and at last i see the light;

[Marisol Woods]

Perhaps it's because she was a werewolf and her life was dictated by the phases of the moon, but Marisol was a total night owl. It was a bit of a problem because professors and prefects said she wasn't supposed to be out at night, but she did her best thinking during these late hours. Tonight was no different. The seventh year was currently practicing the Patronus Charm in the dead of night in the Gryffindor common room. She'd reluctantly decided to stay within the confines of her House common room so she wouldn't get in trouble for being 'out' after curfew, but she wished she had a better place to practice.

Ever since her first year the Gryffindor had found a sort of attraction towards Defense Against the Dark Arts. The subject was so interesting to her that she had even done extra research for the subject outside of her assigned work; that was how it all started. Not to mention this class was the subject for which she met some of her best friends. Everything about the subject interested her. She found that there were defense spells that weren't being taught in class but she knew if she put her mind to it, she could master them as well as she had mastered the other ones. DADA was important to her as a werewolf because she knew all too well that if people in the wizarding world knew what she was, they wouldn't hesitate to hex her out of fear so she had to be ready at all times.

But this Patronus Charm was proving to be exceedingly difficult, and the seventeen year old was getting really frustrated, as usual, when she couldn't seem to produce a Patronus. She had to admit she was even making more noise than usual in the common room and the seventh year hadn't thought to cast the 'Muffliato' spell at the stairs to the dorm rooms to keep her Housemates from waking up.

 

[Wyatt Finch]

Wyatt waited for the common room to be empty, or at least to a time when he thought it might, so he could sneak out to do some work on charms. Admittedly there were a few spells he was having a hard time with and with exams coming up sooner each day he needed to work as hard as he could at all times. The days were gone when he only practiced a spell that sounded cool but as he left his bed as quietly as he could, he should've known that he would hear another person there. Not just another person though, his best friend. For a moment he observed her, frustrated as usual. He smiled as he thought back to their first year when she'd been so upset with herself for no reason. Marisol was never one to stray from who she really was, after all. After watching her struggle for a moment more, a feeling the broad shouldered boy really understood, he walked further down the steps and said, "Hey it's just me, not a Dementor." He winked at her playfully before he casted Muffliato before they got caught both being out of their beds this late. Seventh years were often given a little bit of leeway with these things if they were studying but Wyatt had been out of bed every night for the past month until three. The prefects and his Head of House would surely lose their patience with him if he was a little loud and knowing his friend, she would just get more upset with herself and louder with it too.

Wyatt mussed up his perpetually messy hair as he sat down next to Mari then playfully yet gently nudged her side with his - he was always sure to be a lot more gentle with her than any other of his friends because he knew how much the full moons took a toll on her. "Cheer up, buttercup." He knew that this was in no way comforting but he was really trying. As much of a crush he had on her, she was his best friend first and Wyatt felt like he should try to help her be happy. What else were friends really for? The seventeen year old fiddled with his wand. He still wasn't totally comfortable with the idea of having one and often forgot it places. If it weren't for his ability to cast wandless spells he would be in a bind all the time trying to find the damned thing. He looked over at Marisol and said, "The Patronus is going to be the death of me. I can't figure out a good enough memory." The boy lived a fairly blessed life and so he was lucky to have all of his memories be about on par with one another. He couldn't think of something outstanding or special enough that could produce the charm like he wanted so he worked on other things until he found something he felt might be good enough.​

 

[Marisol Woods]

The Gryffindor threw herself on the couch when she felt herself getting tired of practicing. She was one more spell away from a headache. Just as she sighed she heard a noise and looked up, wondering if it was a prefect about to tell her to go to bed, but smiled lazily when she saw her best friend. She appreciated when he announced his presence at times when he knoew she would be caught off guard, because the past had proved that she didn't do well with surprise appearances. There had been a few times when she had accidentally hexed him, or worse, punched him, when he snuck up on her unannounced. She also appreciated that he was the one who often went through extra measures to make sure they didn't get caught by casting the Muffliato charm whenever she forgot. It's like he was always looking out for her.

As he approached and sat down next to her on the couch, Marisol instantly made herself more comfortable, resting her head against his shoulder. She smiled warmly at his comment, even though he couldn't see it. He knew better than anyone how hard she was on herself when it came to magic. And it was for this reason that he was the one always able to keep her level headed and not want to snap her wand in half. As he brought up the Patronus Charm, Marisol groaned and said, "I hate that stupid spell." It was obvious which spell she had just been trying and failing at before he walked in; Marisol had no idea how long he had been watching her before he announced himself. When he said that he couldn't think of a happy enough spell, Marisol pursed her lips in thought. "Maybe that's my problem," she mused out loud. "I thought I just wasn't casting the spell correctly or something, but maybe it's the memory I chose, it's not strong enough."

The seventeen year old decided to get more comfortable and readjusted herself so her head was in his lap. This way she way she was able to look up at him as she spoke to him. "Wanna know which memory I was using?" she asked with a mischievous glint in her eye.

 

[Wyatt Finch]

Wyatt allowed his friend to complain, truly feeling for her as only another muggle-raised person could. He was lucky that he was nowhere near as hotheaded as she was or else they might both have been doomed years before this. Almost right at the get-go of their friendship, honestly. He had been frustrated, yes, but not angry in the way she always seemed to be about school. It was one of those things that was distinctly hers so he let that be for the most part and just tried to have her be a little less self-destructive. The memories that he had been going through were the first time he used a Beater's bat, the time he saw a professional Quidditch game with a few friends of his, catching the perfect wave... all great things but none of them felt like they would be enough. It wasn't even that he practiced it out of class because his memories all felt like they wouldn't give him anything but smoke. As she started to realize that her problem might not be the spell but the memory, he smiled a little. Somehow that made him feel less pathetic.

As Marisol laid her head down on his lap Wyatt sat a little straighter and stiffened his upper lip to counteract the surprise in her actions when maybe he shouldn't have been so caught off guard. Wyatt was distracted by this and for a moment he didn't register what she had asked him until he had and he offered, "It's probably when I fell while getting onto my broom, right? You nearly died laughing." At the memory of it he scowled at her just as he had when it had happened originally, only this time he didn't actually mean his expression because he was certain that it couldn't be that memory. The wizard shifted only slightly and lackadaisically played with the hair of the girl he was so enamoured with but was too nervous to really bring it up. They knew so much about one another that he worried it would put her in a strange place if he ever brought it up so he was stuck sneaking glances and hoping his feelings would go away.​

 

[Marisol Woods]

Any awkwardness or uncomfortableness Wyatt felt as she had laid down on him went by unnoticed by Marisol as she got comfortable. She never saw anything wrong with the nature of her and Wyatt's friendship. She felt that they had such an honest and open relationship that if he ever felt uncomfortable with anything she did, he would've told her by now. Therefore she didn't see anything wrong with the closeness of their friendship. She closed her eyes and smiled as she felt his fingers start to run through her hair. Had this been a few years ago, she would've never allowed him to touch her hair, as it was her safety net to disguise the scars at the back of her neck. But now she was glad for the comforting touch. The headache that had been threatening to erupt earlier was easing away even more and Marisol hummed happily for that.

When Wyatt tried to guess which memory she had been using to conjure a Patronus, the seventeen year old began to laugh. She bought up a hand to conceal her grin but lowered it again as she said, "Nah that should be your patronus memory," smirking lightly. She knew he would probably never use that memory, since it was technically a humiliating one for him that she clearly had yet to let him live down, but it still made her laugh to this day. She looked up at him to see him scowling at her, which only made her laugh even more. "But luckily for you that was not the memory I was using," she said to try and reassure him. "I was using the one where you first taught me how to ride a wave," she said softly, a genuine smile on her face. It was right after Marisol had told him about being a werewolf, because he had kept inviting her to the beach and she would refuse each time since she didn't want to expose any scars. She remembered how he had confronted her about it and Marisol had run out excuses to use to bail on him, so she eventually came clean. It had all gone down a lot smoother than she expected, which is why Wyatt was her best friend still.

"That's a good memory right?" she said out loud, smiling to herself. She didn't expect him to reply, as the question could've been rhetorical, but in some ways she was asking for validation. Asking him 'Is this memory good enough to conjure a Patronus?' Personally she felt like it was definitely good enough, which is why it frustrated her even more that the spell still wouldn't work. She knew it was an advanced charm to learn as a seventh year, but she didn't think it'd be this hard. "The stupid spell still won't work though," she sighed. "It's like no matter how hard I try, I can never perform magic as well as I want to!" Although she spoke out of annoyance, her voice was small and defeated. "Who needs a Patronus anyway," she scoffed, trying to make herself feel better.

 

[Wyatt Finch]

Wyatt stuck his tongue out at Marisol as she giggled, clearly he wasn’t bothered by it although his ego had gone down several notches that day. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. His head grew at a rapid pace according to his ex-girlfriend who had found his confidence charming at first then quickly got tired of him, calling him everything under the sun. Eventually it had brought them to end their relationship because apparently she could never date someone as conceited as he was. Wyatt had laughed at that. She had obviously been diluted and had lied to herself but he would hate to burst her bubble. Now, though, he wasn’t sure he could pick her out of a line up as he looked into Marisol’s eyes as she smiled. Her face lit up and she could make the stars jealous for how brightly she shone. Wyatt, of course, didn’t say anything of the sort. Instead he smiled warmly as he thought of that day but most importantly how close he had felt to her as she told him her entire truth. Something he could never be upset with her for. The thought was preposterous as far as he was concerned. Wyatt being younger then had said that he thought it was cool she was a werewolf. Something he instantly regretted and never mentioned again although he still felt that it was pretty awesome. “That’s a great one,” he confirmed as she questioned herself more than him.

Wyatt knew she was insecure about her magical ability although he vehemently swore that she was a better witch than half of the purebloods he knew. He absentmindedly left his gaze drift from hers down to a lock of her hair that he fiddled between his fingers and asked, “Have you tried any other memories?” This was before she had berated herself, though. He looked back at her and frowned scoldingly although he still played with her hair. “Mari you always get in such a huff about magic. I don’t know why, you’re probably better than me. Actually not probably. I’m struggling with that stupid expansion charm and you’re working on a Patronus.” He shook his head, getting a little irritated at himself and muttered, “Christ, it’s hard.” Although he tended to swear practically between every other word during a Quidditch game, he could never naturally say “Merlin” in replace of the muggle preferred terms.

The boy knew that if anyone deserved the feel sorry for themselves it was Marisol and yet he put his hand onto the couch, unweaving her soft hair from between his fingers and said seriously, quietly and most of all with concern, “If anyone needs a Patronus, it’s you.” Wyatt knew that she didn’t need an extra reminder of her monthly problem, this was not an acceptable attitude to a person like Mari who could be targeted outside of the protection of Hogwarts. Outside of his protection. He gently roused her to sit up and said, “Come on, we’re practicing this.” Hiding his fears for her with his new found determination, Wyatt stood and took his wand out, fiddling with it as he tried to decide on a memory to use. Something tangible. He hoped that Mari was sincerely trying to do the same because the thought of her having to face a Dementor without protection was horrific. Knowing only as an outsider looking in could of the worst parts of her life and the dread that would fill her truly horrified him for her. Especially knowing that she would be targeted by so many people if they ever knew. Not everyone thought being a werewolf was cool like he did and he didn't know what sort of trouble that could give his best friend in her life.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol sighed softly when Wyatt pointed out everything she already knew deep down inside. She was scared to admit it, but she was afraid. Her time at Hogwarts was quickly winding down and she would no longer have the safety the castle offered. She had already learned to make her own Wolfsbane Potion, but the thought of not having Professor Pendleton to talk to, or the Howling Cavern to retreat to - terrified her. Worst of all was not having her friends, especially Wyatt, easily available to her anymore. He would no longer be just a few feet across from her in the boy's dormitories. Late nights like this one where he would walk in on her practicing in the common room were now numbered. Her entire life already felt like a ticking clock with monthly countdowns to full moons, she hated the thought of a countdown until graduation.

She knew that without the safety of Hogwarts, she would need to be able to defend herself, just in case. So producing a Patronus was important for her. But she was also always harder on herself than anyone else about magic. At first her insecurities stemmed from her being Muggle-born, but she had eventually learned that she had not been that far behind from the rest of her classmates. But her lycanthropy posed another set back for her during her education. Marisol often had to miss lessons due to the full moon and how much they drained her, before and after, so she constantly felt like she had to prove herself; to prove that she could keep up despite this disability and be just as capable a witch as anyone else. She practiced twice as hard as anyone else, but now when it came to this advanced spell, she was feeling defeated.

As Wyatt stirred her out of her thoughts to get up and practice, Marisol groaned in protest. She wanted to stay wrapped up the comfort Wyatt offered, with his fingers playing with her hair and the deep rumble of his voice when he spoke, yet more things she would miss once they graduated, but she allowed herself to be pulled up anyway. She sighed and jumped up and down slightly as if to shake herself out of her funk. "Why do I need to learn this stupid spell," she protested again rhetorically. "When we graduate I'll just go live in a cave, or a Muggle town or something, away from the wizarding community." If she lived in isolation from magic, she wouldn't have to run into dementors, and she'd keep everyone safe; it seemed like a good plan to her. But she knew Wyatt would not accept this as an answer, so she put her hair up in a ponytail, exposing the scars at the back of her neck, and withdrew her wand again, a look of determination on her face.

She concentrated on the same memory she had used before, of Wyatt teaching her how to surf, and tried to visualize every detail of that day so that it would make her memory stronger. She tried thinking 'This will work this time' over and over, but as she said the incantation, still nothing happened. The Latina groaned in frustration and said, "See! I'm hopeless!" She didn't want to give up on Wyatt's attempts but she couldn't help but say, "That's it, I'm going to live as a Squib. Your dad got along just fine without magic, I can too." It'd been a while since she had inaccurately declared herself a Squib, which had happened on a few frustrating occasions, but the word triggered a distant memory Marisol had that was similar to her situation now. Back then she and Wyatt were only first years and she had been up late in the Gryffindor common room practicing her charms, such simple spells compared to now. They weren't even technically friends yet, since she had been mad at him; in retrospect Marisol had just been unnecessarily sensitive and misinterpreted Wyatt's friendly demeanor and enthusiasm for mocking her, so now it just made her laugh. Marisol remembered the rest of that night too, so long ago, when she felt unworthy of being at Hogwarts, and remembered something Wyatt had told her that had considerably cheered her up.

Marisol smiled fondly at the memory, and without explanation, suddenly said, "Expecto Patronum," again with newfound determination. She concentrated on that night and looked over at Wyatt, now a few feet taller than he had been then, but the same comforting face was still staring back at her. Suddenly, a blue-silver wolf erupted from out of the end of her wand and leapt around them in the common room. It wasn't even a wispy shape or undefined smoke, but a clearly produced Patronus. Marisol gasped and laughed in amazement as she saw the bright blue wolf slowly disappear, having nothing to fight against. But still, she had done it, she had finally produced a Patronus.

 

[Wyatt Finch]

Wyatt knew that this was very advanced magic that he was requiring his best friend be able to do, especially so late at night, but he was scared. Not for himself but for Marisol. He had often found her huddled over in the library or the common room when it neared full moons, too tired to stand or in too much pain that he took it upon himself to help her to the common room or with the help of the Head of House to their adjoining office so that they could take Marisol to the girl’s dorms for her to sleep. He had let her stay in his bed several times but they both worried about the implications it made and how fast rumours spread around the school and how there would be someone eventually who might find Mari out. If it weren’t for the privacy of other students who might be werewolves themselves,Wyatt would stay the night outside of the Cavern, waiting to help his friend make her way to the castle. Instead he respected the system Hogwarts had in place and did what he could, like have chocolate readily available for her to lift her spirits or when she wanted it, a shoulder to lean on or someone to cover her in a blanket when she passed out. He would never tell her this too but there were many times when he had written essays for her instead of bring her the pile of coursework she had to do during the time she took sick. Wyatt just hoped that she never noticed and somehow believed she had done the work when she was exhausted. Even before he’d known about her condition the boy tried to help her, fearing she had cancer of some sort because of how she often looked so poorly. He feared that Marisol might find herself in a bad place without someone helping her. Whether it was him or anyone else, Wyatt knew that she could not take the load entirely herself but he would be unable to and the closer they got to graduation the more anxious he got for his dear friend although it was something he tried not to vocalize so he didn’t sound as if he doubted her abilities. The tall boy trusted her skills, of course, but he worried for the harm another might try to cause her or how she could find a career with this looming over her head. As cool as he thought it would be to turn into a werewolf, the other side-affects were possibly the worst part of it.

While Marisol attempted, he watched her hopefully although he knew it was unlikely that she’d be completely successful. He hoped, though, that she would at least get the mist like he did because it would be proof to herself that she was easily one of the most talented witches and it would comfort his anxieties more. At first there was nothing and he gave a comforting smile, knowing that she could do it. The young man did, however, roll his eyes playfully as she told him she was going to become a squib. It had been some time since she’d called herself that - inaccurate as always. As he was going to assure her again Wyatt watched her produce a beautiful silver wolf. He gasped in amazement at how truly spectacular it was to see it bound around them, before it disappeared again. In excitement Wyatt put his hands on Mari’s hips and lifted her with about as much ease as he lifted his wand and spun her in a circle. “You did it!” He was so relieved and proud of his best friend that as he put her down he hardly noticed the lack of space between them, something he rarely ever did. While the Gryffindor was always acutely aware of Marisol nearing full moons he was even more aware of her the rest of the time when she hugged him or even when her head was laid on his lap. It was not always a very comfortable moment for him, though. “God you’re brilliant,” he swore, shaking his head disbelievingly that he was so lucky to have a friend like her which brought him to step back and take his hands off of her. They were friends, after all. The boy awkwardly ruffled his bed-head as he looked at her with a big stupid grin on his face. “I didn’t realize you liked surfing that much,” Wyatt said playfully, taking note of this so he could demand she would get a surf board of her own to have so that when she would visit him if the waves were any good at the time. It wouldn’t always be possible, but at least she could do that with him if it made her that happy. The boy loved to surf, although he was nowhere as good as his Uncle Izaak was, and still knew the memories of catching a great wave would never bring him a fully fledged Patronus. If she had loved it that much, it was practically his duty to make her that much more happy.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol was so excited she practically squealed when Wyatt lifted her up and spun her around. She was so proud and impressed with herself she could hardly contain it, her smile stretched from ear to ear as she beamed up at her best friend. She felt him pull away but she was so happy, especially since he had a role to play in her first Patronus, that she closed the gap between them and threw her arms around his neck, squeezing him in a tight hug.

When she pulled back, she left a space between them that he so often seemed to place between them. At first Marisol didn't understand why he would distance himself from her a bit, but she figured this was just his preference so she didn't want to invade his personal space, and always made sure to keep a respectable distance, whenever she remembered. Most of the time she forgot and had no concept of boundaries between them, but at times Wyatt made it clear when he needed his personal space. She laughed at his surfing comment and said, "Actually, as great as that memory was, I didn't use that one when I finally conjured my Patronus!" She was still rather excited, and hearing the words 'conjure' and 'my Patronus' in the same sentence only made her giddier.

"You're going to laugh but, I actually used this memory from our first year," she began to explain. "It's really stupid and insignificant and you probably don't even remember it, but I did and...I guess it worked," she said with a small shrug, stalling from actually explaining the memory. "We were sitting here in the common room late one night, like tonight, and I was mad at you for something so stupid," she chuckled, rolling her eyes at her short temper, "but I was upset because I couldn't perform some spell, and I called myself a 'Squid' because I didn't know the right word at the time," she chuckled, ducking her head in embarrassment to avoid Wyatt's eyes. Recalling this minute little memory sounded so much sillier now that she was saying it out loud.

"Then you said something and ever since then, I've never forgotten it," she looked back up at him, biting her lip this time. "You said I'm just as magic as everyone else here...and it's kind of stuck with me," she shrugged her shoulders. "That was the first time I ever truly felt like I was worthy enough of being here at Hogwarts," she said quietly. When her Patronus had initially appeared, she had wondered why that memory of all memories had worked, when the day of her riding her first wave seemed to be a happy memory, but now she knew that the memory to produce a Patronus had to be a deeply personal one. It couldn't just be superficial happiness, it had to be a genuine moment that was significant to the caster. Although she couldn't quite explain it to Wyatt, who probably thought it was a dumb memory to be able to cast a Patronus with, this memory had always made her feel better no matter what. Whenever she was feeling down and useless at magic, she reminded herself that she had been chosen to be accepted into Hogwarts just like everyone else. She supposed this memory worked for a Patronus Charm because if the time ever came when she had to defend herself against those who didn't think she was worthy of being treated like a regular witch just because of her condition, she could remind herself that she deserved to be here just as much as anyone else.

"I'm not sure why that memory worked more than the others I've tried, but I think it's because it's such a significant one to me, given my condition. You reminded me that I deserve to be here," she smiled sheepishly at Wyatt.

 

[Wyatt Finch]

Although they were peeled apart awkwardly, Marisol had closed the distance between them again and he laughed and hugged her. He was so proud of her. It almost felt like he had succeeded to just by association. He smiled seeing the look on her face. It was nothing short of gorgeous. However he was clearly curious when Marisol told him that she had changed it up because she had seemed determined to use that one earlier but spoke nothing, letting her go on. He was curious, yes, but it occurred to him that it could be a private moment between her and someone else that had made her this happy so as Marisol mentioned their first year, Wyatt looked at her curiously. It felt like a lifetime ago since then, having grown up so much and learned so much since those days. He couldn’t see what would make her so happy, especially if it was one with him in it considering he had made her so blisteringly mad during those days. She had been that much more hot headed than she was now, which was saying something. He had to admit, though, her passion which seemed to fuel each of her actions - even if she was angry because of it - made her eyes light up and it so enthralled him. It made her that much more stunning when she was fuelled by something she cared about. These days he didn’t mind much when she was angry at him because of it; this was not to say that he would try to make her upset with him. It was a natural ability, he had. Asaiah never seemed to, which had always made Wyatt jealous. However, as she began to tell him about the memory she used to perform the charm he knew that there was nothing he should ever feel jealous of Asaiah over regarding their friend, Mari.

Wyatt Finch had never been truly stunned until this moment. His mouth hung open just a little and the corners of his lips curled upwards into a gobsmacked smile as she continued telling him about the night when they had really become friends. Yes, he remembered every detail of it even now but to think that Mari did too and felt so strongly about it, brought him closer to her. The young man stepped closer to his best friend, the girl he adored and the person he trusted most. He let her finish speaking and for a moment there was silence as he looked down into her eyes. His azure eyes brimmed with adoration as he searched her face, while he thought rapidly. All that was going through the mind were three very simple words. Kiss the girl. He chuckled anxiously and looked down for just a moment before returning his gaze to Mari. “Do you mean that?” Wyatt finally asked but didn’t give her a chance to answer before he added, “Because if you do… If that’s your happiest memory, with me, I think I have to kiss you.” Wyatt’s gaze momentarily fell onto her full lips as he slid a hand around her waist and cupped her cheek with the other. His touch was normally so gentle with her, that it almost felt like he barely touched her, but this was decidedly firmer. In no way was it rough, he could never be too rough with her although he wasn’t a particularly gentle person for the most part. He was a Quidditch Beater, for fuc*s sake. Still Wyatt made his presence known now and his hopes clear as he wrapped around Marisol.

Wyatt had never truly felt as if he had made anyone genuinely happy. Yes, his parents loved him. Yes, he had friends and even a lot of ex-girlfriends but he always felt like he was second string to someone. While Marisol’s memory surrounded herself, to Wyatt it meant more than that. It meant that he was just as important, that his thoughts and feelings were valid. Never had he felt really wanted, either. So he had taken the plunge because to him the use of this seemingly insignificant memory was nothing but that to either of them. He could hardly believe anyone's happiest memory could ever be with him in the foreground.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol half expected Wyatt to laugh at her for the memory she had chosen, especially since it involved her calling herself a 'Squid' and her eleven-year-old self being mad at him, but she was glad he hadn't. Even back then he had never laughed at her messing up the word and being behind at magic, which made her feel more grateful for him now. As simple as the memory was, it was important to her. She had never thought to conjure a Patronus with it before because she thought the charm needed to work with a more vivid memory. But given that tonight was very similar to that night, it had come into the foreground of her mind and reminded her why she had always cherished that moment.

When Wyatt asked if she really meant it, she chuckled as if to say 'I know right? Of all memories.' "Yeah of course I - wait what?" she stopped mid-sentence when Wyatt spoke again. Marisol stared up at him, wondering if she had just heard him correctly. It was possible she had misunderstood him since she was talking at the same time. But then she felt Wyatt's arm twist around her waist and pull her closer. This proximity to him was never a problem for Marisol, but now she found her breath hitch as he cupped her cheek. Her heart beat faster against her chest as she looked up at him and all at once, everything was different. She was already so comfortable with Wyatt that his little touches like the way he brushed her hair behind her ear or kisses on the forehead all felt natural. This touch was new, it had a different meaning behind it, yet to Marisol it still felt just as natural as his hugs were. It was like this is how it was meant to be. Suddenly it felt as if all of Wyatt's old gestures had always been incomplete, as if there was something that followed his tender touches but Marisol had never noticed it until now. She knew what came next.

"So are you going to kiss me or not?" the latina said, always impatient as ever, but there was a nervous smile on her face. She bit her lip, wondering if she shouldn't have said that, if she shouldn't have crossed those boundaries of their friendship. But as she stared up into Wyatt's gaze, there was nothing she was more sure about than him. Without another word, Marisol leaned up on her tip-toes and pressed her lips against his. Without breaking the kiss, she snaked her arms around his neck again, running her fingers through his hair at the nape of his neck and pulled him closer.

That night - the memory that allowed her to produce her first Patronus - was so similar to this night in so many ways. Wyatt had walked in on a frustrated Marisol practicing magic in the Gryffindor common room, he had cheered her up in a way only Wyatt knew how, and then their relationship had changed significantly in some way. Back then it went from annoyances and acquaintances to legitimate friends, and tonight was no different, their relationship had shifted again. They were no longer just friends as Marisol continued to kissed him.

 

[Wyatt Finch]

“Wait what?” The boy asked, not at all mocking Mari but instead being surprised by her forwardness although he shouldn’t have been. Not really. Not if he knew that platonic friendships didn’t involve nearly as much touching as theirs did or half as much jealousy or criticism of new partners. He was still learning these things although he’d spent a majority of his teenage years being completely enamoured with Marisol Woods. He was even more thrown when she had kissed him but quickly found himself. Wyatt had never felt quite so comfortable than how he was at this very moment. Intertwined with his best friend, the girl he so admired, was where he was meant to be. While some might argue that they weren't best friends that would be laughable to the boy whose parents were best friends. They'd known each other since they were about eleven as well and even when they fought his dad always told him he would never want to fight with anyone else. It made sense that he had such strong feelings for Mari with that considered, even if you forgot about how he had never opened up to anyone quite as much as he had with her, or how they could have fun and joke but they both wanted the best for each other it all made sense but Wyatt would never want to forget about that because it made this so much better and the wait that much more gratifying. Admittedly he wished he hadn't waited so long to act but as he deepened the kiss more and pressed further against her body this was just as good, if not better, than what might have been if he had done this years ago.

Although his body ached to part his lips from hers he did so anyway but as Wyatt’s lips left Marisol’s, he couldn’t help but grin and give her another quick peck, truthfully all he wanted to do was kiss her instead he laughed nervously. He felt like an idiot, clearly unsure of what to say or do other than keep holding her tight simply because he wasn’t sure he could let go now. He’d envisioned himself being much smoother than he was right now but she always through him off his balance when no one else could. Try as he might to hate it, he had to admit that he loved being surprised by her. As he looked down at this girl - this spectacular girl who he had somehow had the good sense to get into trouble in Defence Against the Dark Arts - Wyatt felt sure that he could conjure a fully-fledged Patronus Charm of his own now. He didn’t think this was love, no, but this was the closest he’d ever been so far and to feel as if his affections returned instead of mocked or belittled like with ex-girlfriends or even platonic affection with his friends or sadly, how he felt his own family felt about him. Whether it was true or not for everyone else, he knew that with Marisol that even if this was the first and last time they would kiss she still cared for him in some huge way - that would be the only way she could take so much salt in his opinion of her so many years ago and how she would remember it for that long.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Now that Marisol knew what it was like to kiss Wyatt Finch, she didn't want to stop. It was as if she was trying to make up for all the time they had missed out on. She had always loved Wyatt, but she had never considered it to be more than platonic because Wyatt had never shown interest in that way. There was one time when Marisol thought she liked him back when they were much younger, but Wyatt was so uninterested, or probably just completely clueless, that Marisol had sufferingly gotten over it and accepted the next best thing, his friendship. And that had been absolutely more than enough for her. And for all the years following her brief crush on him, she thanked her lucky stars she had never acted on it because then she would've ruined their friendship and not have him in her life now. She knew from Wyatt's past relationships that either none of them lasted very long or they ended bitterly, and she would've hated to be just another one of those girls. But this - this was different and they both knew it. It was wonderful and exhilarating and downright frightening. Marisol worried about what this would mean, and how it would change things, and she wondered if she would end up being like every one of his ex-girlfriends, who practically burned holes in them whenever the two passed down the corridors; she didn't want to lose Wyatt that way.

But as they parted and he gave her a small peck, Marisol couldn't help but smile against his lips. As his hands wrapped tighter around her all her worries melted away; this felt right and she wasn't going to fight it. She reached up to kiss him again lightly, still not fully ready to stop doing that, just in case this was the last time they did kiss, and then rested her head on his shoulder, laughing lightly. There were a million things running through her mind and she didn't know what to begin with. More than anything she wanted to know what was going through his mind, and normally she was never afraid to ask. She and Wyatt never held back with each other, but this was new territory and she didn't know how to start. Instead, what came out of her mouth was, "Well now I know why your exes were always big on the PDA." It was not at all what she wanted to say first, but for some reason the dumb comment had slipped out anyway. She remembered when Wyatt had first started dating other girls and how annoyed she would get that the teenagers were always sucking face, but now that she got to kiss Wyatt, she could understand why they could never seem to get enough of the older Gryffindor. It was even funnier considering Wyatt used to think the idea of kissing was so disgusting before he had actually been kissed by a girl and discovered he was apparently a natural at it. Even now it never crossed her mind that his ex-girlfriends had been extra public about their relationship just to make Marisol jealous.

Thinking about all that made the werewolf laugh and she stepped back from him to put some space between them again. "I'm sorry I don't know why I said that," she said shaking her head laughing, still a little flustered by him. Marisol bit her lip and looked up at him, beaming with nervous excitement. She felt silly. It's like she was in limbo between friendship and something more and she absolutely hated that feeling. Marisol was the type of girl who liked to get answers and results right away. But with Wyatt all her usual idiosyncrasies usually went out the window.

 

[Wyatt Finch]

Wyatt practically snorted with laughter at what Marisol had said. It seemed they were both not nearly as smooth as they wanted to be. He had never told Mari but the truth was his exes respected that he didn’t like PDA when most people were around but with Marisol they seemed to “forget” that. He had suspected they were jealous and he understood it so he’d gone along with it because that was the path of least resistance and because making out was fun. He was hardly a saint so as they used him for their petty games he had been happy for it and maybe a little curious if Mari had been jealous as well. The girls he had dated weren’t stupid and could easily tell that he had feelings for his best friend on some level but were always so nervous about it when they needn’t be. Yes, he had feelings for her for some time but he would never cheat on anyone. Having been cheated on through an entire relationship he had it made him feel sick to imagine hurting someone the same way. He was just relieved his friends told him what they had seen otherwise he might never have known. Besides he always thought that if he and Mari were to date she would deserve a lot more respect than that - just as the other girls did too. Now though he wasn't sure he could pick them out of a line up entirely made up of his ex-girlfriends. He had barely been able to do it at the time he was dating them anyway as he was so focused on the safety of his friend. The truth was, though, it could even have been Asaiah who would be a werewolf and the majority of his attention would’ve been on him out of concern but then again Asaiah didn’t have pretty brown eyes he could get lost in and soft lips so the jealousy really wasn’t as unfounded as it could be.

Whilst ignoring her apology with a small nervous laugh, the boy took Marisol’s hand in his own he lead her to the couch. “Come?” he asked as he lead her to sit beside him instead of her laying on his lap, which he probably could not handle at this moment. That would probably cause a very embarrassing moment for the teen boy - he didn’t want to think about that at all. He sat down on the large red sofa and looked at the fire, thinking of how she had set it ablaze in their first year on a night mirroring this one - on the night she used for her Patronus memory. He thought of how she had somehow cheered him up every time he had doubted himself even if his frustration and self-doubt was silent in comparison to hers. He was quite a sad young man and while she had been a rather miserable girl because of her afflictions they somehow made each other happy. To give Mari the freedom to chose without any pressure about how comfortable she was, Wyatt slowly slid his fingers out from between hers and looked at her with a hopeful smile. "So... when I do my Patronus Charm it'll be way less exciting," he teased, a playful smirk on his lips. Wyatt didn't tell her that he felt certain that he could use this past moment as a memory to make a real, fully-fledged Patronus but he knew to try it later.

 

[Marisol Woods]

As soon as Wyatt led Marisol to the couch, the Gryffindor felt any awkwardness fade away as they returned to their usual habits. She sat beside Wyatt, leaning against him comfortably but not wanting to rest her head on his shoulder at the moment; she was content just feeling his body pressed warmly against her side. When he spoke again, Marisol looked over at him with an innocent smile and laughed at his response. "No way," she shook her head, "I'm pretty sure I just gave you plenty of exciting material to use," she said playfully, nudging him and sticking her tongue out. She didn't actually think that highly of herself, as if kissing her could possibly be the most exciting thing to happen to Wyatt. She was just used to always teasing and joking around with Wyatt, and she didn't think a kiss would change that about their friendship at all. But she did like the idea of possibly being the subject of Wyatt's first Patronus, given that it was pretty obvious he was the subject of hers.

Marisol looked down at their hands after Wyatt had untangled his fingers from hers and she thought again of graduation and the impending real world in which they would no longer be this available to each other in some sense. She looked up at him again with wide brown eyes and said, "Secretly I'm hoping you'll never have to use a Patronus though." She said it so softly it was nearly a whisper, but given how close her best friend was to her, she knew he heard her clearly. It wasn't even about her lycanthropy that she was worried about, though that posed a whole different set of threats. Certain people in the wizarding world had made it quite clear that "Mudbloods" such as themselves were still not welcome here, even if Wyatt was technically not Muggle-born and had only been raised as such. She had found out rather nastily that even Wyatt's "half blood" status was seen as traitorous and the things they said about his parents had shocked her so much she didn't even get angry, she just cried in frustration for him.

Which is why as much as she loved Wyatt, she sometimes feared what the world would treat them like outside of the safety of Hogwarts, with its professors here to put foul students in their place. Were they only biding their time until they could freely say what they thought without punishment in the real world? She knew early on that she had to start learning Defense Against the Dark Arts for her own personal safety that was at a higher risk than most student's, but she also knew Wyatt was just as adamant about DADA to help protect her as well. She hated that because him protecting her only made him a bigger target to get hurt as well. Still, this type of adversity is exactly what had brought she and Wyatt close together in the first place. They were both in the same boat, new to magic and navigating the wizarding world together, facing every obstacle together. She couldn't imagine him not being in her future fighting beside her. If he had to use a Patronus, she would be there to see it too. Trying not to think about the idea of the two of them getting in a duel, she had another, lighter thought. "I wonder what shape your Patronus would take," she said casually, cocking her head to the side in thought, as if she could figure it out herself. Hers was a wolf, which was self explanatory, but she wondered what Wyatt's would be. "I feel cheated out of mine! Like it was decided for me," she said, huffing and pouting slightly, but she laughed anyway. "Ooh, I wonder what mine would be if I wasn't a werewolf," she said curiously, her thoughts getting ahead of her. For a brief moment she tried to think of what she would want her Patronus to be if she had never been bitten, but her lycanthropy had become such a big part of her, that it was impossible for her to imagine what kind of person she'd be now, much less what kind of Patronus she'd produce instead.

 

[Wyatt Finch]

Marisol’s jokes made the boys cheeks redden a little. He nudged her back playfully before kissing her cheek affectionately. Although Wyatt had wanted to kiss Marisol for years he didn't know what was on the table and what was off so to keep it safe he settled with a peck on the cheek which was something he'd done before they'd actually kissed.

Wyatt really thought hard about kissing Marisol once more to try to quiet her fears for the future but he didn’t because he was just afraid for her as she was for him. While her particular condition created more stress than whatever blood status he was, he understood her fears. He felt them for his very own family, for his very own friends and sometimes he feared for himself too because his cousin had turned a leaf in the last several years. She spent more and more time with their grandfather, a man who had abandoned Wyatt’s father for being unable to do magic. If that was the price his father had paid as a child simply for being a pureblood without the ability to perform spells, then what was the price for someone who cared for werewolves, or for a muggle or a “mudblood”? Wyatt couldn’t pretend to understand these things so he often pretended not to be afraid of them instead. “I’ll be fine Mari. I promise,” he said, knowing he really couldn’t promise that but he was hopeful and that was the same thing with all this confusion. He hoped that Asaiah, as much as the two struggled sometimes, would be safe too.

As they both thought of the alternate reality to this one, an imagined one where he could cast a Patronus Charm and Marisol was not a werewolf, he wondered if he should tell his family what sort of trouble he could get himself into after leaving Hogwarts. If he should tell them to keep their heads down and away from any strange happenings because he couldn’t protect them all the time and the pair of them could hardly understand the truth of the magical world. Not with any sort of ease. He barely did. So to not worry himself about such dark things Wyatt shrugged, trying to not seem too curious although he was really keen to see what form his Patronus would be. “As long as it’s not a snake, I’m ok,” he said. He couldn’t stand the dirty, slithering creatures so he truly hoped he wouldn’t take that form with his Patronus. It was really lucky he wasn’t in Slytherin House for this reason too. He much preferred lions although sometimes he wasn’t sure he was as brave as everyone thought a Gryffindor ought to be. He didn’t think it would take that form but with his luck, it could very well be. “Please,” the seventh year said, playfully eyeing Marisol. “You’d probably have still been a wolf.” He laced his fingers in with hers affectionately as he explained himself listing it off, “You’re intelligent, mostly non-aggressive -“ Wyatt looked up at her and winked then continued, “you’re loyal and your hair is almost as good as mine.” Ending with a little joke he chuckled, knowing how sometimes he ruffled his hair more than a young man might have but it was his nervous habit which sometimes lead people to think he was way more into his hair than he really was.


Sorry I'm struggling with Wyatt right now!