"Hey, Dri."

Cundrie fluttered their eyes to see Oliver sitting next to them, holding their hands. Just behind xem, they can see Marcus chatting with a healer, Marcus and the healer too far for Cundrie to overhear the conversation. Cundrie lifts their hand to see bandages covering it all.

"Yom in St Mungo's," Oliver seemed to know what Cundrie was about to ask and answers it. Cundrie turned to look at Oliver, noting how hoarse Oliver's voice is. "Yaouw 'ad ter tek vials of Blood-Replenishen potions. Yom noo in 72-hour mandatory check-in. Marcus got yaouw sessions with a mental healer. I debated that it should stoy yaw choice, but Marcus said that yaouw need it."

"I never meant for any of this to happen-" Cundrie looked down guiltily. "I never meant to make you or Marcus worry."

"Why did yaouw does it?" Oliver asked, making Cundrie look up to face xem. "I doy understan', this 'as miskin guin on fer a year an' a half, what makes that noight so unbearable?"

"It's just-" Cundrie sighed, looking at anywhere but Oliver. She can't stand to look at xem, not now. "You won't understand it."

"Then help me understan', Dri," Oliver begged, running circles on Cundrie's arm. Cundrie sighed. "This is yaw story, I cor understan' if yaouw doy clarify it fer me." Oliver shook xyr head, squinting xyr eyes. "Why?"

Cundrie closed their mouth, not being able to speak. What will they say, anyway? That they were raped, that the trauma of the scar still haunts them, that the trauma of being kicked out still haunts them? Xe won't understand any of those, Oliver wasn't disowned by xyr family. Their relationship wasn't good at first but xyr parents apologised. Oliver told Cundrie xe was almost kicked out of Puddlemere United but wasn't because of xyr immense talent on a broom. Cundrie felt jealous, at least Oliver never knew what's it like to be attacked for your gender.

"You're awake-" Marcus rushed in, his eyes bloodshot. Cundrie didn't say anything. "Did Oliver tell you that you have to spend 72 hours here?"

"I did," Oliver answered simply.

"Oliver, can you leave us alone?" Marcus requested, saying no more words. Oliver nodded as xe scurried out of the hospital room, leaving Cundrie and Marcus alone. Cundrie swallowed their saliva, from the looks of it, Marcus is NOT happy.

"I'm not going to lecture you nor force a confession out of you because that's not what you need. If you want to tell me, I'm all ears. If you don't want to, I won't know about it," Marcus quickly said and Cundrie sighed in relief, nodding. "I am, however, urging you to go to a mind healer. And by 'urging', I mean 'forcing'. I have signed you up for sessions with a mental healer."

"Why?" Cundrie whined. "Why you gotta-"

"Why? You almost killed yourself and you're asking why?" Marcus answered his own hypothetical question. Cundrie closed their mouth again. "I saw your wounds, one major one where your artery lays and others messy around your scar. I don't need to use legilimency to guess a reason behind this."

"Why, then?"

"You want to get rid of it, and there's nothing I want more than to help you and get rid of it too," Marcus answered. Cundrie doesn't say anything. "I talked about it with the healers, but there's nothing they can do. I'm so sorry."

"It's not just that, Marc-" Cundrie shook her head, still looking away. She knew Marcus will never get mad at her. Mad for her, possibly, but not mad at her. "I was, well, I-" Cundrie sighed and rubbed her face.

"You don't have to tell me if you're not ready-" Marcus ran circles on Cundrie's shoulder.

"I want to-" Cundrie nodded. "Just, don't cut me."

"I won't."

"So I went to the Muggle world-" Cundrie started, not looking up as she played with her feet nervously. "I met a Muggle who invited me to his flat and we had a few cans of beer. He, umm, he kissed me. But I didn't want him to kiss me-" Cundrie shook her head, feeling a sharp pain on the edge of her eyes. "He- he told me I was sexy and slept with me, but he didn't ask if I want to do it too. If he did, I would've refused! I couldn't find the strength in me to push him off me, it's like I was paralysed. But I didn't want to! You have to believe me."

"I believe you-" Marcus nodded. "That's rape. You didn't consent to it, you couldn't have."

"He didn't bruise me or anything-"

"But did you say that you want to have sex with him?" Marcus asked. "Not saying 'no' is not enough. You have to say 'yes' and that 'yes' has to be enthusiastic, then it's consensual. But you didn't say 'yes', therefore it's a 'no' and it's rape."

"Don't say that-" Cundrie frowned, hitting Marcus' hand very lightly. "Rape is a strongly negative word."

"It is what it is, Dri. I provide sex for work, this is practically drilled inside my head-" Marcus shrugged. Cundrie sighed, they knew they can never win with Marcus. They also knew that he cared. "Cundrie, this is serious. We can bring this to court."

"He's a Muggle, I'm a witch-" Cundrie shook her head. "It won't work."

"It will. Can't you talk to your boss about this?" Marcus asked, looking around. "If wizards can marry muggles, then logically, shouldn't there be a court where muggles can be punished for violating wizards?"

"He doesn't know I'm a witch," Cundrie denied. "It won't work."

"He can't get away with this, Cundrie," Marcus said. "You can't keep letting people hurt you. You would've let Umbridge got away with the attack if I hadn't forced you to sue her. You're too nice."

"Just shut up-" Cundrie closed her eyes. Marcus sighed.

"But I'm not letting this go."