Author's Note: This chapter is NSFW / M.

~EA

After the Wedding

When the sensation of Apparition abruptly stopped, they were standing on the tiny landing of a loft over a little building on one of the alleys off DiagonAlley. Adrian immediately removed the Disillusionment Charm, even as Alicia wastapping her wand against the doorknob.

The door swung open before he hardly had his bearings; she pulled him inside and closed it swiftly behind them, locked it again with her wand, and cast several wards, as well as a spell on her lower abdomen. His nerves tingled as he guessed what that was.

She had barely finished before his hands were on her waist—he needed to touch her, to feel her against him. He turned her around to face him and pushed her right up against the door to kiss her.

Alicia hungrily met him halfway, her mouth opening to his as he devoured her, one hand spearing into his hair while his hands delved under her cloak and around her waist. Each kiss was hot, open-mouthed, utterly delirious. He couldn't kiss her deep enough. He wanted to crawl inside of her.

They were wearing way too many clothes, he thought desperately, and he fumbled with the decorative clasp on her cloak until he shoved it off of her, onto the floor. His hands palmed over those smooth, bare shoulders he had been staring at throughout the wedding, as he kept kissing her, simply feelingher.

He eventually pulled back a fraction to look at her, to make sure this was real, gasping even as he stared down at her. It was almost too good to be true, but she was here, right before him, her lips slightly parted and her chest rising and falling as she gazed up at him intently.

That beautiful burgundy cocktail dress was stunning, but fuck, it had to was already working on his clothes; she pulled his cloak off of him and tossed it haphazardly to the side. Then she pushed him backwards across the small kitchen towards a doorway. Adrian didn't even pay attention to where they were going; they werekissing again even as he stumbled out of his shoes and started on his belt.

Her hands moved to his suit jacket as her lips caressed his jaw, her teeth gently dragging along the line before moving to his neck. Her breath came in hot little pants against his flushed skin as she pushed the jacket over his shoulders; he was forced to release his belt to get his arms out of it. Then she went to work on his waistcoat, breathing hard against his throat as she fumbled with the mother-of-pearl buttons.

"Adrian…" she whispered. "Please…"

"Working on it," he muttered, finally getting the belt loose and going after her dress.

His hands found the zipper in the back just as his lips found the crook between her shoulder and neck, but for a split second, he forgot about the zipper. Salazar, when was the last time they had necked? In Diagon Alley back in January? No, even that hadn't been quite the same; it had been cold and dreary and they'd been wearing so much bulky winter clothing that they'd been restricted in their movements and limited to where they could kiss. That meant it had been a year ago in the Room of Requirement. That was absolutely too long.

Alicia whimpered softly as she arched against him. Her hands had finally gotten his waistcoat open; theyslid all the way up his chest and came to fist into his hair to keep him where he was. Then she tilted her head back so he could press hot kisses against her throat.

He eventually released her just long enough to shuck the waistcoat and work on his cravat.

She stopped him, biting her lip as she pulled his hands away from the green silk. "I might want to use that later," she murmured, tugging the cravat from both ends. He felt it catch behind his neck and his eyes widened at the implication; his knees nearly buckled. The idea of her tying him up and riding him out nearly drove him over the edge, and damn it, he was not going to come in his pants before they actually shagged.

Trying to get the upper hand, he pulled her hands away and muttered, "Maybe I want to use it on you.Get my shirt off."

"Goodness, aren't you demanding tonight?" she purred, but her fingers were already slipping the buttons loose. "I have half a mind to just rip it off of you."

"I would not object."

She sighed softly as though remembering something pleasant, and it struck him: she was probably remembering him fresh out of the showers in the Quidditch locker rooms. But despite the smoldering heat in her eyes, she didn't rip his shirt. Instead, she lazily kissed each bit of exposed skin, her lips dragging hot and damp over his sternum as she slipped the buttons open. He grabbed the door frame before he collapsed under the assault. She was going to fucking murder him with that mouth of hers.

"I've wanted to kiss you like this for so long," she whispered, kissing her way across his pectoral muscle towards his right nipple, swirling her tongue over it and making him jerk and grab her waist again. "Ever since I saw you in the prefects' bath and the Slytherin locker room…"

He finallypulled her zipper down and the dress fell off of her, pooling in folds around her ankles. She glanced up at him, as though she was suddenly a bit shy, and he stared down at her stunning figure. Bloody hell.

"Come here," he rasped. She blushed and stumbled against him, out of her heels, which shortened her height by at least three inches. The silk of her thin, strapless bra was cool against his chest. He could feel her nipples against it. By contrast, her soft, taut stomach was warm against his abdomen and he bit his lip for a moment as he tried to regain control of himself.

Finally, he stammered, "I should have known you stole a look at me that night in the prefects' bath after I told you not to."

She looked up at him through her lashes. "Are you angry?"

His lips curved into a smile. "Definitely not now."

His hands dropped to cupher bottom, pulling her against him. She gasped softly when the hard ridge in his slacks pressed into her belly, and her eyes fluttered closed. She buried her face against his chest."Oh God…Adrian…"

"I hope you still like what you see," he whispered. "I know I do."

"Mm… very much…"

She was deliberately and slowly rubbing herself against him, and his mind was almost completely shot. He needed to be naked against her right now. He pulled her several steps into the small, dark sitting room as they tripped over each other. She pointed her wand over his shoulder; bright flames sprung up behind him in a little fireplace.

Then Alicia pulled him down to kiss him again, moaning against his mouth when he slipped his fingers just under the back hem of her knickers against the curve of her rear, dangerously close to her center but not quite. They were very small, silky knickers that matched the strapless bra. She pushed his dress shirt from his shoulders, making him release her to strip it off, and her hands caressed his chest firmly as theystumbled a few more steps.

Adrian had planned to ask her which bedroom was hers, but he never got that far. Instead, he accidentally tripped to the floor while getting his trousers and pants off. Alicia eagerly climbed on top of him as soon as he was free of clothing. Her beautiful long, swirling hair cascaded over her shoulders as she cupped his face and kissed him desperately, while rubbing those sodden knickers against his erection. Bloody fucking hell. He fell to his back and held her there a moment, tight against his cock as she kept kissing him, before he shifted and put her on bottom.

Once she was beneath him, his eyes were riveted on her gorgeous breasts, glowing and plump and perfect in the light of the fire. He bent and placed open kisses along the tops of both, his hands gripping those luscious hips to hold her still, while her fingers caressed over his shoulders and into his hair again. She arched and moaned beneath him. Her nipples were puckered against the thin fabric of her bra and he tongued both before he slid his hands under her back to unfasten the hooks.

Alicia arched her back to help him, her face flushed and her lips swollen. She looked so beautiful, lying under him in the firelight, just as desperate as he was. He placed a searing kiss on her chest as he removed the bra and tossed it aside, his hands raking over her soft skin. Then he sat back just enough to stare at her. Her chest was heaving and she looked completely undone; the rhinestone necklace at her throat glittered in the firelight— it was theonly thing she was wearing at this point beside her knickers. He was sure he'd never seen anything more beautiful in his life. He bent to suck and pinch those rosy, budding nipples until she was gasping and twisting and wordlessly begging him for more, her hands clenching in his hair on the right side of pain, her legs twisting and her knees sliding along his flanks as she writhed under him. He finally shifted to kiss her mouth again; at the same moment, he dropped one hand to her hip, running his thumb beneath the hem of her silky little knickers, sliding down into the crevice of her thigh and up into her center.

He abruptly realized she was so wet that liquid had smeared all over her inner thighs. Those knickers were absolutely ruined, and all because of him.

"Bloody hell, Alicia…"

She was panting, her breath warm as she whispered words between placing kisses along his jaw.

"…need you… please, Adrian…"

He tugged the ruined knickers down until she could push them off, and hefinally laid on top of her, bracing himself on one knee and elbow so he wouldn't crush her. When his cock pressed into her belly, she sucked her stomach in and arched against him at the same time, clutching his arms. It was every dream he'd ever had come true, watching Alicia lose control like that because she wanted him so badly. There was no sense waiting or dragging it out; they had plenty of time to do this again, more slowly and thoroughly, when he could learn everything about her body and what exactly she for this moment he agreed with her: he needed to be inside of her.

When he slowly pushed into her, she gasped and opened herhips,her breath damp against his heated skin. He couldn't think; she was so tight, so slick, and so fucking perfect. He buried his face in her neck and thrust as gently as he could manage, despite the overwhelming instinct to move more forcefully. But he did flick his hips into hers just the right way when he was finally buried, and she whimpered and dug her nails into his shoulders as she clutched him to her. The sting of her nails made him thrust a bit harder, and on the next downstroke she met him, her own hips pushing up even as her thighs clenched around him. Shepulled him closer as he quickly found the right rhythm, and she matched him, her soft gasps and moans driving him to move faster, a little harder. He pulled her left leg up around his waist and her heel pressed into his buttock. He groaned against the flushed skin of her neck, stuttering her name, only able to think how amazing she was. Alicia kept pressing kisses against his skin even as her hips rolled on every thrust to meet his own, her body slick and hot wherever they touched. If he could just hold off until she came…

Panting in her ear, he gasped, "Tell me, love… please… what do you need…?"

She met his eyes, hers dilated and desperate. "Cum inside me, Adrian…" she whispered,fingers curling against his clavicle as they matched each other. "God… You've no idea how good you feel…! I want you to cum inside me, please…"

Merlin, she always seemed to know exactly what to say to wind him couldn't hang on after that. He was sure he'd never come so hard in his life;his throat was practically raw as he cried out and braced his palms against the floor to keep from crushing her.

Afterwards, he sank against her as slowly as he could manage, gasping harshly for air, his skin slick with sweat and his hair damp. Her movements slowed, her hands shifted to stroke his hair and the muscles of his upper back, her lips now placing soft, languid kisses along his mouth, chin, and jaw, her tongue occasionally just touching him as she became utterly boneless beneath him. Her leg slipped off his waist and her foot dragged down his thigh to the crook of his knee.

"Alicia… Bloodyhell…" he whispered.

She sighed in a contented way. "…that was bloody brilliant."

He couldn't help it; he laughed softly. "It was, wasn't it? Bloody fucking amazing."

"We've left a mess though, haven't we?" she asked, a lazy smile curving her pretty mouth.

He met her eyes. "Johnson won't be home for a while, right?"

"We have everything to ourselves for an entire day, at least," she breathed, her finger tracing below his lower lip.

"Mm." He nuzzled her cheek with his nose. "I highly doubt we'll get bored, Spinnet."

She laughed at the teasing use of her surname. "Merlin, Pucey," she joked back, "I doubt it, too. But I need a shower before we do anything else."

He bit his lower lip. "I've always wanted to take a shower with you."

"I thought you probably had." Alicia grinned and pushed at his shoulders. "Come on, get up. I didn't realize it would be this wet and sticky."

Something about that phrase caught his attention. He stared at her for a moment. "What?"

"I said," she repeated, now tugging her long hair from underneath her neck, back, and shoulders to get it off her damp skin, "I didn't realize it would be quite this…" She blushed and looked away, as though suddenly shy, using her other arm to cover her chest a bit.

It felt as though someone had taken his breath away. "Wait… I was your first?" he stammered.

Alicia bit her lip, but didn't look at him. "Could you not tell?"

Unexpected emotion caught him off guard. Unable to stop himself, he sank back against her and just held her close. She slowly wrapped her arms around him.

It was completely stupid, he thought. He should have guessed; she'd only seen Royle and Jordan after him. And if she had shagged one of them, he wouldn'thave fancied her less (though he would have absolutely hated Royle or Jordan even more). But… this made it somehow more special. She was all his. No one could take this from him. He finally whispered,"Alicia, if I had known… you should have told me. I would have gone slower for you."

At that, she laughed brightly. "I didn't have time to tell you!Merlin, Adrian. I just wanted you. I've been ready since the moment I sat down in front of you before the wedding! If I had told you I'd never done this, you would have gone slower, and then it would have been awkward. And I didn't want that. I just wanted you."

He rubbed his palm down her arm and kissed her softly. "It definitely wasn't awkward, I can say that."

"Thank goodness."

But then something else suddenly hit him: a wave of guilt. Fuck, but he'd forgotten Bess's most important rule! How the hell had he gotten so wrapped up in his own pleasure that he'd forgotten hers?

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking concerned as she traced her fingers over his jaw.

"I… you…" He knew his eyes were unfocused as he stammered over the words. "Gods, I'm so sorry. I need to take care of you."

She looked slightly confused. "What are you on about? You already did. And it was bloodyincredible — do you have any idea how good you felt?"

He gave her an apologetic smile and slid down her body. "Well, I forgot one thing. Hang on."

"Adrian, what —?"

But then he slid his fingers into her and she gasped in surprise. Biting his lip, he moved his thumb against her clitoris. It was still swollen; she began panting as soon as he touched it.

"Oh…!"

"Shh," he breathed. "Let me, love."

He pressed it and tweaked it and rubbed it, making mental notes on how she moved, what sounds she made, with each differentattempt. Within seconds, she was twisting beneath him, whimpering and panting and arching her back and hips, but he couldn't quite find the right touch.

"Tell me what you like," he murmured. "How do you make yourself cum, love?"

"I…" Her voice was lost, her hands grasping at his hair, her hair, the rug, and whatever else she could reach. "Just… oh God…! Adri —"

He pressed closer, inhaling the musky scent before delving his tongue into her. It was a mix of them together and he groaned against her entrance and the way the cream smeared across his face. Alicia screamed his name and tightened her legs around him. He flattened his tongue against her, his fingers working along her inner muscles before he sucked her clit, and suddenly, she came apart. He knew the second it happened; she cried out sharply and bowed. He could feel the tremors through her pelvis as she rocked against him, her hips lifting off the floor in minute circles even as her legs gave out at the same time. He smiled against her. He would have felt awful if he hadn't gotten her off, especially after his own orgasm felt so good.

He watched her for a minute as the ripples faded and her body sank back to the floor. She was gasping heavily, staring at the ceiling. Adrian pulled himself up slightly and placed a slow, open kiss low on her mons before sliding back up her body, tonguing and sucking her tits gently, and kissing up her neck before finding her mouth.

She stared at him as he kissed her, tasting them both on her lips.

"What?" He grinned, sitting up beside her, leaning on one palm, and grabbing his wand to clean his face as he gazed down at her.

Alicia bit her lip as she watched him. "You didn't have to," she whispered. "You being inside me was enough, really. I mean… I didn't expect to cum, my first time."

He sobered. "Well, that wouldn't have been fair to you. Besides, I want to learn what you like." He gave her a small smile. "And you know I love learning new things, Spinnet."

She suddenly laughed. "Oh, Godric, you do, don't you?"

"Mm." He bent again and kissed her. "And we have plenty of time to figure out what works."

"Thank you," she whispered. "Can we get a shower now?"

He chuckled. "Yes, ma'am."

It was still dark when he woke up. He tried to remember how much time had passed since they'd left the wedding, but the previous night, day, and night were a delicious blur. He fumbled for his beautiful antique wizard's watch on the bedside table with his left hand; his right arm was trapped under Alicia.

It was 5:44 in the morning. Monday morning.

He sighed deeply. It was almost too dark to see her, but her weight against his side was comfortable. It reminded him of the night they'd spent in the Room of Requirement, when she'd snuggled into his side to read and he'd realized how well she fit up against him. He was sure none of the other girls he'd slept with fit into his side quite the way Alicia did, but maybe he was being too much of a sop.

He gently extricated his arm and slid out from under the comforter, careful not to wake her. She didn't even move, thank Merlin. As he stood up, he glanced towards her work desk and the shelf above it, where several photographs were displayed. Even in the darkness, he could see the silver of his old Hogwarts tie glinting where she had draped it over one of the frames, and he experienced a slightly giddy feeling in his stomach, just as he had the first time he noticed it this weekend, and every single time he'd glanced at it since. She had actually set out his tie as a reminder, and that made him a little bit smug. He hadn't done the same with her tie, for fear of his mother seeing it and immediately asking questions, but maybe he could, now. His mother had met Alicia and she would know who the Gryffindor tie had belonged to if she saw it.

The next thing he did was look around hopelessly at the dark floor. Yesterday around lunch, while Alicia had ordered take-out, he had called Salsby to him and asked for a couple ofchanges of clothes. The house elf had looked horrified at the tiny bedroom before obeying the command.

Damn it though, where the hell were the jeans he'd been wearing the night before?

He finally found them where he'd apparently stripped out of them, next to the bedroom door, though he really thought he had lost them near the sofa. He carefully pulled them on and glanced back at the bed to make sure Alicia was still asleep before he slipped his wand in his back pocket and carefully eased out into the narrow corridor. He really didn't want to wake her. They'd been going at it a bit hard, and if he was completely honest, a lot of that was Alicia's insistence. He'd triedto be a fucking gentleman; Bess had warned him three years earlier that virgins— and even sexually active girls— could get sore if they did it too often and too hard. But Alicia just ignored him and cast a healing spell on herself after the first two times. He wouldn't necessarily say she was insatiable, but they were both riding a pretty intense high and neither of them really wanted to come off of it yet. It was almost as though he'd never had sex before — but then, maybe he hadn't. Not like this, anyways. It was amazingly different and so incredible with Alicia.

However, the bathroom was quite possibly the smallest loo he'd ever seen in his life, and he'd thought that several times in the course of the past forty hours. It was no wonder Salsby had been a little horrified. Sometime yesterday morning, Adrian had found an extra toothbrush in the cupboard and charmed the color to green so Alicia couldn't mistake it for hers, and he'd added an extension charm on the bloody cupboard as well. He'd offer to pay for it if the landlord complained, but damn it, that loo needed a serious overhaul. The only good thing he could say about it was that if he was shagging Alicia in the shower, there was nowhere to fall.

They hadn't had sex in the shower right away. After their first time, he'd been firm on taking care of her, cleaning them both off, and then getting her to bed. But they had pulled off shower sex the morning after. Before she'd woken up yesterday morning, he'd slipped out of bed and headed for the shower to rinse off since he hadn't done so after their second time. Ten minutes later, she had stepped through the steam into the shower with him, but she'd been wearing a Quidditch jersey. For a few seconds, he'd thought it was his Quidditch jersey — it was certainly green and silver, and when she did a tight turn for him to show off, lifting her hair up high for a brief moment and standing on her toes, he realized his surname was across the back.

"Like it?" She smiled coyly at him as she turned back around to face him, letting her hair drop as water sprayed all over her.

"Where the hell did you get my jersey?" he sputtered.

"It's not." She blushed. "It's my jersey, actually. I just charmed the colors and changed the name for a bit."

By that point, she was soakedand he could see her tight nipples under the wet fabric and he could not for the life of him remember a moment when he'd gotten that hard so fast.

"What?" she'd teased, sliding her hands up his wet chest. "Never fantasized about me in your jersey?"

"All the fucking time when we were at school," he'd blurted. "Bloody hell, Alicia…!"

Then he tookher right against the wall despite how tight the shower was. He was sorry to say he again hadn't been very considerate of her needs; but then, if her gasps and cries were any indication (as the wet jersey bunched between them), she was more interested in his pleasure in that moment. After he came however, he did drop to his knees, bent her hips forward, pushed the sodden jersey to her waist, and went down on her right there until she came for him, screaming desperately and grabbing at the shower wall and the back of his neck to keep from collapsing.

Which reminded him: He definitely needed to get some charms up around the bedroom and the loo, before all the neighbors learned his name, if they didn't know it already. And for right now, he deliberately avoided looking at the shower. He didn't need a hard-on before she was even awake.

Brushing his teeth and shaving felt better. He raked a hand through his hair. There was no sense styling it. Alicia would have it mused up again within twohours; she seemed to like his hair as much as he loved hers. However, he would put on tea; she would probably want some when she got up. He headed quietly back down the short hall.

But when he stepped into the sitting room, he froze and it took all he had not to yell in surprise.

Angelina Johnsonwas sitting quietly on the sofa, sipping a cuppa in the semi-darkness. He could see the whites of her eyes and the gleam of her teeth as she smiled over the rim.

"I was hoping it was you," she mused, twirling her wand in her fingers.

Security question, he thought. Presumably, it was Angelina, but for the life of him, he couldn't think of a damn security question.

"I must say," she went on conversationally, taking another sip as her eyes flickered to his chest. "I can certainly see why she likes you. You're very nicely built, if you don't mind me saying so."

Adrian flushed. It belatedly occurred to him that he hadn't bothered pulling on a shirt when he left Alicia's room, because Alicia would just tug it off of him within an hour or two. He grabbed his dress shirt from the floor where it had lain for the past forty hours, ever since she'd stripped it off of him after the wedding, and he pulled it on without meeting Angelina's eyes, though he didn't button it up. In the process, he happened to notice she was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, with normal-looking boots. They hardly even looked like something she'd wear.

He cast aprivacy charm so their conversation wouldn't wake Alicia and asked curtly, "What shoes were you wearing last January in Diagon Alley when we met?"

"Yellow patent heels. You made fun of them, if I recall. I'm still annoyed with you about that."

"They were ostentatious."

"So is that waistcoat with mother-of-pearl buttons," Angelina said, her eyes flickering towards the waistcoat, which was somewhere around the vicinity of the kitchen door. "Did you seriously wear a three-piece suit to a wedding?"

"Touché," he muttered, raking a hand through his hair again.

"I'm going to skip a security question," she went on blithely. "I mean, I assume if you've been shagging my best friend for the past… day and a half…? Then you really are Adrian Pucey."

"That would be a safe bet," he answered tersely.

She smirked at him. "Tea?"

He sighed. "Please."

Angelina waved her wand and another mug appeared in midair. He caught it, but didn't move. Instead, he winced as he took in the state of the flat. Their clothes were still strewn in a path from the kitchen to the sitting room, starting with their cloaks (which he was sure were still on the kitchen floor) and ending with Alicia's bra and knickers, and his trousers and pants. Why the hell hadn't they picked them up yet? Was it because they couldn't keep their hands off each other?

Merlin, that was exactly why.

"Sorry…" he muttered, waving his wand. He didn't bother folding them, he just sent all their clothes into a single pile. He'd worry about sorting them later. "We should have at least cleaned up a bit… But, in our defense, we didn't think you'd be back before lunch today. I was planning to be out of here by then."

Angelina shrugged. "I lucked up and got an early portkey out. Don't worry, Pucey. I'm rather glad, honestly."

"Glad this place looks like a hurricane hit it?" he asked sardonically, before taking a sip of tea.

"That." She sighed. "Alicia needed this." She gestured vaguely around. "The Healer program is insane and she's been running herself ragged for almost a year. And she's missed you something awful. As weird as it sounds, I actually felt really happy for her when I stepped inside, tripped over two cloaks, and realized there was a trail of clothing. Mind, I did swear a blue streak under my breath. Nearly fell into the bloody counter."

"I'll clean before she gets up."

"It's fine. You can sit down, you know."

He hesitated before slowly moving to sit in the armchair. "How was the training week?"

"Brutal. Jones put us through hell. How was the wedding?"

"It was fine."

"Well." She smiled over her mug again. "You ran into Alicia, so…"

"So it was absolutely worth it."

"What about all of those thugs in your old dorm? Did anyone see you leave with her? That was why you wouldn't date her openly at Hogwarts."

Adrian hesitated. "None of them were there, thankfully. And I don't intend to see them again if I can avoid it. But we are in the middle of a war."

"We are."

He frowned. "I won't join the Death Eaters, if that's what you want to know."

She rolled her eyes. "I guessed that."

Adrian paused. "Would you object… if I were to crash here occasionally? Particularly when you have games or practice? That way I'd know she's not alone."

Angelina tilted her head appraisingly. "I would feel better if you did, honestly. I worry about her, being here by herself."

"And if you are home… I can set some pretty strong charms around her room so you won't hear us. I need to do that anyway."

"That would be appreciated."

"Also, I put an extension charm on the bathroom cupboard. That is the smallest fucking loo I've ever seen in my life."

Angelina burst out laughing. "Yes, well, we were rather limited on options, you know. It's not like we had a thousands of galleons to blow on a posh place!"

"I can help with the rent, some."

"That would also be appreciated."

At that moment, Alicia appeared, yawning and wearing his Sapphire Overdose t-shirtwithout a bra, over a pair of black silky knickers, with her long hair pulled back in a ponytail, and he found he was suddenly gripping the mug a little too tightly.

"Adrian, did you put on tea? I—" She suddenly yelped and pulled his shirt down slightly. "Angelina!"

"I made tea," Angelina answered, waving her wand so the privacy charm disappeared and a mug appeared on the tea table for Alicia. "But go put on a pair of shorts before Pucey drags you back into that bedroom, please. And a bra, yeah? He might forget to cast the soundproofingwards, otherwise."

Alicia turned as red as fire but went back into her room.

"At least you're tall," Angelina added, grinning at him. "Your t-shirt comes down to her thighs."

Adrian groaned and leaned back in the armchair, staring at the ceiling. "Really, Johnson?"

"I know you like seeing her in your clothes."

Bloody hell, did he ever.

And then something suddenly occurred to him. "Just a second," he said, and he raised his wand and cast a Patronus before he forgot.

"Who did you send that to?"

"If they respond, you'll know." He sighed. "If I'm going to stay here sometimes, I need to get permission to tell both of you some things. But I don't know if I'll get it or not."

Angelina's brow furrowed but she didn't ask questions, and Alicia came back into the room a minute later, wearing a pair of athletic shorts and (thankfully) a bra. She picked up her tea and, to Adrian's horror, decided to sit in his lap instead of on the sofa next to Angelina. He just did get an arm around her as she sank against him and sipped her tea.

"How was training?" she asked her friend, as though she hadn't just shagged a boy for nearly two days straight and wasn't sitting in his lap.

"Not nearly as fun as your week."

Alicia smiled. "I would agree with that."

Adrian coughed slightly. "'Licia. Get off my lap, would you?"

"I like your lap."

"Seriously, Alicia," Angelina snorted. "If you start snogging him with me in the room, I'll hex you both."

Alicia rolled her eyes, stood up, and went to sit beside Angelina. "Fine."

Adrian sat forward and kept sipping his tea. Where was that bloody Patronus?

"What isyour Patronus?" Angelina asked curiously.

"A goshawk," he answered.

"Why would you ask that?" Alicia asked.

"He just sent one to someone."

At that moment, a Patronus burst before them all — a phoenix. Angelina and Alicia both gasped.

Very well, you may tell them. But it is imperative that they agree not to tell anyone else. Your safety is important, Adrian.

The Patronus disappeared. Adrian sighed and sank against the chair. "Thank Merlin."

"That was Professor Dumbledore," Alicia said warily. "Adrian, what's going on?"

"I can finally tell you," he muttered, closing his eyes. "Why I couldn't contact you for so long or explain anything. It's been driving me insane, but Dumbledore made me promise."

Angelina stammered, "Wait… are you in the Order?"

He shrugged even as he heard Alicia gasp. "Yes. There are at least a couple of us in the Order who are invisible, so to speak. We're unknown to almost all the rest." He sighed again and went on, "Last summer, Professor Dumbledore taught me Legilimency and Occlumency. I spent the summer spying on the wizarding elite at various society functions, reading people's minds."

When he finally opened his eyes to look at them, it didn't help that they were staring at him in shock. He flushed and added, "I found four new Death Eaters that way and reported them back to Professor Dumbledore. At that point, he sent me to France and asked me to lay low for a month or so. I stayed with my brother for a few days and he agreed to help recruit support for the Order in Paris, since he lives there. Then I went to southern France and spent a month with my grandparents outside of Saint-Tropez. I tried to get support among the upper class witches and wizards there, but… most don't want any part of our war," he said bitterly. "And Dumbledore has also asked me to specifically stay in contact with one other person in the Order, but that person is also secretly working for the Order, so I can't tell you their name or what they're doing. When I returned to England, I moved back in with my parents and I've continued to lay low."

"Did anyone figure out what you were doing last summer?" Angelina asked seriously, frowning at him.

He shook his head. "I don't thinkso. I was worried Marcus Flint did —"

Alicia and Angelina stiffened, and Angelina growled, "Should've guessed hewas a Death Eater."

Adrian raked a hand through his hair. "Dumbledore's more worried the Dark Lord will want to recruit me soon. If any of my classmatesjoined his ranks, they'll tell him how good I am at Defense. He apparently wants fighters. At some point, I'll fight for the Order, but Dumbledore doesn't want me to do so until it becomes completely unavoidable. I've also been scouting safehouses with Remus Lupin and Kingsley Shacklebolt this spring. They're the only two in the Order who know I'm involved besides Professor Dumbledore and the other secret member I mentioned. Remus, Kingsley and I were able to secure four places and put wards around them —"

Alicia had wrapped her arms around herself and her expression was one of shock. That didn't make this any easier, he thought.

Angelina asked warily, "What of your family?"

"My parents know what Atticus and I are doing. They haven't forbidden us —"

"Atticus?"

"My older brother," he amended. "Our family — we aren't Death Eaters. We never have been. In fact, my parents secretly supported Dumbledore even in the first war. But we also understand the ridiculous politics surrounding Slytherin House and the wealthy, and it's always a fine balance to maintain the status quo. During the first war, the Dark Lord wanted my father. For his knowledge of Potions, apparently. Father evaded him by leaving the country and taking us with him. I was born in France, you know." He gave them a small smile.

Alicia stared at him. "You were born in France?"

"At my grandparents' residence. I'm actually fluent in French, but no one knows it outside my family and Dumbledore. And now the two of you. But this time, my father can't leave the country without arousing more suspicion. So we have to stay here."

"I'm assuming you didn't know any of this," Angelina said, glancing at Alicia.

Alicia shook her head mutely, and Adrian winced.

"I'm really sorry, Alicia," he said in a hollow voice. "I wish I could have told you sooner. I hated hiding it from you."

"It's okay," she answered quietly. "Though, I did wonder what you had been doing for the past year. But Dumbledore told you not to say anything, right?"

He nodded. "He asked me to avoid you for a while because he didn't want anyone to know what I was doing. He was trying to protect me."

She gave him a small, sad smile. "We have to trust Professor Dumbledore, even if it doesn't make sense. And I would rather you stay safe, even if it meant not telling me. At least I understand, now."

"So…" Angelina looked at him. "What are you going to do now?"

Adrian shrugged. "I don't have any orders right now. So I'm just waiting for ProfessorDumbledore to give me additional tasks, really."

"Godric," Alicia murmured, shaking her head. "I can't believe you're actually in the Order! Professor Dumbledore wouldn't let me join…"

Adrian frowned. "Because he wanted you to get through as much of the Healer program as possible before actual battles start happening. Alicia, you don't realize how much danger you're in. The Death Eaters would try to kill you if they thought you might heal Order members in the event of a battle —"

Angelina tensed. "I didn't think about that."

Alicia, however, looked resolute. "I'll be careful."

"You say that," Adrian said through gritted teeth. "But I also know how you are —"

"And how is that?" she retorted.

"You're a bloody Gryffindor, Alicia —"

"Well, that doesn't seem to have any bearing in this discussion," she fired back. "You're a bloody Slytherin and you're in the Order! What's the difference?"

"I know, but —"

"I promise I'll be careful! It's youI'm worried about —!"

"Just don't say anything about my involvement," he reminded her. "That's how you can protect me. I haven't quite figured out how to protect you yet, but I will."

"We won't say anything about you being in the Order," Angelina said staunchly.

Alicia agreed. "Never. I don't want anything to happen to you."

After a long pause, he said, "I guess I should get my stuff and head out. We need to sort through our clothes, Alicia."

She bit her lip. "I forgot we left them everywhere. I didn't think about picking them up yesterday."

Angelina snorted. "I imagine not. Considering they were strewn throughout the entire flat…"

Alicia at least turned pink from slight embarrassment as she muttered,"Well, he's very distracting."

At that, Angelina burst into laughter. "I don't doubt it!"

Adrian knew he couldn't look any better than Alicia. "I'll grab my stuff then," he winced, getting up to head back to the bedroom and find his other set of clothes. Or, maybe he should just leave them in the flat for next time…

He was not surprised when Alicia followed him back into her bedroom. He hadn't even turned around before she closed the door behind them, pulled him down, and kissed him.

"Shag me one more time before you leave," she breathed against his lips. "Please?"

How the fuck was he supposed to say no to that request? He pulled her back towards the bed while kissing her. Her hands were already under the wrinkled dress shirt, palming firmly over his chest, her fingers rubbing his nipples until he groaned.

"I'll be back tomorrow evening, you know," he muttered against her mouth.

She grinned, slid her hands down his stomach, and hooked her fingers in the waist of his jeans. "I know, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to feel all of you right now, love."

He blushed. "At least let me set the soundproofing wards first, before Johnson hexes both of us."

"Fine," she agreed. "Because she absolutely would."

Adrian resolutely did not look at Alicia as he set the wards. It was a good thing too, because when he finally turned to find her, she was sitting in the middle of the bed, waiting on him, biting her lower lip while her eyes sparkled. She'd taken her bra off but was still wearing his t-shirt and those silky black knickers.

Merlin, he was a goner, and he knew it.

Though I never state it in the story, I imagine Adrian's antique wizard's watch belonged to his great-grandfather on his mother's side - his grandfather's father, who was French. The watch itself is also French-made.

Author's Notes:

Not stated in the story, but Adrian did leave his jeans in the sitting room the night before. He finds them just inside the door of Alicia's bedroom, and thought he left them near the sofa. Angelina levitated them in the room for him just before he woke up. It was a hard call for her... a part of her wanted to see him walk naked into the sitting room. But out of respect for Alicia, she took the high road.

This chapter spawned a NSFW outtake, Pressure Points, which is kind of silly and unrealistic but that's why it's fanfiction (and why it didn't make it into the main story.) It can be found on AO3 under my user name (Eccentric Amethyst), under the story "Stolen Moments: Outtakes", chapter 4.