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“What’s on your mind?” Hermione asked, peering up at Thorfinn.
He looked down at her in his arms and frowned.
“I don’t like that look, what’s wrong?”
“How much longer do you think we’ll be able to sneak around like this?” He asked, swallowing the lump in his throat.
Hermione pressed her lips together. She didn’t know what to say because deep down, she knew that he was right.
“Hermione, it’s only a matter of time before we’re discovered. I can’t betray Him due to the Unbreakable Vow he forced me to take. And you’re off hunting Horcruxes… Being with me is dangerous, Hermione. You and Potter are the only ones who have a chance of stopping Him, and I can’t let you keep risking yourself by sneaking away to see me.”
“Don’t do this, Tjor.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re the one good thing I have right now.” She swallowed, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.
“You need to focus on the future, Hermione, I’m already lost to this war… You know that.” He reached down and brushed a tear away with his calloused thumb.
Hermione leaned into his touch. “Thorfinn, you’re everything to me... Without you, I’d be lost. You’re my tether, Tjor. You’re what reminds me that I have a future after all of this... That there is still good in this world that's worth fighting for.”
He smiled at the use of her nickname. She typically called him Thor, but after finding out that Tjor was Norse for tether, she had taken to calling him that.
“I love you, Thorfinn.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I love you, too, Hermione.”
“We’re going to make it through this war…” She took a deep breath. “Together.”
Thorfinn nodded, wishing he could share her optimism. He tightened his grip on her, knowing that it could be the last time he held her in his arms.