A/N: Hello again! Thank you so much for keeping with me! In this part I wanted to get a whole lot in without making it seem rushed. I think it worked, maybe. This is kinda now paving the way for the awaited shipping! Yay! This one came out well, in my opinion. Better than my last chapter. I think it has to do with the new tea i bought, it is really helping me think of good ideas. Now to add some responses to the reviews!
Dick Tails: Thank you very much for staying with the story! Reading your reviews always make me smile and laugh! Also, Alfred and Arthur almost kissed when they were in the Forbidden Forest. Right before they were attacked by the werewolf.
BW: I'm glad you're happy with the story so far. In this chapter I tried to get some of Alfred's thoughts in there. But it isn't as much as i would like. Maybe in later chapters i'll go from his point of view. Also, thank you for defending me and my story. It means a whole bunch to me. I actually don't pay attention to the rude comments anymore. There are so many people who are supporting me and loving what I write, how can i be sad? But i am very grateful nonetheless. Thank you very much.
Pirateiggyplz: I'm really happy you like the story so far!
A pirates life for bunny: I'm so glad you liked the chapter! I thought it was pretty bad, but it made me very happy to know that others thought it was fine. Thank you for the support!
ZanyAnimeGirl: I haven't been using the Room of Requirement much have i? Well i promise you i'll be using it way more in the next chapters as... an escape... for our lovely Arthur and Alfred. c:
Sorry if i didn't reply to everyone's reviews! I'm planning on responding to 5 reviews every chapter! (or more : I'm unsure yet.) I hope i continue to meet your expectations and more with each chapter i post! Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy this chapter also!
The next day was rather interesting. Jack waited for Arthur to get up, waiting in the common room. Gilbert and Antonio had bid them farewell and Arthur luck. The Brit had been rather embarrassed but had said nothing. Salazar was waiting eagerly to see his father, having perched himself around Arthur's shoulders. He had officially decided that that was his favorite spot, it didn't put too much of a strain on Arthur and it allowed the dragon to see everything his mother did.
When Jack and Arthur sat at the Slytherin table, Alfred had made a B-line straight for them. Suddenly, Jack had grasped Arthur's hand and intertwined their fingers. Arthur couldn't help the light pink that dusted his cheeks. He stared down at the table and waited for the American to approach. From the looks of things, he had wonderful news. The boy was beaming brighter than the sun, his eyes dancing like the northern lights.
"Artie! You won't believe what happened!" Alfred sent a glare to Jack, unaware of them holding hands under the table. "Hay Jack." He grunted.
"Ello mate. Good news I assume?" Jack sent a small reassuring smile to Arthur. "I'm pretty sure Arthur has good news too."
"What? Really? Dude what is it?" Alfred sat in front of them and stared deeply at Arthur, making the Brit fidget nervously.
"W-well why don't you go first?" Arthur stuttered, avoiding eye contact.
"Sure! So you know how I was talking to you about asking Jessica out? Well guess what? I did and she said yes!" The boy exclaimed happily.
Arthur's blood ran cold and his heart slowed. His mouth ran dry and his throat clamped up, a distinct burning sensation going on behind his eyes. He blinked away the tears threatening to appear, forcing a smile that refused to reach his eyes. His eyes darkened and lost most of their lively spark, not being missed by the blond across from him. He licked his lips and searched for his voice, barely finding it.
"I-is that so?" His voice was barely above a whisper. This was harder than he thought, pretending to be happy that is. Salazar felt the sudden drop in Arthur's heart, the bitter emotion welling up and killing any happy thoughts from the boy. What was wrong with mother?
Jack gripped Arthur's hand tighter, squeezing it in a comforting manner. He sent a small glance to the Brit before turning back to Alfred, putting on a happy face.
"Well ain't that a surprise? Good for you man! Well Arthur and I have news too." The Australian spoke. He turned to Arthur, worry flashing in his eyes. "Want me to tell him?"
"Tell me what?" Alfred tilted his head slightly.
Arthur's eyes were a dull jade, no longer shining with the venomous life they once had. He looked up at Alfred and put on a convincing smile. "Oh, well you see, Jack also asked me out yesterday. I agreed and now we're going out. I know it sounds weird, two men going out. But it frankly doesn't bother me, like Francis said, "Gender is just a hurdle keeping people from loving". Or something like that." He sent out a dry false laugh.
Alfred's eyes widened and his smile faltered, his happy mood diminishing visibly. "Oh? Really? That's…. good?" He spoke in a questioning tone. "Well... I support you guys, I think. I mean, I never had a gay friend before. But that's cool I guess?" Alfred's eyes darted in between the two, narrowing at Jack before looking over his shoulder at his table.
"Oh! It looks like Jessica is calling me, looks like I'd better get going!" He waved by to Arthur mostly, not even registering Salazar or Jack. However, despite what he said, Jessica hadn't called him. She wasn't even in the Great Hall as of yet.
Alfred turned and walked to his table, not glancing back at the three watching him leave. When he had sat at his table with his back to them, Jack turned to Arthur. The Brit was staring down at the grooves in the table, his eyes wide and hollow. Jack reached out a hand; half afraid one slight touch might make the boy shatter. Salazar looked deeply concerned, nudging Arthur's cheek with his snout and purring softly.
"Oi Pommy…. You alright?" He whispered. When he got no response he rested a hand on the Brit's shoulder. "Arthur." He tried, his voice more firm.
The Brit untangled their fingers and shot up from his seat without a word. He turned and stormed off towards the doors. Jack hesitated for a split second, watching the Brit leave before registering what was happening. He shot from his seat and after the Brit. He followed him out of the Great Hall, picking up speed and catching Arthur's sleeve.
"Arthur, wait!" Jack tugged hard.
The Brit stopped, his head hanging pitifully. "Let me go."
"I can't! You'll go and disappear to mope about right? Well I ain't having it!" Jack tried to pull the Brit towards the dining hall. "Come on. You'll get over this. Remember what we made this plan for."
"I don't care about the stupid bloody plan!" Arthur shouted. "It was never going to work in the first place! He likes just girls; there is no way he'd look at me like that!"
"He almost kissed you twice! That must mean something!" Jack argued back.
"Don't keep going on about that! He was simply curious, everyone is! Did you not see how he reacted when we told him we were going out? He must've thought I was disgusting and gross! I don't think he'd ever want to talk to me again!" The Brit growled bitterly.
"You don't know that! Alfred isn't like that!" Jack snapped. He hesitated before replying more calmly, "Come on Arthur, let's go back to the Great Hall. Eat some food and get over this little depression. Then get your head back in the game. You'll win him, just keep trying. I know the world may seem like it's ending, but trust me mate, you'll get through this if you just believe the plan will work."
"I don't want to keep the plan up anymore."
"Stop being like that! Come on Arthur!"
"No!"
"Arthur! Do not make me drag you."
"Don't. I do not wish to go back there." Arthur tugged his hand away.
"Arthur." He reached out again, proving to be a mistake.
"I said no!" Arthur whipped out his wand and flicked it. Jack stood still, dazed. Arthur took his chance and sprinted away, running and rounding a corner.
Gilbert and Antonio spotted the stunned Aussie, going up to him. Gilbert waved his hand in front of his face.
"Oi? You alright?" The German raised a brow.
Jack blinked a few times before looking around, seeming surprised. "Y-yeah… what am I doing out here?"
"That's what we'd like to know, amigo. Where is the duo of reptiles? I don't see them anywhere." Antonio commented.
Jack drew his brows together and frowned. "We were sitting in the Great Hall… Then Alfred came over and said that he and Jessica were going out. Arthur got up and left after saying we were going out. I went after him… and I can't remember what happened after that… I think we were kinda arguing…." He scratched his head, trying to recall what happened moments before.
"Wait, you're saying you can't remember what just happened a few minutes ago?" Gilbert looked at Antonio suspiciously. "Isn't that sounding similar to-?"
"-A spell?" Antonio finished for him.
"Damn. Arthur erased his memory. My guess is to escape." Gilbert bit his thumb. "Jack, you go and get Francis and Matthew. We'll go check the upper levels."
"Got it. But what if he goes off campus?" Jack questioned.
"Oh please, where is he gonna go? The Dark Forest? Gimme a break, Arthur isn't that stupid." Gilbert snorted at the absurd question.
But Arthur was that stupid; he made his way through the scattering of trees and soon entered the dense forest. He was no longer feeling depressed, instead turning it into rage. He kicked twigs and leapt over branched, ranting to Salazar. The dragon clung to Arthur, listening to his mother complain. Arthur would sometimes swing his arms in rage or for emphasis, shouting our curses at Alfred for being a stupid twat and not sensing the mood.
"I mean, I know he can't read the atmosphere for the life of him, but he could at least try! Does he not get how I look at him? I mean I don't know how I look at him, but it must be loving right?" Arthur looked at Salazar on his shoulder.
Salazar chirped in response. He had no clue why his mother was angry, but he knew it was directed at his daddy. He figured it was a parent fight, something adults do. Salazar figured his mom was right, mommy was always right. Though he wished they wouldn't fight, he didn't like how mommy acted when he was mad.
Salazar's head shot up when a new type of scent pricked his senses. He nudged Arthur's face, chittering excitedly.
"What? What is it Salazar?" Arthur blinked and looked up. He caught sight of some flash of silver in-between the trees. His heart lurched and his anger was temporarily forgotten. Pulling out his wand he petted Salazar's head gently, whispering soothing words. He took a deep breath, ready for any oncoming attacks. "Who goes there? I warn you, I'm an armed wizard and I have a dragon!"
The bushes shifted and the familiar Pegasus strolled out, not at all surprised by Arthur's threat. Arthur sighed and relaxed visibly. "Oh, it's only you. You gave me quite a fright you know?" Salazar chirped curiously.
The horse strolled closer and nickered, leaning close and sniffing the small dragon.
"And who is this?" It asked the boy.
"Oh this? This is Salazar, he's a Hungarian Horntail. He connected to my spirit and I'm now raising him." Arthur smiled and suddenly remembered something. "Right! I almost forgot! I was going to try and come find you today!"
"Now why on earth would you try and do that? You have a knack for getting into trouble inside the forest." The horse stood up straight, its ears angling forward.
"Well you see… I wanted to ask if you know anything of dragons. Do they speak a different language? If not, do you think you could teach him how to speak? I don't think I can teach him." Arthur smiled hopefully.
The male Pegasus turned his head and snorted. It chopped at the dirt with one of its hooves. "That I cannot help you with. While I don't speak dragon myself, I do know of someone who does. An old mare in my herd, I can take you to her if you'd like."
Arthur blinked and his mood brightened considerably. "Would you really? Oh… but I have class to get to…" Arthur bit his bottom lip. "Um, would it be too much trouble if I get a ride back to the school after meeting her?"
"Not at all. Come, climb aboard. I have told my herd about the young Sight Seeker residing in Hogwarts. They are all eager to meet you."
"Really?" Arthur climbed on the horses back after it lowered itself so he could get on. When settled, he, Salazar, and the Pegasus walked off into the forest. "I forgot to ask, pardon my rudeness, but what is your name?"
"I'm not surprised you didn't ask. Your friend was dying on my back after all. How is he by the way? And to answer your question, Mist, my mother named me Mist." The horse nickered over his shoulder.
"It's very nice to meet you Mist. My name is Arthur Kirkland. This is Salazar Kirkland. As for Alfred, he's doing quite nicely. I stay with him during his transformations. We have him take Wolfsbane so he's completely fine during the whole ordeal." Arthur looked around; the forest no longer seemed as sinister as it did at night.
"That is good news. I wish him a long life; he is a good person, sacrificing himself to save you. There is a strong bond between the two of you."
"Strong? I'm not so sure of that at the moment." Arthur smiled bitterly.
"What troubles you Arthur? Would you care to share?"
"No, I don't think I'd mind." Arthur took a deep breath and sighed. "You see, I've come to the conclusion that Alfred means more to me than just a friend. But my problem is that I don't think he feels the same way. He's going out with a girl who's rude and insulting. She isn't good for him. He's too kind and sweet for her. She's horrible in every which way."
"Arthur, it sounds as if you are jealous of her."
"Well maybe I am! I mean, why wasn't it me? I'm the better option! I understand Alfred, I know of his secret too! So why didn't he choose me?" Arthur rubbed furiously at his eyes, refusing to cry.
"Did you ever think that maybe he was just as insecure as you are? It could be that he feels something for you but he himself deemed it weird. Among your race, same sex match ups are frowned upon. However, among some of the many races of creatures on the earth, excluding humans, those kinds of relationships can be quite common. To him, he might have thought you would find him sick and repulsive. Maybe he was worried you would no longer want to acquaintance yourself with him because of what he might feel."
"But he could've just told me if he did! I would've understood completely." Arthur frowned, a little frustrated.
"Maybe he is unaware of what he feels exactly. Arthur, when did you start coming to terms that there might be some feelings more than friendship?"
"Well… to be honest… just yesterday."
"And was it you who pinpointed those feelings exactly?"
Arthur shook his head slowly, "No. My other friends convinced me that it must be true. They said I look at him like that and that I treat him differently too."
"Arthur, it is too soon to be so sure then. They merely pointed out some things that could resemble strong affection. It is up to you whether they are right or wrong. Wait for awhile, see if your feelings bloom or stay the same. You're young; do not get so hung up on such things for too long. If it is meant to happen, then it will. Be true for your feelings; don't use spells or anything to seek out his heart. Simply be yourself and use your own heart to call out to his."
The horse took a turn and soon the trees scattered about in a nice way. Flower beds bloomed around them; rose bushed dotted each side of them with beautiful blooming buds.
"I suppose so. It would be best if I tried to not think too much on it. If it happens then it happens, I'll follow…. Your….. advise…" Arthur trailed off and his eyes widened.
They were coming upon a beautiful creek leading somewhere deeper into the woods and coming to flow into a large pool in the far back of the forest, placed just at the base of a high pillar of rocks standing taller than Hogwarts. Reeds dotted around the edges, lily pads and cattails scattered about the lake in an elegant and peaceful manner. Dragonflies flew along the top of the lake, landing upon some of the water flowers blooming from it. The water was a crisp sparkling blue; clear enough to see the bottom. From where he was, Arthur could even spot the glimmer of fish scales underneath the lake.
The trees stopped at the edge of the wide field that was about 40 acres, beautiful green grass and flowers scattered all over it. There were King Roses, tulips and daffodils. Flowers of all kinds and shapes beautifully swayed in the gentle, soft breeze. Butterflies and bees all jumped from flower to flower, dancing with each other before going on their own ways. Birds chirped in the trees surrounding the wide patch of land, singing their song and weaving it into the chilly morning air.
Looking ahead of them was a herd of around 28 Pegasi, some were young fillies and colts, the rest were mares and stallions. They lifted their heads, aware of the newcomer. A black stallion parted from the group, his large bulky and muscular body moving towards them in a quick trot. He flicked his head, his long black mane spilling in front of his silver-blue eyes. He stopped a few feet in front of them and stomped a foot.
"Mist, what is the meaning of this? Bringing a human, not to mention a dragon offspring, to our sanctuary!" The male's nostrils flared.
"This is Arthur Kirkland and Salazar Kirkland. Arthur is the Sight Seeker and Salazar is his soul connection." Mist seemed unfazed by the large black male.
"The Sight Seeker? The one who had a run in with that rogue werewolf?" His head snapped towards Arthur and he stalked forward, shoving his snout in Arthur's face. "He doesn't look as powerful as you described him to be!"
"Um, excuse me sir… I apologize for rudely inviting myself to your sacred place, but I needed to find a teacher for Salazar. I'd like to have someone teach him how to speak." Salazar lowered his head and shifted even closer to Arthur, shy in front of the new stranger.
"Teach it to speak? Preposterous! Nothing good will come out of associating with its kind! Hungarian Horntails are beyond dangerous, they will eat whatever they can get their hands on. Sometimes they even take down their own kind!" The horse shook its head and snorted.
"But I will teach Salazar not to do that! I'll raise him right!"
"Impossible. Now leave before I make you! We don't want your kind here!" The male's ears flattened and he let out a threatening snort.
"DarkFeather, contain yourself." A pure white mare walked towards them. She had wrinkles at the corners of her eyes which were grey and empty, the old mare was blind. She had a long tail that almost dragged in the earth behind her; her mane was of the same, brushing against her knees.
The horse known as DarkFeather, stepped out of the way. The old mare moved closer and stopped at Mist's side, slowly moving her muzzle closer till it was pressed against Arthur's chest. The Brit remained still, his breath held unconsciously. The old mare closed her unseeing eyes and for a few seconds, everything was silent. She then opened her eyes and pulled her head back.
"He has a good heart in him. I know he will raise this dragon right." She concluded. She turned and moved back towards the herd. "Bring him with you Mist; we will introduce him to the entire herd. "
Mist started walking, DarkFeather following at a less than enthusiastic pace. Arthur leaned over and whispered softly into Mist's ear. "Who's that?"
"That is Winter, she is the elder I was telling you about." Mist explained.
"Oh." Arthur watched as they got closer to the herd. Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. Turning his head to the left he spotted a multitude of fairies flying around the tree branches and some of the rose bushes, each watching Arthur with wide eyes. He sent them a kind soft smile, waving slightly. Turning back to face forward, he took a deep breath and swallowed. This was going to be a rather interesting day.
Arthur returned to the school by the time lunch was being served. He silently scolded himself for missing most of his classes. He thanked Mist for the ride home and promised to return on Friday. He had set up a date with Winter on when Arthur could come and have her teach Salazar how to speak. Salazar was to come on Friday, Saturday, and on Sunday. Arthur was going to leave him with them on Friday so he could do his homework, and he would come back on Saturday and stay with them till Sunday night.
Salazar was required to learn how to speak horse, fairy, and dragon. It was Winter's order, she had said that Salazar needed to know as many languages as he could. Since Pegasi and Unicorn was practically the same thing, they zeroed it down to just horse. Today he had been introduced to everyone, it was a little difficult to remember all of their names, but he knew he'd get them all down eventually. He was happy to consult and talk to them, glad that they accepted him and wanted for him to come back to their beautiful safe haven.
Arthur pushed open the doors; lunch should start within 5 minutes so there was the normal hustle and bustle of life. When he made it towards his usual spot, he was suddenly surrounded by his friends. Matthew looked like he'd seen a ghost; he seemed on the brink of tears even. Francis, Jack, Antonio, and Gilbert were the only ones who looked semi-angry.
"Arthur? Where the hell were you?" Gilbert demanded.
"We looked all around the school for you! I missed first period trying to find you!" Francis snapped.
"How could you make me forget like that? Where on earth did you go? I was freaking worried you fell into the lake! Stupid! What were you thinking? I know you were in a shitty ass mood but that doesn't mean you can go and disappear off the face of the earth like that!" Jack shook Arthur by the shoulders, scowling fiercely.
"We were all really worried about you Arthur." Matthew spoke up, looking beyond relieved.
"Mi amigo, do not ever do that again. I checked the library 6 times and even had Gilbert check it another 3 times. Francis went into every bathroom he could find, though I think he just wanted to go into the girl's bathroom." Antonio sent Francis a look that the French man ignored.
Arthur blinked and smiled brightly, laughing. He laughed so hard that he had to double over and gasp for breath. He hiccupped and whipped at his eyes with a hand, grinning happily. "Oh you twats! I swear! You are all so silly!"
"Silly? I was ready to tear down the whole school and look for your ass! I even was ready to jump in the lake and search every part of it!" Gilbert huffed, still looking angry.
"That's why you guys are so silly!" The Brit tried to control his breathing and smiled warmly at them. "Thank you. I shouldn't have stormed off like that. It was childish of me. But I promise you, everything is fine now. I was in a safe place and I did a lot of thinking."
Gilbert still looked slightly unhappy, but a nudge from Antonio and he let out a groan. "Fine! I'll forgive you for making the awesome me run around like that." He ruffled Arthur's hair, rubbing Salazar's head in the same manner. "Let's sit and get some grub! I'm starved!"
The entire lunch Arthur did not glance once at Alfred, he was too busy laughing and having fun. Alfred, however, did keep glancing over the table at the laughing boy. He was too conscious of how close Jack and Arthur were sitting, though it meant nothing, Alfred didn't think that. He was convinced Arthur and Jack were dating; it sent a disgusting feeling coursing through his heart. Jessica was trying to get Alfred's attention, hugging his arm to her un-ripened chest. Alfred ignored her easily, holding onto one of the spoons they gave out for the afternoon soup. He held it on his lap with one hand and pressed down hard on it with his thumb. The spoon easily bent out of shape despite the pure silver it was made from. Alfred gritted his teeth in displeasure, letting out a soft growl.
After lunch, Arthur stood up, ready to head to Vladimir's class. Salazar took it as his cue to leave and leapt from Francis's lap. He ran across the table and launched onto Arthur's arm, climbing up with ease and perching around his shoulders, his tail resting on Arthur's chest. Alfred shot up from his chair, dislodging his arm from Jessica's grip. With a quick "Bye", the boy moved swiftly to Arthur's table. Jack stood up when he spotted the American approaching, pretending he hadn't noticed him.
"Going to your extra lessons right?" The Aussie asked.
"That's right." Arthur blinked in surprise when Jack took his hand. Bringing it up to his lips he kissed Arthur's knuckles. The Brit's face exploded into a deep blush and he grew flustered.
"Alright, see you when you get done." He let Arthur's hand fall, glancing past the snickering French man at the American who appeared to be seething with rage. Alfred was a few feet away from them, but he had clearly seen the little exchange. Jack sent him a triumphant smirk, pretending to be gloating victoriously.
It made Alfred grind his teeth together in an unusual anger. Jack would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised at the uncommon emotion lighting up the boy's eyes, but he was a good enough actor to not let it show on his face. He watched as Alfred quickly stormed over to them and shoved him out of the way, snatching up Arthur's wrist and tugging him towards the doors.
"Come on Arthur, you don't wanna be late for Vladimir's class." He growled out.
Arthur blinked in surprise, glancing over his shoulder and waving awkwardly at the group of friends they were leaving. "Bye!" He said quickly before they were gone from sight.
"Smooth move Casanova." Gilbert snickered.
"That really got Alfred riled up. He reacted so strongly to just a little peck on the hand." Francis covered his mouth in a small chuckle.
"I've never seen Alfred act like that…" Matthew whistled. "He must really like Arthur."
"I don't know what he sees in those eyebrows." Francis snorted.
"Well it must be something, he growled at me. I ain't kidding you on that." Besides the serious tone he was trying to put his words in, he still couldn't hide his grin.
Gilbert hesitated and narrowed his eyes, mulling over that little detail. "Growl? Like a full on growl?"
"Yeah, like a dingo's. Almost thought he'd bite me." Jack scratched his cheek and chuckled softly.
"Weird." Antonio mumbled.
"Well the guy could be a protective oaf, you never know." Francis shrugged.
"Maybe." Jack started walking, the group following.
"I dunno… I don't think that could be it." Gilbert was thinking of Alfred's secret. Could that be it? But the next full moon was only two weeks away; could he be getting early signs of the moon? He shook his head, it was impossible, the brat was simply jealous. That had to be the reason.
Throughout the entire lesson, Alfred was seething on the couch. He had his arms crossed over his chest and was pouting. Salazar kept away from him, deciding it was better to just nap on a pillow while Arthur finished. The Brit was practice one of the complicated spells, taking a deep breath and using his magic calmly. Once the spell was done, Vladimir stood from where he was leaning against his desk. He held out his hand.
"Arthur, your wrists, if you may." He said simply.
Arthur nodded and held out one of his arms. Vladimir pushed back the sleeve and revealed the seals on them. They were still their dark black colour, but there appeared to be cracks all along the seal. It showed Arthur's skin as the cracks, making pale peach markings across the black.
"Looks like your seal is breaking itself apart, I assume you'll no longer need it in a matter of time." The Headmaster concluded.
"Really?" Arthur perked up happily. He no longer got hurt or felt stings from the seal, which must mean he was getting better.
Vladimir nodded and smiled, patting Arthur's head affectionately. "Well we'll cut lessons here for today. You can go now, Alfred, do try and feel better from whatever is causing you such irritation. You seem better when you're happy." Vladimir sent a glance at Alfred.
The boy blinked in surprise, having been lost in his own muddled thoughts. He looked up and gave an absent minded nod. "Uh yeah… sure…" He mumbled.
Arthur picked up Salazar, the dragon whined in protest. When he took a deep breath of his mother's scent, he was immediately calm and lulled back to sleep almost instantly. With the dragon held securely in one arm, he stopped and smiled gently at Alfred.
"Shall we get going?"
The crease between Alfred's eyebrows lessened and disappeared. He gave a small half smile. Standing up he nodded, "Yeah, let's get going." His voice held more enthusiasm than he previously had.
Once they left Vladimir's office, Arthur was lost in thought. He thought about why Alfred had seemed so angry. The poor lad must've eaten something that disagreed with his stomach. I should see if I have any antacids in my room. Oh, I have to feed the Grindylows today. I'll see if Alfred would like to come with me. He thought to himself. Arthur wasn't prepared for the sudden warmth that enveloped his hand. He jumped in surprise and looked down at the hand that was clutching his. He looked up at Alfred with a questioning stare, a blush dusting his cheeks. Alfred was looking away from him with an even darker blush reaching up to his ears.
Deciding not to comment on the hand holding, Arthur instead picked a different topic. "So Alfred, would you like to come with me to feed the Grindylows?"
"Really? I can?" That got him to look at Arthur, his eyes wide behind the clear glasses.
"I don't see why not." Arthur smiled at him.
Alfred's grin faltered a bit into a pout. He cast his eyes away, sulking bitterly. "Is Jack gonna be there?"
"Jack? Why would he?" Arthur tilted his head, confused.
"Cuz don't you wanna spend time with your boyfriend." If Arthur paid attention to how he hissed out the word, he didn't let on. Instead he simply blinked in realization.
"Ah. Well there are times when even I need to hang out with others. We're in the same house after all, there's no need to be bugging him. Besides, I won't bring him to our hang out spot." The Brit shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. The dock had become one of their hang out spots, the Room of Requirement being the other.
"Sweet," Alfred grinned, the life coming back to him all too quickly. "And I won't bring Jessica anywhere we hang out either. The Room of Requirement and the docks are just for me and you only… with the exception of Salazar." Alfred smiled happily.
"Understood." They remained in silence as they traveled to the docks. Arthur had left the jar of octopus hidden under some bushes near the edge of the lake, figuring it was easier than having to go to and from his room with the annoying and smelly object.
Handing the snoozing dragon to Alfred, he quickly picked out the jar and sighed. This was their third jar and it was already halfway gone. Those little buggers sure can eat. The Brit hummed to himself. Maybe I should move it to every week when they can have squid. It surely isn't good for their health to be eating this every three days. Not that Arthur knew anything about their health. Maybe it was different for Grindylows. They did have a strange diet, sometimes eating a stray animal or two that just so happen to "fall" in the lake.
Arthur walked to the edge of the dock and sat down, Alfred sitting next to him. They sat with their shoulders pressed against each other, sitting crisscross so their knees were also bumping. Alfred set Salazar in his lap; the dragon was waking up slowly, making a squeak or whine every so often. The small thing yawned and its forked, pink tongue snaked out to dap around its snout. Salazar's head shot up when Arthur opened the jar and the familiar fishy smell of octopus filled the air. He let out an excited purr, scrambling to sit up in Alfred's lap.
"Woah, calm down there scamp." Alfred chuckled. He aided the dragon in sitting, keeping him from jumping at Arthur by holding him gently by the tail.
"Honestly. I understand he's a growing dragon, but you would think he would gain my appetite, not yours. I mean I'm the one who feeds him after all." Arthur sighed, calling out to his friends with his gift.
"Well what did you expect? He takes after his father. Watch, he's gonna be the strongest and fastest dragon out there!" Alfred declared proudly.
"No I know what it is. Instead of watching his mother eat, he's too busy watching his father stuff his face." Arthur mused to himself. He ignored Alfred's shout of protest. "And hay, isn't it a given? He'll also be the smartest dragon out there! I'm having him learn how to speak unicorn, dragon, and even fairy!"
"Where are you teaching him that? Is it from a book?" Alfred blinked in surprise.
Arthur jumped, catching himself before he could give away where he was learning it from. He figured it wasn't the best of times to give away where he would be sneaking off to. If anything, not telling might be the best option he could go with. It would avoid any troubles he'd get with telling Alfred.
"O-oh yes! I am teaching him from a book. But they're written in a language only Sight Seekers can read. Very complicated stuff." He was lying through his teeth.
That didn't stop Alfred from believing him whole heartedly though. "Man that sounds so cool. I wanna be able to speak dragon. Actually, I just wanna be able to talk to Salazar." He pouted.
"Well you know, I've read in some of my books that some dragons are able to understand human speech and are able to speak our language." Arthur had indeed read it in his books; he figured he'd be able to teach Salazar.
"Really?" Alfred brightened considerably, grinning from ear to ear. "Well you'd better start teaching him!"
"Me?" Arthur knew he was already going to teach him, but he had figured Alfred would say he wanted to do it.
"Well duh. You teach him things like literature, history, and whatever else you know. I'll teach him how to fly and do math." Alfred chuckled like it was obvious.
"Maths." Arthur corrected. "And why would a dragon need to know those things?"
"You want him to be smart don't you?" Alfred smiled at Arthur.
He blinked in surprise, Alfred really was brilliant, not that Arthur would ever tell him that directly. The Brit didn't get time to answer; his Grindylow friends had decided then to show up. They chirped a hello to Arthur and Alfred, having dubbed the American as a good guy after he saved Arthur. They then broke into happy squeals at the sight of the dragon. Salazar chittered happily to them, making incoherent attempts at speaking unicorn. Arthur looked down at the dragon with wide eyes, they had not even had a lesson today yet he was picking up their language at an alarmingly fast rate. Maybe Salazar would grow up into a wise dragon.
The Grindylows all let out an array of different pitched chirps, all eager for the octopus. Sighing despite the smile gracing his lips, he stuck his hand in the open jar and pulled out the octopus bits.
"Alright, here you go." Arthur tossed them in.
Salazar whined for his portion too, biting Arthur's coat and tugging at it. Arthur chuckled and before he could put his hand in the smelly jar, Alfred beat him to it. He stuck his hand in without much thought, startling the Brit.
"Oh wait Alfred! You don't need to do that! You're hands will smell and it'll take a god-awful lot of scrubbing to get the stench off!" Arthur furrowed his brows.
"Nah it's alright. As the hero, it's my duty to help my widdle ol wifey take care of the baby." He used baby talk. That fucking prat used baby talk when calling me his little wife. That wanker… Arthur gritted his teeth, seething sullenly despite his blush. He let Alfred feed Salazar, cooing happily to the dragon while Arthur fed his Grindylow friends.
"Hay Artie?" Alfred asked after awhile.
"What?" Arthur winced, he sounded a tad bit harsh.
Alfred didn't seem to notice and continued anyways. "Do you think we can hang out on Saturday?"
"Saturday?" Arthur nearly squeaked. That was when he and Salazar would be in the Forbidden forest. "U-um Saturday is no good this week. Sorry... J-Jack and I… have a date at Hogsmeade." He lied, saying the first thing he thought of.
"Oh. I see." Alfred said bluntly, his good mood dissipating into the chilly afternoon air.
Arthur bit his bottom lip; everything will be fine so long as Alfred doesn't run into Jack this weekend. Oh, forgive me Jack! He thought to himself. "Why don't you and Jessica go out?" He offered. Get Alfred out of Hogwarts on Saturday and everything will be fine.
"Mmm… She has wanted to go buy some candy, something about womanly needs, whatever that is. I think I'll ask her if she'd like to go Saturday. Think we can meet up?" Alfred smiled at Arthur hopefully.
Arthur hoped Alfred couldn't see the thin sweat break out along his brow. "U-um maybe? Who knows?" Arthur wondered if you could die from lying.
"Cool." Alfred turned back to Salazar, feeding the dragon his awaited handful.
"Arthur!" Jack ran towards the Slytherin third year who was making his way towards the Great Hall.
Yesterday had ended with him and Alfred leaving the docks and going their separate ways, promising to hang out next time. Alfred had taken Salazar with him, the dragon was going to spend the day with Alfred and get picked up at lunch. Salazar was eager to sleep in his father's room this time. Alfred had promised to have Salazar in bed by 8 and that he'd make sure he didn't have any late night snacks. Knowing Alfred, Arthur highly doubted that. The boy had most likely snuck a treat or two for the dragon. Arthur was silently afraid that the dragon would grow up into a pudgy fat thing with the way Alfred snuck him treats behind his back. Arthur had caught him feeding the dragon a meat pie once, which then led to the whole pie being consumed along with three others when they weren't looking. Arthur was not happy having to deal with a dragon that had an upset stomach.
Arthur turned around and tilted his head to the side in curiosity. "What is it? This is surprising. You aren't usually awake so early."
"I knew you got up around this time. Figured if we wanted to keep this game up then we needed to go to breakfast together." Jack shrugged and fell into step with Arthur. "Where's Salazar?"
"Spent the night with Alfred. He'll be taking care of him till lunch then he'll bring him back to me." Arthur informed.
"Oh I see." Jack nodded in understanding. "Anyways, I wanted to ask you something."
"Oh? And what is that?" Arthur glanced at him.
"Wanna hang out on Saturday?" The Australian asked innocently.
When Arthur had said not telling Alfred was going to avoid trouble, he never intended to tell Jack the same. "Can't! I-I'm going to Hogsmeade with Alfred on Saturday." He said in a single breath. He internally screamed. I'm going to turn into Pinocchio by the end of this! He kept a cool exterior while he was having a break down internally. Arthur had never intended to lie to the Australian; he should've simply said that he was busy. But now that he had thrown that out there it was too late to take it back.
"Is that so? Well how about Sunday?" Jack smiled, holding the large door open for the panicked English man.
"Can't! I promised Alfred we'd go and buy some treats for Salazar." He was seriously considering sewing his mouth shut because of all the lies he was spilling out.
"I thought I was the one you were dating." He chuckled.
Arthur blushed darkly, growing easily flustered. "S-sorry!" He stuttered out.
"I'm only shitting you, pommy. Calm down. I don't care if you hang out with your hubby this weekend. But you owe me next weekend for sure." Jack smirked at him.
"W-we'll see." Arthur forced a chuckle; this was getting harder and harder from here on out.
On Friday Arthur had taken Salazar to the edge of the forest after his class with Vladimir. It had taken everything he had to shake Alfred, settling for that he had to get ready for his date with Jack tomorrow. That had easily sent the American packing, even though it had pained the Brit to see the boy walk away so pitifully. Walking into the lining of the trees he stopped a few feet in. From the bushes came the grey Pegasus known as Mist. The male walked forward and nodded hello to Arthur and the dragon clinging to his back. Salazar had taken a new favorite position, and that was holding onto Arthur's back and peeking over his shoulder like it was a piggy back ride. The Brit didn't mind so much, knowing the dragon was gaining muscle from holding on for so long.
"Now Salazar, you be good understand? Listen to whatever Mist or Winter tells you. I'll see you tomorrow." Arthur set the dragon on Mist's back and kissed the top of his head. "Be sure to get to bed on time. Don't stay up late and be sure to eat your meals. Winter said she would have one of the Pegasi try and get some of the fish in the lake for you."
Salazar chirped, looking down with a sad expression. Arthur drew his brows together and put his hands on his hips. "Now don't give me that look. How's about this, I'll let you stay with daddy all day Monday and Tuesday. How does that sound?" Arthur smiled sweetly at the dragon.
Salazar let out a small purr, looking up hopefully. Arthur figured what he was asking for. He wanted to spend the night with Alfred and Arthur.
"Well I'll see. If he isn't busy then I'll ask him if he'd like to spend the night in our room. Does that sound good?" Arthur chuckled when the dragon chittered happily.
"Do not worry Arthur. We will watch Salazar carefully." Mist informed the Brit.
"Thank you. I'll be here at around 6 tomorrow." Arthur told the horse.
"Understood. I will have one of the others come and fetch you then." The horse dipped his head, bidding Arthur a farewell.
Arthur waved as the Pegasus trotted away with the dragon perched on his back. Salazar held onto the grey mane while craning his head to watch Arthur until the Brit was no longer in sight. Arthur couldn't help but feel a little sad at watching Salazar leave. He shook his head; I'll be seeing him tomorrow. There's nothing to be sad about. Turning around he headed back to Hogwarts, preparing a small baggy with extra clothes and some bread and cheese. He took two books, one about unicorns, and the other about chimeras all over the world.
The next day Arthur woke up groggily, rubbing his eyes and stretching his mouth in a wide yawn. He got dressed in a simple gray t-shirt and baggy brown jeans. He always dressed casually on the weekends whenever he went out, other days he would just wear his robe to hide the pajamas he was wearing. Grabbing his backpack and slipping on his shoes, he walked to the door. He didn't really care for fixing his hair; he was too tired to bother. Yawning again he left his room and quickly out of Hogwarts after making sure to brush his teeth and wash his face. When arriving at the edge of the forest he was a little more awake as the cold air prickled his skin and sent a shiver through him.
He took out a piece of bread and looked around, taking a bite. He wondered who was going to come pick him up. He secretly hoped it wasn't DarkFeather, the horse had not taken a liking to Arthur and he didn't intend to anger the stallion more. He paused when he heard the quick trot of hooves. Arthur let out a small yelp as a white and gray mare, only a teenager, flew from the cover of trees. She landed in a cloud of dust a few feet away from Alfred. She puffed out her chest triumphantly.
"HA! Take that Pip! I win." She yelled over her shoulder.
"No fair!" Pip, her brother, ran from the bushed below where she had flown from. "You said you wouldn't fly! You know my wing has been hurting all week!"
Pip and Pen where brother and sister. Pip being the runt, having a gray body with a white muzzle and white socks on all of his legs. His sister was older by a year, having a white spot over her right eye along with white socks on her hind legs and underbelly. She also had white tips at the end of the feathers on her wings. They had introduced themselves rather enthusiastically to Arthur, eager to meet the Brit. They had become instant friends, Arthur growing to like their exciting personality. It reminded him of Alfred a bit, not fully like his endless energy, but a close second.
"Well hello you two. Are you the one's in charge of picking me up?" He bit into the bread, halfway done with it.
"You bet! Arthur you should've seen Salazar yesterday!" Pen bounced up next to the Brit, unfolding a wing and wrapping it around him as if to put an arm around his shoulder. "The poor baby was whining for his mommy in the middle of the night. It took ages but DarkFeather actually got him to sleep!"
Arthur paled, how badly did he yell at Salazar? He thought sickly to himself. He was going to have to have a talk with said stallion.
"I was surprised! He was so gentle with Salazar. I think he really likes him, despite what he's having everyone believe." Pip added. He joined his sister on Arthur's other side. The trio began walking towards the sanctuary.
"Really?" Arthur asked.
"Very true!" Pen took her wing back and gasped, jumping excitedly. "Oh! I almost forgot! A few days ago Winter sent SilverDust out to find the neighboring Unicorns. She's having them come and teach you some of their magic."
Arthur's eyes widened enormously. "Are you serious? She did that for me?"
"She said something like how you have hidden potential and such." Pip trotted ahead of them. "This is so slooooow. Pen, carry Arthur and let's run back! You saw how badly Salazar wanted to come with us to get Arthur!"
Arthur's heart clenched at the thought of Salazar wailing for him. He was suddenly very eager to go and fetch his darling dragon. Arthur bit his bottom lip out of habit and voiced his opinion. "Yes, I would also like to get back quickly. I don't want Salazar to cause any trouble."
"Fine, since I'm so much stronger than a certain colt here." Pen said, making it clear she was talking about Pip. Said colt let out a whinny of annoyance, trotting ahead of them.
"Last one there has to sleep next to DarkFeather tonight!" Pip neighed over his shoulder and sprinted off.
Pen let out a whinny of frustration and more or less grabbed Arthur by the back of his shirt and dragged him onto her back. Arthur let out a yelp and held on for dear life as she darted after her brother, picking up speed and spreading out her wings. Arthur paled, surely she isn't thinking of flying while she's carrying me. I understand she's strong, but she's still barely a mare. The moment she started flapping her wings sealed Arthur's fate. He gulped and prayed that he'd not fall off during takeoff or during the flight.
When Alfred and Pen had landed, Pip was prancing in a circle at the edge of the forest, clearly happy he won. Arthur's added weight had slowed the young mare down, making Pip get ahead by much more than normal. Pen huffed in agitation before an idea crossed her mind. Quickly acting, she unfolded her wings as Arthur was sliding to the ground.
"It's first to the herd doesn't have to sleep next to DarkFeather!" She declared.
"What? No fair!" Pip whined.
"Ready set go!" She said in a quick breath before shooting off towards the other Pegasi, flapping her wings and lifting off. Pip let out a frustrated cry before charging after his sister.
Arthur watched them race towards the herd, a small smile pulling at his lips. He chuckled and began walking after them at a much slower pace. When he neared he could see DarkFeather standing out amongst the other Pegasi. He was leaning over and pulling at some daisies, eating them slowly. On his back was a small tan form curled up for a little snooze between his broad shoulder blades. However, the moment the wind changed and Arthur's sent was being blown towards them, the little horned head shot up. Even from where he was Arthur could tell it was his little Salazar.
The dragon made a squeal of delight at the sight of his mother, leaping off of DarkFeather in a hazardous manner. He sprinted at Arthur, running past Pip and dodging other Pegasi. He let out a jumble of gurgles and tiny half growls, Arthur picked up what he was saying with the use of his gift. It surprised him, his eyes growing slightly wide at Salazar's first words.
"Mummmmmeh!" Salazar chirped.
Arthur quickened his pace to a fast trot, bending over and scooping the giddy dragon into his arms. "Salazar! I missed you! What was that? Did you say a word?" Arthur tried to contain his excitement.
"Muuuumeh!" Salazar chittered again.
Arthur's face brightened to rival one of Alfred's happy grins. The Brit laughed happily, kissing Salazar on the nose repeatedly. Salazar purred in response, pleased with the kisses from his mother. He gave one or two of his own kisses, licking Arthur's cheek and nose. He purred louder as Arthur kissed the crown of his head, carrying him back to the other Pegasi. Arthur nodded and said a hello to everyone, surprised to have remembered most of their names. He stopped in front of Winter and smiled as the blind mare turned to look at him.
"Thank you for letting Salazar spend the night here. Sorry if he caused trouble." Arthur said.
"Do not fret, it is quite alright. He is welcome just as much as you are. I took the liberty of teaching him how to say "Mother" and "Father", he's getting there. The young one is a fast learner. He's picking up not just his language, but ours and the fairies as well. They taught him how to say "Mother" in their language. I figured it'd be best if he learned how to say "Mother" and "Father" in his own language first. He picked that up quickly, though it is a given." The female informed.
"Mmmuuumm." Salazar hummed to demonstrate.
"Thank you very much! Oh, I hate to be rude and pry, but Pip and Pen told me that you were going to have the Unicorns teach me more magic. I was wondering if any of what they said was true." Arthur let Salazar crawl onto his shoulders, perching happily.
"It is. They agreed whole heartedly, also wanting to teach the young Sight Seeker. Not many have been known to pop up here in Hogwarts. Usually it's at other schools; the last one from Hogwarts was many years ago." The old mare settled herself down, Arthur sitting in the grass next to her. They were at the edge of the herd but were still close to here the excited and happy conversations parading around the heads of horses.
"That long?" Arthur blinked in surprise. "Well thank you for that. It truly means a lot to me that you'd go so far."
"Think of it as a gift. I saw something in you I'm sure they'll also see." The old mare blinked lazily.
"Oh?"
"So, Mist tells me that your werewolf friend is better. His first transformation wasn't too rough I hope?" She neighed, changing the subject.
"Oh Alfred? Yes he's fine. His first transformation was scary for the both of us, but we're slowly getting used to it now. We have enough Wolfsbane to make even a normal wolf think it's human." The Brit smiled and Salazar's head shot up.
"Faaazurrr." He purred happily.
"You must bring him by sometime. I would very much like to meet the one Salazar calls father." She mused softly.
Arthur let out an awkward chuckle, sending a small glance to the side. "We'll see." I don't think I should bring Alfred just yet. I mean his next transformation is close; I don't want it messing him up. Not to mention he has a game next week. Oh… what on earth am I going to do then? I can't exactly skip his game, even Salazar is looking forward to it. Arthur frowned and his mood dampened.
Winter's ears turned toward him and she turned her blind gaze to him. "What causes you such stress Arthur?"
Arthur jumped in surprise before relaxing. "Hm? Oh nothing. It's just; Alfred's transformation is in a few weeks. He also has a game on Friday next week. I was wondering if it would be alright if I drop Salazar off a little late. He's really eager for Alfred's game. This is one of the first one's he'll be attending. The last time he almost got to, but Alfred couldn't play because it fell on a day when the full moon was up." The Brit sighed.
"I see. I think that would be fine. Will you still be coming Saturday and Sunday?"
"Yes, I'd assume so." Arthur smiled.
"Good. Now then Salazar, shall we begin working on your lessons?"
Salazar let out a soft whine, lowering his head. He slid off of Arthur's lap and settled in front of the mare. Arthur smiled to himself, a thought occurring to him. Why don't I teach Salazar English when we have the time? Arthur watched the old unicorn say a word in dragon and have Salazar repeat it. It came out as a gurgle before an incoherent word followed by a choppy version of the word.
"Food." She said, her voice turning into a deep growl of the dragon language.
"F-feuuuud." Salazar repeated.
"Close, try again. Food." She repeated.
"Ffffuuuud." The dragon echoed in his semi baby talk.
"Foo-Duh." She spoke calmly. "Food."
"Foooood." Salazar repeated.
She smiled and nodded slowly. "Good job."
Salazar chittered, repeating the word "food" over and over again.
Arthur pulled out his portion of cheese and held it up. "Salazar, what is it you want when you're hungry?"
Salazar tilted his head to the side curiously.
"I'll give you a hint; it's the word you just learned."
Salazar let out a gasp like squeal. "Food!" He chirped happily.
"That's right. Good job." Arthur smiled, breaking off a small amount and feeding it to the eager dragon. "This is cheese. Can you say cheese?"
Salazar tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, seeming to concentrate.
"Chu-ee-zuh." Arthur said, attempting to simplify it.
"Ch…." was the response.
Arthur's eyes widened at the boyish sounding voice coming from the young dragon that was definitely English. Arthur's heart beat quickened as he waited for the dragon to finish.
"Ch..uuu…eeze." Salazar tried again, the words sounding weird and foreign on his forked tongue. "Chuuzeee." He said, drawing it out longer than necessary.
"Cheese." Arthur smiled reassuringly.
The dragon, being one to pick up things rather quickly, opened his mouth again. "Cheeezeeee… Cheeze!"
"That's right!" Arthur was still a little shocked at how quickly the dragon was learning. Must be the intelligence of the winged-beasts, they are said to be very wise. Not much is known about them; maybe the books I read don't fully grasp their intellect.
"He is a very quick learner." Winter commented.
"Indeed. I wonder how shocked Alfred will be to learn Salazar is speaking the Queen's English." Arthur chuckled.
"I assume he'll be very shocked. Shall we continue the lesson? How about we alternate? I'll teach him dragon words in the morning; you teach him English words in the afternoon. Well, for Saturday anyways. On Friday I'll let the fairies teach him their language. On Sunday he will learn horse." Winter decided.
"Won't it be too much for him?" Arthur looked down at the dragon sitting happily in front of him.
"He has your intelligence, I'm positive it won't be too much for him." Winter hummed.
"Well alright, if you're sure. I'll go and fish, he'll be hungry soon. I'd best have some fish out and ready for him and me by the time his lessons are done." Arthur got up and dusted his pants off.
"Understood. Don't fall in the lake Arthur, stay close to the edge." Winter warned.
"Got it." The Brit said, walking towards the lake. While he pulled out his wand and prepared a spell to help him fish, he was unaware of the trouble slowly brewing back at Hogwarts.
Alfred had slept in for most of the morning, not having anything to do. He hadn't taken Arthur's advice on asking Jessica out; he figured it would be pointless. He didn't have as much fun as he did when hanging out with her. She would be too busy talking about herself or how good Alfred was doing in Quidditch. Sure he liked the praise, but sometimes he didn't want to talk about sports. When she wanted to hang out with someone, it was always her friends. She didn't like to hang out with Alfred's friends, at first he couldn't figure out why, but when Matthew had pointed out it was because they weren't all Gryffindor students.
When Alfred had asked her about it, she had simply said that Alfred's friends didn't like her. She said that Arthur must've said something to them, most likely a lie. Alfred had suddenly gotten defensive over the harsh words she had said of Arthur. Alfred knew first hand that Arthur was never one to spread rumors. He was also never one to tell a lie, well, a lie never to serious. Thought Alfred was going to learn that even Arthur told large lies.
When he made his way to the Great Hall for lunch, he figured Arthur and Jack would be out and about having the time of their lives. That sent Alfred in an unusually sour mood, his day already looking bleak and boring. When he walked into the large room however, he did not expect to see Jack sitting down at the Slytherin table chatting casually with Gilbert and Antonio. Ignoring the lack of presence from Matthew and Francis, he quickly stormed to their table. If Jack was here then didn't that mean Arthur was too? Glancing around, he spotted neither hide nor eyebrows of said Brit.
Stopping at the edge of the table he said a simple, "Hay."
The three all glanced up, each one having different looks of surprise. Alfred turned to Jack, directing his attention to the Australian. "Where's Artie?"
"Arthur? Shouldn't I be asking you that?" The Australian raised a brow in confusion.
"Why would I know where he is?" Alfred asked, baffled.
"Well aren't you and he hanging out today? I figured you were since he wasn't here this morning." Jack tilted his head.
"Us hanging out? Weren't you and he going out on a date today?" Alfred was growing more and more confused. Gilbert and Antonio looked between the two, something wasn't right.
"No. He told me he was going to be hanging out with you for the entire day. I thought you guys woke up early and left since he wasn't at breakfast." Jack was becoming very puzzled.
"He told me he was going out on a date with you today. That's why we couldn't hang out this weekend." Alfred scratched his head in confusion.
"Well that's strange. Could it be we both heard wrong?" Jack proposed.
"From Arthur? No way. That guy would make sure we understood exactly what he was saying. No. I think he knew he was lying to the both of us." Alfred said, not hiding the small sound of betrayal in his voice. How could Arthur lie to him?
"Maybe the Pommy didn't wanna hang out with either of us." Jack offered up, though it was halfheartedly.
"Not wanting to hang out with either of you?" Gilbert snickered. "Yeah right. If he wanted to avoid you then you'd know it. I think he lied to you guys to cover up his tracks. He's hiding something."
"But what could he be hiding?" Alfred asked, perplexed.
"Who knows? Arthur is a big caldron of mystery." Antonio hummed aloud. "I have not seen Salazar either. That means Arthur took the little one with him, yes?"
Alfred and Jack blinked as the new information came to light. Alfred frowned, looking down at the floor. He held up his chin with his fist, cradling his elbow with his other hand while nibbling on his thumb nail.
"When I asked Arthur if he'd like to go to Hogsmeade with me, he said he was going on a date with Jack. He then tried to have me go out to Hogsmeade with Jessica." Alfred informed them.
"He must've been trying to get you out of Hogwarts for the day." Jack hummed, thinking it over. "He didn't tell me to get outa Hogwarts for the day. Maybe he figured you'd actually go and ask your dainty lass out."
"I did ask him if we could meet up on Saturday for a double date like thing." Alfred added.
"What'd he say?" Jack looked up at him.
"He said maybe. Meaning it was neither a yes nor a no. He never intended to meet up with any of us." Alfred bit into his thumb, mulling it over. Why was Arthur acting like that? He was surely hiding something.
"Well whatever he's hiding, he's keeping it from two people who are supposedly very important to him." Gilbert sighed, stretching. He and Antonio shared a look, having shared an unspoken discussion through their eyes. Antonio caught on quickly, turning to them and smiling innocently.
"Yes, his boyfriend and his very best friend. I wonder what he's being so secretive about. It must be something big." Antonio glanced at Jack, secretly hoping he knew where they were taking this.
Jack, seeming to have gotten the gist of things, nodded slowly. "Maybe it is. I understand why he wouldn't tell me, I mean, we haven't been dating for long. But not telling Alfred? Maybe he doesn't trust you as much?"
Alfred sent him a harsh glare, his eyes turning a steel blue. "Arthur trusts me just fine!"
"Then he would've told you right? If you ask do you think he'll tell you?" Jack asked nonchalantly.
"No. He won't." Alfred answered without needing to think. "Arthur is more stubborn than a minotaur. Getting him to crack will not be easy."
"Then why don't you guys spy on him?" Gilbert offered up casually.
"Huh?" Jack and Alfred said in unison.
"I agree. If Arthur won't tell you directly then find out for yourselves and confront him on it later. If it's very important that he lies to the both of you instead of simply saying he was busy, then he'll most likely be doing the same thing again." Antonio glanced at his friend from the corner of his eye.
"Then it's settled! Ask Arthur if he's busy this Saturday! If he shuts you both down with another lame excuse, then you'll know something is up. You'll both meet up when Arthur is dead asleep and you'll hide in the common room and wait for him to wake up. When he does you guys will be all smooth ninja like and follow him and see where he goes. It's as simple as that." Gilbert grinned and snickered. "I so make awesome plans."
"But what if he catches us?" Alfred did NOT want to be involved with a pissed of Arthur. He learned from past mistakes and did not fancy invoking Arthur's wrath once more. Who knows, maybe the Brit would actually turn him into a slug this time.
"What if what he's doing is real dangerous?" Antonio piped in, figuring Alfred needed a little push. "Maybe he is in such danger that he feels no one else can help him. Maybe only a 'hero' can save the poor boy."
Gilbert sent Antonio a sly grin. "I wonder. Knowing Arthur, he won't cry for help even if he's badly hurt."
Alfred paled, could Arthur be in such danger? Was that why he was so jittery? Arthur needed someone to protect him, he needed a hero. He needed Alfred. Not needing anymore convincing, Alfred nodded. "I'll do it."
"Sure why not. It isn't like I have anything better to do." Jack tried to sound like he could care less, planning something rather devious.
Alfred sent him a glare, how could he not be worried? Wasn't he Arthur's boyfriend? Did he even care for Arthur that way?
Arthur came back on Sunday at around noon, trying to convince both parties that he had slept in late because he was very tired from the outing the previous day. Alfred easily let on that he knew nothing, simply asking Arthur how the date went and did he have fun. Alfred had lied, saying that he and Jessica hadn't seen Arthur or Jack on Saturday, but that they didn't mind so much. Salazar had surprised Alfred and the others immensely when the dragon went prancing around the table saying "cheese" as loud as he could. Everyone might've dropped their food in shock that the dragon was actually speaking English, even the professors looked shocked. Arthur had also taught him other simple words like "fish", "fire", "dragon", "horse", "fairy", "stick", his own name, "mommy", and yes, even "daddy". When the little dragon had decided to stop saying cheese, he had scrambled up to the shocked American squealing out: "Daddy, daddy"! Alfred was beyond happy, probably happier than Arthur had ever seen him, and that meant something. He then hugged the snot out of Salazar, cooing about how cute and adorable he was.
The week passed by without incident, but Friday was fast approaching. On Thursday after Vladimir's class, Alfred had decided to ask Arthur if he was busy on Saturday. The Brit had put his guard up, as expected. But he had also stuttered for an excuse to give Alfred. He then settled for saying that he and Jack would be going out to buy a birthday gift for one of their house mates. To Jack when the Aussie asked, Arthur said that he was going with Alfred to buy a birthday gift for Jessica. He then joked saying he was only going to hex the gift, making it seem like it was a real thing. Alfred and Jack had then "coincidentally" crossed paths and shared their information, though Jack left out the hexing part. They both got ready to put the plan into motion.
On Friday everyone was excited for the game, Slytherin vs. Gryffindor. When class let out, Arthur had made a B-line for the field, intending to get a seat closer to the exits so he could run when the game ended. During the whole game Salazar sat eagerly on Arthur's back, squealing out in delight whenever Alfred flew past. He would cry out daddy and flap his wings, trying to take off and fly with the American. Alfred made sure to show off for Salazar's first view of his game. Gilbert and Antonio were a deathly duo, acting as if they were enemies with Alfred rather than friends. They both correlated brilliantly, hitting the Bludgers back and forth while also aiming them at Alfred and his team mates. Salazar was enraptured by the way the wizards and witches flew on the broom, his own heart souring with them. Oh how the small reptile longed to fly, he couldn't wait till he learned how.
After the game Arthur had departed faster than Alfred on the broom. He zoomed out of the stadium and more or less sprinted towards the forest. It was rather dark now, almost around 8. He did not intend for the game to go that long. Salazar was still excited, making incoherent sentences while trying to hold a conversation with him mother. The dragon had been very jittery throughout the entire game; he was even more thrilled when he could tell that his father's team had won the game. Alfred had scored the winning shot. Arthur figured that he most likely was showing off for Salazar.
"Daddy!" The dragon purred happily to Arthur.
"Yes, daddy was quick now wasn't he?" Arthur smiled down at him through the light of the semi-full moon.
"Daddy quiiick." The dragon mimicked Arthur.
"Yes, very good!" Arthur slowed down when they reached the tree line.
The bushes rustled, having been alerted of Arthur's approach. Arthur waited before the dark, bulky figure of DarkFeather stepped out into the light. He flicked his head and his ears angled forward.
"You are late." He snapped, his tail twitched in irritation.
"Sorry. I didn't expect the game to last so long." Arthur smiled sheepishly.
The stallion rolled his eyes and turned to the side, lowering himself slightly so Arthur could settle Salazar on his back. Salazar cooed happily, climbing up DarkFeather's broad neck and resting his hands on his head. He peered over and looked into the horse's eyes, appearing upside down. Salazar gave a chirp of greeting before lifting his head and turning to Arthur. Salazar leaned his head down, stretching his neck with effort. Arthur chuckled, leaning up on his tippy toes and kissing Salazar on the snout. Salazar licked his nose in retaliation.
"Be good Salazar. I'll see you tomorrow. I love you." Arthur smiled warmly at the dragon.
Salazar's golden eyes brightened and he let out a happy string of chitters and chirps. Arthur settled back onto the heels of his feet, smiling at Salazar before turning his gaze on DarkFeather.
"Thank you for taking care of Salazar. I apologize if it is causing you any inconvenience."
"If it was then I wouldn't be doing it." The horse said gruffly. "You'd better be here at the crack of dawn tomorrow or I'll leave you to find your own way."
"Yes, I understand. Thank you." Arthur smiled, even if DarkFeather said that, Arthur figured the large horse was speaking with little truth. Arthur took a step back and watched Salazar and DarkFeather leave. He waved and called after them, "Bye Salazar! I'll see you tomorrow! Stay out of trouble and listen to whatever DarkFeather or Winter tell you!"
Salazar looked over his shoulder and raised a clawed wing, attempting a wave that resembled a chicken waving one of its wings. "Buhhyyyee mommy!" He called.
Arthur then went back to the dorms after that, not thinking much of Jack, Gilbert, and Antonio hanging around the commons. He went to his room and packed his bag, ready for tomorrow. He fell asleep within the hour, unconscious to the three people that cracked open his door to check on him. They closed the door and almost tripped over one another in an attempt to get to the common room first. Jack made it, having scrambled up the stairs while Gilbert held Antonio back by his hair. He quickly ran to the entrance, opening it and popping his head out, looking around.
"Alfred?" He hissed out.
There was a long silence before a shuffle of feet and Alfred slipped from behind a stony pillar, looking around. "Is the coast clear?"
"Yeah." He whispered.
Gilbert's head popped out above his, the Albino was leaning most of his weight on the Australian below him. "The little snake fell asleep like a light."
"Sí, Arthur also left the game in quite a rush." Antonio was now poking his head out from behind the entrance, just right above Gilbert's. He was putting his weight down on Gilbert and Jack, making the Australian almost topple over.
"Jetzt, da Sie es erwähnen… the little one wasn't with him either. I don't recall Salzy ever being on Arthur's back when he came in." Gilbert rubbed his chin in thought.
"Wah- Get off!" Jack shrugged them off and held the door wider for Alfred to slip through. He closed it behind the American.
Alfred's eyes lit up with worry. "Salazar wasn't with him? What if something happened to him?"
"I'm pretty sure Arthur would be kicking some ass if something did." Gilbert snorted, sitting in one of the plush, forest green chairs.
Antonio sat in the chair next to him and smiled warmly. "Do not worry. I don't think Arthur lost him either. If he did then he would be out and about searching every inch of the grounds for him."
Alfred seemed to settle down before another dark thought entered his mind. "What if Arthur is being blackmailed? And Salazar is being held captive till Arthur forks over cash?"
"Woah dude calm down. That is rather unlikely. If anything, Arthur would kill to keep Salazar safe. Scary as it sounds, but that guy is a freaking over protective mom when it comes to his little dragon. Anyone threatens Salazar, down they go." Jack drew a thumb across his neck for emphasis.
Alfred gulped; he knew Arthur's rage was something not to be trifled with. Sitting down across the Albino and Spaniard, Alfred bit his bottom lip. "So when are we going?"
"'We'? No, no. Mi amigo, we will not be accompanying you. It will just be you and Jack." Antonio clarified.
Gilbert and Jack both sent Antonio a befuddled look.
"It is?" Gilbert asked.
"Seriously?" Jack sent a glance at Alfred. He looked back at Gilbert and Antonio almost pleadingly. Jack had a plan, that much was true, but now that he would be going at it alone, there was an off chance he'd be hit.
"Alright. He'd better not slow me down." Alfred huffed. "I know it's my job as a hero to save people, but sometimes a hero needs a break."
"Or the hero simply picks who he wants to save." Jack muttered and rolled his eyes. "Well then you guys better get to your rooms. Alfred, you get first watch. Wake me up in two hours or when Arthur's leaving. Whichever comes first."
"Who put you in charge?" Alfred grumbled. Sighing loudly as if it was such a stressful thing, he unrolled the sleeping bag he brought. "Fine. I'll sleep here since it's hidden from Arthur's door."
He placed his sleeping bag behind the long couch, easily hidden from where the third year dorm rooms were. Jack grabbed his pillow and blanket, placing it next to Alfred's. The American scowled at him but didn't say anything. He simply tucked himself into his sleeping bag and rested on his stomach, making sure to keep an eye on Arthur's door from where he was hidden. Antonio and Gilbert snickered, standing and going to the stairs. Gilbert paused at the bottom steps, looking over his shoulder at them and smirking.
"Night you two, don't fall asleep cuddling." He cooed.
"Tell us where the reptiles went when you get back. Night." Antonio and Gilbert both went up the stairs, Gilbert taking two at a time, Antonio walking up them like a normal person.
Jack and Alfred sent each other their own makeshift glares. Jack didn't like Alfred for specific, well justified reasons. He found how he simply brushed off the insults his girlfriend threw at Arthur to be a very annoying trait. He also hated how he never gave Arthur the time of day when he was busy with Jessica. What bothered him was how friendly he acted to Arthur even though he hurt him so badly. He didn't understand why the stupid Pommy bastard would be friends with someone like him. What boggled his mind was how Alfred acted when Jack was with Arthur. He became more protective and possessive, acting as if he was Arthur's only friend. If he acted like that then how come he wasn't dating Arthur? He didn't have any right to act that way if he was simply a friend. No friend ever goes that far for someone. No matter how close, a friend would know there place. With Alfred, he appeared to think that any of Arthur's business was his own. Jack would be lying if he said he didn't find this situation a bit fun. He was smug that he knew something about Arthur that Alfred didn't. Like his affections for the boy. He was also a little satisfied that Arthur was keeping a secret from said American, even if that secret excluded him along with all of Arthur's other friends.
Settling down, Jack turned with his back to Alfred. "Don't fall asleep on me." He warned.
"I won't." Alfred snapped.
"You'd better not."
Alfred huffed and remained silent, listening as Jack's breathing slowly leveled out. He was left to his own thoughts for most of the night, deciding to wake Jack up when he felt drowsy. They alternated a good 5 times before the door to the third year's dorm opened up slowly. It was Alfred's watch, he instantly perked up and the slight creek the door gave. He hit Jack's shoulder a tad bit hard, making the Australian jump awake. Jack turned over and glared at the back of Alfred's head with a deep scowl, opening him mouth to snap at him. He took in a deep breath and Alfred's hand was slapped over his mouth. He looked at Jack from the corner of his eye and held a finger to his lips, indicating to be quiet. Jack blinked a couple times before realization dawned on him. Rubbing the gunk out of his eyes he quietly sat up, peeking with Alfred from behind the couch.
Arthur sneakily moved out from behind the door, closing it behind him. He had on a pair of black skinny jeans and a dark blue t-shirt with the British flag on the back of it. He held the straps of his little bag tightly, moving to the entrance of the Slytherin common room. Once he was out and the door closed behind him, Jack and Alfred scrambled to follow while not making a sound. They waited an agonizing 3 minutes before they themselves left, hastily trying to find Arthur in the still dark morning. They spotted the Brit heading towards the Hogwarts Lake. Alfred suddenly feared that Arthur was trying to learn how to swim on his own; didn't he learn the first time that he couldn't swim?
When he made a sharp turn and a straight B-line for the Dark Forest, Alfred felt his heart sink even more. Jack and Alfred stopped a good feet off, their bodies pressed against the ground in case Arthur decided to look behind him. They watched with worried eyes as the Slytherin stopped at the edge of the forest, seeming to wait for awhile. From where they were, Alfred could tell Arthur was rocking back and forth on the ball of his heels. He was also possibly whistling, which confused Alfred even more.
"What is he thinking?" Alfred hissed.
"Is he even thinking?" Jack whispered harshly.
"The forest is dangerous. Did he not get enough of an adventure when I was bleeding out by the gallons?" Alfred yanked at the grass in frustration.
"Look, there he goes!" Jack commented as Arthur stopped rocking. The Brit seemed to be talking to something before he walked into the tree line, blending in with the shadows.
Alfred shot up almost as soon as Arthur was gone from sight, not intending to lose the Brit. "We gotta follow him!"
Jack jumped up and caught Alfred's wrist, holding him back. "Wait a second. We can't just go rushing in blindly."
"We can't just leave him in there!" Alfred looked impatiently at where Arthur had disappeared to.
"I'm just saying. Arthur came back before all on his own. Maybe he doesn't need the protection. We could just be over reacting." Jack bit his bottom lip; he quickly thought of a plan, hoping it worked.
"So what do you suggest? Just leave him?" Alfred looked at him in utter disbelief.
"Well why not?" Jack asked nonchalantly.
"Are you even the least bit worried?" Alfred's voice was rising in his obvious frustration and growing rage.
Jack shrugged indifferently, "Not really." The truth of the matter was that he was beyond worried. He also wanted to go in there and chase down his friend just to make sure he was alright.
Alfred's brows drew together and he appeared to be shocked. It wore off quickly and he yanked his hand away. "Aren't you his boyfriend? Shouldn't you be worried that he's going into a forest that could possibly kill him?" He yelled, gesturing wildly to the forest.
"Should I be?" Jack silently vowed that Arthur owed him BIG for this.
"Yes! So why aren't you?" Alfred demanded.
"I just don't think Arthur needs protecting. He can handle himself." Jack stuffed his hands into his pockets; damn he was a good actor. Maybe he should be an actor when he got older; he thought he was cut out for it.
"Arthur is being bullied still! Not to mention he was almost drowned for fuck's sake! Give a damn about him! You're dating him! You should be sick with worry! He could be attacked by anything in there!" Alfred stomped his foot angrily.
"What's it matter to you? It isn't any of your business what goes on in our relationship. I'm the one dating him, not you. It isn't your job to tell me how I should and shouldn't feel for Arthur." Jack chuckled; it hurt to keep his voice calm and leveled.
"You asked Arthur out! Surely you like him!" Alfred seemed to be pleading that that was the case.
"Truth be told, no. I don't see him that way at all. But hay, I figured he'd be fun to fool around with." Jack smirked. It hurt, talking about Arthur, one of his good friends, it hurt. But something else was going to hurt far worse in a matter of seconds.
Alfred stared at him quietly, seeming to try and grasp Jack's casual response. In a swift movement he brought his fist back. Without much thought he let it fly, popping Jack directly in the cheek with brute force. Jack fell backwards and landed on the ground with a thud. His jaw burned violently, aching at the abuse it received. Alfred grabbed the front of his shirt yanking him up a bit so he was sitting up. Jack thought he'd get another fist to the face, but instead he was met with nothing. He opened his eyes and squinted at Alfred who was glaring down coldly at him. The expression sent chills down Jack's spine; Alfred had never shown such a face before. Jack felt like Alfred's eyes were stabbing into him, making the usually tough Australian feel uncomfortable.
"You don't deserve him." Alfred spat.
Jack knew he should've stopped there, but Alfred needed the extra push. "What? And you think you do?"
Alfred opened his mouth but hesitated. His expression changed to a determined one and he nodded. "I do. I can treat him far better than you ever could hope to."
"Then prove it if you're so sure." Jack chuckled. "Be a man and ask him out. If you can make him beyond happy then I'll back off. But if you hurt him once, then you will back off and never ever look at him that way again." Jack had the full intention of backing off without Alfred needing to prove anything, but he was dead serious about the last part. If Alfred ever hurt Arthur again, it would be Jack who would be doing the beating.
"I will. Just you watch." He let go of Jack and turned, his form devoured by the woods dense shadows.
Jack watched where he disappeared for a good minute before sighing and flopping down on his back. He pressed a hand to his face and winced at the sharp stab of pain he felt at the slight contact. He groaned and let his arms flop out so he was lying like an iron cross.
"You owe me big time Arthur. Big. Time." Jack grumbled to the sky.
