Written for Sophie, our esteemed headmistress at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments).
Word count: 831
"And you would still love me? Even after everything I will do?" he had asked her his voice quivering. He couldn't believe it. He needed her to confirm. He needed her to say it.
"Barty, you don't have a choice. I took it from you the moment I.. I gave in and told you about me. I am a Ravenclaw, I am supposed to be smart. But I really wasn't. So how could I blame you, when everything that will happen is my fault? " and her voice cracked tears streaming down her face.
He hugged her close, not knowing what to say or do. Or how to help her feel better. He was at total loss. He knew she was right, but at the same time it was his fault too. He had pestered her with questions until she had given in and told him everything. How that she was from the future, how that she had gotten here in the first place he still didn't know, but what he knew was enough. He was horrified at what he had heard.
"You know,I have wondered how a sweet boy like you would ever become a Death Eater. Now I know. It is my fault, mine.." she started sobbing harder.
He didn't know what to say. He tightened his grip on her and kissed her head softly.
"Listen, Luna. You don't know that. I may or may not joined the Death Eaters without you, but what is done is done and I wouldn't change my love for you for the world. And I will my best yo protect it against everything. Nothing will change this. And I won't change only because I will join. I will still be me. I promise. As I promise that I will wait for you."
She tilted her head and looked in his eyes
"Are you sure? There will be a long time until you will see me again. You may find, the witch of your dreams." And she hid her head again so he would not see the tears. But he did and he couldn't believe what he was she was saying this.
He took her head in his hands and forced her to look at him in the eyes.
"Look at me and listen very carefully. You are the witch of my dreams. There is nobody else and there will never be anybody else. I will wait for you no matter how long it will take. And I will do whatever it takes so I could see you again. And I will do what I can to help. I promise this too." and he kissed her on the lips, like sealing the promise with it.
" What a pair we are! I was worried that you will still love me when you go back and you on the other hand were thinking if I would still love you by then."
"True" she laughed and for him it was most musical sound he ever heard .
He knew that soon they will have to discuss what will happen in the future and decide what he will do. Because he wanted to talk about everything before she left. And he had to find out how much time they had together.
But not now, tonight he will prove to her how much he loved her.
Barty sighed and looked on the window of his office. He missed her so much. But he had to resist, he had endured so many years without her he could endure still few years more. He had promised her that he will wait and that's what he was going to do. He would forever wait for her if need be. But it was so hard, seeing her younger self here, so young and so carefree and what it broke his heart, bullied by her housemates. If she hadn't warned him years before, he would... It was hard, he needed to act all the time to be on guard, Constant Vigilance indeed, he chuckled dryly. He couldn't go to anyone, confide in somebody about it. How that he really was not on the Dark Lord's side and that he will never be. Not until the end of year at least. Then he will have to tell Dumbledore so he could dissapear. Luna hadn't say it out right but he had understood that she believed that he had died. But she didn't know for sure. So together they had decided that it would be best if he disappeared. But for that he will have to make the headmaster to swear an oath on his magic, otherwise he will not say anything. Still it was a long way to go.
But he will pull through. For her. Because one day she will come back and they will be together again, but until then he all he could was wait. But the waiting was worth it, because she was worth it.