Can you still see the heart of me?
By: SelenesLegacy

The only thing I own here is my character Emma. Everything else is the property of J.K. Rowling.

Ch10: Now you know me, and I'm not afraid

(EMMA)

I searched through the wardrobe in the biggest bedrooms for a dress; Scabior had demanded that I would dress nicely for his little surprise later in the evening. I ended up with a beautiful scarlet coloured dress, which had straps around the shoulders.

He'd told me to get dressed and come downstairs in 15 minutes. "Hmm…let's take out the meat…" I laughed softly. "Emma! Stay out of my head until everything's ready!" I closed the portal to the bond and put the dress on.

It fell down my body like a waterfall made of silk and tulle. I looked at myself in the mirror; it reflected the looks of a very noble-looking lady. I hurried to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my hair. I put on the stag ring he'd given me. I turned around in the mirror. "I guess this will do." I went downstairs after finishing myself.

(SCABIOR)

I heard Emma coming downstairs and put the plates on the table along with the food. "Some candles, wine and cups, then everything is ready." I flicked my wand, and the table was impeccably covered. I flicked my wand once more, and was wearing a white shirt, black trousers and black shoes.

"Dinner's ready!" Emma peeked through the door, and I took her arm. "How is your appetite today, milady?" She smiled and kissed my cheek. I pulled out a chair, and motioned for her to sit down. "This looks delicious!" My heart swelled with pride at her kind words.

We ate in silence; I had actually done a good job on the food. Emma smiled at me several times, but never said anything. She rubbed her stomach when she'd finished her plate. "Thank you so much for this, it was delicious." She waited for me to finish eating. "I must say that you are a wonderful cook, ." I waved my wand when she turned away, so the dishes flew back to where they belonged.

She took my hand as we walked into the living room. "This is so wonderful, Alex." I kissed her cheek; the sound of my real name coming from her lips was enchanting. We looked into each other's eyes; it was a moment of true magic.

"You know, I think I've found my own Galway girl." She smiled gently at me. "And where is so this Galway girl now, then?" I poked her chest joyfully. "She stands right in front of me."

(EMMA)

I was stunned to say the least. He stood there, saying that he felt more than just friendship for me. He…no, he just couldn't. "Angel, is everything alright?" I nodded frantically. "You're distressed about this, aren't you?" I didn't say a word, but he realized it immediately. "I'll just leave then." He let me go and headed for the door.

My heart shattered as I heard him run upstairs, his pain scorched the bond between us. "Scabior, please!" I spurted up the stairs, expecting the door to be closed.

It was wide open, he obviously didn't give a shit about whether it was closed or not. "I-I…I'm so sorry." He didn't even look at me as I spoke. "Don't apologize to me. I didn't want to tell you about this at all." He withdrew as I placed my hand on his shoulder. "It's just that…I'm not sure about how I feel about all this…about you." He still didn't look at me.

"You don't know whether you'll be able to deal with the shame of dating an ex-con? You don't know if you'll be able to look me in the eye every morning? Look into the eye of a man who has murdered someone?" I boiled with rage as he finished, and spoke through gritted teeth: "You killed him because he deserved it, he was a despicable man."

He walked over to me, whispering: "Yes, but could you stand that? Would you be able to stand being with a murderer?" I took his hand and held onto it. "You did the right thing; he would have killed your mom and your sisters, sooner or later!" I shouted at the top of my voice. He looked at me again, and cupped my face towards him, his eyes shone with tears.

"You've made me whole again, angel. I was empty and hollow for such a long time, then you came into my life like a thunderstorm, and shook me awake from that miserable thing I called a life! I can't even stand the thought of living with you of you should choose to look at me as a murderer! I love you too deeply to want you to suffer like that!" He pressed his lips against mine. "At least you know me now, and that's more than I've ever dared to ask for."

OMG D: What a challenging chapter to write! Chapter title and inspiration from "I'm still here" By John Reznik.