Nov. 4, '81: We've Still Got Time: Phoebe

[Edgar Bones]

✰ phoebe & kyra's apartment, muggle london

take this sinking boat and point it home
we've still got time
raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice...

Edgar didn't know how long he'd been standing before Phoebe's door, trying to summon the courage he needed to knock. The man had been through hell and back during the last seven years of war, leading his team into the throes of battle and missions of subterfuge just as dangerous, and whether or not he was capable of "courage" had never been under question within the Order. No - he'd risen through the ranks with the Prewetts, devoting his skills, his mind, his body, to the cause he'd felt deeply in his bones since he was a teenager. But taking chances with his life, physically, was something entirely different than what he had planned for today.

Not that Phoebe wouldn't hit him, there was every chance of that. There was also every chance of her looking through the peephole and refusing to even open the door. And Edgar couldn't blame her for that. He couldn't blame her for any of what had happened...

Since the tenth of June, 1974, the only times he'd interacted with her were desperate phone calls in the immediate aftermath, and the day she came to gather her things from the apartment that had been theirs. He'd periodically, secretly, put protections over her new home. Just in case. But he'd taken care to stay out of sight during those moments, not wanting to be seen by her and labeled a stalker. She'd made it clear that he had no place in her life anymore. And...he didn't want to take the chance of seeing the woman he still loved on the arm of another man. He'd told himself, year after year, during the hardest times - that when it was over, he would go to her.

When it was over, if she could forgive him, they could begin again.

There was no way to start fresh, not with their history; but if she was willing to give him a chance, once the danger was through, once he'd proven that his choice to join the war effort was no fool's errand...he wanted to try again. While their breakup was not only about the war, but also about his deception about the world of magic and his active role in it, Edgar hoped...

You'll never know if you don't try.

The war was won. Voldemort had been bested at the Potter house, a trap laid by the Order gone right. The Ministry was being cleared of Death Eater scum, those who had been under the Imperious Curse finding themselves in their right minds again. Azkaban was gaining prisoners left and right. While theirs was a world of celebration and renewing, there was still an undercurrent of what if? What if they'd cut off the head, but the legs still fought? What if they didn't capture everyone involved in Voldemort's legions? The questions were valid, and Edgar knew that his world might not be one hundred percent safe yet. But what world was? With the war done, he didn't know what to do next in his professional life; he could continue the fight as an Auror, or perhaps retire to Hogwarts to pick up a professorship...Whatever his next steps held, though - he needed to do this first.

The war hardened man had been elated, but anxious, in these days following Voldemort's fall. Because the promise he'd made himself so many years ago was now something he had to do....

He shook his long hair out of his eyes, adjusted the cuffs of his jacket. He suddenly wished that he'd've thought to shave, seeing as the boy she'd known could barely grow more than peach fuzz. Too late for that now. He knocked on the door and stood back, shoulders straight, hands in the pockets of his jacket. The calm facade belied the racing mind and heart within...

[Phoebe Bones]

You really should finish getting ready...

Closing the folder, Phoebe sighed. As much as she loved her best friend, she wasn’t sure she could handle a date tonight. She had always been agreeing to blind dates for seven years now, and while she had dated a few of them for a few months nothing had ever lasted. If he wanted to see you, he would have come by. How could she still be holding a place in her heart for Edgar after all this time? They’d been apart longer than they had been together, and just because Fabian had suddenly shown up to see Kyra didn’t mean that Edgar hadn’t moved on with his life.

Chair scrapping against the floor as she stood, Phoebe pushed the thoughts from her mind. If she wanted to have a life she needed to move on, and there was no harm in going out on a date. It would certainly help take her mind off the fact that Kyra and Fabian were out together, exploring a part of London she’d been too angry to ever let Edgar show her.

The whines coming from the front door caught her attention, and Phoebe moved to the other room to scoop up Sadie. Her constant reminder of the life she had given away and her most faithful companion, who seemed to be too distracted by the door to hang out with her. “Come on Sadie, that’s enough.” Her date would be here soon, and she’d already changed three times. Taking the dog with her into her room, she tried to focus on anything but magic and the past as she finished getting ready.

The knock on the door made her stomach sink, and she gathered her things, trying to quiet her nerves. Sadie was back at the door, whining impatiently, and Phoebe did her best to gently nudge the dog out of the way as she opened the door. Unfortunately Sadie had other plans and darted out. Phoebe sighed and looked up, frozen in the moment as she locked eyes with Edgar.

A long haired, beard having Edgar Bones and before she could really process anything she found herself kissing him.

[Edgar Bones]

Soft footfalls came to the door, and Edgar could hear his heart hammering in his ears. Fabian had taken Kyra out today, the pair having come to terms with their feelings and situation not too long ago. That being said...it had to be Phoebe coming his way. With Sadie scratching the floorboards, if he was hearing her properly. As much as he'd missed Phoebe, the dog they'd promised to raise together had a big part of his heart too. Being away from his girls - for so long, and possibly forever, not knowing her situation - had broken his heart too many nights to count. But then, suddenly, all dressed up and somehow even more beautiful than he remembered, Phoebe was staring up at him.

Sadie was throwing herself at his legs, sniffing and barking excitedly, and while he wanted to give the dog the attention she deserved, Ed couldn't tear his eyes away from Phoebe's. It was more surreal than he'd expected to be here, finally face-to-face. Before he could stammer out a hello, or something clever, or just something - her lips were fervently on his. This scenario, hell, he'd hoped for it, but had honestly never thought it would be the one to come true. He gripped her to him, ardently pouring as much of himself into the unexpected kisses as he could. I should've come back sooner. I'm sorry, so sorry. I never stopped loving you, did you know that? Could you feel it? I fought for you, thought of you, every day... Edgar moved them into the apartment, giving the door a kick shut once he heard Sadie follow.

"It's all over, Pheebs," he rasped after a time, one hand leaving the small of her back to tenderly brush back her soft loose hair so he could see her properly, soak her in. While he'd gone on the occasional date at the insistence of his mates, nothing could ever last, no matter how remarkable the girl was on paper or in person; this woman had had his heart since they were fifteen. How is she even more beautiful now? So much time wasted apart from her, even with all of the reasons in the world to be...she missed you too. There was so much Edgar wanted to ask, but details of the last seven years couldn't be filled in all at once, for either of them. I love you. He cupped her cheek, lowering his lips to hers for a gentler kiss, although he was buzzing with electricity in each and every nerve.

[Phoebe Bones]

How many times have you dreamed about this?

The war had been a big part of what had separated them, unable to put herself in that sort of danger. When he had told her about it, she hadn’t known what to think. But to see it? That had solidified her decision that she needed to end things. She could never have asked him not to join and fight, but he would have done it if it meant getting her back. And she couldn’t live with that, not when it was what he needed to do. So she had left, and gotten a place with Kyra. And she had wanted to see him, had plenty of drunken nights fighting over the phone with Kyra as she cried. But she had survived - and never moved on. Not really.

There were so many things she wanted to say, things she needed to hear. He’s here, that’s a good enough sign he doesn’t have someone else. The thought had crossed her mind more than once in the days since Fabian had become a constant in Kyra’s life. Found someone like him, someone who wasn’t afraid of a magical world. But that part is over, and he’s safe now. A knock at the door brought her out of the moment, and she pulled away quickly as she cursed herself for this. Her law partner had insisted that she get her mind off of things and go out with this guy. Can’t even remember his name right now, can you?

She moved back to the door, opening it up just far enough to stick her head out, ”Hey you must be...John-no, Jake? I’m going to have to cancel, something’s come up, sorry.” Without giving him time to question her, she closed the door quickly, turning to look at Edgar. Yes, he was really here in her apartment, theirher dog still waiting excitedly at his feet. She wanted to pinch herself, to make sure she wasn’t really dreaming - but he was really here. And his war was over.

”How have-I-“ What was she supposed to say after all of this time? Did she really need to say much of anything after giving him the greeting that she did. But she needed to say something and not just stare at him like a complete fool. ”Your parents, Roderick, Amelia how are they? Did they?”

[Edgar Bones]

His announcement - You've still got to tell her you're here to win her back, dumbass. - was out, and Phoebe was kissing him back, and Edgar felt like a teenager in love again. In the moment, it didn't feel like they'd been apart for so long; it felt like coming home, being here with her. She may've changed - you have. She may not want you, after the shock wears off... But if she did? He wasn't going to be fool enough to let her out of his sight, not again. A sharp set of knocks on the door drew the lovely brunette's attention away from him, though, and Ed watched, curious and on edge even as he leaned down to give Sadie some love, as she went to answer it. Pheebs wasn't about to let him take a look at the caller, it seemed - she stuck her head out and...Are you trying to let someone down easy? The whole exchange - if there even was one, had the bloke gotten a chance to say a word? - lasted only a number of seconds, but he was grinning when Phoebe shut whoever it was out.

"Something's come up."

"Hope that wasn't important," he said, unable to stop a small smirk from lifting his lips. He met her eye as she looked him over, surprise muting the pair of them until she found words. His smile only broadened as she struggled for them, knowing he'd be in the same position if he'd been the one to speak up first. Because where could they even start? There were feelings of some sort, obviously - but was it just the unexpectedness of seeing him that had her throwing himself into his eager arms? Or had she, too, never forgotten about him? Never really moved on?

"They're all brilliant. Missing you nearly as much as I have been," Edgar admitted, going to her and taking her hands in his. "Rod's married, and they welcomed their daughter a while back. Cutest little thing, got this bright shock of red hair like her mum. Amelia's on her way to becoming the next Minister for Magic," he boasted with a wink, hardly exaggerating his sister's accomplishments since graduation. "I want to hear everything about you, Phoebe. But I...I told myself, years ago, that if I got through the war...I would come and tell you something." He gave her hands a squeeze, eyes not leaving hers as solemnity changed his tone. "I would come and tell you that I love you. That I understand why you left...and why it wasn't fair for me to ask you to stay. That I want to be part of your life again." If you'll have me. "And,"  he continued with the hint of a smile, a reminder of his impatience during their youth, "that I don't expect any answers today."

[Phoebe Bones]

The smirk he was giving her after she had closed the door sent tingles down her spine, her mind vividly remembering him giving her the same smirk when they were fifteen. It had made her feel weak in the knees back then too, and it took a lot of her will power not to immediately throw herself back into his arms like a love sick idiot. They had so much time to catch up on, she needed to give herself time let this sink in.

She found her voice, if only for just a moment. And she found herself wrapped up in him as he took her hands, her mind racing as he spoke. Roderick was married and had a daughter. But if she remembered correctly, Charity Burbage hadn’t been a redhead. What had happened there? And she hadn’t a clue what a Minister of Magic was - blocked so much of what he told you out - but it sounded impressive (and like Edgar was full of it).

Before she could even fully let herself get caught up in the lives of his two siblings, he was giving her even more process. How many days have you wished for this? She had waited so long to hear him tell her that he still loved her, that she wasn’t the only one who had felt this ache in her chest for so long. He doesn’t need your answer now, but do you even need to this about this?

No, she couldn’t just jump back into this with him. She’d had plenty of time to come to accept that he’d kept such a big secret, to really understand that it wasn’t because he didn’t want to. She had always planned to be his wife, to have kids with him. She had long since put that on the back burner, putting herself into her work instead. Clearing her throat, she blinked away the tears that had formed in her eyes before she pulled away from him, heading to the kitchen. “Could I get you anything?”

She was pulling down a wine glass without hesitation, heart aching as she busied herself with getting drinks. She chewed on her lower lip as she moved about, mind turning the last few minutes over. Leaning back against the counter, glass of wine in one hand, Phoebe finally met Edgar’s eyes. “I went to law school after University, and I just got a partnership at my firm. Immigration,” she said as she went to sit across from him at the table. “I’ve been sitting here since Fabian showed up on our doorstep to see Kyra, wondering what to do if you showed up here. I just-“

She had thought at this point in her life, she would have been married with at least one kid, Edgar coming home to her every night. “If we are going to do this, you have to promise me there won’t be any more secrets.”

[Edgar Bones]

How long did you waste standing at the door?

    How many years did you waste away from her?

Hardly fair to call those years wasted -

    They could've been better. For both of you. If you'd tried again.

Because if he was reading this right - which, to be honest, by now Ed was feeling pretty confident he was - he still had a certain effect on Phoebe Adkins. Her big hazel eyes had that look to them which had, admittedly, faded in his memory. To be faced with it now, though, got him all kinds of distracted from his current mission. Good Merlin, Bones - you've got to talk to her before anything else happens. Get it right, this time around. Although...he couldn't keep himself from taking her hands in his. Even such an innocent action had his heart picking up, though, and Ed was rather proud of himself for saying his piece, when what he instinctively wanted to do was make up for lost time with her in means that required no words. Those eyes of hers got watery as he finished, and he felt his newfound confidence dip just a little as Phoebe separated from him. She needs a minute. You're basically back from the dead, let her have some time...

"Whatever you're having," Ed called after her, bending to pick up Sadie. He held the not-a-pup-anymore dog in his arms, swaying with her a bit as he watched Phoebe move around the kitchen with her thinking face on. How many hours, so long ago, had he spent studying her in an attempt to understand what went on inside her head? She'd always been brilliant, way more intelligent than him at any rate - and he'd always loved watching her mind turn something over. And this something, what he was proposing, what he truly didn't expect her to accept anytime soon - this was something big. He took a seat at the table after she handed him a glass of wine, setting Sadie down nearby, one hand still occupied with scratching her behind the ears. While he knew he had no right to, his smile was one of pride as Phoebe spoke of her accomplishments. "That's amazing, Pheebs," he commended earnestly. There'd been no doubt in his mind that she'd progress through school, get to where she wanted to be in her career. The bigger doubt, the one that had kept him up on many a night, had been whether or not she'd be available at war's end. Was he a fool to wait so long? Would she feel for him still? Or would someone have replaced him in her heart?

She was stunning, inside and out. She deserved love, someone devoted to her, someone wanting to make her as happy as she could possibly be. While he was weighed down with the loss of her...it was almost unimaginable to Ed to believe she'd still be single. Because how could someone not see what he'd seen in her, and done everything in their power to convince her that the past was the past, and that she should move on to someone better? Someone who hadn't kept her waiting?...It was a marvel in and of itself that Fabian and Kyra were working things out, and at least that seemed to have been getting her thinking, even before he'd showed up.

As Phoebe went on, though, it became evident that...no one had been let in to her heart. Fully, at least. And Ed could hardly contain himself. "No more secrets, I swear," he said, voice hoarse with feeling as he blinked back tears of his own.

[Phoebe Bones]

The large flat suddenly felt so small, her chest tight as she moved about the kitchen. It had only been a few days ago that she had jokingly suggested to Kyra that they get a pet together, seeing as they lived together for so long they were like a married couple. And then Fabian had shown up, had suddenly become a part of their lives just as easily as he had stepped out of it so long ago. She couldn’t be upset with either of her friends, the two of them finally making the connection she had spent years trying to convince them existed. But it had put her in a strange place, suddenly the third wheel. Four days ago she had been looking at kittens in the newspaper, and now she was pouring a glass of wine for her ex boyfriend.

Not just any ex boyfriend, the ex boyfriend.

She had compared every single date to Edgar, dismissing men when they couldn’t make her laugh like he did. Dismissing them when they could, because no one could replace Edgar. It was hopeless to try and move on when she was still so in love with him. Her parents had tried everything they could, introducing her to every single guy they met about her age that they thought she might like. There were so many reasons why letting Edgar come back after all this time was a bad idea, but she loved him.

He was proud of her, she could pick that up from his voice. He’d always been one of her biggest supporters, part of her support system. Knowing the truth that she did, she could look back on all the times he had debated with her with amusement. How many things had he learned to keep the guise that he was a muggle going? While the thoughts used to make her angry, she had to admit he’d learned far more than she would have wanted to if she had been trying to live a double life. Driving, laundry, cooking…

Her decision had been made the second she had seen him standing in the hall outside. She couldn’t stay sitting after he promised her there would be no more secrets, her body screaming at her to go to him. She settled herself on his lap, hands running through his hair as she closed the distance between their lips.

[Edgar Bones]

She'd been starving for him as much as he'd been for her, as became apparent immediately after his promise, a promise he should've made good on years ago. Drinks and separation forgotten, Phoebe came to him, and while snogging her on his lap was mightily welcome, Ed had shortly wrapped his arms under her bum to make sure she wouldn't fall when he stood. As he was rather blind to the interior layout of the apartment, even though he'd secured its protections too many times to count from the outside, Ed laughed, suddenly feeling as he had as a teenager sneaking his new girlfriend around his house. Directions quickly given after his ask, the way was clear...

He was no longer the unscathed boy she'd fallen in love with, and as they undressed, Ed had a moment's worry that she'd be put off by seeing what the years of war had done to him. While his teammates and himself were all proficient healers, those following Voldemort were...creative, to say the least. Some things thrown his way had left marks that couldn't be erased, scars that would never fully disappear. Relics of battles, of missions gone awry, were permanently etched into his being. And, for Merlin's sake - she'd never even seen the tattoo on his chest or the one on his arse impulsively gotten after he'd told her everything. But now wasn't the time to unpack all of that. Instead, Ed thanked his lucky stars that the woman he loved was taking him back, and stretched the night into attending to needs long gone ignored...

The dull November sun sifted through the curtains in Phoebe's room the next morning, and it took Edgar a few moments to realize the truth of his whereabouts. At Phoebe's. With Phoebe curled into him. The war, their separation - over. They could move forward now, together. No more thoughts of what-we-could've-been driving him mad, but thoughts of we-can-be propelling him into civilian life. After being a soldier out of necessity, Ed had long been ready for that retirement. He gently shifted out of bed, pulling his trousers on in case anyone else was home, and went to the kitchen, knotting back his hair as he went. After taking a look in the fridge, the pantry, the spice rack, quietly as he could he got breakfast readying itself for them. It wasn't long before the tea had brewed to satisfaction, and Ed poured them a pair of mugs, trusting his charms to do the rest of the work while he left the kitchen. "Good morning," he said, serene smile broadening at seeing Phoebe awake. "I love you." He sat on the edge of her bed, setting the tea down before leaning in for a kiss.

[Phoebe Bones]

She had missed him, so much more than she could put into words. At fifteen they had only a few weeks before he’d gone back to his boarding school - do you even remember what it’s called? - and she’d made a promise that she wasn’t going to worry about things between them. She didn’t have eyes for anyone else but Edgar, and she trusted him. Always stopped by to see his siblings and his parents, even if she was secretly always checking to see if he’d written her back. By the time he’d come home for his first Christmas she’d been eating dinner with his family once a week for two months, her own place at the table and everything. There had never been anyone else for her except for Edgar Bones.

Laughs escaping as he navigated the apartment, whispering directions to her bedroom between stolen kisses she didn’t even feel the slightest bit of guilt when their pup barked in annoyance for being closed out of the room. She might as well have been sixteen again, unable to keep her hands to herself as clothing was removed. And just as nervous as back then, uneasiness hitting her as she tried to prepare herself for whatever damage the war had brought back to her. But as fingers traced a tattoo of a moon, Phoibe, a titan of the moon, nothing else mattered. He was here and he was hers again.

“I love you,” she whispered back to him after she’d sat up in bed, tea in hand as she gave him another kiss. She hadn’t wanted to wake up this morning, worried it would all be a dream. And while it was absolutely perfect that he was here, the morning light was revealing things she’d had ignored the night before. Scars that hadn’t been there before, and if she wasn’t mistaken. “Do you have Fabian and Gideon’s name on your arse?” she asked with a smirk. She’d heard stories of drunken tattoo decisions but had chalked it up to exaggerated tales. Besides, she was much more interested in the tale of the moon on his chest, and she was going to pry that out of him before she answered any questions about the raven on her ribs. “I still can’t believe you’re really here.”

[Edgar Bones]

Ed smiled into her kiss, relieved to say the least that Phoebe was reciprocating the deep sentiment. He had years of exchanging the words to make up for, after all - and thankfully she was game, and not thinking it too premature. He did his best to not let her wandering eyes concern him, knowing that one day all of the stories behind the marks would be told in detail. But could they not focus on just being together again, today? Start puzzling out what the future held for them? Hell, the ring he'd gotten for her at twenty-one was still in his apartment, boxed up with all other relics of those happier years. Would she want them to date for a while, get to know who the other had grown into being, or...could she take a leap of faith with him?

Keeping part of his senses with the goings-on in the kitchen - he didn't want the eggs burning, of all things - Ed laughed as the woman he loved brought up, not scars and splotches, but the signatures of his best mates. "So you did get a look," he teased, still chuckling. "The night things fell apart for us, we all got completely sloshed," Ed admitted, making a face at the antics of youth before taking a sip of his tea. "Wound up thinking that the best way to cement our brotherhood was to sign each other's and get them tattooed on. At least, that's what we were able to piece together the next morning, through aching rear ends and hazy memories." He'd long known, even then, that the Prewetts would be his brothers - in life, and in arms - forever. The miracle that was the three of them making it through this war was something he would forever be grateful for, embarrassing tattoos and all. The bloke smirked, gently lifting her chemise to trace the raven hiding under it. "I want to know the story behind this."

As talk turned from tattoos to the reality of their situation, Edgar took her hand in his and met her eye steadily, wondering what words, what reassurances, he could give that would properly tell her his intentions. Before giving her a ring, that is. He'd hoped for this outcome, not truly anticipating it, but... "Me neither, Pheebs. To be honest, I thought you would turn me away. Tell me off, or that you were seeing someone, that I had no place here anymore." He sighed and brought their entwined hands to his lips, kissing the back of hers. "But you didn't. And I have no intention of letting you go, not again."

[Phoebe Bones]

Phoebe rolled her eyes at Edgar’s tease, unable to stop the smile that followed as he told her the story. A smile laced with sadness, because the night things had fallen apart for them wasn’t one she remembered fondly. Regardless of him being here now, that night had always been cemented as the night everything about her life had changed. She’d walked away from everything they had created together, and had left it all in the past. It was amusing that Edgar (and by the sounds of it, the twins) had ended up with tattoos on each other arses, something she almost found sweet. The boys were brothers - still.

And she wanted to know more about the moon on Edgar’s chest, although he was quickly beating her to the subject of tattoos to point at the one on her side. She gave a laugh, squirming at his gentle touch. “Edgar Allen Poe,” she answered him quietly - although she hesitated before continuing. “My favorite poem of his, “The Raven”, sort of inspired it.” How many times had she read that poem after things had ended between her and Edgar, promising herself she would never let herself be hurt again.

“What about this one?” she asked quietly, hand reaching out to trace the moon across his chest. She had her suspicions of course, but there was a difference in thinking she was right about things and knowing she was right.

He drew another smile from her, and placing her hand against his cheek she leaned forward to give him a kiss. “When Fabian showed up it...gave me a lot to think about. Like what I would do if you suddenly showed up here, and I thought I was mad for even thinking that you would. There’s been so many times I’ve been angry at myself for not giving you another chance,” she said as tears stung her eyes, and she sat down the tea in her hands to wipe at her own face. “I could never love anyone else as much as I love you Edgar.”

[Edgar Bones]

Although his brows quirked at the poet's name, the poem wasn't one that Ed was immediately recalling. She'd kept her books after their split, but if his memory of Divination was correct, ravens...weren't good omens. They signified betrayal, untrustworthiness. It wasn't wholly narcissistic of him, he figured, to assume that the tattoo was symbolic of their separation. And so he nodded, sadness gripping his heart. In the years they'd been together, the pains had by one were mitigated by the other. But going through the loss of their relationship apart...it'd nearly broken him, and if not for the support of the twins and his family, it likely would have. You're never going to hurt like that again - either of you. Phoebe inquired about the image over his heart, and Ed let out a soft chuckle as he met her gaze. "I couldn’t leave you behind."

Edgar’s later admission got him a kiss that he savored nearly as much as the words that followed from her lips. As Phoebe went on, Ed knew what he had to do next. Even though it was quite possibly mad of him to do so. Even though, while she’d just said that she couldn’t love anyone as much as him, she could not want them to move this fast.

This isn’t going “fast,” we’ve known since we were kids -

    Don’t do it - it’s too soon, she’ll be scared off again -

Everything is different now. We can have a long engagement if she wants, but this is it for us. She knows that as well as I do.

He wiped the tears from her eyes and held her face gently before leaning in to kiss her forehead. "Don’t move," he whispered against her. Rising, Ed threw on his shirt as he quickly went on. "Unless you smell something burning. Okay?" Heart pounding, Ed took a moment to take her in, and then was gone with a crack of apparation. He landed in his flat and tore into his bedroom closet, carefully but expediently ripping through the box of memories until he found it. The tiny velvet box opened at his touch, and he looked to the ring with determination. We're going to make this right. That in mind, Edgar reappeared in her bedroom and stepped towards her. He'd made this speech to himself countless times, with different iterations depending on his state of mind. He only hoped he'd get it right the one time it mattered.

"I remember the day I got this," Ed began slowly, taking the ring out of its box. "You were studying, gone to the library as soon as we woke up. Ridiculously early, if I might add. But it was your last set of exams, and you wanted to finish strong. Soon as you were out the door, I got dressed and went to the jewellers. When I told them I was there to buy an engagement ring, they looked at me like I was asking for the moon. But they were game for a sale, weren’t rude about it after getting over their shock, and pointed me towards what I could afford. Which wasn’t much, I can do better now, if you’d like that," he said with a stolen look to her. "I figured I’d surprise you on your birthday, wasn’t far off, and then we could celebrate with everybody." That hadn't happened, as they both full well knew; the breakup occurred a scant week after he'd gotten the ring, but they didn't need to rehash that now. He came to a stop before her, letting out a long breath before he continued. "I never gave up on us, Phoebe. Believing that we could come back to each other, that there was hope, that you hadn’t stopped loving me...it got me through the worst days of my life. And to find you now, to learn that that belief wasn’t unfounded..." He shook his head wonderingly, still dumbfounded at his luck, and went down to a knee. Ring held before her with a steady hand, Ed finished. "I want nothing more than spend the rest of my life with you, Phoebe Adkins. Will you marry me?"

[Phoebe Bones]

So many of her memories included Edgar, from her first proper school dance to graduating from secondary school. He had been her first kiss, her first boyfriend, her first everything. She had planned their lives out, knowing that one day they would get married and have kids. She had never anticipated magic, and a war, and everything falling apart. It had thrown her whole outlook on life off, having to accept everything changing. Her last year of school and Kyra had kept her head together that first year after things ended.

But she’d never really left him behind either. No matter how many times she tried, her heart had always belonged to him. She stared at him quizzically as he gave her instructions and stood, giving a nod to show her agreement. And then he was gone, with a noise that caused Sadie to come running into the bedroom with concern. “It’s alright love,” she laughed as she reached down for the pup, Sadie quickly finding a spot on the bed. Another crack, and Phoebe looked to find Edgar had returned, her mind making a note to ask exactly how he had done that later.

Because as he stepped towards her, Phoebe’s eyes found the box in his hand. And she had waited for this moment for so long, but this was so sudden. A laugh escaped her - one she didn’t know she was holding in - and these new tears pooling in her eyes were from a much different emotion that her earlier ones. After so long together and then so long apart, to feel so sure of this was insane. He went down on one knee, and she had to smile. “Yes, Edgar Bones. I will absolutely marry you.”

[Fabian Prewett]

He’d barely waited 24 hours from Voldemort’s fall to show up at Kyra and Phoebe’s apartment. Both girls had been surprised to see him, years since the rocky ending of Phoebe and Edgar’s relationship. And while he and Kyra had seen each other on occasion, things got more dangerous and it had been easier to stay away. But he had promised himself if he made it out alive, he would tell Kyra the truth. About everything that had happened, about all the times she witnessed magic.

And without really intending it, revealing the truth about what had ended things between Edgar and Phoebe seven years ago. He had felt bad about reopening old wounds, as he wasn’t even sure when the last time Edgar and Phoebe had seen each other. But walking into the apartment that Kyra shared with the girl, Fabian was immediately drawn to the fact that breakfast was cooking itself in the kitchen. While he supposed it was a possibility that Phoebe had suddenly met a strange wizard and invited him over, there was a more likely answer.

“Hope you two are dressed,” he yelled across the flat as he headed towards Phoebe’s bedroom, pleased to see that the door was cracked open. Giving a knock, he grinned at the two of them. “Fancy seeing you here Eddie.”