Jason's hand tightened around Gracie's wrist and she winced in pain. He pulled her into his chest, and gripped her face with his other hand.
"Jason you're hurting me."
He ignored and pulled her up for a kiss, forcing his tongue into her mouth, his hand released her face and her wrist, resting them easily on her back and waist. She relaxed into the kiss and broke away gasping for air.
"I would never hurt you. You believe me don't you?"
She glanced down at her wrist and nodded numbly.
"Next trip to Hogsmeade I'll take you for a big mug of Butterbeer and we'll spend the entire day together. It'll be just like the old days."
Gracie smiled, and leaned into him.
"We should get to class. Longbottom will be going mad if we miss another Herbology lecture."
He grasped her hand and pulled her down the hill, and with the wind blowing through her hair Gracie tried to figure out where her easy-going boyfriend had disappeared too.
They reached greenhouse 2 and walked inside to an already started class.
"Rider and Shipper, you're late."
"Sorry sir, we got caught up. Won't happen again."
They took their place at the nearest workplace and Professor Longbottom carried on his lecture on the world's deadliest plants and what to do if you fell into a trap using them. Jason caught Gracie's eye and winked, causing her to blush.
Their relationship had started and developed rather quickly, but that seemed to have been the case for many couples following the death and destruction that had followed during and after the Battle of Hogwarts. People had grasped onto what little love had been available, they were wanting to build a future out of happiness. Gracie had found hers with Jason, the resident misunderstood bad boy. He had lost his entire family during the purges that had come after Voldemort's defeat. Not all Death Eaters were happy with how everything had ended and especially those who lived in the middle of nowhere had no qualms in killing those who they felt were inferior. Jason watched as the Death Eaters butchered his family, and he had returned to Hogwarts understandably distraught but also angry. He had kept himself to himself, sat simmering in the library and the common room. Nobody wanted to go anywhere near him, the teachers had tried and failed to get through to him, but there was no talking to him, no getting through the anger and rage. Until Gracie had sat down by chance on the same table at the library, there had nowhere else to sit and she had a huge essay due for Professor Granger, and she needed the quiet.
They had sat for a week silently ignoring each other, then the notes started. Gracie had started them as a bit of a joke, not thinking that any thing would have come from it. But he began to send notes back, each one the more flirty than the last, and just when Gracie thought nothing would ever come from it, Jason had pulled her into a dark hallway and had kissed her long and deep. They had been inseparable ever since.
It had been great at the beginning, and as Gracie began to learn all about him, and the tragedy that had hounded his family and destroyed his life. He had opened up and they had become a solid couple. Gracie had fallen for him hard, but there was no getting around the fact that he scared everyone else. She had worked hard to make him seem less angry and less scary and they now had a close group of friends all who understood him. They were happy.
But after this summer, he had come back even angrier and there was something wound up and tense about him. Their interactions had become more and more aggressive, he had become forceful and she knew she should walk away, but there was something sad behind his eyes, something that reminded her of the boy she had fallen in love with.
They finished up in Herbology and had started their climb up to the castle, they had a free period, and Gracie had planned to grab a seat in the library and try to get on top of the ever mounting homework. Jason had other plans. Pulling her off the path, he led her into the Forbidden Forest and pushed her up against a tree.
"Jason, I really have to study, I'm so behind and we have all that homework due for Transfiguration. You know how Professor Granger gets if you miss an assignment."
He wasn't listening, his hands were roving down and around her waist. She was stuck between him and the tree. He started to nibble at her ear and neck, she let out an involuntary moan, he smiled against her neck. Gracie could see her free period disappearing before her eyes and she imagine the late nights she would have to make up for it. She pushed Jason away.
"You know I love our time together, but Jason I have to go. I have so much reading and essay writing, I just don't have the time."
She pushed past his arm and made towards the path again, intending to walk up to the castle. He grabbed her wrist and spun her back round so she was facing him. His face had changed.
"How dare you. I want to spend time with you and you blow me off."
"Jason. I have so much work to do. I would love to spend more time with you, but I have to get this done."
"Lies."
She didn't have time to raise her hand to protect her face. His fist came slamming towards her, and the impact knocked her to the floor. She scrambled away and found her way back to the path.
"Gracie, wait. I'm sorry."
The tears were streaming down her face and she could feel the area bruising. She knew that Madam Pomfrey could fix it with just a flick off her wand but their would be questions asked and even though he had hurt her she couldn't bear bringing any trouble his way. She went straight up to the Hufflepuff common room and into her four post bed, pulling the curtains closed for privacy. Pulling her compact out she started blotting at the already deep purple bruise on the side of her face, she got rid of most of the evidence just in time for her Potions class with none other than Professor Snape.