ignoring the problem // Aiden & Evan
@aidenavry
The last time Evan had seen Aiden Avery, it had been from across the street. He had been in Duagon Alley to pick up some last minute Christmas gifts when he spotted that surprisingly familiar face. Familiar, because Aiden and Evan had known each other for almost Evan’s entire life. Surprising, because by all appearances, Aiden was ignoring Evan. Had been ever since Archer died. But that was Aiden’s choice, and Evan respected it; grief made people do odd things. So he observed his old friend from afar. Aiden did not appear to be holding up well. There were bags under his eyes, faint as they were, and his shoulders were hitched just a little too high for him to pull off the ‘casual’ look. The longer Evan watched Aiden, the more he got the impression the other boy was ready to jump out of his skin. But still, Evan said nothing. Did nothing.
He waited some more.
A few months later, when word reached Evan that Aiden had been spotted in Hogsmede, he decided that the waiting game had run its course. Now was the time for action. So he did the logical thing: track down Aiden’s new address and proceed to show up unannounced.
Evan wrote to his father asking for Aiden’s new address. Presumably, his father would either tell him if he knew or reach out to Aiden’s father if he didn’t. The two men had been ‘neighbours’ (a term that was more loosely defined among wizards than muggles) for many years, so it was a reasonable assumption that a child’s new address was a topic of conversation between them. It was a risk, but going through two parents seemed better than going through Ava. She had a lot on her plate and didn’t need something else to worry about. Luckily, the next day, Evan received an owl during lunch with Aiden’s new address.
And that was how Evan found himself sneaking away to a secluded spot in Hogsmede village on that fine March afternoon. Once he was positive no one had seen him travel to that spot, he disapparated-
-and appeared at the beginning of a front path leading up to a perfectly fine (if a tad large) old house with white walls and a lovely little garden. Evan had actually been where he stood before, a few years back, when he had been wandering around the area surrounding the Avery estate with Ava. Evan walked up to the house and knocked three times. When the door opened, he walked right into the entryway, so as to eliminate the possibility of having the door shut in his face. (That was a real possibility, what with the way Aiden had been ignoring him.)
“Aiden, how have you been doing?” he asked, admittedly a little pointedly. Maybe not the best way to start this conversation, but enough was enough. He hung his coat on a hook and looked around the foyer. “Lovely garden. I presume you’ve been waiting for it to be in full bloom before having a house warming?”
