She was dirt. Filthy, unclean, vile, dirt. She was the scum of the earth, not worthy to be sharing the very air that surrounded him. She was impure and tainted. For one like her to even be considered his equal was an outrage, a complete blasphemy.
They met in the middle of the clearing, wands tightly clenched at their sides in their fists, arms ready to spring into action at any moment. They didn't speak a word. They didn't need to. The tension that floated in the heated air around them said everything perfectly.
Her eyes bore into his. He remembered that look all too well. Her bold defiance wasn't any different than it had been at school. He could almost see her mind working behind that strong face. He could saw her anger, her loathing, her contempt. He scoffed mentally. A blind man could see that. He was different. He could see her fear, her thoughts, her emotions. He knew the real her, who she was behind the mask she wore.
They stood there, eyes still fixed on each other. Silver piercing mahogany. Her eyes. Mahogany. Brown. Dirt. Dirty mud. Dirty blood. Mudblood . Dirt. Nothing but dirt. She was absolutely nothing but dirt. His father's words pounded over and over in his mind as he stared into her eyes, her mind, her soul. She was not worthy of him, she was the scum of the earth, she deserved death, scum of the earth, scum, dirt, just scum. She was scum. This was war. She was the enemy. And he loved her. And she loved him.
Fighting for what they were expected to fight for. Siding with who they were expected to side with. They were supposed to be in battle. Neither were fighting. The curses could be heard from the bottom of the hill. The smell of blood and sweat and war encompassed them. They could stay here. They could go away forever and never look back. They could be casualties of the war and be free. He could be traitorous and join the side he wanted to be on, the side he craved to be on.
He closed his eyes. A light breeze flew by, carrying with it clean air, which wiped away the smell of the battle for a few brief seconds. A breath of fresh air. Sometimes, that was all he needed to keep going. Just the smallest break from the world. That's what this was, after all. A break from reality. He felt her move closer to him and wrap her arms around his waist. That's all this had ever been.
He opened his eyes. She opened hers. Their faces had softened, no longer holding the stony looks they had before. For now, this was their goodbye. They both turned and began walking down the hill through the woods. Halfway down, they paused. They looked at each other one more time, then went opposite ways to their own side of the battle. They never said a word.
Maybe one of them would die in the year to come. Maybe both. Maybe, one day, their dream would become a reality, and they would have all the fresh air they could ever need. But for now, this would go on. To fight for the side they were supposed to be fighting for. They would be traitors to no one, except themselves... and each other.
