Phantom of the Chamber (DPxHP crossover)

Chapter 1: Anniversary

The late July breeze ruffled the messy raven locks of the young twelve-year-old boy. As his bangs lightly tickled his ice blue eyes, the boy briskly combed his fingers back through his hair in a vain attempt to tame the uncontrollable bird nest. Cold, empty eyes set in a permanent glare and expression similar to that of a stony wall, the look was perfected from practiced use. His confident strides focused solely on his destination. He was undeterred by the surrounding stores with stocks full of tempting games, clothing, and toys; items that would catch the attention of any other teen. The boy's demeanor effectively warded off any attempt of friendly conversation.

The crowd of shoppers recognized the well-dressed boy walking with purpose and they quickly moved aside to make way for him. The boy was indifferent to the occasional looks of pity shot his way. Catching sight of the store of interest, he quickened his pace and roughly pulled open the door.

The bell chimed as the boy entered the shop, alerting the storekeeper of his presence. The man at the front casually looked up from his newspaper with disinterest, sneaking a small glance at the potential customer. The man's eyes crinkled as a small smile played across his face when he recognized the child.

"Ah Danny, you're here early today!" the man greeted.

"Good morning Mr. Abernathy." Danny politely answered, the boy had his hands clasped behind his back with his head tilted slightly up. The boy radiated an air of guarded confidence.

"Has it already been a year since I last saw you. It feels like yesterday since you first came to my shop 2 years ago. You are doing well, I hope?"

"I'm fine." Danny curtly replied, not delving into details.

Mr. Abernathy grew silent for a brief moment, saddened that the boy still hasn't opened up to him. Looking back at Danny, the man sighed, knowing that the boy still needed more time to recover from the emotional scars and pain that he carried. All the man could do was hope that the poor boy would someday move on from that incident and pick up the broken pieces of his life to find his happiness again.

Walking out from behind the counter, Mr. Abernathy walked over to the rows of colorful bins. Knowing exactly which bin to go for, he turned his back on the boy, reaching a hand into the container.

"You want the usual, I suppose?"

"Yes, sir."

Mr. Abernathy quickly picked 5 pristine stalks from the bin. Expertly trimming the ends, he carried the bundle to the counter. He then proceeded to roll the fragile goods with crisp white paper. After inspecting the quality of his work and nodding his approval, he handed the bouquet of white lilies to the boy. "Here you go."

Danny delicately took the flowers from the man and paid him with the money he owed. After a brief exchange of goodbyes, Danny placed a hand on the door, the other firmly gripping the lilies to his chest.

A wisp of cold air escaped from the raven-haired boy's breath. The boy closed his eyes and let out a slow sigh. Scrunching eyebrows in annoyance, he turned back to the man.

"Mr. Abernathy, do you mind doing me a favor?" Mr. Abernathy looked up, briefly confused on why the teen had not left in a hurry like he usually did.

"I have some business that I need to attend to. Do you mind holding onto this for me?" Danny walks up to the counter and holds out the precious bundle.

"No problem." Mr. Abernathy takes the flowers from him, "Why the sudden rush? Is everything ok?"

"Everything's fine, just remembered some "annoyances" that I need to take care of beforehand. It shouldn't take too long." Danny replied vaguely, he gave a small reassuring smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.