Every word out of his mouth was a rope curling tighter and tighter around her midriff, threatening to yank her away from him. The worst part was Cora wanted it to. Only her etiquette training prevented her mildly alarmed expression from transforming into a mask of pure horror.

Even from what she saw she couldn't escape. And if this man could come so close to figuring out her secret, then what would she do if it fell into the wrong hands? She would be labeled a freak of nature and a complete outcast. Of course, there were people like Seneca who were Metamorphmagi that — from what little she'd gleaned from her early muggle studies classes — would label her friend the freak. But in wizarding society, even though some others found the gift odd, at least it was established in their society.

"We — I believe we are done here, I believe, Mr. Zabini. Honestly, I find people like you to be rather unsettling, so forgive me if we part ways with a simple 'farewell'."