The feel of Frankie's mouth against her own was exhilaratingly butterfly inducing. Her lips were soft as pillows. Bianca unconsciously tightened her hold on the robes as Frankie pressed into her, their bodies molding together. Gentle yet firm hands cupped her cheeks, and a smooth thumb lightly rubbed against her delicate skin.
This was why she came back, why she would keep coming back. It was what kept her up at night and dreaming during the day. This wondrous feeling that only happened when she kissed Frankie. It felt better than anything she'd ever done or had. Needing more, she pushed her mouth harder against Frankie's. Frankie hungrily kissed back.
After a minute, lungs screaming for air, Bianca reluctantly pulled back a fraction of an inch. Frankie followed her, capturing her lips in another heated kiss. Their bodies thrummed as mouths, tongues, and teeth met again and again. What started as somewhat hesitant and gentle turned into sloppy and rushed, but neither cared. All Bianca wanted, all either wanted, was to continue the emotions running through their minds and bodies.
That couldn't happen, though.
"Wait," Frankie suddenly pulled back, panting for air.
Caught up in the moment, Bianca didn't hear her. She dove back in for another kiss. Her eyes blinked open when she met thin air. "W-What?"
"Stop." Frankie titled her head back as far as she could. Her eyes were dilated and lips swollen.
"Stop? Frankie?" Not again. She was not going to say it was a mistake again. She wouldn't.
Bianca watched anxiously as Frankie turned her head away. Her nerves died down, though, when she noticed something. Frankie's hands were still cupping her face. Her thumb was even caressing her cheek. Bianca leaned into the touch, both seeking the comfort it provided and wondering if Frankie knew she was even still doing it.
Frankie's eyes flickered back to her face. They ticked from where her hands were, to Bianca's lips, her eyes, and back to her hands. Seeing the flash in Frankie's orbs, Bianca freed a hand from her robes and wrapped it around her wrist.
"Don't." Bianca whispered. Don't run away again. Don't pretend this isn't happening.
Frankie gazed at the hand on her wrist, a pensive glimmer in her eye. Bianca waited, holding her breath for the blonde's reaction. The breath turned into a gasp as, without warning, Frankie twisted her wrist and grabbed Bianca's hand. She roughly tugged her away from the wall.
"Frankie? What are you doing?" Bianca was jerked forward.
Frankie shook her head and signaled for the girl to be quiet. Wordlessly, she pulled Bianca along the darkened hall. The brunette stumbled alongside her, not knowing the passageways by heart let alone where they were going. She remained silent, though, for some reason trusting that nothing bad was going to happen. Considering this was the person who was involved in the prank earlier that day that caused Simone to turn yellow, that was saying a lot.
After a minute, Frankie abruptly stopped. She quickly opened a door and slipped inside, Bianca right behind her. It took a second for Bianca to recognize the place, but only a second. They were in the potions' classroom. The tables were all set up, empty of the cauldrons each student would bring for class. It would be a lie to say it wasn't eerie to be in the room at this time of day…or night. The walls were lined with various pickled creatures. Their beady eyes were ominous in the dark. She could almost feel the coldness seeping through the rough stones that made up the foundation.
She could also feel Frankie's hand still in her own.
Turning her gaze to the Slytherin, she was faced with a brooding stare. During their kissing, Frankie's already rumpled appearance got worse. Bianca reached out to tame a strand of hair that was sticking out, but Frankie darted out of the way. Bianca's hand hovered in the air, and she shot the girl a confused look.
"We have to stop doing this." Frankie finally spoke.
Her hand dropped. She couldn't be serious. Not after kissing her again. "What?"
"You need to stop coming here." Frankie ordered.
"You mean stop coming to you."
"Whatever, you just need to go away."
She could not believe this. "Go away?" Bianca scoffed. "You want me to go away?"
Frankie nodded.
Come on, Frankie. "Then, why are you still holding my hand?"
In an instant, Frankie released her hold. "I-I wasn't…"
She didn't even know she had been. That was…adorably endearing. "It's ok. I liked it."
"Yeah, well I didn't. It was…"
"Crazy? A mistake? A one-time thing?" Bianca took a step closer to Frankie. She shook her head ruefully, "You kissed me again. That's three times now, Frankie."
"So what?"
"So, you like me."
Frankie rolled her eyes, "You're a Gryffindor."
Bianca threw her hands up in frustration, "So? Why can't you admit you like me? I like you, Frankie." Hadn't they gone over this?
"A Gryffindor liking a Slytherin, you must be mental."
Bianca growled in annoyance, "Is that why you won't admit it? Because I'm in Gryffindor? You attacked my friend today, and I still told you I like you. She had to go to the infirmary! I should be yelling at you for that."
"That's a Gryffindor for you, throwing themselves on the sword and expecting a reward for it." Frankie sneered, but, if one looked closely, there was a flash of what looked to be remorse across her face.
"Stop talking about our houses!" Bianca shouted. She was really starting to get tired of it. She had to listen to her housemates rant about Slytherin all day, and now Frankie was getting into it. "Is that all that matters to you? What house we're in? Are the Slytherins why you won't admit to liking me? Because they hate Gryffindors? We've kissed three different times, now. You like me, Frankie, just admit it."
"Back off," Frankie pointed a finger at her, "don't act like your loser friends are perfect little goody-two-shoes who love us. They hate me, too."
Bianca bit her lip, "They just don't know you."
"Neither do you."
"I want to."
Frankie turned away from her and paced a few steps, "Completely mental."
Why was she being like this? She put more into the houses than anything. She didn't even grow up in this world, being a muggle-born. "We can do what we want. You can be with whoever you want. Who cares what anyone else thinks?"
"Go back to your stupid tower, Bianca." Frankie kept her back to her.
"You know it's true."
Frankie didn't reply.
"Why won't you admit it? Because of what your friends might say? Your house?"
"Back off."
"Does it have to do with what those boys said?" The ones who called you a mudblood.
No answer.
"You like me, and I like you. It's that simple. Why can't you say it?" she didn't care she was pushing.
No reply.
Growing enraged that Frankie was outright ignoring her, Bianca raised her voice even higher, "What are you afraid of? How your friends will react? Who cares about what the Slytherins think?"
Frankie spun on her heel and glared at Bianca, "I do. It's my house. My. House." She tapped her hand against her chest to emphasize the words. "I'm in Slytherin, Bianca. My friends are Slytherins. I am a Slytherin. You're crazy if you think I'm going against them for anything." She chuckled bitterly, "Like you would go against your own friends. What would your friend say if she caught you down here with me? If she saw us together?"
Bianca was taken aback. There was an undercurrent of passion in Frankie's words. And what she said about friends, she had a point. Bianca's friends despised Frankie. Especially after what happened to Simone. But, was she willing to let that dictate her every move? Swallowing thickly, she took a tiny step toward the blonde. "We have something between us."
"It doesn't matter. Whatever there might be, it ended when we got sorted. Really, it never even started."
"I refuse to believe that." another step. "We…have to be brave. We can't be afraid of what anyone else might say or think. What matters is what we want."
"There's a difference between being brave and stupid. Being a Gryffindor, you think they're the same thing."
Bianca ignored the insult and stepped up to Frankie. She locked her brown eyes on Frankie's hazel, "All I want…is to get to know you. That's it." She stretched out her hand and hooked it around Frankie's, "Maybe it won't work out. Maybe there's nothing really there. But, I want to find out. I just want to spend time with you."
Frankie tried to put up an air of indifference, but it was hampered by the trembling in their joined hands, "I'm in Slytherin, what more do you need to know?"
"Everything."
Liking someone was nearly more trouble than it was worth.
That was what Bianca had decided upon, and she firmly believed it was one of the great truths of the world that many people spent their lives searching for. If only her mother or stepfather had told her it when she was younger, maybe she would not be in the predicament she was in now. Seeing as they did not deem it necessary to inform her that emotions and kissing only led to confusion and sleepless nights, Bianca was stuck. She was stuck and there was no way to get out of it, as far as she could see.
She was once again riddled with a sleepless night after speaking with Frankie in the potions' classroom. She'd said what she wanted to, or at least some of what she wanted to, and that was that. Frankie slinked away leaving her in the same place she had been before their meeting. So, she spent another night tossing and turning in bed, upset that Frankie once again kissed her and left. Upset that she let Frankie kiss her and leave. When she woke up and went to breakfast, she couldn't help but sneak a peek over at the Slytherin table. While she spotted Gary and Rich along with the rest of the team, there was no sign of Frankie. Considering she never saw Frankie eat breakfast except for that one time very early in the morning, it wasn't a surprise. Still, it put a frown on her face and a twinge in her stomach. It didn't help that all throughout the meal of eggs, sausage, and toast her friends alternated between ranting about the Slytherins' prank and how Simone's boyfriend was positively a jerk for laughing when he first saw her yellow as a canary.
It was nearly impossible for Bianca to pay attention in her classes. How was she supposed to sit through Muggle Studies and not think of the muggle-born girl who gave every hint that she liked her back but wouldn't say it? The professor droned on and on about something called the ipod or ipad or whatever, but Bianca didn't care. Truthfully, whatever little information that filtered past her thoughts and into her brain only caused her to wonder if Frankie knew what these objects were. Did Frankie ever use a robot or any other weird things that muggles used?
And she couldn't stop. She couldn't stop thinking about her. It was as if Frankie had slipped her some potion to make her thoughts only focus on her. So, instead of having detailed notes on how to transfigure a pea into a chair or how to properly produce wormwood, Bianca had doodles of wind rumpled girls and deep thoughtful eyes.
It was all so frustrating!
With a sigh, Bianca stepped out of her latest class. She walked down the busy corridor, her friends gossiping around her. She adjusted her satchel strap over her shoulder and gazed at the ground. What was she meant to do next? Yes, she liked Frankie. But, if Frankie was so caught up in Slytherin, what was the use? How far was she supposed to go? Oh, who was she kidding, she would go as far as she had to. She just hoped it wasn't in vain.
Not watching where she was going, Bianca let out a tiny oomph as something lightly bumped against her hand. Stopping, she glanced over to see a paper airplane fly into her hand again before floating to the floor at her feet. Eyes narrowing in bewilderment, Bianca bent over and picked up the folded parchment before someone could step on it. Taking a cautious peek around to see if anyone was watching, she returned her gaze to the paper when she saw her friends were caught up in a quick swap of notes before the next class. Carefully, she unfolded the airplane.
She felt her heart stop at the message.
It was from Frankie.
Asking her to meet after dinner in the trophy room.
Her heart began pounding as she reread the note. It was short and to the point. The hastily scrawled words were jumbled and rather sloppy, but she couldn't help but read it a third time. Frankie wanted to meet her.
"What's that, Bianca?" Babe asked with a smile. The group of girls was done exchanging notes and was ready to head to the next class.
"Nothing." Bianca swiftly refolded the note and shoved it in her bag.
Babe blinked at how quickly her friend disposed of the parchment, but let it go. "Come on, then. We don't have much time to get to class."
Bianca allowed her friend to begin dragging her down the corridor, but her gaze swept over the area. She felt a surge of disappointment when she didn't see Frankie.
Dinner was horrible.
Any other day, it would have been fine, good even. The food was tasty and filling. The table had finally stopped reliving the Slytherins' prank and talked about the next trip to Hogsmeade and what they wanted to do. All in all, it was a fun time.
To Bianca, it was just something she had to get through before she could see Frankie. She ate faster than she ever had in her life. She practically inhaled the chicken pot pie and pumpkin juice. When her friends commented on it, she slowed down, unable to come up with a good lie to explain her actions. It wasn't like she could blame homework, they all had the same classes together.
She did hazard a few glances at the Slytherin table. Like the other three tables, the Slytherin table was full of students eating and talking. It took a few scans, but she spotted the boy, Novak, who insulted Frankie the day before. However, that was the only one she saw. Having the tables at opposite ends of the room with Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw in between put a damper on her spying skills.
That was ok, though. The minute she could, Bianca scurried out of the great hall and rushed up to the third floor, making sure no one had followed her – Filtch the caretaker of the castle had a tendency to appear at the most inopportune times. Considering he was a nasty old man who hated students, if he saw her sneaking around the castle, he would surely do something not so nice. That couldn't happen, she had to meet Frankie. She didn't have time to deal with him.
Both excited and nervous, Bianca slipped into the trophy room. It was a medium sized room with crystal display cases proudly showing off all the medals, cups, trophies, plates, shields, and other awards ever given out at Hogwarts. Biting her lip, Bianca slowly meandered around the room. Was Frankie there yet?
She wasn't.
Bianca released a sigh and chewed on her bottom lip. She tried to not let the disappointment seep in. Maybe Frankie was still eating or she had to take care of something first.
As the minutes ticked by, her optimism turned desolate. Was this a joke? A prank? Had Frankie changed her mind?
Where was she?
Bianca paced around the room, arms folded and face grim. The corners of her eyes stung, and she forced back the tears. She would not cry over this. If Frankie Stone didn't show up, she didn't deserve them.
Caught up in her internal monologue on how she would not cry over someone she didn't even know, no matter how much she might like them, Bianca didn't hear the door creak open or softly close.
She did hear when someone spoke.
"I like flying."
Bianca jumped with a gasp and spun around to face the door. Her eyes widened briefly as she saw Frankie, but she quickly schooled her features into stoicism. "What?"
Frankie awkwardly shuffled her feet and crossed her arms. She, once again, was without the robes, and her white sleeves were rolled up to her elbows. "I like flying."
What did that have to do with anything? "What?" This was what she wanted to meet about?
Frankie smiled crookedly at the confused look Bianca shot her. "I thought you Gryffindors were supposed to be smart. Wait…that's Ravenclaw."
Bianca rolled her eyes, "What are you…" Wait… "Why are you telling me this?"
Frankie shrugged shyly and uncrossed her arms, "You said you wanted to get to know me."
It clicked, "You like flying."
Frankie nodded, "Yeah, it's one of my favorite things to do."
Bianca laughed lightly in relief. It felt good inside. It really did. In her own way, Frankie had reached out. She made the next step. "I don't really like flying. I only did it first year when we had to for class."
"You're missing out." Frankie gradually walked up to her. "Flying is one of the best things in the whole world."
Bianca watched her with a tiny grin, "Some of us are different."
Frankie ducked her head at that. "Yeah, I guess."
"Frankie,"
"I want to show you something." Frankie tilted her head toward one of the display cases. She motioned for Bianca to step up to it. Bianca did as told, and Frankie slid up beside her, pointing at one of the cups, "That's the first Quidditch Cup we won."
Bianca peered at the cup, trying to not let Frankie's close proximity affect her. The tiny bumps that formed across her arms indicated she failed. Concentrating on the cup's large golden exterior that glimmered in the light, she could clearly read the name of the house and the players on it.
"We've won every year I've been seeker." Frankie spoke lowly. "I'm going to win it next year as captain. I'll be the first muggle-born Slytherin captain in history." Her eyes shimmered, "I've been working toward it since I joined the team."
Bianca listened silently. After a moment, she looked over at her and whispered, "Thank you."
"For what?"
Bianca leaned into her, "I like learning about you." This was important to Frankie, she could tell already.
"I hear it's not the only thing you like." Frankie teased.
Bianca turned to the side to fully face the blonde. "Frankie, I like you and I like learning about you." She stretched out a hand and fixed the crooked knot of the sliver and green tie, "You know what I want." Her hand flattened over the knot, "I don't know what you want."
Frankie's head dropped. Bianca felt a pang of doubt go through her. Was Frankie going to tell her to leave her alone? That it was a mistake?
Her doubts vanished as Frankie lifted her head. In one smooth motion, Frankie pushed up on her toes and tenderly pressed her lips against Bianca's. It lasted a second and was over before Bianca could kiss her back, but the brunette's lips tingled at the contact.
"I'm not afraid…of Novak or his dumb friends." Frankie whispered, fingers absently crinkling in Bianca's robes. "They won't do anything to me. They can't."
"What are you afraid of?" the pad of her thumb rubbed gently against Frankie's chest.
"I'm not afraid." Frankie ground out. "Just…think about it."
"I have."
"Have you? Really?"
Bianca stared at her. She hadn't thought about anything else. "Yes."
Frankie exhaled, "Bianca, you're in Gryffindor."
"Who cares?" she was really sick of this.
"Everyone does. Do you think your friends would accept you liking a Slytherin? Or any other Gryffindor?"
No, they wouldn't.
"And…I'm going to make captain next year." Her voice dropped, "I can't have anything get in the way of that."
It was obvious what was being hinted at, "I'd get in the way." She felt a twinge of pain in her chest.
Frankie shrugged, "The Slytherin captain with a Gryffindor?" The muggle-born Slytherin?
"What are you saying?" Please don't say this is it.
"All we've done is kiss a couple of times. The first time we were drunk. We've never done anything together except ride the train our first year."
She did not like where this was heading, "We both feel something."
"Which is why we keep it secret."
Bianca whipped her head up at that. "Secret?"
"We get to know each other. If it doesn't work, no one has to know."
"You want to keep this a secret." Bianca gestured between their bodies.
"I want to get to know you too without the hassle of…other people."
Bianca didn't like lying or keeping secrets, especially from her friends. She wasn't particularly good at it. However, looking at Frankie, she couldn't say no to the possibility of spending more time with her, "Why do you want to risk it? Why should I?"
"You know why." her cheeks colored slightly.
"Maybe, maybe not." Bianca needed to hear it.
Frankie gently placed her hand on top of Bianca's, "I…like you too. I want to see you."
Bianca felt a burst of happiness explode inside, but it was quickly tempered as she processed what was being said. Frankie wanted to spend time with her, just like she did, but she wanted to keep it a secret. If she really thought about it, Frankie was right. Neither of their friends would understand let alone support any form of a relationship. But, lying? She didn't want to hide. What happened if they became more?
As if sensing her thoughts and wanting to derail them, Frankie squeezed her hand, "Are you going to tell me something about yourself or not? This whole getting to know each other thing goes both ways, right?"
Bianca looked into her hazel eyes and forgot about her worries and questions. She was alone with the girl she liked. The girl who just admitted to liking her back. She tugged on the tie and gave a cheeky grin, "I'm in Gryffindor, what more do you need to know?"
"Everything."