For the Ultimate Patronus Quest: Pixie (write a non canon pairing)

"It doesn't feel right, does it?" Demelza asks as they leave the funeral.

Colin shakes his head. There's no denying it now. Dumbledore's death has shaken everyone. Even those who have vehemently sworn that everything is okay, that the sudden wave of murders is just a terrible fact and nothing more, can no longer bury their heads in the sand.

War has been brewing for so long, and now, with their beloved Headmaster gone, the delicate threads holding everything together are about to snap.

"I'm scared," she admits, slipping her hand in his.

Colin swallows dryly. Tragedy is afoot. He shouldn't be focusing on how soft her skin feels or the way she smells like a sunlit field of wildflowers. There should be more important things to concern himself with.

And yet it all seems to fade away. Demelza is holding his hand. Demelza is looking to him for guidance, for comfort.

"I'm scared, too," he admits. "But we'll get through this. Together."

He likes the way she smiles at that. It's a silent confirmation that she likes the word. Together. Me and you. Keep holding my hand.

"I think I understand now," he says before he can stop himself. "During the first war, a lot of people rushed to get married."

Demelza laughs. "We're just fifteen," she says gently. "I don't think we can really get married."

His cheeks burn with color. He wishes he could take the words back, laugh it off like a joke. They've only been together for a year, after all. But the thought won't let him go. Nothing is promised. Neither of them have a guarantee that they'll make it through this new world alive.

"Would you?" he asks. "If we could, I mean."

Demelza comes to a stop. She turns to him, her warm chocolate eyes on his. "I would," she says. "I'm in love with you. You've been my best friend and my lover through this, and I never want to let you go."

Colin can't help but to smile. He leans in, kissing her quickly. "You'll never have to let me go," he says, a promised whisper that he knows he has no right to make.

…

The pebble connects with the glass. Demelza appears moments later, her eyes sleepy and confused. "Colin?"

"Come down," he says, careful not to speak too loud.

Demelza disappears. After a few minutes, she carefully slips out the front door, rushing to him. Her arms wrap around him, holding him like she never wants to let him go.

If only it were possible.

"Thank God! Once they issued the registration, and I didn't hear from you, I was so sure that you-" Demelza trails off, releasing him and looking away. "I was scared I wouldn't see you again."

Colin bites his lip. The registration is exactly why he's here. He and Dennis have refused, and it won't be long until they'll be hunted. He grips her hand, his free hand buried in his pocket. "I have to go away for a while," he says quietly "It's not safe for me."

Understanding washes over her face. Tears swim in her eyes. "Take me with you."

He shakes his head. Maybe this had been a mistake. He could have said it all in a letter. At least then he wouldn't feel the tendrils of doubt wrapping around his gut. "You'll be safer here," he insists. "They're not after you. Just stay here. Wait for me."

"Colin, I-"

He silences her with a kiss. "When this is over, I want us to be together. Forever," he whispers, pulling the ring from his pocket and sliding it onto her finger. "This was my mum's. Dad said I could give it away whenever I found a girl who was my everything. When I come back, I want to marry you, Demelza."

She brushes her fingers across the simple silver band, her eyes wide as she takes it all in.

"Wait for me," he whispers. "We'll have a life when this is over. A happy life, just me and you."

She throws her arms around him, kissing him fiercely. Her lips twist into a smile against his. "I'll wait for you," she whispers. "I promise."

…

"Her family spends their Christmases here," Colin says, peering out at the village.

His brother takes his hand. "We can't stop, Col," he reminds him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

And Colin knows that it's true, but it just isn't fair. Maybe Demelza is out there somewhere. Maybe she's still crying over him, even now. She could be so close to him, and yet he can't reach out for her.

"You really love her," Dennis says quietly.

Colin nods. "I asked her to marry me when this is over," he admits.

"You never told me that!" And there is no denying the touch of hurt in his voice.

Colin shrugs. "We were pretty busy running," he reminds him. "Didn't really find a good moment to bring it up."

"I'd better be your best man," Dennis says, nudging him. "I'll be it? Right?"

Colin rolls his eyes. "Who else would I ask, Den?"

He casts one last glance at the village. It would be so lovely to stop just for night, to find her and lay in her arms. There's a chapel there. Demelza's parents were married there. They could sneak off with Dennis as their witness, and…

Colin shakes his head. Not today. Only when the moment is right. But it's the first flicker of hope that he's felt in so long.

…

When they climb through the portrait hole, Colin doesn't pay attention to his old friends who swarm him, cheering for his survival. Dennis can catch them up on their adventures.

His eyes scan the crowd until he finds her. She's just as lovely as he remembers, all olive skin and rosebud lips. Colin races for her, throwing his arms around her. He could stay like this forever. All his running, and now he can just stand still, let life pass him by because she is in his arms.

"I've missed you," she whispers between kisses.

His takes her hand, smiling when he sees that the ring is still in place.

"I never take it off," she says, kissing him again.

He wishes they could stay like this forever, pressed together and holding on like their clinging to life itself. But they both know that he hasn't returned to Hogwarts for a social visit. It ends tonight.

"We'll do it this summer," he says softly, letting her go. "A celebration of love after pain."

Before she can answer, Dennis is at his side. "Something is happening," he says. "We have to go."

…

Colin doesn't have time to think of much as the jet of green soars through the air. But as the curse hits his chest, Demelza's name falls from his lips.