At the Galbraith Wedding
Saturday — June 14, 1997
He was staring up at her just as Chrysanthe had said he would: like he'd never dreamed he would see her here today. Without warning, hisgaze dragged down her body and Alicia felt every single nerve ending she possessedtingle as heat burst between her legs.Oh, Godric…He was wearing a three-piece suit and his wavy, thick hair wasperfectly styledand he had thesexiestblush across his face, neck, and ears, even as he looked absolutely shocked that she wasright in front of him.
"Alicia, dear," Mrs. Hayden was saying, though her voice soundedso far away, "This is Alania Pucey— she's on the Board of Directors for St. Mungo's Hospital and the Healer Institute."
Wait… had she said…?
Alicia's eyes snapped back to the woman in slightpanic.
A truly devious smile was curving the lady's mouth. It reminded Alicia forcibly of Chrysanthe's expressions, actually.
Great Circe, that meant this woman was…!
"Ah!" the stunning woman breathed,"Soyouare Alicia! You're the young lady with the adorableocelot Patronus!"
Adrian tensed, and Alicia's eyes were drawn to a slightmovement on his other side. Her breath caught again. Theman sitting next to him had to be a relative, probably a brother. They favored too much, except that while Adrian was clean-shaven, his brother had a light layer of scruff across his jaw and chin, withgorgeous dark blue eyes, and his hair was a little longer than Adrian's, and swirled around the edges.Damn, buthe was beyond fit, too! What kind of genes did this familyhave?
"Ocelot Patronus?" the brother asked curiously, his eyes dancing with amusement as he grinned between Adrian and Alicia.
Adrian was completely frozen. And then Chrysanthe,damn her, slipped around Alicia with Danny.
"We'll sit on this side of you, 'Licia!" she said cheerfully, plopping down in front of Adrian's brother.
Which meant that Alicia was going to have to sit in front of theentire wedding. Chrysanthe was in her fucking element, damn it all.
Alania Pucey laughed brightly. "Chrysanthe, dear, Iknewyou were a kindred spirit themomentI saw you!"
Oh, even better. Adrian's mother and Chrysanthe were clearly the same type of personality!Godric help her…
Chrysanthe just grinned back at Mrs. Pucey.
Alicia could barely breathe as she slowly sat down, smoothing her short dress under her. The length had seemed perfectly fine when she bought it, but all of a sudden, the dress seemed veryshort. Why hadn't she bought a longer gown, like Chrysanthe and Karen?!
And as she settled into her seat, she realized something else.
She couldfeelhis eyes on her.
Oh, Merlin. She wouldn't be able to focus onanythingexcept the fact thatAdrian was right behind her,staring at her.It would be a wonder if she didn't hyperventilate before the whole evening was over!
Alicia had no idea how she made it through the next thirty minutes. She remembered how, months ago, when she and Gilbert had been seeing each other, he had mentioned Adrian's mother off-hand, and Alicia had been very curious as to what Adrian's parents were like. But nothing could have prepared her for this. Alania Pucey was a flawless beauty; it was evident that was where Adrian got his gorgeous looks. She was also incredibly intelligent and far too shrewd. She peppered Alicia with questions, so that Alicia had to stay twisted around in her seat to talk to the woman.
At least Dahlia Hayden was also turned in her seat to talk to Alania, too. Somehow, Alicia managed to keep smiling politely through the conversation,but she was insanelynervous. For crying out loud, she was talking to Adrian Pucey's mother!And he was sitting right there!He was watching her from the corner of his eyes, blushing bright pink, with his arms crossed over his was not how she planned for the evening to go. Merlin, this was sonot how she planned for the evening to go!
Mrs. Pucey wanted to congratulate her on her stellar grades, ask how she was enjoying the Healer program, ask what classes she had enjoyed most at Hogwarts, and if she had played Quidditch for Gryffindor ("Oh! So you two played Chaser against each other, then?" the woman had said, as she grinned deviously at Adrian, who actually sank an inch down in his seat and looked like he wanted to drop through the ground).
Throughout this conversation, Alicia was dimly aware that Adrian's brother was smirking at him a lot, too. Her eyes were also occasionally drawn to Adrian's father, who was sitting on Alania's other side, on the center aisle. He didn't look anything like Alicia expected. Mr. Pucey was tall, but broader and stockier than Adrian, and had a trim, dark beard and mustache. However, his expression was completely reserved and masked — she had no idea what he was thinking. It was clear that Adrian took after his mother in looks, but Alicia privately thought he must take after his father in the personality he presented to the world. She had seen Adrian's real personality when they were alone, and it was slightly more like his mother's outward personality, but the polite mask he wore before the world in general was clearly his father.
All the while, other guests were filing in and sitting down. Alicia vaguely noticed that Gilbert Royle and his family sat two rows behind the Puceys, and Kenneth and Karen joined them when they arrived. Kenneth was wearing dark red dress robes, which showed off the pale, shimmery flax of Karen's slinky, sexy slip dress perfectly. As they slid in next to Gilbert, Kenneth looked at Alicia strangely, his eyes flickering once to Adrian. Alicia flushed. She knew Kenneth suspected that she and Adrian fancied each other, and she could only imagine how this set-up looked to her fellow Gryffindor. It wasn't as if she plannedthis, damn it!
She recognizedBill Weasley as well; he arrived with the flawless Fleur Delacour on his very large MacMillan Clan was seated next to and behind the Puceys, because — according to Alania —Bridget MacMillan was engaged to Adrian's older brother, Atticus. Oliver was the only Wood who attended, as his two older brothers had been horrifically killed two months earlier in a battle between the Order of the Phoenix and Death Eaters in the hamlet of Little Helga, and his family was seriously struggling with the loss. Ollie hadn't wanted to attend the wedding, but he'd told Alicia and Angelina that he felt he needed to represent his family there. Alicia knew he would slip out as soon as he could. He nodded and raised a hand to her as he came in and sat with the Macmillan's, who were cousins to the Woods. Alicia forced a small smile and waved back.
Naturally, that didn't go unnoticed by Alania, who immediately asked who Oliver was,which meant Alicia had to explain that Ollie had been Keeper for Gryffindor and had brought her onto the Gryffindor team in herthird year. ("Oh, that was the year Adrian also started playing Chaser! Do you know, Atticus was a Keeper for Slytherin in his sixth and seventh-years. I always thought he should have gone professional. I was a Seeker myself. Alexander is the only one of us who didn't play the game.")
There were other Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors and Ravenclaws filing into the courtyard as well, many of them older students who had gone to school with Conall. But Alicia had to admit, she didn't see much green other than the Pucey family and Gilbert's father. Gemma Farley and Nigel Warwick, who had been Slytherin prefects during Alicia's fifth-year, arrived just before the ceremony started and sat in the back, and there were a couple of other random Slytherins scattered in the crowd, but it was very much as Courtney had suggested — mostly Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs.
As for the wedding itself, it was beautiful, but Alicia had known it would be. The Donelson family spared no expense. Just before Bess came down the aisle, rose petals magically appeared, drifting from above to carpet the center aisle in white and yellow. Conall couldn't stop grinning from where he stood at the front altar, and Bess was as beautiful as Alicia had ever seen her as she walked down the petal-filled aisle with her father, holding a bouquet of stunning white peonies.
But once Bess reached the front, Alicia couldn't focus at all. As everyone sat back down, all of the guests' eyes were on Bess and Conall… except for one person.
Alicia could feelhis intense gaze boring into the back of her head. She felt like she had butterflies in her stomach and she clenched her legs together. Merlin, how the heckwas it that just seeing him made her react like this?
But that was the trouble. When they crossed paths back in January, it had been dark. She had barely seen his face beneath his hood in the alley behind the twins' place, and they'd been wearing heavy winter clothing. Today was entirely different. She'd gotten a damn good look at him before she sat down. It had been an entire year since she had fully seen him, and he looked more mature. He was wearing an immaculate dark gray suit, a white dress shirt, and an emerald silk cravat that brought out the green in his eyes perfectly. His tailored, light-gray waistcoat had mother-of-pearl buttons that shimmered pale green in the glow of the bright baubles that were floating high above and the candelabras around the perimeter of the courtyard. Damn, just seeing him in a waistcoat had to be one of the sexiest things she could imagine! She spent most of the actual wedding wondering what he would look like without the suit jacket, just wearing trousers and that sexy waistcoat over the dress shirt, with the sleeves rolled up on his forearms. She also had the insane desire to run her hands over his jaw and into his hair and drag him down to kiss him. Somehow, in not seeing him for so long, she'd forgotten just howfit he was, and how much she liked him.
When Bess and Conall were finally married and kissed each other at the end of the ceremony, Alicia felt another flare of heat through her body. Bloody hell, she really wanted to snog Adrian.She bit her lip and forced herself to clap in celebration with everyone else. The little man officiating the wedding then asked the guests to please rise and step to the edges of the courtyard so theGalbraith family could reconfigure the space for dinner.
In the shuffle, Alicia managed to stay with Chrysanthe and Danny, but they were separated from Chrysanthe's parents when Mrs. Hayden moved to speak to Mrs. Royle, and most of Clan MacMillan separated Alicia and Chrysanthe from the Pucey family.
"You doing okay?" Chrysanthe whispered eagerly in her ear.
Alicia let out a breath and clenched Chrysanthe's hand. "Bloody hell, of course I'm not!" she hissed. "He's been staring at me the whole time! My nerves are shot, Chrysanthe!"
Her friend only laughed and teased softly, "I told you he wants you. I could feel him staring at you, too. I didn't realize his mother was on the St. Mungo's Board, though."
"Neither did I!" Alicia moaned. "Could she have asked me any more questions?"
"How does she know what your Patronus is?"
"It accidentally burst in on them one night. I thought he was alone. He told me then that she was really curious about me,but I had forgotten all about it. Merlin, I don't know if she likes me or not! What if she doesn't like me?"
"I think she does," Chrysanthe assured her. "If she didn't, she would have given you the cold shoulder."
"Yeah." Danny grinned. "If she hated you, she'd let you know, right? She'd tell you to stay the hell away from her son."
Alicia had no idea if that was the case or not. But what ifAlania Pucey didn't like her? That was a terrifying thought, almost as scary as having to talk to her for thirty minutes before the wedding. Which was stupid; it wasn't as if Alicia was going to marry Adrian! They were only nineteen! They weren't even dating!
Alicia quickly looked around to distract herself from those thoughts. Tables had been conjured, with white tablecloths and floral arrangements and candles, and the chairs had been rearranged around the tables, while a buffet of food had appeared on the far side of the courtyard. A wide space was left in the center front for dancing, and a jazz band was setting up at the very front of the courtyard where the altar had been.
"Are you going to dance with him?" Chrysanthe whispered in her ear.
Alicia tensed slightly at the thought.
Did she want to dance with Adrian?
Merlin, yes, she wanted to dance with Adrian. The Yule Ball burst into her mind — but the music this evening wouldn't be like that. Nor would it be really slow like the dance that they'd shared on Valentine's Day in the secret storage room near the kitchens during their seventh-year (although, really… had that been a dance, or had they just stood there and held each other close for fifteen minutes?)
The music this evening would be a bit more upbeat, and Alicia had never had dancing lessons. Adrian very likely knew how to dance to this sort of music… but would he even ask her to dance?Given how he had remained completely silent throughout her conversation with his mother, with his arms crossed over his chest and his face bright pink, he might not.
She bit her lip again. She hoped he wasn't upset with her. It wasn't as if she planned any of this.
Before she knew it, Chrysanthe and Danny were leading her to a table across the courtyard to join several friends, and when Alicia glanced behind her, she realized Adrian was sitting down at a table with his parents, brother, and future sister-in-law.
Well, that was unfortunate, but there was nothing she could do about it, she thought miserably. Maybe he wasmad at her. She wished he had joined her, Chrysanthe, Danny, Gilbert, Kenneth, Karen, and the others at their table, but she supposed he wouldn't have felt comfortable with them.
Dinner was delicious, as she expected it would be, but Alicia still couldn't focus. She could feel Adrian watching her from across the room, yet she knew she couldn't look around and meet his eyes without drawing attention to the both of them. Everyone at her table was laughing and joking and having a great time, but she felt as though she were merely going through motions blindly. She was hardly even aware of what she was doing.
When the dancing started, she watched distantly as Bess and Conall stood up from the head table and took to the floor; Bess's long train had been pinned up into a bustle for the second half of the evening. Those two were clearly in love and it was evident in how they looked at each other. Soon, other couples meandered out to join them. The music was indeed upbeat and pleasant, the baubles were bright and twinkling, the champagne amazing, but Alicia's mind was frazzled.
"Alicia? Would you like to dance?"
She jolted from her thoughts and looked up. Gilbert had stood and was smiling at her, his hand outstretched. He was wearing black dress robes and a dark yellow cravat. She stared at his hand for a second, trying to process what was happening. They had agreed to be friends, yes… but Gilbert wasn't the one she wanted to dance with, tonight.
"Just as friends," he clarified. "Promise."
Well, it wasn't as if Adrian had come over to ask her to dance, yet. Maybe he was mad at her. Alicia swallowed, but managed a small smile, even though it physically hurt her jaw. She put her hand in Gilbert's and let him pull her from her chair, despite the fact that she felt completely wooden, and once on the dance floor, she let one hand fall lightly to his shoulder and put her other hand in his. It didn't feel right, though. Her eyes flickered over his shoulder as she let him lead.
Why was it she was always dancing with the wrong boy?
Adrian was about to go 'round the twist.
Had he expected Alicia at the wedding?
No. No, he had not.
Should he have?
Yes, if he had stopped to actually think about who Bess would invite, he would have remembered that she had been friends with Alicia.
Had he expected Alicia to walk right in front of his entire family wearing a bloody strapless, short, formal dress? Had he expected his mother to see her, to be introduced to her, and to start asking her a thousand questions? Had he expected Atticus to silently take the mickey the whole time? Hell, Atticus alone had frayed every nerve ending Adrian possessed!
Had he focused on Bess's wedding at all?No. Definitely not. Why? BecauseAlicia's long, beautiful, thick, silky hair had been hanging right in front of him the entire fucking wedding, and he'd had fifteen whole minutes to memorize the curves of her bare shoulders and arms. Hell, the image of her standing in front of him, when she'd first moved into the row to take her seat, was officially burned into his brain for eternity. That dark burgundy dress fit her like a glove, while a lovely rhinestone necklace sparkled against her throat, and the whole ensemble showed him two things he couldn't stop thinking about: her tits and her legs. Bloody hell, but he couldn't remember anything about the ceremony. By the time Bess kissed Conall and the officiator announced them as husband and wife, Adrian's nerves were positively raw. All he could see was Alicia in front of him, wearing a fancy dress that he wanted to rip off of her, while delicious memories of times they had spent in the Room of Requirement at the end of their seventh-year played in his head.
Somehow, Alicia ended up on the other side of the courtyard during dinner, at a table with Chrysanthe Hayden, Danny Youngman, Kenneth Towler, Karen Pickford, Gilbert Royle, Jane Ramsey, Will Richardson, and Dave Fraser. They had all crowded around it, laughing and joking as they ate, while Adrian ended up at a table with his parents, Atticus and Bridget, Chrysanthe's parents, and Gil's parents.
Two days ago, he had expected to sit with the people he had known from school at this event. He had even looked forward to it, because it wouldn't be like having to attend a society event with a bunch of pureblood Slytherins who favored the Dark Lord. But now, there was no way he could get up and go over to that table and join the fun. For starters, he and Towler needed to avoid each other, and he wasn't sure what he would do if he got near Alicia.
The band played through dinner, but eventually Conall and Bess got up to dance their first dance together. Adrian was happy for Bess, he really was, but he couldn't focus. His eyes kept flickering to Alicia, sitting at a table full of Hufflepuffs and one other Gryffindor that Adrian couldn't openly claim as an acquaintance.
He was only vaguely aware of the conversation between his parents, Gil's parents, and Chrysanthe's parents. He knew Atticus and Bridget had struck up a conversation one table over with Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour about curse breaking. But Adrian felt miserably out of place and trapped as he sat in his chair with his arms crossed,trying to figure out what to do. In truth, he had no idea what to do. Should he get up and go over to the table across the dance floor anyways, and hope Chrysanthe would welcome him, and he could just ignore Kenneth? Or should he stay where he was?
And that was when Mrs. Royle said, "Who is that young lady dancing with Gilbert?"
Adrian's eyes snapped to the dance floor and he felt something in his chest clench painfully.
"Oh!" His mother sounded intrigued and a little wicked, damn her. "Her name is Alicia. She's in the Healer program with Chrysanthe."
"She's absolutely beautiful," Mrs. Royle said. "A Gryffindor, I see. Was she in their year?"
"She was."
"She and Gilbert look very nice together, don't they?"
His mother made a non-committal sound.
Adrian's fingers dug into his arm. No, damn it, they bloody well did notlook very nice together. Before Halloween, he'd thought Gilbert Royle was a nice enough bloke, but lately— and especiallyright at this particular second—Adrian rather hatedGilbert. Why the hell was he dancing with Alicia? Towler had said things hadn't worked out between them!
He was clenching his bicep so tightly it actually hurt. His knuckles were white. And he was probably going to crack his back teeth any second now, unless he physically unclenched his damn jaw.
And then, as Gilbert spun Alicia and brought her close to him, she looked over his shoulder and inadvertently met Adrian's gaze.
Her eyes were wide and stricken. Imploring. Like she was silently begging him to cut in. He felt pinned by her expression, and something inside of him crumbled. Then Gilbert turned slightly and another couple moved between them, and the connection between Alicia and Adrian broke for a moment.
To hell with everything, he thought furiously. To hell with his family, the war, Dumbledore, his classmates, everything. He wasn't going to stay away from Alicia any longer toprotect himself or the work he was doing for the Order. He didn't care anymore.
Before he realized it, he was on his feet, moving around his parents. His father was deep in conversation with Quinton Royle, but he knew his mother was following his every move. He didn't care about that, either. Let her. He was bloody well sick of watching Alicia from the damn sidelines.
The song changed at that moment, just as Adrian wove into the crowd of dancers. Gilbert was leading Alicia back towards the table; they seemed as friendly as anything, and it made something burn unpleasantly in his gut. Adrian quickly put on his polite mask to hide the jealousy and fury as he came up behind the Hufflepuff and tapped his shoulder.
"Excuse me," he said, in as friendly a tone as he could muster given the circumstances. "Hate to interrupt, Royle, but I actually owe Spinnet a dance."
Gilbert looked confused and glanced between Adrian and Alicia, as though seeking permission to allow her to dance with Adrian.
She gave Gilbert a disarming smile. "It's okay, Gil. I don't mind. Pucey and I have a bit of a joke between us about dances. And he does owe me one, actually."
Gilbert's brow furrowed. "I thought the two of you hated each other."
"Not really. We hated Umbridge," Alicia assured him.
Adrian wrapped his arm around her waist at that moment, and he felt the way her breath caught at his touch. Her eyes moved from Gilbert to him.
"Bloody hell…" Gilbert stared for a second between them. "You mean… all of last year, you two were just acting?"
Adrian gave him a bland smile. "It was imperative to keep Alicia safe from Umbridge and some of the other Slytherins." Then he turned his eyes to Alicia. "Shall we?"
And without waiting for a reply, he pulled Alicia back into the small crowd of dancers. He wasn't going to let anyone else dance with her tonight, damn it.
Alicia hated that she couldn't explain things to Gilbert better when he realized that she and Adrian might somehow be involved… that maybe Adrian was the one she hadn't gotten over, that perhaps Adrian had been sneaking around with her during their seventh-year… Merlin, she hoped Gil wouldn't be too upset!But at the same time, everything inside of her practically melted the second Adrian touched her. One of his hands was in the small of her back, the heat from his palm seeping through her dress and positively scalding her skin— to say nothing of her hand in his, and the tingling feeling that spread from her fingers all the way down her arm just from the touch of skin on was holding her far closer than he probably should, and she didn't even care. She was dancing with Adrian. Godric, she was finallydancing with Adrian.
She had no idea what to say, though. She tried not to stare at him, at how fit he was, but it was so bloody hard! She looked up at him through her lashes. "What are you doing?" she finally murmured, keeping her voice quiet so other dancers wouldn't overhear.
"What does it look like?" he responded shortly.
"It looks like you're bringing attention to yourself," Alicia admitted. "Which isn't like you at all. I didn't think you wanted anyone to know —"
"I don't care anymore," he muttered angrily. "I'm not going to stand by and let you dance with Royle or any-bloody-body else any longer."
Alicia's breath caught slightly as he twirled her under his arm and brought her back close. The song was upbeat, and he knew exactly how to move, exactly how to guide her. It was actual dancing, completely different from the Yule Ball. She suddenly couldn't help smiling. She felt absolutely giddy.
Adrian leaned down to her ear and murmured,"And it seems every time I dance with you, I find I mostly want to get you out of your clothes, Spinnet. Why is that?"
Alicia laughed. If only he knew how bloody wet her knickers were! "Well maybe," she confided coyly, "That makes two of us. Maybe I want to get you out of this suit…"
He blushed slightly. "So you'd rather me than Royle, then?"
Alicia gaped at him before she slid her hand behind his neck, pulled him down, and whispered furiously in his ear, "I cannot believeyou! You're actually jealous, aren't you?You do realize I've been desperate to shag your brains out since I first saw you tonight?! My knickers are so wet I can barely stand it! Godric's arse, Adrian! Gil and I are just friends! Nothing else! It's you I'm mad about!"
She felt the way his muscles tensed and she saw the heat flare in his gaze when she mentioned her knickers. But he schooled his expression to remain neutral before he spun her again. When she was back against him, he murmured, "In that case, we need to plan this carefully…"
Oh, goodness, was he actually serious? Godric, she hoped so! Breathlessly, she asked, "What do you suggest?"
His eyes darted about, taking in everything around them. "Give me a minute."
Alicia fell silent as she waitedfor him to think of a plan, while he expertly danced her around the floor through a sea of other couples.
The song was almost over before he leaned in and said quietly, "Do you trust me?"
Alicia could feel her heart pounding. "Yes."
"When the song ends, go back to your table. Ignore me. Ignore anything I do next,okay? It's just an act to cover myself. Wait fifteen minutes, then go to the cloakroom. I'll join you there."
Her mouth went completely dry. Godric, Chrysanthe was right. He wasn't going to let her leave alone tonight. She was finally going to get to shag him.
He unexpectedly dipped her as the song ended, her long hair trailing to the floor as she gasped, laughed brightly, and clung to his arms. Merlin, he knew what he was about! When he pulled her upright again, Adrian smiled seductively at her for a split second before suddenly switching to his polite mask.
"Thank you for the dance, Spinnet," he said evenly, in that low, deep voice she loved so much.
His gaze was practically burning. Didn't he know what he was doing to her? She was so ready she probably wouldshag him in the damn cloakroom if he suggested it!
Alicia barely managed a courteous smile in return. "Of course, Pucey."
He released her and she made her way back to the table alone. Gilbert wasn't there — when she glanced out at the dance floor, she saw him dancing with Jane Ramsey of Hufflepuff — but Chrysanthe, Danny, Kenneth, and Karen were still seated around the table, joking and slid back into her chair, hoping her face wasn't bright pink…though apparently, it was. Chrysanthe, damn her, grinned like a maniac the second Alicia sat down.
"Having fun?" she leered.
"I suppose," Alicia answered, trying to sound off-hand. "Is Gilbert okay?"
Kenneth shrugged. "He was just really surprised you and Pucey aren't the mortal enemies he thought you were. Chrysanthe told him that Pucey had protected you a lot last year, and he said was more annoyed that he hadn't noticed anything between the two of you before now. But I don't think he was angry."
"Of course he didn't guess," Alicia hissed. "We've been trying to keep people from guessing, damn it."
Karen gently touched her arm and reminded her, "Calm down, Alicia. Everyone at this table knows how you and Adrian feel about each other. Gilbert just didn't realize how the two of you felt about each other until Adrian came over."
Kenneth rolled his eyes and added, "Besides. Gil's been crushing on Jane for a couple of months anyway. The reason he danced with you first was so Jane wouldn't realize how desperate he's been to get her attention."
Alicia couldn't help the burble of laughter that escaped her. "You mean, Gilbert Royle used me for his own purposes? That doesn't even sound like him!"
Karen grinned. "Now, now. You know Hufflepuffs can be devious when we want to be."
"I just hope she agrees to go out with him," Kenneth said darkly. "If I have to listen to him blather on about whether he should ask her out or not over a pint one more time…"
Karen snickered, but Chrysanthe turned Alicia and changed the subject back. "So, why isn't Adrian still dancing with you?"
At that, Alicia knewher face turned bright pink, because Chrysanthe's eyebrows arched.
"Fine," Alicia whispered, leaning over Karen and Kenneth to speak to Chrysanthe. "We're going to sneak out together infifteen minutes. Happy?"
Chrysanthe's face lit up. "Finally!Didn't I call it?"
"About damn time," Kenneth muttered.
Alicia sputtered, "I don't understand how you're okay with this, Kenneth. I thought you hated Pucey. You've alwayshated Pucey!"
Kenneth flushed a bit. "Well. You kept telling me throughout our seventh-year that he wasn't being mean to you, didn't you? I knew there was something going on between the two of you. And besides, we aren't at Hogwarts anymore. We're in the middle of a war, but I'm pretty sure he isn't a Death Eater. I guess I don't really have a reason to hate him anymore, do I? I don't know; I just feel like you fit well with Pucey, for some reason."
"That doesn't even soundlike you!"
Danny spoke up. "I have a question. Why is Pucey dancing with Gemma Farley?"
Alicia glanced behind her. Sure enough, Adrian was on the dance floor with Gemma, smiling that fake smile, chatting with her. Alicia blushed and looked back at Chrysanthe, Danny, Kenneth, and Karen. "He asked me to trust him and ignore everything he does for the next fifteen minutes. We have to cover ourselves, you know."
"Still sneaking around?" Karen grinned. "Though, I guess if you've been doing it for this long, it's a habit at this point."
Danny interjected. "Well, it makes it more fun, too. Sneaking around is always fun."
"There is that," Karen agreed. She smiled coyly up at Kenneth. "Do you want to sneak around? We could shag in the cloakroom…"
Kenneth turned bright red. "No! Are you out of your mind?"
Karen laughed and started teasing Kenneth a bit, which gave Alicia a chance to glance behind her again. The song ended and Adrian thanked Gemma before he moved off towards Bess and Conall, who were standing on the side of the dance floor, talking with an older couple. Alicia quickly turned back to face her friends. Ten more minutes and she could get out of here.
Adrian smiled genuinely as he approached Bess and Conall. When Bess saw him, her face lit up and she hugged him as soon as he got to her.
"I'm so glad you could come," she said warmly.
"I am, too," he said. "I'm really happy for you."
"I knew you would be." Her expression changed and she added slyly, "I saw you dancing with Alicia a couple of dances ago."
His neck felt warm. "Yes, we were just catching up."
Bess gave him an appraising look. "Adrian. You're talking to me."
He gave her a sheepish smile. "Yes, but Conall doesn't know."
"He won't say anything," she promised, smiling up at her husband.
"Definitely not." Conall grinned back at her, then looked at Adrian. "Fancy a Gryffindor yourself then, Pucey? We do make very good partners, you know."
Bess laughed as Adrian flushed.
"I'm only nineteen," Adrian protested. "I'm not thinking about marriage!"
Bess teased, "I'm only twenty, but that didn't stop me."
Adrian shook his head. "You're different."
"So why are you coming up to talk to me this early in the evening?" she asked shrewdly. "Planning to slip out with your little Gryffindor?"
At that, he knewhis face turned bright red, because Bess burst into giggles again.
"Oh, Merlin, Adrian! You are!" She clung to Conall's arm to stay upright, and when she finally stopped laughing, she stammered, "I'm happy for you, but can I give you some advice?"
Adrian averted his gaze. "I think we're a bit past that point, don't you?" he muttered.
She stepped away from Conall, put a hand on his shoulder,leaned up to his ear, and said seriously, "Take care of her, Adrian. I know you'll treat her well when you get her alone… but I mean more than just physically. Treat her well emotionally, too. You two are mad about each other, sure, but love is more than just physical attraction."
"I know that," he hissed. "And I'm not in love with her!"
She smiled at him. "My second bit of advice is this: For the love of Helga, stop lying to yourself."
He stared at her.
Bess kissed his cheek. "You deserve to be happy, Adrian," she whispered. "You aren't at Hogwarts anymore. Don't let her get away from you, lad, aye?"
Adrian could feelthe heat burning off his face, but he just nodded. "Thank you," he said softly. "Congratulations, yeah?"
"Cheers, love."
He shook Conall's hand and then made his way back around the other side of the dance floor towards his family. His mother was still chatting with Mrs. Royle and Mrs. Hayden, and his father and Mr. Royle had been joined by a couple of other men. They were all talking about the economy. Atticus and Bridget were on the dance floor, thank Salazar. He had ten more minutes to kill. Just ten more damn minutes.
Alicia finally stood up. "Well," she said, looking coolly at Chrysanthe. "Thank you for letting me stay with you and your parents the past week."
"You're very welcome," Chrysanthe grinned. "I'll send your things back to Angelina's flat tomorrow. Have a good night, love."
"I intend dance, yeah?"
"We should," Danny agreed, finally standing up. "Can't let Kenneth and Karen have all the fun."
Alicia glanced at the dance floor; Kenneth and Karen looked very happy together, she thought. They were really well-suited; she'd always thought that. Chrysanthe and Danny joined them, laughing and hanging onto each other. Alicia hoped they had a good time, but she had already had her dance, and it was time to get out of here.
However, when she turned around, Oliver was behind her with a pensive look on his face.
Alicia stared up at him in surprise. "Ollie? Did you need me?"
He nodded and pulled her aside, away from the crowds, before he asked seriously and without preamble, "Were you dancing with Pucey, earlier?"
Alicia felt her stomach drop a bit. "Yes?"
"He cut in on you and Royle."
"No, he didn't. I had already danced with Royle. Just as friends," she emphasized. "So Pucey wasn't technically cutting in, he was…"Alicia trailed off. Damn it, how did she explain this to Oliver? Cripes.
Oliver's eyebrows pinched together. "But you danced with Pucey."
"Yes, Oliver," she said, trying to keep her patience. What the heck was he on about?
He fell silent for a couple of seconds before he said quietly and very unexpectedly, "The two of you looked good together."
Alicia blinked at him. "Excuse me?"
"I remember him," Oliver elaborated. "We played against him a couple of times, before Flint booted him off the Slytherin roster. He never fouled us. That stood out to me. Slytherins always fouled us — except for Pucey. He never did. I thought it was unusual."
"No… you're right. He never fouled us," she said softly. "Not even last year, when Montague finally let him back on the team. He never fouled us."
Oliver nodded, and then asked, "Do you fancy him?"
"There aren't many girls who don'tfancy Adrian Pucey," she replied, feeling the blush creep across her face.
"I didn't ask about other lasses. I asked about you."
Her blush got worse and she wrapped her arms around herself. "Yes," she admitted, unable to meet Oliver's intense gaze. "I have for a while. It was nice to dance with him tonight."
"Where were you going just now, when I stopped you?"
Alicia stared at him and mouthed wordlessly for a second. How the heck was she supposed to explain that to Oliver?
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, Ican't help it, Spinnet. I look out for my Chasers. You and Angelina, you're like sisters to me. Just… tell me this. Is he going to treat you well?"
"Of course he is," she whispered, staring up into Oliver's concerned face. "He always has, Ollie. He and I… this isn't anything sudden, you know."
"I didn't think it was. I know how you are. You wouldn't just run off with some random guy, like Anglikes to do. So I figured… whatever's going on between the two of you has probably been going on for a while, and you just haven't told anyone. And then I figured it was because he was a Slytherin, and you're a Gryffindor. The other Slytherins wouldn't understand. And let's face it… most Gryffindors wouldn't, either."
She swallowed. "That's it exactly."
Oliver frowned. "The twins and Lee definitely wouldn't understand."
Alicia winced. "Definitely not."
"Be careful, okay?"
"I will. Don't say anything, please? Only a few people know and we're trying to keep things quiet, still… especially with the war on."
He nodded. "I understand." Then, much more quietly, he asked, "He's not a Death Eater, is he?"
Alicia reacted without thinking; shesmacked Oliver's upper arm with the back of her hand, which in all reality probably hurt her fingers far more than it did his thick bicep. She snapped, "Absolutely not. You just saidhe was fair and didn't foul us out on the pitch, so why would you think he's on that side?"
Oliver at least had the sense to look sheepish. "Good point. And his brother is engaged to my cousin, so I should have thought that out better. My bad. Well. See you, Spinnet. Er, have a good night?"
"You too, Ollie. I need to say goodbye to Bess before I leave, though."
He nodded and let her pass by without further took a deep breath to steady her nerves and went up to Bess and Conall to say goodbye.
To her surprise, Bess hugged her tightly and said softly,"I'm so glad you could come, Alicia."
"Yes, well," Alicia faltered and tried to think of an excuse as to why she was sneaking out of the reception so early — but whenever Adrian was involved, her brain seemed to turn to mush. "I'm, uh… going to head out. I should get back…"
But Bess gave her a smile that was far too knowing, leaned in, and whispered, "Take care of Adrian, aye? He's a damn good lad and he'll treat you well, but even he can doubt himself, despite his confidence. Don't let him get away from you, 'Licia. I know you're both mad about each other. Remember, love is more than physical attraction. It's emotional, too — so take care of each other emotionally, as well. I'm so happy for you both."
Alicia blushed furiously. How the hell did Bess know?Not only that Alicia and Adrian were interested in each other, but that Alicia might actually love him? However, what came out of her mouth was, "We're only nineteen, Bess!"
Bess grinned. "And I'm only twenty, but here we are." Then she laughed and whispered, "He said the same thing you did, though. And I told him the same thing I just told you. Go on, love. Have a wonderful night with him. He's about ready to rip your damn dress off, and you two have waited long enough for each other."
Alicia had absolutely no idea how she made it back through the courtyard and into the castle after Bess said that. The butterflies that had been in her stomach seemed to spread to her chest. By the time she got to the cloakroom, she could feel the nervous energy radiating off of her body as she paced in front of the line of cloaks against the wall. There was no one else around; it was still early in the evening and everyone was still at the reception, dancing and enjoying each other's company. Good grief, she and Adrian would very likely be missed forleaving this early! But she wasn't sure she cared anymore. Adrian had said he didn't care anymore, after all. It seemed theywere both beyond caring. She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. If only he would hurry up, and they could get the heck out of here…
Five minutes later, the door opened. Alicia felt her heart jump into her throat, and Adrian stepped in. He closed the door behind him, gave her a heated, hungry look, and then helocked the door with his wand.
Alicia stared at him. He'd locked the door?Merlin, he'd actually locked the door.Without thinking twice, she darted forward. He met her in the middle of the room, and she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
His mouth opened to hers immediately; his hands were all over her body. He backed her right up against the wall, just like she'd imagined nearly two hours earlier. Cloaks caught between her back and the stone as his tongue feverishly tangled with hers; she felt the delicious burn of fire in her blood that she always seemed to feel when they kissed like this. Her hands raked into his perfectly styled hair, down his neck, and under his suit collar as she kept on. She felt one of his hands move under her skirt and slide roughly up her thigh, and Alicia unconsciously hooked her leg over his hip with a whimper. Adrian gasped into her mouth and grunted softly, and they broke away to breathe.
"Fuck," he stuttered, his fingers digging into the back of her thigh and his thumb putting pressure right in the crevice between her leg and hip. In fact, his thumb was sliding under the hem of her knickers. "Alicia, we need to get out of here. Now."
She nodded, but his lips were right there, so she kissed him again instead. Godric, she loved snogging Adrian. Without thinking, she rubbed herself against him, finally feeling his erection, even if it was through his trousers and her dress. His hands instantly cupped her arse and pulled her right up against him so she could really feel him. Alicia gasped aloud as a spike of lust burned through her, and her hands went to his waist to find his bloody belt. She yanked the leather, trying to pull it through the buckle, but he grabbed her wrists to stop her.
"Alicia," he rasped.
They were both panting. She stared up at him and finally whispered, "My flat is empty. Angelina's on the continent this week for training. She won't be back until Monday."She saw the way his eyes dilated eagerly at that information, and she added, "Though at this point, I'm not kidding, I would do you right here, right now. You locked the door, and…"
He laughed— that deep, rich, real, almost hysterical laugh of his that she knew he didn't let just anyone hear — and he sputtered, "Our first time is not going to be a fast shag in the cloakroom at Galbraith Castle, Spinnet! I'm going to Disillusion myself, and hold on to you as we go out. You're going to Apparate us as soon as we get past the wards. Understand?"
"Are you ordering me about, Pucey?" She bit her lip and gazed up at him.
He kissed her again, cupping her face as though trying to restrain himself. When he finally pulled away, stepping back two paces to put some distance between them, he said hoarsely, "You're damn right, I'm ordering you about. Let's get the fuck out of here. Now."
Alicia immediately turned, found her cloak, and swung it over herself. She saw him Summon his own cloak, but as soon as it was around his shoulders, he Disillusioned himself. As she made her way to the door, she felt his hand grasp hers, their fingers interlocking. She gasped at how good that felt—their fingers all tangled together—and he gently squeezed her hand, leaned close, and whispered, "Do you have any idea how beautiful you are? How mad I am about you?"
Merlin, he was pulling out all the stops, was he?
Then she felt his lips against her ear. She hated when he was Disillusioned, but damn, if it wasn't still sexy as heck, him trying to nibble her earlobe even as she walked out of Galbraith Castle, past several men who were still standing guard. Conall's relatives thought she was alone, so they called out to her to be careful, and she barely managed to thank them and tell them that she would be fine.
By that point, Adrian's breath was hot and desperate against her skin as he tried to kiss her neck, which contrasted sharply with the coolness of the evening. She felt him trip several times because he wasn't watching where he was going. Alicia gripped his hand tightly to get his attention, but he just chuckled in her ear and murmured, "Hurry up, Alicia. I'm out of patience."
"You are?" she hissed. They were almostat the Apparition point. "How the hell do you think Ifeel?"
"I hope you're as desperate as I am," he answered, sliding his arm beneath her cloak and around her waist.
"Desperate is a bit of an understatement!"
They were at the Apparition point, and Alicia closed her eyes to center herself. It was very hard, with Adrian pressed against her, holding onto her so tightly, but she could notsplinch them. She had to get them all the way back to bloody London!
Destination, Determination, Deliberation.
Alicia exhaled and twisted into the compression of Apparition.
Author's Notes:
The soundtrack for this chapter reveals my weird taste in music, which has a pretty wide range. But I got hung up listening to four songs on repeat while writing it, mostly for their melodies rather than their lyrics:
Sweet Blindness by the 5th Dimension (1968) - The sort of Dixieland jazz I imagine Adrian and Alicia dancing to, though the song itself is actually a drinking song, not a romantic one.
Oh Rose Marie by The Fascinators (1959) - Because I love 50's Doo-Wop, even if it's silly of me.
I Wonder Why by the Belmonts (1959) - Another Doo-Wop hit...
It's Too Late by Bobby Goldsboro (1966) - Another upbeat dance song, though the lyrics do not fit these two characters.