Chapter 16

"Another shot fair maiden?" Mike asked as he hiccupped, he was rather attracted to the young Rose Weasley who he had been chatting up and getting drunk for the last hour and a half. It had taken her a while to relax but now she was into the swing of things she appeared to be coming on to him just as much. She would brush his arm when she spoke to him and laughed at everything he said, something which was actually a little annoying but she was certainly shaggable enough.

"Why not?" she chirped glancing over at her friends who were watching her through their own glassy eyes. Annemarie was slightly wary of the three men chatting to them and was a little worried about Rose in her vulnerable state but she appeared to be holding her own and finally smiling so she left her to it and continued talking to the two men trying to chat up Holly and Dominique.

"You are a very pretty Weasley," Mike flirted after downing another shot.

"Thank you," Rose replied fluttering her eyelashes and sliding her finger down Mike's arm again. At her touch he leaned in to kiss her and she allowed him to kissing him back vigorously for a moment until she pulled away.

"What's the problem?" he chuckled pouring them both another drink.

"Nothing I..." it had not been Salamander's kiss, that was the problem. It had not been his soft full lips pushing against hers but another man's, a man whose lips were thinner and a little harder and not filled with love. She looked at him curiously as he offered up the fresh shot of firewhiskey, her head was spinning now and she was feeling lost, she had suddenly remembered Salamander and all she had been through these last few months. However then she remembered that afternoon when she had seen him with Gloria, the girl who was trying to seduce him with skimpy clothing like she once had, like she used to before, before she knew love. But that love had gone and it wasn't coming back, Gloria was convinced the baby had been conceived before she had cheated on Salamander, the child would be his own and he would marry her despite not loving her so they could raise the child as a proper family, one she would never be part of again. She would never get to kiss Salamander's lips again so did it matter that these lips were different? All lips would be different from now on wouldn't they? They would never be his again.

"You look rather thoughtful," Mike chuckled looking at her through unfocused eyes, "am I a bad kisser?" he joked laughing as if it was completely unthinkable.

"No," she replied shaking her head, just different, but was different wrong? She remembered once more Annemarie telling her that Gloria tried to seduce Sal by dressing up and she remembered something else that she had at home, something which usually turned all men wild, well all men except the one she had wanted the most.

"Drink up," he chuckled offering her the shot he had poured and she took it, downed it in one and then thrust her lips at his and kissed him vigorously and passionately as they almost bit at each other in their haste. "Hmm, I think you could show me a good time!" he said pursing his lips when they broke apart and cocking one eyebrow at her.

"Come with me," she whispered seductively stroking his groin purposefully with her hand as she took his other in hers and yanked him to his feet.

"Don't wait up boys!" he threw over his shoulder as Rose dragged him towards the door of the pub they had almost decided to give a miss as they were passing through the village on their way to visit family.

They raced laughing and screeching down the high street of the village stopping in shop doorways for a steamy passionate kiss before continuing on their way. As they reached Rose's front door he grabbed her waist and pulled her into him jamming his lips against hers harshly and biting her bottom lip as he pulled away. She yelped softly but the twinkle in her eye showed that she didn't mind it and as she unlocked the door with her wand he slapped her bottom and made her shout as she bit her lip demurely. They fell along the hallway bouncing from wall to wall as they kissed with more vigour and began to tear at each others' clothes in haste, she dragged the t shirt over his head and unzipped his jeans hastily grabbing hold of his hard member through his shorts when he was stood in nothing else. Then pulling gently on it she guided him up the stairs and into her bedroom where she thrust him down on the bed, as she tried to walk away her grabbed her waist and dropped her onto his knee where he began to kiss and nibble her neck ferociously, this girl was hot and he knew she would show him a very good time. She tried to pull away again and after a moment he let her but slapped her bottom once more as she walked away and threw a delicious look over her shoulder.

In her bathroom she turned to a box which had been closed now for over four months and she hesitated, she had not put on any of this since she had surprised Sal and at the thought of him she stopped for a second and looked at herself in the mirror. This was not the girl she had become with him and for a moment she contemplated throwing the man out of her house and returning to her comfortable pyjamas and fluffy slippers, but then she remembered that would not bring him back and it would not get her laid either. Instead she shook her head and splashed some cold water on her face, what did it matter if she was miserable and alone, or miserable and having wild sex? She would still be miserable she thought. Knocking over the lid from the box she looked down upon its contents. Red she decided, like a Rose or...a scarlet woman.

"I thought you were –whoa!" Mike said when he saw he standing before him in the doorway to the bedroom, she was wearing red suspenders with black fishnet stockings attached to them, a red lace crotch less thong and a peephole matching bra which revealed her pert and erect nipples. She had her thigh high black patent boots zipped up to the top and was wearing a seductive smile as she walked towards him and pushed him back on the bed. Sitting astride him she lowered her body a little and he grabbed hold of her waist and then slid his hands up to the nipples sticking out of her bra. He touched them and listened to her groan then he began to tweak them, just a little at first and then harder until she began to groan and eventually cry out in pain, she didn't move herself away though but allowed him to do it as she thrust her head backwards. The physical pain was taking away her burden and she allowed him to search out the nipple with his lips so he could suck forcefully on them and start to bite them. "You're a naughty girl," he cackled dropping his head back to the bed and launching one hand roughly through the crotch less part of the thong, she gasped at his forcefulness as he grabbed hold of her and ran his fingers up and down her vigorously and laughed. "You naughty, naughty girl," he said to her again, "you're going to get what you deserve," he added quickly moving himself from beneath her. He jumped from the bed and she turned over and laid down, "Get back on your knees," he said as he dropped his boxer shorts to reveal his hard erect penis which was pointing up in the air.

She started to slowly turn her body back over onto her front and he grabbed hold of her by the waist pulling her back up onto her hands and knees, with no thought for her own pleasure or comfort he yanked the stringy thong to one side and rammed himself into her making her cry out loud. Once inside he stopped and slapped her bare buttock with his hand, "Hmm, I knew you'd show me a good time," he said as he pulled himself backwards and then quickly thrust himself against her again. With each slam she cried out in a mixture of pleasure and discomfort, she was desperate to lose her woefulness and desperation with another man and she didn't care how it happened. He kept slapping her bottom with each thrust and she revelled in the distraction from her turmoil as he pushed deeper and deeper into her. After a moment he leaned down to grab her breasts which he fondled roughly and used as a grip to pull her body against his. The lust filled man began to groan and moan louder and louder until with one last violent push he shouted out and released himself within her gripping her breasts and squeezing the nipples hard between his thumb and forefinger making Rose gasp. He pushed her away from him after a moment and collapsed on the bed running his fingers through his hair as Rose dropped onto her stomach and looked in the opposite direction from him suddenly feeling ashamed of herself and totally used by this random man she had picked up in a bar.

She felt dirty and used and wanted him to leave and he had obviously thought the same thing now that he had had what he wanted, "I'll show myself out shall I?" he said dragging his shorts back on and running his fingers through his hair.

"Hmm," she replied not even turning her body to see him go out of her room, she waited until she heard the door close before she moved and when she did the tears started to fall down her face unheeded in rivulets. She dropped her head into her hands and sobbed for an eternity feeling lost and confused, when Mike had finished with her she had sobered immediately and felt as if she had not touched a drop all night.

She sat and cried for almost an hour before hearing the door to the house open and a drunken Holly stumble in, walking to her door she closed it properly and then walked over to her bathroom where her eyes fell instantly upon the box she had taken her outfit from, the outfit which was one of four that she owned and was still wearing. Looking at herself in the mirror and seeing a completely different girl she hastily ripped off her bra, pants and suspenders tearing the stockings and then discarding the boots all on the bathroom floor. She jumped into the shower and tried to wash away everything, when she thought about Mike touching her it made her skin crawl and she rubbed it vigorously with soap and a sponge trying to erase all the feelings she had about him. She let the water fall onto her face hoping the pounding would push away the emotion she was feeling as she remembered the way Sal had made love to her, softly, gently, lovingly not in a harsh commanding way like Mike had done.

It was half an hour later when she finally turned off the shower feeling that she might finally have washed the man off her skin, looking in the mirror at the limp wet hair, plain face and soft skin of herself she started to see the Rose she had become, the real Rose, the one who had been in love. Sleeping with anyone and everyone would not erase her and she did not want to lose herself now, she wanted to stay as the Rose that Salamander desired. Even if she could not have him anymore he had changed her and even without him she was a new person and the only way to go on with her life was to be that girl. It was the one thing he had left with her when he had gone and she was grateful for it. Glancing down at the basket of provocative clothing she vowed never to be that girl again, she would burn them in the morning and never think about them again, acting that way would not take away her pain forever, it would only make her feel worse and she knew it.

She dragged a comb through her hair and walked into her room naked, the first thing she saw was Salamander's quidditch top and she walked straight over to pick it up, she pulled it over her head and held her body feeling a tiny part of him there with her. She was not ready to move on no matter what anyone said but she was ready to move forward and not stay cooped up in the house anymore and with a deep breath she dropped into the bed and stared out at the wall thinking about Salamander until she drifted into the first peaceful sleep she had had in a while.

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She woke the next morning feeling strangely refreshed and rose before Holly who appeared around midday clutching her head and groaning about the evils of alcohol. Rose was feeling fresh and had already been out in the garden burning the basket of clothing from her bathroom like she had promised herself the night before. "I am never drinking again," Holly groaned dropping into a chair beside her friend who was reading the Sunday edition of the Daily Prophet. "Good night?" she asked waggling her eyebrows at Rose, "he was pretty fit...er...Mike?"

"Enlightening!" she replied quite breezily.

"Enlightening?" Holly asked looking curiously at her room mate.

"Yes," she replied, "I've made some...decisions," she went on, "and I won't be repeating last night again."

"You won't?"

"No," she said firmly, "now I'm off to visit some family, I think it's about time I made a reappearance," she announced determining to stick to her new resolve and try to get over Salamander Longbottom.

"Oh...okay," Holly said in a bemused voice, "I suppose I ought to do the same really, need to visit Mum and get a new lecture on how to live alone! Think I'll leave it until this afternoon though," she groaned, "Mum and hangovers do not mix!"

"Well I'm off now," Rose chuckled knocking her friend's head on her way to the fireplace.

"You're evil!" she cried, "But it's good to have you back, you seem different this morning!"

"I feel different," she replied jumping into the fire, "and I hope it stays!"

"I'll be back late if I go to Mum's," Holly called as she threw the floo powder into the air and Rose nodded before she began to whirl through various fireplaces arriving moments later in her Mother and Father's home.

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Holly was still out when Rose returned from visiting almost every member of the family and was exhausted and ready to collapse in the arm chair. Everyone had made a fuss when she had turned up at their homes as they had barely heard from her in three months, everyone noticed that she looked brighter and no one had mentioned the break up with Salamander at all though she could see their pity for her in their faces. She felt better than she had since Sal had had to leave her and she was suddenly positive about the future even if it was to be without him, she would not be repeating the previous night but if a man showed any interest in her she would pursue it a little and see if it led anywhere well before inviting him back to her home.

She headed into the kitchen to make a cup of cocoa to curl up with while she read through a copy of Witch Weekly that her cousin Lily had given her before she left Grimmauld Place. It was Easter and everyone had been home from school for the holidays so she had seen a lot more of her family than she had originally intended to. While she was stirring the steaming brown liquid she heard the floo whirl and shouted, "You're early Holly, was your Mum that irritating?" Then grabbing the cup and the magazine which she had dropped on the side she walked into the living room half reading the headlines on the front page. How to make him yours in seven witchy steps, bums tums and magic potions, 'My Mum used a love potion on my girlfriend' were three of the titles she caught before she stopped stock still in her tracks and stared at the figure standing in front of the fire, "Sal," she whispered almost inaudibly.