𝐒𝐎 𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍; 𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐫.

𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐯𝐢𝐢. 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥

𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐫. When she awoke, eyes bleary and dress nowhere to be found—in fact, no clothes anywhere could be found—she couldn't help but freak out a little. 

Surely her friends had no idea where she was. Surely they'd already tracked her on the Map to the dorms with him. 

Fuck.

She made to get up, but with a deep groan on his part, he tightened his arm and drew her back against him. 

"Come on, doll," Evan muttered in her ear. "I just woke up, let me enjoy the pleasure of your company for a minute before you go."

"What time is it?" Amara said, reluctantly letting herself be pulled against his bare, muscled chest.

"Who cares?" He kissed her neck, just below her ear. "Just stay. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are playing this afternoon, and everyone will be at the game. Isn't that a better time to sneak back to your dorm?"

"Fine," she muttered, relaxing. Then, when a bad idea struck her, she grinned and stretched, pushing her butt into him.

He responded instantly, arm around her waist tightening. "Unfair. You know what you're doing."

"What's that?" Amara said innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Evan." Then, frowning, she turned over to face him and gently touched his ear, examining the fresh set of earrings. "Tell me about this."

Evan sighed. "Reg did them right before the formal. Said it was my last free act."

"Oh." She blinked. "Well, I like them."

"Are you ready to go home?" His question was pointed. "Don't think I forgot what I saw at the beginning of term."

She rolled her eyes. "Speak for yourself, you've got way darker things in store."

"Do we always have to talk about this?"

"What else is there to talk about?"

Evan ran a hand through his messy dark hair. "I dunno, each other, maybe? Something that's not a reminder of our fates?"

"You want to talk about each other?' Amara said, brows furrowing. "Isn't that a completely bad idea?"

"Why is it a bad idea?"

"I'm not telling you about myself just so you can betray me to You-Know-Who."

"I'm sufficient in Occlumency," he said.

Amara pursed her lips. "Evan, I don't want to lie to you," she said slowly. "I'm also...done pretending I hate you."

His dark eyes bored into hers. 

"But the second you take the Mark...the second you start to kill for You-Know-Who..."

"Amara," Evan said gently, shaking his head. "You make me...you make me feel like there's a choice."

"There's always a choice."

"He has my mother. Her survival depends on me."

She sighed. "We can try to help her, too. Get her out. You, and your mother, and...Regulus, even, if he wants..."

"He doesn't. And I don't, either. At least, I can't afford to."

"Well..." Amara shook her head. "You can always find me if you want out, Evan."

"I thought you said you weren't going to wait around for me."

She looked up at him carefully. "Like I said. I'm done pretending."