Bloody Rubbish~Amelia

He always enjoyed Hogsmeade trips, he'd always get hyped up on cocoa at breakfast before hand, rush around bugging Julia for awhile and then head off with the vast group of students toward the village. His usual first stop would have been the Three Broomsticks but today he decided it would be his last stop. Instead, he tightened his red and black checkered scarf around his neck, adjusted his black jacket over his white button up shirt and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he made his way to Zonkos. He hadn't really been in a joke shop in awhile so it'd be a nice change of pace, maybe he could find something for his dad for Christmas or something in the shop. He entered the shop briefly getting distracted by the sound of the bell on the door that he had to stop and jingle it a few times until he realized a few other people were staring at him for his child like behavior. "Yer jus' jealous ya can't be fun like meh" he said to some boys staring before he walked further into the store. He found himself peeking around at the love potion bottles. He had no need for them but he always found it quite pathetic to see other boys purchase them to bag girls way out of their league. He chuckled to himself passing them now and heading over to a section of exploding pranks. He shook his head at himself, he exploded enough things in class, he had no need for help in that department. He wasn't much paying attention when he bumped into someone and he turned,"Blimey I'm so sorry..." he said and when he saw it was Amelia he smiled big like an oaf,"Heya Melia, how are you?" he asked as he wiped the foolish grin off his face and just retracted it to a light smile as he rocked back and forth on his heels abit, excited to see her.

( The way you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell )



YOU DON'T KNOW YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL

Of everything the older students at Hogwarts were expected to do, Amy hated going to Hogsmede the most. Much as the hustle and bustle of the small wizarding village reminded her of Diagon Alley and of home, it was crowded with students: with her peers, with the peers she was mortally afraid of. All of her other friends loved Hogsmede weekends because they presented the hormonal teenagers with a perfect opportunity to ask that special someone out for something more than a stroll around the school or a snog in the broom closet. Of course, she knew that she was rather plain and that it was silly to expect that she would ever be asked on a proper date. Her sister, who was infinitely prettier, loved leaving the school because she always left on the arm of some boy who was more than fairly handsome.

Normally, the Hufflepuff common room was almost empty when everyone was in the village, and that was how Amy liked it. She would sit by herself, curled up in an armchair by the fire and read her Jane Austen novels free of interruptions or distractions. Much as Amelia preferred not to actually interact with other people, she did like to observe them, and sometimes the common room was just too busy and full of life for her to properly enjoy any novel.Today would have been the perfect time for her to snuggle up with Pride and Prejudice, but alas, it was nearly Christmas and she'd promised her brother a gift. With her promise to keep her from retreating to the safety of Pemberley, she tied her small boots, threw on her winter coat and the assortment of Hufflepuff yellow winter gear items she owned before leaving the castle.

The cold took her by surprise despite it being late in the year. She could practically feel her cheeks turning red the more she walked. Frankly, she felt quite pathetic walking by herself. It seemed that everywhere she looked there was a couple holding hands or a group of friends laughing together. If she'd wanted them to, Star or Rose or Marina would've taken her, but she didn't want to inconvenience them, and anyway, she intended to be in and out of town as fast as possible. Her armchair and Mr. Darcy seemed perfect to her.

Zonko's was the only place she needed to go, but it was so terribly crowded. When she got in she noticed a group of boys in the corner turn to look at her and she wondered if she had something caught in her teeth. Self-conscious as ever, she made her way towards one of the many shelves stacked with rows of colourful fireworks, whirring machines and funny hats. A boy walked up next to her, but she realized she must have been in his way and moved before she managed to annoy him. I should have stayed home, she thought to herself before bumping into something, or should I say, someone solid behind her. Her fair skin betrayed her and she began to blush before she even heard the heavy Scottish lilt in the boy's accent.

Of course it would be Fitz. With her heels on, he was less than a full inch taller than she was, and she could just about see eye to eye with him. The lack of a height difference gave her a full appreciation of his goofy smile which spread across his face when he recognized her. It was so nice to see a familiar face and not these boys who kept looking at her as though she had three heads, she would've hugged him if she didn't caution herself against being too affectionate. "Fitz!" she smiled back at him, "I'm alright. It's a bit busy here for my liking, but there's little I can do for that… what about you?" She blushed a little. He was one of her best friends, but Merlin he was handsome. That stupid pale complexion that blushed so easily.

WORDCOUNT//

[/i][/color]669
TAGGED//[/i][/color]Fitz Finnigan
LYRICS//[/i][/color]What Makes you Beautiful - One Direction
OUTFIT//[/i][/color] Click here
CREDIT//[/i][/color]Little Miss Lacey
NOTES//[/i][/color]Here ya go![/blockquote]

He watched as her cheeks were tinted with a light pink color and to spare her any sort of embarassement he chose to act as if he didn't notice and he reached down and grabbed her hand before gently pulling her into a hug. He always loved the feel of her in his arms and the smell she gave off was always so ravishing and perfect. He held her for a moment muffling his replies into her neck a bit,"I'm alright, jus got bored figured I'd come in hereh but there ain't much catchin my interest in hereh, at least not product wise" he said his subtle hint that she was the only thing of interest in the building. He gently let go but kept a light hold on her hand,"Ya lookin for anything particular lass? I can help ya find it so ya can get out of this crowd quickeh and we can go do something else," he suggested, he never liked stuffy crowded areas and he'd do anything to get out and take her somewhere more quiet where he could enjoy her company and some conversation. He glanced around before gently pulling her along the shelving wall so she could look at everything and see if what she was looking for was anywhere around. He squeezed her hand gently,"So ya goin home fer the holidays?" he asked bein a bit nosey, some times her family and his family had joint Christmas parties and invited lots of family friends so he hoped she was going to be there if they did that again this year. He had always imagined spending new years eve with her, watching fireworks and he always kind of imagined if ever he were to get a new year's kiss it'd be from her but he never mentioned that and it never happened. He stopped in a less crowded spot and gave her another moment to look around to see if anything caught her eyes.

( The way you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell )



YOU DON'T KNOW YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL

Zonko's joke shop along with Honeydukes was a favourite amongst Hogwarts students, much to the dismay of their teachers. The last thing any professor wants is a class full of teenagers with wetstart fireworks and a sugar buzz. Having made it to the village later than most of her peers, Amy was experiencing the beginning of their sugar rush, as most people had been unable to keep their sugar quills in their bags till they got back to school. She could practically see her classmates vibrating with energy, particularly in Zonko's where it seemed that the colourful whirring devices made laughs louder, and jokes more obnoxious. Everything was as if from a cartoon: the colours in the joke shop were almost too bright to be real and the constant merry laughter sounded more jovial than it did in the hallways of Hogwarts. And then there was Fitz who, frankly, just looked too good to be true all the time.

Zonko's was impossibility after impossibility, never had she believed that a jolt of electricity such as what she experienced could be felt just by proximity to another person. The number of times Fitz had grabbed her hand in a friendly sort of way were innumerable, yet every time, she felt her knees go weak and a blush rise to her cheeks. He had gotten bigger over the summer. Not taller, per se, but stronger, thicker. His arms that pulled her into him were better muscled than they used to be, and his grip was just a little bit stronger than it had been before. Their relationship was one of intense familiarity, a childhood of having grown up together had left them both incontestably comfortable with one another. There were few people, boys especially, that Amy would have held onto for this long. Mind you, it was a little different with him. She was not in the business of denying truths, and the truth was that he was remarkably different from anyone else she had ever met. She had tried to pass it off as just the friendliness between the two of them, but the way her stomach flip-flopped when he spoke into her neck said something different entirely. For… well, a while now, she had realized that she might be in love with her best friend.

It was truly a pity that he'd never feel the same way about her, he even said it now. A knot twisted in her stomach, dampening her spirits a little when she was unable to miss his hint about not liking the jokes here. A girl, that much was obvious. She wondered if it was the pretty brunette in the corner with the dark eyes, or if it was the blonde who wore her hair colour much better than Amy did at the back. Using her free hand to brush her hair out of her face she planted her eyes firmly on her feet as though checking to make sure she'd remembered her shoes. She smiled into her feet for no particular reason other than she liked the sound of his voice. She liked how he called her "Melia", she liked how he said "lass", she liked the way his hand held hers, even if it was only platonic. "I need a gift for my brother," she explained in a quiet, almost mouse-like voice she hoped he'd been able to hear over the ruckus that was taking place inside Zonkos.

He knew his way around the joke shop better than she did, and with her hand still held comfortably in his, he pulled her along the shelves of things she'd never seen before. Frankly, she was a little flustered between his good looks, the big crowds, and the confusion over what her brother would want for Christmas. She barely heard when he asked her about the Holidays. "Maybe," she sighed "Dad's talked about leaving us at Hogwarts over break. After Mr. Potter and all… it's just safer," she didn't really want to finish that sentence because she knew her dad was worried about whatever might happen. If someone had targeted Mr. Potter, it was only a matter of time before the Weasleys or the Lovegoods or… her dad… became the next victims. She became very quiet, lost in worry and thought.

WORDCOUNT//

[/i][/color]716
TAGGED//[/i][/color]Fitz Finnigan
LYRICS//[/i][/color]What Makes you Beautiful - One Direction
OUTFIT//[/i][/color] Click here
CREDIT//[/i][/color]Little Miss Lacey
NOTES//[/i][/color]The writing reflects how flustered Amy gets by this cute boy.[/blockquote]

He sighed softly in thought of what her brother would possibly even like. He absently found himself lacing his fingers with her's. He watched her for a moment after his comment about not having interest in products, her eyes seemed to flit around as if she were looking for another girl that could have caught his eyes, did she really not see it was clearly her? He looked away now scanning the shelves with his eyes as he chewed the inside of his cheek. He squeezed her hand gently,"You could always just get him a joke bag, it kind of come wit a lil bit of everythin ya know?" he suggested pointing to the bags in the corner. At hearing she may not go home he narrowed his eyes saddened,"Well then if yer not goin home I ain't gonna leave you by yerself fer the holidays Melia, I'll stay with ya" he said as he pulled her gently to the joke bags and grabbed one handing it to her,"We can have our own lil Christmas and you and I can exchange gifts, how bout that?" he asked looking at her now meeting her eyes with his. He smiled wondering if she could see the twinkle in his eyes, he always was so happy around her. He squeezed her hand again and he was bumped into from behind which made him end up closer to her, his forehead against her's. He looked into her eyes still,"Blimey..." he muttered she'd probably think he was cursing the fool who bumped into him, but his blimey had been because he just now noticed how pretty her eyes were more up close.

( The way you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell )



YOU DON'T KNOW YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL

There were so many things in that bloody shop, and Amy, having never been a teenage boy, had no idea what would be most interesting. To her, the walls were lined with lots of neat looking objects that made funny sounds, blew bubbles, and shocked you when you touched it, and she just didn't know what was cool. It all seemed cool. To top it all off, Fitz's fingers had somehow become entwined with hers, and she wasn't sure whether that was her fault or his. All in all, she was thoroughly overwhelmed. The visual assault coupled with the intimacy that handholding implies (though she knew it wasn't what he meant) caused her to become rather flustered. Honestly, every symptom of lovestruck-ness manifested itself in her. Her natural clumsiness became amplified by her heeled shoes and the fact that her knees may or may not have actually turned to jell-o. Wobbly-knees weren't even the worst of it, her stomach was nearly unbearable. It was either as if she'd swallowed butterflies or her gut had taken up some form of gymnastics. The flush that had first appeared on her cheeks when she bumped into him had hardly faded at all. Perhaps it was a product of having known each other for their entire lives, but he knew enough not to mention her pinkish colouration. If she was lucky, he had passed it off as an outcome of the biting cold that assailed them outside.

If she were able to focus herself for a moment, she would remember why she was in Zonko's in the first place: her brother. Though, as aforementioned, she had never been a fifteen year old boy, she had with her now someone who had been and whose input would be more valuable to her than anything else. See, as a shy sixteen year old, her brain was more or less exactly the opposite of her brother's. To Amy, chocolate would have been the obvious Christmas gift, but her brother had specifically requested something from Zonko's though he had failed to specify what that thing he wanted was. It was immensely frustrating and would have been even more so if it weren't for the little Irish voice at her side. As he dragged her through the shop looking for Joke Bags, she kept nearly falling over her own feet. First, her knees were weak, and two, it was crowded in the store, and the human obstacles didn't make this whole walking business any easier. He handed her a joke bag, which, though she couldn't actually tell what the objects inside were, made her smile. "Y'know what? I reckon this is exactly what he needs." she smiled shyly, accepting the bag with her free hand.

Of all of the boys she knew, he was the loveliest, and he'd always been one of her closest friends. Even when they had been little and she had hardly had enough nerve to speak without stuttering, he had sat down and played silly imaginary games or built little forts of pillows and blankets. Their friendship, she knew, was to him a bond much like two siblings would have. When she had been younger, of course, it had been the same for her, but he grew up. He was no longer the little boy who had occasionally pulled her pigtails, but had always gotten her a cookie afterwards to say sorry; he was this handsome, charming, funny fellow with whom she had been quite infatuated for at least a couple of years. Above all else they did together were the annual Christmas and New Year's parties. Every year many of the now-grown-up members of Dumbledore's Army would get together with their families to celebrate the winter holidays. She smiled fondly, recalling how Fitz had chased her around with a snowball threatening to throw it at her. He never had. Sometimes, he had joked that he would kiss her under the mistletoe if she got to close. He had never done that either; it was just a joke. Despite being shunted into what seemed to be the friendzone every year, those parties were definitely what she would miss the most if she had to stay at school for the Holidays. Maybe Fitz would kiss Rose on New Year's. Rose was prettier than she was anyway, and-

Wait. Her heart skipped a couple of beats. "Really?" a smile spread across the whole of her face. "Wouldn't your mum want you home for the holidays?" Of course, it was unfair of her to want to take him away from his lovely mother during Christmas, but the idea of him and her spending their break just the two of them made her giddy. She sighed contentedly; she loved the way he called her 'Melia' instead of 'Amy' like everyone else, and she liked the way her name sounded rolling off his tongue. Christmas holidays with only her brother and sister and the occasional owl from her parents sounded dismal. In the moment when he mentioned it she could picture the two of them sitting together and eating breakfast, and then maybe sitting in the Hufflepuff common room (she could sneak him in no problem) together by the fire just laughing. Maybe they would exchange gifts and she could buy him a new sweater with sleeves that were actually the proper length rather than the old one he had. Ducking her head shyly, she nodded. "I'd like that a lot."

She was about to elaborate when someone bumped into Fitz from behind, pushing him forwards and into her. Their heads knocked together lightly, but it was hard enough to send her off balance in those shoes and with her jell-o knees. The Joke Bag dropped from her hand, and fortunately she had the mind to fall forwards into him instead of backwards into the shelves. Her hands fell on his shoulders as she caught herself, and their faces were so close together she could feel his breath. It felt like an infinity that their eyes were locked, and she appreciated just what a God given gift hazel eyes were. Green and gold and brown mixed together in the most spectacular colour in the world. And his eyes, I kid you not, sparkled. Nervously, she bit her bottom lip, and as she held his gaze, she thought for a moment how much she'd like to kiss him. Of course, that wasn't their reality. Stepping back from him, she broke eye contact by looking down at her feet. "Sorry. I'm a klutz." Her cheeks were redder than a Weasley's hair with embarrassment. Just her thoughts alone could cause her grief.

WORDCOUNT//

[/i][/color]1100
TAGGED//[/i][/color]Fitz Finnigan
LYRICS//[/i][/color]What Makes you Beautiful - One Direction
OUTFIT//[/i][/color] Click here
CREDIT//[/i][/color]Little Miss Lacey
NOTES//[/i][/color]Um… it's really long. Sorry. >.<[/blockquote]

Oh how convenient it had seemed for at the very same time he had been bumped, she had lost her footing that or his noggin had been the cause of her stumble. When her hands were placed onto his shoulders, he immediately placed his hands on the girl's petite waist. He could have stayed in this moment forever, just counting the colors in her eyes, taking in the feel of her soft breath against his slightly freckled cheeks, he could vaguely catch the scent of strawberries in her hair, at least he was sure it was strawberries he smelled, he could have been easily mistaken though. He watched her retract away from him though after a long moment and he had this pull in his chest that stung slightly, why did it hurt so much whenever she seemed to pull herself from him. He always desired to be close to her so it made him sad whenever she wasn't in close proximity. She was out of his league, she had to be, she'd probably fancy Potter better, James or Albus, someone more handsome, maybe even more reckless, or more conservative, he wasn't sure which way she'd go. He looked down after snapping himself out of his thoughts at the bag that had fallen at their feet, small bubbling and spinning tricks tumbling from the satin bag. He bent down and picked up everything one by one before putting it all back into the bag and he held onto it. He stood upright and reached for her hand again in an almost protective manner this time not wanting her to stumble over herself again or hurt herself in anyway in those heels. He didn't understand why she even wore such things, heels were outrageous, a prop to make girls taller, she was perfect as she was, did she really not see this? He gently pulled her with him, weaving through the crowd toward the cashier where he set the trick bag down and he put up his hand when Amelia tried to pay and shook his head. He placed a few coins on the counter purchasing the bag for Amelia and he kept hold of it,"It'll be from ya but I don't see why ya should waste yer moneh, don't argue with meh bout this eitheh I already paid fer it, its too late" he said. He glanced around before he lead her back through the maze of students and to the doors, making sure she was properly bundled with another glance at her, he pulled her out of the shop doors. He shivered slightly at the light breeze but he pulled her closer by the hand. After a moment though as he fell in step beside her, he let go of her hand and in a protective and loving manner he wrapped his arm around the back of her waist. Could she really not see? His love for her, was she so blind to it? Had they been friends for too long for her to even notice? He sighed and watched his own feet, flicking his head back to get his dirty blond locks out of his eyes before a smile crossed his lips at the thought,"Hows bout I treat ya to some hot cocoa down at the tea shop?" he asked, though he wouldn't require an answer, he was taking her regardless of if she said yes or no. He kept her close to his side his hand holding a decent grip on her hip as he lead the direction to the small shop off in a cozy corner hidden behind the rest of the stores. He opened the door for her and once inside, he didn't let down his hold on her. He shook his hair, getting any fallen snow out of it before he lead her over to the counter and he ordered two hot cocoas. Waiting with her he looked to the side at her now,"And as fer yer question, yes I am gonna stay with you hereh mum can get over it, yer a bit more important, ye shouldn't have to spend the holidays by yer lonesome Melia" he said. When the lady handed him the cups, he handed one to the beautiful girl on his arm and he lead her to a table by the window. He pulled her chair out for her and when she was seated securely, he sat down beside her. He now was no longer holding her in any way, instead both his hands were wrapped around his cocoa mug as though trying to warm them though in actuality he was just thinking again. He gazed down into the chocolate liquid, watching how the whipped cream swirled and melted in the heat. He chewed his bottom lip not sipping on the beverage just yet when he spoke up finally unable to bear it any longer. "Melia...I ugh...I got something ta tell ya" he said his voice slightly timid as he didn't look at her, he kept his eyes fixated on his drink too nervous to look at the girl, his heart pounding so hard in his chest he could have swore it were going to burst right out of his chest cavity and right into his cocoa with a giant splash.

Word Count:[/I] 920

( The way you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell )



YOU DON'T KNOW YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL

In the history of Amelia Longbottom and Fitz Finnigan's friendship, there were lots of funny little plot twists. They'd been inseparable since meeting in the summer when they were five, and they'd gotten up to plenty of mischief. She remembered her father joking that the two of them would end up married someday. Back in those days she had just blushed and stuttered out that there was no way she would marry a boy: little girls are funny like that. Possibly the greatest twist in their story had been when the Longbottom's had missed seeing the Finnigan's over the summer because of a trip to Italy. Fourteen years old tends to be a year of hormones and growing up. When Amy next saw Fitz at school she realized that boys, especially him, were not icky anymore. She stuttered and blushed and hardly spoke to him in September. Of course, she was as she had always been: short, skinny, and awkward. He reminded her of their platonic relationship and she reminded herself that she oughtn't ruin the best friendship she'd ever had. Now here she was at sixteen, and she'd almost kissed him because much as she'd tried to smother all attraction towards her friend, it had all been in vain.

Fitz was and always had been wonderful. As far as teenage boys go, he was one of a kind. He picked up the dropped bag of scattered pranks and collected them for her while she just stood there blushing. When he handed them back to her and took her hand again, she couldn't help but smile even though she knew it meant her eyes would crinkle up in the corners, which she hated. When Fitz smiled his eyes sparkled. He dragged her gently up to the counter where she laid down the bag and began to dig in her pockets for the change she had brought to pay for the gift, but that sneaky little Irishman beat her to it. "Fitz, I can't let you-" but he simply wouldn't let her finish. She blushed crimson and couldn't help but feel embarrassed that she'd let him pay. "Thank-you." she attempted to credit him graciously, but staring at her own two feet, that was hard. Fitz was completely wonderful, and she liked how her hand felt in his.

All the yellow she was wearing painted her as a true Hufflepuff. Her mother had bought all of her winter gear to match her house colours when she was about thirteen and therefore had very little say in it. Fitz looked far less cheesy, and she felt so out of place next to him. She knew that the snow had dampened her hair, frizzing it up into one big golden mess. The cold whipping at her cheeks and nose had caused her fair skin to turn red and make her look like Rudolf if her were blushing. She couldn't stop smiling, and her eyes were all fold-y and crinkly. Yet here she was, walking with Fitz who cheeks were just the right amount of red, and whose ever-styled hair seemed to be completely unaffected by the wind or the rain. And here he was, taking her for hot chocolate, which she much preferred to butterbeer (and she loved that he acknowledged that). As the walked, his arm snaked around her waist, pulling her in closer to him. She couldn't help but wish there were some romantic connotation in his actions. She, however, knew better. She let her arm wrap around him, and they walked as though they were a couple and not just two people who had come to Hogsmede alone.

To make everything even more suspicious, their destination was Madam Puddifoot's tea shop. The tackiest, frilliest, and most romantic destination in the village. It was a popular date spot, but it also had better hot chocolate than the Three Broomstick's whose specialty was definitely butterbeer. As they waited for their cocoa, Fitz brought up staying at the school for the Holidays again. "I'm important," she blushed, "Certainly not more important than your mum." Secretly, she liked the thought of being important to him. And not just in the way a friend is important. More than a friend. Definitely more than a friend.

With Puddifoot's being a couple's destination, the seats at the little tables were side by side rather than across from one another, so when Amy was seated, her companion took a seat beside her. He had let go of her hand at this point, which was probably good, because without both hands to hold her mug she likely would have dropped it. Amy was just that kind of girl. As they sat quietly taking the first sips of their chocolate something crazy and impulsive overcame Amelia and she turned to the side and kissed him on the cheek. This couldn't be done without a heavy flush claiming her cheeks, and she hoped it hadn't bothered him. "Just- um… thanks for everything." she attempted to explain. Wisely, she put her mug back down on the table because her hands trembling. Did he need to talk about how forward she was? Did he need to remind her that boys like him don't let girls with frizzy hair kiss them? Did he need to remind her that he was a Gryffindor and by extension much cooler than her? She wasn't sure what he was going to say, but her heart was beating so fast she was sure he must be able to hear it.

WORDCOUNT//

[/i][/color]920
TAGGED//[/i][/color]Fitz Finnigan
LYRICS//[/i][/color]What Makes you Beautiful - One Direction
OUTFIT//[/i][/color] Click here
CREDIT//[/i][/color]Little Miss Lacey
NOTES//[/i][/color]Sew cute. (also, I like that we have the same word count)[/blockquote]

He didn't even know how to start explaining everything to her, his mind was a jumbled mess at this point, his palms were getting sweaty and not just from the heat of the cup in his hands. He got quiet for a long moment, she thanked him? WHy? He was always this nice to her, she knew she never needed to worry about her well being with him around, he would always take care of her in any way shape or form so why did he feel like she questioned that at all? Now he was over thinking way too much for comfort and he didn't like this at all. He looked up at her now, away from her cocoa to study her, everything about her, the way her eyes sparkled under the light from the shop, mixed with the glint of the snow from the window. He took in the way her lips always stayed open ever so slightly even when she didn't speak, the way her hair framed her face though she always seemed to have this stray lock that he never touched, never pushed behind her ear because he loved it. He admired how pink her cheeks were from being out in the cold, the way her clothes hung slightly loose around her curves because she was so small. The way she crossed her ankles as she sat, maybe she didn't even notice half the things he did about her, the way her eyebrows came together in the middle when she looked confused, the slightest tilt of her head when she grew curious of something, everything...every little detail he always noticed about her. He knew he was being much to quiet for comfort for her but he couldn't help but take her in in full at this moment, the moment where she seemed so oblivious to what he was about to say. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again and repeated this action a few times before he finally just pulled his hands away from his cocoa cup and he reached over prying her small hands from her own cup. He held both her hands in the middle of both of his noting her's were slightly colder in temperature than his own but also hoping she wouldn't notice how sweaty his palms were. "Melia....I..." for once he couldn't find words he couldn't muster the words he so longed to say to her. "Would you..." no even that wasn't good enough, she deserved so much better than him, someone way better looking, someone who had all the money in the world that could buy her everything her heart desired....she deserved someone to tell her she was beautiful every day like he always tried so hard to do. He looked down still at their hands almost unable to bring himself to look her in the eyes,"We're not children any more..." he muttered more so thinking aloud but it was somewhat a good start. He finally pulled his eyes from their hands and looked up into her eyes, his heart skipping a few beats when he did, god was he being foolish? What if she rejected him? What if she shot him down, he wasn't sure if he could handle that kind of emotional damage. "I.. ever since we were smalleh I always loved how yer eyes danced every time you laughed, how you're nose scrunched up when you tried to hold in yer laughter or you found something ta be disgusting...I always admired every time yer cheeks turned rosey from the cold or from yer blushin that I neveh bring up.. I like how yer hand fits so perfectly into mine, the way ya always have this one stray lock of hair that topples in yer face, I refuse to eveh move it...I.." he wondered if he sounded completely cheesy now, but he had already gotten himself too deep, he had to ask her now, there was no avoiding it. He squeezed her hands his eyes becoming wide and almost brimming with a light set of tears, he didn't want to lose her in any way if he said something stupid. "Melia...I want to always be the one to protect you, I want to always be the one to call ye beautiful, to hold yer hand, to walk ye to class...I always want ta be the one you write lettehs too when yer upset, I...I don't want to eveh imagine someone else bein with you...Melia.." he said and now he was growing more emotional, a light tear leaving his eye and rolling down his freckled cheek,"Melia....will ya be with meh? If you say no I'll undastand but I would neveh forgive meself if I didn't ask..." he said his heart racing a thousand miles a minute as he clung to her hands in both of his.

( The way you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell )



YOU DON'T KNOW YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL

Often, Amy and Fitz had hung out just the two of them. Even the hand holding was not especially unusual. Something felt different today though. Perhaps, the date-y environment had put her in a sort of sentimental mood, or perhaps the way his arm had pulled her in close to him while they walked, but something was different. At a time, she loved feeling so intimate with him, but of the other hand, her churning stomach and the nervous blush that just wouldn't dissipate from her cheeks were leaving her in mild anguish. The thing was, that she could have gone on forever about the subtlety of the curve in his brow, or the gentleness of his jaw, or the endearing way certain words sounded different in his accent, but it would be so redundant, would it not? The fact of the matter was, that she was more or less completely head over heels for this boy, and more than anything in the world she wanted him to see her in the same light. Yet much as she wanted to imagine that when he was looking at her he was fawning, she could only remember how her hair was now frizzing out because of the dampness, and that she'd put on her make-up a little too quickly this morning. For him to fawn over her would be incomprehensible. She could list her own flaws forever, however, that too, would be terribly redundant.

Worse than anything else was the silence in which they sat after she'd kissed him on the cheek. The panic rising in her caused her to feel nauseous, and if anticipation hadn't kept her in her seat she would have excused herself to vomit. Uncomfortably, she shifted once, splashing hot chocolate onto her hand. The heat stung a little, but it was not all that bad. Anything was a happy distraction from the somersaults her stomach was doing. Much as she wanted to watch him, to examine him for a reaction, her courage faltered (as per usual) and she reverted to staring at her hands wrapped around her mug. What would he say? Would he chastise her for being so forward? She oughtn't have been so forward…

Just as fear consumed her he reached out and took her hands in his. Despite having gripped that mug so tight her knuckles had turned white, a severe case of girl-hand-syndrome caused her fingers to never warm up. Fitz, on the other hand (no pun intended) had always been a human furnace, and when he grabbed her she was almost shocked by the contrast in temperatures. Regardless of how comforted she was by their proximity, she simply couldn't bear to look up at him. Fitz was a rare breed of gentleman, and if he were to let her down he'd let her down easy. As he attempted to start she realized how hard it must've been for him to explain to her that he simply wasn't interested, and she felt her heart clench up.

Disgust with herself tried to make itself prominent until the words came to him and he started to speak. Well, he rambled really, but it was the nice sort of rambling that she couldn't stop listening to. Her blue eyes shot up to look at him, and he looked just as nervous as she felt. She thought of how they'd been little and he'd always chosen to hang out with her, and he'd always joked that he'd kiss her under the mistletoe. He'd always told her he'd throw her into the lake, but he never had. Without her even noticing their entire childhood had been the two of them becoming best friends and slowly falling for one another. Though she'd never noticed it, every time they locked eyes there was so much more than basic platonic interest behind their smiles. And most importantly, it was a two way street.

Ending his short spiel off in asking her to be with him, she was entirely speechless. A single tear rolled down his cheek, and she pulled one hand up to brush it away. Her hand still resting softly on his face she simply stared at him in disbelief. If she'd had a free had she would have pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. This conversation had played over so many times in her head, but it had never been half as wonderful as this. She hardly dared to believe it could be true, but the small portion of her that hoped took over. "Really?" she asked him disbelievingly as a cautious and involuntary smile took over every one of her features. Did he really love her?

WORDCOUNT//

[/i][/color]780
TAGGED//[/i][/color]Fitz Finnigan
LYRICS//[/i][/color]What Makes you Beautiful - One Direction
OUTFIT//[/i][/color] Click here
CREDIT//[/i][/color]Little Miss Lacey
NOTES//[/i][/color]This is one of the corniest posts I've ever written. Oh my goodness.[/blockquote]

What bothered him the most was that she had to question him when he asked her, did she really think so lowly of herself, as though she were not worthy of him asking her out? He took her hands that he held in both of his now and he brought them to his lips looking her dead in the eyes,"Really...Melia I'd never lie to you, I'd never just ask you something so important to me and not mean it" he said his voice soft against her hands. He kept his gaze locked with her's before he slowly let her hands go and he looked out the window passed her for a brief moment in thought then it clicked. "C'mon" he said getting to his feet and he gently pulled her to her's and out of the door out into the snow. He knew she'd be able to keep up, he wasn't going too fast and he was walking though with purpose. He sighed softly in thought and then he grinned reaching Honeydukes, yup. He opened the door for her and he pulled her over to the corner where the cotton candy machine was and he positioned her to face him and he positioned himself briefly before looking at her,"This spot right here when we were what 5? yup this exact spot was where I was standing and you were right there, you wore a little pink dress decorated with white bows and your shoes were on the wrong feet..." he said surprising himself with how he remembered every detail,"It was the first time we met, our parents brought us here, I was opening chocolate frogs and watching them hop around and you were sucking on a sugar stick...I remember it all Melia, I tugged at your ponytail and I felt so bad I made you cry...that day I promised you I'd never make ya cry again..." he explained. He took her hand again and looked right into her eyes,"And I'm standin hereh now promising that to ya again, be with me really" he said his eyes sparkling with hope.

( The way you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell )



YOU DON'T KNOW YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL

Her friendship and sort-of-secret crush on Fitz had led her to think about things like this a lot. Nearly every time they were together she thought of how it might feel if he decided he loved her. Everytime she had imagined it, she had imagined how it would feel to hold his hands, how it would sound to hear her name coming softly from his lips. What happened then was nothing like she had imagined: it was better. It was better because it was real. Instead of imagining the way his hands would feel on hers, she really felt the slight pressure they applied and the way they were warm, and even a little bit nervously sweaty. The softness in his voice wasn't just her imagination, but it was real. She could hear the way his voice shook a little bit, she could hear the way he breathed, and she felt very creepy thinking those things, so she tried to stop. Last thing she wanted was to be creepy: she didn't think it would take much to make him realize what sort of a mistake he'd made.

All she could think as he spoke to her was "why though?" it just didn't make sense. A good looking Gryffindor more or less had his choice of any girl he wanted. Why her? She wasn't very pretty like some girls, or very smart like others. She was so skinny that her clothes hung off of her funny, and nothing ever fit her the way she wanted it to. She was quiet and never seemed to have enough of an opinion on anything other than Hot Chocolate, and no one really wants to talk to someone whose greatest debate is about different brands of cocoa. Yet, she didn't really want to know why, because he made her feel wonderful, and he made her feel like more than these things. Few people could pull her out of her shell and he could. That was part of why she'd always looked at him with so much respect and admiration. He was perfect, because few outside her immediate family meant enough to her to make her open up.

And then they were in Honkeydukes. She liked the way he just sort of dragged her around the village like they were on a scavenger hunt instead of a date maybe-date. As he began to talk, it was like he was narrating the entire thing because she could envision it all. The little pink dress with the bows that they had given to her mom's cousin's daughter, the shoes that had been so uncomfortable because they were on the wrong feet, and the hair that had been in uneven pigtails. The shop had been warm, and she had been nervous because her parents seldom took her out to places where there were crowds. Her dad was meeting his old friend Seamus though, so as his loving family, it was their duty to accompany him. The Finnigans seemed nice. They were Irish and had these funny accents that Amy liked very much. The boy, who was her age, was playing with chocolate frogs, which she thought was funny. Of course, she didn't say so though because she was too scared. Instead she just sucked on her sugar quill and watched. He was a little boy though, and like all little boys he was mischievous. The little imp tugged on her pigtails, and since she was sensitive she had cried.

All that had led up to this. This moment when he was making promises and she could hardly believe what she was hearing. With him holding her hands and looking into her eyes, she was overwhelmed with wanting to kiss him. That's silly Amy, you can't just do those things. the voice in her head protested. Why not? countered another. There's this saying in Japanese, Koi No Yokan, and it means the feeling of meeting someone and knowing you'll be in love. While Amy was standing there in the spot where they'd first met, and she did something she would never dare to do otherwise. Still holding his hands she leaned forwards and kissed him softly and sweetly. It was short. Too short really, she pulled back before he even had a chance to react. Immediately after she'd done it, risk taking Amy ran for cover and regular Amy blushed furiously. She tried to look at him, she really did, but embarrassment made her turn her eyes to the ground. "I-I'm so s-sorry," she began tripping over her own tongue stammering out apologies.

WORDCOUNT//

[/i][/color]763
TAGGED//[/i][/color]Fitz Finnigan
LYRICS//[/i][/color]What Makes you Beautiful - One Direction
OUTFIT//[/i][/color] Click here
CREDIT//[/i][/color]Little Miss Lacey
NOTES//[/i][/color]Too cute. Too cute.[/blockquote]

What had come next had been unexpected but something he had been awaiting for for years, though he had no time to react and as his eyes opened to look into her's he found she was apologizing. He reached up and lifted her chin slightly, brushing his thumb along her cheek,"Don' be sorreh, why be sorreh fer bein you, fer actin on yer feelings, neveh apologize fer bein you" he said as he leaned forward and rested his forehead against her's. He got lost in her eyes for a brief moment as he counted the colors in them and he couldn't help but smile at how warm her cheek was against the palm of his hand. He skimmed his bottom lip with his teeth as it tingled slightly from where her lips had lingered moments ago. "So...does tha' mean yes?" he asked giving her a confused yet hopeful look practically begging her to answer him fully and honestly with a yes. It took her too long and he took in a breath and without giving her a single moment to react, he locked his lips with her's, his eyes closing as he kissed her properly, passionately, his hand leaving her cheek to hold the side of her neck and his other hand lingered on the small of her back as he pulled her body into his. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, hear it beating like hummingbirds. He didn't pull back until he was utterly breathless and when he opened his eyes he looked into her's and smiled and his smile reached his eyes making them gleam. He wasn't sure if it was too soon, he wasn't sure how she'd take it but he couldn't help the words that left his lips next, he knew he felt this way, he knew ever since they were kids,"Melia...I love you...please" he said, yes a gentleman should never beg but he had never wanted something so badly in his life as he wanted this right here, this beautiful perfect girl in his embrace.

( The way you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell )



YOU DON'T KNOW YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL

Acting on an impulse was something Amy had seldom done. Generally, she was self-conscious enough to control herself before she did anything thoughtless or possibly embarrassing. She did enough embarrassing things unintentionally. Mortifying herself on a whim simply wasn't an option. Yet there it was, sitting there between them for a second: the kiss. She wasn't watching him for a reaction; she was far too scared to do that. Instead she did what she always did and fastened her eyes firmly on the toes of her boots, refusing to make eye contact for fear of what she might accidentally betray. Though it couldn't have been more than a couple of seconds before he reacted, it felt like an eternity. Between them she could feel the weight of the implication of a kiss, she could sense surprise, though she failed to distinguish whether it was pleased or not. Frankly, this whole self-esteem thing was highly irritating to her. A boy doesn't bring you to the place you met just to stick you in the friendzone. she reasoned with herself.

Unfortunately, that whole self-esteem thing refused to believe this and she remained stock still, stammering out apologies until she felt his hand on the side of her face. Tentatively, she turned her eyes upwards to look at him. That boy, she swore, was her Adonis. His voice was so earnest and so raw that she could practically feel the anxiety dissipating as he spoke. Fitz had always had that unique effect on her; he made her feel safe. His forehead pressed against hers and she felt her breath hitch. The funny thing is, that she had always imagined that the whole lost-in-each-other's-eyes nonsense was a work of fiction: something for movies that never happened in real life. Yet here she was, forehead to forehead with him in Honeydukes, staring into his eyes. "I'm sorry-" she began, but then realized that she was apologizing for apologizing and proceeded to feel rather foolish. Fortunately, it didn't last long seeing as he pulled her into him and kissed her.

He really kissed her, not just a sort of lip-touch like what she'd done. This was a real, honest-to-goodness kiss. Though this whole kissing business was new to her, she figured that this sort of kiss was the kind they talked about in fairy tales when princesses were under a spell. This was the sort of thing that broke magic curses and set people free. Shivers ran up and down her spine at first and the feeling was far from unpleasant. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself into him and into the kiss. I love him. she thought to herself.

The kiss broke from lack of oxygen. Amy felt pleasantly flustered, and as she opened her eyes to look at him, she smiled. She could feel words lodged in her throat, threatening to come up like word-vomit. Don't you dare say it, Amelia Longbottom. she thought to herself. There were three little words stuck in her mouth that she yearned to say but desperately repressed. And then there it was. He said it first. I love you. "I've always loved you." she blushed and pulled herself close to him, resting her chin on her shoulder and hugging him tight. She'd hugged him plenty of times, but there was something about the intimacy and the rawness of the two of them in that moment that was different. Amy swore she could have stayed like that forever.

WORDCOUNT//

[/i][/color]583
TAGGED//[/i][/color]Fitz Finnigan
LYRICS//[/i][/color]What Makes you Beautiful - One Direction
OUTFIT//[/i][/color] Click here
CREDIT//[/i][/color]Little Miss Lacey
NOTES//[/i][/color]So cheesy. Oh goodness.[/blockquote]