Some Girls

[Constance Sykes]

Footsteps! She could hear footsteps and Connie marked her place in the book she had luckily had on her and returned it to her pocket as she tried to crane her neck so she could see who might be coming around the corner. She had been here for nearly half an hour now, idling through the time with the help of The Moonstone and sporadic burst of shouting to see if she could call anybody to her aid. But there was no one there and the noise from the general bustle of the castle drowned out any cries for help. She had been considering whether she would be here all night and wondering whether she could sleep standing upright when she finally heard somebody approaching.

"Hello?" She called, glancing up towards the mistletoe that held her in place and would soon ensnare some other soul in it's devilish grasp. Damned Peeves. She had loathed the sprite during her own time as a student and that was magnified now if only for the sheer amount of young ladies she had been forced to council about their first kisses being all but forced.

A girl approached the corner, following her call, and Constance immediately felt a nervous, disbelieving smile come upon her face. Miss Hatchitt. Victoria, she had learnt from Jocasta, who had been ever-so helpful in the search for Queenie and was now approaching her guilelessly and Connie almost called out again, to stop her, to save her the indignity - after all, Miss Hatchitt could fetch another member of staff for whom this would be less awkward - but Connie did nothing but wait until the younger girl reached her and fell into the enchantment too.

"Miss Hatchitt," she greeted with a small smile. "It seems you've been ensnared too."

@Atalanta Pendergast
@Victoria Hatchitt

  

[Victoria Hatchitt]

Ever since Peeves had sprinkled his damned mistletoe around the castle, Vix had been decidedly wary of calls for help coming from abandoned corners of the castle. Her first experience with the mistletoe had been bad enough. She had tried, and utterly failed, to forget her dearest friend's lips upon hers, and Vix reminded herself, for the hundredth time that day, that if she had felt anything it was only the indignity of being forced to kiss her best friend.

But even with the faintest of scratches upon her arm from the last time she had tried to help somebody - she had thankfully not encountered Miss Lewes and her horrible cat since - it was still impossible for her to ignore somebody in need. It had nothing to do with her recognising the voice; indeed, Vix would have hurried to the aid of anybody in need, but her movements were, perhaps, swifter than they might have been had it been Miss Maroc.

She saw the mistletoe before the enchantment ensnared her, but she stumbled into it all the same, spurred on by some unfathomable force which drew her to Matron Sykes' side.

Oh, Merlin.

"Hello, Matron," Vix greeted warmly. Her stomach fluttered uncomfortably as she glanced to the sprig of mistletoe between them. "Have you been stuck here for very long?"

  

[Constance Sykes]

Much to her surprise Miss Hatchitt did not seem especially distressed by their predicament and it gave Connie pause. At the age of seventeen she would have rather eaten rusty nails than find herself in such position and she could not help but admire how easily the younger girl took it in her stride - even at the age of thirty-seven she found herself feeling rather girlish at the thought of a kiss of any kind!

Which begged the question of what the mistletoe would accept as being a kiss? A kiss between sisters was quite different to one between lovers and oh Merlin she was blushing already wasn't she?

"Not so long that anyone else has come to my rescue yet," Connie said lightly. She should do it now should she not? Lean over and quickly kiss the girl and end the enchantment and make this moment as short as possible so their embarrassment need not be dragged out. It would have to be her that began it, Connie was quite sure, because she was the one in a position of authority and she was older and if she allowed her nerve to be tested by a youth - even a pretty one - then she would feel a fool for months to come.

"Thank goodness for you Miss Hatchitt, I was beginning to consider whether summoning my bed was necessary."

  

[Victoria Hatchitt]

Despite herself, Vix flushed, her confidence wavering in the fact of actually having to kiss the matron. Kissing Mary had been bad enough. She had known her housemate since their very first year and they were the best of friends, but she had only known Matron Sykes for a couple of weeks - and she was a member of staff. She didn’t think anybody else had been forced to kiss an adult yet!

Ignoring the wild beating of her heart - and the small voice somewhere in the back of her head telling her kissing Matron Sykes wouldn’t be too back after all - she managed to summon a smidgeon of courage and allowed herself to smile. “There’s no need - I’d be happy to help you out of your predicament.”

She immediately cursed herself. Happy?

Vix, you idiot!

  

[Constance Sykes]

Trying to keep her cheeks from blushing – being so terribly pale was awfully inconvenient – Connie calmed her nerves. Miss Hatchitt was simply a pretty girl with a rather lovely smile and a way about her that Connie found pleasant but it was nothing more than her own memories of girls she had known pushing their way to the fore again; she remembered all too well how it had felt when she was eighteen, to feel a flutter from them, but know nothing could ever come of it.

Oh what she wouldn’t have given to have caught Miriam Webster under the mistletoe once upon a time!

She tried to simply forget, to block out Miss Hatchitt’s face but she simply could not do it. The girl was all too present and afterwards Connie would question every single one of her next movements.

Because like an absolute imbecile, and without even entertaining the notion that a kiss on the cheek would suffice, she reached out a hand to cup the back of the girl’s long neck, her fingers pressed against where skin became hair, and gently pull her closer for a kiss that she really should have kept her eyes open for.

  

[Victoria Hatchitt]

The kiss took Vix entirely by surprise, though with the nature of their predicament it really was the only outcome. Still, Vix froze, rigid and stupified in Matron Sykes’ arms (arms, as if this was an embrace, honestly!), yet all too aware of the gentle brush of long fingers against the nape of her neck, of the press of the older woman’s thigh against hers, of the softness of her lips as they lingered against hers. And of how terribly nice it all felt.

Vix pulled back abruptly, cheeks hot and her heart pounding a frantic beat. Sweet Merlin, she hoped that the kiss had worked because she didn’t think she could spend another second in the matron’s presence.

  

[Constance Sykes]

Goodness, she may have slightly overdone that.

The kiss had undoubtedly gone on for much longer than was strictly necessary and really that was her fault wasn’t it? Miss Hatchitt was young and impressionable and in no way likely to understand why her lips felt as though they were numb. And when she opened her eyes the poor thing looked so embarrassed that Connie wished there was a secret passage she could vanish behind to save the girl her blushes.

”I do believe we’ve beaten Peeves,” she managed a small smile, that she hoped was reassuring and didn’t make her look like she was feeling remembering how soft Miss Hatchitt’s hair was, and moved her hand away to point upwards at the clear ceiling above them.

  

[Victoria Hatchitt]

Peeves? What did Peeves have anything to do with— Oh. This was all Peeves fault and the reminder was enough for Vix to regain some semblance of her sanity, the colour draining from her cheeks as she realised just what she had done and who she had done it with. And oh Merlin, how it had felt.

Kissing Mary had been bad enough but this was a staff member and why couldn't the ground open up and swallow her? Why wouldn't her heart stop pounding?

"I'm glad I could help," she replied lamely, her voice emerging as more of a squeak than anything else.

  

[Constance Sykes]

Oh goodness she really had frightened her hadn’t she? Inflicting herself on a student in such a way – if the Headmaster ever found out she would be ruined! Why in the name of Merlin hadn’t she tried kissing the girl’s hand on at least on the forehead or cheek before she had done that and left poor Miss Hatchitt so mortified.

“I’m so sorry you had to,” she muttered, pressing her fingers to her forehead to stave off the headache she could feel the beginnings of. She had thought it a saving grace that there was no one else here but now she realised quite how much worse it was: at least with others there might have been laughter or anything but the nervous silence that followed. Connie felt frozen to the ground in a way that no enchanted mistletoe could possibly have achieved.

“I am grateful it was you though.”

Oh dear Merlin Constance just leave!

  

[Victoria Hatchitt]

Dear sweet Merlin, Vix took an awkward step back from the matron, putting some well-needed distance between them and trying to pretend that she was anything other than pained that she had to at all. That she had, for a moment, forgotten why the matron had kissed her in the first place and that she wasn't overjoyed that she had been the blonde's apparent first choice. That was easier said than done when her cheeks were on fire and there was nothing else for it but retreat.

Retreat, to the common room, where Mary would be waiting and would surely see right through her. Merlin, were her feelings written all over her face? Could the matron see them?!

"I ought to go," Vix blurted, taking another inelegant step in the opposite direction. "My friends will be wondering—That is, I have class."

  

[Constance Sykes]

Miss Hatchitt might have had class, in the academic sense – although, Connie noted ruefully, it was an afternoon she knew the seventh years were mostly free – but any sense of decorum, respectability and class were entirely lost on the matron at that moment. Why on earth had she done that? Surely she wasn’t so damnably lonely that she was prepared to behave in such a way towards a student?

“Miss Hatchitt, I do hope you’re not too distressed?” She asked kindly, taking a step towards the girl and rather relishing the fact that she could move at all. “It certainly doesn’t reflect badly upon you if Peeves is being his usual self and I walked into his trap like a fool.”

A lucky, lucky fool, but a fool nonetheless. At least, she soothed herself, she had ended up with Miss Hatchitt who though Connie would never ever think such a thing was sensible and kind and had exceedingly soft lips rather than poor Mr Bell whom she heard had been trapped with the viper from the library!

  

[Victoria Hatchitt]

Vix tried to crack a smile at the matron’s reassurance but she couldn’t bring herself to manage more than a meagre quirk of her lips as she took a stumbling step back. Back, out of arm’s reach and most definitely away from her lips.

“Distressed? I was just helping—nothing more.” She replied with all the cheerful nonchalance she could muster. “I was glad to.”

She was glad to? Merlin, she might as well hold up a sign saying she had enjoyed it!

“I should get to class, matron.”

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   Helena MacMillan

[Constance Sykes]

Try as she might Connie couldn’t help but feel an odd sense of disappointment that their encounter could be entirely put down to Miss Hatchitt being a helpful girl. She had been helpful before though and Connie had duly rewarded her with House Point. Somehow awarding points for this did not seem like something that would be easy to explain if anybody asked exactly what aid Miss Hatchitt had offered!

Poor girl. She still looked mortified and Connie doubted she would ever inspire anything but dread and embarrassment in Miss Hatchitt now.

“Then you should be on your way Miss Hatchitt and we’ll say no more about any of this.”

Saying things was perfectly easy of course. Connie doubted the reminder of something she had thought long-lost in herself would vanish from her mind quite so easily.