#averstrom

Another twirl of the quill between Joseph’s fingers managed to send the drop of ink hanging on the tip splashing onto the parchment. The essay he was meant to be writing lay accusingly in front of him but he had more on his mind than the history of the Weakness Potion. Rather the question of whether his girlfriend wanted to go to this social event thing the school decided to organise was plaguing his thoughts.

Of course there was the possibility that she would have to go anyway as one of the staff chaperones but he wasn’t sure if she wanted him there with her. He wasn’t really sure if the dance was something them as a couple should do and if she’d approve. On one hand she didn’t want to go which was fine with him as he didn’t particularly feel like being in a crowd of teenagers who’d undoubtedly have spiked the drinks. On the other, Noelee did want to go but she was just waiting for him to ask her. While he loved her headstrong personality, he still wasn’t quite sure of how traditional she was in these matters.

It was a question begging to be answered, leading him to drop the quill and push away from his desk to make his way to her.  

The knock on her door was swift and impatient and unlike him but he was already on the verge of just turning around back to his room, so when it opened before him, he fought to calm his restless body down.

“So, uh, is the dance a thing we’ll do?” he managed to blurt out, so unlike the calm façade he had planned on having.

His fingers tapped a beat behind his back, inconsistent with the one that his body was begging to bounce to. Looking back on the situation, he realised that his shirt was a little too unbuttoned since the heat of his room to be modest, his sleeves rolled up to show the thick bands of healed muscle that lay across his arms, all in his haste to get there before he lost his nerve. It was curious, the way he acted whenever it concerned Noelee.

The sky was always endlessly fascinating in its way of seeming to extend forever. That was exactly what Joseph was staring at, almost studying it, when Noelee’s voice called him to the bathroom. She wanted help figuring out how to do something it seemed.

“Do what?” he wandered into the bathroom, hands in pockets. She lifted what apparently looked like a box of hair dye to study the tiny instructions printed on the back.

“I’m dying my hair-” his assumptions were correct then.

“Can’t you use magic for that?” She was a witch after all. And even if she couldn’t find a spell he was surely there was a better potion than whatever the muggles concocted. He didn’t voice his thoughts however as she fixed upon him her normal unamused stare.

Sighing, he made for her to pass him the box – it was her hair she was risking after all – he attempted to register the instructions and decided if it didn’t work, it was impossible.

-

It was a long time later when Noelee stood in front of the mirror with hair so obviously dyed it was almost annoying to look at. If they’d done this with magic it would’ve come out way better. Not to mention she looked better brunette.

“Yeah, this looks horrible on you, Noe,” he couldn’t help but voice his opinion. Surely she must’ve realised it too.

“Shut the fuck up, no one asked you!” he wanted to laugh at how defensive she got over the comment. She realised then. Still, if he did she probably would’ve murdered him on the spot so he settled for raising an eyebrow at her.

“You know what… you’re right, let’s dye it pink.” He kept his mouth respectfully shut this time, though his eyebrow remained raised at her reflection in the mirror.

"Joseph!"

"What?"

"Come help me figure out how to do this!"

"Do what?" He wandered into the bathroom, where she stood holding a box of hair dye. She studied it carefully, reading each step once and then again to make sure she'd read it correctly. 

"I'm dying my hair--"

"Can't you use magic for that?" She gave him a blank stare as she looked up from the box, clearly unamused. He let out a sigh and gestured for her to hand him the box, soon after which he read the box himself and decided that if they couldn't figure this out, it was impossible.

--

Three pairs of gloves, two showers, and one huge mess later, Noelee was standing in front of the mirror of her bathroom where she watched her appearance in slight shock. It... hadn't quite turned out the way she'd wanted it to, to be honest, and blonde was really not her color. But summer is for being reckless, right?

"Yeah, this looks horrible on you, Noe."

"Shut the fuck up, no one asked you!" She quickly turned on him, glaring at him, even though her opinion was the same as his. It may have looked horrible, honestly, but he didn't have to voice that. Really, Joseph needed to learn his manners.

"You know what... you're right, let's dye it pink."

His fingers stroked her hair absentmindedly as they lay in silence. Her head was tucked under his chin, her ear pressed against his chest as she just listened to his heart beat. It was two weeks before they left the castle for good, unless they got a job there again years later, but it was their last two weeks before everything would be sent spiralling to fate. They’ve always just lived in the moment, never discussed what would happen when they finally graduated. Another thing they didn’t talk about – the future.

He spun a metal band between his fingers; it’d been there for a while now, since that London trip where he snuck off to the jeweller.

“Can’t we just stay like this forever?” she sighed, and he breathed in the strawberry smell that he loved.

“Only if you love me,” he teased, smiling at the ceiling.

“Of course I do.”

“Good, then you wouldn’t mind this would you?” he’d made up his mind in that instant, showing her the silver band that held no ornaments because he couldn’t afford it.

Her eyes flickered to his hand, “Wait is that-“

“Marry me?” he asked in all seriousness, they were still in the same position. “I just- Well- I need you, and I know we never talk about the past or future but for once…” he trailed off.

“Yes.”

"Dad? Dad." The word took a while to break the stupor Joseph was in.

It'd been a week since they split for good and she was gone and it hurt.

"I'm hungry Dad," the sentence made him look at the boy, really look. He looked so similar to him, already then, Joseph could only hope he didn't turn out the same broken man.

"Come on then," he flashed a tired smile at his son.

He's hers too.

The thought made his face contort into one of pain again. Jasper had never seen him this way before, it was all before the marriage.

A flash of their wedding day.

She looked so beautiful and so happy then.

He stumbled and caught himself on the wall in time. The pain in his chest felt like it was crushing him from the inside.

A small hand slid into his and he met the gaze of the boy staring at him in concern. He couldn't fall apart, he couldn't afford to.

“… So where’s the rest of the team?”

“There isn’t one,” his head snapped to look at her.

“What do you mean there isn’t one?”

“I mean no one else is on the team.”

“Then what the hell are we doing?” his tone was incredulous this time.

“… Playing,” the mutter came back, barely heard.

He let his head fall into his waiting palm.

“Okay. Whatever. Let’s play then,” he allowed his arm to sweep in front of him, inviting her to go first.

She shot him a glare as she grabbed the quaffle and kicked off on her broom.

Noelee quickly tied her hair up into a ponytail, sighing and watching her reflection in the mirror as she did so. She just wanted a quiet place to sit and think - actually, no, she didn't want to think at all. She wanted to completely clear her head of any thoughts at all and just be blank. She wanted it all to fade into the darkness when she finally managed to fall asleep. Sleep wasn't easily found these days.