The Founder's Missing Piece

Chapter 3: STOP IT!

When I woke up the next day, I was in an unfamiliar room. At first, all I saw was red, and I started to panic slightly. Once my eyes adjusted, I noticed I was just in a bed with a red canopy. It took me a couple more minutes to realize I was probably in the Gryffindor common room, and a few more to realize that I wasn't alone.

I tensed. There was strong, tanned arm around my stomach, and my legs were tangled with a pair of other ones, and there was an arm under my head. My hand was linked with the aforementioned one, and I carefully unlinked both them and our entwined legs, moving slightly to see who was behind me. I saw a head of red hair, and sighed in relief. It was a Weasley at least. I very slowly and carefully turned my whole body around, seeing Fred's face, peaceful with sleep.

I almost laughed out loud at myself. Why would anyone else put me in their bed? I resettled, curling into his warmth. My head was tucked under his chin, and our legs were intertwined again, one of my arms around his waist, the other against my chest.

I tried to remember how I ended up here, and my mind flashed back to last night in the Great Hall. I remembered getting sleepy and laying my head on Fred's shoulder. I must have fallen asleep there, and been brought up here. That was weird. Usually I can't sleep if I'm not in a bed. I was suddenly overcome with guilt. Dumbledore was giving his speech and I just fell asleep.

"Your feet are cold," Fred mumbled sleepily. Ok, that was the hottest thing I had ever heard.

"I'm sorry," I said sheepishly, "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, I've been," his voice sounded scratchy, and he cleared his throat, "I've been drifting in and out of sleep for hours."

He shifted onto his back, and I shifted with him, lying half on his chest, and half on the bed. He flexed his hand a few times, probably trying to get feeling back in his arm. "Sorry," I apologized again, sitting up so he could flex his arm.

"It's fine, I could've moved it a while ago if I wanted to. I just chose to leave it there," he explained.

"You could have," I told him, "it wouldn't have woken me up or anything."

"No, it's fine," he chuckled lightly, "I was mostly just stealing your heat anyways."

I slapped him half-heartedly on the shoulder, and he laughed quietly. I reached my arms above my head, stretching my back. It cracked once, and I relaxed, rubbing my eyes. "Come back, Foxy. I'm cold," he whined. I was suddenly falling forward, and landing with an 'oof' back on his chest.

"That was rude," I muttered. It was muffled by his chest, which I then realized was bare. My thoughts suddenly went South, and I shook my head, mentally chastising myself. Calm down, Cécile. A lot of boys sleep shirtless. Just because you are also in the bed doesn't mean anything. It's just an abdomen. A very muscular abdomen, but an abdomen nonetheless. You have more self control than this.

I shifted, so that I could look up at him, and smiled fondly. "What?" he questioned me.

"Nothing," I grinned, and he shook his head at me. I reached up to kiss him quickly, and we lay in silence for a minute before I realized that I still didn't know how I ended up here. "Fred? How did I end up in the Gryffindor common room?"

"Oh, we just brought you up."
"You just brought me up?"
"Yeah?"
"And McGonagall didn't see you?"
"No."
"And no one else saw you?"

"Just the Fat Lady, but she just let us bring you in. She said something about how she knew you weren't going to cause trouble or something."

"And no one questioned you when you left the Great Hall?"

"A few people, but I just said you fell asleep."