Chapter 5: Quidditch Quarrel
"What the hell are you doing! Pass to Dean! Jannice!" The girl was completely ignoring her, weaving past the bludger and right towards the center hoop where their keeper was waiting. If Jannice threw that ball, there was almost zero chance the keeper wouldn't block it. Dean was doing just what he was supposed to and hanging back to the left, but Jannice was completely ignoring him. Ginny watched with disgust as Jannice threw the quaffle towards the left hoop in a poor effort to evade the keeper. Thank Merlin, Gibbons was skilled enough to fly over and intercept the quaffle before it reached the hoop. He was an average keeper at best, but not being able to block that throw would have been utterly pathetic.
Ginny flew over in a rage, her broom hovering so she was face to face with Jannice. "Have you somehow forgotten all our drills? This is a team sport, and if you aren't going to make use of the team, I don't know why you expect us to make use of you! You're benched until you're ready to show you studied the drills."
Jannice rolled her eyes, and gave Ginny a look of pure insolence. "I studied the drills. A troll could have come up with better. I'm not going to embarrass myself on the Pitch this Saturday trying to follow those so called plays of yours." What! Ginny spun her broom around and barked at Gibbons to pass the quaffle. Catching it with ease, Ginny flipped back to face Jannice with narrowed eyes. "Right then. Me against you. Play for possession. Let's just see who has the best chaser instincts."
And with that, the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team found themselves spectators as the two girls went at it. It ended with Ginny sweaty and red faced, a wide grin on her face as she claimed victory. All those practices with Pucey had indeed paid off. Considering the argument won, Ginny flew down to the rest of team and began laying out their next drill, but realized no one was paying attention. Instead they were all looking behind her.
Turning her head, she saw the broomstick just in time. Having been flung in order to hit the back of her head, Ginny was forced to duck. Standing back up, she stared at Jannice in shock. The girl had ripped off her gloves, and looked as if she had every intention of throwing them at Ginny as well. "You just have to be the star, don't you? Always the center of attention. Well fine! If you're so much better, I guess you don't need me. I quit!"
Ginny stood there gaping, unable to believe what was happening. Jannice seemed perfectly serious though, and stormed off the Pitch and supposedly off the team for good. After the shock wore off, Ginny quickly felt the panic set in. Jannice couldn't quit! Jannice was her best chaser and they had their first match in three days' time. What the hell had just happened? Ginny had enough presence of mind to shout that practice was over for the day, before dropping her broom on the ground and racing after Jannice.
She caught up with the girl in the Entrance Hall, and grabbed onto her arm. "Wait, Jannice. You can't quit. We need you. Ravenclaw is going to smash us apart without you." Jannice yanked her arm back and scowled. "Good. I hope you do get smashed. And I can do whatever I want. I quit and there is nothing you can do about it."
Ginny was at a complete loss. "But why?" Jannice let out a laugh. "Are you serious? Why do you think?" Ginny only looked at her in bewilderment, and Jannice shook her head in disgust. "That's your problem Ginny. You only think about yourself. A good captain would have never done what you did out there." And with that, Jannice left Ginny alone in the Hall, more confused than anything, but also hurt. What was she supposed to have done? Jannice hadn't been practicing the drills, had been ignoring her teammates, and was giving Ginny attitude. Hadn't it been her job as captain to bring Jannice into line?
She needed advice. To talk to someone. Hermione and Luna would both happily let her talk, but this was about Quidditch. Neither girl would be able to give her any advice. Dean. He had been there, seen the whole thing. Surely he would be able to tell her what had gone wrong. Walking back to the Pitch somewhat dejectedly, she found her team had cleared out. All except Dean, who was sitting on the stands with her broom in hand, waiting for her.
Ginny met his gaze and let out a large sigh. "So, she's really quit. Absolutely raging at me too. What did I do wrong?" Dean waited until she had gotten herself seated beside him, and then handed her broom back. "Blimey Gin, it's obvious isn't it? You embarrassed her. She was captain last year, yeah? Being demoted from captain back to just a regular player must have been hard enough, but to then have you show her up like that? You're not even a chaser, you're the seeker. Makes it doubly embarrassing, doesn't it?"
Ginny pouted. "Well what was I supposed to do then? Just ignore her attitude and pretend not to notice her flaunting my orders?" Dean shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, you could have been nicer." Ginny frowned. Nicer? What did that mean? She should have said please? "Maybe not shouted so much. It is a bit much to see you yelling at everyone like that sometimes." Ginny really was trying to take Dean's advice to heart. But what he was saying, it just didn't make sense. She was a Quidditch Captain! How did Dean expect her to be effective if she couldn't shout?
"Don't worry Gin. Everyone knows you're still trying to figure out all this captain stuff. Could be that it's just Pucey rubbing off on you. Maye if you stopped scrimmaging him, maybe then people would like you better." Ginny was tense, irritated beyond words, but she forced a smile, determined to not lose it. "Thanks Dean. Really. You did a bang up job at practice today. Nice work. I'm sure you'll be great on Saturday." Dean grinned and nodded at her, completely oblivious. Ginny continued to sit there as she watched Dean walk away, trying to get her thoughts in order. She couldn't help but think Dean was being a bit thick. But what if he was right, and it really was her who was wrong? What if she did need to be nicer? Did her other teammates really think she yelled too much?
Two days later found Ginny clenching her lips together in a forced smile, as she watched Colton Fischer fly up and down the Pitch. Emergency try outs were being held, and sadly, Colton was still the best alternative. Keeping Dean's words in mind, she had been trying very hard to remain upbeat and positive for the last hour. She had managed to simply say "That's okay! Try again. You're doing great." When really all she had wanted to do was scream at them for their utter incompetence. Tomorrow was going to be a disaster.
"Alright! Thank you everyone. After seeing all of your wonderful talent, I have to say the future of our Quidditch team looks bright! I'm sure many of you will make the team in the next few years. For tomorrow though, Colton can you play chaser?" Naturally, he couldn't agree fast enough, and Ginny forced herself to look genuinely thankful. She spent the rest of the night with a ball of dread in her stomach.
It was in the Great Hall that Hermione finally seemed to notice something was amiss. "Ginny, aren't you going to eat anything?" Ginny stared down at her plate, and pushed her green beans around with her fork. "Not hungry." Hermione scrutinized her, and then gasped. "Oh Ginny! Are you really going to take my advice? Is that what this is about?" Ginny's head snapped up and glared at Hermione.
"No. I am not telling Draco that my focus needs to be on NEWTS and I have no time for a boyfriend." Hermione sniffed and raised her chin upwards. "Well I don't see why not. It's not like you can see him much anyhow. And taking a break from dating would be good for you. You haven't been single for more than a couple months since you were thirteen." Ginny focused on stabbing a piece of chicken.
As much as she was thrilled at the thought of seeing Draco tomorrow, she was also nervous. He was going to be there to watch the train wreck the team had become under her captainship. She could imagine it now. How appalled he would be to watch her chasers scrambling across the pitch, looking as organized and planned as a nest of billywigs. She wanted him to be proud of her, but all she could envision was disappointing him. Of him being embarrassed for her. Would he even want to be seen with her after their terrible performance? Or would he try and preserve his own pride by pretending not to know her? She wouldn't blame him.
There was almost no chance of him not coming. She had just gotten his last letter this morning, a letter which had specifically mentioned how much he was looking forward to seeing her match tomorrow. Why did he have to be supportive? Couldn't he have just said he had no interest in school games now that he was free to attend all the professional games he wanted? "Well just remember there are rules in place about where visitors can go on game days. If he so much as steps foot in our room, I am reporting him immediately." Ginny had to resist the urge to kick Hermione under the table. "Yes, fine. I know." And she did. As much as she might want to, she had no plans to sneak Draco into her bed. It wouldn't really be fair to any of her dorm mates. What Hermione hadn't thought of, and what Ginny had no intention of telling her, was that Draco and her had a long list of empty classrooms that they had fucked in and would have no problem using again.
"Harry and Ron mentioned coming too, a chance to see Hogwarts renovated and all, but they have Auror training all morning. Apparently some sort of course in tracking. Ron wanted to ditch and come anyways, but of course I told him not to be an idiot. He's already falling behind from what I've been able to tell. The last thing he needs is to skip class." Ginny hummed, and took a bite of corn. "Mione, do you think being an Auror's really the best thing for Ron? I mean, aren't you supposed to be able to keep your temper? To be clever and sneaky and logical?"
Hermione reluctantly nodded, and began cutting up her chicken. "I know. I can't help but think he went into it just because Harry did." Hermione continued to talk through all the things that worried her. How Ron had never had a mind for memorizing laws, and tended to act before thinking. How it was a career that no matter how hard he tried, he would always be in Harry's shadow. How the program expected people to have a NEWT in Potions, and Ron had nearly no grasp of Potions.
Ginny sympathized, and found herself helping Hermione brainstorm ways to help her brother. By the end of dinner, the two girls had managed to fill a parchment with ideas, some a bit more realistic than others, but all full of good intentions. They walked back up to the dorm together, and played a game of Wizarding Chess before heading to bed. While not nearly the opponent Ron was, Ginny was good enough that she found herself trying to give Hermione pointers as they played. The girl was dead set at improving enough that she would be able to hold her own against Ron by the end of the year. It was a rather ambitious goal. And also rather sweet.
As annoying as Hermione could be, Ginny knew that Ron was lucky to have her. That Hermione really loved him, and was just who he needed to keep him grounded. And maybe because of that, Ginny had found herself unable to stay mad at the girl. No matter how offensive Hermione came off as, Ginny knew that she only meant to help. Her grudge against Hermione after Hogsmeade had lasted all of a day, before Ginny found herself partnering with Hermione for Potions.
As further proof of their friendship, the next morning Hermione donned her Gryffindor scarf and promised to be in the stands, cheering her on, despite having zero interest in Quidditch herself. Ginny gave her a hug, and promised to try and make the game as short as possible. Really, it was the only strategy she had. The less damage that could be done with the quaffle, the better. Ideally, Ginny would spot and snatch the snitch before the crowd could figure out how miserably her chasers were flying. The last thing she needed was for Pucey to spot her team's weakness and start planning on how to monopolize on it for their upcoming match.
Ginny spotted Jannice at breakfast, and had to force herself to keep walking past. The girl was wearing a blue sweater. Not a blatant enough statement that Ginny could accuse her of rooting for Ravenclaw, but both girls knew that's what it meant.
She forced down half a bowl of oatmeal and some eggs as she waited for the rest of her team to arrive. Once they were seated, Ginny pulled out her playbook and reviewed with her team, reminding them that the Ravenclaw beaters were known to play dirty, and that their keeper favored the right hoop.
Walking out onto the Pitch, Ginny couldn't do anything but stare straight ahead, her nerves going haywire. Whatever happened today, it was going to reflect on her ability as captain. She didn't so much as glance at the stands, knowing that seeing the crowd would only make her more nervous.
The game was a mess. Ten minutes in, in a move that was nothing short of disastrous, Tiberius was double teamed by the Ravenclaw beaters. While he was busy whacking one bludger away, the other slammed into his back, knocking him off of his broom. Madame Hooch's cushioning charm saved him from serious injury, but none the less, he spent the rest of the game woozy and nearly useless as a beater.
With only Rhydian to protect them, Colton darted around the Pitch in fear, forgetting everything she had told him in favor of avoiding bludgers. Dean was trying his best to fly the patterns they had practiced, but with only Liam to work with, the plays were falling flat. Ravenclaw was up 80-30. Ginny was doing her best to yell at Dean and Liam to forget her plays, to change strategy, but that just left them even more confused. And while she was busy yelling, the crowd suddenly began roaring.
Panicked, Ginny searched the air frantically, only to see the Ravenclaw seeker narrowing in on the snitch. She immediately took off, determined to do her best to get there in time, but it was useless. The Ravenclaw seeker won his team the match, and Ginny was left hovering in the air, dangerously numb. They had lost. Not only had they lost; they had looked like a mess out there. Stoically, Ginny flew down and walked directly to the changing rooms. Alone, she dropped her broom on the floor, and then pounded her fists on the walls. Eventually, her screams of rage and frustration turned into tears of misery. She had failed. She wasn't a good captain, and she didn't know how to fix it.
"Mr. Malfoy! Come back this instant! Visitors are not allowed in the changing rooms!"
"Just hold on Professor! Gin, come out right now." Ginny stared at the wall and wiped her eyes.
"Go away Draco!" She just wanted to be alone. She wanted to stand in the showers and have a nice, long, cry. There were no girl players on the Ravenclaw team, so she would have the entire place to herself.
She heard him mutter something from outside. She knew the only thing holding him back from simply walking in was the crowd. That if he barged into the girls' changing room in front of professors and parents, McGonagall would be forced to take action against him.
Suddenly, a flurry of gravel came in through the door and began pelting her. Ginny shrieked, protecting her face with her arms, as the small rocks formed an unrelenting funnel around her. "Alright, fine! I'm coming out!" Running back out into the sun, she waited for things to go still and quiet before lowering her arms. As soon as she could see him, she hit him. He clutched his stomach and grunted. She felt zero sympathy. "You absolute tosser! You knew I didn't have my wand with me! That wasn't fair!"
He straightened up and glared at her. "You know what else isn't fair? Hiding in the changing rooms, expecting me to just stand out here for who bloody knows how long, while you throw yourself a pity party."
Ginny couldn't believe what she was hearing. What she was seeing. He had no sympathy for her. Was making no effort to make her feel better. "You arse! Weren't you watching the game? I have every right to self pity! That was the most pathetic Quidditch game in the history of Hogwarts and it was all my fault!"
He cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? Sorry, must have missed you hurling both bludgers into that beater of yours. And was it you that stuffed cotton into those chasers' ears? Or maybe it was you who gave that small idiot a deathly fear of being hit, begging the question of why he ever decided to join a Quidditch team in the first place."
Ginny could only gape at him. Draco rolled his eyes. "The only thing you're responsible for out there as seeker, is catching the snitch. You didn't catch it, which I know feels like shit, but it happens Gin. Do you know how many times I lost to Potter? You have to just get back on the broom and keep flying."
"But, but I'm captain. That means that everyone else is my responsibility and…" She was near tears again.
"Alright, okay. Sit down and we'll talk it through." Ginny nodded and made her way over to the benches by the sidelines of the Pitch. The crowd was still dispersing, but people seemed to know to give her space. To not call out or try and get too close. Draco sat down next to her, and threw his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, and closed her eyes for a bit. He switched over to rubbing circles on her back, and her breathing deepened as her emotions settled. Finally feeling calm, she opened her eyes and straightened back up.
"Right, well, I suppose this all started when Jannice decided to quit three days ago." She could feel the surprised jerk Draco gave, and had to smile. "She what?"
Ginny found she actually relished telling him the story in its entirety, knowing that he would have an opinion and that she was perfectly free to air her opinions about it unfiltered. After he heard everything, he sat in silence for a while, Ginny watching him anxiously.
"Do you really want the captainship?" Ginny nodded, and Draco bit his lip, thinking it over. "Right then. Here's my take. She was out of line, you did what you had to do, she's gone. The day you let her back on the team is the day you've lost control over everyone else. Ignore Thomas, every captain in the history of Quidditch yells at their team. He's probably just hung up on you being a girl and younger than him. Next, switch Fischer to seeker. You'll lose a few games at first, but he's flighty and might actually learn to do well with it with some practice. More importantly, you need to be a chaser. Not only will it let scouts see you flying your best come spring, but you'll be able to manage the team better during games."
Ginny couldn't help but be impressed. He saw her expression, and squeezed her knee. "Better?" She put her hand over his, and squeezed back. "Much."
Officially, visitors were to head home directly from the Pitch after a game. Unofficially, it was not uncommon for family and friends to linger and chat, or even have a picnic around the Lake. The only rule Dumbledore, and now McGonagall, enforced was that guests were to remain outside of student areas, and be gone by supper time. The Great Hall, common rooms, even the library were strictly off limits.
Which was perfectly fine with them, as they hurried through the halls and into an empty classroom. "Well this brings back memories." Ginny grinned and looped her arms around his neck. "Yes it does. Now let's make new ones."
"Fuck Gin, I'm going to cum." Ginny could only nod breathlessly, tightening her legs around him while he suddenly went rigid before collapsing on top of her. They were both naked, lying on Draco's cloak that had been reinforced with a cushioning charm. If Hermione had thought the room at the Three Broomsticks was ratty, Ginny could only guess at what Hermione would think of this. The thought made her grin.
For a while, they both continued to simply lie there, weary from all they had done in the last hour. By the time Draco pulled himself up, they were both cold and a little stiff. Ginny saw him getting up to reach for his trousers, and yanked him back down. "Oh no, not yet. Here, pass me my shirt." Still wandless having come right from Quidditch, she used Draco's wand to enlarge her shirt to ten times its original size, and then set a heating charm on it. He watched her the entire time, his face strangely blank. Settling back down next to her, he watched her as she snuggled into him and threw her creation over them.
"Have you ever done that before? Used someone else's wand?" Ginny tensed for a moment, before snuggling more deeply into his chest and closing her eyes. "My mum's. Other than that, of course not." They were both fully aware of the implications. Using another witch or wizard's wand was either the gravest insult, or a sign of total trust and love. Ginny was rather sure Draco would know which way she had meant it.
"Gin, I know I should have asked that day in Hogsmeade, but you still have Sprout's potion, don't you?" Ginny flushed red, and continued to keep her face buried in his chest. She knew this was a conversation they needed to have. That the decisions she had been making would affect the rest of their lives. Keeping this type of information from him was incredibly unfair. Still, she had been happy to avoid it.
"It's still here. I mean, probably. Tucked away with everything else in that cell of a bedroom somewhere. I don't know. It's not like I packed it for the Easter holidays. What would have been the point?" Draco gently shoved her off of him, his hands on her shoulders so that she had no choice but to look at him. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
Ginny's stomach clenched, unable to predict how he would react. "Yes." Letting go of her, he rolled over to stare at the ceiling and take a deep breath. She could tell from his clenched jaw that he was trying hard not to yell. Not to explode. So, he was angry then. She supposed that was fair. When he spoke, it was terse. "You're of age now you know. You could have owl ordered it if you needed a new vial." She wrapped her arms around herself. "I know."
He must have heard something in her voice. His eyes darted over back to her, and his expression softened. She looked back at him, and sighed in relief as his arm reached over. Happily, she readjusted so that his arm was cradling her body to his. Leaning in, he kissed her softly. "Is this really what you want? To keep trying?"
Ginny didn't know why it was so hard to talk about. She trusted him, she did. It wasn't that she was afraid. But she barely understood it herself. Trying to articulate how she felt, she didn't know if she was going to be able to explain it. "Back in March, for that last week, I really thought I might be pregnant. Something just felt, different. I don't know. I could have just been fooling myself. But I was so excited, so happy, thinking it might have happened. And then during Easter holidays, when we were on the run, I thought I had lost you. Lost any chance of a future with you. I thought I had to give you up, leading the life of a wanted criminal. The only silver lining? I thought I'd always have a piece of you. Your baby."
He reached over to brush a tear from her cheek, and Ginny swallowed before continuing. She shouldn't be this emotional. It had been months ago, and it didn't really matter. It had all been one big mistake. "I was so sure. I began counting the days, just getting more and more excited as it seemed my monthly wouldn't happen. And then… I still don't understand. It was an entire five days later than normal. It had never done that before. But it crushed me. My family had no idea why I was such a mess. I told them that I was just overwhelmed with having to live in hiding, with having to hear what Hogwarts was turning into, with worry about how we would survive this. But really, I was grieving. How stupid is that? I was grieving a baby that had never even existed."
Draco didn't say anything. He just held her more tightly and let her continue talking. "When I heard you had been released, I did think about it. About getting the potion. But it just, it felt wrong. I think something in me changed last spring, and I don't know how to change it back. Logically, I know it makes no sense to want a baby now. And a part of me is fine with that, at least I think so. But going out and actively buying and ingesting something that would kill any chance of it happening, I just, I don't want to."
He kissed her again. And again. It was incredibly gentle, his lips barely pressing against hers. It was she who deepened it, needing to feel him and bask in the security that he still loved her. She crawled on top of him and shoved her tongue in, turning it into a full blown snogging session. His hands kneaded her naked body and she pressed down, rubbing herself against him, feeling his cock come to life underneath her.
He pulled back from their kissing, and stared into her eyes. "I love you, and have every intention of being your husband and father to your children. Whatever timeline you want Gin, we'll figure it out." She gave him a wide smile, her entire body bursting with happiness. "Thank you." He rolled them over so she was beneath him, and held her wrists down. "No. Thank you. Now, you ready to be ravaged for a third time today?" Ginny moaned, and spread her thighs wider, welcoming him back into her body, already anticipating another round of pleasure.
"Oh Ginny, you are positively luminescent! Did you and Draco find a nest of wigglewums on your date today?" Ginny worked very hard to hold back a laugh as Hermione's head snapped up at Luna's voice. They were in the library, Hermione having dragged her here after supper to work on Transfiguration together.
Honestly, Ginny appreciated the distraction. She was getting nothing done. Her mind was still on earlier, and her body wanted nothing more than to rest. In fact, she had been seriously thinking about ditching Hermione for her mattress. She and Draco had never gone that many rounds before in so short a time, and her body seemed to be punishing her for it. She was pretty sure she had actually torn something down there. Or rather, Draco had torn something down there while thrusting into her. Their last session had been particularly rough, but even if something had torn, she wouldn't trade it for the world. He had felt so damn good. "I don't know Luna. It's possible. It certainly was quite the date."
Ginny returned Luna's smile, and purposefully avoided looking over at Hermione. She knew perfectly well how much Hermione would like hearing even a small reminder of her relationship with Draco. Luna's gaze drifted over to Hermione and she tilted her head to the side, visibly concerned. "I think you ought to show Hermione the nest Ginny. She looks like she could use with a bit of cheering up."
Hermione's book slammed closed. "Thank you Luna, but I believe I'll forgo the wiggleworms."
"Wigglewums actually." Ginny's entire body shook with contained laughter as she watched Hermione struggle through what to say. Working to suppress all her incredulity and annoyance, Hermione finally managed a terse "Right. Of course. Did you need something Luna?"
Much to Ginny's surprise, Luna actually nodded and took a seat next to them. "I actually need a favor. See, daddy's been having a hard time these past months. You've probably noticed; The Quibbler hasn't had any new issues." Hermione and Ginny shared a look, and unanimously agreed to lie.
"Oh of course we've noticed. Been an absolute disappointment, not getting a new issue every month. I was just mentioning the other day, wasn't I Hermione? About not knowing what creatures to look out for that may have invaded Britain this summer." Hermione nodded vigorously. "Oh yes. Quite the disappointment. What can we do to help?"
Luna looked over to Ginny, and looked uncharacteristically serious. "Well daddy seems most interested on investigating what creatures cluster around where a lot of dark magic took place." Ginny frowned in confusion, as did Hermione. "Do you mean he would want to do research around Hogwarts?"
Luna fiddled with her bag strap. "Well, yes probably, but I don't think the Headmistress would allow it. I suppose I was thinking more of him being allowed around a private residence? Perhaps where a lot of death eater meetings took place and people were kept in cellars?"
Ginny's face blanched. "Oh Luna. Does he really…wouldn't that be so hard for him?" Luna shrugged. "I think he might need the closure. That somehow it will help him move on. I don't know. But if you could talk to Draco..." Ginny put her hand on Luna's and squeezed. "Luna, you don't need to ask me. Write to him. I know he feels terribly about what happened to you."
Luna gave a small smile, and then stayed to talk to them about the latest animal Hagrid had introduced to them in Care of Magical Creatures before heading out. Ginny turned back to her work, only to find Hermione looking reprovingly at her. "What?"
"It's just, how could you raise Luna's hopes like that? As if the Malfoys would ever let her father go traipsing through their Manor." Ginny looked at Hermione in confusion, and then sighed in exasperation. "Honestly. Do you really think they cared to have prisoners in their cellar? No. If they don't want her father in their Manor, they'll at least come up with a polite way of declining. But I think they will let him. Not to have free reign maybe. He might be shadowed by their house elf or escorted around by one of them personally, but they'll realize how little harm there is in it."
"I think you're deluding yourself. Trying to turn them into better people than they are."
"Well I think you have a grudge that you can't let go of." The two girls sat there staring at each other, and then Ginny sighed. "I'm headed to bed. Finish Transfiguration tomorrow?" Hermione looked down at their incomplete essays and nodded. "Sure."
Going to bed that night, Ginny found herself thinking not about schoolwork or Quidditch, but about what Draco had said earlier. He was planning on marrying her. She had known that of course. They had already talked about a future together. Only months ago, Ginny had been sure she would be a wife and expectant mother by now. But somehow hearing him say that now, now when there was no threat of danger. It was different. Better. He wanted her. Not as a way to escape living in a house a Dark Lord visited. Not as a way to distance himself from having to kill and torture. Not even as a way to protect her from danger. He just wanted her, for her. She went to sleep dreaming of their wedding, a smile stretched across her face.