            "No," she agreed. "You shouldn’t have. Or ignored me since leaving Ollivander’s." At his silence, Hermione scooted closer, pleased when he didn’t jerk away. She let her thigh press against his, the two shades of denim—his light, hers dark—sliding together. "Lucius told me that this Pureblood marriage bond, it...it will tear a piece of my magic away if you—" She sucked in an icy breath, willing herself to keep emotion from tinging the words. "If you die."