A/N: I VERY obviously wrote this before Order of the Phoenix came out. This
was actually my first Harry Potter fic. I wrote it last September, so a lot
of the stuff you're going to read further on won't fit to canon. Oh well.
Let's just pretend that in this universe, Cadence is Harry's first kiss.
Chapter 5
The Clearing
Weeks at Hogwarts passed almost as if they were measured in mere hours. Cadence had never felt so happy. She finally had friends her own age, people who cared about her other than family, and even a social life.
There were nights she wished she still had her parents. She loved her life, but she would have given any of it to see her parents one more time. She had pictures and mementos of their lives, but she knew it couldn't replace the pure love she felt for them in her heart.
What made it all bearable though, was the fact that Harry shared with her his deepest and most inner secrets about his parents. She had never met anyone like Harry and she was grateful to be his friend. Over the weeks that passed, they became closer. Occasionally they would meet after classes and sit in the common room hour upon hour and talk.
What Harry told her reflected almost everything she felt. He had grown up in a home where he was not accepted and knew nothing of his birth parents. He had learned his eleventh year that he was a wizard and would be attending Hogwarts, and he had finally found somewhere he would fit in. Yet even though he knew that he fit in at Hogwarts and hat it was where he belonged, he would have given up every bit of it just to meet his parents.
Cadence felt sorry for Harry. Harry had never known his parents, he had never known what it was like to be loved by a mother and father. He had never felt his mother's kiss on his cheek or his father's pat on the back. She knew what it felt like to miss your parents, but she had known her parents.
Yet Harry felt sorry for Cadence. She had known the love of her parents and she had known everything about them. That would have made it twice as hard to let go. He had lost his parents before he could truly know them and love them for what they were, but that was left for him to decide. She knew what her parents had been like and she had lost them when she needed them most.
Harry even started to tell her all about his adventures at Hogwarts. He told her about the many run ins with Voldemort he had had and how the last five years of his schooling had been full of chaotic journeys.
Out of his constant tales of fighting with swords and flying on hippogriffs (which to her sounded like the epitome of excitement), how could she even begin to match any of her stories to his? She had not been on exciting quests and taken part in perilous activities. All she had done her entire life was live in a sheltered world at home. She had learned all she needed to know to be in her fifth year at Hogwarts, she had become an excellent Chaser on the Quidditch pitch, and she had managed to obtain her O.W.L.s before any other fifth year in the school had.
None of it was exciting, and this troubled Cadence whenever she spoke with Harry.
Am I not good enough to talk to someone of this magnitude? Never mind that Lord You-Know-Who attacked him. That didn't even matter to her. So what if he had a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead that no one seemed to be able to take their eyes off of? It wasn't as though she had never seen a scar before. The story was very exciting indeed, and very sad all at the same time, but Harry was so much more than a scar and a story.
She knew him deep inside now, and she hoped it would only continue.
She learned that Harry was the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and that pleased her. She knew now whom to go to if she wanted a place on the team. Yet that possibility was highly unlikely.
Cadence was really coming to enjoy her life at Hogwarts very much. She wished her parents had allowed her to go the first four years of school. All that was left was two years of a wonderful experience. It was two years more than she could have ever hoped for.
She especially loved her Care of Magical Creatures class, and Hagrid was suddenly taking a liking to Miss Cartwright. He told her so one day after she happily packed up her grout and was about to leave class.
"I'm glad ya like the class there, Cadence," he said to her, a bright smile on his large, cheerful face.
"I love it a lot. I've always been interested in this kind of stuff, but I never got to tamper with it. Now that I have, I love it."
Hagrid smiled even wider. "We're movin on from these grouts soon, to tell ya."
Cadence smiled wistfully and looked down at her book. "Do we ever get into unicorns?"
Hagrid frowned suddenly. "Uh. well. ya see." he paused when he saw the sudden disappointment on her face. A light bulb clicked in his head and he recovered himself. "Well, we don' cover unicorns this year. but if ya really want," he said, seeing a flicker of hope in her bright brown eyes. "I could have ya come out after classes and we could go into the Forest," he told her.
A smile finally reappeared on Cadence's once saddened face. "So we can go. study unicorns?"
Hagrid nodded, his beetle black eyes twinkling in amusement at her enthusiasm. "Ya seem ter enjoy my class more'n any of the other students. I figure ya could use a bit of training up if ya really want it."
Her smile answered him. "So should I come tomorrow then?"
"Termorrow after classes, come an' see me an' we'll go study up on unicorns."
Cadence stared at Hagrid for a few seconds with such respect and admiration that Hagrid almost buckled in tears. He clapped her on the back so hard she almost toppled forward. "Alrigh then, off ter class with ya," he ordered, turning away from her abruptly.
"Thank you, Hagrid," she whispered and scurried away, her black robes flowing behind her.
With a bright smile on her face, she headed into Astronomy, took her usual seat next to Ginny. Ginny gave her the usual eye roll. "You love that class far too much for your liking. You're a regular Hagrid."
Cadence abruptly turned to her friend, grabbing her arm and saying dreamily, "I get to study unicorns!"
Ginny's eyes widened. "You do?"
"Yes!"
"When? How? It's not on the syllabus for that class!"
"I know," Cadence answered her, getting her notes and books in order for Astronomy. "I asked Hagrid if we were at all studying them, and he said no, but since I was so interested in his class, he says I can come to learn on my own about unicorns."
Ginny smiled widely. "Wow. You're lucky. Hagrid doesn't do that very often. What's your interest with unicorns anyway?"
Cadence shrugged. "Always something I was interested in studying. They just intrigue me, and I'd love the chance to work with them some day."
Ginny nodded. "So that's your angle."
"What do you mean, angle?"
"Your job after Hogwarts. Just about every fifth year has theirs picked out already, and that's why most of them take the classes they take. How long have you wanted to work with unicorns?" "Well. since I learned about them I guess." she said, sighing.
Professor Sinistra made her way into the classroom and began lessons. The two ceased talking until class was over.
Defense Against the Dark Arts couldn't have passed slowly enough. All Cadence suddenly found herself wanting to do was run out onto the Quidditch field, armed with her broom, straddle it, and sail off the ground. Just the mere thought of doing this made her tingle all over and want all the more to finish class.
Finally, class was over and the two girls went running toward their dorms like they had each day. It was now common to Gryffindors to see Ginny Weasley and Cadence Cartwright racing past in a blur to the dormitories.
Once up there, they threw off their robes, grabbed their brooms, and headed to the Quidditch field. Once Harry and Ron had caught them, making them turn around (for their own sakes they claimed) to put on their robes and scarves. After long protest, the two reluctantly agreed.
Hermione had occasionally joined them, but for the most part, the older girl stayed out of the antics of the two younger ones. She holed herself up in the library like Ginny described she so often did.
Feeling the breeze on her face was what Cadence looked forward to doing every single day. That was what was worth it in the long run.
Their normal ritual continued day after day, and after going out to fly with Ginny, Cadence would go back to the dorms, put her robes on, and run down to Hagrid's cabin.
Hagrid met her there with a wide smile on his face. "Hi there Cadence," he greeted cheerfully. "Yeh all ready? Alrigh then, off we are."
Within the next few days, Cadence was absolutely intrigued with how much she found out. She was growing to love going out into the Forest with Hagrid, however she had to keep the excursions a secret, considering the fact that students weren't allowed in the Forest. Ginny was the only one that knew.
After a few more days of sneaking out to Hagrid's cabin after nightfall, Cadence began to feel bad that she wasn't spending time with Harry. She really started to miss her usual talks with him after she went into the common room each night. Occasionally she'd catch him there, but she hadn't been successful in the last two weeks.
She sent Sierra to him with a message once and it shocked Cadence to see the look on Harry's face when he received the letter. He didn't normally get mail, or so he said, and even though he had told her that, it still saddened her a bit to see such a shocked look on his face when he got the letter during lunch.
She had plainly written:
Harry-
I apologize for not being around lately. I'd really like to see you sometime. Meet me on the Quidditch field after class today.
Ginny has homework. It's your time today.
- Cadence
Her heart leapt in her throat when he looked straight up at her, his green eyes burning into hers. He nodded solemnly, smiled at her sweetly, and tucked the paper away in his Charms book.
Cadence turned bright red and felt her heart race up until class was over. She told Ginny she'd see her later and Ginny gave her a nudge for good luck. Cadence found her way to her room, grabbed her scarf and gloves, and then walked slowly out to the field.
She saw no sign of Harry anywhere, and stood in the middle of the field for a matter of minutes before she began to feel dejected. Did he not want to show up or was he running late?
As if on cue, Cadence heard trudging footsteps in the grass behind her. She turned around and saw Harry walking toward her. His dark hair was most untidy and his bright green eyes were lit up in amusement. He had a smirk on his face.
"Sorry I'm late," he greeted. He smiled at her and took her hand swiftly. "I'm glad you asked me out here today. There's something I want to show you."
Cadence looked down at their conjoined hands and back up at Harry. A small smile started to appear on her face. "What are you talking about?"
"Just come with me," he urged, and she did as she was told. She followed Harry off of the Quidditch field and back toward Hagrid's cabin.
"What are we doing, Harry?" she asked, half giggling.
"You'll see."
They walked past Hagrid's hand in hand and into the Forest, where Cadence had seen the entrance so many times that she knew it by heart. It was no longer a forbidden place to her. She looked around it each time she entered with such awe that she surprised herself.
"Where are we going?" she whispered to Harry.
But he whispered back, "Be patient, I've got something to show you."
They traveled through the brush a bit more and jumped over fallen tree logs. Harry never let go of Cadence's hand and that made her feel warm all over. They ventured through a few more trees, off of their narrow path, and into a field of brush and prickly bushes. After Cadence had fought off what seemed to be an ankle hungry vine, Harry abruptly stopped in front of her, and gave her hand a squeeze.
"Here we are."
She looked up quickly enough to see the Clearing that the two had approached. They were well hidden by brush, tree branches, and logs, so they made no sudden move to duck down.
The Clearing was a small, tranquil pond, the greenest grass in the Forest, and the largest number of unicorns that Cadence had ever laid eyes on. Her mouth dropped open and Harry snuck glances of her, smirking knowingly.
She took a step forward, never letting go of Harry's hand. "It's. oh my gosh Harry. it's amazing." she whispered, in awe.
Harry stepped up next to her and whispered in her ear, "Hagrid thought you might like it."
Cadence frowned. "Hagrid?"
"Yes, Hagrid."
"What do you mean? He knew this was here?" Cadence turned toward Harry and looked at him, puzzled. The only things that Hagrid had been showing Cadence the past couple of weeks were small plants that unicorns ate, tracks they left, and fragments of their being that no one could have picked up unless they were looking. She had not seen a real one yet.
"Of course he knew. He knew you'd love to see it, but he wanted to wait until a special time for it."
Cadence remained puzzled. "Special? Why is this time special?"
Harry sighed and continued with his explanation. "I talked to him today during class, and he told me that since the Clearing was such a special place, it had to wait for the right time, the right day, the right moment. He wasn't sure if he was the person to show you. But then he looked at me as if he could see right through me. and he said. 'You should take her Harry. It's in your eyes. You need to be the one to take her.' So here we are."
Cadence looked back out at the unicorns. They were as beautiful as she had always dreamed them to be. They were magnificent in their radiance, the white manes flying behind them as they ran, their beautiful tails swishing in the bask of the dropping sunlight as they drank from the pond. The small ones were gold, and snuggled up to the white unicorns. It was evident that they were the babies.
She looked back up at Harry carefully, who was staring out at the unicorns as wistfully as she was. "And why." she whispered to him, breaking the strained silence, "is tonight such a special night?"
Harry blinked and then looked down at her. He smiled sheepishly and then shook his head. "Every night, Cadence. every night with you is a special night."
Cadence blinked and then stared at their hands intertwined with one another. "Harry?" she whispered.
"Hmm?" he answered.
"Do you know what it's like. to have feelings all mixed up inside of you? Like a bunch of butterflies fighting to get to one place?"
"All too well, Cadence," he whispered to her through the darkness. There was silence for many minutes as the two stared out at the unicorns lapping the water, running around the green grass, and being beautiful and graceful.
Suddenly, Harry spoke.
"Cadence."
It was a soft word, melodic in phrasing and sounded almost like music coming from Harry's mouth at that moment in time.
"Harry?"
To Harry's ears, hearing Cadence's soft and gentle voice speak was like a song, beautiful in singing.
"This is going to sound really absurd."
"Say it."
Harry turned and looked at Cadence full on, meeting her bright brown eyes with his sparkling green. "Have you ever. kissed anyone before?"
Cadence's eyes widened. "Kissed?"
"Yes."
"Kissed?"
He turned bright red and ruffled his already untidy hair. "Yeah. It was an absolutely idiotic question, I know. Forget I said it."
"No, Harry," Cadence whispered. He turned back around and faced her. "It wasn't. And no. no. I haven't. Have you?"
He shook his head subtly and she tipped her head at him. "Why?"
"I've never felt strongly enough for anyone. to try."
"Neither have I."
"Cadence?"
"Harry?"
"Can I kiss you?"
With an unspoken answer, Cadence stared into Harry's eyes and Harry into Cadence's. In a matter of seconds, Harry leaned forward and pressed his shy lips onto Cadence's, and brought his hands up to slowly touch her arms. Cadence felt nothing she had never known before as she kissed Harry, and it amazed her deep down how strong the feeling she felt for him really was. She suddenly wanted to be near him, closer to him than she had ever been to anyone before, and it made no sense to her. She had never felt such a strong feeling, and it scared her.
Harry also felt a stirring within his heart and soul as he continued to kiss Cadence. He wasn't sure how good he was at it, but all he knew was that he was kissing her. Nothing else mattered. He was as close to her as he wanted to be without scaring her off, and everything was perfect.
Almost everything. He still knew nothing about the girl that he held in his arms. She knew all of his adventures, that was for sure, but he knew nothing of what she had gone through and why she was at Hogwarts in her fifth year. All she shared was that her parents were great people that she missed terribly, and that she was now living with her grandmother. He had no idea why she had been a house witch for four years, he didn't know how her parents had died, and he didn't know why she was so terribly quiet whenever Harry talked about the attack that had left him orphaned.
But as he continued to kiss Cadence, he knew deep in his heart that those questions needed to be answered. If the two of them were going to let their hearts be free and allow them to trust each other with nothing held back, he was going to have to learn everything about her.
At any cost.
Chapter 5
The Clearing
Weeks at Hogwarts passed almost as if they were measured in mere hours. Cadence had never felt so happy. She finally had friends her own age, people who cared about her other than family, and even a social life.
There were nights she wished she still had her parents. She loved her life, but she would have given any of it to see her parents one more time. She had pictures and mementos of their lives, but she knew it couldn't replace the pure love she felt for them in her heart.
What made it all bearable though, was the fact that Harry shared with her his deepest and most inner secrets about his parents. She had never met anyone like Harry and she was grateful to be his friend. Over the weeks that passed, they became closer. Occasionally they would meet after classes and sit in the common room hour upon hour and talk.
What Harry told her reflected almost everything she felt. He had grown up in a home where he was not accepted and knew nothing of his birth parents. He had learned his eleventh year that he was a wizard and would be attending Hogwarts, and he had finally found somewhere he would fit in. Yet even though he knew that he fit in at Hogwarts and hat it was where he belonged, he would have given up every bit of it just to meet his parents.
Cadence felt sorry for Harry. Harry had never known his parents, he had never known what it was like to be loved by a mother and father. He had never felt his mother's kiss on his cheek or his father's pat on the back. She knew what it felt like to miss your parents, but she had known her parents.
Yet Harry felt sorry for Cadence. She had known the love of her parents and she had known everything about them. That would have made it twice as hard to let go. He had lost his parents before he could truly know them and love them for what they were, but that was left for him to decide. She knew what her parents had been like and she had lost them when she needed them most.
Harry even started to tell her all about his adventures at Hogwarts. He told her about the many run ins with Voldemort he had had and how the last five years of his schooling had been full of chaotic journeys.
Out of his constant tales of fighting with swords and flying on hippogriffs (which to her sounded like the epitome of excitement), how could she even begin to match any of her stories to his? She had not been on exciting quests and taken part in perilous activities. All she had done her entire life was live in a sheltered world at home. She had learned all she needed to know to be in her fifth year at Hogwarts, she had become an excellent Chaser on the Quidditch pitch, and she had managed to obtain her O.W.L.s before any other fifth year in the school had.
None of it was exciting, and this troubled Cadence whenever she spoke with Harry.
Am I not good enough to talk to someone of this magnitude? Never mind that Lord You-Know-Who attacked him. That didn't even matter to her. So what if he had a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead that no one seemed to be able to take their eyes off of? It wasn't as though she had never seen a scar before. The story was very exciting indeed, and very sad all at the same time, but Harry was so much more than a scar and a story.
She knew him deep inside now, and she hoped it would only continue.
She learned that Harry was the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and that pleased her. She knew now whom to go to if she wanted a place on the team. Yet that possibility was highly unlikely.
Cadence was really coming to enjoy her life at Hogwarts very much. She wished her parents had allowed her to go the first four years of school. All that was left was two years of a wonderful experience. It was two years more than she could have ever hoped for.
She especially loved her Care of Magical Creatures class, and Hagrid was suddenly taking a liking to Miss Cartwright. He told her so one day after she happily packed up her grout and was about to leave class.
"I'm glad ya like the class there, Cadence," he said to her, a bright smile on his large, cheerful face.
"I love it a lot. I've always been interested in this kind of stuff, but I never got to tamper with it. Now that I have, I love it."
Hagrid smiled even wider. "We're movin on from these grouts soon, to tell ya."
Cadence smiled wistfully and looked down at her book. "Do we ever get into unicorns?"
Hagrid frowned suddenly. "Uh. well. ya see." he paused when he saw the sudden disappointment on her face. A light bulb clicked in his head and he recovered himself. "Well, we don' cover unicorns this year. but if ya really want," he said, seeing a flicker of hope in her bright brown eyes. "I could have ya come out after classes and we could go into the Forest," he told her.
A smile finally reappeared on Cadence's once saddened face. "So we can go. study unicorns?"
Hagrid nodded, his beetle black eyes twinkling in amusement at her enthusiasm. "Ya seem ter enjoy my class more'n any of the other students. I figure ya could use a bit of training up if ya really want it."
Her smile answered him. "So should I come tomorrow then?"
"Termorrow after classes, come an' see me an' we'll go study up on unicorns."
Cadence stared at Hagrid for a few seconds with such respect and admiration that Hagrid almost buckled in tears. He clapped her on the back so hard she almost toppled forward. "Alrigh then, off ter class with ya," he ordered, turning away from her abruptly.
"Thank you, Hagrid," she whispered and scurried away, her black robes flowing behind her.
With a bright smile on her face, she headed into Astronomy, took her usual seat next to Ginny. Ginny gave her the usual eye roll. "You love that class far too much for your liking. You're a regular Hagrid."
Cadence abruptly turned to her friend, grabbing her arm and saying dreamily, "I get to study unicorns!"
Ginny's eyes widened. "You do?"
"Yes!"
"When? How? It's not on the syllabus for that class!"
"I know," Cadence answered her, getting her notes and books in order for Astronomy. "I asked Hagrid if we were at all studying them, and he said no, but since I was so interested in his class, he says I can come to learn on my own about unicorns."
Ginny smiled widely. "Wow. You're lucky. Hagrid doesn't do that very often. What's your interest with unicorns anyway?"
Cadence shrugged. "Always something I was interested in studying. They just intrigue me, and I'd love the chance to work with them some day."
Ginny nodded. "So that's your angle."
"What do you mean, angle?"
"Your job after Hogwarts. Just about every fifth year has theirs picked out already, and that's why most of them take the classes they take. How long have you wanted to work with unicorns?" "Well. since I learned about them I guess." she said, sighing.
Professor Sinistra made her way into the classroom and began lessons. The two ceased talking until class was over.
Defense Against the Dark Arts couldn't have passed slowly enough. All Cadence suddenly found herself wanting to do was run out onto the Quidditch field, armed with her broom, straddle it, and sail off the ground. Just the mere thought of doing this made her tingle all over and want all the more to finish class.
Finally, class was over and the two girls went running toward their dorms like they had each day. It was now common to Gryffindors to see Ginny Weasley and Cadence Cartwright racing past in a blur to the dormitories.
Once up there, they threw off their robes, grabbed their brooms, and headed to the Quidditch field. Once Harry and Ron had caught them, making them turn around (for their own sakes they claimed) to put on their robes and scarves. After long protest, the two reluctantly agreed.
Hermione had occasionally joined them, but for the most part, the older girl stayed out of the antics of the two younger ones. She holed herself up in the library like Ginny described she so often did.
Feeling the breeze on her face was what Cadence looked forward to doing every single day. That was what was worth it in the long run.
Their normal ritual continued day after day, and after going out to fly with Ginny, Cadence would go back to the dorms, put her robes on, and run down to Hagrid's cabin.
Hagrid met her there with a wide smile on his face. "Hi there Cadence," he greeted cheerfully. "Yeh all ready? Alrigh then, off we are."
Within the next few days, Cadence was absolutely intrigued with how much she found out. She was growing to love going out into the Forest with Hagrid, however she had to keep the excursions a secret, considering the fact that students weren't allowed in the Forest. Ginny was the only one that knew.
After a few more days of sneaking out to Hagrid's cabin after nightfall, Cadence began to feel bad that she wasn't spending time with Harry. She really started to miss her usual talks with him after she went into the common room each night. Occasionally she'd catch him there, but she hadn't been successful in the last two weeks.
She sent Sierra to him with a message once and it shocked Cadence to see the look on Harry's face when he received the letter. He didn't normally get mail, or so he said, and even though he had told her that, it still saddened her a bit to see such a shocked look on his face when he got the letter during lunch.
She had plainly written:
Harry-
I apologize for not being around lately. I'd really like to see you sometime. Meet me on the Quidditch field after class today.
Ginny has homework. It's your time today.
- Cadence
Her heart leapt in her throat when he looked straight up at her, his green eyes burning into hers. He nodded solemnly, smiled at her sweetly, and tucked the paper away in his Charms book.
Cadence turned bright red and felt her heart race up until class was over. She told Ginny she'd see her later and Ginny gave her a nudge for good luck. Cadence found her way to her room, grabbed her scarf and gloves, and then walked slowly out to the field.
She saw no sign of Harry anywhere, and stood in the middle of the field for a matter of minutes before she began to feel dejected. Did he not want to show up or was he running late?
As if on cue, Cadence heard trudging footsteps in the grass behind her. She turned around and saw Harry walking toward her. His dark hair was most untidy and his bright green eyes were lit up in amusement. He had a smirk on his face.
"Sorry I'm late," he greeted. He smiled at her and took her hand swiftly. "I'm glad you asked me out here today. There's something I want to show you."
Cadence looked down at their conjoined hands and back up at Harry. A small smile started to appear on her face. "What are you talking about?"
"Just come with me," he urged, and she did as she was told. She followed Harry off of the Quidditch field and back toward Hagrid's cabin.
"What are we doing, Harry?" she asked, half giggling.
"You'll see."
They walked past Hagrid's hand in hand and into the Forest, where Cadence had seen the entrance so many times that she knew it by heart. It was no longer a forbidden place to her. She looked around it each time she entered with such awe that she surprised herself.
"Where are we going?" she whispered to Harry.
But he whispered back, "Be patient, I've got something to show you."
They traveled through the brush a bit more and jumped over fallen tree logs. Harry never let go of Cadence's hand and that made her feel warm all over. They ventured through a few more trees, off of their narrow path, and into a field of brush and prickly bushes. After Cadence had fought off what seemed to be an ankle hungry vine, Harry abruptly stopped in front of her, and gave her hand a squeeze.
"Here we are."
She looked up quickly enough to see the Clearing that the two had approached. They were well hidden by brush, tree branches, and logs, so they made no sudden move to duck down.
The Clearing was a small, tranquil pond, the greenest grass in the Forest, and the largest number of unicorns that Cadence had ever laid eyes on. Her mouth dropped open and Harry snuck glances of her, smirking knowingly.
She took a step forward, never letting go of Harry's hand. "It's. oh my gosh Harry. it's amazing." she whispered, in awe.
Harry stepped up next to her and whispered in her ear, "Hagrid thought you might like it."
Cadence frowned. "Hagrid?"
"Yes, Hagrid."
"What do you mean? He knew this was here?" Cadence turned toward Harry and looked at him, puzzled. The only things that Hagrid had been showing Cadence the past couple of weeks were small plants that unicorns ate, tracks they left, and fragments of their being that no one could have picked up unless they were looking. She had not seen a real one yet.
"Of course he knew. He knew you'd love to see it, but he wanted to wait until a special time for it."
Cadence remained puzzled. "Special? Why is this time special?"
Harry sighed and continued with his explanation. "I talked to him today during class, and he told me that since the Clearing was such a special place, it had to wait for the right time, the right day, the right moment. He wasn't sure if he was the person to show you. But then he looked at me as if he could see right through me. and he said. 'You should take her Harry. It's in your eyes. You need to be the one to take her.' So here we are."
Cadence looked back out at the unicorns. They were as beautiful as she had always dreamed them to be. They were magnificent in their radiance, the white manes flying behind them as they ran, their beautiful tails swishing in the bask of the dropping sunlight as they drank from the pond. The small ones were gold, and snuggled up to the white unicorns. It was evident that they were the babies.
She looked back up at Harry carefully, who was staring out at the unicorns as wistfully as she was. "And why." she whispered to him, breaking the strained silence, "is tonight such a special night?"
Harry blinked and then looked down at her. He smiled sheepishly and then shook his head. "Every night, Cadence. every night with you is a special night."
Cadence blinked and then stared at their hands intertwined with one another. "Harry?" she whispered.
"Hmm?" he answered.
"Do you know what it's like. to have feelings all mixed up inside of you? Like a bunch of butterflies fighting to get to one place?"
"All too well, Cadence," he whispered to her through the darkness. There was silence for many minutes as the two stared out at the unicorns lapping the water, running around the green grass, and being beautiful and graceful.
Suddenly, Harry spoke.
"Cadence."
It was a soft word, melodic in phrasing and sounded almost like music coming from Harry's mouth at that moment in time.
"Harry?"
To Harry's ears, hearing Cadence's soft and gentle voice speak was like a song, beautiful in singing.
"This is going to sound really absurd."
"Say it."
Harry turned and looked at Cadence full on, meeting her bright brown eyes with his sparkling green. "Have you ever. kissed anyone before?"
Cadence's eyes widened. "Kissed?"
"Yes."
"Kissed?"
He turned bright red and ruffled his already untidy hair. "Yeah. It was an absolutely idiotic question, I know. Forget I said it."
"No, Harry," Cadence whispered. He turned back around and faced her. "It wasn't. And no. no. I haven't. Have you?"
He shook his head subtly and she tipped her head at him. "Why?"
"I've never felt strongly enough for anyone. to try."
"Neither have I."
"Cadence?"
"Harry?"
"Can I kiss you?"
With an unspoken answer, Cadence stared into Harry's eyes and Harry into Cadence's. In a matter of seconds, Harry leaned forward and pressed his shy lips onto Cadence's, and brought his hands up to slowly touch her arms. Cadence felt nothing she had never known before as she kissed Harry, and it amazed her deep down how strong the feeling she felt for him really was. She suddenly wanted to be near him, closer to him than she had ever been to anyone before, and it made no sense to her. She had never felt such a strong feeling, and it scared her.
Harry also felt a stirring within his heart and soul as he continued to kiss Cadence. He wasn't sure how good he was at it, but all he knew was that he was kissing her. Nothing else mattered. He was as close to her as he wanted to be without scaring her off, and everything was perfect.
Almost everything. He still knew nothing about the girl that he held in his arms. She knew all of his adventures, that was for sure, but he knew nothing of what she had gone through and why she was at Hogwarts in her fifth year. All she shared was that her parents were great people that she missed terribly, and that she was now living with her grandmother. He had no idea why she had been a house witch for four years, he didn't know how her parents had died, and he didn't know why she was so terribly quiet whenever Harry talked about the attack that had left him orphaned.
But as he continued to kiss Cadence, he knew deep in his heart that those questions needed to be answered. If the two of them were going to let their hearts be free and allow them to trust each other with nothing held back, he was going to have to learn everything about her.
At any cost.