A/N: This takes place during Show a Little Faith: Chapter 20 - Just a taste will do.

-Alice-

It felt strange to be on the castle grounds. She'd been coming up to Hogwarts at least once a week to have lunch with her father and sister since term started, but there was a difference between walking into the Great Hall, and roaming around the corridors at night. Alice had been a prefect, so her late night wanderings had never really been about breaking rules. She'd still enjoyed them just the same. There was something about the castle at night that was peaceful to her. The quiet and the stillness that settled in when most of the students were in bed and the paintings had drifted off to sleep was a familiar comfort to Alice.

She hadn't expect to stick around for the party that night. Her goal had been to simply do her job and then spend the evening with a good book and a cup of tea, maybe helping out at the inn if she was needed. As it turned out, she didn't find she'd minded all that much when Rose had invited her to stay. Sure, she'd be hanging around with her father and a bunch of kids, but at least Malcolm would be there.

Alice had enjoyed getting to know the new Muggle Studies professor. She remembered seeing him around when she was in Hogwarts since he'd been a prefect, but he'd been a seventh year when she was in fourth, so they'd never worked together. He'd hung around with Teddy Lupin, and since Victoire had hung around Teddy, Alice would occasionally hear his name mentioned. She still did, since he'd worked in the same department as her best friend until recently. But she'd still never officially met Malcolm Bray, until that day in The Three Broomsticks.

He'd started coming around at the beginning of term and she'd recognized him immediately. They'd only interacted on the occasion that she'd serve him a drink or some food, until Erin had introduced them. She was pleased that he'd remembered her, if only vaguely as the daughter of his Herbology professor. Over the past few weeks, he'd continued to come into the pub on the weekends, and they'd formed a sort of tentative friendship. It was nice to have someone to talk to that wasn't a coworker or a student. He was charming and funny and the conversation was easy. It hadn't been that hard to make the choice to spend the evening in his company at the school. Even if they were chaperoning her younger sister and her friends.

They stepped into the so far empty corridor roughly an hour into the party. Rose and Scorpius had scheduled it so that someone was patrolling the hallways each hour. It was quiet as they started making their way around the seventh floor.

"I'm glad you decided to stay," said Malcolm as they walked side by side down the cold corridor. "Rounds were always better in pairs."

He gave her a small smile, which she returned. "I never minded them much. It was the only time I ever went out after curfew."

"Really?" he said, sounding surprised. "No midnight excursions to the kitchen? No sneaking off to have a little fun in a broom cupboard?"

Alice blushed and nudged him with her elbow as he chuckled. "Don't make fun. I didn't like the idea of getting into trouble. Especially with my dad as a professor."

"I can understand that," said Malcolm, still looking amused, but she didn't get the sense he was mocking her. "I was the first of a Muggle family to go to Hogwarts. I wanted to leave a good impression and make sure I wasn't kicked out."

"And then your sister ended up being magical too," said Alice, recalling a conversation they'd had previously about his younger siblings. He nodded.

"Charlotte was the only one of the triplets that turned out to be a witch. It surprised me, actually. I always thought it would be all of them or none of them."

"Is she still close with her sisters?" asked Alice as they stopped to check an abandoned classroom. Malcolm gave an uncertain shrug as he closed the door and they continued down the corridor.

"I'm not really sure. They always seem to get along well during the holidays, but I can tell Charlotte's a bit left out at times."

"What about you?" Alice couldn't help but ask. "That's a bit of an age gap."

"Yeah, well, nothing really beats being the adored older brother," he said with a smile. "It would have been nice to have a brother of my own, though."

They made their way down to the sixth floor, a comfortable silence falling between them for a few minutes.

"Do you think having younger siblings helped you realize you wanted to teach?" asked Alice as they reached a broom cupboard, which was thankfully empty.

"It's possible," he said, his brow furrowed as he contemplated the idea. "It's a lot of pressure to have people looking up to you, and a lot of responsibility when you realize you're helping them shape their futures. I don't think there's anything else I'd rather do, though."

"Has it always been what you wanted to do?"

"I'm not sure about always," said Malcolm. "But I know it's what I want to do now. I was enjoying my work with the ministry, but as soon as McGonagall asked me about teaching, there was really no question."

Alice smiled. "Sounds like you found your dream."

Malcolm smiled back at her. "And what about you? Have you found yours?"

"I enjoy working at the inn," Alice said slowly while they made their way along the sixth floor. "I loved helping my mum at The Leaky Cauldron growing up. Working at the Ministry was never my cup of tea. It was all paperwork and protocols and I hated how impersonal it all was."

They turned the corner and found two students dressed in costumes coming out of an abandoned classroom. She watched as Malcolm gave them a stern talking to, took house points, and sent them back to their common rooms. It was hard not to notice that the students, though rightfully ashamed at being caught, truly seemed to respect Malcolm.

"You really have a way with them," she told him as they continued down the hall.

"They're good kids," he said with a shrug. "Most of them, at least." Alice chuckled as he grinned at her. "So, you didn't care for the monotony of a Ministry gig?"

"No," said Alice with a sigh. "I suppose there are other jobs within the ministry that aren't as dull as working in the transportation department. I know Victoire has loved working in Muggle relations. But I've never been the type to have career goals, as pathetic as that might sound."

She glanced sideways at him, and was thankful to just see him looking at her curiously, rather than in judgment. It encouraged her to continue.

"I just want a happy and content life. I don't need excitement or adventures. I want to have time to read and bake and maybe have a family one of these days. I guess I take after my mum in that way. She's always been so happy with what she has. She's also an exceptionally hard worker. All you Hufflepuffs are."

She gave him a teasing grin and he chuckled. "She's never taken anything for granted, and I'm not saying what she did was easy or what I'm doing is easy, but it's definitely not what the world likes to label as ambitious. It's probably contrary for a Ravenclaw to want a simple lifestyle."

"I think it's brave, actually," said Malcolm, and she looked at him in surprise. "You took a chance coming out here, giving up a stable job just because you felt unfulfilled in it. It takes courage to go after what you want, especially when you're not even positive what that is yet."

Alice didn't know what to say to that. She couldn't remember anyone calling her brave before. Smart, kind, and sensitive tended to be the go to descriptions. It wasn't until he gave her a small smile that she realized she'd been staring at him as they made their way back the way they'd come. Alice felt herself blushing and looked away, nervously clearing her throat. They were only required to go as far down as the sixth floor, and neither said anything as they headed back up to the seventh. The Room of Requirement was in view when she felt a hand on her arm. Her wide eyes met his nervous gaze, but he smiled at her.

"I'm really glad you decided to be brave, Alice."

She looked at him quizzically and he drew his hand away, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "You wouldn't be here with me right now if you hadn't."

Alice gave a nervous chuckle, ignoring the way his words made a light fluttering appear in her stomach. "Well, I would hate for you to have to patrol alone."

He smiled and took a step closer. "That would be a shame."

Unable to hold his gaze, Alice glanced down at her feet, clasping her hands behind her back so he wouldn't see her nervous fidgeting. She noted that she was close enough to the wall that her knuckles occasionally bumped up against it. This wasn't something she'd done in a long time; the nervous stomach, intense eye contact, and overall tension that occurred between a boy and a girl. Alice hadn't even given herself an opportunity to run from it for years, since she tended to not put herself in any situation where she wound up one on one with a handsome wizard. And Malcolm was definitely handsome. It wasn't just his physical features. He had such a warm and caring quality to him that made him even more attractive as a human being in general. Alice had felt more comfortable with him than she had around a man in a long time.

"Alice?"

Her eyes quickly snapped up to his, and she anxiously chewed her lip as she watched him expectantly. It eased her nerves a bit to see he was slightly on edge as well.

"If I were to come to the pub for dinner sometime this week, would you consider joining me?"

Alice gulped nervously, thinking she knew exactly what he meant, but not quite ready to admit it.

"I suppose so. I might be working though."

He gave a soft chuckle, relaxing a bit. "Alright, how about this. Are there any nights you're not working? Because I'd very much like to have dinner with you, if you're alright with that."

If possible, her eyes grew even wider. He was looking at her sincerely and uncertainly, and she could tell how much it would mean to him if she said yes. The idea terrified Alice to her bones. She'd closed herself off to the idea of letting anyone close to her for so long, that she wasn't sure she even knew how to do it anymore. But maybe she wanted to try to learn how.

"I'm off on Monday."

Relief visibly washed over him, and he smiled at her. She couldn't help but return it, even if she still felt unsure about the whole thing. Her mind so caught up in what she'd just gotten herself into, she almost didn't notice he'd taken a step closer. She gave a sharp intake of breath at his close proximity, though she found she didn't seem to mind it all that much. It was cold in the corridor, despite the fact that she was still wearing his jacket. His warmth was welcome as she heard him breathing heavily. She flattened her palm against the wall behind her for support as she tilted her head back and bravely looked up at him.

His eyes were searching her face as a small smile graced his lips. Tentatively, he reached up and pushed a loose strand of her brown hair behind her ear.

"I'm really glad you decided to stick around tonight."

She smiled lightly, trying not to shake with nerves as his fingers brushed her cheek. "You mentioned that already."

A soft chuckle fell from his lips, and his eyes focused in on hers. "I reckon I meant it, then."

His hand was fully cupping her cheek now, and he glanced down as she subconsciously licked her lips. Slowly, almost as if he were concerned he'd frighten her away, he brought his face in close to hers, their noses bumping against each other. His eyelids were flickering, as if he couldn't decide between closing them or continuing to watch her closely. Trying to steady herself, Alice took a deep breath, letting it out through slightly parted lips, her breath hitting his face. A smile flickered across his handsome features, and he closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to hers. Though the kiss was short and the pressure was light, she felt it down to her toes. She had a moment to feel embarrassed by the audible gasp she let out, before he kissed her again, this time with a little more confidence, and Alice allowed herself to be swept up in it. She let herself forget about the fact that she hadn't kissed anyone in years, and that she and Malcolm hadn't even been on a proper date yet. She forgot they were supposed to be chaperoning students and keeping them from doing exactly what they were now. None of that seemed to matter as she pulled her hands out from behind her back and placed them on his chest as she kissed him back.

It was brilliant. The feel and the closeness of him felt so different than anything she'd experienced in so long that she didn't even recognize it. She let her arms slide up to his shoulders and then wrap around his neck, pulling him even closer to her. Through it all, his kisses were slow and tender, and she appreciated the fact that he wasn't pushing for too much too fast. She was just contemplating deepening the kiss even more, when the sound of a door slamming shut made her jump, and he pulled away from her.

Malcolm stepped back and glanced up and down the corridor, but saw no evidence of whatever had disturbed them. His presence no longer overwhelming Alice, the reality of what she'd just done came crashing down on her. She heard Malcolm give a light chuckle, and he said something she couldn't distinguish amidst the mess that was swirling through her mind. What was she doing? They barely knew each other. She wasn't the type of witch who just kissed boys in corridors, especially one who wasn't even her boyfriend. What all did she actually know about Malcolm Bray? What did he even know about her? It scared her how easily she'd been willing to lower her inhibitions, letting him not only get her to spend time with him, but to also agree to dinner and then allow him to kiss her. All of her defense mechanisms and the walls she so carefully built up over the last seven years immediately fell back into place. He asked her a question, but she didn't quite catch it as she snapped her eyes to his.

"What?" she said, still slightly breathless. Malcolm looked at her in concern, stepping closer.

"Are you alright?" he asked, reaching his hand up to caress her cheek once again. Before he could, she flinched and he snatched his hand back, concern and a bit of hurt on his face.

"I should go," said Alice, refusing to look at him and fiddling with the cuffs on his jacket.

"Alice-"

"This shouldn't have happened," she said. Quickly pulling off his jacket, she blindly handed it to him before shoving past him and heading towards the stairs that led to the sixth floor.

"Alice, wait. What's-"

She stopped at the top of the stairs, turning suddenly to face him. He hadn't moved from where he'd stumbled back as she pushed past him, his face a mask of confusion and disappointment. He looked so innocent, watching her and hoping for some type of explanation for her abrupt cold shoulder. If she wasn't careful, she'd let his warm brown eyes pull her right back in until she forgot all about her doubts to the point where she would completely stop second guessing him. But she wouldn't let him do that.

She gave him as indifferent of a look as she could, then said, "I'm sorry," before turning and hurrying down the stairs, back to a life void of vulnerability that she'd so carefully built for herself.

A/N: We will hear from Malcolm next :)