Chapter Ten: Politically Correct

With a little magic, the flowerstone could blossom in the most unlikely of places, and the year-seven Herbology NEWTS students at Hogwarts had been tasked with the challenge to prove exactly that by planting a flowerstone seed into the tiny fracture of an arbitrary stone and guiding it towards existence with a series of charms.

The stone on Lily's open palm had stood lifeless for so long, Edward had begun to vocally voice concern. Lily, however, dismissed his worries with a quiet smile on her face, her wand waving gently on top of their stone until their flowerstone shot out of the stone. "See? She was just taking her time. Weren't you, my little darling?"

"She?" echoed Edward, amusedly. "What makes you think it's a she?"

Lily winked in his direction. "Nothing this pretty could ever be a boy."

Edward reached to poke at it, but immediately jumped backwards when it reached back for him in return. Lily burst into a laugh, amused that something so small could create fear in someone as largely built as him. He shot her a look of deep reproach and she cleared her throat apologetically. "It won't harm you," she said. To demonstrate, she held out her own hand and held it steady as the flowerstone coiled around the tip of her finger. "They're affectionate, that's all."

There was a loud banging noise and they both turned to find that a flowerstone had reached and pulled at Hufflepuff's braid, bringing her forehead down to the table and leaving it with a nasty gash that poured out blood. Edward turned to Lily pointedly. "You were saying?"

It was Professor Longbottom who responded, not to him in particular, but to the class as a whole. "Please do remember to practice a respectful set of precautions. Generally speaking, flowerstones are not harmful to human beings but they have an exceptionally strong hold and have been known to strangle small prey - Ms. Turner, do head over to the hospital wing. Madame Cupperie will want to take a look at that cut."

"Catch that, Potter?" said Edward. "It could strangle you, you're not careful."

"Not me," said Lily as the flowerstone continued moving up her arm, a fuchsia flower erupting on her wrist. "I'm no small prey."

Edward opened his mouth and then closed it again, and then he smiled. It was one of the things Lily liked most about him. Even when they were disagreeing about something, he still ended up smiling at her. "Whenever I think of all the reasons I could've never belonged in Gryffindor," he said, "almost always you come to mind."

"And here I was," said Lily, "thinking I was always already on your mind."

She wasn't sure what had possessed her to say that. Very often, she said flirty things without giving any thought to the consequences. It wasn't at all a good habit to carry around. Girls found it annoying. Boys thought her a tease. Nia and Syana swore it came from a constant need for attention. Oscar often blamed it on the Potter genetics, citing her eldest brother as evidence.

Edward's grin widened. "More than you realize, Potter."

Lily glanced down to watch as the flowerstone made its way up her arm, growing even more flowers as it went. Dangerous or not, it really was beautiful, and Lily wished she could be a part of that world, of things that lived only for the sake of living, who reached and touched and pulsed and never, ever doubted themselves.

Caroline Suffles' laugh interrupted her thoughts. Despite their break up, Xander and Caroline continued sitting together in most of their classes. At first, they'd been quiet with each other, distant, but then they had returned to their usual friendly banter, as was always the case between them. They would remain friends, while the two of them dated around, and then, eventually, they would come back to each other.

Xander was currently hitting his stone on the edge of the table as if it were an egg needing to be cracked. Caroline watched him with fondness, as if she found his desperation adorable rather than idiotic. She reached for his wrist and pulled his hand towards herself, uncurling his fingers to take out the stone from his clutched grasp. "Here," she said, "let me help you."

Lily felt as if the flowerstone had wormed itself into her skin, traveled to her intestines, and then strangled them whole. Perhaps she'd been wrong, she suddenly thought. Perhaps something that pretty could be a boy. Perhaps he could make a small prey of her after all.

Then she quickly closed her eyes, trying to shake away those thoughts - those feelings - and think instead of all the things she hated about Xander Vandenberg… Nothing came to mind other than the fact that he had learned to hate her first, and even that wasn't enough to make her hate him - it only made her want to cry.

"You okay, Potter?" Edward's voice brought her eyes back open.

Lily opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Great, yeah. Here…" She pushed the worksheet on their table towards him. Understanding what she meant, he took it. Edward often did this part of their assignment. He felt more comfortable with paper than he did with plants.

He leaned over the table and began writing before making an odd sort of noise - like a nervous clearing of his throat - and saying, "My father is running for Minister for Magic. You might've heard. I know your aunt is also in the running."

Lily gasped. A flowerstone had just reached for a girl's necklace and ripped it apart, pearls rolling out everywhere. Lily's hand went to the pendant hanging from her own neck. She hadn't been able to take off the necklace Xander had gifted her, not even at nighttime. She knew it was strange, wearing it everyday, but she couldn't bring herself to part ways with it, not when it reminded her so much of home, of feeling invincible, of the sun in Xande's eyes as he looked up to watch her climb a tree, a small smile on his lips, right before he returned to the shadowed world of the book on his lap…

"Anyways…" Edward had still been talking, but Lily had missed most of it and came back only to catch, "Mason Fleet's father is also running against them. I don't know if you know this, but Mace is one of my best mates."

Not only had Lily not known this - she was having a hard time believing it all together. Edward Ballard was a Slytherin, arrogant, cold towards people he did not know, and known for flaunting his family's wealth. Mason Fleet was a Hufflepuff, kind, always friendly, and pretentious about nothing at all.

"No way," she snorted, the words escaping her. "You two have nothing in common."

Edward shot her a look. "We played junior quidditch together."

"That doesn't make two people friends," said Lily, starting to uncoil the flowerstone from her arm. "I played junior quidditch with Daedra Greengrass. I still wouldn't mind smacking her on the side of the head with a broomstick." As soon as the words were out, her face screwed apologetically. Daedra Greengrass was a seventh-year Slytherin, the very worst of the kind. She was also Edward's ex-girlfriend. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't mean that."

"You did, and I don't care," said Edward, frowning deeply now. "I care more about the fact that you don't think I'm good enough to be mates with someone like Mason Fleet."

"I didn't say that…"

The last thing Lily wanted to do was to offend him. The truth was that she didn't think him good enough to be friends with Mason Fleet. Mason was too good, too sweet. However, that didn't mean she didn't think Edward good enough to be friends with her. In fact, she happened to think that she had a lot in common with him: they were both attention-seeking, entitled, and often careless with the feelings of others. But if she said this out loud, it would hurt his feelings, so instead she said, "Oscar and Mace are close… Your friendship with Mace would've come up at some point if it were true."

Edward arched a thin, blonde eyebrow. "You bring me up often, Potter?"

Lily rolled her eyes at the puffing in chest. "We like to talk about all the ways we're going to defeat our quidditch enemies in the field, that's all."

For some reason, this riled him even further. "We might have a different group of friends, but we are really good mates. When I was younger and going through shit with my family, he was there for me a lot. When he came out as bi, I was one of the first people he told."

This was another thing Lily couldn't bring herself to fully believe. Mason was openly bisexual now but it had been hard for him at first, coming out. Oscar had been there for him through all of it. Oscar was the sort of person who would do that though. Be there for someone else. He was good at listening - at offering advice - at making you feel like there was nothing about you that needed to be kept hidden.

Edward Ballard wasn't that.

Edward Ballard was parties and girls and quidditch, not deep conversations and secrets shared.

The disbelief in her face must've shown because Edward let out an impatient blow of air. "Ask him, if you don't believe me."

While Lily just sat there, thinking deeply about the possibility that this could be true and how, for some reason, it changed everything she had ever assumed about Edward Ballard, he went back to finishing their assignment, adding along the way, "The thing is, our families run in similar social circles. It's actually kind of odd, the fact that our father's are now political opponents, but we've talked about it, and we've decided we're not going to let politics get in the middle of our friendship. I don't know if you realize this, Potter, but this election is going to get really ugly, and I'd actually mind it quite a bit if you ended up hating me by the end of it."

Lily turned towards him, these words surprising her more than anything else that had been said that evening. He had always felt incredibly large to her but - in that moment - he looked small enough to fit inside of her pocket. "Obviously not, Ballard. I wouldn't let any of that get in the middle of our friendship either."

Edward smiled and then reached for her hand, like he was just doing it to get her attention, except that then he kept there, tucked under his own. "We're having a Halloween party down in the dungeons. Come with me. You can invite your friends if you like."

The evening sun was hanging low and its heat radiated straight through the glass walls. It made everything feel clammy, especially the hand he was holding. In the front of the classroom, Xander was busy writing, not in the worksheet they had been provided, but in his own long scroll of parchment, probably because there was so much more information that he wanted to provide than what was being asked of them.

It felt like they belonged to two different worlds; Lily, always in the back row, and Xander always in the front one. It also felt like they had lived two different lives, one existing in their childhood, when they had been each other's truest friend, and one that existed now that they were older, nearly strangers to each other, tied together only by mere coincidence.

"I'll think about it," said Lily.

Edward just grinned, as though they'd been playing a game all along, and he'd just scored a point.

[][]

It was the final Wednesday of the month, and that afternoon's copy of the Daily Prophet had just been delivered by cantankerous owls who purposely shook their wet feathers above the long dining table, splashing water over the top of students' heads and dinner plates, as if reprimanding them for having been made to work under such foul conditions.

Xander was sitting with Hugo and Hannah, both of whom were currently hidden behind the same soggy copy of the Daily Prophet.

"What do you all know about Matilda Fawning?"

Xander, holding a copy of his own, searched through the pages, trying to find the name Hannah had just given them. The Daily Prophet's front page had come bearing articles on the three candidates running for Minister for Magic this upcoming year but Matilda Fawning hadn't been one of them.

"She's editor and lead writer," said Hugo, turning Xander's paper around and pointing down at the bottom of the back page, where writers and staff were credited.

"Fabian Ballard's the one given her the job," said Xander, only just making the connection between the tidbit Harry had shared with him at the end of summer and the fact that Fabian Ballard had just declared his intentions to take over the seat of Minister for Magic come the next term. "He bought out the majority of the Prophet's ownership this past summer."

Hannah frowned down at the newspaper as if it had offended her. "Wait a minute - You're telling me, a billionaire tycoon bought out the most heavily circulated newspaper in the nation only months before officially presenting his bid in the run for Minister? Isn't that just a bit-"

"Dishonorable," said Hugo, just as Xander suggested, "Strategized?"

She looked from one boy to the next. "How are you two mates again?" But it was a question she asked of them often enough for them to know that it had become rhetorical by this point. "I was going to say, coincidental."

Xander looked down at the photograph of Fabian Ballard. He was an intimidating figure, even in print. Large and broad shouldered, like his son, but with a confidence Edward Ballard who could never properly convey, not even with all his arrogance.

"Herbert Fleet," said Hugo, referring to the third candidate. "That was unexpected, don't you think?"

"Not entirely," said Xander. "He's worked at the Ministry for ages. He is a pureblood but his record as Head for the Muggle Liaison Office is impeccable. He's been a strong advocate for the fair treatment of muggles. Honestly, he might just be-"

Something sharp jabbed at his shoulder, and Xander turned around to find Kat Buldstrode standing behind him, arms crossed over her chest. Though they'd briefly dated the year prior, the two of them hardly ever spoke, except for in passing, which was probably why, until now, Xander had not come to realize she had dyed several strands of her dark brown hair a brilliant shade of green.

He tugged at one of these strands, smirking up at her. "Nice hair."

Kat rolled her eyes. "It's been this way for ages, Vandenberg. You ought to look up from those books of yours every once in a while." She pulled at his sleeve before he could answer, practically dragging out of his seat. "I need to talk to you. Privately."

Hugo gave him a look, something like a low warning, and then went back to his discussion with Hannah. Xander followed Kat all the way into the corner behind the grand staircase and then rested an elbow on the handrail. "Listen, Bulstrode, last year was fun, but my schedule right now is just-"

"Sweet Salazar, I'm not here for that."

Xander pretended to pout. "Well now you've hurt my feelings. I thought we had something good going on last year."

"You're an insufferable tosser." There was a smile on her lips that said she was at least mildly amused by him though. "In any case, I hope it was good enough for you to bear me goodwill because I really need you to do that arithmancy assignment for me. It's the one we got Monday, so I'll need it by Friday, and I know you have this thing for accepting last minute work, but my life has been a mess lately, and I-"

"Sure," said Xander, not really caring for the details. "It'll be five gallons per problem."

Kat's mouth dropped. "What are you bloody on right now? That's fifty galleons!"

Xander poked the side of her cheek playfully. "Only if you want all ten equations solved."

Kat looked like she was about to answer something less than kind, but a taunting voice from above spoke first: "I've always wondered, how can two cold-blooded reptiles muster enough heat to properly mate?"

Xander turned to find Nia, Syana, and Lily coming down the stairs. Even though they no longer styled their hair the same way, there was something about them that was still incredibly similar to one another, coordinated almost. The three girls wore their uniform skirts in the same length - much too short for dress code standards - heeled booties instead of the comfortable flats or trainers most other girls opted for during the school day, and an always-changing array of decorative hair clips, necklaces, and bracelets.

Xander hadn't spoken to Lily since that day they'd run into each other in the charm's classroom, and though she'd acted almost friendly then, there was nothing at all friendly about her now. It was Nia, however, who had spoken, and it was Syana who was now playing along, a laugh on her face as she added, "I've heard they don't actually mate. They just throw witty remarks at each other and then lay eggs out of them."

The two girls stopped right in front of them. Lily gave out an irritated groan. Kat looked ready to slap all three of them so Xander placed an arm around her shoulders to hold her back. "I'm confused," he said, "are you asking to watch? Because showing off is more of a Gryffindor trait, but I'd be willing to make an exception, you ask nicely enough."

Lily's face went red but she didn't acknowledge him at all. She was pulling on Nia's arm. "Let's go. I'm starving."

Nia wiggled her arm out and reached to pull on one of Kat's green strands. "Get out of my face, Siles," said Kat, smacking her hand away. "I'm not in the mood for your bullshit today."

"Well," said Nia, smile still intact, "you mustn't be as good as they say, Vandenberg, or else she'd be in a much better mood."

Lily's eyes went round. "Nia, what the hell?"

Kat laughed hollowly in Lily's direction. "What, Potter? Were you unaware of your friend's talent for throwing herself at boys while simultaneously bullying their girlfriends?"

Nia's finger waved at the space between Xander and Kat. "You two are back together then?"

"I don't reckon that your business."

"It isn't," said Lily, once again pulling at Nia's arm.

Nia ignored both girls. She leaned forward to fix Xander's tie. "Merlin, Vandenberg, they always come back for more, don't they? Suffles, that poor thing, hasn't been able to move on since third year - and Bulstrode," she glanced swiftly at Kat, her eyes glimmering with something incoherent, "well for someone so heartless, she seems to have a rather soft spot for you, doesn't she?"

Lily stomped her foot, her head hanging back dramatically. "Nia - stop it. He's a tosser. Please. The boys are waiting for us. Let's go."

Still, Nia ignored her, her hand letting go of Xander's tie, but her gaze so steadily on his, Xander couldn't help but stare straight back at her. "What then," she said, "makes it so hard for girls to get over you?"

Lily opened her mouth, probably to throw another insult at him, but Xander spoke first, "I'm much more fun to get under, that's all," he said, and something deep inside of him knew he shouldn't have said it, that he was somehow offending Caroline, offending Kat, but he wasn't thinking of them - he was thinking of Lily, sitting much too closely to Edward Ballard during Herbology, laughing at his jokes, holding his hand…

"You're so bloody gross," Lily spat at him.

Xander turned to her with a deadpan expression on his face. "You're the one still standing here. Go on already, Potter. The boys are waiting for you, aren't they?"

She looked more furious than ever, her mouth opening and closing without any actual words coming out. He felt every bit as angry though, for continuing to make him feel things he had never wanted to feel, not for anyone, but especially not for her.

And he did. Feel things. For her. Because she was beautiful. Even then. Thinking him a tosser. Looking angry enough to murder him. Eyes so green, he couldn't find his way out again. Merlin, did she make him feel things he wasn't supposed to be feeling. It made him hate himself.

Nia blinked back, as if suddenly realizing something and she took Lily's hand in her own, protectively almost. "It's just banter, Lils. Don't be upset. Come on. Let's go get you fed before someone ends up dead."

Kat looked after them as they walked away, hand-in-hand. Then she turned to Xander, every bit as furious with him as Lily had been seconds earlier. "What the hell was that?" she demanded to know.

Xander raised an eyebrow in her direction. "You tell me," he said. "I didn't realize we were back together."

"We're obviously not," Kat scoffed, "but we're playing Gryffindor for kick-off, and I'm not about to let one of them shag my ex just to try and get me off my game, so you better tighten that belt buckle of yours until that match is over."

Xander sighed, irrationality leaving him now that Lily was gone. "I'm not interested in Siles at all."

"You better not be." Kat scowled at him. "I'll pay for five out of the ten arithmancy problems. You'll do the last five for free as an apology for betraying me to my worst enemy."

"How did I-" Xander started, but then shook his head, deciding this a conversation he'd rather end. "Pleasure doing business with you, Kat."

[][]

"Fabian Ballard, A Man with a Plan

"His name was Harold Pann, the head of a single-income family with six children and last night, he became the first victim to lose his life to Vittamortis, a poison that leeches on the nervous system, creating a series of nightmare frequencies that ultimately culminates in death.

"Fabian Ballard held a press conference early this morning, calling out the lack of action we have seen from current administration. "'It is no secret that Vittamortis incidents have occurred largely in muggleborn establishments," said Ballard, "and I therefore think it absolutely necessary that an initiative requiring all muggleborn homes and businesses to be continuously monitored for illegal activities-'"

"Their bloody audacity," said Hugo, indignation bursting out of him.

Xander had started reading the article out loud as the two boys made their way down towards the dungeons for their last course of the day but now paused to agree, "It's bullshit. These incidents are happening in muggleborn establishments because they're happening to them."

Hugo was walking so quickly through the blue-lit corridors, Xander had to pick up speed to catch up. "I can't believe Ballard's taking it as an opportunity to openly propose monitoring muggleborns, like they're criminals!"

This reminded Xander after another thing. "I'd been meaning to tell you, there was another attack."

Albus had promised to keep him updated if any more attacks came about, and Xander had received a letter from him that morning that kept to it. Ever keen on sticking to the facts, Albus admitted they weren't quite sure this attack was related to the others. They'd broken into a residential home in Godric's Hollow, murdered the family living there, and ransacked the place. Their neighbors had caught sight of dark-hooded figures and alerted aurors but the aggressors were gone by the time anyone arrived.

"It was like this when Voldemort was around though, wasn't it?" said Hugo in response. "Death Eaters would break into muggleborn homes and murder them for the sake of it."

"They weren't muggleborns though," said Xander, eyebrows knitted. "The McCanns. I looked them up at the library earlier today. They were purebloods. They were new to Godric's Hollow too, and I couldn't find any link between them and Grindelwald-"

Hugo groaned. He thought Grindelwald irrelevant to all of this and Xander's obsession with him rather annoying but they'd argued enough times over it that he didn't even bother saying it again. Instead he said, "It might've not been Clarifiers at all. It might've been a burglary gone wrong. These things still happen. Not everything is related to Clarifiers."

Xander considered this. He was looking down at the newspaper when a new thought came to mind. "It's not in the papers. A burglary gone wrong is the sort of tragic story the Daily Prophet usually loves. Anything related to Clarifiers, on the other hand, they keep quiet about."

"Not really," said Hugo. "They do mention the poisonings. They displace the blame - but the same could be done for the attacks. They must be keeping quiet about the attacks for other reasons." Hugo pushed the classroom door and held it open for him. "Tell you what, I'll write to Rosie, see if she's heard anything…"

Xander's nose had buried itself in the newspaper again when a broad figure blocked his path and a deeply aggravated voice snarled out, "What the hell were you doing with my girlfriend, Vandenberg?"

Xander didn't bother looking up. He could make out enough of the green tie for him to know that it was one of his housemates, and their faces never brought him any pleasure. Besides, he had come across the classified section of the newspaper and found something far more interesting. Ballard's Inc had posted an advertisement, offering a significant sum for anyone who might still be holding ownership of a Thestral and willing to sell it.

"Are you fucking listening to me?"

Xander finally looked up. It was Anthony Nott. A shame, really. At least Edward Ballard knew how to use his wand. At least Michael Taylor knew how to use his words. Anthony Nott was a complete idiot, every which way. It didn't help that the classroom was nearly full, most of the Slytherins and Gryffindors in their class were already in their seats and looking their way. The attention they were giving Anthony was bound to make him act more stupidly than usual.

"I don't-" Xander started, but then he paused, because he had only just realized that Edward Ballard was not in his usual table but rather leaning his elbows on Lily's, his stupid trampled-looking face inches away from her pretty one.

Hugo followed his gaze wearily. As if realizing that Xander's mood had just worsened significantly, he let out a sigh and said, "Nott, move out of the way. This isn't a good time, believe me."

"What?" Anthony jerked his finger back to their teacher's noticeably empty desk. "Not so brave now that Reagan's not here to defend his favorite pupil?"

Hugo and Xander exchanged looks, and Xander might've not snorted a laugh, if Hugo's expression hadn't been so genuinely baffled. It softened his mood, enough so that when Hugo took a step to move around Anthony, Xander did the same.

But Anthony moved again, blocking his way once more. "I asked you a fucking question. What were you doing with my girlfriend?"

Irritation getting to him, Xander snapped back, "Probably the things you couldn't."

Anthony pushed him hard on the chest. Xander pushed him back. Hugo raised his wand, and then a clamor of sound vibrated throughout the room because both Edward and Oscar had jumped out of their seats, wands out as well.

"Move out of their bloody way already, Nott," Oscar said, his voice low but firm. "You don't want to get hurt."

"You'll be the ones getting hurt," Edward retorted, "if you don't lower your fucking wands already. This isn't even with you, Weasley," he added to Hugo. "It's with-"

"This isn't with you either, Ballard." Lily's eyes were narrowed and dangerous as she spoke. She was sitting, but suddenly seemed taller than all the boys somehow. Edward glanced down at her, the confidence in his gaze faltering. Xander had a feeling nothing coming out of a wand could've disarmed him as quickly as the hostility sitting in her words. Lily turned to Xander, that scolding look on her face still withholding. "Stop this already, Xander, before you end up in detention for the second time in a month."

Xander frowned back at her, "He started it!" and then, because even if she hadn't given him a look that told him how childish he had sounded, he would've known it anyways by the sound of his own whiny voice echoing inside his ears, he let out a breath and said, "Nott, I have no fucking clue who you're dating, but I'm pretty sure I haven't done anything with her."

At least he didn't think so. He hadn't done anything with anyone since Cecile at Teddy's wedding.

"I told you to leave Vandenberg alone."

They all turned towards the door. Kat had just walked into the classroom. She was standing there, arms crossed as she took inventory of the situation. "I'm sorry about him," she told Xander. "He likes to forget I broke up with his cheating arse weeks ago."

She then walked past them, towards her seat, and Anthony followed her over to argue some more under the privacy of silencing charm. Xander, in turn, followed Hugo towards their table. The Ravenclaws had not yet arrived which meant they still had at least another ten minutes until class began, more than enough time for Xander to finish his latest book, but his ability to concentrate had gone out the window. Edward had decided to use those same ten minutes to badger Lily into forgiving him for the outburst.

"Don't be angry with me," he was saying. "You would've done the same if it were your friend being attacked." He turned to Oscar, "Knight, you didn't take it personal, did you?"

Nia and Syana were exchanging looks, entertained by his desperation. Oscar, in the table next to theirs, however, had his face set firm, like he wasn't at all amused by any of this. "Slytherins are never personal to me, Ballard," he said.

Edward turned to Lily. "See?" he said. She only rolled her eyes and dug into her bag to pull out her textbook. He tried again, "Come on, Potter. Forgive me already. You're still coming to the Halloween party with me, aren't you?"

Lily looked up, exasperation filling her features, but then her eyes went past Edward's shoulder, to where Xander was sitting, very clearly watching her. There was nothing not embarrassing about being caught staring at her like a complete tosser but he was too bloody invested in the answer she was about to give to take proper care of his pride.

She blinked and looked back at Edward, a cottequsih smile uncurling in the corner of her lips. "I'll be there," she said, poking playfully at his cheek, "but you need to promise you'll be nothing but nice to all my friends from now onwards."

"You're just as bad as she is," said Hugo, beside him. He was reading from their potions' textbook but had clearly been paying attention to his cousin's conversation as well.

"Sorry?" said Xander, turning to him.

"You and Lily - you're both equally terrible at playing games… Or maybe it's that you're both equally good at it?" He paused for a second to give his wording some thought, but then shook his head, like it hardly mattered. "It worries me, you know."

Xander didn't know but he didn't get to ask either because, at that moment, the Ravenclaws made their way inside, Caroline took her seat at their table, and then two seconds later, Reagan also walked inside, his cane creating soft, echoing thuds that silenced them all.