Again, Kingsley found himself seated at the Hog’s Head. However, this time he was not accompanied by Alastor Moody. He was spending his night off in the dirty little bar, simply hoping to meet up with Elysia again. He was acting like a fool, but he couldn’t stop himself.
Time passed slowly in the bar. He nursed his drinks, not wanting to get drunk, but not wanting to be tossed out either. If he left, he’d spend the whole night wondering if she’d came later. For his sanity, it was better to stay put. Wait it out.
He was counting the number of unexplained stains on the ceiling when she finally arrived. He nearly fell of his stool when he spotted her. As always, she looked beautiful. Her long hair lay untamed down her back. She was dressed in black robes, making her skin look white like porcelain.
Again, she was with Bellatrix. The two were in good spirits. Apparently, the fire had already been forgotten, and Elysia had forgiven her friend’s desire to let someone burn to death. Evidently, there wasn’t much Bellatrix could do to lose Elysia as a friend. This bothered him, but not enough to stay away. A field of dragons couldn’t have kept him away.
He watched as they sat down at the bar with their drinks. At first, everything was normal. They chatted and laughed. Kingsley grew doubtful that he would have a chance to approach Elysia alone. But then, Bellatrix spotted the Lestrange brothers across the room.
She pointed in their direction, and said something to Elysia.
Elysia shook her head. She seemed firm.
They argued for a few minutes. Finally, things settled. They hugged quickly and Bellatrix approached the men, leaving Elysia alone.
Kingsley smiled. This was his chance.
Jumping to his feet, he nearly knocked over the stool and spilled his drink. The barmaid gave him a strange look, but he blew it off. So what if they thought he was drunk. In a way, he was drunk. Drunk on the beauty that was Elysia Malfoy. He shook his head; he was beginning to sound like a cliché.
As he approached Elysia, he was surprised to realize that his nerves were fine. He felt no fear of rejection. All he wanted was to get closer to her. There was no price too great to pay for that honour.
“Good evening, Ms. Malfoy,” he said, smoothly, sitting beside her.
She turned to him and smiled. “Hello, Kingsley.”
He was lucky he was already sitting. Otherwise, he would’ve fallen for sure. She remembered his name. Elysia Malfoy knew who he was.
“I didn’t know if I would see you here again,” he continued, trying to sound composed, “especially with your current friends.”
“I didn’t know if I would come back either,” she replied, sipping her drink. He didn’t know what it was, but it smelled fruity. “The other night was horrific. And I assure you, the Lestrange brothers are not my friends. Unfortunately, they seem to be Bella’s.”
“I heard her that night,” he said, hoping he wasn’t overstepping. “She didn’t care if a Squib died. I’m surprised you continue to associate with her.”
Elysia smiled slightly. “Bella has been my best friend since before I can remember. We’ve done everything together. I love her. She’ll always be my friend. I just hope this Dark Lord stuff is a phase. I don’t know if I could watch her go through that.”
“You’re very loyal,” he replied, not knowing what else to say. He looked down at his drink.
“And yet they call me a Slytherin,” she replied.
He smiled.
“Thank you, again,” she replied. “You could’ve arrested us the other night.”
“Professionally speaking, I should have.”
“Why didn’t you?” She finished her drink and set it aside. For the first time, Kingsley had her undivided attention.
“Because I’m a sucker for a pretty face,” he said, grinning widely.
“Well, as it so happens, I’m a sucker for generous man,” she replied. “Would you like to take a walk? I really could use to get away from this dank pit. I wish Bella’s friends would meet her somewhere nicer.”
“I’d love to take a walk with you,” he replied. He was dumbfounded. She wanted to be alone with him. He had to be the luckiest wizard in the world.
“Perfect,” she replied, her sparkling smile spreading across her face. “I’ll just tell Bella we’re leaving and remind her not to get herself arrested or killed.”
He hated to say it, but felt compelled to. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay and keep an eye on her?”
“No,” Elysia replied. “I love Bella, but I can’t be around to baby-sit her all the time. She’ll be fine. Rodolphus is madly in love with her. He’ll make sure no real harm comes to her.”
She squeezed his hand and rushed over to Bella. He watched her. Bella appeared annoyed that she was leaving, but made no argument to stop her. Again, the two embraced and then Elysia returned to his side. They did seem to have a close friendship.
“Where to?” he asked as they approached the door.
“I know a place,” she replied. “It’s not far from here. You’ll love it.”
“All right.” He would’ve agreed to walk straight into the circle of hell if she were going with him.
The air outside was cold. Elysia shivered as they began to walk down the familiar street. Taking off his cloak, he draped it around her shoulders. She cuddled close to him, and he felt comfortable enough to leave his arm around her. He liked the feeling of her in his arms.
“Now, you’ll be cold,” she said.
“Not with you here,” he replied.
She laughed. “Glad I can serve as a space heater.”
He blushed, and was glad his skin tone hid such embarrassing reactions. Of course, she wouldn’t have seen in the darkness anyway.
“So why did you decide to become an Auror?” she asked, leading him towards a small path near the woods. He’d never noticed that before.
“To catch the bad guys, I suppose,” he replied. “I wanted to help the world. Make things better. I bet that sounds lame.”
“No,” she replied. “But it makes me wonder why you’re here with me. Am I not one of the bad guys?”
“Of course not,” he said quickly. “I’ve never heard a cruel word come from your mouth. I saw you fight with your best friend, trying to save a stranger that wasn’t even home. You are not a bad person, Elysia.”
“Maybe not,” she replied, “but I will always love Bella. No matter what she does, I’ll care about her. I can’t turn on her. We’re too close. That’s just something you need to know about me before we get involved. Can you handle that, Mr. Auror?”
Had anyone else said that to him, he would’ve questioned their character. How could someone standby someone else even if that person turned evil? But coming from Elysia, it only made her more attractive. Her loyalty was stronger than any he’d ever seen.
“I can,” he replied.
“Good,” she said, draping her arms around his chest, “cause I really am starting to like you.”
She led him up a hill. They weren’t talking anymore. They were both focused on walking. The path was not well worn. Rocks stuck out of the ground, assaulting their feet. He wondered why she wanted to walk up such an unbeaten path.
When they reached the top of the hill, he didn’t wonder anymore. They both collapsed staring out at the beauty. They had a perfect few of a starlit sky, and the lights from a Muggle village below it. The lights all seemed to twinkle like thousands of candles lit especially for them.
“This is brilliant,” Kingsley exclaimed. “How did you ever find it?”
“Bella and I found it one night,” she replied. “We were at the Hog’s Head and old Professor Slughorn walked in. We had to make ourselves disappear pretty quickly. We were rushing down the road, and Bella spotted this path. It’s been our secret place ever since.”
“But it’s not a secret anymore,” he told her. “I know about it.”
“I trust you,” she replied.
He smiled.
They cuddled close together and watched the lights. For a long time, they were content like that. Basking in the world’s beauty, there was no need for them to do anything else. In that moment, the world was perfect.
Elysia made the first move. She slid her head ever so slightly upwards until her lips touched his, and then she pulled him into a passionate embrace.
In that moment, the world was beyond perfect.