Chapter Twenty

Hogwarts was unusually silent for the next few weeks, for Harry at least. He and Hermione had managed to put together a Defense Against the Darks Arts group that they named Dumbledore's Army to spite the Ministry. But, besides planning classes, there was no danger threatening his peaceful school year-at least in any way that threatened him specifically. No voices in the walls, no Death Eater attacks at Hogsmeade, or Diagon Alley. Everything Voldemort had seen to go to ground, and the only real threat at the moment, besides the mystery that Allen and his friends posed, was Umbridge. The ministry lackey had yet to give up on her attacks against the boy-who-lived, and his allegations that Voldemort had returned. Harry had nearly had some untoward detentions with her, if Cross hadn't stepped in.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor was as mysterious and crass as always, though the trio noticed that he seemed more snappish than usual. He focused more on the rest of the class than Allen, and Allen hung in the shadows even more, rarely making comments or even trying spells.

Harry had kept an eye on Allen, all the while defending him before his friends, but as Halloween approached, he couldn't help but wonder why the white haired boy seemed more strained than ever before. Allen's refusal to practice any type of Magic besides Potions drove Professor McGonangall insane, and even Flitwick was losing patience with the boy.

However, under all the stares, and underhanded comments, the albino simply smiled guilelessly. He acted as if all the comments meant nothing, as if the stares rolled off line rain off a window. Nothing seemed to touch him.

Harry sighed, as he sank deeper into the red common room chair, watching as Hermione looked over his paper for Snape one last time before he had to hand it in.

"Hermione," he asked, "What do you think of Allen now?"

Hermione sighed, as she set down the pen she was using to make corrections. "Harry, I don't know. As I said before, I do think that Allen and his friends are hiding something. But I don't think it's going to hurt you. Have you been watching Road?"

Harry sighed again. "I have. But she's not doing anything suspicious. She has to know that we're watching her! Ron," he glanced at his friend passed out on the sofa,"still thinks she can't be a threat, but... She told me she was working with Voldemort. She clings to Allen all the time, and she argues with Cross, but everywhere else she's just a first year with an amazing capability to cast spells."

Hermione hummed. "Have you talked to Dumbledore at all?"

The boy growled. "He's still avoiding me. Allen is too."

Hermione laughed. "Talk to Allen. It's been weeks. You were friends with him before you met Rhode and he came to Hogwarts. Don't let it stop you now."

"You think so? Ron'll throw a fit."

"Let him. Ron can't control who you're friends with, just like you don't complain when he decides to hang with Seamus."

Harry nodded. "Do you think he'll want to be friends after I've spied on him?"

"If he didn't, I misread him."

…

Allen sighed as he leaned back against one of the trees that bordered the Forbidden Forest. Lenalee sat beside him watching the clouds pass over in the sky, while to the left Lavi flopped lazily in the grass calling out what shapes the clouds were. Kanda was up in the tree, polishing his sword. They were relishing the peace, as they often did, when they weren't doing homework or dodging overly zealous noah.

"Hey... when do you think the Earl's going to make his move?" Allen asked.

Lavi shrugged, the grass rustling with the movement. "I have no idea. This world... I still can't find out why we were called here."

"We figured out that the mix of magic and innocence caused the portal." Lenalee pointed out.

"Yes, but why this moment? Why Voldemort? Why England?" Lavi questioned.

Allen frowned. "I think the bigger question is why does the Earl want to mix magic and the noah's power together in the first place? I thought the Earl wanted to keep the Fourteenth underwraps, and bringing him to a place that is undoing the Seal faster than I can keep fixing it doesn't seem to match up with what we know."

Lenalee raised herself to her elbow and looked over to the other side of the trunk, trepidation clear in her eyes. "Is he that close?"

Allen let out a choked laugh. "I have to spend my nights with Cross now, just to prevent him from taking over while I'm asleep. If we were home, I'd be locked up tight. I wouldn't be allowed outside the tower, if they let me stay there at all."

"That's terrible, Allen!" Lenalee exclaimed. "What's Cross doing about it?"

Allen shrugged. "Cross says we'll just have to wait and see if I'm strong enough to maintain myself. There isn't a lot he can do, besides shooting me, and we both think the attacks will subside when we return."

"We don't know when that will be." Lavi interjected.

Allen smiled. "I know. But that's the way it is."

Behind his smile, though, Allen knew that it wasn't as simple as he was making it out to be. The attacks of the Fourteenth against his barriers were painful, agonizing. He had only been attempting to break out at night, so Allen was grateful no one saw, but it had completely ruined his control over his innocence and magic. He was lucky that there had been no attacks by Akuma while he was there, but the calculating look in Rhode's eyes made him think that his luck wouldn't hold out for much longer.

He missed talking to Harry. Though the boy was younger, and didn't have the same experience, they had the similar burdens to carry. He missed the friend he had been making who didn't judge him, and listened. He wasn't constantly wondering if Allen would lose control, or if the Fourteenth was listening to everything he said. Harry's own personality was a breath of fresh air-Allen was sure that if he had ever gotten in serious trouble, Harry would be the one to rally the troops and head out after him, even if he were told not to. And even though he loved his friends, even Kanda, he knew that if the Order told them to leave him, they would... well, except maybe Kanda. But Lenalee, she had been part of the order for a long time. Her brother was a part of it, had followed her and taken a job to be near her. She wouldn't risk her only family going after him. Lavi, though it was hard to remember, was a Book Keeper. He wasn't allowed to intervene. Harry, though, was the type who went after those he cared about, even if he had to go alone.

It was nice to feel that sort of security from someone else for a change.

Speaking of which, that very person was trudging towards the small group, a tentative look on his face as though he wished to be somewhere else. Allen smiled as the boy reached them. "Hello Harry. How have you been?"

Harry flinched slightly at the friendly greeting, as though the polite words were sharper than they were meant to be. "Hi, Allen. Good, mate. Do you think I could talk to you alone for a minute?"

Allen cast a glance at his friends, and saw that they understood and nodded at the Wizard. "Of course. Let's go down there to talk." He nodded towards the Whomping Willow.

Harry worried the bottom of his sweater that peaked through the gap in the robe. Allen sat just out of the branches reach, not flinching even when the branches came close to actually striking him. Harry sighed, and Allen cocked his brow. "There was something you wanted to talk about?"

Harry chewed on his lip for another second, before he spat out his apology. "I'm sorry, I've been spying on you! Ever since I met Rhode, I've thought... I don't know! Even though you explained it, it still seems too suspicious. Too good to be true."

Allen shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you." he said simply, holding his arms out to the side, complacently. "What I'm asking you to do is trust, and while I understand that it's hard for you, you have to realize that I've told you more than I have told almost anyone else. Most definitely more than anyone else here. Rhode will do what Rhode wants, but I would hate for her actions to take a toll on our friendship."

Harry growled to himself. "I would too..." he heaved a sigh. "This isn't working. I don't know why, but I really want to be friends with you. Hermione says that I should, but Ron's going to hate me, because he still thinks that you're an evil git for being in Slytherin."

Allen smiled, a small tilt to the corner of his mouth. "But he isn't going to stop you, is he?"

Harry grinned. "No. He isn't. Ron might be an important friend to me, but you are too. I can't let Ron dictate who I can and can't be friends with."

Allen's smile widened into a grin. "No you can't. I'm glad you're not going to be spying on me anymore Harry. I have the feeling that I'm going to need all the friends I can get in the upcoming months."

Harry resisted frowning. That didn't sound good, but he let the subject drop. There was something almost fragile in Allen's bearing when he had said that sentence.

And Harry didn't want to be the one to break him.