"Woah! Where did you get that?"

The girls in your class stand in a circle in a cluster around you. You stand among them with your latest acquisition, proudly presenting them with what you brought back from your last visit to London.

You proudly hold up the palm-sized jar.

"From London. A little shop near Diagon Alley sells this. A Muggle invented it."

Astonished murmurs go through the pack.

"A Muggle invented that? Amazing!" A Slytherin girl bobs her head enthusiastically.

Imelda, who has been watching from a distance, is now also curious by her housemate's comment. She pushes her way between the girls towards you.

"What have you got there anyway?" she asks, turning to you sceptically.

You hold the jar under her nose, the lid off. The jar contains a kind of cream. It looks soft in consistency and has a slightly reddish colour.

"This is lip gloss," you explain proudly to Imelda, "you put it on your lips. It makes them soft and slightly shiny. What's more, your lips will get a reddish colour with this," you wave the jar lightly through the air, "-a reddish colour! Wait- I'll show you."

With your pinkie, you lightly tap the cream in the jar so that your fingertip is lightly covered. Then you carefully stroke your lips, spreading the cream well with your finger. Then you smack your lips together to massage the cream into them a bit more.

Imelda is amazed at the sight before her. Your lips have really taken on a reddish colour and shine slightly in the sunlight of the classroom.

"Besides," you append with a smile as you lick your lower lip a little with your tongue, "it tastes like cherry!"

Imelda's eyes almost fall out of her head and the girls around you start giggling.

"Really?" asks a Gryffindor to your right. You nod at her. "I actually have other tastes! Apple, for example. Pear and something exotic called pineapple. But I haven't tried those either. They're in my room. I can-"

"Cherry, you say?" All heads turn in the direction of the voice that has now joined the conversation. A couple of the girls make way to let the newcomer through. Sebastian approaches you, looks critically at the jar in your hand, then at you.

You nod delightedly. "Yes! Amazing, isn't it? I didn't believe it at first either when the salesman told me, but ta-da! It's really true!"

Sebastian hums in agreement.

"Can I have a taste?" he asks.

Briefly you are confused, but then nod. "Oh! Yeah, sure. Wait let me-" Before you can end your sentence Sebastian has approached you. The hand you were about to use to collect some of the lip gloss on your pinkie stops in its tracks. Sebastian grips your hand with his, his other curling in your hair at the back of your head. With a tug he pulls your hair so that you are forced to crane your neck.

Before you can register what is happening Sebastian has leaned forward and covers your mouth with his. A surprised sound escapes you.

A collective gasp of surprise travels through the girls around you.

Sebastian licks your lower lip with his tongue, forcing the wet muscle into your mouth. A low, high-pitched moan escapes you as your tongues fight for dominance.

Sebastian's hand, which until now had been clasping yours, reaches for your hip to pull you closer to him.

After a few minutes that felt far too short, the Slytherin boy lets go of you. He takes a step back and grins smugly at you. He wipes his lower lip with his thumb, gathering the saliva that has collected there from your kiss.

You stare at the Slytherin with your mouth open, speechless.

You try to say something, open your mouth a few times, but no sound escapes your throat. Finally, your jaw snaps shut.

"True," he hums in agreement, "it really does taste like cherry."

With that, he pushes past the girls to leave the classroom. The others stare after him with wide eyes and open mouths.

Imelda is speechless too, but gets herself together quicker than the rest of the troupe. "Damn, Sallow, that was smooth!"

Sebastian, standing in the doorway, turns to you, grinning broadly. "What can I say Reyes? That's just me." And just like that, he's gone.

All heads turn jerkily in your direction and only now you realise: Sebastian Sallow, charmer and heart-throb of many girls and your supposed enemy at Hogwarts has kissed you.

Instantly, your face turns bright red.

-

At the end of your last lesson of this day, you receive an owl. The envelope is plain, but as you open it and take the message out, you recognise a pretty handwriting that has left you three sentences in curved letters.

Meet me after dinner at the Astronomy Tower. 9 pm.

Bring the other lip glosses.

S. S.