Potions & Charms

Explaining

Scott met Mitch for dinner in the Great Hall while Kirstie stayed in the Astronomy tower and watched the stars. The two men didn't mind, they were used to her staying away sometimes as she experienced sensory overload quite often. She knew that her friends were always there in case she needed help or company but for now she was comfortable being far away from everyone else. Avi was, as usual, missing and Scott found himself next to Kevin.

"Kevin! Hi" he said and smiled, then reached for the dish filled with potatoes. "How was your day?"

"Pretty good! The first runes class is always pretty tough but everyone tried their best and I really appreciate it. Yours?"

"Yeah, solid. Have you seen Avi today? At all?"

The man hummed and reached for his cup of pumpkin juice. "After lunch, he was on the way out and had a niffler sitting on his shoulder. You should've seen it, it was a sight for sore eyes. It had a little harness on."

Scott couldn't help but chuckle. "He has a soft spot for creatures, huh?"

"Duh, he teaches Care for Magical Creatures. He is required to have a soft spot for them. Why are you asking?"

"Oh, I was just wondering" the baritone said and smiled lightly. Kevin didn't need to know about what had happened the day prior as Avi probably wouldn't be amused about another person paying attention to him. "He's always so grumpy."

Kevin sighed softy and cut up his chicken. "Yes. But he has good days, too. And even though he seems to be rather grumpy he is very gentle when it comes to the creatures. Avi likes to learn and- he's pretty smart, he knows a lot. Professor Slughorn knows nothing compared to Avi, and he is twice as old."

"Are you, like, friends with him?"

The man smiled sadly. "Avi doesn't consider me as a friend. To him I'm just a colleague, maybe a close one, but we're not friends. To me we are. He always says that he doesn't need, have or wants friends, probably a result of Durmstrang's education and harsh training, but just hearing him say that hurts my heart."

"Is it that bad?"

"Worse" Kevin mumbled. "They don't allow anything. No laughter, no games, barely any social interaction. Durmstrang is an emotionally cold environment, the exact opposite of Hogwarts and I like to imagine that Avi was a happy boy before he started school. He hasn't told me much but I know that both of his parents died just three weeks after he left for Durmstrang."

Scott bit his lip. "Do you know why?"

"Officially not, no." Kevin mixed his potatoes with some gravy. "But rumor has it that a few remaining Death Eaters found them. His father wrote for the Quibbler" he mumbled, barely loud enough for Scott to understand.

The man looked down at his plate. "So he doesn't have anyone? It's just him? Just Avi?"

"Just Avi, yes."

The three men had lunch and shortly after Mitch and Scott walked back upstairs towards their chambers. They walked past a few students to the more secluded hallways on the fifth floor which lead to the teachers private rooms, farther away from their classrooms.

"I found Avi yesterday" Scott suddenly said after a long but comfortable silence. He couldn't keep it to himself any longer. "He was almost unconscious, sitting on the first stair of the staircase leading to the dungeons. I guess he had been outside all day, collecting ingredients and stuff like that."

Mitch furrowed his brows but before he was able to say anything Scott continued.

"I brought him downstairs to his chambers and he fainted again, then helped him to get to his bedroom. But before he said something that really hurt, and now that I've talked to Kevin it starts to make sense. He told me that to him, caring was not an advantage and- can you imagine how much someone has to endure to decide that showing feelings and taking care of others is considered bad and harmful?"

"That's awful, Scott" the smaller man mumbled and looked at his best friend. "But I think you're right. After all he grew up in Durmstrang and we all know that it's not the best school to attend, especially if his parents are on the good side. The Durmstrang students usually come from families who value the dark magic and therefore the followers. I'm pretty sure that there still are and always will be Death Eaters."

Scott hummed. "Mhm, probably..."

"What got your knickers in a twist?" Mitch suddenly asked and stopped. "You look like a child someone just stole candy from."

"I might have a problem?"

"Spit it out or you'll choke on it."

"I think I am falling for Avi" he mumbled and kept walking. "I don't want to, I- he is the most problematic person in the whole castle and surely, he is the one I apparently am attracted to."

Mitch couldn't hold back a laugh. "Well, at least you have something to do. I am bored out of my mind and might start going on frequent trips to London to keep myself busy with either men or shopping."

After their conversation about Avi they kept walking towards Scott's chambers and the heels of Mitch's boots clicked on the floor. The tall blonde couldn't help but smile when he remembered how they had roamed the grounds back when they were students.

"Weird how fast the time flies by now, huh?" he asked and pushed his hands in the front pockets of his pants. "We studied and graduated and now we're back as teachers."

Mitch hummed. "Yeah. It feels like as it was yesterday when we met Kirstie. I think I should go and check on her, just in case. Sometimes she likes someone to be there and just sit with her."

"Sounds good, yes. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Most definitely." With that he disappeared again and Scott unlocked the door to his rooms by whispering "Pumpkin Pie". Inside he walked over to the small kitchenette close to the large windows and put the with water filled kettle on the stove to heat up. Maybe Avi wanted to stay for a cup of tea.