He moved his hand from her neck when she pressed closer, letting his arms come around her and hold her tightly. Knowing that she had two Auror's looking out for her should have made her feel more safe, but it didn't. He knew she was still worried about the repercussions that were going to come when this was all over. "Hey," he started, letting her cling to him and doing what he could to soothe her, "I promised you I wouldn't let anything happen to you and I plan on following through on that. Just because you haven't seen me doesn't mean my ears haven't been to the ground."

The problem, he knew, was that it was going to get worse before it got better. At some point Smythwick would know it had been him and Geoff to bring him down, but he'd also know that he'd spent his time with Mandy. He wasn't going to be stupid enough to think that the guy didn't keep an eye on Mandy. As it stood, she was his main supplier and, therefore, worth the interest. "How was your Chinese? Still hungry?"