this is the safest place we've found [anna]

[Deleted]

At dinner that night, the winner of the Triwizard Tournament had been announced, and Oscar was still reeling. He had known that it was a possibility for Anna to win, since she had won one of the tasks and came in second in another, but the fact that Anna Weasley, his girlfriend and the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, was the winner of the Tournament was... a lot to swallow. Especially considering he had been one of the only Beauxbatons students who had actually been pleased by the news. The rest of them had wanted Émile to win, of course, to bring honor and glory to their school. That had almost happened, except that, at the last moment, when it counted most, Émile had failed them and their school, coming in third place in the last task. Oscar had made himself scarce at dinner - he wanted Anna to be able to celebrate without him hanging off of her, and without his fellow students glaring at her for winning and him for supporting her in that victory. Now that the Great Hall was (mostly) empty, Oscar was hanging around in the shadows, hoping to catch Anna before she returned to her common room for whatever celebration her house had planned for her.

@annelise

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Anna's thoughts and emotions were in a jumble. Ever since she was stuck in that misty field, she was taking every moment one step at a time. Coming out, she focused on looking cheerful, despite the feelings that still hung around after the last creature she dealt with. Then she was in the hospital wing and visitors weren't really allowed so that the Champions could have some time to themselves to really just relax themselves and prepare for the feast to come. Once she did get to the Great Hall, she didn't see Oscar, though she was glancing around for him. Then the Headmistress was announcing the winner and Anna's heart stopped almost immediately. Emile came in third. That meant ... it meant she won, didn't it. She was in a daze, unable to really believe what she just heard, despite the people around her who were whispering and elbowing her side. She just smiled and nodded, looking and the Headmistress and pretending that she was paying attention. Her name was announced as the winner and the tables around her seemed to explode in cheers. Anna was grinning and laughing, acknowledging everyone who congratulated her but still feeling like she was in a bit of a daze. Was this really happening? She looked around for Oscar, but she couldn't see him. She wasn't particularly worried because she trusted him. Maybe he just couldn't get through the crowds surrounding her.

Dinner seemed to take an age. Despite her visit to the hospital wing, her muscles ached from all the effort of the Task and Anna was ready to leave long before her friends allowed her to stand up. And she still had the Tower celebration to look forward to .... Anna made her way out of the Great Hall, still keeping an eye out for Oscar. She wanted to see him before going up to Gryffindor Tower. She thought she saw a figure in the shadows and angled herself to walk closer. "Oscar?" she said softly as she approached, hoping it was him.

@oscar

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Oscar stayed in the shadows for quite some time, watching as various people filed out of the Great Hall. The Gryffindors were the last to leave, and they all seemed to talk louder than normal as they walked past him, no doubt planning the party they were going to throw in Anna’s honor. He couldn’t begrudge them their party – Anna was their friend, after all – but he wished, a little, that he could have Anna to himself for a little longer. He didn’t like feeling like he was stealing her away from the celebrations that she would rather be at. Anna was one of the last people, if not the last person, out of the Great Hall, but unlike everyone else, she didn’t just walk past him. She noticed him almost immediately, in fact, which warmed Oscar slightly. Anna called out his name, and Oscar took a few steps forward, meeting her halfway. He opened his mouth, intending to say something supportive or give his congratulations, but no words came out. Instead, he just took another step forward so that he could wrap his arms around Anna, and assure himself that even though she was now infinitely more important than he would ever be, she was still there. She still loved him.

@annelise

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He didn't say anything when Anna said his name, but Oscar did move closer to her. He didn't seem upset, which she was glad about, but Anna wasn't exactly sure what to expect. Why was he avoiding her? She wanted to spend her time with him until curfew, but she also knew that everyone she knew was heading up to the Tower, expecting her to come so they could celebrate. She didn't care though. Then he pulled her into a hug and everything else seemed unimportant. He was holding her. Anna returned the embrace, holding him tightly until she heard one of her friends cough from behind her. She released him just a little bit. "I'll meet you up there," she told her friends, before turning back to her boyfriend. Anna needed some time with him before going up. "I missed you at dinner," she said softly, moving to hug him again before her friends interrupted them.

@oscar

[Deleted]

Oscar’s relief washed over him another crashing wave when Anna wrapped her arms around him in return, as if she understood that he couldn’t really explain anything right now. He just wanted to be close to her. Their moment was interrupted by a cough, and Oscar saw a girl – one of Anna’s friends, he presumed – standing there. Oscar knew that Anna’s time and attention was going to be at a premium now, since she had won, but he still couldn’t fully wrap his mind around the idea that everyone else wanted to be with Anna right now. He sighed softly, focusing attention back on Anna. “My school mates would not have been happy if I was with you. I thought I would spare you their glares.” And then there was the matter of Anna already being surrounded by a throng of her school mates, and him not having the energy or wherewithal to want to push through them. “Congratulations.” Oscar added, rather belatedly in his opinion. Oh well – at least he had said it.

@annelise

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Oscar seemed sort of ... fragile right now and Anna wasn't exactly sure why. Was it because she won the Tournament? Or because of something else? When he mentioned his school mates not being happy about her winning, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe that was causing whatever was going on. Anna bit her lip, "I doubt I would have seen any glares from anyone not sitting on the same table," she answered softly, "but thank you for thinking of me." She still wished he would have eaten with her, but that was done and over with so Anna didn't say anything about it. She gave him a soft smile, "Thank you. I ... think I'm still in shock, if you can believe that. I feel like I'm going to wake up in the morning and still have the third task to go." It was strange, but also a great feeling, a strong relief to know that she wasn't going to have any more tasks to do. She completed her role as Hogwarts Champion and now she could just relax a bit. 

@oscar

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Oscar shrugged when Anna said that she wouldn’t have been able to see glares from that far away. Maybe that was true, but the thing about eyes was that even if you couldn’t see them, you could feel them on you. He didn’t want Anna to have the pressure of any more eyes looking at her than absolutely necessary, and the Beauxbatons students were not necessary observers by any stretch of the imagination. “I am never not thinking of you.” Oscar said softly, echoing the sentiments that were the precursors to their declarations of love. You are always on my mind. That hadn’t changed at all as the months went by. “I can believe that.” Oscar responded immediately when Anna said that she was still in shock. He understood shock all too well, though he was pleased that Anna’s shock was at least somewhat more positive. There were days he woke up and he had to remember everything all over again, and that was difficult. Remembering that she was the Triwizard Champion was probably going to take a while to get used to, and even then, there would be days where Anna forgot it. “There are no more tasks.” Oscar assured his girlfriend. “Just exams, and then…” The real world. Oscar was trying hard not to think about that for now.

@annelise

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She smiled when he answered that he always thought of her and a chill ran up her spine. She absolutely loved the way that he talked to her, and this reminded her of last fall, when their relationship first began with him admitting that very same thing. It was nice to have a reminder that he still felt that way about her, though all his actions already taught her that. "I feel the same," she answered in return. She wanted to be sure that he knew her feelings hadn't changed. He understood that she was still in shock and didn't really believe she was the Triwizard Champion yet and Anna was relieved. She smiled when he said there were no more tasks. "I'm so glad," she whispered. "I can handle exams and whatever else, as long as I don't have to go into another task ... and ... and as long as you're with me." She paused for a second, looking up into his eyes. "Are you ... are you still going to come to London after graduation?" They hadn't talked about this in a long time and she suddenly felt very nervous. The only thing that could hurt her now was if he left. Anna didn't know how she'd be able to handle that. She was supposed to be celebrating, she knew that, but she couldn't celebrate, thinking that he might leave her, for whatever reason.

@oscar

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One of the things that made loving Anna easy was that she was so open about her emotions. There had been a time, at the beginning, where they had both hid how they felt from each other, and now, Oscar wasn’t really sure why. Being able to talk to Anna about anything and everything was something that he cherished, and the fact that he had once not allowed himself that for fear of being rejected seemed silly, in hindsight. Anna whispered that she was glad that exams were the only thing that she had left to face, and Oscar smiled at him. “I will be with you.” He confirmed, since that was an important part of her statement and he didn’t want her thinking that he was going to up and leave. “I am.” Oscar confirmed with a nod when Anna asked if he was still going to come to London after graduation. “I have some business in France, but I will be back as soon as I can.” Selling a house wasn’t exactly an easy thing, but Oscar was prepared to part with it for less than it was worth if it meant getting back to England faster. “I have been talking with the bank, and they want me to do a research project for them.” Oscar informed his girlfriend. He had intended to be a historian for quite some time now, but while he was researching to write his first book – getting published was the first step to self-sufficiency in that line of work – he intended to take other side projects as well. The bank’s offer was a good one, and would give him enough money to live off of while he figured out what else he wanted to do with his life.

@annelise

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Anna's expression brightened considerably when Oscar said that he would be with her, confirming that he was going to come to London. She knew it was silly for her to be worries over such a small thing, but Oscar wasn't a small part of her life. The idea of him leaving and her never seeing him again was a dark fear, one that she tried not to think of, especially when she was with him. Knowing that he didn't plan on leaving her meant everything to Anna. She reached over and took his hand. "I'm glad." She nodded when he explained that he had to go to France for business but that he would return after. "You'll write me, right?" her smile became teasing. Now that she felt confident he was going to return, her confidence started to grow once more. Her head turned to the side as he mentioned the bank having a project. "What kind of research project?" she asked, curious. Researching things didn't sound particularly interesting to her, but as long as Oscar enjoyed it, that was what mattered. 

@oscar

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Oscar smiled when Anna said she was glad of his intent to stay with her. She asked if he was going to write her when he was in France, and Oscar didn’t hesitate before speaking. “I do not think I will be gone long enough to even need letters.” Oscar answered honestly. He intended only to be in France for a day or two, and visit only when his presence was expected. It wasn’t difficult to make the jump from France to England, not when magic was involved, so he’d be able to make his home in London as soon as possible. It was one thing to be living out of the carriage while at Hogwarts for a school year – actually making the country his home would be difficult. Anna asked about his research project, and this time the Beauxbatons boy wasn’t as quick to answer. “I am not sure yet. They are very secretive.” Oscar admitted. He supposed that was the nature of goblins – they kept everything close to their chest, only telling what was absolutely necessary to get their desired results. He wasn’t exactly looking forward to working with the goblins, but he really did need money. “Where do you recommend housing in London?” Oscar asked. It was his subtle way of asking Anna where she was living, and whether or not he was welcome there.

@annelise

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Anna smiled when Oscar instantly answered that he didn't think they would need letters. "That's good." The fact that he was so sure of the answer was comforting as well. She knew it shouldn't be a big deal, being apart from him for a short while, but just the thought of it made her feel uncomfortable. She wasn't looking forward to it at all. She rolled her eyes when he told her that the goblins hadn't told him what he was doing yet, that they were being secretive. Of course they were. Stupid goblins. "Have they told you when they want you to start?" she asked curiously. Maybe that would give her a hint of when he was planning on being back from France. At his next question, Anna grimaced. "I don't know. I was planning on looking for housing, but I haven't had the chance, with everything going on with the Tournament. I have to stay at my parents' house until I can find something." Her annoyance at this fact was obvious from her expression. "Maybe we could look for somewhere together if I haven't found something before you get back?" She hesitated, not liking the idea of him not having somewhere to stay. "I could check with my parents about you staying at our house until we find something ... but I don't know what they'd say about that." Her father probably wouldn't like it. He was picky like that, even if Anna promised nothing would happen she didn't know what he'd say. She sighed, "Sorry I'm not more of a help." 

@oscar

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Oscar shook his head when Anna asked if the bank had already told him when they wanted him to start. “They said as soon as possible, but I told them that might not be as soon as they wished.” Having to explain to a goblin via letter that he had to return home to France to sell his home hadn’t been a fun experience, mostly because Ozzy hadn’t been prepared for how nosy the goblin was. He had stopped just short of telling his correspondent the entirety of his life’s story. Suffice it to say, though, Oscar would be starting at the bank as soon as he could. He got the impression that the work they hired him for was long overdue, just by how insistent they had been that he needed to start. Anna said that she didn’t know where she was going to live, because of everything with the Tournament, but that she was going to stay with her parents until she could find something. “That would be nice.” Oscar said when Anna asked about finding a place together. Moving in together was a big step, but Oscar was fine with big steps as long as they involved Anna. “I do not think your parents would appreciate your boyfriend staying within walking distance of your bedroom.” He said with a chuckle. Anyone being that close was scandalous, even if there were other people in the house to make sure he and Anna didn’t get up to trouble. “You are plenty of help, mamour.” Oscar said with a smile. “I have kept you too long.” Oscar said, realizing they were still standing outside of the Great Hall. “Do not think any more of the future right now. Go celebrate.” Oscar encouraged Anna, leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek and urge her to go to the party that she had waiting for her.

@annelise

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Anna nodded slowly when Oscar told her about the conversation he had with the goblins. Then her eyebrows creased a little. Didn't he say that he wouldn't be gone long? She bit her lip though, not wanting to interrogate him. He already told her that he wouldn't leave her for too long. She could handle a few days or even weeks. She knew he would come back. She smiled when he commented that it would be nice for them to look for a place together. She was excited, but also nervous. Anna loved Oscar, this was all just new to her. She shook her head when he said that he kept her too long. "You're the one person I wanted to see tonight," she told him honestly. He told her not to think about the future, but to enjoy her party. She sighed, "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow. Love you." He kissed her cheek and she turned to look at him closer. She gave him a kiss and then walked away, preparing herself mentally for the long party the gryffindors had in store for her.

--- the end ---

@oscar