[Mason Amnell]

Febuary 12th 2002
12:00pm
Snowing lightly

Mason was early, wanting to be out of the castle for one and anxious to learn anything he could about Sabine. He was frustrated that Seth had called off the search for her and knew he might be annoying the Headmaster by asking Naji to look for the house that Sean had given them in a memory.

Sipping a butterbeer, he waited for Naji to show up, hoping that no other Hogwarts staff member would walk in.

[Naji Benjiro]

Naji walked into the pub several minutes late. He looked a bit shaggy today. With his shoulder length hair down and uncombed and his face unshaven. Even his eyes looked as if he hadn't had a good night sleep in a few days.

He looked through the small crowd until he found Mason and made his way over to him. The Three Broomsticks seem to have become their place for meeting. "Hey. Sorry I'm late," he said, taking a seat.

[Mason Amnell]

Mason's brow drew together in concern as he took in the sight of Naji, "That's fine, I haven't been here long." He wanted to ask his questions right away, having been anxious for the answers for weeks, but Naji's appearance had made him worry.

"Naji, you look as if you haven't been sleeping well. Are you alright?" he asked, as the waitress came up to take Naji's order.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

[Naji Benjiro]

"More like I haven't been sleeping at all," he replied, smiling up at the waitress and ordered a cup of coffee instead of something alcoholic. He combed his fingers through his hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. Using a rubber band he kept on his wrist. Which helped his appearance a little. "Yeah, everything fine."

He was still keeping an eyes on Sabine after he ran into her, but he was still searching for the werewolf who killing his family and between the two kept him busy, along with the Ministry.

"No everything is fine. I'm found Sabine," he said, knowing Mason would be dying to know what he found out. "She is staying with that guy."

[Mason Amnell]

Mason nodded his understanding, "Sorry to hear you aren't sleeping." he said, absently.

"You found her?" his eyes grew wide, "Does she look alright?" he asked, then looking down, suddenly embarressed by his concern for someone who betrayed them. He put his emotions for his niece back in check and said, "What is she up to? Does anyone else go in or out? Does she leave very often or stay there most of the time?"

He couldn't help the bombardment of questions, wanting to know the news he had been waiting for so long, "Is there any way that you could capture her?" he asked finally, not knowing what he would want Naji to do with her if he did. Giving her to either the Ministry or Hogwarts she would most certainly suffer Azkaban or the Hogwarts Dungeons, and torture for any information that she might have, and ultimately recieve a death sentence for her crime.

Mason swallowed, not knowing if he could turn her in, especially before talking to her himself.

[Naji Benjiro]

Naji thanked the lady when she sat down his cup of coffee in front of him. He barely got a gulp down before being bombarded with quite a few question. Not that he mind because if he was in Mason shoes he'd probably be the same way.

"Yeah. Took a few days, but I found her. She looked fine...great actually," he said. The fine was for that she was alright and unhurt and the great for something deeper. His feelings actually. "I didn't get much time with her because that Sean guy showed up, but she has her mind set on what she wants to accomplish out of all of this. A new era of law and order she said. I think she stays there most of the time because the place is quiet and hardly anyone ever leaves or go in."

His eyebrows arched up when Mason asked him to capture her. He could do something like that, but he wasn't going to do that. Besides he wouldn't know what to do with her either. "I could, but I'm not going to."

[Mason Amnell]

Mason sat back, his eyes narrowing at the tone in Naji's voice when he said that Sabine looked great. He reflected on it a moment and decided that it was better left alone. If Naji had feelings for a traitor, it would do no good to say it out loud.

His eyes grew wide again, "You actually spoke with her?" he asked, listening to what she had to say to Naji, "So, she is a traitor, not only in action, but in mind." he sighed, the last piece having been put together. Naji had accomplished what Mason wanted. He wanted her confirmation that she knew what she had been doing when she killed Greg Corelli and that she did it against Hogwarts knowingly.

"She admitted to you that she murdered Greg Corelli?" he asked, his heart still trying for some sort of hope, but his mind knowing better.

Once again, Mason's eyes narrowed, "Naji, if she is a traitor, then she needs to be captured," he said, dutifully, "She admitted to murder and treason and deserves to die for it." he continued, each word painful, but true. Mason sat forward again, looking at Naji in the eye, "What has you hesitating?" he asked, already fearing the answer, "Why would you protect her when she may very well face us in battle?"

[Naji Benjiro]

He nodded. "Yeah. She was alone and I saw it as an opportunity to find out a few things," Naji replied as he sipped at his coffee. His frown only deepened as Mason called her a traitor. Even if it was true he didn't like Mason calling Sabine it.

Her killing that student was the only big crime she had against. He could tell that it was difficult for Mason to say all of this, but it angered him to listen to all of this. "And if she does it doesn't have to be by me. The Ministry doesn't even know that I'm tailing her."

Naji lift his head and met Mason's gaze. "I'm not protecting her. She can do that well enough on her own. I don't know what it is, but I feel like we're still missing something and until I found out what it is I won't do anything to stop her. But if it ever comes to it and I feel as though I should. I will capture her," he said, his coffee now cool enough that he didn't have to sip. He drained the cup in just as short few gulps. "Maybe I'm holding on to some hope that it won't end with her dead or in Azkaban. I care for her to much to let that happen. It seems like a long shot, but who knows what will end up happening."

[Mason Amnell]

Mason sighed, letting everything naji was saying soak in. He couldn't deny that Naji refusing to arrest Sabine and throw her in Azkaban was a relief, but if this auror had more loyalties toward a murderer than the Ministry, it was a problem.

"Naji," he began, "I want so much for there to be some miracle that redeems Sabine as well, but the facts stand out too obvious. Greg Corelli is dead, I saw his body and I saw the broom with a curse that Sabine cast. I saw the confession note and watched the memory and now, you even have verbal confirmation that she betrayed us and is a murderer. I wouldn't want mercy bestowed on anyone with that list of crimes."

"What if she kills someone else because we didn't capture her, or kill her?" he asked, "I don't want that on my head."

He put his head in his hands, "I've done my share of protecting her and now we have to face the truth. I can't allow my feelings to get in the way." He gave Naji a long sympathetic look, "Sabine isn't the same person anymore, Naji. I care about the Sabine we all knew. We must be able to seperate the two now." he sighed, studying his young friend, "I can tell that you're leaving something out, but I won't push you. Just be careful and logical in this."

He paused, "If I asked you for the location, would you give it to me?"

[Naji Benjiro]

He wouldn't either. If it had been anyone else he wouldn't be hesitating about capturing them and putting them in Azkaban. But he couldn't bring himself to doing that to Sabine. Maybe he was being blinded by his feelings a little, but not to much that it was clouding his judgement.

"It'll be on my head not yours and I did say if I have to I will capture her. I won't let her kill anyone else," He was planning on keeping a close eye on her. "I'm aware of that, but after everything that happened to her did you really think that it wouldn't have some kind of effect on her."

They were lucky she didn't completely lose it and go around hurting anyone. To make them feel how badly she was hurt. "Don't worry I will be," he replied to Mason telling him to be careful and logical, before adding. "I don't know maybe. All depends on what your planning on doing with the information. But now that I found her there I doubt she'll be there much longer."

[Mason Amnell]

Frustration and indecision ate at Mason's mind. He knew what was right, but if he told Naji that he intended to capture Sabine and turn her over to Carter and Locke, he probably wouldn't reveal the information.

He sighed, "I'm sure I have all I need to find it for myself and I have no choice but to report it along with the confirmation that Sabine was seen there. Carter and Locke will have to decide what to do with the information."

"If she aligns herself with anyone else and starts to plot against us, we'll have to kill her, Naji, that's all there is to it."

Once again, Mason felt the twinge of worry that Naji was holding something back, "Naji, forget her. She is our enemy, don't let yourself think for a moment that she is not. We must think of her as an object and not a person; an object that needs to be removed before we can win this war. Forget her." he warned, softly.

[Naji Benjiro]

"Well then it a good thing I haven't told you any important information," That and he had to watch what he told Mason for not on because he didn't want Carter or Locke to get to close to her. He was sure by the time they decided she'd be gone.

Naji sighed. He really didn't want to see her killed. "If it comes to that then fine, but I won't forget her. Not yet anyways," he replied, getting to his feet. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some money. Enough for the drinks and a tip. "I can't bring myself to see her as an object. I think that's all we need to talk about."

[Mason Amnell]

Mason watched in dismay as Naji seemingly chose to protect Sabine over helping them capture her. He sighed, it was obvious that he wouldn't be changing Naji's mind either.

"Naji, we all have to choose what is right and I have to be loyal to Hogwarts not a traitor that I once loved. It's not easy, but it's the right thing." he stood along with him, believing that a great distance was suddenly forged between them and regretting it terribly.

"I hope you know where your loyalties lie, my friend." he said, paying his part of the bill and suddenly feeling a very heavy weight in his gut, "Take care of yourself." despite the obvious disagreement between them, Mason pulled Naji into a short hug, before allowing him to leave.

[Naji Benjiro]

"I will choose what I believe is right, but at the moment I don't know what is," he replied. He was loyal to the Ministry, but still he like to chose his own path and side. Even if he wasn't completely faithful didn't mean that he'd go and do anything that's against the law.

Naji returned his hug. "My loyalty will be whatever side I believe is right," he replied, smiling as he stepped away from Mason. "Some goes for you," he added, before turning to leave. He only had a little bit of time to go home and changed before he wanted to be back on Sabine's trail just in case.