Author's Note: I am so incredibly fortunate to have readers who connect with Maggie and Edwin the way you all do! Thank you for your responses!


Over the course of that weekend, something became quite clear to Maggie.

Edwin had absolutely no idea what to do now.

After their walk back to the tower, Edwin had gone back to his room to rest, and Maggie had squeezed his hand before letting him go with an affectionate smile. The next day, Maggie could have sworn Edwin was hiding from her.

By the late afternoon, she was sure of it.

Surprisingly, this amused her quite a bit. If Edwin was any other bloke, she might have assumed he was being a jerk, or he had simply changed his mind, but this was Edwin Prince. It didn't take much to figure out that he was avoiding Maggie because he was flustered and uncertain, not because he did not like her.

She let him fret a little on Sunday, waiting for him to come out so she could reassure him, but Edwin managed to stay busy and reclusive all throughout the day. Finally, she knocked on his bedroom door around seven, and Edwin let her in. He was sitting on the bench next to his window, working on an essay.

Maggie came in and gave him a gentle smile before kissing his cheek. She made sure it was soft and brief, but enough to let him know that everything that had happened before hadn't been a figment of his imagination. She knew him well enough now to know that he had probably been second-guessing himself for the last twenty-four hours straight.

"You haven't been out much," Maggie commented, moving to sit across from him.

Edwin's quill twitched in his fingers, and he quickly set it aside and cleared his throat, clearly ready to get the conversation he'd been practicing in his head over with.

"Maggie," he said quite firmly, as if he knew he had to get all the words out at once or he wouldn't say what he needed to, "I do not understand why you would want to date me." He blinked, before going on in a more panicked tone, "And I don't think I'll be a very good … " he cleared his throat again, " … boyfriend." He paused, before finishing very softly, "… even though I want to… be."

Maggie listened to him without interrupting, and when he was finished, she pulled her arms around her knees and looked at him, her lips quirked.

"I want to date you, Edwin," she told him candidly, "because you care about me… and because you make me laugh, and you teach me things, and you protect me." She met his gaze with hers. "I want to date you because each day, you make me better than I was the day before."

Edwin blinked rapidly, eyes looking glassy. "Really?" he asked in a whisper.

"Yes," said Maggie. Then she said cheekily, "Plus, I like kissing you."

Edwin's whole face flushed red at this, but he didn't look displeased.

"And for the record," went on Maggie, "you're already a great boyfriend. Just by being you."

Edwin made a soft disbelieving noise, but he was smiling some now, as if he couldn't help it. His smile flickered though as a thought seemed to cross his mind.

"And what about… the other stuff?" At Maggie's curious look, Edwin swallowed and dropped his gaze. "I – well, I think I'm probably the – the only person in our entire year who hasn't…"

For a moment, Maggie was confused. Then it clicked. "Oh, you mean sex?" she asked bluntly, causing Edwin to blush furiously. He looked incredibly embarrassed, and Maggie quickly shifted forward, putting her hand over his. "Sorry," she said with a giggle. "I jus' – I honestly haven't even thought about it, because that's definitely not a concern of mine."

"Really?" asked Edwin, looking dubious.

"Really," Maggie told him. "And you are definitely not the only person in our year who hasn't done it before. I'm sure there are lots."

Edwin bit his lip. "But… you have."

Maggie tilted her head. "Yep," she said easily. "Why? Does that bother you?"

"No, no," he said quickly. "I mean, it's just – I – " He sighed heavily, and Maggie could read the anxiety in his features. It seemed like it was everything he could do not to just curl up and hide. He was so clearly overwhelmed by the idea of being in a relationship, even though Maggie could see that he cared for her, that he wanted this just as much as she did.

Maggie did not have anxiety – aside from the normal amount of school and life-related worries – so it was hard for her to understand what was holding him back. Scooting forward, Maggie gently tugged his hands down from his face, where he'd hidden his expression.

"Edwin…" she said, "can I – can I try to see what you're feeling?"

Edwin looked at her for a long moment. "It's not… an enjoyable thing to watch."

"I know," Maggie said. "But if you're feeling it, I want to understand."

Slowly, Edwin nodded, and he lowered his hands into his lap and let Maggie move closer to him. Together, they closed their eyes, and Maggie pressed her forehead to his. For perhaps the first time ever, Edwin took down all his mental shields and simply let Maggie see into his mind in the way only a Legilimens could.

Holy shit, thought Maggie.

The sheer force of Edwin's worries was almost enough to knock her out of his mind. For several seconds, the magnitude was so large that Maggie couldn't even make sense of it. Piece by piece, though, she began to see.

Just like Edwin's physical form, there was a duality – a disparity between what his heart wanted and what his mind would allow him to try for. He wanted contact, but at the same time, it made his heart spike with so much fear and pain that it had never seemed worth it before. He wanted to be in a relationship with Maggie, but his sense of worthlessness was so strong that he could not let himself believe in her feelings.

It was a constant tug of war; he wanted to be a part of the lives of others, but the energy it took to simply try was almost more than he could bear. Each situation was a scenario of possible disasters to Edwin, and nothing could convince him that those catastrophes – outlandish though they were – wouldn't happen.

He feared Maggie would get to know him more, and she would hate him. He feared he would not be able to show his appreciation and love through his anxiety, and she would hate him. He feared that he would not be able to live up to her previous boyfriends, and she would hate him. He feared that this entire thing was a joke, and that he was being set up to fail.

But most of all, he feared that he was not good enough for Maggie, and that he never would be. And as soon as she figured that out... she would hate him.

Maggie had never experienced something so exhausting. Was this what he felt all the time? Merlin. Maggie opened her eyes and took in a deep breath. Without a word, she brought both of Edwin's hands up to her lips, kissing his knuckles gently before settling their joined hands between them.

"That is a lot," she said at last, stroking his fingers.

Edwin nodded, his eyes lowered.

Maggie thought for a little while, and then she spoke up again. "Edwin, what I want you to know – above everything else – is that all I want is to be able to spend time with you and make you happy," she told him. She reached for his chin and tilted it up, so he wasn't looking down at his lap anymore. "The only things that have to change now are what we want to change. Understand?"

Edwin nodded shakily.

"Everything else," she went on, "will happen when it happens." She gave him her most reassuring smile and reached up to tug on his robes, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. Edwin's eyes fluttered closed and he returned it, his fingertips brushing her cheeks. When they parted, Maggie felt her heart swell at the relief she saw in his eyes.

"The biggest difference now," she told him, "is that whenever you want to kiss me, you can. Okay?" Edwin smiled a bit and nodded. "That's seriously it. Everything else – it's already been what I wanted it to be. Because I get to be close to you." She lightly poked his chest. "And so long as you want to be close to me, then that's our relationship. What anyone else thinks doesn't matter an ounce."

Edwin finally exhaled, and Maggie felt elated as she watched him slowly relax. "Alright," he murmured, turning his hands in hers and brushing his fingers over her knuckles. "That sounds… nice."

Maggie beamed. "Really, though. Kiss me any time," she said with a smirk. "Unless I'm sleeping," she went on, before tapping her chin with her free hand. "Or eating."

"I already know not to bother you when you're eating," said Edwin dryly.

Maggie grinned and bounced over to him, knocking his shoulder slightly with hers. "See how good a boyfriend you are? So smart."

Edwin chuckled, and the trembles in his hands finally went away as he tilted his head to lean against hers. Maggie intertwined their arms and spend the rest of the evening with him as he worked on his essay, which Edwin did not seem to mind a bit.


When Maggie emerged from her bedroom for class the next morning, Edwin was lingering near the portrait door, waiting for her. "Morning," he said, obviously trying to look nonchalant but failing miserably.

Maggie was prepared for this. She had to show him what being in a relationship was all about – mainly, that the only thing that needed to change was what they wanted to change, and nothing more. "Morning," she said chipperly, just as she had done many other mornings.

Edwin watched her like a wandering hiker might watch an overly curious mountain lion.

Doing her best not to laugh, Maggie left the tower with Edwin. They got about five steps before Maggie calmly extended her palm to him. "Want to hold my hand?" she asked lightly.

Edwin looked over at her, and for an awkward stretch of silence, he said nothing.

"It's okay if you don't," she told him honestly.

"No, no – " he said quickly, stopping in his tracks. "I do." He reached for her hand and slipped his fingers into hers. Maggie beamed instantly, her whole heart lifting. Edwin seemed to relax some, and Maggie did an internal cheer.

Unfortunately, he tensed up again as soon as they neared the Potions classroom and other students began bustling around him. Maggie gave his hand one last squeeze before she let go, well before they reached the classroom. Edwin glanced at her briefly before giving her a quick nod, and Maggie hurried forward to catch her Potions partner as they walked into the classroom.

Slughorn began his usual lecture, and the assignments were given. Maggie did her best – she wasn't too bad at Potions, so long as she concentrated – but she often glanced over to sneak looks at Edwin.

Edwin hated Potions only because it required partner work, and he loathed working with other people. Once, during the lesson, he caught Maggie's eye and sent her into a fit of giggles with his wry look at his partner. In response, his own lips quirked at a smile.

Once the class was over, Maggie hurried out of the door before Edwin could disappear off to History of Magic. "Hey," she said, stopping him with a hand on his sleeve. "What time is that – er, the – "

"Council meeting," Edwin reminded her immediately. "It's at six, Maggie, don't be late – "

"I won't, I won't!" she promised him as their classmates filed out of the Potions classroom. "Okay, six. I've got it." She paused, biting her lip. "I guess I'll go to Herbology now."

"Right," said Edwin, lowering his eyes as he shifted from one foot to the other. Maggie dared to think he was reluctant to leave. Trying not to look as hopeful as she felt, she stepped a bit closer.

"Would it really embarrass you if I kissed you good-bye?" she asked, and Edwin's eyes widened to the size of saucers. He quickly looked around.

"People – " he cleared his throat, "People would see you."

"So?" asked Maggie, smiling. "I'm not thinking about them. I'm thinking about you." She tilted her head. "Would it be okay?"

Edwin shifted on his feet again, and at last, he gave her a small nod. Maggie's expression softened, and she stepped up to him as people milled all around them. Touching his jaw gently, she placed a tender kiss on his lips before pulling back with a wide smile. "I'll see you later this afternoon," she told him.

Edwin's face was priceless; she had never seen him look so simultaneously pleased and mortified.

Of course, his expression was nothing compared to the students in the corridor who saw it happen. Maggie actually passed a few dropped jaws as she left, feeling rather pleased herself.


By the time Maggie finished Herbology and went to Defense Against the Dark Arts, the word had spread. She'd barely made it into her classroom before Gretchen pounced on her, yanking her over to a chair and tugging her down.

"Maggie," she said emphatically, and Maggie burst out laughing.

"What?" She began pulling out her things. Gretchen slapped a hand over Maggie's book, her eyebrows lifted straight into her hairline.

"What the bloody hell?" asked Gretchen incredulously, laughing. "Is it true?"

"Is what true?" asked Maggie coyly, and two of their friends whipped around in their seats in front of Maggie, chins in hand as they waited for her explanation. At last, Maggie rolled her eyes grandly and pulled her book out from under Gretchen's hand.

"Oh for Merlin's sake," Maggie said. "Yes, it's true. I kissed Edwin in the hallway, and not for the first time."

"I am so confused," said Beverly, one of the girls in the row in front of them. "Since when?"

"Since none of your business," said Maggie primly, before shifting to look at Gretchen with a pleading look. "And whatever you do, please don't say anything to him. He doesn't like attention."

"Then he shouldn't be snogging you in the hallway," pointed out Saoirse, smirking. "That's bound to get people's tongues wagging!"

Maggie groaned. Saoirse was right. "What do you think your father will say?" asked Ellie, and Maggie's eyes widened.

"Oh, bugger. I hadn't even thought about that."

"Mm, good luck," said Gretchen, snickering. "You know how hard it is for your boyfriends to win his approval." Maggie heaved in a deep sigh. It was true. Draco hated Maggie's boyfriends. And they were all terrified of him.

"Well, we'll deal with that when we come to it," said Maggie. "Just don't bother Edwin, okay? He's probably having a day-long anxiety attack as we speak."

Sure enough, Edwin found Maggie just after lunch and pulled her aside, looking halfway between panicked and murderous.

"Maggie," he said warningly, "people have been staring at me all bloody day!"

Maggie flapped her arms in a shrug.

"People," repeated Edwin with wide frantic eyes, "are staring… at … me."

"I'm sorry, Edwin!" Maggie exclaimed. "They'll calm down soon – "

"Make them bloody stop!"

"What do you want me to do?" asked Maggie, hand on her hip. "Beat them up?"

Edwin hesitated. "I'm sure a subtle warning would do," he said somewhat sheepishly.

Maggie twisted her lips and glanced up to see a trio of students watching them. Huffing, she reached in her charmed purse, pulled out her large Beater's bat, and then smacked it loudly into the wall with a thwack!

The gawkers scattered like doves, and Maggie smirked.

"Well," said Edwin wryly, "I suppose that was subtle by your standards."

Maggie swung the bat onto her shoulder and grinned. "That's me. All finesse."

"Do you carry that around with you everywhere?" asked Edwin, eyes on the bat.

Maggie nodded. "Oh yeah. Never know when you're going to need a Beater's bat." She waved it a little. "I had to break a bloke's hand with it this summer. Totally deserved it, there was nothing I could do."

Edwin raised a brow. "I… have no response to that."

"Doesn't warrant one."

Edwin shifted his bag back onto his shoulder. "I need to go. Maybe I can find a closet to hide in."

Maggie pointed at him with the bat. "You do that, handsome." Edwin rolled his eyes at her, lips quirked, and Maggie sighed dramatically. "I guess I won't kiss you this time," she said, before giving him a teasing smile. "Since it embarrasses you so much."

She turned away, but to her surprise, Edwin caught her by the elbow and pulled her into a lingering kiss. Maggie's eyes widened, and she returned the motion, sorry when he pulled away. Edwin's eyes moved over her face.

"It's worth it," he whispered, and then he left Maggie where she stood. Flustered, Maggie rubbed at her rosy red cheeks and smiled all the way to her next class.

She did get yelled at by a professor for having her bat out, though.


That same evening, Maggie and Edwin finished their meeting around eight pm and finally retired to their tower, where Maggie fell onto the couch with a tired sigh. She still had homework to do, but she was going to rest for at least a half hour. To hell with everything for a little while.

"Are we done with school yet?" she whined.

Edwin picked up her bag and deposited on a table so it wasn't in the middle of the floor. "Not quite," he said calmly, putting his own bag with hers. He moved near the couch where Maggie was, but he remained standing, doing an uncertain shuffle. Maggie dropped her hands and looked up at him, before she shifted to sit up.

Oh, Edwin.

He really didn't have any idea what to do or how to act. Maggie watched him for a few seconds, and then she shifted up, pulling off her cloak and outer robes so she was more comfy. Then she tied her hair back in a messy bun, propped up the pillows, and bounced back against them.

"Sit, Edwin."

Edwin, who had been standing the entire time without moving, sat down on a couch cushion without touching his back to the sofa. Maggie eyed him, lips quirked as she fought off amused exasperation. Scooting closer, Maggie reached over and touched his hand.

"Hey."

Edwin looked at her uncertainly.

Maggie gave him her most comforting smile. "S'okay," she said softly, brushing her thumb over his fingers. "You don't have to do or say anything you don't want to. This is our home together, Edwin." She gestured to the tower. "This is where you should feel comfortable and safe."

To her surprise, he replied quite confidently, "I do."

"Good," murmured Maggie. She reached up to brush his hair out of his eyes, a familiar gesture to them now, and Edwin finally relaxed some. He looked all around the tower one last time, as if confirming to himself that they were now alone. Finally, he pulled off his cloak and loosened his tie, even taking off his shoes to pull his socked feet up onto the couch as the pair sat side by side and worked on their homework.

Maggie became engrossed in her Transfiguration essay, so much so that she nearly didn't notice when Edwin finished before her and put away his books. Her eyes began to droop, and some of her curls fell loose from the bun, falling over her eyes as she struggled to focus.

A gentle fingertip reached up and pressed away the red curl, tucking it behind her ear.

Maggie looked up, blinking in confusion for a moment before she spotted Edwin lowering his hand. She smiled, her chin in her hand. As tired as she felt, a strange sense of energy crept into her bones as she looked over Edwin's face.

After a long moment, Maggie set her books aside and shifted over until she was against him. Edwin seemed unsure of what to do, so Maggie gently took his arms and looped them around her so she could recline against his chest. When she settled there, she placed her cheek against the front of his robes and closed her eyes.

"So," she said quietly after a little while, "what does it take to become a magical lawyer?"

Edwin shifted a little, his fingers absently drawing patterns along her arm. The motion made Maggie smile. "Well," he said in his low voice, "first off, students must complete five N.E.W.T. level courses in History of Magic, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, and one other high-level elective. I chose Ancient Runes because I think the historical context is useful."

"But you take Arithmancy, too," Maggie pointed out.

"I just like it," he admitted. "Numbers are comforting and consistent to me." He reached up, brushing back Maggie's loose hair from her face again, causing Maggie's heart to flutter. "Then after school, you have to take the entrance exams, and if you pass, you enter into the internship period where you work as a lowly-paid public service intern for two years."

"Two years?" asked Maggie, lips parted. "Merlin's beard."

Edwin nodded. "Law interns are basically glorified errand boys - or girls - but I can see the reasoning behind it. It helps keep the workforce stable for what would essentially be undesirable jobs, and the experience is incredibly useful. If the intern makes it through the two years and earns the recommendation of the lawyer they were working for - or another lawyer, as it happens - they can begin the training program, which is done at the Ministry itself. That takes two years, too."

"Bleedin' hell. That sounds like a lot of work."

"It is," Edwin told her. "But once that's done, and the final examinations are passed, that's when the Ministry will award the confirmation of law degree. So all in all, it takes four years."

"Wow," said Maggie. "Auror training only takes two years. But I'll be at Florence Institute for two years before going on to the official training. So it will take four years for me in total, too."

Edwin brushed his fingers over hers. "I'm sure further education will be useful," he commented, "but I do wonder how many people will see the value in adding two more years to their career plan for training at a school that isn't recognized by the Ministry."

Maggie held up a finger. "It will be recognized soon enough. Did you know that on average, thirty-eight percent of people admitted to the Auror program don't make it till the end? And it's hard enough just to get accepted. Almost half of those people fail to finish after having busted their tails for seven years at school." She dropped her hand. "But in the last ten years, not a single Florence Institute graduate has failed. Every single one of them has gone all the way."

Edwin's lips quirked at Maggie's determined expression.

"If I have to put in two years of extra classes to make sure I pass that training, then that's what I'll do," Maggie said firmly.

Edwin nodded. "And so you will," he murmured.


Over the next two weeks, Edwin grew more comfortable with the new additions to his relationship with Maggie, which made them both quite happy. While Maggie would have gladly jumped his bones just to make him see how much she wanted him, she knew that wouldn't do much for his nerves.

So in the end, they both learned a little something.

Edwin came to understand – through a great deal of effort – what it was like to be in someone else's life, someone that wasn't his family. And at the same time, Maggie learned how to reflect.

Whenever Maggie looked at Edwin, she wanted so much to see him smile. She wanted to make him laugh because by Merlin, how she loved that sound. She wanted to relax him, because it pleased her to know she was the only one who could.

And she really, really wanted to kiss him… and whatever else he would allow. But she had to wait until he was ready, no matter how much she wanted it.

Which was odd, Maggie thought to herself over the first week, because Edwin didn't fit the conventional idea of attractiveness she had looked for in all her other boyfriends. But when she looked at him – by the gods, her heart soared, and she had to physically hold herself back from touching him, pulling him into a kiss, pressing her bare palm against his skin to see how hot it could get.

And good lord, did he not have the best smile? It was so rare, but when she saw it, Maggie felt a furious mixture of pride and pleasure, a fluttering in her heart that could not be contained. She wished she could express all of this to him without overwhelming him, but that wasn't possible at the moment.

Either way, he grew a little more comfortable with her each day, and Maggie loved every small part of himself he showed to her. It was more than anyone else had the privilege of seeing.

Of course, Maggie expressed this deep, soul-rendering admiration in the most blunt ways possible.

"You know, Edwin," she said to him one morning. "When we first met, I thought you were awkward and weird."

Edwin, who had been sketching on the couch, didn't even look up from his sketchbook.

"Yeah?" he said mildly. "Well, I thought you were loud and obnoxious."

Maggie tapped her chin. "So what did we learn?"

Edwin changed pencils. "That we were both right."

"Exactly!" exclaimed Maggie, before jumping over and placing a delicate kiss on his cheek, causing him to smile, his eyes twinkling. "Can I see?" she asked, pointing at his sketchpad.

"No," he said calmly.

"Why not?" asked Maggie, giving him her best puppy-eyed look.

"Because it's for you," he said, and Maggie gasped happily. Edwin folded up the sketchpad so she couldn't see it, and then he set it aside. "Don't look at it," he told her.

Maggie's eyes were already on the sketchpad. "Hm?" she said distractedly.

"Maggie," he said more firmly. He waved his hand when she didn't move, and Maggie finally blinked before flashing him an innocent smile. "Don't look!" he commanded.

"I won't!"

Edwin narrowed his eyes at her. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and Maggie and Edwin had managed to get everything done earlier in the week. The entire Saturday was open to them, although there was a Hogsmeade trip scheduled. The pair had debated whether or not they wanted to attend. So far, they had spent the day sleeping in, eating breakfast late, and then lounging around in their pajamas even though it was nearly eleven am.

Perfection.

At last, Maggie remembered – with a sudden excited shout – that Edwin's birthday was in just four days. "Bloody hell!" she exclaimed. "We have to go to Hogsmeade now. I need to take you out! Get you a nice present!"

"You do not need to do any of those things," Edwin told her, but Maggie was adamant.

Which meant that an hour later, the Head Boy and Head Girl joined the carriages on their way to Hogsmeade, and Maggie went from shop to shop with Edwin, perusing the shelves and finding out what he liked. Edwin was initially reluctant at the idea of her getting him a gift, but he eventually agreed to let her get him something school-related.

In the end, he chose a modest but lovely quill set, and Maggie happily bought it for him before they ventured to the Hog's Head Pub and enjoyed a dinner at the very same table they'd sat at the first time, high above the main floor and rather isolated from all the others.

To Maggie's delight, Edwin seemed to enjoy this very much, and he even tried another mixed drink from the bar while Maggie drank down her pint. Just before they left Hogsmeade, Edwin spotted something in the window of an antique shop. While Maggie was distracted with some friends she'd seen, he ducked inside and came back out a few minutes later.

"Sorry," said Maggie with a smile. "Where'd you go?"

"Just looking at something," he said easily. "I'm done now. We can leave."

Maggie pestered him about it for a few minutes longer, but then she got distracted and they left.


On the morning of Edwin's eighteenth birthday, Maggie pounced on his bed at six-thirty in the morning and tossed up an armful of confetti. Unfortunately, she hadn't realized it was magically-multiplying confetti, and before either of them knew what was happening, the entire room was swirling with colorful bits of paper and they both had to flee, arms over their heads, as it rather seemed to be attacking them.

Twenty minutes later, as they stood in their pajamas and waited for Professor Longbottom to clear out Edwin's room, Edwin looked over at Maggie with his most sardonic glare.

"Happy Birthday!" she exclaimed again, and Edwin dragged his hand over his face.


A few nights later, Maggie came into the tower to see Edwin relaxing on their couch. For the first time in recent memory, he did not have a book or assignment in his hands. He was simply resting against the pillows, one arm behind his head and his thoughtful gaze on the fireplace. When Maggie entered, his eyes shifted over to her as he smiled.

Maggie's heart leaped, and she felt warmth spread through her bones as she pulled off her cloak and shoes. Around them, the dim lights of their candles and sconces flickered and cast shadows on the wall. Maggie felt Edwin's ease, and she lowered herself slowly to the couch, crawling over his outstretched body. Edwin reached up slowly and touched her sides, gaze softening as she twisted in his grip and laid her back to his front.

When Maggie was settled against Edwin, he pulled his arms around her middle and tucked his head against her shoulder. Maggie let her hands fall over his, and her eyes closed, body relaxing at last after the long day.

For a little while, they stayed that way together, not talking and only moving in the barest of motions. Edwin's fingers reached up and traced Maggie's arm, always looking curious and delighted at the sensation of skin to skin. His lips lightly brushed her neck, sending a chill down Maggie's spine.

She turned her head, her lips passing over his cheek. When their eyes met, Edwin brought up a curled fingertip and touched her jaw.

"I have something to give you," he told her.

Maggie's expression grew curious, and Edwin shifted to pull something out of his pocket. Reaching around her fully again, he let something silver drop from his hand at the end of a chain. Maggie's lips lifted into a brilliant smile.

"What a beautiful locket!" she said, delighted.

And so it was. The silver oval was thick with old antique silver, and it had a lovely curling design on the front that resembled vines.

"Open it," he said.

Maggie took the locket from him and it opened with a soft click. Her lips parted, and her wide eyes shifted to Edwin before she looked back at the necklace in her hand.

Inside the locket was a tiny painted portrait of Maggie and her Muggle father, the very same image from the photograph she'd shown Edwin at the start of term.

"Did you… did you paint this?" she asked in disbelief.

Edwin nodded. "I found the locket in Hogsmeade," he told her. "It's not terribly expensive or anything. I just thought… you might like to have something you can carry with you, to remind you of him."

Maggie couldn't believe it. The small painting was so well done, and the locket was beautiful. She bit her lip, doing her best not to tear up. She failed miserably.

"And you thought you wouldn't be a good boyfriend," she joked tearfully. Her face shifted so she could see him over her shoulder. "You're already the best I've ever had."

Edwin's features took on the brightest smile she'd ever seen from him, and Maggie handed him the locket so he could pull the chain around her neck. When the necklace was secure, Maggie touched it affectionately and then turned, her hand falling to Edwin's chest. As soon as their eyes met, the distance between them evaporated and their lips met. Within moments, Edwin's lips parted further, and the kiss deepened like it hadn't ever before.

Maggie turned in his arms and put both hands on his face, emotion causing a hitch in her chest as all the air seemed to leave her. Their lips parted for just a moment before Edwin pulled her back, arms encircling her waist and fingers pressing against her spine, causing her to arch against him. Her fingers dropped down his front and twisted in his robes, keeping him close as their tongues brushed. She felt a shiver run down the length of her body, and Edwin brought up both of his knees so that she was trapped between them.

When Maggie caught Edwin's bottom lip in a soft nip, his hand on her waist tightened and a soft sound escaped him, something like an 'oh,' and for whatever reason, Maggie found this outrageously arousing. All of this was so new to him, and for just a little while, he wasn't worrying about it. He was enjoying it.

So Maggie brought her lips to his chin and then the line of his jaw, her hand moving up to his tie and curling around the green and silver fabric just enough to tug him forward so she could drop her mouth to his throat. Each slow, warm kiss to his skin caused him to squirm further, but he wasn't trying to get away from her, not if his quickening breaths were any indication.

At least, this was the case until Maggie pressed right up against him where she sat between his legs, and his first instinct was to curl his legs tighter around her and rock against the pressure there. As soon as he did this, his half-lidded eyes shot open and he flushed red from his neck to his hairline.

Maggie blinked rapidly, caught off-guard and ready to apologize before she figured out the reason for his embarrassment - Edwin was definitely hard. The evidence pressed right up against her hip, even through the layers of robes separating them.

"Agh – I'm sorry," Edwin apologized immediately, looking anywhere but at her.

"No, no, it's okay," Maggie reassured him quickly with a grin, feeling a bit pleased. She had to make herself not laugh, but she managed. "Happens to the best of us." She paused. "Girls, too. It's just less obvious."

Edwin hid his face in his free hand, and Maggie laughed gently, kissing his cheek before she settled against him – though she did give him a little space at hip-level, so she wasn't grinding right up against him. Edwin swallowed hard, but he relaxed after several seconds of silence and tucked his cheek against her head. That seemed to be his favorite way to hold her, wrapped up in his arms and completely curled around her. Maggie believed it made him feel simultaneously safe and protective, like he was keeping her from harm but taking comfort in her warmth at his front at the same time. After a long moment of silence, Edwin spoke up again.

"Sorry about all the sex dreams," he muttered dryly.

Maggie burst out laughing, and eventually, Edwin laughed too – even as he hid his face her shoulder again.