With Stars in Their Eyes
DANCING WITH FIRE
I learned more useful magic in the single week I spent training with Dumbledore’s Army than I did my entire Hogwarts career. Mother always insisted that combat magic was unnecessary for me to know, and I should focus on more practical spells such as cleaning or sewing charms. It got to the point where I actually believed I would be useless at any other type of magic, so when I proved to be a rather skilled duelist, I was taken by surprise.
“Stupefy!”
Red sparks shot from my wand and hit Fred square in the chest. With a squeaky yelp, he flew backwards and landed onto the floor.
My heart fell, and I sprinted forward towards him. Collapsing to my knees, I leaned forward and quickly helped him sit up. “I’m so sorry, Fred!” I grimaced while brushing off the dust from his shirt.
“You’re getting better,” He murmured with a crooked grin, “or angrier. That one felt a little personal.”
“No, of course not.” I frowned, knowing that was a lie.
I wasn’t upset with Fred, rather my family. It was the day of my seventeenth birthday, a significant age for any young witch, but my parents chose to ignore it entirely.
Every year, my parents would send me a card with the same stiff yet somehow comforting message: Happy Birthday, Sophia. Enjoy your day. Love, Mum and Dad. In addition to that, they’d send a small sack of Galleons for me to buy my own gift. It was a simple tradition, one that was not overly affectionate but always a welcome sign of love from my typically distant parents. This year, however, I received nothing. I wasn’t sure which was worse, a Howler or the deafening silence of my parents disappointment.
Not even Niko reached out to me.
As if sensing my gloom, Fred gently tilted my head up and snuck a quick kiss. “Cheer up, birthday girl. The day isn’t over yet, now is it?” He said, standing to his feet and pulling me up with him. “I don’t think Harry will mind if we sneak out a little early. Might relieve some of the others anyway. You’re earning yourself quite a reputation with that stunning spell.”
I rolled my eyes, but smiled anyway. For someone who never thought they’d be capable of much more besides being a house wife, I was rather pleased to earn a compliment on my wand work.
Fred took my hand in his and led us out of the Room of Requirement and into the corridors. We ducked prefects and Umbridge’s damn Inquistorial Squad, and finally, we made it out onto the Astronomy tower. Our special hideaway.
I walked towards the railing and rested my hands over the cool bars. My eyes looked up towards the heavens as I watched the stars dance in the night sky. “You know, I always liked the Astronomy Tower, even before spending every weekend out here.” I confessed quietly, my eyes never leaving the starry sky.
“Why’s that?” Fred asked curiously as he settled beside me, his arm draping around my shoulders.
My gaze fell onto the grounds, and I pursed my lips together. In the past, whenever I was feeling overwhelmed, I would sneak away to spend a few minutes in the towers just to catch my breath. Standing so high up made all of my problems below feel so insignificant, if only for a moment.
After tearing away from my own thoughts, I turned towards Fred and replied softly, “It’s always been this great escape for me, like nothing could get me from up here… but I’m starting to face reality, and I can’t keep hidden here forever.” My voice caught in my throat, and a single tear fell down my cheek.
“Hey,” Fred whispered while gently caressing my cheeks with his thumbs, “Sophie, I promise you it’s all going to be alright. We might not be able to hide away in the towers for the rest of our lives, but we will make it.” A smile grew on both of our faces.
Fred leaned down to press a tender kiss against my lips. When he pulled back, his hand slipped into his pocket and then produced a small silver box with gold trim. I gave him a curious look, and he simply replied, “Happy birthday, love.”
“Fred…” I murmured, but ignoring my protests, he placed the box in my hands and urged me to open it.
I carefully undid the wrappings and lifted the cover off of the box. Inside rested a silver necklace with a tiny diamond star pendant. Even in the dim light, the star seemed to sparkle.
My lips parted, and a quiet gasp escaped my lips. “It’s beautiful,” I murmured breathlessly.
His eyes seemed to light up at my response, and he quickly lifted it out of the box. I brushed my hair to the side, and he put it on for me. My hands went up to my neck, my fingers gently touching the pendant as a smile lit up my face.
“I just wanted to give you a piece of the Astronomy Tower to take with you wherever you go,” He explained with a sheepish smile, “so even if we’re not together, we’re never apart.”
“Thank you,” I whispered after wrapping my arms around him.
He held me tightly against his chest, gazing at me with such a passion, it made me blush. “I mean it, though, Sophie. What I said earlier…” His face grew serious, and his eyes were dancing with fire. “I knew from the start what being with you would take. I’m not blind to the war outside these walls, but I will protect you and I’ll fight for us.”
Fred’s words took me off guard, and while I felt love swell in my chest, fear also nipped at my insides. Fred meant well, and I knew that for some incomprehensible reason, he meant them. He was willing to fight for us, for me. The only thing I wasn’t sure of was if I was willing to let him.
It was one thing to defy an oppressive Hogwarts professor, but it was completely different to go against an army of elitist killers.
I felt the same dread overcome me that had months earlier when Fred and I shared our first kiss in this same spot. However, this time, I didn’t have the strength to run away. Instead, I squeezed Fred tighter and buried my face into the crook of his neck.
There was a ticking time bomb on Fred and I, and we would have to face it soon, very soon. I just didn’t know what I would do when that time came, or even what the right thing to do was.
“Stupefy!”
Red sparks shot from my wand and hit Fred square in the chest. With a squeaky yelp, he flew backwards and landed onto the floor.
My heart fell, and I sprinted forward towards him. Collapsing to my knees, I leaned forward and quickly helped him sit up. “I’m so sorry, Fred!” I grimaced while brushing off the dust from his shirt.
“You’re getting better,” He murmured with a crooked grin, “or angrier. That one felt a little personal.”
“No, of course not.” I frowned, knowing that was a lie.
I wasn’t upset with Fred, rather my family. It was the day of my seventeenth birthday, a significant age for any young witch, but my parents chose to ignore it entirely.
Every year, my parents would send me a card with the same stiff yet somehow comforting message: Happy Birthday, Sophia. Enjoy your day. Love, Mum and Dad. In addition to that, they’d send a small sack of Galleons for me to buy my own gift. It was a simple tradition, one that was not overly affectionate but always a welcome sign of love from my typically distant parents. This year, however, I received nothing. I wasn’t sure which was worse, a Howler or the deafening silence of my parents disappointment.
Not even Niko reached out to me.
As if sensing my gloom, Fred gently tilted my head up and snuck a quick kiss. “Cheer up, birthday girl. The day isn’t over yet, now is it?” He said, standing to his feet and pulling me up with him. “I don’t think Harry will mind if we sneak out a little early. Might relieve some of the others anyway. You’re earning yourself quite a reputation with that stunning spell.”
I rolled my eyes, but smiled anyway. For someone who never thought they’d be capable of much more besides being a house wife, I was rather pleased to earn a compliment on my wand work.
Fred took my hand in his and led us out of the Room of Requirement and into the corridors. We ducked prefects and Umbridge’s damn Inquistorial Squad, and finally, we made it out onto the Astronomy tower. Our special hideaway.
I walked towards the railing and rested my hands over the cool bars. My eyes looked up towards the heavens as I watched the stars dance in the night sky. “You know, I always liked the Astronomy Tower, even before spending every weekend out here.” I confessed quietly, my eyes never leaving the starry sky.
“Why’s that?” Fred asked curiously as he settled beside me, his arm draping around my shoulders.
My gaze fell onto the grounds, and I pursed my lips together. In the past, whenever I was feeling overwhelmed, I would sneak away to spend a few minutes in the towers just to catch my breath. Standing so high up made all of my problems below feel so insignificant, if only for a moment.
After tearing away from my own thoughts, I turned towards Fred and replied softly, “It’s always been this great escape for me, like nothing could get me from up here… but I’m starting to face reality, and I can’t keep hidden here forever.” My voice caught in my throat, and a single tear fell down my cheek.
“Hey,” Fred whispered while gently caressing my cheeks with his thumbs, “Sophie, I promise you it’s all going to be alright. We might not be able to hide away in the towers for the rest of our lives, but we will make it.” A smile grew on both of our faces.
Fred leaned down to press a tender kiss against my lips. When he pulled back, his hand slipped into his pocket and then produced a small silver box with gold trim. I gave him a curious look, and he simply replied, “Happy birthday, love.”
“Fred…” I murmured, but ignoring my protests, he placed the box in my hands and urged me to open it.
I carefully undid the wrappings and lifted the cover off of the box. Inside rested a silver necklace with a tiny diamond star pendant. Even in the dim light, the star seemed to sparkle.
My lips parted, and a quiet gasp escaped my lips. “It’s beautiful,” I murmured breathlessly.
His eyes seemed to light up at my response, and he quickly lifted it out of the box. I brushed my hair to the side, and he put it on for me. My hands went up to my neck, my fingers gently touching the pendant as a smile lit up my face.
“I just wanted to give you a piece of the Astronomy Tower to take with you wherever you go,” He explained with a sheepish smile, “so even if we’re not together, we’re never apart.”
“Thank you,” I whispered after wrapping my arms around him.
He held me tightly against his chest, gazing at me with such a passion, it made me blush. “I mean it, though, Sophie. What I said earlier…” His face grew serious, and his eyes were dancing with fire. “I knew from the start what being with you would take. I’m not blind to the war outside these walls, but I will protect you and I’ll fight for us.”
Fred’s words took me off guard, and while I felt love swell in my chest, fear also nipped at my insides. Fred meant well, and I knew that for some incomprehensible reason, he meant them. He was willing to fight for us, for me. The only thing I wasn’t sure of was if I was willing to let him.
It was one thing to defy an oppressive Hogwarts professor, but it was completely different to go against an army of elitist killers.
I felt the same dread overcome me that had months earlier when Fred and I shared our first kiss in this same spot. However, this time, I didn’t have the strength to run away. Instead, I squeezed Fred tighter and buried my face into the crook of his neck.
There was a ticking time bomb on Fred and I, and we would have to face it soon, very soon. I just didn’t know what I would do when that time came, or even what the right thing to do was.