Lustful Alchemy

31. SHARP*

Valentine's Day at Hogwarts is always a special event, but this year the celebration is particularly elaborate. The Great Hall is decorated with garlands of pink and red hearts, while on the tables there are small wooden boxes, carved and painted pink, one for each student and professor, where admirers can leave love notes or messages of admiration. It seems like a somewhat childish tradition to me, but the students appear thrilled. Even Cassandra, who suppresses a more cheerful smile than she wants to show, seems to be enjoying herself.

The atmosphere is vibrant with excitement and anticipation. The garlands animate from time to time, forming enchanting designs that float in the air, while the wooden boxes, enchanted to keep their contents secret, gradually fill with messages and small gifts.

As the plates fill with breakfast dishes, we watch the bolder students attempt to approach others; the more timid ones, on the other hand, make sure to slip their notes into others' boxes without being seen.

«Have you received any interesting messages yet?» Mirabel asks us, winking.

Cassandra blushes slightly. «It's only seven in the morning!» she deflects.

«And you, Aesop?» Mirabel presses me.

I know what reaction I will provoke in Cass with what I'm about to say, but the fact that I care for her doesn't stop me from teasing her a bit. «A couple,» I say vaguely, shrugging.

Cassandra waits for Mirabel to turn her attention elsewhere, then turns to me, trying to hide the irritation that flares at the tip of her nose, and hisses, «A couple? And from whom?»

«Students, I suppose.»

I know it will scandalize her, and the thought amuses me. But I also know that beneath her shocked curses and behind the lecture about me being «too bold with the girls,» there's something else as well.

«Are you jealous?» I ask her, leaning in close and whispering into her ear as I casually reach for the sugar bowl.

She stifles a sigh that's part annoyance and part excitement. «I'm not jealous!»

«Yes, you are,» I say, brushing her hair with my lips before pulling away and focusing on breakfast again, as if nothing happened.

Later, as we walk together through the dungeons, I move just a bit closer to her—enough to observe not only her reaction when the female students throw glances my way but also their reactions.

«Aesop, your admirers might figure out what we're up to if you stand this close,» Cass says, though she can't quite hide the electricity in her voice at the thought of «what we're up to.» And who am I to resist, especially on a day like this?

I place my fingers lightly on the small of her back—just enough to immediately create intimacy between us. I gently nudge her into the Alchemy Classroom, whispering, «I think they already know; I'm sure your moans reach the Astronomy Tower.»

«I suppose that's what happens when you fuck me so well,» she says in a velvety, sensual voice, catching me off guard and, damn, making me painfully hard. I figure teaching with an erection is the price to pay for testing her patience all morning.

As the lesson draws to a close, followed by the Potions class, Alice Haywood, as brilliant as she is bold, takes a shot at me. «Professor Sharp, today's the perfect day for a love potion, don't you think?» she says with a smirk. Apparently, she's also incredibly determined to make an impression. I can't help but smile in amusement, but I notice Cassandra's nostrils flare slightly, clearly irritated.

«Miss Haywood, love potions are dangerous and there's no excuse for experimenting with them, not even on Valentine's Day,» I reply in a light-hearted tone.