 Canon Niffler || Neville's Yorkshire Pudding | | Teddy's Biographer || P + R = ♥
Malachi breathed a sigh of relief when Antigone said that Hogwarts would take her. He completely missed the remark about worse things, but he had heard whispers already. "Thank you, Miss McArdle." He liked the formal nature of their rather impromptu meeting, it made holding back his feelings a little easier.
And then she made it so much harder. His skin tingled where she touched his face. He covered her hand with his own, closing his eyes for a moment and swallowing hard. Gently, because he didn't want to hurt her feelings, he lifted her hand away from his cheek although he held on to her fingers for as long as he could. "I... my appetite isn't what it was. I'm living on coffee at the moment." He looked into her eyes but couldn't hold her gaze. "I'm sorry that you had to overhear all that unpleasantness between Elizabeth and I. I know that you probably have some awful idea that I ditched her and ran for the hills but that wasn't the case. Quite the reverse in fact." Just like you, he thought, although it was rather unfair of him to do so. The situations were totally and utterly different.
Malachi cleared his throat. "I'll let Esme know. I'm sure she'll be... completely and utterly ungrateful." He laughed humourlessly. "She's very... headstrong. Quirky and funny but so very headstrong. She wants to go to America or Canada or anywhere that isn't here." He rubbed his hand over his face again. "I suppose I deserve it all, don't I?" His eyes locked with hers, his pain closer to the surface.
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