Disclaimer: This story was made without any intention of profiting from it. Only the original characters and the plot are mine. The rest of it belongs to JKR.

A/N: Here's the next one. Sorry for the delay but I was out of town last weekend and was busy for the last week. I hope you all like this. Please review.

Chapter 55: Teen seduction

It was the next evening before Madam Pomfrey finally agreed to discharge Rose from the Hospital Wing. Rose was very glad and promised to see the school matron once a day for a follow-up and come immediately to her if she started feeling unwell again. She still felt a little sore and was sad that she wouldn't be able to fly again for a few more weeks. She also had to refrain from any martial arts or dueling practice but was able to convince Madam Pomfrey to allow her to go on jogging with the rest of the New Marauders.

She was greeted with great enthusiasm by the rest of her house when she entered Gryffindor Tower. She immediately sought out Ti and apologized for attempting to hex him the previous night. Ti brushed aside her apology and gave her a big hug, clearing the air between them. She then spent the rest of the evening catching up on her missed classes mostly while sitting on Neville's lap, much to Harry's consternation.

The days passed with little trouble until it was the 24th of April. As the New Marauders met for their morning run, they greeted Ti a happy 15th birthday. Ti accepted their greetings with happiness but Harry could see the slight disappointment in his eyes at the lack of any celebration or presents. Harry grinned inwardly as he thought of the surprise they had planned out later. In the meantime, he got to spend some time with Ginny apart from the others, in spite of Hermione's insistence that she and Rose spend their time studying for the upcoming O.W.L.s.

At breakfast, Ti did receive several parcels via the Owl Post from the adults. Sirius, Sam, Remus and Tonks sent him several Muggle pocketbooks of a series Ti had started to like reading, mostly mystery thrillers. James and Lily sent him some new Muggle clothes. Molly and Arthur sent him some new robes. But the present Ti seemed to like the most was a cake from his Mum which he shared with his friends.

Later that evening, Maggie made sure to hold back Ti as the Gryffindors headed back to the tower after dinner so that he was the last one into the room. When Ti had passed through the Fat Lady's Portrait, his jaw dropped to the ground in surprise. The entire common room was decorated with streamers and tinsel foil. Over the fireplace a red banner had been placed with gold letters proclaiming 'Happy Birthday to Ti!' The rest of the house was there cheering him and clapping. Everyone came forward to shake his hand or hug him, congratulating him for turning fifteen.

Then Harry waved his wand over the banner which caused more letters to appear that said 'Welcome back safe and sound, Rose!', which caused the red head to blush and stammer and more cheers and claps to fill the air.

Food and drinks appeared on conjured tables. Someone turned on a wireless and tuned into a station playing modern Wizarding and Muggle songs. People started eating and drinking. Soon a wide area opened up in the middle of the common room for people to dance in. Numerous people began swaying and moving to the beat of the songs on the wireless.

*******

Ti was having the one of his best birthdays yet. He was also happy to share the limelight with Rose. He was so happy that they were friends again after what had happened in the Hospital Wing. He was glad that they had managed to remain friends even after their failed romantic relationship. Sharing the day with her certainly made this birthday a great one.

He just couldn't believe his friends had managed to surprise him again. He was most surprised by how well Maggie had done in distracting him so that he was the last person into Gryffindor Tower. She had simply asked him to explain something from Arithmancy that he had learned the previous year. If it had been someone else, he would have told him or her to ask Hermione but Ti had found it difficult to refuse anything from Maggie lately. He wasn't sure why but found he didn't mind at all.

He broke out of his musings to watch the people dancing in the middle of the common room. At first, Ti didn't think of dancing, preferring to sit on the couch and watch while chatting with Jake and Paul. Then Maggie came up to him and started to dance in front of him. Ti's eyes widened as his fourteen year old friend (her birthday was in December) swayed to the fast beat of the song that was playing over the wireless.

Ti found himself mesmerized by her as he watched her, a fluttering feeling in his stomach. She had removed her school robes since it was warm in the room and her uniform outlined all the curves she was developing. The swell of her breasts was quite obvious, drawing his gaze. Her bright brown eyes twinkled at him. Her face, framed by her long wavy dark brown hair, was lit up by her smile which made her look so angelic. It made Ti want to be dancing beside her.

Slowly, like in a dream, Ti rose from the couch and stepped toward Maggie. Then they were dancing close to each other. As they danced, Ti couldn't look away from her. He was vaguely aware that they had moved to the edge of the common room as they danced but he didn't care. His gaze focused on her lips, highlighted by a light red gloss. As the song ended, he noticed that they were standing very close to each other.

Maggie looked up at him with a bright look in her eyes. She licked her lips, drawing his attention back to them. Ti leaned forward slowly.

"Hey Ti!" Ron's voice broke into his musings as it came to him from in front of the fireplace, "Come over here. It's time for your presents."

Ti quickly drew back, his face heating up. "Uh, sure Ron, I'm coming." He looked down at Maggie. "Uh, thanks for the dance, Maggie." He thought he saw a look of disappointment on her face as he turned away but couldn't be sure.

What the hell was I going to do? He thought as he walked toward the fireplace. I almost kissed Maggie. Neville would have killed me if I did. Why was I going to do that?

He tried to take his mind off what had almost happened with Maggie by concentrating on the presents he was getting. He did like most of them, even if the majority were birthday cards and sweets. The New Marauders gave him more specific gifts like a new set of Chaser gloves from Harry and Ginny, a new book on the Chudley Cannons from Ron, a new lesson planner from Hermione which made him grin inwardly and some more mystery thriller books from Neville and Rose.

But what surprised him the most was the gift from Maggie, a photo album. When he opened it up, the pictures showed him all the way from his first year. Some of them were with Jake and Paul and there were even a few showing them with Albert Dowley and Bradley Martin, two of Ti's year mates who had been Kissed in the first Death Eater attack on Hogsmeade. There were also numerous pictures of Ti with Harry and the rest of the New Marauders.

"Wow, I've always wanted to have pictures of you guys," Ti said, looking at her. "How did you know?"

"I just thought it would be nice for you to have pictures of you with us," Maggie said, a faint tinge of red on her cheeks. "I know most pureblood families don't keep photo albums, preferring formal portraits to such informal ones. Your previous family being who they were, I knew you wouldn't have any albums. I thought it would be something you'd like to look from time to time."

Ti felt such a rush of gratitude for her. He and Sirius had a couple of album already filled with pictures of them, Sam and Lizzie but he had no pictures of his friends from school. Impulsively, he engulfed Maggie in a tight embrace, feeling again the fluttering in his stomach as he did so.

Then he inhaled her scent and it almost floored him. She smelled of vanilla and lavender, making him feel light headed yet invigorated. He held her far longer than necessary, finding himself unwilling to let her go. He was forced to release her when Ron's voice came from behind him.

"Oi, Ti," the redhead whispered, "What do you think you're doing? Neville might not like the way you're holding his sister."

"Oh, right," Ti said as he let go of Maggie who had a brighter shade of red on her cheeks. "Sorry, Maggie, thanks again for the album."

"How about having a game of Wizarding chess, Ti?" Ron asked. "We haven't played in a while. Why don't you go get your chess set?"

As he ran up the stairs to his dorm to get his chess set, Ti felt confused by what seemed to be happening to him with Maggie. When he came down and sat across from Ron, he still couldn't understand it. He felt so confused that his mind wasn't in the game. It didn't help that Maggie was sitting across from him and he kept glancing at her. Because of his distraction, he lost to Ron within thirty moves, something that had never happened before. Ti's chessmen practically marched off the board in disgust.

"What's wrong with you, mate?" Ron asked. "I haven't beaten you this quickly before. It's like your mind isn't on the game."

"I'm probably just tired from the day's excitement," Ti said. "I think I'll turn in." He bid everyone a good night, feeling his cheeks heat up as he looked at Maggie. Again, he saw something like disappointment in Maggie's eyes but he couldn't be sure.

Later, as he lay down on his bed, his mind went over his interaction with Maggie over the course of the day. Again, he thought about almost kissing her, of the feelings going through him as he watched her dance, of what he felt as he embraced her. Finally, he groaned. He had to face it. He fancied Maggie Longbottom. What was he going to do? Faced with that question, he didn't fall asleep for a long time.

*******

A few nights later, Maggie lay in her bed, feeling very frustrated. She had enjoyed dancing with Ti at his birthday party. He seemed to have enjoyed himself and looked at her with a mesmerized gaze. She had felt her heart pounding excitedly as he leaned forward after their dance. She was so sure he was going to kiss her but then Ron had to open his big mouth and call Ti to open his presents.

Then, there was the way he had hugged her after getting her gift. It didn't seem like he would let her go and she had felt so contented to be in his arms. But again, Ron had interrupted them, mentioning her brother like that. As if she cared what Neville would have said about the way Ti was holding her. As he played chess with Ron, she thought Ti had kept looking at her and had left looking flustered.

After years of pining for him, she had thought he was finally falling for her. The crush she had felt for him since they first met had melted away as she got to know him but turned into something more. It had hurt to see him with Rose and then with Vane but she steeled herself and remained friends with him, just wanting him to be happy. These last month, as he struggled with the revelation of Draco's deception and Rose's kidnapping, she had tried to be a good friend to him. Then that night, she had gone to bed with more hope in her heart than she had ever felt before. She had thought he was finally seeing her as more than a friend.

Yet, the following day, Ti had treated her like he usually did, as a friend who was almost a sister, as if he hadn't almost kissed her. Not once over the last few days had he looked at her like he had during the party. Maggie grabbed a pillow and screamed into it.

What had happened after he went to his dorm for him to do that? She didn't know but she knew that that night she had seen Ti look at her for the first time not as a sister and as more than a friend. She was determined for him to do so again. She just needed a little help and she knew who would help her. After all, what were big sisters for?

*******

Ti groaned as he fell backwards on his bed in the late afternoon of the first Thursday of May, wondering what he had done to deserve getting tortured due to his decision what to do about his growing attraction to Maggie Longbottom.

On the night after his birthday party, after realizing what he was feeling toward her, he had thought about what to do about it. He wasn't sure he wanted to pursue another romantic relationship. He knew his two previous ones hadn't ended well.

His first relationship with Rose Potter had been brilliant in the beginning and they had had a lot of fun. Of course he had tried to take their physical relationship further than she was willing which was not good but then he should have known not to pay too much attention to anything about women coming from Sirius. Then, she had questioned Draco's sincerity in trying to be a good older brother to Ti. Instead of listening to her, he had gotten angry and broken things off with her. He now realized this proved that his feelings for her had been just a crush.

Then he remembered the reaction of several of their friends to that terrible breakup, wincing at memory of Ron, Fred and George's humiliating prank. Even after they had apologized, it had been awkward for several months whenever he meet with them and the other New Marauders. As he remembered it, Maggie had also been very angry at him for hurting Rose, even if she didn't take part in the prank. Why would she care to be with him after that?

Then he had gotten together with Romilda. She had been sympathetic and quite affectionate at the start and the snogging had been great. But she didn't like him spending time away from her to spend it with Harry and the others who had not approved of her anyway. It had gotten so bad that they had rowed more often than snogged in their last month together. He then realized he had no actual feelings for her and broken it off. Their dramatic breakup had been the talk of the school for weeks. She still glared at him whenever they had class together.

Over the last few months, his friendship with the New Marauders had returned to normal and they had even supported him wholeheartedly after the truth about Draco came out. Even Ron had been sympathetic and supportive after Rose tried to hex him in the Hospital Wing. He didn't want to jeopardize their friendship again by going out with the youngest member of the group. Even if he had Jake and Paul, their friendship didn't compare to what he felt for the people who had befriended and taken him in after he had been sorted into Gryffindor.

Then there was Neville, Maggie's brother and Rose's boyfriend. Ti doubted Neville would let his sister to date him and risk getting hurt by him after what had happened with Rose. So all those thoughts pushed Ti to decide to bury his developing feelings for Maggie and continue to treat her as a friend and this included keeping contact with her down to the minimum. Being in different years and classes and having other friends should have made avoiding her easier.

Unfortunately, his plan had not worked out that well. It was understandable to see her during meals in the Great Hall and in Gryffindor Tower. But then, she'd always ended up beside him at every meal this week, sometimes after being called over by Rose or Ginny. They were often so close to each other at the crowded table that their thighs or hands occasionally brushed against each other, leaving him flustered. Of course, she didn't appear to notice his discomfort at having her so close.

Then he saw her in the corridors as he went from one class to the next, even in the grounds while he walked to the greenhouses for Herbology or Hagrid's Hut for Care of Magical Creatures yet he was certain her classes were in another part of the castle. Whenever they saw each other in the corridor, she'd wave or smile brightly at him as she passed by.

Her scent, easily picked up by his enhanced sense of smell courtesy of his mongoose Animagus form, often lingered in the air as she passed him. It had become so familiar to him that he could tell she was nearby with just a whiff of it, making his heart flip and butterflies fill his stomach. He was lucky none of the others saw him when he stopped briefly to breathe deeply and inhale her scent.

But all these happenings were shaking his resolve to keep her at a distance. It was as if he was being mocked about his decision. If it didn't stop, he knew he'd end up pushing her against the nearest wall and snogging her breathless, not caring where they were. He sighed and got up. It was time for dinner and he had to get down to the Great Hall if he didn't want to have to sneak into the kitchens later.

When he got to the Great Hall, he spotted Rose, Neville and Ginny at the Gryffindor table. The others, including Maggie, were not there yet. When he reached them, Rose and Ginny invited him to sit between them. He agreed, thinking that Maggie would not be able to sit beside him now.

Then Maggie came in with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Ron and Hermione sat on the other side of the table across from them. Before Ti could say anything, Ginny had moved over to let Harry sit beside her, leaving enough space for Maggie to plop down beside him. Ti hadn't that the space on Ginny's other side had been larger than he thought.

Ti felt his cheeks heat up as he mumbled a hello to Maggie then concentrated on his food. A little later, he was drinking a glass of pumpkin juice when he felt a warm soft hand press on his thigh. He almost choked and felt an uncomfortable feeling in his nether regions. Maggie didn't seem to notice since she was busy talking to Dennis Creevey seated across from her. Ti took a deep breathe to calm himself and hoped that he didn't have to get up from the table any time soon. Then, Maggie's hand moved away, causing him to feel a sense of loss.

"Ti, are you feeling all right?" Rose asked him suddenly. "You look a little flushed. You aren't coming down with a fever, are you?"

"No, no," he replied. "I'm all right." He turned back to his food and concentrated on eating, trying to ignore the melodious sound of Maggie's voice as she laughed at a joke from Ginny.

Thankfully, his body had settled down by the time Dumbledore dismissed them from the Great Hall. He stood quickly and hurried to Gryffindor Tower. He wanted to remain in his dorm but he had some homework to finish so he could enjoy the DC meeting the following night and the New Marauders' session on Sunday.

After getting his things from his trunk, he found most of the common room tables full except for one near the fireplace where Hermione, Ginny, Rose and Neville were studying. Unfortunately, Maggie was also there, with one empty chair beside her.

Ti sighed. He couldn't go to the library now since the three essays he needed to do would take him beyond curfew to do. He had no choice but to go to where he didn't want to, a chair right next to Maggie. Steeling himself, he walked up to the table.

"Mind if I sit here?" he asked upon reaching the empty chair.

"Of course we don't mind, Ti," Rose said. "You shouldn't have to ask."

"Thanks," he said as he sat down. "So, where are Harry and Ron?"

"Well, they're tired and decided to turn in early," Ginny said.

"Oh, ok," Ti said. He then turned his attention to his work, trying to ignore Maggie's scent that he could smell from the seat. An hour and a half later, with the force of sheer concentration, he had managed to finish two essays and was working on the last when he felt a warm soft hand touch his thigh for a moment, causing him to almost jump out of his seat.

"Are you okay, Ti?" Neville asked, looking at him curiously.

"Y-yeah," he said, "I'm all right. I just dozed off for a second."

"I thought you were writing," Neville said. "Well, never mind."

Ti sighed and got back to work. A few more minutes passed. Then, he felt a finger on his thigh, drawing circles lightly on it, causing his eyes to widen and his breathing to hitch. The finger withdrew after a few seconds and Ti closed his eyes for a few seconds to calm down and slow his breathing. There was no way that that was accidental.

He turned his head a bit to glance at Maggie. She looked his way and gave him a quick wink before turning back to writing her essay. That confirmed it. She was doing it deliberately.

Ti groaned and hoped that Neville hadn't notice what his sister was doing to him. He would surely blame Ti, ignoring the fact that his sister was the one doing the teasing.

Ti resumed writing his essay, hoping Maggie was done for the night. Unfortunately, just when he was thoroughly fixed on his work, he felt Maggie's small soft hand touch his thigh and give it a squeeze. Surprised, his quill scratched a long diagonal line across the parchment, ruining the essay. He turned to Maggie to glare at her but she didn't seem to notice as if she was thoroughly engrossed in writing.

"Is something wrong, Ti?" Neville asked. "You seemed to have ruined what you were writing."

"N-No," he answered, "I guess I'm starting to doze off again."

Neville then looked suspiciously at him. He looked for a moment at Maggie, causing a drop of sweat to break out on Ti's forehead. He almost sighed with relief when Neville turned away. Feeling disgusted with Maggie for what she was doing in close proximity to his brother who was larger than Ti but unwilling to call her out for it, he crumbled the ruined parchment and pulled out a fresh one so he could rewrite his essay.

Thankfully, he was almost done when he felt her hand once again brush his thigh. He struggled not to react to it as he continued writing. The hand settled on his thigh and he could feel a finger running lazy circles along his thigh. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore when he felt the finger brush his inner thigh.

"That's it," he muttered. He stood up so abruptly that Neville, Rose and Hermione looked at him in surprise. Ignoring them, he grabbed Maggie's hand and yanked her from her chair. "We have to talk." Still ignoring the older ones, he pulled her out the Portrait hole.

Not pausing for a moment once they were outside the tower, he continued pulling Maggie after her until they reached the blank wall opposite the painting of the wizard trying to teach several trolls how to dance ballet. He purposely walked back and forth in front of the wall three times, wishing for a comfortable room to talk in. All the while, Maggie remained silent. When a door appeared on the wall, he opened it and motioned her inside.

*******

Maggie didn't know what Ti was doing when he pulled her out of her chair. Deciding that it was best to let him take control of the situation, she had remained silent and waited for him to make the next move.

She was a bit surprised when, once inside the Room of Requirement, he turned to her and almost yelled, "What is your problem?"

Feeling a bit incensed at him, she replied, "My problem? What exactly are you talking about? If anyone has a problem, I'd say it was you seeing as you're the one who dragged me from the common room without any explanation."

"Don't give me that, Mags," Ti said, "All this week, you've sat down beside me in the Great Hall during mealtimes. I'd feel our hands or our thighs touch and it sent goose bumps and shivers through me. Yet, you didn't seem to notice. Then, I'd see you more often between classes than I've ever noticed before."

"Because you never noticed me before," Maggie muttered under her breath.

"I even ran into you on the way to Herbology or Care when I knew your classes were in the castle," he continued.

How does he know my class schedule? Maggie thought.

"I could smell you whenever you passed by," he said. "You know your scent is so intoxicating. It's so different from anything I've smelled before, a mixture of vanilla and spring flowers and lavender. Even Rose didn't smell as good as you." He stepped closer to her so that their bodies were now against each other.

Maggie's breathe hitched and she looked up into his handsome face. She remained silent, waiting for him to go on.

"All this week, I thought I was going mad but I figured out your game tonight," Ti said.

"And what is my game?" she asked him as she gazed up into his steel gray eyes.

"You're trying to seduce me," he said in a low voice. "Why?"

"Why not?" Maggie asked back, fire in her eyes, "The night of your birthday, you almost kissed me. I thought you enjoyed dancing with me. I thought we were getting closer. Yet, the next day, you pretended like nothing ever happened. You avoided me for a whole week. Why?"

Ti sighed and turned around. "I haven't had the best record for relationships, Maggie. Look at the last two I've had. I broke up with Rose because she questioned Draco's intentions in his dealings with me. She just did it because she cared about me and I blew her off. I almost lost the friendship of the first group of friends I've ever had because of that. Then I got together with Romilda who tried to get between me and my friends. I would have stopped being with you and Harry and the others if I had listened to her. I'm afraid that if I get into a relationship with you and it falls apart that I'll lose my friends again. You've been such a good friend this past term that I don't want to jeopardize that."

Maggie sighed and moved to stand in front of Ti, taking hold of his hands. "Ti, I know you've had bad endings to your previous relationships but everything turned out all right in the end. Well, not with Romilda, but that is okay since she's a bitch."

Ti laughed when she said that. "I have to agree with that but I doubt your mum would approve of you calling anyone a bitch."

"Probably," she said, smiling. "But the thing is your relationship with Rose may have ended badly but she is still your friend. We may have been angry at you for how that relationship ended but we still wanted you to be our friend. Of course, now I want us to be more than friends. I know you do too, or at least I think you did from the way you were looking at me that night. Please give us a chance. Otherwise, I'll just go on tormenting you until you give in." She smirked as she said the last part.

Ti looked up at the ceiling and sighed before looking back down at her. Maggie watched him carefully to see what he would do. Then, without warning, he leaned down and kissed her.

Maggie was surprised but it quickly wore off and she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. Ti pulled back after a full minute, making Maggie groan because of the sense of loss that caused. Ti looked down at her and grinned.

"I guess there's nothing left but for me to ask you this, Mags," Ti said. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Maggie felt her heart soar. "Yes, Ti, I'll be your girlfriend."

"Brilliant," Ti said before he bent down and kissed her again.

*******

It was way past curfew by the time Ti and Maggie left the ROR. They didn't go beyond snogging which was fine by Ti since he didn't want to mess up this new relationship. He would do only what Maggie wanted.

When they managed to sneak into Gryffindor Tower, they found the common room empty except for their four friends. Hermione's shriek when she spotted their intertwined hands could have woken up the entire tower if Rose had not noticed it first and cast a Silencing charm around them. The three girls then pulled Maggie aside to interrogate her on what happened, leaving Ti to face Maggie's older brother alone.

Neville marched right up to Ti, staring intently at him. Ti looked nervously at the older boy, not liking the stare.

Finally, Neville said, "So, you and my sister, huh? When did this happen?"

Ti looked down at his feet. "I-I'm not sure. She's been such a good friend since last summer that I guess it might have started then though I got caught up with Romilda. Then I noticed how beautiful she looks and how full of life she is. Then she started dancing at my party…."

"Stop!" Neville interrupted him. "I really don't want to hear what exactly you think of her. Look, Ti, I know you haven't had an easy childhood due to your family, especially Draco. Then you got adopted by Sirius Black who my parents tell me isn't what you'd like as a role model for relationships. But I've known you for four years now. Sure you've had some bad breaks in your previous relationships, but I can see you're generally a good guy. So, I'm letting you date my sister. I guess deep down I've always known that she liked you. Just don't hurt her, okay? Because it just won't be me who'll be going after you, I bet you'll have three girls giving you Bat-Bogey hexes. Of course, that would be after Maggie has her own way with you."

Ti gulped. "Yeah, I'm sure. After what she's been doing to me the last week, I don't doubt that."

Neville looked back at Maggie, still in a huddle with Rose, Ginny and Hermione. "Just what has she been doing to you?"

Ti felt his face heat up as he thought of the many things Maggie had been doing over the past week. Neville apparently noticed this because he sighed and shook his head.

"Never mind, I think its best I don't know. I want to continue thinking of her as my innocent ten year old sister a bit longer. Best say good night to her. I doubt you'll get her away from the other three for a long while."

Ti silently agreed with him. He moved over to the four girls and called to Maggie. "Mags, I think I'll head on up to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

She moved quickly to him and grabbed hold of his arm. "Now hold on, Mister, is that any way to say good night to your girlfriend?" She pulled him down by the back of his neck and proceeded to kiss him deeply.

Ti wanted to pull away after a few seconds, not comfortable in kissing her in front of other people, especially her brother but she wouldn't let him go. He gave up and decided to just enjoy kissing her. When she finally pulled away, he couldn't help but grin foolishly.

He looked up at his friends. Hermione was looking away toward the far wall. Ginny and Rose were grinning madly, the latter's arms firmly around Neville's waist. Neville had a pained but resigned look on his face. He looked down at Maggie and gave her one last kiss before saying good night and ascending the stairs to the boys' dorms, feeling happier than he had ever felt.