Terry didn't know how to feel. He'd been so excited that Mandy had agreed to meet him and that she'd actually shown up, albeit ten minutes late. And then she'd said those words, condemning any chance of reconciliation. She walked away from him, and he couldn't stop himself from going after her, from saying her name, hoping that she would come back to him, to the strong bond they used to have.
He waited, but she only stood there, refusing his olive branch. As the minutes dragged on, he realized that he had to accept that she wasn't coming back. She'd moved on, embraced her Pureblood heritage, turned away from the friends she'd always been able to count on during their Hogwarts years.
Terry drew himself up and made a decision. One he realized he should have made ages ago. He turned from her, finally finding the strength to leave that part of his life behind. He walked back up the street, entered his building, climbed the stairs to his floor, turned the corner and lowered his wards to go inside. He put his wand away, opened the door, and went in.
Rubbing a hand over his forehead, Terry moved into his flat, nudging a table on the way and knocking some papers off it. As he leaned down to pick them up, he felt the glancing blow and cursed, shooting up and turning toward his attacker. He didn't have time to think, only to react, as the man was already coming at him again. He was thrown down on his table, knocking the breath out of him, causing him to black out for just a minute.
He shook himself out of the daze when he heard her voice. He couldn't find the breath to curse, but the expletive was particularly loud in his head.
Mandy took in the scene quickly, her mind scrambling to recall any helpful spells that she could use to help, but she couldn't think, couldn't move. After a moment, her eyes finally focused on the man hovering over Terry. She gasped. "Terence? Terence Higgs?!"
All she could think was what was Kat's boyfriend doing in Terry's flat?