AMOR VINCIT OMNIA; GRANGER

XXXI.

( the dark mark )

Milo Bähr had missed everything about Hermione Granger.

He had known this but now that she had returned to him, now that he held her in his arms once again, he fully felt the weight of everything crashing down on him.

One after another, tears fell down his eyes.

At first it was only one and Milo thought it was over after this one had slid down his cheek but another followed and another until he couldn't stop it anymore and he nuzzled his head in Hermione's neck, breathing in her calming scent.

Hermione had never seen Milo cry and she hadn't expected to see him do that on this very night but now that she held him, her arms tightly wrapped around him and she could feel the sobs shaking his body and the tears flowing down his face.

They stood there in this embrace with Milo sobbing in her arms and her silently holding him, caressing his hair.

Maybe some single tears fell down Hermione's face but she held herself back, she knew if she were to start crying now, Milo would shut down and try to cheer her up. She wanted him to let all the hurt out, to relieve him of the burden he had been carrying around for Merlin knows how long.

When Milo had finally calmed down, he wiped his face harshly free of the tears, though it did nothing to better his appearance with the red eyes and tear stained cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Hermione," he finally spoke with a hoarse voice, shaking his head as he looked at her and held her hands in his.

She smiled weakly up at him, "What for?"

"Everything."

Another silence laid over them. It was not uncomfortable but filled with many questions.

What will happen now? Why did you cry? Why did you kiss me? Shouldn't we hate each other? What would I do without you?

Both didn't know the answers to any of these questions, but they knew, together they could find them.

"So you missed me?" Hermione asked, this time a grin on her face as she placed her head in Milo's lap, looking up into his dark brown eyes.

He laughed softly down at her, brushing his hands through her hair, "Of course I did, how could I not? You're too amazing not to miss."

"Yeah, you're right. I am pretty amazing."

They joked around for a while, enjoying the others' presence and touch. Not thinking about their past and what would await them in the following morning, for now they had each other and were content with this.

However, as Milo played with Hermione's hair, braiding single strands and opening the braid again and again, guilt arose in his chest, squeezing his heart. Should he tell her what he had become? He didn't want to, he was sure she would hate him and tell all her friends and then he would be sent to Azkaban and could never again see her pretty smile.

"Actually, how did you know about us founding the D.A.?" Hermione asked and sat up to face him. "And about Mr. Weasley?"

Oh, shit, Milo thought as he looked over the bookshelf on the wall behind her, he wanted to tell her the truth, he really did and even if she would begin hating him, she would leave him and maybe, she would be safe, be it just for a short time.

"Over the summer. The Dark Lord, he has returned and he," Milo stopped for a moment and began scratching the mark on his left arm. "He lives in our manor. My mother, she's, how can I say it, a very loyal follower and she asked him for a favor. I didn't want it. I never asked for this to happen, I swear, but I couldn't just refuse. He would have killed me, or worse."

He had looked anywhere but at Hermione as he spoke, the words leaving his mouth faster and faster in panic. He didn't want her to hate him. Not now when he had gotten her back.

Hermione put her hand on his face and turned him so that he was facing her, he had to at least look her in the face. With her other hand, she reached for his left arm, she knew if he had a Dark Mark it would be there. Before she could pull the sleeve up, he tore his arm out of her grasp.

"Please Hermione, I don't want you to hate me. You've only just returned to me, you can't just leave me again." He continued his rambling with apologies, explanations and a panicked look in his eyes.

She listened to him, unsure what she should say, how she should feel.

Of course, he hadn't wanted this but it didn't change the fact that officially, Milo was a part of the Death Eaters, the group of people who wanted people like her dead.

"Hermione, I'm sorry, I truly am and I know this doesn't change the fact that I wear this mark but I –" Milo didn't know what to say anymore. What could he say to make the situation any better? There was nothing that could help him in this situation, so he stayed silent.

"Thank you for being so honest with me Milo, I really appreciate that, but I have to go now. I need to . . . think for a bit," she gave him a small peck on the cheek and walked out of the room with hurried steps.

Meanwhile Milo was cursing himself. It all would have been so much easier had he just been born to another family. Why did the fates hate him so much?

Hermione Granger was a very decisive person.

She had principles and boundaries that she would never go against but ever since the day Milo Bähr had entered her life, nothing was ever the same. She had begun to bend her rules to fit him in somewhere. However the discovery that he had actually become a Death Eater? How could she excuse this?

Hermione had had the inkling that yes, Milo would become one after the return of Voldemort and especially when she saw him touch his arm so often, did she grow suspicious. How could she not? Milo was part of a pretentious pureblood family, of course he would've become one of Voldemort's followers sooner or later.

But she believed him. She knew that Milo never wanted for this mark to be embedded in his skin. She knew he hated the very sight of it. But that didn't change the fact that he had it.

Should she just overlook this little fact and love him as she wants?

If Harry and Ron would ever find out that she was only thinking about this, they would burn her alive, or maybe just so she could come to her senses, they would hold her out of the astronomy tower until she finally realized how naive and blinded by love she really is.

Yet, she loved Milo, with her whole heart and the months she had spent without him were dull and boring, she felt like something was missing when he was not by her side. However, was that reason enough to let him return to her life?

He had helped Neville. He had tried to help Mr. Weasley. But what would he do if he would be forced to actively attack someone? Would he stand his ground or give in?

Hermione wanted to believe in Milo, that he would never hurt anyone but could she really be so sure about that?

If it came down to it, would he choose his family, the people who had raised him, or her, the girl from school he claimed to love?

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 𝖆𝖒𝖔𝖗 𝖛𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖎𝖙 𝖔𝖒𝖓𝖎𝖆
! hermione granger x milo bähr !
✎ᝰ. -NEPTUNXS