Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
We kissed as if it were a frantic celebration, both of us rejoicing in each other. My heart spread wings and all I had to do was let go and fly...
...So I did.
This man was going to drive me insane with frustration, his determination and confidence, his inherent grace that made everything look simple, his assurance and explosive temper.
He was incredible.
I didn't know him very well, but some part of me did. And I needed him more than I had ever needed anything.
...
HARRY'S POV
"EXPELLIARMUS!" Ron shouted waving his wand clumsily through the air.
I saw Goyle lifted off the ground and propelled down the corridor with amazing force. I winced as I heard a loud snap. That must've hurt, I thought.
Spells were ricocheting off the walls dangerously. Sensing magic coming towards me I ducked, narrowly missing the shining blue spell.
I spun around, severely aggravated with the entire situation, to exact my revenge on the person stupid enough to attack me. I felt my jaw drop in total astonishment. Elizabeth Edwards stood opposite me with the tip her wand inches from my throat wearing an absolutely devilish smirk.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here... I've gone and caught myself Gryffindor's Golden boy." To anyone else, her voice sounded malicious and triumphant. I glowered at her angrily as I caught the laughter and amusement at my predicament hidden within her eyes.
"...now, the real question is, what am I going to do with him?" Her eyes were swirling with emotions, as she stared into my eyes. Her tongue came out to lick her lips and I almost groaned out loud. She was doing this on purpose. My eyes hardened in warning and her lips twitched trying to withhold her laughter. If she wasn't carful and kept doing what she was doing, I was going to pull her into my arms and snog her senseless right here.
Our magic was crackling in contentment, pleased by our physical closeness. The mirth in Lizzy's expression morphed into smouldering desire in response to the longing apparent in my powerful gaze.
"Stop! For Merlin's sake stop!" I wrenched my eyes away from hers and turned, trying to control my hunger for Lizzy, to my screaming Head of House.
"What is going on here?!" she exclaimed as if not quite believing what her eyes were telling her.
I let my eyes roam freely. Goyle was unconscious, thanks to Ron's spell. Hermione was wailing loudly in pain clutching a bloody and broken nose, Dean and Seamus were dancing helplessly without pause, crying out in distress. Blaise Zabini was supporting the weight of Malfoy, whose ankle was broken and Ron's face was already swelling and going black from a punch in the eye. It seemed as if Lizzy and I were the only ones to come away unscathed.
I glanced down at the wand still positioned at my neck and gulped nervously...at least I thought I was. Lizzy caught the direction of my stare and put her wand away as she smirked smugly at me. I growled low in my throat, too soft for anyone by her to hear. She just arched an eye brow and laughed under her breath.
We had caused quite a bit of damage. I thought, amused.
Both of us had realised the need to keep acting as if we hated one another in public, so when the normal arguments between our housemates arose we just sort of...gave them a push. One of us would slip in an insult or sarcastic comment at just the right moment. When tensions were thick and hostility nearly tangible, well, I thought grinning, it wasn't our fault they couldn't control themselves.
However, as a result of our actions these fights between the sixth year Slytherins and Gryffindors had become almost commonplace in the last month and a half.
"This has got to stop! Your actions will not be tolerated! There is no excuse for attacking fellow students." I bowed my head in what I hoped looked like shame and stood quietly as she sent off the injured students to the hospital wing. I waited until the echo of her furious steps faded before slowly raising my head to look at the only other person in the corridor with me.
"What did you think you were doing Edwards?" I spoke softly with an edge to my voice that had her backing up slowly.
"Can't take that I beat you Potter?" she said breathlessly, obviously concentrating on something other than my words.
Stalking her like a panther, I smirked when I saw her eyes keep darting to my lips.
"You didn't beat me Edwards. You attacked me from behind, that's cheating." I murmured seductively, slowly closing the gap between us.
A small grin appeared on her face and she shifted to look up at me through sooty black eye lashes, "what did you expect? I'm a Slytherin."
Without warning, she grabbed my tie and yanked me towards her. Slamming her mouth against mine, I groaned against her lips in ecstasy. Wanted to feel more of her I wrapped my hand around her waist and pulled her behind a red tapestry beside the window in the corridor. Before she could let a surprised gasp emit from my abrupt movement, I bent my head to let my lips travel up and down her neck, my hot breath making the tiny hairs on her neck stand up.
"Harry," Lizzy unintelligibly whispered, completely lost in the sensations coursing through her. My hands travelled up and down her back, pulling her close so that our bodies were pressed against each other.
"Shhhhh," I breathed, moving to pull her into a fierce kiss. She pulled away after several moments.
"Harry...this isn't...the best...place...for this," Her words came in gasps of breath as I kissed the length of her collar bone.
Hands pushed against my chest and I signed in admittance. Running a hand through my hair I gave her a dazzling smile.
"Sorry," I said, not really sorry at all, that had defiantly been worth it.
She chuckled softly. Her eyes met mine and they were filled with mirth.
"Did it look like I was complaining to you?"
My grin widened, "you have a point there."
"Come on. Let's go check the potion." She was already walking in the direction of the room of requirement as she said this.
We had started brewing the animagus revealed potion five weeks ago and as it was the start of December, it should be finished a couple of weeks after Winter Break.
"Are you going home for the holidays tomorrow?" I inquired cautiously. It had been six weeks since we had started whatever this was between us, and although we had gotten to know each other more, there was still alot of secrets.
Family was a touchy subject for both of us.
I couldn't exactly tell her I lived in the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix with my wanted criminal godfather, Sirius Black. I thought bitterly.
There were still so many barriers between us. Conversation could change from comfortable to tense at anytime.
Predictably her body tensed at my question.
"Yes" her voice was short and cold, nothing left of her earlier playfulness.
"...You?" Her question took me off guard, but I answered carefully. Watching what I was saying.
"...Yeah. I'm staying with a couple of friends." She nodded her head silently, knowing I wasn't telling the whole truth.
(Last lesson of the day – Defence against the dark arts)
HARRY'S POV
The door to the classroom slammed open startling the room's occupants. I rolled my eyes in exasperation as a few girls screamed in fright while swivelling in my chair so I could see who had just burst through the door.
Professor Snape stood in the doorframe short of breath as his eyes searched frantically through the students. I felt my anxiety begin to rise in me. Snape was never anything but completely composed, but his worry and concern was blazing from his coal black eyes exposed for all to see.
Remus, seeing the same disturbingly ruffled expression on Snape as I had, rose from his chair quickly.
"Yes Professor? Can I help you with something?" Remus's forehead was drawn into a perplexed frown, mystified by Snape's abnormal behaviour.
Snape's dark eyes snapped to Lupin's and I watched, silently bewildered, as reason and restraint seemed to return to him.
"...Yes..." He cleared his throat awkwardly, "I need to borrow Weasley, Granger, Potter and Edwards from you for a minute. They're wanted by the Headmaster."
I felt my frown deepen in complete confusion. Wait...did Snape say Edwards?
I turned swiftly, to look at the girl who was fast becoming one of the most important people in my life, only to see my own bafflement reflected within her eyes.
"Why does Dumbledore want to see us? We haven't done anything! It was probably Edwards as usual!" Ron turned to glare menacingly at Lizzy at the end of his demanding question in accusation.
I ground my teeth together in anger and in an effort to control myself, I was determined not to break the jaw of my best friend right at this moment in time.
Snape's eyes flared angrily and I threw a quick sympathetic glance at my red haired friend.
"Weasley! Shut your mouth," My eyes widened imperceptibly. Snape was practically growling!
"...for one minute in your miserable existence, I wish you would think before you opened your moronic mouth and forced the rest of us to listen to your idiotic comments!"
Snape snapped in a dangerous hiss promising pain.
Moony's eye brows were raised in amused surprise at Snape's overly harsh reaction to Ron's words, while I spied Lizzy out of the corner of my eyes turning a light shade of red in an effort to keep from falling into hysterics.
"Follow me. All of you." Snape's words and abrupt turn-around shocked me out of my observations.
I grabbed my books, quill and ink stuffing them hastily into my bag. My earlier apprehension returning with a vengeance as all four of us rushed out of the room after the resident Potions Master.
The only sound from the group of five speeding through the empty corridors of Hogwarts was the sound of frantic footsteps against cold stone and harsh gasps of breath from our exertion.
"Pumpkin Pasties." Snape snarled at the stone guard.
Hardly pausing in our onward rush, we climbed the winding staircase to the Headmaster's office and continued on into his room when Snape slammed it aside without slowing.
My heart was beating a million miles an hour, dread filling my every thought. As soon as I glimpsed those familiar twinkling blue eyes I wanted to ask if Sirius was alright but stopped myself at the last moment.
Lizzy was here, I reminded myself. I couldn't say anything in front of her. Well-known bitterness seized me as I thought of the secrets there were between us. It wasn't even her fault. She was Slytherin I was Gryffindor and although she had said she didn't support Voldemort and as much as I wanted to believe her words, society said not to.
I scrunched my eyes shut, trying to focus on the present. They snapped open again as a thought occurred to me. Why was she here? If it had Snape so unsettled it must have something to do with the Order. Didn't it?
I returned my eyes to Dumbledore's figure and my fear started to rise again. There was no twinkle present in his eyes. They were filled with sympathy and pity and staring straight at...
I followed the path of his gaze...Lizzy.
"Miss Edwards, I am very sorry for having to tell you this," My eyes were darting frantically between Lizzy and the Headmaster uncomprehendingly. Snape was standing behind her with a hand resting gently on her shoulder in silent support and strength.
"your parents were attacked today. Voldemort and his Death Eater's broke through the wards protecting your home. Your Father having felt the breach in the wards just managed, to push your Mother into the floo to safety," As Dumbledore's words registered in my mind I stared at her in absolute horror. She didn't deserve this; nobody did, but...Lizzy, her parents were the ones she trusted with everything. Even in her vague comments about home I heard the love she held for them saturate every word. Oh God, not her.
"but your Father didn't have time to save himself. They...tortured him, for information. We don't know what they wanted from him but...by the time we got there..." Dumbledore's voice trailed off, obviously affected by the state Lizzy's father had been in.
"Madam Pomphrey is treating him right now at a secure location but he hasn't woken up, he's in a coma. But with the extent of his injuries..." he wasn't going to make it. We all heard the unspoken words.
I watched as the emotionless mask that I had learned was Lizzy's defence slowly crumbled as she tried desperately to not show her emotions.
I knew we were both supposed to keep us a secret and I knew I shouldn't do what I was about to.
But I couldn't stand it. She had come to be so important to me and watching as she struggled against her pain, trying to lock it away, I felt such hate for Voldemort. She shouldn't have to go through this, not alone. I didn't want her to.
She was trembling uncontrollably. Fists clenched so tightly I could see the blood running down her hands were her nails cut her. Her magnificent eyes her staring at the floor; horrified, disbelieving. She was in so much pain.
One tear escaped her eyes rolling slowly over her round cheek to drop from her chin.
Then I was embracing her. I wrapped my arms entirely around her suddenly breakable form. I drowned out the voices exclaiming over my move. Ignored the vicious grip Snape had on my shoulder trying to pull me away, Ron's outraged words and Hermione's shock didn't matter to me. I didn't care. I concentrated my entire being on Lizzy.
Her body was still shaking uncontrollably but apart from that one tear... nothing.
I could sense I was losing her. I knew it, and I couldn't do anything. I crushed her unresponsive body closer to mine desperately. She was hiding in her mind, denying the reality of what she'd just been told.
I couldn't lose her, I realised. She was much too precious to me. My will hardened in determination. I wouldn't lose her, I refused to.
As I took her head gently into my hands lifting her face to meet my eyes, everything disappeared. There was no sound except for our beating hearts. The office faded away, the noise disappeared. It was just us, together.
I stared deeply into her vacant eyes searching for a glimmer of her.
"You can't give up Edward's. That isn't you. Don't let this beat you, Fight!" I was yelling at her in desperation.
"...Please." I whispered against her ear softly. "You can't leave me alone. I need you just I know you need me... I still don't know what exactly this is between us..."
I pulled back to stare into her eyes fiercely, "But I am not ready or willing to give you up."
"He's not dead, he might still recover. And your Mother is alive. Would leave her all alone?..." I gazed deeply into her sky blue eyes. I bent my head to brush our lips together with a feather light touch.
"...would you leave me?" I murmured softly against her lips.
Pain flashed across her eyes where emptiness had been. I gasped in audible relief seeing the life in her.
"Let go Lizzy, Please. I won't let anything happen to you, I promise. Just...let go." I pleaded with her, begging her to just let go of her mask, to feel her emotions again.
One tear fell, then another and another. Water was streaming down her face, pain twisting her expression in torment.
Her previously unresponsive body now crumbled in agony. I sunk with her to the floor. Her sobs, racking her body with their intensity. Her breath choking on her sobs unable to get a breath.
I just held her close. Her previously unresponsive body now clung to me refusing to let go.
The world returned so suddenly I was momentarily overwhelmed. The colours were so bright, the scents so strong the sounds so loud.
"Get away from her Potter!" Snape tried to rip me away from Lizzy but my grip was immovable. My eyes, dark with rage snapped to the Potion's Master and he flew back, crashing into the enormous bookshelf at the opposite end of the room. My magic had awakened and was ready to obey like I had never felt before. The air was crackling with restrained power and fury. I pulled Lizzy's shuddering body even closer in protection.
I wasn't going to let her go.
Hermione was screaming at me about attacking a teacher but I ignored her. I wasn't about to let Lizzy out of my sight and there was only one way that was going to happen.
I gazed at Dumbledore, showing him with the deadly threat in eyes that I was completely serious about this and I wasn't asking for permission, rather, I was informing him how this was going to happen.
"Lizzy will be staying with Sirius and I for Winter break at Grimmauld Place. I'm guessing her Father is being cared for there so she can see him whenever she wants to." My tone was final and filled with authority.
Dumbledore rubbed his aged hands together. some of the twinkle back in his eyes as he saw the way I was holding Lizzy in my arms protectively.
"What about Order meetings, my dear boy?" He said in a much more cheerful voice.
I starred at Lizzy in concern. Her tears had yet to subside but at least now she was dealing with it. I don't think she heard a word said around her, lost in her memories.
"...she won't tell anyone." I murmured absentmindedly, my mind focused on Lizzy.
"The Floo connection is open Harry. Would you and Miss Edwards like to leave now? I'll send Miss Granger and Mr Weasley along after the feast. They too are spending the holiday at Headquarters. Sirius is on the other side waiting for you and I'm sure you'll want to introduce his new guest to him." That twinkle was blinding now as Dumbledore gazed at us happily but regarded Lizzy's silent and tortured expression with regret and sympathy.
"Yes. We'll go now."
As I walked into the fireplace, with a firm grip around Lizzy's waist and said the address to the Headquarters of the Pheonix, I thought I heard Lizzy whispering in disbelief and misery,
"My Dad...he's gone..."
I felt pain rip through me as I heard her anguish and tightened my grip around her.
She was so much a part of me now, I hated that this had happened to her.
"Harry!" I glanced up and saw the beaming face of my criminal godfather bounding towards me in excitement and pleasure, arms wide prepared to engulf me in an embrace.
Sirius Black stopped short, his head bending at an angle in puzzlement, looking remarkably similar to Padfoot.
"Harry? Who's this?" His inquiring voice asked.
...
WELL, ONE HOUSE FOR TWO WEEKS, NO ESCAPE.
A CRIMIAL, A SURLY POTIONS MASTER, RON, HERMIONE, THE WEASLEY FAMILY, REMUS, DUMBLEDORE, MAD EYE MOODY, HARRY AND LIZZY.
IT'S GOING TO GET A LITTLE INTENSE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? ARE THEY LOVE YET? OR IS IT STILL JUST UNWANTED ATTRACTION?
REVIEW AND TELL ME!
