Through the Dark

Chapter 31: Missing Someone

Central City Square || around 2PM

Central City was almost like Diagon Alley during the season of Yule; the soft snow litters along the pavements and people seem to take advantage of it. Kids were all running around the place, and the adults had smiles plastered on their faces. There was an ever-present chatter that made a buzz and a hustle througout the Central City Square as people flock towards it to enjoy the first week of snow.

Jesse, Andrew, Gerard and Hunter with his cannula all huddled together sitting on one of the benches that has a  roof overhead so as not to have cold snow enter their jackets. Snowballs seem to fly from every direction because of the playful kids who decided to have a snowball fight.

It was afternoon, and Jesse, Andrew and Gerard all went to Hunter's house to fetch the young man and ask Mr. Hartford's permission to have him for the afternoon, as it was snowing quite pleasantly for a while. None of the past year's blizzards occurred, thankfully. As it was Hunter's first time to celebrate Yule (not that he ever celebrated it that much- the Durselys made sure to exclude Hunter from the festivities) at Central City, they thought it was a good idea to have Hunter see the city during winter. Hunter had to admit, Central City during winter was a far cry from its usual vibe during the other seasons.

The friends decided to treat Hunter to a candy shop near the Square first, which Hunter loved. Although, it made him think of the Weasely Twins, and the whole Weasely brood. Especially Ron. And Ginny. And Hermione. And Neville. And Ginny. And Dean. And Seamus. And--

It was Jesse's laugh that made him go back to the present. He shook his head, and instead chose a bunch of chocolates and candies and joined in at his friends' laughter. There were several comedians and performers inside the shop, attracting attention and making Hunter forget about his past.

After the candy shopping, they went inside other shops, all sporting the Holiday spirit, until they all felt the cold and chose a small café to order hot chocolate. They decided to have their orders as take outs and together, they crossed the street to take a seat on one of the benches with roofs.

"This is fun, huh?" Gerard commented as they all had a good laugh after they saw one of the kids slip on ice. The three reminisced their childhood and told stories to Hunter, who listened eagerly but told nothing. When asked, he only shrugged it off and said that he was a sickly child ever since then- prone to cold and fever.

"Yeah," Andrew answers, a wide smile on his face. "Your Dad's really nice, ain't he, Hunter? Wish he was nicer in class, though."

To this, Hunter laughed. Severus Snape, while being totally different from Ezra Hartford, seem to still carry his authority and disciplinarian demeanour in class. Hunter patted Andrew's back, "Don't worry. Dad's bark is worse than his bite."

The three others laughed, making Andrew frown a bit, "He's just... He's scary."

"Well, I think he just wants you just to learn and to focus. It's Chemistry, you know. A little dash of this and a little dash of that will cause explosions," Hunter says, taking a sip from his steaming cup. At the statement, they all nodded in agreement. When Andrew had enough of sitting, he stood and took his skating blades from his bag, offering another pair to both Jesse and Gerard.

Gerard smiled and took his own out. The three others looked at Gerard quizzically, "Well," Gerard says, eyes with mirth, "do you honestly think I would go here without a pair of skates?"

Andrew laughed, "I never knew you know how, Green."

"Shut up, Cohen. Hey, Hunt, wanna try?"

"Nah," Hunter declines politely, although he eyes the pair of skates longingly. He always wanted to learn how to skate, "maybe some other time. My oxygen bag's not with straps."