The meeting honestly hadn't gone as badly as Andy had expected. It hadn't gone particularly well, but there hadn't been any actual bloodshed, no jinxes thrown, none of that. Still, it didn't mean she wasn't in a foul mood.
Well aware that she was breaking at least a few rules, Andy, hands shoved into her jacket pockets, kept her head down as she made her way quickly and quietly out of the school. Once in the grounds, she stayed in the deeper shadows of the castle wall, following it all the way to where it branched off to the smaller one that would, eventually, lead her to Patch. As she walked she tried diffusing her temper as much as possible, but with limited success - by the time she reached her best friend, she was no longer itching to whack Ted with her copy of Hogwarts, a History. She still fancied giving him a swift kick in the shin, though.
"Thanks," she said quietly, raising her head to look up at Patch as she stopped a foot away from him. "For waiting, I mean. What are you doing out here?"
She sounded more or less alright, but that was all calculated - it only meant she didn't feel like talking about the meeting, not that she wasn't still aggravated.
Looking sideways at Andy as she approached, Patch nodded at her.
"Don't worry about it. It's a bit intense upstairs, I wasn't planning on going in anytime soon," Patch replied. He patted the wall next to him and smiled, knowing better than to ask about the meeting.
When it became clear that Patch didn't intend to bring up the meeting, some of the tension left Andy's shoulders, and she flashed him a slight smile in thanks as she hopped up beside him.
"About the girl?" she asked, turning to him and letting her heel kick lightly back against the wall - one of several old habits her mother had tried and failed to break her of.
"Yeah, people are worried. I mean, they're working each other up. I couldn't take much more of it, so I came out here," he turned and grinned at the innocent-looking tree in front of them.
"Never thought I'd say the Whomping Willow was peaceful, but here I am."
"Mm. Best keep out of the dungeons, then," she advised. "I'm trying to discourage it, but you know how well that tends to work. Still no news on her father?"
"Not yet. She only went home this morning though. I just-, " he shook his head in frsutration. "I don't know why she got sent home, you know? I get that her mother wanted her there, but where is safer than here? If her Dad got taken, who's to say the rest of her family aren't next?"
"People are panicking," she said quietly. "Reason has nothing to do with it. You've seen the Prophet, and if even half the things that Lestrange and that group talk about are true..."
And Bella, of course, but Andy always avoided discussing her sister's involvement with the Death Eaters. She was aware of it - the whole family knew perfectly well exactly how deeply Bella was into it - but had trouble reconciling the idea of Bella-her-big-sister with Bella-the-murderer, and so tended to skirt that particular issue altogether, as though not acknowledging it would make it disappear. Her stubborn streak extended easily into even the lies she told herself.
"Panicking isn't going to help anyone though, you know?" he replied. "If half of what the prophet is saying is true, and if Lestrange isn't exaggerating, then things are getting really bad, Shoot."
It wasn't like Patch to get down. He was usually so upbeat about things, finding the positive side of almost anything, but he was tired and the rumours and scaremongering going on in the common room had actually gotten to him.
Patch gave a mirthless laugh. "I playing dumb and pretended I missed the hints. He either knows how I feel, or at least guesses, or he thinks he's got an idiot for a son."
"Yeah, I know. I'm not sure how much longer I pretend though, Shoot. I hate it. I love my family, I do, but I hate what they're standing for. I hate what Imogen is getting involved in. I hate seeing kids in here crying over a lost Mother or Father and wondering if she had anything to do with it. And knowing that even if she did, my family wouldn't see a problem with it."
He took a deep breath. As a rule, he didn't think about these things, and he certainly didn't talk about them. If he started to think about them too much, he was afraid what conclusion he might come to.
He was right, of course, and it was exactly the same situation she was in. It did nothing to make her feel any better.
"I know. But - " She half straightened without letting go of Patch's arm and tipped her chin up to look at him, worry furrowing her brow. "Patch - if you stop...what are you saying, exactly?"
Well aware that she was breaking at least a few rules, Andy, hands shoved into her jacket pockets, kept her head down as she made her way quickly and quietly out of the school. Once in the grounds, she stayed in the deeper shadows of the castle wall, following it all the way to where it branched off to the smaller one that would, eventually, lead her to Patch. As she walked she tried diffusing her temper as much as possible, but with limited success - by the time she reached her best friend, she was no longer itching to whack Ted with her copy of Hogwarts, a History. She still fancied giving him a swift kick in the shin, though.
"Thanks," she said quietly, raising her head to look up at Patch as she stopped a foot away from him. "For waiting, I mean. What are you doing out here?"
She sounded more or less alright, but that was all calculated - it only meant she didn't feel like talking about the meeting, not that she wasn't still aggravated.
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"Don't worry about it. It's a bit intense upstairs, I wasn't planning on going in anytime soon," Patch replied. He patted the wall next to him and smiled, knowing better than to ask about the meeting.
"Take a seat."
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"About the girl?" she asked, turning to him and letting her heel kick lightly back against the wall - one of several old habits her mother had tried and failed to break her of.
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"Never thought I'd say the Whomping Willow was peaceful, but here I am."
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"If it's less snarky than the Slytherin common room, it's good enough for me. Everyone's got a comment about that poor girl, it's awful."
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"I'd imagine you're getting it worse than me alright," he said. "I swear, if any of them says anything where I can hear..." he trailed off.
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And Bella, of course, but Andy always avoided discussing her sister's involvement with the Death Eaters. She was aware of it - the whole family knew perfectly well exactly how deeply Bella was into it - but had trouble reconciling the idea of Bella-her-big-sister with Bella-the-murderer, and so tended to skirt that particular issue altogether, as though not acknowledging it would make it disappear. Her stubborn streak extended easily into even the lies she told herself.
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It wasn't like Patch to get down. He was usually so upbeat about things, finding the positive side of almost anything, but he was tired and the rumours and scaremongering going on in the common room had actually gotten to him.
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Slipping her arm through Patch's, Andy settled more comfortably against him, her own expression growing dark as well.
"...Have they tried to get you to join, yet?"
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Patch gave a mirthless laugh. "I playing dumb and pretended I missed the hints. He either knows how I feel, or at least guesses, or he thinks he's got an idiot for a son."
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He took a deep breath. As a rule, he didn't think about these things, and he certainly didn't talk about them. If he started to think about them too much, he was afraid what conclusion he might come to.
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"I know. But - " She half straightened without letting go of Patch's arm and tipped her chin up to look at him, worry furrowing her brow. "Patch - if you stop...what are you saying, exactly?"
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"I'm saying..." he paused, then shook his head, "I'm not saying anything," he assured her with a shrug. "I can't, can I?"
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