Hospital Wing

'Why not?'

"Every time I try to... just some disease pulls me away from it! I call it a disease because this could prove my undoing!"

'How would it be your undoing? I know that if you got told to do somethiing for you know who, you would do it...'

"I am the arm of the Dark Lord, his commands are my heart and mind..."

"And yet... you.. you who betrayed him, aided his enemies, and even defeated me once..."

"WHY CAN I NOT HATE YOU?!"

I reach over and take his hand. 'Because i was a part of your life way before he was...and there is still a part of you that is loyal to me.'

"Why do you care about me though?"

He recited his dogma that he had embraced so many years ago, straight from the Dark Lord's mouth, "In the world there are only betrayers and avengers. IF you're not one, you're the other. The Betrayers betray you, and you avenge yourself against them. Until you become the betrayer. This cycle continues throughout life."

"But he can stop it at last!"

'Can he?' I say quietly. 'Because it seems to me....he jjust makes it worse. He sets brother against sister, mother against son. How is that stopping anything?'

"Admittedly, there will be collateral damage, but there won't be any betrayers left afterwards..."

'Hw would he manage that?'

"By using me and my brothers and sisters of the mark to eliminate all betrayers."

'But that wouldnt happen. because others, like you, also care about blood traitors.'

"They are betrayers and would be destroyed..."

I smile and shake my head, almost sadly.

"You clearly don't remember the promise you agreed to."

'Im not saying anything to change you.'

"No not that one."

"The promise we made as children, you promised never to leave me alone in the world and I  promised if you were taken from me, I'd extract our revenge..."

'Revenge has been taken. our father is dead. And i am here.'

"No it hasn't. The Ministry is the reason he did it all! They're all disgusting hypocrites who's only skill is corruption and lies."

'Thats a very sweeping sterotype, crouch.' I smile softly. 'Not all of them are bad.'

"Listen to yourself!! All of them are! All of them are just wasting air!"

I sigh. 'Can we....not talk about these things? plse? all it does as make us argue.'

"I just want you to see what's slapping you in the face..."

'Its not going to work'.

"Mark my words River, soon you'll see things my way."

'You know i said i wouldnt try to change you? i thnk you need to make the same promise.'