Author's Note: SM2 is told from six POVs. The three primarily POVs are Adrian Pucey, Alicia Spinnet, and Kenneth Towler. The three secondary POVs are Angelina Johnson, plus two original characters (Adrian's mother, Alania Pucey, and one of A/A's classmates, Chrysanthe Hayden).

I ignore ALL reviews and DMs asking me to contact someone and pay a commission for artwork.

~EA

Unlikely Partners

July 27, 1996

The soft pop of Apparition was lost to the wind outside the Hog's Head, and Adrian was grateful for it, though he didn't think there was anyone around. He had been out much later than he'd wanted to be that night, forced to attend a party at the Greengrass's townhouse in London. Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass were traveling to Venice, so Daphne had thrown a real bash.

In all honesty, it was the last place Adrian had wanted to go and he'd left as soon as he felt he could escape, but not before he'd been included in a private conversation between Warrington, Montague, and Bletchley about the current state of affairs.

Adrian had stayed silent through much of that conversation, sipping twenty-year-old Scotch because he knew better than to accept the imported Tequila. At some point, Montague openly admitted that he was considering joining the Dark Lord, and Bletchley had agreed that he had been thinking about it, too. Warrington was a little less eager, though.

That sparked a debate between those three about whether one could support the Dark Lord without actually signing into the ranks of the Death Eaters, but just about the time Adrian had seriously wondered how much longer he could remain silent without arousing suspicion, his classmates' girlfriends had approached them to drag them off. Adrian was damned grateful for the interference even if he disliked the girls, and he'd left without speaking to anyone else. In a nearby alley, he'd Disapparated to the outskirts of Leeds, then Disapparated a second time to the rear of a closed-down pub in Gretna Green, before casting his Patronus. After that, he'd waited ten minutes in the dark before receiving a reply.

Which was why he was now at the Hog's Head, at just past midnight. The door opened on its own and he stepped inside the dark establishment. There was only one candle on the bar, throwing the bartender's grisly face into relief. The man frowned at him from behind the counter, but as usual, he didn't speak. He never did. He just jerked his chin up, indicating Adrian should proceed to the first floor.

Professor Dumbledore was waiting for him in an upstairs parlor, looking grave. "No one followed you?" the headmaster asked quietly.

"Not that I'm aware of, sir. I jumped twice as a precaution." Adrian took the seat opposite, uncomfortably aware that he smelled like expensive liquor and cigars. He got straight to the point. "Daphne Greengrass threw an impromptu party at her parents' place in London, since her parents are currently in Europe. Cassius Warrington only told me about it this afternoon, or I would have let you know sooner."

"No, no. I am aware these things come up without much warning, especially when the elite have time and money to do things at their leisure. I assume you discovered something while there?"

"Montague and Bletchley are thinking about joining, but they haven't decided definitely, yet. And Warrington isn't too keen at all. I think the idea of fighting makes him nervous. All of them want the power associated with being Death Eaters, but Warrington doesn't want to end up in prison or lose his life if he got involved in a fight with the Order." Adrian smiled sarcastically. "Slytherin self-preservation at its finest. The incident at the Ministry of Magic shook things up. Several veteran Death Eaters ended up in Azkaban, and it's split the younger Slytherin crowd into two factions: some, like Montague, Bletchley, and Flint, are eager to prove themselves, to prove they're better than the older men who got caught… while others, like Warrington, are more cautious and nervous."

The headmaster sighed. "I can't say I find any of that unexpected. But it is helpful to have it confirmed."

"What's worse is that I happened to make eye contact with Brutus MacNair as I was leaving. He wasn't watching me in particular — he was too trashed; he was in a total stupor. But his thoughts were close to the surface, and it was easy for me to access his mind. I noticed an image of the Dark Lord holding a council meeting. I'm guessing Brutus has been branded and joined the ranks. He wouldn't have that image in his head otherwise. And I recognized Julian Rockwood at the council meeting I saw in Brutus's mind, which means he's a Death Eater, too."

Dumbledore looked troubled; it was well-known that Walden MacNair and Augustus Rockwood were both Death Eaters, and both had been imprisoned after the Department of Mysteries battle. After a long moment, he said quietly, "Thank you for relaying the information. Now. How many times have you been around your former classmates since the school year ended?"

"That's the fourth time. I wasn't able to discern anything at two events, however. Not a very high success rate, I'm afraid." Adrian sighed in frustration. "Fifty percent? Good thing it wasn't a N.E.W.T. test."

"Maybe not, but the stakes are far higher and you've discovered at least four new Death Eaters in the process." Dumbledore frowned. "Has Marcus Flint said anything to you?"

"No, thank Salazar. He was there tonight, but we didn't speak. He hangs out with a different crowd."

"Well. Just the same, I do not want you to attend any additional events. I cannot allow you to continue to put yourself at risk, especially not knowing if Marcus is aware of what happened. And, regardless, the others will start to get suspicious soon, if they haven't already."

Adrian's eyes darted unintentionally to Professor Dumbledore's blackened right hand. He had noticed it on his third Legilimency lesson, on July 13th, and he had been horrified. He knew it was a Dark curse, but Dumbledore had politely refused to tell him anything about it. That had disturbed Adrian more than anything else — even more than walking into the proverbial den of snakes to use Legilimency against his former classmates. If Dumbledore was having difficulties fighting Voldemort, did the rest of them even stand a chance? Was what Adrian doing even going to make a difference in the long run? What did it really matter if he was reading the minds of a few classmates?

Dumbledore shook his sleeve out. "Of course what you are doing helps," he said lightly. "It helps a great deal. It tells me what is taking place amongst the younger upper class. I cannot hope to bring Voldemort down if I don't know what is happening in every corner. I have other sources as well, but every single bit of information helps me. For instance, I had not yet heard about Brutus or Julian until this moment, and I was unaware that Marcus Flint had joined until you told me not long ago."

"My apologies, sir. I didn't mean…" Adrian trailed off.

"It's quite alright. I know you are just worried about me. But please, worry about yourself for once."

Adrian nodded. "I'll avoid going to any additional social events, if that's what you wish. I can't say I'll miss them. If I don't see those arseholes ever again, it would be too soon."

"I daresay you will very likely have to see some of them again, even if you stop going to society events." Dumbledore's eyes pierced his.

Adrian shifted uncomfortably. He preferred not to think about that, but he knew he needed to. It was very possible he might have to fight some of them, one day.

The headmaster was quiet for a few moments, apparently deep in thought. Then, quite suddenly, he said, "There is another who is helping the Order right now, but is not known to other members, much like yourself. I believe I would like the two of you to meet. I think you could benefit from each other. I've also been training that person in the art of Legilimency and Occlumency this summer. However, I will have to stop training both of you in early August. My hope is that perhaps you can help each other from that point forward."

Adrian's eyebrows rose. He knew Dumbledore had taken a second student, likely someone from the Class of 1996, only for a month and a half, just as he had taken on Adrian. But the headmaster had never divulged any information about the second student. Adrian had wondered if it was Chrysanthe Hayden, the former Head Girl for his class. He'd often thought she had a particular skill at Legilimency. She had been accepted into the Healer program at St. Mungo's, and perhaps Dumbledore needed a spy there, too.

"I'd be happy to meet them, sir."

"Excellent. I'll arrange a meeting for August 5th, if you are free that night. We'll meet here at 11:00 in the evening."

However, when Adrian reached the top of the Hog's Head's stairs on Monday night and turned into the parlor to meet the other person who had been practicing Legilimency over the summer, he froze. Tension and irritation instantly flared within his gut. Surely Dumbledore wasn't serious…!

Former Gryffindor Head Boy Kenneth Towler looked up from the table expectantly, but when he saw Adrian, he looked like someone had just suggested he willingly drink poison. The firelight flashed off his glasses and he snapped hatefully, "This is a private room."

Adrian's lip curled. "I'm quite aware of that, Towler, seeing as I was invited."

"The hell you were. Why are you really here? Spying on Dumbledore for You-Know-Who?"

Well. Towler wasn't nearly as polite as he'd pretended to be the past year, that was for sure.

"Shows how little you know," Adrian drawled, stepping up to the chair opposite the former Head Boy and taking his cloak off.

"Get the hell out of here before I hex you."

"Oh, go ahead and try. I'm far better at Defense than you are, or have you forgotten?" Adrian felt deliciously malicious as he toyed with his wand and sat down opposite Kenneth.

Towler's face flushed. He ignored the bit about Adrian being better than he was at Defense, because it was true. Instead, he snarled, "When Professor Dumbledore arrives, he's going to curse your arse down the stairs, and I look forward to watching that."

"I hate to disappoint you, but like I already said… he invited me."

"That's impossible, there's no way he would invite —"

"What? A Slytherin?" Adrian interjected scathingly. It was worth pushing Towler's buttons to piss him off.

But he'd underestimated Towler, because the next thing he knew, the Gryffindor changed tactics.

"Still messing Alicia about?" he asked coolly. "Or did you finally ditch her? Can't say that surprises me. Broke her heart in the process too, I'll bet."

Adrian's face became utterly expressionless. "I don't know what you're talking about."

It was Towler's turn to look malicious. "Oh, come on, Pucey, I'm not a fucking idiot, no matter what the twins say. I know damned well there was something going on between the two of you at the end of last term."

"Oh yeah? And what on earth makes you think that?"

"I saw the way you were looking at her that one day in Ancient Runes back in the spring, that day you both weren't paying attention —"

Adrian's mouth went dry. That incident had taken place just after the Slytherin-Ravenclaw game; it had been the day he'd passed Alicia an explicit little note because she'd caught him naked but for a towel in the locker rooms, and she'd passed it back with an even more explicit response, telling him to stop imagining the color of her —

Adrian locked the memory away where it belonged before he had time to dwell on the second part of her return note. He also tamped down his turbulent emotions in an effort not to blush. "I think you're mistaken."

"Am I?" Towler's eyes flared and his jaw locked. "Where was she the night of the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw game? She said she got locked out of the Tower, but I stepped out at midnight to make sure no one got left out after the party ended. There was no one in the corridor then. She showed up at dawn. And she had a hickey on the side of her neck. Katie didn't think I saw, but —"

Adrian's temper spiked before he had time to think. How the fuck had Towler figured all of that out? It had definitely been Adrian's fault for not healing the hickey before he and Alicia had left the Room of Requirement, but…

He realized a bit too late that he and Towler had pointed their wands at each other across the table at the same time. Adrian's knuckles were positively white in the semi-darkness.

Get your emotions under control, damn it… get your temper back under control…! Don't give him anything to work with… Protect her…!

"Ah…" A voice interrupted. "I suppose I should have expected this…"

Kenneth and Adrian both slowly lowered their wands, but they did not stop glowering at each other.

"Dare I ask," Dumbledore mused as he closed the door behind him, "what triggered the argument?"

"I touched a nerve," Towler said, a hint of dark amusement in his voice as his eyes glittered at Adrian.

"He can't believe you would invite a Slytherin to join the Order of the Phoenix," Adrian responded curtly. "Because he's got this prejudiced view that all Slytherins must be evil."

Dumbledore glanced between them for a few seconds longer than necessary. Adrian knew he was probing both of their minds, and there was no use trying to block Dumbledore, so he didn't even bother.

Finally, the headmaster chuckled. "Ah, so that's it." He pulled out the third chair, sat down, and said placidly, "Mr. Towler, I know you are very protective of your classmates, but I'll have you know that Mr. Pucey was quite serious and careful about Miss Spinnet. And I'm not entirely sure why you are so bothered… are you not very much involved with Miss Pickford?"

Adrian could feel his face burning now. What the hell was Dumbledore playing at, admitting to Towler how Adrian felt about Alicia?!

"I can't believe that," Towler said flatly, ignoring the bit about his own girlfriend.

"I don't give a fuck what you believe," Adrian answered coldly. "And it doesn't matter now anyways —"

Towler's face was flushed with irritation. "If you were serious, like he says, then why aren't you dating her now? We're all out of Hogwarts, it's not like you have to hide it from those thugs you call friends anymore."

Adrian's fingers curled tightly into a fist against his leg. "First of all," he said through gritted teeth, "they have never been my friends, and second of all, there's a fucking war on, in case you hadn't noticed. But then again, you're head is so far up your arse that —"

Dumbledore cleared his throat and they both fell angrily silent.

"Entertaining as this is," the headmaster said with some amusement, "you are both on the same side, you know."

Towler flushed even worse. "How can you trust him, sir? He's a —!"

"The world is not divided into good people and Slytherins, Mr. Towler."

"I know that, sir, but —!"

"In fact," Dumbledore went on, interrupting Kenneth's tirade, "the Death Eater who betrayed the Potters was a Gryffindor."

Adrian almost smirked; he caught himself just in time. That would piss Towler off.

"But," Dumbledore continued, when Towler looked disconcerted, "that is neither here nor there. You are both my personal students at present, and you have both been assigned important tasks for the Order. Adrian has been spying on his former classmates." At this, he looked sharply at Towler. "I'm sure I do not need to remind you that this information is completely confidential, nor do I need to tell you how incredibly dangerous it is for him. I'm sure you remember the Inquisitorial Squad?"

Adrian wouldn't say Towler's face relaxed, exactly… but his expression lost some of its anger. In a clipped voice, he said, "I understand, sir. I won't say anything to anyone. I swore an oath when I joined the Order." However, he also shot Adrian a dirty look.

Dumbledore sighed. "As a matter of fact, I decided just a few days ago to retract his assignment. It has simply become too dangerous for him to continue. The Death Eaters will start trying to recruit him soon enough, and I don't want that, either."

"And if they do," Towler asked stiffly, looking across the table at Adrian, "would you join them to protect yourself?"

Adrian's fingers clenched around his wand again; it took everything he had to keep his temper under control. "You really are an idiot if you think that."

"Adrian and his family are no more Death Eaters than you and your family are, Kenneth," Dumbledore said firmly. Then, turning to Adrian, he explained, "Kenneth is working for Gringotts, directly under Bill Weasley. His work for the Order is quite different from yours. He and Bill are searching known Death Eater accounts for anomalies, to trace money trails. Again: I must remind both of you that the information I have just shared about your specific missions and personal lives," (here, he gave Kenneth a severe look), "must remain absolutely secret. Do I make myself clear?"

His voice was so sharp and so demanding that both young men nodded and answered, "Yes, sir."

"Why are you telling us at all?" Towler asked after a moment's pause. "Our jobs are quite separate, aren't they? Isn't it dangerous for me to know what Pucey is doing, and vice versa?"

A legitimate question, Adrian thought. Right up there with: Why had Dumbledore told Towler about Adrian's feelings towards Alicia?

"Normally, I would agree. But you are both using Legilimency in your work, and that makes your tasks a bit more similar than you realize. I want the two of you to have a partner if you need to review any information you discover. Particularly you, Kenneth. I suspect some of what you find might be coded or hard to decipher. Like yourself, Adrian also has N.E.W.T.'s in Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. You are both extremely intelligent. I think it would be useful if the two of you helped each other."

When Kenneth didn't respond, Dumbledore surveyed him over his glasses. "It is always good to have friends, you know."

"I don't know if I would go that far," Towler muttered.

"Me, either." Adrian glared at him.

Wearily, Dumbledore said, "I will settle for a lack of open hostility and an agreement to work together for the greater good, then. And both of your word that you will not reveal any part of this conversation to anyone outside of this room."

Adrian decided it was time to take the high road, much as he loathed to do so, before Dumbledore got angry with them. Grudgingly, he said, "We are on the same side, Towler."

Towler frowned. "I suppose it would be useful to have someone around that I could ask for help if I needed it, without bothering Professor Dumbledore or Bill all the time. I can agree to the terms."

"Excellent," Dumbledore said crisply, without waiting for further response. "Now. I am needed elsewhere shortly, so I apologize that I have to leave so quickly. But you two may stay here as long as you need to arrange codes or communication methods between you. Adrian is aware of how to send a Patronus with a message; I taught him myself. Bill taught Kenneth how to do the same."

For some reason, Towler turned bright red and averted his gaze. Adrian suddenly wondered what on earth his Patronus was if it made him so uncomfortable.

Dumbledore didn't seem to notice, however. "You may each continue to contact me directly if you need to." Then, turning to Adrian, he added, "I intend to let Remus Lupin know of your involvement in the Order. That way, if you need assistance from someone else, you will have a mentor to contact besides myself."

"Thank you, sir."

"Oh, and one last thing," Dumbledore said, finally rising. "Your next assignment, Adrian. I think it best if you were removed from the country for a while."

"What?" Adrian stared at him.

Dumbledore looked at him very seriously. "Yes. I need to protect you after what you've done this summer, and I believe I have an idea to do just that. Do you think Atticus would be willing to recruit wizards and witches to our cause in his sphere? Charlie Weasley is attempting to recruit foreign wizards in Romania, but that is quite the distance from Western Europe, and the Weasleys do not enjoy the level of influence your family does."

Kenneth looked confused, but Adrian ignored him and stammered, "You're sending me to recruit Atticus?"

"That would remove you from Britain in case any of your fellow classmates are suspicious of what you've been doing the past month. If you went abroad, no one would think twice about it. Especially since Atticus lives in Paris." Dumbledore turned to Kenneth. "As it so happens, Adrian's older brother works for Gringotts as well. He is a Curse Breaker, just as Bill was. They were in the same year at Hogwarts, and Atticus was also a prefect."

Kenneth seemed nonplussed about this information, though Adrian certainly suspected Kenneth would ask Bill Weasley his opinion of Atticus as soon as he could. It was a complete toss-up as to what Bill would say. Hell, there were times Adrian didn't know how he felt about Atticus; never mind how other people felt about his brother!

Slowly, Adrian said, "If you wish, sir. I don't know if he would help or not, but I'll ask him."

"Good. That is all I can ask you to do. Lay low in Paris until I contact you. Or, if you prefer, you may travel on to your grandparents' residence. Arrange for a Portkey through the Office of Magical Transportation," Dumbledore added. "List it as traveling for leisure. An unauthorized Portkey might draw unwanted attention."

Adrian nodded and kept his thoughts to himself. He had agreed to help the Order and he wouldn't complain. Even if it meant going to Paris.

"Well, I will see you both in due course. Stay safe, both of you. And please, try to get along," Professor Dumbledore said gravely, before taking his leave.

Kenneth and Adrian didn't move for several moments after the door closed behind him.

Finally, Towler broke the silence first. "I apologize," he said stiffly. "For picking a fight with you when you first came in."

"I apologize for doing the same." Adrian answered in a curt voice. "Professor Dumbledore is right. We're on the same side."

"Lucky you, though." Towler's smile was slightly sarcastic. "Getting assigned to Paris as part of your work for the Order?"

It wasn't meant as a compliment; it was Towler's way of reminding Adrian that he would be removed from major threats while the rest of the Order ran more dangerous risks.

"In case you've forgotten," Adrian responded darkly, "I've just spent the past month mingling with venomous serpents while using Legilimency against them to find out if any have already joined the Dark Lord's ranks. And yes, a few already have, and several others are seriously thinking about it. At some point, they'll likely try to recruit me too, because they think I'm one of them. But hey, if you want to see if you could do the same task without getting caught and cursed to oblivion — or killed outright — be my guest."

Towler flinched slightly. "Point taken. I suppose you have earned a break."

"I'd hardly call it a break." Adrian wrinkled his lip. "But that's my burden, not yours. How should we communicate? By Patronus?"

Towler flushed again. "I suppose we have no choice. Owls can be intercepted," he muttered.

Adrian couldn't help smirking slightly as he leaned forward. "Just what is your Patronus? I wasn't in the Great Hall when you did your practical Defense N.E.W.T.; I finished mine before you were called out."

Towler closed his eyes as though annoyed, but raised his wand and snapped, "Expecto Patronum!"

A massive elephant erupted. Adrian nearly fell off his chair as he scrambled to right himself; the bloody thing was taking up the whole fucking room!

"Merlin's arse —!"

Towler opened his eyes with a small smirk. "I take it yours isn't that large."

"Bloody hell! Of course it's not!" Adrian watched in horror as the elephant disappeared. "There's no way you can use that to send messages. We'll have to figure something else out. Give me a day or two to think on it!"

"What's your Patronus? I should see it regardless, just in case you need to send it to me in an emergency," Towler said stubbornly.

Adrian raised his wand and cast nonverbally. His goshawk soared around the room and landed on his outstretched arm before it dissolved into silver mist.

"At least it's more discreet than mine."

"True. But I may have an idea. My father used to have a set of two-way mirrors. I'll see if I can find them. Where are you staying? With your parents, or on your own?"

"I have my own place." Towler pushed his glasses up his nose. "43B Diagon Alley. Karen is living with me, though. What about you?"

"I'm still at my parents' place. It's… pretty far out in the country, and unplottable." Adrian frowned. Pucey Villa had a number of precautions surrounding it; there was no way Towler would be able to visit him there unless Adrian asked his parents to modify the wards, but he also hadn't told his parents he was helping Dumbledore yet, either. A Patronus would get through, but the last thing he wanted was for his father to see a bull elephant Patronus barging into the dining room. That would be very hard to explain.

"Where will you stay in Paris?"

"At my brother's townhouse, at least for a few days." That was about as long as he could stand to be around Atticus. "I'll head for my grandparents' residence outside Saint-Tropez after that, at least for a month." He couldn't help feeling slightly sullen about that. He would much rather be in England, helping the war effort more. He felt like he could get more information off his classmates if Dumbledore would just let him. But he knew he had to trust Dumbledore, too.

Towler seemed to pick up on his frustration because he said in a stilted voice, "Professor Dumbledore has a good reason for getting you out of the country. You said it yourself. What if all those snakes realize you've been accessing their minds at every high class social event of the season? They'd want your head on a platter."

Adrian sobered. "They would. But it doesn't mean I'll enjoy being abroad when I'd rather be here, helping Professor Dumbledore and the Order."

"There is a time and a place for everything." Towler rose and swung his cloak back around his shoulders. "If absolutely necessary, can I send a Patronus to you in Paris?"

Adrian imagined what Atticus would do if that bull elephant materialized in his parlor.

He smiled. "Yes." Then he hesitated for a second, but Dumbledore had brought something up that Adrian felt he needed to address. He needed to make sure Towler intended to keep silent. "Listen. Before we go. What he said about… Spinnet…" Her name tasted like ash in his mouth.

Towler froze, his eyes narrowing.

"…it was mutual, you know," he said, his voice tight. "I wasn't using her. I would never do that to her. But it was also far more complicated than you can imagine —"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Adrian closed his eyes and counted to ten. "Do you remember when Umbridge took over the prefect meetings last November?"

That touched a nerve in Towler, he could tell. The former Head Boy stiffened and his jaw locked. "Yes," he said tersely. "I highly doubt I'll ever forget the day she started stripping my power away, thanks. I distinctly remember she paired the two of you together to patrol the dungeons. I wasn't very skilled at Legilimency back then, but I knew she was hoping Alicia would get hurt down there. She wanted revenge for Gryffindor's win and that stupid fight that Fred and Harry —"

"She did. I wasn't terribly skilled at Legilimency then either, but I knew enough that I could see her mind. She arranged for Bletchley to attack Alicia in the dungeons. So instead of taking Alicia down there… we skipped patrol. We practiced Defense in an empty classroom, instead. I refused to walk her into a trap."

Towler's expression didn't change, but his shoulders loosened slightly. "You protected her." It was a statement, not a question.

Adrian glared at him. "I'm not so big an arse that I would take her down under the castle and let an arsehole like Bletchley curse her, Towler. I was a fucking prefect, you know."

"So was Vanhausen, but I doubt she would have done what you did," Towler pointed out.

"No, she probably wouldn't have."

There was a pause. Towler finally said, "So… all the other times…"

"We just practiced Defense or did homework." Adrian shrugged, stood, and put his own cloak over his shoulders. "I falsified nearly all of my reports. Professor Dumbledore knows all of that, though. So it won't do you any good to complain about it now."

"I wasn't going to. But… why didn't you tell me? I was Head Boy, I could have —"

"Done what, changed Umbridge's mind?"

Towler flushed. "Perhaps not, but you could have trusted me —"

"I didn't trust anyone," Adrian snapped. "And even if I had come to you, you wouldn't have trusted me, either. Would you?"

Towler hesitated — because he knew damned well that Adrian was right.

Adrian went on, "You don't understand, because you were in Gryffindor. But I was in a house where people constantly stabbed each other in the back… where hazing and hexing was a daily occurrence and bullying was normal. It was imperative that everyone think Alicia and I hated each other. Otherwise, Umbridge would have paired her with Vanhausen instead! I had to maintain the status quo!"

"So that's why you two acted the way you did around each other, in front of other people." Towler frowned thoughtfully. "At what point did it change, though? At what point did you… cross a line?"

At what point…?

Was it Valentine's Day? Or the Slytherin-Ravenclaw game when she came to the locker rooms to check on his injuries? The Gryffindor-Hufflepuff game when he went into her locker room to check on her injury? Definitely the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw game when they'd met outside the Room of Requirement by accident. But… perhaps it had been happening in little increments all along, really… perhaps he had been doomed from the start.

Adrian flushed. "It doesn't matter. It's over."

After a long, heavy pause — in which Towler just frowned at him — Adrian finally muttered, "Seriously, I can't tell you exactly when, I'm not even sure myself. But… she and I had a second mutual agreement once things changed. We agreed to end things when we left Hogwarts, in light of the war. I never wanted to sneak around with her, ever; I had actually resolved not to act because I knew my classmates would target both of us. Umbridge made it impossible, though. She took that choice away from me by partnering me with Alicia, and I knew I couldn't let her partner Alicia with Vanhausen. But… the more I was around Alicia, the more I couldn't help myself."

Towler remained silent, and Adrian found his nerves were wearing far too thin. "Look," he said, trying to keep his composure. "I need your word that you won't tell anyone any of that, per Dumbledore's orders, damn it. Alicia and I are over. It's for the best. There's a war on. I can't risk anyone knowing anything about me and her. I don't even know why Dumbledore said anything to you! If anyone knew how we felt about each other, even if it was just for a short time, they could use her against me." It felt like a wave of ice went through him at the thought. His former classmates would absolutely use her against him if they knew.

There was another long pause. Towler finally nodded. "I won't say anything to anyone. I promise. She's my friend too, you know."

"Thank you."

Adrian hoped to Merlin he meant it, but it was awfully hard to trust someone he'd never liked. And now Dumbledore wanted him to work alongside Kenneth Towler, and trust him, for the war effort?

Bloody hell. What had he gotten himself into?