Tears cling to her eyelashes, and you put an arm around her cautiously. She had been so upset lately, and with good reason. Katie got word of her father's death during her seventh year at Hogwarts, and though she tried to act nonchalant and unperturbed, you could see how broken she was, just beneath the surface.
If you didn't know her well, Katie would seem perfectly happy, as though nothing was wrong. But as you pulled your girlfriend closer to you, allowing her to cry on your shoulder if she needed to.
"I'm sorry, Marcus. You shouldn't have to deal with me," she murmured into your sleeve, sniffling. "It's just… I was just home with them for a while, after everything with that necklace, but I didn't think that'd be the last time I—" Katie fell silent, and you brought your arm tighter around her, hugging her gently.
"Don't worry about it, Katie." Your whispers were soothing, and she tried to smile. "I love you, you know that? And I know it definitely doesn't seem like it, but I swear, everything will end up alright. I promise," you breathed into her brown hair. She took a deep breath, turning up to look at you.
"What would I do without you, Marc?" She shut her eyes, her tone changing suddenly from a dependent, loving one to one that seemed slightly worried of what was to come. "I—I'm going back home tomorrow. Mum needs me. I don't know what's going to happen next, there's no way to tell at this point. But I just wanted you to know that no matter what, I'll always love you, Marcus, and I'll never forget anything about us, alright?" Fresh tears were falling now, and she looked up into your eyes. You couldn't help but remember when they were bright and happy and not tear-filled and hiding a broken heart.
You couldn't bring yourself to respond, but hugged her tighter, telling her again, "I love you, Kat. This isn't the end. I love you."
x
For the Valentine Drabble Collection Competition (Pairing: MarcusKatie, Prompt: Nonchalant) and the Represent that Character Challenge.