He could feel her stiffening and eventually pulling away, the guilt in him growing by the second. He left. When hell broke loose and she needed him, he left - his intentions were irrelevant, his plans, his thoughts. Leo looked at her while filled with sorrow. “I’m so sorry.” He wasn’t sure sound had gotten out, if he still had any left in him anymore. The sight of her bandaged wrist only made him feel worse, guilt deepening, concern rising once more. “You got hurt.”
Henley watched him for a moment before she simply dropped her gaze. She wasn’t sure what she thought or felt about it all. She just hurt. And honestly, she didn’t want to look at him. With a sigh, she tucked her fingers away in the back pockets of her ripped up jeans. “I’m fine,” she replied. She was always fine. “Don’t worry about it,” she murmured as she kicked at a rock. “I’ll see you around, okay?”
For all her searching, Henley finally felt settled. She had her own place. The odd Southern bell had found refuge along the English coast. She needed to, her son needed it. He needed it more and for him, she would do just about anything. It was him and her against the world, and that was how she liked it. Her father checked in every now and again. He seemed to have gotten better in his old age. More sentimental, as Henley tease. He never missed his grandson’s birthday, and as she and her son were making their way home from the market--- ingredients for his birthday dinner in tow--- Leon Graves stood waiting in her doorway.
Her son greeted him first. The newly-turned-eight year old boy embraced the older man and Leon lifted the boy in his arms. Leon smiled, his handsome aging face crinkling, and he soon found the boy’s tickle spot. As her son wiggled and laughed in his grandfather’s grasp, Henley leaned up on her toes to give her father a kiss on the cheek in greeting. His smile faltered but this time, it wasn’t from a haunted memory that her mother had left on him, no, this was out of sadness. Sadness for her. Carefully, he set the boy down and ruffled his hair before he sent him on his way to find the surprise that Leon had hidden in the little cottage.
“What is it,” Henley asked in a murmur as she stepped inside and set her parcels down on the entry table keeping a watchful eye on her son as he raced away through their home. “What’s wrong.”
For a moment, Leon grasped his hands together and Henley could see thought in his features. Her father was not one to have a struggle for words. He had more than once cut her down with the right word but now, he seemed lost for what to say. Impatiently, Henley sighed, “Please be out with it or live with it. Today is supposed to be a good day.”
“I know,” Leon replied and then pulled out a piece of parchment from his cotton sport coat. He held it out to her and she took it from his grasp swiftly as her son’s laughter echoed in the background. “I wanted to get to you before any the newspapers dad,” Leon added grimly and he went over to her bar helping himself to the bottle of bourbon that she had there.
Her green eyes followed him and carefully she unfolded the piece of paper. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear and looked down at what her father had brought her and she didn’t get far to what was written before her whole world tilted. It was only a simply phrase--- a short sentence--- and it sucked all breath from her lungs and Henley could only grasp the table in front of her to help keep herself upright. So easily, so quickly, everything just changed. Happy memories and laughter that she held so dear to her heart, were shattered before she could do anything to stop it. She felt sick.
Musical favorites, OMEN, found murdered.
Tears stung in her eyes, but a soft voice drew her attention. “Mum, you okay?”
Henley swallowed and forced herself to give her son a small smile. She knelt down and cupped his jaw as she tucked the parchment away in her pocket in her free hand. “Of course I am, my little Leonardo. Have you found the mystery pops brought you?”
“Muuuum, it’s Leo.”
Her smile tightened a bit, “right, I forgot.”
Leo shook his head and went back to his search, and Henley stood back up feeling her resolve slipping. She looked to her father and found heartbreak in his own gaze. Heartbreak for her. He held up a glass of bourbon for her to take and she took it gratefully, suddenly very glad he had been there.
“Hm?” Reginald glanced up from the newspaper he had been reading to look behind him at the woman gesturing to her head. He ran a palm through his messy hair pulling out a few sticks and leaves. Reginald had decided to take a short cut to work that morning, he didn’t realize how long they had been in there. “Oh, well, thank you,” he grunted nodding towards her.
Henley nodded as she made her way over to make sure that he had gotten everything. “No problem, suga. Can’t have you running around looking a mess.”
Unsurprising, since it has been about a week since Bellatrix last bothered to try to untangle the mess of curls that never quite wanted to cooperate with her. Although they may have been more cooperative if she actually, at regular intervals, brushed it. But the unhinged look went so well with her Death Eater robes, so she liked the look of it. Thus, she rolled her eyes and gave Henley a sullen look. “Oh, whatever will I do?” she said, blinking slowly as something of a creepy smile slipped onto her lips. “Is it a branch? Blood? The unmistakable stench of death? Because I’m good with all of those.”
Henley let out a soft snort and she made her way over to the other girl. She had to admit, this Brit was certainly entertaining. A bit crazy and certainly not someone Henley would ever trust, but entertaining to say the list. She reached up and wrinkled her nose as she pulled whatever it was from Bellatrix’s hair, “looks like a bad reaction to a potion,” she said as she quickly dropped it.
following the woman’s signal with her eyes, alice reached up to run her hand through her hair, immediately noticing the specks of flour coating her tresses. “oh goodness ! that must’ve been from the baking i did earlier.” the blonde quickly wiped hair clean, tucking it behind her ear with a sheepish smile. since her job as an auror was quite demanding and intense, alice liked to bake as a stress reliever after overly difficult days at work. she’d already baked several dozen cookies in this week alone, and now she wasn’t sure if a kitchen full of cookies was turning out to be a BLESSING or a curse. “happens more than you would think, so thank you.”
Henley’s brows rose and once the woman was all clean, she nodded. “Oh, believe me, I know,” she smiled. “I don’t usually leave the kitchen without a bit of powdered sugar on me.”
“But since I’ve been so kind, does that mean I get something sweet?” She was joking, but hey, her sweet tooth wouldn’t mind one bit.
“I know. I know.” He held her as if he was scared to let go, that she’d disappear from his sight to never be seen. All other hugs he’d been allowed to give had to be careful, holding bruised broken things that needed softer love than the urgency of his arms. “I’m so sorry.” He hadn’t saved anyone, even helped anyone. He hadn’t found anyone. All Leo Flint had accomplished in the midst of the chaos were tears and shouts for one name only - his sister’s. “They apparated me out and - my sister was hurt - I was so so stupid, just standing - I left.” Bits of explanations left his mouth, barely louder than whispers. “I’m so sorry. You’re alright, yes?”
His apology hit her hard. At first, she had no idea why he had anything to be apologize for, but then he continue. A lump formed in her throat as her brow furrowed and her back stiffened. Her arms soon dropped from his frame and out of defense, she took a step back. “You left,” she whispered as she looked up at him and searched his face. What she searched for? She had no idea. Part of her wished that he was joking. A sick joke.
Henley held up her wrapped wrist. “You... left.” Her unharmed hand sank through her scarlet curls and she shook her head. “I looked for you.”
Liam crossed his arms, waiting patiently for her to play her little game out. It was all about the little joys, or some shit like that, she’d say. He stood still as she reached behind him and brought his hands together for her in slow applause as she ‘magically’ procured the parchment from behind his head.
“How does she do it?” he said, gasping in mock awe as the applause faded away. “But if you really must know, left the humor in my other jacket today. Sorry, darlin’”. He shrugged, laying thick on the southern mimic.
“Birds. Quite chatty nowadays, aren’t they? Can’t trust them with anything.” He reached forward for the parchment, fingers wrapping around her own before the roll of paper was slipped into his hand. “How much do I owe you this time?”
“A magician never reveals her secrets.” Her lips tugged upward and she glanced away for a moment for her amusement, ever the lover of all things dramatics. But the parchment, slipped out of her fingers before she was really ready to give it up. He knew very well that she preferred payment first but clearly beggars couldn’t be choosers. “Same as last time, took about the same amount of time.”
Liam gave her a curious look, catching his reflection in the window behind her. A whole lot of nothing, she was pointing out.
“I’d hate to call it out in a lady such as yourself but, I’m calling bullshit. Now, if you wanted to get my attention you could have just said ‘hi’.”
Not that that generally worked either but, bullshit for bullshit and all.
Stepping down and closing the space between them, Henley kept her mind blank and a smile formed on her lips. She leaned up behind his head and a leather bound document appeared in her hand. She pressed the bound parchment to the tip of her nose. “You shouldn’t be so crass, and where’s your sense of humor,” she said. “A little birdee told me you needed something copied.”
Henley leaned against a pillar as she watched the person in front of her. “Darlin’,” she finally spoke up and gestured to the crown of her head. “You got somethin’.”
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Unscathed. Leonardo left the village without as much as a scratch, yet all around him there seemed to be blood and bruises - his hands trembled a little as he fiddled with an unlit cigarette, wasting time until it would be justifiable for him to go back in again and stay near all his loved ones who’d gotten injured. Some names still rang loudly in his head, of all the people he hadn’t managed to get a hold of yet, or hadn’t replied to his quick ‘are you alright’ letters. Henley. It was almost deafening. He moved from stair to stair, nervous energy coursing through him, when he heard HER voice. The cigarette dropped to the ground as he looked at Henley, analysing all apparent injuries from a distance before breaking through the empty space, involving his arms around her carelessly, intensively.
Her eyes searched over his frame as he climbed up the stairs between them. From first glance, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with him but he didn’t give her anymore time to take in a full inspection before he pulled her into a tight hug. First, shock had hit her. Hugs weren’t something that she was commonly given. The form of affection was foreign to her but from him, she welcomed it. Carefully, she wrapped her arms about his shoulders and leaned up on her toes to press her body against his. “I looked for you,” she breathed out and pressed her face into his shoulder. “I couldn’t find you.”
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