on opposite ends | vsoo

AN UNLIKELY ALLIANCE

CHAPTER NINE

Jisoo had barely slept last night. Of course, she's been working on this for only 16 hours but her body needed rest. She needed sleep, and especially with all the apparating and spell-casting she had done all day. Not to mention, every bit of information Sowon confided with her was still lingering in the depths of her consciousness, making her unable to have a good night's rest. It had been such a long day yesterday, she had been so close to death too so she needed all the rest she could get to relax her body and renew her energy. She wasn't at her peak performance or best shape these days.

When night falls, Jisoo sleeps with one eye open. Paranoia was eating her from the inside out, her brain would not shut up. Vivid images of Death Eaters of counter-attacking her protection charms and breaking down her door play in her head over and over again until the sun rises.

Jinyoung had sent her a letter yesterday via his personal owl. He told her he wouldn't be in the office for the afternoon and evening and whatever information she had gathered could wait in the morning, so they can talk face to face in the protection and privacy of his office. Jisoo thought it was a good idea, they couldn't risk passing along information through owls because of the lack of security and animosity. It was better if they had talked about it personally without the risk of the information she had with her falling into the wrong hands.

"I'm glad you're still in one piece then," Jinyoung says as his way of greeting. Jisoo didn't expect him to be here so early in the morning, though he looked just as tired and sleep-deprived as she was. "But nowhere near getting to Taehyung?"

Jisoo resists the urge to roll her eyes. She huffs in indignation. "I'm getting there." She says, false confidence clinging desperately onto every word. "I need a map of the country that shows areas where there had been recorded Death Eater activities."

"You can get one from, Nayeon." He plants his elbows on the table and crosses his arms on the surface. He was waiting for whatever news she brought with her. "After you tell me what you've got."

She gets right into it. Jisoo does not waste a second as she relies everything Sowon, the late Joshua Hong's wife, had told her. From her presence during the raid, to the raid turning out to be an ambush set up for them, to the Death Eaters flying east after the damaged they've done. She also tells him she's planning to look at the most recent Death Eater activities that happened in the east because of this, hence the map. But Jisoo does not tell him about her promise to Sowon, the one where she said she'll avenge all the Aurors they killed that day. She didn't think she needed to say that out loud anyway, it was an unspoken promise every Ministry employee carried within them everyday: to avenge the fallen.

Jinyoung's forehead creases the way it does when he's thinking hard, he's not even looking at her. He's looking at an empty space beside the fireplace and rubbing his chin in deep thought. Jisoo stares at him, waiting for what he'll say and perhaps, what he'll tell her to do after.

"It's getting bad," Jinyoung murmurs, but she had still heard it. There's worry and concern laced in his voice. "I had no idea the raid was a set-up. We were called because -" he stops suddenly. His eyes flicker to Jisoo standing in front of him and she tries to ignore the fact that Jinyoung had almost let slip why the Death Eaters were raiding Gringotts in the first place. Perhaps, that's something she should find out on her own but she's not even sure if she wants to find out. Such valuable information might cost her her life if it was so important that even Jinyoung couldn't tell her himself.