A/N: Props to those who get the reference behind the title of this chapter =)

Chapter 28

Georgia's Marvellous Medicine

'Upset' did not begin to express what Melissa Gordon was feeling at the moment. Curled up in front of the Gryffindor Common Room fire, she was absolutely furious at her boyfriend's nerve to ignore her on their seven-month anniversary, in favour of spending the day with his new fixation, Scorpius Malfoy.

"Who does he think he is?" she asked exasperatedly, shaking her head in ill-suppressed anger.

Georgia Temlett, her best friend, reached over to pat her sympathetically on the arm. "A stuck-up, self-obsessed idiot, that's who—"

"No, he can't possibly be self-obsessed, or else what on earth is he doing with Malfoy?" She glared daggers into the fire. "I mean, why isn't he with me?" She turned to look desperately at Georgia, as if the answer would be written across her face. "When did Malfoy completely take over my boyfriend?"

"You can't let this happen, Mel," Georgia said with a determined nod of her head, her wild auburn ringlets flying about her small face. "Albus was your boyfriend before he was that bitch's friend. Snap out of it and take him back!"

Mel knew venting to Georgia and asking for support was a wise decision. If there was anyone who would ever have her back it was her best friend, who looked innocent enough from the outside, but had the boldest and most daring heart inside her that Mel had come to count on over the last six years of their friendship. When she and Albus first got together, Georgia had marched right up to Albus and threatened that if he ever hurt her, there would be hell to pay. Albus had taken it seriously, because when Georgia was determined, she was menacing, and she never backed down from a promise. And now, she was making good on the threat. "But how?" Mel asked.

"You need to direct his attention back on to you."

"How am I going to do that? He's always with Malfoy!" she cried. The situation seemed hopeless.

"Does Malfoy have breasts? No, but you do ... AND you happen to be his girlfriend!" Georgia retorted, glaring at Mel with deliberate eyes.

Mel was utterly confused. "What on earth are you talking about?"

Georgia rolled her eyes. "Seduce him!" she cried. "I don't care how friendly Malfoy may be, or how quickly they became friends, the fact remains that Albus is straight, and no straight man would ever turn down a gorgeous and willing girl."

Mel gave her a look that was equal parts scepticism and hope. "Brilliant though your plan may be, I can't just have sex with him every time he ignores me!" she said, doubt heavy in her tone. She wanted to believe her friend, but it seemed impractical.

"You won't need to do this again," Georgia said impatiently. Then, clearly and slowly, so that Mel understood every work, she spoke, "Your mission, Melissa, is to make Albus completely and utterly infatuated with you through one night of intense love-making—"(Mel's eyebrows shot up) "—You have to blow his mind; don't let him think of anything—or anyone—else. Make it so memorable that he'll forget his own name, let alone the queer's. You own him, Mel, and mind you remember that. Take complete control over his mind and body." Her hazelnut eyes were wide. "Do you understand me?"

Mel only nodded her head; her mouth not quite sealed at the lips, so stunned was she at her best friend's rather alluring suggestion. Still, she doubted her ability to become such a temptress. "But, Georgia, it's me ... I don't think—"

She cut her off. "Stop doubting yourself. Merlin, Mel, you're acting like a complete virgin! You can do this; I have complete faith in you," she said.

Mel still didn't look convinced.

"Look," Georgia said, "Do you want Albus back or not?"

"Yes."

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"Yes."

"Is Malfoy stealing him away from you?"

"Yes."

"Then what's the problem?" Georgia cried, attracting the attention of a circle of third-year girls sitting at a nearby table. "Are you a Gryffindor or not?" she said in a more hushed, but no less stern, voice.

She's right, Mel thought. "I am," she said, her voice suddenly adopting a tone of determination. She was a Gryffindor, indeed, and what's more, she was Albus' girlfriend, with full rights to shag the pants off him if she so wanted to. Malfoy had absolutely no claim on him, and Mel was going to make sure that after tonight, he never would again.

"Then it's time to vamp up your feminine prowess and stake your territory again," Georgia said with a smile, looking proudly at Mel.

"Absolutely," Mel agreed. "I am going to rock Albus Potter's world."

-mp-

Warmth, sweet warmth, embraced Albus as he finally stepped into the Entrance Hall and out of the cold that left his arms feeling like numb weights hanging uselessly from his shoulders. He tried flexing his finger to ensure they were still connected to his body.

"You are crazy, you know that," Albus said to Scorpius, who was watching him with amusement.

"Why?"

"Because of your inexcusable love for cold weather." He shook his head. "It makes no sense."

"It's not the cold weather, so much as what the cold brings," Scorpius said in such a sensible tone that Albus could imagine him teaching a Charms lesson to a class of first-year students with the same voice.

"I have no idea what you mean," Albus said with a dead-pan expression on his still-frozen face. He tried not to move his lips too much; he was fearful they would split painfully.

Scorpius, it seemed, had no similar qualms: he smiled widely. "Christmas, snow, friends and family. It's the best time of year," he said, closing his eyes. Albus noticed that his voice was somewhat distant, as if he could see his idea of a winter wonderland behind his eyelids. Albus was momentarily entranced by how ethereal he looked in that moment—what with his eyes closed, face upward, and hair so blond it almost looked angelically white. Unexpectedly, the same feeling he had when they were talking earlier on the paved road entered him—a feeling that confirmed in his mind that befriending Scorpius was the best decision he could make; that, suddenly, being in Scorpius' life mattered so much, and if he wasn't, he would feel, somehow, incomplete. He wasn't lying when he said that he trusted Scorpius explicitly.

Albus cleared his throat. "Maybe ... and I mean, maybe ... this year it won't be so terrible," he said with a grin tugging at one corner of his lips, threatening the onset of another lopsided smile.

"What do you mean?"

"Because this year, you're coming over at Chri—"

He was cut off. "Oh there you are."

Simultaneously, both boys jerked their heads to the side, as if there were strings attached to their noses and the same puppeteer yanked both their lines concurrently.

"Mel!" Albus exclaimed, startled by both her presence and her attire. Speechless, Albus stared at her in utter amazement as she stood on the bottom step of a staircase, dressed in clothes he had never seen on her before—all skin-tight, which broadcasted to anyone who would look that the cold had affected her as much as it had him. He vaguely thought that it was probably the doing of her weird friend; the one with a boy's name: George, or something. In any case, Albus' eyes were riveted on his girlfriend.

"Good to see you're back so soon," she said. Albus could have sworn she actually purred. "Company not as interesting as you anticipated?"

Beside him, Albus saw peripherally Scorpius stiffen a little, but otherwise, he said nothing.

Ungluing his tongue from the roof of his mouth, Albus swallowed and spoke, not paying much attention to what he was saying. "It was freezing out, so we decided to come back," he said.

"That's nice," she said absently. Then she turned her gaze onto Scorpius. "Would you mind leaving me alone with my boyfriend?" she asked, politeness masking venom. Her emphasis on the last two words was blindingly obvious. "You've been out all morning, and I really miss him."

Albus knew he was as shocked as Scorpius was. This was so far beyond normal 'Mel' behaviour that a small tendril of doubt slithered into his mind that perhaps she was under a spell. The Mel he knew would never so openly allude to sex. Never in the history of their relationship had she initiated intimacy—she was usually so embarrassed and giggly about it—and Albus was rightly wary at this unexpected turn of events. Neither he nor Scorpius responded to her, as both of them were stunned at her obvious hinting.

But what surprised Albus more than his girlfriend's atypical behaviour, was the minute part of him that, for reasons unknown, desperately wanted Scorpius to stay with them, in light of his girlfriend's plans for him. If Scorpius was around, he doubted Mel would pounce on him like he knew she was itching to.

Scorpius finally replied. "Of course." His answer was delivered through thin lips. Without turning to him, keeping his stare on Mel, Scorpius said, "I'll see you later, Albus."

Albus nodded briefly, before Scorpius stalked off towards the Slytherin common room.

"Oh, Scorpius," Mel called in a sing-song voice.

Warily, slowly, Scorpius turned and Albus could see the ill-concealed disdain on his face. "Yes?" he hissed.

Mel giggled. "If I were you, I'd steer clear of your dormitory. Albus and I will be in there shortly, and unless you know how to cast a Silencing Charm—"

"I'll be in the library," Scorpius said abruptly, and without another word, he turned and disappeared down the hallway.

Still in disbelief, Albus could say nothing.

Mel could though, and as soon as Scorpius was gone, she sighed. "Thank Merlin, I thought he'd never leave." She grinned. "Now that it's just you and me ..." She let her voice trail and she slowly walked over to Albus, her eyes never straying.

Albus forced his vocal cords into function. "How—" He stopped when he realised his voice was suddenly an octave higher. He coughed and tried again, "how did you know we came back early?" It wasn't really the first question he wanted to ask, but it burst from his mouth before he could stop it.

"The window in my room faces the entrance gate."

He had already forgotten her answer, as his mind struggled to make sense of the situation. "Mel, really, what's going on?"

"Us," she said simply, undeterred by his dithering.

"Huh?" he asked stupidly.

"I wasn't lying, you know. I really, really missed you," she breathed out.

"I—I missed you too," he said. "Hey, I have an idea! Let's hang out, catch up on each others' days," he blurted suddenly. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he wondered why on earth he was trying to find ways out of having sex with his girlfriend, who so obviously wanted it. It's sex, for crying out loud, Albus told himself, be a man, Potter!

"I intend to do more than hang out, Albus," Mel said as she came to stand in his personal space, her face centimetres from his.

This close, Albus became lost in her wide open brown eyes, and the smell of her fruit-flavoured lip-gloss wafted to him. Her skin-tight attire looked painted on, emphasising the shapely curves of her breasts, waist and hips. Although he was still uncertain as to why Mel was acting the way she was, he couldn't deny she looked fantastic.

It was like a bloody siren call for sex.

Suddenly, as if flood gates were opened, Albus could no longer deny both Mel and himself. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and smashed his lips against hers.

She was caught by surprise, but recovered rapidly. Immediately, her arms flew up around his neck and she grasped tightly onto the tufts of his black hair there, while his hands explored her body, sliding up and down her sides, tracing her curvy outline easily over the material that hugged her like a second skin. His tongue was no less busy as it immediately began to furiously dance alongside Mel's, swapping between their mouths, teeth clanging together occasionally, noses battling for the same space as their heads moved to accommodate each other.

There was no space between them as Albus pressed up tightly against her, now completely aroused as he kissed his girlfriend, and he couldn't remember why he had been hesitating earlier. Mel's plan was obviously working as Albus, inevitably, felt himself harden in his jeans. Mel felt it against her, and she moaned directly into his mouth. Suddenly, they were grinding and rubbing against each other, and Albus was enveloped in pleasure. It was almost like they were already doing the act, just fully clothed.

"Albus," she breathed in between kisses. "Room ... bed ..."

Never had an idea sounded so enticing.

Within minutes—Albus marvelled at how fast one so aroused could move—they tumbled into his blessedly empty room and collapsed onto his bed, still attached at the lips.

Albus spared a thought to cast a quick 'Obfirmo!' at the door, locking it securely, before throwing his wand away, his attention was once again well and truly caught up in Mel.

-mp-

Next Chapter: Scorpius is furious, Eamon is curious, and Lily's in for a surprise.