A/N: A super short drabble, written for the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Main Prompt, Blaise Zabini. Secondary Prompts, The Yule Ball, Dusky Rose, Iridescent, Unusual Pairing, One Last Time.
life is built of love and losing
(look for the girl with the sun in her eyes)
Daphne has been larger than life since before he can remember. His memories of her are awash with sunlight, full of unrestrained laughter. He thinks that might be what he likes - loves - the most about her. A cliche it might be, but her beaming face lights up any room she steps foot in.
She can never sit still, either. Fingers always moving, twirling golden strands around elegant fingers. Which is why it feels strange, he thinks, as he stares over the black-clad masses, to have her so still beside him.
(heaven is a place on earth with you)
The nostalgia washes over him, soft and comforting. Glimpses of her, of them, flood his mind.
His stammering voice, asking if she had anyone to go with to The Yule Ball, and if not, would she like to dance with him? Dance they did, spinning so fast that the rest of the room became a blur of muted colours and indistinct faces. All he could see was the glimmer in her eyes and the dusky rose of her dress. Afterwards, he came to the realisation that her lips were the exact same hue of faded pink. It was his new favourite colour, he'd decided that night.
The memories disappear as quickly as they came, leaving him with only the ashen grey of dead bodies and Scottish skies.
(dusk looks like a bruise)
Heart racing, he looks at her face and it is so blank he almost doesn't recognise her. All he can see is the way it contorted when Longbottom's sword plunged itself into her stomach.
He'd screamed that Longbottom had gotten it wrong, that they were fighting for the Light, for Merlin's sake, that there had to be some kind of mistake because it wasn't meant to go like this. Longbottom went white, shook his head sadly and Blaise just felt numb.
Then, all he can see is the iridescent metal of the blade, covered in a blanket of Gryffindor crimson. It is wrong, he thinks, for something so deadly to look so beautiful.
That night, he sits amidst the ruins, staring up at the night sky that they used to admire together. He can't quite bring himself to think of the stars as the same ones she had seen, anymore.
(sometimes love is not enough)
Finally, Theo's hand is resting on his shoulder and telling him that it's time, that he has to say goodbye. Astoria is sobbing beside him, hysterical and inconsolable, but he has run out of tears to cry.
Daphne is his and he loves her, and none of that has changed. So, he feels lucky that he had a chance to be with her, even if he can't stop time running out.
He leans down, over the coffin and presses his lips to her rosebud mouth. All he needs is a final goodbye, to kiss her one last time.