Perplexity Part Three (Hugo/James)
Mar. 8th, 2010 08:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dysonrulesWherein the CUTE suffers a minor setback...
James sprawled on the sofa and dropped his hand on Hugo’s leg with a dramatic sigh.
“Merlin! I’m exhausted,” James said.
“We should have Apparated from ride to ride instead of walking,” Hugo replied. He was almost too tired to react to the fact that James hadn’t removed his hand.
James chuckled. “That would have been the height of laziness.”
“Yes, but we wouldn’t be lying here now wishing for new legs and someone to bring us cold drinks.”
James groaned. “Please, do not mention drinks. Nor food. Nor anything ingestible for the next few days. I think I ate and drank enough to last a week.”
Hugo chuckled, although even that was a tired sound. “I told you not to eat that last toffee apple.”
“I told you not to mention food,” James scolded. He lolled his head sideways on the back of the couch to regard Hugo. “It was fun, though, yeah?” His grin was infectious and Hugo smiled back. His face ached a bit from laughing at James’ antics.
“Yeah. It was brilliant,” he said, staring into James’ amazing blue eyes. Best day yet, he nearly added, halting himself when he realized how stupid it would sound.
Strangely, James’ smile faltered. “Hey, Hugo. Can I ask you something?” His hand seemed to burn through Hugo’s jeans and when he squeezed lightly, Hugo felt a blush creep into his cheeks.
He nodded. “Yeah, of course. You can ask me anything,” he replied seriously.
James swallowed and his tongue flicked out and wet his lips for a moment, as though fighting a suddenly dry mouth. Hugo tried not to stare, but he spent too much time watching James’ lips to let such a sight pass by, especially at this proximity. Could he be nervous? Hugo’s brows drew down. What was serious enough to unsettle James Potter?
“This might seem a bit crazy… Well, maybe more than a bit,” James said in a low tone, sliding his gaze down and away from Hugo’s. He lifted the hand that wasn’t touching Hugo’s leg and used it to pluck at the edge of his sleeve.
Merlin, he really was nervous!
“This probably isn’t a good time to bring it up, although I’m honestly starting to think there is no good time to bring it up. Merlin knows, I’ve been tossing it round in my head long enough it’s a wonder I’m not completely mental.” James stopped messing with his sleeve to raise an index finger and meet Hugo’s gaze warningly. “Mind you, I don’t need you telling me that I am completely mental, yeah? I get quite enough of that from the siblings.”
Hugo blinked at him, trying to recall if he had ever heard James babble before. It was a unique experience, and not altogether welcome. What was he trying to say? Rather than speak, Hugo tried to appear as supportive as possible.
James clamped his lips shut and frowned, as if suddenly aware of his own runaway tongue. He sighed. “What I’m trying to say is—”
The fireplace erupted and Lily tumbled through the flames and nearly fell to her knees. She cursed roundly.
“Merlin, why did I end up with Father’s utter lack of grace?” she snapped as she straightened and brushed at the remnants of Floo Powder on her clothing. She yelped as Albus struck her from behind as he also emerged from the fireplace. “Oi! Obviously, I’m not the only one.”
“The only one what?” Albus asked. “Can’t you move? It’s easier to Floo if no one is blocking the passage.”
Hugo felt a patch of cold on his thigh as James’ hand fell away. He looked toward his cousins with a surge of annoyance. As much as he adored them, he could cheerfully throttle them at the moment.
James shifted slightly away and smiled lazily at his siblings as he crossed his arms behind his head and stretched out his legs to cross them at his ankles. “Have a nice time with Auntie Fleur?” he asked in a smug tone.
Albus threw him a two-fingered salute and Lily sneered. “Godric, if I ever get pregnant, someone please hit me with Avada Kedavra. Honestly, I don’t know how poor Bill can stand it.”
“She is a bit greedy for attention,” Albus agreed as he sprawled in a nearby chair. He flicked his wand and Summoned a bottle of Butterbeer from the kitchen. It narrowly missed Lily’s head as it shot through the air into his waiting hand.
She glared at him. “A bit? All she can talk about is herself. I think even Mum wanted to bash her with a vase if she mentioned her swollen ankles once more. And despite her ‘feeling zo nauseas at zee sight of food’ she certainly has gained enough weight. She looks like a—”
Albus laughed uproariously. “Lily, you’re so mean.”
She rolled her eyes. “I have known pregnant women and Aunt Fleur is worse than any of them. I swear, if Uncle Bill had leaped up one more time to fetch the lazy bint something I don’t know if I could have kept my tongue.”
“It wouldn’t have done any good. She ignored all of Mum’s thinly-veiled insults, pretending not to understand.” Albus chuckled.
Lily fixed her gaze on Hugo and James. “Well, enough about our day. How was yours, you shiftless layabouts?”
“Well, apart from zee sight of food making me nauseous,” James said with a grin, “Our day was fabulous. Wasn’t it, Hugo?”
Hugo nodded, not wanting to appear too enthusiastic in the face of Lily’s disgruntlement. She had a tendency to hold grudges and deliver passive-aggressive revenge, whether earned or not.
Her eyes narrowed. “Well, obviously not too good, since you’re both here, instead of…”
She trailed off. Albus took a swig from his bottle and looked at her curiously. “Instead of where?”
Lily stood up abruptly. “Never mind. I’ve had enough family, today. I’m going to take a bath, order some take-away by owl, and go to bed. Goodnight, Hugo. Brothers.”
“Goodnight, Lily,” Hugo said automatically.
Albus chugged his butterbeer and slammed the empty bottle on the table. He stood up. “Well, it’s been lovely, but I have an amorous boyfriend to get back to. Later!” He lifted a jaunty hand, grabbed a fistful of Floo Powder, and departed.
When the flames died, Hugo turned to James, hoping he would return to the conversation that had been interrupted by the others, but he could see it was not to be. James grinned at him and then pushed away from the couch. “A bath and a bed sounds too good to pass up. I’m back to work before dawn tomorrow.” He sighed and then reached out to ruffle Hugo’s hair. “Thanks for a lovely day, cousin.”
“You’re… um, you’re welcome,” Hugo said quietly. He watched as James took the archway leading to the stairs and then listened as his footfalls slowly became quieter and ended with the closing of a door. He stayed where he was, twisting the leather bracelet round and round on his wrist, until shadows grew across the room and the oil lamps lit of their own accord.
He thought it rather unfair that such a wonderful day could end with him feeling so wrung out and lonely.
xxXxx
Hugo didn’t see James at all for the next three days. He didn’t see much of anyone but Lily, actually, which was the normal routine. It was easy to understand why most people thought he and Lily were a couple—they lived in the same house, they took their meals together, they travelled to and from work together, and they bickered like a married couple. Or like siblings.
Lily worked as an intern at St Mungo's, studying to be a Healer, although only Hugo, her siblings and cousins knew the real reason was that she hoped to attach herself to a Quidditch team as the consulting team medi-witch. It still made Hugo laugh at times, to think of her drooling over hot-bodied Quidditch players under the guise of professional examination. Honestly, there should be a law against it. She was learning a skill, however, so at least she wasn’t simply planning to be a Quidditch groupie.
“Why are you still wearing that ridiculous bracelet?” Lily asked as they walked.
Hugo reflexively tucked it back into his sleeve and glared at her. “I happen to like it,” he replied.
She smirked at him. Not for the first time, he wondered why he kept accompanying her to and from work. She was something of a nightmare, and just because the research facility where Hugo worked was a short jaunt past St Mungo’s was no reason to put himself through daily torture. She was perfectly capable of reaching the hospital in one piece. In fact, he pitied anyone that would try to accost her. The Potter children had learned defensive spells at their father’s knee.
“He probably doesn’t even remember giving it to you,” she said.
Hugo set his jaw stubbornly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Merlin, you two are thick,” she muttered.
“Speak plainly or not at all,” Hugo said, tired of the cryptic comments she had been dropping for three days.
“Fine. It’s obvious you have a thing for James. Why not just tell him and have done?”
He stared at her, wondering how obvious he had been and horrified at the idea of anyone else picking up on it. “What? No!”
“No, you don’t, or no you won’t tell him?” she asked, arching a ginger brow at him.
“No, I won’t tell him. And you won’t, either. Promise me!” Hugo stopped walking to regard her sternly.
She halted and sighed. “Really, Hugo, why not? James is a big boy. He can handle it.”
“Godric, no! He would be mortified! I’m his cousin!”
She snorted, an undignified sound that only Lily could produce. “I’m your cousin, too, and everyone assumes we are a happy little couple. If we snogged in front of the entire family at the next gathering, I doubt anyone would bat an eye.”
That’s because you’re a girl, he nearly snapped, but he didn’t bother. It was obvious. He looked at her forlornly. “I sometimes wish we were,” he said. “It would be easier than carrying this stupid, ridiculous torch for your brother.”
“Easier, perhaps, but not what either of us wants.”
Hugo laughed, despite himself. “No, what you want is a stable full of fit boys.”
“What’s wrong with that?” she demanded and then chuckled. “I’d get bored with just one.”
“Not if you found the right one,” he replied and elbowed her.
She wrinkled her nose. “You do have it bad. So. Tell him.”
Hugo shook his head again. “No. It would ruin everything. We have fun together. James is himself around me. He’s relaxed and adorable and… and so bloody James. That would all change. I couldn’t bear it. Even if he didn’t avoid me like the plague, he would act differently around me. It’s inevitable.”
“Of course he would act differently, but why are you assuming his reaction will be negative?”
Hugo gnawed his lip and shot a suspicious glare at her. “How do you know it wouldn’t be? Has he ever said anything? I mean, about me? Or even about blokes, in general? I always thought he liked girls. He always had girlfriends at Hogwarts.”
“Well,” Lily admitted, “he hasn’t ever said anything to me…”
“You see?” Hugo burst out. He wanted to tear at his hair and shout at her for even allowing him to consider such an insane path, even for a moment. “Merlin, just a few days ago he brought up the word ‘girlfriend’!”
“He said he had a girlfriend?”
“No. But he said if he got one I would be the first to know.”
She smacked him in the abdomen with her fist, sending his breath out in a grunt.
“Hey!” he yelped. “What was that for?”
“For you being an idiot.” She started walking again and threw a grin over her shoulder. “So, I’ll just have to ask him if he ever thinks about shagging blokes.”
Hugo hurried to catch up to her. “What? No! You can’t do that!”
“Why not?”
Hugo tried to think of an intelligent reason, but the only thing that came to mind was that it would be weird. And when it came to Lily, weird was not exactly an unfamiliar term. “Won’t he think it odd if you pop such a question out of the blue?” he asked lamely.
She rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Hugo, try to remember what house I was in at Hogwarts. Subtlety is my forte. Leave it to me.”
With that, she patted his arm, brushed a quick kiss against his cheek, and entered St Mungo’s without a backwards glance. Hugo frowned after her and wondered if having Lily’s assistance would be detrimental to his sanity in the long run. She might have been Slytherin, but her tendency to rush headlong at things was a Potter trait that a green and silver tie could not erase.
xxXxx
“Mr Weasley, you have a visitor,” Mildred informed him, poking her head through the door to give him a disapproving stare. Hugo was treated to Mildred’s disapproving stare several times a day, because she seemed to disapprove of most things, including sugar, the colour red, laughter, and the number sixteen. Hugo was not entirely certain about the last, but he tried to use the number in random conversation whenever possible, and thus far it had earned a disapproving glare each time.
“A visitor?” he asked without thinking, which served to increase the severity of the stare.
“That is what I said, Mr Weasley.” With a final look of censorship, she disappeared. Not permanently, but merely around the corner to her desk in the tiny reception area of Worsted and Turner, Research Facility.
Hugo cast one glance at his notes and decided nothing he was working on was terribly pressing, so he got to his feet and followed Mildred, curious. He never had visitors.
James tugged at his forelock and grinned at him from one of the shabby orange chairs in the reception area.
“James?” Hugo asked and then strode forward quickly. “Has something happened?” His panicked thoughts went immediately to Lily, but he had seen her just that morning. Or Albus? The colour drained from his face. “Oh, Merlin, it’s Rose, isn’t it? There’s been a Quidditch accident.”
James gaped at him for a full minute while Hugo refrained from reaching out and shaking him.
“No!” James said finally. “Merlin, no! No one is— There’s nothing…”
Hugo nearly sagged in relief as James laughed shakily.
“You look white as a ghost, Hugo! Honestly, do you really think anyone would trust me to be the harbinger of tidings, good or bad?”
“Well, I would,” Hugo blurted.
James chuckled and reached out to snare Hugo’s neck and pull him into a rough hug while scraping his knuckles over his scalp, as he was prone to do. “Hugo, there are so many reasons I will never cease to adore you. Truly, I only came to ask you to lunch. Can you spare an hour?” James must have caught one of Mildred’s disapproving stares, because he quickly amended his question. “Um… I mean, a half-hour? Twenty minutes?”
Hugo spoke up before the time dwindled down to nothing. “Yes! Yes, of course. Mildred, I am going to lunch. Please inform my mother, if she asks. And anyone else that might come looking for me.” He tried not to sound too hopeful at the last, but Hugo was such a newcomer at the firm—and was terribly young, compared to the others—that he was generally ignored. Except by his mother, more was the pity.
He took James by the hand and quickly led him outside before Mildred could begin a monologue about responsibility and work ethic. Despite her outwardly responsible mien, Hugo had never seen her work a moment past quitting time.
“Pleasant woman,” James commented with a snort.
Hugo grinned. “She makes mad dogs seem friendly. Did you really want lunch, or are you simply practicing heroics by rescuing me?”
“The rescue is a lucky happenstance,” James admitted. “I am hungry, but I wanted to ask you something. Where can we eat that won’t have you punished for shirking by keeping you out too long?”
“They can’t really punish me,” Hugo said. “I’m not being paid, after all. Interning has its benefits, pathetic though they are.” Hugo counted himself lucky to have gotten the position at all. Worsted and Turner was the premier research facility in all of Britain, primarily dealing with medical research, but also legal matters, new or altered spells, and incorporation of Muggle technology. Some of the research was so secretive it was done in cooperation with the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry. Unfortunately, Hugo was not given access to anything even remotely interesting. Not yet, at any rate.
He was burning with curiosity about James’ question, but he said nothing about it and instead led them down the street and around a number of corners until he reached a tiny café. A peeling wooden sign spelled out: Pat’s Soup.
James looked at it dubiously. “Soup? I said I was hungry, Hugo.”
“Don’t worry. I discovered something amazing. It’s an American thing called New England Clam Chowder. It’s like nirvana in a bowl.”
They were soon seated at a rickety table with large bowls full of the creamy potato and clam concoction, breaking off bits of crusty bread for dunking. James groaned in what seemed to be delight. “I will never doubt you again, Hugo.”
Hugo nodded happily and they both ate in silence until most of the meal was gone. James mopped up soup residue with a hunk of bread and looked at Hugo. “I need your help,” he said finally.
Hugo looked at him curiously, wondering if this was the same topic James had attempted to bring up on the night they had returned from the funfair. “With what?” he asked, bemused by the idea of James asking him for anything.
“Research,” James said simply. With that, he glanced around the room as though fearing to be overheard. James got to his feet. “Come on, I’ll tell you while we walk back.”
Hugo joined him and they walked together back toward Worsted and Turner while James explained.
“It’s about Bethany,” James said.
Hugo halted in his tracks. “Who?”
James gestured impatiently. “Bethany. Surely, I’ve mentioned her before.”
“Surely, you have not,” Hugo said with an edge of iron to his voice.
“Really?” James looked genuinely puzzled and Hugo tried not to gnash his teeth. “Well, she’s on my staff at Gringotts.” Hugo said nothing and James coughed as though sensing Hugo’s annoyance. “Anyway, she’s been acting strangely lately and I’m starting to think she’s under some sort of spell.”
“Strangely, how?” Hugo asked reluctantly, wondering why James had never brought up the mysterious girl.
“Well, it’s only been happening for a couple of days, so we are hoping it passes. On Tuesday, when she came to work she seemed very confused. At one point, she forgot who I was. We were deep in the caverns, setting up a new trap with Ironclaw, and she looked straight at me and asked my name. She had no idea where she was, nor even who she was, until we returned to the bank proper.”
“That sounds like a simple Confundus,” Hugo said.
James nodded. “I know, but it came from nowhere. Luckily, Ironclaw was busy setting up the complex trigger spells, so he didn’t notice. It seemed minor, so Bethany and I passed it off as a fluke, or some residual spell in the area that was triggered without us noticing. But later that afternoon, she fainted. We were in the same region of the caverns—not really close to the spot of the first episode, but close enough that it could be some artefact in a vault, or something. I just don’t know.”
Hugo was intrigued, despite himself. It was possible he was overreacting to the girl’s name. After all, she could be a middle-aged, married witch, for all Hugo knew. He refrained from asking—barely. “Were those the only two instances?”
James shook his head. “She started laughing hysterically yesterday. Laughing fit to burst, and couldn’t stop.” James’ lips twitched at the memory and he forced it away with obvious effort. “Merlin, Edward was with us that time and the three of us were giggling for nearly twenty minutes—although Edward and I were simply caught in the moment and kept asking Bethany what was so bloody funny. It would have been amusing if I knew it wasn’t spell-induced, somehow. And if Bloodbone hadn’t come down and asked what the hell we were doing making merry instead of working... Merlin, we all narrowly avoided being fired.”
“Can’t you explain to the goblins that she’s under some sort of spell?” Hugo asked.
James shook his head soberly. “We don’t dare. They would simply be rid of her and replace her with someone else. Humans mean little to them. The only reason they employ us at all is that we can do certain things that they can’t, thanks to these.” James patted the pocket that contained his wand. “And they enjoy giving us the more manual tasks, such as digging new tunnels.”
“But you are the Head of Security,” Hugo protested.
James laughed. “Indeed. That fancy title only means I’m responsible for keeping their human employees in line. The only ‘security’ I’m in charge of is trying to keep them alive. And employed.”
“So you can’t tell the goblins about this weird curse on your… employee?” Hugo said, stressing the word a bit.
James shook his head. “This morning was the worst. It’s why I decided to come and find you. She had a complete paranoid fit, yelling that we were trying to kill her. She was throwing hexes at us and screaming. I hit her with a Full-body Bind and hauled her out of the caverns—she reverted to normal partway up, thankfully, but I’ve banned her from going below until we figure out what the hell is going on. So, can you help?”
Hugo was reluctant. It sounded as though the poor woman was going mad or developing some sort of medical condition. But when James looked at him with such an adorable expression, Hugo would have acquiesced to anything he asked. He nodded. “I’m not sure how much help I can be. I’m not a full researcher, yet.”
James clapped him on the shoulder. “I’d rather have your brain than those of a dozen full researchers, Hugo. I’ll bring Bethany by the house tonight. It will be a bit late—can you stay awake until we get in?”
Hugo nodded. He seldom fell asleep until James got home, anyway, although he always went to bed. He would lie awake listening for the sound of footfalls in the hallway and the reassuring creak of James’ bedroom door opening and closing.
“Great! Thanks, Huggie. You’re the best.” James wrapped him in a rough embrace and squeezed until Hugo barked a laugh and demanded he let loose. James smiled, waved cheerfully as he stepped back, and Disapparated.
PART FOUR
James sprawled on the sofa and dropped his hand on Hugo’s leg with a dramatic sigh.
“Merlin! I’m exhausted,” James said.
“We should have Apparated from ride to ride instead of walking,” Hugo replied. He was almost too tired to react to the fact that James hadn’t removed his hand.
James chuckled. “That would have been the height of laziness.”
“Yes, but we wouldn’t be lying here now wishing for new legs and someone to bring us cold drinks.”
James groaned. “Please, do not mention drinks. Nor food. Nor anything ingestible for the next few days. I think I ate and drank enough to last a week.”
Hugo chuckled, although even that was a tired sound. “I told you not to eat that last toffee apple.”
“I told you not to mention food,” James scolded. He lolled his head sideways on the back of the couch to regard Hugo. “It was fun, though, yeah?” His grin was infectious and Hugo smiled back. His face ached a bit from laughing at James’ antics.
“Yeah. It was brilliant,” he said, staring into James’ amazing blue eyes. Best day yet, he nearly added, halting himself when he realized how stupid it would sound.
Strangely, James’ smile faltered. “Hey, Hugo. Can I ask you something?” His hand seemed to burn through Hugo’s jeans and when he squeezed lightly, Hugo felt a blush creep into his cheeks.
He nodded. “Yeah, of course. You can ask me anything,” he replied seriously.
James swallowed and his tongue flicked out and wet his lips for a moment, as though fighting a suddenly dry mouth. Hugo tried not to stare, but he spent too much time watching James’ lips to let such a sight pass by, especially at this proximity. Could he be nervous? Hugo’s brows drew down. What was serious enough to unsettle James Potter?
“This might seem a bit crazy… Well, maybe more than a bit,” James said in a low tone, sliding his gaze down and away from Hugo’s. He lifted the hand that wasn’t touching Hugo’s leg and used it to pluck at the edge of his sleeve.
Merlin, he really was nervous!
“This probably isn’t a good time to bring it up, although I’m honestly starting to think there is no good time to bring it up. Merlin knows, I’ve been tossing it round in my head long enough it’s a wonder I’m not completely mental.” James stopped messing with his sleeve to raise an index finger and meet Hugo’s gaze warningly. “Mind you, I don’t need you telling me that I am completely mental, yeah? I get quite enough of that from the siblings.”
Hugo blinked at him, trying to recall if he had ever heard James babble before. It was a unique experience, and not altogether welcome. What was he trying to say? Rather than speak, Hugo tried to appear as supportive as possible.
James clamped his lips shut and frowned, as if suddenly aware of his own runaway tongue. He sighed. “What I’m trying to say is—”
The fireplace erupted and Lily tumbled through the flames and nearly fell to her knees. She cursed roundly.
“Merlin, why did I end up with Father’s utter lack of grace?” she snapped as she straightened and brushed at the remnants of Floo Powder on her clothing. She yelped as Albus struck her from behind as he also emerged from the fireplace. “Oi! Obviously, I’m not the only one.”
“The only one what?” Albus asked. “Can’t you move? It’s easier to Floo if no one is blocking the passage.”
Hugo felt a patch of cold on his thigh as James’ hand fell away. He looked toward his cousins with a surge of annoyance. As much as he adored them, he could cheerfully throttle them at the moment.
James shifted slightly away and smiled lazily at his siblings as he crossed his arms behind his head and stretched out his legs to cross them at his ankles. “Have a nice time with Auntie Fleur?” he asked in a smug tone.
Albus threw him a two-fingered salute and Lily sneered. “Godric, if I ever get pregnant, someone please hit me with Avada Kedavra. Honestly, I don’t know how poor Bill can stand it.”
“She is a bit greedy for attention,” Albus agreed as he sprawled in a nearby chair. He flicked his wand and Summoned a bottle of Butterbeer from the kitchen. It narrowly missed Lily’s head as it shot through the air into his waiting hand.
She glared at him. “A bit? All she can talk about is herself. I think even Mum wanted to bash her with a vase if she mentioned her swollen ankles once more. And despite her ‘feeling zo nauseas at zee sight of food’ she certainly has gained enough weight. She looks like a—”
Albus laughed uproariously. “Lily, you’re so mean.”
She rolled her eyes. “I have known pregnant women and Aunt Fleur is worse than any of them. I swear, if Uncle Bill had leaped up one more time to fetch the lazy bint something I don’t know if I could have kept my tongue.”
“It wouldn’t have done any good. She ignored all of Mum’s thinly-veiled insults, pretending not to understand.” Albus chuckled.
Lily fixed her gaze on Hugo and James. “Well, enough about our day. How was yours, you shiftless layabouts?”
“Well, apart from zee sight of food making me nauseous,” James said with a grin, “Our day was fabulous. Wasn’t it, Hugo?”
Hugo nodded, not wanting to appear too enthusiastic in the face of Lily’s disgruntlement. She had a tendency to hold grudges and deliver passive-aggressive revenge, whether earned or not.
Her eyes narrowed. “Well, obviously not too good, since you’re both here, instead of…”
She trailed off. Albus took a swig from his bottle and looked at her curiously. “Instead of where?”
Lily stood up abruptly. “Never mind. I’ve had enough family, today. I’m going to take a bath, order some take-away by owl, and go to bed. Goodnight, Hugo. Brothers.”
“Goodnight, Lily,” Hugo said automatically.
Albus chugged his butterbeer and slammed the empty bottle on the table. He stood up. “Well, it’s been lovely, but I have an amorous boyfriend to get back to. Later!” He lifted a jaunty hand, grabbed a fistful of Floo Powder, and departed.
When the flames died, Hugo turned to James, hoping he would return to the conversation that had been interrupted by the others, but he could see it was not to be. James grinned at him and then pushed away from the couch. “A bath and a bed sounds too good to pass up. I’m back to work before dawn tomorrow.” He sighed and then reached out to ruffle Hugo’s hair. “Thanks for a lovely day, cousin.”
“You’re… um, you’re welcome,” Hugo said quietly. He watched as James took the archway leading to the stairs and then listened as his footfalls slowly became quieter and ended with the closing of a door. He stayed where he was, twisting the leather bracelet round and round on his wrist, until shadows grew across the room and the oil lamps lit of their own accord.
He thought it rather unfair that such a wonderful day could end with him feeling so wrung out and lonely.
xxXxx
Hugo didn’t see James at all for the next three days. He didn’t see much of anyone but Lily, actually, which was the normal routine. It was easy to understand why most people thought he and Lily were a couple—they lived in the same house, they took their meals together, they travelled to and from work together, and they bickered like a married couple. Or like siblings.
Lily worked as an intern at St Mungo's, studying to be a Healer, although only Hugo, her siblings and cousins knew the real reason was that she hoped to attach herself to a Quidditch team as the consulting team medi-witch. It still made Hugo laugh at times, to think of her drooling over hot-bodied Quidditch players under the guise of professional examination. Honestly, there should be a law against it. She was learning a skill, however, so at least she wasn’t simply planning to be a Quidditch groupie.
“Why are you still wearing that ridiculous bracelet?” Lily asked as they walked.
Hugo reflexively tucked it back into his sleeve and glared at her. “I happen to like it,” he replied.
She smirked at him. Not for the first time, he wondered why he kept accompanying her to and from work. She was something of a nightmare, and just because the research facility where Hugo worked was a short jaunt past St Mungo’s was no reason to put himself through daily torture. She was perfectly capable of reaching the hospital in one piece. In fact, he pitied anyone that would try to accost her. The Potter children had learned defensive spells at their father’s knee.
“He probably doesn’t even remember giving it to you,” she said.
Hugo set his jaw stubbornly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Merlin, you two are thick,” she muttered.
“Speak plainly or not at all,” Hugo said, tired of the cryptic comments she had been dropping for three days.
“Fine. It’s obvious you have a thing for James. Why not just tell him and have done?”
He stared at her, wondering how obvious he had been and horrified at the idea of anyone else picking up on it. “What? No!”
“No, you don’t, or no you won’t tell him?” she asked, arching a ginger brow at him.
“No, I won’t tell him. And you won’t, either. Promise me!” Hugo stopped walking to regard her sternly.
She halted and sighed. “Really, Hugo, why not? James is a big boy. He can handle it.”
“Godric, no! He would be mortified! I’m his cousin!”
She snorted, an undignified sound that only Lily could produce. “I’m your cousin, too, and everyone assumes we are a happy little couple. If we snogged in front of the entire family at the next gathering, I doubt anyone would bat an eye.”
That’s because you’re a girl, he nearly snapped, but he didn’t bother. It was obvious. He looked at her forlornly. “I sometimes wish we were,” he said. “It would be easier than carrying this stupid, ridiculous torch for your brother.”
“Easier, perhaps, but not what either of us wants.”
Hugo laughed, despite himself. “No, what you want is a stable full of fit boys.”
“What’s wrong with that?” she demanded and then chuckled. “I’d get bored with just one.”
“Not if you found the right one,” he replied and elbowed her.
She wrinkled her nose. “You do have it bad. So. Tell him.”
Hugo shook his head again. “No. It would ruin everything. We have fun together. James is himself around me. He’s relaxed and adorable and… and so bloody James. That would all change. I couldn’t bear it. Even if he didn’t avoid me like the plague, he would act differently around me. It’s inevitable.”
“Of course he would act differently, but why are you assuming his reaction will be negative?”
Hugo gnawed his lip and shot a suspicious glare at her. “How do you know it wouldn’t be? Has he ever said anything? I mean, about me? Or even about blokes, in general? I always thought he liked girls. He always had girlfriends at Hogwarts.”
“Well,” Lily admitted, “he hasn’t ever said anything to me…”
“You see?” Hugo burst out. He wanted to tear at his hair and shout at her for even allowing him to consider such an insane path, even for a moment. “Merlin, just a few days ago he brought up the word ‘girlfriend’!”
“He said he had a girlfriend?”
“No. But he said if he got one I would be the first to know.”
She smacked him in the abdomen with her fist, sending his breath out in a grunt.
“Hey!” he yelped. “What was that for?”
“For you being an idiot.” She started walking again and threw a grin over her shoulder. “So, I’ll just have to ask him if he ever thinks about shagging blokes.”
Hugo hurried to catch up to her. “What? No! You can’t do that!”
“Why not?”
Hugo tried to think of an intelligent reason, but the only thing that came to mind was that it would be weird. And when it came to Lily, weird was not exactly an unfamiliar term. “Won’t he think it odd if you pop such a question out of the blue?” he asked lamely.
She rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Hugo, try to remember what house I was in at Hogwarts. Subtlety is my forte. Leave it to me.”
With that, she patted his arm, brushed a quick kiss against his cheek, and entered St Mungo’s without a backwards glance. Hugo frowned after her and wondered if having Lily’s assistance would be detrimental to his sanity in the long run. She might have been Slytherin, but her tendency to rush headlong at things was a Potter trait that a green and silver tie could not erase.
xxXxx
“Mr Weasley, you have a visitor,” Mildred informed him, poking her head through the door to give him a disapproving stare. Hugo was treated to Mildred’s disapproving stare several times a day, because she seemed to disapprove of most things, including sugar, the colour red, laughter, and the number sixteen. Hugo was not entirely certain about the last, but he tried to use the number in random conversation whenever possible, and thus far it had earned a disapproving glare each time.
“A visitor?” he asked without thinking, which served to increase the severity of the stare.
“That is what I said, Mr Weasley.” With a final look of censorship, she disappeared. Not permanently, but merely around the corner to her desk in the tiny reception area of Worsted and Turner, Research Facility.
Hugo cast one glance at his notes and decided nothing he was working on was terribly pressing, so he got to his feet and followed Mildred, curious. He never had visitors.
James tugged at his forelock and grinned at him from one of the shabby orange chairs in the reception area.
“James?” Hugo asked and then strode forward quickly. “Has something happened?” His panicked thoughts went immediately to Lily, but he had seen her just that morning. Or Albus? The colour drained from his face. “Oh, Merlin, it’s Rose, isn’t it? There’s been a Quidditch accident.”
James gaped at him for a full minute while Hugo refrained from reaching out and shaking him.
“No!” James said finally. “Merlin, no! No one is— There’s nothing…”
Hugo nearly sagged in relief as James laughed shakily.
“You look white as a ghost, Hugo! Honestly, do you really think anyone would trust me to be the harbinger of tidings, good or bad?”
“Well, I would,” Hugo blurted.
James chuckled and reached out to snare Hugo’s neck and pull him into a rough hug while scraping his knuckles over his scalp, as he was prone to do. “Hugo, there are so many reasons I will never cease to adore you. Truly, I only came to ask you to lunch. Can you spare an hour?” James must have caught one of Mildred’s disapproving stares, because he quickly amended his question. “Um… I mean, a half-hour? Twenty minutes?”
Hugo spoke up before the time dwindled down to nothing. “Yes! Yes, of course. Mildred, I am going to lunch. Please inform my mother, if she asks. And anyone else that might come looking for me.” He tried not to sound too hopeful at the last, but Hugo was such a newcomer at the firm—and was terribly young, compared to the others—that he was generally ignored. Except by his mother, more was the pity.
He took James by the hand and quickly led him outside before Mildred could begin a monologue about responsibility and work ethic. Despite her outwardly responsible mien, Hugo had never seen her work a moment past quitting time.
“Pleasant woman,” James commented with a snort.
Hugo grinned. “She makes mad dogs seem friendly. Did you really want lunch, or are you simply practicing heroics by rescuing me?”
“The rescue is a lucky happenstance,” James admitted. “I am hungry, but I wanted to ask you something. Where can we eat that won’t have you punished for shirking by keeping you out too long?”
“They can’t really punish me,” Hugo said. “I’m not being paid, after all. Interning has its benefits, pathetic though they are.” Hugo counted himself lucky to have gotten the position at all. Worsted and Turner was the premier research facility in all of Britain, primarily dealing with medical research, but also legal matters, new or altered spells, and incorporation of Muggle technology. Some of the research was so secretive it was done in cooperation with the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry. Unfortunately, Hugo was not given access to anything even remotely interesting. Not yet, at any rate.
He was burning with curiosity about James’ question, but he said nothing about it and instead led them down the street and around a number of corners until he reached a tiny café. A peeling wooden sign spelled out: Pat’s Soup.
James looked at it dubiously. “Soup? I said I was hungry, Hugo.”
“Don’t worry. I discovered something amazing. It’s an American thing called New England Clam Chowder. It’s like nirvana in a bowl.”
They were soon seated at a rickety table with large bowls full of the creamy potato and clam concoction, breaking off bits of crusty bread for dunking. James groaned in what seemed to be delight. “I will never doubt you again, Hugo.”
Hugo nodded happily and they both ate in silence until most of the meal was gone. James mopped up soup residue with a hunk of bread and looked at Hugo. “I need your help,” he said finally.
Hugo looked at him curiously, wondering if this was the same topic James had attempted to bring up on the night they had returned from the funfair. “With what?” he asked, bemused by the idea of James asking him for anything.
“Research,” James said simply. With that, he glanced around the room as though fearing to be overheard. James got to his feet. “Come on, I’ll tell you while we walk back.”
Hugo joined him and they walked together back toward Worsted and Turner while James explained.
“It’s about Bethany,” James said.
Hugo halted in his tracks. “Who?”
James gestured impatiently. “Bethany. Surely, I’ve mentioned her before.”
“Surely, you have not,” Hugo said with an edge of iron to his voice.
“Really?” James looked genuinely puzzled and Hugo tried not to gnash his teeth. “Well, she’s on my staff at Gringotts.” Hugo said nothing and James coughed as though sensing Hugo’s annoyance. “Anyway, she’s been acting strangely lately and I’m starting to think she’s under some sort of spell.”
“Strangely, how?” Hugo asked reluctantly, wondering why James had never brought up the mysterious girl.
“Well, it’s only been happening for a couple of days, so we are hoping it passes. On Tuesday, when she came to work she seemed very confused. At one point, she forgot who I was. We were deep in the caverns, setting up a new trap with Ironclaw, and she looked straight at me and asked my name. She had no idea where she was, nor even who she was, until we returned to the bank proper.”
“That sounds like a simple Confundus,” Hugo said.
James nodded. “I know, but it came from nowhere. Luckily, Ironclaw was busy setting up the complex trigger spells, so he didn’t notice. It seemed minor, so Bethany and I passed it off as a fluke, or some residual spell in the area that was triggered without us noticing. But later that afternoon, she fainted. We were in the same region of the caverns—not really close to the spot of the first episode, but close enough that it could be some artefact in a vault, or something. I just don’t know.”
Hugo was intrigued, despite himself. It was possible he was overreacting to the girl’s name. After all, she could be a middle-aged, married witch, for all Hugo knew. He refrained from asking—barely. “Were those the only two instances?”
James shook his head. “She started laughing hysterically yesterday. Laughing fit to burst, and couldn’t stop.” James’ lips twitched at the memory and he forced it away with obvious effort. “Merlin, Edward was with us that time and the three of us were giggling for nearly twenty minutes—although Edward and I were simply caught in the moment and kept asking Bethany what was so bloody funny. It would have been amusing if I knew it wasn’t spell-induced, somehow. And if Bloodbone hadn’t come down and asked what the hell we were doing making merry instead of working... Merlin, we all narrowly avoided being fired.”
“Can’t you explain to the goblins that she’s under some sort of spell?” Hugo asked.
James shook his head soberly. “We don’t dare. They would simply be rid of her and replace her with someone else. Humans mean little to them. The only reason they employ us at all is that we can do certain things that they can’t, thanks to these.” James patted the pocket that contained his wand. “And they enjoy giving us the more manual tasks, such as digging new tunnels.”
“But you are the Head of Security,” Hugo protested.
James laughed. “Indeed. That fancy title only means I’m responsible for keeping their human employees in line. The only ‘security’ I’m in charge of is trying to keep them alive. And employed.”
“So you can’t tell the goblins about this weird curse on your… employee?” Hugo said, stressing the word a bit.
James shook his head. “This morning was the worst. It’s why I decided to come and find you. She had a complete paranoid fit, yelling that we were trying to kill her. She was throwing hexes at us and screaming. I hit her with a Full-body Bind and hauled her out of the caverns—she reverted to normal partway up, thankfully, but I’ve banned her from going below until we figure out what the hell is going on. So, can you help?”
Hugo was reluctant. It sounded as though the poor woman was going mad or developing some sort of medical condition. But when James looked at him with such an adorable expression, Hugo would have acquiesced to anything he asked. He nodded. “I’m not sure how much help I can be. I’m not a full researcher, yet.”
James clapped him on the shoulder. “I’d rather have your brain than those of a dozen full researchers, Hugo. I’ll bring Bethany by the house tonight. It will be a bit late—can you stay awake until we get in?”
Hugo nodded. He seldom fell asleep until James got home, anyway, although he always went to bed. He would lie awake listening for the sound of footfalls in the hallway and the reassuring creak of James’ bedroom door opening and closing.
“Great! Thanks, Huggie. You’re the best.” James wrapped him in a rough embrace and squeezed until Hugo barked a laugh and demanded he let loose. James smiled, waved cheerfully as he stepped back, and Disapparated.
PART FOUR