Last First Kiss {HP Next Generation}

Chapter Thirty

Hope settled into the spare bedroom that her Aunt Anora and Uncle Charlie had arranged for her, prior to her arrival that day in Romania. The three cousins were incredibly excited to be spending the majority of the summer together and Hope was full on ready to experience the dragons on a much more personal scale. Although, in the back of her parents' mind, they were still worried about Hope getting a little too excited and getting hurt by accident. However, Anora and Charlie reassured Eleanor and Fred that Hope was in good hands.

When Hope arrived that evening with her family, it was too dark to do anything, so she would have to wait until the morning to venture out. But luckily, her aunt was an early riser too. Hope wasn't tired though as she sat in bed. She contemplated writing a letter to Henry and apologizing to him for whatever she had done to make him upset. As she went to step out of bed, Stella and Eliza came in.

"What are you up to?" Stella questioned eyeing the younger girl.

"Err...I was about to write a letter..."

"Merlin, Hope, you've only been gone from home for a couple of hours." Stella said. "Your parents will live-"

"It's not to them." Hope snorted. "It's for Henry."

"Why?!" The twins asked together startling her a bit.

"Well, because I wanted to apologize-"

"For what?" Eliza cut her off. "You have nothing to be sorry about."

"She's right." Stella agreed.

The twins eyed one another.

'Did you just agree with me?" Eliza glanced at her sister.

"I guess so...mark this moment, Hope. Because it'll probably never happen again."

Hope smiled at the two before sitting back on her bed.

"Henry was really upset back at the train station, even if I hadn't been able to see it, I could feel it. I could even feel it in my wand if that makes any sense, it probably doesn't. But anyways, I feel bad and I know he's feeling bad. Since I'm here the entire summer, I might as well stay in contact with him the best I can."

"No, he should contact you first!" Stella said.

"But why?" Hope tilted her head in confusion ."What does it matter who contacts who first?"

"It does matter, a lot. Listen, he's the one who got upset, for something you had no control over. Last time I checked, you can't control McGregor's lips. He's the one making a big deal out of it."

"But why?" Hope groaned. "I don't understand." She fell back onto her bed and covered her face with a pillow.

"Because he likes you...dingus!" Stella huffed. 

"Well of course he does, we're best friends-"

"Merlin." Stella clapped her hand over her face. Eliza walked over and sat besides Hope.

"What Stella is getting at is, Henry sees you as more than his best friend, Hope."

"Sooo...Super best friend?"

"No, Hope." Eliza smiled. "He likes you in the romantic sense. He has a crush on you, just like McGregor does."

Immediately, Hope channeled her Weasley genetics as she became brighter than Eliza's hair.

"Me? He likes me."

"I thought it was obvious." Stella said flopping onto the bed. 'All year he's been pissy with you on and off and if you hadn't noticed it was when McGregor was around."

"I thought it was because he just didn't like McGregor." Hope said.

"He doesn't..because of you."

"You're beginning to sound like Teddy, Stella." Hope rolled her eyes, but quickly scooted away from Stella as the girl glared in her direction. "Just teasing."

"Henry does like you," Eliza continued the conversation. "I think that's why he's been upset."

"But if he did, why didn't he just tell me that?"

"Because life would be so much easier if things were that simple." Stella snorted. "Most people do not walk up to someone and tell them that they flat out like them. I think it's against the rules or something. Most of the time, there has to be some sort of complication, stress, awkwardness, perhaps some pain involved and boom, love blossoms. Or it dies. Either way."

"You have a real way with words, Stella. Honestly." Eliza shook her head. "Look Hope, he's probably unsure of how to tell you about his feelings because you two have been best friends since birth. Literally. Not too many people can claim that. So of course he's going to be nervous about mentioning it. He doesn't know if you like him back."

"Actually, we don't know that either." Stella said sitting up. "Do you, Hope?"

All eyes fell on her while Hope stared back at them. She could feel her entire body growing warm as she looked at them, unable to respond as she found herself lost for words.

"I..I...I never really gave it any thought to be honest." she said. "But...Henry is...well...he's always been the one at my side."

"Do you see him as a brother?" Eliza asked.

"Not really. I see Elliot as a brother, not Henry. Is that bad?"

"No." The twins laughed together. "Not at all."

"So does that mean I like him too?" The poor girl was all too confused with everything rushing around in her mind.

"I guess we'll have to see." Stella grinned before looking to her sister. "Won't we?"

"Knock it off, Teddy, I'm not in the mood." Henry grumbled as he sat by the water with Elliot and Teddy spending the evening at his house. Currently, Teddy took it upon himself to count how many ways Henry had screwed up in such a short amount of time.

"Yeah Teddy, leave him alone." Elliot called out. "He made a mistake, we all make them."

"Yes, but as Hope's uncle, I'm allowed to call Henry out on it, because he made my niece upset."

"I didn't do it on purpose." Henry said looking up. "I should have said it to McGregor but the stupid git walked away."

"The only person you should be angry with is yourself." Teddy told him. "Not McGregor and certainly not Hope. I told you..I told you that you liked her. But did you believe me? Noooooo!"

"No one believes you, Teddy, and for good reason." Elliot said. "You're mental."

"But I was right and there is no denying that!"

"Well if you're so right all the time, tell me what to do then!" Henry glared at the other boy. "What do I say to her? Do I send her an owl? Wait until she gets home so we can talk in person?"

"You don't tell a girl you like her in a letter!" Teddy shook his head. "You tell them face to face."

"But I won't see her until she gets back from Romania." Henry frowned.

"That gives you plenty of opportunity to figure out what you're going to say."