Cutting through the drizzly Transfiguration courtyard, Emilia ducked into the Defense tower doors and looked left, letting out a little relieved sigh as she caught sight of a familiar blond reading a book.
Emilia approached, calling out, "Ominis! It's Emilia, your potions pa-"
The rest died in Emilia's throat as a tan Slytherin girl glanced up from her book, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Who on earth are you?" she said.
Emilia fidgeted. Now that she was looking at her, she and Ominis looked absolutely nothing alike besides hair color; the shoulder-length curls should've been a red flag. Emilia cursed her inability to tell faces apart.
"I'm so sorry- I thought you were... I mean, you're friends with Ominis, right?"
The girl shut her book with one hand and stood, never taking her eyes off Emilia. "That I am," she said flatly. She went silent, obviously waiting for Emilia to pick up the conversation again.
Emilia was formulating her most painless exit strategy before something clicked in the back of her mind. "Oh, wait- you're Gianna! Amit's potions partner?"
Gianna seemed genuinely caught off guard by that. The gears in her head seemed to turn until a sense of realization brightened her eyes, and she visibly relaxed because of it.
"I see. You're that little Hufflepuff he's always getting distracted by."
A spark of happiness lit up Emilia's whole body, and her face began heating rapidly along a bashful smile. She'd never imagined that someone might be... distracted by her.
"...What... do you mean by that?" she asked in a sheepish voice.
Gianna smirked slightly. "I don't mean anything. Perhaps you ought to ask him."
Emilia considered the girl's words with a growing sense of resoluteness. She thanked her heartily before spinning around and running back the way she'd come, weaving around Ominis.
"Who was that?" Ominis asked, sitting next to Gianna.
"Your potions buddy," Gianna teased. Ominis laughed softly, shrugging as if slightly embarrassed. Warming, Gianna's gaze lingered on Ominis a while longer, wondering silently at the flare of jealousy she'd felt over him.
Emilia sat back on the bench, absorbing the birdsong and staring out across the dusk sky and the distant Black Lake. The day had been blissfully sunny, warm enough to melt the sleet and to negate the need for a jacket. A small flower had pushed itself from the cold earth, prospecting the beginning of spring.
"Emilia?"
Emilia swung her legs over the bench, rising to greet Amit. She had spent hours plotting how exactly she would deliver her speech to him, but all that planning drained away as she caught sight of him. His simple blue waistcoat with loosened white sleeves and tan corduroys was standard fare for his style, but her eye was caught by his only accessory, softly draped across his shoulders.
"You've still got my scarf."
Amit glanced at the scarf as if he'd forgotten it was there. He looked at her again, a small shine to his brown eyes.
"Of course."
Emilia simply felt breathless. Even now, he still managed to send the rush of butterflies to her heart.
Plan completely derailed, Emilia sank to sit on the bench once again, resting her head in her hands. She heard Amit slowly approach her and sit beside her, allowing her silence to stretch. It was awkward, but Emilia appreciated his insight.
Finally, Emilia straightened with a deep breath.
"Why were you avoiding me?" she said.
Amit looked into the distance. "Because- you were... I was being a coward. I have no excuse. I'm truly sorry."
Emilia supposed that was a fine apology, but... something inside her still felt unfulfilled. Nevertheless, she smiled and scooted slightly closer to Amit. "That's alright."
"No, you don't have to say that- in fact, please don't say that, and please don't get so close, I'm feeling a little woozy right now and I don't want to lose my train of thought..." Amit rambled, pressing his hands against his temples and squeezing his eyes shut. Despite herself, Emilia began to laugh, and found she could not stop.
Amit opened his eyes, his strange wobbly smile starting to show again as he watched Emilia giggle herself red.
Clearing her throat, Emilia placed a hand absentmindedly on Amit's shoulder. "Stop- don't make me laugh, I had something to say!"
"I'm sorry," Amit said. Wrapping her hand in his own, he gently removed it from his shoulder and guided it to the space between them.
"Don't be sorry, I'm glad to talk to you again." Emilia met Amit's gaze in earnest, but the warmth she saw in his soft brown eyes caused that sense of something unfulfilled within her to reopen. Smile diminishing, she looked away, hair veiling her eyes as she took a hollowing sigh.
"That's all that matters to me. I promise, it's okay that you don't feel the same," she began, though she was absolutely lying through her teeth; "I just hope we can stay friends, because... well, because I missed talking to you, Amit."
There. The tough bit was out now. She held her breath, waiting for the response.
She heard Amit breathe a long, mournful sigh. Her heart twisted.
"Oh, Mia... I'm so sorry for breaking your heart."
Emilia felt a trace on her cheek just before Amit tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing her face to him. It was the gentlest show of affection Amit had ever given her, and her cheeks turned embarrassingly red as she looked to him out of the corner of her eye.
"And, for making you believe I did not love you. Because I do. ...Love you. I love you, Mia. And I have for quite some time."
A wave of emotions crashed over Emilia, overstimulating her with conflicting desires. She placed a hand to her cheek as her face burned even hotter; giddy happiness along with screaming confusion strangled every thought she could string together.
"Then what..." Emilia finally choked out, waving her arm around in vague directions to indicate everything. Amit waited patiently, dreamily aware of her hand still laced in his own, as she attempted to speak.
"...How long?" she finally asked, unsure of where on earth else she should start.
Amit squirmed. "Um... since... you expressed an interest in Gobbledegook."
Emilia had to take a moment to process this.
"...You mean- in Potions? As in, the first time we met?" Emilia asked, incredulous.
Amit started to mumble. "Well, I would hardly call what I felt then love, as a romantic connection should... truly be based off of mutual connection and built over time- you know, that is what always bothered me about all the fairy tales one is read as a child, because there simply is no such thing as love at first sight. That is to say, ah, I... certainly cannot deny that when we met I felt entranc- er, I mean, you... were very pretty that day- and you're pretty every other day as well...! Oh, Merlin, Mia, I have no idea what I was going to say!" he finished, giving a halfhearted laugh.
Emilia was certain no one had ever said anything to make her feel more special.
She angled her body towards Amit, knocking her knee with his. Even such a small act of closeness seemed to catch him off guard, and it touched her to see him so flustered on her behalf.
"I'd been worrying that we'd never speak to each other again," she mused, leaning forward.
Amit felt his pulse quicken and ducked his head slightly. "I doubt I'd ever find someone... who hears me as much as you."
"Yes... you love to talk to me, and I love to listen to you." She touched a gentle hand to his cheek, lifting his face to her level.
"I'm so happy we found each other."
The last shimmers of sunlight gleamed their last; and as the first star appeared in the dusk, Emilia guided her beloved's lips toward her own, pressing them together in a storybook moment the two had dreamed of for ages.
After a soft second, the sudden bloom of a gigantic smile on Emilia's face broke the kiss. She buried her face in Amit's shoulder, giggling uncontrollably as she clenched his scarf for stability. Amit too could not stop from laughing, and wrapped his arms around Emilia's shoulders as he rested his cheek on her head.
Cupping his cheeks in her hands, Emilia peppered kisses all over Amit's face, indulging in the red hot blush she had gotten to spread all over his face.
"Mia..." he said, slightly overwhelmed at the wave of affection.
"Amit...?" Emilia responded playfully, cocking her head to catch Amit's downcast gaze, watching the gears turn in his head.
Gently lacing his hand in hers, Amit lifted Emilia to stand with him. "Walk with me?"
"Of course. I suppose we should be heading back, right?"
Amit shifted. "Well... if you don't mind, it's such a beautiful night for stargazing... and I know such a perfect spot not too far from here."
Emilia felt a wash of serenity over her as she moved to be closer with the boy.
"Lead the way."