Longing
Challenge Eighteen: March Madness Redux
Title: Longing
Author: delayed_poet
Wizard/Witch: Andrew Kirke/Hannah Abbot
Rating/Warnings: G/PG
Genre: Romance/Drama
Word count: Exactly 500
Prompt: Colouring Easter eggs
Summary: Hannah has fallen in love with her best friend, but does he feel the same?
"Do you love me?" Hannah asked, biting her lower lip.
Andrew nudged her side, and smiled that easy, crooked grin that she loved. "'Course I do. You're my best friend."
She grimaced and tried to blink back the tears. Why would he love me? Silly, clumsy Hannah. It's too much to hope for.
"No, Andrew, I mean, do you love me?" she tried to keep the note of desperation out of her voice.
"Hannah," he whispered in an almost pained way.
She tried to smile, but she was sure the pain still showed. "It's okay, don't worry about it. Look, I volunteered to do the eggs for the Ministry's Easter egg hunt, and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind helping?"
He nodded, and she led him back inside, into the kitchen where the basket of hard-boiled eggs and small bowls of watery dyes were set up.
"Is that all the eggs you're making?" he asked skeptically, eyeing the basket.
"Of course not. There are three more baskets." She pointed to the counter where three large baskets sat ominously. Sighing, she picked up the first egg, setting it carefully in the little metal ring, ready to dip it into the blue dye.
"What are you doing?" Andrew asked, and Hannah looked at him, surprised to see the frown on his face.
"Colouring the eggs," Hannah said slowly, wondering what he'd thought she was doing.
Suddenly he smirked, and it was her turn to frown.
"There's an easier way to do this," he informed her.
Her frown deepened. "There is?" she asked doubtfully.
"Well, you wouldn't know about it, because my great-grandmother created the charm, and it's been in our family ever since."
"Oh," she said softly. When he didn't get his wand out to demonstrate the charm, she impatiently asked, "Well, what is it?"
He chuckled but pulled his wand out, pointing it at the egg that still sat on the metal ring that Hannah was holding.
She watched him carefully, noting how his eyes crinkled at the corners as he studied the egg. Finally, he moved his wand in an intricate pattern and said, "Vernici le Uova."
The egg shimmered momentarily, then cleared. She gasped at the swirling pattern of blues and yellows and the light sheen of glitter. It would have taken much longer to create that effect by hand.
"Impressive," Hannah said with a small smile.
"All you have to do is picture exactly how you want the egg to look and then say the spell," he explained.
The pair worked together through the afternoon. It was hard for her, not knowing if anything more could come of it, but she knew that she would take his friendship over not having him in her life, no matter how painful it was.
"Hannah," he said softly when they were finally finished. "I love you, but I'm not in love with you. But I think I could fall in love with you, someday."
Her heart soared at his words.
Author's Notes: The charm is Italian for 'paint eggs'. I couldn't believe how incredibly difficult this was to write! For some reason, Hannah couldn't decide which story she wanted told. All in all, though, I think I'm fairly happy with how this turned out. Many thanks to gelsey for being the wonderful, lovely beta she is!
Proof-reader: gelsey