Title: Liquid Courage
Author: frecklesr42
Characters: Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Voyeurism
Abandoned prompt: Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, either post-Hogwarts (reunion and catching up for lost time) or their last year at school (Katie 6th-year - How did it start?). Add twins at your own discretion.
Word Count: ~4300
Summary: The three former Gryffindors are together again at last.
Author's notes: Many thanks to emiime for her extra set of eyes (wow, that sounds creepy). XD Hope you enjoy!

---

Katie was already stripping down as she walked through the door, knee and shin guards to the right, gloves and arm guards to the left, and the highly offensive shaped breastplate went behind her, nearly tripping Alicia.

"Watch it, Katie!" Alicia protested, sidestepping the formed dragon leather. She took her long hair out of its ponytail and shook it loose, bits of sod and turf coming out of it. She'd hit the dirt pretty hard on that last play and really needed a shower desperately.

"Ugh, not in the house, Ali," Katie said, flopping on the sofa. Her uniform was clean but one of her hands seemed strangely grey. She had never quite recovered fully from touching that cursed necklace during her seventh year, but she wasn't one to let it get in the way. In fact, she'd found that the slight stiffness in her hand gave her an advantage as a Chaser – she had developed a hooking motion to compensate for the change in sensation and it had turned out to be a great way to rapid-return the Quaffle to team members. It also gave her shots just the right amount of spin to carry through the goal posts, but made it very difficult for Keepers to catch.

"Not in the – look at you! You've strewn your things all over the entryway," Alicia griped, setting her own equipment in her designated cubby by the doorway. "It's like you've never left Hogwarts."

Angelina laughed as she stepped through the doorway. "None of us have, really. The three Gryffindor Chasers, inseparable as always."

"Except that we're all on different teams now – wait, you're home early!" Alicia nearly squealed, turning to tackle her friend. Angelina barely had time to toss her bags down before Alicia caught her in a hug. Katie grinned at her from the sofa.

"I'd get up and say hullo but I'm too lazy right now," she said, waving cheerfully from her spot. "What brings you back so soon? Alicia and I were going to have a big ol' lesbo party here to celebrate but now I suppose we'll just have to adjust."

"Katie!" Alicia protested, laughing, going a bit red around the ears. Even if she was taking the piss, it wasn't all that funny. She tried to be a bit more sensitive about these things than Katie ever was. Angelina understood, too – they'd talked about Alicia's feelings and discomfort with Katie's blasé attitude about these things. They didn't know if Katie knew about Alicia's feelings, but Angelina's preferences had long been known.

"You'd have a lesbo party but not invite the lesbo?" Angelina asked, unwrapping her scarf and extracting herself from Alicia's grip, winking at the girl. "Seems wrong, somehow, don't you think?" She toed her shoes off and shoved her bag into her own cubby, nose wrinkling at the unique stench of girl sweat wafting up from the storage area.

"An oversight," Katie said dramatically, leg swinging. "You didn't answer my question – not that we mind you breaking up the party but really, weren't you supposed to be on away games and then touring in Asia for the next two months?" She sat up suddenly, managing to look concerned. "You didn't get sacked, did you?"

Angelina laughed and shook her head, the beads in her hair clinking together softly. "No, but there's a nasty storm going on in Moscow and they decided to send us home for a few days before we start our tour." She shrugged out of her jacket and went to her chaise lounge, stretching her long legs out. Alicia pulled up an ottoman, since Katie had claimed the entire sofa for herself.

"So you mean the Terrible Trio is back together?" she asked, tucking her legs underneath her and unstrapping her own breastplate. The devices were meant to help protect their bosoms from errant bludgers – there had been quite a push for them from the female players over the past few years. The International Federation of Quidditchers finally agreed to the breastplates before the start of the current season, acknowledging that they were as important to women as cups were to men. Alicia didn't know how apt the comparison was, but she was grateful not to have her breasts bruised on a daily basis. She rubbed at where the leather pressed against her side, stretching and relaxing.

"Together for a few days, at least," Angelina affirmed with a grin. "When was the last time we were all in the same place at the same time?"

"Must've been when we signed the lease on this place, I think," Katie said, running a hand through her hair. They had decided to go in on the flat together, meaning to split expenses and such. Of course, they'd all been off on their respective teams since they'd moved in, so they barely saw each other. All three of them in the same place at the same time was nearly unheard of.

"Is it, really?" Alicia asked, massaging her leg muscles gently. She could feel bruises welling up on her right calf and thigh. "I suppose it must have been, though that seems wrong, somehow."

"Well, you've been off in Scotland for three-quarters of the year, Ali," Angelina pointed out, stretching her legs out, toes curling. "And I've got all my international touring with the European trials."

"And I've got my usual games that keep me gone," Katie said, "though I think I'm here more than the two of you combined."

"Mmm," Angelina hummed, nodding and sinking back into her chair. "Hey, didn't you both have games today?"

"Played each other, actually," Katie said. "Alicia's still got that magic touch when it comes to taking penalty shots."

Alicia blushed. "Thanks." She gave Angelina a small smile. "We beat them by ten points."

"It was a good game," Katie said. "If Jameson hadn't kept trying to kill your beaters you wouldn't have got all those chances for the penalty shots. That man had better be getting dressed down by Coach for what he did. Lost us the game."

"Well, worked out all right for us," Alicia said. "We needed the win. The Pride of Portree's not really had the best year."

"I still say you should have gone with the offer from the Harpies, or even the Magpies," Katie said, cracking an eye open to peer at Alicia. "They've both got far superior teams, and Portree is way the fuck out in the Hebrides. Don't your nipples just want to freeze off when you're practising?"

"Only for the first few minutes," Alicia said, shrugging. "You get used to it, then start working up a sweat. At least I don't have to worry about overheating. And as for Portree, well, they've got a lot of potential. There's a lot of young talent on the team and I think it's really got the chance to build up to a proper force to be reckoned with."

"If you don't mind being part of a rebuilding team, sure," Angelina said. "You'd be getting twice or three times what you've got now for salary if you were with the Harpies or the Magpies. I bet you'd be doing their calendars and the pinup editions –"

"Oooh, I can see it now!" Katie said, giggling. "Put Ali in a yellow and white polka-dotted dress with the wind blowing her skirt up as she straddles a broom. Very sexy!" She made an hourglass figure with her hands.

"See, that's exactly why I didn't want to join those teams – all the promotions, everything, it's not Quidditch. If someone thinks I'm sexy, shouldn't they think I look as good in my Quiddy gear as I do in a dress? Those calendars are just pandering."

"Careful, Ali," Katie said, still laughing. "You're starting to sound like Ange, here."

"Just because I like to wear trousers doesn't make me less of a Quidditch player," Angelina pointed out serenely.

"Yeah," Alicia agreed. "And I still like dresses, but I don't want someone to sell my image as anything but a good player. Portree doesn't do that; we just play the game."

"Not very well," Katie said with a laugh.

"We beat you, didn't we?" Alicia shot back with an easy grin.

"True enough, but only thanks to you," Katie said. "Be honest, Ali; you're a far better player than the rest of them."

"I like it there," Alicia said firmly. "I'm not leaving; it's not about the money. It's about the love of the game. The Pride of Portree has pride. The other teams feel like sell-outs."

"Well, I'm not leaving Puddlemere for anything," Katie said.

"Well, that's because of Oliver, isn't it?" Angelina said with a grin. She sat up and dug out her wand, then summoned a bottle of wine for them. Alicia clammed up at the mention of their old captain and housemate. She liked Oliver well enough but she didn't care for Katie's fawning. It made her stomach roil.

"Ohhh, you're brilliant," Katie said when she spotted the wine. "As for Oliver, it certainly doesn't hurt to see him every day." She sighed happily, feigning adoration.

"That's what I thought," Angelina said, allowing a brief glance to Alicia.

"Let's drink," Alicia said, avoiding any discussion of Oliver. She leaned forward and uncorked the bottle with a tap from her wand. "Glasses?"

"No glasses, let's drink like we did in school," Angelina said with a grin. "Go on, then. You won your game today, you get first sip."

Alicia smiled, relaxing. "To the old times," she said, and took a nice long pull. It wasn't the best wine out there, and definitely not meant to be experienced straight from the bottle's neck, but it would be a good start.

"Let's get pissed," Katie said, reaching for the bottle. "I've got a bottle of Old Ogden's chilling in the ice box. We'll get pissed to celebrate the three of us sitting still long enough to spend time together. To us!" she toasted, taking a good drink before passing it along.

"Amen to that," Angelina said.

***

"Ohhhh," Katie groaned, swinging the half-empty bottle of firewhiskey in her hand. "What time is it?"

"Eleven twenty-three," Alicia said, eyeing the clock, one eye shut. She tried to do the arithmetic.

"That's seven," Angelina declared, beating her to the calculation, eyes flicking over the cards laid out before them on the coffee table. "So that'll be the," she hesitated for a moment, "three of staves. Foresight, exploration, leaving the secure behind."

"That's uncanny," Katie said. "Just like how every other card applies to me, too!" She laughed.

"Go on, then," Angelina said. "Take your drink and pass it to us, then tell us how it applies. You know how this works."

"Fine," Katie sighed. She wobbled to a sitting position and took a shot of the Firewhiskey. About an hour into their drinking they had decided to play a game they did in school. They'd pick an arbitrary way to determine which card to select from the Tarot deck, then they'd have to answer questions based on that card. Tonight they were using the clock.

"Foresight? Well, that's an easy one. If I'd had foresight I'd have known that Oliver Wood is as queer as our Angelina and never would have followed him to Puddlemere. Oh, shit," she said once the words were out of her mouth. "You weren't supposed to know that." She laughed and covered her mouth with her hand. "Well, shit." She sank back, giggling.

Angelina started laughing. "Not supposed to know? It's the worst-kept secret in Quidditch; I thought you knew! I caught him with Percy Weasley – they weren't doing anything, mind you, but the way they were talking and then pulled apart quickly; I knew. So, go on, what about the rest?"

"You bitch," Katie said easily, laughing. "You knew and let me keep on in my delusions. Hmm, what was the rest? Exploration? Well, that's a bit harder, don't you think?"

"Never said the questions would be easy, old friend," Angelina said. "Maybe you need to explore other feelings – for someone other than Oliver Wood, that is."

"Sorry, Ange, I'm not interested in you that way," Katie said with a grin. "I'd rather be the filling in a Weasley Twin sandwich. Yum!" She wiggled her shoulders happily. "I'd gladly explore with them."

"They're not that great," Angelina said casually, gesturing with the bottle. "They're more interested in each other than whatever girl they've pulled."

Katie sputtered. "Wait, what, you- tell! When? How? I want details!"

"It was my sixth year, we were drunk, and I think they spent more time snogging each other than me. Also, that's when I realised I had no interest in boys. Being pinned between them should have been the hottest thing ever but instead I was just…" She shrugged. "Bored."

"I wouldn't be bored," Katie declared. "What a waste, Ange! And you didn't even tell us?"

"What would I have told you?" Angelina asked. "‘Hullo, girls, Fred and George had a go with me and I didn't like it, by the way, I fancy girls. How's your evening?'" She shook her head. "I don't think so. Really, how would have you reacted?"

"Insane jealousy," Katie replied easily, scratching at her itchy tit. "How about you, Ali? Wouldn't you be jealous?"

"Not really," Alicia said, eyes on Katie's hand. "Fred and George were never quite my type." At this she gestured for the bottle – even with a fair third of the missing spirits in her system she wasn't quite ready to make any confessions.

"You never really dated anyone, though, did you?" Katie asked, fidgeting some more before finally pulling her shirt over her head, leaving her in just her undershirt. "Fuck, that's better, much better." She rubbed at her chest again. "My breastplate's more like a tit constrictor and it takes them a few hours to really recover."

"No, I didn't really date," Alicia said. "Between Quidditch and studying, I really didn't have time."

"That's a load of bollocks and you know it," Katie said, pointing just over Alicia's shoulder, finger wobbling. "The rest of us had Quiddy and school and managed to find time to snog – and sometimes even shag!"

"Well, s'not like the person I fancied was interested," Alicia said, trying to deflect this conversation. "No interest, no shagging. I'm not a slag like you." She grinned, teasing.

"I like shagging, nothing wrong with that," Katie declared. "So who did you fancy, anyway? Oh, don't tell me it was a Slytherin." She groaned.

"It's not important," she said, glancing to Angelina for help. "Really."

"It was a Slytherin!" Katie crowed triumphantly. "I always thought you were a bit sweet on that one Slytherin, what was his name? Terry?"

"Terrence Higgs?" Angelina supplied.

"Higgs, that's it! Did you fancy Higgs, Ali?"

"What?" Alicia asked, then started laughing. "Higgs? Higgs is about as far from my type as you'll get. I'm done talking about this," she added quickly. "Really, can we move on?"

"No," Katie said, waggling her finger at Alicia. "Now I'm curious. I'm not stopping until you tell me who you fancied."

"This is going to be fun," Angelina said, confiscating the bottle and taking a nice long drink before handing it back to Alicia. "Here, I think you might need this."

***

Katie had gone through every single boy who'd attended school at the same time as them.

"I give up," she said, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "I thought I'd named them all but apparently you didn't fancy a single boy at Hogw-" She stopped, something in her brain seeming to click and come together. "A single boy. Alicia Spinnet, do you fancy girls?"

Alicia looked miserable. She covered her face with her hands and just shook her head slowly. Her secret was out, and Katie was a bit of a blabbermouth. With her luck, it would be all over the Quiddy gossip lines within a week. She couldn't bear to look up, but the silence was scaring her. What was going on? She steeled her courage and risked a glance.

Katie had a very funny look on her face.

"What?" Alicia asked quietly. "What is it? Are you going to laugh at me?"

"No," Katie responded, surprisingly softly. "No, you're my mate, I wouldn't do that to you."

"She'll do it to me, but not you," Angelina provided, hoping to break this- whatever it was.

"Was it me?" Katie pressed, eyes fixed on Alicia. "Was I the one you fancied?"

Alicia looked away guiltily.

"Come here," Katie said, making room for her on the sofa. "We're friends, have been since I made the team, right?"

Alicia nodded and stood uncertainly, world tilting dangerously. She made her way the two steps to the sofa before collapsing on it, safe.

"So we've always been on the same team, right?"

"Until we all got drafted in different directions, you mean," Alicia replied.

"Well, yes," Katie said, considering her next words. "I don't play on the same team as you and Angelina, exactly, but I do like to visit. Um, occasionally. If you know what I mean."

Alicia frowned, trying to pull the meaning out of what Katie was saying.

"So you're what, bisexual?" Angelina asked, catching on.

"Something like that. I like to think I'm not picky, but I've never actually –" she hitched in a deep breath. "I've never even kissed a girl. I just know I like them, sometimes."

"You- what? Seriously? You're not taking the piss with us or something?"

"S'not something I'd joke about."

"You joke about it all the time," Angelina pointed out. "Or do I need to remind you about the big ol' lesbo party you were supposedly having?"

"Grain of truth in every joke," Katie said. "S'just my way of dealing with it, I guess. I – do you still fancy me, Ali?"

"I," she began, then stopped. What was she supposed to say to that? The truth? She could lose her friend if she didn't feel the same way. This was far too much to take in. "I should go. To my room." She moved to stand up.

"No!" Katie said with surprising vehemence, grabbing Alicia's arm and tugging her back towards the sofa. Alicia lost her balance and stumbled sideways, falling on top of Katie. She squirmed, trying to right herself and get off of the younger woman but instead found her hand on top of her chest, pressed up against her. There was a hand on her ass and she wasn't sure if Katie meant to put it there or was just trying to push her off. She stopped squirming, hand still on Katie's breast. She was breathing hard and nearly eye to eye with her.

Katie's liquid courage kicked in and before Alicia realised what was happening, their lips met and they were kissing. Oh they were kissing and it was amazing. Katie's lips were soft and tasted like strawberry and grass and firewhiskey and oh how she whimpered when her hands went there and did that. Alicia had dreamt about holding Katie, touching her, learning every last curve with her lips and fingertips and now, now it seemed that Katie wanted it.

Angelina coughed.

"Do I need to leave you two alone?" she asked, arching a graceful eyebrow.

Alicia broke the kiss, breathing hard, flushed, nipples aching against her bra. She just stared down at Katie, not quite believing – had they really just kissed? Her lips were tingling, and she wasn't sure if it was the booze or Katie or a bit of both, but oh how she wanted her.

"Why go anywhere?" Katie asked, grinning at Alicia. "We've always done everything together, right?"

"Katie," Alicia implored. It wasn't that she didn't adore Angelina, it's just that she didn't want to – well, she didn't want to share Katie, not even a little. She'd wanted her for so long and she loved Angelina for being willing to talk to her about this but now, now it was her turn.

"Oh, I know something about Angelina that you don't," Katie said, giggling. "She likes to watch. Caught her peeping on the boys more than once during school. She gets off on it."

"I don't know about watching my two best friends, though," Angelina said, not disputing what Katie said. "Seems a bit off, especially if you've never done this before."

"Bollocks," Katie said. "We've all seen each other naked before, what's the difference? See?" She squirmed underneath Alicia, wriggling out of her undershirt, then pulling her sports bra over her head. Her tits were on the small side and squashed a bit from being in the bra all day, but her nipples were a pale pink and hard. Alicia just stared before finding her voice.

"Katie!" she protested, though she couldn't tear her eyes away. "You're drunk."

"So're you," she replied, giving her chest a little shake. "So's Ange. Drunk together. Go on, take a better look." She reached up and ran a hand down the side of Alicia's neck, making her shiver. "Get that shirt off."

Despite the sober part of her mind shouting at her not to, Alicia sat back and pulled her grass-stained shirt off, her undershirt following quickly. She hesitated at her bra, but Katie's hands got under the fabric, covering her breasts with cold fingers before pushing the fabric up. At that touch, Alicia felt a shot of electricity jolt through her, and something fierce broke through. She pushed Katie back on the sofa and practically attacked her, kissing any inch of skin she could reach, sucking on her neck, pulling her nipples between her teeth, rubbing her tongue over them, making her moan and whimper.

There were hands on her back and down into her trousers, fumbling, frantic, hurrying. "Come on, come on," she whimpered, caught up in the wave of need. She tugged at the button fly on Katie's trousers, having a hell of a time with them until Katie tugged them open and shoved them down. Alicia moaned when the scent of Katie wafted up to her nose. She was distracted by Katie's fingers, though, which had found their way into Alicia's knickers and oh, Merlin!

Alicia keened and rocked against Katie's fingers, hips rolling and pushing against her, her own hands fumbling to find their way into Katie. She slipped them down against the wet, dark curls between her legs and pushed a finger into Katie's pussy almost by accident – she'd been trying to find it, sure, but then her fingers were suddenly inside her. She was wet and slick and gods this was amazing and –

She cried out when Katie found her clit with her thumb, pushing her hips back against her hand again. "There," Alicia insisted, eyes screwing closed in concentration, rocking her hips, legs pressed together. "There, do that again, fuck." She tried to do the same to Katie, fingers sliding around to find her clit. Things felt so familiar and different and the angle was strange and oh fuck she'd found the spot. There, there!

She groaned and her free hand dug into Katie's back, short nails hooking into her skin, urging her on. She bit down on her neck, moaning and sucking, tongue tasting the lingering dirt and sweat from the game – and she couldn't get enough. Katie's fingers kept thrusting against her and Alicia could feel the inexorable heat building. Every nerve in her body was simultaneously on-edge and dulled through the perception of the wine and firewhiskey.

Breathing hard, she kept rocking her hips against Katie's fingers, head resting on her collarbone. She gazed at Angelina through her half-open eyes, whimpering as she watched her wank, fingers tenting her unbuttoned trousers, her other hand up her shirt and pulling on her tit.

"Oh Merlin," Alicia gasped as the realisation hit her: Angelina was wanking to them - to her best friends, who were going at it on the sofa with no regard for anyone else, drunk and horny. Somehow, this was incredibly sexy. The thought was too much and it pushed her over the edge, shaking and gasping atop Katie, clenching around her.

Her heartbeat was pounding in her ears and she couldn't feel her toes or the arm wedged between her and Katie.

"Oh," she whimpered, shifting a bit to try to free her fingers.

"Oh," Angelina echoed, gasping, shaking as she brought herself off, chest heaving. "Oh fuck."

"‘Oh fuck' is right," Katie murmured, turning to kiss Alicia. "Fuck that was hot. Next time, though, you're getting me off."

"Yes, ma'am," Alicia mumbled, letting Katie kiss her, body slowly relaxing.

"And next time, I'm taking a fucking picture," Angelina said, pulling her sticky fingers from her trousers. "I swear, I should write this down, no one would ever believe me."

"You write it down and we'll never let you watch us again," Katie said, grinning and yawning. "And who else is going to let you play voyeur?"

Angelina stood, swaying a little. "Mm, all right," she agreed. "But only because you love me. Fuck, I'm just glad you two sorted it out and realised how you both felt. It'd been driving me nuts for years. Good night!" With that, she exited, bumping into the wall on her way to her bedroom.

Katie let out a tired giggle from under Alicia. "That bitch," she said affectionately, patting Alicia's bum.

"Says the big slag," Alicia replied, laughing and shifting to get more comfortable.

"At least I'm not a dirty lesbo," Katie replied, kissing her.

"Just half of one," Alicia agreed, and fell into a happy sleep.