And Cho was waiting for her.

"Now that I know what to expect," she said, her voice clear and strong, "I will play my part better. The next time we go, I will be better prepared to—"

"We're not going again."

It took a moment for the words to sink in. She spun to him, eyes wide. "What?"

He stood with his hands in his trouser pockets, eyes dead and empty.

"We've made our appearances. You've been seen." He swallowed. "You won't go again. Not for a long time, at least."

Her heart pounded. Edinburgh was her only chance to communicate with her friends — her only connection to what was happening outside of Malfoy Manor.

"So I'll just contract Dragon Pox again?" she sniped.

"I'll speak to my father, and we'll come up with something—"

"They'll see through you in an instant. It will be far too suspicious—"

"What's suspicious, Granger," he hissed, his eyes hot, "is that my Lot and I can barely stand being in the same room, much less touching each other—"

Her mouth fell open in a snarl. "Whose fault is that!"

"—and although I've been fucking her daily, I still haven't been able to remove the stick from Hermione Granger's ass—"

"How dare you." She stormed towards him until he was just a breath away. "You gave me no information going into that castle. No way of knowing what to expect or how to act. You gave me no indication of how I should touch you because I can't touch you without you running away like a beaten dog—"

He turned away from her with a choked sound, and the rest died in her throat. He rolled his shoulders back, and she watched his ribs move to take a deep breath.

"Listen," he said quietly. "If we go back, Marcus will make you take the potion."

She rolled her eyes, feeling the fire burn in her belly again. "Who do I belong to? You or Marcus?"

He turned back to her, gazing down at his ring. "Every girl has taken this potion at some point. And Flint is brewing an especially large batch for next week's party. If I refuse, they will suspect something is off about our relationship." His eyes flickered up to her. "Marcus already suspects."

Her brain moved quickly through the different options. She circled one possibility, but she needed more information.

"I'd like to see that potion," she said.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "For what purpose?"

"I'd like to see it broken down. I'd like to know the ingredients and effects."

His jaw tightened. "Granger, if you mean to mimic this potion—"

"Do you have a vial of it? I assume you have a potions kit. Perhaps a laboratory?"

"—I've already said we're not going back—"

"Draco. You owe me this."

She watched it land on him, the words dying on his lips before they could be uttered. She tightened her fingers around the sleeves of her cardigan, and tilted her chin up in defiance.