Dorcas Meadowes and Benjy Fenwick

"Dorcas? Dorcas? Are you okay?"

She turned her head, found that it hurt too much to be allowed, and mumbled a weak "yes".

"You're not," said the male voice. A warm hand was on her shoulder as he whispered unfamiliar incantations.

Immediately, she found herself relaxing; her head stopped pounding a bit from the blood loss.

"Thank you," she croaked.

"Welcome," Dorcas recognized the voice now.

"Benjy?"

"Mm? Dorcas, you should rest. Avery struck you quite hard."

"My head-"

"Dark magic," Benjy said calmly. "I know. I was a Healer before I joined the Aurors."

"Hurts," she muttered. "Water."

"You thirsty?" Benjy unscrewed the top of his water bottle. "Here, I'll hold it."

"Damn," she managed to say. She felt a tiny bit better, now. At least she could open her eyes. "I feel like a baby."

He laughed. "No worries, we always feel little at some point."

"Where're we?"

His coffee brown eyes dart to and fro before he answered, which did not go unnoticed.

"Now? We're at Remus's. This is his cellar."

"Smells weird."

Benjy shifted. "Oh, this is where he... transforms."

She flushed. "I thought you said something about Avery?"

"Well, yeah. You remember? We were at the Avery residence, breaking protective spells... A hooded figure came up behind you – Avery Junior. Didn't have time to warn you – I could only Stun him and Apparate you to Remus's, which is always open, you know. First place I thought of... You've been out for a good while now."

"Mm." Dorcas's fingers drummed against the hard mattress and she sneezed. "Why didn't he strike me with the Killing Curse?"

Benjy shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe he wanted to have a bit of fun with you."

"Twisted."

"Yeah... But what can I say? They're damn Death Eaters."

"You ever thought... what if we killed them... I bet their families would mourn. Hate us."

Benjy nodded. He was one of the first people to take her questions seriously, Dorcas realised. "Yes, they would. But at least us, we're protecting the innocent. Them, they kill the innocent. They had choices, to not join... Well, they joined, and they'll suffer." He stared into her eyes. "But I'll say something," he said softly, "I thought that killing them was a bit... cruel, in the beginning."

"You did?" Dorcas yawned and winced. "Merlin... But what made you stop thinking that?"

"My mum." Benjy looked down. "She was killed a bit after I joined. Later on, I didn't think about that at all. You have to keep telling yourself that they're evil, or you won't make it... figuratively and literally."

"I'm sorry," she felt her eyelids growing heavier.

"Look," he said, getting up. He must have noticed her weariness. "Look, I'll go upstairs and get you and me some tea, okay? You stay here. Rest, if you will."

"Okay," she paused. When he was on the stairs, she murmured, "Love you."

Benjy froze. "What'd you say, Dorcas?"

"Love you," she said, a bit louder. "You're better than Acid Pops and Sugar Quills combined!"

When he was out of earshot, Benjy laughed.

"I'm better than two sweets... That's supposed to make me feel good? Wait! I think she was paying me a compliment..." He slapped his forehead; no use, he was absolutely hysterical. "Oh, damn, Dorcas... The girl's definitely like no other."

In his mind, he could picture himself taking her porcelain-skinned face, kissing her, running his hands through her black-black hair. He pushed the thought away; love in the midst of a war was pointless; it would only amount to one of them getting hurt. It was dangerous... but yet, he was a Gryffindor – and the thought of that danger made him feel so reckless and free that he felt like a child, a Hogwarts student, once more.

Benjy Fenwick sighed and decided to just take this day by day.

(It proved to be successful.)