Matters of Circumstance
Disclaimer: Still not mine. And I highly doubt it'll ever be.
(A/N: Many thanks to my super-cali-fragilistic-expialidocious beta, Smile Life Away. =0)
Story Info:
House: Slytherin
Challenge: Five (August 8th to August 15th)
Character: Ted Tonks (Hufflepuff), Andromeda Black (Slytherin)
So here I stand fighting what I feel for you
Torn between what reason says and how I really feel
And here I stand, wondering what to say to you
Hoping that you feel the same, the same as I do
~*~
Voice On The Radio - Mariė Digby
SHOOTING STARS
Sometimes, he likes to pretend that she's his, that they're more than just friends. And for a few minutes, when her attention is focused on him, when they're partners in class, when she calls him with that smile he loves, he almost achieves it. But then she turns around and reality comes crashing down on him again. It would never work. Because she's a Black, a Pure-blood, a Slytherin, and he, he is simply a Hufflepuff Muggle-born. He has nothing to offer her, and her family would never approve. Because she's perfect, the girl everyone loves, and he could never hope to be enough.
"Ted." Her soft voice breaks the silence, and suddenly, he remembers where they are. It's almost midnight and they're here, lying in the middle of the Quidditch pitch - side to side.
"Yeah?"
"Have you ever seen a shooting star?" she asks, turning to look at him, and the only thing he can do is nod. She sighs, lying down next to him again. "I haven't." There's a pause. "Not ever."
There's silence for a few minutes, only occasionally broken by the sound of the wind or the hoot of an owl. "What would you wish for?" he asks suddenly sitting up and looking down at her. She wrinkles her nose as she thinks, and he can't help but smile at the familiar gesture.
"Aren't you supposed to keep your wish a secret so it comes true?" She whispers finally.
Ted nods. "Yeah." He sits up and takes his wand out, pointing at the sky. "Look," he says softly as she sits up next to him before a bright sparkle shoots out of the tip of his wand.
She smiles as soon as she realizes what he just did, turning to look at him, head tilted slightly. "Ted." She says his name almost uncertainly, as if she's expecting him to correct her as her eyes search his.
"Hey," he whispers back teasingly, and he's ready to say something else when she leans over and presses her lips against his. She pulls away quickly and he's too shocked to react. "What was that?" he asks in a throaty voice as he tries to concentrate, but with her so close, her eyes shining as she meets them with his, it's all he can do not to kiss her again. It's not right, he knows, and he has to repeat the sentence over and over again to stay where he is. "Your family," he continues, his voice almost pleading now as he tries to knock some sense into her. "I'm not enough." The last sentence rings with desperation as she shakes her head and leans in close again, their lips almost brushing.
"I don't care," she murmurs and that's his breaking, his hand slides to the small of her back and pulls her closer before leaning forward and capturing her lips with his. "I love you," she whispers against his lips and he sighs, deepening the kiss, because 'I love you' has always been the best lie.