Perfect

She was, despite her no-nonsense exterior, a romantic. She supposed it must have been all those fairytales her mother read her as a child. After all, who wouldn't want their own Prince Charming to come sweep them away and ride off into the sunset?

Finding out magic truly did exist only helped the idea in her heart, no matter how much her head tried to stop it. Eventually, she knew what she wanted.

She wanted someone she could talk to for hours, enjoying each other's company and talking rationally and intelligently. She wanted someone who she would meld perfectly with, in every aspect of the phrase. She envisioned a dark-haired, handsome prince who was taller than her, but just short enough where she could rest her head on his shoulder.

She wanted someone who made her feel like a person, not just like a Muggleborn bookworm. She wanted someone who knew exactly the right words to say. As irrational as it was, she wanted perfection.

He was far from perfect. They could never sit together for long periods of time without squabbling. He'd say something tactless and they'd be off again, bickering about something ridiculous! Besides that, he was her complete opposite: gangly, redheaded, and tall- too tall, in her opinion. She'd have to stand on her tiptoes to be able to kiss him- not that she'd thought about that, of course.

And Merlin was he aggravating! He was so insensitive, always pushing her buttons right where he knew it'd hurt. Sometimes she wondered why she even bothered with him in the first place.

But she knew. It was in the sheepish way he'd grin when she'd help him with her homework, in the intense look in his eyes when the two of them fought… He showed how deeply sorry he was when he hurt her, and something else was always there. She knew.

Even though he was far from perfect, she somehow loved him.

A/N Somehow I feel like I didn't get everything. Oh well. This is just as a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed my 'Cruel'! It'd been a while since I wrote anything Harry Potter and was astounded by the reception. Thanks so much!