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Maybe it wasn’t fair, for him to expect something else from her…but he found that he was momentarily stunned by her automatic response to just allow him to walk away, rather than fight to prove that she was the right choice – that she would rather just let him go than try to convince him that she wasn’t going to run and hide, just like she had done the last time. Did she doubt her ability to stay, even now? It wasn’t until he watched her continue to carry on with what she was saying that he started to see how difficult it was for her – the tears in her eyes, the way her voice quivered and broke as she told him that she couldn’t possibly take being held responsible for any more trouble between him and his family – trouble that would all revolve around her.

It was a catch 22, for both of them. He could stay with Cecilia, and have his parents be the proud and loving parents that they pretended to be (most of the time), but be completely miserable…or he could leave Cecilia to be with Danielle like he so desperately wanted to, but be cut off from his family. His mother, she had at least tried to accept the fact that her son loved a half-blood all those years ago, but when she had left, she lost whatever miniscule amount of respect she had for Danielle. His father, he wanted nothing to do with her from the very beginning…and now, in his mind, she was a complete fool for not realizing how lucky she was for denying herself the privilege of being with a pureblood who, in his mind, was too good for her.

And then there was his brother… Their closeness was the only reason he knew about Augustus’ status as a Death Eater, and the only reason he had even been able to protect her that night at Mungo’s. What would he think, of his younger brother throwing away all the opportunities that could come from being with Cecilia for a woman who had failed him in the past? He’d look like a complete fool – an idiot.

Even though her own hands had retreated to a safe place behind her, he lacked the same self-control momentarily, stepping forward to place his hands at the side of her face, wiping tears from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.

“I know… I know…” The words were repeated quietly, his hands moving again in order to push back strands of gold and wheat away from her face. “I’m sorry that things are the way they are, Danni…I truly am. If I could change things-…” He trailed off, knowing that she would be able to figure out where he was heading with that. A rough swallow preceded his words before he let out a light sigh.

“They wouldn’t understand…and I don’t know what I could do to make them…”