Crowley sighed and fixed his suit carefully as he pulled himself up straight and walked to the crossroad just ahead. When he had felt the tug of the summoning pulling him to Surrey, England he had been excited. It wasn't every day he got to visit this area of the world and the neighbourhood was known for the richer of mortals. It was most likely some cocky businessman who was down on his luck and wanted a devil's hand. Maybe it would be a woman wanting to be pregnant; after all it was the suburbs. Coming to the junction he looked around when he heard a soft voice ask from over in the bushes, "Are you the demon?"

Turning his eyes narrowed as the form of a small male stepped from the bushes. He couldn't have been any older than 12 maybe 13. His black hair hung in loose waves to his shoulders, green eyes glowed hauntingly on the sickly pale face. He was thin and his clothes hung off him like they belonged to a much older man. Slowly he stepped forward favouring his right leg as he came up to the demon. As he ventured further into the light Crowley fought the urge to widen his eyes. A large bruise covered most of the boy's right cheek and jaw.

Crowley stepped forward giving a trademark smirk, "That's right Darling. You called?"

He nodded finger fidgeting with a section of the large shirt, "You make deals with people, for their souls?"

The demon looked at the boy, he couldn't be serious, brown eyes narrowed at the teen, he stank of innocence, "I do, and what could have a little bird like you call for me? Did mummy take away your toys?" He had to treat this like any other contract. Maybe if he angered the kid he would leave. He may be a demon but even he drew a line at certain places.

The boy casted his large green eyes to the ground long sooty eyelashes covering them slightly, "My parents are dead."

"Well I can't bring them back. Not in my power love."

He looked up a frown on his face, "I don't know them, maybe once I would have asked that, but why wish for something I never knew?"

Crowley frowned at the boy, "Well what do you want?"

Green eyes met his brown ones, "I just wanted someone to talk to. My deal is this, will you be willing to stay the night with me? Talk to me and listen? In return you may have my soul when I die. Shouldn't be more than a few years."

This had the demons attention, what the hell was the boy on about. Obviously he was being abused somewhere. A foster parent probably knowing the boy's parents are dead, but to know he would be dead in only a few years' time had him curious, "How do you know you will die in a few years?"

A haunting smile passed across those pink pouty lips, "That is part of why I want someone to talk to. Someone unbiased."

The crossroad king took a long deep breath before slowly stepping closer to the boy and placing a hand on his shoulder, not surprised at the flinch, "Is there anything else you want? Normally I do not allow people to restate their deals but for a lovely darling like you I will. How about this I will heal you and listen to you this night for as long as you wish me to, I will then escort you home and come knocking for your soul when your time has come. Does that seem a bit more to your liking?"

He frowned, "Is it true about the hellhounds?"

Crowley chuckled, "I will not let mine tear you apart for your soul if that is your worry. Your too pretty to mutilate I think."

The boy shook his head, "No, I want to see one. I've seen a Grim but not a hellhound."

The demon sighed, "Alright darling I will let you see a hellhound as well. Now do we have a deal?"

The boy nodded and the demon leant down and pressed his lips against the warm ones of the boy for barely a moment before breaking away. Watching with open eyes as the boy's look of fear became confusion, then acceptance. Crowley held out his other hand, "Shall we go? I know a much better place to talk then in the middle of a road."

Green eyes regarded his hand a moment before he slipped his smaller one into the firm hand and gasped at the gentle swirling sensation. His vision blurred red before it cleared and he found himself standing in a large living room with light green wall paper and thick blue carpets. A large Persian rug spread out beneath his feet, stopping at a large black marble fireplace already crackling merrily. He heard a soft voice clear its throat and he turned to find Crowley perched on a plush black couch with blue edging his hand nursing a glass of amber liquid his other hand had a glass filled with a white liquid.

He slowly walked over and took the offered glass of milk and yelped when arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him into the demon's lap, "Alright darling, how about we start with you telling me your name and how old you are, then I will tell you my name and we can start that talk you wanted yeah?"

The boy looked at him and nodded before taking a sip of the milk, "My name is Harry and I am 15."

Crowley almost, almost mind you, smashed his glass of craig. The boy did not look that old, what the hell where his guardians thinking, not even demons treated children this badly, "Well Harry, I am Crowley and that big lug over there in the dog bed is my hellhound. Relax your eyes give them a moment to adjust and he will become visible to you."

Harry turned large green eyes over to the large black dog bed and his vision blurred slightly, he could have sworn he felt something touch his temple before slowly it cleared and he gasped. The hellhound was huge easily 400 pounds. It looked like a large mastiff with large paws tipped in razorblade claws. The muzzle was split to show vicious teeth and its ears where large and relaxed twitching at the slight noise. It was look at him with red eyes its tail curled over its even larger back paws. Slowly Harry leaned forward smiling, "What's his name?"

Crowley blinked, "I don't name my hellhounds. He is the alpha of my current pack. My right hand mutt so to speak."

The boy leaned forward more dropping a small pale hand down and made a single kissy face noise at the hell hound, "Oh I bet you are just the sweetest thing."

The hound stood and slowly came toward the extended hand. The demon held the boys waist tightly with one arm, he was ready to call the hound off if it chose to attack the boy. Slowly the large nose sniffed at the hand and Harry giggled at the feeling before slowly petting the large hellhound behind the air, noticing he was a lot hotter to the touch than a normal dog. The hell hound whined and nuzzled closer practically putting his head into the boys lap. Crowley watched in shock as the boy pet the vicious man eater and kissed his nose, "How about we name you Hades. Would you like that?"

The hound gave a woofing howl and Harry laughed.

"You're naming him after the Greek god of the underworld?"

Harry shrugged, "My owls name is Hedwig."

Crowley blinked before his whole form tensed, the boy had an owl that screamed one thing, "You failed to inform me you were a wizard."

Green eyes turned back to him, "Does it matter?"

The demon sighed and took a long sip of his whiskey glaring as the hell hound crawled onto the couch next to him so he could crawl further into the boys lap. Alright so maybe his current alpha hellhound had a soft spot for children apparently. He looked down into the wondrous emerald orbs and sighed, "No, it is no problem. Now would you like to start your story? The night only has so many hours."

Harry blushed and set the milk down on the cherry wood side table his hands digging into the hellhounds black fur as the heavy mutt flopped down heavily across his lap and by default Crowleys'. "Well I guess the only way to start is the beginning. It all started with an orphan named Tom Riddle."

Silently Crowley listened to the young boy with an open ear, and by some miracle and several glasses of his favourite whiskey so that he did not just drop the child to go murder every fucking wizard and witch in great Britain. They were all a bunch of fucking morons. Slowly he clung to the now sleeping boy, he was so broken and yet they expected him to fight there war. Crowley looked down his eyes taking in the lightning bolt scar before trailing down to the one on his hand. Raising a hand he let his magic seep into the boy's body and slowly healed the wounds that had been inflicted. Snarling at how many there were in general.

Tucking a strand of black hair behind the pale ear he pressed a kiss to the scar and ran a hand through the soft hair, "You will not die darling, I guarantee it." Turning he faced the hellhound, "Hades, would you like to kill the people who injured this poor soul?"

The hell hound gave a quiet woof licking the pale hand that rested limply on his huge paw. A soft tsking noise had the King of Crossroads looking up to find a man sitting in a chair across from him, Grace reeked off the form and the man smiled at him, "You cannot change this boy's path. It is meant to be."

Crowley snarled, "And why is that?"

The angel shrugged, "We have tried interfering before. He is bound by a greater force. This is his destiny. If you wish to help him, then put him back where he was and void the contract on his soul. Erase his memory of your encounter and leave him be."

"And if I don't?"

The man shrugged, "I cannot make you, but I can tell you the consequences will be disastrous if you interfere. You have to let him stumble about on his own." The angel vanished with the sound of wings flapping and Crowley snarled before looking down at the boy, his hellhound whined nudging the pale hand.

"Well can't say I didn't try. However I believe I will not erase your memory, and I will not simply leave. Oh no."

He stood and slowly let his body teleport to a dark dank room littered with broken toys, Laying the teen on the bed he sighed gently and brushed the hair away from the boy's face kissing the exposed scar.

"Now Harry, you have a demon watching over you."