Disclaimer: For the last time in Red – The Senses, I will be admitting that I do not own the characters created but Joanne Rowling.

I haven't updated in ages, I know, I'm sorry. There's only one sense left for me to do, and I'm sure you can all guess what it is and what happens, but enjoy the last ever chapter of Red The Senses anyway "sniff". I know that technically, it begins on Thursday, but by the end, it's Friday.

If anyone has watched The Princess Diaries please imagine that 3 paragraphs from the end, that the opening bars to the Miracles happen song at the end are playing – you know what getting at – the old chord sequence bit before the lyrics kick in.

Taste Friday

Walking back from dinner, Oliver felt a swoop in his stomach; he tried to put it down to celebratory feelings, but the smarter part of his mind had already figured out what the real cause was. This evening was different, and he knew it. He didn't know why, but a tingle of elation possessed every cell in his body. Calm down, Oliver! He could almost hit his inner conscience. Over the past week it had been bugging him terribly. The awful part of it was that he knew it was right.

He made a conscious effort to slow his steps as he meandered down the corridors to the changing rooms. The team had agreed to put on their outer robes for the party. This pact conjured up images Oliver knew he shouldn't be having – the robes were hot and in a crowded common room the heat would be sweltering; he doubted whether the girls would have much on but a short skirt and strappy top under their robes.

This was wrong – his youngest chaser was only a fourth year! She was fifteen – she shouldn't even be thinking about him – wait, boys in that way! She was far too young to be kissing anybody, let alone a seventh year! Oliver tried desperately to stop himself picturing her slight body pressed with one of a very familiar seventh year in particular.

The Fat Lady was drawing closer and closer; Oliver braced himself for the chaotic havoc he expected to see inside. It was every bit as manic as he predicted – those blasted Weasleys had pushed a few tables together to make a small platform. He watched as the scene unfolded before him, five members of his team standing on the platform; one of the twins yelling out to the Gryffindors while the other was juggling empty butterbeer bottles in time to the loud music blasting around them.

A crowd of partying students filled the common room, hiking the temperature up to an almost unbearable heat. It was no good – he would have to take his shirt off.

A sudden reckless nerve took hold of him and he strode over to his team, scaling the tables effortlessly. It was his last year – he was never going to get the chance to do this again after Hogwarts. This realization wrenched at his heart, an unfamiliar twinge of sorrow pulling at him.

His next observance was that he had somehow, quite unintentionally, you understand, managed to position himself between Katie and Alicia, uttering wrecking their dancing pattern. The latter turned happily back to George as Fred took Angelina's hand on the other side. Oliver turned to Katie with his hand held out, a slightly nervous grin hitched onto his face – after all, it was only the polite thing to do, right?

She put her delicate hand into his larger roughened one, and the swoop in his stomach dipped down again as he spun her towards him and then away from him again. As the team danced, some of the other popular Gryffindors hoisted themselves onto the platform.

Oliver brought Katie to an unnoticed side that finished near a corner in the wall and dropped down off the table, holding his arms up to her to ensure her a safe fall.

"No, way!" she laughed at him, "I'll squash you!"

Oliver did not know why, but her acceptance of him and her trust placed in him were suddenly important more than ever before – he wanted them; he needed them. "Come on, Kates – the wall's firmly behind me."

With a cautious glance behind her at the unobserving team mates, she stepped off the side and squealed with delight when his strong quidditch-built arms captured her. This felt right. Regretfully, he let her go, this time, knowing that he wanted her back again. They made their way over to the side of the room and sat down, Oliver summoning two drinks off the nearby table.

As Katie sat down, he couldn't help noticing the way her robes fell open to reveal her tanned legs that were just caught at the top with a light summer skirt. He felt bad for looking at her like that and immediately brought his gaze back up to her face, but noticed a slight excited smile lingering there, almost as if she knew and could read his mind.

The Common Room steadily became tipsier around them and the smell of firewhisky lingered in the air. Their conversation absorbed both of them; they hardly noticed that the bottles they held had been the same one that had lasted them a couple of hours. The noise level was coming down from its peak as coupled became stifled with each other and the crowds dispersed as they escaped to find their own privacy.

By eleven o'clock, the younger students not so used to the Gryffindor celebrations headed to bed for recovery so that the remnants of the population consisted of the older team members and the upper school. With a flick of a wand and a dim of the flames, the music quieted and slowed its pace.

Again, Oliver extended his hand to Katie, and once more, she accepted with a smile. She accepted him; she trusted him. Oliver's spirits soared. He led her into the group of dancing couples, not at the edge, but away from the centre and attention from the catcalls of the twins over the shoulders of Angelina and Alicia.

He spun her slowly away from him and then pulled her back towards him, enveloping one arm about her slim waist. She rested her other hand against his bare chest and lightly pressed herself shyly to him, their breathing slowing to synchronize peacefully with each other. His mind leisurely cruised through the past few days.

He watched as Katie hurtled herself at the mound of colour and landed with a gleeful cry of mirth as the leaves rose up and floated back down on top of her. Oliver wondered about the dry, but still colourful leaf sitting patiently on his dormitory table. He thought about red; how red was disposed to create anger, as he had demonstrated to the twins, while it had a softer, fun loving feel to it as well.

With one of his hands held Katie's he moved the other from her waist across her back over her crimson robes and then back again. Yes, red felt rather nice.

His mind progressed to Tuesday; He carefully unstoppered the vial and tasted a drop of the crimson potion. He returned the vial to his trunk and felt the soaring sensation he felt when he was just about to make a spectacular save, the jolt of his stomach when he heard Lee Jordan announce his name as he shot out onto the pitch. He saw the colours around him glow, but it was too dark to see any difference. He focused on the scents filling his nostrils and he smelled the fade of smoke from birthday candles, a newly opened tin of broom polish and the slightly flowery scent he smelled that he could not place.

Oliver pulled Katie tighter to him and moved his head down to hers, burying his face in her beautiful mousey blonde hair. In the dim light, its shine reflected their robes draped loosely around their shoulders giving it a strawberry tint. His nose filled with the slight scent of lavender. You know, red smelled really good.

He moved over to Wednesday; He opened an eye to find Katie snapping her fingers in front of his face. He jumped and she looked as if she was trying to smile, but couldn't quite make it. She stepped forward, her hand running about an inch from his skin, tracing the flow of blood seeping through. "What happened?" He replayed the scene in the changing room, then replayed every time her lips had parted in an exclamation of shock. Images of her clothes mingled with three different gasps playing over and over in his head as Katie lulled him to sleep.

As Oliver's ribcage expanded when he took in as much of Katie's scent as possible, he crushed her closer to him. Their hands separated as his palms supported her back and her arms clasped wonderfully tight around his neck. With his ears now closer to her mouth, he could hear as well as feel her breathing. He caught a small sigh when he tightened his grip for a moment. Wow, red sounded amazing.

The chime of the clock echoed distantly around them as Oliver thought about what was now yesterday; His body was tingling all over, trying to push the dream out of his head. Don't worry about Katie, she's a big girl, she can take care of herself. He looked over at Katie with a look in his eyes and was rewarded by a winning, if not slightly nervous, smile. He felt a swoop as Katie's hand brushed his as he passed the note onto her, Angelina passing an identical note on the other side of the table. He looked away from Katie's blushing cheeks.

His right hand slid gently upwards until he could tilt her chin up to him. That very same blush stained her cheeks now. Red really was a pretty colour.

His reminiscing now over, he knew that the time was right. Oliver traced the details of her face, committing them to his memory. He looked at her luscious rose lips; he caught Katie's gaze and then closed his own eyes and he lowers his own lips to hers.

Red tasted delicious.

He kissed her once and then drew back, uncertainly. His concerns evaporated, however when she smiled the most beautiful smile he had ever seen and leaned back in towards him, her sweet, soft lips pressing against his once more.

Now, his brain was occupied with more important things, but tomorrow, he would try to remember to agree with the twins;

Red really was his favourite colour.

Finis.

Love,

x Imperial Princess x