This story is separated into three parts. Heaven, Earth and Hell. It chronicles the love life of Antonin Dolohov a Death Eater and the love of his life Nora Baton. I was inspired to write this after a friend and fellow RP member proposed the idea. The character of Nora came to life for me and I hope everyone who reads this will enjoy this too. Antonin doesn't belong to me, he belongs to the lovely and talented J.K Rowling and Nora doesn't belong to me either. She belongs to my friend Molly. I only present them through my interpretations of each character.

This can take place before the first Wizarding War, during the Second Wizarding War or afterward. It's completely up to your imagination because I was indecisive about it.

Hope you enjoy,

Val

P.S: The title is based off of Edgar Allen Poe's famous poem (and one of my personal favorites) The Raven.

Part I: Heaven

Antonin hated summer. He hated summer more than he hated any other season. Even as a child, he couldn't stand the heat, the sun, and the bugs that flew in his face as he strolled through the family property. He despised the summer parties at lake and beach houses, the bug bites, and especially the tan lines he would get on his arms. He made a habit of wearing long sleeves during the summer in order to avoid tanning much to the amusement of his only friends and fellow Death Eaters.

If he was asked, he couldn't recall one good memory of the summertime until he saw her. Rodolphus Lestrange, one of his closest friends invited him to party at the summer house he inherited. Antonin scoffed at the invitations. He had no interest in jumping into a filthy pond or sitting outside getting eaten alive by mosquitos and possibly getting stung to death by bees. However he reluctantly went along.

He sat in a lawn chair far from the pond near the summer home. He frowned as he watched the sun slowly dim into the fiery orange sky when from the corner of his eye he spotted a woman hiding behind a white parasol, hiding away from the other polite conversations. Her emerald green dress blended in with matching color blanket she was lounging upon. He couldn't make out a single feature about her, but if he looked hard enough he could see a pale leg under the linen fabric.

She had captivated his attention, he couldn't look away and even if he could he would choose not to. He squinted a meager attempt see her face under the white parasol, but instead he only saw an opened book of French poetry and pale fingers turning the pages.

Antonin made an effort to think of ways he could talk to her or to catch of glimpse of her face. He thought of walking into Rodolphus's summer home and pretending to have a craving for butterbeer. He would grab the beverage and walk into her, proceeding to make conversation with her and offering her one. The plan was flawless, but it seemed so typical.

He hoped that perhaps Rodolphus or someone they mutually knew would try to talk to her and he could interrupt their discussion and talk to her, but after several minutes of waiting it didn't seem likely. He had been staring at her for nearly an hour, waiting for a glance at her visage. He had to see for himself if she was worth the thought of planning.

If he saw nothing else about her, he wanted to see her eyes. The eyes were the window to the soul and with one gaze his first impression of any member of the opposite sex was usually correct.

As the afternoon progressed she didn't need the parasol. The woman in the emerald green examined the darkening sky and closed the parasol. She had beautiful red hair pinned up to the crown of her head. Several messy strands fell down her cheeks and shined in the gleam of daylight. Her cheeks were a rosy red, lively soft skin and eyes of blue. She turned to him for a moment and smile politely before returning back to her book.

His jaw was stiff with a dull ache. He realized he must've looked like a fool staring at her with his mouth agape. He had to speak to her. He wondered what her voice sounded like. His guess was she had the voice that would make the angels sing, she would be witty and talkative, sweet to him and only to him and most importantly she was a pureblood. He had to talk to her. He had to at least know her name.

He threw caution to the side and stood up from his seat and inside the house. He grabbed a butterbeer and poured firewhiskey from the flask he kept in the pocket of his robes and then back into the dying sun. A bug flew past his cheek, but he didn't care. The beauty hadn't moved from her spot.

He didn't feel his feet moving forward until he could see her hair clearer and clearer with every step. He observed her features and quirks such as the small freckles on her shoulder, but every imperfection enhanced her appeal to him. He knelt in the grass beside her, ignoring the possibilities of getting his expensive trousers covered in grass stains.

"Hello." He greeted her with a small bow.

She looked up from her poetry book and nodded politely. Her pink lips half smiled and her eyes were bluer than the clearest Caribbean Sea. They appeared honest, kind and yet so empty and lonely. She had a few freckles on the bridge of her nose and she smelled like honey and flowers.

"Hi." She said. Her voice was mousy and small. She looked at her book again, however she wasn't reading, but waiting. Her eyes darted to their corners and gawked at him. Antonin stayed and waited for her to say a word of approval or disapproval. She looked at the page and back to him for a minute or two, before she closed her book, her thumb bookmarking her particular spot.

"Am I bothering you?" she asked.

Antonin grinned and shook his head. "Of course not. Why would you be bothering me?"

"Oh. I don't know."

"Am I bothering you?" Antonin asked her back.

"Well," she said, avoiding his look. "No. Not really."

"Mind if I join you? You look lonely."

"I'm not." She said. Her head turned to meet his. She was twisting her fingers together and biting her lip. "Oh, and I don't mind you joining me."

Antonin grinned at her awkward display of nerves. He expected a confident, outgoing, talkative woman. He should've known better. Anyone who reads a book instead of socializing either doesn't want to be there or shy. He sat beside her cross-legged on the blanket and looked out at the lake.

"Are you having fun?" he asked her. She was thumbing through the pages of her book back and forth.

"Yes." Her voice was so small it practically squeaked. "I already read this poetry book, it's wonderful."

"Do you read French well?"

"Yes. Well, I think I could get by." She looked ahead at the dim sum shining off the pond, bending the flimsy parchment.

"You don't talk much do you?" Antonin asked, cocking his head to the side so he could look at her. Her head turned to him and she noticed his eyes meeting hers.

"No." she said smiling and covering her mouth. Her cheeks turned a rosy pink. Her pale fingers wrapped around her mouth, hiding her smile. "You don't need to always talk to communicate."

"How true you are." Antonin said, wrapping his fingers around his goblet of butterbeer. He brought the goblet to his lips and peered at her through narrowed eyes. He enjoyed the way her bust rose and fell as she breathed. "You seem rather interesting."

"Oh." She said hiding her smile once again in her cupped hands. "Thank you." They sat in another moment of dreaded silence. She fixed the straps of her emerald dress and fingered the dangling strands of hair. "So," she said attempting to start a conversation. "Wh-why are you here? Well, I mean do you know anyone here?" She began to blush again. "Sorry, I get nervous and I begin to stutter."

"Don't apologize." Antonin said. He found her social skills to be adorable. "I barely even noticed." That was a lie.

"Oh." She said returning back to rolling the parchment between her fingers and flattening it with the palm of her hand again.

"I am friends with a few of these people. I don't normally attend these events."

"Oh, who?"

"Rodolphus Lestrange. The big guy over-"

"I know who he is." She covered her mouth in shock. "Sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off."

"It's fine." Antonin chuckled. "How do you know Rodolphus?"

"He's my godmother's nephew."

"Ah." Antonin said. "So you know him pretty well."

She shook her head. The waves of her red hair flew into her face with her movements. "No. I don't know him well at all. My godmother's daughter, Violette made me go. She and Rodolphus are chums."

"Ah, I see. Is she the pretty one with the curly black hair?"

"Yes."

"Ah, I see." Antonin said. "So, what's your name?"

"What?" she said turning to look at him. Much to his dismay she didn't look at him for long. The light reflecting off the pond shined upon her face. Every beam of light would hit her eyes and he was hypnotized. "Nora, Nora Baton."

"Nora?" Antonin retorted. "That's beautiful."

"Thank you."

"I meant it," he said, longing to reach out and stroke those soft cheeks of hers. "It's a beautiful name for a beautiful girl."

Nora's cheeks flushed into a beet red and for a second he saw her smile wide to catch a glimpse of her impeccable teeth.

"Thank you." She said. She turned to him and scanned him up and down. She smiled at him and then her eyes went back down to the blanket. "And what's your name?" she said softly.

"Antonin Dolohov." He said.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Dolohov."

"Inferiors call me Mr. Dolohov," he said moving his hand in a dramatic fashion. "But you can call me Antonin or Ant."

"I like Antonin better." She said. She had a dimple in her right cheek. He wanted to run his thumb up and down the side of his face and feel the indent.

"Then I shall be called Antonin by you." He said, smirking at her. They sat in silence for several moments and he turned back to her. Although she didn't give off the impression of being as easy as a Knockturn Alley whore, he did imagine kissing up and down her shoulder. He imagined dragging his tongue across her collarbone, while his hands travelled up and down the curves of her body. "Nora, I have a problem." He said.

"What's that?" she asked, taking her time to look at him longer and longer. Each moment gave Antonin a wave of calm. Those ocean pools of serenity brought a light that had been lacking in his summer day.

"I'm worried the sun is going to go down soon. Everyone will go home and I'll be forced to sit in my Manor all alone. Let me be frank, I want to get to know you, but you're going to leave and we'll carry on with our lives like this never happened. What do I do to solve this?"

Nora's bottom lip twitched like she was going to say something, she turned to look at him. Her blue eyes looked into his hazel ones. She turned around to face him and she said in a mousy whisper.

"Enjoy it while you can." She said. "That's all you can do."

He did see her again. He had to see her again. He never experienced an infatuation such as this. He wanted to know everything about her and he thought of her often.

Nora Baton. Nora Baton. Nora Baton. Nora Baton. Nora Baton.

The more he said her name the more infatuated he became. He felt he had to say her name so he wouldn't forget her and maybe in a way she wouldn't forget him. Perhaps she would hear him calling her and they would be connected in thought.

He could've owled her the next day after the picnic, but he didn't. He was overwhelmed by his own pride. He never wanted a woman so badly as to call on her the next day. Another possibility was he secretly feared rejection from her. What if she wasn't the shy girl she portrayed herself to be? What if she was something entirely different?

Perhaps she was a shy bookworm during the day and a harlot by night. What if she didn't like men? Then he'd have to live with the embarrassment for the rest of his life. What if she was already married and had children? These obsessive thoughts kept him from owling her for nearly a week.

He reread his owl over and over for an hour, making small grammatical changes and phrases.

"Ms. Nora Baton,

Forgive me for my lack of correspondence over the last week. I have been quite busy lately. I was hoping you would be able to attend lunch with me tomorrow afternoon at twelve? It would be my honor.

Antonin."

After pacing back and forth for however long it took, she responded to his owl with a simple;

"Antonin,

Yes. I will.

Nora."

One evening date turned into two, two turned into three, until Antonin lost track. When he lost count of how many dates they had, he wanted to do something special for her. His shy little flower had begun to blossom from one word answers and nervous movements to talking confidentially to him. He learned more about her with each time he saw her. She loved Italian food, French poetry, pastel paintings, German operas and the newest fashionable robes from Sweden. He expected this from a woman of her status, but he never anticipated someone so perfect for him. She was more than fashion and poetry. She was the flickering light in the darkness and he didn't want to lose it. She was worth more than any woman he's ever known.

They had been walking the street hand in hand. Her palms were so soft, but clammy. He didn't mind in the slightly.

"Honestly, you didn't have to give me presents." Nora smiled.

"Admit it though," Antonin said motioning with his other hand. "You enjoy them."

"I do." She said smiling. "I do, I use the easel and pastels every day and the collection of Louise Bellaire's poetry I finished in nearly a week, but you didn't have to take me here."

Albinoleffe was the most expensive Italian restaurant in England, not only was everything on the menu not under four galleons, but it was extremely hard to get a reservation on short notice. He had to pay the owner an unforeseen amount of money and a few small threats to curse him to squeeze in him and Nora, but he had to pay so they could a table in the reserved section. No price was too much for him. She deserved the best.

"You asked and you received it." He said, dwelling on the amount of money it cost him, but forgetting it just as easily.

"And I appreciate it ever so much. You must've reserved this nearly a year in advance."

"Uh," he said pausing for a moment. If he told her how much it cost him to get in and to have special table she wouldn't feel right taking it. "Yes." He said nodding his head. "Yes I did."

Nora stopped mid walk and turned to face him. Her pale brows knitted together and her arms were crossed. "Did you really reserve us a table a year of ahead of time?"

"Yes." Antonin lied again, looking at his nails in a bored fashion as if it was nothing. "I was thinking ahead of time."

"We've been seeing each other for a month and a half and you happened to have a reservation?" Nora said leaning forward in interest.

"Yes. Is that so hard to believe?"

"It sounds like dumb luck."

"It's the truth," Antonin said looking into those blue eyes of hers. He couldn't lie while looking in her eyes. "Well, sort of." He mumbled.

"What is the truth, Antonin?" Nora asked, directing his head direction with his chin, forcing him to look in her eyes.

"I reserved it yesterday." He mumbled.

"You what?"

"Hey," Antonin said grabbing her by the arm and pulling her along quickly. "We can talk about this later we have a reservation to get to."

"Antonin!" Nora said. "Did you bribe us in?"

"At least it will deter you from getting just a salad." He hated that. He wondered why women bothered going out if they were going to buy food that won't fill them up and they could barely see?

"I don't like salad." Nora corrected.

"Then you and I will get along."

"But I don't want you to spend your money on me, I'm not worth it."

Antonin stopped short under an oil lamp and looked down at her. She wasn't a short woman as many of the other women he had dated in the past. She fit just right under him. His hand cupped on the side of her face and his thumb drew circles into her rosy cheeks.

"That's where you're wrong, Nora." He said. "You are worth every single sickle."

He pulled her closer to him inhaling her scent and feeling the tickle of her breath against his cheek. He wanted to kiss her so badly it became a fire within him every time the thought crossed his mind. He got to kiss her cheek and she kissed his after every date when he'd take her home, but he wasn't satisfied. He once held her close in his arms, tangled his fingers in hers and fell asleep beside her, but he never once felt her lips touch his. He had been waiting for her and he would continue until she was ready.

"Kiss me?" Nora said with an upward inflection to her voice.

"I didn't want to have to beg you." He said before pressing his lips to hers.

It was the most wonderful kiss he shared with anyone. It was one worth waiting a hundred years for. Her arms wrapped around him, their bodies pressed so tightly against each other he could feel her heart beating against his. He never wanted to pull away from her. He wanted to remain locked with her forever. Her lips parted from his and she smiled.

"Let's go then." She said. "We can't waste your money." She chuckled and put her hand in his. His last concern was food. He had to kiss her one more time. He took her completely off guard and crashed his lips on hers. She smirked against his kiss and held her hand on his chest. "We have to go, or we'll lose the reservation. We can do this later."

Antonin completely forgot about the reservation and if the truth were told he didn't care. He'd rather kiss her all day than to eat expensive food. He lazily walked to the restaurant as if he were in a dream. He might as well have been. He had the most perfect, beautiful woman on his arm and he received the most perfect kiss. If he died at that very moment, it would have all been worth it.

He looked at her momentarily to get another glimpse of her when something caught his eye. A fresh blue bruise formed where he grabbed her a few minutes ago. He stopped and examined her wrist.

"Oh shit," he said, inspecting the blemish over and over. "I am so sorry Nora." His heart dropped, he had the evening and most importantly he hurt her. Nora looked at her wrist and shrugged her shoulders.

"Never you mind, I tend to bruise easily anyway." She joked. "I'm a peach with legs."

Antonin chuckled weakly, but couldn't shake the feeling that he had hurt her. Nora stroked his chin and kissed him once more. Her touch, her kisses, the look in her eyes when she smiled it was all he needed to feel alive. He had remained numb to human emotions for so long, unbeknownst misery was all he knew. Kindness, love, empathy, it seemed to be the epitome of weakness, but then she came along.

"Let's eat, shall we?" she said. "You didn't hurt me, I promise."

"I never want to hurt you. I never want to disappoint you." Antonin said.

"And you never will."

Was he in love? He couldn't be in love, not now. They had been seeing each other for nearly a month and a half. They barely knew each other, but did knowing her favorite color or where she was born constitute as love? Not to him. He could feel emotions he's never felt with anyone. He truly believed was in love.

"I love cinnamon buns." Nora smiled, smelling the treat in her hands. She looked up at him and her eyes danced with excitement. She was as excited as a child in a candy store, bouncing with excitement and savoring every bite.

Antonin bit into his. "Then eat it." He said with a full mouth. Nora nodded, using her thumb to wipe white icing from the corner of his mouth. She inhaled it once more and opened her mouth to bite in when she stared. Straight ahead of them were two children. The tallest one was a boy who looked no older than nine and the shorter one was a girl who looked around six. They had dirt on their faces, old rags that were too big for them as clothing and they were digging through restaurant trash cans.

"Antonin," she said in a soft voice. "Look."

"Yeah?" Antonin said taking an extra big bite of his cinnamon bun whilst staring at them. Nora was orphaned at ten years old and had to live with her godmother and godfather. She loved children and thought no child no matter the blood status should ever be left unloved. Antonin thought she was foolish, but she didn't mind or really care. She knew where her heat lay.

She frowned at him and split her cinnamon bun in half and walked toward them. "Nora! Get away from those mudbloods!" he called after her. Nora looked back at him with a glare like he had never seen on her.

"I don't like that word." She said in a soft voice.

"They could have fleas or something!" She ignored him and turned back to the children and squatted before them. Antonin wrapped his fingers around his wand in his robes watching the children carefully. His fingertip dragged up and down the smooth wood.

"Here you go." She said giving them a piece of her cinnamon bun. "It's really good." The girl reached out for it first and soon the boy did as well.

"Thank you." The little girl said in a ministure looking up at her with big brown eyes.

"You're welcome precious." She said.

"Thank you very much." The boy said taking a bite of his piece. Nora touched both of their head and smiled.

"Take care, okay?" Nora said. She walked back to Antonin with a successful grin on her face. He grabbed her hands and cleaned them a couple times with his wand..

"There." He said.

"What th-"

"They're dirty, Nora. You have no idea what they have."

"Oh Merlin, Antonin!" Nora exclaimed, stomping ahead of him. She turned back around and shouted. "They're children!"

"They're still mudbloods!" he called after her.

She didn't answer his owls for days after that.

"I want to the other one." Antonin told the woman selling him engagement rings. It had been two months of courting her, but he knew she was the one. He picked up a large diamond ring with a gold band. Emeralds as green as the dress she wore the day he met her was placed around the band.

"It's really expensive." The witch said.

"I don't care." He said.

"She must be someone special." She said putting the ring in a box.

"Yes," he said smiling to himself. "Yes she is."

They had a date, but she had to cancel on him. She had another bout of illness. He sat in the pub holding the ring in his hand. He opened the velvet box and thumbed down the emeralds. Rodolphus and Lucius were on either side carrying on their own conversations, leaving Antonin to sulk into his whiskey.

"That's a nice ring." Rodolphus said peaking over his shoulder.

"It is." Antonin said imaging his ring on her finger. "It's for Nora."

"You've been struck with cupid's arrow." Lucius said, taking a swig from his glass of brandy.

"Antonin's got a girlfriend." Rodolphus chanted, swaying side to side. Lucius snickered into his glass of brandy. Antonin rolled her eyes.

"You are so very mature, Lestrange." He said dryly, staring into the ring again. "She's more than a girlfriend. I'm going to marry her."

"So soon?" Lucius questioned ordering another brandy.

"Yes, she's the one. I know it."

"It's love potion." Rodolphus said with a nod.

"That explains a lot." Lucius mumbled. Antonin shot them both dirty looks.

"It's always the quiet ones." Rodolphus added. "They're the dames you need to watch out for."

"She hasn't given me love potion." Antonin remarked.

"Well give us a reason why not to believe its love potion. You know nothing about her." Rodolphus said finishing his third shot of whiskey. "She could be crazy and you'd never know."

"You knew Bellatrix for your whole life, but you married her anyway." Antonin reasoned.

"Hey," Rodolphus said snatching up his fourth shot from the pub counter. "I told you time and time again. It was arranged and even if it wasn't, she's still my girl."

Antonin nodded slowly, thinking out loud. "She gets sick often."

"Who does?" Lucius asked.

"Nora." Antonin answered.

"She's been like that for years apparently." Rodolphus said. "At least so I heard. She has these spouts of time where she gets so sick she can barely get out of bed. I guess that's how she is."

"Has she been to a healer?" Lucius asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know." Rodolphus shrugged. "I would think so."

Antonin frowned. He had a sinking feeling something was wrong, but he ignored it. "I haven't told her yet."

"Told her what?" Rodolphus asked downing another shot and burping loudly.

"About this," Antonin replied shoving the sleeves of his crimson shirt to his elbows, revealing his dark mark.

"Well, do you take your clothes off when you shag her?" Rodolphus inquired.

"Rodolphus," Lucius said. "Don't you think that's a bit explicit?" Lucius frowned for a moment and turned to his friend. "Well, now that it's out in the open, do you?"

"I haven't shagged her."

Lucius and Rodolphus frowned at each other over Antonin's head. Rodolphus placed a hand to his temple.

"You've been seeing her for a month-"

"Two months." Antonin corrected.

"Whatever," Rodolphus dismissed. "You've been buying her all these presents, you're thinking of marriage and you haven't shagged her?"

"Yes."

"You've either gone completely mad or she's giving you love potion."

"I didn't believe your love potion theory," Lucius commented. "But now that you've placed the evidence together, it makes a lot of sense."

"Sex isn't everything." Antonin rolled his eyes. Several months ago the words wouldn't even slip out of his mouth. It seemed out of character and unusual for him. "I'll be ready when she's ready."

"Whatever makes you happy, Ant." Lucius said lazily shrugging his shoulders and finishing his brandy.

"When you wake up from this love potion spell, I'm going to say I told you so for years." Rodolphus said.

They could tease as they wish. He knew what he felt was genuine and real. He was going to marry her even if it was the last thing he ever did.

She looked pale and her hair hung straight and loose on her shoulders. She smiled at him, her blue eyes twinkling.

"My little flower." He said entering her room. He had only been in her room once before, her godmother Mrs. Ophelia Delavergne caught them on her bed together. Although Nora was a grown woman it was seen as improper for an aristocratic woman to be caught alone with a gentleman in her bedroom. Luckily for him she made an exception this one time.

"Antonin," she said holding her arms out to him. He leaned down to her, kissing her lips, cheeks, chin and neck. She giggled delightfully stroking his hair. "You should've owled before you came, I would've tidied up."

"You're not well. You shouldn't have to lift a finger. Besides you look beautiful." He said, unable to stop kissing her neck. The more he inhaled her scent, the more he wanted to reconsider waiting to be intimate with her.

"It seems like you've been sick forever." He nestled on the other side of her bed, his face nuzzled in her neck.

"I know," Nora said. "It's one of the many things I've been cursed with. I feel better though. All I needed was rest."

Antonin tangled his fingers in hers and held her pale body to his. He could feel the bones of her spine on his fingertips and her shoulder blade stretched her waxy pale skin.

"I brought you something." He said, reaching into the pocket of his robes.

"Oh no," Nora said, touching his arm. "You don't have to do this Antonin, please. I don't need any more gifts."

"But you'll like this." He said, revealing a purple and gold oval box. Nora frowned at it until he placed a small golden key in a small slit to the side. The oval box opened and inside was a woman with red hair and porcelain skin sitting in front of her vanity mirror and swaying side to side. She was singing her favorite opera song, 'Liebe'. A love struck woman had fallen in love with a man who could never love her.

Nora hummed along to it and smiled. "Thank you Antonin, this is wonderful." She kissed him gently stroking the stubble upon his cheek. "How much did it cost?"

"Don't worry about it." Antonin said shrugging his shoulder. "I made it on my own, the supplies didn't cost that much." He said rolling his wrist into the air. She sighed and shook her head, pulling him into another kiss. Antonin rolled on top of her stroking her cheek and savoring everything about her, the touch of her soft lips and the tip of her tongue gliding along his tongue and lips.

"Antonin," she whispered into his mouth, shifting herself under him. "I'm sorry. I can't. Not now."

"I know," Antonin whispered. "But I missed you so much. It's been almost a week. I need to feel close to you."

Nora smiled at him and kissed the tip of his nose. He felt like a little boy when she did that. His chest warmed and he couldn't hold back a smile. She nestled close to him and closed her eyes. Her fingers never stopped moving over the top of his hand. Antonin felt a small linger of guilt. He had been living a lie for several weeks now. He worried that she wouldn't love him anymore if she knew who he truly was.

He was a Death Eater. A murderer. A baby killer and any other name one could think of, but the horrifying fact was he enjoyed his job. He loved the thrill he received from torturing the filth of the wizarding world and hunting muggles. He feared if she knew she wouldn't love him. She was a kind, sensitive, warm and loving person. She had empathy for all walks of life, while he did not.

She would surely leave him and then he would return to his broken form once more. He would be devoid of all empathy for everyone. A surge of jealousy inked through him. She would want someone else opposite of him, he couldn't let that happened. He felt the box containing her engagement ring press against his hip and he knew he had to do it. He couldn't marry her and hide this from her, it wasn't right. She must know.

"Nora?" he said.

"Yes, Antonin?" she asked, opening her eyes. The honest blue pools looked into his dark ones.

"I have to confess something."

He grabbed her attention. She sat up on the bed and brought her legs to her chest. Her chin rested on her knees as she waited for him to speak. Her eyes watered as if she were going to cry at any moment. Antonin sat up his body along with her, his throat closed up and the words wouldn't come out.

"There's someone else, isn't there?" she asked immediately. The absurdity! How could the thought cross her mind, nonetheless his?

"Never!" he said grabbing her hands in his. He softened his tone. "There could never be anyone else besides you." Nora smiled a little, but she still looked skeptical. "I have to tell you something." He said. His head hung down, he was completely at her mercy.

"Well, then?" she said.

"I-" he paused. Perhaps he didn't have to tell her. He could live a lie for the rest of their lives. He would think of excuses for his hands being covered in blood and the dark mark burning in his arm. He would marry her and everything would be like a fairy tale. He shook his head. It wouldn't work. There needed to be completely honesty in his relationship with her. "I am not who you think I am."

"Yes you are." She said with a sense of confidence within her voice. "You are Antonin Dolohov."

"Yes, I am. However there's another side to me. It's something that I tried to hide for too long."

"Well, tell me." Nora leaned forward and placed a small kiss upon his hand and put his hand to her forehead. "You can tell me anything." She said. Her clammy skin mixed with her hot breath upon his forearm, sending a chill up his spine. A trail of goose bumps led the trail.

An enormous amount of guilt fell upon his shoulders. He never felt guilty for his convictions. He took pride in them. He would gladly take the dementors kiss rather than deny who he really was, but this woman brought him weak to his knees. The cruelty he had taken pride in was melting at the hands of this beautiful angel, his angel.

He rolled up his left sleeve with shaking rapid hands and extended his pale forearm to show her his dark mark. The menacing snake coming from the open mouth skull writhed and vibrated on his arm.

"This is who I am." He declared.

Nora examined the mark. Her fingers danced around the black lines, but never touching it. She pulled her hand away from it and met his eyes. Her expression remained the same, blank and empty.

"I know." She said with a nod.

"What?" Antonin replied putting his arm down on the bed sheets. "You mean-"

"I knew." Nora shoved a red strand from her face and dragged her fingers along the blanket, hiding her propped legs. "I am not as sheltered as everyone thinks. I read the papers, I've heard Aunt Ophelia talk to Rodolphus and Rabastan. I heard your name mentioned a few times. I knew of you and I know what all of you do. I knew who you were the moment I saw you."

"And it doesn't scare you?" Antonin said his jaw dropping. She touched his cheek and drew her hands behind his head, pulling him into a soft peck on the lips.

"It terrifies me," she replied smiling weakly. "But you're not as callous as you think. I don't see you as the evil Death Eater everyone describes. I see a wonderful human being who is horribly misguided."

"I'm not misguided."

Nora didn't say anything else. She brought her hand from his cheek and wrapped it back around her legs. "I was waiting for you to admit it to me. I didn't care how long it took."

"I wish you told me you knew."

"I wish you told me earlier, what if I found you repulsive?"

Antonin couldn't argue with her point. He stared into her eyes and said in a soft voice. "I love you."

"I love you too." A tear slid from the corner of her eye and fell down her cheek. He caught it with the edge of his thumb and wiped it away. It left a salty wet streak behind. He slid off the bed and stood up. "Can you stand?"

Nora nodded and stood up on her pale wobbly feet. She smiled at him. He pulled out the velvet box from his robes and bent down on knee. He held her right hand in his.

"Nora Baton," He started, speaking directly off the top of his head. The tears were already falling down her cheeks. "I have never met someone like you. It's hard to believe you could ever consider me for anything else other than a stranger. You have captivated me from the moment I met you. The shy little flower who prefers a book over a party has meant more to me than anyone, even my own mother. You have made my life worth living and gave me a new sense of the word happiness. I am not asking you, I'm begging you, marry me and make me the happiest man alive. I want to wake up to you every morning, and fall asleep next to you every night. I want to spend forever with you until death takes us. My love, will you marry me?" He opened the box with the expensive ring. Nora wiped her tears with her wrist and nodded. She responded almost immediately.

"Yes, I will." She said choking back more tears.

He moved her into his home almost immediately after he announced their engagement. Her godparents weren't too happy about the arrangement, but after receiving half of her dowry and a glimpse of his property their minds had immediately changed.

Nora's health changed dramatically. Her previous spout of illness seemed almost like a dream. She had her healthy glow back again and her red hair shimmered in the daylight. He was so pleased with her health and their engagement he wanted to surprise her with something special.

He placed his hands over her eyes and led her down the hallway of the Dolohov Manor. Nora pulled and tugged at his hands.

"Antonin." She laughed. "What is it? Can you please just tell me?"

"No, I can't just tell you, that's why they call it a surprise. You have to see it"

He stopped her in front of a two large oak doors with engraved golden handles. He placed his lips to her ear and asked in a hushed voice. "I trust you to keep your eyes closed." Nora smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

"Very well then, Antonin." He dropped his hands and checked to make sure her eyes were closed shut. Antonin opened the oak doors and took her by the hands and led her inside.

"It smells funny." She noted. "It smells like spilled potions and a bad herbology experiment." He chuckled. He did used to experiment in potions within the walls of that room.

"Are you still not looking?"

"Yes, dear."

He withdrew his wand and with a flick the curtains of the room opened letting in the sunlight. He examined the massive library inspecting every detail for her. Although he hadn't been in there for years, he was surprised it still looked the same.

"Can I open my eyes, please?" she asked.

"Not yet." He said with a smirk on his face. He loved watching her smile widened in anticipation. It rejuvenated his love for her beauty.

"Please, now?" she said.

"Alright, now."

Nora opened her eyes and her mouth immediately dropped. From one end of the wall to the other there was nothing, but books. She walked to the staircase that led to the second and third level of the library. She covered her open mouth with her hand as she twirled in circles. He hoped she would love the library as much as he did. When he was a younger boy, he used to ponder if his family had collected a copy of every book in the world.

"Is-is this really for me?" she asked.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it." Nora said, her eyes watering with happy tears.

"This is the first wedding gift I give to you, my love. It's all yours."

"I don't know where to start." She said. She ran back into his arms and he swept her up off the floor into a kiss. Their faces were pressed closely together for several moments. She kissed him again and again, letting her hands roam freely on every inch of his body that she could reach.

"I love you so much." She said breathlessly as he placed her back on the floor. She pulled him closer toward her by the collar of his robes, grinding her body into his and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I love you too." He said his manhood twitching at the feel of her body against him. Nora kissed him deeply, shoving her tongue in his mouth. One of her hands glided down his chest, stopping at his hip bone. A sly smile spread on her face.

"I'm feeling much better today." She said. He knew what she meant. He picked her up and gently placed her down on the library floor. She exhaled a childish giggle and whispered as if they could get caught.

"Here, Antonin?"

"Ssh." He said placing a kiss on her lips. "It'll be fun trust me."

"But what if the house elves-"

"What are they going to do? Tell the others? Relax, my love." He kissed down along her neck and chest, lifting her dress up past her hips as he did so. Nora watched him with a sense of fascination. She bit her lip and her cheeks turned beet red as her knickers came off her hips.

Antonin ringed the wash cloth into the basin. The cold water froze his fingers to the bone, but his welfare was the least of his concerns. A sheen of perspiration coated Nora's body as if she had ran a marathon in summer humidity, but she was shivering.

"Nora?" he said as he cleaned up her face. Her eyelids fluttered open. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I feel hot and cold." She croaked in a small voice. Her hair attached to her damp forehead and her voice gave out small little moans of pain. "I can barely see." She whimpered. "It hurts so much."

"It hurts?" Antonin asked. "What hurts?" His hand touched her forehead, his long fingers coiling in her hair. Her skin was hot to the touch, but cold and clammy in the same juncture.

"My head." She said. "It's another migraine. You don't have to fawn over me."

"I'm helping you, Nora." He said rushing to his potion cabinet in the supply closet. "It's not fawning."

"I'll be fine." She said drawing the covers over her shoulders as another wave of shivers overpowered her. Nearly a minute later she kicked the covers off of her as the heat took.

"Hush." Antonin said going through the potions cabinet looking for anything to help ease her pain. The bottles clinked as he shoved them back in order. There had to have been something for migraines in his closet, an elixir of some sort.

"Antonin." She called.

"Yes darling?" Antonin said through gritted teeth forcing his tone to remain calm. He wasn't annoyed with her, but the stress of his inability to find a potion to help her was driving him to madness.

"I-I can't see." She said. "It hurts to open my eyes." Antonin shoved the closet doors closed and rush toward her. He grabbed his wand from the bed table.

"Lumos." He said holding the light above her face. Her skin was gray and another shimmer of sweat covered her face. Her eyes look sunken and dark circles appeared under her eyes. Her lips were dry and cracked a drastic change from only a few hours ago when she looked just as lively as ever. "I'm taking you to St. Mungo's." he said.

"No." she breathed. "No, I'll be fine. I'm used to it."

"You shouldn't have to get used to it." Antonin affirmed. "Accio cloaks." He said, the cloaks came to at the blink of an eye.

"No darling," she said trying to open her eyes. She winced in pain and kept her eyes closed. "I'll be fine. I usually take a sleeping draught. The migraines disappear with time and rest. I'll be fine." She affirmed.

Antonin exhaled sharply, pacing forward and backwards. He dropped his cloak on the floor and returned back to the potions closet. He found the draught next to an old vial of Veritaserum. He wrapped his arm under her soaking wet head and lifted her up to drink the draught. Her dry pale lips wrapped around the mouth of the vial and sucked the potions contents dry.

Although she slept peacefully throughout the night, Antonin did not. He remained awake with his cloak wrapped around him. The chill of the autumn night air flurried through his thin night shirt and pants.

He couldn't sleep knowing she wasn't well.

"I want children." Nora said, as they passed by another mother pushing an infant carriage.

"How many?" Antonin asked, holding her hand in his. He slowed his pace once again so she could keep up. Her back and legs were bothering her, but she insisted on the exercise.

"Hm," Nora thought for a moment. "I want four children."

"Four?" Antonin exclaimed. "Can we settle for two?"

Nora shook her head. "I wanted a big family since I could remember."

"I wouldn't make a good father." He loved children. Antonin found conversation with a five year old much more interesting than one with a grown adult. He loved their probing questions and their infectious laughter. He would've jumped at the opportunity to become a parent if he didn't doubt his own abilities to be a good father.

"Yes, you would." Nora said hugging onto his arm signaling him to slow down yet again. He was practically dragging his feet on the cobblestone of Diagon Alley to keep her happy. "You're creative, funny, smart, you'd make a wonderful father."

"If four is what will make you happy, then you shall have it." Antonin said, kissing her forehead. She would make an even wonderful mother.

"Avada Kedavra!" Antonin said pointing his wand at the muggle man. A sharp beam of light flew from the tip of his wand hitting the man in his blood stained chest. The light left his eyes in an instant. A sickening smirk spread across his features as he admired his work. Blood covered the walls of the small house and the owners bodies were left in a pool of crimson. Their eyes were still open and their hands reached out toward their fallen loved ones.

He slaughtered the muggle man, his filthy children and he especially enjoyed using his own special curse on the man's wife.

He walked outside of the house, the smell of coppery blood lingering under his nose. The sticky liquid covered his face and his hands. The crimson stuck to the handle of his wand squeezed through the creases in his fingers. He lifted his wand to the sky and shouted. "Morsmordre!"

The dark mark identical to the one on his arm was a symbol of terror to most and accomplishment to Antonin. He stared at the mark for a moment and disapparated with a pop and back into his manor. The adrenaline of the hunt pumped through his veins and his heart was beating out of control. His body wouldn't settle and his mind was racing.

"Antonin?" Nora said. She stood at the bottom of the stairs, her robes draped around her and her hair still pinned up into curls. He didn't hear her coming down the stairs and he panicked. She couldn't see him like this. He hid in the shadows praying she wouldn't notice the admonition of the nights hunt.

"Antonin, I can hear you."

"Yes, Nora?" he said, pretending it was the first time he heard her.

"I didn't know you had left." she said. "My apologies for falling asleep so early, I hadn't slept the previous night and I'm trying to read past this boring part of my novel. I think I got a little sleepy from it." She rambled walking closer to him. "I'll let you get to sleep, I'm going to grab some fruit and I'll be upstairs."

"Alright." Antonin said, backing away from her. Nora stood still for a moment and cocked her head to the side. One of the curls she had pinned to her head fell from its holding place.

"Can I have a kiss goodnight?"

"You never have to ask."

"Then come here and give me one." She said perking her lips forward. Antonin shook his head. "I can't, my love."

"Why not?"

"I-I just can't." Antonin said, unable to come up with a lie. Nora frowned and lifted a pale eyebrow. She wrinkled her nose and motioned him forward with her hand.

"Come into the light." Her voice was stern. Antonin moved slowly into the flickering candlelight until she saw his blood stained visage. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. She took a step back and turned away from him.

"Nora, I can explain-"

"There's nothing to explain." Her voice trembling. Her eyes looked away from him.

"Nora, listen for one-"

"Clean yourself up, Antonin." She rushed past him and walked into the kitchen.