His Arms, Her Comfort

Chapter 1

Even though it was the next day, exactly 24 hours since they were left alone, the silence hung in the tent like air thick with smoke. Her mind was fazed. She couldn't think about anything else — not even the mission at hand, the war, the search, nothing. She couldn't help but wonder where they, or she for that matter, had gone astray. What had been done that led them to such a situation? One that created a large crack in their friendship? Especially when they needed to be there for each other, as times were uncertain and hopeless. She couldn't help but wallow in her sadness, refusing to do anything else.

He, on the other hand, was mutely livid. The notion of his own best friend — the one that stayed with him through thick and thin — suddenly leaving him and her amidst a time where they could easily get killed maddened him. He still couldn't believe such a situation had been handed to them, his best friend left him over a trivial issue, and he was alone in hiding with her, completely at the risk of being found. It was enough to drive him to the edge, but he chose to remain quiet. Just by taking one look at her, he knew she was miserable, and his anger would only make things worse for her. He cared about her. More than she could imagine.

So now, the two of them were lost in their own thoughts, the silence among them so loud that one could easily hear the trees outside. A gloomy atmosphere was the last thing they needed, but what else could they do?

Since he had left, they had barely spoken to one another, his absence being too vivid between them, his accusations even heavier. But that didn't mean they didn't have anything to say. They wanted to tell each other a lot of things, but the situation had snatched their ability to string proper words together away.

They couldn't help it and had to wallow in the silence that had befallen their premises. They were studying Horcruxes or were at least trying to. Neither of them had their hearts set out on it.

He rubbed his scar-ridden forehead, trying to understand the words she was scrawling with a restless hand. He couldn't focus on the task and could only focus on her. Their friend's abrupt exit had shaken her to the core, and he did not like it one bit. That bastard had no right to upset her this much, not with the harsh treatment he had shown her just before he had left.

He looked at her, observing her worrying frown and quivering pink lips. He was amazed by her forgiving nature, but his heart ached for the sweet girl who was his only real and true friend in the world. She had been given a choice – leave him behind and go with the git because of his "so-called accusations" or stay with him and prove that git right. He was amazed and touched to see her choose the latter. He always admired her logical mind but had never come to tell her that.

She, on the other hand, could already feel a headache developing. As she organized the plan on the parchment spread out between them on the table, she could feel the weight of his eyes on her. He must think of her as a nervous wreck. He must see right through her and note how much of a coward and wimp she was. After all, he could understand her like no one else could. But she was trying to keep her mind focused on the right task and not think about the stupid, stupid accusations and how harshly that idiot had treated her before leaving. Sometime in the past, she may have liked him more than a friend, but all that vanished as soon as he left. Now she was here, with him – her only real and true friend in the world. She was amazed to see how calmly he was taking the situation. She knew he was burying all of his anger inside because of her. She always admired his selflessness but had never come to tell him that.

After several rounds of correcting the same sentence, she put down her quill with a defeated sigh. "I can't focus."

He agreed. "Me neither."

"We should take a break," she said, tracing the parchment with her finger. Her headache was worse now and she was suddenly feeling sad. Miserable.

"All right."

He watched her get up from the table, her long dress-like shirt complementing her curves nicely. He wasn't trying to look at her like that. He was just worried for her, and so much that he couldn't literally think of anything else.

He got up himself and paced around the area as she settled on a stoop and lowered her gaze to the ground with a forlorn expression on her face. The silence between them was too loud, and he hated every second of it. He hated the over-the-top tension, the increasing stress, and the depressed auras created among them because of a twat who didn't give two fucks about them. It was enough to make anyone drive up the wall. Especially someone whose life was at stake and could be ambushed any second.

Exasperated by the awful silence, he turned on the battered radio they had conjured to listen to the news and sat down beside it, hoping against hope the static noise could fill up the void and improve it.

As the two wandered in the realms of their thoughts, the radio buzzed and then picked up the first available channel – a song. A melodious male voice filled the room, accompanied by harmonic tunes. However, it did nothing to stir them up – until a brilliant idea struck him.

What he wanted right now was to cheer her up. She looked so lost and dejected that he felt like it was his duty as her best friend to liven her up and ease her soul.

By now, the music was becoming louder. Catching the cue, he pulled out his wand, pointed it at the radio, and whispered, "Clarus Magna."

Instantly, the music became loud enough to fill the room but not loud enough to travel outside the tent. Then, after taking a deep breath, he stood up and approached her. She looked up at him as he arrived, and was just about to open her mouth to tell him she was fine when he did something strange.

He offered his hand to her.

She looked at it, then looked at him, confused. He raised his eyebrows as if to say, "Come on."

Unsure of where he was going with this, she tentatively slipped her hand into his and let him pull her to her feet. He gently took her other hand, too, and pulled her forward in the middle of the tent. Her bewilderment at his abrupt and strange behaviour was at its highest point.

But instead of elaborating, he did something odd.

He pulled her into a dance.

--------

Just a little something I wrote. Stay tuned for chapter 2 :)