Rowan could see him mulling it over. All those years teaching him, watching him struggle over a decision in his mind hadn’t faded away from her memory. He was calculating the risks and the rewards, but so was she. On one hand, she knew someone who hadn’t mastered Legilimency wouldn’t be able to just pluck a memory out like a file. All her thoughts would be available to him, unfiltered and rushing towards him like a tidal wave she couldn’t stop. Which meant he would know how much she’d thought about that night he’d kissed her. He would know the details of the night that her sister had been brought home; when her family had fractured. At least that would spare her the effort of explaining it all to him. It terrified her, but the prospect of not being able to help Maisie, not being able to hunt down who had done this to her family, hurt more.
On the other hand there were even fewer options available to her. She could hardly gather that much money to hire a professional to retrieve one simple memory without them asking questions. And she trusted Malfoy enough to know what his limits were when it came to Legilimency; there was always the possibility that a professional would try and cheat her out of more money.
If he went into her mind and found the memory behind a wall, then she’d still have her answer: she’d been attacked and had her memory modified.
He told her he wasn’t skilled at it, but she knew he’d do it for her because — why did she know? Rowan didn’t have the time to search for the answer; he ran his thumb against her skin, and her eyes fluttered at the sensation. Pulling her thoughts together, she nodded, her movements far from steady. The longer she stayed under his inquisitive gaze, the more could feel her pulse slowly increasing. It then occurred to her that maybe Malfoy was doing this on purpose; to make her squirm - like a test. Well, it wasn’t something she wanted to fail, so she squared her shoulders and nodded. “I — I know.” Her voice was infuriatingly wavering. She took a step back, wondering how in the world she’d be able to physically steel herself for this. She looked up at him. “Does it hurt?” The almost childish question slipped from her lips; likely the first of many emotional betrayals she’d experience in the next few moments.
On the other hand there were even fewer options available to her. She could hardly gather that much money to hire a professional to retrieve one simple memory without them asking questions. And she trusted Malfoy enough to know what his limits were when it came to Legilimency; there was always the possibility that a professional would try and cheat her out of more money.
If he went into her mind and found the memory behind a wall, then she’d still have her answer: she’d been attacked and had her memory modified.
He told her he wasn’t skilled at it, but she knew he’d do it for her because — why did she know? Rowan didn’t have the time to search for the answer; he ran his thumb against her skin, and her eyes fluttered at the sensation. Pulling her thoughts together, she nodded, her movements far from steady. The longer she stayed under his inquisitive gaze, the more could feel her pulse slowly increasing. It then occurred to her that maybe Malfoy was doing this on purpose; to make her squirm - like a test. Well, it wasn’t something she wanted to fail, so she squared her shoulders and nodded. “I — I know.” Her voice was infuriatingly wavering. She took a step back, wondering how in the world she’d be able to physically steel herself for this. She looked up at him. “Does it hurt?” The almost childish question slipped from her lips; likely the first of many emotional betrayals she’d experience in the next few moments.
![[Image: 8aGHMmh.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/8aGHMmh.jpg)