AN: Thanks for your continued support on this story you guys. We're now moving on to Allison and Jon's big storyline, and please note that this takes place the night of Chiaki and Toshio's wedding! We don't want you guys getting confused ;)
As always, please let us know what you think by leaving a review and we'll see you on Tuesday! HMS Delusional ROCKS!!!
Allison followed Jon nervously but excitedly back to his and Josh's flat. Lizzy and Josh were ahead of them, hands clasped and they were talking quietly. She looked over at Jon.
"I can't wait to get out of these robes," she said and then realising what that must have sounded like, she turned red.
Jon grinned wickedly at her. "Is that so Longbottom?"
"Yes," she said nudging him in the side. "You know what I meant so get your mind out of the gutter."
"Right," He slid an arm around her, pulling her close.
"I don't think my dad suspected anything," Allison said resting her head on his shoulder. "Lizzy's folks think she's staying with us and mine think I'm staying with her."
"Hopefully they won't decide to check with one another," Jon replied.
"I'll cross my fingers," Allison said holding up her right hand and doing just that.
Jon laughed. "You said that Julie promised to floo us if there was any trouble right?"
"Yes," Allison said smiling at him. "Everything's going to be fine."
"Of course it is," Jon kissed her as Josh dug for his keys.
"Jon even cleaned up for you, Allie," Josh said as he held the door open for the girls.
"Did you?" Allison smiled at her boyfriend.
"I did," Jon said proudly. "Just don't open my closet. I wouldn't want you to get hurt."
Josh, Lizzy and Allison laughed. "I'll keep that in mind." she kissed his cheek.
Once they were inside the flat, Allison was amazed at the transformation. The last time she'd been here, the place had been cluttered with boxes. It was nearly immaculate now.
"Told you he cleaned," Josh said grinning at her as he and Lizzy sat down on the sofa.
"Very nice," Allison rewarded him with another kiss, this time on the lips. "I can't believe how cool this is. I still can't get over that you two have your own flat and here in London no less!"
"I can't believe we've not managed to kill each other yet," Jon joked.
"I'm sure it hasn't been that bad," Lizzy said, leaning against Josh.
"It's still early days," Josh said putting an arm around her. "Give us time."
Allison tugged on Jon's arm. "Let's give them some privacy," she whispered.
"Okay," Jon said leading her down the hall to his bedroom. He held the door open for her. "After you..."
"Thanks," Allison said the nervous feeling back. She and Jon had slept in the same bed before but this felt so different. It was in his new flat, they had no adult supervision... and they were pretty much completely alone.
Jon was nervous, too. He closed the door behind him and smiled at her as she sat down on the edge of his bed. "Do you um, want to borrow one of my t-shirts? I know you wanted to get out of your robes..."
"That would be great," Allison smiled tentatively. "I didn't bring any pyjamas. Told my Mum I'd borrow something of Lizzy's."
Jon nodded and walked over to the dresser. He pulled open one of the drawers and handed her one of his oversize t-shirts. His hand lingered on hers. "Allie, we don't have to do anything you don't want to do. You know that, right? It's enough for me just to be with you."
"I know Jon," she smiled at him. "I love you... but I'm not really sure if I'm ready for that step yet."
He sat down beside her on the bed. "Its okay, Al."
"You're the best," Allison leaned against him. "You really are Jon."
"If I am, it's because of you," he said softly. "I saw you walking down that aisle today and I just couldn't keep my eyes off of you. I love you so much."
She leaned in and kissed him. "I love you so much too."
"So, I guess we should get ready for bed then?" he asked. "I'll even turn around while you get changed if you want..."
"It's okay," Allison said. "You've seen me in my knickers before." she blushed.
"Yeah," he grinned. "I sure have..."
"Letch," she said affectionately before giving him another kiss.
Jon put his hands on her waist and pulled her close, deepening the kiss. Allison leaned back onto the bed and pulled him down on top of her.
He unbuttoned her robes, peeling them gracefully away from her as their mouths fused together.
Jon ran his fingers through her hair as she tugged on his robes. "Allie," he said huskily.
"Hmm?" she asked her eyes half closed.
He looked down at her and touched her cheek. "Do you want to stop?"
"Not yet," she said, pulling at his sleeves.
He grinned and eased out of his robes before claiming her lips again in a fiery kiss.
Her gasp of surprise was muffled by his mouth as their tongues duelled and hands wandered.
The room was dark except for the light from the lamp on Jon's bedside table. Jon pulled away for a moment to catch his breath. Things were getting out of hand and he wondered if perhaps they should stop before something happened that they weren't ready for yet. But, looking at her now, he didn't want to stop. This felt right. He wondered if she felt that way, too.
Allison's breath was coming fast as she leaned back against the pillows again. "I don't know what I want to do," she whispered.
Jon nodded and lay down beside her. "Its okay, Al. We were moving a bit fast. I'm sorry..."
"No," Allison shook her head. "I liked it Jon..."
"Really?" he asked softly, a shy smile on his face.
"Yeah," she smiled back. "I mean... it sort of scares me but..."
"...you like it?" Jon asked. "I feel the same way, Allie."
"Yeah," she replied, moving closer to him. "It's just... such a grown up thing to do," she giggled self consciously.
Jon laughed nervously. "It is that. Merlin, I feel as nervous as I did that first night we went out."
She laughed too. "I can't believe you were nervous. We had such a good time."
"How could I not be nervous?" he asked her. "I was afraid I was going to do something stupid like trip over my feet or fall in the lake or something."
"We weren't anywhere near the lake," Allison reminded him.
"No, we aren't," Jon said with a laugh.
"My favourite part of the evening was when you kissed me," she said, moving even closer. "That was my first kiss ever."
"Mine too," he whispered. "We've done a lot of things 'first' with each other, haven't we?"
"Yeah," she said softly as he leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss.
"I love you," he said when they broke apart.
"I love you too," she said. "First love," she giggled again, feeling quite stupid.
He laughed and tickled her. "You're so...adorable."
"Adorable?" Allison laughed. "No one but my mum and dad calls me adorable."
"You are," Jon said tickling her again. "You called me cute, Allie. If you can do that, I can call you adorable."
"When did I call you cute?" Allison challenged.
"The night of the Yule Ball," he said. "I heard you telling Lizzy how cute I looked."
"I said you looked handsome," Allison corrected, grinning.
"Did you?" Jon asked sitting up and puffing out his chest. "Handsome, I like that."
She laughed. "I think you're very handsome but perhaps I'm biased."
"Maybe just a little," he said with a grin. He lay back down beside her and pulled her close.
They lay together quietly for a few minutes. "Jon?" Allison asked quietly.
"Yes," he said, closing his eyes and feeling content with her in his arms.
"What if..." she swallowed nervously. "What if I changed my mind about what I said earlier? About me not being ready?"
Jon's eyes shot open at this. He turned and looked at her. "What? Allie..."
"You didn't pressure me," Allison interrupted. "And it's only if you want to."
"Are you kidding me?" he asked her, leaning in to kiss her softly. "Allie, you're all I've ever wanted."
Allison couldn't help but smile. "I love you so much Jon. All that talk about us being the 'first' for one another..."
He smiled back at her. "Are you sure?"
She nodded. "I trust you Jon."
Jon sat up, as did Allison. Now that the moment was here, he honestly didn't know what he should do first. To his surprise, it was Allison who made the first move. Her eyes were on his as she slowly undid the buttons on the ivory coloured blouse she'd worn under her dress robes.
"Help me?" she asked softly, trying to control her trembling fingers
Jon's own hands were shaking as he inched closer to her on the bed. He undid the rest of the buttons on her blouse. She shivered at his touch and he looked at her. "I'm sorry if my hands are cold..."
"They're okay," she said softly as he helped draw the blouse over her shoulders.
He smiled at her and brushed a strand of hair from her face. "My Allie..."
She smiled. "Your Allie," she whispered back as she drew her skirt over her legs. He pulled at his tie and shirt, tossing them along with his trousers to the floor.
Jon was about to kiss her again when he abruptly pulled away. "Allie, shouldn't we...do you know how to..."
He didn't know how to bring up protection spells without killing the mood. He didn't know any of them and he wondered if she did.
"Julie and Chiaki showed me earlier," the light in her eyes grew a bit mischievous. "I was talking to her about it while we were getting ready."
He grinned. "Planning on seducing me, were you?"
"It was right after we were dancing that I went to the loo and did it," Allison blushed. "Gave me ideas."
"We should dance more often," he said cheekily.
"Horizontal or tango?" Allison asked devilishly.
"Allie!" he said laughing. "What am I going to do with you?"
"I can think of something," she replied, curving her hand around his nape.
He kissed her, this time with only a trace of the nervousness he felt earlier. Some people might say they were too young and that they were moving too fast, but it didn't matter to either of them how it might have looked to other people. All that mattered now was how they felt.
His hands travelled to her bra and she had to help him unclasp it. Her hands were shaking again as they did this but at the look in his eyes that feeling evaporated.
"Allie," he said softly his hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure?"
Allison nodded. "I'm totally positive Jon. I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather do this with."
He smiled. "I feel the same way."
Allison placed a hand on his cheek and drew him down again for a kiss.
Jon peppered her neck with kisses and slowly pulled away her bra. He hoped she wasn't afraid and that what he was doing was okay.
She pulled her arm out of the bra as he tossed it to the floor. Her stomach fluttered a bit nervously but she reached down to tug on her knickers.
Jon felt a rush of heat flood through his body. He pulled his boxer shorts off and they sat for a moment just looking at each other. "Allison..." he whispered.
"Yeah?" she asked her voice barely audible.
"You're..." he said gazing at her. "You're beautiful."
Allison smiled. "Thank you," she said her voice louder this time.
He pulled her closer, kissing her forehead, her nose, her cheek and then smiling at her before kissing her lips.
She kissed him back, her hands moving over his shoulders and bare back. He brought them back down onto the bed, their lips still fused together as their kisses became hotter and more frantic.
Jon worked his way down, nuzzling her ear before trailing kisses down her neck and shoulders.
Allison arched her back a little to better position herself beneath him. Their hands were roaming all over now. "Jon," she moaned softly.
Jon liked hearing her say his name like that. No, he thought as she kissed his neck, he loved that. "Allie..."
"I feel like I'm on fire," she said, and blushed. "That sounded really stupid didn't it?"
He shook his head. "No, no...I feel the same way. I think this is how it's supposed to feel."
"Okay then," she whispered as he brought his hand down between her legs.
Jon hesitated only a moment before sliding his fingers inside her.
"Oh!" her eyes nearly crossed as the words escaped her lips.
Jon wondered for only a split second if Josh and Lizzy could hear them, but Allison kissed him so soundly that he forgot about anything in the entire world but her.
"Please keep doing that," she whimpered.
Jon smiled and did exactly what she wanted. He kissed her to keep her from screaming out.
She let her cry into his mouth. "Stop teasing me," she hissed when they pulled apart.
He removed his fingers and positioned himself on top of her again. Kissing her insistently, he entered her.
A tear leaked out of her eye as he did this. "It's okay," she said when he stopped. "Keep going Jon."
"Are you sure?" he asked her. "You're crying..."
"It just feels strange," she said. "I'm not crying because it hurts."
He kissed her. "I love you, Allison."
"I love you too Jon," Allison said as he wiped the tear away. "So much..."
This was all the invitation Jon needed and they began to move together. He was careful to be gentle as he didn't want to hurt her.
She moved her body against his as he pushed even more into her. The tears were replaced with the butterflies in her stomach fluttering madly at what was happening. Allison wasn't sure how she could have gone her whole life without feeling this good.
Jon kissed her again feeling as if his insides were haywire. She wrapped her legs around him and Jon went deeper than he had before. Before he could scream out, he buried his face in her shoulder again.
"Jon," Allison wanted to scream out his name over and over again and wished they had set a silencing charm on the room.
"Allie," he breathed. "Allie..."
"I know," she said, tears coming to her eyes again.
"That was...amazing," he whispered collapsing against her.
She nodded, incapable of speaking at that moment.
Jon pulled the hair back from her face. He kissed her softly.
Allison kissed him back as he pulled himself out of her. He pulled the covers over them, leaving the heavier blanket at the foot of the bed. She buried her face in his shoulder for a moment.
"Allie?" he asked softly, concern in his voice. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes," she said, her voice muffled. "I'm just sort of... drifting here. Don't want to come back down." she smiled at him.
He relaxed. He'd been afraid that her silence meant she'd regretted what they'd just done.
"I dreamt about this," Jon said stroking her cheek. "Being with you like this..."
"You did?" she asked softly.
He nodded. "And tonight was better than I could have ever imagined."
"For me too," Allison traced his cheek with her fingers as he leaned in to kiss her again.
"Do you ever think about what you want to do after you get out of school?" Jon asked, somewhat shyly. He'd wanted to ask her this for some time now, but he was afraid that it was too soon to bring up something so monumental. In light of what they'd just done, he had a feeling that perhaps now was the time. "Where you might...live?"
"Somewhere with you I hope," Allison buried her burning face in his shoulder again.
"I know our parents might not like it and they'll probably say we're too young," Jon said softly. "But I would really like it if you'd move in here with me after you graduate. Do you...would you want that, too?"
"Yes," she answered immediately. "I mean... I don't know how my dad would react to that... but I'll be legally an adult by then."
"He probably wouldn't be too happy," Jon said. "I know he'd probably freak if he knew where you were right now."
"Probably," Allison said. "But I don't care."
Jon didn't want to come between Allison and her father. But, he also knew that he wasn't going to lose her either. "Maybe he'll understand. Chiaki and Toshio were our age when they got together, too..."
"Yeah they were," she smiled. "And look at them now... married."
Jon laughed. "And Toshio's still alive, right?"
"Right," Allison giggled too and snuggled closer to him.
Jon was exhausted, but he didn't want to go asleep just yet. "You know I'm sure we could think of someway of sneaking you out of Hogwarts..."
She laughed. "Dumbledore has more eyes than all our parents put together. We might have to make do for Hogsmeade visits until we get to come home for the holidays."
"You're right," he said. "But you and I we spent nearly every night together this past year. I got used to you, Al."
"That makes two of us," Allison said quietly. "It's going to be awfully cold in my bed this year at school."
"It's going to be awfully cold here too," he said. "But it's like you said we'll have Hogsmeade weekends and we'll have the holidays. And I'll come to all of your matches."
"Right," Allison leaned on an elbow. "Because don't you forget that I might be made captain this year."
"Might be?" Jon asked teasingly. "Come on, Allie. You're a shoe-in."
"I hope so," she said fervently.
"You'd certainly have my vote," Jon said kissing her. "For that and...other things."
"Oh, what other things might those be?" she asked, laughing as he rolled her up on top of him.
"Anything you want," Jon said smiling up at her.
"So..." Allison kissed him lightly. "Does that mean if I want to do this again once or twice before I have to go back to school we can?"
"Just once or twice?" he asked.
"As many times as we can?" she corrected herself.
"So," Jon teased. "I guess this means you'll be 'visiting' Lizzy a lot this summer."
Allison laughed. "I certainly hope so. I'm glad her parents let her get a place here too. She says they miss each other a lot but she wants to be in London to get a jump start on a job search."
Jon nodded. "She'll spend most of her time with Josh."
"And I'll spend as much time as I can with you," Allison kissed him again before rolling off to his side and reaching down for her knickers and bra.
Jon followed her lead and looked around for his boxers. "Are you hungry?" he asked as he put them back on. "Thirsty?"
"A bit of both," she replied. "Tired too, but definitely more thirsty and hungry."
"Let's go and grab a snack or something," Jon said handing her the t-shirt he'd offered her earlier. "I bought some of that triple chocolate fudge ice cream you like so much."
"So you had this planned all along aye?" Allison teased, slipping it over her head.
"No," Jon said quickly. "Allie, I didn't! I just had it for when you came over. That's all..."
"I'm just teasing you," she replied with a grin, shaking her hair behind her. It was wavy from being up in a plait all day and she'd let it grow so it was just past her shoulder blades. "I wouldn't blame you if you did plan it."
He laughed. "You look really good in my t-shirt, Longbottom."
She grinned. "Come on; let's get at that ice cream."
Jon kissed her before leading the way out of his bedroom. It was quiet in the flat and Jon suspected that Josh and Lizzy had either gone back to her place or had gone to bed themselves.
Allison looked around. "I see someone's shirt over there," she whispered.
"Where?" Jon asked. He reached blindly for the light switch.
"Hey!" Josh squinted and looked up from the sofa, as did Lizzy who was pinned underneath him.
"Are we interrupting anything?" Jon teased.
"Shut up and go away," Josh said rudely. "And turn the bloody light off."
"Josh," Lizzy said swatting at him. "Be nice."
"Please shut up and go away," Josh said without missing a beat.
"It's my place too, you prat," Jon said ignoring his brother and walking into the kitchen. "Al? You want pumpkin juice or soda?"
"Pumpkin juice sounds fantastic," she said, going to the cabinet for some bowls.
"I'm going to kill him," Josh grumbled.
"Come on," Lizzy said. "We were wanting to go to your room anyways."
"Don't make a mess," Josh called out to his brother as he followed Lizzy to his bedroom.
"Yes, Dad," Jon called back.
Allison laughed. "Right Jon, no messes now."
"We wouldn't want to get in trouble would we?" he asked handing her a glass of juice. "Have I told you how good you look in my shirt?"
"Yes," she said, leaning over to kiss him. "But I like hearing it."
*** *** ***
Allison had come to Chiaki and Toshio's place with the rest of her family to welcome her sister back from her honeymoon. She would be glad to see them both, but wanted to talk to her sister about what had happened the night of the wedding. Julie was sitting next to her talking to Nick about some things for their own wedding.
"I'm not saying the dress isn't important, Jules," Nick said grinning at his fiancée. "But I really do think the more important decision is where we want to spend the honeymoon."
"I thought we'd decided to go to Greece," Julie said. "Neither of us has ever been there...."
"But maybe we should go somewhere that we won't care so much about sightseeing," Nick said devilishly.
"Nick!" Julie said elbowing him. She looked at Allison. "Forgive him for having a one-track mind, Allie."
"It's okay," Allison blushed. "I'm used to hearing it by now," she grinned at them both.
"What's my cousin up to tonight?" Nick asked her. "Uncle Ron says the two of you are practically joined at the hip these days."
Allison smiled. "He's over at the Quidditch shop looking at new brooms. He's looking into becoming a private flying instructor so he wants to have the best and fastest racing broom."
"That would certainly be more entertaining than looking at honeymoon photos," Nick said. He looked at his watch. He smiled dramatically at Julie and affected a feminine voice. "Look! There's Toshio and me on a beach. There's Toshio surfing. There's me snorkelling...."
"Sod off you," Julie hit his arm. "Is this what you're going to be like when we go on ours?"
"Probably," Nick said. "But I doubt we even step foot out of our room..."
Ethan, who was sitting beside Harry and Hermione, looked up at his mother. "Mummy? Why do they call it a honeymoon?"
Hermione looked at Harry. "Want to take this one?" she asked.
Harry shook his head. "You go right ahead, Minister."
"Well it's just a fancy word for a special holiday a man and woman take right after they're married," Hermione explained.
"You'll take it when you and Maddie get married," Frankie teased Ethan.
"I am NOT getting married," Ethan glared at her. "Ever!"
Neville laughed. "That's what we all said at one time, too. But look at us now. It happens to the best of us, Ethan."
Ethan shook his head. "Girls are gross."
Hermione put an arm around her son. "Need I remind you that your sister and I are girls, too? Are we gross?"
"Well," Ethan said. "You're my mum and Julie's my sister. So you two are okay."
"What about Kiki?" Julie asked him.
"Her too," Ethan replied. "But I don't like any girls my age and I don't like Maddie! Not that way! Her pixie is cool though."
"Dolly's a girl," Frankie pointed out.
"But she's not a REAL girl," Ethan said exasperatedly. "And Saffron's cool but that's it!"
"Leave the boy alone," Cho said getting to her feet. "Allie, you want to help me get some more refreshments? I don't think I can carry it all out by myself."
"Sure Mum," Allison said, getting up.
"It sure will be nice to have Chi back, won't it?" Cho asked over her shoulder as she led Allison into the kitchen. "It's been awfully quiet without her around."
"Yeah it has," Allison replied. "But I'm sure she and Tosh had a great time."
Cho nodded and began refilling a tray with vegetables. "It's a good thing Ron Weasley's not here. He'd eat Chiaki out of house and home."
Allison smiled. "They couldn't make it?"
"No," Cho said frowning. "Ron had some big sale at one of the shops and they couldn't get away."
"Oh," Allison arranged another tray with pastries and thought of her boyfriend, a smile tugging at her mouth.
"What's that look for?" Cho asked grinning at her daughter.
"What look?" Allison asked as innocently as possible.
Cho laughed. "I remember being young and in love..."
"Mum!" Allison said. "Don't let Dad hear you!"
"Allie," Cho said. "I think your dad knows that you're in love with Jon. You spend all your time with him, don't you?"
"As much as I can," Allison replied. "But I know he thinks we're too serious."
"Yes, he does," Cho admitted. "But he's a typical father, Allie. His heart is in the right place. He just doesn't want you getting hurt."
"I won't," Allison said softly. "Jon feels the same way about me."
"I know he does," Cho said smiling at her daughter as she picked up on the trays. "We better get this out there before the masses go spare."
"Right," Allison replied.
"Mum," Frankie said helping herself to a pastry before Cho could even put the tray down. "Did I mention that I only have two more years left until I date? Well, not really two years. It's more like a year, seven months and 23 days..."
Allison rolled her eyes and was about to retort when the fireplace whooshed to life and her sister and new brother in law stepped into the sitting room. "Welcome back!"
"I didn't realise all of you were going to be here!" Chiaki exclaimed. "This is great!"
"How was the honeymoon?" Julie asked with a grin as they exchanged hugs.
"Did you buy me anything?" Nick asked impishly, giving his half sister a kiss on the cheek.
"One question at a time," Chiaki said with a laugh. "Yes, Jules. The honeymoon was fantastic. And no, Nicholas...I didn't buy you one thing. As hard as this may be for you to believe, you were the furthest thing on my mind while I was gone."
Julie laughed at his expression. "Sorry love," she said, hugging him. "We're not important enough. I suppose we'll be the same way."
"What about me?" Frankie asked pushing her way through. "Did you bring me anything?"
"Yes I brought you something," Chiaki gave her youngest sister a hug. "Oh Nick I was kidding!" she said when he made a face at her. "I got you a little something. I just wanted to see what you'd say before."
Nick glared at her. "A little something? Like what?"
"You'll see," Chiaki grinned at him.
Nick smiled and stood back so Neville and Cho could welcome their daughter and son-in-law home.
"Dad!" Chiaki said, giving him a hug. "Did you miss me?"
"More than you know sweetheart," Neville hugged her tightly.
"I have loads to tell you," Chiaki said. "We had such a great time. Toshio couldn't quite get the hang of surfing. I took so many pictures. There's one where he..."
"She's telling everyone this story," Toshio interjected with a groan. "She told everyone at the hotel. These people at a party we went to..."
"It's a funny story," Chiaki glared at her husband.
Toshio scoffed. "Yeah, if it didn't happen to you, it's funny."
Neville grinned. "Wipe out did you?" he asked.
Chiaki giggled. "Not only did he wipe out, Dad...he thought the fin on his surfboard was a shark. You should have seen him flailing about...." her voice trailed off as she collapsed into a fit of laughter.
"Ha, ha," Toshio said but he was grinning. "Yeah I suppose it was pretty funny."
"Did you try it too, Chiaki?" Hermione asked. "I remember on my honeymoon Harry tried to get me to do it, but I couldn't..."
"No," Chiaki shook her head. "I was perfectly fine sitting on the beach."
"You're so tan!" Frankie said enviously.
Chiaki laughed and hugged her sister again. "I missed you guys a lot," she said.
"We missed you too," Cho said smiling at her daughter. "Look at you...married."
"Happily married," Chiaki grinned widely.
"Ah," Harry teased Toshio. "The honeymoon stage. Where she thinks you can do no wrong..."
"It ends pretty fast," Hermione replied, giving her husband a nudge.
"After you leave the toilet seat up one too many times," Harry countered with a wink. "Or you leave the toothpaste cap off..."
"Or never make the bed," Hermione contributed.
"Hey, stop it or I'm going to be too scared to get married next year," Julie teased.
"Gryffindors are never scared," Ethan said before sitting back down and grabbing a pastry.
"That's right Ethan," Harry sat down next to his son.
"Hey Chi," Allison said, hugging her.
"There you are," Chiaki said hugging her back. She pulled away and looked at Allison. There was something quite different about her, but Chiaki couldn't put her finger on it. "You look like you need to talk to me..."
"I do," Allison nodded. "You and Julie."
Chiaki nodded. "Why don't you and Julie come back to my bedroom. We'll just tell everyone you're helping me unpack."
"Okay," Allison agreed as Chiaki signalled to Julie and the three of them went to the bedroom.
"What's up?" Julie asked, locking the door behind them.
"Well I wanted to talk to both of you," Allison replied.
"About...?" Julie asked. All evening long, Allison had looked as if she wanted to tell her something and now it seemed she was going to find out what exactly.
"Well..." Allison fidgeted with the cover on the bed. "The night of the wedding, you know how I went back to Jon's place?" her face turned bright red as she recalled that night. "Well we... we um..."
Julie and Chiaki exchanged knowing looks.
"You did do what I told you, right?" Julie asked. "The spell..."
Allison nodded. "When I was in the loo at the wedding... I had a thought that things might go that way," she couldn't stop the smile from appearing.
Julie smiled back at her. "You and little Jon Weasley."
Allison laughed. "You make it sound like we're about five Jules."
"I'm sorry," Julie said quickly patting her on the arm. "I'm only teasing you."
"It's okay Jules," Allison replied. "I feel different now, you know? Is that what it was like for you both as well?"
Chiaki nodded. "Yeah, I didn't know why I felt different, but I did. It's a bit strange really. I was the same person I was before, but I just felt more like...a woman...you know?"
"That's how it is," Julie smiled at the younger girl. "And I'm going to assume that your parents don't know anything?"
"I came close to telling Mum a couple of times," Allison admitted. "But I just couldn't..."
"So have you and Jon...you know," Chiaki said. "Since then?"
Allison nodded. "We did again the other night. I keep hoping Mum and Dad will believe me when I say I'm staying at Lizzy's."
"I'm happy for you," Chiaki said, hugging her sister. "But promise me you'll be careful, Allie."
"I am," Allison said. "Jon was so sweet. He wanted to be sure I was ready."
"Awwww," Julie gushed. "Nick was the same way with me, too."
Chiaki smiled. "I had to make sure Toshio was ready," she laughed.
Allison giggled. "Really?"
"I've been the aggressor in our relationship, except for him proposing," Chiaki replied.
"That's true," Julie said. "She asked him out first. She kissed him first. She picked where they went on their first date. I'm surprised she lets him lead when they dance..."
Allison laughed. "Jon's pretty good on letting me pick out where we're going to go on a date." she said. "I'm so glad he's back in London."
"Sneaking around from here to Dublin might be a bit hard," Chiaki joked.
"Just a bit," Allison replied. "I just wish Dad would warm up to him. We've been together over a year now and Dad won't let up."
"We're his little girls," Chiaki explained sitting down beside her sister. "He was the same way with Toshio and me, Allie. He'll be that way with Frankie, too. Don't be too hard on Dad. We're really lucky we have him."
"Yeah but I wish he'd realise that Jon is a great guy," Allison said. "Instead he almost always grills him and gives him dirty looks."
"My Grandpa Robert did the same thing with my Dad," Julie said encouragingly. "And now he and my dad are really tight. You know what you should do? Invite Jon to the house more often so he and your dad can find some sort of common ground."
"You think that will help?" Allison asked, perking up.
"I think so," Julie said smiling at her. "I mean Jon's not some total stranger here, right? Your dad and his dad are best friends. And you and Jon have known each other since you were babies...."
A knock on the door startled all three girls.
"What are you doing in there?" Frankie called out. She tried the door. "Why is it locked?"
Chiaki opened the door. "We were just unpacking," she told her youngest sister.
"Your suitcase isn't even opened," Frankie said folding her arms.
"We haven't started yet," Chiaki said smoothly.
"But you've been in here a long time," Frankie pouted. "You were talking about boys, weren't you?"
"Yes," Allison answered. "And since you can't date yet--"
"That doesn't mean I can't talk about boys," Frankie said stomping off. "MUM! DAD! ALLIE'S TALKING ABOUT JON AGAIN!"
Allison growled in frustration. "I'm going to kill her!"
"She just feels left out," Chiaki said, but she could certainly understand the way Allison was feeling. "Come on. Let's go do some damage control."
"Okay," Allison grumbled. "I'm still going to kill her though."
As they made their way back into the sitting room, Frankie grinned triumphantly at Allison.
Allison narrowed her eyes right back.
"I was thinking that I'd make dinner for all of us tomorrow evening," Neville said breaking the uncomfortable silence. "We haven't had a family night in quite some time and now that we have a new member of the family, I think we should welcome him properly..."
"But," Allison started to protest. "I sort of had plans, Dad..."
Chiaki put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "How about Jon comes over for dinner as well?" she interrupted.
Allison nodded and smiled. "Can he, Dad?"
"Well... sure." Neville replied. "Guess I should get to know him better aye?" he smiled at Allison.
"But..." Frankie started. "You just said--"
Allison beamed back at her father and hugged him. "Thank you, Daddy!"
"Leave it, Frankie," Chiaki hissed in her sister's ear.
"You're welcome love," Neville said, glad to see his daughter so happy.
"I can't wait to tell him," Allison said with a wide grin.
Cho smiled approvingly at her husband.
"And you'd better not be caught spying on them Francesca," Chiaki whispered.
"He's not really part of our family," Frankie said, but no one paid attention to her. "And Daddy said it was for family only..."
Chiaki gripped her arm tightly. "What was that?"
"Nothing," Frankie said quickly. "I think I'll um, go and help Toshio in the kitchen..."
"Right," Chiaki relaxed as she got up and ran out of the room. "Honestly."
Julie laughed. "She wants to date so bad it's practically coming out her ears." she leaned back against Nick, who wound his arms around her waist.
"I pity the poor bloke who has to deal with her," Allison said.
Neville shook his head. "You got lucky Allison," he said. "If it wasn't Jon Weasley you still wouldn't be dating."
"Dad," Allison said. "I'll be seventeen in a few months."
"Which is too young, in my opinion," Neville said.
"Mum was dating Uncle Harry when she was my age," Allison said trying not to get angry with her father when things were now possibly going well.
"That's right," Harry laughed. "I'd forgotten all about that."
"Gee thanks," Cho said pretending to be affronted. "Glad our time together was so memorable."
"The whole three dates we had?" Harry asked. "You know, I think my wife put a memory charm on me so I'd forget about all other girlfriends." he laughed. "Ouch!" he said as Hermione jabbed his side with her elbow.
"You're not funny," Hermione said shaking her head.
"Everyone else was laughing," Harry gave her a wounded expression.
"Don't use that one Dad," Ethan shook his head. "I tried it the other day and it didn't work anymore."
Hermione couldn't help joining in on the laughter at this remark. "You are your father's son, Ethan James."
"That's right," Harry clapped his son's shoulder. "The world wanted another one of me."
Cho rolled her eyes. "The world could barely handle one of you."
Harry gave her a boastful grin.
"And besides," Neville said looking at his daughter who was still scowling at him. "You'll be back at school soon, Allison. You won't have time to date. You have to keep your marks up."
"Right Dad," Allison replied. "Besides the fact that Jon's not there this year."
"I didn't say anything about that," Neville said, but he had certainly been thinking it.
"I can tell what's on your mind," Allison said. "You'd really like Jon if you just gave him a chance. You liked him just fine before we were together."
"He's too old for you, Allison," Neville said softly trying to reason with her. "He has his own place now and he's getting a job, and you're still in school. Long distance relationships very rarely work out..."
"Neville," Cho warned.
"Jon and I will make everything work," Allison said, crossing her arms. "I know we will."
"Dad," Chiaki said trying to play peacemaker. "How about you come with me and I'll show you what I brought you from Hawaii."
"In a minute Chiaki," Neville said. "Allison you talk like the two of you are going to be married by the end of the year."
"Would that be so terrible?" Allison heard herself retort before she could stop herself.
Neville stared at her. "You are NOT getting married," he said.
"Of course she isn't," Cho said putting a hand on his arm. "She and Jon are just dating, Neville. Come on..."
"I know you hate the fact that I'm growing up," Allison said, tears in her eyes. "But Dad you need to accept the fact that I AM old enough to make decisions for myself. I love Jon and he loves me okay? I could have made a much worse decision in finding someone but I think I did a pretty good job. I just wish you could see that too." Chiaki put an arm around her sister as Harry, Hermione and Ethan excused themselves and went into the kitchen with Frankie and Toshio.
"Love?" Neville asked her. "Allison, you're 16 years old..."
"So what?" Allison asked bitterly. "I know how I feel."
"Look," Cho said stepping between them. "This is Chiaki's homecoming, okay? Can we please not get into this now? Allison, Jon is welcome to come to dinner tomorrow evening and we'll be happy to have him in our home. Right, Neville?"
Neville must have looked like he was going to argue for Cho gave him an extremely dirty look. "Right," he muttered.
"Okay," Cho said tersely.
Allison stood up and brushed the tears from her eyes. "This might be harder than I thought Chi," she said softly to her sister.
Chiaki wished she could say something to make Allison feel better, but she had a feeling that her sister was right.