"Thunderstorm" by Redcandle17

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and elements from the Harry Potter series belong to J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended.

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The flashes of lightning were blue. The thunder sounded long and loud, the kind of sound that had made her leap under her bed when she was a little girl. There were, of course, no stars in the sky tonight. No moon either.

It wasn't a good night to be outside, especially alone. That was why she strolled up and down the length of the Quidditch pitch. She wanted to be alone. It was difficult to find solitude when one attended a large boarding school for ten months out of the year. No one else, she figured, would be crazy enough to go for a midnight walk during a thunderstorm. Filch hadn't even bothered to guard the castle doors tonight.

Half way through her fourth lap, she noticed someone at the far end of the field. She did not quicken her pace as she wondered who it might be. Perhaps one of her friends had followed her. Or maybe it was Filch. Or worse, a teacher. Midnight strolls were frowned upon, especially with the murderer Sirius Black on the prowl. She could receive weeks of detention for this, not to mention how many points she would lose Gryffindor House. She didn't care; half an hour alone in the dark was worth it.

It was a fellow student, but hardly one she considered a friend. Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch captain, stood with his arms crossed over his broad chest, watching her. "What are you doing out here, Bell?" he asked.

"Surely you aren't stalking me, Flint, so the question is: what are you doing here?"

He didn't reply. He merely stared at her.

Katie realized the heavy rain had plastered her clothes to her body. It didn't bother her. Flint must have seen more on other witches. "Fine, then. Don't answer me." She turned to begin another lap.

Flint walked beside her. "Beautiful night, isn't it?" he said.

"Peaceful," she replied.

They continued on in silence. When they had nearly reached the other end of the pitch, Katie glanced at Flint. He was shivering, which wasn't surprising since the rain was very cold. "I'd offer to lend you my robe, but it's soaked and it wouldn't fit you anyway."

"Huh?" He was realized what she referring to and laughed. "I'd get to see you without the robe though. I'm sure the sight will quickly warm me up."

Surely he only said it because it was the most appropriate response for a seventh year male. He couldn't be flirting with her. He was at least three years older and a Slytherin. She suddenly thought of Oliver. He would kill her if he knew she was walking around late at night with his most hated rival.

"However, since there is little chance of that, I'd appreciate it if you went back to the castle soon," Flint said.

"Why?" Katie asked. "Planning something nefarious?"

Flint chuckled. "No," he answered, "I would like to get back to my dormitory and the nice, hot fire there soon."

Katie didn't understand what that had to do with her.

"I can't in good conscience leave you out here alone," he said. "Sirius Black might come along and murder you. And, naturally, as a Slytherin and the last person to see you alive, the blame would fall on me. Since I don't want to spend the rest of my life in Azkaban, you need to run back to your tower."

Katie stopped abruptly and turned to face him. "Kiss me."

He kissed her. If the thunderstorm had lips and a tongue, and teeth like Flint's, it would have kissed like that. That shouldn't surprise her; Flint was every bit as dark, scary and appealing as the storm.

Just as she moved to put her arms around his neck, he ended the kiss and moved away from her. "Now that I've bribed you with personal favors, will you go back to your dormitory?"

She nodded, not trusting her voice enough to speak right now.

As they headed into the castle and Katie felt more confident that her voice would not wobble, she impishly said Flint, "If I'd decided to take a walk into the Forbidden Forest instead of coming back here, would you have stopped me or followed me?"

"I am not going into that forest for anyone," Flint said.

She smiled. "How would you have stopped me?"

"I'll tell you when you're older."

The look in his eyes made her do what the icy rain hadn't. She shivered. "Good night, Flint."

"Good night, Bell."

End