You find yourself alone in the Three Broomsticks taking comfort in the bottom of a butterbeer once again. It's become a common occurrence lately, after all it was the furthest you could be to get away from her, even for a short while.

"I should have known what I was getting myself into," you think to yourself as the last drop of liquid in your glass finds its way into your mouth.

It's been nearly a month now since you asked the Slytherin girl to be your girlfriend. Despite the warnings and disapproval from your friends you followed your heart rather than your head. You remember the looks of confusion and shock from your classmates as the two of you walked into potions class holding each other's hand. Nobody ever expected you to be dating the girl who you dueled countless of times, verbally sparred with at every opportunity, and was despised by nearly everyone in Hogwarts. None of that mattered to you any longer. You saw her for who she truly was on the inside, and in her life riddled with abandonment and strife, you wanted to be the best thing that has happened to her in her whole life. For the last month you lent an open ear to her as she ranted about her conflicts with practically every student and professor in Hogwarts. The self proclaimed "Strongest Witch" in the school was powerless against her mounting stress, and she unleashed all of her pent up emotions on you. Over and over you listened as her rants turned more bitter by the moment, culminating with her exclaiming how foolish you are for wanting to date someone like her.

Looking around the Three Broomsticks you felt so out of place in the jovial atmosphere. Tables of patrons were filled with smiling faces and the sound of laughter filled the warm room. You wanted nothing more than to have Merula and yourself contributing to the joyous atmosphere. You dreaded the thought of having to face her once you returned to Hogwarts.

"Why are we even trying? You've cursed everything and everyone you've ever associated with and this relationship is no different," you remembered the young witch screaming at you.

The thought that perhaps she was right crossed your mind as you clenched the empty glass. She had a point after all. How can someone as broken as yourself help someone even more broken? You quickly silenced your thoughts as you remembered why you were sorted into Slytherin in the first place. Determination was a defining trait shared between all Slytherins, and you were not about to give up on your relationship so easily.

As you left the business and began walking back towards the castle grounds you rehearsed what you were going to say to Merula when you see her for the first time since your last explosive argument. You wondered if she was still angry, if she regret the words the left her mouth, and feared that she made up her mind on the future of your relationship. You remembered the happiness you felt when things between the two of you were perfect. The first kiss you shared in Hogsmeade under the moonlit night, the smile on her face as she fell asleep in your arms following a long night of studying for the upcoming potions exam, and how her body felt against yours the first time you made love with the girl that meant everything to you.

Your heart skipped a beat as you opened the door to the Slytherin common room. As luck would have it the first sight you see is the bicolored disheveled hair of the young witch. Focused on the literature she had in her hand, you knew she was unaware of your presence. You take a deep breath and begin to walk towards the sofa she was sitting on.

"Hey, mind if I sit here?" you ask as she sets down her book and looks into your eyes.

"You're free to do what you want. It's not like I own the place or anything," you hear reply scornfully. The look of anger remained in her eyes, confirming something you were fearing.

"I know I'm probably not the person you want to see most right now but, please understand that I want to make this work if you want to. Despite all of our disagreements, this last month I've shared with you has been one of the happiest I've ever had in my entire life. And I know things haven't been easy, I know that we face an uphill climb if this is to last, but you're worth all of this and deep down I know you want to make this work as well" you tell her as you try to mask the nervousness in your voice.

"Merula, I love you and together I know things will get better in time," you say to her dreading that she wouldn't reciprocate your feelings.

She leans towards you and puts her arms around you holding you close.

"I'm sorry for what I said to you earlier. I still think you're stupid for putting up with me the way you do, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't thankful for it," she says between quiet sobs.

"I guess thats why I didn't get put into Ravenclaw then huh?" you reply back with a smile.

"You're such an idiot but I love you too" you hear her say as you feel the world around you fade away, never wanting the embrace to end.