The next morning was sort of slow. I woke up late, the last one in the dorm. There weren't any classes, fortunately, or I would have been in a world of trouble.
I made my way into the Great Hall, still rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I sat down next to Luna. Everyone else was bustling with activity, today the first quidditch match of the year was being held.
I looked at Luna, a bit surprised as I noticed the Lion head she wore. It looked paper mache, all though I couldn't quite tell. I just shook my head as I started loading food onto my plate.
"How you feeling, Ron?" I asked as I leaned forward to grab a cup of pumpkin juice.
"Wh- what?" He stammered, quite a bit nervous in my opinion. His eyes darted from his cup, to me, to Harry.
I raised an eyebrow in confusion as I looked at him. My eyes flickered to Hermione and then back at him. "About the match?"
"Oh... right." He sighed, letting out a breath and looking relieved. I tilted my head. "Good, yeah good."
"Is that so?" I said.
"Yeah." He smiled pridefully. "I'm feeling pretty lucky."
W E A S L E Y! W E A S L E Y!
Gryffindor won 250-0. It was an incredible match. Well, not for Slytherin, but everyone else was having a pretty good time.
W E A S L E Y! W E A S L E Y!
The name was being chanted, Gryffindor voices echoed in the common room. It was an easy match, thanks to Ron. He was right, he was lucky.
Everyone was celebrating, drinking and kissing, normal party activities.
I stood off to the side, next to Hermione and Harry, laughing along as Ron got boosted into the air. They set him down on the table, throwing confetti at him.
Hermione and Harry were whispering to each other, I took a sip of the fire whiskey I was holding. I'm not really a drinker, but I needed it.
I felt a tug on my sleeve, and I turned around to see Colin looking at me.
"What's up?" I said over the music, tilting my head.
"Dean's looking for you." He said, "He's outside."
I nodded in response, muttering a thanks as he walked away. I turned back to Hermione, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I need some air." I said into her ear. She just nodded in response.
As I walked outside, I heard an uproar of cheering, and even more people chanting Ron's name.
When the portrait shut behind me, it was suddenly silent. Deafening. I took another sip of the fire whiskey as I looked up and down the hall.
I froze in place when I saw Dean sitting in the window across from me. I let out a shaky breath as I went up to him.
"Hey." I said, crossing my arms.
"Hey." He immediately got up from his spot, walking closer to me. He had his hands in his pockets, and his shoulders were tensed up. "I heard you wanted to talk?"
"Yeah, uh." I started, darting my eyes away. I stared at the ground before slowly looking back up at him. "I'm sorry. About yesterday."
He tilted his head in confusion for a second before his eyes lit up and he nodded in understanding.
"I was being a jerk, just 'cause I was stressed and I was taking it out on you." I said, looking away again as I started to ramble. He cut me off by putting a hand under my chin, making me look up at him. I let out a breath.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay." He smiled. He moved in closer and I had to bite back the smile that was making its way to my face. "Really."
"Are you sure?" I asked him, my voice quiet as he closed the gap between us. He laughed slightly, nodding.
"I'm sure." He said.
He pressed his lips to mine and I immediately gave in. One hand went to the side of his face, pulling him even closer to me, the other hand held my cup close to my chest.
He pulled away for a second, licking his lips. "When did you start drinking?"
"Tonight." I said, moving my hand back to put my cup on the windowsill. "Just for tonight."
He hummed in response as he put a hand on my hip, pulling me close to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck as I kissed him again. I took a step back, my back going against the wall.
Suddenly, I heard the portrait shut and both of us broke apart to see who had come out, but no one was there.
Dean shrugged slightly as he looked back at me. I gave him a smile as I pulled him in again.
His hands tightened on my waist, his finger tips slipping under the hem of my shirt. My hand went to the back of his head, pulling him towards me more as I deepened the kiss. I lightly pulled at his collar, I didn't want any space between us.
The kiss was intense, probably heightened because of my drinking and the energy of the party. The sound of heavy breathing and our clothes rustling seemed to be the only noise in the long hallway. Finally, we broke apart for a moment.
Dean rested his forehead against mine, his dark eyes sparkling in the dim light from the moon shining through the window. I smiled up at him, letting out a breath.
"We should get back to the party." Dean whispered, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.
Dean cupped my cheek with his hand, his thumb brushing my lower cheekbone. "Alright," I replied, a smile spreading across my face.
I leaned in for another kiss, this one slower and more gentle than the one before, but just as breathtaking. We stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, lost in our own little world. When we finally broke apart, my cheeks were flushed and burning red, but I didn't care.
Call it a cliché, but I finally felt content. I wasn't worrying about what I was doing or what he thought of me. I felt free, in a way.