She was so beautiful that it made his heart ache.
Albus tried not to stare as Anna Samuels waved at him from across the lobby, moving around the guests as she made her way towards where he was standing. She was wearing dress robes in a lovely shade of emerald green, and her curly auburn hair was pulled back into a bun. As she hurried up to him, Anna’s face broke out into a radiant grin.
Then she tripped, stumbling over her own feet and almost falling to the ground. She caught herself at the last minute, a foot away from Albus. He cursed himself for not having quick enough reflexes to have caught her himself, and instead settled for helping her straighten up again.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked, holding her arm as she steadied herself. Anna brushed a stray piece of hair back from her face and huffed.
‘I’m fine,’ she said. ‘It’s these bloody shoes. I hate wearing heels.’
He led her to a row of chairs at the edge of the room, letting go of her arm as she sat down with a thud. Pulling her robes up, she struggled to undo the tiny buckles on her strappy shoes. Albus’ eyes traced the curve of her legs up to her knees. Albus had grown up around pale redheads, so they were pretty commonplace to him, but Anna was far more stunning than any of his relatives.
‘Potter! Are you even listening to me?’ Anna asked loudly, and he snapped out of his reverie, tearing his eyes away from her creamy white legs. ‘Can you give me a hand?’
‘Oh. Sure,’ he said, and bent down at her feet to help her take off the shoes. His fingers brushed against her ankle as he struggled with the buckle “ no wonder she couldn’t do it herself. After a few minutes of tugging, he finally had them both undone.
‘Thanks,’ she said, leaning back in the chair as she kicked the heels off. ‘That feels so much better. I think I might just leave them off for the reception. No one will notice.’
Albus sat down next to her. ‘Where’s Scorpius gone?’ he asked, looking around. They had sat with Rose’s boyfriend during the wedding ceremony, but once Teddy and Victoire had left in the horse and cart and all the guests had moved to the lobby of the hotel, he had disappeared.
‘Hopefully he’s not being beaten up by Rose’s dad,’ Anna said, grinning. ‘When do we get to go in? I’m bored.’
Just as Albus opened his mouth to reply, the wedding guests all started to move towards the doors on the side of the room. A pair of house-elves had just opened them up, and they were bowing to the guests as they passed. ‘Now, I guess,’ Albus said, standing up and waiting for Anna. She picked up her shoes and put them under her arm, where they were hardly noticeable amongst the excess fabric of her dress robes.
‘No one will ever know,’ Anna said, grinning wickedly as she dropped the bottom of her robes to the ground, where they easily covered her feet. They fell into step behind two of Albus’ uncles as they headed into the reception hall, which was decorated extravagantly with fairy lights “ actual fairies carrying tiny lights, not the crappy electric Muggle ones, Albus noticed.
‘Should we go congratulate Teddy and Victoire?’ Anna asked, grabbing Albus’ wrist. The touch of her fingers seemed to set every nerve in his body on fire. It was ridiculous. He had known Anna for years “ they had hugged and held hands and sat in each other’s laps, but his heart still jumped out of his chest every time she touched him.
‘Oh. Um, if you want. I want food, though,’ he said, looking over at the tables in the corner that were laden down with food. The wedding had a buffet-style reception rather than a proper sit-down dinner. Anna nodded, not really looking at him as she glanced over his shoulder.
‘Okay … oh, there’s Rose. I’ll see you later!’ Her hand left his wrist and then she disappeared into the crowd. Albus tried to spot where she had gone, but the sea of redheads “ as expected at a Weasley wedding - meant that she was lost for now. Giving up, he made his way over to the buffet section and piled up a plate full of food.
The dancing started just as he was looking for a table and, with dawning horror, Albus realised he was in the middle of the dance floor. Holding a plate of food. Shuffling over to the edge of the room, he ran into his father, who was doing the same thing Albus was.
‘Shouldn’t you be dancing, Dad?’ he asked, and Harry grinned sheepishly.
‘I was hungry,’ he said, and Albus nodded. They left the dance floor as quickly as possible, and then Harry melted back into the crowds as Dominique appeared at Albus’ shoulder.
‘Seen your dad?’ she asked. ‘He’s the best man. He’s supposed to be dancing with me.’
‘Nope, not since this morning,’ Albus lied, and then hurried away from his cousin before she could interrogate him anymore. He spotted Anna sitting alone at a table and went to join her. She handed him a glass of champagne before he even got a chance to sit down.
‘Drink up!’ she said, turning her own glass on its end as she downed the contents. Chuckling, Albus placed his on the table as he dug into his meal. Various people stopped at their table and Anna chatted to them gaily while Albus ate, half-wishing that the evening was over already and half-wishing that he had the courage to ask Anna to dance.
After a while, James came over to their table. ‘Hello, my stinky little brother,’ he said, ruffling Albus’ hair. Albus ducked and scowled. James loved to reassert himself as the older and therefore better brother, even though they were only a year apart. ‘And the lovely Anna! You look gorgeous,’ he said, swooping down and kissing her cheek.
He knew it was just in James’ personality to be so forward, but Albus couldn’t help but grip his fork tightly as Anna blushed and laughed. It was hard not to think of Anna as his, even though he had no more claim to her than anyone else. They had been best friends for nearly six years, but he had never had enough nerve to kiss Anna, not even a platonic kiss on the cheek like James just had.
‘Are you alright, Al?’ Anna’s voice echoed in his thoughts, and he looked over at her. James had left, and Anna was looking at him concernedly. Pushing his nearly-empty plate to the side, he tried to ask her to dance.
‘Anna … do you … um …’
It wouldn’t come out. She was watching him, waiting, but his mouth shut and refused to open again. Albus waved his hand to tell her to forget about it, and put his head in his hands.
Anna laughed. ‘Sometimes I wonder what goes through your brain, Albus Potter.’
‘Lots of things,’ Albus said, turning to look at her again. Her hair was coming loose from the perfectly sculpted bun, and wisps of her curly hair were framing her face. Albus fought the urge to reach out and tuck one of the red tendrils behind her ear.
‘Let me guess.’ She cupped her chin in her hand and stared at him, her eyes boring into his. They were hazel, and up this close, Albus could make out the separate flecks of brown and green in them. People were always telling him that he had nice eyes - green, like his father’s - but Albus thought they were kind of boring. All one colour. Anna’s were much more interesting. ‘Typical teenage boy stuff? Sex … girls … how you’re going to fail Potions …’
‘I’m not going to fail Potions!’ Albus said indignantly, trying to distract her from the first two categories, which went through Albus’ head on a daily basis. It wasn’t so much girls in general, though, as one particular girl …
‘Well, you never know,’ Anna said cheekily, and then looked up again. ‘Hey, where did Rose and Scorpius go? They were just here!’
Albus hadn’t even seen them sit down. ‘Probably off snogging,’ he said grumpily. It was all those two ever did.
‘No, I think they’re dancing,’ Anna said, squinting over at the dance floor. ‘Let’s go, too!’
Albus looked up. ‘What?’
Anna was already on her feet, kicking her high heels under the table. Without waiting for a proper answer from Albus, she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of his chair and towards the dancing couples. ‘You know how to dance, don’t you?’
‘Of course I do,’ Albus said, trying to keep up with her. Well, he kind of did. His mother had tried to teach him once, but had given up when he stepped on her toes for the seventh time. As they reached the dance floor and Anna turned to face him, Albus’ mind went blank.
As it turned out, he wasn’t too bad. Anna laughed at him for a bit as he tested out some dance moves, but he soon got the hang of moving his arms and legs in time to the music. He tried to keep his eyes off Anna’s curves as she spun around, but it was quite difficult. The green silk of her robes was so tight around her hips that Albus half wanted to stop and just watch her dance all night.
When a slow song started up, Albus tried to sidle off the dance floor and go back to their table. He’d had enough awkward dancing for one night. But Anna pulled him back, grabbing his left hand in hers and stepping closer to Albus. ‘Where do you think you’re going?’ she asked, putting her other hand on his shoulder. Without her heels on, he was a good head or so taller than her.
Albus tentatively put his hand on her hip, trying not to think about the thin layer of silky material separating his hand and her skin. She took a step closer, so that their bodies were nearly touching, and Albus tried to ignore the fact that her breasts were pushed up against his chest. They started to move slowly in time with the music “ Anna was quite a good dancer, but she had to wait for him to catch up to her.
Eventually, Albus forgot that he was a terrible dancer. He forgot that the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life was pressed up against him (he didn’t forget that she was beautiful, though, not for a second) and just danced. It was difficult and awkward and exhausting, but he enjoyed it.
When they finally headed stopped and left the dance floor, Albus was gasping for breath and his feet were aching. Rose and Scorpius were at their table, and Rose was sitting in her boyfriend’s lap with his hands around her waist.
‘Gosh, are you two quite done?’ Anna asked. Albus hardly heard a word of the ensuing conversation as he collapsed in the seat next to Scorpius, wiping his face on his robes.
‘That girl has way too much energy,’ he said. Not that he was complaining, of course.
‘You just don’t have enough, Al!’ Anna said, grinning at him. Her cheeks were slightly pink, and her hair was hardly staying in its bun, but apart from that she looked like she hadn’t exerted herself at all, let alone danced for almost an hour. ‘What’s the time?’ Anna asked Rose.
‘Just past ten,’ Rose replied as she checked Scorpius’ watch. ‘Wow, already?’
Scorpius grimaced, and then lifted Rose onto her feet. ‘I had better go soon; I promised my parents I would be home by ten-thirty,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to get on their bad side, especially with tomorrow.’
‘What’s happening tomorrow?’ Anna asked as she accepted a glass of champagne from a passing house-elf.
‘I’m going to stay at Scorpius’ place for a few nights,’ Rose said. ‘His parents want to meet me.’
Albus laughed, leaning back in his chair. ‘The Malfoys? Good luck!’ He realised instantly that it was the wrong thing to say when a fork hit his ear. ‘Ow!’ he cried, rubbing it and glaring at Rose.
‘Apologise,’ she said fiercely, looking menacing with her hands on her hips.
‘Sorry, Scorpius,’ Albus said, casting a sheepish look towards Rose’s boyfriend. It really had upset him. Scorpius waved it off, but Rose glared at her cousin as the couple headed towards the fireplace in the corner of the room. Albus looked across at Anna, biting his lip guiltily. She laughed.
‘Don’t worry about them. You know what Rose is like,’ she said, waving a hand towards him. ‘It’s a bit hot in here, isn’t it? Want to go for a walk in the garden?’
‘Sure,’ Albus said, getting up and following her out of the hall. Various people called out to them to come and dance, or eat, or talk, but Albus just waved them away as he hurried after Anna. She was always like this “ if she had somewhere to go, she would go, whether or not you were following her.
They walked out into the empty lobby and through a side door into the cool, clear night air. It was a relief after the stuffiness of the reception hall, and Albus and Anna wandered out onto the lawn. They could still hear the music from the reception, but it was faint, and as they walked further away it faded into the distance.
‘Where are we going?’ Albus asked, falling into step beside Anna. She shrugged, tucking a curl behind her ear.
‘Why do we need a destination?’ she asked, looking at him questioningly. Then her eyes focused on something behind him, and she grinned. ‘On second thought, let’s go to that pond.’
Albus turned. There was a quaint little duck pond just to the side of the lawn, partially hidden behind some trees. Just as they were approaching the bank, there was a loud series of quacks to the right of Anna. She jumped, grabbing onto Albus’ arm as a flock of ducks flew out in front of them, heading for the water.
It scared Albus half to death, but he tried to keep his cool as Anna put a hand to her heart. ‘That was terrifying!’ she exclaimed, still clinging to Albus. ‘They need to put up warning signs or something: “Loud and scary ducks live here.”’
She detached herself from his arm, but then reached down and threaded her small, cool fingers through his clammy ones.
‘In case there’s more ducks,’ she told him when he looked at her. He hadn’t been questioning why; he just had an awful habit of looking at her. It was hard not to, in Albus’ opinion. Over the past few years, he had learnt how to really appreciate her face. He loved everything about it, from the light dusting of freckles across her nose to the way the corner of her mouth turned up when she was trying not to laugh, to the long and gorgeous eyelashes that framed her eyes and the perfectly arched eyebrows that she raised whenever he did something stupid.
He was far past the point of denying that he liked her. In fact, he was fast reaching the point where he felt like saying that he loved her.
They walked around the edge of the pond for a while, watching the ducks go about their business in the water. Ducks seemed to have an easy life, in Albus’ opinion. They didn’t have to worry about their best friends being too beautiful, or about their hand being too sweaty when holding hands, or anything to do with girls at all. Unless they had the same problems with duck girls. But ducks lacked hands, and they all looked the same (to him, anyway) so Albus didn’t suppose that they did.
‘Can you imagine life if you were a duck?’ Anna asked suddenly.
‘It would be pretty easy,’ Albus said, not really thinking about her question and instead wondering if she had been having the same thought process as him.
‘I don’t think I would like it,’ Anna said decidedly. They had reached a park bench, and she let go of his hands and sat down. Albus joined her, looking out at the subject of their conversation.
‘Why not?’
‘Because it would be boring,’ Anna said, sounding aghast that he didn’t know the reason already. ‘Ducks don’t get to live nearly as much as humans. They don’t get to laugh, or learn things, or get dressed up, or have their hearts broken, or do anything.’
‘Why would anyone want to get their heart broken?’ Albus asked curiously. Had someone broken Anna’s heart? He went through the repertoire of boys in his head that could have broken her heart and wondered if he would have to punch one of them in the nose.
‘It’s part of living, Al,’ she said, still staring at the ducks. ‘You would never appreciate the good things without the bad.’
‘True,’ he said, still wondering if she had ever had a broken heart.
‘Besides, do you know what else ducks can’t do?’
‘What?’ If it was that Belby kid she dated for a month the previous year, Albus was going to hurt him badly.
‘This.’
Albus gave a start as a pair of warm, full lips were pressed to his. It felt exciting and new but familiar all at the same time and at that moment Albus forgot all about Anna’s supposed heart-breakers. Her hand reached up and entwined itself in his messy mop of hair, and then before Albus could make proper sense of what was happening and kiss her back, she pulled away.
‘Sorry,’ Anna said, biting her lip as a blush crept into her cheeks. ‘I just thought … I mean … I …’
Albus blinked. ‘One second,’ he said. ‘Did you just “’
‘Yes.’
‘Okay.’
He leaned his face back towards hers, his heart beating erratically under his dress robes. She was so close that he could count the freckles on her nose; even see the mascara that had been rather messily applied to her eyelashes. Her hand slid tentatively around his neck, and then Albus’ mouth captured hers in a kiss.
A proper kiss, this time. His hands went to her waist just like when they had danced, but this time he didn’t feel bad for wishing that the robes between his hands and her body would disappear. Their lips parted; her tongue slipped into his mouth and lightly teased his own. He had never been kissed like this before. But then again, he had never been kissed by Anna Samuels before.
Eventually they broke apart, and Albus rested his forehead against Anna’s. She grinned at him, her eyes twinkling even in the dark of the night. ‘I’ve wanted to do that for a long time,’ Anna confessed as they leant back on the park bench. The ducks were still swimming, oblivious to what was going on right next to their pond.
Anna shivered, and Albus put an arm around her awkwardly. ‘Are you cold?’ he asked.
‘No!’ she said, dismissing him with a wave of her hand, but the robes she had on were thin, and Albus could see the goose bumps on her arms. He stood up, holding out a hand to her.
‘Come on, you’ll catch a cold.’ He wished for a brief moment that he was a Muggle and had been wearing a suit so he could offer her his jacket. Sighing, Anna took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. They headed back towards the reception hall, hand in hand.
Albus felt like he should say something, but to be entirely honest, he just didn’t know what. He had only ever kissed two girls before, and both had been quite awkward affairs. He couldn’t decide if this time was better because it was Anna or worse because it was Anna.
Her hand slipped out of his as they reached the lobby. Maybe she didn’t really like him; she might have just been after a quick snog.
But then she stood on tiptoes and kissed him briefly on the lips. Before he had a chance to react, she was back to her usual self, grinning gorgeously at him. A few more red curls fell out of her elaborate hairstyle as she hitched up her robes to reveal her bare feet and hurried back into the hall. He followed her, like he always did, slightly dazed at what had just occurred.
Maybe there was something in it, after all.