They'd spoken just the day before about being able to see each other sooner rather than later, and Edric had fully expected that any such instance would be under good terms—but here they were, in the garden, a mere hours after a short letter exchange that had ended in accidental admissions, rambling, and all-out arguing.

There was no denying that the pounding in his chest came from a mixture of emotions; he wanted to see her, but he was also angry beyond comprehension. Well, perhaps angry was the wrong term; he felt betrayed, upset, and partly afraid of who else might be aware of their tryst and what details they might know.

He'd gotten there first; he'd apparated straight to the nearest platform outside the fog-zone, and fortunately the train had just stopped to let passengers board when he'd arrived. He was far more familiar with the garden than she was (it had been formerly used by the Auror Office) and thus arrived first.

Her voice was one he'd been longing to hear for a week now, and for a moment there was no controlling the leap in his chest that came from the sound of it. He turned and looked at her, his jaw clenched and lips tight, yet with lifted brows and wide eyes that suggested he was pleased to once be in her presence.

"—Febby," he choked out after a moment. He was torn by his desire to scream at her (a poor option, given that the fog didn't obscure sound) and his desire to close the gap between them and pull her into his arms. He was falling in love with her—that much was obvious to him by now—but the question of her trustworthiness was enough to make him question whether he'd act on it. After a moment, he collected himself and said: "You said you'd explain."

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