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Blowfish Kiss

Charlie is trying not to cry. He is twelve and his girlfriend has just dumped him, because he 'kisses like a blowfish'. He had thought he loved her, because she was pretty and kind, but it turns out she is just as cruel as all of the Slytherins are. Charlie thinks he might hate her now.

He sits in the corner of the Gryffindor common room, surrounded by red walls and red chairs and the dying red embers of the fire. It is late, he knows, but he is unsure if he really cares. It is Sunday tomorrow, and he should get up early for quidditch practice, because he is the seeker and because Gryffindor have to win against Slytherin.

Charlie doesn't move.

There is only one another person in the common room, and it takes Charlie a few seconds to work out it is Bill. He sighs as his brother comes over to him.

"What's the matter Charlie?" he asks, and Charlie stares at him. His brother is fifteen and has probably never been told he kisses like a blowfish. Girls like Bill, but they don't seem to like Charlie. He doesn't understand it.

"Marissa dumped me," he said sullenly, and he can almost see the 'I told you so' coming to Bill's lips.

Bill doesn't say anything for a second though, and then he is obviously thinking about what words he should use. "Oh," he says finally. "Why?"

If it was anyone else, Charlie wouldn't tell them. But this is Bill, his older brother, who has always been there for him and will not laugh – not right now anyway. "She said I kissed like a blowfish." And how does she know what a blowfish kisses like? He added to himself sulkily.

"Oh," Bill says again, and there is a silence between them.

Charlie stares at Bill and Bill stares at Charlie, and then Bill leans forward and presses his lips to Charlie's mouth. Charlie is taken aback as Bill's tongue pries his mouth open and seems to play with his own, and then he is responding, and this isn't like Marissa at all because Marissa was wet and open and had felt slimy and gross…

Bill leans back and looks at Charlie again. He gets to his feet and smiles at his brother. "I don't think you kiss like a blowfish," he informs his brother.

And Charlie blinks and says, "Oh."