We have a new chapter! We have a new chapter! We have a new chapterOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
And you can start dancing now!
Hello my dear and beautiful readers! I don't know about you, but March took forever for me. But we're finally at the first of the month and that means being able to enjoy a new chapter of this beautiful story! (modesty sold separately)
Now I'll leave you in peace so you can read to your heart's content:
I'll see you in the endnotes!
Chapter 4:
"Up and Down"
Seth stayed with Jacob for the rest of the day. When they got home there was a note from Sue to Leah, who was still sleeping, saying she was going shopping. That meant they had the house to themselves:
-Leah," Jacob asked, sitting on the living room couch, accepting Seth's can of soda.
-She was on a late-night patrol this morning, believe me: not even an earthquake would wake her up.
-No. The... rabbits escaped... every. That me. They saw-Maybe the spaces between words in sentences could have caused someone some annoyance. But Seth was still amused by the comment.
They were together the rest of the morning, Jacob entertained by the verbiage that so characterized Seth. The younger boy shared half his lunch, which left both of them hungry; so Jacob got up, wore some shorts that Seth had lent him, and went straight to the kitchen. It was that Seth realized that the kite, even walking on his two feet, was behaving like a wolf.
It seemed that instead of seeing with his eyes, he was looking for the food in the refrigerator with his nose. The way he wrinkled his nose when he discarded the cup of cabbage, and licked his lips when he found the chicken left over from the previous night's dinner.
-Don't you want to heat that up? It must be freezing..." suggested Seth sitting across from the couch.
-No. That's right..." Jacob answered by putting everything on a plate. Less, it's cooked.
-Whatever you say, brother, while Jacob was devouring all the chicken, Seth was telling him, in more detail, everything that had happened in his absence, being extremely careful not to mention the subject of Bella or the Cullens. About noon Sue arrived at the house, loaded with paper bags full of groceries.
-Hello, son, you're early." His mother walked to the kitchen, where Jacob was, whom she couldn't see because of all the bags. For his part, Seth preferred to omit the detail that he had not been to class.
-While he was speaking, he saw how Jacob looked at him with a full mouth and a raised eyebrow. Silently he told Black to be quiet.
-Hello Sue. The woman jumped up a little when she heard a third voice in her kitchen. At least until she saw the other Lycan sitting at the bar in her kitchen with a plate full of bones in front of her.
-Jacob! -I exclaim in surprise -when-
-I met him in the woods on my way back from class.
-I see, I'm glad you came back," the woman said as she started to take things out. "But why didn't you go with your father?
-He answered quietly as Sue looked at her son, quietly asking him what was going on. Seth just gestured silently, "He's not talking right, he'll get over it.
-I see, it's okay to stay for lunch-I kindly invite you to overlook the bad grammar of the teenager-Why don't you lend him a T-shirt?
-I wanted to..." he replied; then he lifted his shoulders and began to move them as he spoke - but Jake didn't want a T-shirt, Jake liked to be half naked.
-You'll see," and a fun game began in which Jacob chased the child around the room while he continued to imitate a caveman. They even continued to play when they heard Leah shouting at them to shut up from upstairs.
When the food was ready, Seth's head was still smoking from the smack he got from the other kite when he was caught. Leah was still refusing to wake up, or so they thought until they heard her coming down the stairs, with her hair disheveled and her characteristic mood:
-You idiots are a pain in the ass-Grumpy.
-Sue, as a good mother, knew that was her way of saying hello. Jacob stood there watching the girl walk, grab her plate and sit down at the table to eat as if seeing him again was no surprise.
-He asked defiantly as he began to eat.
-Also, it's good to see you-Maybe his sense of grammar was a little rusty, but at least his sarcastic gland was still working.
He and Leah continued to attack each other while Seth watched them, as if they were a tennis match, and Sue ate quietly. Even if he was entertaining himself by fighting with the girl, deep down Jacob couldn't stop thinking about the fact that he was back: sooner or later he would have to face his father, Sam, the rest of the pack... Bella.
And that last part, really, really was one that I wanted, if not to avoid, at least to delay as long as possible. Yes, he found Bella and that leech Cullen, he doubted that the Alpha's orders could stop him. He would go into phase: and kill him.
¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸°°ø¤º,º¤ø°°¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ ¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ ¸,ø¤º°°º¤¸,
The climate was slightly rainy. Just a small breeze that fell, forming curtains because of the wind and giving a bluish tone to the whole exterior. Or at least that's how Teddy saw it, sitting in the window of his new room looking out while his favorite CD played on the simple sound system he had at the other end of the room on some boxes. His head moved to the music as his foot hit the ledge; he was happy to have gotten Harry to move, but in a way he would have liked to move somewhere more sunny. And no, his dream of seeing the beaches of Miami had nothing to do with it... He was opening up to California.
-Teddy...-At least his father looked more cheerful-at least start unpacking your things-but he was just as strict.
-But the furniture goes all the way up... I don't know when-he struggled to put his foot down and leave both of them at wood floor level-I'm not going to leave my clothes on the floor.
-He returned it with a smile and seeing his godson look back at him with false indignation.
-Ah, thank you-it was a little strange to see the smile on the young face of the one with glasses, and even a little suspicious. But both towels were white, which could - Oh yeah! Very funny Harry! - And he could hear his godfather's laugh from the hallway.
His name occupied practically all the space of the towel, up to that point it was acceptable, exaggerated, but acceptable. The point was that each letter was written with a different colored thread and the Y ended with a flourish and a pink flower. Well, at least Harry was in a better mood to make such a childish joke; I encourage him while making the mental note not to spread his towels out. He left them on the bed he was sleeping on, a simple metal folding, temporary one until all his furniture arrived in the mail.
He took his place at the window again. The breeze had changed to a denser rain. But, instead of blaming himself for not having done more research before buying the tickets, he came up with a little solution for all that cold weather; he got up and went straight to his trunk.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Harry was reading sitting in one of the chairs at the table they used as a dining room. He was having trouble concentrating, though. It felt strange to be in a house with only two floors, three if you count the attic, with faded walls, a floor that needed urgent cleaning, not to mention the lack of furniture that made it so big and empty, a simple electric kitchen, and a small dining room with plastic chairs. It was different, and left such a stark contrast, if you compare it to the thirteen Grimmauld Place.
I close the book and look around. It felt so different, I couldn't put it in any way; neither as a good thing, nor as a bad thing, nor even as a neutral thing. It had definitely been a big move on the part of his godson to make him move out - that it was Sirius' house he had left behind! But, deep down, a small part of him just wanted to get away, to run away. But now, after a nine-hour flight, a twenty-minute stopover, and another three-hour flight, he arrived in a small village, apparently with a constant rainy climate, and moved into a completely strange house... Doubts kept eating away at him inside.
I was scared. I was afraid, I was afraid of an invisible ghost that I couldn't see, hear, or listen to, that at any moment could come and squeeze his heart with its translucent, icy hands... And the only thing that could cause him such pain would be if something bad happened to Teddy. No, that would...
-Calm down Harry-he doesn't even flinch when he hears it-you're not like that...
-Neville, I'm scared." I whisper; his friend was sitting in front of him and looking at him with a sly, worried smile. It's the only thing that keeps me sane, if something were to happen to him I would...
-Don't even say it. Cut the kid off in front of him, this time with an angry look, or I'll kick your earthy ass, and you know there'll be a line waiting behind me.
-Neville-Supply Harry with the look.
-No Harry, but the Gryffindor was not left... This is good, look... I add looking around... It's a nice house, it just needs a coat of paint and that's it, it's enough for Teddy and you, and for a guest if you want to go out and meet other people...
-I wish Teddy could have met you- -I tell the ojiverde, provoking a laugh in the chestnut tree in front of him.
-Do you want me, the Longbottom who could not transform a match into a needle, to be near your beloved son?
-Teddy is not my son- -Harry clarifies. And immediately his friend contradicted him:
-It is. You're all the family he has, and he sees you as one-but before they could continue their conversation they heard footsteps on the floor above-talking about the king of rome.
-Before he even reacted, his eyes were already blocked by his godson's hands.
-The joke of the game is that you don't announce yourself -I'm talking about the biggest one, even without being able to see.
-Who were you talking to? With his vision restored, Harry noticed that Neville had left.
-He didn't say anything. Teddy didn't insist, he knew that was a sensitive subject.
-Anyway, I'm hungry.
-What's new-
-Oh, come on, I'm a growing boy, I need to eat, and you need to feed me. Or I'll sue you for negligence.
-As you call Child Welfare..." said Harry standing up. "Ask them if they know of any good stores to go shopping. The refrigerator is empty.
-Can we...
-I won't order food from the home-but before I take a small box from the kitchen counter, Teddy's hand grabs it from the wrist- -What, I have-
-Not the youngest one. -Remember something I said about "change"? I'm sure you must have, I mentioned it... about ten times... this morning.
An hour later they were both walking through the aisles of the city's supermarket. Teddy was in the back pushing the cart, in fact he was resting his arms on it with one foot on the bottom and the other was pushing himself; that, added to his smile, gave him a rather childlike look. The reason was quite simple.
-Stop doing that, you'll bump into someone. -
-I'll pay attention to the stoplights in the hallway -In front of him was a teenager just a couple of years older, wearing a light brown leather jacket and jeans, with black hair all over him, and pretending not to notice the stare his godson had on him.
Teddy couldn't remember the last time he had seen Harry go out looking like a seventeen-year-old. It was only like that when they were at home; outside he had to maintain, literally, a grown man's façade. He shook his head in the middle of the cereal aisle, he didn't want to think about it, he wanted to enjoy being with his young father.
-Which one do you like better? Harry, on his side, felt quite strange. Letting himself be seen, physically as he was. He couldn't help feeling tense. He was standing in front of a cereal shelf, with trembling hands and a cold sweat on the back of his neck, he felt like a fool, a coward a-
-Chocolate! -Teddy. His godson had him hugging him from behind, wrapping one arm around his torso and extending the other arm to take a box of cereal-or do you want a fruit box?-I add by resting my chin on his godfather's shoulder while looking at him expectantly.
-That's good...
-Great! I take a box and throw it in the cart. The green eye slaps itself mentally for having let itself be disturbed in this way. He took a deep breath and calmed down, luckily having to follow a hyperactive teenager was good for keeping his mind occupied. The rest of the shopping was spent with Teddy by his side complaining about his godfather taking the ice cream out of the cart and replacing it with cabbage, his most hated food.
He couldn't help but see a small connection between that and a vendetta by Harry for getting him out of his house. No... I was just paranoid.
An hour later, both were already paying at the cashier's desk. Teddy took everything out of the cart and put it on the cashier's belt, while Harry counted the money in his wallet. He wasn't worried about not having enough, he just wasn't used to the change between the dollar and the pound yet.
In turn, the cashier, an adult woman with a little more makeup than necessary, did not stop looking at them out of the corner of her eyes. She was sure she had never seen that pair; and she was sure she would remember that handsome young man with glasses:
-He finally said how much the machine cost, and he couldn't help but be surprised by the amount of food they were carrying... Are they new in town? He couldn't resist asking as he put everything into the bags.
-Ah, yes," said the younger one, with his strange dark blue hair, when he saw the other one concentrating on the money.
-So they came to do the shopping while their parents were resting," he suggested with his nicer tone.
-Ah, it's not that... I clumsily clear the young man; he had clearly become nervous. And she would definitely take advantage of it to get all the information out of him, sneakingly clear.
-It's just us- For his misfortune the other guy came forward to answer before he could know more. He handed him a couple of bills and set out to get the bags-he kept the change.
The gossipy cashier had to be left wanting to find out more. She just stood by and watched the two boys take their shopping and leave the store. All the other cashiers had also been watching and immediately started talking about who those two handsome and apparently foreign boys might be. But the biggest question hanging over everyone's heads was where they had moved to.
¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸°°ø¤º,º¤ø°°¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ ¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ ¸,ø¤º°°º¤¸,
The way back was quiet to the house. The rain had caught them by surprise but they didn't get too wet, entered the house quickly and left the bags in the kitchen. Harry stared for a moment at Teddy who was shaking his hair, now black. He didn't need to be a genius to know what was going on in his godson's head.
-I-It seems that Teddy was the same way with him. I hadn't thought about it before," he said, flashing a faint smile, "but what would happen if I continued to introduce you as my father? I mean, you don't look much older than me, they'd think that...
-It doesn't matter -Harry took his arms and hugged him tightly -You know I hate it when you lie.
-Mmmm...-A moment later Harry could feel his godson's arms around him...-So when they ask me, I'll just play dumb!
-It will be easy; now go change before you get a cold-he almost didn't have time to react. But the huge sheepdog that appeared in his arms licked his face before he jumped to the ground and shook off his fur-Teddy! he only received a bark, started chasing his four-legged godson around the house but lost him at the foot of the stairs where he almost slipped. Luckily, he was able to hold on to the handrail.
He smiled funny and went back to the kitchen. Knowing Teddy, he was probably taking a bath, which gave him plenty of time to prepare some pasta. When he had served all of Teddy under the stairs, he was wearing a cotton jumpsuit, nothing from his waist up except a towel on his shoulders. He sat down on the chair in front of his biggest plate and prepared to eat:
-Could you put something on," Harry asked, sitting in front of him.
-Oh, come on, I like cold weather." He took a shortcut just as he was taking his first bite, "and I just took a shower.
-Mmm- By his side Harry was not very fond of lack of clothes. Since Hogwarts he had never felt comfortable in the showers with the Quidditch team, and they were his friends. And Teddy had a tendency to be shirtless when they were at home.
-You always sound like a conservative old man- -I'm kidding the shifter- -Come on Harry! It's the 21st century! And we're in America! Loosen up a little.
-You make me want to go back to London now- -I'm joking the green eye.
-Seriously, you're not planning on staying here all day?
-…-
-Dad!
-What do you want me to do? Thanks to you I don't have a job anymore -I reproach Harry.
-I don't know, but I'm not going to stay all day and-
-Ah and you won't-Short cut Harry with a smile-Tomorrow I'll go and register you for the institute: you'll attend the school.
-But we're in the middle of the vacation," Teddy said in horror.
-The school year is different; here, they're just starting out-Harry watched with satisfaction as his godson kept looking at him while keeping his mouth open. Then he gave him the coup de grâce-so many friends.
-How long are you going to take it out on me for the move?" Teddy asked, with a funny expression of a scolded dog. Curiously, he had a pair of canine ears.
-I don't know... I also want to paint the house-Harry suggested with a sly smile-My room in red, or maybe blue; how would you like yours in pink?
They continued eating until they finished, washed the dishes and went upstairs to rest: one very smiling, the other seriously considering calling child welfare... Or at least getting up early and preparing their dad's favorite breakfast.
¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸°°ø¤º,º¤ø°°¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ ¸,ø¤º°°º¤ø,¸ ¸,ø¤º°°º¤¸,
The night was dark all over the forest, the sky was so overcast that it was possible to see something more than a meter away. Or at least that would be the case for any normal human being who went into the forest. But the darkness was not a problem for the wolves that ran around the trees and roots. Their ears perceived even the subtlest noise, their sense of smell guided them, and their eyes penetrated beyond the darkness.
Seth couldn't believe how cloudy Jacob's mind was at that moment; it was as if he had nothing in his head but running and going faster. He sighed internally and prepared, telling everyone that Jacob was back would not be easy.
-What did you say?!
A howl in the sky.
To be continued...
Uhhh! With that ending, even I got anxious...
UHUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Alright my loves, unfortunately that's all for today. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it. Anyway you have no idea of everything that is coming our way in this story so I recommend you to get ready, maybe a seatbelt or a helmet. Ok ok, also an axe or a shotgun because, I'll be honest, you're going to hate me.
On the other hand, I can't wait to read what you thought of this chapter, don't forget that reviews are a vital part of a good feed.
See you in May with a new chapter!