The first year wasn't hard, in Len's opinion. Being sorted into Ravenclaw after the hat asked him where he wanted to go and he growled anywhere as long as the people are not bothersome. Because did anyone see that Gryffindor house? Why would anyone want to be around those loud, yelling and impossible people? Len would take Hufflepuff over them any time.
So when the hat called Ravenclaw, Len stood with a smirk on his face before making his way over to his nice, calm house. Of course Rory – the guy Len made friends at the train – was sorted into Slytherin. That was no surprise considering how many times he mentioned fire, burning, and the glares he bestowed upon anyone who dared to look into their coupe as they walked by. Not that Len's glares were any easier to deal with but that wasn't the point. So yes. First year was easy. The only thing was that Len worried about his sister – it would be a year until she'll be able to follow him, and while their father was already dealt with, Len couldn't help but be wary about the adults that he didn't have time to do a thorough check up on. Like Mrs. Walker that was taking care of them now. Not only didn't Len know too much about her, she had a weird kid too. She assured them several times that Axel was adopted, which Len actually believed so there was a little bit of her telling the truth working in her favor.
So yes. The first year was rather slow and uneventful and Len went home as often as he could. Where he was swarmed with Lisa and Axel, both begging him to tell them about Hogwarts, about disappearing stairs and moving doors, the ghosts and secret passages. So Len did, telling them as much as he could and as much as he deemed safe.
Barry Allen and the Philosopher's Stone
Len and Lisa were sitting in compartment with Mick when the shushed rumors started. There was the Boy who lived in the train and starting Hogwarts this year. Len rolled his eyes, when just a few steps away from them the kids started grouping.
"The boy who lived, hm?" Lisa said, walking to the door and peering out.
"More like the boy who got lucky." Len said and when Lisa looked at him, he shrugged. "I told you how it was. They found him miles away from the house. A baby on the streets alone – if Headmaster West wasn't on his way to Allen's house on exactly that route, he'd probably freeze to death." He said and huffed. "When they got back to Allen's house his mother was dead, his father nowhere to be seen, until they found him in that street full of dead muggles. They think it was his mother's sacrifice that protected him or something. It's all a story about 'love'." Len made the air quotes. "Of course, it's pretty stupid. Sure he survived the attack and the Dark Lord disappeared around that time, but to call it the power of love is a bit stupid. Probably one of the protective spells around." Len shrugged and Lisa nodded.
"So what about his dad?" She asked, sitting back down and lifting his feet up at the seat opposite her. "Did he really kill all those people? Do you think he really is a Death Eater?"
"He is not! He doesn't belong in Azkaban, he didn't kill anyone!" A voice yelled and Len looked up at the Boy Who Was More Lucky Than He Deserved himself.
"Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to listen to other people's conversations?" Len asked narrowing his eyes at the first year. There was a girl with him and a blonde guy that looked like his default expression was smiling. Though as he looked between Barry and Len, the smile slowly fell from his lips. The girl touched Allen's hand and glared at Len.
"Come on, Barry. You know better than to waste your time with Slytherins."
"Actually, he's a Ravenclaw." Lisa said with a smirk and the girl glared at her.
"Yeah, well, you shouldn't talk like that at all. No matter what house you're in! If the Headmaster knew-"
"Headmaster West knows. Everyone thinks Allen senior is a Death Eater. Hell, Headmaster thinks the same." Mick pointed out, not really looking up from cleaning his wand – it got a bit burnt around the edges. Len didn't ask how, just to be on the safe note.
"And how would you know that?! You don't know anything about him!"
The way she said that and the way that she kept so close to Allen, oh.
"You're West's daughter, aren't you?" Len asked. Lisa's head snapped to him, staring and Len really thought that ought to be no surprise. After all, everyone knew that West adopted Allen. It was also known that he had a daughter around Allen's age. So the way that every movement of that girl screamed over-protectiveness could only mean one thing.
"Yes." The West girl lifted her eyebrows, her hands at her hips. "Are you going to say you're sorry now?"
…was she for real?
"What for? Telling you the truth? Please march on and stop bothering people." Len said and Lisa got up, slamming the compartment door shut, pulling the curtains together in front of their faces. She turned back, sitting down.
They could hear muttering in front of the compartment, before the group stormed off and Lisa smirked.
"She is kinda cute isn't she?"
"Yeah, in the deranged puppy way." Len muttered and rolled his eyes. Great, the year was starting wonderful.
No one was surprised when Allen got sorted into Gryffindor. After all the Dark Lord was in Slytherin so Allen should be the exact opposite of him or something – so Gryffindor it was. Because where Slytherin was careful and calculating, Gryffindor was foolish and quick to act. Where Slytherin was ambitious, Gryffindor was 'brave'. It wasn't really about 'evil' and 'good'.
Neither was it a surprise when the West kid got sorted into Gryffindor as well. But while Len thought that the guy that tagged along with them – Thawne, supposedly – would end up in Gryffindor as well, it turned out he was wrong when Thawne landed in Hufflepuff. Okay Len miscalculated there. He just thought that since they were hanging together like that, they would end up in the same house. His fault.
Lisa was, of course, sorted into Slytherin, where she sat next to Mick, grinning and waving. Len snorted at that and rolled his eyes.
Of course Len should've known that after one good year something would have to go to hell. He made the Quidditch team – hating all of his 'mates' there, but it seemed calm enough – that was until lunch, when he sat at the Slytherin table, talking to Mick and Lisa came, beaming and happy. That was already a bad sign. Len's eyes narrowed.
"What did you do?" He asked when Lisa smiled innocently taking an apple.
"I did nothing! Why would you think I'd do anything at all?"
"Lisa." Len growled and Lisa rolled his eyes.
"Okaaay. You're a jerk." She said and bit into the apple. "I might've stolen Thawne's rememberall, which I have no idea why he has, because even if it turns red every now and then how will he know what he forgot? Duh." She said lightly and when Len just frowned she continued. "The West chick came running like a hero and she challenged me to a midnight duel?"
"She challenged you." Len said slowly and Lisa beamed.
"I might've manipulated her, but that doesn't matter. Will you be my second?"
Len rolled his eyes at that.
"I doubt you're going to kill each other."
"True." Lisa shrugged, throwing the half eaten apple on the plate. "I mostly wanted the audience, actually."
"I'm in." Mick said around the chicken and when Len lifted an eyebrow at him, he smirked. "I taught Lisa some fire spells the other day." … and oh god. That had to be a joke.
It wasn't, unfortunately. Len tagged along with those two, in case something happened – there had to be at least one person that would be able to keep a cool head, and that was a mistake. Because Lisa and West just faced each other (Allen and the Thawne kid came as well, of course) when Wells appeared. The meeting ended up in detention in the freaking Forbidden Forest. Oh and with Len walking with Allen, Mick with Thawne and West and Lisa with Wells because 'that way the first years won't be alone'.
Len glared at nothing and everything as he walked around looking for unicorns. Which had to be a joke, because of course the unicorns wouldn't come close to the borders of the Forest, since there was a whole castle full of stupid kids.
"Aren't you worried?" Allen said quietly behind him and Len turned to him, wanting to snap something far from pretty, but… Allen probably got into this whole mess like he did. By a manipulative female sibling. So he sighed and shrugged.
"Worried?"
"Well… we're in the Forbidden Forest." The kid said and Len rolled his eyes.
"There is nothing to worry about here. It's just a forest." By the look in Allen's eyes the kid didn't really believe him.
"Why is it forbidden then?" He asked, his hand clutched around his wand and Len sighed. He might not be crazy about Allen, but he didn't want the kid to die of fright.
"Unicorns live here. I'm pretty sure West doesn't want any of the students sneaking around hurting them. They are not exactly fond of humans you know."
"So there is nothing dangerous here? Iris said there were centaurs, and other scary things?" And the kid was looking around at that and Len shrugged.
"Yes there are." There was a sharp intake of breath and Len sighed. "But they are too deep in the forest for us to meet them. Don't worry, Allen."
"…Barry." The kid muttered and Len frowned.
"What?"
"My name is Barry. Well, Allen too, but you know. Barry Allen." Allen – Barry said, smiling. "You can call me that."
"Barry." Len said slowly, trying the name on his tongue. It rolled out slowly and it didn't feel half as bad as he thought it would, and the kid – Barry, beamed at him.
"Yeah… I can call you Len right?" Len didn't think about that and before he could say anything, Barry continued. "Also, you're freaking great on the broom. I've seen you play and not even Rory's bludgers can hit you. And they are pretty scary." He said and smiled. "I think you're the best Chaser the school has had so far!"
That was kind of fanboyish of Barry and also kind of… nice. And Len couldn't be a dick to the kid even if he tried now.
"Thanks." Len said, and he would've said more, if there wasn't a scream. Or rather two screams and he turned, running towards the sound, because fuck. One was Lisa's.
When Len woke up, there was Barry sitting next to his bed, hands in his lap.
"Tockman?" Len rasped out and Barry's eyes widened as he looked up at him.
"Len!" The kid yelped and smiled, wide and honest and Len tried to beat down the weird feeling in his chest. "You're awake!" And it was nice that Barry worried about him, but there were more important matters at hand.
"Tockman. He wants to get the Philosopher's Stone and-"
"Tockman's gone."
Len looked up to see Headmaster West come into the room. Wait… what was it supposed to mean that Tockman was gone?! How did West know? They didn't tell him, they couldn't reach him when he, Lisa and Mick figured it out and they just went there around the three headed dog and all of the other dreadful things and-
"Barry contacted me. He said he saw you heading into the forbidden area on the third floor, so I hurried back." The man was frowning and if he was about to tell to Len that the three of them were kicked out of school, he'll hear exactly what Len has to say about that. "You should've been more careful."
"There was no time for being careful. We did what we had to do. If you're going to punish us for that-"
"No one is punishing you." Len blinked at that.
"What?"
"You did what was right. I wish it could've been done a different way, but you helped save us. For that I'm thankful." The man said, before turning to Allen. "Barry, go to the Great Hall to the rest of them. I'll help Len."
"But-"
"Barry, go." The boy grumbled, but did as he was told, shooting one last glance at Len before disappearing. West turned to face him then and frowned.
"How did you know how the mirror worked, though? I know Barry saw it before, but I didn't know you did."
"I didn't." Len shook his head as he slowly pushed off the bed. "I just realized that there was the name Erised on top of it. Which is Desire. So I thought about how it might work." Len really desired to know where the Stone was. To be able to stop Tockman from getting his hands on it, to destroy everything that Len still loved.
West watched him for a moment before nodding.
"We should join the feast. We still need to figure out which House won the Cup."
Gryffindor won. Mick and Lisa whined about that all the way on the train home. Len didn't listen though. It wasn't like he cared too much about the Cup. And truth to be told, he believed that the smile on Barry's face as the whole House cheered was kind of worth losing a stupid big glass.
Barry Allen and the Chamber of Secrets
After a year of trying to calm down three headed dogs, trying to defeat giant chess, flying on a broom to catch a freaking key and not to mention trying not to get poisoned, the next year had to be calm. Len was sure of that. He was sure of that up until the weird things started to happen.
Barry speaking Parseltongue? Cats being turned into stone? Along with ghosts and students? For a moment, Len wondered if Hogwarts was perhaps cursed. Len didn't think about it all too much – okay he did, but he didn't do anything about it until Allen got pulled into that whole thing. Which, of course, shouldn't have come as a surprise, because there should be at least one person always on the Allen-suicide-watch or something. Len STILL remembered how the guy walked around the castle, tripping over the not-moving-armor. So how the teachers left him alone when there was freaking something hurting students, he'd never understand.
He was standing in front of the bloody writing on the wall, frowning when Lisa caught up to him.
"Got the brooms, Len. Are you sure about this?" She asked, a bit worried and Len felt a bit bad about it all – but he knew that Lisa just wouldn't let him go alone. Neither would Mick, so there really wasn't any other choice.
"Yes. It's a basilisk. Everything makes sense. The spiders, people turned to stone. The water… the moving through the pipes." He took a deep breath and looked from Lisa to Mick. "So if you're tagging along, you have to remember to be cool – close your eyes when you hear movement. You look that thing in the eyes and you're dead."
Mick frowned.
"You said you had the spell, though, right?" He asked and Len rolled his eyes.
"I do. But until I cast the temporary blinding spell, you guys have to make sure not to look. Then you use your fire spells to burn his eyes out." Mick nodded at that, kind of happy with the whole deal and Len decided not to dwell on that.
Getting inside the Chamber wasn't as hard. Len actually anticipated everything on the way. He mimicked Barry's voice, waiting for the bathroom to open the secret passage, before giving a nod to Mick and Lisa and they descended on the brooms.
He kind of anticipated seeing Barry lying face down on the ground, motionless. That didn't stop his heart from skipping a beat or two as he hurried over to the boy. What he didn't anticipate was the ghostly silhouette standing next to him. His eyes narrowed.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Eobard." The man – more like boy – smirked and Len could hear Lisa's gasp behind him. "Don't worry. The boy won't live for long." He said, turning his eyes to Barry and Len subconsciously followed his gaze.
"What did you do to him?!" Mick growled, stepping forward and Eobard – the Dark Lord himself shrugged.
"I didn't do anything. It was dear Barry Allen that found the diary. That wrote each and every of his thoughts down in it. Feeding it with emotions and hopes – ones that only helped me get stronger every day, every hour, every minute. Though it was a bit of a hardship playing nice. 'Oh Bard, sometime life is just hell, you know? Everyone is expecting big things from me, because I'm the one who beat the Dark Lord. But I'm not… I hate how that defines me. That's not who I really am and I hate that everyone sees just that when they look at me. Just the Boy-Who-Lived.' Ah." Eobard groaned, "Oh I never understood teenage drama. It's so boring. Each and every time he wrote something like that I couldn't help but wonder… how would a stupid child like that defeat me."
As the man took a step closer to them Len lifted his wand.
"Don't come closer." He hissed and Eobard smirked again.
"Well, I can't do anything yet." He said, lifting his see-through hand. "At least nothing physical. But I can do this." There were words falling from his lips, words that Len couldn't understand but knew and he yelled at Lisa and Mick to run back and close their eyes. He did the same, leaving Barry for the time being, running all the way to the opening and clutching his eyes shut.
The fight wasn't easy. When they opened their eyes after Len yelled the spell there was something around the Basilisk's eyes. Mick didn't wait and the eyes got burnt out – the smoking eye sockets were as far from nice looking as anything could be. But no one died – other than the basilisk. Len still though it was more luck than anything that the snake dropped dead after Len transfigured one of the statues into a rooster and the bird crooked. He hoped he'd never need that knowledge ever again though, as he made his way over to the Barry – and to Eobard who had more color in his face than the boy.
"Barry." He whispered, turning the Gryffindor to face him. "Come on, Barry. You have to be okay. You're the Boy-Who-Lived, you know." He whispered, pressing the smaller body to his own. Barry was oh so cold, it felt like his life was leaving along with the warmth in his body and Len loved cold, but he hated it so much in that moment. Why was this happening? The guy started hanging out with them slowly. The boy kept coming to all of Len's Quidditch trainings, clapping and grinning every time he was impressed with something – which was a lot. He started hanging around Len in the library, getting hushed by the librarian several times, because it seemed that the kid lacked the ability to be quiet. He stood outside of the Ravenclaw Common Room for hours sometimes, trying to figure out the password along with Len's fellow Ravenclaws just so he could get inside and tell him about this or that stupid joke of his. Barry couldn't die.
"Oh, isn't this sweet. Accio." Len felt his wand tugged from between his fingers and he snapped his gaze to Eobard, who was standing in front of him and Barry, Len's wand in one hand, Barry's in the second. "The brat has to die, but since you're worried so much, I'll do you a favor. You can die along with him." The man growled and bared his teeth lifting his – Barry's, it wasn't his wand it was Barry's and Barry couldn't die – in the air. Len could already see the words forming on his lips, the unforgivable spell half-way done – and then the man started screaming, his hand clutching at his chest where a bright light erupted. Eobard seemed as confused as Len was and then the man turned back towards the opening, staring.
"What…?"
"Don't talk to my brother like that, bitch." Lisa hissed, turning the basilisk's tooth that was stuck in the diary, making more light holes appear on Eobard, before the man exploded in burning light.
Everything was quiet for a moment, Len staring at Lisa, who seemed shaken with her own actions. Then Barry groaned in Len's arms and Len looked down at him, patting his cheek lightly.
"Barry, are you okay?" He asked, breathless, not really willing to hope until Barry's eyes opened, looking up at him.
"Len?" He whispered, sitting up slowly his eyes moving around. Realization hit him in that moment because his eyes widened and he clutched at Len's sleeve.
"It was me. Everything was me. I hurt those students and-"
"It wasn't." Len said, squeezing Barry's shoulders. "Do you hear me? It wasn't you. Eobard was in that diary of yours, making you do those things. It wasn't your fault, do you understand?" He asked, glaring at the boy. He knew how Barry could take a lot of things to his heart. This talk with Eobard taught Len that it was perhaps even worse for Barry. Everyone viewed him as a hero for something he couldn't even remember and now this happened. It must've been a blow to him, not really a nice one.
Barry watched him for a moment, before the guy took a deep breath and frowned.
"It's a journal. Not a diary."
Len stared, before snickering, pushing Barry's head down and standing up. He helped Barry on the broom and as they flew out of the cursed Chamber with Lisa and Mick at their tail, Len wondered if the school year could be any crazier. Barry's arms were warm against his waist, his whole body was warm as he was pressed against Len's back and Len forced himself to remember that. Not cold. Not anymore, Barry was okay.
That year, Gryffindor won the Cup. Again.
The next year was pretty much pretty uneventful, for which Len was thankful, because he really needed a year that he could actually devote to education. And if Barry started spending time around Len a little more than usual, Len didn't say anything to that. And yes. Gryffindor won the Cup that year as well.
Barry Allen and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The year started crazy. Not only did Axel start that year ('Please, take care of him' Mrs. Walker said as they watched Axel attempt to fit his 'trick' collection into his suitcase, 'Merlin knows he needs that'), got sorted into Ravenclaw (so Len spent a lot of time with him) and Mick didn't mind the boy at all (which was crazy by itself). He actually started asking about Axel when the boy didn't hang out with them as he used to most of the time. Which wasn't too horrible, Len decided because both, Mick and Axel, needed a friend. And Len didn't know that many people that would be willing to be around crazy psychos like those two, so it maybe even worked out.
The second crazy thing that happened was that he became the team Captain. He had no idea how anyone at least a little bit sane could think that that was a good idea, but he was one and supposedly he couldn't give up the title (as Headmaster West happily informed him, smirking). He was even dubbed 'Captain Cold' by no one else but Axel, the traitor, because he was 'too cold to his team and expecting too much'. Len only came up with strategies that would help with their scores because with their seeker, they wouldn't catch the snitch. Unless, of course, they were playing against the Hufflepuff team where Ray Palmer was the seeker. A guy who'd rather give up hunting the snitch than hurt the enemy seeker (weak, Mick always said). Len still had no idea why Thawne even allowed the guy on the team.
Of course, as luck would have it, the nickname stuck. Len didn't mint too much though, because even though he'd never admit it to anyone, he kind of liked it. It was kind of nice, how it made Barry's eyes lit up when he came over going all 'Hey, Captain Cold, you're playing against us next match watch out!' with a small wave. Len had to admit that those were the matches they really had to watch out for. Because while Barry was a tripping disaster on the ground even if there was nothing in a mile radius around him, he was a wonder on the broom. The way he could move in the air, the speed… it all made him a great Seeker. Probably the best one Hogwarts ever had. Maybe that was the reason he got his own nickname. The Flash.
The third crazy category was them – Len, Mick, Lisa and Axel, suddenly hanging out with what Lisa dubbed 'The Flash team'. Barry was there, of course – but Len got used to Barry's occasional presence at the Ravenclaw table last year. Iris West and Eddie Thawne were new additions, though, along with Caitlin Snow, who was actually a Ravenclaw, but usually sat near the fire, head buried in a book instead of talking to the hanging out itself wouldn't be as crazy as the relationship that developed was. It didn't matter how many times Len growled at his sister, trying to explain that she was just fourteen for fuck's sake, Lisa, what the fuck do you think you're doing at fourteen. She just snorted at him, of course and it wasn't Len's fault that he got desperate and turned to Barry, trying to tell him to get that idea out of Iris' head, since Lisa didn't listen. But the boy smiled, kind of sheepish, and told him something about love being love.
Len groaned and refused to listen.
The craziest thing was though, when they caught Barry's father. There were messages about him escaping the Azkaban, the rumors about him wanting to kill his son next and Len would never think the man would appear there, at Hogwarts. That would have to be a suicide to even try, because it was said that when the man would be caught – no matter where, he'd be on the receiving end of a Dementor's kiss.
The thought made Len shudder, because no one deserved a fate that dreadful. So maybe it was that, when Barry came to him, out of breath and with big eyes, begging him for help. Assuring him that his father wasn't a Death Eater, that he never could be and that he met with him outside in Hogsmeade several times by then and that if Henry Allen really wanted to kill him he could have done it there…. And Len cursed, caught Barry's hand and pulled up the stairs towards the Ravenclaw common room. When he was told the riddle he cursed, because he didn't have the time to play stupid games and he huffed. His hand slipped to his pocket and Len frowned when he felt a folded paper there. He pulled it out, read the word out loud and the ladder came down. Huh. He shook his head and pulled Barry up to his room and slammed the door closed, locking it with a simple spell. He knew he was going to regret it as he went through his suitcase and pulled out what looked like a small hourglass on a golden necklace. It was the last thing Len and Lisa had after their mother, one that the Ministry didn't really know about and Len was obviously stupid to risk everything for Barry's father. He pulled the necklace around Barry and himself, turning the hourglass and counting. He didn't travel back in time yet, and after that experience? Len was sure he'll never do that again as well.
"We did it!" Barry yelped as he threw himself around Len, just as Len closed the door behind them. Len humpfed, catching Barry around his waist as the guy grinned up at him. "Thank you."
"You know you won't be able to see your father again." Len said, watching Barry as the guy shrugged.
"I'm going to clear his name one day. Then he'll be able to come back." Barry really seemed to believe that, if the determined look in his eyes was anything to go by and Len opened his mouth to explain it wasn't as easy as Barry seemed to think, when the door to his room burst opened and Eiling stood there, enraged and pointing a finger at Len and Barry.
"They did that!"
Len swallowed, hard, happy that the Time-Turner was hidden safely in his pocket – at least for the time being.
"And how would they do that?" Headmaster West asked. It was just then that Len noticed him and Professor Wells standing to the side of the mad man.
"I don't know but look at him! That's not how a child looks after his father died. He had to know nothing happened to him!"
"Well, I think that what we stumbled upon is the act of 'comforting', Professor Eiling. At least the embrace would suggest that. I'm sure Barry didn't know that his father escaped until the very moment you let it slip." Wells said, and there was something about the look he gave Barry, something that made Len uncomfortably shiver, but on the other hand, made Barry brighten.
"Really? My father is okay?" He asked, and Len had to give it to him. He was a good actor when he really tried.
"See, professor." Wells smiled as he turned to the man, who was still huffing and glaring.
"I'm telling you, Wells, he did something and when I figure out what-"
"Well," West interrupted the raging man, "until you can come up with solid proof, Professor, I'd suggest leaving these boys. Today was emotionally draining – for all of us. We all deserve the rest."
Eiling glared between all of them, before he turned and marched out of the room, Wells following along with West.
The fifth crazy thing that happened was the kiss that Barry pressed against the corner of Len's lips.
… Ravenclaw won that year. Everyone believed it was a miracle.
The next year was fucked up. There wasn't a better word for that, because so many things happened at once, things that left them all reeling…
West was in the hospital. When Len realized it was Wells who put him there (it had to be him, he was the last one with West), he was afraid he was too late. Because that day Barry said they wouldn't be able to hang out, because Wells was supposed to show him a unicorn in the Forbidden Forest or something, Len really wasn't listening then. He cursed himself as he ran through the school grounds, wind rushing around his face, whistling in his ears. His breath was coming in short huffs and all but stopped when he heard the scream. Before knowing what he was doing he lifted his wand up, yelling a Patronus charm. He could feel, more then seehis Snow Fox running in the opposite direction than him as he made his way through the forest, only stopping when he saw Barry kneeling on the ground. The boy was clutching his arm to his chest, betrayed eyes staring at Wells who was standing above him, smirk on his face, as he stood above the boy, a vial full of blood, Barry's blood, in his hand. His eyes snapped over to Len for a moment, the smirk widening.
The man muttered something as he sliced his own wrist before pouring Barry's blood over the open cut, his eyes closing for a moment. Then he lifted his wand, moving it and Len watched as something that appeared to be a mirror materialized behind him, the surface of it shaking as Wells went through it, before once again becoming the cold glass.
Len ran over, touching Barry's arm.
"He said he did it." Barry said, looking up at him. "He said he's Eobard. That he's going to finish the job." And that could mean only one thing… Len looked at the mirror and bit his lip, walking over to it.
"Wait! Len, wait!" Lisa yelled and Len turned to see his Fox running back with the whole cavalry – the whole Team Flash along with Mick, Lisa and Axel was there, on their side. "What the hell?"
"Wells is Eobard. He said he's going to kill Barry." He explained as Snow kneeled down, taking her wand out and spelling bandages over Barry's wrist, something that Len was thankful for. "I have to stop him." He said, turning back to the mirror. This time it was Iris that stopped him, catching his arm.
"You can't!" She said, shaking his head. "There is this whole prophecy thing."
"What prophecy?"
She swallowed and licked her lips.
"I only saw it in dad's pensieve. I wasn't supposed to so I don't remember it whole. But it was something like 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the third month comes to its half... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord though coming from future doesn't know…? And…" Iris thought, her eyes running from one side to the other as she tried to remember. "And… something about neither of them being able to live and the Dark Lord dying at the hand of the 'chosen one' or something like that." She said frowning at Len. "Dad always said that Barry was very important and to take care of him. I don't think just anyone can kill Eobard."
Mick frowned at that.
"Dark Lord coming from the future? So what… the mirror brought him back to the past?" he asked, and Len looked at him, trying to ignore the way Mick's hand was clutching Axel's. He needed to think and that was distracting.
"Well… Wells did say something about the past, present and future running in lines next to each other all the time." Axel pointed out, and the new kid in The Flash team, Cisco Ramon? Was his name blinked.
"Yes! That's possible. I mean… Muggles have a bunch of theories about that. So if the mirror is some kind of portal it's possible. Hard to believe, but very much possible."
Len frowned at the mirror… then his eyes widened as he turned to Barry.
"You saved yourself." He said quietly.
"What?" Barry asked, standing up and coming to Len's side. "What are you talking about?"
And suddenly it all made sense, and why didn't Len think of that before?! He clutched at Barry's shoulder, shaking him lightly.
"You saved yourself. Think of the time turner. We went to the past and saved your father, changing the events of the things. But there was the moment when we were running back towards the room and I stopped you. I dragged you to the changing rooms, because I knew I couldn't possibly just have the answer to the riddle in my pocket. So I wrote it a piece of paper and put it in my pocket. Which I found when I went there with you before." He said, trying to explain. "So we went through this already. We went there and you were the one who saved yourself. They found you as a baby far away from your house. Safe."
"How do you know it was me?" Barry asked and shook his head. "If I can be the only one who can defeat Eobard-"
"They found you miles away, Barry. Just seconds, maybe a few minutes after the attack at your house. I don't know anyone who can fly faster than you." Barry watched him and Len took a deep breath. "I'll come with you." He said, squeezing Barry's shoulders. "You can do this, Barry."
"I'm coming along." Axel said and smirked. "I mean I always liked you two. Can't allow anything to happen to either."
"Me too. And I'm sure Iris as well." Lisa said, with Iris nodding next to her. "You're our brothers, we're the only ones allowed to fuck you up."
Eddie shrugged.
"I want to go too. The more of us, the safer it is. Barry is the Boy who lived, but Eobard is Eobard. It might be better for us."
Mick shrugged.
"Hell… something might burn." He said with a smirk and Len took a deep breath before nodding.
"Fine." It felt… good to have friends like that. It felt very good and Len bit his lip as he turned to Cisco and Caitlin when they offered to tag along.
"No, you two stay here. We need someone to make sure the mirror is safe." He said before they could start protesting. "We need as a way to return home." Len added and waited for the two to nod grudgingly, before he took Barry's hand and stepped forward and through the 'portal'.
The mirror felt cool against his skin, almost like cold water and Len closed his eyes for a moment, just to open them in hell. Or well, the corridor before hell, because there were screams in the next room, the sounds of spells being fired and Len opened the door just a crack. He could see Wells - Eobard facing a woman, what he thought was Barry's mother, and Barry's father? Henry looked younger, much younger than he was the last time Len saw him, which only made sense since they were in the past. The protective spell the guy had on was breaking. Len could see that in the shaking of his hand.
Barry pushed up next to him, just as Wells fired a spell at Allen senior, letting him fly to the side and disappear, before he made his way to his mother. Who was standing in front of the crib, protecting it with her own body.
The killing curse sounded and Len caught Barry, one arm winding around his waist and his other hand closing over his mouth.
"You're supposed to save yourself, Barry." He whispered as he felt the tears running down the other's cheek before he opened the door and ran out, pushed one of the brooms at Barry and pushed him into the direction of the crib. "Go! Make sure West can find you!" Len could feel Barry stopping next to him and he turned, pushing at him again. "Go, I said!" He yelled and had his wand up at ready, as the rest of them. He waited until Barry did as he was told, cursing under his breath of course, but only after Len was sure it was safe to turn back, that Barry won't just return, did he face Wells.
"There always has to be someone who's meddling in this, hm?" Wells asked and shook his head. "This can never be easy. Nothing can be easy for Eobard Thawne can it?" Wells groaned and looked at them. "But you think any of you can stop me? No. Barry? Maybe, but of course, not this version of him. No, no." The man shook his wand as he walked slowly from one side of the room to the other. "The one I came running from? One I couldn't get rid of in the future? Maybe. Though now I know more than I did then. Or well, than I will know. Time travel is a messy business." He took a deep breath before turning to them, striking a half-turn with his wand making all of them fly back. Len's back hit the wall and he couldn't move. He wasn't sure if it was fear, oh god, what if Barry comes back and they will all be dead and Eobard will wait for him and kill him?! Len couldn't even think of Barry dying. Or if it was a spell the wizard held over them.
"Now there is the last lesson I'm going to teach all of you." He said and smiled. "You can't change your future. And in my future, you're all dead. Avada –"
Len felt like he saw this scene before. It was so, so similar to the one in the Chamber of Secret, with Eobard stopping half-way in the curse, clutching at his chest, with the light seeping through him. There as light now too. But while that light, the one with basilisk had been white, this one was green and Len turned to look at his sister. But she was lying on the ground unconscious so it couldn't be her.
Then he heard a groan. One that made him freeze, before he slowly turned his head, and his eyes widened. Thawne stood there, a knife through his chest and smiling.
"What… why?" Wells hissed as the wand fell from his fingers, letting Len get up and run over to Thawne.
"Eddie!" And when did Barry get back? The boy was kneeling next to Thawne, his hand bloodied, and Iris joined over in next moment. "What did you do! What did you do!"
"Barry is not the only one born around the middle of the March." Eddie said with a smile looking at Wells. "You made a mistake of saying your… your name and with the neither of us being able to live in the prophecy..." There was too much blood as Len pressed his hand around the knife, trying to keep it inside, because what the hell. Didn't Thawne know that there were supposed to be happy ends?! That no one was supposed to die, no one but the evil guy?!
The idiot was just smiling at them, all soft and warm and Len growled.
"You're an idiot!"
"I am, I guess. But … I couldn't… let him hurt my friends. Ones that I finally… have. Thank you." Eddie whispered, then smiled at Iris, squeezing her hand. "I just wanted to be the real Hufflepuff for once. We're supposed to give up … anything for our friends." And how could he even joke then?
Iris was crying next to Len, he could hear her sniff.
"You are the best Hufflepuff. You always were." Iris whispered, tears running down her cheeks as well as Barry's.
Eddie smiled.
"That's good." He nodded, before his eyes slipped closed, his chest didn't lift anymore. None of them turned around when they heard Wells scream.
Len let them have a moment, before he shook himself and started pulling them up.
"We need to get back, now." He said as he picked up Eddie's body in his arms. "They are coming to see what happened in this house. They can't find us here. Come on!" He yelled when no one moved. That seemed to get to Mick and Lisa, who stood up, Lisa hurried to Iris and helped her back through the mirror as Mick took Eddie from Len, holding him to his chest protectively. There was not much use of that then, but Len still appreciated the gesture. Len pulled Barry through the mirror, right after Axel who walked slowly behind Mick.
Len could hear Caitlin and Cisco crying as he got to the other side, but he didn't do anything, just turned to Barry and pulled him close, feeling Barry's tears dampen his sweater, he didn't care. He could hear the whole school coming, the professors, even West – he must've woken up after all, but he didn't look up. He couldn't look up. Not until Barry would stop shaking in his arms.
As they stood in the Great Hall at the end of the year, no House won the cup. It was Eddie Thawne who did. Len's arms slipped around Barry, pulling him closer to himself, pressing his chest against Barry's back.