Thanks Guest and .Serpent for your reviews, much appreciated!
Okay, so you guys can obviously now tell that the rating has gone up. Things get heavy in this chapter, and I've never quite written a scene like this before so constructive criticism would be MUCH appreciated. If this chapter sucks badly enough that you guys prefer that I switch back to a lower rating, then definitely let me know.
The week after the Quidditch match was depressing, to say in the least. Angelina was forced to admit defeat at the hands of Umbridge, and accept the fact that her two beaters and star seeker were banned. For life. Alicia watched sadly as her best friend paced the common room for seven straight days in her spare moments, contemplating on what to do to make up for her team's losses. Alicia did not envy Angelina then. It was obvious that they would have to do something, but holding tryouts now were out of the question; midterms were up, and after that would come the crush of pre-holiday homework to prep them for the next term. Tryouts would be virtually impossible until December at least, after the Ravenclaw-Slytherin match if they were lucky. If not, they would have to hold out until January.
Alicia shivered as she quickly, discreetly made her way out of the Room of Requirements after D.A. practice. She'd been shocked the first time Harry had given them instructions to the D.A. room a month earlier, for she recognized it as having been the same corridor with the little dwarf-sized door that led to the tiny, dank passageway to the Slytherin dungeons. She hadn't told Cassius about the room for obvious reasons, and she felt smug knowing the truth about the room, especially considering how curious he'd been regarding it.
For a second, she panicked, and she wondered if maybe he had figured out the nature of the room. Cassius was, regrettably, one of the most intelligent people she'd come across at Hogwarts, and she imagined that if he truly put his mind to it, he could easily discover what the secret to the room was. She debated whether or not to bring the subject up with Harry, but decided against it. That conversation could only lead to another, and she shuddered at the thought of having to explain to the younger boy the nature of her relationship with Cassius Warrington.
Or lack thereof. Because there was nothing between them. He was nothing to her, dammit, nothing!
They only spoke in cold tones now, just like they used to when they were but classmates who barely acknowledged the other's existence. Only, now she was more aware of his presence than ever. It startled her to realize that she would be graduating this year, that she'd gone six entire years without once speaking more than five words at a time to the only boy in Hogwarts who'd had his tongue down her throat.
She heard footsteps behind her and froze, but relaxed when she saw that it was only Katie. For precaution's sake, they left the Room one by one, because a crush of twenty-five students appearing out of nowhere would not only be suspicious, but possibly downright dangerous, especially with Umbridge now fully on the prowl.
"How'd you catch up to me so fast?"
"You always take the same corridor," Katie replied, shrugging.
"Where's Angelina?"
"With the twins, I imagine."
The girls snickered. It was an on-going joke that Angelina couldn't tell the difference between her two former beaters, and that she was entertaining a relationship with both of them.
"What do you suppose they get up to?" Katie asked, only half-jokingly.
Alicia made a face.
"That is something I don't want to think about."
Katie gave her a sly look.
"Well what about you?"
"What about me?"
Katie looked at her with a funny expression, then giggled.
"I've seen you with Carson," she said between fits of laughter, "And don't think I haven't noticed that you keep disappearing randomly."
"Katie," said Alicia seriously, "I already told you, there is nothing going on between me and Carson. I told you, the only reason he's even escorting me to the ball is because his girlfriend isn't coming out this year!"
Katie looked around to see if there was anybody in the corridor, and laughed conspiratorially.
"That's not what I heard."
"Oh spit it out already," Alicia muttered irritably.
"Temper, temper!" Katie teased.
"Katie! Now!"
"Well, well, somebody's been hanging out a little too much with a certain Warrington, I see. You know, Alicia, it's much easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar -
"Katie!" Alicia exclaimed indignantly, feeling slightly rattled by how close to the truth Katie had come.
"Alright, alright, I'm only teasing. But you'll never guess what I heard. I was in the library the other day trying to grab a book, when I overheard Carson and Davies talking with whatshisname, the other one -
"Peter."
"Right, anyway, apparently Carson's broken it off with his girlfriend, and Davies said, 'is it because of Spinnet?' and -
"What!"
"Wait for it! And he says, Carson I mean, he says 'no'. Then he says, 'sort of', and then he says yes, because apparently you're loads more fun than his girlfriend ever was, and that you're kind of scary sometimes, which he really likes -
"Scary? What the hell does that mean, I'm scary?" Alicia half-shrieked.
"Well, I imagine it means you're like a bloody banshee, doesn't it?"
Alicia and Katie whipped around. It was Bletchley and Higgs. Alicia glared hatefully at the two boys.
"Go back to your broom closet," she said scornfully, smirking at Higgs, whose reputation had suffered somewhat following his replacement by Malfoy on the Quidditch team. She mouthed the word bender, and smiled cruelly when the two boys went for their wands.
Katie and Alicia were quicker. Within a split second, Bletchley was drowning in his own eyebrows, whilst Higgs rolled around in agony, hands over his ears.
"What did you to him?" Alicia asked as they quickly ran away from the scene of the crime.
"Bell Toll jinx," Katie replied.
"Nice. His ears'll be ringing for days, the bloody prick."
"Beautiful handiwork with the eyebrows, I must say, revenge is always a dish best served cold."
At breakfast the next morning, Alicia spent her time carefully watching the Ravenclaw table, while Katie giggled quite indiscreetly by her side.
By the end of breakfast, Alicia came to the conclusion that Carson Bishop did indeed have some sort of interest in her that was perhaps not quite as platonic as she'd originally believed. They'd met each other's gaze several times over the course of the meal, and Alicia realized after the third time that Carson spent as much time trying to watch her as she did him. Only, she imagined that their purposes were slightly different.
After breakfast, her suspicions were confirmed.
"Alicia! Hey, can I get a word with you?"
Alicia turned around, and Katie and Angelina laughed silently by her side. She felt her insides melt as Katie dragged Angelina away, silently whispering what she'd told Alicia the night before. Alicia smiled brightly, though her heart sunk as she guessed what he wanted to speak to her about. Carson blushed as they watched Katie and Angelina disappear down the corridor, leaving them alone, except for a crush of first year Hufflepuffs who were bragging about their Skiving Snackbox results.
"Er, why don't we sit down?" He gestured at one of the stone benches under an alcove with a stained glass window that looked out onto the grounds. Alicia sat down hesitantly.
"So, what's up?" she asked casually, examining Carson attentively. He fidgeted slightly, and Alicia almost felt embarrassed for him.
He wasn't a bad looking boy - in fact, he was quite... cute... He was blonde with a friendly face and a wide smile, not too tall and not too short... Just right. Just the sort of boy she might have gone for if -
If what?
A certain dark-haired, tight-lipped boy's face loomed in her mind, and she sucked in a breath.
As if on cue, low whistles penetrated the air above the babble of first years, and Alicia fought to keep her composure. She ignored the catcalls coming from the upper year Slytherin boys, and focused her attention back to Carson, who looked more miserable than ever.
"Sorry, Carson, I didn't catch a word you said -
"D'you wanna go to Hogsmeade with me?" he said in a rush.
Alicia stared at him with mock surprise.
"But don't you have a girlfriend?"
His face flushed, and Alicia felt her nails digging into her palms as Montague loudly sneered, "She's a lesbian, Bishop, although I could understand, what with you being a closet fairy and all, you might mistake her for your type."
Carson flushed, but continued to speak. "Yes! I mean, no. I did. I, er, well, we broke up... distance and all... and, er - I mean, you don't have to go -
"Stick to the drama queens, Bishop, they suit you better," said Pucey.
"Ignore them," Alicia muttered through clenched teeth. She glanced back at the Slytherins, who were posted up against the opposite wall, leering at the two of them as though they were watching an amusing soap. Cassius stared back at her, surprisingly not cold and expressionless for once. He was laughing. He was actually laughing at her.
Alicia glared back at him defiantly before turning back to Carson, who looked at her with a hopeful expression. His pale complexion was still pink from embarrassment, but he gazed at her with such earnestness that she couldn't help herself.
"Yeah, alright," she said, the words slipping out of her mouth before she could do anything about it. Carson's face broke out into a grin, and Alicia smiled weakly at him. She nearly died when he suddenly leaned forward and pecked her on the lips, regardless of the howling Slytherins who were now dropping comments like particularly lewd, scathing game show hosts.
"Oh, and do you want to still meet up tomorrow?"
She stared blankly back at him. Tomorrow? What the hell was going on - oh. Shit. Tomorrow. Dancing. How could she have forgotten? They'd arranged it a couple weeks ago after checking their schedules. She groaned inwardly.
"Er, yeah, that'd be great," she said, trying to reign in her panic. "I gotta go, you know, lots to do -
They stood up at the same time, still ignoring the Slytherins, and glanced awkwardly at each other.
"Go on, show her your a man, Bishop, a first year can snog better than that pathetic display - can't you, little mate?"
Alicia shot Higgs a dirty look, then glared violently at the first year Slytherin, a snot-nosed brat who actually looked like a minuscule Cassius, who was being egged on by his friends. The first year smirked at her and glanced at her appraisingly.
"Come by our common room sometime and I'll show you what it's like to have a proper snog," said the boy, grinning at his friends, "No charge, even if you are a Gryffindor... just because I like your legs."
"You cheeky little shit!" Alicia and Carson exclaimed simultaneously. The first years took off with a sprint, as the Slytherins practically fell to the floor laughing, including Cassius, who looked at her with a mocking glint in his eyes. Alicia gave him a cool smile, then turned back to Carson, who looked humiliated and displeased. She grabbed him by the head and pulled his face down to meet hers. The Slytherins ooohed as they kissed, and Alicia silently ignored the voice in her head that warned her she was playing a cruel game. She broke off the kiss and gave Carson a smooth smile. He wasn't a bad kisser - he was quite good in fact, not too shovey with his tongue, not a biter, and certainly not a slobberer. But still. It wasn't like kissing -
She dropped that thought faster than a hot potato.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she said to Carson before quickly, coolly, strolling down the corridor.
She could feel Cassius' hateful glare burning into her back as the other Slytherins let out catcalls.
"What the hell is this?" Angelina shrieked the second Alicia stepped into the Gryffindor common room.
Alicia looked at her, startled.
"What the hell is what?"
"Carson! It's all over the school, you practically shagged him in the corridors in front of the Slytherins?!"
"Is that a question or a statement?"
"Alicia!"
Alicia rolled her eyes and plopped down into a seat next to Katie by the fire.
"Rather amazing how fast news travels around here," she commented, as she curled herself up underneath her robes.
"That's not the point - is it true?"
"Well who told you?"
"Some first years who heard it from some first year Hufflepuffs."
Alicia scoffed.
"Well, if you had any common sense, you would know that I would never shag a bloke in a corridor full of Slytherins."
Katie grabbed Alicia's arm excitedly.
"But you did snog him, then?"
Alicia smirked, though she didn't feel good about it. She had snogged him, and the churning feeling in her stomach told her she hadn't done it for the right reasons. She pictured Cassius' face in her mind, and she could almost imagine the stormy anger that would have clouded his eyes. Then, she thought about poor Carson and his kind, bright eyes and his genuine smile, and it made her feel rotten inside. Like a Slytherin. Maybe Katie had been onto something the other night... too much of Warrington indeed.
Angelina and Katie were throwing out questions at a mile a minute. What had it been like? Why had she done it? Were they going out now? How long had they been seeing each other? That was why she kept disappearing, wasn't it? What happened to her no shitting where you eat policy?
Alicia almost laughed out lout at the last question. She'd chucked that rule out the window practically the first day she arrived back at school.
God, how had three months gone by? She was starting to think ominously these days, her mind periodically reminding her that this was her last this and her last that.
Well. Today was a first. She imagined that it was out by now that Alicia was not in fact a lesbian, but most likely the slag that the first rumour had pegged her to be, back in what was it now? Last year? Fifth year?
Time was melting together. She couldn't remember half her days at school, and yet, as she thought about it, she'd spent more years of her life that she could actually remember within the walls of Hogwarts than she ever did with her parents. She had more memories of sneaking around, of playing Quidditch, of potions messes, than she did of her childhood running around in the streets with her friends, of sitting on the counter behind the bar while her father poured out pints and liquor. It was more that Hogwarts was her home than the other way around.
But Merlin, how she use one of her father's special hot chocolates ("don't tell your mother!") right about now.
She groaned at the thought of having to meet Carson tomorrow afternoon under the current circumstances. At the rate things were going, she imagined they'd be doing more than dancing tomorrow.
Shit. And then there was Cassius. She was supposed to meet him tomorrow too. Their project was coming to an end. The final written copies would be due by in two weeks, and then the last three classes would be dedicated to oral presentations.
Bloody oral presentations... what were they, twelve? But the professors had insisted - pronunciations were just as important to runes as they were to any modern day spells, and Babbling would be picking words out of the texts at random to test their pronunciations at the end of each presentation. Binns wanted to see how much historical garbage they could regurgitate, and Vector wanted a demonstration of the arithmancy in front of the class so that they could critique the profiles and their application as a group.
In sum, it was all utter rubbish.
Alicia awoke the next morning feeling bright and refreshed from her first full night's sleep since, well, in weeks. That is, until she remembered with a horrified start what her day entailed. Hogsmeade wasn't for another three weeks, which meant three awkward weeks until the Big Day, and then there were two more weeks until she would be granted some reprieve - her mind came to a halt.
Yule.
The word rang through her head like a death sentence, and she shuddered at the thought.
Yule.
It was the damned ball's fault. She never would have gotten as close to Carson as she had if it weren't for the damned debutante ball.
The worst part was, he was nice - really nice, and Alicia genuinely liked him. As a friend.
Kissing him had been a bad idea.
Again, further proof that it had been her golden rule had kept her safe from these sort of dilemmas until now.
It was Cassius' fault too, she thought angrily. And that snot-nosed little first year version of him, too. Alicia buried herself under her covers. She was not ready to start the day.
Unfortunately, Angelina was in the opposite mood, and she hummed impatiently as she tried to rouse Alicia from bed.
"C'mon, Alicia, don't you want to go to breakfast?" she whined. "I'm bloody starving, and it's Sunday, you know what that means."
Sundays. Alicia's mouth watered, her own body betraying her. Sundays meant Belgian waffles, and crepes, and chocolate sauce, chocolate milk, chocolate pudding, strawberries and cream -
"Alicia!"
"Just go without me!"
Angelina wrenched open her bed hangings and glared down at her.
"Up, up, up! And anyway, don't you want to hang out with your new boyfriend? I imagine he'll want you at his table today, make it official and all." She wrinkled her nose. "Though what you'll have to talk about with a bunch of Ravenclaws beats me."
Alicia groaned and buried herself further into her bed. Angelina tore her covers away, leaving Alicia to shiver in horror.
"You bitch!"
Angelina tutted.
"Language, Spinnet, I might have to deduct points!"
"I'm in your bloody house, dammit!"
Angelina laughed and ducked as Alicia chucked a pillow at her.
Cassius took a particularly large, vicious bite of an apple in order to force himself to keep his mouth occupied, lest he lunge across the table and take Bishop's throat in his hands. He glared angrily at the happy couple practically sitting across from him. It hadn't been bad enough that Spinnet had nearly jumped down Bishop's throat the day before just to spite him (and it was just to spite him, dammit!), but now she was sitting with the prat and the rest of his wet chums at the Ravenclaw table, which was, as luck would have it, adjacent to the Slytherins' table.
Judging by the looks Bishop threw him every now and then, Cassius had the feeling that it wasn't without reason that the couple were seated directly within his line of sight. He took another bite out of his apple, nearly ripping out the core.
Montague eyed him strangely, and Cassius ignored the stare, though he took care to be a little more discreet in his loathing. He was slipping, becoming more and more like a Gryffindor (under Alicia's influence, no doubt), his emotions acting before reason. Still, he couldn't help but mutter in disgust when Bishop pressed a kiss to Alicia's temple, smiling like a fool. He looked like an imbecile in his first relationship.
Cassius, who had never been in a relationship, imagined that he would have behaved with a little more dignity, decorum. It made him nauseous to watch Bishop smear a dollop of cream on Spinnet's face when she wasn't looking, busy talking to some girl sitting next to her. When she turned around to face Bishop, she caught Cassius' scathing glance, and quickly turned her gaze to Bishop.
"Fucking tosser."
"What?"
Shit.
"Nothing," he said, glancing haphazardly at Montague, "Just thinking out loud."
"Right..."
You're losing it mate, couldn't come up with anything better than that? You're getting soft.
Cassius gritted his teeth and resolved himself to continue working on his meal. Chew, chew, chew.
He left abruptly, once he finished the last of his sausages.
Still, it was like Bishop was running some sort of piss-Cassius-off-marathon against him. Alicia too, for that matter. In fact, the world hated him.
The prefects had gone round, beginning their decorating campaign for Christmas cheer during the day (despite the fact that the holidays were a bloody month away!), and the upper year students, fourth and up, found themselves trapped under socially destructive bunches of mistletoe in strategic areas such as the main corridor outside of the Great Hall, or right outside the potions lab. Cassius was making his way out of the Hall after dinner when he passed no less than three couples trapped under the mistletoe, which wouldn't luck have it, magically moved to different locations after releasing a trapped couple so that one could not map out a route to avoid punishment. Granger's handiwork, no doubt. Clever bitch.
The first couple was standing right outside the Great Hall, a Hufflepuff fourth year and a particularly uncomfortable looking Theodore Nott. The girl was about as red as a glass of wine, and Cassius watched in amusement as the couple tried desperately to move their feet, but found themselves anchored in place.
"Nott," said Cassius with a smirk.
Nott grimaced, the solitary boy rendered further embarrassed by his newfound audience.
"Just to let you know, I left a bit early. I suspect everyone else will be leaving in about, oh, say, a minute or two. If I were you, I'd get the job done."
The girl blushed even more and Cassius winked at her, just to see her squirm. He laughed and went on his way.
The second couple was located in the same alcove where the scene between Bishop and Alicia had taken place the day before. Some prefect had a funny sense of humour.
Cassius had trouble telling where one person began and the other ended, because the girl was sitting across the boy's lap, her legs dangling off one of his thighs, arms wrapped around his neck. Judging by the boy's moving feet, Cassius had no doubt that they were no longer frozen in place. He made a sound of disgust that fell on deaf ears.
By now, other students had burst out of the Great Hall, and Cassius could hear the oohing and the laughter, the catcalls, and the curses that echoed down the corridor whenever students found themselves stuck in a precarious position. Cassius chuckled to himself, staring at the ceiling as he walked in order to avoid entrapment himself.
Alicia had said she would meet him in the music room as usual, half an hour after dinner, although that had been arranged after Ancient Studies, and prior to yesterday's scene. Cassius wondered if he ought to bother even showing up - Bishop had stuck to Alicia like glue, if their lunch and dinner interactions were a clue - but he decided as he walked that even if she failed to show up, he could at least fiddle around on the piano for a bit.
As luck would have it, he did run into Alicia and Bishop, and they were standing in front of the music room under a bunch of mistletoe, which Bishop pointed out with all the subtlety of a twelve year old girl. Cassius snorted, and the couple turned to look at him. Bishop scowled, but Cassius crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
"Go on, get it done," he said icily, "I have work to do."
Alicia had the decency to blush, but Cassius stared past her and glared at Bishop, who was returning the death stare.
Alicia quickly pecked the imbecile on the lips, and stepped away from him, opening the door to the music room behind her as she gave Bishop a weak smile. Cassius glanced up. The mistletoe had vanished, on its hunt for its next victims.
"I'll see you later, yeah?"
"Alright," he said unhappily, still glaring at Cassius, who shoved past him. "And if this prick gives you any trouble -
"You can leave now Bishop, this isn't the sappy wet romance novel that I'm sure you think it is," he sneered, "Don't worry, I wouldn't touch your precious cargo with a ten foot pole."
He slammed the door to the music room in Bishop's face, smiling coldly at him through the window. He pulled down the shade.
Alicia eyed Cassius with a wary expression.
"Let's just get this done," she said, sounding resigned.
"Why, so you can get back to snogging Bishop? He must not be doing a very good job -
"Cassius, you prick, you're the one who just said you wouldn't touch me with a ten foot pole!"
He stared at her angrily, eyes narrowed.
"Back to Cassius, are we, Alicia?" he sneered.
He hadn't said her name out loud in weeks. It felt foreign on his lips, saying it with the animosity he usually reserved for Spinnet.
"Fuck you," she said in a clipped voice.
"How is Bishop, anyway? Did you jump on his cock as fast as you jumped down his throat?"
She slapped him, and Cassius let her. He stared at her coldly, willing himself not to react as hot angry tears rose to her eyes. She blinked them back, much to her credit, and to his relief. He leaned against the door, arms crossed, barring her exit as she tried to shove past him.
"What, you're going to lock me in here?" she said, laughing hysterically. "Get out of my way, Warrington, we're through."
"There is no we," he said, "So I can't quite say I understand what you're trying to imply."
She laughed again, stepping back to stare up at him.
"Keep telling yourself that," she said, suddenly calm. "Is that why you're so worked up about Carson?" She laughed again when he gritted his teeth at the sound of Bishop's name. "Because as far as I'm aware, I'm free to snog him all I want. Or what was it again? Oh, right. Jump on his cock. Well, I imagine I'm free to do that all I want, too."
Cassius gave her a cruel smile.
"Yes, well, you do seem so eager to be around him all the time. Amazing, it's only been what, a day? You two must be starving for affection... on one hand, you've got a fairy in denial, just desperate for somebody blind enough to not notice the fact, on the other, a frigid bitch -
This time, Cassius snatched her by the wrist before she could lay another smack on his still-smarting cheek. When she reached up to punch him with the other, he grabbed that arm too. With frightening ease, he flipped her against the wall and pinned her arms over head as she struggled to get free.
"Let go of me!"
"No, not if you're going to smack me around like some silly muggle."
"Fuck you."
Cassius stared down at her with a frosty smirk, and she glared up at him defiantly, but he could see the weariness in her eyes. It made him feel a twinge of shame, but he brushed it aside.
"When he snogs you, I bet you think about me," he said suddenly, catching the dilation of her pupils and quickening of he breath as he bore down on her. With her arms raised against the wall, her chest strained against her shirt with every breath. Cassius licked his lips. Dry. As usual. She bit her own lips, plump, red and moist, and Cassius felt anger stir in his veins as he thought about Bishop's teeth grazing her skin.
Cassius kissed her, and she didn't stop him. When he trusted her enough not to rip out his eyes, he let her arms drop to her side, and he deepened the kiss as her hands came to rest on him, one in his hair, the other around his face.
It was a savage kiss, and Cassius groaned as she gently tugged on his hair. He ran his hands down her body, dragging her robes off as he brought his lips to her jaw, then to her neck, breathing deeply right at the crook of skin where she smelled sweetest. She let out a soft hiss when his tongue darted out, gently kissing her along the collarbone before returning to her lips with brutal lust.
She was panting, which was how he wanted her. He wanted to hear her say his name, properly, wanted to hear her admit that he was the only one that made her come so undone. He nipped harshly at her skin as he thought about Bishop's unworthy hands skimming her perfect torso, his lips running over her skin as he was doing now.
"Did he make love to you, Alicia?" he sneered mockingly.
"Screw you," she hissed, but was horrified to find herself letting out an involuntary moan when one of his hands came to rest on her breast, under her bra.
How had he gotten there? Alicia couldn't help herself, didn't care really, and she writhed in pleasure as Cassius flicked his callused fingers over her, giving her grim looks of satisfaction whenever she cried out.
"I'm going to fuck you," he said gently, and the words were vulgar, so vulgar and full of promise, but the way he said it made it sound like something else, something neither of them dared to acknowledge. Alicia didn't reply, as he unbuttoned her blouse with one expert hand, while the other made its way up under skirt.
"I know he didn't touch you like this," Cassius half snarled, as Alicia's shirt came undone. He glanced down at her chest. Her bra was some sort of satiny material, the colour of deep wine. He noticed with some amusement that her lingerie always looked expensive... certainly in better condition than most of her other belongings.
He would buy her the world.
He stifled that thought and unclasped her bra. She shivered as the cool air of the music room caressed her skin, and Cassius swallowed, suddenly aware of the enormity of what was happening now. They'd never gotten this far, and it was almost embarrassing for him. He couldn't remember ever having taken this long to get a girl to give it up, couldn't remember ever having put in so much effort to look at a pair of average sized tits. Uncertainty roared out of nowhere. She looked at him, trembling from the cold, her big almond shaped eyes dark with lust. She looked like she'd come back from a holiday in the sun, the way her skin, just a shade darker than his own, was flushed. He admired the way her chest rose and fell with every breath.
"I thought you were going to fuck me," she said in a husky voice, taking him by surprise, and Cassius was undone.
Alicia was aware that she was a bad, bad girl. She was taking advantage of Carson's trust, but the little voice in her head told her that they weren't going out anyway. They'd only snogged, after all. Right? Right?
But here she was, standing topless in front of Cassius Warrington, and when he didn't reply, she crossed her arms over her chest in embarrassment, suddenly quite aware of how awful a person she was, and exactly what she was doing and with whom she was doing it with.
"No," he said hoarsely, and Alicia looked at him, startled. "I want to see," he grunted, pushing her arms down to her sides. Alicia felt her face flame. She'd never been inspected so closely in her entire life. She hazily recalled her drunken summer hookups with some level of shame. She moved to cover herself again, but Cassius threw her an agitated look.
"Put your arms up," he said in a low voice. Alicia blinked at him. "Like before. Like when I held them up."
Alicia swallowed.
"What?" she managed to choke out.
"Do it."
Cassius watched her now, looking amused. She was struggling with herself, he could see it, and never had he been so aroused. There was no coyness with her, no fake shyness, no games. She was genuinely conflicted, and it was damned sexy to watch. When she finally gave in to his command and hesitantly raised her arms above her head, leaning against the wall, Cassius felt a rush of satisfaction and lust. He examined her from head to toe, and she was the picture of a naughty schoolgirl, a virginal sacrifice. She was naked waist up except for the hideous Gryffindor tie that rested between her breasts, and clothed in nothing else but the bloody grey school skirt that he'd come to associate her with, and little brown leather ankle boots. Her long, thick dark hair was a mess. He let his shirt fall away, tugged his tie off, and watched in satisfaction as her eyes fell to his chest. He silently thanked Montague for his mad training schedule.
"My arms are getting tired," she said suddenly, so honestly, that Cassius burst out laughing. He couldn't picture any of the girls he'd ever been with admitting such a thing out loud.
He brushed his hands against her skin and undid her tie, that sorry reminder of who she was, then reached out to cup her breasts, admiring the contrast between her tawny skin and his paler hands. They just about filled his palms, perfect little mounds, and he smiled when she let out a groan and pushed herself towards him, arms still glued to the wall.
"You can put them down," he said, gently kissing her skin. He felt her arms drop to her sides, then tentatively reach out to touch him. He smiled into the curve of her neck as her fingers hesitantly explored him. He sucked in a breath when she gently, then with more pressure, ran her tips of her fingers down his abdomen, then over the zipper of his jeans.
Cassius put his hands under her ass and pulled her up against him, hoisting her up against the wall. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he felt the back of her heels bump against him. He buried his face into her chest with an exaggerated motion and blew a raspberry between her high, round breasts, and she let out a laugh. It was a beautiful sound. Unfortunately or fortunately for his ears, the rest of his body wanted to do a little more than make her giggle, and soon her laughs were soft moans yet again, punctuated by little yelps when he nipped at her, tugging with his teeth.
He dropped her to her feet then kissed his way down her soft, rounded stomach until he reached the waistband of her skirt. He felt her tense, and he looked up at her with a teasing grin. She looked worried, though, which he wasn't expecting, and he raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Her face flamed as he tugged down her skirt, leaving her in her little boots and a pair of satin knickers that matched her bra.
"Scared, Gryffindor?"
Alicia felt her face grow even hotter, if that was possible, as she stared down at the man who had sunk to his knees for her. Mouth dry, she swallowed anxiously, and let out a gasp when she felt one of his fingers run over her centre, stroking her over the damp fabric of her knickers.
"You're wet," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.
She let out another gasp when she felt him slowly drag the material down.
"Wait!"
Cassius looked up at her in disbelief. Merlin's balls, if she's having second thoughts now...
Alicia felt the peak of her embarrassment, staring down at Cassius, who looked up at her with a stormy expression on his face. She could feel her knickers hanging by her knees where he'd left them, and she waited desperately for him to stand, to move, to do something, but instead, he impatiently waited for her to explain herself.
If only he wasn't still on his knees, so casually face to face with her exposed skin -
"I - nobody's ever done that," she stammered, feeling her Gryffindor courage dissipate. Cassius' eyes darkened.
"What do you mean," he growled, coming to his feet.
Cassius could feel his blood threatening to boil over. Blue balls, he thought viciously. She was going to blue ball him, announce that she was a bloody virgin after everything -
"You were going to -
"Yes?"
She refused to meet his eye, so he tilted her chin up to look at him.
"I was going to?"
"You were going to kiss me there," she burst out in one quick sentence.
Cassius felt his shoulders sag in relief, and then a surge of hot excitement rush through him as he stared down into her eyes. He kissed her hard, then pulled back with a grin. There, she'd called it. She couldn't even say it. Pussy, he snickered silently. Circe, maybe she wasn't a virgin, but she certainly hadn't been around the block either... for some reason that pleased him, but he refused to analyze the issue further.
Then he frowned. "What do you mean no one's ever done that?" What kind of imbecile - Bishop's face loomed in his mind, and he scoffed in understanding. That kind of imbecile. "You're going to like this," he said, smirking at her.
"You're awfully sure of yourself," she replied, regaining some of her confidence. Cassius smiled as he kissed his way down her body once again. Her little gasps and moans weren't enough for him... he'd have her screaming his name yet.
When he finally pressed his mouth to her core, she was already wet and shaking, and her little gasps became soft yelps interjected with his name, and he smirked as she yanked on his hair almost painfully. She swore like the scummiest dragon trainer as he continued his teasing ministrations, his tongue flicking almost lazily against her clit, and when he suddenly pushed a finger into her tight centre, he felt her convulse around him as she cried, "Cassius!"
Alicia could smell herself on him when he rose to his feet to look at her, a smug smile tugging at his glistening lips.
"Well look at you," he drawled, "And we haven't even gotten started yet."
He swiped his glistening fingers across her lips, and she drew them into her mouth almost without thinking, looking up at him as she sucked. He pulled them out with a little pop, eyes dark with some sort of hidden intent, and she watched nervously as he quickly undressed himself. This was always the most awkward part by her books... When his jeans dropped to the floor, taking his underwear with them, Alicia might have laughed at the sight of a naked Cassius Warrington standing in nothing but a pair of socks and black trainers, if it weren't for his rather obvious erection that somewhat frightened her. She suddenly wished for the safety of darkness, the drunkenness, the familiar haziness of her past sexual encounters. This was too... real. She no longer felt brazen, she felt like a... like a virgin. Even her first time had been a less nerve-wracking experience.
He watched her expressions change as he kicked off his shoes and socks, and wondered what she was thinking. A part of him was screaming for her to change her mind, to yell at him for accosting her - anything, anything normal of the Gryffindor chaser he knew from the pitch - but instead, she stepped out of her boots and socks, then hesitantly, moved towards him like a frightened ewe. Fuck.
He held his breath when she reached out to touch him, her fingers barely ghosting over his skin as though she were afraid to hurt him. When she sunk to her knees, back arched and bottom up, he nearly came right then, and it jarred him. She looked up at him shyly through her lashes.
Before he could blink, he felt her tongue dart out and lick the tip of his cock.
He groaned, and reached down to pull her away, to tell her this was wrong, that she didn't have to do this - anything, anything really to bring back his sanity, but then she suddenly took him into her mouth, one torturous inch at a time, testing her boundaries before she began to pick up on a rhythm.
His hands found their way into her hair by their own accord, and when he couldn't take it anymore, he pulled her away and looked down at her, panting harshly.
"Was that okay?"
God, that question just about killed him. He felt an unfamiliar surge of guilt, but he swallowed it, and gave her a feral smile.
"Excellent," he said, which strangely, wasn't a lie. Her obvious lack of experience, she made up with an enthusiasm that he hoped would transfer to other domains.
He reached for his wand and quickly transfigured the pile of clothes into a crude mattress, his mind too clouded with tension to work on finesse. He kissed her, then dragged her onto the mattress. It made an embarrassing squeak, but he couldn't be bothered to deal with it.
Alicia found herself laying on her back, hair sprawled out around her, with Cassius staring down at her, his face an unreadable mask.
"Promise you'll be gentle," she found herself saying in a disembodied voice, and she watched as though from afar as he gave her a curt nod.
Pressure, he thought viciously.
Gentle. He wasn't sure if he knew the meaning of the word. He was big and hard where she was small and soft. His very physical nature probably prevented him from being gentle in anyway whatsoever. His demeanour certainly wasn't... Cassius liked to do things rough, and he liked to do things well. Thorough. That was the kind of man he was. Alicia's usual vivacious wildness was gone, and he didn't recognize the girl before him.
But then he remembered the enthusiasm with which she'd gone down on him, and the breathy moans and the filthy curses he'd coaxed out of her earlier, and he felt himself relax.
He could do this. She didn't want gentle. She wanted patience. Cassius was a patient man. He'd work her slowly, but he'd work her hard. He gave her a sly grin.
Alicia moaned as he entered her, slowly, filling her to the point of satisfaction and beyond. She found herself suddenly recollecting past hookups, and was almost ashamed. They were nothing like this. Maybe it was the sobriety. Maybe it was him.
She banked on the sobriety. She couldn't afford for it to be otherwise.
"Fuck," he hissed, interrupting her thoughts, "You're so goddamn tight... when's the last time you had a shag?"
"Four months," she said throatily.
Merlin's balls, four months?! Not Bishop then, that stupid twat.
"We'll have to rectify that," he said with a grin. "You doing alright?" She nodded, and bucked her hips up as a sign of encouragement, causing him to swear once more.
He starting moving slowly, shallow movements at first so that she could adjust herself to his invasion, and she smiled gratefully at him. Soon, after a couple of false (and painful starts), she began to move her hips on her own, and he let out another curse, this time in relief. He smiled when he quickly realized that Alicia Spinnet was a screamer. Really, though, he wasn't all that surprised.
Getting tired of the same motions, he flipped himself onto his back, and dragged her over with him without leaving the warmth of her body as she squealed in surprise.
"What, you never been for a ride either?" he asked cheekily.
She flushed in embarrassment.
"Not really something I want to talk about right now," she said awkwardly, looking down at him, hands planted on his chest. She yelped when his hands suddenly slapped down on her ass, causing her to buck forward in surprise. He let out a groan of pleasure, then winked at her.
"Well, that's how you do it."
"Cassius!"
He slapped her again and bumped his hips up, smirking as she shut her eyes in pleasure and began to shift her hips, grinding herself down on him.
"That's it," he said encouragingly. "Bend your back a bit - ah, shit, like that. Fuck, yeah, that's it - "
Alicia drowned him out as she felt a wave of pleasure sweep over her, and she vaguely heard herself gasping his name in time with their movements.
He squeezed greedily at her breasts as she rode him, then ran his hands back down to her hips. Suddenly, she slipped off of him and crawled onto all fours, back arched like when she'd been going down on him. She looked down at him through her lashes, then muttered, "I sort of really like it from behind."
"You dirty girl," he growled after a split second of getting over his shock. He sat up and scrambled over to take her from behind, running his hand down her curves as he teased her while she writhed against him.
"Cassius! Wrong hole!" she gasped with a mixture of shock, pleasure and embarrassment as she felt him slide himself between her cheeks.
"What makes you say that?" he said hoarsely. "You seem to like it... and you did say you like it from behind."
She immediately stopped grinding against him, and he chuckled in amusement. She turned her head to look back at him, face aflame.
"Relax. That's for another day," he said with a sly grin, entertained by the look on her face.
"That's not what I meant -
He cut her off with a kiss, then pulled away, laughing.
"I know." He paused, then looked at her darkly. "But one day. You'll like it, I promise."
Her eyes grew wide, but her breathing had stilted just a touch, her pupils dilated by the prospect of it, and he gave her a predatory look, grinding himself against her one more time.
He slid himself south by a couple of inches, then slowly filled her to the hilt. She shrieked his name out as she came, catching him by surprise with the suddenness and the intensity of it.
Oh fuck.
A surge of sudden panic nearly drowned out his pleasure.
But she was bucking against him, calling his name, demanding it harder, more, faster, Cassius, CASSIUS, CASSIUS! and he found himself pounding into her with a frightening desperation, unable to stop. He fisted a hand into her hair, pulling her head up sharply so that he could kiss her along the neck. He slid his hand down to her hip, then gripping her tightly, he gave a last furious thrust as she clenched deliciously around him, crying out in pleasure as he came.
Fuck.
He'd just shagged Alicia Spinnet.
Fuck.
They hadn't used protection.
Fuck.
He had to get her a potion. Fast.
"Fuck." It was Alicia who'd spoken, face still flushed, eyes glossed over from pleasure, but her voice hoarse and full of horror.
"Get dressed," Cassius growled abruptly, pulling her up with him as he stood onto his feet. They stepped off the mattress and with the flick of his wand, the mattress became once again a pile of clothes. He grimaced. Wet, white streaks polluted the pitch black of one of their robes. "Scourgify."
He could feel her panicking as they quickly threw on their clothes. She tied her hair into a messy bun, and cast a glamour charm to hide the red streaks left on her perfect, sweaty face by his day-old stubble.
"What do I do?" she suddenly gasped, and he hated the look fear in her eyes.
Alicia had never shagged a wizard before, and she realized with a rather large degree of shock how ignorant she was of magical sexual protection. Back in the muggle world, there were condoms, and birth control pills, and pills to take after, just in case. The words like mother, like daughter rang in her ears, and she fought to keep her composure. Where was all that Witch Weekly knowledge now?
Potions. They were the only thing. Potions, sold in apothecaries... she was in a castle in the middle of nowhere.
Hogsmeade weekend wasn't for another three weeks. She could not go to Madame Pomfrey with this. Or, merlin forbid, Snape. But in three weeks it would be too late... three weeks would mean a trip to St. Mungo's if she found herself knocked up. Cassius hadn't said a word, but now she found him staring at her, looking just as aghast, far from his usual stony state. She gnawed on her lips, unsure of what to say. The words we're screwed came to mind.
"You're not on any birth control potions are you?" he finally asked for good measure, though judging by her pallid complexion, he already had his answer. He nodded curtly. "Thought not."
"What the fuck am I going to do?"
"You'll have to get a stopper."
"A what?"
"A stopper," he repeated. God, hadn't her mother taught her anything? He scoffed. Probably not, the woman had been knocked up by a muggle after all. "A stopper. You know. Pregnancy stopper. Just in case."
The word pregnancy nearly made him puke. She nodded. Right, Witch Weekly had listed a comparison of birth control potions and of stoppers a couple editions back, but the article hadn't had anything to do with her at the time. But again, it was all of no use... not without an apothecary handy, anyway, and if she went to Pomfrey, she'd have to wait for a letter of permission from her parents before anything... Even if she was theoretically of age, as a student, she was still under her parents' jurisdiction while at Hogwarts.
"Where the hell am I going to get one?" she said anxiously.
Cassius smiled grimly. He knew where to get one, alright. It was a matter of... diplomacy. The girls who slept around usually kept an impressive arsenal of potions and whatnot, but how to convince one of them to discreetly give him one? And they were bloody costly to boot...
"I'll deal with it," he said gruffly.
"What do you mean you'll deal with it!" Alicia exclaimed, her pitch rising, voice bordering on hysteria.
"I said I'll deal with it," he repeated.
"Where the hell are you going to find a stopper? God, what if somebody finds out -
Cassius gritted his teeth and glared at her.
"Worried about your precious boyfriend?" he sneered angrily.
Alicia looked at him, stunned.
"What boyfriend -
She paused. Fuck. Carson. She'd forgotten all about him. Cassius let out a derogatory laugh, while pretending to himself that he wasn't silently gloating. He cursed, suddenly finding himself unable to move.
"Oh for merlin's sake," he cursed. Alicia groaned as she found herself rooted to her spot as well. She found that she couldn't move forward or backward, but she could turn in place.
"Turn around," she said to Cassius, whose back was to her.
"I can't move -
"Yes, you can. You can turn. Hurry up before somebody comes and sees."
Cassius turned and glowered at her.
Merlin, why did it have to get awkward now?
She looked up at him forlornly, then he reluctantly bent down and gave her a kiss. He felt a sudden rush of blood as he caught the smell of sex on her, their taste on her mouth. Fuck.
Alicia let out a quiet moan as the kiss deepened, and she felt a familiar tingle of pleasure humming in her veins. It wasn't until they heard a door swing open that he hastily pulled away from her, and they both whipped their heads back to see who it was.
Four second years popped out of one of the music rooms one at a time, each carrying an assortment of string instruments. Their chattering fell silent as they caught sight of the dishevelled seventh years before them. Cassius shot them icy glares, and they quickly, quietly scampered out of the corridor in the opposite direction.
When they were out of earshot, Alicia giggled - couldn't help herself, really.
"What?" he said, looking at her, irritated.
"Nothing," she said, still laughing slightly. He glanced at her, looking slightly miffed, causing her to laugh even more. It was a pleasant sound, one Cassius rarely got to hear, and it grated on his nerves that he liked it so much.
"What?" he insisted. "What's so funny about this bloody situation?"
"Nothing! It's not funny at all. I still don't know what you mean by you're going to deal with it, but you better... I was only laughing because you scared the shit out of those second years."
"And why is that funny?"
Alicia groaned.
"Well it's not. I mean it was, but not now - oh, just forget it. Killjoy."
Cassius couldn't understand how she could be laughing at all at a time like this. He was trying not to panic, he really was - it just wasn't in his nature - but he'd never screwed up to this magnitude before either. Logically, he knew that the chances of her being pregnant were slim, but there was still that chance, and that was a chance that he was not willing to bet his life on. Not now anyway.
What do you mean not now? Not ever, you mean. Not you again. Fuck off! This is what happens when you don't listen.
Cassius took a deep breath.
"I need a fag," he muttered. "Listen, just don't... don't panic, okay? I'm going to sort this out. And no, I wont go to Pomfrey, I'm not an idiot. I'll see you tomorrow in Runes - oh for circe's sake."
"What?"
"The damned progress report."
Shit. The progress report. The reason why they were supposed to meet up in the first place. And Runes was first thing in the morning. Alicia let out a groan, and berated herself.
"Ok, here's what we're going to do. You do the report. I'm going to find you a stopper. I promise I'll have it for you by tomorrow."
He rummaged through his book bag and handed her his project folder as well as a little cloth bag that contained his shrunken books.
"Just do whatever you can, I dunno, maybe start the phonological transcriptions or something. I don't really care, we've done pretty well so far, we can afford to screw up once."
"Okay, yeah, sounds good. Okay. Just - just... god, just make sure nobody finds out."
The curfew bell rang, stopping Cassius from responding.
"Damn," they swore simultaneously.
They walked quickly towards the main corridor, and silently melted away into the larger crowd of students making their way to their respective common rooms. Neither of them slept a wink that night.
Thoughts?
Constructive criticism would be much appreciated, especially since I'm sort of new to this whole M thing...