Home Is You | l.s.

3

(Harry's point of view)

I'm exhausted and freezing. My cheeks and nose are numb from the cold. I break into a jog and mold into the back of one of the groups of soldiers as I make it into the building. I breathe in carefully and shove my hands into my pockets as I stalk forward behind them.

What's inside surprises me. There has to be at least a hundred soldiers inside scattered amongst all the tables. All of them have meals in front of them and their conversations fill the room with noise. There's another line of men waiting at a counter for their own meals. I stop short in the doorway. I've never seen so many soldiers together since the start of the war. I recover from my awe quickly and continue through the large building.

I keep my hands in my pockets and my head down as I stand in the back of the line. I sniffle slightly and stare at my boots as the man in front of me turns around. He stares at me for a moment before he turns and moves forward again. I move with him and grab my own plate before quickly turning away to find a table. I venture to the middle of the room and sit down at one of the empty spots. No one else is at the table and I'm grateful for that.

I drop into the seat and stare at the plate in front of me. It has bits of beef on it and some bread with beans and water. It's the greatest sight I've seen in weeks. I immediately dig into the food and moan at the taste. Nothing has ever tasted so grand in my entire life. My plate is empty within a matter of minutes and I sigh contentedly.

I rest my head on the table for a few moments and close my eyes. I breathe in and out deeply as my body slumps forward. I stay like that for a few minutes until the door swings open and the sound of multiple footsteps enter the room.

I pick my head up from the table quickly to see about fifteen soldiers make their way to the line for food. Each of them has a gun and a backpack and they all look ready to fight in a seconds notice. It's a strange sight to see since the rest of us have only the clothes on our backs and look tired and ready to collapse at any second. They're new recruits, no doubt.

One of the men catches my eye just as I'm about to look away. Or should I say boy. He's smaller than the rest of the soldiers by half a head and doesn't have a gun or backpack. He looks exhausted, like he could drop any moment. There's no way he's part of that regiment. He's so different. He must have snuck in like me.

Regiments usually have the same type of men in them. My regiment had taller, more muscular lads like myself. It makes it easier to fight with people around you who are most like you. That's why it's easier to tell when people don't belong there too. The soldier is very noticeably different from his comrades. He would have never been placed with the other men in the group.

His eyes dart around the room from face to face quickly until they meet my gaze. He holds my stare for the longest time, almost as if he's searching for something. He stops walking and that's when I really look at him.

He has beautiful bright blue eyes that are wide and full of fear. He has light brown hair that's tousled, but looks soft nonetheless. I have a strange urge to run my fingers through the beautiful strands. He's small, but for some reason it's adorable, and I find myself wanting to protect him from the dangers of the world.

He looks away and continues walking, keeping his gaze on the ground and shoving his tiny hands into his pockets. He disappears behind the other soldiers in a moment just as someone walks in front of me, blocking my view of the beautiful boy.

I snap out of my trance and quickly stand up. I discard my plate in a bin by the kitchen before exiting the building. The cold and the sound of bullets in the distance bring me back to reality. I let out a puff of air as I make my way from the building, deeper into the night.