September First [A collection of Harry Potter drabbles and oneshots]

Counting Stars (AU)

"Lately I been, I been losing sleep

Dreaming about the things that we could be

But baby I been, I been praying hard

Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars

We'll be counting stars."

- Counting Stars, OneRepublic

*×*×*

This is wrong, I thought.

How could my worst childhood enemy have turned into the best thing in my life?

And yet here we were.

I was supposed to marry the redheaded boy.  I was supposed to be happy with him.

I wasn't.

We tried, and we tried, but no matter how hard we tried, there was always something that never quite clicked.

And then he came along.

Those grey eyes had been burned into my memory from my first time on the train.  His gaze had met mine, curious, until it hardened upon realizing who I was.  Who my parents were.

Years later, we met again, tired, changed.  We were twenty-three - only twenty-three - but felt so much older.

His gaze met mine, the same grey eyes I had remembered, but this time it was softer, and - dare I say it? - almost meek.  We only exchanged a few words that day, but soon it would become a regular routine to talk to him.

I hadn't told anyone I was dating him except my best friend.  He looked at me with piercing green eyes and told me, "If you trust him.  But if he does anything to hurt you-"

He left the threat unfinished, but I understood.  I smiled, knowing I had someone to count on.

He touched my shoulder softly, and I turned my head to meet his soft grey eyes.  "Are you alright?"

After a moment's deliberation, I nodded, looking back up at the stars.  "They say it's wrong, you know.  Us."

He didn't speak for a moment.  "And you?  What do you think?"

I smiled, feeling his gaze on me.  "They say it's wrong, but how can something so wrong feel so right?"

He clasped my hand in his, the crickets the only sound as we lay in the grass, counting stars.

*+*+*

A/N:  This is really not one of my favorites, but I had it saved from a while ago and I thought, "sure, why not."
Favorite non-canon HP pairing, anyone?  This used to be mine, but now... IDK.  I read a lot of non-canon pairings, but I wouldn't call any of them my favorite because they're often out of character.  Perhaps Fred/Hermione.
Comment and vote and all that goodness, and I'll be back soon with some Jily (yay!) and Marauders shenanigans!