FICLET: Of Hope (Zacharias/Marietta)
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rarepair_shortsTitle: Of Hope
Character Pairing: Zacharias/Marietta
Prompt: where the watermelons grow
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1304
Summary: They are lying in the grass just outside the castle, in the brief hour before the train leaves.
Author's Notes: The thirteenth (and final!) of the series.
Link to Prompt Table: http://briony-tallis.livejournal.com/77461.html
Marietta walks into the sixth year girls' dorm and stops short just over the threshold. Cho is alone inside, lying on her bed and writing something. She hasn't yet noticed Marietta's entrance; it's not too late for her to turn and walk back out. Marietta has been so careful lately not to get caught alone with Cho. It's so much easier being near her when there are other people around. But there's something odd about watching Cho like this, alone for the first time in weeks. Perhaps it's because the Ministry has finally accepted You-Know-Who's return, making all the doubts vanish and casting an air of grim certainty over the castle. Perhaps it's because finals are over, and Marietta is not exactly looking forward to going back home to her mother. Perhaps it's only that enough time has passed to heal whatever awkward anger existed between the two girls. Whatever the reason, Marietta walks further into the room and sits down gently on the edge of her bed. "Hi, Cho."
Cho looks up at her with shock in her eyes. Her face is just as beautiful in its simple grace, in its pale skin and pink lips. Marietta, however, only wonders where Cho's smile has gone. It's not the same anymore. "Marietta," she says coolly, nodding briefly. She hesitates, licking her lips. Marietta feels her heart skip a beat faintly, so faintly it is like watching it happen to somebody else. It doesn't feel the same anymore, either. "How are you?" Cho asks. Her gaze shifts subtly; there is hope in her eyes.
Marietta smiles. "I'm okay." It is not a fake smile. It is the smile of a woman slowly coming down to earth from some high and miserable rain cloud. It is the smile of a friend. "I am okay."
Cho's smile is warm and excited. "Oh, Mari, I'm so glad."
"I've been seeing Zacharias Smith," Marietta says quickly, letting the words tumble out before she changes her mind. Her smile widens as a memory comes back to her. It is from this morning, of Zacharias pulling on her hand. A brief moment between finals, where they shared an embrace before laughing together at some joke. Marietta thinks it was about how ridiculous it looks, the little first years with their legs dangling under the tables, stuffing their faces with pastries when there's a war on the horizon. But that's not a very funny image, really, when she stops to think about it.
Cho is not pleased by this news. "He isn't very nice," she says, her eyes sliding away from Marietta, as though afraid to speak her opinion.
"I know," Marietta replies. "It's rather refreshing, actually. He's very honest. The world needs a little more of that. You saw what happened when the Ministry tried to sugarcoat reality."
"That's not the same thing," Cho says, biting her lip.
Marietta opens her mouth to reply, but Cho moves toward her so suddenly it's startling. Cho sits up and swings her legs over the side of her bed, reaching out to touch Marietta's hands. They sit for a second, hands clasped, as Marietta struggles to categorize her feelings. It seems so important now, to make sense of every moment. Cho's hands are soft. Marietta sees Zacharias, grinning, in her mind's eye, and it calms her. She takes a deep breath.
"Listen," Cho says earnestly, her eyes wide and pleading. "I don't know what's happened between us, Mari. Can we be friends again? I miss you. I'll be nice to Zacharias, I promise."
"Were you angry with me?" Marietta asks. "When I betrayed you?"
Cho shrugs. "Disappointed," she replies. "But I know why you did it."
Marietta laughs. "No, you don't," she says, with a shake of her head. "But it's okay. I understand you." She does understand Cho. Cho Chang is a sweet young girl with an attraction to male heroes. And that's okay, too. Marietta will get over that. This whole thing, these past two years, have been a minefield for Marietta. She's getting to the end of that now. She's getting better at avoiding the lumps in the sand.
"Friends, then?" Cho asks. Marietta nods, and they giggle nervously together. "I'm glad," Cho says. Marietta is glad, too.
"Are you attracted to all girls, or was it only Cho?" Zacharias asks her later. They are lying in the grass just outside the castle, in the brief hour before the train leaves. The feast has come and gone, Dumbledore's words of caution already fading in their ears. Summer beckons, and they can't bear to think of such complicated things as war right now. They'd much rather laugh at clumsy Gryffindors and discuss Marietta's complicated sexuality.
"I don't know," she says. "I never really thought about it that way. Cho's just Cho. It's not about her being a girl." She smirks. "Are you attracted to all men, or was it only Cedric?"
He scowls. "You know it wasn't like that," he says, but she is laughing too loudly to hear him. It feels so good to laugh this way, in the grass, carefree and happy for the first time in ages. Cho Chang is speaking to her again, and Zacharias is holding her hand. Marietta is leaving Hogwarts, and not even the looming threat of her parents can ruin her mood right now. The year is over and she's alive. She's loved.
"I was going to suggest we meet up at some point during the break," Zacharias tells her, sitting up. He's got blades of grass caught in his nest of blond hair. "But not if you're going to be like this."
Marietta can hardly breathe; the sun is hot on her face. "Oh, please, rescue me from my mother," she says, clinging to his arm as he pulls her up off the ground.
"Oh, no," Zacharias replies. "I'm coming to you, not the other way around. The Smith family isn't made of roses, either, you know."
"Well, we can work that out later," Marietta decides, brushing the dirt off the back of her robes. "A safe haven in between, perhaps. Right now, I'm going to need your help packing. I've only barely started and we haven't got much time."
"I can't even get into Ravenclaw tower, never mind your dormitory," Zacharias claims. "Though really, I just don't want to help you pack. Really, hardly started? That is extremely irresponsible of you. Not at all proper Ravenclaw behavior. You don't want to look like a lazy Gryffindor, do you?"
Marietta mock glares at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "How rude you are," she says, "not even offering to help a lady. Then again, you don't want to look like a chivalrous Gryffindor, do you?" She grins.
"A fair Hufflepuff believes everyone ought to pack their own things," Zacharias states, grinning back at her. "I'll just wait outside your tower, shall I?"
"If you wish," Marietta says with a shrug. "I can just answer the riddle to get in for you, if you feel you're too simple to do it yourself."
Zacharias scowls at her, reaching out with both hands to madly ruffle her curls. "I am absolutely not simple," he shouts, as Marietta squeals and hurriedly swats his hands away. "I could answer any of your riddles, any day."
"You'll have to prove that," Marietta says with a snort, and she runs, laughing, to escape Zacharias's clutches.
It is true that they aren't living on some fantasy island, where nothing matters and Cho isn't beautiful anymore, where war never comes. There are no watermelons in the surf, no butterflies in her hair, no rainbows in the sky. But Zacharias makes Marietta happy, and with that, she has the hope to manage anything else the world would like to throw at her.
Character Pairing: Zacharias/Marietta
Prompt: where the watermelons grow
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1304
Summary: They are lying in the grass just outside the castle, in the brief hour before the train leaves.
Author's Notes: The thirteenth (and final!) of the series.
Link to Prompt Table: http://briony-tallis.livejournal.com/77461.html
Marietta walks into the sixth year girls' dorm and stops short just over the threshold. Cho is alone inside, lying on her bed and writing something. She hasn't yet noticed Marietta's entrance; it's not too late for her to turn and walk back out. Marietta has been so careful lately not to get caught alone with Cho. It's so much easier being near her when there are other people around. But there's something odd about watching Cho like this, alone for the first time in weeks. Perhaps it's because the Ministry has finally accepted You-Know-Who's return, making all the doubts vanish and casting an air of grim certainty over the castle. Perhaps it's because finals are over, and Marietta is not exactly looking forward to going back home to her mother. Perhaps it's only that enough time has passed to heal whatever awkward anger existed between the two girls. Whatever the reason, Marietta walks further into the room and sits down gently on the edge of her bed. "Hi, Cho."
Cho looks up at her with shock in her eyes. Her face is just as beautiful in its simple grace, in its pale skin and pink lips. Marietta, however, only wonders where Cho's smile has gone. It's not the same anymore. "Marietta," she says coolly, nodding briefly. She hesitates, licking her lips. Marietta feels her heart skip a beat faintly, so faintly it is like watching it happen to somebody else. It doesn't feel the same anymore, either. "How are you?" Cho asks. Her gaze shifts subtly; there is hope in her eyes.
Marietta smiles. "I'm okay." It is not a fake smile. It is the smile of a woman slowly coming down to earth from some high and miserable rain cloud. It is the smile of a friend. "I am okay."
Cho's smile is warm and excited. "Oh, Mari, I'm so glad."
"I've been seeing Zacharias Smith," Marietta says quickly, letting the words tumble out before she changes her mind. Her smile widens as a memory comes back to her. It is from this morning, of Zacharias pulling on her hand. A brief moment between finals, where they shared an embrace before laughing together at some joke. Marietta thinks it was about how ridiculous it looks, the little first years with their legs dangling under the tables, stuffing their faces with pastries when there's a war on the horizon. But that's not a very funny image, really, when she stops to think about it.
Cho is not pleased by this news. "He isn't very nice," she says, her eyes sliding away from Marietta, as though afraid to speak her opinion.
"I know," Marietta replies. "It's rather refreshing, actually. He's very honest. The world needs a little more of that. You saw what happened when the Ministry tried to sugarcoat reality."
"That's not the same thing," Cho says, biting her lip.
Marietta opens her mouth to reply, but Cho moves toward her so suddenly it's startling. Cho sits up and swings her legs over the side of her bed, reaching out to touch Marietta's hands. They sit for a second, hands clasped, as Marietta struggles to categorize her feelings. It seems so important now, to make sense of every moment. Cho's hands are soft. Marietta sees Zacharias, grinning, in her mind's eye, and it calms her. She takes a deep breath.
"Listen," Cho says earnestly, her eyes wide and pleading. "I don't know what's happened between us, Mari. Can we be friends again? I miss you. I'll be nice to Zacharias, I promise."
"Were you angry with me?" Marietta asks. "When I betrayed you?"
Cho shrugs. "Disappointed," she replies. "But I know why you did it."
Marietta laughs. "No, you don't," she says, with a shake of her head. "But it's okay. I understand you." She does understand Cho. Cho Chang is a sweet young girl with an attraction to male heroes. And that's okay, too. Marietta will get over that. This whole thing, these past two years, have been a minefield for Marietta. She's getting to the end of that now. She's getting better at avoiding the lumps in the sand.
"Friends, then?" Cho asks. Marietta nods, and they giggle nervously together. "I'm glad," Cho says. Marietta is glad, too.
"Are you attracted to all girls, or was it only Cho?" Zacharias asks her later. They are lying in the grass just outside the castle, in the brief hour before the train leaves. The feast has come and gone, Dumbledore's words of caution already fading in their ears. Summer beckons, and they can't bear to think of such complicated things as war right now. They'd much rather laugh at clumsy Gryffindors and discuss Marietta's complicated sexuality.
"I don't know," she says. "I never really thought about it that way. Cho's just Cho. It's not about her being a girl." She smirks. "Are you attracted to all men, or was it only Cedric?"
He scowls. "You know it wasn't like that," he says, but she is laughing too loudly to hear him. It feels so good to laugh this way, in the grass, carefree and happy for the first time in ages. Cho Chang is speaking to her again, and Zacharias is holding her hand. Marietta is leaving Hogwarts, and not even the looming threat of her parents can ruin her mood right now. The year is over and she's alive. She's loved.
"I was going to suggest we meet up at some point during the break," Zacharias tells her, sitting up. He's got blades of grass caught in his nest of blond hair. "But not if you're going to be like this."
Marietta can hardly breathe; the sun is hot on her face. "Oh, please, rescue me from my mother," she says, clinging to his arm as he pulls her up off the ground.
"Oh, no," Zacharias replies. "I'm coming to you, not the other way around. The Smith family isn't made of roses, either, you know."
"Well, we can work that out later," Marietta decides, brushing the dirt off the back of her robes. "A safe haven in between, perhaps. Right now, I'm going to need your help packing. I've only barely started and we haven't got much time."
"I can't even get into Ravenclaw tower, never mind your dormitory," Zacharias claims. "Though really, I just don't want to help you pack. Really, hardly started? That is extremely irresponsible of you. Not at all proper Ravenclaw behavior. You don't want to look like a lazy Gryffindor, do you?"
Marietta mock glares at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "How rude you are," she says, "not even offering to help a lady. Then again, you don't want to look like a chivalrous Gryffindor, do you?" She grins.
"A fair Hufflepuff believes everyone ought to pack their own things," Zacharias states, grinning back at her. "I'll just wait outside your tower, shall I?"
"If you wish," Marietta says with a shrug. "I can just answer the riddle to get in for you, if you feel you're too simple to do it yourself."
Zacharias scowls at her, reaching out with both hands to madly ruffle her curls. "I am absolutely not simple," he shouts, as Marietta squeals and hurriedly swats his hands away. "I could answer any of your riddles, any day."
"You'll have to prove that," Marietta says with a snort, and she runs, laughing, to escape Zacharias's clutches.
It is true that they aren't living on some fantasy island, where nothing matters and Cho isn't beautiful anymore, where war never comes. There are no watermelons in the surf, no butterflies in her hair, no rainbows in the sky. But Zacharias makes Marietta happy, and with that, she has the hope to manage anything else the world would like to throw at her.
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Date: 2012-01-11 06:00 pm (UTC)Aw, I'm so sad it's over. I hope you'll write them again someday. I want to see their summer vacation. *_*
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Date: 2012-01-11 06:24 pm (UTC)Thank you for reading all of these. You know, I really am happy to have you as a friend and reviewer. I like this pairing so much I think I will write them again someday. I have so many things I want to write!
Aw, poor Sirius. I didn't even think about mentioning that, I've blocked that terrible moment out of my mind, I guess.
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Date: 2012-01-11 06:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-13 02:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-13 04:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-14 02:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-14 03:43 am (UTC)