Not-so-alone Time ((Cue Aden))

Feeling frazzled, Amelia walked down the fifth floor corridor, hoping to meet no one along the way. She had already had far too much human contact for one day and was looking to spend some time alone with her thoughts. It seemed that although she had managed to remain invisible for most of her first five years here, her fellow students and the faculty of Hogwarts had taken notice of her since she had returned this year.

Dressed casually instead of in her Hogwarts robes, Amelia counted the doors as she passed them One… two… three… four. She stopped at the fourth door, looking right to see the status of Boris the Bewildered that had always left her wondering why Hogwarts would have a statue of such a thing out in the open. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face the door of what she knew to be the prefect’s bathroom.

“Warm vanilla sugar,” Amelia recited, knowing the password had changed since her last visit because the head boy had announced it at the last student-staff meeting. Having said this, Amelia reached for the crystal door handle and pushed it open to reveal the interior of the prefect’s bathroom, a haven which she chose second only to the library.

Closing the door behind her, Amelia descended the few steps which led to the sunken bathtub. The white marble gleamed even when dry and Amelia could see bits of her reflection as she walked past and set her things down on one of the benches, covered with cream-coloured upholstery which was inappropriate for a bathroom, but very lovely.

Amelia reached for the tap closest to the bench, the one which she knew would fill the tub with warm, pure water. Although the other taps made for an intriguing bathing experience, Amelia wanted first to clear her head. Making quick work of the buttons on her shirt, Amelia shrugged it off and unzipped the jeans she had pulled on this morning. Shimmying them off left her in her black bikini, understated – as most of Amelia’s things were – but appropriate for the amount of use it got.

Neatly folding her things into a pile left the water enough time to fill the marble tub, warping the designs which were drawn on the bottom. Amelia reached to turn off the tap before stepping onto the diving board, looking down at the water for only a moment before diving headfirst into the warm, blissfully silent depth.

Aden was very glad he was a prefect if not for one reason, the bathroom. The bath tub was verging on Olympic pool size, which is just something he found rather odd. He hoped that no was in there he found it very odd to take a bath with any of the other prefects. Considering that Aden barely knew the other prefects. They all had badges they were supposed to wear but not one of them did, and that is the reason Aden could not tell who the Prefects were. of course it wasn't like Aden wore his badge. It was an awkward prospect wearing a badge like that around.

Aden walked up to the door next to the statue of Boris the Bewildered. The statue was about as odd as the man, and Aden couldn't really place why it was there. Perhaps it was an attempt to throw people of as to the place of the prefect bathroom."Warm Vanilla Sugar" Aden whispered toward the door as the handle in his had turned. The door opened with ease, an instantly Aden dry face was hit with a soothing wave of warm moisture.

Aden hoped the steam was left from someone that had just finished taking a bath and not someone who was currently in there. Aden took a few more steps in before his worst fear was confirmed and multiplied. Not only was it some one else it was a girl. Aden could see her long hair flowing through the water before he quickly turned to face the door. Aden began to walk out when it struck him what if she had already seen him? Would it be weird if he left now, or should he just keep heading in.

*Damn it* Aden thought to himself before he took the final steps towards the edge of the bath tub. Aden was delighted to see that it was an odd girl who takes her baths in a bikini. "Well do you always take baths in Bikini's?" Aden said not so subtly announcing his pressance to the poor girl. her head was still under water as it had only been moment since Aden had entered the room, and she had likely just submerged herself when Aden walked in.

Amelia’s entire body relished in the feeling of the water around her, the weightlessness of the water making her feel as though she had entered another dimension where gravity simply did not exist. The change in temperature from the air to the water gave her chicken skin across the entirety of her body, but it didn’t faze her much. A cloud of red hair rose around her face and she pushed it out of the way, looking toward the surface to see the light from the candelabra above the tub shining through like tiny pinpricks of stars.

She moved her feet rapidly to propel herself toward the bottom of the pool, feeling the cold marble there beneath her feet. Just as she was resting alone in the quiet at the bottom of the pool, her soliloquy was interrupted by what sounded like a door opening, followed by a voice muffled by the water. Although Amelia would have preferred to stay at the bottom of the pool and avoid contact with whomever it was that had just arrived, she was running out of air.

By bending her knees she was able to get very close to the bottom of the pool before quickly straightening her legs and pushing off the bottom, accelerating her rise to the surface before her lungs ran out of oxygen. Her head broke the surface of the water and she took in a large gulp of the warm, humid air of the bathroom. After pushing away the strands of hair that had plastered themselves to her face, Amelia opened her eyes to see a tall blonde boy watching her from the side of the bathtub. Aden Williams.

Looking to the door that still stood ajar behind him, Amelia realized she had forgotten to bolt the door. It was her usual tactic to bolt the door from the inside to prevent anyone from interrupting her swim, but this of all times she had forgotten. She could feel colour rising to her cheeks as she tread water in the center of the pool, looking at Aden awkwardly without thinking of anything to say. Judging from the muffled voice she had heard and the way he was looking at her, Amelia gathered that he had asked her something, though she had no way of knowing what it was.

“Hello, Aden,” she managed finally, several minutes too late for this to have been a proper conversation starter. She remained in the middle of the pool, her arms and legs moving in large circles to keep herself afloat. The distance between them made it easier for Amelia to think coherently and forget that she was wearing the essential equivalent to underwear and a bra.

At least you decided to swim before taking your bath… Amelia thought, thankful that for once the situation was less awkward than it had the potential to be. If he had come in an hour later you would have been wearing far less…

Aden saw that she was dreading the fact that Aden had come in her too, by the way she sat at the bottom of the pool for as long as she could. When she surfaced though Aden was shocked and awed by the fact he did indeed know this prefect. it was Amelia Lyons the girl he had met running the other day. Though this meeting was a tad bit more awkward then that one simply because she was not wearing any clothes except her bathing suit.

It was hard to come by a girl in a bathing suit in Hogwarts, as Scotland was not the warmest of place, and they were here for about one month of swimming weather. When it was warm enough only the bravest of girls would go take a swim in the black lake. not that anything was going to jump out and grab you while swimming, but there was always that sentiment that it could happen, thus no one went for a swim.

Aden smiled down at her, but it wasn't his usual i have to smile at you because for some reason you know my name, he did that a lot, but it was genuine not something he forced himself to do. His lips curled upwards on their own accord showing his teeth which could put the white marble to shame with their shade. "Well hello Amelia, it truly is a pleasure to be seeing you you again." Aden said not being able to stop himself from briefly chuckling, cause knowing the girl she was from their brief visit she must be really embarrassed. It his thoughts were confirmed as the red overtook her face.

Aden understanding her emotions figured it would probably be best if he left, after all this was just a little bit out of his comfort zone as well. Aden turned towards the store and started to head that way before he called back towards her. "Well as i know this must be weird for you, I will take my leave now. I look forward to our next meeting though, cause i have a feeling you won't be wearing anything."

Aden’s smile came easily, as she had seen him do that first time they had met running. Although she had been extremely awkward during their run, Aden had been completely at ease, clearly more comfortable in social situations than she was. Although he had managed to get her to agree to a race, their meeting hadn’t extended far past social pleasantries, which made the fact that their second meeting left her barely clothed that much more blush-inducing.

Amelia wanted to return his smile, but hers ended up being closed-lipped. Genuine smiles were hard to come by for her, and her present state of embarrassment combined with the physical exertion it took to hold herself up prevented her from beaming at him the way he did at her. His words were friendly and sincere, although a touch of something more was hidden behind his words when he mentioned he was glad to see her again. He wasn’t leering, per say, but he had definitely noticed her lack of attire. His laughter echoed off the polished marble walls, filling the room with its boisterous nature.

Amelia knew she should have responded to Aden, but couldn’t find a way to do so without sounding either rehearsed or utterly embarrassed. She was both, to be sure, but she did not want to come off that way. While she was treading and pondering what would sound least awkward, the boy turned toward the door, making as though he would leave. Amelia was surprised by this, that she was getting off so easily and that Aden would choose to leave her alone without a fight. Most of the students at Hogwarts made themselves perpetually present, even when she gave every indication possible that she would rather be alone.

As he turned, though, Aden showed that though he was opting to leave without a fight, he was not going to leave without throwing his two cents in. Although the first of his departing words were diplomatic enough, the his last remark caused Amelia’s eyes to become wide as dinner plates.

“Excuse me?” Amelia asked, nearly laughing aloud at the absurdity of his comment. Although she had no problem with him choosing to leave, she did not want him to exit the bathroom with the idea that she might be caught nude upon their next meeting. True, he had taken note of the fact that she seemed to be wearing progressively less every time they met, but the absurdity of his statement was too much to let slide. She swam toward the edge of the pool, holding onto the side of the bathtub with her fingertips when she reached it and calling out to Aden, hoping to stop him before he could leave the bathroom with such an idea in his head.

“Aden!” she shouted, her voice far too loud for the small, echoing room. She moderated it to a lower volume, her voice a little higher pitched than usual from embarrassment.

“I wouldn’t hold out hope for that, Aden!” It would have been embarrassing enough that he noticed her lack of clothing, but from what he had said he didn’t seem to dislike what he saw either.

Aden smile turned into a devilish grin when he heard her mumble Excuse me to herself, and Aden of course would not excuse her for her lack of clothing because there really was nothing wrong with it. Aden had reached the door he had left open, and he could feel the hot hair being sucked out into the cold castle corridor. The chill sent goosebumps through his epidermis as she called out at him. Aden hoped she didn't misconstrued his goosebumps to come from her chillingly high voice.

She told him not to get his hopes up, but they already were up. This could be intriguing just to stay. At the very least he could flirt with the only hot girl he would see in something close to underwear until the term ended. While Aden hated summer's because of his parents, he loved them for the country club pool, and the beaches of France. Being the son of a duke had some privileges. Aden shut the door, and turned around so that Amelia could see the foolish grin he now wore.

"On another thought i never have the time to come down here, so i think i will just share." Aden said as he took of his gold colored sweater and began to unbutton his shirt from the top. Revealing his pecs, and the beginning of his abs, before he stopped to look up and gauge her reaction. This would probably be one of the best things he had seen in a while, after all he hadn't really been this playful in some time.

"Oh and about that other meeting trust me I am holding out hope lots and lots of hope" he said laughing. Of course he was joking, and he hoped she would not take offense to it, but use the quick witted humor he knew that she posed. She had been very good at coming up with jokes when they were running by the lake, that was once Aden warmed her up a bit. Aden went back to unbuttoning his shirt with his eyes still locked on her wet face.

Amelia watched Aden pause at the door, no doubt having heard what she shouted as she supposed anyone standing anywhere on the fifth floor would have heard her shouting. Although generally a quiet and very introverted person, Amelia’s voice had a tendency to leap several decibels – not to mention octaves – when she was nervous or embarrassed. At the moment, she was feeling both emotions at high levels, the nerves from wondering whether Aden was going to go running to his friends to tell them what he had seen, and the embarrassment because he had seen her at all.

Why, oh why, must I always get myself into these situations? Amelia wondered, still holding tight to the edge of the pool. She held her breath, conflicted in her hoping. On one hand, she had come here with the intention of being alone; Aden staying was a direct contradiction of that, and even if he did choose to tell his friends, chances were that few of them would even know of her existence. On the other hand, Amelia didn’t want him leaving with false ideas about her. She would rather have him thinking nothing about her than to believe something untrue.

Regardless of what she hoped would occur, Aden was going to make up his own mind, and did after about a minute’s hesitation. The grin that was plastered across his heavily angled face showed the lack of seriousness he felt for the situation and he closed the door while still on the bathroom side of it, which Amelia took to mean he was staying. His words confirmed this, as did the fact that he immediately started removing his clothing.

Oh Merlin, why didn’t you just let him go?

Amelia couldn’t help but watch as Aden began to unbutton his shirt, the tanned skin beneath it showing as his hands moved lower and lower on his torso. Not usually one to gawk, Amelia generally kept her observations of others discreet and went unnoticed. In this situation, however, it would have been hard to watch him without being seen. He was, after all, practically staring at her, no doubt watching for her reaction to all of this. Amelia worked very hard to keep her eyes trained on his and not allow them to fall to where his fingers lingered, though it was tempting. From what her peripheral vision told her, the view wasn’t bad. Though she may not have been at all interested in forming a connection with the boy nor having any sort of human contact, she was not altogether opposed to looking. She was just opposed to being caught.

Still dangling from the edge of the pool, only her shoulders, neck, and head visible to Aden, Amelia blushed an even darker shade of crimson at his next words. He knew all too well that his words would garner this reaction from her, as he had witnessed it when they ran together. Amelia was unaccustomed to flirtation, being a horrible failure at it herself, and she had had very few suitors over the years. Aden took advantage of this, knowing full well that she would be not only embarrassed by his comment, but also riled enough to respond without filtering for appropriateness.

“Hope is nothing but the denial of reality,” Amelia responded with a small smirk, quoting Margaret Weis, an novelist popular in America. Having been raised to work hard for what you wanted instead of hoping good things would come to you, Amelia had first read the poem carved above the door of her father’s study. For some reason it had stuck with her over the years, and although it might have been too serious for the present discussion, it would possibly be enough to wipe the smirk off Aden’s face. Possibly, but not likely.

Just as it was possible, but not likely that Amelia would be able to avoid being caught staring as Aden’s hands continued their path down the line of buttons on his shirt, his eyes meeting hers in a way that said, Go on, look. I dare you. By way of combating this challenge, Amelia dipped herself below the surface of the water, pushing off from the wall with her legs and shooting across the bathtub to the other side, only resurfacing once she came in contact once again with smooth marble.

She was indeed enjoying the show that Aden so willingly put on for her. She could not help her self from staring for some reason or another, and her face flushed with a new vigorous red shade of embarrassment. Aden was enjoying the sexual attention as he had not received any since last year. well there was the other day, but that was moaning Myrtle which is just weird, and Aden was always creeped out by it.

Her words were a sting at Aden, but the more he mulled over them, while unbuttoning his shirt which seemed to have quite a bit of buttons, he began to believe that it was true. He would try to apply that to his life, but right not was the time to HOPE. Aden was assumed by the way she dealed with the temptation that was him. This of course gave him the rest of the time he needed to undress.

Aden took off his shirt, and then proceeded to unzip his pants. Aden was wearing a pair of red boxer briefs that have a bit of nylon in them that made them seem like a cross breed between tights and normal boxer briefs. Aden shimmied off his pants and dived into the pool before she surfaced again. Aden followed her over to the side white marble bath. Stopping just before the side, and surfacing about the same time as her.

"Well then how can I Change this hope into Reality so I am no longer denying it?" Aden said in a cocky playful tone. He was usually this flirtatious but he hadn't been in a really long time. it was nice to have that aspect of his personalty back, but still under neath it all he would always be a gentleman. Aden did feel like he was compromising the gentleman part just a bit after all he was forcing her to go through this. In the muggle movies though the guy that leaves at times like this never have a good time.

Amelia did not notice the disruption in the water when Aden entered it, leaving her blissfully unaware that he was about to close the space between them that had kept her mind clear and single-tracked. She gave herself nearly a minute under the water, thinking in the echo-y silence over what she should do about the current situation she found herself in. She had just as much right to be here as Aden did, but his presence made her uncomfortable. It wasn’t so much that she disliked the Gryffindor boy, but rather that he tended to bring out a side of her that made her nervous.

Out of breath, and therefore time, Amelia rose to the surface, opening her eyes once again to find Aden looking right at her. She nearly swallowed a mouthful of water in surprise but managed to keep her mouth closed despite her shock at finding him so close to her. She usually never let anyone get this physically close to her when she was dry and fully clothed. Although there were several cubic feet over water between them and she could likely outswim him if she chose, his proximity was enough to make her mind spin again. She hated the feeling of losing control of her own thoughts when he poked holes in her mental defenses and wished once again that she were not bound by societal norms which kept her from poking back.

Aden’s words echoed against the marble of which the bathroom was made, sending his words back to her on repeat although hearing them once was enough to make her blush once again. He was close enough to her that she could feel the movement of the water when he stroked to keep himself afloat and definitely close enough that she could not ignore the way his physique seemed to have become even more distracting – if that were possible – now that it was wet. She fluttered her feet to put some distance between them before believing herself far enough away to be capable of intelligent thought.

“Unless you are practiced in and willing to use the imperius curse,” Amelia said, focusing on her words so as not to stumble over them, “I would say that hope is going to remain purely fictional, which may not be all that bad. From what I hear, the fantasy is always much better than the reality.”

Her attempt at assuming Aden’s cocky tone was a dismal failure, as were most of her attempts to match his wit. When it came to flirtatious advances, which is what she assumed Aden was doing, Amelia just didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t practiced and was simply too awkward to manage to respond with any degree of believability. She didn’t really understand why she was even putting up with his flirting in the first place; perhaps it was because this type of attention was so rarely focused on her that she hadn’t had time to prepare and rehearse a response, forcing her, for once, to think of her feet instead of answering with one of her mother’s painstakingly practiced “ladylike” lines.

Aden was surprised that she wasn't shocked to see him so close to her, but after all she was descant to get use to his advances at some point. Aden felt like this was probably all a little to much, and he probably should back off some at least a little. Aden was never a man for self control. If you put a plate of brownies in front of him he would eat them all even though he knew it would make him fat. Right now Amelia was that plate of brownies and just like then he could not resit to try again. Try at what he did not know.

She spoke about the imperious curse, and Aden couldn't help but snort. Because he did indeed know how to perform the charm, but he was not willing to use it except to stop some one from taking their own life. She went on speaking about how the fiction is always better then the real thing, and Aden's mind began to cycle through things that he had fantasized about and the truths behind them. She was right it seemed like the Fiction was always better.

"Well you seem like the scientific type of girl. Why don't we have an experiment. The problem is the question of fiction being better then reality. My hypothesis is No reality can be better the fiction in some cases." Aden said his smile wider then it usually was. Aden put his arms on the edge of the pool encasing her in before he leaned in. Aden was pretty close to her now, and was really worried how she would respond. Aden told himself that this would be his last Brownie tonight.

Aden leaned his face in closer to the side of her face so that his mouth was really close to her ear. Aden wet his lips before pursing them and whispering to her "Would you like to test my Hypothesis?' Aden was wearing a cologne called Armani Code and he was sure that she could smell it now. on a side not Aden was really enjoying the warm water from the bath soothing and relaxing his muscles. He had Quidditch practice this morning so he had been aching all day.