A/N: I will be on the other coast until late Tuesday night, so I probably won't be posting until late next week…hope you all will live that long! Here's a chapter (or two if I get the chance) to keep you occupied!!! Thanks!
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Summertime
"My Herbology internship got moved back a week. Apparently Professor Sprout had some family emergency…so, I'll be leaving the day after you will."
"When do your parents leave for France?" Marissa asked lying on her stomach in front of the fireplace in her parent's bedroom, having a private conversation via the floo with Brian.
"July tenth…yours?"
"Same…July tenth, then I leave July twelfth for Africa. Took a lot of convincing that I didn't need to go to Grandma Weasley's for two nights." Marissa smiled remembering her father supporting her while her mother argued that what would Marissa do in an emergency? How would she eat? Finally, Marissa compromised and said she would eat dinner with her grandparents on the night of the 10th and 11th and they would accompany her to Diagon Ally where Professor Snape was to meet Marissa and side-along apparate her to Africa.
"Maybe we can do something on the eleventh?" Brian said. "We've never been on a real date, unless
you count ice cream at Hogsmeade. Do you want to go out to lunch?"
"That'd be fun! I'd have to walk to your house and then we'd have to walk to the bus stop…but that's no big deal," Marissa added quickly.
"I can meet you half way and we can walk together. I'd say fly, but since its daylight, we don't want to give the Muggles a heart attack."
"I agree. I like to walk and it's supposed to be nice," Marissa said excitedly, pushing herself up to a sitting position.
`A date, a real date…finally!' Marissa thought to herself suddenly a bit nervous that she was going on her first REAL date!
"Well, my sisters want to use the floo to talk to someone so I need to get off before they hurt me," Brian joked, as someone called his name in the background.
Marissa nodded, knowing how hard it was to have a conversation with three twelve year olds hanging around.
"Alright. I'll see you in a few days then. Meet you by that horse farm around eleven or so? An early lunch will let us spend more time together before I have to go to my grandparents."
"Sounds good…see you then," Brian agreed and seconds later their connection was broken.
It wasn't until Marissa was in bed that night when she realized that, tomorrow both their houses would be empty; that they would have the places to themselves. They could do whatever they wanted…and that thought made Marissa lose her breath. Sitting up quickly she occupied herself with rearranging her sheets, trying to quell the excitement…and fear that was rising up inside her.
Was she ready for what that could mean? Lately, she had been thinking about sex a lot. Her mother had managed to have a talk with her when she got home from school…relieved when Marissa said she hadn't gone that far yet; making sure Marissa knew the charms, gently coaxing her to wait until she was at least engaged to someone, but not forcing the issue…knowing that if they told Marissa not to do something it would only make her want to do it more.
But, was she ready to do something so adult, so mature and potentially life changing with Brian?
Marissa sighed, flopped back and turned over, punching the pillow then settling down like a cat curling up on a cozy cushion. She wrapped her arms around her legs and stared at the dark wall opposite her bed. She could hear her parents moving around, packing their clothes for when they departed tomorrow afternoon. Briefly, the thought about her mother and father and if it was hard for her mother to make the decision to give up her virginity. All Marissa knew, and all she could really handle at the moment, was that her mother was sixteen and a half while her father was almost eighteen. And that neither of them had another partner at any point in their life. Shuddering at the thought of her parents intimate lives, she turned her mind to a talk she had with Cassandra and Jillian about the wedding next summer. As much as she tried though, visions of Brian kept creeping into her head, so she gave up and just listened to the crickets outside her open window letting her mind wander where it wanted.
His mischievous smile he gave her when she knew he had something up his sleeve.
The way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he laughed.
The feeling of his unshaven cheek on her shoulder.
The way he held himself if he was relaxed or if he was stressed about school or life in general.
The look of surprise on his face when Arnold held the door for both of them while going into Honeydukes.
His bone crunching hugs and feather light kisses on her neck.
The way he drummed his fingers on the table when contemplating the answer to a problem, no matter what subject he was
studying.
Sometimes, Marissa thought she was learning more about HIM than about herself.
As she let the sounds of her house inside, and the insects outside, swirl around her she recalled the last time she and Brian had spent time together.
Two days before school was out and when he was done his exams and Quidditch was finally over they had found themselves in the Room of Requirement, half clothed until Marissa used all her willpower to gently push him away-- feeling her control slipping and knowing Brian's was just about out the window. That was their first real lengthy conversation about sex…and though they both felt physically ready Marissa had said that she was still afraid that they would say the charm wrong, forget it entirely, or that it wouldn't work…and she was not ready for the consequence. He agreed he wasn't ready for that part either, but wanted her to be comfortable and for their time to be special…not for it to take place in a room in Hogwarts. They mentioned that they could only see themselves being that intimate with each other and maybe, Marissa had added, in a few months they would be ready.
That thought changed when she arrived at home. Ginny was already starting to show and Marissa knew exactly how that baby got there. Her mother being pregnant was acting as a strange, albeit effective, form of birth control. No way would she want her mother to become a grandmother while the youngest Malfoy was only months old.
As Marissa drifted towards sleep her thoughts rewound back to Brian's sixteenth birthday when she had given him a Quidditch poster autographed by his favorite player on the Canons…inheriting his Godfather's love for the now solid team. Brian had stared at it remembering when he had said, flippantly, that one thing he'd love to get was this picture. It was as they were walking by the Quidditch store in Hogsmeade and there was a new book about the Canons in the window. Immediately after arriving back in the Ravenclaw Tower, Marissa had written to her Uncle Ron asking if he would be able to procure one of these for her, for Brian.
It was that night, the night of Brian's birthday as they laid beside the lake that Brian had turned to her and said something that made her heart melt and stomach leap. That he couldn't imagine himself being with anyone else…ever. Marissa had returned the sentiment not being able to keep the smile off her face, nor her mouth off of his for the next half hour.
And with that pleasant thought, Marissa fell asleep until the sounds of her brothers packing woke her up the next morning. Lolling around in bed for a bit, she finally was won over by the smells of breakfast and sleepily, she made her way downstairs finding her mother cooking, her father reading the paper, the triplets arguing over what tourist attraction they were going to visit first and Devon looking half asleep at the kitchen table, staring blankly out the window.
"You all ready to leave?" Marissa asked, thanking her mother for the plate of eggs.
"Yeah," Devon grunted letting out a jaw cracking yawn. "At least it'll be about six hours earlier so maybe I can nap when I get to Washington."
"No Devon! We're going to that Air and Space Museum," Erin said pushing his shoulder, then scrambling to her seat as a plate was set down at her spot.
"Stop," Devon cut her a look, clearly not ready to be up and talking at nine in the morning.
"Still planning on going to Grandma Weasley's for dinner?" Ginny asked Marissa who nodded and said "yes" for the fifteenth time since they agreed to let Marissa stay home.
Marissa swallowed the last of her eggs, then proceeded to placate her mother. "I might go visit Grandma Malfoy too, so can you leave the floo open for me to go there too?"
"Sure. Just make sure to have Grandma close it from her end when you're done," Draco answered shaking his paper and turning the page, clearly not as worried as Ginny that their 15 1/2 year old daughter was going to be home alone.
"I will. I'll double check the locks and wards before I go and I'll owl you when I arrive in Africa."
"I wish I could go to Africa…that'd be so much fun!" Derek said wistfully shoveling eggs into his mouth.
"Maybe you'll see a tiger," Erin said in agreement.
"It's going to be bloody hot, so be happy you will have hotel rooms," Ginny cut off Dixon's comment that was about to roll off his tongue.
"Hope this helps me find what I am missing for the cure of the Wizards Flu." Marissa stood up and placed her and Devon's empty plate in the sink, acknowledging the grunt from her brother as a thanks.
"What do you think you're missing?" Devon asked, yawning and stretching until every joint cracked in protest.
"Ew!" Erin scrunched up her nose at the noise coming from Devon's knees.
"Sorry…growth spurt," Devon muttered, cracking his ankles.
"Stop!" Ginny pointed at him and Devon rolled his eyes tucking his legs back under his chair.
"Something that will stop the virus from replicating. I can't even find anything to slow it down that could be added to a potion," Marissa explained pushing herself away from the table when she finished her juice.
"Marissa, can I take that red sleeveless top of yours?" Erin asked and jumped up excitedly when her older
sister nodded. Together they climbed the stairs and Marissa let her go through her tops as she got her morning
shower.
"Where'd this bracelet come from?" Erin asked, poking her head into Marissa's bathroom.
"The garnet one? From the Potters…you saw it…for my birthday," Marissa peeked out from behind the door to her shower. "You are NOT borrowing that."
"You can't wear it with Potions," Erin started and Marissa cut her off.
"No! Now put it back in my jewelry box. I swear, I'm charming that thing closed and locked." Marissa finished up her shower, wrapped her hair in a towel, wrapped her fluffy blue robe around her and walked out, seeing her sister retreat from her room with an armful of tops. Double checking her jewelry box, she saw the bracelet was where she had left it and proceeded to charm it closed. Setting it back against the wall while on her bookcase, she turned towards her dresser and let out a shriek and stumbled backwards.
"FOR MERLIN'S SAKE! You're going to kill me!" Marissa grabbed her heart and bent over slightly at the sight of Brian in her doorway.
"Sorry," he apologized giving her a crooked smile. "My parents came over to say goodbye to yours and Devon said something about you and your room. Not a morning person is he?" Brian walked in as his brown gaze taking in the towel on her head and her robe that was tied tightly with the sash around her waist.
"No, he's not...," her voice trailed off as she realized she was naked under her robe. The room suddenly felt a bit too small and she was pretty sure from the blush on her face, the heat would radiate up into her hair and dry it under the towel.
"What are you doing here? I need to get dressed…my parents let you up here when they knew I was in the shower?"
"Well, actually they are outside watering the garden and…something about fixing part of the fence. Devon was half asleep on the sofa when I walked in and Erin was running down the stairs when she heard Taryn yelling for her…so here I am."
"Yeah, well…maybe you should go wait downstairs?" Marissa tugged her belt a bit tighter then felt Brian's hand on hers.
"After a kiss…need steal them when I can," Brian whispered and tugged her to him, a hand tugging the towel off her head as his lips touched hers.
"You know people are right outside," Marissa mumbled against his mouth, feeling his lips curve into a smile.
"I'm well aware of that," he answered pressing a kiss at the corner of her mouth. "But, I'll let you get dressed. I don't think we're staying long."
Marissa's hand caught his and squeezed it. "I'll be going to visit Grandma Malfoy today and eating dinner at Grandpa Weasley's but I will definitely see you tomorrow."
"Great…oh, I bought you something!" Brian pulled his hand from hers, reached into his shorts pocket and pulled out a small box.
"What is it?" Marissa held it carefully then gave it a small shake, hearing something small rattle inside.
"Open it and see," Brian sat on her bed tugging her down next to him. She tore of the plain gold wrapping and opened the small white leather box. Inside nestled a pair of dark colored garnet earrings that matched the bracelet she had received for her birthday.
"They're beautiful, Brian. But why? My birthday was a long time ago…," Marissa asked, placing the box in her lap and touching the earrings gently.
"I just wanted to. Take is as a congratulations on skipping-your-fifth-year-gift."
"You remembered I had pierced ears?" Marissa smiled at him and saw him shrug.
"That's why I pulled the towel off your head. If they weren't I would've exchanged them."
"Sneaky!" Marissa laughed then leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Thanks so much. I love them."
She deftly unfastened them from their holder and put them through her ears.
"Well?" Marissa turned to him and felt him reach up to pull her hair away from her ear.
"Beautiful. They almost match your hair right now…it's so dark when it's wet," he mused fingering her damp hair.
"Wait til after Africa. With me being in the sun all day, it'll be almost blond by the time I return," Marissa expounded as she stood up to tuck the box into her drawer.
"NO! Not blond!" Brian kidded pretending to be horrorstruck, then ducked as she tried to swat his shoulder. "I'm leaving now…all this violence. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yes you will…and thank you for the earrings. I have something for you too, but you aren't getting it `til tomorrow…and it's nowhere as exciting as my earrings…which I really do love," she added softly, truly happy that she received such a nice gift from him. Standing just a few feet away from him she saw his eyes light up as if he was worried she wouldn't accept or even care for his gift. "Thank you," she said feeling the need to let him know she truly appreciated his thoughts.
"You're welcome," he answered simply then crossed the short distance and gave her a quick kiss. "Tomorrow."
"Yes, tomorrow," Marissa touched his arm and watched him walk out her door, seconds later hearing him practically run down the stairs so it sounded like a herd of elephants (as her mother would complain about Devon and the way he ran down the stairs.)
Sighing happily, she grabbed a pair of shorts and a shirt-- made sure her door was closed and locked then quickly changed out of her robe and into the day's clothes. Every so often she found herself staring at the clock, mentally counting down the hours until her date with Brian. She hoped he liked her gift, as it was her mother's idea and in a rare moment of agreement, Marissa had taken the gift to heart and even went out to buy some accessories to go with it.
Twenty five hours and counting…
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