This just kinda popped into my brain one day. It's not anything special...and it's really short, but oh well. Enjoy!

Night Thoughts

By Emily Blankenship

He lay there with his arm draped over her sleeping form, content just listening to the sound of her steady, deep breathing. Moments like this had come few and far between since he started his job at the Ministry and she began working as a receptionist at Saint Mungo's. His chin was nestled in the crook of her neck, and from the way he was laying and the way her hand was positioned on her pillow, he could faintly see the glisten of the diamond ring on her hand, sparkling in the light of the moon that had flooded in from his open window. A strand of her hair had begun to tickle his nose only a few moments earlier, but he was trying to ignore it. He didn't want to wake her; he was determined to soak up the moment while it lasted.

Sleep was eluding him, mostly on the account of his racing mind. He lay there wondering what it would be like to sleep with her like this every night, how it would feel to wake up and have breakfast with her every day, to kiss her as he walked out the door, knowing that when they both returned home that evening, they would be together for another night. If someone would have told him two years ago that this beautiful woman sleeping next to him would now be his fiancé, he would have called them crazy. He smiled lazily as he thought of it. His fiancé…his wife-to-be. The thought amazed him. He took a deep breath to stifle his excitement. He felt like a giddy schoolboy who'd been let loose in a candy store.

He'd known he'd wanted to marry her the first time he saw her at Hogwarts. Well, not technically. He was eleven when he'd first met her, and of course, girls were icky then. But still, there had always been something about her that had fascinated him. Whether it was her fiery hair, her emerald eyes, or her intense personality, he could not tell. All he knew was that every time he saw her, something startled in him. It was almost instinctual. He knew she would be important to him somehow, but was oblivious to exactly why. When he'd gotten into his fifth year at Hogwarts, everything began to change. He knew what was so different about her—he'd felt he'd been destined to be with her. The only problem was getting her to notice him. Sure, he'd tried nearly everything to get her attention, to gain her trust…but nothing ever seemed to work. Every attempt only pushed her farther away from him and every time he tried to impress her, she thought of it as some cruel joke, or that he was an attention-seeking prat. Of course, nearly two years of rejection took a toll on him, and during their seventh year, he gave up on her.

He'd never really figured out what had changed in her that last year at school, but she started to see him in a whole new light. The trouble was, he'd tried to forget all about her. For the first time in his life, he was content just being friends with her. But one day, when she'd walked up to him and kissed him right on the lips, the passion he'd felt for her came flooding back. By the end of their seventh year, they were officially a couple.

Two years had passed since that day, when a simple kiss had ignited their desire for a life-long commitment to one another. Their wedding was in two weeks and nothing excited him more. He rubbed the base of his ring-finger with pad of his thumb, knowing that in two weeks, there would be a metal band there, signifying their bond. But this marriage was so much more than that. They were only nineteen, and many said that they weren't ready for such a commitment. He knew better. He didn't think he could get married fast enough after the threat of Voldemort increased severely over the past year. He didn't know how much more time they would have to spend with each other. If the ministry or the house was attacked….

That thought frightened him more than any other and no matter how hard he tried to keep it under control, his breathing quickened as he lay there. It was then that he realized his arm was falling asleep. He had that curious tickling sensation crawling up past his elbow, and his will power wavered as he moved to free his arm from underneath him. Suddenly, he felt her begin to stir in his embrace. Damn, he'd woken her up. He listened to her make a sort of purring noise in her throat-- a sound he assumed she always made when awakened. After all, they'd only slept together enough times to count on one hand. Before he knew it she'd turned over to face him, a look of sleepy concern in her eyes. "What's the matter?" She asked as she ran her fingers against his cheek. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting her touch overwhelm him, before answering.

"Nothing's the matter, love. I was just thinking." He smiled slightly as he cupped her chin in his palm and ran his thumb over her bottom lip. "Now, go back to sleep. You're tired, and you have work tomorrow." He was surprised how groggy his own voice sounded, as if he'd been asleep for hours already. She frowned slightly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Go to sleep." He brushed a few strands of hair from her face.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." Gently, he moved closer to her and kissed her forehead before gathering her in his arms and waiting for her to fall back asleep. It didn't take long for her to do so, and he was glad. As she lay there with him, he rubbed small circles on her torso with his thumb, feeling the soft, thin fabric of her nightgown and thinking how lucky he was to have her. He wished this could go on forever, and forever it would. Love was eternal, he reminded himself, and even as he drifted off into sleep, he saw her smiling face as real as if she'd been standing right in front of him.

His angel, his love, his Lily.

Do your duty.

--Emily B.