"So are you muggle-born or what?" He asked as we walked up the streets.
"I was adopted by muggles but they both are dead as are my parents so I guess I'm on my own now. How'd you know?" I answered with a sad little smile.
"I'm sorry to hear that." He said, looking to the side at me. "But you're talented at dressing like a muggle you look great everytime I see you." I stopped at the side of the road and he stopped with me, looking straight into my eyes.
"You think I look great?" I asked, looking down at my outfit.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't." He answered grabbing my hand. I let him do that, my eyes shining as he looked at me. "I'm gonna show you something."
With that he pulled me gently through the crowd, until he found a seemingly empty store and pulled me inside.
"What?" I started to say put he pulled out his wand, gave it a wave, and a little picnic appeared.
"I've been working on not blowing things up as much." He told me with a smile and led me over to the blanket. He opened the little basket and produced some bread and cheese. "I'm still not very good."
"No Devin this is amazing I love it." I countered sitting down and grabbing a slice of bread. He smiled, sitting down with me and began to eat. We made small talk and laughed a lot, finishing off the food quickly. I don't know how long we stayed there, but the sun was setting by the time we decided we needed to go back.
"Wow we've been gone a long time." He noted as we saw the sun setting and stores closing.
"Time flies I guess." I shrugged still holding his hand as we walked back to the brick wall. Devin tapped the bricks and led me back through the back door of the bar. Everyone turned around as we came back, Devin holding the picnic basket in one hand and my hand in the other, me a smile still plastered on my face.
"Where have you two been?" I heard and groaned as McGonagall came into view. I hid my head in the crook of Devins neck as if hoping that made me invisible.
"We went out for a picnic." Devin told her defensively, letting go of my hand and wrapping his free arm around me.
"Well we've been worried sick you've been gone for hours." It wasn't McGonagall this time but Tom fought his way through the crowd next to her.
"I'm sorry I didn't think I needed a babysitter." I retorted straightening up and looking and McGonagall accusingly.
"Yeah and I thought you wanted me and Casper to be friends?" Devin asked Tom, grasping my hand again.
"Looks a bit more like friends." A voice said in the back and I took a step forward, blocked by Devin.
"Come on Cas its not worth it." He whispered and I breathed deeply as he turned back to Tom.
"I don't care what you two are Casper you're coming back with me I never should have let you out of my sight. What would Albus say at my foolishness?" McGonagall said, stepping forward as if to grab me and I flinched.
"I don't want you to touch me, you can tell dear Albus whatever the hell you want." I answered and she drew her wand. Devin jumped in front of me before she could do anything and Tom pulled out his wand too.
"Devin get out of the way their argument doesn't have to do with you." He said moving his wand as if it controlled Devins movements.
"My patience is running thin Casper." McGonagall warned her wand emitting sparks from the tip.
"Give your best shot uncle Tom." Devin shouted his arms spread wide.
"Whatcha gonna do get drunk again? Because I'm sure as hell not taking care of you anymore!" I yelled at McGonagall and I could see her explode in anger.
Two bursts of light shot towards Devin and I pushed him out of the way, white light exploding from my, now outstretched, wand. The three spells collided and I felt saw them explode against each other sending me flying back. I felt Devin shake me and I got up groggily. McGonagall was unconscious on top of a table and Tom was on the floor.
"Casper are you okay?" He asked worriedly as he helped pull me to my feet. He wrapped me up in a hug and I saw that my wrist had a piece of glass stuck in it. But that could wait.
"Yeah I'm okay are you?" I answered as he pulled away barely, looking me in the eye.
"Yeah Casper what you did was amazing how did you do it?" He said looking all over to see if I was really okay, stopping when he saw my wrist. "Gee Casper this looks bad." He led me over to the bar where I sat on the counter as he fumbled around looking for bandages.
"I don't know how I did it it just sorta happened." I shrugged as he pulled up my sleeve pulling out the glass shard and looked at my scars.
"What?"
"My adoptive father, He was an alcoholic, he got mad a lot I guess."
We looked at each other for a while, me ashamed, and him a fierce kind of rage. He bandaged up my wrist and picked me up with ease, setting me down in front of him. Our foreheads were up against each others and there were tears in my eyes as I realized where this was going.
"I don't want you to get in anymore trouble because of me." He whispered not bothering to wipe away my tears.
"I don't care Devin I don't care." I replied in the same hushed tones, not bothering to notice the door open and people started to come around.
"I do." He said and pulled me into a last hug, one in which I cried on his shoulder. I cried because he was the only friend I had ever had and after barely a day I was losing him. We broke off and I looked around, the tears made my vision blurry, but I could still see Tom and McGonagall staring at us, Tom a somber look on his face, McGonagall a half mad half confused look. I turned to the door and Dumbledore was standing there taking in the mess.
I took one last look at Devin's heartbreaking face and ran up the stairs slamming my door and falling to the ground in helpless sobs. I didn't think about Hogwarts, I didn't think about Ben. I just thought about everything I had just left behind downstairs.
Meanwhile downstairs,
"Minerva what happened here?" Dumbledore asked taking the room and a couple of long strides.
"Casper happened." She answered taking out her anger by blasting a cup to smithereens and fixing it. She saw Devin run out the backdoor and Tom get to work cleaning everything up. Everyone else in the bar had turned and ran as soon as they woke up.
"Well yes seeing as The Leaky Cauldron is now very much damaged I've come to conclude that it was not just her." Dumbledore noted, with a wave of his wand returning the room to its original state.
"Thanks Dumbledore can you get you anything?" Tom came over and asked.
"No thank you Tom but it would be wonderful if you would join our conversation." Dumbledore said sitting at one of the tables, closely followed by McGonagall and Tom.
"So what happened with Casper and Devin?"
It was silent as McGonagall and Tom shared slightly guilty looks. Then they both launched into their stories, each varying a bit on the little details. It was a good hour before they both stopped talking and looked at Dumbledore who, despite the talking that had been going on for an hour, looked thoughtful.
"So there it is Dumbledore." Tom ended and Dumbledore looked at him.
"Please Tom, call me Albus it is much less of a tongue sore." He said and thought a good deal more.
"Well I think that their children, and we are adults." He said after a while as if this explained everything.
"Well what does that mean? "McGonagall asked leaning forward.
"It means, if my guess is correct, that children are usually one step ahead of adults and if we look in young Casper's room all her things will be packed up, as will Devin's." He answered and, in a panic, both people in his audience rushed around to see if this was true. And it was true, as Albus Dumbledore's guesses usually are.
Authors note- So I'm back. I had a really great trip and I'm really tired and I ligit just walked in the door and ran to my computer so I could post this and yes you can punch me for saying ligit. So here's part two I'll get part three up tomorrow and then... HOGWARTS! Till next time!