Alex watched his father leave, then followed the Healer through into another room. Bookshelves lined the walls, and a fire burned merrily on the hearth. He pulled his hands from his pockets as he sat, perched on the edge of the chair.
He sighed at her question, then shrugged one shoulder. "I didn't feel like being in the Hall for lunch, so I went someplace quiet. This kid I'd been buying from came by and offered, and I bought. Ogden's." One thin shoulder lifted in another shrug. "Professor Black came by and caught me."
He slumped back into the chair. "But what everybody keeps harping on is that I snuck off to drink alone and I didn't. I just needed to be alone. And Dad said that Professor Black said I didn't want to stop drinking, and that's not true. I... I just didn't want to right then..."
He folded his arms, staring off into the fire. "But it's the first drink I've had since..." He trailed off, thinking of the weekend he'd spent at his grandmother's, hopelessly sick, trying to get sober.