Chapter 12 - The Aftermath

Daniella had no idea if there was a way to get out of that house without going through the ballroom, so she returned to the ballroom the same way she'd left, hoping she could leave before anyone - especially her brother - noticing. Fat chance.

Her brother appeared suddenly in front of her, startling her. She couldn't handle him right now. Her emotions were far too raw to handle him. Mumbling something about needing to use the restroom, she slipped away from his grip and disappeared in the crowd. As a house-elf passed by with flutes of champagne, she grabbed two and drank them in quick succession, hoping it would numb her for a little while.

It was over. She'd let things go way further than she'd intended. It had been far better than she'd expected. But he was going to marry another. He was going to make choices she couldn't possibly defend. It had to be over. She needed to let him go, before he left and took her heart with him.

She handed the empty flutes to the next elf that passed by.

Who was she kidding? He had her heart already.

Finally locating the exit, she opened the door, ignoring the house-elf that called out to her, and stepped out into the cold night, inhaling deeply. The street was blissfully empty, probably because it was really, really cold outside. She realized she'd forgotten her outer robes inside - that was probably why the elf had been calling-, but there was no way she was going back there. She was desperate for peace and quiet; wanted to go somewhere where she could just stop and think things through. And she wanted to get warm as well. Without thinking, she clutched the fabric of her dress and Disapparated.

It took her a long moment to realize something was wrong. It was dark and cluttered in there. There should be some light in her room, coming from the window…

"What the…?" She reached out until her hand hit a hard surface and pushed.

"Bloody hell!" Josiah jumped to the far edge of his bed, fumbling for his wand and pointing it at his closet. The door squeaked open, and Dan stumbled out in a large, fancy dress. Her hair was a bit mussed. "I thought you were a giant chicken," he grumbled, although his heart lifted at the sight of her. He lowered his wand.

"So, erm..."

"Jo?!" Daniella frowned, confused. "What are you doing in my…" She trailed off as she looked around. That wasn't right. The room wasn't right.

She recognized Jo's room. And then she – slowly, but surely – realized what had happened. Her eyes widened as she looked down anxiously at herself to make sure she wasn't missing any body parts.

She was limping; she'd lost a shoe on the way. "Damn, these were expensive," she mumbled as she took the other one off. Her dress seemed to be intact. She still had two arms, two legs, ten fingers and ten toes, her long hair, even if puffier than usual… She winced when she brushed it behind her left ear. Her fingers came out bloody.

She looked up at Jo shakily, letting out a nervous chuckle. "What is it that they say? Don't drink and Apparate…"

"For Merlin's sake, what have you done to your ear?" Jo fussed, not unkindly, plopping her firmly onto the edge of the bed and holding his wand over her ear. He squinted a moment. "Accio dittany," he murmured, and a small vial came zooming into his hand from seemingly nowhere (it had, in fact, been on a tall shelf that was hidden with a Disillusionment Charm). He put a bit of the liquid on her ear, and the skin began to weave itself neatly back together.

"More importantly, what were you drinking, and why, and how come you're wearing the drapes from the Divination classroom for a dress?"

Daniella was too dizzy with the sudden movement to properly object to the fussing, so her protest sounded weak even to her.

"That's way too many questions at the same time…" she complained, wincing more at his tone than at the dittany. "Don't be silly, this is an expensive dress," she said defensively. "And it's very pretty and… and glamorous."

She sighed tiredly. "The firewhisky was a little strong, that's all." She decided it was best not to mention the champagne she'd had after. "What was the next question?"

"It is glamorous, yes," Jo conceded. "I'm amazed you were able to Apparate it here all in one piece. I believe the next question was 'why.'" The Ravenclaw Prefect him was out in full force, and he knitted his eyebrows at his friend. His best friend.

"Did anyone follow you here?" He murmured, dabbing at her ear again. It was as good as new, now, but he needed something to do with his fidgety hands. "You aren't in trouble, are you? I mean, actually, it's -" he stopped, realized that she had been able to Apparate into the house, and he turned abruptly, murmuring lowly and with great concentration. It took several moments to complete the charm to his satisfaction.

"I suppose it's good that you came here if you were, as I've loaded the place with more protective charms than Peeves could fart at."

"Well, I did lose a shoe," she said grimly, studying the remaining shoe before tossing it aside.

"I don't think so. I was alone." She touched her ear; it was healed. "Thanks…" She looked at him while he worked, a frown of intense concentration on his forehead. "I was trying to go home. I'm sorry, Jo, I didn't mean to put you in danger," she said wearily.

The comment about Peeves surprised a giggle out of her, but the tightness in her chest quickly took over once more. "I slept with Ezra," she said abruptly when the giggling died out. She chanced a wary sideways glance at Jo. There, she'd said it.

Josiah put the small vial of dittany back onto the well-camouflaged shelf, then turned around at her words and sighed with relief.

"I slept with Noah," he admitted, feeling that they were even now. "I mean, again. I mean, lots of times." He was quiet for a moment.

"I'll get you some of June's pajamas." He disappeared into the hallway for a moment, and there was the sound of rustling in the cupboard opposite his bedroom wall. He returned with a pair of purple striped pants and a matching shirt with large, sparkly buttons. He handed them to his friend.

"How do you feel about it? I mean… Ezra."

Daniella rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands; she wasn't sober enough for this conversation. She accepted the pajamas, resting it on her lap and smoothing the fabric carefully, thoughtfully. She snorted after a while. "I was so angry with him. We were arguing, actually, but there's this-" she hesitated, making a face and closing her hand into a fist against her chest as she tried to find the words, "this thing with him… I want to strangle him but then he does something that- then I want to hold him and tell him it's going to be alright."

She sighed deeply, closing her eyes. "They want him to marry that bitch. He's probably going to, eventually." She fell silent; she believed that, even if she hoped he wouldn't do it.

"He's not the reason I was drinking, though… mostly. This past week…" She hung her head. "I should've just stayed in Hogwarts."

"Mm," Jo murmured encouragingly in the back of his throat. He tried to bring to mind exactly which bitch she was referring to, and then assumed that it was Sabrina for ease of conversation. His mind wandered briefly to Noah, like it had been for the past few hours, and then he refocused on his friend.

"Well, he's not exactly predictable, is he?" Josiah murmured, drumming his fingers on his old, rickety desk. "I mean, I don't know him personally, but he's always seemed a bit hardheaded, to be quite honest." He tried not to make too sour of a face. This was his friend's time of need, not his time to vent about how much he had been mistreated in the Prefect meetings.

"No, he really isn't… But that doesn't change anything. He is who he is. Nothing can change what he's done and what he believes, except himself." And no matter how involved she was with him, they were still on opposite sides in that matter.

"But this is different." How could she explain it? How could she explain the trap your family could set around you so neatly, that you couldn't find the strength in yourself to break free from it? The constant wearing down of someone's defenses? "They get under your skin, and no matter how much you hate submitting to it, it gets to a point where you start thinking maybe it's easier to just accept it and be done with it, because resisting is so tiring. Especially if you don't know anything else that's worth fighting for."

Daniella stopped, her hands closing around the fabric of the pajamas. Her thoughts had wandered off to her mother, to Logan and his schemes and she felt suddenly very vulnerable. "Jo, I can't do this anymore. I miss you. Your friendship is the only thing I have that's real, and worth fighting for. And being apart makes it harder to remember why it's so important to fight them…" The pressure she'd been feeling since returning home was clogging her throat again. "I don't want them to break me," she said in a faint whisper, hating how weak she sounded.

Jo slid beside her on the bed, wrapping one arm around her and giving her a gentle squeeze. He stared at his dim, blank wall, which had a rather large stress crack in it. He didn't know what to think.

He loved Dan; she was his best friend, and as much of a sister to him as his real sisters. They were very different. He was poor, there was no denying that. He wasn't even very strong. His family was even less so without his help. He thought of Ezra, who was even more different… so different he couldn't even begin to understand. He knew that this was a war and that it wasn't easy for anyone.

"He's just one person," he mumbled to both of them and to no one in particular. "For now, I mean. Logan has a few accomplices, but he's really just one person. Until he… I mean, if he decides to…" he trailed off; he didn't even want to think about that option, and he didn't want Dan to think about it right now, either. "He's just one person, and we will take our chances."

Daniella leaned into Jo, only just then realizing how much she'd desperately missed his easy going, comforting affection. She hadn't known just how lost she'd felt until now. A renewed flame of defiance grew in her chest. She would do anything to keep Jo and his family safe, but she'd be damned if she would let Logan take her friend from her. "I'll do whatever it takes. And if Logan doesn't believe it yet, he will soon enough."

She huffed out a sigh, pulling herself together. She smiled shakily at Jo, not quite looking him in the eyes. "Sorry, I'm not sure where that came from. Give me a minute. I need to wash up and… well, get out of this dress." She left towards the bathroom as quietly as she could, as to not wake anyone up.

A little while later, feeling more like her usual self, she returned to Jo's room, the dress messily wrapped up on her arms, looking a bit silly in bright purple pajamas that were too long on the arms and legs for her, since June was taller.

She settled back next to Jo, backtracking in the conversation until before she'd started making it depressing. "Enough talking about me. I don't want to go to sleep in a bad mood; it'll be enough punishment to wake up hungover tomorrow…" She gave her friend a questioning look. "What did you mean about Ledger? Did he finally make up his mind?"

Jo smiled twitchily at the sight of Dan, tipsy, in June's too-big pajamas. He crossed his legs on the bed, picking absentmindedly at his thick socks.

"Well, I don't know about all that," he murmured, referring to Noah's mind. "I never know what's on the one in his skull; the one in his pants is much easier to read." He sighed deeply.

"It's just… complicated. I mean, he wants to be a professional Quidditch player and all that, so he's afraid of anyone else finding out. I'm like a big secret. He comes to me for sex and he says really sweet things, and then when we're around other people, it's like… I mean, it's like I don't even exist."

He pursed his lips. "I can't live my entire life in private."

Daniella snorted, but let him finish. "No, you can't. And you shouldn't," she agreed. She pondered for a minute. In her opinion, for a Gryffindor, Ledger was acting too much like a coward, but she knew better than to say that so bluntly.

"So, he hasn't told anyone? Not his parents, his friends? And he doesn't let you say anything either?" She huffed again. "Did you tell him how you feel?"

"Well, it's not that he forbids me from saying anything…" Jo murmured lowly. "It's just that… well, I feel like if I told anyone, he would be upset, obviously. He would think I was selfish." He fiddled with the edge of his shirt grumpily.

"I told him I loved him," he said quietly. "But he didn't say it back."

Daniella narrowed her eyes, studying his face. "Who's being selfish, then?" She asked Jo, just as quietly, taking his hand in hers. "A secret love affair may seem very interesting, but someone always gets hurt, in the end."

She pondered his words, surprised at his admission. "Well, what did he say?"

Josiah offered Dan a watery smile. He was perfectly fine, after all. It wasn't like he hadn't ever had relationships before. It was just all so different in the moment.

"He says that he wants me," he mumbled. "He says it every time we meet. I'm special. He wants to be with me. But he's never talked about… other boys. Or girls, for that matter," he said, knitting his eyebrows.

"I don't know much about his previous relationships. We just kind of… meet and have sex and talk about Quidditch." He sighed.

"Anyway, it's fine. I'll figure it out." He smirked a bit. "The bed is bigger, if you hadn't noticed. I can expand it a bit if you're nervous about my sleep-germs. You can go home after you sober up a bit."

Daniella bit her lower lip. He hadn't asked for her advice, after all. Not that she could give any good ones at the moment, tangled up as she was with her own heartache. Or any other moment, where men's minds were concerned. "Alright," she said quietly. "You know I'm here whenever you need to talk, right? And I'll definitely be sober the next time," she added apologetically.

"I'm sterilized enough for the night, after all the firewhisky," she teased as she stood up slowly. She planted a kiss on the top of Jo's head, moved around to the other side of the bed, then stopped and looked at Jo seriously. "If he really is a Gryffindor, he'll do the right thing. Quidditch is a very stupid excuse to let someone like you escape."

-/-/-

Ezra lay on top of his unmade sheets, half-dressed. His eyes were glazed over as he stared fruitlessly into the wood grain of his tall, ornate headboard.

The party had been over for some time. Granted, he hadn't been present for much of it; he was in for a spectacular ear-lashing the next time he saw his parents. He couldn't bring himself to worry about that now. After all, he realized, it was only a matter of time before he was going to be disowned if he kept doing whatever he pleased, and then it wouldn't matter.

Then he would be nothing, and no one would care. The thought was terrifying and liberating at the same time.

"Pokey," he murmured hoarsely into the cool, dry air, and there was an immediate crack as the house elf appeared at his bedside. She swayed a bit, and he could tell she was concerned for his well-being. He looked sideways at her, slightly ashamed of himself, and then looked back at the headboard.

"Will you pack my things for me, Pokey?"

"Young Master Ezra, sir?"

"I mean, my school things, clothes, potion ingredients, and so forth."

Pokey bowed, was silent for a few moments, and then snapped her fingers. Several articles of clothing swished to life and began folding themselves meticulously.

"Young Master Ezra is packing very early, sir, considering he still has a couple of weeks left in his winter vacation, sir." He gave the elf a brittle smile.

"I'm leaving the house, Pokey. I need to go back to Hogwarts for the time being – and you mustn't tell my parents. It's awfully important. It could be the difference between life and death for me, Pokey, do you understand?"

There was more silence, and then the sound of loud, uncontrollable sniffles that usually preceded one of Pokey's crying spells. He patted her gently on the head before turning to his wardrobe. He squinted at himself in the large, open mirror; he bid himself farewell.

Daniella had waited until she was sure the house was empty before slipping inside. Thankfully, her parents always left early in the morning. She really didn't feel like answering uncomfortable questions about the previous night with that headache. With a bit of luck, no one had noticed she hadn't slept in her own bed.

An hour later, after a long hot shower, she sat at her desk. The potion she'd prepared for the hangover was still too hot to drink; she turned the present in her hands, not sure what to do with it. She'd bought it before the party, but had decided to wait to give it to Ezra. Now, after what had happened, she wasn't sure what he would think of it.

In fact, she wasn't sure of what he thought of anything that had happened in the last few days. She didn't want to create expectations, and she definitely didn't want him to think she had any. But if she was honest with herself, she knew she had already crossed the thin line that separated physical attraction from something a lot deeper – and more troublesome.

She'd hoped she could finally get him out of her mind after last night. But she couldn't. She wanted him to choose her and what she could offer; wanted to believe things could work between them. "Don't fall for him," she told herself once more.

She closed her eyes, sighing deeply. "Shit."

She gulped down the potion and snuck out of the bedroom to find the family's owl. Everything was still quiet. She wondered briefly where Logan was - she'd been convinced she would find him fast asleep, but didn't seem to be there at all. Maybe he'd spent the night out as well. Even better.

Ezra fastened every bolt on the heavy door, settling into a small wooden chair in front of a plain desk in the far corner of the room. He peered out the window as he wrote; it was late, but Diagon Alley was still magically lit and misty, with the occasional drunk, lonely wizard tumbling out into the cobblestone street. He unlatched the door on Pauline's cage and coaxed her out with his pale, thin fingers. She cooed softly, her talons clicking on the wooden surface as she hopped out of the brass wires.

He rummaged through his school trunk, which had been magically extended to carry some of his more important belongings (he didn't dare hope for a moment that, as soon as they realized he was gone, his parents wouldn't ransack his private property). He pulled out a single scrap of parchment, barely large enough for a paragraph. On it, he scribbled simply:

Leaky Cauldron, 21-B

He folded up the scrap twice and conjured a magical twine rope to secure it to Pauline's leg.

"Take this to Daniella, Paulie," he murmured, stroking her darkly feathered head. He opened a single pane of the window, and the stately owl squeezed through the tiny space and out into the night.

Later that afternoon, Daniella sat at the kitchen table, staring at the package. The owl had returned with it. What did that mean? Maybe he just wasn't home… but where could he be at that time, just before Christmas? What if he had rejected the gift?

The back door opened. "Ah, look who's finally home. Where were you all night, Dany?"

Daniella looked over to her brother, wand in hand, startled. She frowned as she looked at her brother. He was slurring a little and he was still wearing his robes from the party. And that look on his face…

A shiver ran down her spine, but she didn't let her uneasiness show. "Don't call me-"

"Dany, Dany, Dany." He walked over to her, shaking his head; his voice gained a warning, almost threatening tone. Daniella barely recognized him. "I've told you before. Some places aren't safe to go by yourself. You keep making your big brother have to rescue you."

Daniella froze, fear creeping up to settle in her stomach. He knew where she'd been. She looked over him again and a shiver ran down her spine. His clothes looked dirty and that look in his eyes… "What have you done to them?" She barely dared to breathe.

He smirked, tilting his head a little. "To your Mudblood friend? Nothing… yet. I don't think the poor bastards will be able to go out and fish in that old can anytime soon, though." He looked at her more seriously. "You see, Dany, we had a deal, and he didn't keep his part of the bargain. He needed to know his place."

The fear suddenly turned to red hor anger; it bubbled up inside Daniella, obliterating the caution.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Logan?!" She snapped, standing up to face him. "Enough! You've underestimated me all my life. But no more; I make my own decisions now," she said with a quiet intensity she had never even heard in herself. She met his eyes, hers fiery with the intensity of her feelings. "And I am warning you: if you hurt Jo in any way, you will never see me again. If he or anyone in his family is hurt because of you or your gang, you will regret it." She breathed heavily, staring at him and seeing only a stranger. She couldn't find her brother in his eyes anymore. And right now, she hated him with a passion. "If you do anything to any of them, you'll regret it dearly."

Logan seemed stunned, and his smirk lost its confidence for a moment. He was finally starting to see she wasn't the child he'd known anymore; he furrowed his brow. "What are you saying? Dany, look at you! They mess with your mind, do-"

"Do not. Call me. Dany." Daniella said through clenched teeth. Her hands were closed into fists, and her wand hissed loudly as bright white sparks shot out. "You have lost that right a long time ago." She took one step closer to him. "They have never hurt me like you just did."

She looked at her brother, wondering if it would be the last time; wondering if she would have to hurt him. "Mark my words, Logan. Decide what matters the most to you…" She turned and stormed out of the kitchen, up the stairs to her room.

She slammed the door closed and wiped the tears shakily, the fear for Jo and his family growing with each passing second. She took the notebook from under her pillow and quickly wrote a note begging Jo to tell her if he was alright. She didn't dare Apparate there, in case Logan had left someone on the look out.

Absorbed by her worry, it took her a long time to realize there was an owl patiently waiting for her to notice it. She rushed towards the bird when she recognized it. Ezra's owl.

Ezra returned to his small room with several shopping bags full of supplies: potion ingredients, many of which were banned for Hogwarts use, which he had snitched in large quantities from his father's store; approximately 500 galleons, which was enough to hold him over until the spring if he was wise; several new vials of ink and a crisp, freshly bought quill; a stack of blank parchment; and a bag of owl treats.

He placed the bags as gently as possible on the creaky wooden floor (Merlin forbid if he was too careless with the Erumpet horns; they were wickedly expensive to buy, and he didn't want to have to steal any more) and tried to catch his breath from the cold. He sat on the soft but lumpy bed and slid off his shoes. Pauline had been back for a while now, and she was looking at him with her head tilted. He attempted a reassuring smile.

His shaky confidence was broken by a knock on the door, and he pulled out his wand swiftly and with incredible accuracy. Rumors spread fast in the pureblood community… people could be paid off… things could go very wrong if one was not cautious.

He stepped up to the door as quietly as he could, releasing one bolt and opening the door a fraction of an inch. He peered through the crack. It was Daniella – or, at any rate, it appeared to be.

"What object did you notice in the corner of my bedroom when I allowed you inside of it?" He tested, not putting his wand down.

Daniella's feelings were still too raw, too on the surface when she arrived at the Leaky Cauldron. She didn't know why she'd blindly come over here; any other day, she would've been very suspicious of such a cryptic message. But right now, she didn't care; she had nothing more to lose.

She had needed to get out of that house, and she didn't really have anywhere else to go. All she knew was, she was never going back. She couldn't stand by idly anymore. Jo hadn't replied to her yet. Trying not to think of the reasons for that - each possibility seemed darker than the previous one - she'd packed up her things, snuck out of the house and Apparated into Diagon Alley. She'd asked Tom to keep her luggage for a few minutes before going up to the room.

Now, with her mind still frazzled, she stared at Ezra blankly for a moment, puzzled with the question and his behaviour. "Pokey's bed," she said slowly. Then, it finally made sense. Her lips curved upwards in a small smirk. "What item did you lend me after the first Potions class?"

"A book of Muggle poetry," Ezra murmured, unlatching the rest of the bolts on the door and allowing her inside. "Sorry, it's just that… they know I trust you. If they had gotten their hands on anything of yours, so much as a hair… well, you're very much aware of the possibilities." He tucked his wand in the pocket of his coat. He stepped gingerly over the bags, pushing them back against the wall so that there was more space to move about. He had never been without someone to clean up after him before.

"Bit of a mess," he said lowly, rubbing a fatigue-shadowed eye. "My apologies."

Daniella took a couple of steps into the room and closed the door behind her, looking around with interest. "Understandable. I do have a lot of hair," she said absentmindedly.

It didn't look like he was just passing by. She looked at all the things around him, baffled. And what he'd said…? "Ezra, what is this? What are you doing here?"

"I've run away from home," Ezra replied in his cultured, level voice. "I came here to gather supplies. I'll go back to Hogwarts for as long as I can, and then…." He trailed off, furrowing his porcelain brow for only a moment.

"You don't have to get involved," he said more gently, sitting by one of the bags and removing the smaller bags full of exotic ingredients. He stuffed them one by one into his trunk. "I'll be alright."

Daniella's jaw dropped. She gawked at him as he moved around the room busily. "You did what?!"

She walked over to him, took the items he was holding from him and took hands in hers, making him look at her. "Why did you do that? What happened?" She asked worriedly.

"Choosing my own path, standing up to the people who use me, making my own decisions, et cetera," Ezra replied flatly with a smirk and false amusement. He ran his hands over hers, gave them a gentle squeeze, and took the ingredients back.

"And being prepared," he said with a suddenly dark expression. "For anything."

Daniella glanced around at the chaos surrounding them. "Well, that you are!"

She didn't know what to say. She'd been hoping to hear him say exactly those things, had hoped she'd convince him to stand up for himself, but she hadn't really expected him to do so. Not so suddenly, anyway.

Her heart was racing, but she didn't dare hope too much yet. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you really not want me to get involved? Why did you tell me you were here, then?"

Ezra faltered at these words, but said nothing for several moments, shoving more ingredients into the far corners of his trunk. His ears were pink.

"Well, you can if you like," he murmured, trying to put forward a cool exterior. "I daresay it will be dangerous, but you're free to make your own decisions… as per usual." He paused, feeling a bit guilty. She had come all the way to Diagon Alley to see him and he was still putting up fronts.

"I don't want to be alone," he said, so lowly that it was nearly a whisper. "And because we're… because I trust you."

It took a lot of effort to stay still long enough for him to finally get the words out; the honest ones, that was.

"I don't think I have many options," she replied quietly. "Technically, I ran away as well. I am definitely not going to be under the same roof as Logan any time soon, that's for sure." She pressed two fingers against the bridge of her nose, trying to focus on the problem at hand.

"It will definitely be dangerous. I'm not sure you realize how difficult it will be yet," she said seriously. She raised a hand to his hair, all messy due to his nearly frantic movements, and brushed it back. "I daresay you'll need someone to have your back."

Ezra searched her eyes, the overhead light flickering every time the winter wind blew too hard outside. Pauline made a delicate noise in her open cage that might have been a snore. He smirked.

"I'll cover yours if you'll cover mine," he murmured, pressing his lips against hers briefly. "By the way, did you bring any money? I've never cooked before in my life."

"I could cook, it would be cheaper, but there's no stove. I've been craving fish and chips lately, though," Daniella offered Ezra a teasing smirk.

She would go to Gringotts in the morning; she had created an account for herself last year that her family didn't know about, and put all of her savings in there. "So, I'll go downstairs and buy us dinner. Can you bring my things up in the meantime? Tom is keeping them for me, but I don't want to abuse his kindness for too long."

"You can cook?" Ezra asked a little too abruptly to be polite. He slipped his wand out of his coat pocket. "Accio Daniella's Trunk," he said clearly, waiting. A few moments passed in silence. There was a gentle thump at the door. He unbolted the locks and the trunk slid into the room like an obedient puppy, leaving a small trail of dust where it had traveled through the corridor.

"I've got a few hundred galleons, but it won't last us long between two people. Here," he murmured, digging around in his pocket and placing two golden coins into her hand. They were slightly warm from his body heat.

"I'm actually a pretty decent cook," Daniella replied. "I just don't get many chances to do it at school."

"Thanks," she said, kneeling in front of her trunk and opening it to find the small bag with her own money. She returned one of the coins. "I have some money too. I've been saving up for a while now." She glanced mischievously at him out of the corner of her eye. "You know, just in case. Tomorrow I'll see about getting us cheaper food, but if you really want to do this, we should think about returning to Hogwarts as soon as possible. Everyone knows who you are here."

A few minutes later, she was standing by the counter, waiting for Tom, thinking about the madness they were getting into. And she'd agreed to that without thinking twice. She remembered Jo's words about Noah thinking with the mind in his pants instead of the one in his skull. Was that what Ezra was doing?

It was all perfect for now, until they had to face everyone they knew; until they had to start making some really difficult choices. She ordered food for them and made her way back upstairs, determined to make the most of it for as long as it lasted, and not think about when it would be over.