Gold Tinted Spectacles (Hecatemus Book #1)

Chapter 20 - From the Big Wide World (pt2)

[Just get on with it,] Draco's voice sounded with an amused tone in his mind.

[Yes, Professor, right away, Professor,] Harry replied, but did reach out his hands to either side of the crystal.

[If you wanted to role play all you had to do was ask,] his lover's words slipped into his mind with a rather explicit mental image involving himself, Draco and the high table in the Great Hall.

Harry took his hands away from the Prisma as all concentration fled.

[Do you want me to practice this or do you want me to come up there and shag you senseless?] he asked his soulmate pointedly.

There was amusement coming from Draco's end of the bond.

[Half an hour's practice,] the Slytherin said in a very mischievous tone, [and then, if I'm satisfied with your progress I might reward you.]

[We're back to the positive reinforcement are we?] Harry enquired dryly.

[If it works, it works,] Draco replied with a mental laugh. [Now don't disappoint me, Lover, I have plans for you.]

It took Harry a few minutes to gather his scattered thoughts as several possibilities about his lover's plans tried to grab his attention, but eventually he managed to find his calm centre. Placing his hands either side of the crystal once more, he focused his thoughts and reduced the mental babble in his mind to a low hum at the back of his brain.

It was being able to push the concentration on his shields and processing the world into an almost subconscious part of his mind, so he could move the Prisma freely, that was the benefit of the device. Splitting his mind into various functions was a skill that was not only useful to Harry these days; it was a necessity.

As the majority of his world focused down to the crystal between his hands, it leapt into life as a rainbow of colour began at its centre, and it lifted to six inches off its base. The lights erupted from the device as it started to twist and spin on its axis and Harry let his mind absorb the input.

Time meant very little when he was using the Prisma, although he had managed to figure out how to set an alarm call in his head to bring him out of the trance like state. Harry felt vague intrusions on his concentration as he allowed the colours to flow into his thoughts, but he catalogued them as unimportant and filed them for inspection later, maintaining his concentration on his meditation. When in this state he did not exactly lose time, when he returned to the real world he would have an unbroken chain of memory, but time did not really matter.

When Harry finally withdrew his consciousness back from the single focus, he blinked and watched the crystal sink back onto its satin bed before he realised that he was no longer sitting alone. He glanced around and met the eyes of five of his housemates: one first year; two fourth years; one fifth year and Seamus.

"I have never seen a kaleidoscope do that, Harry," the Irish Gryffindor said cheerfully, totally unfazed at being caught watching.

"That's because it's not a kaleidoscope," Harry replied and decided to not be hideously embarrassed. "It's a Prisma."

"Never heard of one of those," the fifth year, who's name escaped Harry, admitted with interest.

The somewhat caustic voice at the back of Harry's mind that had emerged ever since he started to go out with Draco, informed him that this fact was not surprising, but he shushed it firmly.

"It reacts to mental focus," Harry explained patiently. "You concentrate on it and it moves."

"So you were making it do all that?" the first year was obviously the brave type.

Harry nodded and went to close the device, but stopped short.

"Would you like a try?" he asked the fascinated looking girl.

"Cool," was the instant response.

Harry moved out of his seat and indicated that the first year should sit down, which she did. Now that she was the centre of the attention of the group she did not appear quite as comfortable, but she was definitely not a shrinking violet.

"Okay, put your hands either side of the crystal like I was doing," Harry instructed in a friendly manner. "You have to focus on nothing but the stone, focus your mind and your magic on it. Now don't be disheartened if it doesn't do a lot, it's mainly designed for my sort of mind and that's a very bizarre place. If it moves at all I will be very impressed."

The youngster appeared a bit perturbed by that confession, but reached out to the Prisma anyway. A look of complete concentration appeared on the girl's face as she stared at the crystal, but for a while nothing happened.

She shifted in the seat and frowned under Harry's watchful gaze and then the Prisma responded for the first time. The smallest pink glow started at the centre of the crystal and it twitched, almost standing it on its end before it fell back to the satin bed. The first year huffed in a very frustrated manner.

"Hey, that was good," Harry said before the girl could become too disappointed, "I only made it move the first time I tried it because Draco helped."

The girl appeared to perk up a little at the praise, but she did not appear very pleased with herself.

"Hey, Harry," Seamus said cheerfully, "can I have a go?"

What Harry really wanted to do was pack up and head upstairs to see if Draco was impressed with his practice session, but Harry knew he had started this and he was too polite just to disappear.

"Ah, okay," he told his ex-dorm mate, "but you'll need to use the chair, if you're distracted by the way you're sitting it will never work."

The first year swapped with the Irishman and Seamus began his attempt to reproduce the effect Harry had created. It was little better than the girl's try had been, but after years of trying to turn water into rum Seamus had developed an incredible ability to focus on one thing, even if it was futile, and he managed to make the crystal float although it refused to spin. After that everyone wanted a try and Harry found himself the centre of the latest craze to hit the common room.

It had to have been a good forty five minutes later that Draco moved through the crowd which had formed around the new game and into the personal space that existed around Harry.

"Do excuse me," his lover said in a tone which just begged someone to challenge him, "I need to borrow Harry."

Harry found himself grabbed under the arm and hauled to his feet and discovered to his delight that Draco was virtually humming with frustration. Usually it was Harry who had to hang on to his self control, but it appeared that he had been so distracted that he had not even noticed quite how aroused his lover had become.

"You can keep the Prisma for now, but if it gets lost or damaged I will take a piece out of all of you," Draco was obviously in a hurry and not taking no for an answer.

And with that ultimatum Harry found himself virtually dragged across the room and up the stairs. On the outside Draco appeared focussed and intent upon something, but his lover was willing to bet he was the only one who knew what Draco was concentrating on.

[Did you want me for something, Draco?] he asked innocently as he was thrust through the door to their room.

[You were supposed to be up here nearly an hour ago,] his soulmate replied pointedly. [I do not appreciate being kept waiting.]

Harry couldn't quite keep the grin off his face.

"Oh just get naked you bloody Gryffindor," Draco said exasperatedly.

That caused Harry to laugh, but that did not stop him reaching for the bottom of his jumper and pulling it over his head along with the T-shirt he was wearing underneath. The moment there was bare flesh Draco pounced; in a very sophisticated way of course, but a pounce it was none the less, and Harry was quite happy to give his lover the complete single-mindedness which had so recently been directed at the Prisma.