Alone at Heart

Whight felt a sense of accomplishment fall over him. He knew if he could get Jack to the next step, her refusal to all this would be near impossible. Aaron was the most convincing man that he had ever met, and since he was the creator of their cause, he could persuade anyone into joining.

He took a look at his watch and then refocused on the beauty around him. "I have told you just about as much as I'm allowed to tell anyone outside of our cause. The next step would be for you to meet the man who orchestrates what we do. He does not consider himself the leader. He is just the link that holds the web together, so to speak." Whight let her thoughts wonder for a moment before continuing. "The next step isn't nearly as pleasant as this step has been. You will be asked to prove your loyalty to us in a way, I'm sure, no one has asked you to do so before; but know it's a precaution for our cause. If you take this next step and refuse, beware that you may end up somewhere without the memory of your arrival or your actions in the previous days. Once you meet this man only those who are with us can remain knowing who he is, otherwise all would immediately fail and all the work everyone of us has done would be for nothing. I hope you can understand where I come from. No harm will come of you should you refuse, so do not fear. You will just simply never remember meeting me or him or having this conversation."

If what he had just said didn't sound as interesting as anything he had said so far, he knew he had lost. The next step was the commitment step, one that even Whight wasn't fond of. But for him committing to their cause gave him purpose, a job, a life, and a sort of family. It gave him good reason to live and the ability to use everything he had spent his life learning.

"If you accept the next step we will leave immediately and you will meet the man I speak of today."

Jack was curious about what was going to happen next, because she had a feeling that though Whight’s concern seemed to be secrecy, she knew everything would get more complicated. Jack was not easily swayed, not easily manipulated. However, she had been looking for a way out of her lifestyle, and she would be an idiot to ignore an opportunity that came waltzing into her life.

Her suspicions were confirmed by Whight’s follow-up words, and she let them process, realizing she was approaching a turning point. She knew there was always a way out. She knew how to escape, she knew how to save herself, and she would if she had too. She would have hated this secrecy if she had not been the leader of Potter’s Army. But she understood, only too well, why Whight and his companions had to operate in this fashion.

How funny how easily her prey had been forgotten.

She wondered if she would continue with the Order. She supposed she would and she supposed that, so long as she swore her loyalty and did stick with this new group, she would be allowed too. She did not hate the Order, she just found them inefficient. Perhaps she could benefit both groups. And maybe she could save the Order from themselves.

But one step at a time.

And now Whight wanted her answer. She knew she should have been more rational, but all of her best decisions were made with her gut, made out of pure instinct, decided because she had a split second to decide. The more she mulled, the more she fretted, the worst the outcome tended to be. So she looked straight at Whight and said, “Sounds like a plan. Let’s meet him.”

This was almost Whight's favorite part job, aside from his profession. He now knew they were growing stronger and would only continue doing so. Now with new members, the responsibility of recruiting new people would no longer fall largely on him and Silvyr.

Whight hated opening up his entire past to someone but he knew desperate measures had to be taken when their numbers were low and their cause was not yet well known. They were taking the their first steps into what they knew would be a new world and in the end everything would be worth it. He couldn't wait until this whole process was over with so he could go back to being he normal self; quiet, reserved, and to him self.

Whight turned to Jack to confirm that she was as serious as he sounded. She didn't look as if she was undecided or as if she was going to back out. He did not display any emotion of whether or not he was pleased with her decision, there were still a few things for her to decide and anything could happen. He lifted his hand and said, "Let's." When she met his hand the beauty around them vanished, and with a pop they stood in Diagon Alley in front of Marcheti's wand shop.

He stepped up to open the door. "Here we are," he said waving his arm inside. "After you."

The rest was now up to Aaron. He would stay there with them while the interview took place, but he knew there was little more he could say or do that Aaron himself wouldn't take care of.

Continued- https://www.pottersarmy.net/t13153-one-step-at-a-time#321452