Confession

Looking out over the lake at Hogwarts Castle, I let out a long sigh. It had only been an hour since dawn had broken and Harry had beaten You-Know-Who. I knew I should be happy, but after the initial euphoria of victory had worn off, I found that I wasn't as enthusiastic as those around me. Not wanting to spoil anyone's mood, I decided to take a walk around the grounds.

Hogwarts did not reflect the momentous triumph that we had all just achieved against You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters. The grounds were littered with chunks of stone and patches of upturned earth. Broken statues and shattered suits of armor lay in lifeless heaps upon the spell-scorched grass. All in all, Hogwarts had definitely seen better days.

A sudden sound behind me made me jump. Whipping around, I pulled out my wand to find Seamus walking towards me. He had accidentally slipped on some wet rocks.

"Sorry about that," said Seamus once he'd regained his footing.

"Nah, you're fine," I replied as I stowed my wand away. "I'm still a little jump is all."

"Can't really blame ya," said Seamus. He opened his mouth to say something else but closed again his face flushing. He'd obviously been seen to by Madame Pomfrey. His face no longer bore the cuts and bruises that had been inflicted upon him by the Carrows. How I wished I had had an opportunity to pay them back for what they did to him.

"I-I wanted to say something to you," said Seamus. He spoke quickly, probably to keep himself from losing his nerve.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Well, with everything that's happened—with all the death and injuries and everything—it's made me think about some things. I just don't think that I can live with myself if I don't tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"Well, it's kinda hard to—I'm not sure how you're gonna take it."

"Seamus, you're my best friend. You can tell me anything." Seamus looked at me with anxious eyes.

"I used to think you were my best friend but not anymore."

"What?" I asked, shocked and a little hurt.

"It's not what you think," said Seamus hurriedly. He must have heard the pain in my voice. "It's not that I don't like you anymore. The opposite actually. I think—I think I'm in love with you."

"Oh."

"I can understand if you don't feel the same way about me. I mean, I know you dated Ginny and all. But I had to tell ya. I hope you—" Before Seamus could say another word I reached forward, grabbed him gently behind the head, and pulled him into a long, passionate kiss. I don't know how long we stood there; a great sense of tranquility washed over me as I held Seamus close, his lips pressed firmly against mine. It could have been seconds or hours or even days. All I know is that I had never been happier in my life. Eventually, we broke apart. Seamus stared up at me with a mixture of shock and excitement. I smiled warmly down at him.

"It took you long enough," I said. "I've been waiting for you to make a move since third year."

Ravenclaw, Prefect, Drabble, "Best Friend", 545