He was a lover of the light; she preferred the night. His days revolved around quidditch and hanging out with his friends. She preferred nighttime and the endless hours in the library. He knew it was for different reasons than anyone expected. She was muggleborn and had hopes of improving the world she saw. She devoured book after book to find enough to make her dreams a reality. She was the only one who really understood that he lived for the times he spent flying. So many people expected him to live in the library because he was a prefect. so many expected him to do something suitably heroic. She never did. Not once. If anything, she was stronger for him. She came out with him quite often, sitting in the stands with a book as he flew around, letting his toes skim the ground. He knew from the glances he snuck her way that she wasn't really studying, just watching him. She had seen the grins on his face with every dive he executed and knew his secret.
Perceptions were the reason they were able to stay undercover for so long. After all, who would expect Miss-goody-two-shoes to be dating the-guy-who-escaped-by-the-hair-on-his-chinny-chin -chin? While everyone was expecting him to make a move on one of them or take back up with his ex, he was canoodling with her in an abandoned classroom. Every meal, they expected him to go sit with some girl or another. He never did. However, he snuck off to the kitchens with her for the evening dessert. Who would have expected the dentists' daughter to have such a sweet tooth? Who would have expected him to be sweet on her? At first, he wondered if she simply craved the company, much as he craved the normalcy. She didn't judge him, she didn't pester him with questions, and she never asked him what it was like to be friends with harry potter, though that one was a bit of a moot point. He had known she was a keeper the moment she had seen his scar. He'd caught some debris in the graveyard; they'd torn him up pretty badly. He had so many pieces of shrapnel from that darn headstone lodged in his chest and around his lungs that Madame Pompfrey couldn't heal him quickly. He'd spent two long weeks in St. Mungo's. He'd been left with a rather nasty scar- one the Hogwart's population felt entitled to see. He'd shown it to her in private, but she didn't bat an eye. She simply put her fingertips lightly over it and looked up at him solemnly. "They make scar removers in the Muggle world, you know?" she told him softly. "But I don't think it's that bad. It's proof you survived." That was the first night he'd kissed her. And amazingly, wonderfully, she'd kissed him back.
He'd gone back for her sixth year. The war was progressing, and he had been recruited by Flitwick to work on a charm's mastery. He would be helping to teach the younger years defense, but more importantly, he had her back. He would protect her each and every day. He had to. The night of the invasion, he learned he didn't need to. She was fully capable of taking care of herself, with a style that impressed him. They were truly equals in every way. That night, as they both patched up various cuts and scrapes, he asked her to marry him. Not immediately, he reassured her. He just wanted to have a future to look forward to now that their worlds was so dark.
That year, he sent off the younger years with the knowledge that more of them would be able to protect themselves. While she hunted Horcruxes, he protected the kids. He fought every battle and smuggled out as many kids as he could. Then he found out the Death Eaters had hurt her. He took no more prisoners. Every one he let get away could hurt her. He didn't care if they lived or died, as long as they wouldn't be able to use a wand.
He saw her the night of the final battle. They had each seen their own shares of horrors, but it was finally over. He held her all night and smiled.
Less than a year later, he was watching her walk down the aisle. He remembered all of the good and bad, all that had brought them together. No one could hold a candle to her then, and no one could now. He loved her fervently. As Cedric pulled back Hermione's veil, he could see every bit of his life entertained with hers. Past, present, and future. "I do."
Prompts: candle, Lover of the Light by Mumford and Sons
