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The first time that Caelum and Harry kiss under the mistletoe, it’s not a good idea.
“It’s bad luck not to,” Caelum says after she jokes about the mistletoe. Harry goes along with it. It’ll just be a peck, no big deal. It doesn’t matter that the kiss is a little too deep, and he stands a little too close, and her brain fizzes like a Whizbee.
It would be astronomically bad luck for someone to walk in during the split second — okay, ten split seconds — that Caelum and Harry are kissing. So of course, that’s what happens.
“I’m just gonna go—”
Caelum and Harry spring apart at the sudden voice and wheel to the door. In the doorway is Rigel’s old friend Aldon Rosier, looking equal parts intrigued and disturbed. Caelum’s ears go red as holly berries.
“It’s not—” what it looks like, Harry means to say, but Aldon’s already raising his hands and backing out of the room. He would never admit to running away. But he is definitely running away.
Caelum turns his glare on Harry as soon as Aldon’s out of sight. “Did you plan that?”
“Why would I plan that?” Harry asks, horrified.
“You didn’t Obliviate him!”
“I’m not going around casting memory charms on my— and you didn’t either!”
Caelum rolls his eyes. “Hope you enjoy being the subject of gossip, brat.”
“I live for it,” she retorts. “Anyway, Rosier loves hoarding secrets. Picture a dragon hoarding gold, that’s him. He won’t tell.”
“He better not.”
On the surface that sounds like a threat, but it doesn’t feel like one. Harry suppresses a shiver, rolls her eyes, and does her best to put the incident behind her. There’s brewing to do, after all. It doesn’t matter that Caelum has a sexy voice. Or that she now knows he’s a good kisser. There will be no repeat experience.
***
There is a repeat experience.
"Oh, this again."
Harry could have ignored the mistletoe hanging innocently over the end of the table (where she put it). She doesn’t have to point it out. Caelum doesn’t point that out, only freezes where he’s grinding ingredients.
“It’s really very bad luck,” she goes on. "Everyone knows that."
This time, when Caelum kisses her, it’s a terrible idea. This time, it makes her dizzy. This time, it’s not a peck by any stretch of the word.
Harry has her fingers in Caelum’s dark hair and his tongue in her mouth when they are interrupted by a LOUD yelp.
This would be the perfect time for Harry to repeat her oh, this again, but she’s too annoyed to be funny. “Does no one know how to knock in this whole Guild?”
“No apology for tarnishing my poor innocent eyes?” Archie says, clasping a hand to his chest. “After I was a selfless cousin and brought lunch for you—”
“Go away,” Caelum contributes.
Archie waggles a finger at him. “Don’t think I won’t be interrogating you later, mister, I—”
Harry helpfully pushes him out of the room.
***
The third time that Caelum and Harry kiss, there’s no mistletoe.
"We don't need it, right?" Harry says, more confidently than she feels.
“What we need is a lock on the door—”
“What if the cauldron explodes?” she gasps. “For fire safety—”
“For privacy—”
“What would the author of Magical Drafts and Potions say if they could hear you now?”
Instead of answering, Caelum kisses her. Harry never wants to kiss anyone else.
(There is still no lock on the door. Unfortunately, uncharacteristically, Harry has forgotten her ten o’clock appointment with Master Snape. You can imagine what happens next.)