I Need an Answer ((Vanessa))

[Jeremiah Baer]

Jeremiah walked out of the castle and into the sunny courtyard. The last snow was just melting, and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. He was glad that spring was finally here. Winter never was a favorite season of his. Cold weather and snow just didn't cut it. It tended to make Jeremiah depressed and overall blue. But today was not one of those days. He was in a good mood, having classes just end, and he looked forward to seeing Vanessa. He had asked her to meet him here after ther last class. She was in Potions while he had Herbology (something told him he was the lucky one there).

Circling the fountain that was finally running with cool water after being frozen all winter, Jeremiah took a seat on the concrete base and dipped his fingers in the pool. His mind thought of the reason that he had asked Vanessa to meet him on this particular afternoon. Ever since the night she told him about RAM, he had not said much about it. But now, the curiosity was eating him alive. He wondered if she would go even when she mentioned she probably wouldn't. It wasn't that he didn't want her to go, but he just needed to know if she would. They only had a few months before they would graduate, and Jeremiah was eager to know what Vanessa's plans were. Hopefully, unlike him, she actually had some plans to share. He was still as lost as ever as to what he would be doing. It hadn't worried him yet, until he thought that he and Vanessa might end up miles apart.

Deep in thought, Jeremiah was shocked when some water splashed him on the side of the face. Startled, he turned to see a bright smile that he knew he couldn't get mad at. "Why I outta..." he teased, standing up to grab Vanessa with both arms in a playful bear hug as he kissed her on the cheek. Letting her go, he took a seat again and smiled up at her. "So I guess you survied Snape," he said with a raised eyebrow, waiting to transition into the more important aspects of the conversation after first just starting with some small talk.

[Vanessa Baer]

Five minutes and sixty seconds. Five minutes and fifty nine seconds. Five minutes and fifty eight seconds. Vanessa watched the magical clock above Snape’s desk as it ticked away the minutes and seconds that she was locked in the dreary dungeon with truth potion fumes wafting around her. She had finished the potion well into the class, received her mark (an A, figured Snape would only see it as acceptable), and had been sitting in her seat with her bag placed in front of her as she watched the clock. She had been watching for fifteen minutes now, and the time didn’t seem to be going any faster. In fact, it appeared to be going slower. Finally, one minute and one – the bells tolled, calling the end of classes. There was a mad scuffle for supplies to be put away, but Vanessa was already out the door. She hated that class, true, but she was more anxious to get out because she had told Jeremiah she would meet him in the Courtyard after the class. He was lucky. He had Herbology. Sprout was tolerable. Snape was most definitely not.

The sun filtered in through the windows and grew brighter as Vanessa made her way to the level that didn’t smell like mold. It was a lovely day and she was enjoying it to a point, but the highlight of it would be seeing Jeremiah in the Courtyard. Her mind had been particularly free of everything RAM and everything Aryeh. Vanessa still hadn’t come to the decision whether or not she would really attend RAM. The only thing that would be holding her back was… well… Jeremiah. He wouldn’t be holding her back, though, not really, because she’d rather be able to see him over the summer and the next term (Granted that he wanted to, of course.) then not see him at all and pursue a career in music that she wasn’t even sure she wanted. Vanessa pushed the thoughts from her mind as she entered the bright Courtyard that had the remnants of the winter’s snow on the ground. She quickly spotted Jeremiah by the fountain, which was flowing freely now, and made her way over to him.

He didn’t seem to notice her approach, so she took the opportunity upon herself. Vanessa moved her shoulder bag out of the way and reached over, dipping her hand into the water, and then flicked it at him so it hit him on the side of his face. That got his attention. She laughed as he turned around and saw her. She laughed again as he kissed her cheek, “Did you see that? The water just… jumped at you!” she told him playfully as she took a seat beside him. She dropped her shoulder bag in a spot that wasn’t covered in snow on the ground and then nodded her head in his question about Snape. “Barely, though. He gave me an acceptable for a truth potion I had to do. It could have at least been an E. But… well… know how Snape is.” She shrugged a small shrug and then tilted her head with a calm smile on her face; “Not that I’m not thrilled to be here, but is there a specific reason why you asked me to come?”

[Jeremiah Baer]

It just jumped. Vanessa sure was cute when she tried to be funny. As she sat and told him about Snape, he replied with amazement. "Ha, Acceptable would be good if it were me. That is what I get from Snape on a lucky day," he teased. It didn't' take long for Vanessa to question his asking her there after she was seated. He didn't expect the conversation to move into the topic so quickly, but he was ready for it nonetheless. He had been going over it again and again in his head, still a bit nervous of what might come of it. He hoped Vanessa would be able to answer him.

"Well, ummmm," he began, trying at the last minute to make sure everything didn't come out in a jumbled mess. "I guess I have just been thinking. You know, about us and the fact that we only have a few months left here at Hogwarts. And, I'll admit that I've been thinking about RAM, ever since you told me about it that night." He paused for a moment. "But they are all good thoughts, or at least, I try to think positive thoughts about it all. It's just that its obvious that we haven't really talked much about what we are going to do after Hogwarts." He waited to see if Vanessa would say anything right away, but when she was silent and looked as if she was waiting for more, he went on.

"Vanessa. What we have... I don't want to lose it," he blurted out, fidgeting with his hand in his pocket as his nerves suddenly caught his attention. They were the same nerves that he had that first day they spend together in Hogsmeade. It was almost five months ago if he remembered correctly, but it felt like ages ago. Even longer than that, Jeremiah could still remember that day in the library when he first officially spoke to Vanessa. Who'd have thought then that it would lead to this. "Will you marry me, Vanessa Bauer?" He spit the words out rather quickly after kneeling with one knee on the wet grass. He had pulled his fidgety hand from his pocket, and it held a ring. It was a small ring, that used to belong to his mother. It was one of the only things Jeremiah had of his mother's, along with her wand that he kept locked in his room.

Jeremiah's heart was beating almost audibly. At least he could hear the loud thumping in his own ears. If Vanessa did answer him, he'd likely need her to repeat the answer a bit louder. Seconds passed that seemed like years, as he the thoughts he'd been having for the past few weeks when he contemplated this moment passed through his mind rapidly. Regardless though, he tried silencing his mind as best he could, wanting to hear the words as they fell from Vanessa's lips. If it was a yes, he wasn't quite sure how he would contain his excitement, and if it was a no, he already knew what he would do. In fact, he had prepared for that. Still, he knew it was a risk he had to take. Loosing Vanessa was not an option for him, and he knew that even if there was a chance they could go their own ways and meet again, he'd rather take the chance of asking the question he asked, knowing that she might say no. Finally, the silence was broken, and Jeremiah hung on the very words from her mouth.

[Vanessa Baer]

She smiled at his reply about Snape. The idea of getting acceptable wasn’t unknown to Vanessa, but she suspected that was because she never really upset the professor. Still… Vanessa would have liked an E for a potion that she knew she could do in her sleep. It wasn’t long after she asked her question that Jeremiah answered, with what seemed to be a strong attempt at keeping his nerves under control. Her gaze held his as he spoke, and then he paused as if he were waiting for her to answer. Vanessa didn’t say anything, though, because she was certain there was more to what he was saying. If she had said something, it would be simply that she had tried so hard all week to keep that same thought from her mind and that now that she knew he had been thinking about it as well, it was relieving. She didn’t say this, however, she just nodded in agreement and understanding. Vanessa wasn’t quite sure where Jeremiah was going with all of this, but a part of her wondered if this was his way of telling her he really didn’t want her to go to RAM (even if he supported her decision) and that he wanted to see her over the summer. She knew she would give up RAM in an instant if it meant being with Jeremiah, but she wasn’t so sure he knew that. She would tell him, if that was exactly where he was going with the whole conversation. He might have had a different angle, but if he did… Vanessa wouldn’t be surprised. Vanessa chewed on her lower lip as she watched him shove his hand into his pocket nervously. Vanessa offered him a calm smile, although she was far from calm herself. What could have him so nervous?

“Neither d-…” Vanessa had begun in reply to him saying that he didn’t want to lose what they had. She was cut off, though, by him moving and kneeling on the ground in front of her. Now, normally it wasn’t uncommon for people to kneel. Vanessa did it often enough. It was the one knee thing that caught Vanessa’s attention. The words that he spoke didn’t even need to be uttered as her eyes grew wide. She saw his lips move, but heard no sound. Her eyes moved from his to the ring he held. There was silence from her end. What was she supposed to do? Every fiber of her being wanted to scream yes and tackle him to the ground, but there was something holding her back. Perhaps it was shock. Or perhaps it was the logical part of her. Whatever it was. She didn’t like it. Vanessa opened her mouth to speak, not wanting to make him any more nervous than he already was. As she moved her lips, no sound came out. After another moment, she moved from the bench to the ground beside him and pulled him into a sitting position so he wouldn’t have to be kneeling the whole time. “Jeremiah… I… I don’t know what to say…” She was relieved to hear the words came out this time, but they were slightly shaky. Vanessa let out a sigh and took the ring from him, looking at it as a way to distract herself. “I know what I want to say, but I don’t want to say it and then something happen and… well…” It was all too surreal. She wondered if she was dreaming all this, but she knew she wasn’t because it felt too real to be a dream. Vanessa looked up at Jeremiah.

It would appear to be all so fast, but Vanessa knew that it wasn’t… not for them. During the previous months, Vanessa had grown closer to Jeremiah than she had anyone in her life… ever. He would have a piece of her forever that she wouldn’t be able to get back if something ever happened for him to leave or if she did something to hurt him and he decided he didn’t want to stay with her or… something equally horrifying. The prospect of being with him forever was all too amazing to be real and Vanessa again found herself wondering or not it was all real to begin with. It was just… insane. No. No it wasn’t. It really wasn’t. It was unexpected, yes, very unexpected; but Vanessa wasn’t angered or upset that he had asked her… no, quite the contrary. She was ecstatic, but that little piece of Vanessa (which she had narrowed down to logic) was telling her that they were in fact just graduating in a few months and that they might have completely different dreams. It didn’t matter to Vanessa, though, because she knew that she wouldn’t be happy without Jeremiah there with her… her music would die again, and more importantly she wouldn’t have him… she wouldn’t be able to look forward to seeing him or anything of that sort. He was far too important to her, and that was what mattered most to her. Not the fact that her parents would go ballistic, not the fact that odds might be against them lasting, not anything. Just him.

With that thought, Vanessa let out a sigh and smiled brightly at him. “If I say yes, d’you promise I won’t wake up and find this was a dream?” She chewed on her bottom lip with the smile still on her face and then looked down at the ring in her hands. “I’m going to say yes, anyway. I mean… if you want me to and haven’t changed your mind in the past… oh I dunno, 15 minutes?”

[Jeremiah Baer]

Silence. Silence was usually not a good thing when one asked the question that Jeremiah had just asked. His stomach was heavy at first, but he did what he would told himself he would do when Vanessa said no. It wasn't like he didn't prepare for it. Still, it was harder than he thought, thinking before hand that he would easily accept a 'no' for whatever reason and then just find some other way of not loosing Vanessa. Eventually, he'd hoped that even if she said no that it would turn into a yes as time passed, assuming too much time didn't pass and have it be too late.

When Vanessa came down to his level and pulled him down from one knee, he hung his head. It was hard to look into her eyes, assuming what was coming. Then, she finally spoke, taking the ring and fumbling with it as she explained she didn't know what to say. Then just say it. Say yes, he thought to himself when she went on. He didn't say anything back though, waiting as she continued. When she spoke again, he was surprised to hear a bit of sarcasm in her words. Surely she wouldn't tease him if she were just about to decline his offer. Then, when she finished, he almost passed out from shock. "A-are you kidding?" he exclaimed with a stunned smile. He took both of her hands in his. "I would never change my mind! Vanessa, I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He could hardly contain the happiness inside of him. It was unlike any emotional high he had ever experienced.

Then, wanting to clarify something, he added, "I hope that you don't think this means that RAM isn't an option. The only reason I asked about that as well was because I just needed to know what your plans are. Honestly, I have no life outside of Hogwarts Vanessa. You... you are my life right now. And I want you to be my life forever. So, if that means following you to RAM, then I'll do it. Heck, I lived in London all my life. Right now, I don't even have a home. All I need is you Vanessa. It's like the song... I want you to want me. I need you to need me." Jeremiah stopped and smiled, hoping she would appreciate his quoting lyrics.

[Vanessa Baer]

Vanessa smiled softly when Jeremiah grabbed her hands and told her he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. She couldn’t help but wonder how true that was once he learnt every single one of her quirks, pet peeves, or her dismal days where she wrote music most of the daylight hours. Of course, a lot of that had changed since she had begun seeing Jeremiah, so that thought was pushed from her mind. Vanessa let her smile brighten as she let the reality of it sink in, even though she wouldn’t really let it hit her until she was going to bed that night and thought about everything. She was about to say something, but Jeremiah spoke first and as he did, she looked at the ring and then slipped it on her ring finger on her left hand. When he quoted a song, Vanessa looked up and laughed; “I’d love you to love me, I’m beggin’ you to beg me.” She tucked her hair behind her ear again, but this time with reason because a lock had fallen out of place. He had been saying something about RAM, and instantly her mind clicked back into gear. She was getting married. She had been accepted to RAM. She was getting married. She was going to spend the rest of her life with Jeremiah Baer. Vanessa smiled again, secretively this time, before shifting her legs so they weren’t falling asleep. “I would have given up RAM for you, you know. You’re more important to me than some music school that’ll treat me with disrespect. I’d gladly give up music if it meant being with you forever.” It was a true statement, and one that she meant.

She shrugged as she situated herself so her legs were stretched out in front of her and she was able to lean against Jeremiah without the possibility of falling backward. “You know what? This grass is wet.” Her mind was still working out what to do about RAM. If she went to RAM, it would mean a dorm because she would be going off a scholarship and they would want her to stay on campus for the first full term. Aside from that, Vanessa was fairly certain she had never been to London in her life, well; no, there was that one time to get to Diagon Alley. After her first year her parents had the fireplace added to the Floo network so she could just pop in and out of the Diagon Alley District whenever she pleased. Manchester had always been her home, always. Even when she hated it. Leaving it was almost as scary as staying there. “Well, the Royal Academy of Music will have to wait.” Vanessa looked up at him and smiled, “There are more pressing matters at hand.” Her voice had switched to a deep voice as she tried to sound serious while being funny. She switched to her normal voice, “You know… like sitting on wet grass with the man I love. I’d say that’s much more important than any music academy any day.” Vanessa stared up at him a moment, her face serious, and then she smiled a small smile; “That’s you, you know.” She whispered before reaching up a little and kissing him.

After a moment, she broke away from the kiss with a look of curiosity; “Whatever gave you the idea to propose? I mean, I’m not complaining or anything. It was just… very unexpected, and very was an understatement. I honestly had no idea that meeting you here would lead to an engagement, I doubt even Trelawney could have seen that one coming.”

[Jeremiah Baer]

Naturally, Vanessa's wide knowledge of music enabled her to immediately finish the next few lines of the song Jeremiah had quoted. He smiled, thinking he'd rather listen to her sing the song that him spill out the words in his boring monotonous voice. Unbeknown to many, Jeremiah hated his voice. Not that he had a thing about voices, but Jeremiah found it ironic that he absolutely adored Vanessa's voice. He smiled softly when she told him that she would give up RAM just for him. He believed her, but at the same time hoped she realized that she had so much more to pursue than he did. Whether she knew it or not, alone, her future looked much brighter than his, or at least he felt she had more potential. But that wasn't something to discuss now. They were engaged. It was so weird for Jeremiah to think that. Not weird in a bad way, but just so new and hard to get used to. Being with Vanessa was the easy part, it was just all of the other things that came along with being engaged and marriage that Jeremiah would need to get used to. But it was all worth it, that was for sure.

He laughed a bit when Vanessa randomly mentioned the grass. As she leaned up against him, he put his arm around her and leaned his back against the fountain. It was true though, Jeremiah could feel the dampness soaking through his clothes. He didn't care though. The moment couldn't have been better. After a moment of silence, the only sound being the trickle of water behind them, Jeremiah turned and looked at Vanessa as she spoke again about RAM. He nodded supportingly. "As I said, the choice is yours, and I am behind it either way." Afterward, he thought about what they would do. If Vanessa didn't go to RAM, would they still find a place in London to live. Jeremiah barely had any money. A sick feeling reeled its way into his stomach. What if he couldn't even support the two of them? No, he would just find a job. Where? Well, anywhere that he could. He wasn't going to let his lack of funds or anything for that matter stand in the way of their happiness. At least he would try not to.

Vanessa's kiss brought Jeremiah out of his state of thought. He smiled, happy to think of more pleasant things and then answered her question. "Well, I can't say it was very planned," he admitted. "I mean, I've been thinking about doing it for the past few weeks, and I just finally figured that it was now or never. Well, not really never, but it just felt right doing it now. I knew that you have become everything to me and that I couldn't imagine what my life would be without you. Literally, it just didn't seem to exist." He couldn't help but slip back into the thoughts that really never even crossed his mind before. "Do you think we'll make it ok?" he asked. "I mean, not like us as a couple, but like us in the 'real world'." He couldn't help but wonder two young adults would fare in an environment outside of what they were used to. Jeremiah had been alone for the past half a year, but it didn't feel like it since he was in school. On the other hand, he had never met Vanessa's parents, and wondered if they even supported what the two of them were doing and if they'd be any help. So many things he never thought of seemed to flood into his mind. Fortunately, the warmth of Vanessa in his arm brought him back to the fountain. He realized that even though there was so much they would have to overcome and endure, they were a team now. Him and her. She and he. He smiled at the thought.

[Vanessa Baer]

She looked thoughtful for a moment, as if to think about all the things to do with RAM, when really she was forcing the thoughts (or attempting to) from her mind. Vanessa didn't know what she would do if she did attend RAM, and she was almost certain she could find a job elsewhere. The prospect of not having a job or attending a school was rather frightening. She wasn't terribly worried, though. Vanessa hadn't always been well supported, and she had been on her own for as long as she could remember. It wouldn't really be anything new, and it wasn't like she had absolutely no money. After all, Vanessa had wanted to go to RAM since she was 10, so she had saved up all her money that she had received for birthdays and Christmases. She had no idea how much she actually had, but she wasn't worried about that at the moment. She wasn't worried about a lot of things. There was so much to plan. Not that there wouldn't have been, anyway. Vanessa hadn't really been preparing herself for life after school, so she was given a rude awakening at just how soon graduation was. Vanessa smoothed out her skirt, as she tried to get the thoughts to stop whirling around in her head. She couldn't help it, though. Her mind had started to make a list of what she needed to do. The first of which wasn't one she would have put at the top. Telling her parents.

She nearly jumped when Jeremiah's voice broke the silence. She had immersed herself in her thoughts so deeply, she had almost forgotten they were in the Courtyard. She looked up at him and then smiled brightly; "I'm sure it would exist, just not as fully or brightly as it is now." Even as she said it, she knew that no life was worth living without happiness in it. She also knew that if he hadn't proposed, Vanessa wouldn't be happy after the term had ended. There was so much to look forward to now, but... almost all of those things to look forward to were following a hardship. She let out a sigh as she contemplated Jeremiah's question. "Honestly?" She looked down at her skirt and shrugged a small shrug, "I'm not too worried. Whether that's because I've always done well with doing things myself or because I know I can dip into the fund I've had for 7 years if we need to, I don't know. But I'm not worried. I think we'll make it, I really do. Flats in London, don't cost too much, or so I've heard. And I'm sure that after the initial shock wears off my parents, they'll help as much as they can or as much as we're willing to let them."

Her parents. That wasn't a talk she was looking forward to. It was actually dreaded more than the talk she would have to have with Aryeh. Well, no, she didn't have to, but she knew it would be less... damaging? If she did. A part of her hoped that he would be there when she went to tell her parents, so she wouldn't have to tell them separately. Vanessa was staring at a tree as she chewed on her lip. Right. So, she just needed to tell them... that was it. Easy. "I'm getting married." Really, very simple. Right? She tried to imagine what her parents reactions would be. Her father, typical of most fathers, would probably be furious at first... but then he would have to get used to it, because she was going to marry Jeremiah whether or not he approved. Her mother was harder to imagine. They had just recently started to really become a mother and a daughter instead of complete strangers in the same house. But perhaps Carol would understand and at least... pretend to approve instead of blowing up and stalking out of the room as Lonnie was bound to do. Then there was Aryeh. He was probably the most predictable of the three. He would probably say something like Jeremiah gave her a love potion or something so she doesn't really want to marry him (or love him for that matter), it was just the potion. Aryeh would be in complete denial. Vanessa couldn't help that. She also wouldn't be able to help his reaction when she told him that attending RAM wasn't number one on her to do list anymore.

"Do I have to tell them?" Vanessa suddenly asked as she looked over at Jeremiah with a pout on her face, "No, I mean, really, do I have to? It won't be fun. Couldn't I just write it in a letter or something? 'Dear Mum and Dad (oh and Aryeh), I'm getting married. You're all invited if you aren't plotting my demise. Love sincerely, Vanessa.' Do you think that would work?" She was half joking. She knew that telling them wasn't something she could avoid. Vanessa sighed, defeated. "Do you want to come with me when I tell them? At least that way I would be safe from my father's 'wrath' if you want to call throwing a temper tantrum a 'wrath.'"

[Jeremiah Baer]

Jeremiah just nodded when Vanessa answered, seeming to be less worried than he was. However, her words still held some sort of concern, as if she was worried about something else. He left it go though, just thinking about what she said about her parents. Jeremiah didn't know her parents. And Vanessa, well, she really didn't speak of them often He kind of wondered what she meant by the statement of them being willing to let her parents help. It kind of made him a bit uncomfortable, not understanding what she meant, and somewhat hesitant to ask. He decided though that if they were to be married, he would have to start getting over some of his nerves. Vanessa would be his wife, and he should be able to tell her anything or say anything around her without feeling uncomfortable. Just as he opened his mouth to ask though, Vanessa shot another question his way. It too caught him off guard.

He thought about it for a while before answering. The obvious answer, or at least the answer he thought was obvious was a 'yes'. "Uhhhh, I don't see how you can't tell them. But then, Vanessa clarified what she meant, explaining that her real fear was telling them in person. Again, he didn't quite know what to say when she asked if he would join her. Of course, he'd do whatever she wanted. But still, he didn't know how he felt about it, especially since he was still trying to read Vanessa's comments about her parents, unable to figure out what she was indicating by some of the things she said.

"Sure, I'll be with you if you want me to. I wouldn't make you do it alone." He hated even the thought of her father yelling at her. In a way, it even angered him. Would they accept Jeremiah for who he was? Sure, he wasn't the brightest, but he was far from dumb. Plus, he knew how to work hard. Most of all, he cared for and loved Vanessa and would do anything to protect her. Still, he didn't understand why they would be so upset with the fact that she was getting married. When he thought about it though, he figured that maybe it wasn't going to be their view of him as much as it was their concern with the age of Jeremiah and Vanessa. Finally, Jeremiah just asked, getting all of his concerns out in the open. "So will your parents be totally upset? Do you think that they will not like me?" Simple questions, but Jeremiah wondered how selfish they sounded. All he should be worrying about should be Vanessa, however he couldn't shake the thought of her parents being disapproving. It would tear her from them, and Jeremiah didn't like the thought of causing that cut off. Did he have a choice though? Vanessa was his world... she was his everything.

[Vanessa Baer]

Vanessa raised her eyebrows at his answer, but she didn’t say anything. There was a part of her that didn’t want Jeremiah to be there, but there was a bigger part of her that knew she would appreciate him being there with her for support. She smiled, “Thanks, I don’t want to do it alone. Besides, maybe they won’t be nearly as terrible as they would normally if you’re there.” She doubted it. Even the thought of her parents’ reactions (however accurate they may turn out to be) was unnerving enough to make Vanessa sick. She probably would have already gotten sick if it weren’t for the comforting knowledge that Jeremiah was with her. Something inside her wouldn’t let her think negative thoughts. She was happy to be with Jeremiah and that was really all that mattered. They would make it (whether Jeremiah knew it or not), even if it fund wouldn’t cover both the cost of a flat and the wedding. She didn’t know how much she had in her fund exactly, but she wasn’t terribly worried about it all. Vanessa leaned against Jeremiah even more and closed her eyes, letting the feeling of being safe wash over her. This was all she needed, she didn’t need money, she just needed him, or so she thought in her naivety; but she wasn’t going to think about that, not now. Vanessa opened her eyes again when Jeremiah’s voice broke the silence with a question. She sat still, quiet and thinking. How was she to answer that question? She could give him the obvious answer… but…

“My parents… they’re… well, they aren’t quite normal. They’re pretty much unpredictable. I could try and tell you how they’ll react so you can be prepared for it, but I think it would be far from what actually will happen.” Vanessa looked up at him, for she had been looking at the tree again. “I’m not sure how upset they’ll really be, and if they don’t like you… well, they’ll just have to get over themselves, won’t they?” She attempted a small smile and then looked away again. Truth be told, Vanessa knew her parents wouldn’t like the idea of her getting married at such a young age and they would most definitely blame Jeremiah for it. After awhile they would learn to accept the marriage and Jeremiah; welcoming him to the family (which she wasn’t so sure she wanted… her parents were kind of crazy). It was Aryeh who would hate him with such a passion that it would rival any hatred Vanessa had felt toward a Slytherin. And it was Aryeh that Vanessa was almost positive she would have to sever ties with, no matter how hard that was going to be. She suspected it would be easier with Jeremiah by her side than if she had tried to do it two years ago. Vanessa sighed and smiled at Jeremiah comfortingly; “Don’t worry about it, Mr. Baer, one step at a time.” She held his eyes with hers a moment and then looked at the sky which was darkening. “Either we’ve been out here much longer than I thought, or the sun’s setting way too early,” she said disappointedly. She would have to return to the common room soon.

After another moment of silence, Vanessa pushed herself off the ground and pulled Jeremiah up with her. She would have to head back to the common room, and she really didn’t want to. The logical bit in her head (now having gotten over itself with the whole ‘think about your answer logically!’ tirade) was telling her that she might actually be dreaming it all. It wouldn’t become clear to her whether it actually happened until tomorrow. The other part of her knew it wasn’t a dream and that this really all had happened, and she would wake up tomorrow; find that ring on her hand, and smile brightly because she knew it was absolutely perfect… minus the parents part. Suddenly, Vanessa turned and threw her arms around Jeremiah’s neck, bringing him into a hug as she stood on her tip-toes, her eyes squeezed shut. If this is a dream, I want to remember it forever, she thought, still aware that it wasn’t a dream at all. Vanessa pulled away slightly and kissed his cheek before standing back on her heels instead of just the balls of her feet. “C’mon, only one of us is a Prefect and while I still wonder where the day has gone, I must return to the dismal Hufflepuff common room and ignore a certain Jordan Cortes’s babbling, which will be easier tonight because my mind will be elsewhere.” Vanessa grinned brightly as she put her hand in his and lead the way out of the Courtyard.

They made the trip back to the Hufflepuff common room portrait hole. Once there, Vanessa sighed again; “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, then? This weekend’s a Hogsmeade trip… we can tell them then. They’re pretty much used to me popping in and out so it won’t come as too much of a shock to see me, but you’ll be something completely different.” She laughed lightly as her mind wandered again to the expressions, reactions, and stutterings her parents would show or stumble over. Vanessa kissed him goodbye quickly, and then dashed into the common room; glancing over her shoulder once to stop and say goodnight. Good night, indeed…

((Yes, I’ve ended it. I shall get the next one up. If there’s anything you want me to change, you know how to ask me. ))