The name rang through my ears for days after I was able to get up and move around.. My mother and father watched me like a cub going out for it's first hunt. They stalked me every day and sometimes Sally would walk me home from school so I didn't fall into anymore trouble. I was sad that every one thought they had to treat me like some fragile glass egg. We sat at dinner and they looked at me like they had lost me. Was my soul not already theirs to keep? I sighed and looked at them. "Guys are you okay?"
"Fine."
"Why would you ask?"
"I dunno maybe because you guys have hovered over me since... You know..."
"You found a wand that almost put you in the pool of young souls.. Yes.. Yes I am worried about you." Sally sighed. "I love you Harry and there is nothing I can do to change that.. SO I want you to be safe and that's all.. Is that such a crime?"
"Of course not.. I-"
"Harry we love you. More than the sun and the moon.. Sometimes more than the air we don't have to breathe and I can't see you look that way again."
Jack just held her hand. "Your mother is right."
"Not that I said she was wrong dad."
"I know son.. We care for you and someone has to thake the throne. I'd want it to be my son."
Every time my father called me his son... It felt like a badge of honor. Like something I'm going to remember for the rest of my life if I never heard it again. Sometimes it'drown out the horrible thoughts that slide into my mind because of the name Thomas Riddle. Who was he and why did I care? Who was the dude from the ceral box and why did he care? Why couldn't I have peace? "I know dad and I love you both for it.. But I am fine and I will always be fine with you guys by my side." I said it with reassurance. I didn't have enough to say the least but the least I could do was help them know I was safe.
That night I went to sleep thinking that maybe I wasn't crazy for allowing them to have some sort of hope. And maybe I was, but they were literally all I had left of normalcy. I didn't want to believe any of what I was hearing or what I wanted. I didn't want to think about what we were in my life or if it even mattered. I just wated to think of something good. Something nice, but all I could do was think of the person who ruined my life.
The next morning I could do nothing but go through the motions of telling everyone I loved them and walk to school. I was first greeted by Blythe who had nothing more to say than are you okay? I wanted to tell her yeah, but dead kids never had the flu so I couldn't use that excuse. I shurgged and kicked the dirt and continued to walk her to school. Sam walked up next and the Lock stock and Barrel who always came in a pack like I suspect hiennas do. I looked at every one talking, but I stayed silent with only a small smile.
Before I even got a foot in the door Blythe pulled me to the side away from every one. We stared at each other for a moment. Or an hour. Either way it felt like a while. "What?" I asked finally.
"What happened Harry? You weren't in school for three days and Madam Sally started walking you to and from after.. Why does the pumpkin prince need help crossing a road of vampires."
"That could be the start of a funny joke." I said trying to shift this away from her twisted little brain. The last thing I needed was for a pshyic ghoul to know all of the issues in my head were her doing. Well some of them anyway.
"That's not funny Harry."
I shrugged. "I don't want to talk about it Blythe.. It's a lot Harder than you think it is."
"How much harder Harry? I care enough to ask."
"I know and I thank you but this isn't the day to do so."
"You.. You're the most fustrating boy i'VE EVER MET." She snapped and stormed off.
Like a furry of blue flamed fire I watched her go. I watched her with a sigh in my lungs and a pang in my chest. She almost seemed unreachable. I turned to go back but I was grabbed before I could do so. I turned and seen it was Getrude. "God you scared me."
"Your classes have been changed."
"To?"
"Defense. Offenise. Wand Tech. And potion brewing. Gym is obviously the same."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because.. There have been some rather desturbing things I have found since our last meeting Harry and I want you to be prepared."
"Are you- You havent told mom and dad have you?" I asked almost frantic.
"You know I haven't if I did they'd hide you and I couldn't protect you." She said. She seemed more concerned more than anything else. Like she knew something I was quite sure I did not. "Thanks. I'll be in class now."
I went through my new classes reading about the potions I've never heard of and some I thought were make believe. I took my class homework and walked home as always, with my group of friends. I thought it was nice that mother trusted me to come home on my own with out anything trailing me home. I walked down the bridge and said goodbye to everyone, but some how Blythe still tagged along. "Hey."
"You werent in class but you were in school.. Why?"
"Yeah Gerturde thought it best if I studied something more intense than.. the nomal classes."
"She advanced you?"
"I shrugged. What was I supposed to do? Tell her her visions were right and that I owed her big time for screwing up my after life by scaring me back into the strange and messed up reality that I was trapped in? "It's fine. No one notices me and we still have lunch together."
"I suppose... Harry what happened when you were away for two days?"
"I was sick.. With something.. My mother said I could have drank something only Vampires get to drink and it could very well have hurt me instead of help."
"Is that right? Well the spirits say you have found the key to becoming alive again."
"Not that I want to."
"What?"
"Listen I don't want to be alive again. I don't want to have some quest at some school to defeat some awful wizard who has been alive for longer than me and has it out for me for a reason I don't know!" Something raged through me like worry, fear, and anger all into one. Then my head hurt. It hurt so bad it blinded me with a bright light.
"Harry... Harry?!" I heard Blythe scream at me with a tone I'd never heard.
I stumbled back and opened my eyes and Gertrude was there. I could only see her back but there she was holding her wand. When I looked to see why a scream had frozen in my throat so hard it felt like a giant ice ball. There was a ten foot snake hovering over us it's mouth hang open with salivia dripping from it's very beautiful fangs. I called them beautiful because they were the color of pearls, but they were shining like diamonds. I could see my death, the real one, the one not meant for lost souls just finished ones.
Getrude turned to me "Run Harry. Run home and tell no one!"
Blythe took my hand and I scooped up my books. When I tunred back the snake hand lunged for her. My friend was fighting a giant snake! For me. To protect me from something I didn't even know was a part of me. "Stop!" I held out my hand and screamed to the snake. Almost pleaing for it to not hurt her. "I command you to stop and leave her!"
Blythe looked at me like I had lost my mind, and maybe I had but that didn't mean for a second I wouldn't try to stop a twenty foot snake from killing my friend. Someone who seemed to know more about me than anyone on and off earth.
The snake looked at me. Like it heard me like it could understand me. It's eyes focused on me and I almost felt like a rat. About to be eaten, but instead it bowed to me. It bowed like it understood like I was his owner. Thankfully I didn't have to think about it for too long because Gertrude turned him into a stuffed animal with the flick of her quick wrist when she wasn't faced with the same glimmering grin of death that I had been.
"Harry how did you do that?" Blythe asked.
"I don't know.. But I do know it's best to go home.. Go home and try to stay away from spirits." I told her.
She hugged me tighter than I've ever, which wasn't often really, been hugged before. "Please don't ever do it again." She said and kissed my cheek and then ran away.
"What did I do?"
"You spoke in the tonuge of snake... Like you're rather fluent."
"I am not."
"Well You're not but something is." She handed me the beautiful stuffed snake. My mother would love it. "Harry.. You're special and we're going to do anything we can to protect you. Anything we can to make you feel like you can allow your life to grow here, because this is your home. I'm not telling your mother what I seen here today because my darling best friend doesn't need a heart attack for her barley beating heart."
"And Emily."
"God no!" Gertrude laughed so hard it made me smile "I like my head and if you were smart you would too." She hugged me. "Go home Harry.. Go home and do your homework. Then play with chemicals with your father and bake cookies with your mother. Savor those moments you never had and if fate is as terrible as she's known to be.. You'll never have again soon enough."
"Gertrude-"
"Harry. I'm not going to let a soul take you.. Not while I'm around."
"I love you Gertude." I said. It was true. She'd been in my life since I had gotten there and she had protected and loved me the same as any aunt to a pair of loving and beautiful parents would. I hugged her tight as tight as my still shaking hands could.
"Oh I love you too Harry. I love you so much." She kissed my head and turned to send me on my way when I noticed something I hadn't before. She had tears in her eyes and they looked familiar. I waved back to her and I walked home. Before I crossed the street to go home I was bumped by a teenage boy.
Ususally this isn't news worthy but this time it was. He when he bumped me all the air left my body. I turned quickly to see who it was. Why he needed what little relief I had in me. He had dark curly hair and dark almost evil blue eyes, he smiled at me with a square and harmful jaw. I couldn't place the pale skin or anything else. He looked at me like I was a golden chalace. I turned and just went home.
"Hi my sweet heart." Sally said and kissed my head. "How was school?"
"Great." I lied. "I won this for you in my war of whits game." I held up the stuffed snake.
"Oh Harry it's so pretty! I love the more glamours snakes. I mean look at her scales so bright and vibrant. And blue." She looked at them "That's a strange snake a blue one... Any way it's lovely. I'm going to bake brownies in a little while after your home work do you want to help?"
"Of course!"
"And while mom is making dinner you can help me in the lab." He smiled wrapping his arms around my shoulders.
"I'd like that."
"Good." He said "Now do your home work." He smiled.
"Of course." I said and ran upstairs. And I did what Gertrude said and savored every moment I could with them. Even if it wasn't my last. I just savored it. Even with the dark blue eyes seared into my memory branded me with the thought of my soon happy ending to be disrupted.
