Angst Essentials – the sir & the her, the he & the she [& you.]

[& you.]

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They were like two fitting pieces of a puzzle. Each had what the other didn't. And only by bringing them together, would this puzzle finally be complete.

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Perhaps it was the way her gaze seemed to always meet his. Or the way her eyes would be filled with hatred and disgust every time it did, yet at the same time it held innocent wonder, as if questioning his every movement and the reasons behind them.


Perhaps it was the way he would glance at her with such intensity every time they brushed past each other in the hallway. Or the way he would look down at his feet the instant his eyes met hers, as if ashamed of something.


And so there was, between them, a strange connection. Something they were bound to. And something which bound them together. It was like an invisible bond stretching between them, tugging at each of them, pulling them towards each other, so no matter what, their eyes always seemed to meet, however involuntary. However much they tried to look away, they always found their gaze drawn towards each other, even if for a split second.


Yet every time he tried to truly look at her, he would see a flicker of confusion in her eyes. 'What do you want from me?' they seemed to say, a question always left unanswered.


Yet every time she stole a peek at him, his ice cold front seemed to return, as if she had imagined the bond between them, as if it had just been her eyes and her heart and her mind, all playing tricks on her.


And so they simply tucked that part of themselves away. The part that made them see something else in each other. Something no one else could see.


In him, she saw pain. But his kind of pain she knew she would never be able to understand. Something so deep and profound and alien to her, that she would never be able to comprehend it. And a softness, when he looked into her eyes, the very reason why he avoided letting her eyes meet his.


In her, he saw a sadness which made him feel almost sorry for her. Almost... protective. And fear. But her fear was nothing like anything he had seen before. She wasn't afraid of him, or of Voldemort, or of getting killed. She was afraid of herself.


And so they tried to live their lives as they used to, with her being ridiculously cheerful and him being even colder than usual. But there was something that clawed at each of them, something they couldn't shake off.


In his dreams he saw her, in her eyes a bitterness. And there, on her face, an accusing look, as if he had done her wrong. A look that made him feel guilty, something he had never felt in his life.


In her dreams she saw him, with pleading eyes, and a look – a look so sad it pained her, although she saw no reason why it should, a look which made her jerk awake, her face soaked in cold sweat, and in tears.


It seemed strange how just a week ago, she was someone he totally didn't care about, someone unimportant and insignificant. And he was simply someone she completely despised, her brother's enemy. And yet now they were haunting each other, even in their dreams.


And so he began studying her once again. Her every breath, her every smile. A smile which once seemed so real. A smile which was now becoming hesitant. And he saw the way she was beginning to lose herself, the way she was beginning to seem nervous around people.


And so she began stealing glances at him once again. His ice-cold mask was beginning to falter, she would notice with wonder, and a smile would sometimes creep up his face, almost without his knowledge. A smile so forgotten.


It didn't make sense to either of them. But what they didn't realize was that it didn't have to. It was this confusion that made their lives seem more real. And it was the beauty of this reality that made them seem more alive.


And so they stood there, in the middle of the hallway, facing each other, with uncertainty written all over their faces. With hesitation in their eyes. And then everything was laid out before them.


His gray eyes against her brown ones. Her smiles against his smirks. His cruelty against her kindness. Her warmth against his apathy.


Fire against ice.


And there was the sudden realization that came upon each of them. If not for the coldness of ice, would fire seem as warm? And if not for the warmth of fire, would ice seem as cold? Likewise, between the two of them, there was this strange contrast. Each brought out the reality of the other, and then it all made sense. The connection between them, the looks, the dreams. Everything.


And suddenly, in their eyes, appeared laughter. Laughter unlike the childish giggle of hers, whenever one of her brothers told a joke. Laughter unlike the haughty snort of his, whenever Potter was in trouble. It was, instead, a laughter that made everything around them seem non-existent. A laughter that brought tears to their eyes, and joy to the heart.


And so they just stood there, staring at each other, their faces stained with tears, yet filled with joy and happiness. Like two people who were silly and senseless.


Like two strangers in love.

Whee! Should I end it here? Hm? It was originally intended to end after three chapters. But I don't know. Tell me what you guys want, eh?

And now for the Review Replies! (:

Crimson3: haha thank you! I love compliments like yours. ;) –ego inflates and bursts- ouch. anyway, yep, it's Draco and Ginny! You got it. (:

Daisie: yay! glad to hear you liked all my fics. –grabs all the big cookies flying towards me-

Mad_Maudlin_42: hullo! great to see you back again. Your poetry? You write poetry? That's cool! I love poetry. Maybe you could show me some of yours sometime. (: sorry there's no Snape. :P Don't worry, I love him anyway! Don't we all?

Solitaire: Hah, Sol, you sneaky little person! You again. Bigger person? Right. See, you're growing fat. That's why you should come running! I told you to. Don't you know running makes people happy? (: You sound so reluctant to type anything about the fic. Hmpf. Renders the review void, silly. Isn't reviewing the fic the whole point of writing the thing? Anyway. Firefly? I don't really listen to pop anymore. Remember, I developed this thing against it. Good things? What kind of good things? And what chocolate chip cookie! You never gave me any! Stinky. Hnh.

Ang3l666: haha thank you! It would be a nice surprise if Tom Felton turned up in a fic, eh? No such luck, though. :P Well, here's the third chapter! Hope you liked it. (:

Izabel: Hah. Thank you! Mysterious... I like that. (: Yep, it's Draco/Ginny. You'd have won the bet. :P Well, here's more! Hope you enjoyed it too.

Fen: hullo hullo Fen! Thanks. And you're welcome. :P Argh, everybody seems to be secretly yearning for Tommy. Well, what can I say. (So'm I. :P)

jellypoosyne: Ahah. Thank you! I wasn't sure the title was appropriate at first. Heh. Don't love it too much! Or nobody will be able to read the bits. :P

fwala865: Thanks lots! Hope I'm keeping up to your expectations. (:

theragingquiet: Thank yoooo! –hugs- There. I've updated now. (:

There! Finally done. Phew. See y'all next time! (: (: (: