Impossible Love
Chapter Fifteen – Self-Defence
The corridor was empty apart from them.
Edging closer, her back hit the wall and her eyes rested on his lips. A faint trace of stubble covered his jawline. He brushed a thumb across her lower lip and stepped in between her legs. There was no escape as his body crowded hers in the quiet space outside her room.
Tilting her chin upwards, he brought his lips down to join hers. Feather-like and hesitant to begin with, their breath mingled as they explored this forbidden touch. She opened her lips, allowing him to deepen the kiss as his hands gripped her hips. His tongue teased hers and he nipped at her lip, earning a gasp of surprise. Lacing her fingers through his hair, she held him tighter as they claimed each other, fighting for control. He pushed one leg higher so she rested on him. The friction caused a barely suppressed moan to leave her lips as she wiggled her hips, her body desperate to be taken higher, the kiss turning frantic with need. It wasn't enough.
Her morning alarm went off with a frustrating predictability. In the nights after the Halloween Ball, Lara had been plagued with dreams of the goodnight kiss she'd been denied. Annoyingly, her alarm always seemed to pick that moment to wake her up, just when things were getting interesting.
It had seemed to be going so well at the ball. Neville had followed her off the dance floor. She'd not thought precisely where she would take him once they left the Great Hall, somewhere quiet and private was as far as she'd gotten with her planning. Striding ahead, she had reached the door to the Entrance Hall before she turned round again. This time Neville wasn't following her. He was in what looked like a heated discussion with Hermione Granger. Lara had felt a surge of jealousy, remembering seeing them together in Hogsmeade, and she watched Hermione pull him back towards an unimpressed Potter.
Lara didn't want to be caught staring desperately after him, so she'd left the ball, walking herself back to the common room she shared with Jamie. No goodnight kiss. No illicit activities in darkened corridors. Her dreams tormented her with an alternate reality she longed for.
Occasionally her dreams, doing what dreams often do, switched the identity of the man devouring her. One moment it was Neville she had led there, kissing her senseless, the next moment her eyes flitted open and it was Jamie or Rick from home pushing her against the wall. On these mornings, Lara was glad of the alarm that brought a halt to events. She didn't examine too closely why they had suddenly appeared, preferring to write it off as her subconscious having a good laugh at her.
Lara and Jamie were locked in an uneasy impasse. The Halloween Ball had reminded Lara of Jamie's tendency to use girls for what he wanted: something she'd not seen that much of this year. Zara, Jamie's date at the ball, was putting a brave face on it in lessons, but she'd heard (through Hestia via Akari) that all Zara had done in the Ravenclaw Common Room the next day was cry. She didn't know what happened though; Jamie had returned after the ball alone.
In fact, Jamie hadn't been that much later back than Lara. As she lay on one of the tartan sofas, he'd stumbled through the door, bow tie askew, tucking a flask into his inside jacket pocket. Lara wasn't surprised that his Slytherin cunning had thought of his own firewhisky stash. She'd considered having it out with him there and then, revealing she knew he'd warned the other seventh years off her. However, she needed him, and he was the first to end the silence.
"Sorry, for being a dick earlier," he said slumping onto the other sofa in a heap.
"Which bit," Lara muttered to herself.
Jamie might push her too far with his jibes, but he was always quick to apologise. Lara wasn't sure whether that was particularly admirable or not.
Stretching languidly, his frame too large for the sofa, Jamie's eyes shut as his head slowly fell to the side before jolting him awake.
"Why're you still up?" he realised, brushing his dark auburn hair off his forehead so it stuck up in all directions.
Lara was loath to admit it, but she was stuck in the dress. She'd needed Hestia and Emily to fasten it at the start of the evening, and she didn't know what they'd done to it, but she was officially trapped.
"Can't get the dress off," she admitted with a sigh.
Jamie's eyes widened as he stifled a laugh.
"I knew you'd be asking me to undress you before the end of the year," he quipped.
Lara rolled her eyes. Of course, he thought this was a come on. Jamie was clearly irresistible to all women. She'd even noticed him putting the charm on for McGonagall in a recent meeting.
"This is serious," she said, standing up and turning round to show him the corset back. "I can reach the knot…" She demonstrated by reaching around. "… but it won't undo. I've even tried Relashio, but I'm either missing the knot or it's not working."
Defeated and slightly embarrassed, Lara's shoulders slumped. She'd bloody kill Hestia when she got hold of her.
Sensing her tiredness, Jamie quit the joker act and sat up. "Come here."
Lara leaned on the sofa arm as Jamie inspected the knot. He tried undoing it with his fingers first, then the same Relashio spell Lara had tried … it wouldn't budge.
"Am I going to be stuck in the most fabulous dress for eternity?"
There were worse punishments she supposed.
"Don't move," Jamie said.
A cool, hard object pressed momentarily into Lara's skin. With a few sharp tugs, Lara began to feel the dress loosen on her torso.
Brandishing the full knot in his hand, Jamie said, "Ah ha! Got it."
"Did you cut the whole thing off?"
"Magically, yes."
Lara crossed her arms over her chest to help support the now unfastened dress.
"You might need new ties next time you wear it though," he added as an afterthought.
Lara didn't care. Happy to be able to get into her pyjamas, and too tired for any more drama, she moved towards the staircase up to her room.
"Thanks," she said over her shoulder. "You won't tell anyone about this?"
"Wouldn't dream of it, Princess."
Since that night, Lara hadn't really spoken to Jamie much. She'd forgiven him for leaving her on the dancefloor but not for surreptitiously controlling her personal life. To make matters worse, she only ever seemed to bump into him on the mornings after he appeared in that particular dream. Not exactly in the mood for conversation, she brushed him off.
Sitting in the Great Hall, Lara took advantage of a leisurely breakfast as she had a rare free period first lesson. Overhead, the ceiling reflected the grey mid-November skies and Lara was thankful for the steaming hot chocolate in encased in both hands. It had been 10 days since the Halloween Ball and winter was firmly on the way, with drizzle and frosty mornings common greetings for the students of Hogwarts.
Lara was due to meet Neville after her last lesson for a mentor meeting. She had already completed the application form and sent it down to Neville's greenhouse using one of the school owls. Confident that it displayed her passion for the subject as well as her academic record, Lara was completing some wider reading in preparation for the expected interview. Professor Weasley had let her borrow her two of his books which were now spread on the table around her.
Multi-tasking studying and eating was a skill that Lara was pleased she possessed.
Medieval wizards and witches were drawn to the Neolithic construction at Stonehenge, which had a strengthening effect on particularly complex potions. Settling around the site, a small village, in what is now Berwick St James, was a popular choice for many wizarding families. However, with the increased persecution of wizards in the Renaissance period, many of these families disappeared from wizarding records. Whilst some families are known to have moved north into Somerset, evidence found under a hedge in a Muggle farmer's field offered a remarkable indication that, for some wizarding families, it was not Muggles that brought them to a blazing end.
Immersed in her book, Lara hadn't noticed the first year at her shoulder. Panting and hopping from foot to foot, the boy looked relieved that she had finally looked up.
"Miss, Professor Longbottom asked me to run up with this for you."
In his hand was a folded note. Having successfully delivered the item, the boy adjusted his bag and sprinted down the hall. His slightly over-sized cloak billowing behind him.
Lara,
Have to cancel tonight's meeting. Forgotten about a prior arrangement.
Apologies,
N.L
There was no subtext to dwell over with that note. Perfunctory with his words, she folded it up and used it as a bookmark as she packed her books away. Of course, she was annoyed that he'd cancelled on her, but Lara thought he must have a good reason. She felt more disappointed that the letter showed no sign of their closeness. She hadn't imagined the moment they'd shared under the quidditch stands or the dance at the Halloween Ball. Equally though, she hadn't seen much of Neville since then, other than the odd hello around school. Hogwarts was a big place and seventh year was full on. Of course, it was probably for the best that the letter was more formal if he was going to entrust it to a first year to deliver. A first year who would likely read it on the way. Satisfied with that reasoning, Lara made her way Defence Against the Dark Arts.
"What's going on?" Lara asked Hestia who was seated in one of the many chairs on the corridor outside their classroom.
"Surprise duel test. Apparently, Professor Weasley has conjured up some challenging terrain for us to see how we cope battling when our attention is elsewhere."
Lara groaned. The phrase 'challenging terrain' didn't fill her with excitement.
"Chance for you to make it count with Burke though," Hestia's eyes gleamed wickedly. "And by make it count, I mean make him bleed."
Laughing, Lara pulled out her wand from her robes. "Deal."
Professor Weasley explained that he would call each pair in for their five-minute slot, and he wanted the students to write a reflection piece afterwards on their performance in the duel.
The first in were the two Slytherins Adam Nott and Ciaran Travers, both close friends of Jamie's. Waiting outside the room, some students were flicking through their textbooks cramming until they were called in, whilst others speculated what the classroom would look like inside.
It was clear after the first few pairs that Professor Weasley was changing the terrain each time. Adam and Ciaran came out reporting a dense forest, whilst Christian Jordan wouldn't shut up about the 100 foot drop off a cliff that he nearly sent Max Abbott over.
When it was Lara and Jamie's turn, she approached with trepidation but was determined not to let it show outwardly.
Jamie on the other hand swaggered up to the door and gestured for her to go first. "After you, milady."
The classroom had been transformed into a vast tunnel network with a circular domed clearing in the centre. The narrow walls were a deep shade of ochre and it reminded Lara of the underground tunnels in Egypt. Not that she'd seen them herself of course – although Professor Weasley had – so she wondered how much of this had been conjured from memory.
"Lara. James. Take your positions." Professor Weasley gestured to the far edges of the circle.
Lara weighed up her options.
Should I stay and battle here or dart off into the tunnels? What would he expect me to do?
Deciding that she'd improvise and see what happened, Lara looked across at Jamie who looked positively malevolent across the room.
On the sound of a shot, both Lara and Jamie launched into a fierce volley of spells across the clearing.
Jamie had begun slowly walking towards her as his barrage intensified. Whilst Lara was able to block his hexes with ease, the closer he got, the less time she had to switch from attacking to defensive spells.
Deciding to see exactly how challenging the terrain was, Lara darted to her left and into the tunnel network. A crash sounded behind her as Jamie's spell hit the wall where she'd been stood. She weaved through the tunnel carefully mapping out her route in her mind.
"Come on Hepworth don't run away," Jamie taunted from a distance behind her.
Risking a look over her shoulder, Jamie was no where in sight. Lara slowed her pace. She was no where near as fit as Jamie and couldn't outrun him if she tried. She intended to catch him unawares, using the tunnel network to double-back on herself. The hunted becoming the hunter.
Be sneaky. Be stealthy.
The tunnel brought her out on the other side of the circular clearing; Lara paused to listen for Jamie's heavier footfalls. Professor Weasley watched the cat and mouse with amused interest. Calculating approximately where she thought Jamie was, Lara selected the tunnel along from that and began trying to sneak up on him.
A flash of auburn hair rounded the corner of the tunnel up ahead. Jogging silently, Lara reached the end herself. She'd decided that Stupefy would work beautifully and hoped a bang to the head on the tunnel walls might knock a bit of sense into him.
3, 2, 1.
Rounding the corner, Lara was startled by a body slamming into hers.
Two strong arms gripped around her body, preventing her from raising her wand. "Ha, got you."
Lara struggled in his grip and tried to kick his legs, not enjoying being face-to-chest with the slightly hunched Jamie. "It's meant to be a duel, you idiot. Let me go."
"That wouldn't help me to win though would it?"
Lara's eyes flicked downwards. If she could just get her wand into a better position…
Following her eyes, Jamie said, "Nope, not happening." He lifted her up in the tight bear hug, so her legs flailed under her.
Fuming at his underhand tactics, Lara tried to remember the self-defence video that her mum had shown her online last summer. Buying herself some time, she continued to struggle, manoeuvring herself so she had her back to his chest, but thought a verbal attack might take him by surprise.
"This why you warned all those guys off me?" she huffed through her wriggling motion.
Jamie locked his grip underneath her chest. "You know about that?"
"Yes, I know about that," she snapped. "What happened? Get tired of being nice Jamie? Or did you want to get close to me yourself? You give me whiplash from your personalities."
Not giving him time to respond, Lara pushed her body backwards, sending them crashing into the wall, and knocking the wind out of Jamie. Widening her stance, Lara stepped backwards and moved her hips until one side was behind Jamie's. Grabbing his calves, she used her hips and gravity to bring Jamie crashing to the ground, knocking his face against the wall as she did so. She plucked his wand out of his hands, ignoring his groans.
"Professor, I think I've won."
Professor Weasley appeared next to her and looked down at Jamie, still lying on the floor.
"Unorthodox from both of you I have to say. Plus, I think you've broken Burke's nose. Best help him to the hospital wing."
Lara offered Jamie a hand and helped him to his feet.
"Got a lot of pent up rage there, Princess?" said Jamie as they made their way across the room. "We even now? I was an unforgivably arrogant arse about the Ball, and you've scarred me for life?"
Shoving him in the arm, Lara said, "Hardly for life … it's pretty much a nosebleed. Now who's the princess - "
Jamie shoved her back. Not too hard though.
"- Yeah we're even now."