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Lady in Red

Lady in red, that's what he called her sometimes. Never with other people, of course not. A pet name for his girlfriend would make him seem soft, weak even. And he couldn't risk a dent in his image. Who would take him seriously if they ever heard it? He couldn't afford an imperfection.

Lady in red, because of her hair. Never much more than a whisper in her ear when he stood behind her, letting his hands travel the land of her body. He'd hum the melody of the song he had named her after when he pressed himself against her. And she always leaned into him to allow him the fullest enjoyment of his endeavour. She wanted him to never let go, to never stop his explorations of her. She only wanted him. To be his. To be good enough for him, the Chosen One. To be his chosen one.

Lady in red. Her red face when she had first seen him. Her red face when he had visited their house for the first time. Her red face when the Valentinesday poem was being read aloud. Her red eyes when he had kissed Cho Chang, knowing she would never be good enough to attract his attention. Her red cheeks when she realised she had just kissed him in the middle of the common room. Red, the fire she felt burning inside her the moment his lips brushed hers.

But still not good enough.

Lady in red, the blood that she tasted in her mouth as she bit down on her tongue to keep her tears back. Still not good enough, because he had broken up with her. She hadn't lived up to his expectations or she had just become a nuisance. She would only be in the way of his duty if she tagged along. But all she wanted to do was complete him. He made her feel whole, so why wouldn't it work the other way around too? Didn't he need her, then? She wasn't good enough. She wasn't perfect. And what he needed was someone who was perfect.

Perfect, that was everything he did. Perfect was his love, his anger, his look of bliss when he was alseep, everything he said, the way he ate, the way he would do his duty to the Magical world. Perfect was also his name for her. 'Lady in red'. Perfect. She would do everything to fullfil it. If she was as perfect as that name, then he would surely see that he only needed her. And then she would know she was good enough at last.

Lady in red.

A lady in a circle of red.

The purest form of red she could've thought of; the colour of red that flowed through everyone alive. The purest red that flushed to her cheeks when she thought of him, when she felt his touch. If she were to be red, as red as that, she would fulfill her name.

Red, the haze in front of her eyes now she had done the ultimate deed. Nothing was more perfect than this; your life for the one you love. She was red now, her arms that hung beside her on the ground and her hand with the knife still in it . Her robes were red too, stained. Her lips were red, red with lipstick and red with the blood that slid down from the corner of her mouth.

Lady in red.

A lady in a circle of red.

An aura of red all around her as her eyes slowly closed.

'Yes, I am red now. Finally, I'm a real lady in red.'

- The End -