Chapter 1
"Falalalaa la la la laaa!" Fred bellowed, then collapsed back into the bracken laughing. Their portable wireless leaked tinny Christmas music into the night air. Katie Bell sat by the edge of the lake, idly breaking the ice with the pointed toe of her evening shoe. She felt drunk in the firelight.
Opposite her, Angelina stood talking to Oliver, who lay like a supplicant at her feet. She looked like an Amazon queen, Katie thought. The snippets of conversation which drifted across to her were incongruous with the picture.
"You reckon we should've invited Harry, Oliver?"
"No way. McGonagall'd have our hides if we absconded with the Gryffindor champion."
"Ha! Yeah. ...Hey, did you see her hat?"
"Budge up," said Alicia, sitting down next to Katie on the rock.
"They're turning out the lamps in the Great Hall," said Katie, pointing to the glittering lights of Hogwarts visible across the lake. Beside her, Alicia nodded. Alicia never spoke more than she had to; after three years of playing together, Katie had gotten used to it.
"...wouldn't mind havin' her really punish me, would you, Fred?"
"Classy. Very classy."
"George and I put the "class" in "Quidditch". Didn't we?"
"'Course, then they made us take it back out again."
Alicia took a sip from a bottle of wine she'd liberated from the staff table. Then she passed it to Katie. Katie took a sip too, deliberately placing her lips where Alicia's had been, as they sat and watched the others across the flames. Tonight Katie felt that rules did not apply. She felt free and intoxicated. She also, admittedly, felt very cold.
Shivering, she moved in closer to Alicia, letting her head rest on the taller girl's shoulder.
"God, it's freezing out here. I'm beginning to wish I'd worn my Quidditch robes to the ball."
"It'd be a look," Alicia acknowledged. Katie giggled.
They sat in silence, then Alicia spoke again. "You're really pretty in those dress robes."
"Thanks."
Katie sneaked a glance at Alicia's own dress, intending to tell her that she looked pretty too. Her gown was silky, and coral pink. Beneath the halter neck her collar bones cast pools of shadow on her pale skin. Somehow the comment Katie had intended to make got caught in her throat. She took another gulp of the wine to compensate. It burned in her throat.
"Oy, Katie. Give us a drink," said Fred, stepping into the circle of light.
Katie wiped the bottle neck with her sleeve, then passed the bottle up.
"What are you talking about anyway?" he asked. "and it better not be Cedric Diggory, cause Ang hasn't shut up about him all night."
"That's not true, Fred Weasley. And you're one to talk given... what was that?"
"What?"
"What?"
"Over there. I saw something moving!"
"I don't see anything."
"Very funny, Angelina."
"Guys, I'm serious. I saw... look! There! Look!"
"Oh shit
Oliver came charging out of the shadows. "It's Mrs. Norris," he explained, hurriedly casting a damping charm on the fire. Then he stamped at the ashes with his feet. By the time he'd calmed down, the night had been plunged into total blackness.
"Nice one, Wood," said Fred, or possibly George.
The night was overcast, and Katie could see nothing now but the faint lights of Hogwarts in the distance, and the odd reflection off of indeterminate objects. She waved a hand in front of her face experimentally. Nothing.
"Right everyone," said Oliver authoritatively, "let's all make our way towards the castle. Er. Slowly."
"Oliver, We'll break our necks!"
"Lumos."
"Fred, no! Filch'll kill us if he finds us!"
"Okay, okay. Nox."
The wand light went out again, and now Katie's vision was filled with blue flashes too. Reaching out with both hands she took a hesitant step forward, then another. Somewhere to her left, she heard Angelina giggling, then a sudden "oof" as somebody collided.
"Get off of me, ya oaf."
Angelina's shriek of laughter cut through the night, and soon they were all stumbling and giggling their way along the edge of the lake.
Katie collided with something solid. She reached out to steady herself and her hand met soft skin. Somebody's arm? She heard a soft gasp.
"Alicia? Alicia it's me."
"I know it's you."
Katie could vaguely make out a glint of light on Alicia's hair in the darkness. As she watched it, the light shifted. She felt something soft brush her shoulder.
"You okay?" Alicia asked.
Katie felt Alicia's breath warm on her cheek, and sensed the other girl's face right next to hers in the dark. Tonight the rules don't count. she thought again. So she kissed Alicia. She kissed her firmly, letting her tongue run along Alicia's lower lip. Then she stepped back and waited. Alicia didn't move; didn't say a word.
"Oh God. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry," whispered Katie.
"'m not," Alicia replied at last.
Then her mouth was pressed against Katie's again, and where Katie's kiss had been soft and teasing, Alicia's was firm and demanding. She placed a hand at either side of Katie's face, and her tongue slid against Katie's and licked over her teeth and lips.
"Falalalalaa la la la laa!" Fred's voice was distant, like a ghost on the wind.
In the darkness, Katie couldn't see Alicia's hands move until she felt them on her waist, on her back, on her neck, on her hip. Her own hands fluttered over Alicia's shoulders and through her hair.
"Oh Wow," Katie gasped.
"Heh. Yeah." Alicia's voice was almost a whisper.
"KATIE? ALICIA? HEY YOU GUYS, WE'RE OVER HEEEEERE!"
Neither girl said anything.
"KATIE! ALEEEECIA!"
"We're, uh, we're coming. We got lost," called Katie finally.
Katie heard Alicia sigh softly. She moved to kiss her again, to assure her, or to apologise or maybe just because she really wanted to. Before she could move, a hand grasped her upper arm firmly and she was whirled around to face Angelina, whose wand was emitting a faint glow which lit her face.
"You found each other. Excellent. Come on, Filch is well gone by now; we'd better get back to the castle before he locks all the doors. Come on."
Reluctantly, Katie turned to follow her teammate. She reached out to let her hand brush against Alicia's, but Alicia had her hands folded across her chest.
They made their way back to the castle, and up to the Gryffindor common room without meeting Filch or any of the teachers doing their rounds. Fred, George and Oliver took one staircase, while the three girls headed up the other.
"'Night, Katie," said Angelina when they reached her dorm. Alicia said nothing, but then that was hardly unusual for Alicia.
"G'night, Ang," Katie said, reaching up to hug her. She turned to Alicia, and hugged her too, holding her just a little longer, and a little tighter than she had Angelina. As she pulled away, Alicia brushed her lips against her ear.
"Night, Katie," she whispered.
The next morning they sat three seats apart at breakfast as they did every other morning, and had separate classes as they did every day. That week, they trained four evenings out of seven, like they did every week. Katie studied with her friends, and Alicia hung out with Angelina. Like they always did.
At first it was just easier not to change the routine, and then it was too awkward to do anything else, because it had been too long already.
