Greg nodded, thinking about it. "I don't even know how my parents got together," he said. "Could be they were just set up. They was both purebloods from pretty low-class families, I dunno if their parents put them together or what. I just...I mean, they hated each other. I always figured it'd be better to be alone forever than to be like that with someone." He flashed a crooked, bashful smile. "Sometimes I guess I get kinda lonely, though."
He sat up as she protected his words, surprised at how strong she answered him back. "I don't..." He hesitated, trying to find a way to explain. "I mean, there was always a ton of stuff I never understood, back at school and all. A lot of stuff people learned real easy never made sense to me. But I never saw it as...I mean, yeah, it's better to be smart, but..." He frowned, searching for the words. "Smart isn't everything," he said finally. "I'm not trying to put myself down when I say I'm kinda dumb. I always thought it was fine to not be smart. I mean there's other good things I can be. I'm real strong. And I wasn't nice for a long time but I think I kinda am now. And those are good things to be. I think I'm alright, being how I am."