If I May Be So Bold (A Harry Potter Universe Fanfiction)

56.

May 2035

ELLA

Ella met Logan outside in the entrance hall after classes on Friday. She was just coming in from herbology and he'd finished his day with potions so they'd agreed to meet by the doors to head up to choir together. Their first rehearsal for his arrangement was that evening before dinner, sans the seventh years of course.

He was already waiting for her when she pushed through the doors. Iris and Kyrie had been beside her but they suddenly disappeared and she thought it probably had to do with the look on Logan's face. He seemed uncharacteristically nervous.

"How're you feeling?" she asked as she neared him.

"I might throw up," he said. "What if it's actually awful? What if people hate it?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Ella said. "It's not awful."

He started to walk and she fell into step beside him.

"I was having horrible dreams all night about it going badly," he said. "I just feel like it's an omen or something. I don't take divination, but I've heard of people having to keep a dream diary and it all means something bad."

"It's not going to go badly," she said. "It's good. It gave me chills, remember? I think it's beautiful. And Professor Whitby already gave it his stamp of approval or he wouldn't be putting it onstage, you know?"

They reached the top of the staircase. Logan didn't answer her. He seemed only to be able to grimace.

She put her hand on his back as they walked and kept up a steady stream of encouragement, just as he'd done for her leading up to her first solo in the Christmas concert. It felt funny to be on the other side of things now, for it to be Logan, not her, who was nervous.

Vaguely, she registered that they had just passed by her dad, that he had probably just seen the two of them together, but that didn't feel like an important worry right now.

Logan slowed his pace considerably as they reached the staircase up to the choir room. Most of the rest of the choir passed them on their way up and about halfway up, Logan stopped altogether. He seemed to be thinking about heading right back down.

"Look," Ella said now. "You talked me into auditioning for that solo in the fall which is something I never, ever thought I would do, and I was terrified. But you know what?"

He looked at her.

"It wasn't that bad. And eventually I decided I actually enjoyed it, even though it still kind of terrifies me. I wouldn't have even known that if you hadn't pushed me out of my comfort zone. You need to do things that scare you sometimes."

"You're probably right," he said. "Scariest thing I've done all year was kiss you the first time and that also turned out to be the best."

"You didn't even do that," Ella said. "I had to."

Logan laughed, and then he kissed her right there on the stairs, right where anyone walking by could have seen.

"Still kinda scary," he said. "Still completely worth it."

Ella could only nod her agreement.

Logan steeled himself and took another step up.

She reached for his hand and he held it tight as they walked up the rest of the stairs. Only on the landing did he say, "Thank you. I needed that," and then he let go of her hand to open the door and held it for her before walking through himself.

Only a few minutes later, Professor Whitby handed out copies of Logan's score and Ella felt butterflies stir up in her stomach. It was professionally printed now — not the handwritten pages she'd been playing from when she helped him.She could only imagine how crazy it have felt to see it that way, like a real published piece of music.