guiltgilded:
“Yes. Of course there’s no one else!” Xanthus insisted. He was a bit annoyed by how worried Isaac was about having some competition at the school, and now he was certain that he’d never utter the name of another dealer to the boy. It was too dangerous.
He put his hands between his knees and stared down at them, eyebrows kitted together as he listened to Isaac’s suggestion. It wasn’t a bad idea to talk to someone, especially with how vulnerable he’d felt after speaking about the tragedy to Pandora. Truthfully, he was overcome with guilt every night, and he could barely get through the day without self-medicating. Although the boy might’ve thought he sounded dismissive, Xanthus took his words with the best of intentions. “I don’t want to take them alone, you know…” His eyes rose to meet Isaac’s. “I just… Even I don’t have enough friends to find someone to join me every night. I’d ask you, but… I know you’d say no.”
He nodded. There really was no way of deciding whether Xanthus was telling the truth. But for now, he’ll have to take the other boy’s word for it. There were, after all, other means of figuring out. He’ll just have to keep his eyes and ears peeled around campus.
Isaac watched the other boy as his stance went from someone so used to being confident to almost being unsure. For someone who didn’t consider himself as Xanthus’ friend, Isaac has seen this side of him a few times before. Especially recently. “What happened to your ‘at least a dozen friends’?” His tone sounded critical but to those who knew Isaac well, they’ll recognize the teasing tone that hinted at Isaac easing up. The Slytherin shifted his weight at Xanthus’ accusation. Although what he should be guilty of, he didn’t know. “I don’t... A lot. Especially not every night,” was all he said.













