, and his eyes began to fill with tears of joy.
“R-really?”
Noah released one of Luke’s hands, and brought his own up to tenderly cup Luke’s face.
“Really.”
Luke’s heart swelled at the thought that Noah’s Patronus was a stallion because of him…because he loved him.
“I love you too, Noah…so much.”
Noah brought Luke’s face to his for a breathtaking and grateful kiss. Luke wrapped his arms tighter around Noah’s neck, and sighed. Noah’s mouth tasted like chocolate, and sweetness, and pure love, and to Luke the mixture was absolutely intoxicating.
Noah’s arms snaked around Luke’s small waist, and he flushed their bodies closer together. He sucked in air through his nose, and was overwhelmed by the scent of Luke and Springtime.
When they pulled apart, Luke gently rested his forehead against Noah’s.
“So what did you think about, Noah?” Luke asked him, his breath falling onto Noah’s lips. “In order to conjure your Patronus?”
Noah backed his head away so he was once again gazing into Luke’s honey brown eyes, eyes that had turned into home over the past six years.
“It was you, Luke…it will always be you.”
THE END!
*~*
Hogwarts at Christmas time was, while very beautiful, extremely lonely. Almost everyone in the castle, Luke included, would return home to be with their families during the holidays. Noah usually stayed at school, while his father was away on assignments and spent Christmas alone in Gryffindor Tower.
But this year was different. Luke’s family was off to the States to visit relatives for the holidays, and Luke had the option of going with them or staying behind since he was sixteen and almost of age. Luke decided to stay behind and spend Christmas with Noah. He told his family that he didn’t want Noah to be alone for Christmas, since his father was out of the country, but if Luke was being honest to them, it was all because it would be the perfect opportunity for them to have some alone time.
They had been dating ever since that kiss they shared by the Black Lake in their Fourth Year. And now that they were Sixth Years, and were thrust into their N.E.W.T. level classes, they were having a hard time finding time to be together. They relished in the weekends that they were permitted to go to Hogsmeade, as it was the only opportunity to go on dates while at Hogwarts, and used every moment they could spare to be together. But nothing ever gave them substantial time to really enjoy each other’s company.
Noah was extremely thrilled that Luke would be spending Christmas with him at Hogwarts, but he was also incredibly nervous. With everyone being gone for the holidays, they would be the only ones in their dormitory in Gryffindor Tower. Just the two of them.
They had never been fully alone before, and Noah was pretty sure what would happen when they were. The physical part of their relationship was already a huge struggle to keep at bay, but now that no one was going to be around to keep them from getting closer, Noah knew that there would be no holding back.
He was really excited, and was sure that making love to Luke was what he wanted more than anything, but he was still really scared. He had never had sex before, and the pessimistic thoughts that followed that fact just kept escalating. He kept having to remind himself that Luke cared for him, and that he would protect him in bed if needed. And he knew that he would do the same in a heartbeat if needed. It was that thought alone that kept him going.
When Christmas Eve rolled around, Noah and Luke were sitting in the Great Hall for the Christmas Eve feast with only a handful of other students and a few teachers. Despite the small number of people, the house-elves still out-did themselves, leaving every person at the table bursting at the seams after dessert.
Noah and Luke barely spoke to each other throughout the meal, only managing to steal small glances here and there between conversations with others at the table. Both were fairly certain of the events that were going to unfold later that evening in the recesses of their vacated dorm room.
When the feast was finished and Luke and Noah had given well wishes to the other students and teachers, both boys began to quietly make their way back to the Gryffindor common room. They walked briskly side by side, pausing only to allow the staircases to finish changing before continuing on. When they had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Noah spoke “Gobbledegook!”, and the portrait swung open.
They stepped into the empty common room, the small fire in the hearth giving off a soft glow to the room. They headed straight for the spiraling stairs that led to the boy’s dormitories, and headed to their room. Luke opened the wooden door and stepped inside, Noah following on his heels. He shut the door behind him, pausing for a brief moment to catch his breath before turning around.
When he turned to face the room, he saw Luke standing at the foot of Noah’s four-poster bed, his normal confident personality gone from his person. Thick flakes of snow were falling heavily out the window to their right, giving promise of a very White Christmas. The fire in the center of the room was casting a shadow onto Luke’s face, and Noah thought that he had never looked more beautiful in his entire life.
He began to walk slowly toward Luke, never leaving his eyes. When finally he was standing before Luke, with barely any room in between them, the blonde lowered his gaze.
“We don’t have to do this.”
Noah reached up and brought Luke’s chin back up to face him.
“Is that what you want?”
“Yes…I mean, no, this is definitely what I want, Noah, but if you aren’t ready…”
“Hey,” Noah interrupted, bringing both of his hands up to cup Luke’s face. “If this wasn’t what I wanted, I wouldn’t be here right now, would I?”
Luke smiled softly at Noah, before rising up on his toes to kiss his mouth. The familiar passion ignited between them, but this time it felt a bit differently. This time both knew that they would be able to, for once, finally give in to their passion. To both boys, it felt extremely electrifying and freeing.
After a few moments of intense kissing, Luke abruptly broke away from Noah.
“Wait, Noah,” he told him quickly and very much out of breath. “Slow down for a moment.”
“Are you having second thoughts?”
“NO! No…no, I’m not having seconds thoughts, Noah…I just really have something to tell you before we go any further.”
Noah swallowed hard and his heart rate sped up as he waited with bated breath for Luke to continue speaking.
“It’s just…Noah…you’ve been my best friend for almost six years, and my boyfriend for almost two. And I just…I can’t imagine my life without you in it. I want everything with you, and I want to share everything with you. I go to sleep at night with your face in my head, and I wake up every morning hoping that you are the first thing that I see…” Luke paused, and took a deep breath before continuing. “It’s just that…I’ve realized…what it comes down to is…I’m in love with you.”
Noah’s stomach didn’t just flip at Luke’s words, it completely inverted itself, before landing with a large thud on his insides. His heart swelled with emotion, as he felt complete warmth traveling the lengths of his entire body. Luke loved him…
“I love you, Noah…I think I always have…ever since the Sorting Ceremony six years ago.”
Noah just stood there… words completely deserting his brain, and leaving only thoughts of Luke behind. He stared into Luke’s eyes, seeing flashes of smiles, simple touches, and kisses embedded in his darkened hues. To him, it all looked very much like forever.
“I love you too, Luke,” he finally whispered, his lips curling into a bright smile. “More than anything.”
Luke’s smile lit up the circular room and the deepest corners of Noah’s being. He quickly flung his arms around Noah’s neck and smashed their lips together. No longer was it a kiss between boyfriends, their lips were kissing each other for the first time as lovers, and Luke and Noah could instantly feel the difference. Every brush of lips, every touch of tongues was intensified and their mouths seemed to be moving of their own accord.
Noah carefully maneuvered them to the side of the bed, before gently lowering them onto it. Noah pushed his body completely against Luke’s, creating a perfect mirror image of their first kiss.
As their lips remained locked in a heated embrace, clothes were removed, skin was discovered, and for the first time in their young lives, neither boy needed their wands to create magic.
*~*
Noah’s nerves went haywire as complete euphoria sent extreme chills all over his body in remembrance of the night that he and Luke had first made love. He knew that it was now or never. Focusing all of his energy into the spell, he saw one last glimpse of honey-brown before lifting his wand and shouting into the open room.
“EXPECTO PATRONUM!”
At once, silver light illuminated the entire room from the tip of his wand, and then shot through the air. The light swirled around for a bit before materializing into shape in the center of the room. It took Noah a few moments to recognize the form, but when he did, his heart swelled and he smiled widely, before causing his successful Patronus to soar freely throughout the room.
+++++
Noah took a bite of the chocolate bar that Professor Potter had given him after his lesson, as he made his way across the castle grounds. The afternoon wind was light and crisp, causing small ripples to form on the surface of the Black Lake. Spring season was one of Noah’s favorite times at Hogwarts. The grass that once was buried and brown underneath layers of white snow was now soft and green again. The sun was shining brightly between white, fluffy clouds, but the gentle breeze kept the temperature cool and comfortable. He saw that the tall trees of the Forbidden Forest were becoming thick again as their leaves began to grow after a long winter.
Noah continued to take in his surroundings as he walked along the lake. His lesson with Professor Potter was still on his mind, when he finally saw him. That familiar head of blonde was unmistakable, even at a distance. He was sitting with his back against a tree, their tree, and his eyes were deeply fixed on the book in front of him.
Noah changed course and took a wider path so Luke wouldn’t see him out of his peripheral vision. He walked quickly toward the tree, making a large arc so he would come up to him from the back of the tree. When he had arrived to his destination, Luke’s eyes were still on the words in front of him, and Noah took the opportunity to slip in behind him. He sat between Luke and the large tree trunk, with the shorter boy resting comfortably in between his long legs.
Luke tore his eyes away from the book and turned to face his boyfriend with a large smile.
“Hi,” he greeted simply, scooting closer to Noah’s body.
“Hey,” Noah smiled, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I missed you this morning. How was Quidditch practice?”
“Ugh…it was rough,” Luke told him, resting his head against Noah’s hard chest. “Ever since Layla Stone’s cauldron blew up on her in Potions last week, she has been stuck in the hospital wing, so I had to try and find a replacement Chaser last minute for our final match next weekend.”
“Did you find anyone?”
“I gave Peter Fletchley Layla’s spot…although I wasn’t quite happy with it,” Luke admitted. “He’s a pretty fair flyer, but not up to Chaser standards. If we needed a Beater, he would be perfect. He doesn’t have the best shot either, but hopefully Lynn Taylor and I can pick up his slack.”
“I’m sure you guys will do great…I hear Ravenclaw’s not that good anymore ever since Mikey Randolf was kicked off the team because he was caught trying to hex Bailey Brighton a couple of weeks ago.”
“Yeah, that’s what we are hoping…” Luke sighed, the kind of sigh that gave Noah the impression that Luke had more on his mind than a simple Quidditch match.
“What’s on your mind, Luke?”
“It’s nothing really,” he replied after a bit of silence. “I just can’t stop thinking about how I successfully morphed into a stallion yesterday…after all this time…”
“Are you going to tell someone?” Noah asked, smiling inside at the thought of how his boyfriend had successfully become an Animagus at sixteen, after months of secretly working on it. “You have to register yourself, you know?”
“I know…and I will get around to it, I just want to be able to practice a few more times and make sure that I can really do it….But hey! I forgot…how was your lesson with Professor Potter?”
“It was really good, actually,” Noah said, thinking back to the last few hours. “It was pretty challenging, and exhausting, but very, very good. He helped me a lot.”
“Oh yeah?” Luke asked, turning his head to look his boyfriend in the eye. “What did he teach you?”
“He taught me how to produce a Patronus Charm,” Noah said matter of factly.
“Really?!” Luke said excitedly, turning around fully so that his whole body was facing Noah. “That’s really advanced magic! Were you able to conjure one?”
“Yep,” Noah smiled at his boyfriend’s enthusiasm, and the great pride he saw in his eyes.
“A shield Patronus or a corporeal form?”
“Both!”
“Oh my God!” Luke threw his arms around Noah’s neck. “That’s awesome Noah! What did your corporeal form take? Oh wait…let me guess…”
Noah laughed, and waited for Luke’s first guess.
“Let’s see…what animal fits you best…what about a lion?”
“A lion? Why would you guess that?”
“Well, lions are strong, and silent, and have great pride in themselves. They are also natural protectors, and that just seems to fit you really well.”
“Hmm…I suppose that is a good guess…but a wrong one. Keep guessing!”
For the next few minutes, Luke tried unsuccessfully to guess Noah’s animal Patronus, each guess becoming more obscure than the one before. Finally, Luke got fed up and just forced Noah to tell him what it is.
“Fine, Noah! I give up! Just tell me what it is already before I go crazy!”
Noah smiled briefly at the blonde, before quickly turning serious. He grabbed both of Luke’s hands in his before looking deeply into his eyes.
“It was a horse, Luke,” Noah confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. “My Patronus was a stallion.”
Luke’s mouth parted in shock, and his eyes began to fill with tears of joy.
“R-really?”
Noah released one of Luke’s hands, and brought his own up to tenderly cup Luke’s face.
“Really.”
Luke’s heart swelled at the thought that Noah’s Patronus was a stallion because of him…because he loved him.
“I love you too, Noah…so much.”
Noah brought Luke’s face to his for a breathtaking and grateful kiss. Luke wrapped his arms tighter around Noah’s neck, and sighed. Noah’s mouth tasted like chocolate, and sweetness, and pure love, and to Luke the mixture was absolutely intoxicating.
Noah’s arms snaked around Luke’s small waist, and he flushed their bodies closer together. He sucked in air through his nose, and was overwhelmed by the scent of Luke and Springtime.
When they pulled apart, Luke gently rested his forehead against Noah’s.
“So what did you think about, Noah?” Luke asked him, his breath falling onto Noah’s lips. “In order to conjure your Patronus?”
Noah backed his head away so he was once again gazing into Luke’s honey brown eyes, eyes that had turned into home over the past six years.
“It was you, Luke…it will always be you.”
THE END!