Acceptance

[Larissa Sedgwick]

The blue light of the youthful morning, dripped through the large glass windows of the second floor corridor. The castle was drowned with a cold silence as many students caught the last few hours of sleep they would get at Durmstrang before they returned home. While most would come back to the castle to continue their education, there were those who were finished with school. It was time for the seventh years to move on, to find their chosen path and to walk it with pride. Her shoes near silent on the stone floor, Larissa moved quietly to one of the many windows to gaze out of it: How long had it been, she wondered, since she had last felt sure of herself and of her life? The answer was not one to bring her comfort. She had even fooled herself into believing she would someday wed the love of her life, have children of her own, have something to die for. She was a fool for thinking it. Love did not truly exist, only lust in its place. Lust and suffering and trickery. And to think she had thought that Mark..

Larissa turned her head to a side, closing her eyes as though the thought was too painful. While she so frequently gave off the energy of someone in control, this was only as true as her eyes were brown. Larissa may have had a knack for the manipulation of others, but this only stretched as far as her heart would allow it. She could never fool Mark or Grakul or her father. She had cared about them too much. But where were they now? Where were they when she needed them? Her mother had as-good-as eliminated two of the three, and the other had changed so much since eliminating her mother. All he did was work. As far as Larissa saw it, he had abandoned her. She opened her eyes, pressing her fingertips to the window pane. What was she doing with her life? Why was she still waiting for him? And whose breaths could she hear behind her?

 

[Andrew Sedgwick]

It was one of those days where magic was in the air. Well, more than was usual for a wizarding school. The castle had yet to warm up fully in the morning light, though that did not stop the Head Boy setting out the last day of his patrol: He had started with the dungeons, and had gradually worked his way up- which hadn't taken long, seeing as his mind was elsewhere. His duties as the Head Boy of Durmstrang had to come with some perks, and one of those was roaming the castle at all hours without getting into trouble. Andrew had always been one of the better behaved students, and that was why he felt he had been rewarded with the position. Although, as to why the Head Girl had been selected, was almost beyond him. Almost. For one thing, she was beautiful. For another, she was cunning. She was also the poison intoxicating his mind, and she had been for the past two years. Larissa Sedgwick was surely the only girl he now hated more than anyone else he had ever known, which was precisely why he had made a rather bold decision as to how he intended to use his last 'day' working alongside her.

She was not the most difficult person to find within the confines of the castle, and it came as little surprise upon discovering her looking out of one of the windows. What did surprise Andrew, was the expression attached to the girl as she turned to look at him with those leaky blue eyes. A tear rolled down her cheek, and yet, she seemed as emotionless as usual. Well, other than when she was bothering Andrew. His immediate reaction was one that made him a little uneasy, though it felt right when it became obvious that today she would not be biting his head off. He reached out a hand, stroking it down her arm in a comforting manner. "Hey, what's wrong?"

 

[Larissa Sedgwick]

Larissa barely noticed the tear that ran down her pale cheek, dripping onto Andrew's arm as she looked towards his hand. She couldn't remember the last time she had allowed any pure emotion to seep through. If there was one person she did not wish to appear weak before, it was Andrew. He was the only boy she ever bothered with, nowadays. Now that she was sealing herself inside a mental prison. If she could just change one thing about her life, it would be everything. She shook her head, lifting her eyes up to his. They were so warm and caring in comparison to her own. They had something there, something, it seemed, they hoped to find within hers as they flitted all over the place. "Nothing," she said as stiffly as possible. 'Nothing' was a stupid answer. He would obviously never believe that. But then, what did she care? So what if Andrew thought something was bothering her? It was the end of her rein as the Queen of Durmstrang. She had every right to be unhappy. "I just don't like to leave this place without someone responsible to keep the firsties in line." She tried to force a smile. It was somewhat unconvincing.

 

[Andrew Sedgwick]

Andrew shook his head. If this was her usual grade of lying, it was not half as good as he had expected. He made a point to look this way and that, checking that the two of them really were alone. The world outside was slowly growing brighter, and the sun was only just breaking the horizon. "You can trust me, Larissa," he said softly, treasuring each moment he could use her name without her verbally or physically attacking him. "I'm the Head Boy- I'm supposed to help where possible, and everything remains confidential." He shot her a small, awkward wink. He really couldn't stand to see someone like her, crying.

 

[Larissa Sedgwick]

Larissa very nearly managed to roll her eyes at the boy. To her, he was just that. A boy, not yet a man. Men had to prove themselves worthy of the title, and what had Andrew done, yet? She wanted to throw sarcasm in his direction, she wanted to force him back before he truly breached her comfort zone. But something stopped her. The ache at the back of the mind, that something which told her everything would be alright. She felt as if she could really trust him. But then, he would only have to keep his silence until they returned to their homes. Home. That was the place she missed, the place she felt safe and, while Mark had been there, possibly even loved. But that was all laughable, now. Now she knew for sure that she would spend the rest of her life alone and in mourning. Merlin, why not tell him? What could he really do to make things worse? What did it matter if people thought she was a weak, emotional wreck? "You know," she said, drawing her eyes back to the window, away from Andrew, "I had honestly thought I was in love. Yes, love. Laugh if you will. Someone might as well be cheered up by the entire matter."

 

[Andrew Sedgwick]

Andrew didn't laugh. He had no intention of laughing, for a love lost was no laughing matter, and by the sound of things, that was precisely the case. If anything, his eyes grew more sympathetic, more caring, and more hopeful. Hope was not one of the emotions he wanted Larissa to see him feeling, unless she thought it for herself, which, in a sense, it was. Today would surely be the day everything changed, and Andrew would finally have done something about Larissa. As his reply emerged, Andrew's voice was oddly gentle. "What happened?" He thought her too young to have suffered the loss of her love through death, although, that would entirely depend upon who had previously held her heart.

 

[Larissa Sedgwick]

She did not pause on his reply for very long, nor did she turn back to face him. These were her innermost feelings, and they were to be handled with the greatest of care. "Time happened. Amongst other things, time forced in the final wedge between us. You know, I haven't received so much as a letter in half a year. And the last time we met.. I swear that was just him getting what he had been waiting for." She looked darkly through the window at the distant sun as it slowly heaved itself from the night's slumber. She could sense Andrew was still close behind her, and yet, Larissa did not mind. He listened to her. Her tried his very best to help and, bless him, he was the good guy. The one who, if in a story, would never have got the girl. "I'm not even sure what to feel, anymore; anger or relief." The silence lasted for a few minutes as Larissa watched the sun and the world gradually awakening. Of all the things she could have told him, she had told Andrew a slice of the truth. A fair slice more than she had ever given anyone else. Her mind egged her on, told her to say the thing that had pestered her the most since seeing so many of her friends grow of an age and wed.

Larissa gave herself a slight laugh. "I had even been stupid enough to think I would be engaged by this age."

 

[Andrew Sedgwick]

Andrew had lapsed into a heavy silence, thoughts molding into more thoughts, within his mind. What sort of person could avoid someone like Larissa for so long? And especially as he knew what type of girl Larissa was- the type who would get what she wanted, by any means. Unless.. He pondered for a moment, as to whether he truly knew Larissa, as to whether she had another layer hidden beneath, and this was only her mask. But surely some part of this 'mask' had to be true. The willpower it would take to hide behind that mask for so long, the emotional strength. Andrew glanced to Larissa's shoulders. He longed to reach out and comfort her. And then she said something very strange. Something that opened an otherwise barred, bolted, and locked door. If ever he stood a chance, the window of opportunity had swung right open, revealing the fresh morning air and the beautiful sunrise.

His heart raced. Was he really going to do this? Was he actually going to say this? It was what he wanted, wasn't it? No matter how many times she had wound him up, no matter how many times she had thoroughly insulted him, this was certainly what he wanted. A lump formed in his throat as he opened his mouth. The silence droned on a moment longer. There was no time to truly prepare himself. It was a step further than he would ever have thought to go, but this was it, and there was no turning back. At last, his mouth opened. "You still might get engaged at this age. Just maybe not to him."

 

[Larissa Sedgwick]

Had her wits been closer to her, that day, perhaps she would have seen this coming, perhaps she could have prevented. Maybe she would have. Larissa, still looking out of the window, felt her eyes open wider, blue as the morning, and her lips part very slightly. What was he saying? What did he mean? Larissa's chest began to rise and fall a little faster as she half-turned to face Andrew. Her eyes met with his, and something had changed. The whole area had changed. The corridor no longer echoed the same empty chill it had for so long, but now the warm rays of sunshine began to softly break through, warming the corridor, warming the world, and warming Larissa's frozen heart. "What.." She looked at Andrew with a puzzled expression, "what are you saying?"

 

[Andrew Sedgwick]

Andrew's heart gave a leap. A connection had been made, he could almost feel the change like it was stood beside them. His eyes did not hesitate to meet hers, and they watched, waiting for that something. He could already see it. The slight flicker, the difference in her thoughts. How could he say this? How could he do this in such a way that the answer would be the one he hoped? But Andrew needn't have worried. His heart was already leading the way, bravely marching into battle. He reached out, taking the hand nearest. The lump in his throat made itself scarce. It could have been the most idiotic move of his life, but he was making that leap, right there and then. It was time to lay his cards on the table for all to see. "Larissa," he said, not breaking eye contact for one second, "marry me."

 

[Larissa Sedgwick]

Larissa could not speak. She had been at a particularly vulnerable point, and she felt Andrew probably knew that. She had just poured her heart out to him, she had just felt the whole world shift, and now she was faced with two options. Her heart thundered in her chest: She knew how she felt about Mark, about how much she had dared to feel for him, and she doubted that would change for a long time. However, her heart was in a different place, at that minute, and a certain 'revenge' had been the feeling she had felt. And here was her opportunity. The chance to say 'I'm over you. In fact, I'm so over all of you that I've even found the love of my life.' Love. Did she love Andrew? Could she ever love him? Rational thought was hardly the things to cross Larissa's mind. She could feel the rumble of students in the distance, just waking for the final hours they had left at Durmstrang.

This was the time to choose. She found her mind and heart going in different directions. Larissa stared at Andrew, her eyes flitting from his eyes to his lips. And then, she just dived forward, her hands sliding up the back of his head, brushing through his hair, as her lips fell onto his, entwining themselves. Her eyes closed. Right now, this was what she wanted. Andrew had proved himself to be a man. And, right now, she wanted nothing more than to marry him.

---

---

---