Impossible Love

Chapter 22 – A Very Merry Christmas

Lying in bed, Lara kept her eyes shut as she listened to the sounds of her mum pottering about downstairs. It was Christmas Day. Slowly opening her eyes and peeking out from under the covers, the light of a crisp winter morning was streaming through her bedroom curtains … curtains that Lara had only partially manage to close when she stumbled in tipsy a few hours earlier.

It had apparently become the new tradition of her Muggle friends that every Christmas Eve they met at the pub for drinks, got progressively louder and more filled with seasonal cheer, before heading into town to have ill-advised shots and wail 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' at each other. It didn't matter that this tradition had been started before any of them were 18 and old enough to be there, or that many of them, Lara included, still weren't 18 now. The bouncers didn't ask for I.D and the bar staff barely looked at them, quickly serving them and moving on. However, Lara had learnt her lesson from the hangover she'd had last year; this time around, she made a determined exit around last orders in the pub, escaping the shots, the dancing and Mariah. The guys had tried to persuade her to change her mind, but Lara could tell they weren't too upset. It was hard to keep the friendships alive when she literally lived in a different world for most of the year or lied to them for the rest of it.

Rick, the summer fling, had tried to 'walk her to the taxi' … or at least that's what he said. She got the feeling, from the way his palm pressed firmly into the small of her back as he helped manoeuvre them out of the crowded pub, that he wanted perhaps a season 2 on their romance. Politely thanking him for his company, Lara had reached up and given him a brief hug then strode purposefully off towards the waiting taxi. The last thing she wanted to do this Christmas was rebound onto Rick to get over her wounded pride.

Sitting up slowly in bed, Lara took stock of any tell-tale aches or nausea. She felt a little tired, and could definitely do with a glass of water, but aside from that, she seemed to have dodged the festive hangover.

Thank Santa for that.

Lara wrapped herself up in her grey fleece dressing gown and stepped over the discarded black sequin playsuit she'd worn the night before.

Padding softly down the stairs in search of water, Lara smiled at the sounds of her mum talking to the cat, Falstaff, she'd adopted from a rescue centre a few weeks before. When Lara had first seen the slightly chubby tabby cat, he was sat in her space on the sofa, grooming himself without a care in the world. She'd remarked jokingly that her mum had replaced her with the son she'd always wanted, but secretly she was pleased that her mum had something to keep her company, besides Robert, of course.

"Happy Christmas, love," said Joy from the kitchen. "What do you fancy for breakfast? Is it a paracetamol and water kind of morning or can you manage a croissant?"

Laughing at her mum's offer, Lara replied, "Water first, then a croissant and cup of tea please."

Lara took a seat at the dining room table and scratched Falstaff's ears as he weaved around her legs.

"Where's Robert?" asked Lara.

Since arriving home from Hogwarts for the holidays, Lara had got used to his presence in the evenings. Sometimes he stayed over, but not always, so Lara wasn't sure whether he was around or not. He had subtly shifted the atmosphere at home, but it had been Lara and her mum for so long, that she didn't begrudge her mum the companionship and love Robert offered her.

"He's nipped up to his mum's in Littleborough," said her mum, placing a glass of water in front of her. "Should be back before lunch. Let's get these presents opened."

Moving into the living room, Joy settled herself into an armchair as Lara went straight to the presents under the tree. She passed her mum the pile of gifts that she'd wrapped up at Hogwarts a few weeks previously. Lara smiled at the thought of Jamie's fascination with the Muggle ribbons and trimmings she'd added to the presents and hoped that he liked the gift she'd snuck into his suitcase.

"Oh, this is lovely, Lara. Thank you," said her mum, holding the shimmering silver scarf to her neck before moving onto the next present. "Now, I think I know what this one is … yes – more of that wonderful chocolate!"

Lara laughed at her mum's reaction. Honeydukes was undoubtedly the most superior chocolate in existence, and she knew her mum had been eagerly anticipating another taste.

Opening her own gifts, Lara was thrilled to receive a burgundy wool coat from her mum, a book and some fancy stationery from Robert, the usual pyjamas and sweets from her grandma and a pair of earrings with Ancient Runes that read 'merry' and 'bright' on from Hestia.

"You've missed a gift, love," said Lara's mum, pointing to a medium-sized rectangular gift that looked like whoever wrapped it had had a fight with the Sellotape.

Encased in a silvery foil paper that didn't quite cover the whole present (no matter how much tape was used) and an emerald green ribbon, haphazardly tied, Lara was intrigued as to who this was from and reached for the tag:

Hepworth,

You didn't think you were the only one who could sneak a present somewhere, did you?

Merry Christmas - hope you're having a good one.

Jamie

x

Ps. How Muggles manage to wrap presents like this every year, I have no clue. Poor things.

Thinking that now the poor wrapping made sense, Lara smiled to herself. She had honestly no idea that Jamie had even thought to get her something for Christmas or how he managed to get it under her tree. He definitely seemed to be softening up around her, despite addressing her as 'Hepworth' on the tag, and Lara recalled that they'd not fought over anything for a few weeks at least. Plus, there was a kiss on the sign off.

Still, let's hope this isn't some wizarding plague he's unleashed on me as a joke.

Untying the ribbon and tearing the paper, Lara was greeted by a wooden varnished box, with engraved details surrounding the brass lock mechanism and on the hinges. Slowly opening the box, Lara unfolded a piece of velvet that was covering the inside and took in a shocked intake of breath.

"What is it?" asked her mum.

Lara turned the box around to show her mum the contents.

Inside was complete set of archaeological tools: immaculate brushes, varying in size, with the softest bristles; three different sized trowels, perfect for uncovering treasures; a scale marker with measurements on one side and basic rune translations on the other; a leather notebook with a clasp fastening. The most impressive detail though was that each tool had a matching ornate silver handle that gleamed in the lights from the Christmas tree. It looked like an unused antique, and Lara simply couldn't believe that Jamie had given it to her.

"Wow, that's stunning," said Joy admiringly. "Perfect for your internship. What did you say you got him?"

"Nothing this expensive," said Lara. "Just a Quidditch book and a silver snake bookmark."

"If you're unsure about accepting it, you could always write to him?"

Lara nodded absentmindedly. She adored the tool kit, and her mum was right that it would be more than ideal for her internship. She couldn't get over the thought that had gone into the gift – she wouldn't have been able to pick out anything better for herself and she wouldn't have been able to afford it even if she could.

Picking up the notebook to see if that too was unused, Lara unclasped the fastening and a folded piece of parchment fell out from its pages.

Lara,

Thanks to you sneaking that gift into my suitcase and not saying anything, I was somewhat under-prepared for your Christmas present. Luckily, my surname isn't just for show and my father still had cornucopia of hidden stock in the attic that must have been squirreled away by an earlier Burke.

Don't worry about this being imbued with Dark magic – I had my father check it over and it's safe. He did add a self-cleaning charm (which I'm sure you'll appreciate) and a nifty little curse detector charm that means the handle will go ice-cold if you're about to hit an object protected by a curse. Can't have the internship ending in your demise.

The toolkit will be in much better hands with you than gathering dust next to a terrifying, one-eyed porcelain doll that attempts to throttle anyone who tries to play with it. What can I say – my relatives have a twisted sense of humour.

Jamie

Feeling mollified by Jamie's letter explaining the origins of the set, Lara started to unpack each tool, relishing in how natural the handles felt in her grip. It was like each one was made for her. She couldn't wait to use them and was tempted to create her own excavation in the back garden just to have a chance to try them out! Somehow, she doubted her mum would appreciate her turning the garden into a muddy trench again. She'd been nine years old the last time she'd done that. Lara remembered with a chuckle the disbelief on her mum's face as she returned from getting a drink in the kitchen to a scene of dirt and devastation and Lara proudly clutching the spout of a broken jug, innocently proclaiming it to be 'buried treasure'. At the time, she'd been unable to explain how she'd destroyed their garden so quickly; she suspected now that it had been an early show of magic, subconsciously performed in her excitement.

"Right, pack those away and get in that kitchen," said her mum, standing from the sofa. "There's spuds to peel, and no magical shortcuts."

With a groan, Lara joined her for the necessary food preparation before the afternoon's Christmas feast.

Lying back on the sofa with Falstaff purring contentedly in her lap, Lara officially couldn't eat another bite. She was stuffed. Her mum's Christmas dinner had been a success, and there would be leftovers to feed them all on Boxing Day too.

Joy had her feet up and was curled up against Robert, who'd joined them in time to take over from Lara in the kitchen. Wearing matching Christmas jumpers (a gift from Robert's mother), they looked like a picture-perfect Christmas couple.

Robert had just flicked over the TV channel when a newsflash interrupted the scheduled Christmas programming.

"Castle Cary in Somerset was rocked by a large explosion that destroyed a large part of a railway platform. The police are reported to be in a standoff with the assailant. There have been no reported fatalities despite the blast radius extending for 50 metres – it is thought that the station was empty due to the Christmas holiday. Police have refused to comment on whether this is being treated as a terrorist incident. More to follow as the news comes in."

Accompanying the reporter's words was footage from the station showing a tall, cloaked figure pacing across the train tracks, apparently oblivious to the presence of fifty police officers.

"You can't even tell whether that's a man or a woman," remarked Robert. "Either way, the cloaked crusader's not getting away from that many police officers. What an odd place to blow up – I can't imagine there would be many people there even on a normal day."

Looking at her mum, Lara could see her tense as she watched the officers in position around the attacker. No doubt the scene brought back memories for her of the explosion that killed her husband whilst on duty all those years ago.

As the news broadcast ended and the film continued, Lara wanted to give her mum a chance to settle her nerves and recover the ease she had enjoyed moments earlier.

"Mum, do you want a top up of that fizz?" said Lara.

Joy slightly jolted out of her reverie as Lara addressed her.

"Oh, that'd be lovely, thanks."

Flicking the light switch in the kitchen, Lara made her way to the fridge, pulling out a bottle of prosecco they'd opened earlier. Out of her peripheral vision, she was sure she had seen a blur in the darkness outside, but when she glanced again, all she could she was the grass, bushes and garden shed.

Returning to the living room with her mum's glass refilled, Lara was about to sit down when Falstaff meowed loudly and stared fixedly at her.

"What does he want?" said Lara with a laugh.

"This time of night? He probably wants you to open the back down for him," said Joy. "He does like a wander round his 'territory' before bed."

"Right come on, your lordship. Let's go," said Lara, picking up the heavy cat to take outside.

As she left the living room, she could hear Robert promising that he'd fit a cat flap into the back door during his days off over Christmas.

Lara placed the squirming Falstaff on the floor and reached for the backdoor key which they kept in a dish on a shelf above the kitchen worktop.

"Out you go, cat," she said giving him a gentle tap with her foot.

Sauntering out, Falstaff gave a potted plant on the patio a cursory sniff and continued towards the bushes near the shed. Lara was about the close the door when she heard a hiss and then an uncharacteristic growl come from the cat. Squinting to see what the fuss was about, Lara watched in disbelief as a figure emerged from the bushes and Falstaff scarpered back indoors – his bell jingling as he frantically waddled up the step and into the kitchen.

The shadowy man took a step nearer the house and Lara drew her wand, thankfully concealed within her skirt pocket.

"Lumos," whispered Lara, sending a bright beam of light towards the garden and knowing somehow that the figure wasn't a threat.

The man squinted and held his arm up in front of his face to block the light from blinding him.

"Neville?" said Lara in a tone filled with surprise, lowering her wand so the beam was cast at the ground rather than his face. "What are you doing here?"

Neville offered a half-smile and closed the distance between them.

"I needed to see you," he said simply.

Lara felt as if she was in a dream. Was Neville, Hogwarts Professor and man of her recent fantasies, really hiding in the bushes in her back garden? She couldn't comprehend what was happening.

Neville reached for her hands and gently pulled her to sit down on the bench underneath the kitchen window.

Lara looked questioningly up at Neville; his eyes looked slightly haunted, but he smiled down at her and locked their fingers together in his lap. They were so close that Lara could feel the heat emanating from his body. She suddenly became conscious of her thigh pressing against his, and her breath hitched as her eyes fell to his lips. Fighting to control her senses and her body's betrayal, Lara forced herself to voice the question that swirled in her mind.

"How did you know where I lived?"

Neville's face was overtaken with a sheepish grimace.

"I might have broken a couple of professional conduct rules to access the school records," he said. "On top of all the other professional conduct rules that I've broken when it comes to you, I didn't think an admin one was the end of the world."

Laughing, Lara said, "No, I suppose not when you put it like that."

She leaned in marginally closer, drawn to be as close to Neville as she could get.

"Why are you really here?"

There was a beat of silence before Neville answered. He squeezed Lara's hands in his own and turned fully to face her.

"I'm sorry for how I treated you in the last weeks of term. I shouldn't have ignored you on the corridor and then when I did speak to you, I couldn't say anything because McGonagall was right there. Merlin, I shouldn't have let you just leave after we kissed."

Lara looked down at their entwined fingers – her own delicate hand seeming even smaller when encased in the broad and calloused grip of Neville. She knew that she should probably put up more of a fight, rather than cave in at the first sign of an apology. The truth was that she didn't care. Neville had felt right since the first moment she was alone with him.

"That's what you came here to say?" she asked.

"Well, that was the main thing and Merry Christmas," he replied softly, pulling his right hand free to tuck a strand of hair behind Lara's ear.

Her eyes widened and it felt like her world stopped turning as Neville's fingertips traced the outline of her ear and continued a blazing path down the line of her jaw. When he reached her chin, he tilted her face upwards and slowly, purposefully brought his lips down towards hers. Lara felt as if she had stopped breathing, waiting for the moment when Neville would close the final inch separating them.

If their first kiss had been a flash of passion instigated by Lara, their second was a slow statement of intent from Neville as Lara felt as if her body was overtaken by a smouldering fire that lit her nerve-endings all over. Beginning with a gentle graze of their lips, Neville's tongue traced a path along her lower lip before entering her mouth and caressing her own. Lara sensually kissed him as she raised her hands up to rest behind Neville's head.

Lara had kissed plenty of guys before, but she'd never felt as if her soul was being consumed at the same time. Momentarily pulling away, and resting his forehead on hers, Neville's eyes were a well of intensity and Lara couldn't take the lack of contact now she'd kissed him again. Pulling him towards her and closing the gap between them, Lara kissed Neville deeply and felt a pooling of desire at her core. Grazing his bottom lip with her teeth, Lara was rewarded with a groan from Neville that thrilled her.

Neville's arms wrapped around Lara's body and gripped her arse, pulling her closer. Without breaking the increasingly passionate kiss, Lara shuffled one knee upwards and, in one swift movement, straddled Neville on the bench. Her knees were either side of his hips and her weight rested on his thighs. Kneading the peachy globes, Neville pulled her closer, bringing her pussy tight against his groin. Her skirt had inched upwards and Lara could feel the stiff erection pressing urgently against his jeans. With only her tights and underwear and his jeans separating them, this time it was her turn to moan as she felt herself getting wetter at the prospect of him being so aroused just for her.

Keeping one arm as a steadying grip around her waist, Neville brought his other round to her chest, pinching and rolling one nipple through her jumper between his fingertips. Lara broke off the kiss and threw her head back, grinding her pussy into his lap and pushing her tits towards him.

She was in heaven and felt the need for a release even though his hands hadn't yet touched her skin where she needed him to.

A noise from the house startled them both.

"Lara? Are you out there?" her mum called from the backdoor.

Thanking God, Merlin and whoever else, that her mum didn't have an exterior light, Lara and Neville held their breath from the compromising position on the bench.

"Maybe she's upstairs," her mum muttered to herself, retreating inside and shutting, but not locking, the door.

"Phew," said Lara shyly from her position on Neville's lap.

She felt as if her mum's interruption brought back the reality of where she was and what she was doing.

"Close call there," said Neville with a slight shift to reposition his cock in his jeans.

"You should probably go, and I'll head back inside," said Lara reluctantly making a move to get off him.

"Hey," said Neville with authority, bringing her gaze back to his and tightening his grip. "This isn't over. Merlin knows we've tried to fight it long enough. Can I see you tomorrow?"

Hope bloomed within Lara at the prospect.

"Yes – where?"

"Meet in Manchester at 4pm and we can head out from there? Will you apparate in or get the train?"

"Train – I'm still not the best at Apparition," said Lara embarrassed.

"Took me ages to get it too - don't worry. I'll meet you outside Victoria under the clock on the corner."

Neville stood up, lifting Lara with him and allowing her feet to reach the ground as her body slid slowly down his. With a chaste kiss pressed to her lips, Neville encouraged her to go inside.

"I can't believe I kept you out here in the cold. Go warm up and I'll see you tomorrow."

Lara stepped towards the door and was just about to turn around to retort that what she needed was a cold shower, when she heard the tell-tale pop that told her Neville had apparated.

Well that was my favourite Christmas gift ever.

Author's note:

That was an early Christmas gift from me to you. Hope you enjoyed! As ever, reviews are much appreciated. Thank you to everyone who's taken the time to do so; I can't overstate how lovely they are to read. Next chapter, there's even Lara and Neville to look forward to!

Viola Pearl