Chapter 9: Passing Keys to Idiots

Adam glanced down the bustling platform to where Harry was hugging his three children before they slipped off, excitedly, onto the long scarlet train. His kids seemed delighted to be here, the youngest with her bright red hair, doubly so. None of them seemed worried about anything in particular. Adam, on the other hand, was unsettled by the enormity of the Hogwarts Express. The whole situation reminded him of one of his muggle friend Rico's movie posters with a woman tied to the tracks. He tried not to look at them or the large red machine on top. He especially tried not to imagine riding it far away from his brother, who was keeping everything under control, who was the next best thing to parents if you were going to stick it out alone.

Now he was being asked to leave him and two younger family members, to go to a boarding school, with uniforms. Adam pulled at the sleeves of his drab black robes whereupon even the red and gold lion looked weary. All of their clothes were second hand now, he couldn't imagine what the students at his old school would say if they saw him. Whatever it was, it would be mortifying.

Jeff and Madison had sprinted onto the train as soon as they had come through the barrier to platform 9 ¾ with Mr. Potter himself as a guide. Quincy and Roe had followed the twins excitedly as Ashing called nervously for them to behave. Adam would have to miss them now, too. He already missed his parents more than he would admit.

He missed everything so much so that it felt as if something had collapsed in his chest. Almost above everyone else though, he missed Tabitha.

He saw her every night as he tried to fall asleep, and then every day, every hour. Her frizzy blonde curls, her pink lips that widened into a one-in-a-million smile, the way she danced to wizard music without knowing any of the words. He was still collecting jokes and stories to tell her, just as he would store them up every evening back in Kansas. She would store up her own and the next morning, leaning against tan lockers; he would stare at the gold flecks in her blue eyes as they talked until the bell rang.

The stupidest magical things would make her smile, and in turn she would pass him muggle trinkets from her childhood. He had none of them now. He was alone, and suddenly life felt a lot more like survival and a lot less like living.

"You'll get the letter to her?" Adam asked Ashing again.

"I'll try, but we've been trying for a week only to get shut down."

"She doesn't even know we're okay!" Adam stated pointedly.

"I'll get it to her." Ashing gave in, trying to comfort his panicking brother.

Adam felt little relief, but he also had little time to pass on one last important piece of information to his brother before departing. He glanced down at Harry again, checking, fiddled with his collar for a few seconds, then pulled a chain necklace out from within his robes. He pulled it over his head and slipped it quickly into Ashing hands. He folded his older brother's tense fingers around the key attached to the chain and held it shut.

"In case you need money." He explained. Ashing gave him a raised eyebrow as a response.

Adam huffed and said under his breath "It's a key to a vault in Gringotts."

"Oh," Ashing realized suddenly. "Wait, why do you have a vault in Gringotts?"

In response, the younger boy rolled his eyes and leaned in closer, still holding his hand shut. "It's from Mom and Dad." He hissed. Ashing's eyes grew until they were the size of galleons.

"What?"

Several other questions sputtered on Ashing's tongue, but he couldn't formulate any of them before Adam hissed, "You didn't know?"

Ashing's questioning brain shut down for a second in order to answer with a jerked, stunned, headshake. Adam couldn't contain a bewildered laugh.

"You? what?" He fumbled at his older brother. Ashing only shrugged, confused.

Adam let got of Ashing's hand, took a step back but leaned in to be discrete. "I mean, I get why Roe and Quincy didn't know, and Madi's always away at boarding school." Adam's voice was starting to turn accusing as Ashing continued not to show any sign of recognition. "and Jeff might actually be the dumbest person I know, but you? How did you survive 18 years with our parents and not figure it out?" Ashing continued to stare, so Adam continued with intensity. "International war re-enactors don't make enough money to live in fancy suburban houses or send their kids to ritzy east coast boarding schools. I don't think war re-enacting's even a real job!" Adam paused, exasperated. "Mom wasn't selling tupperware on the side!" He searched his older brother's face for some spark of realization. Ashing's mouth eventually formed a mute "oh" and Adam nodded slowly in return, still surprised at his brother's naivety. He puffed out a breath of air.

"So they knew you knew."

"They gave that to me the morning they left 'in case anything happened.' I didn't know they were leaving. The Wizard Cops had no idea what it was, since I stuck it with my house keys."

Ashing glanced at the very not house key in his hand. He nodded again, still mutely mulling over what Adam had said.

Adam looked down the platform to the head auror who was now walking their way. "Don't let Harry see it." He hissed at his somewhat slow older brother. Ashing quickly closed his fingers and stuffed the key into his cloak pocket. The fact that he only vaguely knew what a Gringotts vault was suddenly struck him. He wanted to turn back to Adam to ask if their parents had given him any instructions, but Adam was already turning to Harry.

"You should be getting on the train." The man noted good-naturedly.

"I was just heading there." Adam said collecting his courage and looking over to the giant man-crushing machine with a faint whimper. "You're missing some people." Harry pointed out to Ashing, who blinked out of a faraway place then looked down at his pant leg where Quincy should have been.

"They'll probably show up." He answered vaguely. Harry nodded with a concerned glance.

"I'll send 'em off." Adam said, turning away from the train to say one last goodbye. He and Ashing looked at each other for a second, each taking a moment to mull over what was about to happen. They were supposed to have stayed together that year. Ashing was going to teach, Adam was going to skate by with B's and C's in all of his classes, go to some muggle ball thing with Tabitha. They were going to crush the lesser wizards at Quodpot.

They half smiled at one another before breaking out into a crushing hug. Behind them a loud whistle blew and Adam twitched involuntarily. With a grumble, he stepped away from his brother, picked up his duffle bag and wearily boarded the train.

Ashing walked toward the closest door of the train and within seconds Quincy and Roe were shuffled off by Madison. Ashing gave his sister one more hug before a station manager walked by to shut the door. She stayed at the door's window as the train pulled away, waving. She had done this far more than the rest of them. He realized they had all missed her growing up. At some point she had come home for Christmas, or an early semester break much more like a teenage girl and much less like their fourth Quodpot team member. Ashing looked down at Quincy "You are never going to Salem." He informed the girl with a stern look. She blew a spit bubble at him. "I honestly don't think they'd want you." He tacked on.

Upset younger siblings and parents quickly began to clear off of the platform with popping noises and clanking carts.

Harry walked down the platform until he was standing next to Ashing. He was holding tightly to his wife's hand as they watched the train turn around the faraway bend, their last kid leaving for her first year at Hogwarts. Both parents looked to be holding in proud tears.

As the last train sounds faded Ashing could feel the world unsettle around him. Without the other three right next to him he wasn't sure he could hold everything together. He didn't know if he could keep acting like his parents weren't missing, or that they weren't all involved in a crime.

"Where'd they go?" Roe asked suddenly wandering to the platform's edge.

"School. Roe, they're off at school." Ashing replied with a sigh

"I'm going with them." Roe replied. As he started to get down onto the tracks Ashing grabbed his shirt in a tight grip.

"Not this time." Ashing replied, and slowly tried to pull his brother away from the edge. The scathing glare Roe gave him was almost paralyzing. Before Roe could verbalize anything Harry broke in.

"Do you have plans for the afternoon?"

Roe was leaning heavily away from him wanting to follow the train. His eyes were dead set on the bend where the train had disappeared. Ashing reined the boy in by his shirt and gripped him around his chest.

"I think you should let Roe go to school with them." Quincy informed him, and Ashing could see out of the corner of his eyes, that she had put her small hands on her hips.

"Quince, it's not like that." Ashing tried to explain, as Roe tugged harder against him and grumbled audibly.

"Ginny and I were thinking of inviting you for lunch?" Harry asked sounding almost uncomfortable

Quincy ignored the auror and continued to give Ashing an unimpressed stare. "He always goes to school with them." She explained.

"Yep. He does." Ashing agreed slowly backing Roe further away from the platform. The last few remaining families were leaving now. Some glanced their way as they disappeared through the wall and into the greater Kings Cross Station.

"Roe, what would you think about going back to Auror Harry's for lunch."

Roe didn't take his eyes off the distant hill. "Adam." He replied deadly.

"No, lunch actually." Ashing tried not to think about the worst-case scenario, a tantrum, a crying fit, screaming. That was always Mom's department, or Adams, who had been doing everything in his power to derailing the thirteen-year-olds "what's going on" freaks outs lately. Worst-case scenario. "What would Adam do?" He thought.

"How about I find us some mac and cheese and hot dogs?" He tried. Favorite food bribery was occasionally effective. Roe pulled one of his arms out of Ashing's hold and tried to unclasp his older brother's hands from around him. After a minute of wrestling Adam pulled him in tightly against himself long enough to search the boy's pocket for a trinket. Roe struggled, but Ashing managed to find a velvet-covered button the boy had picked up from Madame Maxine's. Ashing squeezed his brother and tried to place the button in his brother's hand in the same way Adam had placed the key in his; closing his brother's fingers over the object. Roe gave several more kicks, but in Ashing's tight hold he was settling down. He slowly gave up but continued leaning heavily against Ashing's hold.

"So lunch maybe?" Ashing tried but instead of an answer Roe sunk to a sitting position. Ashing sunk with him ultimately thankful. The boy was intently watching the distant hill, his eyes dark and angry. Ashing slowly let go of his brother's chest but he kept hold of his now wrinkled t-shirt, just in case.

Ashing looked back at Harry. "Maybe later then, I think we're gonna be." He pointed to where the train had disappeared. "Here for awhile." He tried to explain.

"We could keep an eye on Quincy?" Ginny tried to offer, but Asher's heart jumped before his mind could keep up.

"No."

He settled himself. "No. I just don't." He tried to form a sentence that didn't make him sound paranoid or clingy. Nothing came to him. Harry didn't press him but instead knelt down and pulled a small sheet of paper from his pocket.

"We'll be at this address. We would love to have you for lunch, or tea, or dinner." Harry replied looking over to Roe, not knowing how long they would be sitting there. Quincy took the sheet of paper from him and inspected it intently before settling herself on Ashing's lap.

"Neville's at Hogwarts tonight, but you should be able to get a hold of Hannah. She can bring you by. It would be good if you came over at some point today. The auror department is still okay with you staying at the Leaky Cauldron, but we wanted to discuss alternative, perhaps safer housing for you, Monroe, and Quincy." Harry explained. Ashing nodded slowly and read the address off the paper in Quincy's hands.

"Let's stay with Neville." Roe said suddenly. Ashing whipped his head back around to his brother. The boy hadn't taken his eyes off the train but the storm in his eyes had abated slightly.

"I like Neville and Hannah." Quincy agreed looking at Ashing. Harry smiled at the suggestion.

"That's not really an option." Ashing said resting his forehead on the top of Quincy's soft dark hair, cringing inwardly at his siblings' forwardness. If he were lucky Harry would take it to mean they wanted to stay at The Leaky Cauldron.

"Actually." Harry started then looked back at Ginny for confirmation.

"They're as safe as anywhere else." She stated.

"Yeah, but we can't just crash on their couch." Ashing cut in "we don't even really know them."

"You know them well enough, and the aurors trust him and Hannah. We'll ask." Harry replied before Ashing could make any further argument. Ashing was still looking at him, disbelieving. Harry stood and smiled comfortingly. "Auror Pratt should be here any moment to keep an eye on you." He said, and at that moment another pop sounded down on the far end of the platform. Ashing put his head back into Quincy's hair. They were being babysat again.

Harry reminded them to stop by for some food then he and Ginny disapparated, leaving them alone on the platform with the new Auror.