DOORWAYS || MARAUDERS ERA

ϟ26: COLOSSAL MESS (PART I)ϟ

"Sorry if I'm interrupting something."

Rhea and Anthony stopped their bickering to find Harry James Potter standing a few feet away from them with a small smile.

Rhea immediately felt her cheeks heat up, and Anthony sniggered slightly, hastily turning it into a hacking cough when Rhea threw him a harsh glare.

"Not at all." Anthony said gracefully, winking subtly at Rhea. "I'll just chat up with Padma."

With that he went, leaving Rhea and Harry to share awkward looks.

Harry hesitantly stretched out his hand. "Want to dance?"

Rhea couldn't help but smile goofily, placing her hand on his. "I thought you didn't like dancing."

"I don't." Harry grinned. "But I guess I owe you one. For missing the Christmas dance for the past three years."

They danced for a few minutes in silence, each of them unable to wipe the smiles off their faces. Surprisingly, Harry only stumbled once or twice every two minutes, which was much better than when he'd danced with Parvati.

"I notice you're much calmer now." Rhea observed, looking at his carefree green eyes. While he'd been dancing with the other champions, he'd been scared out of his wits.

"Yeah." Harry said quietly, shuddering at the very thought. "I mean, the Dursleys have always commented on my appearance, my physique, the way I talk and my abysmal talents. That hasn't been much of a confidence booster." Harry said candidly.

And that explained his constant desire to be worthy, to be good, and to be kind to everyone else.

"Don't let them get to you, Harry." Rhea said hotly, scowling in anger. "They're foul, evil—"

"Calm down." Harry laughed. "I appreciate your sentiments."

They danced in content, at peace for the moment. Then, Harry broke the silence.

"You were right, you know." Harry said quietly. "About how dancing gets boring as you age."

Rhea smiled in amusement. "Are you not having fun now?"

"I am," Harry was quick to defend, his eyes shining with panic that Rhea thought he was not having fun. "But like you said when we were six, dancing with rules gets boring. We used to dance clumsily and stupidly, and now it's all sophisticated. But sophisticated is overrated."

"What is it, 'Let's be honest and emotional day'?" Rhea asked, grinning slightly.

Harry laughed. "I just... wish I'd made the most of those moments." He said, looking wistful.

Rhea smiled. "Maybe we did. We did make the most out of those moments. But maybe we've forgotten."

"How could I forget something so nice and happy?" Harry asked desperately.

"Not all memories are meant to be remembered." Rhea said quietly. "Sometimes we forget. That's the way nature works. So that we don't dwell on the past more than we should."

"I don't want to forget them, though." Harry said firmly, and his eyes looked troubled—the TriWizard Tournament was wearing him out, and he didn't even know if he would make it out alive.

"Well," Rhea began with a slight grin. "I can't do much about remembering every single memory. What I can do, though, is make a promise."

"Do you remember the last time you made a promise?" Harry asked, amused. "We ended up having a weird connection."