Collision Course (Elias)

Biting wind cascaded down the lanes of Hogsmeade Village. The wooden signs rattled on their chains above the bustling shops. Crowds were thick in the village, full of vibrant young witches and wizards, all vying for the attention of the various shop keeps around the square. Timothy Darien Winchester, the Arithmany professor form Hogwarts came strolling into the village wearing his familiar cloak and jacket. He carried a smile on his face as he walked into a tavern at the edge of the village. He had an appointment with an old friend, someone that seeing again filled Timothy with elation.

Timothy had grown a lot from the quiet and unnoticed student he was at school. He was a veteran of both major wizard wars and decorated from them. He was a respected teacher and his life was finally on track. He sat a table and waited.

Elias apparated from his apartment into the center of Hogsmeade. He stumbled as he appeared right in front of a gaggle of shopping students and backed up quickly so that they wouldn't walk right into him. It was clearly a Hogsmeade weekend for the Hogwarts students; the main street was packed to the brim with teenagers who were all doing their best to fight their way into the crowded shops and escape the bitter and windy March weather. Elias turned and walked as quickly as he could toward the side street he needed to reach, trying not to knock any of the smaller students over as he went. It was so crowded and everyone's scarves were pulled up so high over their faces that it was a more challenging feat than he would have expected.

He finally escaped the main road and turned onto the quieter alley, looking for the tavern that Timothy had suggested they meet in. Reaching the door, he pulled it open and stepped inside quickly, relieved to escape from the cold that was nipping at his nose and ears. It was dark inside and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but he soon spotted his friend and made his way over to the table where Timothy was waiting. He pulled off his cloak and draped it carefully over the back of his chair before pulling Timothy into a quick hug.

He was glad that the other man had asked that they meet up. He hadn't seen him since the dome had gone down, and after witnessing how damaging the experience had been for Edith, he was relieved to have the chance to check on Timothy as well. The man was usually busy with his teaching duties, and so they didn't see one another as often as they once had.

"How are you, Timothy?" he asked, a wide smile on his handsome face as he took in the sight of his friend. Although he wanted to make sure before jumping to conclusions, Timothy seemed to be in a better state than he had found Edith in, at least. Elias signaled to the bartender behind Timothy, and she started to make her way over. "May I buy you a drink?"

Timothy looked up at the handsome wizard that walked into the tavern. Timothy smiled and pushed himself up using the table as a brace. Timothy limped ever so slightly into the light through a window. Timothy's face was a bit bruised, and there were healing cuts on his face. Timothy smiled as he wrapped his arm around his friend. It had been too long.

"I can say that I have been better Elias. I fought with several hundred students inside the school. All kinds of creatures came in. I have slash marks on my chest, glass stuck under the skin. I ingested a poisonous potion by accident in the battles. I sprained my ankle, nearly broke my back. It was a horror show in there. Whatever the Prophet reported, I can guarantee it was a thousand times worse inside. But I digress. It comes with the territory."

Timothy smiled his charming, boyish smile. That smile was Timothy's defining feature. It was instantly recognizable to anyone that came across him in his life. Timothy was proud of it. He smiled at the man. "No, no allow me to buy you one. How is Edith? Has her condition improved any? She was in a rough state the last I saw her. But then again, I was as well."

His smile faltered just slightly as he saw that Timothy was clearly battling some not-yet-healed injury. His limp made it so that he took a bit longer than usual to seat himself again at their table, but Elias did his best to match his pace, not wanting to rush the wizard if he was having trouble walking. Timothy seemed to not hold back at all as he brought up the time he had spent in the dome. Elias was a bit surprised that Timothy could discuss those dark months so easily, but he supposed the man had had more experience with battle and danger than most. The injuries he spoke of clearly extended beyond the cuts on his face and whatever was wrong with his leg, and Elias wished he could help him. He would have expected his friend to be healed by now, but perhaps the school was prioritizing the students. Or maybe Timothy was just happy to let others be served first.

Elias knew Timothy had always been gracious, and his offer to buy the drinks did not surprise him. Although he would have preferred to get the first round after all Timothy had been through, he felt it would be rude to argue the subject and instead accepted his offer graciously. When the waitress had made it over to their table, Elias smiled at her politely before ordering a pint of the house brew and then turning back to face Timothy while his friend ordered.

The waitress left again to fetch their drinks, and Elias raised his eyebrows as Timothy inquired about Edith. He should have known the two might have encountered one another in the dome. If he was being completely honest, Edith was not in the best state. But he had hope that she would be improving over the next few months, and she was certainly not in any immediate danger. Not now that she was away from Hogwarts, anyway. "Edith is much improved now, I think. She had a rough time in the dome, as you did." It wasn't a completely honest answer, but he preferred protecting her honor to giving personal details about her.

"How are things at the school? I haven't heard much about what progress has been made in repairing the buildings."

Timothy noticed that Elias was going slow as to not rush him. Timothy smiled to himself and sat down. He listened to Elias ordering the house brew and he smiled at the waitress as she walked away. Timothy was relieved to hear about Edith, though something made him feel that Elias wasn't being entirely truthful about her. But Timothy wasn't going to argue. It would be impolite and that is something that Timothy never wanted to be. Timothy listened to Elias's inquiry and thought to himself a moment.

"Things are...strange. There is still so much emotion from everyone in the building. It all feels alien. Strange. Even the portraits have a sense of the changing mood. Classes are back in session now, and the teachers have all been instructed to go about as normal. We are trying. Truly we are, but the students aren't as receptive as they were. I have had many students visit me, just needing to talk through what happened under the dome. In class, I just try to waive off as much of the tension as possible, but they see my limp and my scars, and it gets to be a distraction sometimes. The building is starting to slowly come back together. We are rebuilding pieces at a time. I work on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights from eleven at night to seven in the morning on the building crew. All of the teachers have a shift. It is coming along, but not as we thought it would. The Ministry is helping as best as they can but they are really occupied in searching for the dark wizards that are sprouting again."

It was true. Things at school were strange. It was different and it was noticeably felt. It was odd, but Timothy did the best that he could. Every teacher did. They were all just trying their best and hopefully that best was good enough. "Enough with me.  How are things with you? How have you been?"

The waitress walked away and Timothy began sharing about the current state of the castle. He had heard small tidbits from colleagues around the Ministry, but he had never been directly involved in the happenings at Hogwarts. He could only imagine the environment that Timothy was describing for him: the tension, the fear that the danger hadn't really passed. As much loyalty to and love for their school that Hogwarts alumni seemed to have, Hogwarts certainly had a long streak of danger and unrest.

He nodded slowly at the mention of dark wizards. Elias' job suddenly felt a bit unimportant when he considered all of the more high-priority projects the other departments were working on at the moment. It seemed like England was fighting a constant battle against organized dark magic. "Do you believe the two are connected?" he asked. No one seemed to really understand what had caused the frightening events at Hogwarts in the first place. Perhaps the school had sensed dark magic moving in the country.

But it seemed that Timothy was eager to discuss other things. Elias couldn't blame him, but was a bit disappointed that there might not be more for him to learn on the subject. He hated the idea of all of those students being in danger. His youngest brother was still at Durmstrang, and it was hard to imagine young witches and wizards like that being at risk. "I've been well, though quite busy at work," he replied, obliging as Timothy changed the subject. "I'm glad this month is almost over. Sometimes it seems like quidditch practice is the only chance I have to take a break, but it would be much more relaxing if it wasn't so bitterly cold."

Timothy knew of Elias's work with the Ministry. The question he asked spiked Timothy's interest. Had it been related? Or was Hogwarts on the defensive simply by its own merits and accords. "I can't be sure whether or not there is a connection between the unrest and the events that transpired at the school. There of course is speculation running rampant through the student body. Really, we just let them speculate. There isn't any sense in trying to quell their ideas. They will just do it out of earshot as it is. We've had visits from some Hogwarts alumni, trying to quell the mood among students. Miss Granger. Mister Potter, Miss Chang. They came, but they didn't do much to keep the tension down. But it wasn't their fault. There is nothing we can do about the student moral. We just have to teach our hearts out. And I try my best to every day."

Timothy knew that things were the worst that they had been for a long time at Hogwarts. Nothing it seemed was improving the moods of the students and staff. Regular Ministry lists only fed the beast of speculation that was ravaging everything with a mind in the building. Timothy listened to Elias talking about work and his love of Quidditch. Timothy shuttered at Elias saying the word "Quidditch." Timothy hated the game. He hated with every fiber of his being. His beloved brother met his untimely end due to a Quidditch accident. He couldn't even stand to watch the school Quidditch matches. Even the slightest mention of the game sent shivers down Timothy's spine.

"Well. you always were avid in your qui-" Timothy couldn't finish the word. "Your...gaming." Timothy swallowed hard but kept talking. "I am somewhat happy to feel the cold. We felt nothing of the season change when the dome was up. It was like everything was stunted inside. It was so strange. We could see snowfall beyond the dome, but the grass was still perfectly green on the grounds."

Elias admired the man for his resilience. He could only imagine how stressful it had been to be trapped within the dome. Having survived it was impressive alone, but the fact that the Hogwarts students and staff had been brave enough to return after all that had transpired amazed him. It was truly admirable that the professor was doing what he could to support the students, to give the children a sense of normality after all that had happened. "I suppose we can only hope that Hogwarts has had its share of misfortune for the time-being," Elias replied somberly. It seemed that after he had left Hogwarts, a trail of misfortunes had hit the school, one disaster being rectified only in time for the next one to hit. "I hope that the students will finally experience some calm after all that has happened to them."

The waitress returned and Elias thanked her politely before raising his glass and taking a sip of the beer. The warmth it provided was welcome when he remembered the biting cold that awaited him after they finished their drink together. His stomach clenched as he saw Timothy's reaction to his words, though, and felt immensely guilty as soon as his mind caught up with what was happening. How could he have forgotten? "I'm sorry," he said quietly, looking sadly at his friend as he attempted to cover up his distress. "I should have remembered..."

But Timothy was moving on, and Elias supposed he might not want to talk about his slip. Perhaps it was easier for the man to just move on, pretend that nothing was wrong. Elias knew the feeling. He refocused on Timothy's words, surprised to hear about the strange weather patterns that had happened in the dome. "I suppose anything that brings Hogwarts closer to normalcy would be welcome at the moment," he agreed.

Timothy saw Elias look at him with regret. "Don't worry. It's alright. It's been almost nineteen years, I shouldn't be so sensitive." Timothy knew it was foolish to be scared of a word. But he just couldn't help it. He remembered telling Elias bye before the anniversary memorial service his family held every year. They wouldn't see each other until after the holidays to finish the tournament. Timothy remembered he was total mess. His hair was mangled. His robes were out of order and his things were misplaced. Losing a brother was something Timothy never thought he would have to do. And it made his relationship with his little brother all the more valuable. "I wish you could see his grave someday. Sam's buried by that shallow lake not far from the house. It really is quite beautiful around sunset. Bennett won't go without me. He thinks he's dumb to be 18 and not able to visit his eldest brother's grave without his surviving older brother. But, I try to tell him every time that Sam was the same way about visiting our grandfather's grave. He never wanted to go alone. It amazes me how much Bennett reminds me of him."

Timothy reached into his robes pocket and pulled out a locket. "You never got to meet Sam did you? He had been gone a while we met." Timothy opened the locket. On the left side was a photograph of Sam, a few days before the accident. On the right was Timothy and Bennett. "That was snapped just a few months ago." Bennett looked eerily like Sam in so many ways. "Mum and Dad see it too. He doesn't. Go figure." Timothy smiled despite himself. "I'm so proud of the man Bennett is becoming. He's an intern at St. Mungos right now and he is working to become Head Healer of the magical accidents ward. He said that he wants to be able to save people in Sam's situation. That maybe it will make him feel a little bit better." Timothy thought to himself. "After we eat...would you possibly mind...going with me to leave some flowers on Sam's grave?" 

Elias furrowed his brow with worry when Timothy resisted his apologies and sympathy, but decided to drop the matter. If Timothy wanted to be brave, wanted to work past his aversion to the sport, then Elias would do his best not to baby him. He loved quidditch himself, so in the end it might be easier not to always tip-toe around the subject. Instead, he listened to Timothy share about his brothers, doing his best not to appear too worried about the two surviving brothers, guessing that Timothy was not looking for pity. He knew well how painful and shocking the loss still was to Timothy; he couldn't imagine losing one of his siblings, especially not so young.

"I'm sure it is a great comfort to him that you can be there for each other through all of this," Elias replied. The waitress returned then with their lunch, and Elias began spearing the house salad that he had ordered. He paused to look at the photograph that Timothy was showing him, nodding somberly at his question. He wished he could have known Sam; Timothy had become one of his close friends over the years, and from what Timothy had told him, Sam had been a good man. "I hope I will meet Bennett some day," he said kindly. "He sounds like he is growing up to be a remarkable young man."

Timothy seemed to hesitate for a moment before requesting that Elias extend their meeting past lunch. Elias, however, didn't hesitate at all before answering his friend: "I would be happy to join you, Timothy." He had no plans for the rest of the day, but even so, he always had a hard time turning his back on a friend in need. Although it had been some time since Timothy's brother had passed, Elias could see that the other man was hurting and in need of a friend.

Timothy smiled as the waitress sat their food down. "Thank you, darling. It looks wonderful." Timothy smiled as she walked off. He grabbed his spoon and began eating the stew that this pub was famous for in the colder months of the year. He smiled when Elias answered with an affirmative to his question. "There you are. Haven't changed a bit I see since your school days ended. Always the first to be amidst friends when they need them. That is something I have remembered and always loved about you." Timothy recalled back all those years ago. Elias was as handsome then as he was now. It was astounding.

"I guess that's the reason Carol Leaks, better known to most of us as 'Crazy Carol' as I'm sure you remember, was head over heels for you. I'll never forget when she tried to slip a love potion in your tea but she got that little Hufflepuff boy instead. He chased her 'round Hogwarts with flowers for a solid month before they able to reverse it. But then again Crazy Carol wasn't the only one after you. Seems every girl was." Timothy smiled. "Of course, I had a few following me. I felt kind of bad when I saw their faces when they discovered I was dating Thomas Manckwitz. They weren't even upset I was gay, they were mad they were beat by a 5'4" red head with glasses and a limp." Timothy laughed.

It was a bit surprising to hear Timothy praising him for what he had felt was a simple and obvious favor, but he smiled graciously all the same. He was pleased to know that Timothy considered him to be such a good friend; after all, loyalty was one of the values he had learned from a young age and he still believed it was one of the most important things he could offer a friend. Even if he sometimes went a bit overboard.

"I'm happy to be there, Timothy," he told him, enjoying the praise but also knowing he shouldn't let Timothy carry on. It wouldn't be polite to encourage flattery. He was surprised when Timothy continued on, reminiscing about the girls who had chased after him during his year at Hogwarts. Had he been that oblivious? Sure, things had gotten a bit strange with Alessia for a while, but it was hard to imagine droves of girls chasing him down the halls and failing to notice. But then again, romance had never been something he spent much time thinking about, and he had been focused on other things.

"I think your memory might be exaggerating a bit," he replied with a nervous laugh. "But I suppose I was focused on my NEWTs. I might have missed a few cues. I hope they weren't all too disappointed." Timothy's anecdote about his boyfriend at school was less surprising to him. He remembered talking to Timothy through that all, and how happy he had been. That had been a much better time for his friend, it seemed.

Timothy smiled. "I used to be so afraid to mention I had a boyfriend out in public. But Minevra encouraged me to be more open about it. She said it was something to be proud of, not hide away. So I just learned to kind of wear it on my sleeve." Timothy hadn't ever dared to speak candidly about his personal life before Minevra starting encouraging him along. That seemed like so long ago. Now, Timothy was open about it.

"I don't suppose I ever told you what happened after school. I met someone. Just a few months after the end of seventh year. His name was Reginald. We instantly hit it off. It surprised me how quickly, but I wasn't going to complain. Anyway, we were together just fine for three years. But, he started acting strange. Very strange. I did my digging, but it stopped when the war broke out. I spent my time fighting and reporting to the Order and hiding wizards and...everything. But I made the unfortunate discovery that...he was much more than he seemed. He was marked. A Death Eater. I didn't have the power to turn him over so I just...told him to run. And he ran. I hid the fact that I let a Death Eater go. About six months later, outside of Glasgow, I was engaged with a group of other wizards in a fight. All of the sudden, we came face to face. Without words, we entered a duel. The most destructive and powerful duel I had been involved in. Everyone else in the fight stopped, turned, and watched. We fought and fought. Of course, I still loved him. But I knew what had to be done. I killed him. I had to. I killed him and didn't have the time to think about it. I discovered later that he was one of the Ministry's most wanted, responsible for the deaths of over one hundred muggles and countless other wizards. So I just had to say I was happy the bastard was dead."

Timothy didn't mean to be blunt. But he had moved on from what happened in a way. Of course he still loved him, but he knew that he had to die. Timothy finished his stew and pulled flowers from a small bag by his seat. "If you're finished, I think we should go. Storm clouds seem to be rolling in."

Elias listened intently to Timothy's story. Clearly, he was in a reminiscent mood. Elias had heard bits of this before, but never in detail. He hadn't even been in the country to witness or sympathize with most of what had transpired. It was tragic and ironic, and Elias felt truly saddened to hear about Timothy's failed relationship. Elias had virtually no experience in this area, one short-lived relationship from his school days. He couldn't offer much in the way of empathy or advice, but he supposed that wasn't what Timothy was looking for. Just a friendly ear to listen and support while he recalled a sad time in his life.

He nodded as Timothy talked, demonstrating that he was listening closely. When Timothy finished, Elias was wearing a serious expression on his face, trying to decide how best to respond. In the end, he kept it simple. "You deserve better, Timothy. I'm sorry. I'm sure someone or something better is out there for you." And he really believed it. His friend was a good person, a hard worker. Dedicated to his students, his family, and his friends. Elias truly hoped that things would look up for the man soon.

With a nod, Elias finished his last bites of bread. Dropping a few sickles on the table, he stood and followed Timothy from the pub. His friend was right: the sky had darkened and the wind was howling. Most of the students seemed to have given in and returned to the castle. "Lead the way," he told his friend politely, unsure how Timothy wanted to travel.

Timothy wrapped his robes closer to him as the wind started to bit more. He nodded at some passing students and adults. One student came up to Timothy. It was a young Ravenclaw and she seemed very happy to see Timothy. She was rather short, no doubt a first year. "Professor Winchester?" She said as Timothy passed. Timothy turned and looked at her. He smiled. "Hello, Ellie. My what are you doing down here?" She smiled. "Headmistress said that any student, any year could come today." Timothy smiled. "Where have been shopping?" The girls face sinks a little. "I haven't any money, Professor." Timothy thought for a moment and then reached into his pocket. He pulled out several coins and counted. "Let's see...10...20...30...40...50...60...70. 70 Sickles. That should get a bag of candy and a bite to eat. Sound good, Ellie?" The girls face brightens. "Thank you professor! I can't wait to take your class." Timothy laughs. "Same here, darling. Have a great afternoon. I'll see you this evening at dinner." The girl smiled. Timothy stood back up and faced Elias. "I stick by Ravenclaws."

Timothy looked around the alley. There was not many people bustling about outside. All of the action moved indoors into the shops and pubs. He grabbed Elias's arm. "Pardon me." Then, in a snap, they disapperated. They landed in a grassy area on the shore of a soothing lake. Just out of reach of the tide sits a headstone. Marble, very shiny, well kept, and lined with flowers. Timothy's brother's name written neatly on it. Timothy walks forward and looks at the headstone. "Afternoon, Sam. Sorry I haven't gotten around to coming to visit sooner. The dome set my plans off a bit. But I know you don't mind." Timothy got on one knee in front of the grave and put flowers down in front of them. "It's getting harder and harder to find your favorite roses. Before I know it, I'll be selling my house to get you a dozen." Timothy laughed to himself and then remembered he wasn't alone. "Sorry...you must think it foolish that I talk to a grave like he can hear me."