Defying Gravity

IV: Wynn

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25 August 2013
Burr, Ireland
The Riverwalk

"Do you want a tour?" I asked, looking at the beautiful girl beside me, a smudge of soot sitting on her cheekbone after her trip through the chimney. My parents tried to keep it clean for visiting guests, but apparently Dad had missed a spot during the last sweeping. The small black streak did nothing to reduce her natural beauty though, which was was complimented well by the lovely dress she currently wore. "Circe?" I asked, trying to catch her wandering attention.

"Hmm?" She hummed, directing her gaze to me. "Oh, pardon me. I was lost in my thoughts."

"I was just wondering if you'd like a tour. It's not much, but it's home!"

"I think it's wonderful," she said with a wistful gleam in her eyes, looking around herself again before returning her attention to me. "I would love a tour, but maybe I should clean up and change into something a little less formal first?" She said with a teasing grin.

"Of course, let me show you to the bathroom," I said cheerfully, grabbing her small suitcase before she could protest and leading her down the hallway of our home and to the first door on the right. I placed her suitcase inside before leaving her to freshen up.

As I sat quietly on the couch, my mind wandered back to the moment when I had completed my mission of making Circe Rosier, ice queen of Slytherin, smile. It was right before Christmas during our fourth year. Teddy and I had been outside in the courtyard, chasing each other through the snow while Victorie sat and chatted with Liera and Circe, who had surprisingly become very good friends with the Weasley girl (once Liera got over her obsession with Teddy, that is). Lennox Mackendrick sat beside her, gazing at the side of her head all moony eyed. Teds and I had been flinging snowballs across the yard, trying to hit each other, and it just so happened that a stray projectile I threw slammed into the side of MacKendrick's head (I might have been aiming, but that is beside the point). He went flying off of the bench where he sat beside Circe, landing loudly in the snow. Everyone stared silently before the most beautiful thing I'd ever witnessed happened. Circe Rosier began to laugh.

It felt like I was a man who, after stumbling through the darkness his whole life, had finally caught a glimpse of the sun. At that moment, I suddenly knew my heart belonged to her, even if she could never take it.

As I ran out of the courtyard, dodging the spells MacKendrick shot at my retreating figure, I threw my right fist up in the air, letting a loud shout of joy escape my lips. I had finally made her smile, and just the thought of it still sent my heart beating out of my chest.

"Alright, I think I'm ready for that tour now," Circe said from behind me. I quickly jumped to my feet and led her through the house, showing her every crook and cranny of the place I had grown up and trying not to stare at her face too long. We had just stepped out into the garden when Circe pointed out something I was hoping she wouldn't notice. "Oh, wow. You have your own set of quidditch hoops."

"Yeah, dad set them up once I started taking an interest when I was little. Brigid and Cara like to play one-on-one when I'm not here."

"Well, how about you and I play for a bit?" She suggested, her eyebrows raised challengingly.

"Alright," I responded calmly, "Let's go get the brooms from the shed."

After grabbing the two brooms from their racks along with a quaffle, we made our way back outside and to the center of the miniature quidditch pitch.

"I haven't flown in a while, so let's stay pretty close to the ground," Circe said. I knew she was afraid of heights, but she was also too proud to actually mention it. Why she wanted to play this game of all things confused me, though.

"Sounds good to me," I said with what I hoped was a confident smile before I grabbed the quaffle in one hand and leapt onto my broom. I kicked off the ground, floating shakily up about six feet above the ground before I felt myself slipping slowly to the side. Before I knew what was happening, the world had been flipped on its head and I was suddenly slamming onto my back in the dirt, the wind rushing out of my lungs.

"Merlin's Beard, Wynn! Are you alright!?" I heard a voice ask over the ringing in my ears. It sounded a million miles away. A groan escaped me as a Wide eyed Circe leaned over me.

"I knew there was a reason I didn't join the quidditch team," I wheezed with a teasingly smile, which quickly morphed into a grimace of discomfort.

"I'm so sorry! I thought since you loved quidditch so much you'd be a great flyer! I never knew you would fall off your broom! Are you okay? Should I get your mum? I should get your mum! You might be hurt! Merlin, I'm a complete git."

"Circe," I said, cutting off her rambling. "I'm fine. I should have told you that I was a horrible flyer. It's ironic, isn't it, to love quidditch so much but to be stuck on the ground? I was afraid of having my pride bruised, but I've gone and killed it instead. It's not your fault though, so don't blame yourself. Now, help me up?" I asked with a cheerful grin as my lungs finally remembered how to properly draw in air.

"Sorry for my rambling," Circe said as she pulled me to my feet. "I was just terrified that I had broken my best friend. I don't think your family would be very pleased with me after that." She joked.

I stared at her in silence for a second, awe filling me. "Best friend?"

"What?"

"You called me your best friend."

"Best friend that is a guy, I meant," she quickly stammered. "I mean obviously you're not my best friend. Liera would probably kill me if I gave that title to anyone else." Her face had been growing increasingly pink as she stuttered out and I decided to help her out.

"Well, Merlin forbid anyone should be put before Liera Goyle," I said with a laugh. "But if it counts as anything, you're my second best friend as well. Teddy would also kill me." She laughed, her composure now gathered before focusing her eyes on me.

"Well, I for one am actually glad that you're a horrid flyer. I thought I was going to have to play that awful game for hours!"

"Well, why did you suggest it then?" I asked with a grin.

She looked at her feet for a moment before meeting my gaze with a challenging look. "I knew that you enjoyed quidditch, so I thought I would repay your kindness by doing something that you loved."

"Aww, you do care," I cooed, catching her by surprise as I hauled her into a hug. She laughed before playfully shoving me away. "Now come on. Mum was mixing up cookie dough before you got here, and if my nose is correct, there should be some cooling on the counter right about now!" With that, I grabbed her delicate hand in my own and gently dragged her back inside my family's little house by the river.   

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