Alicia Belrose's Secret (P3)

"-Licia! Alicia! Wake up!" Rowan's voice cut through your consciousness, forcing you to bolt up in your bed. "Are you planning to sleep the whole day away?" Rowan was already fully dressed, and the rest of the dormitory was empty. "Snape will kill you if you're late for Potions, you know!"

"...Bwuh?" Was the only response you felt prepared to give.

Rowan was already on her way out the door. "I'm waiting exactly three minutes, and then I'm leaving!" She called as she left the room. For a few seconds, you contemplated whether getting up was worth it. Of course, this only lasted long enough for you to remember that Snape was liable to eviscerate someone just for screwing up in his lessons, and you weren't looking forward to what might happen if you ditched him entirely.

Precisely two and a half minutes later, you were charging down the stairs, barrelling into Rowan, who had been waiting at the landing. With a shout, the two of you found yourselves sprawled across the floor. You hissed in pain, while Rowan groaned and scrambled to her feet, dragging you up and out of the common room with her.

"Seriously, Alicia, you've been all over the place lately! Are you sure you haven't been bewitched or something?" Rowan complained as she dragged you, stumbling and tripping, out into the corridor. "You should get Madame Pomfrey to look at you."

'Bewitched?' You thought to yourself as you let Rowan pull you through various corridors toward the Potions classroom. On the way, you passed by a younger student - first or second year - and your attention was drawn by her scarf. That colour...that lovely shade of violet.

Suddenly, all you could think about were those eyes. Those beautiful, enchanting eyes that you just wanted to lose yourself in. Eyes that you could just stare into for an eternity, absorbing every aspect of their beauty, until they were all you could think about and nothing existed in the world except you and her and slowly she'd lean in and-

"Alicia!" Rowan's voice once again cut through your thoughts. "You're, uhh, drooling."

With a mumbled "Damn...", you wiped your mouth and let out a slightly nervous laugh. Any more of that and Rowan would think you'd gone insane. "N-No, Rowan, I'm fine! I promise."

Looking entirely unconvinced, Rowan nodded. "Well...if you say so. Say, you've been like this ever since you fell off your broom in Flying class the other day. Did something happen to you? Was it Merula?"

Your nervous laugh grew slightly louder. "Wh-Why would it be Merula?" What did she know?

Rowan frowned, looking you up and down. "She took you to the Hospital Wing after you fell, right? Did she do anything to you?"

You felt a slight heat in your cheeks. Merula had done many things to you that day, after all. You remembered your dream, and all the burning, raging desires inside you immediately following it. You also remembered how comfortable you had felt, wrapped in Merula's arms, even as she blackmailed you. Of course, that was nothing compared to how you had felt as she held you by your tie and stroked your neck. Even thinking about it now made your heart race.

You finally managed to pull yourself out of your thoughts and realized Rowan was still waiting for an answer. "U-Uhh, No, she didn't do anything to me. Well, nothing besides the usual insults, anyway." Wow, you handled that almost like a normal person. You gave yourself a mental pat on the back.

"Are you sure? I've never seen you this scatter-brained before. I mean, you always were a little scatter-brained, but now you're REALLY bad."

"Geez, Rowan, I'm fine! I didn't realize I was under investigation here." Keep this up and you might get through this without convincing Rowan you were losing your mind!

Of course, you weren't that lucky. Suddenly, a hand landed on your shoulder, and a familiar scent filled your nostrils. "Come on, Belrose. You're in the way." Merula leaned in, her head coming up to rest over your shoulder. "You wouldn't want to make us late, would you? Who knows what Snape might do to you..." And then, she whispered into your ear, so quietly that Rowan couldn't hear her. "And who knows what I might do to you..." Ahead of you, you watched Rowan enter the classroom, missing the entire exchange.

Your body went stiff, and before you could stop it, images of what the girl currently standing very close to you could do to you began to flash through your mind. She could tell everyone your secret. She could start another duel against you, and in your current state, she'd probably win. She could...throw you against a wall, slap you and degrade you until you were on your hands and knees, begging for mercy.

You took a shuddering breath, trying to ignore the tiny voice in your head reminding you of your dream, of Merula's insinuation that you liked being at her mercy. "L-Leave me alone, Merula." You tried to keep your voice steady, in a vague attempt to hide what her presence alone was doing to your thoughts.

For a moment, she didn't move. She slowly lowered her head until it was resting on your shoulder. Her arms snaked around your shoulders until they were wrapped around you. For a moment, all was silent, save for the heavy beating of your heart and your irregular breaths as you felt the heat of Merula's arms on both sides of your neck.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, although it couldn't have been more than a few seconds, she leaned back, laughing lightly. "I think we both know that's not possible. Who knows what you'd get up to?" Tutting, she turned, heading toward the door to the Potions classroom. "Can't leave you alone for a second, can I?" With her parting words, she sauntered into the classroom.

For a moment, you wondered if today was worth it, and if you might still have time to run back to your dormitory and hide for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, while you were entertaining the idea, the ever-foreboding figure of Professor Snape appeared at the door.

"Belrose. Kindly cease wasting my time." Without another word, he turned and stalked back into the classroom. Sheepishly, you followed, taking your seat. Without even looking, you could feel Merula's calculating gaze burning a hole into the side of your face. On the other side, you could see Rowan setting up her textbooks, seemingly oblivious to everything that had happened.

This was going to be a tough hour.

"Turn to page 325. Instructions are on the right side, you have one hour. Anyone who does not produce an acceptable potion will find themselves here again, late at night, cleaning cauldrons until morning. Begin." Snape gave his customary short summary, before beginning to move around the room silently, appearing behind students whenever they even considered doing something other than the potion.

For the first ten minutes, things were relatively okay. Merula seemed content to leave you alone, choosing instead to focus on the cauldron the two of you had been forced to share since your first year. Similarly, Rowan was equally focused on her own cauldron, leaving you free from the constant state of fluster you'd been stuck in for the last day. You worked happily on your potion, pleased that things were relatively calm, at least for now.

After ten minutes, however, things began to take a turn for the worse. By this point, most students had reached the 'simmer' stage, where the potion simply had to sit at a high temperature for twenty minutes. During this time, most students would prepare the next few ingredients to be added, but since you were technically undertaking this assignment in a pair, Merula had finished preparing the ingredients by the time you brought the potion up to the correct temperature.

A whole classroom of students leaving potions at high temperatures soon led to the classroom becoming unbearably hot, and before long, students were casting off their robes and jumpers.

Merula was no exception, and a light sheen of sweat covered her face as she pulled off the heavy cloak and jumper. You were left frozen as you watched her sit up straighter to pull her jumper off fully, unable to look away as she stretched her arms up, her short-sleeved shirt riding further up her arms as she did so. Finally, she pulled the jumper off and dropped it on the floor beside her, looking back up to see you staring at her, completely lost in your mind.

For a moment, she sat still, but then she bit her lip slightly, and a smile started to bloom across her face. First, she looked over at Rowan, who appeared to have messed up somewhere and restarted her potion, causing her attention to be completely consumed by what was in front of her. Then, she reached over with a finger and lightly flicked you on the forehead, just hard enough to pull your attention back from some rather intense thoughts. Luckily for you, the classroom was just dark enough to cover the blush on your face.

Of course, when Merula brought her slender fingers to her tie and slowly loosened it, before undoing another button of her shirt, you found yourself completely ensnared by her. Merula placed an elbow on the table and leant on it, smirking at you. You could only stare at her, mouth agape, as she leaned forward, ensuring you got a good view down her shirt. She whispered, just loud enough for you to hear. "Watch Snape, not me, weirdo."

Your mind was in overdrive. What the hell did she think she was doing? She had promised not to reveal your secret, yet here she was, blatantly grabbing you and showing off during class, as if she was trying to get caught. Still, you found yourself unable to look away once she leaned forward. Your viewing angle was just enough to see more of her skin, but not quite enough to see anything beyond. Merula's chest remained just tantalizingly out of view.

Suddenly, she flicked your forehead again, causing you to snap out of your stupor. Wildly, you whipped your head around, taking stock of the situation. Luckily, Rowan was so preoccupied with her own potion that she had completely missed the exchange. Thanks to your position in the classroom, Merula was facing away from everyone else. With Rowan so focused on her own work, you were her only audience.

You realised you were breathing irregularly, struggling to hold yourself together as the girl you couldn't stop thinking about continued to tease you, knowing just how badly it affected you. "Why, Belrose, you look rather...flushed." Merula whispered in a breathy voice, no doubt revelling in the shivers it sent through your body. "Do you need to be excused? I'll gladly take you to the hospital wing." She slowly, agonizingly, licked her lips as she said it.

You let out a shuddering breath that you didn't realize you were holding. "Wh-What are you talking about?" You said in a futile attempt to pull yourself away from the thoughts watching Merula lick her lips had brought you to. Time out of lessons with only Merula...anything could happen. That tiny voice in your head reared its ugly head once more, snidely suggesting that there was something you wanted to happen.

"I mean..." She leaned in to whisper in your ear. You found yourself torn between shying away and moving even closer. "I want you all to myself." And with that, your composure (or what was left of it) broke.

"H-Huh?!" You shot upright, looking around wildly. Unfortunately, the momentum caused your stool to begin tipping backwards, and this time Merula couldn’t catch you. With a shout, you began to fall backwards. You flailed your arms and legs wildly, attempting to restore your balance, but instead you found the stool tipping back even faster.

Your run of bad luck wasn't over, however. As you finally fell from the chair fully, your foot came up with just enough force to kick Merula in the leg, hard. She jumped to her feet with a pain-filled gasp, before sitting back down to rub her sore leg.

You, meanwhile, finally crashed into the floor, banging your head on the shelf behind you. At that point, you'd already given up every shred of dignity with your pathetic attempts at not falling, so you didn't even bother getting up yet. You simply curled into a ball, holding your head.

And then your potion exploded.

"Knew I shouldn't have gotten up today..." You mumbled to yourself, before stumbling to your feet and surveying the wreckage. Another cauldron twisted beyond recognition. Sludgy remains of today's potion were scattered across the desk. Both Merula and Rowan were covered in your failed potion and in Merula's case, pieces of the cauldron itself.

Merula lowered her arms from her face, staring at you as sludge dripped from her hair. "You... are in so much trouble."

You'd known it was coming, but Professor Snape's voice still made you jump. "Belrose. Snyde. Detention." Merula's head whipped round, sending some sludge splattering over Snape's robes. She let out a slight 'eep' when he almost growled.

'Cute.' You thought to yourself.

"Sir, why am I in detention? Belrose is the idiot who ruined the potion!" Merula attempted to bargain with the irate Potions Master.

"It is your potion too, Snyde. Both of you will be here after dinner tonight. There are no excuses. Am I understood?" Snape's tone left no room for arguments.

"Y-Yes, sir." Sufficiently cowed, Merula turned and silently began to clean up the workspace. Sensing that antagonism would not be in your best interests right now, you did your best to help her. For the rest of the lesson, you cleared up your desk and helped Rowan with her potion while trying to ignore Merula's intense gaze.

Finally, the lesson ended, and everyone began to pack up and leave the room. You were about to follow Rowan out when Snape's voice sounded once more. "Belrose. Snyde. Come here." Both you and Merula approached Snape's desk without a word. "This is not the first time the two of you have been disruptive in my lessons. I will not tolerate any more of your behaviour, so either work out your issues or find new seats. Perhaps you will finally learn to get along while cleaning out my stock of rat spleen jars. Now get out of my classroom." Again, without a word, both of you left the classroom.

It wasn't long before Merula dragged you down the first side corridor she found. With a growl of her own, she threw you up against the wall and grabbed you by your cloak. Something about her angered state triggered something deep within you, and all strength seemed to flee your body as your stared up into her eyes. You were trapped, held captive by their piercing gaze. Belatedly, you realized she was speaking.

"...Knew you were clumsy, but all it takes is for you to fall on the floor and somehow you manage to attack me, injure yourself and blow up our potion? You really are some piece of work, Belrose!"

As much as being this close to her made you want to melt, you couldn't let that slide. "M-Me? This is your fault!"

She pushed you up against the wall harder, bringing her head within centimetres of yours. "Oh? And how is it my fault, exactly?" She whispered dangerously.

Your breath grew shaky and you felt her breath on your skin once more. "Y-You...said..." The words couldn't escape your lips.

Merula wasn't going to let you off that easily, though. "What did I say?" When you didn't answer immediately, she released her grip slightly before pushing you into the wall once more. This time, she pressed her body against yours, sending your heart rate through the roof. "I asked you a question, Belrose!"

Try as you might, you simply couldn't resist her. She had ensnared you completely. "You said that you want me...all...to...yourself..." With that, all strength in your body fled. You would have fallen to the floor if Merula hadn't pulled you upright and wrapped her arms around you. She slowly shifted her head so that her mouth was right next to your ear.

"That's right..." She moved her head down until her mouth with millimetres above your neck. You tried to keep your breathing steady, half terrified that someone could walk in at any moment. Deep down, no matter how much you didn't want to admit it, you knew that you wanted her to keep going. "You're mine, Alicia Belrose." She whispered just loudly enough for you to hear it. Immediately, your mind was cast back to the few remnants of your dream that you still remembered. An image flashed through your minds, along with an echo of Merula saying those exact same words before kissing you. You vividly remembered the expression you had seen on the other you's face. Vaguely, you wondered if your face looked similar at this moment. Suddenly, you felt something touch your neck. As realization dawned on you, your breath increased to something resembling a pant. Your fingers spasmed and heat rushed to your cheeks. You tried to speak but found that all you could do was gasp and moan. All conscious thought disappeared save for one dominant thought.

'Merula Snyde is licking my neck!'

Your mind had barely begun to work past the tongue when Merula's teeth nipped lightly at the sensitive skin of your neck. Before you knew it, a noise escaped your lips, some combination of a moan and a cry. Your body felt hot, and without your consent, you suddenly found your own arms thrown around Merula, roaming up and down her back and running through her soft hair. Electricity raced through your body and for a moment, you were concerned that you'd forgotten to breath entirely.

And as fast as it had started, Merula stopped. She pulled her head away and tried to turn away, only to find that she was dragging you along with her. You weren't ready to let go of her, not to mention that you weren't entirely sure your legs could support your body now. Merula grabbed hold of your arms and pulled them apart, letting you flop to the ground in an undignified mess. Well, as if you'd had any dignity left in the first place. "Didn't you hear me? You belong to me, not the other way around." She sighed and turned back to you, squatting down. She patted your head lightly, before lightly caressing your cheek. "Behave yourself, like a good pet."

Before she continued down the corridor, however, she turned around to point a finger at you. "I'm still going to have to punish you for hitting me like that. Not to mention getting us both in detention." With a wicked smile that haunted your every waking thought, she turned and stalked down the corridor, leaving the collapsed, quivering mess that had once been you on the floor behind her.