Fragment of a wonderful dream

It was late. The stars were twinkling in the dark sky, snow falling gently from the clouds, the moon fighting for space between the weather, and what was Leander doing?

Patrolling the frigid corridors in his pajamas.

Leander was proud at first to recieve the title of head boy, but he never thought he'd be playing substitute for a sick prefect at nearly three in the morning. Leander was tucked cozy in bed, sleeping oh so peacefully, when the horrid ghost Peeves came shouting in his dorm room. Sending a message from Headmisstress Weasley that he was needed in place of the poor prefect. Garreth shot Leander an annoyed look, like it was his fault Peeves decided shouting at three in the morning was the best choice to wake him up.

So here he was. Half-asleep, in his pajamas, clutching onto the edges of his robes, patrolling the frigid entrance hall of the castle. Hogwarts always got unbearably cold during the winter, and of course he had to be a substitute for the worst time of the year, right by the courtyard.

Then Leander swore he heard a whisper. He stopped by the steps, glancing around the empty area confused. Then he spotted the doors to the courtyard propped open as if someone had just slipped inside. He reached for his wand, ready to cast a strike at a possible intruder, but then he heard his name clear as day, and saw a familiar head of blue hair poke out from behind the door.

"Asher?" Leander uttered, relaxing and lowering his wand with a sigh, "What in all hell are you doing out there?" Asher poked more of himself inside, still dawning his usual uniform despite it being well past his bedtime.

"I got lost..." Asher confessed, a flush rising to his cheeks. Leander stepped down the stairs, meeting his friend at the door, his brows still furrowed in confusion.

"You... You got- lost?" Leander repeated as if he couldn't believe it, "You've been attending here for how long now?"

"I've been using floo powder the whole time!" Asher spoke in a whisper-yell, "It's easier! I was in the room of requirement, I lost track of time, and I forgot to bring some with me!"

"Please don't tell me you've been wandering the school for the past hour." Leader practically begged Asher to be smarter than that.

"Uhhhmm... More like a few hours?" Asher forced a smile on his face. Leander pinched the bridge of his nose like a disappointed parent.

"You're lucky it was just me. The other prefects would have had your ass for being out this late." He scolded the boy, "Speaking of, what on Earth were you doing in the Room Of Requirement this late? Why not just stay there for the night?"

"I needed to talk to you. It's... Important..." Ashers voice got quieter then, almost shy as he looked away from Leander and chose the floor to stare at instead. Leander became more serious at the confession, crossing his arms and glancing around to ensure they were both totally alone.

"Alright then. What is it?" Leander inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Not here." Asher was back to whispering, "Outside."

"Outside? Asher, it's snowing!" Leander argued, his expression reminding Asher of how much he hated the cold.

"You have your robe!" Asher retorted, gesturing to the garment around him, "Plus, I really don't want to deal with the chance of Peeves being... Well- Peeves. He doesn't come into the courtyards." Asher tried his best to sound convincing to his friend, his gaze already threatening to turn into puppy dog eyes, "Please." Asher uttered, and Leander could already feel his resolve crumbling. While he absolutely despised the cold, he'd much rather be in the company of a friend than pace the same brick and mortar for the upteenth time that night. He groaned, looking around once more before sighing dramatically.

"Fine! Fine! Anything for you-" Leander caved, ushering Asher out into the courtyard before following and shutting the heavy doors as gently as he could. The cold was already starting to bite at Leanders nose. He shuddered, gripping at his robes again. He took a few seconds to look around at his surroundings, the dusting of the snow looking quite pretty under the light of the moon. He then turned to his friend, who looked so nervous that Leander thought he might throw up.

"Alright then. What was it that you need to talk to me about?" Leander prompted, hoping to get a quick response so he could go back inside. Asher felt sick. Butterflies, nausea, perhaps a weird mix of both? He couldn't tell.

"Uhm... Actually, it's not that important! Nevermind! You can go back inside- I'll just find my own way back-" Asher stuttered, fumbling over his words. Leander just stared at him incredulously.

"What- No- No way. You just demanded that I come out here in the cold, and it was enough to keep you up almost all night, so it must be important." Leander argued, stepping closer to his friend.

"Really! It's nothing! I was just being dramatic, Lee, really- Let's just go back to the dorms-" Asher tried to avoid the confrontation, stepping back from Leander and avoiding eye contact. Leander was getting frustrated now. He didn't believe for a second that this important conversation that absolutely needed to be had outside was just a whole bunch of nothing.

"Alright- If you won't tell me, then I'll guess. Is it about your magic?" Leander guessed.

"No it's not that..."

"Okay. What about Sebastian? You thinking about him again?"

"No! It's not that either! Just leave it be!" Asher pleaded, fists clenching at his sides as if to hold himself back from doing something.

"No! Something is bothering you, and you're my friend, so I'm not going to stop until you-"

It was then that Asher pounced. He grabbed Leander by his robes and yanked him down into a kiss. Well- It was less kiss, more smush of lips, but no less meaningful. Leander stood there, eyes wide as saucers as he processed what was happening. His arms froze in the air next to him. A red flush surged its way over his body, warmth covering his neck and swirling over his cheekbones. His heart hammered at his ribs, a rythmn uncertain yet definite all at once. Ashers hands shook, from the cold or from nerves he had no idea. He just knew that he was kissing his best friend. His eyes were screwed shut so tight he thought they might close forever.

It felt like years before Asher finally pulled back. He opened his eyes, both boys carrying the same look of bewilderment on their faces. Ashers hands flew from Leanders robes, shaking them like they were on fire.

"Oh Merlin I'm so sorry!" Asher started, stepping back and diverting his eyes to the ground. He started rambling, panicked and embarassed, but Leander couldn't focus on a single thing other than how he looked.

Ashers freckled face was flushed this gorgeous red, his eyes were all wide and kept darting between the cobblestones that made up the courtyard. Then his lips... The ones smushed against Leanders seconds ago... Leander's body relaxed slowly, his arms falling to his sides as he processed the moment. He brought a tentative hand to his mouth, hovering over his lips, still able to feel the ghost of Ashers pressed into them. Leanders heart raced, but not of fear, or of shame as he thought it would, it pounded against his chest, slamming like the drums of a love ballad.

A weight flew from Leanders shoulders. Months of shame and fear drifted away like the snow that fell around them. Asher liked him. Really liked him. All those nights Leander spent beating himself up for even dreaming Asher would be into him, much less be into another boy. Each class period he spent forcing himself to pretend it was all just pointless dreaming. Hours spent imagining what it might be like to hold the boys hand, to simply be allowed to touch him at all. All Leander needed was permission.

Ashers lips were his permission.

"Ash." He breathed, his breath creating smoke infront of him. Asher continued his panicked rambling, tripping over everything third word.

"I shouldn't have done that at all! Merlin that was so stupid-"

"Asher." Leander said more firmly, taking a step towards the other boy.

"I completely understand if you don't want to talk to me again I-"

"Asher!" Leander shouted, speaking a little louder than he'd meant to. He took Asher by his shoulders, gripping him tightly to claim his focus. Asher stared up at him, eyes wide and extremely nervous looking. His arms were tucked up towards his chest in a near defensive motion. "It's okay..." Leander finally said, a smile slowly making its way onto his face. Leander felt like he'd just been shot with pure energy and he loved it. Asher just stared at him, seemingly dumbfounded that Leander was okay with this.

"I- Really- It is?" Ashers voice was quiet, nearly a mutter. A bit of hope entering his tone. His eyes crinkled at the edges when he smiled. Leander loved when that happened. There were a lot of things he loved about the pretty blue-haired boy. Leander couldnt help but chuckle.

"Yes, it is." Leander spoke as if it were obvious. His grip on Ashers shoulders loosened as Leander leaned more into his personal space, "It is so much more than okay..." Leander was quiet now, staring directly into Ashers eyes, watching the irises swirl with the magic sitting deep in his soul. He could see every freckle on his face, the small cracks in his lips, the dark circles that lay under his eyes - and effect of too little sleep.

Asher stared in kind, admiring the way the snow reflected in his eyes, the shape of his nose, the way his cheeks were still flushed in this splotchy way that made him look like a watercolor painting. Asher finally untensed, his hands now settling tentatively on Leanders chest, feeling the material of his robes under his fingers.

"I really didn't think you'd be... Y'know..." Asher admitted sheepishly, a nervous chuckle escaping his throat.

"What? Do I not have the look?" Leander teased him, trying to ebb away the last of the other boys nerves. He managed to pull another laugh from Asher, who muttered a soft 'cmere', sliding his hands up to the back of Leanders head before leaning up to kiss him again. Leander responded in kind, meeting him halfway and slipping his hands over the others waist, holding Asher comfortably against his body.

Their eyes fell shut, and Leander was finally able to really feel the other boy. The soft, warm breaths from his nose that ghosted over his cheek, the way his fingers threaded gently through his hair, the heat of Ashers magic under his skin making Leander feel even warmer. It sent shivers through his spine that definitely weren't caused by the cold. Ashers lips weren't the softest, definitely in need of a bit of care, but Leander couldn't say he was any better. He felt Asher smile, and Leander couldnt help but smile too. He was giddy like a boy in Honeydukes with a hundred galleons.

Asher pulled away again, soft breaths leaving his lips as he spoke.

"And you're absolutely certain-"

"Shush-" Leander cut him off, pulling him right back into another sweet kiss. Not that Asher had any complaints. He'd never have any complaints. Not as long as Leander was there to hold him.