70. Her words
Harry walked on a stray path, pushed by little more than whimsy. It was not unusual for him to take a less trodden road to see where it would lead. Hogwarts held many secrets hidden beneath its grand appearance.
The path was covered in leaves and other manner of foliage. There was the constant stir of magic that was to be expected from Hogwarts, but it was muted here. This path flowed with an abundance of life. Appealing flowers of different sorts grew freely around the path.
Harry took in a breath and tasted the air. It was sweeter here as though nectar was dripping at the back of his throat. This was fascinating in its own way, though it did not demand his attention as the mysterious nature of magic did.
Harry froze as the caught sight of Teleute. She sat on steps leading away from the bridge. By her side was the ghost of a boy he had nearly forgotten about. It was Draco. Draco lacked the proud countenance he had in life and seemed to carry an air of resignation and bitterness.
He could not hear the words, but he observed Draco. Draco stood from his seat and seemed to yell at Teleute. Harry frowned at his former hindrance's behavior, but Teleute never shied away or grow angry. The conversation continued and he watched in amazement as Draco went from enraged to tearful.
Teleute stood up and gently patted his shoulder. Harry was just able to catch a teary smile on Draco's face before he appeared to simply fade away.
It was a sight he had caught glimpses of before. There was something both amazing and correct in Teleute's behavior. Here, surrounded by abundant nature, seemed to be the ideal location to see her in.
Harry followed the path towards her location. She smiled welcomingly at him. He smiled warmly at her. He felt fortunate that he could gather all sorts of experiences with her by simply spending time with her. A lax moment with her was just as engaging and fulfilling as learning some new spell or overcoming some trial with Ron and Hermione.
They sat together and enjoyed the nature and weather around them.
He idly wondered if this was the feeling that had drove Snape to jealousy. Was this the emotion that had pushed his father to mock someone as pitiful as Snape? Was this emotion what had caused his father to mature and later lay down his life in the hopes of protecting his wife and son?
If so, he could understand. The care and affection he felt from Teleute had an odd way of blessing him with a strength he never knew he had. Cherishing her made him courageous.
He pulled off his glove and placed his hand out to her. She slipped her hands into his. Tenderly, as though he was in the possession of the rarest jewels, he stripped her gloved hand. It slid off like rich silk and pooled into his open palm.
Her pale hands that had once seemed so large nearly fit into Harry's own hand. Each of her nails was polished in the same shade of her lips. He did as he did many times before and intertwined their fingers.
Pulling her knuckles to his lips, he softly kissed each of them. She giggled lightly at the sensation and he smiled contently at the sound of her laughter.
"I love you, Teleute," Harry said in upmost certainty.
She leaned into him and kissed his cheek, "I love you too. I love this." Her eyes left his and gazed into the sky almost dismayed.
Harry furrowed his brows, "What's wrong Teleute?"
She did not immediately respond. Eyes finally lowering from the sky, she seemed to wrestle with her thoughts.
Harry could not fathom what was going through her mind. Mystery and emotion prevented him from knowing her thoughts.
Then she spoke, "I suppose I like how things are now, and I find myself hesitant for it to change. Change can be great or terrible. Seeing you, I want to hold you tight and shield you from everything." Teleute fiddled the handle of her umbrella and laughed self-depreciatingly, "How possessive of me."
Harry squeezed her hand to comfort her and him. A well of fear grew in him when he heard that Teleute felt the need to protect him. So many questions erupted in his mind, but he did not question her. She obviously felt conflicted on what to do and he had little desire to pressure her. His life was his own and he needed to be able to accept that things happened.
"It's fine, Teleute. Use your judgment. If you regret your choice, then you know better for next time," Harry said simply.
Teleute smiled warmly, "Perhaps you're right. You aren't the child in that cupboard anymore. Forgive this silly woman." She freed her hand from his. Her bare fingers caressed his jaw line, brushed against his cheek, and sank into his hair. It appeared to bring her some measure of ease to playfully tangle her fingers within his unruly hair.
Harry enjoyed the feel of her cool fingers that pressed against his scalp. When she finally ceased, he felt some mild disappointment not unlike a spoiled child.
"Do you trust me, Harry?"
"Always," he answered quickly and firmly.
"Then I'm going to ask a lot from you, but can you lend me your book?"
Harry froze. She could only be speaking of one book, his spell book. Since he received the book, he had never let anyone take it from him. It was his personal treasure. The thought of not having it was heavier than he would have expected. He glanced at her and noticed that her typical confident appearance was subtly breaking.
Her hands were a touch too stiff. She would mildly twitch her cheeks. At random intervals she would lightly bite her lips. She was nervous.
He closed his eyes and huffed a little before he smiled, "Sure." From the depths of his robe he pulled out the spell book and presented it to her.
As her hand touched the book, she eyed his face and he merely nodded. When she had the book in her possession, she seemed to sigh in relieve, "I swear to you that this is for the best."
"That was never in doubt," he stated honestly.
Before he knew it, she had pulled him in and kissed him deeply. He could feel and taste her appreciation of his trust.
It was welcomingly sweet.
