A Last Observance

A Last Observance

Leaving.

It was a strange feeling to know that a home will no longer be such a place- to go out into the world and abscond from part of your life, and so she wanted to remember. She did not want to forget her time here, all her experiences, all her lessons learned. So she was not playing, or eating, or packing, or running around. No, she was shadowing, with a calm sort of observance, everyone else. She wanted to see things from her own eyes and not be caught up in anything. She wanted to look and feel everything, drink it up.

She sighed and drew her knees up to her chest. It was the last day of the school year, of school, and she was watching from the window in her room. It was large and had a stone bench to sit on. She laid her head back against the stone warmed by the sun and turned her head towards the open window. The light was dazzling and it seemed to mirror the painful intensity of her own emotions. She blinked and focused her dark eyes to look past that light shadow to what it obscured.

She was watching them all in the lush grass of the grounds, frolicking around like young horses lead out to pasture after a long time behind fences. Tackling each other and laughing, it was a sight to see, all that happiness.

Her eyes went first to what she admired. There were the unicorns from Hagrid's class several weeks back that she had requested because she was so fond of them. They were cantering around the borders of the enclosure, bowing their horned heads. Some girls were giggling and walking shyly up to the fence to pat their gorgeous heads. They were obviously delighted with the sight of their stunning virgin snow white coats and clear horns that had the sheen of new ice. The last of the girls, at least thirteen by the look of her reached her hand out to run her hands along the neck of one of the creatures...and, quite suddenly, a tall boy with blonde hair tackled one the girl to the ground, gently though to not hurt her- she saw him twist so the girl fell on top of him to break the fall- and begin to tickle her. She shrieked and her laughter carried up to the window like the sound of music- sharp and clear. It made her sad in a way she had not expected.

I'm not good with things like these- to say something without poetry or quotes, or anything at all. So I'm just going to say this: you're different than her in a way I can't explain or really understand. And I like that, that you're different, that you laugh with your eyes and that your hair shines in the torches in my dormitory. I like that you can be angry with me and tell me off and that you don't have to agree with me all the time. I like that you make me do things that are right. I like that... And I... I choose you.

She blinked and turned away from the window, no longer able to see it. Starring at the opposite stone wall for several moments, she remembered that night, so many weeks ago, where the fire was bright and darting, and the shadows no longer contained monsters.

The door opened and she spun her head around to see him. Dressed plainly in black, he looked at her and smiled. "Hiding up here?" he asked gently.

She smiled at him.

I choose you.