Closed Shine Bright

[Diana Hollis]

Sharing meals with her boyfriend at the Slytherin table never got old to Diana. She had been immensely pleased when Edmund started joining her at her own house table, even if she got some strange looks from his twin brother over at the Ravenclaw table. A small part of her wondered why she still hadn’t been introduced to him, as it seemed like they were very close. But at the same time, she hadn’t exactly introduced Edmund to her own sisters yet either. Though she was thinking of asking Alice to hang out with them sometime. Her younger sister could be a pain, but she also got along with nearly everyone, and out of her sisters Diana was the closest to her. The only thing stopping her was the fact that Edmund would probably be kind of annoyed with her, and Diana didn’t want that to reflect badly on her.

The two had left the great hall, and Edmund had insisted on accompanying her to the common room. She left Domi behind in the entrance hall, not needing her to ruin this romantic moment between the two of them. They talked a little, about nothing in particular, and a few times she contemplated grabbing his hand and holding it. It wouldn’t be exactly new, they had done that before, but somehow she always felt a little nervous being the one to instigate. What if it made her look like she needed him more than he needed her? But that was silly. Hesitantly, she allowed their hands to brush against each other, and she glanced at him for a reaction. They were in the dungeons now, nearing the common room. There wouldn’t be that much time left if he didn’t get her hint. Something was strange about him, though. He looked really nervous about something. A thought occurred to her, and she quickly pulled her hand back. Was he nervous because he was going to break up with her?

 

[Edmund Westwick]

In what felt like no time at all, Edmund’s life had changed dramatically. It felt as though the Valentines Dance had been only days ago, and every time he looked at Diana it thrilled him over again that she was really his girlfriend. On the other hand, Edmund had barely spoken with his brother since their fight, and it felt like half of him had been severed. It was surreal, looking over his shoulder to make a comment and finding nobody there. He had hoped Theodore’s anger would abate by now, hoped one of both of them would swallow their pride and apologise, but as time went on it felt harder and harder, the gap between them felt bigger and bigger. He hadn’t even dared eat at the Ravenclaw table for days now, the silence and emptiness between them too painful to brave. It meant more time with Diana though, and Edmund had been trying to focus on that.

If he had been asked even six months ago, Edmund likely wouldn’t have said he was even capable of feeling for someone the way he felt for Diana. Just seeing her brought up depths of warmth Edmund had never realised existed in him. He had never expected a romantic relationship to be any kind of fulfilling, but every day they spent together was changing that more and more. It still made Edmund nervous though, just being around her, and today he was more nervous than usual. In all their time together, Edmund had never dared to ask Diana for a kiss, and he was starting to worry that she was getting impatient. What if his nervousness was ruining everything? Edmund didn’t know much about how to kiss someone, but he knew it could be done wrong, and he was terrified of making that mistake and upsetting Diana. Failing to do something so important would surely upset her as well though, and so Edmund had decided that today was the day to ask for a kiss. He was glad that they weren’t holding hands, trying to subtly wipe his sweaty hands on his pants without her noticing. As much as he could make it so, Edmund wanted everything to be perfect. He felt Diana’s hand bump his and glanced at her, wondering if she wanted to hold hands. She looked nervous too, and his heart raced, wondering if she knew what he was planning. Too nervous to make conversation, Edmund stayed quiet until they were approaching the Slytherin common room, slowing down in an area where he was sure they wouldn’t be disturbed. “Um… Diana?” He asked, trying and failing not to let his nerves show in his voice as he slowed to a stop, heart racing and palms caked with sweat.

 

[Diana Hollis]

The silence that fell between her and Edmund as they walked made Diana more nervous, as well as the fact that the boy made no move to hold her hand even though he had done so in the past. Was this really the end, then? But she didn’t want it to be yet. She liked Edmund a lot. The two had bonded over having a similar sense of humor, and making fun of a silly Hufflepuff first year who they had managed to trick. But somehow that connection had evolved and become something real. No longer did she like the idea of dating Edmund only because he was an older boy and she didn’t know any other second year girls with a boyfriend. She liked him because he was him, and because they always had a lot of fun together. Being with Edmund made Diana feel special, and the thought that that could end right here and now was really scary to her. When the boy slowed his pace, she slowed down with him even though her heart was starting to race. “Yes?” She asked him, trying her best to seem confident and charming all at once. Even if this was bad news, she wasn’t going to show him she cared.

 

[Edmund Westwick]

As she turned to face him, Edmund almost lost his nerve completely. Diana’s confidence shone through her, like an old fashioned movie star, and a part of Edmund that he usually tried his best to ignore kicked into high gear. Why was someone like her with someone like him? Surely she would lose interest soon. Diana could date any boy she liked, easily. The only thing that reassured Edmund in these times of insecurity was the thought that there couldn’t be many boys who would enjoy her twisted sense of humour. Nobody else could keep up with her the way he could. And Diana seemed to genuinely enjoy their time together. Surely things were fine. He tried to smile, but his face felt more uncomfortable making the gesture than usual. “I, um…” He started, wiping his palms on his trousers. “I… may I kiss you?” He asked nervously, none of the smoothness he had hoped for in his shaking voice.

 

[Diana Hollis]

Diana’s hands were hidden behind her back in case they betrayed her nerves as she looked at Edmund coolly, her eyes on his. He wasn’t very tall, even for an older boy, but he was still taller than her so she had to keep her chin angled up to look at him. He really was cute, and she found herself taking in the color of his eyes as she had many times so far. They were brown like her own, but she had to admit his were a much nicer shade. Even though a part of her wanted to avert her gaze, she didn’t, as she felt like that would be a sign of weakness. She was bracing herself for him to say something unpleasant, maybe even something horrible. He seemed so nervous, and the smile he gave her only made her more uneasy. But once Edmund finally managed to say what he wanted to, she was surprised and then immediately relieved. Why had she been so sure this would be the end? He liked her, a lot, clearly. He even wanted to kiss her! A grin spread over her face before she could stop herself, and she nodded quickly. “Yes.” She said, forgetting to conceal the eagerness in her voice. Immediately, she smoothed her face into something more refined. Trying her best to look very kissable. Should she do something else? Diana had never kissed anyone before, though Edmund didn’t necessarily need to know that. Still feigning confidence, she leaned in to kiss him, hoping he would meet her halfway and know what to do.

 

[Edmund Westwick]

Edmund felt like his heart was about to clamber up his throat and leap out his mouth. He didn’t think he had ever done anything so nerve-wracking in his whole life. Relief washed over him though, when he saw Diana smile and heard her answer. They both wanted this. It was happening. Now he just had to hope that kissing wasn’t as difficult or complicated as it seemed. Edmund took a deep breath when Diana leaned closer and leaned in too, flinching back quickly when his nose bumped into hers. “Sorry…” He said nervously, stomach twisting, but he quickly leaned back in, heart racing as he pressed his lips to Diana’s. It was only once they made contact that it really sank in that he had no idea what he was doing. Should he have closed his eyes? Should he be holding her hand? How did people move their lips when they kissed? Edmund tried to move his lips a little, shifting them back and forth, and it felt… nice, sort of. He was sure he wasn’t doing this exactly right, but certainly for a first attempt it was… decent, if nothing else. After a few moments of pressure Edmund pulled back, smiling nervously. “Was that… alright?”

 

[Diana Hollis]

Diana started to close her eyes when their noses collided, and she opened them again and quickly drew back. She let out a small nervous laugh as Edmund apologized, and shrugged. But before anything else could happen, his lips were on hers. It felt… funny. She quickly closed her eyes, because it was weird to look at him from this close up. The first thing she noticed once her eyes were closed was that his lips seemed a little chapped, and she tried desperately to focus on anything else because that really wasn’t what she wanted to take away from her first kiss. Edmund moved his lips against hers, and she wondered if she should be doing the same. Had he done this before? What if she was bad? It didn’t feel horrible, but she wasn’t sure if it felt very magical either. Not the way it always had seemed to her. But when Edmund pulled back, he looked nervous and she realized this had to be his first kiss too, they probably just had to practice more. She was sure she was blushing as she nodded. “It was nice.” She said, inwardly cringing at her words. Surely there were better things to say, but she really couldn’t think of anything.

 

[Edmund Westwick]

The nerves tensing Edmund's body and sending his heart fluttering felt at first as though they would never abate, but as Diana spoke it all washed away, a clumsy grin creeping onto Edmund's face instead. He wasn't under any delusions, it certainly hadn't been the best first kiss anyone had ever had, but it had really happened, and they were both happy about it. His heart still thumping, Edmund wiped his sweaty hand quickly on his trousers before reaching out and taking Diana's hand, lacing their fingers together shyly. "Um, I'll walk you back to your common room then..." He said nervously, still unable to wipe the smile from his face.

 

[Diana Hollis]

The grin that appeared on her boyfriend’s face made Diana grin back at him. It was so cute when he smiled, because it was clear he didn’t often do it. Making him smile like that made Diana feel special, and she knew their relationship was special too. They had now kissed, which meant she was probably the only girl in her year to have properly kissed a boy. She couldn’t really think of anyone else. But rather than think about how jealous she could make her friends, all she could focus on was that she and Edmund would have to go their own ways now. She wanted to spend more time with him. As their fingers entwined, she squeezed his hand slightly. His next suggestion made her a little sad because he couldn’t go into the common room with her, but it was also nice that he offered. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. “That would be wonderful.” She said sincerely. This moment was special, and she already knew she would think back on it often. Of course she would tell her friends she kissed her boyfriend, but the details of the moment would remain hers alone.