He listened as she spoke, her words far more condemning to him that he ever would have guessed them to be. Images of his own behavior towards Charlotte flashed, unbidden, in his head. He loved her; he believed he still did. And yet, how could he say that when he had treated her, time and again, as worth less than even a common House Elf?

Unthinkingly, his hand came up to grip his forearm, the mark, though quiet at the moment, burning into his conscience at the memory of Charlotte's eyes widening and his attempt to explain it away. In a heartbeat, he knew, Charlotte could turn him in.

Perhaps that wouldn't be such a bad idea, really.

Dragging his gaze up to Alyssa, he gave a shrug. "Impossible to know, isn't it? Love. It's a convoluted and destructive force. It makes people do things that they would never do were they rational."