Mickey and Lip were good friends. They bonded over their mutual love of cigarettes and alcohol and the fact that they were pretty much the only muggleborn Slytherins. Because of this friendship, Mandy rarely got the chance to see Mickey without Lip being there and that didn't exactly help to get rid of the crush she'd had on him for years. He was totally oblivious of course. He was a guy so Mandy didn't know what she expected, but a little more than a nod and a hello every time she saw him would be nice.

She had known him for years. There was no reason he should ignore her like he did, but inexplicably he acted like she didn't exist whenever she entered a room. That's why she decided that from now on she wasn't going to even think about him. He wanted to ignore her? Fine. Two could play at that game.

Then suddenly he was pulling her from the Common Room and the party she hadn't really been interested in, telling her to come with him because he had to show her something right now, there was a mischievous light in his eyes and she just couldn't resist.

They raced down the staircases and around the winds and turns of the castle, flattening back against a wall when they heard footsteps and running away giggling when they passed. Mandy could hear her heart thumping loudly against her chest as they continued out of the castle and across the lawn, down to the fireworks he'd set up across the lake that were taken from Hagrid's secret stash.

Mandy tried to figure out why Hagrid would even have a secret stash of fireworks but didn't really have time when the brilliant lights began to light up the world around them. Stars shone and colours danced on the water creating a show all their own while the trees swayed slowly in the spring breeze. Each firework lit up Lip's proud smile and Mandy knew right then that she could never be more in love with someone than she was with him at that moment.

Two weeks passed and Lip didn't mention the fireworks once. Mandy wasn't really surprised at this, but she was disappointed. She caught a glimpse of him heading her way as she went to Potions and quickly dashed into the classroom. He, unfortunately, followed right behind her due to the fact that they had the same Potions class.

Fuck.

She hurried over to her seat and tried to hide behind one of her friends. She managed to go unnoticed, she hoped, throughout most of the class. She didn't say much and wasn't called on. Until the end.

The class finished their potions and waited by their pots for the professor to test them. The potion for that day was amorentia, much to Mandy's dismay. And just when she was thinking things couldn't get any worse, they did.

"Miss Milkovich! Your potion is surprisingly well made. Maybe we should test it out. What do you smell?" The professor had meant it good-naturedly, but Mandy was still annoyed at the suggestion.

"Alright." She replied through gritted teeth. She bent and smelt the potion and was instantly taken to wonderful memories. Laughing, smiling, smoking. The hint of a smile tugged at her lips. "I smell... cigarettes," she said her voice uncharacteristically soft, "grass, booze, and- and fireworks." She blushed and looked down.

"Very well then. Who else wants to try?" Their professor continued and students lined up at her table giggling and talking quietly, but Mandy couldn't hear anything but the buzzing in her ears. She was looking everywhere but Lip. Praying he hadn't thought anything of what she'd said.

"Mandy." She heard from just behind her. "Mandy!" The whisper was more urgent this time and she turned to be face-to-face with Lip.

"Oh, hey." She looked away quickly, but then felt his hand on hers and faced him once again.

"Mandy," His voice was tender and his face looked almost pained. "Cigarettes, apple shampoo, a summer breeze, and yeah, fireworks."

She blinked and swallowed hard, a fleeting thought about the apple shampoo in her shower flew through her mind. "What?"

"What I smell, who I smell... it's-it's you."

Her mouth fell open slightly as she tried to conjure up a response, but she didn't need one. Because Lip moved in and kissed her softly, the perfect kiss that tasted just like him and felt so right, she wouldn't have it any other way.

As he pulled away suddenly remembering they were in a classroom and probably shouldn't be doing that he raised his eyebrows in worry, "Please say that what you smelt was me, too. If it wasn't I'm gonna feel like a major dumbass."

She laughed and cast a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching, "You are a dumbass, but of course it was you," and she kissed him again.