Fourth Floor Common Room, after classes

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Finishing dinner preparations had allowed Isabel a little time to process everything she'd learned during the day. Hopefully with the information she and Parker had given Professor Phale to be played out in a bit, he'd be able to stop Lana, Phoebe and Marie before they messed with anyone else's head.

But for now Isabel focused on dinner with friends and that meant cooking rice and setting out toppings to go with the huge pot of chili on the stove.

Comments

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

"Cedric." Jack hesitated, those suspicions flaring to life, but frak it, it was Cedric. Even if he had set him up for Lana, he didn't care. And there was no way he was faking this.

Jack abandoned his kitchen duties to make his careful way over, not wanting to startle him. "You came."

[chasingsnitches.livejournal.com]

"I promised," he said, nodding. "How are you?"

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

Confused. Worried. Scared. "I'm okay," he replied, hesitantly reaching out to put one arm around him and draw him further in to the common room. "How about you?"

[chasingsnitches.livejournal.com]

"It's fine," he said with a nod. "I'm fine. Still useless and scared but that's not a change."

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

"Don't say that." Jack stepped back and scrubbed a hand through his hair. "You're not useless. I get that you're scared, it's only natural. But everyone in this room will keep you safe."

[chasingsnitches.livejournal.com]

"That's easier said than done," Cedric said. "No one here knows what Voldemort is!"

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

"Easy, easy," he soothed. "I know, but it doesn't matter. Anyone who tries to hurt you will have to through us to get to you." Jack cocked his head, suddenly struck by a thought. "And that's not quite true. Hermione's here. We can go to her if we have to."

[chasingsnitches.livejournal.com]

"She could be working for him!"

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

"Hermione?" Jack just stared at him for a minute. "I'd believe Sam was working for him before Hermione."

[chasingsnitches.livejournal.com]

"What?" Cedric frowned. "Sam?"

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

Crap. He hadn't meant to say Sam. "No, that's not what I meant. I just meant that Hermione's the most unlikely person in the world to be working for Voldemort."

[chasingsnitches.livejournal.com]

"You think Sam is working for Voldemort?" Cedric asked. "Really?"

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

"No, Cedric. I don't. That's not what I said." He grasped Cedric's shoulders gently. "It was a bad example. Sam is not working for Voldemort. Sam is not working for anybody. I'm pretty sure she'd die to keep you safe. Okay?"

[chasingsnitches.livejournal.com]

He blinked and said, "Right, right. Fine."

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

"I'm sorry," he said, letting his hands fall. "I didn't mean to confuse you."

[chasingsnitches.livejournal.com]

"It's a common feeling for me these days," Cedric said.

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

"Yeah." Jack smiled a little, reaching out to touch him again. "I know the feeling. I'll try not to make it worse."

[chasingsnitches.livejournal.com]

"I fell asleep last night," he said and it wasn't a question.

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

Jack didn't look away. "You did."

[chasingsnitches.livejournal.com]

"You didn't wake me up."

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

"No, I didn't. I stayed awake and watched you. All night."

[chasingsnitches.livejournal.com]

"But I asked you to not let me fall asleep."

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

"I know." He glanced away briefly. "But I said I'd keep you safe and I did. You needed to sleep or you were going to fall apart."

[chasingsnitches.livejournal.com]

"I wasn't going to fall apart," he said. "I was fine."

[anextimeagent.livejournal.com]

"The body can only go so log without sleep," he said quietly. "What if it had caught up with you while I wasn't there to watch you? I didn't want that to happen."