In front of the Room of Requirement and after have crossed silently the castle, Newt and Leta stopped.
"What are we supposed to think about?" Asked naively Leta without realizing the irony of the situation.
"Uh... A... A place where we could... Uh... Sleep I suppose. We may have some... Dorms... " Newt replied, an embarrassed smile hanging over his lips.
The young couple closed their eyes then a large wrought iron door appeared on the blank wall..
The opened on a large and colored blanket fort. The floor was covered with thick mattresses on which were dispersed many covers with different textures, as well as dozens of cushions of all sizes. In the middle of the fort, a thin curtain was stretched to delimit two sleeping areas. On the left side there were cotton jersey sky blue pajamas. On the right side, instead of the pajamas, there was a large white flannel nightgown. Dozens of small candles floated in the air, difusing a soft light throughout the room. A familiar scent of bergamot, wood and vanilla was in the air.
Leta, amazed by this amazing interior, could no longer restrain her excitement.
"It's awesome!" She exclaimed as she joyfully went around the fort.
Newt, more reserved by nature than her, smiled widely as he walked to inspect the structure more closely. Both of them felt, at this time, a deep relief. Without admitting it to each other, they had feared the same thing; To find in the Room of Requirement a romantic master bedroom with a grand, four-poster bed covered by white sheets.A room that wouldn't give them any choice, which would have placed them in a situation they weren't quite sure to like yet. Fortunatelly for the young couple there was no trace of all that, instead, a joyful, carefree, almost childish setting. A blanket fort where everyone could, as he feels like, sleep alone or not...
Leta joined Newt in the fort. The young man was seated on the left side, she sat cross-legged, facing him, pulling lightly the thin curtain that held them separated.
"You had the best idea, it's perfect here..." said Newt.
"I thought Hufflepuff dorms were charming places...
-Not as much as here." Replied the young man, feeling his face blush again.
For an hour, the two young people talked about this ad that, especially about their discoveries and fantastic beasts living around Hogwarts.
"What time is it?" Leta asked after a while.
Newt took out of his trousers, a small silver-plated pocket watch, a present from his father for his fifteenth birthday. The white guilloche dial showed an already late hour.
"It's past midnight." Replied Newt, putting the watch into his pocket with caution. "We'd better sleep now or we'll be exhausted tomorrow." Leta nodded.
The young man closed the curtain which, despite its thinness was opaque enough to allow the two young people to undress without embarrassment. Very soon, Newt put on the pajamas which were carefully folded at his side. Once ready, he slipped under the covers. The bed was soft and warm. He turned over on his left.
Newt gasped as he saw the vision in front of him. There were more candles on Leta's side than on his side so her shadow was reflected on the linen curtain. The young man bit his lip, watching Leta releasing her hair from the many pins that held her bun in place before running her fingers through her thick, curly hair. Then, still quietly, the girl took off her earrings, discreet little pearls inherited from her grandmother.
Newt thought that she certainly didn't know that her shadow was reflected throughout the fort. If she knew... He thought, feeling suddenly very guilty of stealing this beautiful show. However, his guilt grew stronger when Leta started to take off her witch dress. Touching her hips with her hands, she grabbed the fabric of her cloth and removed it wearing a simple white singlet.
As electrocuted, Newt closed his eyelids forcefully. He had no right to do that, to watch Leta undress like that. It was a serious matter, he couldn't do this. What would her mother think, this strong woman who had given him such an honest education... His father would be very angry with him, would certainly reproach him for this so misleading behavior. And his big brother ... The so virtuous Theseus... He would be ashamed of this little brother unable to repress the least of his animal desires for sure. Leta. So beautiful and so pure. He was defiling her with his perverse thoughts. Newt was annoyed at what he had just watch and more, he was mad with what he felt. An intense heat reaching his stomach and lower abdomen. A slight noise forced him to come back to hearth and he opened his eyes almost in spite of himself.
The girl's silhouette was now completely naked. Under the weight of desire mixed with a strong feeling of guilt, Newt's face deformed into a strange grin. Being able to look at the shadow of her two breasts that seemed so perfect to him was something he had never dared to hope for. Leta stretched, got up and walked a few steps to reach the flannel nightgown, still folded at the foot of her bed. She put it on, gently as to enjoy the soft sensation of the fabric on her skin. Then, more quickly, she went to bed.
The young man remained frozen for a moment, curled up under his blanket.
"Newt. Are you asleep?"
The voice aroused him from his torpor.
"Huh? Uh no." More than a reply, a grumble of hoarse voices. He cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. "No no."
The young woman surprised him, squeezing without any warning, her head beyond the curtain.
" Have a good night." She said in a big smile, her teeth white and perfectly aligned shining in the dim light of the room. Uncomfortable, Newt prayed to properly conceal his emotion and returned her smile, a little more forced.
"Good night."
Then, slowly, he approached her, cuped her face in his hands and chastely put his lips on those of the young woman. After a few seconds, when Newt opened his eyes he noticed that Leta's eyes were still closed. The young woman layed still, he stepped back.
"Sleep well, see you tomorrow." He whispered as he lay down again.
The young woman sighed and returned to her side of the fort. They extinguished the candles. As Newt, comfortably settled, struggled between his desires and his contradictory thoughts, he noticed that Leta had put her right arm just beside the curtain, so close that a part of her hand remained on his side. Without thinking twice, to his great astonishment, he seized that hand in his.
"Are you allright?" asked Leta innocently.
No doubt she had felt the dampness and trembling of Newt's hand. The latter immediately regretted this simple gesture of affection but didn't move.
"Yes, it's okay. I just got a little hot, that's all." He answered in a half-lie.
The minutes went by, the sound of raindrops on the window filling the silence of the room.
"You sleep?" The girl's voice was soft and kind of shy.
"Not yet."
Newt felt Leta's body coming closer to their joined hand and snuggled against them. He could now feel her belly lifting and lowering at each of her deep breaths. The young Hufflepuff couldn't take it any longer. He took Letta's hand and kissed each of her fingers gently. Leta crawled past the curtain and curled up against Newt's chest. Not daring to look at her in her thin nightgown, the young man raised his eyes to the ceiling, welcoming his friend in his arms. He swallowed and breathed deeply.
Calm down, it's just a hug... He thought to himself.
But, in spite of everything, he had to admit it : To feel the firm body of Leta, freed from all the usual thick fabrics, against his own body caused in him the sweetest sensations.
Why fighting? How? Why, he was aware of it; Because it was contrary to morality and in breach of good morals. The fleshly love of two teenagers from different classes, out of wedlock... Biggest sin. But how? How could they do otherwise? Newt had no idea.
He huged Leta a little harder against him and laid one of his hands on her waist. In this embrace, the young woman raised her face and kissed Newt's jaw.
"We are not allowed to do this, are we?" Leta whispered.
"I don't think so." replied the young man.
Then he lowered his gaze, looked in her eyes, smiled tenderly at her and kissed her lips. The kiss soon became more sensual, more heated. Their teeth clashed, and as if it was by surprise, their tongues joined each other. Without any model or real education about "the thing", neither of the two teenagers knew if this kind of kisses was appropriate but... These new sensations pleased them so why stop? Their gestures were hesitant, their movements were awkward.
The kiss ended when Leta let out a sigh of pleasure. Not daring to cross her gaze again, Newt curled a little more and laid his lips on the girl's neck. Leta took a deep breath and closed her eyes to concentrate on the little noises that reached her ear. The drops against the window, the wind in the leaves, the storm away, Newt's kisses and his deep, jerky breathing. She bit her lips, blushed and put a hand on the boy's back. If only she had dared to slip it on his skin, under his pajamas as she dreamed...
Feeling more adventurous, thanks to the Leta's temerity, Newt, his lips still sealed on her neck, lowered his arm and laid his hand on the bare skin of the back of her knee. He felt her shiver but didn't detect any resistance so he kept going on his exploration. Leta's skin was soft and warm, her hair smelled a subtle blend of citrus and spices. His hand traveled on her leg, her knee and then stopped on her thigh. Leta, whose nightgown had now hiked to her pelvis, felt a new feeling of moistness invade her whole being. Eager to enjoy her friend's hot skin too, she put an adventurous hand under Newt's jersey. She softly rubbed his skin. His stomach was hot and firm, contracted by laborious breaths.
As the minutes went by, exploration continued. He kissed her forehead, her temple, her cheekbone and then her lips. She caressed his stomach, his back and his hips. No glances, no words, no less laughter. The moment was as serious as it was delicious. No cries, no mad enjoyment, only new and very sweet experiences. They were still children after all. No carnal act as any one usually hears, that night, Newt and Leta played only with their hands and their thoughts. No uncovering too shameless places, this wasn't their priority. No rush. Besides, they kept their nightclothes.
Naturally, passions went soften, bodies calmed down. The two teenagers, full of discoveries, remained huddled together, forgetting the world around them.
"Will we come back one night?" Leta asked in a sleepy whisper.
"Yes, that would be good ..." Newt yawned.
Thus, for the first time (and not last), Leta Lestrange and Newt Scamander, fail asleep together, in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts, a cold night of November 1912...