Do Eagles Really Mate for Life?

Chapter 12: Year Seven, Spring (updated: 09/10/22)

"Don't worry, bird boy, you aced your O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s, I'm sure you'll get accepted" you said as you reached across the table and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Thanks, gattina" he said, then he lifted your hand and kissed it.

***

The next day, after a particularly tough potions class, you returned to your room and threw yourself down on your bed. "Why did I decide to take N.E.W.T. level potions, Pluto?" Your cat jumped up on the bed next to you and started to purr. You looked over at your desk and noticed a message on your Talking Tablet.

*Meet me in the owlery at 7*

After dinner, you threw on your coat and scarf and headed across the castle grounds to the owlery. When you arrived, you saw Talbott sitting on your blanket, holding a letter in his hands.

"Is that it? Did you get accepted?" you asked excitedly.

"I haven't opened it yet. I was waiting for you." he replied.

You walked across the room and took a seat next to him. You put your hand on his knee and gently kissed him on the cheek. "Open it."

Talbott slowly opened the envelope and removed the letter. He read it to himself, then turned to you and smiled.

"You did it?" you asked. "You're gonna become an auror?"

"Yes" he said, then he dropped the letter, put both of his hands on your cheeks, and kissed you. As he pulled away you noticed a small pink stone hanging from his necklace, right next to his mother's feather. When Talbott noticed your gaze, he said "I wanted to keep it near me, always, so I had a clasp added." You smiled and kissed him gently.

***

The year started winding down quickly now, there was only one more week before you graduated Hogwarts. Penny asked to meet you in the west corridor before dinner. You opened the door and saw Penny sitting on one of the benches, "Is everything ok, Penny?"

"Yes... I just had a crazy idea and wanted to ask you what you thought about it."

"Um... ok... what's your crazy idea?"

"You should move down to Cornwall with me! I know you said you were gonna look for a temporary job while trying to make it as a writer, well there are a bunch of shops in Tinworth you could work at and Wizarding World News has a local office there. You can apply to work there! Plus, I don't want to move down to Cornwall by myself. It'll be so much more fun if you come with me!"

"Wow, Pen."

"I know it's a lot to process, just think about it and let me know! But I hope you'll say yes, things won't be the same if I can't see my best friend every day!"

That evening you laid in bed thinking about all of your options. Talbott would be moving to London, but he'd be studying and training for long hours. Penny would be moving down to Cornwall to be a potioneer and it would be fun to live with your best friend. You also thought about just moving home and staying with your parents until you decided what to do next. What am I going to do?

The following morning you met Penny in your shared herbology class and whispered, "Let's do it."

"Really?" she squealed "I found the cutest little cottage right near the centre of town. And don't worry, there is a train direct to London, so you can visit Talbott any time you want. This is going to be so much fun!"

Talbott... How am I going to tell him? He'll be in London, I'll be in Cornwall. I thought summers apart were hard, but this isn't just a summer, this is forever. Can we survive a long distance relationship? 

***

You finished the last week of school and were packing your belongings into your trunk. You were almost finished when you decided to take a little break. You sat on the end of your bed and picked up your Talking Tablet. *Talbott, can we talk?* You tapped three times and waited for his response.

*Of course. When? Where?*

*Tonight, 8 pm, the owlery.*

*See you then.*

You spent the rest of the afternoon packing the last of your items in your trunk and you tried to prepare exactly what you were going to say to Talbott.

"Is everything ok?" Talbott asked when he entered the owlery. Damn, why does he look especially handsome tonight?

You were sitting on the blanket you and Talbott had hidden in the owlery, staring at a small burn mark from the time Talbott accidentally kicked over a candle when the two of you were snogging. "Yeah, everything is fine" you said, your voice a little melancholy. Talbott sat down next to you and placed a sweet kiss on your cheek. "I've been thinking about the future."

"That sounds ominous." Talbott said with a little laugh.

"It's just, Penny and I are headed down to Cornwall and you're going to be training as an auror in London."

"And?" he looked a bit confused.

"Tal, I'm so excited for you, you've wanted to become an auror for as long as I've known you. And now you're gonna move to London. You're gonna be in auror training for three years and studying and training for long hours. And I'm, well, I don't know what I'll be doing quite yet, but I'll be in Cornwall trying to make it as a writer."

"You want to break up."

"No, I definitely do not  want to break up with you, I love you, Talbott. But... I'm just not sure how this is going to work. At least, not right now."

"So we're not breaking up, but we're not going to be together either?" He seemed to understand exactly what you were thinking, which made things even more heartbreaking.

"I... uh... I think so." you said and a single tear rolled down your cheek. Talbott wiped the tear away and pulled you against his side tightly. "Can we stay here, just for a little while longer?"

"We can stay as long as you want, gattina," he said and he kissed the top of your head.

***

The following morning you awoke and noticed that Talbott's arm was wrapped around you. The two of you had fallen asleep in the owlery. Talbott had placed his coat over the two of you like a blanket and his body was pressed up against yours for warmth.

"Good morning" he said and he kissed you on the cheek. "Is that ok, that I just kissed you?"

You kissed him sweetly on the lips and said, "always." You rubbed the sleep from your eyes and said, "I think we should head back to our dorms, we only have a few hours left before we need to catch the train."

The two of you left the owlery and walked back to the castle holding hands. What would the future hold for you, you weren't sure, but you knew for now you and Talbott were going to be walking different paths.