Denying Draco

5 - The Famous Harry Potter

As Poppy hurried through the corridors, she pushed away the acknowledgment of the subtle heat between her thighs. She had felt it before when she had thought about certain scenarios or watched certain things on television, but she'd never experienced it from a real life situation with a boy. It was frustrating and flustering but also surprisingly pleasant. Her mind and heart were racing with the memory of what had just happened with Draco, rendering her so distracted from her surroundings that she rushed around a corner and bumped right into someone.

'Oh, shit!' Poppy cried, jumping back. Once again Poppy cursed out loud; she'd only ever cursed to herself quietly at home and she had always been well spoken and polite, but the situation with Draco had her mind all over the place.

'Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going.' The gentle voice of a boy dressed in a plain jacket and jeans brought her attention back to earth and away from the prior happenings in the Room of Requirement. Harry Potter stood before her and the pair of them stared at one another in surprise.

'Harry Potter...' Poppy murmured.

'Poppy Dumbledore?' Harry replied, grinning softly. 'It's nice to finally meet you.'

'Oh, you know who I am?' Poppy chuckled.

'I've just been in Professor. Dumbledore's office,' Harry stated. 'He told me you just started here and I just figured because I've never seen you before that you must be her. Plus...you have a look of a Dumbledore.'

'Well, you're correct,' Poppy replied, shrugging her shoulders as she laughed.

'I'm just headed back to the common room,' Harry said, pointing down the corridor.

'Oh, me too,' Poppy said, smiling again as they began walking through the corridor together.

'Congratulations on being housed in Gryffindor by the way.' Harry spoke kindly and calmly to Poppy with a tone so welcoming that she immediately felt at ease with him. She had always wondered about him over the years as she read the articles about him in The Daily Prophet and asked her uncle to tell her about him. He was famous in the Wizarding World and she'd never imagined she would ever get the opportunity to meet him yet here she was, walking through the corridors of Hogwarts with him to return to their common room. She was in her element with how many of her hopes and dreams were coming to life all at once.

'Thank you!' Poppy replied. 'I'm so glad to be a Gryffindor just like my father!'

'And your mother?' Harry asked.

'She was a Hufflepuff,' Poppy told him, suddenly biting her lip in hesitation as she dared not to think about her mother.

'Are you okay?' Harry asked her, glancing at her with curiosity.

'Yes, fine, it's just...my mother is not exactly my favourite person right now,' Poppy sighed. 'I doubt I'm hers either.'

'I heard about the howler,' Harry stated, chuckling softly. 'Professor. Dumbledore told me briefly about the situation. I'm sorry you missed out on so much.'

'Jesus, I'm sorry that I'm complaining about such trivial things when I'm sure you have much bigger problems than a little fall out with your parents,' Poppy said, instantly regretting her words as she remembered Harry's parents were no longer alive. 'Shit...I'm so sorry! I completely forgot that your-.'

'Parents were killed by Lord Voldemort?' Harry finished, smiling sympathetically. 'Don't worry, it's fine.'

'I'm such an idiot,' Poppy groaned, her face turning red with embarrassment.

'You're not an idiot,' Harry said, softly, as they reached the Gryffindor common room and Harry turned to the fat lady. 'Quid Agis.'

The door opened after Harry reiterated the password and the pair entered the Gryffindor common room together. Hermione, Ron and Ginny all turned to see them enter, Hermione grinning as she walked over to Harry and hugged him, followed by a hug from Ron. Ginny stood behind them and turned to Poppy, giving her a quizzical look.