Imagine a Life Exceeding Reality

I Want You to Have One Too ~Murphy McNully

 It was a Saturday, so naturally, I was not spending it studying, rather I was playing gobstones in the courtyard with Orion. Orion was a few years older than I was, a fellow Ravenclaw and chaser, my Quidditch captain, and the most philosophical person I had ever met. Although Orion was a naturally philosophical person, he did heighten those tendencies by getting high every once and awhile. Playing gobstones was one of those times. While I, myself, didn't smoke, I found Orion's vivification speeches and gobstone adages most enlightening.

"Yes, y/n. While all those around us are in chaos, we alone are at peace," he responded to me after I beat him at gobstones and proved that I was capable of being tranquil.

"Well, thanks for showing me that peace, Orion. This was a great match! You almost beat me this time!"

"We are all winners and losers in some way, y/n. We must only look into ourselves to find where we fit."

As I was trying to figure out what Orion was saying to me, Murphy McNully sped over in his wheelchair, shouting something about the statistics of finding me playing gobstones with Orion. Murphy was our Quidditch commentator, obsessed with statistics, and one of the funniest people I know, mainly because he is never actually trying to be funny.

"What's up Murph?"

"I was 97.8% certain I would find you here. Taking into consideration the fact that you could've been studying with Penny, but it was a Saturday and you very rarely study on Saturdays or the fact that you could've been practicing Quidditch with Skye, but if that were the case, I would've been there commentating so that had a very low probability and I suppose you could've been with Chiara or Tonks, so I guess I was actually only 90.3% sure, also taking in the fact that Bill is in the hospital wing, so you couldn't have been with him and-"

"Murphy?!?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you want something or did you come out here just to tell me how certain you were that you would find me here?"

"Right. I was wondering if you could meet me in the commentary box later tonight? Maybe after dinner? I have something to show you."

"Yeah sure Murphy. I promised Penny that I would return her potions book after dinner, but I'll meet you at the pitch afterwards."

"Great! I'm 100% positive that I'll see you later, then," Murphy replied and rolled away, smiling in excitement which he did not know I could see.

Later that evening, after I had had shepherd's pie, butterbeer, and pudding in the Great Hall for dinner, I met up with Penny outside of the Hufflepuff common room. She was waiting for me with a smirk on her face as I jogged over, holding out her borrowed potions book. "What are you smirking about, Penny?"

"Are you or are you not meeting up with the Murphy McNully in the commentary box in a few minutes?"

"Yeah I am, but what does that have to do with anything?" I raised an eyebrow as I handed her the textbook. "Thanks for the book by the way. I think I finally figured out what I was doing wrong with my fire protection potion."

"Yeah, yeah. No problem," she pushed off my gratitude, "The more important thing here is that Murphy asked to speak to you, alone, tonight."

"Penny, why is that important?"

"Oh, no reason, except that you two are going around the Hogwarts gossip chain as the most likely to get together before finals. And..." she exaggerated the last word, dragging it out, "I happen to know for a fact that you have a ginormous crush on the commentator."

"H-how would you know that?"

"y/n, I am like your best friend. I think I would be able to figure out that you like a guy when you literally cannot stop talking about him, staring at him, or literally cancel all of our plans to hang out with him," I could feel my face heating up. "Don't sweat it blue," Penny referenced her nickname for me based on the fact that I was in Ravenclaw, "I don't mind. Now, you might want to hurry or his certainty that you're coming is going to drop rather quickly." Penny laughed as I nodded and left to make my way towards the Quidditch pitch.

Sure enough, when I arrived, I could see Murphy in the commentator's box, but something seemed off. Instead of his usual self, reading a play book, he was rolling back and forth in his wheelchair and playing with his fingers, seemingly nervous. I ran to the dressing room, grabbed my comet, and flew up to the box to meet him. "Hey, Murph! What's up?"

Obviously startled, the blonde boy quickly turned around and stuttered, "y-y/n, hey! I-I'm glad you're h-here!"

"Are you okay, Murphy? You seem nervous. Is it about why you asked me to meet you here? Is something wrong?"

"No, no, no, no, no, of course not! I just don't seem to be able to calculate the statistics of how you're going to handle what I want to say to you."

"I'm sure everything will be just fine, McNully," his face lit up when I called him by his last name, "just go for it."

Murphy nodded and reached into his pocket, pulling out a golden snitch pin, identical to the one he wears every day. "Here," he handed it to me. "I want you to have one, too. I saw that you had a lot of matching things with your other friends, like the potion belt with Penny and Orion does your hair sometimes and you and Skye have matching hoodies and jackets and I really wanted us to match too because you're like my best friend and I really like you but if you don't want it that's fine too. I just thought that maybe, well, there was a 50% chance, and then it was a 70% chance, and then I thought it dropped to 2%, but I knew the percentage that I liked you would always be 100%, so I thought I would just go for it. Anyway, if you don't want it, you don't have to keep it and-" He was unable to continue his rambling because I leapt forward and enveloped him in a hug.

"Thank you so much, Murphy! I love it! I'm going to wear it everyday!" I said as I fastened the pin to my school shirt, letting the gold offset the blue and bronze of my tie. "And about the other thing," I paused as Murphy looked down, avoiding my eyes, "I like you, too, Murphy."

I could almost feel the excitement in him as his eyes lit up and his entire posture straightened. "Really? I didn't think you would, given, you know," he gestures towards his wheelchair.

"Murph, I don't care about that. I only care about you and your amazing personality. Your wheelchair doesn't bother me, and if it bothers anyone at all, they're just pathetic and self-centered because you are the most wonderful, energetic, and hilarious person I know, wheelchair or not."

I saw a look of calculation cross his face as he scrunched up his eyebrows and pursed his lips, "y/n, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow, as like a date?"

"I would love to, Murphy!"

A small smile graced his lips, "Good because there was a 30% chance that you would've said no. Oh, and please wear your pin. I want everyone to see that you're mine."

I laughed and nodded, not wanting to have it any other way.