Chapter 7

Vatera's words kept playing over and over again in Endora's head.

"I overheard Wyatt talking to his friends last night." Vatera began as she whispered in Endora's ear. "They have this bet going on to see if he could make you fall for him."

"Bet?" Endora felt her jaw tense as she listened. "How much?" She asked coldly.

Vatera hid her smile, "two galleons, each. There were three guys. So Wyatt would have made at least six galleons off you."

Endora was chewing on the inside of her cheek, her face stony and betraying little emotion, but Vatera had done her job with a satisfied twinkle in her eyes.

Endora found herself outside and sat down by the fountain in the courtyard. Why did she feel so sick? She had told herself that Wyatt was probably playing a game with her. But hearing Vatera, one of her close friends, telling her that her inner fears were valid? Endora wanted to scream. It had been two days, just two days. He didn't even last a month. Why does this hurt so damn much? She buried her face in her hands, trying to come to terms with the emotions she didn't want to admit to, to the pain she was feeling. Her heart clenched. This was first year all over again, yet somehow, also so much worse. I hate him. I hate him so much. She grabbed her hair, her shoulders shaking, as her control over her feelings slipped.

Wyatt had searched everywhere when he finally caught a glimpse of her. He smiled and began walking toward her when he stopped in his tracks. His hands clenched into fists as he made his way toward her. What the fuck had Vatera said to her? Now, he doubted going to her, but he could hear James's voice nagging him. He took in a breath and slowly crossed the distance between them. His long legs had him in front of her in a few short strides. "Endora." He hesitated but pulled enough courage to put his hand on her shoulder.

She stiffened. Red-rimmed, puffy eyes flicked up to meet Wyatt's eyes, reluctant at first before burning with anger. "What the fuck do you want?" Her voice was rough.

"Let's talk, please." He knelt down in front of her. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out an embroidered handkerchief. He couldn't help the growl that left him as she kept her hands over her face and stared at him almost defiantly from between her fingers. "Tch. Stop being stubborn." He pulled her hands from her face and saw the extent of her displeasure. "Oh, Endora…" His tone was soothing, warm, and comforting. Gently, he reached up with the handkerchief and dried her eyes, careful not to be too rough with her delicate face.

She didn't move; she refused, even as his touch sent a weird jolt through her. She almost broke down, but then she remembered what Vatera told her. Endora slapped his hand away from her. "Don't touch me."

"Okay, I guess I deserve that, especially how I acted earlier." He shifted with uncertainty. "Endora," Wyatt began, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for how I blew everything out of proportion. I really took the shit in my judgment."

Endora didn't even know what to say to him. Was he really apologizing for being an ass to James for no reason? She breathed in heavily, trying to come to terms with what she was feeling. Vatera's words just kept playing on, over and over, repeated like a broken record. She shut her eyes tight, attempting to forget it.

"Endora, please talk to me." Wyatt was practically begging. "Do you want me on my knees again… I'll do that for you."

If Endora didn't know any better, she thought Wyatt sounded desperate; the quiver in his voice was unlike him, and she wasn't sure what to make of it.

"James told me. He told me the truth. I can't tell you how stupid I felt after." He took a risk and took her hands as he settled on his knees. A sigh left him, "Endora…" He shifted, "Tell me what you want. Ask me anything. Do you want me to humiliate myself in front of everyone? I will." His brows furrowed, frustrated at Endora's lack of response to him, but when he met her eyes, he could see her struggling with something.

"Six galleons." She said dryly.

"What?"

"Six galleons, is that really what I'm worth to you?" It was taking everything in her not to slap him. Both parts of her were at war. One said slap the shit out of him and leave him crying in the courtyard. The other, the other said to listen, to get his side of the story before judging.

"No." He began, confusion in his expression. He heard her inhale sharply as if she was about to say something, but he put his fingers to her lips to stop her. "I could never put a price tag on you. There is no amount of gold in the world that could ever, ever equate to just how precious you are." His fingers slid down and tangled with hers, lacing them together securely. "I've been stupid when it came to you for a long time. I know that. I've fucked up. But I could never put a price on you. Where did you even get that?" He had an idea but needed her to confirm it before he went on a rampage.

Endora shifted, her cheeks coloring at his words, her heart thudding in her chest. She chalked that up to how her emotions were all over the place. It certainly didn't mean anything else. "Vatera… said…" She stopped momentarily to breathe, "she said she heard you talking to your friends, that you made a bet that you could get me to…"

Wyatt's eyes were on fire with anger. "That," he growled lowly, "Endora, I may have been a bit flighty with girls, but I've never made any such bet. That's just crass. What kind of man do you take me for?"

"I don't know, a rich playboy that usually gets what he wants when he wants it?" She glared at him.

"Okay, maybe part of that is true, but I would never. I've always respected the girls I've dated, no matter how long or short a time it was."

Endora moved with discomfort now. She had never heard the girls that were with him in the past ever say a bad thing about him, but she just figured they were just too love-struck, even after a breakup.

He sighed and stood up, opting to sit beside her. He did not release her hand, however, afraid that if he did, she'd bolt. "Why would you even believe Vatera?"

"Because she's my friend." At least she considered her one, but now she was questioning this.

"She's the president of my fan club, and she's one of the few girls in it that I would never in a million years even consider taking out on a date. Do you really think she would have been happy for you being with me?"

A sigh left her as she recalled their talk in the carriage. "She was jealous when she went to Hogsmeade." She said quietly, "I tried to reassure her that nothing was happening." Her eyes then moved to his hand holding hers, and she let out a sigh, "I guess that's not very true either at this point. She gave me the cold shoulder after we got back, and I figured she was sulking because it wasn't her you were following around like a lost puppy."

He frowned. "I resent being called a puppy." He turned toward her with a scowl, but it didn't reach his eyes. Endora could have called him a slug, and he would have begrudgingly accepted it, such were his feelings toward her. He couldn't confess that to her, not yet.

"Of all the things I've said, that's what you pick up on?" She quirked a brow in question.

He smirked, "I guess so." He stood, pulling her to her feet, and said, "Come with me."

"Where?"

"Just come." He gently tugged her out toward the exit to the grounds. He figured a walk would help them both keep calm. As they went further from the school, Wyatt let the crisp autumn air wash over him to help clear his head and cool him off. "So, cousin to the Potters, huh?" He shot a glance at her.

She almost stopped walking but nodded, "Yeah. I've known since my first year, but I couldn't bring myself to actually talk to James. I was too scared to say anything."

Wyatt found the tree he liked to sit under when his mind needed to stop thinking and sat. With a straightforward tug, he dragged her down with him, causing her to fall into his lap. He smirked at the flustered look on her face. "You're cute when you're all red like this." He brought his hand up to touch her face softly.

"Wyatt." She warned.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything untoward," he paused, "unless…" His fingers moved from her cheek to the length of her throat, ghosting softly along the soft skin, pleased at how the goosebumps rose.

"Wyatt." She breathed out, not a warning this time, but unsure.

He stopped and settled his hand on her knee as he held her on his lap, gazing at her face intently. "Back to our previous conversation, though. I'm sorry, I thought that James was staking a claim on you. I wasn't thinking rationally, not when I saw how happy you looked. And when he said you had to take it slow,… my mind went blank."

"Why did you act like that?" She stared up at him as her hand moved to rest on his, instinctively lacing their fingers together.

The unconscious act made his heart flutter, and he gave a half smile. "I was confused about that, too, until Potter decided to enlighten me. Long story short, I was jealous and angry. I was trying so hard to get your attention on me yesterday, and to see you like that with him out of context, I just lost my mind."

Her eyes widened at his revelation. Wyatt? The Wyatt Silverthorn was jealous of James? Because he thought something was going on between them? Her free hand went up to rub her forehead. Was this really happening? "W-Why would you be jealous?" She asked quietly.

"Are you serious?" His tone was deadpan, and his face set in a stony countenance at the ridiculousness of such a question. But when he saw the confusion on her face, he knew she was being serious. Honestly! For all her academic prowess, she was absolutely fucking clueless right now. "Because I like you." He wasn't ready to say it was love, even if he felt that deep down. He'd been stupid before and didn't want to rush this.

"You like me?"

The skepticism on her face spoke volumes, frustrating the all holy hell out of the handsome Slytherin. "Merlin's beard, why are you so clueless?" His hand moved and grasped at the soft dark hair at the back of her head, holding her firmly in place as he looked into her stormy eyes. "You are impossible, and I like that you're impossible. I can barely figure you out most of the time, and your no-bullshit attitude lights a fire in me that no one else has. Can't you see that I'm burning?" There was a growl from deep in his throat as his eyes fell to her lips, a dark hunger in his gaze. "Endora, you are my starlight. And I, fuck…" He couldn't put his feelings into words; they were too deep and confusing. But Wyatt needed her to understand, to feel, so he did the only thing he could think of. He smashed his lips to hers in desperation, as if her lips were the only nourishment that could sustain him so much for not rushing. When he pulled away from her lips, panting, lungs gasping for air, he felt like everything was suddenly brighter and hotter.

Endora's face steadily became red all the way up to her ears and neck as she tried, in vain, to process what just happened. The only noise she was able to produce was a single flustered squeak.

"Too much?" he asked once he caught his breath. His face was growing ruddy around his ears.

Her heart was racing. What just happened? "Y-You kissed me." She stammered, her mind catching up to what he did.

"I'm sorry." He said quickly as he loosened his grip on her. He felt disappointment building within him. Wyatt pressed his back against the tree, watching her face. "I messed up again, didn't I?"

Endora took in a breath, finally calming down enough. " No, " she said softly, the flush of heat across her cheeks slowly evening out. "I wasn't expecting it. I'm still… processing."

"Fair enough." Wyatt's fingers moved to caress her lips. As they sat there together, Wyatt remembered earlier this morning when she ran from the great hall. "I'm curious."

"Mm? About what?" She asked, mind still whirling.

"Why were you so knackered earlier? The reason I ran after you in the first place was because I was worried about you."

"O-oh, that? I have no idea what you mean." Her face had colored again.

"Endora." His eyes narrowed.

She turned away, "Oh wow, look at how pretty the clouds are today."

"Endora."

"I don't think I ever noticed that tree before."

Wyatt felt his eye spasm. Frustrated, he grabbed hold of her face and made her look at him, "out with it." He paused for a moment. "Did you have a vision?"

She froze at the question, "What?"

He rubbed his thumbs against her cheeks. "I remember your dorm mates complaining about it." He said softly, "There was one time in our first year when I saw you stock still in the middle of the hallway, just like you were today. Why don't you just tell me?"

Endora looked uncomfortable. "Wyatt, it-it doesn't bother you? That I have visions, that is."

Wyatt gazed at her sympathetically and reached to twirl his fingers in her hair idly. "It's a little jarring when you suddenly just stop, and your eyes go white, but it doesn't bother me. It's just who you are." He said softly, "So, what was your vision about?"

"It didn't feel like a vision, " she began slowly. It felt real like it was really happening. So when I came out of it, I was really disoriented. I never had a vision quite like that. I'm not comfortable telling you what I saw.

Noting her face coloring, the corner of his lip quirked up into a smirk, "Was it something naughty?" He laughed when she didn't answer and turned her eyes to the sky, trying to avoid his gaze. It was a deep, warm rumble in his chest that bubbled out his mouth. "You don't need to tell me. I can imagine it for myself." Wyatt leaned toward her, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "I'm going to think of all the little things I could do to get a rise out of you."

She pressed her hands to his face and pushed him back, face red once more. She would get light-headed if he made her blush any more than this. "For fucks sake! Fine! I had a vision that you were kissing me in the hallway, and everyone passing by acted like it was just another day."

Wyatt felt his stomach flip flop. "You saw us together in your vision." His voice was soft, and his heart was absolutely racing. Endora saw a future where they were a thing, and he couldn't be happier. He pulled her into a tight hug against him. "Can I kiss you again?"

"Wait, what?" She was reeling from how their emotions kept going all over the place.

He pulled back. "No?" He tilted his head as he looked at her like a puppy, asking for a treat.

Her brows furrowed, and she crossed her arms. " No. You didn't have my permission the first time."

He sighed, "Is that another strike against me?"

"Hmph." She turned her head away. She wasn't angry about it, though. Her heart was actually fluttering in her chest at the thought of him kissing her again. Endora watched him from the corner of her eye at the disappointed look on his face. She turned toward him again. "Alright, Silverthorn, I'll give you the pleasure of my lips."

Wyatt perked up. He smirked slyly, his hands moving to cup her face. His fingers moved to caress the back of her ears as he leaned toward her, brushing her lips against his. It was soft, chaste, and reverent, unlike the first one moments ago. "I won't push." He muttered as he pulled away, "That's enough for me, Starlight."

A shudder went through her at the name. "Why do you call me that?"

He tilted his head and gently lifted her chin, making her meet his eyes, "Because, Endora, when I watch you in your element, you shine like stars. When we were in Hogsmeade yesterday, and you were telling me about the things you were interested in with such enthusiasm, you sparkled brighter than anything I'd ever seen." Wyatt's thumb brushed against her lips. "That's why," he leaned toward her, "you're my starlight." He pressed his forehead to hers and brushed their noses together tenderly, his arms wrapping around her to keep her close.