DISCLAIMER: YOU THOUGHT I OWNED HARRY POTTER? LOL. I DON'T.

This is a story for the Fortune Cookie Challenge at the HPFC Forums! My fortune was 'A fresh start will put you on your way' and my prompt was hide. The story's a bit rushed at the end, but...agh, just read it!

PLEASE NOTE THAT COLIN CREEVEY DID NOT DIE DURING THE BATTLE OF HOGWARTS IN MY STORY.

They never disappear.

Little red scars stain her face like pomegranate juice on a white shirt. She's tried endless things: charms, spells, potions, the whole works. But the small angry dots never let go on her once fair skin and they scream at her, yelling at her in a symphony of noises pointing toward her mind. Traitor, traitor, traitor. Never show your face here again.

"Marietta! Your date's here!" Caroline, her roommate, yells. Caroline reminds her of Cho, with her bright eyes and charming personality.

"I'm coming!" she yells back, dabbing her face with more white. Muggle makeup seems to be the best at covering up her reminders.

She runs to the door and sees a man with mousy brown hair and a slightly crumpled dress shirt. He barely passes in her height, but she's not one to discriminate. Not with her own problems in hand. His eyes remind her of hot chocolate on a cold day: welcoming and comforting. She knows him from somewhere.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone." Caroline is obviously amused. She did set up this date after all. As she leaves, Marietta feels something gnaw at her mind. What if he doesn't like her? What if she messes up? What if…

"Marietta Edgecombe? Is that you? I'm Colin Creevey, I was a student at Hogwarts."

The past is definitely coming back to haunt her. She nods, her mind numb.

"But if you don't want to talk about, it's fine." he adds on. Yes, he was part of Dumbledore's Army. He knows what happened. She nods again and he smiles.

"Shall we leave?" He offers her his arm and she wraps her hands around it.

They leave her flat and she expects him to Apparate, but instead he takes her to a silver car. He opens the door for her and she slips in, the leather cold beneath her fingers. He enters the other side and starts driving. The car ride is quiet. Every so often, Colin would press a button to change the radio station. Songs hopped from jazz to rock to pop to classical.

"I didn't know you lived in England." he says, his eyes still on the road.

"I've been here ever since the war ended. It's much nicer here in my opinion." She looks outside the window, but only sees darkness ahead. He smiles. She doesn't notice.

"I agree."

The car is quiet once again except for the distant hum of the engine. They soon reach the restaurant and they enter without a sound. The dimly-lit place is filled with glowing red paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling and people huddled at their own little corners. A waitress comes up and leads them to their seats. The waitress walks away and says she will come back soon to take their orders.

"What do you like?" he questions.

"I…ah, tell me about you first."

So he does. She learns that he is two years younger than her and has a brother named Dennis and a dog Bailey who is named after his favorite photographer and he works for a small, unknown magazine that he thinks – no, he knows – will become big in a few years time. He is hope and joy bundled into a young man, and she feels her own spirits rise just by watching him talk about the future. In the middle of his speech about the importance of lighting, he stops speaking and looks at her with worried eyes.

"Was – Was I talking too much? Would you like to say something too?" he asks. He looks like he's mentally kicking himself at the moment as he looks down and mutters to himself.

"No… not at all. I enjoy the sound of your voice." she replies.

He blushes.

They order food and the waitress brings them their dishes soon after. They eat in silence.

"So what do you like?" he asks again.

"I….I like to paint."

"Paint…what do you like to paint?"

"I like to paint people. Women, mostly. They're prettier than men."

He laughs at her small joke and she chuckles herself. They go back and forth like this, him asking questions and her answering. She's having fun. She's smiling more than she's ever smiled in years and she's laughing like there's no tomorrow and every time she looks at him, she is awarded with his kind gaze. Her blood is pumping in her veins and she feels alive, alive, alive. It's a good feeling.

The dinner grows cold, the noodles limp. The candle's fire still burns on, but the flame is slowing diminishing. Colin calls for the bill and the waitress brings it along with two oddly shaped things wrapped in plastic. She pokes at one of them and he laughs.

"They're called fortune cookies. They have little fortunes in them. It's what I like best about these restaurants. I don't even eat the cookie part, the fortune's all that matters." he says as he puts wrinkled paper on the bill. She picks up the plastic-wrapped cookie and opens it slowly. She cracks open the hard, light brown surface and thin piece of paper drops from the broken pieces. She picks it up and reads the fortune.

A fresh start will put you on your way.

The past is definitely coming back to haunt her. Even muggle cookies mock her now. She doesn't want him to see the tears shining in her eyes so she ducks her head down, hoping he won't see. He does. They don't talk when they move to leave the restaurant; they don't talk when he drives her home.

"So..."

They stand outside the door of her flat, both looking to the ground.

"I…."

"Um….."

She glances at him and he is staring at her, a flame burning in his eyes. She shivers under his gaze.

"I don't mean to be rude; I've never been great with girls is all. But…I, I think you'd look better without makeup on your face. You're very beautiful." he murmurs, his large hands reaching up to brush against her skin. She closes her eyes tightly, expecting her body to move away from his touch, but she stands still. His hands are slightly calloused and he handles her with delicacy. She leans into his touch and a teardrop drips from one of her eyes.

He throws his hands back in shock, his face scrunching up in concern. "Why are you crying?" he asks. "Did I say something wrong? Did you not want to me to touch you?" She feels even more tears spring to her eyes, but she can't bring herself to look away from his confused face.

"No….no, it's nothing. I enjoyed it very much."

His face turns apprehensive and she feels her heart sinking deep into her stomach. He doesn't believe her.

"Ah, I…" he says. He looks away, a rosy hue growing on his cheeks. He opens his mouth and closes it and repeats the same motion several times.

"I," he looks at her, "I…may I take a picture with you?" The words rush out of his mouth quickly and he turns his head to the side once again. She stares at him and his skin grows even redder.

"…Why?"

"The boys at work said they don't believe I have a date today. And…and I wanted to prove it. You don't have to, you know. It's fine if you don't. I just, well you're very pretty, I mean, cute! I mean, er…beautiful. And kind. I really do like you. Yes. You're very beautiful and kind and I really do like you and I hoped that I could tell them…" he rambles on, his words being recycled every so often. She can't help the small grin that grows on her lips from his nervousness.

"Colin."

"And my brother doesn't quite believe it either, you know. I think he liked you when we were at Hogwarts. I do agree because I think you're extremely attractive not to mention you were very smart and I still think you are I mean who wouldn't you have very nice hair it curls just right and it's such a nice reddish colour…"

"Colin!" she yells, shaking him by the shoulder. He looks up, his eyes wide, a sheepish grin on his face.

"Oh. I'm sorry." he replies.

"It's fine. But…could we take a picture next time? I probably look horrid right now. My eyes are all red and puffy and you did say I look better without makeup."

"Next time? What do you mean by – Oh. Oh. Yes, well, um, would next time Friday be okay?" He brushes a loose curl out of her face and her face grows pink under his gaze. She smiles.

A fresh start will put you on your way.

"Friday would be great."

No need to hide anymore.

EDIT: 11/22/10

Hope you enjoyed!