She batted him away as if he were nothing more than an annoying insect. Though it had been much more gentle than the slap she'd served him a moment ago, it did far more to him than sting. It shattered him. She did not want him to touch her. She did not want to admit that what they had was love. Surely, the next step would be to bring him to her house so that she could shove him into the fireplace and floo him away so that she could be done with him, once and for all - to hell with their vows!

Barnabas crumpled to the ground in a pitiful, sobbing heap, "Please Maeve, please don't do this. I love you, please, we can be together. I'll do everything you say, I promise! We'll be happy just like before! I'll live here with your family forever and you can be an auror for as long as you like. I... I won't even expect to have children. Please..." He become a blubbering mess then, the cold wind assisting in smearing his tears and snot across his face that likely didn't help his case.

The following 1 user Likes Barnabas Skeeter's post:1 user Likes Barnabas Skeeter's post
   Aldous Crouch

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set by MJ | Kindly tag Prudence Browne in replies

Maeve was floored and, for a moment, half believed the words he was saying.

No, she did not want to be married to him under any circumstances—Barnabas Skeeter had shown time and time again that he was incompatible with the redhead's potential affections. The things that the wizard was saying, though... they were what any dedicated female auror from an overbearing family longed to hear. They showed an understanding of her that most traditional men were reluctant (at best!) to allow. Stay with her family? Continue to work as an auror? Forego children? Such pledges were all emasculating enough to be considered selfless, and the girlish part at the back of Maeve's mind wished that they were leaving the mouth of a past flame, that she might actually agree and live happily ever after.

Clearly there's still a bit of amortentia in there, the witch thought with a subtle shake of her head.

It didn't help that Skeeter was a mess of a human. Maeve would never forgive him for making her feel for him in this way, the little emotional terrorist.

"Skeeter," she said gently, kneeling on the hard ground so that they could be at eye level, "none of those things are what you want, or would even be willing to consider if your mind was as it should be. For your own pride—you'll remember this later and hate yourself for it, I'm sure! For the sake of your own pride, stop this foolishness and come with me back to the house."

The following 2 users Like Maeve Connolly's post:2 users Like Maeve Connolly's post
   Elias Grimstone, Prudence Browne

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— #PrettiesByMJ —

It was over, then. He'd literally dropped to the ground and had begged her not to leave him and still, she did not offer any reassurances. Still sniffling, he nodded in acceptance of his defeat. Head hung low, he shuffled to a stand. His face was a wet mess. Likely she thought him a disgusting creature and this did nothing to oppose that. Barnabas took a moment to mop his face with the sleeve of his robe.

"Whatever happens in the future, just know that I love you," He told her as he took her hand and promptly apparated them back to the house.

The moment their feet hit the solid floors of the hall, it was as if a fog had lifted. It had been a haze that he'd at first thought was a side effect of apparating... though as it lifted a sense of horror swiftly replaced the heartache. He wrenched his hand away from hers and stumbled away, appalled at what had just occurred between them - what had occurred between them for the past three days.

A disgusted shiver ran down his spine. Grunting in an odd, near squeal, he brushed roughly at his arms and legs, as if trying to remove all traces of her from his body, quite similar to the dance one does when trying to rid their clothing of a mysterious disappearing spider. HE. WAS. MARRIED. TO. MAEVE. BLOODY. CONNOLLY.

  

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set by MJ | Kindly tag Prudence Browne in replies

He took them abruptly, denying Maeve even the chance to jerk away. Kidnap, frankly, but they were back at the house as she had wanted, so the auror was not inclined to berate him for it (for once). His behaviour on arrival, though, was peculiar to say the least, and Maeve realized that he must know.

"Welcome back," the redhead remarked dryly.

  

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— #PrettiesByMJ —

Her very voice grated on his ears. He grit his teeth, "That had to have been a bloody strong dose of amortentia." Married to Maeve Connolly?! Whose idea of a joke was that?! With her awful scratchy voice and her unfortunate red hair and freckles... it would take him years to forget. Unless he could perform a memory charm on himself. That would be something to look into further.

  

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set by MJ | Kindly tag Prudence Browne in replies

It pained her to agree with Barney Skeeter, but there was no other explanation that was even vaguely rational. To think, she had felt affection for the man before her, given him her virtue! True, Maeve had never much paid her virgin’s status any mind, particularly as the redhead had long since given up even fantasies of getting married (husbands, as this one was proving, were nuisances at best), but it was the principle of the matter.

“I’ll file a report today,” she offered definitively. With Skeeter freed of the love potion’s enticements, Maeve was beginning to feel as if things were a bit more in hand. “I’ll have to name you, I’m afraid.”

Merlin, she’d have to name herself as an injured party, too—to have herself forever entwined with Skeeter in the Ministry’s legal records. It would be worth it, to find the culprit and flay them alive. Not that anyone would let her. Pity.

“And then we can put this whole nightmare firmly behind us.”

And never see one another again.

The nagging voice at the back of her mind, though, told a different tale. Had it not been amortentia that had laced tea only a scant few years ago, prompting a rash of marriages that had remained firmly intact? After all, without proof that the match had never been consummated, and without a deliberate villain, the lawyers claimed that there could be no legal recourse. How could the Skeeters prove their circumstances were any different?

Would Maeve have to remain shackled to him in holy matrimony forever?!

  

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— #PrettiesByMJ —

"Whatever you have to do to get it done," His lips pressed together firmly. They had yet to return to work at the Ministry since their nuptials, but he had an inclination that his department had gleefully spread word of their disappearance the moment they'd been seen making googly eyes at each other. She'd thrown herself at him right out in the open. Their first embrace had had an audience of his coworkers. Discretion was not going to be an option in this. This was going to be very, very public.

Perhaps for the first time in the years that they had been unfortunately acquainted, he trusted her to get the job done. Though she was a complete waste of a woman that was covered head to toe in twenty times more spots than a dalmatian, she at least was a woman of her word. She'd get this taken care of swiftly and without any dramatics. At least he hadn't been hoodwinked into marrying a woman who was utterly useless in both the looks and brains department.

  

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set by MJ | Kindly tag Prudence Browne in replies

Without further ado, Maeve disapparated from the house, feeling not even the barest twinge of guilt at leaving her ill-fated husband surrounded by her family in Connolly house. Her priority was ending this mess; Skeeter’s priority could be the awkwardness.

  

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— #PrettiesByMJ —

Well, alright then. She'd left him to his own devices. Thus far, he could assume that her family did not know of their recent revelations. Barnabas went straight to their - her? - room and laid on the bed to sulk in his misery as Maeve went about fixing things.

  

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set by MJ | Kindly tag Prudence Browne in replies