Some sane part of her mind cautioned combining sleeping draughts with the amount of veritserum still wreaking havoc on her body. That was the same part of her that thought this whole venture foolish. She never much listened to that voice. It was giving up, she recognized, admitting that she failed, that he thwarted her again. It stung, but it was nothing next to the misery already deep in her heart.

She nodded, there was no next pass in this fight. She had lost, she always lost when it came to him. She tightened her grip on his arm, couldn't release him yet. Not until, "Please, please forgive me. I've tried. I've tried so hard."

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