“That sounds great,” Ness agreed with enthusiasm, when Evelyn talked about them all sitting together in class. Malakhi was probably okay, If Evelyn thought he was, but more than that, Ness just felt reassured by having people to sit with. The thought of walking into class and no one wanting you was not a pleasant one, and – having never exactly been popular – was one that had definitely occurred. “I can’t wait for our first classes!” And it was nice to have a friend it felt safe admitting that to. One who wanted to study just as much, and didn’t think good grades were ‘lame’ or ‘uncool.’
“Wow! That’s so great! What changed your mind?” Ness asked, when Evelyn talked about signing up for Quidditch. They already had a bunch in common but if they both made the team, that would be even better. Between that and pulling secrets out of a hat, it seemed they would get to spend all their time together. Ness laughed at the image of the big hat, wondering what shocking revelations it could come out with.
“Right! Exactly!” Ness agreed emphatically, when Evelyn was one hundred percent behind all the reasons why Topaz was a terrible person. For all the confidence on the surface, there was really a lot of relief, deep down inside. “Thanks for being on my side,” Ness added, in a much more serious and sincere tone, “I mean, I thought that her behaviour was pretty out there but like… it still means a lot. It’s nice… not being on your own when you have a problem. Or like, in general.”
Speaking of problems... Ness nodded, and gave Evelyn full and serious attention when she asked if she could share a problem. Ness listened, torn between confusion and concern. She knew exactly what the answer was to not nice adults. But she was surprised at Evelyn’s suggestion that her parents fitted into that category. How bad was ‘not nice’?
“You should tell a grown up who is nice to you,” Ness answered, “And… you shouldn’t worry about other people finding out, because if someone’s not being nice to you, it’s not you that’s at fault, so you have nothing to be ashamed of.” It felt a little bit weird and scary to be saying all of this out loud. The responses were good and they were right – that much was certain. And Ness had often imagined bringing rescue cases to the foundation, saving people from terrible fates. It was a bit different though, when it seemed to be really happening. Or not. Maybe Evelyn wasn’t talking about anything that serious. Just… parents getting mad about grades and stuff. Nagging and grounding. That kind of thing. “Not nice in what way?” Ness asked with concern.