A Quill and A Thought

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael sat in the room of requirement in a plush seat, a piece of parchment on a book in his lap and a quill in his hand. When his hands weren't tensed up, they shook slightly. The thought had entered his mind that he should suck it up and write his parents, but the idea scared him to no end. What if his father came after him? Or worse, Anna?

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna entered the room and a smile came to her face as she spotted Michael sitting across the room. "Hey Michael." She said as she walked toward him. She noticed that he seemed to be concentrating on a paper. "I'm not interrupting you am I? I can go..." She haphazardly gestured to the door, hoping he wouldn't turn her away as she made her way to his side.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael's head jerked up and his eyes took a second to focus, but once they did he smiled, "No, no you're fine," he said. The memory of their date flooded his mind, covering his previous thoughts for just a few moments. He moved the book off his lap onto the floor and lay his quill on top of it. "Sit down," he offered, indicating his lap and looking up at her.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle smiled shyly as she sat sideways on his lap. She ignored the nerves that he had a way of stirring. "Everything alright?" She asked, bringing her hand to trace his jaw, which seemed tenser then she'd normally seen it.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael wrapped his arms lightly around Anna's waist. "Yeah, everything's..." he stopped himself, she had a right to know. "I've been thinking," he said, looking down at his hand as he messed with the hem of her shirt. "About trying to tell my parents about everything." He didn't exactly want to tell them, but he felt he needed to.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle paused a moment, shocked, before wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. One of her hands found it's way to his hair, her fingers combing through it. He'd told her that his dad was a death eater, and she feared for him regardless of his decission. She held onto him, her shoulder resting on his shoulder as she quietly asked him, "How do you think they'll take it?"

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael was surprised at how comforted her arms made him feel and he tightened his own around her. He sighed, "Mom...I think she'll be ok, though she may put on a front around dad. Dad..." he trailed off, his father was the one he was worried about. He looked at her, "He'll be mad, very mad, I don't know what he'll do." He cupped her chin in one hand and studied her face, he had a rather good idea what his father would try to do, and it scared him. He tried to not let it show on his face, but he knew it did.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle looked into his eyes, her own reflecting the sadness of the situation. "You know I'm here for you right?" She leaned in and kissed him passionately, wishing to show him that she'd be there to comfort him through whatever the outcome would be.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael returned the kiss, but was partially removed from it, worry keeping him from becoming lost in it like he had before. His arm tightened around her waist and his hand cradled the back of her head. He broke the kiss and murmured her name as he kissed her neck, nuzzling close, his eyebrows creasing together as he thought. Though it had only been a short time that he had known her, he already cared deeply for her. He hoped with all that was in him that his father wouldn't come after her. He wondered if she could tell his thoughts through his actions.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Her concern for him outweighed any effects of desire that his kisses would normally bring to Annabelle. The room felt heavy with emotion as she brought her hand down from his hair to trace along his cheek. She watched him closely as her fingers outlined his brows. She could see so much tension in his face and wished she could make it all go away. These were his demons though, and all she could do was stand by and support him through the ordeal.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael buried his face in her neck, breathing in her scent before speaking. "I don't want him to come after you." He kept his head down, eyes shut, he knew his father well enough to know that something could very well happen.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle's eyes widened in shock. She went to stroking his hair as she processed the information. She was stunned to realize that his turmoil was not over himself, but her own safety. It had been on her lips to refute his worry with a 'He wouldn't do that.' but just managed to stop the words from spilling out. She imagined that Michael knew far better what the man was capable of, and that he was a death eater after all.

"We'll get through it." She said the words softly, looking over his head to the far side of the room without seeing. She'd always been so far detached from the war that she didn't know how to process a possible threat to either of their lives. And then she remembered all Michael had told her about his other girlfriend and her lungs seized.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael noticed a sudden tension in the way Anna held herself and held his head up, looking into her eyes. "Anna?" he asked, his eyebrows still creased in thought and worry. He felt a failure, he never should have let them get so far as they did, he never should have accepted her first kiss, he had put yet another person in danger because of it. He kept his tight grip on her waist, as though he would lose her any second, and ran a finger along her jawline as he looked at her.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna snapped out of it at the sound of his voice. She forced herself to take deep breaths and slowly regained control of her breathing. She had to be strong for him, it wasn't about her. But she'd never dealt with anything like this. "But we can get through it. There's no certainty that your dad will attack either of us, and Hogwarts is a safe place. It'll all work out. He probably doesn't even know we're dating, and even if he did, who's to say that he'd come and get us without You-know-who telling him to. And he'd have to find a way into Hogwarts anyway, and the school's safe. It'll be fine." She realized she was ranting, and took another breath to calm her nerves. She hated to see Michael so worried and berated herself for making it worse. "I'm sorry Michael; I'm not helping you much am I? I didn't mean to ramble. I just don't know how to deal with stuff like this. What can I do?"

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael could see that she was panicking and he held her, rocking back and forth slightly. "Shh..." he said quietly, trying to think and to calm her. He looked into her eyes. "I shouldn't...." he nearly said that he shouldn't have agreed to be with her, but as he looked into her eyes he knew that it would have been worse to not agree. He kissed her softly, "We'll get through it." The thought never entered his mind to not write the letter, it was inevitable, something he had to do.

After a few more moments' staring into her eyes, he nodded, "We will." He met her lips again, reassuring himself that he had made the right decision as he tried to comfort her. The kiss was tender and he let loose slightly the deathgrip he had had on her waist, holding her gently instead of as though someone would take her out of his grasp.