Evanora

AFTER SECTUMSEMPRA

Harry told us what happened. He stared at the book on the coffee table in front of him, riddled with guilt. The silhouette of Ron and Hermione watched him as the light from the window lit their backs. I rose from my seat and sat next to his tense body closely. I watched the dark silhouette of his chest rise and fall a bit slower as I took his hand and held my arm against his while gently rubbing my soft fingertips over his knuckles. It seemed to calm him as his muscles eased up at the connection of our skin. It was Harry who felt the pain now, not Malfoy. The pain of guilt. I opened my mouth to say something, but there was nothing I could possibly say to make it any better, so I closed my mouth. Sometimes it was better to speak in touch rather than words, and I knew Harry's body language well. My arm slithered around his and he let out a shaky breath. Guilt was the worst feeling in my opinion, and I was always sensitive to those who were feeling it, no matter what they had done. Harry was the most love-filled person I had ever met. He would never do bad things if he could help it, and hated when he caused bad things to happen. He slowly leaned back and closer to me as we looked at the book. He closed his eyes. Hermione was staring down disapprovingly at him as she had always told him to turn in the book.

I look to Harry.

"We have to hide it," I say. He gives a series of small nods and I pull his hand into the room of requirement, but first peeking my head in to make sure that nobody is lurking in there. I used my own book as a decoy.

"Woah," I began as I looked up at the massive piles of artifacts. I curiously wandered forward until I found a small magical music box like thing. I flipped it up and old waltz music started echoing along across the filled room. I smiled slightly and turned around to find a hand held out in front of me. I looked up and Harry was slightly smiling at me. I smirked and took his hand gladly. We danced clumsily and sillily and laughed at ourselves until we eventually swayed calmly as I rested my head on his shoulder as the music slowly faded away and so did our dancing. I didn't let go, and it felt like Harry didn't even think about letting go. I sighed dreamily but halfway through it turned into a depressed, sickening feeling. I felt Harry turn his head down toward me sensing my change of emotion. I loosened my grip on his waist and looked up to him before my eyes trailed away and I began to turn away. It could never last, I thought, and floated away as my heart slowly toppled down onto my stomach and didn't move. It felt like it was going to stay there forever. . . Harry was the only one who could lift it up. A hand tugged my wrist and I looked to it's owner exhaustedly. My expression said that it was no use. His just said please? I waited for him, but he just read my expression worriedly, praying that I wouldn't leave him like we did before to each other. I glanced down to his hand and back to him sadly. He could make me happy, but I didn't have hope that it would last forever. But I was done putting myself in situations that would just shatter me. Seeing him killed me, but at the same time made me feel so alive --- in a way that I had never felt before. He looked sick of everything our relationship had been through in the past few weeks, and decided to just let go. What a peculiar state we're in.

He tugged me toward him swiftly and I fell straight into his arms. He backed up into a large object of some sort and told me we were forever, starting now, no matter what the future holds. We agreed and just stood together for ten minutes.