Blushing at how close he was, and at how he linked their fingers, Leane looked up at him and nodded, "Yes."

.

"Thank you." Matthew smiled. "Now will you please give up on this thing?" He asked, gesturing to the forest around them. "Let's just walk back without getting killed. There's a lot of creepy stuff out here. That rhino creature might not do it but who knows what else is back there." He said.

.

"Promise me one thing first.. You'll make it up to me and give me an adventure that tops it?" Leane teased as she wrapped her free hand around his waist and hugged him, "I've still had a really bad day and need some fun.. Even if it's something small.."

.

"How about this?" Matthew asked, putting his free hand around Leane's neck. Ducking his head slightly, Matthew pressed his lips to her as he prayed he wasn't scaring her off by being so forward.

.

Leane simply stood there, quite dumbfounded by his sudden kiss. Blushing a deep scarlet, Leane's mind raced for a few moments. However, all it told her was that this felt right somehow..

All of that happening in just a patter of seconds, Leane couldn't help but smile into his lips. Releasing his hand, Leane wrapped that arm around his neck as she stood on her toes and leaned into his lips, returning his kiss with a few of her own.

It as then that Josh appeared in the woods, "Leane? Leane! Whe-oh.." Seeing the couple, he burst out laughing, "This is what I find after Kalli scared me have to death? Honestly you two. If you wanted to snog, did you have to create such turmoil?"

Ignoring her brother, Leane simply tenderly kissed Matt. She'd waited so long for him to like her, she thought that maybe he never would. When her feelings turned to Severus, she accepted it. But now.. now that he was kissing her. Kissing her.. Leane couldn't have been happier.

.

Matthew didn't hear Josh's comment, to lost in Leane's kiss. Wrapping his free hand around her waist, Matthew returned her kisses eagerly.

Breaking their kiss, Matthew rested his forehead against Leane's and simply smiled down at her. How he had never noticed her before was beyond him

Noticing something out of the corner of his eye, Matthew looked over to see Josh. "When did you get here?" Matthew asked, not loosening his hold on Leane.

.

"Oh, you're noticing me now? I thought you two love birds might never notice me," Josh said as he rolled his eyes and leaned against the nearby tree, "Mind if we continue this little snog fest out of the Forbidden Forest? I'd rather my little sister and best friend not get killed."

Leane rolled her eyes, "Josh, we're fine. We've hardly even entered it! Besides, you snog my best friend all the time. You're just going to have to get used to me snogging yours," added Leane with a wink up at Matt.

.

Matthew's face lit up with happiness at Leane's wink. "He's right, we should get out of here." Matthew laughed. "This place gives me the creeps." He teased as he wrapped an arm around Leane's waist and led the two out of the Forbidden Forest.

.

Leane laughed as she followed him out of the forest. Once they were out, Leane turned to face Matt and wrapped her arms around his neck. Placing a light kiss on his lips, Leane whispered, "Now, where were we?"

Josh rolled his eyes, "Can you two quit snogging for two minutes please?"

Leane sighed as she looked over at Josh, "What?"

"Leane Morynn Supton, you went into the Forbidden Forest and nearly got yourself killed! What do you bloody think?! You're irresponsible, you're stupidity astounds me, and if it weren't for Sommers distracting you by snogging you, you'd probably have gone after the damn thing and bloody gotten yourself killed!"

Leane blushed as she looked up at Matt, "Y-you were just distracting me?"

Josh sighed, "Lee, I didn't mean it like that.."

"No, you did. Thank you for telling me how much of an idiot I am," hissed Leane icily as she turned on her heel and stormed off towards the Castle.

Josh sighed as he ran after her, "Leane! That's not what I bloody meant! Damn it Leane, listen to me!"

"NO!" called Leane back to the boys, "You're both vile and I don't want to speak to either of you!"

"Damn it. I give up. I'll talk to you in the Common Room when you've calmed down," called Josh as he slowed to a walk.

"NOT A BLOODY CHANCE!" she called back as she quickened her pace to a run.

.

"Very nice." Matthew glared at Josh. "I just told her how I feel and now she's gone." He hissed angrily as he followed after Leane.

~~~

Nashita dried her tears quickly and re-did her make up in the mirror beside her bed.

Making her way down the tower stairs Charms, Nashita wandered through the halls and pondered how she would cover up her outburst earlier.

.

Leane sighed as she leaned against the wall and sank to the floor in a side hallway that was dimly lit. Silent tears rolling down her cheeks, Leane closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall as her thoughts swirled. 'How could I have been so stupid.. How could I not have seen that Matt was using my feelings against me to get me out of the forest? God I'm so bloody stupid.. Now I've made a complete fool of myself..'

-

Josh sighed as he called after Matt, "I'm sorry mate! I didn't mean it how it sounded!"

.

Nashita saw a figure on the floor as she passed a dark hallway. Pulling out her wand, Nashita aimed at the crying figure.

"Lee!" She sighed. "You scared me." She laughed as she moved over to her.

"Why are you upset?" She asked seriously as she bent beside her friend. "Matt wants you. He said he wanted to ask you to the Ball. Shouldn't you be happy? Or did you reject him and he acted like a jerk?" She asked, putting an arm around Leane's shoulders.

~~~

Matt simply ignored Josh's comment as he hurried into the castle and searched wildly for Leane.

.

"Worse... He lied Shita.. He doesn't really like me.. He was just saying that to keep me from going into the Forest.. When he kissed me it was just to distract me from going off in search of Ben's creature.. I just.. I want to be alone right now.. I feel so bloody stupid and naive. You'd better get to class anyway, our start pupil doesn't need to be in trouble and get points deducted, does she?" Leane teased with a small smile.

.

"You went in the forest?" Nashita asked, her mouth gaping before her brain started to kick in. "Lee? How did Matthew know you were going to go into the forest? How could he have been talking about how much he liked you before he even knew he would have to distract you and not mean it? Matt said he wanted to ask you to the Ball before you were even down there. That doesn't make any sense." She said, her expression confused.

.

"How am I supposed to know.. Maybe he and Ben did it to get back at me and play a joke on me.. Ben knew I liked him two years ago, and suspected that I liked him still. Maybe it was one of their twisted jokes.. Josh seemed to be in on it. He's the one who let it slip," replied Leane angrily as the tears continued to pour down her cheeks, "Can we please just stop talking about it? I'm humiliated enough!"

.

"Do you really think Matt would do that to you?" Nashita asked, refusing to drop the subject. "Or Ben? Or Josh? Do you think they're even smart enough to come up with something like this?" Nashita said, laughing quietly.

"Honestly, Lee. Have you not noticed the way Matt looks at you? Ever since the first day of school he's been sneaking glances behind your back and acting as if it was nothing. Its like you walked in the first day and he hasn't been able to keep his eyes away from you." Nashita said carefully. "No matter what happened, I doubt Matthew or Ben or Josh would ever hurt you like this. They all love you dearly." She said.

Matthew almost ran by the hallway the two girls were in and almost fell over as he came to a stop. "Lee!" He said, his breathing coming faster. "Its not what you think. Josh just has horrible wording. I wasn't just trying to distract you. I swear." He said, not noticing Nashita who had stepped backwards and disappeared into a different.

"Please, you have to believe me. I've waited for so long to be able to be with you. I would never hurt you like that." Matthew gushed as he bent beside Leane.

.

Still crying, Leane wrapped her arms around Matt's neck and rested her forehead against his chest. Pulling him close, Leane spoke softly, her voice a muffle in his shirt, "I'm sorry.. I'm so so sorry.. I've truly made a mess of things, haven't I.. how could you ever forgive me for this.."

.

"Very easily actually." Matthew smiled as he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her hair. "As long as you promise not to doubt how I feel about you then you're completely forgiven." He sighed as he wrapped her tighter into his arms.

.

Leaning back and wiping her eyes, Leane nodded, "I promise. Oh Matt, I really do promise and I'm honestly sorry for letting my idiot of a brother ruin everything," she added as she placed a soft kiss upon his lips, "Forgive me.."

.

"You're already forgiven." Matthew smiled as he placed another kiss on her lips. "Do you still want to go to Charms? We've already ditched Care of Magical Creatures. We don't really need to go to class. I'm sure someone will lend us their notes." Matthew smiled as he sat beside Leane, putting his arm around her shoulders.

.

Leane laughed as she leaned against him, wrapping her arms around his waist, "I'm perfectly happy staying right where I am, as long as you don't mind skipping?"

.

"Of course not." Matthew said, burying his face in her hair. "I'd rather stay with you anyways. Now that you're not angry with me." He teased, giving her scalp a quick kiss.

.

Resting her head on his chest, Leane sighed, "I really am sorry I let Josh get to me.. I guess my wretched curse of misunderstanding everything proved to ruin a perfect moment once again.. huh.."

.

"Maybe that moment but we have plenty of perfect moments to come, I'm sure." Matthew smiled, lifting her chin to give her a tender kiss.

.

"I hope so," she whispered as she returned his kiss. Leaning back, caressing his cheek with her palm, Leane inquired softly, "Matt? Why do you like me? You didn't notice that I liked you for two wholes years.. Then I gave up fourth year and came to accept that you'd never like me.. Now here we are, and you're kissing me and telling me you like me, not to mention asking me to the All-Hallows-Eve-Ball.. What changed? I know you say it just kind of happened on the first day of school this year.. but there must be more to it than that.."

.