The Tales and Tellings of Hallows' Grove (MLM)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

                "I've been thinking about something," said Henry. He and Edward laid on opposing ends of one another on the sitting room floor, with Edward's boots sticking out of the fireplace and Henry's socked feet on the couch next to a sleeping Nox.

Henry was supposed to be focusing on his book of potions, but he'd kept catching Edward staring and it had made it hard for him to concentrate.

"Hm?" Edward had abandoned his own book on moon cycles and was once again tracing Henry's many freckles with his eyes.

Henry lightly shoved his cheek, turning his face away with a laugh. "Stop it, I'm serious. I've been thinking about what Mary said. If she's really afraid that Simon might kill—"

"—Again," Edward said bitterly.

"Then it might finally be time to try a spell I haven't used in a while."

Edward sat up and leaned on his palm to look down at him. "Which is?"

Henry wrote the words in the air with his finger. "Confinement charm. Used it around the house when I first got Nox when he was a kitten and I realized he was my familiar. Worried he'd run off and that would be that. Except of course that never happened, and he's just owned the cottage since."

Nox meowed in approval. Edward blocked the light of the candles as he hovered over Henry on all fours.

"You're saying you can keep Simon in one place?" he asked anxiously.

"It'd have to be a small space," Henry clarified. "Like I said, I haven't done the spell in a while, and I was very familiar with the cottage when I did it." He sat up, folding his legs and crossing his arms. "We can't let him harm anyone else, but something about what Mary said . . . well, something feels off, is all. I don't like it. I want to know for certain that if we trap him, someone won't just come along and carry on his work for him."

Henry sighed, looking to his clock. "And every second we're nearing the end of October. It won't be long now."

Edward said nothing, and Henry looked over his shoulder at him. Edward was staring off into the fire. Henry did not need to read his thoughts to know what he was thinking. Instead of waiting for an answer that would only lead to an argument, he reached over and ran a hand through Edward's curls, raking his hair back with his fingers.

Edward's grim expression softened and his eyes fluttered to the touch. He leaned into Henry's hand, turning into his palm as Henry slid it down to cup his cheek.

He smiled and pressed their foreheads together. "You seemed a bit too grim there for my tastes, my dear."

Edward heaved a sigh, reaching up to grip Henry's wrist and keep his hand in place. "You take far too much in stride."

"Is that how it seems?" Henry smirked. "I must be a better actor than I thought."

Henry pulled away then and picked up his potions book off the rug. He started flipping through to the page where he'd left off, and his own words echoed back to him.

"It won't be long now." He was close to finishing that potion that would send Edward back on the 31st of October. Too close. Why rush it now? That thought in mind, Henry closed the book and tossed it next to his sink.

Edward noticed. "What're you thinking?"

Henry hugged himself to keep warm. "I'm thinking I'm exhausted, and I'd very much like to sleep."