Author's note:
So turns out- to get some real writing done you only need a bag of weed and a couple hours. I mean, just kidding... I think... Anyways- that's why it took me so long to get a new chapter done. Ain't got no weed on me.
Ok yeah I'm sorry I'll stop now.
Disclaimer: I like Supernatural. Just as I like Sherlock, Alexander Hamilton and Harry Potter. Still, I don't own any of them, so I'm not making any profit off of this.
Enjoy!
-I wrote this chapter to "Wild Stare" from Giant Rooks. It's good.-
The orphanage, it seemed, was determined when they wanted something. In this case, that something was enjoying Harry's last days there, and to Harry's surprise, it was working. He was... happy. It was great, not having any responsibilities for a change... not having to be on sharp all the time- not watching his back for everyone who held a grudge against him..
Then of course there was the flip side. The difficult talks he had to go through. The painful goodbyes. He was once again reminded as to why it was a bad idea, developing attachments to people. It only ended in pain anyways.
The hardest thing was probably saying goodbye to the smaller kids, who really looked up to him like a parental figure. They were so innocent, and so genuinely sad to say goodbye.
And so it was that Harry found himself holding back tears, his head buried in the wavy curls of the umpteenth kid clamping onto him with a painfully strong grip.
'It's ok Sam,' he whispered. 'It's ok...'
Sam grilled on tighter. 'Don't want you to go.' He said, his voice muffled by Harry's clothes.
'I know,' Harry said, 'I don't want to go either. But I don't have a choice. I made my bed, and I will lay in it.'
Sam shrugged and pushed his face deeper into Harry's chest. Only after a couple of minutes was Harry able to coax him into letting go.
Harry stepped back, dragging his briefcase-made-trunk with him. With a small, pained smile on his face he nodded at the people gathered round.
'I wish it were on a different note, but I'm afraid this is my final goodbye to you. I'll never forget all of you.'
The matron took half a step forward, though she seemed to rethink that and ended up in a slight swaying motion towards Harry. 'Just,' she said, 'just be careful. You're always welcome here. And I think I can speak for all of us when I say I really wish your going to be ok.'
Harry bit on his lip and averted his eyes, for a moment. He quickly straightened though, and attempted a smile. 'Thank you. That... means a lot to me.' He sighed again, 'I... I have to leave now. So goodbye. I wish you all a good life. You, if any, deserve it.'
The matron was not the only one who couldn't withhold a sniffle as she gave a small wave.
'Will you write?' Dylan asked, just like last time he had gone.
Harry quickly glanced at his cab. He was silent for a second, his hands balled up in the pockets of his coat to release some tension.
'I... maybe. I don't think so.' He eventually said.
A depressing silence fell, until Harry felt a movement in his neck.
'Are we going, massster?' His snake asked him blandly.
It shook Harry out of the strange empty feeling that was building inside his chest.
'Yess,' he lisped to the snake, 'yesss we are.' With that, he decided enough feelings were felt for now. A last nod to his.. surrogate family, maybe? And he was in the taxi, off to Diagon Alley to meet up with a friend.
His taxi driver was one of the ones who liked to talk. Great, Harry thought. He supposed he did look a bit funny- old eyes, strange goodbye, body of an eleven-year-old -but that didn't give the man the right to talk to him.
Well. One tongue-tying jinx and an imperio later it was very peaceful and quiet. As the ride went on, Harry supposed he should probably feel guilt. And maybe he would have, a long time ago. Now, he just felt that gaping hole in his chest tearing open more and more the farther he went from the people who he might have called his family if this would have been his first life.
It wasn't a very long ride. Harry made the driver stop right in front of the Cauldron and wasted no time in getting out.
From there it was all routine. He casually walked into the Leaky Cauldron and to the gent's. A quick privacy spell and then a switching spell and some transfigurations later, Elias stepped out in all of his glory.
'Elias!' Tom the bartender called as he saw the man walk towards the back, 'long time no see! Want a drink? It's on the house.'
Elias stopped and turned to look at Tom, an exhausted look in his eyes. 'Tom, I just ripped away the last ties that I have with people I saw as my family. With some of the only people I trust. Maybe later. There's some things I have to do.'
The pub had gone silent at those words. These days, Elias was a pretty prominent figure on the streets. If something was up with him, that didn't bode well for quite some people.
'Oh,' Tom said softly, 'I'm sorry.'
Elias shook his head. 'What do you have to be sorry for. Don't apologize if you aren't prepared to feel my wrath. Just...' he closed his eyes, then opened them and walked over to the bar. 'One whiskey please. And fast. I have places to be.'
Tom nodded and poured a whiskey. The pub was still completely silent, even as Elias chugged down his whiskey and, throwing a couple of coins onto the counter, briskly walked to the entrance of Diagon Alley.
As he strode, people parted for him. His magic was sharp and toned with grief, causing fathers to look at him with caution and mothers to gather their children closer. Elias himself didn't notice any of this. He was a man on a mission.
He tried to remind himself that sacrifices like this were necessary for his plan to succeed. At least he wasn't throwing them in the snake pit with an angry Voldemort, like Dumbledore had done to him...
Within a quarter of an hour Elias arrived at his destination. The Broken Wand. An interesting small place off of Knockturn. It was a place he went more often- sometimes on his own, sometimes with his by now good friend Cain "Alzar" Arca. The vampire had been a good companion over the years, and Elias knew he could rely on him. On a normal day, he might have thought back at the day when they met at this very establishment, both pretending to be someone they weren't. "James" and "Alzar". He might have even thought back at the case he had had with Blaise's father. But today wasn't a normal day, and Elias was not in the mood to reminisce.
'Elias!' Cain said with a smirk, 'I almost thought you wouldn't show! You smell like alcohol, good friend.'
Elias frowned. 'It was one whiskey. One. And I needed it.'
'Ah,' Cain said, 'are you on a job? You normally ask to see me a bit further in advance.'
'Yeah, yeah,' Elias said, 'I know. But it's important.'
Cain sighed- loudly, and purely for show as vampires didn't need any air. 'Well don't keep me hanging, then, what is it?'
Elias licked his lips and looked around. He cast a privacy spell. 'I need you to do something for me.'
Cain frowned. 'Elias? What is going on?'
'I need you to take my snake. Just... take care of the damn thing.'
Cain frowned. 'Are you ok? You smell of grief and stress, and now you ask me to take your snake? You're practically married to that thing.' He frowned, 'well except for the whole consummation of marriage, I think, and you're not a very loyal partner if that were the case, but-'
'Cain! Merlin, just take the damn thing. I'm having a bad day as it is. Just leave it!'
Cain held his hands up in surrender. 'Alright. I won't ask. Give me the snake, I'll take care of it. When do you want it back?'
Elias deflated a bit and looked down at his hands, which he folded together. 'I don't know. Take care of him ok?'
He stood, wanting to be gone before Cain started questioning him, but no such luck. His hand was caught in Cain's hard grip as he stepped past him.
'Sit down Elias,' Cain said, as he might be generally a happy guy, but also an observant friend, 'and talk to me. What is going on.'
Elias shook his head minutely. 'It's nothing. Just a plan that has to go well. There are some consequences that might be severe if I don't succeed.'
Cain tilted his head at Elias. 'Right. So you want me to take your snake permanently. If you... fail, I mean.'
Elias gave Cain a tight-lipped smile, which was really more a grimace. 'Yes, alright? Yes. Look after it.'
Cain carefully let go of Elias' wrist. He leaned back slowly, staring at Elias intently. 'Ok. But on one condition.'
Elias sighed and closed his eyes, feeling wrung out and tired. 'What, Cain. What do you want from me.'
Cain licked his lips. 'Promise me,' he said, 'promise me you'll do anything you can to come back and pick it up.'
Elias rolled his eyes, brushing it off. 'Yeah sure,' he said dismissively.
'No,' Cain said urgently, 'promise me, dammit. You are my friend Elias. Come back. Take the damn thing back when you come limping back from whatever stupid, reckless plan you have stewed up.'
'It's not stupid,' Elias hissed, fed up. 'I have thought about this for years. There is no other way, and you don't get to talk about it like that. Not after all the sacrifices I have made, and the things I still have to do.'
'Ok,' Cain said, backing off, 'but just please-'
'Yes,' Elias said shortly, 'I'll do as much as I can to get back here again.'
'Good,' Cain said, 'I'll see you then.'
'Yeah,' Elias said softly. 'See you then.'
With a last nod from Cain, Elias walked out. He could really use that drink Tom had promised him.
Any of you still remember Alzar? Harry came across him quite a few chapters ago. Yeah... he's actually called Cain, as you've read. For some backstory- he's really really old and lives off of family money. He and Elias are quite close friends, though that wouldn't have happened if they'd've met a few more years back, as Cain does kill people to feed and Harry's moral compass wouldn't be able to handle it.
Anyways I hope you liked it, and please consider voting or something. Ait bye.
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