A 𝑯𝑱𝑷 𝑿 𝑭𝒆𝒎. 𝑫𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒈𝒐𝒅 𝑶𝑪 𝓕𝓪𝓷𝓯𝓲𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷.
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╰┈➤ 𝑰𝒏 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉
𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝑱𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝑷𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 started his Hogwarts journey in search for his childhood friend he grew up hearing stories a...
“Because that’s what lovers do!” she exclaimed, her voice almost a whisper, as though the weight of that word — lovers — was too heavy to say aloud. “And we’re not! Rubeila saw you doing that in the hospital, and now she’s got the wrong idea!”
Harry’s brow furrowed, his heart racing in the pause that followed. "And what’s so wrong with that idea?"
Crystal froze, her heart, racing moments ago, seeming to halt as his words sank in. She stared up at him in clear disbelief, her pulse now cooled by dread.
Harry could feel the shift in the air between them, and he swallowed the sigh that threatened to escape. He knew it — there was no taking it back now.
He said it unintentionally, it slipped past his lips unconsciously and... he was sure that...
She knew. She understood.
Of course, she wasn't that stupid to not notice him being the definition of obvious that night. And with everyone's words who had talked to her before — Hermione, Rubiela and Rolf, everything made sense.
Harry glanced around. They were still standing in the middle of the dance floor, their halted movements making them stand out. He took her hand, leading her out of the Great Hall into the courtyard.
The cool air hit them and the moment they were secluded behind a tree, Crystal yanked her hand away, refusing to meet his gaze.
Harry ran a frustrated hand through his hair, gathering his courage. It felt like he’d ruined everything. He needed to do something, anything. "Crystal," he began softly, stepping closer, "Rolf told me you tried to ask me to the ball. Why?"
Her silence stretched for several heartbeats, her arms wrapping around herself, holding her arms as though to shield herself from the cold — or perhaps from the conversation that was about to unfold.
Noticing her subtle shiver, Harry slipped off his coat, draping it over her shoulders. She hesitated, then finally looked up at him.
"Because I trusted you." she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "You're the only guy I could trust to never fall in love in me..." she paused briefly, "You didn’t have any ulterior motives... You were always just you, without a mask."
How obliviously, naively cruel could one person be? Harry’s chest tightened, an ache growing inside him. She trusted him not to fall in love... but he had. He had fallen hard, long ago.
Without thinking, he started stepping closer, and she instinctively backed up for the distance until her back pressed against the tree. It hurt him to see her trying to get away.
