Madam Rosmerta gasped as she caught sight of me from across the crowded taproom in The Three Broomsticks that evening. She had just thrown out old Wilhelm Twiddles, nasty old drunk of a wizard, and was stepping back in after having passed a few words with someone in the street. She closed the door and leaned her back up against it, taking a deep breath she fished from the front of her low-cut blouse what looked like a Golden Galleon which she fiddled with for a moment. It was then she spotted me and startled, quickly reinserting the coin from whence it came she pushed off from the door and cut a path in my direction.
"What are you doing here? It must be well past curfew," She whispered fiercely, leaning down towards my table, affording me an even better view, "How did you get out of Hogwarts anyway?"
"Madam, please, you do me an injustice by badgering me in this fashion," I feigned offense, smiling into my glass as I took another sip of firewhiskey, warming up, "I am a seventh year, after all."
"You're a student," she pointed out with vehemence, even a touch of panic, "and there are no scheduled trips to Hogsmeade at this time of year."
"I come and go as I please," I confessed, "the security precautions aren't too much of an obstacle. Besides, I had a deep urge to be here tonight."
"Oh?" she straightened up, hands on curvaceous hips, she looked down at me suspiciously, "and what would that be?"
"Why, to see you, my dear?"
"Me?" She took a half step back before giving voice to a full-throated laugh, she swept her mane of hair around as she was consumed with mirth, before directing a knowing, and I must say sultry, look back at me, "My dear boy, do you have any idea how many years I have on you? Why, you could be my grandson."
"I may look young, but there's more to me than meets the eye," I assured her, "why don't you give it a try? Might even like it."
At this she laughed again and made to move off. My hand shot out and grasped her by the wrist, her head swung down to stare at the offending grip, then up to meet my eyes. I squeezed, her eyes widened, then narrowed, I kicked out a chair and she sat beside me.
"See what I mean? Being a young student is only my cover."
"You're not really even a wizard yet," she pointed out.
"Close enough so there's no difference."
"I've been around long enough, I could tell, I'm no slouch of a witch y'know?"
"I'll say."
I was bringing her along pretty well by that point, but still detecting some significant resistance. Hmm, unusual. What I needed was an excuse to get close enough to have some sustained physical contact. I had already placed an affectionate hand upon her forearm but she had shaken it off. It was as if she were fading in and out, sometimes fully with me yet at others seeming to drift off, as if listening to something else entirely.
Was I that bloody boring?! Just as I was beginning to question my abilities, the old ensorcelled gramophone in the pub's corner gave a little shiver and chirp and out came The Broke-Down Brunhilda's singing 'Stoke My Cauldron Fire,' just what I needed.
"Let's dance," I suggested, trying to make it less of a question in order to cut down her options to one.
"Oh, I don -- ," she tried to hedge.
"C'mon," I was having none of it, I stood, taking her hand in mine and prising her from her seat. She was resistant at first, as if some other strings were tugging her another way, but my persistence paid off. We cleared a space for ourselves in the middle of the Three Broomsticks, I held her close and we slowly swayed and spun about our small, private area. Within moments we were joined by other wizards and witches, following our lead.
"Relax, baby," I whispered in her ear. She took my advice, sighing contentedly she laid her head on my shoulder. I was giving her back a two-part massage, high and low. She was slipping further and further under my spell, as whatever had been nagging at her earlier was slipping away. She was right, I was not technically a wizard yet, my powers lay in other, less well understood, areas.
"Why don't you close up early tonight?" I said in a low voice, nuzzling her neck, her head lolling, allowing me further access to her pretty throat in an innocuous sorta way.
"I can't," she purred pleasurably.
"Of course you can," I breathed in her ear, she shuddered in my arms, melting.
"What would the customers say?" She giggled.
"'Good night' is what they should say," I nibbled her ear, she caved-in like a mine collapse.
Within the hour she had seen the last of the grumpy patrons out the door, locked up and turned out the lights before coming upstairs to her modest flat above the pub. I met her stretched out on her bed in my birthday suit, she quickly joined me in the same state. Our love making that night was beyond my unworthy abilities of description, action speaking louder than words. How long we went at it, I couldn't begin to guess, losing all track of time in our rapture. She only had to throw a jar of Princess Pavlovia's Nightmask cream at her peeping house-elf Ping once to get him to stay out, the randy little creature.

It was late and I had dozed, when I awakened I saw her standing in all her natural beauty bathed by the moonlight coming through the window whose curtain she had parted and was peering out. I was just laying there regarding her, all was peaceful, the world couldn't have been more right when of a sudden I heard a sharp intake of breath.
"What is it? What's the matter, baby?" I raised myself to an elbow.
"Oh no!" She was serious, I sat up on the bed, "The Dark Mark is over the Castle. It just appeared out of nowhere!"
"What?!" I shot from the bed and was at her side in a blur. Sure enough there it was, who the hell could be responsible for this outrage?
"Will you look at that," she pointed in the opposite direction, out to the villages High Street slightly up the way from where we stood at the window, "that looks like the Potter boy."
"What's he doing out this late?" I wondered.
"You're one to ask," she jabbed my ribs with her elbow, not a terribly affectionate blow, things had turned tense with the appearance of the Mark.
"Looks like he's trying to help someone," I whispered, "Someone's hurt, Rosy."
"He was with Albus earlier this evening. It must be -- ,"
"Dumbledore? What are they up to?" I asked the air for all I knew because she didn't answer as she froze, her body going absolutely rigid.
"Hey, are you OK?"
She shook herself, coming back as if from a trance, "Yes, fine ... those two are in trouble down there, I have to go help," she suddenly broke away from the window.
"Great ... the Dark Mark over the castle and the Headmaster and 'Chosen One' in trouble in the village. And me caught in the middle," I hastily shut my mouth after that slipped out, I didn't want her to think I was only looking out for myself, though I pretty much was.
We both quickly donned our clothes.
"Look," I said, "I'd love to help, but ... ,"
"No need for you to get in trouble, go on back to Hogwarts," She gave me a friendly peck on the cheek, the spell of the earlier evening definitely broken now, I cursed the fates for throwing this wrench in the works, "I'd advise you to stay off the well-traveled paths," she gave me a wink before slipping out the door. I watched from the window as she emerged from the front of the Three Broomsticks, running up the street to where the two figures were huddled in the street. Pulling my robes over my head I slipped out a back door and skirted the outer edge of Hogsmeade.

I took her advice and stayed off the main lane connecting the village and school. I also judged it unwise to fly, what with the Dark Mark in the sky, who could tell what else was in the air that night. So my round about route took longer than expected and by the time I returned to Hogwarts all the excitement had played itself out. I managed to slip back in amidst the wreckage and confusion and only later did I discover the disaster which had taken place there that evening culminating with the discovery of the body of Dumbledore. I was honestly in as much shock as everyone else. Looking back on it all, one could well assume that the bloody carnage of the castle battle would be the framing moment of my entire time spent at the school. But you would be wrong. Seducing Madam Rosmerta was the real climax of my Hogwarts career.