Harry Potter One Shots (Vol. I)

Bewitched (Dean Thomas)

I don't think anyone got this one right.

This hasn't been edited - but really, it's me - what else did you expect?

mama deer is still living off of validation - so comments are always welcome ~~

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Sometimes, life threw you the most horrific of all curveballs. One moment, you were sat at home, working through the last hitches of the academic essay you were writing, preparing it for publishing - your first article to be published after years of studies and right on the precipe of achieving a massive goal. And the next, you were standing to get the letter from the owl perched at your window and reading the news that one of your dearest friends, a lifelong friend, who just the week before, had asked you to be one of her bridesmaids, had been struck down in the line of work and now her precious life was cut far far too short. All of the danger was supposed to have been left far behind, back in the time of school when the major threat of Voldemort had hovered over us all. She wasn't supposed to have died in a potions accident, and certainly not whilst in her early twenties.

The more I thought of it, the harder it was to swallow the now ever-present lump in my throat. But the trouble was, I couldn't bring myself to stop thinking about it. How could I when life had opened up a colossal hole right at my feet and was just waiting for me to stumble right into it? A very minor consolation was that I was not alone in all of this.

Lauryn had left behind a group of lifelong friends who would mourn her in their every waking day. For now, we'd all banded together to help each other through it. We; Overholt, Fatya and I, regularly sought out each other's company in the days following Lauryn's passing. The four of us - three now - were lifelong friends who struggled to make time for one another, with life getting in the way, and it took the most unimaginable of circumstances for us to finally make time for each other. Perhaps it was too late, but we were trying now.

The women, seated around the muggle coffee shop table with me, were women I would carry with me for the entirety of my life. Salazar, I could swear that on Lauryn's memory. The same Lauryn's memory that had forced us to meet in the muggle world because in our world, we were being hounded at every possible turn to make a comment to the reporters who, upon realising that Lauryn had no biological family to speak of, settled for harassing us. It was really, the most inconsiderate action I'd seen in a while.

Bringing our short meeting to an end, Overholt was the first to leave. She gathered her things, offering us a final parting with a small, sombre smile and promised she would reach out again soon. I nodded, and waved, watching as she left. Taking the cue, I gathered my belongings and prepared to leave.

"Are you planning on staying for longer?" I asked Fatya, who made no move to leave.

"I might hide out in the muggle world," she confided.

"Why do I get the feeling you're not just talking about staying in this coffee shop for a little longer?"

"Because I'm not." Her eyes cast out of the window, watching the quiet street with a contemplative air. "Since Lauryn - well, being in the muggle world is the most calm I've felt since then. There's no one here hounding me and no potions that can explode and rip away someone you love."

I watched her silently for a moment, before reaching out to snag her hand in mine, "You know I'll support you with whatever you decide."

"I do." She offered me another smile, "I take it that means you'll be the one to tell my parents that I want to make this temporary move more permanent?

"Absolutely not." Scoffing, I could just imagine the way her mother would begin to shout, followed shortly by the emotional blackmail. "No way, that's all for you. I will help you though if that is what you want."