A not so merry Christmas.. (Al)

[.RORY KAY BLAKE !]

She wanted to call his bluff.. or fish for another excuse as why he was keeping the whole mental.. 'your eyes are black' rubbish going. But the concern she saw directed back at her her from her best mate was real. He was confused..and afraid for her.. had to be for her right? As it obviously wasn't 'of' her. She gave another obstinate twist of her shoulder in a half hearted attempt to free it from his hand, knowing it wasn't happening, and even as she did her eyes picked up the tempo of the lightening show of gold sparks randomly making an an appearance in the solid ebony. He wasn't lying.. not with the way he was eying her.. and new fears and worries began to shove for room in the space so consumed by anger and hate.

She hadn't known there 'was' a color beyond red.. her lessons with Teddy didn't usually center on mood swings after all, they were for refining her ability to control it as a whole right?.. And it wasn't as if she'd seen her mum enough to have even asked her about, much less seen the woman get that riled.. if Rory had to label her mums mood over the last year or so it would be simply bored, disinterested as a whole.. and now she knew why..the damn woman couldn't be bothered to get riled over discussions about trying to sort and make better a family she'd written off as a bad choice.

The thing was she didn't get it.. she'd gotten ticked..good and ill on more occasions than she could keep track of, and while her eyes had proven to have levels of red.. the brightness intensifying when her anger picked up, they had never spilled over into nothingness, a black void like Al was claiming them to now be. Why was that?.. and as she thought on that, took inventory of her own feelings it became frighteningly clear. She wasn't directing this anger.. it wasn't simply a showing out of her frustration or irritation.. the feelings in her had altered and twisted to the point that 'they' were deciding 'her' actions.. so much so that she'd been completely blocking out the boy she'd grown to trust nearly more than she trusted herself.. and she very much 'did not' like the fact.

Al drew in a deep breath and shifted his hands a bit on her shoulders.. she could have tried for another stab at freedom, but the revelation of just what had driven her eyes to their darkened state left her without quite as much drive to do so. He'd locked his eyes on hers and as he started to speak her gaze had started to temper to a lighter murky darkness.. the muddy brown of confusion tinting the black at the emotions brought forth to hear someone else voice it..that her mum was gone. Why the bloody hell should the fact still hurt?? She hated her right? .. so how was it she could still feel such an overwhelming sadness at hearing the truth spoken aloud by someone other than herself?

As he continued speaking though it dawned on her what she'd said .. insinuated without realizing it.. her eyes widened and she looked visibly startled for a moment. She'd clued him in and he "COULDN'T" know... Her eyes shifted suddenly with his final sentence from the muddied blackness to a brilliant purple and she jerked her gaze from his own. Her mind reeled, terrified in the knowledge that having realized he had a thread to pull in unraveling the mystery behind her frighteningly dark mood, he wasn't likely to simply let it go. It has rattled him as badly as it had her..she'd seem as much in his expression.

He couldn't find out though.. he'd feel bound by loyalty to tell his dad..the Order wouldn't he? She would if in a similar situation.. And what of her dad then? She didn't even know how he was really handling all this.. what she did know was that the man had always loved her mother with a devotion Rory now felt she far from deserved. What would their finding out mean to him? .. And the shame of it, her own mum a bloody death eater.. the thought was bitter but not strong enough to break through the gripping fear coloring her eyes.. what would that make the Order think of them? She and the rest of her family? would they assume them turn coats as well? .. Would Al trust her or even want to be around her after this if he were to find out? Or would he be disgusted at the lot of them and what a death eater mum might suggest the rest of the family to be involved in? Would the Order think they'd known about her and yet kept quite on the fact.. her dad risking the security of the knowledge he gained at Order meetings for the sake of family loyalty? .. So many worries and questions..some valid,.. many more irrational.. but that didn't stop them from being there. Didn't keep them, in her mixed and far from clearheaded state, from choking off her heart and flaring a golden ring to the edge of the vivid purple of her eyes as she did her best to avoid Al's intense stare.

Her Voice quaked as she spoke, controlling it at the moment far beyond her ability. " Just let me go alright? " Relaxing her hand she let the powder for the floo..the last usable in the house sift through her fingers into a fine and unsalvageable dust on the carpet beside the couch. " There.. it's gone yeah? .. can't go anywhere.." No.. she hadn't answered him.. she didn't 'want' to answer him, and in all honesty? She had no clue how she was going to achieve as much..

[mgirl03]

He still wanted to get Rory out of the house, to keep her busy, to get her mind off of this all, but he knew that they couldn't go anywhere until she calmed down. The first step, the most important it would seem, would be making sure her eyes went back to normal. It wasn't that Albus was afraid Rory would do something to him, hurt him in some way with the anger that was forcing her eyes to a charcoal black, but rather that she wouldn't let go of the notion of running after her mum until she somehow escaped and did so. And then...well, who knows what would happen after that.

So he kept talking, noting that her eyes were now being brightened by quick flashes of yellow more frequently, and then suddenly they were fading. Of course, muddled brown wasn't something he was used to either (he saw it yesterday night, but he still hadn't worked out what it was, hadn't had the time or attention span), but it was certainly better than the scary, almost alien-like black that had taken over her eyes before. Al was beginning to get his best friend back, her features changing, the anger fading a little, until when he finally asked what was going on, pointed out the confusing thing about her worries, and her eyes flushed that brilliant purple that signaled fear.

He continued staring at her, his breath coming out in a sort of sigh of relief that was thankfully silent. It wasn't that he wanted Rory to be scared--he didn't even know why she was, and continued staring at her in confusion. However, showing fear and confusion and anything but fury was a step in the right direction, because it meant Rory was calming down, that his best friend was getting back into control, and now hopefully he would be able to talk with her and try and comfort her or help her, without having to pin her against the back of the couch. His arms were beginning to ache from the pressure he was keeping on them.

Now that the problem of Rory get calmed down was gone, Al let his attention focus on the still confusing behavior she was showing, head ducking so his bright green eyes could try and connect with her bright purple ones. He saw that hers were not only purple, but yellow ringed too, and he felt his confusion mount. So there was something she wasn't telling him, and by him pointing that out, he had scared her and made her nervous. It was something big, then? He kept looking at her, startled when she finally spoke and her hand relaxed. He watched the floo powder sift between her fingers, gave her a final suspicious look, before letting go of her and shifting so he could sit right next to her on the couch, their shoulders brushing.

Al sighed, this time audible, as he leaned forward with his forearms resting on his legs, hands clasped and head bowed. Staring at the carpet, he tried to get his thoughts together, now that Rory wasn't trying to escape. She thought her mother was going to hurt the family, and even come back to do so. When he pointed out how it didn't make sense, asking if there was something more to this all, she had gotten scared and nervous and was now avoiding the question by just simply not answering it. Al let his hands fall limp before running them through his hair, sitting up straight and looking at Rory again.

"You didn't answer my question," he said softly, eyes trying to meet hers again. "Although, I'm pretty sure I already know that I'm missing something." Pausing, he looked away once more, frowning. "I might not be a Ravenclaw, but I can add things up, Rore...What else is it? What's wrong?"

[.RORY KAY BLAKE !]

Gaining freedom from Al's grip, she turned her gaze in the opposite direction as he sat down beside her. If she bolted, ran.. this time back to her room and away from his question, he'd know something was seriously a miss. But if she tried holding it together, maybe talked with him as he obviously wanted to.. she could keep his concerned curiosity at bay right? Just maybe she could satisfy him with a calmly and 'carefully' worded explanation. One that wasn't ' entirely ' untruthful and did a fine dance around the horrible core truth of it all.

The familiar comfort of his shoulder against hers was something that even as she plotted to keep him in the dark, plotted to partly lie to her very best of mates.. no.. really he was something more..something she couldn't find words for or begin to truly grasp, she found she didn't want to, even couldn't, pull away from the the comfort that shoulder granted her. Neither though, could she look into his eyes as she attempted to deceive him for what she saw as a very valid reason. She found herself drawing strength from their contact for a solidity of emotion in order to basically fib to him..ironic? .. extremely..but their you have it. Keeping her eyes from his she opened her mouth only slightly, ready to make an effort at an explanation loaded with purposefully placed holes and threaded through with a twisted play on words so that she could tell him.. without actually 'telling' him. And then he shifted forward to rest his arms on his legs giving an audible sigh and as his shoulder left her own her courage momentarily fled her.

She bit her lip, watching from the corner of her eyes as he fretted and drug both hands through his hair in a way she'd seen often enough over the years. There were things Al did..body language..and tone of voice..and expression even. That Rory found as plain to read as Al found the colors he'd memorized for her eyes to decipher. Granted lately he'd become rather good at consciously keeping himself from doing them.. successfully turning himself into a rather blank slate. A fact she wasn't at all keen on. But at the moment he wasn't bothering to try and hide it..it was obvious..he was frustrated. He was 'really' frustrated and worried as well.. and he wanted to help.. that much was clear in the fact that when he spoke again his voice was gentle despite his obvious aggravation at the situation. She flinched a bit at his words..

"I never said I thought you daft Al.. its just.. " .. she paused as she fought off the irritating ache welling in her throat. She 'would not' go to pieces again.. she bloody well refused to.. " Mum's family has never liked us much yeah?..actually that's under exaggerating..well..they don't like us a lot right? They think were the worst mistake shes ever made next to marrying dad. Never let it bother me though..them never wanting anything to do with us, after all we've gran and gramps Blake and we love your grand's like our own to right? But that was before I knew mom would ever even consider listening to them. They told her we were mistakes ..and she listened to them.. they talked her into regretting ever meeting dad and she went for it yeah? ..So.. .." right.. here was where it would get sketchy, she'd have to word it just so..make it seem like it was still only her mums family she was talking about.." so if those that shes with decided she should 'fix' her mistakes.. prove shes,.. seeing things their way and won't have a change of heart.. whats to stop her from doing so right? .. What am I suppose to do? Just wait for it to happen, or spend the rest of my life afraid its going to?" Hot tears slipped past her stubborn defenses, welling in her eyes and though she tried to hold them to the glassy eyed stage they grew to many and one slipped out leaving a fresh trail over the salty dry path left from earlier in her room. Lifting a hand she rubbed harshly at her cheek to be rid of it.

[mgirl03]

Rory's mother and her family had always been a sticky subject. Al had, of course, been curious when they were younger about why she had the one set of grandparents and not the other (thinking maybe it would be the same reason he didn't have two sets). Rory had kept it vague, though, and didn't bring up the subject herself afterward: Mrs. Blake's parents and family were of the strictly pureblood sort, who thought muggleborns like Austin Blake were riffraff. The way Rory had always worded it, however, was that they weren't Death Eaters, but just supporters, which still wasn't good.

However, as Rory sat there, with her purple eyes rimmed with yellow, and her quivering voice that at once set off an alarm in Al's head, and told him that she was worried because her mother's family would convince Mrs. Blake to come back to the family she left and hurt them, he felt himself frowning. He had listened to everything else with a small nod, knowing that the distant family did think that they were mistakes (something that made his blood boil) and that they had ended up convincing her mum to leave. However, it was the pause, and then the explanation that followed, that just wasn't sitting right with him.

Sure, they were purebloods to the extreme. Yes, they probably thought what the Death Eaters were doing was admirable, and were right behind their actions. However, did it make sense that the family would try and talk Mrs. Blake into acting as a Death Eater herself and killing Rory, Jale, Laney, and Austin? Wouldn't leaving her 'mistakes' be enough for them? Not to mention the pause, where Rory had seemed to collect thoughts or courage or something, and the fact that as he looked at her now he could still see the same colors in her eyes. Something was still up, and she wasn't confiding in him. She was afraid to, even. He wasn't positive, but he was pretty damn close; it was a feeling in his gut.

The tear, however, made Albus swallow and frown more and look away, leaning into Rory a little. He wanted to hug her. He wanted to take this all away and make her happy again, make her trust him, make her confide in him so that he could help. But if she was holding back, unable to tell him, her best friend, about it, then what could he do? Taking in a deep breath through his mouth, Al let it out silently through his nose, mind racing. Maybe she needed a prompt to trust him? Maybe...maybe if he gave a little, he would get a little back, so to speak? That if she saw that he was willing to tell her...tell her things he'd never talked about, she'd be willing to tell him whatever she was hiding.

Maybe he just needed to say these things anyways.

"The two scars, the one on my chest and the one on my stomach, were put there by Bellatrix," he suddenly heard himself whisper. He was staring straight ahead, hands on knees, knuckles white, back straight and body stiff. While his voice was quite, it was clear and strong, not even shaky. Maybe it was the new confidence his father was trying to give him. Maybe he was just sick of being scared. "They got me with a body bind curse, knocked out my hearing, made it so I could see. I could just...sense, you know? Until we got to the manor, and then I was able to move and talk and do whatever."

Here, he let out a soft laugh, shaking his head a little, nothing humorous at all in Al's tone or movement. "I didn't have a wand, so a lot of bloody good that did me, yeah? And then...she was there, and she was..." He paused, swallowing, but now the words were coming faster, and he felt the burning need to tell, to confide, to let his best friend know what he'd kept bottled inside. "Crucio. Then the cuts. It was...bad. But then...then she left me alone. She went to Scorp, she went to Kevin, she hurt them while I just watched. I was barely able to move, right? But I tried. I tried getting up, I tried fighting. I almost got a wand. I attacked Goyle, I think, and my hand was right there at his wrist...and then somebody punched me in the face."

Al stopped, shaking his head again and rubbing at his forehead. There was a very grim smile on his face as he looked back at Rory, and then down at the carpet. "So I got pushed down, and kicked around...And then I was just there for a while. I blacked out after a bit, but it was...the worst," he continued, barely audible. "The worst wasn't the pain. It wasn't what they did to me. It was that I was sitting there, unable to help, as Scorp was branded and Kevin was threatened and others were injured. Lying there while blacking out knowing that I wouldn't be able to see anybody again, do so many things...say goodbye to my best friend."

His breath left him in a whoosh, and he suddenly felt exhausted. Without thinking about it, Al's hand reached out and took a hold of Rory's, holding it tightly as he glanced at her again. His eyes were bright in intensity, dark hair falling about his face, as he looked at her and willed without words for her to trust him. Just like he knew he trusted her.

[.RORY KAY BLAKE !]

Her own gaze dropped to her hands as Al looked away. She was fighting hard against the rubbish traitorous grief at losing her mum that kept trying to resurface. Her mum didn't deserve her tears..didn't deserve the broken longing her heart insisted on feeling at the idea that the woman was gone from her life. She should be glad.. and hopeful that that was in fact the case. The warmth of Al's presence as he shifted towards her a bit was a comfort and she instinctively shifted a bit herself in his direction.

Then he stated talking in a whisper and her breath caught in her throat.. her gaze shifting to give his features and words her full attention. He'd never really talked about the manor much. Hadn't gone into detail about what had actually happened when they'd talked at Grimauld and had pointedly avoided or steered away from the subject any time a conversation had touched to closely.. Al hadn't wanted to talk about it.. whether he wanted to simply forget..or just couldn't be faced with the memory, she'd never known. But it was something he'd refused to discuss with anyone that she knew of. She was his best friend after all right? If he'd tell anyone it would be her.. and now he was, and the fact that he was sharing this now.. when he was onto the fact that she was likely keeping something from him, wasn't lost on her.

She listened as he spoke of what had been done to him.. blanching at the mention of his being injured, her eyes sparking red at the thought of Bellatrix and what shed done to her best mate. She sat silently as he talked about wanting so badly, beyond his own fears and safety, to protect and defend his friends that were present. How he'd tried to fight back against the odds till one of those hateful people had knocked him to the verge of unconsciousness.. and how even then, in the face of what he must have thought at the time his death, his greatest worries were of, or related to, others and the time he'd lose with them..that was Al though right? ..one of the things she'd always had a deep appreciation for in her best mate was his overwhelming selflessness when it came to those he cared for. He had a good heart. His finale comment on his fear of not being able to tell her,his best friend, goodbye griped hold of her heart.. and his taking of her hand was like a squeeze to it.

Rory's gaze lifted from where it had come to rest on their joined hands and settled on his own intense expression. Those bright green eyes asking for the same show of faith in him that he'd just willingly given to her. An affirment of just how strong their friendship really was. If they couldn't trust one another then really who could they trust? ..Rory knew she'd trust the guy starring back at her with her life in a fight.. she'd count on him without a second thought to be on her side, looking out for her.. in fact she'd been doing just that for years now.. and she also knew beyond a doubt she'd give her own to keep him safe if it came down to it.. heavy things to wonder and come to a conclusion about at her age, but then the war around them wasn't leaving her much of a choice in the rate at which she was growing up, experiencing situations that made her have to evaluate very adult like thoughts and questions..one of which she found herself waring with now, didn't she owe it to Al to trust him as much with her fears as she was willing to with her safety? .. He trusted her after all.. he'd proven as much.. showed as much. "This" was..after all what she was so desperate to protect that she wasn't willing to risk dating him right? the reason she was shunning her own feelings and had injured her best friends heart..her best friend who'd been nothing but caring and kind and more of another side to her than just a friend. How could she be so daft as to realize them so close that she'd not risk their hearts or what they had and yet not trust him with her real fears.. the ones that could cause so much more harm than the rubbish 'secrets' that could only breed daft rumors at school and such. Al meant so much more to her than that..and she needed to stop shaming her house and show him as much..

The purple in her gaze intensified the yellow glowing bright and mingling throughout it.. and though she tried hard to hold Al's gaze as she spoke, before the whispered and choked words managed to make their way completely out of her lips she'd dropped her gaze to their joined hands and a few hot tears spilled out on to them. " ...she's one of them Al.. don't hate me right? ..I didn't know till today, I 'swear' I didn't.. "

[mgirl03]

It felt like an hour that he sat there, staring back at Rory as she seemed to struggle with herself, thinking about...something. Al knew that dumping that story on her, and suddenly telling her all those things after holding silence about it for so long, was a bit inconsiderate of him. After all, when she had whatever was going on with her mother happening, what did she need with his little sob story? It was probably overwhelming, maybe angering, maybe saddening--he wasn't sure what people should think about the story. He just saw it as it was; the past.

However, Albus knew that it was also probably his only chance now for her to willingly tell him what all was bothering her. He couldn't stand them keeping things from each other, because in his mind, best mates shouldn't have to keep secrets. They should be able to help each other out. However, he couldn't help Rory if he didn't even know what was wrong. Watching alertly as she thought about this, contemplating something, he hoped that he was in fact doing the right thing. His mental debate about what was right or wrong in this situation was cut short, though, when he saw the colors in Rory's eyes flair suddenly. The purple intensified, then the yellow came in another flood--just as the words began, she dropped her gaze, but not before he saw the tears spill out.

In fact, he was so focused on the sadness he saw in his best friend's eyes, that the words didn't register for a few long moments. She...Rory's mother, is 'one of them'. Why should he hate Rory for this? What did 'one of them' even mean, anyways? Blinking once, realization suddenly struck him, like a slap across the face. Every muscle in his body froze.

Al's eyes widened as he stared at her, mind kicked into overdrive, heart speeding at two speeds too fast. Rory's mother was a Death Eater. That was why she was worried that her mum would come back to hurt them all. That was why she was so angry, why she was refusing to seem sad at the loss of her mother. It was because the mother that walked out on them wasn't the type of mother Rory would want anyways; not if she was on the other side. Swallowing hard, Al tried to get his body to move, or his jaw to work so that he could say something comforting. Anything. Rory was sitting there, thinking he was going to hate her for something she couldn't control. Of course she only found out today! The reaction she was showing him now wasn't just because her mum left; that just couldn't be possible.

"Rory..." he practically croaked, his hand squeezing hers as he finally got control again. He felt his shoulders relax a little, his face now twisted in sorrow and pity, even if his best friend didn't want it. Bloody hell, how could this happen? Mrs. Blake? Sure, he wasn't the biggest fan of her, didn't exactly think she was the mother that her three kids deserved, but he had never thought she'd turn Death Eater. So, did Jale know too? Would they tell Laney? Merlin's pants, how was Mr. Blake taking this?

"I don't hate you," he said softly, firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument or doubt. "I know that you didn't know until today. It's okay, I believe you. Of course I believe you....Merlin, Rory..." She didn't want the "I'm sorry"'s, he reminded himself, and instead of saying anything more, Al kept a firm hold on her hand and tugged Rory closer, wrapping his other arm around her and hugging his best friend tightly, about the only thing he could do now. His plan had worked; by confiding in her, Rory had decided that she could trust him with her problem. Only he had never imagined...he hadn't thought...This was worse than anything he could have dreamed of.

The betrayal was a low blow to this family, of that he was sure. Mr. Blake was an Order Member, Rory was planning on being one, and he was sure Jale and Laney had grown learning that the Order was the right side. However, it wasn't just them that this affected. As Al held Rory to him, his mind was racing, with the fact that there was now a known Death Eater. His father needed to be informed. The Order and Ministry needed to know. However, by the time that thought came through, another came up. Would Rory or Mr. Blake or Jale or Laney want the world to know about their mother/wife? Would they be okay with turning on their own family? Of course they wouldn't be, but what else was he supposed to do? His dad had to know.

Slowly pulling away, Al looked down at Rory and swallowed again, trying for a reassuring smile and getting more of a grimace on his face. "Rore, listen to me," he murmured. "This isn't your fault, okay? But this..." Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly, and tried to keep his eyes connected with hers. "Rory. My dad needs to know about this." His grimace dropped to an outright frown as he watched her, wondering if things could get any worse. Or if his worry for his best friend could grow any more.

[.RORY KAY BLAKE !]

When she managed to find the courage to risk a glance up at her best mate through lashes wet with tears, his expression was..what? confused? .. He didn't understand what she meant.. and then slowly she watched as the truth dawned in his widening eyes and a part of her waited as he stiffened. Waited for her closest friend to turn lose her hand as if it were ablaze with fire and able to burn him..or contaminated in some awful way that he'd find to repulsive to stay in contact with. Her head shook just slightly at that possibility as she peered up at him.

Not that she would have blamed him in her current mind set. She was the daughter of a bloody death eater..and if he didn't believe her that she hadn't known, as his stiff body and shocked expression lead her for one brief moment to believe? Well why 'wouldn't' he hate her right? After what he'd just described..after what they'd forced him to endure and witness.. it was only rational he would hate someone he thought to be protecting one of the hateful monsters due to being their blood. So she waited.. her breath catching on a sharp pang in her heart,.. for her best mate to ..what? ..shove her away? ..or just flat out turn his back on her maybe.. get up and walk out, wash his hands of the 'friend' he'd thought he had.

Only he didn't, rather instead, even as she groped desperately for the words to make him believe her..believe that she hadn't known and would never have shielded her traitor mother whom, Rory realized with a sharp and bitter ache of hatred, could very well have been one of those in the watching crowd of death eaters at the manor, his hand just held onto hers all the more snugly, and the tenseness of his body that had seemed so condemning for a heart rending moment relaxed slightly. His own features falling into the expression of deepest sorrow and pity.. the sort of look you'd expect someone to give you on finding out someone you loved had died.

Really it was ironically fitting though right? Once someone willingly took that road, once they became a death eater..took joy in those hateful actions they did and found belief in what they stood for they were as 'good' as dead yeah? That's what inevitably lay ahead for her mum.. she'd die at the wand of an Order member or Auror, or be caught and suffer a life of imprisonment in the walls of Azkaban.. Rory shuddered slightly at the thought and hated herself for it. Her mother didn't deserve her pity.. Rory shouldn't care if the whole of her own 'people'.. hell if the new dark lord himself did her mum in after what she and her fellow death eaters had done...but she did.

She couldn't help it, some part of her still cared about her mum, much as her mind disagreed with it and she felt a tratior to the sorrowful expression Al had for her, the warmth in his voice as he reassured her he didn't hate her.. he should shouldn't he? Seeing as she couldn't shake that daft grain of heartache she still had for her mum. She didn't fight him as he drew her into his arms, yet the tears flowed even faster at his acceptance and belief that she hadn't known.. in relief that he wasn't going to shun her.

When he next spoke however, even though she'd been expecting it, even though she knew before she'd told him that Al would feel an obligation to tell the Order, his dad.. she couldn't help the rush of fears beating to the surface again at his mentioning it. She pulled back slightly from him, her head shaking desperately as she bit her lip and stared at him pleadingly. " Don't..please? .. Dad doesn't even know I know..I just over heard.. and if they find out from you before dad tells them it'll look like he wasn't going to right? .. they'll think him a traitor Al.. and he's 'not'! .." She fought down her own nauseating wave of worry as she kept her pleading gaze on her best mate. Because the thing was.. did she really believe her own words? .. She knew how much her dad had loved her mum.. did he still love her in spite of it all?.. enough to keep her turning on them a secret in order to protect her? She couldn't honestly answer that...

[mgirl03]

Was it possible for his heart to ache anymore for the girl who was crying into his chest? He didn't think it was. As Al looked down at Rory, watching the glint of tears fall down her face, he swallowed down the burning feeling that was creeping up his throat. He wasn't sure if it was sorrow or anger, really. He could have cried for his best friend and the situation her and her family in, but at the same time, he felt the burning need now with this new knowledge to find her mum like Rory had first tried doing.

How could the woman have done this? How could she have left a man like Mr. Blake, and three great children like Rory, Jale, and Laney? It was even worse than just leaving them, though. She had left them because she had...turned sides. As Al hugged Rory, he mulled that over. Mr. Blake was an Order member, and as far as Albus knew, Mrs. Blake had only been surrounded by that sort of opinion. Had she started talking to her family again? Had they persuaded her to take up their pureblooded views, and at some point along the way, she just decided to become a full out Death Eater? He felt a headache blooming just at the thought. Mrs. Blake had never been his favorite person, but this...

Al felt the anger growing inside of him, just as it had when Soren had broken up with Rory. She was his best friend, and the more he grew to fancy her, the more protective he felt. He knew he'd be angry even if she was just his best mate in his mind still--nobody hurt Rory Blake if Albus Potter could help it. He knew the anger was getting to an alarming amount, now, so he quickly closed his eyes and took a silent deep breath, counting to ten and letting it out slowly, clearing his mind. When he opened his eyes again, Al knew that there was one thing he had to address, and did so as he slowly pulled away.

Of course, he had expected Rory to really like what he had to say, but he hadn't exactly be prepared for her reaction. Al suddenly found his eyes staring into hers, which were even brighter purple now, and the things she were afraid of came tumbling out of her mouth. His first reaction was to grip her shoulders gently, murmuring a "Shhh" to try and calm her down as her voice rose and tone became more intense as her worry grew. Al quickly bit his lip, mirroring her expression, as his mind raced. His father had to know about this--there was no doubt in his mind that a known Death Eater was one thing the head of the Order needed to know about.

However, Rory was right. She wasn't supposed to know. Would Mr. Blake be angry if he knew that two of his children were aware of what Mrs. Blake had done? That was assuming Jale knew as well, which Al thought he did, considering he had came over practically with Rory, and hadn't left his bedroom the whole time Albus had been here. The other things she said were right as well, at least in part. If he told before Mr. Blake did, that would rise suspicion in the Order about whether or not the man was going to tell. Yet...could Al be sure that Mr. Blake would tell at all? Or would he try and protect his wife in love that might not be completely lost?

"...Okay, I won't tell my dad," Al said slowly, focusing his gaze on Rory's eyes again. He took a deep breath before continuing. "I promise. But...if your dad doesn't tell my dad within the next week, Rore, I have to tell him." Pausing, Al added quickly, "Not that he won't tell, I'm sure. Just...dad will need to know soon." Trying to smile, Al pulled away a little more from her and reached up, gently wiping away a few tears with one hand, his movement strictly friendly.

"Maybe...Maybe you should get out of the house," he said softly, after a few moments pause. "You and Jale? You could come back to the Burrow to eat, take a ride on my Phoenix...Please?" Eyes boring into hers, Al tried for a pleading expression. He was done sitting and watching his friend fall to pieces. He wanted to get her out, and get her feeling a bit better. Even if nothing was okay anymore.