Notes: Written for Day Four of Jalec Week - Crossover - and also on a prompt I got this morning. This is placed in America instead of England because of obvious reasons, so I hope I didn't get too many things wrong about the American Wizarding community as per the new details in HP canon. ;D Feel free to let me know what you think!
Isabelle, always hell bent on incorporating ordinary concepts to her magical studies, had insisted more than once that magic had a character – not defined by a specific wand as it had been previously suggested, but by the person who wielded it. Sometimes, as he watched Alec go through the spells for their final exam for the hundredth time, Jace was inclined to agree.
Alec's magic was as disciplined as he was, kept on a tight leash and only unfurling to its full potential when he allowed it to. But sometimes, very rarely, it showed its true face, slipping out under his careful control. It was always glorious to witness and it was one of the reasons why Jace remembered the day he'd conjured his Patronus for the first time.
They'd been in their fifth year and almost no one had managed anything but a few sparks yet when asked to do that particular spell. Of course, that hadn't stopped Alec from getting frustrated at his own inability and even if he couldn't be sure – they'd been sorted in different houses – Jace suspected that on some nights, Alec had stayed up for hours trying to perfect the exact word or movement or thought that would bring his magic out where his defence from Dementors was concerned.
It had paid off, eventually; the next time they'd been prompted to try their hand at it, Alec had been the first to volunteer, the already familiar blue glow pouring out of his wand and – as it took shape – spreading its wings to circle under the ceiling of the room.
Their professor and all their classmates forgotten, Jace had come closer to congratulate his best friend while the eagle – because that's what it was, once he'd got the chance to take a good look at it – had swooped by its owner's side.
He'd mastered it completely after that and he'd helped Jace with his own Patronus too – despite tricking Ilvermony's acceptance system so that he and Alec could be in the same year, Jace was a year younger than him. It hadn't taken him too long to catch up and soon enough, his Patronus had manifested as a lynx, but he'd never forgotten Alec's elation upon finding one of the spells he excelled at to this day.
Jace wasn't sure why he'd been reminded of that now, other than the fact that their final exam would include that as a last test to their abilities – abilities which would before that be examined through just about any attack or defence technique under the sun. But they'd studied for months; they'd been training for this since they'd graduated. Failure wasn't an option. And once they called home to tell everyone the news, Jace had planned a private celebration of sorts, and maybe then he could finally talk to Alec about something that seemed like much more of a challenge than any test he could be put through.
"Are you okay? You look tense."
Alec's voice broke through his thoughts and Jace smiled at his reproachful tone. Tension was never good when you were trying to be precise with your magic, but Jace could sense a decent amount of it in that question alone.
"I'm fine," he assured him. "I'm just- thinking."
Alec stopped abruptly, one hand reaching out to stop Jace too, and his expression was more serious than ever.
"Are you having second thoughts? If you don't think you're ready, we can reschedule this for next time, no questions asked."
"No!" Alec had clearly misunderstood, but it didn't matter. It was better that way. "I'm good. Seriously, Alec, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were the one having doubts."
"Of course not," Alec snorted, slowing his pace down as they reached the overcrowded entrance of the hall the Congress had chosen for today. "This is as prepared as we're going to get. There's nothing to have doubts about."
Jace examined the other candidates, an unpleasant – and almost unfamiliar – nervousness curling in his stomach. "I hope you're right."
This was it. Everything they'd done in the last ten years had been building up to this. All their work in school, the three years of advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts studies and all the training and revising they'd done in just the last month had been leading up to the two of them coming here today to officially get their auror licenses. Their Headmistress had apparently talked about them in front of the Congress and she'd presented them as being more efficient as a team than they when they were apart. Jace was grateful – that way, they called them in together and even if Alec still had to go first, they could at least give each other courage.
Not that there was any need for it, at least in Alec's case. Jace's smile only grew as he watched him go through the spells without an ounce of hesitation even as they slowly grew more and more difficult until finally, conjuring a Patronus was requested.
"Expecto Patronum!" For a moment, the afternoon sun outside didn't seem quite as bright as the room was drowned in soft silver light as Alec's Patronus practically ran out of his wand, dissipating in the air after a moment or two when it found no Dementors to chase away.
Running. Whatever it was that Alec had conjured, it wasn't his Patronus and Jace suspected that his confusion was written all over his face. He hadn't been able to see the animal well enough, but it didn't matter – it couldn't be confused with an eagle even by the most inobservant of people.
If it were anyone else, Jace would have been sure that somehow, something had gone horribly wrong. But it didn't make sense. This was Alec. Alec was physically incapable of messing up a Patronus charm.
Still, the proof was right there: Alec was white as a sheet and Jace could see him making his way to the committee's table mostly on autopilot. None of them looked particularly bothered, though, and Jace quickly realised that they couldn't have known. It had been a perfectly executed spell, but apparently no one had told them what Alec's Patronus was. The only familiar face Jace could see was Lydia Branwell and he froze, watching her intently over Alec's shoulder. They'd known each other back in school and there was no way she hadn't seen the difference, but it was clear that she wasn't about to mention it. She smiled and handed Alec something and Jace saw him thank her before he stepped away, still looking shaken as headed in Jace's direction.
He was clutching his newly received license like his life depended on it and although there were about a million things Jace could have said, he knew he couldn't do it now. Instead, he stood up and took out his wand, bracing himself for what was to come. There would be time for questions later.
o.O.o
By the time they made their way out of the hall, Jace felt like he didn't have a care in the world. Everything had gone as smoothly as possible and Alec seemed much more relaxed now, leading Jace to almost forget about what had happened with the Patronus. Almost.
He'd realised what had happened shortly after he himself had done the spell at the end of his exam. When he'd watched Alec, he'd been too surprised by this turn of events to notice what kind of animal had showed up, but in retrospect, as he watched his own Patronus circle around him before disappearing, he'd recognised the similarities.
And it wasn't just that. Jace had been too focused on getting his documents to listen to what the people around him were talking about, but there had definitely been whispers and knowing smiles – not necessarily malicious, but strange nonetheless; as if they all knew something that he didn't.
Alec had been too busy talking on the phone with Izzy until now and Jace watched him with mild curiosity as he reluctantly hung up and put the device back in his pocket and then trying to do the same with his wand so that it wouldn't be on display for the non-magical gaze. He'd seen Alec nervous before, but he'd never seen him so restless and Jace found himself watching him with a fond smile. He knew that he was staring, but sometimes the only way to get Alec's attention was to make said attention painfully obvious.
"I wanted to say sorry," Alec said after a long pause. They were outside now, where the people still waiting for their turn had scattered around, talking in groups around the main alley and Jace could feel their eyes following them as they walked away. Not everyone would be accepted, he knew, but they were and now that that was out of the way, Jace could focus on Alec as he struggled to find the right words. "About the- About what happened. I know the committee found it funny, but- it shouldn't have happened at all."
"Don't be ridiculous," Jace scoffed. He wasn't sure what he'd expected from this conversation, but it hadn't even occurred to him that an apology might follow. "It's not your fault. I was just wondering why. It's strange, isn't it? Once you have your Patronus, it's always the same."
"Not necessarily." Alec was about to launch into one of his usual theoretical discussions, Jace could feel it, but he didn't mind in the slightest. That way he could talk to Alec without really talking to him in the hopes that he'd bring up what Jace had been building up courage for for what had to be months now. "The Patronus charm draws power from your happiest memories. And sometimes it's any animal, or it can run in the family." Maryse's Patronus was also an eagle, if Jace remembered right; the Lightwoods seemed to mainly manifest as birds, so it only made sense. "But it can change sometimes. If something happens, or if another source of happiness appears- Not that it's a competition, of course, a lot of people can make you happy, but sometimes it's just-"
"Alec." Jace could barely recognise his own voice; the mixture of something infinitely gentle and slightly irritated coming out in a way that made even Alec listen. "Shut up." Surprisingly, he did. "Do you really mean that? What you just said?"
"Of course I do." Alec seemed to find the question ridiculous, although he still looked uncomfortable. "I just didn't mean to tell you like this."
"You didn't mean to tell me at all," Jace corrected and Alec nodded, and it was the only confession Jace needed. He stepped closer, making sure he was making his intentions clear and grabbed Alec by the lapels of his jacket, bringing him down for a kiss. Alec stood completely still for a moment and when he smiled against Jace's lips, closing the last few remaining inches between them by pressing them together, Jace decided that his theory had been proven right: there were kinds of happiness that could change everything.