Jack had wanted a meeting immediately after her first Order of the Phoenix meeting, but things had gotten crazy. School and other, and now the death of Sage. But it was the night after her death now and the pain in everyone's eyes as well as the fear shone even more brightly than it had that day.
She watched as everyone filed in, chillingly quiet. This had never been a quiet group, and here they were, practically silent. She had nothing set up but she stood in the center of the room, ready to tell her peers what next... As if she knew.
"Not long ago," she said, once the last person had settled, "I went to an Order of the Phoenix meeting. I was expecting great plans to keep Hogwarts safe, and a lot of headway. What I saw was politics and procedure. Someone saw my disappointment and said that it was okay. That we could do little things to oppose Death Eater staff and make our school better."
She paused and then continued. "Last night, Doyle pulled four students aside, one of which was me. He told us that we would be adding extra security to the halls. Protecting them. Us... Four students." She paused, wondering which students understood the weight of what she was saying.
"We are alone." She stated. "Sage's death proved that. Make Sage a reason to learn to defend yourself. You have to or her death means nothing. People are not going to help us. They want to, ideally, I believe they truly do, but that does not change the fact that we are basically alone."
She hated that she had to say all of this, but she knew it was necessary. "Basics, I don't want you doing anything dumb. Stick together, don't wander off, don't challenge someone better than you. Just play it safe. We need people to fill are shoes when we're gone, so we need you alive."
"NEWTS, I'm not asking you to do anything. I'm telling you that if you see your influence is needed, decide if it's worth the risk, and go for it." She paused. That sounded too much like the answer she had gotten from Jess... She cleared her throat. "If a Dark Follower is causing someone trouble, you go ahead and hex their ass to kingdom come. You call out those teachers. You write letters to the Daily Prophet and home and to the Ministry. Do what you can. Be safe, too, but you all know when it's worth it."
She paused again, her eyes scanning the group. "We may not have help... But we don't have to be alone."