Chapter Text
Alec
I crept silently across the aged cobblestones, scanning the courtyard for glowing eyes. The only sounds were the steady beating of my heart and the October wind. Glancing up at the gibbous moon, I cursed under my breath. It was almost dark and sooner than later professors would be patrolling. Normally, I wouldn't risk cutting it so close to curfew, but I couldn't convince myself to leave.
There was going to be a storm tonight and I couldn't leave him in the rain.
But I had to find him quickly or it would start pouring. Or worse, I'd get another hour of detention. Seriously, what was I doing wrong? I followed the rules, and yet polishing trophies had become a daily occurrence for me.
I sighed quietly. I needed to leave soon.
"Angel! Angel, where are you?" I whispered in the dark and slowly walked to fountain in the center of the courtyard. He seemed to enjoy sleeping there, even though he wasn't very fond of water. I shook my head with a smile.
He was a paradox, in more than just one way.
As I approached the fountain it become clear that he wasn't there. Worry knotted in my stomach. Usually when I finished class, I could find him in the common room, curled up in front of the fire, waiting impatiently for me. But today he wasn't here. He wasn't anywhere. I couldn't help but worry if something had happened.
'Is he ok?'
Hushed whispers pulled me out of my thoughts. I wasn't alone.
I spun around to the source of the approaching voices. I could distinguish two sets of footsteps coming from the west hallway. Their tread was light, but not enough it seemed. They would be here in a few moments.
I bolted to the other side of the courtyard, jumped through an arch, and crouched behind a pilar. Sniffing the air, I felt a wave of apprehension. Whoever they were, they were definitely not professors. I couldn't recognize their scent.
I took deep breaths and willed my heartbeat to slow. Everything would be okay.
I braced a hand against the cold, stone floor and took out a wand from my pocket with the other. Back pressed against the wall. The black fabric of the school robes pooled on the floor.
'It'll be okay,' I repeated again in my head.
'And if not, I know how to defend myself,' I thought grimly. I remembered the brutal lessons from Father I've slowly grown thankful for. It was sad to admit, but I'd used those skills far too many times. Apparently it didn't matter where it was, I was never good enough.
I gripped my wand tighter and waited, trying to replace my nerves with the indifference I had been taught.
The voices grew louder as they entered the courtyard.
"Is the shipment on schedule?" one asked quietly. A student no doubt. They had yet to hit the pubescent voice change.
"It'll be ready in a week," replied the other. Although their voice was deeper, it was obvious they too were a student. And around my age at that.
Why were they out after hours? Not that I was one to talk, but this sounded more serious.
"Good. Make sure their aren't any complications," said the first voice. They sounded nonchalant, but I could felt the authority that rang in their words
I was starting to get the feeling that whatever this was, it was best left alone. I wasn't the target, but this was shady. And probably dangerous.
"Yes, Jonathan."
I felt a pang of fear in my chest. Jace? But no. Of course not, they weren't Jace. But there were no other Jonathans at Hogwarts that I knew of.
"Don't call me that," the first voice hissed angrily.
They were getting closer, probably only a couple meters away. I shrank into the shadows, praying they wouldn't see me.
"Sorry, sir" the second voice said, words dripping with sarcasm.
"Now, don't be like that," the first one teased.
They were right behind me. I tried to distinguish their scents the best I could. One smelled of the forest, an earthy smell with morning dew. The other, not-Jonathan, was harder to place. Their scent was a mix between thyme, mint, and a hint of the iron tang of blood. They had fresh cuts. I couldn't help but wince in sympathy.
Their robes swished as they passed by my hiding spot.
"You know we should meet up sometimes. No business, just fun. I'm sure we could find something to do," the first one offered suggestively, the voice growing faint as both moved away. "No one would have to know."
Look, I might be wrong, but the voices sounded male to me. And even if it wasn't spelled out, the suggestion was obvious just by their tone. I numbly realized that there might be others like me.
Making a split second decision, I snuck a glance through the arch. I don't know if I was trying to find out who they were, or making sure I wasn't imagining things. But even though I could still hear them, I couldn't see them.
An invisibility cloak?
"Meow?"
I whipped around, and grinned at the sight. A dark purple cat with intelligent amber eyes appeared in the hallway seemingly out of nowhere.
"Angel!" I called out with delight. The aforementioned cat walked forward and rubbed his head against my leg. I chuckled lightly and settled down on the floor, forgetting all about my earlier fear and worry.
He was fully grown and about half the length of my forearm. At first, the purple fur was disconcerting because at different angles, different patches of fur looked almost blue or black, but now, it was familiar. Comforting even.
Angel came closer, and I stroked his back once he settled on my right. I was happy to finally find him, mainly because of the storm, but also because there was no expectations with him. It's hard to disappoint without expectations. And yes, I realize he's just a cat, but it's true.
"Mew?" Amber eyes looked up at mine questioningly.
"What's wrong?" I asked. Angel looked at the wand still clenched in my left hand and then back up at me.
"Oh, yeah, it's nothing," I said quickly and shoved my wand back into my robes.
We sat in silence for a few minutes, my legs stretched out across the hallway and Angel curled up by my side. I pet him for a while, just thinking about the day and that incident in Charms, before I realized how dark it was. It was already dusk. Detention would be unavoidable at this point.
The only light was from the moon and Angle's eyes that didn't reflect light so much as glow in the dark.
"We need to go to the tower eventually, you know."
As if to highlight my point, thunder boomed in the distance.
We managed to reach the entrance unscathed, but when I walked through the portrait door the first thing I heard was my sister's hysterical yelling.
"What do you mean you don't know!?"
Jace was sprawled on the couch in front of the fire place with parchment and quills scattered on the table in front of him. Izzy, on the other hand, looked livid and was pacing in front of the couch.
Guilt hit me immediately. I should have told them before disappearing. I walked closer, unnoticed. She was desperate and Jace was tired.
"Jeez Izzy, don't kill him." They both turned to me.
Jace looked relieved, but wasn't going to let me go so easily. Izzy on the other hand beamed and ran towards me.
"Thank god!" Izzy hugged me hard. Angel complained loudly and squirmed in my arms.
"Look who finally decided to show up. She almost stabbed me," Jace informed me, frowning. He sat up and stretched. Jace was calm, but I could tell I worried him. "Like I had anything to do with it," Jace said gesturing at the increasingly annoyed bundle of fur.
I set him down and allowed Izzy to continue with her fussing. She was looking over me, like she was checking for any injuries. It would have been comical, if I didn't realize how scared she was. The last time I did anything like this, I came home with a broken arm. Maybe this time, Izzy thought I wouldn't come back at all.
"How'd you know?" I asked Jace. He shrugged.
"You're always with that cat after class. Figures it's because of it."
Izzy, finally satisfied that I was unharmed, hugged me again before punching me in the arm.
"Ow!" She was stronger than most people assumed.
"Shut up, you deserve it. Where the hell were you?!" Suddenly my shoes seemed really interesting.
"I was looking for Angel," I tried, hoping that the truth would be ok.
Izzy glared at me, but her expression softened just a bit. "Don't think you're off the hook." She bent down and scooped up Angel who complied, unsurprisingly. He loved her. Sending me one more angry look, Izzy sat next to Jace with Angel on her lap.
Jace gave me a sympathetic look. He knew how Izzy could be. Any gratitude I felt turned to dread when he began to smirk.
"You know that the potions essay is due tomorrow right?"
I groaned and face planted onto the table. Jace laughed at me. Cruel bastard.
Eventually Izzy and Jace agreed to help since they had already finished their essays. However that proved to be useless. Izzy fell asleep after ten minutes, Angel stilled curled up on her lap. I don't think she slept well the night before. So that left Jace.
To be honest, Angel was more helpful than Jace. Every time he commented it was completely unrelated to potions. It was grating my already thin nerves. Screw potions. It was a horrible class, and most definitely not worth this effort. My body was aching and I just wanted sleep.
"Alec, your cat keeps glaring at me. He hates me! Why would he hate me?" Jace whined for the literal fiftieth time.
"Because he has good taste," I snapped, rolling up my messy parchment. The essay had something to do with the topic and was good four inches short of the requirement. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I yawned. Which Jace mirrored a moment later.
I stood up and began organizing the papers on the table.
"Yeah, but you love me." Jace murmured drowsily leaning back into a more comfortable position. He was half asleep, and I didn't bother to respond.
Izzy was snoring lightly (a telltale of how tired she was), her legs folded beneath her. And Jace's head had taken Angel's place, who yelped in surprise and leapt out of the way.
I couldn't help but smile.
The two of them, asleep against each other with the fire casting dancing shadows on their faces, never looked so young. It was like that first night Jace came home 8 years ago, soaked in the the rain. His eyes were cold like those of an wild animal, but his face still had that childish innocence. He had long lost that full cheeked, heart shaped look, but his eyes found innocence again. Whenever he's with Izzy or Max, he lights up with a carefree smile.
It was hard to see at first. He used to try to scare Izzy away with his anger. And I hated him for it. Now I know fear drove him to mistrust, but back then it was seemed like hate. It was Izzy who first made him smile. With a pigtails and rosy cheeks, Izzy believed the best in everyone. And she tried her best to connect with her new sibling.
Izzy failed countless times before she managed it. When I first heard them laugh together, I ran out of the house to find them covered in grass, throwing leaves at each other. I joined in and it was the first time I realized I had a brother.
It became one of my first memories of family
I glanced down at Angel, who had moved next to me and faced Izzy and Jace. He was patient and didn't move at all while I reminisced. Silence fell.
"This is my family," I told him quietly. It felt like an announcement. Something important I wanted to share. Angel looked up at me with eyes that said he understood, but he couldn't. They meant the world to me. Because of them it was worth it. It was all worth it.
Smiling a little, I grabbed a throw blanket from a nearby armchair and draped it over the two of them, careful not to suffocate Jace. They were a mountain of gold and brown on the crimson couch. The fire was enchanted to never go out, so they would be cold despite the late autumn chill.
I briefly considered waking them up, but dismissed it immediately. I knew they'd probably sleep better tonight than they had for a while. I owed it to them after worrying them so much. Hopefully they wouldn't be too mad.
'After all, its always easier to sleep when you're not alone,' I thought, considering the last few weeks.
Picking up my rather pathetic essay, I left the common room. Halfway up the stairs to the dormitories, I noticed that Angel hadn't followed.
"Angel."
After a beat of silence, he bounded up the stairs and continued in front of me. That was odd.
Once we reached the door, I unlocked it an entered with Angel trailing behind.
There were four boys per room. With Jace passed out downstairs, that left two teenage boys snoring in my room. I cast a simple silencing charm around my bed. When it took effect, i started rummaging through my chest.
Angel leapt up on the bed and settled down on the comforter.
It took a surprisingly long amount of time to find clean pajamas. The clothes really needed to be washed. So when I finally did, I stood up triumphantly, clutching the clothes in my hands.
Angel, who had dozed off, raised a lazy head and watched me expectantly, as though waiting for me to start changing. Shame suddenly surfaced in the pit of my stomach and I glanced at the beds across from mine. They were in my direct line of sight.
I was less than them.
"I'll be back," I said and left for the bathroom.
When I returned, Angel was less than happy to see me.
He was asleep and yowled in annoyance when moved the covers. Thank goodness for silencing charms. No one, except for Jace, knew about the purple feline and I intended to keep it that way. Cats were allowed, but I already had an owl and Angel wasn't registered. He was a stray.
Though he was tired, Angel settled by my side without complaint and nuzzled his nose into my hand. I grinned gratefully and whispered a quiet 'thank you.'
If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't sleep at night. Before I found Angel, I made it through each day with a maximum of two hours under my belt before collapsing on Saturdays.
I stroked Angel along his spine until my breathing evened out and my eyelids drifted shut. My hand rose and fell with the rhythmic movement of his chest.
Magnus
The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the heat.
It wasn't hot per say, but it was warm. Warm like falling asleep outside on a summer evening. Not enough to make it uncomfortable, but just the right temperature to lull you asleep. It was pleasant. And distracting. Because if it wasn't for that, I would have realized the more pressing matter.
There was an arm around my waist.
My eyes flew open and inches away from mine were ebony hair, long eyelashes, and (very close) pink lips. I couldn't help scan his face for a few moments, trying to commit the details to memory. Like how when he slept, Alexander's lips parted just a little and I could feel his breath on my neck. It was a shame I couldn't see his eyes.
Maybe I shouldn't be paying attention to that now.
He shifted and pulled me closer. Both of us were on our sides. I stilled in panic. Thank god, if there was one, that Alexander was a surprisingly heavy sleeper.
And because I lack any foresight whatsoever, I forgot to wear a shirt since I had planned to sleep alone last night. I thought about bailing on him, but in the end I couldn't do it. He need it as much as me. He had violent nightmares, and I never felt safe enough to stay asleep.
So here I was, half naked in Alexander's bed, with his hand against my bare back thinking about blue eyes. If this wasn't the definition of a hopeless teenage boy, what was?
I knew I should leave and go to the dungeons as soon as I could, but I considered sleeping for another few minutes. It was so warm and having someone hold on to me made it feel secure, stable not like the fragile relationship it was.
I sighed. It wasn't even that. There was no relationship. He didn't know who I was, and I couldn't pretend otherwise. I knew him. He didn't know me. It didn't matter what I thought, I couldn't tell him. He wouldn't understand. He would feel violated. And the last three weeks would be meaningless.
'I was right, this wasn't a good idea.' Regret colored my words. I wanted more than this. And that was my fault.
The sun would rise in an hour and I didn't have time to for this.
I tried to roll over, but I was stuck in his vice-like grip. Moving a little bit closer, I slowly disentangled myself from him, until I could move freely. Holding the red curtains open, I stood up on the opposite side of the four poster bed.
I stretched and sighing in relief when my back popped a few times. Being a cat did weird things to your spine.
Glancing back at Alexander through the curtains, I smirked.
'Angel?'
Laughing a little, I turned back into a foot tall, four legged, purple ball of fur.
'I'm no angel.'