The Great Hall; Slytherin Table:
In the Morning, at Breakfast (Month 2; Day 1):

Eddy plopped down, not paying attention to where she was. She folded her arms on the table and collapsed onto them head down. JJ looked at her and broke out into a grin.

"So, you stressed or...?"

Eddy looked up. He was grinning.

"If I felt like moving, I might try and strangle you." Eddy deadpanned before putting her head back in her arms.

"Okay, I get that you're in a bad mood (maybe you're PMSing) but, would you care to tell me why?" JJ looked at her, his face more serious.

"Sorry, you didn't deserve that. I'm fine." Eddy had pulled her head up and plastered on a gigantic fake smile. "I just haven't had my sugar yet." Eddy winced on the inside. 'Haven't had my sugar yet? That was pathetic.'

JJ looked at Eddy for a moment. 'She's lying,' he thought. He knew she was; he was good at telling things like that. He cleared his throat and ignored what she said like she had been commenting on the weather.

"So, what's bothering you?"

"Would you believe me if I told you it was PMS?" Eddy looked hopeful. He may not fall for the smile, but all guys she knew high-tailed it at the mention of "girl-stuff" and she hoped JJ was the same.

"I would believe you, but you already said that the reason why you're acting the way you are was because you hadn't had your sugar yet. So, I know you're just making excuses," he reasoned. He turned away from her to scoop some breakfast onto his plate.

"I woke up in the middle of the night last night." Eddy said, starring at the blueberry muffins, she wasn't hungry. JJ stopped eating. He remembered last night, but Eddy hadn't been with him.

"...And?" he asked, not sure where this was leading.

"I looked out my window, it always seems to help. You know? Gryffindor tower has the best view of the lake." Eddy waited for him to catch on. JJ sighed. He hated when girls tried to hint at things.

"Eddy, Get to the point."

"You were talking to Emma." Eddy looked straight at JJ. "And I'll be totally honest; I've been trying really hard not to push Emma into telling me about the shaking and everything."

Eddy didn't look away. "And here's another truth, I hate being ignorant. That borders on nosy, I know. But it's not nosy to wonder why my only friends at this school are having clandestine meetings at the lake at some un-godly hour of the morning.

"I'm also trying hard not to jump to conclusions, but if all of your serious encounters from before are anything of a guideline, you two weren't talking about Fred and George's new product."

JJ's face went expressionless. What was he supposed to say? He sighed.

"I don't know what to tell you, truthfully," he said after a moment. "If she's not telling you then I can't. She has to be the one to tell you... But don't jump to conclusions as hard as it may be." JJ was stuck. He would have liked to let Eddy in on what was happening or what had happened, but he couldn't tell her without Emma's permission. That would be wrong of him.

"And we didn't mean to be up at that hour; I couldn't go to sleep and for some reason she happened to be out at the same time I was. Honestly." He was being more sincere than he was used to, especially towards Eddy.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to make you a blabber mouth. There are enough of those running around this school." Eddy smirked. "I'm just worried." Her expression was serious again. "There is obviously something wrong. I'm a bit of a worrier." Eddy saw JJ raise an eyebrow. She laughed. "Yeah, I know. Who'd ya think it, right? I want to help, but I can't if no one tell me anything." Eddy raised her voice a little in frustration.

JJ looked at Eddy directly.

"Don't start worrying until you have to. And don't start trying to help until Emma's ready."

"I know that! Contrary to popular belief, I'm not an idiot! Why do you think I was frustrated! I know I have to wait, but that doesn't mean I like it." Eddy glared.

'I know you're not an idiot,' he thought. He focused on the sky outside. This threesome of friends was in for quite an "adventure", if you could call it that. Hidden pasts, confusion, drama... Everything he hadn't wanted this year at school.

"I guess I have to wait until you're ready, too. Don't I?" Eddy asked in a quiet voice. JJ groaned.

"Dammit, I don't know what to say," he shouted, a little louder than he expected. He put his head in his hands. "Don't you get it? Emma's not the only one hurting."

"Last time I asked you about it, you wouldn't tell me anything. I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere. If you want to talk about it, that is."

Eddy looked straight into his eyes. "I'm waiting."

When did she ask him about it? He sighed.

"No, I don't particularly want to talk about it, but I guess I don't have much of a choice..." he said, trailing off. He kept replaying the horror in his mind. "I don't know how to put it into words, really. If I could, I'd let you into my mind and let you view it for yourself. But I can't."

"Just try. Start with Emma and work your way in." Eddy turned her full body to face him.

JJ looked at her.

"Not Emma," he said, confirming that she wasn't go to have any part in this conversation. He didn't know where to start but it wouldn't be with Emma. He stared out the window.

"I have a sister," he started. It was the only place he could possibly start.

Eddy held back a smile. It was a sibling. She waited for him to continue.

"She's... She'll be turning 13 this August." He started with the facts, the basics. "She's beautiful. I know that must sound weird coming from her brother's mouth but I'm a guy and she's a girl."

'Did that sound wrong?' he asked himself. He went on.

"And she's a very cheerful girl. She's very selfless and giving and she cares about everybody, even those who hate her." He exhaled.

"She sounds wonderful." Eddy smiled. He obviously loved her very much from the way he was talking about her.

"If you asked me how much I cared about her two years ago, I would have said 'Well, she's my sister, I have to care about her'... But," he stopped. But what? What did he want to say?

"You obviously care about her more now. What changed it?" Eddy prodded, trying to give him something to continue off of from his lack of words.

"My father and my sister's vulnerability," he replied.

"You're going to have to explain that a bit." Eddy stated levelly.

How could he explain without his heart aching?

"My sister... she was ruined by our father. Corrupted, used..." His voice was tense. He was trying hard not to say the exact words; he didn't want to use them. He looked down at his plate of food. His appetite had long been gone.

"Used how?" Eddy knew it was kind of obvious, but she wanted to know for sure. This wasn't something she wanted to make assumptions about.

JJ looked toward Eddy giving her a "Come on, it's not that hard" kind of look. He didn't want to utter the words. He didn't want to feel the pain that was associated with them.

"You need to tell me straight. For me, please." 'And you, too...'

"She was raped," he muttered, cursing himself. Why did it have to be that way?

"By your father?" Eddy wanted to cry.

"Yes," he mumbled. In his mind, it replayed over and over in his mind. He cringed at the memory and clenched his eyes shut.

Eddy rubbed her fingers back and forth across his back. "Is it still happening?" Eddy's heart felt numb. She couldn't cry, she couldn't scream. All she could do was sit and run her fingers back and forth, back and forth.

He relaxed at her touch, the soothing feel of her fingers rubbing back and forth along his back.
"No, my sister..." he paused. What horrible memories. "My sister died over the summer." He kept his eyes closed. Why did all this have to happen? He wished she was still alive. Why did she have to leave him forever? He would have told Eddy earlier but he had wished it hadn't happened. He had made her seem alive in the beginning, but he knew the truth. And it hurt. The truth hurt.

"How?" She questioned.

"She committed suicide," he replied, straight and to the point, trying to keep his voice level. She had left him forever. And the only person he blamed other than his father was himself.

Eddy slid closer. "What about your father?" Eddy almost didn't ask. She new the answer wasn't going to settle her stomach.

JJ hesitated before he replied.

"Well, he's a drunk but he's all I have left," he paused. "My mom died when I was two years old. I vaguely remember her but not enough to miss her." He looked at Eddy. Life was difficult; Very difficult. He looked into her eyes and saw compassion.

He smiled. "Don't worry too much about me," he said, trying to comfort her. He knew that hearing those things come from a sixteen year-old's mouth wasn't pleasant. Anyways, now that he was in school, he wasn't near home. His father couldn't bother him. Yes, the memories lived inside him, but that's why he had Draco. Draco was his handful of sanity and he was Draco's. And now he had another friend and a lover.

Eddy gave JJ a tight sideways hug. "Emma reminds you of her sister (in a way)." It wasn't a question, just a statement.

"Thank-you for telling me. If you need to talk again, just let me know." Eddy grinned. "But for now," she dug into her bag, "would you like a peppermint?"

JJ smiled and took one. Eddy looked around them. They were the only one's left.

"Um. I hate to break a Kodak moment, but I think we're late for class." Eddy grinned. She popped the other peppermint in her mouth and looked at her watch. "Only fifteen minutes of class left, why bother. Let's go somewhere, we have free period next anyways."

Eddy stood up. JJ followed suit and looked at her expectantly like his eyes were asking "Where to?"

"Where ever we want." Eddy smiled brightly. "How about Honeyduke's? I know a secret passage." JJ nodded and headed towards the exit of the Great Hall.