“I have this policy of not forging Unbreakable Vows with assholes that make a habit of dropping off the face of the Earth, I’m sure you can understand."

Justin simply sipped on his tea as he studied the fuming Phoebe sitting before him. She did have a point. From being the best of friends - of couples - he couldn't expect the hot tempered, strong woman to forgive him so easily. Make the Unbreakable Vow for that matter. There were three vows that he wanted to make, if he ever got the chance. First, she would not be able to utter a single word about the Circle. Second, she'd promise not to seek him out. Thirdly, was to forget him altogether. The time spent apart tore wounds that he couldn't hope to repair. Well aware of his demeanor, it had not changed drastically since he left Hogwarts. 

“You know, here’s what I don’t get. You disappeared for ten years, for whatever idiotic reason or another, and you have this ridiculous idea that you can just show up and make demands of [i]me[/i]? Were you always this stupid, or is this a new development?”

Justin rose an eyebrow. Such fire he thought to himself. It was something he missed dearly. "Demands? I think not. I walked out of that ... bar to avoid this. This squabble we're having. It was you who followed. You asked [i]me[/i] where I've been," he said as if he were talking to any other normal person. "The answer I gave you will have to be sufficient. Without that safeguard of the vow, telling you anything else would not be favorable for the either of us. Things have changed since Hogwarts. Things are constantly moving - better for some, worse for others."

What acidic words he used. He knew it, and his inner conflict doused his whole world in flames. For as long as he could remember, he was raised in the manner befitting the kings of old. Being the heir to his family line of prominent political figures within the wizarding world, there was no room for the mannerisms of a mere commoner. It had been drilled in him as a child had reinforced the concept of crying when frustrated. The only leak in that face was when he was with Phoebe.

The many doors of the world opened up to him when he was with her. From gut wrenching fear from being caught doing a prank at Hogwarts to sneaking out into the fields past after hours, it had excited him like never before. Now, to his dismay, being stoic and blunt wasn't so hard with her. His heart and mind were in discord.

“And here’s a thought; how is it that you know I was married, and yet I had to wonder if you were even alive? I’m almost impressed, honestly. I mean, I’m a shit judge of character, but it’s really amazing just how awful of a human being you turned out to be. I'd applaud you but, you know."

The words teared at his thickened skin. Justin frowned for once in their encounter as he took another sip from his cup and placed it neatly on the saucer. He clasped his hands together. "Don't presume to think you understand my present predicament, Lockwood. It's a delicate balance I walk. My character remains as it was when I first met you in." His chest felt heavy. Never in his life had he ever addressed Phoebe by her surname. It was foreign. Alien. "As for your marriage. Am I not a son of Slytherin? An alumni that once walked Hogwart's proud halls like you? I remain in contact with a select few as they do me."

He noticed the tension in the woman's body. He saw her desires in those burning eyes. "You're angry. I can't imagine how much. You want to reach into your pocket and pull out your wand. Hex, curse, whatever your mind can think up." Looking to the window, he saw the group Phoebe was with earlier. They were looking for her. "I've missed you far more than you realize. When news of your marriage came to my ears, I turned into a despondent mess. Let that satisfy your anger for the time being. Satisfaction. Now, you're friends seek you out; I dare not keep you any longer. If my presence hurts you so, I will disappear. Relocate to a different region of London."

Flagging over the waitress, he paid for the two of them. He left a handsome tip. "Any last words? You won't see me again. I assure you of that," he said. His eyes watered. Crying? He would not in front of her. "What was that poem? The one in magical history?

[i]A ghost I have become
Gripping the eclipse of horizons long past,
The boundary between night and day cast forth
eternal, mortal prison, I reach out for faces far gone.
A ghost I have become.[/i]

Professor Cornelius. I suppose he left an impression on me after all. If you have nothing else to say ... goodbye Lockwood."