"Brennan, slow down," Sadie whined as she struggled to keep pace with her brother. He'd dragged her off from the Great Hall and hadn't bothered to tell her where they were going. He didn't respond, and Sadie huffed and yanked her hand back. "Brennan, stop!"

They drew to a halt on the stairs, and he turned to look down at her. He was angry--which wasn't unusual--but there was concern painted across his face.

"I told you that Nott kid was trouble. Do you get it now, Sades?" Brennan's voice cracked as he shouted, grabbing her shoulders as if he meant to shake her. Sadie flinched, frightened of the intensity of his temper. He squeezed for a moment before pulling her into a hug. "I don't want you getting hurt because of them."

"Bren, you didn't say [i]anything[/i]," Sadie pushed him back, puffing her cheeks in temper. "You just said that he's a Nott but you didn't explain what that meant. No one has explained anything! Everyone just talks about it like I should already get it, but they won't out and say it!"

"Fine! They're blood maniacs, alright? Their old man murdered dozens muggleborns and supporters in the war, and you need to be careful so you don't get offed too! They hunted people like us for sport and there's plenty of records of muggleborn kids getting tortured in Azkaban for 'stealing' magic, and that's only scratching the surface." Brennan exploded at her, face flushed red.

Sadie was a clever girl, and she had already put together plenty of the pieces based on her talks with Seine and George and what she found in the library, but that had been so...clinical. Brennan spoke plainly and for the first time it all felt real.

"George has been nice though," She tried, and Brennan shot her a look as though he couldn't believe her.

"You don't know the kid, Sades. Look, he could be the nicest person in this damn castle, but it doesn't mean you're safe with him. You need to stay away from him."

Sadie searched her brother's face, uncertain what to make of everything. As angry and infuriating as he was, Brennan looked so [i]scared[/i]. He was insufferable, but she knew he cared, and he knew so much more about this world, but...

"Look, I...I get it, Brennan, but I'm not going to blame him for what he didn't do," Sadie chewed on her lip. Her brother's face fell and she cut him off. "No, look, that's not fair and you know it."

"Sades," Brennan tried to reach for her, but she turned sharply on heel in a flutter of red hair and began to descend the steps. 

"I'll see you later," she called over her shoulder before focusing on making the trek back towards class, gears spinning violently in her head. It was a lot to take onboard, and, truthfully, Sadie wasn't sure what to make of it all. She frowned, before looking up to see Seine and George a ways down the hall at the base of the stair case. She quickened her pace and jogged towards them, flashing a tight smile. "Sorry! My brother's an arse. Lets get going!"