Clare POV
The summer vacation before the start of her year was one of the best years of her life, only below discovering the joy of magic.
When the time came to return to Hogwarts for the beginning of her 5th year, she returned with full vigor and even a hungrier mind.
On the first day of school, she picked up right where she left off.
By the end of this year, she would be ready and have covered all the necessary subjects to pass her N.E.W.T.S., all while still in 5th grade.
She started smiling a lot more at school, and the other students around her noticed. For the first time in her life, she bought new robes instead of buying them from second-hand shops. She no longer felt any guilt about buying new things for herself; she no longer had to worry that her siblings were living in poor conditions while she bought new things.
Now that she had finally let go of her worries about the present and the past, she started focusing on her future. It might be because she started taking care of herself that she began being noticed by boys.
While it definitely felt nice to be wanted, she knew magic would always be her first priority. She loved magic, and magic loved her back; that was enough for her.
As the months passed by way too quickly and the school year continued, she had a new problem.
A problem in the form of a persistent Gryffindor boy named Francis. Apparently, he had taken a fancy to her, and in his Gryffindor-ish way, he pursued her vehemently, which she disliked greatly.
She gave all of her time and focus to magic, and her pursuit of knowledge wouldn't allow her the luxury of a relationship.
She wouldn't want it any other way; she desired and loved magic too much.
Her 5th year continued this way, focusing on magic with all her might and avoiding interaction with the persuers, except for a polite greeting when they met in class or the hallway.
When the end of the 5th year came, and it was time for her O.W.L.S, her levels of excitement were off the charts. She was most excited for this year. OWLS were a milestone in her magical journey, and she would treat them with reverence, like she did all things magic.
Her OWLS result, no surprise to her, was 10 Outstanding.
She took exams in Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, History of Magic, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, and Herbology, which were the core subjects at Hogwarts.
She had also taken OWLS in Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Care of Magical Creatures.
She would have liked to take Divination and Muggle Studies, but unfortunately, her schedule wouldn't allow it.
She had reached out to her head of house, Filtwick, who only appointed to this position a year ago; he had no workaround for her predicament.
So just like this, her 5th year came to a close, and she began her 6th year.
In her 6th year, she stuck to her routine.
She practiced magic daily, immersing herself in spells, and spent most of her time in the library.
The only thing that changed this year was more frequent engagements with Francis, the Gryffindor boy. Despite her many attempts to express no interest in romantic relationships, he continued his attempts to woo her.
Before she knew it, her sixth year was over, and she started her 7th and her last year in Hogwarts.
As her last year in Hogwarts continued and the date of graduation started to draw near, she started thinking about the future beyond Hogwarts.
Her mind often wandered to the boy named Francis.
She and Francis had some things in common: they were both Muggle-born and attended Hogwarts in the same year.
However, it was where similarities ended, and the differences began.
She had asked around about him and made inquiries into the kind of person pursuing her. What she found was that he was naive, lazy, and undisciplined, treating magic as a tool rather than a gift.
He paid minimal attention in class, had average grades, and spent most of his time with his friends. From what she found, he spent most of his time in Hogwarts on a broom, or playing gobstones and goofing around with his fellow housemates.
She also learned about his background; apparently, he came from a well-off family in France.
No wonder he didn't worry about his future, unlike her.
The thought of a stable hold in the mundane world did have some appeal to her; she knew she could get a job in most places with her grades and knowledge.
While she might have trouble finding a job in wizarding Britain due to the rising campaign of the pure-blood movement and its champion, someone they called 'Lord Voldemort'.
She could always go outside the isles; she had learned a lot during her time in Hogwarts, and she knew an entire world existed outside of Britain.
She also knew it would be a good idea to have a stronghold in the Muggle world. She had always known of the threat posed by muggles and how dangerous they could be. After all, she had lived with the aftermath of the Second Great War.
She didn't want to completely ignore the muggles, unlike the magicals around her; what she learned from the muggles could save her life, and if nothing else, she had always been fond of learning.
After much thought, she decided to give the boy a chance.
She did suppose she would have to marry at some point in her life.
And so it was, a couple of months before graduation, she finally accepted his courtship on the condition that she wouldn't interfere with her magical pursuits after Hogwarts.
She didn't know if, at that time, he understood that magic would always be her first love and everything else would come second.
The next few years after graduation were the most dangerous time of her life.
The pureblood movement was rapidly expanding and gaining traction.
Muggle-borns were in danger in the magical society; it was during this time that she was glad she had chosen someone with a good background in the mundane world.
His considerable wealth allowed them to settle in the Muggle world, while the turmoil raged in its magical counterpart.
Her siblings were already starting to live their own lives, so she wasn't worried about them.
It did break her heart, however, that the magic which she loved and adored was being used to kill her own kind. It was magical blood being spilled, and she hated it, and she hated the one at the front of the movement. They began calling him 'You-Know-Who' after people started disappearing whenever they spoke his name aloud.
It seemed to be a kind of name magic she had read about.
While wizarding Britain was in turmoil, she continued her study into potions, runes, and whatever magic she could find with the same passion she had at Hogwarts.
It was also during this time that she was accosted multiple times while going to Diagon Alley for some study material. Thankfully, she was able to hold off her attackers with Francis's help long enough for them to escape.
After this event, Francis confessed to her how weak he felt compared to her when she faced her assailants.
When Francis realized the lurking dangers outside of Hogwarts, he set aside his ego and pride and asked her to teach him magic, and she happily agreed. After all, she was at her happiest moments when doing anything related to magic.
It was during this time that she felt the closest to him - when they were both talking about magic.
She finally connected to him on something other than their shared Muggle-born status and the fact that they went to Hogwarts at the same time. She thanked magic once again for being the bridge between them.
Even during the dark days, two years passed while she and Francis immersed themselves in magic. She taught Francis and reviewed her understanding of magic, gaining a new mastery of it in the process.
As for Francis, he learned all he could and made up for the wasted years at Hogwarts.
In 1976, two years after their graduation from Hogwarts, they got married.
It wasn't a big ceremony; her parents and siblings were invited and came.
On the groom's side, Francis's parents and some relatives were invited. He had wanted to invite some of his friends he made during his Hogwarts years, but she vetoed it on the grounds that it would be safer if fewer people in the magical world knew they were living amongst the Muggles.
Thankfully, he saw sense in that.
Her life was great after that; her future looked stable despite the war raging on the magical side.
She put all her time into studying magic whenever she wasn't spending it with her husband.
Meanwhile, Francis spent all his time learning magic to protect his family and learning the family business he had inherited.
She was content, she was happy.
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It's a beautiful night, we're looking for something dumb to do
Hey, baby, I think I wanna marry you
Is it the look in your eyes, or is it this dancing juice?
Who cares, baby? I think I wanna marry you
Marry You - Bruno Mars