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Amelia adjusted the cuffs of her robes, her mind racing faster than her heartbeat. She always liked to be in control. She liked being accurate and calm, just like everyone expected her to be.
But recently, something was off.
It had started with the way Dorcas Meadowes occupied her thoughts. Everywhere she went all she thought about was how her golden jewellery highlights her features. How whenever Dorcas smiled just a little everything seemed to be okay. The way Dorcas tried to hide from complete attention. She kept in the shadows. Amelia always noticed her. She didn't know why. She noticed the way Dorcas would snap sarcastic remarks that made her friends burst out with piercing laughter.
Amelia scolded herself silently. Stop thinking about her like that. It’s ridiculous.
Nonetheless, whenever Dorcas was near Amelia’s chest would tighten with something she hadn’t felt before. It wasn't fear, it wasn't frustration, but it was something strong and sharp. Dorcas was always there and she didn't know what to do with her.
Amelia sat at her desk, worksheets and notebooks spread neatly before her. Dorcas was stood at the other end of the class where Barty Crouch was screaming because when is he not?
“Bones,” Dorcas spoke, voice low and teasing, “you look like you’re about to hex those papers. Relax a little.”
Amelia’s lips twitched, but she refused to look up. “Someone has to do their work around here. I don't see Crouch doing anything.”
Dorcas’s smile softened for the tiniest second, quickly masked by a shrug. “You’re wound tight.”
The words hit closer than Amelia wanted to admit.
“I prefer focused,” she said stiffly, then sighed. “It’s just.. everything. I don't know. Everything feels so.. breakable.”
Dorcas stepped closer. “We all feel it. Doesn’t mean we have to fall apart.”
Their eyes met, and Amelia’s breath hitched. Dorcas was so close to her.
Dorcas stared at her like she was giving her an invitation and a challenge all at once. It made Amelia’s heart skip.
She found herself replaying every moment she’d spent with Dorcas. The way Dorcas moved like she belonged nowhere and everywhere, the pointed jokes that hid deep scars, the rare softness in her eyes when she thought no one was looking.
Why do I care so much? Amelia wondered.
Everyday Amelia noticed something new about Dorcas. The way her fingers twitched when she thought no one was watching, the way she laughed and completely let her guard down. The way her eyes flicked over Amelia with something unspoken.
Dorcas caught her gaze and smirked, Amelia’s lips parted to say something—anything—but only a breath escaped.
She realised somethingin that moment. Amelia was tired of pretending she didn’t feel.
She was tired of pretending she didn’t want Dorcas in the quiet, undisturbed spaces where no one could see.
But she couldn't do that. She couldn't have Dorcas like that. So she hides. Whats the point in accepting your feelings when you can do nothing about them?
“Are you avoiding me?”
Amelia blinked before blurting out an answer. “No.”
Dorcas cocked her head. “No? Then why do you look like you’re about to sprint away every time I'm close by?”
Amelia swallowed hard. “I don't”
“You don't? Then why haven't i had a single conversation with you in days.”
“Because I can't do this anymore.”
Dorcas’s eyes widened, and for once, the sarcasm fell away.
“Amelia.. what?”
Amelia closed the distance between them, heart pounding in her chest.
“I think I’m… scared. Scared of how much you matter to me.”
Dorcas reached out. She reached out and her fingers brushed Amelia’s cheek softly, like an unspoken promise.
“You know,” she whispered, “you don’t have to be perfect for me.”
And in that moment, all the walls Amelia had built began to fall.
They weren’t just two people in a that randomly collided.
They were something more.
And maybe, just maybe, that was worth everything.
The silence had stretched between them. It was too fragile to touch but too dangerous to break.
Dorcas was still staring at her, hand warm on her cheek, not letting go as if if she did none of this would be real. That Amelia Bones , had been the one to say what was left unsaid in their every interaction.
“I didn’t think you..” Dorcas started, then stopped herself.
“Neither did I,” Amelia said softly.
Dorcas dropped her hand slowly while Amelia stepped back. There was something caught between them. Something raw and something delicate.
“I’m not good at this,” Dorcas said. “Feelings. Talking. That stuff.”
“I know,” Amelia replied, folding her arms tightly across her chest like a shield.
She hesitated. “I’m not either. It's-”
Dorcas shook her head. “Terrifying.”
They stood there for a long moment, the weight of unspoken things that had been getting heavier in their every interaction finally being lightened.
They both didn’t speak. Amelias hands had dropped to her sides, open, vulnerable.
“I see you,” Amelia whispered. “I never stop seeing you. And I think.. that might be the problem.”
Dorcas let out a shaky breath. “Because if you see me, you could lose me.”
“Yes.”
“And you’d rather not love me than survive it?”
“It's safer,” Amelia admitted. “I think.”
Dorcas took a step forward. “What if I feel the same way? What if I’ve been waiting for you? If i wanted you to crack?”
A laugh escaped Amelia’s lips, it was soft, but real. “You’d love that, wouldn’t you?”
“I really would,”
Her smile faded as quickly as it came. Dorcas’s voice dropped lower.
“What if we just take what we can get,” Dorcas said. “Even if it’s just this. I want this, here, now.”
Dorcas hesitated, then reached out again, this time slower. Amelia didn’t flinch.
“You’re a disaster, Meadowes,” she whispered.
Dorcas leaned closer, eyes flicking to her mouth. “You love it.”
Amelia exhaled, half a laugh, half a prayer. “Apparently.”
Dorcas kissed her.
When they pulled apart, Dorcas kept her forehead resting against Amelia’s.
“I’m scared,” Dorcas admitted.
“So am I,” Amelia whispered. “But I trust you.”
Dorcas scoffed, not unkindly. “You really are perfect.”
Amelia blushed, then tucked a loose curl behind Dorcas’s ear with careful fingers.
“I’m not perfect,” she said. “But I want to be yours?”
Dorcas didn’t answer. She just pulled her closer again. For once, neither of them ran.