I really shouldn't. What if she finds out? (Parker)

After several hours with his staff escort helping him survey the library for any books related to elementalism and morphing. Kyle hadn’t really ever spent much time in the library as a student, but when he had come up empty at the Council’s library, this was the only other lace he could think of that might have something that could help him on the subject. Kyle had only just arrived the day prior and had felt rather nostalgic as he walked through the corridors of the building that he had called home for seven years before leaving at the end of his second to last term. The stack of books related to elementalism was unsurprisingly small, and after making his initial notes, Kyle dropped the stack off with the librarian and asked her to keep them on hold for him until the next day. He had already been at it since the early morning and he wanted to get back to Hogsmeade for a late lunch and then maybe some alone time in his rented room.

Thanking his escort as they reached the great hall, Kyle noticed a few students making their way down to the village. It wasn’t abnormal to see this but he hadn’t really thought about the chance of seeing students or even realized school was back in session. He would know some of them, but it would be easier for the young man if he just kept his head down and moved on. Making his way down the path towards the village, Kyle found his mind wandering to Linnet. He couldn’t help himself anymore, it was happening all the time now. Linnet and his search for a way to help her completely consumed his mind since he spent time with her at the council at the end of the summer. As his mind’s eye replayed to that last visit to the council, continued down the winding path and before he knew it was back in the small village that he had used as a refuge many times during his years as a Hogwarts student.

Walking down the cobbled streets, going nowhere in particular, Kyle found himself standing in front of the owlery. Deciding it would be good to update his family on what was going on, Kyle stepped up and grabbed one of the local deliver owls, a scrap of parchment and a quill. Scrawling a note to his parents, Kyle wondered just how much to tell them. He hadn’t really given them much information about his girlfriend turning into a tree. He just explained to them that he had decided to move to the council to focus on his studies. His note told them he was working on some research around the country and wouldn’t be home until the winter holidays when his brother was home too. Giving the note to the bird, he dropped a few coins in the coffer for payment and let loose the bird before making his way to the Leaky Cauldron where he was staying for the trip.

Arriving at the pub, Kyle found a space in the corner where he could drink alone and brood. Looking around to ensure that his brother wasn’t going to see him in this kind of broody, moody, lonely state; the former Puff signaled for 2 glasses of firewhiskey. The hot liquid arrived momentarily and Kyle dropped a few coins on the bar. Taking the glass and upending it, Kyle closed his eyes and shook his head quickly. Turning the glass over on the bar next to the coins, he grabbed the second glass and began slowly sipping this one. He would likely be here a while. There was no need to get himself too far gone too quickly. The young man was so caught up on himself, he didn’t even notice anyone else keeping an eye on him from across the pub.

The year had been different, almost strange, but in a very good way. He didn’t feel as divided as he had in the past. Now he felt as if his housemates, school mates, were closer to him. The half Greek raised a hand to smooth his already immaculately done hair as he walked into the Leaky Cauldron.  He moved with the group of friends who, much to the adult patrons distaste came in with a wave of loud noise and laughter. “Right!” Came his agreement about the current standings as far as professional Quidditch was concerned.

The kids moved to a table far on the right side of the establishment, Parker sitting right in the middle of the large group facing the other side of the room. “Oh, come on the Griffins have Bellamy and Rathbone!” He chimed in as someone spoke about his favorite team. “You sound deranged.” His voice rose. “Their unstoppable together…what!?” His head shook. This was outrageous. He could hear no more of this, his brown eyes rolled before scanning around him It was then that he saw him, brooding, just a bit of distance for the seventh year.

Parker watched as he down one of the two drinks served to him. His thick brows pulled together and suddenly he found himself worried. He couldn’t see the face well but from where he sat he was sure he knew the other boy, man, if not he was still going to go over. Just to say hello. He tapped his friend next to him and slide through the space provided as he stood. His hands rose to fix the coral blue bowtie he wore as he moved to walk slowly towards this saddened person. The Gryfinndor knew what it was like to feel the weight of the world on his shoulders. Suede Coral blue loafers carried him closer and the boy paused, recognizing a boy he had worked with before during school.

“Kyle…?” Came the soft sound of his voice as he moved to take the empty seat across from the other boy. “You looked like you could use an ear…” His head inclined to where he had been sitting prior. “…even from all the way over there.” His hands rested on the table, long fingers locking together. “Want to talk about it? We can just sit too, but I don’t think you should sit alone.” He offered a smile, head tilting just a bit to the side.

The noise of the pub was nothing of a distraction to Kyle. His head was swimming with the information, or lack of information that he had found so far in his library expedition. He had hoped to find something someone had missed, but so far, nothing. It was only the first few days of his search, and he was sure that by the time he got access to the restricted section he would get something that would work for the young man. The scholars at the Council refused to cooperate with the normal wizards on matters that might expose them. While Kyle was not going to tell everyone all about the Council and their work, he did believe that measured cooperation, especially in this case, would be beneficial to the elemental order. This was why the young man felt they weren’t doing enough. One of their own was in danger, Linnet was worth the security concern that they could possibly face exposing little bits about themselves.

The second glass of firewhiskey seemed to go down much more smoothly than was normal for the drink. Kyle had started to grow used to the taste and the bite. It no longer had the same effect. He had drunk too much over the past few months. It had become standard for the young man to find himself in a bar after working in the library or after meeting a friend. Nursing this glass, Kyle noticed someone move out of the corner of his eye. His name pulled the former Puff out of his contemplations. Turning his head to the voice, Kyle noticed a young man seated next to him at the bar. He surveyed him top to bottom as he listened to the young man speak. He was well dressed with clean, well-groomed hair. The bowtie seemed a little over the top, but it was the bowtie that helped him remember the other boy. He had been a few years behind Kyle, a Gryffindor so he thought.

As the boy paused, Kyle cocked his head and spoke. “An ear yes? You think you know anything about this?” Kyle’s voice came across harsh instead of his normal friendly self. He was still frustrated from earlier. He needed to reassure the young man so that he didn’t scare off someone just because they showed a little concern for a struggling young man. “I apologize, allow me to start over. Yes, I could, but I don’t think I know who you are; other than a Gryffindor of course.” Kyle smiled. He hoped that he had recovered from his crass initial reaction.

After a brief pause, Kyle sipped on his drink again and said, “honestly yes, I could use someone to talk to. This past week has been something of a failure on my part.” Kyle had already laid everything out to Camm before and he was not sure that he wanted to let someone else, a stranger, into his life with the Council. He would have to find a way to explain himself without giving away too much. But there was something about this young man that Kyle felt he could trust. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he felt more at ease now than he had during the entire time he was scouring the library. It was nice to have someone, even if he didn’t hardly know him at all.

He’d intruded, the seventh year had known he would when he walked over; still he hadn’t expected the others words to cut into him so harshly. The Gryfinndor’s brows rose in surprise before his lips pursed. He contemplated going back to his friends but he couldn’t. When he’d been hurting, saddened by the loss of his friends during the previous term, even a stranger who cared would have been good enough to pull him from his despair. Even if the distraction only lasted the length of a conversation he would have been grateful. His lips parted as he prepared to speak before the other boy was apologizing.

He decided then to stay. Kyle was having a hard time; it was written on his face. Parker knew hard times, he was sure most of the people in the establishment knew hard times. Sometimes a person could give under the weight of their troubles and others they could push through them to the other side. It was all far easier said than done. Whatever Kyle was struggling with had to be something big, at least the Gryfinndor thought so. He could stay, at least for this other boy, a little while longer.

Parker sighed a bit before he nodded. “I apologize, for being rude.” He turned, holding out his right hand for the other to shake. “Parker and yes I’m a Gryfinndor.” He gave him a smile before he turned himself right, interlocking his manicured fingers in front of him. He could understand, not fully, what the other was feeling. He had failed just like other people had and from that experience he could guess at what Kyle was battling within. “Well, I lend my ears.” He gave the other boy a gentle smile. “If you want talk about what’s weighing you down.”

His fingers came apart to rest on the bar top, molding against the cool surface as his brown eyes swept across Kyle’s face. “We don’t have to, no pressure. There are a million other things we could possibly talk about or if you want we can just sit...” He wanted to make Kyle feel as comfortable as he could, giving the other boy anytime he needed to prepare himself to vent, if he wanted. “…either way, I’m sorry you’re having a hard time.”

His initial reaction to the young man who had come over to talk to him still hung between the two as they sat at the bar. Kyle was not normally so confrontational, and he was hardly ever rude even to people he disliked. It was just the situation. He had been searching since the end of term the year previous for anything that would help Linnet. He had enlisted the help of elemental scholars, friends, libraries, bookshops and just about anything or anyone else that he could to try to find a solution. But each search ended the same as the last, no closer to finding out why Linnet reverted to her morphed state and why she wouldn’t morph back to human state now that she should certainly have recovered from any natural poisons. The product of their elemental nature was that they were immune to many of the natural elements in poison. That was the most curious part of it all.

He read the facial cues of the boy across from him and noticed the reaction to his initial rebuff. He hoped that his apology and attempted restarting of the interaction would make up for his initial, rather harsh, introduction. After another moment, the other boy spoke. Rude? Him? Not even. It was Kyle who had been incredibly rude, nearly biting his head off just for coming over and sitting down next to him, asking if he needed someone to talk to and drink with. Taking the extended hand, Kyle shook it and smiled “You have nothing to apologize for. It is my fault for being an ass. You were just trying to make conversation is all. And of course, it is nice to meet you Parker.”

The offer was nice of course. Having someone else to confide in, to talk to. Kyle just wasn’t sure he wanted to rope someone else into the drama and incompetence of the Council. It was one thing for Camm, he and Kyle had been friends since the beginning of it all, quite literally. This boy, Parker, as nice as he was, was still a stranger. Kyle still didn’t know much about him. It wasn’t that he was overly concerned with the secrets of the council, but he didn’t really feel like giving them any more reason to take issue with him than they already did. Many at the Council were uncomfortable with his search. They worried that his work would expose them more than they already were. While that was certainly a possibility, it was a risk Kyle was willing to take if it meant helping Linnet. Smiling as the young man made up his mind, Kyle turned his attention back to Parker.

“I really appreciate the offer to talk. It means a lot, really. I am just dealing with a lot, mostly dealing with my girlfriend. She and I…well yea, I’m not really sure right now.” It was all true. Kyle didn’t know what was going to happen, what had happened, why it happened. He just knew that at this moment, in the Madin shrine, there was a tree growing where one had not been the year previous. She had been transplanted there after the incident at Hogwarts and now was in her morphed state there, perhaps forever. The weight of it all seemed to press down on Kyle as he thought about it. It was something he hated to let his mind drift towards. Picking up his glass, Kyle finished it in one quick shot and asked for another. Talking was one method he was going to try to use to deal with his problems, drinking was another.

A lot changed over the course of the summer. He’d grown up more than he wanted but he was grateful for the maturity. He was thankful for each breath he took and he was thankful his family had survived along side him. Even through his change, Parker still cared. He stilled wanted other people to feel joy and happiness and if he could he’d sweep away the dark clouds looming above. With Kyle it was no different.  He wanted to take the weight from this boy's shoulders as if they had once been great friends. Kyle drowning in his sorrows would do nothing to help the older boy get pass his grief. Wading through it all was the only way to truly free himself, at least in Parker’s mind. His head shook, the smile soft on his lip, as a smooth hand rose to tell Kyle apologies weren't needed.

“Well, in your defense some strange guy walks over wanting to talk a bit of rudeness is okay. I could have approached you better, I should have.” He did just stumble over to Kyle and ask him to tell all his woes and worries. Harshness was acceptable the Gryfinndor decided. If he were having a bad day he might act the same. His hand rose to run along the neat edges of his nicely styled hair. Even as if offered to be the ear that listened,  Parker never thought Kyle would do it. Whatever the older boy had on his mind was far too important to spill to a stranger, wasn't it? It had Kyle drinking his sorrows away in the middle of the day, it had to be terrible.

Ah, girl problems. Something the seventh year was glad he was dealing with or ever would. “I know all about the grey area of relationships.” His hand rose to lift a finger, ordering a drink with Kyle this time. “I'm dating a guy who…I'm not sure wants the same things.” It was the first time he'd thought of Elias that day. His mind had been so preoccupied that the Slytherin never floated across his thoughts. “Not knowing is the worse..” His words spoke volumes but the seventh year was unaware, smiling as his drink was sat in front of him. “Does she not want to talk?” Maybe she couldn't, maybe it was too hard to face him. “Or is that not an option, which just leaves you sad and confused.” That sucked, really. “I'm sorry,” he offered once more.

“Relationships can be tough to navigate. You shouldn't focus on it too much. My mom says the best way to solve an impossible problem is to step back and look at the whole picture, with fresh eyes. Tired eyes miss things…and you…you look exhausted, Kyle.”