Not A V-Day Ficathon Fic: "Needles And Pins", Chapter 4
Greetings yet again, fellow Harry/Cedric shippers, and welcome to the fourth and final chapter of "Needles And Pins"! Yes, dear ones, I have braved the wilds of Arizona and survived, laboring away at my lonely keyboard and cursing the slowness of my father-in-law's dialup connection to bring this storyarc to a satisfying close. Thanks, again, to all who have commented, and to those of you who haven't, please do, whether you're reading this a day, a week, a month, a year from the post date. This is my very first completed HP fandom story EVER, and by far the longest and, I believe, the best fiction I've ever written, in any genre. I blame credit the incredible hotness talent of Dan Radcliffe and Rob Pattinson in their respective roles as Harry and Cedric in 'HP & the Goblet of Fire', and therefore would like to dedicate "Needles And Pins" to them, to all the Harry/Cedric fans out there, to Mike Newell for making by far my favorite HP film yet, and to my wonderful slash-friendly husband, who so kindly beta-read this story for me.
As you may know if you have been reading "Needles And Pins", the three previous chapters have followed a natural progression, to wit:
Chapter 1 = G
Chapter 2 = strong PG13
Chapter 3 = strong R
Yes, you guessed it, dear ones, Chapter 4 is rated NC17 for explicit male/male sexual activity, a bit of dom/sub play and a few naughty words. Just wanted to be clear with y'all on that. Here are updated headers for the series as a whole.
Title: Needles And Pins
Author: seven_of_velvet
Rating: G - NC17
Pairing: Harry/Cedric
Warnings: explicit m/m sex, a bit of dom/sub play
Summary: Harry gets tired of waiting and finally sends a Valentine to the object of his affections. Cedric gets a bit more than he bargained for.
Archive? I'd be honored, but please ask first.
Now. On to the chapter. Ten thousand thanks. It's been grand.
--Seven
Needles And Pins, Chapter 4
If Harry thought that Cedric's hand on his prick had felt good, it was nothing to the feel of his tongue. He felt his fingers tighten convulsively in Cedric's hair, and his eyes squeezed shut as Cedric licked him again, this time with a little extra swipe round the head. That move earned Cedric a desperate whimper and an involuntary surge of Harry's hips. Cedric raised his head for a moment, as Harry clenched his other hand into a fist and forced himself to stop moving, not wanting to give Cedric any reason to stop what he was doing. But he did stop, just long enough to whisper, "Harry, look at me." Harry opened his eyes, trying his best to focus them on Cedric's face, and was rewarded for his fortitude by the incredible sight of Cedric gripping the base of Harry's erection in one hand, and then sliding his mouth down it, as far as it could go.
Cedric had, wisely, taken the precaution of placing his other hand firmly on Harry's hip, preventing Harry from choking him as he jerked upwards again, helplessly, with a shout of pleasure. Cedric had apparently had enough of teasing Harry himself, because he worked his mouth up and down in a firm, steady rhythm, pulling back every now and then to lick lasciviously at the head of Harry's cock, his fingers gently massaging Harry's balls and the tender patch just behind them. Harry babbled nonsensically, both his hands now gripping the back of Cedric's head, "Oh God please ohh yes don't stop, yeah, fuck - so good, don't stop please oh please - ahh - Cedric - !
Harry stilled for an instant, not even breathing, every muscle tense; Cedric hummed throatily around his mouthful, and that was it. Harry howled brokenly, fireworks of pleasure bursting through his whole body. He felt his come pulsing into Cedric's mouth, his body curling around the other boy's, his hands clawing at Cedric's back and shoulders, feet scrabbling for purchase around his hips. To his credit, Cedric rode out Harry's orgasm without breaking their contact, swallowing neatly with one hand gripping the base of Harry's cock, the other arm wrapped around Harry's thigh. He gentled Harry down and through the aftershocks, cupping his balls tenderly and finally giving his spent prick one last, loving slide upwards, cleaning it of the last traces of semen. Harry gasped for breath, shuddering uncontrollably; at last, he flopped back down onto the bed, opened his eyes and wiped away the traces of tears that were the result of squeezing his eyes shut so tightly. He gazed up at the canopy blankly, and then it resolved into Cedric's flushed face and wildly untidy hair as he crawled back up Harry's body. The older boy smiled devilishly, wiping the back of a hand across his chin, making Harry shudder once more with pleasure at what they had just done. Harry had the presence of mind to gasp out, "God - wow - thank you. That was amazing."
Cedric flopped down next to Harry, wrapping his arms around him and nuzzling his face into Harry's neck. He seemed a bit out of breath too, puffing hotly into Harry's ear as he kissed Harry openmouthed, just at the join of head and neck. "Mmm," he grunted, "so glad you enjoyed. Like I said," he continued, interrupting himself briefly to bite at the tendon in Harry's neck, "I've been wanting to do that for a long time." Harry had jerked back at the feeling of being bitten, not sure he particularly cared for it, but Cedric soothed the hurt with a lick and a soft kiss. It didn't esape Harry's notice, however, that Cedric was undulating against him, his prick still stiff and hot, tilting his hips against his younger companion's in a gentle but unmistakable rhythm. Harry turned his head to look at Cedric, and was floored again by the seductive, heavy-lidded gaze, the smile that seemed to promise a world of sensual pleasure and delight. Harry did his best to match it, then purred, "Something I can do for you?"
Cedric immediately rolled half on top of Harry, breathed impatiently, "I thought you'd never ask," and without further warning, kissed Harry hungrily, his tongue thrusting into Harry's mouth. Harry couldn't help thinking about what that tongue had just been doing, and was a little less enthused about the kiss than Cedric was at first. But, Harry thought after a moment, there was also something undeniably hot about it, and once he got over his initial hesitance he began to enjoy the taste of himself in Cedric's mouth. Cedric had got one thigh between Harry's and was thrusting steadily against his hip, which was sexy, but also beginning to irritate Harry's still-sensitive cock and balls. Harry put a hand up to Cedric's chest to stop him, the tip of his pinky finger connecting inadvertently with Cedric's right nipple, and Cedric gave a little shudder and groaned into the kiss. Harry remembered, in a flash of heat, how Cedric had reacted to having his nipples pinched, and wondered even more heatedly how he would react to having his nipples pinched while simultaneously having his cock stroked. Harry wasn't sure he wanted to reciprocate what Cedric had just done to him - not because he didn't like the idea, but because he didn't think he'd be any good at it. Not without some more firsthand experience, anyway. But he was reasonably sure he could take Cedric in hand and satisfy him that way.
And then an idea - a plan - a wicked, but brilliant plan - sprang into his head, fully formed. He wondered for a split second whether he could pull it off, and then decided to do what he always did, namely, charge forward and rely on his Gryffindor courage and audacity to see him through.
He put his other hand against Cedric's chest, careful not to touch the older boy's nipples this time, and pushed him up gently. "Wait, hang on a second." Cedric looked down at Harry a bit dazedly, and Harry quickly said, "That's getting a little sore on me, you know, down there." Cedric quickly shifted his weight off Harry's groin and said, "Sorry, guess I was being a little overenthusiastic." "It's all right, no worries," Harry reassured him. "But listen, I've got a better idea, okay? Something I've been wanting to do for a long time." And he smiled promisingly, caressing Cedric's shoulders and upper arms. Cedric responded, "Sure, okay - what did you have in mind?" Harry's smile broadened and he sat up, grabbing the generously-sized pillows and shoving two of them behind his back against the head of the bed. He scooted up a bit further, spread his legs and opened his arms, and said, "Okay. Come here." Cedric smiled gratefully and began to approach Harry again, but Harry stopped him with a hand on his chest again, and said, "Not like that." Cedric gave Harry a confused look. "Turn around, lay against me with your back to me. Yeah - yeah." Now Cedric seemed to cotton on, and did as he was told.
Harry wrapped his arms affectionately around the older boy's shoulders and just held him for a minute. Cedric, despite his unsatisfied state, seemed perfectly happy to pause for this intimate little moment. His hands came up to grasp Harry's forearms, and he shut his eyes and snuggled back into Harry a bit more closely. Harry buried his nose in Cedric's hair and took a deep breath, inhaling Cedric's uniquely comforting scent - almost like rising bread dough, he thought, combined with something deeper and muskier - and let it out in a happy, satisfied sigh. He whispered into Cedric's ear, "Thank you. That was fabulous." Cedric sighed too, then, and as Harry kissed his temple and the corner of his jaw, he murmured, "Mmm, it was my pleasure, and you're very welcome." Harry felt his lover's deep voice resonate into his own chest and gave Cedric an extra squeeze, then whispered wickedly into his ear, "Oh, I think this will be your pleasure," and very deliberately ran his palms across Cedric's nipples.
Cedric's response was everything Harry had been hoping for. He groaned, gripped Harry's knees hard and tossed his head to one side, his whole body giving a writhing shudder than made Harry's prick twitch, in spite of his powerful orgasm just a few minutes ago. Harry couldn't resist trying that circling caress that Cedric had demonstrated on him, and he liked that reaction so much he did it again. And again, and again, watching Cedric shudder and gasp, jerk and writhe and whimper. And then Harry decided to roll those tempting buds - gently - between his thumbs and forefingers again. By now, Harry had noticed Cedric's right hand, which was alternating between gripping Harry's thigh, drifting down towards his crotch, and then returning to clench Harry's thigh even harder. Harry was pretty sure he knew what that meant, and he knew his plan was proceeding just as he had hoped. "Is there something you need down there?" he asked sweetly, right into Cedric's ear. Cedric gasped, swallowed, then said, low and intent, "Harry - ah. Please."
But that wasn't good enough for Harry. "Please, what?" He rolled the now rock-hard nipples around again, watched Cedric shudder, watched the hand almost make contact with Cedric's cock, then jerk away and curl around Harry's thigh as if it meant to hide underneath. "God - come on, touch me. Please." Harry chuckled quietly, and responded in the most innocent tone of voice imaginable, "But I am touching you, Cedric. I thought you were enjoying it." Harry went back to the palm circles again, and Cedric whined loudly, jerking his hips up, before he gave a frustrated little gasp and said, very impatiently, "You know what I want - you did it before - come on, Harry!" This was the moment Harry had been waiting for. He stopped his light, teasing caresses, grabbed Cedric's pecs firmly, and purred into his ear, "I want to hear you ask me for exactly what you want. Nicely. Or, if you can't bring yourself to do that, maybe you could just go ahead and finish the job yourself. I'm sure it wouldn't take you long." As he spoke, he released his right hand from Cedric's chest and ran his forefinger down the sparse trail of hair leading from his navel down to where his cock strained darkly against his belly, leaking globs of pearlescent liquid. Harry longed to taste that liquid, grab that hot prick in his hand and stroke it till it gushed against Cedric's belly; he ached to hear Cedric beg for Harry to make him come, burned to watch Cedric stroke himself to completion, writhing in Harry's arms and shouting Harry's name as he did so. He wanted all those things fiercely, couldn't choose between them for himself, and so, in this breathless stroke of inspiration, he had decided to make Cedric choose.
Cedric had stilled in Harry's arms, except for his labored breathing, apparently taken aback by Harry's sudden demands. With his head still on Cedric's shoulder, Harry watched Cedric blink once, twice, then heard him say faintly, "You're really rather evil, did you know that?" Harry laughed low and intimate, ran his hands down Cedric's heaving chest and stomach again, and said, "I told you, I have a good imagination. And I'm not evil at all, I've given you a choice. Although," he mused, almost as if to himself, "the Sorting Hat did almost put me in Slytherin. So maybe you're right, maybe I am a little bit evil. Aren't you enjoying yourself anymore, Cedric? Do you want to stop?" Harry accompanied this question with a slide of his palms over Cedric's ribcage and up over his nipples again, feeling perhaps a bit evil, after all. He certainly got a wicked thrill out of seeing Cedric jump and gasp again at the sudden sensation, and out of knowing what Cedric would say next.
The older boy shook his head decisively. "No, of course I don't want to stop. And yes, I'm still enjoying myself, but you're obviously enjoying this too!" He wriggled his hips back into Harry's, making Harry bite his lip at the sudden sensation on his now fully-recovered cock. It was true, he was having a fabulous time teasing Cedric like this, and despite the other boy's protestations, he thought Cedric was definitely enjoying himself, perhaps rather more than he was willing to admit. Harry had had fun; his little plan had worked brilliantly, but now it was time to end the game. "Of course I'm enjoying it. Who wouldn't?" He chuckled into his lover's ear again, and now Cedric, on needles and pins of anticipation and desire, squirmed just at the sound of it. Ahh. Perfect.
"So, which would you prefer, Cedric?" Harry ran his hands all over Cedric's chest and stomach again, carefully avoiding his nipples this time. "Are you going to ask me nicely to give you what you want? Or are you going to let me watch you do it to yourself?" He undulated against Cedric as he repeated each option, rubbing his cock against the small of the older boy's back, making sure Cedric knew how aroused he was by both of them. And he hoped Cedric would choose quickly.
He wasn't disappointed. Cedric gave an anguished groan, then followed it up with a muttered, "Just - my nipples, please, like you did before, and don't stop - " Harry quickly resumed the flat-palmed caress that Cedric liked so much, watching his cock twitch and release another pearl of precome onto his stomach as the older boy took it in a firm grip. Harry hissed as his arousal rocketed up several notches, watching Cedric stroke himself, slowly at first but very quickly speeding up. He tried alternating the palmstrokes with nipple pinches and rolls, and watched deliriously as Cedric bucked up into his fist as every stroke and pinch hit home, his other hand creeping around to cup his balls. His eyes were tightly closed, his mouth open on whimpers and gasps and swearwords, and Harry thought he might come again just from watching the glorious sight. He whispered hotly into Cedric's ear, "Oh yeah baby, show me, that's it - God, you're beautiful," and Cedric, lost in his pleasure, responded with groans that threatened to undo Harry's composure. He continued shoving his own stiff cock against Cedric's lower back, feeling it move slickly along the increasing trails of precome, feeling the quick rhythm of Cedric's right arm vibrate through him like the shocks of an earthquake. Watching Cedric masturbate reminded Harry powerfully, almost disorientingly, of all the times he had done it to himself, all the times he had brought himself to orgasm fantasizing about watching Cedric do the same thing. But the reality of it, feeling and seeing the pleasure-wracked young man lying gasping and shuddering in his arms, was fantastically hotter than anything Harry had imagined before.
Soon Cedric's body gave a massive jerk, and as he cried out, "Harry," Harry thought that the critical moment had come. But before he knew what was happening, Cedric had surged up out of his embrace and turned himself over onto Harry, bearing him down under his greater weight. Harry had of course known very well that Cedric was bigger and stronger than himself, but was certainly not expecting the older boy to take advantage of that fact so suddenly, at this moment, and at first he was quite startled. But Cedric licked frantically at Harry's open mouth, then gave an ecstatic moan as he aligned his body with Harry's, slid his left hand under Harry's shoulder and took both their pricks together in his now very hot and rather sticky right hand. Harry jumped in surprise at the sudden sensation, then groaned at the surge of pleasure and arousal. He dimly heard Cedric beg him, "Nipples - fuck - don't stop - ohGod - " and unable to do more than moan himself in reply, did as he was asked.
The sudden, decisive way in which Cedric had taken control of their encounter, along with the heightened sensation and arousal, had turned Harry's brain to mush. He had clasped his legs around Cedric's hips and was thrusting up into that incredible grip, feeling the head of Cedric's cock slide against his in a slick of their combined precome. Harry trembled and wailed, so close he could taste it, and at that Cedric dropped his head to Harry's shoulder and growled incoherently into his ear. He thrust his whole body against Harry's, hard enough to shove Harry's head up against the head of the bed; his grip tightened convulsively and, with a wild thrill, Harry felt Cedric's cock pulse against his own, felt Cedric's come spurting over his own prick, smearing and dripping onto his belly. It was all Harry needed, and he yelled wordlessly, bucked up against his lover and came harder than he ever had before, feeling his semen shooting up and over their stomachs, dripping down to mingle with Cedric's, painting them both with ecstasy.
Awareness came slowly back to Harry; Cedric's weight on him, his heaving breaths hot against Harry's neck, his hand still lazily stroking them together, squeezing out the last drops of pleasure; the hot sticky mess smeared between them, the scent of sex in the air around them. Harry weakly unclenched his fingers from Cedric's chest, pressing his palms flat to give himself a bit more room to breathe. As he did so, he hissed at a sharp pain in the top of his right shoulder, and realized Cedric had bitten him there a moment ago. He thought dizzily of what Cedric had been doing during that bite, and this time he found he didn't mind quite so much. As he had done before, Cedric dotted tiny kisses and licks over the bitten spot in apology, between gasping breaths. After a moment of stillness, Cedric finally removed his hand from their cocks, running it sensuously across Harry's come-smeared stomach for a moment before wiping it on the sheets. Harry gave a little moaning sigh of satisfaction as he felt Cedric slide that still-hot hand under his shoulder, taking Harry in a warm embrace. He finally lifted his head to look Harry in the eyes, and he gave Harry a lazy, beatific smile of satisfaction, but he didn't say anything. Harry, not feeling up to conversation yet himself, just smiled back dazedly, then took Cedric's face in his hands and brought it to his own for a long, sweet kiss.
The two of them looked into each other's eyes a moment longer, forehead to forehead, before Cedric pulled his left hand out from under Harry, then shifted his weight to his right side, leaving his left thigh between Harry's legs and laying his head down on Harry's unbitten shoulder. Harry promptly brought his arms up to catch Cedric in a close embrace, nuzzling his face into the older boy's hair and laying a kiss on the top of his head. Harry had always enjoyed the sweet, languid afterglow of a good orgasm, but experiencing it now for the first time with another person, especially this person, it seemed incredibly intimate and precious, almost sacred. Harry didn't want to speak, or even move, except for stroking his hand through Cedric's hair. They seemed to be locked together in a moment out of time, away from the busyness and problems of life at Hogwarts. Harry could almost believe that they weren't at Hogwarts at all, but somewhere far away; that they were different people, even, with no Tournaments or fugitive godfathers or Dark Lords to worry about at all. He hugged Cedric tightly, never wanting this moment to end.
Cedric's left hand came up to caress Harry's chest and shoulder, stroking gently around the bitten spot. Finally, almost reluctantly, he whispered, "Sorry - didn't realize how hard that was. It'll probably leave a mark...but I can heal it for you, if you want. You know. With my wand." He curled his hand around Harry's side and squeezed gently, then sighed and relaxed. "S'okay," Harry whispered back, shaking his head, his mouth in Cedric's hair. "I don't mind. Let it heal naturally. I'll just make sure no one else sees it. Our little secret." He felt Cedric's "Mmm" vibrate through his chest, and smiled at the feeling. They lapsed into comfortable silence again, but Harry knew that the spell had been broken.
A minute later, Cedric sighed again, shifted, then said, "The Sorting Hat almost put you in Slytherin? What on earth possessed you to say that?" Harry grimaced internally; he might have known that was going to come back to haunt him. "I'm not sure what possessed me to say it," he responded honestly. "But it's true. "'Slytherin would help you on your way, no doubt about that', that's what it said. The Hat only put me in Gryffindor because that's where I wanted to be." Harry paused, on the verge of saying more on the subject, then realized that perhaps he had already said too much. "But look, Cedric -" He paused, and the Hufflepuff raised his head to look at Harry, an unfathomable look in his grey eyes. Harry, stunned by their sudden depth and beauty, took a moment to continue, "Nobody else knows about that except Dumbledore, so I'd appreciate it if you kept it to yourself."
Cedric frowned a bit, propping himself up on his elbow so he could more easily look Harry in the face, then said, "Of course I will. I'm surprised you thought you had to ask." Harry couldn't help grimacing then, looking away from Cedric as he did so, and Cedric noticed. He appeared to understand what that look meant, and he took Harry's hand in his, saying, "Hey. Whatever happens between us, Harry, whatever we do and say when we're alone, will stay between us. Just between us. I promise. Okay?" Harry couldn't help trusting the solemn, earnest look on that beautiful face. He smiled, squeezed Cedric's hand and said, "Yeah. I promise, too. Thanks." That seemed to satisfy Cedric; he smiled again, then pulled Harry close for another lingering kiss, the tip of his tongue caressing the soft skin just inside Harry's lower lip.
Harry pulled back, his fingers caressing the side of Cedric's face, his thumb on Cedric's chin. They stayed that way for a moment more, then Harry's hand moved down to touch the heavy gold chain around the older boy's neck. He glanced at Cedric's face, asking silently for permission, and Cedric smiled a bit shyly and lowered his eyelashes, giving it equally silently. He pulled the chain up a bit, admiring the complex-looking pattern of interwoven rings, and looked at the pendant more closely. To his surprise, Harry saw that it was in fact a fang of some kind; the yellowish coloration, darkening to brown near the top, made it look old. It seemed an odd sort of thing for Cedric to wear, and now that their more urgent needs had been satisfied, Harry's curiosity got the better of him. He looked at Cedric again, hefting the pendant in one hand, and asked, "So tell me about this - what is it? Family heirloom of some sort?"
"A badger tooth," Cedric answered. Harry raised his eyebrows. "And yes, it was my great-great-grandfather's pocketwatch chain. The story goes, great-great-Grandfather Archibald went out hunting with his dogs one day, and they cornered a badger and killed it, and he took one of the fangs and had it made into a watch fob. They're supposed to be good luck for gamblers, and boy he sure was one, if any of the other stories about him are true. Anyway, he gave it to his son - whose name was Cedric, by the way - when he went to Hogwarts, and it must have been lucky for him, because he was Head Boy. So it's been passed down in our family ever since. My dad gave it to me when I became Hufflepuff's Quidditch Captain last year, and now that I'm - you know - in the Tournament, he says it'll be extra good luck for me. So of course he's expecting I'll be Head Boy next year myself, although," and here Cedric rolled his eyes a bit, his tone of voice turning a bit exasperated, "To be honest, he would probably expect that of me anyway, badger tooth or no." He paused for a moment, then turned to Harry with a look on his face Harry had never seen there before, a look of weary anxiety, tinged with sadness. He said, "Sometimes it's not easy, all those expectations, you know?"
Harry's heart contracted with compassion for Cedric. He nodded, clasping Cedric's hand in his again, and said earnestly, "Yeah. I know exactly what you mean." They kissed again, tenderly at first, but soon Harry, overcome with emotion for his new lover, deepened the kiss, grasping Cedric's shoulders and heaving himself up to turn them over in the bed. Despite two intense orgasms that evening, Harry felt his arousal return again as he rolled on top of Cedric, kissing him hard now and hitching his hips snugly into the other boy's. He thought of all the other things he and Cedric could do together, and the possibilities excited him immensely. Harry couldn't imagine, now, how he might have been reluctant to take Cedric into his mouth and pleasure him as Cedric had done; and he remembered something else he had said, in response to a direct question of Cedric's earlier in the evening. Now that he had had his first sexual experience with someone else, someone he cared about a lot, Harry felt ready for anything. They might both have things to worry about, problems to face and difficulties to overcome, but now Harry felt he really had someone else to face them with, and that made all the difference.
He drew back, planting a last brushing kiss onto Cedric's mouth, but before he could speak, Cedric said, "This has been amazing, Harry. You've been amazing, and I can't thank you enough. When I got your Valentine, it was the first indication I really had that you might, you know, feel the same way about me that I did about you. Like I said before, I wasn't expecting anything like this to happen today. I mean, I had planned to catch you on Saturday, and see if you wanted to go somewhere private and, you know, just - just talk." He finally ran out of words, and Harry smiled down at him smugly, saying, "I guess we were both ready for more than just talking, weren't we? And does this mean we aren't getting together on Saturday like you'd planned? Because I don't know about you, but I'd sure like to." Cedric quickly nodded, smiling brilliantly, and said, "You're on. We might not be able to use this room again, but I'm sure we can find someplace else. Probably." He looked unsure, as though already thinking of possible private meeting locations.
And just like that, another brilliant plan sprang into Harry's mind, and he said to Cedric, "I think I know exactly where we can go to be alone, as long as we're careful. It might seem a little weird at first, and you'll have to trust me that it's safe, but it's the perfect place. And," he continued blithely, trying not to let the smugness he felt sound in his voice. "I think maybe I've changed my mind about not being ready to have sex. I mean," he continued, plastering an innocent look onto his face, "This Tournament's awfully dangerous, right?"
Cedric looked confused. "What?" Harry went on, "Oh, well, you know, I've heard half the Champions have died in the past." Cedric said, still looking confused but now suspicious as well, "What's your point, Harry?" Finally Harry dropped the innocent look, smirked deviously, and purred, "Well, I don't know about you, but I would hate to die a virgin." Finally enlightened, Cedric rolled his eyes and snorted. "Honestly, Harry, no one's going to die. Crouch and Bagman wouldn't let that happen, to say nothing of the Headmaster. However," here he raised his eyebrows, and his voice dropped a note or two. "About this virgin thing...well, we'll see what we can do, eh?" And he smirked in what Harry thought was a very promising way.
They kissed once more, Harry's hands on Cedric's face again, feeling the first hint of stubble on his jaw and chin. It reminded Harry that really, it was time for them to go. It was now fully dark outside, dinner was long over, and -
Harry broke away from Cedric suddenly, jumped up and said, panic-stricken, "Shite! Filch!" Cedric, once more taken aback, sat up and watched as Harry scrambled off the bed and began searching frantically for his clothes. He said, rather crossly, "Filch? What about him?" Harry pulled his shirt on, grabbed his socks and underwear off the floor and yanked them on, gasping, "I have a detention with him at eight! If I'm late, he'll give me ten more, and knowing Filch, he'd keep me all day on Saturday!" He fumbled around the table for his glasses, nearly knocking Cedric's still half-full Butterbeer bottle onto the floor, before he heard Cedric say, "Harry, slow down, you're fine. It's only 7.30, you've got plenty of time." He looked up and found that Cedric was right beside him, still entirely naked and warm from the bed. Harry, able to see clearly for the first time since they had been on the couch, stared unabashedly.
Cedric was - he was glorious. Harry could think of no better word to describe him, and he sent up a silent prayer of thanks to any deities who might be listening, for sending him this gorgeous young man. He put out a shaky hand, ran it down Cedric's chest and stomach, all the way down to his hip, and back up again. Cedric watched him silently, an understanding smile on his face. Harry, still overwhelmed at his good fortune, whispered, "God, you're so beautiful." Cedric's eyes sparkled as he pulled his young lover in his arms and kissed him affectionately. Harry stood up on tiptoe and wrapped his arms around Cedric's neck, holding him close; he felt the taller boy's hands stroke his back, up and down, and heard Cedric whisper in his ear, "So are you, love. So are you."
They held onto each other a few moments longer, then Cedric pulled away gently, saying, "As much as I hate to say it, it really is time to go. It's been over two hours now, and I'm sure my fellow Prefects will try to pry out of me what I was doing in here for so long, and with whom." Harry, who was pulling his trousers on, gave him a sharp look, but before he could say anything, Cedric reassured him, "Of course, they will be uniformly unsuccessful." Harry might have said something then, but was distracted by the delicious sight of Cedric turning around and bending over to pick up his own clothes off the floor. Harry swallowed, his trousers suddenly feeling rather tight again, and resolutely he turned around to finish dressing, before he started something they really didn't have time for.
By the time he had finished tying his shoes and shrugged on his robe again, Cedric was fully dressed too, and disposing of their unfinished Butterbeers. He ran a hand through his hair, effectively smoothing it down and making it look much less ruffled than it had before, and Harry wished it was that easy for him. Cedric retrieved his wand from the end table, reversed the Transfiguration on the sofa, then went back to his desk to pick up his book bag. Harry picked up his own bag from the chair where he had left it, and looked over to see Cedric standing there, staring at him with a wistful expression on his face. Harry smiled reassuringly, feeling wistful himself at having to leave, but looking forward to Saturday. Cedric shook his head for a moment, then smiled back at Harry and held his hand out. Harry walked over and laced his fingers with Cedric's, dropping his bag again as Cedric folded him into a last embrace.
Harry thought of a number of things he could have said in the way of 'goodbye', but in the end he didn't have the heart to say anything, and neither did Cedric. They just stood there, holding each other close, until Harry felt a touch on his chin again, and he tilted his face up to Cedric's for one last sweet kiss. Then they parted, picked up their bags again, and Cedric moved to the door, holding out a hand to keep Harry back and drawing his wand with the other to undo the locking charm. He looked out into the corridor, checking to see whether anyone else was about, then motioned Harry out and made sure the door was shut behind them. They got to the end of the corridor, still without speaking a word, conscious now of the presence of others. Harry nodded cordially to the Hufflepuff Prefect; Cedric gave him a little lift of his chin and a cool smile in return. He turned away to head up the stairs to drop his bookbag off in his dorm room, already thinking of how he was dreading his detention with Filch less than he had been before. His foot had just hit the stairs when he heard that deep, authoritative voice ring out once more.
"Potter."
Harry turned around so quickly he almost stumbled. Cedric hadn't moved from the end of the corridor; he flashed Harry that secretive little smile once more, and in a quietly confident voice he said, "Two points from Slytherin."
Harry beamed at him, then turned and headed up the stairs, knowing that this was a Valentine's Day he would keep in his heart forever.
* ~ F I N I S ~ *
As you may know if you have been reading "Needles And Pins", the three previous chapters have followed a natural progression, to wit:
Chapter 1 = G
Chapter 2 = strong PG13
Chapter 3 = strong R
Yes, you guessed it, dear ones, Chapter 4 is rated NC17 for explicit male/male sexual activity, a bit of dom/sub play and a few naughty words. Just wanted to be clear with y'all on that. Here are updated headers for the series as a whole.
Title: Needles And Pins
Author: seven_of_velvet
Rating: G - NC17
Pairing: Harry/Cedric
Warnings: explicit m/m sex, a bit of dom/sub play
Summary: Harry gets tired of waiting and finally sends a Valentine to the object of his affections. Cedric gets a bit more than he bargained for.
Archive? I'd be honored, but please ask first.
Now. On to the chapter. Ten thousand thanks. It's been grand.
--Seven
Needles And Pins, Chapter 4
If Harry thought that Cedric's hand on his prick had felt good, it was nothing to the feel of his tongue. He felt his fingers tighten convulsively in Cedric's hair, and his eyes squeezed shut as Cedric licked him again, this time with a little extra swipe round the head. That move earned Cedric a desperate whimper and an involuntary surge of Harry's hips. Cedric raised his head for a moment, as Harry clenched his other hand into a fist and forced himself to stop moving, not wanting to give Cedric any reason to stop what he was doing. But he did stop, just long enough to whisper, "Harry, look at me." Harry opened his eyes, trying his best to focus them on Cedric's face, and was rewarded for his fortitude by the incredible sight of Cedric gripping the base of Harry's erection in one hand, and then sliding his mouth down it, as far as it could go.
Cedric had, wisely, taken the precaution of placing his other hand firmly on Harry's hip, preventing Harry from choking him as he jerked upwards again, helplessly, with a shout of pleasure. Cedric had apparently had enough of teasing Harry himself, because he worked his mouth up and down in a firm, steady rhythm, pulling back every now and then to lick lasciviously at the head of Harry's cock, his fingers gently massaging Harry's balls and the tender patch just behind them. Harry babbled nonsensically, both his hands now gripping the back of Cedric's head, "Oh God please ohh yes don't stop, yeah, fuck - so good, don't stop please oh please - ahh - Cedric - !
Harry stilled for an instant, not even breathing, every muscle tense; Cedric hummed throatily around his mouthful, and that was it. Harry howled brokenly, fireworks of pleasure bursting through his whole body. He felt his come pulsing into Cedric's mouth, his body curling around the other boy's, his hands clawing at Cedric's back and shoulders, feet scrabbling for purchase around his hips. To his credit, Cedric rode out Harry's orgasm without breaking their contact, swallowing neatly with one hand gripping the base of Harry's cock, the other arm wrapped around Harry's thigh. He gentled Harry down and through the aftershocks, cupping his balls tenderly and finally giving his spent prick one last, loving slide upwards, cleaning it of the last traces of semen. Harry gasped for breath, shuddering uncontrollably; at last, he flopped back down onto the bed, opened his eyes and wiped away the traces of tears that were the result of squeezing his eyes shut so tightly. He gazed up at the canopy blankly, and then it resolved into Cedric's flushed face and wildly untidy hair as he crawled back up Harry's body. The older boy smiled devilishly, wiping the back of a hand across his chin, making Harry shudder once more with pleasure at what they had just done. Harry had the presence of mind to gasp out, "God - wow - thank you. That was amazing."
Cedric flopped down next to Harry, wrapping his arms around him and nuzzling his face into Harry's neck. He seemed a bit out of breath too, puffing hotly into Harry's ear as he kissed Harry openmouthed, just at the join of head and neck. "Mmm," he grunted, "so glad you enjoyed. Like I said," he continued, interrupting himself briefly to bite at the tendon in Harry's neck, "I've been wanting to do that for a long time." Harry had jerked back at the feeling of being bitten, not sure he particularly cared for it, but Cedric soothed the hurt with a lick and a soft kiss. It didn't esape Harry's notice, however, that Cedric was undulating against him, his prick still stiff and hot, tilting his hips against his younger companion's in a gentle but unmistakable rhythm. Harry turned his head to look at Cedric, and was floored again by the seductive, heavy-lidded gaze, the smile that seemed to promise a world of sensual pleasure and delight. Harry did his best to match it, then purred, "Something I can do for you?"
Cedric immediately rolled half on top of Harry, breathed impatiently, "I thought you'd never ask," and without further warning, kissed Harry hungrily, his tongue thrusting into Harry's mouth. Harry couldn't help thinking about what that tongue had just been doing, and was a little less enthused about the kiss than Cedric was at first. But, Harry thought after a moment, there was also something undeniably hot about it, and once he got over his initial hesitance he began to enjoy the taste of himself in Cedric's mouth. Cedric had got one thigh between Harry's and was thrusting steadily against his hip, which was sexy, but also beginning to irritate Harry's still-sensitive cock and balls. Harry put a hand up to Cedric's chest to stop him, the tip of his pinky finger connecting inadvertently with Cedric's right nipple, and Cedric gave a little shudder and groaned into the kiss. Harry remembered, in a flash of heat, how Cedric had reacted to having his nipples pinched, and wondered even more heatedly how he would react to having his nipples pinched while simultaneously having his cock stroked. Harry wasn't sure he wanted to reciprocate what Cedric had just done to him - not because he didn't like the idea, but because he didn't think he'd be any good at it. Not without some more firsthand experience, anyway. But he was reasonably sure he could take Cedric in hand and satisfy him that way.
And then an idea - a plan - a wicked, but brilliant plan - sprang into his head, fully formed. He wondered for a split second whether he could pull it off, and then decided to do what he always did, namely, charge forward and rely on his Gryffindor courage and audacity to see him through.
He put his other hand against Cedric's chest, careful not to touch the older boy's nipples this time, and pushed him up gently. "Wait, hang on a second." Cedric looked down at Harry a bit dazedly, and Harry quickly said, "That's getting a little sore on me, you know, down there." Cedric quickly shifted his weight off Harry's groin and said, "Sorry, guess I was being a little overenthusiastic." "It's all right, no worries," Harry reassured him. "But listen, I've got a better idea, okay? Something I've been wanting to do for a long time." And he smiled promisingly, caressing Cedric's shoulders and upper arms. Cedric responded, "Sure, okay - what did you have in mind?" Harry's smile broadened and he sat up, grabbing the generously-sized pillows and shoving two of them behind his back against the head of the bed. He scooted up a bit further, spread his legs and opened his arms, and said, "Okay. Come here." Cedric smiled gratefully and began to approach Harry again, but Harry stopped him with a hand on his chest again, and said, "Not like that." Cedric gave Harry a confused look. "Turn around, lay against me with your back to me. Yeah - yeah." Now Cedric seemed to cotton on, and did as he was told.
Harry wrapped his arms affectionately around the older boy's shoulders and just held him for a minute. Cedric, despite his unsatisfied state, seemed perfectly happy to pause for this intimate little moment. His hands came up to grasp Harry's forearms, and he shut his eyes and snuggled back into Harry a bit more closely. Harry buried his nose in Cedric's hair and took a deep breath, inhaling Cedric's uniquely comforting scent - almost like rising bread dough, he thought, combined with something deeper and muskier - and let it out in a happy, satisfied sigh. He whispered into Cedric's ear, "Thank you. That was fabulous." Cedric sighed too, then, and as Harry kissed his temple and the corner of his jaw, he murmured, "Mmm, it was my pleasure, and you're very welcome." Harry felt his lover's deep voice resonate into his own chest and gave Cedric an extra squeeze, then whispered wickedly into his ear, "Oh, I think this will be your pleasure," and very deliberately ran his palms across Cedric's nipples.
Cedric's response was everything Harry had been hoping for. He groaned, gripped Harry's knees hard and tossed his head to one side, his whole body giving a writhing shudder than made Harry's prick twitch, in spite of his powerful orgasm just a few minutes ago. Harry couldn't resist trying that circling caress that Cedric had demonstrated on him, and he liked that reaction so much he did it again. And again, and again, watching Cedric shudder and gasp, jerk and writhe and whimper. And then Harry decided to roll those tempting buds - gently - between his thumbs and forefingers again. By now, Harry had noticed Cedric's right hand, which was alternating between gripping Harry's thigh, drifting down towards his crotch, and then returning to clench Harry's thigh even harder. Harry was pretty sure he knew what that meant, and he knew his plan was proceeding just as he had hoped. "Is there something you need down there?" he asked sweetly, right into Cedric's ear. Cedric gasped, swallowed, then said, low and intent, "Harry - ah. Please."
But that wasn't good enough for Harry. "Please, what?" He rolled the now rock-hard nipples around again, watched Cedric shudder, watched the hand almost make contact with Cedric's cock, then jerk away and curl around Harry's thigh as if it meant to hide underneath. "God - come on, touch me. Please." Harry chuckled quietly, and responded in the most innocent tone of voice imaginable, "But I am touching you, Cedric. I thought you were enjoying it." Harry went back to the palm circles again, and Cedric whined loudly, jerking his hips up, before he gave a frustrated little gasp and said, very impatiently, "You know what I want - you did it before - come on, Harry!" This was the moment Harry had been waiting for. He stopped his light, teasing caresses, grabbed Cedric's pecs firmly, and purred into his ear, "I want to hear you ask me for exactly what you want. Nicely. Or, if you can't bring yourself to do that, maybe you could just go ahead and finish the job yourself. I'm sure it wouldn't take you long." As he spoke, he released his right hand from Cedric's chest and ran his forefinger down the sparse trail of hair leading from his navel down to where his cock strained darkly against his belly, leaking globs of pearlescent liquid. Harry longed to taste that liquid, grab that hot prick in his hand and stroke it till it gushed against Cedric's belly; he ached to hear Cedric beg for Harry to make him come, burned to watch Cedric stroke himself to completion, writhing in Harry's arms and shouting Harry's name as he did so. He wanted all those things fiercely, couldn't choose between them for himself, and so, in this breathless stroke of inspiration, he had decided to make Cedric choose.
Cedric had stilled in Harry's arms, except for his labored breathing, apparently taken aback by Harry's sudden demands. With his head still on Cedric's shoulder, Harry watched Cedric blink once, twice, then heard him say faintly, "You're really rather evil, did you know that?" Harry laughed low and intimate, ran his hands down Cedric's heaving chest and stomach again, and said, "I told you, I have a good imagination. And I'm not evil at all, I've given you a choice. Although," he mused, almost as if to himself, "the Sorting Hat did almost put me in Slytherin. So maybe you're right, maybe I am a little bit evil. Aren't you enjoying yourself anymore, Cedric? Do you want to stop?" Harry accompanied this question with a slide of his palms over Cedric's ribcage and up over his nipples again, feeling perhaps a bit evil, after all. He certainly got a wicked thrill out of seeing Cedric jump and gasp again at the sudden sensation, and out of knowing what Cedric would say next.
The older boy shook his head decisively. "No, of course I don't want to stop. And yes, I'm still enjoying myself, but you're obviously enjoying this too!" He wriggled his hips back into Harry's, making Harry bite his lip at the sudden sensation on his now fully-recovered cock. It was true, he was having a fabulous time teasing Cedric like this, and despite the other boy's protestations, he thought Cedric was definitely enjoying himself, perhaps rather more than he was willing to admit. Harry had had fun; his little plan had worked brilliantly, but now it was time to end the game. "Of course I'm enjoying it. Who wouldn't?" He chuckled into his lover's ear again, and now Cedric, on needles and pins of anticipation and desire, squirmed just at the sound of it. Ahh. Perfect.
"So, which would you prefer, Cedric?" Harry ran his hands all over Cedric's chest and stomach again, carefully avoiding his nipples this time. "Are you going to ask me nicely to give you what you want? Or are you going to let me watch you do it to yourself?" He undulated against Cedric as he repeated each option, rubbing his cock against the small of the older boy's back, making sure Cedric knew how aroused he was by both of them. And he hoped Cedric would choose quickly.
He wasn't disappointed. Cedric gave an anguished groan, then followed it up with a muttered, "Just - my nipples, please, like you did before, and don't stop - " Harry quickly resumed the flat-palmed caress that Cedric liked so much, watching his cock twitch and release another pearl of precome onto his stomach as the older boy took it in a firm grip. Harry hissed as his arousal rocketed up several notches, watching Cedric stroke himself, slowly at first but very quickly speeding up. He tried alternating the palmstrokes with nipple pinches and rolls, and watched deliriously as Cedric bucked up into his fist as every stroke and pinch hit home, his other hand creeping around to cup his balls. His eyes were tightly closed, his mouth open on whimpers and gasps and swearwords, and Harry thought he might come again just from watching the glorious sight. He whispered hotly into Cedric's ear, "Oh yeah baby, show me, that's it - God, you're beautiful," and Cedric, lost in his pleasure, responded with groans that threatened to undo Harry's composure. He continued shoving his own stiff cock against Cedric's lower back, feeling it move slickly along the increasing trails of precome, feeling the quick rhythm of Cedric's right arm vibrate through him like the shocks of an earthquake. Watching Cedric masturbate reminded Harry powerfully, almost disorientingly, of all the times he had done it to himself, all the times he had brought himself to orgasm fantasizing about watching Cedric do the same thing. But the reality of it, feeling and seeing the pleasure-wracked young man lying gasping and shuddering in his arms, was fantastically hotter than anything Harry had imagined before.
Soon Cedric's body gave a massive jerk, and as he cried out, "Harry," Harry thought that the critical moment had come. But before he knew what was happening, Cedric had surged up out of his embrace and turned himself over onto Harry, bearing him down under his greater weight. Harry had of course known very well that Cedric was bigger and stronger than himself, but was certainly not expecting the older boy to take advantage of that fact so suddenly, at this moment, and at first he was quite startled. But Cedric licked frantically at Harry's open mouth, then gave an ecstatic moan as he aligned his body with Harry's, slid his left hand under Harry's shoulder and took both their pricks together in his now very hot and rather sticky right hand. Harry jumped in surprise at the sudden sensation, then groaned at the surge of pleasure and arousal. He dimly heard Cedric beg him, "Nipples - fuck - don't stop - ohGod - " and unable to do more than moan himself in reply, did as he was asked.
The sudden, decisive way in which Cedric had taken control of their encounter, along with the heightened sensation and arousal, had turned Harry's brain to mush. He had clasped his legs around Cedric's hips and was thrusting up into that incredible grip, feeling the head of Cedric's cock slide against his in a slick of their combined precome. Harry trembled and wailed, so close he could taste it, and at that Cedric dropped his head to Harry's shoulder and growled incoherently into his ear. He thrust his whole body against Harry's, hard enough to shove Harry's head up against the head of the bed; his grip tightened convulsively and, with a wild thrill, Harry felt Cedric's cock pulse against his own, felt Cedric's come spurting over his own prick, smearing and dripping onto his belly. It was all Harry needed, and he yelled wordlessly, bucked up against his lover and came harder than he ever had before, feeling his semen shooting up and over their stomachs, dripping down to mingle with Cedric's, painting them both with ecstasy.
Awareness came slowly back to Harry; Cedric's weight on him, his heaving breaths hot against Harry's neck, his hand still lazily stroking them together, squeezing out the last drops of pleasure; the hot sticky mess smeared between them, the scent of sex in the air around them. Harry weakly unclenched his fingers from Cedric's chest, pressing his palms flat to give himself a bit more room to breathe. As he did so, he hissed at a sharp pain in the top of his right shoulder, and realized Cedric had bitten him there a moment ago. He thought dizzily of what Cedric had been doing during that bite, and this time he found he didn't mind quite so much. As he had done before, Cedric dotted tiny kisses and licks over the bitten spot in apology, between gasping breaths. After a moment of stillness, Cedric finally removed his hand from their cocks, running it sensuously across Harry's come-smeared stomach for a moment before wiping it on the sheets. Harry gave a little moaning sigh of satisfaction as he felt Cedric slide that still-hot hand under his shoulder, taking Harry in a warm embrace. He finally lifted his head to look Harry in the eyes, and he gave Harry a lazy, beatific smile of satisfaction, but he didn't say anything. Harry, not feeling up to conversation yet himself, just smiled back dazedly, then took Cedric's face in his hands and brought it to his own for a long, sweet kiss.
The two of them looked into each other's eyes a moment longer, forehead to forehead, before Cedric pulled his left hand out from under Harry, then shifted his weight to his right side, leaving his left thigh between Harry's legs and laying his head down on Harry's unbitten shoulder. Harry promptly brought his arms up to catch Cedric in a close embrace, nuzzling his face into the older boy's hair and laying a kiss on the top of his head. Harry had always enjoyed the sweet, languid afterglow of a good orgasm, but experiencing it now for the first time with another person, especially this person, it seemed incredibly intimate and precious, almost sacred. Harry didn't want to speak, or even move, except for stroking his hand through Cedric's hair. They seemed to be locked together in a moment out of time, away from the busyness and problems of life at Hogwarts. Harry could almost believe that they weren't at Hogwarts at all, but somewhere far away; that they were different people, even, with no Tournaments or fugitive godfathers or Dark Lords to worry about at all. He hugged Cedric tightly, never wanting this moment to end.
Cedric's left hand came up to caress Harry's chest and shoulder, stroking gently around the bitten spot. Finally, almost reluctantly, he whispered, "Sorry - didn't realize how hard that was. It'll probably leave a mark...but I can heal it for you, if you want. You know. With my wand." He curled his hand around Harry's side and squeezed gently, then sighed and relaxed. "S'okay," Harry whispered back, shaking his head, his mouth in Cedric's hair. "I don't mind. Let it heal naturally. I'll just make sure no one else sees it. Our little secret." He felt Cedric's "Mmm" vibrate through his chest, and smiled at the feeling. They lapsed into comfortable silence again, but Harry knew that the spell had been broken.
A minute later, Cedric sighed again, shifted, then said, "The Sorting Hat almost put you in Slytherin? What on earth possessed you to say that?" Harry grimaced internally; he might have known that was going to come back to haunt him. "I'm not sure what possessed me to say it," he responded honestly. "But it's true. "'Slytherin would help you on your way, no doubt about that', that's what it said. The Hat only put me in Gryffindor because that's where I wanted to be." Harry paused, on the verge of saying more on the subject, then realized that perhaps he had already said too much. "But look, Cedric -" He paused, and the Hufflepuff raised his head to look at Harry, an unfathomable look in his grey eyes. Harry, stunned by their sudden depth and beauty, took a moment to continue, "Nobody else knows about that except Dumbledore, so I'd appreciate it if you kept it to yourself."
Cedric frowned a bit, propping himself up on his elbow so he could more easily look Harry in the face, then said, "Of course I will. I'm surprised you thought you had to ask." Harry couldn't help grimacing then, looking away from Cedric as he did so, and Cedric noticed. He appeared to understand what that look meant, and he took Harry's hand in his, saying, "Hey. Whatever happens between us, Harry, whatever we do and say when we're alone, will stay between us. Just between us. I promise. Okay?" Harry couldn't help trusting the solemn, earnest look on that beautiful face. He smiled, squeezed Cedric's hand and said, "Yeah. I promise, too. Thanks." That seemed to satisfy Cedric; he smiled again, then pulled Harry close for another lingering kiss, the tip of his tongue caressing the soft skin just inside Harry's lower lip.
Harry pulled back, his fingers caressing the side of Cedric's face, his thumb on Cedric's chin. They stayed that way for a moment more, then Harry's hand moved down to touch the heavy gold chain around the older boy's neck. He glanced at Cedric's face, asking silently for permission, and Cedric smiled a bit shyly and lowered his eyelashes, giving it equally silently. He pulled the chain up a bit, admiring the complex-looking pattern of interwoven rings, and looked at the pendant more closely. To his surprise, Harry saw that it was in fact a fang of some kind; the yellowish coloration, darkening to brown near the top, made it look old. It seemed an odd sort of thing for Cedric to wear, and now that their more urgent needs had been satisfied, Harry's curiosity got the better of him. He looked at Cedric again, hefting the pendant in one hand, and asked, "So tell me about this - what is it? Family heirloom of some sort?"
"A badger tooth," Cedric answered. Harry raised his eyebrows. "And yes, it was my great-great-grandfather's pocketwatch chain. The story goes, great-great-Grandfather Archibald went out hunting with his dogs one day, and they cornered a badger and killed it, and he took one of the fangs and had it made into a watch fob. They're supposed to be good luck for gamblers, and boy he sure was one, if any of the other stories about him are true. Anyway, he gave it to his son - whose name was Cedric, by the way - when he went to Hogwarts, and it must have been lucky for him, because he was Head Boy. So it's been passed down in our family ever since. My dad gave it to me when I became Hufflepuff's Quidditch Captain last year, and now that I'm - you know - in the Tournament, he says it'll be extra good luck for me. So of course he's expecting I'll be Head Boy next year myself, although," and here Cedric rolled his eyes a bit, his tone of voice turning a bit exasperated, "To be honest, he would probably expect that of me anyway, badger tooth or no." He paused for a moment, then turned to Harry with a look on his face Harry had never seen there before, a look of weary anxiety, tinged with sadness. He said, "Sometimes it's not easy, all those expectations, you know?"
Harry's heart contracted with compassion for Cedric. He nodded, clasping Cedric's hand in his again, and said earnestly, "Yeah. I know exactly what you mean." They kissed again, tenderly at first, but soon Harry, overcome with emotion for his new lover, deepened the kiss, grasping Cedric's shoulders and heaving himself up to turn them over in the bed. Despite two intense orgasms that evening, Harry felt his arousal return again as he rolled on top of Cedric, kissing him hard now and hitching his hips snugly into the other boy's. He thought of all the other things he and Cedric could do together, and the possibilities excited him immensely. Harry couldn't imagine, now, how he might have been reluctant to take Cedric into his mouth and pleasure him as Cedric had done; and he remembered something else he had said, in response to a direct question of Cedric's earlier in the evening. Now that he had had his first sexual experience with someone else, someone he cared about a lot, Harry felt ready for anything. They might both have things to worry about, problems to face and difficulties to overcome, but now Harry felt he really had someone else to face them with, and that made all the difference.
He drew back, planting a last brushing kiss onto Cedric's mouth, but before he could speak, Cedric said, "This has been amazing, Harry. You've been amazing, and I can't thank you enough. When I got your Valentine, it was the first indication I really had that you might, you know, feel the same way about me that I did about you. Like I said before, I wasn't expecting anything like this to happen today. I mean, I had planned to catch you on Saturday, and see if you wanted to go somewhere private and, you know, just - just talk." He finally ran out of words, and Harry smiled down at him smugly, saying, "I guess we were both ready for more than just talking, weren't we? And does this mean we aren't getting together on Saturday like you'd planned? Because I don't know about you, but I'd sure like to." Cedric quickly nodded, smiling brilliantly, and said, "You're on. We might not be able to use this room again, but I'm sure we can find someplace else. Probably." He looked unsure, as though already thinking of possible private meeting locations.
And just like that, another brilliant plan sprang into Harry's mind, and he said to Cedric, "I think I know exactly where we can go to be alone, as long as we're careful. It might seem a little weird at first, and you'll have to trust me that it's safe, but it's the perfect place. And," he continued blithely, trying not to let the smugness he felt sound in his voice. "I think maybe I've changed my mind about not being ready to have sex. I mean," he continued, plastering an innocent look onto his face, "This Tournament's awfully dangerous, right?"
Cedric looked confused. "What?" Harry went on, "Oh, well, you know, I've heard half the Champions have died in the past." Cedric said, still looking confused but now suspicious as well, "What's your point, Harry?" Finally Harry dropped the innocent look, smirked deviously, and purred, "Well, I don't know about you, but I would hate to die a virgin." Finally enlightened, Cedric rolled his eyes and snorted. "Honestly, Harry, no one's going to die. Crouch and Bagman wouldn't let that happen, to say nothing of the Headmaster. However," here he raised his eyebrows, and his voice dropped a note or two. "About this virgin thing...well, we'll see what we can do, eh?" And he smirked in what Harry thought was a very promising way.
They kissed once more, Harry's hands on Cedric's face again, feeling the first hint of stubble on his jaw and chin. It reminded Harry that really, it was time for them to go. It was now fully dark outside, dinner was long over, and -
Harry broke away from Cedric suddenly, jumped up and said, panic-stricken, "Shite! Filch!" Cedric, once more taken aback, sat up and watched as Harry scrambled off the bed and began searching frantically for his clothes. He said, rather crossly, "Filch? What about him?" Harry pulled his shirt on, grabbed his socks and underwear off the floor and yanked them on, gasping, "I have a detention with him at eight! If I'm late, he'll give me ten more, and knowing Filch, he'd keep me all day on Saturday!" He fumbled around the table for his glasses, nearly knocking Cedric's still half-full Butterbeer bottle onto the floor, before he heard Cedric say, "Harry, slow down, you're fine. It's only 7.30, you've got plenty of time." He looked up and found that Cedric was right beside him, still entirely naked and warm from the bed. Harry, able to see clearly for the first time since they had been on the couch, stared unabashedly.
Cedric was - he was glorious. Harry could think of no better word to describe him, and he sent up a silent prayer of thanks to any deities who might be listening, for sending him this gorgeous young man. He put out a shaky hand, ran it down Cedric's chest and stomach, all the way down to his hip, and back up again. Cedric watched him silently, an understanding smile on his face. Harry, still overwhelmed at his good fortune, whispered, "God, you're so beautiful." Cedric's eyes sparkled as he pulled his young lover in his arms and kissed him affectionately. Harry stood up on tiptoe and wrapped his arms around Cedric's neck, holding him close; he felt the taller boy's hands stroke his back, up and down, and heard Cedric whisper in his ear, "So are you, love. So are you."
They held onto each other a few moments longer, then Cedric pulled away gently, saying, "As much as I hate to say it, it really is time to go. It's been over two hours now, and I'm sure my fellow Prefects will try to pry out of me what I was doing in here for so long, and with whom." Harry, who was pulling his trousers on, gave him a sharp look, but before he could say anything, Cedric reassured him, "Of course, they will be uniformly unsuccessful." Harry might have said something then, but was distracted by the delicious sight of Cedric turning around and bending over to pick up his own clothes off the floor. Harry swallowed, his trousers suddenly feeling rather tight again, and resolutely he turned around to finish dressing, before he started something they really didn't have time for.
By the time he had finished tying his shoes and shrugged on his robe again, Cedric was fully dressed too, and disposing of their unfinished Butterbeers. He ran a hand through his hair, effectively smoothing it down and making it look much less ruffled than it had before, and Harry wished it was that easy for him. Cedric retrieved his wand from the end table, reversed the Transfiguration on the sofa, then went back to his desk to pick up his book bag. Harry picked up his own bag from the chair where he had left it, and looked over to see Cedric standing there, staring at him with a wistful expression on his face. Harry smiled reassuringly, feeling wistful himself at having to leave, but looking forward to Saturday. Cedric shook his head for a moment, then smiled back at Harry and held his hand out. Harry walked over and laced his fingers with Cedric's, dropping his bag again as Cedric folded him into a last embrace.
Harry thought of a number of things he could have said in the way of 'goodbye', but in the end he didn't have the heart to say anything, and neither did Cedric. They just stood there, holding each other close, until Harry felt a touch on his chin again, and he tilted his face up to Cedric's for one last sweet kiss. Then they parted, picked up their bags again, and Cedric moved to the door, holding out a hand to keep Harry back and drawing his wand with the other to undo the locking charm. He looked out into the corridor, checking to see whether anyone else was about, then motioned Harry out and made sure the door was shut behind them. They got to the end of the corridor, still without speaking a word, conscious now of the presence of others. Harry nodded cordially to the Hufflepuff Prefect; Cedric gave him a little lift of his chin and a cool smile in return. He turned away to head up the stairs to drop his bookbag off in his dorm room, already thinking of how he was dreading his detention with Filch less than he had been before. His foot had just hit the stairs when he heard that deep, authoritative voice ring out once more.
"Potter."
Harry turned around so quickly he almost stumbled. Cedric hadn't moved from the end of the corridor; he flashed Harry that secretive little smile once more, and in a quietly confident voice he said, "Two points from Slytherin."
Harry beamed at him, then turned and headed up the stairs, knowing that this was a Valentine's Day he would keep in his heart forever.
* ~ F I N I S ~ *