"An Act of Desperation" by Redcandle17
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and elements belong to J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended.
Most of the time, Katie Bell loved her life. She had friends – the closest of whom were older, which was highly cool – and she had a loving family. Her grades were fairly good, and she was a good enough Chaser to get onto the team her Second Year. It wasn't that bad being Katie Bell.
But she had friends; friends named Fred, George, and Lee. Friends who liked to hide enchanted mistletoe around Hogwarts. Friend who thought forcing people to kiss other people they didn't want to kiss was funny.
Oh, they hadn't meant for her to be trapped in one of their pranks. They'd be quite horrified and offended if they made her kiss Adrian Pucey out of desperation. But she'd ended up trapped nonetheless. She'd been minding her own business, strolling down the hallway on a shortcut to Gryffindor Tower. Then she'd been stuck. She'd tried to force her feet to move for five minutes before she looked up and saw the sprig of mistletoe.
Unfortunately for Katie, this particular corridor was hardly used because of the wailing that emanated from the walls. Oh, Circe. If she'd known she was going to be stuck in one spot for hours, she would have chosen a less unsettling and downright scary hallway. She was tired and nervous, and she desperately needed a bathroom. She was willing to kiss Filch if she had to.
But it wasn't the caretaker who appeared, it was someone much worse.
"What are you doing out of bed at this hour, Bell?"
It was Marcus Flint, Seventh Year (for the second time) Slytherin Quidditch Captain.
"Nothing," Katie said timidly.
"All the little Gryffindors should be asleep and dreaming of Santa."
How did he know about Santa Claus? Was he was a half-blood? No, he couldn't be. He must have stolen a Christmas card from a muggleborn. But more importantly, he sounded drunk. Was he drunk?
What did she ever do to deserve being stuck in a haunted hallway with a big, mean, drunk Slytherin? But she had resolved to kiss Filch if necessary. Flint wasn't that much worse. Besides, she really needed to pee soon.
"I'm stuck under some mistletoe."
"Oh. Tough luck. 'Night, Bell." He strode away.
"Wait," Katie yelled. "I need you to kiss me."
Flint stopped and turned around, grinning. "I'm afraid that isn't very appropriate. I couldn't possibly kiss you. You're only, what, fourteen? And a Gryffindor. A Gryffindor chaser, no less."
What if no one else came this way? It was already late. She couldn't stay here all night. "I'll be fifteen next month. And I won't tell anyone."
He sighed dramatically. "If I must." He slowly sauntered towards her. "But what's in it for me?"
What? Wasn't kissing her enough? She wasn't hideous, and surely he wasn't besieged by so many girls that he could afford to turn her down. Really, how many girls wanted to kiss him anyway? Besides huge muscles, being a Quidditch player, and having a certain reputation, what did he have to make him such a prize? But Katie was tired and she really did need a bathroom badly. "I'll give you a galleon."
Flint laughed. Loudly. And kept laughing.
Katie gritted her teeth. "Fine. Two galleons. Lee and the twins don't deserve Christmas gifts after this anyway."
"Keep your money, Bell." He grasped her chin and gently kissed her.
She'd expected to be pinned against the wall and mauled. If truth be told, she was a little disappointed. But only a little bit. The kiss was nice, sweet – not words she normally associated with Flint.
"Happy Holidays," Flint told her, after he'd released her.
Katie nodded wordlessly. She hurried up to her dormitory, carefully watching out for more mistletoe. Next time it really might be Flich who walked by.
End (634 words)