Restless {Lissa}

Justin shook his head. "No," he replied. "She's in London, and he's willing to arrange a meeting. I just have to owl him, and I will, if you want me to."

It was funny how your viewpoint of another person could change so vastly. The moment he had first kissed Lissa near the Shrieking Shack and Professor Conleth had spotted him, he'd assumed he was dangerous, someone that he had to be wary of. Then, he'd ended up being a good ally. Even now that he had left Hogwarts, the man continued to look out for him and Lissa. It was more than he could have expected from anyone he had considered a good friend back at Hogwarts. Even DC probably wouldn't have gone so far. Then again, he would have been tied to Hogwarts, unable to go anywhere he might have spotted Lissa's mam, and it wasn't like he would have asked him for such a favor. They were just kids. At least, they all had been until life had forced Lissa to grow up, then him, and probably even DC.

"Let's go sit down," Justin said, easing his grip so he had his arm around Lissa's shoulders to usher her to the table so she could take a seat. He'd pour them some champagne then pull a chair beside hers so he could hold her if that was what she needed. Or move to the bed, if that was what she preferred. It was as he changed his grasp on her that Justin noticed Lissa's lip was quivering and she was biting her lip. Maybe champagne would be best for later. They needed to go to the bed where he could hold her better than in a chair. She was going to cry. There was no avoiding it, and he wasn't going to tell her not to. Her mother had just been found after whatever had torn her family apart. He couldn't imagine how overwhelmed she must be.

"Now it won't," Justin said after a quick flick of his wand, which he halfheartedly tossed toward the night table. There was no need to care where it ended up, really. The place was small enough he could find it in a heartbeat, and they were in no apparent danger here. Justin was more concerned about Lissa right now. She wasn't herself. Finding out about her mam had clearly affected her and not for the better. He'd hoped she'd be excited (at least at first), but she'd known already what must have happened. He shouldn't have been surprised at that. Lissa was a smart cookie and always had been. It had been one of the first things he'd noticed about her, one of the reasons he'd said hi and started the friendship in the first place. After all, his kinds of smarts were vastly different.

Justin sat awkwardly for a moment as Lissa curled up into herself. He'd hoped she'd cuddle into him. Did her decision not to do that mean she didn't want him near her? Or maybe she did but that was as far as she could get? He didn't know what to do right now. There was no manual for understanding girls, and even if there was, this situation wouldn't be covered. This situation wasn't normal--or rather, shouldn't be normal. A few moments passed before the tears began to appear on Lissa's face, and Justin decided then and there that he didn't care what she did. He needed to try to comfort her. He needed to be there. He hadn't been there for so much already.

"Shhh," Justin said, more to be soothing than to actually tell her to be quiet. It was something his mam had always done when he was little and not feeling well. He reached out and brushed some of her hair behind her ear so it wouldn't stick to her face and tried to shift her so her head could rest in his lap and he could stroke her shoulder/arm. "Shhh...."

"Love you, too," Justin murmured back. It was sad she was using it as an apology. She had nothing to apologize for in his eyes. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze as she kissed his leg. He couldn't exactly hug her where she lay or kiss her. Their position didn't quite allow for that. He'd gladly do either if it would make her happier, distract her even. But Lissa didn't seem to want distraction, and that was fine. He appreciated her for dealing with things as they came instead of letting it simmer beneath the surface as he'd seen so many other bloke's girlfriends do until finally they burst and they broke up in an ugly mess. Hopefully she did this for them, as much as it would hurt to see her hurting because of him. It had already happened once. Never again.

Lissa's question wasn't what Justin was expecting when she spoke again. Really, he hadn't expected her to say anything at all, just lay there and try to deal with the emotions a while longer. Justin didn't have to pause to respond. "Yes. To both," he responded. There were so many reasons, and Lissa probably didn't know them or understand them. Other people, with the exception of the Syndicate, had proven untrustworthy to her. Hell, even the Syndicate with their decision to withhold her mail. "He's the one who saw us that day at the Shrieking Shack. He's the one who tried to help me find you. He's never given me a reason to doubt him, and I don't think he'd start now."

Justin's eyes studied Lissa's face as she sat up, searching for any hint as to what she might need from him now, but it seemed she was trying to calm down now, to move forward. As bad as it sounded, he was glad. Glad for the relief he felt at seeing her wipe her tears away and decide to carry on. It didn't mean she wasn't still hurting in some way, but it meant she was trying to put an end to it or something like that.

"Willing?" Justin questioned, smirking slightly. "I dunno," he teased. "You know how I am about women and tears, and there's sure to be plenty." Justin figured she would catch on to the tone in his voice and the mischievous look on his face and realize he wasn't being serious. Of course he'd go with her. She could ask him to move to a swamp, and while he'd be apprehensive, he'd probably try to make it work for her. This? This was a lot less unpleasant sounding. Lissa could see her mam. She could finally see someone from her family, the family she'd been torn from that day she'd been called to Headmaster Camoynes' office.

That day seemed so long ago, yet it was still so recent in comparison. They'd barely started sixth year. Now, it was almost the end of what would have been their seventh. He was sure it felt like an eternity to Lissa with all the worry and turmoil and mistreatment she'd had to face. Hopefully this was a sign her life was continuing to take a turn for the better.

Justin grinned at her comment. He thought it was the opposite. At least with the craziness. He was insane. She was...sane as a...ummm...hmmm. He'd have to think of an object for that sentence there. They picked each other, though, so he couldn't argue with the first part at all. Justin was a little disappointed that Lissa changed the topic before he could come up with a comparison for that sentence to quip back at her, but given what she'd just found out, he was glad she was talking and facing life right now.

At her statement about the bag packing, Justin was a little confused. Did she want to go now? He studied her eyes for a moment, trying to read her. "Alright. I'll tell him to meet us in a half hour across from the Leaky Cauldron. Should give us enough time to pack and get there, shouldn't it?" Justin grabbed a paper as he spoke as well as a quill pen. He began to write out a brief note:

Across from the Cauldron.
8:00 p.m.
Don't be alarmed if late.

He remained standing as he wrote, his writing a bit more like chicken scratch than usual, then sent it off the Syndicate way. "Should I...go get my things? Meet you back here as soon as I'm packed?" He didn't need much, but he imagined a change of clothes, underwear, and something to sleep in might at least be useful. He figured she probably wouldn't have much more, but it was already going to look strange enough--him leaving and coming back here. At least he could say he forgot something. He did have some harmless prank remnant with him. He could say he wanted to show it to her to cheer her up, make her laugh, if he was stopped and questioned.