A tiny little sample from Unbalanced Equations chapter eight
I was trembling with rage when I rejoined Remus in the street. “Why is that man following you?” he asked.
I glanced over my shoulder. “He’s my security escort.”
“Your security escort?” Remus frowned. “What did you do, Anna?”
“I called the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic a toad, I think.” He raised an eyebrow. “Can we please just leave?”
“Of course,” he said, taking my arm.
“Dolores Umbridge is the most horrible person I have ever met. She had already decided she wasn’t going to listen to me before I even arrived.” I told him what had happened. By the time I had finished, we were well down the road and I was in tears. “I’m so sorry, Remus. I never should have thought I could do this. She was right: I am no one of consequence.”
He stopped walking abruptly and turned me to face him, grabbing my shoulders and giving me a little shake. “Don’t you even think that! You are amazing and wonderful and you did everything you could. It isn’t your fault that the government is run by people like this Umbridge woman. It means everything that you tried.”
“But I didn’t accomplish anything!” I wailed. “Nothing has changed at all.”
“Maybe not.” Oddly, he was smiling. “But it doesn’t matter. I love you. I know you said you didn’t want me to ask you this until we could do it legally, but we’ll just find some way to make it legal.” Quite suddenly, he dropped down on one knee, right there in the middle of the pavement.
“Remus, get up,” I hissed. Several Muggles had paused to watch the spectacle.
Remus just grinned and said in a loud voice, “Anna Vector, will you marry me?”