IT IS AT THIS POINT that the writer lets out a knowing sigh, replacing her old sheet of paper with a new one.

If it were up to her, Ophelia would go up to the Astronomy tower and kill herself because the writer does not like her.

But unfortunately, that is not what happened. 

The writer thinks that the readers can predict what happens next, as it is extremely cliché and cringe, like all the romance novels on the planet.

Ophelia goes up to the Astronomy tower, but she is not alone.

The writer is willing to bet one million bucks Theo would be there.

It is to no one's surprise, that the writer is correct in administering that fact.

Indeed, when Ophelia reached the top of the tower, she went through no difficulty in recognizing Theo, who was seated on the wooden floor, leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette.

It was dark, the sun had already set, and the moon was out, casting a dull glow on half of Theo's face. Even in the feeble illumination that the moon bestowed, she could see the dark, drying blood that contrasted against his skin.

She didn't announce her presence right away, she stood where she was, a few feet away from him, her gray eyes transfixed on his figure. He looked really, really hurt, and Ophelia couldn't stop staring at the bruises that began to form all over his bloody face.

The cigarette dangled from his fingers loosely, as if he would hold it properly, the bruises on his knuckles would hurt too much. Clouds of smoke left his parted lips, and his eyes were closed slightly. 

Ophelia could never tolerate the smell of cigarette smoke, but now, she was getting accustomed to it the more time she spent with Theo. In fact, she had grown to sort of like the smell.

"You need to go to the hospital wing," she commented, stepping into the light so his eyes fell on her.

Theo let out a dry chuckle. "Been stalking me, Principessa?"

She shook her head, taking a step closer to him.

"Then how'd you know where to find me?" Theo took a long drag of his cigarette.

Ophelia shrugged slightly. "I didn't. I was going to come here for a little fresh air..."

"Are you okay?" Theo asked her tenderly, his dark blue eyes focused on every little movement she made in order to settle down beside him. "You look upset."

That was all it took for Ophelia to move from her place and sit directly in front of Theo, making sure she was the only thing in front of him. 

"What did you mean?" she asked, her gray eyes demanding answers.

"What did I mean when?" Theo asked, utterly confused, bringing her closer to himself by placing his bruised fingers on her thighs and pulling her towards him.

"Upstairs. What were you and Draco talking about?" she asked again, gently reaching forward to grab his left hand and examine the injuries underneath the light of the moon. "What does Draco not want me finding out?"

Theo sighed softly, leaning his head backwards on the wall for a brief second. "Maybe you should ask your brother about this..." he murmured softly, putting out the end of his cigarette and tossing it off the edge of the tower lazily. "I.. I don't think I'm the right person..."

"I already asked him about it, he wouldn't answer me," she replied, using her wand to create little fireflies that bestowed light on the couple.

"Lia," Theo sighed again, his less injured hand digging into his pocket for his lighter as he placed another cigarette between his lips. "Drop it, love. It doesn't matter. It happened a while back."

One thing about Ophelia was that she was very stubborn. She would not stop until she got what she wanted, and Theo knew it.

She picked the lit cigarette from between his lips and pressed it to her own.

"Don't you dare," Theo growled, his eyes narrowed. "Put that out, Lia. I won't have you getting addicted."

The blonde stared back at him with defiance in her eyes, refusing to cooperate with him. She wanted her answers first. "Fine, then tell me what you and Draco meant," she threatened to put the cigarette between her lips once more, a completely serious expression on her face. 

"Give that to me, love," Theo gently reached for the cigarette. "It's not good for you."

Reluctantly, she allowed him to take it. Realistically, she never wanted to smoke, she was just pretending so Theo would tell her what she wanted to hear.

"Theo," she murmured softly, a frustrated sigh leaving her, her eyes landing on the way Theo's lips closed around the death stick. "I need to know."

Theo knew at that moment that he was well and truly fucked. She was the most stubborn, manipulative girl he had ever seen, but God, he wouldn't change that part of her for all the money in the world. Theo loved her in her entirety. All her imperfections, her faults and flaws.

"I'll tell you," he finally conceded, taking in a long drag of his fag. His eyes softened when they looked into hers, concerned for her because he knew that this information would affect her.

Negative or positive, he could not determine that now. 

That was fate's job to figure out.

"Draco and I made a pact when we were in first year," he murmured, his voice barely audible as his Adam's apple bobbed nervously in his throat.

 Each swallow felt like a struggle, thick and heavy, causing him to wrestle with the storm of thoughts swirling in his mind. Doubt gnawed at him, contemplating whether or not this was a good idea, or whether or not he was the right person to tell her this.

Ophelia's breath hitched, and her eyes widened slightly. She could feel her fingers tingling with adrenaline that danced vociferously amidst her blood, and at the same time, she could feel her body lose all weight.

Her lungs suddenly stopped working, and instead of processing oxygen, they decided to process Theo's words, which made her tremble slightly, as all her emotions were replaced with naught but apprehension and fear.

Because she knew.

She knew that this was the missing piece, the final shard of glass in the magical mirror of her past.

This was the answer to the question that tortured the rest of her thoughts during some of the nights she couldn't sleep.

This was the answer to that night in the Astronomy tower last year, when Theo had kissed her, what had he meant by 'I can't do this anymore'?

This was the story of what happened to her prince.

And she followed Theo's story, about how he had first fallen in love with her when she was three years old, and he was four.

And about how he already knew he wanted to marry her by the age of seven.

And how he had written a letter to her, but Draco had found out, made him swear to hide his feelings for her and replace them with hate in the worst way.

He told her about how he was young and stupid and swore on his dead mother's grave that he would make her hate him.

And she listened.

She listened to the way he had bullied her and abused her every time he saw her, never once suspecting that her brother was behind all of it just because he was jealous of her.

And slowly, the more she listened to him speak, the more everything seemed to make sense.

And finally, Theo told her about how he noticed Draco becoming more protective of his sister, and he was filled with hope. 

That perhaps Draco would maybe, just maybe finally be somewhat okay with Theo's feelings for his little sister.

Ophelia was silent for a moment, tears balancing in her eyes, precariously pirouetting on the waterline of her eyes, threatening to topple over the rim of her eyes and spill gracefully down her cheeks.

Theo instantly noticed the way her lower lip trembled slightly, and the way she pretended his words hadn't affected her, but she was actually on the verge of crying. He knew he had to tread carefully.

"Come here," he tenderly patted his thigh, his thumb gently brushing against her cheek.

She glanced at where his fingers tapped his upper leg and shook her head, knowing that he was injured. She didn't want to hurt him more than he already was.

Theo forcefully pulled her closer to himself, making sure he was in a position where his arms could wrap around her tightly, yet still see her face.

"I'm so sorry, Principessa," he sighed softly, his tender words the sweet caress of the bee that gently hovered over its beloved flower. "I never wanted to hurt you, to be the reason for your tears, to be the reason for your depression in your younger years..."

Ophelia had now taken in her lower lip between her teeth, and was biting it so furiously that the skin would break and she would begin to bleed any moment.

She didn't trust herself to speak, not yet. 

"I'm so, so fucking sorry," Theo breathed, his arms tightening around her tightly. "I love you, baby. You know I do. Hurting you was the most painful thing I've ever gone through..."

Indeed, whenever he hurt Lia, and he would read the emotion on her face that she tried so hard to mask, whenever he would see the tears on her face, and know he was the reason for them, it broke him internally.

It was more painful than the whiplashes his father used to gift him.

She nodded once, her hand gently squeezing his fingers, wordlessly telling him she understood, she forgave him.

She had forgiven him a long time ago.

But that wasn't enough for Theo. He had one more thing to get off his chest.

"Lia," he threw the remnants of his cigarette off the edge of the tower, before tilting her face up and getting him to look at her. "There's one more thing I need to tell you."

"Sure," she rasped, swallowing a huge gulp of air, bracing herself for what else her boyfriend would reveal.

Theo dug into the left, inner pocket of his robes, taking out a crumpled piece of parchment from within. 

He straightened it, and the Malfoy heiress noticed a line of spellotape going directly from top to bottom.

"This is for you," he handed it to her. "It was supposed to reach you on November the thirtieth, nineteen ninety one, but there were some... complications."

Ophelia's eyes fell on the words that rested on the parchment.

Dear Ophelia,

Thank you for your last letter. How are your piano lessons going? Is your tutor nice?

Hogwarts is alright. There's so much homework. It would have been more fun with you.

I can't wait to see you at Christmas. I really miss you.

I also wanted to tell you something. I know your father would kill me if he read this, so please don't show it to him or keep it in a place where anyone can find it.

Someday, I'd like to marry you.

When I'm older.

I don't know if you feel the same, but I thought you should know.

I love your pretty eyes, and your smile. And I like how I can tell you anything. I sometimes think I'm too young to know what love feels like, but I know this:

I love you.

And I hope you feel the same.

Love, Theo.

"Oh my God," she murmured. This was the last straw, this was all it took for the tears to break free from the confines of her eyes and slide down her cheeks, her hand clapped tightly over her mouth as she read.

He wrote this when he was eleven.

He's been carrying this all this time.

She could feel the sudden revelation shock her entire being. It was as if she was in the middle of the sea, in a small boat, on a stormy night and she had been struck by a deadly bolt of lightning that set her body and soul alight.

Every cell, every inch of her being felt like it was on fire.

For so many days and months, she had wondered what had changed to make Theo hate her, she had pondered over what had happened to her Theo. And now that all of this was finally in the open, she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with the revelation that he had been in love with her for more than a decade.

He was showing her his vulnerabilities, the deepest parts of his soul. 

There was one line that stood out.

Someday I'd like to marry you.

To have so much to say, to have such strong feelings, and having to hide it... She knew what it felt like.

In this case, words were not enough. And even if she could gather the sufficient words to convey what she was feeling, it would still never be enough.

She brought him into her embrace, forming a loving cocoon around him, tightly winding her arms around every part of him that she could reach.

All at once, she could feel the weight of the night's confessions and secret utterances settling down on them, forging a strong bond between the two, rekindling their flame.

It used to be a small flame, back when they were kids, and it had been blown off. The match had remained nothing but a glowing splint that slowly began to die, until it had found a way to burn once more.

 Only this time, the flame was bigger and brighter. 

Her tears landed on his bloodied shirt, which instantly soaked them up and let them burn into Theo's skin, a testament to the inexplicable rush of emotional intensity that had trapped the two lovers into its cage.

"Shh, Lia, don't cry," he breathed. "Fuck—"

But Theo's words were naught, for his eyes watered, and silent tears slid down his cheeks, tears he had no intention of her ever seeing.

But Ophelia knew. It was clairvoyant. 

She knew he was trying to protect his masculinity when he persisted to hide his face from her after she had tried to get him to look at her.

And somehow, despite being the most stubborn and persistent person on the planet, she knew when to let it go, and when to remain silent.

Her arms only tightened around him, her right cheek pressed tightly into his left one, and she could feel him trembling with vulnerability after he shared the burden of his secrets with her. The piece of parchment he had given her lay tightly crumpled up in her palm, the words written on them far more valuable to her than anything riches could buy.

It was a funny thing, how Ophelia didn't carefully pick and choose her next words. What she said next was natural, almost instinctual, response, one she had no power over.

Because if she had consciously known what she were about to say, she would have hesitated and thought it over.

But it felt right, where both childhood lovers held each other beneath the moonlight, holding each other like the world was burning up in flames around them.

"Theo, I love you," she breathed almost inaudibly, her lips a few mere millimeters away from his ear, without second thought of what she had said.

Because this was how confessions of true love were supposed to be. Almost instinctual, like they were spoken without thought, without the intention of waiting for a response to them.

And she wasn't even aware of what she had said until Theo pulled away from the embrace and looked into her eyes, uncaring that she would see the tears in his eyes.

That was when she realized what she said. 

"Theo, I—"

But Theo didn't wait for her to say anything. Instead, he brought his bruised and bloodied lips down to meet hers, his lips brushing against hers ever so gently, as if she were the injured one and he was afraid to hurt her.

"Lia, I love you," he whispered, the gentle caress of his voice sending a tiny vibration through her lips.

Then, he kissed her forehead like she was a princess, and he was a mere noble who was unworthy of her love and attentions.

"Theo," Ophelia whispered softly, gently holding his hand, stopping his movements. "I... uhm— Draco... Draco said you'd break my heart..."

She needed to tell him what Draco had told her, she needed to confirm that she wouldn't get her heart broken by him, because words tended to have that effect on humans.

They were the water to the seed of doubt. And if she wouldn't tell Theo this, she would never be able to trust him fully.

Theo's lips curl into a gentle smile at her words, as if knowing what she was hinting at. "Never," he promised. "I promise."

"But.. but what about all those other girls?" she asked softly, afraid to hear the answer, hovering on the precipice of his temporary silence.

"What other girls?" Theo asked with a tiny smirk, wondering if this was jealousy he was seeing in his girl.

"You know... those girls..." Ophelia elaborated, unsure of how to address these girls when talking about them.

"My exes?" he asked, lighting his third cigarette in a row. "They don't matter."

"But you broke their hearts, how am I to know you wouldn't do—" Ophelia was telling her boyfriend her fears, only for him to interrupt her by blowing smoke into her parted lips and chuckling dryly and her confused and shocked expression.

"They don't matter," Theo clarified, punctuating every word of his with a drag of his cancer stick. "You know why?"

She shook her head.

"Because they're not you. I told you, you're the only girl I've ever loved. I just... See, I needed—" He broke off, sighing, before he took a drag of his cigarette and blew the smoke it away from her. "I needed a distraction from you." 

He watched her expression go from confused to slightly flustered, taking note of the slight pink color that dusted across her cheeks and had the sudden urge to say something to change pink into red.

"Vedi, Principessa," he began in Italian, forgetting she did not understand his mother tongue. "With every fucking year that passed, you grew fucking prettier and prettier, and I couldn't fucking think about any other fucking thing but you. You drove me fucking insane. Mi capisci?"

Ophelia did not understand Italian, but she understood what he meant. She could feel the red color burn across her cheeks at his words, which stirred up and internal fire in her body.

"I asked you a question," Theo demanded, his hand slowly moving to gently hold her neck and direct her gaze directly into his. "Rispondimi, dolcezza."

Once again, he spoke in Italian, the fact that she couldn't understand him slipping from his consciousness.

Ophelia, who couldn't control what she said, accidentally spoke in French. "Je ne de comprends pas," she quickly blurted, before he could say anything else.

Theo let out a soft chuckle at her behavior, no doubt finding it the most adorable thing he had ever seen.

"You never fail to amuse me, Princess," he murmured softly, reaching forward to press a kiss to her nose.

He tossed the cigarette butt over the railing of the tower before standing up and wincing. Pain shot through him in ten different areas, but at least his heart was safe.

Because it belonged to Ophelia.

{ AAAAHHH THIS CHAPTER!!! can i just say i LOVED it?! i do hope i haven't left any typos or mistakes or things that sound awkward, do let me know as it is not proofread.
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jasmine.
xoxo. }

{ SEP 29. 2024 }