Magical Fire
by M. F. Luder
Part three
20. the road home
On Monday, as she apparates into the house in the early morning, Kirsten tells herself she's doing this for a very good reason. She cares about the boy, even though he's only been in her house for three days. And it's because she cares about him that she can't help but worry about him.
She can't imagine how a person -- a mother -- would walk away from her son the way this woman did. Sandy told her about it, about walking into the house after Ryan and finding nothing but an empty house and a note on the counter.
She closes her eyes at the thought. It had to be shock, she thinks, trying to justify the woman’s actions. It had to be the shock of knowing your son is not who you expected him to be but something new and very unfamiliar. And maybe, if someone speaks with her, someone that understands, she'll think it over and come to her senses.
Kirsten looks over her shoulder and up the staircase. The boys are upstairs; she can hear them all the way to the first floor, actually. They are laughing. She smiles as she hears her son laughing from his heart. How long has it been since she heard her shy boy laughing with a person he met three days ago?
"Mistress?"
Turning around, Kirsten smiles at Silky as the house elf makes a low bow, her long ears bobbing up and down.
"My mistress! You've come home early! Have you missed the young masters, my mistress! Don't you worry, Silky has been keeping an eye on them, protecting them from all harm. Silky, who has been serving my beautiful Mistress since the age of my Mistress Ellanora, before my mistress was born. Silky now serves the Nobel House of Cohen, under the commands of my fair Master--"
"Silky, Silky," Kirsten says, chuckling as Silky starts her tirade once again. "I know your history."
Silky nods. "Yes, yes, Silky has known my mistress since she was born, mistress. Since my Mistress was only a baby in the arms of her mother, of Silky's Mistress who gave Silky her name. Her beautiful name and Silky's pretty clothes." Silky hugs herself and her very clean pinkish silk pillowcase.
"Silky," Kirsten says sternly, forcing the house elf to quiet. "I'm not supposed to be here, remember?" Her glance shifts to the second floor, the door to Seth's bedroom still closed. "I don't want the boys to know I'm here."
Silky nods, zipping her lips. "Oh, my mistress, Silky will not say a word to the young masters. Silky will not say a word."
Kirsten nods and then Silky disappears to the daily duties, which Kirsten doesn't really know of. It's not like the house is that big that it needs cleaning every day.
Turning around, she makes her way out of the house and toward the pool house. She can't help but worry about her motives, or Ryan's reaction.
She's doing the best for the boy, she tells herself, no matter what her hearts tells her. Somehow, when Sandy brought Ryan home, she had felt that was his place, in their house. Shaking her head, she pushes aside selfish feelings. The boy needs to go back to his mother, not stay with them, no matter what she feels, or what her own son wants.
She sees the backpack on the armchair and walks toward it, certain his mother's letter is inside. She can feel a knot in her stomach, knowing that if Ryan finds out, he'll probably resent her. But she has to do this, for his own good.
It takes her only a moment before she finds a folded piece of paper underneath a pair of jeans that look too old for Ryan to still be wearing. Taking a step backwards, she sits down on the edge of the bed, folded letter on her lap.
She sighs as she retrieves her wand. She doesn't want to read it, but she has to unfold it to recognize the signature, in order for the tracking spell to actually work. Her gaze can't help but shift from one line to the other, catching stranded words like I'm sorry, can't, love you, forgive me, good luck.
Kirsten inhales sharply, wondering how could any mother turn around and leave her eleven-year-old son to find his way in this world alone. Kirsten closes her eyes for a moment, telling herself the woman has made a mistake that will want to be righted, and that she loves her son very much.
She whispers the tracking charm under her breath, her wand pointed to the words written down in blue ink. The tip of her wand glows with a soft pink light, and she opens a map of region on top of the bed. She points the wand at the map, the light glowing strong before a ray of light shoots out toward a specific point in the map.
Kirsten nods, standing up as she does so. Muggles were always easy to find. She folds the letter and places it inside Ryan's backpack under the pair of gray jeans she will remind herself to get rid off tomorrow morning.
Pocketing her map, she turns around and gives the room one last look. Making sure nothing else is out of place, she apparates back to her office with a pop no one hears.
Ryan tilts his head, hands griping the controller harder, willing his car to go faster, at least in the last lap. Willing didn't make it happen, and as the race finished, Ryan came in second.
"Yes!"
Ryan shakes his head, letting his hands fall down onto his lap. He turns around, a smile on his lips as he watches Seth bounce in his seat, proud of his victory.
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
"I won!"
Ryan sighs. "I know, Seth."
"Like, I beat you! I did."
Ryan rolls his eyes. "I was right here, Seth. I know."
Seth turns around, grin on his lips. "Kewl."
Ryan shakes his head. Seth leans forward, starting the game once again. "Best out of ten?" Seth asks as Ryan shakes his head. They were seven to two, Ryan having won by sheer luck, and he didn't want to make it even more humiliating than it was.
"How about something other than car racing?" Ryan asks, leaning back against the low part of the couch. Somehow, both boys enjoyed playing while sitting on the floor, rather than on the couch. "Something I might have a chance to actually win?"
Seth chuckles. "Sure. We can play the Gathering."
Ryan cocks his head to the side, watching Seth pull out the carton before looking for another one. "Why do you play Nintendo, if you're a wizard?"
Seth turns around, looking over his shoulder at Ryan. "Well, dad's muggle born, you know?" He waits long enough for Ryan to nod. "And when he finished school, he wanted to do something, help muggles in some way." He shrugs. "Ended up going to some place to study. I don't remember the name. He's a lawyer, now, you know?"
Ryan nods, a small smile on his lips. Apparently Seth has forgotten where exactly Ryan met Mr. Cohen. "Yes, I know."
"Well, he was always in touch with the muggle in him. Nana comes to visit every other month, too."
"Who?"
"Oh, Nana," Seth says, standing up and making his way back to his place on the floor. He sits down, legs folded underneath him. "My dad's mom. She's a muggle. She does something... for the poor, I think. I don't understand. Something like dad, I think. She doesn't like magic much, so they don't use their wands around her. And silky has to go into hiding, when Nana's here. Oh, and her and grandpa hate each other. Like, totally. Dad says one day they'll draw blood. Mom doesn't like it when dad says that."
Ryan can imagine. "Your grandfather? Like, her husband?"
"No, no, I don't know my grandfather. Dad's dad, I mean. He left when dad was young. Dad doesn't talk much about him. Well, anyway," Seth says, shrugging, "I mean grandpa. Mom's dad. Great Wizard Caleb Nichol of the Nichol house." Seth chuckles into his hand. "He even has the tapestry to prove it. The thing is, grandpa is a pureblood."
Ryan tilts his head, one eyebrow lifted. "Pureblood?"
"Yeah, like, all of his family were wizards. Very old family, like, hundreds of years old." Seth nods, happy to have to do all this explaining every other hour, whenever something about wizards comes up and Ryan has no idea what they are talking about. "And he's, well, mom says he's peculiar. Dad says he's crazy. I don't think anything and you'd have to make your own opinion."
"Okay," Ryan says, slowly, almost smiling.
"He doesn't like muggles too much, that's why he doesn't like Nana, and he didn't like dad. Or doesn't like dad, depending on the day you meet him." Seth turns around to face Ryan, hands over his knees. "Did you know that grandpa didn't want to mom to marry dad? It's like, mom says he tried to call off the wedding, saying he'd disinherit mom if she went through with it."
"Why? Your dad's great."
Seth shrugs, though he knows the reason. "He didn't like that dad was a muggle born." Seth doesn't say anything else about the subject, preferring to drop it. This conversation always turns ugly when his parents are around.
"Seth, I asked you why you played Nintendo, not about the history of your family." Ryan smirks.
"Oh, oh, right." Seth nods, ducking his head. "Sorry. Well, the thing is, when dad started working with muggles, mom decided that I should have something of a muggle upbringing. Like, this neighborhood, it's totally muggle. There are some wards around the house, but nothing too heavy. Grandpa doesn't like that either." He shrugs. "That's why I like Nintendo, and comics, though I still follow Quidditch."
Ryan chuckles, and can't really believe it took Seth about ten minutes to finally give a two line explanation.
"Ready?"
Ryan's gaze flickers to the TV screen, the word Play blinking before being clicked. He nods. "Sure."
Seth grins, nodding as he does so, and clicks on the controller. Ryan turns his attention back to the game, his gaze shifting to watch Seth out of the corner of his eye every now and then.
Kirsten cocks her head to the side, looking up at the numbered street before turning around and looking through the large window once again.
The address is right, she's checked it twice, but she doesn't understand. It's a Laundromat, and she has no idea what would someone do--
And then Kirsten sees her, a tall woman with wide shoulders, blonde hair that looks exactly like Ryan's, blue eyes a shade darker. The woman has a box in her hands, giving change to a man as he hands her a bill. Oh, now she understands.
Taking a deep breath, Kirsten walks in.
The woman looks up at Kirsten before turning around and making her way to one of the machines, clicking some buttons.
"Dawn Atwood?" Kirsten asks, head tilted. Dawn looks over her shoulder at Kirsten for a moment before turning away. "I'm Kirsten Cohen. Sandy Cohen's my husband, Ryan's attorney. I thought maybe we could talk for a minute."
"I can't talk," Dawn says, not looking at Kirsten anymore. "This thing is broken."
"Please, only a couple of minutes." She's pleading with this woman, Kirsten knows, but she can't do nothing else. She refuses to believe a mother would leave her son. She wants Dawn to prove her right. "It won't take long."
Dawn shakes her head, trying to unlatch the top of the washing machine. When it gives in to her, she tumbles backwards, the box falling from her hands. Dawn kneels down to pick up the coins and Kirsten follows, trying to help.
After a moment, Dawn looks up at her, blue eyes that remind Kirsten of Ryan, sitting on Seth's bed, smiling as he hears Seth babble on.
"How is he?"
Kirsten smiles slightly as the woman breaks, asking about the son she has to miss.
"Let's grab a cup of coffee and talk about it."
Dawn swallows before nodding. Kirsten smiles back.
Seth hands Ryan a bowl of ice cream, Seth holding his own. "Shh," he says, tiptoeing his way out of the kitchen and toward the second floor to show Ryan his collection of Nightwing. "If Silky hears us--"
Ryan nods as a pop is heard and Silky appears before them, large eyes squinting.
"Young masters!" she shakes her head, her voice loud. "You're not supposed to have sweets before lunch. Silky's mistress says it ruins your appetite. Silky cannot let you eat that."
With a snap of her fingers, both bowls float in the air, above their heads.
"Silky!"
"No. Silky can't. Silky won't. Not good for young masters, beautiful mistress told Silky. Not good at all and Silky protects and serves the Noble house--"
"I know that, Silky, but," Seth says, kneeling before the elf, smiling at her, "but we'll eat lunch, right Ryan?"
Seth turns around to look at Ryan, who frowns for a moment before nodding mutely.
"See? We will. We just, we want something sweet."
"Mistress says--"
"Yes, but mom lets us have ice cream if we promise to eat lunch, along with the vegetables," Seth says as he grimaces. "We will. See? We both will."
Silky seems to think about it for a moment. "All your lunch, young masters? And all the vegetables, including the broccoli?"
Seth grimaces again. "Yes, yes, all of them."
"And you promise Silky?"
"Yes, we both do."
After a moment, Silky nods, snapping again and the bowls return to their hands. Seth beams. "Thanks Silky!"
"Don't you worry, young master. Lunch will be served in forty minutes." With a pop, Silky disappears.
"Well, that was close." Seth sighs, walking out of the kitchen and into the living room area.
Ryan pauses as Seth reaches the bottom of the stairs. He tilts his head back, frowning as he gazes at an ajar door, the room inside dark.
"Ryan?" Seth turns around when he realizes Ryan's not longer with him. "What's up?"
"What's in there?"
"Oh," Seth says, standing by Ryan's side, taking a spoonful of his chocolate ice cream. "Nothing much. The library. Dad has a thing about books, and I think mom has some of grandma's, after she died."
"Wizarding books?"
Seth pauses to think about it. "Like, with wizard history? Yeah, most of them. I think there are some of dad's muggle books in there. The pictures don't move, you know? Kinda boring. But, yeah."
Ryan turns around, blue eyes wide as he bites down his lower lip. "Do you think your parents would let me borrow one?"
Seth grins. "Dude, you can take the lot if you want. Read them. It's not like they use them, or me. Just, be careful. I know some of them, grandma's mostly, are very old. Like, hundreds of years old, old."
Ryan nods, smile on his lips. "Yeah, sure."
"Cool. You can check them out after lunch if you'd like. Or, like, now, if you’d really like."
Ryan watches the way Seth shifts his weight from one foot to the other, almost nervously. He smiles, knowing Seth really wants to show Ryan his collection of Nightwing. "No, after lunch is okay."
Bouncing, Seth nods, smiling, and when Ryan smiles back, both boys make their way upstairs.
The two women sit at a coffee shop, a small table out in the open, the sun shining brightly over them. Kirsten watches Dawn pick at her napkin as she takes a deep breath. They both ordered coffee and haven’t said a word since then. Kirsten worries Dawn might not want to talk with her at all.
"Ryan's doing fine," Kirsten says, answering a question long ago asked.
Dawn finally looks up at Kirsten and she tells herself she sees a look of relief pass through the woman's features before it vanishes quickly. "He is."
It's not a question, doesn't sound like one, but Kirsten still nods. "Yes, he is. He and my son, Seth, he's Ryan's age, they've become fast friends. They spend most days together, talking." She smiles, picking up her spoon and pouring sugar into her coffee. "Seth does most of the talking, of course, but Ryan seems to like to listen to him."
"Ryan doesn't talk much."
"I've realized."
"He's--" Dawn shrugs. "He's not shy, just kinda quite. He likes to see, and listen, but not to talk."
Kirsten nods, surprised Dawn has said so much about her son after not wanting to mouth a single word. "He's an amazing young man."
She snorts. "Didn't get that from my side of the family, or his father's."
Kirsten sees her opening, and takes it. "Did his father... was he a wiz--?"
Dawn shakes her head, chuckling lowly as she does so. "No, no, the man was a moron, but not a freak."
Kirsten grimaces at the word. "We are not--"
Cocking her head to the side, Dawn frowns. "You're one too?"
She nods stiffly. "Yes, I'm a witch."
With a low chuckle, Dawn mutters, "No normal woman would say that."
Taking a deep breath, and telling herself the woman has never heard of wizards, or seen any, and her confusion is entirely understandable, Kirsten finds in herself some calmness to deal with this woman. "What I mean is that I'm a wizard, like Ryan, like my husband and my son."
Neither of them say anything and Kirsten picks up her cup of coffee to take a long sip. Dawn stares down at her own, her thumb going over the rim.
"I thought you could come home with me, see Ryan. We could have dinner--"
"No."
Kirsten blinks, staring at Dawn as the woman keeps on running her fingers over the rim of the porcelain cup. "But, your son--"
"He's better off now, with you, and with your... kind."
She shakes her head. "I'm sure you're--"
"Look, lady," Dawn says, blue eyes staring right at darker blue, and Kirsten can see a fine line creasing over Dawn's forehead, "I know my son, and I know myself, and I know he's better off where he is, with you and your family."
"You can't-- You don't know us."
"Do you care for him?"
Kirsten blinks, taken back by the question. But even though she thinks about saying no, she can't deny what she feels in her heart. "Yes, very much."
Dawn nods. "Good, he's going to need a mother."
"You're his mother."
Dawn shakes her head, biting down on her lower lip as she lowers her head. Kirsten can see her blue eyes shining. "I'm a mess, not a mother." She swallows past the lump in her throat and she looks up.
"You have a responsibility."
"I'm being responsible. I'm not... I'm not wired for this; I don't have what it takes." She jerks her head toward Kirsten. "You do."
"You don't know anything about me, or my family. How can you leave him?"
"I know enough." Dawn smiles, a sad smile that doesn't reach her eyes but makes her eyes blur even more. "You came all this way for him, to find me. That's good enough for him."
"He's only eleven."
"Yes, but he needs much more than I can give him, things that I never could." Dawn lets out a soft sigh, her hands gripping the cup tightly, telling herself her heart isn't breaking even as she can hear it crack around the corners, the split moving along as if on glass. "I'm doing what's best for him," she says, though she doesn't know if she's convincing Mrs. Cohen or herself. "I know I am."
"You’re giving him up?"
"I'm giving him a life."
Kirsten shakes her head, her own eyes filling with tears. This isn't what she came here for, to take the son away from the mother, to take him home and pretend he's Kirsten's, even if her hearts seems to whisper to her that it's the right decision, to be with his own kind, to be with people that care for him and love him, that will love him until there are no more days left in their lives.
She takes in a shaky breath before getting out a silk handkerchief and touching her eyes briefly with them.
They stay silent as Kirsten sips her coffee quietly and Dawn looks down at her trembling hands and reassures herself she's never done anything this right in her life, even though it's slowly killing her. They don't say anything, just sit and think and come to a decision.
Sandy walks into the kitchen, placing his suitcase on top of the counter before reaching for the fridge. He gets out a bottle of orange juice and drinks it straight from the bottle.
"Dad?"
Sandy lets out a soft sigh of relief as he pulls the bottle away from his lips. It's his son, not his wife, who would have had his head for not using a glass. "Yes, yes," he chuckles, capping the bottle again and placing it inside the fridge. "It's me."
Seth nods, sitting down on one of the high stools. Folding his arms on the counter, he rests his chin on top. He sighs.
Sandy frowns, looking around the corner and toward the den, not seeing Ryan anywhere. For the past there days, wherever Seth was, Ryan wasn't far behind. "Where's Ryan?"
Seth sighs again and Sandy smiles, recognizing the sound as longing, almost. "In the library," he answers. "He found some books of yours he wanted to read. I tried to keep him company, but sitting there doing nothing is really boring. I said I was going to the bathroom."
Sandy smiles. "When was that?"
"About fifteen minutes ago."
He's about to say that maybe Seth should head back to the library and tell Ryan he isn't coming back, when Sandy hears footsteps behind him and he turns around. Ryan stands under the threshold of the kitchen leading to the living room area, large book in one hand, a frown on his face.
"Hey," Ryan says, taking a step forward. "You were gone for a long time."
Sandy realizes, if not with a small smile, that Ryan's talking directly to Seth.
"Sorry." Seth grimaces. "I was gonna go back--"
"I thought something happened to you."
Sandy bites down on his lower lip. Ryan noticed his boy was gone, even though he was reading. Well, isn't that something.
"Oh, Mr. Cohen, good night."
Sandy turns around to find Ryan looking at him, finally seeing him. "Good night, Ryan. Though, I've told you, call me Sandy."
Ryan ducks his head and Sandy thinks that maybe, no matter how many times he says it, Ryan won't do it.
"Well, who's here?"
Sandy grins, looking above Ryan's head toward the living room where he can hear his wife talking and making her way toward them. Ryan walks past Sandy to Seth's side, nudging Seth on the shoulder before taking a seat on the stool beside Seth's.
"Over here!"
Kirsten chuckles, walking into the kitchen. Sandy gives her a kiss on the lips and she places her arms around his neck, fitting perfectly into his embrace.
"Argh," Seth gags, leaning toward Ryan's side, shaking his head.
"Hey," Sandy says as he pulls away from his wife, gaze shifting to Seth's grinning face. "I heard that."
Ryan chuckles behind his hand as Silky appears with a pop.
"Silky thought she had heard her mistress come in! Mistress, mistress! And Silky's Master!"
Kirsten pets the small house elf after she makes her accustomed low bow, Silky's nose touching the ground.
"Dinner is ready, my mistress. Dinner is ready to be served under your command, my beautiful and fair mistress."
"Thanks, Silky." She turns around, looking at Sandy for a moment. "We'll be back in a minute, and then you can serve Silky."
"Of course, of course my mistress."
Sandy frowns, not quite understanding what Kirsten means to tell him.
"Boys, why don't you go freshen up? We'll be right back."
Seth and Ryan nod at Kirsten's statement. Ryan places the book on top of the counter before hopping off the stool and following Seth toward the bathroom.
"What's wrong?"
Kirsten takes a deep breath, her gaze shifting to the stools the boys had vacated. She tilts her head, making her way to the other end of the counter. She reaches for the book, turning it around so she can see the name.
Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century
"Ryan's reading this?"
"Yes, Seth said he found some books in the library." Sandy smiles. "I think he's very interested in everything that he has missed about wizards. I understand the feeling."
Kirsten nods, remembering Sandy's stories about himself in first year, going to library to go through the History of Hogwarts and Wizardry kind as well.
Well, she thinks, at least now he has all the time in the world to learn.
"Kirsten?"
A hand rests on her shoulder, squeezing. Looking up, she covers Sandy's hand with her own. "We have to talk."
"I guessed as much."
She nods, and her hand’s still intertwined with his, they make their way to their bedroom. Closing the door behind her, Kirsten casts a silencing charm on the room.
"I never pictured you as an impulse shopper."
Kirsten sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. Recounting her conversation with Ryan's mother made it sound even more detached, and Kirsten has no idea how she got through it the first time without the headache she can feel pounding behind her temples right now.
"Sandy," she says, her tone low, warningly almost.
“I'm not in the mood for this, okay? I told a mother that she could leave her son with us and I really don't need you to tell me that I was wrong. I need to you tell me that I did the right thing.”
Sandy nods, slowly, making his way across the bedroom toward the edge of the bed, where Kirsten's sitting. He smiles at her, taking her hand in his and kissing her knuckles.
"Why did you do it?" The question needs to be asked, no matter how much Sandy tells himself not to.
Kirsten looks up at him, biting down on her lower lip. "How could I not? That woman, she sat there and told me she didn't want the boy. Her own son. How could I say no to that?"
He shakes his head. "Kirsten."
"Have you not seen him Sandy? Have you not noticed the way he looks at you, at me? At us? Like we have all the answers, like there's nothing we can say wrong, do wrong. Like..."
Sandy knows what she will say even before she mouths the word.
"Like his parents?" Kirsten takes a deep breath. "I see him and I wonder what he did wrong to deserve this, this woman who thinks the best thing for him is leaving him behind."
She stands up, needing to do something, to walk to avoid screaming.
"And then I see him again," she says, her voice low as she pauses by her dresser, arms around herself. Her gaze shifts to the picture standing by her perfume. A picture of Seth, barely six years old, waving at the camera as he bites down on his lower lip before grinning, teeth showing, eyes bright. She wants to take a picture of Ryan smiling at her. "He's a great kid, despite everything. And he'll be a great wizard with the proper education. What would happen if we don't help him? What would he do? Go to social services, stay in foster homes? Until he turns eighteen?"
She turns around, looking back at him.
"Should he miss Hogwarts, not be the wizard he can be, the great person he can turn out to be? How can I do that, how could you?" She shakes her head. "I know you like him, and Seth adores him, so why not stay here with us? We can..." She trails off as Sandy closes the distance between them, his hands gripping her shoulders tightly.
"Oh, honey."
Kristen swallows thickly, blinking back the tears that sting her eyes. "It feels like he's lived here his whole life, doesn't it?"
Sandy nods. "You do know there's a no return policy, right?"
Kirsten chuckles, her voice hoarse, and she nods, leaning forward and resting her forehead on Sandy's shoulder as his arms go around her.
"Then this means..."
Kirsten nods. "You know what it means."
Sandy places a soft kiss on the top of her forehead, hugging her tight to his chest. "Yes, I know. We can make it official, tomorrow."
Kirsten sighs against his throat, her eyes closing and she remembers the piece of paper Dawn signed, giving up all her parental rights, and it feels right as she nods.
"Dude, your room rocks."
Ryan looks up from the pair of jeans he's putting inside the first drawer of his new dresser. The drawer looks almost empty. "It's nice," Ryan says, ducking his head and closing the drawer. It's more than nice, of course. It's amazing that he has a room now, this big and to himself.
Seth nods, bouncing off to the bed and throwing himself on it, wiggling his arms and legs. "This bed is so comfy. I'm sure you'll like it."
Ryan nods, grinning, as he takes a step toward the bed. He sits by the edge of it, looking at Seth staring back at him. His chest hurts a little as he remembers what Mrs. Co-- Kirsten told him over dinner, how she talked with Ryan's mom and they agreed that the best thing for Ryan would be to stay with the Cohens. Ryan knows Kirsten sugarcoated it for him, and he knows the truth. Dawn gave up on him, decided having a son who's not quite a normal was too much work and dumped him in the Cohen's arms, not really wishing him the best.
His eyes sting and he bites the inside of his cheek. He hates her right now. Hates the memory of her and everything she ever told him, said to him, the few times she said she loved him. And, at the same time, confusing as the thought may be, he's glad he's here.
Seth lifts his chin up, grin wide on his lips, scooting over on the bed. Ryan takes the hint and lies down by his side, both boys looking up at the ceiling. His mom might have left him, but at least she left him at a place he actually wants to be at.
Seth nudges Ryan's elbow with his own elbow, then Ryan's shoulder with his shoulder. Ryan grins, though he doesn't turn around. After dinner was done, Kirsten moved Ryan's things into his new bedroom, next to Seth's and only two doors down from the Cohens. There wasn't much to move, actually, only Ryan's backpack, but still. And now, after Sandy and Kirsten hugged him and welcomed him to their family, something Ryan still can't quite get his brain around, he turns around and looks at Seth looking at him. He likes it here, way more than he has actually liked anywhere else.
"Boys?" Both boys turn around to look at Kirsten leaning against threshold of the room, smile on her lips. "It's late," she says with a motherly tone, "you should be in bed by now."
"But mom--"
Kirsten shakes her head, walking inside the bedroom and standing by the edge of the same. Leaning forward, she ruffles Seth's hair before touching Ryan's cheek. "It's late," she repeats, "And it's been a long day."
"Mom--"
"No buts, Seth," she says, looking straight at the boy. "Time for bed, Seth. I mean it."
Seth lets out a long sigh of complaint before nodding and jumping off the bed. "Okay, mom."
"Good. Brush your teeth and I'll be there in a second." She turns around, head tilted to the side. "You too, Ryan."
Ryan frowns for a second before Kirsten shakes her head, leaning forward and pulling Ryan to his feet. Hands on his shoulders, she pushes him out of his bedroom. "Go on, brush your teeth and then change into your pjs. I won't take long."
Ryan lets her push him and, when Seth nudges him in the elbow, they fall into step, making their way into the bathroom where he finds four toothbrushes on a cup. One blue, one purple, one dark green and another one light green. Seth tells Ryan light green is his, and blue and purple are his dad and mom's, so Ryan assumes the dark green is his. Both green ones have small dragons moving around the handle.
Ryan pulls back the covers of the bed, dark brown broomsticks moving around, swaying from one side of the white bedcovers to the other, and he sits down. He picks at the edge of his pjs idly, red and gold stripes that look kinda funny on Ryan, pjs that Seth lent him.
Seth said they were red and gold because those are the Gryffindor colors and he's going to be a Gryffindor, like his parents were at their times at Hogwarts. The set of flannel sweats and shirt were a bit tight on him, when Ryan first tried them on, but with a flick of Kirsten's wand, they fit better, not snuggly as they did before, but comfortably. Almost like his own. Ryan doesn't mind.
He lifts the covers a little, curling his legs under him before stretching them under the thick cotton. Sitting down, leaning back against the pillows, Ryan reaches for the night lamp.
"It's okay. I've got it."
Ryan looks up, gaze shifting to the door as Kirsten walks in, smile on her lips.
She sits by the edge of the bed as Ryan scoots over. She smiles once again, hand reaching to touch his cheek and Ryan lets out shaky sigh. He wants to ask what she's doing here, but doesn't dare.
"It's past ten already," she says, hand cupping his cheek lovingly. "Bedtime is at nine."
Ryan nods, and doesn't say anything about how he used to staying at Eddie's place with Trey well into the early morning of the next day and sleeping until noon.
She stands up, taking the covers into her hands and Ryan understands the hint. He slides back, head on the pillow, and looks up at her.
"There are still things that we need to talk about," she almost whispers, "but there's time. We've got plenty of time."
Ryan nods, biting the inside of his cheek and it hurts, his eyes hurt and it's because he's biting his cheek too hard, he tells himself.
"Good night."
Ryan's only half surprised as she leans forward and places a kiss on his forehead. He closes his eyes and sighs in contentment.
"Sweet dreams."
The words are barely a whisper and a second later the light illuminating the darkness behind closed eyelids is gone as Kirsten turns off the night lamp. Ryan doesn't move, doesn't say anything, barely even breathes, until he hears the door closing.
A moment later, when he opens his eyes, Ryan notices the door is only ajar, a ray of light pouring from the light still on in the hallway. He sighs, turning around to his right side, and he lays down attentively, hearing the movement around the house. Almost an hour later, according to his watch, movement in Kirsten and Sandy's bedroom stops, and then the light in the hallway is turned off. Ryan smiles, relaxes and closes his eyes.
His heart starts evening, his hands relaxing his hold on the top of the covers and he barely even hears the door opening another crack, and then the bed dipping. It's only when someone takes his hand that he opens his eyes in surprise. Brown eyes stare at him and, even through the darkness of the bedroom, Ryan can see them, see him, smiling at him.
"Shh," Seth whispers with his lips and then nods.
Ryan frowns. He doesn't think it's good for the boy to actually sleep with Ryan in his bed, and wonders what the Cohens will think. But Seth doesn't seem to care, only shifts closer to Ryan. Ryan realizes he's probably taking the very middle of the bed and scoots back, giving Seth plenty of room to lie down and not even touching him.
Seth really doesn't seem to care as he shifts closer yet again, hand tightening around Ryan's on. "Mom tucked you in?"
Ryan doesn't want to acknowledge the childish trait, but he nods.
Seth nods as well. "Nice. She does it every night. She's the last thing I see before going to bed."
Ryan pauses, waiting for Seth to finish the sentence he think has been left holding, but there’s nothing after that. He watches with confused eyes as Seth closes his own eyes, shifts once on the bed as he finds a comfortable position, and a minute later he can hear Seth's sleepy breathing. Swallowing, he shakes his head, not mentioning that now, Ryan's the last thing Seth sees before going to bed, and he closes his eyes. As he's falling asleep once again, Seth's hand tightens on Ryan's reflexively, and Ryan breathes out evenly.
Part two
Part four
Magical Fire