Disclaimer: Harry Potter is from the creative genius that is J.K. Rowling. We are not her. This is merely a fan fiction to tide us over until Book 6.
Author's Note: The first person to review and name the inspiration for "Naked" will get a glimpse into future plot lines. Hint: The show is on BBCAmerica.
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The next day Alaire went to see Ginny again. Harry was recuperating in his room. Ron had just been released and was on his way to threaten some Slytherins whom he was certain were part of cursing Ginny. Alaire just shook her head at him as he stormed down the hallway with Hermione at his heels trying to talk some sense into him. She had tuned herself out to everyone as to not feel Ron's anger, though it was quite apparent.
Instead, Alaire was thinking about Neville and Harry. The two were polar opposites it seemed. Harry was all about being active and physical. He was daring and adventurous and, sometimes, not too bright. Their "remedial" potions sessions had ended after Alaire realized that she was teaching him more than him her. Also, he seemed to be shut off from those around him emotionally except for Hermione and Ron. He didn't intentionally block Alaire; he blocked out everyone. On the other hand, he didn't seem to mind physical contact. He had searched out every opportunity to touch her since the dance. He was always brushing her hand, rearranging her hair, or casually placing his arm on the back of her library chair. It wasn't that she minded; she was a touchy-feely person herself. But still something wasn't right.
Then there was Neville. Alaire sighed. He lacked self-confidence in every way that Harry had it. Neville was more interested in how something worked than in actually doing it. One of their herbology lessons had entailed dissecting a mandrake. She had almost been sick while Neville had thoroughly enjoyed himself. Another difference was that Neville wore his heart on his sleeve although he seemed oblivious to the fact. Alaire knew that he liked her as "more than a friend", as did Harry. But, he still had not said anything to her or tried to kiss her since the dance. She had thought that that their little talk would give him a certain push. Merlin knows she was doing everything short of jumping on him half naked. Wait, scratch that. She did try that in Hogsmeade.
She sighed as she stopped to examine a portrait of Laverne de Montmorency who had invented love potions using traditional English ingredients. Alaire snickered quietly to herself. Her mother could brew a love potion that made you fall in love so deeply that you cleaned the other person's house. Of course, it only worked if there were some feeling there already. Maybe she should ask for some. Alaire then mentally kicked herself. She wasn't at Hogwarts to gain a boyfriend. She was there to learn and gain some independence. She had two excellent friends who happened to be boys. Choosing one would jeopardize the friendship with the other. Still, she knew what it felt like to kiss Harry and couldn't help but wonder about Neville. Life was simply too complicated! With such thoughts filling her head it was no wonder that she didn't sense anything out of the ordinary until she was yanked by her arm into a classroom near the hospital wing.
"You should know better, cousin, than to let people catch you off guard," she heard Vinnie hiss. Part of her wanted to snort in amusement about how much he sounded like his house's namesake at the moment.
"Well I was deep in thought at the moment, Vinnie. Something you wouldn't know about." She gave him a sarcastic grin. "I'm on my way to the hospital wing to check on Ginny Weasley, you know, the girl with the chocolate eyes and other assets that you were raving about this summer."
Alaire watched as Vincent Crabbe turned a nice shade of pink, before it drained from his face.
"Good. This is about her. I need you to do what's right, and I don't have a clue what that is."
"Why am I not surprised? I'm listening."
"I know who did it – the curse. Only I can't report her because it will look bad to certain people that could cause me extreme pain in the future. On the other hand, if I don't report her I'm going to have to answer to Ginny and Draco and that's something I don't want to do either."
"Her as in Ginny?"
"No. Her as in Dala Patterson."
"Who?"
"She's the one that did it."
"Who in the world is she? I've never heard of her."
"She's a sixth-year Puff."
"Your telling me a sixth-year Hufflepuff tried to kill Ginny Weasley. Why?"
"Because of Draco. She and he had something going on."
Alaire's eyes narrowed. "You mean he's cheating on Ginny."
"Merlin no! This was before they were together. But the thing is . . . well what most people don't understand is that Puffs are very territorial. A lot of people may poke fun at them, but you don't want walk on what a Puff considers his territory."
"What?"
Vinnie rolled his eyes. "What is the Hufflepuff's mascot?"
"Uh .. .a badger?"
"O.K. and tell me what you know about badgers."
"They're vicious and you don't want to piss them off."
"Exactly. Same as a Puff, and this Puff is definitely psycho. She wants Draco and sees him as her territory and Ginny has gotten too close."
"Draco hasn't left Ginny's side since this happened from what I understand. If he finds out who did it, he'd kill her if Ron didn't get to her first."
"That's exactly why you need to do something."
"Me?"
"Yes. You decide who to tell. You take care of it. Make sure Ginny's safe and that nobody gets killed because of this. You're my cousin. Please?" he begged.
"You want me to spill the beans so that Draco won't kill you for not telling him sooner and so that none of your big Slytherin friends will think you're a tattletale?"
"Uh, yeah. Come on, it's a blood thing, COUSIN."
Alaire sighed again. He had pulled the kinship card. You could hate someone in your family but you still had to help them if you didn't kill them first. And since murder wasn't on her agenda at the moment . . .
"OK. But you owe me!" she said pointing a finger in his face. "Its only for family honor I'm doing this."
Crabbe smiled as he pushed his way past her. "Thanks cuz!"
A headache was starting to form as she left the classroom and headed toward the hospital wing. She would have to tell someone, but who? Definitely not Ron or Draco, they'd both kill that Patterson girl. She would have to explain how she knew, and she didn't really know -- Vinnie knew, but he was too chickenshit to say anything.
Alaire made up her mind to see Ginny and warn Draco not to let anyone get near her other than her family and professors. Then she would go straight to Dumbledore, if she could find him. According to Harry, Vinnie, and just about everybody else, Dumbledore was slightly insane, but knew the truth about just about everything and was very approachable. Besides, he was supposedly in charge.
When she got into the hospital wing, Alaire was surprised to see Neville sitting by the door to Ginny's room. Smiling slightly, she made her way over to him.
"What's a guy like you doing in a place like this?" she asked. Neville looked up and smiled a bit.
"I was trying to get in to see Ginny. She hasn't woken up yet," he said softly motioning to the slightly ajar room. "I don't want to go in there while Malfoy's in there though."
"Why not?" Alaire said rolling her eyes.
"Malfoy and I don't get along, and I think he doesn't like me because of Ginny."
"What in the world are you talking about Neville?"
Neville shifted uncomfortably in his chair and the tips of his ears turned pink as he mumbled. "Wewereeachothersfirstkiss."
"What?"
Neville exhaled slowly and closed his eyes as he leaned his head against the wall behind him. "We were each others first kiss."
For a second Alaire had to admit she was jealous of Ginny Weasley. "What did Ginny do to get you to kiss her that I haven't been doing?" she wanted to ask, but bit her lip. At that moment a stirring sound came from the room as the two fell silent.
"I never thought I'd live to see the day a Malfoy looked like something the cat drug in," teased a weak sounding Ginny Weasley.
"Ginny!" exclaimed a relieved Draco.
"You look about how I feel. What happened?"
"Oh Gods, you had me so worried. Don't you ever do anything like that again! I swear the next time there's any sort of battle I'm putting you someplace safe where no one can get to you and you can't get out with your foolish Gryffindor spirit."
"Draco."
"I mean it, Ginevra. I love you and you aren't getting away from me ever again."
There was a stunned silence.
"You what?" she heard Ginny ask timidly.
Alaire smiled and leaned toward Neville.
"Let's leave them alone for a bit. I have to run an errand, come with me?"
"Sure, where to?"
"Do you know where Dumbledore's office is?" Neville looked at her quizzically but led her to the griffin, which guarded his study.
"You have to know the password," he told her.
"Can't you just, you know, knock?" Alaire asked as she began to poke around the door looking for something to poke, prod, or pull.
"Ah, here it is." She grasped a bellpull that Neville had never seen before and gave it a yank. Neville heard a bell toll somewhere up above him, then the doorway began to reveal a spiral staircase.
"Well, come on." Alaire began to march up the stairs.
Gulping, Neville followed her. "So much for Gryffindor courage," he thought. "Americans have it beat hands down."
At the top of the stairs, a short corridor opened into a circular office lined with portraits. Behind a large wooden desk covered in parchments and small brass instruments, sat Albus Dumbledore.
"Ms. Goodnight! Mr. Longbottom! Finally! I wondered how long it would take you to make your way to my office. You've come at a great time. I was just about to have tea and biscuits. Will you join me?"
Alaire gave him a shy smile and muttered a yes while Neville merely nodded. Dumbledore waved his wand and three cozy velvet chairs appeared around a small table. With another wave and a few words, biscuits and tea appeared.
With a smile, Dumbledore motioned for them to join him. After a few sips of tea, Alaire smiled. "Peach! My favorite! How did you know?"
"I have to admit to some snooping. I know how hard it is being away from home for the first time. You have been doing well. I expected you here much sooner."
Alaire had the grace to blush. She nodded towards Neville. "I've made some great friends. They've helped a lot."
"Ah, yes. Mr. Longbottom is well known for his kindness and his loyalty." Neville blushed and wished the floor would open up and swallow him.
"But, if you are not here to beg me to go home, what is on your mind?"
"Its Ginny Weasley, sir. I know who cursed her." Dumbledore raised an eyebrow but remained silent. "I know someone who knows someone who . . ." she trailed off not knowing how to continue. "Who would rather remain anonymous?"
"Yes, that's the word."
"That's fine. Not everyone has the courage that Neville has to stand up to his classmates. Can you give me a name?"
Alaire paused as she tried to understand Dumbledore comment on Neville. "It was Dala Patterson. She and Draco used to date and when the fight broke out at the dance, she hit Ginny."
"Ah. I will make sure that this is handled as discreetly as possible. Both Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Weasley are well known for their tempers. I can trust the two of you to say nothing of this?"
They nodded.
"Good. Now, Ms. Goodnight, if you don't mind waiting for Mr. Longbotttom at the bottom of the stairs, I need to speak with him for a moment."
"Certainly." She drank the last of her tea, gave an encouraging smile to Neville, and left.
"I hope I did not embarrass you, Neville. But the two of you seem to be quite close."
"Uh, yes, sir."
"Good, Ms. Goodnight is a very special person and needs only the best around her. But I didn't want to talk to you about your love life. I know that Professor McGonagall is your academics and career advisor but I'd like to know what you plan to do after Hogwarts."
Neville sat stunned. He tried to make his mouth work but nothing would come out. Finally, he admitted, "I'm not sure."
"That's perfectly normal. When I was just five years old, I couldn't decide between being a manticore tamer, an auror, or a muggle astronaut. Who would have thought that I would end up here, eh? Professor Sprout mentioned your exceptional talents in Herbology. We haven't had anyone with your gift with plants in almost twenty years. The last person that could come close would be Professor Snape."
Neville spit out his tea. "Oh, I'm sorry. I-I . . ." He tried to clean up the mess but only managed to knock several biscuits into the floor.
"Allow me." Dumbledore waved his wand and the mess disappeared. "You seem surprised. You shouldn't be. Everyone knows that you not only have what muggles call a "green thumb" but rather I suspect that both hands and several toes are lovely shade of emerald." Dumbledore smiled at his own joke.
"Th-thank you, sir. But I-I'm not very good at potions like Professor Snape." Neville paused, "Actually, sir, he wanted to put me back into first year Potions during my fifth year. I failed my Potions OWL."
"I was not comparing you to Professor Snape for potions, Neville, but rather to point out what an extraordinary and rare talent you have. Tell me, has your private study been useful?"
Neville's head snapped up from where he had been studying the floor. Dumbledore smiled. "I'm the one who suggested it to Professor Sprout when we were discussing you last year. It's rare for a seventh year to be afforded such independence. I hope you're taking advantage of it?"
He winked at Neville who remained clue-free of any innuendoes and instead launched into a description of several of his cuttings while Dumbledore listened with interest.
"It sounds as if you have everything well in hand, Mr. Longbottom. Don't worry about me or Professor Sprout popping by, though. I believe that everyone needs some privacy, especially teenage boys. I wish that everyone here could be trusted like you." Dumbledore stood and wiped some crumbs from his beard. Neville stood with him somewhat stunned by their conversation.
"Take good care of Alaire, Neville. I'm not sure what she's told you of her experience in America . . ."
"A bit. I know about her 'gift' and that some of her friends treated her badly."
"Hmm. Yes, well. That's good. I'm glad that she pick Gryffindor for her house." Suddenly, the doorbell began to ring. "That would be my next appointment. Mr. Longbottom?"
Dumbledore extended his hand which Neville took. "Your parents would be proud."
For the first time in their conversation, Neville smiled. "Thank you, sir."
At the bottom of the stairs, Alaire sat waiting. She was apprehensive but she could only feel happiness emanating from Neville.
"Is everything OK?" she asked still concerned.
"Yeah." Neville smiled at her and then, to her surprise, hugged her tightly. He let her go just enough to reach down and give a quick kiss near her lips. "Everything is fantastic."
Later that week Alaire learned that Patterson had left the school for "personal reasons." She had hoped that the news wouldn't cause a stir.
Unfortunately, Alaire learned that the walls of Hogwarts had ears because soon after Dala's departure, the news of who had hexed Ginny Weasley and why was raging around the school, until it blew up outside the hospital wing.
Alaire had been walking to the hospital wing to see Ginny, who was being released that day when she felt turmoil, anger and guilt coming at her from up ahead. She tried to block them out all while running to see what was going on.
As she rounded the corner she saw that Ron Weasley had Draco Malfoy hanging by the collar of his robes.
"It's YOUR fault my sister got hit with that curse! If you hadn't been fooling around with that deranged slag than this wouldn't have happened!"
"I wouldn't let anything happen to your sister, Weasel," Draco spat. "
How was I supposed to know some demented Hufflepuff was going to go after her? I swear if I would have known who it was, I would have killed them."
"Sure! After you finished shagging her, right? You disgust me."
"I wouldn't cheat on your sister, Weasel," Draco hissed. "I don't want anything to ever happen to her. You, on the other hand, I don't give a rat's ass about except that if something happened to you it would hurt Ginevra."
"You are so full of shit, Malfoy,"
"Ron! Draco! Stop it!" Ginny yelled as she exited the infirmary her wand in hand. "I'll hex both of you if you don't stop it right this instant!"
Ron took a quick glimpse at his sister and released Draco. Alaire watched as he fell to the floor like a rag doll. Ron rushed to Ginny's side and pulled her by the arm away from Draco. Ginny, who was still a little weak, tried to get away unsuccessfully.
"Your not going to go anywhere near him again, Ginny," Ron growled.
"It's not his fault, Ron."
"It is and I'm going to make sure he doesn't hurt you again. Come on we're going back to the common room."
Again, Ginny protested but Ron settled the matter by picking her up and tossing her over his shoulder. As they strode off, Alaire could hear Ginny trying to curse her brother.
Ron made good on his promise. For a week he managed to stop Ginny from seeing Draco. He would walk with her everywhere. When he couldn't go with her, he planted some sort of odd contraption from the twins on her that sent an alert whenever Malfoy got within 10 feet of Ginny.
Finally, enough was enough, as Ginny pulled Alaire aside one morning in the common room.
"Alaire, I need your help. Ron won't let me out of his sight! I'm going crazy! I've made plans to see Draco tonight and I'm going whether Ron likes it or not."
"So you need a distraction?"
"Yeah, if the twins were here, we would just blow something up. Right now that would preferably be Ron but . . ."
"Hmm. You know I've been planning on getting some revenge on the guys for watching us do yoga all this time. How thick can they be? I mean, honestly! Don't they think we heard them the last time they let out that moan. I think its time for a little girl power."
Ginny's eyes lit up as Alaire gave her a mischievous grin.
At that time the common room door opened up and a very irate Hermione Granger rushed in complaining about how Ron not only sticks his foot in his mouth but his whole damned leg as well and how she had half a mind to hex him into oblivion.
Ginny and Alaire laughed a bit as she raged on. "I think a little exhibit of girl power would be the ticket for everyone."
They beckoned Hermione over, calmed her down, and then laid out a plan.
Later that night at dinner, Alaire in front of Ron, Seamus, and Harry. Neville sat on her left and Dean on her right. Ginny took a seat several chairs down towards the door with some sixth year friends. Hermione opted to sit beside Ron and across from her female cohort. Both were dressed in tight Muggle clothes that drew the eye. The dinner continued casually until Draco caught Ginny's eye and left the room. Ginny gave the signal to Alaire who simply smiled and turned to face Ron.
"So, Ron, how's the prefect business going?"
Ron paused in mid-bite and stared at her. "Fine."
"Caught any NAKED students lately?" Alaire asked smirking.
Ron almost spit out his pumpkin juice. "No! Please, isn't snogging bad enough?"
"Well, just asking." Alaire turned back to her meal. "Ugh. This pot roast is positively dry. Without gravy, it's just NAKED. Wouldn't you say, Seamus?"
Seamus's head popped up. "Naked?"
"Yeah, NAKED, wouldn't you say? You know, without the gravy?"
"Well . . ."
"I usually just lick off the sauce on anything anyway." To illustrate her point, she picked up a chicken leg and began to suck on the meat gently. By this time, she had the attention of every boy around her including a few from the adjoining Ravenclaw table.
"I have to agree, Alaire," Hermione said. "Because my parents are dentists, I don't like sugary foods but every now and then I just want a slice of hot apple pie oozing all over the plate and covered in whipped cream."
She licked her lips then scooped up a fingerfull of her vanilla pudding and sucked it off her fingers. Ron consciously swallowed while Harry simply stared at her as if he had never seen Hermione before in his life.
"Of course, you have to have a cherry, though. Nothing tastes as good as when you pop that cherry," Alaire paused as she licked her lips. "into your mouth and bite down. But then you get really thirsty. Its all that sugar. Neville, honey, could you pass me some pumpkin juice? I suddenly want something wet."
Neville just stared at her for a moment before handing her the juice. His hand shook as he passed her a glass. Feeling a tad bit naughty, she put her hand high on Neville's thigh and gave it a squeeze as he handed it to her. She watched him jump and fighting down a chuckle took the juice from him. "Ah, thank you."
Alaire looked around at the boys with a grin. "Bottoms up!" She started to drink but then stopped and fixed Harry with a stare. "How about a drinking contest, Harry? Back in the states, I could chug a pint of milk in about 10 seconds. Any takers? Ron? You're well known for your oral abilities. Hermione just couldn't stop talking about them this morning, really."
Ron whose mouth had swung open on its hinge the moment Alaire had begun to eat the chicken could barely respond. All he did was turn a lovely shade of maroon.
"Oh, well. I guess I'll just have to prove it myself that I can drink this." And with those words, Alaire raised the glass and began to drink. No one at the table noticed Ginny as she quietly stood and made her way out the doors to the hall. All eyes were fixated on Alaire. With a final slurp, Alaire sat down the glass. She smiled at the boys then gave a gentle burp.
"Oops, sorry. Guess I drank that too fast." She looked down at her watch. "Oh, I need to get to the library for a charms study session. Anyone want to walk me down?"
The pain on the faces of the boys was evident. Each one squirmed in their seat fighting with the emotional urge to follow Alaire anywhere and the physical urge that mandated that they sit right where they were for a few more moments until the memory of Alaire and the drink faded somewhat. After a few moments of silence, Alaire patted Neville on the shoulder and gave him a grin.
"I guess I'll see y'all later then as y'all seem unable to speak or move. Too bad, it's a lovely night out tonight. Oh, well." And with a swagger, Alaire left the room knowing that Ginny was safe and her job had been well done.