Chapter Text
London was striking, really. From the top storey of a nice flat, one could see the locals and tourists bustling about under the city lights. It didn't matter that it was near midnight or that it was starting to pour. The city never quit moving.
"I could live like this." A man took in the sight, noting the rain beginning to drizzle overhead. He rested his hands in his pockets and turned towards another man. "Couldn't you, Cad?"
Cad was a much smaller man. He was stringy and hunched over in cold contrast to his partner who stood tall. Both men were in formalwear, but Cad's was ill-fitted and plain black. He shook his head slightly. "I don't understand."
"Understand what? The luxuries of the upper class?"
"Not that, Cerberus," Cad mumbled to the floor.
Cerberus flashed a wicked smile at Cad, all sharp teeth and dark eyes. He began to walk around the flat. He idly picked at the books on the shelves and tapped his nails on the kitchen countertops. He hummed at the low-volume telly and grazed his hand over the beige walls and modern art pieces. He fiddled with every knickknack he passed, and above all else, he ignored Cad's whimpering.
While inspecting the kitchen knives, he let out a sigh. "Cad, would you quit that pathetic noisemaking? It's annoying the living daylights out of me."
"I don't understand why," said Cad. "Why we had to kill her?"
Knife still in his hand, Cerberus regarded the body on the floor. The blood had finally stopped pooling out of the wound in the woman's stomach.
"Because we need a place to stay. We've been over this." He placed the knife back in the block and opened up a cupboard.
"But why couldn't you have used your wand?" Cad whimpered.
Cerberus rooted around in the stacks of coffee mugs. "She was a muggle. I think she deserves to have gone out in a muggle fashion, don't you? A-ha!" He held up a box of tea bags for Cad to see.
He did not share in his partner's excitement.
"This should wash out that sour mood of yours."
"I don't want tea, Donovan. I don't want any of this. The flat or the tattoo-"
"Donovan is dead, Caddie." Cerberus's voice had turned stone cold. "It's Cerberus now, and you'd do well to remember that. Now, why don't you watch the telly while I make us some tea."
Cad bit his tongue and glared at the floor.
Cerberus set himself to making tea. As he poured water into the kettle, he sang to himself.
The bloodhound is gonna land on top of
every dog in the pound
bloodhound, baby
Miles away, the boy called Albus Severus Potter woke with a start.
Al shot upright in his bed. He gasped for air like someone who was drowning. As his breathing slowed, he rubbed his eyes. The image of a woman bleeding out from a knife was still crystal clear in his mind, but the rest of the dream was fading fast. Thank Merlin, for that. He had enough on his mind as it was. He didn't need the details of a common nightmare to bog his mind down, too.
Calmer now, he reached for the glass on his nightstand. It was unfortunately devoid of water. Damn. He'd have to go all the way down to the kitchen to get some.
He regarded the bed. He almost certainly wouldn't be falling asleep any time soon. Nightmares like that made him feel-
He needed to get water. Anything to clear his head.
Al opened his bedroom door, glass in hand, to find that the kitchen light was still on below him. A quick glance at the nearest clock told him it was just past midnight.
As quietly as possible, he crept down the stairs. The whispered voices of his parents became clearer and clearer.
"...the Ministry doesn't know," his dad said.
Al's interest piqued. He edged closer to the kitchen until he was pressed up against the wall right next to the archway.
"I don't know what we're going to do," Harry was saying, "If we could just find one of them, it'd be a start. But, there's nothing. Not a single Bloodhound."
Bloodhound. That word rang a bell to Al, and not in the dog breed sense. It was something he'd heard before. Maybe it'd been in the paper?
Ginny sighed. "Do you think another war's going to break out?"
Al squeezed the glass in his hand.
There was a horrifically long pause before Harry finally said, "There's no way of knowing. Not until we catch one."
"Harry, this is..."
"I know."
"I can't go through that again. Not with the kids. Harry, if we have to reassemble the Order-"
Albus shattered the glass in his hands.
Ginny peeked out the archway, wand at the ready before she recognized her youngest son with a pile of glass at his feet. "Albus! How long have you been standing there?"
"Err..."
His mum placed her hands on her hips. "Don't you 'err' your way out of this, young man. Explain yourself."
Harry popped up behind her and took in the sight. "Merlin, Al. You scared me half to death. Have I gone soft?" He suddenly asked Ginny with comical concern.
Ginny replied, "This is what happens when you move to paperwork. Fetch a broom, will you? And get over here, Albus."
Sheepishly, Al did as he was ordered. He slipped into his favorite chair at the table. Under the light, he could get a good look at his parents' states. Harry busied himself with cleaning up the broken glass in his favorite red plaid pajamas. Ginny was in a fluffy pink bathrobe with dark circles forming under her eyes. And, there was a slip of paper on the table right in front of him.
Ginny must've caught him eyeing it because she swiped it off before he could make out any of the cursive letters. "Now tell me, what are you doing out of bed on a night like this? You need all the sleep you can get, don't you think?"
Al mumbled, "I couldn't sleep."
"Oh, Al." Ginny's voice immediately softened and she took a seat across from him. "The first day is always nerve-wracking, but I promise you'll be fine."
Harry finished disposing of the glass and swiped his hands. "I think I got it all. What's wrong, Al?"
"He's worried about tomorrow."
"Ahh." He took a seat next to his son. "Been there. Y'know when I was your age-"
Al settled into his seat. This was going to be a while.
"I didn't know half a thing about magic or the people at Hogwarts. You've grown up with magic all around and you've got about a hundred cousins heading there. You're already loads ahead of first-year-me."
Well, that was true. He already knew a handful of spells just from watching his family use them and he'd been fiddling with his wand ever since he'd picked it up at Ollivander's. He already knew some of the professors, on account of them being family friends, and he had his cousin Rose as a guaranteed companion. The only thing truly worrying him was the sorting ceremony.
Just the thought of it was enough to make Al feel sick. His brother, James, had been filling his head with horrible lies ever since he came home for summer holiday. He told Al varying things each day; that the houses were decided based on a student's ability in a troll fight, a spelling exam, or a talent show. It was getting Al awfully mixed up, as much as he hated to admit it.
Worst of all, James wouldn't quit making hissing noises at him and telling him he'd end up in Slytherin. That was really getting to him.
"What if," Al started, "I'm not put in Gryffindor?"
Ginny replied instantly, "There's nothing wrong with being in a different house. There are four for a reason. And, you know Teddy was in Hufflepuff and he turned out all right, despite it."
Harry broke out into a goofy smile. Playing along, he said, "Yeah. Louis's in Ravenclaw, and Fleur told me they still let him sleep inside. It's really not that big of a deal to most people, shockingly."
Al buried his face in his hands. "Neither of you are any help."
"We're really not," Ginny chirped.
"And you know," said Harry, "I've grown far more tolerant over the years with the whole Teddy situation. I can now firmly promise not to curse you on sight if you're not sorted into Gryffindor."
Al groaned as his parents laughed at each other.
"But really, honey," said Ginny. "Everything will be fine. It doesn't matter to us what house you're in or not in. It's all the same to us."
Harry agreed. "It is. And do you want to know something secret?"
Al nodded eagerly. He'd take any bit of knowledge to prepare himself for tomorrow.
"We had this same conversation with your brother before his first day of school. He was right terrified he wouldn't be brave enough for Gryffindor."
That sounded like right balderdash. James wasn't afraid of anything, especially not something as simple as Hogwarts houses. He was practically born a Gryffindor.
But then again, here was Al twisting himself into knots over something that could be over in seconds. "I don't have to fight a troll, do I?"
Harry said, "Only if you desperately need friends."
Al snorted at that. He'd heard that story a thousand times. The one about his dad, uncle, and aunt becoming friends in their first year after fighting off a troll together.
"Alright," he said and took a deep breath. "I'm exhausted."
"Better catch some sleep while you can," his mum said, roughing up his hair. "You're going to need it."
And with that, Al headed back up to bed (a new glass of water having been obtained) and fast to sleep. He would conquer tomorrow in due time.