For Hogwarts, First Aid, task 2, ice: Write about relief

Word Count: 728

Blaise couldn't stop looking at the clock. The battle was finally over, and survivors were pouring into the tense and all-too-awake little village of Hogsmeade. Still no sign of Daphne. He tried to tell himself that no news was good news, that someone would let him know if she was counted among the dead, but positive thinking offered him little comfort.

Beside him, Theo bounced his long, thin legs. His nervous energy only seemed to fuel Blaise's fear. "It's going to be okay," Theo told him, pushing a hand through his sandy-blond hair, thin lips quirking into a small smile. "She's tough."

She was tough, tougher than anyone that Blaise knew. While the rest of their House opted to lay low and wait it out, Daphne defied her Slytherin nature; she returned to the castle to fight.

His dark eyes flickered to the clock again. The minute hand barely moved, though it felt like an eternity since he last looked. Blaise took a deep breath, hating the way he trembled when he inhaled.

Theo rested a hand on Blaise's shoulder. It was meant to be a comforting gesture, but it made Blaise want to come out of his skin. He pulled away, shaking his head. "Don't touch me." Guilt immediately twisted his insides. He softened and added, "Please. I'm just…"

"Stressed?" his best friend supplied helpfully.

Blaise nodded mutely. Stressed felt like the understatement of the century. He liked to consider himself well-read, but even he couldn't think of a word that fully and properly expressed how he felt. All he could do was sigh heavily and signal for another drink.

"I hope you plan on treating me too."

Only when Blaise heard that voice did he feel the first flicker of relief. He couldn't bring himself to look up right away, so afraid that he might have imagined it. But when he did, he felt so light and free as relief flooded his body.

Daphne was there. Her pale skin was marbled with purple and blue bruises and streaked with angry red scrapes and scratches. Her dark hair and robes were littered with dust and debris. Though she smiled at him and did her best to look bright and cheerful, he could see the pain and exhaustion in her emerald eyes.

"You're not dead," Theo said bluntly, lips stretching into a wide grin.

Daphne snorted. "Not dead,' she confirmed, shrugging. "Eternal peace is probably overrated."

Theo nodded. After a long, tense stretch of silence, he cleared his throat and climbed to his feet. "Right. I'm just going to… er…" He offered them a mock salute before disappearing into the heart of the crowded pub.

Blaise lifted the glass of butterbeer. "I think you need this more than I do."

Her smile made his heart flutter. "You're awesome!" she said, now occupying the stool Theo abandoned moments before.

He signaled for another drink. Silence fell between them as he waited, but it wasn't awkward or strained. That's what he liked most about Daphne. Even their silences are comfortable and easy.

She set her drink down. The foam from the butterbeer left a golden moustache over her lip, which she quickly licked away. "I told you I was coming back," she said, smiling as she broke the silence.

Blaise nodded. Saying goodbye before the battle was painful, and he didn't want to think about it now. The war was over, Daphne was back, and all he wanted to do was celebrate life. Instead, he he kicked his feet lightly against the stool's legs. "That wasn't the best time to promise that. Not during a war."

It didn't take long before the battle ended for news of some of the casualties to pour in. Professor Lupin and his wife, the annoying Gryffindor with the camera… He wondered how many of them made promises to return. Daphne could have just as easily shared their fate.

She moved closer, resting her head against his shoulder. Blaise closed his eyes. So much could have happened, but it didn't. Though he still wanted to stress and fret, he ignored it as he accepted his fresh butterbeer. There would be time to talk about that later.

"I'm glad you made it," he said leaning closer and kissing her lips gently.

She smiled. "Me too."

For now, this moment with his girlfriend was all that mattered.