Mary knew she didn’t live in a good area of London. It wasn’t just that this was in muggle London, it was that it was a bad part of muggle London. Mary hadn’t been too concerned before, she could take any muggle who posed a threat since she was much stronger than they would ever be with magic. No muggle would stand a chance, so she felt safe in this area. That was until the Death Eater attacked her in the place she had felt safe before.
It wasn’t anything personal against Barty, Mary hadn’t reached out to anyone when she disappeared with Remus and Sirius. It wasn’t that Mary hadn’t enjoyed her time with Barty, in fact, she really had enjoyed the encounters with him. But, they had never spoken about anything in relation to what they had been doing. The fact was it boiled down to them only sleeping together. Or that was how she saw it. She had heard a lot about Barty Crouch Jr after she met him that night in the bar, she had actually looked for information about him. And what she found out was that he was a womanizer.
It was easier to just expect the least from whatever they were doing. He was a womanizer, so she should protect herself by expecting only hookups and nothing more from him. It would protect her in the long run if she never got her hopes up or let herself feel more than just that. Despite how she felt though, she would never be that harsh with him or anyone. Fear was a powerful motivator though, and she feared anyone who showed up on her doorstep unannounced after the Death Eater got in with a disguise. Mocha orbs studied his face as her sharp words hit him. He seemed… genuinely hurt and concerned by her reaction. “How would I know that? We only see each other for sex. I’m not expecting anything else from you, Crouch.” Each word hurt, she couldn’t deny that she cared for him more than just a booty call.
Suspicion and fear radiated off of the brunette as she stared at him through the crack of her door. Every single time they had seen each other had been at a bar or at his flat. She never breathed where she lived to him, yet here he was. Could he be the Death Eater coming back for more? A pang of fear jolted through her body. How had he known that Barty’s face would hurt her more than just the silver mask she feared so much? Mary stiffened as he told her to put up wards, it felt as if he was rubbing salt in her wound. If only she had protected herself more.
Silence fell between them as she shot questions at him, testing his identity. If he was the Death Eater again, he wouldn’t be able to answer them at all. The answers were correct, and she was more impressed and swayed by his second answer. No one had known what he said the last time they saw each other besides the two of them. She was silent as she studied him. In her mind, the memory was playing out. Her laying on his bed as he was in the kitchen getting them some drinks. She thought he had been cheesy, telling her randomly that one of his happiest moments had been picking her up at the bar.
Mare. She froze as he called her that. That… that couldn’t be the Death Eater. Mary slowly opened the door for him and lowered her wand. It still was in her hand, fear still coursing through her that she had to be one hundred percent sure, but this could really be Barty. “Come in.” She whispered, her brown eyes on his own eyes.
The area he was standing was not a place he would have thought in a million years he would have been standing in. It was filthy, and not in a pureblood looking down at muggles kind of way. This was not the kind of place where he wanted the girl he cared about to live, and somewhere in the back of his brain he was already making plans for something he couldn’t tell her yet.
“Mary,” he said forcefully, but also a slight edge of pain in his voice. He knew that he had never voiced how he felt about her, how she had become more important to him than she knew, but her words still cut him like a knife. “Mary, how can you not see that you mean more than just a good lay to me. You’re the only girl I’ve stayed with this long. You… You’re different than anyone else I’ve ever met.” Though the words were the truth, there was still pain in getting them out. He had never been good with emotions and feelings, thanks very much to his father, and he always doubted himself when he spoke them outloud. Like maybe he had misjudged how Mary saw their situation.
She had every right to question his identity, as he could easily gathered why she was doing it. Her state of being, the way she spoke, were all clear indicators of stress or duress. If he was going to get her to let him in, he was going to have to be patient and let her process what he was telling her. Still, he couldn’t shake the worry that flurried through him that someone had hurt her, and he swore if he ever found out who it was, he would make them pay. Even if it was one of his own, they would pay for hurting the girl he cared so deeply for.
His breath caught in his throat when her demeanor changed, and the door opened wider so he could see her fully. The bags under eyes had unnerved him before, but seeing her in front of him only made him want to pull her into his arms and never let her go again. Instead, he slowly made his way into her flat, studying her eyes and her moves carefully as he did so.
“Can you tell me what happened? Or do you just want to not talk about it? It’s completely up to you, I’m here for you,” he said, resisting the strong urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her. He had to patient and wait for when she was less shaken for something like that. “Talk to me, little lion.”