June 15: Danger In The Streets: Phoebe & Fabian

[Phoebe Bones]

She could hear Kyra gasping for air and Fabian giving an apology, only moments before her best friend was there holding back her hair. Thankfully there was very little in her stomach, the constant hangover over the past few days of drinking meant she hadn’t eaten much for breakfast before the march. But her legs were still shaky, and she held on to Kyra as she tried to stand up once her stomach seemed to calm. Looking down the alley to where Fabian was, she recognized the thing in his hand as a magic wand, not surprised that Kiki was so intently focused on what was happening. Telling the girl that magic was real was one thing, but this was the first Kyra had actually seen of it.

Kyra’s laughter after Fabian returned to them sounded mad, and Phoebe looked at her with confusion across her face. All the magic that had just happened around them wasn’t good, not really. Because while Fabian had protected them and gotten them to safety, they had just left a boy lying in the street. Questions were tumbling out of Kyra quickly, Fabian still as tense as he had been in the moments after everything had erupted around them. You would be just as curious if Edgar hadn’t shown you, let her have this. She forced a grin to her face, nodding with the exclamation that what they had just experienced had been brilliant.

Answers given, she reached to lay her hand on Fabians arm, his eyes shifting from Kyra to her. “We have to go back Fabian, that boy was…” She swallowed the word, knowing he understood what she couldn’t say. Phoebe hadn’t been expecting Fabian to refuse, muttering about going to his flat to call Edgar as he nodded down towards the street. “Absolutely not. You have to promise me you won’t tell him what happened Fabian.”

[Fabian Prewett]

Going to be hard to deny you’re a wizard now that she’s seen you do magic. He felt the girl’s eyes on him as he whispered to his wombat, giving as much information as he could to the creature before it zipped away to tell Dumbledore. Kyra learning that magic existed because Phoebe had said so was one thing, but her seeing magic? It meant Obliviators, and there was no way Phoebe would sit back and accept that. You’ll have to handle it, figure out some sort of spell to just change things. While the pressure from Phoebe to do something about his feelings would certainly rise now (because how could she not have Kyra in on this?), he would handle this. Somehow.

The girl was unbelievably ecstatic as as he returned to them, questions coming at him in rapid succession. “It’s called Apparition,” he answered carefully, every truth he revealed something else he’d had to try and cover. “It’s why we never learned how to drive in school, don’t really need to.” Even if since then he’d learned to ride a motorcycle. “That’s called a patronus, it’s a spell. They take the form of the animal you share an affinity with.” Before he could say anything more, Phoebe was reaching out to him, a look on her face that reminded him of what exactly the girls had just seen.

“We aren’t going back,” he answered her quietly, “He’s gone, and it’s not safe. We’re near my flat, so we’re going there and calling Edgar.” Because he wasn’t about to keep the events of this day to himself, not when he had a situation he needed to figure out a solution to. But Phoebe was protesting, and he crossed his arms in front of himself as he tried to stay calm. “There are three spells called Unforgivables, and using one on another human being results in serious consequences. The only people walking around using those curses are the kind of witches and wizards supporting our worlds fascist, and that boy could have been either one of you. We aren’t going back.”

[Kyra Thatcher]

She gripped Phoebe's hand back when her friend rose, and although Pheebs was acknowledging the brilliance of it...Get a handle on yourself, Kiki. It wasn't a time for laughter, and inside, Kyra knew it. But this was all so...unbelievable to try and process. Amazing. And, despite the occasion, Fabian's magic was wonderful to witness. She couldn't help the slew of questions pouring out of her, and was grateful for the quick answers. Apparition. Got it. And a patronus...you've got a shared affinity with a corgi? Was that what the waddling little creature was? Oh for f*ck's sake, don't get to laughing again, they're not in the bloody mood. Kyra had more to ask, much more to ask, but Pheebs was directing them towards more practical matters. She squeezed the other's hand, trying to reign in her swirling thoughts. Phoebe wanted them to return to the march, Fabian declared they weren't and that they were calling Edgar, talking about the worst curses wizardkind could use and the likelihood that that was what killed the boy, Phoebe argued back...

"All right you two, come on, compromise." Kyra stepped between them, not wanting this to escalate. Fabian was all tense and jerky, Phoebe was looking like she wanted to snap at him, and...we can't do anything to help that boy. And nothing's going to get solved if you lot fight. "We're good. You did good," she said sincerely, hoping some well-earned commendation would get him to relax at least a mite. "We'll come with you, Fabs, but we're not calling Ed. Pheebs can tell him if and when she wants to, she's got control of that. Deal?"

[Phoebe Bones]

“Look Fabian,” Phoebe said through her clenched teeth, about to snap when Kyra stepped in between them. She didn’t care how many unforgivable curses there were, and she had already figured out that the spell could have easily just as hit one of them. It was all too fresh in her mind that this was what Edgar wanted to willing walk into. A fight where he could just die at a flash of light, and there wouldn’t be a damn thing she could do about it. Besides the fact he had lied to her for years now about who he really was, he wanted to join a war against these madmen. Tears were stinging in her eyes as she looked between her best friend and Fabian, before she closed the distance between her and the latter, giving him a hug.

“Thank you Fabian,” she whispered to him before she stepped back, reaching out to hold Kyra’s hand tightly. Fabian was agreeing to the deal, and Phoebe nodded in response to his question. It wasn’t until they emerged from the alley that she realized how close they were to the Prewett’s flat, an amused smirk crossing her face. Had they picked the place because it was so close to a creepy alley? She had to guess that vanishing in thin air in front of people was frowned upon by their weird wizard laws, as that was something she had never seen before. “Uncomfortable but convenient,” she whispered to Kyra as they walked behind Fabian, her stomach finally starting to settle from the magical form of travel.

Before long they were up the stairs to the flat, and Phoebe jumped when the sound of an owl greeted them. “What kind of name is that?” she asked with a roll of her eyes, sitting as far away from the owl as she could. Keeping an owl as a pet had to be some sort of weird magic thing, seeing as it was hardly normal to keep a wild animal in a house. Fabian returned to them, alcohol in hand, and she took the drink offered to her with a sigh, “Now what?”

[Fabian Prewett]

Kyra was quickly stepping in, and he looked at her silently as she reassured him. Keeping the two of you alive isn’t enough. He should have reacted sooner, he had known something was off. And he had a sneaking suspicion that the spell had been meant for him, and that the caster hadn’t truly cared who it hit. It was almost Kyra, and that bothers you. He had given it a shot, wanted to make things between him and her work. But the war was always just within her reach, too close for comfort. And his involvement in it only put her at risk, just as Edgar’s would put Phoebe at risk. Phoebe, who was teary eyed and pulling him into a hug, her whispered thanks catching him off guard.

Fabian had to swallow the sudden lump in his throat as he pocketed his wand, giving the girls a nod. “Okay, deal. Follow me?” He wouldn’t tell Edgar about what had happened, at least not until Phoebe and Edgar worked out whatever was going on between them. They headed out of the alley, the short walk to the flat he shared with Gideon a quiet one. There would be more questions he would have to answer, that much he was certain of - but it wasn’t conversation for the streets of London where people could hear. He lead them upstairs, tossing the keys to his place lazily on a table as he ran a hand through his hair.

A hoot from the owl he shared with pulled his attention, and he gave a motion to tawny owl as he looked back to Kyra and Phoebe, “This is Hesphaestus, he doesn’t bite...usually.” Fabian was already in the kitchen, gathering beer by the time Phoebe shot a question towards him. “He’s named after a Minister for Magic, and yes there’s a whole Ministry for Magic,” he answered as he returned and handed them both a drink, sinking down onto his couch.

Phoebe gave a sigh, and he shrugged in response. “Well I figured at least one of you had some questions about magic,” he said with a look to Kyra. “So if there’s anything you want to know, now would be the time to ask.”

[Kyra Thatcher]

If this didn’t work, if she couldn’t get these two to compromise now, Kyra honestly didn’t know what her next move would be. They were in this together now, weren’t they? They were witnesses to the riot, to the curse, and he’d gotten them out - using magic - before they were harmed. That’s all any of us want, right? To not see each other get hurt? But the moment was...tense. Phoebe was near to letting her emotions pour out through her eyes, and Fabian’s attempt at being a stoic soldier-in-waiting mode wasn’t all that reassuring. Thankfully their old friend agreed to the terms without further arguing, and Kyra smiled in surprise as her best friend went to hug him, taking up her offered hand tightly after and...not altogether missing the rather misty eyes of one Fabian Prewett. He turned to lead them out of the alley and they followed, Kyra’s eye on the rigid lay of his shoulders, the tension in his neck.

This is the sort of sh*t you and Gid and Ed are gonna get into on the daily, she thought at him, worry for the man adding itself to the list of conflicting emotions in her veins. Are you sure that’s what you want?

Granted, most days Fabs likely wouldn’t be protecting people he knew as closely as the pair of them, so the emotional strain shouldn’t be as much as what he was feeling today. Because he was strained, doing what he could to hide it, and for all her excitement about magic and belligerence at being kept in the dark for so long…I care about you, all right? That’s why I’m miffed, to say the least, that you never told us about all this. The blonde was pulled from thought as they exited the alley and Phoebe spoke, looking to the other in confusion briefly before pegging where they were. "Not wrong there," she concurred, glad to mirror the smile on her friend’s face. "Just imagine how much more sleep we could get if we had that as an option for a commute." The climb up to the Prewetts’ flat was familiar and short, and she nearly laughed as Fabian introduced a previously unknown roommate and Phoebe was rather...adverse to it.

"Got some great namesakes, little guy," Krya said after Fabs’ explanation, gently brushing the owl’s feathery head. "Greek god of smiths and the like - along with the Minister of Magic. So much to live up to." Of everything that had transpired recently, Fabian and Gideon having an owl was...unexpected, but not as much of a shock to the system as the rest. She took the offered bottle with a small smile up at him, cracking it open and taking a draught before she was rather...caught.

"Am I really that transparent?" She chuckled without much humor and sat beside Fabian, fingers idly tearing at the bottle's label before she stopped herself and laid a hand on his knee, looking for his eye. As tempting as the offer of interrogation was, she knew it'd be selfish to take him up on it, and she'd been selfish enough for one day already. "I mean - yeah, I've got a lot on my mind about all this, sorry I couldn't help it before, but - but we can take a minute. Okay?" Instinct told her to take his hand and, perhaps against her better judgment, she did. Avoiding Phoebe's eye and his, she turned to watch Haphaestus preen, drinking mutely. We're safe here. You wouldn't have taken us here if we weren't. Take a minute to process...

"So, you and Gid and Ed, you were offered a place in this war," she started carefully after a few quiet minutes. While she wanted to know more about their world and how magic worked and everything else about their lives she had no clue about, Kyra felt that prioritizing her inquiries, targeting them towards what they'd witnessed today and what Phoebe and Edgar were going through, would be the best start. "What d'you think about the odds? The good guys gonna win this one?"

[Phoebe Bones]

The short walk to Fabian’s was enough time for her thoughts to run away from her, worrying about the rest of the people at the march, about the boy whose life had been cut too short, about their own safety walking these streets. She wondered if Fabian was thinking that same thing that she was - that perhaps that spell hadn’t been meant to hit someone like her or Kyra. After all, it’d barely flown past them all, and she was starting to feel that there was no coincidence with any of it. But those weren’t questions she felt like voicing, and she was more distracted by the owl in the familiar flat than she wanted to admit. Fabian’s reassurance about the owl not biting was not exactly reassuring to her at all, and she raised her eyebrows as Kyra actually pet the thing.

The drink would hopefully help calm her nerves, even if it wouldn’t calm her thoughts. Fabian didn’t want to seem to want to talk about what just happened any further, even though she couldn’t think about anything else. And maybe she should ask him some questions about magic, because she wanted to know if he would give her different answers than Edgar had. After all, Fabian wasn’t invested in her like his best friend was - and while she wanted to believe that everything her boyfriend had told her was the truth, how could she be sure? He’d lied to her for years now, it was hard to think that he’d told her everything that he could of.

She looked up at her best friend, surprised that the girl wasn’t letting the questions just pour of her. This was her chance to ask the things Phoebe hadn’t been able to answer when she’d spilled the secret only a few days ago. Instead, Kyra fell silent as she watch the owl, and Phoebe busied herself in looking at the bottle in her hand. She’d seen a boy die, and it had shaken her up more than she was willing to admit. The minutes passed by in silence, the only sounds that of the owl, when Kyra finally spoke back up. Phoebe looked to Fabian at the question, wanting to know the answer. What are the chances Edgar could die doing this? Instead of asking, she set her bottle down on the table, leaning back in her chair to add, “Edgar said your Ministry had been infiltrated, what does that mean for this war?”

[Fabian Prewett]

Out of the questions he had expected, he hadn’t thought Kyra would ask about the war - Phoebe, yes, but not Kyra. He ran hand through his hair as he considered her before Phoebe spoke up, her question another one that didn’t have an easy answer. “I’m not the one to be explaining all of this,” he said under his breath, eyes wandering to the phone. Edgar was going to kill him if he kept his silence on what had happened today, and Edgar was the one breaking the rules to tell Phoebe about magic. But both Kyra and Phoebe would want answers, not another argument regarding his best friend. “This war isn’t anything sudden, it’s...it’s the result of years of discontent. I mean, to really understand it you’d need to know about the International Statute of Secrecy, and the rules surrounding interactions with muggles. It’s more than just one evil man and his followers, he isn’t even the first evil wizard my world has had to deal with...” he trailed off, looking between the both of them. Did he like their chances in this war? No, not really. But the Order was new, it was just getting off the ground, it was a real chance to make some change in their world.

“A lot of witches and wizards died - usually young ones, back before the wizarding world went into hiding. Killed by muggles who hunted those with magic, sure you’ve read a story like that in your history books,” he began quietly, leaning forward to set his drink on the table. “Some families have moved on from that, but others? They still carry the hatred from those days, even if they don’t realize it. It’s a blind hatred really, because most of the families we suspect to be following this guy haven’t dealt with muggles in years.” He risked a glance to Phoebe, the woman on the edge of her seat as she listened. She’d want to know the ins and outs of the laws eventually, but that wasn’t a conversation he was about to have.

“There’s a lot of families that have influence over decisions at the Ministry of Magic, where we used to work. They just happen to be the same families that are known to be supporters of this, “Dark Lord” that’s rising," He paused, looking back to Kyra as he spoke, "There’s no risk involved with being vocal about your support for him, it’s all politics there. But this Order? The one we - Gideon, Edgar and I - have been asked to join? It’s a chance to flip the tables without having to work for a corrupted government.”

[Kyra Thatcher]

Kyra felt her ears burning as a flush hit them after Phoebe's curious look to her, but she determinedly kept her mouth shut to give them all a few moments of peace after what really was a trying ordeal. Yes, she wanted to tell her friend, I've got questions up the wazoo. But there doesn't have to be a rush. There would be endless opportunities to learn more about magic from Fabian, Gideon, Edgar, the rest of the Bones family. But in learning more about this world of magic, Kyra was trying to not let herself get too distracted by wayward ideas, as she'd been after apparating for the first time. Because yes, she wanted to know how their magical boarding school worked; yes, she wanted to know the history of the magical world and align it to the one she knew; yes, she wanted to see more and more magic with her own eyes. But she wasn't selfish enough to demand a lesson on something unrelated to the crisis at hand when she'd started the day by telling Fabian off and now...owed him her life. Any of them could've been hit by whatever spell killed the boy, and who knew what destructive chaos they'd left behind...

But when the room and her thoughts had settled a tad, she spoke up, and nodded to Phoebe's follow-up, turning alert eyes to Fabs. Over the past few days of thinking the scant information that they had over with Pheebs, this ministry was something she was raring to learn more about. But maybe they were pushing their informer too quickly? Fabian was loath to speak, it seemed, even though he'd opened the room up to questions. His dark eyes even darted to the phone, and Kyra gave a slight shake of her head. You promised. Phoebe gets to tell him in her timeline. He began, however, not addressing her question head-on; in doing so, Kyra had to somberly assume the worst. Even you don't think the odds are good, and you're willing to stake everything on joining the fight? That sort of dedication was, frankly, beyond her present understanding. Perhaps if she'd been raised in this world, had a lifetime of experiential and historical knowledge of the issue, she'd feel differently. But...there's no way out but to fight? You can't turn to policy or... Less dangerous options illuded her, though, and she simply nodded as Fabian continued. Thousands of witches were executed across Europe and North America during the Early Modern era, and while she tried to not hold grudges herself, she could see how the non-magician's fear of those with the gift would leave lasting hatred. A true witch could survive execution attempts though, couldn't they? she wanted to interject. But she was distracted by his repeated use of an unfamiliar term, muggle, which she took to assume...people like me and Pheebs. 

Fabian's description of the current state of their ministry was infuriating. That people felt so protected in a place that should be for objective justice, protected enough to speak of this Dark Lord, to speak of harming the "muggle" population, she could hardly stomach it. She glanced to Phoebe, the woman just as on the edge of her seat as she was, and fidgeted with the bottle in her hands. 

"Is there any way for our worlds to work together on this?" she asked quietly, fearing a hard, solid no. "People - muggles - we have to be aware of what's happening. But that would cause a panic, possibly a return to those dark times, and we're not equipped to deal if it comes to an actual fight..." For what technology could they use as offense or defense that a wizard could be deterred by? Were there limits to their magic that their defense organizations could use to their advantage? "I'm assuming that all's being done to avoid a full-on war," Kyra added, thinking as she found his eye. "But...a war is the only way you see the side of good being victorious. Because with this Dark Lord and his followers, it's not a...cut off the head of the snake situation. It's a pervasive ideology, already been planted, someone else would step in to organize..." She let out a sigh, setting the bottle on the table, elbows to her thighs, chin in her upturned hands as she dug around her mind for something, anything, that could help. Help keep them out of a fight? Or help understand why they need to go?

[Phoebe Bones]

Fabian seemed hesitant to answer them, his gaze darting to the phone after their questions. You wouldn’t dare call him. Fabian was the kind of person to stick by his word, but Phoebe could understand that she’d put him in a difficult position. Not telling Edgar about what had happened wasn’t right in his mind, that much she could tell. But Edgar would know what happened, eventually - she would tell him. How could she not tell Edgar about what had happened? Phoebe returned her attention to Fabian as he spoke up, eyebrows raising at where he started. She wasn’t surprised that a war was from years of discontent, that seemed plausible enough, but a statue of secrecy? That had to be part of why Edgar hadn’t told her before, but there wasn’t time to ask now.

She was on the edge of her seat as Fabian spoke, listening to his words carefully. Of course she had heard about witch hunts before, but she’d never thought them to be true. It was a whole new way of looking at the history she had learned. For non-magic people to have murdered children - well that tugged at her heart strings. But that was history, and people who never got over history could never grow. And those who don’t know their history are doomed to repeat it. It wasn’t hard to believe that there were those who could do magic that hated those that couldn’t, but to go to war over it? Sadly, Phoebe found it easier to believe than she would have liked.

And when he spoke of the Ministry, oh how a familiar anger burned in her heart. Corruption in politics always seemed to continue to happen, in both of their worlds. How could there be no risk to openly admitting you were essentially a Nazi? The more she learned about magic and the world with it, the angier she seemed to be feeling. It wasn’t just a simple, innocent little secret. There was a man who wanted her, and people like her, dead for existing. That wasn’t a small secret you could just drop in conversation, and expect everything to be okay. Phoebe was glad when Kyra spoke up, nodding along to her friends words. Yes, there had to be someway they could be involved in this, that their simple muggle world could be involved. Maybe they didn’t have a way to defend against magic, but there had to be something they could do.

You can’t keep Edgar from fighting this war.

        But could you bear it if he died?

Phoebe found herself brushing away tears, giving a long sigh as Kyra finished. No matter the world, there would always be bad people in it. But a war seemed so extreme, and so dangerous. And yet, she found herself still wanting to help. “There has to be something people like us can do, we can’t just sit back and accept this Fabian. This man and followers, how many people have they killed? It certainly doesn’t sound like your government has this under control based on what happened today.”

[Fabian Prewett]

Edgar was going to be mad at him, that was something he had to accept as he saw the looks both of the girls gave him when he looked toward the phone. Before long he at needed to let Dumbledore know about what had happened, but he could do that after he answered their questions. Telling them this much information was breaking a ton of rules, but it was too late to worry about that sort of thing. Especially seeing as Phoebe had told Kyra, the secret was already out.

He wasn’t surprised that Kyra’s reaction was to want to work together on this. The girls were passionate about helping people, otherwise they wouldn’t have been at the march today. But how could a muggle possibly protect themselves from magic? When one spell could instantly kill them - there was no stopping that. But he looked away as she caught his eye, not wanting to admit the truth to her. Was everything being done to stop Voldemort’s rise to power, to avoid the war? Hardly. The war was going to happen regardless of what anyone wanted. It was already on going.

Phoebe seemed to understand what his silence meant though, and her words were harsher than he was sure she meant them. He’d never ask them to sit back when it came to fighting for rights, but fighting Death Eaters? That was a different story. “Before there was Voldemort, there was Grindelwald. Kyra’s right, cutting off the head of the snake isn’t going to do any good.” He leaned forward, sighing as he considered how to answer the questions he was being asked. “The war is unavoidable. I can’t tell you how many people have died already, we don’t have any way of knowing. But they’ve already started targeting muggles - you saw that today.” Because why else would they have been there? They couldn’t have known that a wizard would be there, even though any of the three of them could have been hit by the spell. “There’s nothing muggles can do. Not against magic, at least the kind of magic they are using. There are three spells considered Unforgivable and the killing curse you saw today is one of them.”

He looked between the two of them, knowing he wasn’t doing much to make the war seem like a good idea. “The Ministry doesn’t have it under control, you’re right. But this group that we’ve been asked to join - it’s legit. Dumbledore has fought this fight before and he won. He’s gathering people who are truly dedicated to making sure the good guys win. We’re going to make a difference, we’re going to make it safe.”

[Kyra Thatcher]

What don't you want to tell me? Kyra's eyes narrowed as Fabian shifted his away from them so quickly, and she nodded along to her best friend's points. The last thing he could expect them to do was wait this out in a bunker, but Pheebs was right - the situation was far from contained if a day like today could happen. Kyra looked across to her to see her resolute but tearful, and wondered where exactly her head was at. If she was getting on board with taking action herself, did that mean she was coming around to Edgar's want to be involved? He wants to do this to protect you. We can’t deny the need for it after what just happened. The deception is still something to work out, and you’ve every right to be pissed about that. But he was probably trying to spare you…all of this. Oaf should've realized it'd be just as painful to find out you'd been left in the dark, but…he loves you. He didn't want to freak you out.

With her own sense of unease increasing by the moment, Kyra suddenly understood ignorance being bliss all too well. Because as Fabian steeled himself and let them in more, it seemed there was nothing to do but worry. Still cupping her chin in her palms, she turned towards him slightly, appreciating his decision to let them in on the harsh truths of the matter, however much they hurt. She'd never felt so out of control of her own destiny; sure, there'd always been a chance of getting caught in a freak accident. A drunk driver, a mugger, things of that nature. She could do what she could to avoid those possibilities becoming realities. But to know that, in his professional opinion, a wizarding soldier said there was nothing for her to do in the face of those he was after…it was terrifying. Why's learning about the reality of magic got to come with this? she thought with a bit of black humor to try and keep the fear at arm's length. She wasn't one easily afraid, but this utter helplessness was the worst part.

Finding a bunker doesn't seem so awful now, does it?

    At least he’s optimistic.

Fabian's fervor rose as he spoke of the good he hoped - no, that he planned to accomplish. And that was all well and good. With any luck, this "Dumbledore" would prove as effective this time as last, whatever he'd tackled then. And Fabian had obviously already committed to joining him instead of staying with this ineffectual ministry. When did you grow up and get all noble without me realizing?

"So, to make sure I'm understanding properly - we're f*cked, Pheebs and me and the rest of us muggles," she blurted out tensely, fear crowding her throat. "We're just sitting ducks until it's done." And perpetually after that too. Even if they win this war, the ideology can't be completely contained. Someone could stray, someone will stray, and…it's all odds, isn't it? With fewer witches and wizards fighting on the side of bad, with the side of good giving enough of a show of power to declare an end to the war, there should be fewer chances of innocents getting caught in the crossfire. Her breathing quickened and she stood abruptly, swallowing in a throat suddenly dry. "What are we - what are we supposed to do until then? We've got a whole world of people who don't know the danger they're in, and we can't do a damn thing about it?" Kyra let out a bit of a hysterical laugh and hid her trembling hands in the pockets of her shorts. "This isn't right," she muttered, words running into each other in their haste. "This just isn't right."

[Phoebe Bones]

Phoebe had thought that finding out about magic from Edgar would be her most difficult conversation this week. But the more she learned about what Edgar and the twins wanted to do, who they wanted to face - how could she not struggle to accept this? Fabian was being blunt, admitting that there was no way to avoid this war. And what they wanted to do, wanting to fight, it was noble. And Phoebe hated that. She hated that she could see it from their point of view, that she understood this desire to protect both her and Kyra. She listened closely as Fabian spoke of another evil wizard, of an unavoidable war. It was unnerving to hear that people like her were targets, no matter how many times she heard it. For people who didn’t even know about magic to be victims of these people, it was heartbreaking. It was unfair. Fabian mentioned the Unforgivable curses once more, and Phoebe had to stop herself from interrupting him.

But there was a change in Fabian’s voice as he continued to talk, a fire behind his eyes when he spoke of Dumbledore and this group. It was obvious that Fabian truly believed there was a chance to win, that there was still hope when the world suddenly seemed so bleak. Kyra seemed to be in the same mindset as Phoebe, and Phoebe nodded along with Kyra’s words as she looked between her two friends. They were in danger just because of their association with Fabian and Edgar, At least, that was her understanding of it. Could she live her life in fear of the magical world? Phoebe was pulled from her own thoughts as Kyra stood up, and Phoebe sat down her drink before standing and pulling her best friend into a hug. “It’s not right, it really isn’t,” she whispered through her own anxiety, rubbing her best friend’s back gently before she took a step back. “But you and me, we’re not going to be sitting ducks. This may be our biggest battle yet, but I’ll be damned if I don’t fight it.”

[Fabian Prewett]

Maybe from their point of view, the world didn't look so great. Fabian couldn’t imagine what they were feeling, but his heart went out to them both as they processed his words. Kyra was the first to speak up, her words were tense and filled with worries. He didn’t want to agree with her words, but he didn’t have any better ones to offer her. For those without magic, there was little that could be done. Fabian was already doing what he could to keep Kyra out of harm's way, even if sometimes it hurt his heart to do so. He’d kept his distance, and he’d kept his secrets. Kyra wouldn’t even be having these worries if Edgar hadn’t finally told Phoebe the truth. Seeing Kyra like this, seeing her on edge as she panicked - he’d never wanted this for her. But what could he say to make it better when he agreed with her words?

Because it wasn’t right, a whole section of their world not knowing the truth. Fabian understood the need to keep their world a secret, but there were also reasons that the world should know the truth. Unfortunately, right now wasn’t the best time. Not when there was a madman intent on terrorizing them. Fabian was lost on what to do, and was immediately grateful for Phoebe’s quick reaction to Kyra. He stayed silent as he watched them, a smile tugging on his lips at Phoebe’s words. Always the fighters. He gathered the bottles from the table, heading into the kitchen to give the girls a moment.

. “There are wards around you and Liz’s flat, as well as here,” he said upon his return, “And Edgar has wards around yours, Pheebs. I don’t know how you two are feeling with all of this, but we aren’t going to let anything happen to either one of you.” He sank back down on the couch, looking at the wristwatch on his arm. “I need to go and see Dumbledore, see if he got my message. You two are welcome to stay here until I get back, or I can take you both home.”

[Kyra Thatcher]

The steadiness of Phoebe's embrace weaned Kyra away from the edge of panic, and she held tight to the other woman, to her hands when she'd moved away. Her eyes focused in on Phoebe's as she spoke, and she took slow breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth, until she could give an assenting nod. She wanted to believe Pheebs, she trusted her, and maybe her friend had some sort of plan in mind, while hers was still tempted to reel. How can we do anything about all this? For one of the only times in her life, Kyra felt small, and it was not something she was keen on. And Fabian, for his part, didn't vocally agree or disagree with her statements. Eyeing him on his quiet return to the living room, she could only assume the worst. You think you’ll be successful. But you know nothing’s certain. For any of us.

But then…wards? There's already protections up?

    Honestly, were you going to ever tell me about this?

The ache of betrayal from her ex-boyfriend, that she'd done well at ignoring in all the excitement, crept back into her gut. Because Fabian, he'd fully chosen to keep her in the dark. There were laws, there were circumstances - but she was fairly certain that putting protections around muggle homes wasn’t in the Guidebook for Lawful Wizards. You still care. A lot. But you couldn’t be honest with me? The past had to be the past, though, if any of them were going to amount to anything. Forward was the only direction one could travel - Can magic play with time? - and at least they were all in it together, now. Belatedly. His assurance that Edgar and himself were on watch, it was as comforting as possible, given the multitude of circumstances.

But the time had come for him to get back to work.

"We'll go to my flat," she decided, letting go of one of Phoebe's hands to extend her hand to Fabian. "Any tips, this time?" Kyra cracked a small smile, hoping that Phoebe's stomach wouldn't get upset again. The trio was shortly off, landing in her sitting room with a crack and a bit of fumbling for footing around the sheet music scattered by their arrival. Words failed her as her sights landed on Fabian - You should've been honest, we could've been something - I can't believe you're out there fighting - Thank you for what you did today - and she wrapped him in a silent hug before he disappeared.

And he was gone.

Kyra swallowed back a sigh and went to the telly, turning it on and flicking it to the news for coverage of the riot. But she only half-watched, if that, still turning over the new information about their world, doing what she could to separate her emotions from the raw facts of the matter...