Unseen Realities ~ Edmund x Reader Hogwarts AU

It Scares Me To The Bones

(Image not mine)

"What are you doing, Y/n?" Lucy demanded as I dragged them towards the doors. "What's gotten into you?!"

"Moody, that's what," I whispered, looking back at the man who was still watching us. "He's been staring at us all night. We need to leave."

"Enough!" Lucy hanked her hand from mine, stopping the three of us in our tracks. Edmund's hand still rested in mine as we stared at her in surprise. "I'm sick of always running away from this man! He's trying to scare us. I won't let a one-eyed man ruin the biggest night of the year."

"But Lu-" I began.

Ed's hand squeezed mine gently, "No, she's right. By running away, we're giving him the response he wants. Besides, he won't try to hurt us with this many people around. We should try to enjoy it."

I was a little hurt that he was going against me, but I realized they were right. I was letting my fear control me. I sighed, "Alright, but just give me a few minutes to breathe."

Lucy nodded and spun on her heel to return to a very confused Philip before joining the mass of students dancing. With a concerned expression, Edmund seemed to ask a silent question as he looked me in the eyes. I nodded with a tight smile and squeezed his hand once before turning to leave the room.

I was mad at myself for acting rashly and ruining what could've been the best night of my life thus far. I had the dress, the shoes, the hair, even somehow found the luck to go with Edmund as my date. Now here I was, standing in the entrance of a rainy courtyard, alone.

Frustrated, I kicked off the heels and set them on the top of the stairs before stepping into the nearest puddle. The freezing water was enough to shake me from my self-pitying thoughts. Surprisingly, I smiled and wiggled my toes in the water, not bothering to hike my dress up since it was already wet.

In the moment of calm, I swayed to the muffled music that played from inside, stepping in every puddle I could see. As I danced by myself, the rain began to come down harder, pelting me with ice-cold droplets. I didn't mind. In fact, I tilted my head up to the sky and welcomed the weather.

"You're so beautiful,"

I jumped, whipping my head around to see Edmund standing at the base of the stairs. His jacket was cast aside to lay next to my shoes. His shirt and hair clung to his body from the rain, but he didn't look cold.

"I should've told you earlier," he whispered, stepping closer to me. When he was close enough, he reached up to wipe the rain from my cheek. "You're breathtaking. And I don't mean your dress."

I sucked in a breath. Was it too much to ask to simply know the right words to say in this situation? Thankfully, I didn't have to. He cleared his throat and dropped his hand to take a small box out of his pocket, "Here, Merry Christmas."

At a loss for words, I gingerly took it from his hands, trying to keep it sheltered from the rain. Looking at him disbelievingly, I stuttered out the words, "I- I didn't get you anything,"

He chuckled, "I didn't expect you to. Go on, open it."

I hesitated for a moment before pulling loose the strings that kept the box closed. The wood of the box felt polished and expensive, making me afraid to see what was inside. Holding my breath, I opened the lid.

Inside lay a delicate silver chain that weaved through a frail-looking pendant. The pendant itself was a flat circle with a gold rim, the inside a deep celestial blue with a scattering of gold dots. I recognized them immediately.

"This is-"

"Canis Major," Edmund finished, obviously proud that he remembered the name. "It's the first constellation you taught me about. It was also the most prominent constellation in the sky that night we danced on the roof."

"I'm surprised you remembered,"

He smirked, "I can be smart on rare occasions."

An easy silence fell over us until all I could hear was the sound of the rain and the music inside. Gently, I took the necklace out, finding it even lighter than I thought it was. "Could you help me? Put it on, I mean."

"Uh, yeah- yeah sure. Of course," he cleared his throat before taking the necklace from me.

Hoping the darkness of the night would cover my growing blush, I turned around and lifted my wet hair up. Two hands slowly lowered past my face, careful not to touch me as they set the necklace on my collarbone. Ed's fingers grazed the back of my neck as they hooked the necklace together, sending tingles down my spine.

Once he was done I silently turned around to face him, holding the pendant in my fingers. "Thank you, Ed,"

As I stared at him, a wave of strange certainty washed over me. Fiddling with the necklace, I averted my eyes to his chin as if the rain weren't allowing me to look up. "Look, there's something I have to tell you... and- and if I go another day without saying it I think I won't ever admit it."

"Yeah?" He questioned, cocking his head to the side.

I glanced up at his eyes but found them as hard to look at as the sun. "It's just- after these past few months you've become a really great friend to me and I'm so thankful for that but..." I hesitated, looking for the right words. "But I can't help but long for something more. I can't explain it very well, I've never felt like this before."

"Y/n, I-"

"No," I held up a hand, "Let me just get this off my chest. I think I really like you and it scares me to the bones because for the first time in my life I care more about someone else than myself-"

And suddenly his hands were on my cheeks and he was kissing me. A good, slow kiss. One of the ones in fairy tales with sparks and the feeling of the world exploding and collapsing at the same time. That one kiss convinced me that I was never letting go of this boy.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" His lips brushed against mine as he spoke. "I've been entranced by you since the day I caught your stupid toad."

Something between a relieved sob and a laugh left my mouth as I leaned my forehead against his. No matter how afraid I am of losing him, having him now is worth it. I realize that now. I shouldn't stop myself from loving and living to my fullest because I am terrified of the 'what-ifs'. The 'what-ifs' could go jump off a cliff.

"Finally!" A high-pitched squeal erupted from behind Edmund. Lucy came barrelling down the steps before crashing into us, her hair immediately soaked by the rain. "About time! I wasn't sure how much longer I could've handled it! I mean the tension, bloody hell!"

I laughed uncontrollably, letting her envelop us in a hug. Edmund looked absolutely mortified, "You saw all of that?!"

"Only the last bit," she grinned unapologetically, "Philip saw Edmund leave and let me know. I downed a few more glasses of punch before I followed though."

"Typical Lucy," I chuckled.

"Do you know what this means?" She bounced up and down excitedly, "Double dates!"

"Merlin's beard, no," I groaned.

"Absolutely not," Edmund shook his head.

"You're no fun," she pouted, spinning around to stomp back to Philip who waited at the door with a very amused expression.

As I watched her go, I wove my fingers into Edmund's hand, holding it securely. I had everything I needed now, and I wasn't about to let it go.

-Sorry it was so short! I was desperate to get it out. Not going to lie though, I blushed the entire time I wrote this. I WANT LOVE SO BADLY PEOPLE. I think we all do, which is why we're here lol. Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it!-

-Mocha