Don't Be So Intimate

In her panic, Aisling couldn't help but cry out.

The commotion immediately alerted Snape in the classroom, and his puzzled voice slowly came from the doorway.

"Grindelhill, are you in there?"

In his desperation, Roy instantly burst forth with the extreme speed of a special operations agent.

Aisling had never expected him to move so quickly. Her mind was still blank when, in the next instant, Roy rushed over and forcefully pinned her against the wall. A warm, powerful hand precisely covered her mouth, completely cutting off the cry that was about to escape.

"Mmph—mmph—"

The sudden restraint made Aisling panic. Her entire body tensed as she desperately struggled and twisted, trying to break free. But Roy's arm was steady and immensely strong, firmly locking her against the wall without the slightest give. No matter how hard she struggled, she could not break free at all.

"Who's in there?"

Snape keenly sensed something unusual in the storage room. Silently drawing his wand, he slowly entered, his steps slow yet heavy.

The cold footsteps drew closer with every step, each one seeming to tread on Roy's heart. His expression grew more urgent as he tightly covered Aisling's mouth, lowered his voice, and spoke quickly in an exceptionally earnest tone.

"I was really wrong. Please, can you save my life?"

Roy was on the verge of tears. Aisling, held firmly in place, stopped struggling and merely stared coldly at him with hostile eyes.

"I'm really begging you. I'll agree to anything you want."

Aisling remained silent, the resistance in her eyes not diminishing in the slightest.

"At least give me an answer. Please, I'll do whatever you tell me from now on."

"Mmph——!!!!"

Sensing the muffled sound beneath his palm, Roy finally realized he was still covering her mouth and hurriedly pulled his hand away.

Aisling regained the ability to speak, though her body was still pinned against the wall and unable to move. Looking at Roy as he pleaded bitterly, she panted heavily but said nothing.

Their bodies were pressed extremely close together. The girl's warm breath, carrying a faint fragrance, washed over him and brushed against Roy's cheek, making it itch.

"Hmph—"

Suppressing the anger in her heart, Aisling gave a soft snort. After steadying herself slightly, she turned toward the direction of Snape's footsteps and deliberately flattened her tone as she spoke calmly.

"Sorry, Professor. I'm changing clothes. I'll be out in a moment."

The approaching footsteps abruptly stopped. After several seconds of silence outside the storage room, there were no further questions. Snape silently turned around and slowly left the room. With a soft click, he closed the door behind him.

With the threat outside cut off, Roy's suspended heart finally settled. His tense body instantly relaxed, and he let out a long breath. Having narrowly escaped disaster, he was filled with gratitude and nearly wanted to kneel before Aisling on the spot in thanks.

"You're amazing! You can make me do anything you want. From now on, I, Roy, will brave any danger for you without hesitation!"

Even though she had just helped him resolve his greatest crisis, Aisling's eyes were still filled with anger as she looked at him. They were cold and displeased, showing no sign of softening.

"How long are you planning to hold me?"

Even now, their bodies were still pressed close together. Roy's arms and body still tightly restrained Aisling, not loosening in the slightest. This was the first time he had looked at her so closely. Her delicate features carried a cold air, and her fair, smooth skin paired with her slender, well-proportioned figure. He had to admit that both Aisling's appearance and figure were outstanding.

Her cold words jolted Roy awake. His face instantly burned as he suddenly came back to his senses, hurriedly released her, and backed away two steps in quick succession.

An indescribable awkwardness filled the air. Especially when faced with such a beautiful girl, embarrassment instantly flooded through him. Roy stiffly placed his hands behind his back, his ears bright red, too mortified to say a single word.

Having regained her freedom, Aisling's cheeks also quietly flushed faintly. She raised a hand to carefully smooth out her rumpled robe, then gently straightened her disheveled golden hair. Her eyes, when she looked at Roy, were still full of lingering anger.

"Um, uh... I'm really sorry. Thank you so much for what happened today. Since you helped me, how about you just take whatever you want..."

Roy scratched the back of his head. The awkward atmosphere in the air was nearly swallowing him whole. At a complete loss, he simply took out the pouch filled with all kinds of Potions ingredients and held it out to Aisling, wanting her to pick whatever she wanted as thanks.

"..."

Aisling remained silent and showed no intention of reaching out to take it. Her beautiful eyes merely stared fixedly at him, the anger in them not fading in the slightest.

"Uh..."

Before Roy could say anything else, Aisling raised her hand and tossed the bag he offered straight back into his arms, her tone cold and somewhat impatient.

"This is the second time I've lied for you, you little troublemaker. Can't you cause a little less trouble?"

With that, Aisling turned around without sparing Roy another glance and walked toward the classroom.

"If you have any conscience at all, don't go stirring up trouble with Slytherin again."

As her cool voice fell, Aisling pushed open the storage room door and left directly.

The door gently shut, and the sealed storage room instantly fell silent. Roy was left standing there alone, frozen in place and somewhat at a loss.

"Forget it. I'll use these ingredients to brew some Potions for her later and apologize."

Roy silently made up his mind. He quickly packed up his belongings, carefully checked the storage room, and only after confirming that he had left no trace behind did he push open the door and leave, slowly making his way down the corridor.

As he walked back to the Hufflepuff common room, his heart was still pounding. Tonight's experience had been far too dangerous. The tense escape and close confrontation from earlier kept replaying in his mind like a slideshow, impossible to shake off.

Whenever he thought of Aisling, an indescribable feeling rose within Roy. The sensation of their bodies pressed close together was still vivid, and it felt as though the girl's unique warmth and faint fragrance still lingered in his arms.

In the Potions classroom, Snape saw Aisling emerge from the storage room with a calm expression. He did not ask too many questions. Opening his textbook and waiting for Aisling to sit beside the podium, he began explaining the tutoring material he had prepared.

Aisling sat upright, seemingly listening attentively to Snape's lesson, but her mind was actually filled with thoughts of what had just happened.

Snape suddenly stopped in the middle of his explanation and spoke to Aisling in a grave tone.

"That Hufflepuff, Roy Smith..."

Hearing Snape mention Roy's name, Aisling suddenly panicked, thinking Snape had discovered what had just happened.

"I heard about how he humiliated Slytherin on the grounds. You did very well."

Snape's tone was full of approval, and only then did Aisling relax.

"It was what I should have done. I just thought we couldn't further intensify the conflict between the House and that guy. In the end, Slytherin would be the one to suffer."

At that, Snape's anger flared. Suppressing his rage, he said flatly,

"I understand your intentions. Dumbledore is excessively protective of that troublemaker. I'll remind those hotheads in the House. Those two had it coming too. If they weren't Slytherin students, I would have thrown them out of the school myself."

Aisling said nothing more, and Snape continued explaining Potions.

Aisling lowered her head. That irritating green figure kept appearing in her mind. The warm sensation of their close contact earlier seemed to still linger on her body, and a faint blush quietly rose to her cheeks.