Chapter 209: Stop. I Said Stop
Lina rounded the corridor corner, slowed, and glanced back. She waited. A moment later, Samuel caught up.
His expression had changed completely from the hesitation he'd shown in the common room. Calm now. Like a different person.
"We should play this differently," he said.
Lina raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"
"In front of Black, you heard the order and moved immediately. No hesitation. So I needed to be the one who paused, who thought it over." He kept his voice even. "Whether it matters or not, in his eyes we might register as two different people. If something else comes up later, we're two options instead of one."
Lina studied him for a beat. The logic tracked.
She and Samuel were the same kind of person.
Half-bloods. Slytherin. Marginalized by default in a House where the Pure-blood families looked at them with the same expression every time: Why are you here?
Among the second-years, they were the weakest faction. Two people huddling together for warmth.