For a week, Mark and Jackson don't talk.Their glances only ever graze each other very shortly in the Great Hall or in class. 
On the next Friday, Mark turns up duly in the headmistresses office. Finally Jackson and him will be forced to talk again. Both were ordered to the meaningful bureau the day before, reason: Mark's Boggart.

At the moment though, Mark is alone, not counting the multiplicity of former principals that occupy the picture frames on the wall. Most of them are asleep. Only Dumbledore returns the boy's curious gaze with an engouraging wink behind his half moon lenses. Mark avoids his eyes shyly. The shelves are very interesting all of a sudden. 
He lets his eyes wander and fumbles with his fingers, with his wand and then the insides of his pockets. Unexpectedly, he is met with a rustling noise and the sensation of paper on his fingertips. Without cogitation, he unfolds the piece of pargement and regrets it immediately as he faces the moving picture of an (obviously well-endowed) man's private parts. Huffing, he screws up the paper and puts it back deep into the pocket of his cloak. It's not the first time he's getting attention like that. Some Hogwarts students apparently construed the boggart incident as a free ticket to ually harass Mark whenever. They use salacious words and gestures in the corridors and explicit pictures for later. It's very, very few people (mostly Slytherins), but a few is enough for everyday annoyance and harassment. 
Surprisingly, Jackson once spoke up for Mark. But he didn't look at the younger even once. Mark can only guess how many looks and snickers Jackson has to endure every day. 

Mark's cheeks are very warm suddenly. How silly. 
He leans against the dark wooden desk and lets his head hang low. 

Dating a Gryffindor for the sake of a house's reputation was just dumb in retrospect. And worrying so much was too. 
If Mark could touch Jackson now, these days...
Against his will, Jackson rising to speak, telling the Slytherins to back off and mind their own business, still made his heart flutter. In spite of everything, his feelings for Jackson are growing. 

The sound of footsteps snaps Mark out of his daydream. He also hears the headmaster's voice.
"... Mr Tuan. I'll take care of you both in a few minutes. Peeves has again-"
There is a rumbling noise and a *pling* followed by what sounds like a whole lot of glasses or a big chandelier smashing on the ground.  
Footsteps retreat, but simultaneously the door opens and Jackson appears, looking directly at Mark. The younger gazes back, transfixed.
He waits for Jackson to scowl and turn away from him. The door falls shut quietly behind him and Jackson comes forward. His cheeks are reddened like he's been outside and his mouth smiles like there are no bad feelings between them both.

Taken aback, Mark grips the edge of the table and finally notices the flower, bright like a yellow star, in the elder's left hand. 

Don't jump to conclusions, he tells himself, but, as Jackson closes the spaces between them, the redness on his cheeks looks more and more like a blush than like the result of the cold weather. 

"Can we have a talk?", the elder asks, more politely and calmly than he needs to, Mark thinks.

"S-sure"

"I thought a lot over the past week... about us."

Mark blinks involuntarily. There is still an "us"? 

"What happened was pretty horrible for me. And for you, too, I reckon. And... it took time for me to understand - and I'm not over you lying to me! 
But I think maybe it's not you alone. Maybe it was my approach that made you so... frightened.
For that I blame myself. You're younger than me and I should have taken better care of you.", Jackson explains evenly, his eyes fixed on the ground, not noticing the bewildered look on Mark's face.

"So in that sense... I want to apologize.", Jackson, concludes, ing out the lucent yellow flower that Mark now recognizes as a squash blossom.

A squash blossom for the pumpkin master...

The younger looks at it and feels his eyes brim with sudden tears of relief and disbelief and weird... happiness.
He looks up at Jackson's face, shaking his ginger head.

"Jackson you- you idiot!", his frail voice says and his hand closes around Jackson's, around the stalk, and he lumbers forward on shaky legs.
Pausing very close to Jackson, he tries to figure out what he wants to say, but there is something else he wants more. His hand holds Jackson's tightly, unyieldingly.
High with emotions and unaware or ignoring that his actions could easily destroy the newfound encounter with Jackson, he cups the elder's cheek with his free hand and kisses the corner of his mouth. 
Meeting no resistance, merely the tacitness of utter surprise, he goes on, cosseting his lips with sweet kisses while their bodies almost collide. 

"Mwark what-", Jackson says between his kisses that get heavier. Worry resonates in his voice and he draws back slightly, but Mark has wrested the flower from his hand and and can finally hug him around the neck. He doesn't do it aggressively or without grace, but with certainty. Jackson could push him away if he wanted to...

They kiss hungrily. Jackson, giving in eventually and rightfully taking Mark's courage for the new reality, seizes the younger's small waist like he used to. By accident a small, delightful moan escapes Mark's wet lips and Jackson takes it as a compliment. Regaining his dauntlessness, he moves Mark backwards until touching the desk where he, on the spur of the moment, hoists him and places him on the desktop.
Quickly, almost agitated, he slides the Hufflepuff scarf down from Mark's neck and begins kissing him there noisily. 

"Jackson~", Mark whines, gripping the elder's shoulders. The elder proceeds to his jawline, his skin, then reaches upwards to lightly bite his earlobe.
And he would continue if not for Mark's warm hands that suddenly slip into his collar, his neck, his shoulders. He looks up at Mark, into his hazelnut eyes.

The hastiness is gone. Mark keeps him carefully, gently and slips down from the table, making Jackson take a step back. Not rejecting eye contact, he s the elder's cloak somewhat skillfully, making it part. Mark slides his hands under the elder's shirt, feeling his skin and muscles.

"I'm not afraid of you. I never was... it was all inside my head...", he says quietly. He touches Jackson to confirm it to himself - with no realization of what his hands are doing to the elder.

"But the boggart...", Jackson interposes.

"The boggart had nothing to do with fearing you, but with fearing to want you too much.", Mark admits. Saying it finally makes it so clear.
Absent-mindedly, he moves his palms over Jackson's torso. 

"I wanted to have you like a trophy - for my house and my pride - but I... I fell for you.", he mumbles and his cheeks flush. 
Eventually, Jackson's lips stretch into a smile and Mark's heart leaps in his chest.

"In the end you always get what you want, don't you pumpkin master?", the elder asks rhetorically.

"Do I?", Mark replies cunningly. Jackson laughs out loud.

"Maybe you were not so fake after all, witty boy!"
His Gryffindor grin is back and Mark feels like he can't kiss him enough. But Jackson is faster this time and, surprisingly, puts his arms around the younger's slimmer body, hugging him to his chest. 
Relaxing, Mark buries his nose in the other's cloak and draws steady breaths. Jackson runs a hand through his red hair, ignoring how tight his pants have become around his crotch, suddenly.
This happened before. Apparently, holding Mark intimately close makes him hard. But who could blame him? - after the countless kisses and Mark's distractive hand action.

He's hard, Mark's subconsciousness whispers to him. His eyes widen, but luckily, he, Jackson, can't see it because his face is still buried in the elder's cloak.

Touch it, the thoughts say.

Why, Mark thinks.

You gotta

Blushing like mad, Mark shifts slightly in the embrace, placing a soft peck on Jackson's neck for distraction.

"I really like hugging like this.", Mark whispers, his voice sounding perfectly relaxed. Jackson smiles.

"Yeah, me t- OH", the elder gasps as he senses a firm touch down there. Immediately, his head rises and he attempts to look at Mark's face, but it's too close to see his expression, for Mark is still placing butterfly kisses on his neck. 

"You don't have to", Jackson says quickly, hearing the zipper of his pants being opened.
But he already let a moan slip and Mark is determined to coax more out of him.

He didn't have Jackson for a whole week and he won't let shyness stop him now.

"We're in the principals office...", Jackson mutters half-heartedly.

"Indeed", a portrait snarls, obviously appalled by what they are doing.

Mark pushes down Jackson's pants just enough to touch him firmly. 
Soon it's Jackson who's breathing hard and squirming and holding onto the younger. 

"You believe me now that I'm not afraid of you?", Mark asks bravely, but Jackson only gasps as he releases into his hand.
Mark wipes his hand in his inner cloak, unabashed. He grins at Jackson who is still panting, trying to gather himself. 

clack crrrrrk

The door opens so suddenly that the two boys jump. Jackson turns around, startled, pulling up his pants hastily, noisily. Mark puts his wet hand behind his back as he meets the headmistresses eyes.

For a moment the room is silent. A portrait giggles as Jackson anxiously feels for mark's hand.

"I see you've settled your dispute alone in my office", the headmistress says.

"Very nice. You can come back here tonight after you have... cleaned, but be sure that you will attend two weeks of detention. Off you go."

She dismisses them with an impatient hand gesture, but her expression is not as angered as the two would have expected.

They hasten past her, seize the door and stumble downstairs, Jackson holding Mark's clean hand.

Leaving the waterspout they stop, breathe and look at each other. 

"You're crazy", Jackson states brightly and then pulls him close. Mark grins back at him.

"I can't wait to have detention with you"

They laugh out loud and start moving again, down the corridor.

Who's calling Hufflepuffs boring now?!

New year begins. This fanfiction ends.

Thanks to all for staying with me.

Subscribe to me to stay updated!

I sincerely hope you enjoyed the journey!

<3 Merle