Central City Square || around 2PM
Central City was almost like Diagon Alley during the season of Yule; the soft snow litters along the pavements and people seem to take advantage of it. Kids were all running around the place, and the adults had smiles plastered on their faces. There was an ever-present chatter that made a buzz and a hustle througout the Central City Square as people flock towards it to enjoy the first week of snow.
Jesse, Andrew, Gerard and Hunter with his cannula all huddled together sitting on one of the benches that has a roof overhead so as not to have cold snow enter their jackets. Snowballs seem to fly from every direction because of the playful kids who decided to have a snowball fight.
It was afternoon, and Jesse, Andrew and Gerard all went to Hunter's house to fetch the young man and ask Mr. Hartford's permission to have him for the afternoon, as it was snowing quite pleasantly for a while. None of the past year's blizzards occurred, thankfully. As it was Hunter's first time to celebrate Yule (not that he ever celebrated it that much- the Durselys made sure to exclude Hunter from the festivities) at Central City, they thought it was a good idea to have Hunter see the city during winter. Hunter had to admit, Central City during winter was a far cry from its usual vibe during the other seasons.
The friends decided to treat Hunter to a candy shop near the Square first, which Hunter loved. Although, it made him think of the Weasely Twins, and the whole Weasely brood. Especially Ron. And Ginny. And Hermione. And Neville. And Ginny. And Dean. And Seamus. And--
It was Jesse's laugh that made him go back to the present. He shook his head, and instead chose a bunch of chocolates and candies and joined in at his friends' laughter. There were several comedians and performers inside the shop, attracting attention and making Hunter forget about his past.
After the candy shopping, they went inside other shops, all sporting the Holiday spirit, until they all felt the cold and chose a small café to order hot chocolate. They decided to have their orders as take outs and together, they crossed the street to take a seat on one of the benches with roofs.
"This is fun, huh?" Gerard commented as they all had a good laugh after they saw one of the kids slip on ice. The three reminisced their childhood and told stories to Hunter, who listened eagerly but told nothing. When asked, he only shrugged it off and said that he was a sickly child ever since then- prone to cold and fever.
"Yeah," Andrew answers, a wide smile on his face. "Your Dad's really nice, ain't he, Hunter? Wish he was nicer in class, though."
To this, Hunter laughed. Severus Snape, while being totally different from Ezra Hartford, seem to still carry his authority and disciplinarian demeanour in class. Hunter patted Andrew's back, "Don't worry. Dad's bark is worse than his bite."
The three others laughed, making Andrew frown a bit, "He's just... He's scary."
"Well, I think he just wants you just to learn and to focus. It's Chemistry, you know. A little dash of this and a little dash of that will cause explosions," Hunter says, taking a sip from his steaming cup. At the statement, they all nodded in agreement. When Andrew had enough of sitting, he stood and took his skating blades from his bag, offering another pair to both Jesse and Gerard.
Gerard smiled and took his own out. The three others looked at Gerard quizzically, "Well," Gerard says, eyes with mirth, "do you honestly think I would go here without a pair of skates?"
Andrew laughed, "I never knew you know how, Green."
"Shut up, Cohen. Hey, Hunt, wanna try?"
"Nah," Hunter declines politely, although he eyes the pair of skates longingly. He always wanted to learn how to skate, "maybe some other time. My oxygen bag's not with straps."
Though the others could see him wanting to join in, the boys looked at him and asked him if he was sure. Hunter nodded again, saying he was fine.
As it was, Jesse offered to keep him company while the two other boys skate. Hunter gave her a small smile of thanks, to which she said, "No need to mention it."
"Oww!" Hunter jumps up in surprise. That had hurt his tongue! Stupid chocolate...
"Hey, you okay, Hunt?" Jesse asks, clearly concerned, "Oh wow, is your cup still warm, Squirt?" Jesse says all of a sudden. Hunter looks up to her and nods.
"Yeah. Why? Is yours not anymore?"
Jesse shrugs, "Nah. Maybe you chose well; you didn't remove the cover for a while."
Hunter only bit his lower lip and took a glance at Jesse's cup, then toward Andrew's and Gerard's abandoned cups. To his surprise, Hunter sees Jesse's cup still and without steam. Same as with the other boys'.
Hunter looks at his cup. Then to Jesse. She was currently laughing at Andrew and Gerard's antics on the frozen rink and her cup, which spilled slightly at the expense of her laughing hesterically at their friends, did not seem to bother her. They were sitting here for quite a while already.
He looked at his cup. It was still steaming as though it was fresh from boiling.
He started to feel something in his palms. They were warming up. They were tingling!
"Hey!" Andrew shouted from the rink, breaking Hunter's wonderment. Gerard must have pushed him, knocking him over on his butt. They were now chasing each other on the rink, still laughing. Jesse was laughing along with them.
Hunter shook his head and noticed that the tingling sensation in his palms were gone. He looked at his cup. It lost its steam from being exposed to the cold.
"Did you see that?! It was so funny!" Jesse laughed. When she saw Hunter's dazed look, she immediately clasped his shoulder to get his attention. Immediately, he looked back at her and gave her a smile. This reassured her slightly.
"Is everything alright, Squirt?" She asked. He smiled wider.
"Yeah. I just... Uhm, thought of Dad."
She sighed, still smiling. She squeezed Hunter's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile, "Don't worry. Everything's gonna turn out fine."
Hunter smiled and said thanks. Then she let go of his shoulder and focused back to where Andrew was trying to bury Gerard in the snow, laughing loudly.
Hunter looked at his hands. For a moment, he felt as if his fingertips were warming the cup. It was as if his Magic was there, resting, making his cup warm for him.
Hunter shook his head. He has no Magic anymore. Jesse was right, he had covered the cup, preserving steam. Nothing more, nothing less. Turning back to where Gerard threw a ball of snow at Andrew, he laughed with Jesse as it hit Andrew's head.
Yeah, Hunter continued to convince himself at the back of his thoughts with melancholy; it was just coincidence- nothing more, nothing less.
------
Central City || 7:00 PM
|| Hartford's Residence ||
Ezra stared at the paper, hoping in his heart of hearts that it was simply gossip that was written there. He wanted to come to Malfoy Manor all of a sudden and smack Lucius in the head.
While Ezra hated Sirius Black for all the right cockiness he had, he cannot help it but feel bad, too. He had, after all, Obliviated all people connected to Harry Potter for his safety. With the exception of Dumbledore, they just had to do it.
And Draco, too.
Poor Draco. He must be bewildered now. Or worse, he could be trying to piece it all together himself. Draco always had a penchant for mysteries. His godson's analytical mind had always been drawn to puzzles and clues. In fact, Ezra taught him basic anatomy just because Draco wanted to.
The paper started to become blotted out. Ezra hurriedly wiped his tears that betrayed his mask.
Just then, Hunter's head popped from the doorway. Ezra could not help the haste in his voice when he saw the usual mop of raven locks emerge from the door.
Out of sorts, Ezra found himself glaring at his son, "Alexander! Don't you know how to knock?!"
The boy's smile faltered, but only for a moment. Hunter smiled again, "I just wanted to tell you I'm here now."
Ezra could sense that there was something that Hunter was about to tell him something, but decided that he needed Hunter out the door- now!
"Well, you have done just that. Have you no sense of decorum whatsoever? Get out, boy!"
At his father's reprimanding tone, Hunter fliched and backed down. What the actual hell? He didn't do anything, did he? He just wanted to see him! Doesn't Ezra want to see him? Did he not miss Hunter while he was gone?! Hunter, for his part, was surprised at how mean Ezra was being. He never called Hunter 'boy'- not after the Car Accident.
For some reason, it hurted Hunter to think that his father might not have loved him at all. He just wanted to see Ezra! Why does--
'What is that on his hand?' Hunter thought as soon as he caught a glimpse of paper on his father's grasp. The man was clutching it, trying to make it blend with the cream coloured sheets. Hunter's eyes squinted.
"What is that?"
"What is what, Hunter?" Ezra must have known something. Hunter noted that his father tightened his hold on the paper. Hunter started to step towards his Dad, dragging his oxygen bag behind him.
The man tightened his hold on it even tighter, if that was possible.
"The paper. On your hand."
Ezra's mind whirred. No, no, no, no! This. Is. Not. Happening. No. No. No.
Suddenly, he found the paper on Hunter's hand, the boy's eyes scanning the note.
His whole body froze, and Ezra felt sweaty and clammy and cold all of a sudden.
Then, Hunter's green, green eyes looked at him, his son's jaw tight and clenching. It was as if Hunter was in a state of disbelief. It was gut wrenching to see him so lost like that. The boy's hands started to shake, and before Ezra knew it, Hunter ran out of the bedroom and he heard the other door slamming. Then, he felt his heart break and his whole being shake at the sound of Hunter's sobs.
Helpless, he leaned his head on the wall that divided him from his son, and listened, eyes closed, mouth tight, whole body weak.
Why must life continue to be such a disappointment?
---
Hunter slammed his room door shut and slid down the door crying against it. He couldn't believe that his father would hide something from him. He was in denial. It can't be! Sirius can't be dead! He banged the back of his head at the door tears streaming down his face. How dare he lied to him! Sadness and anger coursed through Hunter.
Hunter is never the one to forgive liars and cheaters. He couldn't even bear to face his father after what the man did. The paper was clung tightly in his hand. The words were etched in his mind.
One life has been lost. It was Sirius Black.
The question keep playing in his mind. Why did his father hid it from him? For what? This letter was sent to him a month ago by Lucius Malfoy. One month! His father kept it from him for one whole month. He felt angry. Angry at himself for leaving Sirius. Angry for being sick. Angry at his father for lying to him. He just felt so angry. He wanted to scream. He had just lost his godfather. The man who was Padfoot, his best friend, uncle and father figure.
Hunter sobbed louder and screamed. He pulled his hair, as if wanting to pull it all out. At this moment, Christmas didn't feel like one. He just felt sadness and emptiness. How could his own father betray him like that?! Ezra knew how much Hunter- or Harry- loved Sirius. Sirius was family. Did Ezra hate Sirius that much? Enough so that he could wish Sirius dead? How much of a Death Eater was Ezra?
Maybe Hunter did not know Ezra that well, after all. Maybe he was not the man Hunter thought he was.
Hunter hated him. He hated Ezra. He hates him, he decided. It was a mistake to have agreed to this madness of a plan in the first place. Look where it got him. Hunter wanted his old life back.
He wanted it all back, before he goes and destroy himself out of sheer madness.