(𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑) 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐓 𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

Prologue

Chapter 1: "Prologue: Separations and Connections"

(Crying Over) Spilt Potions

by Azhure

~~oo0oo~~

Prologue - Separations and Connections

The Hogwarts Express chugged along steadily as it made its way towards its destination. The excitement and nerves, the reunions and anticipation all reaching fever pitch during the height of the journey as another year of school was beginning. Summer stories had been swapped along with Chocolate Frog cards. Acquaintances were renewed with distant friends. The start of another year - his last - was tinged with sadness for Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived.

Now an adult of the wizarding world, Harry had spent a most pleasant summer. Scrap that. It wasn't just pleasant, it had been brilliant. It was amazing what a touch of independence and a good dose of leaving the Dursleys behind forever could do. It wasn't the thought of going back to school that made him sad. Neither was it the thought that this would be his last year at Hogwarts before becoming a fully trained wizard. Even thoughts of the ominous task ahead of him hadn't entered his mind on this day. Indeed, he had barely thought of Voldemort all summer. He had been having too much of a good time.

With head girl Hermione and prefect Ron busy in the prefect's carriage, Harry had been left to his own devices. This had given him too much idle time on his hands, and he had immediately begun brooding. Has it really only been a few short hours since we were together? It had felt like a lifetime. Harry had found love that summer; well, at least he thought it was love. He was fairly sure about his partner's feelings, and Harry had given over his heart to the man. He had definitely fallen hard.

Being gay had not been an issue in the wizarding world, but Harry had at first been reluctant to come out. Muggle prejudices instilled by Uncle Vernon were still fresh in his mind. Hermione had been the one to guess his preference, and he had been delighted to discover that he wasn't such a freak after all. It wasn't that he hated girls, indeed he had slept with a couple the year before, but he had certainly been bowled over by the man he was now in love with.

Of course he didn't want to go back to school. A summer of free love and affection would now turn out to be clandestine meetings in enclosed spaces, searching for excuses to linger after class, quick snogs up again a wall, unobtrusive watching in the Quidditch stands and, if he were lucky, hard and fast shags in an empty classroom. His lover was also at Hogwarts, but he didn't think his friends, or his fellow students would approve of their relationship if it ever saw the light of day.

Harry reluctantly made his way to the lavatory, after hiding from his friends and wallowing for a good couple of hours. If he had to watch Colin and Ginny and their overtly sweet displays of affection any longer, he thought he might be sick. Besides, it wasn't fair that they got to be together whilst he would be the one hiding his love away. He looked up at himself in the mirror as he washed his hands.

It had come as no surprise that he had never quite had the same growth spurt as his friends, but then again, his stocky frame had been filled out with muscle gained from countless hours of Quidditch. An intensive regime of Dark Arts training the previous year had also helped Harry to become more confident in himself. He still wore his glasses - not willing to trust the eyesight correction charms - not whilst there was a chance he would still play Quidditch professionally. His hair was more out of control than ever, and he barely gave it a second glance, even though he had let it grow a little during the summer. His lover told him that he liked it longer. He smirked at the reflection in the mirror. Whatever his lover wanted, he would happily oblige. He'd let it grow to the floor if that's what he wanted.