Author's Note: The second part of this chapter is NSFW.

~EA

Brief Bliss

The next two weeks passed by in a blur. Adrian couldn't remember a time when he'd felt lighter or happier. He absolutely lived for the moments hespent at Johnson's flat, fooling around with Alicia. During the day, while she was at the Healer Institute and St. Mungo's forsummer classes, and Johnson was in Wales, Adrian returned to Pucey Villa to help his father in the in the late afternoon, he would Apparate back to Tansley Alley and spend his evenings and nights with Alicia.

That first Monday morning after the wedding, when he Apparated back to his parents' estate, it was to find his mother waiting patiently in the entry hall, leaning against the staircase in high-waisted trousers, a blouse, and heels, with her arms crossed and a wicked look on her face.

He gave her a placid smile in return as he closed the door behind him.

She drawled, "You ducked out of the reception very early, Adrian. And you didn't tell anyone where you were going. Not even your maman."

He couldn't help smiling a bit more. "I did leave a bit early. Forgive me?"

She burst into laughter. "I shouldn't!"

"I spoke to Bess and Conall before I left."

She walked up to him and cupped his face. Adrian flushed, but his mother ignored that. Instead, she said sincerely, "You look happier, mon fils."

He grinned sheepishly. "I suppose I am."

"She's a beautiful, kind, brilliant young woman." Despite that, his mother's face fell slightly, her hands dropped to his shoulders, and she murmured, "But. She is a half-blood. Your father is right… helping Albus is worse than dating a half-blood at this particular moment, but it is still dangerous for you both right now. Much as I liked her, I need you to be careful, Adrian."

He nodded. "I'll be careful. And I'll protect her too, if I can."

His mother gave him what seemed to be a sad smile. "I know you will."

"Then you approve?" he asked tentatively.

"I liked her very much. Although, I admit, talking to her at the wedding didn't give me a good idea of what she's really like. She was being very polite because she was terrified of saying the wrong thing to me. I'd like to see her real personality one day." At that, his mother laughed. "And you weren't helping, Adrian! Sitting beside me like you wanted to drop through the ground, not saying a word! Both of you were so nervous!"

Adrian's flush deepened and he pulled away from her. "Well, yes! The girl I fancied showed up when I wasn't expecting her, she looked absolutely amazing, I hadn't really seen her in a year, and she sat right in front of me and my entire family! Atticus was about to drive me crazy, smirking like he was, and you kept asking her questions about everything! What did you expect me to do?"

She grinned. "Oh, mon chéri, it was so entertaining for your maman. I can't remember the last time I was so diverted! And then, after dinner, I kept wondering when you were going to finally get up and go cut in on Gilbert! You took long enough!"

Adrian swore under his breath. "You know, I used to think Royle was a decentbloke, but…"

Alania laughed again. "But now, you rather hate him? Adrian! She chose you, not Gilbert!"

"I know that!" he blustered. "But still!"

"Where does she live?"

"106B Tansley Alley, with her best friend, Angelina. Johnson is a reserve Chaser for the Harpies."

His mother's face clouded. "Diagon and the surrounding area is rather dangerous these days."

"Alicia has plenty of wards and protective charms over the flat. But I'll be careful. I'm glad she and I are finally together now." His brow furrowed. "I don't like the idea of her being alone there while Johnson is training or has a game. I plan to spend nights there."

"You're very protective. You get that from me, I'm afraid," his mother said thoughtfully. He couldn't read the expression in her eyes; it was knowing, and he wasn't sure what it meant. She added, "Well. Go put your things away and go find your father. I think he's in the stillroom. He'll want to see you, too."

Adrian nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Thirty minutes later, after a shower and a change of clothes, he found his father in his main stillroom, working on a batch of Wound-Cleaning Potion.

"Ah, Adrian," he said, as Adrian stepped inside and walked up to the work table. "Back home?"

"For a bit. Wound-Cleaning?" Adrian asked, glancing at the old Potions book.

"Yes, I thought it would be useful at some point in the future." His father was stirring the cauldron counter-clockwise, adding a slight twist on each third turn.

"The book doesn't say to do that," Adrian noted, his brow furrowing. "That little twist you keep doing."

"It does not." His father glanced at him,his eyes a bit mischievous. "But there's an intuition to Potions, something you must feel, rather than just following the instructions. A good potioneer understands that."

Adrian wasn't sure if he had the intuition his father spoke of for Potions. He'd honestly never thought about it before. He knew he had it for Defense; he had created more than a few variations of several hexes and curses, but he had never tried to be intuitive about Potions, despite being exceptionally good at Potions. Hell, he had an Outstanding Potions N.E.W.T., so perhaps he should give it a try one day — when it wasn't imperative that he didn't mess up his brews for the war effort.

"So…" His father said. "Did you have a good weekend?"

Adrian felt warmth creep up his neck. "I did, yes."

"I'm glad. I can tell you're happier."

"Mum said the same thing."

"I'm sure she's already warned you to be very careful."

"She did."

"Then I won't tell you again. Hand me the crushed coneflower petals, would you?"

Adrian carefully picked up a piece of parchment near the cauldron, upon which the crushed petals were neatly piled, and handed it to his father. Alexander slowly sprinkled them into the potion, which began to turn its characteristic purple hue, then began to stir again. As Adrian watched him twist theglass stirrer on eachthird rotation, a memory of brewing this particular potion in his sixth-year surfaced in his mind. Alicia had done it perfectly and earned full marks, much to Snape's displeasure, and Adrian had found that extremely satisfying at the time. Of course, Alicia's brews were almost always perfect, regardless of what they had been set.

"What?" his father asked, glancing at him.

Adrian smiled softly. "During my sixth-year, Snape required us to make this potion. Alicia received full marks for hers."

"Did she?" His father looked quite interested at that. "A Gryffindor earning full marks from Snape? I must admit, I'm quite impressed. I assumed she had a N.E.W.T. in Potions since she's in the Healer program, but I never thought she could best Snape. Now I can't wait to meet her myself. Your mother dominated the conversation on Saturday evening before the wedding, and it's just easier to let her have her way in those instances. But I thought Alicia seemed quite intelligent during their chat, even though I didn't speak to her directly."

"She took ten N.E.W.T.'s, like I did. We were the only two in our year who did. She and I were tied for first place overall. I was slightly better at Defense, and she was slightly better at Charms… I was slightly better at Arithmancy and she was slightly better at Ancient Runes. I sat right beside her in Ancient Runes, and I couldn't concentrate on translations half the time because I was always stealing glances at her from the corner of my eyes."

His father smiled. "Well. You still earned ten N.E.W.T.'s, so I can't fault you for watching the girl you fancied during class. Merlin knows I stared at your mother enough, the first time I saw her in Monte Carlo."

"Why wereyou in Monte Carlo back then?" Adrian asked.

"My father had asked me to finalize an investment transaction, and the investor wanted to meet in Monte Carlo. He enjoyed gambling. I did not. I intended to meet with him, finish the investment, and return to England." Alexander completed stirring the Potion and put the glass stick in a nearby beaker of alcohol to sanitize it. Wound-Cleaning had to simmer for at least twenty-four hours before the final steps.

He then turned to face Adrian and went on, "Your mother was meeting a fashion designer at the same hotel and casino, and it just happened that I saw her walk in the room. Our eyes met, and I knew at that very moment that she was the woman with whom I would spend the rest of my life."

Adrian flushed and crumpled the parchment that had held the crushed coneflower. "How did you know that?"

His father said thoughtfully, "It felt as though a shiver went all the way down my spine. Even my fingerstingled." He let out an amused breath. "It sounds a bit silly, but it's true. Your mother said she felt the same way. It wasn't until I spoke to her that I realized she had been a second-year when I was a seventh-year, and that we had been in the same house. I didn't remember her from Hogwarts because of our age differences." He looked at Adrian curiously. "And how do you feel when you look at Alicia?"

At that, Adrian's blush deepened. "Well, we were in the same year, and we shared two classes until third-year, at which point we had four classes together through fifth-year, and then during sixth and seventh-years, we had eight classes together. But… it wasn't until fifth-year that I really noticed her. It was on September 1st, on the platform. It was like I'd never really seen her before that moment. I remember thinking how pretty she was as she got on the train. I guess she'd always been pretty, but that was the moment I saw her. Merlin, I could hardly breathe. And we were both named prefects that year. I can't even remember what the Head Boy and Girl said in the prefects' carriage that day, about our duties. I was just staring at Alicia, gob-smacked."

"And when you're with her now? When you're making love with her?"

Adrian was pretty damned sure he turned a deep shade of magenta. "Dad!"

"Answer my question." His father leveled him with a sharp gaze. "I don't want details, of course — but you can answer it without giving those. If it makes you feel better, I asked Atticus the same thing about Bridget and he was just as embarrassed as you."

Adrian absolutely could not meet his father's eyes. He thought for a moment. Finally, he said, "I'd had sex before Alicia. But… I can't explain it. It wasn't the same. It's completely different with her."

Alexander nodded. "I know what you mean."

"I feel like I'm too young to be in love, but…" Adrian sighed. "I can't imagine not being with her, either."

"Then it sounds like she's very likely the rightwoman for you, regardless of how young you are. Some people know when they're young, after all. Just remember, we're in the middle of a war on blood purity. Be careful, Adrian."

Adrian nodded. "I know."

"I'm glad you're happier." His father gave him a small smile before he turned and left the stillroom, leaving Adrian alone with his thoughts.

Did he love Alicia?

Well, if he couldn't imagine life without her… maybe he didlove her.

Adrian swallowed hard as he thought about it.

Damn, he wasin love with Alicia! When had that happened? He supposed it had been gradual, something that had been happening for several years now. He had been denying it because of his age, but maybe his father and Bess had a point. Maybe age didn't matter.

Merlin. He was in love with Alicia…!

Angelina had a series of scrimmage games in Ireland on Monday, June the 30th that would last well into the evening, so Adrian arrived at Tansley Alley at 5:00 to spend the night with Alicia.

After his revelation in his father's stillroom, hehad resolved not to tell her that he loved her just yet — he wasn't sure how she would take it, and he wanted the time to be right. Besides, that particular evening wasn't one for romantic overtures, anyways. After exchanging security questions, Alicia opened the door, let him in, and asked him to replace the wards and charms. Once he did that and turned around to face her, he realized she had taken her baggy flannel shirt off and was only wearing a pair of jeans and a hot red, satiny bra.

Which was how he found himself sitting with her on the sofa, shirtless but still wearing his jeans, Alicia straddling his lap and still wearing herjeans. But her bra had been lost somewhere between the doorway to the sitting room and the sofa, along with his shirt. Which meant they were both topless. And quite frankly, it was one of the sexiest things he could imagine, both of them topless while wearing jeans and snogging. It would digress into shagging soon enough, but for the moment, it was indecentlyfantastic just as it was. He was groping both of her breasts, running his thumbs over her pert nipples while their tongues fought desperately and Alicia rubbed her center against him.

She pulled back after a few minutes and breathed, "Merlin, Adrian…" Her lips were plump and red and gorgeous.

His mouth immediately shifted to her throat. "You're so incredibly fit," he breathed against her skin, before finding a spot to suck gently.

She tilted her head and arched her back, which thrust her tits right into his hands even more. They were the perfect size, and he lovedthem.

Alicia whimpered, "Godric, you're good at that…!"

He chuckled against her throat. "Well, I have a very helpful incentive, Spinnet: getting into your knickers. Please tell me they match the bra."

"Mm. They do." She rose up to her knees then, cupped his face, leaned down, and began to snog him again.

With her on her knees, it put her tits right at face height for him. He put an arm under her arse to hold her in place, pulled her close, wrenched away from her mouth, dropped his head, and began sucking her right nipple, scraping his teeth over it. She gasped and her hands tightened in his hair.

"Adrian!" she moaned.

"If you're going to tease me about your knickers," hemumbled around her nipple, "I'm going to tease you until you're so wet you can't stand it."

"Do you have any idea how many of my knickers you'veruinedin just two weeks?" She dragged her fingers through his hair. "I've already had to buy a week's worth of new pairs because of you, you know!"

He grinned and switched to her left breast. "That sounds distinctly like a request for me to buy you several pairs of new knickers, since you're implying it's my fault the others were ruined." He swirled his tongue around her nipple.

"It is your fault, damn it," shekeened, dragging one hand down his shoulder to his chest and firmly pressing her thumb against his right nipple.

Adrian felt a jolt go between that point and his pelvis; his hips instinctively thrust up and he pulled her down against him unconsciously. Alicia gasped and rolled her hips right back into his, and he groaned and tried to refocus. The pressure of his jeans against his cock was driving him crazy, but so was Alicia half-naked on top of him. She sank against him, her damp breasts pressing into his chest. He loved how she was soft against his hardness, how he could feel her nipples against his muscles. He ran his hands up her back, his fingers tangling in her long hair as he kissed her again and held her tight against him.

Against her lips, he muttered, "Love, we need to get our jeans off."

"Mm. In a minute." She sucked his bottom lip between hers and licked it.

"Now," he growled, thrusting his hips against her.

She giggled and kissed him gently. "Do you know how much I love this? Being with you?"

He blushed; she had almostsaid she loved him. "Probably as much as I love being with you."

Alicia smiled and stood up, unbuttoned her jeans, and shimmied out of them, doing a slight strip tease for him. Her knickers werehot red, damn it. Hot red silk. Merlin's arse, she looked fit as fuck in red. He fumbled with his own jeans, not even moving off the couch, but rising up just enough to snatch them down to his knees and kick them free along with his black boxers.

She bit her lip and slowly slid her wet knickers off, while staring hungrily at him, before crawling back in his lap to kiss him again. His fingers dug into her hips as he slid his tongue along hers. His cock was trapped between them and Alicia quickly grasped him, pumping him in her hand a couple of times, before she rose up enough to take him between her legs.

Adrian groaned as she sank onto him, cream smearing down his length until she was completely seated on him. Salazar, she'd been so wet already… how was it she was always wet for him like that? Panting and thrusting up, he kissed her again and muttered, "Fuck me, love."

Alicia giggled again and rose slightly before dropping down again. "Want it hard tonight? If that's the case, I'm going to need you to help me a bit. I had a long day."

His hands were already spanning her hips and thighs. "I can absolutely help you," heagreed, thrusting up and pulling her down at the same time.

Her head tilted back. "Oh God, Adrian…!"

And suddenly they were moving together, gasping and groaning as Adrian's thrusts became harder and Alicia rolled her hips into his every time she came down on him. Her fingers were clutching the back of his neck so she could keep pushing herself down onto his throbbing cock, and her face was flushed the most beautiful shade of pink. Her lips were parted even as she tilted her head back and moaned at the feel of him.

He pressed one hand into the small of her back as he ground against her, which pushed them together in a different way. His hips rotated into hers at the same time and Alicia screamed softly when she met him on the next thrust, her clitoris grinding against his pubic bone. Several more times of that had her sobbing his name and driving herself on him even harder. He suddenly felt the way her body clenched around him, the way her center spasmed as she came for him. Her forehead dropped to his shoulder as she cried out again, his name broken into syllables and sweat dripping between her breasts as she rode out her orgasm.

Adrian came just after her, unable to hold off with her tightening around him like that and her nipples budding against his chest. Fuck, but he'd never dreamed anything could feel so good until two weeks ago. He held her hips tight against him as he thrust up hard and exploded, his mind wiping blank even as he jerked into her body a final time.

Afterwards, they sank against the sofa, panting for breath. Alicia was sprawled on top of him and he loved that, even if it was sticky and damp and overheated.

It was minutes before either of them spoke or moved. Alicia finally shifted just slightly; she took a deep breath from her belly and slid her face against his throat to press a languid kiss into his Adam's apple.

"Merlin, Adrian, you're bloody amazing."

He grinned like an idiot. "You are, too."

"I could fall asleep right here," she mumbled, nestling back against his chest.

"We need a shower, love, and then I'm putting you to bed."

"Putting me to bed? Not taking me to bed?" she teased softly.

"No, once is enough tonight. We both need the sleep. You said you had a long day, remember?"

Alicia sighed. "I did. The summer classes are definitely not easier than the fall and spring classes, that's for sure. Ecclestone doesn't tolerate mediocrity." She pushed off of his chest and struggled to her feet.

Adrian's eyes were instantly drawn to the junction of her legs, where all that cum was slipping down her inner thighs. He swallowed and told himself not to get hard again, damn it, because they needed the shower… but something about seeing Alicia with his cum and her slickness dripping down her legs and smeared all over her mons really turned him on. He averted his gaze and pushed off the sofa, grabbed his wand from the tea table, and performed a quick cleaning spell on the cushions so Johnson wouldn't lose her mind.

Alicia was already walking down the short corridor to the loo. After he levitated their clothing from the sitting room and flicked it into her bedroom with his wand, he joined her in the shower, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her shoulder affectionately.

"Alicia," he whispered, emotion getting the better of him for a split second.

"Hmm?" She splashed water against her face.

Adrian swallowed. He wanted to tell her he loved her, but it wasn't the right time. Not yet. He would know, but this wasn't it. He forced the emotion back into a box for the time being.

"Nothing, love. It's just… you're incredible, you know that? I don't know how I managed anything the past year without you."

She turned in his arms and kissed him gently. "I don't know how I did anything without you, either. How is Potions going with your father?"

He grabbed the soap from the little cubby in the wall and started lathering up. "Interesting. Easier than with Snape, I can tell you that."

"Well, anyone would be a better and easier teacher than Snape, but something tells me your father is probably a really good teacher."

Adrian smiled as he remembered the conversation he'd had with his father a couple of weeks earlier. "Actually, he was impressed you brewed Wound-Cleaning in our sixth-year so perfectly that Snape gave you full marks. He said he was glad to know you liked Potions. It gives him something in common with you."

Alicia gaped at him before taking the washcloth from him and running it over her own body. "You actually rememberedthat I got full marks for Wound-Cleaning?"

"Of course I remember. You got full marks for nearly all of your potions," Adrian responded, ducking around her to take the full spray of the shower head and wash the soap off. "I could hardly take my eyes off of you that year."

"You still can't," she teased, placing the washcloth back in the cubby and sliding under the spray with him.

He laughed. "It's very hard, yes. Especially now that I know what you look like naked." He ran his hands down her body, dragging through the soapy suds that were washing away.

Her blush went all the way down to her breasts. "Believe me, Pucey, I feel the same way about you. Come on though, let's hurry up and get to bed. I'm so knackered and it's cold in here if we aren't under the water. And do you know what the most annoying thing is? In the past two weeks, I've found it's a lot harder to fall asleep if you aren't beside me."

Adrian laughed. "Don't worry. I've realized the same thing."

Because I love you, he thought, but he kept that to himself, and instead grabbed a towel to dry them off as she turned the water off.

It wasn't the right time to tell her, yet.