Chapter Text
Eddie woke up from the sound of rain smattering on the window. The second he opened his eyes reality hit him. His heart sunk and he could feel tears burning in his eyes. He rolled over to his side, lifted his knees to his chin and wrapped his arms around his legs, shutting his eyes closed. He wanted so desperately to go back to sleep again. He wanted to escape reality for a few more hours. He didn’t want to face this day, the day he knew would come but never thought would come so soon. Today was the day he would leave this house and leave his friends. Leave Richie. There was no other choice.. He couldn’t risk putting them in danger, and if he could make them safe by leaving, then he would.
Being a muggle-born had never really bothered Eddie. Except for that time when he had to explain everything to his mother (something he never could've done without Professor Dumbledore). And since his boyfriend was a Slytherin meant that he wasn't that popular among the other Slytherins at their time at Hogwarts. Being called a Mudblood didn’t bother him at all. In fact, Eddie liked being a muggle-born. He liked being a part of two worlds.
Until Voldemort’s uprising and the fall of The Ministry.
Over the past few months muggle-borns had been called in for trial. They had to give up their family’s history and if they couldn’t prove to have any magical blood in their family they were accused of stealing their magic from ”real” wizards. Then they were sent to Azkaban. If they never attended the trial Snatchers would trace them down, force them to go and if they resisted they would probably end up dead. And if they resisted at the trial they would end up by getting the Dementor’s Kiss.
Because of this Eddie now hated being a muggle-born. Well, he was still proud of it, but he hated that it caused him to be in danger. Not only was he in danger himself, his friends and above all, Richie, were too. Because being with Eddie made them all blood traitors, according to Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
The other side of the bed was empty. Eddie grabbed Richie's pillow, buried his head in it and inhaled Richie’s scent. His eyes started to tear up again and he laid there for a moment, preparing for what he had to do before he decided that it couldn’t be avoided anymore. He had to get up and he had to get it done before it got too late since he had a long way to travel. Eddie sighed and got out of bed and got dressed. He took his wand from the nightstand and put it in his back pocket. He glanced at the drawer where he had hidden the letter. The letter from The Ministry with his invitation to the trial.
He looked away form the nightstand, turned around and opened the bedroom door but he couldn’t bare himself to walk out. Not just yet. Eddie took a last look at the room before he would leave it and probably never see it again. He thought about every night he’d spent in the bed with Richie, he thought about all the times they’d had hot make out sessions in that bed, every time he’d moaned Richie's name in that bed. And he thought about the most recent nights they’d fallen asleep crying, holding each other for dear life. Because it was a war going on outside these walls, a war with deaths and sadness.
With a deep breath Eddie finally walked out of the room and closed the door after him.
All of the losers lived together in a house in London that Beverly’s aunt had lived in before she had passed. At their sixth year at Hogwarts they had decided to all live together when they finished seventh year. Said and done, here they all were. Well, almost all of them.
Eddie walked in to the kitchen and he his eyes landed on Richie where he was sitting by the table. It took everything Eddie had in him not to break down as he watched his boyfriend unknowingly of what would happen read The Quibbler and fidget with his wand. They had stopped reading The Daily Prophet after The Death Eaters overtook it, and almost every article were about muggle-borns stealing their magic from ”true” wizards and all that kind of bullshit. Eddie saw the headline over Richie's shoulder, ”DEATH EATER ATTACKS ON MUGGLES”. He felt like throwing up.
”That Potter kid better hurry up with whatever he’s doing to kill You-Know-Who,” Richie sighed as he laid down the newspaper and looked up at Eddie. ”Good morning babe,” he said softly and opened his arms, and Eddie was there in a second. ”Sleep well?”
Eddie didn’t answer, he just buried his head in the spot between Richie's neck and shoulder. ”Where are the others?” he mumbled after a while.
Richie hummed and stroke Eddie’s arm. ”Bev and Ben left for work and Mike-” Richie sighed and pressed his lips to Eddie’s head. ”I don’t know, you know he hasn’t been home much since…” He didn’t finish the sentence but Eddie knew exactly what he meant.
”I got the letter the other day." Eddie was almost surprised by how calm his voice had been since he was screaming out of fear on the inside. Richie inhaled sharply and his arms around Eddie stiffened, knowing exactly which letter he meant. He was silent for a moment before he pulled away and made Eddie look at him.
Richie looked broken. His eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were filled with worry. ”Ben is working on faking your family tree,” he whispered, stroking Eddie’s cheek with his hand.
Eddie just shook his head. ”It won’t work-”
”It will work, it has to work. I can’t lose you.” Richie’s voice was desperate and his hands were all over Eddie like it was his last chance to touch him.
”Richie, we can’t rely on that,” Eddie whispered and he looked deeply in Richie's eyes. ”What if I can't act good enough, they'll know I'm lying. Then I will end up in Azkaban either way.”
Richie flinched. ”Don’t say that. You won’t go to Azkaban,” he said and Eddie could see how much he was hurting.
Anger started to fill Eddie’s chest. Suddenly he felt angry for everything; he was angry at being born a wizard, he was angry at Richie for falling in love with him and was therefore in danger, he was angry at every Death Eater, at Voldemort, and everyone who worked for him at The Ministry. He was angry at Harry Potter who was out there somewhere trying to put an end to it but it never happened.
”But I will!” Eddie blurted out, louder than he had meant, causing Richie to jump. ”I have to go to the trial or the Snatchers will come get me and I won’t let history repeat itself! I won’t fight them,” Eddie was almost screaming now. ”I won’t end up like Stan!”
”Don’t.” Richies eyes had turned black and his face was like stone. ”Don’t bring him up-”
Eddie rose up from Richie's lap. ”Why? We can’t keep pushing it away, it’s real! Stan is dead. Stan died because he was a muggle-born and he fought the Snatchers, because he refused to go to the trial, and Bill is in Azkaban for trying to defend him, for being a blood traitor and-” Eddie couldn’t continue. Stan’s death had affected them in a way no one could describe, and Bill being in Azkaban on top of that... It was too much. And they hadn't talked much about it since it was too hard. ”I don’t want to end up dead too.”
Richie stood up and Eddie couldn’t make out if the look on his face was anger or sadness. ”Then what will you do?” he simply asked, his voice cold as ice. Eddie just stared at him, not really understanding what he was saying. ”If you won’t go to the trial with the faked family tree and you won’t fight the Snatchers, and I sure as hell won’t let you go to Azkaban, then what will you do?”
Eddie took a deep breath and clenched his fists. ”I will run away.”
”Then I’ll come with you.”
”No you can’t! Don’t you understand? You can’t be with me, you’re in just as much danger as I am when you’re with me! You know blood traitors are kept under constant surveillance, and Bill is a living example on how it goes for pure bloods being with muggle-borns!” It hurt saying those words, because he didn’t want anything more than being with Richie, but having him safe was all that mattered.
Richie just shook his head. ”You’re not leaving. Nope.” He turned around and walked to the counter and poured hot water in a cup, muttering ”accio tea” with a flick of his wand and a teabag came flying over Eddie’s head.
Eddie watched Richie’s movements, trying to take him all in, pinning every detail about him to his memory. The way he walked, the way he dragged a hand through his messy curls, the way his muscles flexed in his arm when he used his wand.
”I am leaving.” Eddie’s voice was so low he wasn’t sure Richie would hear him but the way he clenched to his teacup made Eddie sure he had heard.
”No. You’re not fucking leaving and that’s the end of it,” he answered, turning around to look at Eddie. ”We will figure this out.”
”Richie, I’m sorry,” Eddie whispered as he reached for his wand in is back pocket.
Richie's eyes widened. ”What are you doing?”
Eddie swallowed, blinking tears away. He took a hold of his wand and held it in front of him, pointing it at Richie. ”I have to make sure you’re safe.”
”Eddie stop it, whatever you’re planning, stop it,” Richie's voice was a mix of confusion and desperation. ”I love you, Eds stop!”
Just do it, Eddie told himself. Just cast the spell and get out of here. But nothing came out of his mouth. It was as if there was a mental barrier in his mind, as if he physically couldn't be away from the love of his life. He knew that he would never see Richie again if he did this.
”Are you going to oblivate me?” Richie whispered when he finally had put the pieces together.
Tears rolled down Eddie's cheeks now and Richie probably took that as a yes, because now he was reaching for his wand too.
”Richie, no-”
”I fucking swear, Eddie, I won’t hesitate to stupefy you if that’s what it takes.” His voice was harsh but at the same time he sounded scared. He pointed his wand at Eddie and now they stood there, wands pointing at each other.
”Please understand that I do this for you,” Eddie cried out. ”I need you to be safe. You and the others.”
”Stup-”
”Expelliarmus!”
Richie's wand flew over the room and Eddie caught it. Eddie was almost shocked, he’d cast the spell without thinking. He had never disarmed Richie before, it was an unnatural thing to do.
”No!” Richie was crying now too, and it fucking broke Eddie. ”Please, please, please,” Richie pleaded. He ran his fingers through his hair, scraping his scalp in agony.
”If the war ends,” Eddie started, using his words carefully. He desperately wanted to say ’when the war ends’, but he didn’t dare to have hope. ”Even if it’s in years from now, I’ll come find you and I will make you fall in love with me again.” His voice was only a whisper.
Richie just stood there and stared at Eddie, with tears silently rolling down his cheeks. His face expression switched from looking furious to completely and utterly heartbroken. ”I love you Eddie, please don’t do this.”
”I love you too Richie. Endlessly.”
”Eddie-”
”Obliviate”
A dim glow came from the tip of Eddie’s wand and the next second didn't Richie’s face look completely broken anymore. His face was blank, his eyes were still fixed at Eddie but they were empty. Eddie knew he had to leave now, before this state Richie was in would end, but he couldn’t move. It felt like his heart had split in two and he couldn’t find the strength to breathe. After what felt like an eternity Eddie dragged his eyes away from the boy he loved so much, forcing himself to move.
Eddie placed Richie’s wand at the table and walked to the door.
He took one last glance at Richie, who was still staring blindly at the spot where Eddie had been standing, and fuck, this was the hardest thing he’d ever done.
”I love you,” Eddie whispered.
And then he left.