Audacity. | Harry Potter

SIXTY-NINE

HARRY HAD SET himself up in the bathroom of the burrow. The focus on the evening had been major injuries and the lives they lost, but a throbbing pain on his upper shoulder had been distracting him.

Freya had spent a moment alone just a few rooms over, composing herself. After deciding she was suited to return to the rest of the house, she left the room and made her way down the narrow hallway.

As the girl walked past the bathroom, her eyes caught the illuminated crack in the door. Freya paused and she noticed that Harry was inside, inspecting himself in the mirror.

Her heart was immediately sent to her throat. Just seeing or hearing the boy caused her entire body to tense.

She tried to pull her eyes away but rather they landed on Harry's young face, wincing in pain as he tried to roll up his sleeve.

While every part of her brain shrieked at her to stop and continue down the stairs, she somehow found her hand reaching for the door. The blonde's mind suddenly caught up with her actions, but it was too late, her hand was already gently tapping the wood to alert him of her presence.

Startled, Harry turned his gaze to the blonde and she slowed walked into the room. His green eyes seemed somewhat fearful of what was to come, but couldn't help to relax in presence.

"Are you alright?" Freya spoke softly, closing the door behind her without thinking. Hearing the soft click of the doorframe made Harry stand up straight.

"Yeah, uh," Harry stumbled over his words, realizing this was the first time in months the two had even been remotely alone, "Just a scratch."

She looked down at his shirt, which was now growing splotches of red blood across the fabric, "Harry, you're bleeding."

He looked in mirror and saw for himself with an awkward shuffle, "I-I suppose I am, but it's-"

Harry's rambling was cut short by Freya walking over to him, taking a look at the wound herself. His breath stiffened as she neared him, he couldn't help it.

Freya herself was entirely unsure of what she was doing, normally she would be avoiding him at all costs, but it hurt her heart far too much to watch him in pain.

Her mind then flashed back to every other time Harry had gotten injured. The owl bite, Draco's fist, even bludgers to the head. Freya paused an assessed her own body.

Nothing.

She didn't feel anything. There was no blood and certainly no pain in her shoulder. Freya's eyebrows furrowed as she thought about it further but she was drawn out of her mind when Harry quietly asked, "Freya?"

The blonde was snapped out of her thoughts and back to the bathroom the two were standing in.

"Sorry, sorry," She muttered, "Let me see what happened."

Harry looked at her as though she had three heads. The two had barely spoken 5 words to each other in months and here the girl was, tending to his wound.

"I'm really okay-"

"Did it sound like a question?" She retorted quickly. It almost surprised Harry, it had been a while since he was on the receiving end of Freya Majors wit.

The boy slowly took off his shirt, causing the tension in the room to nearly double. He turned around and faced away from the blonde, who saw the large burn mark spread across his shoulder.

"What happened?" Freya held her breath and her fingers delicately felt the edge of the wound, causing Harry to wince in pain.

"Rouge spell," He grit his teeth as she began to clean the area, "Got hit."

"I can see that," Freya continued to dress the wound best she should, "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"Didn't want to be a bother," Harry answered honestly, "Everyone had already risked their lives tonight. George lost an ear, Moody and Hedwig died for me."

"They chose to do that Harry," Freya paused, "Everyone here would do that."

The two teenagers were closer than they'd been in quite a while. Freya was incredibly aware of her proximity to the boy, and her hair stood on end each time she accidentally grazed his skin.

Her touch was soft, Harry noticed, like she felt as though she would break him.

"Would you?" Harry asked quietly, not realizing the question was slipping out of his mouth and into the air.

Freya stopped for a second, his back still turned to her. She looked at him up and down, nervous he would suddenly turn.

After a moment she decided to ignore the question, "There, it's all cleaned up."

Wiping her hands off Freya pretended as if he hadn't said a word, but now Harry had turned to face her.

He had grown in her absence, he now stood quite a few inches over her. The boy had always been awkward in his body, but the added height only made it worse. Freya noticed when he finally looked her, his gaze was higher now.

The two were still only inches apart, but it was if their feet had been stuck to the ground. Freya could feel her heart racing as her blue eyes met his green. Harry's vulnerable state only made their breath quicken as they realized just how close they truly were.

"I said," Harry looked down at her softly, more mature than before, "Would you?"

Freya got lost in his eyes as he spoke to her, she had spent her whole summer dreaming of those green orbs. She didn't even realize it had been silent for over a minute.

Every bone in her body wanted to hug Harry, to feel his embrace and his lips against hers. It was a fight deep within her in order to remain in the place she was standing. She could almost feel his breath falling gently on her skin, his glasses were now low on his nose.

Breaking free of the trance she was trapped in, she felt her hand reach around the counter until it found his shirt, which she took within her grasp. Against her true wishes, but following her better judgement, she pushed the shirt into his chest for him to take, "Goodnight Harry."

Her answer disappointed the both of them, although neither knew what the best outcome could've possibly been.

In order to finalize her decision she slipped out the door and shut it quietly but firmly behind her.

Harry was left with his now bloodied shirt in his hands, and a heart that was hurting more than his shoulder. He would've been lying however, if he said it wasn't the best he'd felt in months.

Just being near Freya, seeing her, feeling her, was electric. It felt like every nerve in his body had come alive again. It took everything within him not to lean down and kiss her when she stood in front of him. But there he was, in the bathroom alone.

He slipped the shirt back over his body and looked sadly in the mirror, pushing his glasses up to their rightful place before opening the door.

Rather than entering directly into the hallway he was expecting, he ran chest first into a figure that was positioned outside.

"Freya?" He stumbled for his footing as the blonde did the same. His tall stature nearly toppled her over. Neither were expecting the quite literal run-in they had just experienced.

"The answer is yes," Freya and Harry locked eyes, "I would risk my life for you."

Before he could respond she was gone again, off to the stairs where she disappeared down them.

Only this time, she had really left.