tangling branches
You can hear your heartbeat, and you're afraid he can too. In some ways, you hope he can, so he knows the affect he has on you. In this moment, you feel further away from him than you ever have before. You feel too different from him. You feel relaxed, your hand in his, his warm, long fingers encasing yours in an affectionate gesture. Your muscles are slack, you could fall asleep here, and never wake up and you'd be happy. But he is tense, his hand almost gripping yours. His jaw is set tightly, his eyes staring unseeingly at the sky, littered with thousands upon thousands of stars.
You say, "My brother, Charlie, used to tell me about stars. He used to hold my hand and point at his favourites, but he never knew their names. I don't think he worried about their names, because he'd instantly point to one and I'd know which one he was on about. He said that they burned and burned until one day they stopped and they exploded. The sun's a star, as well, you know."
Theodore doesn't say anything, but you think the weight in your hand varies. Silence settles back between you again, and you don't mind because being out here, after curfew, under the stars with the moon shining down, a reflection of something bigger, makes you happy. It makes your chest light and yours lips curve involuntarily. And you know what's going outside of the protection, and you know what will happen, but you know Theodore would never let anything happen to you.
When you breathe you see puffs of formless clouds float away, and you realise that it must be cold, but you've got Theodore's hand in your own so it seems absurd that you would feel the bite of the chill. He always keeps you warm.
The branches above you make the scene even more enchanting. They entangle each other in their web, weaving intricately, as if holding human hands. You smile wider and squeeze his hand, shifting so that you're sat up, brushing brambles off your back.
Theodore groans, and sits up. He looks pissed off, but happy. And this makes you happy because he's never looked like this. Sure, he always looks content when you're together, holding hands and sometimes talking, but this is the very, very first time he's looked openly happy, and you love that.
"You know," he says, "I thought you'd never agree to this." His voice is low and dangerous, his eyebrows lilting confusedly in the darkness. His jaw has loosened and he looks almost normal, but not completely, because he's Theodore Nott, and he's constantly on edge.
You let out a laugh. "Why? Because Ron's friend's with Harry; because Harry kissed me, once?" You tilt your head to the side, widening your eyes, and you see his lips dip into a frown because he knows you're trying to imitate Daphne Greengrass.
"No, because you're Ginny: you're so beautiful and you are the Gryffindor fucking poster girl."
You grin, because hearing him talk about you like that, with his exasperated expression, like he's lost and only just finding his feet again, makes you stupidly happy. "I know my name, dickhead." But you grab his hand again, pulling him up so you can hug him.
His whispers against your, so softly you almost miss it, "You are the answer to every prayer I've offered. You are a song, a dream, a whisper, and I don't know how I could have lived without you for as long as I have. I love you, Ginny, more than you can ever imagine. I always have, and I always will."
You pull away, looking at him funnily. "Theodore Nott, they say, the one with the scary father, they say, the one with nerves of steel and physical strength like no other, they say. What they don't say is that you own a book of bloody cheese." But you know what it means, what it will always mean, and that makes you so infinitely delighted, that you could fly away.
"Shut up," he murmurs, pushing you up against a tree, fastening his lips to yours. All you can feel is that very same tingly feeling, like bright, bright colours erupting in your body, and his lips smiling against yours. It's the greatest thing you'll ever feel.
For Fanfiction's got talent! Round One (I am forever pleased to be in this round)
I used the quote "You are the answer to every prayer I've offered. You are a song, a dream, a whisper, and I don't know how I could have lived without you for as long as I have. I love you, (Allie), more than you can ever imagine. I always have, and I always will."
(P.s. I'm sorry it's late!)
Cheese, cheese cheese. (I don't like cheese)