Thea sat on one of the old leather couches in the living room, with her legs stretched out across the seat as she read-or tried to read the mystery novel she had purchased just before this entire mess with Liam started.
George sat on the second couch, which faced the one she was sitting on. He was reading a book he had gotten off of one of the shelves-Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy-although she was pretty sure that it was just so he had an excuse to be in the room with her while she was reading. She hadn't thought that he cared about genealogy, and her legilimency told him that he wasn't really interested in the book.
Ginny was in her room down the hall, mostly to give Thea and George some time alone together, and Thea didn't know how she felt about that. It wasn't that she didn't like George-at the very least, he made her laugh, which was something she hadn't done much of, over the last few years. But the idea of allowing someone in after everything Liam had put her through-was still putting her through...she just didn't know if she could do it. She didn't know if she could ever trust anyone like that again. There was a reason why she and Jax stuck so close together-they had learned the hard way what came of trusting the wrong person. Besides...she was too focused on trying to stop Liam and the Elite.
Thea might have wanted to pretend that the Elite had nothing to do with what Liam was up to, but there was no way that was the case. Admittedly, Thea didn't know much about the Elite other than that they needed her for something and that they operated in secrecy, would go as far as threatening the people close to her to protect those secrets. They had the passes-she was sure of it.
She peered at George over the top of her book. She knew that the others meant well and were trying to help, but they had reached the point where there was very little more they could do-she had to do it. She needed to let them find her. It wasn't going to go over well-she knew that, but she had to try.
Thea set her book aside and swung her legs around, so she was sitting facing George, with her feet planted on the floor. He looked up, and Thea took a breath. "I need your help with something."
George mirrored her, setting aside the book and shifting to face her. "What do you need?" he asked, looking relieved that she had broken the silence.
Thea took another breath. Apparently, all she had had to do was to say something, anything, and she had his full attention, but now was the hard part. "I need to leave here."
George blinked at her, surprise evident in his features. "Why?"
She kept her gaze steady on him, trying to read his reactions as she spoke. "Because I think I can get those passes, and I think I'm the only one who can."
"You're planning to let them capture you."
Thea nodded, but narrowed her eyes in suspicion. That was exactly what she had been planning, and that was what she was trying to tell him, but his reaction was too calm. He had just said it matter of factly-no argument, no anger, no trying to convince her otherwise.
"What's the matter?" he asked her.
Thea shook her head. "You're not trying to talk me out of it."
George shrugged and relaxed against the back of the sofa. "Would it do any good?"
Thea shook her head. "No, but that wouldn't have stopped any of the others."
"I'm not any of the others," George told her, before straightening to look her straight in the eye. "If I thought you were just planning on getting captured, without a plan, to protect everyone, then I would argue, and I'd try to stop you. But I think you do have a plan, and I want to hear what it is before I argue with you or try to stop you."
Thea raised an eyebrow, impressed by his answer. As she had said, anyone else would have argued with her-that it wasn't safe, that it wasn't smart, but George wanted to hear her out. "I would tell you everything about then-not here, but at my apartment. It's a logical place for them to look for me, and it keeps everyone else out of it. The rune will alert them, and they will come for me. I'll hide the potion on me or have it somewhere nearby where I can conjure it from, so when they take me to wherever they are based, I can find the passes and use the potion to get rid of the curse. That way, you and Jax can fill everyone else in on what happened at the expo."
George was frowning. "And how are you planning on getting out after that's all over?"
"I have a way of sending a message. I'll be able to reach out to get help if I'm not able to get out on my own." Thea paused there, watching as he took that in, hoping that he would accept her vague explanation. If she had to demonstrate, she would have to call Ginny in and let her in on the plan, but that was something that she didn't want to do.
"Are you sure you can get out?" he asked her. "Sure that you'll be able to send that message?"
"Yes," Thea told him. "And there's really not another way. I know that the passes will be there-and they will take me there, but they won't take any of you there."
George sighed, and she could tell he didn't like it.
"Are you going to argue with me now?"
George shook his head. "I think you might be right-you need to be the one to go, but I think we need to discuss this with the others-see what they think."
Thea stood and paced away from him. "You said it yourself-they would argue with me. Jax especially will try to protect me."
George got up and followed her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "And if they do that, if they refuse to listen or discuss it, I'll help you work around them. What I won't do is help you sneak off without at least trying to talk to them first." He pulled his hand back.
Thea turned to face him, surprised for the second time in their conversation. "Aren't you the one who is usually reckless and not so worried about the consequences?"
"Yeah, but I don't want to be reckless when it could be your life at stake." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "I never used to be worried about consequences, but after the war...even if Fred hadn't died, a lot of people I know did. It's hard to be reckless like that now, especially over something this important."
He was sad, and he was worried about her, and she wanted to close the small amount of distance between them to comfort him, but she didn't. It was better if she didn't-she needed to start putting some distance there before either of them got hurt. She needed to focus on the Elite and stopping their plans-whatever they were.
"Thea, I..." But George didn't get a chance to finish as they heard voices downstairs.
"We should go see what they want," said Thea, and she turned and made her way out into the hallway and down the stairs to find that not only was Jax back from the ministry, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione were as well.
Thea looked to Jax, the trio, and then back again. "What's going on?"
Jax shook his head, and before he could say anything, Thea spotted something in his hand-The Book of the Elite.
Thea shook her head, her eyes widening in horror. "No." And she spun on her heel, heading back for the stairs where she nearly ran into George, but after she had side stepped him, she headed up to the top floor and headed into the bedroom where she had been staying. "Colloportus," she said, pointing her wand at the door, before sitting down on the bed and just trying to breathe.