Harry startled awake at the roar of a motorcycle, blinking awake, as the wards chimed an alert. He could hear Teddy swing himself out of bed and the light thump that meant his godson was awake.
He stood up, picked up his holly wand, eyed the elder wand, and tucked it behind an ear, half of his mind tuning into the magic in the wards around the house. They weren't keeping whoever it was out of the yard though, as far as he could tell. The wards had just chimed in alarm, telling him that someone, someone he didn't know, had just crashed into his yard.
"Dad!"
"Yeah, Teddy, I'm coming," Harry said, walking out of his bedroom and out into the hallway, peering down at the front door. The house he had bought three months ago was a one story one, or at least it appeared to be one story to most people. The second story… was only visible to other wizards and witches, created and built by a few of his colleagues over the past month.
Teddy ran right towards him, his eyes changing color rapidly, his hair flashing between auburn and blond before finally ending on blue. Harry rubbed his eyes slowly and scooped Teddy up, knowing that it usually meant Teddy was on edge. Or just asleep and too tired to stick to one color. Teddy wouldn't have heard the wards chime but he would have heard the motorcycle crash.
"It's alright, little wolf," Harry whispered, rubbing Teddy's back as he walked over to the kitchen and lowered Teddy down onto one of the stools. "You stay right there, okay? Let me handle this."
Teddy nodded, his eyes drooping closed before opening wide again. "Should I go get Aunt Hermione through the fire?"
"No, it's fine. Just stay there," Harry whispered, ruffling Teddy's hair before walking over to the front door. "It's probably… This is Charming. It might be…"
Teddy tilted his head and Harry's heart ached at the sight, seeing a little of Tonks in him. "It might be what?"
"Might be one of the Sons," Harry finished, opening the front door and peering out. It was still dark, courtesy of being a little bit past 3am, the nighttime sounds filling the air. Crickets chirped loudly, singing their usual song. He could faintly hear a few owls in the sky crying out and the stars themselves were bright, lighting up the sky. Or at least from what Harry could see. Charming wasn't too big of a town but there was plenty of nightlife.
He stepped out on the porch and closed the door behind him, searching the quiet yard in front of him. His gaze stopped on the bike that had crashed into the hedge that lined the perimeter of his house, the moon glinting off the metal. Off the reaper that was painted into the metal frame of it. Harry sucked in a startled breath and looked around, his eyes stopping on the man lying sprawled next to the bike.
Harry walked out over the wet grass, his bare feet getting wet from the dew beneath him. He shivered slightly as he approached the guy, seeing the messy blond hair spread every which way first. The kutte drew his eyes next, the leather vest fitting over the guy's chest and flannel shirt like a kind of armor. The two rings on the guy's fingers were varied in design but they all featured a skull, similiar to the reaper on the bike. Harry read over the patches on both sides of the kutte, seeing vice president, men of mayhem, Redwood Original.
Harry came to a stop at the guy's head, peering down into the guy's blue eyes upside down. The man peered up at him, his eyes flicking back and forth like he was having trouble tracking the situation.
The big ass knife that the guy had at his hip was not a surprise and nor was the gun hidden beneath the kutte. Harry frowned and peered down into the man's eyes, seeing him frown up at Harry. The man's eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks were red, tracks of dirt falling down the skin. The clothes were in disarray, tousled, like the man had gotten drunk and then gotten into a fight. And he also stunk of beer and cigarette smoke.
"Hey. You alright?" Harry asked, keeping his voice low, idly noting that the guy looked to be around Harry's age. Late twenties to early thirties, maybe.
"No, I'm...fine. I'm…" The guy trailed off, opening his mouth and then closing it before trying to get up. Harry lazily watched the guy struggle, his arms swinging up into the air before they fell down like some strings had been cut. The guy reached down sloppily to his knife and yanked it out, limbs an uncoordinated mess, and pointed it at him, opening his mouth again. "You… You should…"
Harry winced a little bit and reached out, curling his fingers around the guy's knife, watching the serrated edge of it. Harry had no trouble at all pulling the knife away from the guy's slippery but heated fingers, throwing it away, hearing it land edge down in the grass. He could see that it had landed a few inches in the ground and shook his head, flexing his fingers a little bit. He had apparently thrown harder than he had meant to. "You're not fine. Come on. Up."
The guy groaned as Harry stepped forward to haul him up, slipping an arm around his shoulders. Harry kept an eye on the guy's face as he moved him and immediately moved his arm to curl around the guy's waist when his face reddened. Harry scowled and held the guy up as he vomited, holding him around the waist as he bent over. At least the sick wasn't ending up on the bike or himself.
The guy shuddered in Harry's arm, tremors racking his sturdy frame, little hitching breaths, as he threw up all of the drinking he had done over the past few hours. Harry sighed and held him, brushing that soft blond hair out of the man's face as he vomited again, throwing up until there was nothing left but clear bile.
"What to do with you." Harry frowned as the guy went all but limp in his arms, slumping into him, burrowing into him. "I suppose…"
He stiffened as the guy's cold nose inched into his skin, making goosebumps roll up his skin, and then shrugged, flexed his fingers over the guy's hip. "I guess you can sleep it off in the guest room. I don't even know your name but whatever."
"Come on," Harry finally murmured, hefting the guy further up, carrying about 99.9% of his weight. A raw sound left the guy's throat, pained, hoarse, almost a whine, making worry curl in the pit of his stomach. "You're alright."
He vanished the sick and eyed the bike, the engine smoking a little. The bike itself would be fine, within his wards, and safe but visible to everyone else. Harry tightened his arm around the guy before sighing again. He'd take care of the guy first and then roll the bike into the garage, where Sirius' bike lived.
The guy grunted as Harry moved, a little hasty whispered featherlight charm, and he got him through the door. Down the hallway, past a wide eyed Teddy, past both of their rooms, past the two bathrooms, and into the guest room. It was a sparsely furnished room, a bed, a desk, and a few shelves of fiction books filled the room. There were though… a few moving portraits and he made a note to hide them.
He poured the guy onto the bed in the center of the room, making sure he stayed on his side, and sat on the edge of it. The guy groaned and twisted around before curling up, reaching for the pillow, sloppily reaching out for something. Harry sucked in a startled breath as the guy's wandering fingers curled into Harry's sleep pants.
"...Tara… no… Don't… don't go."
Harry stiffened at the rough voice and then swore, reaching down to curl his fingers into the man's, keeping his touch gentle. The sound of hurried footsteps drew his attention to the doorway and he saw Teddy running up to him with a glass in hand. Harry lifted an eyebrow.
Teddy met his eyes and then peered around him at the guy, his now green eyes narrowed with interest. "Is he hurt?"
"Uhh… of a kind," Harry offered, running a hand through his hair.
"This is for him," Teddy said, handing the glass over. "You give me water when my stomach's hurting."
Harry took the proffered glass hesitantly, looking at his godson. "Thank you, Teddy. Now I need you to go into my bedroom and stay there."
"But dad."
"Teddy."
Teddy pouted as he yawned. "Fine. Can you shape shift?"
Harry reached out, holding out his hand, palm up. Teddy fit his hand into his, scrubbing his fingers over his eyes, over his red eyes. "You have a nightmare?"
"Yeah."
"Of course. Now get," Harry whispered, giving Teddy a little nudge. "I'll take care of him."
He watched as Teddy left and then turned back to the guy, who was still awake, as far as he could see. Harry slowly slipped an arm around the guy's shoulders, feeling heated skin against his, and coaxed water into him. The guy took a few unsteady gulps, his blue eyes drooping closed, and when he finished the glass, Harry laid him back down on the bed. He slowly uncurled the guy's fingers from his pants, slipped those white tennis shoes off. Slipped the leather kutte off the guy and laid it on the desk.
Harry sighed as the man curled into the sheets, his fingers tightening into the mattress underneath him, and then left him to it, leaving a monitoring charm in the room. He pulled off the few magical portraits, cast notice-me-not charms on the ones in the hallway and left to deal with the guy's bike.
He spared one last glance at the two bikes next to each other, one Sirius' and one a stranger's, and walked back into the house, flipping the lights off as he went. With another few steps, he shifted between two legs and four, lazily padding into his bedroom, the main bedroom in the house. Teddy sucked in a sharp breath at the sight and then jumped up onto the bed, waited for him to do the same, and burrowed into his fur.
It was half past nine that their guest finally woke up, the loud noises of uncoordinated feet filling the house. The early morning sun was bright but not up to glaring level just yet, setting everything aglow, shining through the windows. Harry glanced over to where Teddy was watching cartoons on television and then stood up, walking out of the kitchen and out into the hallway. Swearing echoed in the hallway and Harry's lips twitched up into a wary grin. He hadn't been that drunk ever.
He leaned against the end of the hallway and caught sight of the guy as he slipped out of the guestroom. Dull blue eyes met green and locked. There were tear tracks on the guy's cheeks, as well as some leftover dirt from last night. The guy had put back on his kutte, throwing it on probably more than a little sloppily. Those white tennis shoes of his were on his feet again, clean and laced up.
"Where the fuck am I?"
"In my guestroom."
The guy glared at him and then reached up to hold his head, scowling. "Bathroom?"
Harry pointed to the door next to him, kept his voice low. "I'll get you a painkiller for that headache. There's a clean toothbrush and a washcloth in there. Feel free to shower if you want."
"Who're you?"
"Harry. You?"
"You don't know who I am?" The guy's voice wasn't irritated but not loud, too busy clutching his head, letting the wall hold him up.
"I know you're one of the Sons," Harry offered, shrugging.
The guy lifted an eyebrow. Harry stared back.
"My son and I haven't lived here for too long," Harry said.
"Jax."
"Nice to meet you."
Jax stared at him, dull suspicion in his blue eyes. "You're not law enforcement, right?"
"No. Not my jurisdiction anyway."
Jax took a minute before scowling deeper and walking over to the bathroom door, stopping at Harry's side.
"Who's Tara?" Harry asked, pretty sure of the reaction he'd get but wanting to know anyway.
"None of your goddamn business," Jax retorted, before stepping into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him.
"I figured," Harry said, before walking to the end of the hallway. "Yell if you need help."
He heard Jax curse through the door and then rolled his eyes, heading back to the kitchen to pour over the copy of the local magical newspaper. He pulled out his kit and looked through it, eying the various vials and picking one, making a noise of consideration under his breath.
The cartoon that Teddy was watching switched to one of a yellow sponge and Teddy giggled at the sight of it, his hair turning bright yellow to match. "Hey, Teddy?"
"Yeah, dad?" Teddy didn't even turn around to look at him, his eyes glued on the television. He shuffled around on the couch a little bit but didn't otherwise move.
"Stick to one color for now? The man that crashed his bike in the yard last night is non magical," Harry explained, shaking his head as the cartoon played on the tv.
Teddy nodded and finally turned to look at him, his eyes squinting in concentration. Harry watched in bemusement as Teddy's hair turned violet, blue, and then finally settled on blond. Teddy's eyes stayed green and intent, intrigued, as he watched Harry wave his hand over the open vial in his hand.
Two drops of the liquid flowed out and transformed in his palm into pills.
"When can I do that?" Teddy questioned, excitement in his voice as they both heard the guy knocking around in the hallway.
"When you're 16," Harry answered, shrugging and turning to watch as Jax stepped into the kitchen, stopping in the doorway. The man's hair was still dry, which Harry had half way expected. He wouldn't have wanted to shower in a stranger's home either.
Jax blearily stared at the man in the kitchen before turning to look at the living room next to the main room. His head was pounding to much for him to really concentrate, his eyes tired and he was thirsty as all hell. The television was in the room and there was a kid, a boy, sitting on the couch, sitting against the back of it, watching him, not the quiet cartoons that were playing. The boy couldn't have been older than 13, his bright green eyes matching the man's but the blond hair…
A startled breath drew his attention back to the man and he turned slowly, his fingers curling and uncurling, his stomach growling, to look. The man… Harry… was looking between Jax and the boy, amusement and… something else in his eyes.
"Teddy. Did you pick that color on purpose?" Harry finally questioned, lifting an eyebrow as he looked Jax over. Jax did the same, giving Harry a quick once over, seeing no hint of club related clothing or tattoos. The guy wore a dark red t-shirt and well worn sweatpants, clearly dressed to work around the house. His black hair was messy and touched his shoulders, still wet from a shower.
"No."
"You wanna try sounding less like you're lying?" Harry asked bemusedly, shaking his head.
"No."
Harry laughed and walked over to stop in front of Jax, his green eyes curious, his left hand holding pills and his right holding a glass of water. "Here. Take these. They should help."
"I don't need…"
"You have a look," Harry offered quietly, touching his own temple. "Like drums are going off in here. Your bike's in the garage. It's not damaged."
Jax breathed in and took the proffered water and pills, lifting an eyebrow of his own. Harry nodded and gestured to them. "I'm not trying to poison you if that's what you think."
Jax stared at Harry before sighing, swallowing down both pills in one go and gulping down a few sips of water. The effect was immediate and the easing of the headache was nearly sudden, there and gone in a minute. He sucked in a breath and rocked back on the heels of his feet, shuddering at the release of it. His head stopped pounding, the aches in his body disappeared and his eyes stopped hurting whenever he glanced through the floor to ceiling windows across from him, to the light beyond them. "What was that?"
"Good drugs," Harry said, winking at him before walking back to the kitchen to pull out plates from a cupboard. "I don't think anyone saw you crash last night. If that's what you're worried about. Your reputation is safe."
"I should…" Jax trailed off as flashes of memory came back from last night.
Tara's breathless, frantic voice as she called him to say that Kohn was back and that she had shot him. His heart beating like a rabbit as he rode back, running right up to her door and pulling Tara into an embrace as she let him in. Shooting Kohn to finish the job, watching his lifeless body keel over onto Tara's rug. Blood pooling in puddles around the man's body.
Tara's hitching breaths as she sat on the bed next to him. The kiss that followed and then slow sex on her bed.
He had woken up to an empty bed, to an empty house, to no note. Tara's car, the Cutlass, was gone and so was her trunk.
"...Jax?"
"...You alright?"
Whatever Harry could see on his face made him pause, clear worry in his green eyes. Jax swore and turned to head over to the visible front door, almost trembling on the spot, his fingers flexing. Sweat trickled down his back and his heart beat over the roaring in his ears. Something ugly curled in the pit of his stomach, a gaping hole that felt like-
He dimly heard small footsteps almost like they were far away and then small fingers slipped into his left hand. Jax startled and peered down at the kid, whose green eyes were wide as they peered up at him. The boy had the same blond that he himself did but it was a lot more wild than his, messy curls springing over his scalp.
The kid was clearly in sleep wear, sweat pants loosely around his hips and a blue shirt that had a gold dragon on it. He barely came up to Jax's hip but the kid was clearly determined, a sharp spark of it in his eyes. And unafraid of him.
"Come have breakfast with me. Dad makes the best pancakes."
The strangled noise drew Jax's attention back to Harry, who's cheeks were red.
"Uh… Teddy… I'm sure the guy has better…"
"I'd be…" Jax paused and looked between the boy and his father.
"I'll go get Moony for you," Teddy added, blinking up at him like the kid thought it would be a good bribe, whatever Moony was.
Harry sucked in a breath behind them and then shrugged as Jax looked over to him.
"If you want to stay for breakfast, it's up to you," Harry finally offered quietly, sparing Teddy a glance. "Not up to the kid."
"Ah, but dad."
"He might have things to do," Harry said, lifting an eyebrow.
"I don't. Breakfast would be…" Jax trailed off again hesitantly. "It would be nice."
Harry met his eyes before nodding, pulling out a third plate and putting it aside. "Make yourself at home then. Food will just be a minute or two."
"So, kiddo, how old are you?" Jax asked finally, peering down at Teddy, whose fingers were still in his. Teddy tilted his head and then tugged him over to the table, a circular wooden thing that looked like it could seat 4.
"I'm 12. You wanna see my bedroom after breakfast? It's so cool," Teddy said, letting go of him to sit down at the table. Jax sat down in the chair next across from the kid, unsure of his real welcome in this family of two. "Uncle Charlie sent me some dragon bedsheets and I'm using them now. I'm gonna go get Moony, dad."
"Wash your hands!" Harry called after Teddy, fondness in his voice, as they both watched the boy leave the room. "Sorry about him."
"Nah, it's fine. So what's Moony?" Jax asked, looking around the house from where he was sitting.
Harry looked at him, uncertainty in his eyes before he dipped his head in a more slight nod. "Moony was his father's nickname. Now it's the name of his favorite stuffed animal."
"You're not his father?"
Harry shook his head as he flipped pancakes onto three separate plates. "His father died, right beside his mother 11 years ago. I'm his godfather."
Jax swallowed at the words, hearing the old grief in them. "I'm sorry."
Harry lifted an eyebrow before shrugging. "He never shares Moony with anyone."
Teddy came racing back in two minutes later with a big stuffed wolf in his hands, hopping back in his chair hurriedly and pushing the wolf towards Jax. "Moony, meet Jax."
The stuffed wolf was about the size of a small dog, with big yellow eyes and a grey coat. Jax inhaled softly and reached out to brush the coat of it, peering over at the kid. "He's so soft."
Teddy nodded. "He helps me when I'm sad too. Why were you sad?"
"I… lost someone," Jax finally decided as Harry walked over with the three plates. Those green eyes focused on him before straying to Teddy, filled with affection.
"Did they die?" Teddy asked, peering at him and whooping out in glee as Harry placed a plate in front of him. "Yay! You made my favorite shapes."
"Yep, I know all of your secrets, cub," Harry offered, a faint smile on his face.
Teddy giggled and dug in, dribbling copious amounts of syrup over his. Jax grinned, watching the boy for a minute before looking down at the plate that Harry had placed in front of him.
"A motorcycle?" Jax questioned, his heart skipping a beat or two at the sight. One of the two pancakes on his plate was shaped into a bike, forming a bike that looked a lot like his own motorcycle.
Harry shrugged and smiled, taking a bite of his own food. "It's magic."
Teddy giggled even louder. Jax looked between Harry and Teddy before smiling faintly.
Harry leaned against the doorway in the front door, watching as Jax mounted his motorcycle. The guy looked far better than he had last night, steady and less worn. The wards echoed in his mind and didn't react as Harry idly tweaked them, reaching out with his magic and making it so that Jax would always be welcome here.
"So… if you have any reason to be looking for a place to stay…" Harry paused, as he walked out to stop in front of the bike, looking into those blue eyes. "You're welcome here. Except… maybe less drunk but I'm not picky really."
Jax snorted as he strapped on his helmet, his eyes looking beyond Harry to where Teddy was running about in the house. "You have a good kid."
"I do. Thanks. I hear you have one too," Harry said, shrugging at Jax's questioning look. "I hear things. You're not exactly subtle."
"That bike in the garage yours?" Jax asked, changing the subject smoothly that Harry let him.
"I inherited it but yeah. I prefer flying though," Harry remarked, pointing up into the sky. "I imagine it's the same feeling as speeding on your bike. Free."
Jax stared at him, blinked once and then nodded. "Yeah. It's… I was gonna go riding last night. Guess I went for a detour."
Harry's lips twitched into an amused grin. "Some detour. I'm sorry about whoever Tara is."
Jax didn't comment as he flipped the bike's engine on, throttling the engine, looking away briefly.
"You need someone to talk to, you know where I am," Harry finally said, gesturing behind him. They lived at the outskirts of Charming, less people noticing them that way. "And Teddy probably would enjoy seeing you again."
"Yeah?"
Harry reached out to lay his fingers over Jax's right hand, hovering for a second before withdrawing. Jax sucked in a breath at the touch, his cheeks reddening faintly. "Yeah."
"Thanks," Jax murmured, meeting his eyes hesitantly, before riding out of the driveway and out onto the road.
Harry watched him go and then headed back inside, smiling at Teddy's expectant look.