A/N: This is the Chudley Cannons Captain checking in for Season 10 Round 10 of the QLFC.

CAPTAIN: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe - Write about a character facing temptation.

Word count (before A/N): 1,442 words

TW: bathroom humor, character ignoring real digestive issues

Inspiration pulled from Sara Bareilles' Gravity.

Special thanks to Hannah and Soph for beta-ing.

Something always brings me back to you

It never takes too long

Rose Weasley prided herself on her ability to say no to things that could cause her undue pain and suffering.

She said no to boys who wanted to date her because of who her parents were.

She said no to underage drinking because getting caught just wouldn't look good when it came time for Quidditch scout recruitment.

She said no to Al when he wanted to steal their grandfather's magicked Ford Anglia—the second one he'd ever owned—because she'd heard what happened to the first one, and she was not about to live in infamy inside her own family.

Yes, Rose Weasley was extremely proud of her ability to say no. To keep boundaries. To avoid heartache and misfortune.

Except…

Except once a year. On her brother's birthday.

That always proved the hardest day to say no, because, well, for as much as Rose Weasley was good at avoiding things that were bad for her, she also had this little habit of never saying no to chocolate, despite the fact that it did bring her undue pain and suffering.

Her love affair with chocolate began early in life—how couldn't it? Her dad's sweet tooth ruled the household when Mum was away, and Grandmum Weasley had to be the best baker known to all of wizardom. Or so it seemed.

Rose would eat chocolate like she breathed air. Mounds of chocolate frogs dipped in chocolate sauce. Chocolate ice cream topped with fudgy gooeyness—the gooier the better. Chocolate chip cookies with chocolate sprinkles.

If it had chocolate in the name, it was in Rose's mouth before anyone could stop her.

The problem was, just as soon as her love affair began, an even more sordid affair was brewing—inside her stomach, that is, where all that chocolate swashed around like a lead weight, giving Rose the most horrendous stomach aches of her life.

Yes, Rose loved chocolate. But she was allergic to it in all forms.

Rose counted her blessings; chocolate didn't make her break out in a rash or restrict her airways; no, it just extended her time in the loo and, when she overdid it, gave her stomach ulcers.

One would think that level of pain would stop Rose from making the mistake of eating chocolate again, but…

It wasn't her fault. Chocolate was too damn good.

That's why her mum banned all chocolate from their household years ago. Rose may have had copious amounts of control when it came to key decision making, yet, no matter what, she still ate chocolate when given the chance. Banning it was a blessing.

Until, of course, Hugo's birthday.

Because chocolate was banned, Hugo would request a chocolate cake once a year, on his birthday, with the caveat that Rose would get her own non-chocolate cake to celebrate. Hugo thought it a fair compromise, but Rose hated it. She felt like she was being punished.

However, she was sixteen now. Old enough to work on her self-control. Old enough to understand that stomach ulcers were no joke, even with proper potions. So, instead of fearing the triple-layered Black Forest cake with added chocolate-dipped cherries and complementary chocolate ganache glaze in the kitchen, she decided to embrace it, wearing her pride on her sleeves.

I thought that I was strong

But you touch me for a little while

And all my fragile strength is gone

She stared at the cake like it was the Mona Lisa. A masterpiece beyond compare, for sure. Grandmum outdid herself with this one, taking a traditional Black Forest cake and turning it into something only the gods could bestow upon Hugo's party goers.

At least, that's what Rose thought.

The ooey-gooey chocolate sponge was visible beneath a thin layer of chocolate buttercream. Grandmum had gone with the "naked cake" look to really show off the even layers of chocolate and cream—which, by the looks of it, was a chocolate mousse instead of the traditional vanilla whipped cream. Rose could smell the drunken cherry juice hidden inside, those tasty fruits coated in a mix of sugar and brandy, thick pieces of red skin peeking through the sponges themselves.

The ganache glaze on top shone under the flittering sunlight coming through the kitchen window, giving it a healthy sheen and reminding Rose of the depths of the Great Lake glowing under moonlight. Swirls of buttercream topped the three layers of cake like a crown of deliciousness, each holding a chocolate-dipped cherry in its fluffy peaks as promised.

To the side sat a singular round cake—carrot by the look of it—topped with a simple layer of cream cheese frosting. No decorations. No fuss.

No thanks, Rose thought.

How was this okay? Hugo's cake had to be the finest thing she'd ever seen, worthy of display in the finest patisserie in Paris, and Rose couldn't have a single bite?

Her stomach growled in protest.

"Wait," she gripped the counter in front of her, "no. No, you can't have that. You'll burn from tongue to tailbone for a month."

And though she knew that to be true, Rose's admonishments landed on deaf ears. She'd gotten too close to the cake. The smell entered her nose, tickling her tongue as it alighted something in her.

Hugo should've asked for a Death by Chocolate cake, because Rose was a goner. She should have never walked into the kitchen in the first place. Any semblance of strength she thought she'd have was gone.

All it took was one look.

I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity

But you're on to me and all over me

"And what did we learn this time?" her mum scolded from outside the bathroom.

"Grandmum is a cake—urgh—legend!"

"Rose!"

"Well—ugghhh—she is!" Rose held her stomach, another wave of pain hitting her. It had started with a tiny taste, just a little scoop of chocolate mousse from the back of the cake. Rose hadn't done something so childish in years, but all semblance of decorum had left her the moment the idea formed in her head.

She'd let the chocolatey goodness hit her tongue, and then…

Well, it almost felt like she'd blacked out. She hadn't had any chocolate for nearly three years. And as soon as she had a taste of that cake, her sensibility turned off, and her inner chocolate demon awoke.

And boy was it taking her down in a blaze of glory.

Somehow, she'd managed to cut herself a large piece from the bottom layer without toppling the whole cake over. She'd gobbled it down as if it were her last meal, pausing only once to stare forlornly at the sad piece of carrot cake still set to the side.

Clarity had only mounted for a moment before she'd tucked in again on the chocolate cake, her veins ignited by how good it felt to be reunited with her truest of loves.

"Ughhhh."

And yet, why did love have to hurt like this?

"Serves you right!" she heard Hugo chime in from outside the bathroom door. Her mum hushed him, but he kept on. "Once a year, Rose! All I ask is once a year. And you ate my cake before I got to taste it!"

"I regret—ugh—nothing!" That was a blatant lie. She could feel the once-decadent chocolate leaving her body in a stream of fiery magma. She regretted it quite a lot. "Maybe ask for—urgh—vanilla next year."

"Vanilla's boring, don't'cha think?" That was her dad now. Were they all listening to her bathroom troubles? She wasn't sure if her face heated from the strain of the chocolate on her system or the embarrassment she'd surely die from after this.

As her dad and Hugo bickered about the least boring cake flavors, Rose's mum tried to sympathize. "Would you like me to run a bath in my tub? It's bigger than the one in there. I can even add bubbles."

Another wave hit Rose. As good as that bath sounded, she doubted she'd be out of the bathroom anytime soon, the consequences of her actions mounting with every passing moment. Across the room, she caught sight of her own reflection, red faced and grimacing.

Somehow, she grimaced harder.

That's when she spotted it, a lingering drop of chocolate ganache caught in the corner of her lips.

Chocolate ganache. So rich and creamy, like biting into a chocolate dream wrapped in a chocolate bow, all just for her.

"Sure, Mum. Run that bath," she finally said.

Rose licked that last bit of chocolate from her lips. She could always magic the bath warm again when she was ready.