Chapter Text

Harry had been training to be a Curse Breaker since he had quit the Auror’s after completing the requisite year of training. It had been a goal, something to do after the war was over. But once he was there, his heart really wasn’t in it. He didn’t want to spend his life chasing dark wizards. He didn’t want his life to revolve around wives who cursed their husbands dicks to shrivel up. Or shop break-ins. To obliviate muggles when they saw something they shouldn’t have.

A few months into taking a break, or as Hermione said ‘irresponsibly throwing away a perfectly good career’, he’d taken Teddy around to Bill and Fleur’s one day to give Andromeda a break. Teddy loved playing with baby Victoire, and Harry enjoyed catching up with Fleur and Ron’s older brother. It had been then that Harry had his first real conversation with Bill, the first time when there wasn’t the pressure of war or family around.

Thoroughly engrossed in the description of Bill’s work, he had ended up staying for dinner to continue their conversation. They had only stopped when Teddy had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Apologetically, he had left and sheepishly returned the sleeping Teddy to a fondly irritated Andromeda.

He returned to Shell Cottage the next day and a week later, he was in the Curse Breaker training program, apprenticing under Bill and his partner Wade.

Now, it was two years later, and he was sitting in a room at Gringotts, waiting for his final exam supervisor and the person who would become his partner in the field should they both pass. All Curse Breakers were partnered with someone through a magically selected process that was secret to everyone except the Goblins.

Bill had told him not to be nervous, because in all the years that Gringotts had been using this test, there was only one partnership that did not pull through. Harry had to agree he supposed. Harry had witnessed other Curse Breaking partnerships, and they all appeared to be very close to one another. The best of friends. Bill had told him the only reason his partner Wade hadn’t been at his wedding was because he had been laid up in Mungo’s with a really nasty bout of Dragon Pox.

Harry hoped that he would be able to have that with his partner, as close as he, Hermione and Ron had once been, their lives didn’t revolve around each other anymore. Ron had quit Auror training when Harry had and joined George in the joke shop, and Hermione was busy at the Ministry. Harry saw them twice a week for dinner, and on Sunday’s at the Burrow. But he missed sharing the minutiae of his day with someone. Hermione had said he needed to start dating, but the few times Harry had tried, well, that date with Cho had gone better. Throw in the hero-worship he still received and his dating life was pretty damn abysmal. He had limited himself to well-kept crushes and fantasies. 

He was thankful that Occlumency had been easy for him to master after the removal of the Horcrux ― otherwise, he would never have been able to look Tony from the Aztec pair in the face again. Because every time he saw him, the memory of that time Tony had stumbled back into the main Curse Breaker office with his pants torn to shreds and completely wet from head to toe… well, for the next month or so, it had been the starring role in Harry’s nightly shower ritual. 

He pulled himself from his thoughts when the door to the room opened, and Blaise Zabini walked in. Immediately, two thoughts flew through Harry’s mind. The first was the same one he thought every time Blaise Zabini walked into a room, sweet Merlin. The second? Oh no, he’s my partner. 

Harry’s confidence in his Occlumency wasn’t as strong in the face of this revelation. Keeping his crush from Blaise when he was his partner wasn’t in the same Quidditch Pitch as keeping a fantasy from a coworker he was lucky to see four times a year. 

Fuck he thought, as Blaise’s gaze stopped to rest on him. Harry swallowed hard.

“Zabini,” he said, striving to keep his voice even, he hoped he only imagined the strangled sound. 

Blaise looked at him for a full moment, before he inclined his head, “Considering the position we now find ourselves in, perhaps you should call me Blaise.”

Harry nodded, and Blaise began to make his way toward Harry, sprawling elegantly in the chair across from him. 

“You should call me Harry then,” he replied, shifting in his seat nervously, he was suddenly full of vibrating energy. As he always seemed to be when Zabin- Blaise was near. 

They had started Curse Breaker training within a few weeks of each other and often shared the same classes within Gringotts when they weren’t out on a hunt. In the beginning, Harry had always been hyper-aware of him. The prejudice the Auror Department held for Blaise’s mother was a hard bias to shake in the beginning. But as the months passed, Harry forgot all about Madame Zabini in favour of the way Blaise’s lips curled in a sneer when faced with a difficult problem. The way his eyebrow lifted when he challenged their professors to explain themselves. The way his hair curled at the nape of his neck when Blaise sweated through a training session. The timbre of his voice when he helped one of their coursemates with the work or presented his research.

Blaise’s height, build, and the fact that he was more than easy on the eyes didn’t help Harry’s crush. 

“So, we’re to be partners, then?” Blaise asked. 

“It seems so,” Harry replied. He wondered what to say he and Blaise really hadn’t interacted all that much with each other. Only observing each other from afar. “I wonder what the final trial is going to be? Bill and Wade didn’t say very much to me.”

“Nor Ilene and Roxy to me,” Blaise replied. 

The silence stretched between them and just as it built to an almost unbearable level, the door opened once more. Their proctor walked in, a man named Dane McCree. 

“Hullo, lads,” he said as he walked in, flipping through a clipboard he held in one hand. “You’re here for your final exam?” 

“Yessir,” Harry replied, and Blaise nodded beside him. 

McCree nodded, “Alright, take hold of this, and we’ll be on our way.” He held out a length of rope, and it dangled in his grasp.

Harry looked at Blaise, who looked back at him with a shrug, and they both stood. Before Harry took hold of the rope, however, he searched it for spells and curses. Making sure that it was nothing more than what it seemed. As it was, it only appeared to be a portkey, with coordinates set for somewhere on the coast of Greece. 

“Where does the portkey take us?” he asked, wondering if this was part of the test. But honestly, even if it wasn’t, Harry was still wary of portkey travel no matter that it had been seven years since the tournament. 

“It’s set for a small town on the coast of Greece,” McCree said, “though our final destination is an island. Good work for checking the portkey, Apprentice Breaker Potter.”

“Constant vigilance and all that,” Harry said, grasping the rope with his left hand, his wand still held firmly in his right. 

Blaise followed his lead, casting a speculative look his way before the portkey activated. The resulting blur was expected, even the duration of it, but Harry still hated this form of travel. It left him feeling disorientated and vague for those first few moments when he reached the end. He automatically threw a shield up around himself and Blaise as the world came back into focus. 

McCree nodded at him as they steadied themselves and regained equilibrium. Silently, he led them toward the beach nearby and crossed the sand, leading them toward a nearby boat, speaking only once they reached the vessel. 

“So, your assignment,” And both Harry and Blaise straightened up at his words, “is to figure out how well you two can work together as a team. We have discovered an island, and you will need to navigate it together. The island itself is covered by powerful anti-apparition wards and the only way there is by boat. You’ll be spending the night. So be prepared for that.”

Harry exchanged a quick glance with Blaise, who nodded silently, and they turned their attention back to McCree. 

“There is a temple in the middle of the island. You will break into it, disturbing it as little as possible. Remember, a good Curse Breaker leaves no trace. You will retrieve the treasure from inside, and your task will be complete. We’ll collect you from this same spot tomorrow at three pm.” 

McCree pulled his wand from his sleeve and lifted it toward them. Harry instantly twisted sideways to make himself a smaller target, but the proctor spoke before he cast. “I need to place tracking charms on you. They’ll tell us if you become grievously injured. If you do, we will come to help.” 

Harry inhaled sharply and then let out a slow exhale through his nose before giving his consent. He hated tracking charms. They made him feel so… He shuddered as McCree’s magic washed over him. 

McCree performed the same spell on Blaise and then with a rather toothy grin, wished them good luck and apparated away. 

“Well, how do you want to approach this?” Blaise asked after a moment. 

Harry shrugged. “Get over to the island, get a feel for the place and start poking around?”

“A feel for the place?” Blaise asked, an eyebrow lifted.

“Yeah, why? What do you want to do?” 

“I wouldn’t mind checking our supplies first, if we’re spending the night, I’d like to know what we have between us.”

“Right, yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” 

Harry reached into the pouch he kept on his belt and pulled an item from it, he threw it on the ground, and he and Blaise watched as it resized into what appeared to be a two-person tent on the outside. Harry opened the flap and gestured inside. 

Blaise approached slowly, brushing past Harry narrowly as he entered the tent. Harry stepped in after him and awkwardly waved a hand around. 

“This was a gift from Andromeda when I was accepted into the Curse Breaker program. She had it made special. It’s uh, two bedrooms - one was intended for my partner if they needed it. There’s a full kitchen, bathroom, a potions lab - and yeah. This is what I have.”

Blaise moved fluidly around the tent, opening doors into the rooms, checking out cupboards. Finally, he came to stand by Harry again.

“This is really very impressive. Are you sure about sharing the extra room with me?”

Harry shrugged, “If we pass this test, we’ll be partners. That’s how it works, so yeah. If you want to throw your things in there… I’m cool with it.”

Blaise looked him over steadily, and Harry fought the urge to blush and shuffle his feet. He felt like he was burning under Blaise’s intense gaze. 

“Thank you,” Blaise said at last, “I had just planned on transfiguring something, honestly ― and while I got an Outstanding on my Transfiguration Newt, it still doesn’t beat a real bed.”

Harry nodded in relief, the tension that had been building in the silence finally dissipating with the conversation, “Yeah, I know what you mean. After too many years on shitty mattresses, and then the comfort of the Hogwarts beds? I just can’t do anything subpar anymore.” 

Blaise cocked his head as if Harry had said something interesting, but whatever question that popped into his mind, he didn’t pursue as the next thing he asked Harry about was rations. 

“Erm- I’ve got a month's supply of food. A fairly healthy stock of potions in case of sickness or injury. And there’s a fair few books stashed around the place as well for research if we need it.” 

“Yes, I see the bookshelves in here,” Blaise said, gesturing at the shelves and bookcases in what was the entry and living room. “And the ones in the potions lab, and your room and the second bed-”

“Your room,” Harry blurted out, interrupting him before snapping his jaw shut. 

“Yes,” Blaise said, “is your Andromeda a bibliophile?”

Harry blinked at Blaise’s wording, not the word bibliophile, he knew what that meant after all these years as Hermione’s best friend, but the way Blaise phrased Andromeda’s relationship to him. 

“ My Andromeda?” he asked. 

“She’s your girlfriend I’m assuming? Paramour?” 

Harry almost choked on air, “Oh Merlin no. No, no, no. She’s not. I’m not seeing anyone. She’s my― well I don’t really know. But she’s family. Andromeda Tonks nee Black. She’s my godson’s grandmother. She’s like, three times my age.”

“Oh, sorry for the confusion.” 

Harry lifted a shoulder, “It’s alright, so erm, what about you?”

Blaise looked at him, a sudden warmth in his eyes, “I’m not seeing anyone either.” 

“Oh! Erm, I meant- rations.”

“Right, of course,” Blaise replied, and his voice seemed flatter now than it had before. He sighed and began to list things off his fingers. “Health potions, potions for injury and detoxification. Protection amulets, warding stones. Enough food for three days.”

Harry bobbed his head, “Right, so we should be pretty good for whatever we run into.” 

“I imagine so,” Blaise replied smoothly, and somehow, Harry felt more distant from him than before they had been placed into the same room together. 

What he couldn’t work out though was why? Had he done something? 

“Right, uh, shall we get started?”

Blaise gave a curt nod and strode out of the tent. Harry followed him at a slightly slower pace, minimising the tent and replacing it in his belt before coming to stand beside Blaise at the boat. 

“Do you have a preference?” Blaise asked, at Harry’s look of confusion, he clarified, “Would you prefer to take the lead?”

“Not here if that’s alright,” Harry replied as he clambered into the prow of the boat, “I need a few moments to lock this tracking spell away.”

Blaise climbed in after him and sat by the helm of the small boat. His long legs taking up a majority of the space between them. 

“What do you mean? We shouldn’t get rid of the tracking spells. What happens if you get hurt?”

Harry shook his head, his hair shifting against his face as he did. “No, I mean my awareness of it. It’s like, it feels slimy. On my skin, on my magic. I want to occlude for a little while so I can wall it off and not think about it every damn second.”

Blaise tapped the rudder of the boat with his wand and Harry reached down to grip the seat with his hands, sending a wordless sticking charm into the timber, so he didn’t get jolted out of the boat by the waves. 

“You can feel his tracking charm?” Blaise asked. 

“Yeah, I’ve always been able to feel magic. Wasn’t much I could do about it until I studied Occlumency, but now, I block it out almost every chance I get. Other people’s magic that is.”

“Why? I would think that being magically sensitive would be a blessing. It certainly is in this field of work.” 

Harry shrugged, “I dunno, it just, most of the time, it’s horrible. Other people’s magic - if it's not compatible with mine - it feels wrong. It either grates against mine or chafes or itches - it’s different for everyone. Places are different though, they soak up magic and depending on what they soak up, it changes the feeling. Hogwarts was…” 

He trailed off, suddenly embarrassed for talking so much. 

“Sorry, this is probably boring.”

“No,” Blaise said quickly, “it’s fascinating, I’ve never met someone magically sensitive before. It’s quite a rare skill.”

“Yeah,” Harry replied, “I didn’t even realise I was until I started working with Bill and Wade. They were the ones who noticed it.”

Blaise’s eyes went wide, “You went through Hogwarts without being able to block out everyone’s magic? If it’s as bad as you say, Hogwarts must have been hell for you.”

Harry shrugged, “I got used to it, and Hogwarts itself was amazing. At night, when everyone was asleep, I would walk the halls, and it was blissful. The castle… it’s sentient, you know? And it― for a long time it felt like home.”

Harry looked out to the ocean on his right, feeling like he opened himself up too much. He was thankful when Blaise didn’t say anything. 

“So, uh, do you mind if I?” Harry asked, finally turning back to look Blaise in the eye.

Blaise shook his head and gestured for him to go ahead. 

The corner of Harry’s mouth tweaked up into a smile, and he settled into a more comfortable pose. Letting the noise of the ocean lull him into a meditative trance where he could work with the magic of his Occlumency from. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He had stayed in his meditation for the majority of the boat ride, only coming out of it when he heard the sound of gulls nearby. They had silently clambered off the boat, mooring it to a nearby tree and then began to take stock of their surroundings. 

Feeling much lighter now that the spell was tucked away, Harry began a series of stretches as he looked around. Something he had learned as a trainee Auror was that it always paid to be limber when entering an unknown situation. It was something Harry often wished he had known when he was at school - that along with the Occlumency. Since he had learned to separate and block the magic around him, life had become much easier to deal with. He was more relaxed, less on edge, and generally less suspicious overall.

Harry needed a grounding force when he used his gift. Otherwise, he got lost amongst everything else. Everyone else. And generally speaking, everyone had something to hide, something they kept hidden from everyone, and that was just one of the things Harry could sense about someone through their magic. It explained a lot about why he had been so on edge through school. 

Returning his attention to the present, he saw that the island was on the smaller side, Hermione would likely call it an isle rather than an island. Harry could see the water on the other side easily, and if he had to hazard a guess, it would probably take him around an hour to walk the entire circumference. A rise in the land drew their eye to the temple that sat upon the highest point, and Harry’s eyebrows rose. 

With just a preliminary look at their surroundings and that temple, he felt he had a pretty good idea of what they might have been sent to find. 

“What did you spend your independent studies on?” he asked Blaise as they began to walk the path that would lead them to the temple. 

“I majored in Spellcrafting and minored in Architecture. I like knowing how things work.” Blaise replied, “how about yourself?”

“Ancient Greek & Roman Gods was where I began my independents, but I eventually broadened into Gods of all kinds and cultures-” he broke off and cleared his throat, “my thesis was on the affects and effects of empathetic magic.”

“You studied… Love?” Blaise asked, something indecipherable in his tone.

Harry drew up short and folded his arms across his chest. “No, not just love. Other emotions as well, anger, hate. Vengeance, hope. But yes, I studied love. Love is a hell of a lot stronger and more dangerous than most cultures give it credit for and it’s the only reason I’m alive right now. Gringotts allowed me to research it, to find out why - so I took it. Besides, studying that - and all the gods and deities related to the subject - is the reason I know where we are right now and likely what object we will be recovering too.”

“So what’s your theory?” 

Harry narrowed his eyes at Blaise, but he couldn’t see any form of mocking on his face or in his voice. Not like there had been in some of the other trainees. Or his friends before he had explained why he had chosen to study what he did. 

“See the apple trees?” he pointed to the small grove that could be seen from where they stood, “the pomegranates? The myrtle trees? And there’s roses and myrrh too. They are all plants associated with Aphrodite.” 

He began the walk again and pointed to the building, “The temple, you can see pearl inlaid around the top. Another symbol of Aphrodite. I believe this is her sacred island. I found references in many texts that she had one such island, but there was very little written about what it contains. Only that her greatest power lies here.” 

“What do you think that is supposed to mean?”

“I think that it means either her girdle or her mirror. Each is as likely as the other. It may even be that we find both.”

Blaise hummed, and they remained silent until they reached the steps of the temple where they both released their wands into their hands. Harry noted that they both seemed to prefer a wrist holster over any other wand-keeping method. 

The temple itself was beautiful up close, it appeared to be made entirely out of one piece of marble, and inspection of the ground beneath their feet only seemed to confirm the fact further. Each pillar was lovingly carved into a different representation of Aphrodite, and Harry spent a great deal of time looking over each one. 

She was depicted in various forms, fulfilling her many duties and positions. Aphrodite was beautiful in all her roles: Love, Sex, Erotic Poetry and Song, Pleasure and Merriment, Marriage, Procreation, Self-Truth, and Peace. 

That was the last statue Harry stopped at, her hands clasped openly in front of her as if belaying another's hand. True peace could only be born of love, and as Harry stared up into the blank, carved eyes of this statue, he felt it wash over him. 

“I’ll circle left,” Blaise said, breaking Harry from his thoughts, “You take the right, meet back here to discuss what we find?”

Harry nodded and began to circle the temple, casting the detection spells he had been taught, as well as a few extra’s he had picked up from Bill and Wade. At the back of the temple, he had to stop, as it was quite literally built on the edge of a cliff. A waterfall spilled down the back of the temple, coming from a vase held by one of the Erotes.  

From what he could tell from this angle, they weren’t Eros or Himeros, and Harry concluded that there must be other statues within the temple as well as a water source of some kind. He conjured a jug – and snorted at himself when it came out looking Grecian - and summoned some of the water. Heading back to the front of the temple, he cast a few spells on it to see if there was anything nefarious about the water, but he came up clean.

Still, he decided to show it to Blaise to be on the safe side.

He rounded the corner, and his step faltered as he saw Blaise leaning against one of the pillars, his face tipped up into the sun and his eyes closed. He looked quite peaceful, standing there like that and Harry couldn’t help but drink him in.

Harry made sure to make some noise as he walked, so he didn’t startle Blaise too badly when he approached, and he cleared his throat. Blaise blinked his eyes open and turned his head to look down at Harry. Curse him for being so damn tall, thought Harry.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Huh? Oh! Water, from a waterfall coming off the back of the temple.” Harry said as he held it out to Blaise.

“You were able to get around the back?” Blaise asked as he took the water and began performing his own charms on it.

Harry shook his head, “Nah, there’s a cliff drop off, you didn’t see it?”

Blaise shook his head, “No, I got to a fresco, depicting some pretty graphic sex,” he added, wiggling his eyebrows.

Harry snorted, “Well, I looked round the back, saw the waterfall and summoned some water. The water is coming from inside the temple. So I figured it would be good to know what we might be dealing with if there was anything.”

Blaise hummed, as he finished casting. “I think it’s clear. You didn’t find anything in it?”

Harry shook his head.

“Well then, I guess it’s time we head in,” Blaise said, glancing at the entrance.

“Yeah,” Harry replied with a nod.

They approached the temple with caution and slowly made their way inside. Keeping to the sides of the hall as much as possible. Once they were past the entrance, the temple air was quite cool, refreshing even after the warmth of the summer sun.

There were carvings all over the walls, depicting scenes from Aphrodite’s life and her exploits the deeper they went in. Finally, they came to an entrance, framed by two winged minor gods.

“Who are they?” Blaise asked, “They aren’t another form of Aphrodite, are they?”

Harry shook his head, “No, they’re two of her attendants. Eros and Anteros. Minor gods in their own right.”

“What are they the gods of?”

Harry cleared his throat and felt the heat rise on his cheeks as Blaise watched him.

He cleared his throat again, “They’re uh, on the left? With the bow and arrow? That’s-“

“Cupid?”

Harry shook his head, “If we were in Rome, but no. He’s Eros. The god of Desire, and er, a protector- of homosexual men.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Blaise’s eyebrows shoot up. Hurrying on, Harry pointed to the next statue, “The one with the butterfly wings, and the club? That’s Anteros.”

“What’s with the club?”

Harry lifted a hand and scratched at the back of his neck, feeling embarrassment at talking about such things to someone he had such amorous feelings for.

“Er, it’s for punishing those who scorn love, or the advances of others without cause. He also avenges unrequited love. He’s uh, the god of requited love. Of feelings returned.”

Blaise hummed as his eyes roved over the two statues.

“Are all of the Erotas-“

“Erotes,” Harry corrected gently.

“Erotes, are they all protectors of something?”

Harry shook his head, “No, it’s just these two. The others – while they can be vengeful in their own right, they don’t carry weapons if that’s what you’re asking.”

“I wonder if that means something.”

Harry nodded, “I do too. Normally, her main attendants are Eros and Himeros. It IS unusual to see Anteros here.”

He brought his wand out and began testing, Blaise copying him on the statue of Eros.

“I still can’t find anything,” Harry said, “it’s making me nervous.”

“Quite,” Blaise replied, “I would have thought we would have some sense of something by now.”

Harry took a steadying breath and walked purposefully into the room beyond.

It was quite vast and on either side of the room were four softly splashing fountains. More of the Erotes poured the crystal-like water from large vases into the pools. There were chaise lounging chairs along the walls, and pedestals holding ornate vases in the Greek style. Gold filigree figures were stamped into the walls, though they had begun to crack with age; and a ring of seashells ran around the room just below them. The most eye-catching feature, however, was the large raised platform in the centre of the room.

It was nearly ten foot long in diameter, and elaborate carvings of the physical act of love were engraved around the marble base. Covering the platform, were hundreds of plush looking pillows in various shades of red, gold and white.

“Let me guess,” Blaise said, “Aphrodite was a Gryffindor.”

Harry snorted.

“It would be more accurate to say all Gryffindor’s are Aphrodites.”

“Is that so?” Blaise asked, and Harry had to hold back the shiver he felt at Blaise’s low rumble.

Clearing his throat again, he had a sudden thought he would need to stock up on throat soothing potions at this rate. He waved his hand in a sort of absent gesture.

“I’ll, uh, take this side?”

Blaise nodded, a small smirk on the corner of his mouth as he met Harry’s eyes.

“Right, well, no time like now,” Harry said, heading for the nearest pool. He couldn’t help but feel there had to be something to all the water. Why else have it pumped up into the temple?

He heard Blaise's sure footsteps on the marble floor and then his warm voice. “So these other statues, in the fountains, are they the other Erotes?”

Harry glanced up at the one in front of him, the sweet face and no other telling characteristics were enough to confirm who this was.

“This is Hedylogos, the god of sweet-talk and flattery-“

“There’s a god of sweet-talk?”

“Yeah, well, some people could use the help,” Harry replied with a shrug.

“I can assure you, that’s not a god I need.”

Harry snorted at Blaise’s self-assured tone.

“Who’s this lovely lady, uh… sorry, handsome lad? Er…”

Harry didn’t need to look to know from Blaise’s confusion, but he glanced over his shoulder anyway to see Blaise cocking his head at the statue, his brow furrowed.

“That’s Hermaphroditus. He was born the son of Aphrodite and Hermes. His form was merged with that of a water nymph when she fell in love with him and begged that they would be forever united. Now they are invoked at weddings as a symbol of unity. But they are also the god of hermaphrodites and uh- effeminate men.”

“Beautiful men,” Blaise said, his eyes flicking to Harry and then away.

Not knowing how to respond to that, his stomach fluttering oddly as he turned away, Harry finished his spells and moved onto the next statue. Distracted from his spells again when Blaise asked after the identity of the next statue he was investigating.

The crown of flowers atop his head and the staff he carried indicating he could only be-

“Hymenaeus, the god of marriage,” Harry answered.

“I thought Hermaphroditus was marriage?”

Harry shook his head as he turned back to the last fountain, “No. They’re unity. Two people acting as one. Marriage is different, and if Hymenaeus wasn’t invoked, it could be bad luck for the couple.”

He took a little longer with these spells as he was caught in the intricate beauty of the last statue. Greater care had been taken during its creation as the grapevines that trailed over his hands, arms, only to spill down over his shoulders would have taken a tremendous amount of precision. But it was the expression on his face that had caught Harry’s attention the most ― it was so wistful.

Almost heartbreaking.

He jumped in place when Blaise murmured next to his ear.

“Who’s this then?”

“Pothos,” Harry whispered back, unsure as to why they were suddenly speaking so quietly but unwilling to be that one that broke it. “God of longing, of yearning.”

“Longing, huh?”

Harry gave a curt nod, unsure what to say. 

Blaise sighed softly, and Harry could feel the warm breath tickle his neck. Raising the hairs there to stand on end. He didn’t see it, but he could feel Blaise pull away. 

“So what do you think that’s for?” he asked, and Harry turned to see where his gaze was directed. 

The raised dias. 

Harry snorted, “Gee. I don’t know. We’re in a temple dedicated to a Goddess of love and surrounded by minor love deities. There’s a large flat surface that looks like comfort personified, and you’re wondering what it’s for?”

Blaise smirked at him, “Well, it begs the question, doesn’t it? What exactly did people do here?”

Harry shrugged, “Came for blessings on their marriage?”

“Was that pun intended?”

Harry rolled his eyes at Blaise's poor joke and began the search anew. Approaching some of the vases with renewed care and concentration. 

“There doesn’t seem to be anything here,” Blaise said after a while, putting his wand away. “I mean, apart from the statues and the vases, there’s nothing.”

“They wouldn’t send us if there was nothing,” Harry replied, “There has to be something. A hidden compartment, a passageway.”

“I’m not sensing anything, and my detection spell repertoire is quite vast. I would have expected to sense something by now. Can you sense anything?”

“No, all my spells are coming back without results too.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Blaise replied, and Harry looked at him. “I meant with your magical sensitivity.”

Harry blinked, “Oh, right.”

“You’re not using it?”

Harry shook his head, “I usually concentrate on not using it unless I’m home. Or with someone who’s magic doesn’t make me want to vomit.”

“Oh.”

Harry couldn’t possibly know how much Blaise's heart had dropped at that statement, but he did hear something in his voice. 

“No! I didn’t mean you. I have no idea what your magic feels like,” Harry managed to get out — feeling as though the words were tumbling over one another in his rush. “I just meant, in general, you know? If I’m around someone I know, who’s magic is nice. I can kinda block out others, and I don’t have to keep such control.”

“Right. Okay, well. Did you want me to leave? Let you get a feel for this place without my presence in it? You said that buildings and such were usually alright by themselves.”

“No, stay. I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean how that came out. I truly have no idea how your magic feels.”

“Well, if you prefer I go-”

“No. Stay, please stay. If we’re going to be partners, then we should know how the other works.”

“Alright,” Blaise said, shifting slightly on his feet. “So how does it work?”

Harry shrugged, “I dunno, I just― let my guards down and reach out. It’s kinda hard to explain. Bill thinks that it’s empathetic on some level.”

“Did you use it on digs with Bill and Wade?” 

Harry nodded, “Of course, Bill’s a Weasley.”

Blaise raised an eyebrow, “You’ve lost me. What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, families, they all have a sort of feel to their magic. A flavour? Like I dunno, if magic was ice-cream. The Weasley’s would all be some sort of chocolate. Bill’s chocolate almond. Charlie is chocolate with chilli flakes. Ron is chocolate with wafer. You know? They all feel okay to me. I can relax around them. Because my magic likes them.”

“So… the Weasley’s are chocolate?”

 “Yeah and Hermione’s caramel, and I dunno, Luna’s banana and strawberry or something. That’s not the point. What I meant was, with any of the Weasley’s I can relax because my magic likes chocolate ice-cream. So yeah, I used my ability when I apprenticed with Bill.” 

Blaise nodded but didn’t say anything else, and Harry moved into an open space to let his walls down. Harry tucked his wand away and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath and releasing it as he relaxed. Letting the barriers he kept around his core drop one by one. 

As they fell, he became increasingly aware of a soothing presence. Something, unlike anything he had felt before and yet, somehow like it fit within him perfectly. It felt warm and cold all at once, sweet and somehow bitter; like warm, silky liquor running down his throat, or the cool slide of ice cream. 

He started to move toward it, eyes still closed and feet moving as if pulled by magnets. 

Until he bumped into something warm and solid. 

His eyes flew open as a pair of hands steadied him. 

“You alright?” Blaise asked.

“Uh, sure, shit, sorry. I-”

Harry stepped back and tried to rein in his senses a little, getting a handle on them, he realised that magic he had felt wasn’t the temple. It belonged to Blaise. 

He looked up, searching Blaise’s face for something, but stopped when Blaise cocked an eyebrow at him. 

“What?”

Harry tore his gaze away and cleared his throat, “Nothing, er, nothing. Sorry, just got a little lost.”

“Are you alright to keep going?” 

He nodded rapidly, “Of course, just― I’m fine.”

Blaise’s magic was the most soothing he had ever felt, the most exciting, and Harry was more comfortable now than he had ever been before. He didn’t know what to make of it. Had the Goblins known? Did they suspect they would be compatible in this way?

He pushed the thoughts aside and focused on the work at hand. As much as, he just wanted to soak up the feeling of Blaise’s magic, roll around in it like a kneazle in a field of catnip. They did have a job to do after all. 

He closed his eyes again, and using Blaise as his background source, he searched for other magics. Pinpointing a likely spot, one that pulsed quite brightly to his senses, he opened his eyes and moved toward it. 

There was something on the back wall. Etched there in the same gold paint that decorated the other walls. But it was covered by a thick layer of dust and Harry couldn’t make it out. He reached out to brush it away but as soon as his hand made contact, he felt stuck. 

A voice carried out over the room, and he turned to look at Blaise only to see a shining visage in front of him. A woman, dressed in a white chiton, with long flowing golden hair shimmered between them. 

Harry felt as though his eyes were about to pop out of his head. It couldn’t really be...

 “I see you have found my temple, are you here seeking a blessing?”

“A blessing?” asked Blaise.

“Yes, why else would two such as yourselves come to find me?”

Harry spoke this time, mind frantically scrambling as he tried to piece it all together. “Such as ourselves?”

“Do not mistake me for a fool,” she said, and the quick bite of her tongue confirmed Harry’s suspicion. 

Aphrodite was not only the beautiful goddess of love, but she was also vain and easy to insult. 

“We would never, and we would be more than grateful to receive a blessing from such a beautiful goddess, should you see us fit to bestow one upon us.” Harry said quickly, catching Blaise’s eye and managing to convey what he hoped was ‘don’t get her mad.’

Aphrodite cocked her head as if listening to something they couldn’t hear as she watched them appraisingly. 

“My attendants say there are lies afoot. That things remain unsaid between the parties in this room―” there was a crashing sound and Harry was horrified to see that the door to the outside was now merely a sheet of marble. “―you will remain here until all is revealed and I have received my sacrifice.”

“Sacrifice?” Blaise asked, clearly startled. “What kind of sacrifice?”

Aphrodite huffed, “I am the Goddess of Love , young man. Think carnal thoughts. You have until sundown.”

“Or what?” Harry asked, and she turned to lay her eyes on him, “what happens at sundown?”

“A fate comparable to death,” her smirk did nothing to warm the sudden cold that went through Harry. 

And with those parting words, she disappeared. 

Harry’s hand fell off the wall, and he stumbled slightly. Catching himself before he went sprawling on the marble floor. He looked up into Blaise’s eyes with his mouth slightly open as Aphrodite’s words and her meaning rang in his ears. 

“Did she just say what I think she said?” Harry asked weakly.

“If you mean she wants us to have sex, then yes. I think so.” Blaise replied, his voice even. 

“I- She can’t possibly have meant that. ”

Blaise shrugged, “the mural outside makes more sense now.”

Harry gaped at him, “what? You said it was just an orgy!”

“No, I said it was sex. Aphrodite was in the middle, and there were these sort of radiating lines around her, and there were these couples, of all sexes and orientations having sex.”

Harry groaned and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. 

“Why didn’t you tell me that before? We need to get out of here.” 

He straightened up and stalked toward the door, when the charms he flung at it failed to reveal any pertinent information, he geared himself up to start casting blasting curses. Only to be stopped by Blaise’s hand curling around his wrist. 

“What are you doing?” Harry said, trying to yank his arm away, even though Blaise didn’t hold him tightly, his grip was firm, and Harry couldn’t free himself easily. 

“What are you doing?” Blaise asked. “Depulso? You mean to bring this whole place down?”

“There’s only a small chance that would happen,” Harry replied. “We’ll be fine.”

“No, we won’t,” Blaise said stubbornly. “The walls of this temple aren’t particularly thick. These pillars support the roof, knock the wrong one out and thousands of tonnes of marble will come crashing down on top of us.”

Harry sighed, and Blaise let go of his wrist. 

“So then, what do you suppose we do?”

“Well, I thought, we could do what we were told - for a change.”

Harry blinked at him, immediately aroused, shocked, and disbelieving all at once.

“ What?” Harry exclaimed, after a moment, “You can’t really mean that!”

“Gee, I don’t know, do I want to live? Or do I want to die?” Blaise retorted. 

Harry scowled at him, “she said comparable to, not that we would.”

“And I don’t particularly feel like finding out what that is comparable to death ,” Blaise shot back. “It seems like a pretty easy solution.”

Inhaling deeply through his nose, Harry turned on the spot and began examining the room again. “There has to be another way out.”

“And if there isn’t? We only have until sundown.”

Harry looked out the high windows set into place around the top edge of the room. Even if they had a broom, the windows were too small for them to escape through - and sunset was likely only an hour away. 

“Why is this so hard for you?” Blaise asked, “We fuck and or we’re dead.”

Harry threw up his hands, incredulously, “I don’t exactly go around fucking people I barely know!”

“Why not?” Blaise asked. 

Harry gaped at him, “Why not? What do you mean, why not?”

“I would have thought you’d have had more than a few casual encounters under your belt by now, why haven’t you?”

Harry gestured uselessly with his hands, “I don’t know! I mean, I don’t. It’s really very personal for me. I can’t keep my magic out of it ― I don’t want to keep my magic out of it. So it ends up being this really terrible experience for both of us. Besides, I’d actually like to - you know, love my lover? Or at least have some sort of positive relationship with them.”

“Well,” Blaise said as he began to unbutton his shirt, “what’s your favourite flavour of ice-cream?”

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Harry said, his voice edging toward hysteria. “What’s with all the questions?”

“I’m attempting to get to know you, so we don’t die here,” Blaise said archly.

Harry was stumped, “Mint chocolate. What’s yours?” Harry said after a moment. 

Blaise shrugged out of his shirt, and Harry’s gaze caught on his rippling chest, “I don’t really like ice cream. I mean, it’s fine. But not something I enjoy on the regular.”

Harry nodded once, “Generally, I prefer warm desserts, like treacle tart.” 

“Something we have in common then,” Blaise replied. “Come on, ask me something. If this is what you need to feel comfortable with this, ask me anything you want.”

Harry put a hand on his head and ran it through his hair, “I don’t know! I mean- Your favourite food is hardly going to endear you to me, is it? Or that you prefer fwooper feathered quills over eagle ones? Or that you like to take long walks on the beach or some shit?” Harry knew he had sort of a desperate look on his face, but he couldn’t help that. “Shouldn’t things be more than that? Have more meaning?”

Blaise was looking at him as if he was brand new as if he had changed in his eyes somehow. Harry wasn’t sure what it was that he had said to get that particular expression, but he waited still as stone for an answer. 

“Alright, didn’t she say that there were things unsaid in this room? That ‘lies were afoot’? What did she mean by that? Have you lied to me since we entered the temple?”

Harry felt bewildered, “What? No, I-” 

He paused, he had brushed aside something Blaise had asked him before. When he had walked into Blaise, he had hidden what he had been feeling. Was that it? Was that what the Erotes had sensed? But everyone did that, hid their feelings…

“That―” Harry looked up to see Blaise pointing at him. “That right there, whatever you were just thinking of. Tell me that.”

“No!” Harry said, his knee-jerk reaction coming out more forceful than he intended. “No, it’s private. It’s―”

“It’s something that’s standing between us being fully partners. If you can’t trust me in a life or death situation, Harry… then we don’t have much hope as Curse Breakers. Even if we did manage to make it out of here, Gringotts doesn’t redraw pairs, and I can’t work with someone who doesn’t trust me.”

Harry scrubbed his face and took a breath before finally coming to a decision. He looked at the floor as he spoke quietly. Confessing what he felt was more than just his observations about Blaise’s magic. 

“When I dropped my walls, I felt your magic. It was― breathtaking. Your magic is― everything. Everything I could have ever hoped to feel. Everything I’ve never felt before.” 

“Oh,” Blaise said, and for a long, poignant moment there wasn’t any other sound inside the marble temple except for the gentle splashing of the fountains. 

Until the soft sound of Blaise’s footsteps could be heard upon the marble floor, his shoes came into Harry’s eye line and then a hand appeared to lift his chin. 

“Is that all you feel? Or...” 

“Or what?” Harry breathed out softly. 

Their faces were so close, scant inches between them. Harry could see every lash that framed Blaise’s eyes. He could see the brilliant gold flecks within his hazel eyes. The tiny mole in the crease of his nose…

“Or do you maybe feel the same way for me as I feel about you?”

“Huh?” Harry felt befuddled as Blaise’s breath swept across his skin. Being this close was messing with his ability to think, and Blaise’s fingers seemed to burn where they rested against his chin.

“I’ve wanted you for a long time, watched you for longer still. How long have you been watching me? You know that I prefer fwooper quills, what else do you know about me?”

“You want me.”

It had been meant as a question, a simple restating of Blaise’s earlier statement. But the way he grinned and then pressed his lips to Harry’s, it seemed Blaise had taken it to mean what Harry had wanted it too. That Blaise wanted him and not because of this temple, and it’s goddess. 

Harry opened beneath Blaise’s lips like a flower in bloom. He pushed back against Blaise, the kiss turning deeper the more he gave to it. He was aware of the groan that left him as his lips parted and Blaise’s tongue dipped inside to taste him. Before he knew it, his hands were up and running over Blaise’s body, squeezing at the defined muscle in his arms, tracing over the hard planes of his stomach. 

At his throat were Blaise’s fingers, deftly beginning to unbutton the garment he was wearing. It fell to the floor as Harry slipped his hands down to begin unbuttoning Blaise’s trousers. The appreciative hum Blaise released surged through his core as he pushed them down over Blaise’s arse. Letting gravity take them the rest of the way as Harry dug his fingers into the meaty flesh beneath his palms. 

“Eager then, are we?” Blaise murmured against his lips. 

“Fuck off,” Harry muttered, as he silently summoned the pillows from the pile Aphrodite had left behind. They silently settled to form a large area where they could lay comfortably behind Blaise. 

Blaise grinned against his mouth and disengaged to pull Harry’s trousers down, along with his pants. As he stood back up, he cupped Harry’s groin, his large hand enveloping Harry’s balls and part of his cock as he squeezed gently. Harry groaned into his renewed kiss, kicking his trousers off along with his shoes, and then swept his foot around Blaise’s ankle and tipped them both to the floor. 

“Fucking hell,” Blaise growled, looking up at him, to tell him off from the expression he was wearing. But he halted in his tracks, eyes and mouth freezing as he watched Harry tap his wand against his arse and mutter a few words in Latin. 

Harry felt as though he was about to burst out of his skin. His magic as it touched Blaise’s felt electrified, lively, in a way, he had never imagined it could. It reached out for Blaise, just as he was doing now. 

He crawled over Blaise’s supine form and kissed him. Filthily. His tongue darted back and forth between them, and he rolled his hips against Blaise’s. His hand wandered down his own body, taking a brief hold of Blaise’s cock to stroke it a few times before he continued his journey to check his spellwork. Two fingers, three, he was good. He could do this. He was ready enough, Merlin it had been so long - and it had never felt like this before. 

Never before had he felt like he was bursting from the seams. Never before had a person’s sheer presence felt like this. Never before had he felt a magic like Blaise’s, a magic that embraced him even as his own longed to do the same, did do the same. Entwining more than just their bodies together. 

Just kissing Blaise was enough. The touch of bare flesh and his magic twined with Blaise’s was more than euphoric. He wasn’t sure things could get better from here, but there was an insatiable need flaring to life within him, and he pressed his mouth to Blaise’s once more as he shuffled up Blaise’s body just that little bit further. Rising as far as he could go before he positioned the head of Blaise’s cock at his entrance. 

“You sure?” he asked, tearing his lips away to rest his forehead against Blaise’s, ready to hear the rejection or the resignation in Blaise’s voice. Anything that might tell him Blaise didn’t want this as much as he did. Anything that countered what he was feeling.

Blaise's hand came up to cup Harry’s neck, and he dragged him down for a hard firm kiss. 

“Harry,” he said softly as they parted, “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I want you. Not just here, not just now, but by my side, always.”

Harry went weak at his words, but he managed to hold himself above Blaise, and instead channelled that weakness through his body to his hips. Pushing Blaise’s cock deep inside him with one long, slow slide. Blaise gasped as if Harry had punched the air from his lungs and Harry had to grit his teeth at the slight burn. 

Rising into a seated position, his hands resting on Blaise's chest as he began to move experimentally, Harry looked down into Blaise’s eyes. Caught in the maelstrom of emotion kept hidden there. Blaise's hands clenched at Harry’s thighs. Gripping him in such a way that Harry was unsure if it was to stop him or urge him on. 

Their rhythm began to build, and their pleasure began to crest as Harry splayed his hands across Blaise’s chest, revelling in the firm muscle beneath his palms as he began to rock wildly. Taking Blaise’s cock in bigger and bigger increments. He groaned the first time he rolled his prostate over the head of Blaise’s cock. Grunting lightly each time after that. 

Eventually, Blaise shifted to sit up, and Harry placed his arms over Blaise's shoulders to give himself a different sort of leverage. His body able to roll in new, undulating ways as Blaise’s hands travelled over every inch of him. Their mouths met messily as they kissed. Aware that neither had the breath to spare as they tried to devour one another. Tried to sate the thirst that had been building within them for years. 

“Harry,” Blaise murmured as he buried his face in Harry’s neck, holding him close as he thrust upward. 

Harry merely groaned, his arms wrapping around Blaise's neck and shoulders as he continued to rock. His movements slowed as his muscles began to tremble and tire. Blaise’s hand came down, pushing its way under his leg and flipping him onto his back. 

Harry groaned at the sudden dominance, and he threw his head back into the pillows, one arm flung above his head as Blaise kissed a path down his neck and to his chest as he began to thrust inside Harry. 

The pleasure threatened to overwhelm him, he was so close to release, and he swore that he could see his and Blaise’s magic swirling in the air around them. Brightening to a point where he had to shut his eyes or be blinded from the merge. He could feel it inside his chest, an overwhelming sense of awe, lust, and genuine affection. He couldn’t be sure to whom it belonged, but as he bit his lip and came with a soft moan, he knew that it belonged to Blaise. Because a moment later it flared, pleasure spiking through the swirl of feelings in his chest as Blaise emptied himself inside him. 

Blaise made to roll off him, but Harry threw a leg around his hips and held him in place. 

“You don’t have to go anywhere,” Harry murmured. 

Blaise moved to cover him fully, shifting so that his elbows came down either side of Harry’s head so that he could do so easily. Harry swallowed, suddenly nervous. Not at Blaise’s bulk or stance, but at the vulnerability he suddenly felt under the weight of Blaise's gaze. 

Harry shifted slightly, jerking his head to dislodge his hair from his eyes when Blaise’s hand came down to swipe it away for him. Their eyes met, and Harry held his breath as he waited for Blaise to speak.

“You’ve no idea,” Blaise said softly, “no idea how long I’ve been waiting to be this close to you.” 

“Oh?” Harry replied softly, stunned. 

Blaise hummed, “I think you’re extraordinary, not for the things you’ve done, well, not necessarily. Those things are a part of who you are. But it’s because of who you are. I’ve watched you since Hogwarts, you know. Your mere presence has always been electrifying to me. But when we started the Curse Breaking program together, I thought I must have had it wrong. You weren’t quite the person I remembered, so I watched some more.”

He shifted, and his still rather firm cock pressed inside Harry a little more. 

“And as I watched you, I saw so much more. The way you care, the way you try: your intelligence, your commitment, your passion. You’re stunning in every sense of the word. You dazzle me. Utterly. And you’ve blinded me for all others.”

Harry inhaled sharply. A foreign feeling swelling in his chest and heart. 

“When you relinquished your control, your magic… it swept out over me. And the reason I had watched you in Hogwarts came rushing back to me. It’s so pure. So wonderful. I just want to bask in it. In you. I don’t want this to be just this one-time thing.”

He stopped then, and Harry could see the nerves in his eyes. Could see the trepidation Blaise felt at laying himself out so openly to Harry. 

“I don’t either,” Harry murmured softly. “I may not have noticed you as early as you did me. But― I feel no less strongly about you. You― you feel like the piece I’ve been missing all my life.”

The way Blaise's face lit up with happiness would be a memory Harry was sure he would remember for the rest of life. Harry arched up into him as Blaise swooped down to connect their lips once more. They were just beginning to build a rhythm, perhaps start moving together once more when they were interrupted by a delicate cough. 

Their faces sprang apart, and they both looked in the direction the noise had come from to see Aphrodite lounging on a chaise, one of her attendants fanning her with a large frond while another held grapes aloft. 

Blaise growled lowly and reached out to grab some cushions, trying to put them into such a position that it would cover any important bits. Harry bit his bottom lip in amusement. It was clear the goddess had been watching. It was a bit like trying to put the kneazle back in the bag at this point. She had already seen it all. 

“You two bring me much happiness ― and your performance was certainly entertaining.” She paused for a moment, to smirk at them both, “I find you are indeed worthy of my blessing, as you two are by far my favourites.”

She stood, and approached them, bending down at the waist so that her breasts swung forward, filling the top of her dress as she pressed a kiss to the tops of their heads. 

Harry felt flooded with a sudden burning warmth. Like he had too much magic, too much energy and his cock swelled once more, he gasped as Blaise grew fully hard inside him and as Aphrodite pulled back from them she winked. 

“Have fun, my loves, and may your life be forever enriched with the blessings of love.”

She and her attendants faded from sight, and Harry looked at Blaise. 

“I wonder what exactly she meant,” Blaise murmured.

Harry groaned, the physical need for Blaise overwhelming him, “I really don’t care at this point,” he replied, arching up into Blaise, beginning to grind beneath him. “We can find out later. You really need to move now.” 

“Merlin, yes,” Blaise groaned as Harry deliberately clenched around him. 

Blaise began to thrust once more, and Harry met him eagerly, stroke for stroke as they reaffirmed their passion for one another beneath the hallowed hall of the goddess.