Prompt: Your OTP goes to the Mirror of Erised once a year. Person A sees themselves as the Quidditch Captain, really popular, etc. Person B says they see themselves as head boy/girl with perfect grades. This is all the same until sixth year, where Person A sees Person B kissing them. They (surprisingly) find themselves rather comfortable with this, but doesn't tell Person B. In Seventh Year, the two slowly drift apart due to the stress of NEWTs. Near the end of the year, Person A visits the Mirror just for kicks and still sees themselves kissing Person B. They then notice Person B crying in front of the Mirror. Person B reveals they've seen Person A in the Mirror of Erised since Second Year. They kiss. The mirror's just a plain old mirror for a while.
A/N: I have made slight alterations to the prompt so that it fits perfectly for OQ. You'll get which parts I altered. Hope you like this guys! Need to get back in the writing game, it's been a while! This is unbeta-ed, so all mistakes are mine. R&R, if you can :P (Thanks to OTP Prompts on tumblr for this prompt!)
CHAPTER 1: THE BEGINNING
They met when they started their first year at Hogwarts, straight off the bat, in Potions class, where they immediately gotten into a sass fight over which ingredients should go into their cauldrons first, while making the first potion they'll ever make as Hogwarts students. She wasn't used to someone being better at her in class and he never backed down from a fight, especially when he knew he was right.
"It's in the bloody book!" he bellows at her. "Or don't you know how to read, Mills?"
"How dare you suggest such a thing?" she yells back. "I do know how to read Locksley! As a matter of fact, I've been reading all our school books before term started."
He simply rolls his eyes at her. Of course he gets paired off with a know-it-all Slytherin on his first class at Hogwarts, that's just how much the universe hates him. They're all know it alls, the whole lot of them! But what's worse with this one is that not only is she a know it all, she strives for perfection. She's that kind of girl who wants perfect grades and sees themselves being a school prefect come fifth year and maybe even head girl when they reach seventh year. She was ambitious, and even though it's irritating, it somehow challenges him. He was never the kind of guy who would engage in verbal brawls with girls like these, but alas, here he was, arguing with all his might to prove he's right.
"Well, if you've been doing the reading Ms. Mills, then you should know that you are in fact wrong." He replies with a smirk on his face.
She is annoyed by that smirk. How could one boy be so annoying and why the hell was she cursed to spend her first class with an insufferable Hufflepuff who thinks he is better than her? They're nothing, Hufflepuffs are the bottom of the Hogwarts food chain, what the hell does this Robin Locksley know? She huffs an annoyed breath and grabs her potions book and rummages for the page where the recipe for the potion they are brewing was. She scans through the page, ready to prove him wrong when she rounds the part they were arguing about and realizes that he was right, she was wrong! Heat starts to creep across her face as she feels embarrassment wash over her rage, when all this time she was in the wrong. She moves her head and moves to look at him, that oh so annoying smirk still on his face.
He raises an eyebrow at her, challenging her to challenge him this time. Not wanting to embarrass herself even further, she just puts the book down and starts adding the ingredients the way he said they should be added and doesn't utter another word to him until the end of the class. She walks out of the room with her fellow Slytherins, all of them telling her that she was right and the Hufflepuff boy had no right to say that she was wrong, people make mistakes and forget key things in potion making. Besides, she made the best potion out of the class, so she bested him anyway. She thanks them and holds her head high, back in all her Slytherin glory and posture, and starts to walk out with her friends back to Slytherin common room so they could rest before their next class, when she hears him call her by name.
"Regina!"
She turns around and raises her eyebrow at him. Who the hell does this idiot thinks he is? Calling me by a name I don't remember giving to him in the first place?
He jogs over to where she was standing with her friends, who have been glaring at him since they heard him call her.
"Ladies, can I steal your friend for a moment?" he asks politely, not wanting to earn more ire from them. "I would like the chance to apologize for the way I acted in class today."
Regina's friends look at her, looking for reasons not to leave her with this idiot, but she nods at them and tells them to head back to the common room without her and that she'll see them in History of Magic class. They reluctantly leave her with Robin, whispering among themselves. What they were whispering about, neither Robin nor Regina knew.
Regina turns to look from her friends back to Robin and raises her eyebrows back at him again. "What is it, thief?"
"Thief?" he scoffs, placing a hand over his heart in a very exaggerated manner of hurt. "Why do you give me such a nickname milady? I've never stolen anything from you."
"Tell that to the ingredients that kept disappearing from my side of the desk earlier."
Robin blushes at her comment , because he did nick a few of them at a time, just to annoy her. Apparently it didn't go unnoticed.
"So, what is this – " she motions between them. "about? I have class in an hour and would really love to get there without ending up in detention."
"I just wanted to apologize for the way I acted earlier." He begins. "I never meant to embarrass you in front of your friends and the entire class. I just wanted to make a point."
"Which was?"
"That even someone as smart as you could make mistakes." He answers swiftly.
Regina could feel heat rise to her cheeks and she prays to the gods that there isn't a blush visible on her cheeks. Regina Mills doesn't blush. Especially not when it comes from an arrogant idiot like Robin Locksley.
"Uh huh." She says, unsure what to say. "Keep convincing yourself of that. We all know the school hates us Slytherins, even though we're just here to learn like everyone else. It's understandable how a lot of you want to embarrass us in class. It's no big deal. A lot of the older students in Slytherin have told us this last night. It's fine."
"Let me make it up to you then." Robin begins, holding out a hand, gesturing her to take it. "Last night me and a few mates of mine found a secret room here in Hogwarts that contains a mirror that shows you the deepest and most desperate desire of your heart. I think it will show you something you'd love very much."
"Which is?"
"The thing that would make you happy, Regina." He replies. "I haven't known you for very long. But from the ire I got from you in class, I have a feeling you're not that very happy with your life right now."
She was about to yell at him for that comment. He doesn't know her! Why would he assume that? Given that he was right, she didn't want to show him more reason for him to think he was right. So she huffs a frustrated breath and takes his hand as he leads her to the secret room he was speaking of.
He opens the large wooden doors for her to enter and he follows suit and closes the door ever so lightly, making sure no professors or students have seen them sneak into the room.
He really must be a professional thief. Regina thinks to herself at how light his steps were and how great he was at navigating the two of them around the castle without getting caught, a smirk gracing her face.
"Something amusing, Mills?" he asks, seeing the smirk on her face.
"Nothing. It's just – I was right. You are a thief." She laughs for the first time since she met Robin, covering her mouth as it escapes her lips.
"You know, you should really stop calling me that because first, we only just met and second, you don't really know me."
"I could say the same for you, calling me 'Regina' like we're the best of friends." She retorts while rolling her eyes at him.
"Well, I'm sorry if that hurt your feelings Your Majesty," he sasses at her. "I didn't mean to."
"And you think that calling me 'Your Majesty' doesn't hurt my feelings?" she said, her voice laced with hurt. She didn't know this Robin Locksley, didn't even know why she even joined him in this room right now. And here he was, continuing to treat her the way she didn't want to be treated. To be fair, she was doing the same to him, but what's wrong with that? He started it!
"Ok, I know we've gotten off on the wrong foot here, Regina," he begins, calling her by her name this time. "And I'm sorry for that. But for some reason, I can't help myself. Apparently I love to annoy you."
She was about to retort, anger almost at it's peak at the audacity of this boy she doesn't even know. But before she can say anything, Robin holds out his hands at her, telling her to let him speak first. "Let me talk first, I promise I have a point."
She rolls her eyes at him. And lets him continue.
"Regina, I know we've only known each other for an hour or so, but I would really love to be your friend. I know it's not common for people from different houses to be friends with each other, more so since you're a slytherin and I'm a hufflpuff, but I would really want to try. I want to change this mentality in our school. That people have to stick to people from their houses when looking for lifelong friends. And what better way to start than by befriending a slytherin?"
She listens to him intently. Finally, someone who understands what she's been trying to argue with her mother and her sister about. In their household, blood was an important thing. The Mills were pureblood wizards and they wanted to keep it that way, or at least Regina's mother and sister wanted to. Regina didn't think the same way they did. She always didn't understand why people should be divided by blood, lineage and more so what house they were sorted in at Hogwarts. They were all magical beings after all, why the need for more division? She argued with her sister the night before heading to Hogwarts about wanting to have friends in all houses if she could, which got her a scolding from her mother before they left platform 9¾ the next morning. That's what was causing all this pent up anger in her. Because she was indeed sorted into Slytherin, and she was happy about that because she always wanted to be a slytherin, but her sister was still not talking to her and she got an owl from her mother that morning reminding her of the repercussions of befriending anyone that wasn't of the same station as her. She didn't like it one bit that everyone was trying to tell her what to do in school, who to befriend and who to make enemies. So she went to her first class very distracted with a hot head, which lead to the events that morning with Robin.
She considers his statement before schooling her features and plastering a smile upon her face before answering, in the most dramatic fake voice she could muster. "Well, a hufflepuff and a slytherin as friends? How ever will we manage?"
He laughs at her antics, which sends her into laughter as well. They both snickered until they were both clutching their stomachs.
"So I guess that's a yes?" he asks.
"Yes."
"Well then, friend," he begins. "If we are to do this, I think we should have a proper introduction, don't you?"
"I think we should." She smiles, agreeing with him.
He holds out his hand to her. "Hello, I'm Robin Locksley and it's a pleasure to meet you."
She laughs and takes his hand in hers and shakes it and says "Hello there, Robin. I'm Regina, Regina Mills and it's a pleasure to meet you as well."
They laugh again and let go of each others hands, already feeling their friendship kick off from the ground, both now very thankful that they would have a friend who they would be able to talk to without any of the house biases their other friends would have.
"So, where is this mirror you speak of, Locksley?" Regina says, once their laughter dies out. "We do have classes to get to, and I would really love to start History of Magic with a smile on my face."
He grins at her and grabs her hand and leads her to stand in front of the mirror he told her about earlier.
"This is my apology gift as well as my first gift of friendship to you." He says, moving away from the mirror, allowing her to look at herself in the mirror. Her gaze follows him, unsure of what he wanted her to do.
"Wha – ?" she begins, unsure of what the hell she was doing. "Robin, what is this? What am I supposed to be doing?"
"It's called the Mirror of Erised." He explains. "My father kept talking about it as I was growing up and he taught me where they kept it. He told me that it shows you the deepest and most desperate desires of your heart."
"But you said that it'll show me what would make me happy?" she questions.
"That I did." He answers her simply. "But isn't what you want so desperately the thing that makes you the happiest? Isn't the thing that you hide very deep within you the most desperate thing you want because it makes you happy?"
She considers him for a moment. He was right, as always. Ugh, she would have to admit that to him at some point during this "friendship" and she didn't want to because that stupid smirk finds its way to her mind. She didn't want to see that smug smirk any time soon. So instead of warranting him with an answer, she turns from him to face the mirror and stares at it for a while. And then she sees it, the deepest and most desperate desire of her heart. It wasn't that deep, it was kind of selfish actually. But who can blame her? She was 11, what she wanted, what she thought would make her happy now would be shallow.
"So? What do you see?" he asks out of curiosity, filling the silence that has settled between them.
She turns to him and raises an eyebrow at him. "You really think I'm going to tell you? Knowing that if I do, you probably won't even look into the mirror and tell me what you see?" she chuckles at him, mocking him. "You really have a lot to learn about me, Locksley."
"If you'd stop being such a smart arse, I would have told you what I saw last night." He begins. "But since you'd rather keep what you see to yourself, I'll keep mine too."
"Oh, come off it!" she exclaims. "I was just joking, of course I was going to tell you. What are friends for right?"
He smiles at her and waits for her to tell him what she sees in the mirror. He could see a slight hint of embarrassment in her face so he moves to stand beside her and squeeze her hands to reassure her that he won't judge her.
"I know it's stupid, but for now, all I see is getting good grades, becoming prefect one day and maybe even head girl." She says, not meeting his eyes as she was talking, embarrassed that what she wanted most right now is just to be a good student.
"What's stupid about that?" He asks, not understanding why she was so embarrassed about what she saw in the mirror. "Of course you'll see that. It's what you want! Who am I to judge what you see or not see? It's what makes you happy. Be proud of that, Mills!"
She smiles at him, thankful that her new friend didn't judge her, the way she was sure her slytherin friends might have, had they been the ones with her in this room.
"What do you see in the mirror?"
"If you think what you saw was stupid, mine's more stupid, self centered and egotistical." He says to her, trying to hide the embarrassment he was feeling. "So don't judge me, promise Mills?"
"Promise."
"I see myself as the quidditch captain of hufflepuff, in the future of course, because I'm just a first year and we know first years never make house teams." He begins to blab. "But I see myself being the youngest captain hufflepuff ever has, which made me popular in my own house and around the school. I see myself being the reason why we win the quidditch cup every year…"
"Looks like someone has an inflated sense of self worth." She comments.
"Hey! You promised you wouldn't judge!" he exclaims as soon as the comment came out of her mouth.
"I am not." Regina says as she crosses her arms against her chest. "And like you said, it's what would make you happy. Who I am to judge that? It seems that what we both need is validation from people we interact with everyday. You from people who think you're a great quidditch player and me from people who think I'll be the greatest witch of the century."
They stand beside each other in silence, contemplating on what Regina has just said. They both knew she was right, and it was so wrong. It was wrong that they needed the validation from people who barely knew them. But that was the plight of teenagers, they needed people's approval to feel good about themselves, so what makes Robin and Regina any different?
Robin sighs, breaking the silence that has enveloped the room. He turns to look at her and urges her to look at him. She follows suit and he starts to speak.
"Promise me, we'll come to this room every year, the same time and same day we did today, to look into the mirror and see if what we want so desperately has changed from the last year. And it's here that we'll talk about our summers and lives out of school, because who are we kidding, there is no way we'll be able to talk for hours with us being from different houses. Promise me, that every year we'll come here and spend an hour of our time just talking like normal friends would."
She was touched. She has only known Robin for a few hours and he's been more of a friend to her than anyone else has ever been.
"I promise."
They both smile at each other and squeeze each other's hands in comfort. Minutes later, they part ways from the room, off to their next class, both wondering how they'd remain friends despite coming from different houses.
It has been a year since Robin Locksley has met Regina Mills and in the past year, they've exchanged more notes in class than he has every done in elementary school. During the summer, he has sent her more owls than most of her friends from Hogwarts she had to lie to her mother and tell her it was from her best friend from slytherin house. This wasn't entirely a lie, she did get messages from her best friend, just not one that belonged to same house as her. All Cora Mills knew was that her youngest daughter had a best friend named Robin. She even commented at dinner how could a parent name their daughter using a boy's name, when there were loads more feminine, regal names she could have named her child with. It took everything in Regina not to snicker at her mother's comment, because her best friend, in fact, was a boy.
Across the country, Robin has been talking nonstop about a slytherin girl he met in school, who is smart, sassy, with raven locks and beautiful brown eyes, his mother practically teased him every day of being so "young and in love". He scoffs at his mother's antics and tells her constantly that Regina is just a friend, his best friend, one that he was excited to see again come the new term.
They didn't see each other at King's Cross station or even on the train. Regina was too busy entertaining her slytherin friends and Robin was too busy making his own group of hufflepuff friends laugh at the countless jokes he threw at them. They were both oblivious to what the other was doing during the train ride to Hogwarts, too busy with their other friends but not realizing how much they both were looking forward to being in the room housing the mirror of Erised, to be in the presence of the only other person who understands them deeply.
The caught each other's eyes that evening and exchanged smiles before the headmaster told them to dig in to their dinner. Regina continued to converse with her friends while Robin was doing the same with his. Every now and then she would hear him let out a boisterous laugh that would make her smile and make her restrain herself from laughing along as well, lest she wanted her sister and friends to ask her what she found was funny and she would have to explain how her ears registered the laugh of her best friend from hufflepuff. They went to bed that night, excited for their first classes and the hour after that.
They met up at the room the mirror was housed in, the following day. Lucky for the both of them the headmaster didn't think of moving the blasted mirror to another place, they could continue with this little tradition of theirs.
Much like the year before, Regina goes first and stands in the mirror and looks if what she wanted has changed. Robin follows her and they look at each other and ask the question. Both gave the other the same answer: "Still hasn't changed."
They both end up sighing and sitting at the far corner of the room, leaning against the brick walls of the room as they start to laugh about how their families reacted to the owls they sent each other practically every day.
"I cannot believe you had to lie to your mother about me!" Robin exclaims in mock hurt. "I thought our friendship meant more than that. I've been there for you all year last year! More so than your "friends" from your own house."
"Stop being so dramatic! It was either lie about your gender, or never speaking to you again." She retorts. "It was a no brainer!"
They both laugh at that. And he agreed with her. He would prefer Regina's mother thinking of him as a girl than not speaking to her at all throughout the summer. The thought of not receiving owls from Regina during the summer seemed unbearable, and very boring.
"I wonder what this year has in store for us." Regina wonders out loud.
"I plan on trying out for the team this year." Robin opens up to her proudly. "Get on and make my dreams come true so that maybe next year what I see in the mirror would change, right?"
"I guess so." She says rather sadly. "At least you'll get to change that for yourself. I've been the best student last year in our year yet I still see the same thing that blasted mirror. I don't know if it'll ever change."
"'Gina, don't worry! It will. Soon, don't worry." He puts his arms around her shoulder and squeezes it, hoping that the contact would give comfort to his best friend.
Regina smiles and leans her head against Robin's shoulder. It's funny, the number of nicknames Robin already has for her. Regina, Mills, milady, your majesty, Gina, Reggie (this one she really doesn't like, she scolds him when he uses it) and a couple more she couldn't remember. She only has ever called him Robin, thief and Locksley. Guess there was somebody good at making names in this friendship of theirs. And that someone wasn't her.
They disentangle from each other minutes later, saying their goodbyes to the other before they venture off to meet their fellow housemates before they head off to their next class and the year ahead of them.
The past year was practically the same for Robin and Regina. Sneaking secret letters to each other in class. It's through those secret letters that Regina found out Robin got accepted to the hufflepuff quidditch team, he was their new keeper. She sent him chocolate frogs the following morning via owl, knowing that her best friend loved them more than Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, with a congratulatory note. That year she secretly rooted for her best friend during quidditch games, even the ones against slytherin.
The summer goes by faster than the last one, what with the constant messages from each other and the excitement to finally get back to school. The constantly talk about what the next school year would hold for them and if this year, they'll see different things in the mirror. That's all both of them ever wanted, because they both wanted to be free of having the need to be validated by the people around them.
They then end up in the same room that year, same time and same tradition. Regina goes first, then Robin. And they just look at each other bitterly and say that they didn't see anything new. They sigh against each other, talk a little more about things best friends do and continue on on their first day of the new school year. They do this every year. Exchange messages during the summer, never seeing each other until the day they had to look in the mirror, sigh at each other because nothing has changed, and head about their day and year as students of Hogwarts.
It was not until sixth year, that something has changed. They both met up at the room housing the Mirror of Erised. Robin urges Regina to go first, but this time she challenges him into going first, because why bother with "ladies first"? So he indulges her in her request and goes first. His frustrated sigh tells her that nothing has changed for him, that he still sees the same thing he used to see in the mirror since they were 11. She was somehow affected by this and reluctantly steps in front of the mirror and looks into it. What she sees shocks her.
Instead of seeing perfect marks and being head girl, she saw herself kissing Robin. Heat rises to her cheeks and she feels herself blush. She doesn't know what comes over her, as a smile finds its on her face.
"What? Regina, what is it?" Robin asks almost immediately. "Do you see something new? Tell me!"
Regina almost forgot that Robin was with her. She quickly schools her features and replies, "No you idiot! It's still the same."
"Then why are you smiling like that?" he asks curiously. "You're smiling like a giddy school girl. If you see yourself with Daniel, you should tell me. He was my friend too. And I understand why you'd see him this year, after what happened to him two years ago."
Robin gives her a sympathetic smile and squeezes her hands, not knowing when he laced their fingers together. Regina's eyes fill with tears as she remembers what her mother did to the first boy she ever loved, how she pointed her wand at him and killed him.
Daniel was a Ravenclaw, the same year as Robin and Regina. They've all became close since their third year when the work load got doubled with all the extra subjects they were required to take. Regina and Daniel met one day at Ancient Runes and became fast friends. It was through Regina that Robin met Daniel, instantly connecting with the boy, who for a boy who loved reading, loved quidditch as much as Robin did. It was with the three of them that a little group started in Hogwarts that was so well known because they were from different houses but were closer to each other than they were with anyone from their own houses. Together their once group of three, grew into a group of seven. Regina, Robin and Daniel made friends with two gryffindors and one more ravenclaw who were the same year as them and one more slytherin who was a year older than them. Mary Margaret, David, Belle and Rumplestiltskin joined their merry little group of three. And together, they became a close knit group.
Daniel and Regina's romance began early in their fourth year when one faithful Saturday, Daniel asked Regina to join him at Hogsmeade for a date. She agreed hesitantly, with much urging from Robin and they've been a couple ever since. Young love as Rumple said. It was during Christmas that year that Regina decided to introduce Daniel to her parents, so excited for them to meet the first boy she ever loved. That night did not turn out as Regina planned, because by the end of the night the mangled body of the boy she loved lay in her arms. All the wizarding world knew was that Daniel died because of a spell that went terribly wrong when his mother was practicing at home. They didn't know the real truth since Cora modified the memories of everyone involved in the incident. Regina went back to Hogwarts heartbroken and it was only thanks to Robin that she was able to grieve Daniel's death properly.
"If I did see him in the mirror Robin, I wouldn't tell you." Regina sniffs, holding back the tears that were threatening to escape her beautiful eyes. "I woudn't want you to think I'm pathetic."
With that, Robin pulls in his best friend for a hug, rubbing her back as her body is wracked by sobs she was trying so hard to stop.
"Regina, still mourning the man you loved isn't pathetic, it's human." he says. "I would completely understand, you know that. I'll always be here for you."
"Thank you, Robin." she says as she pulls away from him, dying her tears and sniffing. "I'm thankful to have a friend like you. Mary Margaret and David try to talk about him, but it's different when I talk about him with you. Thank you."
She gives him a weak smile, one he returns in earnest as they move towards the door to leave. Before they reach it though, Robin tugs at her arm lightly.
"So I was right?" he inquires. "You did see him? You saw Daniel?"
"No. Not even last year." She sighs, her heart breaking. "And it confuses me. Because he did make me extremely happy. And if what you said when we were 11 was right, that this mirror shows us the deepest, most desperate desires of our hearts, then that means even if Daniel did make me happy, he was not what my heart desired. It proves that my desire for my mother to love me and accept me wins. I think the reason why I see myself being head girl and good grades is because I think that those would be enough to make her love me. And I'll continue to hope that it will make her love me. That I would earn her love by being the best witch of our age."
"She loves you Regina," Robin says, comforting her. "She just has a different way of showing it."
With that, he opens up the door for her and turns back to give her a comforting smile. They head out of the room and head to their next classes. Regina felt butterflies her entire walk to Transfiguration, a little guilty that she didn't tell Robin the truth about what she saw today. But she knew it was for the best, he saw her as a friend, as a little sister maybe. What would the point be if she told him she saw her kissing him in the mirror? That would only complicate their friendship, might even add awkwardness to their little group. So Regina keeps her feelings to herself for the entire year, doesn't tell a soul. Doesn't tell anyone that she was starting to fall for one Robin Locksley.
The next year was entirely different for them. Having been from a family where status mattered, Regina was pressured by her mother to strive for nothing but perfection when it came to her NEWTs. Regina owled Robin less this year compared to the year prior and he barely saw her eat when she was at the great hall the first day back at Hogwarts. She even missed out on their tradition of looking into the mirror of Erised this year.
Robin was hoping that with NEWTs coming up, at least he and Regina would keep their late night library hang outs. But even with NEWTs, Robin never saw Regina at the library. She stuck with her slytherin friends more and barely gave Robin any recognition during classes where Slytherins and Hufflepuffs were together.
Robin never resented or blame Regina for any of that. Because he understood the pressure she was putting herself under. He knew she wanted to strive for perfection and achieve her goals. She was also busy this year because she landed head girl like she saw in the mirror last year and he couldn't be more proud of her, as she was for him the moment he landed quidditch captain only a year after he joined the team. This what was their friendship was like, supporting each other through thick and thin and he'll be damned if he didn't live up to that.
So, Robin left Regina to do what she does best: excel in school. He continued about his life, quidditch, school, NEWTs, friends, etc. There was always the occasional owl to Regina to check up on how she was handling the stress of NEWTs and school work and he'd always get a very enthusiastic answer from her. This was how their year went during their seventh year. But somehow, for both of them, it felt empty that they didn't get the chance to look at the mirror of Erised one last time before the graduated and saw if what they saw changed. So that night, the night after NEWTs, both Robin and Regina decided to visit the mirror of Erised alone, not knowing the other had the exact same plan.
Regina walks the corridors of Hogwarts, checking for any wandering students on her way to the mirror of Erised. As head girl, she had rights to roam the corridors at this hour before heading back ot her common room. She was supposed to check if all students were safe back in their common rooms and tonight was no different, seeing as that arse of a head boy, David Nolan, was no where to be found, she had to do all the work. Lucky for her, the room housing the mirror she was so desperate to pper into was only a few walks away from the SLytherin common room so she could quickly sneak in without being penaltied for wandering the corridors so late at night. She could easily say she was doing her job as head girl and head back to her common room.
She opens the door to the room quietly and checks if anyone was going to join her tonight. Lucky for her, the room was empty and she closed the door quietly behind her. If she was being honest, the very reason she wanted to come was so she could look at Robin's face again. It's been a while since she has seen him, and if she was right and her feelings for him haven't changed, she'll most probably see him in the mirror. At least she would be able to gaze upon his face.
She hopes that tomorrow, Robin would agree to see her, because she has been a really crappy friend lately. She skipped out on their most important tradition, has barely gave him attention this year but the simple notes she sends him as replies to his own. She hopes that her best friend didn't hold any grudges against her. But even if he didn't, Regina won't be able to see him that often anymore, not when she knows that she cannot keep herself from feeling what she feels towards him. She has been trying to squash her feelings for Robin since the day she saw herself kissing him in that mirror last year. But she wasn't able to. It's one of the reasons she missed out on their tradition this year, because she didn't think she can look him dead in the eye and tell him that she still saw the same thing. She didn't think she could hold back from telling Robin what she truly felt for him, that she saw him as more than a friend now. What if he rejected her? What if he told her he only sees her as a friend. She wouldn't be able to talk that kind of pain. So she kept her distance. Tried so hard to restrain herself from the pleas of her best friend to meet him in the forbidden forest. Tried not to think of him when she studied for her NEWTs in the library at a very earlier hour as opposed to the late hours she and Robin used to spend in the library to study. Tried not to let her mind wander to the image of him kissing her senseless, to the image of them finally being a couple. Because as much as she wanted that, she wasn't sure he did.
She releases a sigh she didn't know she was holding and starts to walk towards the mirror, readying herself for what she was going to see. She stands in front of the mirror and waits a while for the image of the most deepest and desperate desire of her heart to show up on the mirror. And as if on cue, it does. There she was facing Robin, their hands intertwined, right before he pulls her in for a kiss. It was chaste, sends butterflies through her stomach and she smiles at the image she sees. She sees him pulling away from her, placing his hands on her cheeks as his thumbs caress the soft skin of her cheeks as he smiles at her. She sees herself laugh the way he was caressing her cheeks and the her in the mirror moves her palm to touch the hand Robin had on her cheek. Regina does the same, mimicking her mirror self, caressing her own cheek, knowing that the image she sees in the mirror will never happen in real life.
A single tear escapes Regina's eye. She doesn't move to catch it, instead she continues to caress her cheek, imagine the feel of Robin's callused hands against it. She closes her eyes and the rest of the tears she was trying to hold back start to fall. She lets out a cry as she voices, "Robin…"
"I miss you."
She hears something clatter. It felt like wood. A wand! She quickly grabs a hold of her wand and points it at the nothingness.
"Who's there?" she says, voice laced with panic. "Show yourself!"
She hears footsteps, they seem to be approaching her, but she sees nothing. She walks backward until her back touches the mirror and stares blankly before her. She sees nothing, but she knows someone was with her in that blasted room. All she need was for the person to reveal himself or herself. Then she feels a breath on her face. The person with her was standing a few inches for her. Instinctively, she reaches out a hand to the nothingness and she feels something solid that was arms length from her. She was sure she was holding a cloak, so she tugs at it. The cloak falls off of the stranger, revealing who it was. Regina's eyes popped out in shock. She did not expect the stranger to be…
"Robin…"
He smiles at her. She notices how he seemed sad, even behind that smile he was giving her.
"What are you doing here?" she asks.
"Apparently the same thing you're doing," he answers. "Gazing upon the mirror we promised we'd visit every year until we graduated."
Regina sees the hurt in his eyes and it guts her. This is exactly why she didn't want to see him, because she knows that no matter how encouraging and lovely Robin has been with her in his notes, he was hurt. And she hurt her, something she never thought she could do to him.
She opens her mouth to apologize, or say something at least, but nothing comes out. She just stares at him, mouth agape, unable to form words to say to the man (not the boy she used to know) she was sure she was in love with.
"What did the mirror show you?" he asks, voice deep, serious. "I know it's not the same thing, Regina. Because if it was, you wouldn't have said my name. You wouldn't have said that you missed me. So tell me Regina, what did it show you?"
A million thoughts raced through Regina's mind at that moment. She wanted to tell him everything. She wanted to tell him that she saw him kissing her, she saw them together as a couple. But what if this ruins everything for them? She wanted her friend back. She has already lost a part of him, she didn't want to lose him even more by revealing this to him.
"I – " she stutters, not really knowing where to begin. She crosses her arms and continues, "Robin, I don't know what to tell you."
"How about the truth, Regina?" he says, more forceful than she liked.
"But I don't want to lose you."
"You're not going to lose me Regina." He says, his hands finding their way to Regina's elbows. "Not even if you tried. I'm still here, am I not?"
He gives her an encouraging smile, a smile she returns. She lets out a sigh before she decides what she was going to do. She moves in closer to Robin, inches closer towards him until she kisses him on the lips. It was a peck on the lips, nothing heated, just a simple kiss, a chaste one, much like the one she saw she shared with him in the mirror.
She pulls away from him, doesn't even look at his reaction as she moves to lower her gaze to the floor. "I saw you kissing me. I've been seeing you kissing me in this damn mirror since last year."
She was still not looking at him, but she continued to rant, not allowing him to say anything. "And I like it. I wished it to become true. But I didn't know if you felt the same way. I chose to stay away this year because I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to hide my feelings anymore. And I didn't want to lose you as my friend. Because you're the best damn friend I have ever had. I wish I didn't shut you out this year. I wish I spent more time with you. Relish in your company and the way you make me feel alive. Because this entire year was pure crap Robin. Having to go through NEWTs along was hell for me. If I wasn't such a coward I would have had my best friend beside me through this all instead of hiding away because I can't handle what my feelings for you meant for our friendship."
She knew she was going to die if she looks him in the eyes after everything she has just said, but she decides to do so. She moves her gaze from the floor and looks him dead in the eyes. "I didn't want to lose your friendship because of something I'm sure would pass. So I chose to stay away. But now that we're here together and seeing the stupid image of us in that mirror, it makes me want it more. It makes me want us more."
She couldn't hold on to his gaze anymore. She was stupid. She should have just stayed away. Now she was going to lsoe the only other person who ever made her feel alive because of her stupid declaration of love. A declaration she was pretty sure he would reject. A feeling she was pretty sure she only felt.
She couldn't take it anymore, she could feel the tension in the room. So she moves to leave the cursed room forever, to leave all the memories of this now destroyed friendship in this room. She wanted to leave, wanted to be in the comforts of her own room as she cried out this heartbreak. But before she could leave, she felt strong arms grab hold of her and slam her against the wall adjacent the mirror. Before she knew it, Robin's soft lips were on hers and he was pressing his lips softly against hers. Her eyes flutter shut as she relishes on the feeling of his lips on hers. His soft lips fit her perfectly, like they were made for each other. She was lost in a daze, in his lips, at the way they were moving against hers.
He pulls them apart first. Her eyes snap open as they met his, her eyes filled with lots of questions.
"But I thought…" she begins, unable to fathom what just happened. She couldn't believe that Robin kissed her back. She always thought that this thing she felt was just coming from her and that everything was one sided. But from the way he kissed her, she knew he felt the same way she did.
"I've been seeing the image of me kissing you since we were in our second year, Regina." Robin admits finally after so many years. "I knew we were too young back then, for me to tell you, you might have ran away from me. So I kept it to myself. I lied to you, once. The succeeding years, I've been telling the truth. I've been seeing me kissing you every time I looked into the blasted mirror. And every time we looked into the mirror, I had to resist telling you, or even kissing you. I have loved you since the mere age of 12, Regina. And I have never stopped loving you. I will never stop loving you."
Regina lets out a giggle, a smile finding its way on her face as tears of joy started to pool at her eyelids. Unable to hold back anymore, she threw her arms around Robin and kisses him again, this time with more force and more fervently than before.
He wraps his arms around her petite waste and pulls her closer to him as he continues to kiss her. He traces the outside of lips with his tongue, seeking access, which she immediately grants as she opens her mouth to his. Tongues move against each other, each seeking dominance, while both tasting each other. They've both waited for this for a long time. Maybe on of them longer than the other, but they're finally here. Finally both were ready to admit that the only thing that was ever missing was the other.
Regina pulls away this time, lips swollen from being kissed good and proper by the man she thought was going to remain just a friend after school. Her teeth dig into her lower lip as her eyes trace the contours of his face, from his lips up to his nose and finally resting her eyes in the comfort that were his blue orbs. It is then that she finally sees it. She finally sees the love exuding from Robin's eyes that have been there since their second year. The love that she never noticed until she was ready to admit to herself that she too was in love with this man.
Regina moves to give Robin one last kiss before she rests her right palm against his cheek, feeling the slight stubble that has started to grow there, rubbing her palm against it. "I love you too."
They both giggle, feeling giddy at finally being able to tell the person they loved that they loved them. Tears were pouring from Regina's eyes. She was happy, extremely happy. And it as because of this wonderful man in front of her. She can't believed she waited a year to tell him she loved him. If only she had the courage to admit her feelings out loud a year earlier, they both would have been spared the heartache of being separated from each other for an entire year. If only she felt the way he felt for him sooner, they would have been saved the trouble of having to pretend that the friendship they started wasn't something more. But maybe that's how things were supposed to work, maybe it was all about timing.
And much like the image she kept seeing in the mirror for two years, Robin's palms move to catch the tears springing from her eyes, then finally resting upon her cheek as his thumbs caress the soft skin of her cheek. She smiles, so happy that the image in the mirror was now becoming real life, as she moves her palm to rest above the hand that was caressing her soft skin. Her eyes were drowning in his, as sure as his were drowning in hers.
"I just never thought I'd have this." She says to him, smiling as brilliantly as ever.
"Neither did I." He admits. "But we are here now, and this is true."
A/N 2: So two author's notes in one fic, sorry! I just wanted everyone to know that this was supposed to be a multichapter but I didn't know if anyone would be interested in reading the adventures of Robin and Regina (plus the gang of course!) in Hogwarts. I wasn't sure if anyone wanted an OQ AU in the Harry Potter universe so I decided to write this oneshot first and ask if you guys wanted one. And if most of you say yes, all I'll do is expand this fic, so the multichapter will be in this verse. So if you think it'll be a good idea, let me know in your reviews! Thanks for reading this btw, it's my longest chapter yet. Review if you can!
A/N 3: So I got reviews saying I should continue and I was only planning to expand this fic, but since some of you said continue, I came up with a little something that would still give you guys Outlaw Queen in the HP Verse but since they're graduating, this won't be set in Hogwarts, but the wizarding world. I edited the part about Daniel so that the next chapters would make sense. I can't wait to share this fic with you. It won't be that long, but I hope it will be at least interesting to read. I enjoy writing this fic so much, you have no idea. Thank you for reading.