47. Amortentia

"Hermione," Callie said one day at breakfast, "I think I might be a drunkard."

The Gryffindor chuckled in bemusement and asked, "What?"

Callie was sniffing a bottle of pearly pink Amortentia, which she'd brewed herself. As Slughorn had explained, the potion had a unique characteristic - it smelled different to everyone, based on what an individual was most attracted to. She explained, "It smells like... jasmine, I think. And chocolate. And... something alcoholic."

Hermione furrowed her brow. "You don't drink," she said. "How could you be a... 'drunkard'?"

"I indulge occasionally," Callie admitted. She enjoyed a shot of Firewhisky every once in a while, plus the Irish coffees with Neville.

"A sip on occasion doesn't make one an alcoholic," Hermione countered. "Besides, maybe you just like the scent."

"Eh, I guess," Callie conceded. Then she grabbed the pitcher of pumpkin juice, poured a glass, and added a few drop of the love potion.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked, a hint of panic coloring her tone.

With a mischievous grin, Callie replied, "Thought I'd have a little fun with Neville." She shot her friend a wink. "Figure it's consensual since we're already dating. Just curious to see what happens."

"Callie, for God's sake, you don't go around messing with love potions!"

"What's the worst that can happen? It'll wear off."

Neville showed up a few minutes later, meeting Callie with a peck on the cheek. "Morning, love," she greeted with a smile. Sliding the glass over to him, she said, "I've poured you a pumpkin juice."

He eyed her skeptically and teased, "My dutiful wife. You didn't cook for me too, did you?"

"No, but here's the morning paper." She gave him a copy of the Prophet. "Anything else? Cigar, perhaps?"

"No, but I could go for some of this." He took her face in his hand and met her lips. Neither of them had any qualms about being so affectionate in public, and didn't hesitate to pull each other close like all those couples in Madam Puddifoot's.

Out of the corner of her eye, Callie noticed Hermione cocking a brow at them. "I can't imagine anything's going to change much," the Gryffindor said, eyeing the glass of pumpkin juice.

Neville finally pulled away from Callie and asked, "What?"

"Nothing," his housemate replied.

"Private joke," the Slytherin said, throwing a don't-you-dare-say-anything look at Hermione.

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There was a change, Callie found out, as the boy had never been more... voracious. He was all over her in his dormitory. Having fumbled with the buttons of her blouse for two minutes, he'd finally asked if he could just rip it.

"God, you're beautiful," he murmured, trailing his lips along her nearly bare torso. From there, he made his way upwards, nipping at a spot just below her ear where she was particularly sensitive.

"What do you think of the hair?" she asked. She had run into Tonks, who'd been patrolling the corridors, before meeting back up with Neville after class. The older girl had given her a cherry red color.

Caressing a lock in his fingers, Neville said, "I like the red. I liked the blonde." He kissed her neck before going on. "But my favorite's the black. It's you." Another kiss. "You really are perfect," he whispered.

"You have to say that, or I'll hex you," she reminded.

"Wicked lass. Hex me all you want, this is worth it."

He went back to work. Callie had surprised him by wearing a skirt again, and now he was running his hand up her thigh, slowly getting closer and closer to...

"Mmm," she moaned, as he touched her over her panties.

"Is this okay?" he whispered in her ear, sounding just a little bit nervous despite such a bold move.

"Yes," she replied. "Very." This was the most intimate they had ever been, and she was enjoying what he was doing. Nobody's around, she thought. Now would be a good time to cross another bridge.

But there was something holding her back. She didn't want their first time to happen like this, with him under the influence of a love potion. "Neville?" she called out.

"Hmm?" he breathed against her neck.

It really took an enormous amount of willpower to tell him to stop, but she was getting dangerously close to losing her resolve. "Don't," she said, nudging him away from her.

Immediately, he jerked his hand away and backed off. "I'm sorry," he said. "Was that bad?"

"No, it was good," she replied. "Just a little... close."

"Close?" he repeated.

"I mean 'tempting.' We're supposed to be building the suspense, right?"

He pondered that, and said, "I just wanted to make you feel good."

"You did. Believe me." She paused, before adding, "Like I said, tempting."

"You're tempting," he said, threading his fingers through her hair and meeting her lips. After a moment, he leaned his forehead against hers, sighing to himself. And then he whispered, "I love you."

Callie froze, raising her eyes to him. "Wh- What?" she stuttered.

"I love you," he repeated. Then, with a happy grin, "Christ, I'm completely in love with you, Cal."

Holy shit, he did not just say that. Pushing him away to stare at him, she stammered, "You- I- You-" But she was utterly speechless.

"Bloody hell, I can't say that enough," he went on. "I love you."

"I heard you," she said.

"I want everybody to know." He jumped off the bed and shouted, "I love her! I love Callie Warbeck!"

"Shh!" she hissed, gesturing for him to keep his voice down.

But he said, "They can't hear me." Then, turning towards the door, "I'm gonna go tell 'em."

"No, no, no, no, no!" Callie said, rising up to hold him in place. "Don't do that. Take a breath."

"I don't need a breath," he said, brushing back her hair. "All I need is you." And then he kissed her again, pulling her close against him.

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Half an hour later, he was passed out on his bed, having downed a shot of whiskey that she'd spiked with just a drop of her Draught of Living Death. She was still in shock - and a little bit dismayed - at his declaration of love, and needed some Neville-free time to process it all. Heading down to the Gryffindor common room, she looked around and found it almost empty, except for Harry, who was pouring over Advanced Potion-Making, lost in thought.

Callie hurled herself over the back of the sofa to join him. "I need to talk to somebody," she said in a rather panicky tone. "I suppose you'll do."

"What's wrong?" he asked, giving her his full attention.

She glanced up in the direction of the boys dormitory, then said, "Neville just told me he loves me."

Harry raised his brows in surprise, but said, "Oh. Was that... supposed to be a secret? He'd mad for you."

"Yes, I know that," she agreed. "But he's never said that, the 'L word.'"

Looking towards the dormitory," Harry asked, "Where is he?"

"He's asleep. I knocked him out with a Draught of Living Death."

He did a double take. "What?"

"Just a drop. Figured he oughta sleep it off for a while."

"Sleep what off?"

Callie hesitated, her face taking on a guilty expression. "I slipped him a love potion at breakfast," she said. "I was just messing around."

"What the-" Harry began, but paused. "Why? He already loves you!"

"No, he doesn't," she argued. "Not like that, he's never said it before." Shaking her head, she rose up to her feet and paced the room. "Damn it, the first time a boy ever tells me he loves me and he's hopped up on Amortentia. That should've been a special moment in my life and I ruined it!"

"Well, you shouldn't have... drugged him," Harry replied.

"Ugh!" she groaned. "Don't lecture me. That's not what I need."

Shaking his head, he said, "I don't think I can help you with this. Honestly, Callie, I'm not all too thrilled about talking to you about your and Neville's love life."

"Oh, for God's sake, don't be such a boy!"

"You want a girl, go talk to Hermione."

"She's in class. She's always in class." Rejoining him on the couch, she said, "You owe me."

"For what?"

"For trotting off to the Ministry without me."

"That wasn't my fault, and I didn't even want the others to come with me."

Rolling her eyes, she said, "Just let me vent. Please. My head is spinning, I need someone to bounce my thoughts off of."

Sighing to himself, the boy said, very reluctantly, "All right, fine. You get five minutes."

"Thank you," she said. Then after a pause, "Has he ever said anything to you? About me?"

"Only that he's crazy about you and you're beautiful and perfect and a great kisser."

She smiled to herself. "I am that. He wasn't lying." Harry smirked. "Has he ever said he... loves me? Has he ever used that exact word?"

Harry thought back on it and replied, "No. Not that I recall." Callie groaned again, looking frustrated. "Sorry," Harry said.

She held her head in her hand and muttered, "This is awful."

"Why is it awful? Isn't this the kind of thing girls want to hear?"

"Not if it's... not true," she replied. "If he'd been in his right mind then maybe he wouldn't have said it."

"So what's the big deal?" Harry asked. "So he said it, he didn't mean it, just pretend it never happened."

"But it did happen." Shaking her head, she said, "I feel cheated out of my first 'I love you.'"

"Well," Harry replied, "it's your own fault for messing around with him. Amortentia, really?"

Callie rolled her eyes. "Since when are you all about following the rules?"

"I wouldn't give my girlfriend a love potion," he countered. "There are some lines you don't cross."

"It's not as though he isn't already 'mad for me.'"

"No, but you tricked him into saying-" a light blush colored his cheeks "-that."

They both fell silent for a moment, and then Callie asked, "Have you ever been in love before?"

"No," he admitted.

She raised a brow at him. "Really? Not even with all your many admirers?"

He scoffed. "What admirers?"

"Oh, don't tell me you haven't noticed all the stares and the giggling when you walk by." Pointing a thumb at herself, she said, "I used to get all the stares, I know all about admirers."

He didn't respond, and didn't look at her, but she had the feeling there was something - or someone - on his mind.

"Who is it?" she asked.

He met her eye then, looking puzzled. "Who?"

"The girl," she replied. "I know you've got your eye on someone."

"No, I don't." He looked away again and didn't speak.

Callie considered the subject and asked, in a low voice, "Is it Hermione?"

"No!" he replied in frustration. "It isn't anyone."

"Come on, you can tell me." Giving him a playful shove, she added, "We're gossiping."

He rolled his eyes.

Her mischievous expression fell into a more serious one, and she whispered, "Is it me?"

He gave her a look that made it obvious she wasn't the object of his desires, but he said, "Yes. It is you. I worship the ground that you walk on, Callie. There, I said it."

She gave him another playful push. "Shove off," she said. "Anyway, I know who it is. I just wanted to confirm it."

He blushed again, looking a bit anxious. "You don't know anything," he said.

"Yes, I do, I'm wildly intelligent." She paused. "But... for now... I'll let you to figure it out for yourself." She checked the clock. "Has it been five minutes yet?"

"Yes. We're done with this."

Leaning over to kiss his cheek, she said, "Thank you... General."

"Comrade," he replied in a despondent tone, saluting her half-heartedly.

Callie rose up from the sofa and said, "Go check up on him in an hour or so. I've got to go lament my own stupidity."

"Right."

"And don't tell him anything I said. Perhaps this is a conversation best kept between a couple."

He scoffed. "Do you really think I'd put myself through this torture again? Anyway, blokes don't talk about their feelings like girls do."

"Well... thanks for being my girl for five minutes."

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She came up behind him that night at dinner, wrapping her arms around him and placing a quick kiss on his neck. "Doll face," she greeted.

"Oi, you two are sickening," Red commented.

"Yes, we are," she replied, unabashed. Then she whispered in Neville's ear, "Did you sleep well?"

"Too well," he said. "I don't know what happened. One minute we were..." he looked around the table; nobody was paying attention but they were still in earshot "...well, you were there."

"Yes, I was."

"Next it was dark out and I woke up alone. What happened?"

"You don't remember?" she asked, cocking a brow.

"I remember us... ya know."

"But nothing else?"

He shook his head. "No. Where'd you run off to? Why'd I..." he shrugged "...pass out?"

Again, she leaned in to whisper in his ear. "I drugged you," she said.

He furrowed his brow and asked, "What?"

"I gave you a potion." She was smirking at his puzzled face. Christ, he was cute when he had absolutely no idea what was going on. Holding out her hand for him to take, she said, "Come on," and he got up to let her lead him through the first floor and out into one of the greenhouses.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Shutting the door, she replied, "I thought we should be alone for this. I've got something to tell you."

"What's wrong?" he said, instantly worried.

"Nothing major," she assured him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. Afterwards, she asked, "You really don't remember what happened this afternoon?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Wh-" He paused, a look of concern on his face. "What did happen?"

"A lot of this," she said, kissing him again. "You were quite amorous up in the dormitory."

"I-" he began, but didn't go on.

"It was nice," she remarked, grinning up at him. "Not so gentlemanly this time, but in a good way."

"What did I do?" he asked, his eyes widening slightly. "I didn't...? We didn't...?" He looked quite scared at the idea that they'd done something more than just kiss. Something he couldn't remember.

"No," she said, smiling at his innocence. "You were pretty handsy, though."

Looking a little bit horrified, he asked, "Did I do something...?"

"Unwelcome?" she said. "Definitely not. Trust me, I was very appreciative."

With a grin, he kissed her again. "So... what happened, where did you go?"

She unwrapped herself from him and folded her arms across her chest. "Don't be mad, okay?"

"At what?"

She hesitated, but explained, "I slipped you a love potion this morning. That's why you were so... lascivious."

"'Lascivious?'" he echoed, furrowing his brow.

"Touchy," she replied.

He looked away from her, pondering what she'd just told him. Then he met her eye once more and asked, "You gave me a love potion?"

Her face took on a guilty expression as she replied, "I was just messing around." He gaped at her, a slight grin curling his lip. "So," she asked after a moment, "are you upset?"

"No," he said. Then, inclining his head in thought, "That does sound like something you would do - my potions mistress."

"I did get a kick out of it," she admitted with a grin. "Although... it kind of had an unexpected effect."

"What effect?" he asked.

Again, she hesitated, turning away from him.

"Cal?" he prodded, as she nervously played with a unicorn rose. Picking off one of the silver petals, that old game "he loves me, he loves me not" came to mind, and she smiled to herself.

Looking back at him, she replied in a soft voice, "You told me you loved me."

It seemed to take him a moment to process it, and in that time, his face grew redder and redder. With a trembling voice, he said, "I- I did, I said that?"

She nodded. "That, and that I'm beautiful and perfect and all that other good stuff." She bit her lip, before continuing, "That particular sentiment really stood out, though."

Suddenly he couldn't look at her. He almost looked like he might want to run away. "I-" he stuttered. "I... I'm... sorry."

He's apologizing for saying he loves me? There's a good sign.

"You don't have to be," she said. "It's my own fault for playing around with you."

Running a hand over his face, he said, "I... can't believe I..." After a pause, he asked, "I really said that?"

Smiling slightly, she said, "You were kind of... out of your mind."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, looking upset with himself.

"I'm not going to hold you to it," she explained. "Doesn't mean a whole lot when you're-" she shrugged "-drugged up or drunk or on a love potion."

"Callie-" he began. But she cut him off.

"But I'm not any of those things," she said, stepping towards him. "And I could wait for you to say it first, for real this time." She took his face in her hands, slipping her fingers through his hair. "But I'm tired of playing games. Nobody else seems to be able to open their mouths." Not Harry, about Ginny. Not Hermione and Red, about each other. What a bloody waste of time, she thought.

Gazing up at him, she said, "Neville... I love you."

He was absolutely stunned, though the corner of his mouth turned up in the slightest of smiles as he stared down at her.

"You don't have to say it back," she went on. "I don't want you to. Not unless you mean it." She paused, before concluding, "But I mean it."

He took all that in, and after a moment, he said, "So do I."

She kept her eyes on his, giving him a questioning look.

"It wasn't just the potion, Callie," he went on, brushing her hair back behind her ear. "I do love you."

Her heart fluttered, but she whispered, "You don't have to say it back."

"I know. But I want to. I've been wanting to say it for months." He pressed his forehead against hers and declared, "I am completely and totally, mind-numbingly in love with you. And I always have been."

Her mouth curled up into a wide smile. She put her hand on his chest, and he held it there as he caressed her cheek and pressed his lips to hers. God, I do love him, she thought. Everything about him. As they stood in the middle of the greenhouse, savoring the moment and each other, she thought that this might be the happiest moment of her life.