A/N: This takes place during Show a Little Faith Chapter 23: Try to see it my way, and is referenced by Al in Chapter 24, and Erin in Chapter 25.

-Erin-

"I can't believe you've corrupted me to the point of snogging in a broom closet," Erin grumbled as Al dragged her down a deserted corridor. He smirked over his shoulder at her.

"I take no credit for corrupting you, Longbottom. You've only ever done exactly what you want."

She rolled her eyes but chuckled all the same as they reached a broom closet and he threw open the door before ushering her inside. He quickly closed the door behind them and cast a locking charm as she lit her wand and set it high on one of the shelves.

As she turned back to face him, Erin assumed she wasn't the most appealing sight. Her chest was heaving from running through the castle, and her face was probably still red from the cold. Her hair was pulled half back but had partially come undone in their mad dash to ditch their friends and find a place to snog as quickly as possible. He hadn't explained why, and she wasn't entirely sure what brought on his desire to do so immediately, but she wasn't about to complain.

His eyes never leaving hers, Al shoved his wand in his back pocket and reached forward, gently tucking her hair behind her ear. She was stunned by the intensity of his gaze as he moved closer, backing her into the wall. He studied her face for a moment, his hand lightly resting on her cheek as he looked down at her, before ducking down and kissing her slowly and gently on the lips. She felt her breath catch in her throat at the simple gesture. He pulled away for a moment, and she could feel him breathing heavily before his lips met hers in another delicate embrace, but this time, he didn't immediately pull away.

Al had never kissed her like this before. No one had. It was warm and tender and, if she wasn't mistaken, adoring. He was savoring her, and he'd never really done that until this moment. His hand cupped the side of her face as he broke the kiss to gaze into her eyes - green seeking light blue. His other hand moved and gripped hers, lacing their fingers together and surprising her once again. He let out a breath of laughter at the look of astonishment she wore before he kissed her again, slow and sensual, as if memorizing the feel of her lips against his.

Erin reached out and grabbed the front of his jacket while simultaneously gripping his hand tighter. He smiled into the kiss before moving his mouth against hers, pulling at her lower lip in a way that made her dizzy. She wound her arm up around his neck and dropped his hand to do the same with the other one, pushing up onto her toes and pulling him close so he was pressed up against her. The hand that was on her cheek moved down around her back as his now free one slid between them and began to unbutton her coat while his tongue slipped out and teased her lower lip. She began to tug his jacket off his shoulders and he quickly let go of her to fling it off, breaking the kiss as well. Her coat now unbuttoned, he removed her scarf and started kissing up the side of her neck, his hands moving inside of her coat to caress her sides. She shivered. It wasn't anything he'd never done before, but the care with which he was lavishing her neck with kisses was new and exciting.

"What the hell's gotten into you?" she said breathlessly. Al chuckled against her skin, continuing to pepper it with kisses as he responded.

"Nothing. Just trying something new. For a change. That okay?"

Erin nodded as he continued. "Perfectly."

She grabbed the side of his face and brought it up to meet hers, kissing him with the same emotion she could swear she was feeling him express. His arms wound around her, still inside her coat, and he held her tightly. Feeling restricted, she pulled away for a moment and sunk down off her tiptoes to remove her coat, but quickly pulled him back in before it even hit the floor.

The thing was, they'd snogged on multiple occasions now, but it was always rushed and only about the physical side. That's all she ever let it be. This was different, and he was the one who was mixing things up. If she'd thought he was a good kisser before, it was nothing compared to what she was feeling now as he sunk even further into the embrace, if that were even possible.

"Al," she said, breaking the kiss briefly, but he quickly claimed her mouth once again, banishing all thought for a moment. She sighed as his tongue traced her lip, and her mouth opened willingly to his. He lightly flicked her tongue with his and she couldn't help but let out a moan as a shiver ran through her. His mouth moved against hers, so steadily and strong that she had to grip him tightly to stay upright.

She finally managed to pull away once more. "Al, wait."

He did this time, and she couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed by this even though she'd asked him to do it. She wasn't even sure what she wanted to say, but he just grinned at her, shadows falling across his face in the ill lit room. She could still make out the color of his eyes.

"Hi," he said in a breathy voice, a teasing look gracing his flushed features. She let out a surprised laugh, feeling the tension of the heated moment fall away as she recalled how she'd acted earlier in the pub.

"Hi," she said back with a chuckle. "Did my ridiculous behavior earlier turn you on or something?"

He let out a laugh, giving her a quick peck on the lips. "No." He pecked her on the cheek. "It was more the comment-" he kissed her other cheek, "-about me being brave-" down her jaw, "-and selfless…" He kissed her neck before moving back up to look her in the eye. "And that you admire me."

She blushed under his gaze. "Yes, well. I was generalizing."

He chuckled and loosened his hold on her, stepping back slightly but not fully letting go. "Still. I didn't realize you felt that way."

She shrugged as if it weren't that big of a deal, looking straight ahead at his chest and smoothing her hands over his Puddlemere T-shirt. "Maybe I haven't always, but you sort of have to be okay with it when your brother and your best friend decide they'd like to spend their days protecting the wizarding world."

He rubbed his hands up and down her back, causing her to look up at him uncertainly, taken aback once again by another tender gesture.

"Ethan will be okay," he said with conviction. "I will too."

"I know," she said with a smile. "You're forgetting I'd be lost in Defense Against the Dark Arts without you, so I know first hand how qualified you are."

He chuckled and kissed her forehead before he reluctantly pulled away, picking her coat up off the floor and handing it to her.

"Goodness, you're just full of surprises, aren't you," she said as she took it and put it back on, shoving her scarf in her pocket. He just shrugged as he put his jacket on as well. She reached up to retrieve her wand and he had his out of his pocket and unlocking the door by the time she turned around. He cautiously peeked his head out before opening the door all the way. Reaching back, he grabbed her hand so she followed him out. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he linked his fingers through hers and they continued down the hall. This was unfamiliar territory. The only real affection they'd shown was either teasing, platonic or… well… snogging. They didn't hold hands or cuddle by the fire. It made her nervous, but the idea of saying something and potentially scaring him off made her even more apprehensive.

"It's crazy we only have a month till we get to go home for the holiday," he finally said after they'd made it up a few floors in silence. "Our last Christmas at Hogwarts."

"Crazy to think you'll be eighteen in a week," she countered. He laughed.

"That is crazy. Blimey, I'll have been of age for a year. How weird is that?"

"Not as weird as Teddy and Victoire finally getting married," she said in excitement. He laughed as she grinned brilliantly.

"It only really feels strange to me because it feels like this should have happened ages ago," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"True," she agreed, and they lapsed into silence once again.

To be honest, she hadn't let herself think about Christmas much. It would be the first holiday without her Great-Gram there, and she wasn't looking forward to how difficult that would be. She hadn't talked to anyone about it, and she hadn't talked about her at all for a while now. Ever since Al had pushed her on the subject earlier in the term, he'd steered clear of doing so again. She was thankful for that, but a part of her wondered if he knew she was doing okay. She'd never told him about the night she'd finally broken down at the docks with Rose, or about how she'd gone through her grandmothers things with her father, or how she'd had a long talk with her sister. She didn't expect Rose had told him any of this either, not being the type to relay information that wasn't hers to give. So she was surprised when he actually said something.

"Are you doing alright? With the holiday coming up. I know it might be difficult for you this year."

She looked at him in surprise and nodded, but he was looking straight ahead. He appeared nervous and hesitant about bringing it up.

"Yes, I'm doing alright," she said as strongly as she could. All her suspicions about how much he knew were confirmed when he turned his head sharply and looked at her.

"Yeah?" he asked, hardly daring to believe that she wasn't biting his head off.

"I've been doing alright for a while now," she said with a shrug. "You just never asked."

"Erin, you can always talk to me. Just because I don't ask doesn't mean I don't want to know."

He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, but it hadn't always been. Not to her at least. She simply nodded, smiling warmly at him.

"And based on the reception I got the last few times it came up, I had every right to be terrified to bring it up again."

He shot her a teasing grin and she reached across with the hand that wasn't holding his to slug him in the shoulder. "Prat. You're lucky I forgave you."

"You're lucky I forgave you," he countered. "Making a bet with my sister and almost ruining our friendship in the process." He shook his head in shame. "I don't know what came over me to actually let you back into my life."

Giving him a mischievous grin, she tugged on his hand that was still linked with hers and they stopped. They'd reached the Gryffindor common room and the Fat Lady was dozing in her frame.

"I can remind you, if you'd like?" She took a step closer and his eyebrow shot up in interest, returning her smirk.

"It might be helpful," he said simply. She could hardly believe it when she heard herself giggle and closed the distance between them, kissing him fiercely and with pure joy. She pulled away a moment later to see him looking a little dazed.

"See you later, Potter," she said with a wink, giving him a light slap on the cheek - reminiscent of, but much softer than the one she'd given him the first time she'd kissed him. He gave an amused roll of his eyes as she turned and walked the remaining few feet to her common room. The Fat Lady had woken up and looked at her in displeasure as she gave the password.

"Erin?"

She turned to look at Al, who was still standing there, no longer dazed, but definitely uncertain.

"Yeah?" she asked, holding her breath in both the metaphorical and physical sense. He stared at her a moment longer before making up his mind.

"Can you help me with the Herbology homework tomorrow?"

She tried not to let the disappointment show on her face as she nodded, giving him a small smile. He smiled back. "Thanks, you're the best."

She shrugged as he waved and turned to walk away. "That's what friends are for," she released with a sigh, turning to head into her common room. He hadn't heard her, she knew that. But she also knew that if what had just happened between them - the intimacy and the undeniable emotion of it all - wasn't enough to get him to actually address what was going on between them, she wasn't sure what would.