The Unknown of the Order (Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery

Dumbledore's Visit

"That works too," said Diego. "So, are you still mad at me?"

"No," said Sarah, sighing as the let go of the weight of anger. It was too tiring to hold onto it. "But I hope you understand why I was angry. If you had run into the Death Eaters, if they put you under the imperius curse or something, I'd have just told them all where to find us."

Diego gave her a cocky smile that would have infuriated her if she weren't so sleepy. "You were worried about me."

"Of course I was worried about you," she said in exasperation, trying to keep her voice low so as not to disturb the others. "You're my partner, and my friend. I'd never get over it if something happened to you."

Diego stepped forward, decreasing the space between them. "Do you want to know where I was?"

"I do."

"Alright, I took a walk. That's all."

"With a band of Death Eaters on your trail? Why?"

Diego picked up both of her hands, and stared down at them, not meeting her eyes. "Because I love you."

Sarah stared at him. Her heart seemed to have stopped beating. "What?" she whispered.

Diego's eyes met hers. "I love you, Sarah. I have almost from the moment I met you. But then, you started dating Barnaby, and I tried to move on. I never really did. When I saw you again in Diagon Alley, all those old feelings came flooding back to me. Then, we became partners, and I found myself falling deeper and deeper everyday." He swallowed, stroking her hand with his thumb. "I figured Barnaby was out of the picture. When you were so upset that he'd been kidnapped, I hoped it was just because he was still a good friend. I know how much you care about your friends. But then, at St. Mungo's, I saw how you really felt about him. It was too much for me to see the woman I love in the arms of someone else. So I left, to clear my head.

"There. Now you know."

"Diego," Sarah began, but she had no idea what to say. She had suspected that he had feelings for her, especially when he almost kissed her in front of Malfoy Manor, but she had no idea he felt this strongly.

"I know it's selfish," he continued, "but you know, it's not in my nature to give up. You and I make such an excellent team, Sarah. If you let me show you, I know you'd see that we're perfect for each other."

He sat down on the closest bed, pulling her gently down to sit with him. He leaned forward to brush his lips against her neck, just below her jaw.

"Diego," she tried to say firmly, but she still spoke in a whisper. He tried to continued to kiss her neck, but she held him back. "No."

He met her eyes. His were glossy. "Why? Because of him?"

She didn't have to ask who he meant. "Partly." She stood from the bed and walked to the door that led to the bathroom, her hand placed on the handle. "But with everything going on, I feel like romance should be the last thing on my mind. On anyone's. Let's just focus on keeping each other alive until we find a way to bring down You-Know-Who, alright?"

Diego didn't reply for a second; he stared at the wall behind her, thinking. "Do you really mean that? That you don't want romance with anyone? Or are you going back to him the first chance you get?"

"What difference does it make?"

Diego pushed himself up from the bed. "It makes a huge difference!" His volume had increased with his emotion, and Sarah placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. He grabbed the hand and held it in both of his own.

"For years at Hogwarts I had to watch you pine over someone who wasn't dedicated to you. I saw you fret over every dance and date, finally going with him at the last minute, usually because you were the one who asked. I saw him following Liz Tuttle, Merula, and Badeea Ali around when he should've been with you. I saw him accepting Valentine's cards from every girl at the school!"