Melanie and Barty have been happily married for over a year now. Their future looked really wonderful. As Death Eaters, they've had a lot to do in recent times. Therefore, after completing the tasks for the Dark Lord, Barty decided to take his wife to a beautiful lake in the middle of the forest.
"I can't swim," Melanie whispered in fear.
“I will teach you. Don't worry, I'm a great swimmer”.
Melanie finally gave in. She also arranged a few matters, such as talking to her family, especially her mother, who was pregnant. Narcissa was expecting a son.
Barty didn't really have to do anything but wait for Melanie. He had not contacted his father since the day of the wedding, only occasionally passing him in the corridors while working at the ministry. He did not lack contact with his father - he genuinely hated him. Only with Melanie did he felt happy and safe.
Within hours, Melanie was ready. She kissed her husband in a greeting. Barty put his arm around her and for a moment they just held each other. Barty gently stroked Melanie's hair, which smelled wonderful. Melanie inhaled the scent of his perfume, which she liked very much.
“Are you ready?” Barty asked.
Melanie nodded. After a while they apparated to the lake itself. No one was there, which surprised Melanie. The place was so beautiful, it was unreal. Why doesn't anyone come here? When she asked her husband about it, Barty said that the lake was about 600 kilometres deep in the Swedish forest. He added that they were so far from civilization that if they couldn't apparate, they would have to live in the wild for the rest of their lives.
”How did you know about this lake then?”
"I've been practicing apparitions to all sorts of strange places you've never heard of. I wanted my safe space. A place only I will know about. So, after many trials and errors, I accidentally came across this lake. I often ran away from home, and once I happened to live here for a month. A good tent was enough, and the wild animals didn't bother me too much. Promise me you won't tell anyone about this place. You're my wife, so I felt obligated to tell you about this place”.
Melanie took Barty's hand in hers. She smiled, looking into his eyes.
“Officially, I don't know anything about any lake. When are you going to teach me to swim?”
Melanie was very afraid of the water at first and watched with wide eyes as Barty swam in different styles. She was full of admiration.
"Your turn." Barty held out his hand to Melanie.
The girl was shaking with fear, she knew that the water in the lake was deep. Nevertheless, she trusted her husband, grabbed his hand and, trying not to think, simply jumped into the water. The feeling was amazing! The lake was pleasantly cool, and the feeling of being underwater was unlike anything else.
But what now that she couldn't see Barty and was all underwater? It scared her. She swung her arms and legs, but she couldn't swim out. Suddenly she felt something pulling her up. Barty managed to pull Melanie to the surface.
“Don't worry, we've got plenty of time. I hope you didn't get upset”.
Yes, she was antagonized, but she didn't want to disappoint Barty.
"We're training until we’re exhausted” she smiled.
Barty was teaching Melanie how to trust the water. She must feel good in it. The deep dive was a bad idea. They walked to the shallower side of the lake, where Melanie was much easier to navigate through the water. After some time, she managed to stay on a shallow surface without stepping on the bottom. She was so proud of herself!
Evening has come. The sun was slowly hiding over the lake, colouring the sky pink. Melanie and Barty were still on the blanket. They decided to spend a few days at the lake. Crouch started setting up the tent. Melanie took care of the mattress and sleeping bags. Soon the tent was ready. But it was still much too early to go to bed. They made a bonfire where they told each other all sorts of stories and ate marshmallows baked on a stick. Everything was well.
Melanie was looking forward to another day in this picturesque place. She liked the water a little, much to Barty's delight. She was looking forward to tomorrow's swimming lesson. Can't every day be like this?